The Despairful 104th Cadet Corps: Krista and Ymir.
Deciding to catch up with the blonde girl, Mukuro moved out of her seat and left the mess hall. Once outside and after walking past the Kirschstein guy who was mumbling something about his trust in humanity, she looked left and right in search of Le―Krista. After doing that for a few seconds and not finding a clue of where she could be, she decided to improvise and search around the girl's barracks, that seemed like her best bet of where begin.
With that plan in mind, Mukuro―
"H-Hey, wait a moment!"
―Stopped herself mid-step to turn around at the origin of the voice that 'Maybe?' called her out. When she did that, she was met with that same ash-brown-haired boy from just moments ago approaching her while looking…Wary? Nervous perhaps? She noticed that his skin was a tone redder than what she recalled back in the mess hall. 'Did he caught some fever?'
Nevertheless, it seemed he was truly addressing her, which considering she had other matters to attend to, Mukuro decided to quickly get this done with a flat "What is it?"
It appears she hit on the spot about the nervous suspicion "O-Oh, um…I was wondering…are…are…" He breathed in and out, before looking at her with a determined expression "…Are you meeting with someone!?"
…
…
…Meeting with someone…?
Once done with that question, Kirschstein's face began to turn redder by the second, all the while a look of anticipation was plastered on it.
As for Mukuro herself…
"…I am, what of it?" She replied back with narrowed eyes and a not small amount of wariness. It wasn't like there was anything particularly wrong or suspicious with her actions 'Though the same can't be said about Krista…', but that doesn't mean she has to like people sticking their noses where they weren't called for.
For some strange reason, the moment she gave that response the anticipation on Kirschstein turned into a frozen expression of dismay and despair.
"…I see…I see…I see…I…" The Kirschstein boy began to mumble the same thing again and again as if it were a mantra of sorts while leaving to who knows where. Somewhere in between, she saw that he slipped his hand in the back of that bald kid from this morning, leading to a one-sided quarrel.
It wasn't until she could no longer see him that she allowed herself to recede in her wariness and tension, though she still kept her brows furrowed.
Even putting aside that what she was doing was none of his business, was it a coincidence that he asked her if she was going to look for someone? Or could it be that somehow, he caught up on her intentions? If so, how? Some kind of advanced intuition? It wouldn't be the first time she has met someone like that, so the possibility is there. There was also his reaction after she gave her response, it was…well, weird was putting it lightly.
Either way, that Kirschstein guy seems like another person she should be cautious around. Who knows what's inside that head of his.
Mukuro shook her head in slight exasperation and sighed, mainly because of that waste of time from just a second ago, and opted to finally get moving in search of―
"Damn, girl, didn't took ya for a professional heartbreaker, though that guy reaction tells another story, eh?" Again!?
In just the same spot where the ashen-brown-haired guy from before called her, the other freckled girl from earlier, Ymir, stood leaning against the wall just beside the dining hall entrance with a smirk on her face.
Before she could say anything else, something about her earlier comment caught her attention.
"…Heartbreaker?" What was she talking about?
"Tch, don't act as if you don't know what you just did a few moments ago…" When Ymir saw her even more confused face, a look of realization appeared on her own "…Oi, don't tell you're that kind of person? Because if that's the case…pfft, are ya for real? Did ya lived under a rock to be that dense?" The brown-haired girl mocked.
Mukuro's face turned into the earliest of scowls, not being in the mood to deal with her attitude "…Whatever" That was all she said before turning and finally getting moving…
…Only for a few moments later, hearing footsteps following in her direction. Having a clear idea of who it was, Mukuro turned around, this time with an actual scowl on her face "Why are you following me?"
Rather than looking intimidated, Ymir looked as if Mukuro personally offended her "Hah? First of all, shit, that is some seriously creepy face you're making right there, no wonder you didn't gave me a reaction back in the mess hall. Second, don't think so highly of you freckles, I'm not following ya, it just so happens that I'm going in the same direction as you"
…
…Mukuro deadpanned at that "Is that so?"
"It is" Ymir commented nonchalantly with a shrug.
…
…
…Sigh.
She has no immediate method to know if Ymir was telling the truth or not. Oh, she didn't believe her, but she can't prove if she's lying either, and it doesn't help that the barracks of the girls are in the same direction she's heading, so Mukuro can't really call her out of it. Meanwhile, retorting to violence or threats of the level that could work on the dark-brown-haired girl when all Mukuro is doing is checking on Krista would be…
Would it make her any different than the past her?
…Yeah, that's motivation enough to not go that route…
…Which leaves only another alternative.
Mukuro gave one last audible sigh, before, for the last time 'Hopefully', she turned and resumed her path in search of Krista. While doing so, she could feel a headache developing from the smugness radiating from the other girl.
"By the way, are ya sure that blonde girl went this way?"
A really big one.
It took a great deal of patience to not snap at the other freckled girl and continue walking, more out of not wanting any more interruptions to detain her than anything else. The silver lining though, was that after that previous incident and besides some glances Ymir threw her way from time to time, they continued their pace devoid of any attempts of conversation, it was just the two of them looking for the tiny blue-eyed girl.
Although Mukuro would be lying if she were to say that she wasn't curious about what reasons could Ymir have to look for Kirsta too. It wasn't something reaching the point of nagging her, but the lack of other things to think about made such a query reach the top of her brain area dedicated to musing about things.
Was Ymir worried about Krista? Did she want to find her in the middle of whatever Krista was doing to blackmail her? Was it simply curiosity? Mukuro didn't truly knew the other freckled girl, but from what she has seen about her so far, the second and third options seemed the most plausible, the former much more than the latter.
