Training [open]

[Annabella Auerbach]

Place: Germany, Military Grounds
Time: 5:30 A.M.
Weather: Frosty

Edrien had woke up extra early that following morning. He put on his uniform whilst everyone else was fast asleep. Lazy men. They don't have the right to sleep, Edrien thought. He took a quick shower and brushed his teeth. He adjusted his tie, and his belt to their normal positions. He ran a finger through his thick, blonde hair. He was wide awake now and he was ready for anything to strike him. He pulled open the door leading to the barracks and began making his way to the training grounds where he would start his new training.

"Guten Morgen, herr." He gestured at the guard whom sat on a wooden chair, looking fairly sleepy and lazy to speak or move a limb. Edrien just kept a straight, cold face on and had finally entered the training grounds. [Translations: Good morning, sir.]

He thought he would begin his training with a few push-ups for a warm-up. He pushed himself onto the ground and began with his push-ups that following morning. He pushed up and down, and up and down. His body was kind of feeling tired after a hundred push-ups, but he would indeed not stop.

He huffed, trying to find his breath at each push-up he attempted to do with all his strength.

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

The Opel Blitz rumbled along the gravel road, lazily passing by the various buildings of the military grounds. It was still very early and the Stabsgerfreiter driving the truck had to keep blinking his eyes to stay awake. Last night had been a long one and Dieter had hardly gotten any sleep. He had never been good at waking up early in the morning, not even when it had become a required habit after joining the Wehrmacht. He ran a hand through his blond hair to make sure that the fact he had just woken up didn't show itself too clearly. It was chilly outside and the temperature inside the truck wasn't really warm either. The truck wasn't agreeing with the cold morning air and Dieter had to work on the throttle a bit to keep the truck running.

It was still quiet in the barracks area, but in a few moments the place would be filled with soldiers running in the training field and suffering under whatever devious training the officers had come up with today. Dieter would no doubt be one of the men taking part in the exercises later today and the thought made him sigh. He would have to hurry if he wanted to be back at the barracks in time for the breakfast. He had promised to do something before that in exchange for some cigarettes, but didn't really regret taking on the extra job. He hadn't smoked much before joining the military academy in Dresden many years ago, but now he quite enjoyed it. It seemed that he had dropped his vice of drinking and replaced it with another one.

As the truck got close to the training grounds, Dieter's eyes caught a figure of a young man some distance away. Apparently Dieter wasn't the only one up early, as he could see a man exercising furiously and doing push-ups with nobody else in sight. Dieter found the scene slightly puzzling. Either the young man was extremely fanatic when it came to being in the Wehrmacht or he had been ordered to drag his butt outside at this hour as a punishment for something. Poor sod, Dieter thought and shook his head. Either way things were, it didn't bode too well for this fellow.

As the truck rumbled closer, he could see that the man was a private and he seemed exceptionally young. Wonder why he wasn't in the Hitlerjugend? Maybe his young age was the reason for all this enthusiasm. Some of the young men who joined the Wehrmacht were all puff and zest when they got here, but eventually got tired of it. A thought crossed Dieter's mind and he made a low sound of approval in his throat, making the truck turn slightly and roll to a halt near the young private at the training grounds. He could put that enthusiasm to some really good use this fine morning.

Dieter rolled the window down and raised a brow at the young man. "Hei!", he called out from the window. "Es hat den Anschein, dass sind nicht beschäftigt. Ich brauche Hilfe mit etwas. Komm, einsteigen" , the man nodded towards the bench next to him and looked at the young man expectantly.


Translation:

"Es hat den Anschein, dass sind nicht beschäftigt. Ich brauche Hilfe mit etwas. Komm, einsteigen."
"You don't seem like you are too busy with anything important right now. I need help with something. Come on, get in."

[Annabella Auerbach]

"Es hat den Anschein, dass sind nicht beschäftigt. Ich brauche Hilfe mit etwas. Komm, einsteigen."

