Chapter 17
A year. That's how long he'd been away from Paradis now, Nikolo realized. A year without going back or getting any word to anyone, to Sasha. Was she still waiting for him? Was she ever thinking of him at all or had she just forgotten? Nikolo was dying to know; he had to get back, or at least get a word to her. And he wanted to see her so bad…
"Earth to Nikolo" Thomas said, poking him hard in the ribs, making Nikolo hiss and double over. Gritting his teeth, he cast a glare at the concerned looking man "I know we're having a lunch break, but we're still on duty. Don't space out, okay?"
"Sorry" Nikolo breaths out, still glaring as he straightens over.
"Something on your mind?" Thomas asks "Or perhaps someone?"
Well damn, Thomas was perspective. Unless-
"Have I been talking in my sleep again?" he asks, and the grin on Thomas' face is all the answer he needs "Shit…"
"You really miss that woman, don't you?" Thomas asked, and Nikolo noted his tone wasn't mocking in the least "How about requesting for a vacation once your job here comes to an end? That should be soon for both of us after all."
"It's not that simple" Nikolo said, clenching his fists. He actually had to fight off the urge to tell his new friend everything. He trusted Thomas, but he didn't trust him that much. The guy would tattle, if for no other reason then for worrying for Nikolo's mental health.
"So you've said" Thomas said with a sigh, fiddling with his sandwich "I really don't want to pry since it's such a sore subject for you, but if there's anything I can do to help you, just tell me."
"No offence, but I don't think there's anything you could do to help with my love life" Nikolo said. Thomas just shrugged, saying: "Not when I don't know what the problem is. But hey, if you have too much competition, that can be easily fixed."
"What?!" Nikolo asked, mortified as his gaze snapped to his partner. Was the man saying what he thought he was saying?
"What?" Thomas repeated, smiling wryly "Did you think I meant wiping the competition off of the face of the earth?" he laughed "Nothing of the sort, I just have my ways to make others look bad if I want to is all."
"I'm not sure if that's any better or not" Nikolo said, making Thomas laugh. Still, his curiosity was piqued "If I did have trouble with competition, how would you help me out? What tactics would you use?"
"Well, there are two roads to go down. The surer one is simply to make the competition to look so bad that anyone would look good in comparison" Thomas started, making Nikolo frown. Not a tactic he'd be all that fond of unless whoever he was up against was really bad news "And the other road?"
"That would be to make you look as good as possible, with just the truth of course" Thomas said with a smile "If one picks an honest route like this, no point in lying. It works out if it's meant to be."
Nikolo raised an eyebrow, asking: "Do you help out your friends often with these things? …Actually, do you use these yourself?"
Nikolo did wonder a little if the question was too personal, but it's not like this was the first time they talked about these things, yet he didn't know anything about Thomas' stand on these things. Did he have a girlfriend perhaps? Or even a fiancé?
"I used to use the former, but these days just the later" the guy admitted "Getting caught in making someone look bad on purpose would make me look even worse, no?"
"Yeah" Nikolo agreed, though he was pretty sure that wasn't why the guy had stopped. He was convinced that his partner was just way too decent person to use that method anymore. Also, he'd learned something new: if Thomas still used the later method, that meant he was single. Maybe he should try to find something out at some point, just for the fun of it.
"Alright, the break's over!" Thomas said, stretching "Back to work!"
XXXXX
A year. A whole year without Nikolo. Just how much longer was he going to make her wait? If he couldn't come back, couldn't he at least find a way to send a word to her? Tell her to stop waiting? She didn't like the idea of that happening, but if she was waiting for nothing…
"Stop it, don't doubt him" Sasha scolded herself "He'll come back, he promised! It's just taking him a while because… uh… argh, I don't know, I don't understand complicated stuff like this!"
"If you keep shaking your head like that, it might fall off" Connie commented, snapping Sasha out of her thoughts and making her blush as she realized what she'd been doing. The man raised an eyebrow, asking: "What's on your mind?"
