"A Flavor that You've Never Tried"

[Reiner Dornkirk]

"A Flavor that You've Never Tried"
35 Ash, 122 Steel
Location: Classified

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Reiner Dornkirk's head was still spinning from the insanity of the past two days. Granted, he'd shared his first taste of Gelerian schnapps with Eitan, and the air was lighter up here, plus the oxygen was sharing space in his lungs with the copious amounts of nicotine as he chain smoked his way through a terrifying, glorious day. But none that was the main source of his mental haze. It was that his humble, little life had just turned epic overnight. He'd met Captain Eitan Angevin and His Lordship, the Chief Science Minister of the Zaichaeri State. Sure, that state was in shambles and none of these ranks or titles meant what they had a season ago, but they meant a damn lot to Reiner Dornkirk.

He was finishing up yet another cigarette and looking out over the edge of the Windworld his cousin Stefan had created, as the young private who'd led him to the ceremony approached.

"Private Kämpfer!" Hazel eyes lit up, "Good to see you, man. Dienerin said you were going to snag me and set me up with a place to bunk somewhere?" He grinned broadly, "Looks like I'll be stickin' around for a while, brass willing." He noted, as he dropped the butt of his ciggy and stomped out the last dying embers.

"I'll just need to grab that duffel bag I left on the ship, and then we should be good to go." He started to step, but then hesitated, realizing he didn't remember where they'd come from. He'd been so focused on any number of other things, that he hadn't really paid much attention to the route down which he'd been led. That had been when he'd thought this was a long weekend. Now that it was an indefinite trip, he'd need to get the lay of the land.

"Uh... where's the ship, again?"

[Rune]

Private Konrad Kämpfer offered a genial smile to Private Dornkirk, the type that low ranking men shared and generally meant something like 'The shit we go through, amirite?'.

"Aye," He replied with the common Navy affirmative, as he was, in fact, an airman, "You'll be bunking with me, sorry to say." The duck of the head to imply that his offerings were sad and humble and it was not something to be looked forward to to share them was more automatic than actually meant, and he amended quickly,

"Nah, it isn't so bad. Just the two of us to the apartment. I was sure to get a roommate sooner or later and better to have an illustrious Dornkirk than some snot nosed new recruit or grizzled old veteran, eh?"

Clapping Reiner gamely on the shoulder he nodded his head in the direction they would be going and started off.

"No need to head back to the docks unless you want another look. The ship was needed to ferry folk who are working on the ground to and from the Ceremony, so it polly isn't even there right now. The Minister's man got your duffel to me so it's waiting for you back at your knew home sweet home. Before you move into the Hall, that is."

There was nothing of jealousy to the man's tone, he seemed more amused, even pleased by the situation than anything.

"I'm Konrad, by the be, or Kuno if you want to be friends. I don't actually know your first name. I'm sure that stuffy Dienerin knows it but catch him in informality and he'd have to give you three wishes."

When the names had been exchanged he said,

"I'm assigned to you, so you're brass for the day. What would you like to do? I can give you a tour, or we can head back to mine, er, ours, if you want to change or need a nap. There's a pub but it's likely to be pretty full today, considering. We could snag a couple bottles and find somewhere to drink them if you've got questions. The ships are your oyster, your wish, my command."

The over-dramatic salute that followed was only partly put on and it showed.

[Reiner Dornkirk]

Reiner chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm sure whatever it is'll be better than what I'm used to. Besides..." He put his hands on his hips and leaned backward to stretch his spine. "Last thing I'd want to do is get on some colonel's shit list because I got the cushy private suite. I got to bunk in one of those last night, and man oh man! I think if I got used to that I'd go softer than a Druskai's cunt." He wrinkled his nose,

"Which is to say I'm one of the-... Er, well I'm the last surviving Dornkirk black sheep. I'm about as fancy as canned ham. Grew up on the edge of the Grungeworks, where did you come up?" He nodded, and stepped alongside the airman.

