Iceland [Emil Bondevik]'s Story

[Since we have gathered enough characters, I've updated the dorms. Go to the dorm thread to see who you'll be living with. If you have a problem with the setup, please post to me or Camillo and we'll get it fixed to where you feel content. :) Also, the teachers will be controlled by Camillo or me until they are asked to be claimed.]

A young boy, seemingly the age 16, trailed around the academy with his heels bucking the ground, creating "clack clack" sounds whenever they hit. A puffin sat stationary on his head, resting on the boy as if he was a pillow in a way. "Hmn," he huffed bluntly. "puffin, I wonder if there are others arriving soon. I'm quite an early bird," he said, not recognizing his pun. The puffin simply and carelessly looked down at the boy's eyes, ruffled it's wings, then brought it's head up to close it's eyes and relax again.

"Ah, I see," he murmured. "Why are we even in America? I should be back at Reykjavik, relaxing in a hot spring, and drinking tea. Heimskur, I say." Iceland complained, though not in a whiny tone or a pouting one, but as cold as ice. Get my pun? Cold as ice?

Crossing his arms, he leaned against a pole and silently watched the cherry blossoms dance in the faint wind. "At least it seems elegant here in some way," he muttered. "Maybe I should practice bow and arrow in the mean time. I signed up for that, besides." Snatching his bag from off his shoulder, the name iceland was printed on the front of the bag, and on the back there was scribble scrabble in blue marker from a drunk Denmark whom decided to draw all over the back of his bag, which ticked him off slightly, though as usual he kept his cool.

Inside, a light blue, fairly medium-sized bow sat stationary as if waiting. He wrapped a gloved hand around the handle and pried it out of the substitute back pack and got into a stance and pointed it at a tree. "Sorry. It should not hurt you." Emil reassured the tree, as he squatted down and grabbed a couple of arrows to practice with. He grabbed the arrows' shafts, particularly, and put the rest down and held one in his hand. He pressed against the string and pulled back with the arrow nock, and soon fired, the tip of the arrow going into a cherry blossom petal and pinning it against the tree.

"I think I say 'bull's eye' when I shoot in the middle." He contemplated blankly.

Emil pulled back on the bow once again to try to practice, but his gaze shifted for a split second until he suddenly saw a male an inch shorter than him (his high-heeled boots, of course, give him an extra inch) and because of the sudden appearance, out of shock he dropped the bow and jerked backwards, the heels of his boots dipping into the ground and making him trip. "Fhhha!"

Though he fell onto his bottom, he got up and brushed himself off, his heart racing 1,000 mph. "My, when did you get there, Japan?" He gasped as he lost his cool for a moment, though he calmed down and went back to his mysterious and puzzling self. "Is there something you need?" Iceland asked as he tugged his boots out of the ground, pulling his leg up in almost a ballerina-like stance and blew on the heels with the air of his mouth, and the dirt flew off and onto the ground.

He blinked as he looked at the smaller male with his huge, blue eyes. If I didn't know Japan, I would have thought he was a 100 year old man.

Mei opened her eyes and starred at the ceiling. She listened to the birds chirping outside and stretched, kicking the silk blankets off of the bed and onto the carpet floor of her room. "Ahh, morning. What a lovely thing!" She said to herself sarcastically. She rolled out of bed on to the silk blanket that she had kicked onto the floor. After laying there a few minutes and telling herself to just get the day over with, She stood up lazily a stretched her arms over her head. After dressing her her casual clothes, brushing her hair, and tying a yellow ribbon into the right side of her hair, she collected her books and placed them into her back back and slid it over her shoulder. Making sure she had her camera safely tucked into her smaller shoulder bag, she opened the door of her apartment, squinting at the morning light. She only lived just across the street from the academy and she could already here Alfred's loud, enthusiastic voice. She sighed and made her way down the stairs and across the street. Seeing Japan with them, excitement sparked in her chest and she put on a smile. Waving to them she yelled, "Good morning everyone! How did you all sleep last night?" Mei walked up to the three boys, quickly pulling out her camera and flashing a picture. "Happy first day of school." She said, her voice a little sarcastic. "So, which electives are you all choosing? I think I'm going for Guitar or Art. Maybe swimming. Then again I could take Art for a club but I'd really like to take Archery. There's a lot to do at this school."

