The knowledge of Mikazuki being the one that had been controlling the Mech… no… that he had been Barbatos' pilot was rather… jarring, to say the least, and as she sat with her back against a brick wall, Mina couldn't help but feel rather… overwhelmed by all this as she fidgeted around awkwardly.

Granted, she wasn't the only one who was feeling that way, not by a longshot. Everyone that had been present for the trial of Eren and Mika was still reeling from this information, with several familiar faces still struggling to come to terms with the two bombshells that had been dropped unto them just hours prior.

Not too far from where Mina sat was Nac, who appeared incredibly somber as he stood with his back against the wall. His expression was thoughtful as he rubbed at his chin, and from time to time, the young man would mutter out the words Gundam and Barbatos as he tried to make sense of this whole situation. One couldn't blame him for this, though, as it was exceedingly difficult to accept all that had just happened.

Meanwhile, Annie sat by Mina's side, with her resting one arm atop her knee all the while. To anyone unfamiliar with her, the blonde would've looked just as she always had; completely uncaring of the revelations that had come by hours prior… but alas, both Mina and Nac were incredibly familiar with the young woman, and as such, they could tell that she was feeling incredibly… apprehensive about this whole situation, with them taking stock of Leonhardt's duller eyes and her lips being pulled together just a tiny bit more than usual.

"... what are we gonna tell mum…" muttered Nac after a long while, with him bringing his hand up to his face as he pinched the bridge of his nose. At that, Mina glanced up at him with an uncertain look that showed that she was just as clueless as he was while Annie outright ignored him. "If she finds out…"

"We won't… we'll… we'll let Mika choose when he wants to tell her," said Mina as she herself sat upright, seeming unsure on what she should do, now that the truth was out about Mikazuki's true nature. Nac blinked at her words at first, with him humming softly as he considered her statement, though after a short while, he nodded in agreement. As for Annie, however…

"And how do we know if we can trust him anymore?" inquired Annie, frowning deeply as she looked in front of herself blankly; she had not made eye contact with either of them prior to now, and even now… she refused to do so. It was almost as though she was deliberately avoiding eye contact with them, something that both soldiers took notice of rather quickly, though they spoke nothing of it as the blonde continued. "Mikazuki just revealed to us that he's been that… thing for… God knows how long. He's been keeping his secrets from us, his friends, for years now… how can we even trust him to come clean to her when he couldn't even come clean to us?"

That… was a fair question, all things considered. Mikazuki did indeed keep his lips sealed on Barbatos for years on end, but even so…

"Mika… no doubt has his reasons for it; key of which being that we probably wouldn't believe him if he told us anyways," smiled Nac, with him doing so weakly as he rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. Mina and, to a lesser extent, Annie, turned to him with curiosity as they pondered his words, prompting him to elaborate. "Think about it: Mika comes up and tells us that he can control that… Gundam. Would we believe him?"

"... probably not," admitted Mina meekly, with her scratching at her cheek as she said this. Annie said nothing about that as she remained silent, though the pigtailed girl's comment was enough to make Nac continue as he smiled gently.

"Exactly. And if he showed us that he could control it… well, we'd probably be… a little freaked out, to say the least," continued Nac, with him rationalizing Mikazuki's choice of secrecy as he spoke. Mina hummed softly at that, with her, despite not wishing to admit it, seeing some truth behind her friend's words, and Annie would've been lying if she claimed to have not done the same.

Had Mika shown either of them his Gundam years prior… they probably would've reported him to the military in an instant on instinct!

"I'm not saying that I trust him… not completely at least. I don't think my trust in him will be what it once was… not until we can talk to him personally at least… but even so, I want us to give him the benefit of the doubt. Mika's a good person, I know it… so let's not… demonize him just yet, alright?" smiled Nac, with him glancing down at Annie as he spoke. Hearing this, the blonde frowned as she up and glowered at the man, and truth be told, Nac did wither a tiny bit under her gaze, though his look of unwavering positivity remained steadfast, and with her frown maintained, Annie spoke up.

"Human beings are filth, Nac," stated Annie, with her leaving no room for argument as she held her hand up in front of her, palm facing the sky, "we lie, we cheat, we manipulate others… and, inevitably, we will kill each other," in a quick and simple motion, Annie's hand closed itself into a fist to place some emphasis on her words, "just to get what we want. Mikazuki's no different.

