Author's Note: I'll try to put "The New Woman" movement as much as I can, but if you're interested in the movement (which started in 1920, actually), please google "Ellen Key", "Margaret Sanger" and "Doris Stevens" among others.

Chapter Two

Cold Conversation

"The German wharf, my friends, that's where we are going," said the pale man who called himself 'Edvard' (he'd spelled the name for them, as if his name being written with 'v' and not 'w' was of some great import ). He's not a vampire. He's what King Russell would call 'day time helper' – a human being who took care of vampires' business in the day time. But it would be easy to mistake him for vampire given the paleness of his skin.

He moved fast. He came to them, introduced himself and said they had to leave. Arne Kragh was expecting them. He hadn't given them any chance to protest. Because soon after he had finished his sentence, he turned around and left, simply assuming they'd follow.

As they neared the wharf, the scent of fish, tar, corn and various other mercantile wares, combined to create a pungent blend. Sookie noticed the voices she was hearing were familiar, yet different. After some moment of concentration, she came to realize the people were speaking German, and not Norwegian. The tranquility she felt in the last days disappeared.

The German Wharf, or what the Bergen people called "Tyskebryggen", was still a part of Bergen. It's located on the east side of Vågen, the central harbour. Sookie wondered, if Germany invaded Norway, would they keep the name, change it into Bryggen only, or change the name completely?

"We should stay at the Stuene," Sam said. "This place smells worse than the Torget."

The Torget was the fish market at the main square of Bergen City. Sookie quite liked the fish market, actually. When she was a child, Gran used to take her to the market in Bon Temps. She liked to see all kinds of water animals, but her favourite was always the crayfish. And at Torget, she could see different kinds of water animals, since the fish they caught were mostly from the sea and not from the river like in Bon Temps. The crayfish were bigger, and the ones they called lobsters, they were like ten times bigger than the Bon Temps crayfish.

"Oh, shut up, Sam," said Debbie, "you get on my nerves."

"Mr. Merlotte," said Edvard. "May I suggest you keep your mouth shut? English speaking people are not exactly welcomed in Tsykebryggen, especially if they criticize." He said the word 'criticize' in a mocking tune.

"I thought Norway was neutral," said Sookie.

"We are. However, the Tsykebryggen is mostly inhabited by Germans." Edvard turned to them, looked at them closely and started walking again. "I saw you people walking around in the city the other day. How long have you been here, before you decided to introduce yourself to Mr. Kragh?"

Ten days. They had been staying in Bergen, for ten days. Debbie had insisted. She thought it would be better for them to know the surroundings before they got down to business. Just in case.

"Around a week or so," Debbie answered, smiling sweetly, but in her head she said, there's no way I'm going to tell you the truth, pal! "The city is too beautiful not to be seen."

Sam rolled his eyes. Yeah, right. You've spent your time drinking that thing you call a drink and fucking around, you're not interested in the city! How can somebody drink that homemade potato beer is beyond me!

Sam Merlotte did complain too much. What he called 'homemade potato beer' wasn't a beer to begin with. It's akvavit, a golden, almost amber color, liquor that was made from potatoes and herbs. She didn't have a chance to taste it yet, but she liked the color. It reminded her of the stone on Gran's silver cross – the cross that now belonged to her. She had that cross in her purse all the time. One day, she'd wear it, she always said it to herself. One day, she didn't know when.

But yes, the liquor was homemade. One of the men, whom Debbie brought back to the hotel, had a bottle with him. Akvavit – water of life, which made Debbie scream when she drank it for the first time. It had a strong taste, she said. Very strong, and she wanted more.

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Tyskebryggen," Edvard spread his hands.

Lines of brightly colored wooden houses stretched out before them in a neat rows. They were of a similar size and style: two stories and sloped roofs. Each floor had three or four multi-paned windows with a smaller attic window was tucked just under the roof's peak. They had porches on the front and where separated only by long narrow alleys used (Edvard said) as transport roads.

"They are all wood," said Sam. "Are you not afraid that they will burn, seeing that you trade flammable goods."

"We have fires from time to time," said Edvard. "But what is life, without a risk, Mr. Merlotte? Ah, you know the answer, don't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be here."

Edvard took them to the red house with a huge golden K & E KONTOR spelled out in huge golden letters over the lintel.. The men, clad in shirts, brown or black jackets, mostly black trousers and long black boots stopped working and started whistling appreciatively From their heads, Sookie heard them say words she hated and loved at the same time, what huge breasts!

She tightened her coat, instinctively. Yes, she had huge breasts, 38 D to be exact. They were always the main attraction, not her conversational skills, or her personality, or her opinions on world affairs...her breasts. One reason she had so much difficulty having a healthy relationship with a man, be it for business or pleasure, was because their minds always wandered to them, even during business meetings. Her intimate encounters mostly ended miserably. She couldn't think of a single evening spent out with a man where they'd talked properly. Far worse than business meetings, on a date their minds were filled with nothing but her breasts – how they'd look once they got her clothes off, how heavy they'd feel, what color her nipples were, it went on and on till it worsened to fantasies any lady would consider filthy. In a way, it gave her another reason to work for King Russell. Neither King Russell nor Talbot liked women. And if they had, she wouldn't have been able to read their minds anyway. From time to time, Talbot told her how lucky she was to have such a spectacular figure, but it was more envious compliment than naughty thought. Almost a woman to woman thing, well, except, Talbot wasn't a woman.

