God of Hate
Annie was very happy to have her skills at keeping her face a mask of cool apathy.
Because she was honestly scared out of her mind right now.
Armin wanted to take the night shift with her, tonight. The last chance she'd have to gather any intel. For no reason at all, he claimed. Did he know or suspect something? Did the commanders?
More importantly, did Eren?
She could feel those green eyes staring at her in the night. He didn't do that, he never did that before. Most nights she was on watch, Eren was asleep. If he wasn't, he was still staying in the same area, so they didn't have to fumble around in the dark keeping up with him. He might glance at her; he even tried talking to her once. But he didn't stare at her, let alone this intently.
Only one set of eyes was doing it though. Did he think he was being subtle, that it was any less obvious or unsettling to have two giant green eyes peering into her from the darkness instead of six? Because it wasn't.
"Sorry."
Annie didn't flinch, but she did frown at Armin's apology. "For what?"
Armin smiled half-heartedly as they both sat on the edge of a roof. "After last time, I thought it might be a good idea for us all to get used to teaming up with one another, instead of just sticking to the same teams all the time."
Annie thought about it for a moment before responding. "You make it sound like this will be a normal thing for all of us from now on."
Armin shrugged. "Ideally. The alternative is that they try to isolate us from Trips," he mused pessimistically, using the codename out of habbit at this point.
That made sense, she decided. This could all be a coincidence, but... "You don't think the last few years of training were enough time for us to get used to each other?"
Armin nodded to her point. "Most of us. Mikasa..."
Ahh, now that made a lot of sense. "The only ones she'd want to be paired with are you, or the one we're guarding," she said, almost as a joke.
Armin chuckled at that, just a bit. "So...how's Bertholdt adjusting?" Armin asked curiously.
"To the idea that "Trips" is Eren?" Annie asked rhetorically. "About as well as the rest of us did. Trying not to piss himself while talking to something with that many teeth."
"Most of the others are more focused on which head to look at," Armin returned with amusement.
Annie hummed in acknowledgment. "What about Krista? Is she handling this alright?"
Armin tried to cover up the almost-grimace with a smile but Annie caught it. "Pretty good, actually. She wasn't too surprised, really. In the sense that, well, he still behaves a lot like himself when you think about it."
Annie could understand that but pressed to her real question. "That wasn't what I meant," she stated, getting an odd look from Annie. "I mean, how's she handling the situation with Ymir?"
Dead silence came over them for a second and Annie wondered if she overdid something or gave something away. But Armin sighed and massaged his temple, allowing her to internally relax.
"I don't know, to be honest. She's stressed, but they're keeping us in the dark about that side of things," Armin remarked.
"You think they shouldn't?" Annie asked with a raised brow.
"No. To them, it's necessary. Despite everything, there is still a chance that Eren and Ymir already knew about each other. From their point of view, I mean. So keeping them and all parties involved separate is a precaution on their part," Armin mused thoughtfully. "I'm more worried about how Krista will be if things don't...work out for Ymir."
Annie tilted her head. "You don't think they will?"
"I don't know enough to guess," Armin admitted. "I'm not too worried about the military and him-" he said, nodding to Eren's form in the darkness. "But they'll be inclined to kill and dissect Ymir at the slightest reason. Even if it means giving up whatever we could learn from her."
And there was a very, very good chance of that. They both knew that, if for entirely different reasons.
Armin set out a breath as he leaned back on the roof. "I'm just happy we can have peaceful nights like this."
"Peaceful, eh?" Annie murmured as they both stared up at the stars.
Of course, someone else was staring, but not at the stars.
[[Are you happy now?]]
[[[It's a start.]]]
[Why are you like this?!]
[[[Hey, I just want to see Armin happy!]]]
[[Why Annie though?]]
[[[Hey, I don't control who he has a crush on.]]]
[You can control sticking our nose in it!]
[[Hush, they're talking.]]
[Fine.]
[[[Thank you.]]]
"You think the stars look the same, in other places beyond the wall?" Armin asked wistfully.
"I don't know," Annie answered honestly, having never really paid them much attention. "You think there's a place where it never snows?"
"Huh?" Armin looked at her curiously.
"It doesn't snow as much in the south. You think there's someplace so far south that it never snows?" Annie repeated idly.
"Oh. Yeah, I read about someplace like that. Deserts, I think," Armin remarked.
Annie paused, knowing Armin probably shouldn't talk about that so openly. "You called him a dragon, right?"
"Yeah. Some old storybook my grandfather had," Armin mused. "It had an old drawing in it, of a big lizard with wings that breathed fire."
Annie raised an eyebrow. "I don't see any wings, or fire."
"That's probably for the best, the fires I mean," Armin said with a sheepish smile. "And yeah, it's not exactly like in the book, but it still looks about right, the heads and necks at least."
