It was mid-morning by the time Petra finally woke up. She found it a surprise how late she had slept in, as she had been so used to waking early in the Survey Corps. But this eye-opener was only momentary, as she immediately recalled the fact that she was a natural late riser.
Petra yawned, sitting up and stretching before running a hand through her unkempt hair. A slight ache made itself known throughout her body, no doubt from the intense cleaning she and Levi had given the place the day before. Her lips pursed as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, wondering what Levi might have been up to this morning, now living off a schedule he could create all on his own. But just as her mind began to wander, she pulled her hands from her eyes, opening then and jerking back in surprise at the sight of a suspended mug in front of her.
"Oh-"
Wide-eyed, she blinked rapidly as she glanced from the mug and to the face of the man that stood before her. No words came from him as he waited, and watched, with half-lidded eyes, as she secured the mug with two hands with a light 'thank you.' Levi turned, nodding his head towards the doorway to beckon the young woman to follow. Petra stood, debating on whether she should change from her pajamas to something a bit more decent. But neither protested nor hesitated longer than a moment, following him out of the room and blowing at the top of the mug.
He led her towards the dining area, stopping behind one of the chairs and gesturing for her to take a seat. She complied, noticing fresh bread and a tied box before her. Well, taking a trip to the baker was certainly one thing she could file under what Levi had done that morning. Finally taking a sip of her tea, Petra quietly watched as the raven haired man pulled the box towards him and began pulling apart the tight knots the baker had made. As he worked the strings, she broke the silence.
"I'm sorry I woke up late, I-"
"It's fine, Petra…" he said, pulling the strings away from the box and setting them aside, "you were exhausted from yesterday."
She fell into the silence again, a chill running down her spine as she took a longer sip of the hot tea she held. Levi flipped the lid to the bakery box open, before pushing it towards Petra so she may have her take.
Inside were a stack of assorted danishes, croissants, cinnamon buns, and…a smile came to her lips as she spotted a couple blueberry muffins. Despite their military days behind them, there was no surprise to her that had remembered her favorite. He was always keen on details, be they the most imperative to a situation, or trivial little fact. It was during breakfast one morning with the boys, the subject of their favorite meals to start the day bringing flavor to the borderline staling bread and gruel they were consuming. She had admitted to her squad mates that she would most certainly do anything to wake up to the fresh scent of a blueberry muffin waiting for her. A few laughs had erupted from the very same comrades who had expressed their desires for hearty meats, poultries, and full-bodied gravies.
But it was their Captain who did not laugh, who did not interject, and who had traveled into town early the next morning in order to leave the ginger-haired woman a box of fresh, blueberry muffins to wake to.
Petra picked up a muffin, setting it a top a napkin just before her.
"So...what's on the agenda for today?" She asked, removing the top of the muffin before taking a bite out of the 'stem;' the top had always been her favorite and, for as long as she could remember, always saved it for last.
"A few orders will need to be placed with a number of shops; tables and chairs, ceramics, glassware," Levi began to list off, taking a seat in the chair across from Petra, "I suppose we'll need some things for up here as well." He sipped at his tea, eyes slowly glancing around the flat before resting on to Petra once again, who was currently mid-bite into the muffin. The young woman nodded her head as she chewed the delightful piece of baked good within her mouth, swallowing before speaking.
"Gunter's family are carpenters; he's said before their shop is just a mile outside the Trost gate."
Levi nodded, recalling Gunter once mentioning his family's trade. While his father was not in the best of health, his brothers had stayed with the business despite raising families of their own.
"There's a blacksmith around the same area; other than that, everything else that's needed can be bought in town."
Petra hummed in response, picking a baked blueberry out of the muffin and popping it into her mouth. She watched as the man across her reached into his breast pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper between his index and middle fingers. He held it out to her, a thin brow quirking on the young woman's face as she hesitated for what she thought was a few moments too long before registering in her mind that she should take it from him.
