Germany is a Christian nation.
This was half-true. Though Germany was nominally under the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union, and certainly tilted to Christianity in population, it was, on paper, a "secular state". So while Judas al-Zaman was in the minority, that had surprisingly little bearing on his new life.
Be aware: Germans are less squeamish about nudity.
Learning of Germany's bathhouse culture was a bit like learning about tear gas: Judas didn't want to see it, pretended he wouldn't, and was utterly unprepared for it once it came up. Still, he could adapt, or at avoid it to the best of his ability. He'd consult the Sunnah.
The people of Germany are quite tolerant of gay people.
Unlike the British, Germans understood that gay people were a part of life. It was a small weight off Judas's shoulder — he'd stopped worrying about his inclinations after Fareed gave him that one book on colonial law — but a weight off nonetheless. It was still a bit of a shock to see such… ostentatious displays of pride, but he'd manage with the knowledge that Allah only hated him because he was a cowardly magician.
Germans don't smile at strangers.
Judas was stumbling away from yet another jumping when he first found Outer Lichtenberg. He'd later learn of the Stumblewall, a Way accessible only by those fleeing immediate violence; for now, however, the shock of the Berlin streets giving way to something emptier, narrower, and curvier was quite a shock, to put it lightly.
You could understand what it might have done to Judas, couldn't you? The panicked realization he'd been taken somewhere impossible, the disorientation of navigating such impossibilities, the fear that he might never escape, the despair of separation from all he thought he knew and loved.
So when Judas saw Rudy Hilfiker, hauling a bag of fertilizer to somewhere he must have known, you can understand why he might forget his studies and smile at a complete stranger.
Just kidding. This was neither the first nor the last time Judas would forget not to smile.
The first time Judas saw Fats Burg, he was grilling vegetables, shirtless, in one of Outer Lichtenberg's few parks.
It was 2008, Judas was finishing his education, and he wanted to justify his continued presence. He'd had joked to Rudy that his only skill was running away, and apparently OL was looking for a new courier. "Apparently", because Rudy sent him running to someone named Addison, who directed him to Inga, who had him run to the Botanist's place, whose girlfriend rebuked him for disturbing her and sent him off to the Critic, who was busy but his assistant was friends with the Mason, who could help, he prefers Fats Burg if he's not in a gallery by the way, and if anyone knew where he is it might be his boyfriend Bagir, who informed Judas that he'd broken up with Fats a few months ago and Fats was now dating that rat Shoshanna, who was, surprisingly enough, an actual rat person, "it's called 'therianthropy' and it's not important, Fats is over at that park near the Downtown greenhouse", which brought Judas to what he assumed to be a shirtless butch woman working a solar grill for no one in particular, who…
Right. "Excuse me, miss, do you know where Fats Burg is?"
The "butch woman" turned, to reveal his scraggly facial hair and the distinct lack of a smile that, though typical of Germany, felt especially judgemental. "You're looking at him."
Great! Judas already fucked things up. "Sorry, sorry, um…" He bit down a nervous smile, and held a hand out. "Hi. I'm Judas al-Zaman. I was… told to talk to you about the courier position?"
Mr. Burg furrowed his brow, only briefly looking back to his vegetables before taking his hand in an uneasy shake. "… charmed." He took another look at the grill, then turned to face Judas fully. He was a slight man, no taller than five feet and quite wirey. Stick-and-poke tattoos dotted his chest and arms, words in foreign alphabets and a few transgender-looking symbols, too. His breasts were small, and he made no attempt to cover them. "… you okay?"
Judas snapped himself back to reality. "I'm… I'm sorry, I'm not used to…" His hands waved in Burg's general direction.
Burg shrugged. "It's a free fucking country. But yeah, thanks for volunteering with the mail." And with that, Burg turned back to the grill and continued attending to his vegetables.
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