Italy

The journey was pretty tiring for everyone, as it took them several days to finally reach Italy's port. At least, due to having many people that knew each other on the ship, everything became lighter and more relaxed. One of the good things that happened was that Niccolo offered himself to help in the kitchen, resulting in many delicious meals.

Hange felt very sick, feeling quite nauseous. But she enjoyed sitting on a bench on the deck, gazing at the immense ocean in front of her beside Levi, while they chatted to Tiny-Human-Bean about how it would have to be a good baby and behave on Italian lands. It had already grown a bit more and kicked with a lot more intensity now. Hange only bled for the first two days of the journey, and then stopped. Her blood pressure seemed stable, despite throwing up a lot and turning red from the rocking of the ship.

Levi's wheelchair practically became an entertainment. During almost all days, Lara, Armin, or a few of their friends would snitch it from Levi to ride it around the deck, racing each other. Sasha would win most of the time, and even Mikasa joined in some competitions, with Jean faithfully rooting for her to win. Lara and Armin also raced against each other and didn't take it easy, resulting in fierce disputes, which even the ship's sailors would stop their work to watch.

Levi didn't quite like it when people would take his means of locomotion without his permission, but at seeing her daughter and son-in-law having so much fun with their friends, he would let it go. Levi actually began to have a line of thought that, the less he bickered over silly things, the more he would have peace in his life. However, when they were almost arriving in Italy, Connie literally flipped over with the wheelchair, which made Levi forbid them to use it again, fearing they would break it.

Lara and Armin were a very dear couple to everyone, always cheerful and cooperative, even helping some sailors with the ship's chores. If in difficult times they got along well, in times of peace they got along even better. They were always laughing and playing with each other, and their love increased more and more.

One day, Armin felt pretty nauseous due to the rocking of the ship and Lara took care of him with great affection in the cabin, however, she suspected that he had overreacted a little, just to get more attention from his fiancée.

There was also this other afternoon when Lara found Armin standing right at the bow of the ship, gazing out at the horizon. She went to him, and he held out his hand for her to approach. Armin asked Lara to close her eyes and trust him.

Armin positioned her at the railing of the ship, asking her to keep her eyes closed. Lara was feeling lots of butterflies in her stomach because the place seemed high. There was a strong wind and the noise of the ship sailing against the waters of the ocean got into her ears.

Armin stood behind her and, taking her arms, spread them wide open, entwining their fingers.

"Open your eyes," he whispered in her ear.

And Lara did so. She felt her heart swell with delight at the sight of a magnificent orange and purple sunset ahead of her. Her entire body was shaking with emotion.

"I-I'm flying!" Lara couldn't stop smiling, her chest rising and falling.

Armin wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his jaw on her shoulder, as he watched his fiancée's joy.

"I-I've never imagined seeing something so marvelous!" Lara turned her face and gazed deeply at him. Slowly, they brought their lips closer and bent their heads for a kiss. Their breaths were intense and Armin squeezed her waist with affection, while Lara stroked his hair, moving their mouths in a completely passionate kiss.

Levi and Hange also had their intimate moments. The cabin only had single beds, but when they were alone there inside, they would lie on the same bed and touch their lips in very soft and tender kisses. Levi caressed his wife's belly, with Tiny-Human-Bean now being the sandwich's filling. The baby seemed to enjoy its father's affection a lot, giving light kicks during these moments. Levi's amputated fingers area was practically healed and it didn't hurt that much. The only severe problem was his leg. He couldn't spend much time on foot or walking without the help of the crutch or wheelchair.

Even on the ship, every night before bed, Levi would rub the essential oil on Hange, who simply loved it, because within each passing day that her belly grew, she was more spoiled by people.

Tiny-Human-Bean was an attraction itself, always very communicative with everyone, even getting into a hearty argument with Sasha, to find out who liked to eat potatoes more. Everybody liked to feel the baby kick and it ended up getting very attached to Mikasa, always seeming to be joyful when she was around.

