Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you're able to spend them in joy and cheer!

In case anyone is interested, I have a number of short stories on the website Archive of Our Own that are related to Yavena, Levi, and everyone else. My profile name should be the same as here; I've totally forgotten to mention this before, but I have 5 other short stories that could be read either alongside or separate from Mystery. The latest one I posted today is called "Why the Grinch (Levi Ackermann) Hates Christmas," it's just a doofy little fic with lots of fluff and comedy that I wanted to write. If you're at all interested in more of my Attack on Titan works, feel free to check them out! :)

Here's the link, just don't use the spaces! :3

archiveofourown . org / users / YavenaVerman

The seasons came and went: summer, autumn, winter. Just as the weather changed, so too did the Scout Regiment.

Yavena was happier than she had been in a long while, despite the dark of an incoming storm hovering far beyond. She knew that one day a war would erupt between Paradis and Marley, but she was also content to take each day at a time and take advantage of the momentary peace where she could find it.

Every day consisted of a routine: Yavena would wake up in the morning to train the new recruits of the Scout Regiment. There were more of them as the months passed on, which ensured that she always had her hands full. Her afternoons were spent speaking to Erwin, Hange, and Levi within the Commander's office, setting up defense plans for the new coastal base and for the supply depots on the way. Yavena would sit with Squad Levi at dinner and catch up with her seven young friends—each of them were all sixteen years of age now; their hair had all grown longer just as they had all grown taller to prove that time had passed. And to conclude her day, she would retreat to her room with a pot of tea and spend the soft hours of the night simply enjoying Levi's company.

Once a month, Erwin would ask Yavena to gather four or five recruits to scout the areas outside Wall Maria for additional Titans. While the majority of the Titans had been in between Walls Maria and Rose, there were still a few lingering about—Yavena took the opportunity to foist some battle experience upon some of her recruits.

Their operations had always been successful thanks to the fact that Jean and Marlo would always accompany her to help keep watch over the new soldiers. Each of them were astounding leaders: and during her reports to Erwin on how the Titan purgings went, Yavena always made sure to include detailed accounts of their phenomenal leadership qualities.

One day, she knew, she would ask them to become Squad Leaders under her direct command.

Just as she was summoned once a month to conduct reconnaissance missions, once every other month, Yavena was asked to travel with Hange to Ragako Village. Hange had been put in charge of further research on the two Titans they had in proximity: the Titan they'd come across during their first trip to the sea, and Conny's mother.

Conny had given permission for his Section-Commanders to run what tests they could upon the Titan-version of his mother, with the caveat that they do not subject her to any significant pain. This was a simple enough request, one that both Yavena and Hange had been happy to accept—and that was where they were, at the beginning of spring in the Year 851.

Yavena had not seen or heard of Ragako Village before the Beast Titan had turned its citizens into its own personal servants. It had once been a humble place, and peaceful, based on the way that Conny had described it.

Which was why Yavena was still so startled when she laid eyes on it, even though she had visited the village five times now. There had not been much restoration bestowed upon the city, which meant it was largely destroyed just as Shiganshina had been.

The difference between Ragako and Shiganshina was that the latter had had its people restored, and its buildings made livable again.

Ragako would never get to have that. Instead of a village that housed civilians, the village was now Hange's experimental playground away from headquarters—two large tents covered the two Titans under her supervision, and shackles and restraining devices were fastened to each of them, never mind the fact that they were largely immobile. While a significant amount of debris had been cleared away from the streets, the broken buildings had been left almost as a testament to the citizens that had perished.

"Hells, I feel so bad for Conny," murmured Yavena as she, Hange, and a few others rode their horses into the borders of the village. "He'd been visiting this place for so long, having to lay eyes on this ghost of a hometown all the while…"

"Aye," Hange replied, eyes downcast. "I was with him a fair few times. Poor kid handles it well, but…"

Whatever else Hange was going to say was swallowed down. Yavena did not press the issue—she did not need to pry into the emotional turmoil that Conny suffered each time he returned to his deadened home.

It was none of her business, unless he wanted to tell her.

"Any luck on extracting the Titan's spinal fluid?" Yavena asked instead, changing the topic.

Hange's face went sour. "Nothing yet. It's near impossible to extract alone—hence why I asked you to come with me today—and we still don't have the technology to study it in depth, even with the Interior Military Police's added support. The best I've been able to do is get a drop or two and preserve it in an air-tight container."

