Hanji's P.O.V
I make my way through the maze of hallways of the Dauntless compound until I find the dining hall. My eyes scan the crowd of various wild dauntless until I find the 5'3 man I'm looking for.
I smirk to myself.
I almost didn't see him.
Ignoring the stares, I make my way to him.
"What is it, Shitty Glasses?" was the first thing that came out of Levi's mouth when I approached him. He didn't even turn around to look at me.
He could at least come up with a more original nickname.
"How'd you know it was me?" I ask.
"Tch. Anyone a mile away could smell the Erudite lab chemicals and your lack of hygiene."
"Well excuse me for being too busy to shower. We're hard at work on something big!" I yell in a defensive tone.
"Is that so?" he says sarcastically.
"Yes. But enough with the small talk," I say, clearing my throat. "Levi, I assume you know why i'm here."
"No," Levi says flatly. "And I don't care either."
He gets up from the table and as he's about to walk away, I grab his shoulder and tug him towards me. He immediately grabs my wrist and twists it. Gritting my teeth in pain, I immediately rip my hand back.
"Don't touch me," he growls.
"Then pay attention!" I say, massaging my wrist.
"Make it quick, four-eyes. I'm not in the mood for your shit today," he grumbles, leaning against a wall and crossing his arms. He was finally giving me his full attention.
I straighten my lab coat then, smiling, I hand him a stack of papers. He takes them slowly, glaring at me suspiciously.
"What the hell is this?" Levi asks.
I know he said he 'wasn't in the mood for my shit today', but I couldn't help it.
"It's a stack of papers, Levi. Just what it looks like," I tease, grinning.
His glare hardens and he rolls up the papers and smacks them hard against my temple.
"I mean what the hell is on them, smart-ass!" he hisses.
Rubbing my temple with my middle and index finger, I grin.
"Cant you read? I can help you. I am an Erudite after all," I snicker.
He smacks me again and opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, speaking before he does.
"I recommend you take good care of those. They're government records and you will need them for today."
Frowning, Levi begins looking through the papers; I see his frown thicken as his eyes scan all the names listed on them.
"What do all these brats names have to do with me?"
"Those are the names of the sixteen year olds you'll be applying the Aptitude Test to today," I answer.
Levi stops looking through the papers and glares at me.
"What?" he says in a dangerous tone.
"The Aptitude Test... You'll be helping us out with it today."
"Fuck no," Levi replies bluntly.
"I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter. Erwin has already set you up as one of the Dauntless volunteers."
"Bastard. No one wanted to tell me this before?" He asks through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, sorry. It was on short notice," I apologize, walking away. "Aptitude tests start in an hour. There's a car waiting for you to take you to the-"
I turn around to see he'd begun walking the opposite direction.
"Hey! Where are you going?" I yell.
"If i'm going into the city, i'm doing it my way," he answers.
"Uh... Okay," I say, blinking. "As long as you make it to the city in time for the tests!"
And after I said that, Levi turned and a corner and was gone. I stand there in silence, pondering something.
Why the hell would he waste his energy jumping on a train if I offered him a car? Must be a dauntless thing.
I shrugged then began walking towards the exit. I manage to find my way through the hallways again until i'm back outside the Dauntless compound. My fellow Erudite lab partner, Moblit, sees me and opens the passenger door of the car for me.
"Thanks," I say, stepping in the car and shutting the door.
"So is he going to do it?" Moblit asks, as he begins driving.
"Of course he is. He doesn't have a choice. Erwin was the one who signed him up for today."
"Why did he do that?"
"Because Levi is the most capable of running the test simulation. We need at least one Dauntless volunteer and he was the best choice," I answer.
There were other reasons Levi was chosen but I wasn't supposed to discuss that. I didn't really want to either.
Moblit nodded then was silent a moment before asking, "Do you think anyone will join us?"
"Hm?"
"I mean, with all those nasty rumors going around about our faction..Do you think anybody will transfer to the Erudite?" He continues.
I frown and look down at my feet. He was right, but I wouldn't call the Erudite trying to gain charge of the government a rumor; it's true, we were, but we're not harming anyone like people are saying. At least... I hope we're not. The Erudite leader doesn't really let us in on much. There was that secret lab upstairs...
"Hanji?" Moblit says, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.
I quickly realize that I had never answered his question. I had been too distracted by the thoughts of what Erudite was willing to do to have government control.
"Huh?" I reply.
"Did you hear me? What do you think will happen at the Choosing Ceremony? Do you think anyone will transfer to our faction?"
