Chapter 10: From Gods to Men

Karanese District: Café Beaujolais

It was evening, and Liette was sitting at the small restaurant that she had taken a liking to for dinner. The aura was quiet and pleasant. What Liette was here for wasn't a night of leisure and relaxation; rather, she spent this time to dawdle over what the contents of the riddle were.

"I fly to heights only mankind can dream; I travel to lands mankind has always desired to see." Those words rounded themselves along her lips as she read the notes and scribbles that were strewn across the margins of her parchment. "What could it all mean?" She asked herself. From the evidence that they were already given, they deduced that the answer was a bird of some sort, but the problem was what type of bird. Before they split up, they discussed what lines of the riddle they would split, research and analyze; but they had to do it quick. Their time ends tomorrow at dusk, and this might be their only opportunity to get one of the easier riddles.

The main point of concern was that none of them were bird experts, or even interested in the flying animals. Liette was deathly afraid of birds when she was younger, and still kind of is at present. She wasn't too sure about Kristell or Peter, but Liette knew that Rivaille hates animals as much as he hates the titans. So she was sure that they wouldn't be getting and sure answers from him.

Liette sighed, leaning back into her chair playing around with the fork in her hand, she closed her eyes. "Traveled to lands… mankind has always dreamed to see…" This made Liette wonder about what was really past the walls. Not the small distances traveled with the Scouting Legion in addition to casualties and constant fear that drives attention away from the scenery. She wanted to see what lies in those unknown lands, to seek the answers from the great beyond.

Her silent daydream was cut short by the sound of someone taking a seat at her table, and she peeked through one eye to see who it was. To Liette's surprise, it was Nelson, smiling slightly.

"It looks like you've been doing well Liette" He said, giving her a small wink as he waited for his meal to be brought.

Liette smiled back as she sat up straight, "No point in crying over it anymore" She replied, poking at the vegetables floating about in her soup.

"I guess you're right" Nelson couldn't help but chuckle as he leaned forward to examine Liette more closely than before they last saw each other. She looked so much older than when she was a child. It began to make him feel old, seeing Liette grown up. What surprised him more than her maturation was her uniform. "You know, you were the last person I thought would join the Scouting Legion" His comment seemed a bit out of the blue, but it was really the only thing that was a major change that separated the child he knew as Liette, and the young woman who sat in front of him today.

Liette ran her fingers over the creases of the parchment she was writing on, "After the incident, I had nowhere else to turn. So the Military was the only home I could find." She said before scooping spoonful of soup into her mouth, "Besides, I was in the Military Police before"

Nelson nearly choked on his food, coughing from immense surprise, "Military Police?!" He had supposed that the rumors about her were true. In his honesty, he never expected Liette to be one of the top soldier's mankind has ever seen. Managing to swallow the lump of food in his throat, he inquired, "Can I ask you how Sis'?" He wasn't too sure about the Scouting Legion, but he knew that the Military Police was an extremely difficult elite group to get into.

His foster sister looked at him with confused eyes, "Shouldn't you know how already?" she asked in reply.

He shook his head before thinking about it for a moment, "Wait…" Nelson never really saw how the soldiers used the 3DMG, neither has he ever seen them in action before, but his best guess was that it required the user to have excellent body reflexes and the ability to maneuver weightlessly with efficiency, "It was because you were an acrobat wasn't it?" He answered, lighting up a bit.

Liette nodded as she smiled, "And it's all thanks to…..Norma…." Her voice shrilled as she felt the name of her deceased foster mother leave her lips. All of a sudden, her emotions flipped around, remembering what pain and mystery her life was enshrouded by.

"Liette…" Nelson murmured, reaching forward to hold her hand, and lend her his comfort. "It's okay, I'm here for you."

"I-I just want to know…who I really am. Is that so hard to ask brother?" She replied, tightening her grip slightly on Nelson's hand. It wasn't painful, but it was enough to feel the tension building up in her emotions.

"You're Liette, that's all you need to know." Nelson assured, "I'll always be there, every step of the way, to help you find out who you are. We're family, you're past is my past, and I want to find out about it too"

ooo

"Can I help you young man?" An elderly lady asked as she closed the large dusty book she was reading to help out the young Stationary Guard lad.

