The Parade ((Open to all))

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Pleased that he was apparently forgiven for mistaking this young man for Vittorio, Timo beamed at him, moving a little closer so he didn't have to shout so much over the noise of the crowd. Perhaps it was just the light, but... he really did look like the man that Timo'd met in the markets. Maybe they were brothers? And that curl! He'd never seen anyone else with such a silly looking thing in their hair. It was adorable. "You really do look like him, though." Timo chuckled, happily.

"I'm Timo Väinämöinen." He introduced himself, still just as happy at the idea of making a new friend. "Isn't it such a beautiful night for this? And all the floats are so pretty this year! The girl leading it is too, I saw her while I was waiting to join in. She'll remember this for the rest of her life." As usual, Timo was filling in the blank space with words, chattering away with everything that was on the top of his head. He was hoping that Lovino would join in, of course, he liked it best when he had someone to converse with, but he didn't mind leading the conversation.

[france]

Francis watched from above as the lights washed back over the streets of the Lowlands. He shifted the small carry tray on his shoulders so he could sit near the street side and watch. He had always wanted to join the Parade, at least when he was younger, but his Father had forbade him from going into the Lowlands. So he had done the best he could otherwise, waiting each year until it came to his door then racing off with his lantern. Mama had come sometimes, walking straight and tall, greeting all who came near her. She had never understood Papa's dislike of the Lowlanders. She found them Fascinating.

Francis clamped down hard on those thoughts, pushing the image of his smiling mother from his mind. In a bid to distract himself he reaches into his pocket to retrieve clover Cigarettes. He lights up and takes a long drag. He let the smoke roll over his tongue for just a moment, then exhaled. It was not as good as his real ones had been but it did the trick in the end, and he didn't have his doctor looking at him like he was a young boy caught stealing. Laughing at the thought he looked up at the dark sky then let his eyes swivel back to the parade. It seemed as though the parade was a reflection and Francis felt such awe rise in him that he stood up and began to walk towards it. Father be damned.

He felt a slight feeling of ... Betrayal? No that wasn't it ... almost like he was doing something perfectly... Naughty. He grinned at himself, letting his legs direct him to the parade. It wasn't a bad feeling mind you, in fact it was freeing. He wanted to break a few rules, after all he was his own man now. Besides, he was just going to offer the Parade goers some treats...

Nothing could go wrong.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku's face turned bright red. "O-oh! I'm so sorry." Kiku said, trying to hold in his embarrassment. 'What was I thinking? If anything I made him feel even more uneasy. I need to fix this immediately.' He thought to himself. "Please do not apologize for the way you speak. I must admit it is a little hard to understand however it is not undecipherable. If anything it adds to your character." Kiku said, looking apologetic.

"G-getting back to your question," Kiku began. A small chill went up his spine. "I'm not certain, honestly. As a child my mother was overprotective so she never took me to the parade before. As for the recent years..." A dark expression formed on Kiku's face. "My father was killed by a Lowlander in a neutral area. I suppose I avoided neutral areas such as the parade because of that."

"I know better, however. I don't discriminate against Lowlanders. I know some very good people who are Lowlanders. However being in neutral territory, perhaps it just reminds me of that day." Kiku said, his gaze distant. As if he was talking to himself.

Kiku's eyes snapped back to Berwald. "I'm sorry, Berwald. I'm certain you don't want to hear such a story at such a happy festival." Kiku smiled. "Tell me about yourself."

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

Ludwig was running down to where the parade was at. He made sure to separate from his parents since father was still mad at Gilbert. His mother wanted the family together for this like old times, but father was still a stubborn mule when it comes to this. Ludwig walked down with them a part of the way before he kissed his mother's cheek and told both of them he was going to do the parade with brother. His father was yelling at him just as he sprinted off.

He knew it can be a little intimidating as large as the crowd is and he didn't want him feel like he has to do it alone. He was breathing heavily when he gotten to the parade as he kept an eye out for Gilbert.

'There.' Thought Ludwig as he saw his brother in his black turtle neck. He tug on his own black sweater. He walked into the group trying to get up where Gilbert was as he lit his own lantern. He was almost there when he felt someone grab his sweater and tugged him back as soft groan reached his ears. He turned his head around to see a young teenage boy who had a grip on his sweater.

