Running messages was never anything quite as exciting as people thought it might be. Sure, occasionally there was a Titan or two thrown into the mix, but more often than not, you were stuck dealing with drunken nobles and irate commanders. The Military Police, of course, were a breed all their own and were often left to the older soldiers to deal with, thank the Sisters! As it was,Vida currently found herself playing messenger between the Scouts & the Church following Eren's trial.
Of course, she'd rather have been in the nosebleed section of the courtroom for Eren's trial when it had happened. She hadn't been there when the incident had occurred, having been preoccupied with a group of Titans a little further south of Trost's bell tower, but according to the rumour mill the Jaeger boy had done something which had really riled up everybody. Supposedly the hot head had not only assaulted Captain Kitz Woermann (the man hadn't shut up about the whole ordeal & prattled on to anyone who'd listen) & several Garrison troops, but pulled himself free from the carcass of an abnormal Titan without nary a scratch on him, save for a few odd markings under his eyes. If you believed the heresy, then Eren had supposedly transformed into the thing after being devoured by another.
As Vida dodged people gathered in the square, her thoughts turned to the scriptures she had learnt as a child. More than one of those tales had told of Goddess-gifted children baring the title of messiah or prophet. If Eren truly was one those nine, then it was sure to be more than enough proof to prove that the Church was in the right. She wasn't so sure if that was a good thing or not. Over the past couple of years, the Church of the Walls had gained a following and popularity amongst the people, of the likes that it had not seen since its founding. People swarmed the chapels and churches in the hopes of prayer & protection from the Goddess, so that they may be spared from the next inevitable Titan attack. And with several more cities now invaded by the beasts, this no longer seemed like a far off dream.
Keen ears pricked to catch snippets of the many whispered conversations as she flowed about the people like the river over rocks. It was like the people were afraid that speaking aloud would cement whatever they said as fact. From what she could ascertain, the people were of two minds. Those inside Wall Sina were not impressed. They believed this new revelation to be a cover-up for the failed recapture mission which would leave the refugees of Wall Sina to flee to the inner cities. Food shortages and spoilt livelihoods among them, being the chief concerns. It was a different story inside Wall Rose. There, the people seemed cheerful, almost enthusiastic about the whole thing. Hope had returned and with it, the idea that they might finally be able to return Wall Maria to her former glory. And in turn, lessen the strain on Rose's increased population (the Purge may have been callous, but it had done its job, if only for a moment).
Eren's trial had been one of epic proportions, or so she'd heard. Premier Dallas Zachery, figurehead of all three military sectors, had been called in to judge the whole thing. The Military Police—backed by some of the more zealous churchmen—had wanted the boy dissected and studied, before he was burnt at the stake. Whilst the Scouts—backed by Commander Pixis of the Garrison— had opted to take him under their wing and use his abilities to retake Wall Maria. Of course, Captain Levi's theatrics had helped to sway certain people; enough that the titan boy was (almost) reluctantly handed over to the Scouts like they had wanted. Because who else, if not for Humanity's Strongest, was crazy enough to kick a Titan shifter's teeth in?
Vida's package bounced carelessly at her hip as she mused over her classmate's fate. Absently, her fingers ran over the taut seams, praying to the Goddess that they would hold long enough so that she could deliver the sacred powder to the Sisters. Collecting the powdered bone from the pyres had been a task in of itself, but it would be an even bigger pain if she had to explain to the nobles why a young woman, such as herself, was carrying around something so ghastly. Of course, everyone knew that the Church was a little eccentric in its practises, so perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. In any case, her attention was far more focused on delivering the letter that seemed to be burning a hole in her pocket. She wasn't too sure of its contents, only that Matron Rona had wanted it urgently delivered to Commander Erwin of the Scouts and that she was to await the reply.
Soon enough, Vida found herself traipsing through the long and twisting hallways of Trost's Supreme Courthouse. If she had been anyone else, she might have found herself lost within minutes, but as a child of the Church it was often a common practice to let them roam free on the guarded grounds. Mostly they were brought there to visit the library or the gardens, but it was also to give their guardians a much needed reprieved from the rambunctious children that they were. She could remember spending her younger years exploring all the secret passageways and tunnels hidden within the old castle. Now though, she simply trotted through the cobblestone maze and towards the room dedicated to the Titan shifter and his guards.