Sighing, I answer, "I really don't know. It depends on how people seeing this whole... idea of the Erudite taking power. If they see us as qualified rulers.. Or evil dictators."
Moblit nods and says, "Oh... I see," then, "do you think we should be in charge?"
To be honest, I couldn't care less if Erudite lost this battle for government power. I think the Abnegation were running the government just fine. My concern lies in our means of government control. The Erudite leader had us scientists working on a new serum (my reason for not showering for a week). I haven't developed it enough to know what it does, but I have a feeling it's big. The Erudite leader won't tell us what it's for other than just that it's a "new simulation method." My suspicions might all be in my head though, so I won't give Moblit this answer; I need more evidence to confirm that something dangerous was really coming.
So, like I did to his last question, I answer, "I don't know. I mean, I don't really see a problem in how the Abnegation are running it now."
"Well, there's that thing our leader said. You know..about how the Abnegation say they need extra food to feed the factionless but really they're just keeping it for themselves. Could you really call that a fair way of governing things?"
I glare at him.
"How can you believe that? We don't even have all the facts together yet so we can't prove that what our leader is saying is the truth," I snap.
"What are we? Candor?" Moblit snorts.
"No, we're Erudite. And we believe in the facts. And what "our leader" is saying is not a exactly a fact!"
"Do you think it's a lie?"
"I told you already, I don't know what to think. The whole situation is sketchy. But once I find out more, then I'll know what to do.. Whose side I'm on."
With that, he stops prying. I sit with my hands clasped together and think. What can I do to find out more about this?
. . . Levi's P.O.V.
I stand by the train tracks close to the Dauntless headquarters and wait. According to the time on my watch, the train should be around soon. I couldn't miss this one or I'd be late to the Aptitude Testing; not that I cared, but I didn't exactly want shitty glasses or that bastard Erwin on my ass about it later. Just when I start to get tired of waiting, I hear the rumbles of the train wheels moving on the tracks and the train itself begins to come into view. I wait for the right moment then break into a fast run towards the it. The head of the train passes, and I reach my hand out to grab the handle bar of the third train car, pulling myself into it with ease.
Once both feet are firmly planted on the floor of the train car, I walk deeper inside- away from the edge of the car- and sit down. At first, I just sit and watch the scenery as the train passes by it, but I start to get tired of looking at the dump we call a city. To distract myself, I pull out the papers Hanji gave me and begin thumbing through them again. (f/n) (l/n) was the first person I'd be applying the test to. An Amity. Usually Amity stick with Amity so I don't see why we test them.
That was the case with most factions; unless someone is unhappy with their faction. The ones that felt like they don't belong usually want to find out where they do.
Idiots.
They were stupid to believe a test could tell them who they are. They live their whole lives thinking a stupid Erudite computer knows their inner identity. It was pathetic the way this world worked like that. When I look up from the papers, I see that the train was getting close to the school. I quickly get to my feet and make my way to the opening of the car. I wait a few seconds then leap out; my feet hitting the grass below me. The train continues it's way through the city. I start walking towards the school building where I see Hanji waiting for me with her Erudite lackeys.
Once I'm standing in front of Hanji, she smiles; her smile was always a big toothy one. I was tempted to punch her teeth out.
"Greetings, Levi. Are you ready to start the test?" she asks in a tone that was a little too cheerful.
I sigh.
"Let's get this over with," I reply, pulling the files she gave me this morning from the inside of my jacket.
"Levi! I told you to be careful with those!" Hanji screeches. "You can't just zip them up in your jacket like that! They'll get wrinkled, or lost, or even stolen that way!"
I snort.
"Oh yeah, because some shit head would really come up to me and unzip my jacket."
She frowns, putting her hands on her hips.
"And what if they did? And then they ran off with the files?"
"Aren't you supposed to be Erudite? You should know that that is highly unlikely. And if they did manage to do that. I'd chase them down and kill them."
Hanji snorted then burst into full out laughter, seeming to forget all the irritation she had held towards me about these damn papers.
God, I hate her laugh.
She sounded like an idiotic maniac when she laughed. The sound was like claws on a chalkboard: It was highly unpleasant to the ears.
"You know, you're not acting very "eruditely" right now. What did I say that was so funny, shitty glasses?" I snap.
Doubled over and holding her stomach, Hanji looked up at me with a big grin. Wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.
"It was such a typical Dauntless reply that I just had to laugh," Hanji says simply.
