Armin is inside the basement, staring at Annie, her pose unchanged from last time. He walks towards her, stopping once he can clearly see her face.
"Some things happened" he starts, feeling nervous about talking with her, chastising himself for that. He looks at the crystal, noticing some dust on it, using his sleeve to clean it, tilting his head to see the change.
"We're going to try and meet with Zeke - I assume you know him. Then, Eren is going to activate the founder...and remove all Titans"
He sighs, sitting down on the only chair there, pinching the bridge of his nose -" Honestly I don't know if that will even work...but presuming it will...you're going to be free. And...and you'll be trying to escape. So we're basically barricading the door"
He fishes out from his pocket a piece of paper, seeing his own handwriting staring back at him,putting it down on the ground, facing Annie.
"In case you aren't hearing me right now, I wrote you this - it explains everything that happened since you...did that to you" he looks up to her, nodding slightly to himself, heading towards the door.
He looks down at the piece of paper, trying to see if he didn't write something important, staring at the last few words he wrote in there.
Please trust me - Armin
He knocks on the door, the guard letting him out, and he exits the basement, climbing up the flight of stairs, exiting at the ground floor of the main military building. He can see Erwin waiting for him, the taller man smiling warmly at him.
"I assume that she didn't move still, right?" Erwin says, noticing Armin's downcast expression -" If Eren actually manages to do this, she would probably get free, so just wait her out"
Armin softly nods, looking at people blocking the door with thick planks of wood, and installing an extra lock mechanism -"Yes...by the way sir, do...do you know what will happen to her?" he asks meekly, slightly afraid of the answer.
Erwin mulls over it for a while, thinking of what could happen if they'll decide to keep her a prisoner,or the ramifications of an execution -"If you don't mind me saying, sir, I think we should let her live...even without the Titans, we are still in a war with an enemy that we know very little about - Annie - I mean Leonhart could be useful in learning valuable info" Armin interjects, looking at Erwin.
Erwin eyes Armin, trying to not show his smirk to the teen -" You've thought about it for a while, haven't you? Well...it might be difficult to convince Zachly. Pixis might agree with you, and I can talk to Levi - to make sure, you might want to have a talk with the Queen" the commander finishes, standing in front of Armin -"But now we have to talk about something else, Arlert - follow me please"
The two walk down an hallway, arriving at a door, Erwin opening it and stepping aside to let Armin walk in first. Inside he sees Levi and Hange, both sitting at opposite ends of a table, a blank map on it -" We have no idea of the environment where Zeke is, so we can't make any assumptions. We have to come up with a plan to use our assets at the best of our abilities" Erwin faces Armin, sitting down in front of him -"You have shown great tactical intelligence during these times. What do you think our best plan is?"
Armin stares at the three officers in front of him, breathing heavily after what the commander said, staring at the blank piece of paper. Hange picks up a pencil, and starts sketching some rough figures -"The only assumption we are allowed to make is the number, since they would've used more people at Wall Maria. We have the Cart, the Beast and the Armored Titan on their side, and the Attack, Jaw and the Colossus Titan on ours, plus the survey corps"
"The survey corps with Ymir would make short work of the Cart, it's just for transportation, as far as we can tell" Levi interrupts -"We already know that the Armored Titan is a bad match against soldiers, so we need to focus on the other two"
"The Beast would be a problem on long range - if there's plain, or no trees or ways to fly, we would be spotted almost immediately, so we can't use the Colossus right away" Hange continues, while Armin is trying to keep all this information and thinking of tactics to help their success.
