𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐲 | 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✥𝙶𝙰𝚂𝙻𝙸𝙶𝙷𝚃✥

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

The moment her feet touch the ground, stepping out of the carriage, Violet knew there was something wrong.
Headquarters were always full of life; not in the vitality sort of way, but more like there were always people around: walking, running, rushing to get their jobs done. But as her E/C eyes scanned, accessing the situation, there was not a single wake of life where it should've been.
She kept her back to the carriage, better have something somewhat guarding her than nothing. There were no guards, no nothing; and they were usually the people who would've greeted her with her name and title.
Something was wrong. So awfully wrong.
She should go look around, make sure it was just some misunderstanding and not what she thought. But something in her stopped her from doing so. Would rather remain with the carriage on her back and her eyes trained on what was around.
It was instinct that her hand went for one of her weapons, her assassin skills still sharp as ever. She took one cautious step forward, angling the dagger in her hand as she got closer to the gate. The only way to get over to Headquarters was through the gate, which was shut close with a tight chain. So climbing it was.
If there was one thing she did not miss was climbing. With the 3DMG, there was no longer any need to climb; for her fingers to find a crack where she could hold on with her calloused skin, for the tip of her toes to offer the stability she needed so far from the ground. Sure, it was fun at times. But she did not miss it.
She was about to jump off the gate to the other side when a male voice she knew spoke out. She had felt his presence way before he had come, but her mind had detected him as not a threat. As not something worth turning around. But maybe, for once, she was wrong. "That's an efficient way of doing things, Captain Grey." Eren's voice, cold as ever these days, made her stop from jumping. Instead, she turned her head to him, holding on to the metal beneath her. "Eren." She said. "What is going on?"

What was going on? Hmmm.
"Get down from there, you could get hurt." He said.
"Not until you tell me what's going on. Where are the guards? Everyone? Is this why they called me over?"
"I didn't know they ordered you here, but I'm glad that they did. Get down, I need your help."
"Eren. I can't help you if you don't tell me what the hell is going on." She wished Levi was here. He knew how to deal with Eren better than herself. "What is going on?"
Gods help her she will jump down this gate but not to help him, if not to strangle him.
"Come with me and I'll explain. I'm not your enemy here, Violet." Violet. He had never called her that.
"Eren, I said--"
"I know. But I'll only tell you if you get down. Please."
Please. She sighed, her hands squeezed the railing's till her skin turned white. "Okay. I will." She moved her hands from the railing and let go from where she held on, jumping to the ground. Deep down, she felt like she was agreeing and walking willingly to a really stupid idea. But for some reason, she obeyed. "Okay, now tell me, Eren."
"Come with me." He reached out for her hand and grabbed it in his own. His hands were so big and awkward in hers that she wanted to pull away. It did not feel right. Not one bit. But he held on tight as if he knew she would pull away.
He led her inside the Headquarters, telling her of his plan. He would just spill and spill about how she was crucial in this plan of his---his plan to save Paradis. How he needed her, her strength and power.
And it all sounded reasonable. To her, it did.
Yes, his plan had not been the greatest so far and had left them in the dark for so long in many areas and aspects, but this, what he was saying --- the whole truth, hopefully --- made perfect sense to her. The full story, or so she thought, made everything align.
"I know I haven't been perfectly honest, and for that you have every right to doubt me. But I'm telling you the truth. And I need you. I need you to believe me."
She believed him, somewhat, but the pit in her stomach churned with alarm. It told her to escape, to run before it was too late.
And for once in her whole damn life, she followed that sign. So she slammed Eren's back into the wall, twisting her hand away from him and turning to a run. She ran to the way she entered and she could hear Eren hot on her heel. She was running like hell, adrenaline wild in her veins. It was like that night many years ago, when she and Julian tried to escape. Running to safety.
The world seemed to remember that night, too, because just like that day, Violet was tackled to the ground.
Eren slammed his body down on hers and brought her down. He was much bigger than her, in every sense, but she still fought back. Her arms struggled to push him away, straining at his weight. Every assassin skill in her went wild and she used it to her advantage, wrapping her legs around him to pin him down. She pushed herself off him and got up, starting to run when Eren's hand grabbed her ankle, and down she went again.
This time, however, he pinned her down. Both of his arms went beside her head and she looked at him with wide eyes, his startled breath strong on her face. "I know you won't believe me but I need you to see this." And without a warning, without a heads-up, her eyes rolled back and Eren swallowed her into his vision. 

