Her prediction had been correct, that day had been a long one. In fact, the entire past week had been a long one; filled with rigorous trainings and endless paperwork. She was exhausted- beyond that.

Throughout the week she had barely spoken to her captain. Admittedly she had barely even seen him. The night after their brief discussion, he had informed her that he would be away on business and asked her to keep up with their daily logs and other miscellaneous work. Due to the many late nights they had been stuck working together she was comfortable taking on the task alone; so she of course had agreed and that was that. It had been days since their last encounter; she wondered what kind of business he was dealing with and if she really wanted to find out.

A light knock at her door forced her to put down her pen and tear her eyes away from the page she had been working on. Blinking heavily she struggled to even remember what it had been about- something to do with justifying the supplies they had requested. In other words, a waste of time.

Wrapping her loose fitting robe around her torso, she tied it securely; enjoying the feel of the fine fabric against her finger tips. It had been a gift from her mother, but that was a long time ago. The memory of it seemed foreign now, as if it didn't truly belong to her. Perhaps it belonged to a different version of herself; one where she had chosen the calm life of a civilian, instead of becoming a soldier.

Padding over to the door she cracked it open enough to see the figure on the outside. "Nanaba?"

"Petra- I'm sorry it's so late." She wrung her hands while bouncing slightly. "Can I come in?"

The troubled look on the womens face sparked a sense of urgency within her. Nodding she stepped aside and let her pass through the doorway, closing it behind her.

"What's going on? Is everything alright?"

Nanaba paced robotically across the center of the room, her cropped hair adding to her overall intensity. Petra had never had any real run-ins with her before. They occasionally engaged in small talk, but rarely anything more than that.

Finally after what felt like an eternity the woman settled her statuesque figure into the chair she had been sitting in earlier. Petra followed her lead and planted herself on the edge of the bed facing her.

"I know you don't know much about what Levi has been doing over the last few days, and I'm not here to explain any of that,"

Then why was she here? If not to explain anything- what could possibly be her motivation in showing up?

"Shit- I'm rambling."

Petra's eyes fluttered realising that she had drifted from their conversation entirely. "What is it you need to tell me, Nanaba?"

"Your name has been floating around the capital- Thats where we've been the last few days. I was supposed to be seeking out someone and found myself in a place I shouldn't have been and I heard your name."

"My name?" She didn't know anyone there.

"Yeah- I told Mike and he thought it would be best to tell Erwin who instructed us not to tell you or Levi. I understand not telling Levi because of his temper but-" She paused for a second, running a slender hand through her platinum hair. "I just didn't feel right about keeping you in the dark on this one. This place I was at... it wasn't somewhere anyone would want to hear their name being called. I just thought you should know."

Petra nodded slowly as her mind still processed the new information. "Thanks for telling me. I'd rather be prepared even if it's not something to be concerned about."

"Right." Nanaba placed her hands on the tops of her knees and pushed herself to stand. "I've got to get back. Mike is going to kill me when he finds out I came here. It's up to you if you want Levi to know-"

"No!" Clearing her throat to lower her volume again she gave a soft grin. "The captain doesn't need to know."

Nanaba's eyes sparkled in delight. "The captain?" Her voice grew brassy as she spoke, "Strange that you'd refer to him that way when he's not around."

Petra could feel herself growing flustered. "How is that strange?"

"Well you're lovers aren't you?"

"W-what- No! We're not... lovers."

She watched as the electric blonde's lips curled into a teasing pout. "Well then, forget I said anything."

And she was gone.

Lovers? Moving across the room to her bedside table she turned the remaining lantern off, deciding she had done enough paperwork for the evening. As she lay in bed, Nanaba's slip up was the furthest thing from her mind. The reminder that her name had been brought up within the capital was unsettling, but surprising? Not at all.

The majority of the men within the capital were pervy and... strange. They fantasized over any woman to pass by them wearing a uniform. They were obsessed with the image of a beautiful dame helpless in the arms of a titan. Something about the fleeting lives they lived was oddly arousing to them.

She knew that. Hell, everyone knew that. Which is why every year a selected few would be asked to attend a variety of fundraising events; their sole purpose being to entertain and please the eyes of the men, and some women, in attendance.

She had been asked by Erwin to accompany him a number of times, and every time she declined to go. Not that spending an evening with the Commander would be terrible, but mostly because she preferred to not have every inch of her body studied by men as old as time itself. She would never fault anyone who accepted, of course. How could she? An evening filled with glittering gowns and rich wine was something she would obviously enjoy. If only she could remove the repulsive men from the event.

Even though she had declined each invitation so far, she made sure the commander knew that if he ever truly needed her she would, of course, oblige. It was the least she could do considering he had given her a choice at all. If he wanted to, he could simply tell her she was going and that would be the end of it. But instead when she declined he would give a understanding gesture and leave her to her thoughts, and she was grateful for that.

A pounding at the door caused her to fly forward in bed, her unkempt copper fringe tangled across her face.

"Don't tell me you're still asleep in there, Pet." Oluo's voice boomed on the other side of the wooden barrier.

What? Her eyes dashed around the room, only now, noticing the muted light shining in through her curtains. With no memory of falling asleep, she couldn't help the confusion in her voice. "I-I'm awake. I'll be down in a sec!"

