A Ghost in a Tree.

The 39th expedition was well underway, officially announced as the first expedition of the year 849. It was also Lily's first expedition amongst the Special Operations unit, and subsequently her first expedition away from her family.

The members of her squad seem to pick up on her anxiousness, however they seem to keep their comments to themselves, save Eld and Petra who both continued to throw her concerned gazes.

"I'm sure they're fine." Petra began, her fifth cornered look thrown Lily's way. The short blonde woman had been white-knuckling the reins to Kahavi as she glared at the horizon.

"Petra, I appreciate the sentiment but I won't know until I see them." Lily responded bluntly, finding the woman overbearing in the moment.

"Tch, I'm sure the rookie's just nervous about being on the front lines again." Oluo interjected uselessly.

"Oluo. For once in your life just shut up." Petra hissed. Another argument is brewing between the two and Lily's fuse was unusually short, however it seemed her Captain had beaten her to the punch.

"Shut it you two, we're almost to the rally point. You lot will be pulling security as the rest load up, think you can keep your shitty mouths shut before then?" Their Captain grumbled, his attention glaring past Lily — who flanked Gunther behind Captain Levi and Eld — to the very back, where Petra and Oluo were situated.

Lily threw Guther an exasperated look. The dark haired man returned her stare with an amused one, shrugging as if to say he wasn't surprised at the outcome. Lily merely sighed in response.

True to his word, the squad arrived shortly after at the rally point, another yellow smoke being shot into the air signaling that they were still waiting for the bulk of the formation to arrive. Their Captain led them towards the command tends, waving his squad away as he and Eld entered. Gunther took to the tops of a nearby building as the trio went about resupplying.

Lily finished first, her anxious mind eager to find a tall rooftop to mount and watch the horizon for Squad Miche or Squad Hange, and signs of her family. Her mind preoccupied with these thoughts, she hadn't even realized the Captain re-emerging from the command tent, Eld at his side.

She collided then, into the tall blonde figure that was Eld. He had grabbed her shoulders in order to stabilize her, a concerned look creasing his forehead as his voice finally reached her faraway mind.

"Oi, Lily. You alright?"

"Shit, sorry Eld. Wasn't paying attention." Lily apologized, pulling herself out of his grip swiftly.

"Carter," the Captain called, her golden eyes darting to her superior, expecting annoyance or even a scowl to mar his features instead what she saw was understanding. "Do you trust them?"

It took a moment for Lily to catch on, shortly realizing he was referring to her brothers. "Tim and Josh? With my life I trust them."

"Then trust that they'll live." It looked like he wanted to say more, yet Lily had the instinctual feeling that he was empathetic to her due to what she had remembered, back after her infamous return to Trost. And subsequently didn't wish to say more in front of their current company.

The thought alone was enough to settle her somewhat frayed nerves. "I'm here. Hundred-percent."

Satisfied, Levi turned to the rest of the awaiting squad — Gunther had rejoined the group during their conversation. "Gunther, Eld, Carter. You'll take to the rooftops. The three of you work well together and frankly I don't feel ready to entrust my medic to you two."

Oluo and Petra shrunk slightly at his words and Lily felt a rush of anxiousness different than the kind for her family. She idly tugged at her scarf again, finding the action soothing.

"Petra, Oluo. Mind the tents." Guard duty. Seems like the pair have certainly worn down his patience. The duo resigned themselves to their position without a word of complaint. Gunther, Eld and Lily maneuvered to the rooftops and perched in waiting. Their Captain had already mounted his black mare, heading to the outskirts where a few members of the advanced-recon squads had positioned themselves on their steeds.

Lily had forgotten that outside of Squad Levi, the Captain was also in charge of the four squads that made up the front of the formation. The Advanced-Recon squads were as front-line as you can get outside of the special operations. Tasked as the spear-head of the formation, and Lily was originally going to be placed there. Seems like even if she were to be removed from Squad Levi she'd still find the Captain as her direct superior.

"Seems like Squad Hange and Squad Miche have made it." Eld announced, causing the blonde woman to whip around towards the second-in-command. The blonde man pointed out the two squads, smiling warmly. "They made it safe and sound. You don't need to worry so much about them, Lillian."

Lily let out a sigh, nodding her head. "You're probably right. I guess I'm too used to having their backs and them having mine. I've spent years like that. It's a little jarring to be without it."

"You've got us now." Gunther interjected, his tone soft yet not unheard. He paused as if thinking. "Only we tend to argue more."

