The Walls We've Built - ◈ ARMIN ARLERT X OC ◈

Chapter 12 - Opening up

We ride in silence as the strong breeze blows the hair away from my face, with my arms securely wrapped around Armin's waist. The sudden blast ahead of us pulls me out of my badly timed daydream, a stream of green smoke flies through the sky, "Looks like we aren't heading back after all, we are just changing course." Armin states following the stream of smoke into the sky, I lift my chin from Armin's shoulder looking up at the smoke signal as well.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Krista exclaims, Jean scoffs in response "What the hell! Is Erwin out of his mind?" he questions bewildered. What they are saying is true, but nevertheless, anyone can call the mission failed so maybe there weren't as many casualties as we thought. "Come on guys! We have only been out here for an hour or so, we've got this. Erwin obviously still has hope for the mission otherwise we would be on our way back already." Armin adds cheerfully. No one replies, there is an awkward silence since no one seems to agree with Armin, they have all given up, so easily?

We continue through the open terrain, we aren't far from the formation now. "So," Armin begins "Thanks again for helping me before." he says trying to start a conversation. "Oh, it was nothing really, but you're welcome." I reply awkwardly. There is a brief silence, "How did you know what to do?" Armin asks, glancing over his shoulder at me. I look at him confused, he laughs realising what little context he gave me when asking the question. "I mean with my injury, how did you know how to treat it?" he clarifies, "Ohhh" I laugh, "Well just from experience I guess" I respond. "Experience?" Armin tills his head looking at me confused.

"Well, after wall Maria fell and the refugees were taken into wall rose. I-" I struggle to get out, "I had to learn to look after myself." I finish avoiding eye contact with Armin. "I had to fight for food, and when I'd lose, I had to look after myself, treat my wounds." I explain quietly. "Didn't you have your parents?" Armin asks, I shake my head looking at the ground flying past under us. "Sisters?" he continues, I look up at the sky, shake my head again, before I force myself to look at Armin. "Brothers?" He finishes, I stare into his ocean blue eyes that are, were identical to Nick's. I shake my head again before clearing my throat.

"Oh." Armin sighs finally catching on. "Yeah, I lost my family during the colossal titan attack." I tell him somberly, "So you're from Shiganshina?" Armin asks, redirecting the conversation away from the dark turn it took. "Born and raised!" I say gesturing to myself playfully, making him smile. In the distance a person atop a horse waving towards us along the border of a forest, a scout. "Guys look!" I instruct pointing over Armin's shoulder to the person in the distance. We pick up our pace galloping towards the man.

"Won't you look at that," the man says, dismounting from his horse as we reach him. "The right wing consisted of some of the scout's best, yet you 6 scummy recruits are all that is left." he scoffs to himself, the nerve this man has. I quickly dismount Atlas, hit by the cold afternoon breeze in the absence of Armin's warmth, "Zariya, just leave it." Armin calls after me, aware of what I'm about to do. The man has his back to me while he stands with his horse, I lightly tap him on the shoulder politely getting his attention.

"What." The man grunts turning around, he looks at me annoyed before nodding his head for me to speak. "Scummy?" I question, "Huh?" he responds, now I scoff, "Just then, you said that we are 'scummy'." I state irritatedly gesturing to my comrades as they dismount their horses, he just looks at me blankly, wow, I'm really going to have to spell it out for him. "We are not scummy, we are the whole reason the rest of the formation wasn't bombarded by a 15 meter titan that shows intelligence! If anything, you should be thanking us." I finish crossing my arms, the others have gathered around us as I put this scout in his place.

In response he begins to laugh, hysterically, mockingly, I roll my eyes. He hunches over holding his stomach with one hand, his other on his knee holding himself up. He continues laughing before looking up at us, pointing at me with his sword, "You" he snorts "You 6 kids fought that giant lady titan? Sure!" He says continuing to mock us, Rosette steps forward, "Well, it was actually them four" she interjects pointing at Armin, Jean, Reiner and I. I look over my shoulder at her, is she serious! Now his laughing is even louder. "What? Is that really so hard to believe? Reiner and Jean finished in the top 10 and Armin and I weren't far behind!" I explain to the ignorant excuse for a man. Once he has composed himself and looks at us all individually, "Well, I guess it could have been possible." he mumbles, the tension in my shoulder releases "Thank you." I replied, turning around to return to Atlas as the others follow.

"Sorry for underestimating you. Pretty" He sneers, I stop in my tracks as my blood begins to boil, he did not just say that. I turn around lunging at the idiot, as he moves forward to aggravating me. "Zariya!" Armin, Reiner and Jean yell in unison. Armin grabs me around the waist from behind, pulling me back and Jean quickly moves in front of me stopping me from advancing, Reiner does the same to the scout opposite me. Rosette steps in between us, "Hey! Everyone just chill out ok! I know we are all extremely tense but doesn't mean we can start turning on each other! We have enough enemies out here as it is!" she exclaims desperately. I stop fighting Armins hold, but he keeps his arms around me in case I lash out at him again, not the worst idea. He isn't safe for at least another 5 minutes.

"Just keep that moron away from me and we won't have a problem." I state irritatedly, "Ok then, you-" Rosette gestures to the scout "stay over there and keep your scummy comments to yourself. And we will stay over here." she annonces, pointing to our horses. I just nod, turning around to face Armin, he brings his hands up to my shoulders, "Ignore him, he is ignorant and shallow, don't let him get to you, you're so much bigger than his petty comments." I nod looking at the ground, Armin lowers his head so he is looking at me. I let my gaze wander to him, he gives me a small reassuring smile.

He puts one arm around my shoulder guiding me back to Altas, we wait for instructions from the scout patiently standing around. We all talk quietly before Jean interrupts us with a fake cough making us turn in his direction as the scout approaches us behind him. I stand with Atlas and Armin, "All soldiers have been called to halt." he annonces, my stomach drops, what's going on? "May I ask why?" Rosette questions next to Jean, "Yeah, what is this, some sight seeing trip?" he adds sarcastically. "No it's not, and you may not ask. Find a perch in one of these trees boarding this forest." the man instructs pointing behind us. "Why? How long are we going to be here for?" I inquire, slightly worried, we don't have many hours of daylight left. The man looks at me nervously, "I don't know."