All in all, Mukuro's own course of action will depend on what the blonde girl was doing.
Something she's soon about to need to think about if what she's hearing is any indication.
"Eh!? G-God!? Is that you, God!? Thank you, God!"
In the distance, illuminated by a single torch she could see two girls, Krista, who was still holding a piece of bread and a water canteen, and the potato girl, Blou―Sasha, who was waving the blonde back and forth while giving prayers in her name.
Huh.
"Oi, what's happening here?" Ymir called out, which made both girls turn in their direction and alert them of their presence.
"Ah!" The brunette took that as her cue to snatch the ration from the blue-eyed girl and begin to gulp it down at an incredibly fast rate without care of possibly choking. 'She must be really hungry…'
Meanwhile, it was Krista who answered Ymir's inquiry in a nervous tone of voice "Oh, it's you two…u-um, you see, she spent the whole day running" She said while glancing at Sasha.
To her slight surprise, instead of any snarky remarks, the other freckled girl's features turned deadly serious as she addressed the blonde once more "I wasn't talking about potato girl; it was to you"
"Huh?" It seems it was an unexpected turn of events for Krista too.
"Both me and freckles saw when you hid your piece of bread during dinner…" So, she noticed it too, huh? "…And it pissed me off, it was no different than seeing a spoiled brat who finds an animal, feds it, and keeps it hidden from their parents because they want a pet"
The contempt with which she said that was palpable enough to put Krista in an agitated mood, making her hesitant of giving any response to that.
On the other hand, Mukuro…can sort of understand where Ymir is coming from. This world is a place where, save for the nobility and those living in the most affluent regions inside Wall Sina perhaps, messing with food is no different than sinning. The incident from one year ago is proof that next to the titans, its management, acquisition, and consumption of such resources is a problem of the biggest priority. When putting things under that perspective, the dark-brown-haired girl's claim is a valid one.
However, what truly resonated within her, was what Ymir said next.
"Tell me, this 'good deed' of yours…are you doing it for the sake of potato girl…or because you seek a sense of either accomplishment or moral superiority out of this?"
Mukuro knew that this question was meant for Krista…even so, she couldn't help but unconsciously begin to ponder about this by herself. Was she going through all this trouble for the sake of this world's humanity? No, she didn't even have to think hard about it to come for that answer, the habitants of this place held no weight in her decisions to contribute to the cause against the Titans. Then what about feeling good about herself? Not…really? Guilt is a factor that plays a role in her current mindset, that much is true, but she doesn't seek to get rid of said guilt, quite the opposite, she embraces it as a catalyst to keep moving forward and she will continue to do so until the day she dies…again.
No matter how much and for how long she mulls over this, the most accurate answer she could give to herself is that she does what she does because it's a fit self-imposed punishment, and it's only that way because they aren't here to do so on their own terms.
Regardless of where she sees her actions leading towards, Krista gathered enough bravery to give an answer of her own "…I…The reason I wanted to this was…because I want to be seen as helpful…" Then she turned to face directly into Ymir's eyes "…You think that's a good reason?"
At that, the dark-brown-haired girl's features turned full of stoicism, betraying no emotion, with her and only her being capable of figuring out what was running inside the deeps of her mind.
"Hah!? The hell do I know?" Although it only lasted for a second before she returned to her rude self. Regardless this seemed like the end of this short but intense conversation.
"Oh, I see…um, what about you, Mukuro?" Or not.
What?
She would be lying if she were to say that it didn't caught her off guard "M-Me? What do you mean?"
"Uh, I was wondering what do you think of my reason to do what I did, do…do you approve of it?" The blue-eyed girl asked while fidgeting and acting as a heavy contender of the puppiest eyes she has ever seen in her life.
Ymir too, she could see from the corner of her eye, was giving her an inconspicuous and serious glance, as if expecting a correct answer from her part. As for herself, Mukuro didn't knew what to do, she has never been consulted for these kinds of things in her life, both current and past, and for a just reason: She's terrible at it.
From an objective point of view, what Krista did was wrong, instructor Shadis assigned a punishment for Sasha and she's interfering with it by giving her both food and water…even so, that didn't truly answer her question and for some reason neither feels…right, so to speak.
…
"…I don't think my opinion matters…" It's not like she truly had one in the first place "…Those were your actions, so it should be up to only you to decide whether that was the right or the wrong thing to do…" In the end, she opted for a tactical retreat.
Krista seemed slightly disappointed with that answer, which was a reasonable reaction seeing that Mukuro didn't gave her any real answer.
Weirdly enough, and it may be her imagination, Mukuro swore she saw Ymir being the opposite case for a second, but whether that happened or not will remain a mystery, after all, it wouldn't surprise her that she was just misinterpreting the brown-eyed girl expression.
"Anyway…" Ymir spoke, breaking the silence that followed her answer "…I'm carrying potato girl back to the barracks" Because yes, somewhere in between the brunette fell asleep in Krista's lap.
"Huh? Are you doing a good deed too?" Asked a surprised Krista.
Though Ymir just waved off her question "Me? Nah, I'm just doing this so she owes me a favor…Heh, I bet I can find a good use to her stupidity"
…Sigh.
Of course she would. Not even twenty-four, scratch that, not even two hours and Mukuro already can't be surprised that was her reason. She truly is in front of a troublemaker through and through.
…Should she report it to instructor Shadis?
"Oi, freckles, you comin' or what? Our asses are gonna froze if we stay here any longer"
"Ymir!"