"But this time they will not expect us to be there - so even if they see us, they probably won't have a wall of Titans at the ready" Erwin notes, picking up the pencil -" And the Beast wouldn't have boulders already there - besides, those boulders weren't lying around, they had to be dug"
Armin sees the map, noting various scribbles and circled figures, and a list of good matchups -"I think that we can just focus on protecting the Colossus - by having two or even three soldiers on its neck, we can avoid the commander's loss. The steam attack has a huge drawback, the fact that it removes mass from the body, and the fact that it doesn't move - we were able to wait it out last time" he says, getting stared down by the three officers -"The Colossus is slow, and not agile - but it's also big. It has a good match up against the other Titans, but I don't think it would be wise to use it right away, but rather use it as a last minute threat"
Levi squints his eyes at that, not seeing Armin's point of not using their assets -"They know that the commander is the Colossus, most likely...wasn't easy to miss after all - why should we wait and not use it right away?"
Armin sighs, trying to not break under the glare from Levi, and turns to Erwin instead -"I think it would be worth a shot if we talked to them"
"No way - if they were ever even close to talking with us, they would've at least tried to do so. Instead, they killed us, and destroyed our cities. We can talk once they are all transformed into stumps. Maybe Eren doesn't need a full royal" Levi says, not allowing Armin to interject -"Ymir and a couple scouts will go after the Cart. Eren, Mikasa and Jean will take care of Reiner. The rest will go after the Beast. If anything unplanned happens, we can decide on the spot"
"That seems like it would work...but what about the commander, Levi?" Hange asks, wondering what his plan for their biggest asset is. Levi sighs, waving at Armin -"The brat is actually right in that - he's too big of a target, and easily spotted. We should wait to use it until after they make their move"
Hange stands up, barely containing excitement -"If that's all settled, Erwin : we should really train you now - just to get you used to using a giant's body for a while" Erwin chuckles at that, standing up as well -"Ok, I guess the meeting is over. Thanks, Arlert. You're dismissed"
Armin exits the room, making his way outside the building, seeing Eren and Mikasa waiting for him. He joins his best friends, together starting to walk towards the cabins -"So, did you put the letter you wrote?" the brunette asks him, Mikasa slightly smiling at that -"Yes...I did - if this thing is actually going to work, I hope that she's going to listen to it, and not run away"
Eren looks at his friend, a curios look on his face
-" I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I'm going to ask it anyway - do you like Annie?" the blonde blushes, a telltale sign of his reply, nonetheless nodding slightly -"Yeah...before all this happened, she...caught my attention. She wasn't...nice, per se, but...I mean, she-" -" Don't worry, Armin" Mikasa interrupts, holding up one arm to stop his rambling -"You don't have to explain yourself"
Armins sighs softly, relieved that someone stopped him before he bit his own tongue from that -"For what it's worth, I think she likes you - or at least, cared about your opinion of her" Mikasa continues, remembering their trap for her -" You'll just have to wait a bit"
Armin smiles at the thought, inhaling deeply -"Yeah...I know it's going to be difficult, but I'll try" he then notices Eren's downcast expression, and decides to ask him about it -"Are you stressed for tomorrow, Eren? You don't have to worry about it - just relax, ok?"
Eren sighs, wishing he could be as confident in himself as they are -"I know...I just...I'm afraid of messing up. After all, I messed up before, and it went to hell!"
Mikasa grabs his hand, squeezing tightly, and stares right into his eyes -"You don't have to worry. We'll be there with you, every step of the way"
"She's right Eren - this time, there is no plan. If you fail once, you can keep trying" Armin adds, smiling at his friend.
The brunette smiles softly, evidently still not entirely sure of himself -"Thanks...I'll do my best" Armin and Mikasa stand on Eren's sides, helping him feel safer somehow, and they make their way to the cabins.
"By the way, where is Ymir? Does she actually remember the place?" Mikasa asks, somewhat doubting Ymir's abilities to remember locations from over 50 years ago -"I mean it was a long time ago, after all"
"Well...I think that if she remembers, it will be closer to the location, that's the last time she was human...but what we will do is go to Wall Maria. Start from there, and just go forward...if Annie were to wake up now she would be able to guide us..." Armin says dejectedly, stopping in his tracks -" Maybe we should check on her again!"
