Hange passed Levi with ease. She struck quick, stabbing Zeke in the neck with a shiny needle procured from out of nowhere. He laughed at her attempt and tossed the needle across the dining table, standing to his full height. Hange slowly took a step away, her glasses hiding her eyes.
"You are so simple-minded to think that...that would do anything..." Zeke shook his head. He struggled to breathe, puffing his cheeks and blinking bug eyes at the staring Paradis devils. They watched him stumble and lose his balance, falling on his ass. He tried to grab the chair arm to stand but it fell and took him with it.
"I figured it would be smart to prepare for worst-case," Hange said sadly.
When he didn't move, Elsie said, "We need to go to Lakua. I'm positive they'll send Eren there," She strolled past Levi and Hange, glancing briefly at Zeke. "Hopefully. I should stop at the festival before though," She noticed the goblet at the center of the table but did not touch it. She pushed the kitchen door open and inspected Daisy and Gustavo. They had found the other servants and decided to have a meeting about the dire news Elsie delivered. "Come out, I need your help."
Hibolt crouched at Zeke's side, checking his pulse and tying his wrists with rope from his pocket. Hange watched, disappointed in Zeke's obvious plan to betray them.
"He called you Lady Seer," Levi said, watching seven servants line themselves along the wall. They too ignored Zeke's body. "Care to explain what is going on?"
Elsie faced the squad. She missed them dearly and smiled at seeing half of them before her. Jean, trying to grow a beard too soon. Connie cocking his hip in annoyance at the drawn-out reunion. Erwin with both arms intact and healthily thick. Hange hovered over Levi's shoulder, lines of stress indented in her cheeks.
Levi, at the front, dagger still clasped tightly and attempting to read Elsie's eyes. She wanted to kick everyone out and smash her lips against his. But there were matters to attend before she could get her hands on him.
"I discovered Zeke at Shiganshina and he brought me here," Elsie eyed the servants and compared their sizes to the Regiment. "Then the Ambassador told me I have a long line of family in this world and that an ancestor discovered a way to my homeworld, Andere," She paused to take in Hange's bulging eyes behind her glasses and Levi's gobsmacked expression. "It's a lot, take your time. Either way, I need you to undress."
"What the hell are you on?" Connie spluttered, pointing ludicrously at her. "Are we really going to believe this? We've followed along with everything she's said and when we get here she's in control of a castle! How do we know you aren't from Marley in the first place?"
"I'm not in control of it, Willy is," Elsie said with aggravation. Her fingers twitched against her thigh and she crossed her arms. She remembered the blood hiding beneath her gloves and clasped them behind her back instead. "And showing up with soldiers won't make sense. I'll have you pretend to be the staff in case we run into anyone."
"What's happening to Eren?" Erwin brought them back to the main point.
Elsie threw her hands up, "Who was watching him? He blew up the middle of Liberio by transforming! Now he's in a deathmatch with some insane titan that I'm still trying to wrap my head around."
Levi scoffed, "Who the fuck is Willy?" Dagger still in hand.
"There's another titan? We need to get to Eren but our gear is with the others," Erwin began to pace. Elsie found it difficult to adjust to seeing the Scouts in her dining room. How long have they been in Marley?
"Where?" Elsie demanded.
Hange said, "The ports."
"Which ports? Odiha? Here?" She quizzed, impatient, the goblet starting to appear refreshing for her parched throat.
"You know a lot about the area," Erwin stepped between Elsie and her view of Levi. Knowing it irked her. She sighed and rested a tired hand on the back of the chair, giving the Commander all of her attention. There wasn't time for this but she feigned interest. "What exactly is the Lady Seer?"
"I've been here for months of course I know the area," She replied dryly. "And the Lady Seer is the same thing I was for you. I know the future. They just worship the idea of it over here. Can you take your fucking clothes off now? We don't have much time."
"What if Eren is perfectly safe with Mikasa?" Connie suggested, looking between his commanding officers. Baffled that they didn't object with him. "This could be a trap. You and Zeke knew each other. Did you know he came to our island?"
"Of course I did. I tried to get on the ship with him but- damnit, we'll talk in the car. All of you take your clothes off!" She snapped her fingers, turning to meet her audience in the eye.
