I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin
Marquis Isidor von Hermiha.
One could not enter the King's court without seeing poor Isidor drinking from a wine bottle. He was, by far, one of the most loyalest men in the eyes of the King despite his apparent drunkenness. Oddly enough (to Isidor), it pleased Erwin when the man entered the office; he stated,"You're just the person I need," despite Isidor, himself, having his own agenda already in mind. With an agreement settled, the man had swiftly taken flight from the window at the sound of the gun and had left under the cover of rain that had just started to conveniently pour.
"You're either very brilliant or very daft, Erwin," he muttered as he stooped over to the grand desk, taking a key that was left atop the papers as he had informed him earlier; he stowed it away.
Isidor stared at at his flintlock as he held it in drunken wonder, then he proceeded to toss it out the open window once the trails of Erwin's vapor had faded away. His servant, quiet and unnerved, watched as a silent witness as the guards came bursting through with swords drawn. They only found Isidor standing by with his faithful servant at his side.
"Marquis!" One exclaimed while the other two examined the body. "Are you alright?"
"Hnm?" He threw a lazy glance at them with his good eye. "Ah, the tracking dog -Zacharias was it? - killed the Commander. Fled using his Gear, went out the window, sick bastard even took the body."
Shouting came about as one of the guards urged him to leave, stating that safety was an issue. Isidor blatantly ignored the earnest pleas and demanded,"There's a killer on the loose and you wish to bitch about my well-being? Goodness, what lousy folk you are to let this slip by!" He threw his glass at the wall and wiped his mouth with his sleeve, the piercing shatter made the nearest recruit wince. "Go after him."
"But sir- the rain-"
"A killer is out and he's committed treason, let alone, it's a Scout!" He snapped, booze leaked from his mouth to make the soldier squirm uncomfortably. "Move!"
Isidor and his servant briskly strode out of the office as several other men from the hallway who had heard the shot came running passed him. He stuck into the shadows to avoid unnecessary questioning as he and his servant traversed through the corridors and stairwells until they emerged into the grand hall that headed for the basement where Erwin had disclosed the location of Eren.
Few men and too few guards, most were out in the city searching for the escapees. Alarms rose when that nuisance of an occultist priest came screaming about two prisoners going missing that morning, thus lessening the need to attend to those in cells. No matter, most were dead anyway from the massive interrogation process in the basements.
He let out a hum as he relaxed and went down the stairs for the lower levels of the building.
"You don't suppose she's alive, hm?" Isidor asked casually to the servant as they passed one of the laboratories; out of curiosity, he took a moment to peer inside, he saw various bottles and cylinders holding chemicals. On the ground was a test tube that had broke, dried blood stained the stone floor. A pocketbook was siting on a table nearby, his hand took it out of wonder and pocketed it into his coat. He moved on.
The poor servant was dressed with a fraction of the elegance Isidor had. Sporting a vest over his shirt and finely ordered slacks that had a shirt tucked within, the servant could offer no words. His tongue was, for Isidor's preferences, sliced off for political purposes. All that he could offer as an agreeable sound that told the nobleman took as "Perhaps she is".
"No bodies at the cremating grounds seem to hold any close resemblance either," he murmured more to himself,"and that Corporal was reported to not bring one."
They continued on, going down another flight of stairs and then ended up at the bottom most hall. The bright light provided by the flames of torches revealed a bent figure attempting to work at the lock of an iron barred door. Isidore silently signaled for his servant to wait, then stealthily approached.
"Jean! Someone's coming!" The occupant of the cell hissed in warning once Isidor had accidentally came too close. The apparent lock-picker sprang to his feet to face the Marquis, a sword was drawn at the sight of him.
"Shit," the person cursed out. In response, Isidor reached into his pocket and produced the key to the cell, it prompted for Jean Kirstein to lower his blade. "Who the hell are you?"
"Relax, I'm only here to get Yaeger out," Isidor drawled between his vine stained lips, he even held his hands up,"besides, boy, with the amount of things going on up there, I doubt you'd be wanting to point that blade at me...me of all people. Now, lower the blade some more." He gave a friendly smile, trying to convince the young Scout to stand down. "C'mon...I'm a damn Marquis, do as I say!"
