Merely a few hours later, the haphazard trio arrived at a private runway in France. The roaring of the jet engine subdued as they drew into the long stretch of road, slowing to a stop. They were cleared to de-board and hopped out of the jet, climbing inside an SUV driven by another IE agent. They buckled their seatbelts with a series of clicks, gluing their eyes to the windows as the scenery began moving.
"So, Archangel," Hange chirped from the front seat. "You been to France before?"
"No," the girl answered with a shake of her head. "This is my first time."
At least, from what she remembered. Much of her childhood was a blur.
"Oh, how wonderful! There's much to see in such a city like Paris; I wish I could experience it all for the first time again. Hopefully Levi will allow me the time... but he's generally really stingy about allowing time in the city unless it's for a field assignment."
Agent XX remained quiet as the countryside flew past the windows, rolling hills and acres of plains covering the land as far as eye could see. Soon, they began to pass through bustling towns and suburbs, soon coming upon the city.
"I was wondering when I would get the chance to meet Captain Levi," the agent suddenly said.
"You really don't need to rush to see him," Hange replied half-jokingly. "After all, there's nothing much to see. He's just a grumpy little man."
The agent's eyebrow twitched in what seemed like amusement, but she averted her attention back to the blurry landscape.
Back at the headquarters in Chicago, she spent nearly all of her time indoors, usually spending her free time training or studying. She would only ever emerge when she was sent on assignments; as such, this mission was a rather dramatic change of pace for her. Sent to another continent, living with strangers, and spending most of her time on the field--whether for better or for worse, the change made her anxious.
"We've arrived," the chauffeur informed them, parking the car in front of a small mansion.
Its body was a milky white color, marble columns decorating the entrance and nicely groomed yard. Inside the pristine glass windows, chandeliers could be seen dangling from the ceiling. Its flat roof towered high, a few floors leading upward to a gray sky cloaked in a blanket of clouds.
"Mercí," Hanji thanked the chauffeur, unlatching the door and climbing out. The agent and Eren followed her and stepped out, breathing in the fresh air. "We're here!"
"I haven't been here--well, since this morning," Eren sighed.
The woman nodded, but really, her mind was wandering elsewhere. Why had Erwin sent for her in the morning when she'd only taken the test around noon?
She was jolted out of her thoughts as they made their way over to the large double doors, both the same pasty white as the house with intricate designs painted around the handles. Hange curled her fingers around the silvery handle and twisted it open, a cool blast of air hitting the trio.
Hange bounded inside and kicked off her boots, throwing her tan jacket haphazardly on the smooth wooden floor.
"Leeevi!" she sang, lifting up her glasses to prop them up on her forehead. "We're hooome!"
Her voice echoed around the vast room foyer. Pretty little tables decorated with fresh flowers were placed by the corners of the room. There were two marble staircases on both sides of the foyer, leading upward until it met in the middle with a balcony. A long hallway in the very middle of the staircases led off to many more rooms, with one set of large double doors at the end.
The agent glanced around, searching for the dark-haired man Armin had shown her. She found no one and asked, "Is our captain planning to meet us?"
"He should be here," Eren explained, "although he might be in the middle of a nap. They're never long, though."
"...At this time?"
"Who the hell said I was sleeping?" a snide voice cut in, resonating from the balcony above. Everyone's attention shot up immediately to see exactly who the agent had been searching for: the captain, Levi.
"Captain Levi!" Eren greeted happily. "There you are!"
He was much shorter than the agent had expected, but it did not make his image any less intimidating; even just the silver color of his sharp eyes left quite an impression. "What the hell took you two so long? You were to be back by three."
"Sorry!" Hange apologized, though her tone inferred that she meant nothing sincerely of it. "We had a slight delay while we were boarding back in the U. S."
"It took you long enough." He clicked his tongue and began making his way down the prim staircase, the heels of his shiny black shoes clicking against the marble. He was dressed in a way the agent had not expected at all: a pure black tuxedo with a crisp, white button-up shirt, and a puffy cravat wrapped around his neck.
"Sooo what are you dressed so nicely for?" Hange asked, puzzled.
"You'll see," Levi answered, his eyes flickering over to the heap her shoes and jacket laid in. "Pick that up, shitty four-eyes."
"I'm too tired~!" Hanji yawned, stretching her arms again. "Besides, you haven't even acknowledged our team member yet. It's rude of you not to greet her, you know. She's standing right there."
Levi's eyes skimmed over Agent XX, their gazes temporarily meeting. Unexpectedly, unease flared within him, and he was tempted to recoil in what felt like an electric shock. The agent could feel it too; there was something about this man that set her at an extremely deep unease, working up the suspicion already piled in her gut.
