Okay! Please enjoy this next chapter. (This one has Erwin in it!)...and just a reminder, I love suggestions and criticism about my writing, but if you just want to tell me how my characters don't match your personal ships...don't. It doesn't do anyone any good and it's not productive. Let's be adults here. (So sorry for the negative message but it just had to be said. I don't appreciate anonymous taunting, even if its only meant as a joke.) ON THE UPSIDE - this chapter is really cute, so enjoy!
Set Up
Katya looked out the large window that spanned over the length of Wall Sina as she slowly, carefully, and clumsily placed one foot into leg of her uniform pants. She hated being trapped behind the walls and dreamt every day of her few adventures on the outside. She relished those memories like they were the meaning of life itself. Tucking in her shirt, she rapidly began to unravel her 3DMG straps. The faster she got ready, the faster she could get out of this palace of a place. Suddenly, there was a knock on her door, followed by the door itself opening. Luckily, she had already been behind the dressing screen. "Father." She scorned. "How many times do I have to tell you that a knock needs to be followed by an answer before being opened?"
"All of these formalities have no sense of urgency." The general began on a spiel. "Suppose there was an attack, would the formalities still be of importance then?"
"It's not a matter of formalities. It's just good manners."
"Besides," He continued, "you're already decent."
She stepped out from the dressing screen in shock of her father. "How did you know that?" She said in frustration and dropped the tangled straps from her hand.
"You thought I didn't know about your habit of sneaking out and flying around on the Garrison's spare equipment?" He looked at her cleverly from under his brow.
She sighed, accepting that she had been caught. "Well, if my personal gear hadn't been confiscated I wouldn't have to borrow a spare set." She said proudly.
A smile crept onto his face as they exchanged mischievous, taunting stares. "I need you to run an errand for me today."
"And this is an errand that you can't do yourself? I'm not sure regulations allow me to be doing your work for you"
"I'm busy." He waved off. "I've got mountains of paperwork to do." She could tell he was lying and squinted at him in suspicion.
"General Pixis." One of the guards suddenly announced. "You have a visitor."
"Show him in."
"Yes, sir."
Katya watched as the guard left and she continued to eye her father with even more suspicion.
"Put on the dress that your mother bought for you and meet me downstairs where I'll give you your mission." She groaned, rolling her eyes and turning back to her armoire as her father quickly shut the door behind him. He was so strange at times; she rarely bothered trying to understand what went on in his brain.
She hated the dresses her mother chose for her. They were always so lavish and formal. She held it up against herself and stood in front the mirror. It flowed voluminously from the waist and was decorated with light drapery that was pinned together with a small bow here and there. The short sleeves fell loosely against her shoulders and connected with the neckline. Reluctantly, she stepped into it and accidentally tore the embellishment sewed to the bottom. "Oops." She muttered. Overall, once it was on, the dress actually wasn't horrendous; just annoyingly feminine.
She stared once again in the mirror and began to analyze. Why would she need to wear something like this just to run an errand? Her father was up to something and she didn't like it. But she's learned that his schemes were generally unavoidable.
Pixis strolled down the vast hallways of the mansion that Generalissimo, Darius Zackly, had assigned to him and his family. The place was a bit extravagant for his taste, especially considering the state that the rest of humanity was in; but what could he do? It was Zackly's decision and not his place to question it, so he figured he might as well enjoy it while he can.
At the end of the corridor, Erwin Smith stood statuesquely waiting to be greeted. He found the commander's constant professionalism humorous.
"Good evening, General Pixis." He said with an attempt at the requested casual greeting that caused him to visibly adjust the tension out of his body.
"I wanted to congratulate you on capturing the Female." He said, leading Erwin to the desk in the next room where they could chat and motioned to the armchair for him to sit.
"Thank you, sir."
"It's a job I would have been honored to do myself. And I hear you've found a soldier that may have information on the Titan?"
"Yes, sir. A member of the scouts. She graduated in the same class, just under its rank. Within the next month she will be reassigned to Corporal Levi's unit."
"Very good." He laughed and sat behind the desk that was, in fact, piled high with paperwork. "Now, I've called you hear so that you could retrieve some paperwork, but it seems that I have not yet finished it." He opened his hands to display the extensive stacks of paper around him before noticing his daughter approaching. "My lovely Katya." He said dotingly as she entered the room and held out an envelope for her to take.
Erwin turned to see her standing with her gloved fingers interlaced, waiting patiently for instructions on her task. He stood formally to welcome her into the room and gave her his full attention. She looked beautiful. Her strawberry blonde hair was elegantly pinned up and her dark golden eyes seemed to sparkle as they looked back at him.
