The next day was testing. ODM gear training specifically. Drill Sargent Sadies wants to "determine our aptitude".

"If you can't even do this, you're not even fit enough to be bait!"

This was child play to me. Erwin had already taught me basics of ODM gear when I was younger while the Scouts and Captain Levi had taught me how to use swords, hooks, and my tanks, everything from training to basic care of the gear.

I had let my other classmates go before me, I didn't want to crush their hopes and dreams of trying to act all bad ass like me when they see me pass my test.

"You'll be sent off to the fields!" He barked.
There were four posts for testing. Connie, Sasha, Jean, and Mikasa were all hanging in the air.

Connie was shaking a bit, trying to hold his balance. You could practically see the sweat running down his face. Sasha was acting like the hooks attached to the posts were a swing for her because she was just swinging in the air, legs out and everything. Jean looked like he was going to shit himself if he tipped over because he wasn't too far off from Connie, he was also about to tip.

Mikasa was on the other end of the spectrum, she was solid as a rock, slightly swaying in the air, her feet were displaced but not in the proper position like how Erwin had taught me.

The two men who were observing yesterday, perusing around, they were once again walking around, chatting and pointing out specific people.

Jean was then lowered from the air, his feet hitting the ground lightly made his face lighten up, "Thanks Marco." Jean turned over to Marco quickly while undoing the hooks from his belt.

Marco was cranking the lever for Jean, now Jean was going to do the same for me, "You did amazing, Jean!"

Jean laughed, "Thanks, I guess I have the talent for it." He pretended to be all cool around more people to make him seem like he's the boss when he knew I was the boss around here.

Jean can let his arrogance, cockiness, and stubbornness get in the way when he's around other people, but he's a great friend for me to have while I'm stuck here for three years.

Marco went into the crowd behind the line of out other classmates, waiting to be tested while Jean swapped places with him. I had attached the hooks to my belt, then making sure they are secured in the loops before I am being raised in the air.

I turned my head to look at Jean, "I'm ready." My head gave a curt nod and Jean response was a thumbs up before cranking the lever.

Slowly my feet began to rise and lift off the ground. I got into my wide open stance, holding out my arms to help balance me. Erwin always used to say while he was teaching me basics that since I didn't have my swords and any of my other gear, I'd have to hold my arms out to balance myself and pretend like there's something in my hands. He also used to say the keep my feet spread apart and wide open because the only time I would have a somewhat closed stance is when I am in the air, being propelled by the oxygen coming from the tanks.

Everyone oohed and ahhed at the sight of me being able to do this in one go. Sasha, Mina, Sandra, and Hanna were on the sidelines, waiting to get tested, they gave me big thumbs up and warming smiles.

The two men approached the crowds of Cadets in the back who have already been tested, "These are only the bare fundamentals, you can still determine a person's aptitude for the omni-mobility at this stage," The older man pushed up his glasses. "Observe, she's completely steady," He pointed at me, "She knows exactly what to do and how to do it. It seems that we have many talented young recruits this year."

Sadies walked over, observing me briefly before waving his hand at Jean, signaling for him to lower me. I unhooked myself from the wires, and Jean went to the back of the crowd, silently applauding me while passing by. The girls came up to me, raving about how well I did all while thanking them. Sasha reassured the three that they would be fine if they just concentrated and kept calm.

Mina then put on a brave face, marching over to the hooks, attaching herself to them while I manned the crank lever, hoisting her up slowly. She shook for a minute, trying to find her balance before calming down, and placing her hands at her sides. Sadies also approved her as well.

When I lowered her, the two of us were giggling and teasing each other before hearing a commotion at the 4th ODM testing area, "What are you doing Jaeger?! Straighten yourself up immediately!" Sadies barked.

Eren was hanging upside down. He looked all over the place, at his arms, his legs, and the people around him who probably felt pity for him and or were laughing at him humiliating himself.

His legs were all sprawled out and his hair slightly touched the sandy dirt.

The grand bell rang, signaling for us to go to our "schooling" like class, which was mainly about Titans, and other basic knowledge.

