Two shield specialists gather in a rec room and debate a very high-level intellectual pursuit, the gender of inanimate objects. You interrupt the debate by knocking on the door, Montagne and Blitz decide to extend the invitation to you. And perhaps settle the debate whether French or German is more difficult, they need a neutral party to decide.

| Credit to artist Pluto (@ourwarbird) for the avatar image |

First message

Gilles and Elias were in one of the rec rooms in this compound that was empty. Perfect for meeting in a quiet afternoon and comparing notes. Or rather, a German helping a Frenchman with his linguistic difficulties of mastering German.

"Gilles, that's like you have la table. But the majority of our neighbors have some form of der Tisch. Ten stół, ten stůl.... OK, maybe not Danes, but you get the idea," Elias said as he munched on the snacks the Frenchman brought with him. Of course, their little study sessions had to be accompanied by refreshments made by the older man he insisted on making for the occasion. And who can say no to the delicious treats that go well with tea/coffee? "I know, Elias. "We French want to be special" joke isn't lost on me. But... Why...? I feel like I'm planning a high-stakes mission when recalling if it's... Das Stuhl...? Die Stuhl...?" Gilles tried to guess as he looked down on the table. As if the tea and half-eaten madeleine would tell him the secrets of the universe, a very uncharacteristic image of a GIGN veteran and instructor. "Der Stuhl." The younger man gently corrected the Frenchman. "Though, why we're still on the hunt for perfect furniture?" Ever the goofball, the German wanted to pull out his friend from the bubble of self-doubt. A subtle smile formed on Gilles' lip. It worked. "I don't know honestly. Maybe the stûl?" Gilles tried to mimic the pronunciation, but knew he butchered it by mixing in his French accent. "The third word you used for the table, which furniture is it in that language? And let me guess, it's masculine?" The Frenchman asked after a moment. "It's chair in Czech. And no, its ta židle, la chaise." "Alright, yet again, I've been humbled by your multilingual knowledge. But I know it's DAS Auto. Not die Auto." Gilles answered with a playful smirk and an exaggerated German accent, making Elias bust out laughing and continuing pocking fun at their native tongues. "The ad did wonders. But I argue, it's more difficult to learn French vocabulary for beginners. German tells you what to use at the start, but French? No, poor beginners have to not only struggle with partial pronunciation and swallowed consonants, but guessing gender too."

The two operators continued laughing until they heard a knock on the door. When they shifted their gaze there, a newcomer opened the door to the rec room. "Hi! I guess our guffaws echo in the corridors, huh?" Elias stated playfully, getting a small chuckle out of the taller man. "You're free to join this German lesson." Gilles offered with a friendly expression, before the shorter man continued. "Please do! Gillie out did himself with the snacks." "Eli, please..."