Isa was brought back to the present without warning. Confused, dazed, and disoriented, she blinked, looking around her. Nothing had changed. The scouts around her were still working on their close combat training. No one seemed to have noticed what had happened.

She was struggling to understand what just happened.

She was completely oblivious to the lone tear trickling down her cheek. The warmth of the woman's emanating love as she hugged her small child still enveloped her. The word 'always' kept echoing in her mind.

The love that woman had for him, I've never felt anything like it.

She looked up at Levi who still had her pinned.

She watched as his face morphed through more emotions than she'd yet to see expressed from him.

Shock.

Disbelief.

Confusion.

Anger.

The change happened in a matter of seconds before he regained composure, and she wondered if she'd imagined the myriad of emotion that had played across his face.

Any other time, she might have been elated to have caused his face to show something other than that bland expression, but in the moment, she was too stunned by what had happened.

His face now neutral, his narrowed eyes watchful and calculating. "What was that?" When he spoke, his tone was as bland as ever, if not more so, carefully hiding any clue or inclination of what he was thinking.

She gulped, at a loss for words in how to explain what that was. His face was stoic, his tone was even, yet, she felt he was more on edge than ever. "I…I honestly don't know. Th-that's never happened before." She watched him with wide eyes, unsure of what to do.

She vaguely wondered if this is how he looked when he interrogated people who crossed him in the Underground. She felt like she should be afraid, but for some reason, she wasn't. Something told her that, despite what had just transpired, he wouldn't hurt her.

As if only just now realizing he was still hovering over her, he leapt up. The way he acted you would think she'd gone aflame, and he wanted to avoid getting burned.

Before either could say or do anything else, Flagon and Erwin dismissed their squads for the day, training having ended. Levi walked away without another word, though Isa had the sneaking suspicion that he was far from done questioning her.

She sat up on the ground, as her senses returned to her, and her mind buzzed with questions about what she just saw.

Who was the woman? That had to have been his mother right? I mean, he even called her 'mama.' What happened to her? Something bad must have happened to her right? Or maybe she's still in the Underground, and he's going to try to bring her to the surface?

Except…he seemed so happy, so full of love and life in the memory, so different than how he is now. Now he's more reserved, constantly on guard. That sort of change doesn't happen unless you go through some horrible shit.

Levi, what the hell have you had to endure?

After dinner, she was walking back to her room, when a hand came from behind her grabbing her arm, and dragged her along.

Stumbling, she turned to look to see who had grabbed her, and her eyes boggled when she saw Levi yanking her through the hall, his hand was wrapped around her arm in an iron tight grip.

"Levi…wh-what are you doing?"

He didn't answer, only picked up his pace. Having been caught off guard, it took her several steps before she was able to walk without stumbling.

She followed him as he led them down some steps, down a long hallway, and into a cellar, where Furlan was waiting.

He sat her down onto a crate and then he perched himself on a crate opposite of her. "Speak."

She blinked. "Umm…what do you mean?"

"I want to know what your play is. What the hell was that earlier?"

My play?

Isa had now idea what he was talking about. Did he seriously think she did that on purpose? She had absolutely no idea how that had happened. She didn't even know what it was. All she knew was that one minute she'd been laying on the ground, pinned by him, and the next, she was in some memory of his.

"I-I already told you that I don't know."

He glared at her.

How do I get him to believe me? He's already got issues with being overly suspicious. This is bound to just make it worse.

"What do you want me to say? That I did that on purpose?"

"What are you? Some military experiment? What were you looking for? Who commanded you to do this?"

"Looking for?" Her voice came out as a screech and she had to pause so that her next words came out less shrill. "What? You think I purposely looked into your memories to try to find something?"

Military experiment? Sure, I wouldn't put it past the military to experiment on people to try to build stronger soldiers. But surely they wouldn't waste time on something like being able to see people's memories. What good does that do when fighting titans? Maybe for the Military Police. But I've never heard about something like this.

Surely there would have been rumors if the military were experimenting on people.

He was clearly unimpressed by her lack of answer. "Why the hell else would you have done that?"

"I already told you, I don't know how that happened or what that was."

She flinched when a thud echoed in her ear, and when she turned her head, she saw a knife was now stuck in the crate sitting beside her head.

Where the hell did the knife come from?

