I do not own AoT, all rights belong to Hajime Isayama
The sun is shining at the Ackerman cabin. Mikasa smiles at the newborn baby boy. She looks up at the woman holding him, her mother Tanaka.
"Can I hold my baby brother, mom?"
"Of course, sweetheart."
Tanaka Ackerman hands Mikasa her baby brother. Mikasa cradles the baby in her arms. The infant opens his eyes and Mikasa sticks out her tongue to make funny faces. The baby laughs, prompting Mikasa to laugh. The door opens and in comes her father, Johnathan Ackerman.
"Dad!"
"Mikasa. The Jaegers are here for a visit."
Mikasa looks behind her father. She sees Grisha, Carla, and Eren Jaeger outside waiting for her. Mikasa looks at them, then she looks at her family and baby brother. She just feels so happy, yet she feels a deep sadness inside of her which she can't figure out why.
"Hey Mikasa, why are you crying?" Eren asks.
"Huh?"
"You're crying," Eren says again.
"No, I'm not," Mikasa says, as a tear goes down her face.
"Yes, you are…and I think you know why. You need to wake up."
Mikasa opens her eyes. She looks around the area and sees at least a hundred other people huddled together and sleeping. She remembers what happened the day before with the gigantic Titan that appeared over the wall. It broke down the gates, and Titans came flooding in. Mikasa clutches her head, distraught over what happened. But then she recalls how she saved Carla before. She remembers how she, somehow, became strong enough to flip the roof off of Carla's body. She looks down at her hand and wonders what happened to her that day. Then she turns to the family she saved. She smiles at Eren, but she is surprised to see an unfamiliar blonde girl cuddling next to Carla. Mikasa frowns and nudges the blonde girl awake.
"Grandma?" the girl asks as she opens her eyes. Mikasa watches the girl as her eyes slowly open, and she becomes more surprised when the girl smiles. "Oh, Mikasa. It's so nice to meet you."
"Who are you and how do you know my name?"
"What?" the blonde girl asks confused as she sits up. "Didn't Dr. Jaeger and Carla tell you about me?"
"No, who are you?" Mikasa asks again.
"My name is Krista. I'm your new sister."
Mikasa stares at the girl, Krista, in cold silence. Though she doesn't show it, she is confused by what she had just said. Mikasa reaches back over and gently nudges Carla awake.
"Mrs. Jaeger….Mrs. Jaeger…"
Carla stirs awake. "Huh? Morning already?"
Mikasa watches as Carla opens her eyes and they shift between looking at Krista and Mikasa.
"Oh, good morning, girls. I see you two have already become acquainted."
"Mrs. Jaeger, who is this girl?"
Carla sits up and places her hand on Krista's shoulder. "Mikasa, this is Krista Lenz. Or, Krista Jaeger now. Grisha used to visit her many times during his trips to the interior. She came from a broken home and we agreed that we would take her in one day. That day just happened to be right after the wall fell. I am so sorry, Krista. These living conditions are not ideal."
"It's ok, Mom."
"Regardless, Krista is here now and she is going to be your and Eren's new sister. I'm sorry if this is a big shock to you."
"How come you and Dr. Jaeger never told me or Eren?" Mikasa asks.
"I wanted to, but Grisha thought that it would be best if we kept this a secret."
Krista looks back and forth, something that Mikasa's catches. She suspects that Krista knows something about Dr. Jaeger's reasoning but won't say anything. Mikasa decides to keep an eye on her. But for now, she extends her hand.
"Well then, welcome to the family."
Krista smiles and shakes it. "I'm glad to be here. This is going to be so much fun! I never had a mother that talked to me before!"
Mikasa winces at the blonde girl's words, then she catches Krista looking around.
"Hey, where is Dr. Jaeger?"
"Huh, that's a good question?" Carla asks, looking around herself. "Grisha!"
Carla, Mikasa, and Krista look around everywhere but they don't see Grisha Jaeger anywhere.
"How could he just leave?" Krista asks, saddened as Carla strokes Erens sleeping head.
"I'm sure that Grisha didn't just leave," Carla says. Then she sees a familiar soldier walking by with a wheelchair.
"Keith! Hey, Keith!"
Keith sees Carla, alone, with Eren, Mikasa, and that blonde girl that Grisha dropped by last night. Keith walks over to her.
"Good morning Carla," says Keith. "How are you? I got you this wheelchair so you can move around."
"Oh, why thank you, Keith." Carla reaches out and Keith grabs them to help lift her up. Krista watches as he gently sets Carla into the wheelchair and she sits herself in.
"How does it feel?"
"It feels good, thank you, now I don't have to stay in bed all day," Carla says. "But do you know where Grisha is?"
"No, I haven't seen him since last night," Keith looks down at the sleeping boy. "How is your son?"
"Out like a log," Carla says. She twirls the key that is around Eren's neck in her fingers. "Grisha left Eren the key to our basement. He said that he was going to show him something there before the wall fell."
"What was in it?" Krista asks.
"I don't know. Grisha was always very secretive about it. One day I tried to ask and he completely flipped out."
Krista winces. "That's odd. I never knew Dr. Jaeger to do anything like that."
"Hmmm. I will go ask some of the other soldiers if they have seen him. Perhaps we can look for him together?" Keith suggests.
"That would be great, thank you." Carla then turns to Krista and Mikasa. "You two watch Eren, I will be back as soon as I find Grisha. Mikasa, watch over Krista too."
Mikasa nods. Carla moves the rails of her wheels and strolls away with Keith. He offers to push her but Carla declines saying she could use the exercise. As soon as they are gone, Mikasa goes back to staring at Erens sleeping figure. Krista has already guessed that Keith has some feelings for Carla (who is oblivious to them), and watching the way Mikasa is looking at Eren gives her another idea.
"So, uh, what are you doing?" Krista asks Mikasa.
"Mrs. Jaeger told me to watch Eren, so I'm watching him."
"...Why do you call her Mrs. Jaeger and not mom?"
"Because she isn't my mother," Mikasa says. "I mean, I love Carla, but I had a mother a year ago. She just…" Krista sees Mikasa clutch her red scarf. "Look, I love the Jaegers and I consider them my family, but I just don't call Carla my mom. Ok?"
"Does that mean that you don't consider Eren your brother?" Krista asks.
"No, I don't. I really don't."
"But you love him, don't you?"
