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Prussia sat at the edge of his bed, swinging his legs. He didn't feel any different. According to every older Personification he'd talked to on a personal basis, turning 13 was supposed to be such a big achievement, but he just felt numb to the excitement he should've felt. HRE had said that his father would be visiting today. He knew T.O.K wasn't one to break promises to his children, but he was used to disappointment, especially from HRE, so it wouldn't be anything new for Prussia. The only difference is that T.O.K would be the one to break his promise this time.
"Preußen! Your father is here!" Someone, probably a palace staff member, as HRE likely wouldn't waste time it seemed to find more precious than the child in it's care alerting them, shouted up the stairs. Prussia pushed themselves off their bed, racing down the stairs to greet their father, who was talking calmly to the palace staff member who'd called Prussia downstairs. 'He probably wouldn't be so calm if he knew HRE didn't care about me' Prussia thought bitterly. They wouldn't mention anything about that today though. They just wanted to have a good day.
His heart was racing as he stared at T.O.K. He was almost in disbelief at the fact that his father was really, truly here, and that he was seeing him outside of some stuffy diplomatic meeting where he wouldn't even be allowed to speak to him. Prussia didn't understand why P.S had deemed it necessary for Prussia to be given up to HRE, or why T.O.K even listened to him. When he'd asked, all T.O.K had told him was that P.S had raised him, so he owed him enough to listen. Prussia had been young enough to still think he could tell HRE things. Upon hearing that, it had hissed something about how brainwashed T.O.K was, and Prussia hated the fact that, now that he was older, he agreed with it. Prussia himself was and was being raised Protestant, so he'd dislike P.S either way, but there was something that seemed off about the seemingly angelic Personification, something that he couldn't place no matter how hard he tried. But he shouldn't dwell on that now.
"Hallöchen, Preußen" T.O.K called out warmly, his heavy riding boots clicking against the palace's stone floor as he moved to embrace Prussia. "How have you been?"
Despite the fact that T.O.K wore no armor, the pressure of T.O.K's arms around Prussia made him feel highly uncomfortable. He still smiled, the first genuine one in weeks, and thankfully managed to keep from squirming. "I've been well, papa," Prussia lied. They didn't want to worry their father with the truth. "I'm glad you came." T.O.K was smiling under the heavy scarf he wore around his mouth. Prussia could tell by the way his father's eye crinkled, highlighting the crow's feet at the corners.
"When have I missed your birthday, Prus?" T.O.K asked as he pulled away, though not unkindly. The question was rhetorical. They both knew that. "I'd rather go back on crusade than miss a moment with you."
"I know, papa," Prussia mumbled. T.O.K's expression shifted from warm joy to concern at his son's unusual quiet demeanor. Normally, Prussia would be chattering away about anything he could think of by now, so this abnormal silence was worrisome.
"You're quieter than usual," He remarked gently. "Is everything al--"
T.O.K was interrupted by HRE attempting to seem like a decent parent. It's polished boots tapped against the floor, the sound unnaturally quiet against the stone, especially at the pace it was walking. "Ah, hello T.O.K! I'm deeply sorry for not being here when you arrived. I just had to finish something up, and I wasn't expecting you so early,"
HRE wasn't sorry. It never was. All it cared about was appearances. Prussia knew that all too well. T.O.K chucked good-naturedly, seemingly oblivious to HRE's carefully constructed front. "Well, I wouldn't want to waste time I could be spending with my son on travel,"
The rest of the two older Personifications' conversation faded to background noise against Prussia's ears. They shifted impatiently where they stood. They were sick of doing this, of having to listen to HRE act like it was the model father, and they were sick of watching T.O.K believe it.
He was pulled from his increasingly negative thoughts when HRE placed a hand on his shoulder as it said something about how well Prussia was doing in his studies, despite his odd nature, according to his tutors. He had to fight to keep from tensing up under it's touch, schooling his face into something almost painfully neutral.
T.O.K's head tilted infinitesimally as his eye met Prussia's. Their gaze was held long enough to make eye contact even worse than normal. The floor suddenly became extremely interesting to them. HRE's grip on Prussia's shoulder tightened, a silent reminder to behave, to keep up the facade, the lie that they were happy with their life.
"Prussia, are you alright?" T.O.K's voice held more concern than suspicion, but there was enough carried in his cadence for Prussia to be able to pick up on the emotional minority.
Prussia felt HRE's grip tighten further. His eyes flicked to it's face. It raised an eyebrow, making a small gesture towards T.O.K's face, hissing, "Look at your father while he speaks. It's impolite to look away when people speak to you,"
Prussia nodded minutely, his gaze reluctantly shifting upwards. "I'm alright papa,"
HRE smiled, an uncanny, lifeless thing that didn't quite reach its eyes, the look on its face more akin to the smile on the face of the dead man who was more than happy to go. "Well, I'd best give you two time to catch up!" With a final warning squeeze on Prussia's shoulder, it turned on it's heel and walked away, it's cape whispering against the palace floor.