Attack on Titan: Left Behind

by Forschia

The bravest soldiers of mankind in Survey Corps have no stories with happy endings. Even so, for them, life isn't all hellfire and agony; it's not always butterflies and rainbows either. They live a life of never-ending fights, bearing humanity's hope of freedom on their damaged backs, and the torment to be left behind in this cruel world inside their broken hearts. [LevixOC]

8. Chapter 7

Attack on Titan: Left Behind

Chapter 7

-Year 845, two weeks before 30th expedition-

Survey Corps Headquarter was a medieval castle located in southeastern part of Wall Rose, not too far from Trost District. The four floor castle surrounded by the forest that served as a perfect 3DM Gear training field. The main courtyard was vast; there were running tracks for physical fitness training, training grounds, field exercise and horseback riding. Behind the main building, there were stables that functioned as home for about two hundred special bred horses. After the sudden and unexpected collapse of half of the southern wing and the entirety of the west wing (which destroyed the private laboratory of the deranged scientist), the main operation of Survey Corps was temporarily relocated to Heubach Castle. Since the case was closed and the Military Police investigation revealed no malice was involved in the unfortunate event, Central Government granted the permission to earmark the taxes from citizens for renovation, and thus severely cut the budget for the next expedition.

And now, the Headquarter was looking as good as new, although the remaining thick layer of dust and scraps of wood littered the whole building. Good thing, there were always cadets to do all the labor work, including cleaning the entire new building — which was still far from finished — and moving the furnishings, like today. After lunch break, all the cadets gathered up in the front yard, waiting for the wagons transporting goods from Heubach Castle. The famous cleanliness-lover superior had ordered them to pristinely clean every nook and cranny of the building, he even made an unreasonable proposal to the Commander that cadets' training hours should be significantly allocated to cleaning hours, in which the Commander unwillingly approved after a long time spent bargaining. So, the cadets had nothing to say in their defense and could do nothing but follow the grand cleaning plan, if they still valued their lives and their military career.

"I'm gradually losing my sanity with all these ridiculous tasks," said Gerard as he watched incoming wagons with a dispirited expression then glanced to the girl beside him. "Thank goodness Miss Nanaba cleared you to do cleaning duty."

Alex, who seemed to be the one and only excited to start cleaning duty, rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. "I'm ready to work!" she said eagerly. "I've stayed far too long in infirmary, doing nothing. You have no idea how boring it was."

"I wish I was locked up in infirmary," said Gerard seriously. "Maybe I should pretend to be sick or something."

"You need to be on the verge of death to skive off this duty," said Emory with calm expression. "Captain Levi won't care even if you break your arm as long as you could sweep the floor."

Gerard's face went slightly disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll stick with dusting the cupboard…" He flung an arm around Alex's shoulder and ruffled her auburn hair. "We're counting on you today, cutie."

"Don't worry, I'll clean extra hard today to make up for my absence," said Alex, cracking her knuckles.

"If this goddamn Headquarter ever collapses again," said Kenneth fiercely, crossing his arms and glaring at the building behind them. "I'll submit my resignation letter first thing on the next day."

"Cheer up, dude," said Gerard bracingly, giving a pat on his back. "You survived three years of military training, you can survive this."

The wagons stopped right in front of the main gate and the Cadets hurried to start their work, and Alex was the first one who dashed off and took out the crate.

"I'm a soldier," Kenneth hissed as they had finished unloading the last wagon. "I am a full-fledged, legitimate soldier. I'm here to fight titans, not become a freaking slave labor, that damn midget!"

Alex chuckled to her palm, seeming like she found enjoyment in Kenneth's frustration. "I believe Captain Levi always supervised the cleaning duty."

"No shit," said Kenneth sourly. "He always glared at us like starving eagle, barking out instructions non-stop and criticizing every single thing we did."

"He usually got very pissed off because we couldn't do as he expected," said Gerard as he lifted a heavy looking crate, "then he started using many words that I don't feel comfortable repeating in public. Every single day was like hell."

"It couldn't be helped, I think he's not the most mannerly person to begin with," said Alex. "By the way, anyone see Sophie? She had already left the barracks when I woke up this morning, and I haven't seen her at all today."

"She took a leave of absence today," said Emory, carrying the biggest crate and following the other cadets toward the staircase. "She told me yesterday she had to go home for important business."

"She ran away to Quinta District on the busiest day?! What the hell?!" Kenneth growled, picking up three stacks of crates at once. "I bet she couldn't stand to do more cleaning, that pathetic bitch."

Emory looked at Kenneth with a thoughtful expression. "Now that you mention it, she's really hopeless with this kind of stuff. It's almost like she never done this before…"

"I feel sorry for her, I mean, Captain Levi yells at her all the time," said Gerard, shuddering at the remembrance of the horrifying scene. "She's very tough to handle all that pressure."

Recalling how frightful the wrath of Humanity's Strongest Soldier could be made them march up the stairs faster. When they reached the second floor, Kenneth immediately came to a halt, turning around and looking down.

"Dwarf, you sure don't need help with that?" Kenneth asked, making a funny expression somewhere between intangible pity and a grin of amusement.

Alex was left behind by her comrades; she trotted miserably at the bottommost stairs while bearing a crate which weight seemed too much to be handled by her tiny stature.

"I—don't—need—help—!" she grunted, taking several steps forward with a worrying totter like she could crumble any second.

"I think you're gonna snap your back in half," Emory commented. "Don't push yourself too hard, you're still recuperating."

"No—I'm—fine! Really!" she convinced him, or perhaps convinced herself.

Gerard sighed and walked down the stairs. "Just give it to me, Alex."

"I can do it by myself!" she insisted. "Go, I'll be fine! I'll keep up you all!"

Her comrades gave her one last concerned look as they kept walking up the stairs. Alex took a deep breath and continued to climb up with all her might. And then, halfway up the staircase, not concentrating on where she stepped on, not thinking about anything but the cramps in her arms and back, her foot slipped. She gave an ungainly wobble before eventually losing her balance, and letting the crate fall out of her weakened clutch.

"AAAAAARGH!"

*CRASH!*

*THUD!*

"OUCH!"

Alex tumbled down two flights of stairs into the main hall. She landed on her stomach with a painful thud, feeling she just crashed against something hard, but not as hard as the stone floor…

"Is this a hobby of yours? Tripping and falling off of stuff?"

The gravelly voice struck her like jolts of electricity. She opened her eyes only to meet…a pair of steely gray eyes staring at her with absolute annoyance. She stared back, blinking absentmindedly, then let out a horrified gasp upon realizing she just landed right on the top of her superior — who was lying sprawled on the floor — with faces just an inch away from each other.

"Captain Levi!" Alex screamed, jumping on her feet at once and helping him to stand up. "Sir, I'm terribly sorry! It's an accident! You okay, sir?!"

"What the hell were you doing?!" snapped Levi, rubbing the back of his head.

"I was…bringing that crate to fourth floor, and I fell," said Alex weakly. "I'm so, so, sorry, sir…"

"Stop endangering yourself and other people's lives," said Levi indignantly, glaring at her.

He picked the crate up with one hand as though it weighed nothing and tramped up the staircase. Blushing vigorously, Alex trudged up behind him.

"Do me a favor," said Levi as they arrived on the fourth floor.

"What is it, sir?" asked Alex.

He stacked the crate on the corridor, staring at the devastating mess all around them. "I put you in charge of today's cleaning. Show to your useless comrades how to clean properly."

"You're not going to supervise our work?"

"Erwin summoned me. It bothers me to leave those idiots cleaning alone…" he grumbled with a desperate expression. "But at least you can look after them. I trust your cleaning, I can rest assured all will be fine."

"I'll do my very best," said Alex solemnly, covering her head with a white bandana.

"I'll check the work. This whole wing has to be cleaned today," Levi reminded, leering disapprovingly at a few cadets who cleaned the windowsill in an unsatisfying method. "Tell them to wipe every nook and canny, including all the tiniest spots, even the gaps between bookshelves, or else, they'll have to clean until dinner."

Alex saluted and stormed away, swaying the duster through the fog of swirling dust like wielding a sword. Levi threw one last disgusted look at the dust particles floating in the ray of sunlight. His hands felt an overpowering urge to grab the nearest rag and rub the window. Knowing his unstoppable tendency to never allow any filth to exist near him, it cost him every bit of determination he had to storm off to Erwin's office, which was strangely deserted with open parchments scattered on the desk, as though the Commander had left in hurry. Wondering where Erwin might be, Levi set off to conference room. He was running down the stairs, when a shrill voice screamed his name.

"Leviiiiiii!" Hange Zoe, who had just emerged from a room, shouted and waved at him from the hallway. "I have something to tell you!"

Instead of stopping to listen to whatever she was about to inform him about, Levi marched away faster and seemed to become suddenly deaf, acting nonchalant as if he hadn't heard anything, even though her voice cracked like a whip.

"Hey! Levi! I'm talking to you!" Hange shouted louder. "Damn it, wait!" She sprinted until caught up with him, blocking his way. "Listen! I —"

"No," said Levi sternly.

"You don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Whatever it was, it must be very troublesome and annoying. I don't want to get involved. Move, four-eyes." He pushed her aside and began to walk away. "I need to find Erwin."

"Erwin's out of HQ for the moment, and, I'm here to pass on his order to you. Remember what event will be held tonight?"

Levi turned back and stared at her with his usual 'I-don't-give-a-single-fuck' scowl.

"It's the royal ball in Wall Sina." She pulled out a tiny scroll of parchment tied with a red ribbon from her pocket. "We are indeed invited by the nobility who hosts the charity gala, and guess what, Levi? Erwin ordered you to come."

"You're joking, right?" said Levi coldly. Hearing his name being spoken in the same sentence with 'nobility' successfully made him cringe. "Why me? I thought only the brass would attend."

Hange shrugged. "Yeah, why you? I can't compehened why Erwin added an anti-social person like you to the invitation list."