"Ah are you alright?" Ludwig quickly turned around and bent down to the ground as he check the boy out making sure the lantern was behind his back.

[Raivis Galante]

He was big. Bigger than him at least (although that was a fairly easy accomplishment). There was something about his face that seemed rather stern but at the same time, Raivis wasn't anticipating being yelled at for being so clumsy and punched in the face.

Well, maybe a little.

He finally let go, misjudging his instinctive reaction to break his fall and unceremoniously scrambled around on the ground. By the time he'd managed to sit up he noticed the other man bend down to his level, seemingly observing any damage. There wasn't much, his clothes were a bit dusty and scuffed but that was it. Behind him the parade seemed to carry on without a second thought.
"I-I'm okay, I'm sorry," Raivis finally managed to force out with a dry mouth. His mind kept telling him to just run back home like originally planned, sure he'd probably leave his dignity behind but it wouldn't be the first time. At least he'd be out of the way. He awkwardly scrambled to his feet, brushing the grit off his clothes.

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

Ludwig nodded his head when the other answered back. He notice that the boy didn't have a lantern.

'Maybe he couldn't afford one?' He thought as the boy brushed off the dirt. He knew that he lost his brother in the parade because of this teen, but ...
He smiled as he reached out with the hand that held his lantern.

"You want to join me on the parade? You can hold my lantern?" He hoped that he wasn't making a bad impress to the teen.

[Raivis Galante]

Raivis was almost startled hearing the other mans voice again. He hadn't thought he'd be given a second glance. Realizing the lantern was being offered he shook his head and backed away a little. If it was an offering of pity he didn't want it. If it was an offering of guilt then Raivis should be the one offering something. An offering out of compassion seemed out of the question.

"I can't! That would just be enforcing bad behavior! I was careless so I crashed into you and at the very least you should be angry that I was so insensitive towards you and I-" Raivis cut himself off, finally catching the fact that he was just talking and talking nonsense with no stopping. Feeling a harsh sense of embarrassment he bowed his head and held out his hand. "I'm Raivis..." he mumbled. It was hardly going to distract from his dire awkwardness but the other man didn't seem like he was going to punish him for it.

He couldn't help but feel wary, it was in his nature but deep down there was something desperate, even if it was with someone older, just to have company for the evening.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald grunted, happy that the small man seemed to be very considerate and polite. The tall blond felt himself frown, however, as he listened to Kiku's story. If something like ever happened to one of his parents... Berwald felt his heart pang painfully at the thought. “M'sorry ta hear 'bout yer fath'r... I c'n underst'nd why you'd feel unc'mf'rtable 'bout going ta neutr'l pl'ces,” he said, nodding his head a little. The older man knew he couldn't sympathize with Kiku properly since he had never suffered a loss as great as his. But Berwald could at least try for the other man's sake.

“Yeah, n't all Lowl'nd'rs are l'ke that. 'm a Lowl'nd'r m'self, actually,” Berwald admitted, figuring that Kiku might as well know. “And d'n't w'rry 'bout it. Somet'mes, people jus' need ta let the painf'l st'ff out,” he said quietly. Berwald pondered on his own words for a moment. He wasn't the type to let people know when he was in pain. Heck, he wasn't even the type to let people know when he was happy. He stopped thinking about that, however, when he heard Kiku continue speaking.

“Tell me about yourself,” the small man requested, smiling softly. Berwald grunted as he thought about something appropriate to say. “Well, I w'rk at a woodw'rk shop in the Lowl'nds... 'm a deliv'ry man, too.” He paused, incredibly unsure of what else to say. “S'rry... 'm n't v'ry good at th's. Why d'n't you t'lk 'bout yers'lf instead?”

[Kiku Honda]

A chuckle escaped Kiku's lips. "Please do not apologize, Berwald. I believe the way you speak is very endearing. And I'm certain I would love to see your woodwork sometime." Kiku said with a smile.

