Lady execution Levi Ackerman x OC (ENG) 18+

Chapter XXXVIII. Flash of the freedom

Trost District, September 3, 10:30 p.m

"It will be challenging, but it's possible,"

"Armin, I don't want to hear that it's possible, I want to hear that you'll do it!" Theia chalenged him in a serious voice, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I believe you," she added, to which the boy lowered his eyes.

"You shouldn't put such trust in me, madam,"

"Don't be ridiculous. This is not about the matter of trust at all. There are very few capable people left in the survey corps. I need to squeeze out as much as possible from the most capable ones," Armin was surprised by her honest answer.

"Why do you think I'm the capable one?" Theia frowned at his timid question.

"Look into my eyes," she ordered, but the boy lowered his gaze even more. So she walked up to him and pressed her fingers to his chin to raise his avoiding eyes to her. "Is there any relevant reason why you refuse to look me in the face?"

"How could I, when your father was supposed to be standing in front of you, ... not me," he averted his frightened eyes and Theia inhaled angrily.

"Who stands in front of me was Levi's decision. Not yours, not mine... but his,"

"He made a bad decision..." he answered excitedly, clutching the documents for the upcoming expedition in his hands. Silence took over the office.

"Maybe..." he looked up at her in shock after her silent answer. "Well, you see that you finally looked at my face," she smiled warmly. "We have no right to question Levi's decision. And I don't want you to even think about it. Be grateful that you got a second chance and try to make it worth it. Many don't have such an opportunity. In the end, each of us wants to live," Theia's harsh words made him even more nervous.

"Commander, how can you do that..." he whispered with his eyes fixed on the ground.

"How can I do what?"

"Being so calm," Theia just smiled sadly.

"I... I'm not calm. I just accept who I am. There's no way to go through hell without taking a piece with you," she breathed and closed all the files lying on the table. She walked across the room to the door, which she opened, inviting Armin to come out of her office. "Life is strange, isn't it? You are born with nothing, and you fight for everything. And in the end you leave everything behind and leave empty-handed," Armin frowned uncertainly. "Tell me Armin, what do you want to do when you see the sea and your dreams come true?" She asked calmly as he followed her down the main hall where a picture of the deceased Commandant Erwin Smith had just been hung. Theia looked into his bright eyes for a few seconds, but continued into the courtyard without stopping.

"I can't know what' future prepares to us," Armin replied while Theia stared coldly ahead.

"At that moment it will be necessary to find a new dream," she patted her belly without Armin noticing and stopped right outside the front door, where she looked at the stars, which were more and more often hidden behind dark clouds. She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper which she handed to Armin. "In the morning, go to Trost's bank and withdraw money. We'll use it to buy food supplies for the expedition," she ordered and Armin looked at the check, directly signed by Prime Minister Zachary.

"They give you money somehow easily," he pointed out and hid the check in his pocket. "You have a big influence," he tried to ease the situation, but the silence on Theia's part made him nervous again.

"It is late. Go and rest," she finally urged him and stepped into the grass in front of the entrance to walk along the narrow alley behind the building to the nearby forest, where she stopped to gaze into the treetops. She stood there until she noticed a small figure in ODM gear, attacking individual titan dummies meant for cadet training. Pieces of wood fell to the ground, until a man covered in the cloak of the scout unit also fell. "I don't think someone like you needs training," she remarked into the silence of the night, then Levi turned to her.