A/N: FIRST DAYS ALL AROUND! C'mon precious beans, you can do it! Go in there and show them all what you're made of forrealsies!
Ada's headed to do some work in the Garrison! Fight hard, be strong! Like.. idk. Just enjoy the cute few.
The dark-haired girl raised her hand to lie over her eyes to keep the sunlight from her eyes. The view from up on the walls was pretty beautiful: sun shining down on the district, and from up at that height, everything seemed to stand out so clearly.
"You like it up here, Ada?" Alarich questioend after a while, placing his hands down into his pockets whilst matching her admiring stare with his own.
"Mm," She nodded her head, only turning away from the view to notice a couple of the other Garrison members walking along the walls, some carrying things, others holding mild, casual conversation with one another.
As her field of vision circulated, it fell specifically on some abnormalities in the distance. Her hand dropped from her eyes whilst her head tipped curiously to the side. Dots in the distance? It was hard to make out from so far off, but they had quite the dynamic way of moving. She could only guess they were other members or something adhering to some tasks.
"Those're the grads from the 104th training squad in the Southern Division," A girl clarified, her caramel brown hair being ruffled by the blowing winds, "It's not time for their division to submit their waves of applications yet, so they're performing some busy work 'til then."
Poor guys. Yet, at the same time, she couldn't help but let thoughts wander to the alternative questions: 'Does this mean I'm technically their senior..? Or...'
"They're just scrubbing the walls," She clarified, "But they sure do make a ruckus." Her hand smoothed her hair, and her mouth opened to utter an almost dramatic sigh whilst she began to walk on. Just as she had said, the lot of them seemed to be shouting and making a ruckus about something or another in that moment.
"They really are loud..." A bead of sweat dripped down Ada's cheek. Should she maybe pay them a visit..? She did know them somewhat after all, even if she hadn't spent nearly as much time conversing. Maybe a little encouragement..? And, there was also Jean.
She hesitated, then began to advance over to them, only to slam on breaks at the sight of a little view obstruction.
Her vision shot down to the edge of the wall, where she could have sworn she was beginning to see a small cloud of fog-like substance rising up. It was too spotty to be that, and too thin to be smoke - 'Is that...steam..?' Abruptly, in tow with a blindingly harsh flash of light, the output rose, steam clouds forcing themselves up in an enormous wave that sent heat and strong breezes gusting down over the top of the walls. She rose up her arm, the crook of her elbow and forearm over her to block the access to her face.
Even through the material of both her uniform shirt and the jacket atop it, she could still feel the heat lash against her skin, and had to widen her stance to stay put. Though she couldn't see at that moment, the lighter colors of a bright flash could be recognized through her shut eyes.
Amidst the obstruction she managed to peer over her arm, seeing one of the distant figures move into attack as the steam begin to thin, only to find that there was nothing in the place where the class of titan known as the Colossal Titan once stood. "How does something like that just... disappear..!?" She asked herself aloud at a nearly inaudible tone. It shouldn't have been possible. Thinking about it so much, however, caused her feet to feel heavy, rooted in place.
It was the first time she had ever seen a titan, let alone one so enormous...
Her legs began to shake, heaviness overtaking her as she thought about just what this could mean - just what she could be facing. The Colossal Titan... wasn't it responsible for having seized Wall Maria for the titans? Now, it was appearing here..? Her eyes began to grow lighter out of fear, tense body shivering harshly whilst her mind wrapped around itself lost in thought until she could hear Alarich's voice shout out from further behind her -
"THERE'S A BREACH!"
History was repeating itself.
Ada's mind was spinning in several different directions, head shifting and eyes growing wide from the sheer panic that she was suddenly surrounded by as the soldiers of the branch shot up into action.
"Secure the walls and set the cannons!" The caramel haired girl spoke up, directing her hand to send the soldiers in their given direction. She motioned to another group of soldiers in view, "Round up the citizens and have them evacuate, and someone get word to the higher ups about this!"
"Yes!" They spoke up, each of them going about their duties, and many of them leaving the walls with their gear. Many other soldiers were grouping together to set the cannons in preparation, whilst groups of them began fleeing down the side of the wall in order to try relaying word of this to other soldiers and the higher ups.
Ada's eyes rose, circulating the once peaceful view once more, only this time, one could hear the loud shrieks of the people over everything, only occasionally being encompassed by the sounds of large thuds from the incoming titans. All of those people she had just mentally affirmed to protect, and the breach happens right after? Her heart sank in her chest, and for a moment, amongst the swirling screams and displays of utter brutality by the monsters upon them, she lost track of everything else.
