-Kaisa-
Levi and I met up for a little while before we reconvened with the rest of the squad who we'd be babysitting together. Nothing much is said besides an insult here and there, accompanied by some weird teasing which is more prevalent between the two of us than before.
Our relationship—or whatever you can actually call it—evolved into something which just exemplified our conversations from before; nothing much changed besides Levi's demeanor around me. He "smiles" and jokes (if you can even call it that), while teasing me a lot more than before which makes me suspicious of who Levi really is as a person. These surprises continue to catch me off guard and it's a bit weird to experience firsthand.
As far as I know, we're still comrades...or at least friends, I guess. We haven't really discussed titles and I don't think we will for a while. Regardless, it's clear that the chemistry between us has changed slightly. He's been more open with his feelings around me, and he doesn't feel as cold as he used to. However, this isn't really saying much—I mean, this is in comparison to the same Levi who has no issue insulting others and no worries about threatening people.
But I notice the small things too. I notice that he walks closer to me now, especially since our arms and hands brush against each other every now and then. He is always looking over me searching for God knows what and is observing how others interact with me. Of course, it's only been a day and it's possible that I'm reading too far between the lines. However, I know that Levi wouldn't do such things without a purpose—Levi never does anything unless there's a specific purpose.
Right now, though, we're sitting inside of a cart with Armin, Mikasa, Eren, Hanji, and Pastor Nick. I'm sitting next to Levi on the outside, wearing my gear since I got the okay from Dr. Kageyama earlier today. Everyone seems to be surprised with my quick recovery, and to be honest, I am too. Of course cuts healed quickly for me in the past, but considering all of my extensive injuries, it seems too weird that I've progressed so quickly in such a small amount of time.
As far as I'm concerned, we're heading out to Wall Sina to see the hole that's been made in the wall by a titan. On the way, we'd be making a stop in Ehrmich to gather some supplies before heading out to the wall. For once it seemed like a plausible plan that I wasn't too against, so I had no complaints.
"Our best friend Pastor Nick is going to be accompanying us for a little while so he can see what people look like when they've lost their safety!" Hanji says a little too cheerily.
"What?! Why doesn't he just tell us what he needs to say now?!" Eren replies.
"Pastor Nick! Please tell us what you know, tell us so you can help humanity's fight against the titans!" Eren pleads with the man.
"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Pastor Nick responds solemnly.
"How could you betray us like that?" Eren says aggressively.
"Oi, I may be playing babysitter but it doesn't mean I'll put up with your bickering." Levi begins before revealing a pistol which was tucked away in his jacket. "I don't want to have to put more orifices into anyone's body." He threatens.
Eren's confident posture disappears and he now wears a nervous expression as does Armin while Mikasa looks unbothered.
It's kinda creepy how similar Mikasa and Levi are.
I rest my head in my hand, trying not to laugh at Levi's cold exterior to others. Thankfully, I contain myself and instead get a worrisome Mikasa staring at me.
"Captain, are you okay?" She asks, placing a hand on my knee.
"Huh? Yes, I'm fine. Just spacing out is all." I reassure her with a small smile.
The rest of the ride is pretty much conversation which doesn't really interest me. Most of the time, this is how it went. I don't care too much about random issues which don't benefit my ability to analyze a situation successfully, but I tend to play along anyway. I add in a few comments here and there to maintain my "happy" personality before slowly distancing myself from the conversation.
Levi eventually leans back into the cart and places an arm behind me, resting on the outside frame. Our bodies are basically touching because of this.
Who does this guy think he is?!
Thankfully, no one pays much attention to it and I manage to keep myself under control. I ignore the action and end up zoning out the rest of the ride. There's nothing special to this—I literally just dissociate during the travel to Ehrmic while the others speak among themselves. No one seems to pay attention which is probably for the best, but something doesn't feel right about this trip.
Everything seems to be going so smoothly, I can't help but wonder if I'm missing something or if the heavens just so happen to be on our side. Hopefully Pastor Nick is going to have a change of heart sometime soon so we can get to the bottom of all this. The chances of that happening though is quite unlikely; the guy genuinely seems committed to the cult they call a religion.
Out of nowhere, Hanji pulls out a crystal from her pocket which immediately catches my attention. She plays with it in her hand for a little while before realising that its captured everyone's attention, with the exception of Pastor Nick.
"When examining Leonhart's crystal casing, some part of it chipped off on its own. Curiosity struck me and I decided to see if the wall was made of the same material and sure enough, they share the same particles." Hanji mentions.
"Interesting. Does this mean that we can get Leonhart out of her little prison?" I ask.
"Negative. I believe this happened during the formation of the crystal—it wasn't done during transportation or anything." Hanji sighs.
"But the good news is, if we can get Eren to master this type of skill, we can use it to-"
"Seal up Wall Rose!" I exclaim at the same time.
"This is really good news!" I sigh in relief. "For a second I thought we were fucked." I rest my head in my hand again.
"Watch your profanity." Levi flicks the back of my head. I grit my teeth in annoyance but keep my comments to myself knowing that it's not the time for us to be bickering.
"We'll be approaching the Ehrmich District soon." The cart driver informs us.
We roll into the city and are immediately silenced by the images surrounding us. Mothers walking with their kids alone, holding them close as they carefully scrutinize the area for danger; the lame begging for change and help, clinging onto people's clothes as they walk by; men whose eyes are enclosed with dark circles.