"Uhm yes!" Peter replied rather nervously as he quickly put the book he was reading back into the shelf.

"You've been browsing through books for the past hour! You know that?"

It sounded like she was scolding him, just like his grandmother did back home. "S-sorry ma'am!"

"Oh pish-posh, no need to apologize son! Now, what do you need?"

"Erm… I was looking for something on birds"

The old woman's wrinkly eyebrow curved up a bit in slight inquiry, "I think I might have something" Slowly making her way towards a shelf a little ways back, she began to sift and sift through books until she found a large worn book. Lifting it as if it were a bag of feathers, she brought it to Peter, whom felt the weight of the book with surprise.

"This man came by and dropped this book off a couple of days ago." The librarian replied fixing her large rimmed glasses, "Seems like a very old book. To be honest, I don't see what's so interesting about birds, my sons friend wanted to study these things. Poor soul, he was out bird watching near the Wall Maria when it fell. Who knows how quick his death was. If only he knew…" She rambled on to herself as she returned to her desk.

Peter casually ignored her as he sat down, leaning against the shelf of books. The candles were dimly lit, and it made it slight hard to see, but he could make out the color and texture of the cover. It was made of a material that was very unfamiliar to him, and the color was faded, but visible. A scarlet red adorned with golden seams along the spine. There was no inscription on the front, but could easily tell where it was.

He opened the musty and dust ridden worn pages of the book, and read the title of the first page with interest. Birds: Creatures from Gods to Men

"Well…. At least we know we're looking for birds" Peter chuckled to himself; reciting the line of the riddle he was assigned. "I am a messenger of the gods, a messenger beyond all others."

To quell his curiosity, he began to flip through the pages to see what he would expect when reading. Peter had always considered himself a person who was immersed in the world of literature in contrast with Kristell, who was immersed in the natural world.

He was delighted to know that there wasn't a wall of text planted onto each page, rather, there were passages separated by drawings, sketches, and diagrams of birds. There were also various notes scribbled in the margins. "There must be a whole lot of birds to fill up this many pages…." Peter said to himself. Hefting the book over his shoulder, he bid farewell to the librarian before heading back to the barracks.

ooo

It was her own fault, but Kristell had managed to get herself lost in the Karanese District. She herself didn't live in any of the districts as a child, and only lived in a small town near the Chlorba District with Peter.

She wandered the streets, pouting at herself, and the time of day. It was night, and completely dark save for the lamps that were lit in front of buildings. Unfortunately, it was too dark to tell which part of the wall was which, and Kristell wasn't very proficient at telling north from south.

Mumbling to herself inaudible thoughts, she stumbled upon an inn that had a few people going to and fro. Most of them seemed busy, so she did not want to disturb them. Thus, she took her gaze away from the entrance and towards an elderly man who was sitting by himself on a bench near the entrance. He seemed very content, reading the newspaper silently to himself.

"Um, excuse me sir?" Kristell asked as she approached the man.

Looking up from the edge of his paper, the old man asked in reply, "What can I do for you dear?" His voice was oddly gentle and sincere despite sounding so rasp and worn. "I'm afraid this old man might not be as useful as you think he is, especially helpin' you with yer Stationary Guard business, but I can try"

Kristell waited for him to finish his slight digression before speaking up again, "Do you know where to get to the Stationary Guard HQ from here?"

"Ah, the Stationary Guard. I can't remember how many times those guys helped us out with our kidnapping problems. There was a band of thieves near the mountains of the town, and they used to kidnap some of the orphans and demand a ransom. Poor kids, they didn't do anything to deserve that." The old man sighed, remembering past days, "But that was years ago. All those kids are grown up now." It seemed that behind those glasses of his were eyes that saw and enjoyed the essence of childhood the most. "I'm sorry, just talkin' to myself there. Go down this street and make a right. Keep going from there and you'll get there."

Nodding in reply as slightly saluted to the man, Kristell took her leave, "Thank you sir!"

"No problem youngin'! You got more important things than talkin to an old man like me, so get to it!" He waved back while returning to his paper, chuckling, "Hehehe, that girl… almost reminds me of Clara…"

ooo

Rivaille was leaning up against the wall of an alley with crossed arms and an ever bored expression spread across his face. He was waiting for someone, and frankly, he was getting somewhat impatient, expressing so by tapping his foot.

