There were a few odd stares directed my way as I was pulled along down the twisting hallways by Neid. Most were glares of surprise, some smirks of superiority, and others with eyes wrinkled in confusion. I could assume it wasn't every day that someone saw an officer dragging a recruit along in some sort of fervent rush.

My commanding officer was hurrying along as best he could without looking foolish. He merely grunted at passersby who acknowledged him, saying that he had 'places to go. Now.' With every person that talked to him, Neid's death grip on my wrist tightened more and more, and after a bit I swore that my entire hand was going to fall off. It even began turning purple – Neid was apparently unaware of the power he had.

I might've protested against his talon, but it was my first day near him. Perhaps he just gave bad first impressions. That, and I really didn't want to get too many people against me – I rather liked having allies.

The minutes seemed to tick by faster and faster, and I wondered how long it was going to take to get to…wherever he was taking me. But when we finally arrived, I noticed by way of the grandfather clock that only around ten minutes had passed. My nerves were really getting to me…

Neid's office was a direct contrast to the man that called it his own. The walls were all a drab white, with nothing adorning them – not even a scratch. The grandfather clock I saw was sitting on the wall opposite the door. By it was a small stool with a pot of flowers on it. Other than those, and the desk and chairs that sat in the middle of the room, the office was empty.

Letting go of my hand, Neid traveled to the chair behind the desk. Lowering himself onto the seat, he said, "Haben Sie einen Sitz." And, after taking a short, deep breath, I did as I was told – I sat down, straightening my back and desperately not trying to give into the temptation to slouch.

Officer Neid folded his hands together on top of the desk's cherry finish. His purple eyes seemed to leer at my own golden ones, but his glare wasn't so much full of hatred as it was full of anxiety. I could even see his fingers, though so neatly meshed together, twitching. "By now, you're probably wondering what exactly the Sklavenheim is."

I gulped. "…Erlaubnis, frei, Herr zu sprechen?"

"Natürlich."

And then my tongue was tied in a knot. Although he had given me permission to speak my mind, I still found it hard to talk to him as an equal. He was so much more powerful and majestic than I could ever hope to be; and I wanted to argue with him.

Neid could apparently see the indecision written all over my face. "Weitergehen…" he coaxed.

Finally, the words found their way out of my mouth. "Part of me is wondering whether or not your mind is still intact."

My commanding officer threw his head back, roaring with gleeful laughter. He slapped his leg a few times before calming down – his face was red and small tears were escaping from the corners of his eyes. "Now…why would you think that?"

A shiver ran up my spine. He was obviously amused, but that didn't make him any less intimidating. I hated to object to his judgment, but I was wholly confused. "Maybe Nina and Alphonse are soldiers, but Lyra and Zorn aren't. They could probably barely hold a gun without shaking."

And then Neid began to clap. A knowing smile adorned his lips. "Very perceptive," he told me. "Although you shouldn't let appearances deceive you – little Zorn is very capable of shooting a rifle. But you are right about Lyra."

"Then why make them soldiers?" The words had slipped out of my mouth.

Before I knew what was happening, Neid had leaned over the desk; I could feel his breath upon my neck. His smile was wide and toothy. "Ich hoffte, dass Sie mich das fragen würden." Slowly, he went back to his own chair, but not before taking in a huge whiff of…something. I didn't know what he could be smelling, unless his nose was so sensitive that it caught the scent of the flowers. Neid shook green hair out of his eyes.

"The Sklavenheim is as it sounds – it is a slave house. But you've been racking your mind about what kind of slave it houses. Is it for a work camp? No, only Alphonse would be powerful enough. Besides, there aren't enough people.

"Is it for the food crew? No, there isn't a single pot or pan in the Sklavenheim's vicinity.

"Reconnaissance and espionage? Nope. There isn't any tracking equipment in there, either."

"So…" A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. "What kind of slave does it house?"

Chuckling, Neid leaned forward once again. "Think, Ed. You've considered every possibility but the obvious one. It's staring you right in the face. If it's not for working, or cooking, or cleaning, or assault, then what is it for? What purpose could the Sklavenheim possibly serve? Was, oh was konnte es sein?" He got to his feet and strolled around to the side of the desk I sat at.

My brain was in overdrive. Why did he have to be so cryptic? I had considered everything, and he'd shot each one down in a single breath. So what else was there…?

Neid was right beside me before I even knew it. His right hand rested upon my shoulder. "Think harder – it's so blatant."

No, it wasn't. What he meant was beyond me.

And then my commanding officer's head was right by mine. My eyes strayed to see his – his purple eyes were sparkling and full of barely-contained ferocity. Slowly, he lent into my ear, saying, "Haben Sie es noch, prächtig ausgerechnet?"

My eyes widened and the air sprinted from my lungs. I slowly turned to him, just in time to be thrown savagely against the desk. I landed with a thud, making all the papers fly off of it, in every direction. But all I could see was Neid above me, his hands clutching my wrists and pushing them down into the wood. His smirk was full of lust.

Officer Neid's head came down onto mine. He bit my neck and proceeded to roughly lick the new wound and its freshly spilt blood. A low growl of satisfaction emitted from his throat.

Bringing himself up, he took a moment to stare at me. Then he came down once again, this time shoving his lips onto my own. My eyes, at this point, were almost bulging out of my skull. I fought against his tongue, but it was too powerful – soon my mouth grew weary of resistance, and it involuntarily let him assume total control. His mouth was pushing itself as far as it could go, his tongue mimicking the action; I felt the slimy tip further back than my own had ever explored.

When he finally released my mouth, I was panting and sweating. I didn't need to look to know that my hair was an absolute mess.

Neid licked his lips. "The Sklavenheim is my pleasure house."

Translations:

"Haben Sie einen Sitz" - "Have a seat"

"Erlaubnis, frei, Herr zu sprechen?" - "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Natürlich" - "Of course"

"Weitergehen" - "Go on"

"Ich hoffte, dass Sie mich das fragen würden" - "I was hoping that you'd ask me that."

"Was, oh was konnte es sein?" - "What, oh what, could it be?"

"Haben Sie es noch, prächtig ausgerechnet?" - "Have you figured it out yet, gorgeous?"