Thanas started it, I added to it, he responded, I responded... and the result is a big freaking post.
Hamburg, 7th July 926
The third-largest passenger ship in the world, dwarfed only by her bigger companions
SS Vaterland and
SS Bismarck, the 52,117 tons
SS Imperator was a splendid sight as she slowly approached the pier, the golden eagle adorning her bow looking as majestic and predatory as ever. She had completed one of her usual New York - Hamburg runs which made the HAPAG trio the Queens of the Atlantic.
Looking at the ship, Sänger could not help but feel a bit of patriotic envy. His own hometown of Bremen, home of the ships of the second German passenger company, the Norddeutscher Lloyd, had not manage to built a ship that was able to match the HAPAG trio yet - a fact his good friend Burchardt, hailing from Hamburg, did not fail to remind him of whenever possible. The two passenger companies were just the long line of the century-long competition between the two hanseatic cities of Bremen and Hamburg.
But as the massive ship was finally moored at the pier, Sänger's thoughts were not dominated by the rivalry anymore. For as the Gardekorps band played the Cascadian anthem, his old friend Stephen was debarking. When the Cascadian president, his family in tow, had stepped on German soil for the first time since 1914, Sänger extended his hand as the two companies of the 1st. Garderegiment came to attention. "On behalf of his Imperial Majesty, Wilhelm II., and the German Empire, welcome." He then added "It is good to see you, my friend."
"It's good to see you're doing well, Johannes. We're all very happy for you." Stephen gestured back to his family and small delegation to make his introductions. Johannes knew Rachel and her father of course, and he had met Rafael and Thomas when they were younger and he had been in Cascadia for the Accords renewal, but Sophie was a different story. Stephen brought her up and settled his left hand on his daughter's head as she hid between him and Rachel, quite sheepish given the size of the German delegation.
Sänger smiled, kissed Rachels hand and shook the hands of Rafael and Thomas. "My, how tall you have grown." Seeing Sophie's hesitation, he knelt and when he was roughly at her eye level, he extended his hand to her. "And you must be the brave Sophie."
The girl looked at her father and after Stephen had given her an encouraging smile, she extended her hand and said in somewhat accentuated German "Ja, ich bin Sophie."
"Very good, Sophie," Rachel said to her daughter in a proud tone.
"The children will astound language instructors when they go into classes, I'm sure," Stephen remarked to Sänger. "Rachel has them asking for the salt in Spanish and asking to be dismissed from the table in German."
"What about French?", Johannes asked.
"Homework and play," Rachel replied.
The other introductions were light. Rafael Galverdas was already known to assembled German dignitaries, having served as Ambassador to Germany from 1908 to 1915. Stephen's chief of staff Reginald Etps had traveled with him with a small staff to help the President with the finer points of the state visit, deputy chief of staff Lionel Sampson left to oversee the operations of the President's staff back in Cascadia. Every individual was formally introduced for the benefit of formalities. "My thanks to His Imperial Majesty for this great welcome given to myself and my family," Stephen said at the end, switching to the formality of State. "The generous greetings of the German Empire will be remembered."
After the official business had been concluded, the Cascadian and the German delegation boarded the Imperial train, which would take them to Berlin.
Sitting in the luxurious salon car, the Garretts and Sänger had, for the first time since the renegotiation of the Cascadian-german accord, the opportunity to talk to each other in private and relative calm, for the train ride would take over seven hours.
As the train left the station, Sänger's thoughts were focused on the days ahead. Tomorrow there would be official state business, including a state dinner with the Kaiser. The next day there would be the public reception part of the wedding, followed by a train ride and the wedding the next day. "I am afraid we shall not have much time to spent together, Stephen."
"I know. Duty demands its fair share of time," Stephen answered. The schedule for his state visit was cramped, primarily involving travel and state banquets and welcoming. Berlin, Florence, Madrid, Paris, and London in the space of less than two weeks, after which another two weeks before he returned home via liner and railroad. There would be little time for relaxation, a far cry from the return to Europe he'd envisaged for coming after he was out of office.
"I trust your trip was enjoyable?"
Switching to German, Stephen answered, "Yes, it was.
Imperator is a beautiful ship and the trip was pleasant. You should consider a trip on her some time. If you can reconcile it with your home city's pride, that is." That brought some short laughter, after which Stephen said, "We want to thank you, Johannes. The doctors you brought in to help with Sophie made the difference. I don't think I could have taken it had I lost her."
