An Inspector Calls | Die Mannschaft AU

one

It was a fairly ordinary evening in early spring, 2015, and they were all gathered in Bastian's large, modern penthouse apartment. He was a wealthy businessman who was in charge of his own company, Schweinsteiger and Co., and as a result the apartment was lavishly furnished with items that would have cost the whole of a person's paycheque. In an odd way, it seemed as if the lighting around them was almost pink, a reflection of the celebratory occasion.

Currently, they were all seated at the table. Bastian was at one end of the table, with his good friend, Lukas Podolski, at the other. Erik sat on one side of the table, with Mario and Marco on the other. Thomas, the maid, was just clearing away the dessert plates and champagne glasses, replacing them with with a decanter of whisky and a cigar box. Glasses for the whisky were already on the table.
All of them were dressed smartly in well-fitting suits. Bastian was around thirty years of age, well-educated and predisposed to making long speeches. He was also rather proud of himself, and made no attempt to hide it. Lukas, a surgeon, was the same age as Bastian; the two were old friends from when they had gone to school. He was a fairly cold man, who did not see the need for excessive emotion. He was very much the type of person who would not sugarcoat anything; he told it like it was. Mario was a young man in his early twenties, always immaculately turned out. He had known Bastian for a while, despite being a good few years younger than him. They played in the local football team together on weekends, and though the team itself was nothing special, during a round of celebratory drinks they had become friends. Marco Reus, the son of the prosperous Lord Reus, was a big part of his father's company, Reus Limited. He was well-bred and especially courteous. Lastly, Erik never seemed quite at ease. He was fairly shy, but also somewhat assertive. He too was in his early twenties, roughly the same age as Mario. They had known each other for a few years and had a strange friendship, primarily consisting of insults thrown back and forth. Somehow, it worked.

Bastian nodded as Thomas placed the decanter down. "That's all, thank you." He pushed it slightly towards Erik. "I think you'll like this, Marco. I heard that it's exactly the same that your father gets."

"Then I'm sure I will. My father prides himself on being a good judge of port, but I don't pretend to know much about it myself."

Noticing that Lukas had not taken any whisky, Bastian offered it towards him. "Come on Lukas, have some today. It is a special occasion after all."

"Go on Lukas, you really should." Mario added, urging him on.

Lukas sighed and picked up the decanter. "Alright then, I'll have a little. Thomas, I'll call you into the living room when I want some coffee. It will probably be in around half an hour."

"Yes, sir." Thomas picked up the tray of dishes and left, leaving the five around the table.

With all their glasses filled, Bastian leant back in his chair and smiled. "Well, isn't this nice. I simply must make a speech at some point. It's a pleasure that you decided to join us as well, Marco."

"No, no. Pleasure is all mine. Working with Mario has been a joy, so thank you for inviting me tonight."

"Well, with you already being a family friend I couldn't not. And though I'm sure that he's already thanked you, I also want to thank you for you giving Mario this promotion, this opportunity."

Mario laughed awkwardly at this and put his face in his hands. "Basti, you sound like my dad!"

Completely ignoring Mario, Marco replied to Basti. "It was nothing he didn't deserve. He works so hard, working with him so far has been superb. I believe he has a natural skill for business; we have worked very closely to improve the profits of the company - with significant results."