Chapter 5
The sleeping arrangements were more cramped there than at the Scout Headquarters. While this castle was still expansive, it was undergoing major renovations due to the years of neglect. While the other new recruits settled into their shared dormitory, Winnigan massaged her sore legs in the hallway. The leather straps of her uniform were perhaps a notch too tight, and Captain Levi had worked her muscles hard. In pursuit of some relief before she undoubtedly hit the ground running the next day, Winnigan grabbed her nightclothes and followed Mikasa’s verbal directions to the bathing chambers.
The bathhouse mirrored a time era from long ago. Large granite pillars held the vaulted ceiling above, where open vents opening to the sky allowed steam to funnel efficiently. Winnigan thanked her lucky stars for the luxury of the heated water and for the fact that the other scouts had bathed while she was out with Captain Levi and stripped her undergarments. Usually, in close quarters with other soldiers, Winnigan and others would keep their innermost layer of clothing on, but she was grateful for the opportunity to sink her naked body into the depths.
Crudely constructed showers lined the furthest wall from the entrance, their pipes exposed outside of the stone wall. Small stone brick barriers lined the giant pool of water, allowing a small amount of privacy. Near the door, hooks and shelves housed her towel and nightgown. Around her wrist, Winnigan held a small mesh bag containing the military-issued soap bar she had unwrapped just moments before. She took her sweet time lathering her naked form, taking a moment to once again massage her sore body. Dipping her head under the water, Winnigan slicked her dirty-blonde hair behind her ears. The heated pool welcomed her and she allowed herself to immerse herself entirely below the surface.
Walls knew when she would get the bathhouse to herself again before the upcoming mission. She took this time to reflect, taking Captain Levi’s instruction to heart. While her balance had previously consisted of trying to even out her lanky limbs as she sprawled through the air, the Captain had shown her how to tense her core, allowing the tensed muscles to solidify her stature. Multitasking between this new tactic and upholding her speed had drained her entirely, but once she mastered it, Winnigan knew her chances of surviving in the field increased. She wondered, had Pietro had the same issues she had?
Levi knew Pietro. He made that clear from the start. The thought excited her, then overwhelmed her completely. These men in power: Levi, Erwin, they talked about Pietro like they knew him as a brother. But he was her brother, and she never knew him in the way they did. In a way, she felt grateful to discover this aspect of his life, but also, she felt robbed.
Winnigan was chin-deep in the water, so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t hear the bathhouse door creak open. She didn’t notice the Captain, hanging his towel on the first available hook. He, in turn, didn’t notice her belongings just five hooks down. But, as Levi crossed through field of vision between two waist-high privacy walls, Winnigan yelped into the water. He’d abandoned his clothing at the entrance, his muscled back sporting shimmering silver scars bouncing off of the moonlight grifting through the enormous overhead vent. Fearing the consequence of her being discovered, Winnigan slowly inched around the edge of the pool until her back faced the privacy wall closest to the Captain.
So taken aback by the sight of Levi naked, Winnigan nearly pushed aside her nostalgic ideations. Instead, memories of her first interaction with the man flooded her mind.
The fear of god within her. The stench of unbrushed teeth and unwashed body. The pressure of dead weight. The teenaged savior, extending a holy hand from above. The flood of relief for only a brief moment, before her precious booze had been swiped.
Winnigan had grown much since then. After coming of age, her body had taken a feminine twist, giving her both chiseled curves and soft hills where she had lacked all those years ago. Her once light tawny curls had dulled. Even if she looked the same, would he have recognized her? There were countless girls for the saving Underground, and she was no more remarkable than the next.
Levi, however, hadn’t changed at all.
Well, perhaps he got manlier.
Winnigan smacked herself internally for the dirty thought. Hiding from him in the baths was bad enough as it was, and steamy thoughts were no help whatsoever. Her hands clutched her chest, unsure if it was to slow her heartbeat, or to comfort her exposed body.
As with everything Levi did, his movements were quick and concise. He wasted no time bathing as quickly as he could, stalking back towards the towel rack after the faucet squeaked shut. Winnigan might have squeaked slightly herself, upon seeing the Captain in ways she was never meant to see, but had slipped under the surface in a panic before she could allow herself to find out.
