IN WHICH ARAMINTA JOINS THE SCOUTS!
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ARMS TONITE  ∕  CHAPTER EIGHT

       THE SMALL PIECE OF FABRIC THAT RESTED atop the bridge of Araminta's nose was unfortunately not enough to block the horrible smell that filled up the small alleyway she wandered down. This was her fifth time since the day the wall had been sealed that they had returned to Trost, working to cover every inch of the city to identify the hundreds if not thousands of dead bodies, and so far it had been one of the most awful experiences of her life.

Their first day out there, as Araminta would later be informed, Jean had stumbled upon the half eaten corpse of Marco Bott. It was news that had hit her hard. It was expected, since he'd never gone back over the wall with them and was missing for several days, but she'd held out hope that he would be okay, that maybe he'd just gotten lost somewhere or something along those lines.

       No, she and Marco were not best friends, but he had always been so kind to her and given words of encouragement, she was so excited to see him grow as a soldier and a leader. And after how well he had performed during the Battle of Trost, with encouraging Armin and Jean, she was sure he would have a bright future. But that future had been ripped away from him faster than he could even blink.

The only thing that Araminta could think as she sauntered down the street, resisting the urge to plug her nose with her fingers, was think to herself how lucky she was to be alive. She was so incredibly lucky that she wasn't one of the bodies rotting on the side of the street, and no matter how much she hated it, she was even lucky that she was able to smell it all.

         And then when she thought about how lucky she was, she started to wonder why she was so lucky? Out of all the people who had gone to fight in the Battle of Trost, why had she been one of the people who got to survive? There were definitely soldiers much more deserving of life than she was, weren't there?

But, as she'd realized very on, thinking like that was stupid and got her nowhere. It was just a waste of time, and honestly a waste of her thoughts. Instead of thinking about how possibly undeserving of life she was, she decided to think about the next few days.

         Soon, the cadets would officially be declaring which regiment they would join, and then they would go their separate ways. There was a very brief ten seconds where Araminta had considered joining the Military Police, and abandoning her dream of being a Scout to make Marina proud and lose the chance of answering her special questions to live a safe life in the interior, but she realized so quickly how stupid that was, and crumbled the idea into a small little ball before throwing it away.

Sasha had confessed to her that she wasn't so sure of joining the Scouts anymore, and neither was Connie. The two of them were heavily considering leaving to the interior, and honestly Araminta couldn't blame them after what had happened. Like her, they had witnessed so many of their friends and comrades die, of course they would be traumatized by it. If Araminta hadn't witnessed Titans before already, and previously vowed to join the Scouts, she might be hesitant as well. But, she'd decided long ago nothing would change her mind, not even this.

The two of them had been assigned to some other part of Trost, while Araminta was assigned to the area near the gate that had been sealed days before. And just her luck, Reiner, (and Annie), had been assigned to the same spot. The last time she had spoken to Reiner had been in the Garrison Headquarters, when she'd told him to stay alive--ugh, just thinking about the incident made her cringe. They were on the verge of death, and her idea of admitting her feelings was telling him to stay alive. God, she felt stupid.

Annie wasn't much of a talker, and Araminta was too embarrassed to be a talker either, so aside from Reiner's occasional comments, they walked mostly in silence. For the most part, some members of the Garrison had already swept through this area, but since it was the sight of the initial attack, there was a higher chance that there were more bodies that hadn't been spotted in the initial sweep. After today, they should be done, which Araminta sincerely hoped to be true since doing this day after day this was beginning to feel more and more depressing.

"Let's check down here." Annie had randomly spoken up, bringing the other two to a halt. Araminta and Reiner turned their heads in unison, seeing the long alleyway filled with boxes that Annie stared down. Based on the awful smell streaming out of there, it was obvious there was someone the Garrison soldiers had missed.

"God, not even these cloths can cover up that god-awful smell. I can't wait to be done with this job." Reiner grumbled loudly, trying to make conversation as they stepped into the alleyway. Araminta crossed her arms tightly across her waist, preparing herself for the sight she knew they were about to see. "So... You're still joining the Scouts, right, Araminta?"

       Frankly, this did not seem like the time to be discussing this stuff, but it was better than stumbling upon a dead body in a dreadful silence. "Yep. Still joining the Scouts. And, um... You?" She looked over to him.