It took a while for Levi to recover from the shock of having the prospect of engaging in social interaction with the pompous inhabitants of the inner walls. He exhaled exasperatedly, giving the scroll a nasty look as though it was its fault Erwin ordered him for such a maddening task. Why did he want him to come? Levi was, obviously, the least well-mannered person of all people and the word 'sociable' could not be found in his dictionary of life, questioning Erwin's judgment was not an option, but still…

Hange waited for his response, flourishing the scroll in front of his face. "So, what do you say?"

Levi gave the scroll another nasty look. "Fine. I'll come."

"Oh, great!" Hange smiled widely, shoving the scroll into his hand. "You will ride the carriage from here at four with Erwin. Don't be late! Do you know what you will wear? Come with me if you need help with the suit and bowtie, and the color of — "

"Shut up, four-eyes," said Levi irritably. "Just be grateful I'm willing to come."

"Okay then. See ya tonight!" Hange smacked his back and dashed off. "Now, time to find the girl."

And within minutes, Hange was moving along swiftly through the Cadets in the west wing, searching for the striking auburn hair among the crowd. At last, she found the girl, who was tiptoeing on a chair, dusting the top bookshelves and making a whirlwind of dust.

"There you are, Alex!" Hange exclaimed. "I've been looking for you!"

"Oh, Squad Leader!" Alex squeaked, jumping down and rushing toward her. "Ma'am! I'm sorry! I'm not done with the reports you asked me to write. I'm adding the final hypothesis for the theory about titans' social interaction and I need more time to — "

"Those reports can wait," Hange cut in. "Come with me. We have more important things to do."

"Right now? But Cadets have cleaning duty and I —"

"The others can do it," said Hange impatiently. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Hange pulled her out of the room by hand without giving her another seconds to protest. All the Cadets had stopped whatever they were doing, staring silently at Alex with a somewhat terrified, and yet very hopeless expression. Alex spared an apologetic look to horror-stricken Emory, Kenneth, and Gerard, as she walked past them.

"Squad Leader Hange!" said Gerard, running to her. "Ma'am, you can't take Alex away! We need her!"

"There are plenty of you," said Hange, waving her hand dismissively. "Shortage of one person won't make much difference."

The murmur of protests escalated rapidly into an explosion of complaints, which Hange blatantly ignored.

"Good luck with that, Cadets!" Hange shouted from the end of corridor, grinning at the look of despair on every face. "My prayer goes to all of you!" Then she ran down the stairs with Alex. "Jeez, poor Cadets. I can tell from the look on their faces that Levi is the most frightening being they've ever met in the whole world."

"But, Squad Leader, is it okay for me to go with you?" asked Alex. "Captain Levi put me in charge of today's cleaning. If he finds out I'm skiving…" She gulped and drew her forefinger slowly against her own throat, making a slicing motion to emphasize the terrifying consequences.

Hange snorted with laughter. "Don't worry, Shortie can't overrule Erwin's order."

"Commander gives me an order? What is it, ma'am?"

"You are going to the nobleman party tonight at Mitras, along with me and other officers."

Alex almost tripped again on her way down the stairs but managed to grab the railings in time. "I am what?!"

"We'll attend one of the most prestigious ball room parties in the entire Wall Sina." Hange was sweeping along quickly so she failed to notice the horror on the younger soldier's face. "The invitations were only addressed to the brass, but Erwin added your name in the last minute."

"B-B-But, why do you need me in that party?!" Alex demanded, hurrying to catch up with her.

"Because you are the superstar of the moment!" said Hange excitedly. "Erwin thought it would be great for you to meet all the nobilities from inner walls. Everyone is looking forward to see you with their own eyes, and to listen the story directly from you."

"I have to go through it all over again?" said Alex feverishly under her breath so Hange couldn't hear it.

The last couple weeks were a total calamity for Alex, and it was not a metaphor. With all the rumors about 'The Soldier Who Lived' flying to every inch within the three Walls, Alex had become an instant celebrity, which meant that instead of a tranquil and pleasant atmosphere to boost her recovery after her hellish journey, soldiers, usually packed in a dozen or more, bombarded her with insane amount of questions about her story of surviving the wilderness, every single time they got a chance. Even the Garrison troops occasionally came to Survey Corps Headquarter only to hear the story straight from her mouth. One of the soldiers who visited more than once was Hannes, who proudly stated he was the first one who spotted her and noticed the abnormal activities of titans. Even though Alex politely thanked him for his help, the intolerable levels of hardship he had caused by inviting more Garrison soldiers to the Headquarter outweighed the good deeds he had performed, thus making Alex seriously consider taking back her words of gratitude. Her days got even worse when journalists of Berg Newspapers departed from interior and asked for an interview, which turned out to be some kind of exhausting badgering.

The next issue of newspapers, which featured a very big sketch of her face on the front page and her exclusive interview (continuing on three pages straight), were sold out within an hour. It seemed people had been craving for the confirmation of the unprecedented hearsays, that being said, Alex became more famous than ever, which was unbeknown to her. All these profound interests were very well demonstrated with one trip to Trost District. In which Cadets were assigned to buy cleaning supplies, Alex volunteered to go, albeit it wasn't her turn on duty, with delightful thoughts that she could avoid the rest of the inquisitive soldiers and had a few hours of peace, although, this wishful thinking turned out to be dead wrong. Even with her hood up and her eyes on the ground, the citizens were staring and recognizing her on sight, and their reactions were at a phenomenal rate: random pedestrians greeted her one by one and queued to shake hands with her, a miserly-looking merchant gave a huge basket loaded with bread and cheese for free because he was so impressed with her fortitude in the face of starvation, the old man who owned a shop gave half-price discount for all the bleach and detergent if she was willing to recount her story to his grandchildren, and an infinite more of hurdles that Alex swore she wouldn't bother going back to the Walls if she knew everything was going to be like this.

The only person who shared the same sentiment with all the attention towards Alex was Nanaba, who was very concerned that the unsolicited popularity might affect her well-being. Having enough disturbances that left her with no free space to breath, Alex retreated to infirmary, with 'severe periods of weakness and lethargy' as an excuse although there was nothing wrong with her physical health besides mild underweight, just until all the hype died out. With suspension from her duty until she got better, Alex spent her time mostly writing reports for Hange, and when she had done documenting all her observations, she started cleaning all the wards out of boredom, while Nanaba busy shutting a stream of visitors out who generated ruckus in infirmary wing.

And when she thought the hell was finally over…

"But, ma'am I don't understand," Alex spoke again once they were halfway to officers sleeping quarter on the second floor. "What is the benefit of my attendance in such event? I'm a Cadet. It doesn't make sense why I'm invited."

"Are you questioning your superior order?"

"Yes, I am."

Hange came to an abrupt stop and turned around, looking at Alex — who also froze on her spot — with a very irritated countenance as if Alex had uttered a rude swear word to her. "Just because I'm indebted to you for helping me with my experiment, doesn't mean you get a free ride for overstepping my authority," she said sharply.

"I want to understand whatever Commander Erwin has in his mind," said Alex, rather more aggressively than she had intended. "Everyone knows about my story. It's all over the newspapers. I believe there's nothing left for me to tell, so why do I have to go?"

"You shouldn't be questioning how the higher-ups make the decision," Hange snapped, her voice shaking. "Your job is to do what you're ordered to. Or maybe you prefer to be rewarded with a severe punishment most befitting for insubordination."

"Please pardon my impudent words, ma'am, but I'm simply asking if you could give me little more insight into what's going on," Alex continued in more polite tone, noticing there was a menacing cold fury behind her spectacles. "Commander will never assign order without considering the possible expediency. I believe he has a certain goal for giving me this order, which leads to a question: why will my presence be important tonight? At least, I deserve to know — not all the plan, but a general picture of what's happening — so I can proceed according to his plan. If my participation is required, it will be inadvisable to leave me in the dark, right?"

They both were staring at each other in a tense silence for a long moment.

"Point taken." Hange exhaled heavily, her stern glare becoming gentler. "Very well, I'll fill you in. Don't tell anyone about this. It's a top-secret and I don't want to spread panic among the soldiers."

Trying to minimize the risk to be overheard, they moved to a quieter nook — a little secluded from the crowded corridor — which led to an open balcony overlooking the green field.

"We're having problems with the budget," Hange began, gazing vaguely to the running horses on the track field. "In fact, we've always had problems with budget. But we never reached a devastating level of monetary crisis like this before. To put it simply, commencing the next expedition will definitely make us crash into bankruptcy."

"Oh…" said Alex, quite surprised with this unpleasant news. "What about the Parliament? They can't possibly disband Survey Corps because of lack of fund."

"The Central Government can't accede to giving us more money than what they already did," said Hange despondently, "and most of our current budget was relocated for the renovation. With a bleak result from our last expedition, it's only natural we are granted less money than usual… Besides, even if we make an appeal for increment, the other regiments won't just sit and watch. It may spark internal conflict. A hell will break loose within the military branches."

Alex crossed her arms on the railings, watching a few soldiers tending to their horses in front of the stables. "Then I guess not everybody in military gets along very well with each other."

Hange gave a dry chuckle. "You're a new soldier, of course you don't know. We're the main culprits of hefty taxes; one expedition expense is equal to starving multiple villages. Once we turn our backs, many other parties — soldiers, nobles, even members of Parliament — want to chew our heads off every time they get a chance…" She paused for a brief moment, clutching her chest as if pained. When she spoke again, her voice was low, but very adamant. "Nevertheless, we must continue our expedition. If we give up now, all the sacrifices we've made until now will become meaningless. We must find another way to collect money, and Erwin sees an opportunity with the charity gala."

"So, Commander wants to raise funds and support from the nobles at the party with me as bait?" Alex concluded quickly, glancing at Hange. "And if we fail, we have to defer the next expedition until indefinite notice, is that what you're saying?"

"You're as sharp as always." Hange smiled thinly at her. "I can understand if you feel upset with his plan, as if we're taking advantage of you — and we do take advantage of you — I'm not gonna sugar-coat anything or justify our actions, but the thing is, I want you to fully understand that we're not doing this with bad intentions. We do, really need your help."

"Is it really going to work?"

"I hope it will. Erwin has a back up plan though he doesn't tell me what it is, but he explicitly implies your presence can increase our success rate."

