AUTHOR'S NOTE: First thing's first: A million and one apologies. .-.
The reason I haven't updated this in such a long time is because I temporarily lost the use of my right index finger (Long story short: Mandolin slicers are VERY SHARP and slice REALLY WELL), so menial tasks such as writing or even driving became extremely difficult (Trying to turn the key in the ignition and my finger, wrapped in, like, 5 layers of gauze and bandages, pushes against the wheel. I whimper in pain. XD). But, I'm happy to announce that I've now regained full use of my finger and I'm back to writing. As an apology, I've made an extra-long chapter and I'm working on the next chapter the second I upload this, so it should be out within a week. (I'LL TRY TO MEAN THAT THIS TIME!)

PS: Because I was so anxious to get another chapter out for you all, I didn't take as much time as I normally do to revise and edit, so I'm sorry if this chapter sucks. .-.

Two more years passed in relative ease for the Ackerman twins. The Military Police, as they'd said, had positioned a squad in the Underground city at all times. However, as expected, the Police were relatively lazy and would spend most of their days at the pub drinking until they passed out.

However, on rare occasion, the Police would get serious, and at times they were hot on Levi's and Lucius' asses. The shack by the lake that the boys had called their home for the first two years in the city had been burned to the ground only weeks after the Police had arrived. Luckily for them, they'd been long moved out at that point.

The group of kids they'd met on the stage two years back had taken them in. The 'deal' they'd made hadn't been much more than 'you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours'. If they helped them, they'd receive help in return. Levi and Lucius would steal for them so the group could eat and survive (Not that they couldn't steal for themselves; they'd just been attracted by the brothers' skill and notoriety), and in return, the other kids would help keep them hidden from the Military. It was sort of a mutual living agreement. Friendship, one would even dare to call it.

They had a pretty good hiding place, too. Not many people, even those who had lived in the Underground city for years, knew that there was a shore on the opposite side of the lake, and that that shore had several more abandoned buildings scattered about it. Rumor was that the city used to spread across the whole expanse of the underground, and that there used to not be a lake in the city at all, but a sinkhole had opened and water had flooded in. No one knew whether the rumor was true, but Levi and Lucius believed it. When they were lead to the opposite shore along a thin stretch of land that circled the lake, they found evidence to it everywhere. The most prominent being houses in the water.

They took shelter along with their new friends in what appeared to be an old town hall. They'd noticed that had been something that had been missing from the other side of the city. After all, when this place had been under construction, it was modeled after the city above it, so surely it would have all the same types of building. Even with the depression, and the state the underground city had turned to with being filled with thugs and criminals, the underground had originally been intended as a safe retreat for the wealthy inhabitants of Sina, just in case the walls were destroyed and Titans invaded the human's land.

It was because of their well-hidden new home that the next two years passed by in safety. The only times they faced any danger from the Police was when they returned to the other side of the lake for a food or money run. They still needed to eat, after all, and feeding a group of nine was a lot more difficult than feeding just the two of them.

Now thirteen years of age, the brothers were gaining a little more respect in the Underground. Even though the other citizens were still robbed blind on occasion, the Ackerman's were rarely ever caught while stealing anymore, and were quickly making a name for themselves as some of the best thieves in the entire city, if not the best.

And the kids they'd started living with were grateful for this fact. It meant they got to eat every night.

Abdal, the self-proclaimed 'leader' of the group, was the one who had first approached them on the platform. He was the oldest there, being nineteen, and was tall, tanned, and with eyes and hair reminded Levi and Lucius of the chocolates their father had always bought them and their mother on St. Valentine's Day. The young man liked to boss the younger ones around, particularly Levi, who always seemed to butt heads with him. The two boys were both hard-headed and independent, and Levi didn't like the idea that Abdal considered himself the leader. It was never part of their deal to be ordered around, after all. Often times Lucius would wake up in the middle of the night to those two yelling at each other, Abdal throwing the word 'brat' around a lot, and Levi calling the other a 'shit head' so many times Lucius swore he was listening to his father yelling at a Military Police.