"We all have our motives for doing what we do, and Mikazuki is no different. He's not above harming others to get what he wants, and he's certainly not above telling bold faced lies in order to achieve his goals. If he was really fighting for humanity because he wanted to, he would've told us, he would've told everyone about his power and helped them out earlier, not dally on all that and toss countless lives into the furnace just because he didn't feel like helping.

Opening his mouth, Nac was very much ready to counter Annie's argument, though he was quick to shut it when he acknowledged that she wasn't exactly wrong. Humans were chaotic creatures, after all. Evil came naturally within them all, no matter how small it was, and even someone as neutral as Mikazuki surely had that side to him as well… and what's more, Annie's comment on Mika keeping Barbatos a secret struck a cord within him as well… he was incredibly conflicted on how he should think about all this as Annie did indeed speak the truth… if he was truly adamant on helping mankind, he would've revealed his true power much earlier…

"Well… I… I-I guess if you put it like that-"

"I don't believe you, Annie… and honestly, I don't think that even you believe yourself at this point."

A pause, with both Nac and Annie having been caught off guard when Mina abruptly butted into the conversation. There was an unfamiliar fire in her voice as she stood up and looked between Nac and Annie, and moments later, and after a deep exhale, the young woman continued to speak with gusto.

During the entirety of the Trost incident… Mika could've just… left us. He's so much stronger than any of us combined, and if he's just as you say he is… then he wouldn't have anything to gain from protecting us… and yet… he still stuck by us through and through," stated Mina confidently, with her clenching her hands into tight fists as she said this. Staring down at them, Carolina tightened them further as she spoke. "I have faith in him being a good person, Annie. I have faith in Nac's words; Mika had good reason to not tell us about… about Barbatos, and that in itself shouldn't make us think badly of him."

And to that… Annie frowned heavily as she glared up at Mina, and moments later, she marched up in front of her and locked her gaze with her pigtailed friend. The young woman's conviction behind her words was not to be understated, and she didn't back down, even as the blonde glared up at her harshly, and moments later, after confirming Carolina's conviction… Leonhardt backed away with a groan."

"You're still so naive, both of you," mumbled Annie, frowning as she realized that she was fighting a losing battle, prompting her to shake her head in dismay. "I thought all that combat, all that bloodshed, would make you realize that not everything is as pleasant as you think it is. Mikazuki isn't as good as we thought he was, and we don't have any reason to trust him… not after we know that he's related to something as dangerous as that… thing."

At that, Mina noticeably recoiled and took a moment to allow her blonde friend's words to sink in, and yet, even after acknowledging the logic in Leonhardt's words…

"I know… I'm still like that. Which is why… which is why I'm still going to join the Survey Corps! And once I'm in, I'll march up to him… ask him myself!" concluded Mina, clenching her fist tightly as she finished. At that, Nac smiled solemnly and nodded in apparent agreement while Annie raised her brows in shock. Even now, she still intended to…? "I know that Mika cares for us… that he really stayed for us… and I'm going to find out personally. We all are!"

And at that, Annie felt her jaw hang open just enough to be noticeable as she eyed her two friends, only to shut it after a short while with a frown.

"Even after all the bloodshed you've witnessed, you still remain as you were before all this happened…" muttered Annie, her voice audible only to herself as she looked at her friends with apparent surprise. Many thoughts were pouring through her mind as she looked between Mina and Nac with trepidation, though the blonde had decided against speaking them out, with her instead opting to just keep herself silent on all that as she nodded in dismay. "Whatater. Suit yourselves… but I have no obligation to follow either of you to your dooms…"

"I ... we know… you were always aiming for the Military Police Brigade, after a;;," muttered Nac, slouching over a little as Annie turned her gaze away from her friends, with that simple act being more than enough to answer Tias' question as he approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting Annie to eye him curiously as he smiled just a little; said smile was one of encouragement, and seeing it honestly did warm Leonhardt's heart quite a bit as he continued to speak. "We understand; you worked very hard for this… and neither of us are going to change your mind on this, and honestly, I doubt that Mika would either… so go, join the MPB. We'll hold nothing against you if you do."

"You two are hopelessly soft… I thought that after all that fighting, the two of you would harden up, and even so…" muttered Annie, rubbing her upper arm awkwardly as she fought the urge to give a thankful smile. Glancing between the two, the blonde sighed and shook her head a little before Nac smirked.

