::six:: -- Einlita mynd Vetur

[lovespuffins]

[The communicator tunes into Iceland, who is back in the apartment already from last night -- he was glad he had grabbed that bread from the bar when he did. He's once again staring outside the window, watching the violent storm outside. His appearance was normal, besides the red tint evident on his cheeks.]

...Seems like something is against us.

[He mutters under his breath, words scarcely being picked up on the communicator. Perhaps when he says this, he means more than the weather.]

This is not what we need right now...

[If Iceland is about to say more, nothing comes out besides a few coughs. So, he stands up, going to check on Norway, and shuts off the video.]

(ooc: I apologize for the new layout, but you know. more icons.)

Comments

[ actiooon ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Hey, guess what your bro did today. Guess--and yes, he hasn't been in bed all today. In fact, Iceland'll find him sitting up against the headboard, swaddled in the extra sheets, hunched over and reading from HC. ]

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Well, it's at least more productive then sleeping all day long.]

...Which one are you reading?

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Norway looks up as quickly as he can, considering his state. He seems a bit unfocussed at first, but then immediately homes in on Iceland, to whom he's making a vague, lathargic "get over here" gesture. ]

The Snowdrop.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[So, Iceland is now sitting next to Norway, having understood the gesture. He's definitely reasonably concerned about his brother's condition--and he certainly hopes Norway will get better soon. It wasn't the best time to be sick, considering.]

Been a long time since I have read it.

...

Have you...been feeling better?

[Iceland doesn't even try to stop the concern from leaking into his voice.]

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Norway's going to lay down the book, then blink. Then, all at once, he's leaning on Iceland. What is personal space? Not going to admit it, but after a year of bring separated, he's almost greedy in the time he spends with Iceland. Be that as it may, however, he's still avoiding questions. ]

What about you? Your cold is coming back.

...

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland expects this, and he doesn't really mind the action. Although he's also expecting Norway to dodge any questions that he may ask about his condition--as much as it made him inwardly sigh.]

...I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks.

[He pauses, and with a little bit of difficulty, speaks again.

I'm more worried about you.

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Iceland, he thinks, doesn't get it. Who cares about him? Iceland is the younger one, the one that should be taken care of. ]

Don't waste your energy on that.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[But naturally, Iceland knows because Norway's confined to a bed practically that he should be the one taken care of. He's the one who is more sick than he is--so, Iceland cares, a lot.]

But what about you?

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Puts a hand on Iceland's shoulder here and, after a moment, shakes his head once. ]

It doesn't matter. I'm already so close.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland swears his heartbeat nearly stops--and ... he doesn't like the sound of those words at all for all the good reasonable reasons.]

...What do you mean?

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ His tone is flat, matter-of-fact; this isn't a weird martyr-complex. ]

It's impractical to worry, you. Pay more attention to your health.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Nods a little, and he places an arm around Norway's shoulder.]

But, I think it's normal to. Especially since, you know.

...

I will.

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Norway loves it, and takes further by kind of hugging Iceland in a vaguely clingy kind of way. Who says he isn't like Denmark? ]

Tell me when you get sick next time. Don't let it get bad.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland sneezes; he welcomes the hug, and even hugs back. There can never be enough of brotherly love.]

Yes...

[Then he murmurs:]

...Please don't die.

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ He squeezes Iceland, but draws back, gazing at him. ]

Don't worry. I only want to do what is...best. If you want.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland lets go as well.]

I understand.

[He replies softly, and he does--but he also knows that Norway needs more care than he.]

...I want you to tell me if you feel uncomfortable, cool, or any of that though, ok?

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Iceland says that but, honestly, for a moment Norway wonders. He's getting that strange feeling again, the one that reminds him how much he still has to go through to catch up, how much things are going to change. And this feeling leads to more feelings that he doesn't care to admit to, feelings that are more human than he realises. Things like fear, vague loneliness.

Iceland's always been strong and resilient. Be that as it may, he seems...stronger now. A bit more mature, and it's almost like he's missed out on that. It's weird. Makes him want to protect Iceland even more--make up for lost time--but he also respects his brother's independence. ]

Lay here, 'nd we can both be warm while reading. But get some tissues first.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland agrees, standing up, and heading into the bathroom where the tissues probably are. He realizes he may sound strange, different to Norway because he is from a different time. Way ahead of him, in fact--but even so, Iceland is going to treat Norway like he would normally treat him and act as he normally would around him.

Not like he's so distant from him or strange, just 'Norway' and ... his brother.

So, by this time, Iceland has returned with the tissues, and hands them to Norway before moving back onto the bed to lay next to him.]

Are we going to read The Snowdrop or something different?

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Norway takes the tissues and sets them down with both of their respective reaches. Moving a bit slowly, but he settles down next to Iceland all the same, enjoying the closeness. He has some vague though like see, without politics it can be okay. ]

You can choose. Some of them have history that haven't happened yet.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Iceland registers the movement with a small smile--he looks at the stories, thinking carefully. Until he stops on one:]

...The Little March Girl, then.

