Chapter Eighteen
There Are Secrets In The Trees
A/N: A little present from someone under quarantine. Hope everyone is safe and healthy during this time. Read, relax, and enjoy. A review or two would be pretty nice, but, ya know. Until next time!
Disclaimer: Attack on Titan does not belong to me, I only own Emalina and any other OC's. The new story picture does not belong to me; I hold no Copyright and found the picture through Google Images.
~ oOo ~
Point of View
Emalina
"Do you believe this BS?"
The corner of my mouth lifted slightly, lips tightening to withhold a smirk as Jean's complaints flew swiftly into my ears. Each individual Scout was now perched upon an outgrown limb from the massive trees along the forests edge. Standing near the edge, my vision could see out within the titan territory, possibly for miles until the horizon created a line; anything beyond that was an illusion.
The silence was maddening and I was grateful for Jean to be speaking, even if he was complaining. Hell, he was only voicing his raging thoughts, and let's be honest, he was the only brave soul to actual voice what everyone else was thinking. This whole ordeal was bullshit. Leaving the new recruits, hell, even some veterans, in the dark for this change in the missions plan was speculative. Mind racing by the minute, my loyalty wasn't faulty, though beneath that, I was questioning Erwin's decision regarding this process.
Was it a necessity to have done so? …probably?
Was there a pice of me that felt misled, even as a new Squad Leader? Somewhat, if I had to be honest.
"Am I the only one who wonders what happened to the whole logistics base thing? Or why we didn't go galloping home after the Female Titan showed up?" Stealing a peek behind me, Jean was still raging away, standing aimlessly as he, too, stared off into the titan abyss. "Why're we all suddenly playing birdhouse?! Ohh, wait no, I know the last one; no titan's allowed in the center ranks nature retreat."
He then stole a peak over at the veteran, having acquired a perch taller than outs. "What a fool. He's got no idea what's going on."
"Shh, he'll hear you!" Armin softly reprimanded his friend, who stood on a closer limb behind us.
"What do I care? He's not explaining anything to the one's risking their lives. Look at him. He acts all calm and in control, but he's petrified."
"What d'you mean?"
"They say when officers in the field are deemed incompetent by their men they can be relieved of duty. Or in more extreme cases they can die from mysterious stab wounds to the back. I suppose there's all kinds of accidents that could happen out here."
"Hold on…Whatever you're thinking of doing…"
Sighing, Jean allowed his shoulders to fall as he then faced Armin. "Look, I'm just talking. The whole situations screwed and I need to vent, alright. I'm not gonna start a mutiny; well, not yet, anyway." Staring at his sword, the man let it fall; the clinging of metal raised all hairs on my arms as I sighed as well. Jean's words were exactly what I had been thinking. "Just answer me this: you agree with this strategy or is it a bunch of crap? Cause you look like you know something I don't." Clamping a hand over my mouth, I was forced to restrain my amused laughter. Leave it to Jean's bluntness to ease the uneasiness within my body by just being him. "Same goes for you, Ema."
Jumping at the call of my name, my head swiveled back to both men, lips set in a straight line with an eyebrow raised.
"Well, um…" Armin began, considering his words when we were all brought back to the reality of our situation.
"Five-meter titan approaching!" All heads turned forward to see the veteran Scout was correct; a large titan was running straight to our direction. Everyone stayed on their perch, our orders were to annihilate any that were to enter the forest; this titan ran right up to the trees base, arms reaching upwards in a failed attempt to captures the soldiers high above its own height.
Still, I stared into the lost territory.
Thinking back to the days and weeks leading up to this day, my mind wondered through every meeting I attended; all the paperwork, discussions, questions, lectures and the formation. I tried to recap if there was any inclination about this unexpected adjustment, but as quickly as I questioned the notion, I was instantly left empty handed. Sure, there were meetings I wasn't required to attend, but regardless, why wasn't I involved on the inside scoop? This particular thought bothered me more than anything at the moment. Sure, I had only been twelve when the walls were invaded and I was rescued by the Scouts, but shouldn't the years I spent with them mean…something?
Confused and agitated, I was left to clench my swords. I was being petty; this was a time to think of everyone in the Scouts, not just myself. My place was right here, with my partner and a very close friend as we watched the outside world, corrupted by human-eating monsters, ones we were trained to kill.
Lifting my head to the sky, I deeply breathed in fresh air. Not even several hours ago were we lined up within the Karanes District, ever waiting to begin the day, hoping for a successful mission with a high return ratio of soldiers that survived. Now…I could only think of the ones in the Right Wing who didn't make it.
The fuck…hold on.
Blinking, I sheathed both swords, arms crossing, my brows furrowed together, frustration evident as I thought long and hard for a moment. An image of the formation filtered my thoughts as I remembered every single name on that list and where each soldier were positioned. Erwin typically scatters veterans all throughout the formation, changing their positions for each mission. Remembering those who were assigned the Ring Wings with me, my eyes snapped open.
Every single soldier assigned to the Right Wings was a veteran, yes, but none of them had been there when the Scouts took me in five years ago. Each Scout had joined either a year after I was rescued or while I was in the Cadet Corps.
Then…the other sections…?
They were the same. All the Scouts who had been members since I joined were all located within the Center Rank. And the Center Rank is now…Turning to face a thick mass of trees, the answer seemed clear enough, as if I could visibly see the higher ranking veterans within the central section of the forest. Oh Erwin, you clever bastard.
He knows, I thought. If Erwin has only those who were part of the Scouts before Wall Maria fell within the forest, then he's already aware of the Female Titan we fought. Then…I scratched my chin, frustration bubbling inside my blood. Then he probably thinks whoever the mysterious titan is, it's the same person who killed Hange's test subjects back in Trost. If that's true…then the purpose of secluding most of the Scouts is, what…?
Eyes popping wide open, I stilled. Because Erwin believes the perpetrator covertly entered our home while Wall Maria was attacked. Mouth falling, shock gripped my arms, lulling me back towards the vast plain we lost. This…this is all speculation, I repeated in my head. There is no concrete evidence to show Erwin has any idea…
I knew my internal rebuttal was wrong; Erwin clearly planned this purposely. How else would all the higher ranking veterans be assigned in the same location? It wasn't logical, in my own opinion. Now, I had to wonder was why? Why was the Commander…
Wait a second. If Armin was right earlier, and the Female Titan IS after Eren, then why we were led here? Are they planning to lead her into a trap and capture her? Holding my head, I groaned. Damn, this is too painful to think about. This all means that…whoever the Female Titan is, Erwin believes they have a connection to Wall Maria's fall, a connection to Eren, but also…that would mean they're just like Eren. Does that also mean…they could be the reason Trost was attacked that day?
