Échecs et choix = Chess and Choices

Mid-October, 843

Ker-plink.

She was back in the Underground again, a mere fourteen years old, with her raven hair cascading down her back and ending just below her shoulder blades. The smell of gunpowder was sickeningly heavy, and she watched a round, metal bullet knock over another tin can.

Ker-plink.

"How long do I have to sit and watch?"

"Until I think yer ready to take a shot on yer own without shootin' yer fuckin' eye out." Kenny grumbled, casting a glance at her before pulling the trigger again. The bullet ricocheted off a wooden crate, and bounced off the rocky, soily ground until it rolled against Kuchel's shoe.

The noirette kicked it, then gave her big brother a pout. "C'mon, Ken-Ken, I can handle it. Pretty please?"

"Yeah, Ken. C'mon, let 'er take a shot, why dontcha? I wanna see what the squirt's got in 'er!" A feminine voice hummed from the sidelines. Kenny's little posse included two other men, both twin brothers with slicked-back blonde hair, and the woman who had spoken up, her hair short and a dark brown that nearly rivalled Kuchel's colour in murkiness.

"Oi, Adalia, shut it. She ain't ready."

"Bullshit!" She flicked her cigarette from between her boney fingers, stomping it out before sauntering over and grabbing the rifle from Kenny's hands. It made him growl in agitation, but Adalia ignored it, footing her big brother out of the way so she could have a turn. "Alright, kiddo. Let's show ya how to use it, eh?"

It took no less than an hour for Kuchel to get her first shot on the centre of a tin can. With each shot, she got better, as though it had been ingrained in her to know just how to take aim and fire. Kenny eventually seemed content with her progress, and gave her a pat on top of her head, taking care to make sure he messed it up, just like a brother should. "Ah, not bad, brat."

"Thanks, Ken. And here ya said I wasn't ready~?" Kuchel batted her eyes up at him, feigning pure sisterly innocence that drew a groan from him.

"Oi, little shit. Take the compliment."

Shortly after her fifteenth birthday, Kenny got her a gun of her own, though once she was inducted into his vagrant gang, there was hardly a need for it. Kai and Kaleb, the twins, would hoist the petite teenager up to sneak in through vents and windows, whether it be to destroy MP paperwork for the hell of it, or to steal valuables from fat cats. Adalia would always be on the lookout, with her gun in hand, and Kenny would be busy doing whatever Kennys do– it just depended on the situation. Sometimes, he'd be her shield when she needed to run, taking the blows of shrapnel from the shitty civilian pistols, the blades of haphazardly thrown knives, or what have you. Though she knew stealing was wrong, it wasn't like they did it to poor people, and Walls, was it fucking exhilirating to get away with it.

She felt like she was on top of the world, and sometimes, after fantastic heists, the posse would lift her up on their shoulders and give her wondrous praise that made her feel warm inside. At their house, family was bitter, cold, and unloving, but Kenny's gang was the closest thing she had to normalcy. With them, she felt appreciated, and like she was useful.

A name that Adalia had called her once rang through her memory.

"You're the Shadow of the Underground, Kuch! Be proud of yourself!"

The pride only lasted a few months. On the eve of her sixteenth birthday, the gang had one last run to do for the night, and sent in their cunning, clever weapon, with her sneaky footsteps and quick reactions. The goal was to steal a diamond necklace that had been shipped below ground to be polished up and sent back to Mitras. It didn't take her long to find the beautiful, sparkling piece, but when her nimble fingers plucked it out of its case, the door to the room slammed open, causing her blood to run cold.

"Oi! What the fuck do ya think yer doin', you bitch?!"

Kuchel had never run so fast in her life, bolting out the other door and trying to make it to some sort of cover as she heard pistol shots. They bounced off the walls of the alley she was running down, the diamond necklace clenched firmly against her palm as she scurried away.

The man's last bullet didn't miss a beat, careening straight through her ankle and sending her to the ground. Adrenaline pulsed through her, trying to keep her going, but Kuchel partially collected herself, enough to prop herself up to look down and see the damage.

Red was the only thing her eyes could see as the pain began to hit, her brain not even registering that she'd dropped the necklace in her own pool of blood when she tripped. Her breaths were ragged, tears streaming down her face as her scream echoed through the alleyway.

"KENNY! KENNY HELP ME!"

It was that injury that was currently sending a dull, aching pain through her ankle, the nerves burning halfway up her calf as she got dressed. She'd heard from those at the hospital all those years ago that achy joints meant it was going to rain, but Kuchel had no idea about that. Slipping on the rest of the uniform, the older woman nudged Isabel awake. "C'mon, baby, it's time to get up."

"Ngh, but Mama, I'm tired…"

"So am I, baby, but you still have to wake up. You can't sleep forever, you know."

Eventually, she was able to rouse the redhead and help get her dressed, and by the time Kuchel broke out Isabel's ODM straps, the older teen was ready to put them on by herself.