Sänger nodded, his mood turning somewhat somber. "It was the least I could do. I would not have forgiven myself either if something had happened due to my war." Forestalling any protests that would have doubtlessly included that the Kaiser was the one to blame, Sänger added: "I am the Chancellor. I am responsible for everything that happens in this Empire."
Switching back to English, he continued. "But how is the brave little girl?" He nodded at Sophie, who was currently admiring a golden eagle adorning the end of the salon, its head crowned with ruby's and sapphires. "And how is the rest of your family?"
"The doctors have given Sophie a clean bill of health, they said getting the bullet out ensured everything healed. Everyone else is fine," Stephen answered. "Dolores, Rachel's mother, is well enough all things considered, and the doctors are confident she's going to stay that way, but they didn't want to risk her constitution on this trip given how fast it'll be going. Otherwise she'd be here too." He went on to confirm the status of the rest of the family. His brother Warren had taken charge of the fledgling automative repair business that grew out of the old repair shop their grandfather had set up decades ago in Astoria, Warren's son Richard - his nephew - had entered Astoria Naval Academy this year to follow his uncle's career. Father was as fine as could be expected, though not to where he could make the trip to Europe. A handful of other family members Sänger had met while in Cascadia six years before were remarked upon, a couple births on Rachel's side reported, but nothing else of major interest.
"And what of your family?" Stephen asked and this time it was Sänger's turn to answer, which he did. The chancellor went on to describe in some detail that his parents were well and that his brother had barely made it to port in time to attend the wedding. "Over the last few hours, the stokers of his ship worked overtime. It cost him a couple cases of Beck's, but eventually he made it into Antwerp in time." Some laughter was caused by this. "As for my sister Anne, she is doing well. Her horse breeding has produced another derby winner. I fear her wealth will always eclipse that of her brothers."
The conversation then turned to other topics and eventually drifted off together, everyone being exhausted or lost in thoughts. After a while the the Cascadian president noticed Sänger twirling his fingers inside his suit pocket, a faraway look on his face. He could guess what was on the mind of his friend. "Nervous?" Looking a bit sheepishly, the Kanzler withdrew his hands and forced them to rest on his knees. "Of course. To be honest, I do not know how Natasha manages it - not only does she have to contend with her relatives, no, mine have arrived as well and are also pestering her while I go around gallivanting on state business."
Smiling, Rachel Garrett interjected. "And when are we going to meet your jewel, Johannes?" "This evening, if you will do me the honour of having dinner with her and our families. I'd also like to pawn you off on her on the 8th while Stephen and I go about our state business - the wedding planning is all done and over with and I'd rather have you accompany her on the last day before the wedding than her brothers." From the looks on the faces of his friends, Sänger gathered that this particular tale had not made the rounds yet. "After all, her oldest brother already stuck a gun in my face when I first met Natasha."
Noticing that his hands had once more wandered inside his suit pocket, he gave up and took out the medaillon Natasha had given him. "Here. That is her."
Before either Stephen or Rachel could react, a response came from another quarter. Sophie had wandered over, leaving the attention of her doting grandfather for the moment, and noticed the image on the medallion. "She's pretty," the little girl remarked, bringing grins to her parents.
"She's wonderful, Johannes," Stephen said, sitting Sophie into his lap.
Rachel gave a nod in agreement. "I look forward to meeting her."
Berlin, Hotel Adlon
And meet her they did, for said person was waiting for them in Berlin with her father and brothers outside the train station. The men, being their custom, first shook hands before Natasha approached them and did a short curtsy before extending her hand to Stephen.
Natasha's youth was obvious from her picture, but it was another thing to see it in person. She was young and pretty in a striking fashion, also showing the politeness one expected of European high society. Stephen gave her a reassuring grin as they shook hands. "So this is the jewel that has taken Johannes' heart," he stated in German, switching to English for, "You look splendid."
Rachel, not to be outdone, introduced herself to Natasha in Russian, a language she had studied while living with her father but which was somewhat rusty now (though not so much that she couldn't manage a proper greeting). She was struck by how young the girl was; she had also married an older man, true, but Stephen had at least been in his thirties at their marriage, and she in her early twenties. The age gap between Natasha and Johannes was more pronounced. "I am happy for both of you," she said, sticking to Russian for the moment but pressing the usage closer to the end of her capabilities with it, diminished by time.
three hours later
Dinner had been a very nice affair. Natasha had handled the arrangements graciously and with her usual style, while the world-famous Kalbssteak Adlon and Seezungenfilet Adlon had provided delicious nourishment. After dinner, the children had gone to bed, while the adults had gathered in the salon of the Imperial suite of Hotel Adlon, where the Garretts had been lodged.
