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[color=Gold][sub]Wall Maria - Shiganshina District[/sub][/color]
[img]https://happyhourgang.files.wordpress.com/2017/02/border.png[/img][/centre]
	The boy wandered around the room, staring at all the knick-knacks and decorations dotted on high shelves, novels filling up a bookshelf like a parade-square and bits and bobs that weren't found in the regular market-shop. It was a wonder to figure out what they were here to actually sell, and how they'd gain something that would fit within these one of a kind buildings. Though Grant had taken many guesses, he wasn't to accompany his Uncle on the regular deals. They weren't illegal or shift, that was definitely something he could confirm to both himself and his friend. Mateo would never commit to anything of the sort. He was a good man at heart, and would remain that way for the days he had within him. He wasn't older than him by a large distance, seeing as Mateo was a younger brother of Grant's father. It was the main reason for their bond. They didn't grow up too differently, but with him being 24 it meant that he could serve as a guardian whilst on their trading tour.

	Grant looked up to Mateo, clearly. The man had done service, and only recently stepped out of service to assist in family issues. It was true. Grant's small home-town was facing an economic depression, and that didn't help in supplying themselves with food, water and necessities to make a living out of a farmland. No one wanted to sell things to a settlement outside of the walls, but it was still an issue that could be tackled. Mateo was almost like the family saviour, using his experience in and out of the walls to keep the flow of money on-point. What's more, he didn't scorch Grant for riding Rhys like his father did.

	Luca prodded Grant on the arm several times, snapping himself out from the trance he was caught within. Luca was always like that. Impatient. Annoying. It's what made him Luca. No one else did anything better than like he did. It was the reason why the two became good friends, because Luca was so humorously annoying.

[color=Green][b]"Ey...Grant...Eeeeeey. The trading is starting. You might as well take Rhys and get a move on. We'll be stuck here all day by the time something happens..."[/b][/color] Yep...Impatient, as per his usual antics went. [color=Green][b]"Besides, we've got a lot to get through today. You remember our plans? This is our 'Final Stop' after all..."[/b][/color]

	The two grinned at each other, as if they'd just gained all the money in the world combined. Their grins soon became a catalyst for action, as the two darted outside the door. It was mid-day already, and they were likely only going to spend a few days here until they would depart once more. With that being in the back of his mind, Grant was quick to rush over to Rhys. The horse was oddly sensible and obedient to wait outside until he'd return. Like a dog, only more staggering to look at. Grant placed a calm hand on its snout, as he always did, before tightening the saddle on his back. The last time that he'd taken a ride throughout the streets was in the East, where he mispositioned the saddle and slipped off mid-gallop. Like Luca always said, not only was he swift on a horse, he was also quick and falling off of them.

	The two mounted their prize animals and began to gently trot down the street they were already in. The streets seemed oddly bare at first, even in the marketplace, it was difficult to make-sense of why they were like so. It wasn't long before they were able to find out, as the two slowly came to a stop behind a lined-formation of citizens, parted by a wave of uniformed individuals all returning home from outside the gates.

[color=Green][b]"Hey, Swifty...Look at the symbols on their jackets...Aren't they the group Mateo serves in?"[/b][/color]

[color=Gray][b]"I think you're right...The ones with the wings? That's got to be Mateo's bunch. I've never actually seen anyone else that wasn't him wear that kind of uniform. Why'd you think people are gathering them so much?"[/b][/color] He mused about the possible answers, some of which he didn't like to think about. It was a difficult process to go through.

[color=Green][b]"Who knows? I'd rather not ask them...Plus, they're blocking a perfectly good straight-road to race down; I'm not willing to ask if they are able to clear a path..."[/b][/color]

	The two took a left, taking up a trotting pace. Their heads were fixed rightwards, staring at the bands of uniformed men and women pass by. It was a strange sight, almost, seeing them make their way through the streets. It was an almost silent event, people holding their breaths as they waited for a particular somebody to return from an expedition. Grant wasn't spared the sugar-coating when told about what these men and women were sacrificing to do. Mateo had been very straight-forward, but not blunt about their actions. It was worrying, finally witnessing what might've been the aftermath of a failed mission. It scared Grant, knowing that sometime after they return home, Mateo would have to return to active service, and possibly never returning.

	They continued their trot down to the left, from where the Scouts were travelling from. The sights began to grow more and more depressing as each second passed on. The injured and mentally battered would be seen, staring only towards the ground as if they'd seen the worst. No one could blame them. They probably had. Occasionally, someone from the public would question or quiz a name into the audience, and about a half of them actually managed to get a response. Luca was surprisingly quiet as well, taking in the scenery very seriously. The two knew when it wasn't the time to be jovial or excited. In fact, this very sight could change his experience within the district completely.

