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See, Tver would call herself knowledgeable in all things relating to literature. She has, after all, dealt with it for the past centuries she has been alive.
Contrary to the belief of some that reading would birth nothing useful, Tver had made much use from her expertise in that area.
Not only has she gained a profession, but also the ability to rather read people, to a certain degree.
And Tver—rather, (Professor) Alla Afanasyevna, to her students—saw something she had disregarded for so long, in her country.
Tver, of course, was subservient under the rule of the Russian Federation, as well as its predecessors up towards the (later Grand) Principality of Moscow. She wasn't always under Moscow, of course. There was once a time when she was the capital of an appanage beneath the throne in Vladimir, and after that, became an independent principality in its own.
Her rather violent status-change was why she doesn't like her country, actually.
Who in their right mind would ever like a woman who killed her own grandson?
The grandson who Tver considered to be her own son, in a way?
Perhaps that was why she remained blind to all this. Tver hadn't an inkling when she had first discovered this, but she knew what she decided just now wasn't something she realised just now.
Russia looked rather lonely.
She only came to that conclusion (and accepted it) because one of her students pointed it out, rather. Her appearance in her class wasn't something welcome, but she had a... reputation, hence why she didn't bother on kicking her own country out. Russia was always rather unique in the way she did things, but in the moments she chose to be alone, one came to her to point out how lonely she looked like.
And Tver agreed, though in a rather begrudgingly manner.
Russia had always loved to meddle in things. Tver attributed it to the fact that she always loved to know and learn more, which eventually had her being a practical know-it-all in a literal sense.
Never did she actually think the reason why she wanted to know so much in the first place, wasn't just because she wanted to learn, but to be able to converse with many people, for the sole reason of not being lonely.
Huh.
As much as she actually hated the idea in the first place, that was plausible.
Russia was known to be able to hold varying kinds of conversations due to her knowledge on many aspects. In a way, yes, she wouldn't have ever been left to deal with the unknown due to that.
And Russia hated the unknown. She's made it quite obvious, actually.
Tver hated where this was going.
Russia couldn't ever be lonely, in some people's eyes. She had met many people, and her usual acts of fraternising with humans is known by many.
Did she perhaps still feel that way for a reason that was never talked about?
The Russian Federation and its predecessors was always known to be an enigma, after all. Something and someone not even her own subjects could decipher. Everyone had practically given up on trying to understand the way her mind worked in-depth. To them, the surface was enough, from someone of such a depth.
Tver knew the one who was closest to that was Halych, or rather, Ukraine.
Ukraine wouldn't like that fact, no matter how true it may be.
Russia did well on making sure no one tried to understand her. Because even she, someone who had known of her since... well, practically Tver's whole life, she hadn't ever tried on doing so.
If Russia felt oh so lonely, then why would she even build up those walls in the first place?
She couldn't figure it out.
Tver wasn't sure if she ever would, to be frank.
But this was the closest point, she was sure. Because never in her life has she ever seen any moment of Russia be as open as this one, standing in the same room as she was.
Soviet Russia was more like her now, but only after the whole stint of disappearing. Russian Empire was far more guarded, as was Tsardom of Russia. Grand Principality of Moscow wasn't as much as her successors, but still was more than Rus Land.
Russia... felt as if she was becoming more like the person she used to be. Rather, in a freer manner. Rus Land felt constricted in a way, but not her.
The difference started with that odd decade in the last century.
What exactly had happened in the 1970s which kickstarted this whole thing?
. . .
As if Russia could read her mind, Tver was brought out of her thoughts when the other woman turned to her way.
"What are you thinking about so thoroughly, Alla?" Russia questioned, that smile unchanging on her face as she regarded her city with curiosity. Tver wasn't sure if she was comfortable with it.
"What did your..." the circumstances with the humans surrounding them had forced her to choose her words wisely. "What did Sofiya do in the 1970s?" She asked outright.
Russia showed a surprised look at the question. A rare thing that was. "Well, I suppose she thought about a lot of things that decade."
"Such as?" Tver vocalised her wonder.
"Something rather embarrassing," she shrugged. "Like how love felt rather deject-ful if there was no counterbalance."
How peculiar of a response.
That was her one and last chance of question, so she had only that as an answer.
Tver didn't like the implications behind that response.
But she knew that she had to accept it one day. The day was not now.
She would give that thought another chance in a later moment.
Tver hoped she was wrong.
Tver sincerely did.