Erwin looked out as the Rockies passed beneath her. She rested her head in her hand and her nose was pressed up against the window. Her hat rose up on her head slightly from where the brim pushed against the glass. A book on the sixth army in Stalingrad lay open on her lap. She gazed at the snow capped mountains and green valleys. The hum of the engines was relaxing but she had already spent a good deal of time sleeping and now felt restless. She leaned back in the uncomfortable plane seat, arching her back and stretching out her arms, eliciting a yawn.
She looked bored but deep down she was feeling absolutely miserable. It had all started a couple months ago when her father had died. This hadn't been such a big deal to Erwin. She had never been all that close with either of her parents and her dad was always. He had been indifferent to Erwin, only caring about her grades, which hadn't been all that good. When he died in a car crash while on a business trip Erwin had felt sad, but no real remorse. Her mother wasn't much better. She was often away as well and although she made some effort to be there for her only daughter she had never bothered showing interest in what Erwin was interested in.
It had been less than a month after Erwin's father's death when her mother had told her that she was going to have a step dad. Although Erwin's mom put up the pretence that she had only just met the man and fallen in love with him on sight, Erwin knew better. She wasn't stupid, and had seen the way her mom had been acting; how she would rush to answer the phone on the rare occasion her husband was home. At the end of the day Erwin couldn't care less what her mom was doing behind her dads back, as long as it didn't affect her.
But as it happened her mother's affair did affect her. That was why she was on a plane over the Rockies, heading north. She had bought a tacky post card of a shirtless blonde guy holding a surf board and waving on a beach when they stopped in the San Francisco air port. She planned on sending it back to Saori as a joke more than anything else but the closer Erwin got to her destination the more she felt her humour drain.
It had been almost a month after the announcement of a step dad that Erwin's mother had told her that they were moving. It had been a Saturday morning and Erwin had just sat down to breakfast. It was ten o'clock and she was thinking about the day ahead, perhaps heading into town to buy a new book. Her mother had been emptying the dishwasher, and nonchalantly stated that they were going to be moving in with the step dad. Erwin had dropped her spoon into her bowl, splattering milk on her t-shirt. Her immediate response was no. Her mom could do what she liked, but Erwin was staying at Ooarai. Her mother had calmly explained that she wanted Erwin to come with her, and she wouldn't have her only daughter on the other side of the pacific.
This had brought up where they were moving. Her new step dad owned a big paper mill in a small town called Port Ryan, on the western coast of Canada in British Columbia. Erwin had no interest in moving. She had less interest in moving to a small town in the middle of no-where. She had a great group of friends and was enjoying school for the first time in her life. She had no interest in changing anything. She had argued profusely with her mother about it and ended up storming out of the house.
But in the end she had no choice. In just under a week she had said goodbye to her friends and was on the plane. She had promised to visit as much as possible, and told them she would talk to them on skype. But staying connected wasn't the same as hanging out with them. And she was definitely going to miss her StuG, and her best friends from history club.
The pilot announced that they would be landing in Vancouver soon. Erwin closed her book and put it in her backpack. The air conditioning made the temperature colder than what she was used to and she wore a hoody underneath her usual world war two German jacket. She could feel the pressure in her ears as the plane began its descent and after buckling up her seatbelt she looked out the window. They were passing over suburbs and she could see a river winding out to an inlet.
After landing she followed her mother out of the plane, walking a couple metres behind her. It was mid afternoon and the airport was busy. Erwin dragged a small suit case that contained all of her possessions other than a few that had been sent over earlier in the week. Like most girls her age the majority of her suit case was filled with shoes and clothing but she differed in that it was almost all military issue. She had felt at home back at Ooarai, especially with friends like Yukari and Caesar, and she wondered how the Canadian kids would take to her eccentricities. Erwin and her mother made it out of the airport without saying a word to each other. The woman knew that her daughter was pissed off about moving and decided that there was nothing she could say for the moment to make it better. The girl was just going to have to get over it.