"Sounds like a pretty dicey gamble…" Alex rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "But that kind of unorthodox method really suits Commander Erwin."

"I put my absolute trust in Erwin, but this situation is so stressful…" Hange muttered, gazing morosely at Alex. "Sorry to snap at you like that. I'm a bitch when I'm frustrated. No hard feelings?"

"No need to apologize, ma'am," said Alex gently. "I understand you're on the edge."

"Is my explanation satisfying? What do you say?"

"Well, with things as they are, I suppose I don't have much of choice, do I? I'm not sure I can be of much help, but I'll try my best."

The dispirited looks on Hange's face disappeared at once. She was grinning, then she said, "Really? I thought you refused to go."

"I believe you took it the wrong way," said Alex. "I only asked why I have to go. I never said I don't want to cooperate. And we need more field observations for your reports, right?" she added gaily. "Let's do it. Besides, I really want to see the outside world again."

"That's the spirit!" Hange exclaimed, now grinning more broadly than ever. "Come on! We have tons of work to do!"

Hange ushered Alex to her bedroom, which looked more like a hoarder lair than a place to sleep. It was very messy and cramped with stuff; her books and research instruments stacked all over the table and on the floor — since her lab was still under reconstruction, she obviously had no other place to store them. Many hazardous-looking metal equipments piling up at the dusty corner, emanated an eerie atmosphere as though whoever occupying this room was in the middle of planning a sinister scheme.

"Alex, meet Nifa," said Hange, addressing to the soldier who was standing beside the bed. "She's on my personal squad. I bet you never met her before."

A girl with short red hair was unpacking a big suitcase; several gowns were arranged neatly on the bed. Turning to Alex, she gave a friendly smile and reached out her hand. "Hi, Alex. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too." Alex shook her hand. "So, you're going to the party too?"

"No, I'll help with the preparations for tonight," Nifa explained as she smoothed out more gowns. "Gown, shoes, jewelries, make up, and the other stuff."

"Nifa is the only woman with enough feminine qualities to understand what normal women usually do," said Hange. "What is this?" She pointed to a bulging red handbag on the bedside table.

"Just some of my cosmetics," Nifa replied.

As an experienced female soldier, who spent most of her time searching for the answers about the origin and existence of titans than taking a good care of her appearance and personal hygiene, not to mention she was also as clueless about grooming as she was about behaving like a normal woman, Hange explored the contents of Nifa's handbag with the spirit of a five years old unwrapping Christmas presents. She was completely baffled by all the unidentified objects she found inside.

"Do I need to put this poisonous-looking, bloody-red, slimy paste on my face?" Hange asked to Nifa, stretching out a tiny, coin-sized tin can. "What the heck is this?"

"It's lip dye," Nifa answered. "You put that on your lips."

Looking positively alarmed, Hange quickly stowed away the tin and moved on to her next object of interest. "Hmm… And this? It looks like…a very thin brush…"

"It's a lip brush," said Nifa. "It's for putting on lip dye, so it won't get smudged."

"I see… It's very similar with my brush for collecting sample… Ack!" Hange opened a small container and spilled some of the content. "What is this?! I found something with a lot of weird powder inside!"

Nifa clapped her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggle. "That's just foundation powder in there. It's nothing to get worked up over."

Hange seemed to be completely absorbed in her study of cosmetics. The conversation about make up lasted about twenty minutes, until Nanaba burst into the room and thrust a parchment scroll right in front of Hange's face.

"I just received the invitation for the ball," said Nanaba with shaky voice. "Why?"

"I need a companion, Erwin said I could choose whoever I want."

"But I told you I don't want to go," said Nanaba angrily.

"Yes, I remember, but it's Erwin's order," said Hange triumphantly. "You must go even if you don't want to."

Nanaba opened her mouth, looking like she was about to scream a retort, but nothing came out and after a moment she closed it. "Oh… Fine then," she finally said in a defeated voice. "Where's my suit?"

"I need a girl companion," said Hange cheerfully, tossing a red, full length gown with lace trimming to Nanaba. "I choose that gown for you, it's pretty, right?"

Nanaba caught the gown, holding it between her forefinger and thumb as if it was a filthy rag. Her mortified face clearly told that she would rather jump from the top of Wall Maria without 3DM Gear than wear that feminine apparel for one second.

"No." Nanaba threw the gown back on the bed.

"Oh, come on! Please, just tonight—"

"I'm not wearing that, no way," said Nanaba gruffly.

"Nana, listen," said Hange seriously, seizing Nanaba's hands and gazing deeply into her eyes. "Listen to me, I know you lack feminine qualities, but please, just tonight, please be a girl. Do it for me and for my research, please? Please come to the party in a gown. Please do it, in the name of humanity's freedom? Or for the survival of Survey Corps? Or as a favor to a friend?"

"I'll do it… because I'm your friend…" said Nanaba curtly, as though she would never have befriended Hange if she knew this day would come. "Are you satisfied?"

"Oh, Thank you!" Hange squealed, giving Nanaba a tight hug. "Now, what should we do?" she asked to Nifa.

"Let's start with the basics," said Nifa, in a businesslike voice. She had changed her knee-length boots with a pair of black stiletto. "You will wear high-heeled shoes and a gown for the ball. First, make sure you can walk without falling or stepping on your gown."

Alex sat on the bed and watched Nifa demonstrating the proper etiquette of walking, pacing up and down gracefully in front of Nanaba and Hange, both looking very astonished. It felt like a déjà vu for Alex; the gowns, the various kinds of cosmetics on the bedside table, and all the anticipation for the upcoming prestigious event jogged her memory about something, although, she'd much rather it stay buried in the depths of her mind. She took the nearest gown to her lap, touching the lace frill at the collar and smiling dismally. She could understand from her past experience that a ball would always be something very eagerly awaited by the ladies; they were always so anxious and meticulous about their looks — Alex couldn't comprehend why uneven eyebrows, tiny black spots on the nose, and unruly hair managed to trigger overreactions with the same magnitude as how ordinary people would react to a world scale catastrophe. Nevertheless, the ladies also enjoyed it to their heart's content, as if they were having the time of their lives while dressing themselves up to look beautiful. However, for veteran female soldiers, who usually donned military outfit 24/7 and performed a handful of manly stuff as their daily routine, getting ready for a ball didn't look like a fun activity at all, more like an unqualified disaster.

Nanaba had a serious problem with wearing high-heeled shoes. She couldn't stand up straight without holding on to something, and when she tried to move forward, she kept tripping after a few steps. She knocked over a table in her futile attempt to prevent herself from falling, causing dozens of heavy books to fall to the floor ("This is ridiculous! I can use 3DM Gear! Why I can't stand up with these?!"). On the other corner of the room, Hange was giving off an impression as if she underwent physical torture when Nifa tried to put the one strap emerald gown on her. She appeared to be in unbearable pain, wailing as her subordinate tightened the rigid corset around her midriff ("NIFAAAA! STOP IT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL MEEEEEE!"; "Squad Leader, nobody ever got killed because of corset!"; "I'LL BE THE FIRST VICTIM IN HISTORY!"; "Little more pull! You can do it, ma'am!"; "AAAAAAARGH!"). The struggle was real for Alex to keep her face indifferent while internally laughing at the view of Hange writhing in agony on the floor.

After two hours of screaming, cursing, and countless awkward stumbles, Hange and Nanaba finally reached an acceptable level in etiquette lessons. Nifa then proceeded with the make up and hairdo; at last, both of them were looking very beautiful and hardly recognizable, thanks to Nifa's incredible handiwork. Hange's hair was no longer tangled but sleek and shiny, styled into a tight bun at the back of her head. Nanaba kept checking herself over and over again in the mirror like she couldn't believe it was her own reflection.

"Ma'am, you look in pain," Alex commented, watching Hange pacing again with difficulty.

Hange rubbed her waist, grimacing. "This corset is smothering me, but I'll do everything for my research."

"Okay, Alex, now it's your turn," said Nifa, taking off the white bandana from Alex's head and starting to brush her flyaway hair. "Have you chosen your gown yet?"

"What?" said Alex. "I need to wear a gown, too?!"

"Of course you are," said Nifa. "That ivory gown will look good on you. It will match your hair color."

Alex stared at the gown, wincing. "Uh… No… I don't want that…"

"And that one?" asked Nifa. "Peach color, perfect match for your fair skin."

Alex shook head.

"How about this one?" Nanaba suggested, holding a purple gown.

"No," said Alex with a mulish expression. "I don't want to wear—"

"I know!" said Hange, extricated a strapless gown from the bottommost pile. "This pink gown is perfect! It will make you cuter than you already are!"

"No!" Alex shrieked, leaping out of Hange's reach and hiding under the table. "I didn't consent to this! This is not what you told me, ma'am!"

Hange trudged toward her. "We're going to a ball. Surely I told you that."

"You never said I needed to wear a gown," Alex reminded

"Oh, well, now you know," said Hange desperately. "Just come out and try it."

"I'm sorry, I can't… I can't wear a gown…" Alex muttered, staring warily at the gown as though she was afraid it would bite her. "It's, umm… I have body issues, I'm not comfortable wearing something revealing like that…"

Hange took a few steps backward and sighed, tossing the pink gown away. "Okay, okay. What do you want to wear then?"

Alex slowly crawled out from under the table, and then said, "Anything but a dress." She looked around the bedroom, twiddling her fingers. "Umm… Perhaps… That one?" she said shyly.

Hange looked at the object she pointed at for a full ten seconds, utterly bewildered. "Alex, you've gotta be kidding me…"

~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~

The man in the mirror looked extraordinarily handsome.

His blonde hair had been tightly slicked back, making his features look even more prominent. He wore a one-button tuxedo in wool crêpe with pointed satin lapels worn with a classic tuxedo shirt. A green bolo tie hung loosely around his collar; he was thinking about wearing wear a bowtie, but finally made up his mind to show himself as a representation of Survey Corps. To complete his impeccable appearance, he donned the white gloves and shiny dress shoes.

"It's time for another battlefield," said Erwin Smith to his own reflection before hurrying out of his bedroom.

