“No, everyone over here.” Berwald directed a large group of refugees into the already cramped back of his store. It wasn’t really a question anymore whether there was any room left. There just wasn’t any room left anywhere and some families were already sleeping in other families spaces. Regardless of the lack of space most of them seemed grateful to him. It really wasn’t like they had any place to go but Sweden tried to keep them as comfortable as possible in the limited space he had. It was a good thing that this place was a furniture store, so they had several beds to share. Business wasn’t so good lately anyway. The war had really slowed things down everywhere.
Berwald had been trying to get everything ready for his cousins visit. He had told him a few days ago that he would be coming by and with the war coming to an abrupt close, he could only guess what it was going to be about. The biggest problem on his hands was this massive amount of people that he’d been hiding from his cousin. Sweden wouldn’t admit, he’d been putting this problem off in his mind. What was he going to do? There was no where he could send them. It wasn’t like he could send them to Spain in boats, they’d freeze to death and the boats would never make it out without capture. Bringing the problem to Germany was not an option either. Considering everything that he’d seen his cousin capable of so far, telling him that he’d been lying to him was not a good start to the end of the war. This issue in particular, his cousin seemed to be the most passionate about. Above everything, he wanted to keep his cousins trust. It wasn’t anything personal, but it was for his own family's sake. At the same time, he couldn’t just lead these people to their death.
To say that he’d had a lot of anxiety about it would be an understatement. It was what kept him up at night, especially after Germany announced that he would be coming by. But just like always, Sweden had problems dealing with his own emotions and feelings, so they went ignored. It wasn’t like there was much he could do about it anyway. After he had ushered people away from the main door, he went to sit by it in a chair he built himself. This wasn’t how he felt things should have turned out and the gravity of the situation was laying on his cold heart.
An abrupt knock came to the door and Sweden straightened his uniform. He cleared his throat and opened it just a hair. Slowly, he slid out the door and closed it behind him, moving his cousin partially back. “Halla, Cousin.” Berwald greeted with a stone face. He wouldn’t be inviting him inside his new IKEA today. His eyes locked on Germany’s at first and slowly scanned him over. It felt different being around him this time. The last time they talked he didn’t have this aura about him. There was no doubt about it, what Berwald was feeling was pure power radiating off of him.
To say that Germany has been very busy lately would be a huge understatement. Though he's certainly not lacking in underlings he can delegate things to, and he takes full advantage of that, the number of things that absolutely need his personal attention are huge. He's just glad that Prussia is still around - there are many things that he can't trust to anyone else. Well, in theory he could trust more things to Italy, but in that case the problem is not that he's worried about his friend's intentions but his ability to actually do what he's asked...
In any event, talking to Sweden is not something that he'd leave up to anyone else - he doesn't expect anyone else to handle his cousin with quite the same level of finesse, at at the same time he wishes to see with his own eyes how the conversation goes rather than relying on someone else's report. He knows that getting a good read on his cousin can be extremely difficult, and he wants to use his own judgement and ability to read between the lines.
But he can nevertheless be confident about this meeting. After all, he holds a lot of respect for the man, actually, and in return... well, he rather suspects that there's more fear than respect than he would like in their relationship as of late but he's not sure how that can be helped at this point. At the very least he can expect their conversation to be polite, and if it proves to not be as productive as he would like then that simply means that there will be further conversations.
Knocking on the door when he arrives, he finds himself taking a step back as his cousin apparently wishes to talk to him outside rather than inviting him in. He notes this, but he doesn't immediately read anything into it - that could mean many things, and it's certainly not surprising if Sweden simply wants to guard his privacy. In fact, that seems to be par for the course lately - he hasn't really had much of a chance to talk to the man personally recently, what with the war taking so much of his attention, but in his letters and other communications he's been very... polite. Which certainly isn't a bad thing, but then again it also means that he's not exactly accepting any of his offers either.
Though he has hopes that the fact that the war is over will change things. In a way it came as no surprise that his cousin didn't want to join him in a war, but now that the fighting has stopped and the guns have ceased perhaps he will be more easily persuaded? Which is why he informed him that he would be stopping by to speak with him even before the gunsmoke dissapated. "Hallo, Cousin," he says in return, internally noting that they can greet eachother, each using his own tongue, with only one letter's difference - proof that they really are family. "Thank you for recieving me on such short notice," he adds, holding out his hand even as he sees the way that his cousin is regarding him.
