'I can offer you...' The man checked his notebook. 'Two hours a day.'

Qrow jerked his lulling eyes back open. He had been close to dozing on the spot.

'What? Seems a little, uh, sparse.'

'It's all I have, Herr Qrow. All my other positions were filled in the past few weeks. Of the troops returning many have actually chosen to stay here as opposed to returning to their actual homes.'

The man looked around them. They were in the back of the store, a tight, dark space of rows of shelves and pallets. Around them, a couple of employees shifted from spot to spot. Sure enough, they were fresh-faced young men.

'I don't blame them. This place has grown on me, too.' Qrow grinned a little.

'I see...but that comes at the cost of fewer jobs. They may get paid reserve wages but those aren't exactly enriching. They're meant to just be lived off of. And neither is the pay I'm offering you, really. But my guess is that doesn't matter if you're lodging free of rent.'

'Yeah, I'll take it.' The man raised his eyebrows.

'Ok. I'll just need to see your papers again, in that case. And we can have you signed on right away.'

They were standing near his desk, and he turned on the spot to face it. After rooting through some draws he began scribbling on a form before extending his hand out. Qrow produced the papers from his pocket. They were in a small, passport-sized folio he had collected from the police station a week or so earlier. On the front was written in clear letters: "Vorübergehende Identifizierung".

'Thanks, though. I've been to a few places that were full or just wouldn't take me.'

'Do you know why?' The man asked.

'Because I'm a foreigner, or maybe because they thought I'm too old.'

'You don't look that old. Some of these soldiers aren't exactly spring chickens either.'

Thinking of the old soldier he and Jonas had run into in the square on his first day awake, Qrow wondered if that was really a reason and if the guy was just being polite.

'Or it might just be my uh...situation. All things considered.' Qrow smiled.

'Of course, your medical troubles, as you said.' The man leafed through some pages of Qrow's ID. 'No last name. You have my sympathies, having to put up with all that. I couldn't imagine it.' Smiling, he handed Qrow the papers back. 'I'll be in touch on the number you gave.'

'See you soon, then. Thanks again.'

He left through the shelves, winding his way through. As he approached the door to the front of the store, an employee rounded the shelf in front of him. One of the young men, definitely a soldier. He raised his eyebrows as Qrow appeared, and shifted past him, a few boxes held in his arms.

'Sorry.' Qrow muttered. The man said nothing.

The front of the store was almost as much a maze as the back. A few counters at the back of the room and shelves throughout. It was darkly lit, and sun rays lit up the dust hovering between the rows through the long front window. It reminded him of Mauber's upstairs room and the way the sun had danced off of the dust there. Walking through the shelves and close to the front door, he noticed something. A corkboard on the wall. There were a few bits of paper pinned on, but there was a poster too. Its edges were ruffled and it looked bleached from the sun, but the image on it was unmistakable. A German soldier. His helmet, the same one Jonas and all his comrades had been wearing, was unmistakable. Qrow wasn't surprised, propaganda was everywhere, and he guessed even the most mild-mannered store owner would want to contribute. Colored in red, the soldier knelt down talking to the silhouette of what looked like a child. Also in red, the text below both the figures read:

'Der Staat braucht die Zusammenarbeit aller. Sei immer müde.'

Qrow committed it to memory and headed out of the store. On the road, there was the usual mid-week business. A car came past as he stepped out, not a very common sight in the center of town. On his way, he stopped at a fruit stall and brought an apple with the few marks he had in his pocket. As with most of the shops on this street, similar to the main market street, many jutted out and business was done in the open during the day. Even after these few weeks, Qrow could barely put all the streets together in his head. Taking a bite, he looked around the street, catching the eye of someone over the road.

It was a pair of young guys, a similar age to those in the store. The returned soldiers all over town seemed to be at the heart of the town now, for better or worse. Jonas hadn't said much about what it had been like before leaving for the war, but Qrow got the impression that the locals who weren't relatives missing their sons in the war had enjoyed the quiet. The two guys saw Qrow too, and only then did he recognize one of them. The young soldier who had been accompanied by an older one, both of whom Jonas had been with before meeting Qrow his first day awake. Grinning, he was about to say something but was cut off.

'Wie läuft's mit der Unterkunft, Amerikaner?' They both laughed.