There was tangible frustration in Hange's voice, and that was no surprise. Their ultimate goal was to see if there would be any way to return those who had been 'Titanized' into their human forms—but without the necessary technology and materials…

"You'll think of something," said Yavena.

"I hope you're right."

They had reached the area where Hange's supplies had been protected and the two Titans guarded. Six soldiers were always posted within Ragako to watch over the village and the Scout Regiment's unusual charges, swapped out every week—the six soldiers that had accompanied their Section-Commanders relieved the six that had already been stationed.

Yavena waved a quick farewell to the half-dozen of her charges that were leaving and then stepped up next to Hange, who had already tossed aside the tarp that was covering the second Titan.

"Hello, Lolth!" exclaimed Hange, whose face was alight once their eyes were settled upon their Titan. "How are you today?"

There was no response from the Titan; it was quite docile compared to Sawney and Beane, or so Hange had said. Yavena had only seen one close call where Lolth seemed exceptionally determined to bite at Hange's foot, but she was still nervous all the same.

"We're going to try getting some more spinal fluid out of you today, okay? So just sit down and be good, and we'll be out of here in no time."

It seemed that the tent pitched above Lolth was keeping him drowsy, as he was not getting any direct sunlight. That was a good thing, however: it would be less risk for the two Section-Commanders.

Hange sighed and allowed the tarp flap to close again. They turned towards Yavena with their hands upon their hips and exclaimed, "So here's the plan. I've studied Lolth's skeletal structure at length by now and determined a new way to try and get some of his spinal fluid. I need to make an incision directly above the lumbar vertebrae, although I know it's probably going to be a bit difficult, as his torso is elongated, and you're going to have to keep the incision parted while I attempt to extract it! Sound good?"

At the first mention of 'incision,' Yavena's face had paled. She reconsidered the moment at the breakfast table the previous day, where she had told Erwin, Sure, she'd be fine to go help Hange with her experiments tomorrow, no problem.

How she regret that now.

"S-sure, Hange," said Yavena, who turned a heavy head towards the tarp. Most of the Titan was concealed again, but she was able to see a sharp blue eye through the folds of the tent.

"I'll be quick, don't worry. Here, let's grab the ladders."

Yavena followed Hange's instruction and grabbed the small ladders that would help the two of them climb onto Lolth's back. Hange passed up a number of tools to Yavena, all of which made her stomach churn.

Before too much longer, the two of them had set to work. Yavena kept her eyes upon her friend's face instead of anywhere else—she supposed her saving grace was that Lolth seemed entirely oblivious to the impromptu surgery on his back, and wasn't reacting at all.

Still, the sound was disconcerting at best. Upon Hange's direction, she pulled apart some of the Titan's skin, which was already steaming. Her stomach churned as there were some taps upon the bone of the vertebrae, and while she was able to handle those with a modicum of grace, Yavena could not keep herself from flinching upon finally hearing the promising crack.

"Almost there!" Hange cried. With deft hands, they extracted a syringe remarkably like the one that had administered the injection to Armin.

And then—

"Got some!"

A heavy exhale left Yavena's mouth. She did not wait for Hange's orders to say she could let go of the Titan's skin; before either of them could celebrate on this most recent success, Lolth groaned from underneath them, and he didn't sound very happy.

Both of the officers leapt off of his back and scurried out of the tent, leaving behind a disgruntled Titan with slowly healing wounds. The promise of their first successful attempt in months banished the lingering nausea from Yavena's being—she and Hange gathered around a small table shielded by another tent and stared at the filled syringe.

The spinal fluid was colorless, just as the injection from a year ago had been. The syringe was not completely full, but there was certainly enough for Hange to be able to conduct more tests, should she think of any.

"Brilliant," whispered Hange, who thrust a tight hand on Yavena's shoulder. Their fingernails dug deep into her skin. "We got some more! We actually managed it! HAH! Wait until I tell Erwin!"

"What are we going to be able to do with it?" asked Yavena, who was putting all of her constitution into not flinching underneath her friend's iron grip.

Hange gently placed the prize within an insulated case and tucked it into their pocket. "I don't know yet. But this is a step forward, after a number of months."

Yavena smiled. One step forward was better than none at all.

Before she could reply, however, there was the sound of horses' hooves approaching. Both women frowned and looked at each other; neither of them had been expecting anyone else to follow.

They poked their heads out of the tent flaps and instantly knew that something had changed.

