Fandom Attack on Titan: Birds of Paradise

[Serei2477]

Interacting:

Mentions: Jericho, Leon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Integrating into society hadn't been as simple as the twins thought it would be, but to Gabriel's luck, they managed to get somewhere. Julian and Bianca learned how to mostly eat at a table, they learned social etiquette, and they learned the necessary rules to not end up getting killed and fed to the Titans. They picked up on lessons quickly, and seemed to be handling things well... However, you can take a savage out of the wild, but it would take more than a year to get the wild out of the savage.

At dinner time, the two had mostly kept to themselves. The recruits were... interesting to say the least, with more than a few getting Julian's attention. He doubted any of these teenagers would have any bit of money or something better than rags to seduce out of them (save for a few), but getting dinner out of them didn't seem out of the question. Not now though. He'd have to learn and observe before he could think of putting on his Juli persona.

Bianca, on the other hand, never seemed satisfied with the meals they were given. Bread and potatoes from above ground were far better than what they could get under it, but these "single servings" weren't enough. She'd never ask to take from Julian's plate, so that left her with the desire to snatch something from the someone else's plate. Worst case scenario she'd wait for everyone to leave before taking something from the garbage on the way out.

However, luck seemed to be on her side tonight.

Two recruits were looking to be on the verge of fighting. If the Underground taught her anything, it was to take advantage of these little distractions. And to add to her benefit, one of the jerk offs had his back to his food...

"Bee-" Julian tried to warn her not to do it, but his sister had already started her way towards the meal.

Julian sighed, but would let his sister suffer the consequences of her actions (if she got caught). He'd continue eating his meal.

Bianca slowly approached the table where Jericho's food rested, blending in to the background to not warrant as much attention to herself. Jericho and Leon seemed too preoccupied with each other to look at her, so she shoved as much beans as she could into her mouth and snatched any remaining bread before retreating back to the table she'd been sitting at with her brother.​

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: Leon ( Castello ), Nina ( ShadyLady ) | Interactions: Vivian ( M Moonlessite ), Laurie ( Colorless Spectrum ), Halvor ( Raiden ), Jericho ( KaramelKarma )

​

Jo, drinking out of her cup, suddenly sputtered water back into it, coughing. It was Laurie's comment that did it. He always said such things in such an odd way. She was a fool not to expect him to come out with a ridiculous condolence such as that. Still, she tried to mask her titters under her coughing, in between making the excuse, "Sorry...I...swallowed...weird..." She cleared her throat.

Though, Laurie's observation made her raise a brow. She did look around, just as a recruit with slicked-back hair pulled a black sweatered recruit into something of a growing chokehold. She paused, watching the scene start to unfold in front of the entire cafeteria. Instinctively, she swung her legs around the bench and got onto her feet - albeit, wobbly in her stance, for they were still recovering from the intense drills of the day. 'Idiots. Krause will have a field day kicking our asses if we don't stop this,' she thought, and she tried to express the same thought back to the three at her table.

People were starting to gather, around near the table where Nina had been situatied. Eyes shifting towards Jericho and Leon, and the low hum of the cafeteria was rising into a chorus of gasps and shouts of a fight. "Nuh uh. We need to get him off him," Jo proclaimed before she started towards the two. It hadn't even been a full day and already there were recruits looking to claw each others' eyes out. No wonder with the range of people they let into the training regiment this year. She reached them and grabbed Jericho's wrist belonging to the fist that was about to soar into Leon. "Oi, knock it off," she started with a brusque warning, her expression thunderous, "you want Krause to give us all more laps?!"

She was smart enough to know she couldn't be the one alone to get Jericho off Leon. It at least bought a bit a time before the others could help break up this madness.

 

[lion.]

Ramiel Diakos

“Now, you’re just putting words into your own mouth, Elyse,” remarked Ramiel, taking her name in a metrical fondness like sweet-sounding honey before the strike of a sting. He leaned into his palm, the two corners of his mouth on the flexure of a grin that brooks to one side too sprightfully.

“I’m not saying you’re fat at all,” he corrected, “In fact, you could be pretty too. I guess. Maybe.” The end of his statement rose up bold as brass.

Unknowingly, his eyes found her face. Very quickly, he realized that he made his first mistake.

He would be lying to himself if he called Elyse Hildebrand pretty. The luster of the candle furnaced the ends of her brown hair, transitioning a few strands of brown to gold. But, the light didn’t just hold to her hair. It was witlessly moving, rustling, flickering, and burning upon one side of her cheek. No. She wasn’t in the slightest bit beautiful, but she was like the mellowing candle before them. She was the inferno as much as she was the pilant wick. She was the smoke of burning charr, and she was the melted wax.

His hand unhurriedly reached for the bread basket set amongst themselves. The grain crumbs combed through his fingers as he nearly grabbed it. Missing by decimeters, Elyse’s white hands silently latched to the other end.

“That was mine,” he protested, taken by surprise as he swooped for it. He had been too late.

“Mine,” he repeated, “It’s like you didn’t you hear anything I said about-”

As if it was the only possession he was given to ponder over, he granted himself another problem.

Her brown eyes.

They twinkled at him, only him, the browns inking and feathering a declaration of war Together, with a returned glare, they met each other crossly like two passing planets or two drawn swords that tinged when they clashed. There was a silent understanding, one that was painted sharp as life and death. Do everything she says. Order number five. Then, fell, in surrender Ramiel.

“Fine. Fine,” he conceded, “ I’ll get it from somewhere else. You can take this one and stuff your face full princess-” His fingers discursively loosened on the grip, and the bench creaked as he revolved his back and his weight lifted. A reckless caprice broke out moments later. The air thickened in the theme of an argument, and others gathered like swarming flies. His thoughts were vague as he made his leeway above the boarded hit and nail floor over to the two boys who were nearly in armlock. They were solidly rattled—spitting on laughs and curbs of speech. Raven locked, with drowning dynasties from their spiking and boiling blood, they both emerged to Ramiel as... pitable. Slipping between people, whose excitement had misled them into an uproar, he landed himself onto the bench, on the opposite side from the auburn.

“Krause wouldn’t stop them,” Ramiel indifferently replied on an aside to the auburn, the last couple of syllables spearing out with a lash of vanity, “Luckily, you all have me.”

Like a creeping panther who moves softer than the foliage that crunches under his claws, he soared atop Leon’s arched frame, knee bending like steel against his back to make up for his shortness. His hair shook from the sudden lurch, and he became a tiger with his light brown locks falling across his face like stripes. Ramiel Diakos never fought his fights. He never was the offense in his occupation. He was on the defense.

He slowly rose to sight of Jericho, turning easy eyes on his rogue face. The boy’s face was like a loosened bow, wickedly enjoying this with his hand tightly crooked to Leon. Leon would begin to budge soon; it was now or never. Stealing his chin to Leon’s shoulder, he reached for Jericho’s locked fingers.

“I really hate to tell you both this,” in an annoyed verbosity black as night, “but if this ruckus ends up with Krause making us run all through the night too..I think...no... I will make it my personal agenda to murder both of you and then enjoy my cold, cold bean soup and bread with my feet resting on your corpses like new carpet.”

Pinning downwards, his arm thrusted out, fixing over the pressure point in the meat of his muscle between Jericho’s thumb and pointer finger. On the perfect axle, his thumb began digging into that muscle waiting on the count of the pressure to retreat for his arm.

“You see,” he sighed to Jo, “We really are just dealing with two barking dogs.”

Danidify Arcanist KaramelKarma Castello @everyoneelsenearthetable

coded by: @s e v e n

Spoiler: for mobile

“Now, you’re just putting words into your own mouth, Elyse,” remarked Ramiel, taking her name in a metrical fondness like sweet-sounding honey before the strike of a sting. He leaned into his palm, the two corners of his mouth on the flexure of a grin that brooks to one side too sprightfully.

“I’m not saying you’re fat at all,” he corrected, “In fact, you could be pretty too. I guess. Maybe.” The end of his statement rose up bold as brass.

Unknowingly, his eyes found her face. Very quickly, he realized that he made his first mistake.

He would be lying to himself if he called Elyse Hildebrand pretty. The luster of the candle furnaced the ends of her brown hair, transitioning a few strands of brown to gold. But, the light didn’t just hold to her hair. It was witlessly moving, rustling, flickering, and burning upon one side of her cheek. No. She wasn’t in the slightest bit beautiful, but she was like the mellowing candle before them. She was the inferno as much as she was the pilant wick. She was the smoke of burning charr, and she was the melted wax.

His hand unhurriedly reached for the bread basket set amongst themselves. The grain crumbs combed through his fingers as he nearly grabbed it. Missing by decimeters, Elyse’s white hands silently latched to the other end.

“That was mine,” he protested, taken by surprise as he swooped for it. He had been too late.

“Mine,” he repeated, “It’s like you didn’t you hear anything I said about-”

As if it was the only possession he was given to ponder over, he granted himself another problem.

Her brown eyes.

They twinkled at him, only him, the browns inking and feathering a declaration of war Together, with a returned glare, they met each other crossly like two passing planets or two drawn swords that tinged when they clashed. There was a silent understanding, one that was painted sharp as life and death. Do everything she says. Order number five. Then, fell, in surrender Ramiel.

“Fine. Fine,” he conceded, “ I’ll get it from somewhere else. You can take this one and stuff your face full princess-” His fingers discursively loosened on the grip, and the bench creaked as he revolved his back and his weight lifted. A reckless caprice broke out moments later. The air thickened in the theme of an argument, and others gathered like swarming flies. His thoughts were vague as he made his leeway above the boarded hit and nail floor over to the two boys who were nearly in armlock. They were solidly rattled—spitting on laughs and curbs of speech. Raven locked, with drowning dynasties from their spiking and boiling blood, they both emerged to Ramiel as... pitable. Slipping between people, whose excitement had misled them into an uproar, he landed himself onto the bench, on the opposite side from the auburn.

“Krause wouldn’t stop them,” Ramiel indifferently replied on an aside to the auburn, the last couple of syllables spearing out with a lash of vanity, “Luckily, you all have me.”

Like a creeping panther who moves softer than the foliage that crunches under his claws, he soared atop Leon’s arched frame, knee bending like steel against his back to make up for his shortness. His hair shook from the sudden lurch, and he became a tiger with his light brown locks falling across his face like stripes. Ramiel Diakos never fought his fights. He never was the offense in his occupation. He was on the defense.

He slowly rose to sight of Jericho, turning easy eyes on his rogue face. The boy’s face was like a loosened bow, wickedly enjoying this with his hand tightly crooked to Leon. Leon would begin to budge soon; it was now or never. Stealing his chin to Leon’s shoulder, he reached for Jericho’s locked fingers.

“I really hate to tell you both this,” in an annoyed verbosity black as night, “but if this ruckus ends up with Krause making us run all through the night too..I think...no... I will make it my personal agenda to murder both of you and then enjoy my cold, cold bean soup and bread with my feet resting on your corpses like new carpet.”

Pinning downwards, his arm thrusted out, fixing over the pressure point in the meat of his muscle between Jericho’s thumb and pointer finger. On the perfect axle, his thumb began digging into that muscle waiting on the count of the pressure to retreat for his arm.

“You see,” he sighed to Jo, “We really are just dealing with two barking dogs.”

 

[Danidify]

ELYSE HILDEBRAND
the royal burden.​

“Oh really now?” Elyse contested in refusal, firmly holding on to her beliefs as she watched the sly fox before her raise to action again.

It was as if her eyebrows didn’t get a single break these days, for they were fully raised in awe at the spectacle that was going before her. What was all that blabbering even supposed to mean? Her mind didn’t know the answer, nor did her emotions.

A weird sense of flattery clashed with strong annoyance as a result, trailing her to a solitary goal: distract yourself. Like a snake snapping at its prey, Elyse’s hand moved forth to grab the last piece of bread, but the bite didn’t go graciously. A contender crossed her path.

Soon enough, auburn eyes clashed with amber opponents, A standoff ensuing over the modest luxury of something that wouldn’t traumatise her taste buds. Elyse was never one to raise her voice or intimidate her way through a conflict, so she let the possessive claim of words move past in silence. Her glare would tell him enough.

In another situation, the noble girl would’ve interpreted this as a mere coincidence, a conflict of interests that was, at best, a minor inconvenience. But this was Ramiel, the unpredictable, confusing, and intense presence that - to this day - Elyse failed to decipher. As such, pessimism mandated that this was just another attempt at getting her riled up, and so the powerful stare ensued.

And victory came.

Spring settled on her face as the enemy retreated, leaving the stash of gold for her and only her. “And that I will… clown,” Elyse uttered to herself in confidence, hints of impish glee escaping as she very cautiously mumbled the last word.

Bittersweetness sunk in after that brief moment of bliss, however. It was a phenomenon that occurred often when around Ramiel, befittingly so given the dualistic nature of their relationship. It’s oddly frustrating to ‘dislike’ someone, yet to be reliant on them for oh so much.

There were some moments, however, where Ramiel alleviated all that doubt and reconfirmed why Elyse had no issue stealing away the last piece of bread. This little show was one of them.

It seemed logical to Elyse that, in the case of conflict, the last thing you would do is add more fuel to the fire. One doesn’t drain a pond by pouring water into it, so why add more insults and ego to a conflict? Truthfully beyond her, but alas.

The joy of bread could not hold on to the sheer embarrassment and frustration Elyse - in all her exhausted glory - mustered up in this very moment. Part of her wanted to just watch the display of theft, violence, and egomaniacal screeching, but it seemed like concern got the better of her as she saw a dimwitted bodyguard join the fray.

“How about we stop with the insults and violence and save our energy for, I don't know, the training we came here for?” The noble pondered out loud, now stood next to her supposed ‘protector’. A slightly tensed, pulling hand rested on his shoulder, furthering the spiderweb of touch that was slowly forming. Her voice had a cold, scolding feel to it, a slight seasoning of sass notably resting atop.

