I know.
Note, that there was a lot I put into this update. This chapter was originally pictured as two chapters, but at this time, I decided to merge both.
#71
Fortune
Sankt Petersburg, Russia, Euro Britannia
Mid-October, a.t.b. 2018
…
"Tell me… Duke Velaines. What else can you tell me about the Breisgau family?"
…
"The Breisgau family was one of Britannia's prominent families even before the Holy Empire was established on what is now the fatherland. Even long before Napoleon and the Eldians drove Elizabeth from motherland."
"Ah, I see. One of the families still loyal to Elizabeth during her exile?"
"Yes." The duke nodded.
"Anyone descended with ties like that would make them of such envy to those at the court. It must have been quite an uproar when this Bradvow von Briesgau renounced his nobility."
"Even so, they still left behind several holdings and inheritances that could be reclaimed if one descendant were to swear loyalty to the crown again?"
"Such as land?"
"Yes. In fact, the Briesgau once owned a great holding on the continent before they were driven out during the exile. It lies… near the border of our land and that of the EU."
"Is that so?" Julius Kingsley became curious. "And what about this holding? What was it?"
"A great castle on a great stretch land near the forests and the mountains. It was called… Castle Weisswolf."
Castle Weisswolf
Germany Border, Europia United
Mid-October, a.t.b. 2018/r.y. 229
"It isn't like her not to contact that long a while!"
Sophie frowned at the almost-miserable look Anna Clement was giving as she sat at the end of the lunch table while many of the staff started to gather around her.
"Cheer up, Anna…" Joe Wise tried as he passed by, with a plate of puff-cakes in his hands. "It could be a small complication…"
"It doesn't make it any easier!" Anna continued to pout, even when Kate and Hilda sat to her left and right at the table.
"Aren't you the least bit concerned, Warwick?!"
"Uh, geez…" Claus placed his chin on his palm, his elbow leaning on the top of his (still-messy) desk. "The Commander wouldn't be pleased if I started to have little faith in her capabilities. Just because it's been a few days since we received her last message…"
"And it is approaching towards a full week!" Major Hammel exclaimed. "It is not like Commander Malcal to not notify on her status after that long!"
"Well, I'm sure she has a lot on her plate in order to secure a plane back home."
"As much as I would like to believe that…" Hammel narrowed his eyes. "I believe it something else!"
…
"Oh, come now, Major." Claus smiled. "Don't tell me you have need to be paranoid…"
"I warned her about those new recruits. It wouldn't be plausible if they were involved."
"And if they aren't?" Claus asked. "What reason would they have to… what? That they have taken Commander Malcal hostage and are planning to demand some ransom? If I were them… I hardly think they would be in a better position to make demands than they were when we met them the first time."
"It's not just those three we should be concerned about."
"Oh, come now, Oscar…" Claus shook his head with closed eyes. "You're not taking that hot little conspiracy of yours pertaining to Kruger. Just because you think he may have a thing for the Commander…"
"Warwick!" Hammel's cheeks somehow turned red at that.
"It's not like it is my business to know her taste of men…" Claus shrugged. "Not really as much, considering that sensitive drama she has with her family back at home."
"It is not only that!" The major gritted his teeth, looking to wish to put an end to that part of the topic. "Eren Kruger's background currently leaves much to be desired, as is his motive for joining the Commander and partaking in the W-0 program. And I won't dismiss the possibility…"
"That he could be a spy?" That caused the Major to pause. Claus could only rub his temples. "Seriously, old boy. If that were the case, then I doubt Kruger would make his move already."
"What move?" Oscar questioned pointedly.
"Huh? Wha… oh, not that!" Claus said. "A move on the Commander…" The man laughed, despite the Major's glare. "I meant whatever there is of importance we have for him to leak for his true superiors…"
"And how would you know?"
Claus then realized the case that he had been working on last night… still standing next to his feet.
"Eh…" He absentmindedly made for his shoe to push the case back under the interior of his desk before Hammel would see it and ask about it. "Well, you know how much I have gained from watching that spy drama last year?"
Paris, France, Europia United
Malcal Household
"Nothing?! Nothing else?!" Phillipe Malcal exclaimed while holding the phone to his ear.
…
"No I.D.? No credentials? No other information, all except for his name?!" He growled as he stalked through the center of his office. "You call yourself an officer?! You allowed my daughter… MY daughter to bring a stranger who might be a wild man into her apartment?!"
…
"Who even gave you permission to do so?!" He listened and he glared. "Smilas…" He spat out the name.
