A woman was laying out her washing. She unfolded clothes from a basket and hung them on a line between two poles along the top of an adjacent building. She had fair features and wore a blue flowery dress with an apron, the colors of which the sun bounced off. Some part of Qrow thought she would see him, of course. He watched through Jonas' bathroom window. While the glass wasn't frosted to obscure views of what was within, it had a blind that could be closed.

As he washed his hands, he kept watching her. The buildings' rooves off the street and around Jonas' apartment were primarily flat and open. As the girl seemed to reach the bottom of her basket, she pegged the last item on the line and moved out of sight. Qrow sighed.

It had been about five days now. Three since they had visited the police station, he had filled out the paperwork. He could easily imagine some German civil servant pouring over what he had written, either taking it glumly or looking at it with some interest. Voigt had said that all the information he provided would be reviewed by the intelligence and war ministries, before being placed in the central government record. He had also explained all the laws and justifications which allowed them to do so, at which point he had glazed over a little. He also repeated his comments about Qrow going to a hospital or somewhere similar. If they weren't going to force him, he still wasn't ready. It still didn't seem right. And he was still just as reluctant to go down a path of medical questions and answers. Part of him was sure that if Mauber, someone who had studied medicine and practiced most of his life was still unsure, most everyone would be unsure. Mauber had even rung the apartment the previous day and talked about consultations with his colleagues and friends, which had still come up with nothing. Jonas joked that Qrow was now probably the hot topic over a dozen medical journals in the country. Jonas who, despite his eagerness to help Qrow, had kept them held up in the apartment for most of the five days. He hadn't even gone outside for a smoke.

Leaving the bathroom, Qrow found him still in front of the TV with a coffee in hand.

'How well do you get on with your neighbors?' Jonas looked up abruptly.

'Fine. The only one I really talk to often is Magda downstairs, sometimes I help her with cooking.'

'I think I might've pissed off the guy across the hall.' Qrow sighed.

'Why?'

'I woke up on the landing the morning after the bar, just after I had opened my guts up near his door.' Jonas laughed.

'That's unfortunate.' He carried on laughing. 'His name is Elmar. He lives alone, as most of us here do. I forgive any ire he may have given you.'

'It's alright. He was the one who decided to clear it up.'

On the TV was what looked like the morning news. A man in a dark suit sat with slick hair sat behind a desk, with a background showing a map of Germany, the ugly border with the Nazis showing fully.

'Why you gotta help a neighbor with cooking?' Qrow asked.

'She's ancient, Qrow. And besides, it's not so much helping as it is chatting about the week. She seems to want to get along with just about everyone in this building.'

'Doesn't sound too bad.'

'It isn't really. Better than some of the people you might have to share a tent with out there in the front or live within one of the cities. Coming from here I'd consider myself lucky. With all the people who resettled over the border in the early days of the war, space became a premium in the big metro areas. Space was freed up a bit after we took Nuremberg, but still, wouldn't be hard to find an apartment divided up between ten people in some places. Not that there isn't space, they say people just couldn't bear to live in the country where they could be occupied so quickly.'

'Wouldn't it be easier for the Nazis to hit so many people in one place?'

'Very perceptive.' Jonas nodded. 'But those days are past us. It's not like in the last war with what the British did to the Nazis and us to them. Bombing campaigns and the like.' He swirled his mug in his hand. 'For the best, I guess. Keeps civilians out of harm's way. They can't be used as bargaining tools like they once were.' Qrow nodded.

He was leaning on the back of the couch at that point and looked around the room. The sun was still out, and it seemed busy out. From the window of the front room, he had seen cars passing and people walking.

'Do you need anything from the store?'

'Nothing in particular.'

'You sure?' Qrow gazed out the window. Jonas said nothing. 'Give me some marks, I'll go get you something for lunch.'

'I'm fine.'

'Really? It's been almost a week of you doing everything around here and I don't get a chance to.' He paused and looked at Jonas, who stayed quiet. 'I'm hungry, I'll get myself something.'

'You know that might not be the best idea, Qrow.'

'Don't worry. If I run into one of our cop buddies I'll tell them I'm short on time.'

