KS: Okay, I just wanted to let everyone know that this is the last of the Meet and Greet section of this story.

Lydia: About damn time.

KS: Quiet in the back row. On another topic, you might have noticed that I have changed the title and summary. I hope you like it better than the old one. Now, let's get this started. ACTION!

"I know it might be tough being here, what with everyone not trusting you or your brother, but I'm sure it'll get better for the both of you."

"I really hope so. So far, every student looks at me like I'm to sell them all out."

Audrey was now at the rooftop, chatting with a girl who had pink hair with a headband and brown eyes. The girl had an attractive personality which Audrey found quite interesting. She initially thought it had to do with the fact that nearly every boy in the school had their eyes on her.

"Coleen, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it?" Coleen asked.

Audrey took a deep breath before speaking. "What is your opinion on the Darcsen Calamity?"

Coleen closed her eyes and tilted her head. "Hmm… to be perfectly honest, I have no idea."

Audrey looked worried. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, it's like this: I'm not completely sold on the idea of the Darcsen people terrorizing Europa centuries ago, but with today's history books, it makes it hard not to believe it's true."

Audrey sighed, not out of relief, but of disappointment. She figured that Coleen would feel somewhat conflicted on whether or not how the Calamity began was fact or fiction. Deep down, she wanted to tell her that it could be all a lie, but given that she was once part of the Revolutionary Army, it would pretty hard to belive in Coleen's perspective.

"I see. Thank you for your answer."

Those were the last words Audrey spoke before walking away from Coleen. As she left the rooftop, Coleen started wondering if she had given her the wrong answer.

"I hope she wasn't too upset by what I said," she said sadly.

Baldren was never an animal lover, but there was something about birds that made his soul feel at ease. At least, it would've if it weren't for the lives of innocents being exiled and/or murdered for a pointless cause weighing down on it. But, nonetheless, looking at the ivory-feathered creatures made him feel warm inside.

"So adorable, yet so fragile at the same time," he said. He slowly stretched his arm out, offering to let the birds jump on to it, but they either ignore him or hobble away from him. He sighed, wondering if his appearance intimidated them.

"Even the wildlife around here doesn't trust me."

He stood up and walked away from the birds, when he bumped into a student with a wheat strand in his mouth.

"Sorry about that," Baldren said to the student. "My mind was elsewhere."

The student glanced at Baldren for a brief moment, then scoffed and moved past him.

"At least he didn't approach me with hostility like Franca did," he muttered as he walked.

"Hey."

Baldren stopped and turned around to see that the student was looking at him. His eyes were void of hostility, but he was still wary of him.

"Yes?" he asked.

"My name's Erik Kampmann. Just thought I'd tell you that."

Baldren nodded and continued walking. He didn't bother ask Erik if he trusted him or not. The look on his face and his vocal tone were enough to answer his question.

"Well, it's obvious that I'm not going any support from him. Maybe I'll go somewhere else."

And so, Baldren set off to his next destination to see if he can gain any support.

Audrey walked around the school interior with a heavy heart. The answer she has received from Coleen left her… disappointed. But she quickly shook that unpleasant moment from her mind. Now was not the time to dwell on that. What she needed to focus on was meeting her classmates and hoping that they can support her and her brother on their path towards redemption.

"Alright. I'm going to see this through," Audrey said, determination now growing within her heart. "And I will not be taken off guard!"

*Click*

…Is what she said before being blinded by the flash of a camera.

"AGH!"

Audrey lost her footing and fell flat on her back. She shut her eyes tight to recover from the sudden flash.

"Oh dude, this is perfect! A picture of the former tank commander of the rebel army is sure make the front page of the Insider!"

Audrey rubbed her eyes and stood up. She opened them slightly to see a girl with pigtails and glasses holding a camera with an excited expression. She wanted to glare at her, but was unable to due to her eyes recovering from the flash.

"Hi there! I'm Lotte Netzel! Nice to meet you!" the girl said.

Audrey rubbed her eyes again, then forced a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lotte. I hope we can-"

"If you don't mind, I wanna ask you some questions," Lotte interrupted.

Audrey blinked. "W-Wha?"

And thus, Audrey was caught in a whirlwind questions from Lotte.

"So, how old are you?"

"I'm 18."

Baldren's eyes widened in shock. How can someone with such a muscular build be at the age of 18?

"Reiner, what have your parents been feeding you as of late?"

Reiner chuckled. "My father wanted me to be strong, so…"

Baldren waved dismissively. "I-It's alright. You don't need to tell me if you don't want to. I'm not one to pry into others' lives."

"Oh. Okay, then."

There was a moment of silence between the two before Baldren spoke once more.

"Tell me, Reiner. What do you think about Darcsens?"

Reiner crossed his arms. "What do I think about them? Well, I believe that despite that all the criticism and rumors, they are good people and should be accepted as human beings like any other person. At least, that's what I think."

Baldren nodded. "I see. Thank you for your answer."

