Rob looked at Schmidt. “What the hell was that?”

Marvin replied, “Rolf volunteered. And Kaplan actually stood up for himself.”

Rob jumped as Marvin and Greg joined them. Rob asked, “What the hell’s been up with Kaplan? He’s been actin’ weird since we got back from Stuttgart.”

“Maybe Krüger gave him that promotion he wanted,” Schmidt said. “That could be why he’s more confident. He finally has something to be confident about.”

“I sure hope he didn’t!” Rob replied. “We did all the work, we should’ve at least gotten some reward.”

“I don’t think he got a promotion,” Marvin said. “He would’ve been talking about it on the ride back from Stuttgart.”

“Either way,” Schmidt said, “it’s nice to see him with a backbone now. It was getting sad... But that was a little intense. I hope every meeting isn’t like that.”

“Don’t wanna get on Kaplan’s bad side now that he has the balls to raise his voice at you?” Rob asked, smirking.

“Shut up, Rob.”

“Rolf was right, though,” Marvin said. “About nothing getting done here. Maybe with Kaplan being more strict, we’ll get more done.”

“Besides findin’ that Bean, it feels like nothin’s really happened here,” Rob said. “But just thinkin’ about it makes me anxious, so I try not to.”

“Maybe us finding that Bean made him realize that someone had to step up and lead us,” Schmidt said.

Greg’s brow was furrowed. “Am I the only one which has gotten an erroneous impression from the events that just transpired? I would have expected Kaplan to become more reserved after our encounter with the Bean in the field, yet he became more assertive. I would have expected that the reality in which we are part of would have set in for him, and he would have reacted accordingly, would he have not?”

“That could have been acting accordingly,” Marvin replied. “He’s scared of the Beans and wants to start taking them seriously before it’s too late.”

“I do not think so,” Greg said. “I have been laboring under Kaplan the longest of those in our quartet, and in all the time he has been my commanding officer, he has not acted in that manner. His response was uncomfortably… visceral. Kaplan is not a visceral man.”

“Now that you mention it, it’s kinda sus, isn’t it? How quickly he’s changed?” Rob asked. “Remember that one time the meetin’ took four hours, and we just stood there, waitin’ for him to do somethin’? What’s changed since then? That was in early January, right before we went and found that Bean, right? It’s only been a month. Hell, even in Stuttgart he was acting like the same old Kaplan that couldn’t control a group to save his life.”

“It’s really not that weird,” Schmidt said. “Kaplan just got fed up with being pushed around by Rolf and got some confidence from everything that happened in Stuttgart. Even if he didn’t get promoted, he definitely got praised by people he respects which would’ve given him a huge boost in confidence. And all that stuff he said; Rolf’s arguments are always the same. He’s probably been working on that speech since he left Stuttgart, planning to earn some respect.”

“You do not understand,” Greg said, wavering on the spot. “Kaplan isn’t… Kaplan is not like that. I do not know how to describe it, but something would have to have impacted him drastically for him to act the way he did.”

“Maybe he tried askin’ for that promotion but got denied so hard that his entire personality changed,” Rob said.

“Oui?” Kaplan said, approaching from behind Greg. “Who might you be talking about?”

“Oh, uh, no one, sir,” Rob replied, a little too quickly.

Kaplan smiled slightly. “Why are you four still ‘ere?”

Rob was about to reply when Marvin said, “Just discussing the Beans.”

Kaplan nodded. “I was going to reprimand you for not returning to your duties, but I suppose I can overlook zat zis time, due to your contributions to zee cause.” He put his hands on Greg's shoulders, who was still wavering slightly. “Are you alright, Gregory?”

“Yes,” Greg replied. “Just lightheaded.”

“Ah,” Kaplan replied. “Zere must be something going around… I feel light’eaded as well.”

There was a pause.

“We should return to our duties,” Marvin said.

“Uh, yeah… There’s a lot for us to do, after all,” Rob said.

They exited the tavern, leaving Kaplan inside. Outside, Rolf’s group was heading to gather the supplies they would need for their mission. They were laughing heartily, one of them slapping Rolf on the back.

They went the opposite direction, returning to the barracks. As they walked, the only sound was that of the thin layer of ice crunching softly under their feet. It had been three months since Besançon was abandoned, the citizens evacuated before they had time to gather their belongings. The market area near the center of the town had been left untouched by the soldiers, the meat and fruit having rotted past recognition months before. Though the soldiers had been living in a small section of buildings near the eastern gate, the rest of the buildings in Besançon were not accustomed to the harsh weather and lack of maintenance; various windows had been cracked or broken from the cold, the interiors of most of the buildings in the early stages of decay.

But the spring of 1588 was fast approaching, which would give the buildings a much needed respite from the cold wetness of winter.

And with the spring would come the Beans.