Dads & Daughters
"Rain, are you okay? Rain? Um, hello? Rain!"
"Huh?!" Rain jumped at the voice yelling in her ear. She blinked multiple times before registering Ross's worried eyes staring down at her. "Oh, sorry. What?"
"Are you okay?" Ross asked. "You've been sitting there for…well, I don't really know how long. I just came back and found you sitting there."
Rain looked down. She scanned her eyes over Flame's stall floor she was sitting on several times before remembering what happened. Blushing, she stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes. "Sorry. I just got lost in thought a bit."
"Lost in thought?" Ross gave her a skeptical look, his hand when to Flame's neck when the mare stepped over to them. "You looked more like you saw a ghost or something. You were very pale. Are you sure you're all right? Did someone threaten you or something? Was it Levi? I saw him walking away a minute ago. Was he in here?"
"No…nothing like that," Rain said. "I mean Levi was in here, but he didn't do anything. Really. I'm just fine."
Ross hummed at her skeptically.
Rain smiled, trying to assure him that she was fine. "Actually, I was thinking about having a dad and daughter date with dad. Mikasa suggested that when I went to see her and the boys."
"Well, that sounds like fun," Ross said. "Will I get to see you in a dress?"
Rain laughed. "Don't count on it."
"Oh, that's such a shame," Ross said. "I'm sure you'll look wonderful in one."
"I'd look stupid in one," Rain said. Her horse whinnied while brushing her large nose over the skin of her arm. Reaching up, she scratched the mare behind her ear. "Besides you can't go flying around on the ODM gear."
"I guess that's true," Ross said. "You're dad wouldn't like all those men glancing up at your, um…" His already sun burnt face turned redder. "Never mind."
"Don't worry about it," Rain said. "I guess I'll be heading inside now. I really need to go find my dad."
Ross nodded and stepped out of the stall. "I'm sure you want to tell him about Mikasa's idea."
"Yeah." Rain followed the man then closed the stall door. She waved to him and headed for the headquarters. Her body jerked to a pause when she saw Levi and his friends standing beside the paddocks. Levi was leaning against the fence; body relaxed but alert. Her heart slammed into her chest when he glanced over at her. Whipping her eyes away from him, she ran away. The wind whipped through her hair as she made her want into the headquarters and up to her their room. Slamming the door behind her, she placed her back against it. Her chest heaved up and down. Rubbing her face she groaned in annoyance. Everything had gotten so complicated in just a short amount of time. And now she had to tell her dad of this mess. She wondered what he was going to do. She was already, suppose to be, forbidden from being around Levi. Well, that wasn't working at all. She had lost count of how many times she had ended up alone with him. It was like someone was messing with them and purposefully putting them together. It brought up a lot of questions.
Would her dad have Mike or Hange go everywhere with her now? Would she have to stay in her room when they couldn't be with her? Was Levi going to hold her secrets over her head? Was he really going to keep quiet about them? Wouldn't he tell his friends? They were close, weren't they? If he couldn't kill her dad would he use her secrets against them?
A dull throb pulsed behind her eyes from all the questions and uncertainties spinning in her mind. She pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned before dropping her head back against the door.
"I might as well tell him and get it over with," Rain said. A few more minutes passed before she pushed off the door. Opening it, she stepped out into the hall to track down her dad. Her boots clunked heavily on the stairs and the floor. Her legs were heavy as sand as she made her way down the semi-empty halls. No one seems to even notice her this time. Or maybe she was just too distracted by her current problem to even care about them.
Upon hearing her dad's laughter, she turned into the dinning hall to find him and four other soldiers sitting at a table. She watched them for a while before walked up to them. The smell of tea, coffee, and pipe smoke floated up from the men when she got to the table. A few empty plates were scattered in front of the men, suggesting they had a snack to go with their drinks. Standing at her dad's side, she waited patiently until he got done talking with the other men. "Dad, are you busy? There's something in need to talk to you about."
"I'm not busy. We're just talking about passed expeditions." Erwin nodded a goodbye to the soldiers. "Gentlemen."
The men bid Erwin farewell as the blonde man stood up and followed his daughter out of the room.
Rain bit her lip in thought; trying to decide if they should go back to their room or go to Hange's workroom.
"What's this about, Rain?" Erwin asked. "You're being oddly quiet."
