A/N: What would be a better way to start the new year than another fluffy chapter? There'll be some rather deep topics as well though, and also some more hints and background information about our protagonist (whose name is still not mentioned, I know... My original plan was to reveal it only towards the end, hope that's ok for you (in hindsight, I should've probably gone for 1st POV for that sake, but urgh, not again...))

Also, there's more (fluffy) fanart to this fic visible on AO3, including a second commission and a real fanart! I can barely describe how much I'm fluttered

„Die Freiheit und der Tod. Die beiden sind Zwillinge. Die Freiheit oder der Tod? Unser Freund ist ein!" – Linked Horizon
Freedom and death. They're both twins. Freedom or death? Our friend is one.

Chapter 12 - Chary

The air felt strange as she approached the titan. No matter how much she strained her ears, there were no quakes or other suspicious noises, not more than the usual rustles and calls of forest inhabitants. Another pair of jays was perched up high in the canopies, one of them cackling at the other much like the pair they had met before. But they too didn't seem alarmed as they continued their usual chatter. Under other circumstances, she wouldn't have deemed the scene in any way different to… normal.

It was only the titan who indicated like something was off, almost looking out of place with his lowered, kneeling posture. But then again, it was very possible that his keen senses picked up on something she was oblivious to.

Some peculiar sense of excitement budded within her, a feeling that was unfamiliar but definitely more good than bad. For the first time in her life, the thought of a possible titan attack didn't fill her with dread, now that she could rest assured that she was safe with him. Admittedly, a meek part of her even went as far as to wish for danger to occur, if only to witness his fighting prowess in full health. But she was quick in shooing away that thought. Surely there was no point in rejecting his aid, but in the end she had to keep up her independence. As enticing as it was to take on this unusual role, she mustn't lose herself. She mustn't forget that she was still in titan territory, and that only back behind the Walls she could deem herself truly safe. To underestimate possible dangers for the presence of her titanic friend was the first step to getting into them. And she mustn't forget that she had to avoid dangers at all costs.

After all, all she wanted was to get back home.

… right?

With eyes peeled and steps coated in caution, she moved with dexterity around the strewn twigs, making herself a challenge to sneak up on him from behind. In the last moment however, the intention failed as her stomach decided to betray her, calling out for her attention with a low, mournful grumble. One tapered ear picked up on it with no effort, followed by quick glance. But before she could do as much as to open her mouth to speak his attention was drawn away again.

Now close up, she tried to catch up on whatever she might have been oblivious to. Other than expected, his eyes were not wandering in search, but fixated onto something on the ground in a distance not too far. But despite him being still as stone, she failed to detect any signs of alertness or tension, not more than attentiveness and occasional sniffs. If she had to make a wild guess, she'd wager that there was no serious danger at all, but something interesting to observe. Something that was obviously more interesting than her.

"What is it..?" she whispered, but didn't achieve any reaction from him.

In a sudden prick of obstinacy, she ditched her previous sense of overcautiousness to approach the titan's front ankle. Just to make sure he wouldn't miss her presence this time, she lay one hand firmly on the skin before swiftly stepping under the formed arch to stand at the place that she deemed the saftest.

Right beneath her guardian.

This move surely got his attention, with clear astonishment drawn into the pair of wide eyes. She didn't even try to suppress a smug, satisfied grin as she folded her neck, but kept her voice lowered still just to be on the safe side.

"Mind to show me what you found?"

Patiently, she waited as all he did was to take a thorough look at her. For a few more times, she noticed his nostrils flaring as they presumably traced a scent, albeit silently this time. Was that move of hers really that surprising to him? Or why else would he look at her as if trying to read undecipherable letters? The attention she received was oddly charming for sure, but gained more and more of an unnerving edge with every second that he stretched it.

Seeing that he wasn't intending to do anything more than that, she eventually sighed in resignation.

