They sat in a corner room of the police station, away from the rest of the building. It was a large, gothic-style building at the edge of town which stood out significantly from the Mediterranean feel of much of Bergwand. All three of them were crowded around a small table with a weak lightbulb illuminating the room around them. They had asked if they were being detained, but one of the officers who had come to Mauber's door insisted they just needed some time to get ready for questioning them. Qrow found that strange, as the building had hardly seemed busy on their way in. There were officers at desks with the tunics off and ties loose, trawling over phones and typewriters, but there had hardly been any other people. It was late in the day, sure, but still strange that they had to be kept off to the side like this.

'What on earth did you say, Jonas?' Mauber said, rapping his fingers slowly on the table.

'Nothing I didn't have to, doctor. Would you rather I will be in custody for not cooperating? That's what they would've done. No different from being in the army. I was just acting appropriately.'

'Yes, but you came here to look at the register and nothing else. Why on earth did they get suspicious?'

'I was being thorough, something I thought you of all people might appreciate. I was in here for hours looking at the register before the officer who escorted me to your door asking what I was doing. Even the guy at the front desk who helped me find it hadn't noticed.'

'What did you find, though?' Qrow asked. Both he and Mauber looked at Jonas.

'Nothing.' Jonas said. 'No mention of a Qrow, B. No mention of any foreign missing persons in the state for the past two years.' Jonas watched Qrow sink in his chair a little. 'I'm sorry. To be completely honest I wasn't expecting to find much here at all, Qrow.'

'Don't be.' Qrow said. 'I wasn't expecting you would.' He scraped the edge of the table with his nails. 'In fact, I'm kinda glad they've picked us up. There's a chance we might be able to find out more, and just as big a chance I might get carted off without another word.' Jonas and Mauber were intrigued. Qrow looked at both of them. 'And, no offense, Bergwand is too damn small. If there's really anything we can find out, I have a feeling it's gonna be somewhere else. And what with the war on maybe, some of these cases were overlooked.'

'But the war's been on for years Qrow. Some issues like that I'd say have been fixed and others haven't. Besides, why do you think you'd be carted off? I know all this wartime secrecy stuff can feel too much. But with all its flaws the state here doesn't have an interest in people unless they're hindering the war effort or collaborating with the damn Nazis. Do you think you'll get designated a threat to public safety or something? You're not insane. None of us think that.' Qrow and Mauber exchanged a glance. Listening closely to the door, Qrow leaned forward and whispered to Jonas.

'There's something else, something I should have shown both of you yesterday. Mauber's already seen.'

'What are you talking about?' Jonas asked, Qrow gripped his fists together tightly.

'It's not easy to explain, you need to see it. But not now. When we get let out of here. Let's just say after that after yesterday, I've been thinking a lot about how close those claws got.' Jonas was confused. Mauber looked at him and nodded, a sign that it was best to listen to Qrow.

'Sure thing...' Jonas said.

'I and Qrow discussed a dream he had, Jonas.' Mauber interjected. 'We thought it might be a first step in figuring out some of his past.'

Qrow then explained to Jonas what he had seen in his dream, and ruminated on the fact he might be familiar with war. All the while as he talked, Jonas listened closely. As he lamented on the ongoing war, Jonas began bouncing his leg.

'Do you think that's possible, Jonas? That I could've had something to do with war before I woke up?'

'There's a chance. For years there've been international brigades on the front, people from other countries who've come to fight the Nazis for one reason or another. There are plenty of Americans and English speakers among them. But if you want my honest opinion I don't think it's likely you came from there.' Jonas scratched his neck. 'There are plenty of ways people can be exposed to war. Living anywhere in this country for long enough will do that to you. None of my family ever went to war before me. My father never got drafted into the Wehrmacht or felt any inclination to go and fight in the last war, he just continued working. But just listening to him talk about certain things that were happening as it began, and even about the first war as he grew up around that, left a mark on me. So much so that as we set out a few years ago part of me had some idea about what I was getting myself into.'

'I never knew that Jonas. That your father was never forced to fight under the Nazis.' Mauber said.