“I mean, do you really want to risk getting yourselves punished over some dumb fight? It doesn't seem worth it to me." She would continue, keeping things short but hopefully logical enough to maybe get some cogs moving in other people's heads. Truth be told, she expected everything to fall on deaf ears, but it was worth the shot now that she was already at it.

interactions: lion. Castello KaramelKarma Arcanist and anyone else around/at the table. ​

 

[Raiden]

Interaction: M Moonlessite Colorless Spectrum Arcanist Castello KaramelKarma
​

His mouth hung open as Hal was reminded, once again, of his rather unfortunate interaction with Instructor Krause. 'Why's everyone so obsessed with my balls?' he mumbled and crossed his arms together, letting out a sneer as his head tilted to the side. Now that he was given a closer look at the silver-haired girl, there was a creeping feeling that crawled at the back of his mind; almost like déjà vu. "Have I...? his eyes narrowed, focusing intensely on Vivian before awkwardly realizing that he was likely staring on for too long just like she'd been. It wasn't often that he saw people, let alone girls, with the same hair color, yet the nagging in his head seemed desperate to pursue the matter. Ultimately, it subsided when the boy returned half of a smile towards Vivian, tapping his boot against the wooden floor.

"Glad to know yours are still dangling safely," Hal bit back at the girl, rolling his eyes before they shifted down at the only two notable people among the others at the table. He could tell that the both of them were a few years older than most of the recruits in the class; one of them was a red-headed girl who'd gleamed him momentarily through her bifocals, the polka-dot pattern bandana around her neck prompting him to raise a brow. The other was a boy with dark hair that was longer than his, and blue eyes that were lighter than his. Hal was a bit taken aback by the sympathy in his voice, the ends of his lips starting to form a smile only to fall back down to a partial scowl upon mentioning the attack on his pride. Still, he was inclined to accept Laurence's gesture, reaching his hand out to shake it. "Call me Hal," he barely managed to say before a ruckus was already beginning to break out nearby, causing him to pull his hand away.

Already, two of the residential idiots were having a feud. "Oi, oi," Hal felt compelled to intervene, stepping away from the table and trotting up to the scene. Both of his hands slammed onto their respective shoulders, trying to pry the two boys from one another as his voice shouted in makeshift authority. "Cut it out 'fore I kick both of your asses!"

 

[Moonlessite]

MENTIONS: Just about everyone in the mess hall lol
​

Vivian couldn't help but scoff at Hal's words toward her, her expression twisting into a combination of embarrassment and annoyance. A slight tut left her lips, but she said nothing-- mostly because of the fact that there seemed to be a disturbance at the other side of the cabin. Her deadpanned expression brightened when she saw who was at the center of the commotion. Her fingertips tightened into the corners of the table before she got up, hounding after Hal as he, too, jumped into the fray. Suddenly, most of the mess hall had forgotten all about their food, and instead were focused on the quarreling mass that surrounded the duo. Quickly, silently, she came up behind Jericho and clamped her fingers around the wrist that held Leon's uniform.

"Let him go," she growled darkly as she glared at the corner of his face. Why couldn't they just spend the night in peace? It was a long day for everyone, and already some people had to go and ruin it. It took all of her remaining energy to keep herself under control and not throw a punch at these two. "I swear to god, I'll beat the shit out of you if you don't let him--"

"What is going on here."

The statement-- not a question, but a statement-- seemed to instill a heavy silence over the cabin. Everyone looked up in the direction of the shadowy figure that had materialized in the open door frame. Instructor Krause's brown eyes were almost a demonic black as her glower swept across the room. Even Vivian froze in place, very much aware of her tight hold on Jericho's wrist. She pulled away, her back straight as she stood at attention. Perfect timing-- of course the instructor would show up just when she tried to do something to help.

"Well." The instructor's footsteps paced towards the group, her hands clasped behind her back. Her face was stark and empty of emotion as she glared at the group that had bunched around the two tousling males. "Is anyone going to answer or not."

Vivian sent a nervous glance towards Leon and Jericho, then Hal, then Ramiel and the rest. She had to do something before this whole situation got ten times worse. "Sir!" she raised her hand and cocked her head upwards as she shouted for her attention. "Jericho was harassing Leon, and we all tried to stop him from hurting him, sir!"

"Is that right..." Krause turned to Jericho as her lips turned into a malicious grin. "So, Mace... looks like you've already went and gotten yourself into some hot water. And not only that, but looks like you've gotten everyone else into trouble as well." She turned towards everyone else. "You lot are going to get four hours of sleep, right? Why don't you do a push up for each minute you sleep tonight. That means two hundred and forty pushups-- right here, right now. Oh, and, Mace," she glanced at the boy in question, "Wake the recruits who went to bed early and get them here. They'll be joining us for this exercise. And if they ask why, let them know it was your fault, or else I'll tack on another two hundred. Understood?"

 

[KaramelKarma]

The fuse was lit, the fire of adrenaline eating away at the wire as muscles primed and poised themselves for the perfect right hook.
Then, suddenly, the wire was cut.

Jericho's attention was first drawn to the hand on his wrist before it snapped up towards the culprit, his dark eyes flashing with ire. A ginger-haired broad's stormy gaze met his, her tone abrasive and to the point.
"What's it to you, polka-dot?" he countered back just as roughly, his eye giving her a quick up and down before settling on the unusual scarf tied around her neck.

Before the broad could answer, a third voice cut in. The delinquent's attention went back towards the front, where an unfamiliar face sat next to Leon's. Auburn hair fell in between his eyes as the new face reached from behind Leon, his target the rods of iron that held Mama's boy in a stifling hold. Jericho recognized him as Ramiel, the cocksure juvenile who managed to charm his way into doing more laps. Ramiel continued to talk, every word dripping in displeasure, it's threatening nature poking out of fine, flimsy veil like barbarous thorns. Before Jericho knew it, the boy had found his target. A simmering pressure began to burgeon from the valley between thumb and pointer finger, translating into a dull but growing ache. The poison started to seep into the rest of his left arm, but it found no solace in a reaction from it's host, who's clenched jaw spoke of years of bitter resilience.
"Make that three, jackass," Jericho cut in through his teeth in response, squaring a mischievous glare and a wicked grin ghosting the corners of his lips right back on the intruder.

Just then, a stinging rap of the shoulder had Jericho cursing under his breath, before turning to yet another do-gooder trying to bask in some of the limelight. The delinquent looked down to see a kid who looked to be barely past his fourteenth or fifteenth year, riding a rare wave of exhilarating dominance - if only for a moment, before the thug sensed a fourth presence joining in.

The source this time came from behind both Leon and Ramiel, expanding the ever intertwining web of association. A bad taste in Jericho's mouth formed as he connected the name Elyse Hildebrand to her haughty, condescending face. In his father's world, Hildebrand was a household noble name among the military brass, with close ties and partnerships extending far and wide within the regiments. Most likely, this little bird had gotten in through with no effort done on her part. The delinquent's eye traveled to the impervious hand she had clamped on Ramiel's shoulder before meeting the highborn with an expression halfway between scowl and scornful smile.
"What does a pampered Sinian palace princess know about risk?" he answered her with his own biting question, disdain coloring every word. "Cut the act, Hildebrand. Don't get involved with things you don't understand."

Then, the delinquent felt a tingling sensation on his neck in the shape of a tiny mockingbird tattoo. Moments later, a second grip formed around his right wrist that still held Leon. There was no need for a moment of recognition, as the threat uttered was by a voice he knew too well. Out from the corner of his gaze, Jericho came across the sea-green glare of the one he had been avoiding all night, her soft light locks framing a menacingly dark expression. Muscles tensing, Jericho's heart seized.

"What is going on here."

A silence as heavy as death blanketed the hall. The delinquent was the first to glance up at Krause as she raked the rest of the guilty huddled around the pair, her tone encased in ice. No one dared to answer her. Slowly, Jericho let his grip on Leon's collar loosen, the pain from Ramiel's well-placed thumb easing. He set the boy down, his eye trained on the instructor. Just as he began to peel his fingers off, he caught her anxious glance. Then, the dominoes began to fall.

Vivian's confession sounded less like a soldier's report and more like a snake's venomous bite, building the foundation for a punishment that would soon soar higher than the Walls themselves. Once again, the vagabond found his own actions boxing him in from the sides as Krause bore daggers into Jericho, detailing his particular responsibility.

I'll fucking sing 'em a lullaby too while I'm at it, he thought resentfully as the last of his grip finally let Leon loose and he circled the table, in begrudging compliance with Krause's orders. His shoulder bumped roughly against Vivian for a moment, before the thug leaned intimately close to whisper in her ear, the bird tattoo on his neck in full view. "They were right about you."

Then, straightening his back, Jericho went along his way as if nothing happened, his expression sewn in a typical state of arrogance. He ignored the looks of other recruits and Krause's mocking grin as he passed her and stalked back to the dorms to fulfill his newfound duty.





INTERACTIONS | Leon Monar ( Castello ) ; Nina Polgar ( ShadyLady )
Jo Schreiber ( Arcanist ) ; Vivian Schweiss ( M Moonlessite ) ; Elke & Anke Vinter ( alexfangtalon ) ; Fabio Bier ( Selee-01 ) ; Sera Mayer ( homintales ) ; Ramiel Diakos ( lion. ) ; Elyse Hildebrand ( Danidify ) ; Halvor Verdende ( Raiden ) ; Laurence Arnault ( Colorless Spectrum )

0:23

2:10

D O O M

 

[Castello]

Interacted: lion. Danidify KaramelKarma M Moonlessite Raiden Arcanist

Leon jailed his eyes from the entire situation, keeping his senses low and involvement to a bare minimum the second Jo and Ramiel entered the fray. Nothing good can come from this, he thought and did not budge as reinforcements came to his side. He did find it irritating he was being thrown into the same corner as Jericho, antagonized for a bit of derby but he could not get angry at Ramiel's words, after all, he was a instigator in all this. He did not throw the punch but he was the oil for this situation and Jericho was just the fire that had grown out of control. The Hildebrand's words did not even register for Leon, it was just a small puppy getting involved in a dog fight. Part of him wanted to agree with Jericho, that kind of naivety did bother Leon but not enough to side with his assailant. He just had to sigh and sit tight through this all, if I start struggling now, things are just going to get out of hand aren't they?

One intruder's entrance did grant Leon a small smile, a key to opening his eyes. He gave Hal a quick glance as he entered the fray. He really had similar energy to Jericho, it made his bloodlust ignite again. His eyes even flared, he bore his teeth likes fangs and was getting ready to strike. He was so close to grabbing Jericho back and socking him... that was until Krause and Vivian found themselves involved. By this time, Jericho had finally let the iron go and Leon's feet had begun their reunion with the ground.

"What is going on here."

Those authoritative words, immovable with tone and with them, the fight was over. Leon did not think much of Jericho but he did not think him suicidal enough to pick a fight with her. Leon's callous smile had disappeared and he gave Krause his attention.

He looked relieved, though there was a hint of disappointment to his disposition. His head hung slightly but not much more and even that was short lasting. Leon looked to Vivian, not with annoyance but a convoluted sense of gratitude. He offered her a small chuckle. "My knight in shining armor." Was his reply to Vivian, though spoke with a whisper of sarcasm, it was done with humor and an equal hint of sincerity.

 

[Moonlessite]

The night came and went like a fleeting sparrow; Krause knew that the recruits hardly got any sleep the night prior. Even as they clustered around her and the prepared gear, she was able to instantly recognize the haze that cloaked their eyes. However, she wasn't daunted by their glares. What had happened last night had come from their own fruition, not hers. Hopefully they would learn the ropes around here soon enough. Many of them had already left in the early hours, and many more would leave today if they weren't able to pass their examinations. There were a few of them whom she hoped would pass; such individuals had potential, and she liked their spunk. And then, there were others that she didn't expect much from... her eyes flickered over the recruits one more time before she tipped her head up and let out a bellow.

"ATTENTION!" she called out as she stood proudly in front of the squadron. "Today, we will be holding ODM gear examinations. Being adept at the gear is of utmost importance-- if you don't pass today, you will be removed from training with no chance of returning!"

A wave of silent shock and concern smacked her right in the face. The recruits had every right to be worried. One or two slip ups, and it would all be over and done with. "We'll start with pretty boy over here," Krause jabbed her thumb towards Vivian, who blinked at her choice. "Get up there, Schweiss!"

"Yessir," Vivian nodded and approached the harness.

Viktor was the first to volunteer helping Vivian hook herself up to the harness. The scrawny recruit turned the lever, and within a few moments, the blonde haired girl was lifted up a few feet from the sandy pit. Krause saw a flash of discomfort strike Vivian's face as she dangled there, her body leaning slightly to the left and right as she adjusted herself in the harness. "Not bad, but you need to gain control of your posture. You'd lose control of the gear if you were doing that in the air."

Vivan simply regarded the Instructor's words with another nod and a grumble of thanks before she was released from the gear. That was one down... now time for the others. Krause internally groaned. She felt like it was going to be a long day.

When the necessary preparations were made, Krause turned to the next trainee. Fabio hung steadily in the air, barely a wobble indicating his struggle to remain vertical. He smiled nervously, and waved to the assembled trainees. She walked over to him, glancing up at him with curiosity. "Your form's decent, but like Mr. Schweiss over there, your form needs some work... how do you feel, Bier?"

“I feel great, Instructor Krause!” Fabio shouted, mainly out of residual fear of the Instructor. He really did feel great- the sense of balance, the adjustments needed to keep himself upright, all seemed to fit together.

Instructor Krause was pleased with his response. "Good. With enough practice, you'll be better at it in no time," she told him, walking away from him as she turned to the other recruits. The first of the Vinter twins stood there with her eyes closed, which peaked Instructor Krause's curiosity. She nodded over at the recruit that was manning the lever and watched as Anke was lifted four or five feet off of the ground.

"You going to open your eyes, Vinter One?" she asked her as she looked above. "Or are you planning on fighting Titans with your eyes closed?"

With confidence Anke stood between the polls which would be used to determine whether she had what it took to use the ODM Gear. She watched closely as they hooked the tethers to each side of her belt. Looking over she saw someone having not so great a time with it. She chuckled a little to herself. Couldn't be that hard.

