3rd POV
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The distant echo of bells set the scene as young Eren peacefully slumbered on a straw bed. Suddenly, a sound in the distance stirred him from his sleep.
"Er... n... Wa... Up... now..."
His face twisted in discomfort, "Huh...?" he responded, still half-asleep.
"...ren..!" someone gently shook him. After a moment, he opened an eye, blinking in confusion. Mikasa's concerned gaze met his as he slowly sat up.
"Are you alright..? I've been trying to wake you up for a while now," she said quietly.
Eren, still groggy, blinked. "...Huh, weird... I feel... refreshed... and I think I saw Dad."
Mikasa looked down. "He's not there. It was probably a dream."
"You think..?" Eren questioned, glancing down and noticing something hanging around his neck.
'A key..?'
"Let's go, the garrison is distributing food outside," she said, rising from her seat.
Tucking the key beneath his shirt, he stood and followed her out of the barn. As they walked, she briefed him on what he had missed, detailing their whereabouts since he had dozed off early the day before. Surveying the area, he observed a mix of shocked, tearful, and traumatized people lining up for food, but his attention sharpened on a fight between two men.
"Get in line like everyone else, you motherfucker!"
"SHUT UP! I haven't eaten since last night! I'm starving!"
Mikasa, maintaining her composure, continued, "It's too early to claim we're safe; this is just the beginning of our struggle..." she muttered, until an unfamiliar voice interrupted, drawing their attention.
"THE KIDDOS FROM YESTERDAY!" Their eyes widened as someone suddenly embraced them tightly, squeezing the life out of them. "You two are okay!!" She planted kisses on both of their flustered faces.
"W-who..?" Eren stammered before recognition dawned on him. "Ah! It's you!! The mysterious girl!" He could've said 'weird,' but he opted for a kinder term, since she had been nice.
Armin appeared behind the girl a moment later, holding three loaves of bread. "Mysterious..? Ah! You're the one Eren was talking about!" he exclaimed suddenly, eyes wide.
She let them go, casting a curious gaze at Eren, who stuttered, "I-I... Huh! ... I mean... yes, it's her!" A sly grin played across her features.
"Oh~? I didn't know I was that interesting." She teased with a chuckle, causing all three to flush.
The blond shifted his attention to his hands. "Ah, yes! Here's bread! My grandfather told them it was for his grandkids!" He handed each of them a loaf before realizing there was nothing left for the newcomer.
"It's okay, I don't need it," she said warmly, reassuring the hesitant little blond, who nodded in response.
A garrison soldier, who followed Armin, 'tched' disapprovingly before walking away. Eren, noticing him, voiced his curiosity.
"What's his problem?"
Armin sighed, "It's not against you, it's the food. There's not enough for everybody, and we've already exhausted their reserve."he said, not noticing the way the girl frowned momentarily.
Eren looked down at the bread with a thoughtful expression.
"There are too many refugees, they were already struggling and...", he trailed off while taking a look at some guys fighting over food before adding. "You know how precious food is to those who live between wall Rose and Maria..."
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Listening to Armin's explanation, Colith nodded, looking conflicted. "He's right, though. The more refugees there are, the less food there will be. Unless we hunt outside the walls or raise a lot of cattle, there won't be enough for everyone," she said, adjusting her clothes. "In any case, these solutions will require a lot of energy and patience." She glanced at them, finding them attentive. "What?"
The trio blinked before Mikasa spoke quietly. "Nothing... We think that what you said makes sense."
She smiled at them, but before she could speak, the same garrison soldier from before, who honestly resembled a nasty praying mantis, spoke distastefully while watching the men brawl over food.
"I can't believe we're giving our bread to strangers."
They all froze.
'Damn! I forgot about that praying mantis lookin ass.' Colith huffed internally.
"Too bad the Titans didn't eat more." A vein emerged on her forehead. "That wouldn't have given us more mouths to feed, ain't I right?" he told his friend with the audacity to look smug.
Colith was about to go beat the crap out of him because, seriously, she did her best to save people, not for him to say they should've died?! Alright, she was about to throw hands. Just as she was about to act, Eren beat her to it.
"Eren, hold on!" Armin cried in alarm as his friend approached the man, fist clenched tightly and a fierce expression on his face.
