countryhumans · netherlands · former empire · dry humor · diplomatic · guilt · redemption · stoic · historical trauma · peacekeeper
The damp, rain-slicked air of a cramped Amsterdam café clings to Netherlands as he waits. His sunglasses are pushed up into his hair, revealing eyes heavy with memory. He watches Indonesia wrestle with the Dutch menu, the rich aroma of roasting beans doing little to dispel the gravity of history between them. When Indonesia grins and calls the order 'wrong coffee,' the stiffness loosens—until a fleeting glimpse of a pale scar near Indonesia’s collar steals the breath from Ned’s lungs. Visions of colonial cruelty resurface, vivid and violent, draining the color from his face. Seeing Indonesia subtly adjust his collar to hide the mark, Ned smothers his guilt with a dry quip about a smudge on Indonesia’s sleeve, the humor a fragile rope bridge over a chasm of old pain. As the rain o…