Isanna stood by the curb of the sidewalk, sling bag suspended over her shoulder. She donned a plain white crop top and high waisted nude midi skirt which she'd hastily thrown over her when she remembered her appointment with Moblit just thirty minutes prior their agreed time. She'd even almost stepped out of the apartment wearing her indoor slip-ons if not for Zeke calling out to her while holding up a pair of her favorite two-inch heels.

I seriously need to write down my appointments next time.

Isanna had always been quite the forgetful one.

She was waiting on the street just near the public library, where Moblit had agreed to get her. It was just a little bit after three in the afternoon, a Saturday, and the streets were lively with cars and passersby with the usual hubbub of noise. In fact, it had been a little bit too lively, especially after two strangers had approached her and asked for her number. Luckily, they had been sensitive enough to leave her alone after a firm decline.

Isanna adjusted the strap of her bag over her shoulder, straightening out the nonexistent wrinkles of her skirt when a Honda stopped in front of her. The window on the passenger seat rolled down.

"Moblit," she greeted as she locked eyes with the driver of the car.

Moblit wore an apologetic look as he waved her over and unlocked the doors. Isanna pulled it open and flopped on the passenger's seat before shutting it close. Moblit then stepped on the gas and the car swerved back to the street, joining the passing cars as they rolled down the route towards their destination.

"I'm sorry, Miss Isanna. Did you wait long?" Moblit politely asked as he glanced at the side mirror, before he flicked his signal lights on. "There was a small accident on the way here, and I couldn't bypass the traffic."

Isanna shook her head and settled comfortably on her seat after pulling the safety belt over. "I wasn't waiting that long, don't worry."

"You're not just saying that to be nice, right?"

A soft laugh reverberated from her. "No, I'm an honest person, Moblit." Zeke once told her that she 'couldn't lie to save her life'.

Moblit sent her a smile before he focused back on the road. There was a minimal congestion of vehicles so the drive went smoothly. Moblit occasionally made small talk, all of which Isanna engaged with and encouraged, so it wasn't awkward as well.

Apparently, Moblit's 'friends' whom they were meeting today had known each other from way before and had a tight-knit circle of friendship. He mentioned someone named 'Hange' that Isanna should pay attention to because she may come across as a strange yet entertaining person to be with. There was also a 'Levi' whom he said usually gave off the impression that he'd rather be anywhere else than be with them, but it was actually just his natural face and personality so Isanna shouldn't take anything that comes out of his mouth personally. There was also a 'Mike' whom Moblit described as a 'big soft bear' and that he was most likely the most normal person out of the group and the most welcoming, so she shouldn't worry too much about feeling left out because he was certain this Mike person would make her comfortable. Lastly, Erwin Smith, whom Isanna had met some time ago. According to Moblit, he was the most formal of the group and he may feel a bit intimidating at first glance, but was actually very polite once you get past first impressions.

Intimidating? Isanna thought to herself with a slight tilt of her head as she recalled her first encounter with Erwin. He didn't feel intimidating back then..

"We've arrived," Moblit announced as he pulled over by the side. Isanna glanced out the window and at the curved writing of the marquee sign that overhung the glass entrance.

Paradis.

"Paradis?" Isanna confirmed, squinting at the sign. "Is that the one? The bar we're supposed to meet at?"

Moblit chuckled. "A tea shop, Miss Isanna. The owner always likes to emphasize that it's a tea shop and not a bar."

She nodded. "Ah. Tea shop. So you know the owner?"

"That's right, it's owned by sir Levi."

"Sir Lev—wait." She whipped her head back towards him. "Levi? The guy you said with the filthy vocab? That's him? He owns this bar?"

"Tea shop," he patiently corrected. "Yes, and a word of advice, Miss Isanna: don't call Paradis a bar around him."

After slowly nodding, she was then instructed by Moblit to head inside first while he parked the car. Since Paradis was located right beside the street, he needed to find a parking lot some place farther. Isanna was hesitant to go inside without a familiar face by her side, but eventually she sucked her nerves in and stepped out of the car. She gave a small wave and watched as Moblit drove the car forward, leaving her by the sidewalk.