Without hesitation they bustled into activity. As they bent and pulled their clothes free - Elsie side eyeing Levi when he swapped his tan shirt for a white button-up - she made her way to her room. The fireplace formed a warm, orange hue around her sitting chair and side table, dark coffee mug from Levi's castle waiting for her to grab it. She rounded the table and opened the wardrobe, grabbing her mother's jewelry box. It was too big to bring on the trip, this would be her last time seeing it. Not wanting to waste time, she hurriedly grabbed the contents and rushed to grab her satchel.
Elsie almost forgot to grab the blue vial beneath her pillow. Her heart raced with unbridled energy. I'm leaving Marley! She snatched the tingling liquid and tucked it safely between letters and fabrics, buttoning the top of her bag as she took the stairs by two back to the dining room.
The tension lifted from her shoulders when she entered the dining room and everyone successfully managed to swap outfits. Her servants now wore Marlian uniforms. Levi fixed the tight collar and Erwin pulled the black pants in a failed attempt to cover his ankles. Hange proudly fixed her ponytail, checking herself in the mirror above the fireplace.
"We'll stop by the festival so Connie can see that I'm telling the truth," Elsie said, spitefully meeting the bald kid's eyes. She stayed in the doorway and gestured for them to follow. "Someone there will know what happened to Eren. Let's go."
"How will we get there? No one knows how to control these driving machines!" Hibolt fearfully looked up at Hange. "You are absolutely not allowed near the controls."
"I just want to try, my dear friend. Why would you hold me back from a phenomenal adventure?"
"Obviously I'm driving. These machines are from my time or at least a very old version of what I used to drive," Elsie began to roll her hands, encouraging the six out of the room. Levi waited to be last. "It'll be a tight fit but we'll figure it out."
"What about Zeke?" Hange and Erwin stayed over his unconscious form. Cheek hard-pressed into the rug, glasses askew. Still. Defenseless.
Elsie cared little about Zeke. Killing him now solved a lot of problems. She considered the idea and stepped forward, opening her mouth to do so. Instead Levi spoke and stole her authority.
"Tie him up and slit his ankles. He's not leaving our side."
Gustavo pulled the car around and Elsie internally stewed over not having a trunk. She crossed her arms before looking at the butler and said, "You're driving the other one."
"Yes, my Lady." He bowed and pivoted to retrieve a second car, disappearing around the white exterior of Tybur Manor. The grand doors creaked open from behind, allowing inside light to fill the staired patio.
Levi brushed past her to inspect the car, "I see you lost your manners."
She watched him descend the stairs. Crisply shaved hairline, slender neck bent to watch his steps, black blazer flapping loosely beneath his arms. Losing the Marlian attire, he now resembled Levi from the Mahill Ball. He ran his hand over the metal before sliding his fingers into the door handle to unlatch it.
Is this real? Or is this Freyja playing a cruel joke on her?
"Oh, Levi," Elsie breathed, instantly dropping her stance and joining him on the graveled driveway. She stood behind his back as he peered into the front seat, distrustfully eying the steering wheel before opening the glove compartment. "I'm sorry. It's been a long day and I know that's no excuse."
He turned and she lost her breath. His grey eyes were clear this close, irises a brilliant mixture of odd colors that shouldn't exist. Levi intimidated her and she shrunk in size.
He considered what to say before asking, "Are you okay?"
"Here we come!" Hange hollered from behind, heaving hog-tied Zeke between Hibolt. He lacked his captain's enthusiasm. "Just in case you two are locking lips! I heard about what happened on patrol!"
"I'm fine," Elsie reached to scratch the inside of his wrist. Electricity shot through her at the faintest touch. "Are you okay?" She ignored the grunts of the approaching soldiers.
Hange hit her head on the roof and Hibolt told her there was a ten percent chance she could be concussed. Jean and Connie loudly made their way out of the Manor and fixed the jackets of their outfits, properly fashioned like Marlian butlers. Weapons glinted at their waistline from the patio lights before they descended the marbled stairs. Gustavo patiently waited in the driver's seat of the second car, leaning forward to peer inquisitively at them. They met his stare with unfriendly expressions.
"Fine," Levi tugged her into his arms, inhaling deeply when her messy ponytail grazed his nose. "I'm fine."