"Me," Rain replied casually taking glances at the soldiers in the hall.
"Then let's go to our room," Erwin said.
Rain exhaled; relieved the decision was out of her hands. She walked in step with her dad until the came up to their room. She went directly to the couch and plopped down on its cushions. Without warning, her mouth blurted out everything. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Levi knows! He saw us training one day! I don't know how! He just did! I'm sorry, daddy! I'm really sorry!"
"There's nothing for you to apologize for." Erwin sat down beside her. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her to his side. "We knew this was a possibility. We can't keep this hidden forever."
"But why him? Of all people?" Rain asked.
"This does complicate things a bit more," Erwin said.
"Such a pain," Rain grumbled. Leaning against her dad's side, she brushed away her tears.
"I assume this means he spoke to you in private?" Erwin asked.
Rain forced her body to not cringe at his words or his fatherly warning tone. "Yes. He, sort of, cornered me in the barn. It was fine though. I could escape if I wanted to. It's just he surprised me with knowing about me. Ross was still around. So Levi didn't stick around for long. He just told me he knew and that he would keep my secrets. I didn't mean to be alone with him. It just happened."
"I see," Erwin said.
A tense moment passed before Rain could ask, "What now?"
"Nothing."
"What?" Rain looked up at him.
"There's really nothing we can do," Erwin said. "My plan is still going to proceed."
Rain blinked. She didn't know what she was expecting him to say but that surely wasn't it. "Okay then. Well, to change the subject, Mikasa has a good idea. And I'd like to do it with you."
"And what would that be?" Erwin asked.
"A father and daughter date," Rain said. "We don't have to do much. But we could just go out for meal. It would be nice to spend some quality time with you outside of the headquarters and away from all the soldiers."
"That sounds like a very nice idea," Erwin said.
"Really?!" Rain's eyes lit up.
Erwin nodded. "We can go tomorrow since I have nothing to do."
"Yes!" Rain jumped and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, daddy! You're the best!"
Erwin laughed and wrapped his arms around her. "Now no more worrying about Levi."
"Okay!" Rain chirped.
"Though if he does make a move on you or tells anyone about your secrets I'll be having Mike and Hange guarding you every single day," Erwin said.
"Daddy!" Rain slumped down on the couch. "I don't need to be babysat."
"If it's to keep you safe, then yes you do," Erwin said. "However, I don't feel that Levi will tell anyone."
"You seem confident," Rain said.
"It's a feeling." Erwin nodded.
"So you won't mind if I happen to be alone with him at times?" Rain found herself asking. She felt just as surprised at her dad looked. "I was just asking. It's going to happen, right? We live in the same building and all."
"I suppose so," Erwin said, his tone thick with suspicion. "But you should still avoid him as much as possible."
"Yes, sir." Rain nodded. "I will. Or I will try."
…
Rain hummed to herself as she walked down the hall towards the dinning hall. It was still over an hour before it was time for her to leave with her dad. While they were going to go get something to eat, she was really hungry. Her stomach was a bottomless pit that growled angrily for food.
"Rain."
Rain glanced up at Mike. "What's up?"
"Hange wants to see you in her office," Mike said.
"Okay. Thanks." Rain waved to the man and jogged down the halls until she came upon Hange's office. She knocked on the door a couple of times. "Hange, Mike said you wanted to see me."
"Come on! It's unlocked!" Hange called from the other side of the door.
Rain grabbed the doorknob and stepped inside. Darkness and confusion met her upon entering the older woman's office. "Why is it so dark in here?"
"Oh, you'll see soon enough," Hange said.
Creaking of the door hinges made Rain turn around. Standing there, pushing the door closed was Hange with an all too familiar look on her face. It was the same exact look Hange got when she was about to put titans through another test. A cold shiver ran down her spine when she heard a painfully familiar click of a lock. "H-Hange…what are you doing?"
"Oh, nothing much, my dear," Hange said, turning to face Rain. "I've got a little surprise for you."
Rain gulped and backed away. Her eyes landed on a piece of fabric that Hange was holding behind her back. "Whatever it is I don't want it!"
"Too bad!" Hange lunged at Rain, revealing the white fabric was actually a dress. "You're wearing this dress!"
