The knowledge of Mika being a pilot was rather… jarring, to say the least, and as she sat with her back against a brick wall, Mina couldn't help but feel rather… overwhelmed.
Granted, she wasn't the only one who was feeling that way, not by a longshot. Not too far from her was Nac, who was pacing back and forth as he attempted to find a way to properly explain all this to himself. On occasion, he muttered the words Gundam and Barbatos to himself as if saying it enough times would lead to him having an epiphany and getting the answers he seeked, though as one would expect, it wasn't happening anytime soon.
By Mina's side, specifically to her left, was Annie who had her back leaned against the same wall as her friend, though unlike either Nac or Mina, she didn't seem to be too thoughtful about the whole revelation with Mika or Eren… at first glance, anyways.
To both Mina and Nac, however, they knew that she seemed rather… uncertain as well. Her eyes were duller than they usually were, and her head was bowed down a little further than usual, a sign of her being deep in thought as she leaned against the wall, her arms crossed tightly all the while.
"... what are we gonna tell mum…" muttered Nac after a long while, stopping his pacing as he crossed his arms and glanced towards his pals. At that, Mina glanced up at him with an uncertain look that showed that she was just as clueless as he was while Annie outright ignored him. "If she finds out…"
"We won't… we'll… we'll let Mika choose when he wants to tell her," said Mina as she sat upright. Nac blinked at that as he made eye contact with her, though after a short while, he nodded in agreement. As for Annie, however…
"And how do we know if we can trust him anymore?" inquired Annie, frowning deeply as she looked at the space between Mina and Nac but not directly at either, almost as though she were deliberately avoiding eye contact with them. Mina and Nac didn't notice that little fact, however, as they simply pondered her words, though not long after, the latter spoke up with some confidence in his voice.
"We don't, but… you heard him, right?" replied Nac, smiling a little uncertainty as he spoke. "He… stayed behind for us when he could've just abandoned us to our fates. We might not even be standing here without him…"
"And you'll blindly trust what he says without a second thought, huh?" inquired Annie, her voice sounding rather strained as she stared at the ground, her bangs covering her eyes as she spoke. Opening his mouth, Nac seemed ready to retort, only to stop when Leonhardt shifted her gaze up to look him in the eye, and immediately, he snapped his mouth shut when he saw that glare she gave him.
Said glare held so much anger in it… and at the same time… so much fear…
"Human beings are filth, Nac. We lie, we cheat, we backstab… and we'll inevitably kill each other just to get what we want," continued Annie, echoing what Ymir had told Nac back during the collapse of Trost. And even so… those words seemed to hit closer to home when they were spoken by someone he knew on a personal level. "Mika's no different. We all have our own motives, and he undoubtedly has some of his own, and knowing him, he's certainly not above telling bold faced lies in order to achieve his goals…"
Opening his mouth, Nac was very much ready to counter Annie's argument, though he was quick to shut it when he acknowledged that she wasn't exactly wrong. Humans were chaotic creatures, after all. Evil came naturally within them all, no matter how small it was, and even someone as neutral as Mika surely had that side to him as well…
As for Mina, however…
"I don't believe you," piped up Mina, standing up as she spoke. At her full height, she towered over Annie, though her gaze wasn't enough to match Leonhardt's fearful/angered glare. Said glare did make Carolina shudder a bit, though she didn't back down as she continued speaking. "Mika's shown that he cares for us, Annie. Not just during the Trost incident, but also before that. All our training, and even before we became Cadets, he's stuck with us through thick and thin. He could've left us whenever he wanted, especially during our harsher Trainee days… and yet, he didn't…"
"You're still so naive, even after surviving that battle," mumbled Annie, frowning as she realized that she was fighting a losing battle, prompting her to shake her head in dismay. "I thought all that combat would make you realize that not everything is as pleasant as you think it is. Mika isn't as good as we thought he was, and we don't have any reason to trust him… not after we know that he's related to something as dangerous as that… thing."