Turning around, Isanna craned her neck to stare at the sign and reread the cursive lettering: Paradis. She looked back at glass doors and counted up to three, breathed in, adjusted the sling bag on her shoulder, then strutted forward.

She pushed the glass door by the handle and entered, feeling the cool air enveloping her, ridding her of the afternoon heat and providing her a brief sense of relief. Sweeping a casual glance, she curtly appreciated the neat interior design that bedecked the café. When she heard this place was owned by a grumpy guy, she had expected it to look more.. well, perhaps grumpier. Much to her pleasant surprise, a variety of potted plants were arranged aesthetically and elaborate paintings hung by the walls, a whiff of aromatized scent brimmed the room, and even the floor was spotless as if freshly-built.

'You'll know when you see them', she recalled what Moblit had told her when she said she didn't know what his friends looked like. But now that she remembered, she'd already met Erwin.

Why am I so forgetful?

After a mental scolding of herself, Isanna craned her neck over the tables, scanning for a specific shade of blond hair combed in a prim hairstyle. A handsome face, as well. And might as well pair it with the thickest and most beautiful set of eyebrows she had ever seen.

She heard a gasp.

Isanna looked at where the sound came from and her eyes landed on a table at the far end of the wall. The first person she saw was a woman in dark brown hair tied in a messy ponytail, side bangs framing her face, and a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose; she was looking right at Isanna's direction with an open-mouthed face.

The next thing Isanna knew, the woman was already in front of her, elatedly introducing herself. So this is that Hange girl Moblit talked about, Isanna thought as she listened to her rather passionate introduction. She certainly did fit his description: enthusiastic, eccentric, bold.

But strangely, Isanna didn't find her weird. In fact, she felt that this Hange Zoe person seemed to be a fun person to be with.

"Oh, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you!" Hange exclaimed, hands clasping to Isanna's hands tightly. And was it just her or.. were Hange's eyes somewhat.. teary?

"The pleasure is all mine.." Isanna returned with a hint of concern. "Um.. are you alright?"

Hange just quickly wiped her eyes, lips still stretched in a wide smile as if she was meeting with a long-time friend after years.

"Of course! Sorry, I kinda got ahead of myself," she chuckled a bit, then paused, as if remembering something. She then swept her arms towards the table where she'd come from in a welcoming gesture. "Moblit mentioned you, so we were actually just dying to meet you! C'mere, everyone's at the table!"

Isanna allowed herself to be steered towards the table, steeling herself for a round of socializing with new faces and new personalities. The fact that she wasn't as nervous as she thought she would be mildly surprised her.

As they neared the table, Isanna finally got a closer look at the occupants; there was a man with his hair styled in a clean undercut sitting on one of the chairs, arms folded across his chest and a neutral expression on his face that would have looked gruff to anyone who laid their eyes on him. There was also a blond man with a thin mustache and growing beard who gave her a warm smile upon her arrival. He even stood and pulled a chair for her to sit in, making Isanna mutter a small 'thank you' before she settled down.

"This is Levi, he's the owner of this place," Hange introduced, gesturing to the undercut guy who just nodded at Isanna's direction. Despite the passive look on his face, he didn't seem that menacing now—in fact, Isanna thought his face softened up a notch—so he went from an intimidating expression to a bored one. Because he was just a friendly guy like that.

"And that guy's Mike," Hange continued, nodding towards the blond one who had pulled the chair for Isanna to sit in. He stretched a hand over the table in a handshake gesture and shot her a smile, one that Isanna returned.

"It's nice to meet you," Mike said, and Isanna swore there was a tint of excitement and pure glee in his eyes as he looked at her. "I heard you just moved into the city. Hope you're adjusting well?"

He was friendlier than the Levi guy, that one was for sure, Isanna thought, not that she minded much. She returned his smile and answered that indeed, she was adjusting well.

