The sphere of water roared behind Eren's head while Dot grinned in front of him. Alcohol. He'd never had it before, never been allowed, but he knew his father sometimes took a drink when things got rough.

Eren snatched the bottle.

"I really do need to thank you." Dot said. "You got a name then? Bah, course you do, but Irwin snatched it up didn't he? What an asshole. Don't worry, I'll just call you kiddo, Kiddo."

"Do not," Eren growled. He sniffed the bottle's rim.

"Now don't be like that, Kiddo. We're comrades now. Haven't had a cleaning like that in decades, not since the last time I stiffed Irwin his fee." Dot chuckled, his whole body shivering in amusement. "Serves him right. Wouldn't bother coming back here at all but I'm a river spirit you see and sadly the bed of rocks and water I'm tied to is always having some sort of shit tossed into it. You saw what accumulated after—ho there!"

Dot convulsed with laughter as Eren choked. The wine burned as it went down—holy fuck it burned—settling only after a few hefty coughs. Then his stomach started rolling in protest. Eren shoved the bottle away and Dot thankfully took it back.

"That's horrid!" He cried as soon as he could speak. Dot only continued laughing.

"Ah, you only think that because you don't know better." He took several long drinks as Eren grimaced. He could see the red wine sliding down what passed for his throat.

When Dot looked again at Eren his face had gone dreadfully serious.

"You know what's actually horrid?" He asked. "This. All of this, Kiddo." Six of Dot's claws gestured to the bathhouse around them. "Awful time we live in, when someone like Irwin wields this much power. No offense now, but how does a puny human like you end up facing off against him?"

"It's a long story." Eren rubbed at his forehead… then snapped it up. "Whoa wait. What do you mean, 'face off against'? He's got me cornered!"

Dot's wrinkled cheeks spread into a grin. "Not exactly the story I've been hearing. Alright, alright, I'm not gonna lie to you, Kiddo. My webbed friend was all proud of his info—I wasn't gonna crush the poor thing—but tonight sure wasn't the first time I'd heard about you."

"…What." Eren's head dropped back into his hands.

"These last two days? More excitement than I've witnessed in centuries! Humans wandering into Irwin's playpen… it's not so rare an occurrence on its own, I'm sad to say, but then I'm hearing whispers that a human boy, just a little squirt of a thing, wasn't actually turned into…you know." Dot's body slithered forward, rippling with excitement. "Not only that but I'm hearing that he went and got himself a job! You realize the significance of that, Kiddo? Not many did that before you. Hell, not sure any human's done it at all. Then there's all sorts of other gossip flying left and right—you holding your own, demanding your family back… that's some gall you got there. We could use more like you." Dot tapped one claw against his chin. "Or maybe just you. Yeah… you're more than enough, provided you've got enough help 'o course."

"You sound like Corporal." Eren said.

Dot flashed a smile. "Do I? And who's Corporal?"

"A… friend."

Eren was hesitant to say more, especially with Irwin right outside. As if summoned by that thought Eren felt the water behind him curving inward for a moment, stretching, like someone was pounding on a flexible door. The sudden violence made him jump and Eren tumbled into the tub. Dot's many legs and arms caught him though, cradling him like a crazy, paternal centipede. When Eren opened his eyes that smile was still there.

"Don't worry now, Kiddo. He can't get in. Not until I let him. Irwin may be powerful but I'm old as these hills and wisdom beats brute strength any day, lemme tell you." Dot winked, then sat Eren back on his butt. "Why don't you tell me about this Corporal friend of yours then?"

Eren fidgeted. "There's not much to tell…"

"Nonsense. How about a trade? I have friend as well." Dot said.

Was it Eren's imagination, or did his face grow older? More tired?

"He's loyal," Dot continued, "almost to a fault I'd have to say, and ooooh so stubborn. Tenacious bastard if ever there was one. But kind too, even if he sometimes has trouble showing it. Ah, what else… well, he's a bit of a fool if I'm being honest. Still—lovable. In his own way I suppose." Dot suddenly leaned forward, his wrinkled brow almost touching Eren's nose. "He's an ocean spirit, Kiddo."

"Ocean?" Eren croaked.

Unbidden memories surfaced—literally—rising like a wave over his mind. They gained strength from the events of the last hour and the sound of water still surrounding them. Eren tried to breath through it… and he mostly succeeded. Keeping eye contact with Dot sort of help as he just nodded in a sympathetic, understanding kind of way.