Slowly, the girl widened her stance and closed her eyes. Anke absolutely needed to conquer this gear. She tried to ignore her surroundings and focus on her balance. If she fell flat on her face that was fine. She'd just right herself and try again. Slow and deep the breaths entered her lungs; quickly she expelled the air. *Just imagine it's like a swing with no seat. Keep your center of balance low. Right above the belt.* She was drawn out of her focus as she heard someone yelling at her.

Blinking her eyes open, Anke stared at Krause who was looking right at her. Well, that was odd, Anke knew that Instructor Butterfly was taller than her. With an obviously confused expression the Vinter looked down to see that she was not even touching the ground. "Huh, what the--WHOA!" As she looked down Anke lost concentration on her balance and fell backwards. She tucked her head in to avoid smashing the top of it into the ground. "Umm, oops?" Anke then shifted her body and tried pushing hard off the ground to get her upper body back up.

Instructor Krause visibly winced a little when Anke swung backwards, seemingly surprised by her positioning up in the air. She expected to hear a thud against the wood of the platform, but thankfully the girl was able to react in time to the fall. "Work on your concentration, Vinter, and you'll be fine," she told her as she shook her head at her response. Without another word, she walked towards the next recruit.

Next was Polgar. Instructor Krause remained stoic as a pair of recruits turned the levers, slowly pulling the red-haired girl off of the ground and suspending her a few feet into the air. For a long moment, she didn't say anything; she simply observed Nina with interest. "Good job, Polgar. Your form's not bad at all," she mused in her typical grumble. "Needs some tidying up, but that will come with practice."

Suspicion clouded Nina’s eyes at the words, they seemed too nice compared to what she’d been expecting. Hanging in the air steadily for a few more moments, Nina’s face eased up into a warm smile at the realisation she wasn’t being mocked. “Thank you sir! I’m sure I’ll continue to improve under your guidance.” She chirped, flashing an enthusiastic thumbs up to the instructor.

Krause's lips into her trademark crooked grin at Nina's words. "I hope you will," she stated simply before walking towards the next recruit.

Next, the stutterer, Sera Mayer. "Mayer," Instructor Krause drawled out as she approached the girl on the harness. "How are you feeling up there, girl?"

Sera managed to remain almost perfectly upright. "F-fits me like a glove, Sir." She equipped an excited expression. "Guess I'm already one step closer to k-killing Titans, right Sir?"

"Guess so," Krause answered her query as she gave her a quick nod. "But you still have a thousand steps to go before you can start believing you can take one down by yourself. Keep it up, Mayer," she added on as she left her and made her way to another recruit.

''I'll wait as long as it takes.'' Sera said quietly to herself.

The next recruit to be assessed was Arnault. She remembered him as the one all-too-eager boy that had a bit of a sharp tongue. She watched silently as he was lifted off of the ground and suspended a few feet above the platform. The woman's eyes widened slightly as she watched the boy wobble to maintain balance. "Arnault, if you don't align yourself correctly, you're going to fall. Lean back more, now!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Laurie exclaimed with a sudden stiffness to his body. He carried over the whole field as he tried to find his balance. He heeded Krause's advice but leaned a little too much. "Wha-Woah."

His eyes were wide as he instinctively held on to the rope that kept him afloat. It was his savior from hitting his head to the dirt. He looked to Krause with a flicker of nervousness in his eyes whilst a drop of sweat rolled down his face. "Whoops." He laughed as he pulled himself back up, "This is a bit more complicated than I thought it would be."

Instructor Krause couldn't help but sigh in slight disappointment. Despite his slight folly, and looking somewhat of a fool in front of the other recruits, the boy knew more or less what to do in order to keep himself upright. "Just remember, the real deal's not going to have a rope for you to catch yourself on if you lose balance," she told him as she left to observe another recruit.

"Of course, Ma'am!" Laurie knew that full well. That the gear is a different matter altogether. The fact that Krause hadn't shouted at him had made him somewhat happier and ut only invigorated him to do better. "I'll work on it until I get it perfectly!" He voiced enthusiastically with that stupid grin on his face. He calmed his heart and proceeded to adjust his form to begin balancing himself once again.

Next up was Leon Monar, another of the recruits that had shown some potential over the night that he had been at training camp. Instructor Krause watched as he was lifted into the air. To her surprise, his form was a little better than decent-- something that could be cleaned up and made impressive. "How do you feel, Monar?" she asked him in her typical bored voice.

Leon tightened his core, bent at the elbows and kept his legs steady. On all accounts, he even impressed himself. There was no swaying of his core or shaking at the joints. He looked to Krause with a cocky smile. "I am feeling like I could do this sleeping, ma'am!" He said, beginning to yawn.

Like that, his eyes relaxed to a close and he found himself in midst of a small snooze. Miraculously, he did not immediately collapse over and actually his posture had let him stay quite stable for a good ten seconds with only subtle twitches. A small snore came out of his mouth and by the second his neck tilted forward and his arms straightened he had started to slump. His core began to wobble and he leaned over slightly and by the time his legs had weakened, his balance had been completely compromised. He did not remember the dramatic flinging of his entire body into the ground, the top of his jaw cushioning his fall or the dangling of his legs above his body. When he woke up, there was just a mouth full of sand.

"I am feeling pretty mediocre now, ma'am!" Was his final response to her question. His voice was mumbled by the taste of sand but he still managed a good volume as he put himself back into the original position quite easily.

Krause was about to call out the boy for seemingly falling asleep in the harness-- but, as if karma had caught up to him, Leon's jaw hit his jaw against the sand. Thankfully, he didn't seem to be too hurt, though he had to deal with a mouthful of sand as he settled back into his original position. In all honestly, she was rather impressed; it took a lot of effort for someone to pull themselves up from a fluke such as Leon's. "Keep your wits about you, Monar! Life won't be so forgiving if you fall asleep during battle!" she called out to him as she walked away to the next recruit.

Now, it was Benedikt's turn. The kid had potential, so Krause was eager to see how he would handle being suspended a few feet off of the platform. As he was lifted off the platform, she noticed that he was having slight struggle with getting his posture correct. "Don't lean so forward, Baer! You're going to bust your face against the floor!"

“Right.” Benedikt followed what she said and stopped leaning forward as much. But because of that he began leaning a little back too much.

"Lean forward a bit more than that, Baer," Krause told him in response, narrowing her eyes up at him.

Benedikt focused. He got a feel for what it felt like to lean forward too much and lean backward too much. In very little time, Benedikt found himself balancing much better than he just was a few moments ago. He'd still lose balance a little but he was getting it pretty quickly and he never full out failed.

Krause nodded in affirmation. It seemed like this recruit was going to be among the ones that passed as well. "Decent job." she grumbled as she walked off to the rest of the recruits.

Next, it was the other half of the Vinter twins. Krause didn't expect much from Elke-- in fact, she was more than sure that the girl wouldn't be able to pass the examination. But when the girl dangled in front of her, hardly ever swaying in her harness and appearing to take almost total control over her form, Krause found it very difficult to hold back her surprise. "Good job, Vinter! Keep it up!"

"T-thank you--! Sir!" Elke shouted from her seat, giving the instructor a miniature salute as she was begun to be let down.

Krause walked to the next recruit, still somewhat stunned over the near flawless performance the girl had shown her. Next, it was Ramiel. She nodded at the recruit at the lever to begin pulling him up, and she watched as the boy was lifted into the air. Ramiel seemed to be able to properly balance himself in the harness, though it wasn't as good as the previous girl's posture. "Good work, Diakos. Practice seems to paid off well," she muttered. "Your form still needs to be cleaned up, though that'll come in due time."

Instructor Krause came upon Bianca next, raising a brow as she was lifted into the air by the pulley system. Her form was decent at best-- at least she hadn't toppled over and smacked her face against the platform. "You're tipping slightly to one side, Hatton. If this were the real deal, you'll veer off into the side of a building with that form."

Bee had been trying to keep her balance, but being held up by nothing but a metal diaper and strings wasn't exactly something she was accustomed to. But for Gabriel's sake she was going to try her hardest. "Yes ma'am. " She responded, using Krause's criticism to try to readjust her position. Finding the "middle" of this would take some getting used to.

Instructor Krause observed Bianca as she readjusted herself. The girl's form was still average-- though better than some recruits, she also needed more practice than others. "You'll get used to it by the time training's over. With enough practice, that is," she told her as she walked away, her expression holding no disappointment as she shifted her attention to the next recruit down the line.

The next recruit would be her brother, Julian. The ODM gear, contrary to Bee, didn't feel too bad for him. He was hanging from the wires relatively well, his weight shifted to focus on the middle of his body rather than on one side. He could only imagine the blurring speeds he'd have to travel with this equipment, but if this was the first step, then the next might not be so bad.

"Oh, it's the other Holter," Krause muttered to herself as she approached Julian. In all honestly, she was still quite irritated that they had given her two sets of siblings that looked more or less the same to one another. It took a lot of effort to tell which was which. She glanced over him in slight interest before she tipped her head to the side. "Not bad... still needs some work, but not bad. You need to feel a little more confident in the harness, or your movements won't be as quick as you want them to be. Very important when fighting the Titans."

Holter? No, Gabriel specifically told him and Bee that it was "Hatton." He had half a mind to correct her, but... well, he wasn't going to say something then get forced to do 200 push ups. So he decided to let it slide.

"Thank you, ma'am." He said then added, "Instructor Krause, may I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" her voice soured a little at the question, but she remained waiting for whatever query he decided to toss her way. Who knew, maybe it was important.
He smiled gently, "How many of us do you actually think will survive?"

Krause was taken aback by the question, but she didn't allow the shock to permeate her features. "You very well know that I can't answer that," she said, turning away, "but even if the Titans wipe out every single cadet in the 104th Training Regiment, save for one... know that's just enough to keep the hope in humanity alive."

His smile widened a bit, appreciating her honesty. "Better to not give some fool's dream of an answer, hm? "Everyone will survive," "everything will be fine." I understand." He relaxed further into the harness, idly swinging at this point. "Considering they dug into the underground for some worms to recruit, I knew survival was slim to none. Regardless, my sister and I are happy we got to see the sky at least once."

His eyes looked at Krause's back, "Whoops, I'm rambling. Thanks for your honest answer, Instructor Krause."

Krause couldn't bring herself to say anything else to the boy. Instead, she walked to the next recruit, her expression solemn and dark. The next person in line would be Red-Nosed Jo, who had been lifted in front of Instructor Krause. There was a nervous crease to her brow as she watched the girl wobble in front of her. She's going to tip over if she doesn't align herself more properly, Krause thought. "Schreiber, lean more forward, or you're going to crack the back of that skull of yours against the ground!" she snapped at her in a harsh bark. She wasn't in the mood to wipe blood from the platform that day.

Jo had been incredibly attentive when it came to the ODM gear. She had to be if she wanted to make it far in the military. Already after Krause’s extra 240 push-ups, people had already shipped themselves back off to the fields and the comforts of the walls. She had told herself before enlisting that she wouldn’t be one of them. She repeated to herself again during those punishments that she wouldn’t be one of them. She refused to be one of them.

So, why was she on the verge of failing so spectacularly? In front of everyone?

Jo had frozen in one spot. She had been leaning too far backwards, and she knew it, but yet, if she moved or wriggled too much, she'd lose her balance completely. Fear was the only one propping her up in this position. The fear of falling. The fear of failing. She’d tipple in front of everyone, and all she would be known as was that girl who couldn’t even keep her balance on the ODM gear. All smarts, and yet, she couldn’t even put them into action.

Maybe she could make the excuse her brain was simply so large that it tipped her body off-balance. No, no, a ridiculous notion. Why would she say something like that? ‘Because when babies are born, their heads account for a quarter of their full body weight.’ That was probably why.

It took everything in Jo’s power not to flinch at Krause’s barking. She had expected an insult, and yet, when she thought more on her words, she realised it wasn’t humiliation that was Krause’s goal. It was advice. “R-right,” she murmured before she breathed in. ‘If you’re going to be able to manoeuvre, you need to shift your weight precisely.’ She exhaled, leaning forward until she was finally more upright.

“That’s it,” Jo told herself triumphantly, trying to resist doing a fist pump at the success. She looked to Krause and nodded. “Thank you, Commander!”

It was somewhat amusing to watch Jo's mind tick away at her thoughts, but in the end, the girl was able to readjust herself so that she sat upright in her harness without toppling over. Krause brightened up only slightly when she saw that Jo was now able to handle herself quite well while being suspended in the air. "Still need some work with that balancing of yours, though. Keep at it and you'll be decent at using your gear in battle." She said as she turned towards the next recruit down the line.

Jo nodded to Krause, and smiled before she moved onto the next recruit. Of course, she still needed work on balancing. She still had a long way to go, but it was a start, at the very least. She would admit, it was rather nice to gain some confidence from Krause. Jo, now, just had to make sure she would keep that confidence in her.

There were a couple of more recruits after her-- mostly failures, with some passing scores interlaced among them. Among these recruits were Alastair and Halvor, who did pretty decent at the exam. The next one in line was Princess Hildebrand. Krause didn't expect much of her, but gaze held some interest and concern as she watched the girl wobble above her head. "Stay calm, Hildebrand-- if you panic, you'll fall over," she told the girl in a steady but stern voice.

Timed, steady breaths accompanied the reeling of the chains as Elyse found herself steadily carried into the air. Nervosity still coloured her visage, but within, a slight ember of confidence and serenity fought against her insecure disposition. Meanwhile, a singular sentence repeated itself in her head: you can do this.

Elyse could still picture the dreadful days of being forced into all sorts of pretentious sports to fulfil her family's quest of 'awakening' her talent. Given her performances in most departments to this day leave a lot to be desired, it's fair to reason that this project failed, though there were some compromises made along the way. Balancing, for one, seemed to be a niche that she picked up on well enough.

Krause's voice was as soothing as it was nerve-wracking, though it helped Elyse partly dispel the fear of failure, one fueled only further by the wide display of curious eyes.

