Operation Pied Piper
Part Three
The man strode purposely towards the station, his eyes gazing straight and his pace determined.
When he was parallel with the group of children, Historia blinked in surprise. For all the power and presence that rolled off the man in suffocating waves, his stature was incredibly smaller than expected.
He wore an army uniform, his boots shining and his clothes perfectly organised on his short yet powerful body. From the metal glinting on his jacket it was obvious that he was an experienced member of the army, his rank surpassing the man who had roared their names on the platform.
He had short black hair that shifted slightly as he walked, strands falling just beside his blue eyes. As he passed the children, he glanced at them and Historia fought against the urge to retreat a step. He had an icy blue stare that pierced through your soul, intimidating and unforgiving.
He stopped abruptly beside Mikasa and Eren who were still by the station wall. They turned to look at him and Historia saw Eren's green eyes widen.
"Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman?" the man asked of them calmly.
Eren stiffened and Mikasa stood away from him, throwing away all concern she'd had for the red swelling on his face. They faced the short man fully and nodded, Eren stuttering out a, "Yes, s-sir, t-that's us."
The man regarded them with a curiously disinterested look. "I'm the one taking you guys in," he looked behind them. "Grab your cases and move your arses." The man suddenly spun on his heel in a fine quick movement and was already moving away from the two.
Eren's mouth opened and closed, breathless air escaping his mouth with words caught in his throat. Mikasa had picked up both their cases and was following the man. The green eyed boy called out after the girl, rushing to catch up.
Historia glanced around her and realized that everyone else had resumed walking up the gravelled road, leaving her standing on her own.
Tearing her eyes away from the strange man and the pair, she started making her way to the town hall, watching her feet so not to trip on the uneven ground.
Behind her, she could easily hear Eren blurt out, "What do we call you, sir?"
"Sir will do."
There was a pause, the moment's silence heavy. "But…um…"
"Levi," the man curtly said. "My name's Levi."
Historia didn't have to look to know that Eren was grinning, happy with a sense of achievement after learning the man's name.
"Have you been to the frontlines, sir?"
There was a sharp scrape of gravel, stones scattering. "Do you want to see the frontlines, boy?"
"Eren…" Mikasa quietly warned.
"It's just the army is fighting for our sake, right?" Eren's voice sounded passionate. "Men are going out there, seeing something none of us have, fighting for our country."
Before the boy could continue in his excited talk about the army, the man cut him off with a crisp tone, "And many people have died fighting for this country."
The conversation faded, Eren supplying no response. There was another scrape of gravel and then the crunch of footsteps as they continued walking.
Historia picked up pace.
-#-
The town hall was a small stone building consisting of a single room. The room had been prepared in advance for their arrival, the space where the numerous desks were lined now empty, the desks pushed to the side against the side wall.
A long table spread across the top of the room, clear of anything save for a jug of water and glasses in the centre.
The hall was empty.
The children stood in the middle of the room, shifting uneasily, unsure of what to do. No one spoke aloud, only a few mumbling to each other, as if scared of drawing attention to themselves.
The town hall door swung open and the roaring man from the platform strode in, the clipboard still in his hand.
"LINE UP!" he yelled at them and everyone jumped, quickly forming two lines, one behind the other with a metre or so distance between them.
The man went over to the water jug, pouring out a glass with one hand. He stood by the table, glass to his lips, his bloodshot eyes watching them from their blackened pits.
It wasn't long before people started to enter the hall. There were few, but Historia felt like a pig at the market as they moved along the lines, inspecting the children like goods.
"What's your name?"
"Connie Springer, ma'am."
Historia turned her head to see a boy with such short hair he looked bald. His chin was raised high, his eyes not meeting the woman's in front of him.
Before Historia could see what happened next a face suddenly loomed before her.
Startling, she backed away, stepping out of the line.
She sensed the man at the table tense behind her, knowing his mouth was widening in preparation for a mighty roar.
She immediately returned to her previous position, leaning back as the face peered closely at her.
"Y-yes?" she asked quietly.
"Name?" a voice asked.
"His- I mean, Christa Renz," she answered.
Thankfully, the face moved away. "Hanji Zoe."
Blinking, Historia focusing on the person in front of her. A tallish woman with brown hair tied in a high ponytail rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. Wide, almost sparklingly, brown eyes looked at Historia through a pair of glasses that sat high on the woman's nose.
The woman grinned. She pointed at herself. "Hanji Zoe," she repeated.
"Ah, um…" Historia ducked her head. "M-Miss Zoe…?"
"Call me Hanji," the woman immediately interjected.
