"isn't this great?" Curt asked as they walked into the dance hall.
"Ja, it's great to see so many German youth participating in a resistance movement, even if it is only to protest the prohibition of certain types of music and dance." Engelbert agreed. Curt snorted.
"Only you would go to a dance hall that plays swing just to spite the government."
The others laughed.
"Why don't you go dance?" Conrad suggested. "It could be fun. You've been working so hard recently and you should relax a bit."
"yes, especially after your close encounter yesterday." Heilmar agreed. "dancing could reduce the stress."
Engelbert stiffened slightly at the mention of it and everyone looked at Gerhard. Gerhard shrugged and took a couple coins out of his pocket.
"I'm going to get a drink." He said and walked towards the bar.
Engelbert sat down and watched as the teenagers and young adults danced across the floor. Conrad sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Go dance! It would really be good for you, mien freund."
"ja, it probably would be, but I dislike dancing." Engelbert replied with an uninterested sigh.
Conrad squeezed his shoulder once and then followed the others onto the dance floor, leaving Engelbert alone.
Engelbert sat and pondered the near deadly mistake Gerhard had made. Perhaps it would be better to have him with someone else next time. It was obvious that the man was attracted to him, so he was just a distraction.
There was also lots of planning to do, but Engelbert would have to be more careful now that he had already nearly been caught.
The blond remained in reverie as song after song passed.
"do you want to dance?" A voice called him back from his imaginings.
Engelbert looked up and saw it was Gerhard, leaning on the table for support. His eyes were dim and he had a dumb grin on his face. The blond stiffened.
"Wouldn't that draw suspicion?" he replied reasonably. "Even if these people want to spite the government with dance and song, they may not be supportive of everything."
"If anyone asked, you can always point out that I'm drunk." Gerhard shrugged still grinning. For someone who was so drunk, he spoke very well. Engelbert had to admit his point was valid, but the fact remained that Engelbert wasn't in the mood for dancing.
"Come on, come spite the government with me!" Gerhard said boldly and took Engelbert's arm, pulling him to his feet. Engelbert was surprised into submission for a minute before his mind cleared. He tried to pull away, but Gerhard had a strong grip, even if he was being gentle.
Engelbert was lead to the dance-floor and Gerhard started to dance. Engelbert didn't like being forced into anything, but it would be strange to go back to his seat after being lead out here, Especially because people were staring at them now.
And so the blond leader danced, despite his better judgement. He noticed that Gerhard's hazy eyes seemed to light up as they danced and a couple times, a laugh broke through his abused vocal-cords.
As soon as the song ended, Engelbert pulled his hands free and turned away from the drunk without another word, and Gerhard tried not to be hurt as he watched the beautiful blond angel leave him.
"How did Gerhard convince you to dance?" Curt asked as he slid beside Engelbert.
"He grabbed my arm." Engelbert replied dismissively. "Your assignment went well?" He asked. curt rolled his eyes at his leader changing the subject but complied.
"Ja, it well very well! At least, I didn't get caught." He agreed with a wink.
Now it was Engelbert's turn to roll his eyes.
suddenly the music changed and everyone started to dance formally. Engelbert could sense the nervousness in the room as the doors burst open and the SS walked in.
Gerhard fell into a seat in the other side of Engelbert and smirked as he watched the SS invade their dance hall.
"Maybe you should give them a speech and see if they listen." He said to Engelbert.
"You're drunk, go away and shut up." Engelbert snapped back. He hated mockery, especially of a topic so important as the persecution of so many groups of people in the country he loved.
Engelbert couldn't see the flash of pain the the cynics eyes, but he heard the man stand shakily and walk to a different table.
"That was harsh, mien freund." Curt said after an awkward pause.
"He shouldn't mock such important things." Engelbert defended himself calmly. He knew it had been harsh, but it had also been wrong of Gerhard to say what he had.
Curt patted Engelbert on the back and went to ask a girl to waltz with him.
Conrad took Curt's seat and smiled slightly at Engelbert.
"How are you?" he asked. "I saw you dancing with Gerhard. He seemed intoxicated."
"He is. He took my arm and dragged me onto the dance-floor, but by then it was too late to go back, so I danced with him." Engelbert replied simply. "And I'm fine. How are you?"
"I'm well enough." Conrad answered and glanced around to see where the others were. "The SS have left. Perhaps we should go." He suggested.
"Yes, I have a lot of work to do." Engelbert agreed and stood up. He put his long black coat over and wrapped his red scarf around his neck.
Conrad went over to grab Curt. The three of them lived in the same direction, so they always walked together.
Engelbert glanced around to see where Frederik was. He ought he had seen him that night, but it was hard to remember because they hadn't actually spoken. Actually, Frederik hadn't spoken all day.
He spotted the orphan leaned up against a wall looking troubled. Engelbert walked over and gently laid a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Frederik, is something wrong?" He asked. Frederik jumped a bit and looked at Engelbert.
"You know that I was looking for my parents, ja?" Frederik asked in a quiet voice.
"Yes, I remember. Did you learn who they were?" Engelbert Answered. Frederik nodded and bit his lip.
"I think they were Jews."
Engelbert was surprised and wasn't sure what to say.
"How do you know?"
"I was seeing the burial records for around the time I was found. The only record I found was of a Jewish woman named Chavah." Frederik explained relatively calmly. Engelbert nodded.
"You're adopted by Christians though, aren't you?" he asked.
"Ja, but..what happens if someone finds out?" Frederik said. He sounded afraid and Engelbert couldn't blame him.
"It's alright," Engelbert said and squeezed Frederik's shoulder gently. Frederik smiled slightly, but didn't seem very comforted. "Would you like to walk home with us? Perhaps you could stay the night with one of us."
Frederik laughed a bit.
"Not with you though, sorry, mien freund."
Engelbert smiled a bit in understanding.
"You aren't ashamed though, are you? There's nothing wrong with being a Jew." Engelbert asked after a pause.
"I'm not ashamed, nein. In fact, it makes me want to fight harder against the Nazi party. Im just a little afraid." Frederik assured him.
Engelbert nodded.
"Well, goodnight."