THREE
genuine salute

THE AIR WAS STILL in the forest inside the walls. The trees stood tall, and the world was quiet as the veteran soldiers stood idle on the ground and high up in the trees. Shadis let out a high pitched whistle, warning the soldiers in the field of the coming cadets.

The air howled as cadets passed by, gas hissing as it launched them into the air. Their hooks connected with tree after tree, keeping them suspended in the air. Kaede let out a loud laugh, her carefree personality not having changed much in the last two years.

     Kaede Kall. Exceptionally skilled in maneuvering ODM gear, but her carefree attitude and impulsive nature causes problems in planned attacks.

Olivia swung past her, sparing the other girl an exasperated look. Mio followed behind her, eyebrows furrowed and blades out as he scanned the woods for any titan cutouts.

Olivia Reno. Skilled in most aspects, but lacks confidence and initiative.

     Suddenly, a soldier in the trees pulled a target up, Mio slicing into it in surprise. His cut wasn't deep enough, barely hitting the fleshy part of the target. He growled, shaking his head and shooting his hooks far out in front of him.

Mio Russe. Not exceptionally talented in ODM maneuverability or hand to hand combat, but his desire to succeed is admirable.

     The other cadets followed suite, eyeing the woods for targets and focusing on their ODM comfortability.

     A target was pulled up not 25 yards ahead of Mio, giving him time to focus and prepare. He took a deep breath, advancing on the target with fiery determination.

     But, in his hurry, he hadn't heard the air wishing behind him, or the swift advance of a particular blonde from behind.

     Valor hoisted herself high in the air, releasing her hooks and relishing in the weightless sensation of falling. She raised her blades high over her head, slicing through the targets neck, neatly and deeply, a half a second before Mio could himself. The red haired boy gasped, staring at Valor in disbelief. He made a last minute decision and hooked into a tree, leaning against it as he watched Valor. The blonde shot through the air with grace, almost floating as the air from her tanks fueled her. Her hooks shot out in front of her, and she was gone as quickly as she had come.

Valor Arlert. Once a stubborn girl full of pride, now calm and observant. Most skilled soldier with ODM gear the Corps has ever seen, and her speed gives her quite the advantage. Though, her sly attitude can cause problems in group settings.

"Are you kidding me?!" Mio yelled, and all he got in response was a burst of laughter from Kaede. His gaze landed on her quickly, an angry look in his eye. The raven haired girl payed no mind, leaning against the tree beside her, keeping her feet on the branch underneath her.

"Man, she got you again!" She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still trying to catch her breath. She chuckled again, shaking her head. "You've gotta admit, Mio, she's crazy fast. None of us even heard her coming." Olivia scoffed at the raven haired girl, shooting Mio a sympathetic look. The boy a few trees away shook his head, pushing off of the tree with his feet and unhooking his gear. He swung off in pursuit of Valor, and the rest of the cadets followed, amused at Mio's continuous bad luck.

The cadets all made their way back to the base, most out of breath and exhilarated from the graded training. Valor sighed, running a thin hand through her long blonde hair. She hadn't had the heart to cut it, though she knew she'd most likely be better off to do so. She looked over at Mio, who was still pouting about his stolen 'kill'. She approached him, trying to hide the smirk on her face to no avail.

He gave her a deadpan look, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's the third time you've done that. What gives?" He asked, not necessarily angry at the blonde. He admired her and her observance, even if it did lead to inconveniences for him. She shrugged, openly smiling now.

"You're so in your head you don't see the world around you. What if I had been a Titan? You'd be dead right now." She tilted her head. "You need to learn how to let go of that anger and stay aware of other factors on the field." She spoke breezily, and he scoffed.

"What, are you an expert now? Cut out the self help bullshit, Val, that's not what we're here for." He shook his head, and Valor shrugged. It wasn't the first time she'd had the conversation with Mio, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Just saying. If you don't focus on anything other than killing the Titan in front of you, you're not going to get very far." He grunted, adjusting the buckle on his side. Kaede approached them with a bounce in her step, the usual smile on her face never fading, Olivia not far behind.

"Nice kill, Valor. You're getting faster and faster every day," She bumped her shoulder, and Valor shrugged.

"We're all improving." Was all she said before moving toward the hand-to-hand combat zone. Kaede smiled at Mio, bumping his shoulder as well before following after Valor. Olivia stood by his side, not meeting his gaze but not following the others, either. The red haired boy scratched the top of his head. He couldn't seem to fathom how Valor was so attentive all the time, and Kaede so unbothered by everything. Valor never seemed to slip up, whether it was a shallow cut, a misstep in combat training or loosing her cool. And Kaede, god, she was so unfathomably happy all the time. Her 'go with the flow' attitude could sometimes be insufferable to him. Olivia, though, was tolerable. He was easily frustrated by her panicky tendencies, and inconsistent drive on the field, but he was able to get over that more easily than he would've thought. He nudged Olivia, pulling the short girl out of her thoughts before the two set off in pursuit of their friends.