'We are the exception in many ways, doctor. Secreted away in the hills like this I'd like to think we avoided at least some of what happened after Hitler.' Jonas chuckled, his leg still bouncing. 'You know, I've often thought we've more in common with parts of Austria than the rest of the state.' Mauber smiled.

'That may be so.' He noticed Qrow's expression. 'Hitler was the last leader of the Nazis, Qrow. Replaced by-'

'Goering.' Qrow interrupted. 'Jonas talked about him when we first met.'

'Anyway.' Jonas said. 'There could be a dozen different reasons why you were exposed to war in the past, Qrow, and why you might be so fixated on it. But then again, considering how little you knew of the world when we first spoke and even now, it might be just a part of that.'

'Maybe.' Qrow said, still scratching on the side of the table. 'But I feel like that's gonna have to wait for now.' He eyed the door, and Jonas saw him doing so. A moment later, the sound of footsteps outside built up, and the door opened. Qrow saw one of the officers who had appeared outside Mauber's door, the one who had been without his cap.

On their way there, neither of the officers said much. It had been silent cooperation. But now Qrow was expecting to have to do more talking. The officer looked at the three of them.

'We're ready for you all downstairs, follow me please.' He spoke in English with an almost fabricated formal accent, smoother than Jonas' or Mauber's. He seemed middle-aged but had clear skin and sharp eyes.

They left the room, which from the outside seemed no bigger than a broom closet, and followed the officer. Their route took them back past some desks where the officers working paid little attention, and eventually to a corridor with doorways on either side. As they reached the end of it, they could see another officer standing. As he saw them, he produced a set of keys and started working to open a door to his left. As the door came into view, Qrow was confused. Where the others had been regular wood doors with round handles, this was a beefy, metal hulk of an entranceway with no protruding handle. It only had a keyhole. As the officer opened it, behind they could just see darkness. The older officer escorting them went first and flipped on a light switch. As they flickered on, he gestured to the group to follow him, the other officer following behind the three of them.

The stairs they traversed were solid, with a wood banister to the side of what seemed to be a passageway dug right into the earth. They were already on the station's ground floor, Qrow thought, so this must be a basement added later. At the bottom of the stairs, the room opened out before them. It was a long, dark space with covered lightbulbs in a row across the ceiling. On the far back wall were two doors similar to the first one they had come through. In the middle of the room was a long table with at least fifteen seats, and filed along both the left and right walls were wooden crates and other large stacked objects covered with tarpaulins and sheets. Jonas looked at Mauber accusingly. Mauber didn't notice.

'Apologies for the wait. We were having a chat with a detainee. I understand it may feel a little claustrophobic in here, but we've had to make use of whatever space we have these past few years as you can see. I'm Polizeioberkommissar Voigt.' He extended his hand for Qrow to shake first, and then to the others.

'I've seen you once or twice before.' Jonas said. 'Before we were deployed.'

'When was that?' Voigt asked.

'You were keeping an eye on the drunks at Weinbergstraße with some of your men.'

'That's a job we do quite often, I wouldn't remember the exact occasion. Regardless, we hate to catch you at such a time in the day, Herr Qrow, but there are some things we need to ask you.'

'Just Qrow's fine.' Qrow said.

'Of course. Not a name I can say I've heard before, but then again you Americans have been up to all sorts we can't understand since you lost in France. I wouldn't be surprised if naming conventions changed in part. Herr Lehmann here already told us of your situation. Frankly, I'm not sure why you haven't been taken to the hospital yet.'

'I was opting for some local help first.' Qrow said, looking at Mauber. 'Respectfully, I'm looking to be sent off to an asylum right away.'

'I'm suggesting no such thing. But it would probably be of some help-'

'I've been told there's no medical diagnosis in existence for my condition, so I doubt there's much they'd be able to add, especially being busy in the midst of a war.' Voigt pursed his lips. 'So, I'd rather that not be the only option I have, Herr Voigt. I'm looking for answers about my identity, not answers to medical questions.' Mauber cocked his head slightly.