"Alright, if you don't want to show me, I'll just go have a look for myself"

Not waiting for an answer this time, she stepped closer to the nearest cluster of shrubs, trying but failing to catch a climpse through the dense boughs. It irked her a lot to be left groping in the dark, more so as it must be something really interesting for he wouldn't ignore her otherwise. But if he didn't care to show her, she was very well capable of helping herself.

Taking a step backwards, she searched for a spot to pass through the obstacle but found herself stopped in her tracks before she could move on. With a somewhat vexed expression, she first glared at the new obstacle in front of her, then back to ask what that was all about. Her words died in her throat though as she found his other hand already waiting right behind her, effectively caging her in to all sides. Only his careful demeanour and close to chary behaviour was enough shoo away any bad thoughts, but now that she thought about it, she realized that he had never once picked her up from the ground before, never mind be as rude as to grab her if he wanted to. Even now he was hesitating, waiting for clearance before guiding her into one palm.

As she was lifted to about shoulder-level, she tried to survey her environments from the new perspective. However, she didn't came as far as in the next moment, she found herself surrounded by dark hair. Before she could grasp what was happening, a loud sniff made her flinch in surprise, one that came from right above her head. A steamy exhale followed, along with more sniffs and puffs of steam, until the uncomfortable heat emboldened her to push back his nose to gain some space.

"Geez! No need to smother me with attention. It's only river water, not some Sina nobility's perfume."

If he picked up on the annoyance in her tone was difficult to tell, but when she was enveloped in another deep exhale, she could have sworn to hear amusement in it. If that was not enough, she found the back of her head wettened by a quick, clearly taunting lick.

"Did you just-..?!"

Her protest fell short as she inhaled too quickly, making her cough from the added chuffs. Seeing no other choice, she moved forward to escape his still close proximity, pushing aside the curtains of hair to relish some breaths of fresh air.

"well, thank you very much…" she mumbled to herself as she tried to wipe off the filth from the hair. The very same that she had put so much effort into cleaning right before.

But more important…

"Now, do tell. What is it that you found?" she wiped her palm on the pants before looking over the curled fingertips, searching the forest ground meticulously until…

Any hint on any former excitement was lost in the moment she found the mysterious object of interest, replaced now by the aching pull of sobering mixed with defiance and incredulity.

Well-hidden between some bushes rested the rufous form of a fox, gnawing at the remnants of a goose.

She opened her mouth to speak before closing it again. Instead, she delved her face into one palm.

"you got to be kidding me…"

She wasn't sure what exactly she had expected to find there, but she had been certain to witness something at least half-way interesting. If anything, she had been certain to find something more exciting than this.

"Ok… uhm, just to make sure we're on the same page here…" she rubbed her temples for one last time before looking up "is it really that fox over there that caught your full atten-?"

She almost gasped as she turned her head. Silent as a lynx, he had moved his head to her side, now craning his neck forward to catch a glimpse for himself. If only for a second, she found herself caught in the sight of his molars that were on perfect eye-level with her and within easy arm-reach.

Just to make sure she hadn't missed something very obvious, she followed titan's line of sight, who had fortunately not noticed her brief distraction. And yep, it was really just that fox... For whatever reason, he seemed to be overly intrigued by it, scrutinizing with stern expression similar to the intensity of how he had scrutinized her before. Perhaps – so she guessed – he wasn't fully aware of the concept of predation? It wouldn't make much sense though since his kind is on top of the food chain themselves. But maybe it was different with him. After all, he seemed to be the first titan with clearly no interest in making her food – or anything else for that matter. So it was well possible that he had never before witnessed an animal being preyed on. Then again, it could as well be that he just disliked to see the demise of the goose because.. he had a soft spot for them? The lined forehead could as well be expressing disapproval other than scrutiny.

She found her last suspicion confirmed as the fox continued to tear at the carcass, adding more cold blood to the grass. It was in that moment that the titan stirred to approach it.

