The snowball fight seemed like an eternity, a well-needed eternity. Schulz and the other instructors had begun to condition Tanner and the cadets into obedient fighting machines, yet it had seemed time slowed as the cadets were allowed to be children once more. Everyone was, more or less, being pelted by snowballs, some more than others. It was peaceful, almost serene and calming for Tanner, being able to indulge a past time with those he had called friends. Without them, Tanner would have been just another nobody, just another someone affected by the titans and signed up to be cannon fodder.

Then, Gabriel began to spiral down a hill, disappearing after being the target of many of the cadets. Dropping his snowballs, Tanner made haste with concern to where Gabriel once was. When the boy had shown his face again, Gabriel's eyes were red as if the tall cadet had been crying. Gabriel tried hiding that something was bothering him, whether it was the pain or his emotions, but Tanner knew something was wrong. "Don't worry, Gabriel! I'll help you!" Tanner exclaimed, flashing the taller boy a big wide smile as he went to scope up a snowball.

No matter if Gabriel knew about his secrets, Tanner made sure that from that point on, he was going to be Gabriel's friend. Tanner had only knew his friends for a few months, but Gabriel was the closest out of each and all of them. They may have bonded together due to despised circumstances, but Gabriel's discovery of the documents had brought them together like glue. If Gabriel was going to be their leader, Tanner was to be the one that had his back. Just this time, that would mean pelting Olivia in the face with a snowball.

---

Unnoticed by the cadets who were consumed in the joyous release of the moment, having descended into a snowball fight one would equate to belonging in childhood memories, night had fallen steadily on the snow capped mountains. Although already dark with even the now relatively light snowfall dimming all light, the final descent of the sun soon cast the cabin grounds into almost complete darkness. Lanterns outside the cabins and torch fires around the camp perimeter, set as warnings against absent minded cadets wandering past the security of the cabins and inevitably falling to a snowy death, were the only sources of light; the moon shone too dully to pierce through the still falling layers of snow.

The camp monitors, mostly veterans retiring from long service with a few mountain guides local to the region, emerged from one of the cabins marked off for senior staff. They saw the antics of the cadets, the adrenaline release at their success, and laughed, applauding some particularly spectacular hits, before retrieving large logs and planks from the wood store. Piling this in the centre of the grounds to which all the cabins were ringed around, they soon had a raging bonfire lit and were warming their hands against it. A pair, seeing the fire, kicked their way through the door of the main cabin struggling with a large cauldron between them, steam rising aggressively from its contents against the chill night air. The smell of berries and spices wafted behind them as they approached the bonfire.

"Come on, young ones! Get something warm in you or you're going to freeze out here." One of the older soldiers called to the cadets, gesturing for them to come and join them around the bonfire. He, like the other men, was holding a tankard filled from the cauldron and took a heft swig from it and then sighed in appreciation. "Mind you don't drink it too quickly though, you young'uns might not keep it down!"

The other men laughed but all the same hurried the cadets good naturedly to join them, pushing tankards of mulled wine into their hands. Specially brewed with spices to enhance the warming sensation it induced, along with hefty alcoholic content, it was certainly going to warm their cockles. Growing louder and louder, more raucous as the drink flowed, the veterans mostly kept to themselves although occasionally approached the cadets, usually to top up their drink or crack a joke.

The young would-be soldiers had made it past one of the more gruelling trials of their long years of training and it was worth a celebration. Unknown to them, but known to the veterans, some of the cadets who had not made it to the camp never would and would probably never be found. That night, the bonfire, the flowing drink and the camaraderie were to allow them to celebrate their survival, their success, unblemished by thoughts of lost comrades. That was something for the morning, the night was for the living.

---

From the depths of sleep, the rising volume outside the cabin penetrated her dreams, the first she'd had for over two years. She slowly came to, blearily seeing Mora's sleeping face barely a foot away from hers. For a moment she lay there, confused; trying to work out why she had been asleep in the same bed as her friend.

Then she remembered. Her fears. Her guilt. Her self-loathing. Her addiction. Her... confession.

She resisted the urge to jump off the bed and sat up slowly, turning and dangling her feet off the edge of the bed as she try to collect herself, going over their conversation not long before. No one else was in the cabin yet and the sounds outside suggested that it hadn't been that long and yet she felt refreshed. Lighter, the weight of two years of guilt partially lifted from her shoulders and from around her heart.

It wasn't all gone, there was a renewed sense of pain she felt from subjecting Mora to everything at once. Her plan had been just to tell her about her dependency, to seek help and from there work through what plagued her dreams bit by bit. The release had been too much though, it had unleashed a need to be free of what held her back and she had lost control as everything poured out of her, seeking forgiveness and understanding from the only one who could give it.

Her confession? That had been the last thing she planned on happening. It had been tied up with her pain but now it was for Mora too, she had hoped to keep her feelings hidden until a better time, a more neutral time. She turned to look at her friend's sleeping face and couldn't help but smile. She hadn't been scared away, she hadn't recoiled and she hadn't rejected Lauren. She could not have hoped for any more.

She gently squeezed Mora's shoulder and whispered to the sleeping girl. "Thanks, Ra." Standing up she made her way over to the cabin door and listened to the sounds outside, working out whether she could face other people or not at that moment.

Something was breaking the darkness that was Mora's dreams. How many nights had she woken up soaked from the sweat? How many nightmares choked the breathe from her lungs until she sprang up, gasping? Tonight was different. Her dreams were silent. A welcoming darkness that was now being infringed on but the raucous noise that drifted through the cabin. "Shhh..." Mora half-asleep, tried to hush the sounds but it was too late as her eyes had already started to flutter open. 'Law?'

Mora patted the empty space beside her, feeling the coolness of the sheets instead of the warmth of her friend. Her eyes stung, protesting her wakefulness and bidding her to lay back down but Lauren was missing and Mora was already starting to worry. With a heavy sigh she forced herself out of bed and threw on her snow gear. The thought of willingly going back out into the freezing cold caused her to grumble to herself, "You better be ok."