Sitting tall upon his horse was Levi, and there was an urgency in his eyes that neither Yavena nor Hange had seen within the past ten months. His voice little more than a snip, he said, "Oye. You're needed at the beach."

"The coastal base?" asked Yavena, though she immediately returned to Meaning's side in preparation to follow his summons. "Why? What's happened?"

Levi regarded her, a dark look upon his sharp features. "We've got visitors."

It was normally a two day trip to the coastal base, but the three officers were forced to push their horses into making it one.

According to Levi, he'd been sent to make a quick check on the coastal base, and he had arrived just in time to note a small boat made of metal approach the sands. Under his direction, the Scout Regiment soldiers had laid an ambush for those approaching—there were only a few men, but it was obvious they were no friends of Paradis based on the way they spat at Levi and the others, calling them 'filthy devils.'

"No one was injured?" Yavena said. After having plenty of months to get to know the new soldiers of the Scout Regiment, the last thing she wished to hear of was any casualties…

Levi shook his head. "No, but we were lucky. They've got some strange guns that can fire bullets faster than any of ours can."

His voice had been calm and collected, but the way his eyes narrowed said exactly how troubled Levi was by this new form of weaponry.

They reached the beaches in the late hours of the night. Not for the first time, Yavena was grateful that the Scout Regiment's horses were bred specifically for hardiness and endurance—as soon as they arrived at the base, they were ushered over to where Erwin was standing around a table with the rest of Squad Levi.

Yavena could feel the uneasiness in the air even before the Commander opened his mouth. Soldiers were standing a rigid guard, their hands tight upon their rifles or their blades. Some were whispering to one another with furrowed eyebrows or sparks of worry in their faces. Off to the sides, a number of soldiers were in a tight ring, concealing something behind them.

The base that had been created was still under the last throes of construction, hence why there were a number of green tents aligned nearby. Based on the swift scan of her surroundings, Yavena figured they had at least seventy-five to eighty good men and women ready to defend the island.

"We should've known that the peace would be fleeting," sighed Erwin as his three officers trudged into view. He stared up at them with a hardened glaze. "We're nowhere near ready, but it seems we have little choice. I assume Levi has told you two of what happened yesterday?"

Both Yavena and Hange nodded, electing not to respond verbally.

"Good. That saves some time, then. The next thing you should note is this: we've spotted another ship approaching, bigger than the last one that we forced into the cove. Based on the trails of smoke it's leaving through the sky, it'll be here in another ten minutes at maximum."

Yavena glanced to the aforementioned cove; sure enough, there was a ship run aground. It was in plain sight for those of the base, which was hidden behind the giant stone wall by the sea, but hidden from view from any oncoming vessels.

She chewed the inside of her cheek, hard. The ship was more advanced than anything Paradis sported—six years ago, when Wall Maria had fallen and she and Hange were assisting the civilians in evacuating, Yavena had escorted a number of frightened people upon the boats herself. There had not been nearly enough of those boats to support all of Shiganshina's citizens, not to mention that the vessels were simple: made of wood, a modest size.

They were nothing like these hunks of metal, at least three times the boat's size, with so many bells and whistles…

"How will we prepare for our new friends, Erwin?" Yavena said, prying herself out of uneasy memories.

Instead of answering his officer's question, Erwin reached out and placed a hand upon Eren's shoulder. "Can you do what we discussed?"

The fire in Eren's eyes was bright as he saluted the Commander. "Aye. I'll go now."

Without any further elaboration, he ran off into the sea.

"I've asked Eren to pick up the ship in Titan-form and beach it upon the shore," said Erwin in response to Yavena's and Hange's flabbergasted looks. "This may be our first and only opportunity to gather information about Marley. If they've sent a large force to occupy the island and declare war, at least we'll have some warning."

"I'm assuming that means the delivery boy over there hasn't said anything useful," muttered Levi. He glared at the ring of soldiers with distaste—it became obvious that they were guarding the Marleyan scouts.

The corners of Erwin's lips turned upwards at Levi's usual sarcasm, but the fleeting smile was quickly worn away. "Unfortunately not. There's something to be said for the Marleyan soldiers' dedication, which makes them an even more dangerous enemy." He glanced across the nine veterans still gathered around the table. "It is likely that the Marleyans will not cooperate with us in any way, but I would still like to try. The nine of you will lie in wait with rifles and blades while I attempt to convince them into an agreement of peace—"

"Absolutely not," exclaimed Hange, slamming a hand upon the table. There was a snarl on their face: not one of anger, but of desperation. "Should the Marleyan army discover that you're one of the uppermost branches of command, they will not hesitate to shoot you. We need you, Erwin."

