Chapter Three - The Book

After discovering that most of the Scouts were still lingering in the mess hall, Quinn rushed herself to grab a cup of tea and sit in her usual spot next to her commander in charge, Flagon Turret. He wasn't exactly a cheerful man, but Quinn could tell that he was in a particularly sour mood this morning. By the time her ass hits the seat, Commander Flagon is already bombarding her with questions.

"What do you know about these people?"

"Did Erwin say why he was pursuing them?"

"Do you know what he's planning to do with them?"

"Sir, please, I promise I've already told you everything I know." Quinn tries to stress for the millionth time. "Commander Erwin didn't say a word, and neither did the new recruits. All I know is that they're good with ODM gear, and they were using it to steal supplies from the merchants down in the Underground. I have no idea what Erwin wants with them, or why he offered them a place in the Scouts."

That part was a lie. At least, she's pretty sure. Those three were very gifted, Levi especially. Erwin probably saw potential – in the form of a shiny new toy to use against the Titans.

Flagon's nose turns up in disgust. Seems Quinn finally gave him enough information to feed his poor judgment. "Good to know we're welcoming a bunch of criminals among our ranks with open arms." he scoffs as he sips his tea. "We've only got a few minutes before Shadis expects us outside, so hurry and finish up here."

With that, Quinn's commander stands and makes way for the door, looking even more irate than when she had first gotten there. Quinn happily welcomes the end of their conversation and finishes her tea in silence, trying to distract herself from the mournful emotions still stirring in her stomach from this morning.

She needed to find it.

She at least needed to try.

It was too important for her not to. That book held so many precious things that she would never be able to get back, faces that would never see the light of day again if not for their silhouettes scratched against parchment. When Quinn finds those three again, she'll force herself to swallow her pride, and any fears that may come along with it.

︎ ︎***

Out in the courtyard, the tense atmosphere among the Scouts was palpable. It seemed word got around quickly about the new "street rat" recruits from the Underground.

"Attention!" Commander Shadis shouts as he takes his position in front of the crowd. All of the Scouts salute him in unison. "Soldiers! These new recruits are to join your ranks starting today!"

Just to the left of Commander Shadis stood the Survey Corps' freshest recruits — Levi, Isabel, and Furlan. Isabel had a look of fierce determination, while the blonde man beside her offered the crowd a small smile. Levi however, was sporting a stone-cold stare, eyebrows furrowed slightly as he observed the crowd in front of him.

He scanned the crowd with indifference, each person seeming more insignificant than the last, when his eyes came to rest on a familiar face standing in the first row. That woman from the carriage was standing off to the left, but her eyes weren't fixed on the stage like all the others. Instead, she was staring blankly ahead, a worrisome look etched on her face.

"Alright, you three, introduce yourselves!" Shadis instructs them in a booming voice, once again catching Levi's attention. He shifts his gaze back up after a moment of silence.

"Name's Levi."

The crowd of soldiers look up at him with stunned expressions, taken aback by the blatant disrespect in his voice. Though surprisingly, Shadis' reaction is fairly tame.

"You'd better drop the attitude and pick up some discipline, Levi. Who's next?"

Isabel steps forward next, offering a confident salute. "My name's Isabel Magnolia. It's real nice to meet you all!"

Furlan steps forward shortly after, also giving his best salute. His fist was facing the wrong way, but there was sincerity in the gesture. "I go by Furlan Church. Hey."

The commander takes a moment to observe the small group in front of him before redirecting his attention forward. "Flagon, these new Scouts will be joining your squad. Look after them."

One of the men in front (who Levi can only assume to be Flagon) blinks a couple of times in surprise. "Er- what? You want them in my squad, sir?"

That woman is standing next to him, and it appears that Shadis' order caught her attention as well.

She looks nervous.

"That a problem?" The head commander grits his teeth, his hardened stare causing Flagon to break eye contact. The man's argument was quickly deflating.