'I see.' Voigt said. 'But I'm sure you understand if you've been told certain things about the war in question, that security is of utmost importance currently. I can't elaborate much of course, but the government believes we've reached a crucial stage in the conflict. And as a result, any and all things are of concern. The unaccounted for must be accounted for. And we, as civil servants and officers of the state, are currently tasked with bringing any outlying details into the fold of government accountability. And that means your case as well. I hope you can understand that a foreigner suffering memory loss who appears without explanation in the Bavarian woods is an outlying incident in the grand scheme of things. Whatever the explanation, which seems far gone, we must register your case and wire it through to central. That is all we aim to do here today.' Voigt smiled. 'You'll be free to continue seeking your own answers. We may even be able to help arrange temporary identification for you, which would be a necessity if you wish to leave the state.' He smiled again.

Qrow sunk in his chair again. There wasn't any getting away from this, he thought, so it would be easier to relent. If there were to they probably would then have a reason to actually detain him. He looked at Mauber and Jonas, who he guessed were thinking the same thing.

'Let's do it then.' Qrow said.

'Great.' Voigt said, grinning.

He gestured to the other officer, who walked off to the side and produced a pile of papers. He placed these down in front of Qrow and handed him a pen from his pocket.

'Let's get going, shall we?' Qrow sighed and clicked the pen.

...

Hours later, they finally left the station. An officer saw them away at the door and gave Qrow a look as he shut the main door behind them. It was dark out and the stars were visible.

'I'm sorry about all that, Qrow. Maybe if I had left sooner they might not have bothered.' Jonas said.

'It's alright, better to have it happen sooner rather than later, I guess. There's a chance they might just be happy with having me registered, right?'

'Yeah. Voigt was right in thinking your case is too strange for the government to ignore, but that doesn't mean their reasons for documenting every damn thing aren't stupid. Because they are.' He laughed. 'Just because something seems significant at face doesn't mean it's the enemy that's responsible.' Qrow nodded.

They were already bathed in some moonlight on the street, with the illuminated "Polizei" sign on the side of the building providing some more light. But the edge of the moon had inched out from behind one of the peaks. Qrow gazed at it.

'It must be pretty hard, fighting for a government that seems pretty broken. From what you're saying, I mean.'

'Not broken, just trying too hard. Trying too hard to make something different.'

'Isn't that a good thing though?' Qrow asked.

'Not if you're trying just as hard to win a war.' Mauber said, Qrow turning to face him. 'You know, my father, while not a soldier like you Jonas, had a brother who was. When he came back to their family home from victory in Paris, they expected him to be jubilant. Still celebrating a great triumph. But by then he had calmed down. And as he talked to my father he told him something which would then be passed on to me, and I haven't forgotten it since. "War makes everyone the same." That was it.'

'Quite right, in a way.' Jonas said.

Qrow thought about it, before taking his mind back to where they had just been. The dark, wet basement with the iron door.

'Either way, putting that plan into action has brought me out the other end with answers, even if they just open up to more questions. Or just more waiting. But I gotta keep looking.' Qrow opened his hands in concurrence. 'Even if Voigt comes knocking at you're door, Jonas. And while we're on that, if it makes sense to kick me out after today, then it's fine.'

'Not a chance.' Jonas said. 'It's their fault that they've made you part of their business, not ours. You can stay as long as you need. If he comes to the door, I'll deal with it.'

'Thanks.' Qrow said.

'And if you need anything else Qrow, call me. And remember what we discussed earlier. As well as what we discussed in there.' Mauber said, pointing over his shoulder and back at the police station. Jonas looks between both Mauber and Qrow at the same time.

With that, they waved and parted ways, with Qrow and Jonas heading way back to the apartment. As Jonas was working the key, he turned to Qrow.

'That other thing you two were hushing yourselves over in there, you can show me now.' He said. Qrow bit his lip. He hoped for a more tempered reaction than Mauber's had been.

After they had both changed Jonas fixed them both a drink out of the kitchen; a light-colored whisky that he didn't name. He also turned the TV on, which had sat off for a couple of days Qrow had been there. It was boxy and had a disproportionately small screen. The footage being played was of what seemed to be a commercial for real estate. There were grainy, panning images of scenic houses in the mountains with large gardens and indulgent views.