Erwin looked at her evenly. "Then what would you suggest, Hange?"

"Let me greet the Marleyans. We will utilize the scout they sent ahead as collateral. It might be enough to postpone them from firing and give us a slight bit of intel. Anything is better than nothing," said Hange.

"I agree," Levi said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "The last thing we need is your brain getting blown out. I'll keep delivery boy in check while Yavena waits on the opposite side of the cove to protect Eren, should they attempt to attack him."

Yavena nodded at this to show her agreement.

All three of Erwin's officers all but glared at him, aligned with this newfound plan. Seeing the way that they were ganging up on him, the Commander sighed, shook his head, and said, "Very well. It seems that you three have already dedicated yourselves to this idea. Braus, Springer, Kirchstein, Freudenberg. The four of you will conceal yourselves in the shadows close to Hange and Levi. Arlelt and Ackerman—you'll assist Yavena with protecting Eren, should a fight break out. Until that moment, however… use your best judgment."

"Aye!" shouted all six of them, and then they rushed off to obtain their rifles and lay low in shadowed spots.

Once they were gone, Erwin turned towards Hange and said, his voice low, "Use the prisoner as a shield as much as you can. They'll be much less likely to shoot if they need to take out one of their own in order to get to you."

Hange smiled. "Don't worry, Erwin. I'll have it under control."

Yavena waited for Armin and Mikasa to reappear. As soon as they had, with long rifles under their arms and pressed expressions on their faces, she gestured towards the opposite end of the cove and said, "Let's see if we can find a spot high above ground, to get a good view of the field."

Neither of them seemed to have an argument against that, and so they rushed off to scout out the rocks. Despite being so high up, some of them were slick with sea spray from when the waves were restless and crashed far above. Yavena was careful not to lose her footing as she tiptoed across the boulders, keeping a wary watch on the sea.

True to what Erwin had said earlier, there was a thin tendril of smoke signaling the second ship's arrival. It was almost invisible considering the pitch black of night, but the full moon ensured that there was enough light to see it waving like a dark flag.

"They aren't really concealing themselves," said Mikasa with a frown.

"It's unlikely they expected us to be beyond the Walls," Yavena replied, her eyes narrowed as a silhouette of a ship appeared over the water. "They probably sent the scouts to try and infiltrate the Walls for a few days, gather what information they could, and then return… if this was all-out war, they wouldn't be so kind as to send a few forces ahead to test our strengths."

"Wouldn't they?" asked Armin. "They sent Reiner, Annie, and Bertholdt. Even just the three of them unleashed devastating havoc on Paradis…"

Yavena shook her head but did not look at Armin as she said, "No, their purpose wasn't to declare war with us. Their mission was to retake the Founding Titan from within the Walls. Destroying Wall Maria, wiping out hundreds of thousands of people… that was just a method of flushing out where the Founding Titan was located."

Both of her comrades were quiet with that. Yavena could feel the disturbance spread through the air at her words, because it was a lot to take in.

What Reiner and his friends had done was distressing. Their actions were horrid, evil: and killing Eldians had not even been the mission they'd been sent to achieve. It was simply something that had to be done along the way—perhaps in their own mind, it was done to save the world.

To save the world from the filthy devils of Paradis.

It was strange, how peaceful the night was when compared with these haunted thoughts. Even after a year had passed and Yavena had spent many nights by Hange's, Levi's, or Erwin's side at the shores of the sea, she still hadn't gotten used to the sound of waves crashing upon the beach. It was a soothing gesture, melodic and repetitive; even at this moment, when it was possible that war was just around the corner, it gave Yavena a faint peace of mind.

She hoped the same could be said for Mikasa and Armin.

The boat was within range of where Eren had been hiding before another five minutes had passed. Without any warning, the indigo and black melted in lights of yellow and orange—the deafening sound of rushing water passed across everyone's ears, and then Eren's Titan was standing within the midst of the ocean.

Eren grabbed the ship and hauled it upon his shoulders before the Marleyans could do anything at all. Its operators and soldiers were screaming.

Thick, earthly THUDS accompanied each of Eren's footsteps, and then there was a giant CRASH as he nearly threw the ship upon the beach, so far away from the tide that there would be no escape.

