There was a light knock on the door, the conversations of nothingness momentarily halted.
The knob turned, and a mess of red frills slipped through the crack.
"Good afternoon, Petra." Marie said with a grin, holding two boxes behind her back. "How've you been?" She asked, but didn't wait for a response. "I have a surprise for you!"
Marie swiftly held the boxes in front of her, and held the smaller out to Petra.
"Oh?" Petra opens her hand. "What is it?"
"You gotta open it to know that, silly." Marie places the little box in Petra's hand. "So open it!"
Inside the box was a yellow ribbon, wrapped in a neat bow. The ends were frayed slightly, but nothing that a few stitches couldn't fix.
To say it was a colour as plain as 'yellow' is an insult--it was one of the most vibrant yellows Levi or Petra had ever seen, the kind only worn by children of the highest nobles.
"Do you like it?" Marie asked shyly. "I saw it at the market today, and I knew you liked the colour yellow, so I bought it. I also got one for myself!"
Marie spins around, pointing to her hair that had somewhat been tamed by a green bow tied in the back.
"It's beautiful, Marie." Petra fiddles with the ribbon. "Thank you, I love it."
"Good." Marie sits at the foot of the bed and smiles, before jumping up again. "Oh! I almost forgot--Captain, I got something for you too!"
"For me?" Levi raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, for you. I couldn't get something for Petra and not for you too." She shakes her head, fingers tracing the outline of the bigger box. "That'd be rude, or at least that's what mama says. So I got you this."
Marie holds out the box, but Levi doesn't move. She shakes it a little, and nudges his arm.
"Well, are you gonna take it?" Marie giggles. Hesitantly, Levi takes the box. "Aren't you gonna open it? Look inside!"
Finally, Levi opens the lid and is greeted by a thin layer of wax paper. Marie waves her hand and gestures for him to continue.
Slowly, he pulls back the paper and struggles to hide his shock and excitement.
Laying on another layer of wax paper was a blade with a beautifully engraved wooden handle--fine craftsmanship in every detail.
"Marie, I can't--" Levi begins, holding the box out but Marie cuts him off.
"Can't accept it? Too late." Marie arches her head away and grins. "You already accepted the box and therefore what's inside the box. No take-backs."
"That is not how that works," Levi counters.
"It is now." She says and Levi scoffs. "Can't you just say thank you and move on?"
"Well, people don't normally give me of all people gifts." Levi examines the blade again. "I guess I'm just not used to it. Hey, wait, how much was this?" -
"None of your business." Marie nods curtly. "And if no one ever has given you a gift, then I'll be the first. Happy birthday or whatever."
"It isn't my birthday." Levi says.
"Well, I don't know when your birthday is, so consider this either a late gift or early gift." She pauses. "When is your birthday anyway?"
"None of your business." Levi mocks. Marie rolls her eyes.
"Oh, come on, just tell me! It isn't like it's such a big deal, it's just a date." She glances over at Petra. "Do you know when it is?"
Petra looks down in thought before mumbling, "No, I don't."
"See? Even more reason to tell us. Petra doesn't know it and y'all seem to be real close." She leans forward. "So when is it?"
Levi sighs heavily before muttering, "December 25th."
"December 25th?" Marie beams. "Your birthday is on Christmas? That's awesome!"
"It isn't that big of a deal, calm down." Levi mumbles, distracting himself by analyzing the engraved details on the handle. "Like you said, it's just a date."
"Well, I lied." Marie shakes her head. "It's your birthday and Christmas, that most certainly isn't just a date."
"Fine, you can think whatever you please." Levi scrunches his face before mumbling under his breath, "But that doesn't mean you're right."
Marie rolls her eyes and glances at Petra, asking: "Is he always this stubborn?"
"Yes." Petra says with a smile. "This is rather tame compared to everything else, but overall, yes, he is always this stubborn."
"I am not stubborn." Levi grumbles.
"Yes, you are." Petra says. "You're being stubborn right now."
Levi mutters something under his breath again, but his thoughts are cut off by a knock at the door.
The bronze knob turns, and a man in a white coat steps inside, holding a clipboard and wearing a smile.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Ral." The doctor says, nodding. "And to you as well, Captain."
"Hi, doc." Petra smiles. "Any new updates?"
"Yes, actually." The doctor flips through papers before adding, "And this time, it's good."
At this, both Petra and Levi release a breath they hadn't realize they'd been holding.
"I honestly believe that you could be sent home soon, and you could continue your recovery there." The doctor says with a smile. "However, there will be some... restrictions, to put it simply."
"Restrictions?"
"In order for you to have any hopes of walking properly again, you'll have to be exceptionally careful at all times." The doctor pulls a sheet from his folder. "We spoke to some of our best specialists, and they drew up this design for a brace."
He holds out the paper, offering it to either Petra or Levi--his intentions weren't clear, and the offering went to whoever took it first.
Petra reached with a shaky and and took the design from the doctor.
Overlaid on a figure of a woman was black strips, wrapping around her torso and down both her legs.
There were circles at the knees, and it looked scarily similar to the multitude of straps used with ODM gear.
"It looks daunting, I know, but it looks scarier than it is." The doctor says, gesturing to the straps on the woman. "These will be made of metal, but padding will be under everything so you won't feel it. For extra protection, you could wrap your knees in gauze."
"What is the end goal of this?" Levi asks, an emotionless mask covering his protective nature.
"The brace will restrict movement just enough so Ms. Ral doesn't injure herself more, and it will give her a bit more freedom than total beddridance will." The doctor glances over at Petra. "I know you're a soldier, and this just isn't the way a soldier ought to recover."
"Do you believe this is the best course of action?" Levi asks, his scowl dropping slightly--not enough for the doctor to notice, or Marie, but just enough for Petra to see.
"Yes, I do." The doctor looks down at his hands. "My brother was like you, a Scout. My father was furious that he wanted to become a soldier and not a doctor, but he was hell-bent on seeing what was beyond the walls. If he was in your position, I'm sure he would want the option that gave him the most freedom."
Petra fiddled with the bedsheet before mumbling, "What was his name?"
"Ezekial." The doctor smiles faintly. "He was three years my senior."
"You speak of him in the past tense," Petra notes. "Why?"
"He died on the 54th Expedition outside the walls." The doctor says simply, as if it didn't bother him--but the glaze over his eyes said otherwise. "His comrades said he fought bravely until the end, and that's what I believe. I refuse to believe otherwise."
"I'm sure he did." Levi said, crossing his arms. "In my time serving, I've seen many good soldiers die at the hands of titans. All of them, every single one, fought bravely until the very end--and if Ezekial is as good a man as you say, I'm sure he was the same."
The doctor didn't meet Levi's eyes, merely studied the floor and gave a sorry smile.
"Thank you, Captain." He said. "Because of him is why I do this. Tend to wounded Scouts, I mean. If they were strong enough to face those devils and come back alive, then I'll do my damndest to make sure they go home to their families."
Levi stands, and claps the doctor on the shoulder. "You're a good man, doc."
The doctor smiles again before looking up at Petra, asking: "So, Ms. Ral, have you made your decision yet?"
Petra doesn't hesitate before saying firmly: "Yes, I have. I'll do the brace."