Chapter 3 - Of Those Back Home

The sun poised itself high in the sky and streams of sunlight tore through the darkened clouds that loomed overhead. Beth walked out of the Shinganshina Stationary Guard barracks, where she'd been assigned to be over the past few weeks.

"Ma'am! There's a letter for you!" one of the soldiers called, stopping her in her tracks. "My apologies, I forgot to give it to you yesterday."

"It's alright," she replied as she took the letter. "Thank you very much." With the letter in hand, she walked toward the waterway to catch the afternoon ferry as Gian instructed her to. She was quite excited to see his mother and stay in his home again.

I hope that grandfather is feeling better now… She was worried about him and wanted to see him as soon as possible. I should get to Trost quickly! She quickened her pace and reached the dock. Upon arriving, she could hear fishermen bargaining and the gawking of the gulls flying overhead. In the distance, she spotted the ferry that would take her to the Wall Rose.

Wait a minute…there's no passenger ferry for at least three more days. Then she remembered that Gian told her to mention Bastian. She shook her head with a smile; Bastian was up to his old tricks again.

"Oi, missy, this ain't a passenger ferry, it's military stuff only!" a dockworker shouted as she approached the vessel.

"Umm, I'm De Vrij's friend," she said with a hint of hesitation. The dockworker nodded.

"Ah! I see, Melroy! It's Bastian's squeeze! Give her a nice seat on the upper deck will ya? We want her to get a nice view of the ride." the dockworker winked at her.

"But I'm not his-"

"Do ya want to get on this blasted boat or not?" he snapped. Beth's hand connected with her forehead in exasperation and she sighed. [Well, at least it's something.] She got in the boat and walked to the upper deck so that no one could see her from the docks. It was going to be a good few hours before they arrived at Trost. She rested her head against a wooden beam and fell asleep; the last few weeks had been very tiring for her...


Five hours later…

A dock bell woke her as the ferry passed through the waterway gate of Wall Rose.

"Finally," she murmured sleepily to herself as she rubbed her eyes. She got up and walked out towards the ramp to disembark.

"Oi, from behind those boxes! I don't wanna lose my job over some girl who got on the boat," the dockworker grumbled.

"Oh alright, but what's your name? I need to tell Bastian about you later," she said as she looked up at him.

"My name's Neil, but that's just for ya. You don't need to be telling Fatty about me. Now get goin'."

As Beth crossed over the waterway bridge, she could see a large portion of the district in the distance. Through the moon-streaked clouds, she could see the stone buildings, the tall towers, the Reeves corporation building, and the military hospital.

Grandfather… she hoped that he was well.

Gian's house was also in sight. Dim streetlights lit the narrow pathway to it and she could already smell the tantalizing aromas of his mother's cooking. Beth felt a sense of excitement rise up in her; oh, the memories! Trost was a place where in a span of three short years she had made many cherished memories. She, Bastian and Gian had spent many days together during their leaves; she remembered the bottle of wine that Gian's mother had opened in celebration after they had graduated and she also remembered all of the time she had spent with Gian alone. Those were parts of her life that she hoped would never come to an end.

Beth was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that she had reached the front door. She knocked, and the door opened, revealing a woman dressed in simple attire; she was much shorter than Beth, but her face was oh so familiar.

"Beth! Dear it's wonderful to see you!" The woman exclaimed as she hugged her.

"Ms. Pieco! It's great to be back!"

"I'm sure you're tired," Ms. Pieco replied. "You can use Gian's room, I'll go along and prepare dinner. I trust you remember which room is his?"

"Ha, of course I do! May I ask what you've cooked today?" she asked with a playful smile. Ms. Pieco's food was some of the best she had ever tasted, and she couldn't wait to hear what was on the menu.

"Oh, it's a surprise, but I'm sure you'll love it!"

"I'm sure I will," Beth agreed, holding up the official letter. "I'll just go up and finish some work while you're doing that."

"Of course, take your time! But make sure you take a bath first, you've had a long day!" Ms. Pieco said as she walked toward the kitchen. Beth sensed uneasiness in the kind lady, but it was understandable; her only son was outside the walls risking his life. The last thing she wanted to be was an inconvenience to her and her good graces. With a sigh, she went up the stairs to clean herself up for dinner.


It had been two days since the 47th expedition departed.

Her hair still damp from her long bath, Beth sat by the windowsill and rested her chin on both her hands. She stared at the many lit windows in the distance, and the odd cart that made its way down the alley. Her head tilted upwards and her eyes fell on the enormous silhouette of Wall Rose. It swallowed the entire horizon. To most people, that image meant protection and safety. But for Beth, Gian and Bastian, it was a sign of oppression.

She carefully opened the envelope's official seal and pulled out the letter inside.

To: Beth Carlise,

Stationary Guard Logistics,

Trost district.

Greetings,

The Military Hospital Doctor would like to let you know that your grandfather is recovering well. No surgery will be required and he will be able to move out in a few days' time.

Also, I would like to commend you on your work in the Shinganshina supply chains re-routing. Wall upkeep and canon maintenance times have significantly reduced. Your planning and strategizing skills are greatly appreciated. We look forward to having you back at the Trost headquarters, squad leader.

With Regards,

Dot Pixis,

Commander, Southern region.

