Dietrich mulled over how he was going to tell Zeph about his chat with Dryden while watching Zeph ride a wave back to shore. Once he and Zeph made eye contact, Dietrich knew that was it—he had to tell Zeph the truth. He wasn't too concerned about what could happen if Zeph took the news badly. Dietrich was perfectly willing to walk all the way to Auckland and catch a flight back home if it came to that. He doubted that, swallowed his nerves, and watched Zeph walk over to him.

"Hey, Dietrich." The younger man's auburn hair was plastered to his head with water, and his skin had reddened from being out in the sun for much of the day.

"Hello," Dietrich said. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not really."

"Good. I… have something to tell you."

Zeph gave him a look. "Alright. Go on."

Dietrich thought over his words one last time, and let out a sigh. "I spoke with Dryden."

"You did what?"

"I spoke with Dryden."

"Do you mean, you actually talked with him, or did he try to fight you and you beat the crap out of him and we're just saying 'spoke to' to be cute?"

"No, I actually talked to him."

"About what?"

"About you."

Zeph's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"Because you and Dryden need to fix things with each other. You and him got into a fight over you not saying anything about your situation. A miscommunication. You can fix this, and he said he is willing to give you a chance as long as you do not act so stubborn."

Zeph was silent for a full minute, his expression turning to one of disbelief. He sputtered for a moment before snapping. "Mate, that was not your place to say anything. I didn't say you could do that!"

"Were you ever going to?"

"I don't know! Not worth thinking about now, eh?! No, because you had to go and play mediator when I never said I'm ready for it!"

"Zeph, I cannot help you learn to surf better in order to win these competitions! You need a mentor for this, and Lysander is not here to fill that role!"

"Lysander doesn't do competitive surfing, so he wouldn't have been a good choice anyway!" Zeph's grip tightened on his board. He looked like he wanted to throw it, but refused. His face reddened, and his blue eyes began to glint with tears. "Mate, I trusted you! You blew it! I put all my bloody faith in you!"

Dietrich felt like someone was squeezing his heart in their fist as he watched any sense of hope vanish from Zeph's gaze. What have I done? "Please, Zeph, let me—"

"No. I'm done. I'm just… done."

Heaven help me. "Zeph—"

"I said 'no,' Dietrich. Go on. Get lost."

"Listen to me, please."

"Why should I?" Zeph turned to walk toward where he had left his shirt, wand, and towel. His walk was slow and aimless.

A horrible feeling of dread settled in Dietrich's stomach. He dashed after Zeph. "You are not going anywhere alone!" He came to an abrupt halt when Zeph pointed his wand at him.

"I want to be left alone!" Zeph snapped. "You had your chance!"

"I do not want you to hurt yourself!"

"I'm not going to hurt myself! I'm going home!"

"Stop and think about what you are doing! You are acting irrationally—"

"You're in no position to tell me this. I trusted you, and you went and threw it away! All for what? You knew I wasn't ready to make amends with anyone! You acted like you cared and then you stabbed me in the back! What's the point of doing this anymore?"

Dietrich didn't like where this was heading. "I made a mistake, Zeph. Please, stop and listen—"

"You shut up! You have nothing worth listening to! Jules and his old man made it sound like you'd be able to help, and you're nothing but a liar!" Tears started welling up in Zeph's eyes.

Dietrich was at a loss of what he could say or do to calm Zeph down. He was beginning to think that letting him go for a little while would be a good idea, to let him calm himself down, but the feeling of dread was demanding he keep hounding Zeph. Troy had to learn to show me trust while I was recovering. Can I really apply that here? Dietrich took a step back, saying nothing. For a moment, he was overwhelmed with terror about what Zeph could do once he was alone, especially when Zeph picked up his things and began storming off the beach. What should I do? This is my fault. I should have talked to him about this beforehand. I never should have done this so blindly.

Dietrich wasn't sure how much time had passed when he realized he was still standing on the beach, feeling lost. He couldn't call anyone with how drastically different the timezones were. He didn't know how to call Lysander at the university. There was really only one other person he could turn to, and it wasn't even someone he considered entirely trustworthy.