They got outside and a man waved to them. Erwin had seen her step dad a few times but had always avoided meeting him in person, giving an excuse for getting out of the house whenever she knew he was coming around. He was probably around six foot, and had short fair hair. He wore a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and jeans. Erwin's mother waved back. They drew close and the two adults hugged.
"Hey Riko!" He said, ruffling Erwin's hat. She went rigid and stared forwards, avoiding eye contact.
"Hi Frank" She grunted in reply to his greeting. She didn't feel comfortable with the man touching her. He had fucked her mother behind her dads back and was dragging her across the pacific to start a new life when she had been perfectly happy with her old one. She had no reason to like the man.
Erwin's mother huffed at her daughter's obvious display of distaste but didn't comment. She turned and walked alongside Frank, picking up a conversation that they must have started last time they had been together. Erwin tagged a little ways behind, dragging her feet. She took off her hat and repaired the damage Frank had done to her hair before carefully putting the peaked cap back on her head and adjusting it. They got to a red pick up truck and Frank picked up his wife's and her daughters bags, putting them in the back. Typical thought Erwin, looking with disdain at the big utility vehicle. She climbed in the back seat and her mother got in the front.
Their route took them through downtown. Erwin had to admit that it was a nice city. The buildings were modern looking and there were trees everywhere. They soon left downtown and after heading through a park and over a bridge they were on the highway. On their right were mountains and to their left was an incredible view of a body of water. Off in the distance islands could be seen. It was a clear afternoon and the water sparkled in the sun light. Sailing boats could be seen as well as larger yachts. Soon they were entering a ferry terminal and after waiting an hour in line they were on the ferry.
After getting out of the car Erwin headed to the deck. She wanted to avoid any conversations with her mother and step dad and felt like getting some fresh air. They were just leaving the dock as she got outside and she headed to the back of the boat, watching the wooden and concrete structure fade into the distance. The salty ocean air and seagulls over head reminded her of Ooarai, and made her feel homesick. Her heart ached at the thought of the life she had left. She propped her elbows on the railing and rested her head on her crossed arms, staring out at the coastline passing by. She closed her eyes and tried to enjoy the sun on her face and the breeze on her neck.
A particularly strong gust of wind past by the ferry and she was pulled from her reverie when her hat was sent tumbling off her head. She gasped and her eyes shot open as she felt the unfamiliar absence of weight on her head. She spun around, grasping at the precious peaked hat but it danced out of her reach. She took off at a sprint, glad that she was wearing shorts and combat boots which were easy to run in. The hat drifted along the deck at speed and much to Erwin's horror it was heading for the back of the ship. It would tumble off and be lost forever.
Erwin had given up hope when it started sliding under the railing but just as it teetered on the edge a foot shot down and caught it, the tip of a shoe pinning the brim of the hat against the edge of the deck. Erwin bent over and grabbed it, placing it back on her head before turning to the hats rescuer.
A boy smiled down at Erwin. He was tall compared to the girl, probably at six foot one or two. He had tanned skin and wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt. He had black hair and looked half Asian. She smiled up at him and bowed, thanking him. He looked confused and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uh, no need to bow? Any ways no problem, I would have been a dick if I let it slide off the boat" he said, obviously confused by her display of gratitude. Erwin suddenly remembered that people didn't bow to each other in North America and her face went red with embarrassment.
"Sorry, where I'm from we bow to each other when we want to show gratitude. I'm not really sure of the customs here." She said awkwardly. The first person I meet and I screw it up she thought to herself.
"Nothing to apologize for" He grinned. "Where are you from anyways?"
"Japan, I just arrived today. I'm going to Port Ryan? I don't know if you've heard of it..." She said, she didn't really know anything about the town, and in turn didn't know how big it was.
"Heard of it? I'm from there." He laughed. "I'm on my way back from a tournament with my team" he continued. Erwin was immediately curious. Could they have sensha-do teams in North America?
"What sort of team is it?" She asked.
