Hanji resisted grumbling and kept her annoyed comments to a minimum. After all, they did have a mission to perform, and the sooner they got to the inn, the sooner she could get out of the corset. She was in too much agony to fully appreciate the fact that her figure looked great and that she was attracting admiring stares from many man passing by. All she cared about was the way her ribs seemed to be crushing in on themselves and how she could not breath if she so much as broke out into a jog. Why would Commander Erwin subject her to such misery? Did she offend him in any way? Was this his cruel, yet clever way of torturing her?

Well, whatever the reason, she would find out what it was. Maybe she would force the commander to slip into a corset as well. See how he liked that!

Levi also seemed eager to wrap up the mission as well. He kept tugging on the collar of his shirt, his face pinched in a grimace. The black cane he wielded looked more like a club with the way he was holding it.

Hanji chuckled, turning her gaze away from the glowering captain and back to the food stand in front of her. Her mouth watered as she gazed at the assortment of goodies before her. She had not really had the chance to eat as Levi had dragged her away from the inn before she had the chance to try any of the food. She had only managed to snag a small drink from Karen. The woman had looked sympathetic when she had noticed Hanji's grimace.

"You do have a nice figure," Karen had noted when she had hurriedly passed Hanji a drink. "Did you sleep well?"

Hanji had grimaced then, not even truly paying attention to the question. She had seen Levi striding towards her with a determined expression, and she knew what he had in mind. Levi was just as eager to end this as she was, and there would be no time for her to relax and enjoy her beverage. "No," she had confessed. "He kept me up all night. I didn't get a wink of sleep."

She still did not understand why Karen's cheeks had turned a light pink, and she did not want to know why. That had occurred in the morning. It was now almost the afternoon, and Hanji still hadn't eaten!

"I'll take that," Hanji said, pointing to the bowl of warm, delicious smelling food. The man nodded and quickly served her. She eagerly grabbed the bowl while paying the man with the money Erwin had sent them with. Walking over to Levi, she took small bites of her food. She would have devoured what was in front of her, but the corset tightened her waist so much that it was difficult to even nibble on the food.

She might just starve because of the corset.

"I found one booth that has jackdaw paintings," Levi stated when she approached him. "They have drawings, sketches, statues, even stuffed jackdaw birds." He scoffed. "Guy has a weird obsession and could give you a run for your money when it comes to abnormal hobbies."

Hanji rolled her eyes as she chewed her food. "As if. Birds are dumb. Titans are glorious."

"And disgusting," Levi snorted. "And don't talk with your mouth full. It's gross."

Hanji swallowed her food, crumbling the plastic in her hand and looking around for somewhere to throw her garbage away. "So," she said, clearing her throat. "Where is this booth located?"

"Not far from here," Levi stated as he walked down the small road. Hanji did her best to follow after him, her pink skirts swishing about. She huffed, hiking up her skirts and gathering them in her fists.

"Good," she said as she made her way towards him. "Then we can hopefully wrap this up quickly. This corset is pinching my insides."

Levi glanced at her, his eyes widening as he finally took her in. "What are you doing?" he snapped, taking a hasty step back from her, alarmed.

She merely glared at him. "What? What am I doing now? I'm walking!"

"Not like that!" he hissed, pushing her skirts down. "You're exposing your ankles!"

"I expose my ankles all the time!" she protested, stumbling back as both she and Levi grappled for control over her skirts. "And hands off! You're getting handsy!" She hiked up her skirts even higher. At the moment, she did not care that she was exposing her white slip, or the white stockings. She had amazing legs anyway and wasn't ashamed of them.

"Four-Eyes!" Levi growled. They both yelped as they fell backwards with Levi on top of Hanji. With quick, swift movements, Levi pinned her down. "Great," he muttered. "Now your hair's a mess."

Hanji blinked. They were both sprawled on the ground in an unseemly manner and all he cared about was the state her hair was in? He really needed to get his priorities straight. Just as she was about to voice such thoughts, her attention was attracted by Levi's movements as he tried to fix her skirts.

"Normally this type of stuff is reserved for indoors when we are alone," she teased. Levi merely glared, his eyes glinting dangerously. Her eyes widened as Levi leaned in, their faces inches apart. She stared at him, blinking as Levi did not move for several moments.

"Believe me when I say this, Four-Eyes," he murmured. "You do not want to be alone with me."

"Get a room you two!" someone hollered. Hanji's gaze was drawn to the individual who had called out to them, and Levi used her momentary distraction to push her skirts back down. He stood up with a huff, nodding at her in satisfaction. "Try to act like a lady," he huffed.

She held her hand up to him in response. "Try to act like a gentleman," she said. She would have gotten up herself, but the corset was so tight that she could barely sit up. Levi sighed, gripping her hand and pulling her up to her feet. Straightening up, Levi eyed her up and down as she brushed the dirt off of her skirts. She happened to glance at him, wondering if that was a smirk playing on his lips.

"The commander was right," Levi said.

Hanji frowned, curious. "About what?"

"The we would make an interesting pair," Leiv stated.

