I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

Jean had told her the spout to Titan's water bucket was no longer working.

Something about the pressure not being strong enough to bring in the water to the bucket. She spent the morning in the barn, hitting the pipes until some result came out of it. Apparently it was clogged right near the bend to where water poured out, her efforts of labor got the damn thing to work, her horse went on to drink what sounded like a gallon's worth of it.

"Good boy," she softly said, patting by his withers.

She wiped the sweat off of her brow and picked up the tool box, placing it in storage in the tack room.

Three days passed since she woke up hungover, she didn't bother about the dream, she didn't bother about finding this "Krista Lenz", thinking her to be one of the crazy redneck locals. It was like her mind had inked out what happened, who her face was, and she figured it was better to not know anything.

Things swung back to normal.

Jean was back to his production of drugs and Hanji had holed herself up in her room; they had left Ilse's room untouched though Ymir had to deal with clearing it out herself...probably never.

She yawned lazily and scratched away an itch on her belly.

The desert was cooler at this time of day when the sun was just barely peeking over the Rose Mountains. A mist had produced and blanketed the vast lands, making it near impossible to see anything for another mile or so. The only view she had was the line of trees from the developing forest, her eyes focused along the edges.

A white form appeared, upon its back was a rider clad in an outfit fit for the heat. Ymir squinted for a moment, watching, they seemed to be wandering here and there, almost lost at where to go. And they most likely were.

They were stumbling onto her property, she didn't take too kindly to strangers but after deeming this one not much of a threat, she decided to investigate. She went back into the tack room and gathered the blankets and an old western saddle. She opened Titan's stall and heaved the equipment onto him, making sure his cinch and breast collar were properly fitted and tight.

When was the last time she rode him? A long while, doing this reminded her of childhood.

She went back to the tack room and took a bridle, one where she placed on his head and did the latches.

Once saddled, she led him out of the barn and checked for the white horse; they had meandered closer and deeper into the property.

Ymir nimbly swung herself upon Titan's back and kicked at his sides, spurring him into a quick trot; he was supple and compliant, he did whatever told, she appreciated him.

As she led him beyond the barn, she eased him up in to a lope, her hips rolling in the saddle in time with his pace. He went on, never breaking his beat, as they neared the rider. Much to her utter surprise, it was the exclusive Miss Reiss.

Unlike Ymir's rough attire, the girl before her was dressed rather cleanly, her jeans and shirt were new, so was her own tack, even her horse was more lively than Titan. Ymir brought her horse to a stop before her and leaned against the saddle horn, her arm propping her up. She examined Miss Reiss, she looked tired and somewhat weary, like she had been wandering forever.

"You lost, Miss?" Ymir asked.

Miss Reiss looked at her, eyes pleasant as always but there was a bit of exhaustion. "Oh, Ymir...I didn't know you live here. But, um, yes, I'm sort of lost."

Ymir straightened herself up. "I could lead you back to where you live...where do you live?"

"Hermiha," she answered quietly.

Ymir knew exactly where that was, it was about almost an hour's ride away from where she was, though by bike it would take ten minutes. Ymir tugged on the reins and brought Titan's head to the right, she gestured with her head in a 'Come along' fashion to which Miss Reiss promptly followed.

They walked into the thicket on the comforts of their horses, going at a slow and easy pace, taking in the green scent of pinewood. "Mind telling me what you're doing all the way out here?"

"I just wanted to get out of the house," Miss Reiss told her as they rode side by side. Even though her horse was about the same height as Titan, she was still shorter than Ymir. "My father likes to keep me on a tight chain but the only time he lets me out is when I go on trail, it helps me clear my mind, you know."

"Riding is good for the soul," Ymir mused. In her younger days, she and Titan used to travel far distances, in the mountains, in the plains, in the desert, everywhere; she knew the land like the back of her hand. She knew all the shortcuts and where to go, it was her land. "Sasha said you got here six months ago. Any reason?"

Miss Reiss didn't say anything.

Alone, unlike at church, the girl looked just...miserable, just utterly miserable. She kept to herself and had her eyes ahead on the path before her. Under any circumstance, Ymir would have called her rude- maybe she didn't know how to converse, didn't know how to lie. Silence was more alarming than deception.

"Too hard to say?" Ymir asked.

"It's just...I have a problem, just a slight problem."

"Wouldn't be a slight one if you end up here."

"I...I'm recovering from an addiction- oh, this is the first time I'm saying this," she said, she fumbled through her words. "I hope you don't think of me differently. It's not...it's really-"

Ymir shook her head. "Everyone's addicted to something in life. What was your poison?"

