The wood of the guard post creaked beneath Marco's boots as he took a step forward. From this high up he could make out the entirety of the encampment sweeping over the clearing below. The only sign of movement was a breeze snaking through to ruffle the hems of the gray tarps. The silence was eerie, and Marco was grateful when a tap to his arm indicated it was time to cover his ears.
A shrill whistle erupted from his left, cutting the stillness like a knife.
The encampment fluttered into motion. Green cloaks streamed from the tents as soldiers took to the sky in waves, gripping the canvases making up the shelters and pulling them into the surrounding trees. Marco was able to catch the last of the material disappearing behind massive trunks before the entire scene became washed in a blinding, bright light. A thundering crash shook the earth, three figures now towering in the center of the clearing.
The Attack Titan stood on the right. It used one massive, muscled hand to scoop up a curved piece of crystalline material. In a fluid motion it put its head through a hole in the center of the crystal so it could rest around its neck. Another pair of crystals leaned against one another at its feet. The Attack Titan slid the crystals on each forearm, tightening large leather straps used to keep the makeshift bracers in place.
Marco glanced at the Titan on the left. The gleaming gorget and bracers strapped to the Jaw Titan showed it had performed the same routine in sync with the Attack Titan. It slid into a defensive position, teeth bared and back arched in a manner reminding Marco of a dog with its hackles raised.
In the center of the formation stood the Female Titan. It took a wide stance, raising its fists and dropping its head to ready itself for combat. Spiked crystal sprouted from its forearms and calves; a breastplate-like armor gleaming over its torso. Its blue eyes slid in Marco's direction.
"Squad seven!"
Marco flinched as he looked to the side. He was less startled by Celine's sudden shout than he was of her leaning so far against the railing that she was one stiff breeze away from tumbling over the side. His hands twitched in anticipation of the need to snatch her by the back of her jacket.
"Pick up the pace!" Celine yelled, cupping a hand around her mouth. "Ymir was waiting for you to get your tarp clear! I'll be damned if someone dies because of something so asinine! Do you all understand?!"
The trees echoed with words of acknowledgement. A satisfied expression grew on Celine's face as her attention moved to the three Titans staring her down.
"You three; good work!" Celine said. "Eren and Ymir – I'm satisfied with your efficiency of putting on the armor. That adjustment to the gorget's shape seems to be helping them slide on easier. Annie – I noticed the effort you put in to optimally place yourself in the formation to eliminate blind spots. We've run through this drill enough; let's wrap up."
A wave of steam billowed over the clearing. Marco squinted into the gloom. He couldn't see anything beyond the guard post, but the surrounding mist became filled with the low chatter of soldiers in all directions. The general tone was light; hopeful. He hadn't seen the Scouts in such high hopes to go outside the walls since before the attack on Trost. Eren, Annie, and Ymir had worked hard to build that confidence. So had his sister, who'd made sure the options for the council to choose from when it came to reclaiming Wall Maria included one with Annie's direct involvement.
Marco had come across Celine a few weeks back reviewing the final draft of the proposals from her hospital bed. She had no authorization to do so, but Hange had conveniently forgotten to collect the document when she'd cleared her paperwork from the infirmary. Celine had given him a brief rundown of the options while her eyes lazily scanned the document. They didn't leave the neatly typed text until Marco had thanked her for putting her faith in Annie.
"Faith has nothing to do with it," Celine had said. Her expression had grown soft. "She wouldn't be someone special to you if there was no good reason behind it."
Marco smiled. He put a hand on Celine's shoulder, grabbing her attention away from the dissipating fog.
"Ready to head down?" he asked.
"In a sec," Celine said, flashing him a grin. "I have some announcements to make." She turned away to cup her hands around her mouth.
"All units! Check in with Unit Captain Moblit to confirm your departure time tomorrow! The first wave going to Calaneth will depart by o'six hundred! Understood?"
The air echoed with an affirmative shout. Celine waited for the sound to fade before continuing.
"The Scout Commander has been so generous as to provide you with ale alongside meat provisions for dinner! Don't get too wasted, or your wakeup call will be your asses getting hauled into the horses' water troughs! You're dismissed!"
