Hand in Hand

26. Change

"Son of a bitch!" Hanji screamed, taking another wack at Sannes' face.

The old man groaned and spat out ruby stained saliva. His wrists burned from being roped up and restrained. The two Scouts had him tied to a chair with his hands perfectly placed on the chair's arms to give them access to his nails.

"If you don't comply," Hanji said as she picked up a bloodied set of pliers, "then I'll have no choice but to keep ripping off your nails."

"I am an innocent man," Sannes muttered, his bruised eyes dropping low. "I follow orders and stay in line. You have no right to treat me this way."

"Is that so?"

Hanji trailed the pliers up Sanne's arm tauntingly. She passed them over his shoulder and past his neck, stopping right above his lip. "Do you know who else was an innocent man?"

Sannes' mouth stayed closed, the cold metal stinging against his busted lips. He whimpered quietly and prayed to his king that they would end his life quickly.

"What was that?" Hanji hummed sinisterly. "I don't think I could hear you..." She brought her boot back and swung it hard against his shin. Sannes cried out, his head swinging back in pain. Taking the opening, Hanji shoved the pliers into his mouth and pulled hard on his front tooth. "...over all your damn screaming!"

For the next ten minutes, Sannes' screams echoed throughout the basement. The pain from his gums sprouted a crippling migraine. As fresh blood gushed from his empty tooth bed, he choked and gargled on it, throwing up large pools of blood and bile.

Levi gagged as Hanji threw the man's tooth into a container. They waited for his fit to be over in the same cell, watching him scream and thrash wildly against the restraints.

"So, do you feel like talking now?" Levi asked as the screaming quieted down.

Turning his head to face the two Scouts, Sannes huffed loudly and smiled, red spit and snot swinging from his chin. "All this because I killed a pastor?"

Hanji's upper lip twitched at his taunting. She was about to go for another round when Levi stuck his arm out and shot her a look.

'Let me handle this,' he seemed to say.

"Well," Levi began as he circled around Sannes. "At least you're aware that you aren't innocent. Regardless of what you did to Pastor Nick, you've done worse and that's why you're here."

Sannes turned his head away from Levi. "I already told you I know nothing of Lord Reiss, nor his use for Eren Yeager and the other one."

"What other one?"

"His daughter of course," Sannes retorted. His eyes widened with fear. Realization set in when he saw Levi smirk. "Wait, I didn't mean that! I have no idea who the other child is!"

Levi clicked his tongue, he couldn't keep his smirk from turning into a full-on grin. His eyes darkened and he grabbed the pliers from Hanji's hand.

"I'll ask you again." Levi threw the pliers up, caught them, and pointed them at Sannes. "Do you feel like talking now?"

"I have no relation to Lord Reiss," Sannes mewled. He looked up at Levi, who was staring at Hanji. They seemed to be communicating silently. He barely had enough time to react when a fist collided with his right cheekbone. A crackling noise rang inside his head.