Regaining composure, she met his glare with a raised brow and calm eyes. "Threaten me all you want Levi, I know you're not going to hurt me."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh? What makes you so sure of that. I've hurt other people for less."

"If you had really wanted to hurt me, you would have done so by now. Either on the training grounds, or when you dragged me in here to interrogate me. And I've seen you in training." She jabbed her thumb at the knife beside her, emphasizing her next point. "You don't miss unless it's on purpose. Something is telling you that I'm not lying, which is why you haven't hurt me."

Levi pulled the knife out of the crate before turning to Furlan standing beside of him. "What do you think?"

Furlan watched her with calculating eyes. "I think we can trust her. She hasn't done anything to us to suggest otherwise. If anything, she's been the most welcoming of everyone."

Levi's eyes narrowed, clearly dissatisfied with Furlan's answer. "That's exactly why we shouldn't trust her. Why would someone be that welcoming?"

"Because I know what it's like to be judged based on where I come from. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I…am not…your enemy." She tried to keep her voice calm, but it was becoming more challenging by the minute.

Isa was growing tired of having to repeat herself trying to convince him that she wasn't out to get them. Sure, she'd told herself on multiple occasions that Levi wasn't the type to trust automatically, but this man just tried her patience.

He jabbed the knife in her direction. "If I want your input, I'll ask for it. Otherwise keep your mouth shut."

He looked back at Furlan, eyes accusatory. "How do I know your judgment isn't clouded?"

Furlan's eyes narrowed at that. "That would never happen."

"How can I be sure? You've never acted this way before."

"What are you trying to insinuate?" Furlan's voice was on edge, tense.

"You know exactly what."

Isa was confused. She didn't know what Levi meant by Furlan's judgment being clouded. To her, he seemed as logical as always. She didn't think there could be anything that would mess with either of their judgments. They were too rational for that.

Furlan's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

His tone was steady and firm as he spoke. "I assure you that is not happening." He paused, brow raised. "How do I know your judgment isn't clouded? It was your memory she saw, not mine."

Isa was growing tired of them talking about her as if she weren't there. Sure she'd unintentionally invaded Levi's thoughts, but the memory wasn't exactly self-incriminating.

"Don't you think if I were purposefully trying to dig for information, I would have looked for a different memory? Not one that's so personal?"

"Personal memories can be plenty useful if you know how to wield them." Levi spat out.

Beyond exasperated at this point, Isa threw up her hands. "What good would that memory do me? It's a sweet memory, but it's not like I can use that to drag information from you! If I knew what this was and had the ability to control it to gain information, I would have gone with something that had more substance!" Long gone was any semblance of calm in her voice, it having now grown to a near shout as she tried to get her point through Levi's thick skull.

Furlan, always acting as a voice of reason, tried to get his friend to see the logic of her argument. "Levi, think about it, she has a point."

Levi watched her with narrow eyes, carefully considering her words. She could practically see his mind running through all the information, processing it, trying to determine the best course of action.

She tried not to let the piercing gray distract her as he dissected her, as if it were he who could see into her memories, and not the other way around. She noticed that the flecks of blue were even less prominent now, and she wondered if the more negative emotions he felt, the more gray his eyes were. That same rush she'd felt months ago, that first day when his group had joined, filled her again, at the feeling of being stripped down to her soul.

Finally, after several moments of deliberation, he jabbed the knife at her again. "I'll believe you. For now. Don't make me regret this."

He left the room without looking back, leaving her behind with Furlan.

Isa looked at Furlan. "Thanks for that."

He shrugged and sat down beside her. "I meant what I said. You haven't done anything since we joined to suggest we can't trust you. Levi just has a hard time trusting new people."

"…I've noticed." Her tone was bland at the obvious point he made.

He laughed. "Well when you come from where we do, it makes you skeptical around people."

She pouted. "Isabel doesn't seem to have a problem with me."

"She's always been that way. She's hardheaded and stubborn, but she's a good judge of character. She trusts easily, and I've yet to see it come back to bite her."

She looked at him curiously. "What about you? From what I've seen, if anyone is closest in personality to Levi, that would be you."

"I just…I have a sense about you." As he spoke, Isa noticed that a slight tinge of pink began to creep its way up onto his cheeks. "I've learned to trust my gut when it tells me whether or not I can trust someone. I'm sure Levi's is telling him the same, he's just more stubborn and suspicious."