	The two continued on their trip further down the line of citizens words clashing with the wounded. Every second he began to grow more and more sick of what was said, but it didn't mean he could do anything about it. Mateo would speak of the times he had to return to such abuse, but he seemed to not pay attention to it. Sometimes, during their trip around the walls, he used to speak of how he sometimes found it humorous, something fun to poke at. He recited the words in his mind. [i]Some people seem to get more and more abusive as the days go by. But that's fine; I just remind myself I'm not the one with a career in cleaning sewers.[/i] Sure, it contradicted the idea of fighting for humanity if he showed little respect to them, but all the tales he told of those he fought alongside ensured that Mateo was in fact fighting for the people who suffered the most out of it.

	Well, that was when he was in service at the time. Since this trip, Mateo had been a good uncle to Grant. The two shared a lot of banter with one another, even with Grant still being a child. Even since Luca had come into the picture and become the third-wheel of the family connection, they were still close. As for Luca, Grant and him had a sort of 'Love-hate' relationship. Sure, Luca and him were great friends, but he was one annoying kid.

	Suddenly, as if he were hit by a cannonball, his body and insides seemed to jolt around and thump loudly. It snapped him out of his trance, a small ache suddenly hitting his arm and back. What was this pain? Why had it happened so quickly? But before an endless wave of thoughts and questions over-flowed him once more, he hardly had to scrutinize the surroundings to see what was going on. The world seemed to be vertical...Well, at least from his perspective. It could only mean one thing. He was lying on the ground.

	Grant shot his head up quickly, a small pain still stuck in his right arm. To his left, Rhys clopped over to him and exhaled onto his face. To his front, Luca remained on his stallion, laughing his head clean off like some lunatic going on a killing spree. And to his right, stood a few people staring at him. It was certainly an embarrassing moment. Grant was praised for having a natural talent of riding horses and keeping a great posture on them. But during his trance, he must've slipped off without realising it. He had to think quickly, in order to maintain his dignity, which at this point had mostly shattered into small fragments that were impossible to pick up.

[color=Gray][b]"Uhh...I...uhm..."[/b][/color] He trailed off. For once, he could not deliver a joke. Whether he was focusing too much on his arm hurting or he was far too embarrassed, no words came out of his mouth. He slowly got to his feet, and began to saddle back up. He quietly, with Luca still cackling behind him, continued to ride onwards.

	The two kept moving onwards, until they reached a small opening. It wasn't much, there were a couple of children a few metres or so away that were snacking away on food of some sorts, but Grant wasn't hungry enough to approach them. They were to be in this district for a  little while longer, before they'd have to head outside the walls and stick to its circumference once more, making their way back to Grant's home town, providing the family hadn't starved yet. Come to think of it, Grant hadn't heard about any of his family in the duration of his departure. It worried him slightly, but then again, how easy is it to deliver letters to someone who keeps moving?

	Grant had seen quite a bit of the inner-fields outside of the walls. Apparently Mateo was a good enough carer to accompany him outside of what he presumed was the safety of his town. In fact, during their entire tour, he hadn't seen nor heard of any near Titan sightings. It used to keep him up at night, but it was coming to the point where even Luca himself doubted their existence. He was a conspiracy-maker at heart, always finding a way to question anyone who had any authority over him. He even had a theory that Mateo was a murderer. Didn't take long for the Uncle to find out and shove him off of his horse.

	The two remained sat on their horses, Luca still trying to recover from his laughing fit. It was still embarrassing for Grant, but now that they were away from the crowds and only around a few people their age that hadn't seen it allowed for him to take a breather.

[color=Green][b]"Mateo must have called you stupid at some point in your life? Especially if he'd have seen that, I know he would."[/b][/color] Luca continued to guffaw at his friendly insults. Their friendly banters between one another were quite tiresome during long extensions of practise, but the duo still found comfort in knowing they weren't indifferent from when they first met.

[color=Gray][b]"If I was you, he'd call me that. But because I'm not you, I think he'd be a lot more caring about it than you are...Anyway...We'll just hang around here for about ten or twenty minutes...Give Rhys a chance to rest or something before we race off down the street again..."[/b][/color] And with that, he walked to a wall where he could rest his back against. With his hands tightly wrapped around the rope used to guide Rhys around, it was quite nice for the two to simply relax and take in the silence, despite the more distant sounds of the returning Scout Legion.