"Ah... so you are Codename XX," he mused, raising a brow. There was a strange sparkle in his eye that ignited the moment they traded glances, but it was smothered almost immediately. Then he turned his back to them, casting one last disgusted look at Hange's disorganized heap of clothing. With a white gloved hand, he beckoned over his shoulder to Codename XX. She glanced around, confused.
Eren quirked a brow and nodded, gesturing for her to follow him. "Go on," he insisted. "It seems like he wants to speak with you in private. Maybe he wants to do a debrief of the mission thus far."
The agent took a deep breath and climbed the stairs, following Levi down the long corridor. The walls were decorated paintings, each displaying a portrait or mundane everyday items, like fruit. Underneath every frame was an identical, ebony three-legged table with a matching vase set atop, decorated with small bouquets of white flowers.
Beneath her feet laid a long roll of red carpet, the print of the Stylized Lily dotting the maroon color, its edges frayed, completely reflecting the feel of the building: old, but beautiful. Perhaps once could even call it quaint. Miniature chandeliers matching the massive one from the foyer hung from the ceiling.
Levi took a sharp turn into a doorway, with Codename XX slipping inside behind him before closing the door with a click behind her.
Levi sauntered over to a large wooden desk; it was piled neatly with stacks of organized papers. The entire desk, actually, was perfectly put into place. The writing utensils were separated into and organizer on the right side; a stack of documents sat next to a small pile of manila envelopes and folders. A thin laptop was closed, placed in the very center of the dark wood. Set on the corner of the desk was an exact match of the vases in the hallway, including the same flowers.
"Come here," Levi grunted, sitting on the front edge of the desk with his arms crossed over his chest.
The agent silently sucked in a large breath and stepped forward, standing directly in front of Levi. His eyes slid up and down her figure, surveying in her stature. She wore the typical uniform of an Iridescent Empire agent, its stretchy black fabric so thin and tight that it seemed like another layer of skin. Though with the naked eye it was hard to tell, there were numerous pockets within the skinsuit, allowing storage for tools and gadgets.
But above all, it seemed that it was Codename XX's eyes Levi paid attention to most.
The woman's eyes glittered, the brilliant cyan color glistening like a sunny day that ended in a raging storm. Even though they were partially hidden by her long black hair, they still irked him.
"You're Xora Xion," he said quietly, without shifting his eyes from hers. She was caught off-guard, visually flinching. Her eyes widened by a fraction.
"Yes," she answered. "But, with all due respect, for the sake of my privacy, I would like to be addressed by my codename. And if I may ask... how--how do you know of my name?"
Levi held Xora's gaze silently for a few moments before giving her a casual shrug. "I have my ways."
Xora stared hard at Levi. How did he know her name when it was so hidden that even Erwin didn't know? Furthermore, Levi seemed like an aloof person--someone who wouldn't waste the time or effort to look into such trivial details. However, for the sake of her position as an underling, she didn't dare ask him further.
"Aside from that," Levi continued, "we're going on a field mission tonight. I suppose Hange has filled you in on what's happened thus far." Xora nodded in response. "Good. It wastes less time. Tonight, at the Louvre, they are going to host a party for many of their esteemed donors--some of whom we suspect are Titans. We're to attend that party under disguises and collect as much intelligence as possible.
"Disguises? Captain... I must admit that this is not my area of expertise. I don't have very much experience on the field, especially with the public or in social situations. I don't believe it would be in anyone's best interests to send me out onto the field."
"Is that so?" Levi sighed. "Shouldn't someone of your rank come prepared for any kind of mission?"
Xora was taken aback, but she quickly regained her composure and leaned forward in a quick bow.
"My mistake, Captain," she apologized, straightening her back. "I take full responsibility for being so unprepared."
"I suppose even then, we have no choice." Levi clicked his tongue. "Luckily, I prepared a disguise for you ahead of time."
A surge of anxiety--a feeling unfamiliar to her--surged through Xora. She had one of the highest mission completion rates back at Chicago, most of which were assignments given to her because of her strengths in espionage and going undercover. This mission was unlike anything she'd ever done before. "Ah... thank you. "
"You can go and find your disguise in Hange's room a few rooms down. You will be my companion to the Louvre; if you're unsure of what to do, at the very least, act natural and follow my lead. Hange and Eren are going to hack into and monitor the security system from here."
Xora nodded. "Understood."
A few moments of silence was set between them, but was dispelled as Levi plucked a lily from the vase on his desk. He gently held the olive stem between the thumb and forefinger of his right hand and brought it close to his face, closing his thickly-lashed eyelids as he took a breath of the delightful scent.
"On another note..." he remarked. "The Fleur de lis."
The French accent on his tongue rolled off smooth, like velvet. Confused, Xora cocked her head. "Pardon?"
"The Stylized Lily," Levi continued, cracking open his eyes to observe the pale petals. "This... this is our main clue."
---
Xora = "so-rah"
Xion = "shee-ohn"