"Lacrosse, we were playing out in Coquitlam" he said.
"Oh, I was thinking... never mind" She said, disappointment obvious in her eyes
"You don't like lacrosse? I guess I can understand" He sounded hurt.
"Oh no it's not that" Erwin replied, smiling. "In fact I've never even heard of it. It's just that I thought you would... uh never mind" It would be awkward if she told him how she was hoping he would say he was on a tankery team. She didn't think they had Tankery in North America, and even if they did boys presumably wouldn't be allowed in, just like Japan. "What grade are you in?" She asked, trying to change the subject. Talking about tankery was making her feel even more homesick.
"Eleven. I guess we'll be going to the same school. There's only the one in Port Ryan" the boy said. Erwin realised that she still didn't know his name.
"Cool, me too, maybe we'll have some of the same classes." She liked the boy and honestly did hope for that. It helped that he was attractive.
"Ya definitely. I got to get going but I'll see you around" He started walking towards a group of boys their age farther down the deck but turned back. "I didn't get your name" He called back.
"Erwin" She replied. "And yours?"
"Mitchell" He said before heading back to his friends.
Erwin smoothed the front of her jacket down with her hands. She walked back down the ship to where she had been standing before. An announcement over the intercom told her that they would be arriving at their first destination, which happened to be Port Ryan, in five minutes. She decided to wait a bit before going back to her mother and step father. She was still pissed off about her situation but felt a little better about it after meeting someone from the town.
"So why's she got the weird hat?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. I didn't ask" Replied Mitchell. He looked back but the girl had walked down the deck and out of sight.
"Well she looked like a nut to me" Calvin said. He was a little shorter than Mitchell, and had cropped blonde hair. He wasn't too bright, but was a really nice guy and loved working on cars.
"Hey, she was nice. I don't know why she's got the get up but she seemed fine to me. Apparently she just moved here from Japan." Mitchell retorted. He had thought her a bit odd but she was nice. And he had thought she was pretty cute.
"Why Port Ryan? Why would any one move to point Ryan?" Sam asked. He was the shortest of the three friends and had buzzed ginger hair. His friends would often joke about his height and he was always spoiling for a fight.
"I don't know. We only talked for like a minute, I didn't get a chance to interrogate her."
"Well we're almost back, we should head down to the car" Calvin chipped in. He had been held back a grade and had turned seventeen earlier in the year. He had his driver's license and the three friends had enjoyed not having to have a parent drive them to the tournament.
After getting off the ferry they drove for ten minutes to a near by Tim Horton's. The three boys got food and sat around a table to eat. They were quite tired from their recent tournament but happy to be home. They chatted for a while about the upcoming school year and sports before heading back to the car. It had started to cloud over as they drove down the coastal highway and Mitchell could see the waves crashing against the cliffs down below. He leaned his head against the passenger window and stared down at the ocean until his breath fogged up the glass. They were all exhausted and excited to get home and get some rest. Despite this Mitchells mind was still on the girl from the ferry.
Calvin dropped him off at the end of the road that led to his house and he grabbed his gear from the trunk. He and his mom lived near the edge of town, not too far from the highway. He stared up at the sky as he walked and wondered if it was going to rain. The clouds had gathered and held the ominous grey half light that fore shadowed the rain that often would last for days at a time on the coast. It was only a couple hundred metres from the main road to his house and he had told Calvin to drop him off so he could get a walk in. His legs were sore from the almost constant exercise over the past few days and he wanted to get the blood flowing as well as get some fresh air. It had stunk in the car.
The house he lived in was of medium size but not in great repair. His dad had left a long time ago and his mother had struggled on her own. She was of Chinese descent and had lost her relationship with her family after running off with Mitchell's dad. She had been an alcoholic for a while after he left her and although she had over come the addiction she still drank a lot. She did work but it was only part time in retail and the rest of the time she spent in Vancouver with her boy friend.
Mitchell unlocked the door and quietly put his bag down in the hall. The lights were off in the house and the only illumination came from the dim sunlight outside.
