"Alright, Eren," Celine said. She kicked aside a rock at the center of the forest clearing, the resulting scuff on her shoe causing a frown. A touch of something sour washed over her face when she raised her head. "This is your last chance to hit me without repercussions before we get back to Trost tomorrow. Make it count."

Eren put himself as close to Celine as he dared, which still left a measurable distance. He slid into a wide stance and raised his fists. "It's not like I enjoy fighting you, Unit Captain."

"I do."

Ymir sat on the edge of the clearing, an elbow propped on her knee as she twirled a stick between her fingers. "Trying to kick her revolting face in is the best part of my day."

The comment resulted in a glance to the side before Celine returned her attention to Eren. Eren didn't appreciate in any capacity that Ymir was working to get his opponent riled up before facing him.

"If you're going to flirt with me, you can try a little harder to make your infatuation less obvious," Celine said. She flipped her braid over her shoulder with a smirk. "Plus, I'm too old for you."

"Damn right, you nasty old hag," Ymir spat. "If this is our last sparring session then I'm not gonna hold back – when it's my turn I'm knocking your ass out."

"You're going to try," Celine said. She raised her arms, keeping her hands open. It was a defensive stance Eren had become very accustomed to over the past few weeks. Celine used it as a measure to forfeit offensive action in favor of turning her opponent's advance into an opportunity to grapple. Even when Eren was aware it was coming he still struggled to find a counter.

"You're going to fail," Celine said, eyes narrowing. "But you sure as hell can still try."

Eren sprung forward. The right fist he had raised over his shoulder was a feint; his fingers unfurling as he stepped to the side and opened his arms wide. He was taller than Celine, using height to his advantage to wrap his arms around her torso and pin her to his chest from behind.

Celine hummed. A sudden jolt brought Eren pitching forward as Celine lifted her legs and forced him to carry her full weight. She hooked her foot behind his ankle and pulled, causing him to topple to the side as he lost balance. He did everything in his power to keep Celine pinned; Eren knew well enough that he was done for the second she had use of her hands again.

Eren let out a grunt as Celine attempted to slide under his grasp. There wasn't enough leverage to get up from his side, but the very least he could do was keep Celine immobile as he attempted to figure out a counter. He watched as she lifted her palms out in a feeble attempt to grasp anything to use as a weapon. A lucky break came in the form of no nearby sticks or pebbles; Celine encouraged using any means in the environment to gain the upper hand.

It came as a surprise when Celine's attempt to extend her hands stopped. Her elbows jutted back, hooking under Eren's ribs and pushing up. A sharp pain forced the air from his lungs.

"Argh!"

Celine slipped out of Eren's grasp. She was on his back in an instant, wrapping her legs around his right arm and locking his elbow in place. He struggled to grasp a handful of soil before his free arm was yanked behind his back. His attempt to throw the soil in Celine's face fell short as she made quick work straightening his arm and immobilizing his wrist.

"Oh," Ymir said, drawing out the word. She leaned her head in her hand. "That was a total shit show. Are you getting worse, Eren?"

"Shut up," Eren said, fighting to keep grass out of his mouth. "I was trying something new, okay?!"

"It was good."

Eren froze. The words from Celine were enough of a shock for him to take a moment noticing the pressure had lifted from his back. He flipped himself over, looking up at a steady expression.

"You're not afraid," Celine said. She extended her hand. A moment passed before Eren reached out and accepted her help getting him back on his feet.

"You always try new things even if you don't know if they'll succeed," Celine said. She let go of Eren's hand, looking off into the middle distance. "Your strength is your confidence. Keep trying new things and I'll make an effort to guide you down the path that works."

Eren wondered if Celine had been replaced with an imposter. Every sparring session until today she'd been quick to point out every fault and flaw in his logic or execution in their combat. Her mannerisms outside of lessons were friendly enough, but seeing her act in such a reassuring manner in this context left his skin crawling. Something about it was inherently wrong.

Ymir booed, offering a thumbs-down. "Come on – he sucked. Don't treat him like some kid who needs to be told it's okay that he crapped the bed again."

"Hey!"

"Stop it – both of you," Celine said. Any form of rebuttal died on Eren's lips when he met her gaze. She had already taken her stance; Eren followed suit.

"Come at me again," Celine said, revealing nothing behind her relaxed features. "Take what you learned and modify it how you see fit. Play to your strengths and strike at my weaknesses."

"That's a little unfair," Eren said. A smile tugged at his cheeks despite the claim. "You're pretty good at this sort of thing, Unit Captain. I don't think I've figured out how to catch you off guard."

