The month following the expedition that ended in Lucy's death was a difficult one for Isa. She'd lost two of her closest friends, and if she wanted to get technical, she'd lost Hange as well. Sherri was hard at work to keep Hange all to herself, almost as if she wanted to hurt Isa even more. Sherri wouldn't let Hange sit with Isa anymore. Since Hange and Isa weren't on the same squads, that kept them apart during training. The only time Isa got to see Hange were on the nights where she'd join Isa up on the rooftop. But those nights were far and few in between. Hange wasn't a night owl like Isa.
Sherri had even gone as far as to request to be permanently switched to Erwin's squad.
This left Isa alone to deal with everything she was feeling. And so, she fell into a rut. Wake up. Eat. Train. Eat. Train some more. Eat. Fall into bed, begging her mind for sleep. When sleep inevitably failed her, up to the roof she went.
She'd visited Ethel as promised, and Ethel had given her words of encouragement, telling her it wasn't her fault. She'd given her hugs, comfort, words of wisdom, support, everything that Isa needed. The older woman had given her, of course, more tea, which Isa was forever grateful for. Ethel had done more for her than anyone in her life.
But Isa still couldn't shake the feeling that it was her fault.
Even though she logically knew the fault lay with whoever was writing those notes, it still felt as if she was to blame. The person writing the notes apparently had a personal vendetta against her, so indirectly her fault. She'd been there, right there, and could have saved Lucy, but she'd failed, so also directly her fault.
That's what kept running through her mind, and the logical side of her tried to push through, and at times, it did…most times, it didn't.
Most nights she couldn't sleep because of the nightmares. Sleep was often filled with images of her life before the Military. The cruelty of her caretakers. Their harsh words. When Isa dreamed of that expedition, they were there with Sherri, taunting her and her failure.
You're pathetic. Weak. Why would anyone ever want you? You can't even save your friend. Useless. Worthless. Failure.
Other memories tried to filter through. Reminders of happier times, before her life had gone to hell.
Her mother, a warm and reassuring presence, would push through the hateful people and wrap her in a caring, doting, adoring embrace, the feel of a mother's love bringing a small light into her dark world.
Isa dear, you are beautiful. Remember who you are. You are a caring person who loves fully, with her while being. You've been hurt, in more ways than one. Life is cruel and unfair. It's what we do with what life throws at us that makes us who we are. Never forget how much your father and I loved you.
The night she dreamt of her mother, was the night she started feeling a little better. The sweet reminder of her mother was enough to help her take on each day, one at a time.
But then there was that damned note. Isa tried not to dwell on it. What could she do? She didn't want to take it up with her squad leader or the Commander. What would she say? That she received a note that suggests the sender offed a fellow scout? She had no proof the note was legit, plus she had no clue who wrote it or where to begin to look. It wasn't worth risking Luna, Sherri, and Hange to bring it up.
But now that she knew just how serious this person was, it was another thing that rested in the back of her mind. She'd been mistaken to write off the first note, but she was at a loss as to what she could do to prevent anything else from happening.
Clearly this person hated her. They believed it to be her fault that they hadn't made the top ten.
But that didn't make any sense. They seemed to think she was out to get them, but that was ridiculous. She didn't have time for something like that. Who did? Then again...this person clearly had time for their own desire for vengeance.
Is this what they wanted? For her to drive herself slowly insane wondering when they'd strike again?
She refused to let that happen. She thought of her mother and what she used to tell her.
It's what we do with what life throws at us that makes us who we are.
A little more than a month after the failed expedition, the Commander called all scouts into the courtyard before lunch.
Curious, Isa stood at attention with the rest of Flagon's squad, towards the front of all the scouts. Erwin's squad was next to hers.
Sofia stood beside her, Hange on her other side, and by the looks on both their faces, they were both just as confused and curious as Isa. It wasn't often that Shadis called all the scouts like this. It must be for something important.
Sofia looked at Isa. "What do you think this is about?"
In front of her, their Squad Leader tensed at Sofia's question.
Does Flagon know why we were gathered here?
Isa shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe it's about the next expedition."
Sofia's brows knit thoughtfully, chin resting on her hand that was propped up by her other arm. "But wouldn't that have just been told to us by our squad leaders? Would he have called a huge meeting like this just for that?"
Isa hummed. "That's a fair point. Maybe it's about Squad Leader Erwin's top-secret mission."
The day before, much to Isa's puzzlement, Erwin had left base with some of the members of his own squad. She only knew that they'd left because the remaining members of his squad had come to train with Flagon's.
"Maybe you girls should just wait and find out like the rest of us."
Isa rolled her eyes at Sairam. "Would it kill you to not be such an ass?" She shot back.
Voice equally hostile, Sairam retorted, "Would it kill you to not be such a princess?"
"Fuck off Sairam."
"My my, such vile language from the princess."
"Enough!" Flagon's command caused Isa to flinch.
"Yes sir."
That didn't stop the two from glaring at each other.
Finally, Shadis walked into the courtyard, followed by Erwin, Miche, and three people, two men and a young woman Isa had never seen before. Based on appearance alone, Isa figured the men were in their early twenties, the girl most likely in her late teens, probably around her or Hange's age.
A curious murmur came over the crowd of scouts as they saw the trio come in wearing scout uniforms.
