Another dreamless sleep...Or should it be, another sleepless night. Alfred was so excited for the morning's arrival that he'd wondered if he'd slept at all. In fact, he was so excited that he had nearly tripped over the edge of the bed post, half-tumbling down to the floor below. Matt's head popped up so quickly that he banged it against the top bunk, and both boys were left in a fit of pain, laughter, and gruff insults as they tried to blame the other for their plight. Leaving on a note like this wasn't so bad, Alfred thought as he made his way to the stables to join the rest of the departing Survey Legion. The Survey Legion that HE was now a part of!
"Good morning, Alfie!"
Alfred assumed Sasha had said, considering the girl was attempting to communicate with a roll sticking out of her mouth. She was standing aside a horse that was nearly the same color as her hair, brushing it smooth, careful motions.
"Heh, good morning to you too, Sasha! How was breakfast this morning?"
Sasha swallowed hard, consuming the entire roll in a matter of seconds.
And that's why she's one of my best friends."
"Oh it was great! Didn't you get any? Cause if you didn't get any, I stole seconds without the cooks seeing." Sasha flipped open the saddle bag to reveal that she had managed to snag a large stash. "It's for the road, ya know? In case I get hungry."
"You mean when you get hungry, right?"
Sasha gazed at Alfred knowingly before sticking her tongue out, causing the young man to stick his tongue out right back.
"What are you two doing over here?"
It was Connie, whom was already mounted upon his steed and seemed uncharacteristically eager for such a mission to begin.
"Hey, Connie! You ready to head out?" Alfred absentmindedly wonder which horse he should take for the journey.
"You bet I am! I heard that we're going to make a pit-stop at Trost first for supplies. It'll be fun to be back in the city-life, I was getting tired of this sand-pit of doom and gloom."
Trost...That was where Matthew was being assigned as well, Alfred recalled.
Heh, can't seem to get away from him…
"Trost...Isn't that where Jean is from?" Sasha pointed out, sneaking another bit of roll before securing the saddlebag and fiddling with the bridle.
"I'm pretty sure that's where he's from…." Connie looked off to the side, contemplative. "Have either of you heard from him since the incident? I didn't even see him at graduation."
Alfred shrugged his shoulders. He'd known full well where Jean had been, but his new-found respect for his classmate kept him from saying it. Instead he responded with his usual catty-quips.
"Not sure. I'll bet you that he's just off somewhere gloating at the fact that we're all off risking our lives as Heros while he's safe behind his little Wall with the king."
"Oi, at least I have enough common sense to not offer myself as Titan chow."
All three heads spun as they spotted their overconfident classmate in his typical matter-of-fact pose. Arms crossed and half-leaning against the door of the stable, Jean kicked at the dirt, walking over to join them just a stall or so away. He had stopped at the stall of a particularly lovely mare, who flicked her ears towards him, nostrils flared and eyes bright. Jean patted her on the nose softly and the horse nearly shook with delight.
"Wow, Jean, you really know how to charm the ladies." Alfred smirked.
"Oh shut it, four-eyes." He'd already adopted the most painful insult into his repertoire. "Look, I just came to say goodbye to everyone, okay? Like you so brilliantly deduced, I'm going to be going into the Military Police. I said that from the beginning, didn't I?"
"Awww, but Jean! You're one of the top ten in the entire Squad. You would have been a great addition to the Survey Corps." Sasha interjected, hopping up on the back of her horse to stand aside Connie now.
"Not to mention, " Alfred continued, "You'd get to ride on horses all the time. I know you'd like that."
Jean shot him a deadly glare, to which Alfred could only stifle his fit of giggles.
"Just to enlighten a few air-heads in the room," Jean stared directly at Alfred who winked back at him, "I'm not just staying for my sake. I'm not the only one who's going into the Military Police; Annie, and Gilbert are joining."
"Oh that's right, I forgot about Annie…" Connie scratched his nearly-bald head. Alfred wasn't surprised that he'd forgotten about her. She didn't really stand out much, aside from the fact that she was nearly the same height he was and had a nose that could poke your eye out if you looked at it funny. The stoic blonde only meant one thing to Alfred: constant contempt. She always seemed upset at the world, focused on her own thoughts. She was an incredible fighter, though.
"Besides." Alfred tore himself away from his inner reflections to listen to Jean again. "Someone has to keep an eye on Marco so he doesn't get into trouble."
Sasha's features softened as the girl shared a relieved smile with Connie.
"How's he doing, by the way?" Alfred chimed in.
"Oh that freckled wonder never ceases to amaze. He woke up a few hours ago wondering if everyone had made it out safely after the Titan attacked...Hey you! Stop it."
Jean pushed the mare's nose back away from him as she'd started to tug at his jacket requesting more affection.
"Well, I don't think there's anyone that's better suited for the job. Don't let me forget I still owe him a proper greeting whenever we get back from our next mission."
Jean snorted.
"Ceh, like I'd let you forget."
"Oh oh! Say 'hi' to him from me and Connie, okay?" Sasha added.
"Hey, did I say that I wanted to be added in with you?" Connie gripped the reins tighter, a light blush appear on his high-cheek bones. "But...yeah can you say 'hi' for me too, Jean?"
Jean blinked, touched by the concern his friends had shared with their mutual buddy and for once, genuinely smiled.
"Sure. He'll be happy to hear it."