"Jeez, we're not that bad…" countered Nac, smiling awkwardly as he gently punched her arm, only to recoil when he was reminded of just how firm her muscles were, something that made Mina snicker a little as he nursed his now aching wrist. "Youch…"

"Softy," teased Annie for once, to which Nac pouted a little. Mina then snickered a little while Nac protested softly in embarrassment, and at that, Leonhardt felt a small amount of… happiness as she eyed the two, relieved that the tension between the three had been dispelled.

Just being close to them made her feel… happy, and she knew that she'd miss that feeling once she left for the MPB. She'd have to savour these next few days, she reckoned, for who knew if she'd get another chance to experience them, especially when she took into account her plans for the future…

"Mina, Nac, Annie? A word, please…?"

Rather abruptly, the familiar voice of Armin Arlert broke Annie out of her little trance as she, alongside her friends, glanced back and saw that the blonde was standing not too far away from the three, with Mikasa by his side as he waved awkwardly at them. Mina and Nac offered returning waves while Annie simply locked her gaze with Mikasa, who remained as neutral as ever whilst doing the same.

It was nice to see that she hasn't changed, at least, though that aside, Nac was quick to greet the duo with a smile.

"Armin, Mikasa," greeted Nac with a nod and a smile, things that Armin reciprocated in full as he continued. "How can we help you?"

"W-Well… we just… w-wanted to ask…" began Armin, stuttering to Hell and back as he spoke, unsure of how to speak to people in a similar situation to himself and his friend, something which prompted Annie to snort and cut him off; she could already tell where this was going.

"Mikazuki," predicted Annie, and when Armin blushed in embarrassment after having been found out, she rolled her eyes once more, ignoring the irritated glare Mikasa was giving her all the while. "Should've guessed."

"Lay off him, Annie," eased Nac, with him waving the blonde in question off as she scoffed, prompting Mikasa to shake her head a little in annoyance, somewhat thankful for Nac easing the tension a little all the while… not that she commented on that as the tallest person present chuckled awkwardly behind his fist before turning back to Armin and Mikasa, who were still standing rather awkwardly by them. "But regardless, how can we help you?"

"Well… it's about Mikazuki's…" began Armin, tapping his fingers together awkwardly as he tried to find the correct words to speak. It took him a while and a handful of attempts, though he eventually managed to squeeze it out, with Annie seeming ready to cut him off once more, though on every occasion Mina shushed her in some way, much to her irritation. "It's about his Titan… G-Gundam! His Gun-"

"Not so loud…" urged Mikasa, slapping a hand over Armin's mouth as the blonde gasped, reminding him of the confidential nature of both Eren and Mikazuki's unique abilities. Sure, Eren's uniqueness was not too much of a secret by now, but Mika's was very much one, and as such, it was probably best to keep it under wraps for now. "But yes, we'd like to know more about this… Barbatos of his, and we thought that the three of you would know more on the matter."

"Well, sorry to disappoint, but we don't know much about it either… sorry," apologised Mina, holding a hand up to her neck as she spoke. "We know just as much as you guys, honestly…"

"I see. This was all for nothing, then. Let's go, Armin," grumbled Mikasa, with her turning to walk off while Armin blinked in apparent surprise, having not expected his friend to do that. Likewise, Mina and Nac were shocked to see how fast the conversation had apparently ended, and even Annie seemed a little taken aback, though they quickly recomposed themselves as they nodded.

"W-Well… I guess I should be going too, huh?" muttered Armin, waving at the three before he got ready to go, though before he could do so, he felt someone put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to turn back and spot Nac looking at him with a small smile. "Nac…?"

"Eren will be fine, Armin. Have faith in him," urged Nac, with him giving a thumbs up as he spoke. Having noticed the worry in the blonde's body language not long ago, and with him being who he was, the oldest person present reckoned that some reassurance to the blonde, no matter how small it was, would be a nice gesture at the very least, and, upon hearing Nac's reassurance, Armin felt a small wave of confidence pass through him as he nodded with a smile.

"Yeah… he will be. Mikazuki too… they were always too stubborn for their own good, after all," replied Armin, with him smiling as he felt his spirits being lifted, however slightly, as Nac offered his shoulder one last squeeze before releasing it, allowing him to leave moments later, and at that, and after a short while of watching Armin walk off, Nac sighed and turned back to his friends.

