[ that question actually surprises marco, but it's a good distraction. he looks at his cup of tea, thinking. ]

My father was a member of the Garrison. He died when I was younger - no Titan attack, just a simple mishap, as I understand it. It was right after my little brother was born.

Jinae is pretty close knit. It's not as far out as Dauper, where Sasha's from, but it's not a true city town like Shiganshina or Trost. So when my father died, the town came together to make sure my mother, brother and I had food to eat. We never had a lot, but we worked together for what we did have. If I hadn't joined the army, I probably would have become a fieldworker, like my mother was when I was younger.

My mother... she worked hard for us. She always made sure we had time to go the festivals, and she taught me how to read and write, and I helped her teach my brother. I just... she cooked and worked hard, and I remember that she was always there for us if we were upset. She taught me that putting out good gives you good in return, even if it takes a while.

[ softer. ]

I miss her. I wrote her quite a bit but didn't get to see her that much before I graduated.