"Ahh, I should have expected they'd take care of my stuff. The pidges can blast our city to shit with Dread Mists, but they can't take away that good, Zaichaeri efficiency." Reiner furrowed his brow at the mention of 'the Hall', recalling what Stefan had said before he was pulled away.

"The Hall? Is that the, um... White Night hall or whatever?" He gestured in the direction Stefan had gone with his thumb, "My cousin mentioned that. What is it, anyhow?" Lacking context, the notion of jealousy didn't even occur to Reiner.

He snickered heartily at the characterization of Dienerin. He hadn't known the man long, but he very much picked up what the other private was putting down even with so little interaction.

"Kuno it is! Pleased to meet you. Reiner, here. Some people call me Rein, but they're just as often lazy as friendly." He looked around and bit his lip, considering his options.

"Brass? Ha, ugh. I'm copper at best. But as far as plans go, I mean... Honestly, I'd love to get changed out of the, um... regalia." It was a bitch to clean, and he so rarely needed to wear his dress blacks that the shoes were barely broken in. His feet were killing him, after standing throughout the whole ceremony and then taking the walk with Stefan.

"Beyond that, a drink sounds awful nice. I already had one with Captain Angevin, and I hate to stop once I've started. Whether we land at a bar or pick up some bottles on the way back, I'm game for whatever."

[Rune]

"No Colonels here, highest rank up this high is Captain and there are a bunch of them all reporting directly to the Minister or Captain-Seeker Angevin. I expected it to be chaotic but the Minister seems to keep everything in order by never sleeping so he can juggle everyone's needs at the same time."

The rumor that the Minister was only half human because he had replaced some of his parts with gears and wires that enabled him to go without food or sleep was false, Kämpfer knew that, he was a man with both feet planted in reality. Also, the Minister looked exhausted all the time and if he didn't need sleep, why would that be?

Chuckling he nodded,

"I saw it, remember? I wouldn't take the time to get out of my socks either if they gave me a bed that looked like that." He'd gotten an eyeful and then some, waking the newly discovered Dornkirk and then attempting to be circumspect while he watched him bathe. The shower had been large and luxurious but without the addition of a modest curtain. Enlisted men saw other men in their skins all the time and Kämpfer had learned to mostly keep his eyes where others wouldn't see him looking at least. Once in a while he caught the eye of someone who was eyeing him back and had fallen into whatever passed for a bed and rarely was one with them. The encounters had rarely lasted past mutual spilled seed and he wasn't regretful of it usually. There was something about Reiner that tugged at him more than others though. Maybe it was his semi-celebrity status or maybe it was losing the majority of his unit on t he 34th and knowing that it was entirely likely every man who had ever touched him with intention was dead or mutated into a monster.

Kuno listened to the other Private attempt to downgrade himself from Dornkirk to Everyman but the look on his face said he wasn't eating what Reiner was trying to serve. He didn't think the other man was lying, only that he obviously didn't understand where he now stood in the world. When the question of his birthplace was raised he said,

"Not far from there, in the Smoke Stack." Here he grimaced, "Heard it's still on fire, somehow. Damned Mists." Patting at his breast pocket and finding it empty he found what he'd been searching for in his front, right trouser pocket instead. Pulling out the pack of smokes he pulled his lighter out from inside it and lit himself one, noting the irony of smoking to forget that his home was aflame but not mentioning it.

In another moment he was laughing out a lung full of smoke though,

"White Knight Hall," He tried to emphasize the silent K with marginal success then nodded his head toward the smaller, but still massive floating island with it's fairy-tale looking stone mansion that might as well be a castle as far as the East End boy was concerned. "That's the Captain-Seeker's home, but the Minister lives there too, now, with their wives and the Ministers new baby."

The Island was clearly visible and outlined by a brilliant blue sky with just enough bits of cloud floating in it to make it picturesque.