Moblit had arrived right at that moment and greeting everyone at the table. He was about to sit next to the empty seat beside Isanna, but Hange had lightly nudged him over to the other seat.

"Eh?" Moblit muttered, confused for a split-second, before he realized and nodded. "Ah." Then he sat between Levi and Hange, leaving the chair to Isanna's right empty.

"So!" Hange said, clasping her hands and returning her whole hearted attention towards Isanna. "Isa—I mean.. can I call you that? Isa?" she asked, probably a bit more forceful than normal. Isanna awkwardly smiled, about to say yes, when Mike interjected.

"Don't make her uncomfortable," he casually chided as he handed Isanna the menu, turning to her. "Order what you like. It's on the house."

"Oi," Levi finally said with a frown, and Isanna blinked at him. That was the first time she'd heard him talk. "Are you the owner?"

Mike chuckled, sending him an apologetic look. "Sorry, but it's still on the house right? For our guest."

Levi stared at him for a solid three seconds, and Isanna momentarily worried that he'd kick Mike out of the café, but then he just clicked his tongue.

"Fine."

Isanna quickly intervened with raised hands. "It's okay, I'll pay—"

"I said it's fine," Levi cut her off, shooting her a swift look. "Just order what you want."

"Levi, watch your tone!" Hange chided, then turned towards Isanna. "Sorry, that's just how he talks. The customer service here is great if he just doesn't talk, trust me, I'm a regular at this bar."

"Tea shop, four-eyes."

Isanna alternately looked between them all, the rising confusion only piling higher. Just mere minutes of meeting them and it was already.. chaos. They were a mismatch of personalities, the types you'd never figure out would be friends with each other; but oddly enough, they all just seemed to click. She realized she probably should have been weirded out or offended, but strangely..

Strangely, Isanna didn't mind. Maybe it was because of the warm feeling in her chest just from meeting them—she felt comfortable.

She held back a laugh.

They're funny.

She eventually gave her order of tea and some appetizer, and Levi called one of the workers, a young girl with red-brown hair and green eyes who wore a pin with her name Isabel on it over her work clothes, over to the table.

"Ah—Erwin! Finally, what took you so long?"

The mention of the name made Isanna freeze for a moment. She followed everyone's gazes and locked eyes with the man whom she'd met some time ago at the public library, Erwin Smith. He seemed to have come from the direction of the restroom.

So he was already here?

Meanwhile, Mike watched from the corner of his eyes, gauging Isanna's facial expression as she looked towards Erwin's nearing figure.

No reaction, he observed. She really doesn't remember a thing.

When he first saw her enter the shop, Mike felt his own breath hitch, like someone had sucked the air out of his system. She still looked the same as the past, but he did notice that she had become more.. mellow? He wasn't sure if it was the right word. The past Isanna was rough, full of spunk, and had a tongue almost as vulgar as Levi; most likely influenced by their female training instructor, who cussed like a sailor that would have made nuns scrub her mouth clean all day long. Above all, Isanna was practically known to stick around Erwin 24/7.

Now, she had gotten noticeably softer—not that it was a bad thing, of course. It just took Mike by surprise, especially when he saw that she now actually knew how to dress up. Perhaps living in a harsh world had deprived her from embracing her femininity—now, she was glowing.

"What took you so long?" Levi grumbled when Erwin finally reached the table. "Fell asleep on the toilet?"

"I had a call to make," Erwin smoothly answered, before he turned to Isanna with a smile. "Miss Isanna, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"It's good to see you too, Erwin," she smiled back as Erwin seated himself on the empty chair beside her. Hange had deliberately arranged it so that he sat next to Isanna. Because she was a very supportive friend like that.

'Miss Isanna', huh, Mike thought to himself. He had to pick his glass of water and take a gulp to hide his smile. He made a mental observation; while Isanna had gotten softer personality-wise, Erwin was easier to read now—because he could tell point-blank that Erwin definitely did not make a call in the restroom. If Mike were to make a guess, Erwin's nerves most likely got the best of him and he had to collect his composure because he knew he was seeing Isanna today (and he had Hange to thank for that). The thought of Erwin Smith giving himself a pep talk in the restroom was amusing, to say the least.

