Merry (late) Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just to prove last chapter wasn't a final dying spasm heres another one.

This is the final chapter of the Young AM arc I had going on, which I hope satisfies. I was planning on saving this and uploading it with the next chapter but the tones of the two chapters are very different so I dont think it would work as a double upload... and because I'm unashamedly hungry for comments and reviews

Gulls, Rivers and Second Chances

A lifetime ago

Armin had barely stepped back into the hustle and bustle of Shiganshina's cobbled streets when a painfully familiar voice struck him like a slap.

"Well, look who's back! It's the little heretic!"

He froze mid-step, pulse quickening. The words came sharp and mocking, slicing through the peaceful air of relaxation he'd carried back with from the camping trip with his grandfather, the pair of them having returned only the night before. All of a sudden the warmth of the sunlit forest seemed worlds away, replaced by the cold knot of dread twisting in his stomach.

An arm draped itself around his shoulders - too heavy to be friendly. Armin tensed at the unwelcome contact, but he didn't pull away. He knew better. There was no slipping out of this now.

"We ain't seen much of you recently, blondie. You haven't been trying to avoid us now, have you?" The leader of the trio, Gale, asked, tightening his grip on Armin's shoulder.

Armin had been lucky these past weeks, even before his trip to the forest, having successfully avoided Gale and his gang by sticking to the crowded streets and slipping away before they noticed him. But today an overturned cart had blocked the main street, forcing him down this quieter side street and straight into their waiting arms.

"N-n-no." Armin stammered out, hating how his voice shook as the three bullies surrounded him. Why couldn't he be brave like Eren?

"N-n-n-no," The second boy ridiculed Armin, mimicking his answer in a high pitched voice which echoed off the narrow alley walls. "You sound like such a girl, wimp."

Armin tried to glare at the older boy. Domanic was his real name, but Eren always called him fatso due to him being, well, fat...

"Are we sure he's not? He looks, talks and acts like one, and even has a little boyfriend to cry on." The last of the three, Albi, laughed nasally. It grated on Armin's ears.

Gale laughed as well, and used his firm grip on Armin's shoulder to push him up against the wall, cutting off what little chance of escape still existed.

Looming over him, Gale placed one hand against the wall next to Armin's head and the other grabbed and scrunched up Armin's collar. "Well I don't know about the boyfriend thing anymore, seems like Yeager's gone and replaced you, hasn't he? Got a proper girl following him around now."

Domanic scoffed and folded his large flabby arms across his equally large torso. "That moron just replaced one freak for another. Have you seen her eyes? All squinty looking. What's wrong with 'em?"

"Creepy." Albi nodded his agreement.

Armin clenched his jaw, his trembling fists curling at his sides. The campfire warmth in his chest had been snuffed out, replaced by a bitter mix of shame and anger. Anger at what they were saying and shame at how scared he was to tell them where to shove their cruel ignorant comments!

But as scared as he was, a small spark of defiance burnt in his heart for he knew that the second the bullies had cornered him he wasn't getting away without a beating, so he might get it over with as soon as possible by channelling his inner Eren.

"D-don't talk about Mikasa like that, f-fatso!"

The punch he got for that comment was entirely expected but still hurt.

"I'll talk about her freako eyes whenever I want, heretic." Dominic spat as Gale released the hold on Armin's collar, letting the still reeling nine year old drop to the ground like a sack.

With a face throbbing with pain and vision spinning from the blow, Armin brought a trembling hand to his mouth and felt blood running from both his nose and split lip.

The spark was stomped on, but the slightest ember yet remained.

"F-fear of the unknown is the mark of the ignorant." Armin quoted from one his books, doing his best to ignore the pain as he looked up at the three older boys, eyes wet with unshed tears. "Maybe if you read books instead of destroying them you wouldn't be so ignorant, or afraid."

Gale and Dominic narrowed their eyes, realising they were being insulted and back talked to again, while Albi just smirked to himself and cracked his knuckles, eagerly awaiting the oncoming beat down.

"Oh I'll give you fear you little shi-" Gale reached down to grab Armin again.

Gale pulled his arm back, hand curling into a fist, ready to deliver another blow as Armin squeezed his eyes shut. He braced himself for the inevitable beating and all the pain that came with it, but nothing happened.