"However, about myself?" Kiku repeated. Kiku pondered for a short while. "There's not much to say, Berwald. My father was a prosecutor. He prosecuted criminals charged with large crimes. The man who murdered him was the brother of a criminal he proved guilty." Kiku stated with a blank face. "My mother, as of now, works as a secretary of a bank. I, myself, am considering an internship at a computer company." Kiku said. His eyes fired up a bit.

"One day I hope to succeed my father and do my part in keeping the justice." Kiku's eyes lighted up as he said this. The tools to make his dream come true were all in his hands. All he had to do was bring down the hammer and make it happen.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

“Yer w'lcome to dr'p by the shop wh'nev'r ya l'ke. 'm alw'ys work'ng in the back, though, so if ya need ta t'lk ta me, jus' ask the manag'r ta call me,” Berwald mumbled. The tall blond hardly ever left his well-equipped workshop in the back, especially on days he didn't have any deliveries to make. He was perfectly capable of happily spending hour after hour in his small workshop, building furniture alone. He wasn't the only woodworker who worked for the shop, though. There was another workshop in the back, much larger than his, for the other woodworkers. Berwald's co-workers had never had any objections to him having his own workshop because they all knew the quiet blond worked best when he was alone.

Berwald was impressed with Kiku since he had always believed law to be a very respectable profession to take up. He could relate with the small man's desire to follow his father's footsteps since he was doing the same by continuing his own father's woodworking. “I hope th'ngs w'rk out fer ya,” Berwald said sincerely.

“So, K'ku... How do ya f'nd the par'de so far?” he asked, trying his best to keep the two of them from falling into an awkward silence.

[Kiku Honda]

Kiku kept a straight face on. 'Drop by the shop?' He asked himself. This meant actually going to the Lowerlands. Kiku wasn't sure of what he thought of the Lowerlands. He avoided the neutral areas because it reminded him of his father but did that aversion extend to the Lowerlands itself? He wasn't sure. 'In any case, it would be extremely rude to reject such a humbling gesture. Especially one coming from someone as shy as Berwald.' Kiku thought to himself.

'I must not let that go to waste.' Kiku thought. "Certainly, Berwald. I'll be certain to visit you should I ever come to the Lowerlands." He said, concealing the doubt he felt. "Show me your skills as an artist woodworker." Kiku said, genuine curiosity about Berwald's work.

"I hope th'ngs w'rk out fer ya." Berwald mumbled, sincerity evident in his expression. "Thank you, Berwald. I will not fail, for you too." He replied, a smile on his face. Even the support of someone he had just met meant a lot to him.

"So, K'ku... How do ya f'nd the par'de so far?" Berwald asked. Kiku blinked. He had almost forgotten about the mass of people, the noisy streets, the lights and the reason he was here in the first place. "Ah," Kiku muttered, his eyes went around his surroundings. He smiled. "I'm having a lot of fun, thanks to you. I figured I would just walk silently until the hall but I'm enjoying this much more thanks to your company." He said sincerely.

'Berwald seems quite scary at first but he seems like a very good person.' He thought to himself. A sudden gust of wind. His lantern's light went out. "Oh." He muttered. Kiku took out his lighter again and tried to light his candle. He ended up lighting his lantern on fire. "Ah."

[france]

Francis reached the parade and pushed into the throng of people, his box of homemade goodies still haning from his neck. He began to call out, becoking people to come and recieve his wares.

In the back of his mind though he was awed. The parade wound down the road as far as he could see, a mulititude of lanterns held by people of all walks of life. Outfits caused splashes of colors and the movement turned the parade in to a sea of people that rippled and flowed in a mockery of tides. Voices babbled up from below like crashing waves upon the shores.

He wondered, as he moved through the crowd, if the souls of the dead knew what they saw as they looked down upon the world on this day. The last of the human race gathered here, soicity reduced to a new day Atlaintis, and if they truely appreiciated what they saw. He reached under his sweets and cookies to find the lantern he had carefully tucked away, along with the candle and match.

'Well.. this is going to be awkward to light.' he thought as he pulled them out.

[Arthur Kirkland]

"Ah, good, good." Arthur sounded distracted because he was. He was pleased that the man was all right, and after looking at the man once again to make sure that he really was all right, he glanced back over to see where he'd seen Alfred but... he couldn't see him any more. Perhaps he'd lost the exact spot where he'd been standing, or perhaps they'd moved on. Arthur sighed out, a pout momentarily forming on his lips, before he looked at the man that he'd bumped into again.