The final shout of confirmation had an echo of laughter followed by the clearing bursting into life from the thrum of genial voices and boots hitting the ground. Sunlight broke through the mist as Celine allowed Marco to grab her around the waist and swing them to the grass below.
"You know what's funny?" Celine said, hopping to reach the crutch left at the bottom of the ladder. "I'd be able to get myself around using ODM gear now if I had two feet to balance on."
Marco's smile turned queasy. "Celine … I don't think that's funny at all."
"Well, I find it funny," Celine said. She tucked her crutch under her arm before stepping up to his side. "Go on – you're also dismissed. Spend the evening with your friends before they leave in the morning."
Marco's uncertainty came out in a hum.
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I've heard Captain Levi's been … ah. I just don't mind hanging out with you, is what I mean."
The rumor that Captain Levi had a falling out with the other captains under his assignment had spread quickly. It didn't help when Levi stopped taking his meals in the mess hall and became like a ghost haunting Trost's Headquarters with barely an occasional sighting. Even Jean had confirmed meetings only included members of his squad while Celine and Moblit were noticeably absent. Marco was certain the divide had appeared over Annie's new involvement in the mission. He knew Celine's decision to support Annie wasn't entirely due to his own feelings on the matter, but he couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for the new hardship she had to face.
"Look at you; doting over me," Celine said. She reached up to tug Marco's cheek. "How lucky I am to have such a sweet little brother. But don't you worry – I can look after myself. The worst anyone can do to me is take another limb, and even then, I'd still have two left to spare."
Marco rubbed the sore spot on his cheek as Celine withdrew. "Seriously … stop with comments like that. I'll check in with you around dinner, alright?"
"You better not!" Celine said, brandishing a finger in his face. "You don't have any responsibilities tomorrow, so I want you to take full advantage of your first chance to drink until you piss ale!"
A few snickers from the soldiers walking past caused Marco's face to grow warm in an embarrassed flush.
"I'm … going to go find Jean and the others," Marco said, deciding that leaving the situation would be the best course of action to avoid further humiliation. "Just be safe, alright? Stay inside Headquarters and stick with Commander Hange and Unit Captain Moblit if you can. Don't go anywhere alone – especially if it's dark. If you need to leave, make sure to find me, alright?"
Celine placed a hand on her hip, regarding him with a smile as if he were an unruly child.
"Be assured that I'm appropriately concerned about my own safety," Celine said. Her smile stretched wider, shifting the scar running across her cheek. "Go see your friends. Be well, Mr. Seventh-in-his-class."
Marco returned her genuine smile. "Be well, Celine." He nodded in parting before turning away.
Despite her reassurance, Marco still had every intention to check in with Celine from time-to-time that evening. He had no plan over what he'd do if he were to catch her in a confrontation with Captain Levi … although the fist tensing at his side was a sign that his ability to defuse the situation may not go as smoothly as it had when he'd previously been face-to-face with the captain.
"… it's not like we're friends or anything."
Marco slowed his gait as he reached the center of the clearing. He frowned as his gaze drifted over a familiar group.
Jean, Mikasa, and Eren stood together – tight lipped and eyes narrowed. They were watching Ymir as she stood over Annie, her hands on her hips and a wrinkle to her nose as if she smelled something foul. This didn't appear to phase Annie at all as she regarded Ymir in a tired fashion. The one among the group who seemed the most distressed was Armin, who stood next to Ymir with his arms raised in a placating manner.
"Come on, Ymir," Armin said, his smile appearing forced. "We're all on the same side."
Ymir scoffed. "So? It doesn't mean I want her talking to me." She tilted her head, brown hair falling in front of the glare she shot in Annie's direction. "You were never friendly even when you were playing us like fools, and I have no interest in changing that dynamic. My motivation to work with you is hanging by a thread. And the captain seems pretty certain you'll stab us in the back the first chance you get. Know that I'll be ready if that happens."
Ymir spat in the grass at Annie's feet. She turned, suddenly facing Marco as she stalked forward with purpose. She sized him up with a quick glance before passing him by.