"Heroin," she admitted, she seemed to relax somewhat.

That would explain why she didn't look pretty today- she wasn't wearing her make-up, she was far from angelic, she looked more dead than alive.

Ymir let out a low whistle,"Damn. And your father lets your wander around like this? This town is more stocked than its own pharmacy, he'd know the area better than to move you out here."

"He didn't want me to be hospitalized, it'll ruin his image. He's trying to run for Senator."

"Senator, eh?"

The must have her reasons for forming an addiction, Ymir decided to not touch them, after all, they just met.

Miss Reiss nodded, her hands clutched her reins tighter as though the thought of her father's goal was the very bane to her existence. "All about power and all, he took me here to make sure I don't ruin his streak. The...thing I have, it got out of hand, I went through extensive therapy and all, and I've been clean so far, at least as far as I know. It's improvement, sure, but to me I don't really see a benefit."

"It'll help you in the long run, trust me," Ymir assured her.

"I...never spoke about this to anyone, not even Sasha."

"Do you talk to anyone but her?"

Miss Reiss shook her head. "I see her once a week. She doesn't know about me, at least, I don't think she does."

Oh, she might, which may explain why Sasha was insistent on not letting Ymir near the young lady as well. "There may be an inkling, but whatever she knows, she's only doing what she thinks is best for you. They're good people, the Braus family."

"Yes...but she always treats me like I'm some higher being, like she's taking care of me more than being friends."

Ymir nodded in understanding. "You got no one out here?"

"No. Mother died when I was a little girl, it's just me and my father right now."

"Hm.. Just me and two people at my place, there was Ilse but...you know where she is."

"Were you close? I'm sorry for prodding."

Ymir looked up at the canopies, trying to recall her younger days. "We were when we were kids, almost like sisters. She lost her parents in a car accident so my family took her in. After their deaths, she just shut herself in her room until now, so we started drifting apart in the end."

"Ah."

"She wasn't a bad person, she was just...weird, always writing on paper or something. Meanwhile, I grew up fixing engines and bikes, riding horses, just doing outdoors stuff, not really geared for staying in all the time. Drives me nuts."

They went on, idly speaking to one another. The more they spoke, the more Ymir realized...she was enjoying her company more more than Sasha's. She was talking to another living being, liking another's existence, sober. She didn't even have an urge to smoke too, that was a first. She learned that the girl game from Mitras, she attended a private Christian school, and that she used to compete in hunting competitions, as in horses going through a course in an arena.

Ymir kept most of the bad laundry out of the way, inputting tamer parts of her life, random memories that were pleasant, she didn't feel like letting out the reasons why she was in Trost.

"...if you ever need to go somewhere, you can come to my place since you figured out where it is," Ymir offered, giving the girl some solace.

Jean specialized in meth, not heroin, and Hanji never distributed her own concoctions to the public, her home was generally clean of what the girl sought after for her cravings.

Miss Reiss smiled, it was a weak one but a genuine one. Ymir learned that the domestic side of her at church was a false face. Over the passing hour, she revealed bits and pieces of her true self- overall, she was just a lonely soul just looking for companionship.

Even with other people living in her home, Ymir figured herself to be alone as well.

"Thank you for the offering, I might just take it one day," she said graciously.

They had ridden through the forest, eventually ending up on pavement, a sign of Hermiha. Further down the road was the community itself, Miss Reiss assured Ymir that she knew how to return home from there. She continued to walk by her, making sure that there was a building nearby to give confirmation that the girl truly near home.

Ymir adjusted her seating in the saddle, her back slightly aching from sitting for too long. It had been a while since she went out on a journey like this, but she didn't mind it as long as Miss Reiss was returned safely.

"Miss Reiss-"

"Ymir, you can stop the formalities," she said, sighing,"as much as I appreciate you respecting me, I...we can be friends, so just talk to me like one."

Ymir's eyes went wide for a moment, just slightly in surprise. "Really?"

"And the way you treat me at church, it's quite superficial."

Ymir chuckled. "You saw right through me then. Well, Miss Reiss, what do you want to call me?"

"When we're not in the presence of my father, it's Krista Lenz."

"W-what?" Ymir spluttered.

Wait...

Krista broke her tired horse into a sudden trot, fleeing instantly, all the while giggling. "You're much more fun when you're not a gentleman!"

Ymir tried to keep up with her, but Titan's energy was well spent, he refused to keep up with her as her horse started to canter.

She watched her disappear beyond a bend.

This girl...she was strange, a good kind of strange, though strange nonetheless.

Out of the option to follow her, Ymir turned towards home with the sun beating down upon her.

The morning fog had been batted away, it was just another day.