Lost Answers

...

Answers were needed.

Enough time passed by for Safer to get the hang of things around the area. He got quite familiar with its people, with the societies way of living and how things worked. However, information about Safer's father, Tee Sephiroth was sought out because he thought that his own father was keeping secrets from him for decades. Safer was tired of waiting for any answers to his questions about his past. So if his father wasn't going to tell him, he would have to find out all own his own then.

All you can see is Safer walking through the village within Wall Sina that seems fairly protected. It was apparent that no titans at all were in there or even close to there so safety wasn't an issue for the young soldier. He was just confused. He walks through the village whilst in casual clothing, which was a surprise because he rarely does that. He didn't think he'd need it though considering how far he is into the area. It would be a real shocker if titans made it that far. Once Safer makes it to a local shop where they are townspeople all around minding their own business drinking and eating what they had bought, he comes to a stop. The young man turns his head both ways as if looking for a certain location. One curious man walks up to Safer asking if he was lost. Safer puts his attention onto the man and says "I'm looking for a library." He didn't mind to tell the random man too much information about what he was looking for because it was too much of a personal issue.

The stranger says "Oh...Yeah, I know where that is, come. Follow me." The man starts to walk towards a specific direction towards a building. Safer followed right behind him. Once the two men entered the building, they seen a main lobby type of room but eventually walked into the library right after taking a right turn into another door. You could see all types of different people in the library minding their business while reading books. There were only very few of people in there so you can imagine it's really quiet. Any noise can be heard in there, even a pencil dropping. As they entered the room, the stranger says while making a leave, "Well I've brought you to where you wanted to go so I guess I'll make my leave now and go back to what I was doing. You have a good day though alright?" Safer nods and agrees with the man, saying "Sure. You too..." After the mans leaves the library, Safer walks up to the bookkeeper and asks where he could find any files or books based off of his father, Tee. The bookkeeper kindly and quietly says "Of course. We keep all of our files over there in that section so you're welcome at any time to go take a look." Safer says "Thank you" as he went on his way, making his way over to that section in the library.

He looks through the files trying to find under his father's name and eventually found it. Safer grabs it and pulls it out from the rest of the files and m starts to open the sealed document to begin reading it whilst standing in the middle of the section. Somehow though, he felt as if someone was watching over him from afar in the library but he ignored that and kept reading. It wasn't a problem of course if someone found out what he was actually doing but it was more of a personal life crisis thing. Not something to be talked about with randoms on the street. The first thing you can see on Tee's life report is his ex-rank for when he wasn't retired. He was an old legend or that's what the locals would see him as, at least. Just what was Tee keeping from his own son though? It must be something quite important.

Will the answers to his questions be here?

A large, round-faced Military Policeman walked into the library. His small, dark eyes started surveying the area, for he was clearly looking for something... but not for books. He wandered through the building, looking around until he finally met his mark - in the corner of the room, in an area secluded by tall shelves of neatly stacked books, sat a man lone at the reading table.
Light shone softly through the curtained window over the area, illuminating the book the Military Police Captain was brooding over.
The larger man walked to the table, where he stood silently in front of his superior. If the Captain had noticed the soldier, none could say, for he made no sign of it. Finally, the soldier decided to speak.

"Sir." the man spoke, looking down at the captain.
"Oh?" Alan's raised his head from the book. Even though his voice suggested surprise, his eyes gave no sign of it. Not more than usual, at least, for his eyebrows always gave Alan a surprised look.
"Ah, Grimmid." the Captain smiled, and put aside his book "How can I help you? I know you're not much of the reading type."
"Actually, sir." Vindhelm replied, looking rather concerned "I was thinking of helping you."
The larger man paused while Alan stared at him baffled, before continuing.
"I know you come here... when you want to be left alone. You've been showing up less in the office, but you're no slacker. Something's on your mind. Something you're worried about."

As Windhelm spoke, the Captain stared at him quietly. He had been right, of course. Grimmid always had a way of speaking simply... for he wasn't a very complicated man himself. He was blunt, perhaps even childish, but he was always true to his heart, and his was a good heart.
However, Alan was not ready to talk about his burden. It was his to bear.
"As you can see, I am studying a book about the Underground City." the captain smiled, and lightly tapped the book "For our ongoing investigation, of course. I assure you there's nothing to be worried about. Nothing out of the usual, at least."

Vindhelm furrowed his eyebrows, the way he always did when he was thinking hard about something. At the end, he shook his head.
"Look, I'm not going to overstep my boundaries. Just know that if you need to talk... I'm here."
And with that, the large soldier left the library, leaving the brooding captain alone at the table.
When he was gone, Alan thought about what happened. At the end he leaned back in his chair and sighed, looking up. Vindhelm's intuition was correct. He really was worried about something. There was something wrong, something amiss, with the ongoing investigation. His soldiers were surprisingly unmotivated and unenthusiastic about it, as if something (Or someone) were holding them back. Did they know something that he did not? What was going on?
Alan had to tread carefully. The wrong move could mean the end of the investigation... or the end of dromedary between him and his squad. Despite their shorter time together, Alan has taken a true liking to his squad of misfits.