Annie nodded absently. "So, what, there were things like him around before the Titans?"
Armin gained an uncertain look at that. "I didn't think so. I thought it was just a story, a tale for kids to enjoy. But who knows, it might have been a story, but maybe dragons are real."
They aren't, Annie thought to herself. Or if they were, they weren't out in the open.
"I wonder how many more peaceful nights we'll have," Annie muttered absentmindedly.
"We can only hope for a lot of them," Armin answered softly. After all, it was set in stone that any peace would end, but they could at least make the time they have last.
[[[[Well...at least they're having a nice time, I guess.]]]]
Next Day
"Commanders, allow me to introduce my comrades," Frieda said as they gathered in the office.
Pixis, Erwin, and Hange were all standing in front of a desk. In front of them sat those sent to judge the Shifter and the Beast.
"This is Pastor Nick, representing the Church of the Walls," Frieda waved to the one across from her, a priest made obvious by his robes and the bands along the neck with the symbols of the Walls.
As was often the case, the holy man seemed very displeased about the situation.
Hange suppressed a scowl. They had no friends with the church and it was troubling to think the government was giving them any say in this matter. She was sure if it was up to him, both Eren and Ymir would be put to death.
"This is Djel Sannes, one of the officials in charge of keeping track of the southern region's finances and expenses," Frieda said, waving to the plain-clothed man with deep, dark circles around his eyes.
Pixis hummed to himself. In a less formal moment, he would have taken a drink from his flask, but abstained from doing so. He did not recognize this man. As the leader of the Southern portion of the garrison, Pixis made it a habit of knowing everyone important to the region by face or name. Djel Sannes was a stranger to him; someone just low on the non-military totem pole, perhaps?
"And to my left is one of the higher-ups of the Military Police, acting as their voice in this: Captain Traute Caven," Frieda said, motioning to the military woman by her side.
Erwin had already taken stock of the blond woman and already came to the conclusion that, if anything, she was here as a bodyguard. For exactly who and against what, it was hard to presume. But the blue-eyed woman had an almost apathetic gaze, as if she could care less about what was going on around her. Perhaps she didn't. Perhaps this was just a job to her. Regardless, he was sure that her sitting next to Frieda was a deliberate choice.
The Scout Commander nodded. "Thank you all for coming. As you know this is a confusing time. I'm sure you're all aware, but I am Erwin Smith, Commander of the Scout Regiment, and this is Commander Pixis of the Garrison. Along with me is Field Commander Hange. She has spent extensive time studying Titans in the past and, more recently, our mysterious new ally."
"Ally?!" Pastor Nick exclaimed with a glare. "That foul creature defiled the walls with-"
"Excuse me," Pixis interrupted swiftly, with a faux-amiable tone. "But he was following our plan, on my authority. If you have a complaint about the plan, you should direct it to me."
The pastor looked ready to do just that before Frieda raised a hand. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There should be an order to this."
The room quieted at that, the preacher reluctantly holding his tongue.
Hange took this as her chance to clear her throat and grab their attention. "I believe we should start with the basics. Has everyone been briefed on the secrets regarding the Shifter and Trips?"
"Humor us," Sannes remarked with the same dead expression and tone. "Let us make sure we are all on the same page."
Hange glanced to the commanders, who nodded. "Very well. As you all should know, both creatures are actually cadets, members of the 104th to be exact. The Shifter's identity is Ymir, no last name, while "Trips" as we've codenamed him, is Eren Yeager."
No one was surprised by this information, but Caven did lean forward while Nick ground his teeth to himself.
"Have you managed to get any information out of them?" Sannes questioned with a frown. "It's been days."
"Yes, well, Eren can't speak. We can only communicate with guessing and him nodding yes or no to tell us when we're right," Hange explained, keeping Krista out of the briefing. "That said, he claims to have no knowledge of what he is or how he became it."
"What he is?" Caven questioned with the slightest arc of a brow. "You're positive he's not a Titan?"
"Despite the size, he doesn't have any of the normal characteristics of Titans," Hange explained. "Sunlight isn't a factor, his healing is completely different in appearance, and he has an asshole."
Everyone blinked at that, Frieda snorting hard as she suppressed a laugh. "I'm sorry, did you just say that...?" Pastor Nick asked slowly.
"Titans don't have digestive tracks," Hange answered bluntly. "And despite no claims or signs of hunger, he does in fact have one."
"And you know this because...?" Caven asked with morbid curiosity.
"I checked," Hange answered bluntly. "I'm happy to show any of you that need visual proof."
"I believe we'll take you at your word, Field Commander," Frieda said in amusement. "And the Shifter?"
"It took time, but she eventually agreed to give up information and help us," Hange informed. "We've only learned a bit from her, but it's more than we would in years on our own."
"Assuming she is telling the truth," Sannes remarked. "Why do you believe she can be trusted?"