One last burst of speed,and double stomping before pushing his hands down towards his feet.Hong Kong was done with his early morning exercise.He had been planning to take Archery,or Bow and Arrow,as they put it in this academy,so he decided he might as well take a look at the archery range before making a final decision.He walked over to pick up his bag and slung it across his clothed chest.He hadn't bothered with being fashionable today,though he usually was.Today however,he wore a normal red coloured V-neck T-shirt and blue jeans.
Making his way to the archery range,he saw a couple of students,a white haired one,an American and the other two he recognized as Japan,and of course,Taiwan.
He heaved a small sigh and started walking over towards them.He was definitely not going to greet them though,that was for sure.
"Well go on mr. Big Shot, shoot a bulls eye and I'll take a picture so you can brag to everyone." When Hong Kong was within hearing range,he heard Taiwan say those words to the American,while holding up her camera.He smiled to himself.
Well,that's Taiwan alright.Always being so witty,and can't ever let go of that camera she has.

"That's good, I'm glad I could help." Matthew answered the other nation, then listened as he was asked another question. Confusion visibly made its way across his face, causing him to cock his head to the side. Unfortunately for him, he was still completely oblivious and hadn't the faintest idea what it was Russia meant by that. Become one with the imposing nation? While it was true that he didn't know Ivan well enough to understand the malicious intent behind the question, he was able to vaguely piece together the meaning. He quite enjoyed the independence that his country had, though he would be unable to put it that bluntly while explaining it to Russia.

"B-become one?" He stammered, flustered as he tried to come up with a kind response. It was harder than he though, "I- I'm sorry Russia, but I'm going to pass on that offer for now. I hope that's okay.."

He was grateful when the nation he recognized as Iceland appeared, though he jumped slightly when he stuck his head up from behind Russia. It was an appreciated interruption; he didn't think he would be able to continue his conversation with Russia any further in his current state of embarrassment. To his joy, Iceland addressed him as well. What a day! Maybe things were looking up for him? Whatever the reason was, he wouldn't question it. He would have grinned happily then, but all he could force out at the moment was a flustered half-smile.

"G-greetings, Iceland!" He said, his voice still trembling somewhat. Thankfully, before he spoke again he was able to calm himself, "I'm good, no, better than good! I'm great!"

When the nation pointed out Kumajirou, the polar bear hopped up onto Canada's lap. "Hah, interesting?" He asked quietly, earning himself a hard bite on his hand for his troubles. Then he turned his violet eyes back to the two standing before him, noticing the puffin and smiling widely, "Oh! I recognize that one- I have puffins on my shores."

Kumajirou looked at the puffin next to it in a disinterested manner before getting up and crawling up Canada's back and settling down in the nook between his neck and the wall. The bear yawned, his huge teeth showing as he laid his head down. Both the nation and the bear were very tired, though Kumajirou had the freedom to take a nap whenever he wanted to.

"Yes, they're very cute too." Canada smiled, indicating the puffin. His cheeks were flushed pink from Iceland's comments, both about the polar bears and himself. "T-they're not too fond of me though; must be the bears, huh?"

When Iceland came to sit next to him, Matthew shifted to the side slightly, making sure to provide enough room for him. He then pondered the question a bit- what did he think about the school, anyway? He tried to remember his first impression of the building, finding it oddly hard to recall. He'd been so absorbed in the little things that he didn't get the chance to make an opinion. His violet eyes scanned the landscape, and he bit his lip.

"Al is just excited." Matthew protested automatically, used to making excuses for his brother. True, he was known for his boasting, but Canada knew that America couldn't help it. It was just part of his personality, the same as Matthew's shyness was his. "I think.. I think that this school is a wonderful opportunity. I am a bit nervous though." He admitted quietly.

Canada couldn't help but look at Iceland out of the corners of his eyes, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. He was acting strange; from what Matthew had seen the nation was usually, well, cold. Maybe not purposely, but he gave off that impression during the meetings. It made him wonder what had changed, but he couldn't think of anything off the top of his head.

He turned his attention towards Russia, feeling his stomach tie itself in knots. There was nothing to cause him unease about the nation, but he couldn't help but feel it. Maybe it was being asked to "become one" with the larger nation that made him nervous. Canada was the second largest nation, after all, though he tried not to make it obvious by mentioning it. He did quite like the independence he had, and didn't want that disturbed.