Speaking of Mikasa, Lara and Armin were pretty happy for her, who every day seemed to be looking more glown and less downcast. Sometimes, they would spot her contemplating the horizon, with a sad look, but Mikasa herself was paying attention to her actions, pushing away thoughts about Eren. She and Levi usually didn't get along in the past, but now that they were living together in a much more relaxed and cheerful environment, they both began to get along better, and any regret from the past seemed to disappear. There was a day when they talked for a long time, trying to find out if they were related in any way, but unfortunately, they couldn't come to a conclusion.

Jean was rejoicing at seeing the woman he loved looking better each passing day. He wasn't showing that grumpy mood that the war had caused him anymore, with now getting back to being that playful guy. When Jean managed to make Mikasa laugh, it seemed like he had won the lottery. He tried not to show that he would like to be by her side all the time, as Jean knew Mikasa needed her own space at the moment. But when she allowed him to do so, they would both talk alone for a long time and seemed to get along pretty well.

Everyone laughed a lot when Connie was around, always being very funny and playing with Sasha's adoptive siblings, who would wear him out until he couldn't take it anymore, going on his piggyback, running around the deck, and playing several other games they made up.

Sasha also felt very sick on the ship, but that didn't stop her from eating every meal with a voracious appetite, even though she knew she was going to throw up the next minute, making Niccolo quite worried. He tried to make some lighter meals, but it was a treat that he would make exclusively for his fiancée. This couple had a pretty comical type of relationship, and seemed to argue all the time, but it wasn't serious argues, but rather playful discussions, mainly involving "Sasha's infinite stomach" matters. However, it was clear that they were completely in love with each other.

During the time they spent on the ship, Onyankopon did the favor of teaching them some basic Italian words and phrases, so that they would not be so lost and would at least know how to ask for food or water, warning them that eventually, it would be of extreme importance that everyone learns the language.

Lara and Armin just loved learning Italian, which made them keep doing that typical hand gesture with fingers held together, waving them in front of each other's face, while shouting words like, "Buongiorno", "Grazie" or "Silenzio, Bruno!" (which apparently was an expression that was said when we need to shut up that annoying voice in our head that keeps tormenting us). Armin particularly enjoyed calling Lara as "Bella Ragazza", which means "Pretty Girl". She blushed when he would say that in her ears.

One Saturday morning, everyone woke up with a certain buzz, and when they went to the deck, it was because Italy's port could already be seen on the horizon. They were thrilled and started jumping for joy. Lara and Armin did a celebratory funny dance in total sync, shouting random Italian words as they shook themselves excitedly.

They arrived at the port just before lunchtime and it was very crowded. Dozens of ships were docked, carrying and dropping off people from all over the world. Through the streets, carriages and motor cars passed by, taking people everywhere. In the distance, the great classic-style buildings emerged ahead of them, leaving everyone gaping and admiring the different and colorful architecture of that place. Lara was so excited with so many new things, that if Armin hadn't entwined their fingers, she would already have gotten lost in the crowd.

Fortunately, Onyankopon proved to be a very organized man on the whole issue concerning their moving, soon finding those responsible who would take them to the refugee community. Lara almost cried with emotion when she said "Grazie" (Thank you) for the first time to the little old man that would take her family in the carriage, as he helped her go inside. But she soon got very embarrassed and disappointed upon knowing that the little old man was an Eldian from the community and replied a "You're welcome" in her own language. At least he said her accent was good.

It would take them another two and a half hours to reach the community, which was located in one of the countryside regions of that nation. Along the way, Armin and Lara kept pointing at all the new things they could spot, stamping their feet on the floor of the carriage with excitement. Lara particularly felt her heart swell with joy at seeing her fiancé's happiness, for she knew that one of Armin's biggest dreams was to be able to travel the world and meet new places. Lara promised herself that she would do anything to take him everywhere he wanted to go.

Levi looked apprehensive at the sight of so many different things around him, and felt a bit tense and out of place. However, Hange would affectionately squeeze his hand, calming him down. She was also delighted with all the news that surrounded them, having a twinkle in her eye as she stroked her belly with care. Tiny-Human-Bean seemed as excited as its sister and brother-in-law, kicking and even punching.

Armin was in such a state of joy, that at one point along the way, he poked Hange and pointed to a very colorful building, saying:

"Mom! Look at that! How gorgeous!"