Lily let out a chuckle, understanding his reference. He offered an amused smile of his own as Eld huffed exasperatedly. "If those two spend as much energy on titan slaying as they do arguing, we'd half their population."

The trio continued to snicker to themselves as Eld pulled out a telescope, watching the horizon for any threats. Gunther pulled out a ration and began eating it as he too watched their backs.

Squad Hange's arrival within camp was heard rather than seen as the section-commander stormed through camp as if on a mission of their own. Lieutenant Moblit hurried after them with a stressed expression. Timothy paused by Petra and Oluo, clearly asking for his short elder sister.

Petra pointed her out, as Timothy seemed just as relieved as Lily had felt earlier upon spotting their arriving squads. She waved to him with a small smile before watching the horizon again.

"Hold on, Erwin!" Hange's voice reached even Lily who had been a distance away upon the rooftops. Eld glanced away from his telescope, looking over to the command tends to where their commander had left from. Petra refilled her tanks as Oluo seemed to stand around boredly.

"Seems like Oluo let his mouth run again." Gunther observed. Hange had Oluo by the collar now, raising him up as she spoke to him harshly, the words unheard from a distance.

"Eld-"

"Go Lillian, we'll be fine here. At this rate Oluo's going to need some medical attention."

With a stern nod Lily darted towards her comrade, still being accosted by the wrathful scientist. Lily skidded as she landed, her face stern as she approached, the lieutenant looked like he paled even more when he saw the short woman approach.

"Unless you fight him on those terms… you're sure to be killed!"

"Hange!" Lily interjected and by the look on Petra's alarmed face and parted mouth, her ginger friend was a step away from intervening as well. Lily placed her hand on the section-commader's arm firmly, her face neutral as she calmly stared down the agitated superior. "He's about to pass-out."

Like a light switch, Hange let go of Oluo, the man tumbling to the floor with a thud as the Section-commander merely hmphed in mild amusement. "Sorry, sorry. But hey, that's the way it is."

Hange turned to leave, however what was unexpected was the fact Hange had linked arms with Lily and pulled her along. She parted her mouth to say something but the Lieutenant's concerned voice beat her.

"Section-Commander!"

"So Lily, — I can call you Lily right? — I've been meaning to ask you. If I were to make an attempt to capture a titan, I can count on you to help, right?"

"Oh… we'll, I suppose. Depending if we have the go-ahead."

"Great! That's wonderful, now I'll just need to convince Grumpy and I should have enough support to convince Erwin!"

"What exactly have I agreed to?" Lily wondered out loud. The sound of smoke being shot off caused her to stiffen in Hange's grip, her eyes widening as they found the trail of red smoke.

"There's one in the trees!" It was Section-commander Miche who had called it out, hopefully that meant Joshua had made it back safely. Her thoughts were cut off abruptly as Hange yanked on her arm, dashing for a nearby horse and almost knocking over any poor soul who stood in her way.

"C'mon then!" Hange yanked Lily's much smaller frame up. She shouldn't have been surprised as Hange had lifted Oluo off his feet and the scientist was shorter than him.

Lily latched her arms around Hange's waist as Moblit called out frantically. "It's dangerous to go alone!"

"I'm not alone, I have Lily!" They responded, before turning to Commander Erwin. The Commander looked utterly confused as they said. "I'll go help myself, Erwin!"

"Wait, Hange!"

And they were off, much to Lily's horror. The woman scowled as she shouted at the superior. "You're insane!"

The manic laughter that followed didn't make Lily feel any better as they thundered towards the tree-line. Lily looked behind herself, spotting Captain Levi's black mare already being spurred into action.

And then it happened again, like in Trost. The splitting headache from before pierced her mind like a sewing needle the size of a knife. She winced, letting out a hiss as one arm let go of the section-commander's waist to clutch her head.

Memories, like before, rushed through her mind. A blonde haired titan gripping its face in agony. A brown haired Scout with freckles. A leather-bound diary covered in dirt, left on the ground. A hand clasping shut close behind Hange's form. The Captain looking murderous. A body in the tree.

Of course, the talking titan. How could she forget? It was the event that spurred on more titan research!

Yet just as she remembered these events, she starkly realised that if she stayed here upon the horses back, she might well get snatched by Hange's close call.

"Found you!" And just as the scientist spoke, there was the infamous blonde titan, its expression fixed in worry almost, as it turned to see Hange. Lily tapped the superior on her shoulder as she stood up carefully.