Levi was waiting for him at the end of the corridor. He leaned against the wall, hands inside his pockets, his black tuxedo hanging on his shoulder. Donning a black sleek trouser, plain white shirt and dress shoes, he looked unusually snazzy, but his attempt to appear neat was clearly far from Erwin's expectation. Although Erwin gave appreciation for the effort, Levi's plain and unpretentious appearance would be out of place compared to the upper-class patricians.

"This had better be one of your jokes," said Erwin flatly.

"Four-eyes said you ordered me to go, she said nothing about my attire," Levi replied lightly.

"It's a noble party. You need something more prim and proper."

"I'm wearing my cravat. I think it's classy enough."

Erwin went silent for a moment, appraising Levi from head to toe. "Come with me," he said in commanding tone.

Levi nodded and followed him. Instead of going down the stairs, they strode to Erwin's bedroom.

"You do realize your size is bigger than mine, right?" said Levi as he watched Erwin searching through his wardrobe. "I'll look like an idiot if I wear your suit."

"That's why you will wear this." Erwin handed over a white tuxedo with black shawl lapels and black waistcoat. The size was perfectly for Levi. "It's brand new. I got this today especially for you."

Levi put the suit on the bed, frowning. "And you give me this, because of…what?"

"Because I want to," said Erwin, taking a seat on the chair. "Not everything I do has ulterior motives," he added, Levi was squinting his eyes with suspicion at him. "That's a gift. You finally managed to trust and work together with your comrade, or in this case, your subordinate. That's good, a baby step, but still good, and deserves a reward. Also, I think you need suitable raiment for tonight."

"I didn't know you could be so freehanded," said Levi, starting to take his clothes off. "What are you up to now, Erwin? You better have a good plan for dragging me into shitty business like this."

"I understand your deep resentment with bureaucracy trinkets like this, but we need to fund our expenses for the next expedition." Erwin extricated a parchment from his breast pocket; some paragraphs of introduction had been jotted down on the top with perfect cursive, every letter formed with care, but the rest of the parchment was still blank. "I'm going to raise funds from the nobles of Wall Sina. If we get enough supporters, Central Government may grant our request to continue our expedition."

"Ho, really?" Levi glanced over his shoulder to see the parchment, a satisfied smirk twitching on his lips. "You are licking those swine asses for their money. I'd love to see how much lower you could get."

"As low as it takes to make Survey Corps able to face another sun rise," said Erwin bluntly.

"And how will you lick their ass?" asked Levi, continuing to unbutton his shirt. "You're not gonna shove that to their faces and expect them to sign it right away."

"I will present the most talked-about soldier of the moment to them."

Levi, who was proceeding to put on the new suit, stopped his activity in mid-action and frowned at Erwin. "You mean, Alex? What does she have to do with this?"

"It's just for the show," said Erwin casually. "Now we have a promising soldier on our side, the guests of this party, and especially the nobles, will definitely take an interest in her. The people inside Wall Sina don't know what's in the outside world. They think the stories about the titans and the actions of Survey Corp only exist on paper, until the rumors about her plagued everywhere. It makes people wonder, her story creates a change for our bleak reputation, probably able to make people believe in Survey Corps' credibility after countless failed expeditions. Tonight is the only moment where they can hear stories about what is out there. She satisfies their curiosity and in exchange, we, get financial support—"

"Let me get your logic straight," Levi interjected, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "First, you forced her to participate in expedition, then you abandoned her in titan-land, and now you want to exploit her to the utmost, flaunt her to those rich bastards like some kind of exotic animal in a freak show? Have you no shame?"

"How long have you known me?" asked Erwin with indifferent tone.

Levi seemed to be taken aback by Erwin's response, but he recovered almost instantly. "Tch. You are so callous as ever." He resumed getting dressed, his back facing Erwin.

"Don't get me wrong," said Erwin, carefully inserting the parchment into his breast pocket. "I admit I'm exploiting her, but this is necessary for the benefit of Survey Corps."

"Yeah, yeah, I forgot how you always utilize people like objects," said Levi with a kind of annoyed sarcasm, buttoning the last button of his shirt. "Hell, why am I still surprised?"

"For the sake of my plan, I order you to cooperate as well."

"Understood. But is it enough to convince those people to spill their money?"

"Don't worry, I have another trump card up my sleeves," said Erwin, forcing himself to not smile too excitedly.

"As expected from someone like you. I can't even begin to imagine what's going on inside that head of yours."

"You'll find out soon enough. By the way, do you enjoy your role as a babysitter?

"Do I look like I'm enjoying myself?" Levi scoffed. "I already have enough toilsome responsibilities to be taken care of without keeping track of a reckless brat who seems like she could get herself killed within this building."

"It surprised me, you seem more worried about me exploiting her than plight in Survey Corps." Erwin sat up straight on the chair, the tips of his fingers together. "Why do you care so much about her?"

There was a moment's silence. It seemed Levi was too concentrated to put his hands into the sleeves without making a single wrinkle on his tuxedo so he didn't catch Erwin's question. "I care about my subordinates," he said quietly.

"I'm aware of that fact, but I never thought you would be this concerned," Erwin pointed out, smiling. "I just got a subtle hint that maybe…she had caught your interest?"

"There's something about her that bothers me."

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "For instance?"

"It's just my gut feelings, something about her feels…out of place…" said Levi thoughtfully. "Or maybe it's nothing at all."

"Well, then I suggest you to spend quality time to get to know your subordinates better." Erwin checked his pocket watch and sprang to his feet. "Hurry up. We're almost late."

"I'm almost done." Levi gently adjusted his frilly white cravat around his neck and checked himself in the mirror.

"Wait." Erwin stood before Levi and assessed his appearance for the last time. "Let's put up your hair a little bit."

Levi let out a tired sigh. "Do whatever the hell you want."

Erwin run his fingers through his black hair, attempting to make it more captivating. "Leave the cravat," he suggested, and Levi reluctantly pulled his cravat off. "Tonight, you need to wear this."

"Are you done sprucing me up?" asked Levi irritably as Erwin tied a black bowtie around his collar.

"And your gloves." Erwin handed a pair of white gloves, ignoring his complaint. "If you're going to shake hands, make sure you take them off."

"Shake hands?!" Levi repeated with obvious revulsion in his tone. "Why do I have to shake hands with them?"

"Proper etiquette for meeting people with exacting standards," said Erwin indulgently. "I don't mean to offend you. Our necks depend on what will happen tonight, so I assume you know how to leave a good impression on people to facilitate smooth negotiation."

Levi smirked rather maliciously. "I sure as hell know how to negotiate with people, but I always use my fist to do all the talking."

~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~

By the time the Survey Corps delegations arrived in Wall Sina, the sun had set and dusk stretched over the sky as the backdrop for the lazily twinkling stars. Most of the guests arrived in fancy horse-drawn coaches and carriages; the gallant and marvelous carriages surely represented the superior social status of its possessors. The cortege of carriages stopped one by one at the gateway of a sumptuous manor. Behind the magnificent front gate, there was a complex of noble residence, with an immensely extensive yard that made the ten feet thick brick fence enclosing the estate look like a thin line on the perimeter. At the far left of the mansion, which was three times bigger than Survey Corps Headquarter, a small lake reflected the darkened sky, a wide serpentine stone path began from the edge of the bank and lead to a beautiful garden with carefully-trimmed rosebushes. Everything was opulent beyond words; the front gate alone might have been built with a cost equal to the budget for six expeditions outside the walls.

Erwin stepped out of the carriage, studying the flock of noblemen passing by near him. "Levi, about your face, could you loosen it up a bit?"

"No," Levi replied tersely as he got out of the carriage. "I have a murderer resting face. Give me doable order."

"I know you're not used to this commotion," said Erwin, and they joined the crowd striding the stone steps towards the mansion. "Just be yourself. And be nice to everyone."

"Which one do you want me to do? I can't do both."

Realizing that Levi's usual self was too far away from nice, Erwin quickly searched for words accurate enough to describe his order. "Try to not offend anyone."

"Are you saying it will be better if I don't speak to anyone?" asked Levi in a challenging manner. "If so, why bother bringing me here?"

"No, I want you to be sociable, in a normal way."

"Define normal."

"Talk politely," said Erwin, with a patient air of a mother explaining the importance of brushing teeth before bedtime to her overly hotheaded preschooler, "talk without referring to anyone with insulting names, belittling their manners of speaking, and vilifying about their plush lifestyle in inner wall."

"You're asking for miracles."

"I'm only asking you to act obsequiously toward these people."

"Don't drag me down to your level," said Levi peevishly. The repulsive wince on his face might suggest that Erwin had ordered him to do felony beyond moral. "I won't stoop to lick their ass."

"If it were not because of your feats as Humanity's Strongest Soldier that lifted up our name and reputation, I wouldn't even think about bringing a socially compromised individual like you for this occasion," Erwin reminded, still maintaining his commendable patience. "I'm sure you're aware that all of your actions tonight would be associated with Survey Corps."

"When you asked me to fight with Survey Corps because humanity needed my power, I never thought entertaining these damn filthy rich pigs was included in that term," Levi replied hotly. "You should be more specific with your order."

"There are many kinds of battlefields." Erwin came to a halt, turning to Levi, who looked away. "It could be outside or inside these walls. It could be a clash of swords or a battle of wits. Our enemies have always been non-humans, but we can't rule out the possibility to be up against fellow humans. And this" — he waved one of his hands to the crowded vicinity before casting a confident look to the mansion ahead — "is our fighting ground. If you want to win this fight, be a decent, sociable person for tonight. Do it for Survey Corps."

Levi threw a puzzled, sideways glance at Erwin, before inclining his head. "Fine, I'll try my best to not start a fight," he muttered. "Only if they don't get on my nerves."