Yavena's eyes widened as she looked at it… this ship was even larger than the first one she had seen in the cove…

"Hello, friends from Marley!" shouted Hange, waving a jovial arm towards the men that were sprawled upon the deck of their own ship. Their voice had taken on that rising and falling inflection that it often did whenever they were excited about something—namely their research. "Welcome to Paradis! I'm Hange, here to greet our guests who've come so far across the sea!"

The soldiers upon the ship began groaning and stumbling to their feet. When they were steady and noted Hange waving at them from the rocks, their hands went straight to their rifles.

But Hange wasn't deterred. They merely grinned at them and continued their spiel, their voice too light and happy to be real. "Why don't you step this way and join us for some tea? By the way, we've already made friends with this guest that arrived before you! Isn't that right, Nicolo?"

They stepped behind the captive with this last, this Nicolo: he was a young man in a white uniform with curly blond hair, and he was trembling from head to toe. Levi was pointing a blade at his back, preventing him from moving a centimeter.

"Captain!" screamed Nicolo, who was squirming underneath the arm that Hange had thrown so carelessly across his shoulder. "Forget about me and shoot these devils!"

"What are you saying, Nicolo?" exclaimed Hange, almost offended.

"He's tired of your shitty skit," Levi sighed.

Yavena's grip tightened over the rifle and pointed it towards the man whom Nicolo had been shouting towards—the man who could only be Marley's Captain. Without looking back at Armin and Mikasa, she muttered, "If anything happens to either Hange or Levi, we shoot. Understand?"

"Aye, Section-Commander," murmured Mikasa.

Armin was quiet, but Yavena could feel his cold resolve behind her.

"Nicolo!" cried the Captain from Marley. He too pointed his gun, but towards Hange. "Understand this, you devils! Marley doesn't mingle with filthy blood! Go drink your pig piss with your filthy friends!"

Hange frowned and took a casual step behind Nicolo. "Oye! You sure you want to be rude to us? Can't you see the Titan behind you?"

Standing behind the ship with glowing turquoise eyes was Eren. His Titan form had changed ever so slightly over the months; it had grown more menacing. He had been conducting more experiments and training sessions with Hange and Erwin, after all. It was no wonder why he stood taller, why there was more certainty in his own self.

The Captain kept his rifle resolutely pointed towards Hange. "We'll never yield to you devils! Say hello to—"

Yavena wasn't willing to take any risks when it came to her best friend's life. She pulled the trigger.

Everyone froze as a bang shattered the sky. The Captain collapsed to the ground, a red bullet-hole now adorning his head. The members of the ship whirled around to where Yavena was standing tall, already reloading her gun. She glared at each of them in challenge, silently daring them to try that again.

"How awkward," said a voice from the ship. It belonged to an incredibly tall woman with short blonde bangs—her eyes were even darker than Yavena's. "It seems you beat me to the punch, Paradisian."

Yavena maintained her gaze, ready to shoot should the need arise.

One of the other soldiers gasped. "Yelena—"

The woman, Yelena, pointed her pistol directly to her comrade's forehead. A number of other people upon the ship began doing the same; Yavena could hardly believe what she was watching. Was it some sort of mutiny?

"Hange!" exclaimed Yelena, extending her long arms. "I'd be happy to accept your invitation. Let's have tea."

All of the Scout Regiment soldiers stared at her, at a loss for words. But Yelena didn't seem to mind their surprise; she simply turned around and gazed up at Eren, dark eyes glistening. "I've longed to meet you, Eren."

Seeing that Yelena's people had incapacitated the remainder of the 'true' Marleyans, Yavena turned towards Armin and Mikasa and said, "Let's get back down there. I think we're lucky enough that there won't be a fight. But… keep your rifles close."

Each of them nodded and followed Yavena back to Hange's side. They were not the only ones to have arrived, however; it appeared that Erwin had grown tired of waiting on the sidelines and was prepared to take charge over the diffused situation.

"Yelena, is it?" asked Erwin. He took a step forward and saluted. "Welcome to Paradis. I believe we have much to discuss."

Within the next ten minutes, Yelena and a companion of her choice were sitting within the Commander's tent. They had been happy to relinquish their weapons and submit the rest of their people underneath the Scout Regiment's watchful eye; a small credit of character, but nothing substantial enough to warrant a guard being let down.