"W-wait..! Hold on a sec." She wasn't given time to think twice as she reached out to stop him, noticing belatedly that the surface beneath her hand was not soft and rough but hard and smooth. Pretending that it never happened, she was quick to pull back her hands and tore her eyes off the teeth. But the nauseous feeling remained as she met his gaze instead. It might have been her only her imagination, but the look he gave her contained an edge of disapproval that was just enough for her heart to plummet down. It was a stupid thought of course, considering how kind he had been to her just now, but in that moment she couldn't help but think that she would likely by punished for her impudence, for having the audacity to tell him a command. In that shortest of moments, she regretted all her foolishness that came with trusting the titan she barely knew.

Fretfully, she swallowed.

"Pl-lease, don't scare it off."

"Look closer."

The tension only dragged on as his eyes swivelled between hers, his expression not giving away any thoughts despite interest or perhaps a question. Seeing that he was at least not visibly angered, she could have deflated on the spot, but raised one arm instead to point at the direction of the fox.

"There. You see that fallen beech tree with its root plate hauled up? Its downfall created a hollow beneath the roots. If you watch closely, you can see that the whole is currently used as their den. There are some pups peeking out.

The fox right here is most likely their mother. She needs her food to nurture them."

She waited for him to prove for himself, until he finally retreated to his initial, more relaxed posture. Fortunately, they had not yet caused enough noises to disturb the scene before them. But she could tell that he was still not entirely happy with the situation.

"I know, it's a gruesome sight. I also used to admire them for their ability to fly freely, and often watched them how they crossed the Walls. If anything, it's such freedom that I'd been striving for as long as I can remember."

For the split of a second, her thoughts walked on unwillingly, with images of narrow walls and crowded space surfacing. The laughter and cries of many children followed soon after before she wrenched herself from the memory.

"However…" she cleared her throat "if I learned one thing in life, than that there's a price for everything. Since you're a titan, it might be difficult for you to understand, but for other living beings, death is just another part of life. We always rely on our environment to survive, on thriving forests, clean rivers, and clear skies. And sometimes we rely on the life of others as well. Sometimes it requires us to prey on others for our own survival."

She paused for a moment to make sure he could follow.

"You see, every living being is destined to end at some point, if ready or not. Life and death are both sides of same coin, same for freedom and safety. Therefore, freedom and death are just as related, like twins. And sometimes, we have to choose between these paths. I made this decision a long time ago, willing to choose death in freedom over life in safety. It's what makes us Scouts, I guess. And what makes me a Scout, too."

She paused for some more time, deliberating, before snickering to herself.

"Wow, that was really philosophic, wasn't it? Didn't even know that side of me, but I guess the credit goes to you. I can't even remember talking to someone else like this before."

Sending him a meek smile, she waited if there was any reaction from the creature she was conversing with - if one-sided monologues were enough to go with. She witnessed the way he tried to mirror her smile, adding a low rumble in emphasis, but otherwise not intending any other move more. It was then that she wondered if he was expecting her to give directions on what to do next. Actually, that would come in handy since she was still very aware of the pulling pain in her belly.

"So, uh… speaking of needs for survival. What I wanted to say way earlier is that –"

A twig snapped somewhere in the distance, causing both of them to lift their heads in unison. Upon searching, she found vague movements among the vegetation, given away only by the flash of a bright white bud.

"Well, guess that's what you would call 'right on cue', huh?"

Another survey of the further distances revealed the glistening surface of a small pond. A flock of ducks was foraging in its centre, their tailfeathers reaching up in the air in their search for algae and invertebrates. But more interesting was the small herd of deer that had just arrived at its shore.

If only she had a bow or other weapon to hunt…

A low grumble went through the air, the unfamiliar sound loud enough for the fox to look up from its meal. In a twinge of bewilderment, she stared down her form, holding her belly that she had never heard so stubbornly demanding.

"If that wasn't a clear signal…" Truth be told, her hunting skills were of little use without any weapon, and she highly doubted that she was able to overpower a deer on her own.

Lucky her that she was not.