"There, there, Kiddo. Fear is natural. You know that, don't you? No one's gonna judge you for it. Though I must say, what you're taking on with that pissy sorcerer is far scarier than any body of water, especially an ocean! Don't you know the spirits there help humans like you? Why, my friend alone pulls kids from the water all the time."

Sinking, falling, the cold of Mikasa's hand in his, reaching with his other—up, up, and the touch of scales—

"Wait." Eren breathed. "What do you—?"

"DOT!"

The scream pierced the water and struck Eren's ears so forcefully he ducked his head into his knees. That had to be amplified by magic. Had to be.

"Oh learn some patience, you nincompoop!" Dot hollered back. With a sigh he heaved his massive bulk upwards, his hundreds of claws scrambling for purchase against the tub's sides. "Bah. I doubt that bastard has it in him to knock down my water… but I don't wanna find out. Do you, Kiddo?"

"Nope." Eren immediately said and he allowed Dot to help hoist him back up.

"You should really do something about him," Dot muttered as another strike reverberated around them.

"Like what?" Huffing with exhaustion and indignation, Eren threw is arms up into the air. "What exactly am I supposed to do, huh? Tell me! I'd love to hear it! Because all I've managed so far is to run and clean and cry—" Viciously Eren swiped a hand across his eyes, the word alone enough to get him going. "And get my family turned into t-titan things, there's fucking that, and then y-you came along and I had to work with—with—" Eren couldn't even say the word, just gestured to all the blue around them. "And then I fell in. I fucking fell in and you got me out, yeah, whatever, but I'm tired and what am I supposed to do? Against Irwin? Fuck! I don't have magical powers or an army of spirits or even—even—I don't even own a fucking bathhouse!"

Dot smiled. "Neither does Irwin, Kiddo. Not technically."

Eren boggled. "What are you talking about?"

Dot only shook his head as more and more strikes rippled along the water, Irwin's muffled voice now coming in intervals. "You'll figure it out, Kiddo, don't fret. There now, that's enough of the tears. I have faith." A few claws came up to stroke against Eren's back. "Look at you! You're a force to be reckoned with. We're in good hands, I'm sure, I'm sure." Dot started chuckling and, honestly, Eren couldn't tell if he was being made fun of or not. He settled for pressing his palms hard against his eyes.

"I hate Irwin," he hissed.

"Yep. Snotty bastard." Dot tilted his head, considering. "Erwin's not bad though."

"What?"

"Erwin."

Eren pointed accusingly at the water. Flapped at what was behind it. Pointed again.

"What?" He repeated.

"What, what?"

"You hate Irwin!" Right? "I hate Irwin!"

"Well yeah," Dot said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "But I don't hate Erwin."

"Irwin?"

"Erwin."

"For fuck's… do you ever talk sense?"

"I try not to," Dot laughed. The claws nudged Eren a bit to the side. "Enough of that now.I'm afraid I need to head out before Irwin really blows his cap. You'll want to keep to the side as this goes on. Just hold the tub's edge, I'll take care of the rest. Oh and don't forget…"

There was suddenly a wine bottle under Eren's nose. At first he thought it was the same one Dot had been drinking from before, but no. The cork was still wedged inside and it was far smaller, barely the size of Eren's hand. He reared back from it in distaste.

"Don't be like that, Kiddo. It's your payment!"

"On the house, sir." Eren muttered and Dot wiggled his long body like that was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Take it, take it, go on. You don't have to drink it yourself if you don't want to." All at once his face went dark as the grave. "Seriously now, Kiddo. You'll want this on your person; mark my words. You really think I'd be giving you just ordinary wine?"

Slowly, Eren took the bottle. "Well what does it do then?"

"You'll figure it out. I'm not ruining the surprise."

"You are completely useless. I can't believe…"

Eren couldn't believe he'd been bowing, terrified of this crazy old coot; that he'd spent the last hour in hell washing the muck off his back. But he wasn't going to say it. Dot hardly seemed to be listening to him anyway.

"That's it, Kiddo. Just tuck that bottle away where silly Irwin won't see it." Dot winked as Eren obediently stashed the wine beneath his shirt and secured in under the elastic of his pants. He hopped nothing else exciting happened tonight. If he smashed the wine like he had his and Corporal's lunch, he'd have not only a mess but also several lacerations to boot. Lovely.

Eren wearily let his eyes rest for a moment. In the darkness he said, "You still haven't told me what exactly I'm supposed to do."