KNOCK~KNOCK!
"Enter"
"Sir!" Vida greeted as she entered, quickly standing to attention as she plucked the offending letter from her pocket. Her eyes darted about, quickly taking in the sparseness of the room and the few individuals that occupied it. The fireplace remained unlit as it still rather humid even as evening neared, an empty writing desk was tucked into one corner and a set of posh couches lined both walls. Amongst the soldiers stood before her, she only recognised three: Eren (who looked a little worse for wear), Captain Levi, as Humanity's Strongest, where he lounged across the chaise like an alleycat and Commander Erwin with his impressively bushy brows. The other two seemed familiar, but she couldn't for life of her place the name to the face.
"Vida…?" Eren murmured, brows furrowed at the fellow cadet in the doorway. He bore a look of constipated confusion when she spared a quick glance his way—long enough to deem him whole, at the very least. Over the years, she—alongside the other older kids of their troop—had quickly found themselves falling into the role of elder sibling to the younger ones, and after five years, it was not a habit easily broken.
"Yes, what is it?" Erwin turned, haloed by the evening light streaming in through the window at his back.
"Message for Commander Erwin" She held out the aforementioned crumpled letter, the Church's wax seal glistening in the candlelight. The room lay in an awkward tenseness for the next few moments as Erwin cracked the seal and carefully read over the letter, whilst Vida rocked on her heels in the doorway.
Commander Erwin Smith,
On behalf of the Church of the Walls, we apologise for the zealous remarks of our more outspoken members. Their behaviour in the courtroom was uncalled for, but unfortunately, they were not wrong in their assessments. We at the Church, still desire the Titan's Blessing to be bestowed.
Instead, we offer a compromise.
Bring the Titan boy to Saint Rose Cathedral, Trost. Six o'clock sharp.
Ward Vida will guide you.
Many blessings,
Matron Rona
"Cadet…?" Erwin turned to the girl once more.
"Ward, sir, Vida Ward" Vida supplied, snapping to attention (All wards of the Church had been named as such).
"Cadet Ward, are you aware of the contents of this message?"
"No sir" She shook her head, silently wondering if she should be worried about its contents.
"What is it Erwin?" Hanji peered over his shoulder, curiosity gleaming from every pore.
"It would appear that the Church has extended us an invitation" Erwin replied, "Courtesy of Matron Rona"
"Look at that, barely an hour's passed since the trial and they're already kissing your ass" Levi commented, languidly stretching out further to take up as much space as humanely possible.
"Matron Rona…wrote you?" Vida puzzled, highly confused. It wasn't like the Matron to write anyone outside of the Church; because in her own words: One should not speak to the heathens beneath their feet.
"Is that strange?"
"It's certainly unusual…" Vida shifted in place, "Unless she's written you before?"
"No, this would be the first time"
"Then why…?"
"You certainly seem to know a lot about this 'Matron" Levi quirked a brow at the teen.
"That's 'cause your a Church kid, right Vida?" Eren piped up, peering around the captain guarding him.
"Yeah…" She nodded, hesitantly awaiting the reactions of the elder generation. Others were not always kind to people like her. Vida had been a Ward of the Church for as long as she could remember. She'd been just another nameless baby, dumped on the doorstep of the local chapel in the hopes that her family would be able to survive another winter without another mouth to feed.
"Well, apparently" Hanji hummed as she snatched the letter "You're to be our guide today, cadet"
"Today?" Vida blinked dumbly before it finally clicked. "Oh! That makes sense!"
"Is there something special about today?" Eren asked.
"It's Bath Day" She shrugged noncommittally.
Because the water regulation within the three Walls was sealed up tighter than a Titan's ass, many of Maria & Rose's occupants (aside from the nobles) didn't—or couldn't—bathe more than once or twice a year, if at all; save for the occasional wipe down of pits & face. For the most part, they spent the year just stewing in their own filth, which was why Bath Day was so favoured amongst the commoners.
Now, that's not to say the underground pools wherein they bathed, were not flowing all year round—they were—but they were also impressively guarded. If you were not high ranking or important or (Goddess-bless) to be married, then the pools were off limits to you. There ways around this, of course, it was an underground river and they couldn't guard every inch of it. There had been many a-time when the wards had slipped from their beds & their clothes to swim in the hidden waters.