Hange was inspecting the pistol that had been confiscated from the tall woman's possession. This gun was smaller and of sleeker design than Paradis's own; Yavena remembered what Levi had said—that their warfare could shoot bullets at lightning speed.

Yavena was sitting in a chair next to Erwin, and standing behind her was Levi. His hand was upon the back of her seat while the other rested upon the hilt of his blade… just in case.

For once in her life, Yavena was not paying attention to her cup of tea: she was more interested in the company across the table. They were a strange duo, after all—a woman even taller than Jean and Marlo, and a man with dark skin unlike she had ever seen before.

She gazed upon each of their faces for anything that might prove useful. It came as no surprise that the dark-skinned man appeared nervous—he was unarmed in front of strangers, after all.

The woman, however… she was more of a mystery, one that despite Yavena's talents at prying into one's innermost thoughts through way of reading their face alone, remained unanswered.

Yavena frowned. She had not had such difficulty reading someone's face in a long while. The woman in front of her was utterly impassive, and it was maddening.

"So… Commander Erwin," said the woman, taking the cup of tea into her hands. "I take it you are the true leader of the soldiers established here, then?"

Erwin regarded her; a light frown overcame his face. Just as Yavena had tried, so now he did too: to read this woman, to gain any inkling as to why she and her people had pointed their guns at Marleyan soldiers for their own benefit.

And just like Yavena, he also seemed to come away with nothing.

But the Commander did not let any potential frustration show. He nodded once and answered, "I am. We are members of the Scout Regiment here on Paradis Island. Forgive our bluntness, but we must know: why are you here?"

"We're here to help, of course," said Yelena with a warm smile. "We've come with information we figure to be highly valuable to you, considering your position."

Yavena leaned back in her seat. Levi relocated his fingers from the back of her chair to her shoulder; it was not a gesture unnoticed by the dark-skinned man sitting across from her. She shot that man a glare, though he simply smiled and turned his attentions back to Erwin.

Sitting on the Commander's opposite side was Hange, who was still studying the weapon that Yelena had supplied them with. They knocked aside a piece of the gun; out spilled a number of bronze bullets across the table.

"Ah, I see!" Hange exclaimed. "That's how it shoots a bunch!"

"Those are standard issue in Marley," said Yelena. "The Marleyan army has twenty-thousand soldiers per division. With fifty divisions, that's one million soldiers."

A rush of dizziness flooded Yavena's head, though she couldn't afford to let it show. The Wall Garrison was the largest military division that the island had, and yet their numbers stopped thirty-thousand.

That was not even a tenth of what Marley was sporting, should Yelena's words be true.

"There's also the navy with three fleets, each comprised of twenty-one battleships," continued Yelena, her eyes almost glazed over. "They've made tremendous progress in new weapons and aerial warfare as well."

Silence settled over the Scout Regiment's side of the table. It was Erwin who said what Yavena was thinking. "You may need to elaborate what that final type of warfare means."

"Of course. Aerial warfare means that there are vehicles allowing one to attack the enemy from the sky," said the man, whose name he had still not revealed.

"Huhh? From the sky?" Hange shrieked, leaping to their feet.

Erwin reached out and placed his hand upon their shoulder, gently redirecting them into their chair. "I see. Should your words be true, it appears that Marley's military outclasses our own considerably. Why, then, have they restrained from attacking us within the past year?"

"There are two main reasons," said Yelena, taking a leisurely sip of tea. "One being the Pure Titans released here. Even with the latest weapons, they would hinder a land assault. They were used as a tool to confine Eldians within the Wall, but in turn, they've protected Eldia from invasion."

"Yeah. Ain't that funny," muttered Levi. His fingers clenched over Yavena's shoulder, and while she wished to grab his hand, she knew that to reveal any sort of attachment in front of dubious allies would be an unwise move indeed. The dark-skinned man had already picked up on it; the last thing she needed was to confirm whatever suspicions he had.

Yelena moved forward, dark eyes flitting from one person to the next. "Though dawn is coming soon, and that's when Titans are active. But if we're way out here, sipping on tea outside the Walls, you must have killed all the Titans roaming around. Is that true?"

"And what if it is? You going to report it to Marley?" Levi returned.

"No… it blows away my expectations." The wonder in Yelena's eyes was enough to support this statement.

Erwin picked up his teacup, one finger carefully threaded through its handle, though he did not take a drink. "What is the second reason?"

