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]

9. Chapter 8

Attack on Titan: Left Behind

Chapter 8

They said the greatest hunter was the one who had cornered the prey even before they were aware of the hunter's presence. Lurking from the shadows, approaching with stealth, planning the ambush and setting up a trap without leaving a single trace were just basic skills of the art of hunting. In more advance level, an experienced hunter blended among the prey, disguising himself as one of them, watching and waiting until the right moment to blow the fatal attack. Though considered risky and possesses a high failure rate, camouflage was the most convenient method for the hunter to lure the prey a little closer, lowering their guard, trapping them into the false sense of security so they couldn't perceive the danger even though the sharp and poisoned swords had been pointed straight at them. In the end, the prey lay dead at his feet without them even knowing what had hit them in the first place.

And Erwin Smith, by his mastery in the art of hunting, was definitely the best hunter inside the Walls.

His prey — the delighted noblemen in sumptuous suits — were having an animated conversation around him. Erwin had been watching their habits for years so he knew very well the tricks to deal with them: excessive sweet words of flattery laced with irresistible persuasions would convert their haughty conscience from skepticism to absolute acceptance. Smooth talk was one of his fortes; he could raise the morale of his entire squad to keep going to combat titans even in the most desperate situation with his eloquent speech, enticing selfish humans like them was a mere child's play for him. Erwin took a sip from the glass; the taste of finely aged wine was as satisfying as the sweetness of his triumph when the last nobleman had fallen into his inescapable trap.

Checkmate.

"Well, well, Commander Erwin," said the Baron, scribing a long signature on the parchment. "I must say I'm impressed by the future prospect of your legion. Never knew you had made such constructed plans for next years, I thought you succeeded the highest rank just recently."

"I've planned it in advance, long before my promotion," said Erwin with the most humble tone of voice he was capable of.

"Excellent, excellent" commented the Baron with a most pleased expression. "I understand why you're chosen to be Commander."

"And that new soldier," continued the next nobleman, also signing the parchment, "even the Military Police doesn't have a recruit as talented as that lass. Those incompetent soldiers should be ashamed of themselves, neglecting their duty because of booze and boodle, the head of the MP should learn something from you."

"Thank you, Milord." Erwin received the scroll with his wine-free hand, bowing courteously. "I'm deeply grateful for your generosity to the Survey Corps. Your contributions mean a lot to humanity."

One by one, they shook hand with Erwin, wishing him good fortune for the next expedition, then went off. Erwin placed his empty glass wine on a tray held by a waiter and looked at the parchment with a self-satisfied smirk; a few signatures scratched neatly on the top, a good starter for this long and tiring night.

"Now, now, where is she?" Erwin muttered.

The dance was going to start very soon, about time to commence the next step of his grand plan. Most of the guests had paired up and strode to the center of the ballroom. Erwin was searching for his dance partner among the people when a certain man caught his attention. The man made his way toward him, arms folded, staring at his collar with a cold expression.

"I thought you'd get that in the end," he said, not with amazement, but rather, with an icy accusatory tone as if he was certain Erwin had committed premeditated murder to the previous owner of the bolo tie.

"Good evening, Nile," said Erwin, smiling and offering a handshake. "Good to see you again."

Nile Dok gave him another cold look before reaching out his hand for a split second handshake. "What are you doing here, Erwin?"

"I'm invited to this party," Erwin answered matter-of-factly.

His answer made Nile contract his furrow. "Bringing your subordinates to this kind of occasion is very unlikely of you. The girl from the newspaper is here, isn't she? And I saw that sick psychopath in the entrance hall, terrorizing and chasing after the guests like a mad wolf on the loose. I wouldn't be surprised if the guards have arrested her right now."

Erwin could visualize the disturbing scene quite clearly in his mind; he imagined the so-called 'sick psychopath' babbling incoherently about the development progress of her special trap for capturing titans, her latest groundbreaking discovery about titan's behavioral patterns and some of her screwiest theories on how and why titans could move at night, none of which made the slightest sense to her listeners so they started running for their dear life. And all of sudden, the euphoria that surged in every particle of his body after finally getting a few supporters was thoroughly washed away by a tsunami of regret.

"She means no harm to people, she's...just stubbornly passionate about her job and research," said Erwin, making a mental note to dock her wages in the next budgeting meeting. "Despites her eccentricities, she's one of my best subordinates and an excellent combatant."

"She wouldn't be here if it was not because of your order," Nile guessed, the strained looks on his face might suggest that he was in the middle of interrogating a serial killer. "What are you planning now?"

"Why does everyone always think I have ulterior motives?"

"Because you always have ulterior motives," Nile accused. "I've been watching you since you talked to Vice Commander Arthur and his daughter, then to the Barons and Viscounts from Orvud District… Now that I think about your actions, central government refused to grant the extra funds you need to commence the expedition…" He paused for a few seconds, his eyes trailing to the scroll in Erwin's hand. "Are you doing what I'm thinking you're doing?"

"Your hunch is completely accurate." Erwin slipped the scrolled parchment into his breast pocket. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm sure I don't violate any military ethic codes by asking for donation and support from the nobles."

"You certainly don't know when to give up," said Nile, his voice rising. "If the others know what you're doing—"

"They'll be furious," Erwin continued with a nod, "I understand their resentment toward me, but don't you think it's time for the Military Police and the Survey Corps to bury the hatchet and stick together?"

"You're wrong if you think I'll take sides with you just because we happened to know each other. I will just follow the orders from the brass."

"Could I take that as a commitment? If one day you're ordered to aid the Survey Corps, will you do it?"

"I don't see any possibilities of that happening," said Nile curtly.

"There will be moments in which following the order within a system doesn't have the equal meaning with doing the right thing."

Erwin's voice carried no hint of a taunt; it sounded just as courteous as the way he talked to the nobles, but Nile looked as if Erwin had punched him hard in the face.

"Are you saying I'm not doing my job?" said Nile, his nostrils flaring. "I'm aware the corruption within the MP is horrible! Do you really think I wasn't already making an effort to change that? We're talking about a broken system that has rooted for decades! Do you think I could repeal something like that overnight?"

"Oh no, I don't mean to doubt your leadership or criticize how bad the policemen are doing lately with that statement," said Erwin, still with the same politeness. "I'm sure you're doing your best to keep everything under control as the Commander of the Military Police, but I need you to stay objective. You could resent me all you want but don't let it cloud your judgment. If one day the Survey Corps suffer losses because of false accusation or acts of sabotage, I hope you could bring justice to the culprits, no matter what the higher ups might order or your peers might say. If you're fighting crime and upholding justice indiscriminately, then we remain on the same side."

For a long time, neither of them spoke, they just silently looked at each other as if competing in staring match. It seemed Nile couldn't think of anything to argue on this point, but he also didn't seem want to express his assent as though agreeing on something with Erwin was mortally humiliating for him.

"Remember what I just said," said Erwin, smiling thinly. "It's really good to meet you again. Please send my best regards to Marie."

"You've never changed a bit, even after all these years," said Nile in an undertone, whether he was upset or impressed was impossible to tell because he swiftly turned around and left.

Wondering about how thin the line between a good friend and stranger was, Erwin watched his back until he disappeared into the crowd. Erwin knew things would never get back as they used to be — he wasn't foolish enough to wish it would happen — but it still pained him to see how a man who once shared the same dream with him eventually standing on the opposite of the line, defying him more than anyone else, defying the dream that they could have pursued together…

Shaking his head, Erwin continued to find his dance partner. He caught a glimpse of her golden blonde hair, surrounded by a throng of hopeful-looking young noblemen; all of them seemed to be trying to get the girl's attention.

"Excuse me."

Erwin cut the long line, squeezing his way through the horde and standing behind the blonde girl.

"May I have the honor to dance with you, Milady?" he said, extending a hand.

Sophie Aumont turned around and glided toward Erwin, grasping his hand tightly. "Yes! The honor is mine, Commander Erwin!"

Erwin led her to the dance floor, away from her enraged fan club.

"You're very popular as always," Erwin commented.

"I almost threw up talking to them," said Sophie, clutching Erwin's arm. "For the Love of Sina, they never leave me alone. Thank you for saving me."

"You are very welcome, Milady. It's always a pleasure to help you."

"Commander, isn't it a bit weird for you to address your subordinate with honorifics?"

"I'm conversing with the fairest lady in the entire Wall Sina, not with my subordinate."

"Stop acting like we just knew each other yesterday," said Sophie stoutly. "Please drop the formalities."

Erwin opened his mouth to refuse but her enchanting gaze never failed to touch his soft side. He sighed in defeat, and said, "Very well, Sophie."