"I'm going to follow you from above. If you're in danger I'm putting it down." Lily stated firmly. She shot off her wires and ascended into the air, careful to stay just behind the fixated titan.

According to what she knew Hange was unlikely to be endangered until they found the cleaning but Lily wasn't sure. She wasn't able to count on her memories being exactly true. After having been bitten by a titan herself, she was unwilling to take too many risks in blindly believing everything will go to plan.

"Hello! Nice weather we're having!" Hange called out.

"By the Walls, Hange." Lily hissed, exasperated by the scientist antics.

The pair continued through the forest, the Titan hot on Hange's heels. The scientist was still talking to it like they were having a casual stroll. The titan reached out to snatch at the section-commander and Lily couldn't help herself from yelling out to the superior in alarm.

"Hange!"

"That was close, almost got me!"

The titan smacked itself into a tree, causing Lily to come screeching to a halt in effort not to get too close. "Damn it, the stupid thing's tunnel-visioning so hard it barely payed attention to its surroundings."

It was back up running again within seconds, smacking into another tree along the way. Lily kept a weary distance as she scowled at the creature. Sure it spoke once but the damn thing was still a mindless killing machine.

Hange broke through the tree-line, the titan tumbling as it followed. Lily halted at the last tree. Her eyes watched with concern as Captain Levi and the rest of the squad attempted to get its attention by shooting a red flare in front of its face.

However much to the surprise of everyone it paused, glanced around and seemingly noticed where it was. Turning tail and heading straight back into the forest with everyone in tow.

Lily felt herself sigh as she waited for its shambling form to rush past her and back into the Forest. Letting her body fall from the branch, she flew after it — well aware Hange would be frantically chasing after it.

Lily found the familiar brown-haired scientist hot on the titan's tail, already making a great deal of headway as they charged through the undergrowth. Lily narrowed her body as she soared through the air at high speeds, wind whipping her hair back as her cloak flailed behind her.

By the time Lily had caught up, Hange had dismounted, approaching the blonde titan as it smashed its head into a tree. Lily lowered herself towards the ground, skidding to a halt nearby the section-commander with a weary stare.

"Is this the place you were trying to reach?" Hange asked, already reaching for their ODM gear. Lily circled around, being sure to give the titan a generous birth as she glanced between the two.

Hange got too close, the titan whipped around and swiped at them once more. Lily felt her alarm yelp leave her throat roughly as she skittered back. The scientist managed to retreat in time, exclaiming about another close call.

"Hange! This isn't capturing a titan, this is playing with death!" Lily shouted, her heart racing in her chest as her clammy hands gripped her handles tightly.

"I think it's trying to show me something!" The section-commander merely replied, their interest solely on the titan before them. "What is it? What's wrong? I'm listening."

The damn thing looked manic, and a clear conflicted expression marred its features in an uncomfortable way. The creature was becoming more erratic and Lily decided enough was enough. Capturing a titan was one thing; playing around like this was another.

"It's too dangerous," Lily announced, head in the moment, with a racing heart she launched her hooks and thundered towards its nape. Eyes honed in on its body posture, waiting for the thing to realise her presence and swing out at her. "I'm putting it out of its misery!"

By this point Lily was almost level with its nape, her blades poised and at the ready as she rose up from the titan's flank. She became acutely aware of the third wire embedded into its flesh that wasn't hers.

"I've got 'em!" Oluo called out, much to Lily's cringe.

"Oluo!" Lily shouted in alarm

"Guys, wait!" Hange surged forward, but Lily wasn't concentrating on the scientist right now, not when Oluo finally registered Lily's presence far too late, the man attempting to adjust his posture to avoid slicing the short woman in two.

Lily ignored the killing blow in favour of bracing herself, a curse leaving her lips as Oluo collided with her body and the searing sharp pain of a sword sailed across her back, from left shoulder blade to right hip.

She tumbled to the floor with an unceremonious thump. Somewhere above her spinning vision, she could hear Oluo crying out, wailing in panic as she distantly realised the man had been snatched by the titan they failed to kill.

Lily fought against the searing pain, sloppily raising to her feet and fumbling with her gear. "Shit, Oluo!"

The Captain was there in a flash, his blades making short work of the arm that clutched Oluo, freeing the tall blonde man from his capture. The dark haired man spun a short distance, adjusting himself before launching himself towards the titans nape in record time.