"And she'll be wanting you baptised" Vida added, "The Commander too, if you plan to talk to her"
"That's awfully presumptuous of her" Hanji noted.
"Matron Rona doesn't talk to heathens otherwise" Though she silently hoped that the Scout would say that again to the nun's face. Vida would pay an arm and a leg to see that confrontation; there were very few people who had the balls to call Matron Rona 'presumptuous'
"Typical" Levi scoffed, "The Church thinks it can boss everyone around, now that people are actually buying into this ridiculous idea of divine salvation!"
"Ch!" Vida barely contained the retort that threatened to fall from her lips. Sure, she wasn't exactly your darling little altar girl, but that didn't mean she liked to hear such heresy about her family.
"What—what happens during one of these baptisms?" Eren hedged, trying to diffuse the situation. "I'm not gonna have to sacrifice a pig or something, am I?"
"What? No!" Vida snorted in surprise, "It's nothing like that at all! They scrub ya down, dust ya off, dunk ya under, there's a bit of prayer and then we eat. And if we're lucky Brother Ford'll be cooking the roast"
"Roast?" Hanji salivated, eyes gleaming.
"If we're lucky?" Eren pursued.
"He does this thing with the potatoes—"
"—Erwin! We have to go!" Hanji pounced on the unsuspecting blonde, "There's gonna be roast! Roast! We haven't had roast in ages!"
"Well" Erwin sighed heavily as if put-upon as he detached himself from the excitable woman. "We best be going then, if we want to reach the church by six"
"S-six?!" Vida spluttered, eyes blown wide in panic before she spun on her heel and marched straight out of there, suddenly mindless of the protocols. Even if they took any number of secret passageways, it would still be a miracle that they reached the Church by the allotted time; and she for one, didn't particularly want to be on the receiving end of one of Matron Rona's punishments.
"C'me on, brat, let's go see a woman about a bath" Levi sounded almost—dare she say—excited about the notion of a wash as they rushed to catch up with the fleet-footed woman.
Saint Rose Cathedral—named for her Lady of the Wall, second Sister of the Holy Three and daughter to the Holy Mother Goddess Ymir—was a pleasant place. That is, if you enjoyed Gothic architecture with its sweeping arches and leering gargoyles. Pews lined the chapel and skulls wallpapered the crypts in the subterranean levels below. The altar stood tall and proud, decorated in a variety of candlesticks, flora and crystals. The sleeping quarters ran the length of the sanctum of the parsonage's walls, embedded into the very stone itself. There was, of course, the hidden river which flowed beneath the church and eventually reunited with the main stream outside.
Once inside the hulking cathedral (which Hanji & Eren held no qualms about gawking at), it only took a small detour to the councilwomen's office (no matter what the public might think, the Church was & forever will be a matriarchal society led by a council of three) to drop off both the pouch of powdered bone and the Scouts, before they were on their way again, but not without comment on Matron Steel's part. She always seemed to find something to nitpick, that porcelain woman. Though she was likely to be more pleasant now that a baptism or two were on the agenda. ["The sacred powder to replenish the stores, as requested…Matron—Ma'am—Miss—Sister?"
"Ward Vida…I see your impudence has yet to be resolved"
"It's a Goddess-given gift"
"…Indeed. See to it that you work on that"
"Yes Matron"]
Another moment was spent swinging by her sleeping quarters to pick up both robes and cleaning supplies for herself & Eren. Once they were done with their meeting with Matron Rona, then they too, would join in the bath. Admittedly, it took a little longer that intended to wiggle free the stone block which she used to store her things behind, but Eren seemed to make up for that brief lapse in conversation by spluttering about the lack of luxury he thought the Church might have and then again when he was ordered to strip, exchanging his uniform for a translucent white robe.
[…"What's with that face? You look like you've never seen a bed before"
"You sleep in a crypt?!"
"It's a hallway, dumbass!"]
Once the pair had exchanged their clothes for the translucent white bathrobes of the church, leaving behind their clothes in the little storage cubby by her bed, they were off to the river to flights of stairs later, Vida & Eren stood at the edge of the main cavern that held the rolling river that cut through each of the Walls and bypassed through here, one of the many underground caverns within the Walls. On a platform at the end of the path, a pair of cracked bowls sat either side and held the precious powdered bone inside. An offering to the Goddess for protection against greater waters, the powdered bone would douse each bather before the entered the waters.