'There's a quarterly update on the war coming up. I guess you'd be interested in that.' Jonas said.

'Yeah, leave it on.'

As the end title of the commercial faded away, sure enough, it was replaced by a propagandic-looking one. Below what looked like the logo of the TV station was a strange composite image, barely visible in black and white. It was a large concrete structure. A building with a large open front flanked by rows of columns. Leading up the front was a wide set of stairs, at the end of which was a statue, sitting in the center of the buildings gaping central hall. The statue was a bronzed figure of an eagle atop a plinth, with its wings spread up and outwards, and its beak opens as if it were letting out a shrill screech. On either side of the image were two of the three-band flags Qrow had seen around. He barely had time to read what was below the image before it faded to newsreel footage.

Over the TV's speakers, grainy commentary had started. Jonas sat on his chair and took a sip of his drink. The reels showed more or less what Qrow had seen on his first day; rows and rows of soldiers, uniform and identical streaming into different towns. It seemed like there was little avoiding this withdrawal that Jonas had been talking about. The German commentary over the top of it all was nascently describing this, he guessed. A minute later, these were replaced by more dire-looking images. Footage of weapons being fired, wrecked armored vehicles, and jets in the air. Without knowing what we were being said, it all seemed pretty haphazard to Qrow. But one line caught his attention, as the narrator spoke over an image of a group of soldiers, smiling and joking with each other.

'Nach den Worten des Präsidenten war der Sieg nie näher.' With that, the quarterly seemed to end, and the commercials returned.

'All a bit on the nose, isn't it?' Jonas said, his eyes fixed on the screen. 'Not the least when you've been there. You glean anything from it?'

'No more than what you guys have told me.' Qrow took a sip of his own drink, the taste sticking with him almost immediately. He downed the rest of it. 'That reminds me. Back there in the station, what I said I needed to show you. Now would probably be a good time.'

'Of course. But I thought after yesterday you weren't injured.'

'You don't mind losing some knives and forks, do you?' Qrow said.

'No. Why do you ask?'

He disappeared into the kitchen for a minute and came back with a few pieces of cutlery, including a sharper knife than the rest. Over the next ten minutes or so, all of them were bent and contorted. Qrow placed them all on the coffee table in the center of the room, as Jonas and he began discussing it. Qrow was glad his reaction was more tempered than Mauber's.

'How powerful is it?' Jonas said, sitting forward and eyeing the bent knives and forks on the table.

'I don't know. The most it's done was protect me yesterday from the bear.'

'And it's all over you?'

'Seems like it. But it's like I barely even feel it. I think it just happens when something comes at me hard and fast, something that'll hurt me. Any other time, it's like it's not even there.'

'I've been appreciating the strangeness of all this, Qrow. But I wasn't at any point under the impression that magic was involved.' Jonas laughed and shook his head. 'This is the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen.'

'Mauber probably thought the same. He called it an act of God.'

'That doesn't surprise me. I hope he didn't lay it on too thick though.'

'A little. We ended up calling it a miracle, though.'

'I can see where he's coming from, but I wouldn't call it that. Something like this defies explanation, doesn't mean it's necessarily a miracle. But it's something you're blessed with nonetheless, it seems.' Jonas picked up the sharpest knife of the bunch that Qrow had used.

'What do you mean by that?' Qrow asked. Jonas sighed.

'What you saw on there.' He pointed to the television. 'That's never gonna be the full picture of what happens out on the front. Despite being sat in a hole for much of the time, there are things we saw out there which didn't have obvious answers.' He took a sip of his drink, placing it on the edge of the table. 'Things we'd talk about for weeks afterward without any answers ever coming about. If there's anything which made me more skeptical of the government, it was those.' Qrow eyed the glass. It shuddered as Jonas stood, edging further off the table. 'Those we can talk about tomorrow.' Qrow looked up at Jonas but started as he heard a noise. The glass had smashed on the floor.

'Shit.' Jonas started to pick up the pieces. He looked at Qrow as he did. 'It might be best for you to stay inside, for now.'