Mikasa winced, nearly bumping her head on the open cupboard in her haste to remove the screaming kettle from the stove - although it was later than usual, she doubted the rest of the squad would be ready to rouse for at least another half hour. A few tense moments were filled only by the continuing silence at the other end of the hall; satisfied, she resumed her quest for her morning beverage.
The dim fog seeping through the kitchen window provided little assistance as she fumbled through shelf after shelf. Closing the pantry door with a frustrated sigh, she stared at the two cups in front of her, wondering where the next most logical hiding place for the tin could be. Before long, her lips parted in a tiny 'o'; strolling over to the bookshelf in the sitting room, she located their precious store of tea, perched on the middle shelf between "Key Milestones in Artillery Development" and "Gulliver's Travels".
Two scoops and a slosh of hot water later, she unlatched the cabin's back door and headed through it, leaving one steaming mug on the counter behind her.
Outside, the red dawn had torn an angry gash into the void beyond the forest, leaving its shadowy trees lit with defiance. Mikasa lowered herself onto the splintered steps of the porch, resting her head on the side to watch the changing skies. The skin of her hands pricked uneasily as she sipped her tea, caught between the heat of her drink and the frigid air that bled through the empty space on her right.
A gentle opening and closing of the door behind her announced a reprieve, as one boot and then another slipped into place beside her. Sunny drapes obscured his expression as he took a long draught from heated ceramic; she cringed, preparing her defense against his imminent admonition.
"I couldn't find the strainer," she muttered.
He merely stretched, and stifled a yawn in reply.
Relaxing, she turned again to the horizon, tinged with a faint gold trickling through the wisps of cloud.
"...you know, Armin, you should really stop reading in bed..."
His laughter laced sweetly with the musty scent of earl grey, rising on the wind towards the lightening skies in the distance.