"My cousin..." He murmured under his breath as he took another long drag, making it a laugh even as he rolled his eyes. Throwing out the hand not holding the smoke he slapped it into Reiner's in a firm handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you, M'lord." The last was cheeky as you please and he took a few faster steps to pull ahead as though he thought the other Private might swat at him before slowing to let Reiner catch up.

"Drinks with the Captain-Seeker? What next tea with the Minister?" He held his hand out with the pinky up but then relaxed with his teasing, not wanting to alienate the man. "Aye, I could do with a little less polish myself." He implied the shiny buttons on his jacket as he turned them off the main street and onto a smaller, quieter one.

"After that we can see what beer is left on the offer. Good thing around here is everything's free, bad thing is, first come, first serve."

A minute later he was turning up the steps of one of the apartment buildings, it wasn't new but it seemed very well maintained. They kept up the stairs till they were on the top floor, where Kämpfer pulled a key from his other pants pocket and unlocked one of the doors.

The apartment was spartan but not empty. It was just one room with kitchen to one side and a little three-walled section that held a toilet and shower stall. The remaining area was taking up by a small table with two chairs and a bed that was intended for two. There were a few little decoration that had obviously not been put up by the Private. The room spoke of a young couple, just starting out, with no kids yet more than it did of military barracks.

[Reiner Dornkirk]

"Fuck..." Reiner was taken aback that so much of the brass had been taken out- Even up here in this ivory tower in the clouds. This definitely seemed like the sort of set-up the Old Guard would have weaseled their way onto, and yet it seemed good old Dornkirk ingenuity had worked it out without them. He didn't know his cousin well, but he'd have wagered it was a conscious choice to prioritize useful, hard laborers over posh, pampered people who'd drain more resources than they replenished.

"Well, if anyone could keep a ship this size ship shape, it's Stefan." He said with unearned confidence about the man he'd just met for the first time in his life within the hour.

"I remember, I remember." Reiner held up both hands, as if in self-defense. "I'm just reminding myself by saying it out loud, because I still feel like I'm in a dream. I woke up in the rubble yesterday, and went to bed in silk. Sorry." He shook his head, and looked away. "Not to brag. I'm just reeling, over here." He chuckled and glanced back up and over to the other private.

"I wasn't even tired when I laid down! The bed just consumed me... Swallowed me right up. Probably some top secret technology they were testing out to cripple the enemy with comfort." Just thinking about it made him yawn. But Kuno's answer was enough to perk him right up with the excitement of familiarity.

"Ahh, one of the Smokefolk! I know the Smoke Stack very, very well. I was kind of on the border there, on Pfelzer Lane?" There wasn't much actual housing in the Grungeworks proper, but his family lived close enough that he felt somehow more accurate using that descriptor. Most in his neighborhood had.

"How old are you? We probably know some of the same people." He suggested, taking Kuno's cue and pulling out his own pack to join him for another smoke. He didn't need much excuse, but he was running low now. It was a consolation to know his bunkmate had the habit, too, so he'd know where to score reinforcements.

"Got a light? Mine's kaputt." Reiner's eyes followed Kuno's gesture, to regard White Knight Hall looming across the way. "Oh, wow..." He squinted a bit, as it seemed to gleam with a heavenly luster as if lit from behind with a celestial halo. At least to Reiner it looked that way, but he was used to greyer skies.

"What? He is my cousin!" The ZDC Private chortled, returning the firm handshake and nodding although he paused and sighed at the playful honorific. "Please! The actual Lord Dornkirk wouldn't even let me call him that, so I'm certainly not gonna stand for it outta you! Just... call me Reiner. Or, y'know... 'Private', if Dienerin is eavesdropping." He did have to wrinkle his nose bashfully at the next question.

