Sons
Achi glared at the boy too stupid for his own good as he stood there enveloped in the dark in similar fashion to back then on that rainy afternoon with disdain. She had just wanted to go out for some fresh air. Instead, here she was, listening to him go on about his troubles with Annie.
Sitting on the curb of the street after growing tired of standing, she scowled when he mentioned something about not being able to understand her whereupon he went silent and stared at the ground with a dumb, sad look on his face.
"Maybe she doesn't want you to," she suggested. "Ever think of that? You're a nosy, stupid bastard, after all."
"I'm not… Even if I have to force it on her, I'll... help her..."
Achi had heard a rumor from Ymir. About a fellow trainee's late night escapades. Of what Ymir had looked into out of curiosity, that one night, she had caught someone in the act. A certain blonde-haired midget with a cold eyes and a very distinctive nose. That she hadn't merely been trying to sneak notes for the next exam, but, things better left… unsaid.
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you want to help her with?
"I'm not giving up!" Fritz whispered softly as he looked up. "Even if I have to force it on her, I will help her! I'm not giving up!" he shouted as he pumped a fist in front of himself—just as a man came of nowhere, walking with a craned neck. It connected with the man's jaw.
He grunted, but didn't stagger in the slightest, and reflexively grabbed Fritz by the uniform. He was a big man, comparable to Reiner in size—maybe even bigger—with a patch of cropped black hair atop his head that gleamed in the moonlight, and was so red in the face that he looked like a tomato ready to burst.
That dumbass, in comparison, looked like one of Sasha's potatoes that she devoured daily, almost already gone as the man's chest puffed out and his mouth grew wide enough to eat him whole, but. whatever he was about to scream was cut off by someone else behind him.
"Ramberg! What's the hold up?!"
A female of medium height with a round face and curly brown hair came into view, wearing a military uniform similar to the man she was shouting at.
"Who're these kids?"
She was carrying a large bag of something in her arms and had to peer around it to get a good look at the three of them. Achi could smell freshly baked bread coming from the large bag in question.
The man, Ramberg, looked back. "This punk punched me in the face. I was just about teach him some manners."
"Huh? Oh! Are you two recently graduated trainees?!" the woman exclaimed, beaming. Calling the big man over, she wanted him to take her large bag of bread.
"Wha—! No! This punk, he—"
"Whatever he did, can't you forgive him? It's their graduation night after all!" she said with a laugh. Then, she approached them and introduced herself as Kalia Bendlin, a member of the Garrison, pointing to the patch on her shoulder. "And the big guy with the short fuse is my assistant, believe it or not." She glanced back. "Ramberg? You mind…?"
The big man was still seething. Though, he obliged. "Eugen Ramberg of the Garrison!"
She and Fritz just stared back and said nothing. After a few moments of silence, the atmosphere got awkward and the woman cleared her throat, then looked between them.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce yourselves? Well, well?!"
"T-That's right," Fritz replied after a short pause now that his life wasn't in danger. Though, he still looked a bit shaken. "I'm Friedrich Brandt and this is—"
Achi outstretched an arm in front of his chest. She fixed him with a harsh eye. "I can introduce myself." She scoffed at Fritz's lack of tact. "Achi."
The woman clasped her hands together. "Oh! Perfect! We're on our way to a party held by some of the Garrison members! You can both join us!"
"But, Squad Leader—!"
"Nope!"
Later, Achi, reluctant, and Fritz, excited, were being led by the woman with a big man taking up the rear, still carrying the large bag of baked goods and grumbling to himself.
The streets became narrower as they went, the houses became closer, and the air became thinner. Beside her, just about one uppercut away from being too inside her personal space, Fritz recounted the way they were taking as leading to one of the old abandoned neighborhoods and he wondered aloud why members of the Garrison would host a party in such a place.
