Chapter 9 - In Memoriam

After walking down to the second floor, they ended up before a nice and sturdy wooden door.

"Generalmajor Adolfine Galland, Wirtschafts und Rüstungsamt, Senior Leiter." Was what Toshiro read off the plaque on the door. "You're really a big fish, Adolfine…"

"There are bigger fish than me, but I'm the biggest in my division, heheh… Come in." She said and entered.

Toshiro saw a well-furnished office with a big desk before the windows, and a smaller one on the side. There were filing cabinets and stacks of papers everywhere.

They weren't alone in the room.

"Wilkommen!" Joachim stood in attention and shouted.

"Shut up already… What's on the agenda?"

"The stack of papers on your desk, Frau Generalmajor!"

"Okay. Now scram, I need your desk."

"Jawohl!" He shouted and ran out of the room.

"You really have a thing for commanding people…"

"I have to, Toshiro. I'm the first woman ever to be ranked so high, I have to set an example with myself."

"True… But looking at all these stacks of papers doesn't look… example setting…"

"Creative disorder… More filing cabinets would just cramp the room, and I know where stuff is anyway."

"And I kept such order in Romagna that you could use a ruler to measure it…"

"Yes, so I've heard from Minna and Gertrud. And the post-service inspection of the base went really smooth thanks to the ordnung in the papers. Speaking of inspections – sit down in Joachim's place, and help me."

"What should I do?"

"Take the stack of papers from my desk, and check the supply requisitions for any odd requests."

"Odd?"

"Contraband, weird stuff… Or check if they aren't requesting too much stuff."

"I suppose I can do that… But you'll double check this, right? I don't want to screw up a supply drop for some unit…"

"Of course I will, Toshiro. Now, on to work!"

Toshiro took the stack of papers and sat down at the desk. He started to sort through the order forms under the watchful eyes of Adolfine, and then, he found something interesting.

"Hmmm…"

"What is it?"

"The Vierte Fliegergruppe of the NJG 1 ordered 1000 barrels of naphtha…"

"How much?! That surely is a mistake… Wait, the 4th Flying Corps? Heh… You know, you can clear this one personally…"

"Yeah? I should call them?"

"Yes." Adolfine replied with a sly smile.

"Well, okay…" Toshiro picked up the receiver and said, "Operator? Vierte Fliegergruppe of the NJG 1 please."

"Understood, please wait."

After a few clacks and rings, a cold voice responded.

"Major Heidemarie Schnaufer."

"Did I reach the Vierte Fliegergruppe of the NJG 1?"

"Yes, please identify yourself and state your business."

"Colonel Toshiro Edelweiss, calling from the Wirtschafts und Rüstungsamt."

"Oh… Oh my… The Hero of Karlsland…" Heidemarie was audibly flustered. "Um, what do I owe the honor?"

"I was reviewing some orders for my boss, and I stumbled upon your latest order… I'm perplexed by the amount of naphtha barrels you ordered…"

"Why? We only ordered ten… Is that too much to deliver?"

"Ten would be indeed a reasonable amount, but I have one THOUSAND on my form…"

"One thousand? Mein Gott… That is surely an error… The correct amount is ten, Herr Oberst… I'm sorry I had to bother you…"

"That's why I'm calling – to correct the error. Don't worry, there will be no consequences."

"I'm s… Oh, wait a second… I think there's somebody that wants to have a conversation with you…"

"Huh?"

"I'm putting her on the phone right now. Good day to you, Herr Oberst…" Heidemarie said and soon another, very familiar voice replaced her. "Toshiro, is that really you?"

"Minna! You're in the NJG1 now?"

"Not quite exactly. We're an independent fighter squadron – Erica, Trude and I. But we have to have some base somewhere, so we're here in SInt-Truiden."

"Aaaah, right, I gave you the orders myself, heheh…"

"And where are you now, and why are you pestering Heidemarie, huh?"

"I'm in Neue Karlsland, sitting in Adolfine's office, going through supply requisition forms under her watchful eye."

"Huh? Why are you there?"