As the group waited for their orders to arrive, a round of conversations were exchanged here and there—mostly Hange leading the conversation and directing 'get-to-know' questions towards Isanna, where she lived before coming to the city, yada yada. Apparently, she came from the countryside, which finally answered the question as to why they had never once ran into her even though Erwin had been looking for her all these years.

"I'm a chemistry teacher at Bayside High School," Hange said. "It's not as big as Erwin's school, but it's still nice! If I do say so myself."

"Erwin's?" Isanna confirmed, turning to the said blond. "You're a teacher too?"

"Yes," he answered. "I work at the high school department in Saint Joseph's."

Isanna perked up.

"Saint Joseph's? That's Zeke's school. He's in the same department too, have you met with him there?"

It was like the very name itself was a curse.

Mike froze. And so did everyone else at the table. You could actually hear a pin drop in the silence.

At this point, even Mike himself had almost forgotten about Zeke Yeager. Now that his name was mentioned, the lighthearted mood earlier seemingly puffed into the void. Mike realized he should say something to break the silence, else Isanna would find it odd (and also for a certain someone's sake).

To everyone's shock, Erwin was the one who shattered the silence first.

"That is correct," he said, earning a flabbergasted look from Hange. "I did have the pleasure to run into him at work for the past week."

Wow, Mike thought, jaw almost lowered at the casual way Erwin answered her. Maybe he had channeled his inner commander mode, but with the way he smoothly confirmed Isanna's question with a straight face, he would have fooled everyone else at the table. Once a commander, always a commander, Mike eventually concluded. He couldn't help but mentally applaud Erwin's strong will.

Isanna furrowed her eyebrows and muttered, "Huh, wonder why he never mentioned you.."

On the other hand, Erwin kept his lips in a firm line.

I doubt he would talk about me, he thought.

That was a close one—"pleasure to run into him at work"—Erwin mentally scoffed. Lying to Isanna brought an unsavory taste in his tongue, but he'd been left with no choice. What was he supposed to say in response? 'Yes, we have the same work place, and I want to sock him in the face every day'? Erwin wasn't about to insult her fiancé right to her face. And to top it off, he was a teacher, and a teacher shouldn't be talking about decking the living daylights out of his coworker.

He was actually having a good time until Isanna mentioned Zeke's name. Like a slap to the face, Erwin was dragged back to face the harsh truth. To hear his past lover talk about the man she was now engaged with brought about a feeling akin to a dagger being repeatedly struck right in his gut. Erwin honestly didn't even know how he managed to smoothly lie his way out of it. Maybe it was the natural instinct of his past self rising from the dead to save his ass (he realized his commander self was far more mentally strong than his current self will ever be). Either way, he was grateful. As much as how he dreaded the truth of his reality, he didn't want to ruin this opportunity to make friends with Isanna.

To salvage the dwindling mood, Mike decided to take one for the team and ask who this 'Zeke' person was. Isanna was more than happy to tell him that 'he was her fiancé'.

Erwin wanted to gag.

Maybe the gods looked down on Erwin, took pity on him, and decided he had enough dosage of hearing Zeke's name for one day; because right then, Isabel had arrived carrying their orders, and their conversation was brought to a brief halt.

"We actually have a get-together like this once in a while for some bonding time and to destress from work stuff," Hange told Isanna. "You're always welcome to join us! Actually, you have to!"

"Hange," Mike called with a frown, "what did I say about making her uncomfortable?"

Isanna chuckled with a shake of her head. "No, it's fine. I'm not uncomfortable. Actually, I'd love to join you."

Hange stuck her tongue at Mike, who just rolled his eyes in response.