Marco turned to watch Ymir's retreat, trying to make sense of the situation. "What's going on?"
"I wanted to know if there was any news about Conny," Annie said. She offered a half-hearted shrug when Marco looked back at her. "Apparently, I'm not supposed to care."
Jean let out a low hum as he crossed his arms. "Yeah, well, Ymir isn't entirely off-base about you–" He stopped, locking eyes with Marco. The corner of his mouth twitched as he held their stare. Jean eventually looked away with a sigh.
"We haven't heard anything more about Conny," Jean said. "We've all gone through the rounds of interviews, and the Garrison are pretty convinced Conny wasn't the one who killed Erwin. Now we're just … waiting."
Annie dropped her eyes. The impartial mask slipped from her face. "I see. I hope they find him soon."
Marco noted the tension leaving Eren's shoulders. The way he was studying Annie now contained less suspicion and was more like he was trying to put her in focus.
Jean turned from Annie in a slow amble. He stretched, his arm landing over Marco's shoulders as he urged him into a walk. "Come on. You heard your sister – the Commander is putting out all the stops tonight to help us forget how much things are gonna suck once we get outside the wall; might as well try to enjoy it."
Marco looked over his shoulder. He watched as Eren, Mikasa, and Armin gave Annie a final glance with varying degrees of doubt before following after Jean. Annie stayed in place, watching them go.
Marco came to a stop. This caused Jean to trip over his feet for a moment before regaining his balance.
"Marco," Jean said, frowning. "What–?"
"Come with us," Marco said. He met Annie's gaze with a smile. "Come with us, Annie."
Marco figured Annie must've found being invited in such a manner embarrassing as her cheeks became brushed with pink. She looked away.
"Yeah, Annie," Armin said. He glanced at Marco, offering a nod. "Let's get dinner together, alright?"
Jean groaned, dipping his head. "Jeez … you guys …" He looked up with a sigh. "Come on, Annie. Let's go – I'm starving."
Annie came forward to match Marco's gait as Jean guided them back into a walk. She kept her eyes ahead and didn't say a word. The tension slowly thawed as a conversation started over Jean's need to check in with the Engineering Corp for a new knapsack while Armin needed to refill his gas tanks. For a fleeting moment it was like they were back in the cadets. Even if it was small, Marco felt the rift between Annie and the others closing just a little. He tried not to let Eren and Mikasa staying quiet at their backs worry him too much. In time they would see Annie's true self and her inherently kind nature.
Marco had to believe that in time, things would get better.
"These cups are huge," Moblit said. He set two mugs of ale on the table, swinging his legs over the bench before taking a seat beside Celine. A heavy sigh preceded him taking a long drink. Celine could feel his eyes on her as she continued to fiddle with the mechanical contraption and its various parts scattered about the tabletop.
"You're going to get sick drinking that much."
"Shut up," Celine said, setting a screwdriver aside. "I have a higher tolerance than you."
She flicked a switch on the tube-like object in her hands. A small chamber popped out from the side, leaving Celine satisfied. With a nod she set the machinery down before gripping her mug and downing half its contents in a swift motion.
"You're a monster," Moblit said, sounding horrified.
"Do you know the kind of food Hange has at her place?" Celine asked, unbothered by his observation as she set down the mug.
Moblit's brows came together. "Not really … she usually doesn't have much."
"Exactly," Celine said. She tilted her head toward him in a lazy fashion. "Most of my meals there only consisted of alcohol."
A grimace accompanied Moblit setting down his own mug. He didn't speak for a moment as he watched Celine start to gather the pieces of her project and stuff it into a duffle bag. "Are you leaving already?"
"I'm going upstairs," Celine said. She knew elaborating wasn't necessary as Moblit's features immediately grew taught.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his tone solemn. "Talking to Captain Levi right now might not be the best idea."
"You expect me to sit around and do nothing?" Celine said, a frown tugging at her lips. "We went the entire day running drills and he didn't speak a word to either of us. We poured a lot into this mission; I don't want to be left with no other choice but to leave the project and transfer everything we've done to someone else. I'm going to try to reason with him."
