Ymir: I want to go to find that girl.
Aleksander frowned and didn't know what to answer to the determination the girl showed, but recovered.
Aleksander: A-Alright? military training starts in a few months, come with us. We'll help.
Ymir: We'll help?
Aleksander: A good friend of mine, I'll introduce you when the time comes. What do you say?
Ymir hesitated, he couldn't trust Aleksander. Not yet, but seeing he didn't throw her to the MPs to save himself, which she appreciated, she accepted his offer as they walked out of the church, the necklace still in her hands.
Ymir: I'll come with you.
One and a half years later, Training grounds
Over the past year, Ymir met Thurner, who was a bit intimidated by her attitude. Aleksander told Ymir where did he come from and how he survived since he was 6, skipping over Levi. He also noted how Ymir said never shared anything about her own past, but ultimately respected her decision.
They both were witnesses of Thurner's emotive farewell to his parents, and after, Aleksander also said goodbye to the kind elders. The three rented a cart to the training grounds, where they currently were hearing their instructor, a bald, intimidating man named Keith Shadis, screaming at a blonde kid.
Shadis: Who the hell are you?!
Blonde: I'm Armin Arlert from Shiganshina!
Aleksander's attention was caught, alongside that of many others who turned their heads at the mentioning of the district of the attack of two years prior. Aleksander wasn't affected by it, and much less had he seen the destruction of the district, so he could only wonder what that must have been to the inhabitants of the district. Pushing these thoughts aside, Aleksander continued listening.
Shadis: That so? A name fit for a retard! Did your parents give you that name?
Armin: It was my grandfather, sir.
Shadis: Arlert, why are you here?
Armin: To contribute to humanity's victory, sir!
Shadis: How admirable. You will make first-class Titan food.
After the statement, he yelled at the row to turn around. He continued with the rite, and at this point, Aleksander focused on remembering the names. Thomas, Mina, Jean, and Marco amongst many others. He reached the row in which the three were situated, skipped Ymir and stopped in front of Aleksander.
Shadis stared at him. Aleksander knew better than showing any weakness in his eyes, so he returned the glare with no clear expression in his face, as if the situation was nothing more than his usual routine. This continued for a few seconds, and Shadis opened his mouth...
To close it back again. He moved onto his right, where Thurner was situated. In this case he didn't hesitate.
Shadis: Name!
Thurner: James Thurner! From Stohess District!
Shadis: You're from the inside cities, eh? You think you're important? You're nothing here! Below cattle! You won't last shit in here!
Thurner looked at the Instructor wide-eyed, surprise written over his face.
Acknowledging this, Shadis decided to coat the wound with a nice salt dressing.
Shadis: What's that face for? Can't accept the truth?
The instructor lowered his voice and got closer to Thurner, whose face expression changed to one of fear.
Shadis: You better get used to it, or you will die here.
He stood upright again, satisfied, leaving thurner as an emotional mess behind. He walked away until he stood in front of a kid with a buzz cut.
Shadis: You there! Who the hell are you?
The buzz cut boy saluted with his left hand, and so the salute was the complete opposite of how it should have been.
Buzz cut: Connie Springer from Ragako! In the south of Wall Ro-
The instructor grabbed Connie from his head and lifted him up a few inches from the floor.
Shadis: Listen up, Connie Springer! This is elemental, you're offering your heart to the king with that salute! Is your heart on the right side, shithead?
But suddenly, the distinct munch of food filled the air, and after it, silence. Aleksander turned his head without entirely turning his body to observe the row on his back, as did the entirety of his own row.
Even Shadis seemed at a loss for words. He stood in his place for a few moments, still holding Connie. All eyes converged into a brown-haired girl who was eating a potato with a face of alert. She was the only one who remained ignorant of the situation. Shadis dropped Connie, who fell onto the floor. Afterwards, the instructor spoke up calmly, but not holding his rage back.
Shadis: Hey, you. What the hell are you doing?
The potato girl looked one way, then the other, and assumed they weren't talking to her. SHe took another bite out of the potato. Shocked faces and gasps surrounded her as the Instructor made his way to her, and this time he made no effort at all to seem calm.
Shadis: YOU! I'M TALKING TO YOU! WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!
The girl munched rapidly and swallowed before saluting, the potato still clutched tightly in her hand.
Potato girl: I'm Sasha Braus from Dauper, at the south of Wall Rose, sir!
Shadis: Sasha Braus...
Shadis: What's that you're holding in your hand?