"Miss Hanji." Historia licked her lips. "Wh-"
"Just Hanji." The woman's grin never wavered.
Historia didn't know what to say. There had been a question on the tip of her tongue but it was gone now. This situation is all too weird.
The woman's face neared Historia's again. "Want to come and live with me?"
Historia couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips.
The woman chuckled. "Well, it's not just me – there's Sasha there as well. She's about your age." Her head cocked to the side. "What do you say?"
"Ah, um…" Historia lifted her head, then looked down at the ground again. "If…If it's okay then…"
The woman grabbed her hand and lifted it above her head. The woman was taller than Historia – though everyone is – and she had to stand on her tiptoes as her hand was pulled up.
"I'll take this one!" she cheerfully exclaimed.
Historia's cheeks heated up as everyone in the room turned to look at them.
The man at the table glared at them, his lip curling up. He raised the clipboard. "Sign this and go."
After the woman had left her messy scrawl on the forms, she grabbed Historia's hand again and literally dragged her out of the hall.
"Sasha will love this!" she laughed.
Historia struggled to keep up with the woman, heaving her case up so it didn't hit the ground as they went.
"Um, excuse me, Miss Ha-"
The woman abruptly halted, Historia bumping into her back. She mumbled apologies as she stepped away. "I told you – it's Hanji." The woman grinned at her. "Hanji. Right?"
Historia hesitated.
"Yeah?" The woman was giving her an expectant look, her eyes bright and her grin so incredibly cheerful that Historia couldn't help but give a small smile back.
"Yeah, Hanji."
The woman leapt into the air, almost taking Historia along with her by the hand. Once back on the ground, she snatched Historia's case from her and carried it in her other hand, her left still clenched tight on Historia.
Finally, they slowed.
Historia was out of breath from the brisk walk and had to bend down, her hand still encaptured by Hanji.
"Here we are!"
Historia recovered her breath, brushed back her blonde hair and looked up.
They were stood outside a two-floor house, built partly in stone and brick, some panels of wood breaking up the grey and dull red. The bottom floor was larger than the second, an expanse of stone spreading out to the side, disappearing into the small wood that surrounded the building. The main door looked solid oak, beaten and weathered by an age of storms.
Hanji released her hand and skipped to the door, retrieving a key from her coat pocket. Once the door was unlocked and pushed open, she beckoned Historia closer.
As Historia stepped inside, she was hit with the warm aroma of baking bread. Her nostrils widened as she breathed in through her nose.
Hanji, seeing her expression, laughed, clasping both her shoulders and crouching down to speak in her ear. "That's Sasha. She's a brilliant cook."
Historia murmured something indecipherable in return.
Hanji moved around her, carrying her suitcase, and strolled down the corridor. The floor was wood panelled, the corridor the length of the entire building, numerous doors and empty doorways splitting off into other parts of the house.
Hanji went to the end of the corridor and turned right, disappearing into a room.
Historia quickly followed her. The door to the room was kept open by a metal doorstop in the form of a horse head. She breathed in again. The smell of baking bread was stronger here and looking around, Historia realized that she stood in the doorway of a massive kitchen.
It was rustic, the floor large terracotta slaps of stone, a gigantic Aga in the corner between pristine counters, a island in the centre of the room surrounded by hanging utensils, another small door leading off the kitchen, possibly into a pantry.
The smell of bread was coming from the Aga, a girl crouched down in front of it, peering inside at the rising loaves.
"Nearly ready?" Hanji asked. She was leaning on the island, smiling at the girl.
The girl looked up. Her dark brown hair was tied up, strands of hair hanging loose around her face. Her eyes were a light brown and seemed to glimmer as they looked at Hanji. A smile similar to the Hanji wore spread around her face.
"Just about done, yeah." The girl affirmed, closing the Aga door.
Hanji motioned towards Historia who was still stood in the doorway. "This is Christa – she's an evacuee from the city."
Sasha rapidly stood, spinning around to stare wide-eyed at Historia. She reached across to grab a towel from the counter, wiping away the flour and moisture from her hands and then casually throwing it back down. She dashed across the room and grabbed both of Historia's hands in hers.
"You never told me about this!" she cried.
"Spontaneity keeps life interesting," the woman tucked a loose hair behind her ear. "So? What do you think?"
"What do I think? I think – this is amazing!" The girl's eyes met Historia's. "My name is Sasha, it's so nice to meet you!"
Historia was taken aback, but her smile grew. The chaotic feeling that had grown in her chest was calming and she spoke steadily, "It's nice to meet you too."
Sasha grinned wolfishly. "Oh, this is going to be great."