Mora stumbled towards the door only to paused as a bleary figure came into focus, "Law?" she called out, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 'Maybe, I won't have to go outside after all.'

She moved closer, feeling the cold seep out from door and sapping away the last tendrils of sleep from her body. Outside she could see the rest of the cadets start to hustle around the fire, their laughter tinkling across the night sky as they downed whatever liquid their superior had handed out. "Oh," Mora commented as she leaned against the door, "That actually looks nice."

Mora glanced over at Lauren as an unknown feeling tightened around her chest. 'What? I can't look over at my friend anymore?' Maura chided at herself, ducking her head away to hide the faint blush that colored her cheeks. Did Lauren want to go out there? Mora could feel an awkwardness between the two, not knowing quite how to breech it. "We should go." Mora stood back up, after all she was already dressed for the occasion.

"I think it'd be nice, I mean-" She rested her hand on the nape of her neck, searching for the right words, "How often are we going to get a chance at something like this?" Mora softly chuckled as she pushed open the door, letting the brunt of the winter air sweep inside the cabin.

Looking back at Lauren she gave her friend a small smile, "I think you definitely should come outside with me but first," her grin widened as she looked down at Lauren's feet, "You might want to get your shoes on." The tension felt thick between them, Mora didn't know how to dissipate the feeling of awkwardness that came from being to blatantly vulnerable with another person but she didn't want sit and stew in it either. Moving forward was all she had and pushing Lauren forward was all she had to offer at the time.

As she stepped out she kept her eyes back at the girl, "So, you, go get ready and I'll be waiting for you out here. Ok?"

She didn't give Lauren a chance to respond before turning her back and heading towards the bonfire. As the door swung shut behind her, she glanced back worrying if that was the right thing to do. I'm glad she was ok.'

Mora put on her best smile as she came into view of the fire, shivering in her gear as she waved at the rest of the cadets. "Hey guys!" She called out, cheerful. "I'll take whatever if is you're drinking, since you guys woke me up and all." Mora tried to hold as she found a spot near the fire, meanwhile someone had passed her a tankard filled with some sort of warm drink. Not hesitating, she took a swig and immediately gagged as the taste of alcohol overwhelmed her.

"What? Never had a taste of mulled wine before?" one of the older soldiers laughed as she sat sputtering out the drink into the snow below.

"Ugh, can't say I have. Here." Mora retorted handing the tankard back. 'How could Lauren drink the I stuff?' she thought dryly before realisation hit her. 'Shit, Lauren.' Mora had invited her out here without knowing there would be drinking. She wondered if she should go back and warm the girl, but how would she explain her sudden leaving to the rest of the cadets? Instead Mora squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, glaring at the half melted snow by her feet. Why were things suddenly so complicated?

"I think it's a great idea." Fathi chimed in from across the room, waving a tool in the air as he spoke, "If anything I think it's the best idea anyone here has come up with in weeks." the young boy said as he worked on the fan of his maneuver gear, tinkering with a connection before spinning the fan with his hand and sighing at the result before beginning to tinker some more.

"I think it'll work out alright. I mean what's the worst that will happen? No one else will be on our path atop the wall, it's not like there are people on the other side to see us right?" came the voice of Martin, also working on his gear a table over from Fathi and situated right next to Evi. He paused his work as he looked up at Lukas, his brown eyes staring into Lukas as if they were staring deep into his soul, "I think we'll be fine." he shrugged before placing his focus back on the gear.

Lukas simply watched him work for a moment, the sounds of his squad keeping their maneuver gear in good order the only noise within the room. The soft tinging of metal delicately making contact and the barely audible rhythmic clicking of Evi's wire being manually drawn into it's housing. It was oddly serene, his squad in now total silence just working, the sound of their efforts the only thing audible.

Lukas peered down at his own gear in front of him, he had already prepped his fan section, and was working on the axles of the body now. Ensuring that his wire would move smoothly along their lines, that nothing would snag, that he wouldn't die performing a simple maneuver due to his lack of attention to his equipment. He grabbed a small cloth and wet it with some of the military supplied cleaner and protectant, gently spreading it across the right side of his gear right where the wire made a turn in order to be fired from his hip. The side seemed to be a bit more worn than his left side, it was no surprise to him, or anyone for that matter. Everyone in the squad had voiced their concerns that Lukas seemed to rely too heavily on his right side while using his gear in training, and he agreed. But there were some habits that were just a bit too hard to break. Though he'd work on it.

"So it's decided then, we do some training on our own while we're patrolling the wall." Lukas said as he fastened the screws on his gear to close the apparatus. He picked up the fan section and spun it around, ensuring he hadn't missed anything as he did.

"I think it's another terrible idea thought up by you idiots." Evi said as she stood. The red-headed woman turned around in her spot before she began to fasten the belts spread across her body. Taking care at every fastener to be sure they were just as she was used to. "It's a shit idea and we're all going to die horribly if we do it." she said as she leaned down to check the fasteners on her legs.

Martin stood up and smiled at Lukas, "What Evi means is that if we all die she'll hold us responsible, but she'll go through with it." he said as he scooped up Evi's assembled gear and began fastening it to the support on her lower back.

Evi turned her head over her right shoulder and scowled in their general direction as she spoke "What Martin said.".

"With Evi's blessing it's decided for sure. Tonight we'll do a bit of unscheduled training on the Wall Maria side of Rose." Lukas said as he stood to begin fastening his harness. He peered out the window, Trost stretching before his eyes until it abruptly ended at the edge of the wall. From the look of the sky and the shadows that the buildings were casting on Trost it was obvious that night was fast approaching and if they weren't quick they were going to be late to shift change. "Let's pick up the pace everyone, our shift is coming on quick, can't have Squad 9 late to duty." he said.