…
"I don't care if you have nothing, check again!" He demanded. "His samples. Blood type. Hair color. His name. Look over the databank to at least find some information on him. There's bound to be something that had to be overlooked on this man!"
…
"As long as we don't know who this man really is, my daughter is NOT safe!"
…
"Why do think?!" The man almost stared at the phone, dumbfounded. "This man attacked my son, even threatened him!"
…
"I will not stand it! I will not allow my daughter to be in company of any influence that would jeopardize her future!"
Gypsy Camp
Warsaw, Poland, Europia United
Mid-October, a.t.b. 2018/r.y. 229
"Again!"
"Right!" Leila agreed as she brought the wooden wacker down.
"Not enough!" The gypsy woman exclaimed as she stood behind Leila. "Put some more lead when you hit harder! And don't stop! How else are you going to get them dry quicker?"
"I understand! I won't fail!" Leila continued to hit a soggy shirt piece on a stone surface on the bank of the river. Next to the girl was a pile of soggy clothes that had been soaked and washed in the water, and another pile that showed Leila's work.
Her work being a pile of almost-soggy clothes… a bit wrinkled than what was expected.
"Okay…" Ayano shook her head, even she pulled… well… what was supposed to be her purple blouse for the next day at least. "Not what I hope to wear for next time."
Later…
"Okay," Ayano said as she held one end of the wet blanket. "Grab hold to it."
"Right," Leila on the other end nodded.
"Ready, go!" Both girls spun the sheet, allowing the water to spin out.
"Hey!" Yukiya exclaimed, as he and Eren covered their eyes as the water splashed onto them. "We're under fire here."
"Oh, sorry," Leila apologized.
"Get ready for another one," Ayano said.
"Say, that looks fun," Ryo said as he came over with a grin. "Can I help?"
"You already have a job," Ayano stated with lowered eyes. "It's your turn to get the water."
"Pfft… fine," Ryo shrugged as he went over to the foot of the bank, bending down to fill up the first bucket…
Before he felt a pair of palms squeeze over his rear…
"HEY!" Ryo screeched as he turned to see the gypsy from before giggling.
"Sorry, just can't keep my eyes off of it."
"What's happening?" Leila paused to see the commotion happening at the bank.
"Apparently, the hags have a thing for something fresh and well-toned…" He glanced at Eren. "Make sure to keep watch, Kruger." He grinned. "I'm sure they would like a sample of you."
"You gotta be kidding me…" Eren turned his head to hide his expression.
"Geez, just what is your deal?!" Ryo exclaimed.
"Can't an old girl get a bit of love?" The gypsy asked.
"Not from me!" Ryo backed away into the river… before he tripped back and yelped as he sunk in.
"What?!" Leila said. "What just…"
"Ryo!" Ayano dropped the wet blanket with horror. "He's sinking!"
"He can't swim!" Yukiya exclaimed as he started descending the hill…
Only for something to run past him.
"Huh?!"
"Monsieur Kruger!" Leila exclaimed.
The man instantly dashed into the bank and quickly made his way the faintest sign of Ryo's struggling hand.
…
Eren grabbed hold of it and somehow brought the man up from the water.
"Hey, Ryo!" Yukiya exclaimed as he came next to him.
"Are you okay?" Ayano asked as she kneeled in front of him.
Ryo coughed out water as he was set down on the dry bank.
"I… I…" The man coughed out more water. "I'm okay…"
"Uh… you're such a loser…" Ayano deadpanned.
"Monsieur Kruger, are you alright?!" Leila called out to the rescuer, who was now soaking wet from his selfless endeavor.
"Can't believe that water was so deep…" Yukiya said, turning to the rescuer. "You okay, man?"
The young man wiped the wet dark bangs from his eyes to look up with a dull expression. "Never better…"
"Monsieur Kruger…"
Nothing more was said as Eren in his soaking outfit just marched back towards camp.
"Uh…" Ryo turned up to see his savior walking away. "Thanks?"
"Have you seen something so extravagant before?"
"Not in my years!"
"Not in a long time. At least when I witnessed my mother cooking such wonders."
"I think this what fine dining looks like!"
"Dear Yuki," The gypsy next to the cook of the night giggled. "You do know how to prepare fish than we ever could!"
"Aw… you ladies are just making me blush…" Yukiya smiled as he passed a plate of the cooked cod he had prepared with lemon and basil.
It was evening, and the group was seated at the dining table. The candlesticks were lit to illuminate the table during the darkening evening, and it was covered with a feast of fish and wine glasses.
"Mmm…" Leila was surprised when she scooped the fish into her mouth. "Yukiya… this fish… it tastes so amazing."