"…Nothing in particular" Sasha lied. Normally she wouldn't lie to Connie, but she didn't want to talk about this with him, knowing he'd just say things she didn't want to hear.
"It's been a year since he left, right?" and she was right "Sasha- "
"Don't" she interrupted him "He'll come back."
Connie didn't hide the suspicion he felt from her this time, and it stung. Was she the only one who believed in Nikolo's promise? Or simply the only one who wanted to believe?
"No, stop doubting him!" she told herself again, standing up "I'll go make sure the cadets are doing their close combat training properly."
She left, not looking behind her. She didn't want to deal with Connie anymore.
XXXXX
"Wow, looks like there's some trouble for once" Thomas said as they spotted a bunch of people crowded up in a circle in the street.
"Not necessarily; it might just be some street performer" Nikolo denied. He hoped that was the case, but then again, some actual work would do him some good "But we still need to check it out."
As they neared the group, some people noticed them and immediately gave them space. Nikolo supposed they wouldn't do that with a street performer, so there must actually be some trouble. Well, that's what they, as soldiers, were for. Time to actually do something for his salary.
"Alright ladies and gentlemen, what's the deal here?" Thomas asked loudly, making Nikolo wince at his choice of words. Well, maybe the familiarity of it would keep people calmer? But it was so unprofessional…
"Nothing sir, just one thief getting a lesson" a man from the center of the commotion said. Upon closer look, Nikolo could see that there was another one on the ground. He didn't need to see the armband to know that one was an Eldian.
"We should take him to the police, then" Thomas said, hauling the man up by his arm "This is no job for civilians, as I'm sure you're aware."
The look Thomas gave the people watching was hostile, Nikolo noted, but not too much so. It was more like a "you're causing me extra work and I don't like it" -kind of look than "what you're doing is wrong and I'll put a stop to it" -glare.
"Of course; we're sorry to have troubled you, sir" the man said, holding his hands up as a sign that he understood. Nikolo scanned the rest of the crowd with his eyes to see if there was any more trouble, which was why he didn't miss how a young boy threw a glass bottle forward, clearly aiming for the Eldian. Having no time to really think about it, Nikolo got in front of the man, catching the bottle by some miracle. And everyone saw it.
"Hey kid, that's dangerous!" as usual, Thomas was faster to react than Nikolo. Letting go of the Eldian, he walked over to the boy "Had the bottle broken, the shards could've hit me or my colleague or worse, the people here. Is that what you wanted?"
"N-no" the boy stuttered. Nikolo was sure he found Thomas to be intimidating "I-I just wanted to punish the criminal."
"Then become a police officer when you grow up" Thomas said, patting the boy on the head "That's not something civilians should do, okay?"
"Okay" the boy says, and Nikolo notices the people starting to walk off. Thomas sure knew his game.
"Alright, that's settled then" Thomas says, going back to the Eldian and dragging him by the arm "Let's go."
Nikolo follows, unsure of what Thomas is planning to do. Was he actually taking the man to the police? Or was it an act? There was no knowing with this guy…
"So" Thomas says, addressing the Eldian after they've rounded a corner "What really happened?"
The man looked surprised, and truth to be told Nikolo was a bit as well. He hadn't expected for Thomas to ask for the man's version of what had happened so bluntly… but maybe he should have? Thomas had already proven to him that he wasn't one to blindly discriminate.
"…I didn't think it would count as stealing" the man said after staying quiet for a while "The apple was on the ground and had clearly even been kicked around! I didn't think anyone would care!"
Nikolo was shocked to hear this. Not the fact that people would make a fuss about the apple; there were many who'd take any excuse they could to "rightfully" harm an Eldian, but that the man had taken something like that in the first place. Were the ghettos really so bad? Was the situation of the Eldians really so bad?
"You should've known better than that" Thomas tells the man, and Nikolo can't help but wonder if he means the fact that it would attract people's attention "Even if it was on the ground, it wasn't yours."
…Okay, maybe not. Part of him wanted to tell Thomas to give the man a rest, but he held himself back for now, sure that Thomas of all the people wouldn't be too hard on the man. And if he was, Nikolo would put a stop to it himself. He definitely would.
