Chapter 41

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"There you go, sir. Come again soon!" The boy at the produce booth gave a happy smile as he handed the man his items and accepted the payment.

The man smiled back and nodded in response, putting the goods into the burlap bag he carried. He began to walk away, eyes trailing to an older woman who sat in the shadows at the back of the booth. Her hands were made busy with some yarn and two knitting needles, but her eyes had never left him. That's right. She used to be sort of pretty a decade or two ago.

Still with his charming smile, he headed toward the bridge that spanned the river, crossing it at an unbothered pace. His eyes flickered over the sights of the city, taking them in with the relaxed gleam of a native.

He reached the other side of the river and went left, finally turning down an alley and unlocking a door in the side of one of the buildings. He walked in and quietly shut it behind him.

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Levi walked down the street beside Jean, both of them wearing suits and hats.

"Why are we wearing these disguises?" Jean asked, loosening his tie some. "The people of Orvud trust the military more after we saved their asses from Reiss's titan, don't they?"

Levi didn't spare him a glance. "Only a little, but there are also those who believe we brought it upon them. Looking like civilians will get us further than looking like soldiers."

He stopped and nodded toward a table outside a café across the street, where two well-dressed old ladies sat and chatted idly. "We'll start by talking to people like them. Chat them up, tell them you're a journalist writing about Orvud's recovery from the titan attack. Try to charm them."

"Uh, just like that?" Jean eyed them doubtfully from a distance.

Levi pulled a pen and pad of paper from his pocket and shoved it against Jean's chest, turning him around and giving him a push. "Go get 'em, city boy."

Jean sighed, straightening his tie once more and walking away briskly. Levi watched as he reached the table and greeted the two women.

"Ooh, so tall!" one swooned. "Of course you can join us, dear." She looked him up and down slowly, exchanging a glance with her friend as Jean took a seat at the table.

Leaving him to it, Levi kept walking and studied the buildings around him. If (L/n)'s here, he'll be holed up, trying to not show his face if he can help it. He'd keep contact to a minimum, probably have someone deliver whatever he needs directly to him. If that's the case, it'd be someone he trusts explicitly. I get the feeling that anyone in his inner circle will stick out at least a little bit.

Levi turned onto a bridge and watched the people around him closely as he made his way across at a leisurely pace. They all looked so normal. To complicate matters, he'd never even seen your father in person. All he had to go on were sketches, minimal descriptions from you, and the assumption that you resembled him at least somewhat. However, Levi was very good at reading people, so he felt like he would know when he found the right person.

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The next day, your father came down to the cell and opened the door. You stayed where you were seated on the bed, eying him. "You want to eat or not?" he asked simply.

You sighed and got up, knowing that you had to keep playing along.

He stood aside so you could walk up the stairs first. The chains between your feet made a heavy clunk each time they dragged against a step. You both continued up the second flight of stairs, to the top floor. This time you went the opposite direction down the hallway, into a room at the end that had the door already open.

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