"Hear that, Yukiya…" Ayano grinned. "You got a compliment from the Commander."
"Heh, well, maybe you should have tried that exquisite dish he made for all of us back in the good old days in the good old ghetto…" Ryo grinned.
"The ghetto?" Leila asked.
"Aw, geeze… Ryo…" The chef of the night shook his head. "You and your big mouth…"
"C'mon, pal, it's no biggie…" Ryo waved. "Who else could be both genius and insane to stew a few rats…"
Leila almost chortles out the fish, the sight of it caused almost everyone at the table to laugh at her expense.
"Oh, dear!" One gypsy exclaimed. "How did my glass get empty so quickly!"
"Bring another bottle!"
"Sheesh, you old bats not worried how much your kidneys can take?" Ayano made a stink eye.
"Now that's better…"
The dark red liquid poured from the green bottle and into a transparent glass cup.
"Ah… this is what makes the life! Nothing as close to bliss than a glass of wine."
Eren paused, before he glanced at his own glass next to his plate. Already filled with then dark, red wine…
A dozen crates were brought onto the deck of a harbor.
A lush color of dark purple wine poured onto the cup of an excited scout who instantly drained his cup right after it was filled.
Several men lifting out dozens of bottles with belated expressions.
Many of the brass were making smiles as they went for another round of the 'generous' goods…
More and more lush wine was filling rows of glasses.
…
All of sudden came the sound of breaking glass.
"Huh?!"
"What?!"
"Hey, what is going on?!" Ryo exclaimed.
"Did something break?"
"Monsieur Kruger!" Leila gasped when she looked at Eren, who only a second ago was holding his glass to drink… only to see the glass broken in his hand, with the fragments and the wine spilling all over him.
"Ryo, hand me a towel for him!" Ayano called out.
"Hey, you okay, man?" Yukiya called out.
"Oh, dear…" One gypsy across the table sighed. "There goes another broken dish…"
"Are you alright?" Leila asked.
"I'm fine…" Eren said, while sitting on a rock.
"Are you sure?" She insisted, with worry as she approached him. "When you were holding that glass…"
"I am…" He lifted his hand. "You don't worry about me over broken glass. It doesn't bother me."
"Uh… well, alright… but…"
"But?" He glanced at her.
"Monsieur Kruger…" She began. "I… forgive me for asking… I may have… noticed you… looking quite… uncomfortable."
…
"Was there any part of the dinner that made you… uneasy?"
…
"It's nothing…" He spoke. "It's just… it was just… something that reminded of something… and I…" He looked at his hand. "Lost focus."
"Oh… I see…" Leila glanced down at her shoes. "I'm sorry…"
"Don't be…" He shook his head. "I'm sorry if I ruined the mood at dinner…"
"No…" Leila shook her head. "Monsieur Kruger, don't feel that way…" She sat next to him. "It was just an accident."
"Hmm…" Eren shrugged. "Yeah, well I can tell those hags are going to be whining over me for causing a mess."
Leila smiled. "I caused an even bigger mess on the first day."
"This was different…" Eren said. "I just…"
Leila noticed the look he had again.
"Was there something about that dinner that made you…" She asked, concerned.
"No, it was fine. I just… I was just… remembering something else."
"Oh, you mean… you were reminded of something?"
The man didn't reply.
"Do you… have something… with dinner parties?" She felt ridiculous to ask that.
"Uh, no…" He glanced at her. "Did you mind anything about it?"
"No, I adore eating outdoors" She shook her head with a smile. "I enjoy it so much when the W-0 and I can go outside when it's not cold and have some tea." She held up a finger. "And then we have cake." She pulled another finger to count. "And some biscuit."
"Hmm…" Monsieur Kruger shrugged. "That sounds… nice."
"It is…" Leila smiled. "It reminds very much… of when my parents and I used to go to the park… and have luncheon together."
"I suppose that's the reason why."
Leila looked up at Eren, then remembering what she had disclosed to him the other night.
"Well, one of them, yes…" She looked down a bit. "But it does… bring back… good times… long ago…"
…
"Something to remember… that you really had good parents." Leila somehow felt warm, despite the sadness the fact carried with it.
It also caused her to become curious…
"What about your parents, Monsieur Kruger?"
…
Leila paused, realizing as she glanced at Eren at what she had just asked.
…
The young man's face looked still, looking… almost taken off-guard by that. The girl felt ashamed when he noticed his gaze turning down a bit.
"Oh… I…" She felt even foolish. "Monsieur Kruger, I'm sorry…"
"It's alright. You said nothing wrong." He claimed, though Leila could he see his downward cast.