Jean apprehensively stood aside. He glowered as Isidor approached the cell.
Within it, the fabled Titan-shifter Eren Yaeger stood on the other side. He was outfitted in his uniform and even his harness, though there was a stench coming from him telling the nobleman that he hadn't bathed in quite a while. Isidor brought both hands against the door and propped himself, his head resting against one bar as he smoothly spoke,"Goodness, you're just as the rumors say...mad looking and all, though I half-expected you to look savage."
Eren said nothing as he backed away from the bars, the smell of booze was probably irking him away.
"Hm, well, I have a proposal for you, boy. The Recon Corps is falling to pieces and a few of your fellow comrades are hiding in the city. In my hand, I hold a key-" He fiddled with the metal piece in his fingers. "-that opens this very door. I'll open this door if you can do something for me...something very, very important, so important that the good Commander gave his life for."
"He's dead!?" Jean exclaimed in disbelief. "They've decided to go after superiors?!"
"You need to let me out!" Eren shouted, this time going up to Isidor's face and grasping at the bars beside him. Isidor waved one finger and clicked his tongue. "There are people dying and-"
"And since when did a Titan care about the dead and dying?"
Eren's lips twitched in annoyance, his hand shot out towards him and tried to reach for the key, but Isidor nimbly pulled his whole body away from the bars. He leered at him, as did Jean, who responded,"Marquis or not, I could probably care less if I kill you, I'm already wanted." He neared Isidor with his blade drawn, the tip was pointed at the taller man's throat. "All those years in hell, training to have a better life, all that work, wasted. I could give less a damn about authorities nowadays."
"Well, I'm giving you, and Yaeger here, a chance to get back at the military..."
"I don't want to destroy the military with my powers, I just want to get to my friends," Eren spat bitterly.
Jean muttered something in agreement as Isidor smiled warmly.
"Interesting, a cliched desire but no matter. Let me restate my proposal-"
"You didn't even say it."
"-for you to understand," Isidor slyly stated. "I'll let you go...in turn, you are to cause a distraction in this city so that your precious friends can get away. You see, I made special arrangements that in three days, at 1600, the Gates of Wall Rose will open for the inner territories. In that time, the surviving Scouts of the Recon Corps will flee with me as you wreck havoc."
"Then what happens afterwards?" Jean questioned, voice sharp.
"What happens after is up to Yaeger. The survivors leave but the rest is in his own hands, I cannot assist you more than what I'm doing now..."
A pause.
"Well? Do you agree?" He smiled, offering a hand to him.
Eren, without taking a second to think, immediately reached out to take it.
-...-
A flash of lightning illuminated her sights for a brief second. Thunder rolled in from above, making the tavern floor quake. The ceaseless pitter-patter of rain struck the windows.
Petra, disrupted in her sleep by the mighty clashing, decided to head down to the first floor of the Flora. Candles were doused after midnight, thus forcing her to bring a candle as she traversed cautiously down the steps. With every sixth, barefooted step she took, the roar of the sky creaked with the wood. As a child, she feared the horrid sound but, as an adult, she embraced it more than the gruesome cry of a Titan.
Her hand pressed against the wall to feel the vibrations that lasted a moment when she reached the bottom of the stairs. The pads of her feet scuffed against the wooden panels, her small flame grew useless when the light merged with the stronger source from the fireplace; its own flame was dying but a figure tossed a dry log to it, fueling it to burn on.
Another log, then a third.
She found that a clothes line was strung near the fire. A dress hung by, partially dry, she found the attendant to be Rivaille. Next to him, sitting in a chair with her legs curled to her chest, was Hanji; a blanket was covering her body. Upon seeing them, Petra blew out her candle and used the cover of darkness to listen to their hushed voices.
"...her name is Ymir," she picked up from Rivaille. He was squatting by the fire, his arm holding the steel poker to direct the log.
