Leaving the cafe and making their way out onto the street, Qrow had to shield his eyes from the sun. It was stunning how bright it could get here, he thought. Jonas wheeled around on the pavement through the crowd, turning to Qrow.

'Where to?' Jonas said, Qrow cocking his head.

'I dunno.'

'It's your choice. You're the one who wanted to come out.'

'I'm not quite the Bergwand expert as you are.' Qrow said. 'You decide.'

'Again?' Jonas sighed. 'Oh well. We'll go to Flescheur's, then.'

'The hell is that?' Qrow asked. 'Sounds like a damn butcher.' Jonas laughed.

'No, but I can understand why it may sound like that. It's a casino of sorts. A mix between a flashy American-style betting hole and the look of a more tasteful German bar. As far as places here go it's pretty new, somewhere carved out when people wanted somewhere fresh to go.'

'Plenty of American stuff around here, eh?'

'It's as I said, it's what's fashionable. Whether people like it or not, these things somehow have their staying power.'

Qrow nodded, and they started walking. Among the pedestrians, he could see something on the road ahead of them. A small truck, which hadn't been there as they had made their way there. It had an open top, and few men were working in and around it. They had an almost certain level of cohesion as they seemed to work, on what exactly Qrow couldn't tell until they got closer. Jonas chatted away in his ear but stayed looking at them momentarily. All wearing overalls, the four of them seemed to be carrying things between them, in and out of an adjacent building's basement which was opened onto the street. Between them, they carried what looked to be large metal sheets, which shone and glinted in the sunlight. They laid one in the back of the truck, returned to the basement, and came out with another one. It looked like some kind of bestial dance, hauling those massive pieces. Some of them were thicker than others, and the men seemed to exert more as they did so.

As they came past, Qrow kept his eyes on them. Now he could see a couple of others with them, two other men who were chatting. One, dressed similarly to the men hauling the metal, looked obstinate. The other seemed more enthusiastic and looked as if he were trying to push something. As Qrow and Jonas passed closest to them, the obstinate man seemed to break from his gaze at the other man, his eyes following Qrow. But he snapped his gaze back to the enthusiastic man as soon as they were far enough away. Jonas seemed to notice this and turned to Qrow.

'If you're going to ask if I know them, I don't really. Remember what I said about infrastructure, probably just someone getting renovations done.'

'What's with all the metal though?' Qrow asked.

'Probably just special insulation or something. You'd be surprised what some people think they need to keep somewhere structurally sound.'

As he spoke, Jonas' voice quivered slightly. Qrow barely noticed it, but it stuck out significantly amongst his otherwise smooth chatter. It was almost like he had struggled to say what he just had. But he didn't feel as if he wanted to challenge it, not yet at least. Not after the conversation they had had previously in the cafe. But part of him still wanted to bring it up when they got to Fleuscher's. It was as they passed the truck and the men at work that the crowd seemed to thin out a little. After a few minutes walk, Jonas pointed through the people towards it. It was a large building but still sandwiched between two other shops on either side. It had a great facade painted in mahogany colors with the name in a stylized script.

As they entered, Qrow immediately felt at home. The first thing was the smell of lingering smoke and the sight of the patrons with lights between their lips. For some reason, it felt comforting, giving the place an air of relaxation in contrast to the busy street outside. The place was built like the other pubs in town, with wood paneling and dark lighting. But in addition to the bars on either side of the room, there was an abundance of different gambling stations. Larger roulette and card tables in the center. Missing was perhaps the distinctive rattle of slot machines and the sectioned-off booths to accommodate them. While there were annexes like these clustered together around the room, they instead contained a strange array of flashing lights fixed into wood boards.

'What are those things?' Qrow asked, pointing to one of them.

'Little prediction machines. For all the other games going on around the room, people can hedge bets. It's all linked up somehow.' Jonas said.

'Seems a bit roundabout. Do people enjoy it?'

'From what I can see, otherwise, this place probably would've gone out of business. I think they hold professional competitions and things like that occasionally, so people do use those things.'

As they passed deeper into the long room, Qrow could see dining tables as well. Beyond them was a staircase that retreated into the first floor, and on either side were the booths selling chips.

'Doesn't seem too busy.' Qrow said.

