"It's not perfect… but a hell of a lot better than it was in the beginning..!"

A wide smile spread onto Rosa's lips as she examined the cut on the training titan's neck. It was her best attempt yet, and she had actually managed to create a cut that was somewhat close to the one Levi had shown her.

"Not bad."

"Thanks, I think I'm starting to get a hang of it..!" Rosa replied as Levi appeared next to her. "There's still a long way to go, but I'm not as disoriented than I was in the beginning." After losing half of her field of view, she had to re-adjust to fighting without the depth perception, and that hadn't been easy at all. But thanks to the support of her friends, especially Levi's, she had been able to improve her technique greatly in a very short time.

"You're right. But your form still needs improvement." Levi said, giving her a stern look.

"Yeah, I know." Rosa smirked sheepishly. "I can't help but to get a little excited when I'm in the air."

"I can see that." Levi nodded, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. His expression quickly turned more serious, though, and he cleared his throat before he spun around to leave. "Keep working on it."

"Wait, Levi, where are you going?" Rosa asked, confused— She had expected him to help her train, but it seemed like he had no intentions of doing so.

"I've got other things to take care of." He replied, not bothering to look back.

"What? Come on, just for a while. I'd like you to take a look at my form." Rosa pouted. "You can't expect me to get this right by myself."

"I'm not your babysitter, Rosa. Figure it out yourself." Levi scoffed and walked away.

"Fine! No need to be such a jerk..." Rosa frowned. Levi was acting weird, she thought. Ever since their dinner at the tavern, he had been more distant than usual. At first, she didn't really mind, but as the days went on, the more she realized that his sudden change of attitude really bothered her.

"Did I say or do something that upset him?" No, she didn't think so. "Or is it because of the engagement? Is he getting sick of this whole thing already?" Rosa could only hope that wasn't the case.

"Ugh, whatever…" Sighing, she decided to focus on her training, but it was impossible to stop her mind from wandering. It had been a few weeks since they had gotten engaged, and she had already spent more time with Levi than she had ever expected. He had become a part of her everyday life, and not seeing him was something she wasn't used to anymore.

"Hey, Rosa. Need a break?" A familiar voice pulled her back to reality.

"Oh, hey Connie. No, not yet." Rosa replied, flashing a smile at the boy as she sheathed her blades.

"I'm impressed. Your cuts are a lot better now." Connie said, nodding towards the training titan.

"Thanks, I've been working hard."

"Yeah, it's obvious. Your skills are really improving." He grinned.

"Captain said that I should still work on my form." Rosa let out a small sigh. "It's pretty damn hard to do it by myself, though."

"What do you mean, by yourself? I thought he helped you train." Connie raised his brow as he gave Rosa a puzzled look.

"Well, yeah, he used to." Rosa mumbled, unable to hide her disappointment. "But lately, he hasn't really had the time to do that."

"Oh, okay. That's a shame... You know, we could help you if you want." Connie suggested, nodding at Eren and Jean who were busy preparing for a training session, attaching 3dmgs onto their harnesses.

"Really? You would?"

"Yeah, sure." Connie replied, a wide grin spreading onto his face. "Captain must've teached you all kinds of nifty tricks, so you can help us train as well."

"Sounds great. Thanks, Connie." Rosa smiled.

"No problem. I'll go tell the others."

The next few hours Rosa spent training with her friends, and soon she was feeling better than ever. Not only had her cuts improved, but her overall skill and speed were better, too.

"Hey, guys, let's call it a day. We've been at this for a few hours, and we should probably have some rest." Rosa said as the sun started to set.

"Alright, let's do that." Eren nodded in agreement.

"Hey, Rosa, are you doing anything tonight?" Connie asked as Rosa prepared to make her leave.

"Hm? Not that I can remember. Why?" Rosa asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

"Wanna grab a drink at the tavern? Jean's paying."

"What? No I'm not..!" Jean shot a murderous glare at his friend.

"Sure, why not." She nodded. "Sounds like fun."

"Great! Oh, and if you want, you can invite your fiancé, too." Connie suggested.

"Eh… Nah, I don't think he'd be interested." Rosa shrugged, turning her gaze down somewhat sheepishly.

"Well, it's your choice."

"Right. Thanks, anyway. So, we're meeting up at the tavern tonight?"

"Yup, see you later!"

"Later." Rosa smiled as Connie walked away. She didn't mind the invitation, in fact, she was quite happy about it. It had been a while since she had a drink with her friends, and a break was exactly what she needed.

And so, after washing herself up and getting dressed, Rosa made her way to the tavern. Being so stressed lately, she was excited to have a relaxing evening and spend some quality time with her friends.

"There she is."

"Hey, guys." Rosa greeted as she sat down at the table.

"Hi, Rosa."

"Eren, Sasha, Armin, Jean." Rosa replied, returning their greetings. "So, did you guys order yet?"

"Yup, and the drinks should be here any minute."

"Good." Rosa smiled, taking a seat between Eren and Connie.

"Hey, where's Captain? Didn't he come with you?" Armin asked, looking at the door.

"Nah, he's been so busy... And, well, he's been so damn grumpy lately, I thought it'd be better if he didn't come." Rosa did her best to muster up an apologetic smile— But deep down, she felt bad for not inviting Levi. "Not that he would've even considered it…" She pouted to herself. "Tch! And why I'd like to waste the evening with those blabbering wild-asses? Piss off!" He would've probably said something between those lines if she had bothered to ask him to come.

"You're right. It'll be much better without him." Eren agreed.

"Yeah, we don't have to worry about him killing us every five seconds." Sasha grinned.

"I just hope he's not too mad." Rosa sighed, leaning back in her seat.

"Why would he be mad?"

"I don't know. He's been so distant lately, and I can't help but to worry. You don't think he's sick of me, do you?" Rosa asked, turning her gaze to the others.

"Sick of you? Come on, you two are getting married. That's a huge commitment." Eren stated.

"Yeah, exactly. So there's no way he'd be sick of you." Connie agreed.

"Right…" Rosa muttered, taking a sip of her drink. "Good thing we're not really about to get married— It's been a few weeks and he's already miffed with me for no reason."

"Hey, here comes the food!" Sasha exclaimed as a waiter approached their table.

"Finally, I'm starving!"

As the evening went on, Rosa was eventually able to relax and forget her worries. She didn't know whether it was the alcohol, but she was starting to have a lot more fun than she had originally thought. And soon, she was having the time of her life, laughing and drinking with her friends.

"Rosa, I bet you can't outdrink me." Sasha challenged, her eyes gleaming in the dim lighting.

"Ha! Is that so?" Rosa smirked, taking a big gulp from her glass. "You're on, Sasha."

"Uhm... Rosa?"

"Hm? What is it?" Rosa was just about to chug down her pint when Eren tapped her shoulder.

"I went to get us another round, and this one guy asked if he could have a word with you." He explained, nodding to the direction of the counter. "You know him?"

Turning to take a look at what he was talking about, Rosa immediately recognized the person who had been asking for her. She felt the blood drain from her face when she locked eyes with Cristoph, her ex-fiancé.