askrivetra

[askrivetra]

Has Charlotte shown particular interest in any one of the Scouts?

"Yes, she's quite taken with a few of them," Levi answers as he works on his paperwork. "She finds Armin particularly soothing and he's a good person to leave her with for storytime." Levi stirs his tea for a moment. "It's good for him, focusing on her too. She's a good distraction for his busy mind. He's too much like Erwin that one." He fills in most of another report before he speaks again. "Jean's surprisingly good with her. He was shit scared the first time Petra asked him to hold her but he's confident with her now and he's surprisingly good at calming her down. Why he can't do the same with himself around Eren, who knows?"

[askrivetra]

So we're back!

Petra is sweeping Levi's office when she notices you. It's been just under a year since she last addressed you all at the base. "Hi," she greets with a warm smile. She isn't quite as slim as she used to be but has a fuller figure and it suits her well. "I didn't mean to go quite so long before getting in touch with you all again but Levi and I have been quite busy and..." she chuckles, "Levi was quite glad to avoid running this in my absence." She sweeps a little more and then gives a knowing smile. "We didn't make a big announcement or anything at the time but our baby was born on 15th February. We have a little girl, Charlotte Kuchel Ackerman," she announces. "Although most people call her Lottie. She's doing really well. She's very loud and does not like to sleep but she loves being around people. The squad are besotted with her. They like to entertain her a lot." She tucks some hair back behind her ears. "I'm still on office duty but I do train a few times of week to build up my strength again. I'm still considering my options now we have Lottie to think about but I'm not in a rush." She grins a little at you all. "And just so you know, you can still ask us questions - we may not answer straight away but we're still here. In fact, I'd love to see Levi answer some questions. Watching him dodge this account has been... entertaining."

[askrivetra]

A heavily pregnant Petra sits at Levi's desk filling out some paperwork, with a cushion beneath her and another one at her lower back. She scribbles away at another form before adding it to a pile.

She glances up and smiles at you. "Hi, come on in." She brings out a new form. "I'll have to talk as I work. We've got a lot of new recruits lately, a lot more than we anticipated so the paperwork is enormous."

Pausing, she places a hand on her baby bump. "I'm sorry that it's been a while but for a long time I really didn't feel up for visitors. The pregnancy's been rough. I've gotten really unlucky with the morning sickness and it's a wriggly little thing most of the time so sleep isn't the best right now," she says with a small smile. "But the baby's healthy," she adds. "And there's only a few months to go. The doctor reckons we're looking at a late January or early February birth."

The door to the office opens and Levi steps in with a tea tray and some sandwiches on a plate. He approaches the desk and sets everything down on a free space on the desk.

"You need to eat. I'll take over," he urges her, dragging a chair next to her and nudging her chair so that she moves herself along. Once settled, he begins to work on the forms.

"Okay, thank you," she smiles and takes a sandwich.

[askrivetra]

Congratulations!!

It means Petra is not going to participate in the next expeditions, right?

"Thank you!" Petra beams at the anon.

"Yeah, thanks," Levi nods. "Petra will not be taking part in any expeditions or training for the pregnancy and for as long as she wants to stay with the baby. There's office work that can be done that would... frankly... make a lot of officers lives a little easier. If there's any heavy lifting, the 104th can help. Connie's usually in trouble for something."

[askrivetra]

Petra and Levi are sitting on the sofa in his office. Even though there are still dark circles under Levi's eyes, he looks a bit more at peace, just as he has ever since he's married Petra. He has his arm around his wife and nods at her to make the announcement.

Petra beams at everyone. "So Levi and I are very excited," she eyes her husband with a chuckle "-well Levi is excited on the inside -" she teases, "to tell you all that we are expecting a baby." She wipes away a couple of happy tears. "So I'll be taking up more of an office role but I'll be around more for questions and such."

"Nothing stressful," Levi insists, his fingers stroking Petra's arm. "Petra needs to stay as relaxed as possible."

[askrivetra]

Ugh- I'm sorry, Cap, I was cleaning the corridor and found this under the doors to your office, I promise I didn't look for too long!

Levi stares down at the picture, his body growing very still before he snaps out of it and folds the picture and puts it away in his pocket. "You know, you claim you "found" this," he remarks, leaning an elbow on the door frame, "but this looks an awful lot like your artistic style doesn't it?"

His gaze then shifts to the bottom of the door. "And if this is not yours then why would you peek at something clearly not meant for you? Are you a child? Although I'm pretty sure this is yours since the drawing is of Petra and you seem to have some infatuation with her. Am I wrong?"

He scrutinizes the hallway thoughtfully. "Looks like you missed a lot of spots. Do it again."

[askrivetra]

Does Levi know you pissed your pants in your first mission?

If so, who told him?

Petra's lips purse angrily at the reminder. "I'm so glad that this still seems to amuse everybody," she grumbles and scrubs at the dirty window. "It was my first expedition and I'm pretty sure that I nearly died twice, you know. It's humiliating to think about," she finishes with a pout. She scrubs away some more for a while, working up the willingness to answer the main point of the question.

"I don't-" she begins.