At first Armin thought they were planning to taunt him with fake outs for a while as they had done before, but when he cracked open an eye and peered out through his hair bangs at his long term bully, he saw the truth.

A slender hand had grabbed Gale's arm from behind, stopping the would-be punch in its tracks.

"Huh?" Gale seemed just as surprised as Armin was at the interruption, but unlike Armin he had no chance to dwell on whose hand it was before he was suddenly flipped over backwards and sent flying down the alleyway away from Armin.

He landed hard, rolling almost comically fast across the ground before skidding to a halt, face down in the mud. He didn't get back up.

Both Armin and the two remaining older boys were lost for words at the sight. Gale was many things, but physically weak was not one of them, so to see him being thrown around like he was nothing was difficult to comprehend.

What was even more difficult for them to comprehend was that it wasn't Eren who had come to Armin's aid - the lack of his signature warcry was a dead give away - but was in fact someone none of them had expected.

Standing where Gale had been moments before was a young girl with a large wrapped object held under her left arm and a bright red scarf wrapped tight around her pale neck.

"Leave." Mikasa Ackerman said quietly.

It was only a single word, little more than a whisper, yet it still sent a deathly chill down the spines of all who heard it.

If they had been smart, Albi and Dominic would have done just that, fleeing the scene and only pausing to pick their unconscious leader up off the floor. However, being intelligent and being a bully were two states of being that rarely coexisted, so the undeservedly kind offer was ignored.

In time they would come to fear Mikasa and flee at the very sight of her, but for now with Mikasa only recently arriving in Shiganshina this was to be one of the many lessons Gale and his lackeys would have to learn first.

The spell cast by Gale's blistered defeat finally broke with her voice, freeing the remaining older boys from their stupor.

"You little freak!" Dominic shouted, his ruddy face twisting in anger as he threw a sloppy punch Mikasa's way. He had no qualm's about hitting girls, or anyone he believed was weaker than himself.

His 'education' would be a lot more intense and require several more lessons than the other two before he finally learnt.

Without letting go of the item she carried, Mikasa smoothly ducked under the swinging fist and swept Dominic's feet out from under him with a single kick. The overweight bully hit the ground with a meaty thud, groaning in pain before Mikasa delivered another hard kick to his belly, shoe briefing sinking into the fat before it sent him flying back down the alleyway as well, coming to a stop in the same pile of mud as Gale.

Mikasa stood up straight and stared at the last bully still standing dead in the eye.

"Leave." She repeated.

This time basic self-preservation won out over pride or a sense of 'loyalty' between the bullies, and Albi turned tail and ran, not even stopping to check on his fallen friends. Of the trio he was always the first to cut and run when the going got rough.

As Mikasa watched the boy flee in terror, Armin's gaze was fixated entirely on her. He knew staring at people was rude especially with his eyes currently as wide as saucers, but Armin couldn't help it. In less than ten seconds, Mikasa had defeated two of the meanest twelve-year-olds in the city and sent the third fleeing with just a single word.

She made it look so effortlessly easy.

"You… you beat them." Armin breathed out, struck dumb at what he had witnessed. Not even Eren had managed to pull something like that off, and Eren was probably the bravest person Armin knew!

Mikasa must have heard his soft murmur, for she turned her head away from the bully's retreating form to look down upon him with those strikingly grey eyes of hers. The sight stole Armin's breath away, as they bored into his very being - his very soul - searching for something.

In that moment those eyes and the penetrating look that came with them was Armin's world. Nothing else registered.

But then she glanced down at his bloody nose and the spell was broken.

"You're bleeding." Mikasa plainly stated as another drop of blood trailed down his lip.

The throbbing pain in his face returned with a vengeance at the reminder, and Armin couldn't help but wince and sniffle as he gingerly padded at the mess with his fraying sleeve. As he did so, Armin forced his still trembling body to stand back up, so he wasn't cowering in the dirt any longer.

Mikasa took half a step back as he did, her left arm briefly tightening around the object she held.

"I-It's alright, I'm fine. I've had worse." Armin managed to get out, trying to put on a brave face as he blinked away the tears. He knew Mikasa hadn't actually asked the question of his well-being, but he was so used to Eren's rescues and follow up demands to know if he was okay that the instinctive reply Armin always gave still came tumbling out.

Clearing his throat, Armin rubbed at his arm, knowing there would probably be a bruise on his face soon enough. He bruised easily. Like a fruit, his Grandpa would say.