As gravity began to fight its battle, a series of omnidirectional jitters ensued as the Noble attempted to hold her head up high. Arms and legs reactively responded to the sway of law, reflexes trying to keep her body properly balanced with some, albeit rocky success. Slowly but surely, however, the tempo of these flicks and jitters slowed down, pacing into steadier, more decisive and planned movements that, eventually, would leave Elyse in control. And so there she flew, slowly rocking back and forth, yearning for the ropes to go down before she got the chance of messing this up.

Krause glanced Elyse up and down. The girl seemed nervous, which leaked into how she was handling her posture. She desperately hoped that she wouldn't fall and look silly in front of everyone else. It was important for her to gain independence during her training, and she had to prove herself to her peers before she demanded respect from them. Eventually, she was able to gather her senses, and balance herself well upon the harness. "Good job, Hildebrand," she commented. "Needs some work, but it's a decent start."


Complete euphoria and relief blossomed within as the ropes went down. she did it. Her cheeks flushed red at the sound of Krause's positive encouragement, swiftly followed by a genuine toothy smile aimed right at the instructor.

"Thank you, Miss. I won't let you down." Elyse chimed, stars in her eyes as she bowed slightly in reflex.

The crack of knuckles, like reed against stone. Jericho refused to let his apprehension show in his expression, but his body language said it all.

Almost as retributional homage to the introductory speech days before, Krause had him chosen last. The pressure was the same; except this time, Jericho would be left with the curse of last impressions instead of first. A budding fear began to stretch its legs within him as the recruits came up and went, either with the flow or against it. The ODM gear was a capricious mistress, selecting few and far in between to be the recipient of her support and love. To those she rejected, their fates had them face to face with the gravel and Krause's stinging rebukes.

Finally, his turn came. The gear attached to his hip didn't feel clunky or cumbersome; instead the delinquent felt a surprisingly natural sense of union. Then, his feet were off the ground and in the air, dangling by a thousand invisible strings. Whether or not those strings were one part talent, or two parts luck, three times miracle or simply coincidence, Jericho nonetheless found himself suspended in space. Instinct grabbed the strings and played puppet master with his posture, guiding him until his subconscious deemed it just.

Just then, Instructor Krause came upon Jericho next. She didn't expect much from him-- maybe he'd do decent like most of the rest, or maybe even worse-- but what she didn't expect was for the dark-haired boy to maintain almost perfect posture and form as he hung suspended in the air. That was the second of the recruits to exhibit almost perfect form. "Well, well, well, Mace. Seems like you're doing a good job at surprising everyone during your time here, huh?" she said with a crooked grin.

Jericho lurched slightly, his concentration broken by Krause's playful remark. There seemed to be no malice in her words. He glanced down at her, his features creased with effort as a sly, cynical scowl tugged at his lips. "I'm full of surprises," he replied breathlessly.

Instructor Krause blinked up at him, somewhat surprised even more by his response. She knew that Jericho was a cocky one, and she sort of hoped that she would witness him cracking open his skull against the ground... "Then I hope you keep surprising your peers," she told him as she began to walk away. "Your father would be proud of you."

Eventually, the examinations came to a close. The process had taken hours, but had thinned the remaining recruits by approximately a fourth; from the 115 that were there yesterday, only about 70 remained. Krause stood in front of them, somewhat proud over their performance, but exhibiting a brave face at the same time. "Good job, rookies! You've all passed the ODM examinations. Even though this was your first major hurdle during training, there will be more obstacles to overcome during your time here. But for now, get your asses back on the track for some warm-up laps!"

 

[Arcanist]

Collab
Jo Schreiber & Sera Mayer

​

Back to laps again. Jo should have expected it and yet, she found herself internally groaning at the task set before her. Her legs still ached from the day before, and she honestly believed all those odd jobs running around would have prevented something like that. The newspaper runs never prepared her for the push-ups she would have to endure. But regardless, Jo would not argue, and she would persevere, so filed in with the 70 or so recruits that remained.

Jo’s eyes scanned the faces of those who remained, committing to memory those who had overcome the trials of the ODM test. Some who stayed she seemed pleasantly surprised at. Others, she would admit she had believed would have no problems staying here. Overall, she was glad that she was among those remaining. She didn’t doubt herself, but if she had failed spectacularly, she would have been on her way out. It would have been something she would never have forgiven herself for.

As Jo continued, distracting herself from the tight pull in her upper thighs, eyes gliding to her right. She recognised the girl, Mayer, if she was remembering the surname correctly, and importantly remembered her achievement in the ODM exam. Her form had been almost perfect on the first go. Not perfect, but close enough to perfection that it warranted some interest in Jo. She expected her to be one to watch. And when there was one to watch, no doubt she could easily have picked up some skills by watching, interacting.

“Hey,” she started, head shifting right then to the front in quick succession, making sure she wasn’t running into someone or off-course, “you did pretty well with the gear up there. Even better with Krause eyeing you too.” Having someone’s eyes boring into you when completing a task of the utmost importance was always nerve-wracking. There was an expectation, a sudden pressure to put your all into it, else, fall apart.

Sera was trying to get ahead of the other 70 something Recruits who remained. It was in no way an easy task. Most of the energy she carried over from the night prior was quickly used up on maintaining a perfect stance while using the ODM Gear.

She was momentarily taken away from the important task when one of the Recruits operating from the left of Sera’s position began approaching Sera. If there was one thing Sera should’ve done, it was to get to know the people she was to operate with. She only really made two friends thus far. At least she thought Anke and Fabio were friends. She never really had prior to meeting them.

Despite the lack of overall contact, Sera knew it was Jo that gave her a compliment. She responded. “Thanks.” It was clear most of Sera’s attention was still focused on gaining speed rather than conversating. “They don’t let just anyone join the Scouts.” Not if they’re truly desperate anyway. “Got to give it my all and reach the top, otherwise I’ll never make it to my goal.’’

Jo didn’t expect the two to go into a lengthy conversation as they ran. It would have made their jogging more difficult and the last thing either needed was Krause grilling them. She did raise an eyebrow at Sera’s choice of division after training however. She had heard joining the crudely nicknamed ‘Survey Corpse’ was a death wish, like its name. Interestingly yet, this girl wanted to reach the top, and would still take up the offer of joining those outside the walls.

“I guess I have some stiff competition then,” Jo said. It wasn’t just a filler comment. Sera may have seemed unassuming but her skill with the ODM gear had signalled to a hidden potential. “Jo, by the way.” She introduced herself.

“Sera,” Sera replied. “Sera Mayer. And don’t worry about competition.’’ She added with a cocky grin. “Most of them didn’t perform too well. Especially those who wimped out and ran Home to their Mothers.” If Sera was allowed to, she would’ve personally flogged everyone who decided they didn’t want to fight Titans. Those cowards, Krause should’ve had them thrown out the Wall. At least let them die feeding the Titans. But not Sera, she was gonna kill em all.

“Can’t you also tell?” Sera asked without first adding any real amount of context to the question. She quickly made sure to correct herself. “Who will join the Garrison and Military Police I mean. Not hard to guess who, isn’t that right?”

Jo chuckled and nodded in agreement. Of course, quite a few of them had been weeded out. It made the competition a little easier, but there were still 69 other recruits she had to fight tooth-and-nail to reach the top ten. Of course, she had hoped to reach higher than simply tenth for her own pride, but it would be the minimum she needed.

Keeping up the pace, she hazarded a look to Sera again, puzzlement crossing her eyes momentarily. Though, when she clarified, her eyes moved elsewhere among the other recruits. She hummed before her eyes landed on a boy with brown hair caressing the nape of his neck, care-free as he ran along. “Garrison,” she nodded to him. “Probably will spend more time drinking than manning the walls by any means.”

This was rather fun. Jo squinted again, humming once again when they landed on a girl, unusually tall for her age, face full of self-assuredness, and a strange determination. She considered her for a moment before she murmured, “Military Police.” She wondered if she looked like that. If it was easy for Sera to tell what path Jo wanted to tread.

“Haha, I like you.” Sera said with a small laugh towards the end. She completely agreed with Jo’s suggestions on where most of the more… pathetic looking Recruits would end up. Sera looked to the girl who was most likely aiming for the Military Police. “Yeah, Military Police for sure. Assuming she earns herself enough credits, which, let’s stay realistic, isn’t going to happen. So Garrison still wins in the end.”

Sera laughed to herself a bit more, thinking of private thoughts she deemed amusing. She looked back to Jo, who was surprisingly still keeping pace, despite the fact they were passing a good portion of the other Recruits. It was clear Jo wanted to know where Sera believed she wanted to go. But giving the answer she truly believed would only ruin the possible spark of a potential friendship. “You’re going for the Scouts.”

Again, she didn’t honestly believe that. Jo seemed like she should go into the Garrison. Not cause of any kind of weakness, she just didn’t look like she would fit in in the middle of such a dangerous environment. Besides, she looked like she could play as an asset to the Garrison.

Jo smirked a little at her guess being shared by Sera. Surprisingly, it was rather easy to read the faces of these recruits. But given Sera’s assuredness that she wouldn’t even brush anywhere near the top, Garrison was the next best guess. That was usually people’s second choice, after all.

As if reading her thoughts, Sera had decided to assess Jo and guess where she would end up. She had been expecting something between the MP and the Garrison, the most common choice, but what she had come out with was far different than what she had expected. She paused for a moment, though, couldn’t help but let a smile on her lips, and she chuckled.

“Not quite,” she told her, though, certainly didn’t berate her for thinking it. Or saying it. Whether Sera actually believed her guess was up for debate. She looked to her and admitted, “I want to join the Military Police.”

‘Of course.’ Sera thought to herself, resisting the urge to sigh. She knew that was the most likely answer, so why was she in a small way surprised? Even the Garrison has more respect than the Military Police. Still, she didn’t wish to come across as rude, so Sera kept the more personal detest she felt towards the Military Police locked away.

She looked to Jo and equipped a fake mildly surprised expression. “Really?” She wasn’t too good of an actor. “Didn’t expect that.” Sera never once felt remorse for lying to people. When she was a smuggler that’s all she did every day. “Then again, I thought Fabio was going to the Military Police or Garrison. He wants to join the Scouts though.”

Sera decided to say something a little risky. “If you don’t mind my saying…” She began, ready to release all the prejudice she felt towards the MPs. “The Military Police is full of useless Bastards who only want to stay as far away from the Titans as possible.” The ones she encountered in the streets of Trost taught Sera that all too well. “Stupid too.” Now it was time for the really risky part. “Don’t tell anyone this. I had worked as a smuggler since I was a little girl. Shipped Drugs, Weapons and other illegal items. Not once did the MPs ever suspect me. You know why? Because they were too stupid to think that a little girl could transport such things. That’s one of the reasons I don’t respect them. And there’s plenty of reasons why I hate those weak links of Humanity.” For a second, Sera though she overshared. Then she decided she said exactly what needed to be said. It probably wouldn’t change Jo’s mind. Actions speak louder than words. It would probably take a Titan appearing in Wall Sina for people to finally realize that there is no place free of the Titans' wrath, and that the only way to stop them is to kill them all.

Fabio? That poor lad who fell during the first round of laps the first day at training? She would have placed him somewhere in the Garrison, in all honesty. Scouts was certainly an odd decision for him, but then she hardly knew him. People were starting to show their potential by now. Old first impressions would have to be done away with.

Jo did raise her eyebrow at Sera. She couldn’t tell if she was faking surprise at the admittance of her division of choice. Looks were, as she had just previously thought, incredibly deceitful. It never gave away someone’s true intentions, thoughts, morals, if used carefully. Sera’s words only made Jo think that surprise had been faked after all.

Her words were sharp, venomous, unforgiving when it came to the slander about the Military Police. Jo would not argue with her on some of her points. “I won’t lie. Plenty of them waste the oxygen you and I breathe. You could put a ragdoll in any one of their positions and there wouldn’t be much of a difference in their work.” She wiped a finger under her reddening nose. “But I can tell you, just like everyone else in these God-forsaken walls, there’s a few of them trying to survive. Maybe not struggling to survive fighting Titans, of course, but simply trying to live for themselves, to support their families.” She paused at that thought, an unknown poison ebbing away inside her chest. ‘You need the money. You need--no, we all need it. Anything to get us out of this hell.’

“I’m going to be different from those that are ungrateful, who are just idiots donned in those uniforms. I’ll be one of the smarter ones, one of those who can actually do their job and know what it takes to survive in these walls.” Jo’s thoughts spilled over into a fierce declaration, burning behind her spectacles when she looked to Sera and pronounced these words as gospel.

Once again, Sera released another laugh, this one louder and a lot more genuine. “It’s Wall Sina you’re staying in.” She pointed out. “Survival is in no way a concern.” It’s the people who venture outside the Walls who are constantly in peril. “Once you’re an MP… well, if you’re an MP, only thing you need to do is patrol a few areas, occasionally perform a few arrests and pretend to actually give a shit.”

Sera gave a small pat to Jo on the shoulder. “Join the Garrison, you don’t belong in the Military Police. You wouldn’t last very long.” She made sure to clarify she wasn’t attempting, not on purpose anyway, to emit a rude tone. “No offense, of course.”

The laugh had made her scrunch up her nose in irritation, a harsh frown settling on her lips. She wouldn’t have understood. No one did, had they actually known more about her situation. She wouldn’t be the one to start the rumours around here about her family. Jo was about to ask what if it wasn’t about her survival, when she felt a sympathetic pat on her shoulder.

And heard Sera’s words. Jo could have turned on her, grabbed her, and given her a list as long as her arm about how wrong she was, and how she’d prove she was more than capable of enlisting. That she didn’t understand her hopes and desires for reaching that level in the first place.

But she knew better than to attract the fury of Krause. Not when there had been enough drama in the first place and especially not out in the middle of their training where everyone could lay witness to it. Jo scoffed and swatted Sera’s hand away from her. “Offense taken. The Garrison won’t, and will never, be my first choice.” She proclaimed once again, eyes narrowed at Sera.