At that, Mina noticeably recoiled and took a moment to allow her blonde friend's words to sink in, and yet, even after acknowledging the logic in Leonhardt's words…
"I know… I'm still like that. Which is why… which is why I'm still going to join the Survey Corps! And I'll ask him myself," concluded Mina, clenching her fist tightly as she finished. At that, Nac smiled and nodded in apparent agreement while Annie raised her brows. "I know that Mika cares for us… that he really stayed for us… and I'm going to find out personally. We all are!"
And at that, Annie felt her jaw hang open just enough to be noticeable as she eyed her two friends, only to shut it after a short while.
"Even after all the bloodshed you've witnessed, you still remain as you were before all this happened…" muttered Annie, her voice audible only to herself as she looked at her… friends with apparent surprise. Shaking her head, Leonhardt opted to just keep herself silent as she nodded. "Suit yourself… but I…"
"... we know… the Military Police Brigade," muttered Nac, slouching over a little as Annie turned her gaze away from her friends, that simple act being enough to answer Tias' question as he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting Annie to eye him curiously as he smiled just a little, only to quickly wonder if she'd kick his ass for placing a hand on her shoulder, though thankfully enough, she didn't do so, prompting him to continue on speaking. "We understand. You worked very hard for this… and neither of us are going to change your mind on this. Go, join the MPB. We'll hold nothing against you."
"You two are hopelessly soft… I thought that after all that bloodshed, the two of you would harden up, and even so…" muttered Annie, rubbing her upper arm awkwardly as she fought the urge to give a thankful smile. Glancing between the two, the blonde sighed and shook her head a little before Nac smirked.
"Jeez, we're not that bad…" countered Nac, smiling awkwardly as he gently punched her arm, only to recoil when he realized how firm her muscles were, something that made Mina snicker a little. "Youch…"
"Softy," teased Annie for once, to which Nac pouted a little, only to pause when Mina snickered a little while Nac protested softly in embarrassment. And at that, Leonhardt felt a small amount of… happiness as she eyed the two, relieved that the tension between the three had been dispelled.
Just being close to them made her feel… happy, and she knew that she'd miss that feeling once she left for the MPB. She'd have to savour these next few days, she reckoned, for who knew if she'd get another chance to experience them, especially when she took into account her plans for the future…
"Mina, Nac, Annie? A word, please…?"
The familiar voice of Armin Arlert was what broke Annie out of her little trance as she, alongside her friends, glanced back and saw that the blonde was standing not too far away from the three, with Mikasa by his side as he waved awkwardly at them. Mina and Nac offered returning waves while Annie simply locked her gaze with Mikasa, who remained as neutral as ever.
"Armin, Mikasa," greeted Nac with a nod. "How can we help you?"
"W-Well… we just… w-wanted to ask…" began Armin, stuttering to Hell and back as he spoke, unsure of how to speak to people in a similar situation to himself and his friend, something which prompted Annie to snort and cut him off.
"Mikazuki," predicted Annie, and when Arlert blushed in embarrassment after having been found out, she rolled her eyes once more, ignoring the irritated glare Mikasa was giving her. "Should've guessed."
"Lay off him, Annie," eased Nac, waving Leonhardt off as the blonde in question scoffed, prompting Mikasa to shake her head a little, somewhat thankful for Nac easing the tension a little. At that, Tias chuckled awkwardly behind his fist before turning back to Armin and Mikasa, who were still standing rather awkwardly behind them. "But regardless, how can we help you?"
"Well… it's about Mikazuki's…" began Armin, tapping his fingers together awkwardly as he tried to find the correct words to speak. It took him a while and a handful of attempts, though he eventually managed to squeeze it out, with Annie seeming ready to cut him off once more, though on every occasion Mina shushed her in some way, much to her irritation. "It's about his Titan… G-Gundam! His Gundam! I forgot about-"
"Not so loud…" urged Mikasa, slapping a hand over Armin's mouth as the blonde gasped, reminding him of the confidential nature of both Eren and Mika's unique abilities. Sure, Eren's uniqueness was not too much of a secret by now, but Mika was very much one, and as such, it was probably best to keep it under wraps. "But yes, we'd like to know more about… Barbatos."
