Mun just can't help paying attention to him more lately

[sweetsweetdevil]

[Devil stands here, grinning as usual, though he noticeably looks a bit roughed up, like he got into a bit of a tussle with somebody. His bright red hair is a bit messy and his clothes have some dust on them. And he's got his beloved Gloomy Bear with him, held snugly in one arm. He giggles happily.] I beat Prussia in making a post~ HAH! You're still mine, Munnie~ I knew it~ 

Anyway~ Hullo~ [He waves.] I like that you've been giving me a lot of attention, even if you don't let me out as much as you could. 'Tis fine~ No hard feelings~ No spilled blood~ I'll get my time eventually. Ah and wait a tick, why yes! I'm having it now!

[He snuggles Gloomy Bear to him a bit thoughtfully as he hums in, well, thought. What is he here to say?] Oh, yes! Do not worry about me! I'll be fine, right as rain, soon enough~! One doesn't die from a broken heart unless you let it, I think. And I most certainly am stronger than how I look! I'm old, poppet, though I look plenty cute for my age, I know. And I'm an Imp! That must count for something, eh? Resilient lot, us demons. So no fretting. Save it for the Englands for they probably need it more than I do. England needs his America, the Empire is a mean, bitter arsehole and the Pirate and Alice both need a shag each, so yes! Focus most of your fretting on them!

[He grins again, amused at himself, before sighing and resting his chin over Gloomy Bear as a more serious mood takes him again.] I just wish he'll be fine, though. He would be, yes? Won't he, Munnie? Jersey... [With that, the Devil trails off, looking to the side at perhaps something only he can see. Fingers gently play with the plush toy's bloody claws as he lets his mind wander. Again.]

Comments

[elegantpunk]

[Alice isn't sure exactly what sort of thing she's looking at- some strange manifestation- but at least one part sticks out for her. The important part, amongst this demon's rambling.]

Pardon me? Who needs a what? I hope, for your sake, that you're referring to a different Alice.

[sweetsweetdevil]

Hmmm~? [And how curious! Is this another Alice? One who is different from the one he knows and always scolds him about staying up too late at night? He must find out!]

[He disappears with a POOF! Black smoke curls on the space he once stood and the smell of sulfur permeates the air. And suddenly the Devil is all up in Alice's personal space, staring and sniffing rather obtrusively.]

[elegantpunk]

[Devil, you have meddled with a thing that Alice treasures. And that is her personal space bubble.

No, it doesn't matter to her in the least that it's a devil. It wouldn't make a different if even God got within an arm's length of her so suddenly. She quickly reaches up to push this thing away!]

Oi, back off! The hell are you- er, what exactly are you?!

[sweetsweetdevil]

[Devil gets a hand to his face and he flails a little, trying to reach for her.] Alice, Alice~

[He needs to make contact to make sure! But she doesn't know who and what he is and that pretty much seals it. He likes making absolutely sure, though.]

[Don't be too startled when he suddenly licks your palm.]

[elegantpunk]

[Right, Alice should not expect demons to do things that would not be conventionally accepted in most human societies. But expecting the unexpected isn't very helpful, as "the unexpected" happens to encompass too many things to prepare for.

She shrieks just a bit- cutting it short as she pulls her hand away, staring at it, then the devil in utter disgust.]

Ugh! You're disgusting and unsanitary and- you look just like him.

[She likes this dress, but she just has to wipe this off on it.]

An introduction is expected of you, demon! Nasty, unsanitary demon!

[sweetsweetdevil]

[He hums and licks his lips, taking the time to savor the distinct taste of Alice in his tongue. Tea and milk, roses and something that's uniquely this Alice to be sure and he's convinced. Yes, a different Alice, definitely.]

[Devil's attention goes back to the female Nation when she demands an introduction and he has to laugh. Names are dangerous, doesn't she know?] An introduction? 'So sorry, Alice, but I can't give you my real name. However, you can call me Artie!

[elegantpunk]

[If Alice knew that, she'd be up in arms about this devil knowing hers, even if was her 'human' name. Her skins crawls at how the devil appears to be mulling over the- ugh, Alice would prefer to not think of it. She's had enough people bothering her to get a rise out of her, and she refuses to make it easy for anyone.]

If I must, Artie.

Is this how you greet everyone? Even if you are a devil, you are ill-mannered and need to amend that!

[sweetsweetdevil]

[What she doesn't know won't hurt him and he prefers it that way, really.]

I don't greet everyone that way. I just had to make sure you are who you are. You're not the only Alice I know, you see? I had to make sure. [He grins wide.] And she definitely tastes different from you.

[elegantpunk]

Charming.

But I suppose if you really wanted to disgust me, you would have just said that you licked my hand for the hell of it.

Nasty either way. You demons ought to find a different method. Like- oh, perhaps simply asking.

[unalienable]

He's England. "Mean, bitter arsehole" comes with the territory, y'know. And I'm pretty sure Alice just needs you in her business less!

