Hey guys, chapter 2 is finally here! Thanks for the reviews and the favorites :) it means a lot! hopefully you guys enjoy this one!

Petra breathes, and she tries to remember the last time she has smelled air so fresh. She tries to remember the last time she heard the bird's callings, the last time she heard the rush of the seas, and the last time she saw the sky so clear with the sun shining bright, light reflecting the surface of the ocean.

"The air is so fresh," she tells Nanaba, keeping her eyes looking forward instead of turning to look at her blonde friend.

She feels her blonde-haired friend put her hand on top of hers and gives it a squeeze. "The sight isn't bad either," she responds.

The strawberry blonde takes a moment to look away from the ocean to face Nanaba, and she gives her a toothy smile. "Once we get off this ship, you and me will be rich!" Petra exclaims, throwing her hands up in the process then bringing them down to clasp at Nanaba's shoulders, giving the other woman a light shake.

Of course, they had made plans before boarding this ship that the moment they landed, they would run to the nearest bank to start a loan for a toy store they were hoping to build up. Nanaba's late husband, Mike, had taught her the art of carving wooden blocks into various shapes, animals, and other cute figurines. It was Petra who said she would handle the business part, while simultaneously learning how to carve as well from Nanaba.

The thought of the business made Nanaba's eyes shimmer, and for a moment Petra regretted mentioning anything about their plans because it could have brought back unwanted memories of her dear Mike. But a sheepish grin broke out onto the blonde woman's face. Taking Petra's hands into her own, Nanaba twirls them both and lets out a big laugh. "I know, and I'm so excited that I get to start being stinkin' rich with you!"

Petra halts them, stopping using the heels of her boots and regains her balance while Nanaba tries regaining hers as well. Both women couldn't help but giggle. They were acting like children after all.

"It's getting late," Nanaba points out, gesturing towards the setting sun. "Maybe we should start heading inside."

Petra shrugs, and doesn't give a verbal response. "Petra," Nanaba says in mock annoyance, all the while trying to hide her smile, "are you gonna stay out again? It's been a day since you ran into that man."

"I am most certainly not waiting for him," Petra tells her friend, but she feels her face betray her as pink creeps up in her cheeks. "I just like the weather is all," she offers as an excuse.

Nanaba's lips purse together but her smile never leaves her eyes. "I'll meet you in the room then?" Petra nods, and Nanaba about-faces to walk inside. "Not too late!" She calls out.

The low sun hits the window, and the light directly hits the spot that Levi had decided to sit. With the sun hitting him, his scowl deepens. He didn't have a reason to look disgusted, but just the fact that the sun had decided to intervene during his time of relaxation irked him.

"Are you alright, Mr. Ackerman?" Armin asks, leaning forward from his seat as if it would help Levi's discomfort.

"I'm fine," Levi deadpans, and he swats the air in front of his face in hopes of shooing the sun away from his face. "You were saying?"

Armin leans back into his chair, smiling all the while because he was happy to have a conversation with someone who didn't want to talk about themselves at all times. Levi was like that, always there to listen but never giving much information in return. Unless someone genuinely cared to ask.

Armin lets his fingers tap against his knee, as if pressing the keys on a grand piano. "My grandfather is waiting for me," he tells Levi. "Once we're back on land, he said he would be able to teach me just a bit more."

Levi quirks an eyebrow at him. "I've heard you play. You already sound so well trained," he tells the younger boy. Though his tone doesn't make it sound like a compliment, it is. And Armin lets himself feel pride.

"That's very kind of you to say, but I still have much to learn," he replies laughing nervously, his hand finding the back of his neck. He smiles bashfully.

Levi reaches for his cup of tea and Armin takes it as an opportunity to ask about him. "What are you travelling for, if I may ask?"

"I'm Erwin Smith's business partner," he says after setting his cup down once again. He goes silent for a moment and closes his eyes, only to open them again to face the bright-eyed boy in front of him. "Cars."

"Cars?"

"Yes, we tend to focus on what can make automobiles better, faster, safer," he answers, and Armin nods.

"I've never driven a car before," Armin adds in, though the way it came across sounded more like an afterthought.

Levi looks back out the window and picks up his cup once again to take a sip. He notices that he no longer feels warm from the sun's rays hitting his body. The sun was setting now, making clouds of various colors but ultimately purpling the sky. He thinks to himself that he has never noticed how quickly night falls when one is overseas.

