The Parade ((Open to all))

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald rolled his eyes lightly as Mathias bragged about his home. He didn’t like listening to the older man boast about anything but he honestly couldn’t deny that his log cabin was astonishingly well-built. He himself had helped build part of it, of course, but what really endeared him to the frustrating blond’s home was that it had been his father’s last structural carpentry project. “’ll go ‘f Timo’s goin’,” he said bluntly, gesturing towards the younger man. He almost always hated being around Mathias but he found the thought of spending more time with Timo very pleasant, even if he had to deal with the irritating woodcutter as well. Besides, the small blond seemed to like the idea of going over to Mathias’s place. If Timo wanted to, that was good enough for him.

Though the bespectacled blond noticed that Timo looked up at him and silently implied that he should suggest something to Mathias, he couldn’t resist the impulse to annoy the woodcutter a little. “Maybe a new axe?” he offered, knowing how much the older man valued the one he already had. Berwald felt his lips twitch upwards a little at the pleased noise the small blond made as he bit into his cinnamon roll. He figured he’d have one now, too, and then purposely picked one of the larger-looking pieces. He was pretty hungry from work after all! He took a bite and let out a soft a hum. Nobody could bake cinnamon rolls like his mother. Even the ones from cafés and bakeries couldn’t compare. He was probably more than a little biased but that mattered little to him. He associated so many happy memories with the familiar, sweet taste. It reminded him of home, his parents and the weekends he and Timo had spent together as teenagers.

Berwald made a displeased noise when Mathias abruptly shoved his lantern into his obviously full hands. Resisting the urge to insult the older blond, he hurriedly adjusted his hold on their lanterns so he wouldn’t drop them. When the woodcutter bolted off all of a sudden, though, he couldn’t hold back. “Idiot,” he grumbled, thinking that if he had a free hand, his face would be in it. “He’ll prob’bly be ‘lright but… he’s def’nitely goin’ ta do somethin’ stupid. An’ judgin’ from all the people ‘round, it might be really stupid,” he said, already dreading what Mathias was planning. The exasperating man not only loved attention but also enjoyed having a laugh. He predicted that this wouldn’t end very well. “Maybe I should run aft’r ‘im…?” he suggested in a rather dismal tone. Just the thought of running through such a large crowd of people made him uncomfortable. “Tch, nev’r mind. ‘ll only help ‘im out ‘f he gets arrested,” he said decisively before taking a bite out of his cinnamon roll.

[Mathias Køhler]

"Haha, it's settled then! All ya' hafta' do is give me a call and I'll fire up the grill and everything!" Mathias guffawed happily. It had been a while since he'd had people who weren't his co-workers in the house. He'd been looking for an excuse to use his old grill, too. Now where was the old thing anyway? Meh, Mathias figured he'd try digging it up from the humongous pile of crap sitting in the old stockroom after this was over. He'd also have to go shopping for meat and charcoal and other stuff. Did he even have--

Mathias's sloppy mental list making, however, was cut short when he heard someone stupid say something even stupider. "Wow! I just thought I heard something stupid!" the woodcutter shouted to Berwald. "I'll buy a new axe when ma' old one gets too rusted being used to chop yer head off!" Mathias said affectionately, clapping Berwald on the back just hard enough to leave a mark. After he was sure he felt the taller blond cringe a little he turned his attention to their smaller companion.

"A bed, eh? I don't think so. The bed I have right now is made of wood I chopped down ma'self! But food, I'm always down fer food. Hell, I could use the money ta' buy us some nice steaks fer when ya' come down to the house." Mathias said wistfully, his thoughts slowly drifting back to the groceries list he was making in his head. Did he even have enough potatoes to feed three whole people? "Hey Berwald, go bring some potatoes when ya' come over, okay?" Mathias said bluntly.