She smiled as they stood facing each other. "What took you so long anyway? I almost thought you forgot about our mission."

"Pardon me, I got caught up in a chitchat with an old friend," said Erwin. Not wanting to talk further about his old friend, he quickly changed the subject. "Lady Marianne isn't coming?"

"Evening prayer. She said she's looking forward to meet you very soon."

"It's been a long time since the last time I met her."

"Yes, very long," said Sophie tersely. "You've been very busy, right?"

He could be wrong, but he felt there was sarcasm in her voice. The crowd fell silent as the music boomed throughout the ballroom. Erwin bowed before her, which she replied with a graceful curtsy, and they began to dance.

"You knew I was graduating in the top ten?" Sophie asked.

"I heard the news, five of the top ten graduates from southern division joined the Survey Corps," said Erwin pleasantly. "Haven't read the files myself, but I'm sure one of them is you. That was a very commendable achievement."

"Oh, thank you!" she said, beaming widely. "I really worked hard for that. To tell you the truth, I wanted to run away on the first week of boot camp."

They spent a few minutes discussing about the life in the military academy enthusiastically. Jealous eyes were following them as they waltzed on the gleaming dance floor. Some young noblemen — whom Sophie had talked to before Erwin's abrupt interruption — darted looks of purest loathing at Erwin as if they wished for him to trip on banana peel and get a brain concussion.

"So, I assume you like being a soldier?" asked Erwin, after she had finished recounting her hellish third year training which included a nasty fall from 3DM Gear malfunction and several broken bones.

"Best decision of my life!" Sophie answered avidly. "I can't wait for the expedition!"

"And for that, we need to make this special operation successful."

"Agreed. I don't understand why Alex is here, though. You didn't tell me she was coming."

"Just additional ammunition, not that I doubt your charisma and influence. I feel safe to enter the battlefield with all that I've got."

"You don't have to do this, you know. Tell me how much money you need and —"

"I appreciate your offer and kindness," Erwin cut in, "but your parents have been too generous for the last decade."

"But I'm your subordinate!" she said, pursing her lips. "It's not an abuse of power. Why don't you want me to donate?"

"Because I know my plan is going to work," he replied confidently.

The music slowed down; the first song ended with a tumultuous applause from the crowd. The next song struck up with faster beat, more lively and cheerful, and they waltzed across the ballroom.

"Okay, here we go," said Sophie, her manner changed; it became more serious and business-like, "on your nine o'clock, Erwin, the man with a monocle near the open window and the lady beside him; that's his wife."

Sophie was muttering all the names of people from the nobility and pointing out their locations, while also gracefully pivoting and swaying in time to the music. Erwin was listening carefully; he barely recognized half of them.

"And the last one, the old lady on your four o'clock," said Sophie, jerking her head. "These are the people I'm sure will aid you without too much bargaining."

"Our target is twenty three nobles," Erwin recapitulated. "I don't think it's enough."

"Don't blame me, you're not very popular within the interiors to begin with," she said with a teasing smile.

"You don't have to say it out loud," said Erwin grimly. "Baron Cornelius Montgomery is very generous, he helped with our Headquarters renovation. How about him?"

"Hmm… I don't think it's a good idea," said Sophie tentatively. "He might talk nice and sweet in front of you but my father told me he always wished for the Survey Corps disbandment. I don't know why he helped with renovation though, he must be up to no good."

Quite taken aback with this new information, Erwin looked around to find familiar faces. "Well, how about Lord Jeremiah from House Millford?"

"Sweet Mother Sina, no!" Sophie whispered in a strained voice. "He's the biggest villain of Conservative!"

"He's one of the funders of this party."

"He's doing it to boost his reputation! He couldn't care less about donating or helping others!"

"He's the most successful businessman."

"He's a very greedy and sly trader! Rumors say he has bribed the MP's higher ups to conspire with him in illegal business!"

"He's exceedingly wealthy," said Erwin inconsequentially, ignoring everything she had said, "he owns the biggest winery in Wall Sina and has six businesses in different fields. I heard he has stakes in Berg Newspaper."

Sophie stared at him, her face freezing with bafflement. "Do you even have slightest idea how mad the Conservative at you since last year's incident? I'm sure they would hire a professional assassin to kill you in your sleep then put your head on silver plate — I'm not joking!" she added, her voice quivered in fear when she saw that his face was calm as ever. "You have to be very careful with them!"

"I know, it's very obvious they detest me with burning passion and pray for my death," said Erwin lightly, refraining from giving her the full details of last year's incident — they had sent out the most dangerous thug to assassinate him. "But I need all the money I can get."

Sophie cast him a disapproving look. "Fine, we'll try to talk to him, but blandishments won't — oh, Erwin! Look at them!" She chuckled gleefully. "Your seven o'clock, pretty cute, aren't they?!"

Erwin glanced over his shoulder, frowning, and it took him a few seconds before realizing what was going on over there. "My… How very…lovely."

Actually, the sight was very far from being 'cute' and 'lovely' was an obvious lie; maybe it was just Erwin's attempt to remain polite. On the other side of the dance floor, a bit far from them, there was a ludicrous commotion. The exasperated-looking man was dancing, or to be more exact, steering the petite girl in military uniform to move to the music so exaggeratingly that the pairings around them were backing away in fear of getting hurt, some of them even stopped dancing, too busy laughing behind their hands. The girl, who was doing an extremely dangerous sway it could be argued that she had a hangover, couldn't keep up with the fast beat of the music and hardly seemed to know what she was supposed to do. At least, she tried to imitate what the other ladies were doing but failed fantastically, stumbling over her partner's foot and clutching his front suit for support.

"You don't know shit about dancing!" snapped Levi, wincing as she trod on his foot for the twenty-sixth time. "Why the hell did you beg for a dance if you can't stand up straight for one goddamn second without stepping on my feet?!"

Alexandra Ritter straightened up at once, panting and sweating. "I read how to dance in a book but never try — whoa!"

Levi pulled her into his arms, dragging her to a swift double reverse turn and holding her hand high so she could perform an underarm turn. Alex pivoted but failed to catch his other hand, losing her balance and almost falling to the floor again if Levi didn't snatch her scruff and pull her up.

After what felt like an eternity of humiliation for Levi, the second song ended, another enthusiastic applause filled the ballroom once again, along with sniggering from the people around them. Levi let go of her hands, throwing a look of utter vexation at her and stomping away.

"Captain, I'm very, deeply, terribly sorry," said Alex, trudging beside him.

"Stupid brat," said Levi scathingly, smoothing out the wrinkles on his suit. "Even a plank could dance better than you. If you want to embarrass yourself, do it alone."

"I will improve my dancing skill in the future, I promise," said Alex determinedly. "But… I never thought you were an adept dancer, sir. I thought you hated this kind of thing."

"Someone taught me…" said Levi softly, "long time ago…when I was a kid…"

"Really? Who did that?"

"None of your fucking business." He waved a hand dismissively. "Stay away from me, brat. I don't want to see your face again tonight."

"Yes, yes, I'll go right away, very sorry — um — for all the troubles," said Alex, a content smile stretched her tiny lips. "Thank you very much, sir, for dancing with me. It was fun!"

But the smile disappeared from her face at once: Levi darted the most vengeful glare he could muster at Alex. If only he had any idea how terrible she was at dancing, he really would have pushed her off the balcony back then and wouldn't bother looking back to check her condition. Nothing fun had happened since he set a foot here, and his mood was already as shitty as a gutter; he might strangle the next person who dared to annoy him.

At the same moment, Erwin was striding toward them, accompanied by a stunningly beautiful woman Levi didn't recognize, but after they got closer, he couldn't believe what he just saw.

"That blondie dangling on Erwin," said Levi, holding Alex's shoulder to stop her from leaving, "what is she doing here?"

"Umm… Sophie is…" said Alex. "Turn out, she is…a noble from Mitras."

"Noble?" Levi repeated skeptically. "Is she your close friend?"

"Oh… Well…" Alex hesitated. "We spent a lot of time together in boot camp. My bunkmate since the first day of boot camp to this day."

"Judging by your tentative answer, you had no idea she was a noble until now."

"Not even in my wildest imagination," said Alex as the blonde pair approached them.

"That was a very striking performance," said Erwin to Alex, visibly trying not to laugh while Sophie had difficulty suppressing her giggle.

"Is that a compliment or sarcasm, sir?" asked Alex. "I don't think I was doing it right."

"Of course he's being sarcastic, you stupid brat," said Levi, crossing his arms and leering at Alex, who was grimacing and flushing scarlet.