Shadis' call for attention sent an immediate quiet rippling through the crowd.
Shadis went on to explain that the trio were going to be joining the scouts. Isa found that odd. She knew that the newest batch of cadets weren't set to graduate for a while, so these three weren't coming from training. She'd never heard of people being recruited without any prior training.
Isa watched as Erwin's eyes moved across the crowd, as if he were looking for some sign of discontent from the scouts.
Shadis ordered the trio to introduce themselves.
The first one to introduce himself, was a man with raven hair, styled in an undercut, and sharp gray eyes. He stood shorter than the other man, yet, Isa felt that his aura was far more intimidating, his presence larger. He had a bored expression that said he couldn't care less about anything, yet she could see that his eyes were constantly watching, constantly calculating, constantly taking in everything around him. She had a sense that he was always ready to pounce, no matter the situation.
Arms crossed he said in a bored tone that matched his expression, "Name's Levi."
Isa's eyes went wide.
That's it. That's all he's going to say?
Isa could hear more murmurs surrounding her. The others were just as shocked as she.
Isa looked over at Hange standing beside her, and she was sure her own face matched the perplexed expression on her friend's.
"Silence!" Shadis called out. Turning back to the man named Levi, "You would do well to learn some discipline."
Isa thought that was a little uncalled for. The words not so much, but the tone. The way he almost seemed to talk down to the man. These people clearly hadn't gone through the training that taught them to respect their superiors. The judgmental tone was unnecessary in Isa's opinion.
Levi didn't bother giving a response.
The next one to speak up was the girl. Her hair was tied into two pigtails that Isa thought made her look more childlike than she probably was. Her wide green eyes with a childlike innocence in them didn't exactly help.
In a cheery tone she introduced herself. "Isabel Magnolia, nice to meet all o' ya."
Isa couldn't help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm. Her personality clearly matched her childlike presence, yet there was a determined air about her. Isa didn't doubt for a moment that the girl was more than capable of taking care of herself. She hadn't thought she'd ever meet a person who had more energy than Hange, but she'd now been proven wrong. Isa just hoped she never lost that childlike innocence.
That left the other man. Taller than his two companions, his eyes were also gray, but a lighter color. While he appeared to be more friendly, Isa could tell he was just as calculating and perceptive as Levi.
He attempted to salute as he introduced himself. "I'm Furlan Church."
Isa giggled at the man's salute. His fist was upside down, but at least he was using the right arm.
Shadis' next words took Isa by surprise. Apparently, the trio would be joining Flagon's squad, and her Squad Leader did not seem happy with the news at all. Shadis's eyes narrowed at Flagon when he questioned his commander.
"Is that a problem?" Shadis' tone suggested that he did not care if it was a problem.
The exchange ended with Flagon reluctantly accepting Shadis' orders.
After that, the scouts were dismissed. Flagon asked her to wait while he went to speak with the new recruits. She watched as he exchanged words with them. Isabel and Furlan didn't seem to have any issues, but Levi's eyes had narrowed as he regarded his superior.
Flagon made his way back over to Isa, where she awaited further instruction.
"Isa, after lunch you're to come with me while I show the new recruits the barracks. After that, you're to show them around the base."
She blinked at him. "M-me?"
"Is that a problem Tudor?"
Isa thought it ironic that he was asking the same question that had been asked of him by Shadis...but Isa also thought it best to keep that tidbit to herself.
She shook her head. "Of course not sir, I just didn't expect you to ask me since I'm still new."
He sighed. "The other three are busy with other assignments. You're my only other option." He said with a clipped tone before marching off.
With nothing else to do, Isa made her way to the mess hall for lunch. As she ate, she was surprised to see Hange plop herself down beside her.
Seeing Isa's shocked face, Hange said, "I'm done with Sherri telling me who I can and can't sit with. If she wants to sit with me, then she can sit with you. Besides, Uma's been sitting with us, so she'll have her."
Isa had to look away so that Hange wouldn't see the tears she was fighting back. "I'm sorry Hange."
Hange's eyes widened. "Why are you sorry? You weren't the one making me choose. If anyone should be apologizing it should be me. You're my best friend, and I've been a shitty one this past month." Hange looked down at the table in shame. "I hope you can forgive me."
"There isn't anything to forgive." Her whispered voice was barely audible.
Hange's mouth dropped. "You're too forgiving Isa. Why aren't you mad at me?"
Isa's brow knit in confusion. "I mean why would I be?" She didn't see why she would be mad at Hange. She'd even told Hange that it was okay. There was no use in being mad at someone who hadn't been intentionally trying to hurt her.
"Because I've basically abandoned you for the last month." Hange's voice was incredulous at the fact that Isa wasn't upset with her.
Isa rolled her eyes. "Did you want to abandon me?"
Hange waved her hands in front of her shaking her head. "No of course not."
"Then there's nothing to be mad about." To Isa, that was that. Nothing else mattered. Hange hadn't purposely ignored her for most of the past month. She knew that. As much as it had hurt, she couldn't bring herself to be mad, not even to Sherri.
"I still think you're too forgiving."
Isa just shrugged.
Before either girl could say anything else, the mess hall grew quiet as the new recruits entered the room. Hange and Isa watched as the trio grabbed their lunch and walked over to sit by the window at a table near theirs. Chatter around them slowly resumed.
