"Everything is fine Eren." Reiner tried to calm Eren.
Eren practically busted down the door of his house when he learned that the Marleyan Shifters approached them. He looked ready for combat, his hand bleeding from a bite and prepared to transform to either fight or shield his family.
Eren's first instinct was that it was a trap, thinking that they wanted to lure him into an ambush so he would be focused on defending his family. It would be a smart move, especially with Reiner there who Eren still considered unreliable at the moment. He simply figured Reiner would either stay neutral or worse, betray him again.
However, no attack came.
"Why did they come here?" Eren asked.
"They wanted Reiner-San to join them papa." Ruby explained.
Eren glanced at Reiner, narrowing his eyes in an accusatory way. Clearly, Eren was questioning Reiner's loyalty.
"Eren, you have every right to be suspicious of me, you really do. But I promise you that I am not getting involved." Reiner said.
"It's true Eren, Braun-San protected us and said he wasn't interested." Ai confirmed.
Eren softened his eyes as he continued to stare at Reiner, trying to see if there is any hint of deception in Reiner's face. Despite how Reiner has acted, Eren couldn't help but feel a level of suspicion towards his old enemy. After all, Reiner was an amazing actor, so much so he even fooled himself.
"Thank you, Reiner." Eren said in a low voice.
"I didn't do it for you Eren, if I'm being completely honest." Reiner said.
"Just for my daughter. Eren's eyes narrowed.
"Papa!" Ruby yelled.
"Partially." Reiner shrugged.
"Reiner!" Ruby yelled again.
"I just don't want to be involved in another war." Reiner said, ignoring Ruby. "That being said, I won't let anyone hurt your family. But I don't want anything to do with this. What's between you and you enemies are your business."
"I prefer it that way." Eren said honestly.
Eren felt like there was a part of him that could trust Reiner, but there was still the issue of his past betrayals that Eren had trouble looking past. He understood why Reiner did what he did back then, but even if he sympathizes with Reiner, he can't take a gamble with his family's safety.
"It does strike me as odd that they chose now to approach Reiner." Aqua said out loud. "Why try to recruit him while we were here?"
"If I had to guess, they're laying a trap for Eren." Reiner said.
"No doubt." Eren agreed.
"A trap?" Ai asked.
"Finding them won't be easy." Reiner said. "If I had to guess, the attack at the mall was a target of opportunity. But now that Eren's guard is fully up, they know they can't try that again. I think they're trying to bait you."
"I know." Eren nodded. "They're trying to get me to be more proactive and aggressive. So, when I find them and strike, they'll have a trap prepared."
Eren was familiar with their tactics. They tried the exact same thing right before the second battle of Shiganshina. Even when Zeke cornered the Scouts when the retook wall Maria, they baited them into a corner, so they'd have the best possible chance for success.
"Though I also think they were trying to recruit you." Eren said.
"But why wait till now?" Aqua asked.
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Rise of the Titans
قصص الهواة(Sequel to A Second Chance) Ruby is excited to begin her career as an idol, not realizing that it would lead to a battle between worlds and monsters.