Alan looked over at the book he was reading, The Underground Wonder. Again, Vindhelm was right. He had no need of actually studying it. Alan memorized this book years ago, and none of its contents eluded him. Alan finally stood up and put the book back on the shelf, where it truly belonged.
When he did that, however, he recognized a familiar figure through the openings of the shelf. It has been a while since he had seen him, and the sight of a scout so deep in the Inner Cities was very rare. Alan decided it would be nice to drop by, and exchange some pleasantries.
He walked over to the soldier quietly, as to not disturb his reading. His table was scattered with documents and files, as if he was looking for something specific. What for?
"It's been a while." Alan finally said, looking up at Safer, the crazed but loyal scout.

Whilst Safer continued to read through the file of his father, he heard a conversation nearby in the library between an MP Captain and another person but he ignored that as well. Information about his father was too crucial to his own life rather than a simple conversation amongst others in around him. The young soldier began to scan the text, reading off of the file, with it saying "Tee Sephiroth is a man of great honor but there are some conspiracies about him that seem to scare off many people from ever making contact with him again. Due to the fact that on a specific mission to fend off Titans once again, he was seen not attacking a certain titan for some apparent reason. That titan didn't attack his back either, it just gave him a sharp and distinct glance really quick before taking off into the distance. There are many questions about this occurrence but some say that Tee might have made contact with several titan-shifters. This titan from that mission was considered to be one of them who's he met before." As soon as he got reading that paragraph, Safer quietly said out of surprise and sincere shock, "Blaine..."

Soon after he said that name he hears someone walk towards him so the young soldier calmly puts the document back into the sealed file. He didn't need anyone to know about what he was reading about or know about Blaine and the others would follow him. Such knowledge is deadly and can keep someone is massive trouble. Safer was confident the person didn't hear him say the name so he acted normal. He looks up away from the file and notices Alan, the Military Police Captain. He looks at him as the captain says "It's been a while." Safer nods in agreement and holds the sealed document in one hand to his side trying not to bring attention to it. He says back, "Ah, it's Alan. Well isn't it a pleasure to see you again." The soldier smiles.

Something didn't feel right in the air between the two young men... Safer started to speak again, saying "Listen, I wish I could talk to you right now but I can't. I must get going. I've got somewhere to go so excuse me.." The soldier has a neutral expression on his face as walks past Alan, almost in a rude fashion. It was odd to see Safer act like this...To see that he was in such a rush for some reason that no one knew about. After he passed by the MP Captain, he continued to make his way outside of the library in the alleyway because he went out the back door. As soon as Safer exited the building a random stranger in the alleyway assaulted him, grabbed him and pinned Safer against the wall of the library making a huge thud sound that burst into the library from the outer wall. You could hear it from inside. Safer was sure Alan followed him... The random man started to scream in his face, yelling out "YOU!!!!YOU'RE THE ONE BLAINE WAS WITH!IN THE LITTLE GROUP OF HIS, YES YOU WERE!" Safer held onto the document for as long as he could but it was in the way so he dropped it onto the always floor then kneed the guy in the crotch which caused the man to bend over. As soon as he bent over in front of Safer, the soldier dressed in casual clothing grabbed the guy by his head and smashed it against the libraries wall several times until enough blood splattered onto Safer's face and his clothes. By then the man was severely bruised; dead even.

...

He couldn't have let that man go out screaming to the world that he was affiliated with him.

After that incident was done, Safer sighed letting go of the guys head, as it was brutally smashed in, letting the guy fall onto the floor leaning against the wall with blood on it and bits of brain. The young soldier then took off his shirt, wiped the remaining blood from face and hands so he can throw away the shirt into the trash can nearby. No one was nearby to see the crime scene but it wasn't loud enough either to grab the attention of others outside. Only the inside of the library could hear what had happened so meaning Alan must've heard. The death was quite brutal and quick indeed. Safer was always known for speed and aggression but this was a side of him we have never seen before. A dark side of himself and it was all because of one person. Safer was sure people inside had heard it so he decided to pick up the sealed document and leave the library as quick as possible. The young man started to run the opposite direction of the library towards where the wall was. Once close enough to get leverage, he took out some sort of small grappling device from his pocket that wasn't Scout Certified equipment and used it to grapple onto a roof in which he quickly went up on flying through the air. Nearby townspeople were standing and watching his every move shocked at the speed and reaction time the soldier had while moving.

