Night Changes

Chapter 6

She was awoken by the sound of keys jingling in a lock. "Wha-"

She heard Levi's monotone voice but couldn't understand his words. She held up a palm, signaling for him to wait as she released the silencing charm put in place to hide her nightmare-induced screams. They weren't too common, but one could never be too cautious- especially after yesterday morning's debacle. She then cast the translation spell.

I'm getting real tired of this stupid translation spell- hope Armin's a good teacher 'cause I need to learn this language A.S.A.P. She motioned for him to continue.

"Get up, lazy ass. The Commander's here."

"Rude," she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She stiffly stood up to greet the Commander, clothes still in array, but she tried for a smile, "Hello Commander Erwin."

She spotted Hange and Armin behind. She gave them a small, tired wave. Armin waved back shyly while Hange waved back with both hands and a wide smile.

She did a double-take at Armin. He had his hair tied in a messy ponytail. Long blond hair framed his face while his bangs still fell loosely over his eyes. He looked... good.

To hide her silent appraisal, she turned her nose up in mock snobbery, "Hello to you too, Levi."

"Yes, hello. Let's hurry this up shall we?"

She sighed, "Yes, of course."

The Commander sat on a chair in front of her cell. He pulled out the notes from yesterday and-

He's one-armed... How did she not notice he only had one arm? How did he use the 3D maneuvering gear?

Yesterday, one of the first things she asked was how the gear worked. Hange had perked up at the question- though, how someone could perk up from an already perky state was a mystery to her. From what they'd explained it seemed quite difficult to use... So just how good was he then?

She eyed Armin as he sat down next to the Commander, essentially being his scribe for the day.

"Miss Granger- you claim to be a witch from another world. There's obviously evidence to the former- but how can you truly prove you're from another world?"

"As of now- I can't," she shrugged. "All I have is my word and a promise to show you any information that may help you believe me as you begin to learn about the outside world."

He nodded.

"In addition to the examination held yesterday by Section Commander Hange and Captain Levi, Private Arlert has let us know everything you've told him so far. We'd also like for you to clarify some things, and of course, answer any additional questions."

She looked over to where Armin was sporting a bright red blush. He mouthed a "sorry" then sought to avoid her gaze. She smiled.

She didn't blame him for "snitching", she was highly aware of the possibility- welcomed it even.

Armin and her got along relatively well. And hopefully, his sentiments would influence their decision- and besides, she knew he was genuine in his kindness and interest.

"I agree to those terms."

"Good, let us begin-"

For hours they went back and forth. Somewhere in the middle of their talk, Erwin pulled out a black and white photograph of a family. "What can you tell us about this?"

She stared at them incredulously, "About... the photograph?"

"Aha! There's that name again! Photograph. So it really just burns the light reflected from a scene into a special kind of paper?"