With that the squad kicked their action into high gear, Evi was fully equipped in less than three minutes and had turned around to help Martin don his gear. Fathi had made his way over to Lukas and was helping to connect Lukas's gear to his harness as well. In just under ten minutes the squad was ready to go, donning their green cloaks with the Garrisons roses on its back, they exited the headquarters and entered the frigid air of Trost district.

Grant glared at Olivia as she backlashed his witty words with quotations of her own. She was one to try and challenge anytime Grant began to make some form of confidence; well, she challenged it in a friendly way. A grin slipped onto his face as he spent the last few seconds clean of snow. A projectile hurled towards him, quicker than he could react for once, and placed itself onto his face. Taken back by the impact, and because Olivia had accidentally thrown some snow with a small amount of ice in it, he slipped over and sunk into the thick snow he stood in. The coldness swept over him like a rippled wave at any of Sina's glorious fountains. It was painful, where the impact had struck him. His face had gone red from where it struck, slap-band in the middle of his left eye. The pain was aggravating, but he didn't care mostly. It was Olivia, the two were very close, surely she'd not have tried to do so on purpose.

He laid in the snow for a while, shivering away, before he sat up upon hearing the calls of others. Grant brought himself up, clutching the sides of his withering arms. A sensation of death was slowly, but surely, counter-acting against any signs of life within his body. The cheery smile he had began to drop slightly; nothing seemed to be fun anymore. Everyone had already departed, by the looks of it, for the warmth of the bonfire, whilst Grant was still stood behind, with a bruising face emerging. And from there, that was where Grant began to think...Negatively...

He'd accounted the past few months of the training sessions. Apart from Grant being heavily involved in the lessons they'd taken, he felt...Distant. Grant had never been the one to talk, or be approached and talked to. Sure, he wasn't a full-on social outcast to the team, but his communication was limited, and usually left to small-talk. Yet, even though Grant accepted this as his fate, he hated it. Grant loathed behind left aside, and was sure that his own actions were the main influence for his outcasting. Everything he did, it only affected himself. There was a lust for change, an ability to become one with the people around him, but the only person he'd managed to maintain more than small-talk with was Gabriel. Gabriel and Grant's relationship had become stronger, hopefully developing closer to a brotherhood-like connection. But as for anyone else, he was just an empty space in the story being filled. The only times he'd talked to Mora was when someone else brought her into his own conversation. Lauren barely uttered words to him. Olivia, though still one of Grant's greater friends, had the advantage of talking to everyone, which he felt was leaving him behind slightly. Sano had never directly spoken to Grant. Jade had only had a few conversations with him, but the two were awkward in talking to one another after Grant revealed his identity to her. Tanner and Reese were also a few names to put forward to those he didn't speak to. And as for the rest, they followed the trend.

A heavy and dark mumble seeped from his iced and bruised lips. Maybe it was the fact he was hit with ice that he was thinking so negatively. It was either that, or it was a revelation. Grant was only a small-part to the big story that everyone else was living. And from that, he wished Mateo was here to give him comfort...Or that Luca were still alive.

Before he made his way to the bonfire, where a few laughs and conversations could be heard, he made headway for the cabin, where he rummaged around for a couple of minutes. By talking some black chalk from the soldier's note pads, and by taking a small amount of paper left lying around inside, Grant finally made his way back outside.

Glorious in its size, the Bonfire lit up a warm sensation in his mind, but he still felt at unease from the thoughts scavenging the happiness in his mind. Everything had been going downhill since he first joined the Cadets. It was only a matter of time before he'd wither and die trying to be something, not only in the Military, but in life. He looked around, seeing Olivia closely sitting by Reese, forcing him to take a heavy sigh to himself. Upon seeing the groups of people, he spied the nearest gap in seating areas. It would be better, as he thought, to remain quiet as per usual. There's no point in making it awkward for anyone else.

As his backside finally rested somewhere that wasn't in the snow after being pelted in the face, Grant whipped out the paper and black chalk and began to sketch to himself. Every now and then, his head would pop up, to look around from his perspective. The sketch wasn't amazing, as you'd expect from Grant, but he was making quite the performance. His sketch was beginning to take shape after a while, clearly being a view from his perspective of the fire and seating around him, the fire being a central focus of swirls and twists. And to the surprise of everyone else, after being indulged in his own creation, he began to sing, in a comedic and improvised way, quietly. The tone being moderately smooth, yet low to match his voice.





A group of men and women stood around one another, listening to a bearded man bark orders out. Amongst them, finally back in uniform, stood the Lance Corporal himself, Mateo. The room was filled with heated debates over formation changes and other directional desires for the next and upcoming expedition. It was all the usual from the NCO team of the localised Squads to debate topics like this. Mateo, being an NCO and commanding officer of Squad 19, had to attend as per usual, but his opinion on the matters were rarely discussed. There was a reputation for everyone, and Mateo was viewed as someone who'd make mistakes. It was always linked back to the 'Rhynestelf' incident, where everything had gone wrong in the past.

Despite this, they knew he was a skilled soldier, a talented individual with a compassion for his own soldiers, but even with that in mind the he was sometimes looked down upon. But Mateo was used to it, it was all part of the package of being reinstated in the Survey Corps. With the tensions humanity were facing, what other outcome would there be? Either way, it didn't hinder his service to humanity, as his promotion had stated.

The meeting was planning out Expeditions for at least the next 4 years. It was quite the step to take, but Mateo felt that the planning ahead would be a good call. That is if they were able to actually survive that long. It had been a few years since Shiganshina fell, and they were still trying to make their gains in taking it back. The world was not on their side, but either way, the Scouting Legion kept their wits about them and powered onwards. They fought for their families. Mateo fought for Grant, and the redemption of Luca.