'So what? Gives us a chance to find some especially plucky patrons to profit from. People have loose hinges when there's less energy, making it easier for us to win.' Jonas pulled out his wallet and handed Qrow some marks. 'Meet me back here in 10, and we'll see who's won the most. The loser buys the first round.'

Qrow smirked.

'Enjoy your race to the bottom, then.'

They both laughed, and Jonas bounded upstairs to the second level. Quickly, Qrow made out his first target. Sidling up to the edge of a roulette table, he stood opposite a sharp-looking guy in his forties. He almost looked out of place among the rest of this hour's patrons, but at the same time, he seemed to fit in perfectly. He wore a cotton jacket and dark trousers, and he had black hair which was graying on the temples. They both eyed each other, and Qrow leaned his elbows on the table.

'Ich spreche kein Deutsch.' Qrow said, and the man furrowed his brow a little upon hearing his accent.

'Amerikanisch?' He asked.

Qrow nodded slowly. It was what he had become accustomed to saying. He still didn't know any better than that.

'I will try my best English then.' The man said.

'Feeling lucky today?' Qrow asked.

'It depends. Would already losing twenty marks already make me lucky, American?'

'I dunno. You can always try and win some of it back, if that's why you're still here, of course.'

The man cocked his head a little and smiled.

'If there is someone willing, then yes.' He said.

'How about it then?' Qrow pulled some folded notes out of his pocket. His new opponent did the same, folding out his wallet with a fresh bunch of marks. He then waved over a member of staff. They like the rest of the people staffing the games dressed informally but had name badges to distinguish them. For them, it was a middle-aged man who stood at the side waiting for their bets. They both asked him for some chips, which he bought over. Both of them eyed the board.

'Do you know how to play?' The man asked.

Qrow had a vague idea, knowing three or four different ways of betting. Jonas had told him about them a few days before. It wasn't too outlandish for Qrow that he frequented this place.

'A little.' Qrow said, scratching his chin.

'Would you like me to bet a little lower?'

'No, that's alright.'

'What are you going to do then? Just follow what I do?' The man laughed a little.

'I don't see what's wrong with that...I might just learn something.' Qrow said, the man laughed again.

'Very well, fremder. Straße 22, bitte.' He turned to the attendant, who placed the chips accordingly.

Placing his elbows on the table, Qrow stroked his chin and looked at the grid. Hearing the man go from German to English so quickly was a little jarring, but he concentrated on the game. The man grinned wryly.

'Double street, 10 to 15.' Qrow said. He had put down almost twice as much.

The man raised his eyebrows. And watched as the attendant shifted Qrow's chips. After he was done, the attendant walked over to the wheel. As the wheel was spun, both Qrow and his opponent were raptly looking at the numbers. As the ball was placed on, the atmosphere spiked. Neither of them said anything. The ticks of the wheel added a punctuated stiff atmosphere. The seconds dragged out, as they waited for the ball to fall. Qrow had his eyes fixed on it. After a second or two, he flinched as he saw come within just two spaces of 23. If it fell, he would lose. He could almost sense the man smiling opposite him. Qrow waited for the inevitable. He furrowed his brow tightly and flinched, his eyes still snapped to the ball.

But then, the ball bounced on the rail, bucking it away from 23. It carried on down the rail as Qrow stood upright in astonishment. He saw his opponent do the same as the ball carried on rolling. His chance at a first victory was gone.

'Was in Gottes Namen?' He said.

The ball continued along the rail, rolling around the full length of the wheel a couple more times. Until finally it began to slow down a little again. Qrow still transfixed, grinned ear-to-ear as he saw it approach a number; 14. Both of them held their breath.

The ball kicked. It fell.

Qrow pumped his fist under the table and smiled. The man opposite rested his head on his palm.

'It's yours, American.' The attendant said, pointing to Qrow and shifting all the chips his way.

'Seems like my luck was still a little lacking, then.' His opponent said. 'I don't know how on earth that happened though. I know your boss would be better to have anything in here fixed.' He glared at the attendant. 'Enjoy your winnings, American.' With that, he turned tail and left for the other side of the room.

Qrow and the attendant exchanged a glance.

'Ich würde mir keine Sorgen machen. Viele Leute mögen es nicht, gegen einen Neuling zu verlieren.' The attendant said.