Sasha, Mina, Hanna, and Sandra were already walking over to the "school" when they stopped in their tracks, staring at me, "Céleste? What's wrong? We got class?" Mina cocked her head slightly, wonder why I didn't budge from my spot.

"Yeah, uh, I'll catch up." My response was somewhat glossed over, waving my hand at them to go ahead without me.

The boy named Armin Arlelt, whom I recognized from the "ceremony", was lowering Eren down to basic ground level while Mikasa was kneeled down at his side, unhooking him from the hooks.

Everyone had dispersed, heading off to class while I slowly approached the three, "Eren, don't beat yourself up over this! You'll get it next time!" Armin tried to keep a positive attitude while talking to Eren.

I could practically see the steam coming from his nostrils, "But what can I do?! Nothing! Without mastering the ODM gear, I'm pretty much useless and I'll be sent the fields!" He barked back at Armin.

"Eren," Mikasa's sharp harsh tone, made him turn towards her, "Stop worrying about it, we can just all drop out together if you don't pass."

Mikasa's negative words slightly set me on edge. How could she say something like that? It just seemed selfish.

"Just what I need right now..." Eren rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath afterwards, he then stood up, brushing himself off before noticing me approaching. His face slightly softened up, he then looked away, "It's embarrassing."

"You'll get there Eren. It wasn't easy for me."

He was trying to find words to say, "Célest, you're perfect at everything though."

"Not everything. I was just like you when I started learning how to use the ODM gear."

The grand bell chimed, signaling that we were late to class. On the way to class, I introduced myself to Armin and had made up the excuse that I was assisting Eren, Armin, and Mikasa. The four of us were excused for our lateness.  Eren, Armin, and Mikasa took the three open seats nearby the door in the front while Sasha saved me a seat in the front row on the opposite end of the classroom.

After our class, it was our free time before dinner was served in the mess hall. Armin had asked if I could assist Eren in any way possible with his ODM gear test tomorrow. Armin cared a lot about Eren and looked out for Eren. He wanted him to succeed, just like him and Mikasa.

Mikasa and Eren walked towards one of the testing areas while Armin was chatting with me about some ODM gear balancing methods that might work for Eren.

Armin is a bright person, like he was smart and into books. "Armin," He looked at me, his lips were somewhat sewn shut. "Not to be a know it all and rain on your parade about all the research you did about these methods, but I think it's best if Eren imagines he has all the gear on."

His face lit up, "That's actually a great idea!" He wasn't offended by my previous words which made me feel relieved. It was nice to know that Armin is an open minded person. "I actually am surprised I never thought about that myself but you do have more experience." He flashed me one of his bright smiled before the two of us came up to Eren and Mikasa.

Eren had hooked himself up, waiting for Armin to lift him up. Mikasa never said a word to me as I approached and stood by her side. She just started at Eren with her arms crossed, "Eren," Her words were almost as cold as ice saying his name. "Just focus on the basics and you'll be able to do it-"

Piping up, I stepped forward, Eren's gaze shifted from Mikasa's to mine as I cut her off abruptly, "Focus on your front and back balance, and slowly make your way placing the weight into the belts on your waist and feet and imagine yourself being able to do this." Mikasa's "pep talk" wasn't working out so I had decided to step in.

Eren looked back at Armin, "You can do it if you stay calm. Even I did it, after all." Armin chuckled, emphasizing his words.

Eren faced forward again, his head dropped to look at the ground. He nodded his head, letting a sigh escape his lips before looking back up again, "Alright, I feel like I got it this time," He turned back to Armin. "Lift me up, Armin."

Armin nodded, cranking the gear, lifting Eren into the air. Eren stayed in the air for a second before buckling and tipping face forward. His forehead smashed against the rocky ground beneath him, making his head bleed and a painful whale filling silent the afternoon air.

I gasped at the sight, rushing to his aid, "Eren! Eren, are you ok?!" Armin cranked the lever, lowering him to the ground, also rushing over.