"Yes, I know," Levi answers as he walks into his office. "There was no missing the stench when we arrived back in Trost." Petra's cheeks turn crimson. "I-I couldn't help-!" she splutters. "It was an accident. I'm not exactly proud of it!" Levi looks up at her as he sits at his desk and gets some paperwork out. "Did I say you needed to be ashamed? I'm just answering the shitty question."

"Um..."

[askrivetra]

Hi Peto!

Can you sing? Can Levi sing?

Petra waves at the anon from where she sits under a tree, resting between training exercises. "Hi there!" She leans her head back against the tree and smiles at the question. "I can sing but I don't sing very loudly and... at best I can hold a tune. I'm not sure I'm that great."

She giggled at the thought of Levi singing. "No. I've never heard him. His idea of unwinding is to clean. He doesn't even hum."

[askrivetra]

hello petra how are you? If you don't mind, I want to ask something I'm curious about.

If you remember at the 57th time, you and Oluo, Gunther, Eld were unaware of plan to capture the Female Titan. What do you think about Levi not telling you and the others about this plan? Did you suspect that he didn't trust you?

"Hello anon, I'm very well," Petra answers as she tidies some paperwork away for the captain. At the mention of the 57th, she becomes still and lifts her gaze to the wall as if it's suddenly become fascinating to her.

"I do remember that. It's not an expedition I particularly want to remember, although I can say that about a lot of them." She reached up to rub at her temple with the back of her finger. "I didn't like to think that the captain didn't trust us and I won't pretend that we didn't consider that when the squad spoke about it at the time. But," she pauses and thinks about her next words, "I do understand the need for secrecy. If too many people know, it risks the plan falling apart and essentially makes it useless."

"Even so," she acknowledges as she carries the paperwork to a folder and slips it into it, "it did hurt especially since we spend so much time together as a squad. Worse was the thought that any of us could be suspected, you know?"

She frowns and turns to lean on the shelf. "It was a low moment even for the Scouts."

[askrivetra]

Hi, Petra! I could use some advice. I'm giving it my all at work and some of my comrades are taking advantage of that. I find it a challenge to say no to people and so they use that to get me to do some of their duties. But they'll make me feel part of the gang when I do. I find it hard to confront people about this sort of thing but I did try once - politely - but they just treated it like I was overreacting. They accused me of not pulling my weight enough on missions and so they have to cover me so why should I not repay it in duties? I know there are bigger problems in the world but honestly this has me feeling so anxious. I'm finding it harder to focus on my training.

You don't seem like someone who's dealt with this but I could use some advice from someone stronger.

TW: toxic friendship, bullying, gaslighting and manipulation

"Hi there, anon!" Petra greets them with a kind smile. "Thank you for reaching out and... you should know that you're pretty awesome for speaking out about this." She pours a cup of tea and pushed it gently across the wooden table towards the anon.

"You're right in that I've never experienced anything like that. I'm pretty lucky in that way. But I've witnessed my share of really toxic behaviour and it makes me furious that your squadmates are treating you like that. It takes guts to come and talk about it the way you did. This will probably sound like obvious advice but I really recommend that you speak to your squad leader about it. They are there for you to talk to. Please don't worry about it "not being relevant to the mission" or anything because this sort of thing is very relevant."

"As Scouts, we rely on team work to kill titans and save lives. It's essential for us to trust each other and work as a unit, to have faith in each other's ability. Without those things, we'll just lose more lives. What your teammates are doing - and I use that term very loosely here - is putting other people at risk. So your squad leader needs to know that these people are slacking on multiple fronts."

She smiles and tucks some hair aside. "That's my practical advice. I would also say that you need to get into the practice of saying no to them more, of putting yourself first. They can bitch about it but if they complain to your squad leader, that just gives you an opening to have the conversation with them about your squadmates' behaviour."

"But I can imagine that must seem intimidating since you haven't raised this with them yet. If you'd like, I could accompany you to speak to your squad leader. You've already told me everything so if you get a bit nervous, I can help explain. You're not on your own in this and I'm happy to support you if you'd like. You did the right thing in reaching out."

[askrivetra]

When Zeke asked you (Levi) if you're 'populer with the ladies', you answered that you 'were populer enough', who were you talking about? :)

"Generally speaking," Levi answers in a bored tone, "I attract a lot of attention from women, romantically anyway. I've listened to many not-so-subtle hints and enquiries into my personal life. So, whether I want that attention or not - and I don't - I believe that makes me popular," he continues his explanation with a sigh.

[askrivetra]

Back

Petra waves to everyone. "Hi all, I'm sorry I've been gone for so long but the sickness lasted longer than expected. I wasn't really myself for a while even after it passed." She trots into the room and plonks herself down on the sofa where she crosses her legs.

"Levi has been making sure that I rested myself... because I may or may not have tried to get back to training already," she admits with a grin, biting down on her lower lip to stifle a laugh. "You should have seen his face when I showed up at training. Of course Eld and Gunther pretty much protested as well. Oluo showed he cares in his own way - challenging me on how well I was actually feeling. I love my boys but it was disappointing to have to sit out for longer."

