Chapter 10:

Journey to Wall Rose

All too soon, the Wall Rose gate stands before me as we settle our horses, watching the giant slab of stone slowly rise into the air. All around soldiers and citizens alike wait: towns people conversing, yelling, cheering, and whatever the hell else, while Recon mantles flap haphazardly in the breeze all around, the familiar weight of the upcoming mission subduing voices to mere whispers. Though it's still early, the sun is hot on our backs, and I can already feel streams of sweat falling down my body.

'Damn heat. Making me filthy already.'

As we all watch the gate slowly open ahead of us, my mind flies back to the previous night to our briefing.

….

"Before I address the rest of our legion, I wish to inform you all of the plan we have in set for tomorrow."

Erwin casts a gaze over the small group, consisting of my own squad with Eren and Avian included, and Squad Hanji, consisting of the overzealous scientist herself along with her assistant Moblit Berner. It is dark now, the sun fully set, and the night casts shadows into Erwin's office. A few torches light the area, bathing it in amber glow, but it's not enough to chase the darkness away from the corners of the room.

"As you all know," Erwin continues, hands clasped behind his back. "more than two and a half months ago, an unknown cause broke through Wall Rose, creating a large breech an estimated eighteen meters in height, nine meters in length. Since the failure of our first attempt to seal the wall, the Legion has put all its efforts into forming a caravan that will transport supplies and manpower to the site. Due to the extreme amount of supplies needed to seal the hole, travel will be slow and tedious. To combat this, I will enlist every able bodied Recon member to this mission…"

"Everyone?" Eld frowns. "Just how many are we talking about?"

"Including the 104th Trainees, three-hundred twenty."

"That's everyone in the whole damn Corps." I scowl. "What the hell do we need three-hundred people for? It's not like we'll encounter titans on the way there now that the stupid hole is sealed off and we picked out the ugly stragglers that managed to make it in."

Erwin regards me for a moment, far too familiar with my attitude to be offended.

"I'll get to that in a moment. Now, for this mission, we will implement the Long Distance Travel formation similar to the one used during our 57th expedition. However, all priorities will be focused on protecting the repair supplies until we reach the wall. There will be eighty supply carriages in total, and each will be guarded by a single squad consisting of three members. Though there are no titans that we are aware of inside the walls, there are villagers who, due to the destruction caused by the titans immediately following the break, are not above petty theft and retribution."

'Those hellions…' I think, scowling.

Following the outbreak while my squad and I were staying with Avian, the remaining Recon soldiers efforts where put into setting up a temporary defense to block the hole as well as chasing down and killing any titans that managed to enter the walls. During this time, it took the efforts of both the Garrison and the Military Police to evacuate all citizens within one-hundred kilometers of the breach. Because of this, many families were forced to leave everything they owned, and the stress of such a sudden evacuation added with a low supply of rations and cramped refugee houses have put the majority of the refuges on edge. The sudden escape of Annie Leonhart along with Reiner and Bertolt did nothing but add fuel to the fire, as the event stalled resealing the gate even further. In short, with nothing else to place their frustration on, groups have blamed the Recon Corps for their discomfort and hunger.

"Once we get through the evacuation zone," Erwin continues, "We will travel nonstop until we reach the wall. From there, with collaboration with Dot Pixis and the Garrison, we will begin to set the foundation for the seal. Eren, this is where you come in."

At this, the teen bolts to attention beside me, hyper attentive in that annoying 'newbie' way of his.

"Yes Sir!"

Erwin nods.

"Resealing the wall will commence in two parts. The first will be immediately upon arriving. Due to high titan activity in daylight, we are limited to what we can do to begin sealing the breach. Our plan is to use this time to fortify the jagged edges of the broken interior of the wall, as well as the outside edges to make it flush and uniform. For this, we will utilize your titan strength to lift and put in place the large bricks we are carrying with us into place. I will show you how to properly build a wall once the meeting is over."

Eren nods.

"Once that is complete, we will wait until nightfall while the titans are least active to have Eren finish the repair. This is where all of our manpower will come into play."

