Sweat dripped from her brow and blood spilled down both arms. The wind whipped through her dark curls as her powerful wings slipped through outstretched tree branches. Her eyes narrowed in on the form gliding twenty meters from her on his metal lines. His head whipped to the right and soon, he changed course, making a sharp turn in that direction to disappear behind trees. She curled one wing down, spinning on a dime to cut through the trees and follow him.
In the small clearing there stood a wooden copy of a titan, the back of its neck covered in a thick, pink cushion that was made to represent their flesh. It already had one eye shape cut from it, but she extended each hand anyways and pulled her power into them. Two replicas of the flesh pairing blades appeared, one in each hand, glistening obsidian in the afternoon sun. She pushed faster and dropped to rip her swords into the cushion, tearing it down to strike wood at the deepest part of the curves in her own eye shape.
They had yet to prove that her magic couldn't allow a titan to regenerate and to be on the safe side, Levi wanted to be certain that she knew how to kill one their way.
The figure was forgotten the moment she finished her attack, disintegrating the blades and twisting sharply to find Levi on a branch watching behind her. Her arms stung with tiny flames as her wings glided over them in her ministrations. She came to land below him on another branch, a thick puddle of red already forming as her wounds dripped steady streams.
"Did that answer your question," she called above to him.
He was frowning at the sight of the ruined target, ignoring her as his eyes worked gears behind them. She breathed heavily and wiped at the salty liquid shining on her forehead, only to groan a moment later when the scarlet painting her hand inevitably added to the nuisance instead.
Levi turned his grey eyes down to her, his frown deepening at the sight of her gory state.
"We'll head back. I have what information I needed," he finally answered, taking off before he even finished.
They came to a familiar clearing from her first night with the scouts and met with the scientist who patiently awaited them.
When she saw River's state of gore, the woman let out a surprised shout, running towards her and yelling, "why didn't you tell us this would happen? You poor thing!"
"Oh yeah, by the way, human flesh wounds easily," River quipped, amused by the reaction.
The singing in each wound down her arms was one of the most familiar songs she knew, and she was at a loss for explaining how it did not bother her. Then again, her mother had called it a worthy hazard and the monster had enjoyed her pain. Why would she ever consider that her flight could lead to anything other than pain? Why not then embrace it?
A hand appeared with a cloth in front of her face like an offering.
She shook her head, "I'll just hit the showers when we get back. Thank you, though."
"Tch. Gross. Suit yourself," Levi muttered, passing by her to address the scientist.
Hanji stopped fussing upon seeing the narrow slits of his steel eyes and squeaked, "how did the test turn out?"
"Better than expected, but still shitty. Her blades can cut deeper than ours, but she's slowed down by having to create them each time," he droned, sounding as if answering a mundane question about the weather. Then he gestured towards her and added, "obviously we're going to need to do something about her arms too or blood loss will make her useless."
"So… battle armor against metal wings and sword sheathes so she can replace her magical set only as needed. Got it," Hanji concluded, tilting her head in thought, as if there was nothing at all weird about that statement. "If we can find a material that's loose, and versatile, but also thick enough to withstand her razorblades, we could fashion a sort of sleeve for each arm."
She then looked over the shorter man's head to directly address their bloodied metallic angel, as the crazy woman had begun to refer to her. "River, while we're at it, do you want anything made for your back? I assume you don't want to continue shredding open all your clothes."
This was the third shirt to hang loosely off her arms, only held to her by a slip of fabric that remained in tact near the small of her back. One pale shoulder peaked from the clothing, her arm raising to hold the loose material bunched up at her collarbone, keeping the other hidden.
She smiled sheepishly, "that'd be nice. Just make something that's thick along the top of my shoulder blades, and around my waist. My back can protect itself mostly, but if you wanted to go through the trouble, I wouldn't mind a little extra protection if I get thrown out of the air. It happens more often that I care to admit…"
Hanji grinned, "that's exactly why I asked. If shorty didn't have anything else in mind, we can take detailed measurements right away and figure out the exact locations that can't be obstructed."
Both girls looked to the raven-haired man, who appeared miserably bored. He waved his hand in dismissal, and that was all the two needed.
"Would you like a ride back," River offered to the other woman, reaching a hand out towards her.
Hanji's grin split into an unnerving, hooting laugh. "I would love it! If you're not too exhausted of course."
River shook her head, wrapping her arms around the red head, and with no further prompting, they took to the sky. Levi watched them rise and head towards the base. He let out a long breath, turning his face back to the ground.
That girl seemed to have found it easier to settle in now that she didn't have to hide her powers from others. He would even go so far as to say she probably considered Hanji a friend.