"Well, we don't know much about it, sorry," apologised Mina, holding a hand up to her neck as she spoke, ignoring the minor irritated glare Annie was giving her as she chuckled. "We know just as much as you guys, honestly…"
"I see. This was all for nothing. Let's go, Armin," grumbled Mikasa, turning to walk off while Armin blinked in apparent surprise, having not expected his friend to do that. Likewise, Mina and Nac were shocked to see how fast the conversation had apparently ended, and even Annie seemed a little taken aback, though they quickly recomposed themselves as they nodded.
"W-Well… I guess I should be going to, huh?" muttered Armin, waving at the three before he got ready to go, though before he could do so, he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to turn and spot Nac looking at him with a smile. "Nac…?"
"Eren will be fine, Armin. Have faith in him," urged Nac, giving a thumbs up as he finished. Having noticed the worry in the blonde's body language not long ago, and with him being who he was, Tias reckoned that some reassurance to Arlert, no matter how small it was, would be a nice gesture at the very least. And, upon hearing Nac's reassurance, Armin felt a small wave of confidence pass through him as he nodded with a smile.
"Yeah… he will be. Mika too," replied Arlert, nodding as he and Nac maintained eye contact for a brief moment before the latter released his shoulder, allowing him to leave. At that, and after a short while of watching Armin walk off, Nac sighed and turned to Mina.
"Everything will be fine… for both Mika and Eren…" muttered Nac, smiling a little uncertainty as Mina nodded.
"Yeah… it'll be fine… everything will be fine…" agreed Mina, nodding as she smiled a little awkwardly. "Right, Annie…?"
No comment from the blonde, however, as Leonhardt simply avoided direct eye contact as she crossed her arms and stared at nothing in particular.
"Annie…?" muttered Nac after a short while of silence, and at that, Leonhardt shook her head.
"Yeah… everything will be fine…" spat Annie, closing her eyes as she pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and began walking off in a seemingly random direction, her previous apparent good mood being soiled by Mikasa and Armin approaching them. Opening his mouth, Nac was about to ask where she was headed to, though Mina stopped him.
"She needs some time to herself," assured Mina, patting the tall guy's shoulder as she spoke, and at that, Tias sighed and nodded in response, acknowledging how he would never fully understand girls, no matter how much… research he did, and as such, he opted to just change the topic.
"Yeah… I guess," muttered Nac as he shook his head and watched as Leonhardt disappeared behind a corner, and at that, he rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Hey…
"I wonder how Mika's doing…"
Elsewhere
"To say that the beating you took was a little much would be a bit of an understatement…"
As those words left her mouth, Hanji Zoe gently dabbed a cotton bud against Eren Jaeger's cheek, nursing one of his many visible injuries as the boy winced at the contact. Despite this, Hanji's smile remained as she rubbed a small amount of dried blood off a cut on his cheek. Standing beside her was Erwin Smith, who appeared rather worried as he stood by his subordinate, hands behind his back as he eyed the Cadet.
Over by the other side of the room they were in were both Levi Ackerman and Mikazuki Augus, who stood silently as they watched Zoe and Smith speak to Jaeger. Over by the side, Mike Zacharius stood passively in front of the only window in the room, seeming overall disinterested in the conversation as he did so, though the occasional sniff and glance at either Mika or Eren said otherwise.
The room they were in was a simple one, being a recreational room with a massive fireplace, two simple desks and a chair which Eren was sitting on while Erwin and Hanji, in Levi's own words, coddled him.
