010 ⚜ Video ⚜ England's Departure
[On the screen a few minutes after Evening Sirens appears France, not even bothering to look particularly happy about... well, anything. There's a bottle of wine in his right hand, uncorked and half-gone, and a drunken redness tinging his usually pale cheeks. His clothes are a crumpled mess around him, quite unusual for a man that prides himself so much on his looks, and he currently seems to be sitting against a wall, on the floor of his apartment. Lord knows where he found the coordination to prop up his NV.]
You know, there's one really... [He pauses as he tries to think of the word.] ... really... something, thing, thing... about living in the Port. [His accent, to anyone who has ever studied the French language, seems to be an odd mix of practically every other accent in France, with the exception of his usual Parisian accent. Believing he has made any sort of sense, giving a bit of a nod, Francis pulls the bottle to his lips and taking a long drink out of it.] And you know what that something is? Disparitions. Too many of them. First there was Liquid's friend- [He tilts his hand as if to start counting fingers on his left, but the right is still holding the bottle and he manages to spill some on the floor in front of him.] -merde!
[After a little bit of scrambling, and another swig out of his wine bottle, he looks back at the NV.] Where was I?... Oh, yes. The Core likes to fuck everything up. First Yaha. Then there was monsieur Wright. He's gone too. And then Brooke. [He pauses, his face suddenly contorting, almost like he's about to cry.] I miss Brooke. He... he sang me a lovely song for my birthday. You know, this wine was a birthday present? [He holds the bottle to the NV, so that he's half-blocked from view by green glass with reddish liquid inside.] Oui, this bottle! Right here!
[Then he pulls it away, looking to the side and swaying a little bit to remember what he was actually talking about before he switched topics.] ... ah! The people. Right. And then... then there was... there was Billy and Franklin. At the House. They're gone too. [He waves his hand a bit, as if he's chasing smoke through the air.] Pouf! All gone, without a trace. And then... then... guess who else? Shinji, Liquid's boyfriend... he didn't come back. And now... now... now my boyfriend! [He gestures by putting both his hands on his chest, causing the liquid in the bottle to slosh around.] My boyfriend is gone too. We only started dating two months, no, one and... [He thinks about it for a moment, his left hand counting days.] ... six weeks. Non, sept. Non, six. And the Core just took him all away. Angleterre a disparu. Not even his eyebrows are left. [He waves his left hand, almost like he was shooing England back to their world.] I'm the last country in Siren's Port. Again. You know, it's a wonder that the world hasn't collapsed while I've been here, I mean, I, I am France. France! La République française! And... here I am waiting to go back home after half a year, and everyone else is going away... [Francis leans in, whispering as if he's telling a secret.] ... not me. Me, I'm still here. Still here. [But as if to check, he pinches himself, just in case, wincing away when he realizes it actually hurts.] ... nope, still here.
Mais, I am needed back home. I'm a country, you see. I know nobody believes me, but it's true! Do you know what country I am? I'm France. And I'm important! Look at all the culture I have produced, look at all the food! Look at... at... all of the French people that have contributed to history! I'm a very important country and the Core won't let me go home, where I'm needed! Why is... why is Angleterre more important than me? He's a good-for-nothing, leaving me here to go home and tend to important things! I have important things too. I'm important. [It is only now that he tries to stand - tries, thank god it's his night off - and then just collapses back on the hardwood, the wine bottle making a bit of a dangerous thump on the floor, thankfully not breaking.]
Maybe... maybe if I walk to the Core, and I just... stay there, I'll go home.The Darkness doesn't scare me any more. I can't die from it. I'm France! No matter how many times you stab me or... or hit me or blow me up, I won't die. I'm something different and... and the Darkness doesn't scare me! I'll be fine! I can just walk there and- [He tries once again to stand, managing this time to prop himself against the wall, his foot accidentally knocking over the NV so it's now pointed at the bright ceiling light above him, only showing a silhouette of his head and part of his shoulders. He's still clearly audible though, if one has managed to get through this much of his slurred, hick-French, drunk-ass speech. Meanwhile, the hand holding the wine is now pouring the rest of the bottle onto the floor.] This wine... it was... it was Arthur's birthday gift to me... he said he'd drink it with me... guess I have to drink it all by myself now. Casse-toi, Core. Casse-toi...! [He pulls the bottle back up to his lips to find, surprise, it's all gone.] ... no more... maybe the Core made the rest of it disappear too.
I... I miss England, Arthur, England. I loved him. And I am all alone now.