Eren chuckles at his friend, stopping him from going back -"Armin, she didn't wake up before, the chances that she's going to do it now are really low - let's just go to sleep"
Nodding softly, the blonde follows his friends, entering the cabin, heading to their rooms. Armin smiles at the couple, transforming into a smirk once he sees them entering Eren's room.
"Again, we're just sleeping!"
"Once again, the survey corps will aid humanity - or at least, our people. Your courage and determination will not be forgotten nor played down.All of you are helping to build a better future" Historia is speaking to the remaining survey corps, and the squadron of military personnel following them.
"Regardless of the outcome for this mission, it will be a great help to us. Whether you remove Titans, or remove assets from Marley, it will help tremendously" she then focuses on Eren, staring at him -"Eren. The only reason we are able to do this is because of you. If you are successful, we will never be able to properly thank you enough"
The gates closing Wall Rose open, allowing the first soldiers to pass through, under the cheers of the population. Historia grabs Ymir's arm, holding her close -" Make sure he doesn't mess things up"
The taller girl smirks, and bends down to kiss the Queen -"Sure thing - don't worry!" she the joins with the squadron, urging her horse to trot faster.
The soldiers begin their mission, for now just walking at a normal pace, allowing the horses to save energy in case they need to escape from some Titans. Levi slows down, letting the MP catch up to him, and addresses them -"Now, this isn't like stopping people from stealing or stuff like that - we work together, we live together. If you see a Titan, call me and stand back"
The 104th squadron is riding at the front, the commander leading the way, making sure that there are no Titans in sight.
"Ever since we came back from Wall Maria everyone was busy clearing the land from Titans, so I don't think there will be a lot of them" Connie says, Jean nodding at his side -"Should be an easy ride to the wall - also with the light from the armor that Eren made, we can travel at night too...the issue will be over the wall" he finishes, his excitement to finally travel outside with relative safety leaking into his tone.
"Guys, this isn't a field trip - we've got the MPs, and they aren't trained in this as we are - the only reason they even got here is just in case the enemy has more people" Hange butts in, eyeing the MPs behind them -"They don't know how they're going to react to Titans"
Eren looks behind him, seeing all the people who willingly followed them into this mission, feeling even more responsibility on him. He then feels a hand on his arm, looking up to see Mikasa staring at him, a warm smile on her face -" Don't worry. You are not more responsible of them than we are"
Armin joins in, giving up on patting his friend's back due to his shorter stature -"You focus on activating that power - let us handle the rest"
"They're right, Eren" Erwin's voice comes from in front of them, the commander still looking ahead -" It's good that you're feeling pressure, and that you are afraid of letting us all down. But don't push yourself too much. This is all new to us - there is no failing here"
The brunette nods, shaking his head a bit, squeezing the reins and straightening his posture.
He stares ahead, the road clear of Titans, and he is filled by newfound confidence, the support of his friends helping him lift his morale.
"Do it...eat them"
Eren manages to keep himself steady, not reacting at all, looking to see if his friends had caught his trick, relieved to see Mikasa and Armin looking ahead.
The group arrives safely on Wall Maria, preparing to set up camp for the evening. Connie, Jean Sasha are finishing building their tents, putting a log of wood in the fire -" Well, not many Titans, as expected...wonder what tomorrow will be" Connie says, sitting down next to the fire.
"Probably Titans...the survey corps have never been able to safely go outside of here, without taking heavy losses - so tomorrow there will be interesting to say the least" Jean states, sitting down as well
He sees Sasha next to them, wearing a downcast expression -" What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asks her, nudging her with his arm.
"No,no, I'm just thinking...so we've assumed that Titans were humans before, and now we have the certainty of that...what do we do if...when we meet them tomorrow?" she explains, receiving some weird looks from the other two.
"What do you mean? We'll do what we always...oh" Jean stops himself, realising what Sasha meant. Connie studies their expressions, and understands as well their predicament.