Breakfast was nothing out of the ordinary, but Kuchel remained quiet as Isabel rambled to them about being excited for horse training. The raven-haired woman's eyes stayed fixed on her plate as she chewed, wondering why that memory had plagued her that morning as she prepared for the day. Sometimes, the human mind was fickle as to reason. Maybe it snuck in simply because of the radiating pain in her appendage, maybe it was because she knew now that her son had been doing the same stupid, idiotic, foolish shit that had gotten her shot.

It could have even been triggered by that gut-wrenching nickname that she never wanted to hear again, "The Shadow of the Underground." The fact that it had gotten its filthy fingers gripped onto her son's name made her sick to her stomach.

She had no idea that across the table, Levi was mulling over a memory of his own that had reared its ugly head in his dream. He was better at hiding his discontent, but it was still gnawing at him, as he had never wanted to relive such a thing.

The scent of his mother surrounded him, sitting in her lap as she flipped through the pages of a story book they had read together at least a hundred times by now. Levi had memorised every word, every image, every bent corner on the pages, and all of the nicks on the cover. Someone had sent the novel to Mama to read to him when he was barely two years old, and now being nearly four, he could appreciate the story even more.

"Oh, I wonder what's going to happen to the ducky next, Li-Li?" Mama cooed into his ear, her breath tickling his skin and making his cheeks feel warm. Levi leaned back against her chest, and hummed in delight.

"He gonna go to the pond, Mama, and make friends with the froggy!"

"Let's see… oh! Looks like you're right, baby. I wonder how you could have ever known that?" He giggled at her sarcastic tone, and was soon attacked with a barrage of kisses. The book fell from her delicate hands, and she tucked her arms around his body to draw him closer for more ticklish smooches.
"Mama! That tickles~!"

Before she could reply to his chiming words, there was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of a gruff voice, a tinge of malice hidden behind calm words.

"Olympia, make yerself decent, 'cus I need to talk to you."

He didn't understand what was going on entirely, but his raven-haired mama was quick to scoop him up, forgetting about the book, the kisses, and everything in between. In a flash, she had placed him down in a pile of blankets in their tiny closet, and raised a finger to her lips, which he knew meant to stay quiet. Levi's big blue eyes gazed up at her questioningly. "Mama, why-"

"Olympia!"

"C-Coming!" She and Levi both winced at the booming voice outside the door, and her silvery eyes latched onto him once again. "Levi, stay in here until I get you, okay?"

He only responded with a nod, and she shut the rickety closet door. The creaky wood had slits that his curious eyes could peer through, and he watched as Mama opened the door a crack, her hand noticeably shaky. She stumbled back quickly when the pimp shoved the door open, nearly knocking it off its hinges as he grabbed her throat. Levi felt his heart clenching in his chest, and covered his mouth to lessen the sound of his whimpers, for he knew that if he was heard, he might be hurt too. Mama would be terribly upset if he got hurt.

"Ya fuckin' connivin', stealin' whore!"

The noirette was tossed violently to the floor, and she yelped in pain as the air got knocked out of her lungs upon impact. Levi tried to look away, but couldn't help but watch as the pimp kicked her in the side, making her wail in agony and fear. "I-I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"

"If I hear ya stole money from a customer again yer fuckin' dead, Olympia. And I'll strangle your sickly lookin' pup to death with yer dress!"

The beating went on for what seemed like forever. It was unbearable, and the little boy couldn't help the tears that spilled over his cheeks like a leaking faucet. It led to him burying himself under the mound of blankets, trying to hide away from the world, away from his mother's blood that was spattered on the floor from her busted up nose, away from everything.

He fell asleep like that, and had no idea how much time had passed before familiar hands touched his soft tresses. Levi whimpered as he opened his bleary, tear-misted eyes, and peered up to see a warm, familiar face, framed by ginger waves and dotted with freckles. "Hey baby, come here, Li-Li, Auntie's got you…"

Amelia picked him up, cradling the back of his head as a sob bubbled in his chest. "M-Mommy? What happen to Mommy?"

"She's sleeping, baby, Auntie fixed her up. Mama's gonna be okay. Let's get you in bed with her, huh?"

"Levi?"

"Huh? What?" His gaze flickered upward to meet hers, and she tapped her fork against her lips absentmindedly.

"You've barely touched your food, sweetie. You need to eat to have energy for today, okay?"

"Oh. Yeah, right." He nodded, spooning some eggs into his mouth and not caring much for the taste. Levi was riddled with pestering thoughts, ones that scuttled about in his brain like roaches in the Underground, that would never cease to infest every space they entered. So much had happened in the past week, and the words he had heard last night from Erwin and Shadis made him furious.

