[Yang, please. She gets maybe one pat in before Natalia laughs and lightly bats her friend's hand away.]

No, but it's still unfair. [ . . . . ] He was a bit of a brat and made his feelings on the matter clear, but I still kept hoping.

[Natalia just shrugs faintly.] I suppose I'm content to remain hoping for a bit longer. After all, it's not everyday that I'll meet a man who loves my country as much as I do.