Forcing a bit of a smile when the dark haired man introduced himself, Arthur reminded himself that he was a gentleman and he should act like one. He offered him his lantern free hand. "I'm Arthur. It was my fault, I wasn't looking where I was going. I'm fine, really." He reassured him.

Turning his attention back to the parade, realising they were creating a bit of a blockage in the flow of people, Arthur started to follow them, sure that Antonio would follow. It seemed like there were lots of people talking around them, and it felt rude to walk away from the other man now. Still... Arthur wasn't fond of small talk. "It's a nice night for the parade, at least." He tried, conversationally. "Not too cold, but not too warm either. I was worried it was going to rain again like last year."

[beilschmidt]

Gilbert let out a small sigh, anxiety slowly dying down. He now gripped his lantern tightet and with more confidence. He looked up and ahead instead of looking down like he normally did whenever he walked, relying on peripheral vision. And he actually smiled.

It was amazing how so many people united for one thing, how everyone walked hand in hand despite social class and unfriendly terms. He thought of his own father and frowned again, wondering where he was and what he was thinking. If he still looked down upon him instead of as an equal.

He was interrupted when he heard someone calling out, offering sweets and treats. Gilbert grinned - he was drawn to the man immediately. "Hey, hey," He called, trying to grab his attention, "I'd love some, how much?" He questioned and immediately dug for his wallet.

[[Fraaaaaaance B)]]

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald was, to say the least, surprised at Kiku's response. He was expecting the small man to say something about how many people there were in the parade or something about how nice the lanterns looked or... or something not about him! This was the first time a stranger had ever described his company as fun. Most people found themselves, well, terrified and uncomfortable whenever the tall blond was around. Berwald was used to frightened looks, nervous, forced conversation and the occasional fearful yelp. Someone genuinely enjoying his company was new – very new. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. However, after a very brief moment of contemplation, he decided he was glad that he was able to make a... friend? An acquaintance? The tall blond began musing to himself again; this time, about whether or not he could call Kiku his friend. Even after a few moments of brooding, Berwald was still unsure about his supposed friendship/acquaintance with Kiku so he chose to just let the matter slip from his thoughts.

The sudden gust of cool wind left a pleasant feeling on Berwald's skin so he found himself not minding that both of his lanterns were extinguished. He turned to Kiku as he heard the small man flatly say, “Ah.”

Berwald's bright turquoise eyes widened ever so slightly but, other than that, there was no implication he was shocked by the fact that Kiku's lantern was on fire. The tall blond whipped his head around, checking if there were any children nearby. Once he made sure it was safe enough, he dropped one of his still unlit lanterns and quickly snatched Kiku's burning one. He threw it on the ground and stamped on it until the flame died. The parade continued to move forward around the two of them. Berwald vaguely noticed that some of the people walking by were watching them curiously.

He picked up his other lantern, which was now slightly torn from being dropped. “Uh, 'm sorry 'bout doin' that ta yer lant'rn...” Berwald mumbled apologetically. “You can h've one a' mine if ya w'nt,” he said, offering his good, not torn lantern to Kiku.

[spain]

Antonio shook the man's hand, glancing for a quick second in the direction Arthur had been looking. After hearing a few confused and slightly put off mutters, Antonio followed in Arthur's footsteps and began walking again.

"The rain was pretty bad last year," Antonio agreed. He was a man of sunshine and warm weather, and though he didn't mind the rain, anything that wasn't sun put a bit of a damper on his mood. "But it ended up being a good night for drinks!"

[Kiku Honda]

The two of them came to a halt when Kiku's lantern burst into flames. Kiku just stared at his burning lantern, thinking of what to do. '...My lantern is on fire.' He calmly thought. 'How should I put this out?' Kiku glanced to the left. 'There's a fountain there. I could maybe dip my lantern in there. But then my lantern would get soggy. Well I suppose that doesn't matter anymore, its already on fire after all.' He thought.

