"Captain, the Commander is on her way. She wants you to return to the square."

Levi didn't move a muscle. His eyes tracked a team of medics as they lifted a limp figure onto a gurney before dashing down the narrow hall of Trost's infirmary. A trail of blood dripped in a winding pattern over the stone floor in the gurney's wake. That same blood had soaked through Levi's shirt, leaving a warm stain he knew from experience would never come out.

"Captain?"

Levi pondered Celine's chance of survival based on her injuries. Her breaths had been so shallow during the time she spent flung over his shoulder that he'd been certain she'd already passed on. He'd still arrived at the Infirmary out of sheer stubbornness; his gaze having fixated on the trembling hand clutching the material of his jacket as a reminder that he was far from the most stubborn person present.

Celine's grasp had fallen away without much effort when the medics came to collect her. Levi could only wonder if her stubborn will to live was stronger than her grip. After taking a good look at the vacant nature of her eyes as she was wheeled away … he'd thought it unlikely.

"Captain, are you listening?"

Levi slowly turned his head. For some reason every part of his body felt heavier than it did before.

"I'm listening," Levi said.

"Uh-huh," Moblit said, sounding less than convinced. "Then what did I just say?"

The infirmary dissolved into Levi's memory as his eyes slowly drifted up from the stack of papers before him. He hit the man sitting across the small table with a steady expression.

"You said the final designs for the Titan armor have been approved, and we're moving on to production. The estimate for completion time is three to four weeks."

Moblit sat back in his seat. The answer was clearly one he didn't expect. "Ah …"

"Talk to me again like I'm some sort of disobedient child, and I'll make you eat your own shit," Levi said. He propped his elbow on his armrest and leaned his head into his hand as he held Moblit's stare.

"Sorry, Captain," Moblit said with a weak chuckle. "That's, uh … duly noted." He appeared to flip through the papers before him for no apparent reason. "I believe that's all I had for today's report."

"That's it?" Levi asked. "There's no update from the Technical Department on what materials are being used for the armor?"

Moblit's shuffling of papers stopped. Something passed over his face which Levi had trouble deciphering. He'd come to find that Moblit was frustratingly skilled at hiding his thoughts on a subject when he had the mindset to do so. It was probably a byproduct of years spent fighting to keep a straight face while placating Hange's increasingly outlandish experiments.

"I'm not sure, Captain," Moblit said. "I'll get you that information once I have it."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "Tell me if those jackasses are trying to use a material outside the weight parameters. Our horses will have to pull the armor all the way to Shiganshina; we can't afford the risk of exhausting them from the journey."

Moblit nodded, scribbling a note on the outside of a folder. "I'll make sure to relay that message."

A shadow moved across the table. Levi looked out the window, watching a flock of birds pass by before taking in the angle of the sun.

"Get your things together," he said, turning his attention to collect his own paperwork. "Hange should be meeting us any minute to head over to the Commanders' assembly."

Moblit hummed in acknowledgement as he rose from his seat. After a moment Levi caught him throwing tentative glances his way. Levi pretended he didn't notice. He had a fairly good idea of what was on Moblit's mind now that their agenda had wrapped up.

A cough cut through the silence as Moblit cleared his throat. "Actually, Captain–"

"No," Levi said, regarding Moblit in contempt. He turned and made his way to the door.

"I haven't even asked anything yet!" Moblit yelped. His swift footfalls indicated him scrambling around the table to catch Levi before a door was slammed in his face.

The hand resting on the door handle paused as Levi turned to regard Moblit over his shoulder. "You were about to ask me if I would approve of Celine rejoining our assignment. My answer is the same as the last time you asked – Celine hasn't been in recovery for long enough for us to consider her fit for light duty."

"That's a bit hypocritical of you," Moblit said, crossing his arms. "You're the one who's always pushing to get back into things when you're injured. The only person who was able to tell you otherwise was the former Commander."

"What I was and wasn't allowed to do came down to my superior," Levi said, unphased. "I'm the commanding officer for this assignment, and I say Celine isn't returning until further notice. I don't want to hear about this again."

Moblit closed his eyes with a sigh. "Have it your way, Captain – but I have a feeling she's coming back to the project sooner than later. Celine's been incredibly active. I'm constantly seeing her around Headquarters, and she's just as lively as ever. And truth be told … it isn't beneath her to go above your head to get approval."