"Then don't catch me off guard," Celine said. Her eyes narrowed. "Come at me head-on. That's what you're good at, Eren."

Eren felt like a dog let off-leash. He rushed forward, fists raised. This time there was no feint; Eren came at Celine with a right hook. She dodged it in a sidestep and grasped his arm. The way she twisted her back to him indicated she planned to use his momentum and throw him over her shoulder.

Take what you learned and modify it.

Eren kicked off the ground, wrapping his leg around Celine's and taking advantage of the momentum throwing them off-balance. He abandoned any idea of softening his landing by instead binding one arm around her throat while the other went for the knife he knew she kept on her belt. The object acted as more of an objective than a weapon; Celine had reassured him on numerous occasions to take it from her if given the chance.

"Fear this above anything else," Celine had once said, removing the small blade from its holster. "A simple knife could take your life as you are now; a knife in another shape could kill you as a Titan. Know that your opponent having this means you won't have the upper hand no matter how powerful you think you are."

Repeat failures had caused Eren to give up on the idea of ever reaching Celine's knife during sparring. Right now, he decided his previous reservations were bullshit and to utilize his pent-up frustration, giving everything he had to finally come out on top.

Celine had wedged one of her arms in the crook of Eren's elbow to ensure he couldn't form a chokehold. Her other hand was busy trying to pry herself free; it wasn't until Eren was holding a knife in her peripheral did her struggling come to a stop.

"Do you yield?" Eren asked. He kept his eyes locked on Celine's free hand, preparing himself to pull the knife back if a finger so much as twitched.

"What?" Celine said.

Eren frowned, unsure if Celine had heard him. "I'm asking you if you yie–"

An unexpected tug on the arm he had wrapped around Celine gave her enough leverage to lunge to the side. The blade of the knife was between her teeth in an instant before she whipped her head and yanked it from his grasp. Eren hardly registered what had happened by the time Celine had palmed the knife in her free hand and had the tip hovering at his throat.

"Do you yield?" Celine asked, looking up at Eren from over her shoulder. The smug annotation to his previous request rang through loud and clear. It caused Eren to groan, the cold tip of the knife poking against his skin as he lowered his head.

"Yeah – I yield."

The knife pulled away. Eren loosened his grip around Celine and fell back into the grass. He tried to ignore the sinking feeling of disappointment as he watched Celine get up and brush off her pants.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

Eren turned his head to regard Ymir with a scowl. "I thought going for the knife was a good option, okay?"

"Not that," Ymir said. She lifted her head from her hand, leaning forward. "You were winning, Stupid. You didn't have to yield."

"Huh?" Eren sat back in apprehension. "What do you mean, 'I was winning?' She was holding a knife to my throat!"

"And getting pricked by a knife means you can transform into a Titan, Idiot," Ymir said.

Eren scrambled to his feet, baring his teeth. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I'm not trying to kill her!"

"Which is why I would've yielded had you asked me to," Celine's voice said.

Eren's jaw hung slack as Celine stepped to his side. She'd loosened her braid, her fingers working to remove blades of grass from her hair as she spoke.

"You had the upper hand the second the knife came into play. If I had stabbed you anywhere in a way that wouldn't have instantly killed you, you could've transformed and ended my life in a second."

"O-oi," Eren said, taken aback. "What the hell?! You told me before that I'll never win against a knife!"

Celine hummed. She watched him in indifference as she began to braid her hair. "Did I say something like that? Hmm … It's more like I want you to pay attention. I can imagine having the ability to transform into a Titan could leave you cocky and have you dismissing things you think can't hurt you. When it comes to sparing, you would've won because of the implied risk. However, if we were fighting for real just now, do you think you could've taken me down?"

A moment passed as Eren contemplated his answer. He knew the answer he believed wasn't the correct one, although he couldn't figure out why he was wrong.

"I think I could've killed you," Eren said, furrowing his brow. "But that's not right, is it?"

Celine finished tidying her hair. She shifted her weight and placed a hand on her hip. "In most circumstances you could. I just happened to have a counter ready if needed."

"Really?" Eren said. Any lingering feelings of disappointment gave way to curiosity. "What is it?"

"Pay attention to your environment," Celine said. "What do you see around you that would come in handy against a Titan?"

Eren hardened his expression. He looked about, taking in the trees, moss, stones, and wayward piles of pine needles around the clearing. A low hum escaped his throat.