"Understood, sir" the man says. Thomas lets out a sigh, saying: "Don't do this again, for your own safety if nothing else. Now get going, but pick a different route."
The man looked at them, yes, both of them, in disbelief for a moment before going his way. Nikolo supposed the guy hadn't expected to get off so easily. Thomas sighed again, saying: "Alright, back to our tour."
XXXXX
"You there, your stance is off!" Sasha noted as she observed the close combat training of the cadets "You're full of openings!"
She went over, correcting the boy's stance. Thankfully, he and his sparring partner gave her their full attention, clearly taking their training very seriously. They were so different from her age group in their training days… "There, better!"
She watched the two boys spar approvingly, straightening when she noticed Shadis approaching them- no, scratch that, approaching her. Shit.
"Instructor Shadis, sir!" she saluted formally, stiffly standing in attention. Out of all her superiors, the instructor was the one that made her most nervous, even more so than captain Levi ever had. Must've been a childhood trauma or something.
"At ease, Blouse" the man said "Everything going well here?"
"Yes, sir" Sasha replied "Some cadets have a little trouble with keeping up, but they're all hard workers who won't slack. They'll make good soldiers."
"If only every generation of cadets had been like that" Shadis commented, giving Sasha a pointed look. She gulped, but maintained her poker face. Sighing, Shadis added: "Unfortunately these kids aren't always so hard working…"
"Really?" Sasha looked at him in surprise "I haven't seen anyone slack off, though…"
Which was good of course, but it meant she couldn't take it easy either as she'd put up a bad example. Not that she was planning on slacking, but still.
"They won't slack as long as you or Springer are watching" Shadis said, making Sasha blink "You two are way more respected than I am."
Sasha's jaw dropped; not sure she'd heard right.
"But… why?" she asked "You're the former commander of Survey Corps; you know what being a soldier is about. And you were way higher up than Connie or I!"
"I knew what it was about, when we fought the titans" Shadis corrected, closing his eyes "I have no real battle experience when it comes to fighting other people, fighting in a war."
When he put it that way, he certainly had a point.
"Furthermore, your near death -experience is also well known these days" Shadis added, and Sasha's hand unconsciously went to her scar "These kids respect you for surviving that."
"…But it was just luck" Sasha admitted, frowning a little "It's not like I actually did anything special."
"Surviving and returning to duty is considered special by some" Shadis remarked "You've become a fine soldier, Blouse."
Sasha looked at the instructor in surprise. Compliments from Shadis were rare in itself, but compliments for her almost unheard of.
"Maybe he's getting soft with age?" she thought, almost snorting at the thought. Fortunately, she managed to keep her poker face.
"But there are also things that never change" Shadis said, looking at Sasha with narrowed eyes "A good amount of potatoes has apparently gone missing from the kitchen. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"Crap!" Sasha thought, smiling sheepishly "Um…. no?"
The reaction was immediate.
"BLOUSE, YOU'RE RUNNING LAPS UNTIL YOU COLLAPSE, STARTING NOW!"
Sasha let out a terrified shriek, obeying immediately and trying to ignore the stares she got since Shadis had attracted everyone's attention.
"This is going to be a long day…"
XXXXX
Nikolo wanted to ask Thomas why he had let the Eldian off so easily. He'd already known that Thomas' thinking wasn't all that black and white, but he'd never really learned why. Was it a family thing? Had he been raised to not blindly hate Eldians? Or had something happened during his career that made him this way?
"But it's better for me to shut up… and it's not like I need to know. The important thing is that there are people like him in the first place, not why they exist" Nikolo reminded himself "Besides, I have more important things to worry about right now."
He walked rather stiffly towards his superior's office, having been invited there not too long ago. Just what was this about? Would his and Thomas' actions with the Eldians be questioned? Or was Thomas the one in trouble and he was supposed to sell the guy out and confirm their suspicions? Or could it be that this had nothing to do with any recent events and that people had actually found out something new about his time in Paradis!? "Calm down, if you appear nervous, you'll only make the situation worse for yourself!"
