TWO
light as a feather

VALOR ARLERT PRIDED HERSELF on her resilience. The Cadet Corps was no easy place to survive, and near impossible to thrive. But Valor was not the type to give up, not for anything. She was stubborn to her core, and quickly learned how to stare a screaming drill sergeant in the eyes and not buckle.

The nights were the hardest part. She could take the early mornings, the non-stop running and screaming with grace; hell, she could take it all in stride. When her mind was too busy to wander, she was just fine. But when the barracks grew quiet, and the air outside grew still, she couldn't help but long for the family she'd left to protect. She missed her father's quiet presence, her mother's compassionate nature, and her grandfather's guidance, but most of all, she missed Armin. She missed his jokes, his comfort, and most of all his dreaming. The world seemed gray without Armin to color it for her.

But all it took was a reminder to herself why she left in the first place, and the fire inside her burned once more, her determination to succeed prevalent once more. She had too much to do to waste time mourning her past. This was her life now, and she would take it in stride if it was the last thing she did.

She was an Arlert. She was a soldier. She knew she would succeed.

She had to.

Valor seemed to wake before the bell could even begin ringing outside, startling her fellow cadets. Kaede groaned in the bunk above her, covering her ears with her hands. "Can he be anymore obnoxious?" She grumbled, and Valor could only shake her head as Commander Shadis barged in the barrack, shouting with all of the air in his lungs.

"All cadets outside and ready in fifteen minutes unless they want to start the day with 40 laps!" Before slamming the door shut, leaving a group of disgruntled cadets in his wake.

Valor turned to look up at Kaede with a raised brow and a ghost of a smirk. "Yes, he can. Don't test him." She turned to get dressed, letting Kaede complain to herself as she followed suit.

She tied her hair into a low bun, a few stray strands of hair falling in her face. She ignored them, pulling on her boots and exiting the barracks. Kaede was still rubbing sleep out of her eyes as she stumbled out behind her, wispy black hair a mess as she ran her fingers through it. Valor ignored her, moving to her spot in the cadet line up. She stood straight, arms limp by her sides as she waited for the rest of her fellow cadets to finish getting ready. Kaede nodded at Olivia, who'd just joined up with them, before giving Mio a tired 'good morning' and  finding her spot in the line up. Mio took his spot in the row behind Valor, nodding at her as she passed.

Of her three weeks in the Cadet Corps, Valor had met only three people in her class that stuck out. First, Kaede Kall. The girl was from Trost district, and connected with Valor almost immediately. She had dark black hair and soft green eyes, and towered over Valor at 5"9. She complimented Valor perfectly; while Valor was impulsive and proud, Kaede was bright and thoughtful. She continued to remind Valor to enjoy the little things in life without even knowing it. Her work ethic was admirable, and her resilient nature something Valor admired.

Mio Russe wasn't as calm as Valor or Kaede. Bad tempered from the inside out, Valor often joked his hot-headed nature had turned his hair red. From the Stohess district, his temper wasn't exaggerated by anyone in their class. Just a few short inches taller than Kaede, he had strawberry blonde hair and wispy bangs that covered his brown eyes. Once you got past his attitude, his determination was impossible to overlook, and he bonded with Valor over their hunger for success.

Olivia Rino was different. She'd grown up in Trost, across the district from Kaede. She had short auburn hair and a soft fringe, often covering her intense green eyes. She was meek, physically and socially, compared to her friends, often hesitating in the drills they did. For some reason, Valor had taken a liking to her. She was kind and supportive, something Valor appreciated in a person.

     Beside her only three friends, Valor was alone. At first, it deeply upset her. In Shinganshina, she was known by everyone in the district; she was a social butterfly, respected by all. Losing that was like losing apart of herself. But she knew that losing certain parts of herself would lead her to gain others. Before long the rest of the cadets had joined the line up, waiting stiffly for Commander Shadis to start their training session.

     Though her body ached from the constant battering of training, she couldn't help but buzz with excitement for the days session. The night before, she'd heard Sadies and some of the older troops talking about the next days lesson plan, the aptitude test. She knew exactly what is was before they even spoke of it in detail. Training with ODM gear, weeding out the cadets who couldn't handle the equipment and didn't have the right mindset for it. She knew that this would be the turning point in her journey; if she could do this, she'd get into the Scouts for sure.

     She listened with sharp ears as the drill sergeant lead them to their stations, Valor eyeing the vertical maneuvering gear with a curious gaze.

     How do you work?, she thought to herself, her thoughts slowly fading away until the only thing left on her mind was the task at hand. How do you work?

     She watched as people tentatively volunteered, even Mio, the most impulsive and impatient person she knew, hesitating to try it. She watched fear fill the eyes of her fellow cadets as they were hoisted in the air, falling backwards and getting suspended in the air upside down. She tilted her head, the struggles of her peers only making her more curious about the task. Still, she stood back, chewing on her nails absentmindedly as Mio finally stepped up to the task. She furrowed her brow, watching as they buckled her friend into the gear.

     The blonde didn't miss the fire in Mio's gaze, or the fact that he was practically glaring at the equipment. It clicked for her as soon as his feet left the ground.

It's not about controlling the equipment. It's about letting it control you.

Valors deep blue eyes didn't leave Mio's form once, studying his every movement and how it affected the gear. When he moved too sharply or too soon, the gear would buckle, causing him to begin to fall. If he pulled back too sharply, the gear would throw him.

To succeed, you had to understand you weren't in control. To succeed, you had to submit to the gear.

