Super polite [China]

[Mexico - José Francisco]

José sauntered up to Yao’s home with a feign indifference as he chewed on tobacco. José wasn’t an idiot. He knew Yao was a powerful nation and had a place on the world stage, but he couldn’t find any shit to care. Besides, navigating through this crazy crowded country was insanity enough. How did so many people live in one place?!? It had got him all unnecessarily stressed for a simple meeting. His boss wanted him to “deepen diplomatic ties” with China since they both were dealing with Al’s crazy trade behavior. But, if José was being honest, he did not see the point. When it came to trade, manufacturing, and supply the world with cheap labor, José was nipping right at Yao’s heels, especially when it came to never ending consumption of American greed. José knew what made Al tick, and he knew how to make the cheap shit Al would buy. Hundreds of corporations were discussing leaving China to come to Mexico, the far superior nation. This old man couldn’t keep up, so why his boss wanted him to lend out an open hand now was beyond him.

He knocked on the door rather dramatically and then played with the mustache he currently had above his lips like a sleeping caterpillar. He looked around the outside of the house. It looked so old. Older nations always seemed to live in the past. When the door opened, his hand went to his hip and spat the chewing tobacco into the plant near the door. He looked incredibly causal for a professional meeting, wearing only jeans and a sleeveless grey tank. His eyes found the old nation, and he reached out to grab his hand and shake it. “Hola, amigo. You didn’t have to dress up for me, or do you always doll yourself up like a girl for visitors?” he asked, genuinely curious since every time he saw Yao he seemed to be dressed in all the latest elegant fabrics. “I’m not complaining or anything. Al has been trying to convince me that you’re actually a woman. There is a saying about a duck, but I don’t believe it,” José started talking as he made his way into the home without an invitation, lost in his own thoughts.

[China - Wang Yao]

Yao had been laying on the couch enjoying the day. He was curled up with his cellphone but for once wasn’t on Instagram. Instead, his focus was on Francis text messages that kept coming in. It wasn’t unusual for Yao and Francis to communicate often. Today they were gossiping about Germany’s love life. China had been looking into it for some time but it was always hard to dig anything up on him about it. Why did Ludwig have to be so private? He was going to have to dig a little deeper with Francis to find anything good. Still, they were texting back and forth with pure speculation.

Yao was close to the door when he heard the loud knock. A few servants rushed to get it but he waved them off. Phone in hand Yao went to answer the door. When he opened it he was a bit shocked to see the young boy. He jumped as his arm came out and felt awkward when it was grabbed to shake. He had been in light communication with Jose for some time now but nothing incredibly serious. Yao jerked back his hand once Jose let go and tried to gather his thoughts. The boy looked like a mess. Did he really come to see him dressed like that?

He gasped at the insinuation of being a girl. “I do not. I am not a girl!” Yao snapped and quickly followed with his cheeks burning red. “You are being rude… The other boy has no idea what he’s talking about.” Yao quickly continued and pushed his hands into his hair to adjust it a bit. He bowed a quarter to him and stood to the side to invite him in. Jose could be as rude as he wanted but it wasn’t going to prevent Yao from being graceful and polite.

“Come in.. We will speak.” He kept his head bowed politely and allowed him to enter. Trade would be the ultimate thing that they were going to discuss. China had a lot to offer, it was Jose’s job to convince him that it was a mutual benefit. It’s not that Yao wasn’t interested, he was just going to make him work for it.

[Mexico - José Francisco]

Yao reminded José of those old toys that you would put a key in their back and twist and twist and twist, and as soon as you let go, the toy would jump into crazy psychotic action. To put simply, José found the man a little wound up. He whistled as he walked into the home, looking over the old-school structure of the place. “Surprise this is still standing,” he muttered in Spanish to himself. He finally glanced back at him with the outburst. Rude? Hm, he wouldn’t call stating a fact rude. “Si, Al’s an idiot. He spouts nonsense most days,” he smirked as he pulled out his tin of tobacco. “You do look cute as a girl,” he pointed out, hoping he might resolve the “rudeness” by providing him a compliment. He opened the tin and stuffed some of the tobacco in his mouth, chewing it as he continued to glance around.

“I’ve heard you’re a good chef, I’m a good chef too. Want to cook something together while we’re talking? I’m fairly hungry,” he mentioned as he then sauntered further into the house, even though he had no clue where he was going. José was young, so he loved to explore any new area with a sense of adventure. He put the tin back in his pocket as he chewed and looked around, touching items on the wall and decorations he came across. Even though he thought older nations were outdated and living in the past, he also had awe for them and their ability to survive so long, specifically China. Yao was not merely old, Yao was an Ancient, still breathing and living today. José wondered how Aztec would be in the modern world, if she had survived. He didn’t let himself linger on that thought long before he glanced back at Yao.

“I want to be upfront since I know you older folks play games of manipulation. I plan to steal all your trade you have with the American gringo away from you,” he grinned and then shrugged as if the statement was casual.

[China - Wang Yao]

Yao shot him a sharp glance when he commented on his home. He didn’t know if he meant that as an insult or a compliment, but it didn’t sound like the latter. “It has stood for thousands of years and it will stand for thousands more. China is forever.” He reminded him with a certain pride in his voice. He was very proud of his home. Yao blushed but was silent through his next comment. He still didn’t appreciate being called a girl but it was a compliment after all. His home was gorgeous and every inch of it was decorated. It was clear that Yao was into expensive things and detail-oriented work. The inside of his home was colorful, and he favored the colors red and gold. There was a short walk when they came in that opened-up into a living area. The space had floor pillows near a table with a tea set, piping hot. Yao went to that area until he mentioned cooking.

“Shi. I am. I’m not cooking currently but I can have something made if you are hungry.” He clapped and two servants rushed forward into the kitchen. He was an excellent cook, but that didn’t mean he always had to do all the work. He’d worked hard for every recipe he came up with, why did he have to make the dish every time?

Yao was far more interested in sitting at the table with tea and seeing what he wanted. He’d gotten to the first floor pillow when Jose revealed his intentions for being here. He had almost sat down but he sat right back up. “What?” he questioned right away. “What do you mean!? You will do no such thing!” He snapped quickly at him and didn’t even realize that he’d reverted to speaking Chinese. There would be no tolerance for this kind of behavior. At least he was honest, now Yao could throw him out promptly.

As he went to get up, clearly frustrated his mind started to clear. Perhaps this wasn’t the worst situation to be in. Jose was young after all and naïve to think he could take anything from him. Yao quickly settled and straightened his clothes as if the outburst was just a passing thought. “I am not used to anyone being so forward with me. Why have you been so kind to tell me?” He asked with curiosity and calmness this time. It would be more advantageous to bring Jose to his side on the matter than the boys.