Though he can't directly sense his own aura, he can feel his own strength and knows that it has grown considerably. The change wasn't so fast that he doesn't know his own strength, especially since he'd had it at nearly this level for the years that it took to finally defeat Russia, but then again the addition of Russia alone had quite noticably increased his strength to another level. Nations which once treated him with contempt now treat him with fear, and he can't say that he doesn't enjoy that - he deserves it, really, after what so many of them put him through.
But Sweden has nothing to fear from him, at least in his own opinion. They're family, after all, and even if they don't fully trust each other that bond still exists. "And it's good to see you in person, again! It has been too long - hov have you been?" he says, not wanting to dive too deeply too quickly into the thick of what he's come here to discuss. Not that this is just small talk - his cousin's wellbeing is not of no importance to him.
Germany’s hand extended and Sweden met it to shake his hand firmly. If the presence of power wasn’t overwhelming before it demanded attention now. He squeezed his cousins hand for a moment and then let it go to put a foot of distance between them again. It had been quite a while since the last time they’d spoken. The last time they’d spoke was toward the beginning of the war when Germany first asked him to get involved. The most he’d seen since then was what Germany had done on the news and the ammunition that came through his railways. Sweden had to inspect what went onto his railways usually, but to keep his neutrality he let German move goods through his nation unchecked. Rather than that, he’d seen very little of him at all.
“ Yes. There has been some time.” He answered near robotically to his statement. His next question raised anxieties within him that he was lucky couldn’t be seen on the surface. His calm and still exterior hid the terrible secret that he held within and right behind him. If he needed to, he could invite Germany into his home but he just wouldn’t allow him to go very far in. His only concern there was that some of the people he’d put in the back of the store would wander forward or that they would be too loud. They had been specifically told to be quiet, but this was a lot of people to manage.
“I’ve been fine.” He replied flatly, having nothing else to say on the subject. His wellbeing was never really a question. His food had been holding out alright and the waters around him were safe enough to fish in that he hadn’t had a problem with food. There would be no telling how long that would last if the war drug out, but for the moment he was doing fine food wise. Minerals were still moving as they should be and being traded to the right places and Germany was still using his railways to transport ammunition. “Fine” was the best word to describe was what going on outside of the store behind him.
Sweden knew that Germany wasn’t there to ask him how he was though. If he was truly concerned with how he felt, he should have asked him how he felt after Norway became Germany occupied. That would have been a good time to ask him how he felt and Berwald would have let him know. But that was the past and right now he was focused on what he had in front of him. “You’ve come a long way to talk about my wellbeing.” he noted to Germany, letting him know he was well aware that he’d come for a very different reason. He couldn’t say for certain what it was, but he had a pretty good idea. It was something he’d been struggling with since he saw the end of the war coming with the Soviet defeat.
When Sweden simply states that he's fine, Germany's expression becomes just a bit dissatisfied - he would have liked a more complete answer than just that - more specifics. Then again, perhaps he shouldn't have been hoping for such verbosity from someone like Sweden. "And the vife? How is he?" he prompts. He's seen Finland much more recently, as he helped him during the war. Though Finland wasn't at all fighting alongside of him for the same cause and reason, seeing as they were both at war with Russia it only made sense to make sure that Finland had absolutely everything he needed for that cause - every Russian killed by a Finn was a man that didn't need to be killed by a German, after all. And hopefully, knowing that he has that vested interest in the situation, perhaps Sweden won't be quite so brief?
But either way, contrary to what Sweden supposes, the entire reason that Germany wanted to meet with him was about his wellbeing, at least in his own opinion. "Vhy shouldn't I come a long vay to talk about your vellbeing? You are my cousin, and it's very important to me!" he states with a frown, shifting his head slightly as if looking at him from another angle might produce more information "I do hope that the var hasn't been too hard on you? Is there anything that you need? It should be much easier nov, vith the var's end. And you von't need to vorry about Russia being at your back door anymore - imagine that!"
Berwald held a moment of silence when he mentioned his wife. His wife was the reason he was standing here in front of him. His wife was the reason that so much conflict was going through his head. It was the truth, that they'd be safer at this point if they joined their cousin, but what of the cost? Finland would be fine but Sweden had something to hide. "He is fine." He answered just as simply as he would about himself. There was no reason to tell him anymore or any less about Finland. If he really wanted to find out he could go ask his wife, though he would probably give him the same answer.
His eyes hardened when he spoke of his well being again. It was the small flash of emotion that could only been seen by his iris and as quickly as it came it left.