She should have known it was not her place to probe on… whatever past Monsieur Eren Kruger had. She may have… disclosed some to him… but he didn't pester or demanded of her. And now she…
"I did have parents," he said. "I did."
Leila glanced at him, and she frowned when she noticed the look on his face.
"Are…?"
"They're gone."
…
"Uh…" Leila now heard it, and her heart started to croak…
…
"Oh… I…" Leila felt a loss for words… on what to say. "Monsieur Kruger… I… I didn't know… I… I'm so sorry."
"It's alright," he said. "You didn't know. And… it happened… a long time ago."
…
"Your parents…?" She had the gall to ask again. "Did they…"
"They were killed," Kruger stated immediately, his face not looking ready to face her. "I was… it happened… when I was a kid."
…
"You were alone?"
"I… I wasn't… alone…" He spoke.
"You mean… you had other family?"
…
"Well… yes." He almost croaked out hoarsely.
"Oh, I see…" Leila said. "You mean… you had your brother…"
She paused midsentence.
She then remembered… something else… almost… less than two weeks ago.
Then she noticed Eren turning to her, with a look that barely looked just.
"Are you referring to Zeke?"
…
…
"That day in Slonim… that…" Leila paused a bit. "That titan we encountered. The one that… looked like… a great ape…"
…
"The man who appeared out of it…" She continued. "He… He called you… his little brother."
…
…
"I…" Leila hesitated to say. "Was… what that man said… true?"
…
Eren glanced away.
"It is."
Leila made a gasp at hearing him confirm it.
…
"We weren't raised together," Eren said, causing Leila to look at him, now curious. "He is with the enemy."
"The enemy? You mean… Britannia?"
…
"But… he didn't look like… he meant any harm to you. It sounded like… he wanted you to join him."
…
Eren still gazed away, barely showing reaction.
"That man…" He spoke. "He is practically a stranger to me."
"Uh?"
"We share the same father… but both of us walk different paths."
"But why?" Leila asked.
"He is with the enemy," the young man answered. "And he… and those with him… want to kill me."
Leila gasped.
"But why?" She questioned. "Why would he do that? He… He's your brother!"
…
"I never knew I had a brother for much of my life." Eren said, causing Leila to pause. "When we met for the first time… we were not only strangers to each other… we were enemies on different sides."
Eren turned to her.
"He won't stop until he fulfills his goal. No matter what gets in his way."
With that… Eren turned and walked away, leaving a very much confused Leila.
"A strange one, that one is…"
Leila turned to see the black-garbed gypsy woman standing not far behind her. The short, elderly woman, stood with both cane and black glasses in hand, staring back at Leila.
"Oh… hello…" Leila said.
"Pardon me, child," The gypsy said. "I was on my way… till I crossed upon you and your boyfriend…"
"Uh?!" Leila's cheeks instantly flushed, her posture freezing on the spot. "I… were… I… Er… Monsieur Kruger and I…" She turned in the direction he had departed. "We're not like that!" Her cheeks were still red. "We're just… friends! Comrades! We're not… together like that…"
"Are you?" The gypsy raised an eyebrow. "Strange, I would have thought it was because how much time you spend with one another, more so than your other friends."
"That's not… well…"
"Then there was the both of you talking your heart-to-heart the other night."
"W… What?"
Did she mean?
"Our… heart-to-heart?"
"Yes," The gypsy smiled. "It looked like such a lovely sight. A girl and a boy, sitting together by the river, and no less under the moonlight."
"I don't understand." Leila said. "How… How do you know that? That night… you couldn't have… you… you were at bed with the others…"
"I was…" The gypsy admitted. "But I indeed saw it, and I heard every word."
"But how…?" Leila asked, the old woman in front of her making her feel somehow… strange.
"Because that's what I do, child. I can see things. Both from back… and yet to come."
…
"You mean… are you telling me you are a fortune teller?"
"Are you curious?"
"What?"
"May I ask you to be a lamb and help me back to my tent?" The gypsy extended her hand. "And then… I could give you a reading."
They both kneeled on the floor in the tent. Between them was a parchment that held a pentagram. It held different lines and symbols. The gypsy woman was chanting as she rolled small stones in her closed hands like dice. Leila was no stranger to what fortune telling was supposed to be, even when many around her disclosed such things nothing but scams and hoaxes.
When the woman ceased her chanting, she dropped the stones that rolled on top of the pentagram.
…
"You met a witch, child."
"A witch?"
"Yes."
"I… I don't understand." Leila asked. "When… when did that happen?"
"It happened…" The gypsy spoke. "A long time ago… in a dark forest."
