To say that I was odd was an understatement. However that corporal was a lot worse than I was, at least I never pressed my insane tendencies on others. I have a system, and I'm the only one that knows how it works. So just because you don't understand it doesn't mean it's wrong!
Walking into the messy cubbiehole I call home, I spot Erwin sitting in one of the chairs unoccupied by papers or books .To say the place was a mess wasn't exactly true, while to anyone who were to walk in certainly would thinks so. All apart of my master plan. If I make my home a place to where robbers see nothing of use, they won't steal anything. Of course, the more informed thieves would know of the vast amount of information I have in my home. However they can not have access to in anyways unless they know the system, more about that later.
"Erwin, what have I told you about coming in here unannounced?" I grumbled, annoyed that someone was in what I considered my private bubble.
"How nice to see you again Diane," he stated amicably as he stood up. His long legs unfurling from the most uncomfortable chair I have ever sat in. "I'm here to ask for a bit of help." He explained in that blasted nice voice of his. Gods I was jealous of his voice, it was just so bloody smooth as if it was like water. Clear but hiding something in it's depths.
"You always do," I snapped moving away from the door to what I considered my throne. "Now what makes you think I have time to deal with you're troubles? I've got enough to do without you messing everything up," grabbing the bottle of wine on the wooden table to my left, I lift it checking the contents for poison. Lately I've had the sinking feeling I was being watched. No doubt by Erwin's men I thought darkly, whatever he wants, he wants it badly enough to make sure I don't go into hiding.
"I apologize, but this is of great importance," the blond walked with purposeful steps to the table in front of me and pressed a document on the cherry colored wood. "This," he emphasized even going to so much as pressing his pointer finger down on the paper, "could be the very chance to saving humanity and eliminating the titans."
"Really," I said raisng an eyebrow, uninterested and looking back down to my real work,"Well if that's the case you can go on and have your name in the paper as 'Humanity's Savoir' while I finish up some real work." Getting up from my throne, I walk over to the bookcase on the north side of the room intending to grab the book about the ways of dying yellow cloth. Erwin however stops me with a single sentence.
"He knows where you are and is moving in quickly."
Whipping my head towards him, I glare. My head is spinning with the possibilities of him finding me. It's impossible, it can't happen I was told that it could never be done. Apparently I was lied to by the man standing in front of me. It does explain about the staring and followers I've been feeling lately, but if have rather that just been my paranoid behind.
Speaking in that clear and commanding voice of his, he stated "We don't know how it happened, but it did and you're not safe anymore," moving closer to me but still leaving a good foot and a half between us he continues, "Right now it would be best if you just come with me and-"
"No," I whispered hoarsly, shaking my head and stepping back a bit, "That wasn't part of the deal. The deal was I help you upgrade the belts and you erase my record." Gripping the edge of a chair with so much force my knuckles turn white, I shudder. This is bad I, thought really really bad. My eyes glaze over as I recall all the horrors and nightmares. The ones I had lived before I escaped.
"Diane, do you understand now? It would be best if you were to just-"
"Come quietly." I whispered, still in a daze. He nodded but if I had looked at his face when he did, I would have seen something I otherwise would have never.
Concern. Erwin was genuinely concerned for my well-being, not just because I help him when he's in a bit if a tough spot but because of all the late nights to early morning work we did together.
Now that was all crashing down. Because of one man and the chaos he created : pain, tears, blood. Mostly the horrid amounts of blood that always seemed to be on the outside if every human he ever met. Except for the one that got away.
Me. I was the only one out of seventy that was able to escape the Shinigami. And now I was about to go back into his blood stained hands, unless Erwin had come up with something.
Knowing the bastard was here with an other favour he no doubt already had come up with a suitable plan that would ensure both my safety and keep me on his radar.
"If you were to come with me," he said his brilliantly blue eyes studying my dull brown ones. Searching to see on how I was going to react. "Without letting him know that you are aware of his presence. We could hide you until he is apprehended-"
"Killed"
Raising his big eyebrows, Erwin opened his mouth to respond, no doubt disapproving my previous statement. I, however, beat him to the chase as I always have.
"I won't except anything less. We tried it your way." I said fixing him with a hard stare. "Now it's time for my plan to take action, since yours is clearly not working out."