"No, I… just thought they'd go to Erwin."

That rat bastard.

Just hearing Erwin's name ignites a spark of rage somewhere deep in Levi's chest. He's almost thankful that he at least won't be taking orders from him — almost.

"I've got Erwin working on expedition command. He won't have time to look after new soldiers. Got it?"

"Yes, I understand, sir!" Flagon responds promptly with a firm salute to his chest, and that seems to be the end of the matter.

The head commander resumes his lecture, one that Levi can't be bothered to listen to, his attention instead falling back to the small woman up front. Her focus has already drifted away again, this time her gaze fixed on the ground in front of her. Her anxiety is evident in her posture, her eyes holding a hint of sadness.

Levi knows he shouldn't feel any pity for her. This was the same woman who attacked him in the Underground, the same woman who resorted to such desperate measures to capture him.

The same woman who nearly succeeded.

He isn't sure whether he would've reacted differently if his pursuer had turned out to be someone else — if his knife hadn't ended up pressed against the throat of a woman who looked far too feeble to possess the amount of strength that had taken him down. He should know after all those years that the enemy can come in many different forms. He was taught from an early age that pretty women could prove to be the most dangerous, as they were often underestimated and even doted on by their targets. He had fought more than his fair share of those women himself with complete indifference, but those women always had some sort of… malice to them, for lack of a better word. Practically everyone who lived in the Underground had that look about them. But when he had that Scout pinned against the wall, that panicked look in her eyes was different. It was genuine, unabridged fear, the kind you'd find in a child's eyes. She wasn't ready to kill anyone, and she certainly wasn't ready to die.

It was… pathetic.

There's a hint of that fear in her now, reflected in those celadon eyes. For a moment, Levi wonders if he could be the source of her stress again. Could the thought of working alongside him really make her that tense?

Or is it something else entirely?

The book in his coat pocket feels just a bit heavier.

*︎**

Shadis continues talking for a few more minutes before giving the Scouts a proper dismissal, minutes that seemed to stretch endlessly as Quinn stood idly with her worries. It only took a few seconds for her to realize that the man — Levi — was staring at her. Quinn didn't need to look up to confirm it; she could feel his gaze as sharp as the knife he'd held against her skin. There's malice in his eyes. Revulsion.

Did he put two and two together and realize they'd be on the same squad? Quinn was standing right next to Flagon, so it wouldn't be hard to figure out.

It wouldn't be surprising if Levi still felt just as bitter towards her as he did last night, but the thought still stung a bit. In all of her years of service, Quinn had never experienced a violent confrontation with another person outside of their usual training exercises. Even then, she always tried to be gentle. Some of the largest men in the Corps had been thrown on their asses by her in the past.

She's never been too keen on hurting people.

She's also never had someone want to hurt her before – not like this. Not with such a justifiable reason.

Screw Commander Erwin — and Flagon too — for putting her in this kind of situation. She enlisted in the military to fight Titans, not other people. If she wanted to spend her time pushing around civilians, she would've taken her opportunity to join the Military Police. Regardless of their rank, they had no right to put her in that kind of situation, especially without explaining things for what they truly were.

Even if those three knew anything about her journal, there's very little chance they'd actually help her.

"Quinn?"

A voice from her right grabs her attention — Sairam, one of her squadmates. The rest of the Scouts had started to disperse while Quinn was lost her thoughts. When she glances up at the platform, Levi and the others are nowhere to be seen.

"C'mon, we've got to go meet the commander. I think they're going to introduce us to those new recruits." Sairam insists. Quinn, a bit embarrassed at being caught off guard, gives Sairam a silent nod and follows him to where the rest of their squad is gathering. It isn't more than a few seconds before they see Commander Flagon approaching, leading their three newest members toward them.

