Lando slept outside that night and woke up early. He could never get sleep these days, he was too young to be this tired. He walked to the mess hall and saw all of the boys looking at him like they were trying to figure him out, which made Lando on edge. Lando was walking around looking for a place to sit before Armin called out " Lando, come sit with us."
Lando had never talked to him but he sat across from 3 of them, one was a girl with black hair like his named Mikasa, the other was Eren, and finally Armin.
"Why did you let him sit with us?" Mikasa asked.
"Because he doesn't have anywhere else to sit," Armin replied. "It's alright if he sits with us, right Eren?"
"Yeah, its fine and I wanted to ask him some questions," Eren replied
Lando started eating his food waiting for what Eren had to say, while Mikasa was looking at him like she was about to jump at him and attack him.
"You're from the Underground, right? What was it like." Eren asked.
The room got a little quieter after that was said like everyone was secretly listening to their conversation. Lando didn't like that.
"I am from the Underground, you were at the fall of Shiganshima right?" Lando asked.
"Yes we were," Eren replied with spite in his voice.
"Ok imagine that but people trying to kill each other, little food people are starving everywhere, and women whoring themselves to survive," Lando replied.
"How did you survive that place? Where you starving?" Armin asked.
"No quite the opposite, I thrived mostly down there," Lando replied.
"So you killed people huh?" Mikasa said.
Lando spat out what he was eating in surprise looking at her. Lando elected not to answer.
"Oh come on, this guy can't kill anyone, he is too short." Jean replied, listening in on their conversation.
Lando was irritated but chose not to reply.
"Can't you hear me short stuff? I said you can't kill anyone." Jean said, putting his hand on Lando's shoulder.
Lando stood up and swept Jean's legs causing him to fall with a thud, leaving Jean looking surprised.
Lando looked straight into Jean's eyes saying " You know I planned on not causing trouble, but you just kinda ruined my plan. You have lived your whole life in Trost living without much worry most likely. But down in the real world we are left with tough decisions, some we will never move past."
Jean stared at him with fear in his eyes before saying "You're not so tough." trying to be cool Lando guessed most likely.
"What Corps are you going to join anyway, MP's would never accept a rat like you," Jean said.
"Survey Corps," Lando responded, causing everyone to stare at him with shock except a few while Eren looked at him with admiration.
"I should've known, you and that suicidal maniac can go get eaten by Titans," Jean responded
"Who are you calling a maniac?!" Eren yelled back.
"Quiet Eren!" Lando demanded and Eren actually went quiet.
"Jean you're not going to join the MPs you're not worthy," Lando replied
"I am worthy!" Jean yelled back, hating to be looked down on.
"How could you be worthy?" Lando asked. " The MPs are killers all of them are, if you knew what MPs did in the Underground you wouldn't wanna join them, the leaders may change but the methods stay the same"
Jean didn't know what to say so we went quiet going back to his table, Lando did the same.
"That was awesome!" Eren said to Lando " I didn't know you're going to join the Survey Corps!"
"I'm not joining it for the same reason you are, I need to find someone," Lando told him.
"What other reason is there to join the Scouts besides killing the Titans, maybe you can't just kill them, you're too scared." Eren told Lando.
"Have you ever fought a Titan?" Lando asked Eren who was about to respond but Lando spoke first "When you have to go at a Titan trying to kill it are you going to freeze? Why do you even wanna kill the Titans anyway?"
"They took someone from me," Eren said with anger.
"We have all lost someone, Eren you're not the only one," Lando said to him.
"I lost my mother!" Eren said to Lando who went wide eyed at Eren's bomb shell.
"A titan ate her right in front of me! I will kill them all." Eren said
"Just calm down," Lando said to Eren.
"No, I'm not going to calm down, don't act like you know anything about it, I would like to see how you like it if your mother was killed right in front of you," Eren said to Lando.
"That's an interesting idea, but I'm afraid you're too late to put it to the test," Lando said, causing Armin and Eren to Gasp and Mikasa to look at him with wide eyes. "My mother had already been killed right in front of me." As soon as Lando finished, a bell rang which meant the ODM gear test.
Lando got up and walked out over to Sadies and lined up, Conny lined up right beside him. Lando guessed that he didn't have anybody else and Lando didn't either so it works out.
"We'll begin by determining your aptitude!" Sadies yelled "If you can't do this you're not even fit to be bait."
"So that's why Kenny had the ODM gear with cables hooked to all the buildings it was to get my balance with it." Lando thought.