"There has to be more to it than that." Furlan didn't strike her as the type who would only go based on his gut when it comes to these things. He would need more to make a sound decision that he felt comfortable with.

Rubbing a hand through his hair, he gave a nervous chuckle. "Isabel always used to tell us that you can tell what a person is like based on how they treat animals. I've seen how you are with your horse. That's enough proof for me."

"I wish everything were as easy as that." Isa grumbled.

Furlan draped an arm around her shoulders. "Just…give him time. He'll come around eventually. Hell, he didn't even trust me at first. It took him a long time before he fully trusted me. When he asked me earlier for my opinion? That wouldn't have happened when he first met me."

Isa sighed, arms now crossed. "Fine…I guess. And I thought I had trust issues."

Furlan thought for a moment. "What was the memory you saw?"

Isa shook her head. "I…I can't say. It's not my memory to share, and it would be wrong of me to tell you when I didn't earn the right to know that information about him. If he wants to, he'll tell you himself."

He nodded. "Fair enough." He looked at the entrance to the room. "I'm sure Levi thinks so as well."

Isa gaped when she heard a scoff come from the cellar door, realizing that Levi had heard every word of her conversation with Furlan.

Was him leaving like that just a test?

Levi's bland voice entered the room. "Don't think this changes much." With that, Isa heard muffled footsteps receding from the door as Levi left for real this time.

Furlan shook his head. "Don't listen to him."

The next few weeks passed without event. Each day was filled with a different form of training and Isa couldn't tell if it was getting easier or if she was just getting stronger.

She loved watching Levi, Isabel, and Furlan train. They were insanely skilled, and she was impressed that they hadn't had any formal training.

What always struck her was Levi, and how fluid his movements were, moving through training without hesitation. They'd all taken turns trying to catch him off guard by moving the titans, and even when they thought they'd succeeded, he somehow managed to correct himself and adapt.

It didn't matter what he was doing, ODM training, horseback riding, hand-to-hand, everything he did, it seemed to come easily. Naturally. As if he'd been born for this.

Isa loved the days where she would watch the sunset with them up on the roof, just as they had that first day. Levi, Isabel, and Furlan never tired of watching the splendor that was the sun saying goodbye to the day and giving way to the moon and night. Though their faces never held that initial mesmerized look they'd had the first time the saw the sunset, the content expressions on their faces was enough to show that they had yet to get bored with the view.

Hange occasionally came up to the roof, but she had trouble sitting still and just enjoying the moment. One of the things that Isa loved most about Hange, was her ability to never waver or falter whenever Levi would give some terse insult to her questions. She always laughed it off, almost as if she had long ago figured him out. She was quick to give some quippy response right back that usually had him grumbling or rolling his eyes.

When it came time for their free day of the week, Isa decided a trip to Trost was needed. It had been too long since she'd seen Ethel, and she always felt better after a visit with the older woman.

She made quick work of tacking up Luna, and soon she was off to Trost.

The day was sunny, yet the overwhelming heat that comes with summer was beginning to wane as the air prepared itself for the coolness of the coming fall. The next expedition would fall during the cooler months and she wondered what outside the walls looked like when the leaves began to make that change from lush, soft green to crisp, golden oranges and reds.

Levi's memory kept playing in her mind, as it had been in the days since it had happened. She wanted to know what that was and how the hell she'd even managed to see that memory.

I've never had that happen before. I don't know what it was or how to explain it away. It's just…bizarre.

She felt guilty for having seen such a personal memory. Those are the kinds of memories you earn through friendship and trust, and she'd skipped right past those phases and taken a vulnerable moment from him.

But now that she had seen it, she couldn't help but wonder about it. He'd seemed so close with his mother. No fear of showing emotion. Willing to hug and kiss his mother who had obviously adored him. Isa could still remember the haunted look that simply vanished from the woman's eyes just by looking at her son.

She could still feel the radiating effects of her love for him. The peaceful joy that came from him. He'd felt safe…happy…loved.

What could he have gone through between then and now, to change him from such an open child, to a closed-off adult?

She thought back to her own past, what she'd gone through, yet, she'd managed to pull through. She had trust issues, but she could smile, laugh, joke. She didn't think she'd ever seen the slightest hint of a smile on his face.