By then though, Safer was already grappling away into the distance shirtless with a sealed document of his father. Time would tell if Alan or anyone else could figure out who killed this poor innocent man for knowing such information. It was apparent that the soldier had no sign of blood on him, not a single speck but it's a coincidence that the guy died right where Safer exited. This crime was bound to fire back on him. Where Safer was going was unknown but a most likely guess would be where Blaine is. Deep outside of the walls. Of course, not by himself. A group of people would bring him there to the place. It was also apparent that Alan was following his every move as he was probably quite suspicious as to why Safer was running away so quickly.

OOC: This thread takes place a bit after the whole Operation Heimdallr thread. A quite broad and dangerous move my character pulls off to spice things up. To also show that he's mysterious and probably not the 'most loyal scout' everyone sees him as. Having Blaine in the mix is definitely something I want to happen soon in future threads. Blaine and Safer need a little talk. It's your choice if you want Alan to chase after him but I would prefer it to happen. If captured, he'll have to be forced to talk in court as a suspect for murder. (Put on trial.) Either way, it would be quite interesting.

When Alan greeted Safer, he responded with a smile, and his own greeting. What followed was a small moment of awkward silence. Alan started thinking of various topics of conversation, and was about to ask Safer about how work was going, when Safer abruptly stood, saying he had to be somewhere else. As he walked past, Alan stared at him in bewilderment. He had never seen Safer act like this. Sure, he wasn't known to be the most regal of soldiers, as Alan noted before, but he usually treated those around him with great respect.
Alan stared at the strange soldier as he walked away, lost in thought. He found it strange, almost funny, that all of this happened because of him. It wasn't too long ago when Safer was hanging by a literal thread, being held by the Big Red, only to be rescued by the Greyblade. Alan did feel like he deserved some recognition, but that was mostly his ego. He must learn in time to control these feelings, so he may pass justice on better.

And then came a thud from outside, ringing through the otherwise silent library. Alan's first instinct, of course, was to consider if there was a titan around or not. However, due to the fact he felt no movement under his feet with the thud, as well as the fact they were so hidden in the inner walls, it seemed impossible for a titan to be here.
Alan relaxed up, and stared curiously at the wall the thud came from. He noticed for the first time a door there, The same door that Safer left through only a moment ago. What followed as loud shouting, muffled by the wall so he couldn't make out anything that was said.
The few other occupants of the library gave Alan a stare between stares at the source of the commotion. They were right, of course - as a Policeman, it was Alan's duty to take care of whatever was going on, especially because it was disturbing a private property.
Without saying a word, Alan started heading to the curious door, speeding up as he started hearing repeated thuds that were slowing down slowly. Was Safer alright? What was going on?

Alan burst through the door, and looked right, only to see nothing out of the ordinary. When he looked left , however, his heart skipped a beat as he realized he was looking at a corpse. At the end of the alleyway, he noticed a figure, shirtless holding onto something and grappling out.
Alan didn't want to believe it was Safer. He wasn't ready to accept that yet. It didn't make any sense to him. He cursed as he ran out of the alleyway into the main street. He didn't have his 3DMG on him, as standard for MPs that were in the inner city. It was a dumb regulation, but considering the corrupt state of the Military Police, it was a good countermeasure against having all of the Military's 3DMG being sold on the black market.
By the time the young captain made it to the main street, it was too late; the shirtless figure was hurling through the air, from building to building. The crowds were staring at him, much like Alan, but while they were staring at him in awe, and perhaps amusement, Alan was horrified, for he knew he was seeing a murderer run loose.

Alan ran back to the crime scene and began analyzing everything he could, before people would run in. The victim was unrecognizable - his face has been bashed so many times against the wall that no distinct facial features could be found. His hair was brown, however, with spots of grey. Alan had no doubt the thuds they heard before was the murder unfolding. Were he quick enough, he might've been able to stop it.
Alan's attention turned to the blood splattered everywhere. The shirtless man he has seen wasn't covered in blood. Was it because...?
As he suspected. A shirt thrown away, covered in blood. However, it was the shirt that made Alan drop to the ground, shaking. The shirt lay in front of him on the ground, red-stained but unmistakable - this was the shirt was Safer was wearing. It was Safer. Safer killed this man.
Why?

Alan sat against the wall and pondered. It wasn't just a random mugging or assault. If it were, then Safer would probably dispatch the attacker in standard Military fashion. The excess gore of this murder showed something more. Rage, anger, fear... as if he wanted the identity of the man to not be known.
More then that, Safer would have no reason to run away after this. The only logical motive was... if he did it.
So what would drive Safer to kill someone? Could it be linked to the reason he was in the library in the first place? He did say that he needed to go somewhere. Perhaps to a meeting in this very crime scene?