Lo and behold, footsteps began to echo through the alley. The soft voice Irene rang through his ears, "Early as usual Rivaille" She approached him with a leisurely aura.

"Cut to the chase" He replied snottily, "What did you call me out here for?"

"I wanted to tell you something" Irene pulled her hood down, allowing her dark brown hair to flow.

Rivaille squinted his eyes, "Like?"

"Liette's ordeal is your ordeal also" The First Lord replied, standing next to him, leaving him to wonder what her statement meant. "I'm trying to help both of you with your pasts"

He curved an eyebrow up, still not amused, "What the hell do you mean?"

Brushing his somewhat demanding demeanor aside, "The Paramount was the reason 'she' died"

The Lance Corporals composure broke as soon as he picked wind of who Irene was talking about, "W-what…?"

"He was the one who sent them to kill her…" Irene's leisurely attitude melted away into a slightly guilt-ridden angry tone. "I was too slow; if I was just a hair faster… then she would still be here today…"

Rivaille angrily slammed his fist against the wall, "Stop…Don't apologize…" Rubbing his face in silent pain, he spoke up again, "It wasn't your fault"

"No… Tori… please….Your beautiful, clean face, it's all dirty. Blood… dirt….tears…. mud…"

"Do..n't… .be silly Rivaille…When I'm.. with you…. Everything is…. Clean…Please Rivaille…. Promise me… That you will…. always stay like that…."

Rivaille's emotions were grinding into a factory of pain and regret, leaning there still against the wall. He stared at his own hands, still seeing them dipped in blood, the blood of the girl he loved. The dirt, the tears, the mud, and the blood, all of them made themselves real in front of Rivaille again.

Drip…. Drip….. Drip. The silent raindrops and the droplets of blood streaming from his hands were the only thing Rivaille could hear. He could smell the metallic odor of the red liquid, and taste the agony and sorrow building inside him.

Everything around him was dirty, filthy, and repulsive. He just wished all the stains would simply wash away, the stains of his past, the stains of the world, the stains of mankind. All of it, just wash away.

To stay clean, that was his last promise to her. It was one promise he intended to keep, even if it killed him.

The Next Day

Liette strangely found herself sleeping over a desk, books opened and strewn about. Her eyes were heavy with the need to sleep, and she could barely remember for what reason these books were for. Glance after glance, Liette soon remembered the events of what happened last night.

After the heartfelt conversation she and Nelson had during dinner, Nelson had decided to give Liette a helping hand into solving the riddle she had at hand. One of his associates dropped off a large load of ecology related books for storage. Some of them were also journals and a compilation of stories and rumors about what lied behind the walls.

Bit by bit after skimming over the words, Liette slowly and slowly remembered what they were about, and once again, she was fascinated by their imagery. Some of the journals described large bodies of water where animals larger than the titans dwelled. Other entries also spoke of lands where it always snowed, white frost covering the land every day of the year.

What struck Liette's interest the most was the large mountain ridges that rose up to the sky themselves. Tips covered with snow, bases that were too steep to climb. It all entranced her into awe.

"Wait! Could it be…. A mountain..?" Liette wondered to herself, but that idea was certainly short lived as she remembered the other lines of the riddle. Particularly the "always knowing the way home" part was the only reason why her idea was wrong.

"No…" Shaking her head in slight disappointment, Liette heard Nelson enter the study with two mugs of coffee in hand.

Handing her one of the mugs, he asked, "How is it going?"

"Still nothing" Liette replied, sipping the bitter coffee without a second thought. "The deadline is half a day away… and we still don't have many leads"

"Hmm…" Nelson replied, "Maybe you're thinking too hard."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't over think it. The answer might be simpler than you thought" He replied patting Liette on the head while glancing over one of the journals, "Go outside and get some fresh air. Maybe the answer will come to you then"

After giving it some thought, Liette agreed as she finished drinking her coffee. Turning her head to stare at the morning sky, "Maybe I am overthinking this" She murmured to herself as she quickly rubbed Nelson's hair before she left.

ooo

Peter had never found himself so intrigued by a book, and a journal by that manner. The sketches were so vivid, so lifelike. There were many things that kept his interest when reading about these flying creatures to Peter. Most primarily were their origins, and their unique features.