✥

Her brain was still processing what it had just seen.
But she followed Eren, willingly now, and they entered a room. They were about to turn to the other door when Pieck, the holder of the Cart Titan, aimed a pistol at Eren's head. Immediately, her hand went for a weapon. What will a dagger do against a pistol was beyond her, but everyone would be surprised at just how fast she could be.
What stopped her from doing so was when her eyes caught attention of Gaby--- the small child from the airship. No violence around kids was one of her rules. The main thing she followed as an assassin and still did to this day. So she put her weapon down, quite reluctantly, but she did and instead stood close to Eren. Just in case.
She kept her eyes trained on the small girl, while Eren and Pieck spitted words at each other. If things went terribly wrong, she would spare the girl from having to see it all. Although, Gaby seemed to be more than capable of defending herself--- of enduring really bad things. She had, after all, killed Sasha. So maybe her help, whatever it was going to be, might not be as useful as she thought.
Nevertheless, there she stood. Every inch of her body ready to act as soon as something went bad.
But thankfully, some mercy of its own, nothing happened and Eren then grabbed Violet's hand and pulled her towards him, guiding her and Pieck with Gaby to the roof.
Violet wished to say she was not awfully confused, that she knew what was going on, as Eren guided them all to the roof for some reason--- but that would be a lie.
It was hard biting down her tongue to avoid demanding questions just so that she could appear in control. As if she knew what was actually going on. But she did it to make them seem as if they had the upper hand, although, it felt far from it. At least to her. And she did not like that one bit. 

Then, they reached the rooftop. And it was fully guarded by armed Jaegerists. They wouldn't harm her, that much she knew --- more like Eren reassured ---, but she wouldn't know whether to say the same for the rest.
"Show me where's the enemy," Eren said, and as Violet looked down, she saw his hand sparking with magic. It was his transformation magic, and seeing it made her own spark inside her veins.
Pieck didn't answer. So they waited, as the Marleyan girl looked out to the horizon.
She wouldn't have minded the wait so much --- actually, she always did --- if it wasn't for how each second had her magic going wild with her senses, an unsettling urge to let some of it go. And it was hard, so terribly hard, to hold it down. Much harder than biting her tongue down. 
Maybe if she wasn't so busy staring at Pieck, waiting for her answer, she would've noticed that her magic was surging like that of a warning. A warning that something here was wrong. So, so wrong.
And just when she was about to obey it, to actually follow that second instinct she always chose to ignore, Pieck turned around, a long finger pointing straight at Eren. "There." Eren was the enemy.
Before they had time to answer, or react, the ground beneath them exploded into nothing but tiny little spectacles and the Jaw Titan broke through. The force with which the Jaw Titan broke the ground with sent Violet flying, having her land on the ground so viciously she was left seeing stars. She could not get up, her head a swirling mess that had her gasping, but she managed to see how the Jaw Titan grabbed Eren, it's sharp knife-like teeth piercing his legs. Her eyes widen, whether at the sight of the titan's sharp teeth cutting through Eren or at the realization that finally dawned on her to what was happening; and then Eren shouted for guards to go to her, to protect her instead of him, and they came, grabbing her and taking her away just like their leader had said.

But although they were dragging her away, her useless body still from the fall, her eyes remained on Eren and the Jaw Titan, stunned at what just went down. She did not take them away for even a second, not even when they were tending to her and asking questions. 
She just could not.
And then Eren transformed, and his throat-ripping battle cry sent her magic coming all at once, that build-up finally set free.

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end of season four part one.