Author's Note: It's 1 AM here right now and I should be studying for my OPRE exam but ooops.

Chapter 4: Cinnamon Tea

The rest of the ride was overwhelmingly quiet. Petra rode with Hange after the latter had helped her clean up and situate herself, the other two taking the time to dispose of the bodies.

Shane had stolen a few worried glances in their direction before coming over to ask if she needed anything. Petra had just stared down at her hands, shaking her head no. She couldn't look any of them straight in the eye after what she had done, scared that they would ask her why she ratted them out and go on to punish her for it like she imagined normal captors would or even worse, continue being kind to her like they were being now.

Levi avoided conversing with her the entirety of the trip until they stopped by a nearby town to rest.

Shane left to secure the horses in the stables while Hange left for whatever reason, leaving Petra alone in the loft with Levi.

He looked at her sideways. She gulped.

"I should commend you for what you did out there, it was brave. When I said you seem to understand the situation you're in, I was wrong. I'll have to explain to you what situation you're in." His hand grabbed at the back of a wooden chair next to him and slid it towards her.

Petra jumped at the sudden moving object, taking a hold of it.

"Sit down."

She didn't have to be told twice. Sitting down quickly, she nervously fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves, not even caring to bring her hood down now that they were inside.

"I'm not here to babysit your high crown ass. Do you understand the kind of people that are after you? There are half witted dirty old gamblers out here, professional thieves barely making ends meet after your bounty, soviet generals after your land and your livelihood, disgusting low lifes after whatever they can salvage."

"And you?"

"..."

"What are you after then?" She kept her eyes on her shoes, biting her lip hard. Were her shoes ever that dirty in her life? Her black dress shoes always polished, shining like the base of a piano head. Now it was dirtied with mud and scratches all along the sides, one lace stubbed short.

A long silence passed between them before he spoke, quieter than a minute ago. "You're just going to have to trust us."

She looked up at that only to find him staring solemnly at her. It was the first time after her capture making eye contact with him and now she understood why she'd avoided it all along. She couldn't rid her mind of the image of his eyes when she'd spotted him outside the carriage, standing amidst red-stained snow.

Petra looked away quickly, her heart beating in her ears. "How can I trust you after you killed those men?" And if you are holding me captive like this in the first place, she added in her head.

"They knew who you were. We couldn't risk them telling anyone or else news of your whereabouts would spread."

"But you-"

"..and more people would come after you. Is that what you want?"

She glared at her shoes now. I want to be home. "I just don't know why I'm here."

"Trust us."

She looked up for a second time at his repeated statement, thankfully finding him looking away this time.

/

Getting just a sliver of sleep was like a forgotten luxury. Petra hadn't gotten any at all in more than a day and allowing herself to doze off on the horse throughout last night's trip hadn't ever been an option. Now seeing the decent bed in the corner suddenly brought forth a feeling of tiredom she hadn't been paying very much heed to.

"Maybe if I just took a little nap", she said to herself tiredly, sitting at the very edge of the hard mattress.

Shane had gotten back right after her and Levi's "conversation" had come to more or less of a conclusion. She didn't understand what their back and forths achieved but looking at the pillow now, she suddenly felt thankful for whoever had taken the liberty to allow them to stay at this place. Who's place could this even be? Accomplices of high class criminals? Could they know I'm here, too, then?

The events of the forest continued to haunt her mind as she lay her head gently atop the feather pillow, nerves still on high alert from it all. What if that man had gotten to her? What if his men had ended up capturing her instead and treating her worse than these people had? They sure seemed far more piqued by her bounty than her current company ever did. Who were the real criminals then?

'You're just going to have to trust us.'

But could she really?

She didn't know how her eyes had been able to keep up with his movements out in the forest, the way he had stabbed that man right in front of her. She winced at the memory, stomach beginning to feel weak again. Opening her eyes, Petra could barely make out the outline of Levi's shirt as he stood with his back against the nearest wall. He wasn't lying about keeping watch. She scrunched her face, turning over on her other side so she wouldn't have to be reminded of the fact that she was still a prisoner at the end of it all.

/

She woke up not too long after having dozed off, hearing the chimes of bells throughout town signaling noon.

Stepping out, Petra found Shane snoozing on the floor beside the chair she had sat on. Her eyes searched around the room, not finding the product of her anxiety. He must be out, she thought, almost hysterically relieved.

Believing she may be free from his tabs after all, she turned around abruptly only to let out a small shriek at none other than the dark haired male himself staring at her from his seated position atop a couch, looking unamused.

"You—I was just...I, I'm hungry. Do you think there's a—a kitchen? Oh it's right beside us. Yes, that's what that is. I wasn't looking for you," she blurted out finally, nervous. The uncomfortable silence that followed served enough of an excuse for her to take off towards the kitchen, hoping he wouldn't stop her—God, it's not like she even knew what she was allowed and not allowed to do. Once a minute passed of not being pursued into the kitchen, the gingerhead let out a held breath.

She noticed a kettle in the very corner which came with a pang of nostalgia. I can make some tea, she smiled to herself. And that's exactly what she set out to do, quietly rummaging through the cupboards for the cutlery, retrieving a few tea leaves and spices from a cabinet - a grand distraction from her current trials. She poured a cup for herself. Her eyes lingered on the extra tea cups, hesitant. It couldn't hurt.

Walking back into the hall, she found Levi where he had been last but this time with his head laid back, eyes closed in a display of resting sleep.

I'm doing this because I want to stay on his good side, she nodded to herself, approving of her own reasoning. With a shaky hand, she placed the saucer on the seat beside him, surprised when his hand reached over for the cup.

"You were god awfully loud in there. You might as well have been clattering the damn plates next to my ear."

Petra felt her face heat up, half with rage but also embarrassment. She turned around, beginning to walk away. "A thank you would have sufficed...sir." She added at the end for desperate patching up, though as an afterthought it felt odd to say as he couldn't possibly be that much older than her to address him as such.

"Levi."

She stopped in her tracks, turning around.

"Call me Levi. We might as well get acquainted with each other from now on." He took a sip of the tea, eyes peering up at her.

"Ah…" She lost track of how long she stood there with her mouth open from surprise. She cleared her throat. "And I'm Petra which you already know seeing as how you've looked into my life and know I'm the rich brat daughter of a wealthy merchant and much all else." She bit her tongue, feeling like this time she surely had spoken too much.

She was saved a response when Shane's groggy voice cut through, "Do I smell cinnamon?"

"Tea?" The girl shot the blonde a skeptical smile, finding the perfect escape from her current awkward situation as she walked towards him with the tray.

What Petra didn't see was Levi barely smile into his drink, incredibly taken aback by her witty response to his unsuspecting display of courtesy.