[Scandinavia] Cold Hearts [Port]

[Portugal]

”Well, to get out of this freezer, that’s for sure!” Afonso chuckled despite the situation; an apology for asking such a silly question on the tip of his tongue. He hadn’t been thinking. It was clear what their She didn’t seem to mind though, and he was sure if they weren’t both freezing she would have teased him. The fact remained though that they were both freezing so the time for teasing was not present.

Peeking down he almost panicked when he saw her eyes closed. He was about ready to shake her when she spoke up again. She hadn’t fallen asleep. Thank God. He listened to her words, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she meant her real family, or La Madre Maria and her crew. Or maybe she meant something else? But what other family could she mean. The thought made him frown, and he almost missed her question.

Blinking slowly he glanced down at her before upwards in thought. His eyes trailed lazily back to the stack of boxes and there was something about them. But his mind was becoming so sluggish he couldn’t figure out what that was. ”My family…” And despite the situation a smile continued to tug at his lips. ”Wo-Would be very ups-set to find out I am a pirate.” The smile remained, even as he grimaced just imaging how his Mother would twist his ear and yell at him as if he was a small child again. He let his eyes slip closed this time, thinking back to the family he’d left behind. His Mother, Father and Grandparents; he missed them dearly and if- when they got out of this well… He owed them a visit.

Their images blurred though in his mind. Another woman, so strange but achingly familiar appearing – Mama. The word fit so nicely and his sluggish mind couldn’t be bothered to register how odd that was because she looked nothing like his Mother. A small boy joined her side, a miniature Antonio it seemed – Hispania, his little brother. A little girl – Andorra, his baby sister. It was like looking at a worn photograph, other children appear along the edges. Some too blurred to make out their faces properly – Macau, Brazil – children, his children but that didn’t make any sense. He didn’t have any…

Why did it make so much sense then? Ah, the cold really was getting to him. ”The-Their very nice th-though. Warm and welcoming…” His voice sounded distant, he hadn’t even realized he was still speaking. Forcing his eyes back open he hugged her a bit tighter after realizing his grip was loosening. He couldn’t drift off, he had to focus on keeping them both awake, finding some way out of this. ”Wh-When we get ou-out of here ‘Dorra… I’ll give you a ha-hand in finding th-that treasure.” He smiled at her. ”Though… I can-can’t give you the map pi-piece I have. ‘s not mine really…”

Had he been thinking properly, he probably wouldn’t have even mentioned that. No one on La Madre Maria knew he had a map piece after all. ”Mmm, wh-what’s your favorite sweet?” [/color]

[Andorra]

She kept quiet when he talked about his family. He didn't give too many details about them, which was fine if he didn't want to say, but she could tell that he missed them. That, and he had the same worry as she did. The letters she wrote to her family never once was replied to, probably because there wasn't a way for her to keep checking a post office for them, and mechanical means were too expensive for her parents. She had told them not to worry about replies, as she didn't need them as long as they knew she was alright. But she did tell them her new...occupation. She always worried that they were disappointed in her. She supposed she wouldn't know until she saw them again, but she still didn't have the heart to visit them until she could bring back something to ease their situation.

He continued on, saying his family were kind and warm. She suspected the last compliment may have been brought about by the current temperature, but it didn't matter. It was still sweet. But what worried her was how distant his voice was, how his grip wasn't nearly as strong as before. "A-afonso?" His eyes opened and he hugged her again.

The cold is too much.....if we don't get out in the next hour we will be dead. She blinked, not knowing where that voice came from. But she knew, somehow, that it was correct. Time was running out.

An hour to live. It used to be a long period of time, an hour. An hour meant she could clean the entire deck and wash the windows too! She could get so much done in an hour, with a moment or two of distraction. But now, it was not nearly enough.

Her eyes widened at what he said next. She dismissed the fact that he admitted he had a map piece, because honestly, and hour couldn't be enough to save them. The treasure was no longer something that drove her to keep going. What made her so surprised was the nickname he used. Dorra...

