By Rapscallion 08/07/2004
The plank creaked. Ed Homnanberg III glanced at it warily, but it seemed to hold.
"I don't know what's wrong with people," he said, pulling a slab of chocolate out of one of his utility belt pouches. He shifted his M16 rifle and broke a piece of the chocolate off. Chewing reflectively, he tossed the rest over to the other side of the plank.
Johann caught it and smiled his thanks. "I pay you," he said, digging in his belt pouch for a few moments. He brought out a few gold coins and tossed them back. "Is good chocolate, yes?"
"I've got plenty where that came from," Ed said, grinning. He patted his pockets to find some more. He opened another likely candidate, but scratched his head as he pulled a heavy ingot of metal out.
"I take that as well," Johann called out.
"Right you are, von Neuberg," Ed said, passing the slab of metal over. Their mutual seat creaked a little more, and Johann's end began to dip. The Dutchman quickly pulled more gold coins from his pouch and threw them back.
"Is all good," Johann said, smiling. The plank they were sat on regained equilibrium, and they stared at each other for a while.
"I really don't see the problem," Ed said, shifting his weight slightly on the see-saw. He frowned and reached into another pocket. In the manner of a stage magician, he began to pull a long sapling from another pouch. "I don't know where all this comes from, sometimes," he said, moving his helmet to scratch his head. "You want?"
"Ja, ja," Johann said, smiling.
Sapling and gold exchanged hands once more. The plank creaked again, but it still held, and they rocked slightly before ending up still once more.
"So, what is this problem you talk of?" Johann asked. The piles of wood, food, and metal next to him had begun to grow of their own accord.
Ed shrugged. He pulled a packet of soldier's rations out from a pouch. He couldn't remember putting it in there, but he wasn't complaining. "It's some of that lot," he said, pointing with his thumb at a group of people of mixed-origins over to one side. The plank creaked once again, but it still held. "I don't see it myself, but they seem to think we're not balanced."