"Schulz must have gotten stuck or something. It is kinda weird that he hasn't gotten here yet," Jade was quick to respond to Sano's concern. She had a thought about Schulz earlier as well but she hadn't spent much time worrying because she thought that he would come by nightfall. Unfortunately that was not the case. Throughout the two's conversation, the sun had begun it's descent into the mountains which left them with nothing but the light of the fire outside of the cabins, and the flames lit inside of the cabin that they were in. She had been a bit more aware since he had mentioned that he felt something, but all she felt was her legs ache in soreness. Or was it that she wanted to believe it wasn't anything other than that?

Jade yawned a bit and looked down at the tankard in her hands. She was nearly done with the tea, but by now it had gotten cold and she didn't want to drink cold tea. It never tasted good in her opinion. Instead, Jade got up and took it to a table, setting it down and walking back towards where she once sat next to Sano. She smiled at him when he mentioned her practically lying about the cold stopping her, "Well, to be honest, I didn't want to be around them while the mayhem happened. They're all nice and what not but I didn't want to have fun. It sounds weird, and maybe a bit cruel, but I don't really want to get attached to anyone. It's so hard too." The girl's smile quickly turned into a frown as she spoke the truth that she tried so hard to keep locked away. She turned to look outside of the window and noticed the cadets and veterans all getting together around a large bonfire. Mora had barely been joining, stepping out of the girls cabin, while she got a glimpse of someone through the window. "Mora and Lauren are my friends, but it was never by choice, really. I do care for them but I needed them for survival. They're older than me and only kept me around because they felt bad. Besides them, it's hard to think why I would actually want to play with these other kids... If that makes sense." Jade turned back to Sano and quickly tried to push the depressing atmosphere away. "I'm also a bit like you in a way. I never want to be caught off guard either." Jade laughed a bit, in her hopes of keeping their conversation light. She had never held such a long conversation with Sano, much less alone with him. She was finally getting to know the young man for who he really was without people around to make him act a certain way.

"You know, people are gathering around the fire. Wanna go out there with me and see what they're meeting out in the dark for? It's either that or I'll go to sleep." Jade smiled at the young man and beckoned him towards her so they could go outside and join the others. She truly was curious, but had no desire to really mingle. If Sano was with her, she knew that the others wouldn't really keep up much of a conversation versus if she was alone.

Gazing out at the other cadets, the raucous laughter of the older soldiers as they mingled with their young charges, Lauren was split between staying in the cabin and heading outside. She wanted to be there, where the laughter and the cheer was, amongst the people she had spent the last six months with and whom she would be spending the next two and a half years with. By the same token, the comfort and security of Mora called to her from further within the cabin, splitting her desires and needs. Erring on what she knew, she began to turn back into the cabin when she heard movement and saw Mora pulling on her outdoor gear and walking towards her with sleepiness still falling away from her.

Her friend called out and she responded, waving awkwardly to Mora as the other girl joined her by the door and looked out at the cadets sitting around the raging bonfire. Now that Mora was up, Lauren was more tempted to head outside and join the others and it must have shown on her face for Mora suggested that they do just that. She seemed as awkward as Lauren felt, all her usual tells clearly visible to Lauren as she spoke. For all the good it would do for them and their friendship, her confessions had driven a small wedge between them, erasing some of the easy familiarity that had become the bedrock of their closeness over the years.

"I'll follow, don't worry." She assured Mora then looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling the freezing air from outside penetrating even the thick winter socks she was wearing, and grinned back at her friend. "A good idea, don't wait up. These boots are a nightmare to put on." Heading back to her bed she struggled with the boots she had taken off not that long before, fastening the laces as tightly as she could and trying to ignore how damp they had become now that the snow they had been covered in previously was not melted.

Shrugging on her winter coat and making sure it was fastened tightly, she pushed her way out of the cabin and out into the cold air. It was like a slap in the face, instantly sapping all heat away from her cheeks and any other exposed skin, with the sun now down the temperature had dropped further even though the snow had stopped falling except for the occasional flurry. She approached the bonfire, catching Mora giving her a strange look, worry in her eyes plain even at that distance but she put it down to their earlier conversation. How long would it be before she had recovered enough for that look to be gone, no longer hiding just beneath the surface?

One of the older soldiers spotted her and ambled over, a tankard in each hand, and offered her one with a toothless grin.

"Here you go, lass. You don't want to be out in this cold without a bit of warmth in your belly!"

He waited expectantly as she raised the tankard to her lips and took a long swig from it, feeling the spices and the rich flavour fresher her consciousness as the warmth flooded her body almost immediately. Then she noticed the smell and nearly gagged, lowering the tankard with a shaky hand and looking up at the man who was nodding appreciatively at the now half full vessel, unaware of the shock she was experiencing. "Looks like you've had a taste before! Here, finish that one up and you can have this. I'll get meself another one, we're used to the cold up 'ere but you kids need a bit of fire in you to keep going."

Lauren stared as he gestured with the other tankard he was holding, the man motioning for her to finish off the drink she was holding so that he could give her the second vessel. She now realised what Mora had been trying to communicate to her but it was a bit late for that now. She could feel tremors running down her body, somewhat disguised by the thick clothes belted around her.

Well, a couple of these can't be too bad, surely. I mean, I'm not trying to get drunk... right?

She swallowed the rest of the drink in her hand and exchanged the empty tankard for a full one, nodding her thanks and making her way towards the bonfire and the other cadets a little shakily. The pangs of craving were beginning to hit her now that she had had a second taste, demanding more and more until she was sent spiralling into a deep sleep. On the other hand, she felt guilt; even though she hadn't realised what she was being given it still flew in the face of the progress she had made that night, the support that Mora had shown her.

Forcing herself to act as normal as possible she walked past Olivia and Reese, the girl easing up against the reluctant boy, smiled at them despite herself, winking at them suggestively and then moving on. She thought she could hear Grant singing dimly, although everything was blurring at the edges as she struggled with her cravings and panic and she couldn't be sure that she wasn't merely hallucinating. After an age she made it to Mora's side and sat down with deliberate slowness and care and flashed a weak smile at her friend.