Recruit his mother? She wasn't meant for any of this, yet here she was, across from him in a Scout Regiment uniform, eating and settling in as if this was all common fare. She should be back home, cooking things that she wanted to, or reading a new book, looking at nice dresses in shops, not learning how to cut the nape out of a Titan's neck. This was fucking ridiculous, all of it, and what worried him the most was how it could interfere with the plans to kill Erwin for Mr. Lovof. If they did everything as planned, Mama could still be stuck in the Scouts, right? That could be disastrous.

That day, Erwin said that they were going to be doing training with the horses, to see how she handled herself on one. Kuchel went ahead of the trio to the stables, wanting to pick out her horse on her own, without the distractions of Isabel yapping away, or Furlan having to reel her in. As much as she loved the kids, sometimes it was best for her mind to do things on her own.

The stables were quiet, save for the sound of huffing stallions and stomping mares. The noirette closed the door behind her, sighing at the scent of hay. It did make her wonder where the scent of manure was, but her question was answered when she saw a woman walking around on the other side of the building, shovelling the horse shit so that it could be disposed of properly. Kuchel didn't even have to bother speaking up, because the brunette saw her and dropped everything to run over. "Hi! Oh, you look just like Levi, so you must be his mother, who I have heard so much about! What's your name? Mine's Hange Zoë, but everyone calls me Hange."

She watched the glasses on Hange's face reflect the sunlight that shone through a nearby window, highlighting the exquisite, amberesque streaks that graced her brown eyes. The excitement in them couldn't be contained behind mere lenses, and it made Kuchel smile brightly. "Kuchel. My name's Kuchel, sweetheart. Have I met you somewhere before?"
"Hm, no, unless you've seen me around, Miss Kuchel." Hange pondered, tapping a finger to her chin. "I don't recall seeing you, though. Just your son. What a charming yet stubborn guy…"

"Oh, truly. He takes after his mother." She mused in response. "Say, I need your help, if you run things around here. Do you think that you could help me find a horse? I rode one here, but I don't know where she is."

"Oh, must be the mare that was tied up by the barracks. Here." Hange led her to a stall, and on their approach, the familiar horse leaned its head over the stall door. Kuchel had nearly forgotten how the horse looked, with a chestnut-brown coat that sported a few white patches on the neck and back. Her hand came up to pet the horse's nose, earning a content sound from the animal as well as a lick on her forearm.

"She seems to have taken a liking to you already, seeing as you said that you rode her here. It's probably only right that she stays your horse, then! So you should give her a name." Hange chimed, reaching to pet the animal as well, running her pale fingers through the dark mane that cascaded down its neck.

Kuchel chewed her cheek, letting some names roll around in her mind before she thought of a good one. "Ranya."

"Ranya? Oh, that's just swell, Miss Kuchel. You and your son picked good names for your horses!" Hange told her.

"Really? What did Levi name his horse?"

She watched the brunette pace over to a nearby stall, whistling at the sleek, black stallion house within. "Here he is! This is Alexander."

"Alexander, huh? What a regal sounding name for a Survey Corps stallion." The dark-haired woman simpered, coming over to give her son's horse a few scratches on the neck, much to its delight.

Before Hange could respond, Levi, Isabel, and Furlan came into the stables. Levi raised a brow as he approached the two of them, looking at Hange more than her. "Ah, Mama, you met Four-Eyes."

"Okay, midget."

Kuchel looked between the two of them, trying to read what the hell was going on between them. It surprised her to see a twinkle of amusement in her son's half-lidded eyes, his gaze flickering to the horse. "I see you've met Alexander?"

"Yes, I have. He's very pretty, Levi, just like you." Kuchel could never resist a good opportunity to embarrass her baby boy, reaching to pat his now rouging cheek.

"Thanks, Ma'."

Hange was the one that was assigned to teach them how to do all of this, and though the young woman was like a lovely rose, and sweeter than honey, it was fucking frustrating. There were so many things to remember that Kuchel felt like her head was going to pop off, and wondered if a hot shower would be in order after all of this.

First, Hange showed them how to tack a horse, which included brushing its hair, putting on all of the necessary gear, like the saddle pad and saddle, securing the girth correctly around its body, and then how to put the bridle on. This seemed to come incredibly easily to her son, as well as the other two, but Ranya was damn stubborn, just like her rider, and that mare would be damned if she had a bit put in her maw. The damn horse even nipped her hand when she tried, how rude.

It didn't make Kuchel any more amused when Hange came over, nudged the horse's mouth open on the side with her thumb, and guided the bit in effortlessly. Kuchel found it to be a wonder that she had somehow ridden this horse all the way from Mitras, but recalled that she, in fact, had not been the one to tack her up in the first place.

Maybe Ranya just didn't like her as much as she had originally thought.

The group took their horses out to the field, and the trainees were instructed to listen to Hange's guidance, with the woman giving them an onslaught of equine information that made her mind spin. Apparently, there were different names for the speeds at which a horse could travel, and she'd have been lying to herself if she said it wasn't confusing. Walk, trot, canter, gallop. It should have been simple to remember, but the middle two kept getting confused in her already tired brain.