His training was interrupted by a truck roaring right next to him. He kept himself in the air, just as he was about to finish off his two hundreth push up, he glanced up at the man in the vehicle. Well, Edrien was a tab' important at the moment. But this man looked like some sort of superior to him and so therefore Edrien would follow orders as he went along. He finished up his last push-up, pushing himself up so that he was standing upon his two feet. He kept his glance a the man.

Alas. the boy spoke giving the man a salute to show signs of respect - "Ja, Herr." The nineteen year old replied with a very heavy German accent. He walked himself over to the other side of the truck and got himself in, adjusting himself onto the seat. He kept a straight, cold face on just like any other Nazi would in a situation like this one.

"So, welche Arbeit das genau ist?" Edrien asked with an upstraight voice. He didn't want to allow his thoughts to slip in front of this man and he knew not to at a moment like this for it would lead to severe injuries. He kept his glance on the rear view mirror waiting for the man's reply to Edrien's straight forward question. [Translations: So, what kind of work is this exactly?]

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

The corporal waited until the young man had climbed into the truck and then he turned the Opel around, steering it back on the road again. Dieter glanced at the young man, it was hard to say how old he might have been. The blond-haired private looked very serious and Dieter wondered if he was irritated over him interrupting his vigorous training. Dieter didn't really care if he was, in fact he even felt slightly amused by it. He was pushed around each day by his superiors and it was kind of therapeutic to be able to do the same to someone else.

Still, overall Dieter was quite a friendly and easy-going man and he rarely did things just out of pure spite. It seemed like a strange thing, he had used to be quite a different person just some years ago. Maybe he had suffered enough rough times in military school to learn how it felt like to be in the receiving end of someone's bad temper.

"So, welche Arbeit das genau ist?", the young man asked and to Dieter's ears the words sounded slightly cocky. Dieter smirked to himself as he rested his hands on the steering wheel. At least the boy wasn't a completely gutless and sniveling recreant like some of the recruits were. It was good to be respectful at all times but it didn't hurt to have some zest, it just meant you had a good fighting spirit. Dieter quite liked the kid already.

"Ich muss die Drecksarbeit für jemanden erledigen, Sie können mir helfen", the corporal answered and glanced at the young man, still looking slightly amused. "Machen Sie sich nichts draus, Sie werden zurück vor dem Frühstück sein."

Dieter felt like he was in a rather good humor this morning and he didn't really know why. He was expecting to have a long and arduous day, he felt sleepy and hunger was gnawing his stomach. Maybe he was just looking forward to smoking his cigarettes and getting something to eat soon. The Stabsgefreiter brought the truck to a lazy halt in front of a storage depot and snatched a folded paper from the dashboard. "Hier sind wir."

After shutting down the engine he jumped out of the truck and looked around, it was quiet around here and nobody seemed to be around. The huge doors of the storage house were closed and Dieter sighed. Damn that Kaufmann, he should have been here. If the man was still sleeping snuggly in his bed, Dieter's day would be ruined, he didn't have that much time to wait around for him. He was just about to start cursing out loud, when there was a bang from the door as someone started opening it. A slightly stocky corporal frowned at Dieter and then glanced at his watch, huffing angrily. "Sie sind zeitig", the man said and Dieter just moved in to help the man push the door fully open.

"Hier", Dieter said and pushed the paper into Kaufmann's hand. The stocky corporal made a show of opening the paper very slowly, taking out his glasses from his pocket and then blinking as he read the paper for a while. Finally he mumbled something about the crates right next to the door. He glanced at the young private Dieter had with him and didn't bother to offer any help as it was clear Dieter had brought his own help already.

"Lasst uns anfangen", Dieter told the young private and moved to open the tailgate of the truck. The corporal motioned for the private to follow him inside the warehouse and he spotted the metallic boxes stacked near the door. Dieter grabbed hold of the other end of the quite a big and heavy box and waited until the private had moved in to help him. It wasn't a long haul to the truck, but the box was very heavy and even the able-bodied corporal had to work his muscles to raise the crate inside the cargo box of the truck together with the private.

