Chapter Six – Bitter Taste

A softy.

A softy?

Levi has half a mind to wring Isabel's neck for making him sound so weak, especially towards someone they definitely aren't aligned with. And the fact this that woman was delusional enough to agree with her? What kind of person spends an entire week with someone like him and comes to the conclusion that he could be "soft" in any way?

Stupid horse.

He's tempted to step out from behind the tree he's leaning against and give that asinine woman a proper impression, but he isn't sure if he wants to lump "stalker" in with the rest of her ideas. Not to mention the fact that if people start to suspect that they're being watched, they're far more likely to withhold sensitive information.

Besides, it's not like he's a real creep — he just wasn't willing to leave Isabel alone for hours with somebody he doesn't trust. But after that whole spiel, Levi has heard more than enough. He doesn't think he could stomach sitting through another conversation full of sentimental bullshit.

Taking extra care to remain completely silent, Levi slinks back to his sleeping bag, set up in a corner along Isabel's and Furlan's. He had put as much distance as possible between them and the rest of the group, not wanting to be near anyone else during the few hours of peace and quiet he was going to get for the next two days. He lies down on top of his blanket and crosses his arms, staring up at the stars with a furrowed brow.

"There's something out there. I can feel it, deep in my bones."

She sounded just like Isabel, when she would go on her incoherent rants about what life on the surface would be like. Such hollow dreams were a privilege that Levi didn't have. He knew how the world worked, and he knew that the harsh reality wasn't going to be nearly as perfect as Isabel wanted it to be.

He didn't want to be right, but he was. Poverty and famine were still prominent issues here, and the division of power felt even more drastic than it did in the Underground.

Creating a gap between the fortunate and the unfortunate is a lot easier when you can build a literal wall between them.

A small flicker of movement in the sky catches Levi's attention — a streak of light that's there and gone in a split second. It reminds him of something his mother once told him about long ago, when she would tell him bedtime stories about the world on the surface. A 'shooting star'. Is that what it was?

He focuses his attention on the sky above, watching intently to see if he could spot another one. Several minutes pass without any movement, but at some point Levi forgets he was searching for anything at all.

Part of him has to admit — it was one hell of a view.

*︎**

"Levi? Levi! Wake up!"

Isabel's voice startles Levi awake, his eyes flying open in a brief moment of confusion. He didn't expect to fall asleep, but apparently the trip there had made him more tired than he thought. Looking up, Levi sees the moon still high in the sky, so he couldn't have been asleep for more than a couple of hours.

"It's your turn to take watch." Isabel mumbles, already in the process of collapsing onto her own blankets. As Levi stands himself up, she adds in, "Try not to kill that guy, okay?"

Levi only scoffs in response, grumbling something about "no promises" as he makes his way to the area where he found Isabel and that woman earlier that night. He has no intention of interacting with that pansy of a man one way or the other. If he's really lucky, the next few hours will consist of nothing but awkward silence.

He knows he won't be, but still — maybe he isn't above having foolish dreams.

There's no sign of Sairam yet, and Levi takes his opportunity to claim a spot next to a nearby tree. He leans his back against the rough bark as he glances out at the tree line. There's an irritating chirping noise coming from his left — maybe an insect? Can they make noises like that? His confusion only grows as he catches sight of something flying amongst the treetops, but it's not a bird. It's completely black and shaped a bit awkwardly. Are there other animals that can fly?

His thought process is quickly interrupted as the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs echo from behind him. The sense of aggravation creeping up the back of Levi's neck only confirms his suspicions — it's Sairam.

The other man sits down a few feet away without a word, and Levi doesn't even spare him a glance. If the past week has taught him anything about Sairam, it's that he's whiny. When he starts going off about something, he doesn't stop until someone finally sates his complaints — or tells him to shut the fuck up. Levi knows exactly which category he'll fall into if that man opens his mouth.

Fortunately, the first hour passes without so much as a peep from the two. Levi starts to think that maybe he will get lucky after all, when a sudden movement in the bush next to him catches him off guard.

Levi jumps back instinctively, the animal scampering out of the bush and disappearing into the trees behind him. It's fat and bigger than your average alley cat, with a striped tail and black markings around its eyes. He quickly realizes that the animal is hardly a threat and goes back to his tree — until he hears somebody snickering from his right.

