Elsie's obsessions transitioned hourly. There were so many interesting machines in Liberio and with one touch Elsie could see how she could perfect it a little bit better than the original engineer. It began with her ODM gear before she found herself transfixed with the telegram. She learned about it in history but never thought the day would come that she would have to memorize the numbers in order to dial someone. Mainly Granfer since he'd spent the last week in Odiha. The sea town held no interest other than its glorious ports that loudly proclaimed they were the safest in Marley. Granfer concurred. He said many ports were struck by squatters and vandalism, oftentimes resulting in a brawl or two, and it spoke for itself that Odiha was top in exporting for Marley.

Her current interest laid with Zeke. From his spine to his shiny, black knives, Elsie wanted to inspect every inch of him. She wanted to know his advantages. She needed them to help the Scout Regiment. The weeks shortened against her. She only had three weeks to figure everything out.

"But the house isn't too bad," Granfer prattled, spinning in the leather barstool Elsie had dragged in. His boots thumped against the floor to push him faster. "The worst one was out in the Mid-East. The door fell off the hinges when I opened it and the pipes rattled like a thunderstorm when I ran any water. The new house is by the Internment camp, which Lord Tybur told me that it's a hooligan neighborhood."

Zeke should be arriving shortly. How should she bring up his knives? Eldians were not allowed on the property if they were armed. Major Gross proudly showed his automatic gun at his waistband during breakfast.

"It's not too bad. My neighbors brought me a home-cooked meal as a welcoming gift and they stayed to chat for a while. Although, I suspect that had more to do with their unmarried daughter and less with me as a person. I felt used."

Elsie's finger tapped a beat similar to the Soldier's Song. The fiddle strummed distantly in her memory of twirling, sparkling dresses and hushed compliments in the dark. The sun's last warm ray disappeared from Elsie's square window, leaving her and Granfer in dropping temperature, and the comfort that Zeke should be arriving any minute now.

"So, the girl ended up leaving crying and I told her mother that I didn't mean it when I said she had a boring face, but just that I couldn't imagine someone like me and her being together." Granfer lamented.

Elsie cocked her head to the side, hearing the end of his wild tale, "You need to work on letting people down. That was pretty harsh."

"Captain Hara said honesty is the best route with women," Granfer shrugged helplessly. "He's always right. I learned everything from the old man."

"I'm sure," Elsie pushed off the wall counter to head for the doorway. "Do you hear a carriage? I think Zeke is here."

"I didn't hear anything." Granfer trailed behind her. He kept two feet distance to avoid stepping on the train of her golden dress. The cape fluttered at every sharp turn, her rapid pace making him quicken in confusion.

She frowned in disappointment when they reached the foyer with no guests. Sif immediately stopped her conversation with two other servants and cocked an eyebrow at Elsie, a silent inquiry if she was needed. Elsie huffed and turned on her heel, heading to the dining hall to distract herself.

"Since when have you cared for Zeke?" Granfer asked before they reached the dining room. "You two bicker like no tomorrow."

"I have a question about his knives." Elsie admitted. Granfer kept their conversations private and there was no harm in letting him know. In the long run, he'd either help or just off-handily comment to Zeke about her peculiar curiosity.

"Oh, those old things? They're built from a combination of Ice Burst and some secret Marley material no one else can get their hands on," Granfer grinned coyly and checked that they were still alone. He pulled a wood-handled blade from his back, forever hidden by his baggy clothes, and held it for Elsie to feel. "I bought a pair out in the annexed villages for a hefty price. They are most definitely worth it. Can cut through anything, I tell ya'."

"Ice Burst," Elsie repeated. A fairly easy term. "How common are these knives?"

"About seventy years ago you could've bought them anywhere. Don't really know what happened," Granfer shrugged and took his blade back, not noticing the way Elsie's eyes hungrily lapped at the black metal before it disappeared. "You'd be a dud if you walked away after you saw an Ice Burst blade in the pawnshop."

"The Lady Seer dying is what happened," A gloating, knowledgable voice called from the open doors. Zeke fixed his glasses at the edge of the table to make them wait a little bit longer - no doubt for the suspense. "Johanna Seherin discovered and controlled the rights for Ice Burst. She refused to tell anyone where she hid it before she killed herself."

Granfer rubbed his chin, "Isn't that your relative?"

"Distant." Elsie sighed and began to fix herself a glass of wine.

"A spiteful one at that," Zeke crooned. He made himself comfortable in the chair across from Elsie. "The Lady refused to share her royalties as well."

"Shouldn't you concern yourself with your own family?" Elsie snapped.

Zeke fixed his napkin so it laid straight, "Grandmother and grandfather are doing just fine, thank you for asking. I'll pass your concerns along."

"Did anyone think to rip up the Lady Seer's house?" Granfer asked in a light tone. He steered the two back to a safe conversation.

Zeke shrugged, "I'm assuming. She was blind, the witch wouldn't have made such a rough trip for it."

"Don't say witch." Elsie said.

She's drowned by, "She was blind?"

"Her visions took away her sight," Zeke said spookily, wiggling his nubbed fingers at Elsie as if a little story would make her freak. Too late, buddy. "I heard she lost it at twenty-five."

"Thank Freyja I passed that mark." Elsie sunk further into her lavish chair and drank her expensive wine.

"You wouldn't say? That'd make you my senior then." Granfer remarked in shock, eyeing Elsie in second thought.