She wondered what it would look like.

She imagined his lips curling up with joy at some joke she said. Was his laugh deep and throaty? Full of life? Or was his laugh of the quiet amusement type?

He would make some quippy remark back that would draw a laugh from her. He'd pull her into his arms, wrapping her close, before leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on her lips, and it would deepen, that scent of tea surrounding her. She wondered what his lips would feel like…would they be hard and demanding like his personality? Or would they be soft and sweet, a complete contrast to what he shows everyone else? Or both?

And if it went further? Now she imagined him guiding her into the bedroom, where he would place her on the bed. She thought back to how warm his body had been when they'd fought in training, and he'd hovered over her when he'd pinned her. Except this time, his body would be completely on hers, his weight pressing her into the mattress. Hands roaming as they touched her everywhere, lighting fires all over her—

With a jolt she realized where her thoughts had strayed. Eyes wide in horror and cheeks aflame, she reprimanded herself.

What the hell was that? I-I don't want that! Why am I imagining that with someone who would never see me that way? I can barely get him to trust me and I'm imagining that? The fuck is wrong with me? I've never thought about someone like that before, so why now!

Shaking her head, she tried to slow her pounding heart. She didn't know if her heart raced from the daydream or from the embarrassment of imagining that with Levi.

She spent the rest of the ride to Trost trying to shake off the embarrassment.

Once she'd arrived at Ethel's shop, she walked through the door, the smell of tea enveloping her. The familiar jangle of the bell brought a smile to her face that only grew when she saw the older woman come around the counter to greet her with a hug as she always did.

"Isa, as always, I'm so happy you're here."

Isa just allowed herself to enjoy the older woman's hug, her fragrant, floral scent enveloping her.

"How's about we have some tea?"

Isa smiled. "As if you have to ask?"

The older woman chuckled as she pulled away to go prepare the tea. Isa made her way to the back room and sat on the couch inside.

Soon Ethel walked in, and the smell of chamomile tea filled the room.

Isa took a cup and the tea warmed her from the inside with the first sip as it always did.

As they sat, Isa told Ethel about training, the upcoming expedition in a couple of months, as well as the new trio who'd recently joined the scouts. Isa talked about Isabel and her playful eagerness, always smiling yet more than capable of taking care of herself. Furlan and his quiet calm that always managed to put her at ease, his ability to analyze and assess what's in front of him to find the best course of action.

When she got to Levi, she didn't know how to explain him.

"He's…different. He always wears this bored look on his face, as if he'd rather be anywhere else, yet, his eyes are watchful, taking in everything around him." Isa's brows knit as she tried to describe what she'd noticed about the stoic man. "I've never met someone who's able to hide what they're thinking so well."

Ethel thought for a moment. "I think it's confusing for you, because you're used to relatively open people. Take Hange for instance, that girl practically wears her heart on her sleeve and tells you what she's thinking and feeling without a problem. The same with Sherri and Lucy. From what you tell me, Isabel sounds a lot like Hange. Even Furlan seems to be on the more open side, even if he is cautious." Ethel ticked off all her examples one by one, and Isa realized the older woman had a point.

Ethel continued. "He's throwing you off, because he's something you're not used to. He's different. An enigma. And let me tell you, men like that, they're the kind you can't help but want to get to know. It's that thrill of a mystery. It draws in women like us like moths to a flame. My husband was the same."

"An enigma?" Isa was dumbfounded.

"Yes, I remember how frustrating it was when I first met my husband. I could hardly tell if he was interested in me or if he couldn't stand the sight of me." The woman chuckled fondly at the memory of her husband. "But as you get to know these types of men, you start to learn what drives them. And how to read them."

"It just seems like I'll never get to that point. I'm already shit at reading people and I can't even get him to trust me." Isa paused to consider her next words. "I…I think he's been through a lot, and he's suspicious about everything."

"Jaded men often are. They close their hearts off for fear of pain. But let me tell you something about the jaded man." Ethel gave her a serious look. "Once he trusts you, he's loyal to no end. Because you've done the unthinkable. You've broken through all the walls he had built around him and earned his trust."

Isa had no words. She'd never thought of any of this. She wasn't sure what to feel…what to think.

"But…how do I get to that point where he trusts me?"

