Had a very productive week this week, lovelies even though the temperatures only dropped somewhat today. Also... more reviews! YES, I'm so happy and fuzzy inside~ x3 But I won't ramble on too much, because I need to get back to writing. I've gotten a new wave of inspiration! ;)
As always my lovelies, go ahead and enjoy this chapter and don't forget to toss me a little review, to let me know what you think~ ;)
P.S. All Attack on Titan characters belongs to Isayama Hajime. I only own my OCs.
23. I'm still here
~ 850 ~
He had read through about six chapters of the novel before Natalie shot up in bed, screaming Erwin's name. Setting the book onto the chair after he got to his feet, he switched to sitting next to her and only then did she seem to even notice him.
"It's alright..." he reassured her, when she latched onto him.
"Why am I—?"
"We couldn't get you to calm down so Historia had a doctor brought in. He gave you something to put you to sleep. You really gave her and Eren a fright."
Perking up at hearing the boy's name, she leaned back to see his face.
"Is Eren alright?" she asked urgently.
"Calm down... he's fine. After he settled down, he told us what you saw. He also mentioned that you met one of the other hosts."
"Yes..."
"Weren't you supposed to go there and talk to your twin?"
"She didn't come see us... because Eren was there. Are you sure Eren's alright?"
"Shouldn't he be?" Levi narrowed his eyes.
"He... I don't know how he could be alright. He just found out that... that he'll end up eating Armin in the future."
In the way the young Captain stared at her in shock, she recognized Eren hadn't actually told them everything. And so she recounted everything they had seen and heard, in as much detail as she could recall.
"That shitty brat... keeping something like that to himself." Levi huffed.
"I'm sure he's confused right now; not to mention he has this stupid habit of trying to bear everything alone. I'll talk to him."
"Hey... are you sure... Erwin's going to die?"
His sudden question startled her, and made her heart squeeze for a moment before her expression turned to stony determination.
"Not if I have anything to say about that. We need to talk to him... as soon as possible."
"What are you thinking?"
"I... might have an idea of how to deal with this ambush... but I need Erwin's help and a map of Wall Maria."
The light knock at the door interrupted her thoughts while Levi got to his feet and called for their visitor to come in.
"Cap—oh..." Eren blinked upon poking his head in, entering the room after seeing that she was awake. "How are you feeling?"
At first Natalie could only stare at him until he shifted uncomfortably on his feet. How...? How could he be so calm after all that?
"Are you alright?"
"What kind of question is that?" he smiled. "More importantly... have you calmed down?"
"You can drop the act, Eren." Levi called him out. "She told me everything you didn't."
"It's not an act, Captain." he replied, despite humor fading off his features. "I apologize for not telling you everything... I just needed some time to process it for myself and—"
"I'm sorry." Natalie spoke up, startling him. "I never imagined we'd hear anything like that. And then the second memory... that's not something I ever wanted you to see..."
"Say, I wanted to ask you; do you... I mean, I understand that was real... what we saw. That it's something that will happen in the future..."
Though he kept speaking in his usual tone, the redhead could see the anguish in his eyes. And she didn't blame him; if anything, she was impressed with his mental fortitude when anyone else would have had a nervous breakdown from what he had learned. Gesturing for him to sit on the bed at her side, she reached to take hold of his hand in a tight grip.
"It won't." she replied, earning one of his most innocently unguarded stares to date. "Things are different from... last time. I didn't run away this time; I'm still here with you. I promised I wouldn't leave you alone and I won't. I'll be right here with you and I'll fight with you. You're not the same Eren she knew, you're... you're better than that."
At first he didn't respond, only lowering his eyes to their joined hands until he suddenly returned her grasp. She was right; maybe it had taken her a while to work up the courage of accepting her power. But she was there with him now, she was willing to help him shoulder the burden of humanity's survival, she was trying her best to not let him feel alone anymore; to not let him feel separated from the rest of humanity because of his abilities, to make him feel like a normal person.
Even if that was the future that was written out for him, he refused to go down that path without a fight. He refused to become the kind of monster who would eat his friend and kill everyone he cared about. He would hold onto his humanity with everything he had... and knowing she was there to support him, that he wasn't alone in his struggle, that there was someone who really understood what he was going through, only further fueled that conviction. And when he raised his head, there was a renewed spark of determination in his gaze and in his smile.
