"Mom..." (Y/N) dragged the word between annoyed sighs, "I told you, I'm not seeing Bertholdt!" 
  (Y/N) was graciously tempted to end the conversation, but she couldn't stand leaving people hanging in unfinished conversations, especially when her mother was involved.
         "Aiyoo! I'm just throwing it out there, you know." The playful voice of her mother dripped with wrinkled winks and shuddering smirks. (Y/N) only huffed at her silly nonsense. She read about how people lost their senses when they aged, but her mother was beyond that stage. She was bloody mental.
          "Mom, even if we were seeing each other, you know-" Her sentence was cut off by her mother. 
          "I know la! Why you so uptight la? I wouldn't mind if you played around with some men before you got married. You don't know who you are going to get, so have some fun when you still have the chance, love." Her mother had indeed lost it. 
          "Anyway, baby, was your caller hot?" There she went again, dreaming of an ideal man for (Y/N)'s future. Tall, considerate, handsome, and rich. Frankly, not every mother's expectations could be met. 
          "More like an old, foul-mouthed jerk," (Y/N) grumbled. She did mention Jean. It would send the old woman flying off to the moon. 
          Her mother thought for a moment, before saying in a lowered voice: "Love, marry who you want to marry. I will support you if you chose so. I want the best for my baby girl." 
          "You know that's illegal! And the punishments are ruddy severe. That Hitch girl was sentenced to a firing squad and the poor boy was stripped of everything he had! I'm going to find another way around it." (Y/N) said. 
          "By marrying that old ass? You know what? I can search him up for you. There's a new app called 'CallMate.' You can add your info-" 
          "Mom! If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you were involved in the Underground Call Service.  I have to go. See you." 
          "Hmphf! You should appreciate me for being so supportive. Other moms-" 
          "Yeah, I know. I love you for that." 
          "About your situation-"
          "Mmm. I said I was going to get around it. Bye mom." 
          "Fine, fine. Go. Go and leave me worrying." 
          "Bye mom." (Y/N) put her phone in the pocket of her bag, as she stepped out of the elevator and onto the second floor.

          The office of her magazine publication was barren, except for the scuffling of paper being moved around and organized by Krista. The blond girl looked up, and flashed a smile towards (Y/N). Their newest member of staff tended to be the earliest. Krista always had a habit of arriving before time to clean the previous day's clutter and blend drinks for the rest of the group. She seemed extremely cheerful today, though there was something wrong with the tone of it. Krista bit her lips, nervous about the reply to her question. "How was the meeting? Did you feel a connection there at all?" 
          "There was a connection of dislike." (Y/N) deadpanned, putting her things down at her desk. Behind her, the door of the writing room creaked open, and an emotionless Mikasa appeared. There were prominent shadows underneath her lidded eyes, and her disheveled hair set (Y/N) off edge. Jean's call slipped into her mind again. 
          "Oh, Mikasa! I didn't realize you were in the room. Did Jean call you yesterday?" Krista inquired. The young woman was a curious one on the system of communications. She was 18, and already, she was so anxious about her own future.
          Mikasa's only answer was setting off to her workspace. She was looking at the floor, fazed. Just then, the entrance door opened, and everyone turned to see Jean in a rather confident stature.
          "Jean Kirschtein! How dare you dial the incorrect number in your station yesterday! And..and worse, you put yourself in jeopardy! For titan's sake, Mikasa would have recognized your voice the moment you started blabbering your mouth! You stupid, stupid fool!" (Y/N)'s sudden anger surprised herself and the rest of her companions. 
           There was a loud quiet before Jean broke the unspoken air, "I didn't dial the wrong number. They have a big security, and the phone automatically dialed itself after it confirmed that it was me. I was worried, I wanted to hear Mikasa on the other end of the line. It could only be her. My tongue slipped out of anxiety."
           "Don't tell me..." Krista started, "You and (Y/N) were matched up? Could the government have been mistaken?" 
           "There was no mistake." Everyone turned towards Mikasa's sudden outburst. She averted her gaze, before continuing, "The government hadn't meant for Jean to call me, because someone else did. According to them, (Y/N) and Jean are fated to be together." 
           "No, not exactly." (Y/N) cut in, "Jean was the second one. The first was already bad as it could get. Don't you think it's weird, living under a so called democracy where the people aren't even allowed to marry who they want? No, the whole world is doing it, and the only place you can have free love is the Underground." 
             "What are you implying, (Y/N)?" Krista again.  
             "I'm implying that we even though we cannot choose, we are the privileged ones." (Y/N) said, "Yesterday, we saw an Undesignated get beat up by the police, just because the government skipped her line when she was born." 
           "(Y/N), is your head stuck in the clouds? The situation has been going on for years now, and you've only just noticed?" Jean's remark did nothing but to spay frustration in her direction. She'd rather hear him complain or worry about being sent off to prison because he did not follow a stupid rule.  
           Nevertheless, Jean kept on firing away, "It's not just the Undesignated. People who are Unmarried and Divorced take the hardest hit. Have you been seeing the news? Issues like that are practically on every channel, and the government doesn't give a damn about them!" To show his point, Jean switched on the small television in the center of the room. (Y/N) quickly switched it off, "Jean, I know," she said, exasperated, "I'm saying that we have to do something about it." 
                "Like what?" 
                 