"We were already rationing everything, and now, thanks to them, there will be a shortage-"
Eren kicked his knee with all his might, prompting a loud curse from the soldier.
"Hey! What the hell, you brat!" He shouted, raising his fist. But before he could land a hit on the boy, a leathered hand gripped his wrist, stopping it from colliding on Eren's face.
Colith unleashed a chilling wave of killing intent, immediately halting the soldier's friend from intervening, leaving him frozen in place as he quivered. She then slowly redirected her attention towards the startled praying mantis.
"I strongly advise against raising your hand on this boy, sir," she warned, her voice dark and stern, devoid of its usual cheerfulness. The soldier shivered in fright. "If you insist on complaining about the survival of those who have lost everything, I'd like to see you in their place, facing the titans." She intentionally tightened her grip on his wrist, eliciting a whimper of pain.
"W-wha..-" He tried to speak, but she cut him off abruptly.
"Oh, and it reminds me that it will be your job now to defend the wall against the Titans." An evil smirk, visible only to him, crept across her face. "And who's to say it won't happen again, but this time to Wall Rose?" His eyes widened in terror as he attempted to escape her. "Let's see if you'll keep the same speech by then." With that, she released his wrist as if discarding trash, causing him to fall on his rear. Sneering, she took hold of Eren's hand and walked back to his friends, who had been watching the scene in utter bewilderment.
A crowd of refugees had gathered and witnessed the entire incident. Some expressed gratitude, while others muttered curses at the soldier who had nearly wet himself on the ground.
"Tch! Who does he think he is, that jerk! I'm sure he doesn't even have the balls to face a real titan," she grumbled. "Bet that bitch won't even last a da-"
"Hum... miss...?" a small voice interrupted, prompting her to meet Eren's wide teal eyes, which stared at her intently.
"Yeah? And- Oh, right! My name is Colith," she replied casually, coming to a halt in front of his friends.
"Oh, huh... then mine's Eren Jaeger. This is my adopted sister," he pointed at the raven-haired girl who nodded, "Mikasa Ackerman, and this is my friend Armin Arlert," he finished, gesturing to the blond who shyly waved.
"Pleased to meet you guys!" she warmly greeted them, causing them all to flush in embarrassment, even Mikasa, who hid her lower face in her scarf.
'THEY'RE SO GODDAMN CUTE AAAW!'
"Huh... Why did you defend me?" Eren hesitantly asked, stealing glances at her before quickly looking away with a frown, seeming unused to strangers defending him.
Colith merely snorted.
"'Cause I wanted to, that bitch deserved a beating for spouting nonsense from his ugly ass mug," is what she would've said, but they're still children. Better to wait until they're a bit older. Instead, she replied, her gaze hardening:
"These kinds of people shouldn't even be considered human if they can shamelessly say that kind of thing. It angered me when he said that you, refugees, should've died, eaten by titans as if it was nothing. And he had the gall to say it in front of you guys, who have already lost so much. It angers me that someone who is supposed to protect citizens is talking about your demise as if it were nothing," she let out a long breath. "So yes, I understood your anger, Eren, and protected you from getting hurt by someone who dares call himself 'protector of the walls'."
Glancing back at where the soldier was, she narrowed her eyes at him, making him flinch and scurry away. It seemed like she unintentionally traumatized him. Good. "Sorry if you didn't want me to interfere, but I had to," she huffed, turning her attention back to him. "And please, next time, don't rush into a battle you know you will lose, kid." She ruffled his head, causing him to squawk and glare at her before reluctantly agreeing.
Mikasa nodded in approval, while Armin gaped in astonishment. Eren listening to reason? Unbelievable!
Clapping her hands together, she gently guided them toward a less crowded corridor. "Alright, kiddos! Time to eat!"
They exchanged confused glances before eyeing her curiously.
She rummaged through her bag, creating the illusion of searching for something. Instead, she conjured foods and drinks with her powers.
Taking three bottles of milk out, she handed them each one and they took it with wide startled eyes.
Taking three bottles of milk out, she handed each of them one, and they accepted it with wide, startled eyes.
"H.. How did you get that...?" Armin asked, his amazement evident as tears welled up in his eyes at the unexpected sight of fresh milk.
