hello! \(^^)/ i wanted to make this chapter longer but it was getting too long already T.T do enjoy it.
CHAPTER 6
"Sasha pass me a fresh bale will you?" you ask the brunette as you sit and stuff straw into the side of the giant Titan effigy. Carrying an armful of straw, Sasha sneezes and sits down next to you. "You really think the plan is gonna work?" she asks you. "I don't know, right now there are too many variables and the constants are few. But we can make changes depending on what Armin can find out".
Armin with his disarmingly cute looks and smarts had been given the responsibility of ferreting out information about guard duty around the storage and cellar. Not everyone has tried alcohol yet being mostly 15 year olds. But the thought of being up to no good with the other lunatics who joined the Survey Corps was too hard to pass up. Besides, everyone was curious about alcohol.
"Reiner stop! Too much straw, the stitching is gonna come apart like an overstuffed potato sack!" you shout out loud enough to startle him. "Aw! Sick! Sasha don't drool over the straw!" you start laughing out at Sasha whose love for potato has become a joke among your peers. Sasha throws straw at you "you've made me hungry talking about potatoes!"
"I'm sorry Sasha! It's almost lunch time though"
"Kasa baby!" you hug Mikasa from the back. "You know you're gonna marry me one day right pretty lady?" you blink lashes at Mikasa. "You're being loud... You want everyone to know about us?" she plays along with you. Sasha stares, eyes wide as saucers. "Really?! The two of you?!" She gapes with undisguised curiosity. "And you guys never thought to tell me?!"
"just a joke Sasha! You' be the first to know if Kasa and I ever started dating" you pat her on the back. "You are mean (name), you too Mikasa!" Sasha pouts. "Awww... I'm sorry again. Let's go eat now!"
"No guards on duty. Just a huge metal lock even you can't pick (name)" Armin says sadly. "There is no such thing as an unpickable lock Armin. I just have to spend more time on it than usual. But I bet I can pick it."
So the day arrives swiftly and you decide to steal the alcohol before the main show. Connie and Ymir carry canteens to fill and Reiner takes rear guard. As the four of you approach the cellar, you find a man standing guard. "Fuck no one is supposed to be here" Ymir says loudly and you clamp her mouth shut. "Regroup, we need a new plan" you whisper. People, we are high tailing it out of here.
"Armin, there was a guard! What went wrong?" you ask the blonde. "Bullshit!" he says incredulously. "I asked some guys I'm familiar with and they said it is never guarded."
"Can't blame em... It's us, they know our nature" you shrug. "Correction, they know your nature" Armin says delicately. "You hurt my feelings Armin, we'll take this up another time. Now let's figure out how to get past the guard."
"How about we knock him out?" suggests Reiner. "And what? tie him up and hide him?" you ask. "Why not?" he replies. "No Reiner, someone is bound to notice a missing guard soon."
"Ok guys, it's a long shot from a solid plan but I have one. Let's just go with it and if we fail... Reiner you are in charge of knocking him out, but don't kill him k" You tell the big guy. "No! (Name) no! We can't do that!" Armin protests loudly. "Got a better plan? I'm no strategist. Let's go Ymir, Connie and Reiner. I'll fill you in on what to do" you leave without giving Armin another chance to protest.
You approach the guard standing next to the door. "Leon right? Captain Levi wants you for a few minutes just outside."
"(Name) aren't you? Nice try young lady, but I was told to expect you. And not believe a word of what you say" he winks at you. Your stupid plan has fallen flat on its butt at stage one, you did not see this coming. "Any chance you can be bribed?" you ask sweetly.
"Maybe...Maybe not"
"Oh stop being vague and tell me what you want" you ask impatiently
"Captain Hanji Zoe says that if you can pick the lock then you are allowed to take what you want, but you'll have to do a special favour for her"
"Oh? so its her trap, again. What kind of favor? You raise one eyebrow.
"The illegal kind probably" he grins
"Damn, alright lemme at the lock"
You inspect the lock carefully. Exactly what Armin said, "This is some fucked up lock" you whistle in appreciation. "These are rare locks, but not something I haven't had the misfortune of meeting."
"So you can pick it? It certainly looks unique" he says with a frown.
"It's the type in which a single spindle is rotated by an inside and an outside knob to retract a latchbolt" you reply as you choose the right instruments from your arsenal of picks. "Now let me focus on this bad boy" you start meticulously prying the secrets of the lock apart and the final click reaches your ears after 10 minutes of hard work.
"That took long..." he remarks
"There was a freaking dummy pin I kept trying to push. That's something I won't forget when I try picking this kind of lock again" You frown. "So about Captain Hanji... When does she want the favor?"
"She didn't specify. I'll give you 10 minutes to get what you want" and he leaves the place.
You call out for your partners and you help them fill the canteens with the strong spirits you all came for. Unease drifts like a smoke around your mind because of the deal. "Have I made a deal with the devil? Most importantly, is it worth this?" you ask yourself as you leave the cellar.
"Did you knock out or kill anybody?" Armin asks pale in the face. "I've been worried this whole time!"
"No... Didn't have to hurt anyone. I made a deal with someone. Can we forget about this guys? I really don't want to talk about it right now. In time I'll tell you everything"
Your friends grudgingly accept and decide on where to hide the now full canteens.
"Hey..." Mikasa sits next to you on your bed. "Hey Kasa" you reply.