Kuchel sat back for the first round of training to observe, as per Hange's suggestion. She would be the first to admit that she was having a hard time, so when it was suggested to her that she watch the trio go through the rounds to try to see what they did right, Kuchel figured it was the best option. Now she leaned back against the wooden fence, the midday sun kissing her pale cheeks. If she kept standing there, she'd get a fucking sunburn, too, and from what she remembered, those were quite unpleasant.

"Enjoying the sun, Miss Kuchel?"

The voice behind her was familiar, and though it annoyed her to some degree, there was something else in the rugged tone that made her straighten a bit, made her clear her throat, along with tucking some inky stray hairs behind her ear. "Quite, Mr. Smith."

The man came around the fence, coming to stand next to her and lean against the same section of the wooden pen. Kuchel had nearly forgotten until now just how fucking huge this man was, feeling as though he were nearly two heads taller, at the very least.

"Very nice. How's your head?"

"Do you really care?" It wasn't supposed to come out so sharply, but she had no reason to trust him yet. After all, he was the one that had caused her injury in the first place.

Then again, she had also caused his injuries, and he was being nothing but kind to her.

"Yes, I do, actually. I suppose I'll move onto something else. After you all finish the horseback training, I'd like to see you in my office, at your convenience, at some point today. Does that sound alright with you?"

"That's fine." The words were nearly cut off when a pang bolted through her ankle, etching an expression of discontent across her sharp features. Erwin seemingly noticed the change in her demeanour, shifting to offer his hand in support.

"Kuchel? Are you alright?"

"M'fine. I wouldn't expect someone your age to understand the pains that come with getting old." Her hardened blue eyes flickered to look at him, watching as he retracted his hand.

"Well, I understand mostly. I'm not as young as you think I am."

"Oh, really now?"

"Yes, Miss Kuchel, I just turned thirty-seven."

Now that was astonishing. This man had monumental stress upon his shoulders, yet he looked so young for his age. The onyx-haired woman couldn't help but glance at his hands, noticing there was no ring that graced them. Interesting that such a man would be unwed at his age, especially at his rank.

Though, there was something about him that Kuchel could sense, like there was a desire for something greater burning deep within his soul. It was a look that one rarely saw in the Underground City, but those with that intense, startlingly strong gaze ended up doing impressive things.

Each person with that look was an enigma, a puzzle box meant to be cracked, decoded, examined, and the like, though few ever dared to fiddle with the inner workings of a mechanism like that. As Kuchel was called over to try to mount Ranya, she glanced back at the blonde man, wondering what secret his heart was trying to decrypt, what truth he seeked to know.

Hange smiled, holding onto the reins attached to Ranya's bridle. "Alrightie, we're just gonna practise getting on. Sometimes it can be tricky, but I promise it's not too bad. Just put the ball of your foot into the stirrup, grab the horn of the saddle, and try to push off the ground and swing your foot over."

Kuchel took a deep breath, reaching up to grab onto the horn of the saddle, just like Hange instructed her to do. This was daunting, especially with such a tall horse. On her way from Mitras, there had been stables she'd checked the horse into that had step stools, but here she was on the ground, and it was all too evident that she was a bit on the short side.

Before anyone could try to offer her help, she hopped up, swinging her leg over the saddle, and plopping her butt down on the smooth leather. Kuchel heard a horse approaching on her side, and looked up to see Levi ride up with Alexander, holding the reins confidently. "Good job, Ma'. Now we can get to learning the basics."

"This wasn't the basics? Sheesh, Mama's tired." She exhaled, taking the reins when Hange handed them to her.

"Unfortunately, Miss Kuchel, this is just the beginning. There's a lot to know about horses, how to ride them, train them, bond with them, and everything in between!" Hange lamented, though the coppery-haired brunette at least tried to be cheery about it.

"Fair enough. It's not like we had many horses in the Underground to learn that sort of thing." Kuchel told her, gripping the reins and starting to practise with the different speeds of travel.

That was another thing she didn't think a horse could be so fucking stubborn about, but damn, Ranya was relentless in making Kuchel's life hell. It wasn't helping that the poor noirette kept mixing up the signals for each gait, and the chaotic, confusing combination was a recipe for agitation and frustration.

After about an hour of that, Hange wanted to gauge how well they could stand on a saddle while the horse was running. She ensured them that this was normal training for cadets, as out in the field, it was often necessary to take off from the back of one's horse in order to slice the nape off a Titan. Being slow and stumbling was the difference between life and death.

They took turns, with Isabel being first to go, followed by Furlan. Both had mild difficulty on their first attempts, but with another go at it, they did a fairly decent job. Levi stood next to her as they took in the sight, and he glanced over at her. "Do you think you'll be alright? It seemed like your ankle was bothering you."

"I'll be fine, baby. It shouldn't be too hard."

Levi didn't seem to believe her, but gave her shoulder a pat before walking back to Alexander to take his shot at it.