She tucked her face into the crevice of his neck. She took time to run her fingers over the expanse of his shoulder blades before resting her hands at his slim waist. The hardest thing to do was step away from him. Why couldn't they have time alone? She thought it outrageously rude of the others to join. Levi briefly rested his chin against her head before he helped her step back, parting with meaningful gazes. Did he feel the same? The unjust rage at having to hold back with her words and touch?
Erwin walked out last. Appraising the ragtag team before him, he squared his shoulders and strode confidently down the stairs. The soldiers met at the last step, meeting each other in the eye with bated silence.
"Our original mission will be put on hold. Obtaining Eren Jeager is our goal," Original mission? Why were they in Marley? Elsie refused to look at Levi for answers, keeping her gaze on Erwin's furrowed, bushy eyebrows. "Whether he truly attacked Marley or is safe at the ship is the current objective. Elsie, how will we get to the festival?"
"We split between these two cars-" Elsie pointed obviously and Hange blew her cheeks out with wide eyes.
"Cars."
"I will drive one while Gustavo follows. Eren transformed in the middle of a Unity Festival so there were children and soldiers involved, it got crazy. A titan larger than Eren appeared with a spear-" The Scouts nervously looked among each other. Levi burned a hole with his stare. "The streets will be demolished so at one point we'll have to go on foot. I doubt Eren managed to defeat the titan, especially if Pieck showed up."
"Pieck? Is that a bird?" Jean asked with complete seriousness.
Elsie sighed, "She's the Cart titan. The one who brought me here."
"The what?" Erwin and Levi asked. Although Levi had a far more expletive way to ask his question.
"There's a second fucking titan?"
"You didn't see her? The titan that runs on all fours and has a cart of weaponry on her back?" Elsie asked ludicrously. Her eyebrows rose when they shook their heads. "Where were you at Shiganshina?"
"Fighting the dozens of titans that dived for Eren," Erwin explained. He was appalled at her not knowing his part of the story. "Ymir revealed herself as a Jaw titan."
"She did?"
"Oh, and Annie is training Eren. Or was, we left her back home." Connie half-heartedly explained, shrugging lamely as he trailed off. He pretended to lack interest in her response but he kept his eye on Elsie, grinning when she turned at his sentence.
Elsie clapped her hands, "Everyone split into a car, we can talk later." Her mind raced, focused on her feet as she walked to the front of the second car. All the visions she had...Ymir attacking Eren had been her saving him... Annie really trained Eren... She rubbed her eyebrow until the Scouts were ready to part.
Erwin climbed into the backseat with Zeke, happily placing his boots on Zeke's back. Hange joined while Hibolt slid into the passenger seat with Gustavo. Elsie and Levi took the front of their car. She didn't meet his eyes before buckling and looking over her crew.
Levi buckled the belt and leaned back, clutching his side door. He clenched his teeth and his knuckles turned white but otherwise managed to keep a blase expression. Erwin held the handle above his window and planted his feet on the back of Zeke's head, saying it helped to keep track of his consciousness. Hange eagerly bounced, rocking the car, and wrapping her fingers around the back of Elsie's headrest.
She felt their eyes on her back when she slid the keys in and started the ignition. Hange squealed in delight, "This is exciting!"
Elsie shook her head and pressed her foot on the gas, "Just wait until you see the blimps."
Nearing midnight the streets were empty. Elsie led the way through the paved streets until she reached a blocked intersection. She parked the car by the sidewalk, turning it off and leaning back in the seat. She nervously eyed the barricade as Gustavo parked behind her. The soldiers moved rapidly to close off the disaster site, streets emptied with dread.
"Stay in the car," She said, facing Levi first before looking into the backseat. "I can't risk them discovering who you are."
"Very well." Erwin agreed. He'd been the quietest she ever remembered. The shadows of the car hid his expression from Elsie's peering eyes.
Hange gave a thumbs up in approval before bending to poke at Zeke. She fiddled with her front pocket before pulling out another needle. She held it in the faint moonlight through the car window, "We have at least sixty minutes until our friend here wakes up. Be quick."
"I'm coming," Levi stated. He opened the door and stepped out, slamming it before she could get a word in. Did he not hear what she said?