This was all too much. My mind becoming muddled with too many 'what ifs,' leaving my brain fried as I tried to think of some relation between everything I'd witnessed and with today's events.
"Armin…bear with me." I was ever-so thankful the moment Jean spoke, as he curled my attention towards him. His eyes were cautious, hands slightly shaking as he fixated on the ground below. "Our orders are to keep titans out, right. Right? So, I-I mean, we don't actually need to fight them, yeah? Am I wrong?"
Behind us, Armin gasped as we all gawked into the death trap on ground level. During the escape into my mind, dozens of titans varying in heights had taken place at the base of the trees. And not just the one we were on; they were clawing at the bark on all trees where a Scout stood. Though safe up high, we were still surrounded. Walking to the edge of the branch, I glanced all around, trying to see my friends from where I stood. Reiner was close, Bertholdt and Ymir not far beyond him, then I could barely make out Connie off in the distance, just as the forest curved around.
"Heads up! We've got two abnormals headed this way!"
Heads snapped to the left, noticing the veteran who called out was correct. Two ten-meter titans were dashing their way towards the forest, but the moment they reached the edge, both sharply veered right. Tapping my foot, I knew I would be expected to take both out, as are my direct orders. Crouching, I silently waited. Not for orders; for the opportune moment to attack.
The veteran closest to us had other thoughts on the matter. "Varlen! What're you waiting for?! I specifically ordered you to be the one to take out any abnormals!"
Ignoring him, I maintained my focus on the two monstrosities inching their way closer. If they had been any other titan, I would've already swung down, blades at the ready to cut their nape; abnormals were a different story. Their unpredictable behavior was a variable which needed to be considered when forming an attack.
Jean called my name. "Ema? You're not seriously gonna take those out, are you?"
"I mean…" Armin answered as I cupped my chin, still waiting for those beasts to come closer. "She has to, right, Emalina? You were ordered to do so."
"Armin, if you were ordered to jump off Wall Rose, would you?"
"Come on Jean, that's not even comparable!"
"Don't worry guys," my voice interjected their conversation. Backing up to where Jean stood, I withdrew my blades, waiting just a few more… "I got this."
"VARLEN!"
"Can it, Grayson!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the trees. Armin's mouth dropped; Jean smirked proudly; Grayson himself, well…he was fuming. The veteran had the audacity to point his sword in my direction.
"What did you just say?!"
Ignoring him, I ran from where I stood to the end of the thick branch and jumped, allowing my body to free fall head first straight to the ground. Various voices called my name, the loudest being Jean. There was no doubt he knew I'd survive, though I could only assume the image he witnessed as I willingly flung myself from our secured position.
By the time my body had reached the top of the titans heads, my gear blasted off, hurling me safely away as their grubby beast hands slowly hurled overhead to snag me from my wires. The two abnormals in question had stopped a few hundred feet from the tree I'd taken refuge, their fiery eyes raging as they glanced up at me hurling in their direction. Clinking away the buttons on both handhelds, I gracefully lowered my height to the ground, narrowly avoiding the fingers that sought to snatch me up for a snack. The ground coughed up dust as my boots dragged along its face, blades angled specifically for my strategized attack.
Screaming to no one, I calculated exactly what to do; and then I did it.
Having swung beneath one titan, I twisted, blades kissing the ankle of the first before I swiveled and circled, aiming for the second to bring the beast to its fucking knees. Just as I'd wanted, the first abnormal fell, giving me a few seconds, if not one minute, to annihilate the second beast before he would be able to stance once more. Handheld crunched beneath my vice grip, I used the specific muscles needed to conduct the rest of my plan.
Flinging my body around, I now came face-to-face with the second monstrosity, its ugly face snarled, unable to distract me as I quickened my pace. Launching the ODM wires into its arms, I threw myself around its frame to the left. And as the titan, with a speed I hadn't calculated, thrust its arm to grab me whole within its fist.
I didn't give it the chance.
Zooming straight into my possible death, I performed the same maneuver I'd done in Trost. Increasing my speed by releasing both wires, my body circled relentlessly, slicing off the titans fingers as I swirled up its arm right up to its nape. The thick section of skin soon whipped past my face, blood oozing from the titans gaping wound. Its death imminent as I jumped to the last abnormal pushing itself from the ground to stand. Both blades kissed its life away, the sharpened metal breaking off just as the section of skin was torn away; my body practically showered in its blood.
Steam rising off my limbs as I pushed myself upwards back into the trees, my feet landed heavily on a thick tree limb, eyes narrowed furiously at the veteran standing inches from my face. The blood of my enemies was almost gone, having evaporated in the seconds between the titans defeat and my arrival in front of the Scout I was to obey.
His sword was still pointed directly at me, the sharpened edge dangerously close to my face. "You've got some explaining to do, Varlen. How dare you speak to a veteran officer…!"
"No, you listen here, Grayson." I stood from my crouched position to full height, using my own broken blade to lift his away. "Before you even reminded me of your orders, I was already preparing myself to kill those bastards. They were too far away from my position which would've put myself in jeopardy if I attacked carelessly; so I waited until they were closer. I was protecting myself and my comrades."
Sucking in his breath, Grayson was livid; cheeks reddening, jaw tightly clenched, the man was ready to burst. "I-I don't care! You crossed my order and disrespected my as your superior! You're nothing but a subordinate of me - !"
"Enough!" I voiced harshly. "I am a subordinate of Commander Erwin, not you! If you're so upset about my actions, you take out the next abnormal, Grayson. When was the last time you even killed a titan, hmm?" Arms crossed, I was beyond pissed. I'd been dealing with this asshole the moment I became an unofficial Scout five years ago.
The man was now seething. "You'll be reprimanded for this, Varlen! You're an incompetent soldier whose been a pain in my ass since the Commander and Captain Levi decided to take pity on your sorry ass!"
"Then take it up with them if you have any problems. Until that happens, I'm gonna do my duty as a Scout and check in on the new recruits, as you have ordered me to do so, Grayson."
And I left it at that.
Swinging to the original branch I had claimed with Jean and Armin, each appeared by my side before I could even put away my handhelds; one hugged me mercilessly while the other vice-gripped my shoulder.
"Good god woman, don't scare me like that!" Jean exclaimed, holding onto my shoulder as he pulled away.