His mind wandered back to the other night, when ice had appeared so fast around his wrist, it was biting into him before he even had a chance to register its chill. He was learning what each strange temperature meant; sadness was the moist, muggy invasion that would slither up his arm. Anger obviously lit up the bracelet like it'd been dropped into a forge. That is, unless it is a righteous anger which would change the color of the metal and permeate a chill throughout the room. And fear froze.
He pondered the strange girl's emotions. When someone had to face their tormented past in the way that she did: where she closed it off through the chaos and survived only by continuing to stare dead ahead until finally, she was free and safe… and at memory's mercy… why was it fear that reigned above all else?
Two days had gone by since then, and she did another hundred and eighty-degree shift, which he'd grown quickly accustomed to. She managed to go the entire forty-eight hours without accusing him of having ulterior motives, or eyeing him with suspicion if he came near her. It would seem he'd finally convinced her of his sincerity.
She wasn't by any means any better. He still had to deal with a freezing wrist each night while her thoughts tormented her. He couldn't move too fast around her and loud noises still made her flinch. She didn't suddenly 'fix' herself after the other day.
But at least she was more willing to let him awkwardly try to help her through her breakdowns. Though the fear seemed to be a near constant undercurrent that wouldn't let up and he had no single clue how to fix it.
On top of that, nearly every new cadet was terrified of her, which was not helping. Especially considering the expedition was only days away.
He made his way back to the base slowly, rubbing at his temples as if that could alleviate the pounding in his skull. Since when did caring about subjective feelings become something he did? A dry laugh tumbled out, though, because he knew. It was this bond. Whatever her magic did to him when she attached it had started to melt the ice in his heart and mess with his priorities, which couldn't have happened at a worse possible time.
Levi could see the castle-like building in the distance over a line of trees when his wrist lit up. He flicked it a few times to keep the red-hot metal from blistering while a glare came over his eyes. His pace quickened to a faster walk, but with the girl's short temper, he safely assumed the accessory would cool rather soon. It was likely one of the newcomers made a snarky comment and she snapped back. He'd watched her do it a few times already.
When the chill seeped in, though, he released an irritated breath and took off running. No one other than him could put fear into the girl without physical measures.
And if anyone hurt her, he'd rip their heads off and shit down their throats.
River was far from helpless, but he knew she would willingly take a beating if she thought fighting back would bring a punishment down on her head. Whether her newfound trust in him was a façade or not didn't change the fact that she feared his possible wrath to the point she wouldn't dare defend herself.
Add that to the list of things he needed to change but didn't know how to.
He ran along the side of the compound, now able to hear the commotion that was situated near the main entrance. Ice pressed into his skin by the time he rounded the corner.
That fucking horse faced douche was currently eating Hanji's fist while River stood against the stone wall exterior, visibly shaking as her sticky red arms covered her bared chest. The torn shirt that she'd left the field with was now three feet from her on the ground. A swollen, purple bruise blossomed over her cheekbone.
Four other cadets stood off from the scene, jaws slack with shock. One of them, a young girl, had tears streaming down her face.
Levi balled up his fists, but instead of going to her rescue, he remained still. Observing.
Hanji finally dropped the cadet to the ground, seeming to realize beatings weren't technically her thing. The others standing around immediately came awake and rushed to the boy, calling his name in unison. As Hanji turned back to River, one more familiar face appeared on the scene; a heavy breathing Eren rounding the other side of the compound. He had cleaning duty in the horse stalls, if Levi recalled correctly. The commotion would have been easy to hear from there.
The boy's green eyes widened once they registered the scene and he spared no time in removing his military jacket while bolting towards the girl who was long lost in shock and cold memories. Levi's eyes narrowed, though. The brat was coming in too fast.
The moment he came into the girl's peripheral vision, clarity snapped back like an elastic band and one hand dropped from her chest. It glowed a deep blue as ice spilled up her arm and black smoke poured from her balled fist. He'd seen the smoke before, but the ice was brand new. As was the fire racing through his veins even while the bracelet remained thick with the same chilled substance on her arm. Interesting.
Eren held his jacket in one hand, but was reaching out to her with the other as if he would touch her shoulder before offering the piece of clothing. Levi concluded he was not only an idiot, but also had a death wish.
Her fist snapped up to his jaw as soon as he was in reach and she snarled something under her breath that sounded like a warning not to touch her.
Levi finally proceeded forward, amused with the boy now lying flat on the ground. He had to actively stop himself from directing his attention to the cadets whose lives he didn't feel like sparing.
"River," he called out as he approached, sticking his hands into his pockets and remaining unreactive.
In his peripherals, he saw the entire group tense and look up at him. You should be running you retards.