With that in mind, Nikolo took a deep breath and knocked on the door. After receiving a permission to enter, he stepped in, hoping that his nervousness didn't show on his face.
"You called for me, sir?" he saluted.
"Ah yes, at ease soldier" his superior didn't sound mad. That was a good sign, unless the man was pretending so that he'd drop his guard "Has there been any trouble on your patrol rounds?"
"Some small problems, yes" Nikolo stated, fully aware that the man could see them from the reports anyway "But fortunately, nothing big enough that would have gotten us in the harm's way or required back up."
"Yes, so it seems" his superior said, briefly looking at some documents "And it seems that some of the trouble had to do with some Eldians."
Was he in trouble now?
"I know you were held prisoner by those devils, nine years no less" the man said, making Nikolo tense as the conversation went to a very dangerous direction "Yet it seems you've been able to handle the conflicts with the Eldians without any personal feelings involved."
"I've simply done what a soldier should" Nikolo said, but when his superior raised an eyebrow, he saw it as safer to add: "And to be honest, sir, my partner has handled most of those troubles. I've simply been tagging along."
"So the reports say, yes" his superior said, and to Nikolo's surprise, his face sported a sincere smile "But it's more than many others who've been through the same as you have been able to do. You're clearly one of those who've recovered the best."
"…Thank you, sir" Nikolo said, wondering just what had the others done. Hopefully there had been no deaths.
"No need to thank me for stating facts" the man said, his face becoming more serious again "Now, to the point."
Nikolo straightened, worried about what was coming.
"I hear you volunteered to go back to Paradis as soon as you got a chance" he said, eyeing Nikolo "Why is that?"
"I believed I'd be good for the job since I survived there for nine years" he felt like he should add something "And… I wasn't all that sure if I was ready to return to the society, I suppose. I wanted to be of use and not get in the way."
"Understandable, though your way to try and make it reality is unique. None of the others have volunteered to go back. In fact, some have gone out of their way to ask that they wouldn't be placed there." Nikolo couldn't blame them for that; despite their treatment having not been nearly as bad as they had all thought it would be, everyone had their trauma. Damn MPs. And captain Levi, but mostly the MPs.
"Personally, I think it would be interesting to see how someone who was held prisoner there would handle a new mission in the place" the man commented, and Nikolo had to fight back a smile as he thought that he might actually get to go back soon "But I know there are risks, and most people think they're too high. So your request will not be filled for the time being."
"…I see" Nikolo said, and the wry smile on his superior's face told him he hadn't been able to hide his disappointment "Disappointed?"
"A little, yes" Nikolo admitted, but held his tongue after that. He wouldn't clarify unless asked to. His superior shrugged, saying: "I called you here because this area is so calm; we don't need as many men anymore. The reason I asked for you specifically is because I know of another position that might suit you well."
So that's what this was about. Disappointed as he was, the idea of perhaps getting forward with his career wasn't a bad one.
"Due to the world changing, a decision has been made that the interment zones of Eldians will need stricter supervision. Would you like to be one of those trained for the job?" Nikolo's mind was racing, the fact that this was way more than a simple yes or no -question hitting him like a train. First, stricter supervision meant that the lives of the Eldians would become even harder for sure. Second, no one liked to deal with Eldians, so asking him if he'd like to be trained for the job was stupid. Of course, he couldn't really say "no", since that would have his career sidetracked. The only possible answer was "yes", but he had to be careful about how he said it. These days he didn't mind dealing with Eldians, he didn't mind the idea of his career having a part like this, but if his supervisors realized this, he'd be in trouble. He had to say yes in a way that made it seem like he wanted to say no.
"If that's where I'm thought to be of greatest use, then I'll gladly accept" that was a good answer, right? …Well, judging from the look on his superior's face, it at least wasn't a completely wrong one.
"Excellent" the man said "You won't be here for long anymore, then. You're dismissed for the time being."
