The good news was that Eren behaved himself the previous night.

The bad news was that you did not.

And so the ride the following morning was long.

Your head pulsed and the rays of the rising sun burned your eyes. The oppressive, muggy heat combined with the sway of the horse you rode certainly didn 't help the turning in your stomach either. You let out a long breath. What was even in that mead? You only had a single bottle of the stuff.

This is what happened when Dr. Helfen left you to your own devices.

The journey was made worse by the pair of eyes that bore into your back. Occasionally you 'd get a reprieve when those eyes switched over to glaring at Eren instead, who rode beside you in silence.

When you had awoken that morning, you immediately replayed the previous night 's events in your head. So much for making a good first impression. You still stood by what you said to Levi, but you wondered if there had been a better way you could have gone about it. You didn 't want to cause issues between yourself and the Levi squad before you had even really begun, but you needed to set boundaries. You needed to make it clear to both him and his team your role in all of this.

Oluo spent most of the trip trying to intimidate Eren, which got old fast and only served to worsen the pulsing in your head. Based on the expression Petra wore, you could tell it was starting to grate on her as well.

Petra had returned to the room last night soon after you, slipping quietly into her bed without a word. When you had dressed for the day, she kept her back towards you and put on a fresh pair of clothes in silence. You wondered if she was offended on behalf of Levi. With the way she rode protectively beside him, you figured that was likely the case. Great.

A soft breeze pushed through the forest the group currently rode through, cooling your neck. The rustling of the leaves joined the soft morning chattering of the birds, giving you something pleasant to listen to other than Oluo 's constant prattling. At least you weren 't the only target for the squad 's suspicions. It seemed it was Eren 's turn this morning. You felt for him.

Eld pulled his horse up next to yours.

'When we arrive, you are to set up your own surgery space, ' he informed you. He kept his gaze forward. 'We are likely to have scouts coming and going frequently within the next few weeks as preparations for the next expedition are made. Between Eren 's training and other squadrons working in the area, it 'll be beneficial to have an official space for your patients. '

You nodded in agreement. Eld reached over and grabbed the reins that were in your hand, slowing you both down. The rest of the group pulled ahead. 'We need to have a talk. '

You sighed. 'About what I said last night? I still stand by it. '

'I 'm sure you do, ' Eld replied, returning his hand to his own reins. 'I just need some reassurance. '

'Regarding '? '

You broke from the canopy of trees and he squinted his eyes against the bright sun. His blonde hair shone. 'That if Captain Levi or one of us orders you to do something, you will comply without protest. While last night was minor, it demonstrated to us that you are unwilling to follow an order when the captain gave it to you. '

'So I am to follow blindly even if I take issue with it? '

'You will need to trust us that we know what we 're doing, for everyone 's best interest, ' Eld replied. 'When we get out there, where the Titans are, we need your assurance that you will work with us and that you will trust our judgment. '

In the distance appeared a grey castle, the slated tiles of its roofing blue. You could tell even from this far the years of neglect that had worn its way onto it. So this dilapidated old thing was their headquarters? You remembered Petra mentioning it was a big, dusty place. First the tavern and now this. Whatever worked, you supposed.

'As I told your captain, when we are out in the field then you may order me about, ' you said. You thought back to the way Oluo had insinuated you were here for other hidden reasons - reasons you had juggled in your head all night; that you were somehow involved in some conspiracy regarding Eren 's ability.

You continued, 'I took issue last night because I was interrogated as if I were some double agent or whatever it is you suspect me to be. I have come out here, with risk to my own life, to help

your

comrades and to help figure out whatever this ability is of Eren 's. You will need to believe me when I say my motivation for being here is that simple. '

Eld shook his head once. 'That will come in time. The circumstances are too suspicious, you must admit. '

'And thus so will my own trust in

your

team come in time, ' you rebutted. 'I am not so foolish as to think I would be accepted into your ranks without some pushback. In many ways my position here is unearned, my presence a disruption to the team you have built together. I only wish to perform my duty for the greater good, regardless of what others may think of me. I hope you can realize that soon. '

'You will find that you aren 't the only one here with that same way of thinking, ' said Eld. He gave you a soft expression, one you were surprised to see. 'In which case, perhaps you 'll fit in here better than you think. ' He paused a moment before speaking again. 'May I ask something of you, as a first test to our tentative trust? '

You looked at him warily. 'It depends on what you have in mind. '

He nodded as if confirming something to himself.