"I don't know what I feared more: you fighting two abnormals at once, or…" He lowered his voice. "…or fighting with a veteran Scout."
"Please," I rolled my eyes. "Did you two already forget the abnormals I fought earlier?" They, in turn, glanced at each other, blinking their eyes rapidly. "And Grayson? He's been a thorn in my side for years. That jerk," I muttered.
"Hold on." Jean peered at the veteran then back at me. "Don't tell me he's the one who outed you to Levi about…?"
"Yeah," I cut him off. "He's the one who didn't like the fact I was an unofficial member, and yes, he's the same one who made fun of me when I grew close to Levi."
Seeming lost, Armin was quiet with his next words. "Whoa, I never knew that."
"Not a lot of people do." Sighing, I took out my handhelds, foregoing inserting new blades. "He basically made fun of me for becoming attached to Levi, stating I acted like his little sister. Now that I think about it, that's kinda how me and Levi were able to admit we saw each others as siblings…" Scratching my chin, I shrugged, completely ignoring how Grayson actually helped me that day. Shaking my head, I waved the two males off. "Look, I'm gonna check on everyone else; I'll be back soon." As quickly as I stopped by, I was gone once more. Hovering over my friends, I decided to circle around the edge, to find the new recruits who were the farthest away from my initial position. It didn't take long before I saw the familiar brown ponytail and short black hair. Boots thudded against the bark, two sets of eyes, glanced at me; one grey pair narrowed while the brown.
"Emalina!"
"Oomph!" Caught off guard, I could only laugh as my neck was encased by Sasha. Returning the gesture with my own tight embrace, I looked over her and Mikasa. "I'm glad to see you're both alright."
"Same to you, Ema! I was so worried when I heard the Right Wing was almost destroyed; then I remembered that's where you were placed and I couldn't stop thinking about your safety and if you made it out - !"
I placed a finger over her mouth, quieting the nervous girl as she sank her shoulders. "Relax, it's alright. It was nerve-racking, but I made it out alive." My poor friend exhaled heavily, looping her arm through mine.
"Why're you here."
Stoic as usual, unless she was around Eren, Mikasa glared at me behind her black bangs. True, we most definitely had our differences and experienced issues in the past; still, it did sadden me we couldn't at least be on neutral grounds. I was willing to put the tension aside. "Umm, well," I was flabbergasted she even had to ask. "Other than the fact Grayson ordered me to keep an eye on the 'rookies,' I wanted to make sure everyone was doing alright. Unless," my words slowed. "You'd rather I didn't care."
"We don't need you to keep an eye on us. Don't they see we're fully capable of handling ourselves?" Unnerved, Mikasa never missed a beat. Sadly, she was only seeing their perspective form within her bubble; sooner or later, she's had to start seeing it from theirs.
Rubbing my temple, there was much I wanted to say, most of it, inappropriate. "Mikasa, look. Like it or not, I'm following orders. Regardless of what we experienced in Trost, this is your first mission past the walls, as well as mine. We," I emphasized, wagging my finger between her and myself. "May have been prepared because of our experiences when the Wall fell. However, not everyone is the same, even with Trost in their past. You remember what Erwin said: the rookies aren't fully accepted as Scouts until they survive from their first mission."
"Unlike you," she sneered, face still expressionless as ever.
"Please, that's enough, guys!" Interfering, Sasha stepped between us, worriedly glancing back and forth. "Mikasa, Emalina isn't considered a full Scout either; she asked the Commander to be treated the same as us."
"And yet, they treat her better than us."
"How could they not?" she argued politely. I swear, the woman could get a titan to kill itself instead of her, she's too polite, my brain rattled. "She wasn't a member, but Emalina was with them before training began. Compared to her, we are rookies. The only thing we're the same is maneuvering outside the walls; is that correct?" My best friend glanced at me, nodding in response.
The detached female turned away.
Sighing, I took Sasha by the shoulders. "Apparently I'm a bother so I'll leave, I need to see the others. Is there anything you need?"
Her head shook, brown ponytail bouncing around from side-to-side. "No, other than to know why we're here."
"I wish I had an answer for ya, Sasha; sadly, I was held out this part of the mission."
"Oh, so Squad Leader Emalina doesn't know what's going on? Hmph, seems you're not as important as you thought you were."
"Watch it, Mikasa!" I growled. Biting my knuckle, it was growing hard to keep inside the anger stirring within. The smart move would be to leave - which is exactly what I did. Pointing in the direction where I was with the others, I wanted Sasha to know that I wasn't that far from her. "If you need me, I'm with Jean and Armin. Remember, whatever happens today, listen to your gut, Sasha. Your instincts are just like mine; use that to your advantage, and we'll be eating dinner at Headquarters together after we return home."
Her mouth instantly watered, eyes glazed over to which I could only assume she was envisioning eating some form of meat. Leaving them to their position and my friends slobber, I retraced my steps, stopping along the way to check in with everyone I saw. Christa was with Nanaba, both questioning why they had been stopped for so long and what for.
If only I had an answer for either of them.
Bertholdt and Ymir were next, the latter asking where Christa was, though I wouldn't give off her location. My voice was firm when stating Ymir was to stay in her place, not just for her safety, but for Christa's and Bertholdt's as well. The woman did not take too kindly to that, but remained in her spot, obviously aware that I was in the right. More than anything I wanted the two to be near each other, yet in the hypothetical case that something were to happen, she needed to be here. As Squad Leader, my foot needed to be placed down.
Connie was closer, along with another new recruit I wasn't too close with. Seemingly alright, they were questioning just as the others. They bore confusion when I confessed how I wasn't aware this is where we would be stopping; or that we'd be stopping at all, for that matter. And the more interrogations I received, the more my curiosity grew as well.
And finally, several hundred feet away from Jean and Armin, was Reiner. When my boots touched that limb, the male was all over me. Hand gripped my shoulder, eyes bore into my soul. Taken back, I offered my friend a smile when I was pulled into his tight embrace. I'd hugged my friends before, yet this? This was different.
"You had me worried, Emalina!"
Curling an eyebrow, the man lost me. "Worried? Over what?" Sometimes, the big guy - tall, muscular, blonde brute - was a gentle creature. Humorous and smart in his own right, my brain juggled the way Reiner had been acting earlier, comparing it to now. It's strange, my voice echoed internally. He's…
"When you went after those abnormals!" he cried.
He seems more concerned about me than before.