"So uhm… after all that talking about predators and prey… and now that you're here with me anyways… do you think you could assist me with—"

All words were lost to her when she turned, and almost bumped into the titan's nose. A prickling swirl spread in her core as she backed off, yet she couldn't quite tell if it was the kind of fluttering butterflies or of swarming nerves. His close proximity surely caught her off-guard, and the realization of him watching her in silence added an odd mixture flattered discomfort. When she reached the edge of his palm, the short moment of imbalance only added to her twisting stomach - the reminder of her limited space suddenly painful where it hadn't bothered her before.

But it all came to a stop as she finally looked up.

Like a bucket of water on open flames, her inner turmoil stilled when she found the pair wide of green eyes almost on one level with hers – eyes that were still as stone, that held her in an iron grip but not even in an unnerving way. Their stillness was akin to a rock in storms, calm, unyielding and offerring hold. And soon enough she found the same calmness settle in herself as well. Now up close, she couldn't help but wonder at the depth of those eyes that seemed to defy any principles of light and shade, as if thriving despite the sparse light. As if gaining their brilliance in darkness. Their vibrant colour was the most mesmerizing she had ever beheld, like… like lush grass and the first awakening after a long winter, their shades various as the dancing canopies yet speaking in a language that had little use for words. Unseen by the normal eye was a distinct trace of blue as well – not more than a soft hue of turquoise that was interwoven with the many lines of green, but very apparent once she noticed it.

They contained a bursting vigor, boundless power and endless will, strong enough to take up any challenge no matter the circumstances. It was like seeing the essence of life itself. The long-seeked hope that humanity had been striving for.

Loud croaks and caws cut through the silence when one of the jays sounded alarm from up above. The titan's reaction was immediate with his ears perking up in attentiveness, leaving her stupored by the sudden escape of her trance. Her face must have bursted red upon realising that she had openly stared at him, but whether he had noticed was hard to tell. Perhaps - so she hoped - he didn't even have the concept of embarrassment in the first place.

Other than the titan, she didn't look up but scanned the ground instead, just in time to see the herd of deer leave the scene in hurried steps. The unrest of the corvids was a clear signal that predators were around, much to her misfortune since she was now deprived of any opportunity for a surprise attack.

Only as she heard the fox snarl all of a sudden did she notice the cause for the commotion. Unnoticed by her, a second, larger fox had sneaked up to the first one. A short sequence of snarling and pawing followed until the newcomer claimed victory and took off with hurried steps, its price displayed between the fangs. The alert calls then seized again, and silence blanketed the scene once more, filled with no more than the soft coo of a stock dove.

She followed the scene until, unexpectedly, the image triggered an old memory – its thoughts and feelings leading her further along the path that she hadn't dared to walk for years. The scent of pines became apparent where there were only few conifers around, followed by flashing images of a huntsman, the barrel of a gun and an ear-shattering bang.

‚Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen…'

Only as the titan hummed a question, did she realise that she had spoken out loud.

"Oh… sorry, I was… - it's nothing, really. Just scraps of old times." She blinked her thoughts clear again but then noticed that the titan was waiting expectantly.

"It's uhm… it's an old children's song, in an ancient language. It's nothing special really, even a bit crude if you ask me. The text goes that a fox steals a goose, and then the huntsman threatens to shoot it in retribution since, well, they pose a threat of sorts." She paused again, a sense of bitterness now tinging her voice

"It's special to me though, since it was taught to me by my father. The only one I had, that is."

When the titan gave low drone, she couldn't quite dissect if it was empathy or something else. It did spark a thought though.

"You.. know what a father is, do you?"

When he nodded in confirmation, her heart rate spiked immediately.

"Does that mean… you have family, too?"

She tried her best to let it sound as harmless as ever possible, as if it was just a side note. But as he looked away again, he proved to be still not willing to answer. However, she was able to pick up on a certain sadness lining his face, which told enough for her to not dwell on the subject.

"Sorry, I… didn't mean to press you." She waited if there was another reaction, but the silence only started to grow thick. She then added in a crooked smile.