"You're going to make it worse."
"Hey," Celine said, not hiding her displeasure from the remark. "Levi and I have an understanding now, alright? And I can be charming as all hell when I want to be."
The face Moblit made in response caused Celine to smack him across the arm. She returned to her task with a huff. "I could do with less of your 'high and mighty' attitude."
"I hate to say it," Moblit said, pausing to take another sip of ale. "But dealing with conflict isn't one of your best suits."
"You asshat."
Moblit hummed into his drink. He set the mug down with a sigh. "Please just promise me you won't physically assault the captain. We need him for the excursion."
Celine swung around on the bench and reached for her crutch. "I just want to talk to him; that's all."
The level of doubt behind Moblit's gaze was nearly tangible. He ran a hand over his face. "Would you like me to come with you?"
"If you want to be helpful, you can watch my bag," Celine said. She took a few steps, pausing as she faced the door on the other end of the crowded mess hall. "You told me not to give up, remember?"
Moblit chuckled in a way that indicated he didn't appreciate his words coming back to bite him. "You're not wrong. Good luck, Celine."
Celine weaved between long tables packed with Scout soldiers in various states of intoxication. She considered it a small victory when she reached the entryway to the mess hall without being knocked off balance by rowdy soldiers with their arms swung around one another's necks as they sang drinking songs at the top of their lungs. Her next challenge was going to be getting up a long flight of stairs at the end of the dark hallway; Celine silently lamented the amount of time that was going to take.
A familiar voice caught her attention. She looked over her shoulder and spotted Marco as his face was briefly illuminated from the light spilling out of the mess hall. He walked beside Eren, the two turning in the opposite direction. Eren's tone indicated he wasn't exactly in a jovial mood; Marco appeared to be doing his best to talk in a more light-hearted manner.
Jeez … that kid is always playing the peacekeeper. I just want him to feel for once he can let loose and not be held responsible for anyone else … Especially not me.
Celine looked away with a sigh, setting herself to the task of going up the stairs. The muscles in her leg burned in protest by the time she crested the landing of a moonlit hallway. She tossed back her head in a heavy exhale before she moved on.
A handful of soldiers leaned over the short wall along the long corridor overlooking the courtyard. They nodded to her in greeting between exhaling clouds of smoke from their cigarettes. There was a noticeable decline in the number of people lounging about the further Celine got down the hall.
They know Levi would throw their ass over the balcony for making his office stink, Celine thought. The door at the end of the hall grew closer. A knot formed in her stomach, Celine slowing her gait so the thud of her crutch grew quite upon her approach.
Celine gave the door at the end of the hall three swift knocks.
"Enter."
Levi didn't look up from the table. Two maps were spread before him – one of the area surrounding Shiganshina District and another of the known area of Paradis. Piles of paper had been stacked neatly on both sides, Levi adding a document to one of the piles before glancing up. Nothing about his demeanor changed as he regarded her with a weary expression.
"You're not needed here," Levi said. "Get out."
"What are you doing?" Celine asked. She ignored Levi's request entirely as she closed the door behind her and moved into the room. "Don't tell me these are the inventory reports? I've already reviewed all that – I was going to make any corrections tomorrow morning."
"I'd rather be certain the task was done correctly," Levi said. He lifted another sheet of paper from a different stack, his eyes leaving Celine to glance over the document. "Your input is not required for this assignment – you're dismissed."
Celine slowly circled around the table before standing over Levi.
"I'm a lot of things," Celine said, voice soft. "But I'm not incompetent – and I don't care for being treated as such."
"I can't say what you are," Levi said, keeping his attention on the paperwork. "The only thing I know for certain is you need to–"
Celine slammed her hand on the table, a stack of papers tipping to the side before fluttering to the carpet. "Tell me to leave one more time and I'll knock your teeth out!"
Levi continued to stare ahead. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Fine. Just shut the hell up so I can get my work done."
The paper crumpled as Celine tore it from Levi's grip. She tossed it to the side, staring Levi down until he slowly turned to meet her gaze. There wasn't a hint of animosity behind his eyes. There wasn't a hint of anything.