“Oh come on…” Sera said with a few more laughs added in the middle and towards the end. “No need for you to get all sensitive on me.” She didn’t try giving Jo a pat again, knowing it would most likely incite some level of violence, something Sera couldn’t afford if she wanted to truly impress Krause. “I’m just saying that if you want to actually save and help people you should stay away from the MP’s,”

Thoughts of all of the wealthy inhabitants of Sina found their way into Sera’s mind. She always despised them. Looking down on the people of Trost and Maria, even after Maria was taken from Humanity. The same people who looked down on Sera as well. “The rich folk in Sina don’t need any more protection than they already possess.” She thought about the Mother she left a Trost. The one who begged Sera not to join the Scouts and to make it into the Military Police. “Fuck everyone in Sina. If the Titans come after another Wall, Trost is the one they’ll target.”

For some reason, Sera appeared frustrated. She vented the anger to Jo. “My Mother wanted me to join the Military Police. She knew I was skilled enough to get in. But she wanted me to join so I could stay as far away from the Titans as possible." She began to clench her fists. “Bullshit! If I can make it into the MP’s I can just as easily get into the Scouts.” She tried to keep her voice down. It was a lot more difficult than she thought.

The conversation as a whole left Sera’s mind when she realized Jo and herself were getting closer to the front of the other Recruits, some of which had already given up and exhausted themselves. Now all she needed to do was maintain the current speed she possessed and keep on running until Krause ordered them to stop.

Perhaps it would have been better to join the Scouts if she was to ensure humanity's survival. But it wasn't the rest of humanity she was worried about. A minuscule part of it, maybe, but the part she cared the most about. They were the whole reason she had joined the military, after all.

Though, Jo's previously icy expression began to thaw, upon seeing Sera's expression. She never answered during Sera venting her frustrations, just listening as her voice grew louder among the running recruits. Ironically, even with their differing views, their situations contrasting with one another, Jo could see both her and Sera's determination aligning. Almost a need to prove something. She couldn't help but give a low and rueful chuckle. "At least your mother believes you can make it to the top." That stung too, that not even her own family believed she could save them.

Ironically, the two of them had been passing by recruits who had lost the will to continue running. They were closer to the front than they had been before they started this conversation. "Maybe we should speak to each other more often," Jo pointed out, nodding to their position amongst the recruits. "Just to light the fires under our arses."

Jo’s recommendation on the two of them meeting up again surprised Sera. In Trost people would always make it their prime goal to avoid Sera after encountering the possibly crazy girl. But it seemed like Jo was eager to chat more. Before they parted ways, Sera had one thing she needed to clarify and one last question to add.

“My Mother’s opinion had never mattered to me.” It was a cruel thing to say. However, it was also the truth. With her Father gone forever, Sera knew she had to work extra hard to make sure the small Family she had didn't fall apart. That meant taking no one else’s advice and suggestions other than the ones she devised. One occasion saw Sera’s Mother suggest the idea of breaking away from the smuggling life once and for all. Did she also want them to starve? How else were they supposed to make any real money?

“Also, did your Family not think you could make it past training or something? Fuck 'em. You want to make it somewhere, don’t listen to anyone else’s opinions on the matter. Chances are at least one of them is gonna hold you back.’’

Jo hummed at Sera’s claim. It was cruel, that was for sure. She had thought cruel things about her own family, but they had been in moments where she had complete tunnel vision. She was sure she hadn’t meant them. At least, not to all members of her family.

On the topic of her family… “More like they were worried I wouldn’t get where I wanted to be. That I’d end up as Titan fodder,” she recalled with a frown. She could understand their worries. “And I won’t,” she reassured Sera. At least, not where the military is concerned.

“Well, I guess we should keep some of our energy for running,” Jo noted and nodded to her.

The two of them were getting closer and closer to the front of the group. “Yeah.” She said, remembering that she needed to finish in first place. “Best of luck.” And with those last three words, Sera cranked up the speed and raced right towards the front. Anyone who happened to get in the way was in for a not so friendly surprise.

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Laurence Arnault &

It's been weeks since the test for the omnidirectional mobility gear and it has been nothing but more and more training ever since. It's taken a toll on the numbers of their recruits. They were so much more easily countable now than before. "Twenty-three… twenty-huh? Was it supposed to be three or two? I lost count again." Laurie said to himself as he tried to shake his confusion away. Most of the cadets have already partnered up and he wasn't really sure who he should spar with.

Some would take it seriously, others only play around. His eyes roamed the field and took note of the more noticeable people. A punch from Vivian or Jericho would hurt, that he knew. Leon isn't such a talkative person, despite the fight that ensued during that one dinner. Then there were the Vinter twins. Something about them was extremely familiar to him, he's been wanting to ask but he constantly forgets to approach them about it. Was it when he was doing all sorts of work while he took care of his mom or was it- And there it snapped to him.

"Hey! Don't have a partner yet to spar with?" He smiled at Elke as he jogged to the timid half of the Vinter twins.

Elke didn’t really expect what was to come during training, but honestly, she kind of ended up liking it. Not only did she feel like she was going to end up useful one day, but she also started to make friends-- friends that she probably wouldn’t have made due to their different pasts and upbringings. The only time she felt nervous was during times like these, where she had to do something out of the box. She never really hit anyone-- Anke was the one responsible for that.

She felt out of the loop as people automatically started to pair up with one another. Already, two trainees started to tussle in the dirt as children would. The sight of two friends playfighting made some of the anxiety melt away, but she still didn’t have anyone to practice with. That was until a certain black-haired boy jogged up to her.

“Oh, hi Laurie,” Elke brightened up at his arrival. “Everyone went off to do their own thing, Anke included. Want to team up? I could use the practice!”

"It's why I'm here." He said rather sweetly to the younger teen. Laurie was nothing but an easy presence to be around. He could tell that there was a certain uneasiness with Elke. "I could use the practice too, I'm not really fond of fighting people though."

There was only gentleness in his eyes as Laurie stood in front of Elke. His feet were apart, making his stand on the ground. "Right so, hit me as much as you can. I'll try to block and dodge. That way you can work on your offense and I'll work on my defense and pain tolerance." Laurie brought his hands to the front, a stance briefly taught to them before the training started. "Just don't hit my face, that would be hard to cover up."

Elke smiled up at Laurie, appreciating the warmth in his eyes and face. She liked the boy; he was easy-going and kind, and she couldn’t imagine ever being angry at him. “Alright,” she muttered, her smile fading away slightly. She had to punch him, right? She hoped that she didn’t accidentally hurt him. Elke positioned herself into a fighting stance and gathered all of her strength into her right arm. Then, she aimed a punch towards his stomach.

He was surprised, to say the least, he did not expect Elke to so readily give out a punch but it was a nice kind of the unexpected to him. He quickly moved his left arm down to block the attack but was a second late that his arm only helped in softening the blow to his stomach by bumping at the other’s fist. He laughed, “Not a bad punch, Anke.” There was a teasing tone to his voice. He knew who was who, of course.

He posed himself once again into a defensive stance, ready to accept any hit from Elke once again. “Years ago, was it you or your sister who worked in my grandparent’s tavern? Took me a while to realize I met one of you or was it both of you back then?”

That punch actually hit? Concern flickered over her features, wondering if she hit him. When Laurie laughed, she was finally able to let out the breath that she didn’t realize she had been holding. She returned his laughter, once again positioning herself into an offensive stance as she perked up at his question.

“That was Anke… I guess we looked a lot alike back then, didn’t we?” Elke answered. “I met you once or twice, I think.”

She sent another punch towards him, this time at his right shoulder. “Hey, why don’t I block and you try to hit me? I should practice some defense, too,” Elke asked him.

Laurie raised both of his eyebrows in question. "You did? Well, it has been a pretty long time since then and the both of you still look alike even now, you guys are twins after all." He commented freely, he would point out their differences but it doesn't seem like the right time to do so.

A smirk came to his lips as he dodged Elke's punch by stepping to the left. A swell of pride filled his chest with that small moment after watching the other's movements. "Sure, kiddo." Laurie then proceeded to take a step closer and swung his leg to Elke's foot.

Elke was surprised when the boy dodged the punch, though she was more than surprised when Laurie’s leg swept under her foot. “Ah!” she cried out as she fell on her behind. It hurt, but it wasn’t something she wasn’t used to; she had been part of training for a while, after all.

“That was pretty good,” she muttered, lifting herself up to her feet. Elke dusted her uniform from the dirt before she fell back into an offensive stance. Without saying anything, she sent another punch at him with her left fist, attempting to strike him in the side.

He couldn't help but let out a small groan as Elke's fist connected to his body. Of course, a smile never left his lips, but his eyes shined brighter at seeing Elke work so hard on a training they would hardly make use of the skill when it comes to killing Titans. Well, not on the Survey Corps anyway. "That was a strong one." He laughed as he clutched his side.

He didn't think that his sparring partner would strike as soon as she got up. Laurie took hold of Elke's wrist and pulled her past him, his other foot outstretched to make her fall.

She grinned when she felt her fist connect Laurie’s side; another direct hit! But her grin soon faded from her lips as soon as the boy grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her past them, his foot getting in the way of her own two feet and making her lose balance. Elke winced, bracing herself for the impact against the floor… only to see that Laurie’s hand stayed secure around her wrist, preventing her from falling. She felt herself get pulled back into a standing position.

“Thanks,” she breathed out in relief.

Elke shuffled her feet, deciding to gather her breath and rest. “You wanna join the Scouts, right? I want to, too!” she gave him a crooked smile as if she were a little nervous.

"No problem! Besides, there is no way I'd forgive myself if I let you fall like that." Laurie said to her as he brushed his hair out of his face. He could feel his shirt start to stick to his skin from the exercise and the sunny sky.

"Yeah! I do." He replied easily, he was sure of it. No matter what, he was going to join the Scouts. "Mostly because I have nothing left to lose. Might as well be useful to humanity. Though… I heard Anke wanted for you to join the Military, are you not going to consider that?"

Elke frowned. Yeah, Anke wanted her to join the Military Police… she remembered that she had to tell her about her plans. It was scary to think she would have to confront her sister about that. “She does, but I really don’t want to. I want to be useful, you know? I don’t want to hide away behind Wall Sina and keep hearing about how people on the outside keep dying.”

She glanced down at her feet and kicked some dirt up as she thought. “I probably won’t last long… but at least I can go out thinking I helped a little.”

Laurie's eyes were solemn as Elke spoke of her thoughts. He can understand where she was coming from, and he understands why Anke would want Elke to be in the Military Police too. He wasn't one to change people's minds, those are their decisions after all.

His hand landed softly on Elke's head, giving it a gentle caress. "You're brave for wanting to become a Scout at such a young age. But this just means we gotta do better during training and make those Titans be sorry for roaming outside our walls." Laurie said invigoratingly with a wide grin on his face.

The way that Laurie caressed her head comforted her. Elke’s smile returned with full force as she looked back up at him, nodding at his words. “Y-yeah, I’m trying to get into the top ten so I can impress my sister! She needs to see that I can stand up for myself,” she said. “I hope that we get to kick Titan butt together in the Survey Corps.”

"Hell yeah! Now let's get back to practice." Laurie cheered with greater enthusiasm than before. The two continued their sparring session as they had done earlier. It was an honest exchange of blows and compliments, though both have little to no experience with combat they learned a great deal from each other, and once everything was said and done the two parted ways to learn from different people.

mention: || interaction:

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: Laurie ( Colorless Spectrum ) | Interactions: Elke ( M Moonlessite )

​

Jo waited for Lena to charge within range. Once she did, she side-stepped, catching the girl off-guard before she grabbed onto her arm with both hands. With a sharp tug, the girl was pulled to the ground before landing on her back, dust from the ground erupting around her like ceremonious confetti. Jo approached the coughing girl, who writhed on the ground.

“Agh...fuck...you really had to go that hard?” Lena grumbled, tentatively rising off her back.

Jo scoffed, holding out a hand to her. “Yeah. You went just as hard on me.” She didn’t think she had thrown her as hard as she did.

“Did I? Whoops.” Lena feigned some confusion before a wicked grin manifested and she took Jo’s hand. Once she was back on her feet, she handed the knife back to Jo, who thanked her.

Jo assumed they would get back to sparring, though, Lena stared at her, lips parted slightly. Before she could directly ask her what was up with the staring, the girl had gone on ahead with asking what was on her mind.

“You said your name was Schreiber, right? Like the trader in Karanes?”

Jo’s expression hardened. An involuntary reflex to mask the disgust at the mere mention of her surname, that occupation, and the place she resided. “Yeah,” she answered, “why?”

“I thought I recognised you,” Lena smiled, its pull malicious as she continued, “wandering around Karanes at night. Oh, wait,” she paused, tapping at her chin, “no, that must have been your mom. My mistake. You two look so alike, you could easily pass off as one another!”

She wished she had knocked Lena harder into the ground now. Jo could do it again if she really wanted to. Pass it off as an excuse for training. She needed all the practice that she could get. But she would relent on resorting to physical violence. “Maybe you're thinking of someone else. Though, I'm not surprised. You're probably exhausted from your 'nightly shifts'."

Lena’s smug smile was soon tainted by a scowl. “Good one. I’m sure you feel smart about that comment.” And she knew that Jo did. She turned before announcing, “Anyway, time we switched partners. Good to get some training in with everyone, isn’t it?”

“Sure.” Jo agreed. She watched the girl wander off, and allowed herself a moment of revelry in her victory. Or, she tried to, at least. She opened her palm, grimacing at the sharp pain across it. When she looked down, the indent of the wooden knife left a red, horizontal streak across her hand. She sighed, switching the knife over into her other hand as she flexed her hand.

Jo began her hunt of finding another partner, surveying the landscape of training cadets. Some had flipped their partner onto the ground. Others pulled dirty moves to gain the upper hand. A few...just slapped each others’ hands. The kind of play-fighting her brothers would have, and probably still did, partake in. When her eyes shifted again, she noticed one of the Vinter twins, Elke, who had just finished sparring with Laurie. The way she wandered around the field told Jo she had just found a potential partner.

