Rogue

Melancholy

Armin sat quietly as he scribed notes upon the pages of an old and seemingly ancient journal while Mikasa used a thin bone and thread to mend their wares. It was early morning in the cove once again, sun barely peeking through the overhanging branches and rocky wall. As usual it was peaceful, however a translucent feeling of dread masked the haven. After a full year, it was finally time. Both the boy and Mikasa had become of age and had grown quite a bit in the passing of seasons. While he was still the shorter of the two - they had both acquired several inches in their height. Not only that, but they were obtaining a mature mental state. Although they still gave in to whimsy every once in a while, it was clear that they were becoming adults. In a mere few days, the cadets would be recruiting.

The boy let out an exasperated sigh as he let his pencil rest in his palm. Ever since the days they had reached the crucial but tender age of twelve, Armin had been planning their safe return behind the wall, tackling the strategy of succeeding without being seen for all of their safety. As soon as dawn had descended upon them, the two children woke to put the finishing touches on their plan as well as sort out belongings to a choice few before their departure. Truthfully, it pained the two to do so, but it was a thing that had to be done and was for the best. Who knew what obstacles they would encounter in time if they stayed in the cove?

Seeing that Mikasa's emotionless gaze strayed from her current sewing, Armin trailed her vision to see the titan still nestled in his nest, cavernous snores filling the tranquil cove. Armin felt a small smile emerge from hiding onto his face. Rogue was sleeping soundly, body as loose as it could possibly be within the hollow. It truly relieved him. Both he and his friend had been increasingly worried about their titanic friend's current mental state. Over the year that had passed, Rogue's small episodes were occurring more often - escalating noticeably in the last month. The titan would bicker more often when asked what he did on his 'walks' or when the two tried to do something simple such as cutting meat with a blade. Armin had concluded that some of these instances were simply because Rogue was being protective, but others he had not a clue or explanation. The year before, the two children had heard the gentle titan whining and crying out in his sleep. As always, Rogue seemed to put their queries aside, the two never knowing what was going on inside the titan's mind. Now, at least four times a week, Rogue would yelp, cry, whine, and even screech in repose. It was torture to the poor beast. Unlike humans, Rogue, once he had fallen asleep at night, could not be woken up until morning. Meaning that he was trapped in whatever vision he was experiencing until the sun freed him. The children's pleas would do nothing of aid. The titan's distress usually began an hour after midnight and would continue throughout until he would awake. The two children hated to admit, but they themselves had lost sleep over the titan's stress. It was almost routine that when Rogue started whining, the boy and girl would wake up and rub the titan's neck in attempts to sooth - which worked usually to calm Rogue down. Of course, the children never expressed any sort of hate to the titan for they possessed none. They loved their giant friend and anything they did or asked was out of sheer concern. Seeing Rogue submerged in utter peace was now a blessing.

"It's nice to see him like this." Mikasa spoke softly, watching as the titan's tapered ear and pointed nose twitched.

Armin nodded, looking at the line of sunlight that was closely reaching the hollow, a reassuring sign that the titan would soon wake. "It is." He replied, closing his notes. The boy then fretfully bit his lip as Rogue continued to snore, trying to think of how he would put his next statement. "Mikasa, do you -

"Think we're doing the right thing?" She finished, shoulders sinking a bit with her tone. "Is this really what's best? Rogue may be big and strong, but he has sensitive feelings. He's very delicate mentally."