A Myriad of Scents (RivaMika Week 2015)

Day 7: Vegetal

JULY 9TH, Day 7: Vegetal (e.g. Eucalyptus)

Levi was shell shocked. She just asked me to stay with her tonight...
He was frozen in place, and his mind went blank. Mikasa was standing only one step away from him and her hand still lingered on his cheek. The unexpected kiss had caught him off guard, and now she asked him to stay with her tonight.

Mikasa was waiting for Levi's reply, but still he said nothing, and he stood unmoving like a stone statue. Thinking that she had done something wrong, Mikasa's hand retreated and now hung by her side.

"I'm sorry, Captain. I should never have asked-" Mikasa started as she began to turn away from Levi in embarrassment.
"Wait!" He said, talking her hand in his, "I told you to call me Levi, remember?"

Mikasa turned back to him, "Yes, Levi."

"In response to your earlier question..." Levi began but he couldn't quite get his words out. Not knowing whether this was the right decision or not, he nodded. Mikasa smiled shyly, and turned the key to unlock the door to her room.

Levi watched as she quickly entered her room and went over the chest of drawers and took off her white lace gloves. Levi, who still stood outside took one last look up and down the corridor and stepped into Mikasa's room and closed the door.

Mikasa was rummaging through a bag by the chest of drawers and pulled out a large green bottle. "Would you like some?" Mikasa offered
"What is it?
Mikasa gave Levi a knowing look, "You know exactly what it is Captain."

The edges of Levi's lips curled into a slight smile and continued to gaze at Mikasa, "Where did you get it?"

Mikasa opened the bottle and poured out a generous amount of the clear liquid into two glasses, and handed one to Levi.
"I was asked to pick it up for a friend while I was in Mitras." Mikasa said, a coy smile arranging itself on her lips.

Levi could smell the potency of the alcohol enter his nostrils, and took a sip.
"This is pretty strong stuff Mikasa...and I thought you told Nile Dok that you weren't drinking tonight?"

Mikasa sat down on the corner of her bed, glass in hand. "Well I wasn't going to drink with him around. I thought I had better err on the side of caution. But now that he isn't here, I don't see a problem with having a drink." Mikasa finished, taking a big sip from her glass.

Levi took off his suit jacket and folded it neatly over the chair by the window. He was looking out at the moving silhouettes of passers-by who occupied the street below, their shadows being cast by the eerie light of streetlamps, when he heard Mikasa clear her throat.

"Can I ask you something..." Mikasa started as she stared at the glass in her hand, "Levi?" She finished, as though the sound of his name from her lips were still foreign to her.

Levi took his gaze away from the silent figures who were making their way home from the night life that Mitras held, and let more of the burning liquid substance roll down his throat, and nodded in response to Mikasa's question.

"Earlier tonight, Commander Erwin and I were talking about how people in Mitras live in a completely different world..."

Levi's confused look spurned Mikasa on.

"What I mean is that, back when Shiganshina District was attacked and Wall Maria fell, I managed to escape with Eren and Armin." Mikasa took a sizable gulp from her glass, before continuing. "Armin's grandfather managed to escape as well, but he was one of the quarters of a million people that were sacrificed, under the guise of trying to take back Wall Maria. But we all know that it was to save food... But tonight I saw plate after plate of food, with different cutlery for every course. Not even that, there was wine flowing from every direction of the room."