"Everything will be fine… for both Mika and Eren…" muttered Nac, smiling a little uncertainty as Mina nodded.

"Yeah… it'll be fine… everything will be fine…" agreed Mina, nodding as she smiled a little awkwardly. "Right, Annie…?

"... Annie?"

No comment from the blonde, however, as Annie Leonhardt simply avoided direct eye contact with her friends as she crossed her arms and stared out at nothing in particular, concerning them quite a bit as they closed in on her, unintentionally worsening the situation all the while.

"Annie…? Are you… alright?" asked Nac after a short while of silence, with his concern being very much apparent as he spoke, and at that, Annie shook her head as her friend brought a hand out to place atop her shoulder.

Typically, it would be a gesture of kindness, one of reassurance, but this time, Annie had swatted his hand away before it could reach her completely, catching him off guard as he flinched at the gesture, though before either he or Mina could fully process this, the blonde had turned on her heel and showed her back to her friends, with her speaking all the while.

"Yeah… everything will be… fine…" muttered Annie, sounding very much unconvinced of this as she kept her back towards her friends, and before they could speak, Annie began walking off in a seemingly random direction. Opening her mouth, Mina was about to ask where she was headed to, though Nac stopped her before the words could escape her.

"Don't. She… Annie just needs some time to herself, I reckon" assured Nac, though he didn't sound too certain of this, with him gently patting the young woman's shoulder as she spoke. Although unconvinced for now… Mina still trusted in Nac's judgement as she nodded at his words, and moments later, she backed down and leaned against the wall closest to her with a frown.

"Yeah… I guess… you're right. We'll talk to her later…"

Elsewhere

"To say that the beating you took was a little much would be a bit of an understatement…"

As those words left her lips, Hanji Zoe gently dabbed a cotton bud against Eren Jaeger's cheek, nursing one of his many visible injuries as the boy winced at the contact; despite this, Hanji's smile remained as she rubbed a small amount of dried blood off a cut on his cheek. Standing beside her was Erwin Smith, who appeared rather worried as he stood by his subordinate, hands behind his back as he eyed the young soldier.

Over by the other side of the room they were in were Levi Ackerman and Mikazuki Augus, both of whom stood silently as they watched Hanji and Erwin speak to Eren. Over by the side, Mike Zacharius stood passively in front of the only window in the room, seeming overall disinterested in the conversation as he did so, though the occasional sniff and glance at either Mika or Eren said otherwise.

The room they were in was a simple one, being a recreational room with a fireplace, two simple desks and a chair which Eren was sitting on while Erwin and Hanji, in Levi's own words, coddled him. Levi, Mikazuki and Mike stood on the opposite end of the room, observing all this 'coddling' from a distance.

"Hmph, they're gonna spoil that brat at this rate," muttered Levi sarcastically, with his voice audible only to Mikazuki, perhaps intentionally, who glanced in his general direction with a raised brow, unsure of how to respond to that as Ackerman rolled his shoulder with a scowl. "It's not like I caved his skull in or something."

No comment on that, considering how Mikazuki wasn't present to see the guy kick the crap out of Ere; for all he knew, he could have almost done that, presumably on accident. Of course, considering the current condition of the Titan Shifter, Mika reckoned that Levi really did a number on him; Hell, he allegedly lost a tooth to the short soldier, which was pretty impressive, though Mika's seen worse in his lifetime.

Having to interrogate people back in his CGS days did that to a person, he supposed.

"What do you think, hm?" continued Levi, rather abruptly making it apparent to Mikazuki that he wished to strike up a conversation with him, if only to pass the time, and upon realizing this, the pilot raised a brow and glanced over at the soldier, who kept his gaze fixed on what was in front of him as he spoke. "Think I hit him too hard?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there to see any of it," was all Mikazuki bothered to reply with as he pulled a raisin out of his pocket and ate it, prompting Levi to roll his eyes, seeming rather disappointed that Mika wasn't as good as keeping boredom away as he thought, but even so, his response wasn't exactly all too surprising, really. Either way, after he acknowledged Mika's response, Levi pushed himself off the wall he was leaning off and marched over towards Eren, who was currently shaking Erwin's hand as they formally introduced themselves to one another.