"So what do you think about the new recruits? They're going to be joining your squad aren't they." Hange had that ever present, curious glint in her eyes.
Isa hummed. "I'm not sure what to think about them. Flagon wants me to show them around the base today?"
"Really! You have to tell me all about them." The curious glint had turned a bit more maniacal, but Isa didn't blame Hange. Everyone was wondering about the trio, where they came from, why they'd been recruited.
At that moment, as if sensing the two women were talking about him, Levi's gaze snapped to Isa's. His cold, gray eyes locked onto her deep brown eyes. Most people in her situation would have cowered. Instead, she merely regarded him curiously, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel unsettled at the intensity of his stare, feeling it to the brink of her soul. It was as if he were picking apart every fear, every doubt, every desire.
She fought to maintain composure as she felt something electric race through her veins. Heart pounding, for some unknown reason she couldn't understand, something she'd never felt. Vaguely, a thought ran through her mind.
Does his heart race like mine?
Nothing in his expression clued her in to anything he might have been thinking, feeling. His face was completely unreadable.
He was the first to break eye contact when his attention was drawn to something Isabel said, and the breath Isa didn't realize she'd been holding rushed out through trembling lips.
"Earth to Isa," a hand waving in front of her face brought her attention back Hange.
Blinking as her heart rate slowly settled, she looked at Hange. "What?"
Smirking Hange said, "Mmhmm, I'm sure if I had just locked eyes in that heated stare, I'd probably be a bit stunned too. I'm surprised I didn't get burned with the electricity that was snapping between you two."
Cheeks flaming, Isa glared at her friend. "You have to be insane to think that. No way in hell."
Hange gave her a bland look. "Isa. I know you. You're my best friend. And because of that, I know when you're in denial. Besides, I don't think I've ever seen your face this red before."
Ignoring her claim, Isa stood up. "I'd better go before I'm late meeting with Flagon. I'm not getting yelled at because you're delusional."
Hange pouted. "Hey that hurts."
Isa merely gave Hange a half-hearted wave as she walked out the mess hall. She didn't notice the pair of calculating eyes that followed her receding figure out the door.
Isa found Flagon standing outside the main building. She gave him a salute, which he waved off.
"Isa, what have you heard about the new recruits?"
"Not much sir. Just what Commander Shadis told us."
Flagon hummed. He seemed to be having some sort of internal debate about what to say next. Finally, he said, "Don't spread this information around, but they're from the Underground."
At the mention of the Underground, Isa's blood froze. "Why are you telling me this sir?" She tried to keep her voice steady, casual.
"I've asked you to show them around. But I also want you to help me keep an eye on them. So I need you to watch yourself around them."
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a warning tone taking over her voice that went unnoticed by Flagon. "Just because they're from the Underground doesn't mean they're bad people."
"If you knew the things they'd done—"
"What? I'd change my mind? I doubt it. The people in the Underground do what they can to survive. I'm sure they've committed crimes but so what? People living above wouldn't understand what it's like to do whatever you need to do to survive." The nerve of the man, to judge them just because of where they'd come from. It was no different than Sairam judging her and assuming she was some princess because she came from Mitras.
She spat out her final point. "Besides, you act like people above ground don't commit crimes. I saw my fair share of crimes in Mitras, probably worse than what goes on in the Underground, and watched the Military Police turn a blind eye at the promise of a satchel full of coins."
Flagon looked slightly taken aback at Isa's hostile tone, and she could understand why. She tried to remain respectful around her superiors, but the way Flagon was talking about them, judging them, without even knowing who they are, triggered a deep-seated anger inside of her that she always kept locked away.
Before he could say anything else, Flagon's attention snapped to something behind Isa. She turned around and saw the new recruits standing behind her. She wondered how much they'd heard.
"Good, you're actually on time."
Isa watched the shorter man's eyes narrow at Flagon's condescending tone.
Flagon turned his attention to Isa. "Introduce yourself to the new recruits."
"Isa Tudor, coming from Mitras." The trio didn't seem surprised to hear where she was from. "I'm part of Squad Leader Flagon's squad, and I've been tasked to show you around base after we show you the barracks."
Isa took in the expressions of the trio in front of her. Levi looked bored, but his eyes were regarding her with suspicion. Furlan watched her with caution but seemed friendly enough. Isabel had the friendliest expression on her face of the three, though Isa didn't suspect for a second that she wasn't just as wary as her friends.
I don't blame them for being suspicious. If they come from the Underground, they're going to be used to having to watch their backs every second of every day. I wouldn't expect them to trust the rest of us immediately.
"Alright, I don't think you need them to reintroduce themselves do you Tudor?"
"No sir."
"Good, then let's get this over with."
Isa walked beside Isabel, as the four of them followed Flagon to the barracks. She figured she may as well get to know them since they'd be on her squad, and Isabel seemed like the best first option.
I suck at this, but at least I have more practice now thanks to Hange and…
She stopped herself before she could list her other two friends, not wanting to bring her mood down.
Luckily, Isabel didn't seem to have any issues making conversation, which made the process easier for Isa.
"You're from Mitras? We rode through there when they brought us up from the Underground."