Levi scoffed as he opened the door. "And it's not beneath me to tell Hange to stick her nose somewhere else."

"Oh my – my ears are burning!"

Hange was standing in the hallway, meeting Levi's glare with a wry grin. At her side with a wide-eyed expression was Celine.

A large bandage graced Celine's cheek from the corner of her mouth to her ear. There was a crutch under her right arm, and the usual pants paired with her military uniform had been swapped for a pleated brown skirt brushing against her boot. The change to her appearance didn't stand out nearly as much as the demure nature behind her gaze.

The last time Levi had spoken to Celine they'd been riding alongside one another entering the gates of Trost. Celine had been wearing a gray cloak matching his own, pulling the hood up over her hair as her eyes danced over the bustling streets with a sense of wonder as if she hadn't taken in the sight countless times before. She had leaned toward Levi then to make sure he could hear her over the hum of the marketplace.

"Being back in the city really is something, isn't it?" Celine had said. "It's exciting, but still doesn't make my heart skip a beat like it does when I'm with you."

Levi's eyelids had drooped. "Are you really doing this right now?"

A light shone behind Celine's gaze like kindling having caught fire.

"I'll take you somewhere impressive for dinner tomorrow night," Celine had said. "Wear a nice suit and I'll have a coach sent by your place."

Levi had regarded her with a slow blink. "It's funny how you assume I don't have a better way to spend my time."

Celine's features had lit up in delight.

"I didn't hear a 'no,'" she'd said. She flicked the reins of her horse and began to pull ahead. "I'll try not to miss you too much until then."

Celine's horse had met up with the rear of the second caravan heading through the heart of the city. Levi hadn't returned the wave nor the grin she threw at him from over her shoulder. It hadn't seemed to bother her, Celine's attention moving elsewhere as she took in the chatter of the merchants before disappearing behind a pottery stand.

Less than an hour later, Celine had been pale as death from nearly bleeding out. Levi hadn't been able to get a word out of her then – there was doubt she'd been lucid enough to speak, much less recall being hoisted over his shoulder and the frantic flight to Headquarter's infirmary.

"Ah," Hange said. Her gaze moved to Moblit as he stepped behind Levi. "So, the reason you two are running late to the meeting is due to gossiping about me, hmm?"

"If we're running late, you're the only one to blame," Levi said. He shifted his gaze back to Celine. To her credit she smoothed her features as he sized her up.

"Moblit informed me of your request to return to the project," Levi said. "It's denied. You can return for light duty assignments after a few more weeks of recuperation. I don't want to be approached about this again."

Celine's genial expression wavered. "I don't know what you mean." A pleasant smile grew on her face. "I feel I'm just as ready to return to work as you are. I heard you sustained a few injuries during the kidnapping attempt; I'm glad to see you're well, Levi."

The false cheer lacing Celine's voice was grating on his ears. "That tone isn't fooling anyone. My answer is still no."

Levi glanced down in time to notice the grip Celine had on her crutch was causing her knuckles to turn white. He frowned.

"My, how flattering," Celine said, a forced nature behind her smile. "I'm delighted to see you fussing over me like this, Levi. However … I can assure you I'm feeling just fine. Returning to the project would give me something to do aside from sitting in bed, so I really don't mind."

"Your report didn't say anything about an injury to your ears," Levi said, soaking his tone in contempt. "I know you understand me, and arguing isn't going to change my answer."

"Come on, Levi," Hange said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Celine is doing great! The two of us just took a stroll around the grounds! I think she's more than ready enough to get back to work if she wants."

Levi's eyes narrowed. "You of all people should be able to tell she's faking it."

"'Faking it?'" Hange said, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Celine's resulting giggle drew Hange's attention. She tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear as she met Hange's doubtful expression.

"Levi's made comments about me being ingenuine since the day we met," Celine said, speaking with the cadence of a mother mentioning an unruly child. "Today's timing seems to be poor, so we'll talk about me returning to the project another time; I don't want to hold you all up for your meeting."

The smile on Hange's face expressed that she'd nearly forgotten about her duty entirely. "Ah … right. Nile won't mind if we're late, but Rico is another story entirely, and she can be damn scary. See you, Celine – I'll be by for our walk tomorrow!"

