Pieck hoped that the five of them would be able to have an uneventful, relaxing sleep, but as many other hopes she had, this one proved completely futile. There was too much on their minds to surrender to dreams, especially while they were still in the wilderness. Before coming to Azari, Pieck found a relatively safe spot in the wilderness where the group could stay overnight. They brought their resources to the place and finally allowed themselves to rest.
They gathered at the bonfire and had dinner. There wasn't much they could get from the convoy, just some vegetables and meat, but it was enough for the night. Pieck couldn't even remember the last time she ate, and now even a simple potato looked delicious.
"So…" Gabi spoke up, breaking the silence. "We're gonna have to decide what to do once we're in Trost. Eren is probably in the capital, right? We have to get there first. Hey, Pieck, maybe your new 'friend' can get us to the capital? Or tell a bit more about someone who can help us there?" She spoke with enthusiasm, already focused on their coming journey. Falco, however, was far less enthusiastic as he looked down to the grass.
"Why…Why are you even thinking about it?"
"What do you mean?" Gabi raised her eyebrow. "If we go in there unprepared, then they'll definitely kill us!"
"No, I just mean…" Falco's lips quivered. "I just keep thinking about Marley and…My parents." He let out.
"We will avenge them, that's why we're going to the capital." Gabi responded, through her voice grew quieter, too.
"But it won't bring them back!" Falco let out as tears emerged in his eyes. "I hoped I would come back to them, I…I didn't even say goodbye. They died thinking that I'm dead, that I…That the island devils killed me!"
"You didn't have to follow me, I told you not to!"
"That's not…Your parents died, too, Gabi! Don't you care at all?"
"Of course I do!" The girl shouted, a few tears falling from her eyes. "That's why I want to do something and not just sit here and whine!"
"Gabi, Falco, please!" Pieck stepped in. "If we continue to argue like this, we might not even react, Trost. I…I know you've lost your parents, and I was extremely lucky to have my dad escape, but please, don't blame each other. You're both suffering much more than you deserve, please try not to add to it."
"I'm not blaming Falco." Gabi retaliated. "I'm blaming Eren, and that's why we must finally go and kill him for good!" She said confidently, making Oliver look at her with doubt in his eyes.
"Gabi, we all want him to pay, but you have to understand…It's not worth dying for. Not when we can't even reach him; that would be impossible." He shook his head, prompting Pieck to speak.
"To be fair, we got one step closer. Jonathan seems like a good man…" He reminded her of Reiner before the expedition to Paradis, trying his best and keeping his chin high for others, no matter how difficult it was for him. "And I don't think he suspects anything; otherwise, we would've had some uninvited guests already."
"That's good." Gabi smiled faintly. "Maybe we can make him lower his guard and take his people hostage?" She suggested it calmly and with confidence, but Pieck felt revulsion within her. Those Yeagerists might have been the enemy, but one of them was willing to help them out of what seemed like genuine compassion. Pieck knew how to read people and detect whether they had ulterior motives as soon as possible, but she didn't see any with Jon or his friends, even though she would've been extra suspicious of Yeagerisrs.
"You're thinking way ahead…" Pieck sighed, and her father was quick to support her.
"You said Eren killed his closest friends to protect this island; surely he wouldn't mind sacrificing some more."
"And the queen would support him," Pieck added. She didn't know what Queen Historia thought of the Rumbling, but she must have known the truth; otherwise, Eren would not have been welcomed back. "We aren't in a position to just throw away allies like that."
"Excuses." Karina's pained voice interrupted the others. "These people destroyed Marley and the rest of the world."
"Not them…"
"They supported it, cheered for it! They deserve to be used like tools, like the scum they are!" Her lips shook.
"I'm not concerned about them, Mrs. Braun," Pieck reassured her. "I want to keep us from trouble at all costs."
"They killed my son!" Karina screamed as she let out a pained, agonized wheeze, barely able to speak through her aching throat. By this point, tears once again streamed down her eyes, and Pieck knew that there was nothing she could do to make it easier for her. Her mere existence, the fact that Pieck stood here, alive, was a reminder to Karina that some managed to escape, just not the son she prayed for.
"I'm sorry…" This sounded as pathetic as Pieck imagined it would, yet at this moment, there was nothing else she could think of, not when her own heart skipped a few beats, not when she knew that looking at her was enough to bring her more pain.
"You should be." Karina's voice sounded colder and crueler. "After you didn't save him…You should be." She spoke with emerging rage, prompting Oliver to respond with similar anger.
"Don't you dare…Pieck did everything she could. Are you seriously going to blame her for surviving?! I won't stand for this!"
"Dad, stop," Pieck said sternly before looking at Karina's teary eyes. "I wish I could've saved him…And I promise I tried." She has, but this hardly mattered; there was nothing that could convince a mother that losing her child was inevitable. "He chose to stay behind; he was way braver than me," Pieck admitted. "I'm sorry that I didn't fight hard enough. I could've been a bit after, a bit stronger, and this might have been enough to save him. I saw him die, and I shouldn't have…I should've saved him. I know I can't ever make up for it, but…" Pieck could feel tears streaming down her eyes as Karina shook and stared at her with all-consuming pain. "I'm truly sorry…"
Pieck reached out, only for Karina to recoil.
"If you're sorry, then you will kill Eren Yeager."
There was nothing to say.
This would be a long night for all of them.