Mikasa tenses. "Yes. He's my family."
"Family in what way?" Krista asks.
Mikasa tenses some more. She swallows the lump in her throat and her hand shakes.
"I…."
"Mikasa!"
Krista and Mikasa turn to see a boy with blonde hair in a "coconut" style running toward them. Mikasa stands up.
"Armin!"
Krista watches as the blonde boy, Armin, grabs Mikasa by the shoulders.
"Oh, there you are. I haven't seen you and Eren since the boat." He looks down at Eren's sleeping figure. "Wow, he's really out. But then again we did have a long day yesterday. Hey is it true that you really lifted the roof of your house off of Aunt Carla?"
"I honestly have no idea how I did that."
Armin then notices Krista watching them confused.
"Oh, who's your friend?" Armin asks Mikasa.
"Armin, this is Krista. Dr. Jaeger brought her in last night to be part of the family. She's another orphan like us."
"Oh," Armin shakes Krista's hand and gives her a warm smile. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Armin, a friend of Mikasa and Eren."
"Nice to meet you too. You're also an orphan?"
"Yeah…" Armin rubs the back of his neck.
"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it."
"No, it's fine."
As they sat together, the three kids talked about their pasts and why they were orphans. Armin told Krista about how his parents tried to explore outside of the walls in a hot air balloon and were arrested for treason because of it. Krista frowns, she knows the punishment for treason is Titanization. But since then he has been living with his grandfather. Krista then told them that she never knew her father, then her mother left a few years ago and her grandparents didn't care when Dr. Jaeger came to take her. This made the other two orphans immediately sympathize with Krista, and Mikasa understood why she was so quick to latch onto the Jaegers. She lost her mother and it hurt, but she knew that she cared about her. Mikasa then, in a moment of pity, told Krista how she watched kidnappers kill her parents right in front of her. They wanted her and her mother, so they initially just killed her father. But one of them killed her mother in front of her because she tried to defend her. Krista gasped and Mikasa refused to share anything more after that. She just said that eventually the MP's found the cabin.
"Wow, Mikasa, that is terrible," Krista says. "I am so sorry."
Krista then wonders whether it is better if her mother just hated her or left, or if she had loved her and died like Mikasa's had. Mikasa touches her scarf and looks back at the sleeping Eren.
"Dr. Jaeger told me to come stay with them. Eren gave me this scarf and I haven't taken it off since."
Krista looks at Armin. She points to Eren and Mikasa and Armin nods.
"Mikasa likes him but Eren is oblivious," he says bluntly, making Mikasa blush and cringe.
'Like mother like son,' Krista thinks.
"But don't butt-in. It isn't our place. If it's meant to be then Mikasa will confess on her own or Eren will realize it." After Armin finishes talking to Krista, Mikasa "gently" punches him in the arm. "Ow!"
"Don't say things like that," Mikasa chides.
"Anyways, I'm going to check back in with my grandfather," Armin says.
"And I will look around to see if I can find mom and Mr. Keith."
"Go ahead," Mikasa says, not taking her eyes off of Eren.
Krista wanders around the refugee camp looking for Carla and Keith. Everywhere she looks, she sees people hurt, crying, shaking, and complaining about being hungry. The soldiers start handing out bread and she sees people crowding and fighting over scraps. It is a terrible sight, at least at her grandparent's farm food was never an issue. Krista walks up to one of the men handing out pieces of bread.
"Excuse me. Have you seen a man with glasses? Grisha Jaeger? He came in last night and no one's seen him."
The soldier thinks. "No, I haven't seen a Dr. Jaeger here. Must have left. Good thing too, there are enough mouths to feed as it is."
"Don't you know who Dr. Jaeger is?" another soldier asks him. "That man is famous for curing a plague. If he's anywhere, he would be with the physicians treating the wounded."
"Nah, I just came from where the doctors are," says a man with a crutch who is taking a loaf of bread. "Sorry, kid, but there's no one named Jaeger there."
Krista looks down in disappointment. "Ok, thank you for telling me."
"Here kid," the soldier hands Krista a piece of bread. "Make it last the day, there was already a food shortage before we got all these refugees. Tch. God knows I'm starving."
Krista attempts to hand the bread back. "You can share it with me, sir."
Several people come running up to Krista and they immediately bombard her with pleas.
"Oh, please, I haven't eaten since two days ago!"
"My baby is starving, please help me!"
"Come on, kid, I'll pay you."
Krista becomes distressed with so many people asking her for help. She offered the bread back to be good, so that people wouldn't hate her, but now there are too many people asking for help at once and it's making her feel uneasy. More and more people show up, some even try to just grab the bread out of the girl's hand. But the soldier punches one of the men in the face. That man falls down and the rest of the crowd stops.
"Hey! That bread is for a little girl! You all already had your shares! Scram! Get out! The bread is better off not being wasted on you scavengers!" Once the crowd of beggars is gone, the soldier looks back at Krista, who looks at him wide-eyed. "Kid, listen to me. That bread is yours and you need it to survive. Don't go sharing it around with anyone. Promise me that." Krista nods. "Good, now go back to your mom, or wherever you came from."
Krista walks away looking at the bread in her hand. She looks around at the people who are fighting and pleading, yet she continues to think about what the soldier said.
"Hey, Krista, hey."
Krista sees Armin running to her with three pieces of bread in his arms.
"Oh, hey Armin." She looks down at the extra pieces of bread he has. "I thought we all only got one piece of bread."
"My grandfather got these," Armin tells her. "He said that it was for children. Though its technically true since I'm going to give it to Eren and Mikasa."
Krista looks down sadly. "The soldier I talked to just told me that there was a shortage already. Everyone around here is already starving."
"Yeah, I know," Armin says. "I'm not proud of this. So let's try to survive on what we have right now until we get through this."
"Ok."
Krista walks with Armin back to their area. She overhears one man complaining to the other about him cutting in line, and that same man retorting that he hadn't eaten anything since the night before. She sees Eren (who is awake) with Mikasa as they leave, presumably to get food for themselves. Krista has her eyes locked on Dr. Jaegers' son and wonders how much of his father Eren will be like.
"Eren! Mikasa!"
"Armin…" Eren says.
"Here! Just in time!" Armin hands Eren and Mikasa the loaves he has. "My grandpa got us some by saying it was for children."
"Thank you," Mikasa says as she takes it.