"The hell are you laughing at?" Levi snaps as he turns to face Sairam, a scowl on his face. It takes a couple of seconds for Sairam to stop laughing before he's able to respond.

"Nothing, I just didn't think someone who acted so invincible would be scared of a raccoon."

The man's condescending tone is already festering under Levi's skin, but he does his best to maintain a flat expression. "That's an awfully bold comment coming from a man who can't pull his own weight."

"Excuse me?" Sairam responds, his tone quickly escalating with his temper.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're right, it might've been a bit of a stretch to refer to you as a man."

Sairam looks shocked and makes a motion to stand up, but Levi cuts him off before he can reach his feet. "Sit the fuck down."

Sairam flinches ever so slightly, but doesn't listen. He still manages to stumble up to his feet. "I don't know who the hell you think you're talking to-"

"If you were smart, you'd sit your ass down and keep your shitty mouth shut."

"What the hell is your problem?"

Levi normally tries to avoid this kind of juvenile confrontation, but the ever growing grudge he has against this man is pushing his limits. If Sairam is this eager to be humbled so badly, then Levi is more than happy to oblige. "You want to know what my problem is? This entire week I've had to listen to your constant bitching and complaining and watch you throw all of your work onto your damn squadmates — shamelessly brown-nosing people who are too stupid to say no."

Sairam's fists ball up at his sides, resembling an angry toddler. "I don't know what you're talking abo—"

"Oh yeah, and that woman you follow around like a kicked puppy? Since she's too much of a coward to tell you herself, I'll be the one to do it. She doesn't want to fuck you. She's just too much of an idiot to not entertain your little pity party."

That particular statement seems to get under Sairam's skin more than anything else. He takes a couple steps forward, a pitiful attempt at intimidation. "How the hell would you know? And why do you care? Ever since you got here all you've done is act like a complete asshole towards her. Towards everyone." One of his hands extends out and points a finger in Levi's face. "She's the only one who ever sticks her neck out for you mutts, and you can't even give her the respect to call her by her actual fucking name. All you've done is barked 'Scout' at her over and over."

Despite being a good six inches taller than Levi, Sairam doesn't intimidate him in the slightest. Levi grabs the hand in his face and holds it in a punishing grip. It causes the other man to wince, his composure finally faltering.

"I'll give you one more chance for you to sit your ass on the ground and shut your fucking mouth. And as for the girl," Levi tightens his hold and yanks Sairam down to his level. "If I ever catch you with your hands all over Quinn without her permission again, I'll break this one right off. Matter of fact, that goes for any woman. Keep your shitty hands to yourself, got it?"

Sairam only manages to give Levi a silent nod, his teeth clenched to muffle his grunts of pain. Levi releases Sairam's hand, and lets him fall to the ground, cradling his wrist.

Levi turns around to head back to his spot, but only makes it a couple of steps in before he hears a voice from behind him yet again.

"Y'know, defending her like this isn't gonna make her want to fuck you, either."

Sairam doesn't get another word out before Levi's boot hits him straight in the mouth.

*︎**

"Rise and shine, Quinn."

Commander Flagon looms over a bundled up sleeping bag with an obscene amount of sunset blonde pouring out of the top. The sleeping bag groans, but doesn't move. Flagon taps the blanket a couple of times with his boot, earning another groan as the fabric begins to shift. Quinn's head peeks out from under the blankets, eyes half open in delirium and hair like a bird's nest.

"Congratulations, you're on babysitting duty." Flagon announces in a sarcastically happy tone. Quinn's eyes seem to focus a bit more, looking past Flagon to Levi, who's standing behind the commander with his arms crossed and a particularly irritated look on his face. The gears in Quinn's head seem to turn just enough that she must've already pieced together what happened.

"Babysitting? Is that really necessary, sir?" she sighs as she sits up and leans back on her elbows, still trying to blink the sleep away from her eyes. She glances up at the sky in confusion, with only the faintest amount of sunlight turning the black of night into a muted blue. It had only been about half an hour since Levi's boot oh-so gracefully made contact with Sairam's face, and there was at least two hours left before their official wake up call.

"Considering he knocked out two of Sairam's teeth, yes. It is."