You pursed your lips. You realized your error. 'Fine. What is it? '

'Fix the mistake you made last night with the captain, ' he replied. 'We 're a cohesive unit. With two new additions, tensions are high, especially with Eren. It 'll take time for everyone to trust one another, but for this group to work successfully, it 's something that 's necessary. ' He released a long sigh. 'Unfortunately, time is the one thing we don 't have much of to fool around with. So we need assurance of your reliability rather soon. '

'And what about me? How do I know I can really trust all of you? ' you asked.

Eld glanced over at you. 'Well, if you think about it, our captain has already extended an offering of faith towards you by accepting you under his watch, and by allowing you close contact with Eren. It 's time for you to do the same for him. '

You hardly thought it accepting if he did so only because of their commander 's orders. Regardless, you supposed it held true to some degree. After all, he hadn 't raised a stink about your joining - at least to your knowledge - which had to count for something. Even if he kept a close watch on you and Eren, you both were still here, being given a chance.

You sighed and looked towards the black-haired captain that rode ahead. 'I understand. '

Eld let out a breath as if relieved. His face became kinder. 'Good. '

'Just know that if one of you does something to deserve a thrashing, I won 't keep my mouth shut. Accountability is just as important within a team. ' You dug your heels into the side of your horse and rode forward. You came up beside Levi. In front of you Oluo was fussing dramatically over his tongue, which he had apparently bitten during one of his intimidation attempts towards Eren.

Both of you kept your gaze forward. The sound of rattling reins and the snorting breaths of the horses filled the empty air between you. You were well aware of Petra on the other side of him.

You cleared your throat. 'Many of the patients I tend to like to distract themselves by talking. Frequently they tell stories of 'The Great Captain Levi ' and how courageous and skillful he is. 'An unmatched force compared to the rest of the Survey Corps, ' they say. '

You paused, waiting for him to acknowledge you or what you said. You were greeted with silence. You looked over at him. Your eyes grazed his impassive profile and you found his expression difficult to read.

'Is there a point to this? ' he said finally, keeping his attention forward.

You bit back a retort, reminding yourself of the goal of this conversation. You wouldn 't get stuck in the same trap as the previous night. You continued on with your original intention. '

The point

is that I know of you, Captain. While I can 't say for certain the validity of some of those stories, I figure there has to be truth in there somewhere. Either you really know what you 're doing out here or you just have a shitload of dumb luck. ' You raised your chin slightly, swallowing your pride. 'And so, I will rely on the former by trusting your judgment from now on, by trusting

you

wholly. Whatever it is you need me to do, I will do it, for the sake of your team and for Eren. Just remember that I do this in good faith, Captain, to start this partnership off right between me and your team. My compliance for your protection. '

'What happened to that bravado from last night? ' was all he replied.

You huffed in frustration. 'Listen, I 'm trying to be nice about this. I would like for you to acknowledge my offer, but if you want to keep being a bastard, then I take back everything I just said. '

His head turned to look at you. His face revealed nothing and your frustration grew. Did this man ever reveal what he was thinking?

'You act as if you 're being asked to abandon your independence," he said just as the group passed over a drawbridge that led into the castle's large bailey. "Just do your job, Doctor, and there won 't be any issues. Trust will come in time." Everyone stopped in front of a latticed gate that had rusted over the years.

You opened your mouth to reply but Gunther cut you off.

'Levi! ' he called, drawing the captain 's attention away from you and towards himself. Levi smoothly dismounted his horse and made his way over to him.

Gunther dropped down from his own horse and entered into one of the barbicans by the gate with Levi.

'I heard what you said to the captain, ' Petra said as your group waited for the gate to rise. 'It 's appreciated, your offering of trust and compliance. ' She gave you a small smile. 'I hope you can forgive us for the way we pounced on you last night. '

You were taken slightly aback. 'Should I not be the one asking for your forgiveness? For the way I spoke to your captain? '

She shrugged. 'If you would like. I understand why you did it. I don 't think there could have been a positive outcome to the way Oluo steered that conversation. '

'Oi, Petra, I seem to recall you participating in that conversation! ' Oluo called from in front.

