Heads and tails. The coin danced between her knuckles, trundled across the table, slapped in to her waiting palm. Heads and tails. A woman that looked like she'd stepped out of some ancient romance novel tumbled to the floor with a dull thump, dress pooling around her, rippling, her head poking up from the centre like a gopher in a cheap carnival game. Sparks rolled the coin again, barely paying attention. Heads and tails.
She couldn't have said anything differently, could she? Something to earn Axel's forgiveness, something to keep him from sweeping from the room, expression dark as the head of a thunderstorm, angry red imprint of Freya's hand still burning on his cheek, leaving Alex and Sparks staring dumbly after him like unstrung marionettes. What was she meant to have done? She swiped the coin from where it had fallen beneath the tail and tried to think of drones, but the idea somehow lacked the same magnetism it had a few short minutes ago.
Heads and tails. Freya lunged across the table, looped her fingers under the walking romance novel's collar, pulling her to the delicate pointed toes of her shoes. Sparks just sat and watched, shrunk back a little, the once-Rogue basking in the terrible familiarity of it. So, this was the Widerstand now, was it? How quickly we've skitted from Erich's soft words to slaps and intimidation in the bar. Sparks wondered what the old Oberst would have thought of those who had stepped into his place.
She didn't have to wonder long.
Erich would have stopped her. Wouldn't have stood for violence - violence! - towards any member of the movement, much less a new one. He would have stepped up, dragged Freya away with some new and daring rhetoric, bound the pair's ideologies together and pointed them at the military. It wasn't hard, it wasn't complex. Nothing like the puzzles of orbital mechanics she dealt with day to day. It was, simply, the right thing.
But Sparks was not Erich. The stars knew she was no commander, no leader of soldiers. The rogues had educated her on that point quite thoroughly, thank you very much. In all honesty, she wasn't sure how much of a revolutionary she was. The whole thing felt rather too much like trying to squeeze into someone else's clothing and - try as she might - there were still parts that pinched.
So she simply sat and watched, flipped her coin, and gave the pair no reason to so much as notice her. After all, she was not Erich.
Heads and tails.
"This is really sort of a personal project of mine."
- James Arland, on single-handedly engaging an enemy regiment.
No one paid much attention to Zillich as he entered the Embassy.
“Good. Low key as always.” He thought, smiling to himself.
Talk of exile, broken unity, butchers and misguided zeal. These were not new topics but finding them at Bruchsal after these few years struck him with more force than he had anticipated.
He took a seat near one of the outwards facing windows and took a deep breath, taking in the radiance of Frankfurt’s blue star being filtered through Taunusfeld. His concentration would occasionally be broken by the ripple of the station’s deflector shield being hit by a piece of debris.
Heated political and ideological debates were still being conducted around the room as was usual with the Bundschuh. Every table with teeming with different ideas, every man and woman speaking their mind and sharing their views. However this time there was a different sort of tension surrounding the discussions. Hesitations and hushed voices where once there was simple discourse. Something had changed in his absence.
Regardless, this is home.
Zillich let out a sigh and muttered "I missed you."
“Mein freund.” He waved to the bartender, smiling “Rheinland Ale, bitte.”
The talking and discussing masked a familiar sound until it was already near to Matthias. It was the sound of combat boots. Not a rare sound in itself on Bruchsal. The pattern in the steps, the determination which could be derived just from the sound of how this approaching person walked, was known well by everyone on Bruchsal. Matthias too would remember it.
"Hey, you bastard. Think you can sneak in without anyone noticing? You're the third who tried that in maybe a month or two, three." Only Freya Eistochter would of course greet a friend who was gone for so long like this. "Guess what? The others, Fuchs and Klugmann, didn't fool me either and neither will you, Zillich."
Freya takes a seat opposite to Matthias and gives him her usual angry stare. "So what the hell are you doing here like that and where the hell were you?! I could've used you here the past few years.
A young silver haired woman walked into the bar, her grey flightsuit unmarked except for the Bundschuh Eagle emblem and a Rheinland flag patch bearing the letters EF. "Tag bartender. rheinbeer please" Ignoring the couple's argument down the bar, she takes her drink, walks over to a corner booth and takes a seat.
Looking back at the arguing couple and the hushed crowd in the bar, Angel keeps her voice low so as not to be overheard. "This doesnt seem like the proud Bundschuh i've heard about. Have i made the right decision?" Musing a bit, she started staring at Freya, lost in thought.
"Nein, I was already noticed by Herr Fuchs first. He is a rather remarkable young man, he certainly reminds me of myself a good few years ago." Matthias let out a slight chuckle before continuing with his drink. "Full of revolutionary passion, impatient." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Do you forget when the last time I was seen here was? We still flew under our old banner. Flying through Rheinlaind promoting peaceful resistance." The images of his previous encounters flying with the Bundschuh filled Matthias' mind. He smiled, satisfied with the nostalgic feeling they left.
"As for where I was..." Zillich chuckled, his eyes darting upwards giving Freya a mischievous look "That is classified."
"It is good to see you too Freya. Why do you look so weary?"
Freya noticed the woman staring at her and shouted "Keep your eyes to yourself before I cut them out!"
She then returned her attention to Zillich and continued to bark against him. "I decide what's classified or not, Matthias. Don't you dare to just act like nothing happened! You are likely one of the very reasons I look so weary."
She suddenly stops after finishing her last sentence. It's visible that she just realized something.
"Wait... Matthias. I'm looking weary? Are you saying I look bad?!"
Matthias raised his voice slightly and firmly said "Eistochter, manners! Direct your anger there." He pointed in the general direction of the Berlin Jump Gate.
"Fraulein, it is impolite to stare. Bitte, we are having a conversation." He told the woman, before returning the smile to his face and turning back to Freya.
"Nein, nein." Matthias shook his head "You look as lovely as ever Freya, even while your expression is tainted by the exhaustion in your eyes. Tell me, what changed here. What happened?" Mathias paused to sip his drink. "Surely it is not just because of me. You know the nature of what I do."
She sighs. "But you are correct you are not the reason I might be somewhat tired, well you are, but you are not the sole reason. Just one of many." She leans back against the corner between her seat and the wall. She seems to have calmed down a little. "First Klugmann disappeared, then Fuchs, his successor, basically fled from that responsibility, I was left with a giant mess and then they both return and guess what? Fuchs pretends nothing ever happened and goes around acting like he wasn't an irresponsible coward and Klugmann..." Her face shows nothing less than disgust. "That bastard actually has the guts to act high and mighty after such a sudden disappearance. Making a mess of diplomacy here and there and I swear he's probably already planning how to get rid of me."
She sighs again. "Oh and there's another issue that keeps me rather busy as of late, you'll probably find it pretty interesting... ah but I can't tell you I guess." She grins "It's classified."
"Freya, calm yourself. You know this work is not for everyone, it drains you. You cannot blame a young man such as Fuchs for fleeing from it."
Matthias leans in holding his hands up on the table and motioning as he speaks.
"You make this sound so grim. This is how we work, is it not? We are many and we are equal, when one falters another takes the banner and carries it. Change is.. Change means constant taxing work."
"Freya, do not make such accusations. We will not see Bundschuh turning on one another, not while my heart still beats and I draw breath. We can handle this peacefully."
He takes a moment to collect himself.
"I will not try to persuade you Freya, if you want to reveal this information to your old friend then do. If you do not, don't. I will tell you what I have done while I was gone, in time." His face turns somber for just a brief moment "It was a long journey."
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