"Really? Ilse Langer mentioned a Titan saying that name," Hanji mused. "To think anyone could live beyond the-"
Her voice faded when thunder boomed overhead.
"-now she's here, with us. If only we were back at headquarters, I could do a background check on her."
"Better to ask her in the morning," Rivaille told her, getting up and then sitting on a chair next to her. She leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder as her hands shuffled under the blanket to pull it closer against her body. Petra shivered as the cold darkness huddled around her through the thin cloth of her dress, she hugged the wall in turn.
Hanji let out a tired yawn. "Alright...she's upstairs sleeping, she just finished up Annie a while ago. I think the kids crowded themselves in Mikasa's room. Tobias gave them extra blankets and pillows."
"Did you talk to him about the payment?"
"Not yet...I will in the morning."
It grew quiet every so often. Between the intervals of silence came thunder, their conversation drifted about though Hanji began to sound more tired by the minute. They must have decided to sleep in the tavern bar as Petra had occupied Hanji's bed.
"...it was liberating," Hanji suddenly began.
"What was?"
She sat up straight as he gave her a perplexed stare. "Tearing apart Annie's limb. I was so awestruck by it when I held-"
"When I told you that I've decapitated people, I never told you it was for fun, neither do I take pleasure in it," he deadpanned her,"so please, just don't tell me how you felt. What were the results?"
Hanji whined. "Oh, alright. The result was...well, unlike Titans, she screamed in pain. On another note, her leg, her right leg, it was heavy, just as a human's. It had the same weight as ours so...I can take a stab at it and say that their powers have to do with blood. Sure, their flesh mends itself with extraordinary healing abilities, but...perhaps their arteries and blood vessels-"
Her hands went to habitually push up the glasses that normally sat on the bridge of her nose but she found that her spectacles were gone. Only now did Petra notice it. Isn't the woman blind as a bat?
She rambled on, her voice once again drowned away by the weather.
Petra found herself drifting away into sleep, her head resting against the wall.
"...you have a week to do as you please."
"Yeah, but there's so many factors. I want to know more about her ability to Regenerate. Despite her being in a human form, there could be a myriad of ways that can affect her rate of regrowing limbs and mending wounds. Is she affected by the amount of sunlight? Does she need nutrients? What about water?"
"...she's not a fucking plant."
Hanji softly laughed. "Well, how about her stamina? One could grow fatigued...if I push her too far, she would end up not Regenerating."
"What about her limbs? Do they evaporate?"
"No, unlike the bodies of Titans, hers are still solid objects."
Rivaille let out a small grunt. "You might have to get rid of them before Tobias finds them."
"I'd actually like to take it with us."
"...that's fucking disgusting, I'm not bringing body parts when we leave the city. You're out of a job of researching Titans, you've got to stop at one point."
Hanji rested her head against his shoulder while contentedly saying,"Nope, never going to. Maybe I'll finish my book with Annie as my crowning achievement..."
"Speaking of Annie, you let Ymir do the rest of the work?"
"The girl was waving a gun and was aching to shoot her, she was originally her hostage, I thought it'd be alright," Hanji reasoned, Rivaille gave an exasperated sigh.
"See? This is why you can't be a mother."
She chuckled.
Petra felt a pang of jealousy, she perked up at the bitter feeling. To be able to jokingly state about being a mother, disregarding the negative connotations offered by Rivaille, showed their closeness. It was something she wished for, particularly from Rivaille. It would be a painful reminder to her and yet, despite her harbored, unrequited emotions, she remained loyal to him.
Her thoughts were pulled away when a startling knock came from the main door during the sudden silence that befell them. Hanji pulled the blanket closer to her body as Rivaille got up to check on the door. One hand went to the knob, the other went to the holster that carried his flintlock. In one, swift motion, he flung open the door and aimed the barrel at the hulking form that stood over him.
"Corporal, it's me," the voice of the shadowy figure proclaimed.
Lighting illuminated the outside world to reveal and soaking Mike.
