Straight to the point, THANKS TO ALL FOLLOWERS/FAVOURITES/READERS/REVIEWERS of mine! I'm updating today rather than tomorrow because assignment week is coming up and I'm off to a weekend away so...enjoy!

"Block! Block! Sweep! Pay attention Officer Caze!"

I watch from the sides as pairs of cadets and pairs of officers practiced hand-to-hand combat together. The recent graduates were still highly capable and effective but those who had been in the MP for a while had lost their deadly touch.

"Officer Hazura!"

"Sir!" I immediately saluted the Leader Andras who approached me.

"Would you like to join the training, Officer?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure whether beating up a fellow MP would be a good start for my life here in the Academy, sir."

"Perhaps tomorrow then."

Then as I honed my ears back to the Area, rumours easily flowed through the soldiers.

Is that the new recruit…I heard she was from the Survey Corps…who does she think she is, changing her mind after seeing the Titans…she doesn't belong here, she didn't train with us…she should go back to her first choice…

I gritted my teeth, keeping the insults at bay. Says all the cowards who took the easy way out of life!

"Oi you! Want to go a round?" my head jerked up to meet the level gaze of an officer seemingly older than me by a few years. His unique purple eyes held a slight intelligence to them and he tilted his head, his black locks shifting to the side.

"Are you sure you want to?" a corner of my mouth tilted up in amusement. He shrugged.

"I did ask you first."

"Your loss." And I entered the Area. Pairs of eyes watched me before a bark from the Leader snapped everyone back to their own pairs.

"I'm Vincent, by the way."

"Rina. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Sparring with a looker like yourself? Of course."

Despite my predicament, I chuckled and we began.

"Oof! God damn it!"

I looked down at Vincent as he lay on his back on the dusty floor. He squinted through the sunlight and up at me.

"I think that's enough beatings for you for one day." I teased and held a hand out. He gratefully took it and hoisted him up.

"You're too good, Rina."

"I am fresh from the Survey Corps."

"So how was it? From your brief stay there?"

My smile fell off my face and I recalled all of the negative events that had happened. "Horrible. If I had to say anything good about it, it would be that it made my priorities straight."

Vincent grabbed two water bottles and tossed one over to me. "Must have been pretty bad, huh?"

I shook my head and took a quick swig from the water. "Pretty bad doesn't cover it. I almost shat myself the first time I saw a Titan so maybe the Corps wasn't the best choice for a coward like me."

"If we compare ourselves to the Corps in terms of Titans, we'd forever be cowards." Vincent pointed out. "But I think of it differently. In terms of people, we're the more superior. Sure, Titans kill and eat us but there are also members of Humanity that kill each other too. The MP are the ones that deal with those cases."

I paused and thought about his statement. "…I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does. I said it after all."

I laughed at his giant ego and shoved him playfully. His purple eyes twinkled in amusement back at me.

Vincent and I made our way back to the dorms together, chatting and swapping stories the whole time. It was a nice change from the nosy Lily and the rumour-passing cadets. He reminded me of Steve. Somewhat thoughtful but loved to be a joker. He was older by 2 years and although not a Leader, was a high-ranking officer. He deducted that with the skills I had gained from the Survey Corps, it was likely that I wouldn't be a cadet but rather as an officer straight away. Despite the slight shock from his quick-wittedness, I was honestly impressed. I explained that I was put as Investigator Nick Fuji's partner and his eyes almost popped out of his head.

"Nick Fuji is my cousin!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. I grinned.

"Really? But there's such a huge age gap between you."

Vincent shrugged. "That, I cant do anything about."

We arrived at my dorm door and he waited as he agreed to introduce me to his group of friends. As I placed my key inside to unlock it, the wood door creaked open ever so slightly. I frowned. I swear that I locked it behind me. sending Vincent a warning glance, he took the hint and stepped away. I placed a hand on the door and pushed it open a little bit more before suddenly slamming it against the wall inside. Nothing jumped out at me, no one was inside. I took a wary step into the room and realised too late that a thin wire had been tied across the doorway at the ankles. I immediately tripped but with my Corps training kicking in, I smoothly turned into a somersault and landed on my feet again.

"Nice." My new friend applauded. I turned and gave him a wink before I was completely doused in a bucket of water. The liquid seeped straight through my uniform and soaked me to the bone. Shivering, I glanced up and spied a now-empty bucket hanging from the ceiling, most of it concealed by the wooden structures above. Vincent had yelped in surprise and rushed in, now hovering around me in shock.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

I managed to shake my head. "I'm all good. Get me a towel, would you?"

He raced into the ensuite and tossed a white cloth over me. I instantly wrapped it over my shoulders and gritted my teeth.

"I am going to kill whoever did this." I muttered. Vincent sent me a sympathetic look.

"I take it you don't feel like meeting anyone for lunch then?"

I sent him an apologetic look. "Sorry Vincent. Maybe some other time."

He nodded in understanding. "No worries. I'll let you dry yourself up. Make sure you see me at dinner to let me know you're okay."

I smiled at him. "I will. Thanks."

Once he left and I locked the door, I leaned against the wood, facing my room. This was going to be the shit. I sighed.

"Screw you, Erwin."