Ivan crawled into bed tiredly, grunting as he adjusted the soft white sheets. He was normally up late enough as it was, but the day before the festival always left him tired and worn out. Just as predicted, the inn had been flooded with customers and visitors all seeking a room for the big day.

He was just glad that none of them had been newlyweds.

Karen shot him a sympathetic look as she pulled the small pins out of her dark hair. "Today was tough," she said, shaking her hair loose and sending her dark curls tumbling down her shoulder.

He grunted. "Yeah it was," he muttered. He fell into the bed, his head landing on the pillow. He frowned before turning over once more to watch as his wife unhooked her fake leg as she settled into bed. "Have I ever told you that I appreciate you?"

Karen blinked, startled. "Yes," she started. She cocked her head, eyes curious. "What brought this on?"

"What makes you think that anything brought it on?" he asked.

"You had to be thinking of something to say that," she started. She then smirked. "Uh oh. You're blushing. What happened?"

He huffed. "I don't blush," he muttered. He glanced up at the ceiling, frowning. "You remember the newlyweds who registered in?" he asked. "The ones who seemed interested in your leg," he clarified when he saw her confused face.

She smirked. "I think his name was Levi, the only one who seemed interested. What happened? You didn't punch him, your own customer, for showing interest in a work of art?"

He huffed. "No." He could feel his face flame up. "I...I might have caught them in a...in a moment."

She frowned. "A moment?"

"An intimate moment," he clarified. "One normally reserved for newlyweds."

Her eyes widened. "You walked in…"

"I didn't walk in!" he protested quickly, sitting up in his bed as he rubbed his face. "But I certainly heard something! Jonathan wasn't so lucky. Poor lad walked in on them with their luggage and nearly fell down the stairs in his haste to get out." He huffed. "Those two have no restraint."

She shrugged. "Well, can you blame them? They are newly married."

He paused. "Yeah, I guess." But his frown deepened. "That Levi person though seems a bit...harsh towards his wife. No, maybe harsh isn't the right word." He sighed, falling back into the pillows. "He seemed a bit careless in his talk about his...moments with his wife. I mean, do I even want to hear how disappointing the experience was for him?"

"Well, obviously not with the way you're carrying on about it," Karen said as she laid down right next to him.

"He just made some interesting comments," he grumbled, wrapping his arm around his wife and pulling her closer. "He's an odd man."

"Oh hush," Karen said as she yawned. "It is their wedding night anyway. They're having the time of their lives at the moment."

"Best wedding night ever!" Hanji whispered.

"Keep it down and it might end sooner than you think," Levi said, quietly stepping out into the hallways. He glanced around mildly before striding down the halls. If someone saw the two of them leaving, it was no big deal. Plenty of people left for late night excursions. But Levi would have liked to avoid as many people as possible.

Levi and Hanji both made their way downstairs. The shadows of the candle light cast an eerie glow around them, but the dark never scared Hanji. In fact, something else had occupied the small space of fear.

No, it was not filled up with the Titans.

It was the fear that her partner, her 'husband,' was incapable of performing the mission for tonight.

She glanced at him worriedly once more, noticing how Levi was leaning on that cane that Erwin had specifically made for him. Her mild concern grew when she saw how his hand clenched just as he breathed in sharply when he put pressure on his bad knee when going down the stairs.

Hanji knew that it would be a bad idea to suggest that Levi stay behind. First off, he would refuse, and he was more than capable of overpowering her if she tried to make him stay. Her new haircut was proof enough of that. But she also might need the backup that Levi had to offer.

So instead, she stayed silent as they left the inn and crossed the streets. The street lights gave off a good show of the cobblestone roads. Hanji glanced around, noting that a few late night carriages pulled by. The light sprinkle of the rain made the air cooler, and already puddles of dirty water were gathering on the road. Hanji pulled her hood up to shelter herself from the rain, as did Levi.

"Alright," Levi said suddenly. "What's up?"

She looked at him. "What?"

"You are uncharacteristically silent," Levi said. "What's going on in that abnormal brain of yours?"

Hanji smirked. "I thought that you wanted the silence."

"With you," Levi said. "It's creepy."

"Just admit that you like the sound of my voice," she said as she crept up to the back of the Storks Flight. She would have made it further had Levi not suddenly pushed her back with a swift motion. Hanji held back her surprised yelp when she saw Levi's narrowed gaze as he looked down the alley.