"Ugh, this again? You, Jean, Armin - I swear! I fought two abnormals earlier, reme…know what, I'm gonna let that go." Ruffling my hair, Reiner laughed, his typical hearty roar the same as always. Or was it? He's being really weird.
"Still not surprised you graduated at number one, no one could top you at anything during training. And look at you now! Squad Leader for the Scouts." Smiling as he crossed his arms, Reiner smirked, the glint in his eye suspicious as both expressions contradicted the other. Why am I suddenly uncomfortable around one of my closest friends?! My brain couldn't accept the situation; confusion swept in with the unwanted need to suddenly run away.
"I-I mean, I didn't score perfect on everything. Eren had the highest score in hand-to-hand combat whereas Jean and I tied with the ODM gear."
"Eh true, true." He clapped my back, edging his face closer to mine, leaning downwards to decrease the difference in our heights. "Ema, you gotta stop overlooking all that you've done. Bask in the strength you have, accept that you're a badass!" Reiner flashed a grin, his fingers holding tighter to my shoulder.
Should I be worried how close his lips were to my cheek? "A badass, hm? Not the first time that's been said to me…wonder if Jean thinks the same as well."
"O-Oh, hmm…" The man stood quick to his full height. "I'm sure he does. You are his girl, after all."
Those words couldn't keep the large grin off my face. "Yeah, I am, aren't I?" I giggled, covering my mouth, cheeks growing warm. "I'm still not used to hearing it out loud though." Shaking my head roughly, my hands gripped each handheld, knowing I was taking longer than it should've to check in on my friends. "I gotta head back. Keep an eye out, alright? I'm counting on you, Reiner - " That same smile returned, lips curling upward in…hope? " - just like I am everyone else."
Those same lips slithered away into a frown.
Eyeing him a few more seconds, I curtly nodded, my body lunging towards the last two people on my list: Jean and Armin. Once my feet nestled firmly, I was met with their backs, faces glaring downward at the titans still desiring our flesh. "Anything happen here while I was gone?"
Nearly jumping as I spoke, Jean quickly turned to face me, breath ragged as he held the front of his cloak. "Geez, Emalina! Don't scare me like that?"
"S-Scare you?" Stammering, my lips tightened to refrain myself from bursting out in laughter. "How the hell did I scare you?"
Armin pointed his finger downward. "More have gathered over here, and," pointing behind him, I was able to see one titan in particular in its attempt to climb to our location. "That one's been moving slow, no doubt he might actually reach us."
"That's…not exactly something I wanna hear." Stepping beside Jean, may vision could see nothing but titans ranging in size, all crowding the ground, searching for a way to make us their next meal. Jean, on the other hand, had calmed down, silence having fallen over us, though it wasn't the usual comfortableness I was accustomed to.
"So…what was that over there with Reiner."
Blinking, I couldn't move. Was he really asking about that? "Honestly? I don't know. Reiner was acting a bit strange. He's never been like that around me."
Startled, Jean peered down at me, mouth slightly agape. "You…didn't want that attention, did you…?"
Chuckling, I reached for his hand, fingers brushing together. "Unless its about our friendship, the only attention I want from a man is right here." Matching his stare, Jean was dazed even though he interlocked our hands. "I think Reiner's just worried about everyone, maybe even a little scared one of us might die today."
"Um, yeah…that's probably it."
Brushing aside the weirdness from my encounter with Reiner, I stepped back to move away, wanting to observe the titan still climbing its way upward. As I stood on the branches edge, I stopped; no, my entire being stopped. Lungs closed off my air, heart failed to beat, limbs turned rigid.
"Emalina?" Armin called out my name. "Hey, what's wrong?" Petrified, I managed to close my eyes. Listening, tuning my hearing to what was around our position.
As expected, it was strangely quiet, other than the groaning of the ravenous human eating monsters below. No, this was eerie. Birds weren't singing, even the wind's dance with the leaves halted. Silence of this magnitude was deafening more than it should be. Typically, the silence before the storm was tragic, as it indicated trouble was brewing. For us, what other problems would we experience on this day?
And then the bomb sounded.
Quite literally.
~ oOo ~
Point of View
Levi
"Everyone! Hitch your horses a bit further on and switch to ODM gear. I have to break away for a little while; Eld's in charge until I get back." Twisting to face my comrades, their faces were either placid, confused or scared. They had the right to be, considering this tactic was something I had to keep secret. "Tuck Eren somewhere out of sight, away from the Female Titan, and see to my horse!" Flinging myself away, I zoomed through the trees, leaving my squad behind to protect Eren from whatever mishap was to happening with this fucking titan.
Making my way back to the Scouts location, I swung to Erwin's spot, high above the others in a decent vantage spot to view the now trapped beast. "Ugh, she's not putting up much of a fight."
"That's no reason to let our guard down." Erwin was calm, calculated as he responded. "Good work leading her here, I'm more than a little impressed."
"We couldn't have done so without the rear contingent whose lives bought us time," I snarled, eyes narrowed at the Commander. "This belongs to them; I don't intend to ever forget that."
"Hm, that so."
"Yes," I countered to Erwin's deadpanned facade. "Because of their sacrifices, we can expose whoever this really is. Tend to wonder if they're pissing themselves right about now." Having placed my blades in their sheaths, I retracted them once more, though Erwin's voice halted my movement.
"No, not quite yet, Levi; a little more insurance first." Raising his blade, his thick eyebrows furrowed, expression bleeding forth his emotion. "Second and third waves: FIRE! Give her everything we've got!"
All I could do was watch, waiting until I could sink my blade into this bastard, whoever the fuck might be inside control the damn thing. The ordeal wasn't unnerving to watch as Erwin commanded additional cannons to explode, her flesh skewered with more spears, one after the other. This titan's apprehension came at the cost of many lives, and I wondered when Erwin would grant me the privilege to slash through this bitches neck to see which fucker was responsible for killing my comrades.
"Erwin," I voiced suddenly. "You know we would've benefited with Emalina for this mission."
The man heaved a sigh, his composure faulty. "I'm aware. She's a genius in strategic thinking against the titans," he closed his eyes, grinning so softly it was barely visible. "Much like her brother."
"Then why didn't you include her?" This wasn't the first time I opposed the man's decision, though in regards to leaving my sister out of this plan, this was the one I had voiced out against the most.
"You know very well, Levi." We did nothing except stare; me at him, while he at the titan. "In order to seek out the individual responsible for killing Hange's test subjects, and to gain any knowledge on the Colossal and Armored Titan, we had to remove all those who were not members at the time Wall Maria was infiltrated. You know that."