There were three more bigger boxes left in the stack and Dieter hauled them into the truck with the young private. When there were only three smaller storage containers left inside the warehouse, Dieter sighed and leaned against the Blitz. "Sie können an jenen Muskeln arbeiten und jene letzten hier bringen", he said and searched his pockets for a cigarette and a lighter that was decorated with the proud Reichsadler, the eagle of the Reich. Dieter lit his cigarette and kept leaning on the truck as he watched the young private haul the last of the boxes inside the truck.

"So, wie heißt Du, Obergrenadier?", Dieter asked as he studied the young man. "Wie lang sind Sie in der Wehrmacht gewesen?"


Translations:

"Ich muss die Drecksarbeit für jemanden erledigen, Sie können mir helfen."
"I need to do someone's dirty work, you can help me with it"

"Machen Sie sich nichts draus, Sie werden zurück vor dem Frühstück sein."
"Don't worry, you'll be back before breakfast."

"Hier sind wir."
"Here we are."

"Sie sind zeitig."
"You are early."

"Hier."
"Here."

"Lasst uns anfangen."
"Let's get to work."

"Sie können an jenen Muskeln arbeiten und jene letzten hier bringen."
"You can work on those muscles and bring those last ones here."

"So, wie heißt Du, Obergrenadier?"
"So, what's your name, Obergrenadier?"

"Wie lang sind Sie in der Wehrmacht gewesen?"
"Been in the Wehrmacht for long?"

[Annabella Auerbach]

Edrien got out of the truck and followed the Corporal inside. He kept his cold face on. At the corner of his eye, he could see the man following behind him. He kept of following the Corporal, and on the corner of his eyes, he could see what was found here. It was quite interesting, he had to admit, to be brought her at such an hour. Not only that, by but what Edrien noticed the man by, a Stabsgefreiter. A corporal. Edrien had met a few through and through, most were just cruel bastards - but Edrien didn't care, he had to admit, he was quite the daily cruel bastard himself.

"Lasst uns anfangen."

He felt a gush of chilly wind hit him. "Ja, herr." He followed the Corporal's orders, picking up box by box and placing them into the truck. They were quite heavy for boxes. Well they were metallic. Who cared, he called this training anyways. He watched the Corporal leave, he kept his gaze on the man.

"Sie können an jenen Muskeln arbeiten und jene letzten hier bringen."

The blonde boy nodded. He also noticed that the man seemed amused of Edrien. Maybe the man was homosexual? No, it wasn't likely. He decided to keep these thoughts away. He began picking the boxes up and pulling them into the truck, one by one, he did the same to the other few. He hoped the man wasn't homosexual thought. Oh god, again with the thoughts, he pushed them away and approached the man with the last metallic box. pulling it into the truck. They were quite heavy, yet quite easy to pick up. He watched the man smoke. Edrien disliked smoking. It was brutal and he never intended to try it either.

"So, wie heißt Du, Obergrenadier?"

"Mein name ist Edrien Bruus." He replied with yet again, a very heavy German accent. "Und sie?" He asked back. He glanced around, huffing out the cold chill that ran through his stinging lungs. Yet again, there was nobody in sight. It was deserted. He then glanced back at the Corporal with his blue eyes that stuck to him. [Translations: [1] My name is Edrien. [2] And you?]

"Wie lang sind Sie in der Wehrmacht gewesen?"

Edrien nodded at the man's question. 'Ja, seit einer echten langen Zeit." He replied with a mutter. [Translations : Yeah, for quite a long time.]

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Dieter watched as the young man loaded the rest of the crates into the truck and saw that the private kept glancing at him in a rather strange way. It made Dieter frown and for a moment the man looked slightly displeased. Instinctively he brushed his hand over his face to make sure there was nothing there that might have made him look strange, but came to the conclusion that nothing was wrong with him. Maybe the private just wasn't used to someone striking up a conversation with him instead of only barking out orders. Dieter sighed and continued smoking his cigarette as the young man told his name was Edrien Bruus and after that asked for Dieter's name.