He spotted Dryden approaching the beach with his surfboard tucked under his arm, chatting away with some friends of his. Dietrich didn't think he could afford to hesitate for very long, so he began walking over. He recognized one of the young men with Dryden from their first encounter at Sunset Beach. The buzzcut blond looked a bit nervous around Dietrich, and whispered, "Hey, don't look now, it's the spooky fella with Zeph."

Dryden sighed. "He's actually not that bad. I'll join you all in a minute."

His friends looked a bit uncertain, but let him go anyway.

Dryden watched them head down to a spot close to the water, and shook his head before turning to Dietrich. "Alright. What do you want?"

"I need your help," Dietrich said. "Believe me, I am finding this just as strange as you probably are, but it would not be the strangest thing I have ever done."

"Okay." Dryden looked confused. "Get to the point, please."

"I told Zeph what I did. Needless to say, he is not happy."

"I had a feeling. What happened?"

"He accused me of violating his trust. There was quite a bit of shouting, and he stormed off back to where we are staying. He claims he is going to return home, but… I have a terrible feeling."

"You know, I probably should've suggested you not be so open about what you did, but, honestly, you sounded like you knew Zeph better than I did. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Looks like I was right."

Dietrich glared at him. "Do you not care what happens to Zeph?"

"I said a long time ago to him that reality was going to come bite him in the ass sooner or later. Putting all his hopes into surfing and not doing anything else isn't going to be sustainable for him. He needs to get a blooming job and stop going so hard with surfing for a little while. It's amounted to nothing."

Dietrich maintained his glare. "Is that it, then? You just want to leave him to suffer?"

"Mate, it's not my job to help him."

"Do you have no sense of decency? Compassion? Sympathy?"

"Not for someone who proved time and time again that he's not willing to listen to other people. You're just now getting to experience that. You'll come to your senses and let him go eventually. Zeph needs to learn on his own."

"He needs to be able to trust people. You are only setting him up for failure by pushing him away."

"I'm not interested in helping him. Find someone else."

Dietrich gave a heavy sigh. Even the Rat Patrol was leagues more cooperative than this in the most fragile of truces. He resisted an urge to curse at Dryden, and simply turned to walk away. That was a waste of time. What did I expect, though? I went about this the wrong way, and now… now I might be paying a price for it. Dietrich started heading back to the house, dread continuing to knot his stomach the closer he got. At least Zeph hadn't taken away his key, so Dietrich was able to get inside. He saw the broom and surfboard propped up against the wall by the door, and ventured further in when he didn't see Zeph in the kitchenette or the living room. He found Zeph in the bedroom, lying in bed, but not sleeping. He was staring at the wall, face wet with tears.

A few long moments passed before Dietrich started to wonder if Zeph was aware he was there. He must have heard the door open and close, right? Dietrich quietly stepped into the room, and stood by the bed. Zeph continued staring at the wall for a minute or two, then glanced up at Dietrich. The last thing Dietrich wanted to do was say something to make the situation worse, so he kept quiet. He figured being able to stand there in silence was progress enough. When he turned to go sit in the living room, he felt Zeph grab his hand. Dietrich paused, and looked down at Zeph. It was tempting to lecture him about his actions. It was tempting to tell him that things really needed to change if his life was going to improve. It was tempting to simply be upset. That is not what he needs right now. Dietrich gently squeezed Zeph's hand. He opened his mouth to apologize, but stopped, wondering if it was better to just do nothing for now. He sat on the edge of the bed after Zeph let go, giving himself time to just think.

It was quiet for a while apart from birds singing outside. Dietrich was pulled from his thoughts by Zeph mumbling, "Wasn't sure you'd come back."

Dietrich faced him. "Yes. I came back."

"Why?"

"'Why?' I still want to help you." Dietrich's shoulders slumped as he looked down at his lap. "I also want to apologize for what I did. It was wrong of me to talk to Dryden without first talking things over with you. I take trust and loyalty very seriously. The fact that I went and broke your trust is… shameful."

Zeph said nothing for a moment. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset. It's not like… It's not like you intended to break my trust."

"My intentions are irrelevant. I still hurt you by doing that. It was entirely unjustified."