Turning her head back to gaze across the group her eyes fell on Grant whom she hadn't seen before, the bonfire having obstructed her view, and she could just make out a large red welt on the side of his face around his eye. Her brow furrowed and she passed her tankard to Mora, thrusting it into the girl's hands distractedly before making her way over to the giant sitting and sketching in the snow.

"Let me see your face." She ordered, firmly taking his head in her grasp and tilting it so that she could see the mark on his face a little better from the bonfire's light. "Did you fall or something? There's no cut but you're going to get some swelling there if you're not careful." She scooped up some snow and held it in front of him so that her message was clear. "In the morning make sure you cool it down and wash it with some of this, fresh though. Come to me if it gets itchy or overly sore, I might have some ointment or something that might help."

The distraction resolved, she turned back and headed over to sit once again by Mora. Her earlier panic was fading a little, the brief reprieve and the absence of further drink in her hand giving her some security and dampening her cravings somewhat, although they still preyed at the edges of her will and she resisted the urge to snatch her drink back to sate her thirst. She shivered slightly, despite the warmth from the bonfire, as a breath of cold air blew across the camp site and made the fire dance wildly for a brief moment.

Out of habit, perhaps, she scooched closer to the other girl, shoulders and hips touching and forming a small block against the wind wrapping around them. It took her time to realise that, in light of the knowledge Mora now had of her feelings, the action may come across as overly pressuring. She almost moved away but that would inevitably draw undue attention. So she stayed, her face a little red and not just from the wind chill.

Aware of the acute awkwardness between them she strove to find a topic, a normal subject, and glanced around at the faces grouped around the fire. "Have you seen Jade? I hope she's not hiding away from everyone. Although I don't see Sano either..."

---

Gabriel smiled slightly at Tanner when he came to check up on him. It was nice of him to check up on the boy when he fell down, even if he didn't really need any of the help. When he moved up a bit closer to Tanner, he placed his hands on top of his head and ruffled his hair up. "Thanks for coming to check up on me, but I'll be fine." He noticed the small snowball that Tanner was packing up and had almost joined him, until he heard the staff calling out to the cadets. He took Tanner's snowball and tossed it behind his shoulder, giving him an apologetic look. "I don't think we're having a snowball fight anymore not. Let's head back up with the others, yeah?" He commented, pulling his cloak to wrap around himself some more, and took a few more steps before looking back down at Tanner, waving for him to follow.

As Gabriel made his way over to where the bonfire was being set up, Gabriel let out a breath of relief at the thought of a fire going. Even if he was trying to act like the cold never affected him, it didn't mean that it was freezing as hell. Honestly, he could have gone for a warm mug of...well...whatever, so long as it was warm! He sat down on a log, looking around at the other cadets. Was this what friends did in their spare time? He didn't quite know why everyone was gathering around the fire, other than for warmth, but in his eyes, everyone seemed quite sociable. It was a puzzling sight for Gabriel to see, but he decided it was best to go with the flow. He looked over at Olivia and Reese, staring at them both silently when they didn't look. His eyes particularly lingered on Olivia, as if something was on his mind. He looked away from the two and looked to Tanner, smiling as he waved once more for him to sit down. "Hey,
Tanner! Come sit with us!" He called quite rather loudly, hoping the boy would come along and gather with the rest of them. He didn't want to be the only 'weirdo' there.

Trost was cold this time of year, it didn't snow this far south, but it was cold nonetheless. Lukas rubbed his hands together as they walked to try and get some warmth into them, he dreaded the wind atop the wall that was going to suck the heat right from him. "Everyone's wearing enough to stay warm right? Fathi?" he asked, directing the question mainly toward the squads newest member. The kid was smart, raised inside Wall Sina he had been to schooling far better than the rest of the squad, but he was a bit slow to pick up on the simpler things in life. Like the fact it was going to be very cold on top of Wall Rose. Lukas cocked his head at Fathi as the boy seemed to pat himself over as if checking for something.

"All here Squad Leader." he said as he gave Lukas a smile that meant he wasn't lagging behind on this bit of common sense. Evi let out a small laugh, partially hidden by a fist, as Fathi succeeded at being a smart-ass and Martin simply shook his head before starting to talk to Evi about what they were going to do for breakfast.

Nodding his head, Lukas turned forward. They were close to the wall, just another minute or two and they would clear the closest buildings to it. After that it was about twenty meters of open space, mainly taken up by children playing and the odd stalls here and there, then Trost just ended against the wall.

He went over the plan for later, mentally visualizing the spot on the wall they would use as their start off point. It wasn't too far from the gate that someone would wonder exactly where they had disappeared off to, but it also wasn't so close that any of the other Garrison on duty would be able to hear them going about their business.

"You're late. I think I was about to freeze to death,"

The voice cut into Lukas's thoughts, somewhere along the lines he had lost track of just how close they were to the wall and ended up practically steps away from Tobias without even noticing. He gave a quick look to the top of the wall, trying to see if he could spot anymore sunlight and decided that they probably were a little bit late by the lack of it. "Probably right Tobias, are you getting tacked onto us for an unspecified amount of time again, or can we expect you to stay for good this time?" Lukas asked, the question was serious, Tobias had a track record of not playing nice in the squads he was assigned to and as such he was constantly shifted around the squads. Never staying too long in one squad for fear of some sort of fight breaking out once things got too heated. He had done a two week stint with Squad 9 a few months back, even seeming to get along with them a bit before being move, sure Evi and Tobias didn't exactly meld well together but they had yet to kill each other. Which Lukas figured was a good sign.

Not waiting for Tobias to answer Lukas shuffled onto the elevator on the side of the wall, the team piling in behind him. Evi gave Lukas a look as if asking whether this was a joke or not before sighing as Tobias loaded on board with them.

