Okay, so for anyone who doesn't know, this is the new and improved version of "Falling Slowly and Desperately Feigning". The title was shortened and combined because it was just long and unnecessary before. The older version is very, very similar with plot and characters but, like I said...new and improved. So without further ado, here is the first chapter (re-done) Enjoy and review please. I really enjoy feedback.

Inspection

Ava sat on the bench outside the temporary office Commander Erwin had acquired on the Survey Corps' visit to the Military Police headquarters inside Wall Sina. She anxiously tapped her foot, awaiting her turn for an annual inspection. It was generally the only time members of the Military could move up in the ranks or get reassigned to different squads, so naturally she was a little nervous.

As she watched each of her friends enter and exit the room before her, she began to realize that this inspection was somehow different from their first; aside from it being the first inspection since officially joining the Survey Corps. The expressions on each of her comrades' face's as the exited the mysterious office seemed slightly perturbed in their own ways. But no one would speak on it, as if they were instructed not to say a word.

In that moment, her good friend, Connie Springer, came out of the room with an excruciatingly more drastic expression of discomfort slapped on his face. Connie was somehow able to exaggerate even the smallest of things in a way that was almost comical to Ava. Every once in a while she forgot that was possible, and it was always refreshing to see it in these dark times. "Ava!" He said, shivering over to her like an old man.

"What?" She laughed, startled by him suddenly grasping her shoulders.

"It's not Erwin, Ava!" He began to explain as some soldiers with Military Police patches on their jackets came to calm him down and keep him from causing a scene.

"What?" She asked again. The couple of soldiers grabbed him and began to drag him off and out of the hallway, both obviously irritated with his noise.

"Levi! It's Corporal Levi!" He yelled trying desperately to pass on the dire information.

"Ava Brandt." The soldier standing by the door announced. Her heart sank in shock as she heard her name and she cursed herself for letting Connie's act get the better of her. But why was Corporal Levi doing the inspection and not the commander? And why did she have to be next?

Reluctantly, she headed for the ominously large wooden door and turned the handle, pushing it open. Careful not to waste any of the corporal's time by making him wait, she quickly leaned back against the door behind her and stared up at him awkwardly anticipating some sort of response to the loud down it made.

He sat lazily cross-legged behind the desk, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed what looked like Connie's file, took a deep breath and continued to put it away. "Sit down." He said without even looking at her and continued to open the next file, her file.

Her eyes darted around nervously before hesitating to sit at the bench, placed against the wall directly in front of his desk. So she sat and waited once again as he scanned through her file. The silence had gone on longer than she was comfortable with and she watched anxiously while he studied the papers in front of him.

Female. Nineteen years of age. Height: one-hundred-fifty-six centimeters. Weight: fifty-seven kilograms. Hair: red. Eyes: green. Date of birth: twenty-second of August. Ranked fifth in her class, between Annie Leonhardt and Eren Jaeger. Excels at 3DMG usage and cooperates well with comrades, but has a strong disregard for rules and struggles with focus. This was Ava Brandt.

Brandt. He recognized that name, but couldn't exactly place it.

Ava was adopted by the Leonhardt family at the age of five after her parents dedicated their lives to joining the Survey Corps. At the age of twelve, both her mother and father were reported missing in action. She ran away from the Leonhardt's household soon after.

Slowly, he began to connect the dots and froze as he suddenly remembered. He stared up at her, hoping to disprove his suspicions but it only confirmed them. If memory served him right, she was the spitting image of her mother.

He took a second to compose his thoughts on how to handle the situation. Just do as Erwin ordered he reminded himself.

"Why isn't Commander Erwin doing the inspections?" She said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Because he asked me to do them." He answered with a look that should have told her not to speak. But, of course, Ava didn't catch on.

"Isn't this part of his job?" She never had the talent of hiding her thoughts or suspicions.

"Generally" He said, desperately attempting not to get irritated. Springer had already tested his patience enough; he didn't need her questioning to add to it. But he knew the consequences of his actions and it wasn't worth it, not today.

