Armin ran as fast as his small legs could take him. He started from where he left Mikasa and the flabbergasted Eren at the Wall City Tavern. He already passed the Wall Rose 3DMG Repair Shop, which was roughly 100 miles away from his starting point.

He panted and gasped for air. His heart was pounding so fast and he felt faint. He really wasn't suited for this. He knew he would be better off hidden in a secluded library filled with all the books and tomes in the world.

His stomach twisted when he saw Jean staring at him from behind the window of Serendipity tea house. He was with Marco, a friendly face, but the sight of Jean sniggering at his incompetence awhile ago made him feel uncomfortable.

Armin looked back at the stone road. It was made out of broken pebbles and fragmented rocks, the same kind of flooring way back in Shiganshima.

"Armin, remembering these horrible memories will destroy you. Stop overthinking about-"

He accidentally bumped a man carrying a basket of vegetables. "Hey, watch it, scrawny!"

Armin murmured an apology as he slowed his pace into a brisk walk. He knew Eren would catch up with him sooner or later. Although he would love to see Eren's teal green eyes which he could drown himself in, being sermoned by his best friend (and crush) might not be the best way to end the day.

Eren saved him from Commander Yeti. Armin grinned as he replayed the scene where Eren had given him hope.

"Stop grinning like an idiot," a familiar voice seethed beside him. His grin disappeared when he found himself staring at the unforgiving eyes of the loner Annie Leonhart who was munching on something in the dark side of an alley.

She leaned against the white-washed walls of a red-roofed home, with one boot propped up against the immaculately white wall. That was sure to leave a footprint or two, but Annie couldn't care less.

Armin stopped in his tracks as he found himself gawking at her. She seemed to be regarding him with contempt during the 25 kilometer run but right now, he swore he saw a hint of compassion in her eyes.

"She probably needs a companion right now," he thought tohimself as he inched forward towards her.

"You were pathetic out there, Arlert. Pathetic but determined," Annie casually said, in between swallows of the food she was chewing on. As Armin walked towards her casual figure, he noticed that she was munching on a potato.

He looked down to hide his embarrassment. "Yeah, it's true. I guess I am not meant for this," he smiled sadly.

Annie reached inside the pocket of her white jeggings. Armin still noticed she was still dressed in her Survey Corps jacket. What a rebel.

New recruits were not allowed to wear the Survey Corps jackets outside training. They were required to deposit them inside their respective lockers inside the soldiers barracks after training. Only full-fledged Survey Corps soldiers were allowed to wear the prestigious brown jacket with the Wings of Liberty insignia outside the camp.

Annie pulled out an irregularly-shaped potato and handed it to Armin. Armin was surprised.

"N-No, it's fine, Annie. I am not hungry…"

Annie kept the potato outstretched in her free hand. "Take it, Arlert. Sasha gave me too much"

Armin was taken aback. "Sasha stole it from the kitchen again?"

Annie shrugged. "Well, food is food," she said as she tossed the potato to Armin. He caught it with both hands. Beyond that tough exterior, Annie was actually really…nice. At least to him.

Armin looked at the horizon, once fiery red and orange, which had settled into a deep blue hue. Most of the villagers of Wall Rose were already inside their houses, preparing for dinner.

"Annie, can I ask you a question?," Armin asked as he felt the passing wind invigorate his tired soul. The chilly and breezy wind came from South of where they were standing, the direction where Wall Sina was erected.

"Fire away," Annie said.

"Why are you being…so kind to me? I mean, loser names aside, you seem to have an…umm…some kind of bond with the…well…weak. For lack of a better word," Armin said, fearing that Annie would snap at him.

Annie seemed so distant from the squad as she would always make sarcastic remarks about the idealistic people like Eren who had unattainable dreams of annihilating all the Titans in the world. The only person she actually talked to, was Marco, who seemed to be a nice guy who lacked confidence. The squad actually loved Marco because of his fighting skills and leadership, but the other Commanders liked to prey on his low self-esteem.

The corners of Annie mouth lifted. She finished chewing the remnants of her potato.

"When I was young, I was like you too. Physically weak and lanky, no one believed in me…except my father who kept pushing me to be better than who I was. He saw…something in me that I didn't see in myself. Maybe that's why I can relate with people who were once like me," she said. The wind blew through her blond hair which was tied in a messy bun.

Armin was surprised. He never expected cold-hearted Annie to be this vulnerable, to be this human. "Well, thanks for your company, Annie. If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know," he bowed his head in reverence to his newfound friend.

Annie's eyes lit up. Was she surprised or elated? "Well, there's something that's been bothering me lately. I hope you, a lover of books, would be able to help me with it"

Armin beamed. If this would involve extensive research in the Wall Rose library, a megastructure with about 45,000 scholarly materials to date, he would gladly help Annie with it. "Sure! I do hope I could-"

"Armin! What the hell are you doing in a dark alley?!" Eren angrily called out to Armin after running two laps around Wall Rose, looking for his best friend.

Armin turned towards him. Fear was evident in his eyes. It's as if Armin was looking at a…

Eren brushed the thought away as he noticed a figure behind his best friend. He could not conceal his surprise when he saw Annie Leonhart glaring at him. Obviously, she and Armin were in the middle of a conversation.

Still furious at Armin for picking a fight with Mikasa, he stomped his way towards the pale-faced Armin.

Armin bit his lip as he watched his brunette-haired friend approach him, with a warrior's finesse. He couldn't help but take notice of Eren's small but sturdy stature. It was only the third day of training, but Eren showed significant progress in training. His muscles were growing. Armin had an eye for these…things.

Armin turned his head towards Annie. "I am sorry we had to cut this short, Annie. Could you…give Eren and I some time alone here?" he muttered. Annie had to lean close to hear his stammers.

Annie frowned. "Why do you even hang out with suicidal idiots who make you feel bad?" she asked aloud. Eren turned red. Armin felt very uncomfortable.

The long silence hung between them like a blanket of clouds that covered the otherwise starry night sky. Dusk had already passed.

Annie chuckled. "No need to answer, kiddo," she said as she propped down her boot from the white-washed wall on the house and walked towards the entrance of the alley.

She put her hand on Armin's shoulder and whispered something to him. "We'll talk about this some other time, when you're not…busy," she said as she walked away and blended with the remaining vendors making their way back home.