"It's nice to meet you here, Captain Levi," Sophie greeted, curtsying elegantly.

"I get it now," said Levi, staring at Sophie as though suddenly seeing her in whole new light.

"Get…what, sir?" asked Sophie nervously, straightening up in instant.

"Your pathetic, nearly nonexistent cleaning skill," spat Levi. "Your half-assed cleaning is a disgrace for entire human race, but I guess nobles never do grunt work."

"I-I-I'm s-sorry for skipping today's cleaning," Sophie stammered, "Commander Erwin ordered me —"

"I don't mind, you're more of hindrance than help," said Levi through tightly clenched jaw. "My cleaning project could have been done a lot sooner if you didn't get in the way."

"I advise you to stop right there in your bashing of a lady," said Erwin sternly.

"What is wrong with calling an idiot an idiot?" said Levi, still staring at Sophie, whose face now turned brilliantly red.

"How about trying harder to not offend anyone?" Erwin reminded.

"Including a cadet?"

"Of course," said Erwin. "You better show some respect to the Heiress of Wildenberg House."

Levi darted an irked look at Erwin. After a moment, he said, in a voice of forced courtesy, "I hope you could do better in the future, Milady, for the sake of your family. Don't want the Wildenberg's honorable reputation get tainted by having a klutz for an Heiress, do you?"

A thick and very tense silence filled in. Sophie looked like she wanted to bury herself in the deepest hole on the planet.

"Oh! Wine and champagne!" said Alex suddenly in an unnatural surprised voice and pointed a waiter serving the guests nearby, plainly trying to break the tension. "Would you like to have a glass, Captain Levi? You must be thirsty after the dance."

Levi turned at her, frowning, and before he could say anything, Alex had ushered him to the food table. She glimpsed at Sophie from over her shoulder; the two girls exchanged a stare that conveyed a nonverbal understanding.

"He really hates me…" said Sophie in a hollow voice, covering her mouth.

"Don't take it too personally, he's always rude to everyone," said Erwin bracingly. "But if you want him to stop harassing you, please, improve your cleaning skill," he added, sounding dead serious. "Let's have a drink."

Sophie reluctantly followed Erwin to the food table, quite keen to maintain a safe distance from Levi, who was sipping his champagne with the same surly and menacing expression. Alex was talking eagerly about something to him, transparently attempting to regale him but he didn't seem to pay any attention to her raving.

"Erwin, on your six o'clock!" Sophie exclaimed abruptly. "There! Baron Jeremiah Millford and his—"

A loud noise of shattering glass erupted from the food table. Alex froze where she stood and seemed unable to move a muscle; the wine glass had slipped out of her grasp to the floor, staining the shiny marble with dark purple liquid.

"What now, brat?" said Levi, putting his glass on the table. "You still want to embarrass yourself?"

Alex ignored him, staring horrorstruck at Sophie, her lips trembling. "Where?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Where is he?"

"Just across that table, why?" said Sophie, looking utterly concerned. "Alex, are you okay?"

Alex didn't answer. She took a few steps backward, her face screwed up with dread, in the next tiniest space of time, she turned around and dashed away as though her life was in mortal peril then vanished from the view.

"What just happened?" asked Erwin, exchanging puzzled looks with Levi.

"I'll go after her," Levi told him, scurrying past the buzzing crowd.

By the moment Levi shuffled out of the ballroom, Alex was sprinting down the marble staircase into the entrance hall and rushing through the front doors. He marched down the stairs, muttering curses under his breath, pondering what the hell just happened; one moment she was blabbering on and on about the varieties of champagne and wine, and all of sudden she dropped her glass and ran away. Levi picked up his speed, skidding to a halt at the porch and looking wildly around the front yard; he saw a glimpse of auburn hair hurtling toward the garden. He leapt down the stone steps, three at a time, and began to run again.

"Damn it! Where the hell is she?"

He was standing in the center of the garden among the brightly lit hedges and rosebushes. A chilly breeze blew hard, swirling the crispy leaves on the deserted and quiet stone path; she was nowhere to be found. The garden was immensely vast it felt like he just passing the same corner over and over again. At this point, finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Levi was wondering whether he should call the guards to locate her, when he was almost thrown aside by a figure that unexpectedly came hurrying from the shrubbery.

"You can't hold me captive!" yelled the tall figure of a woman whose voice was already familiar to Levi.

She sprinted toward the lake, blundering through the trees, the tip of her long gown brushing the grass. In the next second, a pack of MP guards emerged from the same shrubbery, dashing past Levi and shouting warnings that she must surrender at once. He had a shrewd guess about who that woman was, but meddling with her problem was not worth his time at this moment. Now that he knew all the guards were very busy hunting down a maniac, he continued striding the stone path, eyeing every nook and cranny of the dense shrubbery.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft whimpering that seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He proceeded and realized that the voice was issued from the bushes surrounding an enormous marble statue. He parted the thick leaves and looked down; on the ground, cowering at the foot of the statute, sobbing and covering her face with her hands, was Alex.

"Oi, brat, what are you doing?" said Levi, pulling her arm.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she shrieked.

"Brat, what the hell—"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" She was trying to retract her arm as though she'd been burned. "DON'T TOUCH — PLEASE — DON'T HURT ME!"

Startled with her frantic reaction, Levi withdrew his hand immediately. "Alex," he called, his voice softened, "it's me. I'm not going to hurt you."

Very cautiously, Alex looked up to him from between her fingers. "Captain Levi?" she choked, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Oh… Sir, I'm… I'm s-so sorry… I d-d-didn't m-mean to…" She mumbled a bunch of words but she was trembling so violently that Levi didn't catch anything.

"You okay?" said Levi, crouching down in front of her. He extended a hand to check if she was injured but she recoiled further to the bushes as though he was pointing a knife at her neck.

"Please — don't touch me!" she cried, pressing hands to the sides of her head. "DON'T HURT ME!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured but he pulled his hand back. "What happened to you? Are you injured?"

Alex shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "P-P-Please… Please give me…a m-moment…" She sobbed harder than before, tucking her legs to her chest and burying her face to her knees.

Levi watched her sobbing in silence, unsure what he was supposed to do and unable to comprehend what exactly had happened to her. She was always full of surprises, he thought, from the very first moment they met, despite her annoying quirks that never ceased to irritate him, she had proven her worth as a soldier. He had seen her prowess in battlefield, he had witnessed how fierce she could be against titans, how she was always remained calm and level-headed even in precarious situations; a tough soldier with guts of steel that could make all the military policemen feel really ashamed of themselves. She deserved that first rank graduate, and that uniform; it still fit perfectly well on her, but this girl, the whimpering and trembling girl before his eyes, was not the soldier who had saved his life. She wasn't the soldier who had survived the outside world and lived to tell the tale; she seemed like an ordinary girl, helpless and vulnerable. Terror was in her quivering voice. Her shoulders seemed too small, too frail to bear the heavy burden of Wings of Freedom. She was clearly in pain, but from what and where, Levi wasn't quite sure. Her chest rising and falling rapidly, and the way both of her hands clutching the front of her coat, he was under the impression that every breath of air causing her insufferable agony.

"You're done?" Levi asked when her whimpering had faded away.

Alex took a deep, steadying breath and arouse out of the bushes. "I'm getting out of here," she mumbled, rushing past Levi.

"Wait," he said, standing up and blocking her way, "where are you going?"

"Anywhere…" she choked, wiping her eyes with her palms. "I can't stay here any longer…"

"What the hell just happened?"

She looked away, pressing her lips and shaking her head again.

"Tch. Follow me."

"No! I don't — please — I don't want—!"

"Calm the fuck down," said Levi loudly, shaking her shoulder. "Get a grip on yourself and stop acting like a crazy person."

"Yes, right, I'm sorry, sir…" she whispered. "But I can't… I can't go inside… I… don't want to…"

Levi let go of her shoulder. "We're going somewhere else."

She quickly looked him in the eyes. "R-really? Where are we going?"

"Back to Headquarter."

"Is it okay if I leave? But the order—"

"Don't worry about it," said Levi, gesturing her to follow him. "Don't underestimate the craftiness of Erwin Smith. He has a trump card he can pull anytime from his asshole."

They set off the windy stone path through the rosebushes, none of them talked. Levi watched her out of the corner of his eyes. She was still badly shaken, but at least she had stopped crying. Too many questions were swimming inside his head; he must find a way to make her talk no matter what, but forcing her to spit the truth in an interrogation chamber was obviously off the table. She seemed to have enough terror for a lifetime. Still in uncomfortable silence, they walked out of the garden into the main stone path that led to the front gate, where the horses and horse-drawn carriages were stationed. Levi opened the carriage door, snatching his traveling cloak.

