Fifteen Sickles

[vodkadrinksyou]

[America's gone. Japan's gone. Hikaru's gone. A lot of other people who would have stopped him are gone. But he's smiling. Oh, is he ever smiling. And he's sitting behind a desk, just an ordinary looking desk in an office building. There's vodka on it, and a globe, and some communist flags. But other than that, it's just another desk. And it's got

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[kryzius]

[knocks lightly before stepping in, tray in his hands]

Ah... I made tea...

[vodkadrinksyou]

Oh, good. Set it down, and don't spill any.

[The cold voice mismatched with the high voice continues.]

[kryzius]

[He's shaking more than a little as he sets the tea down, and a few drops slosh out onto the tray.]

I-I'm... I'm sorry...

[vodkadrinksyou]

[Shakes his head. His eyes are cold, too, when they meet his.]

Don't just stand there. Close the door, Lithuania, and come back here. You have so much to learn.

[There's an almost absentminded reach for the pipe. Almost, but not quite.]

[kryzius]

[Slowly moves to close the door, trembling all over. Once he's sure it's closed, he moves back toward Russia, looking like he's thinking about speaking but apparently deciding not to.]

[vodkadrinksyou]

You're very clumsy. If you stay clumsy, people will think you're stupid. You aren't stupid, are you? Just very foolish. You have to learn better, Lithuania. Or people will take advantage of you, yes? People will take you away from where you belong.

[That's what's heard from behind the door, before there's a creaking sound, that indicates something big has moved from where they were sitting.]