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“Wow,” Taiwan sighs as she flops down onto the first seat she comes across in Seychelles’ house, “I haven’t felt this worn out in ages!”
Seychelles laughs, amused by the exaggerated way she’s spread her limbs out across the cushioned wicker sofa, lying on it as though it’s a bed rather than a seat for two. She’s not convinced that Taiwan’s actually that tired given the way she’s practically skipped all the way here from the school, talking a mile a minute about each of the wonderful children she’d met - but then again, it can take a lot to keep up with a bunch of endlessly energetic seven year olds, especially if not used to them.
She slips off her sandals and pads over to her ‘exhausted’ guest, leans down to press a kiss to her forehead and delights in the way her eyes crinkle at the corners as she smiles, wide yet soft and ever so slightly bashful at the same time.
It’s one she now knows well, one that comes so readily with every loving touch.
“Here,” Taiwan says as she pulls her arms and legs back into her body, shuffling onto her side so that there’s just about enough room for Seychelles to lay alongside her. It’s barely enough; she has to squash fairly close to her to stop from rolling onto the floor, which makes them giggle because they know it’s silly, they could just sit up and cuddle, but who cares, there’s no-one here to judge them.
Not to mention it’s hardly a problem - in fact she still doesn’t even feel she’s close enough. There’s forever a desire inside to hold her nearer, to wrap her arms around her tight as can be.
She moves to nuzzle Taiwan’s neck, the familiar feeling of her soft skin, the comforting scent of her surrounding her senses as she breathes in deep. She feels Taiwan shiver - the good kind she hopes - and then her feels her arm come to rest across her side, as if she too wants to stop her from falling, from moving just an inch away.
It’s a warm cocoon, and at this rate she might just end up dozing herself.
“You really should be proud, you know,” Taiwan murmurs after a while of quiet, “you’ve raised a beautiful class. So many different personalities there, but so many bright minds!”
Seychelles shifts so she’s eye level with her again, sees the sincerity in those honey flecked eyes and feels flattered once more. She heard it all on their walk back, but the praise hasn’t lost its touch. “Ah, thank you. But I can’t take all that credit, I’ve only been there temporarily. And anyway, you were the star, they really loved you! To think you were nervous that they wouldn’t...”
The class might have been shy when she first gathered them round to introduce her special friend from Taiwan, but once one brave soul had spoken up that had been it; question after question came for her, from sensible to silly to sweet, (“What do you eat for breakfast in Taiwan? Do you have the sea in Taiwan? What’s your favourite animal? Is everyone in Taiwan as pretty as you?). And as if answering all these weren’t enough, she’d got stuck right into playing with them, hop-scotch to football, drawing pictures and even managing to coax a shy little bookworm into telling her all about her story - before being whisked off for another.
Ok, no wonder she needed a rest!
Seychelles herself hadn’t had any doubt the children would love her, but it warmed her heart even so, to watch her laughter blend in with their toothy grins and giggles. Too often for Seychelles’ liking would she hear an undertone of weariness in her voice when they spoke long-distance, or an offhand comment about something displeasing that of course, she never elaborated on, rarely being one for complaining.
“It was easy when they are so lovely,” Taiwan interrupts her thoughts, “but you were the real natural, Madam Seychelles,” she speaks the title in what Seychelles can only guess is supposed to be a stern teacher-like voice, which in reality sounds nothing like her; she raises an eyebrow but can't help smiling nevertheless. “They’re lucky to have you. It’s funny how often you seem to be in the right place at the right time.”
“Yes…there’s something that guides me there, you know? I think, it’s almost like a call…like somebody is calling out and it travels straight to me.”
It was true; so often had she woken early, earlier than the dawn almost, feet carrying her out of bed before her mind could catch up, taking her to wherever she was needed. It had been the same a few weeks ago; somehow when she got up she'd just felt that she had to tie her up in a bun, and had found herself heading towards a school about to be told multiple teachers had come down with a virus, and was she free to help out?
She loves to float around like this, to wherever and whoever; she is fortunate, she thinks, for the relative freedom she has from being tied to meetings and offices like some of her fellow nations. She knows Taiwan for one would enjoy doing more of the same.
“They don’t need me much longer, but I will miss them. Tiring as they can be, they do keep me young at heart!”
Taiwan hums in agreement, tracing gentle patterns across her back. “I was almost jealous today, of all that fun. Sometimes I wish I could be a kid again! Like, a proper one.”
Yes; not born into politics, seen as land, treated like a prize or bargaining chip once they were discovered. Seychelles had vague memories of being small, but there were more moments of wandering alone than fun with other children, learning things the tough way rather than through fun discovery and bright classrooms.
“I know what you mean. But then just think, if we weren’t who we are today, we might not have met!”
“Ah, but maybe we could have!” and in Taiwan's eyes is that gleam of wonder, of possibilities and imagination, “Maybe we’d end up being pen pals! Or, one of our families would move, and we’d be neighbours! Or end up at the same school, wouldn’t that be fun!” she grins. “What do you think we’d be like?”
“As kids?” she pauses to muse as Taiwan nods, “Oh, I don’t know…we’d probably be full of energy too! Maybe the type to always get into adventures, make our mums despair when we wandered off to explore something that looked cool…and I bet we’d want to be friends with everyone, even as toddlers. And if we were at school together we‘d be best friends of course! The teachers would tell us off for talking too much,” they laughed, because they’d been told as much at world meetings before, “And I think we’d be pretty sporty, too. But you would go home with skinned knees from playing football with the boys, and still want to play dress up, and the grownups would always laugh.”
“And as we grew up," Taiwan carried on, "we’d still stay inseparable, even through teenage drama and stuff. But we’d be good students, probably not graduating top of the class, but good enough. And we wouldn't be able to wait for summer, to have even more fun!” She sighed, happy and almost sounding faraway, “Sounds good, right?”
“Right!”
Yes, it did. But at the end of the day, that wasn’t their life to live.
Taiwan moves forward to kiss her briefly, but softly, and when they pull back, Seychelles just can't stop herself from saying, “But you know something? I wouldn’t trade having you here now with any other life in the world.”
She feels rather than sees Taiwan's smile as she is kissed again; she brings her hand up to brush her cheek, stroke her hair, happy to be here for the rest of the afternoon if that's where the time takes them.
A rumbling stomach, however, suggests otherwise.
“Oops,” Taiwan murmurs against her lips, “I guess my stomach’s decided it’s done with resting!”
“Seems so! What do you say we head to a market?”
Taiwan nods, and pecks her on the lips again.
“I think that sounds good. But it can wait for a bit longer, too.”
And so they lie there together for moment after moment, and it’s so easy, to lazily chat, dream up lives together, steal a kiss or two; it’s always easier to just be, whenever Seychelles is here with her.