"You said you can't say what I am," Celine said, pulling back her lips to bare her teeth. "You want to know what I am? Fine – I'm the coward who didn't mention the plan utilizing Annie Leonheart because I was afraid you would hate me for it. I regret not telling you, but I don't regret doing it. I want all of you headed for Wall Maria to make it back alive. If that means using Annie, then so be it."
Levi offered nothing more than a slow blink. "Funny, you say you show concern for my feelings, then you go ahead and do whatever the hell you want anyway. You're just upset the efforts you put in to manipulate me have fallen flat on their face. You've gotten your way for this mission, and that's going to be the end of you trying to control me like a puppet."
Celine leaned back as Levi got to his feet. His expression was so expressly uninterested it caused a shudder to run down her spine. It was as if their conversation meant less than nothing to him.
"I don't give a shit what condition you're in," Levi said, keeping his tone level. "I'm going to tell you one last time to leave on your own before I throw you out."
Celine's fist clenched at her side. She felt her grip on the situation unraveling, hot tears rolling over her cheeks as her composure became one of the first things to crack.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Celine said, forcing herself to take a step forward. She kept her eyes glued to Levi's face even as his image grew blurry. "You're angry at me, aren't you? Do something about it! Scream at me! Tell me I'm an idiot, or an asshole, or that I'm weak! Just say something!"
Levi tilted his head. "It's not worth my effort."
Celine fought the urge to slap him across the face. She knew what he said was a lie. It was easy enough for her to recognize Levi putting on a mask. It was–
Her hand twitched. Celine had suddenly found herself in the same situation she'd been in right after her recovery, when she'd been repeating to the world, and to herself, that everything was fine when it wasn't. Only one person had the nerve to call her out on it.
"Are you having fun doing your cheap performance?" Celine asked. This finally elicited an emotion across Levi's face. That emotion was anger, but it was better than before.
"I'm on your side, idiot," Celine said. She placed her palm on her chest, pleading. "What do I have to do to convince you?"
A tense stand-off ensued. Celine didn't look away as Levi's gaze bore into her.
"Just don't … say 'nothing,'" Celine said, her voice going soft. "I don't want to hear there's nothing I can do to regain your trust. Us not talking … it hurts a lot more than I thought it would."
The harsh line between Levi's brows faded. He sized Celine up for a moment before speaking in a flat tone.
"Tell Hange you changed your mind. Tell her you no longer believe putting our trust in the Female Titan is a viable plan, and we should go with the backup option."
Celine's jaw hung slack. Her shoulders dipped as she slowly shook her head. "But I do trust her; I don't think she'll betray us."
"She's already done it before," Levi said. "What makes you certain she won't do it again?"
The most frightening moment in Celine's life hadn't been her encounter with the Beast Titan. Nor was it the time she was trapped in Trost with Titans on all sides, or the time she almost had her head blown off by Kenny.
Celine had never been more terrified than when Stohess was rocked by an explosion and she believed Marco to be dead. The excruciating, wrenching feeling had made her vision blurry and her breath shallow. The scream caught in her throat wouldn't come out no matter how hard she tried. The world was burning, but that didn't matter. What mattered was Marco.
And Annie had saved Marco.
"Marco trusts her," Celine said.
Celine felt no need for further explanation. The harsh lines across Levi's face returned.
"That's it?" he said. "You're saying I should put my faith in the Titan which slaughtered my squad because your brother thinks she won't betray us?"
"Yes."
Levi crossed his arms. "So, the judgment of an officer who's been out of the Cadets for less than a year and can barely be considered an adult in his own right is more valid than my own?"
"I didn't–"
"It's a simple answer," Levi said. "I don't want an explanation to go with it."
A fire bloomed in Celine's chest. She narrowed her eyes to match Levi's look of contempt. "If you're asking me to choose between siding with you or with Marco: Then the answer is Marco."
Something flashed behind Levi's gaze before he turned away. He didn't need to ask Celine to leave a fourth time; the clunking sound of her crutch accompanied her as she crossed the room. The sound stopped as Celine reached the door.