Even though Isa was grateful for Isabel steering the conversation, she wished that the girl had picked a different topic other than Mitras. "Yea, that's where I…grew up."
"What's it like there? What are the people like?"
Isa wasn't sure how much of her opinion to give away. "The people there aren't always…the best."
"It sure doesn't sound like it, based on what you were telling that Flagon guy earlier."
Isa flushed. "Oh, I…didn't realize you'd heard that." She wasn't sure how she felt at having been caught disrespecting a superior and speaking in ill terms about the nobles in Mitras.
Isabel gave her a grin. "Yup, sure did. Thanks for that. I thought it was awful nice of you to defend people you don't know."
A blunt voice cut in. "More like idiotic."
Eyes narrowing Isa bristled at the tone that came from behind her.
Okay I get being suspicious, but that's just uncalled for.
Isabel laughed at Isa's reaction, and was quick to reassure her. "Don't worry about bro. He just likes people to think he's tough."
Before Isa could say anything else, Flagon cut in, opening the door to the building they'd arrived at. "This is the military barracks."
Isa could tell Flagon had to hold himself back from rolling his eyes and snapping when Isabel thought the three of them would get to stay in the same place. She did notice that his tone was still harsh when he told Isabel that there was a separate barracks for women.
She thought it was adorable that Isabel wanted to stay close to her friends, and she understood why Isabel was so distraught when Flagon said that she would be staying in the women's barracks. If these two men were her family, she'd be alone in the barracks.
Understanding that lonely feeling, Isa made to reassure the girl. "Hey don't worry Isabel, I'll be there too. You can even meet my friend Hange, we've known each other since day one of training."
Isabel seemed to perk back up at the thought of having an ally in the women's barracks.
Isa watched as Levi approached one of the bunks and dragged his hand across the bottom of the top bed.
She wasn't quite sure why Isabel and Furlan's faces had paled, until she saw Levi's disgusted face as loose dirt and dust fell to the floor, coating his hands.
Hmm, he must like things to be clean. I don't really blame him, the Underground isn't the cleanest of places. Probably doesn't like the reminders of it.
What surprised Isa, was Flagon's degrading comment about 'needing to keep the place clean despite having lived in a trash heap.'
Isa's eyes narrowed at Flagon's assumption. Again, he's judging them based on where they come from. She was sorely tempted to snap at him and say where you come from doesn't dictate how clean you are. She'd seen how filthy the people in Mitras could be. If it weren't for the servants, the nobles would be living in filth, not knowing how to clean up after themselves.
Isa held herself back…barely. She didn't want to disrespect her superior twice in one day, but she so wanted to put him in his place.
Levi's incredulous look told Isa he didn't appreciate the judgment one bit. Isa watched as Levi approached Flagon, who seemed to grow nervous and defensive under Levi's dangerous gaze and harsh tone as he confronted Flagon for the bias. Isa watched as Flagon attempted to reprimand him for approaching a superior in such a manner, but she thought it looked as if Levi didn't care at all for formalities if Flagon was going to be so flippantly arrogant.
Isa was relieved when Furlan cut in before the conflict could increase any further. He gave Flagon a promise that they'd keep it clean and gave another salute. Isa had to hold back her laugh as she watched him hold his fist upside down again.
Flagon, apparently wanting to get in the last word, called back to them as he walked out. "Isa, when you're done showing them around the base, bring them to the training grounds."
"Yes sir." She gave him a firm salute, looking at Furlan and indicating towards her fist. He caught on and corrected himself.
As soon as Flagon was gone, Furlan turned back to Levi. "Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble!"
Isa jumped a little at Furlan's tone. He'd shifted from apologetic to accusatory so fast she could barely keep up.
"Didn't you hear how he talked about us? Like shit calling shit dirty."
"Ugh, Levi."
Isa couldn't help but agree with Levi. "He's got a point Furlan. I've noticed some of the people around here don't have the highest opinion of you three, like they've forgotten that even the people of Mitras can be criminals, or filthy."
Levi's gaze was suspicious. "What's your deal?"
"Not sure what you mean."
"We don't need you to defend us." His tone was firm.
Isa shrugged. "That's fine. I'm not saying that to defend you. It's the truth. I spent most of my childhood in Mitras. I saw how people can be there. They act all high and mighty forgetting that their shit stinks as much as the next person's."
If Levi was surprised by her comment, he didn't show it. Instead he turned to his friends and told them they were going to clean up every single bit of dirt.
Isa giggled at Isabel's incredulous tone when she asked if Levi was serious about doing that now.
Levi turned to Isa again. "Surely someone from Mitras isn't too spoiled to know where the cleaning supplies are."
Eyes turning cold, Isa raised a brow at the assumption.
Seriously, what did I just say? Like it went in one ear and out the other.
Furlan gave a nervous chuckle. "I think what Levi means to say, is that he would greatly appreciate it if you could bring us some cleaning supplies, so we can go ahead and get this place in tip-top shape before you show us around base. We can go ahead and get started here while we wait for you to return."
She gave Furlan a curious look. "You must do that a lot. Cut in before things can escalate. You did it earlier with Flagon, and now with me."
He just gave a sheepish shrug.
Resigned, Isa sighed. "Fine, I'll be back. Just…bear in mind that, from what I've seen, not a lot of people are going to be welcoming here." She met Levi's appraising gaze again. "It would do you well to take allies where you can find them. I'm not your enemy."
