"And...who are you again..?" I was nearly tipping off my seat as I leant away from the spectacled eyes that were too close for comfort.
"Hange! Hange Zoë! I wanted to finally meet the little squirt who beat all the odds!" The woman sounded so exhilarated, but I didn't want to deal with such a personality. It had only been a day since I had a gun pointed in my face, and I was beat.

"Remember we talked about personal space, Hange?" Erwin cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect. "Anyway, the reason I called you here, (Y/N), was to discuss your position within our ranks."

Here we go...

Still leaning away from Hange's steamy breath, I crinkled my nose to show my distaste.
"I don't really care, if I'm honest...and I don't really wanna talk with you..." Shifting along the sofa, I finally escaped the strange woman and directed my dull gaze to the window. "I don't particularly want to leave the cadets...but I also feel...I guess...somewhat comfortable with Levi's guys..."

Well...Eld, anyway...

Standing up from his desk, Erwin took a few steps towards me, halting the moment he saw my body stiffen. I couldn't say I hated the Commander, but I didn't particularly like him, either. Those big, bushy brows held too many secrets, I was sure of it.

"That's precisely why I called for you. That, and I would like to formally apologise for my actions yesterday. I may have gone a trifle overboard...I am very sorry, (Y/N)..." He scratched at his chin in a guilty manner, and I clicked my tongue.
"Tch, ya think? Whatever...It's not like I'm not used to people trying to kill me..."

Tone the angst down, girl..!

"...Whatever...Just go on with...whatever this is, so I can make it to dinner on time..." That's all I really cared about. I had promised Marco I'd play a game of cards with him after we ate, and if I was going to be thrown into another squadron, I wanted to be able to spend time with him before I left.

"Very well..." Erwin took the liberty of sitting across from me, in one of the arm chairs, and I glared at him all the while with harsh (E/C) eyes. "...Despite your...eccentric way of doing things...you are already a key asset to reviving humanity. I can see that, as can many of us..."
"Damn straight! I heard you're a total spitfire, little girl!" Hange plonked down beside me, but thankfully gave me a little more room than before.

Reviving humanity, huh..?

"Uh...yes...quite...Taking that into consideration, as well as your...to put it bluntly...total disregard for military ranking...it gave me a rather interesting idea..." Erwin had caught my attention, now, but I didn't want to let him know that. Crossing one leg over the other, I leaned back into the couch.
"And that would be..?"

"Oh, can I tell her?! Can I, Smithy?! Oh, please let me tell her!" Hange made the entire seat rattle as she bounced up and down, and I internally cursed her out. Unimpressed, but seemingly used to her personality, Erwin heaved a sigh.
"Fine...but once you do, would you please leave us be? I'm sure you have plenty of research to bury your nose in..."

Pumping her fists, the brunette spun around to me and grinned. It was an unnerving sight, and I couldn't help but sweat.
"A common solider! Or, as I like to call...a Nomadic Warrior!" Wiping the small amount of spittle that had flown from her tongue onto my cheek, I turned to Erwin and cocked a brow, completely clueless as to what she was on about.
"I'm gonna need a translation here."

"What Hange is trying to say...is that we have considered making you...a shared force, I suppose. Depending on the demands, you wouldn't be grounded to a single squad." He explained, carefully watching me to gauge my reaction. It seemed ridiculous to me, and completely undesirable.
"Uh, Hange, was it? Could you give us a minute..?" I didn't dare look at the frighteningly peppy woman when I addressed her, but she didn't seem at all phased.

"Absolutely! You need to swing by my lab later, though! I have so many experiments I wanna do with you, you lucky duck!" Leaving me sweat dropping, and mildly concerned for my wellbeing, she jumped up and waltzed out, leaving me and the commander in peace.

"I apologise for her...She's ahead of her time..." Erwin chuckled, but I didn't care. That's not at all what I was interested in.
"So...you basically want to whore me out to all your little squads, then..?" My terminology was vile, but I knew he understood what I meant. He already knew I had issues working with people I knew, let alone people I wasn't at all used to.

"I know it seems odd, and you probably think I'm being unfair, but would you hear me out?" His tone had become more casual, now that Hange had left, and I hated that I felt just a smidgen more relaxed.
"It's not like I have a choice, right? I mean, now that I know you have a gun..." Teasing him probably wasn't the smartest move, but I was in a foul mood, and I wanted to prove to him that I wasn't ready to lay down and take any bullshit.

