Hesitation 18+🔞

Chapter 6: Moonshine

After dinner, you make your way to the mail room, a sense of anticipation fluttering in your chest. At last, there are letters waiting for you, one from your parents, another from Noah, and some official paperwork regarding your impending salary.
You decide to open your family's letter first, a lump forming in your throat as you read their words. The message is short, but it carries a weight of love and pride. They assure you of their safety, having been successfully evacuated, and promise to write again as soon as they can. There's no return address, leaving you with a sense of longing and worry. Noah's letter details his experience so far in the MP and that he was able to visit Gwen. She's dislocated her shoulder and broken some ribs but she's stable, a sense of relief washes over you.
He wants to plan a dinner for the three of you in Stohess in 3 weeks, before the next expedition and is eagerly awaiting your confirmation. He sends you the details of the reservations and will arrange transportation to and from. You miss your friends dearly, but you know you're doing the right thing.

As you read Noah's letter, you're reminded of a theory he once shared. He believed that the government was creating the Titans as a diversion from the corruption within the capital. His theory suggested that the century long war was nothing more than an elaborate inside job. The thought sends a shiver down your spine. The government is hiding so much, and you're determined to uncover the truth. As outrageous as that may seem, there's some shady shit going down nonetheless. You take your time to respond to the letters and feel awful for not writing sooner, especially to Gwen. Within a few hours they're mailed out.

The week goes by and you establish a routine, starting your morning off with lectures detailing Erwin's scout formation and our upcoming expedition, then heading outdoors for physical training, and in the afternoon you train with the horses. Your horse, Mara, proves to be a challenging partner. Her rebellious streak sends you sprawling in the dirt time and again. By Wednesday, an unfortunate encounter with a rusty fence leaves you nursing a scraped and bleeding leg. The injury, while not severe, is enough to warrant concern due to the risk of infection from the rust, so you're dismissed early. As you limp your way towards the infirmary, you cross paths with Hange.

"Heyyoo (y/n)!! Wanna hear what I've been up to?!" They caught a glimpse you holding a blood stained rag over your leg
"Oi!! What happened to you!?"

"My horse slammed me into the fence, it's rusted so I need to get this cleaned out immedi—"

"Come (y/n)! I know where we keep the most potent alcohol... for disinfecting wounds. As long as you can tolerate the burn of 1000 flames devouring your flesh, I can almost guarantee you won't get an infection." 

You're kind of glad you ran into them, the infirmary here is still extremely overwhelmed. Who knows when you'll be able to see an actual doctor or nurse. Hange has sort of become the unofficial Doctor of HQ since the Trost incident, handling the minor cuts and bruises you might accumulate during day to day activities.

"Yeah that works"

"Do you know if you've ever been vaccinated against Clostridium tetani? Where did you say you were from again?"

"I'm from Trost—"

"Excellent! Your city mandated the vaccination years ago, however newly released literature suggest a re dose of the vaccination every couple of years, especially after a particularly dirty injury, such as a titan bite, which has a bite force of up to 30,000 PSI! And those are only from our experiments with our captured titans, no bigger than 9 meters! Imagine a 15 meter titan!"

You strain to concentrate on Hange's fervent chatter, their voice a lively symphony of scientific curiosity that you usually find endearing. But right now, your mind is elsewhere, preoccupied with the throbbing pain in your leg.
As you hobble towards the infirmary, you cross paths with Levi, Erwin, and Miche. Under normal circumstances, you would have snapped a crisp salute their way, but your current predicament leaves you hunched over, one hand clutching a blood-soaked rag against your thigh.
You can't help but wonder why the wound is still bleeding so profusely. The sight of the crimson stain spreading across your uniform sends a jolt of anxiety through you. You quicken your pace, ignoring the sharp sting of protest from your injured leg.