Apparently, Armin didn't realize what he said and only Hange heard it. As Armin looked out the little carriage window with a big smile, Hange felt tears welling up in her eyes, and her chest burned with happiness and emotion. She had to try very hard not to cry right there, and she looked out the window to also see the building, claiming that it was indeed, very gorgeous. Lara and Levi were looking out the other window, pointing to the things they found interesting.

Along the way, the four of them chatted a lot with the coachman, who told them about what the refugee community was like. He said that it was called "community" just to name it, but that in fact, it was literally a city in the countryside, full of people who came from other countries, trying to make a better life or fleeing from wars and persecutions.

He explained that there would be people from all over the world, from places they could never imagine. In general, although there were naturally small groups of each ethnicity or nationality, most were very united and respectful with each other, as they knew the difficulties that each one had to go through, and as far as possible, they tried to help one another. A positive point is that they had their own local business and commerce, which was quite large, giving a nice boost to the city's economy. But, like anywhere else in the world, it also had its problems.

One of the things that at least made them very relieved was knowing that Eldians didn't suffer prejudice there, since it would be a tremendous hypocrisy of any citizen from the city, as they were all foreigners.

When they finally arrived in the countryside, towards mid-afternoon, the four of them couldn't express in words the beauty they witnessed. The whole refugee city was spread out in a stunning valley and in the small hills that surrounded it, with countless tall cypress trees, with their dark and striking green leaves. They could see the agricultural fields of the farms in the distance, millimetrically surrounded by round flowering bushes, as well as the many stones and wooden houses and mansions that filled the entire landscape. Right in the middle of the valley was the downtown, with several buildings, which the coachman informed was where most of the business and commerce were.

It was like a dream, out of a fairy tale book.

The four of them gazed at each other with teary eyes, such joy they felt in their hearts as they contemplated their new home. Slowly, they got closer and embraced themselves very tight, allowing the tears to flow. Still embraced, Lara said a beautiful prayer in thanks for that new opportunity they were receiving, drawing more tears from everyone.

When they drew apart, Levi and Hange brought their faces closer, to speak with more privacy, just as Armin and Lara also did from the other seat of the carriage.

Levi stroked his wife's belly and took her face with his injured hand. In her ear, he said:

"I love you, Hange. You have no idea how happy I am to be here with you and our family."

"I love you too, Levi," she smiled at him and sighed, "Who knew that you and I would be here right now, huh? It seems like it was yesterday that we found that little girl, alone in that forest," they both looked at Lara, who was talking to Armin. Levi smiled contemplatively.

"For a guy who came from the Underground, now to be walking on the mountains of the Italian countryside, accompanied by a pretty wife, an amazing daughter and son-in-law, and a baby on the way, I think it was quite an improvement, don't you think?"

Hange nodded with another smile and Levi pulled her into a long, soft peck kiss.

Meanwhile, Armin and Lara exchanged confidences. In the same way that Levi did, Armin also leaned into Lara's ear:

"Can you imagine you and me, living in one of these houses? Just the two of us, together..." he smiled, "Would you be happy?"

Lara had tears in her eyes and she took his face, returning the smile.

"Armin, you already make me the happiest woman in the world, every day!"

He got her hair from behind and gently pulled her into a soft, long peck kiss as well.

About half an hour later, all the carriages stopped at a large farm. From what Onyankopon had informed them, it was his family home and that they would welcome them with a nice meal, as they knew they would arrive exhausted and hungry from the journey. When they were on the ship, Onyankopon told them that fortunately, his family had prospered relatively well when they fled to Italy, now owners of one of the local vegetable farms.

When they got there, they were greeted by people who, in Lara's opinion, were some of the friendliest and most charismatic people she had ever met in her entire life. Upon seeing his parents, whom he hadn't seen in years, Onyankopon ran with open arms, resulting in a very emotional and tearful family reunion, bringing tears to almost everyone present. On that farm lived many of Onyankopon's refugee relatives, such as brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and cousins. All had their beautiful dark skin and wore very colorful hats and clothes, typical of their homeland.

