Rowan stretched her arms above her head, leaning over to stretch her back. They had just finished the morning training session and tactical exams. Now with the rest of the day free, Rowan decided she would take Hange up on their offer from a few days prior. She waved over her shoulder, bidding her friends a farewell. Sasha and Conny were busy chatting with Christa and Ymir, spending more time with the pair after Christa helped Sasha hide the latest sweets she stole from the kitchen. Armin and Mikasa were off to help Eren improve his ODM skills, Jean and Marco following to watch and give pointers. Rowan decided it was the perfect day to learn more about Titans. She ventured off towards the camp's headquarters. It was a sweltering day, the sun showing no mercy thanks to the cloudless sky. Rowan tied her hair into a quick bun on the top of her head, hoping that would help stop her neck and back from sweating as much. Rowan hopped up the somewhat familiar steps, hoping she was in the right location as she pushed open the only door she recognized. The lab, though hazy in her memory, looked about the same and Rowan contemplated whether to call out for Hange or not. She held her tongue though when both Hange and Captain Levi stepped into view.
"I think we should leave as soon as possible. The more ground we cover, the more resources we can gather and the more Titans we can get out of our way." Captain Levi's eyes were dark, his gaze focused on the ground. Hange frowned and placed their hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.
"I know how you feel Levi, but Erwin makes the final call. We can't just venture out whenever we feel like it. Every mission requires a purpose and proper planning to reduce the risk of loss of life. I know you know this." They teased, tapping his forehead with their pointer finger.
"Tch." Captain Levi smacked their hand away, turning and locking eyes with Rowan. Rowan startled, jumping to salute them both.
"Hi. I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?" Her fist was clenched tightly against her chest, her whole body tensed.
"Yes." Captain Levi spoke flatly and Rowan dropped her hands to her sides. She nodded, turning away from the pair.
"Nonsense! Rowan, you aren't interrupting! Don't listen to Mr. Grumpy Pants over here. He's just angry that the Commander disagreed with him." Rowan glanced back to see Hange jabbing the Captain in the stomach. The Captain smacked their hands away, but a hint of a smile touched his lips.
"I can really come back later." They seemed so comfortable with each other and Rowan didn't want to interfere.
"Stay." Captain Levi was suddenly next to Rowan, his shoulder brushing her own. Her eyes widened and she held her breath as he turned to glance at her. His gaze drifted to the bun on top of her head. He reached up and gently wrapped his hand around it, his palm pressing against the top of it. He squeezed the mess of hair twice before letting his arm drop back to his side. "Tch." That was the only sound he made before he continued walking towards the exit.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rowan shook away her initial shock, letting confusion and annoyance replace the emotion. Captain Levi shrugged before waving to them both over his shoulder. The doors shut behind him and Hange laughed.
"Your hair really intrigues him. I have no idea why, but it is kind of hilarious." Hange smiled at Rowan and Rowan sighed.
"I guess so." She mumbled, confused by the interaction. He was so quiet and distant with her. She thought he was like that with everyone but he was different with Hange. He seemed comfortable with Hange and opened up to them. Rowan couldn't help but be a little jealous of that. "Hey Hange. What's your type?" She immediately regretted asking, but she couldn't take her words back.
"My type? Like, my blood type?" Hange's head tilted and Rowan bit her lip, stifling a laugh.
"No, uh… like what type of person are you interested in?"
"Oh, I guess I really don't have a type. Was that why you stopped by?" Hange was still confused, gaze locked on Rowan.
"No. No, it was just a thought I had. I shouldn't have said anything." Rowan waved her hands, hoping Hange would forget she ever asked.
"Well, if it's because of Levi, don't worry so much. We are trusted comrades and have worked together for a long time. He's part of my family and definitely still single." Hange added that last part with a wink and Rowan jumped back.
"What? No. I wasn't worried. Captain Levi? I could never. You guys would look good together! You're both strong and intelligent…" Rowan rambled on, beads of sweat forming on her brow. While Captain Levi interested her, she definitely didn't have any sort of claim to him. She was probably at the bottom of his list anyway, in terms of who he would even be interested in.
"Whoa, Rowan. I didn't mean to make you sweat. Ha! You really have the hots for him, don't you?"
"No. I don't. Okay? I'm here to fight for humanity and kill Titans. That's it." Rowan stated, arms crossed over her chest.