Cecilius was a pale-skinned boy with hair the color of fire. He, unlike Abdal was much more pleasant to be around. He was happy, friendly, and very outgoing, when his nose wasn't buried in a book. The fifteen year old, who knew to read only by being the son of a librarian and a bookstore owner, loved to read fantasy novels. Every other week he'd return to the hideout with a new steal: a leather-bound steal with a fancy scripture Title, usually. He'd often read the books aloud to the younger kids, and imitated the characters that were depicted within the pages. He especially loved the magic-users, and told the others he'd learn to use magic someday.

Gevaria, aged fifteen years, was always quiet, and when he did speak up, his voice was always filled with contempt. With sandy blonde hair and fierce blue eyes, Levi had been told Gevaria once belonged to a wealthy merchant family, until the Depression had caused his father to go broke and subsequently commit suicide. Despite his relative unfriendliness, he was strong and fast. He would occasionally give the others lessons in how to use the swords they'd stolen from citizens of the city, which had in turn been stolen from the Military Police, and, along with Levi and Lucius, did the majority of the thieving that the group needed to survive.

Jerick was a boy only one year older than Levi and Lucius. He and his younger brother, Maxime (Who was 10 and liked to go by 'Max'), both had skin darker than any tan, but piercing blue eyes. Jerick didn't talk much, but, unlike Gevaria, he was very friendly. He would always whisper a good morning with a smile, and was often the one who did all the cooking, when they managed to get their hands on some meat or eggs. One time he'd even thrown some vegetables in a frying pan (Which had also been stolen), and added some strange seasonings that had ended up in Lucius' bag by chance when he'd been out thieving one day. Whatever he'd done to those vegetables, they'd turned out amazingly delicious when he'd cooked them, and so he was always in charge of food. He was also very protective of those he cared about, but none more so than his brother.

Max was a lot like his older brother, except he wouldn't shut up. He'd always run around the hideout, following the older boys as they went about their chores and trying to 'be cool like them'. Whenever one of the others was feeling down, Max would always try to cheer them up with stupid jokes or stupider faces.

Linn was the older of the two girls in the group, at sixteen years old. She had tanned skin, well-groomed blonde hair for a kid living underground, and eyes the color of fresh-cut grass. She was always at Abdal's side, and the two often worked together in secrecy, though Levi and Lucius had a feeling not much 'work' got done when the two snuck off to their shared room by themselves. Max had also blurted out over breakfast one morning to everyone that he'd seen Linn and Abdal 'wrestling' in their blankets the night before. Of course, neither of the brothers wanted to explain to the boy that they weren't exactly wrestling…

Lastly, there was Raffaela, who much preferred to be called 'Rafa' over the name her parents had gifted her with. With hair the color of day-old spilled blood and eyes the same gray as the rags she wore, she was the same age as Max, but the innocence the boy possessed wasn't present in the young girl. Despite her age, she could see the realities- the atrocities and terrors- that occurred in this world. She was the only one within the group who had actually seen a Titan with her own eyes (Her parents had been in the Garrison and occasionally brought her up on the wall, despite the fact that no civilians were allowed up there. From atop wall Maria, she could see miles into the outside world, and had felt the fear strike through her heart at the site of the giant, naked creatures roaming around out there.). Her parents had also been killed by the Military Police right in front of her eyes, accused of treason and heresy. Despite all this, she remained as positive as she could be, and really looked up to both Gevaria and the twins, often training with them to be as good of a thief as they were.

Life with the group was peaceful, for the most part, except for when Abdal and Levi would go at each other's throats, that is. The older boy's favorite way to get under Levi's skin seemed to be his obsession with cleanliness. Abdal seemed to make their already run-down and dust-ridden abode even more messy on purpose just to piss the younger Ackerman off. But Abdal also liked to prod at one more prominent fact that became more and more apparent as the brothers got older.

Levi wasn't getting any taller.