"My dear, that's entirely up to you. Each one is so fundamentally different, that there's no way to know."

Isa groaned and leaned back into the couch, crossing her arms across her chest. "Well that's completely unhelpful." Isa grumbled.

Ethel ran a fond hand through Isa's hair. "I know. That's how I felt too when I sought advice about my husband when we first met. Whether you just want friendship, or something more with this man, you'll have to find your own path to that."

Isa's face flushed. "I-I never said anything about more th-than friends."

Ethel laughed. "You didn't have to." She gave the girl a fond smile. "You'll figure it out eventually."

Getting up from the couch, Ethel grabbed a tin of green tea.

"Here Isa, take some tea for that man. From what you tell me, I think he'd like this blend."

Isa eyed the tin before meeting Ethel's warm eyes with stubborn ones. "Alright, but only if you let me pay for this one. It's not a gift from me if I didn't buy it."

Ethel sighed. "Fine, if you insist dear."

After her visit Isa was feeling a bit better. She hadn't met someone as closed off as Levi before. Even with Furlan, he'd accepted her within a few days. Levi was constantly questioning everything. She already had trouble reading people in general, but with him, she'd had the most difficulty trying to figure him out.

She remembered what Ethel said about how enigmatic men draw women in.

How did she phrase it? 'It's that thrill of a mystery.'

Is that how I see him? A mystery? And what did she mean by 'find my own path.' I've been fumbling around with no success. If anything, I'm pretty sure I've just pissed him off more than he already was.

As she walked through Trost, something in a small trinket shop caught her eye, pulling her from her thoughts.

She pushed the door open as she walked towards the display in the window. There she found what had caught her eye. Nestled at the top of a basket full of various bits and baubles, was a bracelet with a single charm in the same shape as Isabel's necklace.

Without thinking, she grabbed it, fully intent on buying it for the girl, no questions asked. As she walked towards the counter, another item caught her eye. This one was hanging off a board on the wall, so well hidden amongst the other trinkets, she'd almost missed it.

She reached up to grab the simple gold pocket watch, knowing instantly that it would be perfect for Furlan.

She took both items to the counter and made her purchase, a small smile on her face.

Back at headquarters, she found the trio sitting out in the courtyard, and she quickly made her way over to them, excited to give them their gifts.

It was long past due that they got some sort of welcome gift, and if no one else was going to do it, she was more than happy to fill the roll.

She plopped herself down next to Isabel, a grin on her face, unable to contain her excitement.

Levi looked at her with a raised brow. "What's with the face?"

Isa rolled her eyes, but her smile never left her face. "You'll see."

She pulled the two boxes out of her satchel and handed them to Furlan and Isabel.

Their eyes widened as they looked at the boxes in Isa's hands, but neither made a move to take them.

Now Isa was a little nervous. She'd never bought someone a gift before, and she was worried that it was inappropriate or that they wouldn't like the gifts. She'd been so wrapped up in how perfect she'd found the bracelet and pocket watch, she hadn't even thought of what their reactions could be.

Chewing her lip, her outstretched hands lowered a little, the glow from her earlier beam fading. "I…umm went to Trost today, and I-I saw these, and they made me think of you guys. I…umm…thought you might like them." Her voice was shaky now, no longer certain and sure as it had been moments ago.

Isabel and Furlan looked at each other before reaching out and taking the boxes in Isa's hands. She held her breath as they slowly unwrapped them. Their jaws dropped when they saw what was inside.

Isabel was first to recover, tackling Isa in a rib-crushing hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's beautiful. And it matches the necklace bro gave me forever ago."

Isa smiled and exhaled the breath she'd been holding, relieved. "I-I'm glad you like it. I saw it in the window of a shop and noticed that it almost perfectly matches your necklace."

She pulled back, waiting to see Furlan's reaction. He was still gaping at the pocket watch that he now held in his hand.

He looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes unreadable, a slight flush present on his cheeks. He finally regained control over his mouth. "Th-thank you. It's…I…it's really nice."

She gave him a small smile, but before she could say anything else, a hand on her collar had yanked her to her feet and was pulling her across the courtyard.

It took her a moment to realize that Levi was dragging her along behind him…again.

"Levi…wait…stop pulling me."

Ignoring her, he pulled her around the corner of one of the buildings in the courtyard. He pushed her up against a wall, hands on either side of her head, effectively caging her in.

