Chapter 25

His name hadn't been on that list. Of course, it hadn't; she was never that lucky. Sasha sighed in disappointment.

"Looks like you're still thinking he'll be back"

"He promised!" Sasha snapped at Levi, shoving the list back to him "So he will."

"Not every promise is kept" before the woman could say anything, Levi added: "Some are chosen to be broken, some are unable to be kept."

"You think something's happened to him?" Sasha asks.

"Possible; he's a soldier after all" Levi says "But it's also very likely that his superiors simply aren't letting him come."

Yeah, that was true. Sasha'd prefer that, of course. Biting her lip, she hesitates, but in the end asks anyway: "Say… if he can't come here… is it possible for me to go see him?"

"There are already negotiations about us setting an embassy in Marley" the captain says, much to Sasha's surprise "If that works out, I don't see what reason anyone would have to keep one of our veterans out of there."

"Really!?" Sasha asks. The possibility of her going to Marley some day had been in her mind before, but now it felt more real.

"But that'd mean you couldn't cause any trouble there. Not even a little" Levi gave her a pointed look, and Sasha grinned sheepishly as a reply "And it's not like you'd be able to just freely wander around looking for him; as far as I know, they plan to have the areas we're allowed to enter to be strictly limited."

"Right…" Sasha muttered. That'd be disappointing, but it'd be a step in the right direction, wouldn't it? "If everything works out, when do you think the first of us can go to Marley?"

"Along with the next ship in three months, if things go according to plan" Levi told. To Sasha, that was both very soon and very late. She didn't know what to think of it. Even so, she'd like to go.

"Captain" she said "If things go as planned, please allow me to board that ship three months from now."

"Permission granted" Levi said, making Sasha cheer "Assuming you behave yourself the next three months."

Sasha sweat drops and laughs sheepishly.

"I'll try my best, captain"

XXXXX

"You seemed pretty close with that pair of Eldians" Thomas notes out of the blue "How do you even know them?"

Nikolo sighs. Since his partner hadn't asked him this right after they were alone, he had already dared to wish he wouldn't ask at all. No such luck, of course. Fortunately, he'd had some time to think of his answer. Not that he'd lie to Thomas, but he had to choose his words carefully. The man wasn't a bad person, he was the opposite in fact, but Nikolo felt like he might rat him out for that very reason, wanting to do what was right and what he'd consider to be for the best for his partner.

"I originally met them by pure coincidence, before I'd even met you" he started "We use the same jogging paths."

"You sounded closer to them than someone who sometimes happens to pass by them while running, though"

"I said we met that way, not that it's all there is to it" Nikolo says with a roll of his eyes "That's how it started. We passed by each other several times before we really even talked, but after a while we started jogging together if we happened to spot each other there."

He risked a glance at Thomas' face, and saw him frowning.

"And they were okay with jogging with a soldier?" he asks "Are you sure they don't have any ulterior motives?"

"They only found out I'm a soldier a while ago when I accidentally ran in to Herbert here while on duty" he says "So yes, I'm sure there are no ulterior motives. What could I even offer them, anyway?"

Thomas gave him a look, one that in Nikolo's opinion looked like the guy was asking him if he was stupid.

"There are lots of small things a Marleyan soldier could do for the Eldians" he says "Big things too if they have something to blackmail you with or if you get attached. And I mean no offence when I say this but, since it's you, I can easily imagine you getting attached to them."

"More like you think I already am" Nikolo thought. He could've been angry, he probably should've, but the truth was that Thomas had a point. He already considered the pair as his friends after all. Still-

"Well, like I said, they only found out what I do for a living a while ago, so it makes it very unlikely that they'd have ulterior motives" Nikolo also wanted to add that he didn't think they were that kind of people, but held his tongue. Better safe than sorry.

"That's only assuming that they aren't lying about not knowing" Thomas points out, and Nikolo stops. A few steps ahead now, Thomas stops too, looking over his shoulder "Right?"

Nikolo blinks, taking a moment to gather himself.

"Well, on theory level you're right of course" he says "But I really don't think it's the case here."

They stare at each other, and Thomas' intense gaze makes Nikolo uncomfortable. Finally, he's the first to avert his eyes.

"…I'll keep my eyes open; I won't be too naïve" he finally says.

"That's all I'm asking" Thomas says. He's smiling, but it's not exactly a happy smile "I just don't want you to get hurt."