"T-thank you for s-saving me, M-Mikasa." He said, stammering over his words. "They… they were upset about my 'heretical opinions' again. They dont like me very much." Armin tried to joke, hoping it might dispel some of the tension, but the remark fell flat thanks to his incredible nerves and general lack of humour.

This was the first time he had spoken to Mikasa one on one since… since he messed everything up, and this was the first time he'd seen her since dropping off his letter and gift before his camping trip.

He couldn't afford to mess this up again!

Mikasa slowly blinked at the thank you and follow up line, the only acknowledgement Armin received before she glanced at the two unconscious bullies then slowly turned back and tilted her head in question at him.

"Why didn't you fight?" Mikasa asked, making Armin wonder if she had just chanced upon the confrontation or had been watching from a distance before choosing to intervene. He didn't blame her if it was the latter. He didn't think he was worth the effort of saving anyway.

"I… I can't, they're bigger than me." Armin weakly answered, painfully aware of how hollow that excuse rang after seeing Mikasa deal with them so easily. They were bigger than her too. "A-and stronger." He added on as if that would make it any better.

It didn't.

It was clear that Mikasa wasn't impressed with that answer. The small frown and the way her eyes hardened at the words was proof enough of that.

"If you won't fight then you should run." She said, mouth partially hidden behind Eren's red scarf. "Letting them beat you does nothing."

It was just some harmless advice, one probably fitting for a weakling like himself, but Armin firmly shook his head. That was perhaps the only thing he was proud of about himself. He might not be able to fight or protect himself, but he refused to do that.

"N-No. I won't run away from them. I won't give them the satisfaction." He explained, struggling to meet Mikasa's piercing gaze. They only hurt him because they couldn't prove he was wrong, but if he started to run away from them then he was allowing his fear and their violence to triumph over logic and reason.

Mikasa's expression was unchanging, neither softening nor hardened at his possibly naive words. Armin stifled a defeated sigh. Now she probably thought he was an idiot as well as a weakling and a creep. Great…

Whatever her true thoughts on the matter were Mikasa kept them to herself as she brought the blunt line of questioning to an abrupt halt. Breaking eye contact with him, Mikasa looked down to the paper-wrapped object still pinned under her arm before thrusting it out towards him.

Armin had little choice but to accept the object into his arms, and as he did so the familiar weight and size of it caused his heart to sink like a stone. It was his book. The one he had gifted to her as an apology.

Armin could feel his eyes welling up again. She didn't accept his apology. What else could returning his unwrapped gift mean?

He had been so hopeful, so certain, that maybe, just maybe, this would work and that he'd get that second chance to finally make a new friend. Of course it didn't work. Who else would want to be friends with someone like him?

Despondent, Armin stared down at his feet as held his precious book against his chest, allowing his long bangs to hide his tearful eyes. He sought some solace in the fact she had returned it in one piece, instead of just throwing it away or burning it. Probably had Eren to thank for that small mercy.

His bottom lip trembled as he unconsciously shuffled back against the wall, shoulder curling in and making himself as small as possible. This was it, he realised. The beginning of the end. With Mikasa living with the Yeagers it was inevitable she and Eren would grow ever closer and eventually Eren would realise the impossible gulf that existed between his two friends. And when that day finally dawned Eren would choose Mikasa and the two of them would move on without him, as friends and family, and Armin would be alone once more.

And all of this because he couldn't keep his damn mouth shut. Maybe his bullies were right…

"I'm sorry," Armin blurted out, forcing himself to lift his head. He expected to find himself alone in the alleyway with Mikasa already gone, or talking to her back having turned away to head back to Eren and the Yeager household. Instead, he was surprised to see her still standing before him, her head slightly tilted to the side inspecting him once more.

"How do you know its real?" Mikasa suddenly asked, idle hands holding onto the hem of her jacket.

With his vision still blurred with unshed tears, Armin could only stare at the wavy, unfocused outline of Mikasa as he tried to process the question and formulate a reply.

"I-... what?" Was the best he could come up with as he wiped away the tears with the back of his hand. It wasn't so much the question that had rendered him near speechless but the fact Mikasa was still talking to him after her rejection.

"How do you know it's real?" She said again, louder this time, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself. "The… ocean."