Sasha: A steamed potato, sir! It was in the kitchen and I thought it was just what I needed! I didn't think this through!
Aleksander: At least it isn't raw
Shadis: You mean you stole it? Why did you decide to eat a potato now, of all times?
Sasha: I wanted to eat it while it was still warm, so I thought it was now or never, sir.
Shadis: No... I don't get it... Why are you eating a potato?
Sasha: Are you asking why people eat potatoes in general, sir?
The breeze of wind was clearly audible after the question. No one moved, no one breathed, everyone wanted to know what would happen next, and Ymir, Aleksander, and Thurner weren't an exception. Shadis didn't answer, and Sasha, noticing this, decided to cut off a fifth of the potato and offer it to him.
Sasha: Here is half of it. For you.
Shadis: A... Half?
Shadis took it and looked at it, shock, surprise, confusion, and concern written all over his face. He looked at the potato girl, said expression still marked. She looked at him back, and smiled.
Some time later, Ymir walked into the mess hall with Thurner and Aleksander close behind. Connie and Marco stood on the porch. The former spoke up, which made Aleksander stop to listen, curious of what he had to say.
Connie: That potato girl is still running. Man...
Aleksander leaned along the porch and talked to the two.
Aleksander: How much has it been, 5 hours now? She'll really kill herself at this pace.
Connie: She didn't seem to care about that as much as when he told her she wouldn't have dinner.
Mina and a dark-brown haired kid joined them, and they all watched together Sasha run around the camp.
Aleksander: You're Connie right?
Connie: Yep.
Aleksander smiled before speaking further.
Aleksander: Man, you're lucky she was eating there, else you'd be there doing all the running.
Connie: C'mon, it wasn't that bad.
Mina replied before Aleksander could, a smile also notable in her lips.
Mina: Yeah, it was. How does someone even mess up that? First thing you're taught!
Connie decided to completely ignore the subject at hand and instead shift the focus onto a cart carrying some of the cadets that were with them at the beginning of the day.
Connie: What's that?
Mina: I-
Marco cut her off.
Marco: Dropouts, requested the transfer on day one.
The brown-haired boy that had remained silent replied to Marco.
?: They would have been gone sooner or later. If they aren't strong enough, they need to leave.
Aleksander looked at the boy, confident in his talk. He had managed to set a grim atmosphere with two sentences. The others also stared at him
Marco: By the way, we didn't get to hear where you're from. Where did you live?
?: I'm from Shiganshina, I lived there until I was twelve, when I moved to the landfills.
Everyone was surprised, and Connie began moving towards him.
Connie: Then were you there the day it fell? You saw it?
Marco: Easy, there, Connie!
Connie didn't ease up.
Connie: Did you see the Colossal Titan?
?: Yeah.
Suddenly, the door to the mess hall opened and Ymir's casual face of disinterest appeared through the frame. She inquired at Aleksander.
Ymir: Aleks, you coming?
The rest had deemed the conversation over and had begun to watch Sasha again.
Aleksander: Yeah, right up.
Aleksander was seated in front of Thurner and Ymir, a blonde haired girl who introduced herself as Krista next to him. Their efforts of having a calm dinner were fruitless, as a large amount of cadets were joined around the table.
Among them sat the dark brown haired boy that was with Aleksander on the porch, whose name he revealed to be Eren. Some cadets were asking him relentlessly about Shiganshina, especially the day of the fall, and about the Colossal and Armored Titans. The group was making enough noise so that no one could avoid hearing the conversation.
However, Aleksander didn't pay it much attention until the chatter suddenly stopped, when he looked at where Eren was seated.
Connie: Sorry, I must have hit a memory you didn't like.
Eren: Don't worry...
Aleksander and the entirety of his table was beginning to focus on their meals again, until Eren took a piece of bread and bit it before continuing, his tone a bit louder than before the pause.
Eren: Titans really aren't much of a problem when they truly come to it, once we master the ODM gear, they'll be nothing more than a pastime. I can't change the past, and besides, now we're finally training to be soldiers! I got a bit lost in my emotions, that's all.
Aleksander thought of these words and found them pointless, experienced Scouts died in every expedition. Nevertheless, it was near impossible to not hear Eren.
Eren: I'll join the Scouting Legion and wipe every Titan from the surface of this earth! Not a single one wi-
?: Everything in order up in your head?
Aleksander looked up from his plate to see who caused the sudden interruption, and his jaw dropped as he saw a horse with a smug face making use of human speech. Upon closer inspection, it was nothing more than Jean, who Aleksander knew nothing about except his intentions of joining the Military Police.