The gate lifted, its sound a horrible grating on your ears.

'Stop wagging that tongue, Oluo, or you 'll just bite it again, ' said Petra as everyone guided their horses into the headquarters ' bailey. 'Actually, no, please do. '

The stables sat a short distance away, its state quite a pitiful sight. An unpleasant smell of stale, moldy hay wafted from it as you drew closer.

'We 'll need to get fresh hay quickly, ' Eld said with a soft sigh as he dismounted.

Ass and thighs aching, you shakily slid off your horse, but not nearly as easily as everyone else had. You stumbled as you landed on your feet. You grabbed onto the saddle just as a strong hand caught your elbow, steadying you.

'Careful, ' said Eld softly. 'There isn 't anyone here who can fix

you

. Well, at least not nearly as well. ' His hand lingered on your elbow. You glanced down at it. He promptly removed it when he noticed. He cleared his throat. 'Excuse me, ' he said before walking off to join the others.

You unstrapped your bag from the side of the saddle.

'Oi! Newbie! Doctor! '

You glanced over your shoulder and saw Oluo swaggering towards you.

'How 's that tongue of yours, soldier? ' you asked as he approached. You still hadn 't completely forgiven him for his interrogation the night before.

'Fine, fine, ' he said, waving a dismissive hand. He leaned in. You noticed that his cheeks burned with embarrassment despite his blas ' attitude. He sniffed importantly. 'You can treat anything? '

'I can treat most things, ' you answered warily.

He nodded once. 'Indeed? '

He made no further attempt to elaborate.

You raised a brow. 'Is there something I can help you with, Oluo? '

He shifted awkwardly on his feet. 'Well, uh 'I 've had this, um ' ' He cleared his throat. 'I, uh, I 've had this thing on my ass, you see. It 's quite uncomfortable, especially when I sit. I think it 's from the saddle. '

Petra snickered nearby and his flushed cheeks became redder. He lowered his voice further. 'Would you mind taking a look at it when you get the chance? '

'No one wants to look at that thing, ' Levi commented as he passed, guiding his horse into a stall.

Oluo choked on his embarrassment.

You held back your own hint of a smile. Despite your soured opinion of the man, you couldn 't turn him away. 'I can evaluate your sores as soon as we 've settled in, ' you said, keeping your voice low for his sake.

He gave you a relieved smile, then lifted his head and sniffed importantly again. 'I shall see you later, then, ' he said, strolling off. You noted his walk was indeed a little stiff.

Petra came over and grasped the reins of your horse, taking over. 'I 'm sorry you 're going to have to deal with such a thing. '

You gave her a small smile. 'Nothing I haven 't seen before. '

'Well, all the more power to you for willingly accepting that task. '

You couldn 't help but laugh. 'I could say the same for you and your team. '

She smiled, her expression the warmest it had been towards you all morning. She resumed the task of getting your mount settled into the stables. You thanked her and patted the horse 's muzzle in farewell before leaving.

You made your way across the bailey where Levi, Gunther, and Eld had congregated before the main door of the castle 's keep.

As you approached, Levi didn 't even glance towards you as he said, 'You have your first assignment, Doctor. '

'Tending to Oluo 's hindquarters? ' you asked. Gunther shot you a funny look.

