The R.O.S.E. | Levi fic

Ch. 3 ~ Returning Home

"That was reckless. Careless."

"You'd have died, ma'am. And you're not allowed to die yet."

Aveline sighed in exasperation at Dione's upbeat reply as they walked down the streets of trost. The sun had risen nearly past the horizon, glaring off Wall Rose before peaking up over the top and illuminating the cobblestone roadway in golden hues. An hour after entering the walls felt like a mere handful of seconds as they walked about in a daze, pulling along the cart filled with the deceased now covered in a tarp.

"Alright, fine. Thank you guys, for being dumbasses and saving my life,"
Aveline huffed, having finally come down from the shock of it all.

"Oi, we're a squad; a team. No one goes down without a fight."
Baxten muttered from her right, shooting her a look over his shoulder. Hanging her head a moment, she decided he was right. Had it been herself in their position, she knew she would have rushed in without a single thought. So how could she fault them now?

"You're right; we are, and damnit if we don't keep and tend to our own. I was just worried for your well-beings..."
Aveline finally smiled, genuinely, for what felt like the first time in two months.

"Thank you, all of you."

The sun peaked higher over the walls, glaring off the wagon's tarp and the gear strung in cords to their bodies. A comforting silence ensured, each too wrapped into their own thoughts to voice any concern. What concern could they feel in Trost, anyways?

Though, soon the atmosphere grew tense as one by one, they couldn't help but peer back at the wagon. What humanity had lost...what they had nearly lost tonight, all over again...it was suffocating. The responsibility of their simple job turned treacherous weighed heavily on their shoulders, causing every breath they drew to be labored. Just how long could they keep this up for the people?
Finally, the ever fervent Dione broke the silence.

"Those two titans...Baxten, you saw it too, right?" He mumbled, walking a little further ahead of the man.

Baxten's shoulders tensed, a dark look crossing over his eyes. Heaving a short sigh, he raised his chin to meet the curious boy's gaze.
"Yeah...they were the same." He mumbled.

Though she agreed, Aveline couldn't bring herself to verbally concur. Images flashed through her mind; both from their experience just an hour prior, and towards memories seemingly distant, yet not so long ago.

"So then...Those were the two titans we failed to kill last time...They killed Nadia, and Naris..." Lyra whispered, her voice carrying down the silent street towards them. She walked ahead of them all, nearest Norbert. Her gaze had been downturned the moment they had reached the safety of the walls, and it didn't seem she would raise her head even now.

"Two months ago...when the titans started to wake up. Those were the same two, I know it," Baxten confirmed, turning to Aveline in need of her reassurance.

"Right, Captain?"

Now with her squad's gaze on her, Aveline felt she had to speak up. If not for her squad's sake, then for the memory of her lost comrades.

"Yes, they were the same. I recognized them the moment they parted the trees. Those were the two that disemboweled and consumed Nadia and Nasir; may they now rest in peace."