"You don't say, Gunther! And when would you mind telling me that if this didn't happen?!"

"Eld, wait-"

"Wait for what?!"

"Mr. Eld, p-please calm down. We can-"

"Don't interfere!" Eld and Gunther said in unison, making Eren flinch and took a step back with palms up in defence he ostensibly expected.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Sighing, Eld rubbed his face repeatedly, exasperated beyond boundaries.

"Listen, I know what you think, but I didn't know-"

"Oh really? And do you know now?" Eld continued his tirade.

"Will you please, let me finish?" Gunther said through gritted teeth, fighting against the urge to burst completely.

"Go ahead! I would like to know the rest! Must be a very digestible prologue."

Ignoring a blatantly thrown remark, Gunther closed his eyes and exhaled in order to calm down. There was no need to add more fuel on the fire.

"And then I pretended I 'understood' I was wrong and he didn't say anything after my words. Though I assume he was surreptitiously drilling holes in my head with his eyes."

"And?"

"And then he went off with 'some business on mind', but I'm sure he was too offended to stay."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

Closing his eyes and counting to three, Eld threw his head backwards, face turned towards the ceiling, so he wouldn't look at the smartest, wisest person in this world.

"And what conclusion did you make out? That it is a must to wait patiently and quietly, never saying anything to help?"

"Would it really matter if I said something?"

"Yes! Yes, it would! Two of us would know and would keep an eye on Auruo better. We would have done something, talking to one of them or- Oh screw it," Eld said, huffing.

"I think you don't understand the problem. It's not Auruo-"

"Then who?"

"It's Captain. And Captain alone."

Eld suddenly stopped expressing his discontent and frowned.

"... What?" he asked warily.

Eren blinked, shifting his look from Eld to Gunther, whose face remained ever so calm despite an angry outbursts aimed at him from his friend and comrade a minute ago.

They didn't tell him much, but of course, Eren was smart enough to connect two and two and create a credible equation of the state of stuff in Levi's squad.

As far as he knew, it went out like this - Petra loved Captain Levi and the said one had hurt her feelings. Auruo had jumped in and comforted Petra. But there had been many hints from Captain that he loves her too and now Eld thinks he had been pushing Petra on purpose per seeing Auruo's intentions.

Though for Eren, it didn't make sense at all. Why would Captain Levi give up for that reason alone? It certainly was not only that and Gunther knew it.

So Eren decided to keep silent and watch how things will unfold naturally, hoping that each puzzle will gain its place in the whole bewildering picture.

"I watched and observed carefully," Gunther started. "Auruo's reactions and behavior around Petra, Captain's agonized, but concealed demeanor, Petra's too. And I've heard some things too. Both Squad Leader Hanji and Commander Erwin tried to coax him. And I thought they would be successful. But they weren't."

"... And?"

"And it's not hard to guess Captain is doing this out of his feelings."

"But, how can you be so sure?" Eren asked.

Gunther sighed seemingly a bit disappointed. "Because we were under his command for enough time to say who he is. Maybe we can't peek into his mind, but we can certainly say he's not a bad man. And he wouldn't do this to Petra out of blue. There has to be something else."

Eld was holding his chin, index finger sliding over his jaw in contemplation as Gunther spoke.

"Maybe... he thinks he's unworthy?"

"Unworthy?" Eren asked, but Eld continued.

"So many times we've seen a faint display of an affection between those two. And one would be crazy to say there was nothing between them. But the thing is - Captain became a lot darker in mood for the past weeks. Which means he's doing that all, pushing Petra, reluctantly."

"Because he thinks... he is not worthy!" Gunther said, eyes widening in realization.

"But how did you know, Mr. Eld?" Eren asked in wonder to which Eld replied with a distant smile.

"I was in love also, still am. And when you get to meet many people, known and unknown, who see you together and want to advise you, you also get to hear many stories happening around you. Stories little known, but the ones that teach us the most. And there are many stories similar to Captain and Petra's. So theirs isn't the first and certainly won't be the last."

"But we can do something so it won't become that way. We can, right?" Eren said, raising his voice almost to the point of panic.

Eld looked at Gunther significantly and Gunther nodded briefly.

"I'm willing to help of course. And... well... the reason I didn't do anything was-"

"Because you thought his friends would do better. I understand," Eld said. "But you should have told us still."

"It won't repeat. I promise," Gunther declared, rising his hand up as a sign of oath.

"That's it then. Eren?"

"Yes?"

"Can we count on you too?"

Pursing his lips in a straight line as to not to make a grimase, Eren thought a bit. If Captain Levi ever sees him doing some nasty things such as a treason behind his back, he was sure he wouldn't pass by only missing one tooth.

But on the other hand, he met Petra and got to know her. She was kind, compassionate and so calm and full of life. If she, who he and everyone knew and loved disappears, he won't be able to forgive himself.