The first rays of sunlight peered over the horizon, reflecting limitlessly off of the snow capped mountains and illuminating its faces is bright light. Set up on the face of the mountain, the camp began to wake to the unexpected clarity of day slowly. Veteran guides and soldiers emerged from their cabins worse for wear from the previous night's activities and set about their daily chores. Remnants of the bonfire were cleared away and scattered tankards collected to be returned to the main cabin, ready for the cadets' first brew of the day; they would need to recover from any lasting effects of their long hike and the late night as quickly as possible before they began their long journey down.

Toward the edge of the camp where posts marked a dangerous cliff edge one of the older guides was staring down the mountain face with experience eyes, brow creased in thought as he looked up and down the gleaming white surface. A veteran approached him, holding a tankard of steaming tea in each hand and passed one to the older man who grunted gratefully, taking a tentative sip lest the heat burn his chilled lip, and sighed as the warmth immediately blossomed in his chest and gut. The newcomer nodded towards the remains of the bonfire while gesturing at the cabins with his tankard.

"Looks like the kids enjoyed their first taste of adulthood." The comment was made with little nuance, an observation rather than a joke or dig at the still sleeping cadets. In reply the older man grunted, turning his gaze back to the valleys far below. "Although I heard some of them were from Shiganshina. Can't really say anyone who came through that can be called a kid, really." A distracted murmur of agreement from the guide had the man sighing. He gently pushed the older man's shoulder to gain his full attention, raising an eyebrow as he asked where the old man's attention was.

For a moment the guide seemed reluctant to answer but clearly decided that he should voice his thoughts and knelt into the snow, scooping up a handful in his gloved hand and standing back up so that he could hold the white powder clearly at eye level. Blowing on it gently they watched as the snow drifted away, barely stuck together and easily picked up by the very slight wind casting around the camp.

"Wrong type of snow and with this heat..." He tilted his head back to gesture at the sun as it continued it slow ascent, barely begun for the day but already the temperature on the mountain was noticeably higher than the previous day. Even in the absence of the blizzards that had besieged them the sudden shift was unusual. Frowning, the veteran shuffled the snow around with his foot, observing how it moved and understanding the older man's concern; he had been at the camp for some time but the guides had been living in the mountains for generations and knew better than anyone what signs to look for to the point it had become instinctual.

"We were going to send guides part way down with them anyway, to look for any bodies from yesterday. I'll send some more, just in case."

Their attention was caught by signs of life from within the cadets' cabins, the young would-be soldiers eventually rising from their beds to begin the day. Nodding agreement to each other, the two men walked back to the camp and set about making preparations for the journey back down.

---

She had been awake for a good time before the first rays of light shone through the small windows of the cabin, everyone else seemingly still asleep around her. It had been difficult to sleep, having returned to her own bed for the night somewhat reluctantly. Dreams and nightmares had assailed her equally, often twisting together or veering from one to another violently with little to no warning. Although nothing like just after Shiganshina it had cause her to wake several times during the night, leaving her to lie there in the darkness and stare at nothing until a restless sleep drew her back in its tenuous embrace.

The last episode had been particularly dark, closer to a rerun of the worst of the nightmares that had haunted her and pushed her to drink and she been tempted to sneak outside and see if there was anymore of the wine available. Knowing that there was some, a release, up on that mountaintop hadn't helped her ignore the cravings scratching at her willpower, especially since she had had a taste of it without drowning herself in drink. Her second tankard had been disposed of secretly by Mora without her noticing, for which Lauren was grateful.

She glanced over towards where her friend's bed was although there was still very little within the cabin so it was difficult to see the other girl's form. It had still felt awkward when they had all headed to bed the previous night and she didn't know how to breach the barrier not set between them. Of course, it had always been there but only she had been able to see it, feel it; built of her complex muddy of emotions entangling her amorous feelings for her friend along with the guilt and self-loathing that had pursued her the last two years. Now Mora could see the same wall and it would take time for them to break it down.

Shaking away the feelings that depressed her down into hiding in the bed, Lauren forced herself to peel the heavy quilts away and slide slowly out and onto the floor. Her muscles ached from the exertions of the climb yesterday, adding to the sense of lethargy plaguing her from the little disturbed sleep she'd had, and cried in protest with every move but she could no longer stay wallowing in thoughts threatening to cause a repeat of her outburst the previous night. She found her spare boots from her pack, taking care not to make much noise, and wrapped her coat from the previous day around her form before sliding slowly and quietly out of the cabin door and into the cold.

Except it wasn't that cold. At least it was warmer than she had expected, the bright sun blinding her for a moment after the cabin's gloom but simultaneously warming her face and coat with its rays. The guides and veterans were bustling about, finishing up their clean up operation around the bonfire and there was the sound of pots and other metal clanging from the main cabin, suggesting that breakfast was being prepared. Choosing to ignore those promising sounds for now she walked across the main square and past the bonfire, nodding a mute greeting to any of the older men who spoke to her, and past two grizzled looking men who were walking away from her destination.

Now she was only separated from the cliff edge by wood posts sunk deep into the ground with frozen rope hung to warn those approaching of the imminent danger they were in. Although not her intention, she edged forwards and glanced down the face, imagining just stepping off the edge and falling to an inevitable death. For the first time Mora appeared in her head as a warning, not to guilt her but as a positive message, a reason not to contemplate an early end. A message of hope.

Her momentary temptation of suicide over, she stepped back and instead reached into coat pocket, finding the reason she had primarily come to the cliff edge. The unmarked bottle in her hand, the same one she handed to Mora to reveal her guilty secret, gleamed bright in the light, the shine glinting up at her as if attempting to increase the value of the object and prevent her from doing what she had planned. Steeling herself against those feelings holding her back, trying to drag her down and destroy the small progress she had made, Lauren turned towards the cliff edge and hurled the small bottle over it.

She watched it disappear, only the glint from its polished surface allowing her to see it distance, until finally that too blended into the bright white blanket covering the mountain surface. Vanished from her sight forever, she turned away from the cliff edge and its dangerous allures and headed back to the girl's cabin to change, feeling a small flame of pride burning within her chest. It was a small step but it was one she had made herself, without burdening someone else, and that made it all the more worthwhile.