"Since we're doing this to remove Titans, and also since Eren said that everyone will return human...do we still kill them" he lays out the issue, the trio looking at each other, their faces saying that they have no idea -"We should ask Erwin"
The get up, making their way through the camp, watching the other soldiers looking around, having a chance to actually pause and explore the world around them.
I remember my first night out...I was basically so afraid I didn't look at a thing..
Jean chuckles at the thought, shaking his head slightly, before stopping in front of the commanders, who take notice of the three scouts in front of them.
"Is everything ok, brats?" Levi asks, his trademark deadpan expression on his face,clearly bothered by all the ruckus around -"We were just wondering, in case we see a Titan, what should we do?"
Levi looks at then with disbelief, wondering just what they are talking about -"The same thing we did for the past, oh I don't know, 50 years? Stay away, and kill them if they start to attack" he answers, watching as the trio grimaces, obviously having more questions.
"Isn't the whole point of this mission to remove all Titans?" Connie exclaims, catching the attention of nearby soldiers -"Eren said that...that he will remove the Titans, and they'll transform back into humans! We...we can't kill them!" he continues, Erwin catching on to what they're asking.
"I see. Well, in the heat of the moment, we didn't really discuss about that" he admits, closing his eyes in thought -"We don't know whether Eren will manage to do this in this way- that's why we're also considering the fact of capturing those three, if things don't pan out our way" he explains, Jean having an idea of where he's going to go, and he interrupts him -"Meaning that, as for now, we...we continue with what we've been doing?"
"What's the problem? We've done worse, if you weren't aware - we've already killed people" Levi says, getting tired of this topic, wishing he could go to sleep -" There's no difference. Now go"
Sasha butts in, taking a couple of steps forward -"But those people were the enemy! They wanted us dead!"
"And, pray tell, what do you think those Titans want to do?" Levi questions her, staring her down, Sasha flinching at the sentence -"B-but that..."
"Titans aren't aware of being Titans! Ymir...Ymir said that it was like a nightmare! We can't...we're trying to save them!" Jean adds on, trying to keep his voice calm and collected, knowing that if they were to shout it would be problems.
"We're in a war, with a nation we just found out existed, for reasons that are still too dark or too dumb for us, and we're trying to remove the curse, to be precise" Levi stands up, glaring down the trio -" I know what you mean - when Connie first brought up the idea of Titans being humans, I was asking the same questions as you. But we can't allow ourselves to treat them differently. We do that, we die. That hasn't changed"
Jean, Sasha and Connie all gulp down air, seeing his point clearly -" You want to save them. That's admirable. But not now. And not here" Levi finishes, taking back his spot at the fire.
"Levi is right. It's obvious that you three are good people all around. We need more people like you. But now, we're at war. Good people die out here" Erwin says, dismissing the soldiers with a wave of his hand.
Eren and Mikasa are sitting in front of a fire, leaning against each other. The brunette turns his head, locking eyes with Mikasa, and they smile at each other -"Thanks for believing in me"
"Don't worry about it" she replies, scooting closer to him.
"I'm...I know I am not going to do it...but...I'm sorry that, that I would've used your...your affection for me to do this - I'm...I really am" Eren says, not being able to look at her in the eyes, feeling shame rising through his body.
He feels his hand being grasped by another one, and he raises his head, looking straight into Mikasa's eyes -"You don't have to keep apologising for something that may have happened - you already made up for it by saying it, instead of bottling it all up. It would have been awful for you, for me, for everyone else"
"Plus, a bit of a dumb plan, if you ask me" Armin butts in, sitting down with his friends -"Why would you pull out the Titans out of the wall? That's just plain insanity"
Eren chuckles, ready to pile on himself even more, when he remembers what he saw earlier, and he frowns at the thought -"Sometimes we have to do things that we hate in order to achieve something better"
His friends notices the mood shift, immediately moving in front of the brunette -"What do you mean by that?" Mikasa asks, afraid that Eren is going to back away from the plan, and force everyone into what he saw -"I mean...I mean that in order to have something...-"
"What did you see?"