"Hmph, they're gonna spoil that brat," muttered Levi sarcastically, his voice audible only to Mika, who glanced in his general direction with a raised brow, unsure of how to respond to that as Ackerman rolled his shoulder. "It's not like I caved his skull in or something."
No comment on that, considering how Mika wasn't present to see the guy kick the crap out of Eren. Of course, considering the current condition of the Titan Shifter, Mika reckoned that Levi really did a number on him. Hell, he allegedly lost a tooth to Ackerman, which was pretty impressive, though Mika's seen worse.
Having to interrogate people back in his CGS days did that to a person, he supposed.
"What do you think, hm?" continued Levi, rather abruptly making it apparent to Mika that he wished to strike up a conversation with him, if only to pass the time. At that, Augus raised a brow and glanced at Ackerman, who kept his gaze fixed on what was in front of him. "Think I hit him too hard?"
"I don't know," was all Mika bothered to reply with as he pulled a raisin out of his pocket and ate it, prompting Ackerman to roll his eyes, seeming rather disappointed that Mika wasn't as good as keeping boredom away as he thought, as he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning off and marched over towards Eren, who was apparently shaking Erwin's hand.
Rather dramatically, Levi claimed the spot next to Eren and began to speak to him, though Mika didn't care enough to listen in. Their conversation didn't mean much to him, after all. All that mattered here was his family… and the mere thought of that worried him.
'I wonder how they feel about me now,' thought Mika as he pulled another raisin out of his pocket and ate it. When it came to everyone else, Mika didn't care about how they saw him. A monster, a rat or, as that one pastor guy put it, the vessel of the beast, whatever that meant. When it came to the only family here, however… the thought of them seeing him as a monster did worry him quite a bit.
He didn't want to lose them in any way. If they decided to break their ties with him… the guy would be left with no one he could trust fully. Mutual trust between soldiers was a given, but familial trust was not. Even so, he couldn't change the way they thought of him… and he could only hope that they would overlook his ties to Barbatos in favor of their friendship.
However, if they did wish to break off their friendship… then Mika reckoned that it would be… fine. Their safety came above their friendship… though if that was the case… why did he feel a massive pit in his heart?
"Mikazuki Augus?"
Blinking as his name was called, the pilot raised a brow and glanced up at Erwin Smith, who was standing in front of him with both his hands behind his back and a gentle smile on his face. Mika would've been lying if he claimed to not be taken aback a little by how casual the Commander seemed, especially when compared to how he was back at the court, though he shelved that thought as he made eye contact with the guy.
"Commander," greeted Mika, opting to use the guy's title to humor him as Erwin chuckled briefly to himself, prompting Augus to quirk a brow up at how normal the Commander was when in private.
"I must apologise, Mikazuki. Though your portion of the Tribunal was certainly less… painful than Eren's, it must have been quite the ordeal. As with Eren, I needed the right opportunity to make my move," apologised Erwin as he extended a hand out to shake Mika's. "And just like with Eren, I am looking forward to working with you in the future. Both you and your Gundam."
"... ah," muttered Mika, not intending on shaking Erwin's hand as he pulled a raisin out of his pocket. Raising it up to eye level, Mika glanced between the raisin and Erwin's hand before shrugging and offering it to the Commander, who appeared confused, though he accepted it nonetheless.
"Thank you, Mikazuki…?" thanked a confused Erwin as he eyed the raisin briefly, unsure of what to make of what just happened before he popped it into his mouth. He seemed to like it, all things considered, seeming to enjoy its taste as Mika stared past him and made eye contact with Eren Jaeger, whose gaze was now fixed squarely on Mika.
The apprehension was rather apparent in Eren's eyes. Apprehension… and fear, which was to be expected. Mika was an abnormality, much more so than even Eren himself, and to be fearful of the abnormal was par for the course. Hell, when Mika made eye contact with him, the guy noticeably flinched, prompting Hanji to raise a brow.