"Mom?" Mitchell called out. There was no reply and he assumed that she was either at work or in Vancouver. He wouldn't know until the evening when she would either come home or not. He headed upstairs to have a shower. After he had dried off he pulled on sweat pants and a baggy iron maiden shirt before putting KD in the microwave for dinner. It was almost dark out and he went around the house flicking on lights before he was drawn back to the kitchen by the beeping of the microwave.
He was dismayed to find that the fridge was almost void of food but there was a jug of milk and he poured himself a glass to go with his dinner. He didn't bother sitting down and ate leaning up against the counter with the hockey game playing over the radio. He dumped the dirty dishes onto a growing stack in the sink and went out to the garage. Last year he had got a job in the local hardware store working after school and on weekends. He had saved his money and as soon as he turned sixteen he had gotten his motor cycle license. He didn't have enough money to get anything really amazing but had bought a 2006 Kawasaki ninja on craigslist from a guy on the mainland. As it happened the bike had been a mess, which had explained the low price, and he was still in the process of getting parts and fixing it up. But it would be done soon.
He spent a couple hours working on the bike. After he was done he lovingly draped a quilt he had bought from a thrift store across it and turned off the lights. He cleaned up in the bathroom and headed off to bed. Despite the fact that he was exhausted, sleep didn't come easily. The girl from the boat was on his mind, which worried him considering he had barely met her. He groaned and rolled onto his front, face buried in the pillow. He fell asleep a little while later.
Erwin sat in silence in the back of the pickup truck. The scenery was quite spectacular, the forested mountains meeting the ocean. Despite this it was cloudy and she was still in a bad mood. She leaned against the door of the car, trying to look as unhappy as possible and hoping that her mother would look back. She knew that whatever she did, her mother's decision would remain unchanged. She wasn't going back to Japan, no matter how hard she complained or how miserable she acted.
Soon they were passing through the town proper. Erwin was dismayed at how dismal it looked. The stores were mainly chains and the houses were cookie cutter suburban style. Luckily the downtown area was nicer, with specialty stores and restaurants. It wasn't long before they were heading back out of town. Frank explained that the house was just down the road from the mill. He told Erwin that she would love it; that she would cheer up when she saw the house.
Erwin did, in fact, cheer up when she saw the house. Driving along the main road they turned off and soon came to the drive way of the house. It wasn't so much a house as a small mansion. It looked old, but it was beautiful. Frank said that it had been constructed along with the mill for the first owner, back in the 20's. A wide porch swept around to a veranda on the side. The house was made of bricks and had white washed wooden panelling. Erwin tried not to show it but she was ecstatic.
They got out of the car and Erwin grabbed her backpack. The air was humid and sticky from the combination of the late summer heat and the low hanging clouds. She wondered if it was going to rain. Frank held the screen door open for Erwin and her mother and they entered the house. The house was big, and Erwin spent ten minutes running from room to room, exploring every area. She finally decided on a bedroom that over looked the front of the house. There were a few fields, property of a farm across the rode and she could make out forests and a mountain beyond that.
The room was big, at least compared to her room back in Japan. There was a large queen sized bed against a wall but aside from that the room was barely furnished. Frank had only just moved in himself and there were unopened card board boxes sitting on what little furniture that was already in the room, being a dresser and a wardrobe. There was a walk in closet that Erwin didn't bother exploring. She flopped down on the bed and the springs creaked under her slight weight. She stretched her arms and yawned. Despite her nap on the plane she was tired.
Erwin rolled off the bed. She still had work to do and had no time for lying around. Boxes needed to be unpacked and she had left her bag downstairs. She spent the rest of the evening unpacking and listening to music. She ate dinner with her mother and step father in the spacious kitchen over looking the massive back yard. The kitchen was almost entirely lit by natural light coming through the windows. The sun had sunk below the cloud layer, and the rays of deep golden light picked up the drops of rain that had begun to fall. By the time Erwin headed up stairs she could hear the rain pattering quietly but persistently against the roof.