"Actually, yes? I got invited to the, uh... 'The Hall' before Ste-... before my cousin was pulled away." It may have been all right to call Stefan by his given name when it was just the two of him, but it felt like he ought to be accorded more respect in third person than in second. But 'His Lordship' felt awkward, so he just settled on 'my cousin' because it was neutral as it was accurate.

"I was on the Northern Front waiting for the pidge invasion when the blitz hit the heart of Zaichaer. Whatever beer they have up here is gonna be manna from the heavens next to the piss they served at Camp Siegfried." He jogged up the steps after Kuno, finishing up his cigarette as he unlocked the door. He stepped inside, and looked around with a smile.

"See? This'll do just fine. Big as the house I grew up in." He exaggerated, only belatedly noticing the sleeping situation. "One bed, huh?" He took in a sigh, feigning deep discomfort as he found the nearest ash tray and snubbed out his butt.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you're takin' me out for a drink, first, huh?" He winked, and grinned impishly as he unbuttoned his jacket and took a seat on the edge of the bed, to unlace his shiny, patent leather shoes.

[Rune]

"Oh, aye, you should know your way around my old stomping grounds, considering. My friends and I used to dare each other to run through The Market and risk getting hexed by a witch.

"Twenty-four." He replied, a bit defensively but no reason that was immediately apparent. Then he lightened again and began go through a few family names to see if any of them sparked recognition. When they did he bantered a bit back and forth about which girls they knew were the prettiest and which boys they'd played with. The minor difference in their ages mattered more when they'd been kids but it seemed they'd had playmates from a couple of the same families.

When asked for a light he leaned close and lit Reiner's from the end of his own, murmuring after,

"Little enough to waste it with no chance of more, eh?" The other man was immediately distracted by the wonder that was White Knight Hall floating through the sky and thought mildly jealous at having the moment cut short abruptly he understood. Even he still sometimes caught himself staring.

When the Dornkirk returned to conversation Kuno leaned in and said in a conspiratorial whisper,

"Always watching is that one, sees all."

The admission that Reiner was, yes, invited to the Hall for tea he just chuckled. Maybe he could get the man to bring him back some cake, or better yet, more fags.

The conversation took a turn as they were marching up the stairs so he just listened, letting the other man do what all soldier's who saw combat needed to do: Tell someone.

As they both undressed, Kuno hanging his dress uniform on the strung up cord that served as the room's 'closet' while Reiner dug in his duffel, he said, in a quieter, more serious tone than he'd used heretofore,

"I was assigned to work for the Minister, though I never actually spoke to him myself, a glorified guard for the Windworks, ran messages sometimes. Thought I was lucky, staying in the city."

One bare shoulder raised in a shrug before he pulled on a shirt that wasn't part of his uniform, dress or otherwise,

"We didn't know what was happening, no one did. But the Minister, he snapped into action as soon as the ground stopped shaking from the first big blast. Started to organize things, led us out into the neighborhoods to the families himself when he realized how few of us there were..."

He swallowed, doing up his buttons,

"You've got every right to be proud of him. If he was my cousin, well, I don't think I'd need anything else to be proud of."

It was achingly sincere and Kuno looked away as soon as the words stopped coming, turning his back as he pushed down his dress trousers and pulled on a pair of plain worker's pants.

[Reiner Dornkirk]

"Ah, you're an old man." The twenty-two year old replied, sucking in his teeth.

“I’m a Steel Centennial boy, myself.” Reiner felt like his head was in the figurative clouds since he'd been up here amongst the literal ones. It was nice to have a bit of grounding with someone from the old neighborhood, even as they both floated far above terra firma. He happily engaged with a bit of nostalgic discourse, and did his utmost to steer away from the reality that those days were never to be seen again for them or for the children of today or hereafter.

"I know, I know. Fancy!" Reiner chuckled, leaning in to whisper, "Truth is: I don't even like tea." He laughed a bit louder, "The only reason I even drink coffee is to wake me up in the morning. Not for the taste. Tea is just like hot salad water to me. But if you tell Dienerin or anyone else, I will choke you out and toss you over the edge of the... What do you even call a flying island? A Flyland?" He winced a bit at the portmanteau and shook his head, apologetically.

