Underground, the bulbs of light hung incandescing throughout the city. "I didn't know it was so beautiful..." Hanji gazed up to study the crystalline stalactites. "It's a mystery... really... what kind of minerals are those stalactites made of to be that durable?" The broken-down cart jolted on the stony track. Levi had both arms crossed before his chest. "You think you can chip a piece off of that mountainous sky for me?" The woman pointed upward and dribbled. Levi's blue daggers responded to her anomalous request. Hanji raised her brow and pouted away.
Erwin had ordered him to accompany Hanji on her journey through the underground city to find an illustrious blacksmith. Levi handed
small change to the owner of the wagon, Hanji had already begun to wander off to Levi's dissatisfaction. "Oi..." Levi cursed under his breath, "Excuse me, do you know a blacksmith who goes by the name 'Goda Lorenz'?" Hanji queried before a troop of criminal men. One of the men snatched at the collar of her jacket to catch a glimpse of the emblem on her pocket. The man found it unusual for a Survey Corps soldier to be in the underground city.
"Yegor... you shouldn't mess with the police." A pale man spoke up from behind the brute. "She isn't with the Military Police, Ohta. It's the Survey Corps." The group crept up around Hanji and observed her as if she was from another world. Their expressions became lewd after a little while and they began to chortle, their lecherous eyes rolled up and down her body. Levi thrusted between the indecent men and woman with daggers. "Back off!" Levi barked with disinterest in his eyes. "Huh...Hahaha!" Yegor and his friends howled with laughter at the height of the austere man.
"Is this your man? You can do better than that!" Yegor chuckled with his friends. Both, Levi and Hanji scowled at the loud gang. Hanji took note of the other members of their group that revealed themselves from the shadows of the endless street. Her hand clasped Levi's shoulder, "Levi... let's be friendly." The whisper was ignored by the blast of Levi's punch. The right-handed punch launched to land on Yegor's nose and the howls of pain echoed throughout the dark street. The survivors of the gang became livid and prepared for war. Hanji gulped and detected movement from the shadows and gawked down at Levi who was relaxed. "We can fly... remember?"
Hanji huffed out of breath and Levi panted beside her. Levi inspected the street below from the rooftop of the building where they hid. He recoiled his anchors back into his gear and found his feet to help her stand. Hanji took his hand and both continued their journey to find Goda Lorenz. "Remember... shitty glasses, don't speak to anyone. I'll talk." Levi warned her with gloom. "A-alright." Hanji nodded without protest. They questioned a few strangers but to no avail. Levi began to stagger and was worn out from the hours of interrogation that he had carried out. It took a day for them to reach the Underground City, Hanji found it reasonable for him to be exhausted. "Levi... why don't we find an inn to rest?" Hanji tapped on his shoulder to wake him as he was dead on his feet but instead Levi fell on his knees. Hanji roared with laughter. "Oi."
An elderly woman in a revealing dress smoked at the counter in the tavern and they caught her eye the moment they entered. Drunkards were busy with their scarps of food and pints of beer. "One room for the both us." Levi observed the people in the tavern. "We have enough money for two, Levi?" Hanji was confused and whispered from beside him. "Do you have locks on your doors?" Levi questioned the woman behind the counter. She shook her head with a chuckle. "Take any room you want... 5 coins will do it." The woman grumbled with her eyes on the satchel under Levi's jacket.
They paid and went up the stairs into the corridor of doors. Hanji was about to turn the knob to the first room when Levi slapped her hand away. "Listen." She heard gasps and moan from the room through the door and reddened, Levi had found an empty room. It had a worn-out bed and one chair. The gloominess of the room hadn't affected Levi at all. His folded jacket was left on the chair, Levi sat on the bed. "Tch. You're used to weeks without the need to bathe... pulling me back into this shit-hole..." Levi unbuttoned a few buttons of his shirt and laid down on the bed.
Hanji studied the decayed wallpaper and dirt on the floorboards. "This is why you clean so much..." Hanji mumbled under her breath and looked over to where he slept. She approached the bed and began to unbuckle herself out of her belts. "Don't take it off... anything happens and that window is our getaway, shitty glasses." Levi pointed up at the window. Hanji continued to unbuckle her belts, "Oi... didn't you hear what I said?" Levi looked down at her after she fell beside him. "I have you... you'll talk to them." Hanji rolled over with her back before him. "Hmph." Levi scoffed and after a moment laid back down to turn with his back against hers.
The candle on the chair had lost the flame and silence hovered over their sleep. Levi wheeled over due to the discomfort from the belts and caught an unfamiliar scent while asleep. His arm embraced the figure and his hand found her chest then her face and his fingers felt wisps of rich hair. Hanji? Levi sat up in the bed as if he had touched fire and grabbed his sleepless head with one hand. The back of her body was stuck to him, his eyes ran up and down her body. "Tch!" Levi couldn't believe himself, he was no different to those brutes from before.
"Goda Lorenz, did you say?" The elderly woman behind the counter pushed up her hair. "You know... Goda Lorenz?" Hanji's bronze eyes sparkled kissed by hope. "Goda!" The woman called out and waved to the customer in the far corner of the tavern. An elderly man was smoking from a hookah. Hanji was bottled excitement and looked at Levi for his approval to approach the man, Levi was startled by that. He nodded and watched her sprint over to where Goda sat. Hanji questioned the man on his inventions and how she could improve her own inventions based on his knowledge.
The conversation lasted hours between the two geniuses without a moment's disinterest. Hanji had taken all the notes she needed and was about to ask another question but Levi had found his feet. "L-Levi? I had another question-?" Hanji clutched on the pen in her hand but Levi pulled her up off her chair. "We still have a day to get to headquarters... I won't stay another night under this earth, shitty glasses." Levi's glare sent chills throughout the tavern. "Alright! It was nice to meet you, Mr Lorenz." Levi dragged her out of the tavern by the arm.
Her head found his shoulder as they were sat on the bench inside the boat. A few hours away from Wall Rose. Levi took in the scenery of people near the river and turned his face to find Hanji. It was the same scent that had woke him from his sleep. "You smell like shit, shitty glasses." Levi landed a peck on her lips.
