[три]

[kol_shevik]

 [ Russia has been unusually quiet for the past few days around the Braginski household, spending most of his time sitting around smoking or digging seemingly random holes in the haphazard garden, little Laika dog constantly at his heels.

Today, however, he has taken down the shoddy fence around the yard, and he has cut down all of the sunflowers

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[starshots]

[she's gathered a bunch of sunflowers from where they were tucked beneath her blankets and is hugging them to her chest while she wanders around the house, trying to find somewhere to put them. she's noticed that Russia is acting strangely, of course, but she's been doing something that's becoming a little routine to her- brushing it off as just a part of his odd personality.

she listens behind the door for a bit, hearing him talking on the phone. she then tucks the sunflowers under her arm and pads downstairs to check the contents of the fridge.] Flour, and ground beef... I'll have to find eggs... [she returns back upstairs and knocks on the door softly.

she makes a point to speak in Russian.]

Can I come in?

[kol_shevik]

[ He just grunts a response - though whether it's a yes or no isn't really clear - and continues his flower-murder, sitting on the bed and puffing away at some cheap cigarette. ]

[starshots]

[takes that as a 'yes' and struggles to open the door while holding the flowers. her expression doesn't change much upon smelling the stagnant, sickly-sweet scent of dying flowers and smoke in the room. Suou's voice also remains as toneless and palely plaintive as ever as she launches into a seemingly random topic.]

'I don't think there's any Russian who doesn't enjoy the summer sun.'

I thought that to myself not very long ago. Summer is very short in Vladivostok, isn't it?

My friends and I... We used to enjoy those couple of months so innocently. Like the summer wouldn't ever end, and winter wouldn't come. But it always did.

[kol_shevik]

[ He drops the stalk he's holding onto a small pile of already stripped flowers on the floor, blowing more smoke out into the room. ]

Cannot feel Vladivostok right now. Cannot feel Moscow or Piter or Murmansk or Sochi. So Russia would not know.

[starshots]

My friends are all gone now, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't ever enjoy another Russian summer with them.

[there is a finality to the way that she says 'gone'.]

But it's warm here, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

[she crosses the room and opens a window.]

[kol_shevik]

Your friends have left you too? They are always saying that all of Russia's friends will be gone at the end, like it is something funny.

[starshots]

Most of them are dead.

The rest don't remember me.

[she flings her arms wide and tosses the sunflowers out of the window.]

So we won't be able to have fun like children any more.

[kol_shevik]

Russia will try to remember you, if you are wanting. Even with such short little lives, Russia remembers many of his children.

[starshots]

...No... I think it's best if everyone forgets about me when I'm gone.

[kol_shevik]

Oh.

[He stands up and brushes flower petals off his front.]

Forgetting little girl who is stealing Russia's clothes is probably harder than remembering her.

[starshots]

[she blinks, but shakes her head a little.] Why did you ruin the garden?

[kol_shevik]

Will grow all of the flowers Russia is wanting at home, but should not have things he is enjoying here.

[starshots]

Why would you punish yourself if you haven't done anything wrong?

[kol_shevik]

Russia does nothing wrong.

But might. In future.

[starshots]

Papa used to get very angry at me. 'Suou, you can't change the past.'

But you can change the future. So why... do you think that way? [there's pure, childlike curiousity in her monotone voice now.]

[kol_shevik]

[He takes a few full minutes to respond, pacing around the room like a trapped animal.]

You are knowing Russia has gone home? Was here once, in 1957. Lots of his comrades were all claiming they are from some silly future, where Russia is living alo--. . . Ah, that isn't important, because it isn't true. But Russia is thinking, if they are telling even tiny bit of truth, Russia would know and could go home and change it and make sure it is never happening.

Russia woke up at home twelve years ago and did not remember even one little name from Mayfield town.