He stepped in, pulling his Recon cloak away from his shoulders while closing the door; the latch clicked into place. Rivaille took a hold of the cloak and then hung it by the clothes line as Hanji stood up and tossed her blanket over Mike's shoulders to warm him up. She revealed that she was wearing a simple, brown, long-sleeved dress that fitted her figure well.
"Petra's alive, right?" Mike first questioned, little did he know that the woman was nearby.
"Yeah, she's upstairs sleeping in my bed. Tobias didn't give us Room 1 and the kids are in Room 2," Hanji answered as she led him to her chair. Rivaille went to the bar to fetch a bottle of vine and a mug. "Goodness, you look pale, were you followed?"
Mike shook his head as he huffed,"Nah, I took a horse from the stables and left during the chaos..." He shuddered, Hanji was busy kneeling by and removing his Gear. "...thanks."
Rivaille pulled a stool out and sat upon it after handing Mike a mug. He proceeded to pour him a half mug of vine, then he placed the bottle on the floor. There was a feeling of of dread, something was amiss the moment Mike walked in. It was time for Petra to come up from the shadows; she revealed herself and gave them the false pretense that she had recently got there.
Mike heartily drank from his mug as Petra neared them, rubbing her eyes while yawning sleepily,"I heard the door..."
Naturally, she went to him and gave him an embrace. He didn't respond and, instead, chose to give attention to his mug of vine. She withdrew to sit on the floor when she saw his head tip back to get the last of it. He held the mug out for Rivaille as he wiped the last few drops, the mug was refilled.
"Another?" He requested.
"Did something happen back at headquarters?" Hanji nervously asked when she took off both sheathes. He bent forward and she lifted the blanket to remove the fan system. The entire set laid nearby while he tipped his head back for the second time.
He finished his mug once more, then slammed it against the table, a signal for Rivaille to cease his refills; the bottle was settled by Petra's thigh. Thunder boomed outside, his voice followed promptly,"I think...Commander Erwin Smith is dead."
Petra propped up to sit though she felt her body grow incredibly weak, she even shook when the unbelievable words came from Mike's mouth. Her blood ran cold and her mind, well, she could hardly process the news. Not even the fire that warmed her back could ever relieve her of the chill that ran down her spine. That sense of dread had blossomed into grief.
She heard Hanji gasp in shock with her hands pressed over her mouth. She saw Rivaille's jaw and mouth visibly drop. She felt Mike's voice tremble at saying the his next piece.
"You...think?" Rivaille let out slowly, the first two words just settling in.
"Think, yeah, think," Mike responded. He began to recount the events. "I was with Erwin at the time. He...told me about some plan he and the Marquis of Hermiha were doing. At the end of it, he escorted me to a hidden passageway and once I wen through, he closed it. I heard a gunshot from the other side. The guards came in yelling but I didn't hear Erwin..."
"You don't know what happened?" Hanji urged, she was obviously holding back tears. Petra, on the other hand, couldn't hold it; she was wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.
"Not exactly...the Marquis was the only other person there, so I think he did it."
Hanji murmured,"Since when were nobles sanctioned to carry on military duties? That's strange on its own..."
Mike shook his head. "He was at Erwin's office to deliver documents, last files regarding the next target. Petra...Rivaille, your deaths have been sanctioned, as has mine, consider us no longer a part of the military...just as you predicted..."
Rivaille offered no comment to this, but instead averted the topic, asking heavily,"What were Erwin and the Marquis planning?"
Licking his lips to moisten them, he noticed Petra. He offered his hand to her and she clambered over to him as she began to weep against the blanket. Her smaller form easily fitted onto his lap without having him to shift around. Water from his pants soaked onto her dress but she cared less, his hand stroked her back as he held her.
After a moment of silence, Mike picked up again, saying,"He was planning on releasing Eren against the military, a last ditch effort to show that the Recon Corps is not meant to be disposed of. It's...a complicated thing, I'd rather not say it just yet. In front of the kids, I'll say, they'll have to know, I don't want to repeat myself." They each gave a nod. "...but the Marquis, he's on our side.
