Vanity, valor, veracity

Chapter 1

"She is quite lovely," the commander found himself saying out loud.

"Oi, back off, Erwin. I saw her first," growled Levi.

"That's right, Erwin--you need to leave the short ones to the captain," laughed Mike. "Although all's fair in love and war. She does look delicious."

"All three of you need to back off," said Hange, her voice dropping and gesturing to the others to lean in. "I hear she's Lord Shelton's mistress--and that cocksucker I'm pretty sure doesn't share."

"Lord who?" asked Levi.

"Shelton. Someone you definitely do not want to mess with," Hange quipped. "Word has it he's more powerful than the king these days..."

"Oh, that cocksucker," said Levi, suddenly recalling the name. Lord Shelton. The king's first minister and rumored to be at the heart of more than one "disappearance" of citizens with inconvenient opinions.

"Gods, that poor thing, she must be sweltering in that jacket," observed Hange. "She's covered from chin to wrist... I wonder... it obviously doesn't go with her gown." It was true--the stiff black buttoned up garment was obviously of a different style and material than the soft rose-colored silk skirt that cascaded from underneath it.

"Since when did you become an expert in fashion?" laughed Mike.

"Hey, just because I'm a soldier, doesn't mean I can't admire pretty things--especially that pretty thing," quipped Hange, slightly ogling the singer.

The young woman, who had been scanning the room, suddenly sensed the unusual group of soldiers staring at her and turned her eyes in their direction. They of course all awkwardly diverted their gazes in a weak attempt to pretend that she had not indeed been the topic of their conversation. Her eyes fixed on them curiously for a moment with a slight smile before one of two tall individuals standing behind her leaned over to whisper in her ear. Her eyes immediately snapped downward. It was a rather grim looking older woman dressed in a black gown made suspiciously out of the same material as the stiff black jacket. She seemed to be charged along with the dark-featured man next to her with overseeing the young singer, preventing her from venturing into the crowd and even monitoring who she glanced at, so it seemed.

When she looked up again it was in a very pointed direction, her eyes blank. Erwin couldn't help but follow her gaze. It had landed on a tall, elegant man with striking white hair. He had pale blue eyes that locked with the young woman's with a cold possessiveness. Erwin guessed this was the infamous Lord Shelton. He had never seen the man before but certainly was aware of his reputation. And yet, as he looked at the formidable lord, there was something familiar about him that Erwin couldn't place, something about those cold pale eyes. Something unpleasant.

"Yep, there he is," whispered Hange who had also followed the young woman's gaze. "Best not look at her anymore--don't want to make trouble for us."

Or for her, Erwin found himself thinking. It was vaguely unsettling to observe how the much older man was staring down the much younger woman.

The room was filling up and the event was clearly getting into full swing. Erwin sighed. Time for them to spread out and mingle. They were there to talk up the Survey Corps not stand around and ogle young women.

"You two head left and we'll head right," said Erwin to Levi and Hange, as he nodded to Mike and the two made their way into the crowd. Between the heat and the insufferable small talk, Erwin guessed it was going to be a long evening.

After interminable smiling and chatting and buttonholing of various bigwigs, Mike said he had to get outside for a smoke or he would end up choking someone. Erwin, of a similar mind to escape, decided it was a better bet to wander the grand mansion for a bit rather than push through the crowd and then stand in a swirl of smoke on the terrace where anyone could grab his ear once again.