"Okay. Whatever you say. Just remember that there's more to life than the mission, okay?" Hange's words caught Rowan off guard and her jaw hung open enough for Hange to notice. "I know. I'm a squad leader and should tell you to keep your head clear and focus on the mission. When you're out beyond the wall, yes. You need to be alert and focus on keeping yourself and your comrades alive. Pretty sure you can still manage that in a relationship. I'm not saying Levi will go for it, but I don't think you should just disregard your feelings or interest so quickly." Hange stepped forward and placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder. "But then again, what do I know? I spend my free time in a basement lab running experiments on things I will probably never fully understand in my lifetime." They shrugged and wandered off into the lab. Rowan frowned, her brow furrowed. Yeah, Captain Levi interested her. He also frustrated her and made her want to smack him sometimes. Hange was right, but she wasn't so sure Captain Levi would have a similar mindset. She sighed, pushing those thoughts to the back of her head.
"Hange?" She called, losing sight of the scientist in the mess of lab benches and disheveled bookshelves. Hange poked their head up and waved their hand for Rowan to venture over.
"Look at these photos." Hange laid out grainy images of giant red masses. Rowan could just make out tendrils of saliva and blood surrounding the mass, attaching it to the building beside it. If she squinted, she could see human limbs warped in the mass. She flinched back.
"Hange. What am I looking at?" She spoke softly, her mind racing. In one image, she could just make out a human face and she snapped her eyes shut.
"Well, Titans can't digest anything. They don't have a proper digestive system and don't require nutrients from a food source. Rather, they gather as much in their stomachs as they can before they regurgitate these masses of human limbs and tissue." Hange's voice was calm and very matter-of-fact. The whole thing just made Rowan's stomach churn. She was suddenly grateful that she gave her breakfast to Sasha that morning.
"Then why do they eat us?"
"I'm not sure. My best guess is that they might need a small amount of food to survive, but they don't know when to stop. They are insatiable and just crave human flesh. It's hard to say without being able to run experiments on them or even just talk to them. They don't show much intelligence, so I doubt there's a deep seeded, twisted motive that guides their actions." Hange moved the pictures away and opened a notebook on the table.
"Have you ever seen a Titan speak or communicate with another Titan?" Rowan couldn't help but be intrigued.
"No, not exactly. We have seen Titans completely massacre smaller Titans just to get to a food source. They don't really care about other Titans. From what I've seen, they only travel in groups when they know a food source is nearby. And that's simply because they are going to the same source."
"So if they don't care about other Titans and they don't communicate, how do they reproduce? We keep seeing more and more no matter how many we take down." Hange's eyes brightened and they gestured for Rowan to follow them. They ended up walking into a large open area with a chalkboard. Hange got to work, drawing out three different scenarios. With their hands covered in chalk, they clapped with a smirk on their face.
"So, I have three different theories. Of course, without seeing one of the three occur, I can't confirm any of them. Despite that, this is what I have so far." They gestured to the first one. "This first theory is the least likely, but Titans could be some form of mutated human or creature that reproduces asexually. Meaning, they spawn new Titans from a piece of them, like a starfish."
"A starfish?" Rowan's head tilted as she studied the drawing. It was a star shaped creature with a limb removed. From the limb, another star shape grew.
"Yes. Based on the literature of the ocean and of marine life that Armin has collected, there are creatures shaped like stars. They're referred to as starfish or sea stars. When a limb is cut off or the star is cut in half, the sea star can regrow into two separate organisms. I can hypothesize that Titans could work in a similar manner since they can regenerate their limbs and recover from wounds so quickly." To Hange's credit, it made logical sense. Rowan just couldn't imagine new Titans spawning from a limb since their bodies usually evaporate away.
"Wouldn't the whole evaporation thing make that method difficult?" Rowan wiggled her fingers when saying 'evaporation.'
"I knew you were a budding scientist." Hange smiled wider. "There's flaws with every theory of course and you found the flaw in that one. Which…" Hange gestured to the second drawing. "Brings us to theory two." They took a deep breath. "This one is…scientifically possible. I would need to find very old literature and scientific accounts to confirm it. I continue to search, but I haven't seen anything close to what I'm looking for." Hange took another breath. "Technically, Titans could have always existed. They could have been a single population in one single location or they could have been another species entirely before evolving into what we know as Titans today. They could have relocated to a location closer to us and once they caught scent of us, they began their attack."
"I guess that makes sense." Rowan frowned. Her people have existed outside the walls for centuries and there was nothing about any other species or Titans in other areas of the world.
"I'm not a huge fan of that theory either, but it's what I have to work with." Hange shrugged before gesturing to the last section of the board. "The last theory is the most…horrifying. Titans could have been created by something or someone."