Never did a book once captivate him so much that he stood up nearly all night to read it. It was a good thing Kristell was a heavy sleeper, or else the constant flipping back and forth of pages would certainly wake her up.

There were probably over 50 different species that were compiled in the book, each of them had a good five to ten pages including illustrations and a brief (or detailed) description about them. He started reading through the night, and only managed to get through around ten pages worth of reading as he was self-literate. He only got a couple of hours of sleep last night. Half the time he was thinking about what new species could be waiting for him to read about.

It was intriguing to him. There was this one species of bird called a penguin. Rumor has it that they lived in cold, snowy environments, and they couldn't fly. A bird that couldn't fly simply amazed Peter. How would it survive? How can it escape from predators? Why the cold?

Those questions propelled Peter to dive deeper into the secrets of the natural world. In a way, it reminded him of humanity itself, driven on the brink of extinction by the titans. If these "penguins" could survive without the ability to fly in the frost and cold, then humans can survive within the shadow of these titans.

There were only rough sketches that didn't really make out to be much of anything. They appeared to be bulky and slow, but also seemed to have fins, kind of like a fish.

"I see…" Peter murmured to himself, "They had to adapt… " Looking at his own Stationary Guard patch, he couldn't help but smile, "And we adapted also! And we must continue to adapt! Someday, we'll get rid of them. Someday…"

Even though his short little speech was done, his reading was not. It was about time to move onto the next species of bird. To his surprise, it was an extremely common bird.

The Pigeon: From Gods to Men

"I am a messenger…" His wordless lips mouthed as he carefully read the paragraphs describing the pigeon.

As I mentioned before, like the Dove, the Pigeon is considered a bird of the gods. However, unlike the Dove, angelic in appearance with beauty transcending the other birds, the pigeon is a different like. They are often referred to as the bringers of the word, or messenger bird.

Why? Well it's simple. These birds have the unique ability to always find their way home! Where that might be, who knows?

Anyway, I found that this nifty little bird has a lot of uses, especially sending messages to distant lands. What I don't really understand is how these birds know where they're going!

Maybe it takes a special bond, or perhaps years of training for someone to effectively use these birds as a messenger. Despite how common this bird is, these little things can travel relatively far, and high. On one of my travels, I was crossing a mountain ridge on the southern side of the Wall Rose and I saw a flock of these little troopers perched on some of the trees at the base.

To my extreme surprise, after I got to the other side, I saw them, perched on a little tree. Just staring at me with those big orange eyes.

But enough about their characteristics, let's move onto their origins. You see these birds every day perched on your roofs, but where did they actually come from?

Peter continued to read with intensity with the understanding that he might have solved the riddle. Slamming shut the book, not bothering about the dust output it caused.

"I have to tell the rest!" He called out, sprinting as fast as he can to where Liette was staying. That was the rendezvous point she designated for everyone else in case they found out the answer. "Finally! My way of contributing!" Peter's spirits were very high, in hopes that he might have found a way to help out.

ooo

Kristell was sitting on the ledge of a bridge, watching the water from the small creek flow. Honestly, she somewhat gave up, really having no clue on what the answer to the riddle might be. Sighing to herself, "Maybe I'm just a burden to everyone" It wasn't easy to disappoint Kristell, but when she realizes that she would be useless to everyone, it gets her depressed.

"But Liette sounded so confident when she picked us…." Brightening up a bit, "And I can't disappoint her now!" With a burst of enthusiasm, she shot up, standing majestically on the ledge with her head high. Unfortunately, Kristell stood, unknowingly, with the heel of her boot nearly slipping on the edge. Without the slightest movement, she fell forward into the shallow creek.

Yelping as she covered her face from the water, she laid there on her stomach, pouting to herself about her own klutziness. "I just washed this uniform too…."

While she was busy grumbling about her recent downfall, she took notice of a familiar little bird she befriended on her way here to the Karanese District. It was a pigeon that was wading through the shallow water, staring intently at her it's head tilted slightly.

"Wait…. Could it be…the same one..?" She asked herself as she gently took hold of the bird, examining it with detail. The one she met had a black stripe going vertical up its head. As expected, her suspicion was true; it was the same bird she had seen days earlier. "It is you!" She exclaimed as she petted her small companion.