Alan walked into the library through the back door, solemn and silent. The few occupants were staring at him, expectantly. Some of them were even smiling, thinking he resolved some noisy quarrel between a bunch of meddling kids. Their smiles faltered when they noticed his grim face.
"Attention." Alan called out to the silent hall, summoning all heads to look up at him "A... person was just murdered outside. The attacker likely fled. I'm afraid I'm going to have to lock down this library for investigation purposes. And I'll need to question you all about anything you might've seen."
Immediately, everyone started talking at once, some scared, some annoyed, others curious.
Alan sunk into his mind, recalling the shirtless assailant fly away.
Back then, during the operation...
Is it possible he spared a murderer?

Safer decided not to look back whilst he was running away from the crime scene. That would make it too obvious if Alan were watching, that it was him because of the recognition of his own face. He continued to grapple his way from building to building until he made it to the wall and even grappled himself onto that which was quite a move using a smaller one-piece grappling device. To make that move you'd have to be trained on how to use grappling devices and well-balanced. After landing on top of the massive wall that separated the towns from each other, Safer looks out into the distance back at the library. He couldn't see much from this distance but from here everyone looks like ants so he was able to see Alan go back inside the library for some reason.

He knew Alan was watching and he knew that he was also a very talented Military Policemen, one that could solve any investigation. None of which he was worried about though for this is something bigger than the two of the men. This wasn't revenge nor anger that made him murder the victim. It was apparent that it was the fear of dangerous knowledge being thrown around the town. The kind of information that can end up getting Safer thrown in prison or even killed if known about. Safer's hair swayed to the right because of the wind as he looked down back at the scene for a bit with no shirt on. All you could hear him say is "Oh Alan, if only you could understand."

This statement would be one of the most important sentences of all time later on. Why? Because it's hard to explain why he did such a thing to an innocent man. Murder is a very hard thing to justify in any case but one thing is for sure, the fear of knowledge was gone which made him feel a bit better. Safer wasn't ever one to show emotion no matter if he had to kill a titan or a person. This was a clear example of that. He knew deep down that Alan would eventually find out it was him but he wasn't afraid of the situation. Safer just had to find a loophole for this, to even maybe convince Alan that it was of right reasons. Because if he hadn't murdered the man, he was basically was a dead man walking.

The time to talk to Alan about it wasn't right now though, he'd have to meet up with a person known as Blaine first. Only then he could go out of his way to explain what had happened more clearly. He didn't think that the police would send him to jail if everyone found out it was for a good purpose. It was a life or death situation in the long run. The picture just wasn't very clear. Alan doesn't know this but this is going to be quite an interesting and long investigation. One he wished he was never into.

Safer stopped looking down at the town and turned his body the other direction to face the next outer town. He didn't hesitate to jump down and grapple his way to stick a landing onto the floor coincidently next to a house with male clothes hanging outside so they can get dried. Once he stuck the landing, he calmly walked over to the hanging thread and picked off a fresh shirt that was hanging on it and put it on over his head. It was a white sweatshirt. Now he had officially blended in with everyone else who was walking through the town as if he never did anything wrong recently. On the outside Safer seemed calm but in the inside, his mind was racing with thoughts. He began to walk towards the other wall, which was the Wall Rose.

...

Would Alan ever forgive him for what he's done? Does he want him to be put in jail? Could Safer ever make things right again with Alan?

[Safer's Exit]

The Titan's Axe & Other Chilling Campfire Tales. The book sat, gathering dust, on one of the lowest tiers of a bookshelf bordering the leftmost corner of the library. Every so often, a foot would swing by and waft some moving air towards the publication - but knees ever touched the floor and no hands reached downwards to grasp it. And so the pages sat, yellowing and getting crinkly and acquiring that old book smell that was so entrancing, so addicting. Until late one afternoon one Monday when someone's grasp finally closed around the book and exposed it's sheltered cover to the light for the first time in an eternity. Dust and particles leaped off of the pages exuberantly towards the person who had chosen the old novel. The resulting gust of wind that flew out as the book was quickly shut scattered those particles, and the book was carefully placed back into it's designated spot on the shelf. As the footsteps grew ever fainter and shadow fell once more upon the book, the pages crowded together - sharing the space between the covers with a small, thin paper envelope.

The Titan's Axe & Other Chilling Campfire Tales. Severin replayed the name in his head as the shifter strolled leisurely towards the homely library. The man sported a long sleeved shirt that was reminiscent of charcoal, a cherry-hued waistcoat, and covered both with a sturdy leather jacket not unlike those used in the military. A black belt held up a somewhat baggy pair of darkly colored dress pants, and Severin's ankles and feet were concealed by tall red socks and black dress shoes, respectively. His hair, per the usual, was combed back and covered the nape of his neck. Severin walked with a confident stride, his gait friendly and easygoing. His pace was swift and his face slightly smiling, and altogether the renegade terrorist appeared like any of the other successful businessmen that resided within the Interior.