Pixis spoke up at that point. "We are taking anything she says with a grain of salt. But the information is too dangerous to ignore if true."
"Dangerous?" Caven asked with narrowed eyes.
"She confirmed that the Colossal and Armored Titans are Shifters," Erwin explained. "And claims they, and a third member, infiltrated the walls."
"Her comrades?" Frieda asked with a head tilt.
"She says no," Erwin answered. "I suppose that is why you're all here though, to judge if her information is worth the risk of keeping her alive."
"We are here to judge the creature as well," Pastor Nick said with a frown.
"I have already seen Eren with my own eyes, Pastor," Frieda answered calmly. "He has my vote. And I presume the vote of Commander Erwin and Commander Pixis."
"Vote?" Hange questioned in surprise.
"Our judgment is a simple majority, four out of six. If we deadlock, we either debate or return with an impasse for Zackery and the King to settle," Frieda answered with a smile, looking to the other two. "Caven, Sannes, what are your thoughts?"
"I'm not convinced he's not a Titan until I see him," Caven answered. "That said, I don't really care what he is, as long as I believe he isn't a threat."
"I'm skeptical, if only the claim that he knows nothing of what he is," Sannes remarked.
Frieda smiled at the Pastor. It was a cold smile. "Well, I'm sure we'll all have an enlightening time when you all see him at the Shifter's trial."
"What?!" Pastor Nick exclaimed.
Sannes raised an eyebrow but didn't protest, while Caven scowled. "Is that wise?"
"I've already had an enlightening conversation with this Eren," Frieda offered. "But if any of you are too uncomfortable meeting him face to face..."
"I-I have no fear of the enemies of the walls," Pastor Nick said under his breath.
"Good. Let us move on," Frieda said with finality.
"Yes, well, I was going to bring up a point," Sannes started, looking to the commanders. "Both of these things came from the 104th. You claim there are more Shifters among us, so wouldn't that be the first place to look?"
Pixis nodded. "Indeed. We haven't had time to look into the backgrounds of any of them, but we also can't risk tipping them off before we know for certain whom they are."
"So that's your plan, do nothing?" Caven asked, unimpressed. "You haven't considered locking them up while you investigate?"
A grim silence came over the room.
"Oh, that is clever," Frieda stated suddenly.
"Hm? What do you mean, what's clever?" Nick asked in confusion.
"They've kept most, if not all of the surviving members of the 104th here…in Trost, and near the golden creature. If you assume that he is a foe to the shifters, and all evidence points to that, then they're essentially keeping all suspects in a pen with a rather potent attack dog, should they reveal their true nature," Frieda elaborated.
Sannes blinked before turning thoughtful. "It is a subtle prison, but it relies on trusting someone, or something, as unknown as this Eren Yeager."
"If this is an absurdly deep deception on his part," Erwin started. "Then we've still kept all parties contained in the area of Trost. Eren being our enemy is our worst-case scenario."
"And what plans do you have for that?" Pastor Nick asked sternly. "If the beast shows its wicked nature, what are you prepared to do!?"
Silence came over the room again.
"Well?!" Pastor Nick demanded.
"Nothing," Hange answered, blunt and stern. "Eren is a complete unknown to us. His scales are too strong for our blades, and he recovered from the cannons with little issue. Our options for facing him are few and scarce. However, that just returns back to how senseless it would be for this to be a trick on his part."
"Senseless?" Sannes asked with a frown. "You expect sense from our enemies?"
"I believe she means enough sense that they aren't working against themselves," Frieda mused. "This Eren was able to block the breach in the wall. If he was working with the Colossal and Armored Titan, that would work counter to their apparent goal. Moreover, after seeing him myself and reading the reports, I'm fairly sure he could force a hole through the inner gate if he tried as the Armored Titan did to Maria."
Hange shared a glance with Erwin, who narrowed his eyes at the exchange. Frieda, the crippled noblewoman, was very much the one leading the conversation. It would be admirable if it wasn't suspicious.
She just hoped everything was going alright on Levi's end.
Meanwhile
"Does the golden brat have issues with anyone?"
An awkward silence came over the group as they stared at the small captain.
It was broken as Jean tilted back his head and laughed, while Connie and Sasha started snickering to themselves.
"What's so damn hilarious?" Levi asked in a cold, sharp tone.
Sasha and Connie went rigid while Jean got himself under control. "S-sorry, captain, but it might be easier to list who that hothead didn't have problems with!"
Levi frowned, looking to Armin and Mikasa, who looked awkward at his gaze.
"Well..." Armin started diplomatically. "Eren's personality tends to clash with...many people."
"Yeah, Eren's got a loud mouth on him," Reiner said with a grin. "But I wouldn't sell him too short."
Levi gave him a long stare.