"We rescued Emalina the next morning, You shouldn't have excluded her from this!" My annoyance on the matter hadn't, and wasn't about to, let up on the topic. Emalina, in my eyes and through most other members, was a full fledged Scout through-and-through. Erwin knew the truth that there was no way my sister was behind the attacks five years ago, nor Trost. Our Commander was cautious, yet meticulous. He was aware there was an insider within our ranks, having described this mission as a way to weed out the infiltrator.
Even so, if he didn't want her in the forest with us to capture this beast, I argued that she still should've been included on this information. She probably would've provided a different insight than what was presented in the meetings we held before leaving Headquarters. "Being how smart she is, you know Emalina's most likely figured out your plan, even so why she's not with us."
"To be honest, I'd be disappointed if she hadn't. That girl is dangerously smart; her sense of hearing is the most uncanny ability I've heard since Miche's way of smelling titans." Dropping his head, Erwin circled towards me. "I know you're not happy, but I did this to protect her. The more Emalina doesn't know, the better for her in the future."
"Tch, she's still going to kick your ass."
"I wouldn't put it past her to do so. Then again, she might also attack you, Levi."
"She wouldn't do such a thing, I'm her older brother."
"Yes, that is true. A frightening notion how similar the two of you are."
I shut my lips, not quite sure how to respond. Sure, over the years my comrades have compared Emalina and myself, wondering how we weren't actually blood related. Standing here on this thick ass branch, I wondered how my sister was faring on her first reconnaissance mission. Had she faired well out in the field? Did she run into any titans? I'd seen the smoke from her position in the Right Wing, though wasn't sure how many men we had lost. I could only be imagined what she'd seen this day.
"Levi: go."
That was all the notice I needed.
Across the branch from us, Miche withdrew his blades, our ODM gear activating at the same time as we jumped down, eagerly waiting to slice this titan with a kiss from our sharp blades. Her hands were covering the nape, though we could easily slice through to what lay underneath. We quickly realized this bitch had more tricks up her sleeve than we were aware the closer our bodies flew downward,. Not even a second before we slashed against the skin, her fingers turned hard as rock, the blue substance glittered like crystal as it effortlessly broke our blades. Miche turned back to Erwin while I jumped upon her head, stomping my foot down on the matted blonde hair.
"Knock, knock. We know you're in there. "Why don't you make this easy and come on out, stop wasting our time." Not expecting an answer, I refused to wait; this was pissing me off. "Seriously, what can you hope to gain by stalling? If you're thinking we'll let you go, we won't. If you're thinking about trying to escape, don't. All you should be thinking about are the good men you killed today."
My boot slammed into her head.
"Heh, not that you would; that's not your style, is it? Remorse. You enjoy killing. Which means we have something in common; course, I enjoy killing titans. But it's a start. I'm sure we can still find some middle ground. Oh that's right, while we're on that subject, let me ask: you're ok with me cutting your limbs off at the joints, right? I mean they'll grow back; I'm talking about your actual body. Don't want you dead just yet; timing wouldn't work."
Dropping the tip of one blade into her skin, I held it there, not pushing further in, but enough to know her skin was sliced.
"Before all that…" Slowly, I retained my composure. Everything I just spilled from my mouth should've pissed me off. No. What I was about to question left my rational obsolete, blurring my sense of realization how my words would be the trigger. "Tell me: of all my comrades you murdered today, was my sister one of them?"
Of course, she didn't say anything, stiff as the canon spikes kept her in place; thick, metal rods protruded into her eyes, across her face and all over. This titan was stuck, and it would take an unlikely miracle for her to escape.
"Answer me! Did you ruthlessly kill my sister, Emalina?! Because if I find out you did, trust me, ripping your limbs off one by one won't be the worst pain you experience by my hand." Shoving the blade deeper in, the titan's head fidgeted. "Believe me, if I find out she's dead and you're the one responsible I'll make sure you suffer a thousand deaths over. That's a fucking promise you worthless piece of shit."
She still didn't move, even as I removed my blade, stepping backwards towards her nape, I stopped before I was even close. The titan then dropped her mouth wide, releasing a thunderous, repulsive screech I'd ever heard a titan produce. It went on and on, the mere pressure nearly causing my comrades to fall off their feet as we were blasted by gusts of wind. This continued for a minute or so, the noise deafening as I was forced to cover my ears, the utter sound unbelievable. By the time she calmed down, dust swirled around our location, the eerie silence to follow unwelcome.
"Tch, nicely done, I almost lost my composure."
From my peripheral, I noticed Miche flew quickly towards Erwin, speaking low and quickly. It was then I could feel it; the rumbling of the earth.
"Best to run the artillery, gentlemen!" Erwin's voice boomed over the rumbling, but I didn't need Miche's unusual scent to determine what was running our way. "Wagon defense squad, intercept now!"
Three men flew right at the oncoming titans, their quick forms zoomed passed the titans, who couldn't give a damn about attacking my comrades. "What the hell?!" one screamed. "The damn things past right by us!"
"Three titans have broken through! Levi, get them!"
Well, I am staring straight at them.
"Hey!" Stomping more on the bitches head, now I was beyond pissed. "What did you do? Called in some friends, didn't you?!" In less than a second, all three were dead.
"The enemy is coming from all directions!"
"All hands, commence combat! Defend the female titan at all costs!"
I didn't need to be told twice.
Soon, all my comrades were by my side, slicing, stabbing, any means necessary to eradicate these monsters from the one titan we needed most. Brutal wouldn't cover the mess we were making. It seemed as soon as we felled one titan, two more would run in to take its place. Their grubby hands and teeth bit and chewed at the female titan, consuming one of their own before our very eyes.
"ALL HANDS WITHDRAW!" We were done, landing against the ages of trees, we watched in anger. "REDEPLOY THE FORMATION! RETURN TO KARANES DISTRICT!"
~ oOo ~
Point of View
Jean
"Prepare yourself."
Not sure how to respond, Armin and I shared a glance, our blonde friend shrugging his shoulders as I was the one to ask. "Ema, prepare for what?" My voice was concerned and slow.
In an expression similar to her brother's, Emalina was blunt with her words, hands soon covering her ears. "For the canons."
"C-Canons?"
