On that one fateful day, everything I had was lost to me, and in the worst possible way. That innocent, joyous perception I once had of the world was shattered the instant those dark, foreboding eyes had peered ominously over the wall, reminding mankind of the presence of our greatest enemies - the Titans. But who was the true enemy? Who was the real threat?
That day, I vowed to seek revenge. I was going to right the wrongs, even if it meant I would have to take drastic measures to do so.
Chapter Four: Red
(Warning: Strong language, violence.)
I began to spiral out of control, my side banging hard against the wall and the mere friction causing my skin to feel as if it were on fire. Grimacing in pain, I felt tears spring into my eyes as what felt like scorching flames tore across my skin, struggling to get back onto track. As soon as I had managed to push myself away from the wall, my body swung wildly at a narrow angle, making a sharp curve inward and dead straight on a death path towards the Titans. I tried to force my body to the right in order to dodge their grasp, but it was no use. The momentum, the air pressure, and my body weight teamed up against me, preventing me from nimble, loose movement. If I were to release my line, I would fall right down to my death on the cold, hard cement down below.
Either way, I was flying head-first into certain doom.
"Fuck it," I growled, then prepared my swords. "If I'm going out, mind as well go out with a bang."
I never reached them.
Before I fell into the clutches of the Titans, I was swept away, a sweet, familiar scent instantly wrapping securely around me. My body became light as I was gently carried away from the imposing danger, tender and careful arms winding around my back. The soft flapping of clothing accompanied the sweet-tempered whistling of the wind by my ear. Somehow, I had closed my eyes along the way, so now, I slowly drew them open, gazing up at my savior through my long lashes.
I found my gaze coasting along a perfectly-sculpted jawline, tracing along the sharp, chiseled curvature of the mystery man's face until his features came into full view. My breath robbed from me, I found myself fixated on his celestial physiognomy, unable to look away. An inaudible sigh escaped his parted lips as he gracefully landed on the top of a nearby building, the breeze caressing his silken, dark hair as he brushed it out of his face.
This stranger was no stranger at all - it was Lance Corporal Levi himself, appearing out of nowhere and rescuing me from certain death.
"Hey, kid, what the hell are you doing?" he asked, his voice deep and sonorous, almost like soothing music to my ears.
"You're... Levi," was all I could sputter as I met his misty, dark eyes. He blinked stoically, the signature forest-green cloak of the Survey Corps billowing in the wind behind him.
"You sure got a lot of guts for someone who was trying to kill herself," he mumbled, slight amusement in his tone as he searched my face. Feeling uncomfortable, I turned from his roaming eyes, hoping the rosy hue tinting my cheeks was not noticeable. "What's your name?"
"Me?" I answered meekly.
"Who else would I be asking? Yes, I mean you," he retorted in annoyance.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm Lilianna, sir," I stammered, lacking the guts to meet his gaze.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you," he spoke. "Who taught you such bad manners?"
"My apologies, I didn't intend to come off as disrespectful," I said, my eyes lifting up to reunite with his. Electricity coursed throughout my body as we looked at one another, silently, until he opened his mouth to speak.
"You-"
"Heichou!"
A voice interrupted our brief conversation, a small team of other Survey Corps members joining us on the rooftop. I paid no real attention to their faces and lowered my eyes to the ground.
"You moved so quickly, I couldn't catch up..."
"Sir, please don't take off like that again."
"You scared us, leaving us so quickly like that."
Levi glanced in disinterest behind us, his underlings out of breath as they caught up to him. "Took you guys long enough."
"Huh? Heichou, who's the chick?" a sardonic, sleazy-looking male scrutinized me, the others immediately panning their focus from their superior over to me.
"A trainee whose ass needed some saving," he replied apathetically and set me down. "Let's go." At the unexpected loss of contact and my faltering state of heart, my hand caught onto his arm, causing him to turn fully around.