All of a sudden the whole situation had been turned on its head, and where there had been disappointment and failure there was now a spark of hope.

'She read it!'

Armin's eyes lit up as he glanced down at the book in his arms. Now that his mind wasn't being consumed by pity and self-loathing, he saw that the wrapping was different than before. This wasn't the same paper he had used! She must have rewrapped it after reading.

This was his chance! Excitement welled up inside him as he prepared to speak about his favourite topic, to win Mikasa over the same way he had with Eren.

But as quickly as it arrived, his excitement was cut short. Mikasa had asked the one question that Eren never had. From the very first time Armin had mentioned it, Eren had never questioned or doubted the ocean's existence. Sure he might have doubted the size of it or that it was full of so much salt that not even all the merchants in the land could harvest it all, but he had accepted the ocean was real without any hesitation.

It was a valid question and one Armin had asked himself several times. How do you believe the unbelievable?

With a nervous chewing of his bloody lip, Armin spoke.

"Um… well… I don't." He admitted, knowing Eren would have been dumbfounded at the admission. He might have even taken it as a betrayal. But Eren wasn't the sort of person for nuances - or doubt. He was a believer and that was one of the many things Armin admired about him.

"Until I've seen it with my own eyes, I can't know for certain that the ocean exists. But I believe it does, and I know for certain that there is something out there, beyond the Walls. Something other than grassy plains and Titans." He finished, speaking with more confidence and certainty as he hugged his precious book to his chest.

"Explain," Came the response a moment later, partially muffled by a scarf.

"Well there's a few things," Armin took a deep breath to prepare himself. "Firstly there's the birds."

Mikasa frowned so Armin hurried to explain.

"Y-You won't have seen them yet as they normally arrive during winter, but if you go down to the outer gate and look up, you'll occasionally see these really big birds, with white and grey feathers. Most people don't like them because they have a real loud call and will swoop down on people and try to steal their food." Armin smiled as he recited the tale, recalling the time Eren had lost a sandwich his mother had made him when one had swooped down from the wall and stole it from his hand. "They're called 'Gulls' in the book."

"What does that have to do with the ocean?" Mikasa asked, glancing in the general direction of the outer gate.

"They have webbed feet like ducks, which allows them to land and take off from the water, and they really like fish. They always target the fish stalls in the market, but they don't live on the lakes in the interior. And as soon as winter passes they mostly fly back south, so there must be a huge body of water out there, somewhere with lots of fish!"

"I see," Mikasa said. She didn't sound convinced but Armin wasn't perturbed.

"And there's the river as well! The one that runs straight through town and beyond the wall."

"What about it?"

"All rivers lead somewhere, either into lakes or other larger rivers. My Grandpa told me that many years ago on one of their expeditions the scouts decided to follow-"

Mikasa cut him off. "Scouts?"

Oh right, Mikasa probably wouldn't know about them.

"They're the part of military that go outside the Walls, to explore and set up outposts safe from the Titans." Armin happily explained. "They pass through Shigashina for most of their expedition, so you'll probably see them soon. Eren always likes to watch them go."

He also always watched them return where they both saw first hand just how few of the scouts came back.

Shaking the thought away and seeing Mikasa now understand who the scouts were, Armin continued his explanation. Although perhaps 'his theory' was more accurate. It was just guesswork after all.

"Anyway, one year the scouts decided to stick to the river for as long as possible and travelled as far south as they could. They left at first light and rode for hours, only turning back so they wouldn't be caught outside once it got dark. Grandpa had a friend in the corp and she told him that the river kept growing wider and wider as they rode, until they could barely see the other side. She also said the air had a strange salty smell to it just before they turned around. They tried again on their next expedition but this time the corp never made it back. They had to rebuild from the ground up and the government forbid the corps from trying again as it was 'wasteful' and too dangerous. But a river that big must have lead into something enormous, far bigger than any lake - and the smell would add up if the ocean is made of salty water like it says!"

Armin paused, his face flushing with a mix of excitement and embarrassment as he realised he'd been rambling. His eyes searched Mikasa's face, hoping to see some flicker of interest or belief. Her expression remained guarded, the scarf hiding much of her reaction, but her eyes had softened somewhat with a thoughtful look. That was enough for him to continue.

"And, um… there's one other reason but its not very good," he added, his voice quieter now, more vulnerable.