"Will you live?"
…
A slender hand took hold of her small one… and pulled her up.
The girl cried when she was lifted back into the cold, yet open air. She glanced up at her savior, whose face was hidden by a white hood.
"You could live… if you possessed the power."
…
"I'll make a deal with you. If you accept my contract, then your life will be unlike that of any other humans, as long as you live in the same world as them. In another place. In another time."
…
The stranger finally removed the hood.
Leila's eyes widened.
It was a woman. A young woman. And she was beautiful.
She had long lime-green hair that spilled out and almost reached her waist, her skin was alabaster, and her eyes…
The woman had a pair of golden amber eyes that gaze straight down at her.
…
"I offer you… the power of the king."
…
"The power of the king will set you apart. If you feel ready for it… I will grant you that power."
Suddenly, Leila felt something.
She thought it was because the woman still held her hand, with the same hand she had used to lift her up from the darkness.
The small child also thought she saw something flash, coming from above the woman's eyes. Something bright, just behind the green-colored bangs in front of her forehead.
It was brief, but the girl thought she had seen a bird fly straight into her line of vision.
She could feel the strange sensation taking over, and it was starting to take hold…
"Still… you are a but a child."
The woman withdrew her hand from Leila.
"For that reason, I will give you the time you need to make the final decision." She donned back her hood and turned away.
"If you refuse it, it will cease to exist."
…
"If you accept, there will be no turning back."
Leila gasped.
"But… I thought… I thought it was only a dream."
"Not a dream. A memory."
…
"You were given a gift."
"A gift?"
"Yes, a great gift."
…
"You have barely touched it for so long… but that will change."
…
"What… what kind of…" Leila asked, with some hesitation. "What kind of gift is it?"
"This gift… is something… that was made… from your heart's desire."
Leila gasped.
"It started as a fragment… but it will grow."
…
…
"It may… look smaller than the might sword… but it will be even more powerful."
…
"It will help you… see through many walls. Walls that divide this world."
…
"And when it comes to pass… it will help you… and someone."
"Someone?" Leila asked.
"Yes," The gypsy nodded. "Someone dear to you. But…" Her eyes behind her dark glasses narrowed. "It all depends on how you use it. It alone cannot carve the path you seek to make. It will depend on something else."
"What is it?"
"Your will… and what… and who… you will choose."
?
Sankt Petersburg, Russia, Euro-Britannia
Mid October a.t.b. 2018
"Water…"
…
"Water…"
…
"Water…"
The creature repeated, while a gloved hand clutched where his right eye was. "I need… water…" His free hand reached out, desperate. "Hurry…" His eye widened. "PLEASE, SUZAKU!"
Suzaku Kururugi witnessed the creature struggle… but did nothing to interfere. The Knight of Seven stood in place like he had been since the creature started to struggle again. He neither moved a muscle nor spoke a word.
He only observed as the creature started bawling on the carpet, next to the spilled chalice of water.
The knight would allow the creature to languish in his state, for as long as the episode allowed it. Whatever sympathy he had was no longer for it. Only pain. And anger.
And a bitterness that left the knight feeling… empty.
That emptiness was only laxed by the pain he was witnessing.
"I need…" Tears fell from the creature's eye. "…some water."
Information Available for Public Disclosure:
Fortune Teller
A woman who travels with a nomadic troupe of gypsies for a number of years, she claims to read fortunes of wanderers she comes across.
No one knows if what she says is merely false speculation or whether they are things yet to come…
Warsaw, Poland, E.U.
Late October a.t.b. 2018
"This equipment may be outdated, but it's just enough for me to bypass the security network." Yukiya noted as he sat cross-legged in the inside of the wagon; in front of him was an assembled pile of consoles the gypsies had in store.
After a quarter of an hour blowing and cleaning the dust from them, added by another half-hour putting them together, it was only a few minutes after, that Yukiya had managed to find the EU Military Page, without triggering any alarm of intruding.
"So, what do you got?" Ryo asked, while crouching behind Yukiya.
"Well…" The green-eyed tech typed a few keys and zoomed on the hologram page displaying a blank spot where Leila's account should have been.
"It was as I had suspected. It wasn't a malfunction or error…" He grinned. "Someone purposefully toyed with the system to intentionally remove the commander's account and all our I.D.'s."
"Well, well…" Ryo made a fidgeting grin at that. "I'll be darned. I wonder who would do such a nice thing."
"That's what I am interested in as well."
"Will you be able to get our I.D.'s back?"
"Oh, yeah. But also…" Yukiya grinned again. "Not only I can do that…" He typed several more commands on the screen. "I can also send a little something for our mysterious friend as well."