XXXXX

"So, you need to stay out of trouble for the next three months?" Samuel asks, laughing "Good thing Connie's not here."

"Do you think I should try to avoid Jean, too?"

"You're the one that tends to get him in trouble, so how about just avoiding that?" the man says "Don't annoy him."

"But it's always so tempting!" Sasha says, and they both laugh. Samuel abruptly stops, saying: "Isn't that Mikasa?"

Sasha blinks, turning to look behind her. Indeed, there the raven-haired beauty is, talking with none other than Kiyomi.

"It is" she confirms. They wait until Kiyomi's gone before going over.

"Mikasa!" Sasha calls out and rushes for a hug, the taller woman turning around to receive it with a perfect timing. Coincidence, some would think, but Sasha knows better "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too" the woman says as they let go "You as well, Samuel."

"Likewise," the man says "It's been a long time."

"Why are you at the harbor? Is Lady Kiyomi leaving?" Sasha asks, making Mikasa nod.

"Yes, tomorrow. I came to see her off" Mikasa says "Any familiar faces on the ship that came today?"

"None" Sasha says with a sigh. Wanting to make sure that wouldn't stick as a subject, she asks: "Did Kiyomi ask you to visit Hizuru again?"

"She always does" Mikasa answers with a small smile, but she doesn't meet Sasha's eyes. Had the woman already not said that she came to see her companion leaving, the brunette might doubt she was going too, for Mikasa looked like she was hiding something.

Deciding not to beat around the push, Sasha asks: "Would you have wanted to go? You like that place, don't you?"

"I considered it, yes" the woman admits "But I shouldn't go, not yet."

"Yet?" Sasha repeats, confused.

"I've been really busy for a long time, handling affairs with Hizuru" she says "Now I'll finally have some time for other people as well."

Sasha blinks, but then she gets an idea and a wicked smile appears on her face.

"We talking about someone in particular?" she asks, leaning closer "Got your eyes on some man, do you?"

"…"

"…"

Mikasa just keeps staring at her in a way that would seem blank at first glance, but again, Sasha knows better. That's the woman's "are you stupid" -look that's mostly reserved for her.

"…I take that as a no" the brunette finally says with a sweat drop "What's up?"

"Armin only has little over a year left" Mikasa states "I want to spend as much time as I can with him."

Sasha feels stupid and awful for not realizing that that's what it was. Of course, Mikasa would prioritize Armin over anything else. He was her family, the only family member that she had left.

"Right, of course" she said "…Sorry."

Mikasa sighed.

"No need to apologize" she said "In fact I'm glad. Lots of things around me are constantly changing, but at least you stay the same."

Had it not been for Samuel's immediate chuckle, Sasha would have mistaken it for a compliment.

"Well gee, thanks" she huffs, but smiles anyway "Where is Armin now?"

"I don't know, maybe in Trost" Mikasa wonders "I'll find out later."

"Say hi to him for me when you go" Sasha says, grinning "Now, have you heard the news?"

Mikasa raises an eyebrow, and Sasha excitedly proceeds to gossip about Jean and Hitch, ignoring Samuel who's telling her to let Jean tell it himself.

XXXXX

"You didn't get in to any trouble because of us, did you?" Helmut asked, jogging alongside Nikolo, Herbert being ten or so meters ahead of them.

"Not really, though if I had it would've been solely on you, wouldn't it?" he jabbed "Stop getting your brother in trouble."

"Please listen to him on that one" Herbert called from ahead of them without even turning around, making Nikolo laugh. He wasn't looking, but he was sure Helmut was rolling his eyes at them.

"The signal" the man suddenly said, and Nikolo's eyes automatically snapped ahead, seeing Herbert's hand signal. Someone else was also on the path.

The old agreement taking place, Helmut sped up to catch up with his brother while Nikolo purposefully slowed down. He did, however, keep a close eye on the brothers in case whoever was there decided to cause them trouble.

And there probably would be some, for now Nikolo noticed that the person on their path was a soldier in a white uniform. Great, just great.

"Wait a minute…" he thought as he jogged closer, his surprise turning to cautious anger as he was able to identify the soldier. Thomas.

"Show me your permits" he heard the soldier say. His tone wasn't exactly hostile, but it was still harsh and very formal. None of this would have been surprising or upsetting for Nikolo, if it wasn't for the fact that he knew Thomas had no this kind of duties at the moment. The man had told his partner that he had only been assigned to the ghettoes with him for the time being.