Rather dramatically, Levi claimed the spot next to Eren and began to speak to him, with him interrupting the handshake all the while. Off to the side, Mikazuki huffed in amusement as he watched him converse to with the Titan Shifter for quite some time, with him leaning his head back and frowning slightly as they did so, though not long thereafter…

"Mikazuki Augus…"

Blinking as he reopened his eyes in surprise, Mikazuki glanced up and saw noneother than Erwin Smith standing before him now, with the Commander smiling kindly all the while. It seemed as though he had noticed that Mika was unoccupied now, and he decided to come greet him this time. Fair, he reckoned, and with a nod, the pilot pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and glanced up at his new Commander, who continued to speak all the while.

"As with Eren Jaeger, I must say that it is an honour to meet you in person. Formally, at least," smiled Erwin as he gave Mikazuki a firm handshake. His words had caught the pilot off guard as he blinked in surprise, but even so, he got over it relatively quickly as he nodded.

"Thanks. Same here, I guess. My friends always spoke highly of you, so it's nice to finally see you in person," hummed Mikazuki, with him recalling several times where his friends had spoken of Erwin in the past. They always made him out to be this God amongst men, a true soldier of humanity, but here, in person, he just looked like a normal guy… which was fine.

Mikazuki had always looked up to Orga, after all. Worshipped him, even, but now, and even back then, the pilot had always acknowledged how Orga Itsuka, in spite of his brilliance, was always just a man. A devilishly handsome and incredibly ambitious man, sure, but a man either way, and Erwin Smith was no different.

"I must apologise, though, Mikazuki Augus," continued Erwin as their hands separated, confusing Mikazuki briefly, though he spoke not of this as the Commander continued. "Though your portion of the Tribunal was certainly less… painful than Eren's, it must have been quite the ordeal. As with Eren, I needed the right opportunity to make my move. And just like with Eren, I am looking forward to working with you in the future. Both you and your Gundam."

"... ah," muttered Mikazuki, with him shrugging as he felt unsure of how to respond to all this whilst reaching into his pocket. Levi narrowed his eyes at this as he kept his gaze on the young man, just in case, though he was quick to loosen up when he saw the pilot pull a raisin out of his pocket, much to Mike's amusement from his corner of the room.

Bringing it up to his mouth, Mikazuki was ready to eat it, though he was quick to pause as he looked between it and his new Commander. Closing his mouth, the pilot hummed softly before he raised the raising up and offered it to Erwin, and moments later, everyone present blinked in surprise, though moments later, the blonde being offered the raisin accepted it with a confused frown.

"Thank you…?" thanked a confused Erwin as he eyed the raisin briefly, unsure of what to make of what just happened before he popped it into his mouth. He seemed to like it, all things considered, as Mikazuki nodded and stared past him, with him making eye contact with Eren Jaeger moments later, with the young man staring right back at him all the while.

The apprehension was rather apparent in Eren's eyes. Apprehension… and fear, which was to be expected as he quickly broke eye contact with the pilot. Mikazuki was an abnormality, much more so than even Eren himself, and to be fearful of the abnormal was par for the course. Hell, when Mika made eye contact with him, the guy noticeably flinched before he looked away, prompting Hanji to raise a brow, having noticed the motion as she stared over at Jaeger in concern.

"You alright there, Eren?" asked Hanji, sounding somewhat worried as Eren blushed in embarrassment, amusing Levi as he snorted. Mike too let out an amused snort as he noticed how the general smell of the room changed rather noticeably, and Erwin was too busy chewing on the raisin to really notice.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Captain Hanji… I'm fine. I'm still just trying to process everything that's happening, that's all," assured Eren as he smiled awkwardly and waved the Captain off. Hanji nodded at this, with her understanding how the situation could very well be overwhelming for someone like him all the while, but even so…

"Hm, fair enough. Though, when in private, please just call me Hanji!" insisted Hanji, smirking as she marched over and pinched Eren's nose between her fingers, prompting him to whine a little and dispelling some of the tension he had stored up as Zoe snickered, and at that, Mikazuki rolled his eyes a little. To think that she was amongst the longest serving Survey Corps… it really didn't paint the Brigade in that good of a light…

Then again, people's personality tended to change whilst out in combat. Perhaps Hanji would be less… like how she was now whilst in the field.

Or not. Hanji was just that unpredictable.