One of the soldiers scoffs and looks away. Krista looks back at the loaf in her hand feeling guilty.
"What's his problem?" Eren asks.
"You-" Armin is interrupted by Krista.
"There is already a food shortage and a lot of people are already starving. It's bad that we stole more than we were allowed, so we should try to live with what we have and not take any more until the shortage is resolved. We should also give whatever extra's we have to the ones who need it."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Eren asks.
"Oh, I'm Krista. I'm…your new foster sister."
"WHAT!?"
"I'll explain later," Mikasa tells him.
Not far from where the kids are, two soldiers (including the one that huffed at Eren before) watch as people fight over food. They don't try to diffuse the situation or intervene in any way, they just watch with scowls on their faces.
"Why should we have to give our food to some lousy outsiders?" This is overheard by the kids. Krista becomes ashamed while Eren becomes angry. "If the Titans got through the wall, the least they could do is eat more people if you ask me."
Eren's face contorts into a furious scowl and he marches over to the two soldiers. Armin tries to pull him back and Krista watches to see how he will react. She imagines how Grisha would react and she thinks that he would talk to these men calmly and rationally. Eren's reactions, however, shock her.
"This ought to make the food shortage even worse." Eren then kicks the man in the shin. "Ow! What the hell!? You damn brat!"
The soldier then punches Eren in the face, then his friend kicks the boy to the ground. Krista gasps at the display and she immediately rushes to Eren's side.
"Are you ok?"
Eren rudely throws her hands off of him. "I don't need your help," Eren snaps at Krista, then he turns to the two soldiers. "You weren't there when the wall fell! My mother was almost eaten! It's just by luck we managed to get her here! Are you saying you wish my mom had been eaten by a Titan!?"
The soldier is briefly caught off-guard, but he covers it with his anger and arrogance.
"Shut up!"
"We're sorry!" Armin says, running between him and Eren. "He's just ticked off because he's hungry! That's why he's acting like a brat! We're really sorry!"
The soldier scoffs. "Whatever. You would have been dead without us!"
"What's going on?" Carla asks, rolling up from the crowd with Keith.
The soldier eyes her up and down. "Let me guess, you're the mom that almost got eaten by Titans."
"I suppose that's who I am. Why is my son on the ground?" Carla asks, demanding to know.
"They hit me!" Eren shouts.
"What!?" Carla shouts at the two soldiers.
"He kicked me in the shin," the soldier says. "He was acting like a brat, and that one there said so." He points to Armin. "You should teach your kid to have some gratitude. You'd all be dead if it wasn't for us."
Carla scowls at the man. She is about to roll over to do SOMETHING to him, but Keith holds her back. Keith walks by her and grabs the man by his wrist and twists his arm.
"Ow! Shadis, what are ya-OW!"
"Come on." Keith leads the man away, continuing to twist his arm. He looks back at Carla. "I'll check on you later, ok?"
Carla smiles as he leads the man who hurt her son away. The other soldier scurries away. Carla rolls up to Eren and extends her hand. Eren grabs it.
"Are you hurt?"
"I'm ok." Eren pulls himself up. "Did you know that guy, mom?"
"We were friends before you were born."
"Just friends?" Krista asks.
"Yes, just friends. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, nothing. So did you find Dr. Jaeger?"
"No, unfortunately, no one has seen him since last night."
"I thought I saw him," Eren says.
"What?" Carla asks.
"Eren?" asks Mikasa.
"We were in a forest…" Eren has a flashback to him and his father in the forest at night. "and he was…"
Eren has a flashback to his father holding him down and attempting to inject him with a needle as he screams to be let go. Eren winces at the terrible memory. One more thing that he keeps recalling is the key and being told to go to the basement.
"Eren!?" Mikasa yells.
"...Nothing, it was just a dream," Eren says. "But Mom, I have a bigger question." Eren points at Krista. "Who is this!?"
"Come, Eren, and I will explain everything."
Carla took the next fifteen minutes to explain things to Eren. She explains that one of the times his father went into the interior he found the Lenz family farm. That is where he found Krista. She was neglected by her family so Grisha would occasionally visit her and promised that one day he would take her home with them. That day happened to be yesterday, and the last time she saw Grisha he gave Krista to her and went to sleep.
"So dad shows up, drops off another kid for you to take care of, and then he disappears!?" Eren shouts.
"Eren, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you ahead of time," Carla says. "Your father wanted to keep the whole thing secret for some reason."
"But what the hell was dad thinking!?" Eren rants. "He practically just abandoned us now and he abandoned some other girl right after taking her in just to force her on us!? What the fuck!?"
Krista frowns over her new adoptive brother not liking her already. But she also realizes that Eren is right. How could Dr. Jaeger promise to give her a family and then leave it? It's like he didn't want to take care of her himself. Just like her mom…
'Was what Dr. Jaeger told me before a lie?' Krista cries.
"Eren, calm down," Mikasa says.
"No! He left us!" Eren shouts. "We need him, and he just left me! And you! And this other girl now!"
Carla sighs. "To be honest, Eren, I think the reason Grisha left is because he didn't want us to see him in his last moments."
Krista looks at Carla shocked, along with Mikasa and Armin. Eren calms down and looks at his mother confused.
"What do you mean?" Eren asks.
"Eren, your father…he wasn't well," Carla says. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He always said that he was fine. He certainly did a good job hiding it from you, but he was becoming weaker. He was getting more tired easily. I would find tissue in the trash that he coughed stained with blood. And sometimes, in his basement, I would overhear him saying "One year left"."
"Dad was dying…" Eren asks.
"If Dr. Jaeger was terminally ill then he would have been captured by the Military Police," Armin says. "Titanized so that he could continue to live and defend the walls."
Eren scoffs. "I'm sure that Dad decided to shoot himself rather than die slowly or become a mindless monster."
"Yes, I figured that too," Carla says. "I told Keith and he said that he would try to find his body if anything."
"It's what I would do. I highly doubt that anyone is going to be making any more Titans right now. But He could have at least said goodbye! Or spent the time he had left with us! And what's with her acting like we're family!?" Eren, again, points at Krista. "She's only been here for, what, a day, and she's already calling you "Mom" and me her brother? It's creepy!"
Krista looks down, sad. This new family wasn't how she imagined it would be.
"Eren, from now on Krista is going to be part of our family and you will treat her like it," Carla says in a demanding tone.