That girl was certainly making it a tempting option.
By the time they reached the barracks, the rest of the cadets were already inside, with people either sleeping or having enough energy to chat with their bed partners.
Speaking of which.
Looking to her left she can see who most probably is going to be hers for the next three years.
It was a short blonde-haired girl, barely taller than Krista by an inch, and both her hair and skin were of a paler tone. Her current attire was that of a grey jacket with a dark hoodie underneath it along with dark grey pants. Mukuro couldn't tell much more about her considering she was already asleep, but the fact that she took the effort to leave some space for her unknown 'As far as she's aware…' bedmate, left a positive first impression.
Though leaving aside that, it seems that their entrance caught enough attention for a few faces to turn in her, Krista, and Ymir's direction, double so when they saw what Ymir was carrying.
"Eh? Is that girl…?" A chestnut-haired girl with freckles on her face 'Are they a common thing here?' asked.
"Yep, potato girl" Ymir replied with a strong emphasis on the p.
"Um, is she alive?" A dark-haired girl with a pair of ponytails asked in a worried voice.
"It may not seem like it, but yeah, Shadis hasn't claimed her life…yet"
"…What about―"
It seems so many questions were putting Ymir in a cranky mood "Look, I've been carrying her all the way here, and to make things worse, this weirdo is already beginning to drool and I don't wanna get dirty, so can we drop it with the questions and tell me where does she sleep so I can get rid of her?"
"O-Oh, right, I think I saw her unpack her bag over there" The chestnut-haired girl from earlier commented while pointing to the right corner of the room.
Ymir gave an acknowledging grunt before moving towards the pointed bed. That was all Mukuro required to take as a cue to follow her bedmate's steps and go to sleep. No doubt they will be called as soon as the first rays of the sun take a peek, perhaps earlier than that to finally begin their true training, which is why any extra shut-eye she could get will be well received for what's to come.
Though one last surprise occurred before that.
"Oh, goodnight, Mukuro!"
Krista's farewell weirded her out for a moment, but she quickly recovered and steeled her nerves to reply back with a quick nod, which fortunately the blue-eyed girl quickly acknowledged and turned to follow behind the other freckled girl.
…
…Today has been…strange. At least in certain areas it certainly was.
The installations, the food, the living conditions, the instructor, and the workout on the first day felt completely natural for her, how could it not? Her experience back on Fenrir was similar to her current environment, maybe it was a bit less forgiving back then but those are small details that don't truly change anything to her in the grand scheme of things regarding how much she does feel in her natural territory here.
Some part of her still wonders at that, having expected to have a harder time adapting back to the soldier lifestyle, such is the case…that a corner of her mind fears that she will recede back into the monster she used to be as time passes during her stay. So far, she has done well in avoiding being as aggressive as she used to when dealing with people out of her 'small, very, very small' comfort zone. Taking Kirschstein for example, she knows that if she were the exact same Mukuro from a few years ago, someone who hadn't ground into her head over and over again all the wrong she has done in her life, she would've reacted more strongly at his accurate querying, and let's not even talk about that black-haired girl from this morning…
…The same black-haired girl that has been giving her the occasional glance since she entered the room along with Ymir and Krista.
She seriously isn't giving herself any favors.
On the weird side of things, though, was her early impression of her fellow cadets. It's too early to take anything for granted but from what she has seen so far, they certainly lean into being of the eccentric bunch category, that Sasha girl did help into giving her that opinion. Of course, the brunette wasn't the only example. Kirschstein, that loud boy who claims he will kill all the titans, the bald kid who did the salute the wrong way, Ymir and Krista are people who come to mind when thinking about that, and if it's only the first day, she could only imagine how many of individuals like those will make themselves known as time goes on.
For some strange reason, something about their quirkiness…nags her, it doesn't reach the point about thinking of them as dangerous or having a bad feeling about them, no, it's a different thing, though she just can't put a finger on what is it then.
That made her slightly shake her head to wave off those thoughts, she wasn't in a hurry to understand such feelings and neither has the interest to, it certainly hasn't anything to do with her objective so might as well keep it in some corner and left it to dust.
Not wasting any time, she finally settled into bed.
After doing that, she closed her eyes to allow her consciousness to drift away, glad to finally leave behind the possibility of any other weird occurrence from happen―
"Whoosh…"
…Did her bedmate just murmured 'Whoosh'?
…
…
…
…She really needs to stop thinking ahead of herself.
Mukuro made two discoveries the next morning.
First, instructor Shadis wasn't lying, they served more than a single meal per day. She saw proof of that when they were called out for breakfast, no doubt for the first and last time while going on their own accord from now onwards, and they did indeed served food. The only strange thing she would point out about it was that after picking up her portion…both Ymir and Krista decided to take a seat at the same table as her while biding her good morning. Well, it was more like Krista did as such and the other freckled girl was just following her, both in taking a seat and greeting her, if that neutral grunt from the dark-brown-haired girl was any indication.
Again, it was weird, but she decided to dismiss it as Ymir and Krista…as only Krista being polite.
Then the second discovery was...
"Listen up, maggots! First things first, I will check what y'all got!"
…An aptitude test.
"Every single one of you will get attached with a strap on your hips while being lifted up, after doing so it will be expected of you to keep the balance midair for a determined amount of time. This will work as a simulation of what the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear is about. It's the basics among the basics, and if you worms aren't capable of even this much then you can begin to look for a fork on your way to the fields!"
All around the training field, Mukuro along with the other cadets, could see multiple wood platforms with harnesses on their sides stationed along with their respective instructors in charge of the handle that no doubt works to lift and pull down those wires' instructor Shadis talked about.