Reiner undressed rather meticulously. He hadn't been so ceremonious in his disrobing earlier, though that had only been a pair of briefs and a single sock, but with his dress uniform he took great pains to keep everything neat. The shoes were carefully unlaced to the point where he could pull them off without stretching the patent leather, then placed aside. He stood to remove and fold his jacket, followed by his shirt and slacks. With everything nice and tidy, he packed placed those items beside his duffel bag as he sought out something more casual to wear.

"Do you think I could borrow a jacket? I didn't know where I was going or how much cooler it would be up here when I packed."

Now that he was down to his undergarments, he took less care with the removal, pulling his undershirt over his head and replacing it with a fresh tank top. He pulled on a standard issue work shirt, leaving it unbuttoned as he sat back down to replace his black socks with army green ones to match the top. With matching trousers the ensemble was nearly complete. Finally came the boots.

Still seated on the bed, he looked up, brow furrowed as Kuno shared a more sensitive bit of his personal story than they'd really broached. He offered a warm, crooked smile.

"It's good to know he's done so much for you and all these people here. For all of Zaichaer, really. It's so weird that you've known him longer than I have..." He mused. Now it was Reiner's turn to be a bit jealous.

"Anyway." He dismissed it, "I'm ready when you are."

[Rune]

"Welp, now I have something over you if I ever need a favor. Soon as you piss me off, off I go to tell the Head of all Servants that you hated your Tea."

Looking over his shoulder fetchingly he then turned on his heel, holding his hands to his sides to show off his very plain clothing and looking over Reiner in turn.

"Hmm. Uniforms all you've got, eh? You're going to stand out, not many ZDC men up here. You want to borrow some of mine? Might have to roll the sleeves a bit but we're near enough the same size."

Kuno was taller and a little boarder than Reiner but, on closer inspection, it became obvious that his clothing had not been made for him. The shirt was tight across his chest and arms, though the trousers fit better. Not waiting for an answer he considered the shorter man briefly then dug through his things before finding a clean white shirt, another pair of trousers, these a dark grey, and then tossing a thick jacket over the top.

"Scavenged, I'm afraid, not like anyone is really sitting down to sew new clothes right now."

There was some part of him that didn't want Reiner to stand out, to cause others to question his presence, ask his name, learn about his lofty status and attempt to weasel their way in to his good graces. Kuno had been assigned to see to him and he could imagine his reasoning had to do with not overwhelming the other Private, not having him swarmed with grateful townsfolk wanting to shake his hand for things he'd had nothing to do with.

They could just have a quiet drink together. Pulling his suspenders over his shoulders and pulling on a coat of his own he watched idly until Reiner was dressed. Looking him over again he nodded his approval,

"There, that's better, you look like one of the boys again, but... hmm. Ah!" Walking back to his 'closet' he snatched up a flat cap that nearly matched the grey trousers and stepped close to slip it onto the other man's head.

"Perfect. Now we can go. If you want anything, clothes, fags, whatever, just let me know. Getting things up here can be tricky until you know who to know."

[Reiner Dornkirk]

Reiner laughed at the threat,

"I'm telling you, Kuno! I'll choke you out and it's right off the edge of the New World you go! You're Smokefolk, you know us grungers don't do blackmail- Just black lung!" Maybe that was why they were both drawn to cigarettes. Having grown up around the smokestacks and flurries of ash, it just made them feel more at home.

"Uhh..." He held his hands out to either side and looked down at himself. It was a uniform, wasn't it? It was so casual at this point that he didn't really think anything of it. "I can... leave the shirt unbuttoned? I don't know. Will people be weirded out? I don't really care if they know I'm ZDC. It's not like it's anything to be ashamed of, whatever they may tell you when you're crammed on those floating sardine cans, flyboy." But Kuno was already finding him a replacement so, sighing, he obliged.