"Time to get ready for the celebration you know" she tells you
"Yeah, I'll just have a quick shower and grab my stuff. You better start too"
You sit with a towel on wondering if you should really wear your lace blouse with the standard uniform pants and boots. The ruffle collar pearl button slim blouse hugs your waist perfectly and adds a feminine touch to your daily wear. It was a gift from your father and you'd never found the need to wear it until now. "I could be dead in a month, no use wasting what chance I get to wear pretty things..." You button yourself up and realise that this is probably why the Survey Corps celebrate like this one month before the expedition. "The probability of death is so high... it's our last chance to have a normal life... to celebrate life... and give ourselves the reason why we have to fight..."
You finish up and head towards where the bonfire burns bright against the dark sky. You can hear the faint strains of a lute as you get closer. The straw titan burns orange and yellow as people sit around sharing cups of spiked cider and sharing stories of fallen heroes and comrades. You see a couple of already drunk men dancing around the giant bonfire. "That's dangerous... and the titan we worked so hard on for days" you sigh wistfully for a second wanting to pluck it out of the fire.
"Princess you are late. Tardy today, but you look beautiful in lace" Jean sweeps his gaze over you. "Thank you Jean, I would've been even more late if Mikasa hadn't warned me about the time" you say honestly feeling happy about his compliment. Eren comes over to you and takes your hand and drags you off to where your friends sit drinking spiked cider. You notice Armin already sporting rosy cheeks on account of the drink. "So what did I miss?" you ask settling down next to Eren. "Commander's speech and the torching ceremony of the Titan. You should have seen Captain Levi scowling like he thought this whole thing was a waste of time" Eren replies. "Knowing our Captain, he probably does. Look at how bored he looks" you raise your chin in the Captain's general direction.
As the evening progresses, toasts are made, stories told, tears shed, delectable food and more drinks passed around and a feeling of belonging settles down warmly in your slightly fuzzy mind. You feel like you've already met all the heroes who had sacrificed for humans and you would lay down your life for the same cause. Your internal monologue gets interrupted by a loud cheer and you look up to find the source of the excitement.
Hanji stands on the table looking crazy with the firelight reflecting off her optics making her look terrifying. "As you all know our Captain Levi always refuses to partake of our night of debauchery. I have always wondered why... no I refuse to believe Levi is a saint. Gentlemen, he can't handle his drink... Humanity's greatest is defeated by a cup of wine"
You watch in delight as Levi's squad members boo Hanji. "Don't boo, ask your captain to prove himself. I Hanji challenge Captain Levi to a drinking match! Squad leader to squad leader!" and Hanji raises her cup at Levi.
Stillness settles over the gathering as each person waits for Levi's answer.
"I accept"
And the crowd erupts into a noisy cheer of cup banging on the table. A barrel is rolled over to the table and 10 cups are lined on the table. Hanji and a very angry looking Levi sit beside each other. The crowd breaks into two groups rooting for each and you can't tell who has more supporters. The drinking match begins and you wonder how much capacity Captain Levi might have. 3 cups each and Hanji starts goading him "Give Levi a gold broom and he will be satisfied for life!" which brings a cheer from her supporters. Levi downs two more cups in silent retaliation and his crowd bursts into cheers. The cups keep getting refilled and finally Hanji passes out at her 8th. Levi wins and the crowd settles down in their places once again. You watch him stand up and go through the crowd of congratulating people and exit into the darkness. You saw how may cups he'd downed, "Should I go make sure he is ok?" you wonder. You stand up and follow the route the Captain had taken.
You walk for a good 2 minutes or so without seeing the Captain so you decide to return. On your way back you notice a lump in the bushes you have never seen before. You get closer and the lump takes the form of a passed out Captain. "Oh hell!" You run over and half drag the unconscious Captain out of the bushes, worried but highly amused. "Captain, wake up." you gently shake him. The Captain opens his eyes with a groan and squints at you. "Who...?"
"It's me, shitty brat" you prompt. "Come on demon, let's get you to your room. You are really foolish if you think you can't get alcohol poisoning. I can just see how light a drinker you are." You say bravely.
"I don't need your help... Stop lecturing me... stupid brat" he mumbles
"Now that is a good sign if you still have enough control of your mind to be able to insult me. But Captain, would you rather someone else catch you like this? You won't look like a winner then"
"I don't give a fuck..." and the Captain passes out again.
Feeling really glad you decided to check on him, you pour water on the Captain's face. "I'm really gonna kill you brat!" he growls weakly.
"Save the threats Captain, if you don't let me help you I'll keep pouring water" you say cheerfully
"You'll like that wouldn't you?" he replies and sits up shakily.
You unlock the Captain's door and help him inside. "Let's get you to bed now"
"No... I'm still dirty, need a shower..."
"Neurotic aren't you?" you tsk at the Captain milking the situation as much as you can.
"I don't need your help anymore" the captain pushes you arm away. Too bad because he tips forward and you attempt to catch him which results in you cushioning his fall and driving the air out of your lungs.
You lie face up on the floor with the Captain sprawled over facing you. "This is very...very awkward" you start to think. And then "Shit!" the Captain curses. You echo the curse mentally as the both of you realize the Captain is getting a little tight around his pants which is obvious by the impressive bulge pressing up against you. "Captain has a hard on..." you feel a heart attack coming on.