"A distraction?" Eren asked, meeting Celine's impartial gaze. "There's a bunch of stuff around you could use to make noise and make me think you were somewhere you weren't. There's also a lot of places you could hide to buy time and get to the ODM gear we have sitting by the tree over there."

Celine's expression brightened. She tilted her head. "Wrong."

"Oh," Eren said, deflating.

"But a very good guess," Celine said. She pointed across the clearing. "I was talking about that."

Eren followed her direction, frowning when his eyes landed on Ymir.

"She would keep me from dying," Celine said.

Ymir openly laughed. "You must be fucking kidding," she said, hardly able to contain herself as her shoulders shook.

Eren looked to the side when Celine nudged his elbow. She hit him with a wink.

"I think she has a crush on me," Celine said, lifting a hand over her mouth as if sharing a secret. "She would've jumped into action the second I seemed to be in trouble. Sweet, right? It's too bad her affection won't be returned since my heart belongs to another."

Ymir's laughter died down. She pushed herself to her feet with a smirk. "I'm curious to see if you can still tell jokes while I snap one of your legs off."

A distant clunk followed by a mechanical whizzing sound came from the trees. Eren raised his head to investigate the forest over Ymir's shoulder.

"Oops; time's up," Celine said. She smoothed out her hair and tucked any loose strands behind her ears. "Try not to be too mad that your rival in love is here to whisk you away."

A hook lodged into the branch above Ymir's head. A second later it retracted into ODM gear as Levi looked down on them wearing a droopy expression.

"You two brats are getting new instructions for re-entering Trost," Levi said. "Get your gear on and move your asses."

"You can't be serious," Ymir muttered. She raised her voice. "Oi, Captain – I didn't get a chance to spar."

Levi slowly turned his head. "I've been breaking my back today to corral you dipshits and make sure we remain on schedule. If you think I have any fucks to give concerning if you have time to play in the grass, you're mistaken."

Ymir's mouth drew into a thin line as she held Levi's stare. She broke their gaze with a soft 'tsk.'

"Your diligence is something to be admired," Celine said. A rosy nature touched her cheeks as she smiled at Levi. "Although it isn't the only thing. Look at you – not a hair out of place despite being on the road all day. You're capable of looking after yourself along with others; it's impressive."

Levi squinted against Celine's radiant expression as if too much liveliness hurt his eyes.

"I can't tell if she's being sarcastic," Ymir said. She turned, heading toward the edge of the clearing where she and Eren had stored their ODM gear. "I guess I also don't care."

Eren's eyes darted between Levi and Celine. The implication of what was happening struck him harder than Celine's earlier elbow to the gut. "Uh … are you guys … together?"

"Yes."

"We're not."

The answers had been spoken in unison. Levi's negative response didn't appear to phase Celine the slightest.

"Captain Levi and I are pre-courting," Celine corrected. "I suppose you could technically say he's in the process of being wooed."

Levi turned his back to the clearing before Eren could get a read on his expression. "We're leaving," he said. "Don't make me tell you again."

Eren moved to step forward. He came to a halt when Celine's hand rested on his shoulder.

"I'll send him after you in a moment," she said. Her grip on Eren intensified. "I have something important he needs to pass along for when we get back."

Levi didn't move. Eren half expected him to turn on his heel and berate them both for throwing everything off schedule. Instead, he only made a frustrated sound before activating his gear.

"Ymir – with me," Levi said. "I'm giving them five minutes. We'll wait to the south."

Levi was gone in a rush of steam. Not far behind on his heels was Ymir, who possessed the better sense than to make any sort of comment concerning the displeasure etched across her features. The clearing grew silent as the sound of their ODM gear faded away.

"Hey … Uh … Unit Captain."

"Hmm?"

"There's something you should know," Eren said. The topic on his mind weighed down his tongue, but he pressed on. "Marco … He's never said it out loud, but … I think he kinda hates Captain Levi."

Celine regarded Eren as if he'd sprung from thin air. "Really? Why?"

The laugh building up in his throat became caught on Celine's pure level of extreme puzzlement. Eren crossed his arms in a vain attempt to feel less awkward over the subject.

"Armin said Marco had to break up a fight between you and the Captain awhile back," Eren said. "And before that Jean mentioned Marco seemed pretty pissed off when he heard about how the Captain kicked the shit out of me at my trial."

Celine's frown grew more pronounced. "What he did at your trial was just following Erwin's orders."

"Yeah, I know," Eren said, shifting his weight. "And Marco knows that. I think it's mostly the fight you guys had."