Stupidly, I briefly doubted the woman. That is, until she proved to be correct, as usual. A subdued boom! sounded off from the center of the woods. One, and then another; back, to back, to back. It didn't stop as I stared into the trees, knowing I couldn't see a damn thing. Walking up to Emalina, I held the woman against my chest, folding my hands over ears, blocking off the noise form her sensitive hearing. Poor thing, her arms shook as each explosion echoed, drifting across the air as it blew towards us.
"Jean!" Armin called out, pointing his finger at the titan, still climbing up, bit by bit.
Acknowledging Armin, I patted Emalina's shoulder, gaining her attention as she saw the current problem we were facing. Dropping our hands, I said to both of them, "What d'you say we get out of the way?" The three if us jumped off, flying several trees away where we could still keep an eye on the beast, the monsters own eyes following our every move. "Ugly bastards really getting the hang out it," I commented, keeping one arm around Emalina. "At this rate he's gonna try his hand at building a damn treehouse."
"The alarming thing is that it shows they can learn. Not a pleasant thought," Armin mimicked Emalina's words from earlier. "Of course, they probably all develop at different rates."
We could chit-chat about the damn titan's achievement in climbing a tree all day, but there was something more prominent on my mind I needed to ask him. Both him and Emalina. "Hey Armin, they want us keeping these titans out of the forest, right? I think I just figured out why: we're hear to lure that female titan into a trap. Come on, what else could it be?" The blonde inhaled sharply, as Emalina straightened her back. My words hit a chord with both; they knew something and weren't saying for a reason. "It's like you said. There's a person inside steering the thing, and Commander Erwin wants to find out who."
Lifting her head up at me, Emalina's mouth fell open. Was she surprised I figured this out too? "Come on, it's the only way all the pieces fit. You with me, Armin?" Taking her hand, I questioned my woman the same. "Are you?" She was whispering yes before the words even left my lips.
Armin seemed defeated, that this is what the mission had come to, that this is why all those men and woman had to die. "Yeah…it's the best explanation."
"Did you know," my statement was directed at Emalina, though Armin was the one to answer first.
Holding a grim face, I wasn't sure if Armin even knew how to answer. "I have my speculations, nothings confirmed."
"I said this earlier," she interjected. "I have no idea why the Commander hid all this from us. Even me," she added in a tiny voice. Head perking upward, she cast her eyes to the titan, all of us watching as the beast lost its footing, slamming hard into the ground.
"Yeah, well…he certainly wasn't in the right. Why put so many lives at risk just because one of us can't be trusted. Hell, we could've smoked out the spy. Maybe saved some good people."
"No…he did what was necessary."
Mouth ajar, had I truly heard those words leave Armin's mouth? "Are you seriously trying to defend him? Do you know how many of us died so the Commander can play intrigue?"
"Of course I do, Jean. All I'm saying is that it's easy to judge in hindsight. At the time though, there was no way to know how things would turn out. He's a Commander, not a soothsayer. He had to act on what he had, period. He had to choose, a handful of us, or all of us. Jean, what would you have done? He made a decision, he sacrificed a hundred lives for the good of mankind. I may be naive, but there's one thing I know without a doubt: genuine harbingers must be able to do what others won't dare. Sacrifice their heart, accept the burden of doing the unspeakable. Whether we'd like to admit it or not, the fact is this: to rise above monsters, we have to abandon our humanity. That's the irony, really. If you can't let it go, it's not worth holding onto."
"Mm, fuck," I mumbled, scratching my head. "Why does it all gotta be so fucking complicated?!"
"It's complicated because we're trying to find the truth." Emalina, having detached herself from my side when I wasn't paying attention, crossed her arms. "Armin's right though, there's irony how we have to save humanity while giving up ours in order to do so."
"But why must it be like that? Why do innocent people have to die in order to live?!"
"Jean…in order to live, you have to risk the chance of death. That's exactly what Erwin is doing."
Frozen, those same words struck my inner core. Those were the same words she said while we were stuck in Trost, unable to escape the rooftops. "I…" Palming my forehead, I was caught between my morals whilst knowing they were both right.
"It's difficult to process. Trust me, I only figured out the reasoning for this mission awhile ago."
This sparked interest in Armin. "What did you come up with?"
"That…" she began, rubbing her temples. "I mean, there's no way to actually prove what I'm saying; I started thinking about the formations layout. Having memorized every Scout's position, I realized the Scouts in the Ring Wings were all veterans, except they weren't a member of the regiment more than four years ago."
Bewildered, Armin cupped his chin as I analyzed the names as well. "Hold on, you've got a point Emalina…so that means…"
Interrupting the blonde, I quickly answered his own sentence. "All the Scouts who were members at the time Wall Maria fell are within the forest with the Commander."
She nodded, face grim by that one fact. "That is what I have deduced, yes."
"So…the Commander purposely separated us from the higher up veterans to…filter out the spy,"
"I see," commented Armin. "So, to snuff out the infiltrator, the Commander only had the individuals who were there and survived when the wall was attacked five years ago. In doing so…anyone who joined past that time meant any individual could be the culprit. Even us. Is that correct, Emalina?"
She nodded and I grimaced. We were seriously being considered to be the threat? Us? Even…Even Emalina. "Whoa, now wait…if that's really the Commander's plan, then Ema, you're…?"
"Mhm, that means I've been placed into the pool they think could be the one behind everything. Whoever this person is, whoever is controlling the Female Titan, Erwin believes they are the ones responsible that started everything five years ago, at Wall Maria. If they didn't start it, then they have connections to the ones that did."
Armin looked stumped, curiosity burning bright behind his eyes; Emalina slowed her breathing, face cast away from us; and I? It seems their theory wasn't so difficult to believe; shocking to hear nonetheless. "Where does this leave us now?" I hated to ask, but if we were placing everything onto the table, we, mainly I, needed to question what the plan was from here on out.
"Anywhere, I suppose." Armin answered.
"There's one key aspect I'm not sure if Erwin has considered."
"And what's that?"
"Armin, you could shed light on this. From what I heard, the Female Titan wasn't present during the initial attack in Shiganshina; only the Colossal and Armored Titans were there. And in Trost, only the Colossal made an appearance. So…if what we've been considering is true, then all these abnormal titans are…shifters like Eren, there's still two more spies we need to smoke out."
"There's no way," I slapped my forehead. "There's just no way we'll be able to find any of these assholes. Look at all the damage we've suffered from one afternoon and we're not even sure if they were successful in capturing the damn thing!"
