"I'm sorry." Stefan responded as soon as Jonathan mentioned also losing a parent. Certainly it wasn't the same as losing parents at a young age as he had, but in any case such things were bound to be tragic. Luckily Stefan's mother had been caring even after the loss of her husband, one advantage he quickly realized had perhaps stemmed from the regime's collectivist mentality. At least it had been the case until she ultimately fled. What had prompted it he still wasn't sure, but once the borders opened she was gone, never to be seen again. He had no way of knowing if she was even still alive. It was at least a bit likely, considering she had been much younger than her husband. Supposedly they had met during the war and quickly fell in love, eventually settling down in Berlin which had been her hometown. It was there in the spring of 1970 that Stefan was first brought into the hard hard world that was Cold War Europe. 

"After my father died I mostly withdrew into my own world. I mentioned my love of literature earlier. Well that was it. That was my escape. Not even my own peers could get much of my attention." Stefan then let out a light chuckle, mentioning his own eccentric behaviours that had first manifested from childhood. Looking back now a lot of it almost seemed comical, but between the constant monitoring and the mourning the young Stefan had indeed been lost and confused. Allegedly they had been worried about the young boy growing up with Nazi ideology, something that was supposed to be taboo. It certainly was, and even within his own family at the time, something that many hadn't realized. One's past didn't fade away easily, that much was clear. That was something that Stefan did well to remember too, realizing that even his own country of birth was still tainted by past events. "Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it. Wouldn't you agree?" He then proceeded to blurt out, staring straight at Jonathan. 

Jonathan proceeded to offer a toast, which Stefan too accepted as he picked up his glass. "To parents." He replied, turning towards the others, only hoping that their families were still intact. Most of them seemed younger so he could only hope that was the case. Nobody deserved to lose family at such a young age as he had; twelve and nineteen were both ages in which one was still very much maturing. Jonathan at least seemed to had turned out alright, even if he was a cop by trade. That was an ingrained fear he didn't make known, however. Not yet. The man tried to believe that actions are what determined the value of a human being, but at this very moment none of that matter. There was food! Lots and lots of food and he was certainly starved. 

"None of us will be eating light here. Whoever our host is sure knows how to accommodate." Stefan commented as he glanced at all the various dishes that were offered. Naturally, he went straight for the ham, it being a favourite of his. There was quite an impressive selection of various vegetable dishes as well, prompting him to fill his plate with several. Almost immediately he began digging in and found the food to his liking. He suddenly hoped that these feasts would become a daily occurrence in this mansion, but he suspected they would. The host wanted his guests comfortable, he was sure. That of course reminded him of what was to come. The host. The man had still not introduced himself. Certainly he was the mysterious type, maybe even a bit like Stefan in some ways. That alone made him feel like he could get along well with Dr. Frank or whoever it was who owned this mansion.