At this, everyone leans in, listening intently. Even shit glasses, who miraculously hasn't said a single word.

"In order to fully block the breach, it will be necessary to remove the weighted metal netting currently blocking it. Once it is lifted, Eren and the half build seal will be completely exposed. Our job, is to protect Eren and the breach until repairs are finished. To do this, I have devised a defensive plan."

At this, Erwin turns and pulls out a large scroll from the shelf behind him. With a ruffle, he throws open the paper onto his large desk, spreading it out for all to see. On it is an obvious map of Wall Rose, complete with cannon locations, transport rails, and supply stations. Just beyond the wall inside Wall Maria territory are three parallel, arched lines cupping a circled portion of Wall Rose where the breach is located. Erwin points to his drawn lines with a steady finger.

"This will be our formation. Just inside Wall Maria territory there will be three defensive lines, the Front guard, Middle guard, and Rear guard. All three will be led by a single, centrally located leader, and all soldiers will be on horseback. These three lines will be stationary, and will only engage in combat if deemed necessary. The Front guard will be the first line of defense, and it will be their job to kill any titan that comes near. If any titan should break their way through this first line, it is up to the Middle guard to engage and kill the titan next. Just the same, should a titan make it past the Middle guard, the Rear guard will engage. Along with the three defensive lines, there will be a last resort force located directly above the breach. It will be a mixture of Garrison soldiers as well as the Recon Corps' most elite. As you can surmise…" Erwin says, catching everyone's eye for a fraction of a second. "… this is where you will be. Should anything happen to where a titan makes its way through all three defensive lines, it will be up to you to stop it immediately."

Erwin pauses for a moment as Hanji raises a hand.

"I have a question, Erwin. I understand that repairing the wall during the night hours is our best bet, but the darkness will be a severe disadvantage at seeing what is to come. How are we supposed to identify titans and signal to the other lines that one has been spotted? Signal flares are useless during the night."

"You are right, that is exactly why we've developed a new technology…"

At this, both Hanji's ears and mine open up as Erwin takes a cloth package out of his pocket and sets it on the table on top of the map. With a few flicks, he unwraps the small object, revealing a metal canister gun, similar to the one we've used for Signal flares, and three new looking ammunition casings.

"During the two months proceeding our previous expedition," Erwin continues, lifting the new gun for us to see. "a collaborated effort between the Recon Corps scientists has brought to us a new signaling technology; the Night Flare gun. After our return, it was abundantly clear that any repair work done to the wall would have to be done at night, so since then, we've been working on a new type of ammunition that can be seen during dark hours. As you can see.." he say, slowly twirling the gun, allowing all of us a good glimpse, "… these are very similar to the Signal flare guns we already use. However, they are altered slightly so they may fire a completely new ammunition, which we have here."

Setting the silvery gun down, Erwin motions to three metal canisters, each with a colored stripe engraved around the outside of it; green, red, and white.

"In order to be seen at night, these flares are filled with a mix of gunpowder and numerous chemicals to create three different burn colors. Due to the limited color pallet of these flares, our normal color code for flare color will be altered slightly. First," he says, picking up the green striped canister. "is the green flare. This is to be fired whenever a normal titan of any meter class is spotted. Second," he picks up the red flare. "is the red flare. This will be fired whenever an aberrant titan of any meter class is spotted. Finally," he picks up the white flare. "the white flare is to be fired upon neutralizing the threat. Each mounted soldier will be given multiple canisters of each color, and unlike how the Signal Flares are used, only the soldiers closest or in direct path of the oncoming titan will fire a round to alert all other members of the direction in which the titan is coming from. Until the repair is finished, the formation will stand it's ground and the only communication will be issued through the flares…"

Finishing up, Erwin gathers the Night Flare gun and it's ammo into its cloth wrap, and rolls up the map.

"All further detail will be decided once we arrive at the wall. Any questions?"

The only thing that greets him is silence.

"Good. If you truly have nothing to ask, you are all free to prepare." Erwin dismisses, but as everyone begins to stand, he throws a look to me. "I'll speak with you in a moment, Eren, but I wish to have a word with Levi first."