Mikasa and Eren look up, seeing Armin's determined expression, not looking away from the brunette's eyes -"We can walk around it for a long time, and eventually get to what you saw, or you can do the smart thing and just say it"
Eren sighs, cursing himself for dropping the mask a moment -" It's nothing...it's...it's just something that I have to do, that's it"
"You have to do what?"
The trio looks up, seeing Ymir sitting down with them, her eyes still on Eren, waiting for his answer. Armin and Mikasa wait for the brunette to reply, silently urging him on by waving their hands.
"I...I saw something else" Ymir scoffs at that, already expecting something else that will mess up their plans -"Great...can we still do this or is it just a waste of time?"
"No...it's not like that - I just...I saw something that I have to do in order to make this work"
Eren's explanation does little to reassure his friends, who are trying to understand exactly what he means -"Eren...we can't keep pulling out some information at a time - please...keep going" Mikasa says, holding on to his hand, squeezing it gently.
"Ok...this is even more absurd and complicated, so please bear with me - somehow...I can not only access my father's memories, but also influence them, have my thoughts enter my father's mind" he pauses, checking his friends, receiving some nods from Ymir, the information apparently not disturbing her as it did with him.
"And...and I..." Eren starts to break down, some tears spilling from his eyes, and he tries to compose himself, gritting his teeth -" Don't try and keep it in yourself. Just let it out. If you need to cry, you can cry" Ymir says, Mikasa and Armin looking at her friend with surprise, not expecting something so compassionate to come out of her.
The freckled girl sees the looks from her friends, and softly explains -" Sometimes Historia and I talk, both needing to let loose...it helps us out"
Eren listens to the advice, relaxing his face, allowing his tears to flow freely. After a few moments, he inhales deeply, and keeps talking -"I...I made...I will make sure that my- my d-dad...kills the Reiss Family"
Armin widens his eyes, recognising the implications of what his friend said, but decides against interrupting him, checking first if Eren has something to add.
"M-my father was about to let them live...a-and I..."
Mikasa grabs Eren's hand, making him stop talking and instead lookimg at her. She moves closer until she can hug him -" Don't worry. You don't have to explain"
Armin thinks about what Eren just said, and decides to confirm it with him -"So you're saying that you have to go back in those memories, in order to have the founder, basically, correct?"
"Because if you don't, your father won't eat Freida, and all of this will not...happen" he continues, Eren nodding at his blonde friend, still being hugged by the raven.
Ymir raises one eyebrow at him, and nudges him with her foot -"But right now you have the founder, right? I mean you have to have it, otherwise a lot of things wouldn't have happened - like, first and foremost, you and Milkasa would be dead"
Eren widens his eyes at that, not having thought of it that way -" She's right - when we came to rescue you, you used the founder to manage to survive. If you suddenly don't have it, you...well" Armin explains further, seeing the brunette slowly coming to the same realisation.
Ymir stands up, stretching her back and yawning, ready to sleep -"Seems to me that everything that you needed to do in order to get to this point is already done, by your future self. So you don't need to do a thing"
Mikasa strengthens her hug, wanting to communicate to Eren that she is still there with him -"That actually makes sense, Eren" she pauses, leaning away from the brunette, locking eyes with him -" The only thing that you need to do is remove all Titans, and the curse. Mainly the curse" she whispers, leaning in again to share a kiss.
"Welp - crisis averted it would seem" Ymir comments, getting a small thumbs up from Armin, the blonde honestly surprised by how quick she managed to solve his issue.
"That was quick, Ymir - thanks!" Armin says, receiving a thumbs up of her own as reply -" Now go to sleep - tomorrow will be another heavy day" she replies, making her way to her own tent.
Eren is beginning to drift into unconsciousness, the stress of what just happened and the shame into not having thought of it sooner building up inside of him -"Eren, don't feel bad just because you didn't think of it like Ymir...you were just looking out for us" he hears Mikasa's voice, the raven trying to reassure him, and be feels her hug strengthening.
