I See Fire by Celtic Woman
"Crow and Wolf."
The new recruits looked like children.
Well, technically, they were children. But the obviousness of their youth was startling. From Thalia's viewpoint at the second story window, she could just make out the confident pull of their mouths and the prideful hold of their shoulders as they stood at attention in a straight line in the courtyard.
She let out a slow, calming breath. Shaking her head, she slipped away from the window. She passed by soldiers and officers, non sparing her a second glance as she confidently strode down the hall. The joints of her braces squeaked ever so slightly and she winced as the noise bounced off the rock. She would need to fix that tonight.
Without a moments' hesitation, Thalia twisted the knob to Levi's office and slipped in. She was surprised it was even unlocked, but was grateful all the same. One man's mistake was another's victory.
The room was empty. The curtains were drawn back to allow the sunlight to spill across the perfectly neat desk and spotless floor.
A pang filled her chest as she glided across the floor, braces squeaking softly. She really needed to oil the hinges.
Studying the empty desk, Thalia bit the inside of her lip. Carefully, she hooked her fingers under the drawer knob and pulled.
To her relief and utter dismay, it opened soundlessly. Annoyance tightened her ribs. Was he honestly so careless as to leave his office unlocked and not secure his files?
It didn't take long to find the files. They were bundled neatly and tied off with a loose strand of cord. Her fingers carefully pulled the string off and she flipped open the first folder. The first name was neatly printed in bold black: Mikasa Ackerman. Height was 170 centimeters and was sixty-eight kilograms. Both parents were deceased.
Thalia's eyebrows rose. She resided at the Jager household in Shiganshina. Well, before it was destroyed by Titans, that is.
The familiar chill of the memory of the wall being breached slid down Thalia's spine. Never had she been gripped with so much bone numbing fear.
She flipped to the next cadet. Armin Arlert. He was also from Shiganshina. Parents deceased.
Sasha Braus. A farm girl. Family still alive.
Connie Springer. Same as Sasha.
Jean Kirschtein. Mother alive, father unknown. Trost District. Ah, that could be troublesome. Her family had a ring of men that were their eyes in that city. Which meant her family name could be known. Not commonly. One had to run in the wrong circles and Thalia doubted the boy would have heard of them if he had been at bootcamp since he was ten. But still. She would have to tread lightly.
Thalia kept flipping, eyes flying across pages and brain filing away any information she deemed important. Strengths, weaknesses, potential specialties the instructors thought the cadets would excel at. A flawless machine designed to power out soldiers who obeyed without hesitation.
Christa Lenz. Parents deceased and hailed a small water-back town in the plains.
Bingo.
Thalia memorized the physical description the documents listed. When she was confident she would be able to spot the girl in a crowd, she put the files away just as she found them and slipped into the hall silently.
Guilt weighed down her intestines but she shook it off by quickening her stride. Levi would be curious as to why she wanted to see the documents if she had asked him. She couldn't have told him even if she wanted to. The Don never said why he wanted Christa's name. Only that it was needed.
Was it double crossing? Technically. But when you wish to use a crow, you were bound to be tricked. The Scouts joined with a syndicate. Morality and good faith was hard to come by in their den.
AN: Thalia's character is slowly becoming harder to write as she grows, which has been a very fun challenge!
Feysandcats: Thank you so much! I am doing well, life has just been very busy as of late. I am fortunate to be working this summer. I hope you are also doing well!
Lily Resh: I find it sweet that she's slightly taller than him. And my oh my, how observant you are ;)
Moon Shiney: Thank you! I love YOU!
I hope everyone is safe and well. I am a firm believer that this site should be used as a means of escape from reality, so any comments i make about current events will be limited. Stay safe. In the words of my beautiful biochemistry professor, "Be kind. Go do some good in the world today."