"Currently, Marley is at war with multiple nations; they can't be bothered with Paradis," said Yelena, smirking. "You defeated the Warrior Unit, the pride of Marley, and captured two of their main weapons: the Colossal and the Female Titan. Marleys' many enemies took notice and were quick to unite and declare war."

A coolness settled within the depth of Yavena's bones. To think that there was even more outside the Walls, beyond Paradis—even more than Marley…

"Does that mean those nations might be allies of ours one day?" she asked. She grasped the heated porcelain of the teacup in between her palms in a futile effort to banish the chill from her body.

It seemed that her question was one that made both Yelena and her comrade uneasy. They did not exchange looks, but each of their eyes flickered down to the table.

"It is… unlikely," said the man. His voice was smooth and warm; quite a useful tool for a supposed diplomat. "The last one-hundred years have been spent with the entire world looking down upon Eldians… and the people within the Walls, upon the island of Paradis, most of all."

This was not an unexpected answer, but it still shattered Yavena's constitution to hear it. She was of course careful not to show it outwardly, but the tear in her heart felt like it was crying.

Fifteen years she had spent with the Scout Regiment, tirelessly fighting Titans for the sake of humankind within the Walls. And now, after so much time, it appeared that the end of the fighting was still too much to hope for—sooner or later, Yavena was sure, the Marleyans would redirect their warships and their military forces to Paradis.

The fighting would continue: there was no peace soon to come.

"If you and your soldiers are secret agents who infiltrated Marley, I'm guessing you came from conquered nations?" asked Hange, breaking the chilling silence that had settled across the table. It was so poignant that when Yavena took another sip of tea, it seemed lukewarm at best.

Now it was their turn to be quiet. Neither Yelena nor her friend had an answer.

Hange laughed lightly and gestured to them. "Oh, I'm right! If you're going up against Marley, you must have some big backers!"

Yelena set her teacup upon its saucer with a sigh. "We're not secret agents or anything of the sort. We were powerless… Marley took our homes and forced us to become soldiers. We were close to losing hope at ever striking back. Until we met him—a Titan that people of the world feared, calling it a devil. But I saw something completely different… a god. One that gave hope to the powerless."

She stared at the four officers of the Scout Regiment with a resolve that any soldier was expected to have, if they truly wished to survive. "Under Zeke Jaeger's command, we shot our superiors. We're the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers. Our goal: to free the Eldian people."

"Zeke Jaeger," repeated Erwin. A sign of surprise escaped him by way of his strong eyebrows raising. He shot Yavena a knowing look, one that was duly returned.

Yavena knew exactly what was on Erwin's mind: that this was Grisha's other son… Eren's half-brother.

Despite the situation, she almost wanted to laugh. It seemed that Titanization ran in the Jaeger bloodline. Yavena rose her teacup to her mouth in an effort to hide this inappropriate amusement—

"Aye. You may know him as the Beast Titan."

The teacup fell from Yavena's hands. There was only a little liquid left within the cup, but it splashed across the table all the same.

Everyone stared at the droplets of black tea that flecked the previously unblemished surface of the table. Yavena felt their eyes transfer from the mess to her own face, which had grown pale and uncertain.

As soon as her horrified expression had arrived, it was gone. This was not a time to reveal any type of weakness, any fear—she retrieved some of the handkerchiefs from within her jacket pocket and mopped up the mess. Only once the table was again spotless and the soaked cloths were in her hands did Yavena say, "Sorry about that, Erwin. I didn't mean to disrupt. If you don't mind, I'm going to get some fresh air."

Before he or anyone else could say a word, she had risen from her chair and left the tent.

Seeing as it was early spring, the nighttime air was brisk. Under normal circumstances, Yavena would complain until Levi grew tired of her whining and fetched her a quilt—but tonight was very different. Tonight, the chill helped to bring her out of her own head, for which small service she was grateful.

It had been a year since the reclamation of Wall Maria: a year since Yavena had ridden headfirst into the avalanche of boulders that had not just killed, but destroyed the recruits that she had gotten to know. She still knew their names, all forty-five of them; not to mention that a number of veteran soldiers had been wiped out by the blasts as well.

The nightmares had stopped six months prior. But the guilt was still there, even if it was buried under twelve months of progress and slowly-built healing.

Based on the brief flash of light that had appeared behind her, Yavena guessed that someone had followed her outside. She did not need to turn around to know who it was.

"It's not too late to kill them."

