๑ Tredici ๑ Action ๑ Phone ๑ Backdated to Podfield

[tomatatas]

A; Action - Morning, Around town.

[If you happen to run into Romana around town, and you've met her before... well, you'll quickly notice that something's wrong. Very very wrong.

She's smiling.

And calling out to passerbyers in a very bright cheerful voice] Ciao~! Such a beautiful day, si?

[Everybody run for the hills.]

B; Action - Locked to muskatli.

[Here is a pod. Look at it rocking, as if someone's trying to break her way out with little success.

A very pissed off someone.]

C; Phone > Action for Partridge Drive, Afternoon

[The beginning of the fight between Romana and her double can be heard quite clearly, both women giving it their all. A carcophny of crashes, of glass breaking and Italian curses can be heard over the phone, ending with one loud smash as one Romana throws the other through the front window.

From her position in the shattered remains of the window, the real Romana takes a second to gloat, looking smugly down at her double. As she jumps out onto the grass the fake Romana scrambles to her feet, clutching a shard of glass tightly in one hand. It's clear, in the afternoon light just how hard both women have been fighting, both sporting bruises and cuts, hair rumbled and clothes ripped. But neither looks ready to give up.

For a few seconds both Romana's stare at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. While neither does, the real Romana does speak.]

As you can see, I don't appreciate imposters, cagna.

Vaffanculo, puttana!

[The fake snarls as she delievers her insult before lunging forward, bringing the glass up in a harsh swipe. Real Romana just ducks back in time, the glass giving her a new cut on her right forearm. In retaliation she grabs a piece of wood from the broken window frame, swinging it like a baseball bat at the fake's face.

Do you even dare intervene?]

D; Phone - After the previous call.

Ah. I assume people heard parts of that? Sorry... but that cagna is taken care of, whatever it was. No need to worry.

... How was everyone elses day then?

(ooc: red= real Romana, green=fake)

Comments

[koyo]

( ( When Romana enters, he stands up tall and drops the cross behind his shirt. It's unusual to see Romana dressed plainly compared to how she normally is. He takes a moment to confirm that she's still attractive but, well, there was a time and place for those kinds of compliments! Spain surveys to make sure she's taken care of herself, his eyes linger on her hands when she prepares her cup. ) )

. . . Do you need anything?

( ( A bandage for any wounds. Sugar for the coffee. . . . a cheer up charm. ) )

[tomatatas]

[She stays where she is, staring out the window, aware of everything and yet shut off from anything. The warmth of the coffee cup spreads slowly through her fingers, one small thing that helps her start to stir, coming back into herself. Her feet are bare she realises, and it makes Spain that much taller than her, Romana having to properly tilt her head up when she looks back at Spain.

Anything... does she need anything? Slowly she shakes her head, before staring into her coffee] I'm okay... don't worry.

[A hug would be nice]

[koyo]

( ( Again, silence. Spain opens his mouth once or twice to speak but stops himself each time, unsure of how to form the words he should say at a time like this until, ) )

The double is gone. She-- it-- disappeared after you left. The clothes were still there though. ( ( A pause. ) ) I left it by the laundry and. . .

I should have known you were. . . that that wasn't you. I'm sorry.

[tomatatas]

[The silence doesn't bother her, Romana find it needed after all the stress. Not that she doesn't want Spain to speak... she's just so tired.]

Mm... I'll burn them. I don't think I have the energy to clean them properly, and even if I did... Ha, lucky they were the town's clothes...

[She pauses] It's fine. I'm not him, you don't know me as well. [Just like he isn't Isabel]

[koyo]

But I want to.
( ( He doesn't even have to think about his answer and speaks simply-- honestly. Romano is Romano and Romana is Romana. He understands that. He knows that they're like two different sides of the coin but it wasn't like they were a completely different one all together. As different as the Nations themselves might be, Spain was still Spain and South Italy was still South Italy and the two countries shared a common history.

They had centuries of relations to work with and still, it was as if they were at square one. ) )

I want to know you too.

[tomatatas]

[She stops. That's all she can call it. She stops thinking, stops freaking out internally about how the blood felt on her hands. How she's terrified Spain will now want avoid her, how she wishes Isabel was here, that she was tiny again and didn't have to be a big strong nation.

She wishes she could let herself cry.] I...

...I want to know you too. But I don't want you to see me as him, or as a stand in for him.

[koyo]

Jaja, no, no, I don't think anyone can replace Romano. Ay, he wouldn't like it very much. ( ( He watches Romana's expression and smiles comfortingly, eyes focused on her, ) ) And you wouldn't like it if I tried to replace her either, would you?

[tomatatas]

...Good. And of course he wouldn't. [At the slight mention to Isabel her face tightens, her grip on the coffee cup also tightening]

...No. I would not. [Her words are all said carefully and slowly, Romana fighting the waver that wants to slip into her voice]