"I guess it's only small comfort, but rest assured that I know about family troubles.. I never even met my real ones to begin with." Trailing back the memories, she opened her mouth to continue, but then closed it again in a languid sigh. If the titan had heard it was hard to tell, but something about his expression was melting and hurting at the same time. It was compassionate, but not like the superficial, top down pity that most people would show. More than that, it was the trails of own pain behind it, that knowing edge that made was really got to her.

"I..- " she sighed, but finally yielded. "Yes, I was an orphan. Even though, that's not even the main issue since I can't even remember them. I didn't even know the real concept of family until I was adopted by a woodpecker and his wife. The living was hard at times, but I finally had parents. Altogether, it was a good life, and in every way better than that rotten place of an orphanage I was raised in.

However… after joining the Survey Corps, I didn't have the chance to see them often. And the last chance of was taken from me four years ago, one year after the breach when the Royal Government initiated the 'Wall Maria reclamation expedition'. A coward expression for the means to cull their own people. It's barely even talked about anymore, as if it was just a small coincidence and not the loss of a fifth of the total population…"

Her head sunk even deeper before adding.

"And in the course of our latest expedition, I lost the only people that were left to me. The ones I had considered my new family… It's like… like I'm haunted for whatever reason, like I'm cursed to lose all the people I cared about… "

She could feel the sting of tears trying to well up, but bit them down again. Now was not the time for self-pity, not right in front of this guy. Instead, she looked away and assumed a more neutral expression. She didn't want to see the pity in his face, let it be honest or not.

"Anyways…" she cut herself off before losing control, searching for a distraction instead "That language is actually an interesting thing, a remnant of our past that is buried in oblivion. It's true that no one really speaks it anymore, apart from people like my father who had a real quirk for historical research. But we can still find traces of it here and there, especially when it comes to names. You see, a good proportion of family names are still in German. Braun for example, or Schultz, Springer, Freudenberg. Some also indicate the family's former professions, like Müller, Wagner or Schmidt. That way I learned that my own ancestors used to be farmers. Nothing special, I know, but still, it's kind of nice to see where the roots come from, don't you think?" For a moment, she smiled to herself before continuing

"You know, sometimes I wonder if it's possible to change your name. My adoptive father for instance comes from a line of foresters, and like his ancestors before he took over his role in the village. But more than that, he was the best hunter of all, so that at some point people started to call him Jäger instead. As a joke, of course, but perhaps that's how it could work? What if it were easy as that to change your own identi—"7

A yelp escaped her throat when her ground tilted without warning, sending her tumbling down to the forest ground. Still caught in a state of disorientation, she opened her eyes just in time to pull back her feet, and avoid them getting crushed under the titan's falling palm.

"What the-!?"

In a low growl, the titan slumped forward as if in a loss of strength, the fingers around her digging grooves into the ground. Warily, she got back to her feet, while staring incredulously at the hand that had been far too close to crush her.

"Are you a-alright..?" she forced a swallow before cautiously approaching the titan, who had delved his head into the other hand. The growls had subsided to a faint level, but she could still feel the tension in the air.

"T-titan..? What's wrong?" She waited for a response in respectful distance, but it seemed like her voice didn't quite penetrate. With his eyes tightly shut she couldn't even tell if he was aware of her presence in the first place. But more than that, he looked clearly pained by whatever thought was coursing through this mind. Quelling her inner turmoil, she stepped forward and pushed aside some strands of hair to see with clarity. The pained expression proved to be correct, if not more than that. He was trembling all over, with a line of sizzling blood running down his temples where his nails started to break the skin.

"Titan..! Please, stop! You're hurting yourself!" Even with her voice now raised, he didn't seem to notice. When his fingers pierced only deeper into his scalp, she finally pulled herself together.

As if struck by a sword, the titan snapped back upon the contact, howling loud enough for all the animals to flee. The deep lines of former pain now displayed clear disapproval, and the warning glower was terrifying enough for her blood to freeze. It would have sufficed for her to immediately retreat, if not make a run for it right there and then. But more than the warning, she found his gaze flickering between her eyes in confusion and indecision, and for a moment, she could see past the walls. It was not more than a chink in the fortitude, but a chink nonetheless. And it revealed something so foreign to him that she first dismissed it as a not more than a figment.