"I live somewhere in the eastern part of Trost, actually," she stated, a statement that held a sliver of truth.
She had indeed purchased a cozy house in the district a few months back. How did she buy it? After studying their currency, creating money was easy. Admittedly, it was fundamentally bad for the economy, but she couldn't care less.
"When I saw that, after my visit to Shiganshina, the wall fell, I immediately came here to see if some of my friends made it but..." she paused, closing her eyes. She loathed lying, but her mouth was already in motion. "...But I didn't find them," she confessed with a hint of internal cringe, letting out a sigh. It seemed as though they took it as a sign of her dejection.
Surprised by Mikasa's gesture of support, Colith blinked and then smiled, gently squeezing her hand in response.
"This was for them..." Retrieving croissants, chicken sandwiches, and Croque-madames wrapped in napkins, she handed them to the trio. "So here, you can have them!" A sheepish smile graced her lips. "I don't think the dead will need it anyway..." she shrugged awkwardly.
The trio looked taken aback.
They hesitantly reached for the food before expressing their gratitude. Colith handed more to Armin, "for your grandpa. Be careful not to let anyone take it from you!" Her comment was swiftly followed by her sharp gaze whipping toward three disheveled men, clearly refugees, who had been eavesdropping and slowly advancing toward them. They stiffened and promptly turned on their heels, having likely witnessed what happened with the Garrison soldier earlier.
Eren, Mikasa, and Armin followed her gaze, clutching the newly received items to their chests with newfound caution.
She clicked her tongue, before a thought occurred to her. "Or I could stay with you until you three finish eating, how does that sounds good?"
Given what had just transpired, they readily agreed.
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Later, they located an unoccupied spot, a small staircase, and began to eat there. Compliments promptly flowed, and Colith couldn't help but preen like a peacock. She had been practicing cooking as a homage to her Ma.
Before long, they were found by Armin's grandfather. The elderly man initially seemed distressed until he noticed the content looks on the children's faces. Colith had her hood down, and her appearance clearly caught him off guard. However, instead of commenting on it, the old man expressed gratitude after his grandchild excitedly explained the situation.
As she had expected, no one else there had dark skin like hers. Sure, that didn't completely rule out those with darker skin due to sun tanning, but she found none resembling her. It was quite unsettling when she realized it, especially after living her entire life in a country filled with people like her. However, she quickly shifted her focus, mesmerized by her new powers and didn't dwell on it for long. It didn't mean there weren't individuals of African descent; she could only recognize them by their hair texture and a few distinct but fading attributes, which she noted then and there.
She couldn't suppress her smile as the boys animatedly recounted their meeting to the old man, whom she learned was named Klaus—a fitting name, considering his facial hair.
"It's related to the melanin in my skin, which protects me from sunburns. I was born like this," she explained simply, in response to their inquiries about her appearance.
"Me... Lin?" Old man Klaus asked, clearly confused by the unfamiliar term, much like the children.
"No," Colith chuckled. "'Melanin.' Melanin is a dark brown pigment responsible for the coloration of hair, skin, and the iris of the eye in people and animals. It's what helps tan the skin when exposed to sunlight," she explained, making sure not to sound like she was reciting it from Wikipedia—though she totally wasn't.
They looked at her, utterly bewildered. Ah, the joys of explaining things to people from different times.
"Melanin is what gives me this color because I have plenty of it," she clarified. "We all have melanin, just in different amounts. Mikasa and I are a good example," she added, patting the girl's head, prompting Mikasa to stare at her with curiosity.
"What do you mean..?" Armin and Eren asked, while Old Man Arlert listened attentively.
"The more melanin you have in your skin, the darker you get," she pointed at herself. "The less you have, the paler you get," she explained, patting Mikasa's head. "the same goes with our hair," she then pointed at Eren, "the more you have in your hair, the darker they get," and then gestured towards Armin, who seemed to grasp the concept quickly.
".. And the less I have, the brighter they get.." Armin's eyes sparkled with understanding.
She grinned, "Yes! That's it!"
They collectively let out an 'Oh,' understanding finally dawning in their eyes.
"How do you know so many things?" Eren asked, genuinely intrigued as he happily munched on what was left of his Croque-madame.