And, unsurprisingly, he was flawless at it, as though he had done this a thousand times before and knew each move like the back of his hand.

How was it that he was so good at nearly everything that he did? Not that she wasn't proud, of course, but damn, she hadn't taught him any of this. What skills had he been accruing, almost right beneath her nose?

Mothers were supposed to notice this sort of thing, yet she hadn't ever caught on to his shenanigans outside their home. Did that say something about her?

Eventually, it was her turn to try this, and after mounting Ranya, a pit formed in her stomach. Kuchel couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was a bad feeling brewing like hot tea in her gut, though the bile that threatened to rise up was not nearly as pleasant as a nice cup of chamomile.

With the correct nudge of her heels, Ranya obeyed her command to break into a gallop. They were in quite a large field, so she had plenty of room to decide when to hop up.

Right foot up, pull your left up as you push your weight up, and quickly balance. It's that easy. It shouldn't be that hard. Right?

Right?

The wind blew across her features, and Kuchel steadily pulled her foot out of the stirrup. It was a fluid motion, pushing her hands onto the pommel of the saddle to give it room beneath her as she pushed up. Everything was going smoothly.

Until she tried to pull up her left foot, and it was stuck in the stirrup.

The lack of balance made Kuchel lose her footing, sending her petite body careening over the left side of the horse's body as it ran. Her hands instinctively snapped to her head, cradling it before it could connect with the rough terrain as she was dragged by the tenacious mare. Every rock, bump, and hitch along the way jammed into her frame, sending jolts of pain across her skin as well as knocking the wind out of her. Her keen ears picked up the sound of people shouting, but the roaring, overwhelming noise of hooves pounding into the grass near her injured head was enough to keep her attention.

She barely noticed when Ranya stopped altogether, trying to regain her breath as her hands and arms locked tightly around her head, trying to defend her noggin as much as humanly possible from such an ordeal.

Fuck, she should have listened to that gut instinct.

"Kuchel?"

"Mama?"

Her battered form was gathered up in someone's arms, though her vision was quite fuzzy from the rush of adrenaline and lack of air in her lungs. It was only after a long moment that she realised that two faces were looking down at her at once, and as her eyesight cleared, it was a struggle to not have a blush flutter across her cheeks.

One of the faces was, of course, her darling Levi, eyebrows knitted in concern for his sweet mother, his hands clasped around one of hers. The other face was Erwin's, and she couldn't tell if she was embarrassed or angry that her head was resting in his large hands. Fuck, from the feel of it, he could crush her head easier than an apple, but his touch was quite gentle.

"Miss Kuchel, can you hear me? Is your head hurting?" His voice vibrated in his chest, and it took her another moment to realise that she was cradled in his arms, with him having fallen to his knees beside her to pull her somewhat off the ground. The realisation had her bolting up in surprise, and failing miserably to suppress the flush on her pale cheeks. Both of the men seemed shocked that she did such a thing, but Kuchel was as tough as nails, and she wasn't about to let this tarnish her robust reputation.

Levi and Erwin stared at her, nearly slack jawed as she dusted her jacket off. Her hair was exceedingly disheveled, so the dark-haired, stubborn trainee pulled her hair out of the bun, reaching up to wrangle her long, black locks to redo it. "Thank you for the assistance, Mr. Erwin, but it was quite unnecessary."

She missed the flash of amusement behind the pools of cerulean blue as he stood up, towering over her without any effort whatsoever. Erwin was just as tall as a tree. Damn him. He gave her a once over, and she'd be damned to admit that it was slightly intimidating, watching his brow raise in suspicion as he analysed her face. The man reminded her somewhat of her son–stoic, cool, collected– and able to see right through her bullshit.

"Be that as it may, Miss Kuchel, if we hadn't helped you, you would have gotten trampled by your mare. Would you have preferred that?"

Kuchel put her hands on her hips, trying to hide the wince that threatened to flash across her face at the pain in her body, sounding indifferent to his suggestion. "She wouldn't have trampled me."

However, she didn't expect him to be just as apathetic to it, seemingly quite unimpressed at her reluctance to accept help. "Well, maybe next time we'll test out your theory. 'Death by horse' doesn't draw quite the same amount of attention as 'Death by Titan' on a death certificate, so the government won't raise their brows."

"If the brows are anything as big as yours, they'd have trouble raising them anyway." Kuchel scoffed, finishing up her bun.

Hange came up to the both of them, which was perfect timing to keep the two of them from continuing this incessant back and forth. "Miss Kuchel, are you okay, what happened?"

"My foot got caught in the stirrup, I think." She sighed, giving a gentle smile to the younger woman as a reassurance. "Nothing I can't walk off."