Vida wasn't sure that she really believed in greater waters than the raging river; sure her studies spoke of bigger places like lakes and something called an 'ocean'. But that didn't mean it really existed. If it did, then surely the Scouts would have discovered it by now? This great big glittering blue? Nobody she knew could claim to have ever seen such a sight as the sea (Ward Micheal might, but he also claimed to be the long-lost prince of the Reiss family, despite them all knowing he had come from whores). Her thoughts instead, turned to the powdered bone; burnt and pulverised as it floated on the air like sugar snow. The stream of white-clad bodies flowed forth, moving them towards the end of the pier where they awaited the anointment of the Goddess-blessed dust.
Next to her, Eren seemed almost nervous as he eyed the murky waters over the edges of the pier. "You alright there, Jaeger?" Vida murmured as they shuffled forward.
"It's just…it's a little deeper than I thought it'd be" Eren replied anxiously. Not that he could tell, the waters—already dirtied by the muck of the previous bathers and the mud kicked up from the riverbed—were so muddy that you couldn't see the bottom from the pier.
"It's okay, I'm a good swimmer" She hummed, easily picking up on his unease. "I'll help you. Now come on! We don't wanna get trampled!"
"But I'm heavier than you" He said to the older girl as the others behind them pushed the forward. "What if I drown us both?"
"Mmm, it'll be fine…"
Up above the glow worms turned the surface of the water to molten silver, dancing over the liquid like stars. Master Cornwall, one of their Sunday School teachers, stood on the edge of the platform as he stripped himself of his white robes. For some reason, Vida didn't hear whatever reassuring reply she made to Eren as everything, but her own wildly beating heart, became muffled. She couldn't take her eyes off of Master Cornwall's toned torso as the slaves (excommunicated clergy of the Church) began to brush the powdered bone over his smooth chest and naked flanks.
Something was wrong. Vida uneasily searched inside of herself for that bond of the Holy Three placed upon her at a young age. Her oaths were meant to protect her, the blessings of the Holy Three were meant to guard her, the Goddess' gifts meant to uplift her. But, for all she was worth, she could not find what it was; only that something was wrong. The last time this had happened, she'd mentioned the issue to her bunkmate, Ward Kyra, in the dead night whilst their neighbours snored. Kyra had simply asked, "Did it feel sinful? Could you think wicked thoughts?"
Vida hadn't known how to answer her then, and she still didn't know the answer now. She couldn't tell if it was the wickedness or the curiosity that drew her eyes to the reddish-brown organ as Master Cornwall turned to the side. Her eyes were drawn to the protruding member where it sat like an uncooked yam and nestled in tight curls of ginger pubic hair. She must've had a hundred opportunities to look upon Master Cornwall's naked figure before. During bath days & laundry days, during combat lessons & baptisms; she hadn't cared then, hadn't tried. What was different now?
Then Master Cornwall turned his back to her, shaking Vida from her stupor and she realised that they had reached the end of the pier where the slaves had already moved to pull off her own garments and unwind her braids. Being one of the few times that Vida actually let her hair out of its braids, her tightly bound tresses remained crinkled into unnatural waves & ringlets as deft fingers untangled her braids. It felt strange having her hair out of its usual braids, as it always did, but nevertheless she shucked her white robes and let the thin material pool at her feet. Though they lay there for only a moment before it was swept away by busy hands that folded up the thin material and set it aside to be washed.
A coarse brushed was taken up, brushing the powdered bone across her naked form that stood, still dirtied from the year's exercise. Coated in a fine dusting of ashen grey, Vida obediently raised her arms skywards as the brush ran from her pits down. From the corner of her eyes she noted that Eren seemed to be struggling with standing still as he was brushed down, jumping whenever the brush ran too close to his nether and sneezing whenever the dust clogged his nostrils. But in that moment, Vida only held eyes for Master Cornwall as he dove from the pier.