Hanji grinned. "Well, as odd as this is, there's no one I would rather be faked married to then you."

"At least you know what it'll be like to be married to me," Levi said. However, if there was a smirk on Levi's face, it was long gone as Hanji started adjusting her outfits.

"Would you stop that!" he exclaimed. "Here," he grumbled, striding towards her with determination. In one, swift movement, Levi dipped Hanji back before lifting her up, cradling her in his arms.

Hanji gasped, feeling her chest constrict as she felt the breath in her lungs escape. Her corset pinched even tighter, and she gripped Levi's shoulders for support. She didn't even think he would have been able to carry her with his injured knee. She was once again surprised at his strength. "Put...me...down!" she gasped, trying to draw in deep breathes.

"Hm," Levi said simply as he walked down the street with her in his arms. "It seems that the corset is keeping you quiet. I think I like it."

Hanji's cheeks flared, and she began kicking her legs. "Shorty! Put me down you little midget!"

Levi snorted. "Or what?"

Her eyes narrowed, though a playful thought did come to mind. She gently trailed her finger up his neck, caressing him before tugging at the collar of his shirt. "Or I'll kiss you," she threatened.

Levi stumbled, nearly dropping her in the process. Though it did give Hanji the perfect moment to escape. She scrambled away and out of his arms, adjusting her skirts. "Wow, is the thought of kissing me really that bad to you?" To be honest, she was a bit hurt. Did Levi really find her that repulsive?

She glanced at him, only to see him bending over and rubbing at his injured knee. His head was ducked and hid his face from her view. But she did not need to see his face to know he was in pain.

"You strained yourself," she said, kneeling in front of him. She did notice the dirt she was getting on her dress. She didn't care. "You shouldn't have carried me like that." She whacked his arm lightly, hoping to earn a response from him. "Would you like me to carry you instead?"

That got a reaction from him. Levi looked up, his frown unamused. "Now is not the time to be cracking jokes." His voice was low and strained; a hidden effort to conceal his pain.

"I was being serious," she said honestly. "And who was joking around when they had decided to carry me?"

Levi huffed, rolling his eyes. Grabbing his cane, he straightened up. Hanji stood up, stepping back and giving him some space. She noticed with concern how stiff he appeared to be. Her gaze traveled to look at his injured knee, and she felt a sense of compassion run through her. While Levi had damaged his knee, he had also lost his comrades. That alone was a wound that would forever remain open.

Hanji was pulled from her thoughts at the sound of someone chuckling. Looking back, she noticed a red haired woman in a small booth. Her green eyes were glinting with a hidden mischief, and she eyed Hanji with a smirk.

"He seems like a fun one," she stated.

Hanji snorted, approaching the booth. "You'll have to describe that word to him."

"Well, he did seem concerned with your outfit," the woman said, propping her elbows on the booth and leaning forward.

Hanji sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I honestly did not know how to deal with him at that moment. Which is a new one for me, because it's usually the other way around."

The woman chuckled. "Men like it when women show some skin. But they can't stand it when their own women go about flaunting their assets."

Hanji scoffed. "He needs to loosen up. He's too stiff." However, she had to admit that Levi's stiff personality was what made him who he was. The Levi she was used to.

The woman smirked. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a small, clear vial. "I have something that'll get him to loosen up into a total romantic," she said with a husky whisper. Leaning over, she passed the vial to Hanji. "It's a concoction of my own recipe. It's guaranteed to work. Just slip it in his drink, and you will have a totally different man for the next three hours."

Hanji frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Only three hours?" She was not really considering giving Levi a potion without his knowledge, but she was curious how this vial was made. The scientist in her was aroused with an instant yearning to learn.

The woman's smirk grew. "Well, if you give him too much, you'll find yourself with an overbearing husband." She passed the vial to Hanji. "Here, no charge necessary." She nodded upwards, her gaze trailing behind Hanji. Hanji glanced back to see Levi striding towards her, his gaze determined.

She felt the cold vial get pressed into her hand, and she glanced at it with a small frown, wondering what she was even doing with accepting it.

"Hey handsome," the woman said with a sultry smirk at Levi. She eyed Levi up and down with interest, and Hanji barely ressisted snorting in amusement. Yes, that tight shirt he was wearing did show off Levi's strong body.

"I found the bird," Levi said, ignoring the woman as he glanced at his partner. He grabbed Hanji's arm. "Come on."

Hanji allowed him to drag her away until they were a good distance from the booth. She pocketed the vial for safekeeping before turning to look at Levi. "That woman was speaking to you." She scoffed. "Rude little imp. You ignored her!"

Levi glanced at her. "She called me handsome. It was a comment, not an invitation for conversation."

"So you just accepted the compliment without responding back?" Hanji rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. "Don't tell me this is the first time you've been complimented like that." Though, with Levi's demeanor, she wouldn't be surprised.

"I've had many people threaten to cut up my 'pretty' face," Levi said. "My normal response to such statements do not always end well. Somehow, holding a dagger at that woman's throat didn't exactly sound like the proper way to respond."