And with that, she walked out of the room to the supply closet down the hall in the barracks.
Whatever conversation they had while Isa was gone, she was unaware of. She returned and was intrigued to see Levi rubbing Isabel's hair affectionately.
Hmm, not as cold as you try to play yourself off to be.
She stepped back into the room, trying not to laugh at the cloth on Levi's head. "Here guys, found this broom and this bucket. I went ahead and filled it with some soap and water, and well found these rags too."
Levi stepped forward and yanked the broom out of Isa's hands passing it to Furlan, and threw a rag at Isabel, instructing them to clean up.
When Levi said "You wouldn't want me to cause trouble would you," Isa couldn't help but laugh, earning herself a glare from Levi.
Between the four of them, they made relatively quick work of tidying up. Isa found herself in charge of scrubbing the floor after Levi finished sweeping up a section, Isabel scrubbed the windows, and Furlan scrubbed the furniture. Levi critiqued Isabel and Furlan every step of the way, but surprisingly didn't have anything negative to say about Isa's cleaning.
His only comment was when he said, "Never thought someone from Mitras would even know how to scrub a floor."
Her eyes flashed daggers at the condescending tone. He didn't even flinch at her glare.
This man is truly testing my patience.
"Clearly you haven't listened to me at all. It doesn't matter where a person comes from. They can be clean, dirty, smart, stupid, good, bad, no matter where they were born." She snapped at him.
He didn't bother answering her.
She didn't notice Isabel and Furlan sending them amused glances as they bickered.
Once Levi was satisfied with the status of the room, he merely nodded his head at Isa, and she took it as his indication that they could move on to the base tour.
Guess I wasn't too far off in him liking things clean.
While they'd cleaned, Isa had thought about where she should take them first. She'd decided on the stables, only because Luna would be able to calm her nerves. When they'd been cleaning, she hadn't been in charge of the conversation, but now that she'd be leading them around the base, their attention would be on her, and she wasn't sure which had her more on edge, all three of them paying attention to her, or if it was just Levi.
She led the way to the stables. Normally she let Luna free in the pasture, but she'd trained with her this morning, and had settled her back in her stall to let her rest a little bit.
At the mention of horses, Isabel seemed to perk up.
"You mean you guys have horses?"
"Of course, idiot, how else do you think they'd get around outside the walls?"
Isa laughed when Isabel just stuck her tongue at out Levi, but was a little surprised when he just rolled his eyes.
Isabel looked at Isa with a grin. "I'm pretty sure Levi is glad that I ask what he thinks are dumb questions. Saves him from having to ask them."
Isa giggled at that. Levi merely glowered at the two girls.
Inside the stable, Isa showed the trio the tack rooms where all the equipment was held. Each scout had a large locker that had a stand for the saddle and saddle pads, and hooks to hang the bridle, reins, lead, and halter. There was also a small storage section at the bottom of the locker, which is where Isa kept Luna's treats and the special soap she'd bought for her.
Since joining, Isa had wondered who the owner of her locker before her had been.
"Oh look, it looks like they've already put your names on your lockers."
Levi's and Furlan's were in the two lockers beside hers, and Isabel's was on the other side of the tack room.
Isa took notice when Isabel pouted when she saw hers was separated from her friends. She remembered how sad the girl had been when she learned that the three of them wouldn't be in the same barracks.
An idea occurred to Isa. "Isabel, do you wanna switch lockers with me so your stuff can be next to Levi's and Furlan's?"
Isa brightened at that. "Are you sure you won't get in trouble?"
"Of course not, it's our lockers so the higher ups don't care as long as we're not messing with someone else's stuff that isn't ours…oof." Her breath was knocked out of her as Isabel tackled her in a big hug.
"Isa you're so nice, I don't care what bro says."
She raised a brow. "Oh really now." She met Levi's gaze, who was watching her with what could pass for a thoughtful expression.
Isabel and Isa made quick work of switching their stuff, and Isabel beamed when her name was in the locker beside Levi's.
"You'll probably get your tack today or tomorrow once you've been assigned a horse. Whichever horse you're assigned determines the sizes needed for your tack."
Isabel looked thrilled at the thought of having her own horse.
Isa then led them down the stable to where the stalls were. Most of the horses were out in the pastures, but some were relaxing in their stalls. When she got to Luna's the mare had already stuck her head over the stall door, eager to see Isa.
"Hey girl, I've brought you some new friends." As an afterthought she gave Luna a warning look. "You'd better behave."
The playful look in the mare's eyes made Isa laugh.
She turned to face the trio. "This is Luna. She was my horse during training as a cadet, and I was able to keep her."
"Do you normally not keep the horses you use in training?" Furlan's voice was curious.
"No, once you join the Scouts, they normally assign you one. But I couldn't bear to part with Luna, so thankfully, our head instructor allowed me to bring her with me." She looked at the three recruits watching the mare. "You guys can pet her if you want. She's friendly, if not a bit playful."
Isabel couldn't contain the squeal as she reached up a hand to pet Luna's muzzle. The mare nickered at Isabel, sniffing her hair.
Isabel laughed. "Hey that tickles. Guys come on, come pet her."