"But either way, there are still many things that I'd like to know, Mikazuki Augus," stated Hanji, with her attention quickly being averted away from Eren as she glanced over at Mikazuki, who raised a brow as she made eye contact with him. The pilot felt a shiver go up his spine and up the tips of his Alaya Vijnana spikes when he saw the smile on her face, though he didn't let his unease show as Zoe continued speaking. "About that Gundam of yours…"

"Oh for crying out loud…" muttered Levi, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned away from Hanji, not wishing to see this happen again. Eren felt an undeniable shift in the room's mood while Erwin stepped away from Mikazuki to keep himself out of the danger zone. Likewise, Mike felt a small amount of fear creep into his heart as the overall scent of the room changed dramatically. No longer did it smell calm and collected.

It now smelled like Hanji whilst in a Titan Research Lust, and upon acknowledging that, Mike felt ready to jump out of the window he was standing behind before he was caught in the crossfire.

Thankfully enough, though, Mike had enough self control to not jump out of the window, albeit just barely, as Hanji blitzed over towards Mikazuki with stars in her eyes. The pilot was noticeably taken aback by Zoe's speed, though his surprise was quickly replaced with irritation as the Captain examined him from head to toe.

"So, how do you control the Tita-Gundam?! The Gundam! How do you control it?" inquired Hanji as she lifted his arm up to examine his arm, shaking it up and down all the while, having assumed it to be a factor in him being able to control it all the while. "What's it made of? You seemed a little uncertain when you were asked about if there were more Gundams, so are there really more?! Oh, where and when was it made?! AND WHAT KINDA WEAPONS ARE THOSE ANYWAYS?! AND HOW DO YOU EMERGE FROM ITS CHEST?! CAN IT-"

Whilst Hanji rambled on and on about all this, Erwin, by the wayside, shuddered a little in pity for his junior while Levi watched passively, finding Hanji's ramblings to be annoying, sure, but still easy to tune out through experience at this point. Eren didn't know how to feel about all this while Mike opted to continue staring out the window, with him finding it better to just ignore all this for now.

And although he didn't wish to admit it, Mikazuki's head was slowly starting to hurt from all the questions as Hanji's speaking became faster and faster and more high pitched the more she spoke. Her questions eventually became impossible to understand, and as though sharing Mika's confusion and growing irritation at Hanji, Erwin cleared his throat, cutting off the woman's ramblings as drool began to fall from her lips, much to everyone's relief.

"Hanji, if you may, it would be nice if you could be less demanding with Mikazuki," insisted Erwin, placing a hand on Zoe's shoulder as he spoke. In response, Hanji noticeably deflated as she leaned back in defeat, whining all the while.

"You're making things boring, Erwin!" whined Hanji as she glanced at Erwin, who chuckled a little as his subordinate stood up and made herself appear a little more presentable.

"I know, and I do apologise for that, Hanji; I know you're passionate about all this, but perhaps you should make a better first impression for our new recruit?" suggested Erwin, with Hanji sighing softly as she acknowledged the logic behind his words, though after he said that, the Commander rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he glanced at Mikazuki, who was still recovering from all the questions Hanji had thrown at him. By the time he recovered, Erwin nodded and spoke up. "Even so, with that being said… I do wish for you to come clean with us from here on out, Mikazuki Augus."

"...huh?" muttered Mika, confused at what Erwin was talking about, prompting the blonde to rephrase himself, this time sounding more serious as he spoke.

"I understand that you too have secrets, and that, as of now, it is unlikely that you trust any of us completely, but if we are to work together, I would like you to divulge as much information as you can whenever necessary," explained Erwin seriously. The hard gaze that the Commander was giving Mikazuki was rather jarring, especially when he was as friendly as he was moments prior, though Mika reckoned that people like him were used to doing this, to go from one attitude to another with little issue. "We recruited you not just for your strengths, but also any possible information you may hold; to have said information be lost to everyone but yourself would be less than beneficial for mankind, and if the Tribunal were to realize that you were withholding information from us, your fate could very well turn dark."

"Ah, I'll share what I can, I guess," replied Mikazuki with a noncommittal shrug, sounding as unenthused as ever, surprising everyone present with his lack of hesitation as even Erwin himself recoiled in surprise. Mika, on the other hand, simply shoved his hands into his pockets and continued. "But it probably won't be too useful, really. Just because I pilot Barbatos doesn't mean that I know everything about him."

