T.A.R.N.S.: I apologize for the delay in getting this thing up here. I've been working on some other things besides this, and of course there was the section I lost. Uh... I think this is plot development, but I'm not sure. Anyway, please enjoy.
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So in response to Arizona's 1070 bill, Democrats trotted out their favorite counter-argument: racist! But inquiring minds want to know, did they even read the bill?
Early the next morning found Arthur again patrolling the streets of D.C., trying to figure out where Alfred had vanished off too. As far as he and Arizona knew, Alfred had not come back to his apartment last night, or if he had, he had came back very late that night and left early the next day.
"I don't know if he came back or not last night," Arizona had said earlier that morning before England left. "I didn't hear anyone come in. Kind of a shame, because I was hoping to talk to him last night."
"Do you know where he could be in this city?" England had asked, sipping his mug of tea. Alfred didn't have any respectable teacups.
"Nope." Well that was less than helpful. "He knows every square inch of this city, so he could be anywhere." It went without saying that no country got lost in their own land.
'Come to this land of sunshine, to this land where life is young, where the wide wide world is waiting, the songs that will now be sung...' Arizona pulled out his cell phone, glanced at the screen, and then flipped it open, quickly skimming the text message that was there. "That's not good." he turned to England. "excuse me, would you? I really have to return this call.'
"Fine," Arthur replied, dumping his cup and the remnants of the tea in the sink. "I'm going to go see if I can find your father."
Arizona barely nodded at the comment, busy with his cellphone.
And that was how England had found himself wandering through the streets of D.C. so early in the morning. The sun was just barely beginning to peek above the horizon and burn off some early morning mist.
He wound through the pedestrians on the sidewalk, checking email as they walked or sipping cups of coffee, but always hurrying on to wherever they were going.
If there was one advantage Arthur had on his side, it was that Nations could always detect other Nations, and he was counting on that to help him find Alfred.
He prowled through the city, keeping an eye open for a tall man with sandy blond hair and an idiot smile, then he felt something. Alfred. Arthur turned and forced his way through the crowd headed for a nearby memorial.
His senses hadn't failed him; Alfred was curled up in the shadow of the statue, sound asleep.
Arthur rolled his eyes and sat down to wait. He didn't have to wait long (a fact he was grateful for.) America woke up a few minutes later.
"You know, you have a perfectly good apartment a few miles away from here." England pointed out. "And you're sleeping next to a statue because...?"
"Because I wanted to," America replied as he stood up.
"You had a visitor last night." Arthur said as he got back to his feet.
"Really? who was it?" If it was the President, then don't tell me.
"He said he was the state of Arizona."
Alfred's eyes widened. "Alejandro!? He was in D.C.?"
England nodded, assuming that Alejandro was Arizona's human name. "You missed that because you were out here sleeping by a statue."
America, however, missed the barb. "Is he still at the apartment?"
England nodded. "He was when I left, though he mentioned needing to take care of some-thing!" Arthur barely had time to finish before America took off, dragging him back outside and down the stairs.
"Alfred! Slow down! You'll get the both of us killed, stupid wanker!" The other nation protested as he was dragged through the streets of the city.
America relented and slowed down a little. "I thought there was something going on in the Southwest. I want to know what Arizona's doing. And we're nations. We won't die."
"Even so, you don't need to run through the streets like a lunatic." Arthur replied. "You're going to attract a bunch of attention to us."
Even at the slower pace, they still managed to get back to the apartment fairly quickly, but when they arrived, they found no one there, just a letter addressed to America and an envelope sitting on the table.
Alfred quickly skimmed the letter.
Dad,
I wanted to talk to you about the new bill my legislature just past (S.B. 1070) but something's come up and I have to get back home. I left the stuff in the envelope on the table.
- AZ
"I have to go to Arizona." Alfred announced, tucking the letter and envelope into his jacket.
"I presume you mean the actual land of Arizona?" England asked.
"What did you think I was talking about?"
"I don't know. That's why I asked." England replied, watching as Alfred grabbed a rucksack lying near the door and headed back towards his room. "When are you going to leave?" he called.
"Umm... as soon as I can." Alfred called back. "Why? Do you wanna go too?"
England sighed. "I feel like I'm getting mixed up in quite a mess here. But fine, I'll come." He finished as he went to go gather his things.
Four hours later found the pair in Phoenix, Arizona, standing outside a two-story house in one of the city's subdivisions.
"This is Arizona's house?" Arthur asked, looking at the simple building. In the front yard, a flag pole held both an American flag an underneath that, the flag of the state of Arizona.
"Yep. But we'll have to go in the side door." America replied, heading for a wooden staircase on the side of the house.
"Why are we going in the side door?" England asked as he followed America up the stairs. "The front door looks like it still works."
"Arizona rented out the bottom half of his house," Alfred explained as he knocked on the door. "He only lives on the second floor now."
There was no response to any knocks, and no sound from inside the building. Finally Alfred gave up and pulled out his phone. He typed in '48', which was the number for the speed dial to Arizona's phone, and hit the green call button.
"Hmm... no answer here either." America announced. He typed a different number in and tried again, this time getting an answer.
At least, it sounded like he'd gotten an answer, because Arthur couldn't understand a word of the ensuing conversation. To be fair, the conversation only took about three minutes, but it was held entirely in Spanish.
"Well, we have to go see Texas now." Alfred said as he slid his phone shut. "AZ's over there with him."
"Great." England muttered.
"I knew you'd understand." America replied cheerfully. "Come on, let's get back to the airport."
Shortly after America and England left to head to Arizona's house, back in Washington, D.C., another personification sat at his desk working. He was busily looking over the final draft of yet another president-approved bill, when a note was delivered to his desk.
He picked it up and read the brief news bulletin that followed: Arizona legislature passes S.B. 1070, allowing cops to ask for identification paper's if they reasonable suspicion someone may be in the country illegally."
"That's racist!" He exclaimed, throwing the paper down. "This has be stopped, somehow!"
Out in the state of California, the personification of that state was sitting in her large Beverly hills home enjoying herself in her private sauna when one of her maids knocked on the door and handed her a sheet of paper.
California hastily skimmed the note, then scowled. "That's racist! That shouldn't be allowed!" She wrapped her robe around herself, then headed out to get dressed.
In New york, a similar note was being passed to that state's personification.
"If Arizona thinks he's going to get away with this, he's got another guess coming."
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T.A.R.N.S.: And AZ's about to get a bundle of trouble, all for wanting to protect his people. Poor guy. And I'd like to apologize to my CA readers for the fact I made CA a liberal, but I'm going for stereotypes here, so liberal and prima donna-ish is how she comes across. Also, the song that was AZ's ringtone is the state song of Arizona.
Also, if anyone can help me stereotype Indiana, it would be appreciated. Yes, I am from IN, but I can't see the forest for the trees, so I need some help.
Anyway, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought!
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