Titan blood showered down onto the ground in a gory display of violence. The chunk of flesh that was once part of its nape thudded onto the ground and began dissolving into steam.

Landing, their Captain idly cleaned his hands free of the titan blood as he glanced at the still incapacitated Oluo. "You alright?"

"Captain…" Oluo sniffled tears streaming down his face as he lay splayed out on the titans open palm. "I'll follow you for life!"

Lily stumbled onto her knees, her back screaming in pain, already feeling the hot sticky blood soak through her shirt and jacket, staining her clothes more than likely. Their Captain glanced toward her now, his face flaring with fury until he noted the growing stain in her cloak.

Petra beat him to the punch however, already mothering over Lily as she adjusted her cloak over the blonde woman to stifle the bleeding. Kahavi was still with the rest of the regiment, meaning her supplies would be limited to what was on hand.

"Oluo you idiot! You're lucky it's shallow enough not to cause her to bleed out! What the hell were you thinking?!" Petra shouted, her anger clear as day on her face as she kneeled by her friend, one hand pressed firmly onto her back as the other merely emphasised her point.

"But this little one was my precious test subject!" Hange interjected, collapsing onto their knees in a dejected manner. "If we had just captured it, humanity might've taken a step forward."

Lily opened her mouth to argue but the already approaching figure of the Captain caused her to hold her tongue. He would more than likely get the point across regardless.

Hauling them up by the collar, the Captain forced the scientist to look him in the eyes, the silver iris glaring furiously at the section-commander. "Quiet, you damn four-eyes. If you want to become titan shit I won't stop you. But don't expose my subordinate to danger."

"Titans don't defecate. Because they don't have digestive organs."

"Maria save us, Hange — no." Lily called out exasperatedly.

Hange was shoved back onto the floor harshly as the dark haired Captain whirled around to her direction, an accusing finger being pointed at her.

"Don't you think you're out of the woods yet Carter, you still have explaining to do. And you." Now the Captain was glaring at Oluo's still crying form. "This is exactly why you need to learn to put some faith in her. We're lucky we still have a medic, air-head."

Lily's mouth clamped shut in order to hold back her excuses as she watched poor Oluo shrink more into himself. Petra gave her blonde friend a small smile, however it came out more-so as a grimace. Lily merely shook her head.

"Oi, Captain. Something you might wanna see…" Gunther's usually quiet voice had taken an unusual edge to his tone. His face was shadowed as he gestured to the tree the titan had been slamming its head into previously. Lily grimaced, she already knew what laid inside and frankly didn't wish to see the withered remains.

"What is it?"

Gunther shook his head, almost unbelievable as he glanced between the tree and their Captain. "You don't suppose it did that?"

Petra had wandered over towards him, curious as to what he was referring to. The poor ginger immediately turned pale, her hands flying to her chest as she clutched them closely. "How could it?" She breathed.

"What is it already?"

Gunther merely pointed to the tree as Petra turned away, clearly disturbed by the sight. The scientist seemed to spring into action as Oluo only seemed to worsen with his sobbing after having seen the corpse. Lily shifted once more, hissing as she twisted slightly, aggravating the cut even more.

"A 34th expedition armband… this soldier died a year ago." Lily grimaced, the corpse had been sitting there for a year. They must've been part of the wing that squad Daveen reported as lost. A sudden thought caused a wave of guilt to hit her.

Had they subsequently sentenced this poor soldier to death back then?

As gruelling and absolutely horrifying as it sounded, had Ilse Langnar not died then Hange might not have the right evidence to prove to Erwin about furthering titan research. Lily didn't want to continue that thought process, instead focusing on the present.

"It's hard to believe a titan would do such a…" the scientist trailed off as they turned towards Levi, eyeing the worn leather journal in his hands. "Levi, what's that?"

"This is… Ilse Langnar's military achievements." Levi declared, his tone quiet yet firm, however his eyes stayed fixed to the Parchment as he scanned the writing.

"What's in it!" Hange called, already making their way over to glance at the journal's eateries.

"Looks like Langnar was part of the formation that was wiped out during the expedition. Must've passed them on our way back…" Hange reasoned out loud.

"Shit, you're telling me we completely missed them?" Lily stated, horror inching into her voice as her eyes widened. She was the one who claimed all were dead.

It seemed Petra had noticed the horrified look upon Lily's features as she pointed out. "We both thought they were dead. How could we have known? It was completely devastated. No way someone could have survived that."