Small tears fell from her face. "My nickname...I love that name so much." There was no reason that she should believe that Dorra was her nickname, as Anaïs had nothing to do with it. But she absolutely knew that Dorra was her nickname. "Thank you..."

She didn't attempt to stop the flow of tears, they were warm and they were about to die. "A-afonso....I-I've been meaning t-to ask this...e-ever since I m-met you. I remember when y-you clutched at...that map piece when I m-mentioned....doing e-everything you c-can for someone you l-love. I-I knew that...y-you had someone...j-just by the way y-you looked...b-but I never asked. E-even though...I w-wanted to meet the one you...please. W-who gave you that map piece? W-who are you in love with?"

She cringed at that. She couldn't help Afonso return to this person. She couldn't help them. Who, or what, could save them?

Look up.

[Portugal]

If Afonso was suppose to find the fact that Dorra was an actual nickname of Anaïs he didn’t. The name just fit her. Besides he was more alarmed by the fact she had started to cry. He raised one shaking hand, brushing the warm tears away and ignoring how cold her skin was. How cold his had to be at this point. Ignoring the fact that he was sure he saw a tint of blue on his fingers, on her cheeks. Because they were going to find a way out. They had too because –

Any further thoughts were derailed as she spoke. He blinked wondering momentarily if he’d misheard her and just taking a long while to comprehend the question itself. His mind drifted back to when they had first met, remembered how she’d wished him luck without even questioning who he loved. For a brief moment he wondered if he could side step the question – the fear that she would hate him for loving an enemy (at least for La Madre Maria) constantly present whenever he had even considered confiding in her about his relationship in the past. That she would think he was betraying them for it…

But we’re going to die… Aren’t we? His heart clenched and he looked at her before away, dazedly staring at the boxes again and just what were they for?

”Arth-Arthur Kirkland.” He winced, not having meant to even speak but the words were tumbling out of his mouth. ”The Ca-Captain of th-the Grim…”

He wanted to say more, so much more, but between the cold and his own fears his throat felt constricted. All he could do was hold his breath, waiting for her reaction. Waiting for her to look at him – maybe in horror, maybe in disappointment and maybe… Maybe she’d be alright with it? It was Andorra after all. She’d always supported him, even when Spain was being a particular pain in the ass about his relationship with England. So maybe he was just worrying for no reason because –

”Look up, idiota.” A voice that was his own, but not his, made him pause in his worrying thoughts. Slowly he did as he was told, eyes trailing up the stacks of boxes and up the wall and… His eyes widened, and an almost silly smile formed.

”Dorra… I-I thi-think I fig-figured out h-how to get ou-out.” A vent. There had been a vent the entire time. Later on Afonso would allow himself to feel like an idiot for never noticing but for now… For now he hugged Anaïs as tight as he could because they really were going to get out of this. [/color]

[Andorra]

She waited patiently to hear what he had to say, her sniffles the only sound that could be heard. He hesitated for a while, which gave her time to prepare. Obviously, it was something that he thought he had to keep a secret, so her imagination came up with many possibilities; a queen, some sort of mythical creature? She doubted the latter of course, but right now her mind was trying to find something else to think about rather than freezing to death. She wondered if he would tell her at all, but they were about to die. Secrets were no longer important.

But what he said was much more unexpected than a mythical creature.

"The Captain....of the Grim?" she breathed, almost not believing it. But she recalled her friend James. How he told her that someone from the Madre Maria had been hanging around the Grim for some time. So...it was Afonso? Arthur Kirkland. Anaïs didn't know much about him personally, but she did know he was Antonio's number one hated enemy. That was the man that Afonso loves? She was in shock. What would happen if Antonio found out? Wait....it didn't matter anymore...they were about to-

She froze when Afonso spoke again. What he said almost didn't register, but she followed his eyes and spotted the vent of salvation. They were going to live. "A-a vent!! Oh my gosh, Afonso a vent!" Her voice shook, but not of fear. It was true happiness. She got up as fast as she could, realizing it was too high. "A-ah, it's so high u- those boxes!!" She pointed at them. "Come on, we have to move those boxes!" She smiled at him, her eyes wide. "We are going to make it."