Hanji would have retorted, but her words were cut off at the sight of the booth filled with stuffed jackdaw birds. "This is it," Levi said as Hanji eyed the booth stuffed with many paintings and statues of birds. "We find Jaque, we find Emilie."

Both Hanji and Levi strode towards the booth, eyeing everything around them warily. Levi leaned against the booth, his eyes searching. "Hey," he called out to the vendor. "You the only one running this booth?"

The tall man finally turned to look at them, squinting his dark eyes. He stroked his long, black beard as he regarded Levi. His facial hair was so thick that Hanji was unsure if he was smiling or scowling. "Yes I am," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"We're looking for someone," Hanji interjected, coming forward. She pulled out the small picture of the blond woman. "Emilie Zachies. Her father sent us to bring her home."

Before the vendor could even open up his mouth to respond, the desk began to rattle with such force. "Emilie!" a different voice squeaked. Both Hanji and Levi blinked as a young man poked his head up from under the desk in the booth. His wide, brown eyes regarded them with hope. "Are you the scouts?"

Levi stared at the man, frowning. "Yes, we are. And who are you?"

"I'm Jaque!" the man exclaimed, jumping up from beneath the desk.

The vendor scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yesh Jaque. I agreed to hide you, but you ain't exactly hiding if you go about shoutin yer name."

The man, Jaque, ignored the vendor. He dusted himself off before offering his ink stained hands to Levi to shake. "I'm the one you're looking for!"

"You don't look like a rich woman with blond hair," Levi said, ignoring the hand that was offered to him.

"We're here for Emilie," Hanji said.

"Well, Emilie didn't send you the letter, now did she?" Jaque stated, hands on his hips. "At least, she wouldn't write it herself."

Levi blinked once more, frowning. "She didn't?"

"Well, no," Jaque said. "She would have a servant write-"

"I meant she didn't write the letter to her father," Levi growled.

"Oh, Well, technically, she didn't. I wrote that letter in her name and sent it to her father." He scoffed. "The old man can't notice much of a difference in the handwriting anyway. He just read it and took it as a sign of some sort."

Hanji was instantly flooded with confusion. "But why would you send us a letter requesting our help?"

Jaque leaned forward, desperation in his eyes. "Because I need your help to get me out!"

Levi frowned. "Out?" he repeated.

"Out of this relationship!" the man all but shrilled. "I need to get away from Emilie!"

"Keep yer voice down!" the vendor snapped.

Hanji could feel her confusion reach the tipping point, and by glancing at Levi's impatient tapping fingers on the stall, she could tell his was too. She looked back at Jaque with a curious frown. "But...you and Emilie ran away together," she said. "Right?"

"That was before I realized what a shackle marriage was. Especially to a woman like Emilie!"

Levi snorted at the comment, earning him a glare from Hanji. "So…" she started slowly. "Let me get this straight. You said that you reached out to Emilie's father, pretending to be her, in the hopes that we the Scouts would come to rescue you from your mistake of a marriage?"

Jaque nodded. "Yes! I want to focus on my birds now, but I couldn't do that with Emilie around. She expects me to treat her like the nobility she left behind! She can't seem to understand the concept of work. And she sings, man! She sings! Morning, noon, and night! I was about ready to ship her off to the opera!" Jaque seemed to crumble. "I didn't realize marriage would be this much trouble!"

"You do realize that you were in trouble the moment you and Emilie ran off together?" Levi said, unimpressed. He sighed, stepping back. "Oh well. You're not the one we are looking for."

Jaque blinked, clearly startled as Levi and Hanji turned to leave. "W-wait!" he called out. "You said you'd help me!"

"We never said that," Levi stated, not looking back. "We're here for Emilie. No one else."

"B-but I know where she is!" Jaque exclaimed.

Both Hanji and Levi stopped to stare at him. "Really?" Hanji asked, unconvinced. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Jaque wrung his hands, now looking increasingly nervous. "Because I need help. I'm...I'm in some trouble."

"Money trouble?" Levi asked.

Jaque looked up, surprised. "Y-yeah. How'd you know?"

"We ran into some of your pals last night," Levi answered. "You owe them money?" Hanji nearly snorted. If not money, what else could it be?

To no one's surprise, Jaque nodded empathetically. "Yeah. But they can't catch me if I'm out of the city. I have an uncle who can help me if only I can get to him. And who better to help then two Scouts from the Survey Corps?"

"We are not your personal bodyguards," Levi growled. "Emilie's father isn't paying us to keep you safe."

"But he's paying you to get her back, right?" Jaque asked. "Look, I know where she is. You help me get out of this city, and I'll tell you where she is."

Both Levi and Hanji glanced at each other, a silent agreement passing between them. It would take too long to tear up the entire city and find Emilie. But, with Jaque lending them his information, they could wrap this up a lot faster.

Hanji nodded slightly, to where Levi merely sighed. "Alright," Levi said. "We'll have you out of the city before noon."

Jaque beamed. "And you'll have Emilie by the end of the night."

A/N: Ah, the lone, lonely review box.