Facing towards the open plain, Emalina stood silent. "Be that as it may, we still need to accept and believe in what the Commander has done. I hate to admit this Jean, really, I do, yet…if we're to really uncover why we're being attack and living within a cage, there's gonna be more deaths in the future. Humanity has made a comeback before; I'm certain we'll be able to do it again."
"We shouldn't have to make a comeback in the first place!"
"Then let's find those assholes who screwed our lives over and teach them a lesson, shall we?" Grinning back at Armin and I, the woman brushed aside loose strands of hair. "We can stand around and grieve for all the death we'll see, or brace ourselves for the pain that's to come. On an entirely separate note…" She inhaled deeply, my feet moving closer to her as the wind pick up, ruffling our hair, a way for us to forget our current situation. "I haven't been able to truly think about this, yet…it does feel good to be back in familiar territory."
Making way to her side, Armin watched her as she stared off. "I'm not sure whether this is the right time or not, nor if I've ever said anything…I am sorry for everything you've gone through. I'm aware Eren always made it seem we had it worse, how he completely disregarded you were suffering too…except I've always wanted to say that I think you've become the strongest from all this."
Her eyebrow rose instantly as my own furrowed. What the hell are you saying, Armin?!
"Armin, I…I'm not quite sure what you're trying to say?"
"Damn, I knew I shouldn't have mentioned anything…!"
"No, don't think that." She took her shoulder in hand. "If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing. It's true, I did feel Eren was always trying to push down my experiences instead of seeing how we suffered differently, yet the same." My eyes widened the moment Armin's did. From my perspective, I didn't think my woman had anything to apologize for. "I'm the one who is sorry, Armin. There were times I would blatantly talk about my hometown, the attack, what I saw, everything in between. Though…never once did I consider your feelings on the matter, Mikasa's too. I-I was being inconsiderate of your situation, so…really, I was the same as Eren."
"Ohhh no you were not!" Growling, I turned the woman by her shoulders, forcing her to stare at me. "Ema, I respect what you're trying to do. There's nothing you need to say sorry for! Eren's the one who antagonized you; not vice versa!"
"No, Jean, seriously I - "
"He's right, Ema." Interjecting, Armin shook his head. "I never once thought that way about it. Each time you talked about your home or what you saw, there was only respect on my end."
"Respect? You…respected me from all that?"
"Why wouldn't I? Eren, Mikasa and I…sure, we saw hell, and were damn lucky to escape with our lives. Eren lost his mom, and I lost my grandpa not long after. But you, Emalina…You are the last from your village, the last from your family. We were able to leave with others on a boat straight into Trost; you ran on Freyja by yourself. There's no way I could've done what you did. Eren might see differently, and, I have no idea about Mikasa, but I think you're a stronger person because you can talk freely about your experiences."
"W-Well," she stammered, the glistening of tears pooling in the corner of her eyes. "I'm not t-that open."
"You've still shared more than me." Groaning, then breathing in and out, Armin relaxed his face. "Overall, what I'm trying to say is this: I don't need an apology and you don't need to apologize for reflecting on your memories. We cast ours away in fear, you draw courage from them."
Engulfing the man in a hug, the blonde's cheeks instantly burned red. "Oh Armin! You're such a sweetheart!" Kissing his cheek as she pulled away, I watched in slight annoyance as the male tugged on his shirt collar, glancing anywhere except at her. "Thank you." Seeing my expression, Emalina then kissed me on the lips, knocking me out of whatever mentality I was in. "You know it was friendly," she added quietly, fingers lacing through mine.
"Pft, yea, sure, ok," I grumbled, pink now dusting across my cheeks.
"Calm down Jean, I'm not about to steal Emalina away from you. Whoever would think of doing so is someone who doesn't understand what lengths you'll go to protect her."
My head cocked, lips leaking a small chuckle. "And you do?"
"No," Armin was honest, smiling all the same. "But I can only imagine."
"I think that's worse," Emalina offered. Eyes large and bright, she grin was a feature of hers I needed to see in this mess of a mission.
It was then time came to a complete halt.
Hand faltering within my grip, Emalina's head cautiously returning to gape into the forest. As if I couldn't do anything in the moment, my line of sight followed her every move; her vision towards the trees, her knees giving way, hands latching over her hears. My mouth fell as no sound came out. Anything I could've said was soon overpowered by a noise so loud, even Armin and I had to protect our hearing, though it did nothing. Penetrating deep inside our heads, whatever caused such a nightmarish roar was most likely in such pain, it had to release whatever was being held inside.
It never ended.
Relentless and excruciating, such a chilling explosion of dread was like liquid fire inside my very core. Falling to my knees, I wanted my hearing to suffer as long as Emalina was held tightly in my arms. She was shaking worse than when she heard the canons not even five minutes ago. The trees shook, rumbling beneath our feet as we waited out for it to stop; when it finally did, it seemed even our enemies were affected just as we had. Instead, they revolted, switching from placid, hungry titans to monsters running amuck past our stations.
"W-What the hell is this?! They're all going in!" Peering over the ledge, Armin and I watched on in confusion as each titan suddenly up and ran inside the forest. "Why're they ignoring us all of a sudden?!"
Tugging my cloak, Emalina spoke forth, having dropping her hands away now that the shrieking had stopped. "It has to be her. She probably called them all in!"
"All hands engage! Do not let a single titan slip from your grasp!"
It was then everyone around us began to move, even Emalina stood on shaky feet, her hearing still affecting from whatever it was we heard. Holding her by the shoulders as she stood, I asked over the noise, "You sure you're alright?"
"I'll be fine. This is our duty, we have to do this. Let's go!"
Armin and I followed right behind Emalina. Her strength on hand, she was the leading frontier in annihilating the titans before us as we flew behind, keeping guard of her back. My strength was infusing our ODM gear as an advantage, my blonde friend and I weren't prepared to kill a titan on our own, unlike my girlfriend. She was a miniature Levi, able to slice the nape of one titan and already be breaking the skin of the another in the blink of an eye. Time was forgotten as we flew swiftly, the speed of the titans unnaturally fast from what we have studied. Blades cut, titans fell dead, yet our efforts weren't enough to eradicate them all as more than we wanted slipped through our fingers.
Suddenly drifting away from his vision, Emalina's voice rang out within the trees. "Everybody return to your station! I repeat, return to your stations!" Heads rotated in her direction, not needing another command which assured their safety.
Back where we had been standing for the last hour or so, I was curious why she called for the withdraw. "Because the titans were leaving us behind faster than we could take them out. Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do, and I'd rather save the men we have then head towards the center where the Female Titan is." The woman suddenly looked exhausted, her eyes dropped, fingers holding her head. "If she did call out for them, we have to trust in the higher ups to eliminate the rest."