The war had been hard on him, despite not being involved in it. He'd been taking care of a mass amount of people that were in hiding, displaced, hungry, cold and had little to no resources to function as families. They couldn't work and they couldn't even go outside. It was way too dangerous with Germans able to freely move in and out of his cities. If one of the lower commanders even became suspicious it would be devastating for him. Berwald leaned back against his store door. Just thinking about it was mentally and physically exhausting. As if he could wipe it from his head he ran the palm for his hand over his forehead.
Night after night Sweden had tried to sleep alone in his bed. During this conflict, he'd often slept alone. Finland would visit and it would be a small comfort but he still felt an incredible burden in carrying them both and this heavy secret. Night after Night he'd just lay awake, keeping watch for his cousins men at his door. Some nights he got so anxious about it he was sure that someone had found him out. He'd do extra rounds and put tighter security around himself, but it would only lead to more suspicion if he did it often. It was the worst situation that he could ever place himself in and it was taking his restful nights away.
"I am tired. Nothing I cannot fix on my own. Food is holding out, though that shouldn't be strained too much longer." He tried to deflect back from being tired and focus on the fact that everything was fine. He was fine. "Yes, it's been a long time since I've not had to think of the Russians on me or my wife's doorstep." Berwald commented on the Russians. At this point in the conflict he didn't know whether his cousin or the Russians was worse. In his current position - Only one of them wouldn't care what he was hiding and it wasn't the right one. After a moment Berwald straightened again in an effort to push through his exhaustion. "As you can see, there is nothing to worry about."
Out of all the nations in the world, Sweden as one of the most and possibly the best poker face. And he seems to have it whether he's trying to or not. So not only is it difficult to tell what he might be hiding, it's also difficult to tell if he's hiding anything in the first place. But that only means that Germany tries that much harder to observe him, in order to catch even the slightest hint of emotion. So he catches pause before the answer to his question about Finland.
And also the hint of a look that Sweden gave to him when he emphasized the importance of his well-being. Of course, it's one thing to notice the small hints of emotion, and it's another to interpret them. Why is it that Sweden is so very disapproving of his concern? Is it just resentment due to the war, or is it something more?
Though he's quick to file that away for further analysis later when Sweden actually begins to answer his question somewhat. He's quick to nod his understanding at the notion of being tired - that's an emotion that Germany can more than identify with. He's been running almost nonstop for the past several years himself, and while he doesn't know what exactly his cousin has been doing - aside from allowing the use of his railways and such - it's not difficult to guess that a nation outside of the war and yet surrounded by it would be very busy simply managing all the difficulties caused, especially while Finland was at war with Russia.
Though when Sweden concludes that there's nothing to worry about as if that's the end of it, Germany's own expression becomes slightly hard, if only for a moment. "That is good!" he states, without too much feeling, but he continues with, "Vell, I am making it a top priority to clear all the naval mines that vere laid in the Baltic Sea. I, of course, knov everyvhere that my men put them, but it's been difficult to get my hands on the records from the Russians - apparently they like to burn everything..." A flicker of irritation crosses his face at that, but it passes and he continues. "But ve're tracking dovn some copies, and anyvay ve already discovered some of the areas the hard vay. I vill keep you updated on this, but I suggest being careful about vhere you send your ships until I give the area an all-clear, especially in the seas around Denmark - just because the var is over doesn't mean that the danger isn't. But areas you already use are probably safe enough, as vell as deep vater, at least on the surface," he warns, watching for Sweden's reactions to his words.
If Sweden would have known that Germany was testing him so hard, he'd have been more careful. He'd have thought more about what he'd said, tried to act more normal or tried to have things preplanned to say. But Berwald was far from emotionally intelligent. For as little as he was able to express his emotions, he had just as much trouble understanding them. How can someone truly understand something they can't even outwardly express? He'd never been able to see himself angry the way that others could be, or sad or scared. He'd always been just the way he was and didn't know anything otherwise.
It was a blessing and curse.
From what he'd done already, aside from looking exhausted for a moment, he thought he'd done pretty well with handling his cousin. At this point he'd hoped it would have been enough for him and he'd been just a busy man that was on his way. At this point he was sure Germany was busy and didn't have much time to speak with him anyway. At least he hoped that this was going to be the case.