"I'll be right back! Make sure ya' hold up ma' lantern as high as ya' can so I can find you guys again!" Mathias yelled as he darted off into the crowd. He wanted to get to the front of the parade and by Solus's beard was he going to get to the front of the parade. Whether or not Solus had a beard. He slowed to a brisk walk, fished his cellphone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Alvar, it's Mathias. Are you in the parade? Alright, I'm going to borrow yer roof for a bit, okay? Yes, I still have yer spare key with me. No, I'm not going to destroy yer house! Okay, okay, I'll be gone before ya' get back, I promise! Alright, later then."

Mathias ended the call and looked up to a fairly tall apartment building the parade was passing. He opened up his friend's house and ran to the top of the roof. He could see the whole stretch of the parade, the entire island of Solus on one track. A pretty neat sight, especially since it only happens once a year. He could see the front of the parade, too, slowly making it's way to the end. It was definitely within reach. Now where in the heck was he going to get a giant rubber band at this time?

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo hadn’t had very long to get to know Matthias, but he was pretty sure that the man was attached to his axe, and he gave Berwald a disapproving look, guessing what he was up to. It didn’t take long for him to be proved right, either, as Mathias responded. He hoped that Mathias’ threat was just a joke, though, and winced at the clap on the back. Even though he knew that Berwald could take it, he found himself glaring at Mathias, protective of his friend. After all, Berwald had just had a long day at work; he didn’t need that kind of abuse! “You should spend it on yourself.” Timo did say, though. “You’re the one who’s saving the money and yourself by not smoking, so you get the reward. When we come over we can bring food.” Although Timo’s budget wouldn’t stretch to steaks, he’d think of something else tasty to bring.

Quickly finishing off his roll, Timo leant over to take Mathias’ lantern for Berwald so he could finish eating as well. He’d have to give it back when the taller blonde finished because Timo wasn’t anywhere near tall enough to hold it above the crowd, but at least this way Berwald would be able to eat properly. “Oh, well, he might not!” Timo said, cheerfully. “Maybe he just forgot something and went to get it.” He shook his head quickly at Berwald’s suggestion again and moved in closer. “We’re about to leave the Lowlands, and once we reach the Highlands lots more people will arrive.” He pointed out. “Then it’ll be really crowded and I might not be able to find you again.” He’d been looking forward to this for ages.

Actually, on that thought, it was quite nice to be alone (or as alone as you could be in a crowd of people) with Berwald again. Timo smiled fondly up at him, watching as he ate. “Was work tiring today?” He asked. “It’ll be nice to have a day off tomorrow, won’t it?” He was looking forward to attempting to catch up on some sleep.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

Berwald did his best not to make the pain he was in apparent as Mathias struck his back quite strongly. It was no use in the end, though. The woodcutter was not weak and could hit very hard if he wanted to. The bespectacled man couldn’t stop himself from wincing a little, relatively sure that the older blond had clapped him hard enough to leave a temporary mark. For a brief moment, he considered retaliating but immediately thought better of it. After all, he’d been the one who had (immaturely) provoked him in the first place. He then turned to Timo and was surprised to find him glaring at Mathias on his behalf. With a subtle smile curving his lips faintly, he noted that the butterflies which were now fluttering about in his stomach completely made up for the sore spot on his back.

“P’tatoes? Uh… ‘kay,” the tall blond said rather unsurely, shooting Mathias a slightly puzzled look. Though the three of them still had yet to agree upon a date, the older blond was already acting as if the get-together was set to happen within the next two days. He was even going so far as to start planning what food to serve! However, Berwald quickly figured it wasn’t too baffling that the woodcutter was so excited. That was what he was like on a regular basis so since he had just been given a proper reason, it would have been weirder if he wasn’t overly excited right now. Even the bespectacled blond himself had to admit that he was looking forward to spending time at Mathias’s place. The boisterous man was very, very far from his ideal person to be in the company of (Timo) but the location of his cabin was another story. The woodcutter’s home was situated deep in the woods so he greatly appreciated the lack of noise and people there. Well, actually, there was still noise on account of Mathias… And then there was also the fact that a small crowd’s combined energy could be just as stifling as the older blond’s alone… At those thoughts, it suddenly wasn’t much of a wonder why he usually went there to drink.