Mora grumbled as the first few rays of daybreak stabbed at her closed lids, she huddled further down in the warmth of her cot. Her subconscious desperately grasping at the retreating darkness as she felt her lids start to flutter open. "Unnh." she muttered into the morning air as she lazily stretched out on her cot. The silence around her was saturated with the sleep laden breathing of her fellow cadets; drunken snoring and soft creaking as some tossed and turned in their beds. Overall though she thought to to be peaceful. A moment break away from the normal chatter and scuffle of boots across the floorboards. Mora stared blankly at the bottom of the bunk above her, her mind awake but her body unwilling to join.

Looking over she noticed a crumple of blankets as Lauren's cot was left empty. More worry flooded her as she recalled the bonfire. She had sat there, dumbly, as one of the seniors had pressed a cup into the youths hand. Mora didn't even move as she watched Lauren down the first cup with mute eyes. What was she go do? She didn't know then and she didn't know now. Mora was flooded with the old familiar feeling of uselessness. With every step forward she only found herself met with another impossible wall. With a heavy sigh she sat up and swung her legs over the side of her cot, 'Mom...dad, what am I to do?'

Pressing down the overwhelming feeling she busied her mind with getting herself dressed. By now lacing up her gear was second nature, her fingers deftly pulling at the strings of her boots as she let her mind wander over today's possibilities. Mora sat up, breathing in a deep cool breathe of winter air as she pressed her palms into her eyes before pushing them back into her wild mane. "Alright, no more dawdling." she coaxed herself up and strode towards the door.

She braced herself as she swung the door open, waiting for the dry air to suck the warmth from her bones but instead a gentle cool nipped at her. The sun beat down on the frozen ground beneath her, the snow scattering the blinding light forcing Mora to squint until her eyes adjusted. The faint scent of food whipped past her as the dim crashing sounds of breakfast beckoned her towards the mess hall. When was the last time she ate? She had been so exhausted by the bike and then Lauren that Mora had slept right through dinner the other night and then she had a taste of the foul wine.

Her nose wrinkled at the memory as she trudged through the crisp snow. Shivering she offered a quick nod and a smile in the direction of the older men. "Morning, hero." one of them called. Mora grimaced as Shultz's nickname crashed in her ears. Turning back with an annoyed smile she answered, "Yes?"

"Your friend...the uh, the medic one. She went off towards the cliff edge, tell her to come to the mess hall and eat. We'll be starting back down today. She'll need the energy."

Mora nodded curtly, try in to mask the horror that threatened to overwhelm her as her heart plunged into her gut. Lauren was at the Cliffside? She could feel she's heart this heavily in her chest, 'Lauren.' Mora's mind reeled as she hurried down the pathway marked by Lauren's steps. Different scenarios bubbled to the surface, one after the other as she tried to mentally squash her building anxiety when Lauren's form came into view.

"Oh for fucks sake." she whispered to herself before making her way to the girl, moving carefully to mask the sounds of her footsteps. Her fear had melted into annoyance and relief as she quickly shot out her arms around Lauren, pulling her back away from the edge and safely in her arms. "Law." Mora scolded into her back, "You sacred me, don't do that." her arms tightened around her as her voice cracked a little.

"They said you were heading to the Cliffside and I-," Mora continued trying to control the emotion in her voice, "I thought you were going to hurt yourself." Mora could barely hear herself as her voice trailed off, keeping the girl pinned to her for a moment longer before letting her go.

She gulped in a few sharp breath as she tried to steady her chaotic emotions before looking up to addressing Lauren again but the words didn't come. She wanted to scold her friend for worrying her. She wanted to cheer that she was ok and she wanted to cry at the never-ending helpless feeling that kept burying deeper and deeper within. Instead she pulled Lauren back to her, "I need you with me, you dummy." Mora joked into Law's frame, resting against her solidness.

The night had become a blur after having her private talk with Sano. Jade had shared some things with the young man that she could've kept to herself in order to not cause any drama. Really, she could've kept it all to herself. There was no need to share private details, yet she still did it, and even Sano happened to tell her more of himself than he should have. It made Jade wonder why. Why she would even care enough to talk about herself. This made the girl lay in her bed, her back to everyone, as she stared at the wall. Her eyes might have been staring at the wooden wall, but her mind had flashed back to her asking Sano to go with her to the bonfire. She recalled him accepting, only to see if there were any important details being shared amongst the cadets, before getting up and walking with her outside. It caused two confused, yet mischievous looks from from Mora and Lauren, and one huge grin on Olivia's face, but Jade was able to ignore the three as she and Sano walked up to the group. As they neared, a veteran that Jade had never sen before approached them with a couple of mugs, to which Jade refused. Unfortunately for everyone, the veteran was already a bit past the line of no return in regards to drinking alcohol, and he only pressed further for Jade to take the cup. "What's wrong with you?! Don't you know how to have a little fun? Everyone else is doing it!" Jade's eyes had widened at the man's words, and she turned to look at everyone with tankards in their hands, full of whatever liquid it had in it. Something inside of the young girl was triggered and she turned to the man, her eyes shooting a million and one daggers at him. She had quickly grabbed the cup and chucked it far away from the group, into a cliff's abyss. "No means fucking no. Only the weak need to drink this." Her words had been spat out with venom, and she could see that the man had become both angered and ashamed. With a quick look around the fire at the others, Jade had stormed off into the cabin where she now found herself waking up.

Her cheeks turned a bring red as she remembered the embarrassing encounter. She, in no way, wanted to make a scene. A long sigh escaped her as she pushed last night's events away. As she began to hear shuffling amongst the cabins, Jade followed along and got up, getting ready for their trek down.