Elsie did the same. His beard deceived the rough thirties she thought he belonged in, "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"Aw, you're a grown baby man." Elsie cooed.

Zeke shook his head, "Give me that brandy. Who let you drink in the first place?"

"You dare threaten a pirate's drink? Do you have any brains?" Granfer held the glass to his chest in the scandal. "Fuck off, the both of you. You should worry more about your grey hairs than my drinking habits."

Elsie soothed her hands over the crowned braid, "Grey isn't in my hair's vocabulary."

"That's one thing I don't have to worry about," Zeke said proudly as if there was something to gloat about his life ending thirteen years too soon. "I'll look flawless in my old age."

"I wonder if you'll have hair by then." Elsie remarked cooly. Or if your head will be attached. She eyed the older Jeager with alarming distaste that matched her hatred for Reiner and Bierthodlt.

Zeke said, "Have you seen my hair? Look at it." And Elsie looked but she only saw Jean's wide, amber eyes peering through the banister railing at her.

She sipped her wine with a soft, "Glorious, Zeke."

"Just don't get a scar on your head," Granfer advised as footsteps approached the suddenly silent dining room. "That'll be a bitch to cover up."

Zeke opened his mouth to say that titans can heal without worry. Willy stomped madly into the room, halting any explanation, and drawing Elsie's downcast gaze to his all-white outfit. From his glistening, pointed leather Go-Go boots to his tight white blazer, the man screamed pristine and panic. His eyes batted at a speed that made Elsie lean back in worry for herself, holding the rim of her wine to her lips to sip. Her helpful liquid never let her down when dealing with the boys.

"Commander Magath is on his way this instant to speak to Zeke and Granfer about their trip. I need everyone dressed to impress, I need armbands on, and I need you, Lady Seer, to make an impression so heart-achingly beautiful that he tells his grandchildren about in forty years."

Elsie's mouth opened and closed before she uttered, "Who?"

"Commander Magath is Major Gross' replacement," Zeke explained with a swish of his hand. His tone darkened. "Gross made some terrible decisions in his past."

"The past is the past and who cares about it now?" Willy clapped with widespread fingers and smiled too wide, a hysterical giggle ending at his words. He quickly scanned the wall before finding Sif at the entrance of the dining room. "Please assist the Lady into a proper gown."

Elsie glanced at her simple black dress, "I think this is sufficient enough."

"No. Not at all," Willy said, insulted, and shook his head. "Please, Sif, help her."

"I don't see what's wrong with my dress." Elsie muttered as she was ushered out of the dining hall.

The men continued to drink in nervous preparation for Commander Magath. Sif told Elsie that Commander Magath trained the Warrior Canidates. He would pick out of the new batch of children - the very ones that they had seen a week ago in the Internment camp - and train them personally to fulfill their titan's duty. He'd done the same with the last ones, Sif said.

"It was a girl and three boys," Sif explained as she tied Elsie's soft pink gown. The corset pushed her breasts close together. "Porco was meant to be one of them but his older brother, Marcel, was chosen to become Jaw instead," Sif tightened considerably and Elsie choked. She gave Sif a panicked look over her shoulder. The servant continued down her maddening story, the lace growing tight with each loop through the back. "Porco's only now forgiven him. It's been five years since they've seen each other. When Zeke returns it'll be with Marcel."

Elsie's breath caught and not from the corset. They're going to look for them.

"Then they'll have to talk and Porco won't feel so useless and less guilty about how things ended between them and maybe then things will be different."

"Different?" Elsie repeated in a daze. "Everything will change."

Sif froze, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," Elsie blinked and spun. She eyed Sif, leaning close to peer through her eye liner. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing."

The women stared before making their way out of the room in silence.

Commander Magath left the impression of death. Elsie couldn't eat in his presence. She stared into his circled eyes and tried to see his plans for the future. His plans to attack Paradis and kill Eren and anyone who stood in his path. He sat between Zeke and Porco, sour-faced and eating in tandem with the Commander, and Elsie saw the three of them as devils.

She couldn't eat. Willy vividly described the ship under Granfer's possession and their plan to drop Zeke on Paradis before continuing to the Mid-East for a possible deal on exporting wine. He eagerly laid it out for the Commander, sparkly-eyed and energetic. His brandy sat untouched, ice ball melting slowly in the dark liquor as he rattled, and Commander Magath's eyes grew darker.

"No," The word was a dagger in Willy's heart. "I see the fruits of your labor and I applaud you for it," Commander Magath looked at Elsie and saw nothing but an accessory to get him what he wanted. "Yet you have a Lady Seer and do not use her. She is part of Freyja, can she not just tell the Attack titan to return?"

Willy blustered, "It doesn't work like that. Every Seer is different. I'm sure not a single one of them were able to do such a thing."

"I heard a tale," Commander Magath believed the tale. He believed it with all his heart that he didn't break eye contact with Elsie. He spoke to her. "That the Lady Seer told the Attack titan to go to Paradis. I'm sure the Lady Seer can tell it to come back."

Her throat dried as she spoke, "Neither the Lord nor I have heard this. If I were blessed with such a gift, believe me, Commander Magath, I would've called the Attack titan long ago."

"For what purpose?" Commander Magath's pupils dilated with his voice. Dark and dangerous. Zeke and Porco slid to the arms of their chairs to avoid a collision.