One of the old buildings had its lights on, and as Fritz continued on about the Garrison, to spare herself of his ramblings she sized the building itself. It wasn't what someone would expect from an abandoned home—it was well maintained and looked to be recently cleaned.
At the front door, she noticed it was still in good condition and that there was only one window that illuminated the empty street next to it. There was muffled chatter coming from inside and the distinct knocking of bottles.
The woman stopped in front of the door and glanced over her shoulder. "Ok, we're here!" she said. "Hey Ramberg, be useful and open this door!"
"Yeah yeah," he grumbled, locking eyes with Fritz as he passed. "Punk," he whispered, setting down the bag and opening the door. "There..."
"Thanks! Now, get back to carrying that bag and set it on the table!"
"Why me?!"
"Because I said so," Kalia retorted.
That earned a chuckle from Achi.
The cheerful woman ushered them inside, and quickly shut the door behind. After introducing them, she offered them what was in her large bag of baked goods: a kind of rough, sweetened bread called a donut, which only those in the Inner Walls could commonly afford. How she had acquired it, the only thing she revealed was that she had a friend in a high place.
Standing in the corner of the room, eating one of them, Achi had to admit they were very delicious, rivaling what the old man used to bake, and watched the woman move between the Garrison members gathered around, sitting and drinking and eating and laughing along with them, transitioning smoothly from one small group to the next, and before long she broke away, plopping down on a chair she'd brought over and smiling broadly at her.
"So."
"So?"
The woman playfully twirled one of her curls. "Are you two friends?"
"Huh?" Her eyes went to Fritz briefly, in the midst of a number of the Garrison, seemingly the life of the party. He said something, and those listening erupted in laughter. "No, he's not," she said. Even the big man, Ramberg, who was sulking in a nearby corner, chuckled at Fritz's jokes.
"Then,"—the woman's smile, playful like a cat with a toy, turned mischievous—"Are you two… you know…"
Achi scowled. "No chance in hell would I be involved with that. I just happened to run into him after the girl he liked rejected him." Or whatever he had been going on about back there. Which, he sure was taking it well…
The woman followed her gaze. "Hm…"
The morrow after, she and Fritz stumbled out of their beds that the military had rented out for them and the other trainees, and after donning their uniforms, went outside in the hot sun to a crowd on either sides of the street. Everyone was looking to the north, the direction of the gate, at something coming down the street.
"What's going on? A parade?" Achi groaned. She couldn't see anything over the crowd.
"It's the Scouting Legion," she heard Fritz say, trying to peer over people's heads when he yelped in surprise. Kalia had came up behind him and put her arm around his shoulder, grinning widely.
"Looks like they're back!" she exclaimed. "See, look! There's Commander Erwin!" she said, pointing. Through the crowd, Achi caught glimpse of a man with blonde hair atop a horse at the helm. "And behind there's Hange! Long time no see you!" she shouted. Hearing Kalia's voice, the glasses-wearing woman presumably named Hange looked in their direction and waved as passed, continuing along with the rest of the Scouting Legion down the street. "She's an old friend from my trainee days," Kalia said to her. "But, you know, that's funny… I don't see Ines with her."
The mention of this "Ines" caused Fritz's eyes to widen and he suddenly sprang up, startling them.
"Did you say Ines?!" he exclaimed, peering closer at the men and women on horseback who were riding through the street.
"Yeah, I did..." Kalia replied softly. "Do you know her?"
"She's my older sister..."
Kalia's eyes widened in recognition. "Ah! I knew your name sounded familiar! Ines always talked about you!"
"S-she did?!"
"Yes, yes! Well, then, let's see if we can spot her! Achi, you too! Come on!"
Achi groaned.
Further along during the day, noon or after she hadn't been keeping attention, she and Fritz were on top of Wall Rose, helping to place battlements and inspect the cannons with another graduate whose name was Jayce.
Taking a drink of water from her canteen, Achi peered down the Wall at the road which led away from the District. She wondered where the others were positioned...