After hearing a small noise and the splash of water, Levi scanned the bathhouse for another occupant. He sized up the nightgown hanging a few hooks down, smirking, before making his exit.
…
“You’re already better than yesterday, Morgan,” Levi mused. “Are you a quick learner, or just hungry?”
Winnigan cracked a strained smile. The sun had barely peeked above the trees, and her legs already trembled. “Maybe I’m just ready to get out in action?” Winnigan responded, failing to hide her uncertainty.
Levi shook his head. “That just proves you’re unprepared. No one is ready to go outside the walls for the first time.”
Levi and Winnigan began to strip their gear. “Did Pietro die on his first mission?” She asked blatantly, after a long, stark silence.
Levi's expression darkened as he finished coiling his wire. "No. He survived several expeditions before..." He trailed off, busying himself with inspecting the gear's mechanisms. “Why?”
Winnigan shook her head with a shudder. “I don’t know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up out of nowhere.” She hung her gear on it’s hook with a heavy clatter. “Am I dismissed to get breakfast?” Levi nodded curtly, his face stoic once more.
Connie and Jean had just wrestled Winnigan’s plate out of Sasha’s white-knuckled hands as she strode into the dining hall. After a brief thanks, Winnigan quietly downed the eggs and grits on her plate. Levi wasn’t far behind her, joining Section Commander Hange at the head of the table.
“Two private sessions with the Captain, how are you feeling?” Eren asked curiously.
“Sore,” Winnigan replied.
Jean chuckled mischievously. “I’d bet.”
Eren smacked Jean upside the head. “Have some respect for the Captain!”
Sasha threw down her fork, mouth full of grits. “Forget the Captain, don’t talk about Winnie like she’s some whore!”
Winnigan blushed as her mind wandered to the previous night. Her eyes glued on his scars, trailing from his nape to the small of his back, and further…
“Winnie?” Krista piped up, waving a hand in her face. “Everything alright?”
“Alright, cadets!” Hange belted merrily, startling awake the sleepy scouts. “We train until two this afternoon, and get some rest before evening drills. Finish up your breakfast and meet me in the courtyard for further instructions!”
Upon dismissal, the other new recruits left Winnigan alone at the table to finish her meal. As Hange passed, they clapped an open palm over Winnigan’s shoulder. “Morgan, Levi’s already run you ragged. I left some notes for you to review on your bunk before Erwin’s arrival later this week.”
“Captain Hange,” Winnigan contested quietly. “I feel fine. Please allow me to train with the others.”
Hange snorted and threw their head back with a hearty laugh. “Please, Winnie,” Winnigan snapped her head up in shock upon hearing her nickname. “Nobody feels okay after their first back to back training sessions with Levi. I saw you limping around this morning.”
“But—”
“We need you in pristine condition for the mission coming up. But, since you insist, you can read the notes in the courtyard and watch the other cadets… I suppose you’ll want to see what they’ll be dealing with anyway.”
Huh?
Winnigan rushed up to the scout barracks and grabbed the folder Captain Hange left on the foot of her bed. She quickly leafed through the pages, skimming for words that would clue in why exactly the Commander had singled her out, rather than Armin, who was just as good at strategizing and better in the field. Upon seeing the word ‘shifter’, she clutched the folder to her chest and rushed to the east courtyard to join the others.
No amount of paperwork or forewarning could have prepared Winnigan for the sight before her, but a heads-up still would have been nice. Two titans, heavily chained from the neck down, laid on their stomachs before the greenhorn scouts. Winnigan could hear gags, someone possibly vomiting, and she wasn’t too convinced that she wouldn’t follow suit. She grabbed a wooden chair from the patio, dragging it into the courtyard, and took a seat from a safe distance.
“Ah, Winnie, welcome back! You just missed my introduction of my kids, Sawney and Beane!” Hange hollered, arms flailing in the air with an excited greeting. The ‘kids’ watched their parent hungrily, eyes trained on their waving limbs. The scouts who had already stomached their shock laughed at Winnigan’s nickname. With a heated blush, Winnigan realized there were only more nicknames yet to come.
