"Are you lost, little bird?" he asked adjusting his hat, grinning down at her. She had heard people speak of the devil, even she had some sort of idea of it without it having to be explained to her...she was sure she was staring right at him. Then again, she was pretty sure that Levi could be the devil as well...Why must the people in her life be this way, 

"What? Pssh, no," she said, trying to ignore how labored her breath was and how he towered over her, given that she was the shortest human she had ever seen, (excluding children)

" Are you sure about that?" he chuckled, taking a step closer to her, 

"Quiet sure, " She said, crossing her arms and trying to ignore any common sense that would beg her to back away, her hair was partly stuck to her forehead from over-exertion, 

"Then you are training?" he asked raising a brow,  amusement clear in his eyes,

"I...Uhm...huh?" she asked, clearly confused at this man's questions, as she wiped her forehead with her coat's sleeve, any shock or fear that she had for him seemed to melt away when he laughed at her response, 

"You ran past me three times before bumping into me, little bird," he said, between laughs, causing an embarrassed blush to form on her face, which made him laugh even more, 

"Shut up," she said, glaring at him, he laughed at how she tried to seem threatening to him. She barely reached his chest, while standing straight. Her wide innocent green eyes had no fear in them for him, despite how dangerous his demeanor was- one does not kill as many as he did and still has the luxury to come across as normal. Any other human, especially a woman would at least shiver in his presence. 

"You are acting tough for someone afraid of a bush," he smirked, as he saw her eyes go to the bush he spoke of, 

"Were... Were you in it?" she asked, as she eyed the plant suspiciously, 

"Why on Earth would I be in the bush?" he looked at her incredulously, 

"How did I not notice you?" she asked looking at him, he was not easy to miss, as if his height was not enough, he had broad shoulders, it was nearly impossible to not notice. He just shrugged in response, 

"Why are you out here, little bird?" he asked looking for something in his pocket, she watched his hand's movements, 

"Great, I might die, not sure who I blame more, Eren or Levi," she thought to herself,

"I had a fight with my..." she started, but was not sure how to describe her and Levi's relationship, they had never put an actual name it to, she was his and he was hers,

"Your boyfriend?" he helped,

"Uh...sure why not," she said, shrugging as well. He chuckled at how she copied his gesture,

"That bad, huh?" he asked, finally finding his lighter, putting his cigarette in his mouth, and lighting it, he watched her eyes follow his movements, her lack of suspicion towards him never ceased to surprise him. She watched the smoke leave his mouth in genuine interest, 

"...What...What is that?" she asked, watching him make a smoke ring in her direction, he raised an eyebrow at her question, 

"A cigarette?" he replied, clearly taken aback by the question, she did not seem to care, 

"Want one?" he asked, starting to feel slightly uncomfortable at her intrigued gaze, no one looked at him that way, 

"Yes," she breathed, sounding almost excited, he chuckled at her enthusiasm, as he pulled another one out of his coat pocket to her, she just looked at it, 

"Take it, little bird," he said, this girl was odd, she took it from his hand and held it in hers looking at him again, he tilted his head to the side in confusion at her behaviour, 

"Put it in your mouth," he said, his cigarette was long forgotten between his lips, as he put his palm to his face at the sound of his own words, if anyone heard them their situation might be mistaken for something else, 

"Not that way," he sighed and removed it from the girl's mouth and put it back in the right way, she nodded in understanding that the exposed tobacco part was not meant to be in her mouth. He then lit, 

"Breathe in, slowly," he instructed, he watched as she breathed and nothing happened to the cigarette, 

"Through your mouth," he said, this little lady was too innocent, what kind of sheltered environment was she raised in? Never heard of a cigarette before? She was short as hell, could she actually be a child? He thought about their current situation and what it meant if she was a child...That would be bad, 

"Ahhh...I have done worse," he thought to himself admittedly,

 She immediately started coughing, as her eyes started tearing, 

"It hurts," she mumbled, trying to not drop the cigarette, while he chuckled, 

"Just try again, stick it out, it'll hurt less," he said, he was beyond caring what it sounded like at this point, he could see she was amused at his words as well, he laughed, so she was not exactly as innocent as he thought. She ended up taking a successful drag and removed the cigarette from her lips the way he did, he chuckled, 

"You're a fast one, ain't ya, " he said, she just nodded and took another drag,  he leaned against the wall behind them, closer to the shadows where belonged, she turned to him still under the light, 

"It tastes disgusting," she commented, he laughed, 

"Ain't that the truth," he smirked, re-lighting his own one, 

"Why ya running around in the dark?" he asked, 

"Because I am afraid of it," she admitted, he just nodded in response, she was surprised that he was not going to tease her about it, 

"Why are you lurking in the dark?" she asked, amusement very clear in her eyes, challenging him, he just smiled and blew smoke into her face making her cough from the excess amount, 

"Don't you have a wife to get home to, Old-timer?" this caused him to start coughing, 

" 'Old-timer', I will have you know that I am still in my prime," he grumbled, 

"I did not say that you weren't," she shrugged, 

"Flattery will not get you anywhere, little bird," he said, 

"I am not in a rush to go anywhere, Old-timer," she replied, 

"Perhaps she is just dumb?" he thought to himself

"I am humbled that you think me to be an honest man," he teased removing his hat and placing it over his heart, 

"An honest man? I barely know you, I would not be able to tell such things," she said, taking another drag, as she looked at his long hair, he sighed and shook his head,

"I meant, you think that I am married," he explained, she still looked confused, 

"When two people get married, they make an honest man and an honest woman of each other,"

"Why?"

"Cause they don't need to lie about what they do when no one is watching anymore because they are the things that a husband and wife ought to be doing in their spare time," he explained,

"Just tell them that we practiced talking," "Shhh Gaia, don't let anyone else hear you,"

She heard Levi's voice...They were not honest people. 

"I am not going to explain to you what those things are," he said, 

"Do not worry about it, I know what they are..." she said and paused looking at him for his reaction, 

"...I think?" she watched how sweat dropped and laughed, he quickly caught on that she was teasing, he smirked and put his hat back on, 

"You are exhausting," he said, jokingly as he killed his cigarette, 

"Ah... I have been called worse," she shrugged, killing her one just like he did, 

"You have to walk through that alley," he said and started walking away in the opposite direction as he pointed to the one that she, now, recognized that she had come through.  She laughed at how silly she had been, 

"Thanks, Old-timer," she said, scratching the back of her neck as she walked towards it, she turned back and noticed that he had suddenly disappeared. Just as fast as he appeared, 

"Bye, I guess," she said to the darkness and walked away. 

__________________

Kenny laughed as he watched his little companion for the evening greet the night sky, from the roof he sat on, 

"See you around, little bird,"