They were all so nicely welcomed, it felt like they had known each other for ages. Onyankopon's father, named Akin, and his mother, named Imani, welcomed Hange, Levi, Lara, and Armin with much affection and tight hugs. Onyankopon accompanied them, speaking highly of each of them and how they were great friends during the time he lived in Paradis. Upon seeing Hange's big belly, Imani promptly told her that she would be on hand to help with the baby's birth, as she was a very experienced midwife and had already helped many children from the city to come into this world.

A large table was set right in the middle of the farm's backyard. Sasha was already getting close to it and Niccolo had to rush and hold her back. As Hange pushed Levi's wheelchair, accompanying the others to the table, Lara and Armin walked towards Mikasa, Jean, Connie, Sasha, and Niccolo, forming a lively circle, chatting with extreme excitement about everything they saw along the way.

"Guys," said Sasha, "the chat's great, but we can keep talking while we eat, don't you think?"

They all made fun of her, who just shrugged and started heading with a stuck-up face towards the table, dragging Niccolo with her. But Sasha was right, because everyone was starving and ended up following them too.

Lara and Armin sat side by side at one end of the large table, facing Hange and Levi. The four of them were impressed by the variety of different foods that were placed in front of them, with typical dishes from both Italy and Onyankopon's motherland. They tried the foods with great curiosity, finding everything delicious. They particularly liked an Italian dish called Bruschetta, which consisted of bread, with chopped tomato, cheese, basil leaves, drizzled with olive oil, and other seasonings. Levi assured them that it would be a dish that they would always have in their new home. At one point, everyone toasted, some with wine, others with grape juice.

They didn't stay long at Onyankopon's parents' house, because they were obviously exhausted from the very long journey and, secretly, everyone just wanted to lie down on a comfortable bed and sleep until they couldn't take it anymore.

Akin got up so he could be heard by everyone. He explained that he had arranged for them some temporary homes where they could stay for a few months until they got jobs, rented or bought a house, and settled down completely.

As Akin called some names, people would get up and head to the carriages, which would take them to their temporary homes. Since Sasha's family was the largest, with eight members, they were the first to leave Lara's group of friends, thanking everyone, especially for the food (Sasha insisted on emphasizing that the spaghetti "was simply divine, Mrs. Imani! You nailed it!").

Then, he called other people, until he got to Jean and his parents, with Connie and his mother, and also Mikasa, who, despite having come at the last minute, it had a couple of extra bedrooms where Jean, Connie and their families would stay, so Mikasa could stay there as well. Politely, she thanked for the consideration and apologized for the inconvenience caused, resulting in several people replying with "Don't mention it!", "Don't worry about it, my dear!" or "Rest easy!", especially coming from Jean, who could hardly believe he was going to live in the same place as Mikasa, doing everything he could to hide his immense happiness.

They also headed to their carriages, leaving only Hange, Levi, Lara, and Armin. With a big smile on his face (as the four of them were highly spoken by his son during the meal), Akin said he had prepared a comfortable one-story house for them to live in, due to Levi's condition, that way avoiding him to climb any stairs.

The four of them said goodbye to Onyankopon and his family, thanking them for everything and getting into the carriage, which began to take them to a place that was about ten minutes away. Inside the carriage, Lara and Hange clapped their hands and stomped their feet in excitement to see their new temporary home, while Armin kept exclaiming to himself words like, "Silenzio, Bruno! Prego! Bella Ragazza! Mozzarella!", making the typical Italian gesture with both hands. Levi laughed at them, covering his face in shame, but still feeling great joy in his heart at seeing the euphoria of his family. Tiny-Human-Bean also kicked, excited to know the place where it would probably be born.

When they finally arrived at their temporary home, they were gaping and their eyes sparkled as they saw what a very cozy house it was. It was quite small, probably three or four times smaller than the house they had in Paradis. In a somewhat rectangular shape, it had no stairs and was entirely made of stones, with climbing plants along the walls. Cypress trees surrounded it and small bushes with some flowers formed a line around the gravel pathway that led from the gate of the stone fence to the front door. Next to the house was a small empty stable.

Lara and Hange led the way, followed by Armin, who was pushing Levi's wheelchair, while the coachmen who had brought their belongings unloaded the carriages. They made Lara do the honors of being the first to enter the house, opening the front door with the key given by Akin.