"Guards," he muttered, releasing her. Hanji chanced a peek around the corner, spotting two large men standing watch over the back door.

"What does the Storks Flight need guards for?" she asked.

Levi pulled his hood up, frowning. "Maybe they are looking for Emilie," he muttered. "If so, then we have a problem."

Hanji grabbed his shoulder, nodding upward. "Hey, was that jackdaw painting there before?" She pointed to the window right above the back door. It was the only window with a small candlelight coming from the inside. Levi followed her gaze and frowned once more when he noticed the new painting of the jackdaw. The light rain had already damaged some of parts of the wet painting. But the warped bird was certainly a jackdaw. "It looks new," she said.

"Because it is," Levi said, glancing back at the two men who had yet to move from the back door. "Emilie might be in there. If we can nab her, then this mission might be done by tonight."

Hanji crossed her arms, considering her options. "Alright then," she said. "One of us will have to distract those two men while the other sneaks through the window."

"I can get up there without my ODM gear," Levi said. "I can slip into the window easily."

"Not with a damaged knee," Hanji pointed out. She frowned. "If we had our gear, we could have easy access to the roof and slip over those men."

"I can deal with them," Levi said, and she saw the glint of his knife in his hand.

"You could," Hanji admitted, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "But not without drawing unwanted attention to ourselves. We'd need to get in closer."

Levi frowned. "You have a better idea?"

Hanji smirked. "In fact, I do. But you might not like it."

Janix shifted around as he felt his sore feet go numb. He wished he had brought a cloak to shelter himself from the rain. Or a wide brimmed hat would have sufficed just as well. He glanced upwards at the only upstairs room that had a light on. Though it was not much of a light, the candle did flicker daintily in the dark.

"Boss should be done," Rupert commented.

Janix nodded. "Great. Now we can get out of this dump. I'm starting to go numb standing here."

"We've only been here for ten minutes," Rupert pointed out.

"Still," Janix grumbled. "How long does it take to shoot someone in the head? It's click, click, boom!"

"Keep your voice down!" Rubert hissed suddenly.

"What?" Janix demanded hotly. "I'm just saying-" He was cut off by a loud noise coming from up in the distance. His hand automatically went to his gun as two figures staggered forward in the distance. He slowly relaxed, but did not remove his hand from his weapon as he surveyed the two figures. Both were staggering with one stumbling to the ground before being picked back up by their partner. Judging from the height and stature of the two, they were obviously male and female.

"Just a drunk couple," Rubert nodded, his stature relaxing ever so slightly. The boredom of their task seeped in once more

Janix huffed. "Wonderful. That should be me over there, enjoying my booze with a pretty lady on my arm."

Rupert glanced back at the couple, now disinterested. His eyes widened however, when the screaming in that same direction began. One figure was suddenly thrashing about, screaming while the other pushed them up against the wall none too gently. The individual in distress continued to thrash about in an effort to escape.

"Hey!" Rupert shouted, stepping forward to assist.

"Leave them alone," Janix said. "It's just a lover's spat." But before that last sentence was out of his mouth, Rupert was already rushing forward, shouting out warnings. "Hey!" Janix shouted. "Don't leave your post!" With a growl of annoyance, he chased after his partner. At least he was moving now and no longer staying still in the rain.

"Leave her alone!" Rupert shouted loudly. Janix resisted rolling his eyes. If the entire town wasn't aware of their work, they were now with the way Rupert was yelling. But the enraged shouts did startle the hooded attacker who happened to glance up before dropping the victim and running off. The hooded woman let out a pained groan, falling to the ground and huddling into a defensive position.

"Yeah, that's right!" Janix shouted at the retreating assailant. "You better run!"

"Miss," Rupert started, approaching the huddled form cautiously. "It's alright. He's gone now."

Janix snorted. "Yeah, you're a real hero there man. Scared the creep off so you could save the little lady. Was that your plan?"

"Shut up," Rupert muttered. Crouching down, he placed a hand on the shivering woman's shoulder. "Miss," he said once more. "You're safe now."

Levi was going to kill Hanji. That four-eyed abnormal woman who was supposed to be his wife was dead to him. Even now, he was coming up with the most painful and excruciating ways for her to die, and no, he would not give her the pleasure of being eaten by one of her precious Titans.

His back was already sore from where she had slammed him into the wall. Sure, they had to make the attack look convincing, but did she have to be that rough?

Even now as he forced his body to tremble to display the appearance of someone in distress, he was scowling beneath his hood as one of the men reached out to touch his shoulder. Oh yeah, and the man's other hand just so happened to drift down his back a little lower, right?

