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IT HAD BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE THE DEPARTURE OF THE SURVEY CORPS FROM THE WALLS AND THEY WERE ALREADY EXHAUSTED. They kept reminding themselves that F/n had done without food or water supply and just relied on nature, which was certainly something they looked up to.

But not all of them were complaining.

Armin, despite having to focus on searching for the woman like how everyone else was, had been glancing at random places every now and then.

They had travelled far enough to be here, in the middle of what they could say, nowhere. But they had seen things. Nice things.

The trees were different in this area. They looked shorter and looked less intimidating. The grass was taller and flowers were everywhere. Kinds of flowers that none of them knew about.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. It was beautiful.

They wished they could experience this together with the woman they were searching for but they knew that that could wait for another time and that finding her was their main priority.

There were fewer Titans in this area so they were able to travel in the day without anyone dying and having to only kill when they get a little too close.

It was perfect. Almost.

Levi had his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes strained ahead of him, glancing elsewhere every now and then in hopes to find the woman.

His head pulsated every time a memory of them interacting appeared in his head and it was hard not to break down every time that happened. Erwin and Hange were quick to notice but said nothing as they did not want to worsen the situation.

The Captain swallowed thickly, breathing in a sharp breath before releasing it slowly and shaking his head as if it could make the memories go elsewhere.

The ride continued smoothly but the scenery soon changed and they were once again in the woods.

Eren glanced around the area, seeing how the woods were far different from the ones closer to the walls. They were much more filled with other kinds of plants like mushrooms and sedges and ferns.

The flowers looked slightly different compared to the ones they saw earlier but they were equally beautiful. There were rocks and stones of different shapes and sizes but one thing caught his eye.

"Wow..."

The lake was far inside the woods, almost as though it was meant to be hidden. Mountains were visible in the scenery and the thick layers of spruce trees were cleared slightly.

Rocks and other plants were at the edge of the lake and the water looked crystal clear.

The soldiers all had their eyes on the lake, even some of the higher-ups. Erwin did not fail to notice the soldiers' gazes on the large pool of water but Levi was just still had his eyes narrowed on the path in front of him.

The Commander decided to stop them from going any further.

"Soldiers!" he shouted, "We will rest here for the night. It has been a long day, we will continue tomorrow!"

"Yes, sir!"

The chant was far more energetic even after the long day. The army of soldiers was already off their horses and had them collected in an area for them to rest.

Many things happened at once.

Soldiers were gathering everyone and instructing them to pull up their tents while others chatted with their friends. A few just silently looked out at the view, including Eren and his friends.

But once again, Levi was just pulling the reins of his horse, slowing it down and guiding it towards a tree where he ties it to. The Captain held onto his stoic expression as he walked to where Erwin was standing.

The Commander gave him a glance before speaking up while watching the others do their things.

"Levi," he started, not waiting for a response since he knew he wasn't getting any, "Loosen up a bit. You need to rest, we all do."

The Captain said nothing and Erwin heaved out a sigh.

"We'll find her," he promised, "We'll find her and get her back safely."

His friend stayed quiet, staying in the position with his arms crossed and feet stuck on the ground. The blonde patted him on the back and walked away after saying his final statement.

"Rest up, we'll continue to find her tomorrow."

In response, the man clicked his tongue and looked away, ignoring the happy laughter from the younger soldiers. A gust of wind blew by and his hair flowed in the direction of the North.

The night came eventually and the soldiers were all gathering in a large group. Tents were built and a few campfires were lit up, cooking food from the ones they brought and some from the ones they hunted and collected in the forest.

Levi sat on one of the carts as he silently ate his food, already missing the taste of his black tea.

Mikasa was also quiet but still included herself at some point in the conversation but not too much to be one of the few that talked eighty per cent of the conversation.

"This is nice," Eren said, looking up at the dark sky as the conversations around them quietened from their end.

"It's very calming," Armin agreed, "I never expect forests to be this..."

"Alive," his friend finished and the group turned silent, that was until Sasha broke it by voicing her thoughts.

"Can we go to the water?" she asked, voice hopeful and filled with high spirits.

The others outside of their group must have heard her since they all started to speak of it.

"Can we?" Connie repeated the question as his eyes lit up.

"Of course, you can!" Hange chimed in and after a few seconds, they were all in the water, having the time of their lives.

Some stayed, however, and that included Hange herself, the Commander and Levi.

The woman walked towards her friend, who switched to standing beside his beautiful black-coated horse. Even upon noticing her approach, he still kept his eyes on the lake and the mountains.

"How are you holding up to, eh, Levi?" she jokingly asked, leaning against the large nearby tree.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Four Eyes," he retorted.

"You know," she said, a playful tone laced in her voice, "About F/n."

He stayed quiet and so did she. For a moment then, Hange regretted her words but soon knew that it was to be said.

"I know you miss her, Levi," she said in a quieter tone, "We all do."

"I do not miss her," he firmly stated.

"You care for her, don't you?" she asked, the playful manner coming back to her, "Do you possibly... take interest in her?"

"I am not interested in her," he argued, "She is simply intriguing."

Hange freely let out a loud laugh, causing the Captain to get even more frustrated. The woman slung her arm around his shoulders and despite the urge to just shove her away from him, he stayed put, arms tightening in the hold.

"You don't need to lie about it," she grinned, "I know you do. All of us do. From the way to treat her differently and the way you look at her and-"

"Shut your mouth before I snap your neck," he threatened but the scientist didn't seem to be affected by it and instead, laughed again.

"There, there, Levi," she patted his shoulder, "I'll help you get together with her."

Levi was glad that it was nighttime and that they were in a forest for if they weren't, the obnoxious woman would've been able to see the soft pink hues dusted on his pale complexion.

How he wished for the ground to just crumble and swallow the scientists as a whole.

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