'That's wishful thinking. You've been picked up in accordance with a government order, not for committing a crime. If they want to bring you in for no good reason, they can. And I'd hate to think what would happen if they did. Not every officer in that station is a shining star when it comes to personal conduct.' Joans stood.

'Would Voigt even want me to get picked up again? Wouldn't he just send someone to your door if he wanted that?' Qrow shrugged his arms out as he spoke.

'That's not my point.' Jonas said before pausing. 'I don't think they'd treat you well.'

'I mean they haven't really, at all. It like felt we were gonna be interrogated rougher than we were.'

'No, what I mean is I feel like you'd be discarded. Your case is perplexing, but it's nothing compared to what's going on out there. That's the way the government is going to see it.' Qrow looked deadpan, but Jonas continued. 'I'm afraid they'd put you in a cell for the rest of it, or throw you to the dogs in some other way. What that means is you won't get the answers you're looking for. And worse yet...'

'There's what might happen to me if I don't.' Qrow said. Jonas looked up at him, and both of them paused. The noise of a passing car out on the street came through the window, straining the silence. 'I've been doing nothing but looking for answers since I woke up. If they stopped me from doing that, I might not take well.'

'Why not?'

'From the moment I opened my eyes, I knew how little I had. I knew I wasn't anything in this whole damn world. And I knew I needed to try and figure out who I was right at the start, Jonas. Answers were the only thing I've been able to think about since then. And ever since I found out about this.' He ran a hand over his arm. 'I've had more questions, and more answers to go with them. That's what I am right now. That's Qrow, B.'

He looked close to sulking over, standing curled over the edge of the couch. Jonas stood on the other side, his arms folded. As Qrow looked up, he saw Jonas stepping towards him. He placed a hand on Qrow's shoulder, softly.

'Worse yet, what might happen if you stop.' Qrow cocked his head and Jonas took his hand away. 'Those aren't the only kind of questions you might be able to get answers to yet.'

'What the hell does that mean?' Qrow said.

'I think your answers will come with time, that's what I mean. On a real level, I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like for you. But I do understand you're frustrated. You're fighting for something of your own right now, just as we all are in a way. I can't know all that. But what I do know is that when I was out there, fighting for something we all know even now is important, I still had questions. The state for which we were fighting, our trusted leaders, our faith in them was less than our faith in the cause. And our faith in each other.' Jonas paused. 'I still have questions about all that now, even since coming back.'

'I hope so. But how long? Neither of us can know that.' Qrow said.

'There can be other things in the meantime. No one lives a static life.'

'Like what? I've got no starting point for life like most people. No connections at all. Knowhere to start. That's part of what I've been looking for, I guess.'

'Is this not a good starting point?' Jonas lifted his arms up around him.

Qrow had a thought which had evaded him up until then. He hadn't considered what would be done with what he had built in Bergwand. Since being awake, he hadn't been alone as he might've been. Both Jonas and Mauber had given up their time to help him. Jonas had done more or less everything for the both of them, just after coming back from a war, no less. Jonas hadn't done much other than that, in fact. Despite coming from Bergwand he hadn't been out much, catching up with people or running after errands. Things that he imagined most people might be doing after returning home from a long time away. Not even one person had come to the door asking for him.

'A good starting point for finding my old life, yeah. But I have a feeling what I'm looking for might be outside Bergwand.' Qrow looked around and Jonas lowered his arms.

'Where do you think you will find that then? What will be the next step outside of Bergwand?' Jonas said.

'I don't know for sure yet. It's just a feeling.'

'You seem to have done well so far going off of feelings. You ran into me, after all.'

'That's true. I wouldn't have gotten nearly this far if that didn't happen, and without your help that followed.' Qrow said.

'It's been my pleasure.'

'Would it be your pleasure to let me out for today as well, then?' Qrow said, Jonas, laughing in response.

'Yes, if you like. Just keep an eye out, don't give them a chance to wring you out.'

'Why don't you come with me and we'll make sure of that together?'

'Why not.' Jonas said.

...

They sat inside a cafe on the main street. Despite its size, they had seemed able to elude it for much of Qrow's time in the town. Jonas lived over one side, and Mauber's practice was on another side. Going between them were a dozen large streets, including the one they had found Mauber shopping on before, all of which ended up on this one going through almost the exact center of town. Along it was the square, and at the end was the central church, which Qrow had yet to visit. This place was around halfway along, with a large open front window.

