CHAPTER TWO
Due to London's slow-moving traffic, they reached the south coast of England two and a half hours later. The area was quite isolated, and it had been a while since he came across oder passed an inhabited houses. As the black Mercedes drove over another green hill, Levi already saw a mansion ahead of the sloping terrain that ended in a wall of cliffs. The car windows were up, but Levi could still hear the sounds of raging waves breaking against the rocks.
Must be boring as fuck out here, he thought.
The estate was surrounded by a twenty-foot-high retaining and heavily equipped safety corridor, but what else do you expect from a guy dealing weapons? Of course he was careful. Even though Levi hadn't heard anything illegal about him (well, except for selling his products not only to his homeland but other interested parties as well), it was perfectly natural for someone in his position to make sure he wouldn't get murdered in his sleep.
Since Erwin was already expected and, as it seemed, well-known by the security guards, they were simply winked through. They drove around a white marble fountain in front of the mansion's entrance that had yet to be filled and jump-started for the warmer months before their driver halted the limousine and hurried out to open the doors for Levi and the blonde. What was stupid, so Levi stepped out by himself, eyeing the building.
It was a simple two-story box with porches on the first, balconies on the second floor and a hip roof with dormers, but its proportions' elegance and the sheer size of the damn thing were what put it pretty solidly in mansion territory. And to top off the grande dame routine, all the windows were framed on the inside by jewel-toned drapers, and through the windows, Levi could see a chandelier hanging from the high ceiling.
The front door was big enough to belong on a cathedral, and standing in it's frame was an elderly, friendly-looking woman. She greeted them politely, and without another word she lead them through the entrance hall, up the laterally placed stairway, and towards one of the rooms at the left end of a hallway. In Levi's opinion, the bright decor of the house didn't quite fit for an internationally known weapons lord, but who was he to complain? He didn't care about stuff like that. What he was actually interested in was the fact that the house was exceptional clean. The carpets were flawless, and not one single mote was to be found, not even on the large chandelier hanging in the entrance hall. The elderly woman, who must have been some kind of housekeeper or maid judging by her uniform, stopped at the hallway's last door and knocked with care.
"Mr. Yeager, sir, your guests have arrived. May I lead them in?"
"But of course, Maria," a voice called from the other side of the door. She opened it and bowed to mention for Erwin and Levi to enter.
"Shall I brew some tea, Mr. Yeager?" she asked.
"That'd be wonderful, Maria," he answered her. She excused herself and closed the door behind her.
"Erwin, thank you so much for coming here today. I know your time is very limited, so I am glad to see you again. The reason could've been a more joyful one but so be it. I knew you would understand that this matter doesn't permit any put-off."
Levi eyed his client. Grisha Yeager was a tall, slender man with straight black hair neatly parted down the middle, a thin beard and moustache and ashen eyes. He was wearing a grey suit with a black vest and a white shirt underneath it, a plain bolo tie and round glasses on his straight nose. He looked more like a professor than a scientist and even less like a weapons lord, to be honest. But judging people by their appearances was a mistake you only commit once if you're smart and still alive. Levi had taught this lesson to a lot of people.
"The pleasure's mine, Grisha. I do understand your concerns, so I immediately gathered my partner and left London to visit you. If I may introduce, this is Levi." Erwin gestured his head in Levi's direction. Grisha moved around the desk he was standing behind, and walked towards Levi, his hand stretched out.
"A pleasure to meet you, Levi-," Grisha paused as he noticed that Erwin hadn't mention Levi's surname.
Levi took Grisha's hand. "Levi's fine."
He hated this whole introduction shit, but since he didn't want to lower Erwin's reputation he played along. As Erwin and Grisha kept talking, Grisha led the three of them to a sitting area next to a large window, and gestured for them to sit down. Levi picked up some information Grisha dropped while speaking with Erwin he considered as useful for the next few days. Such as that the girl hardly ever went out and spend most of her free time working out. Which was positive, in Levi's opinion. At least the brat had some discipline. And he would be given a room for himself on the same corridor as the kids.
They were interrupted by a barely audible knock and Maria entered the room, balancing a tray with a tea set made of delicate porcelain on her left hand. She approached them, placing the teacups in front of everyone, and poured hot tea into them. Levi grabbed one cup and was amazed when he took a sip of his tea, although his face stayed as stoic as ever. He tasted jasmine aroma of the finest quality, and it was brewed perfectly. The fewest of the people he met were able to make tea to his liking. But this woman, or whoever was responsible in the kitchen, had made it to his list.
"Thank you, Maria. May I ask you to get the children up here, so I can introduce them?"
Maria bowed again. "Of course, Sir. I'll be right back," she said and quitted her service with a warm smile.
Levis attention was drawned back to the two men, who were exchanging their lastest research outcomes, and took another sip. Levi switched back to the conversation between the other two men, who had changed the subject to Grisha's latest researching outcomes and took another sip. At least he won't die of dead taste buds.