Mikasa slowly made her way over, towering above the three of us on the ground aiding Eren. She didn't even bother getting down in the dirt to help him.

While Armin unhooked Eren's belt from the wires, I started checking out his head. Eren put his hand over his forehead, wincing and hissing from the pain.

"Stop." I scolded Eren under my breath for him touching his forehead.

He then removed his hand so I could check out the wound, "Sorry,"

I examined the cut and then abruptly pulled his eyes open to check for concussion, which thankfully he didn't have.

"I-uh, the back of my head is also kinda sore too."

"It's probably from the blow, but we need to bandage your head up right away before you do anything else," Armin and I lifted him out of the dirt, wrapping his arms around our shoulders.

"The medic is gone for the night, I have bandages and a med kit in my cabin to bandage up your head."

Eren nodded his head. He was defeated, accepting his fate that he would be sent off to the fields tomorrow.

Once we got back to my cabin, I had Eren and Armin sit on the steps outside since boys were prohibited inside the girls cabins.

I had disinfected the wound, made sure stitches weren't needed, and wrapped the bandage around Eren's head tight. I had clipped off the bandage from the roll, then tying it in a knot in the back.

The four of us went to dinner in the mess hall, I had parted ways with Eren, Armin, and Mikasa to go and sit with Jean, Marco, and Connie. Jean was mainly talking and arguing with Connie about something, I wasn't in the mood for talking or listening to them bicker, so I just ate my food, watching Eren over Marco's shoulder.

Eren mainly stared at the ceiling after he was finished eating, lost in a daze. I had noticed something peculiarly odd while Eren was sitting there lost in is daze, his head gave off some smoke or steam. It wasn't much for people to notice, but since I'd been staring at him for a while, it was obvious it was there. Mentally, I was scratching my head, trying to figure out why his head would be steaming or smoking up out of nowhere.

Mikasa's voice snapped me out of my thought, "Eren," Her voice was cold as usual, she was gripping Eren's shoulder, which also made him snap out of his daze. "There's not point worrying about it. You can just learn it tomorrow..." Her optimism didn't mix well with her cold voice.

"There's no way I can wipe them out like this..." Eren groaned.

"You should just forget about that all together."

I scoffed at Mikasa's comment. My mind was amazed that after two years she still was on Eren's coattails about not fighting the Titans. She really didn't get it. It's pathetic that she's still this possessive and trying to tame Eren.

Eren snapped his head to look at his adopted sister, "What?!"

"I'm saying you should give up trying to be a soldier. Fighting isn't about simply throwing your life away."

"Hey, now! I saw what happened that day! Do you really think you can convince me to quit?!"

"Still, it doesn't matter how determined you are." Mikasa emphasized, continuing to eat the food on her plate.

"Why not?"

"Because you don't get to decide if you're fit to be a soldier or not. I'm not saying you should return either..."

Eren rolled his eyes, shaking his head before he got up with Armin. Mikasa didn't even notice they got up, she continued rambling on while I also got up, joining the them.

Throwing my hands in the air, "I can't believe she wants you to quit! What a great sister you have Eren."

Armin and Eren looked over at me, surprised how I could hear the conversation, "Tell me about it..." Eren grumbled. "I'm so screwed for tomorrow-"

The three of us walked out of the mess hall, stopping at the door when I cut off Eren, "Not entirely, I do know some people who may be able to help..."

Eren first went to Jean and Connie's cabin for advice, Armin sat outside with me waiting for Eren to come back. Armin made the decision of getting to know me, since we had never formally met in Shiganshina before the fall of the city. I had also gotten to know him too.

His dream was to see this big vast area full of water and an abundant amount of salt called the sea. He had also told me that there is so much salt in the so called 'sea' that merchants couldn't even steal it. I was amazed at how much he knew about the outside world since all the information is taboo.

"I'm amazed at how much you know of the outside world, Armin." I gave him a bright smile.

"Thanks, I read all about this in a book my grandfather kept secret from me. But my parents are out there! Beyond the walls! They wanted to travel outside and bring back all the stories and findings of their adventures!"