"Even so, what you share could perhaps save us all one day," assured Hanji, giving a thumbs up as Erwin nodded in thanks, his serious demeanor fading as he stood.

"Indeed. Thank you for your cooperation, Mikazuki Augus," thanked Erwin, and at that, Mikazuki nodded a little, feeling unsure of how to properly respond to the Commander outside of that little gesture. The blonde was eyeing him with a good deal of respect in his gaze… and for someone as high ranked as him to respect a Rat like Mika… well, it made him feel rather nice, albeit just a little…

And right as Mikazuki had allowed that small amount of pride to slip away, however, the door to the room they were in swung open, prompting everyone present, Mike included, to turn towards it and see a handful of soldiers enter. There were about nine in total, and Mika recognised a majority of them by face, though as for Eren, he seemed to recognise all of them beyond just their faces, if the sparkle in his eyes was anything to go by.

"Commander Erwin," greeted the first soldier to enter, a… woman? Mikazuki reckoned that the soldier was a she as the blonde individual saluted her Commander alongside the eight others that were brought in. The one that caught Mika's eye more so than all the others was the guy with brown hair styled up in a pompadour, and it was amusing enough that the pilot had snorted a little in amusement, not that any of them really noticed. "We received word that you wished to speak to us?"

"Indeed. At ease, all of you," said Erwin, nodding as he stood in front of the nine newcomers. Mike took this as his cue to step forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Erwin while Hanji stood behind him, waving at the soldiers all the while. Levi didn't seem to care, however, as he sat by the side silently, and although Mikazuki himself seemed equally as uninterested on the matter, Eren appeared on edge as he stared at the soldiers with trepidation. "Now, I am to assume that you wish to know why I called the nine of you here, yes?"

A nod from a few of the newcomers confirmed Erwin's suspicion, and at that, he nodded and continued on.

"I will be brief, I have called you all here to assist us in overseeing both Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus' wellbeing," explained Erwin, short and to the point as more than half of the nine soldiers present appeared rather surprised at his words, though Erwin didn't slow down for their sake. "Eld Gin, Gunther Schultz, Petra Ral, Oruo Bazad. Before and during the complete recapture of Trost, the four of you have proven to be beyond worthy of the mantle of Elites. Your abilities would be wasted, should we separate you, however, and as such, I have made the decision to place you in a team under the command of humanity's best."

And at that, Erwin paused briefly to build up a small amount of dramatic tension as Eld, Gunther, Petra and Oruo let what he said sink in. Meanwhile, Levi sighed a little as he sat by the waysides, seeming mostly uncaring of all this all the while, though at the very least, he did seem somewhat annoyed at all this as he grumbled to himself almost inaudibly.

"From this day forth, the four of you shall be under the command of Captain Levi Ackerman," continued Erwin. "You will assist him in combat, be it inside or outside the Walls, and you will also be providing him with assistance in overseeing and perhaps even subduing Eren Jaeger, should he lose control of his Titan form or turn against humanity.

"Have any of you any objections?"

Silence followed, with none of the four objecting to Erwin's proposal, prompting the blonde to nod as he glanced at Levi, who sighed and waved the guy off, showing that he was fine with it as well, not that it had really mattered as he had agreed to this prior either way, and at that, the Commander nodded.

"Now then, Mike, if you will."

At that, the soldier in question nodded and stepped forward, with Erwin stepping back to give him some space. Silently, Mike eyed the four Survey Corps that were a part of his team with a stone cold gaze, though none of them faltered under; being a part of his team for so long did that to a person, one would reckon.

"Nanaba, Gelgar, Tomas, Henning, Lynne. From today onwards, we will be in charge of overseeing Mikazuki Augus during his tenure as a Survey Corp. Have any of you any objections?," explained Mike, short, simple and to the point. Gelgar in particular seemed a little surprised by that, though he quickly got over it as the five of them nodded. Orders were orders, and babysitting a newly minted soldier like Mika wasn't the hardest thing they had to do, after all, and as such, they remained silent, prompting Mike to nod in approval. "Good. That is all."

As he stepped back, Mike glanced over at Mikazuki, expecting him to perhaps appear surprised, though he quirked a brow up when he saw that Mika remained as neutral as ever, with even his scent confirming that, although he seemed surprised by this, he didn't let it overwhelm him to the extent of what he had expected, which was fair, really.

"Mikazuki Augus. Any objections from you?" inquired Mike, deciding to ask his new charge for his opinion just to be polite, and to that, the pilot shrugged before giving his answer.

"No," was all Mika said in reply, prompting Mike to nod before going silent and allowing Erwin to take over.

"We will be holding Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus separately out of concerns via our higher ups. Eren will be held within the confines of Wall Rose; Levi and his team will lead you to where he will be held after you are debriefed. As for Mikazuki Augus, he will be held in the Trost Resupply Station, close to the body of his Tita… his Gundam," added Erwin, correcting himself before he made another slip up midway through. His subordinates all nodded at his words, with them finding this to be logical enough all the while. "If this seems too much for any of you, you may speak up, and you may walk away with no consequence."

No one spoke up as they simply remained silent, and at that, Erwin nodded in approval as he opened his mouth to speak, though before he could, a soldier, Lynne, cut him off.

"Commander Erwin, if I may," spoke up Lynne, to which Erwin nodded, giving her the signal to continue, prompting Lynne to nod and continue. "At the cost of sounding rude to our… newcomers, I must ask, why are we discussing all this in front of Eren Jaeger and Mikazuki Augus?"

"I agree, Commander," agreed Eld, nodding as he spoke. "Such matters should be discussed in private, yes?"

"In most cases, yes… but in regards to our two rookies, I wish for there to be as little secrets as possible between us in order to bolster our trust in one another," explained Erwin, prompting Mikazuki and Eren to glance at him in apparent confusion as he spoke. Over by the side, however, Levi rolled his eyes as he added on to what his blonde superior had said.

"That and we want them to know that we always have our eyes on them," added Levi, sounding disinterested in this whole conversation as he rested his head on his palm. Eren eyed Levi fearfully as Mikazuki quirked a brow up at his words, though Levi ignored them both as he continued on with his words. "That'll dissuade them from trying anything dangerous, no?"

"That much is correct as well," confirmed Erwin with a nod as he eyed the soldiers, his expectations of them being reflected in his gaze. Off to the side, Eren seemed rather frightened by all this, though Mikazuki, as per usual, didn't seem to be paying attention as he ate another raisin that he got from his pocket. "I'm counting on the nine of you to subdue either Mikazuki Augus or Eren Jaeger, should they go out of control… do not disappoint me!"

And to that, the soldiers saluted.

"Yes sir!"

"So, you're still gonna join the MPB, huh?"

At that, Annie frowned as she crossed her arms, frowning as she eyed both Reiner and Bertholdt. Both appeared worried for her sake, though she didn't let her worry get too contagious as she nodded, biting her lower lip all the while.

"The original plan went astray, didn't it?" muttered Annie, frowning as she crossed her arms, doing her best to keep the guilt out of her voice as she spoke. "We need a new approach to this. With Eren's powers being under the control of the Survey Corps, we need at least one person on the inside to relay information out…"

"Yeah, but… are you sure about all this? If we carry out this new plan of yours… if they find out…" pointed out Bertholdt, and at that, Annie let out a disgusted scoff, one that made Bertholdt recoil. "I'm serious, Annie. If they find out, if Mina and Nac find out…"

"They won't, I'll make sure of it," spat Annie, frowning as she turned on her heel, the genuine disdain in her voice being enough to make Bertholdt shudder, though on the other hand, Reiner wondered if the disdain was meant for them or for herself… "The family here doesn't matter, you two. It never did. It was all just a cover up… all just… to help pass the time…"

"Then why do I hear doubt in your voice?" countered Reiner, and to that, Annie remained silent as she turned her back towards them and began walking off, ignoring the worried gaze of her 'friends' all the while.

'It doesn't matter…' thought the blonde as she gently rubbed her wrist whilst walking away. Staring at her hand, she clenched and unclenched it a little as she walked. 'Nothing matters here. It's all… a fake. The love, the care… the bonds… it was all a cover up…

'All a cover up… and if I have to throw it all away… if I have to make Mikazuki and his… Gundam my enemies to complete my mission… then so be it…'

"Hey, there you are, Ann!"

Blinking as Nac spoke up, she glanced up to see him waving at her with a smile, and beside him, Mina was offering a small smile, and at that, Leonhardt had to hold back a grimace as she approached them.

'But if that's the case… why am I having second thoughts…?'