        "I'm not sure... I could join the Military Police, but I don't know. Annie is sticking to MP though, right?"

        "Yeah. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would join the Scouts, but..." Her blue eyes flickered back to briefly meet Araminta's before whipping her head back forward. "I think you'll do good with the Scouts."

"Thank you, Annie. And I think you'll do good with the Military Police." Araminta responded, thankful her stupid smile wasn't visible through the cloth. Annie was one of the most anti-Scout people next to Jean, so it was a nice sentiment coming from her.

         Eventually they came up to a crate where sure enough, leaned against it was a horrible smelling, decaying body. Araminta fought back the urge to gag, instead tightening her arms together in hopes of suppressing her disgust. Going off the long dark hair and skirt that hung around their hips, Araminta guessed the body to be a woman. Her pale skin was stained with dark, sticky blood, the gaping gash in her side and missing arm likely the source of it all. A fly was crawling across her cheek, its friends creating a small buzzing sound as they circled around her like a group of vultures, one landing on her open eye which had now rolled back into her head.

Araminta had seen many dead bodies, in Shiganshina and these last few days in Trost, at this point she should have become desensitized to it, right? But nevertheless, as she stared into the dead, lifeless eyes of the woman, she felt her gut twist itself into a tight knot. She could have been a mother, or a wife, or a sister or a daughter. There surely was someone out there waiting to hear from her, right? Someone worrying about her? God, Araminta would hate if there wasn't, if she was a lonely hermit who had no one to care for her.

"Here, help me roll her over so I can check the hem of her dress. Her name might be written on it." Araminta instructed the other two, sucking in a quick breath before she would force herself to hold it. They obliged, grabbing onto her shoulders and sliding her onto her chest as gently as they could. Due to their small cloths covering half their faces, Araminta couldn't really see their reactions, but based on their body language they were enjoying this even less than she was.

       Using her long fingers, Araminta softly brushed the woman's dark hair over her shoulder in hopes of getting a clearer view of the hem. She curled it backwards, squinting her eyes to make out any faded writing, relief washing over her as she found there was, indeed, some writing there.

        "Luisa... Busch... Luisa Busch."

        "Busch. I'll write it down." Annie replied, beginning to scribble in the book they'd been given. While she did that, Araminta began to move the woman once again, letting her rest her back against the building beside them. Leaning against a crate surely couldn't be comfortable, right? Finally, her fingertips landed softly on her eyelids, before slipping them closed.

       Now she looked truly at peace.

      "Okay, let's go, Garrison soldiers will come get her body later." Annie spoke flatly, shoving the book into the pocket of her jacket.

"Yeah..." She stared at the woman, listening as Annie and Reiner's boots clicked against the pavement. "Goodbye, Luisa. I hope you're in a better place, somewhere much less horrifying than this Hell." It was only a whisper against her lips, as she bent down to tuck a strand of Luisa's hair behind her bloodied ear.

With a soft sigh, she straightened up, and left her alone.

"Annie! Reiner! Wait up!"

      ARAMINTA WAS NOT SURE WHAT SHE WAS DOING. Lingering around the gate into Wall Rose near one of the nurses with a clipboard, her arms crossed tightly across her chest and her amber eyes glossing over the other cadets as they left to go have lunch, she really wasn't sure why she was here. Well, that's a lie, she knew why she was there, she just didn't know why she thought this was a good idea.

       For some reason, after seeing that woman--Luisa--the only thing on her mind had been her mother. It was weird, she had nearly forgotten about her for the last few days since everything had gone down, and once that realization had hit her she was overrun with guilt. Guilt that she had forgotten her, guilt that she hadn't found her, guilt that she hadn't saved her.  She had worried that the woman in the alley had been forgotten, and yet she had let her mother become the forgotten one. It felt like her gut had twisted into a tight knot, that could only be unraveled once she got her answer.

      "'Minta!" A familiar voice sung, and Araminta shifted her gaze to see Sasha running up to her. Any other time she would have been happy to see her friend, but the awful pit in her stomach made it hard to even smile. "I thought Reiner and Annie already left? What are you still doing here?"