She finished up her room, arranging her tank models on shelves and setting her computer up in the corner on a desk. She put what little clothing she had brought in the walk in closet, which was surprisingly spacious, and finished putting her books on the book shelf. Finally she put two framed pictures on her desk. One was of the Ooarai Sensha-Do team, taken directly after their win in the nationals. The other was of Erwin and her friends, crowded around the StuG III. Yukari was clinging onto Caesars shoulders and laughing. Erwin sighed and adjusted the picture slightly.
The rain was still coming down, creating a light tapping sound. It was still a summer, and the rain held none of the malice or strength that it would in a week or two with the onset of fall. Erwin set her Schirmmütze hat on the bed side table and hung her field marshal uniform over the chair next to her desk. After pulling on a t-shirt and pyjama pants she crawled into bed. She was a bit worried about going to the new school in the morning, but fell asleep quickly.
Erwin was not a morning person. She never had been and chances were that she never would. She had been smacking at the snooze button every time the alarm clock attempted to drag her from her sleep for the past half hour. It was about the seventh time it had gone off when she finally rolled onto her back and turned the alarm off. She groaned and groggily pulled herself into an upright position before rubbing the sleep from her eyes with clenched fists. She jumped with horror when she saw the time. It was eight ten and school started at eight-thirty five. She rushed to the bathroom, and stormed back out a second later, trying in vain to fix her hair while brushing her teeth. She shoved her hat on her head and pulled on her jacket before heading back to the washroom to wash her mouth out. She wore a pair of shorts and had a t-shirt on underneath her German jacket. It felt weird to be going to school without a uniform.
Ten minutes later and she was waiting for the bus. The rain had cleared up over night and the sky was clear. The morning sun beat down on the girl and she shifted her hat to cover her face from getting burned. When the bus arrived she got on and put a few coins in to pay. She took a seat near the back and pulled her book from her bag. She read for the ten minute ride to school. When she arrived she checked her phone and was happy to see that it was eight-thirty. She still had a little time to get to class.
The school was surprisingly nice considering what she had seen of the town so far. It was modern looking, more so than Ooarai, and reasonably bigger. Erwin still found the idea of a school not being on a ship a bit foreign. Other students were filling in through the doors and the ex-tank commander followed behind. She got a few funny looks, presumably due to her out fit, but she ignored them. She had gotten used to it a long time ago, and luckily she didn't look as out of place as her friends Caesar or Saemonza. Erwin passed another girl wearing a military jacket. She probably doesn't know that its Flecktarn pattern Erwin thought to herself with a chuckle. She checked her course sheet and found her homeroom number.
After taking a wrong turn and almost getting lost, Erwin made it to home room. She took a seat near the back and dropped her bag under the desk. Leaning back in her chair she listened to the teacher. They would be choosing courses, getting forms for schools fees to take home and get signed, yadda yadda yadda. The teacher passed around course selection sheets and Erwin started checking over it.
"Are you new here?" It took Erwin a second to realise she was being addressed. She turned her head to look at the girl talking to her. She had dirty blonde hair tied back in a messy bun and had angular features.
"Oh, ya. I just got here yesterday." Erwin said. She had grown up with a tight knit group of friends and although she had never had any kind of social awkwardness she wasn't amazing at making new friends. She had always been pretty confident, hence how she was able to wear a German uniform around, but she could sometimes be a little too blunt.
"Ok, what courses are you planning on taking?" The girl asked. Erwin decided that she seemed nice enough. She was obviously just trying to be friendly.
"I'm not sure. I'm just looking over them now" Erwin said. She had just started looking through the boxes. Erwin wasn't planning on taking any extra academics, that was for sure. She had never been very strong in school, never having the interest to dedicate herself to studying or even homework. She was much more interested in learning about history and could spend hours sifting through wikipedia articles and historical websites. She was scanning through the list of electives when she froze.
"Um excuse me, what is tankery?" Erwin asked slowly.
