Village of Smoke (Connie x Fem Reader)

Chapter 14; The First Transformation

The slight wind was rustling in the leaves surrounding you at the very treetops, and you clutched a better hold of the branch you stood crouched atop on. With a keen ear, you listened, trying to separate any suspicious sounds from the noisy leaves.

It only took a split second and a swift inhale of your breath before the noise of ODM gears made themselves known somewhere further below you, and another second for you to determine it was coming from the right. With careful, thought out moves, you moved yourself to another branch a tad bit to the left, still hidden between the many leaves.

"I swear we've been looking for her for at least an hour, I caught you and Sasha ages ago", you heard Jean utter frustrated. Your small smile grew slightly wider as you peeped down at them, fighting off the snicker you almost let out.

"I told you she's a hide-and-seek master. Back home I would spend up to half a day looking for her. There's a reason we stopped playing it", Connie answered, and though you couldn't exactly see his face, you could hear it on his tone that he was smiling.

That is true. After countless times of having to be the one to seek and never finding you, Connie grew tired of the game. It was fine by you honestly, though you remember feeling bummed you'd lose one of your outlets to shine. Deep in thought, you gradually tuned in on Connie's voice again.

"Usually I'd end up looking all the wrong places. She wasn't always doing the same tactics, but the times it would take me the longest to find her, she would usually be somewhere very high... up". Your eyes widened as you watched them both look up in realisation.

'Crap'

Not wasting another second, you jumped out of your spot, zooming straight across the gaps between branches of the treetops.

"Damn it, go!", you heard Jean urge Connie. You weren't sure where Sasha was located or how actively she was trying to find you, but you'd cross that bridge once you got there; focusing solely on outrunning the pair of idiots hunting you who didn't even think to look further up. You had practically won already, but wanted to keep messing with them just a little longer. A chuckle escaped you lips as you manoeuvred forward, and you could hear the profanities leaving their mouths as you kept slipping away from their view.

The four of you usually tried to do something fun out of your training sessions, making up some forms of tactical and skilful games to complete. You've gotten quite the hang of it all now, and slicing titan dummies wasn't really that much of a challenge anymore. You're not however sure how you'd stand against real titans though. Not that it really was an immediate threat on this island anymore. That is still so surreal to you all; to everyone living in the walls. You needed not be afraid of the man-eating giants anymore... at least not for the time being. But in exchange, you had gotten a much scarier monster lurking outside your ports. The faceless enemy who had sent you all of your previous misfortunes.

Coming to a quick but silent halt, Jean and Connie passed you, stopping atop a branch on the other side of the trunk as they lost all track of you. You lowered yourself down, quietly stepping atop their branch while they were deep in conversation, focusing their gazes out and up towards the giant forest.

"That girl", Connie sighed. "I swear when I find her I'll—"

"You'll what, Connie?", you asked lowly but sweetly into his ear from behind, to which he jumped and almost pushed Jean off the branch in his surprised state.

"Watch it—"

"The hell—", Connie looked at you intently as you laughed, and only when you stopped did you notice the red tint on his ears. They both looked dumbfounded, however Connie seemed more flustered than anything.