I don't bother to answer, deciding to just stand and wait as everyone leaves, both Eren and Avian casting half inquisitive glances at us before being herded out. Once alone, Erwin's face frowns, drawing out a snarky comment from me.

"You look as if someone killed your mother." I say, but Erwin just ignores my jibe; imperviously stoic.

"A lot is riding on this mission, Levi. And I know that you are fully capable of doing what needs to be done. However, I need for you to speak to Avian and make it VERY clear just what all is at stake here. I have confidence that all will go well, and that she will follow your orders, but we both know that things hardly ever turn out as we plan."

We both fall silent for a moment.

"Just as Darrius said, the MP's have valid reasons for not trusting her. Whether she is useful or not will be determined by the outcome of this expedition. If, for any reason, Avian shows any signs of resist or hostility toward anyone, or you feel that she is a threat to our soldiers and the mission, kill her."

Erwin stares me down with that unbreakable visage of his, but he already knows what my answer is.

"Not a problem."

….

Blood rushes through my veins as I return to the present, the large stone gate nearly fully open. Horses whinny, reins cling, citizens yell and cheer and do whatever nonsense they always do, growing louder the higher the gate opens.

'We can't leave soon enough… '

Just behind me I hear the sound of hooves stamping irritably as someone leans in their saddle.

"Hey, you okay?" Eren says in a hushed voice, catching my interest and instantly getting on my nerves.

"Shut up why don't you." I growl without turning around. "We're about to leave, idiot."

"But Avian's pretty freaked out Corporal…"

'Freaked out? What the hell over!?'

Even more irritated, I turn around and sure enough, just behind me to my left, the woman sits on one of our tan stallions, looking positively tiny and pathetic. The reins shiver in small, shaky hands that she doesn't bother trying to hide. Her stature is hunched, submissive, and the hood of her gifted Recon Corps mantle is lifted as far as it can go, casting her face in shadow though I can still see her wide, dilated eyes shining beneath. My frown deepens.

"Second guessing your decision, Conner?"

The woman doesn't answer, instead, she flinches at the sudden shout from an overly rowdy man elbowing the man next to him in the crowd.

"Isn't that the shifter girl they captured yesterday? What's she doing with the Corps? Are they crazy!?" the first one says, a thin, bearded man that has the look of a sleep deprived horse.

His cheeky, small eyed friend replies. "They'll let just about anyone into the military nowadays. Even damn monsters. HEY!"

The second man yells and claps, trying to get Avian's attention, which only makes her flinch. Though I'm not overly opposed to the man's obvious dislike and treatment of the shifter, the stupid idiot's actions are about to drive the retarded woman mad, and I can't have a soldier on a mission if that soldier's mental state is absolute shit. So, to remedy this, I shift and yell back at the man.

"Have you nothing better to do than imitate a squealing pig…?" I glare at them, and they immediately stop and gape when they finally notice who I am, so distracted by Avian they failed to notice the strongest soldier in the whole damn army.

"You're Corporal Levi…!" they breathe, suddenly looking very lost and awkward under my heated gaze.

"How about you two shut the hell up. You're pretty brave for a couple of rats who were too afraid to enlist."

The pair just look at me dumbfounded.

"Now if you don't mind, leave my subordinate alone, or do you wish tell me something with all that mighty talk of yours?"

Neither man says a word, just as I knew they would, and satisfied that the situation is now handled, I face forward again at the sound of the gate banging to a stop. I was going to interrogate Avian to see just what the hell was bothering her so bad, but that will just have to wait. Far ahead of me, a familiar blond head lifts, taking a moment to let the legion brace itself, then lets out a great shout.

"ONWARD!"