"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we can... we can change things, somehow. Now that we know what to expect, maybe..."
"We can prepare as well as possible. We'll do our best to change that into a better future... together." she nodded.
"Good." he grinned cheekily. "Because I don't want to become the asshole who ate his best friend."
~ oOo ~
With everyone gathered in the meeting hall two days later, Natalie had to fight the urge to shrink away when Erwin spread the map on the table. She knew he was about to let her speak, and it reminded her how stressful it was to be the center of attention.
"Then, let's begin the meeting." the Commander stated, almost everyone subconsciously straightening in their seats. "First off, Natalie has obtained a piece of crucial information with help from Eren and Queen Historia."
Having stood quietly next to him until then, she did her best to swallow the knot in her throat and ignore Hange's encouraging grin which only made her even more nervous.
"As some of you already know, when we arrived at Utgard Castle the 104th Cadets mentioned an Abnormal Titan that they encountered, covered in fur and looking more like an animal than a human. They believed that Titan had something to do with the immediately following assault that nearly got them killed. I believe that he is like Eren and me – a human who can transform into a Titan... but one with the ability to control regular Titans, similar to how the Female Titan could call on them with her scream. I believe we should be ready for an ambush once we reach Shiganshina. I'm certain that this... Beast Titan is there along with Reiner and Bertholdt."
"So..." Erwin nodded, turning his eyes to the map. "Where do you think they'll ambush us from?"
"That's why I wanted Eren, Armin and Mikasa to be present for this meeting." the redhead replied, turning to look at the three. "You grew up in that district. I need a more detailed lay of the land than what this map shows."
"I don't think we can help much." Mikasa answered when the other two failed to do so. "Eren and I used to go out for firewood, but that was only to the nearest forest here."
At that she pointed out the location on the map, while Erwin retrieved a pen to mark it down.
"I... only ever left Shiganshina once, before the breach." Armin replied apologetically.
"Should we try finding an adult who lived there?" Hange suggested. "Maybe they would have more information."
"What about Hannes-san?" Eren perked up.
"He's a Garrison soldier... he would've been able to see the land from atop the Wall, with the best vantage point." Levi agreed.
Once Erwin had sent one of the Scouts to contact the man and bring him there, he returned to Natalie's side and gestured for her to continue.
"Then, while we wait... Armin. You and Hange-san were able to examine the Colossal Titan atop the wall. I need to know everything you saw, every detail no matter how small or insignificant it might seem."
"Yes." the boy replied. "Aside from the steam expulsion we already knew... I did notice that after a while his muscle mass seemed to... fade, I suppose? While you and Eren kept Reiner busy, he kept emitting high amounts of steam to keep us from attacking. After a while the muscles began to disappear, revealing more and more of his bones. I believe he's weak in a battle of attrition."
"I agree, Erwin." Hange chimed in. "It seems we'll have a long battle on our hands, if he transforms."
"Duly noted." Erwin nodded, again turning to Natalie. "What about the Armored Titan?"
"With the proper amount of hardening, Eren shouldn't have too much trouble taking him down. Especially given that his Titan's ability allows him to create weapons out of hardened crystal, rather than just protect his own body like Reiner. Reiner's Titan might be strong physically, but he's slower than Eren or me. Eren should still have an advantage of agility over him due to not needing full body armor, as well as the advantage of weapons against his barehanded fighting style. On that note... you've read in my report about what happened in the caves. I'd like to be allowed to experiment with this new ability I have; if I could use it in combat, it would certainly be an advantage."
"Granted."
No sooner had he agreed, than the door opened revealing the Scout who had returned with Hannes in tow.
"I apologize for the lack of uniform, Commander Erwin." he smiled, gesturing to the sling holding his arm. "It's kind of hard to get dressed properly with this..."
"It's no problem." the man nodded, gesturing to the chair the Scout had just brought for him.
"Well then, how may I help?"
"Hannes-san, you lived in Shiganshina before." Natalie began, once Erwin had nodded his permission for her to speak. "We have reason to believe the Survey Corps will be facing an ambush once we arrive there. However, the maps we have are lacking in detail. I need as detailed an image of the lands outside the district, as possible."