Berwald then took his lantern from his hands, threw it onto the floor and stomped on it until the flame died out. Kiku looked surprised. 'Mm. I suppose that was the best option.' He thought, nodding at Berwald's quick thinking.

The parade continued moving without them, going around the pair, while shooting them strange looks. "Uh, 'm sorry 'bout doin' that ta yer lant'rn..." Berwald said as offered his other lantern to Kiku.

Kiku shook his head. "Please do not apologize, Berwald. It was the correct course of action. You do not have to offer me your lantern." Kiku said as-a-matter-of-factly. Kiku smelled something burning. 'Uh oh.' He thought as he looked down to the ground. Berwald's shoe had also caught fire. "...Berwald, your shoe is on fire. Perhaps you would like to step into the fountain over there and put it out?" He said calmly, pointing the small fountain to the left.

[Ludwig Beilschmidt]

Ludwig was slightly surprised, but nodded his head. He didn't want to push the boy since he looked liked he'll bolt if he isn't careful.

"I can't! That would just be enforcing bad behavior! I was careless so I crashed into you and at the very least you should be angry that I was so insensitive towards you and I-"

'Oh...' Thought Ludwig, he rubbed his neck as the boy looked down and held his hand out.

"I'm Raivis..."

He almost didn't catch that as he reached his hand out to the boy and answered,
"I'm Ludwig. You want to walk with me for the Parade at least since we know each other now?"
He lost Gilbert now and his father isn't happy that he lefted them behind so he'll make do with the situation and Gilbert said he needs to meet more people.

[Raivis Galante]

He glanced behind him at the steady flow of people from the parade and smiled.
"I'd like that," Raivis murmured. Slowly he started to relax as the relief that he wasn't in trouble washed over him. As they walked he found it hard to keep his eyes fixed in one place, constantly glancing from his feet to the other parade goers to Ludwig. The fact that he was so tall still made him anxious, he still couldn't quite shake it but he seemed nice enough.

"I'm sorry about running into you again. I have to admit I was kind of worried you were going to hit me or something," he said with a small laugh. It seemed to be a strange thing to be amused by but it seemed like he sudden caught what he'd said and panicked.
"I mean! Not that you don't look threatening or anything! Well, I mean you do a little ...wait, uh, I mean it's a silly think to think really..." he trailed off, figuring it was best just to shut up before he made anything worse.

[Roderich Edelstein]

Suddenly water began to pour and splash over the tall man's shoe wetting pant and street alike.

Roderich had been recruited to help his father at the first aid station for little banged up knees and singed fingers. He and his father wouldn't be there the whole parade. They would join the end of the parade after everyone had passed by their area. Then they could light the laterns in rememberance of his mother and grandmother.

Though right now he was on a water run to refill the containers for the aid station. Unfortunately, he still hadn't made it back yet. It was his third time playing volunteer fire-fighter. Still this was his first time dousing a man's foot.

As the last bit of water doused the little flames, both mens' eyes followed the dying flow of liquid up to the metal flask and the hand that held it. Two sets of eyes from different heights simply stared in surprise at the interloper.

Roderich simply ignored it and replied "You're welcome" as he screwed the cup that served as a lid back on. "Should be careful stamping out flames, really only works well for a small one on dusty ground. You'd have been better off using a jacket or letting it burn out where it couldn't catch anything else on fire."

*Blink* Dead silence still reigned.

Roderich sighed inwardly. It wasn't the first time that he had gotten such a reaction to his presence.

He doggedly continued on, "Are you burned? If so the first aid station is just over there." He pointed behind him to where the crowd of people and lanterns were heading. "See the red and white banner? My father's over there and and can fix you up."

He looked dejectedly at the now empty container that needed refilling again. How did he get roped into playing errand boy? At this rate he was never going to make it back. "Excuse me, I've got to go." He nodded good-bye and turned to go back the way he came.

Still, minor indignities were nothing compared to the possibility of being trapped in the Highlands waiting for the parade alone with his aunt and grandfather and no possibliitly of escape from their nagging scrutiny. He cringed at the thought as he dashed off on his errand.

((Sorry for intruding Kiku & Berwald! I just felt so bad for you, Berwald. I couldn't leave your foot on fire.))