"Meet your new squad." Flagon says to the trio, gesturing loosely to the group in front of them. "These are the people you'll have by your side outside the Walls, so try to play nice." Flagon then shifts his focus back to his squad, paying specific attention to Quinn. He's always had a tendency to treat her as an unofficial second-in-command. "Make sure you get them set up with a horse. We'll need to teach them to ride before they can set foot outside the walls."

He doesn't wait for a response before walking away, leaving the group of newly acquainted soldiers in an awkward silence.

The first to speak up is Freya, a kind girl with brown hair tied up in loose pigtails. "I'm Freya Aubert, it's nice to meet you all."

Sairam is the one to speak up next, a man with dark eyes and even darker hair slicked against his scalp. He begrudgingly extends his hand out to Furlan."I'm Sairam Barr." he says with a wary tone.

Furlan and Isabel politely exchange their names, while Levi looms behind them like a shadow. His stoic demeanor is unwavering as he crosses his arms across his chest. Quinn bites down on her tongue and tries to consider what exactly she should say – or if she should say anything at all.

Before she can think of anything, it becomes her unspoken turn to introduce herself. Deciding that coming off as rude isn't in her favor, Quinn settles for a simple greeting. "I'm Quinn Strober. It's nice to get a chance to formally introduce ourselves."

"So tackling and handcuffing us in the dirt wasn't formal enough for you?"

Levi's snippy response catches Quinn off guard, and she almost flinches at the coldness of his words. Even Isabel and Furlan, who are standing at either side of him, look a bit stunned by their friend's venomous attitude.

Quinn takes a moment to weigh her options on how to react, a sense of anxiety crawling up the back of her neck. In Levi's eyes, she can see that same anger from the Underground, and feel the sharpness of his knife against her neck.

In the end, she doesn't know what else she could possibly say. "I'm sorry."

Now it's Levi's turn to look surprised, his angry eyebrows twitching up for a moment as confusion briefly shows through. Everybody around them looks even more stunned, the atmosphere too tense for them to interrupt.

"I didn't know the full extent of our mission, but still, that doesn't excuse what happened. So, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you guys got dragged into the Survey Corps like this, and I'm sorry that I helped."

Levi, for once, is speechless. It's clear he doesn't want to reciprocate any politeness, but it doesn't look like he wants to respond to hers with more animosity.

Furlan watches his comrade freeze up for a moment before he takes it upon himself to speak up. "Hey, it's all water under the bridge now!" he says with an unconvincing laugh. "We should just focus on what's important, now. We have a job to do." He pauses for a moment, nudging Levi in the shoulder. "Right, Levi?"

Levi's stoic facade comes back full force. He narrows his eyes, still studying Quinn's face for any signs of dishonesty.

"We'll be civil. Nothing more. Don't think we're going to be buddies just because we're on the same squad now."

The weight on Quinn's shoulders lightens up a bit. "That's fair. I'll take it."

Freya takes the next pause in the conversation as an opportunity to redirect the group. "We should head over to the stables. I'm sure Ness has finished prepping all the horses by now."

The other squad members agree in unison, and Freya starts leading the group towards the stables.

*︎** ︎

Quinn was shocked when she saw just how good Isabel was at handling animals. She was the first to step up when Quinn asked for a volunteer, and the girl was a natural. The same couldn't be said for Furlan and Levi. Those two men didn't have a clue how to handle themselves, and they tensed up just being near the horses. So, Quinn and Freya worked out an agreement: Freya would take on teaching Furlan, while Quinn would work with Levi. It wasn't ideal, considering Levi's distaste for her, but she wasn't about to subject a nice girl like Freya to his attitude.

Levi's second time on a horse wasn't much better than the first. He managed to get the stallion to walk a few feet before it swiftly bucked him off, sending him straight on his ass. Quinn could see his frustration escalating, eyes narrowed and eyebrows furrowed. Sighing, she walked over to him and extended a hand to help him up.

Levi's angry stare shifts to Quinn as he scoffs and shoves himself onto his feet. Quinn's jaw clenches slightly, but she forces herself to brush it off. She had decided that ignoring Levi's demeanor was the best way to deal with it a while ago.