'Ich spreche kein Deutsch.' Qrow said, shaking his head. The attendant cocked his head.

'Überhaupt keine?' Qrow shook his head again. 'Might have been best to continue in English, then. I said not to worry too much. Not everyone likes losing to a newbie.'

'I can understand that. It felt like chance, though. Not like I have much skill I'm putting. Would you believe me if I said that was my first game ever?' Qrow picked up one of his chips and passed it through his fingers.

'Still, no reason to stop. We only get skilled if we keep practicing.'

Qrow looked up and snickered. It felt a bit rich coming from a croupier in a casino, somewhere where games were probably going to be rigged. The attendant himself curled his lip.

'Trust me. I've seen people come in here ready to lose, only to win bigger than they expected.'

'Are you sure they weren't just playing it up, buddy? Some people with skill get so good at something the only way they can get a kick out of winning after a while is to pretend they're the worst guy in the room.'

The attendant pursed his lips.

'A little faith never hurts. It'd be nice to think that they were indeed that way. Everyone could do with a win every now and then.' He sighed. 'Enjoy your next game. I may see you again soon, American.'

As he walked away from the table, Qrow spoke after him.

'I'm Qrow, by the way.'

Left alone at the edge of the table, he continued to pass the chip between his fingers. A moment later, he too got up and awkwardly brought all of the chips along with him to one of the prediction machine booths. Pushing the buttons on the board, he found an ongoing game. He chose his favored outcome and slotted a chip inside. Slumping forward, he waited for the result.

...

Hours had passed. Qrow stood pushed up against the bar, a cocktail in hand. There were more people here now, and more games were being played. Around him, people chatted with their own drinks, and the sky outside had darkened. Looking up and around, he finally saw Jonas edging around other patrons toward him. They both smiled and shook hands.

'Ready to pay up, Qrow?'

'Not really. I feel like one of us has had much better luck than the other.'

'Come on now, the cockiest are often the most misguided.'

'Just get your damn chips ready.' Qrow rattled his glass. 'I'm getting a little low here.' Jonas shook his head.

Turning back to the bar, Qrow produced a tray. On it, dozens of chips were scattered flat around the surface. Jonas scoffed.

'What the hell did you pull to get all these? Daylight robbery?' He laughed. 'Did you break into one of the damn machines? I ought to talk to the manager, I really should.'

'How about we just save him the hassle and see yours.'

Digging into his pockets, Jonas pulled his hands out in two fists. Opening them, he had a meager pile of chips in each. Qrow chortled and slapped his knee.

'Nice effort, buddy.' Qrow said as Jonas shook his head again. 'We all fall on hard times every now and then, it's okay.' He continued laughing.

'I played non-stop roulette for two hours for this, and poker for another hour and a half.' Jonas said. 'I saw you at that damn booth, as well, so you've no room to gloat.'

'There's a difference between being a bad luck charm and just having a bit of initiative with what's available to you. ' Qrow gestured to the rows of machines. 'Besides, I did pretty well with a game or two of roulette too.' Jonas tutted.

'How about I just buy you that drink and we can leave this in the past?' He said.

'Sounds like a great plan. Right, this way.' Qrow handed Jonas the tray and pointed him away to sell the chips. He grinned, and Jonas grinned back modestly.

After he came back, they sat down at a table a little way away from the bar with their drinks. Qrow had a sip and took a glance around the room.

'That was fun, I'll admit.' He said.

'What, beating me?'

'I mean yeah, of course, but the rest of it too. I'm surprised a somewhere like Bergwand would have a place like this, to begin with.'

'They say we are a town of moneymakers, cleft from the rest of the state by our mountains. Ever since the wine started flowing there's always been some guy with the right idea who comes along and sells up. I'm not complaining though. Beats having nothing to do.'

'Why did you bring me here, though?' Qrow asked.

'What do you mean? You said you wanted to get out, this was one of the first places I thought of.'

'Yesterday we were talking game about getting me a job and now we're out drinking again.'

Jonas curled his lip.

'That can still happen, I was just wary of keeping you in for so long. Besides, I wanted to get out myself anyway.' He ran his finger around the rim of his glass before taking a drink. 'Tell me Qrow, are you still as eager to get answers as you were when we first met? I'm not accusing you of anything, but after a week I'm just wondering, you don't seem as energized.'