Speaking of.
So they are already weeding out those unfit on the second day, huh? It makes sense. Just on the first day, there were already a considerable number of dropouts, it would be a waste of time and resources for both the instructors and cadets to keep those unqualified for this, so the faster they get rid of them, the better for all parties involved.
From the corner of her eye, Mukuro could see that no one was longer taking this as a joke and by now they also knew that instructor Shadis wasn't messing around with his threats.
"When you heard your name step forward and towards the platform!"
And so, the exercise came and went as recruits took the test as they were called out, all of them with varying results. Some did the average, barely standing balanced, fighting tooth and nail to not crash their heads into the ground all the while wobbling around, others weren't so lucky and ended up with bleeding noses.
To Mukuro's slight surprise, Krista was among the above average. Not to the same level as Ymir who only wobbled a little bit at the beginning before quickly getting the hang of it, but it was good enough to be called decent.
Though what caught her attention the most…
"Mikasa Ackerman, your turn!" So that's her name, huh?
Regardless of Mukuro's opinion about that girl, she can certainly ascertain without a shadow of a doubt that the grey-eyed girl should be considered a prodigy. Once she was lifted up, her entire posture was stoic and controlled, following the required conditions to the letter which would've resulted in a near-perfect grade if this weren't qualified in only passing or not '…On paper at the very least'. So far, she hasn't seen anyone doing this test better than Acker―Mikasa.
Something that the surrounding cadets acknowledged.
"Hey, look at that girl, she…she's barely moving!"
"By the walls, how is she so good at that!?"
"Eh? Could…Could it be that this is actually easy to do?"
"Don't be a dumbass! Have you seen anyone else doing anything as good as her?"
Even Ymir and Krista who were nearby couldn't help giving their own reactions.
"Whoa! She's really good…" Commented the blue-eyed girl.
Ymir, for her part, even did as much as whistling "We got a top dog already, huh? Heh, I would pay to see someone doing better than that"
Of course, this much amusement had no place with instructor Shadis around.
"Do you scum think this is for your entertainment!? I wanna see if you make those same faces when picking up rocks back on the fields, you pieces of shit!"
That worked like a charm to silence everyone, she could even that Ymir had the tiniest bit of nervousness on her face from the possibility of almost getting caught just a moment ago. Honestly, Mukuro would be lying if she denied finding that amusing in its own way.
Though just as well, not even she had time for that.
"Mukuro Ikusaba, forward!"
Almost as if on automatic, her inner soldier took control. Such was the case that even when Krista wished her good luck, strange as that was, she just nodded and went along with the drill instructor's orders.
On her way to the rig, she observed as the Ackerman girl was lifted down while being disconnected from the anchors, meanwhile, everyone surrounding this platform was making space with their faces still glued on the grey-eyed girl.
It also didn't go unnoticed the fixed stare the grey-eyed girl was giving her when it caught sight of Mukuro…for the umpteenth time, which did nothing but intensify the moment they crossed paths, something that was beginning to irk her. Despite that, she decided to ignore it, there was a more important task at hand.
When Mukuro got to the very center of the platform, and a nearby recruit working as a temporary assistant connected the wires around her waist area, she turned towards instructor Shadis and gave him an affirmative nod.
In turn, the instructor did the same, though she took notice that there was something in his expression as if…expectant? "Lift her up!"
Just like that, Mukuro could feel the harness rise up.
That was a cue for her body to enter into a Zen-like state as her instincts kicked in. Thanks to her practice with an actual Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear a year and a half ago, which was way beyond a step forward from this test, Mukuro had a perfect understanding of what she had to do. Releasing any tension her body could have and adjusting her weight proportionally to reach a complete balance, she did the exercise as instructed.
Even with those noisy distractions around her.
"…What the…is…is she…?"
"H-How…?"
"…She… She is completely still…"
"It's some kinda trick!?"
"O-Oi, how is she doing that!? She isn't moving at all!"
"What the!? For someone to immediately surpass that Mikasa girl…"
No matter what they were saying or how much attention Mukuro was gathering 'Specially from that green-eyed boy from yesterday, along with the same feminine blonde boy accompanying him. Arlert was his surname if I remember correctly…', it wasn't enough to distract her. The control of her body in the middle of the air was absolute, for her, it was no different than standing on the ground, and even when she was kept in this position for an extra pair of minutes in comparison to the rest of the cadets, she didn't falter in the slightest.
"…Alright, you can lift her down" She finally heard instructor Shadis command, though his tone of voice sounded strangely controlled in comparison to what she had become used of him.
Nevertheless, she hadn't any reason to point that out, so, as she was put down and the harnesses were undone, all she did was walk up to her original position meanwhile ignoring the stares she was receiving, both from her fellow trainees and instructor Shadis.
At least until she caught sight of Krista and that child-like smile plastered on her face.
"That was amazing, Mukuro. I didn't knew you were such a natural!"
Her own cheeks couldn't avoid heating up in embarrassment "…I-Is that so? I…um, thanks…"
"Meh, I bet I could've done better if I tried again…" Ymir said while crossing her arms and…huh? Was that a pout?
Though hearing that at least worked for Mukuro to come back into her senses and roll her eyes in slight amusement at the other freckled girl's remark.
Which didn't go unnoticed by Ymir as she addressed her while not looking different than a thug "Oi oi, what was that!? Your pickin' a fight, freckles?"
Before Mukuro had a chance to take that seriously, Krista interceded "Now, now, don't be like that Ymir, you did pretty well too!"