Sänger's father and the count had earlier discovered their mutual love for chess and had quietly retreated to a corner, the sound of pieces moving only interrupted by their conversation, which from what the others could hear mostly consisted of old sea stories on Sänger's fathers parts and of hunting stories from the count. Sänger's mother and the dowager duchess were quietly talking in another corner. That the two got along so easily had been a surprise to Sänger, but maybe the two had been more alike than Sänger cared to admit or even to contemplate.
Natasha and Rachel were quietly talking with each other and from the looks and glances both Stephen and Sänger received they were mostly talking about them. "The fun thing about being the wife of a statesman is the people you meet and the places you get invited to," Rachel was saying. "Especially with hobbies like mine. There are doctors and professors out there that wouldn't give me the time of day, much less talk to me about their fields, if I weren't the wife of the President.
Natasha smiled, remembering the last few weeks when she had been beset by the press. And the time before the engagement was known, when most people had regarded her as being of little importance or something to be traded in exchange for a political alliance. "And what are your 'hobbies'?", Natasha asked.
"I am a linguist by trade," Rachel explained. "And I've read up enough on metallurgy to blend into university course graduates. I enjoy both immensely. And following my passion for linguistics, at Stephen's encouragement I must add, is what brought us together in the first place. Trekking through New Guinea would have been horrible without him coming along." Smiling from memory, she continued, "And what about you, Natasha? What interests you?"
The bluntness of the Cascadian woman - the daughter and eldest child of a landowning Californian who encouraged her to have that assertive streak - was refreshing and a bit intimidating for someone who was brought up in a strictly traditional household, but Natasha felt she could trust Rachel. "I have to confess that everything catches my fancy. But I particularly enjoy music, riding, reading...and dancing."
Rachel sighed. "Good luck getting Johannes to dance." Natasha smiled sadly, remembering Vienna. Not because she was envious of the girl lying buried in the Zentralfriedhof or because she doubted her betrothed's devotion to her, but because she knew the sad story behind the refusal of Sänger to dance. Rachel was not privy to all the details, but she was an observant woman and through friends made in Europe knew that Sänger had lost a prior love in the Vienna Massacre; those two facts made it an easy calculus.
Seeking to turn away from painful memories, Natasha went on. "And I am probably the only woman in Germany who likes to hunt."
This statement, especially coming from someone who did not look like an amazon, caused the Cascadian woman to look at her in interest. Natasha quickly added "Oh, I do not like killing and take no part in that act. But I like the quick rides, the wind playing with my hair and the beautiful hunting grounds...do you have anything like that in Cascadia?"
"Oh, yes. In the Rockies and in Klamath, the Cascades as well. Stephen's gone hunting a few times, hunts with other Congressmen before he became President, but he and I prefer boating on the Columbia. But if you do ever visit Cascadia and wish to ride I know many places you might enjoy."
Eventually, Natsha asked: "How do you like being the wife of a president?" "You just have to deal with some of the attention as well. Opposition politicians see in you a potential opening to attack your husband. I can't tell you how many Tories I've had to deal with, trying to find some material to use against Stephen."
Natasha nodded. "Yes, some conservatives tried to use me against Johannes as well. But I like to think that with me being just the wife of a chancellor instead of a president, people will lose interest." Rachel didn't want to seem too blunt to that naive remark, so she smiled and said, "If all else fails, just point out you hunt. I imagine they will be so shocked by the admission that you can slip away."
Stephen, Sänger and the two brothers meanwhile were sitting around a large table, playing cards. Soon, the topic turned to the war in Manchuria. "The Soviet attack on Manchuria was a rash act. Without China staying out or Mongolia's support it never had a chance to accomplish anything of note for the Russians," Stephen commented. "I have to admit to some
schadenfreude at the contradictory impulses the conflict brought up in my Tory colleagues. Their fierce anti-Communism clashing with that desire to reclaim Celebes and humiliate Manchuria. I think I saw smoke coming out of Senator Littleton's ears at one point."
