Lili Zwingli sat quietly and watched as various men walked into the room and took their seats around a large table. Her job was to not say a word and take notes on different ideas that presented themselves during the course of the conversation. She was sometimes asked to get coffee as well. It never really bothered her that she was treated as a servant by the men. All she wanted was to learn the ins and outs of running a newspaper so that she could become a successful photojournalist. She watched as her brother entered the room and closed the door. Everyone else was in attendance, and the meeting could begin.
"So, what is going to sell?" Vash Zwingli asked the men gathered at the table. "Our next issue needs to make a new profit record."
"We can report on the Party's movements to annex Austria," a porky man suggested. He had the stump of a cigar in his mouth that bobbed precariously as he talked.
"As much as I enjoy your loyalty to the Party, I believe that might be too straightforward. The German people want entertaining news, not propaganda. They get enough of that as it is."
There were a few low laughs of agreement at Vash's statement.
"We could talk about the Olympics. I'm sure everyone will want to hear about it since it will be held in our city," suggested another man.
"True, but all the other newspapers have covered that story. We need something fresh," Vash insisted. "Something that will set the Berliner Zeitung apart from the rest."
"How about mountain climbing?" Everyone turned to look at the greasy looking man that spoke. "I hear there are teams of climbers gathering in Switzerland to climb the Eiger."
There was a stir of excitement among the gathered men, and Lili made sure to underline mountain climbing in her notes.
"Are there any German teams?" Vash asked.
"Not that I know of."
"Then it wouldn't be a very exciting story," criticized one of the men. "Who wants to hear about the French or the Italians or the Spaniards trying to climb the Eiger? It's not very patriotic."
"What if we could find a German team to go?" another man suggested excitedly.
"That would be the story of the decade," Vash said as a smile grew on his face. "The century if they make it to the top first."
"Where are we supposed to find climbers good enough?"
"I've heard of a team." All eyes were on the man with the cigar. He seemed to enjoy the attention and took his time tapping ashes into a glass ashtray. "They're a team from Bavaria-"
"Like the team that died climbing the Eiger last year?"
"Yes," the cigar man said with an irked expression. He did not like being interrupted. "Only this team has quite a reputation already. I'm fairly certain they were in a Bavarian news article last week talking about their climbing career. They're a pair of brothers that are stationed at the military base in Berchtesgaden, I think, but I can't seem to remember their names. It was Beil something. Beil...Beilberg? Beilkopf?"
"Beilschmidt," Lili whispered to herself.
Her whisper must have carried further than she expected because everyone was soon staring at her. She immediately blushed bright red under their gazes and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"What do you know about this, Lili?" Vash asked softly.
"I...um...d-do you remember w-when you sent me to get firearm training in Berchtesgaden?"
"Yes, what about it?"
"I-I met Gilbert and L-Ludwig there. I know them. We're f-friends."
One corner of Vash's lips twitched up in amusement. Lili could already see the wheels turning in his head. When Vash Zwingli smelled a good story, he did not stop until he had it in his grasp. He dismissed the other men and motioned for Lili to follow him. The two walked to his private office, one of the perks of being chief editor, and he sat down at his desk. Lili took a seat in the only other chair in the room, which was across from the desk, without being invited. She had sat in the very same chair often enough in the past. It probably had something to do with being Vash's younger sister.
"Give me your notes." Vash never demanded anything from anyone, but his voice left little room to argue. Lili did as she was told. "Hmm. Not the worst meeting we've ever had," he said as he looked over what she had written. When he finished, he placed the notepad on his desk and opened one of his desk drawers. "I want you to go to Berchtesgaden."
"W-what?" Lili exclaimed in surprise.
"I need you to convince the Beilschmidts to climb the Eiger," Vash explained as he pulled out a pen. He flipped to a new page in the notepad and began to write. "I'll write you a note to give to the treasurer. You'll be given forty marks, which should cover the roundtrip train ticket and room and board. You should also be given a Retina camera."
"B-but, brother, this is all so sudden..."
"That's how journalism works." He tore out the note and handed it to his sister, who was still shocked at the whole ordeal. "I want you back in three days with their answer, and please try to make it a yes."
"But what if they-"
Vash silenced her with a look. "Don't doubt yourself or you've already lost," he said softly. "This is something only you can do. Why did you want to become a journalist?"
"Because of you-"
"What is it that you want to accomplish as a journalist?" he rephrased.
Lili was at a loss for words. She hadn't really given it much thought before. "I...I want to see something amazing. I want to be there when they write history."
"Exactly. This is the first step in making history." Vash stood up and moved so he was beside his sister. He placed a hand on her head and looked her directly in the eyes. "I believe you can do this. Now hurry up. You have packing to do."
Lili replayed the conversation with her brother over and over as she rode the train south into Bavaria. Nostalgia tickled her mind as she thought about going back to Berchtesgaden. Vash had insisted she have some firearm training just in case she ever ended up in a bad situation, so he had sent her to the Bavarian military base. She had gone along with his plan because he promised to help her get a job at his newspaper if she did. It never occurred to her that she would actually enjoy it.
The training itself hadn't been all that interesting, but she had a wonderful time talking to the different people that lived at the base. That was where she had met Gilbert and Ludwig Beilschmidt. The two were serving in the military, but they still spent a lot of their time climbing the surrounding mountains whenever they could. They were the ones who taught Lili everything she knew about mountain climbing. She had been secretly excited when the conversation among the journalists had turned to that topic.
In her mind, she recalled the many arduous expeditions the three had gone on together to climb the rocks and crags surrounding the Bavarian town. Unlike the two men, Lili was much slower at climbing and had less physical strength. She was always the last one to the top, but the other two always waited for her. They never laughed, other than the occasional teasing, and they never let her fall. She valued their friendship and trusted them almost as much as Vash.
Seeing them again would be such a treat. She missed the slow country life of Berchtesgaden, which was the exact opposite of her life in Berlin. The scenery outside of Lili's window whipped past as the train continued on its southern course. She was the only one sitting in her particular compartment, and she let out a soft sigh as her attention was drawn away from the window. The conductor was opening her compartment door to check her ticket. She glanced at the time the train was expected to arrive and almost sighed again as she handed the man her ticket. Most of her day would be spent on the train. That gave her only a day in Berchtesgaden before she had to leave.
"Thank you, ma'am," the conductor said with a tip of his hat as he returned Lili's ticket. He stepped out of the compartment and closed the door to check on other passengers.
Lili allowed herself to sigh, and her eyes wandered back toward the window. She absentmindedly fiddled with the strap of the camera sitting on her lap. It was going to be a long train ride.