When he mentioned the mines in his waters being cleared, he mentally relaxed a little bit. Perhaps, all Germany came to do was tell him about that and then he was going to leave. Perhaps his cousin didn't have anything to say about joining his side or bringing him into all of this. Perhaps this visit was just to tell him that his waters were mostly safe to fish again. The comment about the Russian's didn't surprise him, he'd seen what they were capable of doing. It didn't seem that Russia cared much what happened to the other affected by the mines either. Whatever he got was probably too good for him.
Sweden seemed distracted as that thought went through his head, now mentally mourning that it was too late to take it back. As he stared at the Hardened Germany he may very well find himself in Russia's position…and as he stared into his cousins cold eyes, he was sure that whatever he got was going to be more than any man deserved.
"Thank you cousin." He expressed his gratitude openly for helping clear their waters, despite the challenges that were arising in it. He opened his mouth to say something else but a crash from inside his house stopped him. His mouth shut slowly as he stared at Germany. He didn't react or even move in response to the crash. It was almost like he was waiting to see what Germany would say before he did anything or said anything.
The crash could have been anything, there was no reason to panic. There was only 12,000 different ways it could have happened and for it to be that loud it must have been something big. But there was no reason to panic…Not that he could outwardly anyway.
The problem with trying to act normal is that it's not normal to try to act normal. It's all too easy to end up doing something that isn't quite normal enough in your attempt to act normal just because you're second guessing yourself. For this reason, it's perhaps actually to Sweden's benefit that he doesn't know how closely he's being watched.
He nods when Sweden expresses his thanks, happy to do this thing for his cousin. Given that he's planning on routing a lot of shipping through the Baltics soon himself, it's not an entirely unselfish thing for him to be doing, but it's obviously not something that benefits only him.
When Sweden seems about to say more he's eager to listen, but instead a large crash inside of the building grabs his attention. But instead of really reacting, he looks over at Sweden to see how he's reacting - after all, it's Sweden's house and he would know far more about what that might have been and whether or not that might be important. But then he realizes that Sweden is doing the same in return... "Is that of no concern to you?" he asks somewhat curiously, even as he speculates within himself about why Sweden would care more about what he thinks about the situation than the situation itself. That certainly seems odd... He's now watching his cousin with far more suspicion in his expression than before.
Berwald watched Germany carefully. He watched the glance of his eyes and the hardened curiosity that peaked when he didn't move. " I will take care of it later." He answered just to have an answer. Sweden knew he couldn't leave it there but he was trying to come up with something believable for Germany. "It was probably Hanatamgo, Finland must have left him here." He thought up an excuse and left it there.
To prevent that from happening again Sweden moved away from his store with Germany. Perhaps he could get him walking before he asked to go inside or insisted on seeing what it was. He had confidence that even if Germany was to insist that he could bring him inside without any problems, or at least he was until he heard the crash.
The crash could have been anything but it was probably refugees moving something when they shouldn't have. There were also a lot of children in there. It could have been innocent children that had wandered from their family and were playing openly in his store. Either way if he were to open the doors and Germany were to see them it would be bad. The crash sounded close to the door, which meant that someone was probably not where they should have been. Hopefully, since it was so loud everyone that was out scurried back to where they should have been.
"You know how my wife loves him." He mentioned casually and tried to guide him away from the door. Sweden walked forward, keeping an eye on his cousin to try and urge him to go with him. They still had a lot to talk about and the crash from inside the building was just a distraction. If he could get Germany's focus back on the task he had come here for, it wouldn't be an issue anymore….And he'd be back to the first issue….
First there is a loud crash, and then Sweden wants to lead him away without investigating? That still doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it's becoming more and more suspicious by the moment. And Germany doesn't like to leave suspicious things not taken care of - after all, if the suspicions are true then he needs to know that and if they're false then he simply learns that the trust that he'd extended was deserved.
And so he refuses to be led away, simply by remaining in place in spite of Sweden's coaxing. "Vell, if it vas Hanatamgo, then don't delay checking on him on my account - you knov hov much I love dogs! In fact, I vill go vith you to see - I certainly vouldn't consider you to be a neglectful host for you to make sure that he is all right," he responds, his voice light but his expression unchanged, "The last thing that ve vould vant is for him to hurt himself by touching something sharp, after all..."
Again, whatever happened could easily have been something that trivial, but it doesn't hurt to check. And because Sweden's expressions are always reserved that means that they can't be relied upon - his actions, on the other hand, are probably quite reliable. After all, his cousin is a very honest and honorable person - Germany can well imagine that even if he tried to be deceptive he would do it poorly.
