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﹙ There’s no place I’d rather be ﹚
x﹙ Then on my surfboard out at sea ﹚
xx﹙ Lingering in the ocean blue ﹚
xxx﹙And If I had one wish come true ﹚

R a i v i s G a l a n t e
Freshmen

R e p u b l i k a L a t v i j a

Raivis was having a hard time finding the dorm, but soon he found it and knocked on the dorm. He knew he was skipping class to see if Leilani was okay but he was just really worried.

As he waited for someone to open the door he hoped no one reported him skipping class, but it wasn’t skipping,(that’s what he’s telling himself) he just was going to see if Leilani was okay. If he didn't all he would think about today was his roommate. So he wouldn't learn anything anyway.
.

The State of Tennessee
☀Andrew S. Hickory☀

Tennessee didn't even hear the door being knocked on since he had two very big distractions to deal with at the moment. It was all the poor boy could do at the moment to keep his eyes from following that scar trail to a very forbidden place. Andrew struggled a few times to look her in the eyes, but to reach those eyes he had to look up and looking up meant for a moment he would catch sight of the very things he might not be able to ever forgive himself for looking at. Keeping his gaze focused on the ground was much safer.

"Getting what?" he muttered dumbly before it slowly sunk through his thick skull and into the numb mass of confusion that was his mind. Tennessee gave a small start as if he'd been shocked when he realized what she meant. "Oh! The door! Yeah," he babbled and was almost grateful for the intrusion as he hurried to open the door and blinked down at their visitor.

Who was this little guy again? It took a moment before he finally recognized Latvia as his sister's friend. Honestly, he should have put the pieces together faster considering the drama that went down between him and Hawaii which he had thought had been about the nation, but in his defense it had been a very stressful night and morning for him.

"Um... Hey," Andrew said as he eyed Latvia up and down with a touch of suspicion. What was he doing here? Shouldn't he be in class? Well, he was Leilani's new friend so it wasn't hard for Tennessee to understand that he might want to check up on her. Massachusetts and the others most likely talked about it in front of him so it made sense. Andrew glanced over his shoulder to make sure his little sister was safely tucked away in the bathroom from curious eyes before he stepped back. "You wanna come in?"

Grade 9
The Volunteer

The State of Tennessee
☀Andrew S. Hickory☀

Tennessee shut the door behind Latvia and tried to size up the nation for the first time. When they had first met he had been preoccupied with Luz Maria and Lukas trying to kill everyone and their second encounter had shortly followed him being enraged over Cherelle nearly getting hurt by Belarus. Needless to say, he had bigger things to worry about both times and really hadn't taken the time to get a good look at Raivis.

When the child-like European brought up Georgia pointing a gun at him, Andrew's eyes narrowed. Christian did not just point guns at people for no reason. His brother's temper, when piqued, was fierce and harsh, but for the most part he was one of the sweetest guys you could ever meet in Tennessee's opinion. There was no way his Georgia would threaten somebody unless they deserved it.

"Why would he do that?" Tennessee asked in a tone of voice that might as well have said: "Whether or not I kick your a** depends on how you respond."

Grade 9
The Volunteer

The State of Tennessee
☀Andrew S. Hickory☀

Tennessee's expression darkened when Latvia mentioned his entire country coming after him. That most definitely did sound like a threat and, even though he was just a state, Andrew had proven time and time again he wasn't afraid to test a nation in combat. Whether Latvia was stronger than him or not, he couldn't rightfully say, but the American certainly wasn't intimidated. If anything, it only served to annoy him further. The apology didn't do much to dissuade his aggravation either.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing about being stared down by Tennessee was how quiet and calm he looked. Other than the slight narrowing of his eyes or subtle tensing of his muscles he was almost impossible to read as he peered down at the nation. He listened to Raivis' story about how he hugged Leilani and comforted her while she was crying.

Without warning he reached out and simply reached out and put a hand on Latvia's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze before turning away to the kitchen. "You hungry?" he asked, seeming to accept that Raivis had his baby sister's best intentions at heart. "I was just 'bout to try gettin' Leilani to eat somethin' after her bath." He raised his voice to call to the youngest state. "Hey! Your European friend is here!"

Grade 9
The Volunteer

The State of Tennessee
☀Andrew S. Hickory☀

Andrew blinked at the Latvian's question and looked back at him. He was thoughtful for a moment although his expression appeared neutral aside from his brows raised slightly in mild surprise. "I ain't plannin' on hittin' you right now," he said, "but I can't say I won't if you give me a reason." He pulled a biscuit off of the cooking sheet and held it out to the nation in case he wanted a snack while they waited.

"Just keep bein' nice to Leilani, ok?" he said more than asked with a faint blush knowing how odd his request probably sounded. Andrew didn't quite make eye contact while he spoke knowing he probably had an awkward expression. "She don't have too many friends even in the states so... it's good she's makin' friends."

Grade 9
The Volunteer

The State of Tennessee
☀Andrew S. Hickory☀

Andrew had picked up a biscuit for himself as he watched the odd little country go hide behind the couch. Weird, but maybe it was an European thing. He brought the biscuit up to his lips and was about to take a bite as he listened to the nation then paused. Tennessee slowly brought the biscuit away from his mouth as he processed Raivis' confession. The state put down this biscuit on the table and quietly walked past Latvia towards his bedroom with an unreadable expression. There was some rummaging around and oinking as he disturbed Violet then all was silent.

Very quietly almost like a predator Andrew reappeared in the room with a pair of tomahawks in his hands and a dark shadow over his face. "I'd advise you start runnin' right 'bout now," he half growled. "I ain't as gentle as George is..."

Grade 9
The Volunteer