act I - alike in dignity

[Tiger]

[[ooc: Hm, we could do that, or not do that; I think you have both of them so it doesn't really matter to me. xD
Dissecting this speech and inserting punctuation was so difficult. I hope I didn't butcher the meaning by changing commas and such so it read like sentences.]]

Feliciano had heard the commotion and come running in, wearing his princely garb: a lopsided crown and a purple-and-gold robe that was too big for him. He constantly tripped over the billowing fabric but otherwise the clothing suited him well. "Rebellious subjects!" he shouted, gesticulating frantically, "Enemies to peace, profaners of this neighbor-stained steel -- will they not hear?" For a moment he paused, trying to think of other ways to keep the crowd's attention, and decided just to go on with his frantic, excited speech advocating nonbelligerence. "What, ho, you men--you beasts that quench the fire of your pernicious rage with purple fountains issuing from your veins: on pain of torture from those bloody hands, throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground and hear the sentence of your moved prince! Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word by thee, old Capulet--" he glanced at Roderich, "--and Montague--" again he turned his eyes to the house in question, "have thrice disturb'd the quiet of our streets and made Verona's ancient citizens cast by their grave beseeming ornaments to wield old partisans in hands as old, canker'd with peace to part your canker'd hate. If you ever disturb the streets again, your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace!" Once more he paused, frowning, thinking over his words. Would a death threat be enough to keep them quiet, he wondered, and would he be obliged to enforce it? Killing he hated more than anything. But he was satisfied with his decision, nodded to himself, and continued: "For this time, all the rest depart away." He waved his hands around some more and then pointed to Roderich for the second time. "You, Capulet, shall go along with me, and Montague, come you this afternoon to know our further pleasure in this case. To old Free-town, our common judgment place. Once more, on pain of death, all men depart." He pulled the robe up around his shoulders (it had fallen a bit due to his energetic speaking) and strode back to his manor, prancing just a bit.

Roderich crossed his arms and sighed in a way the clearly expressed reluctance to obey either of Feliciano's orders. He did not wish to call a truce with Montague any more than he wanted to drag himself to the prince's home. Why should I, a Capulet, an aristocrat of the highest standing, have to coexist with those pigs calling themselves Montagues? And why can't Escalus see that? Nonetheless, he began to take weary steps in the required direction, showing more disdain than necessary.

[Jimmeh]

[[ooc: So, following that scene is scene II, with Paris, Lord Capulet, and Peter, (Alfred, Roderich, and Raivis, I think) then yet another exchange of dialogue between Benvolio and Romeo. I guess we can skip ahead to scene III with the nurse, Juliet, and Lady Capulet--the scenes before that are a little tedious. Who knew this would take so much planning? xD
Pardon the awkwardness in the dialogue. It's a little strange to have to change the gender of a main character, and a little strange to have Japan as Hungary's son. o: ]]

The fight settled eventually, and although a few defiant glances were passed around the crowd a few times, everyone scuttled away to their hiding corners and proceeded to go on, as always. Elizaveta returned home in the opposite direction, while Toris and Eduard finished the shopping they were sent out to do in the first place. Even though she felt vaguely annoyed for not being entirely informed of what had started the bout, a feeling of fear overwhelmed her. It wasn't rare fights like the previous one started without reason nowadays.

She paused at the top of a stairway, her eyes searching calmly for Ludwig, a faithful servant and nurse to Kiku, the youngest child--even though she couldn't even call him a child anymore--of the family. She knew it must be difficult at such an age to be living in such a world of rivalry. "Nurse, where is he? Call him forth to me," she called. Even though she was the only one at the stairs at the moment, there was no doubt either of them were close.

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[Tiger]

[[ooc: Japan is definitely adopted unless we want to discard the laws of biology (green eyes x blue eyes ≠ brown eyes, among others), but it's still perfectly awkward with the whole gender flip. I threw in some of Japan's national animals just to make the line less feminine.
I'm having trouble imagining Germany delivering these lines. It doesn't help that I also picture him in the Nurse's clothes.
Oh, and now I'm imagining Japan in a dress. *headdesk*]]

"I bade him come," Ludwig replied, almost stubbornly, frowning and tight-lipped as always. He poked his head around the railing at the bottom of the staircase for a moment to show Elizaveta that he was there and then returned to the hall, calling out: "What, koi! What, 'coon-dog! God forbid, where's this guy? What, now, Japan?" Now he tapped his foot impatiently, standing with his arms crossed. Above many things, he valued punctuality.

Kiku's bounding footsteps sounded throughout the part of the house as he ran into the hallway near the foot of the stairs. He was carrying a brown brindled cat in his arms, who was mewing frantically and thrashing about in an attempt to free itself. "How now?" he asked quietly, holding the cat closer so it could not escape. "Who calls?"

"Your mother."

[/b][/color]

He nodded and dropped the cat. (It darted into a nearby room, where it found shelter under a tattered wicker chair.) Then he trotted upstairs, stopping halfway up. "Madam, I am here. What is your will?"[/center][/size]

[Jimmeh]

[[ooc: Yes, he's definitely adopted. Oh, this scene will be fun.
...Even though I'm getting the feeling the Bard is turning over in his grave right now. x3]]

"This is the matter," Elizaveta replied--her eyes briefly lost their spark of playfullness to express that a serious matter was about to come up. "Nurse, give leave a while--we must talk in secret." After saying this, she paused briefly, and changed her mind. "Nurse, come back again. I've remembered me; you shall hear our council. You knowest my son's of a handsome age."

