Chapter 4: Encounters
"Whoa... That Potato Girl is still running, she is," Connie remarked, watching Sasha's silhouette against the setting sun as she ran past the mess hall off in a distance.
"Huh?" Eren said as he and Armin stopped on their way in to see what Connie, Marco, and Heidi were all staring at while leaning against the railing. "Man, she's been at it for five hours straight. Wow, just wow." Mina also stopped upon hearing that.
"Still, being told to run until she's on the verge of death didn't seem to bother her quite as much as the moment she was told to skip lunch," Connie said.
"Yeah, she's been like that ever since I met her," Heidi commented with a wry smile. Sasha really loved to eat. After feeding her just once, Sasha had started randomly showing up around meal times, kind of like a stray cat. Her grandfather had even used her as an example of why you shouldn't carelessly feed wild animals... But Sasha was pretty tough. She'd probably be good for another two or three hours before she collapsed.
"You know her, Heidi?" Armin asked. He and Eren were a little surprised to hear that.
"Well, my grandfather lives a few miles outside of Dauper, so we sort of became friends because she was the only kid brave enough to trespass on his land," Heidi explained. They had never had any other visitors because most of the villagers were too wary of their aloof and 'eccentric' neighbors to go anywhere near her grandfather's land. And since the three of them provided for themselves using a combination of hunting and farming, they only had to go into the village once a year to trade for a few items they couldn't make themselves. "Well, I'd better go grab some food while there's still enough to go around," she said, excusing herself with a little wave as she headed inside. Hopefully there would be something she could save and sneak out to Sasha.
"I think I remember hearing something about Dauper being a remote, scarcely populated village of hunters in the mountains," Connie said thoughtfully.
"I'm surprised to hear those still exist..." Marco remarked. "By the way, we never got to hear where you're from..." he said, turning to look at Eren. "Where did you live?"
"I'm from Shiganshina, same as him and Heidi," Eren replied, patting Armin on the shoulder.
"Oh, I see..." Marco said, furrowing his brow slightly. The three of them must have been through a lot.
"That means... You were there the day it happened, weren't you!" Connie exclaimed.
"H-Hey!" Marco stuttered nervously. That was probably a really sensitive topic for them!
"Did you see it? Did you get see the Colossal Titan!?" Connie asked excitedly without thinking. Heidi paused in the mess hall's open doorway and furrowed her brow as she looked back at them with a frown. He made it sound like they had won some sort of prize...
"Y-Yeah..." Eren answered a bit hesitantly, also taken aback by his eagerness.
—∞—
Unfortunately, since they were having soup that evening, there wasn't much Heidi could save for Sasha aside from the roll they served with it, but at least she was able to eat in peace with Armin at Mikasa's table, unlike poor Eren, who ended up having to sit at another table after being bombarded by a curious flock of cadets. The three of them watched from a safe distance while Eren tried to answer all of their questions.
"For the thousandth time... Yes, I got to see it," Eren told the crowd surrounding him, wishing they would stop asking stupid questions and let him eat his soup.
"For real!?" Thomas asked.
"How big is it!?" Samuel asked.
"Big enough for it's head to show over the wall," Eren answered.
"What!? I heard it stepped over the wall!"
"Me, too!!"
"That's what they said in my village, too!"
"No... It wasn't quite that big," Eren said.
"What did its face look like!?" Mina asked.
"It was mostly skinless, with a huge mouth."
"What about the Armored Titan that broke Wall Maria!?"
"That's what people call it, but it looked like an ordinary titan to me," Eren replied.
"Well, then... what does an ordinary titan look like!?" Samuel asked. Eren froze as an image of his mother being eaten by the smiling titan flashed through his mind.
"Ugh..." Eren groaned and visibly paled as he dropped his spoon and covered his mouth, feeling sick to his stomach. Everyone around him paled too when they saw his expression. Just how bad was an ordinary titan for him to make a face like that...?
"Enough with the questions, everyone," Marco said. "Some things are best left forgotten."
"Sorry! Must have reminded you of a lot of unpleasant stuff...!" Connie apologized sincerely, starting to regret his actions. Eren gasped and clenched his fist. Why was he letting himself falter here?
"Wrong..." Eren said as he picked up his roll, surprising them. He tore off a bit of bread with his teeth and forced himself to swallow. "Titans... aren't such a big deal when you get down to it. Once we get used to the three-dimensional maneuver gear, they'll be nothing to us!" Heidi quietly sipped her drink. She wasn't so sure about that. After all, her uncle and plenty of other soldiers had died despite being able to use the 3DMG. It was dangerous to underestimate your opponent too much. "Screw stone-picking and weeding. We finally get to train as soldiers! I was just overcome with emotion, that's all."
"I-If you say so..." Marco said a bit hesitantly.
"I'm going to join the Survey Corp... and wipe titans off the face of the earth!" Eren declared. "When that happens..."