Hanji was dead for putting him in this position.

"Miss," one of the men said. "Get up."

"What's the matter with you? You so shaken up that you can barely stand?" another voice snapped. "Pathetic," he muttered. Then, to his companion, he said, "Hey, give her a little pinch in the bum to jostle her out of her shocked state."

If they pinched him, Levi was going to break every single finger on their hand.

Strong arms griped Levi's shoulders, and he allowed himself to rise up to his feet with the help of his 'rescuers.' Keeping his head low, he finally raised his gaze upward to stare at the two men.

"Wait!" one of the men shouted. "You're not a girl-!" His response was cut off as Levi kicked him in the knees, sending him crumbling to the ground. The other, shorter guard rushed at him, but Levi lashed out with his cane, the small blade sliding out silently. He cut at the man's thigh before bashing the fallen guard's head into the ground. Without a backward glance, he throttled the other crumbled guard with the dull side of the cane. In less than two minutes, both guards were sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

"And the award for the most obvious statement of the day goes to," here, Levi kicked the unconscious body of the soldier. "This guy." Sheathing the small blade back into the hidden crevice of his cane, Levi sauntered over to the back of the Storks Flight. Glancing upward, he noted how the window was slightly open with the candlelight now out. Nodding to himself, he leaned up against the wall and waited for Hanji to finish her rounds.

Then he would kill her.

Hanji was sure that Levi was already planning her immediate death. But hey, it was a good plan that she had come up with. There was no way that Levi would have been able to scale the walls and climb through the window with his bad knee. So sending her to break into the room was the only logical choice. But they still needed someone to distract the guards.

That was when the entire 'assault Levi' plan came to fruition.

She reasoned that Levi's small stature could get him mistaken for a hooded woman. As long as he didn't speak and he maintained that helpless form that he was perfecting, then the plan would work. She chanced a look behind her as she entered the window with the jackdaw bird sign and smirked when she saw the two guards hovering over the small figure they wrongly assumed to be a helpless woman.

Levi was not helpless. Even without a weapon, he could handle himself. Her smirk turned into a frown as she wondered what kind of a death Levi was plotting for her at that moment.

Shrugging, she slipped into the room, leaving the window open a crack. There was nothing to be done about the small puddle of water that she was leaving in her wake. But at least an open window would explain some of the water's presence.

The window was not even locked, which had been surprising to her. Creeping forward cautiously, she glanced around the small space. A gust of wind blew by, blowing out the candle and dashing away what little light remained. However, Hanji could still see the small stack of papers on the desk.

Approaching the desk, she touched the papers and glanced at them. She reached for the candle and lit a match, earning her some more light. Studying the papers before her, she frowned at the designs of the many art booths. The ones in particular always had something to do with birds. She inwardly scoffed. What was it with this noble girl's fascination with birds?

A small voice in her head that sounded distinctly like Levi's was wondering the same thing about her and Titans.

The sudden sound of large footsteps caused her to look up sharply. Blowing the candle out, she ducked behind the desk hurriedly. Hanji stayed silent as the door creaked open once more and the heavy footsteps approached her spot.

"-brat ain't here," the large man grumbled. Listening intently, Hanji leaned forward in the hopes of earning some information sort of information. But whoever had entered the room remained silent, aside from grunting. She went still as he approached her spot, his hulking form just a few feet away from her hiding spot. She heard the shift of the man's weight as he leaned over the desk, messing up the papers in the process.

Hanji leaped up and grabbed the man's outstretched hand in a firm hold. Delivering a swift kick to his abdomen, the man fell forward with Hanji twisting his arm onto his back. The man's muffled yelps were cut off when his face was smashed into the carpet.

"Where is Emilie Zachies?" Hanji demanded, twisting his arm as she pinned the man beneath her. This fight would be lost to her if she could not maintain this position. While Hanji was faster and had more experience in battle, this man had the large body weight on his side and could flip her over easily should her grip loosen.

She twisted harder at the man's protest. "Where is she?"

"I don't know about Emilie!" the man sputtered quickly as the painful pressure on his arm grew. "I'm just here for Jaque!"

Hanji frowned. "Jaque? Jaque Bosh?" What did Emilie's lover have to do with this?

"The dirty rat owes me money!" the man growled. "We heard that he and that girl were staying here, but they skipped out!"