"You'll be sent off to the fields!" Sadies yelled.
He called up people to try and use it, The Mikasa girl did it easily followed by Conny and Sasha. While Eren floundered.
"What are you doing, Eren Yeager?!" Sadies yelled, "Straighten yourself up!"
Eren looked flabbergasted while everyone stared at him. Eventually, it was Lando's turn; he was the last group to go and try. Lando strapped himself in and did it perfectly causing Sadies to look at him with angry eyes before yelling.
"Where did you learn how to use ODM gear?!" Sadies yelled causing everyone to stare at him.
"Just great," Lando thought. "How did he know that I have used it before?!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lando said.
"The way you strapped in, the way you are floating like this. Only someone who has experience can do it like you have." Sadies yelled.
Lando sighed he was a drill instructor for this stuff for a reason, it seemed Lando would have to come clean getting the Sasha treatment didn't seem fun.
"I have been trained with ODM gear since I was 10, I've been using it for 2 years," Lando said.
A lot of people gasped and some stared at him. Lando hated this place. Why do they all look at him like this?
"Get off rat," Sadies said to him and Lando did as told.
Lando walked over and tried to blend into the group but was failing. Conny came over to him and said "You've already been using ODM gear for that long? Cool!"
Lando looked at Conny before saying "Thanks."
That night Lando was eating fast because he had something to do, everyone was talking about Eren's failure but Lando couldn't care less.
Lando finished quickly and left for Sadies office.
"Come in!" Sadies yelled when Lando knocked.
"Where are the cleaning supplies?" Lando asked.
Sadies stared at him before telling him where they were at. Lando got there and lucky him there was a white mask and a white bandana there.
Lando put it on before walking over to the cabin, "Let's get started" Lando thought.
Lando started cleaning the entire cabin, about a 3rd of the way through cleaning everyone came back. Some people looked at him like he was insane, others didn't mind but only Conny asked him what he was doing.
"Why are you cleaning?" Conny asked.
"This place is filthy and I can finally clean it," Lando said.
"Filthy? But it seems pretty clean." Conny said.
Lando ignored him when he got called over by Eren, but Lando did hear their conversation.
"The trick to posture control?" Conny said. "Sorry, but I'm gifted. All I can tell you is to "feel" it."
"If anything I'd like to hear your trick." Jean said, "For staying sane after putting on such a pathetic spectacle."
"C'mon, guys! I'm begging you here!" Eren said.
"But didn't you say yesterday if you can't cut it, you have to leave?" Conny said "Or, wait, was it if you don't got talent you have to leave?"
Eren gave up and went to talk to others, Lando didn't care he wanted to get this pig pen into shape.
Lando was almost done cleaning when he saw Eren and Armin come over to him.
"Lando, you have to help me!" Eren said.
"You want help from me?" Lando asked.
"Yes! You said that you have used ODM gear since you were 10. Please help me tonight." Eren said.
"Fine, I'll help you tonight after I clean this place up, it's not like I sleep a lot anyway," Lando mumbled.
"Thank you!" Eren said while Armin beside him looked pleased.
After Lando was done cleaning he walked out with Eren and Armin.
When they got to the ODM training Mikasa was there, Eren probably asked her to be there.
"Learn anything useful?" Mikasa asked Eren when they got there she noticed that Lando was there in cleaning clothes that he forgot to take off.
"Only Lando agreed to help Eren." Armin said.
"Why is he dressed like that?" Mikasa asked.
"He is some clean freak who said our place is a pig pen and that it needed to be cleaned." Eren said.
"It is filthy. I can't live in there if it's like that." Lando argued
After that exchange, they all tried to troubleshoot Erens issues but they couldn't figure out why he couldn't use it. It got late so they all went to bed.
Everyone gathered around Eren who was about to attempt it.
"Eren Jaeger. Are you ready?" Sadies asked.
"Yes!" He responded
Lando was behind Eren for some reason Sadies ordered him to. When Eren went up he stayed like that before falling again.
"Guess this is it." Lando thought.
"Lando switch belts with Jeager." Sadies said
Lando did it but was confused.
After Lando switched belts Eren did it with no problem.
"Your equipment was defective," Sadies said. "The belt you were using had a broken clasp. I've never heard of this breaking before; I guess we'll have to add it to the maintenance checklist."
Eren was fit to be a soldier now but Lando knew what happened.
"Sadies knew the belt was broken from the start and let Eren use it till the last second, what is your game with Eren?" Lando thought.
End of Chapter 13.