She was a terrible liar, and she knew Oluo didn't believe her in the slightest; but the sound of his retreating footsteps told her he wasn't planning on grilling her for it this time.

Smoothing the wisps of hair from her face she crawled from the bed and stretched. All of the early morning trainings were finally beginning to take their toll. Luckily, there was no reason for her to take time in her appearance. Throwing on a sports bra and a pair of shorts, she made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and splash her face, hoping the frigid water would help to wake her up.

By the time she reached the kitchen, the rest of her squad had finished their breakfast and were already headed out the door. She knew attempting the two mile run they started each morning with without anything in her stomach would be hell, but that was the price she would have to pay for waking up late.

Somehow she managed to keep pace with the rest of them, but refrained from engaging in any of their normal banter. Her stomach was already beginning to ache from the lack of nourishment, and each intake of air was met with a sharp cramp. She finished last, having given up near the final sprint of their run.

Red cheeked and covered in a sheen of sweat, she reached for a small towel next to her water. There was nothing worse than sparring slicked down head to toe. The way her wet skin would collide with her partners was a tad more intimate than she preferred.

"Alright. Petra you're with Eld today-"

"Aw come on! You know how she is when the captain isn't here." Eld's shrill voice reached her ears causing her head to snap in his direction, a dangerous look embedded in her features.

"Don't look at me like that. You know you're way more aggressive when he's not here. Oluo still has bruises from two days ago!"

"Oluo got his ass kicked because he doesn't know how to keep his comments to himself." She snapped back at him. "Besides, I won't be able to leave any marks if you actually try and block them."

Although she was the smaller of them all, she knew each of their weakness well. Eld was easy to predict and Oluo was easily distracted. While Gunther's movements were, at times slow, even though there was a ridiculous amount of power behind them. She also knew that for each weakness, they had five other strengths. Fighting them was never easy, but she had her own collection of hidden abilities to make use of. The most important being her capacity to learn and anticipate the stances and maneuvers of her opponent. It helped to save her ass in many occasions, but it also heightened her ability to assist her squad in battle. Knowing that Oluo's left side was his dominant, while Eld tended to avoid his because of a previous injury, allowed her to step in and compensate for whatever they were lacking in. It was a skill she had developed while growing up.

When she was young she preferred the company of boys rather than girls; the boys were allowed to have more fun. Climbing on rooftops and galloping through the city streets. Her parents never minded much that she wanted to run free instead of sit still, but they had made sure she knew how to hold her own. "Everything you do, you do through here." He father had said, poking her soft stomach and making her giggle in the process. "The muscles in there help control everything. Keep them tight and you'll be alright. If not those little twigs won't break anything but themselves."

Well, her arms weren't twigs anymore, but in hand-to-hand combat she still treated them as if they were. Eld knew that and worked to exploit it immediately, but she had expected nothing less from him. He sent a wave of blows to various points on her upper body, his fist connecting with the soft tissue of her upper arm. It would definitely bruise. "I thought you said no marks?"

Sending a cheeky grin her way he returned to his stance and bounced on the balls of his feet. She returned the gesture and focused in on his lower half, it was clear that he was still nursing his left ankle. She didn't want to go for it directly and risk a more serious injury, but attacking his right side would force him to apply weight to it. A few solid kicks to his thigh should be enough to knock him off balance. Her legs were her strongest point and she preferred to use them in most cases; but in most cases they were fighting titans, not people.

She danced around him, waiting for the moment he stepped forward to throw a punch, and responded by colliding her shin with the soft part of his thigh. It was an attack that would feel like a nuisance on the first few hits, but as the muscle started to grow tender, his ability to apply any pressure would fade fast.

A few more kicks and his weight was resting heavily on his left, just as she wanted. Spinning on her heel, she sent a blow to the back of his left knee, causing him to kneel into the ground. There was no way he'd be able to get up fast enough and so she took the chance to lace an arm through his, forcing it behind his head in submission. "Do you yield?" She ground out through clenched teeth. Her energy was fading fast and she doubted she'd be able to maintain the pose for much longer.

Pulling the arm she had in her grasp further down his back, he finally caved; a series of yelps being his only response and she released him with a satisfied smile.

"We'll see who's laughing in 3...2...-"

"Huh?" Confused, she whirled around to face the direction he was staring.

Seeing a slightly amused Erwin and the indifferent scowl of her captain she straightened herself instinctively, licking away a salty droplet of sweat that lingered on her lips. "Commander Erwin- Captain." She saluted. The feeling of her exposed skin was suddenly painful as she eyed them both.

Levi's expression remained unchanged as he turned his gaze from her to the remaining bodies lounging behind. "Oiy. Clean yourselves up and meet in the common room." His nose wrinkling slightly he added, "You all look terrible."

She felt a relieved breath escape her body at his cold remark and turned to fetch her water as the rest of her squad began the trek inside. She lifted the cool container to her flushed lips, before an involuntary yelp escaped her at the feel of a stern hand wrapping around her arm.

"You need to ice this before it bruises." His thumb brushed over the red patch of skin.

She continued to gape awkwardly at his hand around her arm before fumbling with a reply, his steely eyes still learning down at her. "I will, Sir."

He released his grasp and brushed past her. "Good. Hurry and get changed. We need to talk."

Shit.