So... I assume Ivan is in a good mood? [Germany]

When Poland comments upon not having heard much about the front in the Middle East, Germany simply states, "You vill soon." When something substantial happens there it will surely make the news. And he can't really say anything more about it than that - while he trusts anything he says to Poland to not get leaked to the other side, he can't pass along information that he doesn't have yet and he's not yet sure exactly what will happen there. He's just confident that it can be moved forward and hopes that it will do a lot of good.

As for the comment about Japan, Germany gives a nod but says, "I do not knov hov much help America can be - he already has is armies involved all over the place - but then again Japan has never needed anyone to help him fight effectively." Especially given how things have developed since the last world war - knowing both the level of ferocity that Japan can have in a fight and the fact that, unlike before, he is now one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world... well, Germany too is glad that they're on the same side.

When Poland indicates his confusion about South America, he decides to clarify that a bit, "Exactly hov things are going in South America is easy to keep quiet about in Europe, and so ve do - everyone here has enough to vorry about and, like I said, it's not very important. Bolivia is definitely struggling, but vith the support of Venezuela she doesn't look likely to collapse soon, and Venezuela is doing very vell - the Joint Pact has oversupplied him vith veapons and he has proved to be very capable in the rainforest. But that only means that he's able to be a thorn in Brazil's side - I do not believe that he's capable of doing much to anyone outside of South America, and even vithin the continent he is limited."

As Poland speaks of the possible damage that a change in Belarus's loyalties could cause to Russia, Germany nods slowly, though he comments, "I vould not be too quick to predict that it vould be successful - she is, after all, very loyal to him. But the possible revards of success are so significant that it's more than vorth a try."

While it's true that Germany is often a pessimist, if the odds are far enough in his favor then even he will acknowledge it. In a way, Italy's laziness has worked in their favor - the Joint Pact in that part of the Middle East have become entirely too complacent and he expects the offensive to come as quite the shock. That alone will help them advance, in fact. Of course, that doesn't mean that Italy made a good choice - the cost of his 'strategy' is that the Joint Pact were able to invest more resources in other fronts this entire time. But that means that they've already paid the price for it - what's left to do is to reap as much reward from it as possible.

When Poland gets even more excited about the prospect of trying to win over Belarus, Germany is quick to put a restraining hand on him to keep him in the bed. Which isn't difficult, given Poland's weakened condition. "You mean I vill get busy. You vill stay here and rest. If you end up in the same room as Belarus right nov, she vill probably try to capture you, and you von't be able to do anything about it, Ja?" he points out, very quick to give the other nation a reality check but not being unkind about it.

When Poland protests, Germany's first instinct is to angrily tell the other country what is what. However, he's quick to remember what it's like to be so weak you can do little else but rest in bed, afraid that your country is falling apart, wondering if you'll discover first hand what happens to a nation that no longer exists. To say that it's a miserable, helpless feeling would be putting it mildly. He certainly wouldn't admit it to Poland, but he empathizes a lot with the situation he's in.

So instead of snapping, he thinks about it for a moment before he nods to himself. "Hov about a compromise?" he asks, "You stay here and rest, and I vill give you this..." Reaching to his west, he pulls out his very own handgun. It's a semi-automatic pistol, and naturally a very well-made one - he's Germany, after all, and he's just about as talented at making guns as he is at making cars and waging war. "That vay if anyone finds you, there is something you can do about it. But looking for trouble is a foolish idea, Ja?"

As far as Germany's concerned he's giving the Pole a very good deal. Instead of getting to run off and get himself captured or worse, he gets to have a decent firearm. The moment that Poland agrees, Germany not only hands over the gun, but also unbelts the holster from his waist and hands that over as well - he can get a new holster for himself when he gets a new gun to replace the one he's giving away. "If you manage to use this to put a bullet in a Joint Pact nation, that vill be all the thanks that I need," he replies.

Having said that, he sighs heavily to himself and says, "Speaking of the Joint Pact, I'd better get back to the front nov. Is there anything you vould like to have that I can have sent to you here?" He might as well offer, because he could probably get his hands on pretty much anything that Poland could request, and if it would make bedrest a little more tolerable for the man then it wouldn't be too much trouble to help. Of course, he knows that what Poland really wants is for the war to end so that he can actually get better, but he's already been working on that one for years.

It's very possible to lose a war with Germany on your side - just ask Italy and Japan. But it is true that Germany has a talent for war and he hasn't lost that. Unfortunately, he's not the only one who is good at war - though he'd privately argue that Russia doesn't necessarily have that much skill at war as much as strategic advantages. If the two of them were to face off with all else being equal - the same number of men with the same amount of skill, with terrain and weather that didn't favor one over the other, etc. - he would be able to defeat the Russian handily based on raw strategy alone.

But that is most certainly not what's happening in this war - there is no equality of anything anywhere. So the war seems caught in a stalemate that may break at any time, and nobody can say for sure who will have the upper hand when it does. Yet though the German can't shake the fear that he will once again find himself on the losing side of a war, that doesn't mean that he won't do everything in his power to keep that from happening. So when Poland asks for a picture like that, Germany's expression becomes firm as he promises, "I vill do my best." And as for Lithuania? "And I intend to free all off the countries vho are in Russia's house against their vill," he says even more firmly. That's one of the deepest desires of his heart, actually.

Rising from the chair, he adds, "Perhaps the next time I visit you, I vill be bringing you better nevs." Not that the news that he brought this time was bad, but it also was definitely lacking in actual progress. Yes, he could talk about things that may turn into actual progress, but then again he could do that at any time - they're always in the middle of a plan that might work, but plans that actually do work are rare. "Keep yourself together until then," he states, his way of saying goodbye. Because though he actually kind of dislikes Poland, and would like to somehow give him a completely different personality, he wouldn't go so far as to want to see him die. Especially not because of Russia. And, having said that, he turns and heads to the door.