It was not the answer that Erwin was hoping for, but the likelihood that Levi would try to raise his tolerance level a bit made him breath with more ease. The long stone steps ended at the glimmering water fountain in front of the mansion, where the guests had gathered to rendezvous with their compeers. Everything went perfectly fine (Erwin greeted some of his acquaintances and Levi stood awkwardly in the background, occasionally nodding his head every time Erwin introduced him to seemingly important people), until the noble, whom Erwin was talking to, mentioned the fatality rate of soldiers and all the troubles that Survey Corps had caused. This topic apparently attracted a few more nearby guests to join the conversation, and they chattered ingratiatingly about the hefty taxes they had to pay to sustain the expeditions. Erwin had been desensitized to this method of implicit insult so he wouldn't bother listening seriously to their degrading comments; he had heard far worse insults since his enrollment in Survey Corps. However, uttering all of those derogatory remarks in the presence of Levi was like poking a sleeping lion in the eye with a burning spear. He was trying so hard to remain apathetic, then failed to restrain his temper when an old lady began complaining about the latest expedition, in which she speculated the lack of real effort must be the main cause of failure.

"Maybe you better shut up before embarrassing yourself further," said Levi loudly, the chatter died away at once, all eyes now on Levi. "Your inane blathering makes less and less sense each time you open your mouth."

"My, my, aren't you an impertinent one, dear?" said the old lady haughtily, covering her mouth with her hand fan. "Even someone like me is starting to get annoyed."

"What a coincidence. I do feel the same way." Levi marched forward with an almost tangible bellicose vibe, glaring malevolently at all the interlocutors. "Your 'know-it-all' attitude is annoying as hell. I bet your pampered ass would never survive one minute in an expedition. You never step one foot outside the Walls, on what ground you dare judge how we do our job?"

All the nobles gasped and darted a disdainful glare in their direction, looking highly affronted as if Levi had offended their great-great-great-great aristocratic ancestors. Erwin cleared his throat and stared meaningfully at Levi, who had clearly forgotten all the advices about being sociable.

"Please do excuse his impudent remarks," said Erwin apologetically, in an attempt to reduce the tension before the arguments escalated into a fight. "Small talk is not his forte."

"Yes, because I'm simply one hell of an honest gentleman," said Levi in the most polite tone he was capable of, yet still sounded unimaginably harsh in the ears of decent people. "I prefer brutal truth than sugar-coated bullshit, but your sincere criticisms about the Survey Corps are unnecessary because I sure as hell am more capable of killing titans than you are. And to hell with your whining about losing money, the likes of pretentious rich bastards—"

"Levi," Erwin interrupted in strained voice, leaning to him, "why don't you check the wine inside? The best winery from Wall Sina is sponsoring this event. I think you may be interested in that," he continued, in a sharp tone that the drill sergeant always used to command trainees to start their daily training.

"It's great that you mentioned it," said Levi through tightly gritted teeth. "I'm glad to get away from this shitty nonsense." Then, with an expression of utmost execration, he turned around and stormed away.

Erwin turned to face all the audience, who were incandescent with rage. "I humbly ask that you please not think of him as representative of all soldiers of Survey Corps," he said with an apologetic smile.

It felt like Erwin had to apologize gazillion times until all the nobilities forgot the confrontation with Levi. He was saved from the torment of unending complaints when the bell rang, signaling the party was about to begin, and all the guests headed up the marble stone steps into the mansion.

"This is gonna be a long, tiring night," Erwin mumbled, checking his pocket watch. "I wonder where she is…"

Erwin climbed the steps, staring over the heads of the crowd to find the girl he was waiting for. Nanaba and Hange were waiting for him at the porch, the latter waving her hand excitedly at him.

"Oh, wow!" Hange gasped, pushing her spectacles to her nose bridge and staring at Erwin. "It's been ages since the last time I saw you in furlough, I've forgotten how handsome you are!"

"You both look very gorgeous," said Erwin, smiling. "Where is she?"

Nanaba pointed to Alex, who was standing far behind them near the marble pillar. At first, Erwin thought something was wrong with his eyesight when he saw her…donning the usual military uniform with the additional green trench coat. She looked like she was about to be summoned to a court-martial, with her flyaway hair and messy bangs brushed neatly, rather than being a guest to an upper-class party. Among the crowd of highly glamorous people, she seemed like a lost stray cat, staring pensively at the floor as if she was bored and would rather be anywhere in the world but here, both hands slipping inside her coat pocket. Alex finally looked up when she noticed Erwin had arrived and walked towards him.

"Before you chastise me and dock my wages," said Hange tiredly to Erwin, "I swear I tried very hard to make her beautiful but she refused to wear a gown."

"And this is the best you can do?" said Erwin darkly, utterly disappointed.

"We did everything we could," said Nanaba with an equally tired tone. "But we had to stop trying when she said she refuse to go and would rather accept the most agonizing punishment for insubordination in the history of military than wear a gown."

"Good evening, Commander," Alex greeted as she stood straight before him and gave a salute. "I believe you're disappointed with me."

"I was expecting to see you in more ladylike attire," said Erwin coldly.

"I'm not going to screw up your plan, if that's what you're thinking," said Alex in a level voice. "You want to show them how tough I am, then let them see me as a soldier. I'm still the same person who came back from outside world and lived to tell the tale even without pretty dresses."

Erwin gave her quizzical look, then smiled, looking quite satisfied with her rationale. "Very well. I'm looking forward to your cooperation. Now, shall we go inside?"

"You're going with Erwin?" asked Nanaba as Hange clutched Erwin's arm. "You said you need companion."

Hange smirked and jerked her head toward the steps. "Well, I need a girl companion for him."

Nanaba turned around and took a few steps back when she saw Mike was already standing behind them, looking very stunning in black tuxedo. Hange leaned her head on Erwin's shoulder, chortling so madly that people nearby looked at her in alarm.

"Good evening," Mike greeted then looked at Nanaba, a wide smile stretched his lips. "You look very beautiful tonight."

Nanaba had frozen solid on her feet; a pink shade slowly crept to her cheeks as she glared at Hange. "What is the meaning of this?"

Hange now chortling even louder, it seemed she couldn't catch a breath to speak.

"You tricked me," Nanaba guessed, slowly shaking her head. "And here I thought you were my friend…"

"I'm doing this because I'm your friend!" said Hange between her cackling. "Don't tell me you're not happy to see him looking awesomely charming like this!"

"This is not a laughing matter," said Nanaba, her face had turned as red as her gown. "Erwin, don't tell me you're in this too," she added suspiciously, seeing Erwin clearing his throat, which might have been him hiding his smirk with his fist.

"I'm totally innocent," said Erwin.

"I know you're involved," said Nanaba accusingly. "You're the one who give us orders to attend this party."

"I have nothing to do with this," said Erwin with a faintly noticeable smirk, leering at Hange, who was gasping for air. "This is her idea. She said Mike would need a companion so I let her choose. I didn't know it would be you."

"Oh, I'm very convinced you didn't know what she was scheming," said Nanaba in a very sarcastic tone.

"No need to get angry, I mean well by planning this," said Hange, patting Nanaba consolingly on the shoulder. "As your friend, I care about you. I guess you two deserve an intimate moment together, without the whole legion spreading wild rumors." She winked at Mike, pulling Erwin's arm and walking away. "Enjoy the party! The night's still young, though!"

"So," Mike began, outstretching a hand to Nanaba. "Will you go with me or not?"

"If you're conspiring with Hange you better confess right now," said Nanaba.

"Um… Miss, I think we better hurry. The party will start very soon."

Nanaba let out a little sigh, staring down and blinking repeatedly as though she just remembered that Alex was still standing beside her. "Everything you just saw, will you please kindly remove it permanently from your memories?"

Alex nodded, grinning. "Don't worry, I won't spread wild rumors."

"Thank you," said Nanaba in a hushed voice. "Will you, err…go after Hange and Erwin? I need to talk with him privately."

Alex departed quickly, leaving Nanaba and Mike to whatever business they had to settle, striding past people in haste toward Hange and Erwin, who were now standing beside the mahogany front doors into the entrance hall.

"Commander, what I should do in this party?" asked Alex.

"For now, just smile and greet everybody," said Erwin. "I'm sure the guests will want to hear your story, so do your best to entertain them."

"All right," said Alex. "That's…quite challenging for me," she muttered under her breath after.

"So, Commander," said Hange, as she and Erwin shuffled inside the entrance hall. "I mean, handsome and irresistibly hot Commander, what is our course of action?"

"We must determine our targets first, then proceed with a smooth introduction. We shouldn't reveal our main goal at the beginning of conversation, so don't talk too hastily about money—"

"Oh yeah, money! I need investors to build new trap for capturing—"

"No titan talking," Erwin warned abruptly. "I beg you. Levi almost ruined everything the moment he stepped a foot here."

"That makes me wonder…" Hange arched an eyebrow, staring skeptically at Erwin. "You bring Shorty for this important mission? What the heck are you thinking?"

"I want to civilize him, now I almost regret my life choices," Erwin admitted bitterly. "Don't make me regret my choice to bring you here."

"Jeez, chill out a bit," said Hange brightly. "Don't put me in the same league with that socially inept Shorty. I'm still perfectly capable to interact with human beings."

"Said the woman who spends most of her life with titans. I'm very assured."

"Trust me, I'm as sane as you. Tell me what to do."

Hange and Erwin were so immersed in their scheming that they didn't realize Alex had frozen on the threshold. She hesitated at the point of getting inside, peering warily to the entrance hall from the front doors. She was suddenly aware how stupid she was, blocking the way in and causing a long queue behind her. The guests started to stare at her, conversing in low, intense whispers while maintaining a certain distance. Feeling like her insides were quivering, Alex smoothed down the front of her coat, held her breath and hurriedly went past the doors.

The moment she set a foot into the entrance hall was like stepping on another planet.

It had been so long, she had forgotten how luxurious the life in the inner walls could be. Alex glanced to the hundreds of lighted candles on the chandeliers, to the grand marble staircase covered with a long red carpet, to the grandiose ornate walls and high vaulted ceilings with decorative paintings; no matter how vexed she was to be involved in this situation, she couldn't help admiring such splendor that etched in every corner of the hall. The great disparities between the life of nobles and commoners had stirred something in her memory. Though she was unwilling to recollect ancient history, an odd feeling eventually rose in her; the feeling of amazement mixed with incredulity like what she had felt when she first found out, that in the world that was so unforgiving, there were places where hopelessness, suffering and destitution couldn't touch.