Abdal liked to pick at this detail relentlessly, calling Levi 'shorty' and asking him what it was like to be the same height as an ant, which really wasn't necessary, in Lucius' opinion. Besides, it's not like Lucius himself was much taller. Being twins, they were pretty much identical in every way, except over time, he found that 'eye-level' with his brother was slowly getting lower and lower. They were actually the average height for their age, being just over five feet, but it was obviously Levi's growth was slowing down, and over the past year, Lucius had gained an inch on him. Unfortunately for Levi, he'd just drawn the short stick in genetics.

And then Lucius would laugh. Short stick.

Really though, Abdal was just a bully, but Levi was more than able to stand up for himself. And he did, which resulted in just as many cuts and bruises as the merchants had given them when they were caught stealing years ago.

It was one such morning after a particularly violent feud. Linn and Rafa sat patching up Abdal and Levi respectively, and Cecil was trying to act as mediator between the two to try and prevent more fighting, when Gevaria and Lucius returned from a food run on the other side of the lake. Gevaria, though usually always in a bad mood, seemed downright furious, and he practically threw the bag of stolen goods at Jerick and Max, who sat near the small fire pit stirring a pot of broth. Not even paying attention to the protests as Max looked in the bag to find a mess of broken eggs, Gevaria stormed over to where Abdal sat, Linn wrapping his arm in some of the cleanest rags they had around the hideout.

"What's wrong, Gev?" The leader inquired, seemingly un-phased by the wrath seeping off the younger boy. It then became noticeable that he had something crumpled in his hand, and he threw it at Abdal's feet, practically spitting on the paper before the other could pick it up.

From his spot on the other side of the room (He wanted to stay as far away from Abdal as possible), Levi could see it was a piece of a newspaper. He looked up as Lucius approached where he and Rafa where, taking a seat with an exasperated sigh.

"What's going on, Lucius? What's on the paper?"

The older Ackerman shook his head, a sorrowful look adorning his face. "The Military Police are getting desperate. It's understandable, seeing as we've avoided them for so long… they've started interrogating citizens, sometimes going as far as to torture them, to tell them where we're hiding." He paused, looking over to where Abdal seemed to be trying to calm the still-fuming Gevaria. "That particular article was about the death of a shop owner that Gevaria had gotten close to… a victim of Police interrogations…"

Levi grit his teeth, anger bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. "Fucking Police…. Why don't they just give up already?!"

"I'm not sure, Levi… but I wish they did." Lucius looked down at his lap, where he was unconsciously wringing his hands in the hem of his shirt. Without even looking over, Levi could tell his brother was on the brink of tears. "I just… I wish everything could go back to the way it was…"

"It's a bit too late for that, Lucius…" Levi frowned, still trying to qualm his anger at the news of the shop owner. Across the room, he could see Gevaria had finally broke down in tears, and Abdal sat next to him in silence, rubbing the other boy's back in an attempt at comfort. Levi felt sick to his stomach, and almost wanted to join Gev in crying angry tears. Tears filled with nothing but contempt for the Military Police. After having seen more death in the past few years than anyone should have to, Levi had grown to despise it. He hated the fact that he and his brother had had to take lives in order to preserve their own, but he hated it even more when he heard about deaths that had no justified reason for happening. The shop owner didn't need to become a victim. He shouldn't have become a victim.

It was from that day that he swore he'd try his hardest to prevent any more unnecessary deaths.

"Can I have everyone meet in the Grand Hall, please!"

There was a moment where no one responded. Cecilius was hiding out in his and Gevaria's shared room, reading about a knight in shining armor who was on a quest to slay a dragon and save a princess. Gevaria was perched on the roof of the building, one leg pulled to his chest while the other hung through the hole in the ceiling he'd crawled out of. Jerick was showing Max how to make a fortune-telling game out of a piece of paper. Levi and Lucius were testing Rafa, pretending to be each other to see if she could tell which brother was really which (Sitting down so she wouldn't be able to see the height difference, of course).

Linn looked up at Abdal, who was tapping his foot in impatience against the marble floor of what they'd dubbed the 'Grand Hall', but was really just the main lobby of the abandoned town hall. He growled low in his throat, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout into the dark building again.