Toshiro sighed and said, "One thing would be that my grandmother suddenly got very ill, and… well, she died yesterday… I have a funeral at 1600 local time."

"Oh… You have my sympathies, Toshiro…"

"Thanks. The other issue is that I need to undergo officer's training, since I never had one in the first place."

"You didn't? Ah, you really didn't…"

"The next thing would be the development of my new equipment. Ursula has to customize the new prototype gear towards me."

"I see, that's really something that needs your presence…"

"And how are you and the rest?"

"Fine, I suppose. We're protecting the town of Sint-Truiden and a whole lot of Belgica. It's really nice here, despite the fact we have combat engagements almost daily…"

"Well, have fun you lot, I have to end this conversation, because Adolfine is already staring a hole in me."

"Hahaha, yes, yes… Have a good day, Toshiro."

"You too, Minna."

Toshiro hooked the receiver.

"You did that on purpose…" He said.

"Nothing I do doesn't have a purpose, Toshiro." Adolfine said with a smile. "Now, don't dilly-dally and get on with the rest."

It went on and on and in an hour, Toshiro finished.

"Finished." He mumbled.

"Oh? Gimme, I want to double check."

"What will I do now?"

"You can place your legs on the desk and not give a fuck about anything. It will take me some time."

Toshiro did what he was told, and after another hour, Adolfine said, "Good, everything's A-Okay."

"So, now what?"

"Now, we wait for phone requisitions and rabble calling me."

"And let me guess, I'll be your slave for the time being?"

"Yup. But don't worry, from tomorrow you'll be on your officer's course, so you'll be busy from 0800 to 1800."

"That long?! I hope I'll have breaks…"

"You will. And coincidentally, I'm working up until 1800, so I'll give you a ride back home."

"How damn considerate of you…"

"Heheh… Don't be so cynical, Toshiro. You want to retain your rank, right? For the money if from lack of other stuff."

"Yeah, I guess money would be a good reason to keep my rank… I'm engaged, maybe I'll get married soon… I need the money to build a house, plant a tree and… well, I don't need money to have a son, heheh… But I definitely need some to raise one… Oh, and how it would look if the Hero of Karlsland was suddenly demoted for such a petty issue, right? I have to keep up some standards it seems, especially for people like Inge…"

"See? Sitting on your ass for ten hours a day for about two weeks doesn't seem so bad after all, does it?"

"It doesn't…" Toshiro sighed.

Time flew by, with Toshiro answering calls, slowly getting used to this. At around 1430, Adolfine said, "Okay, Toshiro. Time to go to the mess hall, they're starting to give out dinner."

"I could use some sustenance…"

Toshiro said and the rumbling of his empty stomach underlined his utterance perfectly.

"A man's body is always honest to itself, heehee… Come on, let's go."

They ventured downwards to the first floor and to the west wing. Toshiro already knew that they were getting close, because the amount of people in the corridors increased substantially, not to mention the glorious fragrances attacking his nose.

"Aaah, its Monday…" Adolfine said after taking a whiff. "You're in for a very good and filling dinner, Toshiro."

"If it's at least half as good as it smells, then I'm in!"

They entered an enormous room, the size of a ball room. Robust metal tables and chairs were nicely put into long rows along the whole room. The counter that had a connection to the kitchen already had a line at least thirty meters long.

"Ah, damn… We got here too late…" Adolfine mumbled. "But let's go, the line will only get longer if we wait."

"How long will we keep standing do you think?"

"If it take more than half an hour, then we might as well go eat an enchilada out town."

"Then let's see…"

The approached the end of the line, being saluted from front till back. Suddenly, a ray of hope shined.

"Ohh, Herr Oberst!" Inge cheered and waved her hand towards him from the front of the line.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Could I be of any help?"

"If you can take three dinners on your hands, then that's what I would wish."

"Verstanden!" She shouted. "Consider it done, Herr Oberst!"

"Come on, Toshiro, let's take a seat then. If Inge set's herself a goal, then it's already fulfilled."

"Will she really manage to bring us dinner and one for herself?"