Ehrmich's citizens are screaming out in desperation for help.
"We'll be splitting off, Levi and Kaisa are going to be watching over Pastor Nick while giving him a tour and the rest of us are gonna head out. You three head over to the side, I'll meet with you soon." Hanji instructs. The trio nod their head and move out while Levi walks to the side with Pastor Nick, shoving him around to see the city.
"Kaisa, I wanted you to take a look at this—is there anything interesting you see?" Hange asks while holding out the crystal shard. The moment I touch it, an electric shock flows through my body, and I retract my hand like I've just burned it. In the small period of time, I see vivid images flash before me.
First, I saw women whose faces I didn't recognize staring at me with pride, a man with round glasses smiling at me while he held a woman next to him. We were gathered in a small room with covered blinds, using torches as our source of light. I was wearing a long, white and floral dress around my ankles with short sleeves that ruffle at the tip. The petals of these flowers were a soft yellow, and the fabric was incredibly soft.
Next, I saw the same couple—the one with the glasses and another woman with blonde hair which ended at her shoulders. They looked troubled and concerned as they rushed me alongside them through a tunnel. The man held a torch and led the way while distorted yells echoed throughout the small corridor. The woman stopped running alongside us, giving the man and I a look before saying something I wasn't able to catch. The man looked pained but tugged on my arm to keep going.
"Did you cut yourself on it or something?" Hange questions, inspecting the dull shard.
"No, I think it was one of those shocks you get through friction or something." I lie.
"You must be so electrifying!" Hange jokes. I give her a pity laugh before reiterating that nothing seemed too odd about the crystal before heading off towards Levi who seems unamused with Pastor Nick.
When I get there, Pastor Nick is preaching to the refugees of Wall Rose about the sacred Gods who provided us with protection through the walls. He's crouched next to a small family of four—a regular nuclear family consisting of two kids and parents. I roll my eyes before heading towards him, yanking him up by the collar, tossing him back for Levi to catch. I pull a wooden stool nearby near us and take a seat next to the family.
"I'm sorry about him, it must already be quite frustrating to be in this situation." I sympathize.
"If you people actually did something to help us, maybe I'd care about your condolences, but you do fuck all for everyone inside the walls." The father yells at me. I don't take it personally and instead continue the conversation.
"I'm sorry you feel this way, is there anything I can personally do to help you?" I propose.
"Yeah, stop living off our tax money and get a real fucking job like the rest of us." He sneers.
"Dad, stop!" The small girl complains, tugging on her dad's shirt.
"I wish I could work a regular job—I'd just rather do my best to prevent your kids from seeing the horrors from outside." I look straight into his eyes. He stays quiet and pulls his children closer to him.
"Unfortunately, the Garrison was unable to protect you, and on behalf of the Survey Corps, I apologize. Please be reassured we're doing our best to reseal Wall Rose to allow you to return to your previously undisturbed lifestyle." I say before turning to face the kids.
"Your dad has been really strong to keep all of you safe. He's doing what he thinks is best for you, so sometimes that means adults have to think about things that haven't even happened yet." I look at the girl who tugged on her father.
"So, he's predicting the future?" She asks quietly.
"Something like that, yes!" I smile.
"Did you hear that, Sarah? Dad can predict the future!" The girl tells her younger sister who ends up nodding silently.
I stand up, knowing this entire situation has de-escalated and wave goodbye to the mother who observed the interaction without a word before walking back to the two men.
"It's beyond me that you would go and terrorize a family that is clearly struggling with the cards they've been dealt." I say to Pastor Nick in disgust.
"They need to know the truth." He responds.
"I need you to tell me what you know so these people can live in peace." I seethe.
"Kaisa, stand down." Levi orders, his hair flows slightly with the gust of wind that passes by.
"Do you hear this guy? He's spewing straight shit out of his mouth." My anger almost takes over me completely. Levi pushes Nick against the stone wall, squishing his face against the concrete.
"It's not our job to interrogate him—know your place." He responds. I look at him in disbelief before turning around, waving my hand over my shoulder to follow me.
"This isn't all you're going to see, Nick. There is a lot of more suffering you need to understand." I call out.
"You heard the woman, walk." I hear Levi from behind me.
The rest of the evening goes by painfully slow, but mostly because dealing with Nick is a pain in the ass. Perhaps it's because I'm still taken aback from the crystal incident earlier today, but strangely, it's a bit comforting. I don't know whose memories they belong to, but maybe it's my own. Strangely enough, I barely remembered my parents from childhood.
But now, I can't help but wonder if they really were my parents to begin with.
----
hi hey hello!
yall, im so sorry for this late update. to be honest, i kinda had writers block on how to move on with the story the way i wanted to, but i figured it out! i sometimes wait to post chapters when i write so that if there are any changes i need to make in previous chapters for future ones, i can do so.
obviously i've just straight up run out of chapters lol
fear not, i have finally gotten back on track and am happy with how the story will progress!
im planning on doing at least one update a week, but since im back in the swing of things, i'll aim to do twice a week if possible!
also, almost 7k reads?! that's insane. i love all of you and am thankful for every single one of you for being here, even if you stopped reading halfway through (although idk how you'd read this hehe)
much love and take care,
~cendiain
(ps isn't that gif just hilarious? couldn't help but make it for this chapter LOL)