"Well, you are right about one thing—I never would've done this on my own. I don't know. Maybe you should've said something beforehand. Maybe this is the push I needed. I don't think I should've snapped at you, though. Not after you've been so patient with me the last few days."

"I will continue to insist that you were right to be upset with me, but we will leave it at that. Now… I want to make sure you are alright."

Zeph didn't respond at first. "I guess. I mean, I don't… I don't think I'm going to win anything tomorrow at this rate."

"I still think you can."

"Was Dryden serious about helping?"

"For as much as he likes to gripe about you being stubborn, he is equally stubborn. I found him after you stormed off and he told me that he is not interested because he does not see it as his job to help you."

"So, why are we bothering with him?"

Dietrich thought for a moment. An idea struck him. It was a strange one for sure, but he liked it. "Because I think I know a way we can get him to help without looking like we are asking him for help."

Zeph's eyes brightened a little. "That sounds mischievous. I'm in."

Dietrich was glad to see Zeph smiling again, and that they forgave each other. He really hoped this idea worked, though he was relying on Zeph to be conscious of his anger and frustration. He chose to trust Zeph, and prayed that Zeph's eagerness to go along with this plan meant that things really were going to change.

There were only a few more hours left in the day, so Dietrich figured it was best to make the most of them and let Zeph practice. However, for this plan of his to work, they needed Dryden on the beach as well. Fortunately, he was. Dietrich gently nudged Zeph. "Alright. You know what to do."

"Yes, sir," Zeph said with a grin. He took his shirt off and left it, his wand, and his towel with Dietrich before heading out to the water with his surfboard.

Dietrich tried not to smile too much while wandering closer to where Dryden was going to be surfing back to shore. The buzzcut blond, still very afraid of Dietrich for whatever reason, picked up his board and quickly dashed to another area of the beach when the skinny German approached. Dietrich pretended not to notice, and folded his arms over his chest while watching Zeph surf. He also pretended not to notice Dryden coming out of the water.

"Looks like you have everything under control," Dryden said. "For now."

"Come now, have some faith," Dietrich said, allowing himself to grin. "We apologized to each other, and Zeph is determined to win this."

Dryden snorted. "If you say so." He looked at Dietrich. "You know, I know you're a German, but you never told me your name."

"Hans Dietrich."

"Alright. Now I can go tell Codie to stop saying that you're a spirit of some kind with no name."

Dietrich sighed, and resisted an urge to roll his eyes. "Am I really that intimidating?"

"Maybe a little."

"Fascinating." Dietrich went back to watching Zeph. He noticed Dryden watching as well.

"I'll give Zeph credit—he knows surfing etiquette," Dryden said.

"He mentioned that people not knowing surf etiquette is a great annoyance to him."

"Any decent surfer gets annoyed with idiots not knowing the basics of surfing etiquette."

Dietrich's grin widened. "Ah, so you admit Zeph is a decent surfer."

"No, I never said that." Dryden shook his head. "Zeph is… okay. Like I said before, he's not going to be winning anything with where he is now."

"What exactly is wrong with what he is doing? To me, he looks quite graceful."

"Yeah, to someone who doesn't know anything about surfing, it does look graceful, but pay attention Zeph's movements versus Codie's. See?"

Dietrich watched Zeph, then shifted his gaze over to Codie, the buzzcut blond. "I think I can see it. Codie's movements are less forceful."

"Zeph's biggest problem with surfing is that he panics when he corrects himself, which increases the risk of him wiping out. He tries to throw himself back into the position he was originally in—see, he's doing it now."

Dietrich stretched his neck a little to see Zeph frantically trying to move his board to his right when the water tried forcing him left. Instead, he lost his balance, and fell into the water.

"The wave is going to go where it wants to go," Dryden said. "There's only so much you can do with it. I mean, yeah, try to go in another direction if it's going to throw you into some rocks, but—"

"Then what are you telling me for? Go tell Zeph."

Dryden looked up at Dietrich in surprise and confusion. "You asked, mate."

"I did, but this information would be far more useful to Zeph than me."

Dryden looked over at Zeph, then at Dietrich again. "I…" He shrugged. "Okay." With a sigh, Dryden began heading over to Zeph when the young warlock was heading to shore.