Crossing my arms, I glare hard at her. Even though Dauntless was my chosen faction, I despised being associated with them. And she knew that.
Typical know-it-all Erudite.
To keep myself from punching out all her stupid teeth, I change the subject.
"Whatever. Can we just go in the damn school already?" I growl.
"Yes, of course." Hanji chirps, clearing her throat and standing up straight again.
After she regains her full Erudite composure, she and her partners lead me into the building. We make our way through hallways and pass classrooms until we reach a series of large metal doors. Hanji takes a ring of keys out of the pocket of her blue lab coat and fumbles through them until she finds the one she is searching for. Separating that key from the ring, she sticks it in a lock on one of the doors and twists it; she takes the door knob and pushes open the door, revealing the familiar mirrored room for the Aptitude Test.
"This here will be your testing room, Levi," she explains, placing the key in my hand. "The computer is all ready and the serums are all here..."
She looks at me, raising an eyebrow, and says, "I assume you know how to run the test simulation. If not, me or one of my partners could sho-"
"Yes, I know how to run them," I say, interrupting her.
"Then I'll leave you to it then," she says, clapping her hands and walking out the door. "Good luck!"
With that, she exits and slams the door shut behind her.
What the hell does she mean "Good luck"? I'm not the one taking the test. Just running it.
Ignoring the thought, I check my watch again. In about one minute, all the brats will go to the lunchroom and wait for their names to be called for testing. To pass time, I begin looking through the list of names to make sure I know them. After about 30 seconds, I hear the bell ring and then the annoying chatter and footsteps of the sixteen year olds as they file through the hallway. Even through the door, you could tell what faction they were a part of.
The Erudite talked about the lesson they had just went over in class and pointed out the rights and wrongs in the information.
The Dauntless had loud, thunderous footsteps as they ran through the hallway. You could hear their loud whoops and yells and the occasional sound of something or someone crashing.
The Candor were having lively debates about all kinds of different topics.
You heard an occasional "let me get that for you" and "do you need any help" from the Abnegation.
Lastly, you could hear the claps, giggles, and happy discussions that came from the Amity.
This is going to be a long day, I thought, rolling my eyes.
Leaning against the wall, I wait another minute to let all the pre-faction students settle into their lunch tables. Soon, I hear a knock on the door and open it to see Hanji.
"Are you ready? Everyone's all settled in," she squealed excitedly.
What could be so exciting about drugging a bunch of kids in and connecting them to a sick computer simulation?
I suppose it's an Erudite thing.
Nodding, I follow her out into the lunchroom. Hanji, Moblit, a couple of other testers, and I all line up against a wall. We dont even have to get everyone's attention because their eyes are already on us. They still went about whatever they were doing, but they were quiet so the name of the first test takers could be heard.
"Eren Jaeger," Hanji calls with a smile.
"Mikasa Ackerman," Moblit calls.
"Armin Arlet," yells the other Erudite scientist.
Then a Dauntless next to me, a woman with purple hair, calls, "Krista Lenz"
Finally, it was my turn to announce a student's name.
Clearing my throat, I call, "(f/n) (l/n)."
A (h/c) haired girl who had been lying her head on a table looks around until her eyes met mine. She immediately stood up and begins hesitantly walking my way. I took immediate notice that her behaviour was strange for an Amity. The other Amity girls were singing and clapping together; this girl was sitting away from everyone and lying her head down like she was depressed. If I had called any other Amity, they would've skipped over here with a huge grin and probably an occasional giggle. (f/n) made her way towards me slowly (nervous probably) with a grim expression. She obviously didn't belong in her faction. Which faction will she transfer to?
Is she honest (smart-mouthed) like Candor?
Is she selfless (a complete stiff) like Abnegation?
If you took one look at her, you could tell she wasn't Dauntless, but looks could be deceiving.
Maybe she's a know-it-all Erudite.
That's the last thing this shitty world needs: More Erudite.
A sudden thought appeared in my head: Maybe she's more than one. If that was the case then I'm starting to see why I was chosen to test students today. (f/n) finally stands in front of me, shifting from one foot to the other; her composure seems both nervous and calm at the same time.
"Hello," she says softly, looking into my eyes.
She has pretty eyes was the first thought that popped into my head, but then I shake it off quickly.
"Follow me," I demand, walking back towards the testing room. I glance back occasionally to make sure she was still behind me.
She follows obediently, keeping her eyes on the ground. Her eyes didn't come up until we are both finally standing in the testing room.
