The Lion's Den
Upon awakening after a long deserved and heated nap, Grimmjow and Ichigo began dressing in full uniform. While the bandages and hat covered most of Ichigo's orange hair, the General gave him a black medical eye patch to conceal more of his identity so as not to rise suspicion. Being more dominant in his right side, Ichigo choose to falsely cover his left eye. With the entirety of the guise of the uniform, bandages, and eye patch, only those who knew Ichigo well would be able to recognize him now. The General's men were waiting outside the main office room as one of them knocked upon the door gently.
"General, your ride has arrived."
"Danke, I'll be out shortly."
Approaching the now guised Junior Sergeant, Grimmjow placed a firm hand upon the boy's shoulder as he asked, "Ready?" Nodding his head nervously as he took in a deep breath, letting out an elongated exhale Ichigo replied, "Yeah."
"Alright, and remember, your name is Johannes Friedmann."
"Yes…General."
"Sehr Gut. Always address me as that and nothing else."
Without any further interruption, Ichigo and the General headed out with his men into the heart of Nuremberg as they were soon dropped off at the SS Elite Party that was tonight dedicated to the introduction of new Nazi Youth. The party was being hosted by the Brigadier General, Stark Gingerbuck so it gave Grimmjow an option to arrive an hour or two later into the party seeing as how his presence was not entirely necessary, but nevertheless he was expected to show and expected to stay for a good while.
This was another advantage as by now the new recruits being initiated were already settled and mingling amongst amateur lower ranking officers from various other cities while the Nuremberg officers were stuck keeping night watch on the streets not to mention most of the attendants to the party would be well under the influence of alcohol and not as wary of their surroundings let alone up close detail.
Exiting the car, Ichigo saw officers everywhere causing him to tense as he kept close behind the General, followed by Grimmjow's five main officers as he was wary to avoid eye contact as least as possible. Some of the men took notice of Ichigo's new face, but didn't pay much head as they were tipsy, gorged in conversation, or assumed he was a new recruit because of the party's theme tonight. Grimmjow could feel the anxiety poor off of Ichigo as he placed a warm hand upon the boy's shoulder before approaching the main entrance door.
"Relax Sergeant. We're going to be here a while so might as well get used to the environment. If you remember at least most of everything we went over, you should do just fine."
Upon approaching the door, the two soldiers guarding the entrance clicked their boots systematically like cloned drones as they saluted the General. Grimmjow, his men, and Ichigo did the same in return as the guards greeted them, "Guten Abend, General! Sergeant!"
Sighing slightly, Grimmjow replied, "At ease."
Nodding their heads, they immediately stepped aside, not at all questioning the General or the young man that accompanied him. As they entered inside, the somewhat tranquil sounds of the night soon faded into surrounding murmur and racket as the band played upon a stage in the middle of the back wall that was adorned with a Nazi emblem wall scroll and in the middle of the stage itself stood a beautiful blonde haired German woman that sang in even tone to a classic uppity German tune.
Ichigo was immediately taken in by the sights around him, having only recalled once in his life that he had attended a party such as this. The only event that came even close to this large of gathering was his Bar Mitzvah at the age of 13, but while the atmosphere of a Bar Mitzvah is charming, cheerful, and fun; an SS Elite party was quickly beginning to feel like a stiff guise with the undertone of alcohol, ever watching eyes everywhere like vulchers, and a sense of powerful arrogance that lingered under specific woven fabricated threading that signified rank and title that demanded respect and if not given, would be wiped out immediately upon response.
Still, despite this crowded nerve wrecking noise, Ichigo didn't feel too badly intimidated by the rapturous mingling around him as there seemed to be a wealth of women here as well, none of which were officers but were mainly here as girlfriends, wives, or general attraction. The Nazi Youth that Grimmjow had mentioned before coming inside were all sitting at assigned tables near the back by the stage that they had walked across to receive their ranked badges just an hour ago.
Although most of everyone's gaze was distracted with fine drink and tasty morsels of snacks and treats, not to mention public displays of affection, the General's presence always caught attention of some kind as the man's aura seemed to create its own type of ambiance that demanded reverence, shoed away the too-nervous-to-approach, and wet the fair silken undergarments of the single ladies that had yet to catch the attention of a young man in uniform.