'That 'll be the second one, ' Levi replied over his shoulder. 'The first is helping us clean. Then you 'll have the pleasure of seeing such a sight. '

~~~~~

Levi 's standards of cleanliness bordered on insanity.

As someone who understood the value of a clean space and sterility due to years of medical training, even you thought the man was going a bit overboard. Why did a parlor room require the same pristine level of clean as a surgery?

Your lower back ached from scrubbing the parlor 's floors clean - for the second time now. When Levi walked by, pausing a moment to look in and inspect your work, he unhelpfully pointed out spots you still missed. You came very close to taking that white mask of his and suffocating him with it.

When he continued on his way, you dropped the handle of your mop and decided to take your frustrations out on the parlor 's giant rug instead. With Gunther 's help, you carried the old musty thing from the hall to the outside courtyard, hanging it up on a line that Petra had set up earlier. You found an old rug beater in one of the closets and whacked away at it, beating free the years of collected dust that had settled into it.

Gunther inspected your form from behind, hands on his hips. 'You 're using too much arm. '

You turned to him, slightly out of breath. 'As opposed to what? '

'You need to put your shoulder and back into it, ' he said. 'You 'll put more power into it that way. '

You took his advice and turned back towards the rug. Conscious of the muscles in your back and shoulder, you drew your arm back. The cloud of dust and dirt that broke free was the most you 'd been able to beat out. You coughed, waving it away with your hand.

Gunther grunted in approval. You threw him a satisfied smile.

You found you rather enjoyed Gunther 's company. His quiet demeanor was a nice change of pace from Oluo 's constant yammering. And while you supposed he likely held you in the same suspicious regard as the others, he never was obvious about it. He kept his thoughts about you to himself, which you appreciated.

You heard Levi 's voice call out your name and you spotted him leaning in one of the courtyard 's doorways. He jerked his chin for you to follow, then stepped back inside. You followed, handing Gunther the rug beater as you passed.

You walked through the maze of hallways in silence, footsteps echoing, your curiosity kindled on where he could be bringing you. If he brought you back to that damn parlor room '

It was quite dark in the halls, the lit lanterns casting shadows of you both onto the walls as you passed. The stone walls were imposing, lending to the feeling of being entombed. You wanted to say something just to fill the air, but you found yourself lost for words. He hardly seemed like the type for small talk.

He finally stopped at a large wooden door. He pushed the heavy thing open and stood aside, allowing you to enter first.

You passed the threshold and were presented with quite the large room with different areas branching off. You immediately recognized it as an infirmary. One clearly unused in many years based on the neglect that showed itself everywhere. Light barely filtered in through the row of narrow cathedral windows that sat on the opposite wall.

In the center of the main room sat a large operating table, leather straps dangling from either side of it. The reddish-brown stains that covered it told you of its frequent use in the past. You briefly wondered what kind of surgery was last performed here.

Along one wall was shelving that ran from floor to ceiling, a ladder connected to wheels bolted to it. You gently pushed it along, marveling at the sheer number of labeled jars, vials, and supplies that sat on these shelves. In front of these shelves sat a large wooden table, a blocky thing that had been bolted to the floor. You ran a fingertip across its surface. It came back covered in a thick layer of grey dust.

You continued your walk-through, passing an alcove that you assumed doubled as a study based on the oak desk and bookshelves that were shoved into it. You then approached a water pump and lifted its handle once, then twice. Brown water spurted out in a pitiful amount. You left it be for now.

Two other rooms branched off from the main surgery. You pushed aside the curtain of the first area and found another operating table in this room. This one was at least void of any questionable stains. A scale and stadiometer were pushed against one of the walls, accompanying even more shelving of various medicines and supplies. Some sort of formal examination room, you guessed.

You entered the second area, this one containing a row of simple cots. The curtains placed between them were stained brown and moth-eaten. As you walked by, you couldn 't help but imagine a patient in each one. You conjured up various afflictions that could have occurred here and what the treatment for each one would be. You wondered how many lives ended in this room.

Something caught your eye peeking out from beneath one of the cot 's yellowed pillows. You walked over and found it to be a small pocket portrait that greeted you. It held the stoic face of a soldier, his hair neatly trimmed, the corner of his lips turned down. You flipped it over.

On the back was messy chicken scratch, its ink smudged on a few of the words. Squinting, you made out the words:

'Keep me at your heart always. - R'

You turned the tiny painting back over. The only splash of color that had been added to the black and white portrait was the eyes. The prettiest shade of green. You hummed in curiosity. You pocketed it and returned to the main part of the infirmary.

'Will it work? ' Levi asked from the doorway.

You stopped before a giant, gaping hearth and saw the years of collected ash and soot that had settled onto its bottom. You turned and gave him a smile. 'It 'll work. '

'Good, ' was all he replied. 'You 'll be responsible for everything in here. If there are any supplies you need, inform Eld. He 's putting in a list before the first of the supplies arrive. ' He pushed off the door frame without another word and promptly took his leave.

You awkwardly remained there, staring at the empty doorway.

You sighed and turned around yourself, surveying your new surgery. You rolled up your sleeves and got to work.