The woman looks back to Levi with a shocked expression on her face, her jaw half dropped. Levi rolls his eyes and adverts his gaze.

"Can't I at least have five minutes to wake myself up first?"

"You're welcome to do whatever you want, just as long as you're keeping an eye on this one." Flagon grunts and jerks his head to gesture at Levi. Being woken up by Sairam's cries and complaints didn't exactly leave the commander in a great mood. "Finish up the rest of his watch shift with him and be ready for morning assembly by sunrise."

Quinn has a look of defeat on her face, like she wants to object, but she doesn't. She gives her commander a 'yes sir' as he begins to walk back towards his personal tent — a luxury apparently only given to the highest ranking officers.

Like Levi's group, Quinn had found a more secluded corner to set up camp for the night, tucked behind one of the supply tents. It was a bit surprising to him, considering most squads usually opt to sleep near each other, and she was the most 'team player' type of person he's ever met.

Now that the commander was gone, Quinn was left half out of her sleeping bag with Levi standing just a few feet away. She looks around a bit awkwardly, obviously still not completely woken up. She sits herself up completely and tries to brush through the mess of her hair with her fingers.

Levi waves a dismissive hand towards her. "Do whatever you need to do." he grumbles as he walks over and sits on a nearby log. He had lived with women for a good portion of his life — first with his mother, and then later with Isabel. Flagon might be completely inconsiderate, but Levi wasn't about to deny the girl a few minutes to compose herself.

Quinn gives Levi a pleasantly surprised "thank you" before he hears the sound of her rummaging through her bag. Despite the sideways angle of the log, he purposefully keeps his head facing away from her.

"I'm not getting naked or anything, you know. You don't gotta stare at that tree like you're in time out."

He's honestly a bit relieved to hear that, turning himself to face forward again. From where he's sitting, he can see Quinn out of the corner of his eye. She's raking a proper brush through her hair now, wincing a bit as she works through the knots. "One of the lovely perks of being out in the field is we have to sleep in our gear, so you'll rarely get the chance to change clothes. It's kind of gross."

Levi makes a disgusted face, but doesn't respond verbally. That doesn't stop her from continuing, though — it never has. Quinn had developed this talent of continuing a conversation on her own despite any lack of response. More forced comradery.

A new thing Levi was quickly gathering about Quinn was that she seemed to be a bit more particular with her appearance than others. She attempted to wrap her hair up at least three times before she finally seemed satisfied with it, and had a selection of balms and oils that she used on her skin. It was an awfully grand routine for a veteran soldier who was out on the job.

"You can laugh if you want." Quinn remarks as she focuses her attention on her left hand, cleaning out the dirt from under her nails with a wooden toothpick. So she had sensed that Levi was looking at her without sparing him a glance. Observant.

"Laugh?"

"Mhm. Sairam calls it the princess routine. Gives me shit for it all the time." Quinn pauses as she grimaces down at a particular piece of dirt on the pick. "A lot of people do. But I don't really mind."

She doesn't sound too sure about the last part, but what she said doesn't really surprise him. He's seen people in the Underground that look like they wash their ass more often than some of the soldiers here. Besides, he already knows where she's coming from — people call him irrational for his cleaning habits all the time.

"Sounds like they're just gross."

Quinn actually huffs out a laugh at his comment as she gathers her things and stuffs them in her pack. "So, can I ask what happened between you and Sairam?"

Levi's jaw tightens. He adverts his eyes and goes back to staring straight ahead. "He had it coming."

"Somehow I don't find that hard to believe." she remarks. "He's always been kind of… difficult, but it's been worse since you guys joined up. I think he's got a bit of an ego."

"A bit?"

"Okay, maybe a lot."

There's a small amused smile on her face as Quinn turns her head to Levi directly. He has to admit, she looks… brighter? A hell of a lot more put together, especially compared to the creature that had emerged from her sleeping bag just minutes ago.

He can at least respect a person who cleans up well.

A few seconds of silence pass, Quinn biting the inside of her cheek in a moment of consideration before she speaks up. "Do you like tea?"

Levi can't hide the small look of interest that the word 'tea' draws out of him. Quinn seems to pick up on it instantly and gives him a knowing smile. He redirects his eyes back to the forest once again. "Can't say I'll like yours."