       "Oh, umm, I'm just waiting to talk to someone. I'll head back in a minute." She shrugged her shoulders, proceeding to press her lips into a tight line. Sasha tilted her head, furrowing her dark eyebrows together.

       "Who? Is Reiner gonna come sneak back here so you guys can make out in secret? You can tell me if you want, I won't tell anyone else." Sasha nudged her shoulder, her words leaving Araminta mortified.

       "What?! A lot of crazy things have come out of your mouth, but that is just... Something else. That's stupid. Dumb." Her cheeks literally felt like they had caught on fire, and she wished they were on fire so she could burn and die. Stupid. Sasha Braus was dumb, why would she even say that?!

       "Well, I don't know! You're acting all squirrelly and stuff, what are you hiding?!" The brunette leaned in close, eyeing Araminta as if she were hoping to make her crack under the pressure and spill.

      "I told you, Sasha, it's nothing important. Just head back with Connie and Jean, I'll fill you in later, okay?"

       Sasha frowned, humming in thought. "Mmm.. Promise?"

       Araminta rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I promise, now go." She insisted, jerking her head in the direction the other cadets wandered in.

        "Okay, but you better tell me everything!" Sasha snapped, before continuing on past Araminta to leave.

        It was silly, there was no reason to hide it from Sasha, or from anyone for that matter. Most everyone there was an orphan of sorts, they would understand, right? Still, she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone about it. It was fine, though, she would tell Sasha everything later. About how she'd left her mentally absent mother out here all alone, unable to fend for herself against the attack or against anything, really.

Once the last of the cadets had finally left, and there was now an opening, Araminta finally approached the nurse, still clutching her own arms tightly across her chest in a sort of protective manner. The worst that could happen was her find out that her mother's body had been found, and she had died during the attack, and that was what she was already expecting. So, nothing too horrible was going to come from this, and she would be able to walk away feeling good about knowing that she asked. No reason to get worked up over it.

"Excuse me, miss?" She piped up, pulling down the cloth past her lips so she could be heard better.

The nurse turned to look at her, and Araminta felt caught off guard. She stared down at her with her bright, almost white looking eyes, wide open like an owl at night stalking its prey--which Araminta guessed made her the prey, oblivious towards the predator planning on making its move. Okay, that was a little dramatic, but her intense gaze was creepy as hell!

       "What can I do for you, cadet?" She inquired, her icy expression unchanging.

       The shorter girl cleared her throat. "I was just wondering... Has there been anything about an Eleanor Holm? On your clipboard?" Eleanor. Araminta didn't know when the last time she'd said her mother's name out loud had been, a realization that struck her like an angry slap against her cheek.

      "A family member, I presume? Just a moment, I will look." The nurse lifted a piece of paper, then another, and another, before seemingly finding what she had been looking for. "Holm... Holm... Hmm..." She hummed quietly, empty eyes scanning the paper. "I'm sorry, it doesn't look like there's an Eleanor Holm listed here."

       Oh. Well, Araminta had not been expecting that response.

       "Um... Are you--Are you sure? Maybe it's under Ella Holm, sometimes people called her Ella. Check Ella Holm. Or Ellie." That was a lie, nobody called her either of those things. But, someone might have made a mistake and written one of those down instead, right?

      "No Ellie or Ella Holm. Very sorry, Miss." The woman responded, and without even glancing down at the paper.

       Araminta narrowed her eyes. "You didn't even look. Look at the names, check for Ella or Ellie. Please." She tagged on the last word quickly, hoping to mask her frustrations. Her tone was growing angrier and angrier, and she really did not want to get mad at this woman.

      "I don't need to check, miss. I already looked over it just a second ago, it wasn't there."

       "I don't care if you looked at it a second ago, look at it again! Please!"

      The woman sighed, likely beginning to notice how short tempered Araminta could be. "Fine. I will look." She responded flatly, then slowly lowered her gaze to look at the list once again. Stupid, why was she being so difficult? Was Araminta really asking for that much? No, this woman was probably tired and just as ready as everyone else to leave and catch a break.

       "Just as I already told you, no Ellie or Ella--"

       "Give me that!" Araminta snatched the clipboard out of her gloved hands, and unsurprisingly the nurse hardly reacted, just huffing really loudly presumably out of annoyance.