Armin grabs Eren's shoulder. "Look, Eren, me and Mikasa talked to Krista while you were asleep. You don't know what she's been through."
Eren pulls away from Armin. "And you! Of course, you're taking her side! Just like how you groveled before those guys who do nothing but act tough inside the walls! Well, I'll show them. I don't know what freaky Titan Serum made that huge red one or that one that broke down Wall Maria, but when I join the military I'm going to go back and kill them! I don't care who they were before! They were probably some criminal anyway!"
Krista blinks. Eren is NOTHING like Grisha from her perspective.
"Eren, I told you you're not joining the military!" Carla shouts.
"Yes, I am!" Eren throws his bread to Armin too, who almost drops it. "I don't need this crap!"
"Eren, you'll starve!" Armin shouts.
"We'll all die anyway! We've lost half our territory! We're farther inside the walls than we were before! Everything is in shambles and who knows when Marley could come by and attack while we're too busy trying to not get eaten by our own people!"
"Eren, the government will figure something out," Carla says.
"Your mom's right, there's nothing we can do for now," Armin says.
"So you wanna just live like livestock forever, go ahead! You weak piece of shit!"
"Eren!" Carla shouts.
Krista gasps seeing Eren insult his friend like that. Even more so seeing Mikasa punch Eren in the face.
"Mikasa! No, that's not how we handle things!" Carla shouts.
"Sometimes he needs a little extra sense knocked into him," Mikasa says.
"All of you, stop!" Krista shouts. "Families are supposed to be kind and supportive, not act like…this!"
Eren growls and sits up. "What do you know about family? Yours didn't even want you."
Krista gasps and cries. She remembers her grandparents telling her she was a disgrace and a mistake. Her mother coldly walked away or ignored her whenever she tried to talk to her. Throwing her off her body when Krista tried to hug her and then said she wished she had the courage to kill her. And finally, the pain of Dr. Jaeger, the first person she thought cared about her, leaving her. Sick or not. These feelings overwhelm Krista. She runs away sobbing.
As she runs away, even Mikasa looks at Eren disappointed. Erne himself feels really bad, and he even has tears going down his face as some part of him inside feels anguish.
A boy not much older than Eren surveys what he considers enemy territory. His name is Reiner Braun, he is a Warrior from Marley.
The Warriors are a group of Eldian recruits selected by the Marleyan military from one of the country's Eldian internment Zones (though nearly all candidates and the current Warriors themselves are from Liberio). From an early age, they are trained to earn the right to inherit one of the five Titan-Powers under the control of the Marleyan Military. Inheriting the Power of the Titans reduces the person's lifespan to the next thirteen years, but Reiner considered it worth it if he could beat the Island Devils who were threatening the world with the Rumbling and be a hero, to earn freedom from the zone and Honorary Marleyan status for his family, and reunite with his Marleyan father.
But then, reality struck. First of all, before he left Marley with his comrades Bertolt Hoover (the inheritor of the Colossal Titan), Annie Leonhart (the inheritor of the Female Titan), and Marcel Gilliard (the inheritor of the Jaw Titan), he met his father. The man expressed nothing but disgust and fear for him and his mother, calling them devils. And then-you see, Reiner wasn't the strongest or most skilled soldier but he always thought he was chosen for his dedication to Marley-but Marcel told him that the only reason he was chosen to inherit the Armored Titan over his brother Porco was because Marcel influenced their superiors. Shortly after, a 3-meter Titan with dark hair rose out of the ground and Marcel pushed Reiner out of the way to keep him from being eaten. Which means that they lost the Jaw.
Annie and Bertolt wanted to go home, but Reiner reminded them that if they did they would just get replaced (i.e. eaten by the next batch of Warriors). But after receiving a beating from Annie who ranted about how Marleyans are hypocrites and everyone, including her, is just selfish, Reiner was able to convince them to continue the mission. Bertolt broke down the first wall with his Colossal Titan and they were just barely able to save him from being eaten by one of the mindless. Then, despite everything he went through, Reiner forced himself to push his doubts and feelings aside and ram down the gate to Wall Maria, allowing the Titans to fully enter the wall rather than just one district.
With all the ensuing chaos, Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt were able to blend in with the refugees. Now they just had to wait for the king to reveal himself so they could strike and take the Founder. But as Reiner and the others watched more and more people fight over food (as the devils they are), they started to wonder why the king is letting this happen. Why doesn't he just use the Founder to evacuate the Titans from the walls so his people don't starve? The better question was why hasn't he released the Colossals in the walls by now. And how are these walls big enough to hold tens of millions of Colossi? They are big but not that big.
They decided to just wait around and listen. They have already learned that the people of this island write backward (compared to how people write in Marley), but no one has said anything about Marley or the Rumbling. Instead, he just hears:
"Did you see that strange abnormal Titan?"
"Did someone put Armor on it or something?"
"I've heard some Titans can come out weird-looking but I've never heard of one being bigger than the wall."
"What even happened? Did the MP's Titanize a guy and he just happened to grow even bigger than they were expecting."
So, Reiner, Annie, and Bertolt decided to just walk around and gather intel elsewhere. Eventually, they find a man isolated from the rest of the refugees looking distraught.
"Hey, that guy," Reiner tells the others. "He looks uneasy. It's easier to get information out of people when they are distracted."
Annie shrugs. "Worth a shot."
The three remaining warriors approach the man.
"Um, excuse me, sir," Bertolt says, getting the man's attention. "Can we ask you a few things?"
"Hmm. Oh, sure. What do you want?"
"We were wondering when you think the king is going to evacuate the Titans?" Reiner asks.
"What do you mean?" the man asks. "I'm pretty sure that the Scouts are going to try and lead the Titans out of the walls soon if that's what you mean."
"Scouts?" Annie asks.
"Yeah, you know. The soldiers with the ziplines."
Reiner is confused. "Ok…Well what about Marley then?"
"Why would we be worrying about Marley right now when we're dealing with Titans?"
"Uh…because Marley sent the Titans that knocked down the walls," says Bertolt.
"They did? Who told you that?"
The Warriors exchange looks with each other.
"Didnt you recognize the Titans as the Colossal and Armored? Two of the Nine?"
The man looks at them confused. "Kids, I have no idea what your talking about. I think those were just some abnormal Titans."
"...Uh."
"Ignore my friend," Annie says, sensing that something is off. "My friend has been listening to too many conspiracy theories."