"Oi, you," he called to one of Survey Corps soldiers near the front gate.

"Captain Levi!" The soldier did a salute in haste. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"I'll borrow your horse," said Levi, drawing his traveling cloak a little more tightly around his neck. "You'll go back to Headquarters in this carriage with Erwin. That's an order."

Before the soldier could raise an objection, Levi had steered the stallion out of the front gate and mounted.

"Hop on."

Alex didn't move from her spot. "Is it really going to be okay?"

Levi reached out a hand to help her mount on the horse. "I thought you wanted to get out of this place."

~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~

Erwin checked his pocket watch; quarter an hour had passed and Levi had not come back. "This is taking too long. Where did she go?"

"Wherever it is, I hope she's not coming back," said Sophie gloomily, clasping his arm and staring into his eyes. "Promise me you won't give an order like this again to her. It's an horrible idea to bring her here."

He arched an eyebrow. "And why is that a horrible idea?"

"She is…a loner type, very reclusive, almost antisocial I daresay. She has problems with strangers, always avoiding meeting new people like a plague, always hiding from hustle like a frightened kitten. It's a miracle to see her here."

"I notice she's been acting weird since she came here. But why did she run away just now? What happened to her?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor and shrugged. "I have no idea…"

Erwin eyed her for a moment. The way she averted her gaze, his hunch was telling him she knew something about it, but pursuing the truth could wait for another day. "Very well. Let's continue our mission."

"Oh, Dear Sina," Sophie gasped, tugging his arm. "Baron Jeremiah Millford, your six o'clock."

Erwin turned around. A tall man strode past a few food tables and went straight toward them. He had sleek grey hair, sunken and shadowed eyes, and deep wrinkles on his haughty face, which gave an immediate impression of maddening superiority.

"Pleasure to meet you again, Lord Jeremiah," said Erwin,

"Erwin Smith," said Lord Jeremiah, his voice was unpleasantly unctuous. "The new Commander of Survey Corps, and Milady Sophie von Wildenberg," he continued with a smile that didn't reach his shrewd eyes. "Long time no see, Milady. I was wondering to myself the other day, when will the debutante ball of the Rose of Wildenberg be held, for which we have been all waiting?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have any plans to hold a debutante ball in the near future," said Sophie, attempting an ingratiating smile.

"That's a bit disappointing," he said, glancing at Erwin then looking at Sophie again. "If I may know, to what do I owe this pleasure of having you as my guest tonight?"

"Well… I'm here on order as a soldier of Survey Corps," Sophie answered hesitantly.

"I see, you've been too busy playing soldiers, haven't you, Milady?" said Lord Jeremiah, his mouth kept smiling but his eyes held all the warmth of a serpent. "How unfortunate, an undeniably beautiful lady like you, making such a asinine decision to join the most wasteful and pointless legion of all, I'm very concerned about your wellbeing."

"Could you please enlighten me about what you meant with 'asinine decision'?" Sophie demanded, frowning and drawing herself up to her full height. "If you are referring to Survey Corps as 'wasteful and pointless legion', I suggest that you could—"

"Milady's decision was not without thorough consideration," Erwin interrupted, and Sophie went quiet, though still looking scandalized. "She perfectly understands the dangers and risks of being a soldier. Her decision to join Survey Corps shows that she's got more guts than the whole Military Police put together. "

"What kind of sorcery you have performed to lure Milady Sophie on your side, Erwin Smith?" Lord Jeremiah asked; his disturbing smile disappeared instantly. "I'm confused why Wildenberg House is still the biggest supporter you have to date. Now that you put the Heiress in mortal danger, I could only imagine they will severe all ties with you immediately, but Arthur's still very fond of you as usual. What was it? False hope? Threat? Blackmail? Or maybe the pretty lady has been captivated by your good looks?"

Sophie gasped and glared at him, a positively dangerous look etched on her reddening face. Erwin seized her hand before she could make a reckless action.

"I'm afraid you have misunderstood about a lot of things," said Erwin calmly, still holding her hand. "Wildenberg House is willing to contribute for the sake of humanity. They support the Survey Corps with sincere and honorable intentions."

"Honorable? Wasting money and resources for negligible affair is honorable? I'd rather call it foolishness. How much longer do you intend to extort money from the citizen for such a negligible affair?"

"Until the day when humanity finally retakes its freedom. Though, I'm wondering if you could participate with—"

"You should show some remorse, you know?" he cut in, his voice low and fierce. "With all the tribulations the Conservative had gone through since the imprisonment of Lobov, it's very impertinent of you to show your face again before me and ask for donation. Or maybe you've forgotten about it?"

"Last year's incident never leave my mind, Lord Jeremiah," said Erwin, with a little bow and a smile. "Actually, truth be told, I do feel remorse about revealing the ignominy and tainting the reputation of Lobov House, but I never feel guilty for bringing justice to all. Each person must atone for their crimes, no matter who they are."

Lord Jeremiah's face contorted into an oddly wicked expression as though Erwin had mortally offended him. "We shall meet again, Erwin Smith," he said, the malice in his voice was indisputable. "I hope your next expedition goes well, and of course, beneficial, not just soldiers dying for nothing while spending taxpayer money."

And then, with a last hateful look on his face, he stalked away.

"I hate him!" said Sophie when Lord Jeremiah was not within earshot, "what a horrible, despicable, selfish man! Congratulation, Erwin," she added, leering at him, "now you're officially the sworn enemy of his House for seven generations. Really, congratulation, what a splendid achievement."

"That went horribly wrong," Erwin admitted. "There's no way he'll support us."

Sophie gave him a 'what-did-I-tell-you?' look. "You better start listening to me," she said sourly.

"As you wish, Milady," he said with a smile and Sophie nudged him hard in the ribs.

"Stop teasing me or I will abort this mission!"

Erwin smiled even more broadly. "All right, sorry about that."

"Thank you for standing up for me," she muttered as they edged around the dance floor. "But I would have punched his face if you hadn't interfered."

"A lady doesn't punch people and I don't want my subordinate assaulting civilians."

"He deserves that!" she said savagely. "Concerned about me? What a heinous lie! He's beside himself because I keep rejecting his nephews' marriage proposals and grandfather is always against the Conservative during the Parliament meetings. And how dare he talk like that to you— why are you laughing?"

"You're still the same old Sophie," said Erwin, chuckling into his fist. He found her usual knack of speaking her mind very amusing, something he was rather fond of. "Now that I remember, you haven't told me why you chose Survey Corps. May I know your reason?"

"Let's save that conversation for later," she said promptly, glancing around. "A lot of ministers at two o'clock, want to coax them?"

"Perhaps not a wise idea," said Erwin gravely, "the Parliament members are not my biggest supporters these days. Occupational hazard, I'm afraid."

"Oh, what a pity, those old men are pretty wealthy," Sophie muttered, tapping a finger to her chin. "Well, if this mission fails, I could always leave a blank check on your desk anytime."

"No, we're not going to fail."

"Then how should we proceed?"

Erwin sighed; the time had come to use his ultimate strategy: gambling, as usual. "Excluding the member of Parliaments and Conservatives, how many people do you know in this party?" he asked.

"I don't know all the guests, but I'm sure they all know about me. Is that good enough?"

"Excellent. We'll talk to every single one of them."

Sophie's aquamarine eyes widened at him. "Everyone? Seriously?"

"Yes, every single one of them," Erwin repeated firmly. "We'll start from anyone with the highest prospect of donating. You can do it, right?"

"Of course, that's a cinch for me, but it will take all night."

"I give you one more day off tomorrow if this will take all night."

"Fair enough," said Sophie with a bright smile. "Our first target is at ten o'clock."

Erwin stared at a lady with short black hair donning silver satin gown. "Isn't she the Chief Justice of Supreme Court?"

"Yes, do you know her?"

"No, but I've seen her a few times at military central headquarters, discussing court-martial cases with Supreme Commander Zackly. Do you really think she will help us?"

"If we can negotiate with her, she may give a full support for expedition. She could be very scary sometimes, but out the courthouse, she's actually a very sweet lady and has a good sense of humor."

"You know her on personal level?" said Erwin, completely amazed. He had expected to be introduced to influential people, but not as influential as the woman who held the highest authority in judicial system.

"She's Mother's best friend, I've known her since I was four." Sophie tossed her hair and adjusted the folds of her gown. "I used to play dolls with her and attend tea parties together."