Jean: Did you say something about joining the Scouts?
Eren: Yeah, I did. You're the one who wanted to live an easy live in the inner cities, right?
Jean: I'm honest, but I'm not that sure about some others here.
Eren got up from his seat, serious. Aleksander smelled hostility growing and his face lit up with excitement. Ymir and Thurner noticed this and turned around to see what caused such expression of enjoyment. Krista, on the other hand, seemed to be worried.
Eren: Are you talking about me?
Jean also got up before answering, making Aleksander's excitement for a fight grow as quickly as Krista's concern deepen.
Jean: I-
He was interrupted by the banging of bells, which gave time for Jean and Eren to think.
Jean: Well, sorry, didn't mean to say you were in the wrong.
Aleksander's smile vanished. Jean extended his hand.
Jean: Peace?
Eren: Yeah, I'm sorry too, bit too eager to pick up a fight myself.
Eren clapped the extended hand and walked out of the cabin, a black haired girl with onyx eyes following him.
The mess hall was finally calm and the murmur of voices raised. Aleksander shook his head.
Aleksander: What a waste, they were at each other's throat but not a single blow.
Ymir: All talk and no action, that's the usual.
Thurner: I don't get why Jean didn't say what he thought directly, to be honest.
Krista joined in.
Krista: But he did, didn't he? I think he was pretty clear.
Thurner: I mean why didn't he tell Eren outright that he was a coward.
Aleksander: Talking shit is way more acceptable if you don't look like you're talking shit.
Thurner: Yeah, but that only works if the other one isn't a complete idiot.
Aleksander nodded, along with the rest of the table.
Aleksander: Yeah, I see where you're coming from.
They eventually finished their food and Ymir and Thurner began to discuss something about the training of the following days. Aleksander tried to follow their conversation, but a combination of boredom and sleepiness made staying awake a herculean task. But all his desire to close his eyes vanished as soon as he noticed Krista hiding a loaf of bread in her pocket.
He looked at her, a questioning look in his face, she glared back and they locked, blue on e/c. He decided she couldn't have any dark ulterior motives, so he reached out to his plate, grabbed a loaf of bread, and offered it to her.
Krista didn't take it. Instead, she stood up and beckoned him to come. Aleksander simply frowned, and hesitated before his curiosity got the better of him. Aleksander looked at his two friends, who hadn't noticed anything, murmured something about going outside which was again thoroughly ignored by both parties, got up, and followed Krista.
When they were outside, the blonde girl reached to the inside of her jacket and took a leather pouch which held water.
Aleksander: What's that? A pouch? What's she going to do?
Aleksander: Oh, maybe she just saw an animal before having dinner and pitied it and wanted to take care of it. Or maybe she sneaked her pet? Why would she show it to me though? Are her secrets worth a loaf of bread?
Krista hurried forward, but Aleksander didn't get too close. The distance and the absence of light made him unable to see what the animal in question was.
Aleksander: There it is, it's an animal after all...
The creature then opened its eyes and lunged at Krista, effectively biting the hand that fed it. After grabbing the loaf of bread in its mouth, Aleksander was relieved to see it hadn't hurt Krista. The feeling persisted until the animal began running towards him, he panicked, having no experience with or against wild animals.
Aleksander: Oh, okay, okay it's happening everybody, stay calm, what's the procedure?
The quadruped got closer as Aleksander got more nervous.
Aleksander: STAY FUCKING CALM!
Aleksander wasn't calm.
Upon closer inspection, the entity was larger than he thought, which didn't help. Aleksander was petrified. In what he thought were his last moments, he thought of Levi, Thurner, his mom also came to mind, Ymir, the baker. Maybe he should have helped the baker. But it was too late now, Krista also showed up, probably the matter of his death. The being lunged at him, and he suddenly saw another face.
It was Sasha.
When he processed this, he was already lying on the floor, staring at the night sky. The loaf of bread he previously held had been taken away and was being consumed by the crouching potato girl. Aleksander made no effort to get up, his mind still thinking on the recent events. Krista hurried back, her face a true example of worry.
Krista: Are you okay?! Did she hurt you? I didn't know she'd act like this, I'm so-
Aleksander cut her off, not wanting her to be concerned.
Aleksander: Hey, hey, don't worry, I'm alright.
Krista: Are you sure? I can give you some water if you need it.