"That sounds like an amazing risk. Your parents are very courageous, Armin, I appreciate them risking their lives just to get a taste of the outside world."

He nodded, appreciating my heartfelt comment about his parents, "Thank you."

Eren burst through the doors, making the two of us shoot up and turn around, "They're being stubborn asses." Eren growled.

Rolling my eyes, I cupped my mouth, leaving an open space for my words to escape, "He can be like that sometimes and it can be quite annoying!" I yelled to make my words obvious that I was talking to Jean.

"Love you too Céleste!" Sarcasm dripped from Jean's words from inside the cabin.

"But, I do have a backup plan, these other guys will be willing to help you-" I started before Eren cut me off.

"How do you know?"

I turned to Eren to answer his question, "I know they will."

We had walked a short distance to Reiner and Bertholdt's cabin, I politely knocked on the door and to my surprise, Bertholdt answered the door.

"Hey Bertholdt, I'm sorry to bother you but we need to talk with you and Reiner..."

Bertholdt opened the door wider, the cabin was empty on the inside. Bertholdt and Reiner were the only two inside for some unknown reason.

Reiner had come down from his bunk and leaned against one of the posts staring at us.

He smiled, "Yeah, yeah, no, come on in." Waving his hand for us to enter.

The three of us came in, and Bertholdt closed the door behind us. The cabin was warm from heat coming from the wood stove. Bertholdt climbed the ladder to his bunk on the very top. We all followed him up the ladder and Reiner was the last to join us at the top.

Reiner then laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his legs crossed, and his hands behind his head.

"Do you want to get in trouble?" Reiner teased, a smirk playing on his lips. He was still staring at the ceiling.

I knew he was talking about me before, rolling my eyes, "No, not really, I'm here on business..."

Bertholdt made room for the three of us on their bunks so we could all talk comfortably.

We all sat in an awkward silence for a moment, "Please! I heard you're both really good at it! Bertholdt! Reiner!"

Reiner then sat up and looked down at his lap, crossing his arms over his chest, "Sorry, Eren, but I don't think there are any tricks to just hanging there." A sigh escaped his lips before using his index and thumb to rub his eyes from frustration.

"I'm sorry, I can't think of any helpful advice either." Bertholdt's voice was a bit quiet, obvious a bit upset that he couldn't be of help.

Armin also sighed, "I guess you'll have to hope for the best tomorrow, Eren." Armin placed a hand on Eren's shoulder.

Eren and Armin were going to leave when Bertholdt said something, "You guys are from Shiganshina, aren't you?" They stopped, and sat back in their same spots as before.

The two looked at each other, "Yeah...?"

"Then you know how terrifying they are," Bertholdt's voice was darker than usual as he looked between the two of them. "Why did you want to be soldiers?"

Armin turned to look at Eren, then he looked back at Bertholdt and Reiner, "Unlike Eren, I didn't witness the Titans threat firsthand. But, it's just that..." Armin then thought about what he wanted to say, "I had decided that I couldn't sit around and do nothing after the royal government forced people into that absolutely awe full retrieval operation." He emphasized.

From looking at Armin, I could tell he was going to change the topic, "Where are you two from?"

"Reiner and I are from a mountain village on the southeast side of Wall Maria..." Bertholdt spoke up.

"Huh?! Isn't that...?" Eren blurted out, cutting off Bertholdt.

"Yeah...Unlike the prosperous towns along the river, we didn't receive word right away."

Bertholdt turned his head downwards. Reiner kept to himself, his arms were still folded over his chest before he lied back down on his back with his feet crossed. "The Titans showed up before the info did." He sighed.

"It happened at dawn..." Just by Bertholdt's voice, I could tell there were flashbacks playing in his head, reminding him of the horrific day. "The livestock were restless than usual, and these strange rumblings kept getting louder and louder. At some point, I realized they were footsteps of a sort... and when I rushed over to my window and opened it..." His eyes went wide, he saw a Titan when he opened the window. I was absolutely sure about that assumption just because of his face. "After that, I don't really remember... Everyone was in such a panic..."