Which in an unexpected turn of events, actually did the trick "…Tch, whatever"
Those two got along pretty fast, huh?
Leaving such 'One-sided' bickering behind, and with nothing else to do, Mukuro choose to look at the cadets left from doing the exercise until their drill instructor dismissed them.
And apparently, she did so just in time to watch that green-eyed boy who claimed will kill all the Titans proceed to take the test. With such a bold claim behind him, Mukuro couldn't prevent the tiniest pang of curiosity to see what that kid was capable of. Something that everyone agreed with, seeing that anyone who had already done the test or was waiting for their turn was circling around him.
Once he was properly wrapped up, the brunette gave a confident nod at instructor Shadis, who in turn did the same, even if it looked a bit stiff from Mukuro's point of view.
Although for all the anticipation everyone got at watching the brunette…
"W-What the…!?" …Not even 3 seconds after being lifted, he was completely turned upside down. He tried to straighten himself up by any means necessary, almost looking no different than a wild animal as he recoiled with both arms and legs. But try as might, nothing seemed to work for him.
Something that their drill instructor took note of as he approached the green-eyed boy with a scowl on his face "What the fuck are you doing, Eren Jaeger!? Pick yourself up!"
Such command fell on deaf ears, as who she now knew was called Jae―Eren entered a state of paralyzed shock, which only deemed fit to intensify when the remarks about his performance made themselves known.
"Wasn't that guy last night doing some big talk about killing all the titans?"
"Heh, so much for that, eh?"
"It does look like we now know who's the next drop gonna be…"
Mukuro could see that, not surprisingly, Ymir could not hold back her own observation "Pffft hahaha! I don't think I've seen someone doing it as bad as that guy! I mean look at that face, I bet he thinks the same!"
While Krista was giving the dark-brown-haired girl a disapproving pout, Mukuro remained to stare at the green-eyed kid for a little while longer, all the while preventing herself from sighing from the disappointment this ended up being. It's not like yesterday's monologue was enough to make her hold it against him, and neither does she truthfully berates what appears to be his dream. She supposes it's good to have it, that something, a goal to achieve that could work as motivation to keep going…
…But one thing she knows for sure is about the dangers of letting those same dreams blind your judgment. She has experienced first-hand the consequences of letting them cloud your worldview. Acting as a slave of that narrow little world cost her everything, which is why seeing his face with an expression of despairful realization of his dreams getting further and further away from him as he hangs upside down, Mukuro could only ponder about how lucky he is that he faced the harsh reality before he ended in the maws of those beasts he foolishly claimed capable of exterminating in its totality.
After being done with the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear 'Maybe I should begin to refer to it as 3DMG? It's shorter and the officials seem to refer to it like that too, so it should be fine', instructor Shadis made everyone repeat yesterday's routine of running until told otherwise along with a hundred push-ups and sit-ups each. Afterwards, he dismissed everyone, though not before announcing that everyone who hadn't already completed the test had until the rest of today's sunlight and the next morning to correct that, otherwise, they could discard the life of a soldier and begin to embrace that of a farmer.
With all of that said and done, plus taking into consideration that Mukuro was far from those required to repeat the test, she left the training field and went to the mess hall to have dinner.
Along with Krista and Ymir.
It still was something that was weirding her out, but just like this morning, she chose to brush it off as they 'That is to say, only Krista and Ymir just following along with whatever the blonde does' doing it both out of politeness and for commodity's sake, considering they had already sat with her on the first day, making it easier to occupy a table and avoid interacting with unknown faces. Something Mukuro can admit was convenient for her too.
And so, each one of them picked up their portion and ate just as usual with nothing out of the ordinary happening…save for that figure who had her face glued to the window from outside and dirtying it with her drool. Said individual was no one else but Sasha who thanks to instructor Shadis's punishment still applying, only had permission to get inside the mess hall once per day, which of course the brunette already wasted the first hour in the morning, something Mukuro couldn't blame her for it as having energy for their daily routines was of essence. Whether the potato girl planned around that beforehand or it was just her gluttony acting up, Mukuro doesn't know and neither cares to find out.
Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about Krista who was already giving Sasha a pitying look, and it appeared that she was planning to act on it if that fidgeting and the look she was giving to her bread was anything to go by.
Though before she could go any further, Ymir too took notice of what was running inside the blue-eyed girl's head "No, don't even think about it"
That made the blonde flinch while sending a nervous look in the brown-eyed girl's direction "H-Huh? What are you―"
Ymir swiftly interrupted Krista before she could have to feign ignorance or make up an excuse on the spot "You were planning to pull yesterday's ruse once again and give potato girl part of your ration, didn't ya?" When the other freckled girl saw the caught-up expression on Krista, she sighed "Look, it's true that it gives you a cute charm being small and the like, but that and suffering from malnourishment because of you gradually starving yourself to death because you fed every stray cat you met every single day 'for their sake' are different things, besides…" Ignoring Krista's reddened face and Mukuro's internal bafflement at the sudden compliment, Ymir's serious look turned into a mischievous one "…If ya wanna do some charity, I'm always available for some donations myself, y'know?"
Instead of making any response to that, Mukuro saw Krista turn to face her. She wouldn't consider herself a social butterfly, instead being the complete opposite of it, whatever that would be called, but thanks to yesterday's interaction still freshly imprinted in her mind, Mukuro had enough enlightenment to catch on that Krista wanted her two cents on the matter.