"To return home of course," Elsie said without hesitation. "Lord Willy told me how important it is for Marley to reclaim the Attack titan. I see that you don't believe a word I say," The dark red wine helped the ache in her throat but did not soothe it like how she wished. "That is okay. I have been summoned to a foreign land for the sake of helping Lord Willy save Marley and since then I have been in this house, with only the Lord and soldiers to keep me company. If you worry about me betraying you," Elsie leaned forward to place her glass on the table, smiling at the Commander in joke. "It would only be to your own people."

"Oh dear, are we out of olives?" Willy said suddenly. He held up a partially filled bowl. "Daisy, be a dear and get more olives. And wine, please."

"To believe in such a simple reason would be foolish of me. We know you spent a year with those devils," He sneered at the thought of them. "For all we know you could be tainted and want to run back and live with those filthy fuckers."

I want to run back and let Levi fuck me wherever the hell he finds me. I want to spread my legs for him to slide between, and I want his devil fingers tight against my throat, and I want him to completely defile me with the most dirtiest intent.

"I survived out there," Elsie said, her voice thick with emotion. "I did things that I never thought I could do or would I ever want to do again. I have never been closer to my family and a sense of home then since I've stepped foot into Tybur Manor. I know that this is where I belong and I know that I will die here. Yes, we all know that you know, and yet I am not in a prison cell because we all know that I can help end this. That's what we all want, isn't it? For Marley to succeed."

The cars and photographs and electricity made her sick. Marley was too close to home for comfort. Elsie wanted to burn the factories and the ice-boxes and bath oils. She'd throw Florence's portrait into the pyre if she weren't so attached. Her whole life came back to Marley and she hated it. She hated that her family was from here, that they were the reason for her being here, and yet she was never more grateful that something so special had chosen her. She'd been blessed enough to arrive in Paradis instead of this turned around civilization. If only she could get back.

"We want Marley to succeed," Commander Magath tried to wish it into creation. "The daughter of a traitor is the last thing I had in mind when I said we needed help, Lord Tybur." He scoffed and shook his head.

Elsie's fist curled before she realized it. She thumped the table, drawing their gaping attention, and brutally snapped, "I will not stand for you to speak of my mother like that. Watch your tongue!"

"Ha!" His cheeks reddened first before gliding down his throat and deep within his tan shirt. The red nearly matched Zeke's armband. "Ha, you dare tell me what to do, little girl? Well, that's the damn truth and it's why you'll never be allowed near the plans of Paradis!" Commander Magath stood, his chair falling back. Two servants rushed from the wall and Elsie remembered there were people in the room outside of the table. "She is trouble, Lord Tybur, just like the last bitch!"

Elsie's chair flew much further than the Commander's. No servant attended it. They stared wide-eyed at Elsie, stunned that she dared to speak back.

"That last bitch saved your nation from a global war! Paradis is the least of your problems right now, Commander Magath, and to think that gaining one titan will change your position is quite simple-minded! You allowed your Warriors to be sent to an island you know nothing about and it's been five years since then and now you have no Warriors and war up your ass!" Elsie laughed loudly, her audience left hanging on her every word. "Without Florence, you have done nothing but dig yourselves further into hell. You need me, Commander Magath, to fix your problems. I'd fix your attitude before you ask for my help."

She turned and gracefully left the room, pretty proud that she'd let everything off her chest. She missed Willy dropping his head into his hands, shaking, and Granfer heartily finishing his brandy. Zeke and Porco never touched their food.

"That damn bitch!" Commander Magath bellowed after her.

Elsie locked the door for the night. Willy banged repeatedly for a while and cried that she ruined any chance of replacing him. Didn't she realize that once she became Ambassador she'd have weekly meetings with Commander Magath? Didn't she realize that being Lady Seer meant being a constant mediator? She couldn't be so emotional. She needed to think about how to work around people. Can't she see that this was a silly thing to be upset about?

He left when his words did nothing but warm the door. Sif opened the door later without a knock. She placed black tea and a cup of sugar on the end of the bed before leaving.

That's all she wanted. She wanted to be left alone to dream about Levi.

Granfer must've felt bad about how the meeting with Commander Magath turned out because he left a black dagger on her workbench the following morning.

She stared at it with the vial held tightly in her hand.

"Purple or black?" Elsie asked. She held up identical scarves, only different in color, and held them to her red cheeks. The fading winter wind nipped dreadfully down the busy Internment streets. "Which one compliments my eyes?"

"Black." Sif answered without looking up from the leather wallets she sorted through. She tutted at each color, blood red, cerulean blue, alligator green, but nothing caught her eye.

Elsie put them back, "You're the worst person to shop with. Don't you want to try a dress on?" Elsie giggled and pulled out a low cut red dress. "I think Porco will really like this on you."

"Will you stop?" Sif hissed and pushed the garment back onto the rack. She checked to make sure the old retail lady didn't notice what they picked, innocently unaware that the old lady made the clothes.

"Oh come on, it's not too bad. It barely shows your collar bone." Elsie encouraged.

Sif rolled her eyes, "I am not taking any fashion advice from you. I still can't believe what you ordered from Seamstress Sashiko. Pants and half shirts?"

"See but the pants are high rise so it doesn't really matter." Elsie dignified but none of what she said made sense in 851.