"Meier!" One of the women of the Garrison shouted, attempting to get her attention and hopefully direct her to something, since for some time she seemed to be standing there awe-stricken. It was to be expected. It was her first day, not even officially, given this was more or less a tour to get her acquainted, and she's greeted with the worst possible scenario.
Before the woman could speak up and accurately gain her attention, however, Ada left the wall, surfacing back with the assistance of her gear.
Sliding her foot back in placement, Ada's heel gripped the top edge of the wall, sending her barreling out into the city. She couldn't explain this - and if she were to get in trouble for it, she would have to be honest once her senses came back into focus. She was acting on adrenaline, every ounce of her body writhing with fear and demanding to retreat, but the weight of the pressure was pushing her relentlessly forward toward a goal that wasn't even mentally present enough to understand herself. Like her mind had to wait and work with what her body gave it.
"Should I-"
Alarich's beginning claim was quickly shut down as the caramel-haired woman firmly shook her head, "Don't worry about her! If we focus on the cannonfire, we can try putting a limit on the titans that trickle into the city!" Along with other Garrison soldiers, they began to fire the cannons, rains of projectiles crashing down into the oncoming titans.
"Ma'am, they aren't-" The sentiments were severed once more as the desperate Garrison soldiers were led to raise their firepower.
There were just so many, and each cannon was supplemented by more incoming titans, missed shots, and the already present ones beginning to regenerate due to the vital point of their nape being untouched. At this rate...
Holding the edge of the cannon, and closing his ears just after firing, Alarich quickly shifted his head back to his superior. His dark eyes were lighter and bluer, glossed over by an involuntary wetness as he struggled to pose his question, "Aren't we just... delaying them a little..?"
The woman roughly slapped the back of his head, a gesture considered unnecessary, perhaps, "Just focus on the canons!" However, pushing his attention back forward, the woman's brow furrowed deeply, a troublesome expression coming across her face to mask her own heavy panic, 'The Survey Corp. is the branch that's most adept in handling combat of titans... With them off on their expedition... that leaves the Garrison alone.'
"Damn..!" She shifted, peering off towards the other side where the fresh graduates were once cleaning. It seemed like they were called to assembly. That was good. Any chance they had to survive this, or better, succeed in this mess, relied on everyone being orderly.
Contrary to this notion, as the titans began to trickle in slow, barely presented streams, Ada, still wide-eyed, hooked her blade around her hand, swapping it off to her alternate hand's grip and slicing one of the titans that had come through her line of vision, completely unaware of her limbs or restraints. The pressure was granting her the uninhibited strength of adrenaline, and as the titan fell crashed down, one could see from the irregularly deep cut at its nape that this was an immeasurable benefit.
"She's going to wear her blades," One of the superiors mused aloud, and as the groups were dismissed in their place, one squad assembled in her direction, attempting to support her whilst simultaneously taking full advantage of her state.
Ada's eyes reached back to check the corner at her back, seeing the blurs in movements of others reaching out to her aid. Upon recognizing this was friendly assistance, rather than more incoming titans, she offered a subtle breath, her shaking in her hands quelling slightly. No one was interested in briefing or instructing, only offering her help in defeating some of the titans in her current area.
At that moment, one spoke out, a dark brown haired male that, by the looks of his thick facial hair, was by many years her veteran, "Don't stop on my account!" He hollered, waving over to her, "But watch your strikes - you'll dull your blade, and where'll that get ya?!"
'Dull my blade..?' Ada quickly shifted her head around to the bodies of titans that were disintegrating into vapor around her, much more than she had originally assumed. By her movements and partial loss of conscious-actions, she would assume she had taken out two, maybe three, but the bodies of five titans of mainly smaller meter classes were sprawled on the ground beneath her. Taking in the damage done, she could see the impacts to the nape, much deeper than necessary and having been cut with a swipe much stronger than intended. Even the other portions of their bodies were swarmed with cuts along their shoulders and arms as if she had stricken them indiscriminately in her blind attack. Her eyes took to her blade. It was still sharp, but from now on she would have to be careful. She nodded her head firmly adding a loud, "Yes, sir" for measure - after all, not many could afford to turn their heads from the impending threat.