They entered and climbed to the third floor. Sookie forced herself to look straight ahead, though she heard noises coming from both left and right. Some were men's voices, and some were women's. They were wondering who the guests were and some of the men were admiring Debbie's face and body.

Sookie didn't know if the people in the office spoke it out loud or they said their words in inside their heads, but she agreed with them. Debbie Pelt was a beautiful woman. Her body was slim, but curvy. Her dark brown hair was short, right under the ears and curly. Today, she wore a thin khaki blouse, light brown trousers, dark brown mantel and a hat. Debbie loved wearing trousers. She didn't care about the disgusting looks she received from the women or the mix of looks from between perplexed and admiring looks from the men. Debbie Pelt was one of those women, who joined the new movement 'the New Women', who fought for the equality between women and men. Some said women who joined that movement were sick women who needed to be sent to mental ward. Women and men are different, they argue. There will never be equality, neither in mode nor in working places. And especially not in the home. Good women will listen and obey to their men. Period..

Sookie talked about it with Talbot and told him how she envied her sometimes. She wanted to be strong and tough; she wanted people not to pay attention to her not her breast.

"Honey," Talbot said, with his hands on his hips. His big dark eyes looked stern."You are strong. You have been through many things and yet, you're still standing and living your life. If I were you, I might have already crawled back to the grave and not shown my face anymore. You don't need trousers and other masculine behavior to prove you've got moxy. Your femininity is your weapon. Use it."

The door creaked as Edvard opened it, chasing her thoughts about Debbie away. "They have to put some oil on the hinges," he uttered. "Please, come in. Mr. Kragh will come in any minute."

The office of Arne Kragh was right under the roof. From the window, Sookie could see the view of the white sea. The ships were standing still, trapped in thick pack ice. The flags didn't move; a sign there was no wind.

As Sookie's gaze away from the window, she saw Sam and Debbie already settled on a long dark red velvet covered long bench. Some steps away from where they sat, was a table and a chair. She shifted her view to encompass the room.. There wasn't much else beyond a cabinet with some folders on top. On the wall, on the right side of the window, hung a shield with a shield with a design at its center: . A sword, with like-a-snake ribbon curled around it. Under the shield were a spear and a hammer.

"It's my family's crest, Miss. Stackhouse," a deep voice made Sookie jump.

Standing behind her was a man in his late twenties – early thirties. His shoulder length dark blond hair was uncombed. His eyes were pale gray. His square face bore a scar on the cheek, gave a kind eerie look to him.

"Assuming that you are Miss. Stackhouse," he continued.

"I am," said Sookie. She looked straight into his eyes and tried to go into his head. It was empty. Not a single sound came from his head, not even a whisper. He's a vampire.

"Sit," he said. "Please," he continued after a while, in the same commanding tone.

This will be interesting.

Sookie heard Sam saying in his head. As she joined them sitting on the bench, she saw Debbie eying Arne with such an interest. If there had been nobody else in the room, Sookie didn't want to know, what Debbie would have done.

"So," Kragh said as he sat on the chair behind the table and gave Edvard a sign to leave the room. "You want to go to Berlin,"

"We do," said Sookie.

"Because of a werewolf."

He knew. King Russell must have told him everything.

"Sort of," Debbie was the one who answered. "I also want to see how that dwarf looks."

"If you mean Adolf Hitler, Miss Pelt, he's not small. He's taller than you." He looked at Sam. "I believe he's almost as tall as Mr. Merlotte. You are 1 meter 70 – 75 centimeter, I estimate, aren't you Mr. Merlotte?"

One meter seventy-five centimeter is about 5'9". Yes, Sam is about that tall.

"You seem to admire him," Sam said, ignoring the question about his height.

"I don't," he said. "However, I have business to take care of, and most of my deals are with Germans. I need to keep my mouth shut if I want the things to run smoothly. And I suggest you to do the same when you're in Germany."

Sam looked offended. "I am not afraid."

"I didn't say you were. But what good will you be to Miss Stackhouse, if you can't keep your lip buttoned and end up giving her more problems?"

Sam crossed his hands over his chest. "I can assure you...,"

"Mr. Kragh," Sookie interrupted. She realized it wouldn't be good if she let them continue arguing.

"Arne," he smiled, or at least, it looked like he's smiling. His lips bent a little."For King Russell's friend, it's Arne."

"Arne...King Russell told me you'd be able to help us enter Berlin without raising any suspicion," Sookie forced herself to smile. "I'd like to know how."

"Where in Berlin? Berlin is a big city, Sookie...may I call you Sookie?"

Sookie nodded. "I don't know where in Berlin," she lied. Mr. Herveaux told her to go to Peacock Island, and he said repeatedly not to tell anybody about it. "I have to wait for somebody to contact me."