"You mean….intentionally developed to harm the human race?" Rowan's eyes widened and Hange nodded. "How could someone even do that?"
"Sadly, because they can't sexually reproduce and their numbers continue to steadily rise, the theory that they were created by someone is more plausible. I just don't know how it is doable yet." Hange frowned, their brow furrowed as they studied the chalkboard. They suddenly straightened, their eyes falling on the clock. "I have to run. I'm sorry to leave so abruptly, but think on everything we discussed today. I could be missing something, so let me know what you come up with. No thought is stupid." They tapped Rowan's forehead. "Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it." With that, Hange vanished into the back of the lab. Rowan assumed they had some kind of time-sensitive experiment or meeting to get to. She studied the drawings of each theory a bit more before coming to the same conclusion Hange did. The idea that someone or something intentionally created the Titans was the most plausible given everything they know about them. The thought of it being possible though? It sickened Rowan. She turned away from the board and pushed through the double doors, nearly smacking into a figure that was leaning against the outer wall. Pale grey eyes focused on her gaze and she swallowed the explicative that nearly escaped her mouth.
"Captain Levi." She saluted, ducking her head down and backing up to give him some space.
"What do you think of Hange's theories?" He inquired, ignoring her greeting entirely.
"Were you listening in on us the entire time?" Rowan blurted, the heat rushing to her cheeks at the thought of him hearing her ask about Hange's relationship with him.
"No, I'm not that bored. I have better things to do than spy on scientists." Captain Levi scoffed, turning to walk away.
"Wait." Rowan called out, her fists clenched. "I'm afraid Hange might be right about the Titans."
"What about them?"
"That someone intentionally created them to destroy humanity. It makes logical sense, but I have so many questions. Who would do that? Why would anyone want to? What possibly could be the motive and how could they even create those monsters?" Rowan's thoughts poured out of her mouth, her mental filter missing.
"Does any of that actually matter?" He countered and Rowan faltered.
"I mean…I'd like to know what I'm going up against. It would be nice if Titans weren't such a mystery. It might also help me find some bravery if I knew more about them. The more we know, the more weaknesses we can identify. If we identify more weaknesses, some of us soldiers might find more courage…myself included."
"I'm still not sure why that matters."
"That's because you're brave. You cut down Titans like it's the simplest thing for you to do. Maybe it won't help the others. Everyone's different. Knowing more about the Titans? It would help me. Knowledge is power. It's an ideology I was raised on. With more power, maybe I could be brave too." Rowan did her best to explain herself. She hoped it didn't sound completely off-kilter.
"Bravery is meaningless. You have plenty of strength without it." He muttered, turning away from her.
"Sir?" She hoped he would stay for a bit longer. He paused, waiting for her to continue. "Do you think it's possible?"
"That someone created Titans as a weapon against humanity?" He turned back to her.
"Yes."
"It's possible. Though, I think if humans created Titans, we would know about it already." His answer was thoughtful, his gaze distant.
"Why is that?" Her head tilted and he locked his gaze on her stare.
"It's simple really. Humans are terrible at keeping secrets. Especially reality-shattering ones such as the creation of Titans." Rowan's breath hitched. If humans didn't create Titans...what could? She didn't know of any magic out there that could make organic beings. Lucky for her, she wasn't human. She could keep her true existence a secret. But if her species existed in the world, other species might too, hostile ones that could create Titans to take down the humans. The more she thought about it, the more plausible the theory became. "Think about it for a while. I'm sure Hange will appreciate any insight you might have." With that, Captain Levi brushed by her, his shoulder gently skimming her own.
"Captain Levi?" Rowan hesitated, her hand raised as if that would stop him from leaving. He paused, his head tilting as he glanced over his shoulder at her. "What are Titans like? I've never seen one...face to face." His gaze softened and he turned to face her.
"They're mindless and act on instinct. They use their size to their advantage and they have an endless supply of energy. They won't stop until they are destroyed. It's best to act quickly. Dodge their hands and teeth while aiming for their weak spot. The training you experience and the stories you hear will never prepare you for the real thing. When you're staring potential death in the face, the only thing that matters is fighting to survive." His gaze was serious, but lacked its typical harshness. Rowan gulped, her fists clenched. "If it means anything to you, I think you'll be just fine. While I can't promise anything, I can tell that you are a fighter. You just have to start believing in yourself." With that, he turned away and vanished up a stairwell. Rowan was left with mixed emotions, her stomach churning and her heart warmed by her Captain's words.