"Well, my mother would be awfully offended if you didn't." Quinn turns her attention to a separate pouch on her bag and pulls out a tin of tea leaves. It didn't look like your standard issue tea bricks that the military provided, so that made Levi a bit more optimistic.

"What about watch?"

Quinn pulls herself up to her feet and slips her uniform jacket onto her shoulders. "Fuck 'em. There are no real Titan threats out here, and I've already done my shift."

Levi didn't expect that kind of response. With how committed Quinn seems to be to her comrades and her superiors, he expected her to follow her orders to a T. "Disobeying orders isn't a good look, you know."

"Do you want the damn tea or not?"

Levi digresses, not being one to turn down a free cup of tea. Even a bad cup of tea is tea nonetheless. He watches as Quinn gathers up a few large rocks she had retrieved the day before and begins to arrange them in a circle a few feet in front of him. "Did they ever teach you guys how to make a proper campfire?"

They didn't, but Levi doesn't want to admit it. He doesn't want to sit through any more miserable lecturing than he has to. None of these things will even matter once he gets his job done and gets the hell out of this place. But, he's still honest with her. "No."

"Perfect." Quinn remarks as she disappears around a corner to retrieve some firewood from a storage tent, arranging the logs in a tent-like shape. "The real trick is finding the perfect kindling material. Dry leaves, small twigs, even paper or cloth works in a pinch." After she finishes setting up the wood, Quinn steps to the side and retrieves a handful of old leaves and branches. She nestles them inside of the makeshift tent and lights the material on fire with a match, the flames quickly spreading outwards and up to the larger pieces of wood.

"Ta-da!" Quinn gestures to the fire with a performative look, smiling Levi's way. It's a bit amusing how proud she is over something so trivial. Still, he only offers her an unimpressed stare as a response.

"Oh c'mon, it's not as easy as it looks." she huffs, quickly disappearing back into the storage tent, bringing back a metal pot to hang over the fire and a cheap tin tea set — probably courtesy of the military. She fills the pot up with fresh water and hangs it over the now roaring campfire.

The two sit in silence as they wait for the water to boil. They both watch the flames idly, with Quinn presumably lost in her own train of thought.

Levi still can't understand why she's being so nice for seemingly no good reason. Furlan and Isabel made more sense, they were a lot easier to approach and made a lot more pleasant company than he did. But Quinn seems insistent on giving him the benefit of the doubt, even when everything in his power to shut her down.

Sure, he could just yell at her — spit out a bunch of insults until she finally develops her own distaste for him. He could even threaten her with bodily harm if he really wanted to.

But, he doesn't.

He's just not used to this. He's not used to someone being so comfortable with his ill-tempered attitude.

The question slips from Levi's lips before he even realizes he's saying it. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Quinn looks up at him from where she sits on the ground at the other side of the campfire. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Don't be stupid. You know why."

A sigh leaves the girl as she glances back down to the fire. "Because I don't blame you."

"Blame me for what?"

"For acting the way that you are."

These vague answers are slowly picking at Levi's nerves. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't expect you to be a happy person." she elaborates. "Given where you came from, how you got here — I don't think you should be expected to walk around with a smile, and I don't think everybody should be giving you shit that you aren't."

Levi is… stunned, to say the least. This woman was a walking oxymoron — someone who acts so benevolent shouldn't be so unfazed by his negative nature.

So damn insistent on being nice.

"I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity, dammit."

Quinn is getting increasingly more frustrated, pressing her fingers in the center of her eyebrows and taking a deep breath. "Look, if you want me to leave you alone, I will. I just figured since you're stuck with me — stuck with the Scouts — I'd try to make things a bit more painless. But if I'm just making things worse, just tell me. It's not gonna hurt my feelings."

Somehow Levi doesn't believe that last sentence.

He can already picture the pair of pathetic puppy dog eyes that he'll have to follow around all damn day if he just shuts her down.

'She's the only one who ever sticks her neck out for you mutts.'

That stupid prick.

Levi avoids Quinn's eyes, instead turning his gaze down to the pot. "Your water is boiling."

Quinn doesn't press the issue any further, seeming a bit happy that Levi opted to change the subject, and shifts her attention to preparing the tea. Levi can't help but watch the process from the corner of his eye. If Quinn's mother did teach her, the woman was no novice.