The general looked awkwardly between the two and continued his original train of thought. "Since you are here, Erwin, would you mind escorting my daughter to the East Brigade's Courier's office and back?"
"Sir?" He asked, nervously in protest.
"Yes, Commander?" He questioned firmly.
Erwin deliberated the importance of arguing with the general and decided to obey. "Of course." He said, with a small tinge of defeat.
The general smiled as he watched Erwin walk over and offer his arm to Katya. She glared distrustfully back at her father as the two of them turned to begin his errand.
They walked side by side, down the open, cobblestone road in silence. Erwin glanced down to her, hoping to be subtle enough that she wouldn't notice. She just barely reached his shoulders, even at the highest bob of her steps. Despite her disbelief, she appeared very graceful at times; and then there were times where she didn't. She was like the enigma of a ballerina with horrible balance. The ironic analogy of someone who would perform such a strategically composed act and execute it beautifully, yet trip in her bows described her perfectly.
Going for a walk with her was the last thing he was expecting to do this evening. General Pixis sure had a way of placing him in unexpected situations; not that he minded. He quite enjoyed Katya's company. She had a way of making the most boring tasks interesting.
"I suppose I should thank you for accompanying me." She teased, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"It's no trouble at all, Miss Pixis."
She sighed loudly. "Always so polite, Erwin. Please, for hundredth time, call me Katya. It's the least you could do." She said with a tauntingly raised brow.
He smiled, careful not to lose an ounce of his militaristic poise, and continued to walk forward without an answer. Their pace was slow and steady, allowing him to be constantly aware of his surroundings and ready if something were to happen. He took his orders very seriously, no matter the request, and as it seemed, protecting her was his current mission.
"After all, if it weren't for you my gear wouldn't have been confiscated."
"Confiscated." He restated in disbelief. "I would phrase it as self-destructed."
She gasped with sarcasm deeply infused. "He does have a bite."
He glanced down to hide the light grin that crept across his lips. "As I recall you seemed to cause a lot of trouble that day."
"You forget how much I contributed to that battle." She scorned lightly.
"My apologies." He corrected. "You were a great asset to the team and I'm sure you would have been a greater asset if you had been authorized to be involved instead of taking it upon yourself to join the battle on a whim."
"Well," She said, jumping around to walk backwards and face him as they approached the Courier's office. "As I recall, if it hadn't been for that whim, you would be dead." She said, poking at his chest.
He stood stunned as she practically skipped to the office's window and dropped off the envelope. He watched her bounce on her toes and reach to shake the hand of a new desk worker. Her positivity was beyond confusing to him. He didn't understand how someone could know so much of the world, experience the terrors of it first hand, and still be able to show the kindness and liveliness that he saw from her every day.
Although, she looked slightly less chipper as she returned to him. "I wonder what was in that envelope. It seemed important" She said, deep in thought.
He wondered too. Pixis was a curiously secretive man who always had at least some plan in the works at all times and Erwin was never comfortable being on the outside of information. But Pixis was good at what he did and by this time he had learned that no matter how hard he tried to figure him out, there was always something he'd miss.
Soon they came to a canopied walkway with rows of pillars on each side. "Look!" She said and hurried to the thin, stone fence between her and the courtyard. On their left was a large, intricate fountain that poured sparkling water out of multiple valves. The light from the sun danced across the steady ripples made by each stream of water. As he looked out, he found the sky being chopped off by the buildings that surrounded the courtyard. "Isn't it beautiful?" She said, standing on the edge with her feet between the railings and leaning over to get as close as she could. Erwin looked back up to the sky and joined her at the edge. It radiated orange and yellow from the sunset that shaded the clouds with a light purple. It was beautiful. Only she could stop long enough to notice it and to focus hard enough to overlook the sporadic ruins that still lay demolished in the distance from the capture of the Titan. He was sure that she saw them. She had to, but she didn't seem to be bothered.
"Your brain is a curious one." He muttered in amazement.
She quickly unpinned her hair as if she had been waiting all night for it and swinging her head around to face him. "What does that mean?"
"How can you live every day with such freedom?"
She looked into his eyes and spoke in a soft, compassionate voice. "When you live in a world where freedom isn't an option, you begin to find it everywhere." His heart fluttered as she finally gave a light smile and turned back to gaze at the sky. He didn't understand her at all, but all the same, he was glad of her ability to temporarily distract him from the stresses that came with his position. He admired her with her lightly colored locks of hair floating gently from the wind. Suddenly remembering his sense of duty to General Pixis, he cleared his throat and repositioned his stance, suggesting that they head back.
Katya swung herself around, raising an eyebrow at him, and sighed as she hopped off of the railing and joined him. They walked the rest of the way home leisurely and mostly quietly as the sky finally transitioned into the twilight.