"If you saw the stacks of papers and ledgers she normally carries, you'd be wondering whether or not she's from a circus family…"

They sat at one of the free tables, both opposite to each other.

"Why not sit beside me, Adolfine?"

"I want to give Inge a thank you for her… sacrifice."

"So you want to allow her to sit beside me, huh?"

"Precisely."

"And girls still have delusions I could be their man, although it was clearly announced Yoshika and I are engaged…"

"Girls always have fantasies towards movie stars, Toshiro. Married? Doesn't matter as long as he looks like a god!"

"I suppose… Any experiences?" Toshiro asked with a wry smile.

"H-Humphrey Bogart …" Adolfine answered.

"Oooooh… The mature man, huh?"

"And you liked Anabuki…" Adolfine pouted.

"Perfectly normal. She was still in her teens when she starred in that movie of hers."

"Yeah, that misfired… You'd better look behind you."

Toshiro looked around, and saw Inge balancing three big platters. On each one, there was a bowl of soup with a slice of bread swimming in it, a plate with Schnitzel, Sauerkraut and mashed potatoes, and also a glass of something red.

"Holy shit…"

"Told you."

Inge approached their table, and placed on platter before Adolfine, then before Toshiro. She blushed slightly and asked, "M-may I sit beside you, Herr Oberst?"

"Sure." Toshiro said and pointed out the spot beside him.

"Oh, thanks!" She cheered and sat down.

Toshiro looked at the soup and asked, "Is this the famous Zwiebelsuppe?"

"Yes. Never had one?"

"Nope. My good Karlslander friends didn't make one. Ever."

"What a shame… But dig in, or it will get cold, not to mention the second course."

"Gutten Appetit then!"

The two responded with the same and they started eating.

A slight burp escaped Toshiro's mouth after he finished.

"Now I know why you're working out, Adolfine… Eating so much delicious food every day and not sortieing would surely up your size a bit…"

"Right? Our kitchen is really spoiling us…" Adolfine responded. "How was it?"

"Probably the best soup I ate, after Yoshika's of course."

"Then eat the rest, so you'll have a full scope."

The three of them ate their Schnitzel with side dishes.

"I'm so full…" Toshiro moaned, leaning back on his chair. "Is it always so rich on Mondays?"

"Yes. Since most people hate Mondays, the OKW tries to satisfy us with such feasts on that day. Does it work?"

"Pretty much… I can't say a bad word about the dishes… How about you, Stabsfeldwebel?" He turned towards Inge.

"O-oh… Well… I'm already accustomed to these dishes so… they're mundane to me now… But I too can't say a bad word about the food…"

"So now that we all ate… Back to work." Adolfine said.

"Agaaaaaain?" Toshiro moaned. "Shouldn't we be… you know… going already or something?"

Adolfine pulled back the sleeve on her left hand and looked at her watch.

"Hmmm… Taking the afternoon high in traffic in account, the fact that we shouldn't get to the service at last minute… Yes, let's go."

"Oh, where are you going?" Inge asked.

"Oh, right, we didn't want to propagate the news unnecessarily…" Adolfine said silently. "We're going to Toshiro's grandmother's funeral…"

"Oh, I... uh…"

"I have your sympathies, right?" Toshiro asked with a smile.

Inge nodded.

"Can I call you Inge?"

Inge nodded so hard her head chin almost bruised her chest.

"You don't have to worry about me, Inge, I'll be fine. I have Adolfine, uncle… Yoshika is on a trip to Europe, but I could probably call her anytime… It's not like I'm alone in this world… Come on, Adolfine."

"Hey, hey – that's my line!"

"Of course it is, hahaha!"

The two went on to the reception desk, and they saw two people waiting for them – a photographer with his trademark toothbrush moustache in a trench coat, and a blonde witch with glasses – also clad in a trench coat.

"Eri…" Toshiro tried saying the obvious name in this situation but he looked closer. "Ursula? You're here?"

