Word came with the dawn a flare had been spotted south of Trost.
Celine and Marco had been staying in the small cottage outside their father's factory in Laurel Town. The past few days had them traveling the short distance into Stohess to provide food and water for a prisoner no one else would get within fifty meters of. Said prisoner received a curt visit that morning before Celine and Marco rode south.
"I hope they made it back alright," Bertholdt had said. He'd shared a weak smile with Marco before the other boy disappeared behind a set of large metal doors.
The project creating a tunnel through the large boulder blocking Trost's archway was only partially completed. This meant anyone looking to travel in and out of the wall had to do so via ODM gear or one of the lifts. This was generally impractical and risky due to Titans' affinity for clustering along the southern wall. Exceptions were made for smaller groups and those willing to take the risk to avoid the longer trek through the gate in Calaneth. It was less than ideal, and generally avoided when possible. This knowledge alone left Marco and Celine concerned.
The returning Scout soldiers were already within Trost by the time Celine and Marco arrived in the late morning. Commander Rico barked orders to members of the Garrison as she coordinated the injured receiving care by level of severity.
"There are so many," Marco said, sounding disheartened.
"Better injured than dead," Celine said. She turned her head to scan the clusters of faces. Her mouth drew into a thin line when she didn't spot who she was looking for. The horses moved along at a slow trot, each clop of a hoof against cobblestone raising Celine's anxiety little by little. A small sigh escaped her lips when she spotted a figure with their arm in a sling sitting atop a crate on the other end of a small courtyard.
A group of Scout soldiers stood clustered around Moblit, their heads nodding as he spoke. A quick side glance between their shoulders led to Moblit and Celine locking eyes. He responded to her relieved expression with a weak smile. A tilt to his head indicated the direction Celine needed to go.
Celine and Marco handed off their horses to Garrison soldiers for them to finish their journey using ODM gear. They sailed over the rooftops, spotting supplies being lowered into the city via the lift system. A moment later found them setting foot upon the walkway atop Wall Rose.
"Oi, Marco."
Celine looked over his shoulder. She watched as a relieved smile broke across Marco's face.
"Don't look so surprised I'm not dead," Jean said. He grasped the reins of a horse which had been brought up with a lift, guiding to the north side of the walkway to get in line for a ride down. "Before you ask – everyone on my squad made it back okay. Come on – we could really use another hand."
A helping hand was offered, but not before Marco pulled Jean into a tight hug. He clung to his friend until Jean sighed and responded with a hearty clap on the back.
Jean locked eyes with Celine from over Marco's shoulder. He returned her weak nod before looking away and instructing Marco how to help with the supplies.
Celine turned and walked east. It took a moment longer for her to find who she'd been searching for among the clusters of soldiers guiding horses or handing off crates. Her target had put some distance between himself and the others. He stood with his arms crossed, staring down into the city with a blank expression.
The sound of Celine's footsteps caused Levi to regard her from the corner of his eye. He turned to face her, prompting Celine to come to a stop.
Celine opened her mouth to speak. The words died on her tongue when she took in Levi's expression.
"She's going to make you cry," Levi said. Pain swam behind his eyes as his stoic demeanor slipped. "I'll never forgive that damn four-eyes for that."
Celine smiled, her eyes growing wet as a sharp pain raced through her chest. The hands at her side began to shake.
"That's fair," Celine said. She paused to take a choppy breath. "Hange knows more than anyone that I hate how I look when I cry."
Celine closed the distance, wrapping her arms around Levi. Her embrace going unreturned prompted her to squeeze tighter. "I'm right here," she said, voice soft. "I'll be right here … I know it hurts."
"You don't have to comfort me," Levi said. He raised his arms in a mechanical fashion, wrapping them around Celine's waist. "This isn't something new."
"But you're crying."
Levi's breath caught in his chest. It seemed he'd suddenly grown aware of the wet sensation on his cheeks now dripping down the side of Celine's face. Somehow he hadn't noticed when they'd begun to fall the moment the pair of them had locked eyes. Perhaps something deep inside he'd been fighting to ignore could no longer be held back when he'd come across someone who would soon mirror the suffocating pain.
The embrace intensified as Levi held on to Celine as if for dear life. He buried his head in her shoulder, hiding his grief from the rest of the world as he allowed his breaths to grow choppy in racking sobs.
Celine knew Levi was familiar with grief; that didn't mean it hurt any less.