"She's right Eren - you just think of things in a different way. Now go to sleep" Armin adds, lying down in his own sleeping bag.
Mikasa, still hugging the brunette, lays them both down, the fire in front of them providing some much needed warmth. Eren closes his eyes, and after squeezing one of Mikasa's hands, he sighs deeply, sleep overcoming him.
"Ok, do you remember at all the place?" Hange asks Ymir, both standing on top of the wall, looking out to the horizon. The freckled girl squints, trying to recollect the events from years ago, sighing deeply -"Not much, honestly. I'm pretty sure that, after I transformed back into human, it was out there" she says, pointing in front of them -"I do remember not meeting any villages right away...then I managed to get in here. Sorry"
Hange sighs, looking out to the land in front, seeing only a couple of smaller Titans roaming around -"I guess it would be too good if you knew the exact location...so we're just going to have to go with what we have. Get ready. We'll set out soon"
Erwin walks towards Levi, the shorter man talking to some other soldier -"The group will be small, so no need to fire off flares to warn others. If you see it, chances are we are as well. Just follow the lead" Levi finishes explaining, the soldier nodding, feeling some anxiety at the prospect.
"Experienced military personnel are not good survey corps members, Erwin - if things go south, it won't end well" the blonde nods in approval, also aware of the general mood of the MPs -" It's only natural. We were the same way the first day we set out"
The duo walks towards the gate, Eren's armor still in place, blocking the passage -"As soon as Eren will break it, we are going to gallop as fast as our horses can - Hange did say that there are no Titans close to the wall, but it's still better to be safe" Erwin explains, looking behind, seeing the brunette looking towards them, probably thinking about the job he has to do.
"Ok people - get on your horses. Eren, whenever you're ready, take down that wall" the group listens, almost everyone mounting their steed, walking away from the site, giving Eren some space to work with.
Mikasa grabs his hand, squeezing it, and nodding at him, her support coming through the small gesture.
The sky fills up with lightning, steam rising up, making small clouds, quickly disappearing. Eren walks towards the armored cover, and after protecting himself with other coats of the material, begins punching it and kicking it, small debris beginning to flake off of it.
Break...dammit! BREAK!
Suddenly, there is a resounding crack, and huge chunks of the wall fly out, Eren's Titan taking a few fast steps to regain his balance. Immediately after, all of the soldiers run out, inciting their horses to gallop even faster -"Eren! ARE THERE ANY TITANS APPROACHING?" Erwin screams at him, the Titan using his height advantage to scour the horizon, only seeing a couple of smaller ones, attracted by the noise. Eren raises his hand, lifting up two fingers in reply.
Levi stands on his horse, using his gear to latch onto Eren's body, and landing on his shoulder -"Hey brat - take me to them. I'll take care of them" Erwin nods at himself, leading the group away from the two Titans, leaving Eren and Levi to deal with them.
Levi grapples on to nearby trees, leaping off of Eren, gathering speed in his flight, and manages to slice both Titans' necks in one hit, with surgical precision. He lands on Eren's shoulder again, pointing towards the rest of the group, the Titan covering the distance in a few steps.
Jean and Sasha are gritting their teeth, wondering who those people were before, now unable to know forever.
You can't save them if you die by their hands...you can't save them if you die by their hands...
Jean is repeating the same sentence over and over in his head, trying to stay focused, shaking his head and concentrating on looking for any other Titans around.
Eren, you better do this...
Reiner is sitting by the fire, slightly poking it, repositioning some pieces of wood, seeing a flame rise up from oxygen coming in. He raises his head, seeing Annie, Bertholt and Marcel around the same fire, their figures slowly disappearing, leaving empty spaces in their place.
He sighs deeply, feeling some tears trying to escape, doing his best to not let them, squeezing his eyes as best he can.
This mission really went to hell in just a few months...He is almost sure he knows his faith when they'll get back to Marley, having lost 3 Titans in total, and almost losing his own - Surely I will be eaten...sorry mom
He wonders what the 104th squadron is doing, imagining them smiling, laughing together, and he begins to smiles as well, wishing he could be there with them, immediately catching himself, frowning deeply, transforming his wish into a threat.