Arne looked at her thoughtfully. His pale eyes narrowed; his lips were pouted. After touching his hair several times he said, "You can go there as my guests. I have a small house in Moabit - Tiergarten Borough. But first, we go to Oslo, then Kiel. From Kiel we go to Hamburg; then, to Berlin.

"Why so many stops?" Debbie played with her scarf.

"Business, Miss. Pelt. I have some cargoes to deliver in the next two days."

"Are we going to go on one of those ships?" Sam pointed at the window.

"Yes, we're going to go with one of the Koggen," he said.

"Koggen?" asked Sam.

"Hanseatic cargo ships, Mr. Merlotte."

"Yeah, I know what a Kogge is. But most of them are old wreckages!"

Arne pouted. His jaws moved several time, then he said with a mocking tone. "Don't worry, I can assure you,you'll be safe."

Sam looked pissed. "Hey, if you have a morbid thought, fine by me, since you're dead already. But we aren't. And I don't like the idea to be on an old ship, in the middle of the ocean. It's like sitting on a dead trap!"

Arne's eyes flickered. "We could take the more modern ship, yes, it's true, but my ship is equipped with everything and every man that I need during the journey and during my stay in Berlin. The way I see it, Mr. Merlotte, you are very welcomed to go to Berlin on your own."

Sookie sighed. She was afraid this whole Berlin business would be more difficult than she had thought.

xxxxx

A soft knock on the door was like the last reason for Sookie not to sleep. She'd been lying on the bed, turning herself from right to left and squeezing her eyes so she could sleep. But nothing seemed to work.

Sam's nerves, the short and cold conversation between them and Arne Kragh, her worries about what might be happening in Berlin all twirled and twisted in her head and made her heart beat faster and her mind race on and on.

She got down from the bed, put her night robe on and went to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me. Sam."

She opened the door. "What is it?" she asked.

"May I come in?"

"Sam, it's in the middle of the night, I don't think it's appropriate for you to be in my room."

"I'll make it short. I promise."

She opened the door wider and let him in. She closed the door as soon as Sam was inside.

"I walked around the town," he said, "to investigate."

"To investigate what?"

"Kragh."

"Why? He's King Russell's partner, surely we can trust him."

He rubbed his nose and grimaced. "Something about him makes me feel uneasy. Everything about this trip makes me feel uneasy. Tell me, Sookie; why do we have to come here? Why can't we simply go to Berlin? Nobody knows us, and we don't work for the government. Our country is neutral. We are not Jews, so I don't see any problem at all for us to enter Germany."

"King Russell said it will make us easier if we have somebody who's familiar with the city with us. Honestly, Sam. I wouldn't be here at all, if my family didn't owe anything to the Herveauxes. By having somebody who can point us in the right direction and provide the things that we need, we can do our business faster. The sooner we leave Berlin, the better it will be."

"Are you sure that's all King Russell wants?"

Sookie looked at him. His brown eyes blinked rapidly. Honestly, she didn't know. She couldn't read King Russell's mind. If he had any plans besides helping,, she wouldn't know. "No."

"I don't like it," Sam murmured. "I don't like it at all."

"Sam," Sookie touched his arms. "What is it? You're so jittery...is there something you're not telling me?"

"I can't hide anything from you, Sook, you know that." He ran his fingers through his unruly brown hair. "This whole business...looking for a werewolf, who has a secret about vampire..,"

"Just a minute,," she cut him. "How did you know...?"

"You're not the only one who knows the real reason we came here, Sook. As soon as I knew we were coming to Berlin, I went to see Jackson. I forced him to tell me what's going on because I refuse to waste time and take chances with my life. I'm not going into hell not knowing what the heck I'll be doing once I get there. Look, I really admire what you're doing for the Herveauxes, but I think they're out of line.

"Besides, don't you think it's strange King Russell agrees...just like that? Even Talbot, who seems to love you...,"

"He does."

"Even him! They are vampires, Sookie. You, I or Debbie are nothing but their tools, or their prey to survive."

Sookie moved away. "I know that you're jumpy , Sam, but I think you are getting paranoid now. They are the most loving persons I've ever known. They never harm me. I know they could, but they don't. They love me."

"You just don't want to believe that they would.. They use you, as they use me, Herveaux or everyone else. Why do you think they accept you to work and practically live with them? Because you can read minds and because you have a generous heart and are old fashioned, and believe in honor, morals and dignity! Once they make you feel like you owe them something, they know, you will do anything to repay it."

"Sam Merlotte!" Sookie covered her mouth. Her eyes were wide opened. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Yes, she might be all that, but the way Sam said it, as if she was a naïve fool! It was hurtful!

"I am sorry, Sook," he wiped the side of his hand along his chin and shook his head. "I am really sorry, but you have to know what I think about King Russell and his people." He walked to the door. "Don't trust vampires too much, Sookie. They're blood suckers. Sooner or later, they'll leech all the good out of you, if you let them." He opened the door. "Think about it, Sookie. And stay on guard. You can't read vampires' mind, don't believe everything they say, and trust what your heart tells you. If you need somebody, you can always count on me."

Then he left, leaving her dazzled and confused.

xxxxxx