"Good day, Toshiro. I appeared because the Generalmajor behind you requested so. And it's not that I was forced… You have my condolences, Toshiro…"

"Uh, thanks… But you really didn't have to come…"

"But I did. You're my sister's ersatz brother, why shouldn't I come?"

"Heh, well, you have a point…"

"So you're an Oberst now, huh?" Adolf asked suddenly in his gloomy way. "And there you were, almost a straight year ago, only a simple Oberfeldwebel, basically unknown to the world… Guh, how the world changes around me so fast…"

"Hohoho, I see everyone is assembled?" The Kaiser's voice suddenly sounded from the stairs.

Ursula saluted immediately, but the Kaiser waved his hand and she stood down.

"Let's go everyone. Toshiro, you'll be riding with me." Franz said. "The rest of you coup up in one car."

They exited the building. Two cars were waiting for them. One was a black Mercedes-Benz 770 with Josef, the driver Adolfine had in Britannia, and the other one was Adolfine's Kübelwagen, with Joachim standing beside it.

"We are riding my limo, Toshiro." Franz said. "You first."

"Oh, come on, uncle… You're the head honcho here…"

"If you insist…"

The Kaiser approached the car and Josef opened the door, bowing a bit while doing it. Toshiro entered the luxurious cabriolet with the roof now unfolded and the door was closed.

He saw on the side of his field of vision that the rest also cooped up the Kübelwagen.

Josef sat inside and turned the ignition. He put in first gear and slowly drove away.

"Where are we going exactly?" Toshiro asked.

"La Recoleta Cemetery. It's the best this city can offer. It's built around a church and the convent of the Order of the Recoletos."

"At least she'll get some honors after death… So she'll be lying amongst the rich and famous?"

"Yes, Toshiro."

"How nice…"

After a rather brief ride, they stopped before the gates of the cemetery.

"Expectamus Dominum…" Toshiro read aloud the sign over the gate. "We wait for the Lord… Fitting…"

As everyone assembled, they went on through the gates. The cemetery was different from Toshiro's expectations, because instead of normal tombstones, he was surrounded by vaults and mausoleums.

"So this is how you bury your dead in Latin Liberion?" Toshiro asked.

"This is how the rich do it." Adolfine explained. "The poor have their own cemeteries."

They entered the church, where the coffin with the earthly remains of Mary Edelweiss was standing on the catafalque. The ceremony began when the priest arrived.

After all the rituals in the church, and before the coffin was closed, Toshiro kissed his grandmother for the first and last time, gently, on the cheek.

Then, along with three pallbearers, he moved the now closed casket to the mausoleum she was to be buried in, followed by a small procession.

The casket was placed in a recession in the wall of the mausoleum, and after performing the last rites, it was closed off. Toshiro was given the keys to the mausoleum by the priest. He locked the door personally.

The priest and his helpers left them. Toshiro sighed deeply.

"It was a bit more depressing than I thought... Can I go home now?" Toshiro asked.

"Of course." Franz said with a soft voice. "But Adolfine still has work to do, so you'll have to make yourself comfortable."

Adolfine threw him a bunch of keys and said, "If you'd heat up the house and make supper, I would be glad. I could return around 2000, so I'll give you a ring."

"It's the least I can do…"

"And you can use my training room if you want."

"I probably will…" Toshiro replied and looked at Ursula. "Hmmm… I think I was supposed to say something to you…"

"Hum?"

"Ah! You have greetings from Tomoko."

"Oh, how nice, heehee… I always liked Tomoko, despite her weird BDSM fetishes…"

"Ursula, please, you're in a cemetery…" Adolfine grumbled.

"Oh, sorry… And Toshiro, I have news for you regarding your equipment."

"What is it?"

"By the time you'll end you're officer's course, I should have the new cannons ready, at least one of them, but the Striker still needs a bit of finetuning. But Helma is doing what she can while test flying the prototype."

"Did you just use the plural form of cannon right now?"

"Heehee, yeeeees…" Ursula smiled innocently. "You'll see, it will be a blast, heh…"

"I can't wait… Okay, who am I riding home with?"

"With me of course, hohoho!" Franz laughed and slammed Toshiro on the back.