She claps her hands together. "And I missed answering you guys' questions too. How are you all? Also," she glances towards the door then smiles mischievously, "the captain has told me not to rush things but I feel more than ready to come back fully so... just to remind you guys that I'm gonna be running like an advice column thing now as well. Not that you have to use it, I'm just putting it out there that I'm not sick anymore so if anyone was holding back because of that... well you don't have to."

"I'd love to know what you guys have been up to. I hear Nataniel was worrying about me. We need to have a tea time session, I think. He's such a sweetheart."

"I see it didn't take you long," Levi observes by the door. Although he wears a mostly neutral expression, his lips have tugged into a smirk especially when Petra jumps and scowls at him.

"Do you have to be so quiet?" she complains although her scowl is quickly fading.

"Yes," Levi answers. He carries two cups of tea and hands one over to her before joining her on the sofa. "Reacquainting yourself with these miscreants then?"

Petra scoffs. "Pretty sure you qualify as a miscreant," she teases her husband who rolls his eyes as he puts his arm around her.

"Yeah, so it takes one to spot them."

[askrivetra]

(Halfway as I sweep the room floor, I look around and feel I am alone. Just the perfect environment to sing a little tune out loud, continuing to focus on cleaning as I do so.)

Our hearts were ringin'

In the key that our souls were singin'

As we danced in the night, remember

How the stars stole the night away, oh, yeah

(I grab a towel and clean the tables)

Hey, hey, hey

Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember?

Ba-dee-ya, dancin' in September

Ba-dee-ya, never was a cloudy day

(I go and grab a new towel to clean the windows)

Ba-du-da, ba-du-da, ba-du-da, ba-AAH! C-Captain Levi! I... uh... I was cleaning! See?

Levi is en route to his office when he hears the singing. He rubs the bridge of his nose and blinks his tired eyes before altering his course and pursuing the noise. The singing doesn't sound terrible but it echoes along the stone hallway outside the room. His tired scowl deepens as he approaches the room. He places a hand on the door handle, his lips pursed in preparation for a biting comment.

However when he opens the door and looks inside at the cleaning in progress - actually reasonably acceptable cleaning - he stops still, watching the show in front of him. He says nothing, caught between confusion and curiosity as to how long it'll be before Xeno notices him. He folds his arms and leans against the door.

It takes Xeno longer than Levi would have preferred to notice him. He lifts one eyebrow and tilts his head. "Your awareness skills need work," he announces before his gaze moves over the room, "but your cleaning is adequate. Are you always so loud while cleaning?"

A pair of footsteps sounds down the hall and Levi turns his head as Petra appears by his side, still pale but a lot better than she's been looking for weeks.

Petra smiles as she looks at Xeno. "I heard a good tune. You have a good voice."

[askrivetra]

Captain, how is the Petra? I hope she feel better.

Levi is folding his clean uniforms and putting them into piles. He seems less tense than usual and one corner of his mouth rises at the question. He looks up briefly. "She is improving very well. She will be returning soon enough." He returns to his work for a minute or two before he stops again.

"Things have been quiet on this questions and answer front because there has been something of an epidemic of this infection that Petra had. She was one of the first to get it. A lot of Scouts came down with it too. Erwin's had to postpone our next expedition."

As he folds the last of his shirts, he picks up the basket. "A treatment was developed quickly so things will be returning to normal soon. Petra appreciates all of your concern and... I appreciate the space you all chose to give us."

[askrivetra]

[Modern AU]

Man, this year is filled with quite many exciting movies coming out. Are you thinking about watching any? If so, which one?

[Modern AU]

Petra stretches out on the couch with a reflective expression. "I'm not familiar with a lot of films that are coming out. I've been reading more than I've streamed but I am looking forward to that Hunger Games prequel. I enjoyed the others." She rubs the side of her head with her finger as a frown decorates her face. "That Haunted Mansion looks good too although I don't see why there have to be remakes and revamps of older films instead of doing new ones though." She waves a hand. "I know it's supposed to have a different plot and all but even so we're still getting live actions of the Disney classics."

Levi shrugs while sitting from his tea. "Other than watching that Hunger Games prequel with Petra, I'll probably watch that new Marvel film - Guardians of the Galaxy. Despite how ridiculous some of their escapades are... they're not bad to watch."

"You have your eye on that Kraven the Hunter as well, right?" Petra recalls as her feet rest on Levi's lap.

"Mmm, we'll see how that one looks."

[askrivetra]

Levi, Petra, just out of curiosity, what is the most embarrassing thing you've seen someone do?

[nsfw mention]

Levi sighs from behind his office desk. "I did tell you guys that I would still be taking questions but Petra is still in the hospital," he mutters irritably but less so than might be expected given the circumstances. "I'm pretty sure her experience is the same as mine since we both had the misfortune of coming across this idiot together."

He sighs. "We saw someone masturbating in the woods while they were supposed to be fucking training. I'm pretty sure they're still on some sort of unpleasant duty at this point."

[askrivetra]

Are there stray cats in the hq?

"More so now that we're back in Trost HQ," Levi answers as he brushes his stallion's back. "Not so much at the castle since we were so far out away from the districts."