The man nods. "You know, I had a neighbor who was a conspiracy theorist too. He thought that the reason we can be turned into Titans is because we are descended from a woman who could turn into one at will." He chuckles, leaving the three warriors even more confused. "Ah…I lived in Wall Maria, deep in the southeast mountains. It happened at dawn. The animals were all stirred up and I heard a strange rumbling. Thinking it was footsteps, I opened the window….The rest is a blur, but I ran away in my car. leaving behind three kids about the same age as you guys."
The man smiles and nods sadly, and a tear goes down his face. If this was any other time, Reiner would be internally thinking something along the lines of: "Of course, he left them behind, he's a devil". But he is to shocked by the revelation that this man doesn't know about Ymir or the Nine. The man walks away.
"Excuse me."
Realizing that something strange is going on, Reiner and the other Warriors decided to split up and gather more information. As he walks through the crowds, trying to find anyone else that he can talk to without raising suspicion, he is haunted by that man's words. Did the devils of this island somehow forget their past or was he just an idiot?
Reiner hears some light sobs and he sees a girl a bit younger than him emitting soft sobs. She is crying into her knees as everyone else around her just walks by. Reiner doesn't allow himself to feel much sympathy for the devil, but he decides that she might be the best source of information. He sits next to her and remembers his espionage training.
"Um, are you ok?" Reiner asks the crying girl.
The girl lifts her head and looks at Reiner.
'Wha-what?'
The young warrior's eyes widen once he looks at the girl's face. Even though her eyes are soaked with tears and her cheeks have runoff lines, she is still very beautiful. She had big, beautiful, blue eyes and long blonde hair. She has the most adorable nose and soft features. The closest person he could think of that is this beautiful is Pieck, and even then Reiner is more drawn toward her more innocent features and golden blonde hair.
'I-is this an angel? What? No, what am I saying? This is a devil just like all the others here! Oh, but she's so beautiful…no! Don't get fooled by it.'
"Um, yes, I'm fine." The girl says and Reiner blushes slightly at her soft words. "Are you ok?"
"Er…yes, I'm fine. But I don't think you would be crying if you were. So what's the issue? Are you hungry?"
'I would think she is crying over her parents or someone being eaten, but devils wouldn't cry about that.'
"No, I'm just having some…family issues. You wouldn't understand."
"Oh no, I completely understand that families can be complicated." Reiner thinks of his father who didn't want him and his mother who he suspects purposely lied to him about it. "If you want to talk, I'll listen."
The girl sniffs. "Ok…well, before the wall fell I lived with my grandparents."
"Were they eaten?"
"No, they are in Wall Sina, they are safe."
Reiner assumes that Sina is the most interior wall since he just broke down Maria and they are in Rose now. But he is confused as to what this girl's issue is then. If she lives with her grandparents then why is she here now?
"But they…didn't want me."
"What?"
"They said I was a mistake once. I'm sort of…illegitimate. It's complicated and I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it."
Reiner thinks back to his father. How his mother told him that he was the result of an affair with a Marleyan man she worked with. She told him that his father was hoping he would become a warrior so that they could be honorary Marleyans and live together. But when Reiner happened to meet with him before that he was greatly disappointed.
'What is wrong with you!?…Did your mother send you!?…Revenge against me….Did she really make her kid become a warrior just for that!?….my families screwed…Your gonna get me hanged!…I'll keep running from you Eldian devils!'
It broke Reiner's heart. He also knew full well that Annie was the result of a Marleyan woman and an Eldian man. They were caught so it was likely that her mother was dead and her biological father was lobotomized and "drafted" into the military for Titanization along with every other Eldian criminal in Marley. Hence why she now lives with her adoptive father.
"I know the feeling?" Reiner says, with honest sympathy.
"You do?"
"Yeah, I'm a bastard too. My dad…I only met him once but he made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me. It hurts, really bad."
"My mom never talked to me except once. She said that she wished she could kill me. And then she left."
"SHE SAID WHAT!?"
'Damn devils! It shouldn't surprise me that they would say something like that to their own child! But the way this one is looking…it makes me feel...'
"Then yesterday a man I knew came to take me home so I could live with his family." The girl smiles. "I was so happy that I could finally have a real family. But right after he dropped me off he left. My new mom thinks that he was sick so he left so we wouldn't see him die, but it still hurts. And my new brother…he doesn't like me at all."
Reiner scoffs. "Devils…all of them."
"No, mom seems to like me and so does my new sister. But I wonder if it was just pity." The girl sniffs. "What is wrong with me!?"
As she sobs again, Reiner feels his heart break. A part of Reiners mind tells him not to pity her since she is a devil. But Rainer can barely hear that voice because a louder voice is telling him to sympathize with her. More importantly, he needs to play the role of a supportive devil to get this gir-devil to not suspect him. Reiner wraps his arm around the girl and consoles her.
"Nothing's wrong with you." The girl looks back at Reiner as he speaks. "And there's nothing wrong with me either. Sometimes…life isn't fair. For one reason or another, the wrong people end up having kids under the wrong circumstances. And it makes things bad for everyone. But it isn't our fault. All we can do is…move forward, and try to be the best we can be so people will…respect us."
The girl sniffs. "Ok…"
Reiner smiles and pats the girl on the back. "Just be nice and I'm sure your brother will come around."
"Come to think of it, he said that his parents didn't tell him about me until this morning," the girl admits.
"Oh, well that explains it then," says Reiner. "If my mom just brought in some random kid and said I would have to share a room with him I was be so mad."
"I guess I did come off too strong." The girl gets up. "I'm going to talk to him. Thank you um…"
The girl smiles and extends her hand. "Krista."
Reiner takes the girl/Krista's hand and shakes it. He thinks that she is so much more beautiful smiling, but before she walks away he grabs her hand.
"One more random question. Does the name Ymir Fritz mean anything to you?"
"Fritz?" Krista asks. "Is that a relative of the king?"
"Nevermind, go talk to your brother."
Meanwhile, Annie is snooping around the camp gathering intel of her own. She has asked several people if they knew anything about the Founding Titan and no one had any idea what she was talking about. It has become clear to her by now that the Paradisians know nothing about their predecessors the Eldian Empire. When she asked about Titans, they claimed that it's simply the result of a genetic mutation that they have and asked her if she really hasn't learned that in school yet.