His open hand tried to lead his cousin away, but unlike in the past, he wouldn't budge. When Germany stood firmly in place Sweden stopped and closed his eyes. He listened to his eager explanation of why he needed to see inside and nodded. Unless Finland had dropped by unannounced it was unlikely that it was Hanatamgo. The alternative was much more devastating for him but this was time to put the drills and the training to the test.
He turned back to Germany and the door. This time he seemed agreeable to do what he wanted. Slowly, Sweden approached the door and opened it carefully. He walked inside, everything being quiet so far. It was just the front of the shop and in the corner toward the back was an armoire that had been tipped over and crashed to the floor. It sat next to a bit of equipment and a small lift that was used to make moving his pieces easier.
With Germany near he walked back toward the broken mess in the floor. They walked passed the open hall that lead to double doors, holding 12,000 refugees. Sometimes it was so loud in that hall he couldn't hear himself thing, but right now it was so quiet a pin could be heard dropping. Perhaps the crash has startled everyone inside and it brought them to silence. If so, he was very lucky that something happened to tip over. The matter still remained, How did it tip over?
Berwald came to the entry way that the Armoire blocked and he carefully tried to step over it. Glass cracked underneath his feet and he made his way into the lift room a little further. He glanced to the motorized lift next to the Armoire. "A worker must have left it on the lift and a draft made it fall." He made up an explanation that seemed plausible. It would have had to be one hell of a draft, but maybe it could happen. Glass seemed to be streaked into the back of the warehouse a bit, like someone had run off, but he tried to ignore it and keep his attention on the lift.
Sweden was observant of all things that were different than how he'd left it. He lived here, and beyond that he was patrolling these halls day and night. Ironically he was watching for the man next to him. It was a twisted pill to swallow. He should have been supporting his cousin, but now he was spending all of his energies trying to hide something from him. Before he let the trouble swirl in his head too much he spoke again. "It is nothing I can't fix."
Now quite certain that he would like to see what happened with his own eyes, just to be certain of his cousin, Germany is quiet but observant as he leads the way into the building. Of course he's quick to notice as Sweden does that there's a broken armoire on the floor. He's silent as he follows his cousin past the broken glass and to the motorized lift. Allowing Sweden to take the lead on examining the situation, though peering at it himself.
And when Sweden declares what he believes to be the cause of this mishap, Germany frowns in a clearly unsatisfied way. Could it have been a draft? It's possible. Is it at all likely? Absolutely not! What is going on instead? He hasn't the slightest idea. However, he's quite certain at this point that Sweden is hiding something from him. But the question is, what should he do with his suspicions? There are a number of options available to him, and he is silent for several moments as he decides between them.
Eventually he makes a decision. "Sveden... Bervald..." he starts, and then sighs, "Both my Boss and I greatly appreciate that you have kept your agreements vith us to the letter. And ve respect your decision to remain out of the var, especially given hov many difficulties that caused for you. Your principles are very admirable and you are an example to us all. In fact, nov that the var is over my Boss vishes for me to extend to you again an invitation to join the Reich, or if not that then at least an alliance. Ve vish to be able to help you in vhatever vay ve can so that you can improve the lives of your people - it vould be to the betterment of us both."
He pauses for a moment to allow that to sink in before he adds, "This is not a good time for there to be a blot on your othervise spotless pro-German record..." He turns toward the fallen armoire, seeming to ponder it for a moment. "If there is anything that you need to take care of, I suggest taking care of it immediately," he comments, looking back over his shoulder at Sweden as he states, "I am not expecting an ansver right avay. Think about it - discuss it vith your vife. Both of you are invited to attend the peace conference in Moscov. I vill be needing an ansver soon after that."
In this moment, Sweden felt like the walls he'd made were paper thin. He was so proud of this store that he had built but in this particular moment he felt like it wasn't enough. It was as if one single cough would expose everything he'd worked so hard to protect. In a moment, he could lose everything he'd told his brother that he would keep safe. In just one moment, he would let down his entire family. The thought made him so angry inside and yet there was nowhere to put it. In another body, in another mind, he may have been able to use it to strangle Germany….But he didn't even know if that was the right thing to do. Perhaps his brother was wrong to hide things from Germany, perhaps he was just perpetuating the problem. His anger dropped inside as quickly as it came. Just like a cold flash his nerves settled and became a frigid wasteland once more. Cold, indifferent….It didn't matter. He was in the position he was now and he needed to do what was best for his people.