"Sashiko nearly had a heart attack. She didn't know if she wanted to take your order. If it wasn't for Porco standing guard she probably would've said no." Sif said.

The retail lady leaned back in her barstool, huffing, "Are you two buying anything? No loitering!"

"Alright, alright, we're leaving!" Elsie called back, grabbing Sif by the elbow and dragging her out of the fabric designed stall.

They seamlessly molded into the crowd. Sif and Elsie expertly made their way between haggard men and scarved women. They stood out with their hair uncovered and lack of armbands, and it gave Elsie a run for her money when she saw the dirty looks she received. She learned to keep her eyes down to avoid conflict. Hatred for Marleyans ran thick and in everybody.

Children dashed in and out of the dirt street once they veered from the main hub. They giggled and danced, shaking their hips to taunt the person being It in their game of Tag, and Elsie found herself smiling and watching them run further down a back alley. Square houses blocked her view of seeing the result of their game and Sif lead the way to the cottage where Jonas and Priestess Catharina awaited them.

"I made a cheese platter," Jonas said as a greeting. His scar shifted with his smile, red and vibrant in the afternoon light. "I also made a pot of coffee."

The smell of coffee beans covered Priestess Catharina's staple rose tea. The Priestess sat at the table, flipping through a book of poems it appeared and raised an eyebrow in shock when Elsie and Sif rounded the single wall.

"You're on time." High Priestess Catharina checked the clock twice to be sure.

Elsie sat and picked at the nicely diced cheese, "You didn't bother to dress for us? And here Sif was freaking out about my shoes matching my necklace."

"It's a good thing to consider." Sif defended, already with a cup of coffee.

Priestess Catharina fixed her navy blue camisole before clearing her throat, "Elisabeth," She'd taken to calling Elsie by her first name. Jonas hovered by the door during her first visits to correct Priestess Catharina on her usage of her formal name. He said that in their house there were no titles, everyone was someone and all were welcomed to be treated the same. "I wanted to do something different today."

Elsie eyed the elder, "Why do you sound nervous?"

"I would like for you to volunteer at the Orphanage," Priestess Catharina said bravely, lacing her fingers and meeting Elsie with a steel, resilient gaze. "It is good for the future Ambassador to see how her people are raised and it would do you well to start making connections with the people, even if they are Eldian."

"Did you think I would say no because they're Eldian?" Elsie asked in insult. She'd never considered herself to come off as-as racist? Genocidal maniac? She had to take a sip of her water to break eye contact. "Of course I would love to volunteer."

Sif snorted into her cup, "She thought you'd say no because of the children."

"The children?" Elsie blinked slow.

"You don't come off as a motherly figure," Sif explained slowly, shrugging to soften the blow. "We didn't think you'd want to spend a day wiping snot and watching kids play."

"It's not everyone's cup of tea, Elisabeth, so don't feel bad if you want to say no." Priestess Catharina added hastily, smiling with the idea that she had fixed Elsie's worry.

"No," Elsie cleared her throat and ate another dice of cheese. "I'd still like to help. Are we going now?"

"In an hour. The children are just now finishing lunch and settling for a nap. We will help clean before taking them outside." Priestess Catharina left a moment between her words, waiting for Elsie to back out.

Elsie finished the plate of cheese and called, "Jonas? Can you cut more food?"

Emilia twirled in her pretty pink dress and Elsie imagined her with dark black hair and glittering grey eyes and maybe the name Kuchel. And little Gunter tore the Lady Seer's heart with his thick eyelashes and honey blonde hair shining in the sun, always laughing and tripping over his pudgy feet to keep with the older kids. They ran over him and Elsie picked him up every time, rubbing his scratched knees and telling him to shake it off as she would to her own child.

And spending time with the children of the Internment's Orphanage broke her apart. The little souls were underfed and shivering in their tight, two-story building that shook just as hard as their tiny bodies. There were never enough cots or blankets or napkins or food or forks and underwear was shared between the girls and bathrooms were rotted and so full of mold that left its distinct smell in the children's hair.

Elsie brought her dresses to be cut and sewn into new creations that warmed the children. Emilia danced in her pink dress that was once part of Elsie's gown and Susanne pulled her pink beanie over her red ears when the sun stole its warmth. Blankets disappeared from Tybur Manor only to magically appear over the laughing shoulders of Gunter and Lukas and thick boots clunked down the stairs with vigor encouraged by the extra food being served.

She watched the gloomy halls of the Orphanage slowly lighten over the weeks. Once the children were too hungry to think about playing. Now they raced in the streets much like the one's Elsie had seen walking to the Priestess' house. She held squealing and wiggling children in her arms, holding them upside down when they demanded it and rolling down the hills with laughing ten-year-olds. They waved at her in the streets, shouting out "Hellooooo, Elisabethhhh" in their audacious ways that dragged attention from all vendors.

Lately, she's noticed, the vendors began to say hello to her. The nasty looks subsided into faint memory. She never arrived at the Orphanage empty-handed. Her name was called in every direction. Mister Carl built wooden plates and cups personally and wrapped them in a soft cloth with a twine knot and with a pat to Elsie's shoulder she was off to Gwendalyn for her box of candles to help with the odor of decaying building. The once grouchy old retail lady caught Elsie on Thursdays to deliver a new box of pants for the growing children.