Shards of wormlight glistened off his arched back, sharp & cutting as it curved. Her mouth ran dry as she watched her teacher fly high above the water for a moment, before he dove beneath the murky waters with nary a splash. The rippling waters barred her from further observance of him until he resurfaced some feet away, with ringlets plastered to his forehead, muscles glistening with water and the purifying powder that melted from his skin, running off into the water as the tribute to their deities. "Remember you vows, sister!" Hissed her neighbour as she passed by. A flash of loose blonde locks told her it was Kyra. She must've had a wicked look in her eyes. More and more people leapt carelessly from the pier and Master Cornwall had already moved off to a lichen-lined river bend.
"Yes, yes" Vida nodded absently, admiring the cut of Master Cornwall's jaw, "And what were those again?"
"Careful sister, the oaths are at their weakest now that Sister Sina has passed and has yet to regain her bodily form"
Oh. So that was why Ida had become so conscious of Master Cornwall and why the matron was keen on the Titan's blessing. The magic enforcing her promise of chastity was falling away, as it had done when they'd ventured into the vestry to steal the communion wine, once upon a time. And now Vida's eyes were glued to Master Cornwall's bulging biceps the same way they had been glued to that ornate decanter.
Another sneeze from Eren broke Vida from her stupor once more, and she turned to face him as her back was brushed down, she found herself found with an odd sight. Fear was plastered across his face, shaken limbs looking paralysed in the face of his own imminent dive. It was clear from the patchy dusting, that the slave painting Eren did not believe him to be worthy of this offering.
"You've done a poor job, slave" Vida admonished as she marched over and took up the brush herself.
"Vida—!" Eren squeaked, cheeks burning red as she drew the coarse brush over his inadequately dusted pecs. His hands remained fervently glued to his crotch as her gaze remained trained on the fine grains that embedded themselves into the groves of his silver scars. She knew if Mikasa could see them now, she'd have her head.
"You must go now, Blessed Ones" Murmured the slave to their right. Vida recognised the middle-aged, hawk-eyed woman who often dogged Master Hürwitz's lessons. "The others have gone"
"Mm" Vida hummed as she stepped back & dropped the brush into the awaiting hand. Grabbing ahold of Eren's wrist, she began to lead him over to the end of the pier.
"Wait—" Eren paused, turning to the slave. "What's your name?"
"…It's Letta, Blessed One" The slave, Letta, appeared taken aback by the boy's abrasiveness. It was likely the first time someone had talked to her, not at her, since her excommunication.
"Thank you, Letta—"
"—Don't talk to them" Vida interrupted, rudely tugging the boy onwards
"That was rude! Why'd you do that?"
"They're Tainted Ones—Heathens—excommunicated from the Church for their behaviour" She huffed, embarrassed at all the eyes suddenly on them. "They do not deserve your compassion"
"Suijin give me strength…" Eren murmured, naming the orient God as his toes crinkled around the edge of the pier.
"You shouldn't swear by other gods!" Vida hissed, scandalised.
"I can if I want too. Especially, when your Sister is dead and you treat your clergymen like that" He retorted, shifting in place, "Besides Suijin holds sway over the waters, doesn't he? That means he can keep me safe!"
"Tch"
She kept ahold of his wrist as the jumped off of the pier together. The water was cold like winter's kiss, like death. Eren's arm jerked in his socket as they plunged into the murky waters, his heart racing. Vida was trying to pull him up towards the surface as he swallowed mouthfuls of the brown liquid. White lights burst behind his eyes and he curled up his body trying to cough & retch up the water. But he was still underwater and all it served to do was suck more water in.
Something strong curled around his chest, something soft pressed against his back. It was Vida. Just as they had been taught, one arm secured him to her, acting as a floating form that paddled for the surface. Together they breached the surface in calmer waters, floating on their backs away from the pier. Eren lay flattened out, his back pressed against her breasts as he coughed up the liquid in his lungs, her legs absently kicking between his own. If this were any other situation, Eren might've even enjoyed the whole experience if he wasn't terrified of drowning again.
"Relax" Vida soothed in his ear as Eren found his chest full of air again. The urge to choke & thrash was gone and streaks of the powdered bone dripped from their bodies like glue.
"I don't know why there isn't a bridge" Eren rasped, throat hoarse from all that coughing.
"It's so we can be reborn by passing through the waters" Vida replied as they moved further upstream to a shallow alcove hidden by the river bend.