With a snapping of reins, the legion jolts into motion, all moving as one body down the wide main street and through the gate. Exhilaration pumps through me as we ride out into the open land, different carriages and squads taking their spots in the huge formation. Up ahead leading the legion is Erwin, of course, along with three of his subordinates, one being that strange sniffing man Mike Zacharius. Though I can no longer see them, I know that the rest of my squad to be dispersed among the vast formation. Gunther is ahead, to the left, while Petra and Eld are on the right with Oluo somewhere near the front. The formation is so large that I can barely see the edges of it, even from my vantage point near the center rear. As the distance between us and the Stohess gate grows, I signal with my arm for Eren and Avian to take position around our assigned cart, driven by a Corps member I do not know by name. Thanks to the heavy payload and the sheer vastness of the operation, travel is slow, with us going about half our normal speed to avoid breaking the wheels of our carriages on the rough terrain. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eren pull up to his position on the right side of the cart, hair and mantle flying. Once settled, he glances back at where I know Avian to be at the rear of the cart.

"You okay?" he asks again, able to speak clearly at such a slow speed.

Turning, I watch as Avian slowly lifts herself up, visibly relaxing slightly now that we have some space to ourselves.

"I don't know…" she replies a bit shaky.

"What happened?" Eren says, concern written on his face. "You looked as if you were about to be killed."

The woman swallows, gently lowering her hood now that she has calmed down a little, ginger hair flying in the wind.

"I…" she stutters, turning red in the face. "I couldn't handle all the eyes on me… The yelling…"

"That's right. I forget that all this is new to you, even the people." Eren apologizes. "Did it scare you that bad?"

"It was... highly uncomfortable. I've never seen that many people in my life… so to be frank, yes, it did scare me."

I scowl.

"Well you're in for a damn rude awakening…" I say over my shoulder, gaining the woman's attention. "All this 'I'm scared of people' shit has to go. If you're going to be one of us, you're going to have to get over this paranoia that everyone is out to kill you. Plain and simple."

Avian looks at me with an expression that is half hurt, half embarrassed.

"I know."

Silence falls between us for a long while as we ride, eyes peeled for any so called mischief makers. It takes us over half an hour to make it to the beginning of the evacuation zone, and as far as I can tell, no one encountered any problems. Once inside the abandoned area with just under 100 kilometers to go, Eren speaks up again.

"Hey Avian…" he begins. "…can I ask you something?"

The woman makes a noise in response, "What would you like to know?"

"It's just… I still can't believe what you said yesterday during the trial. I never would have thought about pointing something like that out; the fact that you didn't have any charges against you I mean. For someone who hasn't been around people, you're pretty brilliant. How did you figure out what to say?"

I turn slightly in my saddle, leaning an ear in interest as the woman gazes down at her hands.

"I thank you for your praise, Eren, but as much as I would love to claim such brilliance as my own, I can't."

Her answer catches both me and the brat off guard.

"What do you mean?" he asks, confused. "Of course you can claim it. You came up with it."

Avian shakes her head.

"I didn't. Though I did improvise at certain parts of the conversation, most of my words were not my own. In all honesty, I read in one of my father's books a situation similar to the one I found myself in yesterday. While the others were talking, I spent my time trying to recall how the story progressed, and when it came time for judgment and I knew that I was about to be lost, I spit out what I remembered, and hoped that it would apply in some form or way to your judicial practices."

Eren blinks.

"You didn't really know what was going on?"

"That would be correct."

Eren blinks again and I gaze at the woman, scrutinizing her.

"So…." I say slowly, watching her. "….you bluffed that entire discussion."

Avian lands her blue eyes on me.

"Essentially."

For once, the brat and I share the same thought and just stare at the woman, letting that information sink in. After a moment, I speak again.

"I don't know whether to think of you as lucky or damn crazy." I say flatly.

"Thank…..you?" she frowns, the confusion on her face almost laughable.

"I had no idea…" Eren mumbles. "You looked like you knew what you were talking about. I never would have guessed you made it up."

"Not made up."Avian corrects him. "Merely quoted."

"Still… That's pretty smart."

Avian shrugs him off.

"I was desperate and I did not know what else to do. If it came right down to it, and I was to be put to death, I would have retaliated."

Eren nods.

"I understand. I still think it was brilliant of you, though." He says earnestly. "You saved yourself where everyone else couldn't."

"For now…" I interrupt, casting a lazy eye to the two of them, concentrating on the woman. "You're safe at the moment, but depending on how this mission goes, they can still decide to kill you. If you want to stay alive , all you need to do is shut up and obey my orders without question. Think you can handle that without jacking it up?"