In other words, he was abusing his authority.

"What are you doing, Thomas?" he asks as he catches up, purposefully getting between his partner and the brothers "Last I checked, checking Eldians for their permits on being outside the ghetto gates wasn't part of your duties."

"Keeping up the order is" the man countered "That includes taking action that hasn't been directly ordered if needed."

"And how is it needed here?" Nikolo asked, crossing his arms "They aren't causing any trouble."

"Assuming they have a permission to be here" Thomas said. Nikolo frowned. Why would they not have a permission to be here? He wasn't entirely familiar with how the system worked, but from what he knew, it wasn't all that hard for the Eldians to get a permit to step outside as long as they didn't have any crimes or other general mistakes on their records "What makes you think they wouldn't have?"

"From what I've gathered, they do this often" well shit, that was Nikolo's mistake "Getting a permission to go outside is easy with no criminal record and a clear purpose, but coming jogging doesn't sound like enough of a reason, especially this often."

Nikolo had no counterattack to that; he knew that Thomas had a point… but even so, he had faith in his friends. They weren't up to anything illegal, he was sure. The real question was if he should really be defending them and risk getting in trouble with Thomas. He was sure they were here legally, so logically thinking, there was absolutely no harm in him stepping aside and letting the brothers show their permits to Thomas. Problem solved.

…Or would have been had he decided to be logical and mature, but he just had to open his big mouth before acting so.

"It's a surprise to know that sometimes even you can be an ass" he snarled at his partner, not missing how the man lost his composure for a small moment, but it was back fast.

"I am a soldier" he simply said, turning his attention to the Eldians again "Your permits."

They already had them out and handed them to Thomas. Nikolo couldn't keep the smug look away from his face when it became clear that they did have permission to be there. Again, he knew he shouldn't, but he added fuel to the fire by asking: "Everything's fine, isn't it?"

Thomas narrowed his eyes at him, but said anyway: "So it seems."

He was holding something back, Nikolo noticed. Fortunately, though, his partner claimed to be done, and walked away after quick, formal goodbye to Nikolo. He was sure that he'd hear whatever was left unsaid later, but right now he had other things to worry about. Other people.

"I'm sorry" he said as he faced his friends again "This was all my fault; I told him we jog here often. I shouldn't have let him know that… I didn't tell him where we do this and I don't know how he found out, but- "

"It's fine" Herbert cut him off, much to Nikolo's surprise. If one of them would do so, he would've expected it to be Helmut "No one got hurt."

"Yeah, 'cause we had permits. We always do" Helmut cut in "Which, by the way, is because we do rather demanding physical work outside of the ghetto. Doing our job well and having clean records, both us and our entire family, makes getting the permits easier, even for something like this."

"What does worry me is your safety" Herbert told Nikolo "You talked back to a fellow soldier because of Eldians like us. Won't you get in trouble for it?"

Normally, Nikolo knew he would, but since it had been Thomas, he wasn't so sure. Then again, he would've never expected the man to do something like this, so it might be safer to assume that he was indeed in trouble.

"Probably a little, but I'm sure it won't be anything I can't handle" he said, shrugging "Besides, it'll be my word against his."

He watched the pair of Eldians, who both looked unsure. It was no wonder, he supposed. If this led to trouble for him, it was possible the brothers would get in trouble, too. Thomas knew their names now after all.

"If he tells on me, then he tells on me. But he better keep these two out of it" Nikolo thought. Putting a hand on each man's shoulder, ignoring how Herbert almost jumped, he said: "I've got this; you two have nothing to worry about."

And he'd be damned if he didn't make sure that that truly was the case.

XXXXX

Sasha laid wide awake on her bed, conflicted thoughts running around in her mind. She wanted to see Nikolo as soon as possible. To be able to do that, going to Marley would help. But…

"Armin only has little over a year left" Mikasa's words echoed in her head. She'd known this of course, but she'd pushed the fact to the back of her mind. After all, no matter what she did, it wouldn't get Armin to last any longer. He would die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. But the thing was, there was still a little over a year left. She couldn't change what would happen after, but she could affect what happened during that year.

"I should spend more time with him, too" she decided "But if I go to Marley, how long will I end up staying there? Worst case scenario, Armin might- "

She shook her head; she definitely wouldn't let that happen. She wanted to be by his side his last days at least, and as long as no new war broke out, she'd make damn sure she'd be there.