The reasoning behind Severin's visit to the library was simple; one of his contacts had arranged a dead drop within one of the books in the establishment, and Severin was personally retrieving it to gaze upon it's contents himself; Supposedly, the information in the dead drop had information regarding Severin's Titan Cult leading father, information that was worth sparing the lives of a few commanding Military Policemen. But as Severin rounded a corner and a shirtless man zipped along overhead, the smile lowered ever so faintly. Severin had seen such hasty retreats before, and most sprang from at least one person's death. Death brought commotion. Commotion called for investigation. And investigation meant the Military Police and questions... Questions. So many questions. Questions he couldn't answer, questions he wouldn't answer, questions without end, questions down in -

Severin shook his head. He was getting tangled up in trains of thought from years passed. He had to focus on the here, the now. Had to focus on getting the dead drop. Sliding through the crowd gawking at the retreating man, Severin's eyes caught hold of a particular visage - his diamond in the rough, Alan Katlewande. At least some things stayed constant. Passing the alleyway by the library, Severin quickly took in an eyeful of the corpse as he walked through the doors of the book-laden building. He stood just on the inside of the door expectantly waiting for the Military Policeman to finish giving his speech and turn on his heels as all the other Military Policemen did after they got done speaking, and see him.

What could it be...
Alan's mind was still brooding on the happenstances which could lead to his trusted scout friend becoming a murderer when he turned to face the person behind him. However, upon doing so, he got a feeling of something being really off in his field of vision. As if he was seeing something completely out of place, that defies all reality. Like he was seeing the king, or a dead relative, or...
For a moment, it's as if time stopped. Alan was looking at Severin, and Severin was looking at Alan. His hair was slick back, as always, and his face was jovial, as if he was in on a joke that nobody else knew.

Thoughts of the murder escaped Alan's mind completely. The Captain's eyes gaped open as he froze in place completely. For once, Alan Katlewande had no idea of what to do, no plan prepared. He spent countless days fantasizing about his encounter with the shifter, and how he was going to bring him in. How he could talk him out of terrorism, or bring an end to his rebellious ways. Now, however, the poor soldier was just growing more and more afraid as he realized what a monumental threat was looming right in front of him.
Those in the Military Police who knew the identity of the Red Titan were told to shoot the renegade on sight. Alan had no gun, only a hidden knife in his boot. Would it matter, anyway? The terrorist was quicker and stronger than him. He had already defeated him before when Alan tried to attack him with the very same blade during the raid on the vi Rauco mansion. And even if he got him - would he not be able to just transform and crush Alan along with the rest of the people in this library?

Alan's mouth was moving, but no words came out. He realized the disparity of his situation before it had even begun. He was the only Policeman in the library, and the only one who knew the man's real identity. No doubt Severin could tell Alan was a Policeman because they have met before, but perhaps there was a chance he didn't know that Alan was THE Policeman in charge of bringing him in. If Alan could feign ignorance, would Severin believe him? Would he take down an entire library full of innocent people?
It was a humiliating move. But perhaps it was the only reasonable one to make.

Alan forced himself to smile at Severin, in the face of his greatest rival.
"Severin." the Captain said, as he slowly approached the man responsible for dozens of deaths "I haven't seen you in a long time. Still busy at work on that wall?"
Alan cursed himself internally after saying that half-witted line. His purpose was to feign ignorance to the fact that Severin was the Red Titan, but his remark had double meanings, and could be a subtle way of informing Severin he knows of his transformative ways
Sweat trickled down Alan's back, hidden by his long coat, but not unfelt.
It was time to see if he could live to tell the tale.

René paced outside the grand library in Sina. He asked a person standing near him what happened. A man with glasses had apparently locked down the building from inside. It was hard to hear his reason why since the growing crowd was talking very loud and there were talks of Military Police in the area.   

He reached his arm up to scracth the back of his head, wondering why of all times this had to happen now. He had research to do! Members from the Garrison had asked him if he would do them a favor by researching cannon technology. They wanted to quote, "upgrade" the devices. To either make them more powerful or more maneuverable or powerful, he didn't know so he'd have to research both.

Oh well, the scout regiment soldier leaned back on his heels, looking towards the top of the building, several windows were open, three on the ground floor and 4 on the second floor. 'I should sneak in... I have things I need to do today...' The thought floated through his mind as a leaf does on a swift river. "I can't do that...." he muttered, directing his gaze to his boots.

Still.. it might worth it to at least try it. Walls Maria and the outer reaches of Rose didn't have books like Sina did. He skirted around the crowd, keeping his head down, looking like he was drunk so people wouldn't question it and just shrug it off. He made it to the edge of one of the windows when he heard two people talking from inside. Carefully, René grabbed hold of the window-ledge and hauled himself through the window, landing in a low crouch inside the library. He stood and brushed himself off, red-brown hair swishing. Time to find out what was going on.