"By 'please', I mean if you guys don't get your asses in here now, I'll shove my foot so far up them, you'll taste the garbage I stepped in earlier!"

Though none of the others were intimidated by his threat, they soon all gathered with him and Linn in the lobby. Levi sat next to his brother on the steps that led up to what would have been the mayor's office, but was now Abdal's and Linn's bedroom. It wasn't unusual for their leader to request a meeting in the middle of the night. It was how they made plans for their next steal or avoidance of the Police, after all. But something seemed different about tonight. While Cecil and Gevaria started a fire in the small pit they'd created on the marble floor (Cecil pretending he started it with magic, of course, much to the delight of Max), Levi could see the spark in Abdal's eyes. He seemed almost…. Giddy, about something.

"So… as you all know, Police brutality has reached an all-time high, not just here in the Underground, but also above in Sina and cities in the outer wall as well."

"What's going on above?" Rafa asked, looking up from where she sat a few steps down from the brothers. Abdal looked in her direction, a somber expression on his face.

"I don't know how much of it is truth, but I heard they've razed whole villages, just for the hell of it. Out of fear of being arrested for treason, no one dare even speak up to them, or whisper any negative words about them or the king even in private, so they're getting bored."

"That's horrible." Jerick spoke up, undoubtedly the only words he'd speak for the rest of the meeting. Levi felt a tingling in the pit of his stomach, and he fidgeted lightly on the step.

"Where there any casualties…?"

Abdal glared at him, and Levi almost felt like getting up and punching him in the face. He really didn't know what that guy's problem with him was.

"Probably. I don't know, brat. What do you think?"

"I think you're an asshole is what I think."

Abdal tensed up, like he was about to pounce, and Levi stood up, despite Lucius' tug on his pants leg to sit back down, but Cecil's sing-song voice cut through the tension.

"Now now, guys… cool your heads. You can beat each other up all you want later on when Max and Rafa are asleep." When the two stepped down, he continued, "Now, oh glorious leader, what do you suppose we do about the Police brutality? We're just a bunch of kids, after all…"

Abdal shook his head, a sly smile spreading across his face. "That's where you're wrong, my dear Cecil… we may just be a group of kids, but we've each survived through much worse than any Military Police, I'm positive. Sure, they went through formal military training, but remember that most of the current Police only got to the top of their graduating class because they cheated. The guys would kill their classmates to boost their own ranks, and the girls would sleep with their instructors for…'extra credit'. That's just the truth of the Police now. They also live cushy lives away from any danger. So, in the end, each of us has had more real-life experience and has faced more danger than a whole squad of Police combined. I believe we're stronger than them."

"What point are you trying to get at, Abdal?" Levi urged, getting tired of the inane rambling.

"I've got a plan…" The boy's brown eyes circled around the group of his peers. Levi had a feeling that whatever the teen was thinking, it would be stupid and ridiculously dangerous, as was normal with him. His thoughts were assured when Abdal opened his mouth again to speak. "We're going to create our own army. We're going to take down the Military Police and kill the king!"

There was a moment of stunned silence where the only sound in the entire building was the crackling of the fire and the occasional scurry of mice in the walls. No one dared speak. Several jaws had dropped open, a few pairs of eyes had widened in surprise. No one knew how to take this proposition.

Except Levi, that is.

He stood, gripping the railing of the staircase hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. "Are you a fucking idiot or something, Abdal?"

The older boy flinched, turning to look at him. Murderous rage apparent in his deep brown eyes. Levi didn't care. He continued talking.

"What you're saying is completely ridiculous. If you want to go and try to take on an entire army- an entire REAL army of men and women with training and weapons and Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear, be my guest, but I'm not going to let you take everyone else here to their deaths."

Abdal clenched his fists, his teeth grit hard enough Levi was surprised they didn't crack. "You wanna run that by me again, brat?"