A few minutes later, Maria was back, three young adults at her heels. Grisha and Erwin stood up and so did Levi.
Standing next to the door, he saw a short boy with a somewhat muscular build. He had a round feminine face, blond hair that was cut in the style of a bob, large, expressive blue eyes, brown eyebrows and a somewhat upturned nose. He wore a long-sleeved single-buttoned collared shirt, a pair of jeans, and long brown boots that reached up almost to his knees. Levi noticed the book he held behind his back and read its title. It was about the military strategies of Admiral Lord Nelson, who was known to be one of the greatest strategists in history. Levi was kind of impressed. Not necessarily a subject that boys of his age are interested in.
Beside him was the reason for Levi's own attendance. With her pale skin and calm, grey eyes, she seemed of Asian heritage. The teenage girl was tall, very muscular with chin-length black hair and wore an expression of a soldier. She also had a small scar below her right eye. Levi didn't get the impression that she would necessarily need a guard, the less so someone of his vocation. She was wearing a simple white shirt, black pants and black knee-high leather boots. One part although was off. Around her neck and almost covering half of her face, was a thick red scarf. Even though they were inside of their fucking house.
But the last kid in the row caught his attention most. Right next to the girl stood a young man of average height and build, with a fairly long, yet rounded face. His hair was grown out a bit and brown, his bangs falling into a middle-parted curtain-type style. His complexion also seemed somewhat tan in contrast to the other two kids. He wasn't overall broad but nonetheless physically fit and muscular as Levi could tell, although his baggy clothing didn't give away much. He could perceive it by his posture.
The boy was wearing a pair of brown trousers, a green shirt with string tassels at its collar and simple sneakers, all of them worn out. Levi caught the scent of shampoo coming from his damp hair and it mixed with his natural odour. He smelled good. Fresh. But none of this was what really took his interest.
It was his eyes.
Those sizable, expressive green eyes. Never in his life had he seen such clear and rich green, and he never would have expected to see something similar in a young boy's face of all things. They seemed so... deep.
Grisha pulled Levi out of his thoughts.
"Ah, there you are, children! Come here, I want to introduce you to the man who'll keep you company from now on."
Levi's eye twitched, but it had gone unnoticed by any other in the room. He didn't remember agreeing to this job yet.
"Erwin, Levi. This lovely girl in the middle is Mikasa, to her right side is my son Eren. To her left, this is Armin, a good friend, who will stay here for the next three months due to his semester vacation."
Levi already knew what was coming next since it was frankly written on the girl's face.
"No," she said and walked out of the room.
Eren didn't want to go up to his father's study, he rather wanted to stay by himself and keep working on his guitar accords. He had played them a hundred times already but still hadn't found another composition that would fit.
He heard Maria coming down the hallway and knocking on his door. "Sir Eren, I'm sorry to interrupt but your father wants to see you in his office. His guests arrived and he wants you to get to know them since one of them will stay for a while."
Can't argue with that, can you?
"Yes Maria, just a sec. Let me put on some clothes." He laid down his guitar and grabbed one of the shirt that were laying around the room. Since he took a shower hours ago and came in here to practise right after, he was still only clad in a towel around his hips. He opened the door to his bedroom and rummaged through the closet for a pair of trousers. When he found a brown one that matched his shirt, he pulled them out and over his legs. His hair was still damp but that shouldn't be a problem. He slipped his sneakers on and walked out on the hallway to find Maria still standing in front of his studio. "I'm here, Maria. Let's grab Mikasa and Armin and get this over with." He gave her a warm smile when she turned to him.
"Of course, Sir Eren," she paused and looked worried, "Sir Eren, how many times do I have to tell you to blow dry your hair when you get out of the shower? It's February, and a pretty cold one, too. You'll catch a cold if you aren't careful." Eren walked up to her and put his hands on both sides of her shoulders.
"Stop worrying, Maria. I'm nineteen years old. I can look after myself, y'know?" Maria sighed and shook her head lightly.
"Nineteen years and still not listening."
Eren grinned and walked past her to go up to Armin's and Mikasa's rooms. His friend, as most of the time, had his nose buried in some book, and his sister was busy with practising her latest knife handling moves. Mikasa had always had an addiction to knives and almost every other weapon. Only a few months ago she finally convinced their father to let her take lessons on how to use them properly. They were supposed to be for self-defence but whenever she was spinning and jumping around with her favourite knife, to Eren it looked more like a choreography. But she was obviously good, which made this whole appointment they had to take part in now even less comprehensible. Mikasa had become one of the strongest persons he had ever known, and with ease she could compare her strength to any man he had met so far. And now she had even been taught in handling weapons, but their father still wanted some random guy to become her bodyguard. All because he received a stupid threatening letters. Whoever the guy was, he should better not try. Eren was certain that Mikasa could rip him apart in mere seconds. On the other hand, Eren wasn't blind to his father's doing. He knew that he led one of the biggest weapons companies, and not even Mikasa could repel a freaking bullet if that fucker was serious. But then again, Eren failed to see, what a bodyguard could do about it.