No, nothing could compare to the General's presence, his reputation preceding him as he finally sat down with Ichigo and his men at a table waiting for his arrival. A waiter immediately approached and ready to serve as he vicariously asked with vigor, "Mochten Sie etwas trinken, General?"
"Nein danke," Grimmjow replied, motioning his hand to shoo the waiter away as he wasn't in the mood to drink anything in particular other than water. He wanted to keep all his wits about him with nothing to distract or disorient his rational thought.
"Na gut. If there is anything you need, just pull me aside and I'll be glad to get it for you."
It wasn't long before Stark approached their table, sitting down at an empty seat that was across from the General and Ichigo. "Been a v'hile General," he stated nonchalantly in German accented tone, placing his hat upon the table as he slicked his hair back a bit.
"Heh, so they have you hosting parties now?" Grimmjow asked in jesting sarcasm.
"Jah, only für tonight. Quite boring if you ask me und of course ist probably better than the tedious task of juggling financial papers."
"Well at least you don't have to worry about getting your hands dirty."
"Heh, speaking of v'hich, I heard about that officer you shot in the marketplace."
"Jah, Na und?" the General's tone becoming goaded in nature as the subject matter was the least of his interest in regards to casual talk especially since the incident involved Ichigo directly, hoping the topic of conversation would quickly end before touching upon the mention of the boy.
"You are lucky that officer v'asn't of a higher rank," Stark further insisted in a nearly bored out tone almost desperate to talk of something more dramatic to distract his drone boredom out from the repetitive nature of the SS Elite parties.
"I couldn't care less even if he was. My district will not be run by amateur little shits that can't tell the difference between his dick and his head."
"Don't you mean to say run under Nnoitra's direct orders?"
Ichigo tensed as he could have sworn he was trying to swallow a dab of spit the size of a golf ball, feeling the irritation emanate from the General's composure. He kept quiet unless he was directly spoken to.
"You questioning my decisions, Stark?"
"Nein. I just find your…motives, for lack of better words, askew."
"My motives have zero tolerance for bullshit from cockroaches in uniform, regardless of what order they were given unless it's by the Fuhrer himself."
Stark sighed heavily as it seemed to not matter what topic of conversation he chose, it was always difficult to talk to the General even when under relaxed atmospheres.
"V'atever. Und wen sollst du darstellen?"
Stark directed his attention suddenly to Ichigo as he asked the boy to state his identity. Nervous to respond at first, the boy answered simply, "Johannes Friedmann, sir."
Although Stark assumed Ichigo was most likely a new Sergeant recruit of some kind, he questioned the boy's presence more under the company of the General. Not wanting to leave room for suspicion of any kind or digging questions, Grimmjow immediately explained further to Stark of the boy's role.
"Considering my military experience, I've been asked to supervise this boy since he's been recently put under consideration for a Sergeant for the Waffen SS. So far he's deemed himself worthy, but there's still a lot of ground to cover before he can be promoted."
"Ist das so?" Stark wondered quietly as he kept his gaze upon the boy, never wavering but neither intruding as he simply leaned his head upon his hand, taking a sip of the gin in his glass. Although Grimmjow hadn't warned the boy about Stark in particular, Ichigo couldn't tell whether he could trust the man or distrust him. Not wanting to give away his real identity, the orangenette kept his cool as he took a drink of a glass of water that sat near the candle in the middle of the table.
"So, Mr. Friedmann, how did you get those injuries of yours?"
Despite being prepared for tonight's event ahead of time, Ichigo hadn't thought about having a story to his actual injuries and neither did the General come up with one for him. Grimmjow was going to answer for the boy, but Ichigo stepped in with a rather witty explanation.
"I've been put in charge of checking artillery for faulty parts. I was going through a batch of grenades, one of which I was told by another officer that the grenade was a dud. They were obviously wrong when the so called dud prematurely exploded in a nearby crate of other faulty grenades, giving me rather grievous injuries as well as a few other officers, but nothing I can't live from."
Grimmjow glanced over at the boy for an instant, rather surprised at the clever answer Ichigo managed to come up with. The boy seemed to be finally catching on and Stark didn't show signs of disbelief of any sort and accepted the boy's answer more or less.
"V'ell, all in the line of duty, yah? Gut to know at least someone is doing their job. Gott only knows what faulty equipment could result in if gone unchecked. Gut v'urk."
The boy let out a silent deep exhale as he worried the legitimacy and believability of his story.
"V'ell, I better attend back to hosting. I bid you two gentlemen, Gute Nacht."