She finally got the hint and slumped back like a scolded dog, but she was still curious. There was something the corporal was hiding, and that rubbed her the wrong way. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn't her place and she would definitely regret it if she asked any more.

"Stand." He ordered, putting down her papers and moving out from behind the desk to confront her. She immediately stood in position with her hands held firmly behind her back and her stance wide and strong. He was impressed as he analyzed the strength exuding from her posture. Her eyes shifted curiously from the pin-pointed spot on the wall and followed him as he got closer. "You lived with the Female Titan as a child." He said straight to the point.

"Yes, sir." She should have known this would come up. Realistically, she concluded that this was most likely the whole reason they were at the Military Police's headquarters. The capturing of Annie was still so recent and now they were probably dealing with the legal matters of how to handle her, under whose watch she should be, and what should become of her. She supposed it would be logical, from their point of view, to be suspicious of her.

"Did you know?"

She hesitated. "No." She never knew. Annie never told her. They weren't close in the way the sisters would be. Annie's father kept them in constant competition. All of her life, as far as she could remember, they had always been competing against each other. Life is a battle and someone has to be the winner. That's what their father had taught them, but Ava was never fond of that lesson. It just seemed too barbaric to live in constant rivalry with anyone and everyone they met, treating them like an enemy. She wanted to believe that the world was different. Annie never did. She easily accepted that reality and embraced the combatant mindset that it required. Every once in a while Ava would see a different side to her, a lighter, warmer side. But those times were so rare, it was easy to forget them. Annie was strange and distant for the majority of time they were together. With the things she'd say and the way she'd react to situations, looking back at it now she supposed she did know; if only subconsciously at the time.

He watched the strength slowly vanish from her eyes as they flickered in thought. After a moment, he turned back to pick up her papers and write something down. "Starting tomorrow you'll be reassigned to my unit."

"What? Why?" She asked in protest, finally releasing her professional stance.

"As it stands, you are one of the best soldiers we have," He said, calmly turning back to her, "and as someone who has such a personal history with the Female Titan, I'm sure you can see our reason concern."

Her instincts instantly sparked with opposition and she could feel it beginning to boil within her. She just couldn't take the idea of being reassigned to his squad for an absurd reason such as paranoia. "You can't seriously believe,"

Suddenly, he gripped the base of her ponytail between his fingers and pulled her back. She winced in pain and looked up at him staring back down at her as her cheeks flushed in shock. "Believe that someone with so much of a connection to a Titan could be dangerous in the wrong hands and therefore needs to be placed under close watch?" He said sharply, only inches from her face. "Yes, I can believe that, and I shouldn't have to fucking explain that. What I can't believe is how big your mouth is." Slowly, he held her hair higher so that she could stand almost normally and after a long breath he continued. "You need to learn control."

"Control?" She quickly questioned in defense, skeptical of his authority on that matter.

He sighed, retightening his grip and yanking her down again. "Control of your emotions and your ability to express them with discretion. People can be easily manipulated if they give you the right clues. You wouldn't want something like that to accidentally slip because you lacked the self-control." She determinedly held eye contact with him, despite her crippling realization of what he had said. She knew she lacked control in many aspects, but nothing could convince her to admit it; especially to the person who told her so. His grey eyes were intimidating and sharp belying the energy that seemed to be absent behind them. She also realized then that she was wrong. He seemed to be in complete control of his actions, which made her a little uneasy. It was increasingly more difficult to hold that connection and she squirmed and winced from his grasp which tightened with each move she made. Just slightly, he released his grip to lessen the pain in her scalp and brought her to face him directly. His gaze was now even more intimidating, but she stayed relatively strong. "I'm your commanding officer now," He reaffirmed, "and you answer to me only."

"Yes, Captain." She stuttered obediently.

He finally let go of her hair and walked back to his desk. "Prepare for travel. We'll head back to Headquarters soon." She waited, stunned from what just happened and watched him carefully as he adjusted himself and the papers in front of him for the next inspection. "You're dismissed." He said when he realized that she was still there.

Quickly, she turned on her heel and exited out the door with her head down. She didn't look up to see the people around her as she walked. She just continued to her temporary quarters to do as her new captain ordered: pack.