2 months had now passed since Isanna and the others had been inducted into the Survey Corps. In those months, the new recruits had spent it acquainting themselves with the other existing soldiers, familiarizing the map of their headquarters, and versing themselves with the basic rules and whatnot. The main objectives of the Scouts were to hold expeditions outside the walls and explore more about the outside world and the titans, as well as securing bases and fortifications. Their side job included being titan food, but we don't talk about that.

Even though they often lacked personnel because of the high death toll, the Survey Corps was known to be the branch where all excellent, highly-adept soldiers worked at thanks to their experiences from countless battles. It was said that even a low-ranking soldier was more skillful than most high-ranking officers of the Garrison and Military Police, due to experience alone.

The more Isanna spent time in the main headquarters of the Survey Corps, the more she came to realize the weight of the symbol on her back: the Wings of Freedom.

Taking a short step back, the girl swiftly avoided the punch that was aiming for her face, the movement causing the sweat on her forehead to swish away before Isanna locked an arm over her opponent's outstretched arm while her free hand thrusted out to shove his chin away, throwing his head backward. Quickening her speed, she shot her body forward, wrapping an arm over the soldier's exposed neck and slammed his back hard on the sandy ground of the courtyard in their training grounds, a grunting effort erupting from the man's throat. The shove had caused swirls of dust to furl around, with both Isanna and her opponent panting at the exercise.

"Good work, Herrmann," their trainer, a squad leader praised before she nodded at the soldier who had been thrown on the ground by Isanna. She proceeded to give advices on the things the soldier needed to improve on before she called the next one over.

After saluting, Isanna walked away, lifting both hands to re-tie her dark hair that was now bathed in her sweat while training under the afternoon sun. Now in a ponytail, she dropped her arms back to her side as they swayed while she walked towards a nearby log that had been placed for a brief resting spot.

They were going on an expedition by next week, so preparations had become more intense with the trainings - more so especially since they were new recruits.

After dropping on the log, Isanna closed her eyes and lifted her face, feeling the warm sunlight dripping on her skin as she relaxed herself and willed her mind to avoid the small bubble of worry that had been growing inside ever since they had been informed of the expedition.

They were soon heading outside the walls.

•

Isanna stepped out of the girls' bath, the hot steam flowing out from inside and swirling out into the corridor. She lifted a towel and began drying her hair, letting out a contented sigh at the freshness enveloping her skin as she felt the exhaustion seeping into her system. After a day of strenuous exercises, it felt good to finally wash off the sweat.

She trudged down the corridor for a while before arriving in the dormitory wing, rounding the corner and reaching the room where she and some of the female soldiers were now staying. The room wasn't anything grand and resembled their dorms back in the Training Corps; Isanna thought life in the Survey Corps wasn't that much different back when they were training cadets, but then again she hadn't seen the full extent of it yet. She knew she'd soon realize the difference the moment they'd step outside the walls, where her life as a Scout will truly begin.

That is, if she'd even have a life to return to.

Isanna saw Adalaide and Chiara chatting away on the bed nearest the open window and made her way towards them. 

"Oh, Isa!" The redhead called her over when she saw her. "Great timing. Chi and I are betting to see who can kill the most titans on our first expedition! Wanna join?"

Isanna's brows furrowed as she reached the foot of the bed where they were sitting at. "Seriously? This expedition may very well be your first and last, but you wanna compete?"

"Oh puh-lease," Chiara rolled her eyes. "I swear, you're too uptight. Keep frowning and you'll get wrinkles on that pretty forehead. We don't want Erwin to be turned off by that, now do we?

"HAHAHA! Got that right!" Adalaide grinned at Isanna. "Yeah, seriously though. You look prettier when you smile - use that to your advantage and seduce that hunky eyebrows!" 

Isanna grumbled. "And you're more tolerable when you keep your mouth shut."

"Whatever, lady sunshine."