XXXXX
"Damn" Sasha said early that morning as she finally collapsed from all the running. She hadn't counted her laps, but she'd be a fool to not notice that there were far more than when she'd first done this. Plus, it was freaking morning of the next day; she'd been running at least twelve hours straight!
"But there's no goddess to bring me food this time…" she muttered, remembering how Historia had saved her all those years ago. Her debt was yet to be forgotten.
"Yeah; you'll have to settle for the God of Destruction" she heard, and with the little strength she could muster, Sasha looked up, coming face to face with smiling Armin, holding a loaf of bread.
"Armin, my saving angel!" she yelled in delight, tears in her eyes as she dove for the loaf of bread with her last strength, devouring it with demonic speed. After the bread was gone, Armin held a water bottle in front of her face and she snatched it immediately, gulping the liquid down greedily.
"She's going to get a stomach ache for eating so much so fast, unless she straight out throws up" she heard a voice that she knew but couldn't quite place at the moment say.
"No, she won't; not Sasha" Armin denied "I've seen her inhale amounts twice that big at that speed."
Armin sure knew her well. Finishing the water, she looked to see who didn't.
"Oh!" she let out in surprise "Hi Onyankopon!"
"Hello Sasha" the man replied "What are you doing up so early?"
"Well~" Sasha didn't really want to say; the man already thought not so highly of her as it was. She didn't want to give him any more reason to do so as she already had.
"The instructor made her run laps until she collapses" Connie cut in as he walked over, yawning "Yesterday."
Armin sighed, shaking his head while Onyankopon just stared at her in disbelief "…What?"
"Fine fine, I messed up" Sasha confessed, glaring at Connie as she hissed: "Snitch!"
"You… ran the whole night?" Onyankopon asked, to which Sasha nodded "And no one came to stop you?" again, she nodded. Shaking his head in disbelief, the man asked: "Just what kind of man is this instructor?"
"A cruel slave driver" Sasha blurted out before quickly looking around, afraid that the man could hear her. Fortunately, Shadis didn't seem to be around.
"Normally I wouldn't take anything you say too seriously, but after this, it's hard not to" Onyankopon confessed. Sasha knew that it was bit of insulting, but let it slide. She was too tired to get in to an argument now.
"I don't think the possibility that Sasha could run the whole night even occurred to the instructor" Armin defended the man "He probably thought that Sasha would collapse at midnight at the latest."
"Well I didn't" the woman said "But now I have, so can someone help me up?"
Connie laughed and Armin chuckled as well as they pulled her up, the former helping her stand as she swayed.
"What brings you two here?" she asked Armin and Onyankopon with a yawn. She was tired and wanted to go to sleep, but it was better to ask now in case it was something urgent.
"I was given some time off, so I decided to go around to see everyone, though I thought you'd be at the harbor with Jean" Armin told "And I dragged Onyankopon along for company."
"I wouldn't say dragged; I'm glad that you invited me" the man denied "It gets boring having to stay at one place all the time."
Right, Onyankopon was still under tight watch, only allowed to leave his appointed area under the surveillance of a trustworthy officer. Sasha understood that the rule was seen as necessary a few years back, but she thought it was a high time to treat him like one of them already. Onyankopon had proven his loyalty plenty of times after all.
"Maybe we should bring his position up to the MPs soon" Sasha mused.
"In any case" Onyankopon said, taking something from his pocket and holding it out for Sasha to take "I have something for you."
"Hm?" Sasha took what he'd been holding, suddenly very curious. It was a stack of papers "What's this?"
"Things that Nikolo left behind" Sasha stiffened at his words "I didn't look at them much for privacy reasons, but it seemed to be letters and photographs. I didn't like the idea of destroying them, so I thought it'd be for the best for you to have them."
Sasha nodded absentmindedly, more interested in what exactly was she holding. However, for the sake of Nikolo's privacy, she held herself back, not sure if it was right. Maybe she could just check the photos?
"I'm too tired for this; I'll check them later" she thought "Now sleep."
"Thanks, Onyankopon" she said, yawning again "I'll catch up with you guys later; now I need sleep."
One thing at a time.