One by one, they got in, stopping in front of the opened door, gazing inside the little house, with smiles on their faces.

They were standing in a small living room, which on the right side had a couch, a coffee table, and two simple armchairs. Just ahead was the kitchen and an area with a table for four. There were five windows bringing light to the place, with the late afternoon sun's rays already streaming through them.

They were all startled when one of the coachmen popped up from behind, carrying some suitcases and pressing a button on the wall. Like magic, lamps lit up above their heads. They were completely stunned, contemplating the famous "electricity", something that did not exist in Paradis. They had already witnessed some technologies of the modern world, on one occasion when they went to Marley with Kiyomi Azumabito, trying to get a peace treaty, but at the present moment, it seemed that they were seeing everything for the first time.

Slowly, the four of them walked more into the house. They explored the small kitchen and were very surprised to discover a big object, which looked like a large closet, where when opening its door, it released a very cold breeze. One of the coachmen patiently explained to them that it was called a refrigerator, also showing them how the oven and gas stove worked. On the left side of the living room was a small hallway that led to the three small bedrooms and a bathroom. The largest bedroom had a double bed, two bedside tables, and a wardrobe. In the other two, there was a single bed in each, with a small closet with drawers, a bedside table, and a desk and chair. Armin asked to have the smallest bedroom, since he was the one with fewer belongings.

While he and Lara helped the coachmen unload the carriages, Hange dashed to pee and took a fright by the weird "flush", since she had forgotten that detail. She screamed so loudly at witnessing the strong water jet wash her physiological wastes down the drain, that Levi knocked on the door, leaning on his crutch, asking if his wife was alive.

About forty minutes later, all the suitcases and trunks were piled up in the living room, and before the coachmen left, Armin asked where he could borrow a horse since they would need to get food at some grocery store to stock the pantry. It was agreed that one of the coachmen would hire two of his horses until they could settle down more comfortably, and that he would bring them on the following day.

It was already dark by the time the four of them finally sat down at the dining table for tea, which Levi had prepared in the new kitchen (for he had made sure to pack a few stocks of his favorite teas for the journey), while Lara, Armin, and Hange unpacked some of their belongings. They ended up deciding to finish everything tomorrow, as they were exhausted and even Hange said she would like to take a nice bath in the new bathtub.

Lara and Hange took a bath together to speed things up, and while they rested in the armchairs, Armin and Levi heard the girls give a loud scream. They rushed (Levi hopped up on one foot) and put their ears to the closed door, asking what had happened. The girls tried to explain that there was a strange object on the wall, which was releasing a powerful water jet. They were referring to the shower, but they didn't know it had that name. In the end, they claimed that the boys would see it for themselves in their turn.

Lara and Hange came out of the bathroom feeling refreshed, for they hadn't had a decent bath in days, as the ship's bathroom was too precarious for complete hygiene. Then, it was Armin's turn to take a bath, who also screamed when he felt the strong water jet hit his face, because he didn't know he had to close his eyes when turning on the shower, drawing laughter from his fiancée and in-laws, who were resting in the living room. Levi was the one who made the most fun of them all, claiming they were too dramatic.

However, when it was his turn to take a bath (he insisted on doing it by himself), Levi took such a fright that he started screaming:

"OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HECK?! WHERE AM I?! ARMIN, HELP ME! HOW DO I DESTROY THIS THING?!"

Lara and Hange were squirming on the couch, their stomachs aching from laughing so much, while Armin rushed to help his father-in-law. After bathing properly, the four of them finally went to sleep. They took a while to get used to the new beds, but they were so tired that they soon fell deep asleep.

As Onyankopon had warned them, the first few weeks were very difficult for everyone. The biggest challenge they had to face was indeed concerning the language, because although there were many Eldians in the community, many other people from different countries around the world lived there. So Italian turned out to be the default language everyone spoke there.

On a Thursday morning of the second week, Lara, Armin, Mikasa, Jean, Connie, and Sasha were sitting in a circle on a small hill, talking (Niccolo was not present, for he had gotten a job at a bakery downtown). They came to the conclusion that the best thing they could do was hire someone who could teach them Italian as quickly as possible, preferably an Eldian to make the communication easier.

