His Wounded Heart Beats For One (Levi x Reader Fanfiction)

9: The Play Before The Work

The clearing where the lodgings are constructed is massive, an expansive quadrangle bordered by cabins on three sides. The center cabin is the largest, the size of a small mansion and most likely the main headquarters for training. Thick trunks fence in the space, occasional leaves drifting to the ground from their lofty branches.

"Ah, this looks so pretty!" Thea exclaims. "I could get used to this scenery. It's amazing."

"Not bad, right?" Oscar shows off his hometown's forest pridefully. "I used to run through these woods all the time when I was a kid."

"It's completely empty," Hange explains, entering the opening. "Nobody will be here until tomorrow morning at the earliest. To start, we're going to clean up this place from top to bottom. I need everyone involved."

"Man, we're already being put to work?" Lisa whines.

"This isn't a vacation," Ruth chides. "We're here to work."

"Auxiliary duties," you say, recalling the letter. "We agreed to this."

"That's right," Hange concurs, still facing forward. "And we're gonna start right away." They fire a quick finger to their left, aiming at the cabin closest to you. "That's the women's cabin. The one beside it," they say as they shift their pointer. "Is the men's cabin." Hange switches hands as they point to their right. "Stable is closest to us. Next to it, the officers' cabin. And in front of us is everything else. Mess hall, offices, storage, all that junk." Hange steers their horse to face you. "Everyone will start in the main building. Find supplies; I know there's some left here from last time. You," they say as they direct their index to you. "Are in charge. Moblit and I are heading into town for rations and other necessities. You're all on your own—you can handle that, right?"

"Yeah," you answer. "We're responsible."

"Great. Have fun, then. Moblit!" Hange cries. "Let's go!"

The two officers leave, and your small group of nurses station your horses in the stable before heading into the main building. Its centerpiece is a massive mess hall, thick tables dotted with chairs taking up the main court. It vaults into the upper floor, a balcony framing the edges and providing walkways for the rooms above.

"Oh, god," Lisa sighs. "This is going to take forever."

"There's six of us," you mention. "It won't be that bad."

Oscar runs a hand up a timber post supporting the balcony overhead. "I wish Robin and Henrick were here. That would've made it easier."

"No point whining about it," Ruth asserts. "Let's work."

Your gang eventually finds a supply closet in some unremarkable hallway, filled with enough ancient cleaning tools for every person. Armed with brooms, mops, soaps, and masks, your team breaks up to whichever corner of the lodge they want to start in.

You end up in an office on the upper floor with Thea, scrubbing down the broad timber desk while she dusts the empty bookshelves lining the walls. You trust your medically talented friends to do a thorough cleaning job without supervision, an ability they've proven they're capable of during your time at the hospital.

"I'm surprised Section Commander Hange left us alone," Thea comments as she wipes off her feather duster. "I mean, we're not little kids or anything, but we are...new. Strangers, kinda."

"They trust us," you say. "And I appreciate that they do. We're upstanding medical workers, after all."

"We sure are," Thea laughs. She rises to her toes to reach a higher shelf, groaning as she strains her extended arm. "Oh!" she blurts as she drops to her heels. "What if it's like a...a test?"