River's shivering stopped as if his voice were a whip that turned her to stone. She turned her pale eyes up to watch him coming towards her, her mouth pulled down into a hard frown. Most would look at her and see calculated wariness; someone analyzing for further signs of abuse. She didn't fear his hands, though. It was his words that could harm her.
He grit his teeth and asked, "what did the little shit do?"
His question seemed to surprise her. She visibly relaxed, turning away while her ice guarded hand came back to normal at her side. He did not miss the way it trembled.
"He… they…," she couldn't find the words, fury and shame battling inside her eyes while she bit her lip.
Hanji stepped into stride with the shorter man while they came to stand before the girl. Eren hadn't returned to his feet but he was sitting up, rubbing his jaw and looking up at his superiors.
"When we landed here in the entrance, that group of cadets were returning from their training drills," Hanji filled in, gesturing to the empty space where the group had snuck away. "A girl commented about her fear of River, and the boy in return decided to prove there was nothing to fear. So, he grabbed the flimsy shirt and tore it off from the back as we walked in. When she turned to confront him, the girls started screaming and throwing stones at her. Then I stepped in."
Grey steel turned up to those glittering blue eyes, and with a calculated chill, Levi asked, "did you hit him?"
She shook her head, anxiety rising in her throat. "I didn't, I swear. I let Hanji deal with it, I didn't hurt anyone…," she dropped her gaze to the boy now scrambling to his feet. "… except him… but Levi, I swear, I didn't mean to hurt him. He surprised me, it was instinct, I-"
"Oi! Shut-," he froze, slammed his mouth shut and let out a long breath. Then he started again, "you can stop blubbering, you're not in any trouble. In fact, I'm more pissed off that you didn't defend yourself."
Her jaw went slack and Levi reached for the jacket Eren had intended to offer. He tossed it the short distance to the girl, frowning when her confusion left her frozen even after she caught the piece of clothing.
If he didn't get this through to her now, the shit was going to hit the fan later. That damned expedition was too close. He couldn't babysit out there and he had no patients left for it anyways.
He stepped towards her, his tone quivering with sustained irritation as he explained, "since you obviously didn't know before, let me make it crystal clear now: you have full authority to defend yourself, River. You can fight back if some ass face hurts you or threatens you. Hell, I would even go so far as to say, feel free to make anyone that so much as looks at you the wrong way eat pavement. Do you understand? Because if I have to get involved to defend your sorry ass, that person is going to think what I did to Eren looked like a pleasant fucking game!"
Hanji whistled in astonishment, a smile playing across her lips. Somewhere inside Levi's supposed stone-cold heart, a nerve was struck today and it was a glorious discovery indeed. She never even realized he was capable of being so open about his defensive nature.
River on the other hand, had the opposite reaction. Her wide, icy eyes narrowed considerably and her expression grew dark. It gave the boy with them chills and he stepped off to the side, but the short man only pulled back his bored face as he challenged her.
"I don't need to be protected," she spat.
"Then fucking prove it," Levi growled back.
"Is that an order?"
"Do you feel compelled to listen?"
"Not particularly, old man."
The two glared each other down while Eren and Hanji stood watching; one with confusion and the other with excitement.
Just when Hanji was predicting an outburst, they were interrupted as a clumsy blonde boy turned the corner quickly, coming to an immediate halt when he almost tripped over Eren. The new comer heaved heavy breaths and he didn't seem to notice what he was interrupting, or the half naked girl less than a foot away from him.
"Corporal, sir," he saluted finally, directing his attention to the shorter man. "Commander Erwin needs to see you. It's urgent."
"Hanji, she's yours until I'm done. Keep an eye on her and for fuck sakes, show her how to throw a decent punch," he snarled as he passed by the girl without another glance.
The scientist burst out laughing as he passed. Their messenger seemed to suddenly become aware of River and his cheeks went red immediately as he tried to stutter apologies while averting his gaze.
"Armin, uhm… this is River," Eren tried to introduce, biting back laughter.
"Get. Out. Of. My. Sight," she demanded with a chill on her tongue.
Eren smiled, even while the blonde boy seemed to shutter. The two complied, heading inside and starting up a conversation that began with Eren explaining that she wasn't as harsh as she appeared, though he still hadn't figured out how to get off her bad side.
"You can put that on now and then we'll go to my office," Hanji told her, the smile still on her face. Then she winked and added, "it'd be best to give shorty the time to do some hunting when he's out of his meeting."
"…Hunting," River echoed with a question written on her eyes, calm again and zipping up the jacket. Her belly and scars still showed, but at least the top was covered.
A familiar, chilling grin split open on her face when Hanji answered, "for those cadets of course."
"Oh."