"Damn heretic!"
Annie sees a boy her age beating up another kid. The kid in question has long (for a boy) blonde hair and is wearing a blue long shirt. She can tell by the way the kid is struggling he is trying to fight back. He's just too weak.
"You killed Ted! You jinxed things when you were talking about going into the outside world and you let the Titans in!"
"I said that we need to make peace with the outside world," the boy says.
The bully grabs him by the collar. "Same difference!"
'I really shouldn't get involved in this,' Annie thinks. Yet she ends up walking toward the two boys anyway. 'Ugh! Well, you did bring the Titans to the Wall and this Red guy is probably dead because of you. I suppose the least I can do is save this other kid.'
"And too bad for you that your Asian bodyguard isn't here to protect you right now."
The bully pulls his fist back and Annie grabs his wrist before he can throw a punch. Annie glares at the billy as he looks back at her surprised.
"Leave the kid alone, he didn't kill your friend."
"Hey, scram girly! This doesn't involve you!" the bully yells.
Annie pulls and throws the bully back, away from the boy. The boy watches her in awe as Annie takes a fighting stance. The bully smirks.
"Heh, there's only one girl I'm scared of and you'd need a black wig to even come close." The bully raises his fist. "Bring it on, shrimp!"
The bully charges at Annie, who swiftly kicks his leg, grabs his arm, and flips him. The bully lands on the ground with a hard thud and grunts as he lands on his head. The bully lays there, in pain, with his legs falling in front of his face. Annie glares down at him with a terrifying expression and the bully looks at her horrified.
"Get out of here, scram."
The bully runs away, saying that he's staying away from "that heretic that attracts scary girls". Annie approaches the boy.
"You ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for stepping in like that, but I didn't need help."
"Tch. Not for what I'm seeing. You were getting beat."
"I would rather die than be a burden."
"I…respect that." Annie extends her hand. "Annie."
The boy shakes it. "Armin."
Shortly after, Annie and Armin are sitting at the docks. Annie gazes out at the boats which brought in the refugees from Wall Maria and she admires how the sunlight glimmers in the water.
"I'm sorry if I was rude and ungrateful to you before," Armin tells her.
"It's ok."
"No, it's just that my friends are always protecting me and I hate that I can't protect myself." Armin becomes ashamed. "When the wall broke, they rushed to their house to save their mom while I was standing here trying to control my shaking hand."
"All things were going to hell," Annie says. "It's not your fault."
"My friend talks about joining the military when he's older. Maybe I will too. I think it will make me stronger."
"That's good. I've been training since I could walk."
"Is that how you learned to fight so well?" Armin asks.
"Yeah, my dad taught me. He made me train, every day."
"Where is he now?"
"….I can't talk about it."
"Oh…I see."
"So did you really mean it when you said that this island should try making peace with the outside world? Even Marley?"
"Yeah, I think that it would be better overall if we resolved things peacefully," Armin tells her. "I think if they just let us talk then we can resolve those misconceptions about us."
Annie rolls her eyes. "What misconceptions?"
"You know, that we're scary."
"We can be turned into giant cannibalistic monsters. I don't think there is any misconceptions about that," Annie says.
"Well sure, but-"
"It wouldn't even matter if Titans suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth tomorrow. Those people have been taught to hate us since they were born. Hate is like a weed. Its roots take a firm grip in your soul and taint you in ways that defy reason. Titans are just the biggest excuse they use."
"Wow, you sound like my friend Eden."
"Then Eren is smart." Annie looks at Armin. "But is the fact that we genetically are capable of turning into Titans the only reason you can think of that the Marley hates us?"
"Well…I don't know. That's what the government says and most people believe it, but Titans must have caused a lot of damage in the past to give us a bad reputation."
"So what if they said that they hate us because your ancestors ate theirs a hundred years ago?"
Armin thinks. "Well, it wouldn't really be my fault. But I suppose I would apologize and ask if we can move forward."
"And if they kill one of your friends for it instead?"
Armin hesitates for a moment. Then he speaks. "Then I would want that person who killed then to face justice, then try to negotiate with the rest. I wouldn't hurt everyone else if that's what you're asking. That would just cause more unnecessary pain and prolong the fighting."
'Hmm, not self-righteous and willing to accept others' points of view. In other words, not an idiot. I think I like this kid.'
"I like your reasoning," Annie tells him, honestly. "You may be weak, but you have a good head on your shoulders. The world needs more people like you."
Armin gasps slightly and blushes. "Thank you."
Annie then remembers why she wanted to talk to him in the first place.
"So Armin, what do you think of those Titans that broke down the walls? Where do you think those came from? Personally, I think they were sent by Marley."
"Hmm, well if Marley somehow was able to figure out how to turn people into Titans but keep their minds I would agree with that. You know I was there when both walls came down. I saw the big one appear before the wall and kick the gate in like a rock. From the boat I saw the one with the shell burst through Wall Maria. Then they both just disappeared. What do you think about that?"
"Not a clue," Annie says.
'Yep, these people, are clueless.'
"I have to get going, my friends are waiting for me."
"Yeah, my grandpa must be worried about me too. Will I see you again, Annie?"
"We're probably going to I've to a different area soon. Be well, Armin."
"Goodbye, Annie."
Eren sits alone on the beach. He gazes out at the ships that he took to get to Wall Rose. Looking across the lake, he thinks he sees Armin with some other person, but he doesn't worry about that right now. His mind is still reeling from what his mother told him about Krista after she ran off crying.
"Eren! I am very disappointed with what you said to her!"
"Eren! Krista's family didn't love her! Her mom left when she was five! And her grandparents barely acknowledged her."
"Your father just asked for her and they gave Krista to him without thinking twice!"
Eren couldn't imagine having a family that wasn't loving to him. His mother, his grandparents (who he prays are still alive) have never been anything but kind to him and supported him when he was sad. Sure, his dad could be strict sometimes, but Eren still knew that he cared about him.
"Is that why she was so clingy?" Eren asks himself. "Did she just want to fill the void with us?"
'Yes, Eren, she was. And honestly you were being very selfish.'
'What? I can see how I was a jerk but how was that selfish?'
'Because, you were only thinking about how rough things are for you. And I don't just mean about the adoption. You lost a father, she lost a father figure. She needs you as much as your mother and Mikasa do. So get over yourself and be a man for the women in your life.'