"You alright, Eren?" asked Hanji, sounding somewhat worried as Eren blushed in embarrassment, amusing Levi as he snorted. Mike too let out an amused snort as he noticed how the general smell of the room changed rather noticeably, and Erwin was too busy chewing on the raisin to really notice.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Captain Hanji… I'm fine," assured Eren as he smiled awkwardly and waved the Captain off.
"Psh, in private, call me Hanji!" insisted Hanji, smirking as she pinched Eren's nose between her fingers, prompting him to whine a little and dispelling some of the tension he had stored up as Zoe snickered, and at that, Mika rolled his eyes a little. To think that she was amongst the longest serving Survey Corps… it really didn't paint the Brigade in that good of a light…
Then again, people's personality tended to change whilst out in combat. Perhaps Hanji would be less… like how she was now whilst in the field.
Or not. Hanji was just that unpredictable.
"Sooooo, I'd like to know," began Hanji, her attention now averted away from Eren as she glanced over at Mika, who raised a brow as she made eye contact with him. The pilot felt a shiver go up his spine and up the tips of his Alaya Vijnana spikes when he saw the smile on her face, though he didn't let his unease show as Zoe continued speaking. "About that Gundam of yours…"
"Oh boy…" muttered Levi, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned away from Hanji, not wishing to see this happen again, while Erwin stepped away from Mika to keep himself out of the danger zone. Likewise, Mike felt a small amount of fear creep into his heart as the overall scent of the room changed dramatically. No longer did it smell calm and collected.
It now smelled like Hanji whilst in a Titan Research Lust, and upon acknowledging that, Mike felt ready to jump out of the window he was standing behind before he was caught in the crossfire.
Thankfully enough, Mike had enough self control to not jump out of the window, albeit just barely, as Hanji blitzed over towards Mika with stars in her eyes. The pilot was noticeably taken aback by Zoe's speed, though his surprise was quickly replaced with irritation as the Captain examined Augus from head to toe.
"So, how do you control the Tita-Gundam?! The Gundam! How do you control it?" inquired Hanji as she lifted his arm up to examine his arm, shaking it up and down all the while. Erwin shuddered a little in pity for his junior while Levi watched passively. Eren didn't know how to feel about all this while Mike opted to continue staring out the window. "What's it made of? You seemed a little uncertain when you were asked about if there were more Gundams, so are there really more?! Oh, where and when was it made?! AND WHAT KINDA WEAPONS ARE THOSE ANYWAYS?!"
Though he didn't wish to admit it, Mika's head was slowly starting to hurt from all the questions as Hanji's speaking became faster and faster and more high pitched the more she spoke. Her questions eventually became impossible to understand, and as though sharing Mika's confusion and growing irritation at Hanji, Erwin cleared his throat.
"Hanji, if you may, it would be nice if you could be less demanding with Mikazuki," insisted Erwin, placing a hand on Zoe's shoulder as he spoke. In response, Hanji noticeably deflated as she leaned back in defeat, whining all the while.
"You're making things boring, Erwin!" whined Hanji as she glanced at Erwin, who chuckled a little as his subordinate stood up and made herself appear a little more presentable.
"I apologise, but perhaps you should make a better first impression for our new recruit?" suggested Erwin, though after he said that, the Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he glanced at Mika, who was still recovering from all the questions Hanji had thrown at him. By the time he recovered, Erwin nodded and spoke up. "Even so, with that being said… I do wish for you to come clean with us."
"...what?" muttered Mika, confused at what Erwin was talking about, prompting the blonde to rephrase himself, this time sounding more serious as he spoke.
"I understand that you too have secrets, but if we are to work together, I would like you to divulge as much information as you can," explained Erwin seriously, crouching down to look Mika in the eye as he spoke. The serious gaze Smith was giving Mika was rather jarring, especially when he was as friendly as he was moments prior, though Augus reckoned that Commanders were used to this, to go from one attitude to another with little issue. "But even so, I wish for you to share as many of them as you can. We recruited you not just for your strengths, but also your any possible information you may hold. To have said information be lost to everyone but yourself would be less than beneficial for mankind, and if the Tribunal were to realize that you were withholding information from us, your fate could very well turn dark."