"Oh, is that it? That's fairly easy..."
Accepting the pen and paper from her he began drawing from his memory – the houses built right outside the inner gate, the small forests and the gentle hills which dotted the expansive plains stretching beyond the village – before at last sliding it back to her. And for a few moments the redhead examined the crudely drawn map with narrowed eyes.
"I would say the most likely ambush spot will be the outside village. They likely won't want to risk fighting us inside the district, where we have far too many anchoring points for our gear. But those exterior houses make perfect hiding spots and considering our enemies are humans, they could easily turn after we enter the village and lose a great part of our visibility. As for the Titans... we know humans can be turned into Titans, now; I think we all remember what happened to the villagers of Ragako. If we assume the Beast Titan is the one who has the ability to not only control Titans, but also turn humans into Titans..."
"Then he can hide humans inside the houses, and surround us completely." Levi agreed. "Even if it's not Titans, he could still hide explosives and blast us all into oblivion."
"He has Bertholdt." Armin interjected. "They probably wouldn't even need explosives; the Colossal Titan's transformation alone, if done in the right spot and at the right time, could potentially wipe us all out. That almost happened during the fight against him and Reiner at the Wall... and that was only from an incomplete transformation. I can't even imagine how much more destructive a full transformation would be."
"On that note... Commander..." she turned to Erwin after nodding to the two. "I'd like to make a suggestion. We should have everyone in the Survey Corps, who will participate in this mission, train to use the maneuver gear on flat ground."
"Is that... even possible?" Armin blinked, caught off guard by such a thought.
"It is. And we've put that off for far too long. It won't be easy; it'll take more focus and more effort... but it's not impossible. And it might just save a lot of lives in this battle."
"What are you thinking?" Erwin goaded her on.
At that she pointed to the village on the map drawing everyone's gazes there.
"If they do ambush us, these houses will be gone in the first few minutes. We can't rely on just these as anchoring points. If they're smart, they'll deliberately try to destroy all the houses, or push us back out into these open plains. Even if Eren and I should transform to help, we would still be destroying everything around us for lack of moving space. If we want to win this, we have to change the way we fight and the way we think."
Mulling over her words for a few moments while he carefully examined the map and Hannes' more detailed drawing, the fair haired Commander at last nodded.
"I see your point. Very well... I will devise a training strategy for this, and run it by you and Levi." he agreed, the relieved smile on Natalie's face not escaping him. "I'll have you two test it out, so we can fix any flaws before we implement the final training."
"I also... may have found something to help us deal with the Armored Titan." Hange chimed in, sounding oddly excited. "Since the Military Police are now our best friends, they showed me these really nice devices that I think will be really helpful. Even with Eren's hardening ability, it couldn't hurt for us to have a way to help him and maybe not drag out the fight too long. I'd say Levi's squad would be well suited to use them, and they should be able to coordinate well with Eren in his Titan form."
"Very well. Hange, Levi, I'll leave you in charge of that. I will have the new training strategy ready for the first tests in the next couple of days, as well as work on our field formation for this expedition. For now, meeting adjourned."
"Captain..." Natalie called out as everyone got to their feet and prepared to leave. "May I have a word?"
Once he nodded and gestured for her to follow him, she saluted Erwin and thanked Hannes for his help before hurrying after the young Captain.
"What is it?" he asked as soon as they were alone in his office.
"It's... ugh, how do I put this into words?" she sighed, blanking on how to explain what she wanted to know; her brain was still buzzing with everything they had discussed at the meeting, as well as the constant pang of anxiety.
"Why don't you start by sitting down?" he offered when she rubbed her aching forehead.
Taking up the seat next to her on the couch, he extended an arm along the backrest and tilted his head back with a sigh of relief.
"...Tired?"
Her soft tone had him turn his eyes to the young woman watching him with concern, and he moved his hand off the backrest to brush his fingers over her cheek.
"Not too much. Now... what did want to talk about?"
"Nothing good." she sighed, causing him to arch an eyebrow. "I wanted to ask you about something that happened... back in the caves... with Kenny."
At that he lifted his head and his earnest gaze told her she had his full attention.
"When you... blocked his shot... that, was that... I mean..." she stammered, before sighing again. "Was that one of those 'moments' you mentioned to Mikasa earlier that night?"