Jo started to approach. “Elke,” she called out to her, raising a hand to get her attention. “Looking for another partner?”

 

[Moonlessite]

MENTIONS: Arcanist [Jo]
​

Despite being a little roughed up by the black-haired boy, Elke still pushed herself to look for another partner. Everyone seemed like they were paired up, now. She was glad to see that no one was left out of sparring, especially when everyone needed the practice. At the same time, she hoped no one would get too hurt. If they were, they'd fall behind in training, and while Krause had grown on some of them, she would not relent in rooting out any weeds that might have remained since the last purge. Elke looked for the blonde-haired instructor-- and she easily found her, lurking among the recruits like a stalking cat. Her eyes were sharp, wary, as if she was studying everyone's movements. For a brief moment, Krause's glare rested on her, which sent a chill through her spine. What would she think of her if she thought she was just wandering around and shirking off duties? She really needed another partner.

As if her prayers were answered, Jo approached with a spring to her step. Elke relaxed in her presence. The red-haired girl was one of the people she had grown most close to during her time in the training corps, and she looked up to her as if she was another sister. "Hi, Jo! Yeah, I was just looking for another partner. Gotta stay on my toes, y'know! Especially with Krause giving everyone that look..." She rubbed her arm where it was somewhat tender after her previous fall. Elke would be able to shrug that off like it was nothing. "What do you wanna focus on? Attacking, blocking? I'm up for anything!"

​

 

[homintales]

Luka Soroka & Sera Mayer​

While almost everyone else was already off sparring with another Recruit, Sera found it difficult to find herself any sort of competition. Practically all of the Recruits she asked to fight quickly formulated excuses as to why they couldn't accept the polite invitation. What the Hell did she do to all of them to make them all so frightened?

She wanted a fight, and she sure as Hell was gonna get one. But she couldn’t just expect everyone to act like they also grew up in the same area of Trost. Where Headbutting someone was another way to greet them. Most of the Recruits wouldn’t last a week where she grew up.

For a while, Sera had no other choice other than to simply observe other fights. Some were quick and ended in a few seconds. A few Recruits were even faking it altogether. If Krause wasn’t watching, Sera would show them why they shouldn’t ignore combat training. A few of the fights were somewhat entertaining to watch. Sera looked forward to serving with those who came out on top in the Scouts. Those who failed? Well, the Garrison can’t ever get enough.

As the last fight ended, Sera released a groan. “Two Hours.” She shouted to all nearby Recruits with an aggressive tone. “I’m n-not gonna w-wait any longer. W-which one of you assholes is gonna fi-fight me?!” Most ignored Sera, while others took leave. She sighed, not sure what else she could do. But then she wanted to try something just for the Hell of it.

Closing her eyes, Sera decided that the first Recruit she spotted was the same person she would fight with. And she wouldn’t give them any sort of choice in the matter. She needed to make a good impression with Krause, and this was another way to go about it.

Within a few seconds, Sera possessed a target. It was Luka. She hadn’t interacted with him prior to this. In fact, she only ever conversated with Jo, Anke, Fabio and Krause. But she needed this if she was to make it into the Scouts without any issues.

“Hey, Luka, right?” She said to Luka, who was in the middle of observing a separate fight. “Guess what, I n-need a partner. So you and me are go-gonna fight.”

Luka had hoped to learn something from simply watching the other trainees spar with one another; there were a handful that seemed very capable, but his observation just couldn’t keep up with the speed of their motions. Even the match between Jericho and Fabio was difficult to spectate. He was sure that Instructor Krause would scold him yet again if his cowardice was plainly shown, and it was his meekness that frustrated him. ‘How can I hope to win anyone over if I’m too weak and scared?’

The boy let out an exasperated sigh out of disappointment in himself, digging his knuckles against the sides of his head. ‘I know,’ Luka thought to himself of the possible solution. “I’ll just ask Jerry if he can teach me after!”

His momentary resolve was shattered when the voice of another recruit approached him from behind, causing him to flinch in reaction. The blond wheeled around to see that it was a girl that he only knew by name; Sera Mayer. “Y-yeah,” Luka answered her in a similar stutter out of apprehension, his features lighting up with shock when she declared that he was to be her sparring partner.

“W-w-w-wait, you want m-me to f-f-fight y-you???” his palms extended outward as he shook his head. “B-but you’re a girl, I couldn’t-” Luka interrupted himself in the midst of his sentence, afraid of offending Sera. “Wait, I don’t mean it like that!”

Sera’s arms crossed when Luka was finished with his response. She wondered if the stuttering was on purpose or not. “First off, the-there’s no rule in society that says you and I aren't allowed to fight only cause I’m a girl.” Anyone who thought otherwise was an idiot.

Luka looked quite frightened and nervous. He couldn’t possibly understand the importance of this fight when it came to Sera’s future. “S-second off, you don’t really have a choice.” A few other Recruits were starting to listen in on them. “I’ll g-go easy on you, kind of, if you agree. However, if your answer is no, I’ll just impress K-Krause with my lack of mercy.” She didn’t think she was acting cruel. The way Sera rationalized it, this was the only immediate option, it’s not like she wanted to inflict pain on another person. “So, what’s your answer, Luka?”

Luka’s shoulders dropped as his arms sagged to his sides, puffing out one of his cheeks and pondering on her request. His cheeks were starting to flush from the sudden attention that their interaction was garnering from some of the other trainees. Truthfully, in that moment, he felt like turning around and running away, but his body straightened up as he swallowed hard.

“O-ok, if you promise to go easy,” the boy mustered the minuscule confidence to grudgingly accept Sera’s challenge, his eyes fixated on the ground before they looked back up at her. Luka hastily thought back to the lessons given by Instructor Krause, and combined with his ‘very useful’ memory of the battles styles that he’d read in his books, he took up a half-serviceable fighting stance. In the thirteen-year-old’s mind, it was the ideal posture, but for anyone with a lick of experience, it was something out of a children’s book. “Fine, but just for a little bit! I-I-I’ll do my best!”

Sera gave him a few friendly taps on his shoulder. She was excited to know Luka was going to give it his all. Still, the fear in his eyes showed this wouldn’t act as a proper challenge. “Don’t worry, I will.” She complied with his request to take it easy. From the look of him, Luka was a bit younger. She didn’t need people going around and talking about the time she mercilessly beat a kid until there was almost nothing left of him. That kind of reputation is only acceptable in certain areas of Trost. Cracking her Knuckles, Sera got into stance. One foot ever so slightly in front of the other, and two fists raised up and pointed forward towards your opponent. It was a good stance to end things quickly. But not too quickly.

Who would take the first move? Rushing straight in could pose a problem. Though Luka didn’t appear to act as much of a threat, that only made him slightly unpredictable. Sera could charge in, thinking she has a clear opening, only for Luka to get a lucky strike in. She decided it was a risk she would take. “Ready?” She asked, prepared to charge at him as soon as the reply left his mouth.

A drop of nervous sweat rolled down the side of his face as the boy saw his opponent take her own proper stance. It was plainly obvious that Luka was not exercising the most important rule of protecting his face, despite it being one of the first things that they’d been taught. His fists, held at the neck level, and legs were too far apart, lacking stability. “H-here goes!” he let out a dramatic howl, springing forward towards Sera. His right arm drew back to aim a punch at the girl, though not before his eyes closed mid-way in fear of the possible result and inadvertently throwing off his accuracy. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’

It turns out Sera was right to expect the unexpected. Before she could rush towards him herself, Luka was already charging straight for Sera. The action shocked Sera so much that she wasn’t prepared for when Luka launched his fists towards Sera, his eyes closed the whole time. He managed to connect his fist with Sera’s nose.

The strike wasn’t exactly painful. Back in Trost, Sera got into fights where she was bleeding from the mouth, eyes were red with anger, teeth were falling out and cracked, and on one occasion a grave needed to be filled. She chose not to stick around long for the last one. Despite all of this, Luka injured Sera quite a bit. Blood was now pouring out of her nose. She used the uniform’s sleeve to wipe it all away. She smirked at Luka.

When Luka felt his fist connect with something and no reaction swing his way, his eyes opened to see the result of his attack; his expression immediately inflated with distress as his already-lackluster defense dropped. “I-I’m so sorry!!” guilt swelled in his chest upon seeing her nosebleed, his hands scouring his figure for a handkerchief or the like.

“Eh, it’s alright.” She said with a few laughs. “Normally this is the part where I k-kick your ass. But since you managed to surprise me, w-which let me tell you, that is not an easy thing to accomplish, I’ll go look for another Human P-punching-Bag.” For some reason, Sera didn’t feel like fighting Luka. Maybe it was thanks to the fact the guy wouldn’t pose much of a challenge? Or maybe it was him punching her in the face? She didn’t know. “Hey, let me ask you something. Wh-here are you from and w-what Regiment are you aiming for?”

The boy was taken aback by Sera’s sudden passivity. Even though Luka had agreed to a spar, he only felt more guilty about the injury that he’d inflicted. “Huh?” Her question seemed to come from out of the blue.

“S-Shiganshina, I’m from Shiganshina,” Luka’s mind threatened to bring up the horrific memories of that day, gulping down hard as he recalled the promise that he’d made to his parents. “I’m trying to find my brother who’s in the Military Police, but I don’t think I’m cut out for them with how weak I am… otherwise, I’m not sure yet, really... ”

Blood all gone, Sera explained why she asked his Origin and Destination. “From all I’ve seen, a lot of the weak links come from Shiganshina. Don’t know why. Maybe you’re all naturally weaker.” She took a closer look at Luka. “When I was just a bit younger than you, I had a similar goal in mind. About saving my Family and keeping them together.” Sera began to walk away, looking for some water. “Gonna get some water, then I’ll find someone else to fight.” She looked back to Luka. “Given the pathetic nature of almost everyone else in the Recruits, and the poor goals they came with, it’s nice to see someone who actually has a worthy purpose. It’s especially rare for someone wanting to go into the Military Police.” She gave him a quick salute. “You really wanna get into the MP’s? Then come and find me when you can, I’ll get you in.”

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: - | Interactions: Elke ( M Moonlessite )

View attachment 859007

[/font​

Jo did spare a small smile for the blonde. She hadn't been so sure of her at first, what with her being attached to Anke as if she was her second skin. Really, if Jo was being honest, she didn't think much of her at first. Only when she noticed her determination in training, and how she applied herself, did Jo start to see the potential.

So maybe Jo was a little soft where Elke was concerned. Anke too with her insistence to push herself a little too hard.

Jo glanced back at Krause when Elke had mentioned her hawkeyes surveying the recruits. "Yeah, that's good old Krause for you," she murmured, quickly turning her eyes back to Elke before she could suffer the same look from the commander. "Well, if you're wanting to keep on your toes, how about we work on your blocking, me on attacking?" Blocking was something she had been improving on, so attacking, logically, was where she would need to focus her efforts on next.

Jo threw the crude wooden knife up into the air before catching its hilt in her hand. "Alright," she said, getting the grip on the hilt right, thumb on top of the spine of it, while the rest of her hand was wrapped around the hilt. Once Elke was ready, she charged forward without warning, making to 'slash' at her stomach.

 

[Moonlessite]

MENTIONS: Arcanist [Jo]
​

Elke perked up even more when Jo suggested that she work on her blocking. She had done enough attacking for now with Laurie, and she was eager to see how she did in self-defense against another person. Defense was almost always the best offense, after all; the Walls had kept them all safe before that massive Titan broke a hole through it. It was very scary to think that the sole thing that she thought kept them safe wasn't very reliable after all. That was why they had to do something about the Titans, not sit back and hope the Walls kept them somewhat safe forever. She shifted herself into a defensive position moments before Jo charged at her with the wooden knife.

How should she go about this? Jo was smart; if Elke grabbed her, wouldn't that also be in her favor? A thought flashed through her head. Anke. What would Anke do in a situation like this? She thought about the times where her sister protected her from the street bullies, and the clever tricks she pulled off in order to defeat more than one at a time. Elke steeled herself in the face of Jo's charge, her gaze unflinching. Jo came closer and closer, almost upon her-- and Elke dodged to her left, her right leg sticking out as to trip the red-head in the middle of her attack.

​

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: - | Interactions: Elke ( M Moonlessite )

[/font​

Jo had figured Elke would dodge one way or the other but failed to account for her right leg sticking out to trip her up. Of course, before she could adapt to the move, she felt herself falling before she landed on her knees, just about catching herself as she landed. She hissed a little at the stinging on her palms and knees, but it wasn't debilitating by any means. "Ah...using dirty tricks. Should have expected that," Jo chuckled, grabbing the knife that had fallen a small distance away from her before getting onto her feet again. There were no hard and fast rules for fighting. She knew she'd have to try a different method. If Elke wanted to be unpredictable, then Jo would be unpredictable.

Jo charged again, looking like she was about to pull the same move as she was before. She raised her right hand slightly in quick motion as if to slash. Though, if Elke had moved to dodge again, Jo would dip, aiming for the front of her left thigh instead with a slice instead. The quadriceps femoris muscle. The muscle group responsible for extending the leg at the knee, and arguably vital for anything involving the legs, including standing or walking. Had it been an actual knife, it would have done some considerable damage.

Thank goodness it wasn't an actual knife though.

 

[Moonlessite]

MENTIONS: Arcanist [Jo]​

Elke grinned when she saw that her counter-attack had caught Jo off guard. Sure, it was dirty, but if for some reason they were fighting people one day, would it really matter if they used dirty tactics or not? A determined light sparked in her eye as she sensed some approval radiating forth from the other girl, and she positioned herself in another defensive position. Jo rushed at her again, knife in hand, but it was then that she began to doubt herself. Would she really go for the same move again, knowing it didn't work the first time? Or was Jo simply trying to trick her? Elke watched as Jo got closer, deciding the best course of action was to dodge in order to grant herself enough time to think of the next move. She shifted to the side, only to feel the point of the wooden knife dig somewhat painfully into her thigh.