"I don't wanna be born again; once was enough. Please get me out, I can't swim"
"You really should've thought of that before you hopped into the bath"
Once they were situated in the shallow alcove of the river, it didn't take long for the to reunite with the pair of cadets already scrubbing each other down. The bar of soap in Vida's hands had already diminished to a slither by the time she attacked her legs with the lathered scrub brush and scrubbed them raw. Next to her, Eren looked like a drowned rat as he sat resolutely in the furtherest corner of the bend, bookended by both Levi and Erwin and refusing to look anywhere but the brown waters in front of him.
"You actually planning on cleaning yourself today, Jaeger?" Vida sighed, legs propped up suggestively as she washed.
"…" He mumbled something in reply, but his words were too muffled by the river.
"It won't be like last time, promise" She sighed, rolling her eyes as she contemplated just pushing him in the last few inches. He was like a child refusing to take a bath.
"I'm not taking any chances!"
"Last time?" Hanji popped up from the water, looking rather strange without her glasses & hair glued to her cheeks. "What happened last time?"
"Eek!" Eren squeaked, suddenly paling at the memory as he slipped further down.
"Ooh! Tell me! Tell me!"
"He & Connie decided to try & sneak a peek at the girls, one day, and Annie kicked their testicles so hard, they choked on them" Vida stated matter-of-factly.
"Sounds like my kinda gal!" Hanji cackled as she splashed a submerged Levi, making him spare a glare her way. "Can't wait to meet her!"
"Er, I think she's headed for the MPs"
"Pfffft! Boo!" Hanji pouted before dunking under the water to avoid Levi's wayward waves.
"…I had to wait an entire week for them to come back down!" Eren mumbled into the water, the blush looking rather pronounced against his ashen face & pouting lips.
"Yes, yes, it's all very pathetic" Vida sighed, having had enough. Paddling over, she squared up in front of him and shoved the boy's head under the water the last few inches. "Now get in!"
"Wha—ack! Vi-hurk!-da!" Eren spluttered swallowing a mouthful of water as he was dunked.
Finally taking the hint, Eren proceeded to halfheartedly scrub himself down. In the end, it took more than a few rounds of rinsing & scrubbing & lathering to get rid of the muck clinging to their bodies. By the time the colour—or lack thereof—had returned to Vida's locks, the water surrounding her had turned a disgusting colour of brown and red. Skin had been burnt pink from their harsh brushes and when the church girl finally resurfaced with wrinkly fingers carding through her now clean tresses, she was greeted by the sound of Eren's shout.
"You're an albino?!"
Washed and burnt pink, they climbed out beside the others on the opposing riverbank where they had already been robed in red by the awaiting slaves. Her white tresses hung limply against her back as Vida led the way to the back to the chapel, now adorned in the colours of the Holy Three and treading barefoot in the little drips left behind by those before them. Passing back through the floodgates on the other side, the stone steps returned them back to the nave of the mess hall where they spent many an evening devouring bowls of flavourless gruel and the occasional roast.
The scent of roasted meat greeted them first, making many salivate to the point that you could almost taste the twice-cooked potatoes and the honey-glazed pork. Inside, the sunlight penetrated the stained glass windows, making the room glow in the kind of colours not usually seen outside of the Mitras' gardens. No matter how many times Vida stepped forth into this room, she couldn't help but look upon the fantastical colours with awe. At the front of the room stood the staff table where the clergy feasted every meal. Rowan and mahogany thrones sat lined up behind the table, already lain out with the roasted pig and brass goblets. Eren & the Scouts were led over towards the daises where the table sat and placed in the pride of place alongside their teachers and preachers.
Making her way through the U-bend tables out on the nave floor, she came upon her usual place amongst the other Wards, combing her wet hair back from her forehead with deft fingers that pulled & plucked away stray weed strands which had found themselves entangled in her hair during the bath. Soon they were met with the coal-robed clergymen as they filed into their seats on the daises. Most of the men were grey-bearded and the women white-haired, but there were a few—like Master Cornwall—who were still young enough to find colour in their features. Many of them had served a long time, clergymen had come and gone without the opportunity to be promoted. Until now. With the death of one of Sister Sina's earthly body, many were vying for the new position upon the council, particularly in these changing times. The Titan's Blessing today, would grant them more than just good fortune upon this place.