      As quick as her eyes could move, Araminta began inspecting the list, searching for an 'E' or 'H'. It wasn't under her maiden name, was it? God, Araminta didn't even remember her mother's maiden name. It started with a 'T', didn't it? Or maybe a 'B'?

       She swore she spent ten minutes looking and relooking, regina her absolute hardest to find anything remotely similar from the name in question. Name after name, pencil marks after pencil marks, her vision grew blurry as she flipped through the three filled up papers, hoping--praying she would find what she was looking for. The closest she found was Evelyn Goldberg, which absolutely wasn't her mother. The nurse was right, she wasn't in here. Nobody had found her body.

"Look, cadet, I am sorry this woman you look for isn't here, but I need my clipboard back, and you need to eat. I promise if anything turns up, I'll--"

Araminta didn't even bother letting her finish, shoving the clipboard into the nurse's chest and turning away from her in one swift movement. This was bullshit. There was no way her mother had lived through everything that had happened, and if she had lived and been evacuated, Araminta would know. So where the hell was she? Where was her body, and why hadn't anyone found it yet?

Something was on her cheek, and instinctively she reached up to swat it away the same way she did anything else. But as she retracted her fingers, she realized it was her own salty tears trailing down across her soft skin. She was crying? Well, that was lame. There was nothing to be crying over. She had already accepted the fact that her mother was dead, and though this didn't confirm that completely, it felt pretty obvious what had happened.

Still, why did it hurt so much?

      "REMIND ME WHY WE'RE DOING THIS?" SASHA had grumbled, her bottom lip jutted out to create a pout. Following the murder of two Titans, who had been being studied by Squad Leader Hange in hopes of learning more about them, all the cadets and soldiers had been called in to check off their ODM gear.

       "Because, Sasha, one of us is an idiot who apparently hates the idea of ridding the world of Titans!" Araminta rose her voice, narrowing her amber eyes as she tried to see if her words got a reaction out of anyone--Spoiler Alert: they didn't. Honestly, she'd had nothing to do with the experiment, and yet the news made her as angry as she assumed Hange to be. Who could be stupid enough to derail such an important study for humanity?

"It was me, guys, I did it." Connie very obviously lied through his teeth, a serious expression resting on his features. Araminta rolled her eyes, raising a fist to punch his forearm.

"Shut up, Connie. You're not funny." She snapped.

"Come on, it was a little funny." He replied, a teasing smirk on his lips.

"About as funny as that joke Sasha made about the pig or whatever."

"Hey! That one was funny!" Sasha whined, smacking Araminta's arm with the back of her hand. Connie snorted.

"It really wasn't. It was worse than Minta's dumb knock knock jokes she's always shitting out for Reiner."

      "It wasn't that bad!" Sasha shot back, and the two began to argue back and forth.

       At some point Araminta tuned their voices out, her vision growing blurry as her eyes unfocused. The exhaustion that had been building up over the course of the last week hit her like a horse all at once. Hopefully soon she would be able to catch a break and take a long nap. Maybe if she lied and said she had been the one to kill those Titans, she could at least catch up on her sleep in jail. But then she wouldn't be able to join the Scouts, and Hange would hate her.

      And then, out of nowhere, she had an epiphany. Or at least that's what she wanted to call it an epiphany, when there was a large chance it was some weird concoction of thoughts her brain had come up with in the midst of her tiredness, but she really couldn't be sure.

       Who in the Cadets would want to sabotage humanity? Who would go to such lengths to derail this experiment? What if... What if there were others like Eren? With the ability to turn into Titans? And what if those people had infiltrated the ranks, just to destroy humanity from the inside? What if Eren was the fluke, the Titan that wanted to defeat Titans, while there were others who wanted the opposite..?

       Mmm... No.

      That would be insane, even more insane than the pigs accusing her of being a Titan in the courtroom. Just a crazy thought.

      Once the three of them had checked off their gear--Surprise! It had been none of them--they approached the other members of their class, who had decided to hang around. The started up some conversation of which group they were planning to join, and while Araminta was half listening her focus was mostly trained on some open space across the room, wondering if the hard floors would be a comfy spot to nap. Or maybe even Armin's shoulder--probably not, she would have to crane her neck to rest her head considering he was a few inches shorter than her.