"Oh that?" The girl said, peering over at Erwin's course selections. "It's new this year. They're bringing it over from Asia if I recall correctly. It's basically a sport focused around tank combat."
Erwin nodded "So I lucked out" She said, more to herself than the girl. "Are you thinking of joining it?"
"Probably not, not too much appeal to me. Will you?"
"Ya. I did it at my old school and wasn't expecting to be able to take it here."
"Well then I'll take it too" The girls response caught Erwin off guard.
"Wow, really?"
"Ya, I don't see why not. All the other electives that interest me I've taken in other years. Plus you'll want a friend to be in it with you."
"Friend?" Erwin stammered. She said it as if she had never heard the word before.
"Ya sure, by the way what's your name?"
"Oh, uh Erwin. And yours?" She asked, still perplexed that she had already made a friend. She hadn't even been to her first class yet.
"Amy." The girl said. Just then the bell went. "Hey, you can have lunch with my friends and me if you want." Amy said as they headed out of class.
"Ya sure!" Erwin said. She was ecstatic that this girl wanted to have lunch with her. She waved good bye to Amy and headed to her first class, which was social studies. She, again, found a seat near the back. She felt tired and rested her head in her arms while she waited for class to start.
"You haven't lost the hat then?"
Erwin looked up. Mitchell was smiling down at her and laughed at her surprised expression. He took the seat next to her and leaned back with his arms behind his head.
"What electives did you take then?" He said.
"Tankery" She said, returning the smile. He visibly perked up.
"Oh ya, same! That'll be fun eh?"
"What do you mean?" Did they allow boys to take part in North America? It would make sense considering what she knew of the culture.
Before Mitchell could reply the teacher started calling out attendance. Erwin zoned out for most of the class. Despite the fact that she still missed her old friends bitterly she was happy that things were going much better than she possibly could have hoped for. She felt like she stood a solid chance of enjoying this new country. After class she said good bye to Mitchell and headed to her next class, which was math. It went by slightly less comfortably without Mitchell or Amy's presence.
After dropping off her new text books in her locker she headed to the cafeteria to get food. She was quickly thrown off from the cafeteria food when she saw other students walking passed with their meals. Apparently the standard of food didn't hold in North American compared to Japan. She decided to pass up on lunch today. It didn't take long for her to spot Amy. They ate lunch outside and Amy introduced Erwin to her two other friends, Samantha and Alisha. Samantha was tall and had brown hair just below her shoulders. Alisha was a little shorter than Amy and had long reddish hair and freckles.
It turned out that Amy's friends were as nice as she was. Erwin really enjoyed talking with them at lunch. It didn't seem like she really had any interests in common with any of the girls, but they were easy to talk to and made an effort to include Erwin in the conversation. Samantha was hilarious, and had a very dry sense of humour. Alisha was quieter but chipped in to the conversations. It turned out that the other girls had also taken tankery, and Amy seemed a little relieved about this. Erwin thought that was understandable, considering she was taking a course she knew nothing about with a girl she had only just met.
After lunch Erwin had a spare, which she spent in the library going through the history section. Last block she had tankery and she headed to the back of the school where the newly constructed sheds were. She passed through the busy halls and took a breath of fresh air as she exited the building. It was a short walk to the sheds and she enjoyed the view of the ocean that was just visible across the fields. The sun beat down on her exposed neck and she was happy to get under the cover of the garage. The shed was empty aside for a lone tank. Erwin was happy to see a Panzer IV. It bore skirts on the turret and Schürzen on the flanks of the tank, distinguishing it as an Aus. H.
Since she had just had a spare she was the first to the sheds. She climbed on top of a wooden crate as she waited. It wasn't long before more students began arriving in small groups. A group of four boys was the first to arrive. She was a little surprised, but now understood that boys were, in fact, allowed to take part. They stood in a circle, talking about something that Erwin couldn't overhear. Less than a minute later and Erwin's three new friends arrived, as well as a bunch of other teens, varying in age. Just after the bell went five boys walked in, shoving each other and laughing about something. Mitchell was among them and nodded to Erwin. She smiled and raised her hand slightly in a wave.