"Ow." Elke whimpered lightly in complaint as she took a few steps back from Jo. Even though the attack would leave a slight bruise and caused a bit of pain, Jo's tactics thrilled her a bit. "That was pretty good! Where'd you learn that from?"

It was definitely something that she could learn how to use, or maybe teach it to Anke. Her sister was always teaching her, so why couldn't she do the same? Elke got into a defensive position again, eyeing Jo with excitement. "Do you have any tips for my defensive posture? I think it's a bit rusty. If I was a bit better, maybe I could have stopped your attack."

​

 

[Selee-01]

in collaboration with
➤ Selee-01 & ➤ KaramelKarma

Jericho & Fabio

The field stretched out under the afternoon sun, dotted with recruits. Jericho had come out later than the rest, hung up over some haphazard order from Krause to stay behind and check on the horses’ feed in the stables.
The task was surprisingly enjoyable, but it did not erase the bad taste in Jericho's mouth; to him, it was simply another one of Krause’s attempts to drag out the disciplining for the fiasco in the dining hall the other night.

However, as the delinquent came upon the field, it was then that he realized the strange air of mercy in the instructor’s order. Most recruits had already paired up, saving him from any additional rebuke still left in his fellow trainees’ systems for the punishment he had inadvertently brought down on everyone, still burning from time to time in his bones as he trudged on to join the group.
Knuckles cracking, Jericho’s dark eyes began to roam the scene, an almost nostalgic rush of adrenaline forming in the base of his spine. For a moment, he thought he could pick out the broad, devilish faces of his gangmates, floating amidst the bustle of the outside market.
The fuck you been, Mace? Let’s go! They’d shout, beckoning him over. He’d feel his chin lift a little higher and stand a little taller as the bruises lost their potency, bound to the promise of brotherhood.
Just then, Jericho’s eye caught the motion of a small wooden knife in the air. The tiny spark of nostalgia ignited once more. It danced to the tune of a certain boy, whom the delinquent recognized as Fabio, the infamous first dropout from Krause’s laps and one of the unlucky few Jericho had to rouse in order to finish the pushups. Arms hung loosely in his pockets, Jericho approached the boy from the front. A knavish gleam glinted in the eyes despite his neutral expression, chin lifting in gesture to the knife.
“You carve that yourself?”

Fabio looked up from his wooden knife, noting the older boy. He instinctively smiled, stood up straighter, and looked Jericho full in the eyes. One hand spun the knife as he listened to Jericho.

“Heh, yup!” he said. “Just a little side project of mine.”

As he spoke, Fabio tossed the wooden knife into the air, before catching it again.What did he know about Jericho? He was big, tough, the sort of person Fabio would have avoided on the streets. And of course, he’d been responsible for waking Fabio up for pushups. All those combined were certainly annoying, but Jericho didn’t seem too hateable.

“Hey, you fighting anyone?’ he asked, his smile becoming a slightly sinister smirk. He might not be the best fighter, but Fabio wasn’t a slouch at combat.

Jericho watched as Fabio expertly handled his little side project. Though the delinquent himself never got into it, knife tricks like those were a beloved little pastime and staple in his circle. Jericho’s expression mellowed for a few moments, the hard lines of his features softening. However, they quickly took their places once more as his dark eyes met up with Fabio’s blue ones, seeing instantly that the boy had not so easily forgotten the punishment Jericho’s antics had pushed onto him. Jericho nodded, almost approving of the boy’s surprising mettle, returning Fabio’s challenging gaze with his own, a roguish smile ghosting the corner of his lips.

“There’s always someone to fight,” he answered, shrugging slightly in a nonchalant manner. “In this case it’s gonna be you.” The ghost transformed into a good-natured grin, his voice lowering as he gave the younger recruit a shove.
“So what do you say? You ready to go down?”

Fabio moved a little, but bounced right back. He flicked his wooden knife around, and grinned.

“Let’s dance, ugly.”

Two, three steps back, and one to the side. Fabio exhaled, inhaled, exhaled, and suddenly lunged for Jericho’s hopefully unprotected side.

It was unexpected, to say the least. But what Jericho’s eye failed to detect, his reflexes and experience moved to capture the windfall by swiftly turning him to the side, avoiding the lunge. As Fabio found himself grasping at air, Jericho landed a strong, sharp kick to the small of the boy's back, propelling his already downward spiral even further.

Fabio hit the ground and slithered to his feet, raising his hands to dodge a blow that never came. He then retreated, brilliant blue eyes scanning for any weakness in Jericho’s defenses.

Looks like I'm dealing with a runner, Jericho thought as he watched Fabio recalibrate. He had already guessed from the start that the boy's forte would be more in avoidance than in confrontation just by his lanky looks. Now it was just à matter of determining just how fast the boy could dodge.
With a slight smirk, Jericho strode up to Fabio, looking as if the delinquent was ready to land hits before pausing, just inches away, to throw his opponent off. Just then, arms rose to give a quick, destabilizing shove and a flying left hook followed, aiming to meet Fabio's temple.

Fabio ducked, and dashed to the side to avoid Jericho. He’s big, and doesn’t seem unskilled, he mused, as he put space between himself and the older boy. All I need to do is avoid getting hit, until he wears out.

“Hey tough guy,” Fabio shouted. “Thought you could fight, but looks like you can’t even hit me!”

The jabs didn't seem to fully register in Jericho's mind. His focus was solely on Fabio's evasive action. The delinquent now had a gauge for how fast the boy could dance away; and what's more, his instinct had already drawn the outlines of Fabio's predictable side-stepping moves and potential position thanks to the momentary pause Jericho afforded himself in the beginning. The thug matched the boy's speed accordingly, pivoting onto his right foot, swinging à sweeping semi-circular roundhouse kick that met Fabio exactly where Jericho anticipated he'd be: on the sidelines. The heel of his boot struck against Fabio’s jawbone.

Fabio was knocked to the ground, and after a moment of pained weezing spat out a gob of blood. His fingers brushed against his mouth, coming away red. He coughed, pain lancing through his jaw.

That bitch can hit, Fabio thought to himself, the taste of blood heavy on his tongue. Hopefully it wasn’t too bad.

"Looks can be deceiving," Jericho said breathlessly, a rakish glint in his eye as he lowered his leg and returned to a normal stance. He arched his back in a bit of a stretch before lending out a helping hand towards the boy.

“So it seems, ugly,” Fabio said with a friendly smirk. “You’re a better fighter than you look.” He accepted Jericho’s outstretched hand, pulling himself to his feet with ease despite the blow. Fabio looked at the blood on his hands again, and suddenly acquired a look of unnatural disgust. For a second, it seemed like he was somewhere else entirely.

"Says the bastard with the busted lip," Jericho returned in kind, lifting the boy back up. He felt a sort of elation simmering under his skin, the kind that reminded him of home. Jericho glanced back at Fabio, catching his unusual expression. With a slight eyebrow raised, he continued nonetheless, crossing his arms. "You'd make a good fuckin' Scout, prancing and dancing away like that."

I
“That’s my goal,” Fabio said after he recovered himself. “I’ll be killing Titans by the dozen, mark my words.”

"Oh I'm sure I will," Jericho nodded. "Let's just hope it won't be on à grave anytime soon, and that's if you're lucky." He cracked a dark grin, as if he himself would not be likely to share the same fate.
"You better go get that checked," he gestured to the worrisome swelling around Fabio's lips and jaw. "I've been done in by that move enough times to know it hurts like a bitch if you don't get to icing it."
With that, Jericho left Fabio with a farewell nod, finding himself gaining a new level of respect for the dropout. He turned and began to head for fresh water, thirst biting the back of his throat after all that wonderful exertion.

INTERACTIONS | Fabio Bier ( Selee-01 )

MENTIONS | Jo Schreiber ( Arcanist ) ; Vivian Schweiss ( M Moonlessite ) ; Elke & Anke Vinter ( Selee-01 ) ; Sera Mayer ( homintales ) ; Ramiel Diakos ( lion. ) ; Elyse Hildebrand ( Danidify ) ; Halvor Verdende ( Raiden ) ; Laurence Arnault ( Colorless Spectrum ) ; Leon Monar ( Castello ) ; Nina Polgar ( ShadyLady ) ; Jewel & Bee ( @Serei2477

coded by reveriee.

 

[lion.]

L

Training Grounds

M

Conflict

C

Collab

ANKE
&
RAMIEL

FIRST FIGHT

Anke stretched her arms to the sky then began cracking her knuckles one by one. Looking to her right was Elke. Despite her excitement for some fighting she was worried that Elke may get hurt. ”Hey, you know that you don’t have to fight anyone. Butterfly said it won’t affect our rankings any and it’s not like you’ll be using CQC as a soldier. Not unless you go MP or Garrison.”

Like her sister, Elke was eager to practice her skills at fighting. She wasn’t really sure if she could perform as well as Anke, but she should at least try her best. Elke turned towards her with a smile. ”Thanks for worrying about me, but I feel like I need the practice. Who knows when it could come in handy?” she replied with a giggle.

Well, Anke didn’t quite expect that to be her response. Ever since they got here Elke seems to have been acting a little differently? She wasn’t exactly sure. Not if that was actually the case or what it meant. With a bit of insecurity and worry, ”Well, umm, yeah. I, uh-- don’t really know. Other than MP Prince there aren’t any bullies here. Uhh, just- don’t push yourself and get hurt. And if anyone takes it too far just call out to me and I’ll come running.”

Elke tipped her head at Anke, her laughter having faded away but her smile remaining. "Alright, I'll be careful. I'll see you around! And remember, try not to get too hurt! I don't think Krause will take it easy on you just because you're a bit bruised up." And with that, she waved goodbye and trotted off deeper into the training fields.

Worry was plastered on her face but Anke knew she couldn’t keep Elke from doing what she wanted. She just hoped that Elke would stay safe. Deciding to put her worries behind her she shook her head and focused on what she wanted to do today. They were finally being allowed to work on their hand-to-hand combat. Anke had been anticipating this day for quite some time. Everything so far had been fun to her. Working on their skills to become stronger and more capable soldiers. She was really excited to throw some punches at her comrades. Any fights were nearly instantly shut down so she hadn’t been able to work on this. After splitting with Elke she knew exactly who she wanted to challenge first. ”Hey! Rami! Where are you hiding!” the young pipsqueak yelled out looking for an old friend.

How sickening it was—that Ramiel Diakos expression to his old childhood friend was tantamount to the raked training ground. It was barren and destitute as an appetent desert was for rain.

Ramiel Diakos was not a mourner; his flesh may have been knight white, but his eyes went back to laissez faire with the dunes and dust bowls that cheat with the sun. He never caught the chill of grievance. But often, several of those images he had trenched out and ripped apart emerged. Remember when? Their faces came to him in motion pictures that were lily-livered and ruined. His parents hark to him, merely on whispers of their deathbeds. Why did you run away? Why Ramiel? The roses, red like curse, that he was to toss atop their caskets pricked their thorns into the pack of his palm. Till they bled him well, they refused to petal down onto the glass meddled lids. Why? Why? Asudden, the isolated tufts of grass on the yellow chapped earth puffed to the wind. When the back of his neck was fanned with a breeze amalgamated with Anke Vinter’s see-sawing call, therein his chest, his heart gave a thump. A thump that made up for the black suit he had missed at their burial ceremony. Deserts, ultimately, were cold at night.

In the sunstroke, Anke Vinter dispelled the glare of the sun.

Tracking the sound, Ramiel found her.

Sucking in his lip, he peered at her with an oblong soulful distance when he replied, “Tch. Even when we played when we were little Anke, I never hid.”

Her blonde hair was in her heated jade eyes as she stood tall and straight. Anke Vinter was a contradistinction to her sister. She was the green of her eyes: a forest. An oasis that awakes west of brown wastelands, she was a place where trees could grow tall beyond measure with budding branches that knew both the liberty and the danger of sound and duty.When he knew her, her forest was in winter with a viridian that was tamed under sheets of snow. Now, he did not know anymore.

"It’s been years,” he contemplated aloud, looking up at the dome of a sky that is blue, the vibrations of his words soft, “But, frankly, I don’t care about that. I want to know what you’ve done in those years.”

He craned his neck, lips twitching, “Don’t tell me for all those years, you’ve been playing hide and seek all wrong. Hiding, I mean.”

A hearty chuckle escaped the Vinter’s lips. ”So quick with the quips are ya now. Remember that time I scraped my knee on the brick steps? You were so worried. Never expected you’d be like this ‘Rami-Nīsan’. You used to take care of us like we were fragile goods.” A reminiscent expression shown on the young teenager's face as she thought back to the days before she had begun working herself to the bone day in and out.

It was nice. Her and Elke had no worries. They were both attached to this guy who resembled the boy that Anke at the very least saw as an older brother. It took way too many weeks to realize this cold, distant defender of nobility had once been the young boy they knew. But the past is behind them and the present only happens right now. Anke looked back at the youngest Diakos, ”Working day in and day out fighting for survival. No time for hide and seek. How bout you, Mr. Hilde-guard? I don’t think I see much of anything of that kid who Elke and I tailed behind. Bet you got some dark secrets hidden behind that mood.”

“Dark secrets—” He laughed like an allegro plucked on the violin, forceful like artificial silk, “I have no idea what you are talking about Vinter. I lived in Sina like a king.”

In fullness, he had spoken in a riddle as difficult as his name. The sound of swooning, battering wings across the cold patterned floor...the sudden curling talons on his shoulders: he was prey to the royal falcons. Go where they want to. Do what they want to. With his world split like an unfinished puzzle, he pulled back to the present. In his throne as the self-proclaimed monarch. As a boy, whose future reasoned on fighting.

“There were no regrets. Really, Miss Vinter. I was dancing on air with high days and holidays,” his voice drew, “Now, I know that’s not why you were looking for me. So, what do you want, Anke?”


Quick and to the point. She liked that. ”Well, it’s not a secret why you’re here. The fancy, pansy nobles must’ve asked a kid to protect their spoiled brat for a reason. I need to become the best somehow. You're the quickest route.” Anke began to walk up closer whilst cracking her knuckles. ”I know how to fight but it’s definitely not how someone’s supposed to. So no need to hold back.” Then without any more words, Anke launches herself off her left foot aiming a kick right for Ramiel’s gut.