"She has a point." Armin stepped forward. "We would've gotten in their way had we continued to intervene.
"There was just too many." Reflecting on what just occurred, I couldn't see a way out of this unless Erwin called for the retreat of all Scouts. "I don't see the chance of them keeping the female captive if all those titans are now after her."
Emalina groveled. "Don't even know, anymore…" she mumbled.
We waited, having nothing else to ado now the monsters at our feet were gone. Everything that happened within the last ten minutes or so confounded me, leaving myself with different why questions.
Why were we even there?
Why did the titans ignore us?
Why did so man people have to do for one asshole?
Why did the Female Titan know about this mission today?
"Whoa, wait a minute," I voice aloud, causing the others to perk there heads upward. "Guys, hear me out on this. What if…whoever is controlling the Female Titan isn't part of the Scouts?"
Arms crossed, Emalina squinted her eyes. "Hmm, what makes you think that?"
"Think about it. This morning, everyone was accounted for before leaving Karanes, so how would this one person be able to sneak away from their duties out here?"
"If that's true…then there really is someone within the Scouts who is also a spy," she lowered her voice, eyes darting to our friend. "Armin, what do you think?"
"Out of everything we've discussed thus far, I'm in agreement. Sadly, anything is possible. There's only one way to know, and that's if this mission is successful."
Our heads snapped to attention, peering upwards through the treetops. The familiar sound of our flare guns echoed; one, then a second, soon followed by several more. Blue colored smoke filled the skies, vertical streaks filling the air indicating the next stage of this mission: it was time to withdraw. For whatever reason, Commander Erwin decided it was time for us to return home.
Skeptic, my eyes felt betrayed. "Hold on…you're telling me it's over…?"
"It would appear so," Armin dropped his blades inside their casing, keeping his handheld ready for use.
"Does this mean this mission was a success…or failure?"
"Doubt we can say." Slapping her cheeks lightly, Emalina continued to stare at the dissolving flares. "Whatever made Erwin reach this decision, something's not right."
"Ema, Ema!"
Crashing into Emalina, Sasha nearly knocked themselves off the branch; I caught my girl as Armin held Sasha upright. Potato Girl's breath was ragged, cheeks red, squeaking instead of voicing actual words. "E-Emalina!"
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, take a deep breath, ok? Just like me…in and out…" Sucking in air as slow as she could, the woman was able to breath, given a few seconds to compose herself.
"We…we've got trouble!" Sasha was able to declare, face frantic with worry.
"What kind of trouble?"
Wide-eyed, Sasha held tightly onto her best friend. The girl was never like this, even I could say as much. So far her to fear anything, since Sasha always held a calm demeanor, something truly spooked my friend. "It's Mikasa! She, she's gone!"
Blinking, I stepped forward, mouth falling, no words spoken. "What do you mean she's gone?"
"Back up!" Emalina said calmly, holding a stern tone. "When was the last time you saw her?"
"R-Right after we heard the screaming! I-I-I told her it was something I've heard before, the cry of something willing to die when it's left with no other option! She didn't seem to believe me, then all the titans started running into the forest! We tried fending them off; there was too many and next thing I knew, I'd lost track of her! I thought maybe she was on another branch and went to look, she wasn't anywhere!" Gasping into her hands, I pulled the woman straight. She was hyperventilating from fear.
Cupping her friend's face, Emalina soothed her friends cheek, whispering soft words as Sasha's breathing became slow and composed. "Sasha…do you believe Mikasa went towards the center?" The brunette nodded. "Do you think she went after the titans, or because of Eren."
"I-I don't know his position, but if Mikasa does, I'd say she's going after Eren."
The two girls went silent, as I growled. "That little piece of…" Curling fists tightly, I raised one in anger before it was lowered by Armin, having covered my hand.
"Alright everyone, we withdraw! Mount your horse and make your way over to rendezvous point!"
Scouts soon sped past our position, dropping to the ground to unhitch their horse where the four of us remained. Studying Emalina, she was contemplating the situation, deciding what was best to find their comrade, and friend.
"Here's what we'll do." Her words gained our attention. "You three are to rendezvous with the others, I will go after Mikasa and bring her back."
"Oh no you will not." Pulling the woman by her elbow, she refused to move, stubborn as she planted her feet firmly into the bark.
"Oh yes I will. Who else will do so? I was ordered to keep an eye on the new recruits, so that is exactly what I will do."
"Emalina…!"
"Jean Kirschtein." Lips forming a line, the woman raised an eyebrow, my back rigid, her look strangely powerful. "As Squad Leader, I order you to do as I say. Rendezvous with the others, and I will bring Mikasa back. Please," she dropped her voice. "Don't make me say it again."
Her resolve was finite, nothing I could say would change the woman's mind. Left with no other choice, I found my head nodding, accepting what she was to do. Defeated, I replied, "Alright. We'll head back, you go after her and bring her sorry ass with you."
"Hold on, what're we to tell the others?" Concerned, Armin, as usual, was trying to consider three steps ahead while I was focused on one.
"The truth," she said bluntly. "If asked, tell the veterans I went after Mikasa, but don't say anything about her going after Eren. Leave that to me when I speak with Erwin and Levi."
Removing two sets of my blades, I handed them to her. "Here, use these since you're almost out. Who knows what you'll find in there."
Placing them correctly, she stood on her tiptoe, placing a chaste kiss upon my lips. "I'll try and make this quick. Stay safe, watch out for each other, and remain vigilant. We're not home just yet; there's still titans between us and Karanes." With that, she was gone, the only evidence she had been by my side was her taste on my mouth.
"You let her go? Just like that?!" Near tears, Sasha was beside herself.
"Sasha you heard her, she gave us orders that we have to follow."
"But, Armin…!"
"He's right, Sasha." Turning towards them, there was nothing left to do except to leave with this others. "Emalina's trusted us and we have no reason to believe she won't be able to bring Mikasa back. Besides, we know what Ema's capable of. What's the worst that could happen?"
It was too early to tell myself that I should've bit my tongue.
~ oOo ~
Question for everyone: any good games anyone's playing? I'm curious to know what everyone's doing to keep themselves busy! My husband and I are working on these:
Final Fantasy 7 Remake Read Dead Redemption 2 DBZ Kakarot Rune Factory 4 Special GTA V (this is my 6th play through of the damn game!)Chocobocolina!