"A-Are you sure? It looked rough. Maybe you should go to the medical wing…" It warmed Kuchel's still-thrumming heart to see Hange look so worried over her, and something about the way her sweet and luminous eyes were fixated on her was a reminder of those few ones throughout her life that had truly cared for her. It seemed as though the brunette was growing attached to her already, not that Kuchel minded one bit. She seemed to be around Levi's age, and after taking Furlan and Isabel under her wing, what was one more?

"I'm sure, dear. What else do we have to do today?"

The honeyed eyes that peered at her with concern now softened ever-so-slightly, and Hange pulled out a silver pocket watch to check the time. "Well, I say we get some lunch, and then try to go for a leisure ride, huh? You all earned it after doing so well… and you earned it after taking such a rough tumble."

Kuchel agreed happily, starting to walk off with Hange to go get food in the mess hall, unbothered by her son and Erwin watching after her, but this time, they both eyed her wobbling ankle.

"Has she always been that stubborn, Levi?"

"Well… yes, she's stubborn, but I've never witnessed her being so..."

"Obstinate?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever that means." The shorter man grumbled, grabbing Ranya's reins to lead her back with the rest of the horses.

"It means the same thing, I suppose. But… was that ankle injury of hers new?"

"No, she's always had that. I asked her when I was younger why she wobbled on it sometimes, why it ached. Mama told me that when she was a kid, someone's gun went off and shot her by accident." The young man fondly remembered the times when he'd insisted on massaging it with his chubby, itty bitty hands to help her feel better after long days of work at the Pink Pearl. The content sigh she'd let out always pushed him to try to do better, wanting to give back after she had sacrificed so much for him every single day.

Knowing that they would be coming back to do more practise, Levi tied Ranya up alongside Alexander before following after the others to go eat, with Erwin straggling behind.

Lunch was quick, and the same type of meal as always, with soup, bread, and a baked potato. The potato was Levi's favourite part of the meal, frankly, because of the smooth, creamy butter that was oozing over the soft, fluffy deliciousness within. Butter wasn't terribly common in the Underground, so he was enjoying himself, though he would never care to admit it in front of everyone.

After eating, the group went back out to the field, and it seemed like the horses' temperaments were much calmer, particularly Ranya. Kuchel mounted the animal easily, still feeling quite sore from her tumble earlier, but overall, she was alright. Her ankle was bothering her again as she glanced up at the sky, noting the way that it seemed to be darkening as they took the horses out of the training area. Hange figured that it was time for a leisurely ride after the events of the day, and that it was good for the horses to walk around without the stress of training exercises.

"There's a lake nearby, and I figured you'd all like to see it, seeing as you probably didn't have those in the Underground, right?" Hange chimed, riding in front of them with Erwin at her left side. Kuchel's gaze burned into the back of the blonde's head, but she smiled at the woman's kind suggestion.

"That sounds wonderful, Hange. I'm sure my Li-Li-kins and his friends would love to see the lake. I bet it's very nice."

The nickname being used in front of others caused her raven-haired angel to mumble a bit under his breath, and Kuchel politely ignored the tinge of pink creeping up on his ears and over his narrow nose.

The ride to the lake wasn't long, and once they made it past a small forest, the group dismounted to take a look around. Isabel, of course, booked it straight for the water, leaving the rest of them in her dust as she hurried to splash around in the crystal blue depths. Furlan seemed more interested in the flowers growing nearby, crouching down beside them to touch the petals with gentle yet skilled fingers.

It came as a surprise to Kuchel when Levi did nothing.

She had expected him to at least walk to the bank of the lake, but instead, he stood at Alexander's side, with his hood pulled over his head. While the others enjoyed the bounties of nature, her son was glancing around aimlessly, holding tightly onto the reins.

"Baby, why aren't you exploring around a bit?"

"I… just want to take in the surroundings before I let my guard down. It's all very pretty, though." He reasoned, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, and Kuchel watched him scratch at the undercut that most likely needed a fair trimming.

The inky-haired woman sighed, shrugging her shoulders at his strange behaviour. Instead, she decided to take a look around, but felt something plink onto her nose. It made her narrow her gaze to where she felt the sensation, but more plinks began pitter-pattering over the top of her head, and over her shoulders. Within a moment, she heard a squeal from a familiar redhead that made her grin widely.

"Woah! Water from the sky! Is this what rain is?! So cool!" Isabel cheered, jumping up and running around with her cloak flapping behind her. Furlan laughed and watched the older teen book it around some trees, sticking her tongue out to catch droplets as they came down heavier and heavier. Kuchel didn't even bother to pull her hood up, having missed the feeling of rain on her skin. No weather existed in the Underground, so everyone up above took it for granted.

The smile on her face faded for a moment when her gaze flickered over to Levi, seeing that his own slate-grey eyes were wide as he tried to cover himself with the cloak. "Mama, what is this? Is it poisonous? You never taught me about rain."

Kuchel couldn't help but laugh at his questions, knowing that he was quite right– she hadn't taught him much about rain at all. With a motherly smile plastered all over her face, she took a few steps forward, reaching to pull his hood down before taking his hands in hers. "Baby, it's only rain. It's water. Just enjoy it, let it fall on your face. Who cares if you get wet?"