      But, something Connie said snatched her out of her daze.

      "Jean said he's going to join the Scout Regiment."

      "What?!" She asked in disbelief, pressing her eyebrows together. "Jean said that?!"

       "Cool." Annie replied nonchalantly, her blue eyes fixated forwards. Was nobody else shocked by this news? Maybe Annie was just tired like her, though Araminta wasn't sure Annie ever got tired.

      "You're still joining the MPs, right? Maybe thats what I should do, too..." Connie's words should have also made her surprised, but honestly they didn't. The Battle of Trost had been a traumatizing day for everyone, you would have to either be incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to be willing to go through that again, and Araminta wasn't totally sure which of those she was.

       "If someone told you to die, would you do it?" Annie asked, the words light on her lips though they made Araminta feel incredibly heavy.

Would she? Well, it would depend on some things, probably. If it was some guy like the one who had tried to fire a literal missile at them that she had zero respect for, she absolutely would not. But, if someone like Captain Levi told her to, she might. At least with someone like that, she could hopefully trust that her death would mean something, and help push humanity to victory.

"What? Of course not." Connie snorted.

"Then follow how you feel." Was all Annie said in reply. "What about you, Armin?"

The blond's ears practically perked up at the sound of his name, sucking in a breath and making a small "huh?" sound. "Well, I... If I can understand why I have to die... I think I would be able to do it. Even if I don't want to."

"I agree." Araminta chipped in, leaning forward slightly to see Annie's face. "If it's for the betterment of humanity... I think I could sacrifice my life."

Annie hummed in response. "I get it. So you two have already made your choice."

"I made my choice years ago. I... To me, it's the only choice. But I also understand it's not the choice for everyone." Araminta knit her fingers together, lifting them so her index finger rested on her chin.

"You're serious? You're still joining the Scouts? Even after everything we saw in Trost--"

"I already lived through Trost before, Connie." Araminta cut off the boy, narrowing her eyes at him. "I already knew what being a Scout was going to entail. Nothing that happened in Trost was going to change my mind."

"Yeah... Me too... It's been my intention from the beginning to be a Scout." Armin added, which earned a small "humph" from Annie.

"You might be weak, Armin, but you've got guts." Weird backhanded compliment, but okay.

"Oh... Thanks. You know, Annie, you're actually pretty nice sometimes."

"What?"

"You don't want us to join the Scouts, and you probably have a good reason for joining the Military Police." Armin smiled at the girl, who pressed her lips together tightly.

"Not really." She sighed. "I just want... To save myself."

       "That's fair." Araminta spoke, her eyes flickering over to Annie. "I wish I could do that... Be selfish and put my safety first... But I would never be able to live with myself knowing that I hid like a coward in the inner ring while other people laid their lives on the line for the betterment of humanity, which includes me." She hadn't meant for the remark to come off so snippy, but she couldn't help it. Save myself. It was stupid to think like that.

      "I guess we're just different." Annie responded, quirking up an eyebrow in displease.

       "I guess we are."

      THE DAY HAD COME. THE DAY the young cadets would finally have the chance to declare which regiment they would join, and go their own separate ways. The choice had already been made up for Araminta, so it wasn't as big a deal for her as it was for others, but it was the beginning of her journey as a real Scout. After today, she would no longer be the little cadet that always talked about her plans to become a Scout, but she would be a full fledged, Wings-of-Freedom-wearing Scout. And she couldn't be more excited.

At that moment in time, she had no idea where most of her friends stood. Mikasa and Armin were becoming Scouts like her, at least she knew that for certain. And Annie was set on becoming an MP. Jean said he was joining the Survey Corps as well, but Araminta wouldn't be surprised if he ended up chickening out and joining the Military Police. Connie and Sasha hadn't made up their minds, she didn't know what Christa and Ymir were thinking, or even Reiner and Bertholdt. So many uncertainties, but tonight she would find out what everyone was thinking.

Sasha had avoided the topic the whole walk to the amphitheater they were meeting at, instead babbling on about whether or not there would be dinner there. "Imagine if they had a nice, thick slice of ham for everyone... Ooh! Or a brisket! I haven't had brisket in quite awhile! With a baked potato, and-and corn on the cob! That would be great, don't you think?"