"You can count on me," he answered seriously.

"Good then. Should we?" Eld said with a small, sly smile.

"What, now?"

"When else? We need a plan."

"Full one with a room for an improvisation?"

"No plan is good enough if there's no room for the improvisation. But we have to be tactical."

"So we're starting with...?" Eren asked.

"With Auruo."

.

.

.

"So you won't tell us even if your life's on the line, huh?"

"I told your Eld, it's not mine to say."

"But it is yours as much as it is ours, to care about each-other. So how can it be that only you know about Petra's sadness and we don't?"

Auruo tightened his jaw. "I thought you have someone you should worry more about."

Eld's eyerow flinched and he balled his fists slightly. "She's like a sister to us. Or better said, to Gunther and me."

"Look, I know her more than you two so how is it abnormal that she will confide to me when something is in matter?"

"Ah-ha! So she WAS in trouble."

"I didn't say-"

"And you wanted to meet her prior so you came here. And then," Eld continued, index finger lifting in a silence manner when Auruo wanted to say something. "She told you. And I understand it. But the thing I don't is why would you want to see her so early and why would you keep your silent now."

"I told you it's not mine to say!"

"Neither is it ours to know, isn't it?"

"..."

"Well?"

"You're all being ridiculous! My head hurts," Auruo said exasperatedly and walked past Eld and out of the door. Slamming them behind.

"Just you run. And don't come back," Eld muttered, but loud enough for the other two to hear.

"A bunch of idiots. Like it wasn't obvious to everyone! It's not my fault they don't know how to look with their own eyes," Auruo said grumpily, making his way to the kitchen out of habit, forgetting that Petra was there.

Entering the kitchen, the first thing that came to him was the smell of fresh eggs. It made him halt and sniff the air carefully, not quite believing he was really smelling what he was smelling.

Eggs on a normal day? It must be that I'm dreaming.

Like meat, eggs were a rare ingredient for a meal in SC. Auruo made a disgusted face upon remembering that time when those MPs once threw an insult at how SC is so poor that they can't afford a good plate of soup. Long story short, they almost got seriously hurt and that 'almost' existed only because Petra was there to hold him back.

Ah, what a reasonable woman she was. It's not that she couldn't be combative or strict when needed, but she has always seeked for a peaceful solution anywhere it could have existed. And Auruo was grateful for that.

Peeking over the corner, he spotted Petra turning the eggs in the pan and one man sitting on the chair, drinking coffee that was still steaming.

"Ah, scrumptious as always," the man commented, making Petra smile.

"You're welcome. It's the last thing I can do to repay you for bringing those groceries to us."

"Anything for my daughter and her squad," the man said with a fond smile. "And everything you have to do is to take care of yourself and it'll be enough for me."

A sad smile crossed Petra's lips then, knowing how much her father is worried for her. And he should be with full right. Even after all those years of serving under SC, there's always something unexpected that could happen. To anyone, anytime.

With the 57th expedition approaching each day, Petra often caught herself thinking about a bad outcome more than usual. As if she became more aware of the painful and sickening truth. And unexplainably, it made her worried, though she didn't show it. Because it seemed like one of those feelings where one feels like something bad is going to happen, but they can't say it out loud because they can't hinder it.

Maybe it was too much stress lately or maybe it was a real feeling of doom. Who could have possibly known?

"Good morning, Petra, Mister Ral," Auruo suddenly appeared, greeting two people in the room with a cheerful smile.

"Oh, good morning, Auruo. I didn't know you were here," Petra's father said, side-eyeing his daughter on purpose.

Petra shot him a look.

"Good morning, Auruo. They let you go willingly?" Petra said jokingly, but Auruo noticed she acted in order to not be suspicious in front of her father.

"I sneaked out. I'm really not interested in plans for that gig next week."

"There's a gig in the town? Where did you hear that?" Petra's father asked, bewildered.

"I don't know, why?"

"Because the gig is tomorrow, not next week."

"Oh, right! My bad. Then I wasn't paying attention to what they were saying," Auruo said, scratching his neck in embarrassment.

"And why aren't you interested?"

"Oh, you see, Mister... Gunther is talking about finally meeting his significant other while Eld keeps talking about his fiancé. Poor Eren is listening and two of them are teasing him if he's had someone. I didn't want to be next in the line so I left."

"Is that so? Petra?"

"Yes?"

"You are free tomorrow, right?"

"I... suppose so? Why?" Petra said, hoping she was wrong in estimation of her father's thoughts.

"Well, women and men don't have to be a couple to go together in the town or on a gig, though those cases are rare," he started. "You two are great friends and it's good to spend some quality time together. Of course, together with the rest of the squad."

Auruo blushed. "You really... think so?"

"Why not? What do you think, Petra?"

Ginger girl raised an eyebrow and looked to the side, hands on hips. She thought a minute, then eyed two men with a smile.

"Why not?"