Qrow's face dropped, and he watched as the two of them strode on. Playing over what he said in his head, Qrow committed it to memory, as he had the poster. But the tone had put him off. Shrugging it off, he carried on his way back to Jonas. But it was a few minutes later that he was taking a break against one of the iron railings leading up the hill, that he felt a tap on his shoulder and heard his name. Turning around, he found Mauber looking up at him.

'Oh, doctor, how's it going? It's been a little bit.'

The last time he and Mauber had spoken was over the phone after he had talked to some of his friends and colleagues about Qrow's condition. The doctor didn't as lively as he had, Qrow thought. He looked a little tired, even.

'Well enough.' He said. 'I haven't seen you in a few weeks.'

'Yeah, sorry I've not been in touch. I meant to thank you again for getting in touch with your buddies. It just felt pretty reassuring hearing that we're not alone in being confused by all this.'

'It's my pleasure, Qrow. I was surprised when I heard that out of all of them, not one had a single concrete answer. We've been in the medical field all of, our lives. And it was the first time for us to be stumped in such a way. It pains me to imagine what might've happened if I had described your miracle to them.' They both chuckled. 'But then again, that can't have compared to what it must feel like living with it.'

'I'll tell you what, it's grown on me a little.' Qrow held his arm out in front of him, gazing at it. 'Thinking about it these past couple of weeks, it was what saved me from the bear. It hasn't been any kind of a detriment. It's just...made me wonder about my place in all this if you know what I mean.' He sighed.

'Existentialism will be the death of us all if we're not careful, Qrow. I would only dwell on it as much as you're comfortable.' Mauber cocked his head forward, his face full of humble reassurance.

It was strange coming from the man who'd been talking about destiny not so long ago, Qrow thought.

'What've you been up to then?' he asked.

'Seeing patients for the most part. To be honest, it doesn't beat the feeling of those first few days after you wandered into our lives.' Mauber chuckled.

'A little empty without any acts of God, eh?'

Mauber's smile dropped. Qrow hadn't meant for it to sound like that.

'Sorry, Qrow. It's been a long two weeks.' He shook his head. 'People are worried, getting anxious again. Like during...'

'The Konfrontationskrisen?' Qrow said.

'Yes, how do you know that?' Mauber said with urgency.

'Jonas laid it all out for me. The nukes, everything you all had to put up with since the end of the last war. I had no idea.'

Mauber shook his head. Slowly, he looked back up at Qrow, whose own confusion was beginning to show.

'I was hoping you wouldn't have to hear any of that...'

'Why? It's over now, isn't it?'

Mauber furrowed his brow.

'If you knew what it was like to live during all that, you wouldn't care if it was over now or not. Walk with me.' He tugged at Qrow's sleeve and they carried on down the street. 'All those years, the fear, the uncertainty, the possibility of annihilation like that! Do you know what that does, it strikes the heart. Tears the soul asunder.' He sighed, holding his arm out to stop them both. 'As a pious man who's lived his life in science and medicine, I can assure you of this Qrow; when the weapons we create rear their heads, they break us down. We've lived in the shadow of them for almost this entire war. The thought of not having to live with that anymore, of being someone blissfully unaware. It-' He stopped himself.

Qrow was listening, and he didn't look offended. But he still seemed struck by it. Struck in some way Mauber was becoming responsible for it.

'I was enthralled by it, wanted to protect it. I know I might not betray it much but I even get overwhelmed living by the "if" every now and then, so I wanted you to be able to keep your naivety. In hindsight, it was extremely dishonest of me. I apologize.' He shrugged his shoulders. 'Welcome to our reality. I hate having to provide something else to grow on you.'

'That's alright, doc. Thanks for being honest.' Qrow smiled, but after turning away for a cough, he couldn't help but pursed his lips. For all his initiative in looking for knowledge and answers, and having that vigor supported. It felt strange to suddenly have that trust ripped away as Mauber confessed such a reservation.

The sun was arcing farther and farther towards the end of the day, and their conversation had perhaps probably been going on longer than it had felt. Mauber looked like he had been on his way home, anyway.

'Anyway.' The doctor said. 'I hope that puts things into perspective, along with what Jonas will have already told you.'

'It does. Explains lotta things I've seen going on around here, too.'