"You must be hungry! Traveling all the way here from there!" Gently setting the bird down on the ground as she herself sat on the dirt, she pulled out a small pouch, "I was going to use this for dinner tonight, but you can have some" Pouring a small bit of grain, specifically rice, she fed some to it.

Smiling as she watched it enjoy the meal, Kristell had garnered the idea that this small bird would be the answer.

No matter how far I go, no matter where I am, I will always know my way back home.

It wasn't the best reason in the world; it was a better answer than anything else. There was the possibility that the Karanese District was its home.

Quickly standing up, she dusted off her bottom, and tried to dry off her soaking uniform without avail. Afterward, she hastily paced herself to where Liette instructed if they had a good idea of what the answer to the riddle was.

"Coo!" The pigeon sounded as it followed her, perching itself on the ledge of the bridge, staring at her.

"I'm sorry little one, but I don't have anymore" Kristell shook her head as she continued on, but the pigeon did not stay put. As she pushed onward, it perched itself on her shoulder. "Wh-wha..? You wanna come along?"

"Coo!" The pigeon sounded in response.

"Are you sure? It's gonna get dangerous for you" She replied. It kind of felt as if she knew what its intentions were, almost like she was talking with it.

It did nothing except ruffle and lick its feathers. Kristell smiled, "I'll take it as a yes then!" She exclaimed as she ran forward, "Try to stay on if you can!"

ooo

Last night's conversation with Irene brought back some guilty memories within Rivaille. "Tori…" He murmured her name to himself as he walked through the streets of the Karanese District, hands in pockets. The experience of remembering that painful memory brought to Rivaille's attention of what his past was. He knew he couldn't run away from it forever, no matter how much good he would do for mankind, being humanities strongest soldier and all. He knew that one day; he would have to confront the devils of his past.

At this point, he had almost forgotten about the task that Irene had given all of them "Doesn't even bother to give a hint…" He said this to himself in a rather familiar tone. He was surprised that no one asked him what his acquaintance with Irene was, possibly because the recruits were scared of him, but Liette on the other hand. There were two possibilities, one was that she knew he was associated with the world of crime before, or two, she was completely oblivious about it. Knowing her personally, he would think that it was the second option.

Shifting his thoughts from his ability to make people uncomfortable around him, Rivaille suddenly found himself thinking about Liette again. "Do I really know her… that well..?" He thought back on the first time they met and up until now.

"State your name" Rivaille said, lazily without any enthusiasm. He was annoyed that he had to do the recruit introductions today for the new Scouting Legion rookies that had great ambitions of fighting titans.

"Liette Herrman sir!" The silver haired girl replied with much pride, saluting the Lance Corporal.

"And where were you before you entered the Scouting Legion?" Her appearance aside interested him, but he wanted to see what her background was, "And don't say part of military training"

"Uhh…." Liette hesitated for a moment, but said anyway, "Military Police sir!"

"Oh…?" This sparked a keen interested in Rivaille as he leaned in closer to her face, staring directly into her lavender pupils, "Military Police?" The look on his face was quite apathetic, as it was dull.

""Y-Yes sir!"

"Are you stupid?" He asked as he distanced himself.

"Huh..?" Liette asked in return, unsure of how to answer his question.

"I said, are you stupid?" He repeated.

"I-I guess so" She replied, being bluntly honest. She swallowed the lump in her throat, growing from Rivaille's unapproachable appearance.

He scoffed, but no more than that, "Being honest with yourself is something tough to achieve" He said, moving on. Her response was quite satisfactory, as many of the Scouting Legion recruits were cocky, stubborn, and prideful. They would refuse naysayers such as himself, ignoring advice, believing that they alone can take down all the titans. Unfortunately, he saw many of those prideful, stubborn, and cocky men and women meet their dooms.

The Scouting Legion isn't about making yourself a hero. It's about showing how pathetic you are by yourself.

Amidst his trail of memory, Rivaille heard a slight plopping sound, like something wet was hitting the ground. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of it from his spot leaning against the building nearby.

Investigating, he found that it was a white liquid substance that was dropped to the floor.

"What the hell is this?" He asked himself, examining it, but ever refusing to touch it. "White…."

I fear not the unknown of distant worlds, but when I am afraid, I create white.