She rubbed her fingers free of any muffin debris on a napkin before taking the paper. His ever familiar scrawl appeared before her as she unfolded it. A bit of a half-smile ghosted her lips as she recalled the first time trying to make sense of his penmanship, finding it ironic how someone so neat and clean could have messy handwriting. Deciphering it was almost as hard as learning a new language, and even harder to do so when she was too nervous to even ask him what certain words were. But quickly she had learned, surprising a few stumped comrades and superiors when she could easily read to them anything he had written.
Her eyes skimmed the paper, displaying a list, realizing it to be the items he for which he needed to place orders. Petra bit her bottom lip, glancing up once upon reaching the halfway point and seeing his steel blue gaze locked into her. She looked back down again, hiding behind the paper as she felt her cheeks heat up, and missing as he too cast his look towards another direction.
"Um-" she began, attempting to dispel any awkwardness, "if you want, we could pick up some fabric from a clothier; I can make some tablecloths...napkins too, if you'd like..." She scratched her cheek after offering her suggestion, glancing over the list once more before handing it back to him.
Without a word, he set the paper onto the table top, the sound of the chair's legs sliding against the wooden floor filling the quiet, empty home as he stood from his seat. Petra blinked, watching as he disappeared from the room, and reappeared once again with a pencil in hand to take note of her suggestion.
After finishing the list for the shop, and quickly coming up with some at the moment essentials for their new home, the two set out to complete what they could. It was evening by the time they returned, having made most of the orders for the shop, purchased what they could for the house, and of course some things to make dinner.
Petra set to cooking, as Levi began sorting through an organizing what they had picked up to put away. Though careful and meticulous as to what he wanted with what and where, it did not take him too long to clear the room of everything. He took a seat at the dining table once finished, producing his list from earlier once again and marking off what he could.
"It'll be ready in about a half hour," Petra said, wiping her freshly rinsed hands on a kitchen towel before joining him at the table. Levi glanced to her, nodding, and making note in the margin which merchants would open tomorrow.
"We did pretty well with the list; we'll probably be able to get through the rest of it tomorrow," she spoke, watching as Levi scribbled onto the paper. Besides finishing the orders, he had expressed to her earlier that he would want to start cleaning the shop downstairs as well. She had yet to see it, knowing full well that Levi had been avoiding the area; in all honesty, she was surprised he had even gone this long without taking at least a broom to it (then again, for all she knew, he had.) He did not respond to her statement, and after allowing the light bubbling of the pottage on the stove fill the room for a few moments, he finally spoke.
"What do you want to name the shop?"
The question had taken her by surprise, noting the expectancy in the gaze he cast upon her. In all honesty, she had been wondering what he had been planning to call the business, assuming he had something in mind. But it seemed her assumption was wrong.
"Er-I mean-is there anything you had in mind?" After all, it was his shop, his dream he was putting into action. Shouldn't he be the one to come up with the name of the business?
"I'm shitty with names; pick something."
Well…that certainly answered that question…
A name… She did not think she was any better at naming than he was, but from the look in his eyes, she could tell that perhaps he thought differently. Petra bit her bottom lip in thought, gaze focused on the ceiling before slowly coming down to look at Levi. A slight furrow came over her brow as the gears of her mind continued to turn, the stoic man about to part his lips to ask why she was staring at him before she beat him to the punch.
"HumaniTea."
A slender, black brow rose as a questioning hum sounded from his throat.
"HumaniTea; like-" she began to explain, before opting to write it out on the back of his shopping list instead. Setting down the pencil, she pushed the paper back towards him. Levi stared at it, realizing exactly what she meant by her name suggestion. He remained silent, Petra watching him and wondering if she should admit it was a dumb idea before he outright said it himself.
"Punny."
Perhaps it was his use of the word, or perhaps it was the fact that he said it with his usual, emotionless demeanor, humor drier than a desert; whichever it was, Petra couldn't help the loud giggle that sounded from her, so thoroughly amused to the point of being brought to stitches. He watched as she laughed, and at one point convinced she was going to fall out of her seat. Thankfully, she did not, but as she settled from the melody that was her laughter, he couldn't help the faintest ghost of a smile that came to his lips.
HumaniTea it was.
