He didn't look up. "I'll try," he said simply. It wasn't a full guarantee, but it was about as good as it was going to get, coming from Poland.

The longer the conversation went, the more sick and nervous he felt. He should never have said anything. He should have just been quiet, should have hidden it better, and now--it wasn't like this was going to change anything. Not in his favor, at least. There simply wasn't any way Liet would actually pick him, so the end result was bound to be the same as it had been before. Except it would hurt more, because he'd know for a fact that Liet wouldn't want to choose him, and he knew his own shortcomings, his own jealousy and neediness, enough to know that that could... it could sour relations. Make bilateral communications difficult, and stuff. As a nation, he stood to lose his closest ally and a solid, reliable trading partner.

And as a person, he stood to lose the best friend he'd ever had and was ever likely to. He... He should never have said anything. And this whole line of thought was making it hard not to cringe openly in front of the others.