Magnus hummed softly as he walked out of the shop. Dressed in casual clothes of red shirt, slacks and his long warm black coat, and carrying a parcel in hand. His hair it's usual messy, and unkempt style and free of it's signature hat. The Dane may not have looked exactly presentable, or maybe not as great as his King would have wanted him to look when meeting his cousin..but honestly, the Dane did not care.
If one saw him at this moment...they would be wondering what was wrong with the Dane. Or more accurately, what the hell he had been doing in a shop like this. A fabric store, filled with frilly little things and supplies to make outfits...or embroidery, and of course the thing he had just bought. Which was many fabrics, buttons and ribbons to make dolls with. It was a quick stop before he had to go meet...someone. Magnus had been asked to come to Germany for a little 'meeting' or catch up meeting...he wasn't sure what it was, but it hadn't been a very pleasant trip over. He'd been in an unpleasant mood when he first arrived...early, because the man really needed a few moments to get himself together. That was when he had spotted a small fabric store...his mood lifted slightly, seeing the items through the shop window. Bright pinks and patterns fit for a little girl, and the perfect spot for him to get some items he needed to complete a doll. Even enough for a swan, something he knew that his little sister would love.
His bag in hand, the blonde Dane smiled as he made his way towards the designated 'meeting spot'. The thought of his baby sister always made him smile...and also gave him the drive to keep his spirits up. She was also the one to make him get better at this little hobby he had learned long ago. A hobby which he had become quite talented in, if he did say so himself. I hope she is happy... As soon as the thought came to him, the smile on his lips left quickly. The heaviness in his chest returning, and leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Magnus felt terrible...he hadn't wanted to give her up, and if he could have..he'd never have given her up to his sis-..to Liluuna. But, it had been a close call the last visit Germany had come over to see him. Not wanting Mia's freedom taken, and put in the same position he was in..or worse, Germany may have had her hurt. That was something he could never live with... "Papa! Why do you have to leave?" Magnus jumped, looking around to see the source of the shout. There, standing outside a small shop was an older man and his son. The boy, with raven hair and bright blue eyes the Dane could spot from his position, was clutching a package to his chest. Looking up at the man with sad eyes, he was obviously upset about something. The man, looking very proper -possibly from money- with graying hair and full beard smiled sadly, taking his sons hand. "It's only for a little while, I'll be back before you know it." The boy looked like he was about to cry, but he looked at down at the package in his arms. The man smiled, patting the boys head affectionately. "Be my brave soldier, okay?" At the boys nod they continued on their way...but it left Magnus reeling.
The memory of the last time he'd seen Mia ran through his mind...The look on her face when he told her she had to leave, cut through him like a knife. She looked so upset, like there was something wrong..or maybe she thought it the reason he was dropping her off was because she had done something. "I promise it's only for a little while. We'll see each other again, okay Mia? '...' He wanted to break down..he wanted to cry, the man didn't want to leave his sister to another. Didn't want her to go, but it was safer. All he wanted was for her to be safe. Picking her up again, he hugged the little blonde child close. "It'll be okay... Min lille svane. We'll see each other again, be a good girl and stay with Luuna...just know I love you Mia..' Clutching the bag in his hands, he steeled his nerves and walked across the street to a little cafe'. Tears he wanted to shed gathered behind his eyes, but he refused. He couldn't cry right now...Instead, he pushed it down inside his chest and entered the cafe'.
It was a quaint place. It wasn't too fancy, or expensive but the Dane was still not as appropriately dressed. Because the people inside, at least had wrinkle free clothing. While him? Most of his good clothes were not worn or taken out much...and a lot of them were uncomfortable. The shirt he was wearing now was good, but slightly wrinkled and it looked worn. The only good 'looking' thing he had was the coat. Which is why he closed the coat around himself, in an attempt to hide the slightly wrinkled shirt underneath before being seated. Once at the table, he set his bag down and by his feet, and leaned back in his chair. "Wish he'd have chosen someplace in my country." Though, Magnus had a sneaking suspicion that the German didn't want that...probably because whenever he came over to the Dane's house there was Jazz music playing loud in the background. The thought made him smirk slightly, because like hell was he not going to enjoy the small victories.