"Hey, now. Why you suddenly bringing that up for?" Reiner tried to calm his friend down.

Bertholdt frowned slightly, "Sorry, Reiner," He then turned to face Reiner before turning to look at me. "What about you Leste?"

I blushed slightly at the adorable nickname he gave me, "I'm from Shiganshina too. I was apart of a noble family and I had met Eren shortly after Commander Erwin left on the mission outside the walls," My head turned to Eren, he was already looking at me. "He set me free from my noble bonds for a few hours before I would have to come home, locked up, and get punished by my mother. My uh, parents, were eaten by a Titan, my mother went first and my father tried to save me. If he hadn't told me to run, I probably would have been eaten too..." My head dropped out of shame and sadness.

"Jesus Céleste, I didn't think that you of all people would have had such a horrific experience." Armin really didn't know my whole story, no one did, except me.

"It really only got worse from there," Lifting my head up, our eyes locked, then I turned and looked at everyone. "My house is up towards the front right of the outer gate that the Colossal Titan broke down, so I had to run all the way to the other side of Shiganshina before the gate closed. It was like every time I turned a corner, something happened to me. I was covered with someone's blood, I made eye contact with this Titan whose face was frozen in a smile, and I was in close contact with-" While I was talking, I looked at everyone, making eye contact with them for a while.

The last person who I made eye contact with was Reiner, his eyes pierced right through me, my stomach had dropped.

"With...what?" Armin slightly dragged his words, out of confusion.

"The Armored Titan..."

"You mean you actually were...close to it?" Bertholdt's question perked up my head to look at him again.

"Yeah..." My voice slightly croaked out.

Eren then spoke up, "What happened?" He leaned forward, he was interested in the story I was about to tell.

Before I started talking, my eyes met with Reiner and he stared straight through me, "Um... well, it's been two years and it's always haunted my memories. It's actions were so abnormal," I emphasized, my lashes flickered as flashback played in my head. "They were so abnormal they were almost human like, it's scary."

"Like what?" Reiner slightly pushed, obviously curious for an answer to the possible many questions that were floating around his head.

"When I encountered the Armored Titan, I was still covered in blood and, well, it took its thumb and wiped away the blood covering my face, and then I thanked it, but I mean I didn't think it would understand me, but it understood me, and nodded its head, and, uh, there was a nearby garden with huge huge roses and it took its fingers and plucked a rose for me without damaging it and it gave the rose to me-!"

"Seriously?" I turned to look at Eren.

"Uh, I'm dead serious! You see my face," I then pointed to my face, "I was petrified! I wanted to pass out on the road! And that's not even it! The Armored Titan winked at me! It winked at me!"

My face turned bright red, even after two years I still got embarrassed as I looked at everyone, "It must have fancied you." Reiner spoke up, chuckling a bit.

I scoffed, "Yeah. It must have."

Bertholdt coughed, "As I was saying," He changed the subject to make it go back on track, this conversation was all about Eren. "I was trying to say was you guys aren't like them."

"Them?"

"The others here who don't know the horror of the Titans-"

"Hey!" Reiner tried to stop Bertholdt from saying anymore because more boys were coming into the cabin and to get ready for bed.

"We should probably finish this discussion somewhere else..." My voice was quiet, not wanting anyone to know what we were talking about.

The five of us agreed to sneak out after our curfew while everyone was sleeping before we left Bertholdt and Reiner's cabin.

Later that night, Eren and Armin had met me outside my cabin. I had snuck out the back window to meet them outside.

The night cloudy, windy, and the air was chilly. The dead leaves on the trees nearby blew off the branches in the breeze, before they touched the ground.

The three of us wore our forest green capes, with the button done up in the front on the collar. I had made the poor decision to wear my nightgown outside instead of changing into other clothes before I left. Thankfully I had put on my boots so I wouldn't get my slippers dirty.