"Oh, um, thank you, sir," I stumbled upon my speech and ended up making a complete fool of myself in front of him. He merely nodded before moving on, disappearing from my range of sight within a manner of seconds.
I clutched at my heart, my insides stirring at the warmth still lingering on my body. That Lance Corporal Levi sure had a strange influence over me...
"Marco!" I shouted as I had scaled the wall. Covered in grime, sweat, and blood, I staggered over towards the freckled boy. He immediately rushed over, checking to see if I was alright.
"Lili, you okay?" he exclaimed, then saw how my left side was torn up and spotted with my blood. When my mechanism had jammed, only one of my lines managed to properly function and I had my entire left half of my body violently scraped against the side of a building, receiving nasty burns, cuts, and bruises in the process. I hadn't even noticed that I had been bleeding until he had pointed out, a bead of concern dripping down his forehead.
"Fine," I spoke, debating whether or not to speak about my encounter with Lance Corporal Levi. "But where's Edwin?"
"Edwin? We lost track of him, remember?"
I silently stared back out at the Titan-infested streets, my eyes wide in realization. Edwin should have reached the wall by now. After I had saved him, he ran off as fast as he could, so saying that he wasn't here meant that he...
My swords fell with a clang onto the ground as a yellow smoke gun shot up into the sky in the distance.
At least, the mission had been a success.
Two days following the reconquest of Trost, all officers were deployed for clean-up duties. The body count began to pile up, the streets polluted with the disfigured corpses of former peers. Fatigue, stress, and mortification plagued my system as I helped to collect mangled, dead bodies and load them onto a cart, silent as I worked alongside the others. The mask covering my face was hardly enough to hold back the reeking, gut-wrenching stench of death. At this point, however, after endless hours out in the bloody battlefield, the smell of the corpses was a normal thing and I soundlessly contributed as much as I could.
I had found Edwin's riddled body on the second day, half-devoured and completely missing his bottom half. His eyes were wide open, perpetually staring out in a fixed expression of fear and helplessness. I swallowed the lump in my throat, the vivid image of his petrified, mangled body burned permanently into my mind. I covered his eyes, lifting him and helping to get him on board.
A few days later, the bodies were burned in order to prevent an epidemic from breaking out. I stood solemnly by Jean, Connie, and Sasha as our friends and teammates were reduced to ashes in a great mountain of flames. Jean's eyes were heavy with pain as he collapsed onto his hands and knees, unable to cry any longer.
But where was Marco?
After that talk with him atop the wall the other day, I had ventured off in search of the others and left him standing by himself there. Ever since then, I hadn't seen him around, but I had just assumed it was because everyone was so busy recovering from the incident and toiling to clean up the city. I scanned the faces in the crowd, unable to pinpoint my freckle-faced, joyful-spirited friend. Had he not come out for the ceremony? Or maybe, was he...?
I shook my head, cursing myself for those sinful, tainted thoughts. It couldn't be - he had scaled the wall long ago and got to safety before I even did.
I looked down at Connie, who was tight-lipped, stone-faced, and quiet. "Hey, Connie, where is he?"
He stared expressionlessly up at me. "Who?"
"Marco. I haven't seen him the past few days. Where is he?" I asked, the silence seeming to thicken intensely with my innocent question. Jean's head slowly craned up towards me, his face, and that of everything else speaking silently for me the words they could not say.
"N-no, don't tell me that..."
A shaking hand was placed on my shoulder and Sasha flashed me a worn-out smile of assurance. Sliding onto my hands and knees beside Jean, unshed tears pricked at my eyes.
"No way... There's no way that's possible. He made it over the wall, I saw him! I was right by him...!" I uttered, shocked, confused, and my heart feeling as if it had been torn apart by the sudden, unexpected news. Connie knelt down next to me, patting my back as an empty form of consolation as he drew his arms around my quaking body. "Connie, you're kidding, right? Don't play stupid jokes like that, it isn't funny."
