Hey guys, sorry for not updating in a while. Not my fault though, my laptop decided that it wanted to crash on me. I'm back now.

From this point onward the story will now have a soundtrack. I wasn't going to add a soundtrack for this story originally, but there's a lot of good music from the AOT video games so what the heck. I'm gonna do it.

Also I don't really know the layout of the Headquarters so if I get it wrong please don't get mad.

My character, Marianne, will say "Levi" but only while she's narrating. During the dialogue, she'll pronounce his name wrong as "Levy" (Lev-ee.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Attack on Titan or any of the characters except my OC.

Chapter 3: Recovery

Daily Life - Attack on Titan

Meanwhile over in Levi's perspective, Levi was on his way to Commander Erwin's Office. The child that he and his squad brought back a few days ago was still bandaged up, but was making a smooth recovery. However, since the young girl had lost her parents, she had nowhere to go. After listening to what she had to say, Oruo and Petra got into an argument about whether or not she should stay here.

As Levi ascended a flight of stairs, he recalled that Oruo brought up about whether the child should be entrusted to either the Garrisons or the Military Police. Placing the girl in the hands of the Military Police was out of the question. Why Oruo thought that was a good idea was beyond him. The Military Police Regiment served the king and maintained order within the walls. However they were also the most corrupted military sector because of the abuse of their power. Levi knew the MPs would not help her at all. The Garrison Regiment was a slightly better option. At least some of the Garrison soldiers actually helped people, and they haven't been slacking ever since Wall Maria fell. Still, Levi was fairly certain that Erwin would allow the young girl to stay here with the Scouts. It would be the safest option anyway. The Garrison Regiment was in charge of the wall's defenses. Sadly though, catching criminals was a job only for the Military Police.

Arriving at the door to Erwin's Office, Levi knocked on it.

"Come in."

He opened the door and found Erwin sitting at his desk. Erwin looked up from his paperwork and saw Levi standing at the doorway, in which the two greeted each other.

"Levi"

"Erwin"

Levi walked in the room towards the desk and started speaking.

"I came to give you the update about the girl we rescued."

After the SOS (Special Operation Squad) brought the injured girl back to Headquarters, Levi immediately went to Erwin and explained the situation to him. Erwin then had the medics take the child to the infirmary and treat her wounds. After that, the Commander had Levi and the rest of his squad take turns watching after her. If anything happened, Levi would report back to him with the update on the child.

"How is she?" Erwin asked.

"She was out for 4 days, but she's finally woken up now. My team and I just spoke to her recently." Levi answered.

"So she is getting better then, that's good." Erwin smiled. "Were you able to get any information from her to help us locate her parents?"

"Her name is Marianne Haywood, age 6, from Shiganshina District. She has told us about her parents. But we'll never find them, because she lost them."

"How did she lose her parents? Did she say?"

"She didn't specify. Her parents were killed when the titans broke Wall Maria and she was the only one who made it to safety. That was all she could say before she burst into tears."

Erwin lowered his head, feeling sympathy for the child. It was understandable why she wouldn't want to talk about her parents' deaths. While he was no stranger to death, it saddened him that the poor girl lost her parents at such a young age.

"Does Marianne have any relatives?" Erwin asked, facing Levi again.

"Only one that we know of." Levi replied. "She was staying with her aunt, named Hilda, in a small village until two bandits suddenly showed up. They killed Hilda, then they kidnapped the child."

"What did the bandits want with her?"

"From what Marianne told me, apparently they were gonna sell her to the Underground Market."

"Hmm, they must be human traffickers then."

"Yeah, the worst kind of humans." Levi exhaled rather strongly. This child had lost her parents, and now human traffickers were trying to take her to the Underground City and sell her there? The mere thought disgusted him.

"So what happened, what else did she tell you?" Erwin asked.

"Marianne was lucky to escape from her captors on her own. The bandits were going too fast on an edgy road and she fell out of the carriage. After that, she ran through the woods for who knows how long, injuring herself in the process, and ended up passing out in the field. Of course, you know what happens after that." Levi finished.

"I see."

Levi's explanation gave Erwin a chance to think about what they should do with the child. It wasn't long before the Commander reached a decision.

