Chapter 6

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They've just broken apart from their kiss when Erwin spots them, finally done with his final landing for the day. Hange and Levi can see Nanaba and Mike catching up as well, dragging their parachute rigs right behind them.

"We're grabbing some drinks after this," Erwin calls out to the two. "Wanna join us?"

The blonde squad has chosen a bar nearby, one that their group has visited frequently. Mike is being Mike talking about the adventures with his nose, while Erwin is still ranting about how he's ten times better than Nile for Marie. Levi is kind enough to make Hange keep up with their conversations, giving her the backstory or the punchline to their jokes every now and then.

When they ask her to explain her research, Hange gives them the full title of her manuscript then proceeds to regurgitate her abstract.

"Of course, atmospheric pressure plasmas are subdivided into non-thermal and thermal ones, which means that we also have to take into account the kinetic temperature of the electrons. You have to subject the gas to an electric field, say between two electrodes with an alternating amplitude which is usually a high-frequency field, so you can generate the electrical discharge. Only after then can you do the plasma sterilization. So, yeah."

Hange stops, knowing that she's not connecting upon seeing the blank faces and gaping mouths of Levi's friends.

"Shit, I think my nose is going to bleed," Mike says, pinching the tip of his nose. "My brain doesn't have enough cells for that."

"Since when did you have enough brain cells in the first place?"

Nanaba comes up to her boyfriend's defense. "Alright, well, let's hear you explain it in layman's terms, Levi."

They all stare at him as if it's a challenge.

Huffing, Levi grabs a small piece of paper napkin and plucks out a pen from his pocket. "Okay. So when atmospheric pressure creates a fucking discharge, it's called plasma. It's the same shit that can be found in planets and stars, including the sun," he pauses, waiting for Hange to nod in confirmation which she does.

He's drawing the skies and what seems to be like raindrops falling, but everyone knows he's trying to explain what plasma is. "Hange's theory is that with the right atmospheric pressure, this plasma discharge can decontaminate pollutants in the air. It cleans shit up, so to say. And then if you scale up the model by comparing the atmospheric pressure of the earth to the other planets, there should be tell-tale signs of improvement from the effects of the discharge."

Their mouths drop wide open a second time.

Erwin is the first to speak. "Since when did you get a PhD in Astrophysics?"

He plainly responds amid their snickering, "You have no idea how many fucking times I've heard her lecture about her dissertation. It's already on loop in my mind."

Hange seems to be concerned. "Is my research really that difficult to grasp?"

"No, no, it's manageable," says Nanaba after finishing a beer. "We're laughing because it's usually Levi who needs some translation from all of us."

Hange's shoulders seem to relax. "That makes sense."

"How did you break him, Hange?" Mike chides her. "You both seem to understand each other so well."

"Uhm, telepathy, maybe?"

They all share another round of laughter while Levi rubs her back affectionately, and Hange doesn't seem concerned at all. In fact, she seems to like it. They're still drinking and having a good time when Hange gets a call and excuses herself.

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