Vacant, vacuum-like eyes answered me as I openly showed my emotions for the first time. Burying my face in Connie's shoulder, Sasha's attempts to comfort me became muffled by the howling of the deep, red flames as they licked up to the sky, expelling smoke and the ashes of my beloved companion.
"Lilianna," Jean called, catching up to me. I turned towards him indifferently, as I always had been.
"What is it, Jean? I'm kind of busy," I replied, retaining my usually brisk pace. In reality, I only had routine chores to do and I had already done them two hours before. I was out for a walk on my own in the city, like I had the past several days. Time was moving painfully slowly and I was haunted by memories of the past, no matter how hard I tried to shut them out. The demons of anguish and guilt were plaguing me, mocking and taunting me day in and day out. I had been unable to sleep and the sleep deprivation had given rise to my irritability and unwillingness to converse with anyone else.
Titans, blood, shrill, helpless shrieks of pain and anguish, the smell of rotting flesh - it was all taking a stop to rest in my mind, haunting me all hours of the day. I could only handle it for so long and searched to purge my internal misery by confining myself into solitude. I had hardly sought out company of any kind, even from Connie, and no one had the nerve to disturb me in my state anyway. A dark storm cloud followed above me wherever I went, my pent-up anger seeping out in the darkness of my features. Even my hair seemed to look black, rather than the brilliant, red-brown hue it had once been.
"I want to talk."
The idiot was ignored, and I resumed with my walking. He eventually realized he was getting nowhere with his words and threw himself in my path. Glowering dangerously at him, I burned his very existence with the hatred in my eyes, refusing to allow him to stop me.
"Move it, Jean," I growled, in an almost animalistic manner.
"No. I'm not fucking moving, not until you talk to me," he snapped, holding his arms out to block me. I stepped to the left, and he to his right. I went to the right, and he to his left. The stubborn mule was adamant, sticking to his every word. I just wanted nothing more than to slap his stupid face off and move on with my life. I spun around, heading back in the direction I had originally come from.
"Hey, hey! Stop!"
"What? What the fuck do you want, Jean Kirschtein? Can't you give me some peace of mind for once? Find someone else to bother, I'm not in the mood for your motherfucking sappy shit," I said calmly, albeit with venom dripping off the end of my tongue.
"Will you just listen to me for once?" he cried in exasperation. "Everyone's worried about you. You never bother to eat anymore, and you hardly even talk to any of us. We're your friends, y'know? Don't blow us off when we're concerned about you."
I snorted. "Friends? Connie and Marco are, yes. Well, Marco was, until he died and nobody bothered to tell me that 'til he was already just specks of ash!"
That seemed to strike a nerve in him and he grasped me by my shoulder roughly. "The fuck are you trying to say? You were in his team! Why didn't you protect him? How could you let him die?" he snarled. "You're so selfish, so full of yourself. Being his teammate means you watch his back and he does the same for you! Where were you when he died, huh, Lilianna? Trying to get into Connie's pants?"
"What the fuck did you just say?"
Silence.
"You're disgusting. Don't talk to me when you know nothing."
With that, I stormed off, my hair billowing in the wind, flapping like the cloak of that one whose name still lingered on my lips.
I turned seventeen the following night. I celebrated alone, seated upon the threshold of an edifice with nobody but myself as a companion. Holding my hands out under the moonlight, I captured the milky white light of the moon in the palm of my hands, the entirety of my hands consumed in palpable luminosity. The marks of the wings in my hands were gone, supplanted with the grace of the moonlight. Rejuvenated, I closed my eyes, inhaling fresh air into my lungs and releasing a much-needed heavy sigh.
"Mom, Dad, Aaron..." I whispered, gazing up at the sky, a vast, magnificent sea blooming with a multifarious congregation of twinkling spheres of fire. "Are you up there, looking down on me?"
Nothing answered my question.
A numbing wind blew past, chilling my parted lips, drying up the single tear that had rolled down my cheek. When I touched my fingers to my face, the wetness was nearly gone, but its remnants still there, serving to me as a reminder that I had cried for the first time in five years.