"Give him hell!" Dot cheered. "You've been managing that well enough so far."

Eren sighed.

When he opened his eyes again Dot was nearly completely out of the tub. His upper body was curled next to Eren's, facing the entrance that was still hidden outside the water. The rest of him stretched across the tub and down onto the floor, some of his claws paddling against the tile. He looked like a dog getting reading to spring at a ball—more excitement than threat, but that was still many pounds of paws and teeth coming your way. If Dot had a tail Eren would have bet everything it would have been wagging.

"Ready, Kiddo?"

"No."

"Fantastic. Just hold on tight—yep, just like that—and keep still until I'm gone. Don't want anymore mishaps, do you?"

Eren shivered. He couldn't agree more.

Still…

"What about Irwin?" he pressed. Thinking about it sent an entirely different kind of chill down Eren's spine. "You're just going to leave me to deal with him?" On cue the water around them shook again, Irwin's shouts becoming increasingly hysterical.

Dot stared at Eren a moment then rolled his eyes. He looked slightly put out. "Oh fine, fine, Kiddo. Jeez. I'll leave him a little something to get him off your back." Seemingly to himself he whispered: "Can't believe I'm actually gonna pay the bastard… well…"

"Alright!" Dot slammed four claws down on the tub's rim. Eren tightened his own hold. "That's enough chit-chat. Ready or not, Kiddo, here we go!"

When it was all over there were twelve injured spirits, one foaming sorcerer, and the floor was covered in gold.

Dot had quite literally blown through the bathhouse before anyone, even Irwin, had the presence of mind to stop him. One moment Eren was gripping the tub, his butt in the air, his fingers white and his breath standing still… the next the water surrounding them dropped. All at once like a curtain flying down at the end of a show. Eren caught a brief glimpse of Irwin raising his arm to throw another handful of magic—his face rapidly moving from fury to shock—his friends huddled in a corner some feet away, equally surprised at their sudden appearance… and then that brief, wonderful second of peace was broken. With a cackling laugh Dot flew up into the air, bringing the thousands of pounds of water with him. It swirled about his body like a protective tunnel, or a battering ram, for he pummeled through the spirits with ease. Eren rocked on his perch for a moment, stunned. He could just hear the 'bang' in the distance as Dot flew through the front door, leaving their bathhouse behind.

Then Hanji was there.

She didn't say a word, which in and of itself said a lot about her—and everyone else's—emotional state. Bypassing all the gold at her feet Hanji went straight for Eren. He was still crouched on the tub's lid, felt like he'd been there for an age, but the floor was still flooded. It was the only water remaining in the room but like hell was he going to step in it again. Hanji understood. With one massive reach she snagged Eren by his knees and toppled him forward. He fell into her arms and wrapped himself there, clinging like a monkey.

It felt ridiculous… and kind of wonderful. Peeking over her shoulder Eren confirmed that the water was still a good three feet away. He relaxed. The smell of Hanji's hair loosened his limbs, the scent oddly familiar. Eren couldn't decide if he was just remembering the moments he'd had like this with his mom or if Hanji had actually done this for him once before. His memories from the other night were pretty fuzzy. Whether it was real or imagined though, it was a nice thing to recall all the same. a

Hanji lazily rubbed his back, turning them both as she looked about the room.

"I can't believe we just cleaned this place," she groused.

"Tell me about it."

Her other hand suddenly paused. Curving downwards to pat at his side Hanji felt the hidden bottle there. Eren carefully tugged his shirt out a bit more and pressed himself against her cheek.

"Later," he said and Hanji nodded.

"Gold!"

Eren jerked at the cry. He'd been so immersed in Hanji that he'd hardly noticed anyone else. Picking his head up he found every spirit diving at the water, all of them trying to capture floating bits of, yes, what appeared to be gold. Eren's eyes widened. The only ones not acting like greedy fools were Marco and Jean. They stood together, hands clasped, slowly backing up towards Hanji and Eren. Moblit was nowhere to be seen and with a gulp Eren hoped fervently that the flood hadn't washed him away. As it was, the four of them formed a protective cluster and a good thing too because—

"STAND ASIDE."