Every head in the entrance hall turned to look at Alex as she walked past the swelling crowd. She kept her head up, looking straightforward and diligently avoiding eye contact with any of them. Being the center of attention like this made her feel like there were a thousand needles puncturing her skin; even so, she was struggling to brush it off and keep her composure.

Calm yourself down, Alex.

Her desire to see the outside world was battling ferociously with her abhorrence towards the likes of them, and by them, she referred to the swarm of people in suits, who were talking with Erwin while staring at her like scavengers intent on a meal.

Don't bite your tongue. Don't stutter. Remember the tricks.

Erwin glanced at her, gesturing her to come closer. For a split second, Alex had an unrelenting impulse to turn around and run away… Her heart racing, palms sweating, the panic building up inside her as she trod and gave the warmest smile possible.

Stand up straight. Chin high. Talk politely. Just swallow everything they'll say to you. Commend them as much as you can, like those old days…

She had lost count of how many times she had recited her story, as a result, the words were flowing out of her mouth like a waterfall. But before she had finished, more people had gathered around, they rounded on Alex like a pack of hungry wolves, and Alex had to start all over again. By the end of the her long story, some of her listeners were perplexed, some frowned and shook their heads in disbelief, but most of them beamed at her, clearly wonderstruck, and was full of praise and cheers for her.

"Thank you very much, for saying so, sir," said Alex courteously, slightly inclining her head. "Your praises overwhelm me."

This is so loathsome.

"The moment I heard about you, I really wanted to hire you for my estate," boomed a bald, fat old man, eyes glinting with excitement. "What do you say, lass? You can start to work next week! I can give you a salary more than you'll ever get in your legion."

With an enormous effort, Alex twitched her lips in falsely sweet smile. "I'm deeply honored to receive such a generous opportunity. But I'm terribly sorry, Commander Erwin may not like the idea of me retiring from the Survey Corps too early."

Has it ever crossed your delusional brain that this universe doesn't revolve around you and your property? Why are you always so full of yourself?

"You should have joined Military Police," said the other man, bending a little to get a closer look at Alex. "You have the talent, it can be used for the protection of the King, and also the interior needs such competent young soldier like you, to clean the streets of criminals. I can't stop worrying thieves will break into my house anytime now, after what Military Police has become…"

Those who had been frowning now nodded in agreement, and went on complaining about recently inflating crime rates. Alex maintained the smile on her face while listening to their rambling speeches.

Filthy scum with huge egos. All they think about is their personal gain…

"Serving The King may have been the greatest honor I could imagine," said Alex in placatory voice, "and I do believe the Military Police has been trying their best to apprehend the criminals. As much as I want to help, my talent is far more useful outside the walls."

"I guess it's time for the main event," Erwin interrupted. "Gentlemen, please do excuse us. Have a very great night."

Alex walked away from the crowd of fascinated onlookers and followed Erwin toward the end of the hall. Hange was standing at the foot of the stairs, looking very thrilled.

"And that," said Erwin to Hange with a content smile, "is how you butter them up."

"That's splendid!" said Hange, grinning at Alex. "All right, I'll try my luck."

"Is it okay to let Squad Leader Hange go alone?" said Alex, watching Hange glide away. "She could scare our potential sponsors once she starts talking about her research."

"Let her be, she knows the drill," said Erwin. "I didn't expect you to be so well-mannered like that."

"Like I said, I won't screw this up. When I'm done greeting everybody, may I be excused and return to Headquarter, sir?"

"Why the hurry?"

Alex opened her mouth to answer, but words failed to escape as if something had clogged her throat.

"Are you okay?" asked Erwin, swooping down to look her in the eyes.

"Yes, I'm okay, sir — it's just —" said Alex anxiously, staring down to avoid his icy blue eyes and sweeping a hand across the forehead to get rid of the sweat. "Nothing… Let's… meet all the guests."

They set off up the marble staircase together, proceeding to second floor. Everything in the entrance hall was nothing compared to what Alex saw inside this spacious, dazzling ballroom.

"Erwin," called a bald, old man from the crowd. "Finally, you came." He wore a black suit with a purple bolo tie hung around his neck, face reddened, with a half-empty glass of wine in his left hand.

"Commander Pixis," said Erwin, shaking hands with him. "I see you already consumed more liquor than your usual daily dosage."

"I'm on day off, don't tell me to hold back," said Pixis, gulping the wine down to its last drop. "Hmm, this booze is really top-shelf."

"The Commander of the Garrison, in charge of Southern Region, Dot Pixis," said Erwin to Alex then turned to Pixis. "And this soldier is—"

"I know, I know, I've heard too much about her." Pixis gave a nod to Alex, smirking. "Of all military branches, Survey Corps got the finest cadet, eh? Promotion and outstanding new soldier, your luck is so great this year, Erwin. You should introduce her to Arthur, by the way, he is really interested with her."

"Vice Commander is here?" asked Erwin.

"Yes, he's over there, just arrived with her daughter a moment ago," said Pixis, jerking his head. "I gotta hide from my fussy subordinate. She'll confiscate my flask forever if she knows I'm drinking too much." He gave Erwin a gentle tap on the shoulder then disappeared in the swelling crowd.

Erwin led Alex to the direction Pixis had appointed. It was packed of people, but the jabbering crowd automatically parted to let them through once they saw Alex, who was intonating 'ignore them, ignore them, ignore them' inside her head.

"Erwin! It's been a very long time!" a middle-aged man called from ahead of them, forcing his way through the throng. He was lean and tall, looking remarkably muscular and athletic although there were streaks of grey in his blonde hair and deep wrinkles on his face had detracted most of his great good looks.

"Yes, Milord," said Erwin pleasantly. "My uttermost gratitude for your invitations. Words are not enough to express how grateful I am for your help."

The old man hugged Erwin like a son then quickly broke apart. "Not a problem, Erwin, not a problem at all," he said warmly, beaming at Erwin. "Thank goodness, you look fine and healthy."

"I'm very glad to see you fine and healthy as well," said Erwin. "Milord, allow me to introduce the newest soldier of Survey Corps. I believe you've heard about her."

"The Soldier Who Lived?" The old man rolled his blue eyes to Alex.

"This is Earl Arthur von Wildenberg," Erwin told Alex. "He is the Vice Commander of Garrison, in charge of Elite Squad, and also an heir of House of Wildenberg."

"Alexandra Ritter, at your service," said Alex, flung herself into a low bow. "It's an honor to meet you, Milord."

"Well, well, I'm delighted to finally meet the renowned soldier who stole the headline on newspapers," said Arthur enthusiastically. "Such a shame I didn't see the fight myself, but my men told me it was the greatest fight they ever saw in their lifetime."

"Sir, that's too much of exaggeration for a Cadet like me," said Alex humbly, straightening up. "I'm still an inexperienced soldier and still have so much to learn."

"Is that so?" said Arthur. "Actually, my daughter had told me a lot about you. She said you are the best in your class, excel in everything, instructors' favorite trainee — I think she really admires you."

"Your daughter, sir?" said Alex, perplexed, wondering whom he was talking about. "Pardon me, Milord, I'm afraid you have made a mistake. I don't recall being acquainted to a member of the nobility or —"

"Hi there!"

A cheerful, familiar voice cut the conversation. Alex turned to the owner of the voice. A young blonde woman in a light blue gown was standing behind her; a woman of such ethereal beauty that everything in the whole ballroom seemed to have become strangely brighter when she walked in. She was tall, slender and appeared to radiate an enthralling aura that made anyone who had set eyes on her become temporarily speechless, like what Alex did.

"I presume you have met my father, Alex," said the woman. She faced Erwin, spreading her gown and dropping an elegant curtsy. "It's such a great pleasure to meet you here, Commander Erwin." She smiled and extended a hand decorated with jewelries.

Erwin bowed at her. "Honored, to meet you here, Milady," he said, grasping her hand and kissing it. "You look as beautiful as always," he added as he straightened up.

"Thank you, Commander," she said, her cheeks turned slightly pink. "Although, I must utter my deepest apology for causing you to see such an unsightly appearance of mine when I was cleaning your office yesterday."

Alex was concentrating very hard to identify her familiar voice, but the bizarre conversation that took place in front of her had caused her brain to freeze in the process. She looked at the woman, and then at Erwin, then stared intently at the woman again, trying to comprehend what they were talking about.

"Please, don't feel bad about it, Milady, I don't mind," said Erwin, who seemed to be restraining a chuckle with difficulty. "My fireplace hasn't been cleaned in a long time. I believe it must be a very difficult chore to wipe all the ashes away."

"But, I had caused more trouble than helping, right?" said the woman sadly. "Captain Levi always berates me, saying my work is the most appalling—" she stopped abruptly, glancing at Alex with a mildly amused expression. "Alex…how long are you going to stare at me like that?"

The realization hit Alex like a hurricane the moment she gazed deeply into the woman's eyes — bright aquamarine color that she always saw everyday. Alex leapt backward in shock, her mouth falling open.

"Sophie?!" Alex shrieked incredulously.

"Oh my, so silly of you," said Sophie with a tinkling laugh. "Took you long enough to recognize me."

Alex, still recovering from her shock, rubbed her eyes and looked at her again; she didn't look like Sophie at all. Her hair was no longer styled in the usual tight braid; it fell loose to her waist like a sheet of golden silk, straight and glossy. She was holding herself differently, with grace and prestige, far from her tomboyish demeanor as a soldier — or maybe it was because of the absence of sweat, dirt and tortured expression she always wore on her angelic face while commencing the daily drills.

"Erwin, I'm sorry if my daughter had caused you so much trouble," said Arthur. "I'm afraid she will be a burden to your legion."

"I must admit her skills with household chores need serious improvement," said Erwin encouragingly, smiling at Sophie, "but I guarantee her performance as soldier will be very satisfying. Graduating in the top ten rank of her class, that is a very laudable achievement."