Fear.

Her inner twist only exacerbated at seeing fear in the titan's expression, well aware of the unpredictable danger it contained. Yet it only encouraged her to move forward, feeling more resolve than ever.

"h-hey… it's alright…"

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet his ears shot forward on the sound. Lifting one arm in the slowest of movements, she took a cautious step forward whilst gathering all her inner strength to not lose her own threads of confidence. She had no idea what to say, but more than her words she knew it was important to keep on talking, to help him come back to his former self.

At her step, he snarled again, but with less intensity and more like a reflex. Instinctively, he had pulled back a bit until he was hovering above and out of her reach. Yet it ocurred to her that he hadn't retreated entirely.

"it's alright… here… I'm here with you…"

With that she fully raised her arm, hoping that he would remember the request. Time seemed to stretch longer and longer as she waited patiently, the multitude of thoughts clearly twisting in the giant orbs with confusion now most prevalent among them. With a soft, reassuring smile, she finally said

"I'm here to help you, alright..? I'll help you.. if you let me."

At those words, or perhaps her voice, he finally seemed to escape his former ban, the rapid breath and racing heart slowly coming to rest. The small discs of black gradually widened as he blinked away the haze of emotions, until they were looking with more clarity again. With the ears drooping in a sudden loss of strength, his expression lost all its harshness and turned into a surprisingly regretful one. Only then he closed in towards her hand, carefully slowly as if he was the frightened one.

She mustered a warm smile when he came close enough for her to pet his nose. When he went so far as to shut his eyes, she finally allowed relief to wash over her.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of. Everything will be fine."

She couldn't tell what she would have expected, but if anything, being scooped up out of nowhere was clearly not on the list. A little yelp of surprise was all she could voice before she was nuzzled against the curled fingers, the strength that pressed against her stomach a clear testimony to his fondness – or rather gratitude in this case. Surely it would have been quite an adorable thing, if it weren't for the simple fact that it was close to painful already.

"Woah, dude it's fine, really. I'm just redeeming a favour here, alright?" The purr that followed made up for the discomfort – if not more than that - and he must have noticed her discreet push since he backed off just enough for her to take full breaths again. Still, as bad as it sounded, seeing that he could be plagued by thoughts like that only made him appear even more human than before. Despite their very obvious disparities, she was encountering more human traits in him than she had ever thought possible.

"Looks like we're both haunted by demons of our past, huh."

It was meant as not more than another phrase of comforting. Even greater was hence her surprise when he actually gave a weak nod – one that she would've probably missed if it wasn't for the nose against her belly. Despite the irking urge however, she knew better than to dig further. Only time would reveal the whole truth. Time and patience.

When he finally granted her some more space to move, she noticed something shiny in her periphery, but when she checked on it, there was nothing to be found. Now placed in one palm, he then lifted her to the side of his head again. Perhaps he did so to appear less scary, and without doubt it was more pleasant than when facing him directly. But above everything, it spoke volumes of his ability to read her thoughts.

Feeling a sudden need to seize the opportunity, she reached for the bottom side of the prominent jaw that was hovering right above her shoulder, with warmth spreading in her chest when he leaned into her in an encouraging purr.

"Oh..! You like this?" she grinned full-heartedly as she lifted the other arm to hold the chin as well, then trailed the jawline to add more thorough scratching to its back. The soft vibrations were tickling all over, or perhaps it was just the general sense of mirth. It was so hard to believe how quickly her own attitudes towards him had changed. Only yesterday she had still been haunted by doubts and fear only because she had misinterpreted his personality. And now here she was, her face inching from his bare teeth without even a share of the panic that used to take control over senses. Ok… truthfully, she wasn't like a hundred percent relaxed being so close to his jaw, but it was almost neglectable in comparison to what she had to deal with the other day.