As Hange rambled on about the pursuit of knowledge and the importance of scientific exploration, Winnigan opened the folder to get a good read of Erwin’s strategy for the upcoming mission. Since Eren’s sudden discovery, Erwin suspicioned that there would be more titan shifters among the military ranks. While he found them possible in any branch, Erwin planned to use this next mission to weed out any suspects within the scouts. It made sense; it would be foolish to assume Eren was the only titan shifter in existence. Furthermore, why wouldn’t they be military members? As Winnigan finished reading the report, her hazel eyes scanned her comrades, who for the most part practiced hand-to-hand, while the curious few deliberated with Hange over the two titan captives. At the end of the final page, a personalized, handwritten note was left for only Winnigan’s eyes:
I know you have your ideas. Be ready to share them.
— E
Erwin was right. Sure, she had suspicions. People who were difficult to be around, like Ymir or sometimes even Reiner, despite their friendship. They hadn’t spoken much since relocating to the castle and Winnigan finally got to see a taste of who Reiner was to the other scouts. Put shortly, an ass. But, if being an ass was the criteria, Levi was the number one suspect. Of course that couldn’t be the case, his hatred and disgust toward the titans was unrivaled. If Levi were to ever become a titan shifter for any reason, Winnigan found it plausible that he would simply just end his own life. Slaying titans was his pastime, after all. She absentmindedly rubbed her sore thighs, rolling her eyes upon recalling Jean’s snide comment earlier that morning.
Flipping over the final page, the only paper with a blank side, Winnigan scrawled some potential names down with a charcoal pencil. She cringed when writing down the name of her own friend, Reiner Braun, but knew the importance of ruling no one out based off of friendship alone. As she drew a horizontal line across the center of the page, Winnigan prepared to write down some battle strategies she had daydreamed up, hoping to convey them at the meeting as well. Suddenly, a deep shadow overcast the page. Slowly turning over her shoulder, Winnigan met the slate eyes of none other than Captain Levi. Clearing her throat pointedly, she clutched the report to her chest. Surely, Levi was privy to the same information, but it was still a private matter.
“Should you have that out around the other cadets, ‘Winnie?’” He antagonized with a slight hint of tease in his voice. She shuddered, a blush creeping into her face.
“You heard Captain Hange?” she squeaked.
“Who didn’t?” Levi countered. He pulled a chair from the deck down to join her. “I can tell you’re sore from the last twenty-four hours, so we’ll be starting up again as soon as the cadets are given a break before evening drills.”
Winnigan’s jaw dropped involuntarily. “Why? Are you trying to run me into the ground before we even leave?”
Levi smirked. “Maybe.”
With a scoff, Winnigan crossed her arms over her chest, report still in her clutches. “So you just want me to die then.”
Levi snorted. He shifted in his seat, opening up towards her. “Of course not! That’s why I’m running you ragged. No point in you dying on our first mission if Erwin’s right about your strategizing. Someone’s gonna have to replace him someday, and it sure as hell won’t be me. Four-Eyes is too batshit for the job, so it’s gotta be someone clever.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Sure, scouts came and went so often that it was to be expected that anyone with potential be recognized. But she just joined weeks ago, for Sina’s sake. She didn’t respond, pulling out her page of makeshift strategies from Erwin’s report.
“It was supposed to be Pietro Morgan,” Levi admitted. “But I’m sure you’ve deduced that already.”
“I have,” Winnigan confirmed. “I can tell he was really important to you and Erwin.”
Levi sighed, leaning back in his seat. He side-eyed Winnigan’s papers, but said nothing about the words she had just scrawled down. “He was important to the cause.”
Winnigan whipped her head to the side, making direct eye contact with her superior. “There you go again! Deflecting! When is someone going to actually tell me something non-cryptic?”
Levi stood, digging in his pocket, before pulling out a small embroidered cloth, pressing it into Winnigan’s lap. Wings of Freedom. Each silver and blue stitch pristine, spotless, detached from the jacket it once inhabited. “It’s Pietro’s,” Levi said monotonously. “Erwin thought you should have it.”