Aleksander appreciated her kindness and willingness to help, but didn't understand why she would behave like this, the lessons he had been taught by force included that no one is "just being kind". He continued lying in the ground, Krista having knelt to check if he was all right.
Aleksander: Hold on for a bit, will you? Why do you do this?
Krista: D-Do what?
Aleksander: Worrying, first about potato girl, and now about me, I just don't get why'd you be so kind.
Krista: Isn't that what anyone should do?
Aleksander: So it's the right thing to do?
Krista: Isn't it?
Aleksander focused on the eyes of the girl in front of her, who was looking at him with a hint of intrigue, wanting to know what he would answer.
Aleksander: No one I've ever known does something just because they think it's right or wrong, they always have more motives than they show, and I really don't think you do this for the sake of being good.
Krista: I... I do this, because I want to be liked, someone dependable.
Aleksander's face suddenly was striked by realization, followed by embarrassment because what he had asked.
Aleksander: That's... You know, please forget it, I'm sorry I asked, shouldn't have-
This time it was Krista's turn to cut him off.
Krista: Don't worry. Really, I get your point, we were raised in different ways, that much I know.
Aleksander finally stood up.
Krista: Could you help me carry Sasha?
She pointed at Sasha, who was sleeping.
Aleksander: Yeah, sure, I'll get the shoulders.
They both carried the girl to the quarters. Krista stayed there and Aleksander set off to his own barracks, as curfew was mere minutes away. There he found Thurner lying on one of the lower line of beds, sleeping. He climbed on to the top one, assuming it wasn't taken. He was getting comfortable, not having slept in an actual bed for years, save for the occasional stay at Thurner's house, when a voice called out to Aleksander.
?: Hey!
Aleksander looked towards the source of the sound, which was a tall blonde boy gesturing to Aleksander to join him on the floor. Aleksander reluctantly got off the bunk and sat next to him, wondering what would he want. As Aleksander approached him, he noticed every aspect of him seemed to exude confidence. He gave him a wide smile before introducing himself.
?: I'm Reiner, we haven't really talked, right?
Seeing this as an opportunity to meet more people, Aleksander pushed through his tiredness. He returned a smile.
Aleksander: Nope, I'm Aleksander, but Aleks is alright. It's good to meet you. Where you from?
An even taller boy with black hair entered the room before Reiner could answer. He looked around until he spotted his friend. The boy sat next to him after greeting them and introduced himself.
?: I'm Berthold, I've known Reiner since we were kids.
Reiner: Yeah, we both come from the a village along the mountains, in the, uh, southeast of Wall Maria.
Aleksander: You had to run away from the Titans, then.
Reiner turned his expression into one of seriousness. Aleksander listened.
Reiner: Y-Yes, We had to run away from them. That Eren at dinner had no clue... The dread of a Titan, you can't forget them once you see them. They'll only bring destruction, and kill the first person they come across...
Reiner didn't continue, he stared into the infinite, in what Aleksander thought was deep pondering. Berthold, seeing this, asked a question to keep the flow of the conversation and give time to the boy.
Berthold: Yeah, it's hell, but we came here to save others from that hell. Anyways, enough about ourselves, Aleksander, where do you come from?
Aleksander: Where do I come from?
Aleksander: I... really don't know where I was born, but I was raised by my mother until I was six from town to town... That's, er, at least what I remember, really, my memories aren't too clear. She was killed, and next thing I know, I'm fending by myself. I moved on to Wall Sina four years later, just before the attack on Shiganshina. There, I met (Pointing towards Thurner) Thurner and Ymir.
Reiner recovered himself along Aleksander's story, and when it ended, he inquired him again.
Reiner: If you haven't seen a Titan, why do you choose to fight them?
Aleksander pondered. He couldn't tell them about Levi, even if he wanted to. It was too risky. With this prospect, he thought of another reason, and eventually, he answered.
Aleksander: I've fought against humans as long as I remember, It was time for a change.
Reiner and Bertholdt nodded, his answer clearly resonated in them. They seemed eager to keep going, and Aleksander was nothing short of that feeling, but the sleepiness carried over from the day dawned on him, and so, he took the opportunity to go to sleep.
Aleksander: Hey, I'll talk to you guys tomorrow, a minute more awake and I'll drop on the concrete. Goodnight!
The pair seemed disappointed, but replied.
Reiner: Alright, goodnight.
Bertholdt: Goodnight.
Aleksander climbed to his spot on top of Thurner, lied down, closed his eyes, and began to think about the day and everyone he had met, but sooner than later, he was completely asleep.