Ein Riese, der Fliegen Wollte

It Takes a Village

Levi frowns down at the reports in his hands.

Things have not been going well since the fall of Maria, and lately the Scouting Legion seems to be the ones in the deepest shit. On the one hand, they're finally being taken seriously as a division--not just as the needless killers of loved ones--and the military is fast becoming an enticing, steady job for many of the refugees--sometimes the only job they can find.

On the other hand, however, people are more terrified of Titans than ever. False rumors about a Titan 300 meters tall, and Titans that could run with the speed of lightning, or single Titans leveling entire cities, devouring everyone in sight, are only too common. It's proving very difficult to get terrified people to join a research division dedicated to getting as close as possible to the Titans.

In front of him, Erwin has a look of grim acceptance, visible in the pull of his mouth and the angle of his thick eyebrows. His hands slide up to clasp in front of his face, his weight resting heavy on his elbows.

"The same as usual, I suspect?"

Levi nods, handing the practically incriminating papers to the stern-faced man. "Low enlistment rate, high dropout rate, too many casualties, and no real significant outcomes." He feels like slicing something, but a quick glance around at the Spartan elegance of the office suggests it will have to wait until tonight's training. Maybe shitty-glasses will be up for a spar...

"And what of your...pet project?" The look on Erwin's face shows that he expects nothing new, but Levi knows his report is necessary all the same.

"Nothing, sir. It's nowhere to be found." He feels a twitch of irritation. Months--years!--of sightings, and now it had just disappeared. Granted, they were many miles from its usual habitat, but that had never stopped it before, no matter how far from the walls they'd gotten. That doesn't make the sense of missed opportunity any less profound.

"I doubt this means you're giving up." One of these days Levi is going to get fed up with that omniscient tone and shove a sword up Erwin's ass, but he could at least admit that the man wasn't wrong.

A smirk tugs at his lips. "Not a chance, sir. It's only a matter of time before I find it."

Only two people knew of his obsession with the Abnormal, and while Erwin remained mildly disapproving, Hanji gave him nothing but shit about it. A few months ago the shitty scientist even gifted him some blacklisted book about a fisherman and his obsession with a whale.

The book was terrible, but at least it was accurate.

The Berserker was his white whale.

And he would fucking find it.

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Over the next few weeks, the temperatures rise and the crops started to grow, and Eren is getting better and better at his human studies. He has more words than he'd ever thought possible rattling around in his head and is starting to grasp reading and writing. He's also much more aware of what is and isn't acceptable in human company.

For example, taking of his shirt while weeding the crops or relaxing in the sun? Perfectly acceptable. Taking off his trousers? The humans panic trying to get him to put them back on.

Some customs he still refuses to abide by, however, such as the foot coverings--shoes, he had learned they were called. They are uncomfortable and cumbersome, and after a lifetime of not being able to feel the earth beneath his feet and grass pushing between his toes, there's no way he's stopping now.