[Portugal]

He would never deny that he had held his breath waiting for Anaïs’s response, nor would he deny that he inwardly cringed at the disbelief in her voice. They were thoughts to focus on later, because now there were much more important matters at hand. He grinned at the happiness in her voice as he pushed himself to his feet, following after her to the vent, before glancing at the boxes she pointed too with and excited.”We are going to make it.”

And he couldn’t help but laugh, perhaps a bit shriller then usual but she couldn’t blame him considering they both thought they were going to die. Smiling widely he reached out, patting her shoulder with one of his freezing hands. ”Sim, we are irmãzinha.”

Moving the boxes was something that was easier said than done, especially considering the two were freezing, which made lifting and pushing things a tad more difficult than it would be otherwise. When they had stacked as many as they could though he glanced up towards the vest, a tiny frown tugging at his smile. It was still a bit too high, but not impossible to reach. ”You’ll have to climb shoulders t-to get up there.”

[Andorra]

As she lifted the heavy boxes and stacked them on top of each other, Anaïs couldn't help but think of her father. There was no slacking off when he put you to work, that was for sure, and just because she was a young girl did not mean he didn't include her in the manual labor back home. Heavy lifting, working the fields, helping with the shopping, which usually included carrying bags of dirt to their cart were all but a part of her everyday. She thought of his constant advice as she worked; "Lift with your knees, steady your balance, and?"

"Always look ahead."

"That's my girl."

She couldn't help but smile.

When all the boxes were stacked as best as they could, she realized it was still not enough to reach the vent. Panic once again forming in her throat, it was interrupted by what Afonso said. "B-by myself?" She tried not to sound scared, but she suspected she sounded a tad...concerned. He nodded, and offered encouragement. She gulped, but nodded. If she couldn't do it, they wouldn't survive.

Afonso carefully sank to his knee beside her, and she stepped onto his shoulder, as gently as she could. Once she balanced herself onto his shoulders, he held tightly to her ankles, and started to stand very slowly. She gripped onto the wall, trying to keep their balance against the wall and not teetering backwards. When Afonso eventually stood as tall as he could, she gripped the vent, noting the bolts that fastened the cover onto it. "Ah..." she said nervously, "C-could you pass me your knife?" She could feel him grimace, and she held onto the vent for dear life as he let go of one of her ankles to grab his knife from his pocket. They both extended their arm, and awkwardly, she managed to grab the hilt.

She went to work immediately, placing the knife into the groove of the bolt and twisting, her heart leaping with hope when the bolt actually started to turn. The bolt eventually popped out, hitting Afosno on the head because she forgot to warn him. "S-sorry..." She heard a small 'ow' from him, but she attacked the next three bolts instead of worrying about it. After ten minutes, she could hear small groans from him, her weight and standing still in this position becoming painful for him. "A-almost...got it!!" The last bolt fell, and she quickly pulled the cover off the vent, leaving it open for her. She tried to pull herself up, but Afonso had to help by pushing her feet up. She managed to pull herself inside, after a few bumps to the head and the occasional slip downward.

The vent was rather small, as most vents usually are. Her heart sank as she felt that this was at least one of the sources of the cold air. Her tiny body couldn't exactly turn around, so there was only one way to go now. Forward. "I'm in!" She shouted, as the noticeable 'wrrr' noise inside the vent interfered with her hearing. She didn't want to leave him with just that, so she took a deep breath and yelled "I promise that you'll see Mr. Kirkland again! I swear it!" She couldn't hear his reply, if he replied at all, and she started to crawl towards the exit.