"A lot of impossible things seem to be becoming very possible lately." The section-commander interjected thoughtfully. "Titans breaching the walls. A bunch of rookie survivors returning back over the wall during midnight, and now talking titan."

"You make it sound like another day of the week." Lily pointed out bluntly, her face pulled into a grimace at the very casual recount.


Lily had busied herself with the task of fetching the medical supplies she'd need to patch herself up, eventually coming to sit on a broken wall, her equipment laid out on a cloth as she unravelled the cloak from her back.

A sigh left her lips at the realisation that she'd not be able to fix her wounds on her own. She glared almost accusingly at the suture kit next to her, as if the item itself was at fault for her not being able to tend to her own wounds.

"Tch, sit back down." Lily paused mid-rise of her standing up, her golden eyes darted in the direction of the deep voice, noting the Captain had arrived and was swiftly heading for her suture kit without prompting.

"I can have Josh or Tim help me, you don't need to do this-"

"Shut up already brat." He scoffed, placing a firm hand on her shoulder to force her back into a sitting position. Lily shead her jacket, the cut leaving a large tear along the wings of freedom that usually sat proudly there.

The first pinch of the needle entered her skin, and her fist tightened its grip on the jacket as she let out a hiss. Silence took hold of the two as her Captain worked at putting her back together.

She tugged at her scarf, still faithfully wrapped around her neck before she let out a breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. "You might need to be more careful about what you say. Your predictions seem to be coming true."

"What?" The dark haired man paused in his work, glancing at the short blonde woman with bored confusion.

Lily rolled her eyes. "If I remember correctly, it was you who said 'someone will end with a sword in their back. Probably carter'" Lily had dropped her tone in a joking manner.

"You're shit at jokes." Was his blunt reply. Lily gestured over toward Oluo, the man still sniffling and a general mess as Petra consoled him with a generous pat on the back. Eld looked mildly amused as Guther merely shook his head in response to something Petra had said.

"Could be worse, I could be like Oluo right now." She snarked. Her tone was flat as she glanced over her shoulder. She winced at a particularly harsh tug of thread as the Captain returned her stare.

"You still have explaining to do." He reminded her, however the slight amusement lingered in his gaze told her she had at least dodged the worst of his temper.

"Is kidnapping an acceptable excuse?" Lily tired, rolling her shoulders once Captain Levi finished with her medical needs. Wiping his hands on a handkerchief to rid himself of her blood. Lily idly began sanitising her equipment as she watched the Captain lean against the wall in the corner of her eyes.

"Had it been any other idiot I'd say no." He turned away from her now, glaring in the direction of the Section-commander as they conversed with the Commander. "But once that nutcase has an idea in their shitty head…"

"There's no changing it." Lily supplied, huffing with slight annoyance. Lily collected her belongings into a neat pile beside her before she turned to her Captain, her tone turning softer as she mentally prepared herself. "If you'd want to transfer me into the advanced-recon squads I'd understand."

The Captain gave her a raised brow look, his arms crossing over his chest as he tilted his head, silver eyes meeting her golden ones. "And why would I want to do that?"

Lily's hands tugged at her scarf again, her lips thinning as she felt her anxiety beginning to bubble inside her. "After today. I wouldn't be surprised if-"

"If anything you're a damn magnet for trouble, that's what." He cut her off, his tone blunt and straightforward. "I'm sure the Air-head over there has learnt his lesson. As for you, just focus on yourself. I'm not about to go find another medic."

Lily's heart seemed to have skipped a beat, feeling her shoulders relax slightly as the tension from her anxiety left her body like a deflating balloon. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice for the moment as she let her mind soak up the new information.

"You worry too much, you know that?" The Captain observed, his gaze scrutinising as he watched her closely. "You're not going to be removed from the squad anytime soon. Do you have any idea how many medics even want to be anywhere near the front lines?"

"And here I thought you had a line up of trigger-happy medics just itching to kick titan ass while fixing up yours." Lily replied sarcastically, finding herself defaulting to humour in order to avoid her insecurities being watched.

The Captain rolled his eyes at her, pushing himself off the wall as he motioned for her to follow. "We'll be heading off soon. You're riding double with me."

"Why with you?" Lily asked Immediately, confused by the arrangement.

"You want to be stuck on those shitty carts or ride with me?" His tone was biting as he sent her a scowl. Lily blinked. Realising he was trying to be nice.

