It was my first day on the job for the Survey Corps. I sat outside of Commander Erwin's room, patiently waiting for my first encounter with the man in charge. The door clicked and out walked a short, dark haired man. He walked past me without so much as a glance, head held high, and clearly not wanting to be bothered. Perplexed, I continued to stare at him until he had turned the corner. A nagging sensation crept its way into my chest. I know him. I swear I do. But from where? But before I could get too lost in my thoughts, the commander called me into his office.

"Ah, Ms. Stonewall, a pleasure to meet you." He said, standing from his chair. I saluted him.

"Very glad to be here, sir. Thank you for allowing me to be apart of the Scouting Regiment."

"Glad to have you. We need more people with your experience and skill sets in this unit." He said, sitting back down.

The commander had a certain air about him. He exuded confidence, but wasn't cocky. He was a tall, well built man, with hair the color of freshly picked hay and his eyes were as blue as the morning sky. His physical presence alone was enough to demand respect.

"I have asked you to come here today in order for you to meet your colleague, Hange Zoe. She's leader of the fourth squad, and my second in command. She's also our main research scientist on the behaviors and biology of the titans." He explained. He sat back down at his desk and folded his hands neatly atop it. Just as I was about to open my mouth, the door flung open to reveal a wild faced woman with glasses and dark brown hair secured back in a messy fashion.

"Hi! You must be Europa!" The woman called to me. I smiled and stood up, saluting her. "Yes ma'am. You must be Commander Zoe." She waved a hand in the air as she walked toward me, "Please, just call me Hange." I nodded as she took a seat next to me.

Once Hange had settled into her chair the commander began to speak. "So Europa, while you may be part of the upper division in terms of research, you're still considered a trainee of the Survey Corps, thus, you still must be trained as such. Normally you wouldn't even be in the corps yet, but since you're a head researcher, we've made an exception. You will still be chosen for a squad at the end of the 104th squadrons training year, so do your very best. But I suspect I need not worry about you." He said with a twinkle in his eye. I nodded my head in agreement. Hadn't expected anything less.

"We're well into the 104th squadron training year, but I assume your skills are more than qualifying. The only thing you'll need to improve is your maneuvering gear skills." I nodded my head once more.

"On the days that the corps doesn't have your full attention, I will be with you, devising experiments, collecting data, and writing reports. Typical stuff!" Hange added, excitement oozing from every pore in her body. Even in these few moments of knowing Hange, I could tell she was deeply passionate about her work. Every time she spoke of her research or it was mentioned, her face lit up with pure joy. It made me happy and relieved that my colleague felt the same way I did about research and development.

"Excellent. Hange if you would be so kind as to show her around? You both are dismissed. Welcome to the team, Europa." I stood up, smiled, and saluted the commander once more before exiting his office with Hange.

The sun was warm and welcomed against my skin as Hange showed me around the grounds. "So, Europa, what brings you to the Survey Corps, anyway? I mean other than the commander asking you to join. No one actively joins unless they're crazy." She laughed. I joined her laughter and said "Ah, I just wanted to be apart of something better. Something bigger, you know? I've done so much research and studying on these creatures but I felt like I wasn't helping as much as I could by doing that. The Survey Corps was my best option for fulfilling both." I sighed, "And after seeing all the destruction in Shiganshina, I decided my path permanently. There was just so much... So much sadness and pain. I would do anything within my power to make that stop."

Hange nodded her head. "I think that's a great reason! I can't wait to begin experiments with you! It is a dream to have someone with the same passion for knowledge as I! I'm so very glad you're apart of the team!" Hange practically yelled. Her excitement warmed my heart.

When I looked up once more I was in front of the mess hall. As if on cue, my stomach let out a monstrous growl. Hange and I both laughed and she told me to follow her into the hall.

It was a huge room, but it was only half full. I wonder how many will actually join the corps. Doesn't seem like it's a very desired career path. In reality, I suppose that it should have made me question my decision to join, but I did not falter. Rather, it made me feel even stronger about my my choice.

Hange walked me over to a table with five young cadets chatting away. "Hello everyone!" She greeted. All five saluted her and returned the hello. "This is Europa. She will be the newest trainee with you guys. I realize it's rather odd to have someone join so close to your graduation date, but rest assured she's just as good as the rest of you." I stood there awkwardly before them. Did her and the commander really study me before they left? How do they know so much about me?

"She is also my research partner so her time will be split between the two." Hange explained. A thin boy with brown shaggy hair and large, excited eyes stood up and introduced himself. "My name is Eren! It's great to meet you." Everyone else soon followed. There was Armin, a timid boy of slight build, with brilliantly blond hair and eyes that yearned for knowledge. Then Jean, with his light brown crew cut and long chiseled face, introduced himself with such vigor, it was hard to contain a smile. A boy named Connie sat next to Jean and excitedly said hello to you with the biggest smile. And last was Mikasa. She had hair the color of coal, and eyes that appeared uninterested, but when I looked closely, I could see she was always observing. Everything. Before she spoke, I could tell she had some sort of bond with Eren. A fierce bond that shown in her eyes as well as her mannerisms.