"The hell am I doing, crying?" I chuckled. "I'm Lilianna Kriger. I don't ever show any emotions. It's not me."
I wept on my own that night, comforted by the little warmth and protection my clothing provided for me.
"Soldiers! Line up and proceed to the front of the drill field!" an officer barked, snapping me out of my daze. I picked myself up from where I sat and trudged in the direction we were pointed to. It was time for the second step of my goal, to enlist into the Survey Corps. Nobody dared approach me as I dragged myself towards the field, resolve shrouding my physiognomy. Taking prideful strides over towards my destiny, I held my chin up proudly.
"Soldiers, welcome to the introductory ceremony. I'm Erwin Smith, Commander of the Survey Corps."
Standing up on the stage was the man I had desired to see for so long - the tall, well-built Erwin Smith, leader of the Recon Corps and with the fate of humanity in his hands, was finally present right before me, in the flesh. The man who I had gotten a mere glimpse of before, was fully there, eyes fixed straight down at the crowd of soldiers. His thick brows narrowed, his lips secured in a tight line, and experience shining in his features. He looked nothing less than what I had expected him to look like - a great leader, who had the respect of everyone under his wing.
"At last..." I murmured to myself, somewhat of a smile poking at my lips. "Erwin Smith, nice seeing you again after so long."
"The Survey Corps has an important objective behind its activities, entrusted to us by the king. My purpose of this speech to all of you on this day where you are to choose which division you will be joining is nothing more than to invite you to join. However, because of the attack the other day, you all have been given an idea of what the Survey Corps' mission may be like," he spoke, commanding full attention with his loud, certain voice.
"Despite the fact that you are all still trainees, you have already suffered victims in your ranks, and that in itself is unprecedented. Also, you have already experienced the dread and horror Titans instigate in humans, as well as the limit of your own power," he continued. I thought back to my squad members, who had been beyond the point of terror and sanity when facing off those demons. Jessie, Lyle, Edwin, Marco - all of them had been victims of the brutality of the Titans.
I did not bother to listen to anything else he said after that. The only thing I could think about was avenging the deaths of my family and my friends. That, along with another goal, kept me religiously devoted to my cause. I remained standing there as dozens of people walked away, unwilling to take the risks, to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of mankind. Rooted to the spot, I held my chin up high, saluting the Commander and pledging myself once more to give my life up to save humanity.
To my utter disbelief, there were several members in my class had stood by as well, everyone but Annie, who wanted to join the Military Police. Jean, who had always boasted about becoming an officer and living a comfortable life within Wall Sina, was there, too. Connie, who was shuddering like a leaf, Sasha, with eyes full of tears and teeth chattering, Bertholdt and Reiner, who nervously saluted Erwin, Ymir, as uninterested as ever, Krista, tears streaming down her terrified face, and Mikasa and Armin, Eren's loyal companions - they were all there, along with a few others. It never crossed my mind that any of them would join the Scouting Legion, especially Connie and Jean, who wanted nothing more than to join the Military Police.
What brought about the change of heart? Had seeing the horror of the Titans with their own eyes awakened that raw desire to exterminate them from this earth? Did they now share that same fiery passion for revenge on those monsters that claimed so many innocent lives? No matter what their motives were for changing their minds, even I had to recognize their bravery.
"Will you be willing to die if you're told to?" Erwin asked, scanning the faces of those who remained. His eyes met mine, and for an instant, lingered before panning back dead ahead.
"We do not want to die, sir!"
"I see," he mused. "You all look determined. I welcome all of you to the Scouting Legion! I salute your bravery! Dedicate your lives to the cause! The 104th Scouting Legion salutes all twenty-one of you. You endured all of the fear well. You're all brave soldiers and I respect you for that from the bottom of my heart."
"You won't be disappointed, sir," I assured, a smile dancing on my lips. Everyone stared at me in surprise as Erwin himself directed his attention at me, nodding his head. "Count on us."