"Let's just say I'm a fan of science," she said, omitting the fact that most of her knowledge came from YouTube. "Plus, I enjoy reading random facts that people often overlook."
They nodded in acknowledgment.
"I understand that none of you has ever seen anyone like me before. We made sure to stay discreet, not wishing to deal with human traffickers, so we mostly kept to ourselves and only recently moved to Trost," she explained, appalled with how easy she was spewing nonsense that was making...sense ? Kinda.
She reached into her bag, retrieving an apple and handing it to the old man, who accepted it with gratitude.
"That's why I've been mostly wandering around like this," she gestured to her attire. "I'm planning on enlisting though, so I'll have to reveal myself eventually. I have no clue how it'll go, but at least I'll be safer and stronger by then."
Of course, she didn't require protection and could easily stroll through the districts without being noticed, thanks to a [Notice Me Not] spell or some basic illusion that made her appear otherwise.
Understanding her reasons, they left it at that and enjoyed the rest of their foods in silence.
After some time, an idea suddenly crossed her mind.
"I can take you guys in if you want," she said abruptly, startling them all.
Eren choked on a piece of cheese, prompting Mikasa to immediately tap his back. She too looked caught off guard. The two Arlerts exchanged bewildered glances before they all ultimately looked at her with expressions resembling deer caught in the headlights.
Colith cackled.
"D-don't look at me like that... I'm dead serious about this, and before you ask why..." she raised a hand, halting Armin from speaking. "I just feel like it."
Old man Klaus was the first to recover from his shock and said, "Are you sure? We wouldn't want to impose, and you've done enough already, for us. We won't have anything to repay you the favor..."
She shook her head before grinning. "It's alright, I'm the one who got the idea, and it doesn't bother me. There are plenty of empty rooms, and food will not be a problem; I have a garden. I've lived alone for a while now and survived thanks to the small fortune my parents gathered. Hosting you won't even make a dent in my finances, so yeah, don't worry. I may be 14, but I know how to handle things!" She beamed confidently.
'Is she a Goddess..?' was Eren's initial thought.
'She's so nice...' Armin's eyes welled up with tears, overcome with emotion.
'I'll protect her too..!' Mikasa surprised herself with that thought, though she frowned slightly afterward.
Old man Klaus shook his head, defeated, as he added, "If the three of them are okay with thi-"
"WE ARE!" He was interrupted by the three in question, each beaming to different degrees.
Colith laughed, finding their reactions quite amusing.
Who would have thought that these little rays of sunshine emerged from a nightmare just a few hours ago?
'I promised Grisha I'd do my best, and that's exactly what I'm going to do!'
BONUS
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"Huh? What's this?" a young teen uttered in confusion upon spotting a basket.
"What?" the girl behind him asked, squinting at the basket. "How did this get here?"
"No clue, let's check." They ventured further into the barn with their modest meal and approached their friend, who was still asleep, embracing the basket. They shook him, but there was no response. "Hey, wake up!"
The girl kicked him, causing the second boy to jolt. "W-what?"
"You were hugging this in your sleep. Who gave it to you?"
Confused, the teen blinked slowly. "Huh... I don't know?"
The two shared a glance before the teen frowned, opening the basket to reveal various baked goods. They all visibly startled.
"Someone really left this here? For us?"
"Seems like it."
"Why, though?"
"I'm not sure. It could be a trap. We just arrived. You should get rid of it."
Their stomachs growled simultaneously, and they glanced back and forth between their meager meal and the contents of the basket.
"We...we should really get rid of it..." the second boy said, unable to tear his gaze away.
The first one swallowed hard. "Y-you're right. But...but what if it's not a trap and someone genuinely gave it to us?"
The girl scowled, "Are you seriously going to eat this?"
"You shouldn't, that's reckless!"
"Relax! We've covered poison training! The worst that could happen is a stomach ache!" he said, grabbing a bun.
The girl sneered, "If you want to spend your entire day emptying your bowels in the woods, be my guest. I want no part of this," and turned around.
"Ha! He's eating it!"
Despite her feigned disinterest, she couldn't resist glancing at it. They both watched their comrade hesitantly take a bite into the bun.
"So?"
A tear welled up in his eye, and he closed them.
"It's heavenly."
EDITED