"No! I! Am! Not!" Rain dodged to her right. She swerved around Hange and grabbed the doorknob. Her eyes locked onto a padlock on the door. "You've got to be kidding! When did you put a padlock on your door?!"
"As soon as I heard about your date with Erwin. And, no, my dear, I'm not kidding one bit," Hange said. "You're not leaving this room until you've got this dress on."
"I'm not wearing a dress!" Rain turned and bolted for the window. Daylight or not, she was jumping. She didn't care who saw her wings. Flinging back the curtains, she grabbed the window and pushed it up. But it didn't move. Sunlight glinted off the nails embedded in the wood. "You can't be serious! You nailed your window shut?!"
"I nailed all of them shut just to keep you inside," Hange said, holding out the dress. "Now put it on."
"No!" Rain said. "I will not!"
"Oh, yes you will," Hange said. Slinking up to Rain, she smiled devilishly. "If you don't you'll never see your precious horse again."
"What?!" Rain gasped. "What did you do to my horse?!"
"Don't worry, my dear," Hange said. "She's just fine. I only moved her. She'll come back once you wear this dress on your date."
"That's blackmail!" Rain said.
"I know!" Hange smiled.
"You're insane, woman!" Rain said. She cringed at how true that statement was. Her eyes dropped own to the monstrosity in the woman's hands. Never had she ever put much thought into dresses. They seemed so impractical when sailing through the trees on ODM gear. It would be impossible for her to move freely around in one. But how could she get out of this situation? She couldn't. She knew Hange all too well. The woman was serious when she said Flame wouldn't come back unless she wore it. With an annoyed grumble, she grabbed the dress, stripped, and put the item on. As she pulled it over her head, she saw Hange gathering up her clothes and putting them in her bedroom. The door slammed shut. "What was that about?"
"Just so you don't get the idea of changing back into your clothes," Hange said. She squealed while looking Rain and the dress over. "You look so cute!"
"I look ridiculous," Rain grumbled. She plucked at the fabric, wishing to pull it off of her and burn it. The skirt was too loose on her legs, which hung just above her knees. The bodice was too tight, showing that she didn't have a very large bust. And the short sleeves cut into her arms.
"I'm sure your dad will just love to see you in this," Hange cooed. "The shoes are right there by my desk"
Rain sighed while looking at the flat white slip on shoes. She thought maybe she could change before anyone saw her like this. All she had to do was get back to her room where the rest of her clothes were. Picking the shoes up, she said, "Well, I'm going to go back to my room now. I want to fix my hair to make sure my buns don't fall out."
"Okay!" Hange walked over to the door and unlocked it for her. "Enjoy your date!"
"Thanks," Rain said. Peaking out into the hall, she glanced down each side before bolting for her and her dad's room. Her feet pounded in sync with her heart. If anyone saw her like this she knew she would die of embarrassment. The short walk, or dash, to their room went painfully slow. She took stairs two at a time. And the halls stretched out forever before the familiar door finally came into her view. Grabbing the handle, she flung it open then slammed it behind her. The living room blurred from her mad dash to her bedroom. Through the white shoes on the floor, she grabbed her dresser knobs and jerked it open only to find it empty. She opened the next drawer then the next and the next, finding them all empty. Hange had planned ahead. She dropped her forehead onto the wood. "You have got to be kidding me! Hange!"
"Rain," Erwin called upon entering their living quarters. "I'm going to take a quick shower then we can head out."
"Great." Rain lifted and dropped her head on the drawer a few more times. Her fate had been decided. A lot of people were going to see her like this. She had no idea how long she stayed there like that, but soon her dad's voice called out for her that he was ready.
"Hey! Come on out, Rain!" Hange called. "We want to see you before you go off!"
Rain groaned. If Hange had came here then so did Mike. Forcing herself to her feet, she changed her shoes then headed for her door. Her cheeks burned like a blazing wildfire. She could feel her dad, Hange, and Mike's eyes appraising ever-single inch of her once she was in their sights. She glared at Hange. One way or another she was going to get the woman for putting her through this mess.
"You look amazing, Rain," Erwin finally said.
Mike nodded in agreement.
"She's beautiful!" Tears leaked down Hange's cheeks. "So beautiful! Our little girl is growing up so fast! I can't stand it! But you two have a wonderful time!"
"Thank you," Erwin said. Putting his arm around Rain's shoulders, he guided her out of the room and down the stairs. "You do look amazing."