At first, he tried to jump away like a scared cat, but as she held his strong hands, she felt them relax, water droplets rolling over his scuffed knuckles and gathering against fine, light-coloured hairs on his arms, not to mention that his hair was already becoming completely soaked. As his expression softened, Kuchel reached to pat his damp cheek, brushing some dribbling aqua off the sensitive skin. "See, baby? No poison, just water. How do you feel?"

Levi's expression told his mother that he was still unsure of how to feel, but when he inhaled the sweet, intoxicating scent of the misty air, it brought a petite flicker of a smile to the corner of his lips. "It… feels nice. Refreshing, even."

"Good, enjoy it, baby! Enjoy your first rain storm!" The noirette sing-songed, kissing the tip of his nose adoringly. Levi didn't even have the energy to blush at her affection, simply tilting his head back to enjoy the heavenly water falling across his face.

It was wonderful to see his cares wash away, even for a mere moment.

They had quite a bit of fun in the rain, but eventually needed to head back to the base to shower and dry off. Erwin had decided that they'd trained enough today, and as he'd mentioned to Kuchel previously, he wanted her to come see him in his office, at her leisure.

Which, of course, meant right away.

Kuchel washed the dirt and grime of the day off her light skin, and couldn't help but look over her body in the mirror of the room. Just as she expected, any bruises or cuts were already doing their best to heal over. Perhaps Kenny hadn't been feeding her total nonsense when he'd said that Ackerman blood had a knack for that sort of thing.

That didn't mean that it didn't hurt like a bitch. Fucking horse…

Kuchel dressed herself in most of the uniform, minus the gear straps, before setting off to his office. She kept her hair down to dry, not being a huge fan of the crimps that were left behind when one tied their wet hair up. Somehow, every time she had tried to do that, her mop ended up looking indescribably disastrous. What she wouldn't give for the perfect hair.

Approaching the door, she mentally readied herself for whatever this son-stealing scumbag could want from her, and rapped her knuckles against the wooden barrier. As she heard the voice on the other side give her permission to enter, she tried to picture just what his office would look like– perhaps it would be a disaster that she could tease him over, or maybe it was chock full of dust that would make her sneeze.

But no. When she entered, she could only smell the light scent of a pine-infused candle and old books. What a wretched bastard, having an office so nice that even Levi would be pleased, and what seemed to be a desk that was spotless enough to eat off of.

What a pompous prick.

"Take a seat, Miss Kuchel, and please shut the door behind you."

"Don't mind if I do." Once the door was shut, Kuchel cozied herself quite nicely into the chair across from him, crossing one leg over the other as she propped her chin up, resting it against her knuckles with her elbow planted into the armrest. Feigning interest, she asked, "What is it that you needed me for?"

"I wanted to ask you if you've ever played chess."

That was not what she was expecting.

She raised a slim, dark brow in curiosity. "Chess?"

"Yes, chess. You do know what that is, right?"

"Of course I know what chess is, do you take me for a fucking fool?"

"Great. You'll play a round or two with me, then?"

Her blue eyes followed him as he stood up from his chair, beckoning her to follow him to a table he had sitting against the wall, which she somehow hadn't noticed when she came in. This was incredibly strange to her. Men who invited her to do things alone had historically only wanted sex out of her, but this man wanted to play chess?

As she sat across from him at the table, her eyes scanning the checkered board as he took out the ebony and ivory-coloured pieces.

"So, you didn't answer me. Have you played?"

Kuchel didn't meet his gaze, chewing on her cheek as the pieces clicked when placed upon the smooth, glossy surface. As he placed down each one, her mind tried to reel in each name for the unique pieces, as well as how they moved, from her previous experience with the game.

"Olympia, you ever played chess?"

The noirette put the money on the counter, sliding it towards the pimp and glancing back at Brenda, who was as beautiful as a smiling, cheery sun, with that darling smile of hers. It was impressive to Kuchel that the young woman could bear to smile so soon, since just a few months prior, she had lost her son soon after he was born. Hell, her belly was still a bit paunchy, and the brunette hid it beneath a baggy gown that didn't hug her figure.

Her own belly was swollen beneath her dress, being around six months along with her sweet baby, who would turn out to be her precious Levi. At that time, she hadn't known that, only having that firm belief that the baby within her womb was, indeed, a spry and robust boy, based on how hard he liked to kick her fragile ribs.

After a moment of pondering, Kuchel shook her head. "No, Brenda, I haven't."

"Well, want to play? I'm sick of playing Amelia. She sucks."

"Hey!" The ginger whined, pouted from across the table. "I don't suck… I just don't have a lot of interest in this game… it's hard."

"How does it work?" Kuchel wandered to the side of the table, standing between the seated women. They were obviously done with their clients for the night, and trying to enjoy what little free time they had for entertainment.