'Therein lies the silver lining, the one I see anyway. Remember: none of us are alone in this war Qrow. Despite the fear, despite the misery. There is still a place for laughter and irony, for...inebriation.' They both laughed sharply. 'As you have seen and enjoyed. As long as you're with Germans, Qrow, annihilation can always seem trivial. And despite it, those things we need and enjoy may still live. Those things that we lost so easily before, and hardly gave up a fight to get back.'

For the last time, Mauber's face seemed to return to glumness. But then, his expression returned to his signature smile.

'I see.' Qrow said. 'I'll remember that. If there's ever a dull moment, I'll remember it. Thanks, doc. But I better be going, I don't know for sure Jonas is making dinner but there's a chance he is.'

'Ah, yes. Jonas.' Mauber said, chuckling. 'You two seem to have settled in well together. Say hello to him for me. We haven't spoken in these past weeks.'

'Of course. I'll let him know you're still kicking. And maybe we had this conversation as well, make sure he knows his talk about annihilation wasn't for nothing.'

Mauber didn't laugh, but he retained his smile. Qrow thought it was a little odd. For all his joviality, the doctor could make any moment feel just as silent.

'Do you think he's a good friend, Qrow?' He asked.

Qrow cocked his head.

'Yeah, of course. I mean, he hasn't given me any reason to think not. I mean, he saved my life pretty much. Got rid of that bear.'

Mauber, still smiling, reached up and patted him on the shoulder. The assurance in his eyes was unmistakable. What it was for, Qrow had no idea.

'Never be afraid to ask him what was left at the front. It might be more important than you think. Goodbye, Qrow.'

Removing his hand, Mauber turned and began to leave, Qrow seeing the smile on his face disappear around as he did. Watched him almost shuffle away, the sun cut out his shadow against the street sloping down and away. The blackness of his back blended into the shadows of the paving stones and chiseled his shape into the orange glow on the edge of the mountain beyond.

What any of that meant was beyond Qrow. He watched Mauber walking away for a while, leaning on one of the railings. For some reason, part of him didn't want to know.

...

It was twilight. The grit on the surface of the roof dug into his knees, his fingers knotted and aching as he tried to work away the stress on the wires. There was a navy blue one which seemed to be the issue. Bunching them together in his left, he began to work his right in. Finally, he caught it over his index finger. Pulling it forward from the bunch, he could now see the issue; the rubber had frayed all the way through, save for a small chunk on the back.

Jonas sighed with relief. He was getting tired, a sign that the day may as well almost be over. His and many of the surrounding buildings were flat-topped and in many cases they were accessible. Some even had clotheslines. A woman in the opposite building often put her washing out, and they would exchange a wave if Jonas was also up there. But they hadn't as of late, on account of Jonas' own absence from the roof. Today he had been trying to fix an electrical fault that ran down to the living room, a lagging current in some of the wires. At least now he knew what to tell the electrician, even if he couldn't now fix it himself.

Packing up the tools he had scarcely been using, he descended the stairs. They came out of the room from a trapdoor-shaped opening which was covered by a loose square of wood, heavy enough not to be blown away. As he carried on to the main staircase and back to his floor, he felt for his keys. They were still inside the apartment. Knocking, he waited for Qrow to answer the door. There was a strange air to things around town now, he thought. Perhaps he was still adapting to really being back. Running into Qrow and everything that followed made things feel different as well.

He didn't have time to put the devil to the details, as Qrow soon opened the door, a confused expression on his face.

'No key?'

'I left it in.' Jonas paused. 'Are you cooking?'

The smell was unmistakable, along with sizzling coming from the kitchen.

'I didn't know how long you were gonna be.'

'Well, thanks.' Jonas made his way in, Qrow returning to the kitchen. 'I appreciate how boring it might be to have me do it every day. But if that's the sitrep I may as well take to the couch.'

'By all means.' Qrow said.

Leaving the toolbox haphazardly on the floor, Jonas flopped down in front of the TV. The regular newsreels and evening programs were playing, and the familiar image of men with oiled hair and dark suits talking over a newsdesk was present. But Jonas noticed something different.

'Herr Brüner's on the TV.' Jonas shouted to the kitchen.

'I thought he was the radio guy?''

'He is, usually. Mauber likes him.'

On the coffee table in front of the TV, there was a small bowl of cashews. He popped some in his mouth and chewed them violently before kicking his boots off at the foot of the couch. Brüner and the other man seemed to have already been talking at length throughout the program.