Dietrich nodded, continuing to smile. "And there we have it. My plan is working." He stayed where he was until Zeph and Dryden headed out into the water together, then went to get a celebratory ice cream cone. When he returned to the beach with the largest size of ice cream cone available, Dietrich was glad to see Zeph and Dryden paddling out together to meet a wave. He sat down with his treat, trying to make haste with it before it melted in his lap. He really didn't want to rush it, though, as it was some of the best ice cream he ever had.

While managing the ice cream, Dietrich kept watching the two young men surfing. He couldn't hear a word they were saying, but he could read their body language. Years of having to read people in the military made him quite adept at it. He noticed Zeph's stiffer, more calculated movement and neutral expression, suggesting he didn't yet trust Dryden. The lack of anger and frustration from both of them suggested that Zeph was at least doing what Dryden suggested. His posture eventually loosened, and he was beginning to grin a little as their session together progressed. Even Dryden was beginning to smile more. At one point, they were both looking in Dietrich's direction, but Dietrich didn't think much of it.

Dietrich got up to get a second ice cream when it seemed most of the animosity between Zeph and Dryden had faded. Not too long after he sat back down in the sand, a shadow passed over him, and Dietrich looked up to see Dryden walking over to him, Zeph in tow.

"Hey!" Dryden called. "You've got a lot of nerve, mate."

"What?" Dietrich said.

"You set this up."

"Set what up?"

"This. You suckered me into helping him."

Dietrich glanced up from his ice cream, noticing that Dryden was smirking and shaking his head. "Possibly."

"Nah, that really was the plan, mate," Zeph replied.

"You couldn't have just asked me directly?" Dryden said.

"Nope. It worked, though, eh?" Zeph's tone and expression sobered. "I appreciate the help. Maybe… Maybe things can get back to the way they were before."

"I'm just glad you seemed more willing to learn than you were a few years ago. You still have a ways to go, but…" Dryden closed his eyes and sighed. "I think you have a chance tomorrow, if you remember what you learned today. Tell you what, no matter what the results are, I'll treat you two to dinner. We've got some catching up to do, and a whole lot of apologizing as well." He turned to head back over to where his own friends were gathered. "See you around, Zeph."

"Yeah. Good luck tomorrow." Zeph stood still for a moment, then looked at Dietrich. "I had my doubts that was going to work, but it did. How come neither of us considered it before?"

Dietrich shrugged. "Perhaps we were both focused so much on the most obvious of solutions that we did not consider the least obvious solutions."

"I guess that makes sense." Zeph sat next to him. "I really thought letting Dryden help was going to be hard. What the hell did you say to convince him to do it in the first place?"

"Well, earlier, I did criticize him for wanting to just let you suffer the consequences of your actions. I asked if he had any decency or compassion. Maybe he gave that some thought. Maybe not. Either way, I am glad that this worked."

"I certainly wouldn't have thought of this."

"Truthfully, no, you wouldn't have. Even I thought the chances of failure for this idea were high."

Zeph nodded. "Regardless, thanks for not giving up. I don't have heaps of money, or a house, or a big surfing win under my belt—yet—but I don't feel so alone anymore." He sighed. "I still feel bad about blowing up on you."

"You have been forgiven. No need to worry about it anymore." Dietrich offered a smile. "I know Dryden said you have a chance, but I am curious how you are feeling about tomorrow."

"Still not as confident as I'd like to be. A little better. Not panicking when practicing is one thing, but I'm worried I'm going to panic tomorrow."

"Unfortunately, what happens tomorrow is not something we can predict, but we can do our best to minimize incident. Being prepared is one way, and I would say you received that today."

"Yeah."

"Try to look at it positively. Instead of worrying whether or not you will panic, think about what you learned today that will help should you feel the need to panic."

Dietrich expected Zeph to tell him that was easier said than done. Instead, Zeph nodded again before saying, "I'll do my best." A moment later, Zeph drew up his knees and rested his head on them. "If you could get past your depression, I can get past my own problems. I imagine it's… it's a lot harder than just trying to say things that're more positive instead of doubting yourself all the time."