"I feel so stupid," Rain said. She ducked her head upon seeing others stop and look at her. Her dad radiated with pride. It annoyed her. Walking down the stairs she was glad that Hange was smart enough to buy sensible shoes for her to wear. Now that she wasn't dashing around the halls to keep from being seen she noticed how much lighter they were than her boots. It was like someone had managed to wrap air around her feet. She didn't like it. Her mind was wondering how these thing little things were going to stay on her feet if she had to run or fight someone. She sighed in defeat, thinking as long as Levi didn't see her like this she would be fine.
"What the heck are you doing wearing a dress?!"
Rain cringed upon hearing Adam's familiar voice.
"Good evening, Cadet," Erwin said. "I'm taking my daughter out for this evening."
"Oh," Adam said.
Rain glanced up at the young man. He stood straight up in her dad's presences. She rolled her eyes. Adam was nothing but manners when his superiors were around.
"That sounds very nice, sir," Adam said. "I hope you have a good time."
"Thank you, young man." Erwin guided Rain away from him.
"You know he didn't mean it," Rain said.
"It doesn't matter," Erwin said.
They rounded a corner. Rain's jaw fell open upon coming face to face with Levi and his friends. Heat rushed to her cheeks when his eyes peered into hers then dropped down to her dress.
"Is that Rain?" Isabel asked.
"Why is she wearing a dress? We've been here for a while now and I don't think I've ever seen her in a dress," Farlan said.
Rain could feel Levi's eyes trailing up and down her body. She wondered if he was going to say anything. Seconds ticked passed. When he didn't say anything, she glanced up to find him just staring at her with a hard to read expression.
"If you will excuse us," Erwin said guiding Rain away from them. "Come on, Rain."
Rain barely heard him as her dad continued to direct her out of the headquarters. The bright sunlight poured into her eyes upon stepping outside. She blinked it away and looked around.
"You okay?" Erwin asked.
"Yes." Rain nodded. "I just wasn't expecting to see him."
"Let's be on our way," Erwin said.
"Where are we going exactly?" Rain asked. Her eyes drifted to a horse and carriage in front of the headquarters. She wondered for a moment why it was there, but got her answer when Erwin led her to it. He opened the door and she climbed inside. "You arranged a carriage?"
"I did." Erwin closed the door and sat across from her. "I wouldn't want you to get dirty walking there. Dirt loves you."
"I don't get that dirty." Rain crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down in the seat. A cool breeze flowed under the skirt of her dress. She quickly sat up and pulled her knees together.
Erwin lifted an eyebrow at her.
"Fine. I get dirty a lot," Rain said. "Where are we going, again?"
"There's small restaurant at the edge of town," Erwin said. "I've thought about taking you there before when you were young but I thought it would be best to limit you out in public then."
"Clearly," Rain said.
"You'll love their chicken," Erwin said.
"If you say so," Rain said.
"The owner is an old friend of mine," Erwin said. "I don't get to see him often. So I figured we could go there for our date. It's a nice small place so we won't have to worry about anyone trying to pull anything."
"I know the feeling of not getting to see your friends often," Rain said.
"I'm sorry," Erwin said. "I know I train you a lot, but-"
"Don't worry about it," Rain said. "I'm use to it, more or less. And I want to know about myself just as much as you do."
Erwin nodded.
Rain turned her attention to the outside world. She watched as the buildings and the people passed by them. Forty-five minutes later the carriage slowed to a stop. She watched as her dad got out first then followed him. Her eyes locked onto the small building in front of her. It was a simple wooden building with white trimming around the windows. Above the door was a sign that read: Marty's Place. "That's simple."
"Marty always was a simple man," Erwin said. "Shall we go inside?"
Rain nodded. With her dad's hand on her back, they walked up to the door. A small bell chimed and a mouthwatering mix of garlic and other spices greeted them upon their entry. She glanced around the room finding only about ten tables with white and red checked table clothes coupled with small vases with a couple yellow daisies stuck in them. Only a few other people were currently here.
"Welcome," a young man said. "Is it just the two of you?"
"Yes." Erwin nodded. "Is Marty here?"
"Right here, you young whippersnapper."
Rain turned her eyes to see a peppered haired man walking over to them.