Severin's grin faded as he saw Alan's reaction to seeing him. It appeared that the Policeman was not as happy to see him as Severin was. As the young man approached him, Severin repeated the motion and wrapped an arm around Alan - patting his arm the same way an old friend would.

"It's been too long, Alan. You're a welcome sight amidst all the green."

Severin released the soldier from his grasp and smiled.

"As a matter of fact, yes. The boys and I have been working on the schematics for a new cannon system for Wall Rose. Should help smooth out the operation up there."

Turning to walk down an aisle of the library, Severin motioned his arm for Alan to follow.

"We've also had a bit of a tough time cleaning out this odd green sludge from some of the sections of the wall. Making progress though, so I'm confident it'll all get removed in time."

Reaching one of the older bookshelves, the Shifter ran his hand along the various books housed within, searching for a certain novel that seemed to elude him. Looking back at Alan as he did this, Severin grinned slightly.

"It's reassuring to see men like you are still in the force, Alan. Might want to make sure I get their names so I don't pat their backs too hard, eh?"

Chuckling to himself, Severin pulled out the book he had been searching for and stood up, opening the publication and coughing a bit as dust flew out. Flipping through the pages, Severin stopped on a tale ironically titled The Unicorn And The Warlock, retrieving an envelope from between the aged pages and placing the book back in it's place with a careful hand.

Humanity seemed to fixated on power. Whether it was in the form of influence, money, superiority, or even who had the bigger stick, power was the value by which societies were raised, divided, and even defined.
The rich had their power through money, mistaking their finite wealth as the reason why they were better than others. The criminals had their power by fear, thinking power could be measured by people's reaction to them.
How little does these mere mortals' power mean, when the roof above their heads falls onto them and crushes their human bodies.
Only one man possessed that kind of raw, unhinged power.

Time seemed to barely pass as Alan watched in horror. The grim reaper himself, the bane of humanity, the titanic threat to all living humans stood before him with a wide grin. Severin Wilder, otherwise known as the Red Titan. The young adult was not had not even completed the second decade of his life, and yet murdered more people than any single human or titan ever had. The scariest thing was, that despite all this, he was still human. Somehow.
As the groomed monstrosity approached, it took all of Alan's self control in order to not run away in terror. He needed to act the part, as if he was just a Policeman talking to a fellow soldier, not a detective talking to the most dangerous man in humanity's history.
His heart skipped a beat when Sev placed his arm around him. He was certain he was going to die then and there, but instead of a blade came a pat on his arm. Severin's touch felt so... frail to Alan, and yet it also felt as if it contained the weight of the very sky. Alan couldn't help but flinch just a little bit.

The renegade soldier smiled at Alan. Inside his mind, Alan let go a sigh of relief. Severin did not know Alan was wiser than he let on. He was going to live. Even in Severin there was mercy, as Alan had always anticipated.
Or so would have thought the young Captain, were it not for the words spoken immediately afterwards.

"It's been too long, Alan. You're a welcome sight amidst all the green."

Alan was no fool. It took him less than a moment to understand the implications of this coded message. Severin knew that Alan knew. The game was being played from both sides. The nation's most dangerous enemy knew that Alan was trying to bring him down.
...And yet, he let him live. He treated Alan like everything was fine, like he wasn't told to shoot him on sight, like he didn't mind that Alan dedicated his working hours to bringing him in.
Alan had no time to ponder why Severin would do such a thing. The dashing young man kept talking, and had the Policeman's full attention. Alan's expression turned from smiling to grim and stern, but otherwise showed no sign of change. He followed the shifter through the library wordlessly, drinking in every comment, analyzing it, trying to decipher not only the terrorist's plans, but also his motivations, his character.

It seemed clear from Sev's words that he was still hard at work at tearing down humanity, particularly Military Police. He was apparently working on some sort of weapon, to help him carry on with his slaughter of fellow human beings. And...
...He seemed... fond... of him? He didn't harm him on purpose, because of camaraderie?
Alan spent months studying Severin Wildner. He knew about his hobbies, his hatred of the Military Police, of fondness for looking prim and proper. It wasn't completely beyond him to like Alan, but not only was it extremely unlikely, it went against most of what he knew about Severin. What did it mean? How much did Alan know about the real Severin? The man behind the rose mask?

Alan saw no reason to keep up any more acts. Severin knew who he was, and he knew who Severin was. He would not fake smiles and compliments anymore... but he will still treat the rogue like a fellow human being. Because he was one. Alan believed so, at least.
"What's in the envelope?" asked Alan, his voice a mix of fear, distaste and genuine curiosity. He looked at Severin with his pale eyes, facing him for the first time as man to man.

René stood up, quickly surveying his surroundings. Nobody in sight. It would still be good to check around the area anyway. He set forward throughout the isles of the library, floorboards seeming to grow louder with every step. He paused. "I guess I should slow it down..." he muttered, the sentence barely a passing breath from his lips.