Eren sighs. "I need to apologize to her."
By the time Eren has returned to his family's area, Krista is already talking to his mom and Mikasa.
"So, again, I'm sorry if I came off too strong," Krista tells Carla. "I can just call you Carla, or Mrs. Jaeger if you want for now."
Carla affectionately touches Krista's face. "No, mom is fine, dear."
Krista sheds a tear of joy. She wipes it and turns to Mikasa. "Mikasa, I-"
"I would like us to start as friends," Mikasa says simply.
"Ok, that's fair. Now I just have to apologize to Eren."
"I'm right here."
Eren's family looks to the side and sees him standing there. Mikasa runs up to him.
"Eren! Where have you been?"
"Thinking." Eren then looks at Krista.
"Eren, I'm sorry for not giving you time to process everything," Krista says. "I wasn't considerate of your feelings."
"Neither of us we're considerate," Eren admits. "Just know that I'm here for you, all of you."
Krista runs into Eren's arms and hugs him. Eren cringes and looks between Mikasa and his mother. Carla urges him to hug back and Eren reluctantly wraps his arms around her. Mikasa awkwardly hugs too, to Erens confusion.
It is nighttime. Nearly everyone else is asleep, but the Jaegers stay awake in case Grisha comes back. Carla holds her children close and they look around. They waited all day in this same spot for him, but he never showed up.
"He's not coming back, is he?" Krista asks.
Carla doesn't want to answer that question, but thankfully she sees Keith walking bye.
"Keith! Keith!" This catches Keith's attention and he walks over to her. "Keith, have you found Grisha?"
"No, Carla, I'm sorry. Believe me we looked everywhere. All the hospitals. All the bars. Everywhere in Wall Rose. We even put in a request in Wall Sina but no one has heard of him either. It's like Grisha vanished off the face of the earth."
Carla sighs and holds her kids close. She looks at all three of their saddened faces. Eren furiously takes out the key from under his shirt and acts like he is about to throw it. But Eren stops, sheds more tears despite his furious face, and tucks the key back around his neck.
"And…my parents?"
Keith gulps. "They were not counted among those that escaped Wall Maria. I am sorry."
Carla covers her mouth and lets out a sob. Her parents are dead, and not by old age but by the jaws of a Titan. Eren's eyes widen and tears form in them. Tears go down Carla's face as well, and Keith kneels in front of her.
"Carla, I want you to know that if you or the kids ever need anything, I'm here for you."
Carla looks at Keith with teary eyes. "Keith I-"
"Ow!"
Keith suddenly grabs his shin. Carla looks down and sees that Eren's leg is raised.
"Eren!"
"What?" Eren looks down and sees his own leg raised. He gasps. "I swear, I didn't mean to do that."
"It's ok, Carla," Keith says. "The boy just lost his father, he's feeling a lot of emotions right now. I'll talk to you later in private. I have to go now, good night Carla."
"Goodnight Keith."
Krista leans into Carla's ears and whispers to her, as Mikasa consoles Eren.
"I think he likes you," Krista whispers, too low for Eren to hear.
"What? No, Keith is just being a supportive friend. And besides, Grisha could still be alive. We just need to find him."
The next day, the royal government made an announcement to the citizens of Wall Rose. They claimed that two soldiers had noticed the abnormal Titans (dubbed the Colossal and Armored) revert to human form after breaking down the gates.
They presented the theory that they were the result of Marleyan experimentation with Titan science, the same way as how they are able to alter the bodies of the Military Police to be faster, stronger, and more agile than normal Paradisians by slightly activating the Titan-Gene that they are all naturally born with. They proposed that the Titan- Shifters are enemy soldiers of presumably Marleyan nationality who were somehow able to give this Power of Titans to their own, though the soldiers who claimed to have seen them change back were unable to identify their appearances.
Regardless, the government and military urged all citizens of the walls to keep an eye out for any activity that would make them suspect a spy. Including unfamiliarity with their cultural customs or difficulty reading (since the writing style outside the island is different than their own). Another key thing to look for is, as theorized by the Titan-Specialists, Titan-Shifters would be able to quickly heal from any wound with accompanying steam even in human form, like a true Titan would.
Annie throws down the newspaper explaining the government's "theory" about the abnormal Titans on the crate between herself, Reiner, and Bertolt.
"Well, it's official. The government is keeping the Titan war a secret."
"How could they do this?" Bertolt asks. "I mean, one hundred years isn't enough to completely forget a whole history, right?"
"Well if they burnt every book that spoke the truth and forced the first generations to not say anything then yeah, they could have easily forgotten," Reiner says.
Annie thinks. "I also recall hearing something from Zeke that the Founding Titan has the ability to alter memories. He told me to try to eat a piece of it even if we couldn't take the whole Founder."
One special thing about Annie's Titan (aside from a female figure) is that it can gain the traits and abilities of other Titans by eating pieces of them. For that reason, Annie was experimented on shortly after getting her Titan since the Titan loses their acquired ability with each "transfer". She ate a piece of Zeke's Titan which granted her a limited hardening ability. She also ate a piece of Piecks Titan which helps her run faster, at least for a while. Among other random Titans from Marley's wars with traits the military thought she would need. Zeke in particular seemed eager for Annie to acquire the Founding Titan, even if the higher-ups wouldn't let Zeke go to the island himself (Annie didn't know why though, no one did, except that it was for "personal" reasons).
"But why would the king do that?" Bertolt asks.
"To keep the population under control after the war I'm guessing."
Reiner crosses his arm. "They just wanted to forget their sins so they could convince readers themselves that they are good and innocent. We cannot stand for this."
"What if the king doesn't have the Founder anymore?" Bertolt suggests. "Maybe something happened and that's why they haven't unleashed the Rumbling now."
"We won't know for sure until we investigate the king as originally planned," Reiner says. "And once we get the Founder, we will show them. They won't be able to deny or escape their sins any longer."
"Aw come one Reiner," Bertolt says. "Some of these people here are nice."
"No matter how nice they act, they are still evil devils."
"Then how come that one that confessed to leaving three kids to die hung himself with a note explaining how guilty he was?"
Reiner twitches. He was more shocked than any of his friends seeing the man's hung body. It was found not to long after they talked to him and he confessed his sins. No matter how many times he read the note, he couldn't believe that a devil felt guilty. Even if the face of that angel kept returning to his mind every so often. But Reiner refuses to let it get to him. Marley wouldn't want him going soft on the enemy, and he has a job to do. Their ancestors committed atrocities anyway, so they deserve it."