After a few more heartfelt goodbyes, girl tears, and manly hugs, the Survey Legion and their new graduate members set off for Trost in a thundering herd. In no particular rush considering they were still safe behind the Wall and travel would take at most two days, the caravan was momentarily light-hearted. Some of the graduates were chatting up the older recruits, hoping to gain insight on "a day in the life", while others were preoccupied with their classmates-even though Alfred knew that they were all talking about Corporal Levi.
The man rode on his dark black horse with a straight back and an emotionless gaze. He paced next to Commander Erwin, who was all the while holding an intense conversation with another blonde male that Alfred could only assume was Mike Zacharius. Alfred was just a few horse lengths behind the incredible collection of fighters amidst Eren and his gang. Now that Alfred no longer had Matthew or Gilbert to pal around with, and sometimes being around Sasha and Connie when they were acting like a couple was way too awkward, he'd maneuvered his way into their inner circle.
They weren't the most talkative bunch, but Alfred enjoyed the company of some of the strongest fighters in the 104th Training Squad. Plus, Eren was the only one who truly understood his joy with being on the Survey Legion and enacting revenge. What better way to bond than over Titans?
"Hey Eren, " Alfred whispered, fully aware that Mikasa was judging his every move from on her horse just to Eren's left.
"Huh? What is it?"
"You see that woman over there?" Alfred pointed towards the glasses-wearing chestnut -haired soldier that was having a one-sided conversation with the Corporal. "Do you know who she is?"
"That's Hanji Zoe," Armin asserted from just behind Alfred, "She's apparently a very well known Titan researcher and is one of the most knowledgeable in her field. But she's also an outstanding warrior and reports directly to Commander Erwin."
A mischievous glint appeared in Alfred's eyes as he looked back to him.
"Oh really? A Titan scientist, eh?"
"Why are you so curious, Alfred?" Eren rose a brow at his classmate's suspicious behavior.
"Oh no reason….I just wanted to know a bit more about her. You know, since we're going to be members of the same Squad now. It's not like I'm planning to get on her good side so that I can rise in the ranks or anything and bond over our mutual wearing of glasses."
The trio shared a moment of silence.
"Uh, Alfred-"
"Can't talk now! Thanks for the information, Armin. See you three later!" With that, Alfred trotted off, leaving them in a state of confusion and concern.
Alfred caught up to Erwin's pack within a few strides and settled himself next to Hanji. He showed off an unabashed grin and saluted from on top of his horse, having to fumble to put the reins back in his hands and not lose his balance.
"Ma'am! Am I right in asking that you're Hanji Zoe?"
The woman stared, wide-eyed at the display until she managed to make sense of the situation enough to grin in return.
"Why yes I am! But I don't think I caught your name. You're one of the new recruits, right? Love the goggles, that was one of my designs you know."
Alfred turned usual charm to full blast and pushed the battle-goggles further up the bridge of his nose.
"No kidding! They're definitely a work of genius."
"Years and years of research and many failed attempts during scouting missions. Lost a lot to that one, but we can now gain so much more!" The woman gave Alfred a once-over before gaining a quizzical expression.
"But something tells me that you're not really here to talk about the dynamics and inner mechanisms behind the design of your goggles, are you?"
"No, Ma'am, I actually wanted to discuss some things about the up-coming mission with you. I heard that we're heading to Trost before the reconnaissance mission. Is that correct?"
"Yes. We're just doing a bit of restocking supplies and transferring of troops before we continue." She paused and pressed a free hand to her heart as they road. "I know that you rookies are looking forward to getting your first blood, but there will be much of that to come."
Alfred thought he saw her smile weaken slightly at that and feared he was losing his grip on the conversation. He hurriedly devised a comeback for his plan.
"Oh don't worry! I'm not too focused on getting out there and killing Titans," he fibbed, "What I'd really like to do is learn more about them, you know? Figure out what makes them tick, why they even attack people...Things like that."
Hanji's face had transformed into something Alfred couldn't even begin to describe. Amusement? No. Rapture? No. Scary beyond all reason?
Possibly.
"Ahahah! You've come to the right place if you'd like to learn about Titans." Hanji sat up straighter in her saddle, not breaking her concentration at all as the formation began turning to the left, "I happen to be the leading expert on Titan studies and experimentation. I'm always happy to share it with those who desire to understand the complexity and majesty that is the 'Titan'! Ahh but where to begin? Do you already know about their movement habits? Of course you know of their weakness but that is only scratching the surface of their irregular habits and characteristics. Oh the list just goes on and on!"
Alfred could have sworn he heard a sigh issue from Corporal Levi, the rigid man kicking his horse's sides to edge the beast onwards and out of earshot. Alfred wondered if he should have done the smart thing and followed suit.
"I-I'm all ears…."
After two days and many, many hours of hearing Hanji discuss everything she'd ever learned about the manner and lifestyle of the Titan, the group made it to Trost. They set themselves up in inns near the center of town to await further instruction regarding their next mission. Connie had been placed in a room with him and was in the midst of muttering things about Alfred abandoning him with Sasha for the entire trip. All Alfred wanted to hear was the sound of his own snoring, and soon enough he fell into an exhausted slumber.
Arthur's Note: Well, that chapter turned out very differently from what I intended it to be XD; Sorry again for the filler, but hopefully you got to see a bit more SNK action there! Since Alfred's pretty isolated from the rest of the Hetalia gang, it could be strictly them for a while, but the next chapter is going to be a BIG game changer and I don't even know if I'll be able to do it correctly xox Ahhh...Thank you guys for dealing with my slow writing. I haven't been very motivated to write lately and I apologize. 3 Thank you for reading, and as always, comments/suggestions appreciated!