"You're friends with Mitchell?" Samantha asked. Before Erwin could respond the teacher walked in. He was an older looking man, and wore a brown suit and a black beret. He had a bushy white moustache and walked with a bit of a limp. The assembled students formed a semi circle around him and he began the lesson. He introduced himself as Mr. Albert, and explained that he would be instructing the new tankery course. After doing attendance he went through what tankery was, and what they could expect from the class.
They wouldn't be doing any driving today, but Mr. Albert went through the parts of the tanks and the different positions. He handed out booklets on the basics of tank driving and told the students to read over them for next class. Once everyone had got their booklet he slowly and carefully climbed up on to the turret of the panzer IV and turned to the class.
"Now, has any one been in a tank before" He asked. There was a silence and Erwin slowly raised her hand. "And what is your name, young lady." He spoke crisply and articulated his words.
"Riko, sir." She said. The teacher nodded.
"I appreciate the formalities. What tank have you been in Riko?"
"A StuG III Mr. Albert. I commanded one back in Japan."
"Well, isn't that convenient. That wouldn't happen to be the StuG III from the championship winning Ooarai girl's high school team would it Riko?"
"It would sir."
"Well then, it looks like our humble team is already at an advantage. I'm sure your talents will prove in-valuable to the team." Erwin blushed at the last remark. Mr. Albert continued. "We will take a look at the interior of the tank, and then we will see the rest of the vehicles our school has on offer. We won't be doing any driving today until you have brought in signed consent forms. I would like you all to have teams ready for me by next class."
The instructor showed the students the interior of the tank and the different operations, such as the gun sights and the drive. When they were done the whole class left the garage and went to each shed one by one. The school boasted another two panzer IVs, all of the Aus. H variant, a StuG IV, and a SdKfz 234. Erwin was confused by this last vehicle, as it was technically an armoured car and not a tank. Mr. Albert explained to her that they were taking a slightly different approach to tankery than they did in Japan. Armoured cars were allowed, as well as self propelled guns. Tournaments were fought by tank companies, with each school representing a squadron. She could read over the exact rules in the tankery booklet.
By the time they were done looking at all the different tanks the final bell had rung and it was time to head home. Erwin's three new friends were fascinated with the tanks and chatted excitedly about them as they strolled towards the bus stop. When they invited Erwin to join their crew she was more than happy to oblige.
"So then why didn't you talk to her?" Stephen laughed. He was a huge kid. He stood a little over 6'4" and had long brown hair almost down to his shoulders. He was a little over weight but it was difficult to tell because of his size. He also festered an unfortunate neck beard that he refused to get rid of, despite his friend's complaints.
"Hey, I didn't want to interrupt the teacher." Mitchell replied defensively.
"That's never stopped you in the past." Said Sam.
"I don't know; he seemed like a nice guy. Christ, get off my case." Mitchell was starting to get sick of his friends pestering. They had heard about him taking the seat next to the girl from the ferry in socials and had been razzing him about it all day. He had never had problems around girls before, but for some reason he was finding it difficult just going up to her and talking to her, and it only made his mood worse. He didn't want to talk about it and tried to change the subject.
"You want to help me with the bike this weekend, Calvin?" Mitchell asked, sounding a little too eager.
"Well I thought she was hot" Darren said bluntly, before Calvin could reply to Mitchell. He was very stocky and had wavy brown hair. He pretended to be dumb, mainly to fit, but in reality was extremely intelligent. He didn't talk much, but didn't beat around the bush when he did.
"Fuck right off Darren!" Mitchell snapped, starting to lose his temper.
"Ya I agree, she was pretty cute. Even if she does have the weird hat. I guess text me if you want to work on the bike." Calvin pitched in dopily.
"Hey, she was pretty bangin now that you mention it." Sam chirped, trying and succeeding to piss off the annoyed half Asian.