"Absolutely excellent," said Erwin, offering his arm. "Let's go get her."

The time was ticking fast. With the urgency to complete the mission as quickly as possible, the blond pair hurriedly approached the lady. She was a classic patrician beauty with fair skin, heart-shaped face and high cheekbones, but her austere demeanor and piercing black eyes suggested that she was not a person to put up with any nonsense.

"Good evening, Madame Wilhelmina," Sophie greeted.

"Oh my, what a surprise," she said, a warm smile softened her stern face. "The Rose of Wildenberg is here, of all times, and breathtaking as always."

"Thank you very much, Madame," Sophie replied, spreading her gown and curtsying. "Such a great honor to meet you here tonight."

"Honor to meet you as well," said Madame Wilhelmina, bowing her head. "How are you, my dear?"

"I'm doing very well. Mother sends her best regards to you."

"Ah, yes, Marianne won't be coming again," she said, looking slightly crestfallen, "too busy with Wall Cult, I presume, what a devout Wallist she is — who is this charming gentleman?" She smiled friendly to Erwin.

"An exclusive guest that I'd like to introduce to you," said Sophie with her most captivating smile. "Erwin Smith, the new Commander of Survey Corps."

~SnK~SnK~SnK~SnK~

The sound of footsteps echoed in the deserted and dimly lit main hall of the Survey Corps Headquarters, issued from two people who just entered the front doors. Alex took off her coat and had to jog to keep up with the man in front of her. Ever since their departure from Wall Sina, he had not said a word.

"Captain Levi…" said Alex in a hushed voice in an attempt to break the eerie silence between them. "I apologize for skiving off cleaning duty today. Squad Leader Hange pulled me out."

Levi made a vague grunt about "Erwin's order."

The silence crept eerily again.

"So…how was the cleaning duty today?" said Alex, making another brave move to start a conversation as they entered the dining hall.

"Bloody awful," said Levi indignantly. "Seriously, no one even cares about cleaning up. How many times have I said that even the desks need to be wiped down? Or the window frames need to be polished thoroughly? They can use the gear to wipe the outer window, none of them ever thought about that? Damned moronic Cadets… All of them have brains worse than Titan's."

Levi kept grumbling about the unsatisfactory work and mentioning some severe form of punishment for neglecting his command. Alex twisted the rim of her coat; she realized that she had made a fatal mistake: of all the things she could ask, she asked about cleaning… His tirade seemed last forever, but eventually came to end when he opened the door at the back of dining hall.

"Come in and sit down," he said, walking inside and igniting the candles in the room.

Alex hesitantly followed him. "Um… Kitchen, sir?"

The faint glimmer of candles revealed how messy the kitchen was: dirty plates and bowls from the night's supper pilling up in the sink, cooking spits were covered with soot, and there was a large puddle of what seemed like a vegetable stew on the floor. Alex stood near the door, probably thinking Levi would order her to clean but he said nothing. He lighted the cooking spits and proceeded to fill the kettle with water.

"Is there…anything I should do?" she asked.

"Sit your ass down," he said sharply, setting the kettle on the fire pit. The hint of irritation in his voice made Alex swiftly sat on the nearest chair.

Levi took off his traveling cloak and suit, tossing them on a chair. If he couldn't use brute force — that was the only way he knew how to squeeze information from people — he thought maybe a little hospitality would made her loosen her tongue to tell him what had happened to her. Levi rummaged through the ingredient shelves, opening the drawer of his secret stash: a small tin of black tea leaves. An idea popped up in his head.

A few minutes later, Levi put down a tray loaded with teacups and a steaming teapot of fresh tea and poured a cup for Alex. "Here. Have a drink."

She stared at him with lips slightly parted. "Tea…sir? You're serving me with tea?"

"So what?"

"This is…unexpected. Why?"

"Just drink it." He sat down opposite her, helping himself to a cup of tea.

"That's very peculiar," Alex commented the way he held the cup in claw-like manner. "Why do you do that?"

"Old habit," he said briskly. "Shut up and drink it. I didn't poison it."

Alex smiled at him. "Yes, thank you, sir."

There was a silence for a moment or two in which both of them were savoring the tea, and then, as Levi had brilliantly predicted, Alex stared at her cup and frowned.

"Sir, you brewed the tealeaves too fast," she said.

Levi pretended to sip his tea to hide the fact that he was smirking. "Ho? Really?"

"This tastes a little bit off."

"Tastes just fine to me. Tea tends to turn bitter when brew too long with boiled water, giving a bad aftertaste. The bitterness ruins everything."

"But black tea doesn't. It should be steeped in freshly boiled water." She took a small sip and licked her lips. "The flavor has a strong, unique taste of musky spiciness, and a vague scent of fruity and floral aroma, but this red-yellowish infusion is too mild which means you should have brewed it a little longer. This is black tea, only improperly brewed." She finished her explanation with a triumphant smile.

Putting down his cup, Levi gave a nod of agreement. "Not bad. You do have a good taste. But how did you know this is black tea?"

"I once read a book about—"

"Bullshit," he interjected, crossing his arms on the table. "Even if you would have read a thousand books, I bet your awfully shitty dancing would still be awfully shitty. You easily distinguished black tea by its flavor and color in one sip. It's not something you can do from reading a book. So, how did you know?"

Alex held her cup in the air, blinking at him. "Is it really strange that I happen to be knowledgeable about black tea?"

And that was a question Levi had waited for. He leaned forward, locking a firm gaze into her eyes. "Explain this to me: how could an orphaned brat like you happen to be an epicure for black tea, the finest thing that could only be accessed by the rich and nobility?"

Halfway through a gulp of tea, Alex choked and stared warily at him, quickly putting her teacup on the saucer as if she was terrified it could explode at any second. "You tricked me… You intentionally made it this way…"

"I'm merely taking advantage on your annoying habit to blabber everything you know in details. I thought your tongue might slip something, and it did." He paused, enjoying the startled look on her face that grew more prominent with every word he uttered. "So, how in the fucking hell did you know this was black tea?"

"Black tea isn't really that hard to get," she answered, her voice was surprisingly very calm in contrast with her completely pallid face. "I've drunk it a few times before, I know how it tastes."

"And also an expert in wine and champagne," Levi continued, ignoring her blatant lies. "Hell, you could tell me which winery produces them with one gulp? Either you're a big fat liar or a psychic, or, you've drunk them a few times before. Tell me again how easy it was to buy champagne."

"You were listening?" she spoke in low voice. "I was positive you ignored me…"

"Your rambling was literally pounding my eardrums, how could I ignore it?"

It was a dead end. For this remark, Alex clearly failed to compose another lie. She fell silent, her eyes glancing around the kitchen as though searching for a way out.

"Cat got your tongue, brat?"

"I'm not comfortable talking about my ancient history with stranger," she said, her tone icy. "It's none of your business anyway."

Levi felt a sudden urge to throw his teacup at her face, but refrained with such a great deal of self-control. "Fine, I'll change my question. What the actual hell was that?"

She shot him a suspicious look. "That what?"

"Stop fucking around with me!" he snapped, banging his fist on the table so hard that his tea spilled on the table. "Even when you were one inch away from a titan's mouth you never cowered in fear. You never ran away and cried like a pathetic loser. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Alex leaned back as far as she could, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. The silence fell upon the kitchen along with a horrifying tense atmosphere; both of them were staring at each other without a blink as if preparing themselves for a fight. Levi mustered all the self-control he had left to not jump at her and yank her collar. She didn't move a muscle even under his most ferocious glare, something he associated with her determination of fighting titans, and that kind of unwavering calm demeanor was seriously grinding on his patience.

"Why were you freaking out like that?"

She merely rolled her eyes.

"Who the hell are you?" said Levi, raising his voice.

"Why should I answer those unnecessary questions?" said Alex, raising her voice even more loudly. "Why are you so desperate to know?"

"Do you not trust me enough to just fucking tell me what happened to you? Don't forget I'm your superior."

"You can't possibly gain my trust by the power of your glare alone, you know? And besides, I'm not obliged to do and say things unrelated to my duty."

"Unrelated, you say?" Levi scoffed. "Fine, I'll report to Erwin that you abandoned your duty tonight."

Her eyes widened in shock. "But you said—"

"The mission will be fine without you, but I can't guarantee your ass won't get caned," he said sleekly. "You've got some guts to break Erwin's order, Cadet."

"You deceived me to come with you so you could use it against me?!" she shouted, rising from her chair.