"WHAT?!"
The EU officer slammed his fist onto the flat screen of the monitor screen. "What do you mean my I.D. does not work?! Try it again!"
"I'm sorry, sir."
"I am Pierre Anou, in charge of the Warsaw Supply Corps, and if you don't let me in this instant…"
"Citizens are required to make their way to the…"
"I AM NOT A CITIZEN, DAM IT!"
The livid officer responded with a kick that broke the glass screen.
Again.
"You're leaving us?" The assembled group of gypsies had assembled, with the news the squadron had gave them… starting to make them look miserable.
"I'm sorry…" Leila said, trying to not falter with how miserable the gypsies were now taking the news. "Now that we have retained our I.D.'s, HQ is on its way for a transport to be sent. And…" She glanced away. "It may be soon…"
"Oh… soon."
"You really have to go?"
"What will we do without you?!"
"Eh…" Ayano only shrugged her shoulders. "Say your kisses to your free labor."
"I'm sure they'll remember us fondly for that," Yukiya smiled, while crossing his arms.
However…
"Please… don't cry, Grannies!" Ryo said, the man… now starting to burst with tears. "Just… don't you dare go senile and forget me, okay!"
…
"Oh!" The collection of elderly women quickly gathered around Ryo. "We will NEVER forget you, Ryo!"
"Hey, are you ladies forgetting me?" Yukiya said. "One of the other males here!"
"Oh, no! Yukiya!" The gypsies suddenly flocked towards him.
"Hey!" Ryo pouted.
Leila giggled with Ayano at the display, however… she paused when she realized one other person was not part of the group. She turned to see Eren already departing the group towards the wood.
The night before the transport from HQ would arrive… would be their last night.
Their last night as gypsies in Warsaw.
First, there was music. One gypsy woman played a fiddle from her violin. Another stringed from a lute. Another brought out an accordion.
Then there was the campfire… where they started dancing around it.
Ryo danced with two gypsies at his arms, while Yukiya clapped with a tosnail instrument and Ayano came and…
Well… dancing in her own sort of… belly dance. The girl shook her hips without shame, even while her midriff was exposed and her blouse…
Eren turned away a bit, before his cheeks turned red.
He glanced again to see Ryo lifting Ayano up into the air with Yukiya clapping the instrument, the three of them exclaiming with joy.
Eren then glanced at the last member of the squadron.
Eren's gaze stayed on Leila.
She wore a new kind of gypsy dress he had not seen her wear before. She wore a crimson red blouse, and while it was not like Ayano's top, the bouse exposed her bare shoulders and some of her upper chest. Her skirts were a great bundle of dark and violet that flowed about like a cloud; she even wore a pair of black shoes below. Her very long blonde hair was dressed like that of her usual hair wear, with two bundles that looked like cat ears at the top of her crown. She wore gold circlets and jewelry around her person. All lent by their gypsy benefactors.
She started to dance.
She was dancing with no companion, yet that did not stop her. She made a twirl that caused the long skirt she wore to flow about in the air. She waved her arm around as though she was waving through the wind.
Eren watched as she closed her eyes as she arched her head back, before bringing her hand from her waist right over her turning head. She tapped her shoes back on the dirty ground almost ready to jump.
She looked almost as much as a gypsy than that of an officer.
All of them were…
Laughing. Dancing. Campfire. Under the moonlight.
So much… like that night.
When everyone… his comrades… his friends… sat down… with strangers. Strangers who they drank with. Laughed with. Danced with.
…
He then noticed Leila had stopped her dance, when her gaze caught hold of his.
He quickly turned his back on the scene and retreated deeper into the wood.
They stood alone at the hilltop, night settled upon, while the great crystal of the moon glowed behind them and the camp below.
This was the moment he needed between her and himself.
He wanted to hear what she would say. A question he should have asked a long time ago.
He stared intently at the pair of grey eyes that now stared back at his, widening and shaking.
"Mikasa… what am I to you?"
"Monsieur Kruger."
The man barely turned his head to acknowledge Leila. He still sat upon a fallen log in the middle of the wood, looking… down.
"Are you alright?"
…
"Everyone is celebrating the occasion…" She paused. "Are you…?"
"It's nothing…" He glanced away. "I just… I feel out of place… with this…"
"But why?" Leila questioned.
…
"You don't have to worry about me all the time…" He hung his head, still not looking at her. "You and the others… just enjoy yourselves…"
"But what about you?" She asked. "This night… may be our last night here. By tomorrow morning the escort will arrive… and…"
…
"We may not be able to come back here again." She admitted, sadly.