Her journey was terrifyingly long, at least that's what it felt like to her. She could only slowly pull herself along, her eyes squinting as cold air rushed at her face. She had to stop and remove the short scarf she was wearing and wrap it around her face, revealing the V-neck of her vest and shirt, but it was her face that was being assaulted, so it was of more importance to keep it as warm as possible. Don't stop, keep moving. She repeated this over and over again, through her head and out loud as well.

She had never been claustrophobic before, but at this moment, her imagination was running wild with images of this horrible dark corridor slowly becoming smaller and smaller, crushing the life out of her. She had to shake those thoughts away and keep her breathing steady, otherwise she would pass out. And she could not afford that. Her muscles screamed at her, and her eyes dried out quickly, eventually all the blinking in the world couldn't re-moisten them. She had to keep her eyes closed for long periods of time in order to see out of them at all.Just keep going! You can't stop now! She thought of Afonso, still stuck in that horrible freezer, probably praying that she makes it. She crawled and she crawled, for which felt like an eternity. Exhausted, she collapsed, her breaths short and sharp. She rested her forehead on the freezing metal, pathetically watching the fog from her breath become bigger and smaller. No, NO! An overwhelming sleepiness engulfed her, as her brain began to shut down. The fog was hypnotic. You can't die again! Open your eyes! OPEN THEM! She jolted her eyes open and looked ahead of her. Another vent, but on the other side, was light. "The..." she croaked, "The exit!" She raised once again, not noticing that a bit of her forehead that rested on the freezing metal stayed with the freezing metal. Ripped skin or not, Anaïs was at the end of the tunnel.

She jammed the knife into the first bolt, working at it like a maniac. Adrenalin was the force that moved her hands, and soon, three bolts had already been removed. With the removal of the fourth bolt, she slammed her hand against the cover, making the cut on her hand worse, but she didn't care. The cover flew off the vent and she pulled herself out of that tiny, dark hell. She ungracefully fell flat on her face, into some cold mud. A bit dazed, she couldn't help but lie there for a few moments. The air out here was absolutely summer temperature to her, even though it was considered cold to the locals. She slowly picked herself up, caked with mud and sweat. She looked around, there was nothing to see except a lot of trees and the building she was just inside. Her legs still shaky, she stumbled towards the entrance, cursing at how long it was taking her.

She shuffled up to the door, opening it slowly. She looked around, in case someone was there. She didn't see anyone, but she did spot the door to the freezer. Her face brightened, and she managed to start running towards it. But, because of this, she didn't see a door open in the hallway, with a man stepping out for a bathroom break. When he spotted her, he yelled something in his language that she didn't understand, and her eyes widened in terror. She almost ran straight into him, but he managed to tackle her to the ground and assault her. Her nose gushed out warm, red liquid, and she yelped in pain. She opened her eyes, and noticed he had a gun in his hand. His other hand grabbed her hair and pulled it hard, making her eyes tear up as she screamed loudly. A sneer formed on his face, but it was at that moment that her instincts kicked in. She kicked him straight up where no man ever wants to be kicked. He howled in pain, and she kicked the hand that held the gun. It skidded across the ground.

The man recoiled, putting his hands at his crotch, swearing menacingly though gritted teeth. She rolled away from him, grabbing the gun. She stood up as fast as she could and pointed it at him. Her hands shook, and she was dizzy from being punched. He stopped groaning when he looked up at her, and saw she was pointing a gun at him. His face grew frightened, but he raised his hands up, and cooed her softly in whatever language he was speaking. She imagined he was saying not to shoot him, that he wasn't going to hurt her anymore. Her breaths were shaky, but she didn't lower the gun. He slowly got to his feet, which must have been very painful for him but she couldn't care about that, as he kept his hands raised. He was still using a gentle voice, and it drove her crazy. Her hands trembled and trembled.

The next moment was a blur. Suddenly the man was on the ground, holding a bloody shoulder, with smoke coming from the end of her gun.