Reiner swallowed nervously. "That wasn't a joke, Sir, I swear."
"Right. Let me be more specific. The ones coming to judge him and the Shifter are the noble lady from the other day, someone from the wall church, some government official I don't know about and someone from the military police. Does your friend have a stick up his ass about any of the new three I should know about?" Levi asked pointedly.
"Well, he doesn't like the Military police on principle, but even I don't think he'd cause a scene just because they're here," Jean said with a shrug.
"Eren does take being a soldier seriously, Captain," Armin answered, several of the others nodding. "That said, the Church of the Walls..."
"You can't exactly blame him there," Annie stated. "Being around them makes me want to vomit as it is."
"I know the feeling," Levi agreed. "But is it anything to worry about?"
"No, Sir," Mikasa answered. "In all the years I've known Eren, I've never known Eren to have any violent encounter with the Wallists."
No one looked remotely skeptical of that, Armin nodding in confirmation.
"Alright, good," Levi before taking a deep breath. "Here comes the heavy part. Ackerman, tell them."
"Sir?" she asked in surprise. He only stared at her before understanding dawned on her. All at once, she stood straighter before turning to her friends and comrades. "About the night with the cannons..."
She told them everything. There wasn't much to tell, obviously, but it was enough.
"Something...spoke through the wall?" Armin repeated slowly. "And it knew Eren's name?"
"Well, that's a nightmare story if I ever heard one," Reiner grumbled to himself, Bertolt and Annie trying not to look too uncomfortable.
"No way. Another one?!" Connie said with a groan. "Please tell me it's something friendly, like Ere- I mean, Trips?"
Levi hummed. "We don't think a Titan, but we haven't caught sight of it yet. I doubt it's left yet."
"Great, another strange monster to worry about," Jean said, getting a dark look from Mikasa. "I mean physically, not...anything else," he defended quickly.
"Why are you telling us, Sir?" Sasha asked curiously. "I mean, it doesn't sound like you know much about it...?"
"Because it's your responsibility to keep an eye on him. Not just for everyone else's sake, but his own as well. It won't do us a shit of good if you're all shocked when something new shows up," Levi answered simply. "Don't spread this though. Consider it a gag order. It gets out that there's something out there, we're going to have more twitchy fingers on the wall, even if the canons are pointed out."
Everyone looked mildly grim at that. Paranoid people made stupid mistakes. Paranoid soldiers make stupid mistakes with weapons.
Meanwhile
"Hey. Hey! You assholes didn't say anything about this bullshit!"
Ymir's yell held as much anger as it did fear. Not because of the chains, but of who they were on.
"What did you expect?" Petra asked idly, attaching cuffs to Krista's left wrist and ankle, attaching each to those of Ymir's right. "We can't exactly trust you, but we know you wouldn't harm her."
"Yeah, so basically, if they decide to execute me, I have to sit there and take it like a good bitch, or kill Krista by transforming," Ymir summed up.
"Or if you try to turn on us," Krista stated neutrally.
Ymir frowned at that, glancing at Petra. The scout sighed. "There's still time until the trial. I'll give you two a minute."
With that, they were left alone. Not really, Ymir was positive there were guards in earshot, but she'd settle for not having a visible audience
"You know I won't, right?" Ymir asked with a frown.
"No, I don't. I don't know anything apparently," Krista said with a snort.
Ymir looked down, trying to keep the hurt from her voice and tone. "You don't trust me."
"I trust you with my life," Krista answered immediately before sighing. "Just not to tell me the truth."
"..." Ymir gently pushed her down to sit on the bed and leaned to her ear. "I'll tell you anything."
Krista frowned, glancing at her uncertainly.
"Ask me anything, right here and now, and I'll tell you," Ymir offered as a solemn vow.
There were a thousand and one things Krista wanted to ask, but she stopped. She considered. And only one question came to mind. "What do I need to do, for you to tell us everything?"
"..." Ymir stared at her for a moment before smiling. "Survive, Krista. If we're both alive once this trial is over, I promise, I'll tell you everything. I'll tell them everything."
Krista opened her mouth, only for Petra to knock on the bars as she entered. "Sorry, but we can't put it off anymore."
Krista cursed in her mind while Ymir sighed in resignation. "Just answer me this, is there a reason they're not just judging me in here, where I'm safely locked behind a cell?"
Petra shrugged. "They insisted on it, for some reason. That's all I know."
Ymir frowned but didn't question further as she and Krista stood, heading out of the cell to face her literal judgment.
She supposed she should be glad she was getting a trial at all. That was more than she got back in Marley.
End of Chapter
So, yeah, Eren's playing matchmaker, the "judges" arrived, and the trial is ofifically going to start next chapter. Than the fun really begins.
Happy Halloween everyone!
Early viewing of chapters 18-19 avaliable on my pat-reon:
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