"Connie," I called as soon as we had all moved out from the field. He turned, eyes wide as I had not spoken to him nor anyone else in days. "What made you join the Survey Corps?"
"Huh? I-I don't know," he muttered nervously. "I guess I've been thinking a lot about what you and Eren said, about not throwing away everything I've done, and everything everyone died for. Marco - everyone else, they all died because of those damned Titans. It's really not fair..."
"Yeah," I mumbled, picturing the dead, mangled corpses of my teammates. "I plan to avenge everyone's deaths. Those bastards are going to get what's coming to them."
"Y-yeah... You don't seem scared, Lilianna. The rest of us are nearly pissing our pants and you're so calm about it," he pointed out. "How the hell do you do that?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe I am scared. Who knows?"
Amazed, he was silent for a moment before asking, "What happened with you and Jean?"
I stopped walking then. "What do you mean?"
"It's just..." he scratched his head, glancing up ahead at the said male, who was all by himself. "He's been acting weird lately."
"Well, Marco died, it's only normal he'd have a hard time taking it," I carelessly remarked.
"You had a hard time with it, too," he said.
I stared at him before hurriedly changed the subject. "Anyway, nothing happened between us that isn't the usual. That dumbass always knows how to piss me off," I retorted. "Thank goodness you aren't like him."
"Y-yeah, I guess..."
A week later, the 104th Training Squad was sent out to meet up with those from the Survey Corps. Having dinner together in one large hall, graduates were sent out one-by-one to meet the higher-ups, including Erwin Smith, Lance Corporal Levi, the strongest soldier, and several other high-ranking officers. They wanted to 'get to know you', but I knew it meant it was some kind of evaluation. I was calm and indifferent about it, while others were either nervous wrecks, or excited to 'make friends with the senpais'.
I laughed.
"Are you scared?" Sasha asked, her mouth full of bits and chunks of the potato she had just chomped into.
"No."
"Lilianna, you're never scared, are you?" Reiner joked. "No guy is going to want to protect you if you're like that."
"So? I don't need any protecting," I dismissed sharply. Reiner was a dumb idiot, just like Jean was.
"No guy is going to like you if you're stronger than he is," he resumed. "Aren't I right, Bertholdt?"
Bertholdt nervously scratched his head. "Don't include me in this, Reiner."
"Fine. Connie, Jean, don't you think the same as me? Lilianna can scare any guy away. You're pretty and all, but guys like cute girls, like Krista over there," Reiner mused.
"Hey, don't pick on her!" Sasha wailed, clutching me tightly and spitting potato all over me. I grimaced and glared at him.
"I don't give a fuck. Go ahead and like Krista, like I give a shit," I smiled, drinking my cup of tea in a single gulp.
A symphony of amused 'ooh's broke out as Reiner recovered from my sharp comeback. Crossing his arms over his chest, he muttered something aloud, Bertholdt trying to stop him before I could get angry.
"With that mouth of yours, even I wouldn't wanna date you-"
"You talking to me?" I grinned, standing up while Sasha and Connie tried desperately to pull me down. "Bring it on, I'll kick your ass so bad you won't be able to walk for a month."
"Reiner, look at what you did," Bertholdt cried. "Lilianna, ignore him. He's just teasing you."
"Sounds like he's telling the truth, in my opinion," Jean commented, causing everyone's heads to whip in his direction in shock.
"...What?"
"Jean, you idiot!" Connie exclaimed as I moved my glower from Reiner to him.
"Say that again, Kirschtein, I dare you," I challenged. "Say it, you hardass."
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin observed silently as Jean and I glared each other down before Armin tried to stop Jean from going any further. "Jean, quit it..."
"No guy is ever going to like you, and if he does, he's in for fucking hell," Jean smirked. "Why? Because you're a selfish bitch."
"Jean! Stop!" Reiner interjected. "I was just kidding with her. Don't pick a fight here, take your lover's spat elsewhere."