"How long has it been?" the man asked, shaking her dad's hand.
"Too long," Erwin said.
The man nodded then noticed Rain. His thick eyebrows lifted on his forehead. "Goodness! Who is this lovely young lady you have here?!"
"Marty, this is my daughter, Rain," Erwin said. The tone of pride in his voice was undeniable. It made Rain's cheeks flush and she twitched nervously as the man's eyes scanning her.
"Daughter?!" the man gasped. "I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, but I never heard of you getting married! Why wasn't I invited?!"
"I didn't get married," Erwin said.
"Oh." Marty elbowed Erwin's ribs with a mischievous spark in his dark eyes. "I never took you for that type of guy."
Rain bit her bottom lip to suppress a giggle.
Erwin cleared his throat. "She's my adopted daughter. And we didn't come here to talk about whether or not I entertain women on my time off."
"Yes, of course," Marty said. "You came here to eat. I feel so used."
"I'm here on a date with my daughter," Erwin growled.
Marty laughed a deep laugh that made Rain smile. He then waved at them to follow him. "Okay, okay. I get it. Come with me. I'll give you the best seat in the house."
"Thank you," Rain said when the man pulled out her chair for her. Feeling awkward at the treatment, she quickly sat down. She peeked around the room. They ended up in the corner. She had to admit it was nice. They had a perfect view of everyone in the building and outside of the window.
"What would you like to drink?" Marty asked handing them the menus.
"I'll take tea," Erwin said.
"Water," Rain said.
"I'll be right back then," Marty said, stepping away from them.
Rain opened her menu and gazed over the words. "So, everything here is fresh?"
"It sure is," Erwin said. "Marty grows his own food."
"I guess I'll try the chicken like you suggested," Rain said.
"I think I will, too," Erwin said.
"Here you go," Marty said upon his return. He placed their drinks down then took out a pen and paper. "What would you like to eat?"
"We'll both have your chicken," Erwin said.
"Good choice," Marty said writing down their orders. "I'll cook it up personally and have it right out."
Rain watched him contently as he picked up their menus and disappeared through a door. Clanks of pots and pans came from the open door so she assumed that's where the kitchen was. "He cooks?"
"He loves to cook. Always has from what he's told me," Erwin said. "He started this business over thirty years ago. And hasn't slowed down a bit since then."
"So who exact is this guy to you?" Rain asked.
"He's like a second father to me," Erwin said.
"He is?" Rain tilted her head. "You've never mentioned him before."
"Life just gets busy," Erwin said. He picked up his tea and took a drink of it.
"When did you meet him?" Rain asked.
"I have to say it was shortly after I joined the Survey Corps," Erwin said. "I was so young and rash back then."
"I say you still are," Rain said.
"You might think so. But I'm not as wild as I use to be," Erwin said. "And I have to give all the credit to Marty for that."
"What did he do?" Rain asked.
"Drilled some patience into my head," Erwin said. "One day a friend of mine and I got caught stealing some apples from his store."
"You?!" Rain gasped. "You stole something?!"
"I did." Erwin nodded.
"I never would have guessed," Rain said.
"Well, I was caught, but my friend wasn't. And being the stubborn one I was, I refuse to tell who my friend was," Erwin continued. "So Marty took me home to tell my parents what I had done. From that day on I was to work for Marty to pay back what we had stolen. And believe me it wasn't easy. Marty worked me to the bones. I always tried to take shortcuts to get done faster, but he always caught me and made me do it again. And despite everything he always remained so patient with me. It use to drive me crazy."
Rain set her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.
"Eventually, he broke me," Erwin said. "I always did everything the correct way after that. Before long I had developed a friendship with him. He taught me how to be patient through cooking and cleaning."
"You cook? You never cook," Rain said.
"I don't now," Erwin said. "I don't have time for it. But I did a little back then. He's teaching rolled over into my job as a Survey soldier."
"And here I thought you were born like this," Rain said. "Smart with all your strict planning and scrutinizing over every single detail."
"Some say I was," Erwin said. "All I needed was to get focus on that. And here I am."
"Here you go," Marty said.
Rain jumped at his unexpected presence. "All ready?"
"It's been about fifteen minutes, kid," Marty said.
Rain looked down at her place. A golden chicken breast was laid out with fresh green beans, corn, and mash potatoes. The aroma drifted into her nose, making her mouth water and her stomach grumble. "It looks wonderful."