[sweetsweetdevil]

The Empire's even worse, I think. Don't you agree? And of course that's true. [He doesn't deny that he should mind his own business when it comes to Alice's affairs.]

[unalienable]

[ It certainly is a surprise that he acknowledges that much, but then Amelia supposes that that doesn't mean at all that he's going to stay out of Alice's life. ]

He has his reasons.

[ She shrugs. ]

Just like you've got yours for... all of this, right? Well, he's not much like you, so there you go.

[sweetsweetdevil]

I'm sure he does. We all do. [But it doesn't mean he likes the Empire despite how he can perhaps understand his situation. Of course, he has his own reasons for his actions, too. He's been restless and this seems a fitting enough way to express himself more clearly. It's nice to be able to tell his Mundane things, but it's sometimes better to have them be written down so clearly.]

[unalienable]

[ None of that seems to be Amelia's point though. ]

So don't call him names. That's my job! And Alfred's!

[sweetsweetdevil]

Hmmm~? [He looks a bit puzzled, tilting his head a little. Then he moves closer as if to get a better look at Amelia.]

[unalienable]

You heard me! Don't call the Empire names.

[ Thankfully, Amelia is just used to invading people's personal space enough that she doesn't so much as flinch at his invasion of hers, but that doesn't mean she really likes it. She tolerates it with a smile, in typical America fashion, and repeats herself. ]

That's my job.

[sweetsweetdevil]

[He's just curious, really. And so he asks.]

What makes you so special?

[ingodwethrust]

...Why wouldn't I be fine?

[ It actually sounds like a genuine question. And in a sense, it is. A part of him wants to hear the redhead say it— say what all this means aloud. Nowadays, he's not sure he believes that the other demon understands the weight of much anymore. ]

[sweetsweetdevil]

[It's that disbelief that makes the Devil shy away from Jersey, makes him want to hide and maybe disappear for a long time. It hurts him though he wonders if it hurts more to be apart from him. He meets Jersey's gaze and answers his question truthfully.]

You're alone a lot. That's not good.

[Before, he would have said that he'd stay with Jersey forever, but now he doesn't know if that would be acceptable. Things have changed, Jersey looks at him differently and he just doesn't know where he stands.]

[ingodwethrust]

[ The Jersey Devil sighs quietly and his icy blue eyes dart away from the other demon's face. Yes, he misses him. Yes, he's upset about a lot of things. But on the whole... he doesn't see how this will affect his survival. He's used to pain and suffering, and losing the redheaded demon this way is easier to withstand than if it'd been because of other reasons. ]

Maybe not for imps. I'm not like you though. We've always known that.

[sweetsweetdevil]

[Jersey looks away and he follows suit, turning his gaze away to the side as well. The gap between them seems insurmountable now and the hurt he feels at the other demon's words is dull, not as crushing as he had thought it would be.]

Nowadays, I wonder if we really did know each other that well. Or that things were just forgotten as time went on...

[The Devil has never really been one for thinking much, but given how long he has been without hardly anything to distract him, he's been thinking more and more. Perhaps it's not such a good and happy thing to be doing, especially given their current state of affairs.]

[ingodwethrust]

[ The dark-haired demon has no comment on that. He feels slighted— offended by the suggestion that what he thought they were was never real. It's not exactly hurt, he feels in reaction, so much as it is anger and he's not sure why. Maybe it's hurt masking itself as rage. That would seem likely. He shrugs. ]

...Then I don't see the point of these displays. If that's true, you should be glad. You don't have any reason to grieve. You can't miss what never existed in the first place.

[sweetsweetdevil]

[That's not what he meant but since Jersey doesn't say so directly, he doesn't get to say so. He doesn't doubt that what they had was real (he'll be offended too if someone said otherwise), but he wonders if he had really known Jersey in the way he deserves to be known. And if Jersey ever knew him enough to really understand him.]

It's not just a display. [And there's a flare of that defensiveness, that offense, cat-like green eyes flashing.] I am grieving. You're here but not here and I feel empty and I'm alone. [It hurts to be so close to Jersey and not be able to touch him, to not be able to be close to him. To not be loved by him.]

[His voice falls to a whisper as tears threaten to fall again. And he hates it.] I love you. And it doesn't seem to matter at all.

[ingodwethrust]

[ All in good time. ]

Why should it matter? You can't love someone you didn't know either.

[ At least, that's what it seems to him. Granted, he's no expert, but it doesn't add up from where he's standing and he's never really had much more experience than the redhead. ]

[sweetsweetdevil]

I just know what I feel and it matters to me. Why? It just does.

[They hardly ever really needed to talk or didn't really want to. Even now, the red-haired demon is uncomfortable with it. He listens to his words and can't believe he's actually saying them. Even his own voice sounds strange to him.]

[His arms come up to just wrap around himself a little. He holds himself because no one else will. It's a poor comfort. He's an Imp and he revels in attention and touch. Without it, perhaps he'll wither away.]