She paused, staring. The man fell unconscious soon after, and she couldn't believe it. What she had done. She was blank, no, hollow for a few minutes, but the sound of Afonso pounding on the freezer door woke her up. She put the gun in her pocket, and rushed to the door. She pushed the lever locking the door down as hard as she could, her arms groaning and trembling. There was a loud noise when she unlocked it, and she pulled on the door with the last of her strength. It slowly opened, with its joints screaming loudly. A wide eyed Afonso pushed his way out, and she immediately threw her arms around him as soon as he left that damned abomination.

They were silent for only a few minutes.

[Portugal]

”B-by myself?” Afonso shut his eyes for a brief moment at her stuttered question – hearing the concern, the fear that she no doubt was trying to conceal. All he could do was nod, because there really wasn’t any other option. There was no way she could lift him into the vents – this was their last shot. Forcing his smile he ruffled her hair with a shivering hand. ”It’ll be alr-alright. You ca-can do it.”

She didn’t look any more reassured, but they couldn’t waste time. Offering her a reassuring smile he bent down to his knees, letting her step on his shoulders and holding onto her ankles. Carefully he rose doing his best not to jostle her and cause her to lose her balance – only to grimace when she asked for his knife. Right, he should have thought to take that out of his pocket and give it to her before she got on his shoulders. The vent was bolted shut, and even if it wasn’t she would need something to protect her if God forbid…

He shook his head slightly, because he couldn’t afford those thoughts now. Letting go of one of her ankles he reached into his pocket to get the knife, holding it up for her, before immediately grabbing her ankle again to keep her steady. Glancing up he could see her working on the bolts. Hissing a soft ‘ow’ when one hit him in the head. When she apologized he almost laughed, assuring her that it was alright. They lapsed into a silence, Afonso staring at the wall in front of them, trying to keep himself distracted as the cold began to sneak deeper and deeper. It wasn’t good to stand still, especially in this temperature but there wasn’t much he could do.

The announcement that she’d succeeded in undoing the bolts made him snap out of the stupor he’d fallen in. With effort on both sides she managed to climb into the vent, Afonso’s heart lodged itself in his throat – because he wouldn’t be able to help her now if something happened. She was on her own and that left him incredibly nervous and –

”I promise that you’ll see Mr. Kirkland again! I swear it!” It caught him off-guard, and took a moment to register that that was actually what she’d said. A laugh slipped past his lips, he couldn’t help it. Of all the things to say… Shaking his head he cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting up at the vent and could only pray that she heard him.

”Just be safe!” And then there was a deafening silence. Afonso stood for the longest time just staring up at the vent; at least it felt like a long while. Finally though he turned, climbing down from the crates and leant against one, covering his face with his hands in an attempt to remain calm and dispel negative thoughts. She would be alright. They were probably locked up in some abandoned building, so she wouldn’t meet with any threats. She would just have to climb through the vent and then unlock the door and –

A frustrated noise escaped him, his already bloody fist colliding with the crates. He wasn’t sure he had ever felt this useless. This helpless. First he had to go and have a nervous breakdown and now he had to sit around and wait. Meanwhile Anaïs was potentially risking her life for them both. Anaïs who had managed to calm him down when she had to be terrified (he was sure his panicking hadn’t helped either).

‘Thud’. He punched the crate again ignoring the dull ache in his hand. He was supposed to protect her. He was the older brother. It was an older brother’s duty to protect his siblings, to ease their fears, keep them out of harm’s way, carry them when they were tired or just simply didn’t want to walk. Yet here he was, completely failing at doing any of that. He –

He could dwell on that later. Berating himself mentally wasn’t the way to go about this. At least not right now. Pushing away from the crate he began pacing uneasily, trying to ignore the cold, trying to think positively. Any moment now the door would open, they’d be alright and he’d buy Dorra as much hot chocolate and sweets as she wanted. She deserved it. All he had to do was wait and…

Afonso sighed, dragging a hand through his hair. Honestly the cold was hardly bothersome anymore – which he knew wasn’t good. He wondered what was happening on the other side of the door. Was Dorra safe? Would she even be able to get him out? If they were someplace abandoned (like he was hoping) then for all they knew there wouldn’t be a key to unlock the door. He could very well die here…

A derisive sort of smile crossed his lips. If she couldn’t get him out that was fine, as long as she was safe. Sure he didn’t want to die (not again. Not like this.) but if his irmãzinha managed to escape, to make it back to La Madre Maria safe and sound? Well he was alright with that. Ceasing his pacing he looked towards the ceiling, that derisive sort of smile fading away.

