Shorter Than Me

24 Levi

I never have any idea what to write for Levi when nothing is going on. Same with Ecyn, but less so. I apologize in advance if this is bad. Or super short.

There's only one place no one can run from Hanji. Two actually, but the chance that she'll get arrested with someone and put in the same cell is unlikely. The second I sit down to eat, she sits down next to me with her plate piled high with food. It's too much to hope she doesn't like speaking with her mouth full. No one leaves, they just ignore her. I'm obviously her target. She makes it obvious when she sits uncomfortably close and practically sits sideways on her chair to face me. She shoves a large bite of pork in her mouth before actually saying anything.

"Hello, Levi." It sounded more like "hewwuh weebi."

I ignore her, knowing it might work. Usually she talks to people who will acknowledge her.

"Ftho, I wath thinking about the next expedition." She swallows her food halfway through her sentence, but takes another bite before starting a new sentence. "Thood we go north or fthouth? Or easth or westh? I kindl of wanth to go somewhere we haven't before, but that's always scary, especially for the newest recruith. They'll be thared outh of their mindth."

Sorry guys, this is starting to get hard haha. I'll stop for your sakes. (Hanji said, "Should we go north or south? Or east or west? I kind of want to go somewhere we haven't been before, but that's always scary, especially for the new recruits. They'll be scared out of their minds.") I'll have her speech normal from now on, but she's still talking with her mouth full. It's just easier to hear her than read it.

"I've sent a few expedition requests to Erwin, but he hasn't talked to me about them. I have so many ideas, Levi. I need to get out there and study the titans. We need to capture them. Lots of them. Do you understand, Levi?" She grips my shoulder, and I brush her hand away. "I've come up with a way to capture some. I think three will be enough at first. We'll keep them sort of far apart from one another once they're inside the Walls. We should return at night so the people don't get scared. Imagine that uproar! People panicking, children screaming, when there's absolutely no danger at all."

"Hanji, you know you'd need that to be approved from somewhere higher up than Commander Erwin, right?" Harich asks.

"That's why I sent a detailed report to the very top."

So good at evading who it actually is. I feel like it's a king, but I can't be sure. Does anyone know who the top guy in power is?

"How long was it?" he asks.

"Around twenty-five pages."

"How did you fill all that?" he exclaims in surprise.

"Well I had to include most of my Encyclopedia of Titans so they'd know what I was referring to with the vocabulary, and I tried to make it a little easier for them to read, explaining the anatomy of the titan, feeding habits, and weaknesses. I assumed they already knew, but I had to make sure. Anyway, most of it was me explaining in lots of detail why it would be beneficial to capture more titans. I described how we would do it and where we would keep them and what exactly I wanted to study."

"And you actually think they're going to read it?"

"They have to. It was signed by Erwin."

"The commander read it?"

"He corrected my grammar, fixed some mistakes, and made a few tweaks. It's taken him long enough. He just sent it two days ago. I gave it to him right after the last expedition. The overnight one."

"So if they approve it, we're going on an expedition to capture titans next?"

Hanji claps her hands. "Yes!"

"And if they don't."

"Hanji just shrugs. "I'll send them a thirty-page report signed by Erwin."

"And you'll keep going until they're so tired of it They just decide to let us go?"

"Exactly! I was going to ask you how long you think it will take." She looks at me.

"A week," I say. She's sent them sets of reports before, so by now, I'm willing to bet they know she won't give up. It will save them a lot of reading.

"A week?" she repeats.

"Are you deaf?"

"Why do you think it will take a week, sir?" Harich asks.

"Or less."

"Why?"

I shrug. "Because."

"Because Ackerman is actually the leader of the human race who mysteriously joined the Scouting Legion years ago without any training, and is somehow the best soldier of all," Zebbo says sarcastically.

Harich turns to Zebbo and says something quietly, but I can hear it due to a lull in the noise around us. "If he's our leader, we're screwed."

It's not the insult I mind, just the fact that he insulted me. I've been called worse, but he shouldn't be insulting his superior officer. I glare at him. He quickly looks away, looking embarrassed. Then he looks back to see if I'm still glaring at him. He turns back away.

For the rest of the meal, I make it a point to be glaring at him every time he looks my way.

He tries to apologize later. "Sir, I'm sorry-"

"Insulting your superior officer is inexcusable. This is the military, not a playground."

"I'm sorry, it was just a joke, sir." He avoids my eyes.

He knows I don't have much of a sense of humor. "Tomorrow morning after breakfast, you will clean the stables with my squad."

"Yes, sir."

I leave him standing there.