"Ah, I'll share," replied Mika, sounding as unenthused as ever, surprising everyone present with his lack of hesitation. Mika, on the other hand, simply shoved his hands into his pockets and continued. "But it probably won't be too useful for your ambitions."
"Even so, what you share could perhaps save us all one day," assured Hanji, giving a thumbs up as Erwin nodded in thanks, his serious demeanor fading as he stood.
"Indeed. Thank you for your cooperation, Mikazuki Augus," thanked Erwin, and at that, Mika nodded, unsure of how to properly respond to the Commander outside of that little gesture. The blonde was eyeing him with a good deal of respect in his gaze… and for someone as high ranked as him to respect a Rat like Mika… well, it made him feel rather nice, albeit just a little…
Right as Mika let that small amount of pride slip away, however, the door to the room of theirs swung open, prompting everyone present, Mike included, to turn towards it and see a handful of soldiers enter. There were about nine in total, and Mika recognised a majority of them by face, though as for Eren, he seemed to recognise all of them if the sparkle in his eyes was anything to go by.
"Commander Erwin," greeted the first soldier to enter, a… woman? Mika reckoned that the soldier was a she as the blonde woman saluted her Commander alongside the eight others that were brought in. The one that caught Mika's eye was the guy with brown hair styled up in a pompadour, and it was amusing enough that Augus snorted a little. "We received word that you wished to speak to us?"
"Indeed. At ease, all of you," said Erwin, nodding as he stood in front of the nine newcomers. Mike took this as his cue to step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Erwin while Hanji stood behind him, waving at the soldiers all the while. Levi didn't seem to care, however, as he sat by the side silently, and though Mika seemed equally as uninterested, Eren appeared on edge as he stared at the soldiers. "Now, I am to assume that you wish to know why I called the nine of you here, yes?"
A nod from a few of the newcomers confirmed Erwin's suspicion, and at that, he nodded and responded.
"I will be brief, I have called you all here to assist us in overseeing both Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus," explained Erwin, short and to the point as more than half of the nine soldiers appeared rather surprised at that, though Erwin didn't slow down for their sake. "Eld Gin, Gunther Schultz, Petra Ral, Oruo Bazad. Before and during the complete recapture of Trost, the four of you have proven to be beyond worthy of the mantle of Elites. Your abilities would be wasted, should we separate you, and as such, I have made the decision to place you under the command of humanity's best."
And at that, Erwin paused briefly to build up a small amount of dramatic tension as Eld, Gunther, Petra and Oruo let what he said sink in. Meanwhile, Levi glared holes into the back of Erwin's head for making this decision without first consulting him, though Smith chose to ignore him for now as he continued.
"From this day forth, the four of you shall be under the command of Levi Ackerman," continued Erwin. "You will assist him in combat, be it inside or outside the Walls, and you will also be providing him with assistance in overseeing and perhaps even subduing Eren Jaeger should he lose control of his Titan form or turn against humanity.
"Have any of you any objections?"
Silence followed, with none of the four objecting to Erwin's proposal, prompting the blonde to nod as he glanced at Levi, who seemed irritated, though he sighed and waved the guy off, showing that he was fine with it as well, and at that, the Commander nodded.
"Now, Mike, if you will."
At that, the senior sniffer in question nodded and stepped forward, with Erwin stepping back to give him some space, and placed both hands behind his back. Zacharius eyed the four Survey Corps that were a part of his team with a stone cold gaze, though none of them faltered under it. Being a part of his team for so long did that to a person, one would reckon.