Mikasa tilted her head again (Armin noticed she did that a lot) her dark eyes blinked slowly at him. Armin wasn't sure if it was scepticism, curiosity, or something else, but the small motion gave him the courage to go on.

"It's just… belief. Grandpa is always saying that believing in something bigger than ourselves is what gives us strength and keeps us moving forward. If we only accept what's in front of us, then…" He hesitated, worried he might say too much. "…how are we any different from cattle penned in a field?"

At the word "cattle," Mikasa's face twitched, her brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. Armin felt a flicker of panic, but she didn't interrupt, so after letting his heart rate settle a bit he pressed on.

"I guess I have to believe. Because if the ocean is real, then maybe everything else in my book is real, too. That there's a whole different world out there, strange but beautiful. And maybe, somewhere out there, is…" He breathed deeply, gathering his courage. "…freedom."

The word hung heavy in the air. It was a word that made Eren's eyes burn with fiery determination whenever he heard it and seemed to always be at the heart of his actions - something he had been denied and was willing to do anything to reclaim it. For Armin, it was a softer feeling, more like the joy one feels as the first rays of sunlight break through the storm clouds above. But looking at Mikasa now Armin wasn't sure if it resonated with her in the same way.

Mikasa's face remained fixed, though her gaze had locked onto him with an intensity that made his skin itch. It felt heavy, as if she was weighing something important. What was she thinking? Did she think he was foolish for clinging to such impossible dreams?

Armin felt his heart hammering in his chest. Had he convinced her? Or had he just made a fool of himself again? His grip tightened on the book, almost as if he thought she might rip it from his hands and go throw it in the same river he had been rambling about.

Finally Mikasa spoke.

"You're strange," She said, simply.

Armin blinked, taken aback. Strange? That was it? He felt his cheeks heat up, embarrassment sweeping over him. Yet despite the seemingly harsh words, there was no malice in her tone, no ridicule. If anything, she sounded… reflective, like she was testing the word and wasn't fully sure how she felt about it.

Her brow furrowed slightly again, her lips pressing together in a thin, contemplative line. Armin's breath caught. Something was happening behind her quiet exterior, a debate he couldn't hear but could see in the small shifts of her expression. She wasn't rejecting him outright. Not yet anyway. But the silence stretched on, and with each passing second, doubt gnawed at him more and more, until he couldn't bare another second of it.

'She's going to walk away. She doesn't believe me. She-'

Then, all at once, her expression relaxed. The tension in her forehead smoothed, and her shoulders dropped ever so slightly. Armin didn't understand what had changed, but before he could process it, Mikasa stepped forward, reached out her hand and gripped the cuff of his sleeve. Her grip was firm but unlike the bullies, it wasn't unkind. The fabric was damp and messy from his tears and blood, and wrapped around her fingers like a net, but she didn't seem to care.

"Come."

With only one word given, she gave a gentle tug on his sleeve urging him to follow as she turned and started to walk away, Eren's scarf fluttering with her stride.

Armin blinked, his mind racing to catch up. The weight of her rightful rejection a few weeks prior still clung to him like a shadow, but now this? She hadn't verbally accepting his apology or rejected it, she hadn't even explained where she was taking him, but the simple act of taking his sleeve was enough to stir something in him. A fragile hope.

He stumbled after her, his battered shoes scuffing against the uneven stones of the street. Mikasa didn't look back, but she didn't let go, her hand steady as she guided him forward. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable; but it did have a sense of purpose, like words might shatter whatever fragile understanding had begun to form between them.

They walked together for several minutes until the narrow side street rejoined the main road, revealing the well trodden path toward the gate and the familiar silhouette of the Yeager household in the distance. Mikasa's steps never faltered.

It was only when they reached the front door of her new home, did Mikasa finally pause, causing Armin, who was still trailing behind her, to nearly bump into her back. He waited, his breath catching in his throat, but she didn't let go of his sleeve. Instead, she adjusted her grip slightly, her fingers brushing against his wrist in an almost deliberate way - neither cold nor warm, just steadying.

"Come on," she said again, and without waiting for a response pushed open the front door and pulled him inside.

The warm, familiar interior of the Yeager household greeted them as Mikasa let the door creaked shut behind them. Dr Grisha Yeager sat at the kitchen table, his reading glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as he flipped through a thick medical journal. He had only just returned from his own trip out of town as well, but as he glanced up at the sound of door opening and closing to greet his newly adopted daughter and his son's best friend, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly at the dried blood smeared across Armin's face.