"Heh… Yeah…"

They exited the cemetery, Toshiro first. When he passed through the gate, something bumped into him. Toshiro looked to his left, and saw a boy in a grey jacket and with a cap on his head. The cap had a coat of arms, with red-blue vertical stripes and the letters 'CASLDEA' written in blue on a white circle.

"Hey, watch out kid." Adolfine reprimanded the child.

The boy looked at them from the ground with big eyes.

"What, never saw the Hero of Karlsland with his uncle before?" Toshiro asked with a smirk on his face.

The boy shook his head.

"Come on, stand up, or you'll catch a cold…" He said and extended his hand to the boy. "Who are you anyway?"

"Jorge Mario Bergoglo…" The boy said silently.

"Are you Romagnan?"

"My father is…"

"What's that coat of arms on your cap?"

"That? That's the coat of arms of the Club Atlético San Lorenzo de Almagro!" The boy said proudly.

"Ah, is that a soccer team?"

The boy nodded.

"Then go on, little soccer fan."

"Okay!" The boy cheered and ran away.

"Heeheeheehee…"

"Why are you giggling, Yuki?"

"I just got some info from Amaterasu concerning that kid…"

"And?"

"Can't tell."

"Oh come on…"

"I really can't… But know this – you really don't know who you've met… And don't worry, twas' not some mass murderer, rest assured."

"Okay, whatever…"

Toshiro stood at the gate of Adolfine's house, with the keys in his hands. The rest was slowly driving off behind his back. He opened the gate, walked up to the house door, opened that one and entered the house.

Cold already…

He proceeded down to the basement. He made a fire under the boiler, and loaded enough firewood to burn for at least an hour. Then he went up and changed his clothes, and walked down to the training room. He worked out for an hour, and took a shower.

Afterwards, he just put on a record and sat in the couch. Just after it finished playing, he heard the phone ringing. He ran to it and picked it up.

"Toshiro, I'm coming home, start making some supper."

"Any preferences?"

"Just plain sandwiches will do… But you could heat them up, it's so damn cold outside…"'

"Sure thing."

Toshiro prepared the sandwiches, and using his powers he heated them up to the point they slightly crisped. He heard the door opening, and after a few seconds, Adolfine came in, still in her coat.

"Oh get dressed… I'm not letting you eat in that…" Toshiro said.

Adolfine quickly ran up, and after a few minutes, Toshiro saw her in casual clothes for the first time. She had a plain, gray sweater on, and no pants on. The sweater was rather long, so Toshiro couldn't see if she had something covering her bottom.

"Hmmmm… I like." Toshiro said.

"Do you?" She asked with a slight blush.

"Yeah, sure. You look so cute that I should eat a lemon to get a bit sour…"

"Oh you… Ah, sandwiches!" Adolfine grabbed one and took a bite. "Mhhhmmmm… Cwishpy!"

Toshiro also started eating. After the plate with the sandwiches was empty, Toshiro said, "Well, I think I'll turn in for the day. Busy day tomorrow and stuff…"

"Okay, sleep tight."

"Thanks, you too."

Toshiro went to his bed, undressed and hid under the blanket. But after only a few minutes, the door to his room creaked. Toshiro waited.

Adolfine approached him, threw off the blanket from him and sat on his waist.

"Oh look, Adolfine came to me. What do you want?"

She pulled out a piece of paper out of her sleeve, and ripped it apart.

"Pass redeemed, Toshiro…" She said silently and took off the sweater.

As he somehow felt, she was totally naked. Her chiseled body reflected the faint light of the moon.

"Any preferences on how I should do it?" Toshiro asked.

"Let me be on top for first… And you don't need to worry about 'jumping ship', I'm safe today…" Adolfine lowered herself and their lips met.

Cut content (hue) available on usual terms ;)

The 1000 barrels of naphtha is a reference to the "Concerned" webcomic, which I wholeheartedly endorse.

And if you want to praise/rant about my story, please leave a signed review, so we can continue via PM's. Seriously, I don't bite. Unless provoked :]