A Promise (An Attack on Titan Fanfic: Erwin Smith)

Campus Cleanup

It was the mandatory monthly clean-up in the Survey Corps headquarters; everybody save for some higher-ups was assigned to certain areas around the barracks and clean it up.

Vice captains and those higher weren't required to participate - much to Isanna's delight. It wasn't like she detested cleaning, her lazy ass just couldn't bear the chore.

Strolling through the courtyard, Isanna observed as the other soldiers handled broomsticks and dustpans, while some were trimming the long weeds of grass near the forest where they held their 3DMG training and horse back-riding.

Isanna was looking for a particular trio of new recruits whom she had been tasked to look after for the past month; if she were to be honest, the babysitting experience was actually not too bad. She got to know more about how Isabel had a soft spot for animals (she was really good with horses), Farlan had an unhealthy obsession with borrowing books from their mini library section (and not returning it), and Levi with his allergy to anything remotely near a speck of dust.

When her eyes caught a blob of familiar red hair and ash blond ducking down on the grass, a smile twitched itself on her lips and she made her way towards Farlan and Isabel, who were currently engaged in what seemed to be another one of their daily banter.  

"Walls of Maria, Isabel - you call that  a trim?"

"Shut up! Aren't we just supposed to cut it down? I don't need extra barber skills for this!"

Isanna had to refrain from chuckling when she neared the duo and landed her eyes on the patches of grass around the younger girl's feet. It looked like a toddler had trimmed it, seeing the way it was uneven and a mess to look at, overall. 

"Where's the shorty?" inquired the raven with crossed arms as she scanned around the yard for the said undercut raven haired man. 

Finally noticing the woman's presence, Farlan and Isabel turned to regard her, with the latter giving Isanna her usual vibrant greeting of a close-eyed smile while the former told her where Levi was. 

"He was assigned at the library with other soldiers."

The girl hummed at the response with a slight tilt of her head. Library, huh. "Okay then. I'll leave you to your weed trimming escapade. Have fun," she said with a wave of her hand as she turned around, heading to one of the buildings of their barracks. 

Isanna padded through the narrow hallways, passing by some soldiers who respectfully saluted at her before they continued on with their cleaning errands. She was heading to the library located at the right wing of their second building. It wasn't anything different from an ordinary library; just a not-so spacious room with dusty shelves and a few tables. The only person who visited there often was Hanji, going as far as to even sleep there while reading about all sorts of things. Heck, she was so engrossed in reading to the point of refusing to take a bath (the reason why her hair was always so greasy). At this point, Isanna and Mike had both given up trying to force her to take one.

As the floorboard creaked under her steps, the raven thought about how Levi was faring while cleaning the library with other soldiers. Even though their enmity against the recruitment of underground trio had been fading away in the past month, Levi was the only one in the trio who was not as well acquainted to the rest compared to Farlan and Isabel, who had already begun talking with a few soldiers. Whoever decided he should be separated from his two friends was either an ignorant dobe or a thoughtful senior for wanting him to make friends.

Although, Isanna thought with a snort, he'd make a good janitor..

When she reached her destination, Isanna pushed the library door open with a grinding noise scraping the wooden floor, her brow arching when she saw that the library was empty. She stepped inside and closed the door behind her, casting a look around the place when she finally saw a small figure kneeling at the corner of the room while scrubbing the floor with a wet cloth in his hand.