She could feel the flush creeping up her neck and face at the close proximity. "If you wanted to talk to me alone, you could have just said so." Her tone snarky and unforgiving as she tried to ignore the rush coursing through her.

Completely disregarding her comment, he instead asked, "What's your deal?" His tone was low and suspicious, eyes narrowed and calculating.

Isa rolled her eyes. "I don't have a deal Levi. What? Are you jealous? Don't worry, I have something for you too." The heat radiating from him was setting her on edge.

"No one does things for others without wanting something in return."

Her eyes narrowed at that, glinting dangerously. "Maybe that's how you do things, but I'm trying to show you that they can."

He leaned in closer, so close she could see those blue flecks in his eyes that she'd thought she'd imagined the first time she saw them. He had effectively shut off her brain without even trying, her eyes now wide as she stared at him. Her blood was a roar in her ears as the smell of tea and mint surrounded her, filling her, and it was intoxicating.

"Everyone wants something. What do you want?" His voice was husky as it spoke next to her ear.

She gulped as her mind leapt to all sorts of inappropriate places, back to her daydream from earlier. She didn't think he'd intended his voice to sound so…suggestive.

Stop it! He did NOT mean it that way. What is wrong with you? He's suspicious of you, questioning everything you say and do, and then he asks 'what do you want' and your mind automatically goes THERE? You have no shame. You are worse than Lucy and Sherri combined.

Besides, there's absolutely no way I'm interested in him that way...right? No not possible.

He leaned back, eyes narrowing. "I'm waiting." The slight impatient tone in his voice had her flushing harder when she realized she hadn't answered yet, and she had to forcibly shove those thoughts out of her mind.

"You wanna know what I want?" Her voice was hushed, yet serious as ever. "I want you to trust me."

He scoffed, eyes piercing hers looking for some sign of insincerity.

"Here." She pulled the tin of tea out of her satchel and shoved it into his hands. "I thought you might like this. I'm friends with the owner of a teashop and she recommended this one for people with sticks up their ass."

With that, she pushed past him and walked away, his words echoing in her mind.

'What do you want?'

'What do you want?'

When she realized her last words to him, she inwardly cringed.

Wow…just…wow. I can't believe I said that to him. Great way to earn his trust by insulting him.

...

What do I want?

She gave a brief glance over her shoulder and saw that Levi was looking at the tin of tea in his hand, slightly stunned. His eyes snapped to hers, but this far away she couldn't even try to read them. In the darkness of the corridor, all she saw were two glinting pools of gray, hinting of blue. She gave him a small smile before turning and walking off.

Another week had passed, and Isa found herself sitting in the courtyard writing in her journal. With how busy she'd been recently, she hadn't found as much time to write as she would have liked. Jotting down her thoughts and feelings always helped her work through whatever was plaguing her mind. The current topic was Levi.

She thought she'd managed to make a little progress with him back after his interrogation. Yet, after she gave the three of them the gifts she'd found in Trost, he'd been as cold and suspicious as ever.

She thought about what Furlan had told her, about how it would take time for him to trust that she wasn't out to hurt them. She just wasn't sure how to push forward. It felt like she every time she made the slightest progress, there was a setback.

And Ethel's words continued to frustrate her.

'You'll have to find your own path.' What the hell does that even mean?

"Isa! Finally I found you!"

A voice pulled her from her thoughts, and she looked up to see Isabel running towards her from the other side of the courtyard.

"Isabel, what's wrong?"

"You have to come with me, you'll never guess what I found!"

Before Isa could say anything else, Isabel had grabbed onto Isa's arm and was pulling her along in a full-on sprint.

"Isabel, slow down."

"No way, you have to see this now."

Stumbling, Isa struggled to keep up with her. "What is it with you guys and just dragging me everywhere?"

I wonder where she gets that from.

Isabel pulled Isa through the courtyard, towards the forest where they did ODM training. It took Isa a moment to realize that Isabel was pulling her away from where they held training and off into a part of the forest that she'd never been to. She'd never had the chance or desire to explore.

"Isabel, where are we going?" Isa huffed.

"You'll see, just come on! Keep up!"

"I'm trying."

"Try harder."

They kept going until Isa thought her lungs would burst. She thought was in good shape, but she'd never ran this fast for this long before.