[Tiger]

"Faith," Ludwig began, once again walking to the foot of the stairs. He climbed up, precisely striking each step with the soles of his feet until he was between Kiku and Elizaveta. "I can tell his age unto an hour," he said, quietly examining the former. Indeed he could; he had known Kiku for longer than he cared to remember and started working for the Capulets even before that.

[Jimmeh]

[[ooc: The original line states that Juliet is fourteen, but I'd estimate Kiku to be at least twenty-five, so I'll change it. xD
OhGodthisissoawkwardIloveit.]]

"He's not twenty..." She had lost count of years he had spent in the Capulet household, nor could she even remember what life was like before he had even arrived. A child, even if he was not blood-related, was important in a family, as it meant children--in most cases, which Elizaveta did not wish to dwell on--and as a result, the more, the better.

[Tiger]

[[ooc: I've heard that Japan's age is secret and also that he's really 2000, but I don't think he can be much older than that. We don't want him to become a cougar.]]

"I'll lay twenty of my teeth," he mumbled, bringing his finger to his lips, "and yet, to my teeth be spoken, I have but thirty-two...wait, that's not right...He is not twenty!" Ludwig paused to wonder how he could be behaving in such a scatterbrained way. He decided not to care and continued pondering age. "How long is it now to Lammas-tide?"

[Jimmeh]

[[ooc: I don't know why I started cracking up at that, but I did. xD]]

"A fortnight, and odd days." Elizaveta shrugged--half of her regretted not sending her off, since she knew where the conversation was headed. Ludwig was strange that way--he strove for perfection, but he was equally talented at wasting time.

[Tiger]

[[ooc: It's funny how well attributing that dialogue to Prussia worked. I enjoyed cutting this one up too.]]

"Even or odd, all the days in the year," he stubbornly said. "Come Lammas Eve and he shall be twenty. Mein Gott, I remember it well. 'Tis now since the earthquake seventeen years. I shall never forget it -- shake, quoth the dove-house! -- for the day before, he broke his brow, and then my brother, ah, he's a merry man, took up the child: 'Yeah,' quoth he, 'dost thou fall upon thy face? Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit. Wilt thou not, Japan?' And by my holidame, he left crying and said 'Ay.' To see, now, how a jest shall come about! I warrant, and, should I live a thousand years, I never should forget it. 'Wilt thou not, Japan?' quoth he; and, pretty fool, he stopped and said 'Ay.'"

[Jimmeh]

Exasperated, Elizaveta shook her head, and sent a brief apologetic glance towards Kiku. "Enough of this, I pray you; hold your peace," she interrupted. She vaguely remembered the event, but had no idea what Ludwig thought was so amusing about it whenever he brought it up.

[Tiger]

"Yes, madam," Ludwig replied, smirking, "yet I cannot choose but laugh." He began to chuckle, remembering the occasion more clearly. "To think that he would leave crying and say, 'Ay.' And yet, warrant, he had upon his brow a bump as big as a young cockerel's stone, a parlous knock, and he cried bitterly. 'Yeah,' quoth my brother, 'fall'st upon thy face? Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age; wilt thou not, Japan?' He stinted and said, 'Ay.'" Again, he returned to smirking, unaware that he had just repeated himself completely.

[Jimmeh]

"Marry--that marry is the very theme I came to talk of." She glared at Ludwig briefly before turning to Kiku, forcing a smile and doing all she could to prepare the three of them for what awaited. It was a delicate topic, and even though the conversation needed to be serious, it felt uncomfortable to tread upon it so blatantly. "Tell me, Japan; how stands your dispositions to be married?"

[Tiger]

[[ooc: Oh, I didn't realize I had skipped that one part...oops...
My post status! ]]

Kiku pursed his lips, thinking intently. He always tried to think everything over before he said it, and this was no exception. "It is an honor that I dream not of," he said, speaking with the obvious precision of someone who had carefully chosen his words. When he practiced the aforementioned policy, clear diction followed.

"An honor!" echoed Ludwig. "What wisdom you've picked up!" He clapped his broad, callused hands together and held them in that spot in agreement with Elizaveta's idea. The behavior was a bit theatrical and sarcastic of him, but he did not mind the effect.

[Jimmeh]

[[ooc: No problem. x3
Whoa, how did you get 501 posts?! o:]]

"Well, think of marriage now," said Elizaveta. She disliked acting serious towards Kiku, and took a large effort in thinking before she spoke now--she was trying to make her words sound more casual now, even though her pulse quickened as she continued: "By my count, I was married much upon these years that you are now. In brief--the valiant America seeks you for his love."

[Tiger]

[[ooc: Why, I haven't the faintest idea.
The valiant America! xDDD I started laughing.]]

"A man, young man!" shouted Ludwig, stifling his laughter into his elbow. "Man, such a man as all the world. Why, he's a man of wax." He became sarcastic with the last sentence, as he was not fond of Alfred, whom he saw as obnoxious and arrogant but powerful. Any such marriage would be one of convenience, no doubt.