Petra released a high-pitched sneeze as some of the tinier particles of the ground coffee beans she was using wafted into the air and tickled her nose. She ran her hand across her tingling nostrils and returned to pouring coffee in small, white mugs.

Petra's Scout Regiment jacket felt snug on her body. Her long, golden hair was tied back in a braid that fell down to the small of her back. She was entirely in uniform for the day, minus her 3D-manuever gear and green Scout Regiment cloak.

After all, Petra thought, unable to contain a growing smile, a good soldier is always ready for the day ahead.

When Petra Ral had been selected for the Special Operations Squad, or "Squad Levi" as it was more commonly known, she couldn't believe it. She had been with her father when she had received the news, and she had gone straight to the outhouse and upchucked everything.

Petra could easily succumb to stress. But that was something she would work on.

Petra tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and sighed. She had gotten up early that morning to brew coffee for her new teammates. Though she hadn't exactly spoken to all of them, she had seen them around the Scout Regiment. They were all strong, brave, and much taller than she was.

Petra, in metric units, only stood at one hundred fifty-eight centimeters. She had always been mistaken to be younger than she was, and frankly joining Squad Levi wasn't helping matters.

Then there was Captain Levi. He stood only an inch or two above her. Petra hadn't spoken to the Captain since their last mission together. That was before she knew he had handpicked her to be part of his special squad.

Petra felt giddy with nervousness and excitement. Her hand shook as she finished pouring the last mug of coffee, and one by one she began dealing each mug with doses of sugar and cream.

Ah, it smelt heavenly. Petra deeply inhaled at the scent. Coffee certainly was her specialty.

"What are you doing?"

Petra yelped and spun around, her hands clinging to the wooden countertop and her rump pressed against the rim. A little ways behind her, just behind the table that rested in the center of the kitchen, was none other than Captain Levi himself.

The Captain's eyes were tired, and his dark, tousled hair was slightly more ruffled than normal. He was, however, not in his full uniform. He was in pants and a rumpled button-up shirt, giving Petra the impression that the Captain had not been up very long.

"C-Captain Levi!" Petra stammered, pulling her hands from the counter and to her chest in a salute.

Levi regarded her gesture with an odd look.

"At ease," he muttered. Petra noted, as she pulled her hand from her chest, that he seemed rather uncomfortable with the phrase.

"I didn't know you were up, sir," Petra went on, a small smile on her face.

Levi pulled a chair out and sat at the table. He was still staring at her. Petra felt a blush form on her cheeks. He barely even blinked.

"Did you make coffee?"

Petra blinked, taken aback at his question.

"Y-Yes, sir. Would you like a glass?"

Levi stared at her for another moment, then sighed, shutting his eyes and tearing his gaze away from the small girl.

"If I must," the Captain replied.

Petra took that as a "yes," and proceeded to take one of the mugs that she had generously poured sugar and cream into and, making her way around the chairs, she set it in front of Levi.

Levi eyed the mixture.

"I… usually take it black," Levi deadpanned.

Petra's face turned several shades of red.

"I-I-I'm sorry, sir! I-I-I'll make you another mug, just one-"

"Don't be so nervous," Levi growled. This made Petra silence herself. Levi took hold of the rim of the mug and pulled the drink close to his face. He took a whiff of the beverage, and proceeded to take a long sip.

Petra twiddled her thumbs.

"S-S-So… How is it?"

Levi pulled the mug away from his face, releasing a sigh as he swallowed the remainder of the coffee. He set the mug on the table once again, his fingers remaining on the rim.

"Your coffee is so sweet that it's almost sickening."

Petra's heart dropped down to her stomach. She felt a knot of hurt feelings appear in her chest and she bit on the inside of her cheek.

"Oh. I'm sorry, sir," Petra mumbled.

"But it's okay."

Petra perked up at this, just in time to see Levi take another gulp of his mug. Her heart leaped out of her stomach at this and she felt her lips turn up into a smile again.

"You like it, sir?" Petra asked.

"Did I stutter?"

Before Petra could respond, the door to the small cabin Squad Levi all shared on their work days swung open, sending a loud BANG through the house. Petra squeaked and spun around, her hands brought up to her chest as if she were shielding it.

There, standing in the kitchen doorway, was Commander Hange Zoe.

Petra had had little interactions with the eccentric young woman, but those few encounters had weirded the girl out to the point where she mainly steered clear of Hange.

Petra thought that she heard Levi draw in a sharp breath, but she chalked it up to her imagination.

"Good morning, Levi!" Hange loudly exclaimed. "I smelled coffee brewing and I came running!"

Levi sighed. "Buzz off, Hange."

