Cloaked Lust

Jail Bird

"She's stirring," an unknown voice said. By the depth and fluctuation of the voice, Astrea knew it definitely belonged to a male.

"Oi, brat, time to wake up!" another male voice shouted.

"That wasn't necessary Levi," the first voice said.

"Tch, the brat's a criminal. There's no point in being polite," he replied tonelessly.

'Criminal? thought Astrea. Then it all came back. The fall of Wall Maria. The titans. The battle. She opened her eyes and quickly shot up into a sitting position, realizing her hands were both chained to the floor with rusty metal cuffs. Her eyes widened as she eyed the bars, realizing she was in fact, in a cell. 'Am I the criminal?' She was about to voice this question when it hit her.

"Where are my friends, are they ok? Do you know where they are?" she asked, panicking. Her heart raced They had to be ok, they just had to-

"Like we're supposed to know the whereabouts of your unidentified 'friends'" said the shorter man. He sounded rather bored. Although it was dim in the room, she could see him casually leaning against the wall. "Hard to believe a scrawny little thing like you has friends," he added. 'Little? He can't be more than four inches taller than me,' she thought.

"Now we can't just presume she is a criminal, at least not until she tells us what she was doing with scouting ODM gear," said the blonde. This is why she was in a cell? Had they forgotten that she fought alongside them when the titans attacked?

"No we have not forgotten," the blonde spoke again. 'Oh, I must have said that out loud,' Astraea thought, this time making sure she did not voice it. "However, we do need to know how you obtained the gear and the reason it was in your possession."

"I don't need to answer your questions. I didn't steal the gear, and I didn't abuse it. I risked my life to help you, and you put me behind bars without a given reason. I don't even know who either of you think you are, but you're making a mistake," she glared. Astraea refused to be belittled by these strangers. Her father always taught her to keep her chin up and to not tolerate blatant disrespect. In return, she made sure to be respectful to those around her. But respect does not imply kindness, and as of right now, neither deserved her kindness. Especially the little shorty on the right. "I have only asked about the whereabouts of my friends and you refuse to disclose that information, and it seems as though you have no intention of finding the answer. I will cooperate and answer your questions if you cannot do the same for me," she stated cooly.

Both men looked shocked by her small outburst but hid it well. The only indication of their surprise was hidden behind their eyes. One held amusement and the other agitation.

"My apologies," the blonde one said. "Why don't we start with introductions. My name is Erwin Smith, commander of the survey corps, and this is Corporal Levi. You're currently in scout custody because of our gear found in your possession. As for your friends, I'm afraid Levi was correct when he said that we do not know their whereabouts, assuming they survived the attack. However if you answer our questions, I can promise that I will personally look into the matter." He spoke in the same cool tone, but Astraea sensed no animosity behind his words.

"It belongs to my father," she said looking both men in the eyes. She may be behind bars but Astraea refused to show weakness. These men were not her superiors, she was not a scout. "He was a scout with my mother some years back. When he left, the scouts never recalled the gear so he kept it and started training me along with self defense a couple years ago. He wanted me to be able to protect myself," she explained, keeping the reasons why she was taught to herself.

"I see," said Erwin. "So how did you manage to take down so many titans. I could believe someone with your described skill set would be considered lucky to kill one. But from the reports, it seems as though you were able to kill a couple dozen without assistance, and with incredible technique comparable to some of our most skilled soldiers."