"Thank you," Marty said.
"I was just telling Rain how we met," Erwin said.
"That ol' story?" Marty chuckled. "You were a wild one all right. Well, I won't keep you. You two eat. We'll talk a bit more later if you have time."
"Sure thing," Erwin said.
Rain picked up her fork and pulled a piece of steamy chicken off. Flavor exploded on her tongue. A perfect blend of spices danced over her wet muscle. "It's so good!"
"I knew you'd like it," Erwin said. Picking up his fork, the two dug into their home cooked meal. When they were about done with their meal, Marty came back over with a slice of apple pie for them both. He sat down with them and talked more about his days with Erwin as a young man.
Rain listened like a child. It was a side of her dad she didn't know existed and she wanted to know everything.
"He ended up breaking a dozen plates by spinning them on top of the broom like that. I'm telling ya, if I could have turned him over my lap and tanned his backside I would have!" Marty said. "You should have seen him that day! He was showing off so hard for that group of girls it was pathetic! He really liked the blonde one! And she was a looker! Her breasts were the size of watermelons!"
Erwin cleared his throat. "All right. That's enough of that."
"I would have love to seen that," Rain said. She glanced at her dad. With his arms crossed over his chest and his thick eyebrows pulled together, she had a hard time picturing him as a flirting show off. "I can't picture him showing off for girls."
"I hope this young whippersnapper is treating you well," Marty said, jerking his thumb towards a frowning Erwin.
"He is." Rain nodded. "He's taught me a lot since he took me in."
"I'm pleased to hear that." Marty glared at Erwin. "Even though I'm just hearing about it now."
"I'm sorry," Erwin said. "Life gets busy."
"You still could have stopped by on one of your days off," Marty said. "Or do you no longer get those in that Corps of yours?"
Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course they do. I just didn't have time to bring her here."
Rain couldn't help but giggle. Never had she seen someone get her dad this fluster before.
"Well, it's be nice seen you, but we should be going," Erwin said.
"Running off again, eh?" Marty squinted at him.
"Not at all," Erwin said. "We are on a date after all."
"Of course, of course," Marty said. "I won't keep you any longer. But do come by and see me before another twenty years passes by."
"It hasn't been twenty years." Erwin frowned.
"Almost," Marty said, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you, young lady."
"You too, sir," Rain said, shaking his hand.
"Be sure to make him come by some time." Marty jerked his finger to Erwin.
"Oh, I will. Or I might just come by myself," Rain said with a snicker. "I want to hear more about my dad as a younger man."
"Let's go, Rain," Erwin ordered.
Rain shared a laugh with Marty before following after her dad. She stretched out in the warm sunlight. "That was a lot more fun than I though it was going to be."
"Maybe for you," Erwin said.
"What now? Are we heading back to the headquarters?" Rain asked.
"Not yet," Erwin said. "I thought we could walk around for a bit. We'll meet driver and carriage back here in a few hours."
"Sure." Rain nodded. They walked away from the carriage. "Anything special you want to do?"
"Just spend more time with you," Erwin said.
"Great!" Rain linked her arm through her dad's. Strolling along with his, she eyed the shops and people as they went. They all seemed so content. It was almost like the outside world, the titans, didn't even exist. It was perfect. Soon the sound of music floated to them. "Hey, there's band over there."
"Let's check it out," Erwin said. He guided her through the crowd of people until they came upon a fountain. There a small group of people was playing a violin, drums, and a few string instruments. The beat was upbeat and happy, letting people dance around the fountain. "Would you like to dance?"
"You know how to dance?" Rain looked up at him.
Taking her hand, he chuckled and pulled her out from the crowd a bit. "You don't know everything about me, my little one."
"I'm beginning to think I don't know anything about you," Rain said as her dad put her left hand on his shoulder. She dropped her eyes down to the ground when he started guiding her around. With a squeak she did her best to not step on his feet.
"Don't look down. Look at me," Erwin said. "Follow my lead. You know I won't let you down."
"I know." Rain lifted her eyes back to his. "I'm just not use to moving like this. It feels weird."
"Dancing can be difficult," Erwin said.
"It's useless," Rain said.
"I wouldn't say that," Erwin said.
