Nap

Pieck didn't know why she had chosen that particular spot to stop and stay leaning against the wall, but it certainly didn't have anything to do with the man sleeping on the couch, oblivious to the world. No, absolutely not.

…

Okay, maybe it did. She couldn't help but wonder how he could sleep so peacefully when they were headed for a war that the whole world's future depended on. Was it because whatever family he had was safe on the island, even if they failed? Did he want to die? Or did he simply have nerves of steel?

…Or was he just stupid? That's not the impression Pieck had gotten, but she could be wrong. Even the not so bright ones had their moments; maybe she'd just happened to only encounter him during those.

"He's in deep sleep" she comments as Reiner walks in "Does he not realize the seriousness of the situation or…?"

"I'm sure he does; he's probably the biggest realist on board" Reiner says, staring at Jean himself "…This is honestly not something I'd expect of him; I would've thought he'd be a nervous wreck. He's not a coward, but like I said, he's a realist."

"The years have toughened him up" Hanji comments as she peeks in from the open door "Now hush and let him sleep. Get some rest yourselves if you can."

After she walks off, Reiner also leaves, saying that he'll try to heed her advice. And so, it's just Pieck and deep asleep Jean again. Suddenly, she gets the urge to draw on his face. She used to do it to Porco, and she'd gotten rather good at it over the years. And she did have a marker in her pocket.

"How angry would he get if I did it?" she wondered "It's not like it'll endanger our alliance; we've been through way worse together already. Besides, this is washable… with some scrubbing."

Mind made up, Pieck fished out the marker and went over to the sleeping man.

She chuckled; he was still deep asleep.

At least, that's what it had looked like. The moment the tip of the pen touched his face, Pieck could've sworn she barely even pressed it down, his eyes snapped open and he swatted her hand to the side, causing a black line to be drawn from the side of his nose to his left cheek as he did.

"Guess he wasn't sleeping so lightly after all" Pieck thought, both relieved and disappointed. So much for her artistic session, but at least this man seemed a bit more reliable now than she had thought him to be a moment ago.

Jean was glaring at her, just for a moment, before his face changed in to a surprised one.

"Pieck?" he questions, confused, before sighing "Sorry, thought you were Connie. Are we reaching land soon?"

"Not yet" the warrior denies "If you don't mind me asking, why did you think I was Connie?"

Jean snorts.

"He has a habit of drawing on my face sometimes, and it felt like- "he pauses as he catches a sight of the marker in Pieck's hand "…You've got to be kidding me."

Pieck gives a lazy smile.

"I have artistic tendencies" she says.

"Uhhuh. Do your artistic tendencies happen to show on my face right now?" Jean asks, not amused "Lie and you'll regret it."

Wordlessly, Pieck moves her finger from the side of her nose across her cheek. Jean groans.

"Great" he gets up "This better be washable!"

Pieck doesn't answer and the scout storms off, calling out as he does: "Next time, you better target Connie!"