Valor pulled her hair back into a low bun, the usual strands of hair falling out. She cracked her knuckles, lost in thought. She only had three more days of Cadet Corps, and then it was to the Scouts. As of now, it looked like she had a solid shot for top of her class, and she didn't want to admit to herself how much it mattered to her. She felt like she had something to prove, whether it was to her family, her superiors, or to herself. She was meant to be there, in the Corps, in the Scouts. She was more than capable, and she wanted everyone to know it.

     Unwillingly, her mind drifted to the letter she'd recently received from her mother. She had to hold back a wince as she thought about the sharp words her mother had for her, and she couldn't seem to let one part of it go. Make us proud. The words her father had said to her, and now her mother. Make us proud. It reminded her that she had people waiting for her back home, people rooting for her, even if they weren't necessarily pleased with her decisions. Her parents had asked her to make them proud, and that was something she was more than willing to do.

"It's our privilege to present you the graduating cadets from the 101st squad!" Commander Shadis yelled, looking over all of the solemn cadets with a sliver of pride. They'd all worked hard, he was more than willing to give them that. But no one worked as hard as the first placed graduate of the 101st Cadet Corps squad; that cadet was Valor Arlert.

The top ten stood in line, side by side with one another, in front of the rest of their class. There was close to three hundred graduates, and by some chance, Valor had made the top spot.

She knew she'd put the work in; that much was evident. But knowing that her superiors saw it too gave her a sense of fulfillment she enjoyed perhaps a bit too much. Kaede had managed to snag fifth spot, and Mio was in seventh, and Olivia had narrowly made tenth. She was proud of her friends, and her peers. Every individual had made the hard decision to stand their group and not give up when things got tough— that itself was not an easy task.

The Commander gave a strong, genuine salute, and Valor returned it passionately. "Do you vow to devote your hearts and souls to your duties? To protect humanity, and the citizens inside these walls?" Commander Shadis yelled, scanning the crowd. All he was met with were proud and determined faces, who nodded and stood their ground.

"Yes, Commander!" They shouted in unison, and he could've cracked a smile at the sight.

"Then congratulations, cadets. You've survived the Corps." He finished, and not one graduate could hold back from hollering in excitement. Even Valor, a stone faced, collected girl, couldn't hold back from throwing a fist up in the air and shouting.

Erwin and Levi stood in the crowd of veterans behind them, observing the ceremony. Levi rolled his eyes at their celebrations, where Erwin cracked a proud smile. "Celebrating every little victory. We'll see how far that gets them when they step foot outside the walls." Levi muttered, and Erwin only shrugged.

"Most won't. They never do. But those who join the Scouts know exactly what they're signing up for." Erwin squinted, scanning the crowd before picking a blonde haired girl out of the line up. "Like the Arlert girl," he offered, pointing at Valor. "Keith says she's been determined to join the Scouts since day one. She knows exactly how dangerous our branch is, but stays strong in her decision in spite of it. That's what we need." He looked over at Levi, crossing his arms. "And that's what we're going to get. I want her on your squad, Levi." The shorter man scoffed, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?" He asked shortly, and Erwin turned back to face the dispersing cadets.

"We need to build up your squad, and who better to join than the top pick of the 101st Cadet squad? She's got the determination, and from what I've head of her, she's calm and collected, exactly what you need." Levi let out a soft 'tch', shaking his head. "It's true, Levi. Your temper is... severe." Erwin smiled widely, and if it had been anyone else, Levi would have knocked them on their ass. Not Erwin, though. Not after everything he did for Levi with the Underground, and after Furlan and Isabel. "I'll speak with her for you. For now, get acquainted with your confirmed squad members." Erwin ordered, and Levi sighed, nodding as he turned away.

He had never imagined himself to be in a position of power. In the Underground, he was taught it was every man for himself. He was still trying to adjust to a team mentality, and the fact that he would soon be responsible for the lives of half a dozen soldiers weighed on him heavily. If Erwin had faith in him, though, Levi was willing to try. Maybe Erwin was right; maybe he would surprise himself.

Valor sat atop the wall, legs dangling off the side as she thought hard. Commander Erwin had approached her after dinner, and offered her a position that was impossible to refuse.

"You're incredibly talented, Valor, and your drive is admirable. I'd like to see you join the Scouts- you'd be put on an elite squad run by Captain Levi Ackerman. You'd have all the benefits a normal Scout does, but you'd have more knowledge on our future plans and connections with other veterans. Think on it."

