"You think tea is overrated? Cos' I do." Eren remarked, sticking his tongue out and scrunching his nose after sipping his tea.
"It's alright," you cleared your throat. "If you'll excuse me I need to relieve myself." You walked towards the bathroom and heard footsteps behind you. "Eren! Your only supposed to follow me to keep me safe, not to watch me piss!"
"My bad! Damn!"
You rolled your eyes at his response.
"Eren I can still hear you go away!"
"Fine! But when you get attacked while your pissing don't blame me!"
After you were finished, you walked back to the drawing room to hear Eren talking with someone.
"She's always like 'don't follow me, why are you following me' like bitch I was told to." He laughed at the end of the sentence.
"I'm sorry, 'Bitch'?" Your jaw fell open as you pushed the door to see his face go white.
"He's sorry," Rico answered for Eren.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm sorry."
"Better be, 'Bitch'." You made quotations with your hands, slumping down on the couch.
Life after the attack on Stohess had been anything but peaceful. Although you didn't show it, the events of the whole ordeal affected you a lot more than you cared to admit.
"We'll make sure it's clear, you stay here with the duchess." Rico held Floch's arm, speaking to him in a voice just above a whisper. He nodded in response.
You looked up at the commander fixing your dress slightly that was covered in debris and dirt. You and Floch didn't get along much at all, you thought him arrogant and entitled. In all due respect, he was in every meaning of the word, entitled. Bathed in milk, raised on silver platters and porcelain teacups as the son of a high-born lord.
"It might be a while till they come back, sit." He dragged over a stray stool for you to sit on because god forbid the duchess had to sit her bottom on the ground.
Rico looked back at you, giving you a small smile which you returned with more vigor than she had, in ignorant bliss. The two commanders left the basement, leaving you alone with someone you didn't exactly trust with your life, Floch would take a bounty over respect any day.
"How's Calaneth?" He asked, sliding against a nearby wall to sit against the ground.
"Bland." You replied, picking at your fingernails to avoid looking him in the eye. "The palace was built such a long time ago that it's tasteless now." You were just letting words pour out of your mouth by now. You didn't think Calaneth ugly, It was home, It was different; refreshing. The trends of newer-built homesteads were sharp and bright. You preferred the dark, candlelit interiors of the Calaneth palace as well as Mitras'.
"I've been there a few times in my life, I always thought it was different, I guess more fun to be in, I hate the damn trends nowadays." He looked at you, then quickly looked away, "Sorry I really should watch my mouth." He laughed in irony at the end.
You caught yourself smiling. Smiling at his words of all people.
"I don't mind," You looked him in the eye, "I hate when people treat me as someone who's above them, in all honestly the only thing that makes me any different are my parents, who aren't that much different than everyone else, you know?"
"Yeah, actually" He replied with a chuckle. "I guess I kinda' hate bein' treated as a highborn sometimes, normal citizens have more fun."
His shoulders relaxed and he placed his elbows on his knees, cupping his hands together. Your view of Floch was biased by rumors and outside views rather than genuine meetings with the lord. He was capable of being compassionate which is not something you expected from him. He rubbed the small of his neck letting out a half grunt, half sigh.