Rounding the corner into another isle the sound of a conversation reached his ears.
"It's been too long, Alan. You're a welcome sight amidst all the green." This voice was raspy and rough. It sounded almost out of use. He pondered over who this 'Alan' character was. Hopefully he was a citizen, at best a fellow soldier. Who did the raspy voice belong to though? He leaned forwards, hearing the soft shifting of a book and the crinkling of worn pages being turned. "We've also had a bit of a tough time cleaning out this odd green sludge from some of the sections of the wall. Making progress though, so I'm confident it'll all get removed in time." The raspy voice again. Green sludge? What did that have to do with anything. He brushed it aside, figuring it to just be a comment between.... coworkers? He hoped they were coworkers.


"What's in the envelope?" This was a new voice. Possibly this 'Alan'? It showed obvious curiosity, after all the sentence was in the form of a question. Envelope? Could there be a secret operation he didn't know about? He shook his head out, of course there could. There always was. the lower members of any operation never had the full story. Maybe that's why he was so adventurous.

He shied away from the bookcase and made his way to closer hear the conversation, possibly even see some of what was going on. Very carefully, he poked part of his head out. One of the men's back was too him and in the dim lighting he could not see very well. he was holding open a book that read... René adjusted his reading glasses, squinting at the text. It read:The Unicorn And The Warlock. he let his glasses drop to his neck, band stopping them from falling to the floor.

The other man standing across from the man whose back was to René was wearing glasses and had a shock of dark hair. He was wearing a long coat, and René could just make out the soles of his boots. Highly concerned with making out these two people, he forgot about the floorboards and when he took a half-step forwards they creaked so loudly both of them stopped what they were doing and stared right at him, speechless.

"Eh-hem... well...." he cleared his throat out trying to get a grasp for words. "Just looking at some interesting volumes over here..." He turned, palms clenched, unaware that he had just given away his identity as a soldier, his Survey Corps jacket furling out when he spun around.

Severin placed a hand Alan once more, storing the envelope snugly inside of his coat.
"This, my friend, is an RSVP. A date with destiny, if you will." Severin shook his head and chuckled a bit.
"It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can never be rid of the Vi Raucos." His smile froze, however, upon the rude intrusion of a - Severin cleared his throat - a Scout. Well aware of Alan's previous associations with the infamous Scouting Legion, the Shifter pursed his lips and withdrew his palm from Alan's shoulder.
"He with you, Alan?" Severin inquired. "I thought you'd have learned that bringing Scouts along only worsened situations." Reaching back into his coat, Severin withdrew a second envelope: this one was noticeably nicer than the first, with red paper and golden trim. An embossed rose adorned the paper, and the material felt of a high quality.
"Inside this envelope are all of the ways you can safely contact me. I understand our current relationship is a bit strenuous at times, but if you ever need anything..." Severin grabbed Alan's hand and put it on the envelope, a somewhat nervous expression on his face. Retreating backwards from Alan, Severin adjusted his coat and strode away.
"I really must be going before this gets ugly, Alan. You have no idea how nice it was meeting with you; I'm sure you understand."

Alan drank in the serial killer's words. He was hypnotized. A moth to a flame. He knew he should fight back, not allow himself to be swallowed up... but he felt too weak. Perhaps it was the amount of time he spent on the Red Titan case. Perhaps it was the knowledge of what the young man in front of him could do. Maybe, just maybe, it was his hope of what may become of that man, were he only to be nudged in the right direction...
Whatever it was, Alan treated Severin with what was almost reverence. It didn't matter if at the end of the day the rogue soldier was just a man, because in Alan's mind he was far, far greater. Alan felt completely powerless before the mighty shifter, the God in Man's flesh.
And yet, that pestering sense of justice and common sense kept rearing its ugly head in Alan's mind. He's scheming! the voice said He has contacts! He wants to kill the Vi Raucos! You have to stop him!
Alan felt Severin's touch all too well. He looked at it, without averting his face. His eyes were wide open, his pupils a stormy dot inside.