"Do you need help?" Old Agath eyed the three boxes in Elsie's arms. "My nephew's just around the corner, lemme' get him," Elsie opened her mouth to say that she had it all under control. The boxes fell in a heap and Old Agath popped her head around her fabric wall. "Falco, be a gentleman and help Elisabeth to the Orphanage."

Elsie's mouth dried. The little boy who nearly cracked his head on ice pushed aside the fabric to peer wide-eyed at Elsie. He said nothing, dropping his chin to his chest and heaving the biggest box into his noodle arms. Elsie gathered the candles and scarves and profusely thanked Old Agath before leading Falco down the street.

"So," Elsie began, licking her lips. "What'd you do to make those guards mad?"

Falco stared resolutely ahead. He had a good poker face. It would've been impressive if not for the drop of sweat rolling down his ear, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Right. There must be another Falco who's friends with a Gabi."

He turned sharply, "Gabi? How do you know her?"

"You yelled her name," His cheeks flushed and he looked forward. She knew puppy love when she saw it. "How old are you? Pretty young to be getting in trouble with the law."

"I'm not young," Falco puffed his chest and straightened his shoulders. "And the law doesn't scare me."

"Oh?"

"All the law does is drink and chase kids because they want to see who can punch the hardest," Falco continued and Elsie raised an eyebrow. "The guards are nothing but scum kicked out of Liberio, no one wants them. Not us or their own people," He caught Elsie's shocked expression and explained. "That's what Aunt Agath says."

"Ah." She released a breath of air.

He shifted his hold on the box, "I don't like the guards."

"I don't blame you. Sounds like they're trying to make you their personal punching bag." Elsie said in an attempt to keep the boy talking.

"Yeah, yeah! That's what Gabi says and she says that she's had enough," His eyes burn with ferocity. "And if she's had enough, then I've had enough, and that's not good for anyone."

"Oh no, what do you two have planned?"

"Nothing," He glanced at Elsie, nervous to be caught, nervous to tell the truth yet biting his lip to keep from spilling a juicy secret. "My birthday is coming up. I'm turning eleven in five days."

"Congratulations," Elsie said sincerely. The faded black corner of the Orphanage popped around the bend of the street. "Are you going to have a party?"

"Only my best friends. Zofia, Udo, and Gabi. They're all mad. They're still ten," He grew in size. "I'm the oldest."

Lukas and Emilia spotted Elsie walking through the gates of the yard. They raced to reach the lock, bickering over who got to let her in, and she thanked Falco when Lukas took the box far too quickly before Emilia could. She stomped her foot and crossed her arms and Elsie gave away her box of scarves, offering for Falco to play for a while, there were older boys in the back kicking a ball around she could hear.

Falco stood beneath the arch of the rusted Orpane sign falling apart. He grinned and tucked his hands into his pocket, "Sure, why not?"

"...Horrible storm...Ear me?..."

"Granfer? Granfer?" Elsie lowered the mouthpiece only to knock some sense into it against the wall. A servant hissed at her from somewhere in the dark hall and Elsie shushed back. "Hey, are you there? Can you hear me?"

"Been a shit show! Pure shit sh...Still head...Do you have brandy?"

Elsie cursed and slammed the telephone onto the table. It was shitty - at best - and despicable on the worst day. She snatched her glass, huffing, and puffing as she walked down the hall. The servant, Jeremias and who Elsie accused of planning the servant's weekend ragers, rolled his eyes at her sneer. She didn't scare him all that much at two in the morning, swaying and still drunk from dinner, and most likely looking like a banshee with her wild blonde curls permed from her braid.

"Fix that damn machine!" She screeched.

She missed Jeremias murmuring, "That's your job" under his breath. He was lucky or else she would've tossed her half-full glass at his snarky little face because nothing was going how she wanted and it was all falling apart.

Granfer and Zeke left a week early to prepare for their voyage. She knew it was Commander fucking Magath keeping Willy from telling Elsie of their plans. They used to speak every morning with Major Gross. Now the Major rarely arrived for meals and if he did he was in such a foul mood that Elsie almost slipped and called him Commander. He'd rattled her and turned the men against her at the most momentous moment. She'd be first in line to kill him but, damn, she had to admit that he knew a liar when he saw one.

He'd seen straight through Elsie. Willy bent and caved after her persistent batting eyes and dreamy smiles. Commander Magath saw her for what she truly was, and whether he knew that she wanted to return to Paradis or some other outlandish theory, she knew that she was not going to be getting any information with him in the way.

Commander Magath. Fucking cunt, she thought, that should be his name.

Elsie sent a carriage with Sif and a crate of brandy. She explicitly told Sif not to return until Granfer wrote her a detailed letter explaining their entire expedition. The servant nodded and tried not to look suspicious. She failed miserably. She had an air of being sent to her doom when she grabbed the note pad and tucked herself into the tiny carriage.

Elsie closed the backdoor and said through the open window, "It's only Odiha, Sif. You said you'd been there before."

"Never alone and never on the ports," Sif's knuckles turned white against the pad. "Why can't you come with me again?"

"Because Commander Cunt is watching my every move and Willy told me not to stay under the radar," Elsie scoffed and rolled her eyes. Sif did the same thing but for different reasons. "You'll be back by nightfall if you keep Granfer from the brandy."

"Okay, but couldn't you send a guard with me? You have five to you!" Sif attempted pitifully.