"See you then," Celine said. Her cheery demeanor shifted to Levi and Moblit as Hange stepped away. "I hope we'll have a chance to talk again later. Perhaps I might be able to change your tune over a good cup of tea."

Moblit shot Levi a glance before returning Celine's smile with a weak chuckle. "Best of luck," he said, offering her a nod in parting before turning to follow after Hange.

The way Celine watched their retreat gave the impression she was avoiding Levi's gaze. The apprehensive air about him didn't shift in the slightest.

"Did you have fun doing your cheap performance?"

The dazzling smile Celine threw his way only resulted in an irritated turn in Levi's gut.

"Your sense of humor is really cute," she said. "I won't keep you – I'll set something up to chat with you and Moblit another time."

Levi hummed as he studied Celine. He failed to find a crack in her defense; the only option left was to make one.

"You want me to leave?" Levi asked. "I didn't think being in my presence would make you so uncomfortable."

Something flickered across Celine's face. "Not at all," she said, placing a hand on her cheek to convey a sense of bashfulness. "I've been lamenting over the fact we haven't spent any time together since … since the end of the mission."

The hesitation didn't go unnoticed. A weak spot to be exploited had been identified.

"Is that so?" Levi said, tilting his head. "In that case, you can find me in my office after the meeting and we can have a thorough discussion."

Celine sighed as if what Levi had proposed was completely ridiculous. "Is there really a point when you've clearly made up your mind?"

"Are you refusing?"

Celine's smile shifted to something more genuine. It appeared she was under the impression she'd found a way to avoid being cornered.

"For today, yes," she said with a gentle nod. "I think you're forgetting the time– It's getting a bit late, isn't it?"

"An easy work-around," Levi said. "I'll accept your previous invitation to meet you for dinner and we can talk during that time."

The statement appeared to be so unexpected words left Celine entirely. The mask she'd been wearing crumbled and left nothing to hide the confusion and traces of panic behind her eyes. Seconds ticked by in silence; Levi furrowed his brow in annoyance.

"Why are you hesitating?" Levi asked.

He already knew the answer to the question; Celine was cornered and trying to buy time to make up a new excuse. It was like her resolve to keep up her charade was a piece of glass and Levi had discovered a crack. If given enough time, she might be able to patch the weak spot before he had a chance to chip at it over and over again until it shattered. Levi wouldn't allow her the opportunity.

"If nothing is wrong, you should be eager to accept," Levi said. "Turning down my offer would go against the goal you stated before."

"I … suppose …" Celine said. She appeared to be having trouble forming words. "It's just … finding somewhere to go on such short notice could be difficult."

Levi sidestepped the deflection. "Then we'll have dinner at my home."

"O-oh?" Celine said. She clutched her free hand to her chest. "What a generous offer. It's a pity I don't know where you live, and the–"

"That isn't an issue," Levi said with no hesitation. "You possess the clearance to receive that information from the head coach driver."

The glass had shattered. Celine stubbornly kept her eyes locked with his, but her anxiety seeped through as her fingers twitched and her stance grew unsteady. She used readjusting her crutch as an obvious excuse to look away.

"Are you finally willing to admit there's an issue?" Levi asked.

Celine kept her eyes on the floor. Her mouth twitched as if she were attempting to smile but couldn't get it to stick. "I … don't know what you mean."

Levi's patience was wearing thin. It was clear he'd won the game, but Celine was holding out on admitting defeat. There was little desire to continue a conversation that was going nowhere.

"Well then, do what you want," Levi said. He turned away without a second glance. The only sound to fill the silence was his boots clicking against stone. It reminded him of the other times within the past days he'd walked away from Celine, the corridors of the Infirmary near empty in the early morning or late evening hours of the day.

No words were spoken then, either; Levi had figured there was no point having a one-sided conversation with someone on the verge of death with each rattling breath they took. It would've been no help to anyone for him to have voiced the successful outcome of their mission, the surgical results conveyed by her doctors, or Levi's unexpected encounter with the man he had once viewed like a father, and the displaced sensation of watching that same man die a gruesome death by his own hand. He'd had a feeling these were all things Celine would've wanted to hear. It'd been frustrating knowing she couldn't be reached. That she may never be reached.

Even now, that seemed to be the case.