A Touch Of Hate

Chapter 10

Verity

"The castle is charming in its way, sure... But an HQ this far from the Wall and the river was worse than useless to the Survey Corps," Oluo lectured in that all-knowing manner of his that made me want to lean off my saddle and retch onto the road. "Who would have thought this oversized decoration would be the best place to keep you locked up?"

Eren, who seemed to be the only one listening intently to Oluo blabber about uselessly, glanced behind his shoulder. His gaze met mine for a brief second and then moved behind me where Captain rode. Eren flinched and twisted forward, clenching his reins with more force than necessary.

"Don't get cocky, rookie," Oluo leaned to him then, and Eren startled.

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know about this titan business, but the idea of Captain Levi constantly chaperoning a pissant like you makes me... Aw!" Oluo broke off suddenly. He whined, leaning forward in his saddle and covering his face with his hands.

I chuckled, unable to stop myself, but when I heard laughter to my right, all the humor died on my tongue. I glanced at Petra, who had a palm against her mouth, stifling her giggles. She caught my eye and smiled widely. I swirled away, childishly refusing to accept her friendliness.

Mercifully, Oluo didn't talk for the rest of the ride, occupied with his bitten tongue, I imagined. When we finally reached the castle, everyone stayed quiet, admiring the old ruin we were about to stay in. I dismounted, following the lead of the others. Oluo went straight to the well in the corner of the yard, and the handle squealed, scratching at my nerves when he pulled out the bucket full of cold water. I watched him absent-mindedly stroking my horse. Petra joined him, and they started to bicker yet again. I rolled my eyes and looked away, disinterested.

Gunther and Eld, led by Captain, crossed the yard toward the main doors, checking the place out as they went. I looked at the last person in our small group, who stood to the side of everyone and was clearly listening in on the discussion Petra and Oluo had. Eren looked nervous and out of place. I felt a sudden flash of pity toward him. Ripped away from everyone he knew, with the powers that people feared rather than appreciated, he had to feel lonely.

I spoke before I could catch myself. "Don't let that idiot get under your skin. We were all new here once. It was scary and lonely for everyone at one point."

And for some, it will remain this way.

"You were all handpicked by captain Levi," he stated rather than asking. I couldn't resist a bitter smirk twisting the corners of my mouth.

"Not everyone. I was put under Captain's watchful eye by the Commander."

"Why is that?" he sounded surprised, and interest glistened in his eyes.

"I transferred from MP," I shrugged and, picking up my satchel, moved to join Eld, Gunther, and the Captain, who stood looking at the central part of the building.

"There are weeds everywhere. This place has really gone to hell...." Gunter dwelled as I stopped right behind them, followed by Eren.

"It hasn't been used in a long time. I bet it's plenty dusty on the inside, too," Eld replied, looking less optimistic with every passing second.

"That's a serious problem. Let's get to work at once," at Captain's command, we, however, grudgingly dispersed through the castle and got to work.

***

The view of the dining room and the adjacent kitchen made me groan inwardly. It was hard to breathe in the clumpy space with all the dust flying off in every direction from the barest of movements. I coughed, covering my nose and mouth with a shirt sleeve, and opened all the windows to let some air in. The only reprieve was that the ancient thick walls of the building didn't let a lot of heat in, and it was pleasantly chilly here compared to the blazing summer sun outside.