He could do better, but still. It's a good effort.

It only takes a couple of minutes for the leaves to steep before Quinn transfers the tea into the two cups, offering one to Levi without a word. He looks down at the drink skeptically. The color looks good, and the smell is surprisingly nice.

Holding it by the rim, Levi raises the cups to his lips and takes a drink. When he lowers his cup, he finds a pair of shining green eyes watching him with anticipation — waiting for his verdict.

"It's good."

Quinn's face breaks out in a confident smile.

"But I've had better."

Her smile quickly drops and she gapes at him in disbelief. "What? From where?"

"Myself."

"Hmph." She pouts a bit as she raises her own mug to take a drink, assessing her own work. "It'd be better if I had a proper tea set. That and some honey."

"Honey?"

"Yeah, It's like this sugary, fragrant syrup. It comes from bees."

"… Bees…"

Now he's starting to feel a bit stupid.

"Bees are these little black and yellow bugs — Oh! Wait, hang on a second."

Quinn sets her cup down and hops to her feet, pacing over to her bag once again and retrieving her very infamous journal. She walks back over and sits down next to Levi on the old log — a bit closer than he would like — flipping through the book before leaning over and pointing to a drawing of what looks like a fat striped fly on the corner of the page. It's hovering around the head of a flower.

"That's a bee. They help pollinate the flowers, basically helping them to grow and multiply. They take some of the pollen back to their hives and make honey with it. Just don't mess with them if you find one — they sting if they feel threatened."

"… How do they make honey from something like pollen?"

She looks a bit hesitant on answering that question, settling on "I don't know."

Levi takes a moment to look at the page a bit closer while he has the opportunity. There are several different types of flowers sketched across the surface, some with wide open petals and others that are wrapped around each other. Some of them have labels, but others don't.

"See this one?" Quinn seems to notice his interest and points out a specific flower, one with several small bell-like petals lining the stem. "That one doesn't even have a name. It's new. It's never been spotted inside the walls before."

She sounds awfully excited over some little plant, but Levi can see how discovering something nobody's ever seen before could feel like such a big accomplishment. At least, for someone like her.

"I didn't get the chance to bring this one back. Titans ambushed us before I got the chance to pick some, so I gotta try to find them again." she says before her voice drops, sounding a bit defeated. "They were pretty far out there though."

'We've only ever made it a few miles outside of Maria.'

Levi assumes from her tone that those miles are few and far between.

Quinn seems to force herself to perk back up a bit. "Anyways, if you see anything interesting out there, you better let me know. And don't be afraid to ask questions. I know a lot of this is new."

Levi feels a bit patronized despite knowing that she only means well. He's not used to feeling so clueless over what seems to be common knowledge to these people. He's about to give Quinn a begrudging 'thank you', when he notices her attention drawn to something behind him.

No, not something. Someone.

Levi's neck snaps backwards as he comes face to face with his newest bane of existence — a man with a swollen jaw and an abhorrent glare.

"Nice to see you two are getting comfy." Sairam murmurs past his injuries as his focus goes from Levi to the woman next to him. "Quinn, do you have anything that could help me out with this pain? My face is killing me — no thanks to this guy."

Quinn actually looks at this man with sympathy — soft eyes that make Levi feel nauseous. "I don't know if I have anything specifically, but I can get you a cool compress with some water I gathered earlier."

"I'd really appreciate it."

Levi can't believe she's actually offering to help this worm. Well, he can, but he doesn't like it. As Quinn gets up and starts to walk past him, Levi reaches his hand out and grips the sleeve of her jacket before he can stop himself.

"You aren't his dog, you know."

Quinn is a bit stunned when she looks back at Levi, but smiles gratefully. "It's no problem, really. It'll only take a second."

Now Levi feels really stupid, trying to make her stay like he should care either way. He can't help it — he can't stand seeing someone bend over backwards for people who don't deserve it. Levi releases her sleeve without a word, instead giving Sairam his own death glare as Quinn continues to walk past him. Before she walks away, Quinn turns around and points a playful finger at Levi. "Stay there, prisoner." she commands jokingly.

This woman really thinks she's some sort of comedian.

Levi doesn't respond and turns his attention back to his cup, and the tea Quinn made tastes just a bit more bitter than before.