Eren Jaeger's beating had shocked her, but not to the extent that she had harkened back to this, the beating that she'd taken at the hands of her father.  That alone hadn't been enough, because she understood right off the WHY of that situation.  If someone had been drunkenly beating on Eren for no other reason than because they were discontent...there'd be true rage in her heart, a whole lot of red, and then maybe a dead man as she tries with all her might and mental fortitude to keep from seeing her father's face in some vicious daymare.  The trauma did things to her, as it would do things to us all.  Kate was damaged by the ordeal, and she felt so, which made her feel guilty over it, as it'd taken literal years to crawl back out of her hole and reach some semblance of liveability.

She was gradually recovering herself now, perhaps at a stage where Grisha would say she was of sound enough mind to start to come to terms, and that may have been where she was.  That she was hurt so was now entered in her mind without retreating, because she had the support of another friend, another who would understand.  Now, she had only to overcome the shame of it, that she found her response to be disgraceful.  That might still take some doing, and Kate may find that she remains prone to emotional outbursts because that is her life, but...recovery was possible.  Indeed, she felt strong and stable enough, with Sara's concern and understanding alongside her.  The contact with her knee was surprising, but...not unwanted.  It was like an acknowledgement of her, an acceptance of her being that the brunette appreciated.

Still, the question lingered.  Katherine related the facts in a distant, saddened voice.  She had come to terms with this one faster, even though it hurt a great deal.  At thhat time, she did not sink, but swam.  Her mother explained the situation in no uncertain terms, and she followed through to the necessary reaction accordingly.  She had no choice.

[color=f7941d]"Mom's gone...  We were living in Shiganshina, right up to the time they hit.  She was too hurt to move, sent me away.  Escaped with Eren and them, stayed with 'em until I was found by Aunt Hange."[/color]

The woman's full name had been Myra Zoe-Bellows.  Strange that she kept the name she married into, despite all the things that had gone wrong in her husband.  The truth was that they started out so well.  Her eccentricities were fun, like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise drab and terrible old world.  They found time to laugh in this world and fell in love.  Jonathan just wasn't able to stand out from under the shadow she unknowingly cast over him.  By the time he'd felt its effect, he had found himself failing at his trading business and finding the other grunt work he'd taken on the side to be harsh and unfulfilling...next to a woman who brilliantly calibrated the cannons, the rifle designs, the ODM Gears, and so forth...and even designed domestic things like better plumbing, locking mechanisms, and more.  If a man only finds contentment in self-fulfillment and cannot find pride in the world of those at his side, he cannot co-exist with them, and that is how he turned to drinking, fighting, and becoming unreasonable.  He just didn't realize just how much the woman truly [i]could[/i] stomp him flat.

[color=f7941d]"I'm doing what I can to help fight the Titans...  I can't do much more than that.  I have very little else."[/color]