Isanna was about to retort when a harsh, acrid scent wafted through her nostrils, causing her face to scrunch up. Adalaide and Chiara seemed to have smelled it as well since they turned to the open window where the smell was flowing from. 

"Somebody slap me, is it just me or is that the boys' dormitory on fire?" Adalaide blinked at the blazing fire currently enshrouding the building in the near distance right across theirs, with a not-so-casual tone lacing her words.

Without so much as a glance, Chiara raised a palm and slapped the redhead across the cheek. 

"Oi!"

"I saw a chance and I took it."

After snapping out of her surprise, Isanna picked the towel that was hanging around her neck for a while now and flung it to Adalaide's face, who shot her an incredulous look. She immediately sprang into action and bolted towards the window, lifting a leg atop the windowsill. 

"Isanna?" Chiara's brows shot up in realization at the girl's actions, "Hold on, this is the second floor!"

Adalaide's eyes went wide, as she tried to stand up from the bed. "Oi oi oi, you're going wearing only that?!" 

Ignoring the protests of her friends, the dark-haired girl leaped out of the window, falling and disappearing from their view. 

::

In no time, Isanna had already reached the foot of the building that was currently engulfed with blazing flames, the curls of the fire swishing upwards to gather in the night sky in a heavy smoke, making breathing difficulty and the temperature alarmingly increasing as the girl lifted an arm to block the polluted air. She had just finished bathing and her skin was burning at the high temperature, but Isanna ignored it and went closer to the wildfire.

She scanned her eyes through the array of windows of the dormitory, noting how only one side of the building was dancing in flames. 

After her eyes landed on a particular room on the third floor, Isanna was about to bolt inside through the entrance of the building when someone suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, away from the infrastructure. 

"Wh - let go - !" Isanna struggled but froze when she realized who it was. "Erwin?!"

The blond was donning a frown at her as he tightened his hold on her wrist. "No one's inside the building anymore."

For a moment, Isanna's eyes moved to and fro from the building to Erwin, the tension in her shoulders finally easing away when she realized. "And Adrian and Mike?"

"They're fine, we were together in the room when Mike smelled the fire," Erwin explained, still not letting go of her wrist. "the fire was an accident. A soldier had left a burning stove forgotten in the kitchen hall." His eyes finally trailed down Isanna's outfit. "... I'll make a guess that you ran here straight after a bath."

Isanna followed his eyes and realized with a start that she was just clad in some slippers, black leggings that hugged her waist, and - goddamn it - a black sports bra that squeezed her chest, her finely-toned abs in full display, in public, no less. 

"Herrmann, what're you doing over there - oh right, you were probably worried for Erwin - hot shit, why are you wearing only that?" 

Isanna turned to the voice and saw Adrian staring at her with jaws agape, Mike standing beside him with crossed arms with a blank expression as always. 

It was only then did she took notice of the surrounding men, fellow Scout soldiers who were now crowding outside their dormitory, and suddenly felt slightly conscious of her appearance. 

Fighting back a blush, Isanna retracted her wrist from Erwin's hold and tried to play the embarrassment off by crossing her arms together. "For the record, Schulz, I came running here worried for the three of you, so don't give me that look."

Adrian blinked at her figure for a few times (he was definitely not counting her abs), and when he finally regained his composure, he cleared his throat. "Yeah right. We all know you came bolting here for Erwin."

Isanna parted her lips to shoot back her defense, when Erwin took hold of her wrist again, prompting her to look at him with raised brows. 

"Let's get you away from the fire," the blond said and started tugging her along. "it's dangerous to inhale the smoke."

When all four were finally a good distance away from the building, Isanna tried to ignore the focused stares from the other soldiers. The senior soldiers were particularly preoccupied in dousing the fire, yells buzzing through the night air. The stars were obstructed from the view due to the thick black smoke that had accumulated above them. 

".. What are you doing?" Isanna raised a questioning brow when Mike and Adrian wordlessly flanked her both sides, their built bodies and tall heights shielding her from the uncomfortable gazes from the other soldiers.