Sweden's eyes still scanned over the scene, but when he heard the German take a breath they locked on his cousins eyes. He listened to him carefully, taking in everything he had to say with each detail. Berwald had been loyal to his agreements as he always would. He'd provided safety and ease of access to the Germans during their fight…and the Reich…
It was everything he'd heard before. His first Invitation from Germany's boss at the beginning of the war was declined but respected. He was honored to receive the opportunity but didn't believe it was best for his people. Now, the tables had turned and it seemed that the Reich was the only way to keep his people safe. Germany promised to do right by his people and as much as Sweden did for him, he knew that Germany would keep his word if he didn't resist. If he did, he could only imagine he'd end up like his brothers. Occupied.
But then the worst of it came. His cousins suspicions of him became perfectly clear. No, he didn't want a blot on his otherwise perfect record. "Ja, cousin." He acknowledged that he understood him. The threat there was not mistakable. Still, Sweden didn't seem bothered too much by it as he put his nerves to work instead. He grabbed the heavy armoire on the floor and went to lift it back to its upright position. The glass was busted out on all the casing except for one. On the knob was a small red piece of cloth that had a loop on it as if something had been hooked and ripped off. Sweden grabbed the piece as if it was nothing and kept tending to the mess. He honestly had no idea was it was, it looked like a piece of clothing that had been torn from its proper place.
"I will attend the conference and have my decision to you soon." Sweden followed up with the invitation and moved around a bit over the glass to try and guide Germany back to the door. They'd have to cross the hall again and the sooner they got that over with the better.
Trust... It's something that Germany would honestly like to extend toward everyone, but of course he can't unless he feels that it's deserved. But how many people in the world deserve it anymore? Not even Sweden... It's really quite disheartening - he'll have to keep a closer eye on his cousin from now on. It's still possible that his suspicions are nothing, of course, but every time he takes a step toward trying to disprove them he only finds more to be suspicious about. And now that he's fully confident that there's something being hidden from him, he can't say that he's at all happy about it.
Then again, if his cousin has something to hide, hopefully he just made a mistake. He's had to deal with too many nations who were guilty of even more - having actually sworn their loyalty to him only to prepare to jump ship the moment that his victory over Russia looked in doubt. Those nations have, of course, been dealt with severely. He doesn't want to have to do the same to Sweden. In fact, he wasn't especially happy about having to take in Denmark and Norway against their will, but his Boss had insisted that those two were necessary for the war effort, so he'd gone along with it. He doesn't want to go that route again, he really doesn't. And so he's being as lenient as he can - giving his cousin the opportunity to get his affairs in order. Perhaps Sweden will take this as a lesson and a warning about such things in the future.
Once he gets his response to the invitation the the conference, he simply nods and says, "Then I vill see you there. Until then." Then he turns and heads for the exit, not even needing his cousin to guide him. Having made the decision to overlook his suspicions for now, he simply wants to leave before he can gather any more. After all, though he's suspicious he's still quite certain that whatever is going on here it isn't something outright against him. Sweden may make mistakes but he isn't unintelligent.
Sweden watched his cousin turn from him and head out quicker than he was guiding him. Still, he made the effort to keep pace with him and lead him to the door. He wanted to be there just in case anything else happened anyway. They made it passed the hall and the doors that held 12,000 reasons why he was in the hottest water he'd experienced in some time. Catching up, he'd made it behind him again and managed to open the door before he got to it.
"Farval, cousin." He stated simply and stayed between him going back into the IKEA and leaving. It would be better now if they didn't speak until they were next supposed to meet. Despite how quickly he was able to come up with excuse, he doubted that his cousin believed a word of it. Just watching his actions in the war told him that he'd become a very paranoid man, with good reason. His cousin may have been paranoid, but he wasn't wrong. The problem was Sweden didn't find anything wrong with the people that he was housing.
There was something that Germany's boss had held against them and his cousin had picked up some strange habits from it. They were ideals he'd never seen him practice before and yet now he did them with such fever. His cousin was now ruling a greater portion of the world…Who was he to say he was wrong? Perhaps they were destined to be on top of the world. It wasn't an ideal that Sweden was too far removed from. In the past the Vikings ruled with brutality and strength. The weak simply didn't survive….But this wasn't the same world.
And Sweden wasn't the same person….Perhaps he was wrong.
He watched his cousin leave and closed the door, turning back to the armoire. He needed to "Take care of this" quickly… He just wanted it to not be in the way Germany might have suggested if he knew otherwise.