He had changed the subject pretty quickly, Qrow thought.

'Yeah, a little bit. Everything kinda, of come into perspective a little more. When I woke up it felt like the potential to find out everything I wanted to know was just around the corner, but I guess now I've realized they might be a little farther away. You're right, that energy just isn't there anymore for me.' He paused. 'But that doesn't mean it hasn't been worth it.'

'How?' Jonas asked.

'You and Mauber, you're probably the best people I could've hoped to wake up to. Helping me at every damn turn, I don't know how you can bring yourselves to do it.' Qrow chuckled. 'Without you two I don't know what might've happened to me. And I've been trying to imagine what might've happened if I didn't run into you. It could've just taken a little longer to get some help, or I could've driven myself insane with the pressure of not having any. But either way, I've only gotten this far because of you two. And that's worth it.' Smiling, he raised his glass.

Jonas smiled back and raised his glass as well.

'You certainly make it sound worth drinking to. Prost.'

'Prost.' Qrow said.

They both clinked their glasses and drank. Jonas put his glass down and looked at Qrow.

'You say you don't get why I and Mauber would help you as we have, why do you think that? Don't we seem like the kind of people?'

'No, I just didn't expect hospitality like that somewhere like here in Germany which feels so foreign. The moment I spoke to those girls as I came out onto the street, quite a bit of dread hit me. I'll be honest. For someone who didn't know anything about everything it was a bit of a shock. But then a moment later you came along and put me right at ease. Well, that and after you tell me bout' the war, I kinda expected people here to be more hostile.' Qrow said, biting his lip. 'There's something I should tell you. Mauber already knows, but it happened that night we were in the bar.'

'Go ahead.' Jonas said.

Explaining what he had seen the boy in the bar doing, Qrow saw that Jonas look somewhat confused.

'I haven't got the note with me. But it said just that; "Leave us." I dunno what any of it was about. Mauber just chalked it up to me being a foreigner.' He took a drink. 'But that's not the only thing. It's not like I didn't feel right because it was creepy, it's like I felt something else. My mind just went haywire, and my skin felt weird. Almost like it was burning.'

Jonas' eyes had glazed over, and he looked straight past Qrow as he spoke.

'You alright?' Qrow asked. Jonas jerked his head around a little.

'Yeah, fine.' Jonas rubbed his eyes. 'I'll admit, that's more than a little strange. Even people who don't like outsiders wouldn't usually do something like that. You might've just been dealing with an odd kid.'

'I actually saw him once before, just outside your building.'

'What was he doing?'

'He just walked past me as I came out the door. Nothing really suspicious.'

'I wonder if I'd recognize him.' Jonas said, edging around in his seat a little. 'But no, it's a little strange of Mauber to put it like that. You're right to be confused.'

'It kinda freaked me out if I'm honest. I mean I was pretty out of it by then, but it was weird to just happen like that.'

'Yeah...' Jonas leaned forward across the table, sliding his drink to the side. 'Qrow there's something you need to know.'

'What? About this kid?'

'No, something else. Something I should've told you from the start really.' Jonas folded his face into his hands, his voice muffled as he spoke. 'There's more to this war than people might let on.'

'How? It all seemed pretty clear. You guys are fighting the Nazis, the government might be doing more than they're letting on-'

'Not this. I haven't told you because it's a burden for any of us to know. To speak about, even.' Qrow cocked his head. 'At the end of the last war, there were a number of things that happened. Things that changed the outcomes, put the Nazis in places they shouldn't even have been by the way things had been going. I was young then, but even I felt it when we found out.'

'What?!' Qrow blurted out. Jonas pursed his lips and continued. Qrow's expression fell a little.

'The allies. The Americans were beating the Nazis, and towards the end of the last war they had developed a weapon. A piece of ordnance, a bomb, more powerful than anything ever seen. More destructive than anyone could've imagined.' Jonas sighed.

'What does it do?'

'Harness atomic fission, this revolutionary new science which they had broken through on. Splitting the atom and creating a weaponized blast from the energy. It was meant to end the last war, that's what we're talking about. Hence why the Americans were bent on keeping it a secret. But that didn't really end up working out in their favor...'

'What happened? Did it work?'

