Angel With A Shotgun [Levi Ackerman x OC] / Attack on Titan / Shingeki no Kyojin

Code XLI: The Xyrochron

[sleepy levi sleepy levi sLeEPY LEVIIIIIIIII (⊙u⊙✿)]

The mission was put on a temporary hiatus due to Levi's recovery; it lasted for weeks, regardless of Xora's insistence to cut him from the assignment completely (despite his role as captain). She offered to complete the mission in its entirety all by herself.

"It doesn't matter that you're one of our best agents," Hanji had said so sharply, it even made Xora flinch. Never before had Xora seen the captain so adamantly refuse something. "This mission is going to require all of us, and I wouldn't be surprised if we needed Erwin to supply us with even more manpower. I don't care that your strength rivals mine exponentially, and I don't care that you're stronger than anyone I know; I am not going to allow you to run into battle alone. Ever. I've seen what you can do, Xora, and even I know that it doesn't matter if we have a million agents. We won't be able to win this war without you—so I won't let you die. You have a terrible habit of barely escaping death."

That lecture forced Xora's complaints to stop (though she was reluctant), and thus, she spent her time either planning out their next operation, studying, training—or taking care of Levi. Bonding with Esfir and Vinicio was surprisingly easy; they often gawked, but found that Xora wasn't nearly as cold as she looked. Esfir often accompanied Xora whenever she went to the training stadium. Though Esfir seemed to be the kind of woman who could crush pure iron in her hands, her demeanor was innocent around Xora—almost playful.

Vinicio, on the other hand, was absolutely awe-stricken with Xora's demeanor. He expected a violent, sly, shrewd woman, but she was truly more child-like than a cold-blooded killer. He noticed early on that she was unfamiliar with many social interactions. For example, once she was serving dinner at their usual meal time, but tripped as she was carrying a few glasses of water. The water spilled and drenched Vinicio. Xora looked mortified and flushed a bright red, frozen without thought.

"I—uh—" she stuttered, fumbling to find the right words. "Mr. R—Vinicio, I apologize deeply for my mistake, I am at fault—"

"It's fine," he had laughed, taking off his shirt to leave a damp muscle tank beneath. "My undershirt isn't too wet. Don't worry about it."

"But—but! And I have created nothing but a hindrance for you!" She had fallen to her knees and touched her forehead to the ground. "I beg you to forgive me!"

"I said it was fine!" Vinicio frantically pulled the woman to her feet, shaking his head vigorously. "It's just water, so please don't worry about it. This won't kill me."

Their interactions were often quite brief afterwards, and to the day, Xora still felt the need to apologize for such a foolish mistake. But their friendship was a blooming bud.

Hanji and Armin were the true masterminds behind the plans for the next operation. Everyone else—especially Eren and Esfir—would meet with them and discuss the propositions; there would often be a proposal added into the plans with every meeting. The plan was rather liquidy. All of the members (except Levi) rendezvoused in the data room several times a week to integrate the mission details. Hanji insisted that it would be absolutely incomplete, though, without Levi; she also reiterated that even after he had healed completely, it would take time until they would be ready to launch the operation.

"But why is that?" Mikasa had asked incredulously on a certain night. "I think our Captain is well enough to handle himself in basic operations. Why waste more time? The Mona Lisa's location could change right now, at this very moment, or the next, or the next, and in the time we waste, it could already be circulating throughout the black market. Not to mention, the serial killer may already be making their next move. We have to remember that every passing second means a moment of gain for the Titans. With their kind of technology, we're running on borrowed time."