A sharp yelp from Mio had snapped her out of her thoughts, and in any other situation, Valor could've laughed at the position he was it. He hung suspended in the air, arms hanging limply toward the ground and strawberry blonde hair wet with sweat. Quickly, the veteran soldiers unclipped the fuming boy, who went face first into the ground below. By now, the cocky confidence and boldness in your peers had disappeared, leaving them panicky shells of themselves. The last thing anyone wanted to do was fail in the Cadet Corps. To fail was to admit you were weak, and there was no room for weakness in the military.

Slowly, but confidently, Valor raised her left hand, chin tilted upward and eyes narrowed in calm determination.

It had clicked for her. The Cadet Corps wasn't about gaining confidence or learning how to make quick decisions in the midst of a war zone. To excel in the Corps, Valor realized she had to evaluate the world around her and learn to let go of her desperate need for control. The Commander slightly raised his brow, curious as to why she had decided to volunteer when everyone else had cowered down. He was even more puzzled by the look in her eye- one that made the girl look like she'd just unraveled the biggest secret anyone could ever imagine.

Approximately fifty yards away stood Levi Ackerman and Erwin Smith, who watched the cadets with a sense of boredom and interest, respectively.

The shorter of the two cast a blank look to newly-crowned Commander Smith, who was still focused on the cadets in front of him. "This is important... why?" Levi asked monotonously, and Erwin sighed with a soft smile on his face. Levi had come a long way in his short time as a Scout. To think of him as once a criminal from the Underground and to see him now, after surviving a year out in the field, Erwin couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

"The cadets who graduate and choose to devote their hearts to the Scouts will be your future squadmates. It's important to see who has potential in our line of work, and it's always interesting to see how they change by the end of training." He explained to the black haired man patiently, eyes never leaving the sight in front of him. A blonde girl, no taller than Levi, had volunteered, approaching the test in front of her with no sense of hesitation. He'd briefly seen her standing back while her fellow cadets had tried (and failed) to conquer the first round of ODM training. He watched as Shadis buckled the gear before she was slowly suspended in the air.

Beside him, Levi let out a soft 'tch'. "If they survive. So far, none of them seem to have any sort of potential." Erwin hummed in acknowledgement, pointing at the blonde with a soft smile on his face.

Valor kept calm as she felt her feet leave the ground below her. She held still, focusing on how the gear beneath her moved. When the breeze picked up ever so slightly, the harness shifted, causing her to lean back ever so slightly, shifting her weight to the side. It was like second nature to her; she barely had to think at all as she sat in the harness, moving in perfect synchronization. The rest of her classmates cheered, even Mio, who was slightly pissed off by the fact that you could conquer the task and he couldn't.

Shadis barked at the soldier above, who swiftly lowered Valor back to the ground. She was exhilarated; in all of her years of life, Valor had never felt so at ease in anything she'd done. Sitting in that harness, waiting for any sign from the gear beneath her that she needed to shift her weight or slightly turn her body, it was as easy as breathing. Valor wanted to get back in the harness as soon as it slid down her legs and set her free.

Erwin looked over to Levi, who rolled his eyes without turning his head to look at his friend. "She does. She looked as at ease in that harness and you always do." He raised a large eyebrow, and Levi couldn't help but scoff. Sure, she'd managed to stay upright in a harness. That didn't mean the girl had what it took to be a Scout.

"We'll see if she even makes it through the rest of training." The raven haired man said flatly, eyes locked on you. He couldn't help but notice the way her blue eyes dulled in disappointment as the harness slid down her legs, so similar to the way he felt every time he took off his ODM gear.

When he was in the air, in sync with his gear and flying over the world beneath him, he felt invincible. Free. It was an adrenaline rush, and Levi couldn't help but feel for her. Truth was, she stood out among the other cadets. Whether it was the way she carried herself, her unwavering calm disposition, or evident determination, something set the blonde apart. Levi knew she had potential, no matter how much he'd refuse to agree with Erwin. He didn't even know her name, and Levi wanted to see this girl continue to succeed. He wanted her to prove to him she had what it took to be a soldier.

Valor stood straight, half acknowledging the praise from her squad mates, watching as many attempted and few succeeded in successfully finding balance in the gear. She was slightly surprised by how quickly Kaede had gotten the hang of the gear, but at the same time, she could've guessed it would come easy to her. The raven haired girl go with the motions, something important to be able to succeed in the gear.

After a short period of time, Shadis dismissed the cadets to run their daily laps and practice whatever they wanted until lunchtime. Valor led the pack, quickly falling into the familiarity the task presented. Every day, she could feel herself getting stronger. She could run faster, fight longer, and climb higher every day.

Her success with the vertical maneuvering gear had only helped to further assure her that the Scouts were right for her. If she put in the work, she knew she could make Top Ten scores in her class. With the right amount of determination, possibly even Top Five.

Levi and Erwin watched as the cadets started their laps, the sight of the blonde that they'd observed earlier at the front of the group not going unnoticed. Commander Shadis approached them, standing beside Erwin as they observed the cadets.

"Who's the blonde one?" Levi asked, surprising both Erwin and Keith with his question. He wasn't one to take interest in anything other than the mission ahead of him. "She's at the front of the group now."

Keith hummed, scratching his jaw as he watched more and more distance grow between Valor and the rest of the group. "That's Valor Arlert, from Shiganshina. Clever girl, fast on her feet too. She's much more observant than the rest of her squad." He hummed, glancing over at Levi. The short man nodded, turning to walk away from the other two men.

"Valor." He spoke the name out loud, not admitting to himself how much he liked the way it rolled off his tongue. "Give her hell. I'd like to see if she makes it to the other side."