'Thye never got a chance to let it work. We've never heard what their first target was going to be, but it was compromised before they even got the chance. The most consequential piece of espionage ever, some people have called it. The Nazis broke the containment around the project and made away with the plans.' Jonas shook his head and chuckled lightly. 'It was like the whole world was coming apart, Qrow. I remember that much. All that progress the Allies made getting into France, undone in a matter of months.' He chuckled again.

'Why'd they have to leave the continent? I mean, from what you're saying it seems like they were doing pretty well in that last war if they had gotten that far.'

Qrow remembered the Atlas he had looked at before. The border between France and Germany there had seemed trivial. If the allies had gotten so close to beating the Nazis in their homeland, he could see why it was a loss.

'These nuclear weapons. When I say they're powerful I mean it. The initial blast goes for miles depending on the payload, flattening everything, and incinerating everyone in the way.' Qrow flinched. 'You alright?' Jonas asked, noticing Qrow move.

'Yeah, yeah. Fine. Go on.' He withdrew across the table, sitting back in his seat.

'But then there are the after-effects. The conditions, the radiation which follows the blast is fallout. If the bomb is the earthquake fallout is the tsunami. It'll give you cancer from overexposure and kill you years down the line, if not worse.' Jonas raised his hand, his index finger up. 'That's what one bomb can do. Imagine hundreds.' Qrow nodded. 'Once it was out of the hands of the Americans, it was in everyone's hands, essentially. The Nazis, the Soviets, and the British. Even our beloved Free Germany, all of them and more have nuclear arsenals now. And, I know it might be a bit difficult for you to comprehend. But if one side attacks the other with nuclear weapons first, I'm sure you can imagine what the logical response would be.'

'Mutual destruction.'

'Now you're talking. Hundreds of bombs on either side. But after the fire settles is the real nightmare, we're told.' Jonas sighed. 'Ecological, climatological catastrophe. The sun blocked out, and the fallout was all over the planet. Everyone else is being left to starve, or something like that.' He chuckled. 'I hate if this seems bleak, Qrow. But it's been the reality for all of us for the past fifteen years almost. And since this war started, the fear that button might get pushed is just around the corner. Uncertainty, a deceptive government, makes us afraid. For the first time in a long time, it was like we finally had some hope, but I guess we're living with part of the cost every day.'

Smiling wryly, Jonas took a deep sip from his drink, almost finishing it. Qrow stayed slumped back in his chair. Under the table, his fists were clenched.

'Pretty grim.' He eeked out.

'Tell me about it. But I thought you ought to know. I wanted to tell you a couple of times, Mauber stopped me actually now that I remember. I'm sorry for not being clearer earlier.'

'It's fine. I just never woulda' guessed something...like that.'

'Well, the hope is that things are winding down at the moment.'

'How come?'

'The Nazis and our government both want to win this war. As of now, we're back into another stalemate but as I've told you there are stirrings of something happening with the withdrawal.' Jonas downed the rest of his drink. 'And while communication between our side and theirs essentially doesn't exist, it's become a convention that victory shouldn't involve a nuclear exchange between us and them. Goering may be an idiot and a bastard but he's no Hitler. He's not going to risk everything making a decision like pushing the button; he wants to keep the fight up conventionally. This isn't hyperbole either, two months ago there was a summit and our government and theirs agreed to shelf all land-based nuclear systems for the foreseeable future.'

Qrow cocked his head and relaxed his fists. Jonas laid all this out like it was nothing, and he was struggling to take it all in good time.

'But, that sounds like a good thing. I mean, people around here don't seem afraid. Maybe it helped.' He said.

'You'd be surprised. Germans hide fear well, one way or another. And it's not just fear of the nukes Qrow, this war's made even the most jovial Bavarian take a good, quiet look at things.'

Goosebumps bristled up Qrow's arm. In his head, the night at the bar flashed. In his mind's eye, he read the boy's note again and again. He remembered his dream. Jonas gazed into space.

'Can we get out of here?' He asked, downing his own drink. 'I'm about finished.'

'Sure.' Jonas got up. 'Enough talk of war for you today, eh?'

'Yeah.' Qrow shook his head. I hope there's something filling on the menu tonight, all the sweating over pokers got me empty.'

'How could I disappoint?' Jonas said, standing.

Both of them chuckled and disappeared from Fleuscher's. The air they left was still.