Before the Rogue

Talk of Death and Parties

One week later

Shay-

It was late in the day when Hange released me from her service. She'd made sure I was with her whenever she ran an experiment with Eren. Eren was always glad for my presence because my dry optimistic humor seemed to put him at ease when he was nervous about doing something. Just two days ago he'd stood in the nude only allowed to cover his man bits with his hands as Hange had tried to see if... Well I had no fucking idea why she had him do that but the poor kid was so red I thought he was going to turn into a pool of blood and splash onto the floor at any second. Id at least done him the courtesy of not looking anywhere but his face if I looked at him at all. Id managed to destract him from Hange's poking and prodding by telling him storys that id made up about my life in the scouts. Id set my new life up. Id been a typical woman living behind wall rose when the fall of wall Maria had inspired me to join the corps. Id been in the scouts ever since, the end.

I sighed at the memory of the poor kid as I clicked open the door to me and Petra's room.  It was long past dinner so I wasn't surprised to see her sitting on her bed writing in a journal. She looked up at me as I entered and smiled. I returned the expression and closed the door behind me. I moved to my dresser and pulled off my cropped jacket, setting it in the top drawer just to get it out of sight. Then I sat on my tightly made bed to begin the tedious process of removing my boots and the dozens of belts and strapps wrapped around my body.

I glanced up at Petra again and at her expression of sad contemplation I asked, "What are you doing?"

At my sudden words she jumps slightly and turns to look at me, likely having forgotten I was even there in her deep thought.

She looks back down at her journal and back at me, embarrassment coating her features. "Oh im just um... Well I'm writing my will. I do it before every mission... It's weird, I know but I like to make sure that its updated incase I don't make it back one day..."

I felt my heart clench at the thought that she put in my head. I pause at the buckle on my thigh and give her a long look. Petra just glares at me, "Listen here, you tightly wound, bullet-proof, furry filled, annihilator of a fucking woman. Just because you can turn into a giant as fuck version of yourself and kick new assholes into  any of the adversaries you face, doesn't mean I can too.  Granted I can kick names and take ass better than a good majority of the military, but there is always going to be that small sliver of a chance that my luck will run out and I won't come home whole if at all. So I like to prepair for those circumstances. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to deside who gets to have my books."

For several long minutes I'm lost in the motions of changing my clothes as I attempt to process all that my best friend just threw at me. If I thought about it, she was right to do what she was doing,  hell if I owned anything valuable I'd probably have already done the same thing, but it still bothered me to think about it. I didnt want to think about any of my team being lost in the mission much less Petra and especially not the Captain... AND on that note!

I shoved off the last of my belts and tossed them into a drawer, glancing across the room at Petra again. She'd refocused on her list when I took too long to respond to her. Her brows were creased in thought as she scratched illegibly into her journal. A random memory struck me. Petra had loved my black combat boots that I'd worn before getting my standard issue ones, and had wondered if a shoemaker in wall Sina could copy them.

"You can have my boots," I paused when she turned to face me her expression full of confusion, "...if I die. My combat boots are yours. And make sure to give my knives to Levi."

Petra only smiled at me after several moments of tight quiet
, her face warm and almost knowing, "You won't die."

~

Levi-

Hange it seemed wanted to piss me off at all hours of the day and night.

I'd been headed through the dark and empty halls of the castle, going through my usual routine of frisking the place for unseen enemies when she'd suddenly popped into my quiet space, a clipboard in one hand a peace offering in the other. I cradled the hot cup of black tea in my hand as she paddled quietly about her fun time experimenting with Yeager the lab rat and all the new things she learned either from the results of her play or from whatever Shay was able to tell her. She hadn't yet gotten to her purpose of bothering me this night as we stood in one of the many long, empty halls of the old castle. I'd watched out a window facing the Forrest behind the stables for several minutes now. It was hardly visible but I could just make out the outline of the tops of the trees. It was too dark to see anything more.

"~So I'm going to ask Erwin if I can host a small party a few days before we leave for the mission so that everyone can let loose and get all their pre-mission jitters out. What do you think?"

"Does it matter?"

"You know sometimes I wish I had you on my research team. Your so perceptive."

"Im just not stupid enough to think you're actually asking my opinion."