"I…don't know. And I don't care! It was for no good reason, I know that much."
Annie rolls her eyes.
Reiss Estate, Wall Sina
Alma Lenz says on the furnished couch like she owns it as she drinks a bottle of Paradis' finest wine. That morning, her lover Rod had called her at the brothel in the Underground that she (used to) worked at and told her that she would be rehired as his maid. That was the cover that they told the council, along with telling the rest of Wall Sina that the rest of the Reisses perished in a church fire. The truth was that Rod had brought her back to the estate so they can continue their affair more conveniently. Of course, she could be happier. She wishes that she didn't have to wear a maid's dress right now and that Rod wasn't on the phone with her parents.
"Are you sure that the man didn't give you a name at all!?…Weren't you the least bit curious of what he was going to do with your granddaughter?…THAT'S COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! Ugh!…Yes, your daughter is here with me...No, you will not be getting a cent…goodbye, Mr. Lenz."
Rod hangs up the phone and massages his forehead. Seeing the opportunity, Alma strolls up to him and wraps her arms around him from behind. She brings her mouth close to his neck so that he can feel her breath.
"I'm going to see them later to examine their memories. Maybe there is something they just aren't telling me."
"Master, come with me to bed and I'll make you forget your worries."
Rod pulls away from Alma. "Alma, I told you I'm not in the mood right now."
Alma scoffs. "Right, you said you were in mourning. Your wife was arranged though, that's why you have ME."
"I also lost my children," Frieda reminds her. "Frieda, Florian, Dirk, Able, Urklyn."
"Oh, right, them-'
To be honest, Alma is glad that the former Lady Reiss is dead, along with the children. It gave her the chance to insert herself back into her lord's life and make herself Lady Reiss in the bitches place. But instead, she got pregnant too early and Rod wouldn't let her abort, so she ended up with a target on her head for ten years.
"-Of course, you need to mourn for as much as you want."
"I have no time to mourn, I need to find our daughter."
Alma groans, "Why her!? I am more than willing to bear you many more children. Forget the bastard."
"Alma I told you before, we can't have any more children until we find Historia so I can transfer my Titan to her. We need her for that so we can convince the council to let the both of you live. And allow us to marry so you can give me more legitimate children for her to pass it down to."
"Can't you just use your mind-memory powers to make them be ok with our marriage?" Alma asks.
"The council is made out of descendants of non-Subject of Ymir Eldians because they could not be altered by the Founder."
"Well, can't you just make them Subjects of Ymir?" Alma asks. "Like, through a blood transfusion or something."
"Alma, it doesn't…" Rod thinks for a minute. "I think you just gave me an idea."
Wall Rose
One day later, a guard in Wall Rose found an evaporating Titan skeleton. The Survey Corps Titan specialist, Hange Zoe, was brought in to examine it. She is torn between screaming in joy and crying.
"Aghhhh! Look at this marvelous thing!" Hange says, gesturing to the Titan skeleton. She examines it. "Can you imagine how this marvelous thing must have looked!? Its teeth are sharp, and it has claws! CLAWS!"
"There are cracks and holes in the wall," Levi says. "It must have climbed. What I want to know is who killed it."
"We just found it like this," the guard says. "None of my men say they did it."
"It's such a shame," Hange says. "I would have loved to see it when it was alive."
"It's pretty abnormal," the guard says. "You don't think it was one of those Shifters that the government talked about, do you?"
"If it was, it's dead now," Levi says, callously kicking the skull causing it to shatter, to Hange's horror.
Some days later, the refugees within Wall Rose were all to cultivate the wastelands and secure food. However, a food shortage was unavoidable. Many more people died of starvation, and the accumulating piles of bodies caused more people to die of disease.
During this time, despite the hardships, Krista became a true member of the family. She became close with Eren and Mikasa, and a good friend of Armin. Eren quickly grew into his big brother role and Krista helped Carla take care of things around the living space they were given. Armin and his grandfather moved in with them and Mr. Alert helped Carla with taking care of the four kids, with occasional hall from Hannes and Keith. Whenever Keith came to visit her, Carla acted as if she was waiting for Keith to confess something, but he never did.
Meanwhile, Reiner became more and more distressed seeing the people around him struggling for survival. Men, women, children, families. Some of them competed with him and his friends for food. Others decided to offer help to three orphan kids. It was getting harder and harder for the blonde to convince himself that they were evil and deserved what was coming.
Wall Rose, 846
The royal government sent a multitude of refugees on a mission to retake Wall Maria. 250,000 were sent, nearly a fifth of the population. Not a single person came back. Although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population.
Armin leans against a wall, clutching his grandfather's hat. His grandfather placed it on his head, just before he left the wall with the rest of the sacrifices. As soon as he was gone and the gates were closed, Armin heard a loud scream and he saw light creep up from the top of the wall. The government refused to disclose what happened. Whether some of the alleged Titan-Shifters appeared or some of the refugees were injected with Titan serum themselves. All Armin knows is that his grandfather is gone for good now.
Krista is comforting him with a hand on his shoulder as Carla is lighting a candle next to a picture of her fallen friend. Then Armin hears his friend Eren growl.
"This is all Marley's fault! Them and those damn shifters!-"
'If it wasn't for Marley, we would have a place in this world again.'
"-If it wasn't for Marley, we would have a place in this world again!" Eren stomps up to his mother. "Mom, I don't care what you say. I'm applying for the military next year!"
"Eren, no, you can't."
"I will! It's the only way to protect you and this island from the monsters that want to hurt us! So I'm going to gain the strength to fight the Marleyans!"
"Eren-"
"Me too," Armin says, remembering what he told that girl last year.
"What? Armin!"
"Sorry, aunt Carla, but I think Eren is right."
"I'll join you too."
"Mikasa!?"
"Mikasa, you don't have too," Eren says. "You said staying alive is the most important thing!"
"That's why I'm going, so you won't die."
"All right, Krista?"
"I…" Krista looks at Carla, then Armin and her foster siblings. "…I don't think I'm soldier material. I'll stay home and take care of mom."
"All right, the three of us then!" Eren says, glancing at Mikasa and Armin.
"There's nothing I can do to convince you, is there?"
"No."
Carla just sighs and rolls away.