Chapter 14: A Cruel World
For the past three weeks, the members of the Survey Corps had been hard at work. The event with the Colossal Titan's reappearance, the development of Eren's titan power, and the move of HQ had taken its toll on everyone. Erwin gave most of HQ the day off. They would be setting out on a mission soon and he thought it best to give everyone a break. Some of the soldiers left HQ for the day but a majority stayed behind and spent the day at HQ.
Sasha, the always hungry farm girl, organized a potluck so that everyone would eat lunch together in the front lawn. With baskets of food before them, they ate to their heart's content. Officers and enlisted soldiers were both there; both were just having a good time and, for a moment, forgetting their differences in rank.
After having their fill of food, they lay down on the soft grass and talked. "If the titans were annihilated, what would you do?" asked Sasha
"Well they're not dead so there's really no point in talking about. We might get one-step closer to defeating them but it's probably not going to happen in our lifetime." Someone replied
"Don't be a spoil sport." Sasha protested
"I would transfer to the military police." said Jean. They laughed, it was Jean, of course he would transfer to the MPs.
"I would go beyond the walls," said Connie, "I would start a farm and the first colony outside the walls."
Sasha looked at him longingly, "I would like that." Someone did a wolf whistle, before long, three other people had whistled. Flustered, Sasha said, "What would you do, Annie?" Annie stared at the sky.
"I would leave the walls and live in the wilderness." She did not say it but everyone knew that she meant, "Live in the wilderness alone." However, in her heart of hearts, she wanted a family. She did not want to be alone. But to be alone was all she knew.
"What would you do, Armin?"
"I would explore the world, looking for the ocean. What about you, Eren?"
"I'd go with you, of course." In a way, Armin was, out of the three friends, the one who knew himself the most. He knew who he was and what he wanted in life. Eren's life mission was to kill all the titans, of course. However, what was in store for him after the titans?
"Mikasa?" asked Eren
"I would go with the people I love." was all she said. Eren wondered if that still meant him and Armin. Even if she did not know if for herself, Eren knew that, her love for Levi would only grow. He looked at Levi, sitting only a few feet away from him. Eren had taken Mikasa's constant friendship and companionship for granted. He had always assumed that she would be by his side forever. Never thinking that someone else might whisk her away. "Treasure her, Levi," he thought, "treasure her."
"What would you do, Levi?" asked Eren. Levi looked at Erwin as if a memory had just struck him. Levi had been asked a similar question years ago. However, the last time he was asked, he was living underground, unable to breathe the fresh air.
"I would steal some 3DMG and live a life with the Military Police constantly chasing me." The others looked at him strangely. Only Erwin laughed.
"You know that I would have you behind bars in no time." said Erwin, a smile on his face
"What would you do, Erwin?
"I'm sure there would be enough paperwork and after mission reports to keep me occupied for the rest of my life. I would stay with the Survey Corps. Our mission, instead of investigating the titans would be investigating the world outside the walls.
"What would you do, Hanji?"
"I'm a scientist, through and through. We still have to figure out exactly what the titans are and how they came about. After knowing the answers to those questions, I would write the "Anatomy and History of Titans". After that, I'm sure something else will pop up for me to do."
They sat in silence after that. Each contemplating a world without titans. But the world is a cruel place and a world without titans is nothing more than a faraway dream.