"You're too tense. Your horse isn't a piece of equipment – it's a living thing. You can't just control it, you have to cooperate with it." Quinn extends a hand towards the horse, which walks up complacency, rubbing her palm against the length of his snout. "Learn to read his reactions and move in sync with him. Try to loosen up and guide him gently."

Levi doesn't offer much of a reply, just a begrudging nod before hoisting himself up onto the saddle. Quinn watches him pause for a moment, before shifting his weight and loosening his grip on the reins. He pushes the heel of his boot into the animal's side, softer this time, and the horse moves into a light trot.

Quinn can see Levi's facial expression lift up a bit as he glances back at her. She offers a thumbs up in response. Irritation quickly overtakes his face again, and he redirects his focus back down on the horse.

By late afternoon, both Levi and Furlan seemed a lot more comfortable riding horseback. They'd gotten a good handle of both trotting and galloping, though Quinn could tell both of them were still uneasy. She already expected most of their training to make the three feel out of place, having come from a place so different. Most of her comrades had been giving them the cold shoulder, but Quinn was doing her best to be sympathetic. From what little information she had, the Underground wasn't an easy place to live — surely no easier than a life of battling Titans.

No, maybe even harder. At least at the end of the day, a Scout could retreat back to the safety of the walls. There was no escape from the place those three came from. It was all that they had.

As the sun starts to set, Freya gets ready to escort the squad back to the stables to return their horses. But before they start to walk, Sairam approaches Quinn with a slightly irritated expression on his face. He leans his head down a bit and lowers his voice. "Between you and me, what do you think of those three?"

Quinn looks up at him in confusion. "Well, I don't really know. I think they're nice enough, even if Levi is a little grumpy. They seem like normal people to me, more or less."

"'Normal?'" Sairam repeats with a scoff. "You're too optimistic for your own good, Quinn. They're like infants trying to take their first steps. No, more like a pack of stray dogs adjusting to a new home."

Quinn's jaw drops, appalled at Sairam's attitude. He's always been a little pessimistic — crabby, even — but she'd never seen him act so judgmental before. She's about ready to tear Sairam a new one when a different voice speaks up from behind them, cold and full of resentment.

"Well, you don't seem very suited for two legs either, mutt."

Sairam whips around to come face to face with Levi, his expression quickly overtaken with anger and disbelief. "You little runt, how dare you-"

"Stop." Quinn interjects as she inserts herself between the two men, holding Sairam back with a closed fist against his chest. "That's enough. Sairam, go back to the stables with the others, before I go let Flagon know you need an attitude adjustment."

The man's face twists with a mixture of shock and disgust, this time directed at Quinn. He doesn't argue, though. He doesn't say a word, and instead turns around on his heels, shooting Levi one more angry glare before trailing Freya and the others.

Quinn moves to walk behind Sairam, but Levi speaks up before she can take her first step. "You. Scout."

Resisting the urge to correct Levi on the fact that she does indeed have a name, Quinn turns back to face him. "Yes?"

Without a word, Levi reaches into his jacket, pulls something out, and holds it out to Quinn. She's speechless for a moment, a wave of relief washing over her the moment she realizes what it is – her book. The one thing she's been secretly tearing herself apart over all day.

When Quinn doesn't immediately take the journal from him, Levi juts it out a bit in annoyance. It makes her snap out of her shock and take the book from his hands. Levi's face is emotionless, but there's something almost sheepish about his body language.

"Keep better track of your shit next time." he gripes, as if he's trying to overshadow his kind act with more bitter words. Quinn almost lets a smile slip over her face, but she straightens it out and maintains a professional appearance.

"Thank you, Levi."

She isn't sure if she imagined it, but there's a hint of pink at the edges of Levi's cheeks. "I said don't thank me, Scout."

He pushes past her and follows the others without another word.