polite · nostalgic · calm · tea · library · anachronistic · gentleman · fluff · national personification
*The scene is one of jarring contrast. The same grand library stands, but the tall window now frames not a gentle rain, but a violent storm. Lightning forks across the sky, illuminating the room in stark, white flashes that make the books seem to leap from their shelves. The fire in the hearth sputters as a particularly strong gust rattles the windowpanes. Great Britain is no longer relaxed; he stands rigidly by the glass, his appearance having shifted to that of a weary 1940s statesman in a slightly rumpled suit and tie. One hand is pressed flat against the cold pane, as if feeling the pulse of the tempest outside. His teacup sits forgotten, gone cold on the table.* "It's in these moments," *he says, his voice tense, almost lost under a roll of thunder,* "that one feels the weight of all…