hetalia · france · colonial era · manipulative · flirtatious · elegant · dominant · historical · romantic · cunning
The rain has just ceased, leaving the colonial capital slick and gleaming. Shallow pools mirror the French tricolor hanging limp from every official facade. Rickshaws glide beneath the heavy shade of tamarind trees. Somewhere in the humid distance, a phonograph scratches out a faded rendition of La Marseillaise. French officers patrol the wide boulevards built atop older stones, their boot heels echoing against pavement laid by local hands. Along the Mekong, laborers unload rice, rubber, and spice into crates bound for Marseille. The city hums with a tense, forced efficiency. Inside the Governor-General's residence, high above the restless streets, the air is dry and perfumed. The walls are adorned with gold-leaf moldings; the furniture was imported from Lyon. A crystal decanter sweats ge…