The answer was, quite honestly, no, but Levi decided against telling her that because she had lost her composure. They had a brief moment of staring at each other again in silence but this time, her unflinching stare had been replaced by a glint of fear and, in the end, she gave a long, tired sighed, before slumping into her chair.

"I was foolish to think you really wanted to help me…" she whispered, gazing at her lap.

"If you still can use your foolish brain to think," said Levi, in a voice he hoped sounded kind and encouraging, "answer my questions and maybe I can reason with Erwin to not give you punishment."

Alex clenched her fists on the table, still gazing down. "But…" she mumbled. "It's very long…and difficult to explain…"

"Take your time, we've got all night."

A minute. A half an hour. An hour. Levi waited, using every last ounce of his patience to not shouting at the top of his lungs for making him waiting too long. He was hoping she would answer immediately, but she kept gazing down, pressing her lips together, entwining her fingers and fidgeting her thumbs.

"Will you start talking, or do I have to drag you to interrogation chamber?" Levi asked, pouring the cold tea to his cup. "It's not very pleasant there."

"Fine," she finally said, still with a quivering voice. "I will tell you what happened, sir…" She held her breath briefly and grimaced like there was a very painful stab in her chest, and then said, "There was someone in that party, the one, he… He was my last m-master…"

"Master," Levi repeated.

The word was the last missing piece of the night's mystery. Without further explanation, the reason why she had ran away, crumpling and sobbing in terror, all suddenly became clear to him… Master. The word that he had heard too often in that place… The place deep down there where worthless people were dumped away by their masters…

"I have a-admission to m-make…" she stammered, her voice was so vague that Levi had to lean closer to hear her words. "I was… I was caught up in human trafficking, it happened long time ago when I was still living alone in the forest. I thought they were hunters for wild animals, and turned out, they were human traffickers. And they… umm… they caught m-me, s-s-shot me in the leg…"

She paused, looking at him deeply in the eyes as though challenging him to ridicule her. Levi made no comment. Dropping her gaze at her cold tea, she continued, in a brittle voice.

"And then, I was brought to Mitras and sold…as a s-s-slave worker… Those people were…very…bad…very ruthless and unforgiving, but my last master was the worst of all… Every time I made a mistake, no matter how insignificant it was, he—"

She opened her mouth but it seemed the words stuck in her throat. After a moment, she closed it, swallowing hard, apparently deciding that the words should never leave her throat. She glanced at Levi, obviously expecting his reaction, but he only stared at her while drinking his tea.

"Let's just say too m-many horrible…things happened to me back then…until one day, I just couldn't take it anymore so I ran away from his manor."

There was something heartbreakingly painful in her shaky voice. She gazed at the dancing fire in the cooking spit, the bright light reflected on her glassy eyes.

"And that's all the update on my ancient history," she muttered with a note of real mortification. "Are you satisfied now, Captain?"

The answers greatly satisfied his curiosity for this moment, although, he never meant to bring up such traumatic issue. He sipped the remaining tea dregs from his cup, racking his brains to think what was the most appropriate thing to say in this situation — hopefully he could say something nice and comforting — and was quite alarmed when he saw a tear trickling down her cheek. Not wanting her to go on crazy mode again, he blurted out, in his miserable endeavor to divert the topic of conversation, "No wonder you're so great in cleaning."

Alex quickly turned to him, wiping her eyes, looking utterly nonplussed. "That's your first comment, sir? The first thing in your mind is how incredible I am in cleaning?" She let out small giggle. "You're really obsessed with cleanliness, aren't you?"

That was shitty, Levi thought, but nevertheless it was good to know she eventually acted more like her usual self. "I bet those swine were so happy to have a genius maid like you."

"I wasn't a good maid at first," she admitted. "Very dreadful and useless, I must say, like, there was a tea party in which I had to serve the guests, and I mistook tealeaves with dried barley leaves."

Levi snorted into his cold tea. "That was idiotic as hell."

"That was the first time I ever saw dried barley leaves."

"You actually served the guests with barley infusion? That must be really amusing to watch."

"Yeah, that was very hilarious," Alex murmured, watching the fire again, "until the Mistress dragged me by my hair to the kitchen and slammed my head to the nearest object in sight. It was a boiling kettle."

Levi was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say, or to think, and had expected she would burst into tears at any second. To his great relief, she didn't show any sign of emotional distress; her face was impassive and she seemed lost in her thoughts, staring blankly at the fire.

"I decided I must take the maid life more seriously if I didn't want to end up dead," she said flatly. "That's how I become an expert at cleaning."

Levi couldn't resist the temptation to ask more. "If you were really that stupid why did those bastards still hire you?"

"Because it was convenient," she answered; her expression remained stony. "You don't give salary to slaves, do you? I didn't have citizenship at that time. If I got kicked out, I would end up in jail. I was very cheap, no surprise, no one wanted a stupid housemaid who couldn't brew tealeaves. I had always been sold as the last resort. But since I got better at doing my job, I got fewer beatings, which was good."

"I see," said Levi. "That makes sense why you seemed bored to death."

"I always hate balls. And for balls as extravagant as tonight's, the maids won't get sleep for two days straight. The preparation alone usually takes a whole week, the food and drinks, the decorations, the cleaning, and the ladies in their boudoirs were amusingly silly to fuss over pimples and unruly hair."

"Nobles are basically very stupid," he agreed, thinking back about that pathetic excuse of a woman who couldn't even mop the floor. "Where did you go after running away?"

"I can't tell you that," she said after a brief moment. "Everything that happened after that point is irrelevant to your question."

"I thought you trusted me."

"Yes, I do," she said hastily. "I just…don't want to talk about it… I don't feel like reliving it right now, or forever and ever." She gave a shudder, fidgeting her thumbs again. "It's been years since the last time I saw him… I'm still weak and pathetic…"

"It has nothing to do with strength," said Levi firmly. "The trauma still affects you, but the past is in the past. Now is now. You're a soldier right now, the best in your class. You survived the outside world and killed titans like they were nothing. You can easily kick his ass, give him a few lessons for treating you like shit."

"Yeah, I'll definitely do it next time," said Alex, smiling slightly and drinking her cold tea. "Sir, how do you have the black tea?"

"I put it in legion's budget," he answered lightly.

"What?" She looked at him in surprise. "But, we're in monetary crisis…"

"Erwin knows, but he hasn't done anything to cut my budget."

"Do you mind if I show you how the nobles have their tea in the inner wall, sir?"

Feeling intrigued, he immediately gave a nod and Alex swept to the cooking spit, boiling the kettle. She opened the ingredient shelves, sorting bundles of herbs and spices. He stood closely behind her, watching everything she did with great interest.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"A special tea concoction, tea is something you have to put effort into, so the taste can vary greatly with different ingredients and techniques," she explained, searching through the shelves again. "Not too many herbs in here… Hmm… Let's see…"

Fifteen minutes later, Alex put down a teapot and two cups of freshly brewed hot tea on the table, which issued strong citrus fragrance. "Ginger lemon tea," she said happily, drinking with delight. "I added thyme for the flavor, too bad we don't have honey or lavender."

Levi took a slow sip; it blew his mind, and his taste buds. The mild sweetness, the rich flavor, the smooth aftertaste, none of it overdone. He drained his cup in one big gulp, staring at the dregs, hoping to find the words of its secrets.

"How is it?" said Alex, beaming. "It tastes good, doesn't it?"

"This is definitely the best tea I've ever drunk in my lifetime." He smirked, filling his cup. "You're a genius."

She smiled and put down her cup. "I'm sorry I caused a lot of trouble," she said. "I shouted at you, and, umm… I shouldn't have said things like that. I'm sorry. It was very disrespectful… Are y-you angry w-with me, Captain?"

Oddly enough, he didn't mind her yelling at him; it was her obstinacy to not divulge anything that made his blood boil. "If you just had told me everything from the very beginning we wouldn't be having shouting match," he said.

"I don't want anyone to know about it," she mumbled, biting her lips, a faint color of scarlet crept up her cheeks. "It's very embarrassing, and I don't think you would understand…"

"I understand," said Levi quietly.

Alex was looking at him as if she had never seen him before. Levi looked back at her and was quite surprise to see her smiling so fondly. Her eyes softened and she looked much happier than Levi had ever remembered.

"Thank you for getting me out of there," she said softly. "Thank you for being kind to me."

Levi was stunned by her response, wondering what he had done deserved her gratitude. In his perplexity, he only nodded and sipped his tea. "Go to your barracks. I'll deal with Erwin."

"So… No hard feelings?"

"I give you triple cleaning duty starting tomorrow for compensation."

She chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that."