"We didn't have a fight," Celine said, looking away. "We had a discussion that grew a little heated, but I think we understood each other a bit better by the end of it." Her shoulders slumped. She reached up to brush stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Talking to Levi leaves me in a lull I can't explain. It's just … comfortable. Like we're alone but together; I speak my mind on anything without undue judgment. I don't have that with anyone else."

The comment immediately struck a chord of being odd. "Huh?" Eren said, taken aback. "You don't talk to Marco like that? I thought you guys were pretty close."

Celine dropped her gaze. "Marco and I haven't spoken in a while. He hasn't returned any of my letters."

"Oh," Eren said, his eyes going wide. "Yeah, I get it."

Celine's posture going rigid and the flash of defiance behind her eyes was an immediate sign that Eren made a grave misstep. He lifted his hands in a placating fashion.

"Shit – sorry," he said, hoping to get the words out before Celine took an opportunity to knock him unconscious. "That's not what I meant. He hasn't written back to me either and I thought it was just me since we had a fight."

Celine regarded Eren as if she'd misheard. "You and Marco fought?"

"Ah … kind of," Eren said. He kicked himself for not keeping his mouth shut. He didn't agree with Marco's habit of bottling things up, but it wasn't really his place to be the one to tell Celine what'd happened. His mind raced in an effort to deflect.

"It wasn't a big deal," Eren said, blurting the words out. "And when I said fight … Uh … shit. I mean … I think he's having a hard time because of what happened to your mom, you know?"

Something dark shifted in Celine's gaze. "Rosie isn't my mother."

Eren winced. "Ah, sorry! I forget that sometimes."

Celine looked away. "My mother was a piece of shit." Her features relaxed as she gazed into the trees. "Rosie had been nothing but kind to me since I was small. I don't like referring to her as a mother figure because that lumps the two of them together."

It was almost jarring how much the soft nature overtaking Celine reminded him of Marco. The fact that they were siblings was something Eren was always aware of on a passive level, but it was rare for him to make the connection based on mannerisms alone. Marco's warm, welcoming personality was seldomly reflected in Celine. He didn't respect her any less for it; Celine was among the short list of adults who treated him as if he were any other Private in the military. She and Marco both regarded him like a person instead of a tool or something to be feared. Celine just had a habit of being more vocal with her thoughts than her brother. It was a trait Eren wished would rub off on Marco just enough to make him feel like he didn't always have to worry about what his friend was really thinking.

"You're planning on seeing Marco when we get back, right?" Eren asked. "I'm sure that would make him happy."

It took a moment for Celine to come back from wherever her thoughts had taken her. She closed her eyes with a sigh before reaching into the inner lining of her jacket. A folded letter written on light blue stationary came into view, Celine holding the object aloft until Eren accepted it with a confused frown.

"This is what I wanted you to pass along," Celine said, keeping her eyes averted. "I'm not going to press things if Marco is avoiding me. If you could give him that letter and tell him he can open it at his own disclosure, I would really appreciate it."

Eren let out a displeased hum. He tucked the letter into his jacket. "Look … You guys avoiding each other seems like a mistake. I'll deliver this letter and all, but you should still go talk to him. I think you guys kinda need each other right now."

"This is my punishment."

Celine smiled. It didn't make her appear happy by any means. "A few years back I ignored Marco for a very, very long time. This is my penance; I deserve every moment of feeling like a sack of shit because the person I want to hold on to more than anything has turned his back to me. All I can do now is wait and hope I didn't fuck things up beyond repair."

'… fuck things up beyond repair.'

Eren wondered if it would be wishful thinking of him to do the same. He didn't know how Marco was going to react to seeing him again after their encounter on the rooftop; it wasn't going to stop him from making Marco's house one of the first places he'd visit after getting back. Eren didn't like the feeling of unease he'd been sitting with over the past few weeks. Clearing the air between him and Marco was a top priority.

"You told me to play to my strengths," Eren said. He turned his back to Celine as he headed toward his gear. "You should, too. I always thought your strength was being logical, and it seems kinda dumb for you to think you're getting some divine punishment or whatever. Just go tell Marco what you want him to hear; he'll listen to you."

Eren secured the ODM gear around his hips. He looked back to the clearing to see Celine watching him with her arms crossed.

"I can't decide whether I like it or not when you're straightforward," Celine said. "Get out of here before I make up my mind."

The smile on Celine's face gave away her answer. Eren met her with a grin before activating his gear and leaping up into the trees.