"Yeah..." he replied, this time pressing his palm tenderly to her warm skin. "I wasn't about to watch you die in front of me. I could have probably gone straight for him right after I deflected the bullet, but I needed to make sure he hadn't hurt you before I found you."
"Is that... something you can do... willingly?"
At her unusual question, he frowned in visible confusion; did she have some other plan that she hadn't discussed in front of the others?
"What are you thinking?"
"I didn't want to frighten the others, but... in that memory, Hange... they mentioned the Beast Titan was..."
When she hesitated, torn between her desire to not risk losing him and feeling like a monster for what she was asking him to put himself through, the young Captain seemed to realize for himself what she wanted to say.
"I was the one who took him down?"
"Yes... Hange said no one else could have done it, but you."
"And you think this is how I managed it?"
"I don't know... but wouldn't this give you better chances to do it? According to descriptions, he's larger than any other Titan we've ever seen. I... I don't see how else you'd..."
"You do realize those moments are not something I have any control over, right?"
"But what if you did? If... what if you could trigger something like that whenever you need it? Without requiring an external stimulus; would... would that be possible at all?"
Taking a moment to think it over, he at last nodded somewhat hesitantly.
"...I don't see why not. From what I recall, it usually happened when my emotions sort of got out of hand. Like when Isabel and Furlan died... like it happened in the caves that night."
In the face of her pained expression, he moved his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her into his arms.
"I'll do it." he whispered, his breath tickling her forehead before he pressed a tender kiss to her skin. "I think I know how..."
"I think we're both thinking the same thing." she sighed, her hands clenching onto his coat. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize for good strategies, idiot." he huffed with a measure of humor to his tone, leaning back to look into her eyes. "If it means better chances of survival, if it means I can save more of our soldiers by taking him down faster... then it's worth any effort."
~ oOo ~
"Say... what's with that book you brought along?"
Turning her gaze from the calm countryside landscape they were traversing back to Levi, Natalie smiled and held it up showing him the cover.
"Just something for the kids... I promised Marie and Fabian I'd read them some stories on our next visit."
It had been almost a month since they had first spoken to Historia about it, and finally the orphanage had received its first children. She and Levi, along with Natalie and a squad of Military Police soldiers, had personally gone down into the Underground to gather them and bring them into their new home. While the move had gone smoothly, what had possibly surprised everyone aside from Natalie, had been just how good Levi was with handling children. Even now she found it amusing how Eren and the others had reacted, upon seeing just how much the little ones had grown attached to their Captain in only a matter of days, whereas they still had trouble getting the children to listen to them.
"I'd like to hear you reading bedtime stories."
Startled out of her thoughts by his humorous tone, she looked away with a flustered pout.
"D-don't just say things like that out of the blue... you'll make me blush."
"Well, it's been a while since I kept track of my record. Now that things have quieted down a bit, maybe I should pick it back up."
Smiling lightly when she smacked his arm with the book, he reached for her hand and interlocked their fingers, taking advantage of the deserted area. It felt so nice to finally be able to enjoy a moment like that again; like a breath of fresh air after far too long of being cooped up inside. And despite her silence, he knew in the way she returned a gentle grasp on his hand that she shared his sentiment.
Only upon reaching the orphanage grounds did he release her, just in time for two of the children to come barreling out towards them.
"Nattie!" the little boy laughed, hanging onto her waist while she ruffled his hair.
"Have you been a good boy, Fabian? Did you eat all your vegetables?"
"Yes!"
"Marie ate all of hers, too!" the little girl called out, right before Levi picked her up and settled her onto his arm.
"Is that so?" he smiled, exchanging a brief glance with Natalie. "Sounds to me like someone deserves a story..."
"I think you're right, Captain."
Around half an hour later the redhead was sitting outside in the warm glow of the evening sun, a great part of the children gathered around her in the grass to listen to her reading.
=0=0=
Once upon a time there was a smart and kind boy, called Ian. He was on his way to see Aunt Carla, when he decided to take a shortcut through Thetford Forest. But it wasn't long before Ian got lost. He looked around and all he could see were trees, all around him. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favorite toy, Bunny, but Bunny was nowhere to be found! Ian began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Bunny when he'd left home. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a grey horse dressed in a blue coat disappearing into the trees.