Saying that people being interested in her opinion was a novel experience would be an understatement of titanic proportions. The interaction with other people for the past two years has been at the bare minimum, only for the necessary and nothing else, so an opportunity for her opinion to be required had never come.
When speaking of the time…before that, it was ironically worse. The mere concept of her having an opinion on anything was of alien origin for her. She never once in her life showed any proactiveness in front of her sister. Mukuro's will and perception of things had always been that of Junko's…
…Until it no longer was.
…
Mukuro mentally shook her head to dismiss those thoughts related to Junko. It's been months since she last had any 'incident' where her brain decided to play her dirty and remind her of her other half, like in this moment, and so far, she has done well in controlling herself and keeping that can of worms at bay.
She doesn't exist in this place, not even her for all her genius is capable of creating a medium from which she could reach this place…that's right, I…I no longer have to worry about her, never again.
…
…
…Mukuro saw from the corner of her eyes that Krista was still expecting an answer from her.
…Sigh.
Might as well give her blunt opinion on the matter.
"…It is your choice to make, but feeding her once was good enough, if you keep interfering with instructor Shadis's punishment it will eventually get you in trouble…" Mukuro elaborated when she saw the blue-eyed girl wasn't satisfied enough with that "…moreover if you keep giving her your portions, Blo―Sasha won't learn from her punishment. Enabling her will only end in her committing the same mistakes again, which no doubt will make her, in turn, receive a worse punishment"
There was a few seconds of silence in which Krista consumed her words before speaking again "So…are you saying I would be doing more harm than good if I continue to help her?"
"At least in this scenario, yes, you would" Mukuro commented plainly with a shrug.
That at least made Krista recede back on her crusade for good actions.
"Meh, I personally don't care what happens to potato girl, though she still owes me a big one so it would be a real shame if Shadis were to get rid of her because of her birdbrain not getting it the first time" Ymir made deaf ears of Krista's protest at her crude wording to address Mukuro "Leaving that aside though…Oi, freckles"
"Ymir, stop calling her that. You wouldn't like it if Mukuro were to call you like that too, would you?"
If Mukuro was honest with herself, besides the weirdness that another freckled person was the one calling her like that, she didn't held any opinion regarding the name. It was way tamer than what she's used to, that's for sure.
Nevertheless, she put that aside to address back the brown-eyed girl "…What?"
"A few hours have passed since my good girl grace period has passed…" Did she had one in the first place? "…And curiosity is killing me, so I gotta ask. What's up with that?" Ymir asked…while pointing at Mukuro's tattoo.
…
Krista turned in the direction Ymir was signaling and a look of surprise appeared on her face when she saw what was the dark-brown-haired girl talking about "Eh? I didn't notice it yesterday and neither during today's exercises…" Then she squinted her eyes to give it a better look "It's…a wolf with a sun underneath it? Whoa, it's so detailed…I don't think I've ever seen something like this…"
"…Same here, and there's also what's under the wolf, it seems like…a gibberish…writing of sorts…curious" Mukuro wasn't liking at all the intense look Ymir was giving to it.
Something she didn't hesitate to make known with narrowed eyes "Is there a problem with what you are seeing?"
At least those words worked like a bucket of cold water to bring the brown-eyed girl out of her stupor "…No…not really, however, you haven't answered my question, what's that?"
…
"…It's a mark" Mukuro replied dismissively.
That only got Ymir to roll her eyes "Yeah, duh, but that doesn't tell me shit"
…
Mukuro was tempted, very, very, very, very tempted to just snap at her and tell her that it was none of her business…but that would imply doing the same with every single person curious about her tattoo, which no doubt will be quite a lot of people from what she has seen so far, and the following three years she will spend in this place will make sure of that. Following that, when she finally graduates, there's the chance that her superiors will be a similar case, and snapping at them is a big no. If by any minuscule miracle, doing so with her fellow trainees won't bring trouble, then with the officers will certainly do. She doesn't have to be the Ultimate Detective to reach that conclusion.
The tattoo by itself has no meaning in this world, but that's the thing. Not even she is so dense as to believe that telling them Oh, this thing comes from a mercenary company I was part of in another reality won't end in disaster. The mercenary part is already bad enough, not like anything similar in this place does exist, but still. And the 'Another reality' part? These people are used to the craziness that the Titans are…but not even them compare to talks of alternate dimensions or other worlds. The concept of an asylum may not exist in this world, but no doubt they would build the first of its kind in honor of the nonsense they might see her true origins as. 'Hell, I saw it as nonsense for almost half a year, and I experienced it myself!'
…She has to come up with something, doesn't she?
The thing is though…what could she tell Ymir that could stick? Not only with her but also for anyone who gets curious about it in the future. It has to be both simple and convincing enough, that every time someone hears about it, it makes them say Oh, I see, that makes sense. Deception may not be her forte '…At least not in this way', but despite that, there had to be something she could come up with on the spot about her Fenrir tattoo, right? Mukuro spent way more time with them than what she did back at Hope's Peak, to the point that if she were any other person, she would've probably considered them family or at least―
! ! !
That's it!
Before Ymir could get suspicious at her lack of answer, Mukuro finally gave one "It's…a family crest"
"A family crest?" Kirsta echoed.
Seeing that they weren't crossing her answer as madness right away, Mukuro choose to elaborate a little "Mhm, through an…ancient technique my family carried on from generation on generation called 'Tattoo' every blood-related member used to be marked with this, it's a…used to be a tradition of sorts"
Even though she didn't show it, Mukuro was slightly surprised at how Ymir seemed convinced enough with that answer, as if Mukuro's answer aligned with whatever was inside her head. She expected she would've needed to make an even more elaborated excuse to go past her cynicism or that Ymir was going to press on asking about the meaning of the letters, but if this was good enough, Mukuro had no reason to complain.