Alert! Titan Press

Issue 44; The Call Conspiracy And It's Gruesome Effects

 Last Wednesday, I became 21. As per tradition, I trudged to the Communications Building in the heart of Sina, or nation's 'proud' capital. My coworkers, Jean Kirshtein and Mikasa Ackerman, were also due for a registration. Our nerves were tingling with worry and fear, unsure who we were destined to be with. The line was long, and the security strict and foreboding as always. As I was getting the last of my scans checked, there was a sudden, aggressive yell  that shook my ears. It was the yell of a brutal guard officer, and it was the pleading of an Undesignated woman. She was crying, begging to be admitted, wanting to have a future spouse to spend the rest of her life with.  I recall the man kicking her , calling her "void, "filth, trash." The officers ganged up on the woman, beating her with those harmful metal sticks they had. How can they heartlessly hurt a woman simply because of their status? I went home that day, and starting searching. News anchors, articles, blogs, media...they've all seen their share of brutality because those innocent people were Divorced, Unmarried, and Undesignated. Is it truly necessary for a nation, a world, to determine a living being's love story? 

We are a country free of speech, of religion, of press. Why is love any different?

Love Openly, Violence Ends now. Join us on Saturday, April 27th, to rally for a world full of L.O.V.E., a world where everyone decides their own fate, and ultimately, their own happiness.

            "(Y/N)." 
            "Yes, Mom?"
            Her mother smiled, before hugging her daughter. "You'll be okay. You will slay them with your words, and prove who is the real boss." 
            "Of course I will. Don't worry, okay? I will sort it all out."
            "Your job is on the line, prove to them that they were wrong to call you out in the first place." 
            "I know. I have to meet Mikasa and Christa soon. Bye."
            "Bye, love." 
 
  
               
            The enormous oak door of the entrance was intimating. (Y/N) exchanged glances with Jean, Mikasa, and Krista to make sure they were okay, before three, sound knocks thumped on the wooden surface. The door cracked ajar, and a blonde woman with golden eyes answered them. She smiled kindly, before beckoning them to enter. Two men sat in front of them, their emotionless stares watching every move they made. A dreadful emptiness hung over the room, before the the head of the company, Erwin Smith, spoke. 
            "Your last issue spread a large...outburst in the community, and great anger towards the national government in many states. It caused them great trouble to remove the LOVE rallies you assembled. As you know, Mr. Ackerman and I are considering to remove your little magazine establishment." 
            "I'm sure you've already made up your mind, haven't you?" (Y/N) was sure the government had offered money in exchange for removing Titan Press off the media. It was pathetic to even think of a second that it would stop her group from staying out of light. 
            "Don't run your shitty mouth like that to your superiors, you little brat." Spat the other man, Levi Ackerman. (Y/N) wondered if all older men were full of bad language.
            She glared at him, before speaking, "You admit your foul intentions, sir?"
           "(Y/N)..." Krista whispered, her eyes asking for her to bow down to the oh so superior-able old men in front of her.
           "(Y/N) (L/N), we are giving you a chance to tell us why we shouldn't demolish your establishment. Please take advantage of it." 
          "Are you married, sir?" (Y/N)'s sudden statement clearly flustered her superior, "I'm sure you are, considering the circumstances. You are a wealthy man that overruns so many magazine establishments. You are a Designated man, and that itself opens all the doors that has led you to now. You want a perfect world matched by calls of fate. You want a world where status tells you that you belong, that you have the power to be a boss for a great line of establishments, the power to put people under your command, the power to be successful. Have you never really thought about why you didn't have the power to choose your own wife?" 
         "Oi! You've gone too far!" Levi Ackerman's angry voice shook the entirety of the room. The short man stood up, "Come with me, brat." 


         The spring wind outside slapped (Y/N)'s lips dry, and her neatly done hair became a mess. Levi Ackerman walked at a brisk pace, (Y/N) barely able to keep with with him. She stopped, annoyed, "What are you bringing me out here for, sir?" She snarled, as he turned to meet to cold gaze with hers. 
        "Tch. Brats like you think you're at the prime of your life, taking in all the rallies and drama that they start."  
        "Hmph! Men like you think you're so great, cussing and scolding other people to satisfy their sadistic tastes. Why'd you bring me out here for? To separate us from the ears of the others so they don't know that we are destined spouses to each other?" 
         His lips curled to a half-sneer. "So you are that stupid brat I talked to weeks earlier."
         "I heard that section numbers stood for a meaning. You've had surgery done on you, right? I know you're an old 57 year old, so don't hide it from me." 
          Levi's face transformed into a violent shade of red, "I'm 34, you shitty brat! 57 is probably for the day we met! It's May 7th, idiot." 
          "So you've actually been thinking, huh?"  
          "Rather unlike that empty brain of yours." He retorted.
          "You can't possibly be against LOVE, can you? Considering that you didn't get to meet a sexy, mature woman of your age." (Y/N) said matter-of-factly. 
          "Everything happens for a reason." 
          "Don't tell me that you're into younger women now."  
          "Oi, you know that wasn't what I meant!" 
          "That's exactly what you meant!"
          Bzzzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzt! Bzzzzzzzzzt!


           (Y/N's) ringtone sounded, and she ignored Levi's annoyed protests. 
           "(Y/N)!" Mikasa urgently cried out, "They've..they've taken.."
           Her blood ran cold, it was happening. "Who's they?"
           "The authorities," Mikasa gasped, "They've taken Jean!"