Opening his eyes, he looked outside the window to watch the people while he waited. The heaviness in his chest was getting harder to ignore these days, but he had to push it down. Because, he couldn't curl up and give up to sadness. Sighing, he looked at the watch on his wrist to check the time..he should be here soon. Annoyed, he ran a hand through his hair and groaned. Damn, he wished he'd picked a brewery or something. "fanden...Jeg har brug for en drink."
Arriving early is always a good move when it comes to meetings with Germany, whether you need to mentally prepare yourself for it or not. The man prides himself on his efficiency and, though a part of being efficient is having backup plans to make the consequences of unexpected problems as small as possible, maximum efficiency requires everything to go according to plan. So if someone is not where he wants them when he wants them to be there, they're interrupting the smooth flow of his schedule and he resents that. Especially because he considers punctuality to be such a small and simple thing - time management isn't that difficult, so there is no excuse to not do it well.
Which means that the opposite is also true. While he doesn't take any particular notice of someone being exactly on time, if they're notably early he appreciates it. At least as long as they don't do it in a way that is a blatant attempt to try to win his favor - he resents that. His subordinates should do what he says because they respect and fear him, not because they're trying to better their own position. But he does notice and appreciate it when he arrives at the café, two minutes early, only to see that Denmark is already present - recent history proves that the Dane most certainly isn't trying to ingratiate himself upon his new leadership. Instead he seems to be chafing under it but also trying really hard not to 'go too far' and get himself into serious trouble.
And Germany is, perhaps surprisingly, very understanding of that particular position. Yes, he would prefer it if he was welcomed by all with open arms, but that's hardly realistic. No, the world has seen him as some sort of a monster since the first major war, so he didn't even bother to try to make the nations now under his rule love him, and so it comes as no surprise that they'd see him negatively now. He does believe that in time they'll get used to the idea and start to come around to his way of thinking, but in the meantime it's only to be expected that there would be some jazz music. That Denmark gets caught doing that instead of outright plotting behind his back is actually quite reassuring. Not that Germany isn't constantly sending people to spy on Denmark - but he does that to everyone. He even has elements in his own government that spy on other elements of his own government, who are in turned spied on by others.
So it's not the jazz music that encouraged him to hold the meeting in his own country, but the fact that he doesn't think that it's wise to leave Berlin. Partly because he's been very busy micromanaging the war cleanup effort, but also partly because he doesn't want to leave Russia unattended very often or very long at the moment - he still doesn't trust that his hold on him is secure enough to take it for granted. Some might accuse him of outright paranoia for feeling that way given the lengths he's gone to, but Germany would quickly counter that by saying that with Russia especially it's better to be safe than sorry.
Compared to all of that, managing Denmark has been a breeze - largely because, while he trusts no one, he feels secure enough about the Dane to let him manage most of his own affairs. That takes a huge load off of his back and also off of his various staff members, even though it increases the risk that things may happen behind his back. But given the mutual understanding of just how badly things would go if someone gets caught doing something much worse than jazz music, he suspects that Denmark is smart enough to keep his nose clean. Or at least, clean enough.
And though it may seem on the outside that Germany must be fond of lavish surroundings given how often he invites people to meet with him there, that's only the people he's trying to impress. Since he sees no reason to try to impress Denmark, he's instead decided to invite him somewhere he actually likes - somewhere a bit more average. Of course, because he spends most of his days rubbing shoulders with elites in grand buildings right now, that means he's leaning toward being overdressed. He's wearing the well-tailored and carefully pressed suit of a high-ranking government official, and that makes him quite likely the best dressed person in the café. Then again, the gap between him and the second best is also not that wide - this café isn't the fanciest, but its offerings are a high enough quality to attract relatively affluent people.
Which is why Germany, who has always been quite detail-oriented, notices that the Dane is a trifle underdressed and that prompts a slight frown. There are many more important things than what someone wears, but it also isn't unimportant. But he sets that thought aside as he approaches, choosing to focus on other things. "Ah, you have beaten me here! Very good," he comments, offering his hand for a shake before he sits, sighing heavily. In recent years it's become unusual to see the German not looking like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, and today is no exception. In fact, it looks like the world may be especially heavy and troublesome today, but as is usual Germany is stubbornly pushing his way forward. "Tell me, hov is Denmark?"