"Hello? Are you insane?" Jean asked dubiously, drawing everyone's attention to his spot at the next table. "Did you just say you're gonna join the Survey Corp?"
"Yeah, that's right," Eren answered without hesitation. "Aren't you the one who wants to join the Military Police and live the easy life?"
"Honest is what I am..." Jean retorted with a smirk. "A lot more than some guy who puts on a brave façade even as deep down he's pissing his pants, anyway." Eren clenched his fists.
"Listen to yourself. Think you're smart, eh? Are you talking about me, Mr. Smarty-Pants!?" Eren demanded challengingly. His chair scrapped against the floor as he stood up and turned to face the other boy.
"Oh, my bad," Jean said abruptly, surprising him. Eren had been expecting more of a fight. "I have this bad habit of always saying what's on my mind. Never meant to upset you," Jean added carelessly, also standing up to face him with a smirk.
"Hey," Heidi said, getting their attention, as she stepped in between them before things could escalate.
'Crap! It's that girl who took that powerful head-butt like it was nothing!' Jean thought. She had to be some kind of monster. Ah, that's right, she had said something about joining the Survey Corps, too! Did he just make her his enemy...?
"You gonna eat that?" Heidi asked with a straight face, pointing at his untouched bread. Silence filled the room as Jean stared down at her with a blank look on his face. Was that all she had to say about this...!?
DING~! DING~!
"Dinner's over," Marco said. "Time to tidy up."
"So, can I have it?" Heidi asked again, holding her hand out expectantly.
"Uh, sure..." Jean said a bit awkwardly, placing the roll in her hand.
"Thanks," she said, wrapping it in a clean handkerchief along with her own roll, before turning to walk away without another word.
"Ah, hey!" one of the boys sitting at Jean's table called out to her. Heidi stopped and turned to face him, hoping she was about to receive another generous donation. He was a big, strapping guy with sandy blonde hair, deep grey eyes, and freckles... There was something irritatingly familiar about his face.
"You might not recognize me anymore," he said with a broad smile, "but I'd know that bright red hair anywhere! It's me, Heidi. Peter Stauss!"
Heidi deadpanned. He made it sound like it was something to be excited about. 'Tch! They let in someone really irritating...' she thought, not at all thrilled to see her childhood bully again.
"I can't believe we're meeting here again... I never got to say it before, but... the truth is, I've always liked you!" he confessed rather abruptly, blushing. The only reason he had teased her and made fun of her hair was to keep the other boys from realizing how cute she was!
"Oh, is that so?" Heidi asked flatly without the slightest hint of emotion. This had to be some kind of sick joke. "Well, that's too bad for you, because after everything you've put me through, all I can say is that I hate your guts," she stated bluntly as she turned on her heel and left to help Mikasa and Armin clean up their table. Peter stared after her in shock, completely crushed. The atmosphere around him was so awkward that everyone quickly moved away or pretended to be looking elsewhere. Jean let out a sigh as he turned his attention back to Eren.
"I don't mean to dismiss your opinion," Jean told him. "What everyone does with their lives is their own business."
"It's all right," Eren said, now that he'd had a chance to calm down. "I was a bit too eager to pick a fight myself."
"Sure, let's forget about it and be friends, okay?" Jean said, holding out his hand as a sign of peace.
"Yeah," Eren agreed, hitting Jean's hand lightly to show he accepted as he turned to walk away. As Jean watched Eren leave, he was passed by a gorgeous girl with beautiful black hair. His eyes widened slightly.
"H-Hey, you...!" Jean called out, stopping her.
"?" Mikasa turned around to face the boy who had just been talking to Eren, wondering what he wanted.
"Uhh, err, umm..." he said nervously, trying not to blush. "I've never seen anyone who looks like you before... S-Sorry! I mean, you have very pretty black hair, he finished kind of lamely, blushing out of embarrassment.
"Thanks," Mikasa said calmly, stepping outside. Jean followed after her. He froze when he saw that she was chasing after Eren.
"The heck? No, I wasn't getting into a fight," Eren huffed moodily as he walked with her.
"I take my eyes off you for a second, and this is what happens..." Mikasa said with a sigh. She was glad Heidi had used collecting bread for Sasha as an excuse to break the tension.
"He we go again..." Eren grumbled. "But more importantly... Don't you think your hair's too long?" he asked, reaching out to flip the back of it with his hand. "It could cause an accident during the maneuvering drills."
"Yeah. All right, I'll cut it," she agreed quietly as she touched her silky black hair, happy to hear that he was worried about her. "But... How short do you think it should be?" As Connie exited the mess hall, Jean abruptly reached out and wiped his hand on the back of his shirt.
"H-Hey!" Connie shouted indignantly. "Don't mess with other people's clothes! What did you wipe on me!?"
"My faith... in humanity..." Jean stated gravely.
—∞—
It was so dark by the time Sasha was done running that the torches had already been lit.
