Attack on Titan: Bloodline – Chapter 15 (May 27, 2019)
Lorraine awoke the next morning, feeling bright and cheery in the early morning light. Although she had slept a little bit later than usual, she smiled. Her heart was still light and she still felt the warmth in her heart that made her smile.
"Was it all a dream...?"
She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She yawned deeply and climbed down her wooden ladder. She picked up her uniform, which someone, presumably Mikasa, had laid out on top of the dresser, folded meticulously and walked into the nearly empty shower room. She ran her fingers gently through her tangled hair, thinking about the events of the night before. Walking through the beautiful Night Market, the rambunctious and energetic music in the tavern, dancing with Reiner, not once, but twice, and the kiss that she had never wanted to end. She sighed and stepped into one of the stalls, slipping off her light blue shorts and camisole that were honestly just the tiniest bit too small for her. She stepped into the running water and ran her fingers through her hair, letting the lukewarm water run through it and over her body. She took her washrag and ran it once over her body, cleaning off the sweat and dirt from the few days earlier. After her relatively short shower, she stepped out and wrapped a towel around her chest. She was greeted outside by Annie, who had just finished her own shower and had already clipped on her bra and put on her underwear.
"Hey, Annie."
Annie looked up and said monotonously, "Hello, Lorraine." Lorraine hummed absentmindedly, dressing with a smile plastered onto her face. Annie said, "I suppose you and Reiner had fun last night?" Lorraine nodded and said, buttoning up her white shirt, "Yeah. We went to the Night Market, which was beautiful, and he treated me to this food called rice milk." She shook her head a little, trying to shake the water out of her ears. "After that, he took me dancing and..." She sighed and said in a low voice, "We kissed." She stared into space for a moment, her cheeks flushing pink again. Annie looked up at her out of the corner of her eyes.
"I see."
Lorraine said, chuckling softly, "Sorry. I-it's just kind of...it's like a dream...you know? Like, it almost doesn't feel real." Annie pulled on her hoodie and hummed in acknowledgement. Lorraine said, pulling the leg straps of her gear tight and changing the subject, "I just hope...I'm strong enough to protect him." Annie sighed and grabbed Lorraine's hand.
"Believe in your strength. Trust me when I say you are more than capable. I should know."
Lorraine smiled. Annie's lips curled up, too. A rare sight, but one that Lorraine welcomed. She hugged Annie tightly and said, "Thanks, Annie. You really are the best friend I could have asked for." Annie hesitated for a moment, then patted Lorraine on the back, giving her a light hug. Annie said shakily, "I-I...thank you...Lorraine."
After they finished getting dressed and fixing their hair, the girls made their way into the mess hall. Lorraine greeted Reiner with a hug, but he turned and kissed her on the cheek. He said warmly, "Good morning!" Bertholdt and Annie glanced at each other, though Bertholdt quickly averted his gaze, turning to look out one of the windows. Lorraine said shyly, "Morning, Reiner. Sleep well?"
"God, that was cheesy. Just shut your mouth, Lorraine..."
Reiner said, "Yeah. I had a great time with you last night." Lorraine giggled and said, "Me too." Annie smiled gently. Bertholdt had already gone to grab a tray of rations. Reiner wrapped his hand around Lorraine's and they walked together to grab their own trays, followed by Annie. The four of them all sat at the usual table, Lorraine sitting next to Reiner. She looked around and saw a few folks staring at the two of them and even some pointing their way. It felt like the whole mess hall was talking about them, even if it was only the odd few. Reiner said, not noticing the people talking about them, "Well, today's the day. We finally get to choose our regiment." Lorraine sighed lightly and took a bite of her rather bland porridge. Reiner reached over and asked, running his fingers through her still damp hair, "Are you still planning to join the Scouts, Lo?" She nodded and said, "Yeah. Ever since I joined the Cadets, I had made up my mind. I want to try and help humanity win." She looked up at him.
"What about you? Are you still going to join the MPs?"
Reiner answered boldly, "Hell no. If you're joining the Scouts, then I am, too." Bertholdt sighed. Annie said coldly, "I see. You're both willing to die for humanity." Lorraine asked, taking another spoonful of porridge, "So, you're still going to join the Military Police?" Annie nodded. Lorraine said kindly, "Well, you earned it, Annie." She turned to Bertholdt, but as she opened her mouth, she was cut short by an officer of the Scout Regiment.
"Attention, Cadets! All of you have been summoned to the main cabin for an unplanned inspection! You are to get your Omni-Directional Mobility Gear and report to the main cabin at once!"