"Hmph, go ahead and say what you want, Kirschtein. In the end, I don't really care what you have to say, do I?" I smiled, then sat back down. It was tense as the room tried to piece back together the light-hearted nature of the atmosphere just minuted before, gradually recovering so that it was once again lively and casual.
"So are you going to tell me what's up with the two of you yet?" Connie asked. "You can't lie your way out of it this time."
I really did not want to talk about Jean, especially since Connie had no idea what he said to me a few days prior.
'Where were you when he died, Lilianna?! Trying to get into Connie's pants?'
My mind played back his very words, fueling the rage welling up within me. The nerve he had to accuse me of such horrid things made my blood boil to the point where it was clear on my face how angry I actually was. To call me selfish was one thing, but to accuse me of trying to flirt with Connie and letting Marco die was a whole other story.
Before Connie could squeeze the truth out of me, I was saved when the door opened, an officer holding a clipboard and announcing the first one up. "Kriger, outside!"
"Well, well, well, first one up," Jean commented. "Don't try too hard to seduce the Commander and the Lance Corporal."
"What was that?" I snarled, my hands balling up into tight fists.
"Jean!" Eren interrupted strictly, preventing him from saying anymore foolish things. Krista tried to patch up the tension by wishing me a good luck, along with Connie and Sasha. I straightened myself up before exiting the room, going out to meet the superiors.
Surprisingly enough, it was only Commander Erwin, the Lance Corporal, and another man, who stood by his side. My eyes briefly met the Lance Corporal's and his eyes narrowed slightly in recognition. I calmly cleared my throat as the officer who called me out closed the door behind me. Bowing my head as a sign of respect, as I was taught as a child, I introduced myself proudly.
"My name is Lauren Kriger, it's an honor to meet you all. It has been a long dream of mine to join the Survey Legion and work under you," I confessed, keeping my head down until I felt someone's hand touch my shoulder. I was met with the serious, blue eyes of the Commander, those blue eyes that carried more mystery and secrets than that of the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean. He seemed to be staring right into my soul, prying at me with his undaunted orbs. I set up a mental blockade against his unwelcome advances and smiled kindly at him.
"Lilianna, huh? Nice to meet you. You may already know this, but I'm the Commander, Erwin Smith. This is Levi, and this is Mike Zacharius," Erwin stated. Levi didn't so much as look in my direction, while the other man, a tall one with center-parted, sandy brown hair, a mustache, and a bit of beard started to approach me. I didn't think much of it, and turned to further address the Commander, until I felt someone's presence behind me. Someone's body heat was pressing against my back, serving as a stand-in heater in the cold. Then, what sounded like… a sniff, right next to my left ear.
"The fu—Sir, what are you doing?" I demanded in mortification. Mike's nose was jutting into my long, dark locks of hair, violating my personal space with his unsightly behavior. I recoiled in restrained disgust, moving away from him as pulled away, a small smile spreading across his face as he returned to his spot beside the Corporal. A lecherous smirk played the keys of his lips as he mumbled lightly to himself, something along the lines of, "smells like apples…".
The usually stoic, apathetic eyes of the Corporal rounded in slight surprise as he looked up at Mike, while the Commander covered his face with his hand in embarrassment. "Please don't mind him, that's just Mike's way of getting to know you. I apologize," Erwin said, then forced a smile. "So, where are you from, Lilianna?"
"Where am I from?"
I paused, permitting my mind to wander for a while before I answered.
"I'm from Trost, sir," I reported.
"Trost, huh? So what made you want to become a Scout so badly?" Levi interrogated, almost as if he were testing me. I smoothly replied, saying that I 'wanted to serve humanity in the best way I could' and that I 'wanted to make a difference in the world by doing my best to fight the Titans and ensure the survival of mankind'. Half of it was true. What my main goal was for joining the Recon Corps was far beyond what anyone could even dream of. I kept these thoughts to myself as Levi nodded thoughtfully, then glanced at Erwin, who appeared as if he wanted to say something.
