Dances and Ruin// Reiner Braun x OC

Chapter Nine

Reiner leans against the door frame outside of Peri's room. He'd just arrived a minute or so ago to come greet her and walk with her out to the stables so they could grab their horses and ride to Calaneth district with the rest of the scouts. The latch on the door finally clicks and a small breeze moves past him as the door itself swings open. Reiner pushes himself off of the wall and positions himself so that he's standing in front of Peri. Her hair is pulled back in a neater fashion than usual, every strand pulled perfectly back into her ponytail. Not a single strand looks to be out of place. "Hey, took you long enough," Reiner smiles, "I was beginning to think you forgot that I was even out here."

"Me, forget you? Dream on. I will say though, my hair is very hard to manage," she sighs, her hands grazing over her hair briefly as if to make sure it's all still in place."Of all the things to get from that woman, it had to be her hair."

"I like your hair," Reiner tries, leaning against the wall again as Peri locks her door.

Her focus is taken from the lock, which seems to be giving her a difficult time, and directed to Reiner. "Well, I'm glad somebody does, but don't be surprised if it all disappears one day." She finishes with the lock and slides the key under the crack in her door just enough for it to be unseen for anyone not paying any attention.

The pair begin to make their way down the hall and out of the castle to the stables, where all of the horses are already lined up and prepared for mounting. Reiner chuckles, "I can't believe I spent all day out here cleaning up after these things yesterday, and without your company. Yesterday was rough, I don't think I got to see you at all. By the time I made it to your room last night, I could hear you snoring through the door."

"I don't snore," Peri urges, playfully punching Reiner on the arm.

"You definitely do. Trust me, I was the one actually awake to know for sure," Reiner snickers.

Peri swings her riding pack over the back of the horse and secures it in place. "Yeah, well, I know myself better than anyone, and I know that I don't snore."

"Maybe, but I'm beginning to think I might be getting to know you just as well as you claim to know yourself," Reiner smirks. He nods his head in the direction of her horse, "Come on, I'll help you saddle up."

"Do I look like I need help, Reiner Braun?" Peri asks, a hint of mischief glimmering in her eyes. She places her foot in the horse's stirrups and swings her other leg over the saddle before settling into place. The glimmer in her eyes remains as she looks back down at Reiner, a smirk planted smugly on her face. "Appears to me you're into the independent type."

Reiner chuckles and prepares to say something in response to her remark, only to be interrupted by the sound of one of the other scouts approaching. "Hey! Peri, Reiner! How are you two doing? Ready for the day ahead?" Jean asks as he approaches. Sasha, Connie, and Armin aren't too far behind. It appears they're getting ready to find their horses as well.

"Ready as we can be," Reiner smiles. "What about all of you?"

"I guess you could say I'm ready," Connie shrugs. He seems to be more nervous than he's willing to let on. It would make sense taking into consideration his playful and joking nature. It would likely throw a lot of people off if Connie were to appear outright nervous. Reiner is actually very surprised that he was able to pick up on any form of nerves at all. Connie quickly heaps onto his unphased facade. "Hey, Peri, I've been meaning to ask, but there's a little rumor going around that your real name isn't Peri. Is your real name actually Persephone?"

Peri visibly stiffens out of the corner of Reiner's eyes and Sasha seems to jab Connie in the arm. "Where did you hear that?" Sasha asks.

Reiner looks up dumbfounded at Peri. He can see the smirk turned to a smile from earlier fighting to stay there. She clears her throat in preparation to answer, but Connie has already started to answer Sasha's previous question. "Well, Bertolt asked me if I knew if it were true or not. I guess I just wanted to know for sure, so I thought I'd ask the source." Connie turns to Sasha, "You mean to tell me you knew Peri had a different name and lied when Bertolt asked you too?"

Sasha facepalms, "Yeah. I didn't think it mattered that much to you!"

Jean interjects, "Well, I can see why it would. All of us know next to nothing about Peri save for you, Reiner, and Bertolt. Any information about Peri is new information for most of us. So, Persephone is it true?"

Peri flinches again at the sound of her name. She draws a shaky breath, "You know, I would honestly just prefer if you guys just kept calling me Peri. I don't use that name for personal reasons."

"But, it is your name, right?" Connie asks.

"Let's just go with no for the sake of simplicity," Peri answers. "If you guys are really that curious about me, all you have to do is ask questions, but from here on out, my name is off-limits. If I hear any one of you say it again, it'll be the last thing you ever say. Got it?"

"Noted," Connie gulps. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, just think," Peri replies, digging her heels into the sides of her horse, urging it forward. The small crowd parts allowing her to make her way through.

Everyone remains silent for a moment, each of them awkwardly looking from one person to the next as if to get answers from someone else. Reiner turns his back to the shamefully silent group and mounts his horse. He begins to set the horse into motion but not before seeing Sasha hit Connie upside the back of his head. Connie yelps briefly and the sound of his bickering grows faint as Reiner leaves and leads his horse over to Bertolt.

Bertolt is in the process of getting on to his horse as well when Reiner addresses him, "How did you find out about Peri's real name. I know I didn't tell you, and Sasha doesn't seem likely to do it either. Did Peri tell you?"

Bertolt sighs, "You didn't tell me directly, but you talk a lot in your sleep, especially when you're having bad dreams. Didn't take much to put two and two together."

Reiner looks over his shoulder, toward Peri who seems to be behaving as if the prior incident had never happened. She's in the midst of a conversation with Ymir and Christa, her smile unfaltering. "So instead of addressing it with me or her, you asked the rest of the regiment?"

"No, just the people we graduated with. Why, is she upset?"

"Of course she's upset. She hates her name. She's terrified of it," Reiner seethes.

"Why is that?"

Trost was my fault because I said the name aloud. Reiner's stomach sinks as realization latches on to him. "It doesn't matter, it just does. That's all you need to know. What you did was inconsiderate. Peri is going to blame herself for what happens today."

She's going to blame herself again not knowing that fault belongs to him this time as well.

Bertolt shrugs dismissively and turns his attention back to his horse. "Guess you should get better at keeping secrets then," he replies plainly.

Reiner scoffs and turns his horse around, going over to Peri's side. She keeps her eyes set forward, toward the front of the formation that's only a few mere minutes from leaving their current location. He clears his throat, "Hey. Are you okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. Just thinking about it is making me crazy," she says, never turning her attention away from the person ahead of her. "But, I will ask why."

"Why what?"

"Why you would tell anyone."

"It was nothing intentional. Bertolt found out through my sleep talking and I guess he took it upon himself to find out on his own," Reiner explains.

Peri sighs, "He hasn't been himself lately. I miss the version of Bertolt that didn't seem like a complete asshole."

"Me too."