"Do you want to leave?"
Leila paused.
"If you like it here so much… then why bother?" He asked.
"Monsieur?"
"If you like it here so much…" Eren glanced at her. "Then why do you say we should leave?"
…
"It's not that… I…" Leila tried to say. "Yukiya managed to regain our credentials, and HQ will be arriving with the transport we have been waiting for all this time. We have to…"
"Have to?" Eren interjected. "For what?"
…
"You wish to go back? To the Republic? To the military?" He questioned with a narrowed eye. "Back to the fighting?"
"I…" Leila looked down. "It's part of our duty…"
"Your duty? Is that why?"
"I…"
…
"Why are you asking me about this?" She looked at him.
…
"Monsieur Kruger…" She sighed. "You remember that… we are soldiers…"
"Is that it?"
Leila paused.
"Is it because of that?" He pointedly questioned.
…
"Tell me something?" He looked at her. "What would you choose: go back to the military and fight… or do you wish to stay here."
She was caught off guard by that.
Why was… Eren… asking her this?
And yet…
Could it be…?
"Do you wish to stay?" She asked.
Could it be the reason why he looked so depressed and withdrawn… because of their imminent departure from this camp? Perhaps he did not show it, but could it be that he had become accustomed to this way of life here?
He still looked at her. He was expecting her answer first.
She glanced away.
…
"I wouldn't wish to go back on the battlefield… let alone… if that means endangering anymore of our comrades." She looked up at him. "Not after what almost happened to you and the others back at Slonim…"
What any soldier, not only in the Republic, but in all nations, from past, present, and yet to come… would? Not when they knew what war was truly like firsthand.
Just as Leila experienced on the recent mission.
Or when that horrid day… twelve years ago.
"If I could… I would wish neither of us would have to leave tomorrow. That we could all stay here."
…
"Now that I think about it… I'm glad we came here." She warmly smiled. "Being stranded here… without credentials or account…"
It started off rocky and confusing at the beginning… but right after…
"This place… these women... their way… I feel like…"
She brought her hands towards her chest.
"I feel like… I could stay with them… forever."
…
"This time with them has been… the most peaceful I've felt… in a long while."
It was true. She knew that.
"And… I even almost… forgot about… everything happening…"
Yes. She almost allowed herself… to forget many things. Forget about the military. Forget about the great struggle between the Republic and Britannia. Forget about the war. The persecutions many citizens in the nation were facing due to their blood.
"But… it's not just duty."
She looked up at him, now resolute… and remembering. "There are the others who are counting on us to return. General Smilas. Anna. All the others at Weisswolf. I'm sure many of them are worried about us…" And most especially.
"I'm worried Eliza is throwing a fit right now for me being gone for too long." She smiled. "She's friendly, but she hardly trusts anyone to take care of her, even Anna."
She wanted to giggle hard at that, but she kept her gaze with the man in front of her. "I wish I could bring them here. All of them." She smiled more at the thought. "I would like them… to see how wonderful it is here."
Even if it was just a wish. But a simple one.
She broke her gaze from Eren and glanced up at the stars in the night sky above.
"I realize that… times like these… are very short. No matter how I wish. But…" She glanced back at him. "I would like to cherish it. So, that I won't have to forget it."
Leila looked at Eren's hands, before taking them, much to his confusion.
"And… I would like it very much the same for you."
The young man glanced back at her and her hands holding his. It was a strange feeling in holding both of his hands with her own.
"What are you saying?"
She smiled. "Come with me… I'm sure they're wondering about you."
…
"Uh…" Even when she was about to guide him in the direction toward the campfire, he stayed in place. "I'm not sure… about… taking part…"
"You mean the dancing?" Leila asked.
"No… it's… it's just…" He glanced away.
"You have you done dancing before?" She asked.
"Eh…" He still looked away. "That's not… I know what it is… it's just… it's not something I'm invested in. And… I'm not good at it." She could interpret that it may have to be something of embarrassment… due to if Eren wasn't an expert in it.
She looked up at him, her eyes meeting his own.
His eyes looked both dark and… sad. It may have been the dark of the night making shadows, but she saw how almost… exhausted he looked. He looked more exhausted than how irritated he looked a moment ago.
She felt saddened.
She then glanced at their position, and noticed his firsthand almost caught her by the waist. She turned in case her cheeks made some sort of reaction. But then… she realized… the way they were at that moment… looked no different than…
…
She wasn't easy to give up on trying to at least take part in the special occasion for the night.
"Then how about this… we don't have to join them yet…"
Her right hand took his left and lifted it up.
"What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
She smiled.