"I'm wearing my own boots, though." He could stand his ground on that, at least, as he slipped out of his shirt and tank top, replacing it with what the other private had on offer. He had to slip out of his boots to change pants, but these boots were more well worn than those dress shoes and he tended to wear them looser when he wasn't in a combat situation. He tugged his boots back on without bothering to sit this time, and finally slid the jacket over his arms.

"I don't think it will surprise you to learn that I'm no stranger to hand-me-downs?" He offered snarkily, rolling his neck and stepping back over to the door from whence he'd been ready to depart minutes ago.

Such as things were, Reiner didn't think to question the motives of his new roommate. He figured seeing a lone ZDC man in uniform might make people think about all the others trapped down on the ground, while they floated in safety above. He definitely didn't want to make anyone feel bad with unwelcome reminders. when they were all going to be out drinking to forget their sorrows.

He sort of ducked his head awkwardly, looking ever so slightly confused as the cap was placed on his head for him.

"Uh... thanks!" He shook it off and smiled brightly, "Yeah, I'm pretty low on smokes. I was just tryin' to be coy, so you wouldn't think I was a total fiend." He gestured for Kuno to lead on,

"Oh, um... Do you think my dress uniform would be all right to wear to tea tomorrow? Otherwise, I... might need your help again." A crooked, apologetic frown followed the vulnerable admission.

[Rune]

Kuno shook his head and made a 'tsk' sound, but he was smiling,

"Shows what you know, Dornkirk, you can't actually throw anything off the Islands, the wards are too strong. You can't see them, and we aren't supposed to try to touch them, but they will stop most anything."

He laughed as he locked the door behind him though, and acknowledge, "Nothing like a Grunger Grudge."

The smile turned to a grimace as he was questioned,

"Its just the ceremony, day of mourning an' all, innit? You'll be trampled by grieving mothers wanting to ask about their missing ZDC sons, weeping on you and telling you sob stories." Literal stories as they sobbed, at least, this was the image Private Kämpfer was conjuring. "S'better this way, at least tonight. You should have some civilian clothes anyway. The Minister says we're men, not just uniforms and being given time and space to remember that makes us better soldiers in the end."

It was a paraphrase of something he'd heard someone say they had heard Stefan Dornkirk say, but he would take it. Adjusting reality to fit his needs had kept Kuno alive and fed often throughout his life in the lowest echelons of Zaichaeri society. He'd been one of enough children, in a household of aunts, uncles and many cousins, that his family alone had never been enough to keep his belly filled. A biologist would have been able to tell the tale of malnutrition from his muscles and bones, but he'd worked hard to fill out since he'd joined the ZADC. The choice had been only too easy; he'd already been risking his freedom and likely his life on the daily to feed himself. Three squares and being heralded for the harm he did instead of potenciall hung for it? Yes, please.

"Lots of siblings then?" He inquired, casually as they made their way out and he locked the door behind him, tossing a spare key through the air to Reiner. It was normal for families from the area to have more children than they could afford, Kuno's story wasn't unique.

"Don't know any men in either branch who isn't." He laughed and pulled his supply back out of his pocket once they were outside and lighting two in his mouth before passing one to the shorter man.

"When everything went down most people tried to raid food stuffs, or rob the rich folks of their gold and jewels. The Minister took everything from the emergency food stocks, seeing as it was an emergency, but once things calmed down a little he sent crews to get things that would make life more bearable. Like these." He indicated the cigarette burning between his fingers,

"So, while a lot of things are still scarce, you'd be surprised at what luxuries are available."

They stopped outside what was obviously a very full drinking establishment, though the music pour from the doors was mournful rather than lively. Throwing an arm wide in the building's direction he proclaimed,

"Case in point, booze. Got preferences?"