"Since this noon, my second-in-command for the Military Police Units, Fritz Gervas has closed the back Gate of Wall Rose, rendering it impossible to leave. If you try to use a Gear, the Garrison will snipe you down. The Marquis is only staying in the Karanese for seventy-two hours, after that, he leaves for the Hermiha at 1600. Only when he departs will the Gates open for him and, hopefully, his entourage."
Rivaille spoke up,"Eren will most likely be used as a distraction to keep the military from coming after us. However, we already have another Titan-shifter in our disposal, we were thinking the same thing."
Mike's eyes flew open at this as a flash came from the outside. "F-for real?"
"Yes, she's downstairs too, though I'm not sure if limbless women are your type."
"We can't leave in three days," Hanji broke in,"Mikasa needs to rest. She can't be moved too much or else her stitches will undo, she was injured this morning."
"I left the wagon in the alley, in case you've forgotten," Mike pointed out,"we can transport her on that. We'll be a bit slower, but with the more distractions and help from the others-"
"-the higher the chances of all of us getting out of here," Rivaille finished. He got up to the table where Hanji had left the map of the city on one of the tables. He spread it across the floor. "You didn't get the location of Eren?"
Mike shook his head as Petra slid off of his lap to sink to the floor by Hanji. Her hands shakily reached out for the bottle of vine.
"I said I was going to drink to them," she explained herself,"to everyone."
They watched her as she brought the bottom up to drink. After her share, Hanji's hand reached out and took it to have several gulps. In turn, she offered it to Rivaille. The man never seemed to be the kind to drink, he was rarely seen with the delicacy of crushed grapes. He had only a taste of it before passing it to Mike. They went through the round once again before the bottle was returned to Mike once more; he placed it to the ground when he found it empty.
"Go get more," Mike told to someone, when none moved, he pressed on,"go, either of you!"
Hanji got up to get the alcohol in his stead. She returned with four bottles, one for each, and handed them the drinks. Mugs weren't given, she felt that they didn't need it. Mike got out of his chair and sat between Rivaille and Petra as he uncorked his bottle. The rest did as well so when they had opened their vines, they noisily clinked the necks of the glass in a lazy toast.
Mike stared contemplatively at the neck of his bottle, his fingers grasping the green glass. Distantly, he told them all,"We lost our good names, our friends, our home, all because of their fears. We're unfettered by our burdens as soldiers now, yet we no longer bear the Wings of Freedom."
Hanji let out a hum of agreement, then murmured,"Rivaille, I know you frown at the drink but I think it's appropriate right now."
"You're all relieved to do so then," he dryly said before bringing the bottle to his lips.
They sat there by the fire, silently drinking to the sound of thunder.
Petra leaned against the leg of a table as she saw Hanji suddenly scoot close to Rivaille. The man took notice of her and tried to ask for personal space, but, in the blink of an eye, she stole a chaste kiss from his lips. Petra felt the tinge of jealousy overwhelm her more than the drink or pain of hearing the news.
"Rivaille," she dragged out in a sultry voice, showing that the vine had intoxicated her. Her hand went to his arm to grasp him. He had a regretful look in his eyes but he quickly downed a large amount of vine and got up, Hanji followed him as she shakily got to her feet. They disappeared when they ascended the stairs. She heard a heavy sigh from Mike and she turned to face him.
"I suppose I know where her interests lie, now," he uttered. He took another swig from his vine. He settled the bottle nearby as she stared. "What's with the look?"
She knew, just as much as he realized Hanji had other preferences, that Rivaille sought someone other than Petra herself. She murmured with a loose tongue,"We both lucked out on them."
Mike scoffed as she climbed into his lap once again, this time, straddling him. He saw her eyes were red from the sudden deluge, her breath smelled of vine, and her scent, it struck him odd that he had taken a great notice of it now. Petra's hands were on his neck, her shorter form prompted him to look down at her. He had to crane his neck to reach her lips. She abruptly turned away before they made contact.
She rested her head against his broad frame, whispering,"Just hold me. When we get out of here alive...maybe...maybe we can..."
"Maybe..." He echoed her quietly, both hands embracing her. "Sounds just about right..."
They realized had one another for insurance, they were content with that.