(( ooc: France's powers are going haywire right now. Anyone listening to this for too long may feel the deepest, darkest despair that they've ever felt. Others may feel like they too have just had three-fourths of a wine bottle in a half-hour. Still others may feel like it's a wonderful idea to stroll out in the Darkness because nothing could absolutely harm you. And some may not feel any effect whatsoever. Anyone in the HoA is welcome to convince France it's a bad idea to go outside. Permissions post is HERE. ))
You know, there's one really... [He pauses as he tries to think of the word.] ... really... something, thing, thing... about living in the Port. [His accent, to anyone who has ever studied the French language, seems to be an odd mix of practically every other accent in France, with the exception of his usual Parisian accent. Believing he has made any sort of sense, giving a bit of a nod, Francis pulls the bottle to his lips and taking a long drink out of it.] And you know what that something is? Disparitions. Too many of them. First there was Liquid's friend- [He tilts his hand as if to start counting fingers on his left, but the right is still holding the bottle and he manages to spill some on the floor in front of him.] -merde!
[After a little bit of scrambling, and another swig out of his wine bottle, he looks back at the NV.] Where was I?... Oh, yes. The Core likes to fuck everything up. First Yaha. Then there was monsieur Wright. He's gone too. And then Brooke. [He pauses, his face suddenly contorting, almost like he's about to cry.] I miss Brooke. He... he sang me a lovely song for my birthday. You know, this wine was a birthday present? [He holds the bottle to the NV, so that he's half-blocked from view by green glass with reddish liquid inside.] Oui, this bottle! Right here!
[Then he pulls it away, looking to the side and swaying a little bit to remember what he was actually talking about before he switched topics.] ... ah! The people. Right. And then... then there was... there was Billy and Franklin. At the House. They're gone too. [He waves his hand a bit, as if he's chasing smoke through the air.] Pouf! All gone, without a trace. And then... then... guess who else? Shinji, Liquid's boyfriend... he didn't come back. And now... now... now my boyfriend! [He gestures by putting both his hands on his chest, causing the liquid in the bottle to slosh around.] My boyfriend is gone too. We only started dating two months, no, one and... [He thinks about it for a moment, his left hand counting days.] ... six weeks. Non, sept. Non, six. And the Core just took him all away. Angleterre a disparu. Not even his eyebrows are left. [He waves his left hand, almost like he was shooing England back to their world.] I'm the last country in Siren's Port. Again. You know, it's a wonder that the world hasn't collapsed while I've been here, I mean, I, I am France. France! La République française! And... here I am waiting to go back home after half a year, and everyone else is going away... [Francis leans in, whispering as if he's telling a secret.] ... not me. Me, I'm still here. Still here. [But as if to check, he pinches himself, just in case, wincing away when he realizes it actually hurts.] ... nope, still here.
Mais, I am needed back home. I'm a country, you see. I know nobody believes me, but it's true! Do you know what country I am? I'm France. And I'm important! Look at all the culture I have produced, look at all the food! Look at... at... all of the French people that have contributed to history! I'm a very important country and the Core won't let me go home, where I'm needed! Why is... why is Angleterre more important than me? He's a good-for-nothing, leaving me here to go home and tend to important things! I have important things too. I'm important. [It is only now that he tries to stand - tries, thank god it's his night off - and then just collapses back on the hardwood, the wine bottle making a bit of a dangerous thump on the floor, thankfully not breaking.]
Maybe... maybe if I walk to the Core, and I just... stay there, I'll go home.The Darkness doesn't scare me any more. I can't die from it. I'm France! No matter how many times you stab me or... or hit me or blow me up, I won't die. I'm something different and... and the Darkness doesn't scare me! I'll be fine! I can just walk there and- [He tries once again to stand, managing this time to prop himself against the wall, his foot accidentally knocking over the NV so it's now pointed at the bright ceiling light above him, only showing a silhouette of his head and part of his shoulders. He's still clearly audible though, if one has managed to get through this much of his slurred, hick-French, drunk-ass speech. Meanwhile, the hand holding the wine is now pouring the rest of the bottle onto the floor.] This wine... it was... it was Arthur's birthday gift to me... he said he'd drink it with me... guess I have to drink it all by myself now. Casse-toi, Core. Casse-toi...! [He pulls the bottle back up to his lips to find, surprise, it's all gone.] ... no more... maybe the Core made the rest of it disappear too.
I... I miss England, Arthur, England. I loved him. And I am all alone now.
(( ooc: France's powers are going haywire right now. Anyone listening to this for too long may feel the deepest, darkest despair that they've ever felt. Others may feel like they too have just had three-fourths of a wine bottle in a half-hour. Still others may feel like it's a wonderful idea to stroll out in the Darkness because nothing could absolutely harm you. And some may not feel any effect whatsoever. Anyone in the HoA is welcome to convince France it's a bad idea to go outside. Permissions post is HERE. ))