"Well, you surely are full of surprises. Wouldn't have taken you for the cuddly type when I first saw you. In fact, it was quite the opposite."

When her arm started to ache, she took a step to the side to shake off the numbness. She had done enough to comfort him, but petting a creature the size of a house was more strenuous than one might think.

However, she soon found that the titan was of a different opinion. At a sudden nudge to her side, her eyes widened even more as she realized it was nothing minor than the titan's nose trying shove its way under her arm.

"Wohoow!" She laughed "Looks like someone here needs quite some attention, huh?" She grinned as she lifted said arm, curling it loosely around the nose as if perched on a friend's shoulder. Warmth flowed through her hand and chest, and when he snuggled deeper in devotion, it added warmth of a different kind. If she hadn't been entirely sure to this point, this move totally sufficed to clear any doubts.

He was definitely as cuddly as a dog.

"So… I guess I need to apologize for my rudeness. Just now, I realized that I haven't even asked you for your name."

She almost regretted to have posed the question, for he pulled away again to look at her with something that was closest to bewilderment. But before she could dissect it, he looked to the ground in thoughts and parted his jaw to lick over the bare teeth.

"Oh.. damn. Of course. No lips and all.. Sorry, I… kind of forgot about that." She couldn't help but add a self-deprecating snicker "Weird, isn't it? I seem to become oblivious to the most obvious things. But hey, I guess that only means I'm getting more and more used to you, right? Still, I have to admit it would a hell lot easier if you could speak. Not that lip-reading would be me far either... Damn, I could have spared myself a hell lot of troubles back then when you chased me half to death."

It was meant as a joke, but his ears drooped anyways as he pulled back a bit, eyes showing shame as the incident was obviously still haunting him.

"No worries, I'm past the point of holding grudges." She added a reassuring smile.

"About that name thing though…" She reached for her chin in a thoughtful posture, then met his eyes with a bit of uncertainty. "Would you mind if I… just… gave you one?" Her voice dropped at the last words, unsure if she was in a position to take the liberty for such a private issue. Hastily, she added "I-I mean, I can just call you titan if you'd prefer, I just thought it might—"

She was cut short as the titan all but trilled in front of her before she found herself coated in heated moist.

"Ugh…" she coughed before ridding the saliva from her face, the smile now clearly a faked one.

"I guess that's a 'yes' then…" She heard a grumbling apology before his other hand swiftly emerged next to her, the sudden movement startling her involuntarily. Not failing to notice her short flinch, he was especially careful as he extended his pointer to skim over her head and – at least tried to – remove the grime at best will. In any case, it was well-meant.

"Well…" she then cleared her throat "Lucky for you, I already have an idea in mind that will fit you just perfectly."

She paused to raise expectancy, before flashing a grin from one ear to the other.

"I'll call you Rex!"

…

…

The titan's reaction was anything but quick, as if waiting for her to add something. But seeing that this would not happen, he finally changed his expression, and scrunched his face in not too subtle defiance. Before being able to say something to her defence, she found herself nudged once more, but this time with an unusually rude strength.

"H-hey..!" She gasped as she took a step backwards to maintain her balance, her voice rising to a cry as she failed to find ground beyond the palm's edge. Flailing her arms to no avail she shot him a last, pleading look as gravity started to pull at her guts, but he didn't seem to notice, or to care, as his eyes kept their hard edge with a hint of—

She landed backwards on the soft palm of his other hand.

- cunning…

"Idiot." She decidedly ignored the jostles of the titan's mirth. "You're really one kind of a jerk, aren't you…" Given the most recent incident, it was more a statement than a question. "Now that you mention it, I guess 'Rogue' would be far more fitting, don't you think? You can be quite the mischievous little imp at times."

To her surprise, he didn't use the occasion for another of his pranks, but only grinned warmly in a nod.

She smirked, then stood up and brushed off her worn attire before folding her arms.

"Well then… Rogue" She paused to savour the sound of the new name.

"… would you mind lending me a hand? There's something I would need your help for."