She snorted, shaking her head. "Point taken. I'm sure I can suffer being stuck with you for a bit."

"Tch. Daveen was right, you're a pain in the ass."

"Hmph." She smiled somewhat at the memory of her late Squad-leader. She could imagine Daveen would be cheering her on right about now. More than likely giving the Captain some flak about it as well, 'I did tell you! You're stuck with her now, sunshine!'


Despite the few losses the regiment suffered, this expedition happened to be one of the more lucrative operations. Having retrieved high-demand supplies from outside the wall Rose definitely helped with their political favour. However to the surprise of none, the citizens who gathered to watch their return merely snarled and spat obscenities towards them.

"Well earn taxes everyone! Feast your eyes on the military's most useless branch!"

"When will enough be enough?"

"It's been four years, the colossal would have shown up by now, going out there is useless!"

Lily felt herself scowl as she focused her eyes forward. Her grip must've tightened subconsciously as her Captain threw her a look from in front of her. She sighed, lessening her hold as she shook her head.

"They've no idea. Barely four years pass and they're all ready to continue pretending like we are not clawing at any scrap we can get just to survive." Lily murmured.

"No, they're happy living their mindless shitty-little lives. More worried about where their money is going and not their future." The Captain's reply was as blunt as Lily's statement. The two seemingly in silent agreement.

Lily let out a quiet mirthless laugh, "Not worried about their kids future you mean. They're more than happy to shove their misfortune on the next generation if it means an easy life."

Her response seemed to surprise the Captain as he gave her a raised brow look from over his shoulder. "Didn't think you were one to be fond of kids."

"I prefer innocent kids over greedy adults any-day." Lily grumbled. But she shook her head in slight amusement, the corner of her lips turning up. "In all seriousness, I don't mind children. There's something beautiful with the wonder in their eyes, the creativeness and interest in the world. They want to explore and learn — it's admirable."

"It's dangerous." The Captain supplied.

"Maybe. But I can't help but want to help them find whatever it is they want to explore and learn about. Just wish this world was a better place where they can dream big without something looming around the corner, dark and terrifying."

"So that's why you're fine with staying with the scouts even if your brothers leave?" The curiousness in his tone was not missed by Lily, and she found herself humming in thought.

"I suppose." She relented, her head tilting to one side as her face turned thoughtful. "There's more to this world — that much I know. If I'm honest I'm just tired of watching lazy idiots sit around and do nothing as the future of those with less fortune get more bleak with every passing moment. It's about time people face reality — even if I have to shove their faces into it."

"I can respect that," He paused a moment, glancing at her in warning, "as long as you're not stupid about it."

"I'm a magnet for trouble, not an idiot." She tilted her head up defiantly, yet her words were light and almost amused.

"Tch," with the roll of his eyes, the conversation lapsed into silence. Passing through Trost's outer gates, the regiment spurred their horses into a run, dividing themselves into their squads as they crossed the last stretch to headquarters.

The Captain and Lily regrouped with the rest of the Captains platoon, made up of the advanced-reconnaissance squads and the rest of Squad Levi. Oluo immediately pulled his horse beside Captain Levi's black mare, his face still puffy but far more composed than before.

"Lillian," he sniffled slightly, his lip trembling as he bowed his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't think you had it and I should have trusted you-"

His words were a jumbled mess and already their comrades were giving amused looks towards the poor man. Lily placed a firm hand on his arm, drawing his attention to her.

"Oluo," she addressed firmly, aware that more than just her squad-mates' attention was on her now. "I just ask you to trust me. I have your back, you have mine."

A beat went by, and Lily tried for something Daveen often went for in times like these; humour. "Just not literally next time, okay?"

Guther let out a laugh and Lily could hear Eld's hand collide with the dark haired man's shoulder from behind her. Petra's small smile was visible from the other side of Oluo.

"Right," Oluo said, straightening. Nodding his head fervently as he adjusted himself on his horse and looked forward. A flush of red dusted his cheeks and ears as he pretended like his previous groveling hadn't just been witnessed by the entirety of Captain Levi's platoon.


Several days had passed since the 39th expedition. Rumours of the next one had already begun, a special operations expedition. The commander must have finally relented to Hange's request.

Whatever it was, it wasn't Lily's problem for the moment. She needed to focus on her training, and as she sailed through the air, flipping her body and performing complex twists mid-air, she felt proud enough to say she was finally performing with a deftness of one expected of the special operations squad. She spotted Eld waving her over to the tree he perched himself on.

