warfare | attack on titan | on hiatus

[1] ❝filthy❞

When Erwin first met Hildagarde, he noticed how meticulous she was with cleanliness.

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"Oi, clean your shoes on the rug, can't you read the—"

A painful whack to the head caused the child to yelp in surprise, making Erwin blink as the owner of the shop reprimanded the child. "Hilda! How many times have I told you to be polite to our customers?" The child named Hilda crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out in indignation.

The owner glanced at him with an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry about that, Erwin." He smiled in return, not at all bothered by the child's rudeness. He shouldn't be out for too long anyway, they had training later tonight, after all. The commandant tasked him with resupplying the bread stock in the bakery that supplied them; simple as that.

He knew the owner since he was often here for supplies but this was the first time he had seen that child. "No, it's alright. Meeting someone like her is a breath of fresh air." Even without looking, he knew she was staring at him with those burning gaze of hers. It may have been a trick of the light but her eyes shone like the red jewels of that one priest he encountered.

It intrigued him yet not too much to be interested in what kind of person that child was. "Seriously... anyway, you're here for the usual, right? Just let me get my notes to jot that down." As the owner left for the backroom, a poke to his thigh stole his attention. "Oi, clean your shoes. It's getting dust everywhere."

When he glanced back to check if he did leave a few dirty trails, the sight of sparkling wood greeted his unamused expression. She must have seen his expression because the next thing the cadet knew, she was glaring at him yet again. "Oi, oi, are you serious? Your eyes must be poor if you can't see—"

whack

"Hilda! For the thousandth time, you already cleaned the lobby ten times over; the wood is sparkling which shouldn't even be possible with that broom of yours!"

Ah, Erwin remembered thinking how peculiar she was. She is interesting indeed.

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The next time Erwin met Hildagarde, he had just graduated from the cadet corps and joined the Survey Corps not long after. Their expedition would be in two and a half month's time and in one of those days, he decided to visit the bakery.

Those eyes that glared at him with no fear and voice that commanded his attention stole away most of his interest. He wondered; what could she be doing now?

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"Oi, couldn't you read the sign, bastard?"

Erwin smiled and hid his chuckle with a fake cough. "My apologies, then." No one scolded her and hit her upside the head, he mused over. She must have seen his curious expression because the next thing he knew, she answered with a, "The old hag passed away a few weeks ago; a heart attack, the doctor said. Sorry to disappoint if you were looking for her."

"No," he spoke up. "I'm not disappointed, Miss Hildagarde." The child he knew was nowhere to be seen because the one standing in front of him was a woman who could have had any man wrapped around her fingers. Yet, her vulgar mouth and rotten attitude probably scared off all the men away.