       And as much as Araminta wanted to be excited--and deep down she was--the uncertainty of whether or not Sasha was going to stick by her side and become a Scout or go off to become an MP dulled her mood a little bit. "Mhm, great." She nodded, beginning to fiddle with her fingers.

      Sasha eyed her suspiciously. "Are you okay? Still sad about your mom or something like that?"

       "No... But now I am." She huffed, letting her hands drop
to her sides. "I just... It's weird. A lot of us might not see each other again after tonight."

       "Well, that's not true. Even if we split up, we will run into each other again. I will make sure of it." Sasha smiled, though her words didn't make Araminta feel any better.

       She came to a halt, stopping to look Sasha dead in the eye. "Are we going to split up?" She asked bluntly, seeing no point in beating around the bush.

       Sasha froze, her lips parting slightly. "I--... I'm not sure yet. And I know! I know I don't have much time left to decide, but--"

       "Sasha, it's okay. You don't have to know now. And please don't let my decision affect yours. Just... Do what's best for you." The selfish part of Araminta wanted to tell Sasha she should take her decision into account, because frankly she wasn't sure what she was going to do without Sasha by her side, but that would make her a bad friend.

        "Sasha! Araminta!" Before Sasha--who looked incredibly deep in thought--could respond, Christa was rushing up to the two of them, with a very ticked off looking Ymir in tow. "Can you guys believe it?! Tonight's the night! I cant believe we're all splitting up, after three years together!" The blonde was extremely enthusiastic, and though usually Araminta enjoyed her enthusiasm she found it almost suffocating now.

"Couldn't have come fast enough." Ymir mumbled, stuffing her hands into her back pockets.

       "You're still joining the Scouts... Right, 'Minta?"

       "Yep. Still joining the Scouts." Araminta gave her a halfhearted smile.

       "Impressive. I thought you would have chickened out by now." Ymir commented in her usual bored tone.

       "I know, right? I feel like she's a little bit crazy for never questioning that decision." Sasha laughed, throwing an arm around Araminta's shoulder. "What about you guys? Have you decided yet?"

      "I think so... I'm not totally sure, but--"

      "Christa, there's still time to decide. I told you to mull it over." Ymir hissed, immediately silencing the smaller girl. Araminta quirked an eyebrow, a bit confused by the interaction but honestly it seemed to be how most interactions between the two of them went. Half the time, Ymir could be so sweet to Christa, and then the other time it felt like she wanted to rip her head off. At this point, Araminta rarely questioned it.

      "Umm... What about you, Ymir? What are you gonna do?" Sasha attempted to move past the awkward tension, smiling at the brunette.

       "Dunno. I might just join the Garrison, I'm not sure the Scout life is for me." Right, Ymir hadn't made it into the Top Ten and didn't have the option to join the Military Police. Though if Christa chose to join the Scouts, Araminta was sure Ymir wouldn't be too far behind.

       The four of them continued the rest of their walk in silence, each seemingly lost in their own world of thoughts.

       It was strange to think about the fact that in some alternate reality, where the wall hadn't been breached and her family hadn't died, Araminta might not have ever joined the Cadet Corps, much less the Scout Regiment. What would she have done instead, in this alternate reality? Maybe a seamstress like her mother, or maybe she'd start some farm and sell potatoes. Sasha would love that. But, would Araminta ever even meet Sasha in this alternate reality? They both lived within different walls before joining the Cadet Corps, so chances were they probably wouldn't ever meet. So maybe that alternate reality wasn't anywhere Araminta wanted to be.

By the time they'd reached the small amphitheater, the sun had dipped down below the wall, thus causing a thick blanket of darkness to rest down against the sky. The area was lit by a group of torches, and the sight of the dancing flames took Araminta back to the night they'd burned the bodies from Trost. She'd stood by herself, her head feeling both filled to the brim with millions of thoughts and empty at the same time while she watched the flames. That night had been the most alone Araminta had felt in awhile.

There was lots of chatter amongst her peers, mostly about everyone's plans for their futures. Where were they gonna go, where did they think so-and-so was going to go, etc. Didn't these people get tired of talking about the same stuff? For the last three days, that was all anyone seemed to want to talk about. And honestly, Araminta was growing sick of all the chatter--at this point she could tell you where just about every single cadet from her class stood, and what their plans were, that's how much talking had been going on.