"I believe I can. You have already told me this before, there is no need to repeat yourself." Avian frowns.

"Well seeing as you're 'green' and so out of touch with humanity that you don't even know what a simple handshake is…" I retort, to which the ginger casts her eyes away in embarrassment. "…I believe I can tell you as many times as I feel like."

With a simple flick of my wrist, I guide my horse a little closer to her.

"You've got to understand how serious your position is. Not only is YOUR life at stake, but everyone who's on this mission."

At this, Avian lifts her head, a look of slight confusion on her face.

"What do my actions have to do with your comrades? Only Eren and I are in your squad…"

"It doesn't matter."

I hit the woman with a stony gaze intense enough to where she can't look away.

"You need to get it through that thick head of yours that things are different here. All these soldiers are not like you. They are human, vulnerable, and in this line of work, skill and determination don't mean shit. The only way we survive is by working together and looking out for one another. Forget that, and you might as well kill your teammates yourself. I'm telling you this because you have to get used to the fact that you're not looking out only for yourself anymore. Every decision you make, every action you take while out in the field, could be the difference between life and death for those around you. If something goes wrong and you make the wrong choice, their blood will be on your hands. These men and women have feelings, fears, limits…. Many are probably thinking about their families, and whether not they'll make it back to see them again."

Avian doesn't say a word, but from the stoic expression on her face, it's easy to say that she understands.

"I'll tell you exactly what I told Eren. You can either trust in your own abilities, or you can put your trust in you comrades. We may think we have things under control, but no one knows how things will turn out. Whatever choice you make, choose the one you will regret the least."

The woman lowers her head, and for the majority of our journey, everyone stays silent. Travel is still slow, and there is nothing of interest except for the occasional abandoned village. Fields that where once well kept are now slowly being overrun without farm hands to tend to them. Even some animals like sheep and goat run aimlessly through the vast expanse with no shepherd to guide them. By the time Wall Rose finally begins to come into view, the sun is high in the sky and the heat of the day so strong that I've all but ruined my uniform.

'That's just great. Nothing better than having to wear absolute filth before the work even begins.' I scowl down at my form, using a single finger to pull on the collar of my cravat. 'That Erwin owes me a new uniform, shirt, AND cravat. There is no way in hell I'm wearing ANY of this once this mission is over.'

With nothing else to do but put my dilemma in the back of my mind, I return my attention to the wall ahead of us, slowly growing in size and height. Even several kilometers away, I can already see the gaping hole in the wall. Behind me, I hear Avian shift, and hesitantly clears her throat.

"May I ask something?"

"What?" I reply, without turning around.

"Why has it taken so long for you to repair your wall?" she asks, sounding almost meek, obviously still affected by our earlier conversation. "I'm aware that the situation with the three runaways would have slowed the process down, but surely it would not take two months for you to get this plan fully underway? You have plenty of soldiers…"

"We do have plenty of men, the problem was that we had nothing to repair the wall with. All materials had to be made from scratch since we have nothing we can dismantle, such as buildings or things of that nature, so most of the past couple months were spent waiting. Soon after his return, Erwin received clearance to order nearly every kiln in the district to begin baking large stone bricks that will be used to help fill in the hole. From what I hear, the Church of the Walls nearly started a riot in protest, spouting all that shit that the walls are goddesses send from heaven to protect us. Damn delusional pigs…. Thanks to them raising hell, we had to wait even longer before our brick masons could even begin their work."

"I see… Say, that man in the black robe from my trial, the one who yelled at me, he is one of these believers?"

I grimace in severe distaste.

"He's the damn priest. For some reason, the heads just let him do whatever the hell he wants no matter how idiotic him and his religion are."