Krista too seemed to lack any complaints about her made-up story, though something about what Mukuro said caught her attention "…Huh? 'Used to'? That sounds as if…w-wait! Mukuro, d-don't tell me your family is…"
Mukuro didn't even had to feign how uncomfortable talking about anything related to her family was making her, be that as it may, she made use of it "…Yeah, I'm all that's left"
"O-Oh god, I-I'm sorry Mukuro! W-We didn't mean to―"
Mukuro decided to cut her off, she didn't wanted to deal with this "I-It's okay, really! Um, it's been…a few years already since then, so I…I would appreciate it if you leave this topic to rest"
The blue-eyed girl still looked guilty, and for a moment it seemed she wanted to say one more thing, nevertheless, she did as Mukuro requested. As for Ymir…
"Hmm, I see, so…does that means you've been homeless for quite a while, huh?"
"Ymir!?"
"Mhm" Mukuro confirmed with a nod, glad to change topics, not having a problem in the slightest with which one it ended up being.
"Eh? Are you sure you don't mind talking about that?" Asked a confused Krista.
Mukuro waved off the blonde's concerns with a shrug "There's not much to talk about it besides that I'm used to that lifestyle since back…erm, way before the fall of Wall Maria"
If either of them noticed her tiny slip-up, they didn't commented on it "Figured as much, the way you eat gives it away" Whether Ymir saw Mukuro's quirked eyebrow or not, she decided to be more detailed about her explanation anyway "Most of these people consume their rations as if they tasted like shit…which they do, but you? It's almost as if you are eating in the best restaurant in Mitras. You would have to be way too used to food like this one for a long time for that to be the case"
Mukuro certainly hadn't paid any attention to how other recruits reacted to their food, though this interaction with Ymir has made Mukuro realize how observant to details the other freckled girl is "…Maybe, but even so…You seems to know a lot about the street life, don't you?" Mukuro couldn't prevent asking.
"Eh, I know a thing or two"
Mukuro was very much tempted to extract a little bit more information from the dark-brown-haired girl…when the dining hall doors were abruptly opened as three figures stepped inside.
It was Eren, that blonde guy she discovered during the 3DMG training was first-named Armin, and strangely enough that grey-eyed girl, Mikasa, was with them too. Mukuro was far from being the only person to notice their presence seeing that the rest of the cadets inside the room became quiet. That only lasted a minute though, as what followed was a wave of murmurs and whispers along with some snickering at the green-eyed boy.
Said comments against his person seemed to unnerve him to no end if that growing stress on his features as he looked around the mess hall was anything to go by. Though when turned his gaze on the table Mukuro was sharing with Ymir and Krista, his expression turned into one full of…hope? Not only that but also…
"Mukuro!" The green-eyed boy exclaimed as trotted in her direction.
…What?
Saying that such a reaction didn't put Mukuro on edge would be an absolute lie, it made her put her guard up and discretely feel the knife in her pocket. She doesn't want to believe things will get to the point of needing it, but it's better to be more safe than sorry.
Thankfully 'For Eren that is…', Mukuro felt the possibility of any conflict surge diminish when he stopped, along with his two companions, at a safe distance from her personal space, though the way he…no, the way the three of them were looking at her made her choose to still keep some level of wariness. While Eren still had that upbeat expression, both Armin and Mikasa had curious faces, almost as if…as if they were in presence of an animal they long thought to be extinct. Mukuro didn't detected any malicious intent, but it unnerved her nonetheless.
"What is it?" Although regardless of that, she decided to quickly get into the heart of the matter, her flat voice intended to send said message.
His transition from upbeat to slightly nervous showed he received it "W-Well, I was wondering…do you have any advice you could give me!? Anything that could help stay upright during the posture control test!? I'm begging you; I will own you anything you ask for!"
…What?
"Oh? Anything? I like the sound of that, I will have you know that as her representative I get fifty percent―"
"Why don't you ask Mikasa? She did pretty well on the test too" Mukuro replied, ignoring the dirty look Ymir was sending her way.
While Mikasa seemed caught off guard at being mentioned, Eren shook his head at that with a frustrated look "I already did, but nothing of what she said worked, besides…" Then the excited look from just a few moments ago came back "Out of everyone, you were the best one of us, Mukuro! The way you managed to not even let the wind interrupt your posture was incredible! Not even Mikasa could do that. You did way better than her!"
"…"
Instead of reacting to the wave of praises at her performance, Mukuro focused on something else, more specifically… on how Mikasa reacted. When Eren began by saying how Mukuro performed better than anyone else, the grey-eyed girl looked upset and when he specified how Mukuro was superior to her, she looked genuinely hurt at that.
Something about that…it annoyed her, not how Mikasa reacted, instead it was Eren's comments that made her act like that in the first place that put a negative feeling for which Mukuro had no name for its origin at the moment to surge. The only thing she could take for granted was that she didn't liked those jabs Eren consciously or unconsciously sent at the grey-eyed girl.
Though because she didn't know what was that about, as Mukuro herself has felt irked at Mikasa because of those stares she sends her way every now and then, she decided to ignore it in favor of addressing the green-eyed boy problem.
Even if she doubts her advice is going to do him any favors.