'How odd!' Ian thought.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed horse. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest. Eventually, Ian reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses: one made from peas and one made from cakes. Ian could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
"Hello!" he called. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody replied.
Ian looked at the roof on the closest house and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else's chimney. Obviously it would be impolite to eat a whole house, but perhaps it would be considered acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting, in a time of need.
A cackle broke through the air, giving Ian a fright. A witch jumped in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Bunny!
"Bunny!" Ian shouted.
He turned to the witch.
"That's my toy!"
The witch just shrugged.
"Give Bunny back!" he cried.
"Not on your nelly!" the witch said.
"At least let Bunny out of that cage!" Ian pleaded.
Before she could reply, the grey horse in the blue coat rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing.
"Hello Big Horse." the witch greeted him.
"Good morning."
The horse then noticed Bunny.
"Who is this?"
"That's Bunny." the witch explained.
"Ooh! Bunny would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" the horse demanded.
The witch shook her head.
"Bunny is staying with me."
"Um... excuse me..." Ian interrupted. "Bunny lives with me! And not in a cage!"
Big Horse ignored him.
"Is there nothing you'll trade?" he asked the witch.
The witch thought for a moment, then said,
"I do like to be entertained. I'll release him to anybody who can eat a whole front door."
Big Horse looked at the house made from cakes and said,
"No problem, I could eat an entire house made from cakes if I wanted to."
"There's no need to show off," the witch said. "Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Bunny."
Ian watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Bunny to Big Horse. He didn't think Bunny would like living with a grey horse, away from his house and all his other toys.
Big Horse put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
"I'll eat this whole house." Big Horse said. "Just you watch!"
Big Horse pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more. And more.
Eventually, Big Horse started to get bigger – just a little bit bigger at first, but after a few more forkfuls of cakes, he grew to the size of a large snowball – and he was every bit as round.
"Erm... I don't feel too good." Big Horse said.
Suddenly, he started to roll. He'd grown so round that he could no longer stand up straight!
"Help!" he cried, as he rolled off down a slope into the forest.
Big Horse never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Bunny remained trapped in the witch's cage.
"That's it." the witch said. "I win. I get to keep Bunny."
"Not so fast! Ian said. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from peas. And I haven't had a turn yet."
"I don't have to give you a turn!" the witch laughed. "My game. My rules."
Suddenly, the woodcutter's voice carried through the forest.
"I think you should give him a chance. It's only fair."
"Fine." the witch said. "But you saw what happened to the horse. He won't last long."
"I'll be right back." Ian said.
"What?" the witch replied. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Bunny back."
Ian ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. He came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, he broke off a door piece of the house made from peas and toasted it over the fire. Once it had cooked and cooled just a little, he took a bite. He quickly devoured the whole piece.
Ian sat down on a nearby log.
"You fail!" the witch cackled. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."
"I haven't finished." Ian explained. "I'm just waiting for my food to go down."
When the food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from peas. Once more, he toasted his food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. He ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.
Eventually, after several sittings, Ian was down to the final piece of the door made from peas. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Ian had eaten the entire front door of the house made from peas.
The witch stomped her foot angrily.
"You must have tricked me!" she said. "I don't reward cheating!"
"I don't think so!" said a voice.
It was the woodcutter. He walked back into the clearing, carrying his axe.
"This little boy won fair and square. Now hand over Bunny or I will chop your broomstick in half."
The witch looked horrified. She grabbed her broomstick and placed it behind her. Then, huffing, she opened the door of the cage.
Ian hurried over and grabbed Bunny, checking that his favorite toy was alright. Fortunately, Bunny was unharmed. Ian thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Aunt Carla. It was starting to get dark.
When Ian got to Aunt Carla's house, his aunt threw her arms around him.
"I was so worried!" she cried. "You are very late."
As Ian described his day, he could tell that Aunt Carla didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.
"What's that?" Aunt Carla asked.
Ian unwrapped a doorknob made from cakes.
"Dessert!" he said with a big smile.
Aunt Carla almost fell off her chair...
=0=0=
"At least with Natalie and the Captain here, we get to do our work without those little brats getting in the way." Jean commented, glancing over to the loud group of laughing children.