White as pure as the heavens themselves, but as disgusting as the dirt of the ground.

The lines of the riddle echoed in his head as he suddenly felt something drip onto his hand. It was the same white substance, "Where..?" He asked himself as he looked up at the source. There was a flock of pigeons perched above.

"Create…. White…" He slowly murmured to himself, realizing what this white stuff really was, "As disgusting… as the dirt of the ground!"

"Ahhh! God!" He slightly blurted out, trying to search for something to wipe the fecal matter on. It seemed to be his lucky day because a water barrel was nearby.

"Excuse me sir?" If you're washing your hands in that, I'm afraid to tell you, but that water is for the horses"

Rivaille's heart froze as he glared into the water, seeing a few little objects floating here and there, "Argghh!"

ooo

Liette woke from her quiet nap. It seemed that she dozed off while glaring at the sky, wondering about the possibilities for what might be the answer to the riddle. It was such a nice day, she couldn't help but sleep.

"The answers to my life….rest on this riddle…" She whispered to herself, slightly frustrated that she hadn't gotten an answer yet. It seemed so simple, yet, she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Think Liette…Think! What is it?" The frustration began to build up, to the point where she wanted to cry.

"Stop overthinking it!" Norma's gentle voice spoke in her mind, "If you think too much, you won't be able to balance correctly, and the flip will send you on your bottom"

"What do you mean by that Norma?" A child Liette asked, tilting her head.

"Close your eyes and clear your mind. Don't think about whether you're going to fall or not, don't think about any of that. Calm your mind, that's the key. If your mind is at unrest, then so will your body"

Liette took a deep breath, closing her eyes, calming her mind, but above all, she trusted Norma's words. With the count of three, Liette bent both knees and jumped.

Her eyes shot open, doing what Norma suggested those many years ago. But it wasn't just the end of the flashback that brought her to her senses; it was the cooing of pigeons. They perched themselves next to her, their orange eyes glaring at her, and all about.

At that moment, she realized something. While she was glaring around the Irene's garden, she saw a pair of eyes extremely similar. In fact, it was a pigeon's pair of eyes that she saw through the foliage of the vines and trees.

"A pigeon…" Liette smiled to herself as she nodded in agreement, all the parts matched up. "I have my answer now."

As she was climbing down from the roof, she landed on her feet wrong, "Ow!" Her ankle throbbed with pain as she remembered that she still hasn't fully recovered from the injuries sustain from the campaign a week before. Quite frankly, Liette almost forgot about that whole nightmare. So many other things had taken precedent over it that, she couldn't help but keep it at the back of her mind.

Amidst her rubbing her pained ankle, Nelson coincidentally approached her, "Well? Did some fresh air help you out?"

Liette smiled at him, despite the fading pain "I think I found my answer"

"Really? I knew it would help"

With a smile growing on her, "It's all thanks to Norma" This time she said it without any qualms.

"Liette!" Someone called out as Peter abruptly entered through the fence of Nelson's backyard.

Both of them were quite surprised to see Peter, who was trying to catch his breath from all his running. He sounded very desperate or frantic at least.

"Peter! What's the matter?" Liette asked.

"I…hehhhh, I think… he… I found the answer….heeee hoooo…."

"Yahoo!" At that same moment, Kristell came jumping in over the fence on the other side of Nelson's backyard. "Whoa..!" She yelped as her foot caught because she jumped too low.

"Ow…" She murmured as her newly gained pigeon companion rest on top of her head.

"Kristell…?"

"Oh! Liette! I think I just found the answer to the riddle!"

"That's funny because I think I found out the answer too!" Peter responded.

Liette furrowed her eyebrows at the slight coincidence, "I already found it out. The answer is…"

"A pigeon" Rivaille said, rudely interrupting Liette midway as he joined the rest of the group. His mood was extremely sour after the frightful revelation his hands had encountered a few minutes before.

"That's what I was going to say!" Everyone else replied in reaction to his butting in. It was an uncanny meeting, but as long as they got an answer, Liette was completely fine with it.

Madrick Guild Hall

"Oh?" Irene asked interestingly as she tilted her head at the squad that had made themselves present to her this day. Her legs were crossed to reveal a hefty portion of her leg and her head was tilted to express a slight fancy, but also seductive aura. "So you think you have the answer to my riddle?"