       Araminta must not have been paying attention, because one second the stage was empty, and now there was some blond middle aged man standing front and center, a solemn look resting against his features. And then she noticed the familiar emblem stitched into his jacket--the Wings of Freedom. She quickly realized it was Erwin Smith, the commander of the Scouts. 

         "I am Commander of the Survey Corps, Erwin Smith." He introduced himself, and immediately the crowd burst into small murmurs of confusion. "Today is the day you will all be choosing a branch regiment to join. I am here today to invite you to join the Scout Regiment. During this latest Titan attack, you discovered the true terrors of Titans, and the limits of your abilities."

        Jeez, this was a weird way to start off his presentation.

      "However! By the end of this battle, more than ever before, humanity took large strides towards victory. This is all thanks to the existence of Eren Jaeger. His effort proves beyond any doubt, that he is on our side. Furthermore, with his help, we not only stopped the Titan invasion in Trost, we gained a means to understand the truth behind Titans!"

       The crowd erupted into a group of gasps, and more whispers, is that true? This was the breakthrough Araminta had waited for over the last five years, a means to discover the nature of Titans. And it was all thanks to Eren. She'd already known he would probably be able to help provide humanity with answers, but the confirmation from Erwin Smith caused her to smile.

       "Located in the basement of his home in Shiganshina, we believe there is a secret to the Titans that even he is unaware of. If we reach that basement, we may gain a clue to break away from a century of Titan domination! We will set out for the basement, located in Shiganshina District. However, to do so, it is imperative that we retake Wall Maria. That is to say, our objective has remained unchanged."

        Two Scouts stepped out onto the stage, lifting a small cloth that detailed this objective that Erwin spoke of. The walls they lived within, and the districts lined with paint, and a red X in Trost District, where they stood now.

        "But now that we are unable to use the gate within Trost District, we must take a roundabout journey from Karanes District to the East. The route we spent four years building for our army, has become immediately useless. During those four years, more than sixty percent of our soldiers were lost. Sixty percent in four years. An insane casualty rate.

       "This group of new recruits will join us on our expedition outside of the wall one month from now. The chances are thirty percent of you will die. Four years from now, the majority of you will be dead. But those who overcome that will become superior soldiers with a high survival rate. You now know the dismal state of affairs. Those of you who are willing to put your lives on the line, remain right here. Ask yourselves: am I willing to surrender my heart for humankind?... That is all I have to say."

         A heated silence fell over the group. And then, people began to walk away. Araminta wasn't surprised. Erwin's speech was meant to scare them, and weed out the cowards. Those who stayed would be the kinds of soldiers that the Scouts needed, the brave ones who were willing to lay their lives on the line for the sake of humanity.

        Araminta held her ground, feet planted against the stone floors as people pushed past her towards the exit. She couldn't bring herself to look up yet, to see who had stuck around. If Sasha and Connie had left, she might be devastated. Pairs of boots after pairs of boots passed her by, crossing her line of sight as they left her. Soldier after soldier, running away from the opportunity to free humanity.

         But finally, after the footsteps had stopped, and everyone who would choose to leave had left, Araminta raised her chin. Jean, Historia, Ymir, Reiner, Bertholdt, Connie--they were all here. And so was Sasha, standing beside Araminta. A huge weight fell off of Araminta's shoulders, a wave of pure relief washing over her. They were all together, exchanging looks of solidarity between each other. The journey was going to be rough, some of them might die, but they would go through it all together.

        With their hands tucked tightly behind their backs, they faced the commander, awaiting his instructions.

        "All of you... If someone tells you to die, would you do it?"

        "We don't want to die!"

         "I see... I like that look on your faces..." He smiled to himself, glancing down at the floor for a moment. "Then effective immediately, I welcome everyone here as new members of the Scout Regiment! This is a real salute. Surrender your heart!" He thrust his fist against his chest, landing over his heart. They all followed suit, raising their fists to their chests.

        "Yes sir!"

the end of act one omg... now things
will really start to get crazy starting in
the next act!! death! betrayal! titans! so
much insane stuff. 😃