Berwald grunted thankfully as Timo took Mathias’s lantern to hold for him while he ate. The small blond’s thoughtfulness took his mind off how inconsiderate another certain blond had just been. “S’poss’ble but not v’ry likely… Chances’f him doin’ somethin’ that’ll cause trouble’re much higher,” he said, shrugging his shoulders a bit. The older man chuckled softly at how quick his friend was to disagree with his suggestion. “Mm, yer right ‘bout tha’,” he mumbled in response, thinking that he wasn’t so keen about the two of them being separated either.

“Yeah, but not more than usual ’r anythin’… S’a holiday t’day but ya had a shift at work, too, right? Ya feelin’ ‘lright?” he asked, trying not to sound excessively worried. As always, he fought the urge to question his exhausted-looking friend about work in further detail. “Mm, it will… Been thinkin’ ‘bout startin’ a new sculpture. A small one like the reindeer I made fer ya. Still dunno what ta carve ‘xactly, though… Any ideas? Oh, an’ how ‘bout you? Got plans fer t’morrow?” he questioned, thinking to himself that he wanted Timo to spend the entire day just resting.

[Mathias Køhler]

Taking a step back, Mathias surveyed his handiwork and gave himself a mental clap on the back, as well as a gold medal and trophy awarded to him by the Solus Commission for Great Inventors and Brilliant Minds. Standing in front of him was really just the best thing he'd ever built. And for once, it wasn't made with wood he had chopped down himself. Mathias didn't know squat about history but he was fairly sure he might have just re-invented the giant slingshot.

Two large poles stood opposite each other, only about one and a half meter apart. In between them was a giant elastic rubber band. Honestly, the things people throw away. Why someone even had a giant elastic rubber band in the first place was something the woodcutter didn't pay mind to. Mathias pulled back on the stretchy rubber and let go, a loud twang following as the band snapped back into place and a puckish grin formed on his face. Everything was set. All he had to do know was find Timo and the other guy.

Mathias then started to wonder if there was anything going on between those two. Berwald had made it abundantly clear to him in the past that he was, in fact, gay. He couldn't say the same for the small blond but, eh, he looked like he could swing that way. He had sort of noticed that Berwald was being especially lenient with him when Timo was around. Mathias would even go as far to say that he saw somewhat of a glimmer in Berwald's usually dull expressionless scary eyes when he spoke to Timo. And you know what? This might have been the first time Mathias had seen Berwald being nice. He's never nice when Mathias is around. "Yah, Ber's got the hots fer Timo." Mathias concluded.

All that aside, the front of the parade was already passing the building. If Mathias's plan was to work, he needed to set it in motion now. He made a crude estimate that the slingshot could fire him at least thirty feet forward. In this case, 'crude estimate' meant 'absolutely wrong estimate'. Mathias never did have a knack for thinking things through. It never once dawned on his brilliant mind what to do once he actually launches himself off the roof, assuming his device could actually work. A crowd of moving people isn't exactly the softest thing to land on. Still, the woodcutter looked over to the back of the parade to try and find a really shitty lantern being held up by an equally shitty tall guy.

[Timo Väinämöinen]

Timo sighed quietly. He hoped that Mathias didn’t get into too much trouble. It’d be a pain to have to bail him out of jail, not to mention expensive. Not that Timo wouldn’t do it, even for an almost stranger. “As long as he doesn’t hurt himself, then.” He said, a little tiredly, before adding, “or anyone else.” He’d probably be more cross than worried if Matthias did manage to hurt any innocent bystanders, but he wasn’t that reckless, right?

“Ah, well, actually I’ve got work in the evening.” He admitted softly. “I know it’s mean to be a bank holiday, but Will said that he’d open if enough people wanted to work, and…” And Timo needed the money. He always needed the money. “So I’ll probably sleep when I get home, and then get up just in time for work.” He didn’t feel great admitting it, and he hoped that Berwald didn’t worry. Actually, he felt a little guilty, like he’d sold away the perfect time to spend with Berwald. They could have spent the day together. Timo looked away, frowning to himself, but then perked as an idea came to him. “Why don’t we have breakfast together after the parade finishes, though?” That was one way of extending the day. “We could see if anywhere’s open or head back to one of our houses.” By which he really meant Berwald’s, but shh. He didn’t want to directly invite himself round.

