[Complete]

[everdistant]

Characters: England (notexcalibur), Saber (everdistant)
Location: Somewhere between Shibusen City Park and Casualty Communal
Rating: G
Time: 13 October, 9:30 AM
Description: Country and citizen run into each other (though not literally) as Saber returns from training. Tea ensues.

Comments

[notexcalibur]

They had a lot in common, this country and his citizen. England, too, wore a mask that distanced him from other people. He was polite, of course, but he had a hard time making friends. Most people were kept at an arm's length away, but not because he was a hidden king, or anything like that. No, England feared being hurt. He opened himself up to very few people. Being a country, he constantly changed allies and enemies, and so it was difficult to maintain a relationship with any of them (he'd fought horrible wars with his own brothers). And, up until recently, England's association with humans was completely different.

That was until England was recruited by BREW and brought to Death City. He'd become a human himself, had seen horrible injuries, and even death. He'd come to realize just how strong humans were, and learned about the many hardships they had to face. Not only had he become more susceptible to human emotions, he'd both flourished and suffered because of them. England even had grown close to several humans-his citizens, in particular, humans that lived within him, and were loyal to him. He liked that. He felt their love and admiration for him, and England also was able to speak freely to them.

His previous conversations with Prussia and America had left England feeling lost, as well as angry. He'd had great aspirations upon returning to Death City, and all of his goals seemed to be destroyed within the first week of him being there. He'd become quiet, kept to himself. He did not feel the need to bother others, nor be bothered. And so he had gotten a new job, decided not to join Roy's Watch, and didn't attend social events. He'd gone right back to being the lonely, pitiful entity that he'd been at home, a country mostly separated by water, completely isolated. At least, this way, he wouldn't be hurt.

That morning, though, England had decided to get some errands out of the way. He'd practically devoured all the books and beer in his apartment and needed new things to amuse himself. He didn't start work until that evening. That should have been enough time to go shopping and then perhaps get a bit of rest. He had just left the Casualty Communal and was walking down the street, eyes flicking upwards to stare at the grinning sun. But once he was paying attention to where he was walking again, he noticed Saber coming up on the other side of the road. As upset as England was feeling, he would not ignore one of his own children.

"Good morning, milady!" He called to her, lifting a hand in a wave. He was happy to see her, despite his mood.

Yay, managed to find some internets today!

[everdistant]

Saber couldn't help but feel a wash of relief at seeing England out and about. She had been certain that, as busy as they were, she would have seen him over the communications channel or out in the city, and she feared something had happened. There had been no attacks that she had heard of, and as part of the Watch she would have heard if something had happened. So perhaps he had been so busy that they had been like proverbial ships in the night; she had definitely not been idle, herself.

Still, her relief was quickly replaced by guilt; her first duty was to her country... and now that he was here as a person before her, she should have been more attentive. While Arthur -- as he seemed to be called now -- might have been a different England than the one she had sworn to protect and care for, he was still England. He was her entire purpose, the whole reason she had even begged Alaya -- the part of the world which governed humanity -- to grant her wish in exchange for her service as a Servant. Whether or not she could ever return and save her own Britain, in the here and now, she could serve him.

"Good morning, my lord," she answered with a deep bow, a soft smile on her face that few ever saw. "Have you been well?"

o hai bb o/

[notexcalibur]

Her presence warmed him, and England responded with a slight bow of his head. Being able to be so close to his citizens was the one thing BREW had going for it right now. Everything else... Well, Shibusen and BREW were not on England's good side. But he'd wanted to come back, and he'd told Spirit and the rest of the Network that he would fight for them. And that was what he'd do.

"I have been..." England paused for a moment, smile faltering. He did not want to trouble her, but it was difficult to lie to such a kind person. He knew very little about Saber, sure, but he also knew she had suffered a great deal. For her country. And that made her, in his eyes, someone he deemed trustworthy. "...Better, I suppose."

Grrr, Verizon's being a jerk

[everdistant]

As practised as she was with hiding her emotions, Saber was somewhat sensitive to others who did the same. Even when she had been forced to distance herself from her subjects and bury her emotions to maintain both a just rule and her masculine façade, she could nevertheless sense when others employed masks of the same kind.

"What can I do to help you, my lord?" she asked earnestly, her concern breaking her concentration enough to reveal her worry. Not Is there anything I can do? or I am sorry to hear that... but What can I do? There was no question in her mind that she would do everything within her power -- however diminished -- to help him.

[notexcalibur]

The question did not surprise England, though it did make him feel uneasy. He shook his head. "Please, do not worry about it," he said. "It's... It's not something that can be fixed easily." And certainly not by someone else. Though he appreciated Saber's concern.

[everdistant]

Problems never had an easy, simple fix... at least, not from her experience. It was no small amount of irony that, no matter what problems she faced, the natural order of things was to fix them all on her own with no help from anyone. Saber had the tendency to shoulder all burdens upon herself, and add those of others to that load. But it never occurred to her that others would do the same.

"Nevertheless, I would be honoured to do anything at all that might help."

[notexcalibur]

England forced himself to smile for her. If anyone deserved a rest, it was Saber. He could tell how strongly she wanted to redeem herself. And while her loyalty to her country was beautiful, it also concerned him. She needed to have fun once in a while.

He stood up straight, and gestured towards the street in an effort to lighten the mood. "Are you hungry? Perhaps we could go get some breakfast, if you are not busy." England's goal was to help Saber make some friends, and that meant he would need to get her to smile more. Though by concentrating on her problems he was also turning the focus away from himself.

[everdistant]

Fun had generally been a foreign concept. A battle against a worthy, honourable opponent had always been something Saber enjoyed, rare though it had been during the Holy Grail War.

The other great joy she allowed herself was food. And in spite of her concern, the promise of breakfast struck just the right chord.

"No, I am not," the petite knight replied, careful not to seem too eager. "I would be most honoured to join you."

[notexcalibur]

Ah, that pleased England a great deal. "Good, good!" He grinned, genuinely this time, and began walking. They could find a place to eat that was not Northern Lights or Death by Pastry. England was not sure he could deal with being in those places right now. "What do you feel like?"

[everdistant]

Though she was by far the shorter of the two, Saber had no trouble keeping up. Her abilities as a Servant were gone -- including her supernatural speed -- but she had been strong and fast even as a human. Her pace may have been quicker due to shorter legs, but it might have appeared that she was hardly putting any effort into it at all... which in truth, she wasn't. It was an easy gait for her.

Fortunately, she'd had her fill of both for the time being. She may not have been picky about food so long as it tasted good, but she did prefer some variety. "Perhaps something from the Holocaust Mall... I know there are several establishments there."