"Stabsgefreiter Rentz", Dieter answered, that was as much as the young private needed to know, he wasn't going to be on first-name basis with him, anyway. Dieter continued with asking how long Edrien had been in the Wehrmacht and the young man told him he had been in the military for quite a long time. Dieter scoffed at his words, he looked quite green to him. Such a young man couldn't have been in the Wehrmacht for too long.

Had he even seen any combat yet? Were the only things he knew about the army all about marching around the training field and dropping into the dirt whenever the trainer told them to take cover? At least he had enthusiasm, but that could be a dangerous quality in a soldier. So many fanatics just threw themselves into the battle and got killed off quickly. It was one thing to be proud of serving the Fatherland and the Führer, but a whole another thing to run recklessly into battle and think that a glorious death would serve the Fatherland best. Dieter preferred to be smart about it, there was no need to go and throw oneself in danger like a blind fool. It was better to stay calm and ensure you did what you were supposed to, but also stayed alive to serve Germany another day.

Dieter continued smoking his cigarette and the white smoke dissipated in swirls into the cold air. "Ach so..", Dieter just said and then straightened his back. He placed the cigarette between his lips and turned around to close the tailgate and snap the latches shut. He grabbed the edge of the tailgate and shook it a few times to make sure it was securely shut.

"So, Hast du irgendeine Familie zurück nachhause, Obergrenadier Bruus?", Dieter asked as he was working on the tailgate, although the man seemed slightly lost in his own thoughts now. Immediately he thought about his own home, he realized he hadn't paid them much thought for a long time now. He hadn't even been to home for years, not after he had gone to the military school in Dresden. That was so many years ago, it felt like distant history. Dieter snapped out of his thoughts and seemed to notice the young man again. "Etwas um zurück dazu nach Hause zu gehen, nachdem wir diesen Krieg gewonnen haben?"


Translations:

"Ach so.."
"I see.."

"So, Hast du irgendeine Familie zurück nachhause, Obergrenadier Bruus?"
"So, got any family back home, Obergrenadier Bruus?"

"Etwas um zurück dazu nach Hause zu gehen, nachdem wir diesen Krieg gewonnen haben?"
"Something to go home back to after we have won this war?"

[Annabella Auerbach]

Edrien watched as the man continued to smoke. How pathetic. Yes, Edrien wasn't the nicest man you'd find on the streets of Berlin. He was actually classified as one of the coldest compared to the other boys at the camp. Edrien stood in front of the man watching him closely for any movements. He then glanced away, towards the grounds, in which he began to notice, that a few boys began to arise from their deep sleeps.

"So, Hast du irgendeine Familie zurück nachhause, Obergrenadier Bruus?"

He eyes swiftly glanced at the man. It was so hard to admit that he had no family at the moment. The only family he could recall was Loraine Boberg, his overseas girlfriend. He loved her with all his heart - but it seemed that love wasn't on his list at the moment - the army was. His mother was dead. His father was dead. All five of his brothers were dead. What was he left with? Air? "Uh, nein Herr." He decided to keep himself strictly professional and not tell any lies. "Niemand. Niemand überhaupt." [Translations: [1] Uh, no sir. [2] None. None at all.]

He hated the fact that he had no family - it meant that he would be a loner when they won the war. He would be solitary. "Haben Sie irgendwelche Sorte der Familie, Stabsgefreiter bekommen?" He kept his voice cold, yet respectful. [Translations: Have you got any sort of family, Stabsgefreiter?]