Lorraine and Reiner stood up and looked at each other. Lorraine muttered, surprised, "Inspection? What the hell for?" Reiner shrugged and said, "Who knows?" They walked with the crowd to get their gear, then made their way nervously back to the main cabin. As the Cadets filed into the cabin, standing in formation, whispers began to float through the small crowd.
"...two Titans."
"They were experiments..."
"...killed them right before dawn."
"...important test subjects."
"So what I'm getting is that we can suddenly get in trouble for killing Titans? I heard that the Scouts had taken in two test subjects, but it was just a rumor...or so I thought."
Lorraine furrowed her brows. A female, soldier with shoulder-length, dusty-brown hair now stood in front of Reiner and asked sternly, "Cadet. What is your name?" He answered, "Reiner Braun of Squad 29." The woman looked down at her paper, then jotted a quick note down before asking, "When was your last shaft replacement, Cadet Braun?" He calmly said, "After the clean-up operation six days ago." She gave his gear a quick, thorough inspection and said, "Alright, he's cleared. Next." Lorraine said, standing at attention, "Lorraine Ackerman, also from Squad 29." The woman said, writing something on her paper, "When did you last replace your shaft?" Lorraine said honestly, "After the clean-up operation six days ago." The soldier took a look over her gear and said, nodding, "Very good. Next." As the woman walked to the next Cadet, Lorraine let out a relieved sigh.
Just over two hours went by before the Corps was dismissed. It was, unfortunately, a fruitless effort. No culprit was found and the Scouts returned to their headquarters for the time being. Lorraine said, walking hand-in-hand with Reiner in the courtyard, "Tch. Really, who in the Cadet Corps would have been able to commit such a crime in the short time between lights-out and dawn? It doesn't make sense." Reiner shrugged and said, "I'm not sure. I heard that they didn't find a single one of us who used their gear without permission." She sighed.
"Well, at least we know the culprit isn't among us, right?"
He nodded. The two walked together quietly for a little longer before Lorraine said, turning to face him, "Reiner...? Can I...can I kiss you?" He grinned and said, "Of course." She stood up on her toes, wrapping her arms around his neck lovingly. His hands snaked around her waist, holding her strongly. She smiled as their lips met for just a moment. They pulled away, but he leaned his forehead on hers and they stood in silence, their eyes shut as they just enjoyed the moment in the sunlit courtyard. They didn't seem to notice or care about the few Cadets watching them, including Krista and Jean, who stood by the nearby stables, just watching. Jean's expression was one of near-disbelief, but Krista had an angelic smile on her face. Lorraine opened her eyes and lowered herself back down, dragging her arms down to his forearms. His hands rested softly on the sides of her waist and she said, "Well, I-I'm going to head off to ask Annie for one last sparring match before we separate. I'll see you later, though." He nodded and said, "Yeah." He smiled at her as she turned and skipped off, her long hair swishing from side to side.
Lorraine trotted down to the training field, looking around. Down by one of the big, tan sandbags, stood Annie. Her blonde hair was tied up in its usual half-pulled ponytail, and she was wearing a white tank top. She threw each swift punch as though it were nothing and her kicks were powerful as ever. Lorraine walked down to her best friend and called out, "Annie!" Annie turned, her icy-blue eyes shimmering in the sunlight.
"Lorraine."
Lorraine smiled and said, "Can we have one last sparring match before we go our separate ways?" Annie smirked and said, "Alright. Sounds like fun. Dagger or fist fight?" Lorraine said, "I say let's go for the good old fist fight!" Annie nodded and said, "Alright. Whenever you're ready, Lo." Lorraine and Annie walked out into the middle of the training field and set themselves up. Annie stood with both her fists raised around her face, her left leg propped up in front of her. She stared down Lorraine with a ferocity that would make the strongest man question himself. Lorraine smirked and took her own, slightly modified stance, her left leg also propped up, but her hands were lowered to her shoulders, though her elbows still pointed outward. She felt that she had more power in this way, so she had adapted Annie's technique.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
Lorraine and Annie danced around each other, punches and kicks being thrown at lightning speed. They sparred for a long time before they finally decided they had to stop. Lorraine sighed sadly as they sat in the shade, sweat towels in hand. Annie asked, "What's wrong?" Lorraine said, "I-I guess I just don't want you to go. When you join the MPs, I just worry that I won't see you again." Annie sighed. She said calmly, "Lorraine. We will see each other again. I know it. It may not be soon, but I can assure you that we will see each other." Lorraine said, "I just can't stop thinking about it. We've been together for so long. It's not going to be the same. I'm going to miss you." Annie put her hand on top of Lorraine's and said, "I know. I'm going to miss you, too." Lorraine looked up at Annie and smiled.
"Congratulations, by the way. On making the MPs."