I am a smart person. A smart soldier and a fairly well educated person, but I lack in some common sense. This being one of the times I wasn't using common sense.

Eren and Armin had their hoods up, dressed in the same clothes from a few hours ago.

Silently, my hands pushed down on the slider window, hoping to close the window without being detected by my cabin mates, then I threw up my hood over my head before we headed over to Reiner and Bertholdt's cabin where they had told us to meet them.

My head poked around a corner, looking in all directions to see if anyone was around before stepping out into the open, carefully watching my steps. Turning around, waving my hand at Eren and Armin, the coast was clear and we were safe to cross over to Bertholdt and Reiner's cabin.

Reiner and Bertholdt were also dressed in the same attire as Eren and Armin. Reiner had scraped a match across the wood on the cabin, a small flame appearing on the one end before sticking it inside the lantern, then giving it to Bertholdt and shaking the match out, throwing it on the ground.

He stomped on the match with his left foot before looking to Bertholdt, "Alright, let's go." Bertholdt responded, leading the way.

The five of us snuck up a rocky path in the dark. The path headed into the thick woods.

"They're mostly here just for showing off to live up to society's expectations. To protect themselves. You're seen as a weakling and a coward if you choose production work when you turn twelve. Society has pushed them into becoming cadets," Bertholdt kept moving forward, never turning around. "That said, I'm not so different from them."

Bertholdt's words surprised me, my head turned up, looking at the back of his head, from the flickering flame inside the lantern I made sure I treaded carefully so I wouldn't injure myself.

"I chose to be a soldier in the hopes of joining the Military Police so I could work in safety of the interior. If that doesn't work out, I might give up entirely. I don't have any will to call my own, you see. Cherishing your life is admirable too, you know." Hearing Bertholdt speak his mind made me feel different about him.

I always thought Bertholdt was quiet and laid back, like he was the type of guy who didn't have much of an opinion because others rejected them. Now I saw his true colors and it didn't make me change my mind about him for the worse, it was for the best. His words made me gain more respect for him.

The three of us approached a barbed wire fence, Bertholdt stepped over first, then Reiner stepped over, pulling down the wire carefully to help everyone cross over safely. Eren and Armin went ahead of me, stepping over with ease while I had a bit more trouble stepping over since I was wearing my nightgown. Bertholdt turned around to me and held out his hand for me to take.

He had a small smile on his face and I smiled back before taking his hand and pinching the sides of my white nightgown, picking them up to prevent the fabric from getting caught on the wire. I stepped over slowly, Reiner had his hand extended out to me as well. I had let go of my skirt once I was a good amount over the wire, I gently placed my hand in his, his hand helped me over the fence before it flew back up in place when he removed his other hand from it and I removed my hands from both Reiner and Bertholdt's hands.

My cheeks turned a pink color, letting go of Reiner's hand, "Thank you Reiner."

He said nothing, I knew he heard me, he just didn't want to respond, "As for me..." Reiner spoke, making me turn my head to look at him.

"I'm going to return my homeland we lost. That's all I care about now. I will do it, no matter what." His cold tone make me shiver, it was so bold and ambitious, I found his comment attractive. The cold night breeze had also made me shiver.

"What about you?" Bertholdt finally turned around, looking at Eren. "Why do you want to be a soldier?" His voice was kind and gentle when he asked his question, still leading the way on the path.

Eren was stuttering, trying to find his words, "I decided I have to kill them. I decided I have to slaughter all the Titans with my own two hands." His words made everyone's heads snap around to look at him.

Bertholdt stuttered, trying to say something, "So, your encounter with the Titans didn't break your will?"

"That's right..." Eren responded without hesitation. "But now it's a question of whether or not I'm actually cut out to be a soldier."

I placed a soft hand on Eren's shoulder, looking at him, "Don't worry, Eren. You'll become a soldier." I then flashed him a toothy smile, making his body be at ease.