Irwin's voice cut through the din; the cries of "gold, gold, gold." Everyone moved but not of their own violation. They were blown backwards, Eren's group the only one escaping the violence, clustered as they were at the far end of the room. Everyone else took a tumble. Eren watched horrified as one girl (who'd admittedly collected an impressive selection of gold pieces already) was blasted into a nearby toad. They both went head over feet and her treasure flew into the air. Before it could land though it halted, hovered, and made its way up higher where Irwin still hung. All the other bits of gold followed their example. For a moment the room took their breath away as a fortune soaring through the air, glittering against twice as many prisms. For a second—though only a second—Eren thought the water beautiful.

Then all of the gold disappeared, flooding Irwin's magical pockets. He retained only one piece and he held it disdainfully between thumb and forefinger.

"I can't believe Dot actually paid," he murmured. "Though of course he had to do it in the most obscene way possible." Irwin's lips twisted. "And this hardly covers what he owes me. Why, this hardly covers the damages done today…" His eyes swept the room until they landed on Eren. "Wouldn't you say, Shifter?"

Eren shrugged as best he could in Hanji's arms. He hoped it didn't look as weak as it felt.

"You've certainly caused quite a mess …"

"You said to clean him. That's what I did."

It probably wasn't the smartest thing, baiting the sorcerer, and Irwin's eyes definitely flared. However, just then Mike stepped forward. He held a miniscule piece of gold that Irwin had missed.

"Sir." He said. His voice was too bland to hold real respect yet at the same time couldn't be accused of anything less. Mike held out the gold until it was snatched from him. "The human did succeed in cleaning Dot," he continued. "And, as you've said, he's never actually paid before. Surely in light of that the damages might be overlooked—?"

"Silence."

The command was enacted as Mike's voice was torn away. He pressed a palm to his throat, as if briefly in pain, but lowered his hand just as quickly. He settled into his familiar, military stance.

"Did I really give you permission to speak that whole time?" Irwin asked. "How foolish of me. Though I've never considered you a fool, dear Mike. Perhaps your words have some merit…" He turned to Eren again, eyeing the picture he made with his friends with disdain. With the slow deliberation of one who has already made up his mind Irwin looked between the speck of gold and the boy.

"Perhaps you've been... somewhat useful." He gave a shark's grin. "I always have a place for the useful amongst my staff, Shifter. Keep that in mind. You may decide that you prefer working for me to that rag-tag collection of humans you call a family."

Eren opened his mouth just as Hanji's nails dug into his side. She kept them trimmed short for work but that same work had made her fingers strong. Eren subsided with only a growl.

"Just something to think about," Irwin said. "No matter. You've done your part I suppose. They're safe for now, so do wipe that horrid expression off your face. And you!"

The last was addressed to the remaining spirits. The majority of them had run off, either when the room had begun to flood or when Dot decided to play hurricane, but there was still a sizable number hanging about; most of them on their butts, many sporting dazed expressions.

"Don't just stand there, you louts," Irwin cried. "Back to work!"

They scrambled. What to, Eren wasn't sure. They'd kicked all the regular guests out once Dot had arrived. Though finding work, of any ridiculous kind, was better than waiting around for Irwin to find it for you. Not that he seemed terribly concerned with that. Patting his pockets—no doubt stuffed despite the lack of a bulge—Irwin nodded once to himself and then disappeared; a faint cloud of smoke that quickly merged with the remaining steam. Gunther and the others started jogging back towards Irwin's office, like puppets pulled by strings. Mike only stopped for the briefest of seconds to send the four of them a wink. Petra flashed a smile that Eren did his best to return. Then they too were gone, lost amongst the crowd.

Eren watched as the remaining spirits wandered off, one by one. Despite the fear still threading through them he could hear disgruntled comments as they left, growing more pronounced once it was clear that Irwin was truly gone. Much of the displeasure revolved around "stolen gold."

"Guess they value money more than their hides," Jean sneered.

Marco shrugged. "You were like that once."

"Hey! … I mean, yeah, but—"

"So they'll either stay like that or become like you." Marco nudged Jean. Really he more slid into him with exhaustion. "I personally hope for the latter," he yawned.

Jean's neck started taking on a very red hue. "Shuddup. Dinner?"

"Yes," two of them said, nearly in unison. Eren gave a quiet nod.

"C'mon, human."

With Marco and Jean flanked on either side Hanji lead them away from the big tub. She carted Eren, through the water, as he gingerly let his head rest upon her shoulder. He could see the blue below them, muddied by bodies and Dot's filth. It was so close but Eren still let his wrists go limp and his knees unlock.

He knew she wouldn't drop him.