butterfly rising ➪ levi ackerman

four

FOUR
something's gotta give

     THE NEXT MORNING was not easy for Valor. She'd only drank once before that, and not nearly as much. She didn't have much of a headache, but she felt exhausted and greasy, even after a shower. She made sure to find Erwin early that morning and accept his proposal, much to his delight. They planned for her to follow her new squad to their bunk after the ceremony that night, and after that, she'd join them on her first expedition outside the walls.

     She'd spent the day trying to sweat out her hangover, drinking lots of water, writing a letter to Armin, and generally wasting time until the ceremony.

     The sun was starting to get closer to the ground, the sky adopting a pink hue as a result. Valor sat on the porch of the bunks, pen and paper resting on her lap. She'd written Armin a short letter, informing him of the offer she'd received and telling him she wasn't going to be able to come visit before her first mission. It broke her heart to not be able to see her brother as much as she used to, but she wasn't stupid. She was older, with more responsibilities and less free time. She knew it was unrealistic of her to entertain the idea of seeing him every few days or even every day off she had, but there wasn't anything wrong with her dreaming of it.

     Kaede was off talking with some of the other cadets, and Valor hadn't seen Olivia or Mio since the night before. She made a mental note to ask Mio what the fuck was happening between those two later. Any more suspense and Valor was sure she'd explode.

     The blonde stood up, pen and paper in hand, before turning and walking back into the barracks. She put her letter in an envelope and sealed it, putting it in her jacket pocket to mail before the ceremony. She wouldn't be standing with her fellow cadets; instead, she'd stand with her new squad, as she'd already joined the Scouts.

     Her thoughts wandered to those in her new squad. Commander Smith, who'd ordered her to call him Erwin, informed her of the few other soldiers who'd already been chosen to join the squad.

     Eld Jinn, a seasoned soldier with some experience under his belt. Gunther Schultz, strong and experienced with Titans, though he had a hard time trusting others. Last but not least, Captain Levi Ackerman. She'd heard stories of him during her time in the Corps, gossip about 'Humanity's Strongest Soldier'. She'd seen him on occasion at the cadets training session, almost always accompanied by Erwin. She'd heard many stories about where he was from, how he joined the Scouts, and his impressive kill count. He'd supposedly grown up in the Underground, acting as a hit man of sorts until Erwin dragged him to the Scouts, kicking and screaming every bit of the way. Everyone she'd talked to made him out to seem like some sort of God, but Valor had a different feeling. In all the times she'd observed him, his eyes held no self righteous look or sense of pride. While everyone else seemed to think of Levi Ackerman as a god, she knew the man himself thought the exact opposite.

     She cracked her knuckles, running her hands through her hair as she made her way to a letter box a little ways from the barracks. She pulled Armin's letter out of her pocket and gently slid it in the box, hoping the messengers would send it out sooner than later. The blonde sighed, tilting her head up and closing her eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun above. All she could do was hope she was in the Gods favors.

     Valor's long fingers ran over the material of her cloak, still slightly shell shocked this life was reality. Her hair was in a low bun, stray strands tickling her face as she half paid attention to the spiel Erwin was giving the new recruits. She looked up, scanning the crowd for familiar faces before her eyes landed on her three friends. She smiled softly, locking eyes with Kaede before looking back down at her uniform.