"Well, there are pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, the Queen, and the King."

The soft-eyed woman explained what each piece did with honeyed words, and Amelia moved to let Kuchel sit. It was a relief, since this belly was not getting any lighter, and nor were her feet hurting any less. Her bump blocked her from resting her elbows on the table, so she leaned her shoulder blades back against the chair, pensively caressing where she felt her little angel kicking. Even if it was uncomfortable, it meant he was alive, and that was all Kuchel truly cared about.

The game seemed simple enough, and after that night, Kuchel played against Brenda, as well as other prostitutes who deemed it worth their time. However, after the blue-eyed woman warmed up, it was impossible to stop her winning streak.

After another month, no one dared to place bets against her anymore. After Levi was born, she stopped playing altogether. There was no time to play games when her son needed her every waking moment, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"I'm rusty." She finally replied, resting her dainty elbows on the tabletop. "But I recall how the pieces move."

"Good, would you like to start, or shall I?"

Kuchel humoured his request to play, picking up a pawn to move it two spaces forward, since it was her first move. He saw this as his cue to take his turn, moving his black pawn forward two spaces as well.

She didn't try very hard to win, and left him victorious after the first round. "That was fun… now, how about we make it interesting?" Erwin suggested, taking the time to expertly reset the board. This caused Kuchel to arch a brow in suspicion, silently urging him to continue with that train of thought before her mind wrung and squeezed meanings out of those words that weren't even there. As a former prostitute, she'd learned to construe meanings out of similar sentences that had ended up having far more salacious connotations.

After clearing his throat, Erwin continued. "I'm a gambling man, Kuchel. Strategy is my strong suit, and with every command, you take a roll of the universe's dice, hoping you'll land on that sweet spot to roll a double– maybe even a double six, if you're lucky. I'd like to challenge you to a true game of chess, except with a catch."

"And that catch is?" Kuchel sounded unimpressed, but internally, there was a twinge of panic settling into her middle-aged bones.

"Listen. I want you for the Survey Corps. You show immense promise, just like your son, and Humanity needs soldiers like you, regardless of your age. You've proven that you're more capable than some fresh recruits, and that's astounding. So, I propose this to you: I win, you join the Survey Corps. You win, you can do whatever you want."

"Does 'whatever I want' mean that I can take my son with me?" She inquired, mulling over his wager.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say that it does include such a request. It would mean that you're free to leave the base's grounds and do as you please, whether that be returning to the Underground, or seeking residency above. Since your son is enlisted, you'd have the right to live up here."

"Would I now?" She pondered aloud, gnawing on the inside of her cheek, and much to her discontent, she bit down just a bit too hard, drawing metallic blood out of the flesh. The taste didn't bother her, but what left a bad taste in her mouth was that she couldn't take Levi with her if– no, when– she won.

"Alright. Deal."

And thus, with the cracking of knuckles and necks, the game began, both of them trying desperately to think five, ten, fifteen steps ahead of the other. Each player moved methodically, calculating moves long before they ever took them. Kuchel could see the determination written across his striking features, his large brows knitting in deep thought and concentration.

This was a man who knew just what he wanted.

"Checkmate."

Kuchel leaned back, smug confidence etched into every little pore on her face, her rosy lips carved into a grin. "Looks like the big bad Section Leader lost to the Underground fox, eh?"

She couldn't tell if the expression drawn over his features exhibited astonishment, concern, confusion, or a bit of everything. Scratching the back of his neck, he met her defiant gaze. "Congratulations… so, what are you going to do then, Miss Kuchel?"

"As if it's any question." She stood from the chair, running her fingers back through her long, black hair and making her way to the door, wanting to be on time for dinner in the mess hall.

However, Erwin didn't seem to be satisfied with that answer. "Um, it is a question, Miss Kuchel. What do you plan to do?"

With her hand on the door handle, the woman put a foot out the door, peeking back around the doorframe. "Duh. I'm joining the Scouts. I can't leave my son behind."

If he was surprised, Kuchel didn't see it, leaving him in her wake to go meet the trio in the mess hall. Though, Walls, how she wished that she could have replayed the look on his face when she beat him at his own game.

Another schmuck to add to the list of people that refused to place bets against Kuchel Ackerman.

Thanks to StarlitScarlet (Ao3) as per usual for reading over this chapter for me, as well as helping me with some dialogue and other little things. You're a blessin', mon amie.

This chapter was difficult to write, honestly. I don't know much about horses, and I don't play chess, so I had to spend some of this chapter's allotted writing time watching horse training videos to figure out what all of the pieces were, along with technical crap, ya know.

Also, thank you again for the lovely reviews! I really wish FF had a direct comment reply, because it feels weird to send DMs every time there's a comment LOL. I appreciate them, and read them all! I cherish every review I get dearly!

Song Award goes to Towards the Sun by Rihanna, good song, lol.