"What are you thinking about, Reiner?" he feels someone sitting down next to him, turning to face Zeke, the bearded man holding a cup of tea, his expression calm and collected.
"Just...just stuff"
"Stuff about...?"
The blonde doesn't reply, instead just zoning out, staring at the fire, not understanding how exactly they went wrong, and how they would've avoided this.
"If it's the mission, there's nothing to be done about it - we have valuable info. That we 'traded' for 3 Titans" Zeke explains, watching Reiner flinch at that -"If it makes you feel better, I also failed. I got beaten by one single person" he chuckles, his mind flashing images of a blood covered Levi, making him shiver in response -"I didn't listen to you properly - I underestimated him"
"He's the strongest human - not much anyone could have done" Reiner adds, trying to hide the pride in his tone of voice -"Mikasa is also up there with him"
Zeke tilts his head, squinting his eyes -" Mikasa...anyone I saw?" he asks, Reiner shaking his head -" She's an Ackerman as well - incredibly strong too. She literally threw me when we were training..."
"Wow! Someone was able to throw you around? Were you pulling your punches?" Zeke asks, incredulous at someone actually accomplishing that -"Not really - she's just strong"
"Ackerman...if I recall correctly, they used to be the King's guards - basically bred to be the strongest people...half human, half Titan...but I didn't know how strong they actually are" Zeke comments, Reiner nodding along.
"Tell me a bit about Eren, if you want to - how is he?"
Reiner thinks about that, remembering how he has grown to like the teen, always encouraging him to push forward, regardless of the adversities -" He's...he is a reckless idiot" Zeke looks surprised by that, but then nods, recalling his meeting with him -"Always wanted to get better than anyone to kill off Titans...he was lucky that he had friends around him that helped him as much as they did. But..eventually he did become a good survey corps member,one of the top ten"
"What happened to him? I mean, something must've happened in order to push him that way"
Reiener sighs, his mind flashing images of Eren as he told them the reason he joined the corps -"When we...when we arrived, the rubble from the wall crushed his house...trapping his mother underneath. They tried to help her, but...a Titan was there, and it...it ate her. So, he told us that ever since then he vowed to kill every Titan"
Zeke stays silent, understanding his half brother a bit better now -"I see. People like that, only focused on one thing, are more likely to ignore or even not care about what's around them - my father was that way as well. Ignored me, only focused on instigating. Did Eren act that way too?"
"At the start, yes - he was hell bent on getting better so that he could single handedly kill every Titan ever. That line of thinking also got him, well...in a sense eaten by another Titan. He didn't die...well obviously. But after he became aware of Mikasa being by his side at all times"
Zeke raises one eyebrow, growing a small smile on his face -"So he found someone, uh? That's good. At least for a while"
"The idiot was lucky that she didn't get tired of being insulted all the time by his actions - basically everyone saw what he didn't" Reiner says, smirking at the thought, failing to stop himself -"But she kept going. And now I guess that they're together. Or something like that"
Zeke watches Reiner carefully, seeing the smile and the warm tone that he is using to address them, instead of the usual scowl and almost forced hatred -"You made good friends in there, right?"
The blonde flinches at that, remembering his teachings, stammering to find an excuse -"No!No..it's...I just.."
Zeke stops him, raising one hand, smiling warmly at the teen -"Relax. It would be weird if you hadn't - you basically spent years with them, to not talk to anyone but Bertholt and Annie would have caused suspicions. Don't worry"
Pieck sits down next to them, her expression almost of boredom, watching the blonde struggling with his memories -"Talking about your friends? I guess that if I had been in your position I would have made some friends as well - it doesn't have to be real friendship anyway"
Reiner sighs at the comment, deciding to stare at the fire, thinking if the friendships that he made were real or not.
Doesn't matter.