As Stark went about his own business, Grimmjow flicked his hand under the table as it tapped against Ichigo's thigh. The boy looked over at the man to find a big sneering grin crease across the General's face that seemed to hint of congratulations.
"Nice cover up, Sergeant. You really are full of surprises."
And then upon rare occurrence, Ichigo smiled as he was finally able to relax a bit more knowing he was playing his role rather well thus far. Leaning over slightly as he whispered to the General, "What is the Waffen SS again?"
"It's a multi-ethnic and multi-national military force of the Third Reich. It's the constituted armed wing of the Nazi Party's Protection Squadron. In the case of your rank, the Waffen SS normally uses you as a junior squad commander. Unlike the regular SS, for the Waffen you have to undergo a selection process before being promoted."
Taking a moment to let the information sink in, Ichigo further asked in a worried tone, "Can we trust that man Stark?"
Grimmjow exhaled through his nostrils in paused thought before answering, "Not an easy question to answer. Most of the time I get the sense that he doesn't give a damn about really much of anything, but other times…its best just to keep your distance. Don't assume they're on your side unless I say they are."
The party stayed at a heightened excitement as the band continued to play and the singer charming her audience with her soothing tunes. Upon being gone for a moment and soon returning, officer Shawlong leaned over the General's shoulder as he whispered into Grimmjow's ear a private message.
"I was eavesdropping on some nearby officers and they stated that Ulquiorra would be arriving soon to give a report on the Initiation party to the Fuhrer himself."
Grimmjow's casual expression tensed as his muscles flinched. He would have never brought the boy if there was any doubt of their presence being questioned together, but now with the unexpected arrival of Ulquiorra, the General needed to find an excuse to leave the party early before the Lieutenant General arrives. Grimmjow would just get drunk and leave had he not been so reputably defined already. The act would leave too many questions since most of anyone knew the General would never do something so stupid during an SS Elite party having attended each and every single one. Ichigo however…
The same waiter that approached their party table earlier started to pass by again as Grimmjow lightly flicked up his hand as the man quickly went over to him.
"And what can I get for you gentlemen tonight?"
Grimmjow snidely grinned as he ordered, "Give me a tall shot of the Green Fairy."
The waiter looked at the General in slight nervousness as he replied, "Right away, General."
Ichigo looked at Grimmjow quizzically as he asked, "What the hell is the Green Fairy?"
The General could only chuckle as the waiter quickly returned with a tall shot glass that bore the Nazi emblem as it was placed upon the table in front of the General. Then with an easing push of his finger tip, Grimmjow slid the glass to the boy as Ichigo looked down upon the glistening green liquid that sloshed about. Even though Ichigo was of legal age to drink in Germany, he had never once laid his tongue upon a single dropped ounce of alcohol in any shape or form so naturally he was repelled at the idea of even touching it.
"Drink it," Grimmjow commanded in a light jester as Ichigo immediately retorted, "No. Not until you tell me what it is." The General chuckled further as he answered, "Take a sip and then I'll tell you."
Sighing heavily, Ichigo slowly lifted the shot glass to his lips as he tilted it slightly, the drink moving horizontally with gravity as it caressed upon the boy's lips, slowly seeping into his mouth as it mingled with his tongue. Quickly swallowing just a small amount, it didn't take much before the Green Fairy made Ichigo gag as he quickly put the shot glass down, the strange green alcohol evaporating the second it touched his tongue as it seemed to burn the rest of the way down his esophagus, immediately sending a chill up his spine as he coughed momentarily.
"Not bad for a first timer. Congratulations. You've just now tasted the Green Seductress herself; Absinthe."
Ichigo flinched at the name, covering his mouth with his hand as he continued to cough a bit more. He never had drunk alcohol, but he was familiar with the infamous green drink's real name. "I thought t-they had—" coughing a bit further "…banned the drink."
Chuckling a bit as he downed half of the shot glass, letting the fairy seductress lure his mind from reality he replied, "Not here. Notyet anyway."
Pushing the glass back to Ichigo he ordered, "Drink the rest."
"What? That stuff is nasty."
Although Grimmjow wasn't frustrated with the boy's defiance, he answered back in his usual gruff tone, "That stuff I paid with good money. It doesn't come cheap so you'll finish that weather you like it or not. Besides you need to learn to let loose and live a little. It might be the last chance you have so enjoy it while you can."