"Yes, please." He responded to Iceland's question. "I have a map with me, but I have a terrible habit of getting lost anyways."

Then he turned to face the nation more directly, frowning slightly, his eyes showing clear concern, "Are you alright, Iceland? Your face is red-- you aren't sick, are you? As colder nations we may have some trouble adjusting to the new climate, so we should all be more careful."

Canada blinked, he was not quite convinced, but he knew to drop it. After he moved Kumajirou to his arms, the nation stood up quietly, following Iceland's lead. It was odd; he'd started the day in a rut, and would even go so far as to say he was quite depressed. He'd feared that even here the nations would continue to ignore him, or even worse, mistake him for America. That was something he never quite understood, how he could be mistaken for a nation that was practically his polar opposite. If you looked closely, they were absolutely nothing alike at all.

His day had turned around though, and he was happier than he'd been in a long time. It showed as he smiled broadly, his shiny white teeth showing as he set off after Iceland.

Regardless of Iceland's comment about his grin, when Matthew heard what the nation had to say about him and America, the smile faded. He lowered his chin so his hair fell to cover his eyes and promptly turned the shade of a ripe tomato. It was almost as if Iceland knew his fears, and it was almost like his words were purposely chosen to console those fears. How could he possibly know that the only thing he disliked more than being ignored was being mistaken for the other country? It scared Canada a little to know that this other nation could read him so well. He would have to be more careful, lest he have his awful secret pulled out of him. Yet at the same time it practically terrified him, it made his stomach twist- in a good way.

"I-I-I, I c-cant..." Canada struggled to speak, his red face still mostly hidden by his hair. The hands that held Kumajirou were shaking, pale from the lack of blood that had gone to his cheeks, "D-don't say things like t-that, p-p-please, I d-don't..."

Ashamed by his stuttering, he had suddenly stopped speaking. He kept walking, but remained completely silent while doing so. Matthew was unable to look at either Russia or Iceland and kept his eyes focused only on his shoes. A lace was starting to become untied.

Canada stayed quiet, not responding to either Russia or Iceland. Even if he had been able to speak, he wouldn't be able to find the correct words to say. Truth was, he was kicking himself right now. Iceland had misunderstood what Matthew had been trying to say, and Canada didn't have the heart to speak out again, less he make a bigger fool of himself.

When they reached the classroom, Matthew looked around at all the desks. They didn't have assigned seats? That was weird, most of his schools did. He waited a moment before choosing a chair in the far back of the classroom, on the edge of their age's section. It was a small, dusty chair. Matthew had a feeling that it had been looked over for a couple years in favor of the middle chairs. Kind of like him.

He sat down silently, pulling the chair back in close. Kumajirou had left his arms before Canada had pulled out the chair, and left with a mission of his own. The polar bear walked over to where Iceland was and pawed the nation's leg.

"Hey." The bear grumbled, the rumble sounding almost like a word. "Listen to me."

The bear huffed, "Just thought I would say what he," the he clearly meaning Canada, "was stuttering too hard to get out."

The small bear sat on its haunches, looking at Iceland with an odd expression; if bears could have such expressions, that is. It was one of curiosity, but it was also almost as if he was trying to judge Iceland's intentions. Kumajirou was an unusual bear, a dwarf of his kind. He'd been taken in by Canada too long ago to remember, and while he sometimes forgot the nation's name on occasion, he really did look out for him.

"Mark had meant to say that that had been one of the nicest things anyonce had said to him." He paused, "No, that can't be right. It isn't Mark... Well, whatever his name is just has a habit of messing things up. You shouldn't take it too personally."

Taiwan was going through the outfits she could wear when she started to come closer to the end of the hallway when she noticed Iceland standing in one of the entrances and seemed to be waiting foe someone. She smiled, laughing sinisterly in her mind as she held her camera up and tried to approach slowly. She snapped an image of him and then a large smile crossed her face as she placed the camera back in her bag and continued walking down the hallway towards him. She stopped a few feet from the entrance. "Hello, Iceland." She said with a friendly tone of voice. "Have you found your dorm yet? I just started looking for mine." She asked the white-haired boy, then leaned in a little to peek into the classroom and saw that there was already quite a few countries already in there. She stepped back and blushed a little when she noticed Japan was already sitting in there and looked back at Iceland. "So where is your dorm room Iceland?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.