Levi cleared his throat and stepped down off the staircase. Lucius hid his face in his hands, knowing it was inevitable that there would be another fight. Besides, in a way, he agreed with Levi. It was absurd to think that a group of teenagers, not even numbering in the double digits, would survive in a full-on battle against the Military Police, who were older, better equipped, and more skilled than they were, despite what 'real-world' experience they've all had. He refused to look up, even when the sound of a fist meeting a face was heard, and Rafa, a few steps below him, gasped.

"You're a fucking idiot, Abdal…" Levi's voice, slightly muffled by what Lucius guessed was a bloody nose. "I don't care if you go and take on all of the Police by yourself, but the others don't deserve to be put in danger like that. And I especially won't let you put my brother in danger like that. I'd kill you first."

Lucius frowned, wrapping his arms tight around himself as the sound of a scuffle started to barrage his ears. He hated the thought that Levi would have to kill again, just to protect him. And, despite how much of a jerk Abdal was at times, he didn't want Levi to kill the older boy. He'd grown to like every single member of their group over the past two years, and Abdal was no exception.

He also hated to think of what the others would think of them if Levi killed their leader. Cecil, whom Lucius had grown extremely close to over their time together, had even claimed Abdal was 'like a big brother' to him and the others. Lucius didn't want the others to hate him and his brother. He didn't want them to get kicked out of the group, out of their safe haven. Their lives had finally regained a sense of peace and normality, and he wasn't willing to give it up, no matter what happened to the two of them. If that meant risking their lives in a fight against the Police….

His thoughts were interrupted by a shrill scream, and Linn shouting.

"LEVI, PUT THE KNIFE AWAY!"

'Oh shit, he was serious!'

Suddenly panic-stricken, Lucius finally looked up to see what kind of trouble his younger brother had landed himself in. Sure enough, the look of rage in his eyes was the same Lucius had seen when they'd faced off against Military Police in the past. The look that said 'Make one wrong move and your throat will be slit'. A glint of silver from the firelight showed a sharpened and impeccably clean blade in Levi's hand, likely pulled out of his boot. Old habits die hard, after all.

Everyone else had pounced at the sight of the blade, as well. Gevaria had his arms around Abdal's shoulders, holding the older boy in a 'T' position. Cecil and Jerick together could barely restrain Levi. Jerick had the boy in a sort of bear hug, his arms wrapped tight around his torso from behind, and Cecil's hands were gripping Levi's wrist- the one of the hand holding the knife- tight enough that he shook with the force.

Abdal growled, looking just as ready to kill Levi as Levi did to kill him. He kicked at Gevaria's shins behind him, screaming at the other to release him. Gevaria simply held him tighter, his strength surpassing the other boy's. Fierce blue eyes turned to look at Lucius, and the older Ackerman found himself frozen to the spot he sat.

"Call him off, Ackerman!"

Lucius blinked, not sure what Gevaria meant by his words.

"Quit staring at me like a lunatic and call your brother off! You're the only one he'll listen to! Get him to put the knife away!"

Finally finding the strength to will his legs to move, Lucius stood and made his way down the steps and across the Hall to stand in front of his brother. When he successfully blocked Levi's view of Abdal, he noticed that the shorter boy simply struggled harder against the two holding him back to try and peer around him. Lucius sighed, placing his hands on his brother's shoulders.

"Levi, knock it off. You're going to destroy everything we've worked for the past few years!"

The simple words seemed to be enough to break through to him. The cloud of rage that had filled gray eyes dissipated and was replaced with curiosity tinged with regret.

"Lucius…"

The older brother shook his head, a way of telling the other to shut up. "You may not like Abdal…. In fact, I don't like him either. I think he's a jerk and sometimes when he antagonizes you about your height and your need for cleanliness, I want to beat the shit out of him, too." He paused, sparing a glance over his shoulder to the leader of the group to make sure his words were being heard. They were. Abdal seemed to have calmed and, while he still looked pissed, he seemed a built guilty as well. "But if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be where we are now. Because of him and the others, we live a relatively comfortable life again. Sure, there's still danger and sure, we still have to steal just to survive, but if these guys hadn't found us and persuaded us to come with them, the Police would have found us long ago, and we'd probably be dead by now."

