It had felt a lot worse than he had been expecting. The moment he had heard Commander Erwin's opening remarks, he was immediately contemplating the reasons for such bold words. However - although he did not admit it, even to himself - Armin had felt a touch of hope stemming from the positive information the Commander had provided, it made him think that others would be persuaded to join. He supposed it was just his naïvety and inexperience that had led him to indulge in such foolish thoughts. In Armin's mind, the mass of trainees leaving had seemed like a flood. It had been a struggle not to just turn around, to see the expressions on the leaving faces. It would have been the path to utter despair. Despite the thoughts that had raced through his head, Armin hadn't wavered in his determination. He hadn't lost sight of what was at stake.

Armin had stayed behind after the ceremony, near the stage where the induction had taken place. Mikasa had stayed with him for a little while, but she had now left along with the other. It was a wonderful night, one of the first that Armin had the pleasure of seeing ever since his training as a soldier had begun. It was a full moon and the night was peaceful and still. The brackets on the stage burnt less fiercely now, casting a soft incandescence within small radius of the stage. The events of the day had caught up with him now, as he was finally able to take his mind off the Survey Corps, he had believe in the Commander's plan no matter how daunting a task it seemed.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the nearby sound of footfall, breaking the silence. Armin had either seen or heard everyone go back inside, nobody should have been outside so late. Much to Armin's dismay, he saw Annie appear from behind the courtyard wall. Before he could move out of her line of sight, she turned to look straight at him. He felt compelled to move towards her, even though he felt flustered and guilty about what he had seen and heard earlier that same day. "Hey Annie, you're out late", he remarked with a small smile.

"I could say the same to you"

"I just felt like being alone for a while..." he said quietly, avoiding her gaze.

"So did I," she replied, just as quietly. There was a few seconds pause between the two of them in which Armin took the time to study her face. Although she still had her signature, unsmiling look, she looked even gloomier than usual. Her eyes were distant and vague, while the corners of her mouth were twisted into a grimace. Maybe it was something to do with the enrollment ceremony. Maybe it was because of what Armin thought might be true. Unexpectedly, Annie was the first one to speak again, "I presume you enrolled into the Survey Corps then?" It sounded more like a statement than a question, like she already knew Armin's answer.

"Yes," he replied shortly "So you've been drafted into the Military Police?" Again the answer was a given for the pair of them. Another moment of silence. He took that to mean yes.

"Armin," she said suddenly, "Do you think that I'm a coward?" Armin was taken aback by Annie's sudden forwardness, in contrast to her usual quiet self.

"No... no, I don't," he started tentatively. "Anybody who values their life is intelligent to do so, the life of a soldier is dangerous. I don't blame you for choosing the Military Police."

"Oh. Well that's good, because I am only doing this to save my own skin. I'm not a pawn who'll be ordered to their death." she replied indifferently.

"Annie, if you think that way then why did you choose to become a soldier at all?" he asked curiously, "Why put that unnecessary risk on your life at all? You saw what happened in Trost."

"Isn't it obvious?" She said bluntly, "I want a better quality of life."

"Your sounding like Jean used to." Annie remained silent and stoic in her expression. The light from the brackets had all but vanished by then, only the moon provided the light which silhouetted the two figures in the standing opposite each other in the night.

"Why do you fight Armin? You said you would die if you were ordered to do so. Did you mean it?". Armin hesitated before speaking again.

"I only know what's at stake. If we don't fight we'll never break free of these walls. The titans will eventually get through again, they can't last forever. Take what happened in Trost, for example. If it wasn't for Eren we would all be dead now."

"Wasn't it you who theorized that plan?" She said, the faintest whisper of a smile playing at her lips.

"Yes, but without Eren's titan power we never would have been able to plug the hole in the wall anyway," he replied thoughtfully. He suddenly became aware of what he was doing and remembered why he had been so wary of Annie after their gear check-up. Annie must have noticed a change in his expression.

"Something bothering you?" she asked, sounding almost sympathetic in tone. Strange, this was not the Annie Leonhardt that Armin knew.

"No, I was just thinking about the future", Armin lied shakily. Before he could say anything else to end any continued conversation Annie spoke up for the third time that night.

"Armin, I wanted to ask you a favour..." Annie trailed off, seemingly unsure of what to say. "Were you in same squad as Mina?" If Armin was surprised before, it was nothing compared to the shock he felt now. He had never seen Annie display any sort of worry for anybody before. At least, outside of himself that was. After his initial shock, the gravity of what his answer had to be crushed him. "Yes, Mina was in my squad, but-" Annie cut him off before he could finish. "How did she die?" Annie's voice was now monotone and hollow, her face stony and facing downwards. Armin picked his next words very carefully. "She died trying to protect..." he faltered, with a deep sigh he finished, "trying to protect Eren and me." He finished, pausing to let Annie register what he had said.

"Thank you for telling me, Armin" Annie's face was unreadable. Anything that could have given Armin a clue to what she was feeling was drawn in. Armin made to leave, he felt bad enough as it was without Annie about to break down in front of him. He was stopped by Annie grabbing his arm gently, but firmly, as if she didn't want him to leave. "Armin, promise me one thing?" she said softly. She appeared to be calm and steady once again. "Of course, anything for you, " Armin said warmly.
"Just.. stay safe. Okay?"
Armin shook his head slightly in disbelief. Throughout their training, she had always been the silent one, the apathetic one. Tonight, she had shown herself to be just as human as the rest of them. "I will, Annie. Don't worry, I know we'll meet again someday."
"Someday..." She whispered longingly. "Until then. Goodbye, Armin Arlert."
"Till we meet again, Annie Leonhardt".

Armin watched her as she walked back to her barracks, still stunned by her change of character. As she disappeared from his sight, he turned to head back. His head had been cleared of his all his earlier worries.

For the girl who had joined the military police, however, the turmoil her mind was trapped in seemed never-ending.