Oh. Well, that explains it. But another disturbing thought occurred to Hanji. "We?" she echoed.

The man she was holding captive began to laugh, and that was all Hanji's warning as something moved in her left field vision. Releasing him, Hanji ducked out of the way as a large fist flew past her. Rolling out of the way before leaping to her feet, Hanji lashed out with a quick kick to the man's ankle. Hanji did not give him time to recover as he hit the ground. Instead, she leaped at him with her fist curled, delivering a swift punch to his temple and knocking him out.

She turned to face the third adversary, crouching low and aiming for his midsection. The blond man grunted as the air was knocked out of him. Falling back, his head connected with the desk, and he fell to the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Now then," Hanji said, turning to glare at her former captive. "Where were we-?" She blinked when she saw the man leap towards the window, crashing through it and shattering the glass in his attempts to escape.

Hanji could only stare at the shattered glass as the rain began to seep into the room. The man hit the ground down below, and Hanji winced. "Oops." At least the trip down would be faster than the trip up.

Levi happened to look up as the window above him shattered as something large and dark flew through it. Levi raised one unimpressed eyebrow as the man landed unceremoniously in a heap on the muddy ground. Glancing back up at the broken window, Levi calmly strode over to the groaning man.

"You know," Levi said, catching the man's attention. "In my experience, you only break a window when you need to escape. That creates a mess, a mess that someone needs to clean up." He delivered a swift kick to the man's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "You are in the perfect position to be taught a lesson."

"There's…" the man wheezed as he struggled for breath, rolling on the ground as he clutched his stomach. "There's...another one of you?" He glared at Levi, only to blink in shock as he took in the sword from the cane that Levi wielded in front of him.

"Normally, I don't need weapons to make a sharp point," Levi said, tipping the edge of the sword at the man's chest. "But this will help speed things along." He narrowed his eyes. "Now where is Emilie?"

"I don't know anything about the girl!" the man exclaimed. "I'm only here for Jaque! He owes me money!"

"Everyone owes someone something," Levi muttered. He sighed. "Very well. Then where can I find Jaque?"

The man spat. "How should I know? I've been wondering the same thing for the past five days. It took everything we had to track him down to this inn, and it was only because of that darn bird!"

"The jackdaw on the door," Levi muttered. He glanced to the right just as Hanji made her way towards him. "Very well," Levi said simply, turning back to look at the man. "Thank you for your cooperation." With that, he delivered a swift kick to the man's head, knocking him out. With one last pained grunt, the man fell to the ground in a heap.

Levi winced as his leg flared up with pain. Hissing, he bent over and began rubbing his knee in an attempt to sooth the pain. Taking in deep breathes, he regarded Hanji and tried to straighten up despite his protesting knee. "What did you find?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Just a few of Jacque's old friends," she answered simply. "They're a really nice bunch. Jaque runs with an interesting crowd." She pulled out a slip of paper from her cloak, which had kept the documents safe from the rain so far. "Apparently, he and Emilie flew the cope so to speak. But they did stay here for a while."

"Who's to say that one of Jaque's old buddies didn't get to them first as they left?" Levi asked.

"Then they wouldn't be hunting for him," Hanji answered. "They'd have gotten what they came for."

Despite the fact that he didn't like the logic behind that reasoning, Levi had to agree with Hanji. He of all people knew how criminals worked and what they did to those who owed them. Levi scoffed as his hopes of this becoming a quick mission were dashed. "Great," he muttered. "Now they could be anywhere."

"Not necessarily," Hanji said quickly. "You know how we keep seeing the jackdaw drawings where Emilie is supposed to be?" She approached him and closed the small space between them. Huddling next to him, she showed him one of the papers she had snatched. "This is only a portion of the festivals events," she explained. "But it all has to do with birds."

Levi narrowed his eyes. "You're saying that Emilie could be at any of these boothes advertising bird paintings?" He glanced up at Hanji and reached out to pull her glasses off of her face. She blinked as he withdrew a small handkerchief and began cleaning the lenses. "They were filthy," he muttered.

She smirked when he placed the glasses back on her face. "My neatfreak hubby," she cooed, nudging him playfully.

"Abnormal wife," he muttered. He gestured back to the papers. "Emilie could be in any of these booths, hiding out with a small jackdaw picture to give her position away."

Hanji shrugged. "It seems likely." She stuffed the papers back into the safety of her cloak. "Looks like we might be attending that festival after all tomorrow."

A/N: Look at the cute, empty review box!