"…When did he become this important to me, anyway?" she'd give her life for him, that was a fact, but how had things turned out like that? They had become friends in their training days, yes, but they'd never been that close back then. If they happened to hang out together in their free time, it was usually because of Mikasa, whom both were close to. Or sometimes Connie, her best friend who was friendly with everyone with the exception of Ymir.

"Guess we bonded as scouts… as members of the Levi squad…" Sasha thought. Armin had always scolded her, even if it tended to not have that much effect. It was the same even now, though nowadays she didn't cause quite as much trouble… not that they saw each other than often anymore, either.

"Next time I see him, I should probably try to not cause so much trouble" she chuckled "Emphasis on the try part."

XXXXX

The atmosphere between him and Thomas was awkward, but Nikolo was also angry. That was the main reason he didn't say anything more than what was necessary for work; he didn't want to risk his anger blinding him and saying something that he'd really regret later. There was the matter of Thomas' feelings, which he didn't want to hurt despite being angry, but mostly he wanted to avoid saying something that would put him in even more of a danger.

"I take it you don't plan to be the one who first brings up what happened yesterday" Thomas finally says with a sigh "Looks like it has to be me."

"How did you even find out where we jog?" Nikolo couldn't help but ask. He'd been wondering about it, and since the topic came up anyway…

"Just summed up what's close enough to your house without being too far away from the ghetto" was the answer "Easy."

Nikolo looked at him in disbelief.

"You know where I live?"

"I do now" was the simple reply.

"Right; he must've looked it up just for this. But- "

"I feel like that's even worse" he muttered quietly "What was the idea anyway? Are you that worried about a pair of Eldians?"

"I'm worried about you" Thomas corrected "I have no intentions of letting anyone else know what I've seen, but if you don't get yourself together and start being more careful, I won't need to. Others will notice the same things I did."

"…" Nikolo didn't know what to say to that. He didn't know what was safe to say. Was Thomas really genuinely concerned about him, or was he leading him in to a trap? He couldn't tell.

"…Heh" he thought, suddenly realizing the irony "I trust and defend a pair of Eldians, but keep doubting a fellow Marleyan, my brother in arms. That's some change alright."

Still, he had to remember that things weren't black and white. It's not like there was one side he could just put his trust in to and another that was out to get him; things were more complicated than that.

He'd take a leap of faith.

"It's nice to know you got my back" he said, clapping Thomas on the back "Just don't be an ass about it next time."

"What makes you think there'll be a next time?" Thomas countered. They locked eyes, and both knew that yes, there'd be a next time if the situation called for it "…All good between us?"

"Yeah" Nikolo said "We're all good."

XXXXX

Sasha was working on the crates brought by the ship, carrying them to the carts. Normally, she'd wonder what they held, occasionally taking a look, but today her mind was elsewhere entirely. She couldn't stop thinking of Armin and his limited time. She wanted to do something for him.

"Hey"

She hadn't been back in the harbor for long, so getting permission to join Armin, wherever he was, would be difficult. Not that she was in that much of a hurry, but maybe she could join him in a few months? That of course would mean that she couldn't be on the first possible ship to Marley, but Armin was more important, wasn't he?

"Hey"

Yes, absolutely. Nikolo could wait, especially since he'd also made her wait. She just wished that she hadn't made that request to the captain yesterday; if he actually ended up wanting to send her to Marley, things could get awkward.

"Hey, you!"

"Huh?" Sasha said, realizing that she was being called. Looking behind her, she saw a scowling Marleyan "Is something wrong?"

The Marleyan looks even more displeased, but Sasha honestly doesn't know. Or should she have been more formal? He didn't seem to be high ranked so, she thought it'd be fine to talk casually…

"Do you even know what you're supposed to do with those crates?" the soldier asks, pointing at the one Sasha is holding.

"Yes?" she really does, but it comes out sounding like a question since she's confused. Had she messed something up?

"And what is that?"

Sasha frowns.

"To carry them in to the carts so that they can be taken inland" she answers.

"Exactly" the guy says "So do tell why are you carrying the crates off the cart?"

Sasha blinks, looking at the crate in her hands, then behind her, where the cart indeed is. She'd been walking away from it, it seems. Seems that at some point, she'd really been so lost in her thoughts that she'd picked up a crate from the cart and started doing the opposite of what she was supposed to be doing.