Avian makes a noise to let me know that she heard but says nothing. Soon enough, we are within the giant wall's shadow, and though most of the Garrison's soldiers are atop the massive structure, many more wait below, guiding our carts and men around the base and help to deposit our payload as well as keep order in the semi-chaos. Since we were positioned in the rear of the formation, it takes a while for us to reach the center of activity. By that time, a large pile of brick has already been laid down in a pile for future use, taking up the entire left side of the field. Beyond the pile further to the left, the hole gapes, and I can hear the sound of the metal netting clanging, probably a lone titan trying to force its way through. Thankfully, the net holds true and it's only a few seconds before a muted thud sounds from where one of the Garrison must have killed the monster. From the corner of my eye, a tall, brown haired woman approaches, her counterpart, a young looking boy of sandy blond, escorts our cart away.

"Corporal Levi?" she asks, saluting.

"Yeah. What?"

Her hands fall to her sides.

"Commander Erwin and Commander Pixis have requested that you and your travel squad meet them atop the wall above the breach to discuss your plans."

"Fine. Then take our horses."

Without waiting for a reply, I hop off my own steed, Eren and Avian quickly following my example, then walk away, the two shifters stumbling behind.

"Corporal," Eren asks once he is caught up. "how is Avian going to scale the wall? She has no gear."

I walk for a little bit more, weaving my way between soldiers going back and forth between duties, then stop just a few feet from the foot of the great stone wall. With little enthusiasm, I turn and stare at the teen as if he was stupid.

"How do you think?" I retort, flicking my gaze quickly to the woman, who wears only a simple pair of dark shoes, pants, the Recon Corps mantle, and a white blouse borrowed from Petra. "Since this one isn't skilled in using gear yet, the only way for her to reach the top of the wall is to hitch a ride with someone who IS skilled using the gear."

Eren still looks confused, the idiot, and since I no longer feel like dealing with him, I just answer him.

"You carry her."

Eren's face turns slightly pink while Avian looks as if she doesn't understand what the big deal is. Knowing her case, she probably has no clue, frankly.

"I… I don't know…" Eren stutters, suddenly bashful.

"What? So you're going to disobey a direct order?"

That gets the dumb brunette's attention.

"N…No sir! Never!"

"Then quit your whining, shut up and do as I say."

I take just a moment to stare at him, making sure that he knows I'm dead serious, then leave them, pulling out my empty blade sheaths and launch myself up. It's a tad more difficult to scale such a large, vertical surface, but I clear it with practiced ease; I pull myself up several dozen feet, push off the wall to create some distance, then shoot my cables and repeat the process. In less than a minute, I reach the top, landing softly solid ground. Upon the wall, the Garrison are alive with activity. Several cannons have been moved closer to the breach, some pointing directly down, others outward. Each cannon is manned by a two person team, along with several others running around serving as ball monkeys, messengers, and relievers. As far as I can see, not a single titan is in sight, but that hardly means anything, since a whole hoard of them can appear anytime. To my left, Erwin and Pixis chat, both gazing out into the distant horizon until Pixis spots me over Erwin's shoulder.

"There he is! We were beginning to think we'd lost you!" the old vet chuckles, though his statement is not even remotely funny. "And I'm glad to see your two friends made it as well!"

On que, I hear the sound of cables, and I turn just in time to see Eren hop over the wall, one arm around Avian. I almost crack a smirk at how quickly he lets her go once his feet touch stone, and the opposing expressions on their faces just makes it even better. Obviously unaffected by her short escorted flight, Avian stays composed and walks to stand by me, Eren following a little more slowly. She blinks up at the two older men as they join us, scrunching her face slightly in thought.

"Pixis?" she asks.

"That is correct! I'm surprised you remember me, or even recognized me for that matter. The poor lighting in that cell and the courtroom just seem to add years." He smiles, gazing at her. "But as much as I would love to talk about other things, more pressing matters are at hand…"

As is his way, in almost an instant, Pixis' demeanor changes and his smile drops, replaced by a stern look.

"I hope you understand just how serious this mission is, Avian. And not just for you. Not only will your performance today determine what will happen to you once we return to the district, it will determine the very course of this mission. Do you understand what this means, Avian Conner?"

Avian nods.

"Yes."

I instantly hit her with a smoldering glare, and she immediately clears her throat and swallows, obviously self-conscious.

"I… I mean yes sir."

'Absolutely no manners. How disgraceful.' I think, though the thought is ironic seeing as I hate using titles and honorifics myself.

