Note: This is set in the 1880's; this is when indoor plumbing with water tanks and use of shampoo became more common.

Chapter 2: Personal Quirk

Two years later

Before Petra's birth, Levi only had stepped outside the mansion when his parents dragged him along for some irritatingly loud social reunion. Those events were filled with smiling faces that would offer promises of prosperity to his parents and make ridiculous predictions of the boy's future success as an adult. Those were irritating as hell.

And there was the kid's personal issue with cleanliness. One of his maids once told him that he was weird "because most boys wouldn't go into the bath themselves". He found that nonsensical. He had cringed every time he got on his shoes or when found the scents of the perfumes of his mother's vain friends sticking to his skin.

That unusual quirk of him remained intact, even when now he had a reason to occasionally step outside on his own.

Petra was still small, even for a two year old, but that didn't stop her from being remarkably energetic, especially since she started to use her wobbly legs in a vain attempt to keep up with Levi.

When questioned by his parents about his sudden interest on the maid's daughter, Levi just said that there weren't any other children in the state. It was technically true, but in all honesty, not even Levi could understand why he found himself entranced with the toddler's antics.

There were times when he just spent hours watching the small girl play with a small wooden horse her father had made for her. In one occasion he actually brought her to his room, in which she amused herself with the expensive cushions of her master's bed. Levi just kneeled at the edge of his oversized bed and watched the infant literally swim though the ocean of pillows.

Now Petra was fixated with a patch of daisies that grew near the front entrance. She drove head first into the flowers, petals flying into the air as she seemed to submerge her small face and girly laughs filling Levi's ears as he watched from two feet away, not wanting to get dirty.

"You're loud" he thought out loud, not caring if he was heard. The toddler remained absorbed in her own activities. Levi was certainly not entirely pleased with the mess Petra was doing with the flowers and a part of him wanted to run the very second she tried to approach him covered in grass and dirt, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave her alone, even if he could not name the feeling that kept him glued to her side.

Eventually Petra got up and ran back to Levi, a handful of nearly destroyed flowers with her. But Levi's attention was somewhere else. The little girl's hair was crowned by some stray petals and her ginger locks were now glued together by mud and grass.

The boy gulped once before reaching for the girl's arm and dragged her inside the house.

She hadn't changed his habits; instead he made her part of them

….

Despite being a frequent user, Levi wasn't an expert when it came to operate a bathtub, and he had seen some of the newer maids struggle with it.

Once the water was ready, he had to struggle to get Petra out of her dirtied summer dress. He gave Petra one of his bath clothes and almost laughed at the sight of the oversized cloth swallowing the small girl.

Then the real battle came, getting her in the water. She never protested vocally or screamed, in fact she giggled gleefully once Levi lifted her from the ground, but at the same time she was kicking wildly in the air, nearly making them fall.

He nearly ended up throwing her over the edge of the bathtub, water splashing outside and some of the fabric of the bathrobe hanging from the side as a result.

"Come on, stay still" he mumbled as he tried to comb the wet strands with his fingers, which proved to be a lot harder than he expected. Petra was more focused on making waves and was marveled by the space of the bathtub.

"Petra!" he nearly shouted. Then the toddler's head turned back to him, posture rigid and expression completely serious. What surprised him the most about her sudden change of attitude was how natural she looked with that behavior, almost as normal as her usual energetic self.

"Now that's more like it" he approved while he rolled up his sleeves.

As minutes passed by, the water became filled with foam as Levi poured shampoo in the girl's hair. He had previously sneaked into his mother's bathroom and took one of her bottles. Soon the room was inundated with the scent of jasmines.

Levi's fingers found some stray petals in Petra's ginger strands and brushed them away, the action summoning a sense of déjà vu in the boy's mind. He thought of his fingers threading though reddish hairs, brushing away something filthier than mud of leaves. The scent of jasmine replaced with a weird, metallic smell…

Petra's giggles brought him back to his current task, the motion of his fingers against her scalp tickling her. Levi was nearly done with his self-imposed task when Petra started moving again, this time tugging at his arms.

"It is fine, we're nearly done", the toddler was not nearly strong enough to pull Levi closer to her.

Once Levi finished washing away the last traces of dirt, he attempted to lift her from the water, only to find out that his now wet bathing clothes had made her a lot heavier.

She seemed to be more cooperative this time around, grasping his shoulders for leverage. Once Levi had a good grasp on her small body, he carried her out of the bathtub and set her on her feet.

Then it happened….

Levi felt something wet touching his face, but it wasn't hair. It was warm and he could feel a giggle vibrating against his skin, but that wasn't what unsettled him. The moment he recognized the outline of a mouth against his cheek, an echo began to resonate in his ears.

"Good night, Corporal"

Levi's head scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of the noise, but there was nobody there except for him and a toddler who could barely pronounce his name.

Until the door opened….

….

Levi was locked in his room; he could listen to his parents arguing about what punishment would suit the alleged robbery of his mother's shampoo, and he could care less. He had done far more to irritate his progenitors by solely opening his rude mouth.

But then he noticed a slight change in the subject of their conversation.

"…now he's dragging that girl around like she's his doll or something"

Levi felt his stomach grow cold at the word "girl". He knew that his parents wouldn't punish Petra; she wasn't aware of what they were doing, but he still was worried.

"…he has been rejecting society for way too long and now he's treating a servant's daughter as she were his family, we can't allow this to continue" the deep voice of his father echoed in his ears.

"You have said that many times, and yet he keeps that attitude" his mother countered and Levi bit back a chuckle.

"I thought that it was just a childish phase, but it can't be normal that a high society man it's now cleaning a commoner. It's clear that this has escaped our capabilities as parents".

Levi's eyebrows peaked at that last tired, unexpectedly sincere remark.

An uncomfortable silence followed. It was clear to Levi that not even his mother expected that confession of failure from her husband, since she didn't answer.

"I" the father breathed, "I have to write a few letters"

…

Levi remained on his bed, arms around his knees. He was waiting for his father to appear and tell him that it was time to leave, and the unwanted anticipation made his stomach twist in anger.

It had been three weeks since he was caught with a soaking Petra inside his bathroom, and five days since his father had told him that he was going to assist to a boarding school in London. His nose crunched in disgust every time he thought of the capital. Rats, flies and other foul creatures came to mind whenever he remembered the few times he had visited that dreadful city.

But he also felt a tingling sadness at the thought of leaving the mansion.

Then the knock came.

Levi flinched and squeezed his eyes tightly, not wanting this moment to come, but instead of his father's deep baritone, a high pitched squeal reached his ears.

"Levi!"

The boy's eyes snapped open to find a small girl peaking in, and a much taller woman behind her.

"Petra" he breathed. The girl seemed to take it as an invitation, since she raced inside as he said her name, her mother following closely.

"I thought you might want to say goodbye" the maid said, but Levi wasn't paying much attention to the adult woman; his eyes were fixated on the small toddler that was now trying to climb up his bed. Unable to stop himself, he helped her up.

"Levi…" Petra's small arms reached around Levi's neck and held tightly. Her hair no longer smelled like jasmine, yet her scent was still relaxing.

"Petra" her mother called, the little girl turning her head around without letting go. "Don't bother the young mas-"

"No" Levi cut her out. One of his arms curled around the girl's small body, the other reached her hair.