He started to walk off, but stopped when he felt Reiner's large hand grasp his shoulder.

"Exactly why are you asking me this, Baldren?" he said with a serious expression.

"I just wanted to get some general ideas of the Darcsen people so I can look at them in a whole new perspective," he answered without looking back.

Reiner sighed. "Do you really think that's just going to make amends for you and your sister's past?"

Baldren didn't respond.

"Do honestly you can take back months of attacks against people that are being punished for something their ancestors may or may not be responsible for?"

"No, I don't," Baldren said, before turning around. "But I can reflect on my past and attempt to make changes for the present. This much, I know."

"I see," Reiner replied, removing his hand from his shoulder. "Well, I wish you good luck then."

Baldren smiled. "Thank you, Reiner. I appreciate that."

And with that, Baldren walked off, leaving Reiner alone.

"I know he can change for the better," Reiner said to himself. "I just know it."

Audrey walked into the academy hospital, and was quite impressed by it. The exterior looked humble enough, but the interior made it look as if it was an actually hospital. Audrey thought that whoever designed it was a genius.

"I must say, this academy has so much surprises," she said to herself. "I wonder what more there are for me to find?"

While she was lost in the sights, Audrey tripped and landed face first onto the floor.

"Damn it," she cursed. "How many times must I be so careless?" She stood up (again) and dusted herself off. "I pray that this does not become a habit."

She continued to walk until she bumped into someone. Ironically enough, she didn't fall to the ground like before.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't notice you were there!" a panicked voice stuttered.

Audrey looked up to see a a young man with a shaved head bow feverishly.

"Raise your head. The fault was not completely yours. I myself wasn't looking where I was going."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief."

"On an unrelated topic, what's your name?"

"My name? Oh, my name! I'm Raymond, nice to meet you."

Audrey smiled. "Nice to meet you too, Raymond."

"N-Nice to meet you too, Audrey. I hope we can get along."

"Likewise." She walked off, much to Raymond's confusion and disappointment.

"Aw, and I was going to ask if she had any injuries from bumping into me."

"Now, what book should I take to pass the time?" Baldren asked himself as he stared intently at a bookshelf. He looked up and down for a book he could read, but found none that piqued his interest.

"On second though, I don't think there's anything here that's worth reading."

Just as he was about to leave, he saw a dark haired girl with glasses walked to the shelf, pick up a book and walked off. Against his better judgement, he walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

"Excuse me," he said softly.

The girl turned around with a plain expression, void of any emotion.

"What do you want?" she said in a dull tone.

"I just wanted to talk with you."

The girl scoffed, then turned around and walked away. Dumbfounded, Baldren remained where he stood as he watched the girl sit at a table, reading the book she had picked up. It was there that he had an internal debate on whether he should talk to her or leave her alone for the time being.

"I want to get to know her, but I don't want to scare her off or irritate her. But if I leave her be, I may never get a chance to speak to her."

It took a while for Baldren to make his decision. And he finally made it.

"Okay. I am going to… leave her alone until further notice."

And with that, he quickly walked out of the library.

"So, I heard you were a tank pilot."

Audrey was broken out of her reverie while looking at a tank by a woman with black hair and dark eyes wearing a grey mechanic outfit speaking to her.

"Hmm?"

"Were you a tank pilot?"

Audrey nodded. "Yes, I was. Why do you ask?"

The woman chuckled. "Well, when I looked at your eyes, I saw someone who knew her way around a tank. By the way, I'm Lavinia Lane."

Audrey smiled. "Nice to meet you, Lavinia. I am-"

"I know," Lavinia interrupted. "It's Audrey, isn't it?"

Audrey blinked. "Y-Yes. How did you know?"

"Word around here has spread pretty quick about you and your brother. Although, none of it's good, seeing how the two of you were rebels."

Audrey sighed. "That is to be expected."

Lavinia put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, chin up. No need to feel down about it. People around here might give you the cold shoulder at some point, but eventually, they'll want to get to know you. Not as a member of the rebels, but as a person in general."

Audrey looked down at her feet. She wanted to believe in Lavinia's words, but couldn't find the strength to do so. Just earlier, she got herself into a hideous altercation with students from Class A just for standing up for herself and nearly got struck down for it. Simply put, no one could blame her for feeling the slightest bit skeptical.

Lavinia raised an eyebrow. "Hey, are you alright? You look a little pale."

Audrey raised her head and blinked. "H-Huh?"

Lavinia leaned in closer and examined her face. "When's the last time you've eaten since you got here?"

"Um… I haven't eaten."

"That's not good. You can't think straight on an empty stomach."

Before she realized what was going on, Audrey was being pushed out of the garage by Lavinia.

"W-What are you doing?" Audrey asked.

"I'm taking you to the cafeteria to get some grub!" Lavinia answered with a big grin. "Now, let's go!"

"W-Wait a minute!"