Levi seemed stunned, his arm falling slack until Cecilius felt comfortable enough to release it.

Abdal scoffed behind him. "I can see which of you is the smart one. Whether you like it or not, brat," His voice rose in volume, now addressing Levi, "I'm the leader here. So, if you don't like my plans, you can just leave! In fact, if you did and the Police got their hands on you, the rest of us would be safer."

Levi grit his teeth, and Cecil regained his grip on the knife-wielding hand, but one look from Lucius calmed the other Ackerman down enough that he lost all murderous intent. All Levi wanted in the world anymore was for his brother to be safe and happy, and that was exactly the case with where they were currently. He couldn't afford to get them kicked out. If that meant they'd have to face off against the Military Police…. Well, then he'd just have to protect his brother in a different way- on the battlefield.

He visibly relaxed, and when the other two boys finally released him, he put the knife back in his boot. Without another word, he turned and found a seat again on the staircase. Lucius let out a sigh of relief, going to sit a few steps lower. He figured, sitting in front of Levi, he'd be able to interject sooner if something else were to happen. Hopefully though, it wouldn't come to that.

Abdal jerked out of Gevaria's grasp and smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes. Not that it helped much. "Now that that ridiculousness is done with… where was I…"

"Drop it, Levi…" Lucius whispered to the boy behind him, almost able to sense when his brother tensed up in anger at being ridiculed.

"What should we call ourselves, Abdal?" Cecil perked up, standing by the fire with his arms crossed over his chest. He was obviously a bit excited at the idea of a resistance group. It was likely something he'd read about in one of his many books and thought it would be cool to do himself someday. "We need a noble name, for our noble cause!"

"A noble cause that will get us all killed…" Levi mumbled, and Lucius suddenly wished he'd sat behind his brother so he could kick him for his comment.

Abdal thought about it for a long moment, pacing back and forth across the expanse of the Grand Hall. Everyone was silent as their leader thought, despite Levi's urge to shout out sarcastic, degrading comments to the older boy. A few of them shuffled around uncomfortably, Max plopping down in Jerick's lap near the fire pit with a loud sigh.

The boy's eyes lit up as the perfect name stuck in his mind. "We'll call ourselves…" He paused for dramatic effect, looking around the rest of the group, "The Wings of Freedom! You know, after the Scouting Legion's emblem?"

Gevaria scoffed at the name. "That's so corny, Abdal.."

"Fuck off, Gev. The Scouting Legion opposes what the Military Police are doing, right? They seem to be the only branch of the Military with any sense of justice!" Abdal stood straighter, slamming his fist into an open hand. Determination showed bright in his chocolate eyes. "We have pretty much the same mission as them, so why shouldn't we take up the same moniker, right?"

There was a chorus of agreements that circled through the group, Lucius nodding his approval. Levi rolled his eyes. He hated to admit it, but Abdal's idea for the group's name wasn't half bad. He could deal with it, even if he didn't want to. The only one who didn't really seem to care for it was Gevaria, but he was outnumbered eight to one.

"That's that, then." Abdal nodded, crossing his arms. "We're now known as the Wings of Freedom, the Underground Rebellion."

"This is so exciting!" Max chirped, before his brother shushed him.

"We need to make it official." Linn said, standing up beside Abdal. "We should all get the Emblem permanently marked on our bodies, to show or loyalty to the group."

"How do we do that?" Rafa asked, finally speaking up again. Levi jumped lightly at her small voice, not having realized she'd taken a seat right next to him. Linn turned to the younger girl, a grin spreading across her lips.

"I know a guy on the other shore who does this thing called 'tattooing'. It's an ancient form of body art. We get him to put the Wings of Freedom on our bodies, and it will never go away. It'll be with us forever… just like our loyalty to each other and this cause… right?"

Abdal smiled fondly at her and nodded. "That's a great idea, Linn…" He then turned to everyone else. "Well, what do you guys say? We'll all get the Wings of Freedom tattooed on our bodies."