"Our job is about to get harder!" One woman called, swiveling from her stance on the roof top to take notice of what was occuring at the rear, "The advance guard is already decimated!" The advance guard. They were supposed to have been taking on the titans directly from the breach and outside - it hadn't even been long since they were assembled.
Ada's eyes suddenly widened, a catch by her peripheral that it appeared the others hadn't yet notice. Propelling herself with the fuel fan, she attached a line, shooting forward, to try neutralizing the approaching threat whilst calling, "Look out!" A 15 meter titan raising up from behind her to set its sights on her place upon the roof.
The short haired blonde shifted her head, eyes growing wide at the sudden threat she was alerted to. Her feet swiveled to break away, at the likewise time that Ada had gone in to attempt to make the cut. The dark haired girl stopped, seeing the mustached veteran had sped past her to assist, only for the titan's hand to swiftly grip him whilst he propelled forward on the line he had made.
Her eyes widened, her body lurching to a complete halt. No, she couldn't be freezing, not now. 'Please, not now!' Her heart began to race, her speed picking up once more as she raced forward. She was much more conscious this time, focused on every passing moment of her action and feeling her body wanting to hesitate. Tears breached the lower lids of her eyes, though she quickly blinked them away to evade obstruction, delivering the necessary cut at a much more acceptable level of exerted strength.
The blood that emitted from the cut gave her more relief than fear, and despite it getting onto her clothes and skin, she was just happy she could-
Her eyes once more grew light and clouded. A Titan's blood... it evaporated - so then this...
As the titan fell, its hand came unclenched, the veteran unmoving from what appeared to be an inhumanly strong compression, and the other from the titan's bite, made solidified by the way the goliath's chin smashed against the ground.
Her breath hiked, her body beginning to feel as if it were going into panic mode from hyperventilation. As if in a twitch, her eyes began to shift and stop, pick up and go, taking in all that was happening around her. The squad she had somehow wound up in the middle of fighting, and while she would hate to slow them down or force them to protect her in her current state, she couldn't will herself to move. It was expected of a trainee, a fresh graduate. It was her first taste of this world they saw - this hellish place.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion to her - screams filling her ears and soldiers being snatched from the air, eaten right in front of her, dropped to the ground and trampled like insects. By this point she could practically feel her heartbeat echoing in her own ears, drowning out the sounds of her surroundings, and her vision was beginning to blur. Every wild action of gliding soldiers and crashing titans, fallen buildings and spurting blood streaming into one another as her eyes glazed slightly.
'I can't do this anymore... I-I can't...'
"Hey!" One of the squad members called, eyes wide with fear. She was just as terrified, if not more so than Ada, literally attempting to catch the darker complected girl's attention, all while her eyes glossed with the threat of tears, "We need your help!" The girl hadn't the slightest idea why Ada had gone from some titan killing machine to terrified and frozen, but it was proving to be a dent in their capabilities. "Please!" She practically screamed, titans amassing in greater numbers than before.
Ada senses returned all at once, and before she realized it, she was already taking to the air again. 'I don't know what I'm doing.. I.. I don't-' Her breath hiked, but attempting feebly to steel herself, her upper row of teeth bit down hard onto her bottom lip to try silencing any outward verbalizing of her doubt, and likewise hope the shock of pain would remove that same doubt from her thoughts. She didn't know what she could offer, but freezing in place or contemplating her role in all of this would have to wait until the fighting was done. 'We're making it out of here alive.' She didn't know if that was true or not, really... but it took reaffirming it within herself to hopefully believe it.
"I originally live in the Krolva District of Wall Rose, but the only other occupant is going to be enlisting among the branches t-" Lynette moved along to continue answering the question given to her, only to let the words fade upon hearing the rough opening of the office door.
"You're late," One of the other Military Police members scoffed, reclining back in his own place whilst seemingly turning his head to release a kink in his neck.
The incoming man with long, wavy and locked blond hair, took his seat, leaning back and beginning to rub at his temples, "Trost was breached."
Lynette's fingers interlocked, wedging into her lap. Her brow furrowed deeply, looking between the members in the room. She was antsy, a little anxious at the comment, but above all confused. They were all behaving so calmly; it was as if the issue didn't bother them at all. Her lips parted to speak, hesitating momentarily as a conversation between the two began to ensue.
"Is..." She finally spoke up, shifting her expression to each member in the room, "Is this... a joke? A simulation..?"
They looked at her almost blandly, seeming either confused or disinterested, one or the other. Moreover a couple maintained an expression that most-likely was the silent equivalent to, 'Does she really have the gaul to get involved with this conversation?' As if the very action of speaking up was an offense or demonstration of disrespect.