"This is just my personal opinion," said Levi as she stood up and picked her coat. "I don't think two people who have gone through life-and-death situations together are strangers."

"Maybe you're right," she said serenely. "Good night, sir."

Alex saluted and left the room, and as he watched her go, a great rush of enigmatic feelings intensified horribly inside his chest. Was it astonishment? Was it a sense of guilt for forcing her to recall all those painful memories? Or maybe it was pity? He knew exactly how it felt to be in her shoes. He had lived a life where he didn't have anyone to rely on, where he had to endure the pain and suffering all by himself. There were times when he thought he just wanted to give up. He thought it was easier, very much less painful to be dead than to continue to live. The sorrow. The despair. The loneliness. The agony of being left alone…

It was a half an hour of drinking his tea in solitude before he realized he was feeling sorry for her. Somehow — in a way he wasn't sure how it happened — he felt a strange connection with her, a sense of understanding between two people who had known how cruel the world could be. Why, he wondered, of all places, of all people, he met someone who reminded him of what his life used to be. He had also been in that position, a long time ago, so powerless and hopeless, he couldn't do anything other than cower and cry on the ground…

The door suddenly flung open and Hange Zoe burst into the kitchen, snapping the door shut with an almighty force that made every cutlery and kitchen utensil rattling in the cupboards. She looked terribly disheveled as if she had just fought her way out of the deepest forest; her hair was messier than ever with little twigs and leaves, her lopsided glasses had cracked on the left lens, bruises and cuts were all over her arms. Her face was screwed up in frustration and rage that Levi thought titans just had obliterated her entire squad.

"I swear to Heaven I won't do this ever again!" she shrieked. Before Levi could ask, she shouted again, "I had fistfight with the guards!"

"So the guards failed to apprehend you," said Levi, not even trying to conceal his disappointment. This was one of the rare moments when he wished military policemen were more competent to fulfill their duty.

Hange plonked on the chair beside him, ruffling her hair to get rid of all the leaves and twigs. "They almost got me by the lake, thinking they could corner me because it was too dark. Ha! Bunch of morons! I'm invincible at night combat!"

"What in the name of fuck have you done?"

"Nothing!" she cried, throwing up her hands.

Levi scowled at her. "Then why were they chasing you?"

"I was just talking about my research to those rich people but they kept ignoring me. So I did everything I could to get their attention then the guards accused me of 'disturbing public order' and 'threatening personal safety'! Can you believe that?! How fucked up was that?!"

Levi came to conclusion that the chance that Hange would ever stop spitting nonsense about titans to every living being she encountered was as much as the chance that the military policemen would ever use their brains to do their damn jobs right. "Yeah, I get how seriously fucked up your brain is," he said coldly. "I thought you would have known better than to corner sane people and force-feed them with your crap."

"Even you don't think my research is useful…" she muttered, looking visibly hurt.

"Not everyone has a mental disorder like you."

Hange glared at him and was about to retort back at the same moment the door flew open again. Nanaba stormed into the kitchen, crossing her arms and looking extremely sulky, followed by Mike who was holding a big crate.

"Eh…what happened?" asked Hange, glancing cautiously from Mike to Nanaba.

Nanaba said nothing, rummaging the cupboard with loud noises. Mike dropped the crate on the table, which was filled with bottles of expensive liquors that was served at the party.

Levi grabbed the champagne bottle, frowning. "Are you stealing all this booze?"

"Just some gifts from the generous hostess," said Mike, sitting down and opening a vodka bottle.

"Awesome!" said Hange, uncorking a bottle of wine. "How did you get this?"

"Oh, I perfectly know how he got it," said Nanaba curtly, slamming the tankards onto the table. "Could you believe him? He was flirting with, I'm not sure, ten or twelve women at the same time."

Mike clicked his tongue at her rude accusation. "Politely appraising and giving flattering remarks for their choices of perfume, women love to be praised. And it paid out quite well."

Nanaba threw herself on the chair beside him. "I didn't know you were such a womanizer."

"I thought we were there to coax the rich, I was just following the order," said Mike.

"And asked them for a dance?" asked Nanaba indignantly, pouring vodka to her tankard. "So much for following the order."

Mike looked at her for a few seconds before smiling. "I thought you said you didn't want to dance."

"You two, get a room already," Hange interrupted just before Nanaba opened her mouth, pointing a finger to the door. "Stop quarreling like married old couple, I'm sick of it."

"We're not couple," said Mike and Nanaba in unison, though Mike said it with collectedness while Nanaba made a sound like an angry cat.

"No one will listen to that," Hange sneered, "like no one will listen to my titans research," she added bitterly, gulping the wine and slopping a little over her chin.

"What happened to you?" asked Mike, staring at her bruise-covered arms.

"I had a fight with the MP guards," said Hange darkly. "Long story short, they wanted to throw me out of the manor. I threw them to the lake."

"Serves you right," said Nanaba with a satisfied smile, unarguably had not got over the resentment of Hange tricking her to attend the ball.

Hange frowned at her but made no snide remarks. They drank silently around the table, where the atmosphere was far more depressing than the bonfire funeral after the last expedition, pondering what would happen to Survey Corps after tonight. The mission had not been very successful and they had not managed to contribute in the slightest. They inwardly convinced themselves that Erwin had pulled off his schemes, until the door flew open again and the man they had been waiting for trudged inside, looking overly exhausted and defeated, which was not a good sign.

"God damn it, we're so done," said Hange desperately as Erwin stood closer to the table. "We're so freaking done. No money. No more expedition. Survey Corps is history."

Erwin stared at them one by one. "I reckon all of you had failed to even get one supporter," he said stiffly.

"I was trying my best but this is all I could get," said Mike, offering a bottle of whiskey as a proof of his effort.

"Spit it out," said Levi. "Are we done or not?"

Erwin sighed and pulled out a scroll of parchment very slowly from his pocket. There was a long pause, during which Erwin unrolled the parchment and stared at it, maybe he was preparing a dramatic reveal, and everyone stared uneasily at him. He finally tossed it on the table, clear for everyone to see that many signatures had been scribbled on the white page from the top to the bottom end.

"We got our supporters," said Erwin, throwing his cloak on the chair and loosening his collar. "We got all the money we need for the next expedition, even more than I expected." He glanced at Hange. "I think I can spare some for your research fund."

"YAHOO!" Hange jumped from her chair and flung her arms around Erwin's neck. "YOU'RE THE BEST COMMANDER EVER!"

"Glad to know you love me again after all the yelling in last meeting," said Erwin sarcastically, struggling to release himself.

"You're a terrifying man, in a good way," said Mike, grinning and patting his shoulder.

"Alright then!" Hange squealed, grabbing more wine bottles from the crates. "Let's get the party started!"

"Erwin Smith!" Mike bellowed, rising his tankard. "The man who can make the impossible possible!"

"You are exaggerating," said Erwin though he didn't stop the toast.

"That's the truth and anyone sensible would agree!" said Hange cheerfully.

A roar of celebration and laughter erupted into the night. It seemed they were having the revelry of their lifetime, and after an hour, they started making uproarious toasts: to the Survey Corps, to the blacksmiths who made the 3DM Gear, to the majestic crawling-type Deviants (only Hange said this), to The King, to all the nobles who had spilled their money, and to many others inconsequential things. They were so busy drinking and laughing that they didn't realize Keith Shadis had entered the kitchen, carrying a small box and staring around with amazement. The sight of his former subordinates donning formal apparel and drinking booze after midnight was something he saw once in a blue moon.

"I thought you people went to royal party," he commented.

"This is Survey Corps celebration party!" Hange squealed, uncorking the next bottle of wine. "C'mon! Have a drink, ex-Commander!"

"What are we celebrating?" Keith asked as he joined them.

"Erwin has performed another miracle," said Mike, pointing to the signed parchment. "The next expedition is ready to go."

"I'm not surprised to hear that." Keith dropped the box on the table. "Here are the files of our new recruits."

"So, this is the next step?" asked Mike, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "To overcome our shortage of soldiers?"

"Yes, I decide to enlist all the new recruits to the expedition, whether they're ready or not," said Erwin. "I guess we have settled all the problems for the next expedition."

"Our most promising cadets." Keith handed over some files to Erwin. "The top ten from the southern division. We got lucky, these kinds of brats usually go straight to the Military Police."

"She's your trump card," said Levi to Erwin, tapping a finger on a file labeled 'Sophie Aumont'. "This Wildenberg brat is the main pawn in your mission tonight."

Hange quickly stared at Erwin with mouth hanging open in a perfect O. "We got a Cadet from Wildenberg House?! Why I haven't been told about this?!"