His question was met with silence, but when no one outright refused the idea, he took is as a go-ahead.

"Alright… we'll go tomorrow."

They met the man Linn had mentioned in secrecy, and he ushered the nine of them into his shop quickly. The squad of Military Police where still surveying the city, after all, even with having found no clue of the Ackerman brothers in years. The group had worn the dark green cloaks that were, by then, standard attire of the Underground City, with the hoods drawn low over their faces. Even though the Police had tried to ban anyone in the city from concealing their faces, people still did, and they blended right in with the crowd on the way to their destination.

The man they met with was rather large, towering even over Abdal by a good foot, and with shoulders nearly three times as wide. He had cropped brown hair hidden underneath a bowler cap, and a beard that hung down to the middle of his chest. Overall, a very intimidating figure, but he swept Linn up in a hug like they were long-lost father and daughter.

Apparently, tattooing was becoming popular in the underground. The man spoke with Linn aimlessly about his clients while the rest of them looked around the small building. The walls were filled with drawings the man had done himself, and Levi had to admit, the guy was a good artist. There was a set of chairs in the center of the room, one that looked like it had the capability to be moved down into a bed-like table, and a table to the side of the chair was lined with odd-looking machines, needles, and bottles of different colored ink.

"So, what can I be doin for ye today?" The man finally addressed the group, looking around them all. His eyes lingered all-too long on Levi and Lucius, and the brothers panicked for a moment, thinking he'd be just the guy to finally turn them into the Police, but his lips turned up into a smile- a friendly one- and he laughed. "I normally don' put me work on kids, but since Linn 'ere is a buddy o' mine, I can let it slide."

Lucius didn't miss the suspicious glare Abdal sent Linn's way, and knew there would be a rather loud argument later on about how exactly the girl knew this man, but he didn't dare pry.

"Well, Niall, we've sort of formed this group… and we have a mission."

The man named Niall raised an eyebrow in question at Linn's statement. She continued.

"A mission I can't tell you about right now, but just know that, if we succeed, it will make everyone's life a lot easier." She paused for dramatic effect and waited for Niall's motion to keep going. "So, the symbol of our group is the same as the Scouting Legion's, being the Wings of Freedom, and we'd each like that symbol tattooed on our backs."

Gevaria spoke up then, annoyance evident in his voice. "Hey, who decided you get to pick where everyone gets it done?"

"It only makes sense, Gev." Abdal interjected, "Just like the Scouting Legion's uniform has the symbol across the back, we'll get it there too."

"We're not Scouts, though!"

"Close enough, aren't we?" Abdal turned to the other boy, crossing his arms over his chest. "The only thing preventing us from going through the training necessary to join the Scouts is that they," He jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of Levi and Lucius, "Are with us and could get us all thrown in jail."

"Or killed…" Linn murmured.

Levi didn't miss the hint of venom in the girl's voice. She was obviously still pissed at him for attacking her boyfriend the night before.

"Righty, so the Wings o' Freedom on e'erone's backs, eh? You know me work ain't cheap, sis." Niall peered down at Linn, who seemed unperturbed.

She smirked, pulling a pouch out from underneath the heavy cloak she wore. "I've been saving up for quite some time. I was planning on using it to move back above ground and buy a proper home, but plans changed…." She dropped the pouch on a table nearby, and the burly artist eyed it. "Don't worry, Niall… if it's not enough, I'm sure we'll all be rolling in money once our mission succeeds."

That seemed to be good enough for him, and he rolled up his sleeves. "Who wants ter be first, then?"

Yay! Chapter 4 down! This chapter was a whopping 5,875 words, whereas the average length of my other chapters is about 4,500. XD

The idea for the tattoos came from... well... my love of tattoos (I've got 4, and planning on much much more in the future), but also various fanarts I've seen where Levi has the wings of Freedom tattooed on his back. And it'll come into play more in the future (Not spoiling anything yet... .)

So! Be sure to leave me a review, or favorite/follow this piece of work to let me know my efforts aren't a waste and it's worth continuing! Thanks so much for reading! ^_^