Annie said, "Thanks." Lorraine said, "I-I also wanted to thank you." Annie looked up at Lorraine, whose amber eyes were shining brightly. Lorraine said, "For teaching me how to fight. Before, I was weak. I was struggling to keep up. I never thought I'd make it in the Cadets. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have made the top ten. I finally feel like a soldier." At the word, Annie seemed to flinch, but Lorraine paid no attention and instead, simply smiled, looking up into the blue sky dusted with puffy white clouds where the sun was beginning to dip a bit lower in the afternoon sky.
Later, after dinner, as the moon rose high into the sky and stars started to shine, Cadets filed into the courtyard, which had been lit only by a few scattered torches. Lorraine stood next to Mikasa and Armin in front of the stage. She looked around. There were a few very recognizable Scouts up on the stage, including the famed Commander Erwin Smith.
"Mikasa?"
Mikasa turned. Lorraine said, "You're still joining the Scouts, right?" Mikasa nodded and said, "Yes. Of course." Lorraine smiled and turned to Armin. He smiled and nodded. Mikasa asked, "Are you scared?" Lorraine shook her head and said, "Not anymore." Armin and Mikasa stared at her for a moment, then both smiled. Lorraine looked up at the stage, where Commander Erwin took his position and cleared his throat.
"Attention, Cadets! My name is Erwin Smith. I am Commander of the Survey Corps, also known as the Scout Regiment. Today is the day you choose which branch of the military you join. To put things bluntly, I am here to persuade you to join the Scout Regiment."
Murmurs started to echo through the courtyard, but Erwin continued, "During their recent assault on Trost, you all learned first-hand just how terrifying the Titans can be, as well as the limits each of you possesses; however, that battle, with the assistance of Eren Jaeger, brought mankind closer to victory than we have ever been." He paused, looking out on the sea of Cadets for a moment.
"By risking his own life, Eren Jaeger has proven himself to be a great ally to mankind. With his help, not only did we stop the Titans' advance, but we've also obtained a key to discovering the truth about them. We believe that the basement of his old home in Shiganshina District holds answers to many of the questions we've been asking about the Titans for years. If we can reach that cellar, there's a great chance that we will find clues to ending this nightmare we have endured for a hundred years because of the Titans."
Mikasa and Lorraine looked at one another worriedly as whispers started up again. Armin's brows were knitted together as they only did when he was deep in thought. Erwin explained, "We will head for the cellar in Shiganshina. That does, however, require us to retake Wall Maria. Now that the Trost gate has been permanently sealed, we will have to take the long way around, starting from Calaneth District in the east. Unfortunately, the four years we spent establishing a route for a full-scale army have gone to waste. In those four years, over sixty percent of the Scout Regiment have lost their lives." He sighed, then he looked back to the crowd.
"Any Cadets who join us will participate in the recon mission beyond the Walls next month. We expect a third of them to be lost. In another four years, most will be dead; however, those who endure it will be among the most capable soldiers with a high survival rate. Now that you know the discouraging facts, any of you willing to risk your lives for humanity, remain here. Anyone who wishes to join another branch, you will be dismissed. Before you decide, I want you to ask yourselves: are you willing to offer your beating hearts for humankind? That is all. Those who do not wish to join the Scouts are dismissed."
As he turned back to the other Scouts, many Cadets began to turn and leave. Lorraine watched as they left one by one, leaving only a small number who wished to join the Scouts. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched Annie turn away, only looking at her for a moment before leaving the courtyard. Lorraine sighed. Armin and Mikasa stayed by her side. Sasha and Connie stood together, scared, but determined to fight their nerves. Bertholdt, Reiner, Krista, and Ymir stayed behind. Even Jean, who had previously been adamant to join the Military Police before, stayed behind to join the Scouts. Lorraine looked back up onto the stage. Levi was standing just off to the side, looking down at her, though his eyes also scanned the other Cadets.
"Captain Levi. He's always... Almost like he's watching over me. Why? Am I imagining things? No way. Back at the courthouse was exactly the same."
Erwin walked back onto the stage and said calmly, "Now, then. I ask you: if you were ordered to die, would you?" A male Cadet shouted from the back, "We don't want to die, Sir!" Erwin smiled and said, "Very good. Let us hope that you don't then. I welcome you Cadets as official members of the Survey Corps! This is a genuine salute! Dedicate your hearts!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Lorraine smiled, her heart pounding in her throat. She took a shaking breath.
"Why am I shaking? I've wanted this for three years. Not to mention, I've got Mikasa, Eren, and Armin by my side, as well as Reiner. I have no reason to be scared. I placed second in the rankings. So, why? I almost feel like something bad is going to happen on this mission."
Erwin said, "To those of you who remain, you have all done well to endure your fear. You have proven yourselves courageous. You have my utmost respect."