The Humanity's Strongest & The Graceful

How to Play The Game of Cat and Mouse

The trio watches Eren's gaze bounce from Erwin to Levi, then Tessa, "I, uh... Where am I?" He asks again, still in shock to see three of the influential leaders of the Scouts, and Erwin narrows his gaze as he keeps his voice even, "I think it's obvious, but let's call it a dungeon." He answers, only for Tessa to scoff, "Or a torture chamber." She mutters, and Levi glares at her, "Tess." He says, and Tessa rolls her eyes as she mirrors Levi's pose. Erwin leans forward in the chair, "You're currently under the custody of the Military Police, but Captain Tessa has been taking care of you for the past two days," He explains, "Thanks to her efforts, we have been granted permission to see you." He finishes, and Tessa looks at Eren, "How are you feeling, Eren?" She asks while stepping forward. Eren weakly smiles at her, "Dazed but still intact," He answers, "But thank you, Captain Tessa." He replies, and Tessa nods, "You're welcome, but I'm just doing my job." She answers while propping herself against the bars.

While Eren looks at the chains, Erwin holds the key up, "Where'd you get that key?" He asks, and Tessa holds a hand up to calm Eren down, "Relax, Eren. I gave it to Erwin. You can trust him with it, okay?" She asks, and Eren nods, "But my dad instructed me to hold onto it." He reasons, and Tessa nods, "I know, but can you trust me to look after it until we get everything sorted out?" She asks, and Eren nods again, "Yes, I can." He answers. Tessa turns around to see if Erwin wants her to continue the questioning since she knows how to reason with Eren or let him finish it. Seeing the knowing gaze for him to proceed with it, Tessa nods but doesn't step away from the cell, "Let's talk home," Erwin starts, "More specifically, your father's cell in Shiganshina. There must be a pretty big secret about Titans, right?" He asks, and Eren looks at Tessa, who nods for him to answer, "Yeah, I think so. That's what Dad said, anyway, but I was never allowed to step foot in there." He answers, then jumps when he hears Levi's voice, "It must suck having your dad and memory missing at the same time." He taunts, and Tessa turns around and glares at Levi, "Levi." She says, and Levi scoffs, "What? It could be a cover story, Tessa." He argues, and Tessa narrows her eyes at him, "Levi." She says again, this time with more annoyance.

Erwin shifts his attention between the two Captains, "Enough. We've been over this already. We know he has no reason to lie to us," He says as his gaze shifts from Levi to Tessa, "And that's all we know." He explains, yet the two Captains know Erwin is lying due to the two Military Police guards outside Eren's cell. From the corner of her eye, Tessa sees a smirk on one of the Military Police faces, possibly thinking the Scouts aren't intelligent, yet they will be sorely mistaken because the leaders are two steps ahead of them. Tessa taps the bars, wondering if Levi notices her pent-up rage because she can feel his storm-colored eyes on her back. She assures him that she's fine through the times she taps the bars, which causes Levi to shift his gaze to Erwin, "Now, can you tell us what your intentions are?" Erwin asks, but Eren's eyes widen as his jaws drop, "My what? T-Tessa, what does he mean?" He asks, and Tessa looks at him, "We want to know if we can trust you, or are you a part of what the Colossal Titan and Armored Titan have done," She says, but Eren still looks at her, confused, which causes Tessa to sigh, "Erwin, do you mind?" She asks while looking at Erwin.

Erwin shifts in the chair and begins his explanation, "Here's the lay of the land, my friend. If we want to reach your dad's cellar, we have to venture back to Shiganshina," He explains, "Sealing both holes caused by the Colossal and the Armored Titans just like we did in Trost would be the easy way to take it back, don't you think?" He asks, but Eren remains silent, "Naturally, we can't do it without your powers. Any way you slice it, a Titan is deciding our fate." He confesses, and Tessa nods, "Also, there are speculations that the Colossal and Armored Titans are like you, which is why Erwin asked about your intentions, Eren." She explains, and Eren nods when he sees Erwin agreeing behind Tessa, "Yes, Tessa is right because your intentions could be the key to turning back the tide," He adds while holding up the key again, "You could save us." He says, which grabs Eren's attention. Tessa and Levi look at each other because they've heard that phrase before when Erwin promoted them as Humanity's Protectors. Here it is again, six years later, to a fifteen-year-old Titan Shifter. Tessa watches Eren look at his lap, "I-I don't know what I am, sir." He answers before staring off, which makes Tessa raise a brow, "Eren, what do you mean?" She asks, but Eren doesn't answer her. Tessa shifts her gaze from Eren to the duo behind her, wondering if they possibly triggered a memory for Eren, but Levi clicks his tongue, "Come on. It's an easy question, you twit," He says, "What the hell do you want to do?" He asks, and Tessa shakes her head, "Always straight to the point." She mutters before looking at Levi.