"Boot camp is nothing compared to real battlefield," said Arthur dismissively. "You know her well. She tends to get emotional in several occasions. She will crack under pressure, even if she tries to be unaffected—"

"Father, we've been through this about a hundred times already," said Sophie pettishly. "Please stop making me look bad in front of my superior. What if Commander Erwin changes his mind and pulls my name from the list of expedition?"

"You will go outside the Walls?! Already?!" Arthur exclaimed, his face turning ashen.

"Of course I will," said Sophie proudly. "To be honest with you, I can't wait to kill my first titan."

"You should reconsider that idea," said Arthur hastily to Erwin. "She's still a Cadet? Don't you think it's a bit too early to enlist her for an expedition?"

"I understand your worries regarding her safety. Do not be afraid, Milord, Milady Sophie is one of the promising new cadets in the Survey Corps. She has the competence to carry out the mission."

"But still, she's a cadet, she's inexperienced," Arthur insisted, his pallid face shining with sweat. "I don't mean to boast, but after everything I've done, I just wish you could do me a favor—"

"I have not forgotten my debt to you," said Erwin in an extremely polite interruption, inclining his head in a little bow, "and all your generosity for the last decade, however, with all due respect, her ladyship's duty as a soldier is a complete separate issue."

Sophie sighed and rubbed her temple. "This is not gonna end soon, let's find a quiet place to talk," she whispered to Alex. "Father, can I borrow Alex for a few minutes?"

Without waiting for her father's approval (he still debated with Erwin and seemed like he wasn't listening to her at all), Sophie scurried through swarm of people while holding Alex's hand. There was another huge wave of turning heads towards them, but instead of gawping at Alex, people, noticeably all the young men, were gazing longingly at Sophie.

"Is there anything I could help you with, Milady?" said Alex in a voice of forced calmness, as they retreated to the corner of the ballroom.

Sophie giggled. "Now, now, don't act like a stranger! Let's dispense with the formalities, shall we?"

"Pardon me, Milady," Alex continued, her tone didn't change, "but a humble commoner like me has to know her place for speaking a bit too freely in a presence of a noble."

The cold emphasis on her last word made Sophie flinch, her smile sliding off her face.

"I'm sure I owe you explanation —"

"Lots of explanation," said Alex crossly. "Sophie Aumont is a lie, isn't it? I dare say your hometown is not Quinta District, unless there is also a place called Quinta District inside Wall Sina."

"Are you…angry with me?" asked Sophie cautiously.

"You've been fooling me all this time!" said Alex shrilly. "You — you are — an heiress?! Seriously?!"

"Yes, I am. My real name is Sophie von Wildenberg."

"And you've been… sleeping… under my bunk for three years…" Alex continued in a low, stupefied tone, rubbing her forehead as if having headache. "My bunkmate is an heiress… I need a moment to accept this absurdity…"

"It's almost as unbelievable as your story, it is not?" Sophie mumbled. "I'm deeply sorry for hiding the truth from you… I'll explain everything, but this is just between us, okay?"

"Very well," Alex agreed without a second thought. "What's your story?"

"I was born in Mitras from House Wildenberg, the one and only child. Long story short, since the day I was born, my fate had been sealed. My mother raised me to be a perfect heiress, with too many nonsensical expectations I had to fulfill. In the end I grew weary of my upbringing, and I didn't have many choices in my life, either I marry a nobleman and continue to live within Wall Sina, or marry a commoner and move to the countryside in the outer wall. So, I made the third option."

"Become a rebellious daughter, run away from home and join the military?" Alex suggested. "Well done, most of nobles did that too when they had a row with their mothers."

"I'm not that seditious!" said Sophie with a small titter. "I only went behind my mother's back, and my father backed me up, covering most of the plan to smuggle me into military boot camp. I didn't want people to recognize me, so I took Mother's maiden name and changed my hometown to Quinta District — her hometown, actually, she was a commoner so that wouldn't be a problem. No surprise my parents had a row when Mother figured it out, thankfully it didn't last too long. Oh, the first time Mother heard about it, she fainted — as I expected — she thought I was attending a boarding school or something."

"Funny your father didn't look very pleased with your enrollment."

"Oh no, Father supported my enrollment, at first, but he became extremely upset with my decision to join Survey Corps, saying I'm a foolish maiden to not aimed for MP, but why should I?" Sophie wrinkled her nose as if the thought of being an MP gave her nausea. "I've lived my whole life inside Wall Sina. The Garrison is ridiculously boring — don't tell Father I said that. The Survey Corps, on the other hand, is way more interesting," she added with a longing sigh. "Being a scout is my dream. Always have been, always will be."

"You dreamt to be a scout?" asked Alex, completely nonplussed. "What an absurd dream for such a rich girl, while most of trainees dream to join Military Police to have comfortable life in the inner walls."

"I didn't choose to be born as a noble," said Sophie in a dignified voice, "but I can choose my dream, I can choose anything I want to do."

"Truer words have never been spoken," said Alex solemnly. "What happened in Commander's office yesterday?"

"Oh, that… I was cleaning his fireplace…" Sophie began reluctantly. "I — well — I have, like, ten fireplaces in my manor, but no one ever told me how to remove the ashes! So I crawled inside, trying to scoop all the soot at once, it went horribly awry. I sneezed and coughed and swallowed a mouthful of ashes, I had been stupid to not expect that happening — next thing I knew, I was covered in soot, then he suddenly walked in" — she caught her breath, looking gravely ashamed — "oh dear Sina… he laughed at me like I was the most hilarious thing he ever saw in his lifetime," she finished in a horrified sort of voice.

Alex snorted with laughter. "I'd probably laugh my ass off too, if I were him. You're acquainted with Commander?"

"Of course, my family has been in close contact with the Survey Corps for years, my parents especially. By the way" — she darted a reproachful look at Alex — "what in the name of Sina are you wearing?!"

"I'm here on duty."

"You should be enjoying yourself. You need to loosen up a bit, Alex. Have some fun!"

"Fun? I hate this place," said Alex irritably. "I don't want to be here."

"I don't want to be here either," Sophie huffed, readjusting the gold bangles at her wrists. "If Commander Erwin hadn't asked me to come, I wouldn't be here tonight. I'm on duty too, you know."

"So you knew about our fall out," Alex concluded. "How come? It's top-secret."

"Commander Erwin told me about it a few days after the last expedition, asking for my help to gain as many sponsors as possible in this event — my family is a very influential House so I think that would be a cinch. But I can't stand those idiots..."

"Idiots? Who?"

"Them." Sophie rolled her eyes to a large group of young noblemen. "Those good-for nothing, spoiled brats. I really hate them. They're so annoying! Tailing me around, trying to impress me, always craving for my — oh no, here they come! I'll see you later after the party!"

Sophie dashed away to the opposite direction from her incoming fan club, her golden mane swinging behind her. Alex roamed the ballroom to look for her superiors: Erwin was still conversing with Sophie's father, who now wore an expression of complete resignation, he had apparently run out of sensible excuses to change Erwin's mind; Hange was not in sight; afar from her, Mike and Nanaba were enjoying a glass of champagne and chatting animatedly, both seemed to have taken Hange's words deeply to their hearts.

"Look at her… She's wearing her military uniform…"

"Ah, the soldier from newspapers, right?"

"Who would have guessed she was so small."

"And she fights titans with that physique?"

"She doesn't look too strong."

Alex shot irritated glances at the murmuring guests, wondering how long she had to continue feigning hospitality towards them. She was fighting her way back to Erwin when she caught a glimpse of someone familiar.

On the other side of the hall, Levi was standing near a wide window, arms folded, looking at his surroundings with a murderous look in his eyes as if he would punch the face of anyone who dared to get any closer to him. It almost looked like there was an invisible barrier that repelled everyone within a fifteen meters radius from him. Ignoring all the explicit hostilities, Alex marched to his side.

"Captain Levi!" said Alex a bit too exuberantly. "I didn't know you were coming too, sir."

Levi looked at her up and down. "Titans are not invited to this party," he said flatly. "Four-eyes didn't pass you the memo?"

"I'm a soldier, I refuse to wear pretty dresses," said Alex, leaning against the wall beside him. "Sir, you don't seem too comfortable here."

"The same goes to you," said Levi, keeping his gaze fixed on Alex. "Have you seen your face before coming here? It looks like you're having an agonizing diarrhea and want to get the hell out of here very soon."

"This sort of thing doesn't interest me. Of course I want to get out of here if I could."

"This is wasting time." Levi stared blankly to the noisily chattering people. "Social convention like this is downright stupid. When will this shitty nuisance end?"

"Probably around midnight, could be a couple hours after midnight if the host wants to hold an after party," Alex answered in her dreamy voice, gazing vaguely at the floor. "I believe the dance will start soon, after the host gives the opening speech or something like that. The dance will take hours since it's the main event, then the guests will have dinner in the banquet hall until—"

"You sure know a lot," Levi cut in, rapidly turning his head, gazing at Alex with bewilderment. "How do you know?"

"Oh — well, I —" Alex sputtered, trying to come up with a quick answer. "I just, know — I mean, it's a common knowledge — and I had read about it somewhere before."

Her answer apparently didn't satisfy Levi, because his eyes were squinted with suspicion, but he didn't pursue the subject further. Seconds stretched to minutes of tedious silence between them. Alex's overall mood ranged from intense indifference to annoyed boredom, on the contrary, the ballroom grew steadily merrier.

"Sir, do you want to get some fresh air outside?" asked Alex. "It's very boring here."

"Shouldn't you help Erwin to kiss their ass?" said Levi.

Under the glowing chandelier, Erwin was holding a very lively conversation with swarm of gentlemen in fancy suits; his companions seemed very interested to listen to him.

"Commander doesn't look like he needs help with that yet," said Alex.

Both of them headed to the balcony, which was quiet and less crowded, and the spectacular scenery met their eyes. It was impossible to feel anything but tranquility in a place that covered itself in pure beauty. The night was cloudless, perfect for the stars to shine their brightest sparkles. The calm surface of the lake mirrored the wondrous sky as though shimmering pearls were scattered at its depths. The flower garden was brightly lit by torches, and the viewpoint from the balcony gave a full sight of how the rosebushes, hedges, flower beds, ornamental stone paths and large statues were perfectly designed and arranged to bring out the utmost aesthetic feels. The breeze whispered softly, swaying the treetops of beech and oak trees at the edge of the lake.