"Then why haven't you taught me-" She winced upon stepping on his foot. "Sorry."
"Just relax," Erwin coached. "Step forward, step to your right. That's it. I guess it is a bit useless in our line of work. But it can be a fun recreational thing."
"Maybe." She stepped on his toes again. "Sorry. If I knew how to do it."
"You could learn if you want," Erwin said. "I'm not the best dance teacher, but there are others in the Corps who could teach you."
"No," Rain said.
"Rain, I know you have to be careful, but that doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself from everyone," Erwin said.
"I don't mind," Rain said. When he gave her a skeptical look she quickly added, "Not really. Besides they don't like me anyway."
"They don't know you," Erwin said.
"I'm fine as I am," Rain said. "I have you, Mike, Hange, and my friends. Besides you know it would be better to make friends until after we figure out what all I can do. I don't want to hurt anyone with it."
"Understood," Erwin said.
"I'm a bit surprised you said that," Rain said. "You always want me to be careful."
"I guess I'm feeling a bit guilty that you don't have many friends," Erwin said. "And I'm feeling a bit sentimental having visit Marty."
"Well, I have a friend in him now," Rain said. "And I can't wait to go hear more stories about you."
"On second thought," Erwin said, "I don't want you making new friends at all."
Rain laughed. "Sure thing, daddy. Whatever you say."
A scream erupted from the festivities. The people all started talking at once. It was followed by a couple of gunshots. The crowds screamed and scattered when three men holding guns came running towards them.
Rain took a closer look at the men and noticed they were all carrying brown bags in their gun free hands that held the familiar symbols of the banks around this area. "Dad! They robbed a bank!"
"Right! Let's go!" Erwin said.
The two rushed forward. With their swift movements they caught the thieves off guard and easily knocked two of them out. Whipping around they zeroed in on the last guy. A young woman screamed out when the thief grabbed her. He held the gun to her head and said, "No body move! If you do this girl dies!"
"Help me!" the woman cried.
"Let her go!" Rain said.
"Easy, Rain," Erwin said to her. He then looked at the thief. "Calm down, son."
"I'm not your son!" the guy snapped. "I just want to get out of here!"
"We can't let you do that," Erwin said. "Just give up. It'll be a lot easier for you."
Rain glanced down at her dad's hand when she caught a glimpse of him moving. The hand signals were clear. A circle with his index finger followed by a tap on his thumb. She was to slip around behind the man and knock him out. So she waited. Watching the thief she waited until his attention was completely on her dad before slipping away.
"You don't want to kill her," Erwin said. "You've only stolen some money. If you let her go I can put in a good word for you on cooperating."
"I said, shut up!" the man said. "Do you want this girl to die?!"
Rain slowly slipped away as her dad said, "Of course I don't. I don't want you to die either. But I will kill you if it's necessary."
She kept her eyes on the thief, making sure he didn't see her. Inch by inch she made her around him.
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
"Come on," Erwin said. "Let her go."
Rain glanced around for a weapon. She found a rock bigger than her hand. Picking it up, hoping the rough edges didn't cut her skin; she began to slip up behind the thief.
"I told you to shut up!" The man pointed his gun at Erwin. "I'm not going to te-"
Rain slammed the rock on the back of his head. The man went limp. The young woman screamed and ran off. She dropped the rock near the unconscious man. "Thanks a lot for ruining my date with my dad, you jerk."
"Good job, Rain," Erwin said. Shouts of five military polices made him look over his shoulder. "The military police can handle it from here."
"Erwin Smith," one of the military police said when he saw the men on the ground. "Did you stop them?"
"My daughter and I did," Erwin said. "Luckily, no one was harmed."
"Thanks for the assist," he said, shaking Erwin's hand. "We'll take it from here."
Erwin nodded and turned to Rain. "Shall we?"
"Sure. But I don't think we're going to top that," Rain said with a laugh. Hooking her arm back into her dad's the two headed off to find more to do on their date.
…
Author's Notes: I need ideas. I want a few more chapters before moving on to the expedition but I'm drawing a huge blank. I have two chapters but I'd like at least two more. Is there anything anyone wants to see? Or have any ideas to share?
demonicKitsune2: Rain sure is in denial. To me Levi doesn't seem to have a crush on her just yet. But he's right on the edge for sure. Thanks for reading. Glad you like it.