"Monsieur Kruger…" She glanced up at him, feeling shy. "Would you…"
…
"Would I what?"
"Can I… offer you… to share… a dance with you, right here?"
…
"Wh… What?" The face he gave showed he was caught off guard by that.
"If you don't wish to join the others now… we can do it right here…" She smiled, glancing away a bit. "I haven't had a partner for a while… at least not until tonight." She looked up at him with a smile. "Would it be alright… if you could be my partner, for tonight?"
He glanced down at her, taking in her offer.
"I…"
"Here…" She took his left hand. "Just place your left hand… right on my waist."
She stiffened when she felt his open palm press against her side. The pressure his fingers were making against the fabric of her dress…
Her right hand was now interlocked with his. She glanced up at him, staring down at her. They were both still for a moment.
Even so… despite the aura she had sensed from him earlier, she realize she made him rise from the log he was sitting and on… and was now holding her in… the position he was in…
"Just…" She began, trying to not to stutter in her throat. "Just follow my feet. Now… here it goes…"
She could still hear the music being played near the campfire meters away from their current position. It helped.
He made no reply. It was only her moving her feet, and Eren followed her suit.
For a moment, he looked almost dumbfounded, even as he kept his gaze on both her and when he looked to make sure he would not step on her shoes as she directed him.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
It may have been a long while, but all the memories of the lessons from the dance instructors her family had hired were coming back. In the Malcal Family, it was expected that when they would attend formal gatherings… she would have to perform a perfect display of the waltz.
Even with his apparent disinterest in taking part in the festive activity with the others, Leila had somehow managed to convince Eren Kruger… to have this (private) dance with her. It was a dance, as strange as it was.
He even managed to keep up with how she moved her feet as they turned again and again in the same spot. The grassy spot surrounded by the dark trees, with only the light of moon giving them vision to watch their direction… and notice one another.
Leila continued to look up and stare at her companion, who looked at her wordlessly. Grey-emerald eyes gazing back at her bluish violet ones. With each second, she thought his eyes were becoming more attentive, even as he kept up her moving feet.
The girl had to note that her companion was significantly taller than her. It wasn't unnatural that she was used to meeting men with taller height even when sharing the same age. She remembered Kruger's record of his height being six feet. Only seven inches higher than her. And while it made him lean his head forward to look at her, it wasn't something that bothered her as much. He was not too tall to be like how a father would try dancing with his toddler daughter.
It wasn't much issue with how held her while they made a turn, her long rose skirt making a flap.
She felt his open hand holding firm to her waist. She felt a warm touch emanating from it to her waist and almost to her back when she felt it almost slide up. She felt the fingers of his left hand clasp with those of her right hand.
Absently-mindedly, they felt his thumb caressing over hers.
…
"You know… you're pretty good at this." She smiled at him.
…
He glanced away. "I… I saw my parents do something like this… a long time ago."
At that, Leila almost paused, concerned that she may have brought about a sensitive memory too much for her partner to bear. She smiled sadly, and her hand strengthened the hold on his hand, feeling the need to hold onto to him. To reassure him. With what any comfort she could give…
Soon, however, they stopped.
"Monsieur Kruger?" She asked.
"I…" He glanced away, and it caused her to worry a bit. "That dress of yours…" He said, making her curious. "It looks… very good on you."
Leila gaped at the compliment.
Eren Kruger faced her and glanced at his hand still holding hers.
"Thank you…" He said. "Thank you for the dance." Those were the last words he said before letting go of her hand and turning away, leaving her alone.
There.
I'm so glad to get this out. I went through the scenes a lot. And I felt wanting to get as much dialogue as I could right.
?
"Poor boy…"
He stopped swinging the ax… when he heard a voice.
That voice. Her voice.
"When are you going to stop doing that?" He asked agitatedly, without turning to look at her.
"Stop what?" She asked, sounding amused.
"You don't have to play dumb with me," Eren said. "And it wouldn't even work just so you could try scamming me to give you some trade."
"Oh, but what I have is no scam. Not at all." She stated. "Because I can see."
"Sure…" Eren muttered.
"Just as I can see through you… and what you are hiding."
The man stopped.
"You don't know…" He turned to glare at her. "You couldn't know."
"Oh, but I do…" The gypsy smiled. "Just as I was able to see… with your lady friend."
"What?"
"What she has. What she has forgotten. And her future may entail."
"You're lying," He stated.
"Am I?" She raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't you like to see?"
"What?"
"Aren't you curious, boy?" The gypsy stared directed at Eren. "Would like me to tell you… what I can see… of your future?"
To be continued...