Furlan and Levi approached the mare, and raised tentative hands, Furlan to her neck, Levi to the other side of her muzzle.
What surprised Isa was the hearty lick Luna gave Levi's face as he stroked her muzzle.
Isa could not contain the laugh when she saw Levi's face. The look bordered on distraught and traumatized.
Isabel and Furlan just looked worried for Isa for laughing at Levi.
Between gasps for air, Isa said, "I think she likes you."
Levi glared at her, as he furiously wiped at his face with the handkerchief he'd pulled from his pocket. His glare did nothing but fuel Isa's cackles.
Her laughter finally calming, she said, "It usually just means that they like the salt on your skin. Maybe you should do a better job washing your face." She gave Levi a cheeky grin.
Levi merely grumbled, still trying to wipe off the slobber from his face. Isa thought she heard him say something about making sure his horse never does something so vile and disgusting, and she just shook her head in amusement.
Isa turned to Isabel. "I was going to take her out to the pasture now, do you want to lead her?"
Isabel's eyes went wide with wonder. "Really? I can do that?"
"Of course, let me go grab her halter and lead." Wishing she'd thought to grab it earlier, she walked back to the tack room.
As she made her way back, she overheard Isabel scolding Levi. "Don't be so mean to her. She's really nice."
"No one is just nice for no reason." Isa thought his tone seemed more thoughtful than suspicious.
"You were nice to me when—"
Isabel cut herself off when she heard Isa's footsteps.
I wonder what she was going to say. And what did Levi mean by that? Has no one ever done anything nice for him just because?
"Here Isabel you can put her halter on for her if you want."
"Oh, but I don't know how."
"It's okay, I'll show you."
Isa slowly walked Isabel through the steps of hooking the lead onto the halter first, and then gently sliding it onto Luna's muzzle and over her ears.
After Isa checked to make sure the halter was fastened and tightened correctly, she gave Isabel her next instruction. "Alright, now you're going to want to stand beside her left shoulder. The hand closest to her will be the one to lead her. Your other hand will hold the slack of the lead."
"Are we going to go sometime today?"
Isa glared at Levi, before saying to Isabel. "Whenever you're ready, I'm going to open the stall door, and then you'll just give the lead a gentle tug to let Luna know you want her to move."
Isabel nodded when she was ready, and Isa opened up the stall door. Isabel softly clucked her tongue, gently tugged Luna's lead, and began leading her out of the stable.
"You guys look! I'm doing it."
Furlan gave Isabel an affectionate smile. Isa watched as Levi simply gave Isabel a small nod of encouragement, giving no other sign that he was impressed.
Isa led them to the pasture where the other horses were roaming, and opened the gate.
"Now, make sure you take her halter off."
"Why?"
"Well, if you leave the halter on a horse, they could get injured. If they go to scratch an itch on the fence, the halter could get stuck, so it's best to take it off."
Isabel gasped at the thought of accidentally injuring such a beautiful creature. She made quick work of gently removing the halter and lead.
With a final nicker, Luna trotted off into the field to join the other horses in their grazing.
After that, Isa showed them where the showers were. It was located on the ground floor of the main building, sectioned off into two parts, one side for the men, the other side for the women.
She made sure to show them where Flagon's office was, in case they ever needed to speak to him or if they were called to his office for some reason.
Since that covered the main parts of the base, Isa led them to the training grounds to meet up with Flagon's squad.
A thought occurred to Isa as they walked. "You guys only got here this morning, right?"
"Yea, we left Mitras early this morning, and then got here a little bit before your Commander had us introduce ourselves."
"He's your Commander now too, Furlan." Isa teased. "I was wondering, because if you guys only just got here, then you haven't seen the sunset."
"The sunset?" Isabel's wide eyes held an intrigued look at the idea.
"Yea, every day, at the end of the day, the suns goes down, and there's all these pretty colors. The sky gets darker until it's the night sky with the stars."
Isabel gasped. "Can we see it?"
"Sure, I can show you guys my spot where I like to go to watch it, later today after dinner if you want."
"Where is that?"
Isa grinned at Isabel. "It'll be a surprise."
She didn't miss the suspicious glance Levi threw her way, but she just shrugged it off.
Maybe this will show him that I'm not their enemy.
"Just meet me outside the mess hall after dinner, and we'll go then."
By then, they had arrived at the training grounds where Flagon and the rest of his squad were ready.
"About time. Took you long enough Isa."
"Well you wanted them to clean up and then you wanted me to show them around base, so I'm not sure what you expected."
Okay…so much for not getting hostile with your squad leader twice in one day Isa.
Flagon glared at her. "I'm going to let the snark slide one more time. Let it happen again and it'll be laps with no dinner."
"Yes sir."
Dammit Isa, stop testing him.
Luckily, the way she said 'sir' went over Flagon's head. He had the the rest of the squad introduce themselves.
With the way Sairam was looking at the trio, as if they were horse shit on the side of the streets, made Isa think that Flagon had told his squad that they came from the Underground. Ironic, considering he'd told her not to say anything.
Isa thought Sofia and Ingrid looked more pensive than anything, much to Isa's relief.
At least the majority of our squad doesn't look down on them. Hopefully it stays that way.