Dabbing at his brow, he uttered an awkward laugh before his face turned serious again.
"Look, it's very unlikely that you remember, as you were so young...but I used to be close with your father..." This time, I couldn't hide my curiosity, nor my surprise or blatant disgust at the mention of that man.
"You're right...I don't. You'd think I would've had nightmares for weeks after seeing those big, hairy caterpillars above your eyes..."

Tone it down with the insults, (Y/N), geez...

"Very funny..." Erwin rolled his eyes, but in a soft way, showing me he wasn't insulted by my jabs. "Yes, you would have been around three or four the last time I saw you...I believe it was before all of...that began..." I uncrossed my legs and leant forward, giving him my complete attention.
"Wait..." Something was coming back to me. Albeit fuzzy, I could picture a younger, more cheerful commander, sitting me atop a large horse.

"You used to call me Winnie...It was rather precious, I must admit..." He smiled; creasing around the eyes, and rested his chin in his hand. "I didn't mention it before, as having such a history within this line of work isn't very professional."

Why would that even matter? You think I'd go around telling everyone that Commander Winnie used to sit me on his knee?

"I could tell, even so young, that you were a special little lady, (Y/N). You were asking me questions I didn't even think you knew the meaning of, back then. If I had known what you were going through, I would have put an end to it immediately, I hope you know that."

But...you didn't...Nobody did...

The last thing I wanted was to have an emotional connection to Erwin. If I could have had it my way, I would have hated him with every breath I took, but now, that was off the cards. When he had called me special, it struck something deep inside me. My lungs squeezed; almost burned, and my eyes felt like they were about to water. Dimitri had been the only person I had ever heard say such an outlandish thing.

"Wh..what does this have to do with now, though..? Even if you're some long lost uncle figure, or whatever you wanna call it...I don't like the idea of being a solider for hire..." My voice was more confused, than anything. Luckily, Erwin picked up on that right away.
"Hence this discussion. I don't want to cause you any more discomfort than I have to, (Y/N). If you wish to stay within the cadets, or permanently transfer to Levi's squad...then tell me. You're in control of this decision."

"Well, shit..." I chuckled dryly. "...What an honour, Mr. Smith...I really don't know what to say! Me? Having control over my future?! Am I dreaming?" My sarcastic outburst was definitely rubbing the man the wrong way, but served him right.
"I'm serious, (Y/N). As much as I would appreciate you agreeing to my original suggestion, I want you to make this choice. Levi isn't the only one who has taken an interest in you. Hange, Mike...and I...would all like to fight alongside you. With further training...and...dare I say it...a little more discipline, you could become one of humanities saviours."

Ugh, humanity again...Give it a rest, Erwin...

I let the commander suffer in silence for what seemed like an eternity. It was all a bit much to take in, and I had no idea why I was being treated as such a big deal. I really had no idea what I was doing, and all I could really comprehend was the fact that I knew my way around outside of the walls. If anything, my use was as a strategist, not a fighter.

"Here's the deal, Winnie..." His head snapped up as I began to speak, and I glared deep into his sapphire eyes. "...When I'm not needed...I get to go where I please...Do what I please...I will not sit or roll over for anybody. Not you, not that premiere guy...Nobody. In return...I'll be your little Nomadic Warrior, or whatever that lady called it..." Standing up, Erwin followed, and he held his hand out across the table that separated us.

"As long as it's within reason, I can agree to those terms. In that case...let me officially welcome you to the Survey Corps, (Y/N) (L/N)." Staring at his hand, I held mine out, but at the last second I decided to be what Levi would call 'a fucking little brat'. Sticking my thumb, index and middle fingers out, I formed the shape of a gun and lifted it so it was aimed directly between his eyes.

"Bang." I didn't smile, nor did I frown. I kept a neutral expression as I pretended to blow the barrel and shoved my hand into the side of my pants. "If that's all...I'm heading out. Have a good night, Mr. Commander." With that, I lazily strolled out of the room, ignoring the rapid thudding of my heart and the nagging voice in my head, telling me I was in for a major shitstorm.

Boy, is Marco's brain gonna be split clean in half when I tell him this!

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***I'm not sorry for the Marco joke***