[ while (unfortunately) politics have decidedly not fallen to the wayside recently, the banquets have been few. Erwin hadn't much minded, preferring the simplicity of his own quarters to rich Sina luxury. but he's shocked, all the same, by the array of the spread around him. it's varied to an extreme he's never seen before, an opulence impossible even in the capital.

that shouldn't surprise him - he's told himself as much. he is, after all, no longer in Sina, or Rosa, or lost Maria. the prospect that this could be some forgotten, secret place far beyond the walls still lingers in his mind, despite what he's been told. he cannot help but wonder, and wonder he does, spending less time eating and drinking (though he keeps a glass in hand, for appearance's sake) and more time roving around the hall, studying every sight. contingency plans come and go in his mind, because he has work to do, a task to finish, but still, all the same, he cannot shake his own curiosity. ]

Excuse me -

[ it would be remiss, however, not to learn of those here with him. you might find him leaning in to confide to you, tone politely distant but intent all the same. ]

What do you think of all this?

[ he doesn't linger in the castle long, at any rate. there's a whole country out there, and if he really is stuck here for the moment then he should learn about the place. he should see it, unbound by walls or titans or duty as he's been.

as it is, it's strange, sitting on the ground, not having to wait for the distant thunder of footsteps. the idea of relaxing remains beyond him, however, and as he sits there, consulting maps and sketching down notes and lines of his own, he's all tense lines and watchfulness.

it is, once again, his need to know that prompts him to speak up. if someone passes, he'll call out to them to ask - ]

Do you know anything about this area?