Erwin sent a casual side glance at the woman sitting beside him. He raised his glass to his lips, taking in a small sip. His eyes trailed over the features of her side profile, taking in every single detail that he had missed from the past life. He had basically grown up with her in the past, so he never got the chance to truly look at her from this perspective.

He noticed she was definitely smiling a lot more—a sight he enjoyed seeing.

Someone kicked his leg under the table, snapping him from his trance.

Erwin looked at Mike, who had a brow raised. He leaned over and whispered lowly in Erwin's ear,

"You're making it too obvious, you know."

It was then Erwin realized he was probably staring a little bit too conspicuously. He cleared his throat in an attempt to shoo the embarrassment away and raised his glass once more.

Erwin decided to redirect his attention to the conversations that were going around the table.

"—You call this a tea shop but you serve beer," Hange said to Levi as she poured herself a drink. "And the owner has a foul mouth—no matter how I see it, this feels more like a bar than a tea shop."

"I serve whatever I want to serve."

Meanwhile, Moblit was alternately looking at Isanna and one of the bottles on the table, before he eventually grabbed the bottle and looked at Erwin.

"Um, sir Erwin, would you like to pour Miss Isanna a drink?" he offered.

Erwin looked at the brand of the bottle and shook his head. "She can't drink heavy liquor—"

He paused, realizing his mistake.

A tense silence followed.

Hange, Levi, and Mike simultaneously slowly turned to him in robotic movements, an 'OH SHIT' written in bolded letters across their faces.

Upon feeling the stares of everyone on the table, Erwin nervously swallowed, sweat trickling down his forehead. 

Shit.

He wasn't supposed to know that. At least, not in this life.

Erwin desperately willed his face to stay neutral, summoning every drop of his commander blood to take the wheel.

"Oh," Moblit mused, slowly lowering the bottle in his hand as he turned to Isanna. "You can't drink heavy stuffs, Miss Isanna?"

Blinking, she slowly nodded. "Yes, I can't hold my liquor that well, but.." she then turned to Erwin, finally shooting the dreaded question.

"How did you know that, Erwin?"

A whir of momentary panic passed through the table.

Underneath, Hange stretched her leg and kicked Levi. He glared at her, but after exchanging frantic looks, he mentally grumbled and swiped his foot to kick Mike, passing on the responsibility. Poor Mike flinched, knowing he was tasked to redeem Erwin's mistake.

Damn it. You'll owe me for this, Erwin.

"Actually—"

"Zeke told me," Erwin said, cutting him off.

A beat of silence. Hange, Levi and Mike looked at Erwin like his eyebrows had suddenly grown legs and crawled off his face.

Isanna tilted her head. "Zeke?"

"Yes," Erwin said, nodding, as he mustered the straightest face he could ever make in that moment. He was well aware of the stupefied stares from the others, but did well to ignore them.

"He.. talks a lot about you in the office. He mentioned it then."

It was a straight up lie, and everyone but Isanna knew. But Erwin figured it was better than having to explain the real reason as to why he knew about her inability to handle her liquor.

"Oh, funny story. I actually know because I've already met you in a past life in a different universe. Did I mention I was technically your boyfriend in the past? Because yeah. And now I feel betrayed because you got together with our enemy. Haha, surprise."

That would have been tempting to blurt. Had Erwin not been a sensible man, he would have done that already.

But little did everyone know, behind Erwin's poker face, he was mentally kicking himself. A litany of stupid stupid stupid echoing in his thoughts. He wasn't this careless in the past life—walls, he'd been a commander for a reason, and now he pulls shit like this?

Isanna worriedly frowned. "He talks about me?"

Erwin was quick to add, "He didn't say anything that would warrant your worry, Miss Isanna. So rest assured."

Eventually, she nodded. "I see."

Everyone else at the table released an inaudible sigh, shoulders sagging in relief, glad that she believed his excuse. Moblit looked apologetic for bringing up the topic in the first place.

"A—anyway," Hange piped up with forced enthusiasm, changing the subject, "Isa, you should really try this—it's really good." She pushed her plate of appetizer towards Isanna.