Elsie patted the side of the carriage, "Have a safe trip, Sif! And don't you dare come back without three pages!"

She thought her anxiety would drive off with Sif. She had three days before Zeke and Granfer sailed; by tomorrow she would know everything. It stayed heavy and hard on her chest. What did she have to show for? Elsie clasped her chest, finding it difficult to breathe, and kept her head down on her way to her workshop. She sat on the stool and tilted her head back, taking a deep breath.

Elsie remembered what Levi had said to her in Trost. What use are you if you can't say anything? If she finally returned to them and had nothing to show for it, what had she been spending her time on?

She stared at the updated ODM gear. The wires had been delivered weeks ago only to be shoved to the back and ignored in favor of the children. Willy didn't ask about her machine and with Commander Magath calling her a traitor, there wasn't much time to connect the wires and give it a try. Tybur's Manor felt dreadfully empty without Sif but she knew Jeremias was somewhere flirting with a servant and Gustavo the butler was polishing the silverware or something butler related.

She adjusted the sleeves of her dress before opening the crate of wires.

Freyja visited her that night. Once again Elsie stood at the frightful entrance of the Titan forest. The Armored titan snorted and steamed and growled from within the darkness. Elsie could not face him again. Every night Freyja brought Elsie to face the titan and every night the Lady Seer curled into a ball, her fingers knotted between her loose hair, and clenched her eyes so tight that she gave herself a headache when she woke up.

Elsie stuck close to the hedge. With her knees bent and her hands outstretched to catch herself, she felt like a prisoner escaping. She'd already belted herself. The flat base of the gas canister pressed into her thigh, strapped and screwed so that it bent to her movements. The switches were similar to the ODM gear spar in that the swords were not connected to the handles. It would be difficult to maneuver.

Technically she was allowed on the grounds. She made routine trips to the stables and walked the garden when she couldn't rest. Her concern laid with the device strapped to her hips. Willy might show too much interest in it.

But she couldn't go another hour without trying it. She needed to get used to this new design before she tried leaving. Elsie reached the edge of the garden and locked across the yawn, proud to see that everyone was being exceptionally lazy on this warm late January day, and slunk into the small gaggle of trees.

They lined the stables and were no further than seven meters. They weren't large but they were thick enough to hold Elsie's weight and the piercing speed of the grapple hook. She could practice as she had in the beginning.

Elsie flexed her palms before holding the handles tightly and planting her feet into the ground. She prepared herself for the familiar jerk in her waist as the gas pumped through the canister and propelled her. She did not expect the slight clutch of her right hand to propel the grapple hook into a tree far off from where she aimed.

"Shit!" Elsie cursed, glancing down and accidentally clicking the upper right switch. The wire reeled her forward, dragging her on her side to the thick end of a tree. She skipped over the roots and slammed into the bark, scratching her back the entire way down. She groaned and laid for a second.

"Shit." She repeated softly, her lips grazing cold, dead leaves. She stared at the motionless branches broken on the floor, bare and struggling in the winter air, just as she felt.

It's been two months since she's done anything. Elsie bowed her head, sniffed, and shook her head before standing. She hadn't wasted time. She'd fucking made something, damnit, and she'd discovered the truth about herself. And she refused to let them get Eren, just like she always promised herself. Nothing changed.

Elsie braved herself and with the resolution to keep things together, she clicked the switch's trigger.

Major Gross arrived for dinner. Elsie and Willy were struggling to keep conversation. Her mentor demanded an apology. Elsie refused to work with Commander Magath. They formed a formidable wall. Dinner suddenly became quite tedious with Granfer absent for their nightly meal.

She picked at her green beans when Major Gross entered unannounced. Willy smiled wide and stood to greet him far too quickly. Elsie rolled her eyes and finished her third glass of wine, feeling the same as she did every morning, and pouring another cup.

"Hello, Lady Seer," Major Gross greeted, although warmth seemed to have faded. His eyes were as cold and heartless as Commander Magath's when he sat across from her. "How have you been?"

"Bored," Elsie pouted. "All my friends have left me. You don't come for breakfast anymore. Willy and I are insulted."

"I have to agree with her, my friend." Willy said with spite.

Major Gross glanced at the spread of roast beef and vegetables before deciding on a roll, "I've been busy. The base has been full of new recruits. We had another surge in applications this year."

"Oh, joy! That's always good to hear," Willy advised Elsie because of course, she was training to one day control Liberio. She smiled in understanding. "How are the Warrior Candidates coming along?"

"You should come by one day, Willy, they'll show you," Major Gross remarked dryly. Comments of Willy's ignorant ruling were tossed blatantly. Willy ignored them with the same ease he was using to ignore Elsie. "You remember your way to Lakua right?"

"I know where it's at, thank you very much," Willy blustered. "The Lady and I will visit tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? I have plans." Elsie quickly dismissed.

"What plans? Spending time at that Orphanage again?" Willy settled into his chair, prepared to win this fight. He may be a leader but was a leader to Marley. All Elsie knew was that he cared for anyone who didn't live behind the gates. "It's quite time you stopped visiting Priestess Catharina. Haven't you completed your lessons?"

"No," Elsie said, her eyes scrunching as if he was a blurry picture she couldn't focus on. "What else am I to do? I've fixed every clock in this Manor, I've worked on my device, I can't attend the voyage with Zeke, and Granfer is gone as well! What do you expect me to do?"