Pixis doesn't seem bothered by the ginger's lack of etiquette and continues on unfazed.

"Good! Now that we are all together," he adds, glancing at Erwin. "let's discuss this plan of yours."

Erwin nods, gaze as hard as Wall Rose itself.

"We've been planning and preparing for this mission the better half of two months. Now it's time to see it played out."

*Author's note*

Hello everyone! Sorry this turned out to be a pretty boring chapter. It'll pick back up in the next one I promise! I just want to say thank you to all who answered my question from last week. I really enjoy seeing what you all have to say! Now for my answer, there isn't much romance, so I don't have any couples that I ship, per say, but I will say that I'm a huge Levi x Petra shipper. That one scene between Levi and her father just got it for me, along with all the cute fanart and fanfics o3o lol I also like to goof around with Levi x Hanji and Levi x Eren in a non romantic kind of way just for funzies (and it's fun pairing up serious characters like Levi with practically everyone xD *shot*). Anywho, I don't have much of a question this week soooooooo…. I want to give you guys a chance to ask ME some things. It could be about anything; the story, myself, my snake, whatever! If you've ever wondered about something concerning the story or wish to know some random tidbit, ask away. I'll answer as best I can in the next chapter! Speaking of that, I kind of feel the need to reply to some of your lovely reviews from the previous chapter, so in no particular order:

Sayuriameyo: Oh those long reviews! I could almost cry! (in happiness *7*) Write all you want! The more the better! And don't worry about the unhealthy obsession part, I'm just as addicted hurhur. And I think Levi x Mikasa is kinda cute, but not in a romantic way. More like the annoying bestfriend/enemy who won't leave you alone yet can't stand to be without you kinda way if…. If that makes sense. No, okay.

xDollfie: I'm so glad you like the fic! My heart is filled to bursting C: I'm glad that Avian is coming off as an interesting and developed character. I'm really trying hard to create someone who is a bit dynamic and interesting, yet believable. So hopefully I'm avoiding Mary-Sue. There is still a lot we don't know about her, so keep your ears open. There is more information and background about Avian to come! And I also thank you for your wonderful critique! I realize that this fic lacks in much description, and there isn't really any excuse I can give you other than I'm trying my best to not make this story forced. I've tried writing very descriptive and detailed stories before, and I ended up burning myself out because it felt forced and like a chore, so I voted to just let the story flow out as it comes to my brain. I will keep your suggestion in mind though! I tried to be a little better here, but there wasn't much, so I'll do better next chapter!

Leah Hunter: Glad you enjoyed the fic as well and it seems to flow kind of naturally. As far as wasting my talent… I've been doing that for years by not writing at all. I used to write a lot, but I was so hard on myself and I hated my writing because I don't write the way I want to. My style is not one that I want to have, but I've decided to just run with it for this, and it's working out wonderfully! Perhaps I'll write a novel one day. I have many, many ideas, so we'll see ;D

Imafangirlforever: I didn't mean to freak you out by my name lol. I thank you for another review! You're so kind ;u;

Alina: Are you serious about this being one of the best AoT fics in your opinion? Seriously? You make me wanna cry ;u; I feel so honored! Glad you enjoy it so far!

Katialynne: I couldn't bear to keep Squad Levi as dead, I just couldn't. They left too soon :'c And your question is not awkward at all! Though I'm not sure exactly how to answer that. It is true that Avian is pretty much a dunce when it comes to romance, but in a way, Levi is too. I'm not entirely sure how far their relationship will develop at this point. I have a basic idea because I know what all is going to happen in the future, but characters tend to have a mind of their own, and what they do often surprises me because I let them run free in my mind and I get to see how they will react/respond to certain situations. I WILL say that relationship will develop over time, and that it will be strange on both sides lol.

AliLaShae: Wow, I didn't think people would love Avian so much lol. I thank you for your compliment as well ;u;

Well, I got carried away and pretty much answered everyone. Oops. Oh well. I just love reading what you have to say and letting you know just how grateful I am to you guys! As always, leave your thoughts and comments in a review and I'll see you all later!

-Ambi