Levi had successfully avoided her for hours. She shrugged it off, busying herself by cleaning the rest of the room and the nearby bathroom. The bedding had at last seemed to dry, so she hauled it back into the building, did her best to smooth out the wrinkles with her palm, and got to work.

The set was rather lacking. She used one sheet to line the mattress, the other to go underneath the paper thin blanket, and felt somewhat defeated once she realized there had been no pillowcase. She could vividly picture Levi recoiling at the prospect of having to rest his face against a dirty surface. With that in mind, she sought her own belongings.

They had issued her a uniform, of course, along with a few spare outfits. She took one of the clean button-ups from the bag she'd been given, sealing the pillow inside of the shirt. She folded the sleeves underneath it, the back of the shirt now being the front of Levi's makeshift pillowcase.

"Sorry, Captain," she murmured into the empty room, "This will have to do."

She didn't see him again until dinner. It had been some time since she'd actually eaten at a table like the one that was presently before her. The dark wood the table was made out of had actually been sanded down, a light glaze applied to the surface. The chairs had backs to them, cushions on the bottom, and seemed to carry a certain degree of luxury that she had yet to see in any of the appliances back at the actual base.

"Hey!" Petra greeted her happily, carrying a plate of food in her hand. "The food is in the kitchen. Hange picked us some berries."

She nodded, strolling into the kitchen herself. Though there wasn't very much food, it did smell delicious. A small pot of beans rested on the counter, along with a tray of rolls. Baked potatoes, which seemed to be a staple food for the Survey Corps, she noted, were also sitting nearby. Aside from the warmth, the only notable difference about this meal and the ones they normally ate was the bowl of freshly picked berries in the corner. She eyed them longingly.

"I wouldn't," came a voice from behind her.

The captain seemed to have materialized out of thin air, casting his skeptical gaze onto the berries from where he stood.

"No? Why not?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"The last time I ate something Four-Eyes brought in, I couldn't move my right arm for three days."

"You're joking."

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

"I don't know. I can't trust you anymore after you tried to sed—"

He shoved a hand over her mouth, glaring at her. She briefly considered licking his palm. She decided she'd rather live to see Lewis again.

"Do not bring that up in front of anyone."

"Bring what up?"

They both turned to see Eren, in all of his anxious glory, staring at them. He still seemed absolutely stupefied by the captain's presence, looking at him like he put the stars in the sky. Levi frowned. 

"Mind your own business."

Eren nodded, scurrying into the dining room without another word. Levi huffed, facing her again, but she was hardly paying attention.

"Hey," he whispered, though it sounded more like a hissing snake than soft-spoken conversation, "What's wrong with you?"

"Do you think he's weird?" she asked.

"Who, the kid? Yeah, he's weird as hell. He turns into a titan."

"Not like that," she murmured, placing a hand on Levi's shoulder before quickly retracting it.

"Sorry, forgot you don't like that."

"It's whatever. What's the issue with Eren?"

"He has a weird look in his eye, y'know? It's very disconcerting."

"It's very disconcerting," he sneered, mocking her, "No shit."

"You're not listening. I swear I've met him before, Levi."

"So what if you have? I don't see why it matters. You already said he isn't the person who placed a hit on me."

"What if I killed his dad or something?"

Levi startled at that, eyeing her cautiously.

"What?" she asked, crossing her arms, "You know what I did before this."

"Your personality just makes it hard for me to believe that you've gotten away with murder."

"My charming personality?"

"Your dumbass personality."

"It's time to eat!" someone hollered from the dining room. Levi rolled his eyes.

"Guess we should be heading to the table then. Don't want anyone thinking I'm peeping under your cravat, do we, Captain?"

He said nothing, nearly knocking her down when he brushed past her. When she followed him into the dining room, she looked on in curiosity as everyone awaited the captain. He glanced at them blankly, which they seemed to interpret as some strange gesture of permission, and they began to eat. Eren stared nervously at his food, however, frightened by it. She sat next to him.

"Hey," she greeted him quietly, the rest of the squad discussing their training schedule for their time here.

He gave her a puzzled look.

"Hello," he replied, fidgeting with his fingers, "I'm sorry, I can't remember your name, ma'am."

"Shit, anything other than ma'am will do just fine," she chuckled before adding, "Blake Varga."

He nodded, eyeing his food once more.

"You should eat, kiddo. I have a feeling your stay here will be tiring."

"Yeah," he agreed with a frown.

"Ah," she mused, "A source of anxiety, then? You'll be alright. No point in worrying about the future; you can't change it. Besides, I don't think those beans have it out for you. I would steer clear of the berries, though."

"You don't worry about the future?" he asked her, a sudden change in his demeanor.

Her mind wandered to Lewis, all the places he could possibly be right now. Was he dead? Was he being stored in one of the same warehouses where she had shot down men who knew too much? Was he being tortured?

Calmly, though not lacking in despair, she replied, "I can't afford to."

Despite his youth, the boy seemed to understand what she meant. He watched as she filled her spoon with beans, mimicking her behavior soon after. She let herself smile.

Their tranquility was soon disturbed when Hange burst through the heavy wooden doors, murmuring an accusation towards Levi for trying to keep them locked out.

"Eren, I'm so excited to begin our experiments! I already know what we're going to do first. Let's try..."

Their words blurred together as she zoned out, too exhausted to extend her habit of pretending to false politeness. Levi took a final sip of his tea, standing abruptly, though Hange didn't seem to notice. The rest of the group filed out soon after that, the only ones left at the table being her, Hange, and Eren.

"—So I argued that there's no telling how far capturing a live titan could get us. I know, I know—the challenges may outweigh the benefits, but consider this! When..."

She clasped a hand onto Eren's shoulder, giving him an apologetic look as her chair screeched against the floor. She made sure to bid Hange a pleasant night before she departed, though they didn't pause in their rambling long enough to notice.

She could already tell that the next few weeks were going to prove quite difficult.