"Did you place among the ranks of your class?" Erwin questioned.
I shook my head. "No, sir."
"Really? I've heard from others that you possess remarkable skill. It's surprising that you didn't rank in the top ten of your class," he related, almost as if he were… suspicious. I maneuvered my way through his uncertainty with a lie disguised by a truth.
"That's because there's a lot of skillful members in my class. Mikasa Ackerman, Reiner Braun, Bertholdt Fubar – they're all talented soldiers. It's only natural they'd make it into the ranks, though I'd say the competition was quite intense," I spoke.
"Even if you didn't rank, I'm sure that what I've heard from your peers holds water," Erwin said, smiling. "I'd love to see your skills for myself in battle. In a month, we'll be heading out on our 57th expedition outside the walls. At that time, I'd like to see what kind of soldier you are."
"Yes, sir."
"Levi, Mike, any further questions you want to ask Miss Lilianna?"
Mike raised a hand. "What kind of shampoo do you use?"
Dish duties were given to Reiner, Armin, and I, so the three of us piled into the kitchen to tackle the heaps of dirty plates and bowls waiting for us. I nonchalantly slipped on the gaudy, yellow rubber gloves, tied my hair back, and set off to work. I picked up the first plate, moving towards the sink to start the job. I wanted to get all of this done as quickly as I possibly could, so I could go out for a walk in town. It was relaxing, at the very least, to take a casual stroll through the streets of town, taking in the sights and giving myself time to clear my mind of lingering thoughts and fill it with fresh, new ones. Every night, I progressed a little more in my plotting, and slowly, the beginnings of my plan were falling into place. What I couldn't figure out quite yet, since it was much too early, was how to execute what I sought out to do when timing was an issue.
I quietly rinsed off dish after dish, my hands moving in an almost machine-like motion, picking up a dish, rinsing off the food, sponging it, rinsing the bubbles off, and putting it in the dish rack. This pattern kept up for another few minutes in silence before Reiner broke the still air, resuming his irritating pestering from earlier on at the dinner table. Armin stood by without uttering a word as Reiner tried to annoy me by picking up from where he had left off before.
"You seem so tough, but you're actually like a housewife, aren't you?" he teased. "Too bad you're so rough around the edges, no guy would ever want a woman like that."
"You wanna die, Reiner Braun?" I grinned, a vein popping in my head. "Stop it with your petulance, it isn't getting you anywhere."
"I'm sorry, did I hurt your feelings?"
"No, but you know who's going to be hurting if you don't stop? I'm not saying any names, but I'm pretty sure you catch my drift," I retorted, beginning a new stack of dishes. I was moving the fastest, Armin close in second as Reiner lagged behind. He was too preoccupied with trying to get on my nerves than what he was supposed to be worrying about, and that was dish duty. If any of the squad leaders were to walk in and see him slacking off like he was, he would be in for a harsh berating.
"Stop fighting, you guys," Armin interrupted.
"We're not fighting," we chorused in unison. I glared at Reiner before smiling somewhat at Armin.
"Like I said, we aren't fighting. Don't worry about it, Armin," I clarified, then resumed my task at hand.
I could have sworn that I saw what looked like wariness in Armin's eyes before he laughed it off. The three of us finished cleaning the dishes, then banded out and headed back towards the rooms. Halfway there, I changed courses, checking to see that nobody was outside before I slipped out of the exit and out onto the street. I let out a much-needed sigh, filling my lungs in with fresh air as I shoved my hands into my pockets. I was still in uniform, but it didn't really matter to me whether or not I was dressed comfortably or not. Just walking around was my way to relieve the tensions of the day, and allow all of my stress to blow away in the breezes that tickled my skin.
After fifteen minutes of wandering about, I felt the sensation that I was being followed. I whipped around several times as I made my way back to the rooms, but I saw nobody. Still, I couldn't help but be paranoid, glancing to and fro multiple times before ultimately stealing back to my room.