'Sie müssen verstehen, wenn wirklich etwas in der von Ihnen vorgeschlagenen Größenordnung geplant wäre, dann wären wir von der Regierung informiert worden. The man accompanying Brüner chuckled out.

'Aber ich bin sicher, Sie verstehen, was diese Gerüchte für die Menschen bedeuten würden, wenn sie wahr wären. Nach so vielen Jahren einer stagnierenden Front, nicht weniger.' Brüner said.

Jonas was listening closely before Qrow shouted from the kitchen.

'Took you a while up there, huh? Was it bad?'

'Yeah, I can't fix it, so I'm gonna get the guy in tomorrow to look at it. Just means there's gonna be patchy lights in here for a little longer.'

He looked up at the living room light. The TV was the only light in the room, along with a slither of light coming in from the curtain. Jonas thought about how long he had spent up there, almost half the afternoon. Struggling to open the cover to the wires, then checking each one, before realizing much later that the culprit one was hidden in the back of the bunch. He grabbed another handful of cashews and began chewing them down. Turning to look at the door to the kitchen, he pursed his lips.

'It's strange being up there for that long. Too quiet.'

'Nice view, though.' Qrow said.

Walking into the living room, he had two plates in hand. As he set them down, Jonas got a good look; vegetables and Weißwurst in some kind of red sauce. It smelt thick of tomatoes and spice, appetizing Jonas even more after his work. As he admired it, Qrow had left and returned with cutlery. Picking up his fork, Jonas paused.

'I haven't smoked in the past three weeks.'

'Huh?' Qrow said, already sitting down and leaning over his plate for a bite.

'The last time I smoked was the day we came back into town, and the moment I ran into you.'

Qrow furrowed his brow, his eyes darting up as he tried to remember. Smiling, he managed to remember the day with some effort. Finishing talking awkwardly to those girls, and turning around to Jonas offering him a cigarette, put up to it by those other two soldiers.

'Yeah, you're right.' He said, smiling. 'I'd forgotten that you even did.'

'I used to get through half a pack a day before the war. I'd go up there to do it.' Jonas pointed to the ceiling.

'Why'd you stop? Was it just a habit from the army? I see a lot of these other Reservisten smoking.'

'Oh, you've stuck to calling us that now too.' Jonas grinned. 'But no, Qrow, it's not just coming back from the war. It's because of you.'

Qrow, right in the middle of a bite, stopped and put his fork down. Sitting up on the couch, he put his hands in his lap and looked over, laughing a little as he did.

'Why? I didn't tell you to stop. Meeting me and, y'know, everything else that followed wasn't such a shock that you just forgot to do it again, was it.'

'No, no.' Jonas laughed. 'No. It's not that. Just having you around has been enough. When I was on my way back, I wasn't expecting much to come from this transfer. I was just ready to finally get back home and put my feet up until they recalled us. I wouldn't have guessed I'd meet someone quite like you. And I don't say that just on account of your situation, your search, your...miracle.' They both looked at Qrow's arms. 'But you've reconnected me and Mauber, done the shopping, listened to my damn war stories! Done things that you didn't need to do, for a man who may as well have been born yesterday.' He grinned ear-to-ear. 'You've given me more intrigue, more-' He stopped for just a second, looking like he was trying to find his words. 'More time to talk than I ever thought I would get coming back from the front. And for that, I have to thank you.'

'You're welcome. Don't sweat it. I don't think I have to say it but I think finding out who I am still might be a ways away.' Qrow gestured to his documents sitting on a shelf across the room. 'I'd say I'm just as lucky, I couldn't ask for any better company given my circumstances. And besides, I like those stories. Can't wait to hear more of them.' They both chuckled.

Despite the sincerity, Qrow hadn't been expecting him to come at it exactly like this. The past three weeks, they had been each other's main source of company, and he was glad they acknowledged that now. But there was little substance to it. They had indeed hit a wall in finding out who he was, and there was little chance of finding out in Bergwand. Yet, they still hadn't made plans for any further searching. Qrow had, in a way, grown complacent. But in that, he was glad he had been able to spend that time with Jonas instead of blindly wandering East Bavaria looking for help. Or more likely, an English speaker. He was about to continue when Jonas suddenly spoke first again.

'You're a good friend.' Jonas smiled.

Mauber's words earlier came rushing back to him.

'You too.' He said, smiling back. The words he had committed to memory faded.