"Do you not learn from watching me?" Willy asked in confusion. "I show you how to handle the Manor and which socialites you need to invite and I've introduced you to all the high-ups in our Military. Tomorrow you will visit the training grounds and see the next batch of Warriors. Tomorrow you take the next step into your future."

Her wine never tasted so good, "Right. The Ambassador that Commander Magath doesn't want me to be."

"I understand why!" Major Gross growled, interrupting with narrowed, beady eyes. "You willingly spend your time with Eldians! What tom-foolery! You are of higher social standing, it is not wise of you to spend your time with the lower class."

"Oh," Elsie said. "Oh. It's because I help the children and go to the camp," She said in an awe-struck voice. "That makes sense. Well, then, I won't go to the Orphanage tomorrow and I'll visit the Commander. Problem solved." Elsie finalized.

"Right," Willy jerked his head in approval before blinking in the realization that they were fighting. He scowled instantly and soothed himself with a sip of brandy. "That's enough of that. Where have you been stationed, Gross?"

"Fort Salta. I've been assisting Captain Rushel with artillery training. These new recruits sure got aim, lemme' say, and there's a fire burning under their asses. I don't have enough bullets to go around!"

Elsie finished her wine and food. Willy and Major Gross chatted about the exciting new prospect in blood driven soldiers.

Snick.

Levi chased her through the trees.

Snick.

If she turned he would be right behind her. She could feel his presence against her back; furious and threatening, fast and unstoppable.

Snick.

Elsie's black boots glittered in the moonlight as her feet soared over her head. She stared into the black abyss of the trees, saw no cloaked figure chasing her, and clicked the right trigger for her to be swept away.

Snick.

ODM training was going great. It'd be better if there was someone there to chase her.

Clink!

Her wires twisted. She'd been going too fast and not paying enough attention. Elsie gasped and curled into herself as she fell as heavy as a rock to the floor. Leaves puffed in surprise at her sudden free-fall. Elsie laid on the soggy floor, her breath misting above her nose, sightlessly staring at the dark sky above.

The world appeared too big and Elsie too tiny to change a thing. The stars shone and the moon gave light and the wind blew and Elsie laid still, having nothing else to offer. She couldn't give Levi the answers. All she could do was return with a fancy machine and knowledge that she really did belong in this world.

But isn't that enough? A snide, soft voice whispered in the dark recess of her brain. Elsie could turn her cheek and see the outline of Tybur's small wall. With the device on her waist, there was nothing stopping her. Elsie sat up, squeezing the mushy mud, filled with raw desperation and the clawing urge to be wrapped in Levi's arms.

She could do it now. No one would be the wiser. For all they thought Elsie had retired to bed early, drunk off her top as always, no idea that her machine was finished. Zeke wasn't here to pester her intentions. It was the perfect timing to make her great escape. Elsie stood to her full height and shook out her arms, eyeing the wall and preparing herself for the journey ahead.

The mug. She looked back at the Manor, to the third floor where an unlit window was covered with thick curtains. She couldn't leave her mug, not after all they'd been through together.

Sif. The servant should arrive in the morning with Granfer's detailed explanation of the voyage. Elsie would have more if she waited.

She stepped away from the wall. She took a great breath that didn't soothe her and turned, marching through the trees, resolute not to use her machine. She'd been risky coming out in the first place. Even the darkest hours weren't safe at Tybur Manor. The guards on constant watch made sure to catch the nosiest mouse but could never manage to catch Elsie wandering in the halls.

Tomorrow, she told herself. The small arrangement of trees came to a spattering end and Elsie slowed her walk, not wanting to enter the morgue like Manor so fast. If she could make a room in the garden she would. She would do anything to make Liberio somewhat reminiscent of Paradis.

A shudder of wood thunking accidentally caught Elsie's attention. She paused, half between the rock wall of the stables and her back to the trees, and stared at what she once assumed were empty stables. No wind brushed her cheeks when Elsie fully turned and headed bravely for the rotted shed. She turned the corner, seeing one chipped redwood and dark stables with no lurkers.

Only a blonde woman with large, dark eyes sitting on the dirt-covered floor. She blinked slowly upon Elsie blocking the moonlight and frowned in disappointment.

"You're not Zeke."

Elsie cocked her head to the side, confused, "Zeke's gone."

"He said he'd leave at the end of the week." The woman sunk further into herself, broken.

"Things changed unexpectedly," Elsie slowly entered the stables, afraid to scare the depressed woman. "I was upset about it too. I'm Elisabeth."

"I know who you are," She grouched, far below Elsie yet still holding a glowering look that warned the other to stay far away. "Zeke said not to waste my time talking to you."

"Well, that's a little harsh," Sounds about right. "I know where Zeke is, don't I? And I'm assuming that you want to speak to him." Elsie didn't want to assume anything but her eyes drifted to the woman's stomach. Was she pregnant?

The woman scrutinized Elsie's worth, "What are you doing out here?"

"I live here. You don't."

"I'm not doing something I shouldn't be," Elsie would like to argue that point but the woman found her liveliness once more. She stood, perhaps an even match to Priestess Catharina's intimidating height, and stared down at Elsie. "But I'll bite. Where's Zeke?"

"I don't know his exact location," Elsie said slowly and the woman rolled her eyes in exasperation. "But if you come back for lunch I'll have his entire itinerary. We can chit-chat about perhaps meeting Zeke."