"Let's see who's this almighty guard," Eren said as the four of them marched towards his father's office. Maria knocked on the door before she opened it. His father sat across from a tall grown man with blond hair, and to his left was sitting another guest who Eren couldn't see yet since the blond guy pretty much blocked his sight completely. But when his father stood up, followed by the other two, Eren got a clear view. The third man must have been in his late twenties, maybe early thirties and had short, straight black hair styled in an undercut, as well as narrow and intimidating looking grey eyes with dark circles under them. He yet had a deceptively youthful face. He was quite short, but his physique was definitely well-developed. He wore a tight-fitting black suit with a light grey button-up shirt underneath along with a white ascot and dress shoes and a frown on his face. Something about him made Eren assume, that this likely was his usual expression. This plus his extremely calm demeanour left wide open what he was thinking at the moment.
I've never met someone before with such a deadly aura. He certainly seems like one of those people who slits your throat open before taking a slow sip of their tea.
He noticed the cups on the table of his father's sitting area.
What did I say?
Grisha introduced them but left open, which one was Levi and who was Mr. Smith. Well, since the name Smith fit perfectly for the blond guy, he assumed the other one would be Levi.
Or did he say Rivaille? Ah, doesn't matter.
Because, Eren knew what was coming next.
Right next to him he felt his sister's simple and concise "no" even before she spoke it out loud and then left the room, leaving behind their rather dumbfounded father.
"Please excuse me for a minute," Grisha said shortly and followed his daughter. The four men kept standing in their spaces until Eren heard a light snickering coming from the huge blonde.
"Well, would you like to keep us company as long as Mr. Yeager discusses this matter with his daughter?"
At least he seems to be nice. "Sure," Eren said.
He sat down on the chair next to him, across from the shorter man. Armin followed silently but didn't had the guts to look at either one of the unfamiliar men. He saw the tall man taking a glimpse of the book Armin was hiding and addressed him: "I'm impressed, young man. To understand the contents of his strategies, you must be pretty sharp-minded. Are you into strategy games?"
Armin looked up at him and stammered: "Yeh-yes, they're my favourites. But I must admit that Admiral Nelson's manoeuvres were quite simple-minded in my opinion."
The blonde gave him a heartful laughter. "Sure, that's easy to say once you know them. But the trick is to figure out how your enemy's thinking without some book telling you all you have to know." He glanced over to the chess game lying on the windowsill. "Wanna play?" He had already gotten up to get it.
"Oh- yeah, sure. Why not?"
Eren saw Armin's tensed shoulders slowly relaxing. Mr. Smith was indeed kind. The sort of man that made everyone in his surroundings feel comfortable. So, while he and Armin started to play chess, Eren was left with nothing better to do than inspect the other man. What wasn't easy since he glared back at him right away. Eren was tempted to give in and just look at something else, but his curiosity took the better of him. He tried to withstand the other's rigid eyes. There was absolutely nothing his face was telling him. He looked cold. Maybe a bit bored, but that was it. Those narrowed grey eyes – Eren could have sworn, he saw a touch of blue in them – seemed to look straight into his soul while they themselves were nothing more than simple, endless pools which reflected their surroundings. The longer he tried to look at Levi, the more at unease he felt.
"I don't know what he's doing here and I don't like him. He looks like he's not even capable of saving a sheep from drowning. Haven't you seen what a midget he is? All that aside, I can take care of myself, father. I train every day, I take lessons to defend myself in every possible way. So what's this all about?"
Everybody's head shot towards the door, as they heard Mikasa whispering to her father behind the door, obviously thinking that they wouldn't hear her.
Or maybe she's doing it on purpose.
"As I said, darling, there are things neither I nor you can protect you from. And that's why he's here today and why he'll stay, whether you like it or not. I'm not asking you to become friends with him. He simply has to stay by your side until we get rid of that man. Do I really ask too much from you? I don't want to lose you, darling." Grisha was speaking as softly as he could. Eren knew this voice very well, his father often used it when Mikasa didn't agree with him. And most of the time, when he did it, she wouldn't be able to go against his will.
"Fine," he heard her say.
The next second the door was opened and Grisha and Mikasa stepped back in.
"Alright," Grisha began, "pardon the little interruption, but I think everything has been cleared up. Children, would you please go back to your rooms now?"
Armin stood up first. "We just started a chess game, Mr. Yeager. Would it be too impolite to ask if we could end it first?"
Erwin also rose to his feet and put one large hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's okay, I remembered the pawn's positions. I'll come by another time and we can finish the game." Armin looked up at him and nodded his head.
"Alright, I'll see you later at dinner," Grisha said. Eren walked out of the room, right after his sister and followed by Armin. He took one last glance at Levi, who looked pissed for some reason.
So he has other faces, Eren thought.