𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭, Levi x Black OC

Cyclone, Pt. II

I told y'all I was gonna get back to updating more frequently, and I'm trying to be a woman of my word.

I'm considering splitting Tempest into a second book depending on how far into the canon plot I'm going to get. We're still in season 1 territory right now with 24 chapters as of the most recent update. We'll see, but this is more of me rambling lol. Thank you, guys, for sticking with me this whole time, it is much appreciated, and my heart is so full from all the love and support!

There will be some POV changes between Neveah, Levi, Hange, and Erwin (for the first time) in this chapter, but only for a small portion of this chapter.

TW (for African, Afro Caribbean, and ADOS women): oversexualization is mentioned briefly in this chapter. Please be advised.

Neveah

October 25th, 850

The countdown to this trial date started to become more surreal to me. The last seven days for me were the most at peace that I've felt in quite some time, the moments I spent with Levi were the prominent highlights of my protective custody. Since we were much closer to the trial, Levi was to remain at my side at all times, no exceptions. The last few days I was at least allowed some additional company other than just him, the girls coming in and spending some much-needed time together. Levi opted to give us some privacy, so he was in the bedroom reading some of the literature I loaned him a few weeks ago.

The feeling of being around the girls gave me some comfort since I hadn't seen them in what felt like ages. Until we officially enlisted with the rest of the Scout Regiment, they were all the family I had, and I was grateful for them. Naturally, we bonded from being in the same squad and having to learn to trust one another, but I was still in awe of the metamorphosis of our deeper bonds. Folake and I being the oldest, the rest of the girls were our younger sisters; guiding them in not just being women but being women of color who were still minorities even to the people in the Walls. We knew about the village of Yoruba in Wall Rose but knew not a single touch of our actual origins. How did our people get here? Why were there seemingly so very little of us here?

With being the minority came things that Thaïs and Griselda still struggled to understand, with being discriminated by white individuals. It wasn't until they joined the regiment that they had their negative experiences, Thaïs admitting that she's had men twice her age flirt with her, making comments about her lips. Or Griselda having other male cadets' comment about her dark skin and body structure in the most deplorable ways imaginable. The pain resonated with me and my own experiences, being a former sex worker and having to mentally cope with that alone was a lot. Some days, I don't even understand how the hell I got through it and live to tell the tale.

Those pockets of gratitude continued to carry me through even today, which I was going to need to prepare mentally for this trial. Miche, surprisingly, was well versed in law and court proceedings, him and Erwin walking me through what to expect during the course of the trial. Although this should have been a civil trial, things were very much kept hush hush since it was involving a military commander. If it were to get out that Nile was being charged with sexual assault, it would cause much distrust with the citizens, thus more unrest than we already have. Personally, I thought it would only be a matter of time before people would find out, no matter how hard the premier worked to keep things under wraps.

Earlier while Levi was finishing up his remaining paperwork before the expedition, I had taken my braids out and washed my hair, letting it dry in my natural curl pattern and changing into something more comfortable. I sat in the corner of his office, with my easel, canvas, and paint as the both of us sat in comfortable silence. The doctor had stopped by just an hour prior, checking on me and my condition. I still wasn't able to talk at all, which was starting to make me anxious. This trial was scheduled in the next three and a half days, it would be a miracle for me to start talking. I wouldn't be able to undergo cross examination, thus risking the trial being thrown out again. This was just a shitty place to be in and Spirit knows that I didn't want Erwin's efforts to be kissed goodbye.