He smiled as she approached. The woman launched her rear anchors on the tree behind Her, letting them hold her up as she planted her feet on the tree's trunk opposite the second-in-command.

"I don't know how you do it Lillian, but you move through these courses like you were born to fly." He shook his head now, a smile on his face as he gestured at her form. "I always thought you were a natural but now you've been having these extra training sessions I'd say your speed could match the Captains. Your strength could use more work though."

Lily let out a sigh. Her strength has always been where she lacks. She just didn't have the upper body strength and it seemed no matter how hard she trained, it wouldn't be enough. It was the main reason she preferred to work more on momentum and speed than strength alone.

"I know," she shook her head lamely. "I've been working on it but I doubt I'll ever reach a comfortable spot."

Eld nodded his head, flashing the woman an encouraging smile. "That's okay, we're able to work around it. For what it's worth you're progressing faster than Petra had when she first started."

Lily shrugged in return. "Petra's a really strong team-player. Always have been."

"Aye, that she is." Eld agreed. "Regardless, the fact you're so fast as a medic isn't a bad thing by any means. If anything it's probably better that you're so fast."

"Ah yes, all the faster I can reach you, — in the case you decide to get snatched by a titan." Lily states almost dryly. Her face scrunching up in mild amusement.

"Exactly." Eld replied, his tone holding his own amusement as he smiled at her. He nodded his head towards headquarters after a beat. "We should head in. If I remember correctly the Captains got you three on shopping duty."

Lily rolled her eyes. She hadn't forgotten that Oluo, Petra and herself were asked to help the Captain retrieve cleaning supplies. She had a feeling she was asked to tag along if only to tell her two friends to knock it off if they started to act up. That or perhaps it was because she seemed to be the only other squad member with a thing for cleanliness.

"How could I forget? Stuck with Petra and Oluo for extended periods of time should be considered a form of punishment at this stage." Lily huffed.

"I can't disagree there." Eld chuckled, shaking his head. "I'll be seeing you, good luck Lillian."

"Mmmm-hm." She hummed her response, already dropping her anchors and pushing off the tree toward headquarters. Her feet hit the grassy floor with a slight skid. Balancing herself as she finally came to a stop. It didn't take her long to rid herself of her equipment, meeting her two friends in the mess hall.

The two seemed to have already found their argument of the day; the cleanliness of their stables, again.

"I'm telling you, this time the stalls were so clean Lily could walk in without the fear of sneezing!" Petra rebutted, her face pulled into an annoyed pout.

"You're lying, she could look at it and sneeze just from the sight of it." Oluo crossed his arms, puffing up in defiance at their short ginger friend.

"The hell are you talking about me sneezing for?" Lily interjected, her tone flat as she gave the two an annoyed stare.

"Lily!" Petra yelped, unaware of the blonde's presence until now. She whirled around, giving the other woman a forced smile. "We're just talking about how with your allergy, we should be more mindful of dust."

"You shouldn't need Carter as an excuse to be mindful of dust." Their Captain's blunt rebuttal surprised the two even more as Petra shrunk into herself.

"C-Captain!" The poor ginger seemed to turn cherry red, glancing at her friends for any form of assistance.

"Oh no, you dug this hole. Now get out of it." Lily merely supplied as she crossed her arms. Petra's shocked and panicked expression darted between the three around her.

"Lily sneezes like a pixy!" Petra blurted out, pointing at her friend in an attempt to divert her embarrassment.

Lily scowled, flinching back with a confused stare. "What the hell? What's that for?"

Oluo broke into laughter, holding his sides as Petra hid her mortified face. Lily glanced at their Captain, a look of pain crossed her features as she silently pleaded for him to end whatever it was that was unravelling before them.

The Captain sighed as he interjected. "you pair of idiots. We're heading into Trost and you three are helping me keep this place clean. Now if you stop cackling like a nutcase we can get this done sooner."

The four set off towards Trost. Finding themselves traversing between a variety of stores in search of their Captains very specific cleaning standards. Lily had to admit that the dark haired man would certainly have given Lyra a run for her money with just how picky he could be.

Lily wouldn't complain however, as strange as it was the short woman found the odd familiarity between her Captain's need for cleanliness and her late friends bringing her a sense of home that she thought she wouldn't feel for a long time. She settled herself with the task of carrying their supplies and even sending some suggestions towards the dark haired man when it seemed appropriate.