Petra, on the other hand, was stunned out of her mind. She almost was unable to salute.

"Good morning, Commander Zoe!" Petra declared nervously.

"Oooh," Hange went on, "who's this lovely little thing? Ah, you're that Petra Ral girl, right?"

Hange brought her face in close to Petra's, sending shivers up the poor girl's spine.

"Levi!" Hange said. "I think she's shorter than you! How tall are you, darling?"

"Umm… I-I don't know exactly, ma'am…" Petra was lying.

"You don't know? When was the last time you checked?"

Petra blushed and ducked her head down. She thought back to the last time she checked her height, and then to the time before that. "… When I was seven."

"And how old are you now?"

"Seventeen; I'll be eighteen in the fall."

"Ahh, a young girl, are you?" Hange finally drew away, placing her hands on her hips. "Has Levi taken an interest in younger girls now? Levi, you naughty, naughty man!"

Levi was in the middle of taking a sip of his coffee at this sentence. Immediately, he spat it out in a misty stream, with a loud trumpety-sounding noise.

Petra almost vomited on the spot.

"Oh? What's with that look?" Hange asked, raising an eyebrow. "You are very cute; it's no wonder he-"

"That will be quite enough on that one, Hange," Levi interrupted, rising from his chair to stand beside Petra. "The coffee's on the counter."

Hange squealed. "Music to my ears!"

Levi sighed. "Petra, perhaps you should-"

"I HEARD A NOISE! IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT?!"

Petra jumped again as a third voice entered the room, and she turned to look into an older-looking man's eyes. He had hair similar to Levi's, though it was blond and wavier at the top. He also, unlike the Captain, was in his uniform. Petra assumed him to be a soldier.

He stopped to regard Petra with a look of stunned awe. Petra bit the inside of her cheek and wondered just what was it with everyone in staring at her today?!

"Everything's fine!" Hange tittered, taking a swig of her newly-acquired mug of coffee. "I was just excited."

"Though if we were in any danger," Levi droned. "We would all be dead. Be faster in the future, Auruo."

"Y-Yes, Captain." The one called Auruo would not take his eyes off Petra's petite body.

Petra furrowed her brow. She didn't dare say a word to the Captain; but that was only because she knew—or did she know?—Levi meant nothing when he stared at her.

Or did he? Petra blinked back to the waking world.

"Sir," the girl growled, "it is impolite to stare."

Auruo blushed furiously. "M-My apologies. I-I'm Auruo Bozado, miss."

Petra turned and politely bowed to the soldier. "I'm Petra Ral."

"She is one of the newest on the squad," Levi explained. "We'll be having one more arrival in the next couple of days, but for the most part, the squad is together."

"Who's together?"

Another, more female, voice joined the party. It was followed by a thin young girl in her uniform, further followed by a young, tall blond male also in uniform.

The girl had short, wavy hair that was cut similarly to Levi and Auruo's hairstyles. A pair of thick, black glasses was perched on her nose.

"Wonderful, all of you are up," Levi muttered. Petra ran a hand across the top-half of her braid in nervousness.

"Well, Auruo here was making enough noise to wake up everyone from here to Wall Sina," the girl responded. Her eyes caught the tiny form of Petra. "Oooh? Who do we have here?"

The young lady walked over to Petra, pulling her glasses farther down her nose to inspect her. Petra swallowed hard.

"The newest member of the squad," Levi responded.

"P-Petra Ral," Petra added.

"You? On Squad Levi?" The girl grinned. "But you're so cute!"

Petra blushed. "Thank you, I think…"

"Aww, Erd! Look, she's blushing!" The lady squealed. "Eee! You're too precious! Levi, you made the most amazing choice!"

Levi sighed in annoyance. "Calm down, Karolin. She's only… oh?" Levi looked down into his mug and was met with the bare bottom. "Petra."

Petra stiffened at Levi's voice. "Y-Yes, Captain?"

The Captain held out his mug towards her. "Please refill my cup with coffee."

"Yes, sir!" Petra responded with a grin. She took Levi's cup and bounced over to the counter, leaving the rest of the company stunned into silence.

"Captain, you must be tired," the girl named Karolin stated. "Two cups of black coffee? Man. Perhaps you should lay off."

"I-I don't think that having that much coffee is very healthy, sir," Auruo added.

"It's not black coffee," Levi replied. "It's got cream and sugar in it."

Erd raised an eyebrow. "You hate white coffee," said Erd, his voice deep and to-the-point. "When I made white coffee you said it was 'the scum of the earth.'"