"Fuck you guys. I'm going home." Mitchell practically spat, storming off towards the bus.
"Eh, pizza later?" Sam called after his angry friend.
"Fuck you." Mitchell called back over his shoulder. The four friends burst into laughter. He got to the stop just as the bus arrived. Climbing on he showed his bus pas and sat down. He heard a sound next to him and looked over to see Erwin, who Sam had just joked about him having sex with, sitting down next to him. He hadn't noticed her getting on and if he had he would have taken the next bus.
"Hey." Mitchell said, sounding none to enthusiastic. He liked the girl but he didn't feel like talking to her after his conversation with his friends. Erwin looked hurt but made no move to leave.
"Hi." She said, forcing a smile. Mitchell immediately felt bad. She didn't have any friends in a new town and was trying to change that. He had no reason to shun her because of what his friends had said.
"I hadn't realised that you'd driven tanks before. And winning nationals is pretty impressive. Is it big where you're from?" Erwin blushed slightly at the compliment.
"Thanks. Sort of, it has gained popularity in the last few years. I guess that's why they're bringing it over here. I'm sure happy about it; I was really worried about moving to a new country to be honest."
"Well, I'm sure glad we have a veteran on our team, especially a champion veteran. I guess that must really suck losing all your friends."
"Ya, I was really sad at first. But I guess I've already made friends here." Erwin noticed that Mitchell brightened slightly at her saying this. Although she had been referring to Amy and the other girls, she did consider Mitchell a friend as well. The bus came to Erwin's stop and she stood to get up. As it happened it was Mitchells stop as well. It turned out that he lived pretty close to her, on the block next to hers. They continued their conversation until they got to the intersection where their paths split.
"I'll see you later. I would meet you tomorrow at the bus but I'm usually pretty late for school." Mitchell said.
"Well I will probably be here around eight twenty. I'm not really a morning person either."
"Alright, well maybe I'll try and be there on time." Mitchell hesitated, and he turned to leave before stopping. "Hey, do you have a phone. If you want to hang out or something..." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh, uh, ya sure." They exchanged numbers and said their goodbyes. Erwin practically skipped the rest of the way home. There was no side walk and she walked along the road, next to the corn fields. The sky had remained un-clouded all day and she enjoyed the warmth on her face. The screen door slammed behind her as she ran upstairs, announcing her return to the rest of the house. Her mother called out a hello from the living room and Erwin replied happily before she remembered that she was supposed to be pissed off. She got to her room and dropped her bag. She debated doing homework before opting out to paint a challenger II model that she had been meaning to work on for a while. After putting on music and getting out her paints she got down to work.
She reflected on the day as she painted. She had made friends and started tankery again. Everyone seemed nice enough and a cute guy had asked for her number. She had never had much contact with boys back at Ooarai and no guy had asked for her number before. She considered that an achievement. If she wasn't careful then she might start enjoying herself.
Starting a new story focussed on Erwin, as she was my favourite character from girls und panzers. Other characters from the show will probably make an appearance later on but for now it will only be Erwin. For the record there is no such town as Port Ryan, at least in Canada.
There have been a few things that I liked the idea of from other Girls Und Panzers fics. Planes was one of them so you can probably expect to see that. There has also been some stuff that I really have not liked. An abundance of Marry Sues, boys who kick ass and girls who suck, in-accurate portrayal of characters. All of this stuff I will try as hard as I can to avoid. If, at any point, you feel like a character has been portrayed poorly then please post a review about it or pm. Make sure you tell me exactly what I did wrong and what I should do to fix it.
You also won't be seeing any "prototype" tanks that people seem to be all about. I hate the world of tanks inspired view of "coffee stain on Hitler's napkin that he doodled treads and a turret on" that people seem to be so fond of. I also pride my self on my world war two knowledge so you will only be seeing real tanks.
Any ways, as always feedback is appreciated. I will try to update regularly but I am working on two stories at once. I will try and keep it to every other week.