”If… If yo-you can hear me…” He trailed off, before bowing his head, holding his hand against his chest. ”Ke-Keep her… I don’t… I don’t ca-care i-if I survi-survive but… But please.”

Afonso shut his eyes, standing still for longer then he probably should. But it didn’t really matter anymore did it? Whether he stayed put or moved?

”At least it’s not water this time,” he chuckled at the thought, opening his eyes and staring ahead. ”I wonder if I’ll have another cha-”

A gunshot. He snapped out of his dark thoughts, head whipping around to look at the door. His blood ran cold. There was a gunshot. So that meant.

He was pounding on the steel door, screaming for Anaïs. Oh God no, no, no, no. She couldn’t be hurt. She couldn’t have been shot. A new wave of panic crashed over him, horrible images resurfacing in his mind. Something shifted; he could hear the clinking of the door unlocking. Then it began to move, slowly being pulled open. Afonso pushed on the other side, stumbling out when it was wide enough.

Anaïs was in his arms before he could even take a breath, even register how warmer it was outside the freezer. Slowly he looked around, stomach knotting when he saw the man on the ground – not dead from the looks of it but hurt. He looked down at her, unable to actually believe she could have been the one to fire the gunshot he had heard.

Wrapping his arms around her he hugged her, taking a steadying breath (because he really had thought he was going to die a few seconds ago). He squeezed her tight, remaining quiet for a few minutes before holding her out at arm’s length to survey just how hurt she was. Her nose was bloody; her forehead looking like part of it had been ripped off. She looked shocked.

Afonso did the only thing he could think of doing. He hugged her again, kissing the top of her head. He wanted to say something, thank her, tell her that she was so brave, that he was sorry that she had had to do all this by herself.

But the words could wait. He pulled away, taking her hand. ”Are you able to walk?” Because they were still in danger, if someone was in this building well… Well then others could be as well and they no doubt could have heard the gunshot. Fretting about her injuries and talking could wait until after they got someplace safe. [/color]

[Andorra]

Her temperature finally started to rise to a much safer level in his hug, she could feel the colour returning to her cheeks and the piercing pain from the cold turning soft. Although the warm wetness she felt on her nose and bottom lip were a bit of a concern, she didn't pull away for a while. She wasn't ready yet.

But all good things had to come to an end, as Afonso checked to see her injuries, but was relieved when he kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into another warm hug. It didn't last as long as the first one, but that was alright. It was time to leave this frigid hell.

She nodded when he asked her if she could walk, using her scarf to dab away the blood coming out of her nose. It hurt a lot, she hoped it wasn't broken, but there really wasn't much time to fuss about it yet. She just kept holding the scarf to it, as they made there way through the building.

She did stop slightly to stare at the unconscious man she shot, feeling a bit of panic and shame to have harmed a person like that. But she didn't allow herself to regret it. It was time for her to grow up and realize what she was. She was a pirate, a criminal, who had to do whatever it took to survive. She could keep her grace and kindness, her morals, as they kept her strong. But her naivety had to go. It was truer than ever now, having finally tasted what this world could really be like.

Ahhh, mare, pare, I think I finally understand why you wanted me to leave the house...

They walked past him, and carefully into the room where he came from. They had to find some kind of radio and look for the right frequency to contact the Madre Maria. They were far from safe yet, but she wouldn't give up. They had come so far. Luckily for them, the room appeared to be a communication room of sorts, so it didn't take long to find a useable device. She let Afonso fiddle with it, as he had much more experience with them than she did.