Yavena chuckled but did not turn around. "I appreciate the sentiment, but you don't kill in cold blood. And even if you did, we don't seem to have any hope for allies outside of these Anti-Marleyan Volunteers…"

"I don't trust them. We have no way of knowing they're telling the truth."

With that, Levi stepped forward to take his usual place at her side. His gaze was locked on the waves below; even now, those waves made some miniscule progress to calm Yavena's quickening heartbeat.

She sighed. "It looks so peaceful, doesn't it? Who'd ever guess that beyond that sea lie millions of people that are all so full of hate?"

Levi was quiet. And in the silence, Yavena thought back to her early dreams from when she was a child.

Whenever she had dared to think about a world beyond the Walls, she would think of beautiful landscapes like in the maps of the books she read. She thought of castles, wonders from medieval ages made of unyielding rock and stone, and of the empty night skies and plains untouched by the fear that ran rampant within the borders of the Walls.

Yavena would often tell her Aunt Dorothea of these fantasies, and she was always met with the same answer. Her Aunt would laugh, grab a hairbrush, and settle herself down behind Yavena with the warm words, "One day, dear girl, you will get to see all of those things."

Now, fifteen years later, Yavena had explored the area outside of the Walls. She had seen all that the island had to offer; there were no castles, no ancient wonders like in the books she read. There were deserts, yes. There was an ocean. Maybe there would even be those lights, the Aurora Borealis that Levi had mentioned wanting to see when she'd pestered him.

And hundreds of leagues away, further beyond the island… there were other people so full of loathing, of senseless hate, for a history that had not been of Eldians' own making.

That was painful. It was more than painful, it was heartbreaking. Hundreds of millions of people… they were all aligned against Yavena and her loved ones for no fault of their own. It was just history—old enmities that refused to be forgotten, the sins of the father thrust onto the son.

Yavena did not know what was worse: confining herself and everyone she loved to the same tiny island so they could prevent another war, or committing to that war and losing more comrades along the path to true freedom.

At this point, all she wanted was to live a peaceful life with the people she loved.

It had been a long fifteen years of fighting.

"What are you thinking?"

Levi's voice brought Yavena out of her own thoughts. He turned to look at her, fortitude as ever upon his face. Yavena had grown used to his strength—on days when she was burdened by her past, she would use that strength as a crutch. The same could be said for when Levi was troubled, and he would come to her, silent and uncertain. They both knew that they could each turn to each other, when most they needed it.

"I'm thinking that I'm tired of all this," said Yavena. She kept her voice strong, knowing that to stumble and fall meant that she might never get back up. "I just want to reach the day where I can sit on my own back porch with you, a cup of tea in our hands."

A disturbed frown overtook his features, making them sharper than they usually were. "It seems that there will be a long way to go still."

Yavena nodded. "Based on what Yelena and her friend said, it seems as though Marley isn't just going to let us live peacefully… they sent their Warrior Unit to attack us seven years ago, after all."

She sighed and turned to face Levi, taking what comfort she could from his presence. "But I'll keep fighting until it's over. I promised you, long ago: that I would continue to fight so long as there was one person beside me, no matter who it is. I intend to hold to that."

"Good," he replied. Levi scanned her briefly, clearly attempting to find something. Yavena did not hide away her thoughts; she let him see. His eyes softened, that barest hint of a wall falling away. "I intend on upholding the promise I made you as well. If Zeke Jaeger steps one toe out of line, I'm turning that damn monkey into carpeting."

Yavena laughed, a flicker of normalcy returned to her by the gesture. "Too bad his fur would evaporate within a minute or two. The Beast Titan's pelt would be quite the nice throw rug."

Levi exhaled through his nose, certainly a restrained laugh.

It was only five minutes later that Erwin and the others exited the tent. The Commander updated them on the agreement that the Scout Regiment and the Anti-Marleyan Volunteers were considering: the Volunteers would introduce some of Marley's technology to the island of Paradis, to further their chances of success for the war that would one day come.

"Do you honestly trust them to uphold their end of the bargain, Erwin?" Levi asked lowly, his arms crossed.

Erwin, however, stood tall as he answered, "I trust that their intentions are what they say: that they wish to help us. What I do not trust is their statement claiming they want nothing in return."

With that, the Commander wished them both a goodnight, and said that they should rest up while they were able. Both Levi and Yavena took him up on his words, but as Yavena retreated to one of the officer's tents, she could not help feeling uneasy with something regarding this new partnership.