"Well," Adrian shot a careful glance at Erwin, who was still wearing his neutral expression. ".. nothing."

Before Isanna could ask more, Adalaide and Chiara came and joined their group, asking what had caused the fire, with Adrian going on to explain to them. 

"That's so careless," Chiara commented, having a hard time picturing a Scout soldier leaving a stove burning unsupervised. She then gave Isanna a hard look. "Just like someone who jumped off from the second floor."

Isanna shrugged her shoulders in indifference. 

Adalaide proceeded to ask the guys where they would be staying for a while now that their rooms were burnt to a crisp, with Adrian replying that since only one side of their dorms were scorched, they'd have to share spaces with the guys from the other rooms that hadn't been affected by the fire. 

"Unless," he paused with a grin, "you guys are willing to share?"

Adalaide didn't even bother to hide the disgust painting her expression. Sure, maybe they had some space for three guys, but - wait. WAIT. She whipped her head towards Isanna, who raised a brow at the sudden look she had received. The redhead then exchanged looks with Chiara, who seemed to have read her mind judging by the mischievous glint in her eyes.

"No problem!" 

"What?" Isanna frowned. "What about the other girls? We can't just - "

"Oh, I'm sure they'd be more than delighted to have you in our humble abode," Chiara quickly cut her off, clasping her hands together before she gestured towards the direction of the girls' dormitory building. 

"Hold on." Isanna caught their attention. "Shouldn't we help put out the fire or something?"

Adrian waved a casual hand. "Nah. Just let our seniors handle it. They've handled titans, they can do this much." Isanna couldn't take his casual tone so seriously. As if having a fire suddenly go ablaze inside the headquarters of the Survey Corps was a normal thing. 

But then again, this was the military branch where you were basically expected to charge straight into titan jaws as canon fodder with no idea whether your death would even actually count as valuable; if a simple fire was enough to throw its soldiers into a frenzy, maybe they weren't fit to be a Scout.

After a brief exchange of argument between Isanna and the two girls, who were hellbent on welcoming the boys to their room, Isanna eventually relented and released a sigh of defeat as their group headed off. 

They can't be serious, Isanna thought as she trailed behind the group, wondering if their seniors would even allow it. Her attention was shifted to her current attire, causing a groan to escape her lips when she realized she'll have to take another shower to wash off the dirt and ashes that had clung to her. When she felt a pair of eyes gazing on her, Isanna turned to catch the blond staring at him as he walked beside her. 

"What?" She asked, having to crane her neck at him. "Never seen a woman's body before?"

Oh wait, that sounded wrong. 

Erwin's brow twitched upwards at her question, but his face was as unreadable as ever. Isanna used to be able to at least get a gist of his thoughts, but ever since they had joined the Survey Corps, the blond was getting harder and harder to read. 

"You just caught me off-guard," he replied, voice still as smooth as he directed his gaze back in front of them. 

A smirk formed on Isanna's lips. With sudden confidence, she wiggled her eyebrows and lightly nudged Erwin's side. "Hm? Is this fluster I'm hearing from you, Smith? Just tell me I have a nice body and go."

"You have a nice body, Isanna."

The girl choked on her saliva. 

Well... she definitely wasn't expecting him to be so blunt. 

Isanna caught the slightest hint of a smirk dancing on Erwin's lips, his eyes still ahead of them. 

God, the things this man could do to her.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the two friends, the other four who were a few steps ahead of them were shooting short glances over their shoulders.

"Did you just hear that?" Adalaide whispered giddily, widely grinning.

"I did," Adrian nodded, donning a grin of his own. Who wouldn't? They just heard Erwin, the Erwin Smith, compliment a girl. This was the same man who always wore a brick-faced expression and was blank and boring as a rock even when surrounded by women. 

Chiara cleared her throat and, in a deep mocking voice, imitated the blond whilst mustering a stern look. "You have a nice body, Isanna."