Baldren was now sitting at the fountain, thinking about who he should meet next. So far, he has spoken with Alexis, Nichol, Franca, Anisette, Melissa, Helmut, Erik, Reiner and the girl at the library. Alexis appears to have faith in him, while Franca firmly believes that he will betray everyone. No doubt she is trying to drill that into Nichol's brain. Anisette was too focused on being an idol to really care on the matter, and Melissa insisted that she was only keeping her eye on him… which was still unerving. Helmut was indifferent on him being at Lanseal, and he couldn't get much out of Erik, but at least Reiner was supportive. And the girl from the library? Nothing. He didn't get anything out of her because he chose not to speak with her.

"There has to be someone else I can speak to, but who?"

In an unexpected twist, Baldren got his answer when a girl sat next to him with a seductive look in her eye.

"Uh… can I help you?"

"Actually, I can help you, Baldren dear," the girl cooed as she leaned closer towards him. "My name is Sofia, and I am sure you can make up for what you did."

Baldren narrowed his eyes, suspicious of Sofia's motives. "You seem to have made your mind up pretty quick."

Sofia let out a sultry chuckle. "Well, I have a hard time believing that a cute thing like yourself would turn on his homeland for such a petty reason."

Baldren's heart nearly stopped when he heard Sofia call him 'cute'. Exactly what was so cute about him?

"Really, now? I'm cute?" he asked.

"Well, of course you are," Sofia said. "I'm surprised no girl has asked you out yet. And please don't get me started on that 'they don't want to be with me because I was a rebel' spiel. I'm sure that they're only intimidated by your good looks and not your… former occupation."

Baldren stared at her suspiciously. "Uh-huh…"

"Anyway, I gotta go. No rest for the wicked as they say." Sofia kissed Baldren on the cheek and walked off, humming all the way.

"Me? Cute? There's got to be some mistake," he muttered.

"You sure ate your fill there, kid," Lavinia said as she watched Audrey devour a dinner roll. "You must've been starving."

Audrey wiped her mouth with a napkin. "I wasn't starving, I was just feeling peckish."

Lavinia chuckled. "Never in my life have I seen some who was peckish gulp down a bowl of beef stew in one sitting."

Audrey smiled. "I guess I'm full of surprises, aren't I?"

"That you are, kid."

Audrey's smile faded. "Please stop calling me 'kid'. I'll have you know that I am 24 years old."

Lavinia widened her eyes in shock. "You're kidding me. You don't look a day over 18."

Audrey shrugged. "Well, I enjoy taking proper care of my skin."

"Yeah, you look like you've been taking really good care of it."

"I try."

After a satisfying meal, Audrey said her goodbyes to Lavinia and left the cafeteria. Energized from the food, she left and walked around for a while.

"Now, who should I meet with next?"

Audrey spoke with Noel, Chloe, Rene, Magari, Coleen, Lotte, Raymond and Lavinia. The first three were supportive of her, while Magari and Coleen remained indifferent. Raymond seemed nice enough, even though he was a little bit shy, and Lavinia practically greeted her with open arms. Although, Audrey thought it had to do with the fact that she was a tank pilot.

"I wonder how Baldren is faring," she said to herself.

"Oh, excuse me."

Audrey turned around to see a young man with blond hair and blue eyes standing behind her.

"Yes?" Audrey responded.

"You're Audrey Gassenarl, right?"

Audrey nodded.

"I'm Randy Hamsun," he said with a warm smile. "I'm the vice-president of the student council. If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask."

Audrey smiled. "Thank you, Randy. I will keep that in mind. I'll be sure to let my brother know about you when I have the chance."

"Great. See you later."

Audrey walked away, Randy dropped his nice guy facade and put on a more sinister personality.

"I don't know why, but that rebel wench and her brother can't be trusted," he muttered to himself. "Atonement? Ha! Don't make me laugh. Sooner or later, those two are bound to slip up, and they do, I'll be the one to take them down." He started to laugh maniacally. "The position of student council president is with my grasp..."

Baldren had a hard time reading the young man in front of him. Looking at his timid dark eyes, he felt like he should tread carefully with his words lest he accidenly scare him off.

"So... how are you... Morris, was it?"

"I'm... okay," he responded softly. "And you?"

"I am fine also."

They stared at each other in complete silence for at least ten minutes. At least, that's how it was until Morris spoke.

"W-Well, I'll see you later," he said as he swiftly walked away. Baldren sighed and scratched his head.

"I don't know why, but I get the feeling he's intimidated by me," he muttered.

He turned around and started to walk, only to bump into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

The person he had bumped into was a young woman with black hair and dark eyes. She looked up at him with a composed expression.

"No, I am alright," she responded. "You're Baldren Gassenarl, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"My name is Marion Siegbahn. I would like to speak with you, if you would allow it."

KS: Finally got that out of the way. Now I can finally get on with the main story.

Imca: Will you get on it soon?

KS: Probably not. See you all later.