Placing his hand to his mouth in a thinking manner, Erwin thought it over weighing the pros and the cons. If someone like him were to be dead it would mean that a lot of the higher ups in the military would lose their pitbull. It could prove to be disastrous if they managed to trace it back to Erwin. However if they just capture him, then they risk losing a great asset. Who is also someone I can trust with most sensitive information and retrieving some on the process, Erwin mused. Then again the monster might turn against the Survey Corps if it was told to do so.
"Alright. I'll see that he gets taken care of, however you must follow my instructions to the letter if you wish to escape, is that understood?"
I slowly nodded knowing that that was probably best. Erwin may be a bastard of a man but I did have some sense of trust for him. Albeit not much but considering I don't trust people that's a big step.
And this is the perfect test to see on how much I can put my faith in him. Not the sort of thing I was planning on doing today, in fact I had just come back from a job that took me out of my home. Not all too exciting for most people, then again most of them would never understand why. However, many of the people know about the woman with all the secrets. They know that all of my information is good and my payment plan is even better.
In exchange for handing over such a valuable tool in whatever spat a person may be in I require information that I had not heard of. It doesn't matter what it is. Say a little girl wishes to find her brother that lives with her father. I retrevie the data by either searching through my library or I wait till another customer comes in and see if he knows anything. When I'm looking in my library you have to understand everything is in a code I made myself that has never been written down. It's a code using my memories. Which is why it's so intractable nobody knows what all my memories are and how they all interconnect.
For example when I was to set out researching for the lost brother I would ask how much she knew about it. The little girl would reply with something along the lines of
"He's a real tall and talks funny cause papa wouldn't let talk like me."
Immediately I would know that her father was from the inner walls. Now, most if the people in the inner walls were "friends" of the king, meaning that the information I needed would be in three books.
The first was "Getting rid of pests during the summer months" my brain made the connection long that the king was nothing more than a pest. Inside the book I would have several passages that I would skim through using the memory trail. When I looked through it my first thought was that perhaps the boy is the illegitimate child. The mother must have some sort of status large enough to where killing her would not go unnoticed.
However he still has the power to take the boy away. Most likely meaning that he needed to keep this hush hush so not to cause a scandal. The daughter also provided another clue, her father had at one time let her see her brother or vice versa. It must have been quite frequently, if the little girl were to notice something off when she wasn't able to see him. Now carriages would be my next train of though being as the mode of transportation would have to be somewhat stylish so not to raise suspicion, but not too flashy that they get mugged on the road. This of course, would mean that I would need to reach the books again for records of people coming and going in carriages.
If I was not able to find sufficient enough information, I would then turn to the people, the maids in the castle for instance were a marvelous source, the inn keepers, prostitutes were my favorites. They knew most everything about most people, however they were not to keen on sharing it with me at first till I offered them the service of doctors. For whatever they wished for is what I said, and just like that business picked up.
Back to the darling who is looking for her brother, I could assume that his age was close to that of thirteen. Puberty would be at it's height, if the little girl with premature bumps on her chest were anything to go by. That would explain the height, blondie here was starting to get up to my mid stomach. She had the personality of an eight year old but the body of a child around the age if twelve. With all of this information finding him would be a cinch.
All I had to do was put put a few feelers to check that my answer is correct and within a few days I'll be able to tell her that Joseph von Stein was enjoying the high life as his father's brightest and only child.
He had made lots of lackeys apart of his friend group, and their favorite pastime was taking a loaf of bread and eating it in front of the begger, who resided in the nearest alley where two dead bodies were found half eaten, excruciatingly slowly. They tormented him, told the poor bastard that if he danced around naked and singing they would give him a piece. Desperate as he was, that was exactly what happened on the second Tuesday of January. The bread was never given; his only reward was death. Who knows, it might have been a blessing in disguise, so not to have been made fun if for trying to live when you literally have nothing.
None of this would be censored when I told Maria, the blondes name, I was asked to give and that's what I intend to do. No holds barred.
She cried. Then screamed and had the ugliest fit I had ever seen in my time if working in the self made business. Quite rude of her but I really can't complain; I got what I wanted out of the deal. Even if she didn't like the truth it as least kept her from thinking that Joseph was dead.
In the end though none of it really matters. No amount of information can stop a blade from stabbing me, choking by rough and dirty hands, or hell, slow working poison. I could be the most knowledgeable person alive and it still wouldn't mean a damn. Fan-fucking-tastic. Man, I love my life the sense of danger just really spices things up.