[Dieter "Iceman" Rentz]

Dieter could see the young man glancing towards the training grounds, as if he was already anxious to get back. He couldn't blame him, it was getting quite chilly now that there wasn't any work to be done anymore. Dieter checked the time on his watch and arched an eyebrow, it wasn't too long until all the soldiers would be enjoying their breakfast. He returned his gaze to Edrien again, the boy seemed to wait for a while before answering his question about his family. With a cold and even tone the private finally told Dieter that he didn't have any family. His words didn't betray any feelings at all and it made Dieter thoughtful.

Such a young man and already he had lost his family, Dieter almost felt sorry for the poor bastard. Maybe this was the reason why he seemed to be so careful around him, only showing a cold exterior. Losing one's family was enough to make someone behave that way. The military probably wasn't helping too much either. If anything, it just made people more distant from normal human feelings. Dieter nodded at Edrien, he didn't know what to say. "Schade", he said and made sure his tone of voice stayed neutral, he didn't want to seem too patronizing and embarrass the young man.

The Stabsgefreiter dropped his cigarette on the ground and stomped on it with his boot, glancing again at Edrien as the young man asked Dieter a question. "Haben Sie irgendwelche Sorte der Familie, Stabsgefreiter bekommen?", Edrien questioned and Dieter just shrugged in a nondescript manner.
"Ja, meine Eltern leben zurück in Meissen. Mein Bruder, der Schweinehund, ist ringsherum irgendwo. Er ist ein Held oder so ähnlich zweifellos..", Dieter suddenly scowled as he spoke of his brother, it was clearly a subject he greatly disliked.

Hendrik, the perfect older brother, never did anything wrong and always excelled in whatever he chose to do. They had said that Dieter and his brother had always been like the complete opposites of each other and Dieter's father had never forgotten to keep reminding him of this fact. Dieter had not really thought about his family for a long time and for a moment he wondered what Hendrik was doing these days. He was quite sure that Hendrik had joined the army also, Germany needed all able men in her service right now. Maybe Dieter's brother was already a Leutnant or something of the sort, being the perfect shining example of a honorable German that he had always seemed to be.

Dieter quickly hoped he wouldn't have started thinking about his brother as the mere thought of him made Dieter's insides bubble with the familiar rage and envy. It had been long since he had last felt that way, but the anger and shame filled him so easily it was as if the emotions had been just waiting to show themselves at the first opportunity. Dieter's cold, blue eyes turned towards Edrien and his previously relaxed composition was completely gone.

"Lass uns hier verschwinden", Dieter snapped. "Seitdem ich Ihre Ausbildung unterbrach, denke ich, dass es eine gute Idee ist, wenn Sie zurückrennen."

The corporal turned and walked towards the front the truck, but swirled around suddenly and pointed a finger towards the training grounds. "Bewegt euch!", he barked at the young private, as if Edrien was to blame for the sudden change in his mood. After that he marched to the truck, yanked the door open angrily and settled on the driver's seat. For a moment he just sat there, clenching the steering wheel in his hands so hard that his knuckles turned white. Dieter glanced at the side-view mirror of the truck and narrowed his eyes with disdain.

Soon the engine of the Opel Blitz rumbled to life and Dieter made the truck roar angrily as it turned around and started back towards the training grounds, the motor bellowing like an angry beast in conjuction to it's driver's mood.


Translations:

"Schade."
"Too bad."

"Ja, meine Eltern leben zurück in Meissen. Mein Bruder, der Schweinehund, ist ringsherum irgendwo. Er ist ein Held oder so ähnlich zweifellos.."
"I do, my parents live back in Meissen. My bastard of a brother, he's around somewhere. Being a hero or something such, no doubt.."

"Lass uns hier verschwinden."
"Best be getting back."

"Seitdem ich Ihre Ausbildung unterbrach, denke ich, dass es eine gute Idee ist, wenn Sie zurückrennen."
"Since I interrupted your training, I think it's a good idea if you run all the way back."

"Bewegt euch!"
"Move it!"

[Daniel Brennan]

Mod Post

CP:
Dieter: Very long posts: 10CP

Edrien: Posts were shorter than Dieters, but good none the less: 8CP


~Dan