The moment the German walked in, Magnus knew for a fact he was under-dressed for this place. The others suit was nice, and while not the high end stuff one would use for formal meetings, it was still better kept and in shape then the Dane's own outfit. But if the other commented on the outfit, he would just tell the truth. Which was, 'Suits are expensive and quite frankly I'd rather buy stuff for Mia' But since he couldn't say that, he just smiled and waved slightly as the other walked over. "Greetings cousin." he said, watching the other take his seat.
Huh, guess my timing was correct then. He thought, a tad proud of himself considering the fact he actually made an extra stop. Magnus knew by now that Ludwig...well Germany, liked to be punctual..and punctual meant before the appointed time. On time was late, and late was just disgraceful. While not one to openly please the Reich, like his late hour Jazz, and open displeasure in his home. However, the Dane knew well enough it was good not to push his limits too much, especially when entering the others own land. He nodded, and shook the others hand cordially. "Ja, if there's one thing I can be it is punctual." Norway would probably refute that, but since the man wasn't here..no need to worry.
How is Denmark?... Well, personally he wasn't doing great. The Dane's mind flashed to his earlier darker moment, and the somewhat gloomy emptiness he had back in his home. But considering that wasn't the question, he decided to answer what he usually said. "Home is well. The economy has been alright, could be better, but it's not terrible." Course his clothes could differ, but hell he was trying to be thrifty! On the subject he leaned on the table, elbow bent and chin resting on his fist. "Although, I could do without the new nickname your people call me." His voice was light, a joking tone. "Seriously! The dairy country! I sell more than just cream products." While not the most mean comment, or insulting, he just didn't like the name because it -quite frankly- made him sound like Germany's bitch in a way...or a milk maid.
After a few moment, a waitress came over to take their orders. Which he just ordered coffee, because he wasn't exactly hungry. Plus he wasn't sure if he was paying for himself, and he spent quite a bit on materials for the dolls he was planning on making later. Once the other ordered, he waited until the waitress left before addressing his 'cousin' again. "So, how is Germany? Anything new happening with the Reich?" The question simply polite, though he also hadn't been in touch with the other for awhile. Anything knew going on with the Reich would be news to him...
As Denmark mentions his economy, German is quick enough to nod. "Vell, the further that ve put the var behind us, the better the economy vill get for everyone. If ve can keep the peace and focus our attention on production, ve vill all soon be thriving like never before," he says, his words confident but his tone instead indicating a bit of weariness - as if he's said these words so many times that they're beginning to lose all meaning. Not that he doesn't believe them, but it seems like he spends half of his time talking about how wonderful the Reich will be in the future. And even when you're really looking forward to something and were once excited by the very idea, if you talk about it too much for too long the enthusiasm starts to wear off quickly.
In direct contrast, Denmark's remark about his new nickname actually causes a hint of a smirk to come to Germany's face. "And vhat is vrong vith being the dairy country? Yes, yes, of course you do other things, but you do that particular thing very vell. And dairy is very important - you are helping feed the Reich!" he says with bizarrely more enthusiasm than his previous words. In fact, there's a hint of there being something more to what he's saying than the actual words, though the German is difficult enough to read for what that means to be very unclear. Does he actually mean what he's saying or is he being teasing is some way? Difficult to tell...
When the waitress comes he's quick to order coffee and an apple turnover without really thinking about it because that's his usual at this place. And when Denmark turns the question back on him, he makes a thoughtful sound before answering, "Alvays. But not very much of it is all that interesting at the moment - var clean up, many meetings. All good and necessary things, but not very newsworthy. And most of the exceptions to that are things I should not discuss." Which probably isn't a surprise, given just how many layers of secrecy he likes to maintain about some of the things he does. "But I suppose I do have some good nevs I can share: Sveden has decided to join the Reich," he says, looking pleased, "Some of the details are not yet in place, but they vill be sorted out as quickly as possible so that it can be official."