That brought laughter from the assembled. "And what do you think of Russia as it is now? This whole issue with those who supported war with Manchuria accusing the rest of the government of treachery?"
"Sympathy mostly, though given the bloodshed they've seen trying to stamp out dissent I can't say it's much."
Sensing the opportunity, Natasha's brothers jumped in. "We fought in Manchuria and helped drive the Communists back." After telling war stories for over ten minutes, a toast was raised to the Tsar by the Russians in which Sänger and Stephen joint in, albeit somewhat less enthusiastically.
Not to be outdone, Stephen remarked on his own experiences. Briefly covering the most dangerous moments he had at sea, he spoke for several minutes about the year he and Rachel spent in New Guinea, including two close calls with Italian colonial patrols in which he, Rachel, and their native guides had been shot at. "Given that the Piedmontese were convinced we were preparing to invade their Pacific holdings in support of Germany I can see why they found the prospect of a Cascadian Navy Commander prowling around the bush unappealing," he remarked. "I'm just grateful they were such lousy shots."
"Why were you in the Italian half of New Guinea?", one of Natasha's brothers asked. "I thought there were only savage headhunters in the area."
"Oh, we had a very good reason," Stephen answered. "We got lost."
Other issues came up; interests in China, the unsettling quiet from Japan and the Southeast Asian Union, and the Indian Ocean of course. A couple of the issues showed some of the differences of interest and opinion between Cascadia and Germany, but the President and the
Reichskanzler were more than capable of keeping things low-key on these issues.
Eventually, all parties decided that the evening had gone on too long, so they split up and went their respective ways.
Berlin, Stadtschloss
Stephen and Sänger had attended to matters of state. Some minor accounts had to be settled between the German Empire and Cascadia, some accords had to be renewed - all in all, it had not been a very stressing day, although it had been somewhat dreary due to all the paperwork. Rachel, the kids and Natasha had had a more relaxed day, visiting the sights of Berlin. Stephen and Sänger had joined them after lunch, having just enough time left to visit the great museums of Berlin, with Sänger having a lot of fun leading the group through the history departments, showing them the great artifacts German archeologists had gathered from around the world, though he feared that at least some of the children had found it quite taxing. Rafael was at least interested, but Thomas' displeasure was obvious and Sophie was, as one expected for a child her age, mostly riveted by colorful items.
When this was over, they returned to their hotel and were met by the Doctors Rehn, Bier, and Sauerbruch, the men who had helped save Sophie's life via inter-continental telephone. Stephen and Rachel gave them their profound thanks; for her part, Sophie's bright mood and appearance as a healthy, happy child delighted and dazzled the doctors, who expressed their joy at her recovery. To culminate the meeting, Stephen presented each with the Congressional Gold Medal, awarded to them by Cascadia's Congress, which went with the Presidential Legion of Merit (Civilian) that had already been granted to them by his order the prior year.
And eventually, without the children, the adults had gathered together (sans Natasha, who had not been invited as she was not married to the Kanzler yet) with all important German officials for an Imperial state dinner at the Stadtschloss.
Imperial state dinners were lavish and luxurious affairs. With over a thousand people in attendance, the long dining tables stretched through the vast halls. As usual, the Emperor was a host determined to make an impression. The Gardekorps had donned their old Gala uniforms and provided a splendid sight, reminiscent of the days of Frederick the Great.
No fewer than 18 courses were served, which made the dinner an ordeal for some. The Emperor, who ate with his special set of dinnerware that allowed him to eat independently without using his deformed left hand, did not seem to care, though Sänger noticed that he seemed somewhat more tired than usual. President Garrett and his wife had received the place of honour to the right of the Emperor, sitting next to the retired Großadmiral von Tirpitz and his successors, Großadmiral Scheer and Großadmiral von Hipper. Sänger meanwhile sat to the left of the emperor, which prevented any private conversation between him and Stephen, but signalled unity between Wilhelm and him.
Dinner was its own challenge for Stephen, and not simply from the quantity involved. Though his left hand was perfectly fine, his left shoulder was nearly immobile due to the assassin's bullet. Rachel had to help him prop his arm against the table sufficiently to be of use.
The great German admirals beside them proved the best conversation makers. Looking at them reminded him of his own ambitions before he met Rachel, though there was nothing bitter about the end of those ambitions; he had once desired to be an Admiral, but now he not only had the family that his old ambitions had been abandoned for, he had also attained an office of far greater scope than an admiral's desk. So it was that he could speak on equal footing with three high admirals, including the founder of the modern German Navy. "The situation in the Indian Ocean cannot remain in this way forever," he remarked as the conversation turned toward naval commitments. "The Grand Dominion and Shepistan protest other powers' presence but do nothing to make our presence unnecessary."
