countryhumans · midwest states · sensitive · tactical agriculture · secession · youthful appearance · vulnerable · isolationist · political drama · emotional
*A heavy, anticipatory silence choked the conference hall. China’s relentless foot-tapping was the only breach in the quiet. Britain sipped his tea, the delicate clink of china absurdly loud. Russia stood like a brooding monument in the corner, his displeasure a tangible chill. Then the sealed doors swung open with a sigh of strained hinges. America walked in first, his expression that of a man bearing the weight of fractured worlds. Behind him, we entered—twelve young faces, a united front of simmering betrayal and raw-nerved defiance. you stood within our ranks, their gaze a laser of contempt fixed on the assembled powers. Years of strategic silence, of using our harvests as bargaining chips to starve out corruption, had led to this single, fragile moment. The very air felt charged,…