Flagon took his squad over to some horses for the trio to choose from. Isabel chose a tan mare, who held a playful glint in her eyes, similar to the one Isa often saw in Luna. She'd seen the two mares get into more mischief than any other pair of horses.
Furlan chose a brown stallion, who also seemed to hold a playful nature, but was more reserved. Isa had seen him out in the pasture and seemed as though he got along well with the other horses.
Finally, Levi settled on a black stallion, and Isa just knew that the only reason he picked that horse is because he was the only one that Levi thought would reframe from licking him. She'd seen that stallion in the pastures as well. He seemed to be a bit of a loner, though he had warmed up enough to Luna. Isa was certain that was in large part due to Luna's stubborn streak.
Hmm, fitting that they chose these horses that all kind of seemed to fit their personalities. I think it's perfect.
Levi noted the playful look on Isa's face, and his eyes narrowed. "What are you smiling at?"
Her smile only grew. "Nothing of importance."
After the trio chose their horses, Flagon told them to stay behind as he dismissed the rest of the squad for the day.
As Isa walked away, Isabel called out, "We'll see you later Isa."
Isa turned and gave a small wave, and then made her way to the mess hall for dinner, making a stop to shower and change along the way.
In the mess hall, she found a table to herself and sat to enjoy her dinner. Or at least try to. Eating the same thing every day did get tedious, and she didn't often have the chance to go to Trost to enjoy any of the local taverns.
As she ate, Hange sat beside her again. "How was your day?"
"It was good, Flagon had me show the new recruits around."
She looked up and saw that said recruits were making their way over to where Isa and Hange sat, though Isa could tell that Levi was basically being dragged there against his will by Isabel.
"Hi Isa, mind if we sit with you?"
"Of course she doesn't mind. Why would she mind? Hi I'm Hange! I'm Isa's best friend!"
"Hange, at least let them sit down first." Isa shook her head at her friend's energy. "Sorry, she gets excited around new people."
"It's so nice to meet you, I've been dying to meet you guys since I heard they were putting you in Flagon's squad earlier during that meeting. Where are you guys from? It doesn't look like you've had any training, are you guys any good? You must be, if you're being put straight into Flagon's squad. Where did you guys learn?"
"Oi, do you ever shut up?"
Hange just laughed, but Isa looked dumbfounded at Levi's rather rude question…fair question, she had to admit…but rude, nonetheless. Before she could say anything, Isabel spoke up. "Bro, don't be so mean."
"Bro? Is he your brother? You guys don't look related, but I guess that doesn't really mean anything. Just because people don't look alike doesn't mean they aren't—"
Isa's hand covering Hange's mouth cut her off. "Hange, we've talked about this, if you're going to ask questions, at least give the other person time to answer."
Hange gave a muffled 'sorry.' When Isa moved her hand there was a sheepish grin on Hange's face, her eyes glinting playfully.
Isabel did her best to answer Hange's questions. "Well, we're from the Underground, so no we didn't have any training, but we're really good. Levi here is the best." She said with a proud smile. "We aren't related, but Levi is still my bro. And don't worry about him. It's his way of saying 'how are we supposed to answer your questions if you don't give us the chance to.'"
Fair enough. Isa thought to herself.
"How did you guys meet?"
"Well Furlan here practically begged Levi to join his gang. Levi found me when I was younger and saved me. He basically adopted me."
"Isabel." Levi's warning tone drew Isa's gaze to him. She took in the glare he sent Isabel, but she also noted that he wasn't making eye contact.
Is he…embarrassed for people to know he did something nice? Does he want people to think he doesn't have a kind side? But…why?
The rest of dinner passed with Hange asking the trio a multitude of questions. She wanted to know what it was like in the Underground, what the people there were like, what they thought when they stepped out of the stairwell and into Mitras. Isabel answered most of them. Furlan would jump in every now and then to answer, but Levi would only speak to cut them off when he felt they were sharing too much.
When they'd finished dinner, Isa asked the trio to go wait for her outside the mess hall while she talked to Hange.
When they'd left, Isa turned to Hange. "Okay, so I'm going to take them up to the roof to show them the sunset and—"
Hange's face turned excited. "Can I come? I want to come too please." Her tone was borderline begging.
"Hange, no. I think they've had enough questions for one night."
Hange pouted. "Aww, I promise I'll be quiet."
Isa merely sent her a bland look.
Hange sighed. "Fine, but you'd better tell me everything."
Isa rolled her eyes. "I doubt there'll be much to tell, but fine I promise."
Isa left Hange as she went to meet up with the trio. She found them waiting outside the mess hall like she'd asked, and this made her oddly happy. She wasn't sure why. Maybe she expected them to not want to spend more time with her, even with the promise of the sunset.
She gave them a smile. "Alright guys follow me. You'll like this, I promise."
The trio followed Isa as she walked up the stairs to the upper floor of the base and down a long hallway, where a door at the end stood. She opened the door, leading them up some more stairs until finally they got to the door leading to the roof.
She peeked outside and saw that the sun was just starting to set.
Perfect.
She turned back to the trio. "Okay, we're just in time, but I want you guys to close your eyes so—"
"No." It was Levi who cut her off.
She met Levi's calculating gaze, and her stomach flipped as she looked into his gray eyes. She tried to communicate that she wasn't going to hurt them. Chewing her lip she wasn't really sure how to proceed. She really wanted them to wait until they were on the roof so that they could take in the full effect of the sunset, but she also understood that Levi didn't trust her to not try something.