"No," The new entry spoke up, "That damned Colossal Titan did it again - broke open a spot for the other ones to get in."
That was all she needed to hear, really. The titans were flooding into the Trost District, which not only was home to who knew how many people that she had come to know in her childhood ventures, but as of now... Ada was supposed to be sent there on her first day of integration.
She placed her hands on the edges of her commander's desk, standing and pushing the chair up where it belonged.
"Where are you going?" The commander spoke up, though while not hostile, it seemed more as if he was just trying to get a handle on what she really intended to do. This girl had come to the Military Police for a reason hadn't she? To escape the conflict happening on the outside where danger was beginning to run rampant in the form of titans and breachings - so why the Hell-
"I'm going to the Trost District. I'm very sorry, and I hope you'll take my absence as respectfully as possible, but I have to go." Though her words were said in a kindly executed, almost sweet manner, her face remained as serious as just a moment ago, "But... if I may have a favor... can I use a horse?"
The other present officers past each other skeptical glances, the one that had spoken up about the others' tardiness being the first to verbalize his disagreement, "You shouldn't push your luck, kid. You're probably an hour away from being accepted into the Interior. Why don't you just keep calm, sit back down, and finish up your applying process, eh?"
Her brown eyes grew the slightest bit confrontational behind their warm front, but rather than speak ill, she merely shook her head. "I can't do that. I would love to still have the chance to be admitted, but I'm going, whether I'll be accepted or not."
She stayed firm, and though she still wished to have a horse in tow, her mind was racing to the extremes. She had mostly run to the Trost District from Krolva back in training. In the rain. This wouldn't have been nearly as difficult if it were necessary, especially with transportation within Wall Sina to be much more simple, since it was a smaller and more close-knit city formation.
Nile's hand dragged up his face, brows deeply knitting. "Leave here and look right. There's a horse in stall there."
For just a moment, the girl's eyes could be seen setting aglow. "Thank you, Commander, sir!" She nodded her head, then turned to run from the office, wasting absolutely no time whatsoever. There was no guarantee she would make it to Trost in time, especially given the fact it had already been breached. And how much time must have already passed for word to reach Wall Sina... but it didn't matter. As long as she got there. Otherwise the itch of not knowing what happened or who was still alive would have torn her apart before she could get word.
"Commander, what the hell?" One member spoke up. There was a slight buzzing of confusion amongst the small accumulation of officers in the room. It was far unlike Nile to be so agreeable in these situations. So then...
"Shut up," Nile blatantly stated, rubbing his thumb against the side of his temple. Although the officers seemed ignorant, he was far less left in the dark. It wouldn't have mattered what he would have said in that situation - whether he offered a horse or not, it wouldn't have deterred the girl from leaving. If anything, she may have just taken it on her own even if not given permission. There may have still been some things confusing about the situation, but one thing was made clear.
'She's just like that bastard.' A justice-type with blindly good-moraled ideals and needlessly reckless, it would make sense for him to recommend her. He lifted her paper in his hand, scanning over it once more, then narrowing his eyes lazily upon it. If she were anything like Erwin in more ways than she had already demonstrated... having her as an officer would be a royal pain in the ass.
"Hold on..." Lynette thought aloud, pressing out through the streets and weaving through the people to reach the posts where horses seemed to be occupying in small numbers. She brushed her hand against its snout, and sensing her intentions, its head rose to meet her halfway - it was agreeable, and well-trained it seemed. She mounted just as quickly as she had arrived, gripping the reigns around her hands and wasting no time in pushing forward, "I'll get there."
A/N: Ahhh... Yeah. First days all around. None of them going particularly well.
Now for all of you that are curious: Ada's main ability does lie in her adrenaline. It'll be explained further later, if you'd prefer it there, but I'll brief you.
Her training is rooted into her head, much like muscle memory and instinct. When fear and adrenaline sets in, her body starts to move almost on its own, while her mind kind of takes a back seat - unless that fear is just overcoming. By this, I mean, if this level of fear would usually render most people immobile, she'll most likely black out and act on instinct alone, like the Fight or Flight response on steroids.
But she DOES indeed suffer the usual backlashes of adrenaline, and there are some other drawbacks that will make themselves known as the story progresses.
Hope that's all clear for you, melodies~!
Thank you for reading and supporting, I'll see you sooooon~!