They split into pairs and began to search the entire city for someone who was willing to teach them. When they met again at the same place near dusk, Jean and Mikasa, who went together, said they found a middle-aged woman who was willing to be the teacher for everyone, including their families. She charged them a fair price to have twice-weekly group classes, which would be great for them to practice with each other.

And so it was done.

They all met in a small classroom downtown twice a week. Everyone attended the classes. Jean, Connie, and Sasha's parents, unfortunately, had some trouble learning the language, due to being people of a little older age. However, the teacher proved to be such a patient and caring person, that helped them in everything. Sasha's siblings were the ones who adapted best to the new language. The teacher said it was because they were still children and their brains learned more easily than adults. Hange, Levi, Lara, and Armin practiced Italian when they were at home, which also helped them a lot to get more fluency.

However, despite the language problem being already solved, there was another one that left Lara, Armin, and their friends very distressed: unemployment.

To be very, very honest, since Levi had wisely invested his money for most of his life (and the salary of a Captain from the Survey Corps was good) he had enough to buy a new house and still support his family for the rest of his life, living with comfort (here they thanked Armin for suggesting selling their house in Paradis, for the extra money really came in handy). Hange also had a good amount of money saved, although she started investing late, after Levi had insisted a lot when they got married. She secretly regretted not doing it earlier, now that it seemed to be a matter of great importance.

At the moment, neither Levi nor Hange had the physical conditions to work. So, for now, they were cool about this matter. Even more that soon, Hange would give birth and she made it very clear that she would like to enjoy the baby to the fullest, not missing a single moment, for it was something she had wished for years. Levi was also very fond of the idea of staying home with Hange and the baby in the future.

Now, regarding Lara and Armin, we can say that they also had a good amount of money saved to support themselves for a long time, even for a few good years. However, one day, the couple sat down at the table and began to calculate how much would be left for them to be able to build and furnish a house to live in after they got married, to have a simple wedding party, and also to take a honeymoon trip (which, as Lara had promised herself, would do anything for Armin to meet new places). They came to the conclusion that they didn't have enough money to do everything they were dreaming of. So, they urgently needed a job.

One Sunday afternoon, when Hange was a little more than halfway through her eighth month of pregnancy, Lara and Armin were talking on the couch at home, while Levi and Hange were taking a nap in their bedroom. The young couple talked about how worried they were that neither they, nor Mikasa, Sasha, Connie, or Jean had gotten a job until that moment.

Jean, Sasha, and Connie's parents had easily gotten jobs on the local farms, as helpers, cooks, or cleaning services, for it was something they already had a lot of experience with and were used to doing in Paradis, as well as those being very demanding professions on the farms, especially the ones that grew food to sell.

A bit afflicted, Armin and Lara talked, with her lying on her fiancé's chest, who was stroking her hair.

"The problem, babe," said Lara, biting her nails in anxiety, "is that none of us six have any special study or knowledge! We don't have a profession apart from being soldiers!"

"But what about your drawings?" he asked, separating Lara's hands because her fingers started to bleed. "Don't you think you can make some money with them? And that art gallery you wanted to open?"

"I don't know..." she was now squeezing her fiancé's hand, "I believe this is not the proper moment to start a new business. We need to be more stable here."

Armin agreed, pressing his lips together. He was also quite worried because he didn't know how to do anything else but fight. It is true that he had a good knowledge in the administrative area, but more formal jobs were located in most urban areas of the country, which was far from where they lived now, and probably, they would just hire someone who had a more complete education. Also, Armin's administrative skills were very much set towards the needs they had on Paradis, and not in a world where there were no Titans anymore.

Lara knelt on the couch, shaking Armin nervously.

"Geeeeee!" she exclaimed, "What are our skills, huh?! What are we good at?!"

Armin shook his head, raised his hands, and sighed.

"Look, baby... If you think about it, we're good at helping and protecting people. That's what we did in Paradis as soldiers."

He turned to his fiancée, and they gazed at each other for a few seconds. Then, suddenly, Lara gave a little jump on the couch.