"Okay, you…you don't have to close your eyes if you don't want to. I promise I'm not going to do anything, I told you before. I'm not your enemy. But I understand."
"I don't know why you're so worried bro. Isa hasn't done anything to us, if anything, she's been the nicest person here."
Levi didn't bother answering.
Isabel shrugged. "I trust you Isa, I'll close my eyes." She covered her eyes with one of her hands, putting her trust into Isa.
Isa smiled. "Perfect, here, hold my hand, and I'll guide you out."
Before she could grab Isabel's hand, Levi had pushed her hand out of the way, and taken the redhead's hand himself, giving Isa a warning look to not try anything funny.
She looked at Furlan, who was giving her a similar look, not fully trusting her either.
It hurt more than Isa wanted to admit, but she kept reminding herself that it would take time before she'd earn their trust. It was harder than she thought. She'd never been faced with such a challenging person. She didn't know why she wanted them to trust her so badly, she just knew she did.
Not wanting to waste any more time arguing, she met Levi's eyes again, and nodded. Isa opened the door, and led the trio out onto the rooftop.
As they walked out onto the roof, the sun was low on the horizon, the sky just starting to change to the purples and oranges that hinted of the coming dusk.
She glanced behind her, and it pleased her to see Levi and Furlan's faces. Both sets of eyes had widened, taking in the glorious scene before them. They had frozen in place, unable to move, Levi still holding tight to Isabel's hand.
Isabel was impatient. "Bro, why did we stop, can I open my eyes? I want to see!"
Smiling to herself, she reached back to grab Levi's free hand, fighting back a blush when she felt the warmth of his hand on hers and his gray eyes snapped to meet her brown ones, the suspicion gone, replaced by something else she couldn't place, something that had her heart flip in her chest and beat just a little faster.
With her other hand, she took Furlan's, who jolted at the touch, having been mesmerized by the sunset.
She gently led them over to the battlements, where she always liked to sit. "Okay Isabel, you can open your eyes now."
When the girl moved her hand from in front of her eyes, her mouth dropped. The sky had exploded into an array of color. Orange gave way to purples and pinks, swirling into a majestic sight in front of them. The sun was now a gentler yellow in the center of the horizon and was a strong contrast to the deep colors in the sky.
Isa watched as tears began to fall from the girl's eyes. "Isabel…are…are you okay?"
The girl didn't want to draw her gaze away from the sight in front of her. "I…I just never thought I'd be up here, to be able to see something like this. And yet here I am. I feel like I'm dreaming." She wiped at the tears on her face.
Isa knew all too well how she felt. Unsure of what to say or do, Isa settled with putting her arm around the girl's shoulders. "You're here now, and that's all that matters."
They stood in silence, as they watched the colors give way to twilight, and then to the dark of night. The stars slowly began to twinkle on the dark canvas as the light of day faded.
"If you think this was nice, wait until you see your first sunrise."
Isabel gasped. "You mean this happens twice in a day?"
Isa nodded. "In a sense. At sunrise, the colors aren't as vibrant, but there's something nice about seeing the morning slowly come. Everything is quiet and peaceful as everything starts to wake up." Her voice had grown serene as she described the early mornings.
Isabel chewed on her lip. "Can...can we watch the sunrise too?"
"We can, but it'll be a long time before it comes."
"I don't want to leave, I want to stay here all night."
"We can stay if you want. I don't know if your friends want to though."
Isabel looked at Levi and Furlan with pleading eyes. "Please, can we stay here? I don't want to go to bed, I want to stay here so we can watch the sunrise."
Levi merely rolled his eyes, but Furlan looked at Isa curiously. "Is there not some sort of curfew? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."
Isa read the meaning behind the words and understood that what Furlan meant was that he didn't want the three of them getting into trouble if that's what she was trying to do.
She shook her head. "The higher ups don't care. They have too much going on to worry about something as silly as what time people go to sleep. Besides, it's common for people to have trouble sleeping, so it would be pointless. They really only care that you're on time for training."
That seemed to satisfy Furlan.
Isabel grew excited. "So we can stay?"
"Sure—" Her breath was knocked out of her as Isabel hugged her fiercely.
This girl is very affectionate, I wonder how her friends manage. They don't seem like the affectionate type, especially Levi.
Isabel pulled back and settled on one of the battlements to watch as more and more stars took over the sky.
Isa looked at Furlan and Levi. "I'm going to grab some blankets from one of the storage closets. It gets chilly at night."
She left them alone and made her way to a storage closet that was on the floor before the stairway up to the roof. She found some blankets and a couple of pillows, and then made her way back up to the roof. There she found that the three of them had settled themselves on the battlement. She thought the sight was nice, to see all three of them together.
It was clear to Isa that they were close, and they considered each other as family. Levi seemed to be the most protective, constantly watching out for them. He hadn't even let her touch Isabel when he thought she was leading them into some type of trap. He didn't speak much, but when he did, it was either to hand off some insult, or signal his distrust in the moment.
As she approached them, she heard the final tails of whatever conversation they'd been having as Levi said, "I'm going to trust you."
I wonder what they were talking about.