"Meeting Zeke? What makes you think that I want to join him?" But she was interested and Elsie had her hooked.

"My servant is very punctual so don't you dare arrive later than noon," Elsie clarified with a smile. She turned before catching herself on the rickety pillar. "Oh, and what's your name so I can tell the gate guards to expect you. You do know how to properly come in, don't you?"

The woman steamed, "Yelena."

Warm water rose between her toes. The tickling feeling made Elsie open her eyes. For a moment she thought she was still in her bed in Tybur Manor, dreaming of opening Sif's letter and learning more about curious Yelena.

She opened her eyes and she was not in her bed. The brilliant blue light coming from a crooked tree made it impossible for Elsie to believe she was anywhere near Tybur Manor. She felt the cold wind brush up her nightgown. Her toes sunk further into the muddy underground of the pond surrounding the magnificent tree.

It called to her. Something burned in her hand. She looked down and the blue vial, the very one she slept with beneath her pillow, heated and seared until it suddenly didn't.

A pale hand shot from behind Elsie to clasp her fingers around the vial. She gasped, losing her vision to be surrounded by darkness. She knew it was Freyja who grabbed her hand. It was Freyja who dug her sharp, blunt nails into Elsie's knuckles until they cracked with how tight she held the vial.

The Armored titan roaring in Elsie's ears distracted her from the fear of Freyja. He sounded so close that she braced herself for the whoosh of his breath. Nothing came. His terrifying roar filled Elsie through her bones and in her chest, rattling her ribcage and settling deep within her lungs.

"Fuck!"

Elsie's head hit the edge of the nightstand on her way to the floor. In her frightful sleep, she'd rolled off the bed. For the second time that night, Elsie found herself laying broken and despaired on the floor.

She exhaled into the cold stone floor, her fingers crooked on the floor, "I'm fucking over this."

Dear Lady Elisabeth,

You have my devotion 'till the end of time. Thank you for the brandy. The men have planned to sweep you into their arms upon first meeting so take this as your only warning.

I understand you are frustrated in being left out of the planning. Commander Magath made it clear that you were too close with the people of Paradis and could potentially sabotage us. You really could've made a better impression, ya' know? But I've always been a rule-breaker and your maid refuses to hand over the brandy until I write a three-page response. Have you lost your head, my Lady?

We depart at daybreak on Sunday. Meaning a day after you get this letter. I believe you have only good intentions and from what we've both learned over these months, I have faith that you will use this information for the best possible outcome. Zeke packed a device that changes Eldians into those human-eating monsters. He plans to release it within the Walls so that there is no time for the military to assemble.

As for my original plans to introduce Liberio to Hizuru, Commander Magath thought that it would be a better show of devotion if the Lady Seer appeared and discussed things in Lord Tybur's steed. Take heed. He does not expect the Lady to return alive. Hizuru is accessed through rough ports and angry civilians who will attack a Marleyan upon sight. They are just as welcoming as Marley, I should say.

I shall join Zeke. It is my duty to return the body if he dies. Commander Magath listened to your words about losing titans. He refused to let Pieck join. I do hope Zeke doesn't put me in that situation. I would hate having to drag his body over my back.

With the sincerest best of luck,

Your friend,

Captain Orion Granfer

Elsie had time before Yalena arrived. She left Sif to sleep in the servant's quarters and told the driver she wished to pray with Priestess Catharina. She'd promised Major Gross not two days ago that she would stop visiting the Eldians and, as much as it tore her heart to not see Gunter and Emilia, she stayed true to her word.

The Internment Camp was the easiest way out of the city. The back of the camp was sparsely covered by drunk guards. Her ODM gear slid smoothly and discrete beneath her cloak. She wore her thinnest dress with sleep slacks underneath and a camisole. She was prepared.

The driver dropped her off. Elsie waved and told him to wait an hour or so. He knew the drill and leaned back in the front seat, pulling his black short-brimmed hat over his eyes to take a nap. He must've finished the book he usually read.

"Good morning, Elisabeth!" Mark waved at her from within the booth. He pushed the button to unravel the gate.

"Going to see the kids? I heard Falco got into another fight with Ronald." Henri called from the other side when Elsie crossed.

She ignored the tug in her heart and said, "Yeah, I'm going to check on him. Thanks, boys. See you in a bit."

The men waved and the gate clunked shut. Elsie innocently walked the street. Old Agath said she had a box of socks and Elsie said she couldn't hold it tonight. Mister Carl tried to bring her in for another batch of spoons and as much as she knew the children needed it she said they were fine. Maybe next week? She passed the merchants, passed Priestess Catharina's smoking chimney, and through the moss-covered path leading to a dirt road. She walked in lonesome silence, listening for a mischievous laugh and roaring men. Nothing stirred strangely in the early morning light.

Eventually, the road ended and Elsie faced the fifteen-meter wall holding in the Eldians of Marley. She looked left- tan, bricked houses minding their business. She looked right- a sandy street with litter shuffling in the slight wind. She grabbed the handles from her pocket and clicked the switch, having no problem with flying straight up.

She silently landed on the small width of space above the wall. She looked over her shoulder, crouched and her blonde crowned braid touching the leaves of a tree, and still no one walked the streets. She fell to the other side, taking off into the wilderness of Marley.