"Finished... at last..." she panted heavily as she forced herself to trudge forward. 'He really did have me... run till I almost died, he did...' she thought, struggling not to pass out on the road. 'And here I thought I'd find some nice things to eat when I left my... village...' Sasha collapsed and fell to the ground. It was no good. She was done for it. 'I bet I'll have starved to death by tomorrow morning...' Her only hope now was that Heidi would find her before then. 'So many... things left I... wanted to... eat...' Sasha closed her eyes. And then, just as she was about to abandon all hope, Sasha's nose twitched. She could smell food. "Ghaaaaaarghh!!" Sasha let out a voracious roar as she suddenly pounced on the source.
"Kyaa!" the blonde girl who had brought it to her cried out in surprise, falling back, as Sasha snatched the bread from her hands with her teeth and landed on all fours, like a wild animal.
"Huh!!" Sasha gasped when she realized what she was doing, recovering some of her senses the moment she tasted the food in her mouth. "This is... breeaad!!" she exclaimed, wondering how it got there. Her body had instinctively moved on its own.
"It's not much, but I saved it for you," the girl, Krista Lenz explained a bit timidly. "Oh, but... you really ought to drink some water first," she added, holding up a full waterskin. She appeared to be surrounded by a radiant and heavenly light in Sasha's eyes.
"Are you God!?" Sasha asked, grabbing Krista by the shoulders.
"Huh!?" Krista gasped in surprised.
"Are you!?" Sasha demanded more strongly.
"Ah," Heidi said when she stepped up and saw that Krista had already beaten her there, bearing more bread and water. "I see we had the same idea."
"Another God has appeared!!?" Sasha shouted excitedly, throwing herself at her.
"B-Be quiet about it!" Heidi whisper-yelled. They weren't supposed to still be outside right now!
'Does she react that way every time someone gives her food...?' Krista wondered as she watched Sasha cling to Heidi while devouring the bread they had brought her like a ravenous beast, feeling a little dumbfounded.
"Hey there!" a tall girl with dark hair, tan skin, and freckles greeted them as she stepped out of the darkness. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Um, well..." Krista responded a bit nervously. "She's done nothing but run for a while, so..."
"Not Potato Girl, you. What do you think you're doing!?" Ymir asked pointedly.
"Me?" Krista asked, confused.
"I saw you hide that roll during dinner, and it pissed me off..." Ymir said, looking directly at Krista. "Just like those kids who raise a pet behind their parents' back, you know..."
'Well, that's actually pretty close to the truth in this situation...' Heidi thought a little sardonically, wondering why the rude newcomer was focusing only on the nice blonde girl. Her name was 'Krista' something, wasn't it?
"Now, tell me... You think you're doing the right thing, huh?" Ymir continued, staring down at Krista as if she were the only one there. "Did you do it for Potato Girl or to impress Red-hot, here? Is the sense of accomplishment and exaltation you get out of this worth the effort?"
'Red-hot...?' Heidi thought, raising an eyebrow, as Sasha promptly collapsed the moment she finished eating, out cold.
"Uh..." Krista said nervously, looking really intimidated.
"Hey, I don't know why you're picking on her, but I don't think she's doing anything wrong," Heidi spoke up, seeing the cornered expression on her face. "You don't have to have a reason to help someone." The world they lived in was cruel enough without them adding to it.
"Hmm? You're that crazy girl who wants to join the Survey Corps, right?" Ymir asked, finally turning her attention to the redhead. "So, you're trying to do something 'nice', huh?"
"I'm only looking out for a friend," Heidi answered calmly. "This is just 'business as usual' for me."
"I see, well that's not so bad. An owner should look after their pet to the end, after all," Ymir retorted coolly.
"I..." Krista said suddenly, speaking out with a wavering voice. "I... chose to do this because... I wanted to be seen as somebody you can count upon... Is that it?" Heidi blinked as she and Ymir stared at her. Was that supposed to be an answer or a question?
"Huh?" Ymir said, furrowing her brow. "Like hell I'd know..."
"If you don't know, you don't have to make up an excuse..." Heidi added. Why did people need a reason for everything? There was nothing wrong with doing something just because you wanted to.
"Anyway, let's get Potato Girl to bed," Ymir said, squatting down to pick the unconscious Sasha up and sling her over her shoulders.
"Huh!?" Krista said, surprised.
"You two shorties would have a hard time carrying her, wouldn't you?" Ymir said pointed out as an explanation for her actions.
"..." Heidi was also surprised that she would help them after that. She was a little suspicious, but she wasn't about to turn down help getting that big lug into bed. She was pretty sure Sasha had been assigned a top bunk.
"... Um... Why would you... choose to do 'the right thing'?" Krista asked as bit hesitantly.
"If I do her a favor, she'll owe me... That's why," Ymir replied frankly. "I can bank on her stupidity."
'Hmm... I'm not sure I like where this is going, but whatever,' Heidi thought with a shrug as she and Krista got up and followed Ymir as she carried Sasha back to the barracks. She'd deal with whatever the consequences were tomorrow.