"Might I ask what you would like for dinner, Mr. Richtofen?" Eliza mused as a stood in the open room. I looked at her as if I had seen a ghost.

"Uh... What... What do you provide?" I asked nervously, my heart fluttering a little from my anxiety. Why was I so jumpy? First day rhythm, I suppose.

"Anything your heart desires, sir." Her gentle voice sent a shiver down my spine. Anything my heart desires. I tried to play back her angelic voice over and over again in my head.

Back in Germany, I had Bratwurst, sauerkraut, and assorted vegetables for dinner nearly every night. It's really all I knew how to cook.

"Have you any bratwurst?" I questioned.

She smiled up at me, tying a white apron around her waist and neck.

"Tons," she said, matter-of-factly. She turned and sauntered to the kitchen, leaving me to quiet.

I sat down on the stairs, which were neatly covered by red carpet, and let it all sink in. Wow. A giant house all mine, and to share with a servant ready to fill my every need. I good paying job. What more could I ask for?

Suddenly, the front door of my house swung open, revealing an all but familiar face.

"Ah, Richtofen, I see you have found your homestead!!!" Dr. Maxis boomed with a sharp exhale. It looked as if he'd rushed to get here.

"Yes, it seems that way..." I agreed cautiously, as if he would take It all away from me. He walked to me, closing the door behind him and stopping the soothing breeze. He took a seat next to me on the stairs, making me feel a little awkward.

"And how do you like it? Cozy enough for you?"

"It's fantastic, Dr. Maxis-"

"Please, boy, call me Ludvig." He cut off my sentence. Ludvig. A rather common name in Germany and surrounding areas.

"Yes, of course. Ludvig. Well, It's fantastic, like I was saying, but..." I wasn't sure if I should continue.

"But what, boy? What is it?" He questioned with seemingly utmost concern.

"Well, it's just a lot of room for one person..." I say, rather reluctantly. Maxis grinned.

"And that's why you need to find you a wife, someone to share it with!" He chuckled, and I forcefully laughed with him.

"I think I shall never marry," I said, attempting to plaster on a fake smile. But it was true, I'd never loved anyone in my entire life. I don't even know what love is. Sure, I know all the basics, about how children are made and such, but... I've never felt the feeling of love itself.

"I do not blame you my friend. Women are nothing but trouble. Pretty faces, but they'll stab you in the back the first chance they get." He said, diverting from his usual tender manner, and taking on a serious expression. "Eliza!!!"

The sound of him yelling her name startled me.

"Yes, Dr. Maxis!?" she yelled from the kitchen as her footsteps progressively got louder. Within the minute, she appeared in the doorframe.

"Bring your master and I some red wine, and set the table for two." I felt that Maxis should at least say please when speaking to a lady, but I didn't feel it was my place to correct him.

"Yes sir." she bowed her head courteously, and proceeded to our beverages.

"Quiet girl, yes?" He said.

"Indeed. She seems very shy." I replied.

"As is expected. You are her first master, and she's new to Northern France just like you."

I found myself smiling a little, though I could not imagine what for. I suppose it was the fact that someone else might understand what I was going through. I was beginning to think that having Eliza around would not be too much of a hardship, as I had once thought.

"Your drinks, sir." Eliza came up to Maxis and I with a silver tray and two wine glasses brimming with red liquid. She took one off the tray and handed it to Ludvig, the other to me. He and I tipped our glasses, and I turned to the girl.

"Thank you, Eliza," I smiled warmly as she bowed once again, her eyes locked on mine through the entire gesture.

"No need to be so nice to her," Maxis began, "She is here only to serve you."

"Well, it's common courtesy where I'm from, sir." I said, a bit challengingly.

Maxis gave me a puzzling look, then replaced it with an unconvincing smile.

"But of course. Anyway, let us not stress over it, dinner should be just about ready," he walked towards the dining room, sitting down at one of the many chairs around the cedar table.

I followed him, sitting across from him at the table.

"Now, Edward, I've come over today, not only to share in conversation with you, but also to assure that you know and abide by the rules and regulations of being a member of Group 935."