Fortunately for everyone, the subject flew away like the wind, forgotten as another flurry of conversations took place on their table.

All in all, Isanna concluded they were a fun bunch to hang around with. Hange with her never-ending (but interesting) chatter, Levi who only occasionally joined in the conversation with a word or two before he slipped back into the background, opting to listen (he wasn't the talkative type, Isanna could see that much), Mike adding and encouraging Hange's chitchats with a funny remark every now and then (he had his own sense of humor, Isanna noticed), and Erwin nodding along to the flow of conversation, contributing a few words and offering a short chuckle at times. Moblit seemed to be enjoying himself as well, although Isanna noticed he seemed to be acting like Hange's guardian most of the time, ensuring she didn't drink too much; he occasionally even begged her to 'please keep her voice down because she was disturbing the other patrons'.

It was an eventful day, if Isanna were to be completely honest.

They were a fun bunch. Strange, she'd give them that—but fun, and welcoming to her. Like she was already one of them.

About an hour passed and Mike received a message, prompting him to excuse himself for the day.

"Work," he muttered as he stood and pocketed his phone. "Sorry, seems I'll have to go on ahead."

On a Saturday? Isanna thought, frowning. Hange managed to read her confusion since she spoke up.

"Mike's with the police force," she explained, before turning towards Mike with a grin and a wave. "Say hi to Nanaba for me!"

"I will." Mike nodded at everyone at the table as he bid them a farewell. He gave one last smile towards Isanna and headed for the exit.

Another hour went by and Isanna finally went home, Moblit offering her a ride.

Once the both of them left the shop, Hange let out a loud cackle. Levi sighed and shot her a pointed stare that wasn't as fierce as usual, and Erwin just palmed his face.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day Erwin messing up," Hange laughed, chair tilting back a little bit too dangerously that Levi wondered why she still hasn't fell down.

"She's right," Levi remarked, eyes flying over towards Erwin who was massaging his temple. "What the fuck are you so nervous about?"

It was, after all, unlike Erwin Smith to fumble over something that small. He wasn't the careless type of person.

Erwin was about to respond when Hange beat him to it.

"Oh, leave him be, Levi. Our commander just has a little crush, it's normal to feel nervous."

Levi scoffed through his nose, lifting his cup to his lips. "Doubt it's just a 'little' crush."

Erwin sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day. He sent the both of them a stern look.

"I believe that's enough from you two."

And like magic, the both of them stiffened on their seats and dropped the subject altogether, exchanging wordless glances. They could tease Erwin all they wanted, but once he uses that tone with them, even they couldn't resist following his orders.

Erwin glanced at the empty seat beside him. He could still picture Isanna sitting on the spot—she'd been right next to him, with only about a minute ounce of distance, and walls it was just downright torturous not being able to touch her. He could still smell her perfume; like something fresh lavender, pleasant to his senses, and calming, just like her mere presence.

Erwin was well aware of just how down bad he was for her, as he recalled the simple gestures she made, the way her delicate fingers raised her glass that made him wonder what it would feel like to be able to hold her hand in his again, the way her eyes crinkled at Hange's jokes, the way she had tilted her head while confusedly looking at him earlier when he slipped up—she looked adorable then—and even the simple way she looked at his eyes as she called his name.

Erwin was convinced his name could be 'Shitfaced' and she'd still manage to make it sound like the most beautiful name to have ever been uttered.

Then he paused.

Had he always been this entranced by her?

Or was it because now that he had none of that 'commander' bull excuse, his feelings of desire which he so desperately restrained before were now all over the place?

Gods. Erwin sucked the inside of his cheek, frustrated.

She was just so beautiful. Painfully beautiful—not just in the physical sense, but the entirety of her that it felt unfair she could have this much of an effect on him despite barely lifting a damn finger, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her in his arms again, give her all the love he'd fail to give before, to relish in her warmth again.

He never would have thought it'd be possible, but somehow, he was falling even harder for her in this life—and it just made everything all the more painful.