Elsie rocked Hange and Erwin when she closed her door and rounded the hood, "Please, don't make me any more nervous. We are so close to going back home-"
"And that's when people get clumsy. That's when you think you can take everything on by yourself," Levi confidently began walking towards the barricade. A slight draft shifted the yellow tape that had been hastily strewn across hazard signs. "Let's find this fucking brat."
Elsie chased him, "They treat me differently here. You have to be quiet, servants don't speak." If they weren't surrounded by the smell of burning skin she would drag him into an alley and defile his lips.
"I'll try my best." His tone implied that no, he would not try at all.
Crumbled brick began to make their pathway dangerous. Buildings that had once rained over Elsie now laid still and half torn, no more than the height of Erwin. Glass glistened beneath the moon. Small fires burned amongst torn tents and trampled clothes. Bodies and blood filled crevices that the buildings hadn't managed to fit in.
"This way," Elsie veered left. "It was over here."
"Elsie," He grabbed her elbow, halting her. She turned in surprise, far too focused on the thought of being on a boat within an hour. Had this been the first time she'd heard her nickname out loud? "Give me a quick report of what the fuck you've been doing."
"Nothing," She said. Elsie placed her hand over his, grinning at him through her lashes. "They made me pray and take tests to see if I had gifts besides visions and I stayed in that Manor a lot. Then there was a plan to send me to another nation but I was going to take over the ship and sail to you."
"Take a ship? Fuck, Elsie," Levi didn't look twice at the decimated limbs at their feet. They were on the outskirts of Catharina and Eren's fight. "Quick." Voices drifted in streets ahead.
"There was a festival but then Eren transformed and another titan, Catharina, she transformed," He began to encourage her further down the street. Their steps echoed with her voice. "I don't know what happened, they were throwing each other around and buildings were falling. I lost my servant, though..." And that's all.
"Zeke mentioned her earlier. Who is she?"
Elsie suddenly didn't want to tell Levi, her tongue thick in her mouth with loyalty. Catharina only wanted to protect Marley and Eren was a threat. She didn't know their story, or why it happened, but only that children she cared for were beneath Eren's path. Tybur or not, she cared deeply for the Eldian's. The festival had been overfilling with Eldians. Elsie would've done the same for Paradis.
He looked at her, dark eyes tearing the truth out, and she said, "A Priestess of the church."
She wasn't surprised when he chuckled to himself without humor and muttered something about churches constantly being a problem. Elsie sensed more drama with Minister Nick and the church in Paradis but three Marlian soldiers standing aside kept her from continuing the conversation. She fell silent and Levi's lips turned down, eyebrows furrowing as he analyzed the men.
Elsie gasped loudly and covered her mouth, making a grand show of being revolted by the death. She clasped Levi's forearm and forced him to lead her closer to the worried guards. His disgusted face - one from Elsie wiping fake tears and hysterically fanning her face - encouraged the befuddled soldiers to meet her halfway.
They stopped at a crumble of bricks and Elsie woefully said, "I came to meet Lord Tybur for the celebration and everyone's dead! Have you seen the Lord? I haven't seen him since-" She choked.
A younger man whispered to the assumed leader. His hand flinched at the words and he met Elsie's hazel gaze with a far more interested gaze. He licked his lips nervously and bowed, the third following without understanding.
The one in charge hurriedly said, "Lady Seer, my apology for not recognizing you right away. The Attack Titan appeared and demolished the celebration. As for survivors... Barely anyone has gotten a list together."
"Where's Commander Maggath? Pieck?" She demanded, less hysterical and more contained. If surprised by her flip of emotions the soldier did not deter.
"Pieck is helping with removing large parts of buildings," The soldier gestured over his shoulder. She remembered tents for food and fabrics on fishwire. Demolished. "Commander Maggath took a caravan to Lakua."
Hange took the time in the car to gather her thoughts. Once Elsie did a U-turn and Gustavo dutifully followed them out of the empty streets of Liberio, Hange leaned between the front seats. No longer content with keeping her thoughts in her crazy head.
"You really are from this world in the end, eh?" Hange asked. She rested her chin in the cup of her palm. Erwin peered curiously over the fray of her ponytail. "What did you say about ancestors?"