"Oops" she says, laughing sheepishly "Sorry about that."

The Marleyan, Sasha needs to learn his name; it's no good to call him that, doesn't look amused. Quite opposite in fact; he looks really annoyed. Not wanting to spread any more negativity than there already is, she tries again: "I'm really sorry, it won't happen again. I was just… uh… there's been a lot on my mind lately."

Had she been caught by someone she knows, they would probably be questioning the notion of anything moving in her head in the first place right about now.

"Personal problems shouldn't be brought to work" he says "Or at least that's how we operate in Marley."

A vein pops in Sasha's head, the woman recognizing mockery when she hears it. She knows that he's implying they do things differently, in a worse way, in Eldia. But as much as she wants to say back something clever, she knows it could potentially make things worse, so she controls herself and says instead: "Here as well. I just messed up a bit."

"Right" he says "Now point me out to your superior so that I can report your "messing up a bit.""

Well, this was going to be awkward.

"…There isn't really a superior of mine nearby" Sasha tells, explaining as the man raises an eyebrow "I am in charge of the unloading."

"…"

"…" Sasha watches the man's face change without a word. It takes a moment as he blinks, the words slowly sinking in, and then he looks at Sasha with a face that radiates pure disbelief.

"You're joking, right?" he asks "This is how you Eldians joke, isn't it?"

Sasha didn't like the way he put emphasis on the word "Eldians", but at least he didn't say "devils" or even "sewer rats", which was also a term she'd heard the Marleyan soldiers use.

"Nope" she says, unable to keep her grin at bay "Out of us Eldians now present, I'm the highest ranking one around right now."

Again, his expression is rather comical.

"Right…" he says, shaking his head "Can I ask you a question, from one soldier to another?"

Sasha is definitely taken aback by this. Extreme majority of these Marleyan soldiers tended to be rude, especially at first, and this one hadn't seemed like an exception, but maybe she was wrong. He hadn't barked out whatever it was that he wanted to ask, but had instead asked if he could ask a question. And "from one soldier to another?" That was not something she would've expected from some random soldier brought by the ship, especially not so soon after getting here. Perhaps this man in particular was way less biased than she was used to his countrymen being.

"Of course" she says.

"Since this place has soldiers like you, how come it hasn't fallen?" one second. Two, three before the words sank in, and Sasha went red. Forget biased, this guy was an ass! The smirk on his face confirmed it. She should be mature about this, she shouldn't take the bait, but she couldn't help herself.

"Well maybe that tells us something about Marley's soldiers" she said back with an overly sweet, obviously fake smile. It had the desired effect; the man was clearly surprised by her comeback, though he did scowl after he'd recovered.

"Perhaps it tells something about our Warrior unit" he says "That bunch of Eldians is no good."

"That's the approach you're taking, huh?" Sasha thought, still smiling "Sorry Nikolo, but I need to pull you and the others in to this."

"And about the people on those warships Marley sent here all those years ago. How many Eldians were on them again?" of course, she knew that there had been none. And judging from the look on his face, he knew she knew. But then, to her surprise, he snorted.

"Looks like you can hold up a banter" he says "Wouldn't have guessed from such an airhead."

Sasha blinks before laughing, deciding to ignore the airhead comment, but only because he had a point since he'd witnessed her earlier mistake.

"Well, I've had a lot of practice" she says. Realizing that this was the best start she'd had with any of the Marleyan soldiers she'd tried to approach since peace, she decided to push her luck. Putting down the crate, she sticks out her hand for a handshake and introduced herself "I'm Sasha."

The fact that the man visibly recoiled and eyed her hand with obvious distrust and disgust didn't change that either, which honestly said a lot about Sasha's earlier interactions with the man's comrades. Smirking, she said: "I'm not poisonous."

"I know" he said with a glare "But there's no guarantee on how hygienic you are."

Sasha glared right back.

"We need to get those crates on the cart" the man changes the topic "Got it? On the cart, not off the cart."

"I know I know" she said, hissing under her breath "Jackass."

"Excuse me?" he asks. Grinning, she replies: "You didn't give me your name, so a nickname has to do."

He glares at her, and Sasha takes that as a sign that she's not getting the name. Just as she picks up the crate again and turns to walk away, she hears him say: "It's Jonas."