"We don't think" Liette responded, "We know we have the answer"

The First Crime Lord leaned forward a bit with her finger on her chin, "Oh really now?

Irene's throne room was silent for a few moments except for the ruffling of Hooters feathers.

"You are a pigeon" Liette bluntly stated, glaring into Irene's soft gaze.

She simply closed her eyes and chuckled in reply, "Correct"

Liette's heart skipped a bit as Irene replied correct, and she, including everyone else sighed with relief that they had gotten it right.

Irene held her finger out, and like a natural instinct, Hooter fluttered towards her from Kristell's shoulder and perched itself. "Though they may lack a heavenly appearance like the dove, or the ferocity of an eagle, or even, perhaps the sustainability of the chicken. The pigeon is a bird gifted from the gods."

Irene began to pet Hooter gently, "Many people managed to escape the villages in time when the Wall Maria fell. " Standing up, before homing silent again, Irene gestured for Liette, and only Liette, to come with her, "As promised, I shall bestow upon the information you so desire"

ooo

Irene had led Liette to her own personal study. "Please, have a seat" She said taking a seat at the small tea table by the window. "I was speaking with your Commander here a few days ago. Thank him later for giving you this head start"

Liette didn't really know how to respond as she was too anxious to find out what the Crime Lord was going to tell her.

"I guess I should start from the beginning." Irene said, folding her hands, "But before I start, may I ask by chance, do you have a smoking instrument on you?"

"Smoking?" Liette asked in reply as she reached into her pouch, taking out her pipe. "You mean something like this?"

"Perfect" The Crime Lord replied, reaching forward to examine the pipe. She struck the pip against the palm of her hand in emphasis as she said, "This is one of the things the Paramount seeks from you"

"A pipe? But Roger gave this to me"

"Precisely why he wants it"

Liette was still a bit confused.

"I should have begun earlier." The tone was set for Irene to begin explaining, "By now you should know that Roger Dalton was planning on selling you correct?"

It seemed like an insensitive question to Liette, but knowing that Irene was asking a serious question, she nodded in reply.

He wasn't always associated with crime. You see, in his younger days, around thirty years back, Roger used to be a merchant. His father had left him a small business for him to get by day by day. But it wasn't enough, his ambition was too great. The man was intelligent, and dedicated. After years of hard work, he became a rich and wealthy merchant.

His competitors became increasingly jealous of his rising wealth and power, and thus, turned to corrupt political channels to drive him out of business. After a few lawsuits and rigged trade agreements, Roger lost everything. All of his hard work, destroyed. He was enraged, and he swore revenge on those who aided his downfall.

He knew who of his competitors were part of the plot to bring him down, but he did not know the names of the politicians that sided against him in the lawsuit. Thus, he fought fire with fire. Corruption with corruption. That was where the Madrick Guild played role. He sought the assistance of our guild to seek out the information pertaining to the politicians and his competitors so that he might have used it for his own gain.

I was young at the time, but I remember clearly, my father was trying his best to avoid contracts that may have led the way to corrupt channels. Bur Roger insisted, hungering for revenge, and found a loophole in the contract with the Guild House. He threatened to reveal it, which would result in heavy fines, and for the time, we couldn't afford it. What convinced my father to accept was the money he paid us. He had used what was left of his wealth after he lost it, so desperate for revenge. That was Rogers first step into the world I see today.

Using the channel we opened for him, he accused all his foes for various things, tax evasion, black market deals, slave trading, bribery, all the like. He had irrefutable evidence, thanks to our excellent, but unknown spy network. One by one, he forced his enemies on their knees, and bit by bit, his wealth grew again.

But it didn't stop there.

After he began to regain his position, he felt that he needed to expand the securities of his business. So he kept us on the leash. Soon, he began to conduct illegal trade and evaded taxes, much to the discontent of some of his workers and business partners. Those who threatened to rat him out were taken care of.

By now, his ever growing empire of corruption caught the attention of the Paramount. During this time, there were only six Crime Lords including the Paramount. Those absent were from the three districts surrounding the Wall Sina, as, the corruption had not spread as deep as it is now.