Elsie swallowed thickly. It really is all real. She shifted in the seat before answering, "According to Willy Tybur, the Lord who summoned me, a man had visions before titans existed. He created the technology that makes Marley so advanced. A bad vision made him create a machine to travel to a different dimension, a theory that my world is barely working on," Levi clenched his jaw and met her gaze, grey eyes murky with emotion she couldn't decipher. "They call people like him Seers and there's a way to summon us from the other world, Andere."
"They messed up summoning you so you ended up in the Walls," Hange filled with eagerness. She hungrily listened to Elsie's soft voice.
"Yes, that is something no one can explain. I have a theory but it's silly," Elsie smiled to herself, this time not checking Levi. "When Zeke found me I had to take tests to see where my Seer abilities excelled. Obviously, visions were a no-brainer. Even in Paradis I struggled with them," Lie, don't speak of it, the voice in her head whispered. "Why are you here?"
"We contained Shiganshina," Erwin retaled with a fiery passion. He thumped his fist against his knee. "Eren managed to destroy the titans at the gate with the help of Ymir-"
"Who fucking waited until the last second," Levi huffed.
"-and we camped there while searching the area. Hange conducted experiments on the ocean and Annie Leonhart had been released under close surveillance to train Eren. Annie is the one who spotted a ship arriving and allowed Scouts to prepare."
"There was a moment we didn't know if she was going to betray us but for once Eren used his mouth for good," Hange regaled with wide eyes. Elsie tried to fill in the parts but they were soldiers, a quick summary was all they knew to give.
"Yes, and we were able to track down Zeke Jeager. He was impossible to speak with until the Captain of his ship made contact with-"
"-Fucking glutton-"
"Yes, Levi, Sasha Brauss. He encouraged contact between us and often visited Shiganshina. One night he brought Zeke." Erwin frowned. He held more patience than Elsie over being interrupted for so long.
"A very fascinating conversation about titans, I must say," Hange continued his story. "As much as this bastard likes to play games," She stomped on his bent legs. "I must say that he was only the one who could hold me in titan conversation. He is well educated in it all."
"He said that Eren's gift came from another island and they were trying to make contact. Past history made Zeke's nation nervous to make contact. He said that if Eren came to his homeland he could see the other life and understand - it was obviously a set up for a larger trap." Erwin finalized.
Levi finished, "Knowing we were betrayed from the beginning we still came." She sure he sounded far more disappointed over this before reuniting with Elsie. He didn't care they were trapped on Marley. He watched her drive, sitting comfortably with his legs spread.
"Worth it for this!" Hange cheered, shaking the back of Elsie's seat. She cried out in anger and the scientist apologized profusely. "Who else can say they traveled the world? I have to admit that I hoped Zeke wouldn't betray us but there's always the chance so I crafted this nifty concoction," Hange grinned and fiddled with something in her lap. "Always good to have a backup."
"How were you going to get home?" Elsie asked.
Lakua's training camp came into view, a dark, towering outline in the night. The car's headlights barely filled the tree-filled path. She squinted to see, scooting forward to have a better advantage. Levi snickered under his breath. A headache grew and she considered stealing a bottle of wine from the barracks.
"Captain Granfer offered to see us back," Erwin said. "Do you know of him?"
Elsie darkly said, "A little." Fucking Granfer living the fucking life she wanted. Oh, if only she could kill Commander Maggath for keeping her from that voyage.
"He has a soft spot for Sasha," Hange sang with a light heart. How could she fill the car with so much positivity when Elsie felt she was driving them to their doom?
"Nose of a fucking dog." Levi snarked, shaking his head.
Elsie muttered, "We're here."
She parked the car meters away from the castle doors. Hunched in the car, the Scouts stared confidently at the expansive brick building. All Elsie could hear was twenty thousand soldiers. She glanced at them before staring at the still wooden door. It'd be the most foolish thing to bring them with her. She never planned to let them out of the car.
"How will you know where Eren's at?" Hange asked in the silence.
Elsie considered, "Commander Maggath. He's a good friend of mine."
Thank you for all the reviews and favorites! Sorry for the short chapters but I figure a small post is better than no post! Eeek, can't wait for a proper Levi and Elsie reunion!