"Babe! That's it!" Lara widened her eyes, opening her arms, then turned to him, grabbing his face with both hands, "You're a genius!" She kissed him on the mouth.

A little confused but grateful for the kiss, Armin held her by the arms, because Lara was now waving her hands, probably having an epiphany.

"How did we not think of that before?!" she exclaimed, now holding her fiance's hands. "We can work as Police Officers here in the city! I'm sure they have a Headquarters or something of the sort! It's not possible that there isn't any kind of authority here that guarantees their protection!"

Armin gazed at her, a little open-mouthed. Now, thinking about it, that idea was even making sense.

"What do you think, babe?!" asked Lara, with a twinkle in her eyes, "What's your opinion?"

Gradually, thoughtful and frowning, Armin nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... I think you're right, baby..." he ran a hand over his chin, staring at a fixed point, "Indeed, fighting and protecting people is what we did best in Paradis. Nothing fairer than doing it here too."

Squealing in excitement, but soon covering her mouth so as to not wake her parents, Lara pulled Armin into a tight hug, which he returned. They agreed that on the very next day, they would talk to Mikasa, Jean, Sasha, and Connie about it. At dinnertime, they talked to Hange and Levi about the idea. They promptly approved it, claiming the six friends would make excellent Police Officers.

As agreed, the next day, Lara and Armin joined their friends and shared the idea. They got very excited about the possibility, confessing that they were already beginning to become anxious about not getting a job as well. However, they were a little apprehensive, because if finding a single job was already hard, now imagine getting it for six people at once, in one place.

"I'm sure they'll accept us!" exclaimed Lara. "When they see our skills, they'll hire us! I have faith they will!"

"At least Mikasa has her job guaranteed," joked Connie and they all laughed.

"But wait," said Jean, "Now we need to find this Headquarters or whatever name they call it around here."

The six friends mounted their horses and began to ask around the neighborhood. It was not difficult to find out that the place was downtown and that it was also called "Headquarters" in that region.

They arrived quite nervous at the Headquarters, which was medium in size, and, trying their best in speaking Italian, asked if there were any high-ranking Eldians they could talk to. They waited a few minutes and a tall, strong man with short gray hair, in his fifties, greeted them in his office. He introduced himself as Sergeant Hans.

Since Armin was the best diplomat in the group, they had previously agreed that he would explain everything and ask for the job to them. With humbleness and with all the calm in the world, Armin explained to Sergeant Hans the whole situation they were going through, while the other five formed a line behind him, in a military position at attention to show that they hadn't come there for fun.

When Armin was done speaking, Sergeant Hans leaned back in his chair, running a hand over his chin as he analyzed each of the six soldiers in front of him. After a few seconds of silence, he said:

"Follow me to the training area."

Getting there, which was a small open space and that was behind the Headquarters building, he applied some individual and group tests, such as physical resistance exercises, handling guns and rifles, and combat techniques.

Sergeant Hans had a very serious expression as he assessed them, always quiet. In the end, the six friends once more formed a line, waiting for his final answer, who was standing in front of them, hands behind his back. Some of the soldiers who worked there watched them with curiosity.

"You all have very good qualities when working separately," he said, with a steady voice. "However, I've noticed that when you work together, those qualities increase considerably. There are some points where you need to improve and adapt, as we don't fight Titans around here, just ordinary people, which is still unfortunate." He took a deep breath, "Very well then. I'll give you guys a chance. We were really in need of young, qualified people for the job." Hans glanced to the side, scolding the curious soldiers with his eyes, who dashed off.

Still standing at attention, the six friends could not help but feel great joy in their hearts. But they didn't let it show and continued with a serious face, paying attention to the Sergeant.

"Here we work a little differently. We play a role that is a mixture of Police Officers and Firefighters since there's only this Headquarters in the city. So, we have to do a little of everything and the work is hard," Hans gazed one by one, "Can I count on you?"

In unison, they replied:

"Yes, sir!"

Sergeant Hans pointed at Armin:

"You. Take a step forward."

Armin complied.

"You seem to be a person your friends trust a lot," said Hans, "so, you'll be the Leader and together, you'll all form a Squad."

At that moment, Lara's heart swelled with joy and she had to hold back hard not to cry with pride for her fiancé. Armin looked a little nervous, but nodded and thanked him.