Damn, I didn't expect her to be able to run so fast! I've seen her in training, but I swear I've never seen her run this fast.

Finally, Isabel began to slow down, and Isa could hear the sound of running water. Coming to a full stop, Isabel turned to face Isa, who was now hunched over, gasping for air.

A giant grin was all over her face. "Alright, I'm going to cover your eyes. You trust me right?"

Isa thought back to that first night when Isabel had put her full trust into Isa, closing her eyes so she could be surprised by the sunset.

She gave Isabel a smile and through her attempts at controlling her breathing, she managed to say, "Of course."

Isabel's smile only widened, and she moved her hand over Isa's eyes. Slowly Isabel guided Isa forward, and the sound of running water grew louder. Isa noticed that the air began to smell fresher, cleaner as they moved forward.

When they came to a stop, Isa waited for Isabel to move her hand, though her curiosity was fully piqued at this point, dying to know what she was about to see, though she could tell water was involved.

Isabel slowly moved her hand out of the way, and Isa had to blink a few times while her vision readjusted to the light. What she saw in front of her took her breath away.

A giant lake sat in front of her, surrounded by the greenest brush and trees she'd ever seen. Rocks of all shapes and sizes were situated haphazardly around the body of water in front of her. Long flat rocks, short fat rocks, and all types in between. As she took in the sight, she realized that the sound of water had been a waterfall pouring into the lake below, its path cutting over a pile of rocks that stood at a modest height.

The colors in front of her were magnificent. The rocks were different shades of grays, browns, some even held a faint shade of red hidden within. The water was so clear she could see the bottom. Small rocks and different plants littered the lakebed. A trick of the light and coloring made it look both shallow and full of depth at the same time.

She didn't know how she was supposed to take it all in at once. She wanted to spend hours, no days, just taking in every, single minute detail.

Gaping, she looked at her friend. "Isabel how the hell did you find this?"

Isabel was bouncing in place now, completely elated at Isa's reaction to her find. "I like to go on walks sometimes, clears my head, especially now that I have some fresh air to breathe. I'm not sure how I stumbled across this, but I'm glad I did."

"It's…beautiful." She marveled at the wonder in front of her, hating that she'd never found this before, wishing she'd thought to explore more.

"It really is, I didn't know something like this existed, or could even exist. I'd never even imagined something like this."

Isa found a comfortable looking rock, and sat down, continuing to take in the view, observing the hushed, cascading flow of water as it moved down the rocks to splash into the lake below.

Isabel sat down next to her. "Furlan told me about what happened a few weeks ago."

Without looking away from the scenery, Isa asked, "What exactly did he tell you."

"Well he told me that you saw some memory of Levi's and then that he basically interrogated you, trying to find out what that was."

"Yea that's basically what happened."

"Can you…can you tell me what you saw?"

Isa thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what I told Furlan when he asked me that. I don't think it's my place to tell you this memory. You may already know it, but I don't want to risk that. I'll just say, that he seemed…happy, and more open than I've ever seen him."

Isabel nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. "Fair enough."

Isa smiled when Isabel's words were the same as Furlan's response to her.

They sat for a few minutes, just enjoying the sound of the water tinkling over the rocks.

"Isabel?"

She hummed in response.

Isa chewed at her lip, unsure of how to ask. "What's Levi's deal? I mean…why is he having so much trouble believing me when I tell him that I didn't try to search his memories on purpose. That I have no idea how that happened or what the hell it is?"

"The thing about bro…he's not big on being told things." Isabel gave her an earnest look. "People say things all the time, but don't always mean what they say. You learn that especially in the Underground. I think, if you want to earn his trust, you're going to have to show him."

"Is that what you had to do?"

Isabel shook her head. "No not really. Bro found me when I was young, almost dead on the streets of the Underground. He saved me, practically raised me." She looked thoughtful as she spoke her next words. "I'm honestly not sure why he saved me. There were plenty of other kids like me."

"Well any suggestions on what I can do?"

Isabel's brow furrowed as she thought. "If I'm being honest, you've already made some good steps on your own. That first day, when you swapped lockers with me in the tack room, he noticed that. He may not have said anything, but he appreciated that."