The distant crashing of the waves could be heard from where Petra was standing. She loved it. She loved the sound of the ocean and she loved the smell of it. And, even though it bothered and scared her to some degree, she loved how deep the waters looked once the sun had set. Dark navy blue if not black, with only the moonlight and the little bit of lighting from the boat hitting its surface to cut through the dark color.

Her hands held on to the railing and she allowed herself to step onto the first rail from the floor. Petra lets her body tip slightly, feeling her short hair tickle her cheeks. From an outsiders' point of view it would have looked like she was contemplating jumping in to swim.

The night air wasn't so pleasant on her as it had been the previous nights. The wind was hitting her skin, and she could feel it through her thin clothes. She decides that it would be better to stray away from the edge for now, her shaking was getting the better of her and she felt if she shook anymore she would really fall off.

She turns around, half hoping to see a certain black-haired man with a cigarette. But she doesn't, and she lets out a small, frustrated sigh as she makes her way towards the doors to the inside of the ship.

But before she her hand touches the handle, she catches a whiff of tobacco and her lips form a smirk. She looks up towards the direction of the stairs and tilts her head just a little more to catch a glimpse of Levi smoking once again and staring off into the night sky.

Petra adjusts herself to be seen by him and she starts waving her hands above her head. "Hey!"

His head tilts down to look at her and though he does not let it show, he feels pleased to see her. He nods towards her in acknowledgement and pushes himself off the railings he was leaning against to walk downstairs to accompany her.

"It's still freezing out," he tells her as he reaches the bottom, reminding her of the conversation they first had when they met in the same area before.

"I'll live," she replies. Her actions deceive her comment as she brings her hands up to her mouth to blow warm air on them in an attempt to keep from freezing. She sits down on the nearest bench and scoots over to leave room, patting her hand on the space next to her.

Levi clicks his tongue. "Here." He removes his jacket to give to Petra, but she shakes her head.

"You would be cold."

He shrugs, sits down next to her, and tosses the jacket to her. Petra catches it and hastily puts it on, relishing in the warmth it immediately provided. "Thank you," she murmurs, burying her head into her sleeved hands.

"Don't mention it." His hands fall into his pockets. With the loss of his jacket, he felt the chill that Petra must have endured. Silently, he thanks himself for even thinking of giving her his jacket. "Don't you own any other clothing?"

The question comes out almost impolitely, but he meant nothing by it. He was simply wondering why she had been wearing the exact same thing he had seen her in last time. And in response, she nods her head once. "I brought three dresses," she reports in a matter-of-fact way. The raven-haired man's nose wrinkles. Three?

"Keep my jacket." It sounds more like an order than an offer, and this draws a laugh from Petra's lips. He feels his insides bubble, with warmth he doesn't know, but the chill of the night air doesn't affect him as much anymore.

She snakes her arms out of the jacket sleeve and grabs hold of the lapels in the front of the jacket. Her fingers tighten around the lapels and she brings the jacket closer to her body, trapping the heat she had accumulated inside. "I wasn't planning on giving it back to you, Mr. Levi."

He hums in reply.

For a while, they don't talk. Instead, they listen to the sounds of the waves crashing the ship and the winds.

He speaks after a few moments of silence. "I don't need it."

His voice doesn't waver, but his body language catches Petra's eyes. His voice doesn't shake and neither do his breathes. But his hands come up to grasp at his arms, and he hugs himself slightly while his hands work themselves up and down his arms to cause friction.

"You might need it tonight." Before she can even get a chance to remove his jacket, a gentle hand lands on her shoulder.

"I have more jackets," he says simply before retrieving his hand and coming back to his previous position. Petra stops her previous actions and decides to tighten the jacket around herself. The bottom half of her face was now being covered.

A grin makes its way to her lips, hidden by Levi's jacket. "My, my," she begins her teasing, "Mr. Levi, how many of these do you own?"

His lips pursed. It was more to keep his own grin from forming. "More than the amount of dresses you packed for this trip, Miss Petra." He turns his head to look at her eyes since they were the only thing of her face he could see. They slanted a little, and he could tell it was because she enjoyed his little retort.

And for a few more moments they sit there next to each other. Silence left them as they, mostly Petra, begin to talk about their life before getting on the boat, the reason why they boarded, and what their plans were for the future.