It was everything she'd ever dreamed of. A Scout, highly respected and trusted straight out of training? It would be impossible to say no. But she couldn't help but feel... nervous, perhaps. What if she had faked it, all throughout training? What if she really wasn't cut out to be a Scout? What if she died out on her first mission, and didn't even get to say goodbye to Armin? There were so many variables.

     She perked up, glancing to the side at the sound of faint footsteps. In the distance, she saw three figures, identifying them as Kaede, Mio, and Olivia. She looked down at her feet, swinging them a bit as they rested over the wall. The trio eventually made their way over to her, sitting down around the blonde.

     "Tomorrow we decide which branch of the military we want to devote our lives to." Valor spoke quietly, a gentle breeze ruffling her long hair. Kaede hummed, nodding.

     "True. But tonight..." She trailed off, grabbing something out of her satchel. Valor quirked a brow, looking up at Kaede when she saw the large bottle. "We get drunk." She smirked mischievously, looking at the three. Olivia looked to Mio, who shrugged in return. Valor sighed, staring at the bottle for a moment before shrugging.

     "Fuck it." She grabbed the bottle, working the cork off the top before taking a generous drink. Kaede whistled in approval before taking the bottle, drinking from it before passing it to Mio. He rolled his eyes, taking a drink before offering it to Olivia. She hesitated, but after a moment of thinking, she grabbed it from Mio's hand.

     The four sat side by side, enjoying the quiet presence of their friends. None spoke of the looming decision tomorrow brought, not for a while.

     Before long, more than half of the bottle was gone, and the four had loosened up quite a bit. Valor was smiling openly now, something her friends had rarely seen before. "You know," she started, taking the bottle from Kaede. "I got an offer from the commander of the Scouts." She spoke as if it was nothing before taking a drink from the bottle. Mio, Kaede, and Olivia looked at her in disbelief, not saying anything.

     "What did he say?" Mio asked hesitantly, and Valor shrugged, hiccuping before speaking.

     "He wants me on some special elite squad. Came up and asked after dinner." Was all she said, and the three exchanged looks before Olivia spoke up.

     "Well, what did you say?"

     Valor shrugged, passing Kaede the bottle before laying back, stretching out on top of the wall. "Nothing. He told me to think about it." Kaede scoffed, holding her hand out.

     "So what are you going to say?"

     Valor shrugged again, giggling a little. This Valor was different for the trio. She had never acted like that before. "I don't know. It's sort of obvious, but I mean... Man. That's quite the commitment. What if I'm not cut out?" She mumbled, staring up at the sky above her. It reminded her of Armin; she missed the little nuisance.

     Mio rolled his eyes, standing on wobbly legs and holding a hand out to Valor, who was still laying down. "Get up. You're drunker than any of those Garrison soldiers." It only made Valor laugh out loud, and Mio bent down to grab her hand. He lifted her up, slinging her arm over his shoulders. "Trust me, Valor, you aren't number one in the 101st for nothing. If anyone's cut out for a Special Ops squad, it's you. Don't pass up this opportunity because you're being a little bitch." He grunted, walking her over to the pulley system on the side of the wall, Kaede and Olivia following behind him.

     It was conventionally used for supplies like ammunition for the cannons, but Mio mused it wouldn't hurt anything to ride down it just this once. They all stepped on it, and it slowly began to descend.

     Valor pushed Mio away, reaching for Kaede. The raven haired girl laughed, wrapping an arm around the blondes waist. "I'm really lucky to have you all," Valor hummed, dropping her head to rest on Kaede's shoulder. "I can't wait to be Scouts together." She mumbled, hiccuping. Kaede just laughed, holding the drunk blonde close.

     The four made it to the ground safely, and Kaede reassured Mio that she could get Valor back to the bunks on her own. Olivia and Mio waved the two goodnight, and as soon as they were out of earshot, Valor looked up at Kaede with glazed over eyes.

     "So is it just me or do you think they're going to fuck too?" She asked bluntly, and Kaede immediately burst into a fit of laughter. She shook her head, helping Valor up the stairs.

     "I really like drunk Valor, but it's way past your bedtime." She commented as she opened the door to the bunks. "Big day tomorrow."

     Valor plopped down on her bed, prying off her boots and shrugging her jacket off not so gracefully. Kaede hung up the other girls' jacket, rubbing her eyes. Valor grabbed her friends wrist, getting her attention quickly. Kaede looked back at her, waiting for Valor to speak.

     "You promise you'll come with me to the Scouts?" She asked as seriously as she could manage in her current state. "You won't leave me all alone there?" She added, blinking. Kaede sighed, nodding before tucking Valor into bed.

     "Wouldn't dream of it, Val. Goodnight." She muttered, blowing out the candle in the lantern before climbing into her own bed.

     "Goodnight, Kae."

[ had to split this chapter
into two parts lol oops
also found the perfect fc for
  valor in violet evergarden]