"Rules and regulations?" I asked, not quite understanding.

"Yes. As you must know, with great power, comes great responsibility."

"Indeed. I understand this." I confirmed, waiting for him to continue.

"Good, good. Well let's start out with the regulations, then." said Maxis nonchalantly taking out a sheet of long crinkled paper, and a pair of reading glasses. Putting the glasses on, he began to read from the paper.

"Regulation 1: Each Elite member of group 935 is to report each day to work at 8;00 a.m, unless excused for a personal purpose. This can include sickness, death of family member, maternity leave, or other excused absences. Violation of this rule will result in minor punishment on the fifth offense. Regulation 2:..." I listened to Maxis go on and on and on. I wondered when it would stop, until finally, at regulation 28, his voice ceased.

"Regulation 28: Should you chose to leave Group 935, there cannot be any guarantee of your safety, but within the protective arms of our leaders, you shall be safe until the end of your term. Whew," Maxis inhaled deeply and followed up with a sharp exhale. "Was that all too much for you?" He chuckled.

I was sure my eyes were open wide with surprise. I had not realized just what I had gotten myself into until now.

"I...I've got it..." I gasped.

"Dinner is served," Eliza stormed to the table, two steaming platefuls of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and vegetables in her hand. The familiar smell reached my nostrils and my stomach growled angrily as Eliza sat the plate down in front of me. Her hand left the plate and—

"Ouch!!!!" She drew back abruptly, startling both Ludvig and I.

"What happened?!" I instinctively rose from my chair, looking over her shoulder at the scalding red mark on her hand. "Are you okay?"

She glanced at me scarcely over her shoulder. "Oh, yeah, uh, I'm...I'm fine, thank you.." she backed up awkwardly into the counter, seeming panicked.

"Let me see," I begged, to no avail.

"No. No, I'm fine, thank you Mr. Richtofen, I..."

"Go clean yourself up, you incompetent girl. If this happens again I shall punish you!" Maxis interrupted her threateningly. She winced a bit and scurried away, bowing her head to me and him.

Wow. What an awfully rude man... I thought to myself. But I should give him another chance... I will be working under him for who knows how long. I'm sure he's just stressed.

"Come sit down, Richtofen, and have a nice meal. Forget about the girl's insolence." I sighed and obeyed his orders.

The meal was unmatched by any other I had ever eaten. The bratwurst was cooked to such perfection that it was fit for a king, and the vegetables were steamed with such delicacy that it had seemed as though angels had blessed the hands that made them. And the sauerkraut... let's just say it had the exact right amount of...sauer. This girl truly had a knack for culinary arts, and I couldn't wait to see what else she had to offer.

Dinner was filled with conversations about what I could contribute to the group. Clearly I was speaking with a reasonable man, one who knew exactly what he was talking about and took his job very seriously.

Finally, when the sun had fallen to it's knees and the autumn breeze blew through the feathers of the night owls, it came time for Doctor Maxis to leave.

"It was a pleasure to have you over tonight, Ludvig." I said, seeing him to the door.

"The pleasure is all mine, boy! I can't wait to see what you'll contribute to our wonderful secret society."

"I only hope I can meet expectations..." I said nervously.

"Oh, you will, I can feel it." Maxis said, stepping out of the doorframe. "OH, and Richtofen, there is one more rule that I would like you to be aware of that I forgot to mention earlier."

"Yes?" I questioned.

"Should you ever have any sort of relationship with your servant other than friendship, well, it will result in major discipline for you and her."

I was puzzled. What other relationship?

"Forgive me, Maxis, what sort of relationship do you refer to?"

"What I mean is, do not involve your housecarl in any sort of... love relationship." He gave me a warm but unsettling look. "But I know you won't have a problem with that one."

"Of course not..." I trailed off.

"Good. Well, I must be off. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow at the front office."

"Goodnight, sir!" I yelled after him. The thoughts of the evening rung over in my head as I watched Maxis round the curb. The last rule, for some reason, stayed on my mind all through sleep that night.