"Petra's coffee is decent. Unlike yours." Petra placed a newly-filled mug in front of Levi. He took it by the rim once more and brought it to his lips. A quiet sipping noise could be heard in the silence of the room.

Karolin jumped at the opportunity.

"So," the young soldier said, her wavy bangs bouncing as she made her way over to Petra, "the Captain, he uh, likes your coffee. You, uh… You thinking that maybe he doesn't just like the coffee?" She nudged the strawberry-blond girl with an elbow. "Eh? Eh? Eh? Maybe he's, uh… liking something else? Something with a little more…" Karolin's eyes angled down Petra's petite, hourglass figure and stopped at Petra's lower body area. "… sugar n' spice?"

Levi almost choked on his coffee and, with a stare that held the anger of a thousand stubbed toes, he turned to stare at Karolin. Auruo held the same expression. Hange, however, had discovered one of the pantries and was proceeding to empty its supply into her stomach with the help of Erd.

Petra, who was never quite good at these things, just tentatively smiled and said, "Well, I did put lots of sugar in the coffee. Though, you can't put spices in coffee… Maybe I can make something for dinner. Captain, do you like sugar or spice best?"

Petra caught Levi's death-stare and felt smaller than normal under his gaze. Her face turned red and nervously ran her hand over her braid.

"Oh, sweetie," Karolin cooed, wrapping her arms around Petra's neck and pulling the smaller girl into her chest. "You're so innocent that it hurts."

"Karolin," Levi growled, "go out immediately and clean the stables."

"But I haven't even had-"

"Now."

It was not a request.

"Right. I'll show Petra the stables and everything."

"You will do no such-"

Too late. Before Levi could finish, Petra was being yanked out of the house by Karolin, her long golden braid trailing behind her.

Levi heaved an angry sigh and set his cup down as he listened to Hange ramble on and on as she dug through the pantry.

God, he needed some alcohol.

"… Damn, you're really good with the horses. I haven't seen Hans so gentle with anyone before."

Petra gently ran her hand over the horse's dark fur. It nickered softly and flicked its ear forward and back.

"My mother used to own a horse," Petra explained. "She taught me how to handle them."

Karolin leaned against the wooden stall door, watching Petra tend to the large, finicky dark horse.

"Where're you from again?" Karolin asked, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I'm from Wall Rose."

Karolin tilted her head to the side. "Here's another question. Why do you keep your hair so long?"

Petra stopped what she was doing and moved her hand to the top of her braid.

"You know it's impractical to keep your hair so long when in the army," Karolin went on. "You could have an accident with your 3D gear while in the battlefield."

Petra sighed, stepping away from the black stallion and leaning against the stable wall.

"I know," the ginger-haired girl responded. "I just… My father really likes it long." Petra used her hand to gently bring up her thick braid over her shoulder. "My mother's hair was about this color and about the same length as I have it now. She was in the Garrison Regiment, you see, and one day she was transferred to Wall Maria for a couple of weeks to fill in for someone…" Petra always hated retelling the story.

Karolin blinked and bit on her lip. "Was it when… Y'know, we lost the wall?"

Petra nodded.

"Oh."

There was a tense silence between the two girls.

"Petra," Karolin suddenly said. "Listen, you stick around with me."

"Huh?" Petra looked over to her comrade. "What for?"

"So I can show you the ropes. Levi's squad always has to be on their toes. We're all elite Titan killers here." Karolin grinned. "My single-kill number is fifteen. Almost fifty assisted."

Petra's jaw almost fell open.

"Mine's only five so far. And that's single-kills," Petra responded, hugging her knees to her chest.

"How long have you been out of training?"

"Only about a year or two."

"And how many expeditions since then?"

"Two."

Karolin raised an eyebrow.

"I…" Petra blinked. "I had to take off for a while." She didn't dare say why.

"So you've only been on two expeditions?"

Petra nodded.

"Petra," Karolin said, "that's not a bad number at all. That's one of the higher numbers I've heard from rookies. I know a girl who's been in the Regiment for about five years and she never got any farther than two kills."

Petra blushed.

"So, whaddya say?" Karolin beamed from ear to ear. "Wanna hang out with the hippest girl in the entire regiment?"

Petra ran her fingers down her braid. Karolin, as far as she knew, was the only other girl on Squad Levi. Hange, she knew, was nowhere near joining the squad, and even if she did Petra was rather frightened by the eccentric young woman. Karolin was interesting; like a book with a good ending. Petra wanted to be her friend, but more than anything she just wanted some more estrogen in her life after being surrounded by grown men for the past few years.

Petra only prayed that Karolin wouldn't ask why Petra took a long vacation from the Scout Regiment.

Petra smiled. "Okay."