The ship was to depart the port, Hanji surveyed for her subordinates to compute them, "Connie..." She located him with the move to and fro of her finger, "Sasha... Jean... Armin... Mikasa... Mikasa?!" Hanji cried out her name, after lacking success in finding her. "She's behind you, Shitty Four-eyes." Levi faintly yanked at her overcoat to indicate for her to glimpse back.
Mikasa appeared to be fatigued, much more so after their fanatical search for Eren. Hanji couldn't help but wonder if Eren had mentioned this foolish plan of his to any of his friends. "Let's go, they're boarding the ship, Hanji." Levi notified her on its upcoming departure. So, they boarded the ship, the sky overflowed with a flock of darkly swallows, the fantastic view bribed a critical atmosphere with it, as if it were an ill omen.
Hanji gulped, but could only feel the drying of her mouth and the bulging nerves at the back of her throat. She could only feel the beads of sweat at her brow, and the chilling rails of the ship that she clasped onto, jerk at the untying knots of her stomach. 'This was all her fault...' Hanji's knitted brows gathered at her motion sickness, she held her mouth with a hand, ghastly. "Oi." A tap on her shoulder, bought her out of her guilty thoughts, it was Levi.
"I thought you liked the ocean..." Levi looked out over the rumbling waves of blue sea, pensively. He was just as bothered as she was about Eren's sudden disappearance, of course, he'd be, they'd all be. She peered back at her subordinates, all of them were wan, seasick, and ill at ease, tantamount to her. 'God... what were they going to do?! Without Eren... without the founder under their governance, under their management... but, solely in Eren's hands alone.'
Hanji clutched onto the railings, her knuckles stuck out, with swelling eyes. "Oi." Levi clasped at her shoulder, this time not unfastening his hold on her. "It's not your fault... whatever it is that is happening... it's not your fault." Levi's sapphires peered through her copper ones, Hanji faintly blushed, 'How was he able to perceive her so well?'
"Of course, it isn't! Let's see... what would Erwin do?" Hanji mused over that mental image, "Ah... that's right! He'd-!" Hanji cried out, "Pay no heed to his errors... as he couldn't risk regretting his choices." Levi concluded by cutting in. "Hm. That's right." Hanji traced a finger over her lips, smiling at the little man.
They arrived at Paradis, the port was brimming with their uniformed soldiers, their expressions altered from pleasure to dismay after the consciousness of Eren's absence had spread throughout the swarm. "Hanji, he was under your supervision, how could you let something like this happen, you are the Commander of the Survey Corps at that... what would Erwin have said?" Pixis narrowed his eyes at her, and earned daggers from Levi.
"Pixis... why don't we let our soldiers rest? Yes, it is as you say... we are in dire times, yet again, but, we all are well accustomed with how times like this can call for desperate measures... it looks like the boy decided to take matters into his own hands..." Zackly set foot into the room of officials. "Do you hear what you are saying, Zackly?!" Pixis yelled out, Zackly made his way over to an empty chair.
"Hmph... who knows... those pigs may not have been so wrong in wanting to take away the founder from a hot-headed youth..." Zackly chuckled to himself, gloomily. The whole room became mute, "I... apologise for my negligence... I should've been a little more thorough with him." Hanji couldn't help but feel accountable. "No... we were thorough with him..." Levi stated, gaining the attention of all.
"But, that doesn't matter... it doesn't matter how much we disciplined the inheritor of the founder... what matters is... our options. But, our options were little from the very beginning... way before any of us were born... it was decided by the world beyond the walls." Levi found his feet, the room of officials peered up at their strongest soldier.
"Let's go, Hanji." He took her by the arm, she arose from her chair, "But-! Levi!" She was hauled out of the room. "L-Levi!" They came to a standstill, after she broke free from his clutch on her, and their scurrying down the vacant hallway. There was a pause, before she turned to amble back. "You're not going back, are you?" Levi pivoted to face her, "They are to be respected, Levi." Hanji said to him.
Levi marched towards her, he stopped before her. "I won't let you be criticised. That brat chose to abandon us... he took it into his own hands, that's right." Levi scanned his palms, "But... we did everything we could to gain his trust. We all had reason to... but he left... and I would've, too, but not because we weren't enough. Not because you weren't enough... but because this world was wrong. That's why he left... I feel this world... was never up to us, Shitty Glasses. I know... survival is all I believe in... but I guess... surviving some things... it takes more than coincidence." Levi stared at her gaze.
Hanji caught his hands, she studied his calloused palms. "Hah... you really have a way with words, Levi... though it can be hard to understand you at times." Hanji sighed, smiling. "Tch!" Levi pocketed his hands, pivoting on his heel. "I'm hungry... why don't we get that cook to make us something to eat?" Levi pondered out loud. "Ah, yes! Sea cucumbers!" Hanji licked her lips, "No... not that." Levi frowned at the mental image of the creature being on his plate.
"Why not?" Hanji mused, happily. "That... thing with the claws..." Levi tried to recall it's name. "Ah! Lobster!" Hanji remembered, delightedly. "I like that." Levi professed. "What about the one with the suckers?!" Hanji recollected the mental picture of the boiled octopus. "Our tastes... are very different." Levi heaved out a sigh, Hanji chuckled in response. "But, then, again... we get along, Shitty Four-eyes." Levi confessed, at a loss.