Bertholdt took us up a steep pile of rocks. The top is where the path continued. I wasn't the last person to get up to pile, Reiner gave me a little boost up to the top by letting me place my one foot in his hands before he lifted me up to the top. I assumed he probably wanted to look up my skirt but I can't complain about him doing it anyways because I was at fault for wearing a nightgown. When I got to the top, Reiner climbed up and I repaid the favor, reaching my hand out, and helping him up.

"Thanks Célest." He smiled, then wiping his hands on his pants before continuing ahead of me.

I started following behind him, "You're welcome." Just after, I shivered again from the cold, I didn't like the cold.

Reiner took off his cape, wrapping it around my shoulders, then buttoning it, giving me another layer, "Take my cape-" He then pulled up his hood, putting it over my ears.

I cut him off, "No, no, I can't take yours, you'll freeze too." I tried unbuttoning the cape but he placed a hand over mine, stopping me.

"No, you'll wear it because I said so." His voice was soft but dominant and my eyes dilated from his words. He once again made me feel attracted to him because of the way he spoke to me.

Bertholdt and Reiner led the three of us to some sort of ledge, like a cliff, overlooking the lake below, more of the dense forest, and mountains in the background.

Reiner stood unnervingly close to the edge while Bertholdt was at his side behind him while the three of us stood further away from the ledge.

As the wind slightly picked up, the clouds parted in the sky, revealing the crescent moon in the sky. Its bright rays made beams of light making the lake sparkle and light up, illuminating everything around it.

My eyes lit up with wonder and amazement, "Woah..." Slowly I approached Reiner at the ledge, getting closer to the extraordinary view.

The two of us looked out together on the landscape. Reiner then turned around, "Start over from scratch, starting with your belt adjustment. You'll do just fine tomorrow. I'm certain of it," He nodded, smirking at the end. "Eren Jaeger, was it?"

"Yeah. Thanks," Eren smiled. I would assume he was smiling at either Reiner knowing his name or for Reiner giving him some advice, "Reiner Braun, right?"

It made me feel all warm on the inside that we were all becoming such close friends.

The next morning, the last of the recruits were being tested today, which included Eren.

"Eren Jaeger. Are you ready?" Keith Sadies stood in front of Eren who was all hooked up and ready to go.

"Yes, Sir!" He nodded.

Eren looked for me in the back of the crowd, I gave him the nod of reassurance.

"Begin!"

Thomas then lifted Eren in the air. He got into a fighting stance and pretended two swords were in his hands. Everyone cheered him on.

"I did it! I'm doing it!" Eren sadly flipped over, one leg in the air with the other cocked at his side. "N-Not yet! I can still do it!"

"Let him down. Wagner. Switch belts with Jaeger." Sadies ordered Thomas to switch belts, which made me push through to try and stand by Reiner.

Folding my arms over my chest, then squinting my eyes, "You think someone screwed with his belt?" Whispering to Reiner who was doing the same thing as me, his arms crossed and squinted eyes, watching Eren put on Thomas' belt.

"Probably." He responded.

Eren was then reattached and lifted again, he was stable in the air this time, "Your equipment was defective. The belt you were using had a broken clasp. I've never heard of this part breaking before; I guess we'll have to add it to the maintenance checklist." Sadies pulled on the belt near the clasp, it made a clicking sound.

"Th-Then, am I fit to be a soldier?!"

"You pass muster. Train hard!"

He threw his two fists in the air, "I did it! I did it!" Eren screamed. "Whadya think of that, Mikasa?! I can do it! I can fight the Titans! You can finally stop mollycoddling me!"

Eren gave everyone a toothy smirk for his new victory of becoming a soldier of the 104th Cadet Corps and everyone celebrated with him.

Authors Note:
4/4/24: I'm backkkkk! Leste and Eren reunite! Ugh such a happy day! Also some chemistry between Reiner and Leste and Jean and Leste? Idk I thought Leste and Jean would be a good friendship power team :)

Also the cliff lake scene was like something I enjoyed writing that scene and just the climb up in general, made me so happy!

Anyways! As usual, leave a like or a comment, please and thank you! I'll see y'all in the next one!! :)