Half a day later, Survey Corps HQ-

Zoe leaned over the strange girl that had been found outside the walls.

Her whole being practically humming with excitement as she pushed the needle in her hands into the crook of the girl's arm and began to draw blood as she absently counted the girl's breaths while she slept.

Thinking what a funny little thing she was. This mysterious deep sleeper that hadn't stirred or woken while she had been checked for physical injuries and internal bleeding and such before Erwin had ordered everyone to quickly rest and water the horses while they could.

Then when it was time to leave, the man had walked over to the sleeping girl and very easily lifted her slight, dead weight into his arms and headed to his horse where he had Levi take the girl from him for a moment so that he could swing up himself up into the saddle.

And then once he was there, he re took the girl. Cradling her gently in his arms as he stared down at her face, his blue eyes studying her lovely and exotic features as he silently swore to himself that he would see her back within the safety of the wall or he would damn well die trying.

Once everyone had collected their horses and mounted up, they had then moved out. Having lingered for too long just to allow everyone's horses to rest, especially out here in the open- was dangerous.

Half a day's hard ride later he and his people were back within the wall. At HQ. Safe from the man eating monsters that dwelled outside the wall.

And once Erwin was down from his horse, he moved quickly to his private quarters where he moved swiftly to do what he must to make the girl more comfortable. Undressing her was a little bit of a trial, given their different genders and the fact that her naked body was more than he'd seen of a woman in a good long while. That and she had an exquisite body.

All pale skin, and soft hues of different pinks that almost made his mouth water just looking.

But he somehow managed to behave himself and bathe clean what little bit of dirt from her face and body that he could find so that Zoe could treat the severe bruising on the her back and shoulders once she was done terrorizing the locals and collecting her medical supplies.

He had just finished pulling the girl from the large copper tub he used to bathe, and wrapped her in the fluffiest towel he had (which wasn't terribly fluffy at all anymore given the fact that he hadn't replaced his towels in well over three years, thus they were practically threadbare) and after drying her off- he then moved into his bedroom where he dug out a large shirt for her to wear and was finishing up tying the laces at the top of the collar when Zoe burst into his room looking practically rabid with a silent Levi trailing along, albit reluctantly, a tad bit behind her.

"Where is she?" Zoe asked excitedly, having kept her hands (and her thoughts to herself after first checking over the girl) she was having a difficult time continuing to do so now when the possibility that they may have come across another titan shifter. And if not then that just meant that they had found a survivor outside the wall, which in itself was amazing.

But not as amazing as titan shifters in Zoe's book.

Still... She was utterly curious about the unknown girl.

Erwin and Levi were too. Though they hid it far better than she as she sat down on the edge of Erwin's bed and set the black leather satchel that she had brought with her, in her lap and leaned over the girl- noting that her hair was damp from being washed which meant that the rest of her must have been bathed as well by Erwin before he had dressed her in one of his clean shirts.

"Naughty commander Erwin." She muttered more to herself than to anyone else as she opened up the satchel and began to pull things from it. "Undressing and bathing an unconscious young woman when he should have waited for the right kind of help..." She practically cooed at the girl as she pulled out what she would need to check body temp, the heart, blood pressure, and inevitably take blood for testing.

She began her work, chatting and cooing the whole time until she had done everything she had come to do at which time Erwin asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking our new young friend will be staying with us a while," Zoe said without hesitation as she realized that whether the girl was a shifter or not, she was a survivor and likely had no family or home to return too. Which meant that she would be under their care until they figured out just what to do with her. Which also meant that they needed to be prepared. "She'll need her own room. Away from the barracks. If you can manage it. As well as clothing, and other things. And you should appoint someone as her protector. Just in case something happens."

Erwin nodded his head slowly as he tried to process everything Zoe said.

But knowing that Zoe had a point.

Once the girl was up and moving around, she couldn't stay anywhere near the barracks. Many of the young soldiers there weren't the type to take a simple 'no' to their advances (should they make them) very well and if she should become cornered by such young men- things would become very bad. Very quickly.

So no living near the barracks. That was a definite.

A protector would maybe make things easier. But it would have to be someone that had a reputation and a lot of pull in the military. Zoe was out of the question since she would just try to use the girl in her experiments. Levi might work. With his reputation even people outside the military feared his wrath.

And for good reason.

Before he had joined up, he had been a stone cold killer. He still was today, he merely chose to forego actual murder in lieu of actually doing something useful for humanity with his skills. Which Erwin supposed was fine.

But he was still one scary motherfucker.

And then there was himself... He could do it, he supposed. But if the girl ever left the base without him or Levi and someone from a branch of the military police decided to fuck with him- they would use the girl to do it. Just knowing that she was an innocent wouldn't stop them. Having her associated with his name could be both a blessing and a curse.

"Levi." Erwin finally said earning a look from his two subordinates. "Levi will be her protector." And just when it looked like Levi might open his mouth and argue with him for his choice, Erwin stopped him by saying- "I'm not finished yet," Causing the younger man to close his mouth and wait along with Zoe. "I'm naming you her protector for obvious reasons, but the truth is that I need you to be my chess piece. The knight that protects the queen. You will be the protector known to everyone while I work as her protector from the shadows."

Levi took a moment to mull over Erwin's words before catching on and sighing.

A puppet and a puppeteer. Okay, he could do this. It might be frustrating and he just might strangle Erwin for this later on, but for now he'd leave things be. "Very well," Levi said as he drew two of the large sword like blades that he used in combat against the titans and crossed his arms over his chest, his hands gripping the blades so that one pointed up and the other down in a parody of the 'heart' salute that their soldiers gave.

It was both his way of agreeing to Erwin's terms and swearing than none would lay a hand on the girl.

It was acceptable.

Erwin nodded his head, and Levi put his blades away and then asked if he should remove the girl from his commander's bed. To which Erwin took a few moments to answer as he looked back at the girl and suddenly felt the strangest urge to tell Levi to fuck off.

She looked like she belonged in his bed.

But instead of 'fuck off' Erwin simply shook his head and told the younger man that for the time being, she would stay with him. At least until he had her a room and everything else.