As for Berwald’s statue, Timo gave it some thought, fiddling with a splinter at the end of his lantern. “Hmm… What about another animal like that? Like… a wolf or a bear. Or maybe something mythical? An elf or a dwarf!” All of those sounded good to Timo. He wanted to offer to design him something new, he’d always liked doodling little cute designs on his books, but he held back for now. If Berwald wanted his help in designing something he’d ask for it. Heavens knew that the deer and Berwald’s furniture was proof enough that the man could work for himself and didn’t need any help, especially from someone like Timo who only knew what he did about woodworking from watching Berwald.

[Berwald Oxenstierna]

“Well, ta be honest, if he’s not goin’ ta end up in jail, he’s prob’bly goin’ ta end up in a hospit’l,” Berwald mumbled, frowning a little. “S’good ta be a little optimist’c, though. ‘m hopin’ that he’ll at least be caref’l ‘bout not hurtin’ oth’r people,” he said, sounding slightly worried since he was aware of how reckless Mathias could be at times. The woodcutter was annoying and also an idiot but Berwald knew that he wouldn’t hurt anyone without reason. If the older blond ended up hurting an innocent bystander somehow, it’d be a complete accident. Still, unintentional or not, if Mathias really did hurt someone other than his own stupid self, the bespectacled man wouldn’t hesitate to try punching some sense into him. Well, actually… he probably would hesitate as long as Timo was around.

The slight raising of Berwald’s eyebrows belied how surprised he really felt about his friend admitting he had work on a holiday. From the way the younger blond worded it, he could only assume that he wasn’t being persuaded to come in to work. Timo wanted to… needed to. The tall blond couldn’t hold back from giving him a worried look. He knew his friend didn’t like it when he worried about him too much but what could he do? He cared about the other man so much that he couldn’t stop himself from fretting over even the smallest of things. He didn’t want to upset Timo, though, so he tried to suppress how worried he felt. “Get plenty’f rest b’fore goin’ ta work, ‘kay?” he mumbled, hoping that he sounded caring, not anxious.

“Breakfast sounds nice. Y’should come ov’r. Moth’r made a point’f tellin’ me tha’ she’d be makin’ lots’f food. I think she was hopin’ that I’d invite you ov’r ta eat. She prob’bly misses ya,” Berwald said, chuckling softly at his mother’s antics. “Don’t let us keep ya fer too long, though. Y’still need ta get ‘nuff sleep in time fer yer shift,” he said gently before blushing a little, realizing that he was probably starting to sound like a broken record. “Mm… Guess ‘ll have ta invite Mathias ov’r, too,” he said, his tone noticeably reluctant. Unlike Timo, much to Berwald’s dismay, the woodcutter dropped by his house rather often. He didn’t like having the boisterous man around but his parents did so it was out of the question not to invite him.

The tall blond hummed interestedly at the younger man’s suggestions as he finished off his cinnamon roll. Before replying, he took Mathias’s cheap-looking lantern back with a grateful grunt. “Hm. ‘ve nev’r thought’f makin’ somethin’ mythic’l,” he admitted, impressed at how quickly his friend had come up with such a creative idea. “Carvin’ an elf sounds fun… ‘ll have ta look fer a design ta use, though. ‘m not so good at comin’ up with stuff on m’ own. S’easier with furniture fer some reas’n,” he said before finally raising Mathias’s lantern above the crowd. “Maybe he won’t spot us if we’re lucky,” he said half-jokingly, smirking a little. “We wouldn’t ev’n be ditchin’ him, technic’lly, since he’s the one who ran off.”

((sobbb, i'm sorry this is so late!!! both me and den only noticed your reply around a day ago and-- I'M SO SORRY. OTL))