For Each Ecstatic Instant (6/10)
anonymous
January 11 2010, 03:44:52 UTC
“Toris, it’s your turn.”
Lithuania shook his head slightly and turned from the window. He glanced over at Russia, who was smiling patiently with his chin resting on one hand, and then down at the hand of cards in front of him.
It wasn’t a very good one. There were very few cards higher than a jack, and those were concentrated in clubs. He had only one trump card, a seven of diamonds. He had no spades to speak of.
The quality of the hand didn’t matter much to Lithuania. He knew that Russia would win, because it was Russia’s game, and that made Russia very happy. The old nation was in one of his ‘up’ phases, cheerful and optimistic, without a hint of madness. He suggested the card game to Lithuania with the gleeful enthusiasm of a child, something Lithuania was more than glad to indulge, if it prolonged Russia’s good mood.
Needless to say, Lithuania preferred this version of Russia to his alternate darker, sadistic side, though he didn’t like the way that it put him on edge.
Waiting for the blow to fall.
Silently, Lithuania fished a jack of hearts out of his hand and slid it across the table.
Russia smiled at the card for a moment, and then looked back at his own hand. “Is it nice?” he said suddenly as he placed a queen of hearts gently over Lithuania’s jack.
“What?” Lithuania took his only queen-of clubs-out of his hand and played it.
“The other world you were just visiting.” Russia smiled, beating Lithuania’s queen with an ace.
Lithuania hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “Done,” he added, pushing the pile of cards to the side, then ordering them in a neat pile and adding them to the stack of discards that had grown swiftly over the course of the game, though not quite so swiftly as the contents of Lithuania’s hand.
“Not nicer than here, though,” Russia continued as he followed Lithuania in drawing enough cards to return his hand to six. “What could be better than our house, with all of our friends?” He smiled and played a nine of trump.
Lithuania returned the smile, but it was hollow, going no further than his lips. Nothing in his hand could beat the nine. He reached down to pick up the card to add it to his hand.
Russia’s hand came down solidly on top of his own, thick fingers wrapping around Lithuania’s wrist, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to hold him still. The taller nation was looking down at him steadily, expectantly.
Lithuania knew the words he wanted. He tasted pride, acrid and familiar, at the back of his throat, but swallowed it down as he always did.
“I accept.”
Russia’s smile widened, and he let go of Lithuania’s hand. Silently, Lithuania added the card to his hand and then held it close in front of his face.
“There is nowhere nicer than here,” Russia burbled pleasantly.
Lithuania remind silent, but eyes drifted over to the open window, and the weak sunlight battling its way though the gunmetal gray clouds.
Lithuania shook his head slightly and turned from the window. He glanced over at Russia, who was smiling patiently with his chin resting on one hand, and then down at the hand of cards in front of him.
It wasn’t a very good one. There were very few cards higher than a jack, and those were concentrated in clubs. He had only one trump card, a seven of diamonds. He had no spades to speak of.
The quality of the hand didn’t matter much to Lithuania. He knew that Russia would win, because it was Russia’s game, and that made Russia very happy. The old nation was in one of his ‘up’ phases, cheerful and optimistic, without a hint of madness. He suggested the card game to Lithuania with the gleeful enthusiasm of a child, something Lithuania was more than glad to indulge, if it prolonged Russia’s good mood.
Needless to say, Lithuania preferred this version of Russia to his alternate darker, sadistic side, though he didn’t like the way that it put him on edge.
Waiting for the blow to fall.
Silently, Lithuania fished a jack of hearts out of his hand and slid it across the table.
Russia smiled at the card for a moment, and then looked back at his own hand. “Is it nice?” he said suddenly as he placed a queen of hearts gently over Lithuania’s jack.
“What?” Lithuania took his only queen-of clubs-out of his hand and played it.
“The other world you were just visiting.” Russia smiled, beating Lithuania’s queen with an ace.
Lithuania hesitated for a moment, then smiled and nodded. “Done,” he added, pushing the pile of cards to the side, then ordering them in a neat pile and adding them to the stack of discards that had grown swiftly over the course of the game, though not quite so swiftly as the contents of Lithuania’s hand.
“Not nicer than here, though,” Russia continued as he followed Lithuania in drawing enough cards to return his hand to six. “What could be better than our house, with all of our friends?” He smiled and played a nine of trump.
Lithuania returned the smile, but it was hollow, going no further than his lips. Nothing in his hand could beat the nine. He reached down to pick up the card to add it to his hand.
Russia’s hand came down solidly on top of his own, thick fingers wrapping around Lithuania’s wrist, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to hold him still. The taller nation was looking down at him steadily, expectantly.
Lithuania knew the words he wanted. He tasted pride, acrid and familiar, at the back of his throat, but swallowed it down as he always did.
“I accept.”
Russia’s smile widened, and he let go of Lithuania’s hand. Silently, Lithuania added the card to his hand and then held it close in front of his face.
“There is nowhere nicer than here,” Russia burbled pleasantly.
Lithuania remind silent, but eyes drifted over to the open window, and the weak sunlight battling its way though the gunmetal gray clouds.
AN: The game that Russia and Lithuania are playing is the fool. (http://www.googobits.com/articles/81-learn-to-play-the-russian-card-game-the-fool.html), which I only learned about by Googling "russian card games." Ah, thank you, sweet omniscient Google.
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