Beth was relieved knowing that her grandfather was doing well. She folded the letter and set it aside; her mind was already too preoccupied to take on writing a reply. As she leaned back and closed her eyes, memories from the past came floating to her mind's eye. They took her back to a time to when she first saw both of them…


"What's your name, maggot?" Instructor Shadis screamed at Gian.

Gian straightened up, his posture likened to a salute. "G-Gian Pieco, Sir! Trost district!" Gian was surprised that he could even speak while being shadowed by such an intimidating man. Some cadets around him gulped and he tried his best to hold back a shiver of fear.

"What is someone pathetic as you going to do in the military?" the instructor barked as he bent his huge body over Gian's short stance.

"I-I know I am worth more than w-what I did before this. I will do better than the others." Despite sweating and being embarrassed before everyone, Gian fought to keep his ego intact.

"We'll see about that in three years! Right now you're just Titan food!" Instructor Shadis roughly grabbed Gian's jacket collar. "First line about turn!" he roared in the young soldier's face…


Beth giggled at the memory. Oh, how much Gian had changed so much since then. Though he was bigger and stronger than when he first went into the military, his mind still worked the same way.

As she trudged through the memories, one rose to the surface of Bastian...


"What about you?" Instructor Shadis moved onto Bastian, who stood out as the tallest amongst the other trainees.

"Bastian De Vrij, sir, From Stohess district!" he said proudly.

"Ahh, Captain De Vrij's son? Wouldn't he be proud to see you here." All of a sudden, the instructor drove a knee into his stomach. Bastian fell to one knee after the blow, but got back up and resumed his salute just as quickly as he fell. "Who do you think you're doing a favor by walking in here?" Though Instructor Shadis was trying to intimidate Bastian, it wasn't going to be easy; they were about the same height. "You'd do well to be even half as good as your father!"

Bastian's face fell into a mild frown at the mention of his father.


She remembered all the nights where she would study with the two of them in the mess for theory tests. Bastian would coach them on hand-to-hand fighting, and Gian would intently listen and take in everything. Yes, those were the days…

The aroma of delicious bread interrupted Beth's thoughts. She always loved Gian's mother's cooking. Her belly rumbled and she ran a hand over it. Where was once hardened muscle, a belly was forming. Life at the Stationary Guard logistics department was definitely softening her up. But Beth had a reason why she couldn't be in action. Her hand ran up her bandaged chest and to her shoulder. How she craved to ride outside the wall with Gian and Bastian, to fight alongside them, and to work towards humanity's betterment in a more direct way. But all she could do was worry about them as she sat back at home.

"Dinner's ready, Beth!" Ms. Pieco called as she knocked on the door.

"Coming!" Beth got up from the windowsill and opened the door.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything." Ms. Pieco said. She knew Beth was busy, but it wasn't abnormal for her to be so. She was always doing something: writing, thinking, studying or the like. Ms Pieco was glad knowing that her son was close to someone that was intelligent like her. She hoped that some of it would rub off on him eventually.

"No, no! I was waiting for dinner anyway." Beth said as she followed Ms. Pieco down the stairs.

"How is your grandfather, dear?"

"He's a lot better now. The military hospital is taking very good care of him. He'll be released in a few days' time."

"Oh! That's great news!" Ms. Pieco said. "You know that you can stay here for as long as you need! You'll always be welcomed here; you're family, after all."

Beth smiled at the warm reminder, and she and Ms. Pieco sat down at the table to eat. With gusto, Beth chomped down on the ciabatta bread, dipping it in the tomato and eggplant gravy. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the light bitterness of the roasted eggplants, with the buttery olive oil certainly hit the spot.

But as she ate, she noticed that things were quiet between her and the kind lady… almost too quiet. She paused and cleared her throat. "Ms. Pieco, are you all right?" Ms. Pieco looked up. "You seem…a little worried, is all," Beth said. Ms. Pieco gulped.

"It's always like this, whenever those two go off on those expeditions," she said softly. "After I met you and Bastian, I finally felt like I had a family again. But I was so anxious when Gian told me he joined the military; I just hoped that once he graduated that he would choose the Stationary Guard or the Military Police." She sniffled, trying to hide her tears. "Back then, he would have, but something within those three years changed him. Now I always fear losing those boys whenever they go outside Wall Maria."

"Ms Pieco," Beth said gently. "We would have all made that decision. It was something we all wanted to do. We all wanted to serve humanity."

"But you serve humanity, too, and you're a part of the Stationary Guard. Once you recover completely, will you change branches too?"

Beth noted distantly that Ms. Pieco sounded very worried. "I don't think I'll ever be of use to the Survey Corps," Beth replied as she touched her injured shoulder again. "But you shouldn't worry about them; Bastian and Gian will always look out for each other. They always have. You know that."

Ms. Pieco smiled. "Yes, you're right about that. He has matured so much since those days when he ran away from home, chasing God knows what. But now, I can say that I'm proud to call him my son." Beth smiled at Ms. Pieco's loving tone of voice. "Ohh, the gravy has gone cold; me and my ramblings!" She quickly got up from her chair, obviously embarrassed.

"Oh, don't worry." Beth stood up and waved her hand. "Let me handle that for you." She took the pot and carried it to the kitchen. Though the two women were comforted by each other's presence, they both anxiously awaited the tolling of the town bell that signaled the return of the Survey Corps.