The three bursted laughing out loud, high-fiving each other while the tips of Mike's lips lifted in a silent smile at their antics. 

•

Before Isanna knew it, one week passed by in a flash, and she eventually found herself at the back of their barracks, sitting on the front steps whilst peacefully staring at the night sky. The twinkling stars were particularly bright that night, its gleaming light shining down on the dark and silent terrene of the headquarters.

They were going on an expedition beyond the walls tomorrow.

Tomorrow, Isanna thought with a grim gaze, we're finally seeing the outside world.

To say that Isanna was nervous was an understatement. For the past week, the girl noticed she had been particularly jittery, often spacing out at the thought of her stepping foot beyond Wall Maria, into the dangers lurking in titan territory - the common enemy of mankind. The worst case scenarios flooded into her mind, Isanna couldn't help but imagine the countless possibilities that could occur while outside, and it only worsened her anxiety.

This won't do, Isanna inhaled a large bout of air and mentally began to steel her nerves, clenching and loosening her fists on her lap in some sort of meditation. Focus. Focus, Isa. You trained three years for this. You worked so hard, and you won't waste that three years' worth of effort in one day. You will not. You have someone to protect - she corrected herself. You have people you want to protect. And you will protect them. 

"Can't sleep?"

Whipping her head to her right, the tension in Isanna's shoulders seemingly puffed into thin air - as if the mere sight of that one person was enough to assure her that everything was going to be okay. 

"Hey," she tried to lace her voice with a natural tone and watched as the blond stepped out of the back door of their barracks and walked over towards where she was currently sitting at. "was just appreciating the view."

Erwin sat down beside her, leaving a small space between them. He didn't even look at her as he pointed out, "You're nervous." It wasn't even a question. It was a statement.

"No I'm not." The last thing the girl wanted was for him to worry over her when he should be worried for himself; because once outside the walls, it was every man for himself.

"You really think you can lie to me?"

Goddamn it all. You're sharp in everything except for my feelings for you.

"How can you be so calm?" Isanna questioned him, looking at the man sitting beside her as she studied his features up close from the side.

Erwin's steady eyes were still fixated above them, looking at the sky. "If I give in to nervousness, I might as well give in to the titans."

As his words settled into Isanna's mind, she eventually sighed before returning her look back at the sky as well. "I wish I had your nerves."

When Erwin didn't reply, the silence of the night trickled in, following the end of their conversation. Isanna really didn't want their talk to end, because she needed all the distraction she could get away from the anxious thoughts of their expedition.

"Stick close to me tomorrow." Isanna finally broke the silence as she turned back to Erwin, the blond also looking back after her statement. "Don't you ever leave my side."

Isanna was thankful all of her friends were assigned in the same squad. It gave her the chance to keep an eye on all of them and make sure they were all safe.

Erwin spent a few seconds staring at her, before he lifted a hand and patted her on the head. "It feels odd to have you say that to me when I'm the one who's been looking after you since we were kids."

"It's exactly because we're not kids anymore," Isanna replied, "it's my turn to protect you."

Erwin smiled. "How reliable."

"Hey, I'm serious, you know."

"I know," he moved his hand behind Isanna's head and gently pulled her towards him, resting her head on his shoulder. It took the girl a few seconds to realize he was hugging her.

"I swear to god Erwin, if this is your version of a farewell hug, I'm going to hit you."

The blond released a low chuckle, the sound reverberating across his chest.

"I'm not going to die," he pulled back, hands on Isanna's shoulders as he stared at her intently in the eyes. The gentle small on his lips from earlier was now replaced with a more sincere expression, "and neither are you."

For a short moment, Isanna found herself staring right back at his blue eyes, mesmerized as if those crystal-colored irises had casted a trancing spell on her, before she snapped out of it. As she allowed the weight of Erwin's words to process in her mind, the girl eventually managed to solidify her resolve.

None of them was going to die. And Isanna wouldn't have it any other way.