"Is that what you are doing? I wondered why it seemed like you changed—" Dietrich snapped his fingers, "—like that."

"I mean, I believe I can change. I thought actually saying it would help."

"It can, to some degree. I tried to just tell myself certain things when I started trying to fight my depression. It did not always work. The whole process was glacially slow. Wrestling control from that was one of the most difficult challenges in my entire life, but I feel I have been successful—more successful than I thought I was going to be. However, I am fully aware that I could wake up tomorrow feeling awful, seemingly for no reason. Each day feels like I have more and more control—until the day I do not."

"Until the day it comes and hits you like a bus."

"Exactly." Dietrich smiled a little, but then it faded. "I had days while I was in North Africa, Italy, and especially France when I had trouble just getting out of bed, and that is not a situation where you can afford to just lay there. I had to get myself up, no matter how hard it felt, but I did have a handful of days in which… in which part of me felt I should just give in and face whatever punishment was coming to me. The same thing happened while I was a POW, but my depression had gotten much worse by then and I was forced out of bed by the guards and sometimes other prisoners a few times."

"That sounds like hell."

Dietrich nodded. "Oh, it was." He became quiet while thinking back to the bitterly cold air stinging the cuts and scrapes sustained from people dragging him out of his bunk, and how much he simply wanted to quit.

"I don't want to make you relive that. We can talk about something else."

"It is alright, Zeph. That part of my life feels… a bit distant at this point, and I am willing to discuss it if it helps you see that even in terrible situations, we can pull through. Granted, I was dragged through the worst years of my life, and I did lose sight of hope on more than one occasion, but I am here today." Dietrich looked out at the water. "I told you earlier that it is amusing to look back and then think about where you are now. I came from a horrid place, and yet now I am living a much happier life. I believe you can turn things around for yourself. The act of turning things around will be difficult at first. Deeply-ingrained habits are hard to break. Self-loathing and doubt are difficult to shut out. Being angry and sad are easy to fall back on. You have a foothold now, rebuilding your friendship with Dryden. Your task now is to keep it."

"I'm worried I won't be able to."

"Given what your relationship with him has been over the last two years, I do not blame you. It is quite fragile now, but in time, it will gain strength. But, you both have to contribute to that, and you both must be patient."

"Seems that's the biggest lesson here, being patient."

"Oh, yes. Patience is essential for, well, everything. Troy has yet to grasp that, which in turn has helped me strengthen my own patience." Dietrich sighed. "It has frayed my sanity, too, but that is an inevitable hazard of being friends with him."

Zeph smirked. "You still put up with me pretty well, mate."

"Yes. Yes, I have." Dietrich turned to him. "As chaotic as the last few days have been, I am proud of you."

Zeph suddenly looked stunned. He glanced around. "Really?"

"Yes. I am not talking to anyone else, am I?"

"N-No, but… no one's ever said that to me before."

"Ever?"

Zeph shook his head. "Maybe a few times when I was little. You know, when I was able to tie my shoes or ride a bicycle. Stuff like that. Never when I was a little older."

"Well, I am saying it to you now, and I mean it."

"Thanks, mate."

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, then Zeph said, "I guess I should get a bit more practice in while we've got daylight."

"Go ahead. I will be here if you need me." Dietrich watched Zeph head back into the water, and allowed himself to relax. That day alone had been quite an adventure, but Dietrich reminded himself that it didn't compare with some of the days he and the Rats were dealing with the magpies, especially the day he hypnotized Moffitt to help him start breaking his habit of frequent apologies. That was a very long day indeed. Dietrich glanced at his watch. There were still a few more hours until nightfall. He would remain on the beach for Zeph, but decided it was time for a brief nap.

It became quieter the later the night went on. Zeph was having difficulty sleeping due to nerves about the competition tomorrow, so Dietrich kept him occupied, and tried to find ways to help him get to sleep. Dietrich was getting tired himself, so much so that he was occasionally responding to Zeph in German rather than English. He suddenly sat upright when he heard a strange, high-pitched sound outside. A series of sounds that resembled someone whistling or screaming. "What in the name of—" Dietrich stood and went to window, then heard Zeph snorting. "What is that?"