"…Fine. First of all, you have to keep a clear state of mind while hanging in the air, distractions will only hinder your performance. Then, balance your body while shifting your weight proportionally, stiffing your upper body while hanging loose on your lower side will be essential for that. If you have what it takes, this should be enough to manage the bare minimum at the very least"
Just as she expected, instead of looking delighted at hearing what she said, Eren looked more and more worried with every word that came out of her mouth "T-That's…that's the exact same thing Mikasa said…"
Mukuro wasn't surprised to hear that. Yes, she did outperform the grey-eyed girl, but that's not because Mikasa followed any step of the process the wrong way, quite the opposite she did it with near perfection.
The only difference between the two was that Mukuro did even better than that.
"That's not a surprise, there's no actual trick for it. You either have the talent to pull it off or you don't" She commented.
While Ymir snorted at her response for some reason, Eren flinched at it "I-I see…still, thanks for the advice"
Mukuro just gave him a nod, thus ending this conversation.
…
…
…
…Or such would've been the case if Eren and the other two people following had left after that. Instead, she observed has the green-eyed began to fidget while scratching the back of his head, all the while looking at her...along with Mikasa and Armin.
Mukuro didn't snap at it, but they doing that once again made her decide that enough was enough "What are you three looking at?"
"Eh?" While Eren was the only one giving a verbal response, the trio looked no different than kids being caught picking cookies out of a jar.
"You've been staring at me on multiple occasions, Mikasa much more even though I told her not to do it, why is that? What do you want from me?" Mukuro demanded with narrowed eyes.
There was a silence in which the three accused in question looked at each other as if a mental conversation was taking place, and whatever they were saying between themselves concluded when out of the three of them, Armin was the one who spoke.
"Um, sorry if we have been making you uncomfortable, Mukuro, it's just…erm, the, uh, resemblance you have with Mikasa caught us off-guard, still does"
…
…Huh?
…She and Mikasa?
From the corner of her eye, Mukuro saw as Ymir looked back and forth between her and the grey-eyed girl, every time she did so her eyes widened more and more "…Holy shit…how the hell didn't I notice it this morning? No, scratch that, what about yesterday? They are identical!"
…
"W-Wow, the resemblance is certainly there…" Added a just as surprised Krista.
…
"Y-Yeah, that's what we thought as well, more so when Mikasa cut off her hair…"
"No kidding, when I met with her this morning, I almost lost it. If I didn't knew any better, I would say they are Twin Sisters"
! ! ! ! ! !
"W-We aren't that similar…" Mikasa quietly commented while hiding her face on her scarf.
"You can't be serious. Honestly, with how she surpassed you during the test, Mukuro could easily pass as the Big Sister…though speaking of which, hey, Mukuro, there was something else that―"
Any other thing Eren was planning to say was interrupted as Mukuro got abruptly out of her chair, which didn't went unnoticed by everyone surrounding her and other curious onlookers, not like her mind had the capacity to care.
Though such a stunt made Krista address her with a worried voice "Mukuro? Is something wrong?"
"…I have to go" Mukuro said before turning to bolt out of the mess hall.
"What? H-Hey, Mukuro, wait a―"
"Do. Not. Follow. Me" That statement Mukuro growled with just as fierce eyes was the only warning Eren…or anyone was going to get out of her.
Not having time to see the concerned stares most of them gave her or the defensive stance Mikasa took, she finally hurried out of the room.
Once outside the mess hall, Mukuro hurried towards the back of the building. Not soon after, and making sure nobody followed or that there wasn't any unlucky passerby…
…Mukuro threw up.
She was doing well so far, entire months of keeping herself under control…
…Why they had to make those goddamn comments? Why they had to make those implications? Why they had to use those specific words? Why Why Why Why Why―
―WHY!?
…
…
…
…No matter how much her sister came back to haunt her on the insides of Mukuro's psyche, she always managed to suppress it before it became problematic, and as she proved it just before…that, even something like talking of family was within what she could manage…to a certain degree.
But then those three had a come and ruin it didn't they?
Using words like Twin Sisters or Big Sister, and applying them with her and Mikasa, which admittedly once it was brought up, Mukuro could begin to notice some resemblance. Fortunately 'If it could even be called that…', such similarity was to her and not Junko, otherwise…otherwise she doesn't know what would've happened back there, what she would've done. Even so, the implications alone of the possibility of her other half actually existing in this world…
…It was just too much; small chance as it was of happening, it made her sick to no end for once again to hear that trademark laugh.
After finally being done emptying the contents of her stomach, Mukuro gave herself some minutes to recover and let the contrasting freezing night in comparison to the blazing heat of the day to fresh her head. Mukuro knows she's gonna need it to calm herself down.
Otherwise, the nightmares she knows she going to suffer tonight are going to inconvenience her bedmate almost as much as they are going to do to her.
A/N: So, yeah, jokes aside of the similarities between Mikasa and Mukuro, I felt that it makes sense such topic actually being brought up to the Ultimate Soldier and doing so in such a blunt way as Eren did (Because let's admit it, the guy has never been known for having a filter in what does he says) was bound to have consequences. Even so, let me know what do you guys think.
On a different though still slightly related note (kind of), I know that Tattoos have a long history, long enough for a setting like AoT (Or more specifically, Paradis) to have them, but besides Mikasa's family crest, I just couldn't find any other character with one (Though if it ends up being a missed detail from my part, please feel free to point it out), so for story's sake, I'm going with the headcanon that even if they have the means to, for Eldians it's just lost knowledge that no one else, besides Mikasa's family kept around.
The next chapter (Whenever that may be…), is finally going to have the so waited combat training segment! And even though we all know how is that going to end, it won't make it less of an awaited moment.
Anyhow, till next time!
