The surface of the freshly sanded vanity was smooth to the touch. Berwald's rough digits effortlessly glided along the surface. There was something about making that last shave off the top. It was ending one life to begin another, as something else. It was a respected cycle that he planned to use and expand to create something beautiful each time it was done. Beauty was something that was so rare now. The fact that he was able to bring it to the world through his craft gave him hope.
But the dream was cut short by the abrupt coldness of the hilt on his pistol. He examined it there on the desk for far too long. His mind raced and his heart sped up in his chest. All of those people were going to meet a terrible end If he couldn't get this right. All of those people's lives were in his hands. They had counted on him the first time to get them to safety and now….Now the thought of taking care of it himself was running through his mind. The very thing that they fled through was the wolf at the door, so much closer than they thought.
He picked up the heavy pistol and slid the barrel up the side of his cheek to come to a rest at his temple. The mirror reflected his image and made him disgusted with himself. He deserved this, and there was nothing more to it. If he were a man this would be a simple escape from what he was going to have to endure, what he might have had to do. He could have avoided all of it. Berwald wrestled with unfair emotions that he didn't understand and couldn't express properly. The mirror reflected the same stoic image as if it didn't bother him at all. He was indifferent to the man in front of him, wishing he could end everything in a moment of weakness. But even if he pulled the trigger it wouldn't have mattered. In a few hours, he would have just woken up again.
There was a knock on the door and suddenly his thoughts were lifted from their dark place. It settled on him that he hadn't even thought of Finland in that moment and it hurt. Berwald dragged his body up from the cushioned vanity seat and made his way down the stairs and to the front door. The shop had been closed up, of course, he had an important meeting today. The gun was tucked safely between his pants and shirt in the back and covered what he could of it. He reached the door and opened it up to see his older cousin.
Prussia.
"Halla, Cousin." He greeted him just like he would have Ludwig. This time he was much more prepared to have someone in his store. When Ludwig had first come, there was an issue with protocol on silence. It had been remedied since then and he made sure the group was ready long before hand to be quiet. He held the door open wider for him and allowed him to step in. "Welcome to my home." Berwald welcomed him again to his IKEA. Since Ludwig had been here he'd worked on several more pieces of finely crafted woodworking and even some experimental furniture in the back. The broken armoire was now fixed and standing near where it had been when Germany first heard it fall from inside. Children had got loose and were playing in the halls….The thought of it was almost enough to make someone sick. It was way too close and still, it had worked out in the end.
Time and time again Germany seemed to extend invitation to Sweden to be a member of the Reich, to not be under their thumb. It became clear that Germany intended to collect all the land he could but would offer invitation to family allowing them to join in a peaceful manner instead of being victims of the suffering that would come with war. To be extended an offer made it almost foolish to refuse, the world seemed to be in a calm for the moment and it seemed needless to begin the wars once more when peace could be prolonged for a few more years. Sweden being their cousin deserved the offer to be offered the ability to join the Reich without the chaos. Seeing the hesitation with their cousin is when Prussia at first began to raise a brow to the topic. Being a backing force to Germany’s rule he felt the need to step forward and put a hand in to aid the situation not to lead to conflict.
Inviting himself to meet with his cousin seemed threatening to some but Prussia seemed to hold a differing view of himself. Lacking the power held by his brother there seemed to be a level of calm with any talks with him since he could influence Germany but not lead any charge by himself. Upsetting the elder of the brothers could cause issues but risked far less than making mistakes with Germany present. With visits from Germany it seemed they could only be business while Prussia seemed to rarely travel with business being all on his mind. Standing before the furniture store part of the man had to choke back a laugh unable to contain the soft hiss of a laugh that escaped through pressed lips. Sweden had always been a unique man but it still amused the nation to find his cousin living in an IKEA. Every time he thought of it there was a hiss of laughter at the idea of someone wanting to live in one of those Swedish stores instead of purchasing a simpler home. Some might find Sweden to be a blank book without any interesting qualities but Prussia couldn’t disagree more, Sweden was more than what all were able to view. Appearing stoic, lacking even the most basic emotion outwardly Prussia seemed to always wave off doubts claiming his cousin to be sensitive.
Rapping his knuckles against the door he waited knowing well he could have permitted himself inside if he so wished but this was not a visit intended to frighten or upset his cousin. Waiting patiently for his cousin to grant entrance there remained one of his goofy grins planted on his face as if he were not dressed in his black uniform coming on business matters, or family matters as he rather claim. Seeing the stoic man appear at least Prussia nearly bounced toward him, “Guten tag cousin.” Not waiting for more of an invitation the albino moved into the home only to allow his eyes to dart around. As if he had never seen the unique store his cousin called home there was no warning before the Prussian moved forward and opened an armoire glancing inside before giving a soft pleased sound as he then moved to stroke the wooden doors. “Such craftsmanship in all your vorks!”
Closing the doors once more his attention seemed to turn to what he could see from the entrance causing him to head off into the store as if he intended to explore instead of participate in the matters that brought him to Sweden. “Vest does not give enough credit! Your home is filled vith such priceless vork I can’t help but desire to explore it!” Even dressed in uniform and being a known member of the Reich it seemed a level of innocence remained in the albino allowing him to grin even in these bleak moments. Continuing forward it seemed he expected Sweden to follow after as they spoke pleasantries before the meeting commenced as scheduled.
As his cousin greeted him, Berwald couldn’t help but take in the uniform. It was the same black attire that he would be wearing soon and his wife. He moved aside as Prussia made his way in. Sweden had only just closed the door to turn around and find him immediately admiring his work. Prussia wasn’t like his other cousin in a lot of ways. One of the ways, Prussia mentioned. Germany praised his work but often didn’t give enough credit to him for it. But Prussia was always known to him for exploring the detail in things.
Upon a first glance, it would be difficult to say that Prussia was a part of the family. His skin was almost too pale if that could be a thing for a Nord. His hair was pale and his eyes were a sinister red. The more he thought about it the more he noted that he had some interesting distant family. As it stood currently, Prussia was still above him in the world and that made him inwardly frown. "Thank you, Cousin."
As his cousin moved about eagerly, Berwald caught up and reached out for his arm. He firmly caught his elbow and tried to turn his attention away from his works and the back halls. As much as he enjoyed the praise, the last thing he wanted was his cousin snooping around. Germany being here some time ago was bad enough. Even though he’d taken special precautions, it wasn’t easy to determine what Prussia might do. “ Come sit cousin in my custom made chairs for the Reich.” He tried to distract him and gestured toward a dining set away from the back hall.
The set was rich with design and finish that made it stand out among the rest. Of course, it was detailed and grandiose as he knew that Germany enjoyed that sort of thing. It was hand carved with Eagles on the front and on the legs, talons tucked and wings up. He figured it would be a good present for them as he prepared to enter their fold. “I’m sure my cousin has been talking to you about what he wants me to do.” He tried to spark conversation in another direction than exploring. Anything to get Prussia focused and sat down.