"Be well, Levi."
The moonlit corridor was filled with more people than there had been before. Celine turned down offers for cigarettes and mugs of ale as she made her way to the stairs. She refused them all with a playful smile, joking over her tendency to break into song when drunk despite having a singing voice like a dying cow. This received plenty of laughs.
Don't seem discouraged. These soldiers are putting their lives on the line the day after tomorrow; don't make them doubt their chance of coming back alive.
The one offer Celine did accept was an officer scooping her into her arms and carrying her down the stairs. Celine's exhaustion permeated her to the core; the short rest was worth putting up with a jovial woman mentioning how it reminded her of carrying her toddler.
Celine had just been set down at the bottom of the stairs when a figure stepped out from the mess hall.
The light streaming behind Annie reflected strands of gold in her hair. She appeared to be scanning the hallway for something, her search coming to a stop when she met Celine's gaze.
She's alone, Celine thought. I know I should be worried about that … but …
"I'm glad I've run into you," Celine said.
She approached to stop before Annie. The girl's expression revealed little. The reaction was expected since they were practically strangers. There had been no chances for Celine to speak freely to Annie during training, much less alone. The situation was a little odd; like meeting a character out of a book. She knew far more about Annie than seemed reasonable for someone she'd never had a full conversation with.
"You saved Marco's life when Stohess was attacked," Celine said. She offered her hand. "I should've thanked you for that much sooner. You have my gratitude."
The last thing expected was for Annie to regard Celine as if she'd thrown a drink in her face. The shock rolling off her was nearly tangible.
"Did I say something … weird?" Celine said, pulling her hand back as she blinked in rapid succession. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Annie tilted her head as the pucker to her lips faded. "The way Marco talks about you made me think you weren't really the type of person to act so well mannered."
It was now Celine's turn to feel stunned. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who knew more than they should. "Really?" she said, tucking hair behind her ear in a self-conscious gesture. "I didn't think Marco talked about me like that."
A laugh escaped Annie's lips. Celine was surprised she laughed in the dainty sort of manner befitting a resident of the Interior.
"Marco never said a thing short of you being wonderful," Annie said. "I suppose I'm just gifted at reading subtext."
Celine smirked. "I won't take offense to your words since they're mostly true," she said, her words turning sly. "However, don't let being taller than me fool you into having a sense of superiority. You remind me of myself, and I've paid for having a smart mouth in more ways than one."
Annie consented to this with a nod. "My apologies, Unit Captain. I've been trying to express my true feelings more often lately."
"I bet my brother had something to do with that," Celine said, placing a hand on her hip. "He has that sort of effect on people." She looked over Annie's shoulder to peer into the gloom down the hall. "Was it Marco you were looking for when you came out here earlier? I saw him head down in the other direction a little while ago."
Annie turned to follow Celine's gaze. "I was. I decided not to fight my blossoming youth by confessing my feelings to him before we leave tomorrow."
"Huh?"
Celine was gifted with a gentle smile framed by flush cheeks. Annie inclined her head in parting before turning on her heel. The stitched wings on her jacket indicating her new recruitment into the Scout Regiment shone in the light from the mess hall for a moment before Annie ducked between a group of chatting soldiers and disappeared from view.
"Damn … that girl is forward," Celine said. An unexpected laugh shook her chest.
She's sort of like me, huh? I hope things work out … I suppose she wouldn't make a bad sister-in-law.
Her confrontation with Levi earlier had certainly left a hole in her heart. Heartbreak hadn't been the only thing churning inside her; doubt had also seeped in. Levi was as certain in his distrust as Marco was in his trust. The chance that Celine may've chosen poorly …
"You have something important to fight for, don't you, Annie?" Celine mused, looking into nothing. The tension leaving her neck and shoulders made it easy to hold her head up high.
She turned to make her way into the mess hall. "I'm more than tempted to follow her and see how things play out." A pout touched her lips as she hummed. "Man … it's gonna be so cute, but I should really respect Marco's privacy. Jeez … when the hell did I stop being fun?"