Mute Ackerman

~26

After some time they went back to the wall and Eren helped Reiner up since his arm was broken.

"Damn it hurts..." Reiner said.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked him and Reiner said that he was.

Reiner talked about the two times he almost died during his time in the Survey Corps and how hard the path of a soldier was. Marie followed the conversation closely but could feel a confused/guilty energy coming from Reiner.

"You two have been driven far enough from your hometown. I'm thinking that this is where we draw the line." Eren said and Bertholdt and Reiner seemed to realize something.

"He's right Reiner! Let's go home! Isn't it about time to turn back? compared to all the trouble we've been through, what is left to do is nothing!" Bertholdt said as he kneeled to Reiner.

"That's right! We're so close. It's just another few steps until the end." Reiner said while he smiled.

"What the hell are they talking about?" Marie thought and Armin and Eren seemed to be thinking the same thing.

The Garrison advance squad arrived to tell them where the hole is but there was no hole anywhere. Eren wasn't sure if Hannes was drunk when he told them but he didn't drink anything.

"If there isn't a hole so be it. Let's fall back to Trost for now!" Hange said to everyone and they started to walk away besides Reiner and Bertholdt.

Marie walked away until she heard Reiner say something.

"Armored and Colossal Titan?! Shit!"

*Flashback to last night*

"I finally got my hands on the background report for Annie Leonhart," Hange said as they held the papers that Sasha gave them. "Coming from these reports, there are two others who came from the same area as she did. Those two are Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover."

Marie could tell where Hange was going with their conversation.

"Thanks to the chaos five years ago, their family records are spotty or missing. However, During the long-rage scouting formation, their unit was given false information. They were among those who purposely told that Eren was on the right-wing."

Armin started explaining that the Female Titan attacked from the right-wing and that it could be possible that they passed on that information to Annie when Reiner for grasped by the Female Titan.

"I want to know how those three were around each other," Hange said as they looked at Armin, Mikasa, Eren, and Marie.

"Bertholdt and Reiner didn't seem close to Annie," Armin said.

"I agree. I don't recall the pair talking to Annie that much. Well, Annie didn't talk too much in the first place." Eren told them.

Sasha said that Annie always ate alone but that she likes sweets. Mikasa doesn't remember much but Marie did.

"I sometimes saw them at night hanging around at the chopped down logs, with Annie. I don't exactly know what they were talking about but one time when I heard them Bertoldt was talking about a dream he had a lot of a man who hung himself. Reiner said something with devils but Annie never seemed too happy to be around them." Marie signed.

"Devils?" Hange asked.

"I was way too far to hear the conversation. This was as much as I could pick up."

Armin started talking about the things he and Reiner said to each other on the latest expedition. 

"Reiner... You were like a big brother to all of us. Why do we have to doubt you now based on the information we have..." Marie thought sadly.