"Nanaba, Gelgar, Tomas, Henning, Lynne. From today onwards, we will be in charge of overseeing Mikazuki Augus. Have any of you any objections?," explained Mike, short, simple and to the point. Gelgar in particular seemed a little surprised by that, though he quickly got over it as the four nodded. Orders were orders, and babysitting a Cadet wasn't the hardest thing they had to do, after all, and as such, they remained silent, prompting Mike to nod. "Good. That is all."
As he stepped back, Mike glanced over at Mika, expecting him to perhaps appear surprised, though he quirked a brow up when he saw that Augus was as neutral as ever. Snorting at that, Mike noted that the pilot's scent was as it usually was before he continued speaking.
"Mikazuki Augus. Any objections?" inquired Mike, deciding to ask his new charge for his opinion just to be polite.
"No," was all Mika said, prompting Mike to nod before going silent and allowing Erwin to take over.
"We will be holding Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus separately. Eren will be held within the confines of Wall Rose. Levi will lead you to where he will be held after you are debriefed. As for Mikazuki Augus, he will be held in the Trost Resupply Station, close to the body of his Tita… his Gundam" added Erwin, correcting himself before he made another slip up. "If this seems too much for any of you, you may speak up, and you may walk away with no consequence."
No one spoke up as they simply remained silent, and at that, Erwin nodded in approval as he opened his mouth to speak, though before he could, a soldier, Lynne, cut him off.
"Commander Erwin, if I may," spoke up Lynne, to which Erwin nodded, giving her the signal to speak. At that, Lynne nodded and continued. "At the cost of sounding rude to our… newcomers, I must ask, why are we discussing all this in front of Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus?"
"I agree, Commander," agreed Eld, nodding as he spoke. "Such matters should be discussed in private, yes?"
"In most cases, yes… but in regards to our two rookies, I wish for there to be as little secrets as possible between us," explained Erwin, prompting Mika and Eren to glance at him in apparent confusion as he spoke. Over by the side, however, Levi rolled his eyes as he added on to what Smith said.
"That and we want them to know that we always have our eyes on them," added Levi, sounding disinterested in this whole conversation as he rested his head on his palm. Eren eyed Levi fearfully as Mika quirked a brow up, though Levi ignored them both as he continued. "That'll dissuade them from trying anything dangerous, hm?"
"That much is correct as well," confirmed Erwin with a nod as he eyed the soldiers, his expectations of them being reflected in his gaze. Off to the side, Eren seemed rather frightened by all this, though Mika, as per usual, didn't seem to be paying attention as he ate another raisin "I'm counting on the nine of you to subdue either Mika or Eren should they go out of control… do not disappoint me!"
And to that, the soldiers saluted.
"Yes sir!"
A short chapter if I'm honest, but considering how… erm, 'action packed'(?) the previous one was, this is more or less a quick breather.
I did enjoy writing it as per usual, though I'm not too happy with it. The actual chapter was meant to be longer, though it would be a little too cramped, so I cut it in half for all our sakes.
Regardless! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Now onto the reviews.
daggercloak000: I'm glad you enjoyed their reactions! And I'll try to keep up the 'good work'.
Acerze: Well I'm glad it was 'fine' at the very least, and to know that I managed to write a touching moment feels pretty… nice
SamBridger: heh, I'm glad I did! I do apologise for not adding her feelings, hopefully this made up for that. And regarding the abandoned stories… well, I should remain silent on that matter for a short while.
Dragabyss Luard: I'll admit that I'm the slow burn sorta guy. But regardless I hope you enjoyed, and here's the next chapter!
starscreamer11: you seem to have the hot hand
Chromemetic: I'm glad it was, though it's hard for me to not sweat it. I'm just like that.