"It is so nice to meet all of you and I hope we will all get along!" I said, smiling. I was just about to sit down when Hange grabbed my arm, "Oh no, no! You have to meet the people you'll be with on a daily basis too!" My stomach cried out in protest but I nodded mymy head and followed. "I'll see you all around!" II said, waving to the five. "All of those kids have a lot of promise for the corps. Top 10 in the class." Hange stated, "we've already been looking at them as potential recruits. I we get a few to join."

She then led meme to a table with five people once again. "Everyone, this is Europa. She is my newest research partner. You'll be seeing quite a lot of her, so please be nice." She said, looking directly at the man sitting farthest away. Oh, it's him! From earlier! Now that he was sitting down,I Itook a moment to examine him.

He was short and well built. The sinew of his muscles shone through his clothing, the result of all the 3Dmg usage no doubt. His midnight black hair was ever so slightly parted to the side and a few strands hung loosely above his eyes. He had a thin, narrow face, which only added to his blasé attitude. His long fingers gripped the top of a tea cup lazily as he brought it up to his lips and took a drink. It was then that he finally looked meme in my eyes and curiosity consumed meme. His eyes were the color of selenite and held mymine with such a piercing glare,I I almost had to look away. Almost. But II held his gaze until Hange interrupted mymy train of thought.

"Europa this is Olou, Eld, Gunther, Petra and Levi. All members of the Special Operations Squad." Hange explained.

"Captain Levi, brat." He scolded Hange. She took no notice and proceed to sit down. "It is very nice to meet all of you" II said, saluting them before took a seat.

The captain sat across from me. I was urging myself to look away, so I examined the rest of the members.

Olou had shaggy hair the color of wheat fields during dawn. His face was square and flat but it appeared to be stuck with the look of a pretentious attitude. He eyed me, judgingly. I gave a mental eyeroll.

Petra had the face of a timid doe, and eyes that sparkled with genuine goodness. Her strawberry blond hair was cut short and blunt, just barely touching her chin. She smiled warmly at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

Gunther and Eld were in a heated discussion as I studied their faces. Eld looked calm and relaxed despite their passionate discussion. He had honey colored hair tied back loosely in a bun. Gunters hair was chocolate brown and appear to be blown back by the wind permanently. His brows furrowed as he retorted. His cheeks flushed from his argument.

My eyes landed on the captain once again. He looked absolutely displeased with his surroundings, and especially displeased with my presence. He looked everywhere but in my general direction, and for some reason it that made me want to stare at him even more. I caught myself before I got too carried away, hoping no one noticed.

It was a weird quirk I'd always had. I'd always been insatiably curious and inquisitive about everything. I loved to observe living beings behaviors and actions since no two people were the same; it was fascinating. But the ones I couldn't figure out relatively quickly were the most interesting of all. The Captain was exactly that. I decided that I absolutely needed to know more about him.

LEVI

Hange was making her way over with a new trainee in tow. Levi sighed, another idiot to look after, no doubt. As they came into better focus, he realized that was the girl that had seen sitting outside of Erwin's office earlier in the day. He had felt her stare at him as he walked away, and was curious to know why, exactly, she had done that.

"Everyone, this is Europa. She is my newest research partner. You'll be seeing quite a lot of her, so please be nice." Hange said while staring directly at the captain. An unfamiliar tightness took hold of the captains stomach, but he brushed it aside and rolled his eyes and looked down at his tea. How annoying. When he looked up once more, his gaze was met by a pair of inquisitive hazel eyes staring back. He did not blink, and nor did she. Unlike most new cadets, she didn't look away. She held Levi's gaze like a magnet until Hange asked for her attention.

This girl made him uneasy. She had made him feel something he hadn't felt in a while. What was it? He couldn't pin-point it but decided there was no point dwelling on it and didn't worry about it any further. He decided to give his unknowing attention to Europa. He had noticed how she inspected every detail of his squad, and would without a doubt remember every last detail. She looked terribly at ease sitting at a table with such high ranking officers. Her molasses colored hair was tied back into a sloppily put together bun while wispy strands of hair hung gently around her eyes and cheeks. She was beautiful, to say the least, but Levi would never admit that to anyone, not even to himself.

Just before she flickered her gaze back at him, he looked away, desperate to appear completely unaware of her presence. He had succeeded, but was now more intrigued by this woman than he would ever care to admit. Fuck. This is so bothersome. I don't have time for this shit. He got up, taking his tea cup with him, and left the hall. The farther away from that woman the better.