"Well, it was the Captain who supported Historia in this project." Eren retorted from where he was leaning onto the fence, listening in on the fairytale the redhead was reading. "Being from the Underground himself, he knew how hard these kids had it down there. And this is why Historia wanted to become Queen... so she could do things like this and help people."
"Say, have you noticed?" Sasha pointed out, gesturing to Levi who was seated at Natalie's side, holding Marie on his lap. "The Captain's been smiling a lot every time he comes here."
"He is really good with kids." Armin agreed. "I didn't expect that, to be honest..."
"Well he is at the age when he probably wants to have a family, you know?" Conny chimed in. "I'm curious why he and Natalie don't just go ahead with it."
"It's because they put their duty before their own wants." Mikasa at last interjected, watching the pair with something akin to sympathy.
"Bah... at this rate, by the time they decide to have kids they'll both be too old for it." Jean shook his head. "What's so wrong with making a family? It's not like our duties as soldiers should be the only thing we focus on, in life. Is life even worth anything, if you don't leave something behind when you die?"
"We should all be grateful for people like them." Historia interjected startling the group, as she had arrived a few moments earlier and listened in on their conversation. "For people who have the strength to set aside their own needs and wants, for the greater good. It's people like them who drive humanity forward."
"Well, I don't think it's a bad thing to make a family while you can." Conny replied.
"Some people are just like that... they value humanity's survival with such passion that they burn their own lives to ashes for that goal." the blonde shook her head, her saddened gaze turning to Natalie and Levi; and she was once again reminded of what she had desired to have with Ymir. "Some people are just that stupidly kind and selfless..."
Sooo today's replies for my lovely reviewers :D
1. MordredVisor - Alright, first off I just want to say thank you so very much for taking the time to read and leave your thoughts on this! Especially because I'm sure people sometimes get scared of long stories/chapters, or just don't have the time or the patience to sit there reading for so long. So thank you! Okay, I'll try to combine my replies to all your comments here so I don't take up even more space. I'll list them by the chapter number where you left thoughts, so you can more easily know which one I'm referring to (I kept the website chapter numbers where you left the reviews). Also, if I somehow assume you're referring to a part of a chapter when you were actually referring to another one, I apologize ahead of time - I didn't have too many details to go off of.
(ch. 4 & 5) - I'm so glad that you're on board with the story, and that you're enjoying it so far. As for her first mission, that was kind of the irony I was going for actually. I'm glad it stood out for you, hopefully not in a too negative way. It wasn't 100% intentional, because sometimes when I really get into the mindset of writing, I let my imagination find its own flow. And sometimes things turn out differently than what I'd initially intended (just a heads up for future chapters). But with this particular one, it was mostly planned; the only unplanned bit was that I sort of built her up so much in the previous chapters, that this one could have felt a bit too abrupt. But again, I was going for a sort of "the irony of life" situation.
(ch. 6) - I would actually love to hear more about what in particular you found amazing in this chapter. The downside of being a writer is that you read your own stuff so many times (for spellchecking and editing and whatnot) that everything just kind of loses its "shine" after a while. Like, all the events just become something normal, not something amazing or out of the ordinary. So yeah, I'd love to hear more details about what caught your interest in this one.
(ch. 13) - Don't be shy, tell me more~ ;) Jokes aside, I'm not entirely sure which part you were referring to in your review, but I'm just glad that you told me how it made you feel :D
(ch. 15) - I actually did my best to keep that to a minimum, but I sometimes tend to overdo it with some elements because I get so carried away when I write. And sometimes even with re-reading each chapter a dozen times over, I may not notice that I overdid it. In that particular instance, though they were a bit farther away than Hange and the others, Natalie still got caught up in the blast with Armin just because the radius of the explosion was so huge. He only got away easier because she used her body as a shield for him, meaning she got the brunt of the hot steam. But I can see how it can be one-too-many scenes like that, and I'm grateful you pointed that out because now I can try to do better in the future.
(ch. 23) - Yessss cliffhangers muahahahaha! Honestly, I've always loved cliffhanger endings - I love to hate them! So I always try to come up with interesting/intense cliffhangers for my chapters, because that's what keeps most people hooked ;)
So these are my replies for today. Cheers, lovelies~ ( ˘ ³˘)❤