A creak.
Like the dawn breaking through the night, the creaky sound of the floorboards broke the spell Alan was under. He turned to the source, only to see a ginger-haired soldier. A scout.
He's in immense danger, the young captain's mind claimed. He didn't really pay attention to WHO the intruder was. He cared more for the fact that Severin was an unpredictable, all-powerful criminal who will not take kindly to the scout's presence. Alan spoke a silent prayer to the Gods he never knew of.
Thankfully, as if his prayers have been answered, the scout turned on his heels. Perhaps he managed to sense the invisible threat, the looming danger of getting on the bad side of Severin Wildner.
"He with you, Alan?" the quiet, smooth voice of the Red Titan asked "I thought you'd have learned that bringing Scouts along only worsened situations." Ouch.
Alan was about to respond, but before he could he noticed that Severin pulled back his hand and reached to pull something from his coat. His mind immediately jumped to the conclusion the shifter was going to pull out a pistol and eliminate the possible witness. Why wouldn't he? Did he fear Alan? Did he fear anyone at all? Alan subconsciously reached for his boot, where his knife was hidden.
But then, instead of a pistol, an intricately decorated envelope was drawn. Transfixed, Alan slowly rose back up, his eyes darting between Severin's enigmatic face and the mysterious letter. And then, most bizarre of all - the bane of humanity, the most wanted man in the known world, Severin Wildner, put the letter in Alan's hand.
"Inside this envelope are all of the ways you can safely contact me. I understand our current relationship is a bit strenuous at times, but if you ever need anything..."
Alan looked at Severin, and Severin looked at Alan. His expression has been different that he'd ever seen before. Nervousness.
Then, Alan knew his suspicions were right. Under all the grooming and killing, Severin was still just a person, barely a man. He was scared, and hunted, and lonely. He needed a friend. Not enemies. Not worshippers. Just a friend.
In that moment, Alan made up his mind.

Alan grabbed the letter from Severin as the latter backed away. He promptly put the letter in his wide coat pockets. Alan didn't smile, but in his eyes was compassion, perhaps the illusion of understanding. "When the time comes," he said solemnly "I will call you."
And with that, the shifter was gone. Out through the door he entered through, the man left.
Alan was left to return to reality, to a murder and to a library under lockdown. His only hope was save for the tumbling red-haired scout, no other person in the library has heard the conversation between Severin and Alan.
Alan walked back to the main hall, where the few occupants of the library were talking nervously amongst themselves.
"Please remain here calmly. I shall interrogate you one by one on the other side." Alan nudged his head towards the table in the corner of the library, where he had been seated only an hour ago. He promptly pulled out a leather-covered notebook and a writing quill.
It was going to be a long day.

He walked briskly to the opposite of the bookcase, following the steps he took to get into the library. As he left he could here the two men muttering again. Despite how calmly the interaction had gone and that neither of them had spoken to René, his heart was pounding in his ears and his body was screaming with every step he took. Something was wrong. Something was up.

He peered around a bookcase and into the main hall, noticing distracted library guests who’s brows were knit together, eyes shining like raindrops in concern. Their voices were hushed. René scanned the room, looking for a way out. The man who the glasses guy was talking to had unnerved him and made him anxious. He had to get out. That was when he noticed the very man he had been trying to avoid. The black hair of the shorter man who had seen René earlier crossed his perimeter vision. He spoke, “Please remain here calmly. I shall interrogate you one by one on the other side.” René watched the man sit down by a table and pull out a notebook and a quill. One of the library patrons went up and sat down. How they could do so that calmly was unbeknownst to René. Interrogate surely wasn’t a positive affirmation to a word.

He turned away from the happenings of the library entrance, back thudding on the bookcase behind him. How to get away…. There had to be windows somewhere but he was certainly not going through the main entrance. If that man with the glasses saw him he’d be interrogated. Who knows what would happen then? Sneaking out through the front of the building seemed like a risky move… there were people outside who could see him and not to mention MP’s who were trained to question suspicious activity. Sneaking out a window was possibly the most suspicious thing you could do in a situation like this. Sadly there were only two floors to the building, and it was highly unsafe to jump out of a second story window.

René peered around the side of the bookcase again. The glasses man was still busy talking to people from before. Good.. that might buy him some time. The other option that René had would be to continue with his research and wait it out to see if the man left before he did. But on the other hand, if this man was interrogating people, then he must be some kind of detective. He’d probably sweep the area after he’s done with the interrogations to look for any stragglers.

René weighed out his options. The first to sneak out of a window or just walk right out the front entrance. Most likely he’d be caught and questioned, possibly arrested for suspicious activity. Maybe just let go or not even seen. The second to wait it out and do his research, or keep moving and maybe find out what book those two were talking about. He’d forgotten where the two were talking, but he remembered the book name. He could venture up to the front desk and ask. He stood, eyes closed, fingers tapping against the dusty spines of the books.

That would have to do. Hopefully the glasses guy would be distracted enough to not see him when he asked the librarian. He turned and made his way into the main hall. Most of the patrons were too busy to notice him but he saw a couple look at him. “Hello!” The librarian greeted him cheerfully. “What can I help you with today?” “Do you have the volume called The Unicorn And The Warlock?” The librarian nodded. “I’ll get it for you! Please wait here.” Before René could protest she had left him standing by the counter looking like a lost sheep. He had wanted to go with her to avoid being caught by the glasses man but she’d already left to go get the book. He tried standing there, looking as if he was bored. The patrons were giving him curious glances now and René started to sweat. He hoped they weren’t thinking bad things. He stood there uncomfortably waiting for the librarian to retrieve the novel he requested.