As a result of befriending the heads of the crime world, his connections grew even larger. He enjoyed a few years of a lavish lifestyle, plotting conspiracies, changing decisions within the Council of Politicians, driving humanity towards the will of the crime.

Thus, about nine years later, he was presented with the opportunity to steal the reins of humanity itself.

From there, Iris ended her bit of storytelling to let it sink into Liette's mind. "Now do you know, the man whom you called your father better?"

Surprisingly, Liette wasn't extremely fazed by this. It was difficult for her to absorb, but she felt no emotional strain in doing so. "That explains the reason why… he felt so distant…. Why he was always gone…."

Noticing that Liette was still waiting for her to speak again, Irene added, "As an additional reward, I shall accompany you on these series of trials."

Liette was a bit confused by the sudden additional reward. Irvin didn't include that in the letter he enclosed to her. "What do you mean?"

"It means that I will help you through the tasks of the other Lords. I am taking your side in this game" Irene grinned with a most leisurely manner.

"Why?"

"Liette, there comes the day you realize that the job you loved so much, suddenly becomes your worst nightmare. And the source of that nightmare is the Paramount." Irene's relaxed tone swelled into a demeanor of sorrow.

Liette could to Irene's situation completely, but instead, every day in the Scouting Legion felt like a nightmare. Strangely enough, a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from. Not that she couldn't, but that she didn't want to.

All in all, that was the last major event for the day. In an attempt to celebrate, they all went out for dinner, Rivaille's tab, at least, according to Liette. Even though he didn't want to get stuck with everyone's bill, he reluctantly shut his mouth, claiming that Liette's alcohol bill would out cost everyone's meals anyway.

As Irene directed, the next district they must head towards next is none other than the Trost District. There, they will meet with the Second Crime Lord, the Lord of Greed.

That morning, Rivaille rented out a wagon and enough supplies to last them a couple of days with the funds he was allotted from Irvin's written request.

Keeping her word about aiding Liette in her campaign, Irene arrived, ready to embark. The only qualm the Crime Lord had was that Elsa was on board. Her stubborn younger sister insisted that she tag along much to Rivaille's discontent. But that only made her want to come even more.

Liette thought it was extremely strange, having one of the most powerful people in the world of crime under her instruction. It seemed too good to be true, and for some reason, she still felt that there was something suspicious about Irene. It was a small nag at the back of her mind, but if Rivaille put his trust in her, then she supposed that she could too.

"Liette!" A voice called out in the distance down the road behind them. It was someone running, luggage in hand.

"Nelson?" Liette asked in reply as she jumped off the wagon to meet her foster brother. "What are you doing?"

"I left my house… to one of my coworkers." Nelson replied catching his breath from his running, "I'm coming with you of course! Didn't I tell you I was going to help you through every step of the way?"

"Yes, but you don't have to leave everything behind, just for me" Liette tried to convince him out of it. This campaign was going to be dangerous; she didn't want to risk Nelson's life.

"Liette, you, Filla, Norma, everyone else. You guys were everything to me. We're family Liette. Your problems are my problems."

Liette couldn't help but smile and tightly hug her brother. "Nelson…" It was a feeling she hadn't felt in such a long time, the feeling of family. Slightly backing up, showing a bit of professionalism. Liette saluted to Nelson, saying with dignity,

"It is my honor, to induct you into the Private Investigation Squad!"

A/N: Hello guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Unfortunately, since I've been getting lazy with writing and really wanted to publish already, I kind of rushed the ending of the chapter. Just some light proofreading here and there.

It was quite difficult to create four separate events for the four characters in the squad we have now, but I think it all foiled out nicely. Now, if you are confused about the story so far, I understand. I intended for it to be quite complex, and I plan to do a complete recap by the end of this arc. If you do have any questions, feel free to ask in the review section!

I'm sure this was a great chapter, certainly much longer than usual! Anyway, I wanted to dive much more into Rivaille's past and how he became the clean freak he is now, especially since they don't really go into his past, much to my knowledge.

Anyway, I thank everyone who's made a review, and I thank everyone who's following or favoring my story! It wouldn't hurt to ask, but I really appreciate reviews!

On a final note, please give me some feedback on my story telling! I think I come up with great ideas, but I'm not the best when it comes to writing them out.

That's all for now, so enjoy that chapter and I will see you next time!