Although it never took Jade more than three minutes to get ready, that morning it seemed to have taken her thirty. She was clearly in her own state of mind and had been slow and sluggish in her movements. What exactly was going on with her, she didn't know. Before stepping out into the outdoors, Jade quickly pulled up her hair into a ponytail. Walking out, it was strangely warm, compared to the day before. She didn't like the feeling of it. The sun was beating down but the temperature was still cold enough to have them using the winter gear, but that only made her a bit sweaty. It just didn't feel right to her.

Jade's green eyes scanned the open area in front of their cabins and spotted all those whom were ready to go. Lauren and Mora were together, as always, which caused Jade to frown just a bit. They hadn't tried to wake her up? She couldn't really blame them though, it wasn't their job in any way. Instead of joining them, Jade decided to begin moving towards the way they had arrived to the cabins. Snow had clearly melted just enough for the tops of some rocks to peek through the white. It made the small girl a bit nervous. She knew how clumsy she could be, and knowing her, she'd most likely find herself tripping and rolling down the mountain. Still, she moved on, testing out how deep the snow was this time around and making sure that her boots were strapped tight enough to not fail her on the hike.

---

The rest of the night had been a blur to Gabriel, even when he did remember some of the finer details. Even so, everything was still quite fuzzy in his memory. The one thing that stood out in his mind though was Tanner and Olivia. For some reason, he just couldn't get either of them out of his head. He shifted in his sleep, a worried expression growing on his face as he laid there. He dreamed of titans...large, terrible beasts that rampaged through Shiganshina. Despite the calm the boy expressed over the situation, he was never able to remain calm in his sleep. That was when his true self showed. His fears, his character, his hidden personality. He was a coward, but that was what made him brave. That was what made him join the military. Even so, every time he looked upon the titans, he found himself unable to move. He couldn't speak or yell out, even as he saw the two fending off titans. He wanted to warn them that they were about to swarm them. It was all too much for him, yet he couldn't shut his eyes. As more and more of the other cadets began to pour in, he found that they too were being horded. He was a team leader...so why couldn't he take charge? Before he knew it, he found Reese standing beside him, yelling at him. Strangely enough, he could not hear the words coming from his mouth. All he could read was 'titans.' Then...it got louder. And louder. And louder....until the whistle was blown and he heard the yelling from Reese about titans.

He quickly sat up, letting out a scream full of panic, the first time that he had shown any form of fear, and banged his head up against a metal bar. He let out a loud groan of pain and held on to his forehead, falling back onto the bed as he held tightly.
"Reese, you son of a bitch! I'm going to kick your ass when I get my hands on you!" As he laid there in pain, he could felt the cold sweat against his skin. These nightmares seemed to get worse with every passing day, especially when they were slowly nearing the end of their training with every passing minute. He could barely stomach the thought of his nightmares and pushed them to the side, like he always did. It was just too much. He laid there for a few seconds, until he quickly pulled off the covers, wearing nothing up his undergarments and his shirt, and rushed outside into the snow, holding himself up against the side of the building, and threw up. It was the first time he had done so since those nightmares had begun. He felt like he was going to lose his entire stomach at this rate.

After he was done with this small episode, he quickly moved his face to a more calm one, heading back into the cabin, and looked up at Reese with a mellow expression on his face. "Just forget about it..." It was unclear if he meant this towards hurting Reese or about the episode that he had waking up, but it didn't matter to him. He just didn't want to think about it right now. His movements were slow and almost zombie-like as he got dressed and headed outside, swinging his coat around him without another word. He should have said something to Tanner...but he just couldn't. Not at that moment, especially with the dream still fresh in the subconscious part of his mind. He wandered a little aimlessly through the snow until he reached the mess hall and sat down on a seat, staring down at the table. He couldn't stomach to eat at the moment...he just needed to think for a second.

Similar to what several other cadets were experiencing, the night was worthwhile. Tanner felt everything was a dream, yet in truth the reality had left a smile on his face as he slept through the night in his bed. The night had felt like an eternity, but with Gabriel, both cadets were able to talk about issues that had bothering them for months on end, which in turn brought forth a bond between Gabriel and Tanner that shined like never before. The night had changed Tanner for the better, and he refused to forget the night's events like a child refusing to release their dirty blanket so it could be washed. Everything was all too special, and Tanner, in a spiritual sense, embraced it as close to him as possible.

Olivia had also shown her face in the night, smashing down both door and secrecy in the same action. Gabriel and Tanner had been talking throughout the night, and the latter was worried what Olivia might have thought or heard. Thankfully, Olivia was more than welcoming to hear the boy's concerns, and in turn willing to help out and keep the rest a secret from the other cadets. Whatever was spoken that night may never come forth again in the future, but one thing was for certain: the night had brought three friends together, and if they weren't best friends by then, the cadets were now.

"The titans are coming!" Reese shouted, the commotion waking up the boys that had shared the same cabin as he did. Gabriel was clearly upset, smashing his head into a bar, and soon the sound of vomiting was heard through the door that he left open after rushing outside. Tanner awoke in similar fashion, clearly cranky that his pleasant dreams were suddenly interrupted by what had seemed to be a prank. Glancing at Gabriel when he came back in, it was easy for Tanner to see that something was wrong within Gabriel's thoughts- something that was bothering him as he replied. Glaring at Reese with almost piercing eyes, Tanner went to get dressed in a hurry, seeking Gabriel as he ran off somewhere on the campgrounds.

It wasn't long before Tanner found Gabriel, the former following the heavy footprints left in the snow towards the small mess hall. Food was being prepped by some of those in charge of the mountain encampment, but Tanner wasn't worried about eating. Walking over towards Gabriel, who was staring downwards at the table, Tanner placed his hands on the giant's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. Everything okay, Gabriel? Tanner asked, moving to sit down beside him. "You know you can tell me anything. You were there for me last night, but remember, I'm also there for you." Tanner explained, his voice touched by a calming tone as he wrapped an arm around Gabriel's shoulder. Whatever it was that was bothering him, Tanner wanted to hear it.

---