[Because the title caught his eye.]

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Norway nods, pauses a moment, and then begins reading aloud. In Danish. Also, since it is impossible to type this up on a mobile, assume the text is here. And uh, he stops about half way through, to pace himself.

He may or may not have shivered a bit. ]

...Memories. Best way to keep warm.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[So, Iceland listens to Norway's great storytelling skills.

If he does shiver, Iceland would notice it, given their proximity. If there is still some reasonable space between them, he would draw closer.]

...Yeah--especially the good ones.

[ action indeed! ]

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Hello, close proximity. And it feels good, a kind of comfort, like a rediscovered childhood bauble. Norway's reminiscing, too, thinking about things as they were. Good things worth remembering. The kind that bring only joy and pleasure when things looked...well, bleak?

He thinks to himself how nice it would be to slip away like this human is, only not in so many words. It's more like he's thinking it is true that memories can bring such releasing comfort. ]

I think so. It's a human thing. Telling tales in dark times, 'nd winter.

...

You read the rest.

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[Like the old happy times, it felt like--the remembrance of such joyful, peaceful days lingering stronger as ever. The girl, he thinks, doesn't seem to meet a tragic end as it's like she relives her best moments of her life.]

Since they found comfort in stories (like these), which took their minds off their problems.

Alright...

'She rubbed another against the wall: it burned brightly, and where the light fell on the wall, there the wall became transparent like a veil, so that she could see into the room. On the table was spread a snow-white tablecloth; upon it was a splendid porcelain service, and the roast goose was steaming famously with its stuffing of apple and dried plums. And what was still more capital to behold was, the goose hopped down from the dish, reeled about on the floor with knife and fork in its breast, till it came up to the poor little girl; when--the match went out and nothing but the thick, cold, damp wall was left behind. She lighted another match. Now there she was sitting under the most magnificent Christmas tree: it was still larger, and more decorated than the one which she had seen through the glass door in the rich merchant's house.'

...

Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.

"Someone is just dead!" said the little girl; for her old grandmother, the only person who had loved her, and who was now no more, had told her, that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God.

She drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant, so mild, and with such an expression of love.

"Grandmother!" cried the little one. "Oh, take me with you! You go away when the match burns out; you vanish like the warm stove, like the delicious roast goose, and like the magnificent Christmas tree!" And she rubbed the whole bundle of matches quickly against the wall, for she wanted to be quite sure of keeping her grandmother near her. And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day: never formerly had the grandmother been so beautiful and so tall. She took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety--they were with God.

But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn, sat the poor girl, with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth, leaning against the wall--frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. Stiff and stark sat the child there with her matches, of which one bundle had been burnt. "She wanted to warm herself," people said. No one had the slightest suspicion of what beautiful things she had seen; no one even dreamed of the splendor in which, with her grandmother she had entered on the joys of a new year.'

...

Even in the frigid, darkness of the night she was able to find happiness.

[ooc: Since the story was short, hopefully it wasn't a bother to put the rest up?]

[ action indeed! ] it's fine by meeee

[quietnorth.livejournal.com]

[ Iceland isn't a bad reader, not by any means, but as the latter half of the story unfolds Norway begins to drift into something that's a bit like sleep, and a lot like living in two time zones several centuries apart.

Leaning into Iceland, he thinks about lighting matches, how nice it would be to be transported just like that--carried away, going in a haze of past bliss. God exists for nations, too, so there is that, and he has a thought a little bit like if his nation were to die and he were to meet Him, it would be nice to leave in different conditions, like they were a year ago. ]

The girl seems familiar.

[ A strange comment, and his eyes are closed. ]

[ action indeed! ]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

[So Iceland sees Norway fall asleep, and he's definitely not the only one tired -- although he's not in quite such a dreamy state like Norway was before he fell asleep.

He places the book somewhere, pulling the blankets over them if they haven't been already, and that's when he closes his eyes as well. But not before muttering a 'Góða nótt', and certainly falling into a peaceful slumber.]

[a-thousandyears.livejournal.com]

"Something"?

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

Yeah.

Like, fate, if you believe it has a large hand in what's to occur in the future, or some omnipotent force.

[a-thousandyears.livejournal.com]

It's our fate to freeze? Wonderful.

Are you sick?

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

...

Hopefully fate isn't that much against us.

[Hesitates just a little.]

Just a few coughs, nothing more.

[lovelyscientist.livejournal.com]

Maybe. But... everyone must do their best regardless.

Are you feeling alright?

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

...Yes. Who are you again?

[He vaguely recognizes her.]

Yeah.

[lovelyscientist.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm sorry. It was... a bit rude of me to say anything. It's Lucrecia Crescent. I'm one of the doctors at the hospital. Mr. Iceland, yes?

[She's peripherally aware of Denmark's brothers so she has somewhat of an idea who he is.]

[lovespuffins.livejournal.com]

...Ah. Nice to meet you, Ms. Crescent.

And yes, that's my name.