"It's settled then. Marianne will stay here from now on."

"Is that so?" Levi asked.

"Yes, she'll be safe here with the Scouts. Her parents and her aunt have been taken from her, and she needs someone to take care of her. As long as the Human Traffickers are still at large, they may come after her again." Erwin explained. "Levi, I want you to keep a close eye on her. Make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble. Catching the bandits is a job for the Military Police, but should they show up again, do whatever you can to protect her."

"Understood." Levi nodded.

With that, Levi was dismissed as he left the Office and walked down the hall. Ordinarily he hated having to babysit someone, but in Marianne's case, he would make the best of it. She was just a kid after all.

(Of course, she will be put to work, cleaning the base once she has recovered,) Levi thought. (No, before that, she needs to be cleaned up herself.)

Music stops

First Person View - Marianne

Almost a week had come and gone since I was brought to the Scout Regiment Headquarters. During that time, the members of the Levi Squad would come check up on me to see if I needed anything. Petra brought me food when I was hungry, and I never got out of bed except for when nature called. Eld and Gunther led me to the bathroom and back again since I didn't know my way around the place yet. Oruo checked on me as well, but I had this feeling that he didn't like me very much. Finally the day had come when I made a full recovery.

Inside the Wall - Daytime - AOT 2

"There, you're all better." The medic soldier said once he finished removing my bandages.

I got out of bed but I was kind of wobbly on my feet. Petra held onto my shoulders to keep me steady.

"Are you sure she's okay?" Petra asked worriedly, "She looks a little...unsteady."

"Well anyone would be unsteady on their feet if they stayed in bed long enough." The medic chuckled a bit. "But yes, her injuries are all healed, so she'll be okay to move around now."

Petra smiled. "Well that's good."

"I'll be going now." The medic said as he stood up. "You take care of yourself Marianne, okay?"

"Okay sir," I said.

After the medic left the room Petra knelt down on the floor and motioned her hand for me to come here. I did so and she wrapped her arms around me, giving me a hug.

"I'm so glad you're better now." She said as she stroked my hair.

I smiled as I hugged her back. I could tell that she was really happy that I was well again. When I told everyone that I lost my parents, Petra held my hand and said she was sorry. She argued with Oruo when he said I couldn't stay here, because she knew I had nowhere to go or no one to turn to. She really cared about me, didn't she.

"Thanks Petra, me too." I said.

It's true, I was happy that I was all better too. It was so boring, just staying in bed all day and doing nothing everyday. So I was glad that my wounds healed and I could move around again.

"I'm going to tell the rest of the squad the good news," Petra said as she stood up. "You just wait here, okay?"

"Okay." I replied.

After Petra left the room, I walked over to the window and stood there, looking out. The sky was blue, there were a few clouds floating up there, but the sun was shining brightly. It looked so peaceful out there. I stared up at the sky for a bit until I heard someone call my name.

"Oi, Marianne."

I turned around to see Levi at the doorway as he was walking in.

"Oh umm...h-hello sir." I shyly greeted him as I bowed respectfully. "Uhhh…Levy was it?"

"It's Levi." He corrected as he stood before me.

Yeah, I would get his name wrong...a lot. Tee hee, hopefully I get it right someday.

"Since you're standing on your own two feet now, it can only mean that you have made a full recovery." Levi spoke.

"Y-yes sir, I'm all better now. See...no more boo boos." I giggled a bit.

"Hmph, well anyway, you'll be happy to know that Commander Erwin has decided to let you live here from now on."

"Ah...really?"

I was both excited and relieved when Levi told me that. For awhile I was afraid that I would be taken to the Garrisons or the Military Police like Oruo said. Thank goodness they were letting me stay here.

Levi continued, "There is still a problem."

"Huh?" What did he mean by that?

"Your wounds are gone, but you can't go strolling around this place while you're still covered in dirt."

Levi walked up to me and ran his fingers through my hair until he found something.

"Ugh disgusting, you have gunk all over your hair."

What, there was gunk in my hair? How did that get there? That's weird...I guess I might've fallen in a mud puddle or something back in the forest. And I guess I've been resting so much I never noticed.