"Dr. Yeager," Mikasa said quietly, her voice steady but firm. "Armin's bleeding."

Grisha rose to his feet without hesitation, his expression calm. This wasn't the first time Armin had been brought before him in such a state, and tragically he knew it wouldn't be the last.

"Take a seat, Armin. Let's have a look at you." he said, gesturing to a chair. Like always Armin hesitated before obediently taking a seat, his hands clutching his book tightly to his chest. He always felt bad for wasting Dr Yeagers precious time.

As Grisha pulled out a few items from his bag, Carla stepped into the room, drying her hands on a kitchen towel. She was smiling at first but her face quickly twisted with worry when she saw the state Armin was in, her maternal instincts kicking in.

"Oh, sweetheart," she murmured, stepping closer to get a better look. "Was it Gale again? Looks like I need to have another word with that boy's mother."

She spat the last word like a curse.

Carla and Gale's mother did not get along, and had traded many words in the past, often in the four or five letter variety in ever increasing volume before being pulled apart by their husbands. Just as their children (and honorary children) didn't get along, neither did the mothers.

But while their many confrontations were something of a local legend in Shiganshina, they had never led to Gale's behaviour being curtailed. In fact it often had the opposite effect with Armin then being beaten up for 'snitching' even when he asked Carla not to.

"I'm fine, really." Armin mumbled, glancing at the floor. His cheeks reddened as he added, "It's not as bad as it looks."

"I'll be the judge of that." Grisha said as he crouched down in front of him, tilting Armin's chin gently to inspect the damage.

"A split lip and a nosebleed, nothing too serious but it must've been unpleasant. Let's clean you up." He said after a moment, using his doctor voice as Eren called it, to project an air of calm and control to what could be a frightened patient.

Armin winced as Grisha dabbed at his lip with a damp cloth, causing a brief stinging sensation as the concoction Grisha had added to the cloth got to work.

Carla hovered nearby, a worried frown still on her face. Her gaze flicked briefly to Mikasa, who sat the chair opposite Armin and was watching him closely with her hands folded neatly in front of her, face half buried in the scarf. Carla allowed herself a faint smile, realising she had gone looking for Armin and brought him home, and the implied forgiveness that came with it.

Armin glanced at Mikasa out of the corner of his eye while Dr Yeager worked. She was as quiet as always, staring silent with her expression still hard to read except for the slightest downturn of her lips every time Grisha pulled the bloody cloth away.

"Alright," Grisha said, finishing his work with a final dab at Armin's nose. "You're all set. Just take it easy for a little while and try to avoid those three in the future. You know you can always ask Hannes for help if you think they're following you again."

"Thank you, and I will." Armin said quietly, touching his lip with tentative fingers before looking back at Mikasa. She still hadn't said anything, but the way she lingered, close but not overbearing, made him feel safer somehow.

He gave her a wobbly half smile.

While Mikasa didn't smile back, she did give him a small nod instead.

For now that was more than enough for Armin.

And that was when Eren came bursting through the front door, out of breath and red in the fast from running half way across the city.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you. Did Mikasa find you?" He shouted, running to Armin's side and seeing the wounds. "What happened?! Was it those assholes again?!"

"Eren!" Carla chided, disliking his choice of words even if she agreed with the sentiment.

Eren mostly ignored his mother as he fussed over Armin, before eventually tugging him from the chair and leading him and Mikasa from the table upstairs to his room and away from his parent's prying eyes and ears as he swore vengeance on the bullies. He continued working himself up into a fury until Armin distracted him with another story from his book, the fields of fire this time, and was pleased beyond words when he saw both Eren and Mikasa were listening intently.

And with that first step, two separate duos became one united group.

The trio from Shiganshina.

Bound not by blood, but by something far greater.

A trio who would change the world forever.

Hope you all enjoyed that - this is also Grisha's first "on-screen" appearance in NTT. Cant believe Mina had more screen time than Eren's dad!

Anyway work on the next chapter is going well. Got about 18k words done already and still more to write so its gonna be a big one - I'm hoping to get it done for NTT 6th year anniversary (can you believe that?! 6 years!) in Jan but we shall see.