Kenny Ackerman was a tricky man. While he owned a small lot of property, he wasn't always on it. Levi had given (Y/N) the name of a bar, one where he went frequently. Happy Hour. The bright neon sign with the bar's name flickered, and (Y/N) eyed the building. It was a small hole in the wall, with most of the patrons lingering around outside. The air hung heavy with a thick blanket of tobacco smoke and (Y/N) shoved past big burly men clutching cups of beer.
"Watch it," one growled as (Y/N) knocked into his arm, sending a slosh of his drink onto the ground. She glared right back at him.
"Don't show any sign of weakness," Levi had warned. "The patrons of Happy Hour are not the nicest people around and are looking for the smallest reason to fight. If they figure out you're weak, they'll eat you alive."
"You watch it," (Y/N) retorted, broadening her shoulders so it didn't seem as if she were slouching. The man grumbled and walked off. She entered the small bar, wincing at the pungent smell of sweat and beer.
The inside of the bar was as rickety as the outside. Sticky, broken stools were thrown haphazardly everywhere, and the counter where the bartender stood looked like it would receive a health violation of its own.
"Kenny is a tall man with a domineering personality. You'll be able to tell it's him. But if you need more description for identification, he usually wears a hat of some sort and almost always has a cigarette. Be careful around him too," Levi's words echoed in her brain.
"Isn't he your uncle?" (Y/N) had asked. "Shouldn't it be easier talking to him? Why don't you come with me?"
After a beat of silence, Levi had responded, "Sometimes, kinship isn't enough. Me and Kenny have a really rocky relationship. People in the undercity get desperate. I would advise you to never trust anyone. Not even me."
That had given (Y/N) an existential crisis. Not trust Levi? That was impossible. That man was like an older brother, substituting for the father that she had forgotten. Perhaps he and Kenny had gotten into some sort of dispute, but she didn't press any questions. Levi had already seemed extremely unsure about sending her to Happy Hour alone, she didn't want him to stop her from going at all.
(Y/N) took a seat at one of the stools near the bar, glancing at the bartender who was leering at her. "A beer. Make it quick."
The bartender snorted but filled a glass stein with the liquid and shoved it in her direction. (Y/N) threw a couple coins, grabbing the glass and taking a long swig. It took everything within her not to gag. The drink was disgusting. It tasted like smelly socks and rotten eggs, how did these people guzzle glass after glass?
"Looking for someone?" The bartender's voice was raspy. He wiped the counter with a dirty rag. Perhaps it was quite obvious that (Y/N) didn't belong.
"Kenny. Kenny Ackerman. You know the man?" (Y/N) asked, leaning forward.
"Whatcha want from Kenny?"
"We have unsettled business. He's my uncle," (Y/N) leveled her gaze with the bartender. Playing the Ackerman card was her favorite thing to do. The Ackermans were a clan that lived in the undercity for years. Each and every single member of the clan was extremely powerful. There was Levi, completely undefeated when it came to physical combat. There was Mikasa, his cousin, who was equally as fierce and competitive. Technically, (Y/N) was an adopted member of the Ackerman clan, and that made Kenny her sort-of uncle.
The bartender straightened and pointed to a shady area near the back of the bar. There was a table where four men sat, a deck of cards in their hands. One of the men wore a fedora, a lit cigarette between his fingers. His legs were spread as he leaned in, elbows on his knees.
(Y/N) slid off her stool, drink in hand as she marched over to Kenny's table. She pulled out a chair, sitting directly at the table. All four men paused, staring at her with a mixture of curiosity and irritation.
"Kenny Ackerman?" She asked, chin jutted out in Kenny's direction.
"Who's asking?" Kenny raised an eyebrow. He appeared more relaxed than the others, leaning back in his chair.
"Levi sent me."
Kenny's expression instantly soured, and he waved a hand. "Leave us be. We'll continue this tomorrow night."
