Isabel could feel her back about to give as she clutched the broom in her hands and used it as a support. This was her fifth time sweeping the floor and no matter how much she thought it may have been up to Levi's standards it appeared that she always over looked some detail and no matter how small Levi always made her sweep the entire floor all over again. She stood there for another ten minutes making sure the floor was totally perfect. Her body turned rigid when the door opened behind her, she risked a look behind her and relaxed when she saw the orange haired woman enter the room.
Rose lifted an eyebrow at the girls behaviour and decided to ignore it as she looked around the room "Are you done yet?" the older women asked her newest female companion. Isabel sighed "I hope so, bro sure is tough on cleaning, has he always been like this?" Isabel asked as she stretched, Rose hummed as she analysed the room for anything the girl could have missed "He started when we first got off the street" Rose said and turned to the door that lead to her room, "You missed a spot by the shelves" Rose said as she left the room and closed the door behind her.
Levi sat at the small desk in their room reading a book from the collection they had gathered over the years. It was a hobby of Roses, she enjoyed collecting books since they were so scarce in the underground district. If life went her way she would open up a library and maybe even write a story of her own but there were more important things at hand. Levi shifted his gaze from the book to his orange haired friend then wordlessly went back to the novel.
"Be gentle" Isabel scolded Farlan as he focused on rewrapping the bird's wing, Farlan shot her an irritated look. Isabel pouted and looked to their other two companions. Levi sat at the table with a cup of tea, holding it in the odd way he does, and Rose stood at the kitchen bench tending to their dinner.
Farlan fiddled with the difficult fabric, he tied one final knot to secure the bandage and gently handed the small bird back to an excited Isabel. Farlan smiled lightly, the young girl had brung the trio a new light to their sunless world, she was becoming part of their family quite quickly. Farlan had already noticed the change in attitude with Levi, he saw her less as an extra mouth to feed and more as the younger sister that Farlan and Rose had already grown to know her as.
"Hey, big bro? When can I learn the 3D Maneuver Gear?" Isabel asked Levi as they and Farlan swept the floor. Levi paused and pulled down the cloth covering his mouth. "Soon" He replied and looked around the living room, Isabel grinned excitedly with the small bird perched on top of her head, Levi put away his broom and moved to the cabinet that stored their tea cups and set out to polish the cups to a shine.
The campfire shone brightly in the rocky area, it was warm summer night in the underground district. Four figures sat around the glowing warmth while the youngest and newest member of their team was finishing the last of her meal, which included some of the soup left over from the dinner of night before and some bread that was a more than a little stale but the soup had made it softer. Isabel ripped into the last of her bread while she listened to the rest of the group discuss the details of her training.
"Then it would better to use the open area to teach her the basics?" Farlan asked Levi who seemed fixated by the fire. "Perhaps" Levi said in a bored tone staring into the fire as he tried to map out the best places to teach someone how to use the gear.
"Being out in the open would be a good place to teach her but we would be easily spotted if the military sees us." Rose added as she added a few sticks to the fire to keep it going. Levi nodded in agreement "It would be best to keep to the buildings." he said, "We start tomorrow." Levi stated and the suddenness on the statement make Isabel choke form shock. Once she forced the food down her throat she perked up with excitement and a happy bounce in her voice. "Really? We're starting tomorrow?!" Isabel shouted in excitement as she leaned toward the stoic man.
"Hey you didn't eat, you can have the rest of my bread. I don't need it now." Isabel held out her bread to Levi who turned his head away from the girl and he messed with her hair. 'She really has become apart of our family now.' Rose thought with a smile, "She's right Levi, you have to eat something or you'll never grow any taller" Rose taunted the raven haired man. Levi shot her an annoyed glare "You're one to talk you're even shorter than me" He shot back. "I have no problem with my height" she gloated and he grunted in agitation, Isabel laughed at the bickering two. They doused the fire and headed back to the house "Tomorrow, I'll help you fit into the gear. It can be pretty confusing with all the straps and buckles" Rose offered Isabel, thinking back to when they had first taken the gear and tried to figure out how the damn leather strapping worked. "Yeah! That would be cool" Isabel said as she skipped beside the three walking adults.
They reached the house long after the sun had set. Farlan had retreated to his room saying something about tomorrow being a long day and Isabel went to check on the small bird in the cloth made nest she had made for it. Rose put away the things they had bought with them on their trip and followed after Levi as he walked through the door of their shared room and paused at the door, she turned back to Isabel who sat at the table with the bird. "Don't stay up too late, Farlan was right when he said that we have a big day tomorrow." Rose reminded the young girl and carried on into the room.
Isabel could barely contain her excitement as she kept her little friend company for a short while longer before putting it back into its safe and secure place in the cabinet and went to her bed on the couch, she'd take the couch over Farlan's snoring anytime.
Levi laid sprawled out on the bed staring at the ceiling, the warmth of the night had persuaded him to remove his shirt and not bother with the blankets.
"You look tense" Rose said as she changed into her night clothes, consisting of a large button up shirt and a pair of old shorts, Levi glanced at her and sighed "I am" was all he said but nothing more was needed for him to say, she knew he was worried about the tasks tomorrow held for the four of them and the possibility that the military police could launch an attack on them, they would be screwed if they went after Isabel. "You're worrying yourself too much, they don't know where we are and the chances of them coming this far into the districts for no reason are slim." Rose reasoned with his thoughts and Levi snorted in amusement "They have their heads too far up their arses to come down here." He agreed with her.
She climbed onto the bed and sat beside him, "Roll over" She somewhat ordered him and he did so without complaint, she sat on his back and made work at his muscles with her palms. It wasn't often that she gave anyone a massage but when she did it was bliss. It was one of his favourite luxuries that he indulged himself in. When his muscles were loose beneath her hands she ungracefully flopped beside him on the bed and he didn't move, he was much too comfortable but his mind still wandered.
There were times where he wondered what someone else would call their relationship, they had an unrivaled trust and comfort in each other and there were even times when they were intimate but the two never discussed a label to their relationship. One thing was certain to the two, the care and need that they felt for each other could never be doubted.
His thoughts continued in spirals of topics and he never lingered on one for too long, he finally lifted his face from the pillow for a breath of fresh air and he looked to his companion who had already drifted off to sleep. 'As hellish as this world is, I would never complain about this part of it' he thought and he felt his mind slip from him, he embraced the sleep that came to him.