"The costs of the position are getting too high," Scheer complained bitterly. However it was Tirpitz, the grey eminence of the German Navy, who voiced the consensus. "But we must stay the course. The German Empire's prestige requires it to stand up to the brutish behavior of the Subcontinent." "We are in full agreement, Admiral," Stephen answered. "Which brings us to the further blessing of our restoration to Darwin. We now have a forward fleet base for operations in the East Indies." That was when the Kaiser spoke. "The best way to deal with these brutes is a show of force. Your Excellency, you should send your fleet to Darwin. Every vessel of it. And we shall send the High Seas Fleet to Berbera. With the union of our great fleets in the Indian Ocean we can drive the wretches back to their ports!"
There was a slight hint of discomfort from the admirals and Sänger that Stephen thought he saw. Diplomatically, he gave a nod to the Kaiser. "Your Majesty's proposal is a straightforward one and appealing, though I would need to confer with my own admirals on the issue." "And what of your naval programmes, Your Excellency?", Scheer asked. "Is it true that the Cascadian Navy will build another set of ships armed only with 16" guns?"
"You mean
Imperator? It's being considered to ensure uniformity of gun size in our battle squadrons and to avoid exhausting the naval budget for the coming three years," Stephen confirmed. "But the decision is not yet final. I admit I consider it rather silly and believe the
Imperator and
Tribune should be mounted with 18" guns, even if it means fewer guns. But that is a matter I must take up with the Admiralty, and we navy men can be quite a stubborn lot." There was laughter at that remark from those who heard it, and the story would eventually make its way down the table.
In the middle of the tenth course, the Kaiser stood, thereby signalling that he wanted to speak. Obligingly, everyone fell silent. Using his nearly accent-free English, the Kaiser turned and addressed President Garrett. "Your excellency. In commemoration of your visit and the recent common victory our forces achieved in the war against the dutch, I hereby award you the honorary rank of Admiral in the German Navy and further award you the Order of the Black Eagle."
Upon a hand signal by the Kaiser, a servant stepped forward, carrying the relevant insigna. As customary, the President was also awarded the Grand Cross of the order of the Red Eagle.
Brest star of the Order of the Black Eagle.
Grand Cross of the Order of the Red Eagle.
After the President was asked to stand, Wilhelm stepped forward and decorated the President. "You have shown yourself to be a loyal friend to Germany and deserve to be rewarded, with the hopes that the future relationship between our countries will be as cordial as the past was." Wilhelm then backed away, allowing the guest to reply as was customary.
Sänger smiled to himself. The President of the Cascadian Empire therefore was the only non-German who had been decorated with each of the three major orders of the German Empire - for he had already received the Order of the Crown, 2nd class, when he had been the Cascadian negotiator to the treaty settling the territorial disputes between the two nations.
Stephen accepted the reward with a dignified expression. He hid the smile that came as the thought
I made Admiral after all came to him. When Wilhelm was finished Stephen turned to speak, directly at the Kaiser and also at the table. "Your Majesty's honors are gracious and humble me," he stated to the assembled, trying to keep his German as accent-free as possible. "I say I am humbled because I am aware of the vast responsibilities they demand, the responsibilities of maintaining the ties that unite our great nations despite the distance of oceans and continents. The future of our world and the fragile peace it retains relies very much on the continued bond between Germany and Cascadia. Our nations, united, ensure peace and security in the Pacific. That unity of purpose is a charge that none may take lightly."
Stephen reached down with his right arm and picked up a glass. The attending noted quickly his intent and took their own; thanks to the excellent attention paid by the servants, none had an empty glass. "I propose a toast tonight, a toast to the bond between Cascadia and Germany." He brought the glass up. "
Der Deutsch-Cascadische Bund, er lebe hoch."