"You never asked," said Erwin.

Hange snatched the file and read it with gleaming eyes. "Damn! I could have leeched her from weeks ago!"

"Don't leech her for your personal gain," Erwin warned promptly.

"So, you knew her long before she joined Survey Corps?" asked Mike to Erwin.

"Wildenberg House has been our main supporter for years," said Erwin. "It's only natural that I know her."

"Is that all?" asked Mike skeptically. "You spent the entire night with her, making weird faces, talking and smiling like a teenager. You looked like you were having fun."

"Don't be fooled by that," said Erwin nonchalantly. "I was only feigning it to trick everyone into sponsoring the Corps. She's nothing but a walking pile of money to me, and unlimited free access into the most elite nobilities in society. She helped me a lot, two-thirds of the supporters we gained tonight are her acquaintances."

"Wait a second," said Hange sharply, darting a suspicious look at Erwin. "You got a Wildenberg Heiress in your pocket. You basically didn't need any of us at that party. Your plan would work out very well even without us masquerading like idiots."

Erwin nodded. "Generally speaking, yes."

"Then why the hell you gave us such an idiotic order?" Levi demanded.

"I've been hearing rumors about you," Erwin began, looking at Nanaba and Mike. "I don't want to make a judgment based on insubstantial proof, like, wild rumors. Luckily tonight, I got all the evidence I needed. Something is happening between you two, I don't care what it is, but whatever it is, stop pretending it isn't happening." He put extremely heavy emphasis on the last few words. "Report it to HRD immediately before you cross multiple military fraternization regulations."

Nanaba, whose face had turned bright red either because of alcohol or intense embarrassment, moved her head in one stiff nod, while Mike smirked victoriously and said, "We'll do it, Erwin. First thing tomorrow morning."

Erwin turned his head to Levi. "A little punishment, since Commander Keith never gave you an official penalty for stealing the logistics."

"You're punishing me for my insubordination that saved my subordinate?" said Levi, glaring at him.

"Yes, and the next time you act on your own discretion, you'll be accompanying me in six banquets. I'm sure you will have so much fun."

For a split second, Levi looked as if he would have liked nothing better than to strangle Erwin. However, he merely looked away and gave a noncommittal grunt that suggested he accepted his order.

"And me?" said Hange with a hiccup. "What did I do wrong?"

Erwin gave her a bitter smile. "Hange Zoe, how long have you known me? I always expected better of you. I expected you could do better than doubt my judgment. When you start to lose your temper again and criticize my decisions, remind yourself that I always have plans."

Hange slammed her tankard down the table, spilling wine everywhere. "You're mad because I yelled at you in the last meeting?! I almost ended up in jail you sick, twisted, heartless man!"

"Now you know how difficult it is to be me, do you?" said Erwin coldly. "You owe me one. If it weren't because of me asking the nobles to drop their charges, you would have slept behind bars tonight. Yell at me again and I'll remove your authority to conduct experiments and you can kiss your office goodbye."

This threat definitely hit Hange below the belt; she could only gaze at him for a while then nod obediently, her lips pursed. Without further complaints, she scurried out of the room, followed by Mike and Nanaba.

"Wait, Levi," said Erwin when Levi was about to stand up. "What happened to Alex?"

"Oh, that… She fled from the party because she was afraid her former employer would recognize her," said Levi, and a bit reluctantly, he explained everything that had happened. "You won't punish her, right?" he asked, sounding slightly concerned. "You basically didn't need her tonight, and she's been through a wringer."

"No, I don't think it's necessary," Erwin reassured. "By the way, it was very nice of you to stay with her."

"She's my subordinate," said Levi in a low voice. After he had drained his tankard, he set off to the sleeping quarters, clutching another champagne bottle.

"You asked Arthur for extra invitations so they could go," said Keith, staring at Erwin in wonder. "That's what you've set in motion."

"Totally worth it," Erwin sighed, helping himself to more whiskey. "I'm no longer their peers, they have to acknowledge that. It's harder to command friends than subordinates."

"And now the pretty heiress joined the club. Is it safe to assume we have permanent support from Arthur?"

"Judging from how terrified he was when I told him I would feed his daughter to titans, yes."

"You are a miracle worker," said Keith, raising his tankard for a toast. "Ever since the incident with Lobov last year, I knew you would pull the strings behind the curtains and move your pawns according to your schemes. Even succeeding to persuade the two most challenging women to put on a gown."

Erwin raised his bottle. "My only concern is to get enough funding for the next expedition, though, I must admit seeing Hange with a skirt is one of my greatest achievements so far."

Keith snorted and took a deep draught. "There's a fine line you just don't cross, but you crossed it and came back alive," he said, his voice was rather bitter. "It's something I would never be able to do. You're that special…" He shook his head and finished his drink. "The next expedition will be my last."

"Stepping down does not necessarily mean you have to retire. You are one of the most experienced veterans. The Corps still needs you."

"I'll retire from the corps and become a drill instructor at the boot camp," said Keith with determination.

Erwin nodded with a faint smile. "I feel sorry for the kids who will have you as their instructor. The boot camp will be a hundredfold harsher than it already is."

"I'm honored to mold the brats into fine soldiers, it's the very least an obsolete soldier like me can do. And about the squad placement, I think it's also good to mix a few veterans with some greenhorns, show them how things get done."

"That's exactly what I've been thinking," agreed Erwin.

Keith muttered a goodnight and left the kitchen. Erwin put aside his empty tankard, picking all the files then starting to read them. He had to think of the right placement in the scouting formation to make sure all the new recruits could live a little bit longer, if he didn't want further shortage of soldiers. The safest course of action was to put them on relay teams, the easiest task in the formation, although, he had chosen several of them to be put in the front line. Dangerous gambles, but by the time he read their files, he had no reason to regret his decision.

Sophie Aumont, ranked 9th. Quick-witted and strong-willed. Not the strongest combatant on the field, but she is a selfless individual who acts like glue and holds her teammates together. Every squad needs a tough backup like her.

Gerard Warner, ranked 7th. The first class team player who delivers the most lethal assists. Proficient in every kind of training with an ability to instantly adapt to almost any situations. Has potential to climb higher ranks only if he has more initiative and seriousness.

Emory Keegan, ranked 4th. Natural born leader. Easily gains respect and trust from his comrades. A true genius on battlefield with uncanny logical thinking and a proclivity for weaponry invention.

Kenneth Rodhlann, ranked 2nd. Ambitious and competitive. Excels in every area, even in the most difficult courses. Possesses a sense of purpose to aim for the top. Tends to trigger conflicts with others, making him unsuitable for team assignment.

As expected from top ten graduates, Erwin thought, maybe the Goddess of War was on his side this time, and he would be damned if he didn't manipulate their potentials to the utmost. Thinking there would be a good prospect for the upcoming expedition, he reached for the last file, which was the thickest of all.

"Alexandra Ritter…"

A gifted and formidable swordsman with flawless technique. Striking every target in lightning speed with accuracy and deep penetration.

Uses 3DM gear like no one ever does. She is effortlessly capable of making sharp turns and changing her direction in the midair. Has an absolute control of her body with perfect spatial perception and kinesthetic sense.

The sharpest knife in the drawer. Exceptionally intelligent with keen intuition. Highly competent in tactical prediction and coordination, ironically, her unconventional approaches are too bizarre to be followed by her teammates.

Unrivaled. Remarkable hand-to-hand fighter to be reckoned with. Highly skilled in the art of evasion with cat-like reflexes. Able to quickly pick up on her opponent's fighting style and battle pattern. She has displayed great speed, flexibility, and ferocity that made up for her lack of strength.

"Interesting."

It seemed all the instructors had written down all their personal opinions about her. Erwin spent too much time reading her file, and the more he flipped the pages, the more he was struck with awe. After reading the last page, his lips curved into a wide smile, but not the fake smile he had been keeping on his face all night. It was a genuine smile of wild happiness, yet for the obvious reason his smile made his handsome features look…cold and inhuman.

He closed the file, stowing it inside the box; a stream of ideas was running inside his head.

Erwin Smith always had plans and his plans always worked.

---

Revamped: December 31st

Author's Note 11/13/15: My hand is healed! So I can write with two hands again (yay!) and my work is back to the normal shift (boo!).
I just realize it's very weird to respond reviews in chapter, so I'll reply via PM. Keep them coming! Tell me everything on your mind, the good the bad the ugly. I want to be a better writer :D
I hope you guys don't mind a fic with too many OCs. This is Attack on Titan fanfic, of course I need a lot of OCs, if you know what I'm talking about...
See you next time!