The men left without protest, shooting dirty glances at (Y/N) as they left. Kenny looked at her with curiosity, eyeing her carefully. "Levi sent you, huh?"
"I'll cut straight to the chase," (Y/N) mimicked Kenny's stance, sitting forward with her elbows on her knees. "I need to know more about this drug called Shimmer. What do you know?"
Kenny's eyebrows shot up, surprised at her blunt tone. "Levi sent you to ask me about Shimmer? Now, I find that hardly believable. Who are you, kid?"
"I'm related to Levi. That's all you need to know," (Y/N) stated. "We might not be blood, but our relationship is closer than yours. And I don't have time for small talk. Just get to the point already—what do you know about Shimmer?"
"That's dangerous information you're asking for," Kenny's eyes glazed behind her, looking at the other busy patrons. "That kind of stuff can get you killed."
"I know the danger. Spare me the lectures," (Y/N) scoffed. "What? Do you want to be paid or something? I've got cash. But I'd recommend getting to the point quick because Levi—"
"Your bravado won't work on me," Kenny chuckled, taking a long swig of his drink. He let out a sigh. "Look, you seem like a decent kid. I'd recommend you sit this one out. Levi's mentioned you once. You're the headstrong kid that he took in a couple years back, right?"
"I—yeah," (Y/N) didn't question how he figured out. "Kenny, I really need this information, okay? My...my friends were killed because of a deal related to this drug. And I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
Kenny looked at her for a while. "You think you're going to waltz into the topside and fix all of this? I admire your optimism, but one person cannot change society. How are you going to take on the corruption present in the topside? How are you going to solve all of the undercity's—"
"I want revenge," (Y/N) cut off. "The whole schpeal about making things better is something important, but more than anything, I want to go to the guard that hurt Sasha and Connie and stick a knife right up his throat. I want him to suffer."
A slow smile spread across Kenny's lips. "Revenge, huh? A slippery slope for us all. Shimmer....there's not much I know about that drug, honestly. It's a newer drug that appeared on the streets about three years ago. And getting your hands on a vial is extremely difficult."
"How so?" (Y/N) leaned in eagerly, glad that Kenny was opening up. If she had known the topic of revenge would make him tell her everything, she would have brought it up fifteen minutes ago.
"Well, it's really expensive. An ounce costs a hefty amount. Those who can afford it find it incredibly addictive. A buddy of mine ran out of funds and clawed his eyes out while he was going through withdrawal."
"That's...that's pretty intense. No one has done anything about this yet?"
"See, the thing is that the drug seemingly makes people feel incredibly strong. One taste of it and boom, you can bench thrice your weight. People love that feeling of power, they love feeling invincible," Kenny took a long drag of his cigarette. "But as with all drugs, there are side effects. Those who take this drug mutate. Sometimes horrendously. A few don't even look human anymore. They're...monsters. Who crave violence and Shimmer."
(Y/N) swallowed. Most of that stuff was what Levi had told her. "Is there anything else that can help us trace the drug back to the manufacturer? Why is it being made? Why is it being sold?"
"My bet? Money. Everything is driven by money."
"Why would the topsiders want to make even more..." (Y/N) trailed off. Selling drugs was fast cash, wasn't it? The topsiders loved exploiting the undercity's weaknesses. "Do you know who can be responsible for this? Like an organization or a person or something?"
Kenny hummed. "That's tricky. I can't think of who'd do this, to be honest. But I do know of someone who can be of help."
"Who?"
"Have you ever heard about the Royal Team?"
"What's that?"
"It's a group of people working specifically for the royal family in creating new inventions, higher technology, and conducting scientific breakthroughs. Basically, like a super lab. These people are geniuses, and they're led by one person," Kenny explained. "One person who's smarter than all of them combined. I'm sure if you have questions, they'd know the answers because they're brilliant."
"Who's the person that leads them?" (Y/N) asked, impatient. She needed to know. Even if she had to venture out to the topside, she'd figure it out.
"None other than the Royal Scientist, Hange Zoe."