The assembled at the table echoed his toast and all took a quick drink. When it was over, Stephen put his glass down and reached into his jacket pocket to retrieve a black container of leather, marked with the Cascadian tricolor and crossed swords. "As a Republic and a nation descended from settlers Cascadia does not have the same system of honors that Germany enjoys, but there has as of late been an exception. Last year our nations worked together to put down the corrupt regime in Holland. It was in this conflict that Cascadia reclaimed the city of Darwin and achieved the reunification of Australia. In the spirit of that glorious achievement I ordered the creation of a special honor to celebrate the occasion. The Pacific Cross is to be awarded to those, military or civilian, who proved crucial to the restoration of our nation to Darwin; it will be retained to honor those who perform great services to the continued health and strength of the Cascadian nation on both ends of the Pacific. So it is with great pleasure that I award the first Pacific Cross 1st Class to His Imperial Majesty the Emperor Wilhelm."
Taking the medal out, Stephen requested permission to repeat the process Wilhelm had done with him. The Kaiser agreed immediately and Stephen pinned the Order on Wilhelm's uniform with all the other various medals and orders already present on it. "Your Majesty, I thank you for the friendship you have shown Cascadia and for your efforts to maintain the Bund."
That medal was not the only one present in the container, however. Stephen looked to the table. "For service in the Dutch War, I would like Field Marshal von Mackensen, Großadmiral von Hipper, Kanzler Sänger and Großadmiral Scheer to approach."
Scheer and Hipper were first there, Mackensen and Sänger coming from the left of the table.
Each stood before him while Stephen retrieved the other four medals he'd been carrying in the container; formalized containers for their awards would be given by a servant after the dinner since he could hardly carry five in a jacket pocket. One by one he referred to them by name again and awarded the same commendation to each. The three military men accepted their awards quietly and had him pin them on.
Sänger had different ideas. Smiling and shaking hands with Stephen, he accepted the medal without having it pinned on due to the Hanseatic tradition which he followed. Taking it, he placed the medal on the table before him as he sat back down.
Wilhelm nodded to the Reichskanzler, who produced a small box. Sänger took out the medal and approached the President. "My dear friend, for your invaluable help in the last war, I present to you the medal of unification that was printed to commemorate the inclusion of the Kingdoms of Belgium and the Netherlands into the German empire."
The medal, of solid silver hanging from an orange ribbon and adorned with a black, red and gold band, showed Germania holding hands with two figures that were supposed to represent Belgium and the Netherlands. After handing the medal over the President while the audience applauded, Sänger once again took his place.
Eventually, the banquet concluded with a great display of fireworks and the Gardekorps escorted the Cascadians back to the Hotel Adlon. Sänger himself turned to leave when he noticed the Emperor motioning for him to approach. Sänger did so. "Your Majesty." "Herr Kanzler." The two regarded each other for a long time while nobody said anything. Then Wilhelm extended his hand. "My congratulations to your marriage, Herr Kanzler." Sänger took the hand, feeling the usual bone-crushing grip of the Kaiser and the pain the rings of the Kaiser caused. But it was a peace offering and he took it gladly.
"Thank you, your majesty." "You do understand why I cannot come to the reception or to the wedding?" Sänger nodded. "Yes, your majesty." The Kaiser's health had not improved much since the naval review. Wilhelm continued: "How is your betrothed?" "She is well, your majesty, though a bit excited."
Wilhelm smiled, the first true smile Sänger had seen since the election. "Ah, of course. Who wouldn't be?" The Kaiser mused a bit, no doubt remembering his late wife. He abruptly turned to Sänger and said: "You have made a good choice, Kanzler." Then, without waiting for a reply, the Kaiser turned away.
The dinner was over.
Berlin, Hotel Adlon
It was late when Stephen and Rachel returned. The nanny left behind confirmed all the children were sound asleep in their suite, leaving the First Couple of Cascadia to settle into their own.
Mostly undressed, another long day soon to come, they settled into the comfortable bed. As they did so, Stephen put his right hand on his wife's shoulder and asked Rachel, "Out of curiosity, love, in your professional opinion as a language expert...?"
"Yes?", she inquired, somewhat groggy, clearly wanting to settle down and sleep.
"Which did you consider better? My German or the Kaiser's English?"
Grinning slyly, she turned in the bed to face him. "Do you have to ask?" After some silence, but before he could inquire further, she continued, "The Kaiser, of course. Your German gets slow and some of the pronunciations are off. I mean, it's not
bad, but it's got that accent; the Kaiser's doesn't."
With a grin of his own, he settled his head on the pillow. "
Et tu, Rachel? Good night now."
"Good night."
Results:
- Cascadian visit to Germany, first two days complete
- huge amount of fluff being written