Her attention however, seemed to divert towards the form of the Section-commander. The scientist seemed on a mission as they passed the four without so much as a glance, a package in their grasp as they went.

Glancing over her shoulder, Lily noted she wasn't the only one to notice the brunette as both Oluo and Petra seemed to be looking in the direction of where the section-commander had disappeared.

"You should apologise." Lily nudged Oluo's shoulder. The blonde man gave her a startled glance. "It was quite a mess, what happened with the titan. And you were an ass when you left the command tent."

The taller man seemed to still for a moment before a frown filtered onto his features. He looked down in shame as he nodded his head. Petra placed a comradely hand on his arm, her expression fixed in an encouraging smile. "It's the right thing to do."

"What are you brats muttering about now?"

"Oluo wants to apologise to the Section-Commander. Do you think we have time to do that?" Petra asked sweetly. Her arms gesturing to where they saw the scientist last. Captain Levi let out a long sigh, eventually nodding his head.

"Let's make it quick."

With the go-ahead, the four traveled over to where the last saw the officer, peeking around corners as they passed. Eventually they stilled, not too far away from where Ilse Langnar's family resided. Hange must've been returning the soldiers belongings.

"We should wait here." Lily murmured. Already pausing by the wall and glancing at her comrades. The three others didn't say anything however seemed to silently agree with the shorter woman. As they waited, Oluo paced around, his expression taught as he held the sack with both hands, seemingly looking smaller despite his tall size. He paused suddenly, his eyes locked ahead of him to the mouth of the alley.

Lily glanced over, noting the form of the section-commander who had stopped just before the alley. They placed a hand on their hip as Oluo greeted them nervously.

"So you guys are into following people around?" Hange jokes, their tone light as they smiled.

Oluo looked down, his frown deepening. "About what happened… I'm sorry! We could've caught that one, if I hadn't screwed up." He paused for a moment, his gaze flickering to Lily once more before he continued. "Guess that would've been useful for humanity. My life would be a cheap thing to lose, for that-"

Lily had stepped forward, realising what the blonde man was saying. Hange was there faster, their glasses flashing as the scientist trapped Oluo by his collar again. The poor man looked terrified once more as he gritted his teeth silently.

"No, I'm the one who should apologise." Hange glance over at Lily who had one arm extended lamely in the air from when she had originally intended to reach for Oluo. "To both of you. I nearly got you killed. I'm sorry. But never say your life is cheap again. Got it"

Hange glanced up, only then realising poor Oluo had been struggling for breath again, dropping him down in shock. "Oh..! A-are you okay?"

"Oluo, get a hold of yourself!" Petra huffed, pulling him up as he lamely remained limp despite her efforts.

"Maria save us…" Lily sighed, dropping her arm in favour of shaking her head. Glancing up to see Captain Levi somewhat exasperated at the events. Petra continued to mother Oluo until he rose to his feet. The group began heading in the direction to return to headquarters — Oluo nursing his cheek in the meanwhile.

"By the way," The Captain spoke up as they walked. "Erwin gave the go-ahead."

"Oh," Hange seemed surprisingly unenthusiastic, Petra and Oluo glanced between themselves and Lily.

"Wait for it…" Lily muttered, already hearing the gears in the scientist's brain turning. Petra threw the blonde woman a curious look, her gaze darting from Lily's form to the section-commander.

"Yahoo!" Hange exclaimed loudly, leaping into the air before grabbing Lily by the arm and skipping ahead of the group, pulling the baffled woman with her.

"Damn it, Hange!" Lily huffed.


Authors notes:

It's been a rather rough couple of weeks. My mental health has taken a literal nose-dive to a point I've been in some concerning head-spaces. It's thrown my workflow out the window and caused a real pain in my day-to-day.

Additionally I've officially been diagnosed with clinical depression, and finally starting the long and painful track to recovery and with that news I cannot guarantee the fortnightly upload schedule as this is the final chapter in my backlog that is finished and ready to upload.

Nevertheless I will continue to write Lily's story to the best of my ability, but the uploading schedule may be sporadic and unpredictable until otherwise stated.

Thank you ALL so much for your patience during this stage in my life and I appreciate everyone who comes by and leaves comments — they are all so indescribably uplifting in their own unique ways. Thank you all to those who leave kudos and lurk, again it's amazing this is getting the love it has been gathering and will never cease to lighten my dark days that little bit more.

I hope to see you all in two weeks time.

Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoy.