Floch had to slip away to the side and sit on the opposing bed to collect himself as the survey corps commander conversed with his subordinates, he inconspicuously began slowing his breathing to better control his nerves, his eye trained on Erwin the entire time.

Levi Ackerman had enough awareness to notice him, he raised a brow in question as his keen eyes took note of his behavior. He could feel something was off about him, from the moment he had seen him take down that MP without any struggle. Something about the look of familiarity reflecting from the boy's eye didn't sit right with Levi, he couldn't quite tell what it was but it had his attention now.

"I am sure my sudden arrival has raised some questions. Truth is, we have found ourselves in a dire situation. So an emergency meeting is in order, both active and recovering squad leaders and captains are required to attend." Erwin began.

"A meeting, commander?" Petra questioned.

"Yes. As for the reason." Erwin's expression turned grim. "Following our recent expedition, the interior police is moving to disband our branch from the military."

All the patients froze in shock at the information, especially Floch. 'That's new...'

"Uhm." Floch let out, catching all of the gathered people's attention as he felt the pressure of their gazes on him. "Sorry sir, but should I really be here right now? I don't think I was meant to hear that." Floch said, The boy felt himself shrink under the commander's gaze and the man in question merely gave him an affliative smile in return, easing some of his tension.

"Well, you can't leave now. That's for sure." Levi spoke.

Floch stood around awkwardly, unsure of what to do, as Hange spoke to provide more information. "As the commander was saying, the executives within the MP are appealing to have our regiment dissolved and assimilated into the other two branches. They are pushing forward the notion that we've had diminishing returns from our recent operations and thus have become too cumbersome both for the economy and the structure of our military itself." Hange continued.

"Well, I'll be damned," Oluo muttered under his breath.

"They can't do that! Humanity depends on us!" Rashad cried out.

"They can. This is precisely why we'll be conducting this meeting, I will be appointing Hange in charge of defending the organization as we move forward with the counterappeal. However, we will not stop there. We'll fight to secure more funding for the regiment to replenish our resources and launch our recruiting campaign. We need to demonstrate that the corps can shake off a setback of this magnitude." Erwin detailed to the group.

"Dammit, how are we supposed to do that?" Henning frowned. "They have surely gone to great lengths to spread the news about the expedition, you can't recruit a bunch of people who see death reeking from our uniforms."

"Perhaps. We have more than enough time to prepare for the MP to initiate their proceedings within the tribunal, seeing that nothing like this has ever been done before. Scouts do not go down with a proper fight, either in court or outside of it. If we show weakness now, it'll only prove detrimental to our cause. There will be no shortage of men and women eager to serve humanity." Erwin replied.

"Are the odds in our favor?" Nifa asked.

"It's an uphill battle, but their chance of disbanding us is as good as ours. We'll need a proper strategy to win the panel over, but that is hardly a cause for concern." Hange answered.

"We will leave the rest of the discussion at a later date, let's not burden you any further during your recovery process," Erwin concluded.

The commander turned to Floch, making the boy's heart race faster. Blue eyes scanned over the patch on his breastpocket, "I would be very interested in learning your name cadet." Erwin began.

"Floch Forster, of the cadet corps 104th southern division, sir." Floch replied with a salute.

"Ahh, You must be Keith Shadis' subordinate then. Floch, I am sure you understand the gravity of the situation. This isn't something I want circulating out to the public, as far as the MP stationed here knows, we are on a simple visit. Can I trust you to keep what you've heard today a secret?"

"Of course."

"You better." Oluo shouted over from behind Erwin.

"You should worry more about losing your teeth around here, caught this pipsqueak almost getting his shit pushed in by a couple of guards," Levi interjected, surprising the other occupants of the room. "Shitheads think our wounded are easy pickings since they can't fight back, this brat stepped up to help one of ours." The ackermann informed.

Oluo's face morphed into genuine surprise, as the other scouts looked on towards the redhead with astonishment.

"I see, You have my gratitude cadet, that said, I strongly advise you steer clear of trouble in the future." Erwin said.

"Thank you, but I can't promise that-." Floch faltered, noticing Levi's dangerous gaze. "Will do, sir." Floch corrected himself in haste, causing some of the others to snicker.

"Good, then we must be on our way. You've certainly impressed today, perhaps you'd consider joining us at the regiment upon concluding your training?" Erwin began his bid for farewell, before askig the the boy in somewhat of a joking tone.

"I am already aiming towards that, sir." Floch revealed.

Erwin's eyes lit up with surprise, before cracking a smile. "Then It would be my honor to receive you, you have my respect, farewell Forster."

Levi gave the boy a fleeting look before he made his way out of the room, with the commander in tow, Floch's eyes were glued to him as most of the others left as well. Nifa gave him a small wave as Hange helped her out of the room, the boy waved back with his good arm before slowly dropping it down. He looked back at the remaining occupant of the room, the man in question remained almost expressionless as he gazed at him.

"So you chose the scouts huh?" Oluo asked out loud. "I appreciate what you did today brat, It looks like I judged you too soon." The man confessed.

"Thanks." Floch returned.

Oluo's expression changed to a sneer, though it held no maliciousness behind it. "Ehh? Don't get too excited now, pfft, damn brat." The man scoffed before leaving.

Floch stood still for a few moments, now left with nothing but the silence of the room and the torment of his thoughts. He fell backwards onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling with an air of defeat, bringing his right arm up to his face to inspect it, noticing that his hand hasn't stopped shaking. He let out a small chuckle, before it escalated into a full blown laugh, ultimately ending with him slamming his fist against the bed repeatedly and groaning.

"Fuck..." He muttered through grit teeth.

It was nothing like he had imagined it, nothing like it at all.

"Because...Someone has to tell the truth." - Floch Forster 850 AD, Arguing with the scouts during the ceremony.

He felt in desperate need to pass the time, waiting day by day for his arm to heal. He wondered how things were going back at the camp, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss the company of his friends. That disaster of a reveal by the commander was still fresh in his mind, there always existed a conflict of interests between the two branches, the only other time something remotely similar to this happened was during the revolt against the old government, but that was under different circumstances.

If Floch learned anything from the last few years, it's that nothing is ever written in stone. Overconfidence was a deadly poison, and it doesn't become apparent until it's already seeping through every pore. Mistakes in this world carried heavy consequences, he knew this to be the truth in Shiganshina and the southern port. He couldn't exactly expect to waltz into these people's lives and enact change after change without something crashing against him. He was no longer in the same position he used to be, he had to build everything back from scratch again.

'But when the foundation is already being threatened to burn to the ground...'

Floch admired the setting sun from the outdoor balcony as he went deep into thought, he had no choice but be a bystander for now, it was still far too early for him to make any moves. Though perhaps this time around, rebuilding the 'Yeagerist' movement from scratch wouldn't be so difficult, they could even come up with a better name-

"How's that for a sucker punch? I didn't want to do this but you need to know your place kid."

Floch was left on the floor dazed and confused, blood leaking from his nose as he struggled to regain his bearings. His brain only registering that he had been punched as he leaned against the marble railing, the beating continued for sometime until they eventually grew bored of him and left him clueless as to what had occured.

A conversation with one Kyomi Azumabito resurfaced to the front of his mind as he dragged his feet back inside the building, to know one's place, that was true. Floch stumbled into the nurses' lounge, slamming against the door with a thud, startling a couple of nurses who were taking a break inside.

Floch twisted the door handle and entered, the women inside gasped at his state. He looked back at them looking for someone, in particular, the one who had escorted him to his room on his first day. She stood up in time and rushed to him before he could keel over, Floch relaxed in her arms as he allowed the woman to drag him away. She frowned, she looked back at her colleagues and gestured that she would handle this before taking the boy to a nearby treatment room.

"What happened to you, boy?!" She fretted.

"I upset the guards."

"Now they've done it! Those damned bastards" She growled, knowing full well who he must have been speaking about. "Good lord, must all of them be like this?" She asked as she set him on the bed.

"Only the ones who work there too long." He replied, wincing as he settled.

"Harassing patients is one thing, but beating up children completely crosses the line. I'll speak to the administrator about this." She continued.

"I must insist that you leave it be." Floch said, fixing her with an urging look. "I don't want to be in more trouble, I can handle this myself."

She gazed deeply into his eye to look for the slightest crack, but Floch remained unflinching and didn't back down against her piercing gaze. Eventually, the nurse relented as she gave a deep sigh and moved to treat his newly acquired wounds in silence. Floch yelped in pain as she undressed him and replaced his bandages somewhat roughly.

"Very well, but I really need to inspect your head for any severe damage."

The next few days went by without much trouble, most of his time now spent with the recovering scouts, who warmed up to him ever since Erwin's visit. As news of his interferrence with the MP's spread like wildfire. Here they were now, relaxing in the lounge as they played a game of cards.

Floch sat at a round table, Oluo, Rashad, Henning, and two other men he wasn't familiar with were playing a game of poker. In the middle sat a bunch of cigarettes, money, and some lighters and pocketwatches he stole from the guards. He used to always plays this with Jean, Connie, and poor Sasha during their downtime. This game felt incredibly nostalgic to him, reminding him of the days before all hell had broken loose during the four years prior to the rumbling.

Floch glanced at the cards he was holding, then looked at the flop on the table. His lone eye scanned the nearby men, Rashad was confidently joking around with the rest of the table, Oluo was somewhat fine, but sweat was forming on his forehead from the pressure. Henning was nervously shaking his right leg underneath the table, and the other two scouts might as well have told him directly that their cards were shit. He needed the last two cards to be added for him to make his final decision, the dealer moved and added them. He quickly scanned the competition, most of them gave themselves away at the reveal, however, Oluo and Rashad received a confidence boost.

"Place your last bets gentlemen." The dealer spoke.

They went one by one clockwise, the first two scouts revealed pairs. Henning nervously placed down his cards, revealing a straight. Oluo smirked and put down his card on the table, he crossed his arms and smugly looked at the rest of the scouts.

"Hah! Four of a kind baby!"

Rashad snorted, putting down his. "Up yours, jackass! Straight flush!"

Oluo cursed his luck, before turning to the kid. His last hope. "Come on, what do you have?" He asked Floch.

The boy smirked mischievously from behind his bandages, the sheer creepiness of it unnerved the battle-hardened scouts. Floch laid down his cards, and everyone around the table groaned.

"Royal flush." He announced, before swiping everything on the table for himself.

"Fuck." One of the scouts muttered under his breath.

"Beaten by a kid." Henning whistled.

"Thank you for the game gentlemen." Floch thanked before promptly leaving, The men on the table glared at him as he left the room.

Floch smirked as he inspected the goods he won, he shook his sleeve and threw away a couple of extra hidden cards. He had no personal need for any of these items he collected but, but he knew someone who would appreciate them. Floch walked outside into the gardens and reached the back of the building where Luis was waiting for him. He greeted the man, then proceeded to pull out a leather pouch from the inside of the sling that held his healing arm.

"Damn, there's a lot of stuff in here. Where did you get all this?" Luis inquired as he inspected the contents of the pouch.

"A few kind donations here and there."

"Alright, well, your wishlist is a little weird, kid. But, I can make it happen. I'll slip by your room and drop them under your pillow when my guy comes through from downtown." The two extended their arms and shook eachother's hands.

"Very well, but tell your guy to make it snappy."

"Hey now, let's be nice to the mailman. Anyway, I should be thanking you," Luis spoke as he took out a cigar from the satchel and lit it.

Floch nodded and left the man to enjoy the cigar in peace.

Hello dumbass, how's your arm? Have they cut if off yet? It was a shame we couldn't sit down and have a proper talk

about that unfortunate misunderstanding, but I'm sure more opportunities will present themselves in the future.

Normally, I wouldn't be writing anything to you but, your two crackpot friends came begging me to send you a word after they

exhausted their letter limit. They gave me something to send you but it was way too chummy for my taste, so I'll fill you in myself.

Your friends are starting to get on my nerves, frankly I'd rather have you cut my leg off again than having to listen to their talks.

Your buddy Yeager keeps getting his ass handed to him by Annie and Reiner, and the sky is still blue.

By the time you get this letter, we'll be training in Trost, saving the peasants from scary wooden titans.

-Y

PS: don't bother sending me a reply, I don't care.

That wasn't nice.

Floch sighed, setting the letter to the side as he looked around the room. It was early at night, some had already gone to sleep while the others were yet to return leaving him by himself, perched by the windowsill and overlooking the moon lit courtyard below. Seeing that he had nothing better to do, the boy decided to join the likes of Oluo and Henning and just catch some sleep.

"Huh?" Floch breathed out, feeling something poke his head as he laid on his bed.

Floch raised his eyebrows in question before checking underneath his pillow, his face lit up with surprise upon finding the things he requested from Luis. He covered them again, fearing that the sleeping Henning would see it.

'It's time.'

"Damn, these fucking showers barely work properly." The MP guard complained as he messed around with the valve to alter the temperature.

The man was too deep in thought to notice someone entering, a shadow crept up behind him and stopped just in front of his stall as the man continued to mess around with the temperature of the water. A hand reached out underneath the curtain and begin dumping a clear viscous liquid around the stall. He remained oblivious as the figure behind the curtain poured the rest of the liquid between the man's feet before they tapped the ground with their feet.

"Who's ther-" He suddenly turned around before his foot slipped on the oil, he cried out in pain as he slammed on the ground and hit his head as oil, water, and blood flowed down the drain.

"What the fuck!" The officer groaned as he attempted to stand back up, however, it proved to be impossible to stand on the slippery surface.

The man's eyes lit up with horror, as the door to his stall was closed shut from the outside, effectively trapping him in. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed the rising temperature of the water, the scalding hot water was acid on his irritated skin. Insurmountable pain shot from every pore at the constant contact with the heat. His heart raced, finding it near impossible to stand up and leave. He took to shouting for help in desperation, struggling to stand off the ground, each fall brought more anguish as the flesh became tenderized by the marble beneath him. The boiling water sizzled against the tiles and steamed. Each droplet felt like a needle pricking his blistering skin as the cinders intensified.

"HELP! HELP!" HELGGHGHGH!" He cried out.

He frantically turned around to turn off the never ending waterfall of flames, but he recoiled in agony as his other hand was fried by the intense temperature of the water valve.

water.

skin.

heat.

water.

"AGGGHHHHHH!"

stop the water stop the water stop the water stop the water stop stop stop STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP!

"Should have known your place."

The man weakly looked up at the door with bewilderment, the cries died in his throat as his body failed him, he stopped moving, lying motionless against the tiles as the heat continued to dig into his back. He absent-mindedly heard footsteps fading away from him before the door to the showers slammed shut behind. Eventually, he scuccumbed to his fate.

It wouldn't be until the following morning that his colleagues would stumble upon his peeled corpse in the stall.

The next day.

"What do you think all of this commotion is about?" Petra asked as she sat by the windowsill next to the gathered group of scouts, watching a bunch of MP soldiers gathered at the courtyard early in the morning.

"Eh, who cares? It's not like they'll tell us or anything, just wait a few more hours, Gossip will come through." Oluo dismissed as he relaxed on his bed with his arms behind his head.

"What the hell?" Henning suddenly spoke as everyone tried to find the source of his sudden outburst. "Look over there by the front entrance, they're carrying some dead guy off to the morgue!" He pointed out. The veterans huddled by the windows looked into the distance to find two MP's carrying a stretcher off to the neighboring building.

"Who do you think it is?" Rashad asked from the other side of the room.

"No clue," Nifa replied.

"Look at all the blood on the sheets! We don't have to worry about some psycho serial killer over here do we?" Petra asked with concern.

"Like Kenny the ripper?" Rashad commented.

"That guy's just a myth." Nifa chimed in.

Henning glanced at the redhead from the corner of his eye before turning back outside. "Well whatever it is, let's hope not for our sake." He sighed.

"Serial killer? Suicide is more commonplace in the military is it not?" Floch nonchalantly asked, playing a crossword puzzle on his newspaper. He didn't pay attention to the way everyone were taken back by his morbid question, nobody answered him, not that he cared.

An investigation shortly took place after that, and Floch and the rest spent the next few hours answering questions. He's danced like this before, when he leaked the information about Eren to the public. Floch was familiar with their tactics, the man interrogating him ended up empty handed, as the boy had covered his tracks well, eventually they were all cleared to return without any issues and he returned to that spot on the balcony where it began.

"Hello there, Floch," A familiar voice resonated from behind him, commanding attention.

"Commander Erwin!" Startled, Floch swiftly straightened his posture, saluting with utmost respect.

"Are you here regarding the incident, Sir? Do you have a moment?" Floch inquired, subtly glancing toward a tall, mustached man who stood at a discreet distance.

"Indeed, and I can spare some time. Is there something you wish to discuss?" Erwin asked, his curiosity piqued.

Erwin's gaze, thoughtful and piercing, met Floch's unwavering stare. "Well.. this might sound strange, it's... not an easy question for me, but It's the only thing I can ask for now." Floch paused, gathering his thoughts before meeting Erwin's gaze head-on, "What drives you forward, sir? What keeps you pressing onward despite everything?"

Positioning himself beside Floch, Erwin leaned against the railing, his arms resting upon it, his gaze drawn to the majestic sunset painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson. A contemplative silence settled between them before Erwin began his response. "You've come straight to the heart of the matter, I respect that," he began, his voice infused with a quiet resolve. "I possess a dream that transcends these walls—a dream that has guided my every step, consumed my life's purpose. It is that dream which fuels my unwavering commitment."

"A dream sir?" Floch's voice held a mixture of intrigue and reverence.

Erwin nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Indeed, one that I shall share with you on another occasion. But now, let me ask you, Having spent considerable time among my men, witnessing the aftermath of death and despair firsthand, do you still believe that standing shoulder to shoulder with them is where you belong? Despite the hardships, the sacrifices?"

"Yes sir, my opinion hasn't changed about that." Floch's eyes looked a little weak now, as he thought back to his previous life. "I have dreams of my own too, and they require your organization."

Erwin's eyes gleamed with a mixture of understanding and surprise. "I see. Sometimes, these dreams we carry are too immense to be achieved alone, we rely on our comrades, placing blind trust in one another, with the collective hope of transcending the burdens that shackle us." He paused for a moment, his eyes flashing with an indecipherable emotion. "It's a pursuit devoid of guarantees, but I trust that one day, I'll be able to find my answer. I don't have the answer that you seek, it's a path your must forge on your own, but I can tell you to live without fear or regret, once you set your mind on something you'll do well to remember that a dream is nothing without the will to pursue it."

"Of course, sir. You've helped me today, I... I think I already know the answer to my question, thanks to you."

"Good, keep it close to your heart, Floch."

Curiosity lingering, Floch couldn't help but voice one final query. "I've often wondered, on that day, why'd you choose to entrust me with that secret rather than ask me to leave, considering how sensitive that information was?"

Erwin's eyes sparkled with a trace of amusement, a testament to his astute judgment. "Call it intuition, It appears like I've made good judgement, haven't I?"

"You have. Thank you for your time, I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, have a good evening, Floch." Erwin smiled before leaving the boy alone with his thoughts by the balcony.

Floch turned around and continued to enjoy the view, mere moments later two familiar MP's down below were being carried out in handcuffs as they were forced outside at gunpoint. Floch couldn't help the shit-eating grin that spread across his face as he watched them get carried away. He took out a lockpick from his pockets and threw it away, as he enjoyed the sunset and the protests of the escorted guards.

'Soon enough, that dream will be a reality, and everybody will be made aware of their place in this world.'

He leaned against the windowsill in the hallway, stretching his limbs in preparation for a light workout. It wasn't much, but it beat having all of his muscles go stiff from lying around too much. The last thing he needed was to ruin his own body beyond what his injuries had. His mind raced back to his recent interaction, It was rather disappointing the way the nurse had reacted. One of the things Floch grew to hate in this world was a misguided sense of morality, the mere thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I know it was you, I have no clue how but I just damn know it! You're so young for such a terrible crime..." She whispered under her breath. "It's not right! I... I- I have to tell them what happened." she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Then by all means, go ahead."

Her eyes flashed with surprise.

"No point justifying myself to you, nor will I sit here and soothe your sorrows. None of it matters, go up to the MP's and tell your truth. Without proof or evidence you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who cares, a shame isn't it? Go now, be the hero and save the day. See how far can a good conscience take you in this world."

Her brows twitched, her lips quivered, and that stern mask she donned broke with growing uncertainty. She faltered, releasing her hold on his shoulders and dropping to her knees, her palm pressed to her lips as if she were about to retch. Tears streamed freely down her face as the guilt ate at her soul, He was right. Floch couldn't help but sneer at her state. He knelt and placed his good arm on her shoulder with a firm squeeze, she looked up at him, utterly defeated.

"I said to let me handle it myself, remember? The way I see it, that's one less piece of trash to worry about. Make no mistake, this isn't your burden to bear, you're neither complicit or guilty Mrs. Bettner." She felt ice rush through her veins at his expression, no child should look this gleeful discussing murder.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "How could you say that? I kept my silence on your behalf, I could have..."

"Could have, yes. But should you have done it? He had no issues antagonizing everyone around him for his own sick pleasure, I heard his screams you know? his last moments were nothing short of hell but he deserved every second of it."

"I-I can't...I just can't..." She covered her mouth and cried in the empty office.

"I'm sure you can manage Mrs. Bettner. Let's take a walk to clear your mind, If we continue like this I fear I might need someone else to continue my physical therapy sessions." The boy spoke offering her his hand, the woman could do nothing but stare at his open palm, a deep frown on her face at the implication.

That had been yesterday, whether she followed his advice or not mattered little to him. In the end, It's all the same.

He idly wondered how the cadets were doing back at the camp, it had been a month now since he last saw them, What were Eren and Ymir up to? How were Hannah and Franz? Was Ruth holding up well in training? Did Gordon and Sandra receive his reply? So many questions, and a lot of time on his hands to overthink them. Floch heard the sound of a twisting door knob and turned around to see Petra step out of their room and into the hall, the woman waved as she saw him.

"Morning." Petra greeted, the redhead made her way next to him and carefully leaned against the windowsill without stressing her recovering arm.

"Morning, Miss Petra." Floch found it confusing how such an innocent greeting made the woman's face contort with discontent.

"Please just call me Petra, I'm only eighteen years old. If you make me sound any older you'll be staying here longer okay?" She smiled with a threatening aura.

"Sorry, I was only being respectful."

Petra sighed, dropping her head down. "It's fine, I overreacted. Being a scout does considerably age you, It's tough but we do what we have to."

"I can only imagine."

Floch realized he's never truly experienced a traditional survey corps scouting mission, the operation to retake wall Maria was nothing short of hell on earth compared to an average expedition. By the time he attained the rank of an officer due to understaffing, they were simply doing sweeps across the interior of wall Maria to make sure the titans were exterminated. Gone were the days of mystery and suspense, when soldiers set foot outside and died in droves to establish a simple supply line, with no other grande goals in mind. He'd have said good riddance had he not been sent back here and at the height of the organization's journey at that.

A sixteen-year-old Floch, Jean, Connie, and Sasha were riding their horses through the forest, in the background, a loud thudding could be heard as it shook the earth with every step. Floch looked up behind him at the horizon to gaze at the giant form of Armin's colossal titan, thanks to Hange, they've decided to combine his titan training and their scouting into one as a way to scan for the pockets of pure titans left scattered within the wall of Maria. It felt strange, that something so gigantic and catastrophic was now fighting on their side.

Floch noticed the colossal point in a certain direction. Naturally, he decided to alert the group.

"Hey! Look! it found something!" He shouted.

"Alright, Armin! Now we're talking!" Connie yelled enthusiastically.

"Sasha, give the signal," Jean called out.

"I'm on it, signal out!" Sasha replied before launching a red flare into the air.

Floch couldn't keep his eyes away from Armin, all of that power, a god of destruction amongst mere mortals, Erwin smith should have been in there not him.

"Say, weren't you planning on becoming a scout?" Petra asked, snapping him out his stupor.

"Still am."

Petra raised a brow at him. "That's... commendable, It amazes me that you're this nonchalant about it after seeing what became of us." She sighed. "Out there It's total hell, anything can happen at any given moment, our squad trusts one another to have each other's backs and corporal Levi is a the top of that chain."

Trust? The same trust he blindly placed in Eren? Perhaps, it was the trust he gave Jean as his secondhand man? Or was it the trust he had in his previous commander before she went on to kill her men? Floch spoke in a dry tone. "You have my utmost respect for surviving that long with an idiot like Oluo to watch your back."

"I know I constantly chew him out around you, but that doesn't mean you can lay into the guy, He's still your superior you know?" She chastised him with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Sorry."

"Oluo can be a handful at times but don't let his appearance fool you, his obnoxious bragging is all true. Still, even under all that bravado, he's genuinely a great guy even when he's a being a pathetic moron half the time." She informed him.

Floch raised a brow in question. "I'll take your word for it, I guess."

Petra glanced at him from the corner of her eyes with a question in mind. "I'm curious about you, where does your deisre to join the scouts come from? You're from the old interior aren't you? Most kids your age would shit their pants and dig themselves into the ground the second they get a hint of a survey corps recruiter in their area."

Floch paused, in his mind the conversation he had with Erwin replayed itself. "As if Karanes isn't the old interior as well." Petra felt surprised he knew about her hometown. "Though, are you genuinely interested or simply trying to reassure yourself about something?"

"It can be both."

"Joining the regiment is a means to an end, It's a necessary step to take in order to fulfill a dream of mine, a dream I share with a select few others. No amount of struggle or hardship will deter me from this, nothing at all." He spoke solemnly.

Petra's lips thinned. "A dream huh? For humanity's victory and all, right? Get in line, kid." That piqued his interest.

'You're right for the wrong reasons.'

She sighed, "If I'm honest with you, we all thought you were full of shit before you pulled that stunt with the guard, I wish I still had your drive."

"I'm sure It's still in there somewhere."

"Maybe. Say, about your arm. You never told us how you broke it." She diverted.

"Got caught in a rockslide."

"Ouch, could have been worse, glad you're okay."

"Thanks, you?" Floch asked, thinking it was only fair.

Petra froze as a sullen expression contorted her features. "I was stupid enough to get caught by a titan, squeezed me 'till it broke my arm too. It's only thanks to Oluo that I'm here right now, but it cost him a broken leg." She revealed with a nervous chuckle, she eyed him in contemplation before adding "Hey... Is it okay if I get something off my chest? I don't like to discuss this with the others, so do keep it between us, yeah?" She asked.

"Go ahead." He didn't have anything better to do anyway.

"Where to even start? The nightmares? The morale? How devastated we all are after that expedition? We've never had so many losses like this before. As if that weren't enough, the interior's trying to shut us down." She sighed. "It's all too much. Day by day, resigning from my duties and retreating to Karanes becomes much more appealing. Yet, here I am amid all of the confusion." She confessed. Her shoulders sagged as she continued. "Tsk, It's all so tiresome, on certain days I'm not even sure if this cause was worth all the trouble."

Floch froze.

'...Even fodder like me has a right to decide if this cause is worth dying for.'

Her head hung low. "Pathetic is it not?"

"You've already made your choice, you're simply not aware of it yet." He replied taking the conversation in another direction.

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh?"

"You're not indecisive, are you? You're still here, your wish is to continue, if you wanted to feed into that seed of doubt you'd have done it ages ago. Who's going to stop you from leaving the military life behind if not your own conscience? Deep down you know that It will never be worth it, especially after all the sacifices you've made, and all the sacrifices that were made for you." Floch said much to her shock, she glanced down at her arm.

She turned away and sighed once more, the hall eerily quiet.

"...You're right. That's all I needed to hear, thank you." She spoke, taking her leave. "I'm going for a walk, see you around, Floch."

"Yeah."

Floch kept his eyes on the view outside, coincidentally stumbling upon the nurse walking through the courtyard with her luggage in hand. She paused as if sensing his eyes on her and turned around to inspect the surrounding area. A few seconds later their eyes met as the boy smiled in her direction and waved, she quickly turned around and walked away much to his amusement.

"You'll understand one day..." He muttered under his breath.

The door to his room silently closed behind him.