"That's a kiwi, mate, as in, the bird we're named after," Zeph said. He stood and picked up his wand. "Come on. Let's see if we can catch a glimpse of it. Not every day you see one of the little fellas in the wild."

"Our mission is to go to sleep."

"I know. Still. Come on." Zeph opened the door, and motioned for Dietrich to follow.

Normally, if he was more awake, Dietrich wouldn't have hesitated. Eventually, he sighed and followed Zeph outside. The night air was cool and refreshing, waking Dietrich up a little. He stayed close behind Zeph. The sound of the kiwi had stopped, only sounding off a few more times while Dietrich and Zeph moved through the bush. The wilderness was much less inviting at night. It was dark and quite humid after an early evening rain, but it was alive with the sounds of other birds and insects. Dietrich kept his arms and legs close as his anxiety over spiders began kicking in.

Zeph gave a flick of his wand, and the tip glowed brightly for a second before gradually dimming. He shone the wand around, watching where he was stepping. After about five minutes of walking, Zeph whispered, "Oi, Dietrich, come here."

"What?" Dietrich saw Zeph crouch, and crouched along with him.

"There." Zeph pointed his wand, gently illuminating something a few feet in front of them. A roundish, brown bird with a long, thin bill. It had no visible wings and thickset legs and feet. It was poking around the ground, presumably looking for food.

Dietrich inched slightly closer. He had seen pictures of kiwi in books and saw drawings of them on the vehicles and equipment of New Zealander soldiers during the war. This was his first time seeing a real one.

Zeph was grinning. "Neat, eh?"

"Yes, and quite possibly one of the most amusing-looking animals I have ever seen," Dietrich said. "Second only to the black mamba and Anah wearing a hat with jingle bells on it."

"Well, I can see how Anah and her hats is funny, but what's funny about black mambas? Didn't one almost kill you?"

"Yes, but for something so immensely dangerous, the damn thing always looks like it is smiling, which makes it difficult to take seriously. At least for me. I am sure most people would find it a little creepy."

"Ah."

"To make matters worse, a mamba has visible pupils. Their eyes are not entirely black. One way to tell if a snake is sleeping is if its eyes are going in two different directions, as they have no eyelids. See where this is going?"

Zeph looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Yeah."

"I visited Doctor Millington's laboratory a few months after I recovered from being bitten. Needless to say, I came in the middle of naptime for Mahlah. That was a sight to behold. One of the most dangerous snakes in the world, now resembles a children's toy with mismatched eyes—or like a snowman Christmas ornament that Tully's oldest daughter made when she was five. She is twenty-two now, and that snowman is still around, scaring the daylights out of everyone who visits the Pettigrews for Christmas. Freakish snowmen aside, if you get the chance to visit any of the Rats, it will be well worth your time."

"Lysander and I are planning to fly up to Britain to see Jules during winter break."

"You would be fairly close to my neighborhood. My door is always open—mostly. Call the house to make sure I am not out on a training mission with my soldiers. Troy still has not grasped that."

"We'll call. Promise."

"Thank you."

"We'll have to make something up if Mr. Wilkins asks where we're going if we make a trip up to Germany."

"Hopefully by then, this will be cleared up." Dietrich watched the kiwi move on into the darker parts of the forest. "Alright. Shall we get back inside and make an attempt to sleep?"

Zeph nodded. "This was fun. I'm still a bit anxious about tomorrow, but, like you've been saying, it's best to stop worry and just see what tomorrow brings."

"Precisely." Dietrich stood, following Zeph back inside. "If you are still having trouble sleeping, wake me, but do not be surprised if I am difficult to wake."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Dietrich." Zeph went into the bedroom, and draped his shirt on the edge of the bed before laying on top of the covers. "Good night."

"Good night." Dietrich set his boots on a tray next to the propped-up broom and surfboard, then turned off all the lights. He lay on the couch, staring up at the ceiling and folding his hands over his stomach. It was quiet enough that after a while, Dietrich could hear Zeph's deep, even breathing, broken up by the occasional snore. Satisfied that Zeph was getting some sleep, Dietrich got comfortable, and went to sleep himself, hoping tomorrow brought good things and positive changes for everyone involved.