"It's so beautiful here," Alex commented, staring at the smoothly rippling lake reflecting the moonlight. "And very peaceful."

Levi rested his arms on the balustrades, staring blankly at the garden, looking clearly unimpressed. "Peaceful like a paradise, huh?"

"But even a paradise seems like a prison when you can see its walls."

"These damn swine don't even see the walls," said Levi scornfully. "Prosperity and wealth have made them blind. Their eyesight is limited to the kind of frivolous things they want to see. Do they watch soldiers die in missions while the interior squabbles over insignificant affairs or petty politics? Do they see the huge discrepancy between the rich and poor? They're trapped inside this paradise and can't see the reality right behind these walls."

"I always thought all nobles are always full of self-importance and greed, until a moment ago," said Alex, musing about the absurdity of her bunkmate's real identity. "Now I know one among the nobility who isn't a bad person."

"There are the ones who genuinely want to support the legion, I have no idea what kind of ass-pull tricks Erwin used to secure strong connections with them. There are also the ones — more accurately, unscrupulous assholes — who don't seem to understand the bigger picture. Instead of contributing, they sit around on their throne and bitch and moan and waste their money on unimportant things, like this mansion." Levi looked around with a very ugly look on his face. "The minds of the rich, I'll never understand."

"People do what they desire to fulfill their best interests, it's only natural. Just because they can, doesn't mean they have the desire to help."

"I don't give a damn if they don't want to help, but I'll beat them to a pulp if they start to speak badly about the soldiers who have fallen."

His venomous tone made Alex tear her gaze from the beautifully-trimmed flower beds. She tilted her head to Levi, even under the pale moonlight, it was clear for her to see his face contorted in dreary, suppressed rage for a brief split second. Levi looked into the distance, it seemed like he was determined to act calm and collected, but his quivering fists on the balustrades and his tensed jawline had failed to fool Alex, who found it exceptionally weird for someone who had an unemotional disposition like him to be very furious and agitated.

"Captain, what is humanity?" asked Alex out of blue. "Why do we fight for them? Who are the people we're sworn to protect anyway?"

"That's something you should find the answer on your own. Everyone has their own reason to fight."

"Whom are you fighting for? What is your reason to fight?"

After a short pause, Levi said, "Finding the answers to those questions is one of the few reasons why I'm still alive."

"Do you believe we can eradicate titans? Do you think humans will walk freely outside the Walls someday?"

They stood in silence for what seemed like a long time.

"I don't know," he said in a husky voice, his tone was incredibly bitter as if he hoped he could answer differently. "I can't answer those. I don't have the answers."

Alex paused to examine his features closely, and said, "If you're that hesitant with what you're doing then why do you keep fighting?"

"Will I live long enough to find out the answers or will I fight till I die, I don't know. But I know Erwin believes wholeheartedly in a future where humanity is free, and I believe in him. If he orders me to fight, then I will. It's as simple as that."

"So, everything goes back to Commander Erwin," said Alex with an unfocused smile. "It seems like everybody trusts him very much."

"Why are you asking these questions?" asked Levi, turning to face Alex, sounding mildly annoyed.

"Just the curiosity of a new soldier." Alex shrugged, looking at the lake again. "I still don't understand a lot of things about Survey Corps, especially regarding all the fuss about humanity—"

Her voice was drowned by a booming sound of music; it was shrill, upbeat and cheery melodies. Alex turned around and watched people waltzing with gleaming eyes, one foot jiggling, her head bobbing in time to the music. After a few minutes, tumultuous applause filled the hall as the last note faded away.

"You have that look again," Levi commented.

Alex glanced at him, still clapping her hands vigorously. "What look?"

"The same annoying excited look you had on your face when you talking about titans with four-eyes," he stated acidly. "Go inside and dance."

"Then I need a partner for that…" Alex mumbled, looking at him entreatingly. "Captain Levi, will you —"

"No."

"I haven't finished yet."

"Don't you even dare ask me to dance with you," said Levi stoutly. "Ask someone else."

"Okay then…" said Alex sadly. "But in this situation, I guess no one will approach a girl in military uniform—

"That's your fault."

"—famous for killing titans—"

"That's your job."

"—and I don't know anyone else in this party. So—"

"That's not my fucking problem."

"—will you please dance with me?"

"Hell no," spat Levi. "Didn't you hear what I just said?!"

"This opportunity comes once in a lifetime," said Alex, not giving up to persuade him. "I really want to try it just once. Please, Captain? It won't hurt anyone."

"If you're trying to piss me off, it's working," Levi hissed, walking away.

"All I ask is one song," said Alex pleadingly, following him closely. "Just one song and I promise I'll —"

Alex gasped, regretting her nagging almost immediately. Levi whipped around and cornered her to the edge as though he was intending to push her off the balcony. He leaned forward and glared at her, a glare so deep it made her heart shrivel in fear.

"One song," said Levi menacingly, pointing a finger at her face, "and you'll stop giving me headache for the rest of the night."

Without further ado, Levi pulled Alex after him into the ballroom.

"Sir!" Alex squeaked, trying to let go of his hand. "I want to dance in balcony! Not here!"

He kept pulling her past the other pairings, until they stood in the middle of the dance floor, facing each other.

"Captain!" Alex whispered frantically. "Everybody is looking at us!"

"Everybody is looking at you," Levi corrected her. "Take my hand."

Alex raised a hand and pulled it back hastily, her eyes glancing around. "I-I-I t-think, this a b-bad idea —"

"Do you want to dance or not?" snapped Levi impatiently, still holding out his hand.

Trembling, Alex finally took his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder. Her heart did a back flip when he took her waist.

"Relax," Levi whispered, grasping her hand, "ignore them. Keep your eyes on me."

The music played again with much slower tempo, starting serenely with soft vibrato from a solo violin. Alex looked up to meet his piercingly gray eyes, and somehow, in a way that she couldn't really understand, his presence gave her comfort. The shivering in her hands had ceased; the patronizing stares from the people no longer pricked her skin because it felt like there were only the two of them on the dance floor.

To her great surprise, Alex finally realized that this place was not as horrible as she always thought.

---

A/N: I don't have writer's block. I just went through a lot of series of unfortunate events, one of them was I accidentally broke my wrist during holiday. Nothing serious, but typing with one hand is so goddamn frustrating I want to throw my laptop out of the window multiple times. But I did, write, this entire chapter, with one hand, the struggle was real... Honestly, not a single day had passed without me thinking about this fanfiction.
Anyway, this and the next chapter will be a massive info dump, so please bear with me.
Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! Thank you for reading! Reviews are very much appreciated! Please feel free to send PM if you want to drop a line, or say hi, or talk about writing.

REVAMPED: 13 November 2015

lilnightmare17: I hope me went AWOL doesn't decease your curiosity about Alex X( I give a little insight about her mind in this chapter, it might useful to help you understand her sudden changing demeanor.

KasukeHagase: Thank you very much for your review! :D Your questions will be answered in chapter 10 and 11, where I'll tell a little about her backstory ;)

Dead Horizon: It's a long wait, but here ya go! :D

xMidnightVixenx: Whoa! Thank you so much! XD I'm painfully aware my proofreading skill is dreadful and my chapters are long, so... it can't be helped (/_;) but I'll revamp earlier chapters ASAP.
About Levi and Hange... I have my reasons why I wrote them that way.
The canon shows how close, loyal, and respectful they are towards each other (shipping goggles aside, I think they're canonically brOTP), but that kind of bond doesn't build up in one night. So, how was their relationship before canon? How did their personalities affect their relationship? I've been thinking very long and very hard about how to portray their dynamics, because my story takes place five years before canon, roughly one year after ACWNR, which I believe, Levi and Hange's initial relationship was very different with what we read in canon.
Here come my speculations (I could be wrong, tho): professionally, they worked together just fine, they acknowledged each other's authority and abilities as soldiers, but on personal level they didn't get along very well. I have a hunch that Levi might dislike Hange at first because of their polar opposite personalities. Levi post-ACWNR was a former notorious criminal with trust issue, who likely had difficulties adapting himself to military lifestyle, probably suffered from survivor's guilt based on the OVA. canon!Hange obviously has anger management problem, it could be argued that she isn't 100% emotionally stable, and her initial reactions to certain things are exaggerated to a harmful extent (ex: choking Oluo, almost dropping Nick from the wall, flipping table, berating Keith) but she quickly comes back to her senses; I reckon her outbursts were far worse in her younger days, especially when something got in the way of her studies (I think she's obsessed with finding the truth about titan, not the titan itself).
Put them together, and voila!, they could easily misunderstand each other's doings, they had frictions and they argued a lot. In short, they didn't interact like in canon merely because their relationship hadn't reach the level of mutual understanding and trust, at this point of my story. I choose a few aspects of their incompatible personalities, and exaggerate those traits as what I believe how strangers will interact in that given circumstances. So, yeah, they both were OOC compared to what they are in canon, but in very likely and understandable levels in this timeline (again, I could be wrong).
Their relationship will eventually improve in future chapters, Hange's influences are important to Levi's character growth after all, and vice versa. I agree I need to turn down Hange's snarky level a bit :P she should break a bone next time she gets angry XD
Thank you for your critiques! Hope my semi-meta explanation's satisfying, if it's not, feel free to give me suggestions anytime :)

Anime fan: actually, this fanfiction has OCs, with plot and several arcs and a handful of veterans' antics ;p

Akilarup: Awww! Thank you for your reviews! Those really made my day XD
Well, I must admit nothing interesting really happened in this arc, since it serves purposes to introduce OCs, set a foundation for future arc and scatter foreshadowing here and there. My chapters are always long, idk why, it just happened, but I want to develop my OCs and canon characters into three-dimensional, or at least two-dimensional characters, so yeah, it will a take a lot of writing and long chapters. Tbh, what I've written up until this point is less than 10% of the entire story, as the plot progresses, everything will be explained and I'll show that Alex is not a Mary Sue :)