N'te: Pr'ssia m'kes a c'meo.

She's disappeared again.

Norge takes a bath (the gods know he needed it), but when he comes downstairs there is no one to be seen and the house is in blissful silence, but he's learned these past days to be deeply wary of silence. His uncle left early like usual, and the living room is in calm morning order (the sun filters through the bow-window in the living room, and the logs burning in the hearth fill the air with delicious pinewood scent)

but it's not his uncle that concerns him, evidently.

And confound him, but why is he thinking now in terms of "concern"? Granted, Matthias is gone as if she'd never been there, but why does he give a damn?

Walking into the kitchen, Norge knows it should be time for some dreaded introspection. But he shuts his better judgement tight, like a clam, because there is nothing really that deserves his attention that badly there, is it? He is relaxing in Bergen like he does every now and then, when his job allows him, and nothing is really out of the ordinary. Silent days and quiet nights, freedom and long strolls in the forest.

Lonely, blissfully lonely peace.

Nothing out of the ordinary…

… no, he can't do it. Not this time. It's ridiculous that someone as intelligent as Norge should lie to himself so openly.

Sighing, he reaches for the coffee pot, to find it empty.

Obviously.

He struggles with all his might to fight back a derisive little knowing smirk, and tries to keep on his poker face as he settles the kettle on the stove. He didn't even want coffee. Tea will suit him much better.

…

He turns the key in the key-hole, locking the door, and pockets it. The cool morning air, fragrant of wood and newly baked bread, welcomes him like a caress. Some people recognize him already from all the times he's been here, but in waving to him this morning they appear much more friendly, as if there was something in their smiles he'd never seen before.

he shrugs. It must be that it's just his mind being over-reacting to the gods-know-what.

He doesn't know what. He's pretty much sure he doesn't-

want to see what he's seeing right then when he comes into the main square….

A quiet "what the…" leaves his lips unexpectedly, as he stands there, his brain not fully processing the image his eyes present him; and he watches there partially dumbfounded (although his face won't show it, never), until a hand clasps his shoulder.

"Stop ogling the chick and talk to her, man."

Norge shudders, glaring at the idiotic presumptuous stranger with an intensity enough to freeze a glacier all over again.

"Honestly," the other man continues in earnest, as if he'd (somehow) not understood the look he was just given, "'cause she's one hot pick, and if you don't, I won't mind to."

A second glance at the pale-haired man's face tells Norge he's seen the guy around. Somewhere. Somewhere pretty forgettable, too.

He hmmms, calmly. "Go ahead, be my guest. Idiocy deserves itself."

The man laughs, an open laugh with too many sibilants to ring normal, and there is something in his almost crimson eyes that make them predatory, but also lively. "Right, man, whatever that means. I'm running late anyway, so enjoy her!" he calls and he's already walking away, waving over his shoulder, and Norge MUST think whether that was all just some kind of twisted joke at his expense.

It might as well be. In the center of the neatly tended square, right by the fountain, two large notices have been set up:

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS HAT? (and the drawing of a tiny hat accompanies the words)

and

GOT A COIN TO SPARE? HELP A DANE BUY LUNCH

… the strangest urge takes over Norge, to come up to that moronic airhead of a mermaid and whack her senseless. But he's a gentleman. He should be a gentleman… she makes it bloody hard to keep conscience and intelligence both appeased. His brain tells him there is only so much idiocy it can take on a weekly, scratch that, monthly basis.

And that damnable Matthias sure did away with his quota the second they met.

"Oh, NORGE!" a voice calls out.

A damned familiar voice.

Oh, great, the young man thinks with displeasure, now people will think I'm involved in… this.

When he doesn't answer or walk closer to her (he fails to notice he's not walked away either), she comes up to him, beaming.

"What are you doing here? Nice day, huh?"

(silence)

"You won't believe all the money I made this morning! The people here are kickass, you know that?"

Norge mentally beats himself. "You're making a fool of yourself," he states evenly.

"…so much money I can actually treat you to lunch! So what do you say?"

The young man doesn't even try not to sound derisive and biting. "I fail to see how anyone would give you anything…"

… but, again, Matthias is dearly oblivious to such subtleties. "What can I say, I sell my products well…"

"And which, may I know, are those products…?"… she also fails to catch the mordant lilt in Norge's voice as he asks her that.

She just laughs, cheerfully. "I'll tell you when I think that far. Lunch?"

A/N: In which Prussia gives Norway dating advice... sort of... which Norway absolutely disregards.

BTW, Prussi appears again later. I promise.

I love to hear from you guys :) Ideas? Suggestions? Typos to fix?

How will He and She finally hit it off? Craziest idea wins!