The Northern section of Veritas was not nearly as crowded as the more densely populated southern edge as it mostly housed military personnel, though the streets heading towards city center were still busy with early afternoon activity. The heat of mid-summer was heavy away from the coast, but every now and again a cooler salty breeze could be felt blowing off the not-so-distant harbor and up the cobbled streets.

Their destination was the North Bazaar, a relatively small open market located halfway between their compound and the bustling parliament block. Weeks of preparation had left them little time for much else, and their collective excitement for a brief escape was intoxicating.

Strolling sullenly behind the chattering group, Levi watched as the buildings around them changed from stoic military barracks to bustling inns and shops. Colorful banners shifted lazily on taut ropes wrapped around canopies, and the air was filled with chatter and distant music.

The gait of his walk had changed slightly due to the brace he still wore, yet Levi found that an easy adjustment. He was no longer watching people pass him by from the window, now he was once again part of the current. This day trip was proving to be not nearly as painful as he initially thought as well; his young companions were energized but collected. The years had changed more than just their appearance, it seemed.

Though this evident leap forward in maturity hadn't quelled Connie's constant string of apologies whenever he had the opportunity to get Levi alone. Time had done nothing to erase the guilt Connie still held on to over the events leading to his injured leg, much to Levi's annoyance. It continued still even now that he was healing. Nothing he grumbled about could change what has already passed and placing the blame of battle onto oneself was pointless. What's done is done.

Hoping to avoid another string of whiney apologies, Levi strolled along the left-most edge of the bizarre, following a roughly hewn fence that bordered the road and a small stream that flowed gently through the open marketplace.

Coming to a stop near a trolley of blooming flowers he leaned against the railing and looked absentmindedly out over the water and into the crowds beyond. Levi stood like this for a time, letting his mind wander freely. He had just began making a small list of items he could pick up whilst here when he caught sight of a young woman out of the corner of his good eye. Levi's blanched and his chest tightened as he whipped his head around in disbelief, but as suddenly as she was there the woman had disappeared.

He stood ramrod straight in the direction he had spotted her, a dull blanket of despondency extinguishing his sudden surge of emotion. Logic harshly reminded him that it was only a distant memory he saw, for there was no way it could have been her.

She died a long time ago.

Because I left them to die in the rain; left them to serve my own cause.

His reverie was broken when the wooden beam he was leaning against shifted slightly to his left and he came back to himself, resuming his stare out over the small river and into the busy streets beyond. He shook his head in exasperation. "If you try groveling one more time, Springer, it will be you they have to patch up next."

"Duly noted."

Levi lifted his head quickly. Arya was leaning her back against the railing, looking over at the other members of their outing fondly as she sipped on a large, crushed ice beverage. It smelled strongly of fresh fruit and cream, filling the air around them with its sweet aroma.

"When I asked you to join us, I wasn't aware you were such a wet blanket." She mocked, giving him a lope-sided half smile. The effect of being free of the compound must have touched her as well; there were small red patched spread across her cheekbones despite the hat she wore, and her eyes seemed less guarded than before.

Levi's brow furrowed as his returned to studying the slow-moving water just below them and scoffed.

"I'm sure it comes as no surprise that this is not my idea of a good time."

She laughed. "I was under the impression that you weren't capable of having a good time, so no worries there." Arya nodded towards their companions as Jean and Connie started arm wrestling, Armin and Pieck laughing as Connie slipped off the edge of the bench and toppled into the dirt. "Though that's kind of what it's all about, right? Finding a least a little happiness in between the hard stuff. Otherwise, it's just doom and gloom all the time, and where's the fun in that?" She looked back at him, amused.

Levi studied her briefly with a stern look. "I suppose you're going to tell me that I should "lighten up" and not be so hard on them, right? Perhaps even adopt a similar mentality and act foolish like them, all in the name of living life to its fullest."

"No." Arya said. "I wouldn't ask you to be someone that you are not."

The sincerity in her claim was evident which caused Levi to frown even more, puzzled. He had experienced both sides of the coin flip when it came to others reaction to him and the way he behaved. On one side you had those who revered him, and on the other you had the people hellbent on changing what they considered a "poor attitude".

Neither of these approaches effected Levi in the slightest, though he found this in between demeanor troubling. Arya seemed to have no difficultly putting him in his place when his blasé nature went too far, yet she appeared comfortable enough to stand beside him happily, with no intention of requesting a shift in behavior. It was a type of acceptance he was not quite used to. Whatever balance she had would not last, however. Everyone always fell off one side or another, and Levi wondered which way she would go.

"Tell me something, Captain." Arya asked as she watched her companions move deeper into the buzzing hive of activity.

"Hmm?"

Her gaze was bouncing back and forth between concession stands speculatively.

"When we learned about the outside world and just how big it was, it gave us so many things to discover, things we could have never dreamed were real. From flying machines and boats, the vastness of the sea and the people across it, down to even the smallest pleasures." She took a long sip from her cup and smiled slightly. "So, you're not one for large gatherings or social graces, but is there as least one thing in this bazaar that you have come to enjoy?"

A moment or two passed as Levi considered her question. It was a very simple thing to ask, yet to him it almost felt too personal a query. She was trying to know him in such an uncomplicated way that he was taken aback. How long had it been since someone had asked him what he liked? What DID he like about this much too busy world that would be a sufficient answer?

Straightening up and dusting the debris from the elbows of his shirt, Levi stalked away without another word, leaving a stunned Arya rooted to the spot. A small frown tugged at the corners of her mouth as she stared into her cup dejectedly, slightly embarrassed. It had seemed an easy enough question to her, though she reminded herself that Levi's boundaries were considerably different from hers and should probably be respected as such. If he was intent on keeping himself from others, who was she to try and worm her way in?

After a handful of minutes Arya had resigned herself to heading off in the direction Connie and Armin had wandered off to when an approaching set of footsteps made her turn and let out a disbelieving laugh. Balancing two open cups in his hands and a small brown bag tucked underneath his arm, Levi walked over to her and set one of the grey pewter cups in her outstretched hands.

The liquid inside was a rusty brown color, steam swirling off the surface in soft plumes. It looked strange to her at first, until the fragrant steam reached her nose and she let out a gasp. The scent was unlike anything she had smelled before: spiced and exotic, with tender tones of sweetness and honey. It tasted almost exactly how it smelled, filling her mouth with its heady flavor. Levi was studying her again, as if her reaction was somehow important.

"I didn't know flavors like this existed! It's incredible. What is it?"

Setting the brown bag on the ground, He reached into the folds of his cloak and pulled out a small paper-wrapped package. The writing on the front of it was in a different language, though Arya recognized it from the days she spent at the Medical Institute.

"Tea leaves from Hizuru." Levi said quietly, tucking the parcel back into his shirt pocket. Retrieving the bag from his feet, he offered it to her as well. Arya passed him her cup and opened it. Inside, two small clear containers held a thin soup of vegetables and dumplings, smelling of lemon, ginger and salt. The ingredients were familiar to her, though not in this combination.

Looking up at him in amazement, he gave her a half-hearted shrug and the scarcest glimpse of a smile. Her answering grin was dazzling. Rolling up the bag and holding it tightly, Levi returned the cup of tea to her, suddenly wary of the look of eagerness that had begun to light up her face.

"Come with me."