Qrow was about halfway through a few beef patties with a side of fries and salad. Jonas ate a carrot soup with bread.

'I apologize this place isn't the pinnacle of uniquely Bavarian food. In these times what's fashionable is what Americans, even here.' Jonas smiled.

The street outside was bustling, with plenty of families and young people out. While there wasn't a market as on the other street they had found Mauber the other day, there were plenty of shops and it was a superbly sunny day. Qrow gazed at the passing crowd for a moment.

'That's alright.' He said. 'It's good.' He noticed a group of teen boys, all dressed in lederhosen and sitting on the curb chatting. 'What do you do around here? When you're not taking care of guys with amnesia, of course.' They both chuckled.

'Before this war, all sorts. I used to work for a plumbing firm. Not as a professional, but at their headquarters. Out here all the infrastructure is old, things pass the due date all the time so places like that often stay in business. The pay was fine, but the hours could be long sometimes which I didn't love it. Other than that, I and my buddies would drink, sometimes in the place, we were in a few nights ago.' He smiled. 'I visited Munich a lot. It was our big city to go to, it was for a lot of people. I went to church and sometimes went for hikes with the people there. They were a group of veterans of the first war, mainly.'

'Did you get tired easily? I know those mountains aren't exactly easy.' Qrow asked.

'Of course, I would. But you get better responses to torpidity over time if you do stuff like a lot.' Jonas gazed out the window at one of the peaks creeping over the buildings on the street. 'I would do it when I was in school as well.'

'I haven't seen a school all the time I've been here. Where was it you went to?'

'One of the two local gymnasiums. There's a Realschule as well, but they're all on the edge of town. I would do it with my buddies there as well. It's amazing what you can find out there. Over the Northeast peak-' He pointed in its direction, but it wasn't visible in the window. 'You go far enough out, there's a vague path. If you follow that, you come to this little lake. It looks almost like an oasis.' He rubbed his nose. 'We would hike out there on a Friday, and spend the weekend fishing.'

'Was it ever dangerous?' Qrow asked. 'What with...y'know...the bears.' They both laughed.

'We always took a shotgun or something with us. We were trusted enough for that, at least.' Jonas paused.

Qrow, who had taken a bite with his fork, looked at Jonas as he spoke. He had rested his head flat on his hand and gazed out the window. For a good few minutes, he sat just like that, not seeming to betray any feelings or words.

'Where are they now? The buddies you'd do that with?' Qrow asked.

'Still fighting.' Jonas said quickly, not moving from his contemplative position. Qrow decided to leave that there and took another bite. At the edge of the table, he saw Jonas's other hand. He was gripping it tightly. More tightly than there seemed to be a good reason for.

'Enjoying all that?' Qrow asked, pointing to Jonas' soup.

'Oh, yeah. Of course. It's great. I love how they do it here.' He smiled. 'Nothing like eating a good meal like this with a drink. If it were later I might've suggested we go somewhere which actually serves them.'

'I wouldn't have minded that one bit.' Qrow said, smiling back.

'For someone who must be a foreigner, you hold you're drinking just as well as any German. I mean, there was what happened to you on your way back from the bar. But from what I remember you were knocking them back like there was no tomorrow. I vividly recall the looks on people's faces.' Qrow laughed. 'You'll quickly become a Kneipencharakter around here if you were to keep that up.'

'I hope that's not a bad thing.' Qrow said.

'Far from it. You'd be much loved. The only thing is maybe your not being able to pay for drinks with no money to your name.'

That night in the bar, Jonas and Mauber had been the ones paying, Qrow recalled. Emptying their pocks on his behalf. He had a sense that there was little he could do then in terms of making money. Then again, he had no idea how long he'd be staying in Bergwand. He still wanted answers, but they were no longer at the forefront of his mind as they had been. Things seemed to have settled just a little bit. He didn't feel like the man rushing down the mountain anymore.

'But I'm sure we can sort that out.' Jonas said suddenly, turning back from facing the window, smiling again. Qrow smiled back.

'Thanks.'