Touhoufanatic: maintenance will be happening, though as you said it'll be minor since you can't really repair Barbs fully with the current tech
Dead344156: thanks! And thankfully enough things are better now. The bad wave is over and I can't be more thankful
Rein Tenebres: I wish I could do that but I'm just the type to be nervous
JawsOnYou67: yeah, everything's coming together, as one might say. And regarding your question, I've discussed that with my proofreader and we came to a conclusion which I can't share now out of fear of spoilers
Dancouga01-23: well regarding Lafter and Akihiro… *wink*. And there's other AOT X Gundam stories out there? The only one I know of aside from this one is the one with Amuro Ray…
Agent-G: well I do plan on taking my time with it. The space travel subplot is more or less something that I slapped together just for some personal gratitude, honestly. And as a rule of thumb, it's best not to think of the scientific stuff in any of my fics since science coming from an 18 year old isn't gonna be accurate… at all. Regardless! I will be taking your advice on how to do it! Many thanks!
Sleepysaurus Rex: I'm glad I was memorable enough for you my guy!
proiu: I'm glad you thought it was worth it!
Arenjie: *notes this down* I'll keep that in mind…
RabbitPawnch: phew. My fears are pretty hard to set aside but I'm glad it was delicious
Ghost Writer: I'm certainly glad you enjoyed this! And please don't trouble yourself my dude. Just enjoying my writing is enough to make all this worth it. That and the laughs me and my proofreader have when we discuss them
GundamDemon: indeed, the Titan goes yeet
snow in the darkness: I'm glad it has! I'll try and keep it up, and you stay healthy as well please
Shadow: well heres the next chapter!
Mark1: thanks! And regarding the ship, I will regret to inform you that it'll remain the Isaribi. Sorry
Guest: heh, thanks. My personal stuff is mostly resolved, and I'm more or less the kinda guy who sells himself short all the time. Regardless, here's the next chap!
22: why thank you
CrossZBuild: I'm glad you thought so! And I'll have to note down that suggestion… oh and Lupus Rex… *wink*
Oh! Another thing!
I keep forgetting to mention this but starscreamer11 has the distinction of being the very first person to make fanart for this story! His Instagram handle is LoliMaster069 (don't question it) and he's a talented artist! I guess he found a hobby other than trying to usurp Megatron.
Anyhow, I'll see you guys in Iron Blooded Helltaker (name still pending)
"So, you're still gonna join the MPB, huh?"
At that, Annie frowned as she crossed her arms, frowning as she eyed both Reiner and Bertholdt. Both appeared worried for her sake, though she didn't let her worry get too contagious as she nodded, biting her lower lip all the while.
"The original plan went astray, didn't it?" muttered Annie, frowning as she crossed her arms, doing her best to keep the guilt out of her voice as she spoke. "We need a new approach to this. With Eren's powers being under the control of the Survey Corps, we need at least one person on the inside to relay information out…"
"Yeah, but… are you sure about all this? If we carry out this new plan of yours… if they find out…" pointed out Bertholdt, and at that, Annie let out a disgusted scoff, one that made Bertholdt recoil. "I'm serious, Annie. If they find out, if Mina and Nac find out…"
"They won't, I'll make sure of it," spat Annie, frowning as she turned on her heel, the genuine disdain in her voice being enough to make Bertholdt shudder, though on the other hand, Reiner wondered if the disdain was meant for them or for herself… "The family here doesn't matter, you two. It never did. It was all just a cover up… all just… to help pass the time…"
"Then why do I hear doubt in your voice?" countered Reiner, and to that, Annie remained silent as she turned her back towards them and began walking off, ignoring the worried gaze of her 'friends' all the while.
'It doesn't matter…' thought the blonde as she gently rubbed her wrist whilst walking away. Staring at her hand, she clenched and unclenched it a little as she walked. 'Nothing matters here. It's all… a fake. The love, the care… the bonds… it was all a cover up…
'All a cover up… and if I have to throw it all away… if I have to make Mikazuki and his… Gundam my enemies to complete my mission… then so be it…'
"Hey, there you are, Ann!"
Blinking as Nac spoke up, she glanced up to see him waving at her with a smile, and beside him, Mina was offering a small smile, and at that, Leonhardt had to hold back a grimace as she approached them.
'But if that's the case… why am I having second thoughts…?'