It was a passing thought more than anything else, but Ichigo couldn't help but feel like he was a man on death's row having his last drink. It was an ominous feeling that made him cringe inside, but not wanting to argue with the General, let alone make a scene of any kind, he finally did as told as he did his best to slowly sip at the drink. There wasn't much left of it that he'd have to down anyway so might as well live a little like Grimmjow said, right?
"A more refined way of drinking Absinthe is to mix it with cold ice water. Will probably help dilute the potency of the taste," the General suggested as Ichigo immediately poured it into his ice water glass, tinting the color of the water a light green.
Then tilting the glass for the liquid to slowly pour into his mouth, he still found it extremely difficult to down it even in the smallest of ounces as he was already beginning to feel the effects as his cheeks flushed slightly, his body warming up like he had his own personal inner heater, which in turn made his uniform and hat a bit uncomfortable to wear from the mixed warmth of drink and thick wool clothing. A bit of sweat began to form on his brow as it lightly soaked into the bandages that covered his head.
"Have you eaten anything yet?" The General asked casually as Ichigo answered with a sickening look on his face, "N-Not since this m-morning. Uck, god this stuff tastes horrible." Grimmjow chuckled as he replied back, "Gut. Then it'll hit you fast and hard."
If one were to consume alcohol with food already in their stomach, the affects would be diluted and take a bit more time to allow a buzz to take effect, but on an empty stomach and with such a potent drink like Absinthe, Ichigo was quickly finding his vision to be askew and his face completely flushed over. Grimmjow felt a bit of relief as he knew they would be able to leave soon, the alcohol hitting his system as well since he too had only eaten since this morning before the boy woke up. Having a moment to breathe again, Ichigo continued to down his drink as best as he could as it continued to make him gag.
"What's the matter Sergeant, can't handle your drink?"
The General questioned audibly for others to hear as Ichigo couldn't help but to chuckle at the statement, finding it sarcastically bitter to swallow since it was the General forcing him to down it in the first place, but nonetheless Ichigo played along as he knew the General's reasons for jesting outward like this. His words became a bit slurred as he tried to reply back while resting part of his face in his hand as he leaned upon it with his elbow on the table, the drink in his other hand, another small chuckling coming on as his mannerisms were quickly flying out the window.
"I…yeh-heard…s-somuch a-about the fairy I…vwanted to g-give it a try. Tastes like shit..b-but…so good."
The boy's mind went in a daze as he lifted his head back up from his hand, letting out a deep breath as he downed the last bit of the liquid in his glass as it burned his throat like evaporating cold fire. The taste of strong alcohol made Ichigo sick to his stomach as he commented lightly in drunken speech, "M-M-Maybe I shouldn't have dr-ank that d-drunk afterall," and then he began to cough again, feeling the need to get up from the table as he very much wanted to get some air.
"It's so hot in here," Ichigo stated as Grimmjow was quick to rise as he grabbed the boy's arm and slung it over his shoulder just before Ichigo was about to stumble over, the Sergeant's vision heavily blurring. "Well, consider this your initiation into the Corps, Sergeant, but that's enough for tonight I think."
With his officers following behind him, Grimmjow slowly began to lead Ichigo towards the building entrance, but not without being stopped by a fellow officer of a Captain's rank.
"What is this? The General leaving so soon? And just when you've only begun to grace us with your presence."
Grimmjow chuckled in jest as he replied accordingly, "Yeah, well our newest Sergeant here couldn't quite handle his drink the way he thought he could."
The Captain chuckled back as he stated in agreeance, "Ah, well, boys will be boys. There's always next time. Take care General."
Grimmjow nodded, "Captain," as he then and finally was able to get Ichigo past the doors, the boy's weight leaning more heavily into Grimmjow. Ichigo's stomach was beginning to turn, but the cold fresh air from outside hit him quickly as it allowed him to breathe.
However, just when Grimmjow thought they were free and in the clear, the General caught sight of Ulquiorra's arrival as the Lieutenant was just now exiting his car at the end of the long entrance path. Grimmjow tensed as his men were quick to prepare his own car to be loaded into quickly, allowing the General to leave with ease as he was trying his best to pull Ichigo along without making the boy sicker with movement. Allowing his tense composure to calm to it usual gruff manner, Grimmjow mentally prepared himself to pass by Ulquiorra as the two came halfway through the walkway that lead to the front entrance.