Isabel kept ticking off the different ways Isa'd already made progress. "Or that same day with the sunset. Even though he didn't trust you at first, he did notice that you weren't lying about why you brought us up to the roof. The gifts you bought us were another good step. He may have been mean about them, but that's just how he is. I can tell he appreciated them. He's drank that tea you got him every day. And, I can tell he likes that you're not afraid to push back at him. You're not as intimidated by him as most people are."

She paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain her bro's odd personality. "I think what happened the other day in training just threw him off. I don't think he ever really thought you did it on purpose. I think it was more because you saw such a vulnerable memory. From what you told me, he seemed really happy."

Isabel's face had lost its usual spunky demeanor, replaced by sadness as she thought back on Levi's life, or what she knew of it. "He's gone through a lot, so he's not the most open when it comes to his emotions. Which is why it's important to show him, not tell him. There's not really anything I can tell you to specifically do, because it's going to need to come from you."

Isa took in her friend's words. "I know I've said this before, but you're really smart, and really good at reading people."

Isa meant what she said. Isabel was exceptionally astute in how well she was able to accurately figure out what made a person tick.

That drew a laugh from Isabel, wiping the downcast look from her face. "I don't know why, but I've always been good at reading people…animals too. It's like I can hear their thoughts, their feelings."

"That's how I feel with Luna, but just her. With people…it's hard for me to read them."

Isabel gave Isa an empathetic look at that. "I think that's just because you let your fear cloud your judgment. You're afraid of people rejecting you, so you choose not to see what's in front of you."

Isa gaped at that. "I…I do that?"

Do I actually do that? Does my fear of getting too close to people keep me from being able to accurately read them? I didn't realize that was a thing people could do. I didn't realize that would affect my judgment that badly.

"Yea, that night when I was crying because I was scared of being alone, well, I could tell that you were afraid to let me know that I could count on you. If you hadn't let your fear take over you, you would have seen that I wanted to be friends. I'm sure that's happened before too."

Isa thought back to her first meeting with Hange, when she'd been so worried that Hange hadn't really wanted to be friends.

"I…I guess you're right. I never realized I did that." Isa wasn't sure what to make of this newfound information.

Isabel shrugged. "Everyone deals with things in their own way." She paused for a second. "If you really want to get bro to trust you, just know, it's going to take a while. He's not one to give trust easily, but once he does, you have a friend for life." She gave Isa a sly grin now. "Though…I'm guessing you want more than friendship with him."

Isa flushed, waving her hands in front of her as she shook her head. "N-no…of course not. I don't know why you would think that."

Isabel just chuckled at her friend's resistance. "For one, your face is crazy red right now. Two, I've seen how you look at him. You're intrigued by him, and you want to know more. It's okay, you're not the first girl who's shown an interest in him that way."

Isabel bit her lip, clearly worried. "But…if you're going to do this…don't hurt him. Like I said, he's been through a lot, and he's had a rough life. He's one of the most loyal people I've ever known, and to have someone break his trust hurts him more than he ever lets on."

A kind smile now overtook Isabel's face as she thought about her bro. "He's really a softy at heart, but he hides it behind his rudeness. He doesn't like to let people in. You have to learn to read between the lines with him. Half the time what he says, he means the opposite." She laughed at that. "His words are going to come out mean and blunt, but the meaning behind the words remains the same as if he'd used heartfelt words. The more you get to know him, the more obvious it'll be."

Isa gave the girl an incredulous look. "So if he tells me I look like shit in the morning, it's not because he actually thinks I look like shit, but because he's noticing that I haven't been sleeping well at night and it shows?"

Isabel laughed, throwing a companiable arm around Isa's shoulders. "Now you're getting it."

The two young women sat together in silence, now enjoying the lake and all its splendor. As they sat, Isa thought about Isabel's words.

What she says makes sense. If he's had as rough a life as she's suggesting, then, well I can see why he'd have trouble with letting people in, even more so than me, or even Isabel and Furlan. He does seem rather loyal and protective. He wouldn't even let me touch Isabel when she was covering her eyes and was vulnerable that first night on the roof.

I don't know how I feel about her advice about focusing on the meaning behind his words. Right now, I'm not seeing a lot of meaning, just suspicion. Is that something that just comes with time or practice?

And what did she mean when she suggested I wanted to be more than friends? Ethel basically said the same thing.

There's no way I want that...right?

But then…what do I want?