"Follow me, I'll take you to the washroom, because you need a bath." Levi said bluntly.

Levi led me to the washroom where I would be taking a bath. Inside the washroom to my right there were shower stalls lined up on each side, and there was a tub to my left. Once Levi got the tub filled up, he told me to be sure that I washed myself good. He said he'd be back to clean my hair. After he left the room, I untied my hair from its pigtails. I then tossed my robe into a basket and got in the tub.

Ahhh, the water felt so relaxing, I could almost fall asleep. But I couldn't do that, my body would get all wrinkly if I stayed in the tub for too long. I hummed a gentle tune as I washed all the dirt off myself. Then I ran my fingers through my hair until I felt something and pulled it out. There was black stuff on my hand. Ew, Levi was right, there really was gunk in my hair. It made me wonder if he could get it out since it has been in my hair for a long time.

Sometime later, I heard the door open and close. I looked over my shoulder and saw Levi walking in. This time he was wearing two cloths, one on his head, and one covering most of his face. He was also carrying a set of clothes and a bucket of water with a white cloth hanging out.

"How do you like the tub, Marianne?" Levi asked me as he set his things down.

"Oh...well the water is really nice, sir. I feel so refreshed." I replied. "Umm, can you really get the gunk out of my hair?"

"Well considering that it's been sitting there for almost a week, this could take a while."

I watched as Levi rolled up his sleeves. Then he pulled up a stool and sat down, soaking the white cloth in his bucket of water before facing me.

"Lean forward."

"Uhh be gentle, please?"

I tilted my head forward and kept still as Levi started scrubbing my hair with the cloth. After scrubbing for a long time he would soak the cloth in the bucket before scrubbing my hair again. Gee, this was taking a long time. The gunk must have really been stuck in my hair that Levi was having a hard time getting it out. I decided to ask him a question, thinking maybe a conversation would do us some good.

"Umm...Levy sir, if I may ask, what was it you said about...me learning how to clean?"

"It's Levi," he responded. "And you didn't think I was just gonna let you wander around here doing nothing, did you?"

"Umm, no not really." I figured he was gonna make me do work around Headquarters.

"Good, you're a smart kid."

As he continued to clean my hair, I listened carefully as he explained to me about what I would be doing.

"One of the rules that everyone must follow, is that this place needs to be kept thoroughly clean. While you're staying here, you will be expected to help clean each and every room. The hallways, the stairs, the Barracks, the Mess Hall, the Offices, all these rooms need to be dusted, swept, and mopped every day."

"Every day?" I said surprised. My parents only made me clean once a week. Gosh, I knew I was gonna be put to work, and I'm usually eager to help too, but cleaning a bunch of rooms everyday? That sounded like a lot of work.

Levi continued, "We all walk through those rooms every day, and dust gathers quickly. So it is important that everything and every room is spotless. This doesn't mean you'll be working twenty four-seven of course. If you successfully complete the tasks that you are given, then you should earn yourself a fair amount of free time."

"Really?"

"Children need to work, but they also need time to play, right?"

Levi put down the white cloth and checked my hair once more to see if there was any gunk left.

"Well would you look at that, no more gunk."

"Really...it's gone?'

"Yes, your hair is clean now. Took long enough though, guess we should've given you a bath while you were still unconscious. That stuff becomes harder to get out the longer you wait."

Levi stood up and placed the set of clothes on the stool.

"Here, Petra bought you some new clothes while you were resting. That dress you were wearing was filthy and torn to shreds, so I threw it away. Petra will be waiting for you outside shortly. Once you've finished up with your bath, she will show you around Headquarters."

"Y-Yes sir, Levy, sir," I said.

"It's Levi."

After Levi left, I sat quietly in the tub thinking about everything Levi just told me. I was going to have a lot of chores to do around here soon. Of course, I would also get time to play like he said, so I wasn't gonna complain. I was grateful that the Commander of the Scouts, Erwin I think his name was, was letting me stay. Doing chores around Headquarters was the least I could do.

As I was enjoying the rest of my bath time, I was looking forward to going on a tour of the place with Petra. I'm sure that will be fun for a while.