"Okay, then. At ease!" said Hans, and they obeyed. "You can start tomorrow. We'll give you all the training you need. Bring your documents so we can settle all the bureaucratic parts."

Sergeant Hans went to each of them, shaking their hands and welcoming them. When they left the Headquarters, the six friends continued in silence, until they reached the downtown community stables, where they had kept their horses, a couple of blocks away. When they noticed they were finally alone, they hugged each other in a circle, jumping and screaming for joy. They scared some horses.

They couldn't believe it! They were euphoric with so much happiness to be able to work together, even more on something they were good at. Sasha and Connie did a celebratory funny dance, Lara gave Armin a nice kiss, congratulating him on being the Squad Leader. Without meaning to, Jean and Mikasa hugged each other tightly, but soon they drew apart, becoming very blushing and shy.

On the way back to their homes, they chatted excitedly about what name they should give to their Squad, and Lara suggested they call it the "Sasageyo Squad", in honor of Commander Erwin Smith. Everyone liked the idea a lot and together, they saluted, shouting at the top of their lungs:

"SHINZOU WO SASAGEYO!"

At one point, each turned onto a road to their homes. When they arrived, Lara and Armin rushed to tell the news to Hange and Levi, who got extremely happy and proud of them and, to celebrate, they had Bruschetta and Spaghetti with oil and garlic for dinner.

Before bed, Armin went to Lara's bedroom to kiss her good night. She was drawing the ship that took them to Italy, leaning against her desk. The couple sat on the bed and held hands, smiling at each other.

"Now it's just a matter of time before we start building our house," said Armin, pulling her in for a kiss. Lara was in such a state of joy, that she stamped her feet and clapped her hands during the kiss, drawing laughter from Armin.

"I believe that within a few months, we'll be able to at least buy the land, don't you think?!" she gazed at him with a gleam in her eyes. Armin nodded and they hugged each other tightly.

The days passed and the Sasageyo Squad proved to be really effective. They quickly learned how to work according to the needs of the Headquarters and the region and, since they now spent a good part of their day working outside their home, their Italian started to improve considerably, as they were now pretty immersed in the language.

The Headquarters uniform was a turtleneck military green jumpsuit, full of pockets, with a thick belt that wrapped around the waist. They wore heavy black boots and a cap, the same color as their uniform. On their hands, they wore black fingerless gloves to make the rifles handling easier. They also got a black coat to wear on cold days.

During the next month, they spent their days doing internal work, such as reportings (which they were already used to doing on the Survey Corps), as well as external work, such as arresting gangs of thieves that robbed the farms, attending to requests, such as traffic accidents or fights, orientate the citizens at some matters, patrolled the roads and so on. The tensest moments were when they had to put out a fire (it happened once, where a fabric store caught fire) or when a more serious accident happened. They also had to do some detective work, unraveling cases of robberies and there was even a murder on one occasion.

As Sergeant Hans had said, the six friends worked very well as a team, and Armin was an excellent Squad Leader. They all seemed to be members of one body, such harmony they had. It didn't take long for the Sasageyo Squad to become known throughout the city. The only thing they missed was using their ODM gears, especially downtown, where there were many buildings. Although the horses were great and they were already used to them, Sergeant Hans advised that eventually, it would be very important for them to get a driver's license, because the motor cars could be more useful in some situations.

One morning, quite early, when Lara and Armin arrived from another long and tiring night of work (it had been Sasageyo Squad's turn to be on duty), for they had had a difficult pursuit of a gang that was stealing cattle from some farms, as they got into the house, they heard a certain buzz coming from Hange and Levi's bedroom and looked at each other, pretty worried.

They rushed there and found Levi completely lost and pale, leaning on the crutch next to Hange, who was sweating from head to toe, with an intense expression of pain on her face.

"Wh-What happened?!" exclaimed Lara, heading to her mother's side, desperate.

Hange screamed very loudly, squeezing her daughter's hand tightly. She stared at Lara, wide-eyed, and exclaimed at the top of her lungs:

"MY WATER JUST BROKE! TINY-HUMAN-BEAN IS COMING!"