The General didn't give eye contact to show he was distracted with helping the drunken Sergeant to the car, but he showed acknowledgement of Ulquiorra's presence as he casually stated while passing him, "Lieutenant."
Ulquiorra showed the same amount of casual respect as he stated back in his monotone voice, "General."
However, he kept his eyes on the General as the man passed by him with a Sergeant he had not seen before, not being able to help but feel it was odd Grimmjow was leaving so soon and as to why he was specifically helping one Sergeant out of all the other tipsy and more likely drunken officers that are usually found at the parties. It wasn't like Grimmjow to single an officer out at random unless…
His rationale was countered by the very heavy smell of alcohol that emanated from the boy as the two passed by as well as the fact that this was an Initiation Party this time around so he assumed that firstly, the boy must be a new Sergeant recruit, telling by the patches and shoulder boards the boy was wearing ergo it was very likely the Sergeant was under evaluation to enter into the Wafen SS. He had witnessed Grimmjow being asked to evaluate Sergeants before, so it wasn't anything strange or new.
Thirdly, that the boy must have drunk too much and needed to be taken home and if he was under the General's watch, then naturally it would be the General to escort him home.
Feeling that no more concern on the matter needed to be given, Ulquiorra simply made his way to the party, letting the thought pass from his mind for now as he would later question and confirm with Grimmjow upon the matter at a more appropriate time.
It wasn't long before Grimmjow had gotten his men and the boy in the car with Shawlong in the back on the far left, Ichigo in the middle, and the General on the far right. The ride was rather nauseating to Ichigo's stomach as he rested his head back and kept his eyes shut to avoid visual motion sickness, feeling the alcoholic liquid slosh side to side within his empty gut with the turning sensations of the car as it made various rights and lefts.
Grimmjow glanced at the boy periodically to make sure he wasn't going to throw up, but he felt if they didn't get to the office soon that they just might have to pull over for Ichigo to relieve his stomach.
"You did well. Key is keeping calm, but it's very unlikely they'd suspect you to be a Jew to begin with. They think that because of everything going on that the Jews would never attempt going under the guise of a German officer. Defiant attitudes, sometimes; the occasional gunfire barricade, rarely; but going under the guise of an officer with having to know specific knowledge to get around let alone correct paper work? Incomprehensible. They'll question a new face no doubt, but you should be able to slip by most places without being questioned too often let alone asked to actively take part in something if you're good at avoiding certain situations that call to action. We can talk about it a bit more in the morning just before I leave."
Ichigo felt sickened in his body and twirling in his mind, but he listened intently to Grimmjow's words and more specifically his voice nonetheless, but strangely enough it wasn't until now, under the influence of heavy alcohol, that the General's voice was oddly…alluring. He was used to Grimmjow's gruff tone by now, but sometimes when in a calm composure; Grimmjow took on an even deeper voice that talked almost peacefully with a heavy bass. It sent a small chill up the boy's spine just from listening to the sound of it.
Opening his eyes ever so slightly, he glanced over at the General who seemed to be peering out the window. He didn't quite notice until now, but Grimmjow had quite an attractive profile that seemed profound with the addition of the military hat and broad shouldered uniform. Ichigo felt a blush come on from feeling the heat emanate from the General from being so close to him in the car, his scent more potent as it seemed to seep into the boy's nostrils.
He couldn't explain why, but Ichigo had the sudden urge to be closer to Grimmjow, slowly leaning over and resting his head upon the General's shoulder, closing his eyes again as he felt motion sickness creeping on from having his vision open too much. Grimmjow chuckled a bit as he wasn't in the least bit surprised since Ichigo was rather drunk.
Then lifting his arm he placed it around the boy's shoulder, huddling Ichigo closer to himself as the boy's cheek rested upon the General's chest, the man's heart beating within the boy's ear as he listened to its calm steady rhythm.
Taking off his hat made it easier for Ichigo to rest his head as he kept the hat in his lap, the brisk cool air within the car now brushing through his hair and caressing his heated scalp from having the hat on for so long. Ichigo tried to enjoy this moment while he could since he didn't know, once the General would be gone tomorrow, when he would see the man again or if he would have another peaceful moment like this. And then with matching sentiment, Grimmjow rested his cheek upon the boy's head as he spoke softly to Ichigo.
"You'll make it through this. Just listen to your instincts and you'll survive."