Summer frayed at the hilt of her kick. It was an unusual surprise when she seized the moment and her blazing foot rose up. Overactivity- in a thousand franks of seconds-and the kick landed. Menace kicked in as he took in the force of her kick. His lip curled like a collar, his eyes lining with a sheen of water. Anke Vinter could kick, alright. Still, he wanted to give her a cage of satisfaction before he took it all away. Ramiel’s eyes humbly narrowed on his presumed adversary, and he began forthright with a defense. Her leg that had risen up with the thrust of the kick had just been lowering when his hands shot up and restrained a grip around her calf. Slinging her leg, he forced her leg’s flexibility to bend to a more trenchant height a little above his shoulders. In swiftness, he took a steeple of a step back, pulling her leg alongside it. Her other leg, which she hadn’t been so reliant on guarding her weight because of the power distributed into her kicking leg, dragged on the grounded sediment taking to an antsy slip. She began buckling forward, matting to the ground.

“Anke..Anke,” he finalized innocently clicking his tongue, far from soothing, “How am I supposed to teach you when you’re facing the ground?”

His hand unconsciously brushed the area she had delivered her first blow. A hardened face and long lashes batted as he waited for her to get up.

An exasperated grunt exited Anke’s mouth as she fell flat to the ground. Man, she said not to take it easy and apparently he took that to heart. Good. As she stood Anke needed to shake out her leg a little. While she was quite flexible and she did stretch this morning, this boy was still taller than her by a sizable margin. She began dusting herself off until she realized that in all likelihood she might fall to the ground soon at least a few more times. ”Alright then sensei. Bring it on. Teach me by fighting back. I learn better that way.” The young girl with fire and determination in her eyes raised her hands in a fashion almost resembling a proper fighting stance. Anyone who was trained though could see the myriad of holes in her defense.

“You aren’t wrong there. You learn best when you’re in pain,” he commented, wringing his arms in a to and fro from his sides.

Ramiel Diakos was stripped of his sympathy; they did say it was cruel to be kind. He fostered up his own fists, fingers cramping to a style of class in which his fingers had inning towards the palates of his palms. The law of a fist came from the understanding that one must be kept soft, and the other hard. The feet needed to be unplanted. He had an inkling that Anke wasn’t in that harmony; he knew that she was focused on her own energy rather than his. She wanted to fight fire with fire. She didn’t know how to claim his energy and consume it like sin. The force, in difference to her, came from his mental intelligence rather than muscle. Exercising his move to footprint, he sunk to one side, making postural adjustments. Pure discipline pulled him back in a jounce. He could see the puckerings of her physically tensing when he appeared to have lunged. They all did. He waited till her chest sunk down in the firsts of relaxation. There. There opened the opportunity. This time when he lunged, his vertical first went directly under her chin. With an upwards stroke, like the bearer of lightning, he was sure her jaw cramped together.

“Come on village idiot. Control your senses,” he mouthed, breezing as he changed to the wind and yawed behind her, “This isn’t a street brawl. Never put that much energy in a startup. The more energy you put in the beginning, the more your foe can take back just as quickly and dirtily. It can happen as soon as you breathe out your nose.”

Light glinted on his flaxen brown hair, and through his example he wove in a three-sixty two touch spin back kick. It had begun with a light touch sidekick to her head. As he looked over his shoulder in a rapid turn, he delivered a second smoking kick towards her head again. An acoustic shock reverberated from her.

“You’re lucky I didn’t use that much force there, Vinter. Otherwise, you would’ve been dead. Brain stem,” He said in syllables of no moral turpitude, “Point is, if you’re going to kick, don’t make them expect it,” Undoubtedly, he was sure her ears were still ringing from that. Still, the advice lingered.

Using their variation of space, he was once more on the move. Uninterruptedly, he moved along to her right side where his foot lashed out, sweeping in drop kick. He swept her off her feet.

He gave the first laugh like each consonance made for a year for the seven that came with a broken mirror. It wasn’t the appropriate time. Anke Vinter's balance gave out once more. His competitor was back to the ground.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Ramiel rhetorically asked, the nature of a bizarre grin that takes an axis of evil if interpreted wrong, “Is that mud on your eye? Tch. Anke I thought you were over animal farms. You need to think before you hit or kick. Use your space and timing. ”It was given that Anke Vinter would fall again. It was the matter of how many times she would stand up. It was the matter of how many more blows she’d take before a coarse whisper bit out, “I can’t do it anymore.”

Thus, Ramiel Diakos had no intention of stopping. It was free for all gander of what cards he wanted to shuffle, when he wanted to slam down an ace or a jester. He was moving like an acrobat that could prance the foot from a star to the next; after all, bright light was the only thing Anke blinked to when his fist collided repeatedly about her. He was hopelessly swinging, sidetracking into nebulas of zigzagging loops with heels soft. Anke Vinter may have been used to an unordered line of attacks, but in the ones she witnessed she was focused with locked horns not the moving hooves.

Tearing her down limb by limb, it wasn’t a count longer before there was faint blood seeping from her black and bluing skin. He expected it. Normal cadets would apologize, but Ramiel Diakos was neither. He had already walked on the red carpet of the king’s corridor, which had been spattered with his sweat and tears. If only Elyse Hildebrand knew what it took.

“Do you think I’m a jerk, Anke?” he asked at once, drawing back from causing more severity and rubbing his claret knuckles,“If you do...I only have to say that I taught you how to fish. They say giving one to eat will feed a man for a day, but teaching him how to fish will feed him for a lifetime. Either way, I’ll let you decide on that one, no?”

Through blurry vision and with her ears ringing, Anke couldn’t really comprehend what Ramiel was saying. She just knew that it hurt. That she was, within mere moments, weaker and much more tired than she had been before. She felt the dirt caked on her face from the repeated collisions with the ground combined with the blood running from her busted lip. Her limbs were heavy and she could barely move them. However her determination and resolve refused to allow her to just lie there.

Slowly and with great effort the young girl clenched her fists and slowly raised herself onto one knee. Anke looked at Ramiel through one eye, placing her left hand on her knee, she tried to stand but her leg gave way. Spitting out some blood she raised her left fist in a vain attempt to egg Ramiel on to continue. It was obvious to anyone watching she was on the verge of collapse. She stayed in that position shakily watching Rami. He said not to let your opponent expect what was coming? Well, she knew how to do that and with the last of her strength she threw her right arm up and let the dirt enclosed inside fly for the boy's face. Whether the dirt went to it’s target or not she wouldn’t know for a while as with the combination of exhaustion and the very recent beating caused Anke’s body to give out. With the force of her thrown arm she fell face first into the ground out like a light.

mentions: Elke Vinter- M Moonlessite Anke Vinter- alexfangtalon

© pasta

Spoiler: Non-code

Anke stretched her arms to the sky then began cracking her knuckles one by one. Looking to her right was Elke. Despite her excitement for some fighting she was worried that Elke may get hurt. ”Hey, you know that you don’t have to fight anyone. Butterfly said it won’t affect our rankings any and it’s not like you’ll be using CQC as a soldier. Not unless you go MP or Garrison.”

Like her sister, Elke was eager to practice her skills at fighting. She wasn’t really sure if she could perform as well as Anke, but she should at least try her best. Elke turned towards her with a smile. ”Thanks for worrying about me, but I feel like I need the practice. Who knows when it could come in handy?” she replied with a giggle.

Well, Anke didn’t quite expect that to be her response. Ever since they got here Elke seems to have been acting a little differently? She wasn’t exactly sure. Not if that was actually the case or what it meant. With a bit of insecurity and worry, ”Well, umm, yeah. I, uh-- don’t really know. Other than MP Prince there aren’t any bullies here. Uhh, just- don’t push yourself and get hurt. And if anyone takes it too far just call out to me and I’ll come running.”

Elke tipped her head at Anke, her laughter having faded away but her smile remaining. "Alright, I'll be careful. I'll see you around! And remember, try not to get too hurt! I don't think Krause will take it easy on you just because you're a bit bruised up." And with that, she waved goodbye and trotted off deeper into the training fields.

Worry was plastered on her face but Anke knew she couldn’t keep Elke from doing what she wanted. She just hoped that Elke would stay safe. Deciding to put her worries behind her she shook her head and focused on what she wanted to do today. They were finally being allowed to work on their hand-to-hand combat. Anke had been anticipating this day for quite some time. Everything so far had been fun to her. Working on their skills to become stronger and more capable soldiers. She was really excited to throw some punches at her comrades. Any fights were nearly instantly shut down so she hadn’t been able to work on this. After splitting with Elke she knew exactly who she wanted to challenge first. ”Hey! Rami! Where are you hiding!” the young pipsqueak yelled out looking for an old friend.

How sickening it was—that Ramiel Diakos expression to his old childhood friend was tantamount to the raked training ground. It was barren and destitute as an appetent desert was for rain.

Ramiel Diakos was not a mourner; his flesh may have been knight white, but his eyes went back to laissez faire with the dunes and dust bowls that cheat with the sun. He never caught the chill of grievance. But often, several of those images he had trenched out and ripped apart emerged. Remember when? Their faces came to him in motion pictures that were lily-livered and ruined. His parents hark to him, merely on whispers of their deathbeds. Why did you run away? Why Ramiel? The roses, red like curse, that he was to toss atop their caskets pricked their thorns into the pack of his palm. Till they bled him well, they refused to petal down onto the glass meddled lids. Why? Why? Asudden, the isolated tufts of grass on the yellow chapped earth puffed to the wind. When the back of his neck was fanned with a breeze amalgamated with Anke Vinter’s see-sawing call, therein his chest, his heart gave a thump. A thump that made up for the black suit he had missed at their burial ceremony. Deserts, ultimately, were cold at night.

In the sunstroke, Anke Vinter dispelled the glare of the sun.

Tracking the sound, Ramiel found her.

Sucking in his lip, he peered at her with an oblong soulful distance when he replied, “Tch. Even when we played when we were little Anke, I never hid.”

Her blonde hair was in her heated jade eyes as she stood tall and straight. Anke Vinter was a contradistinction to her sister. She was the green of her eyes: a forest. An oasis that awakes west of brown wastelands, she was a place where trees could grow tall beyond measure with budding branches that knew both the liberty and the danger of sound and duty.When he knew her, her forest was in winter with a viridian that was tamed under sheets of snow. Now, he did not know anymore.

"It’s been years,” he contemplated aloud, looking up at the dome of a sky that is blue, the vibrations of his words soft, “But, frankly, I don’t care about that. I want to know what you’ve done in those years.”

He craned his neck, lips twitching, “Don’t tell me for all those years, you’ve been playing hide and seek all wrong. Hiding, I mean.”

A hearty chuckle escaped the Vinter’s lips. ”So quick with the quips are ya now. Remember that time I scraped my knee on the brick steps? You were so worried. Never expected you’d be like this ‘Rami-Nīsan’. You used to take care of us like we were fragile goods.” A reminiscent expression shown on the young teenager's face as she thought back to the days before she had begun working herself to the bone day in and out.

It was nice. Her and Elke had no worries. They were both attached to this guy who resembled the boy that Anke at the very least saw as an older brother. It took way too many weeks to realize this cold, distant defender of nobility had once been the young boy they knew. But the past is behind them and the present only happens right now. Anke looked back at the youngest Diakos, ”Working day in and day out fighting for survival. No time for hide and seek. How bout you, Mr. Hilde-guard? I don’t think I see much of anything of that kid who Elke and I tailed behind. Bet you got some dark secrets hidden behind that mood.”

“Dark secrets—” He laughed like an allegro plucked on the violin, forceful like artificial silk, “I have no idea what you are talking about Vinter. I lived in Sina like a king.”

In fullness, he had spoken in a riddle as difficult as his name. The sound of swooning, battering wings across the cold patterned floor...the sudden curling talons on his shoulders: he was prey to the royal falcons. Go where they want to. Do what they want to. With his world split like an unfinished puzzle, he pulled back to the present. In his throne as the self-proclaimed monarch. As a boy, whose future reasoned on fighting.

“There were no regrets. Really, Miss Vinter. I was dancing on air with high days and holidays,” his voice drew, “Now, I know that’s not why you were looking for me. So, what do you want, Anke?”


Quick and to the point. She liked that. ”Well, it’s not a secret why you’re here. The fancy, pansy nobles must’ve asked a kid to protect their spoiled brat for a reason. I need to become the best somehow. You're the quickest route.” Anke began to walk up closer whilst cracking her knuckles. ”I know how to fight but it’s definitely not how someone’s supposed to. So no need to hold back.” Then without any more words, Anke launches herself off her left foot aiming a kick right for Ramiel’s gut.

Summer frayed at the hilt of her kick. It was an unusual surprise when she seized the moment and her blazing foot rose up. Overactivity- in a thousand franks of seconds-and the kick landed. Menace kicked in as he took in the force of her kick. His lip curled like a collar, his eyes lining with a sheen of water. Anke Vinter could kick, alright. Still, he wanted to give her a cage of satisfaction before he took it all away. Ramiel’s eyes humbly narrowed on his presumed adversary, and he began forthright with a defense. Her leg that had risen up with the thrust of the kick had just been lowering when his hands shot up and restrained a grip around her calf. Slinging her leg, he forced her leg’s flexibility to bend to a more trenchant height a little above his shoulders. In swiftness, he took a steeple of a step back, pulling her leg alongside it. Her other leg, which she hadn’t been so reliant on guarding her weight because of the power distributed into her kicking leg, dragged on the grounded sediment taking to an antsy slip. She began buckling forward, matting to the ground.

“Anke..Anke,” he finalized innocently clicking his tongue, far from soothing, “How am I supposed to teach you when you’re facing the ground?”

His hand unconsciously brushed the area she had delivered her first blow. A hardened face and long lashes batted as he waited for her to get up.

An exasperated grunt exited Anke’s mouth as she fell flat to the ground. Man, she said not to take it easy and apparently he took that to heart. Good. As she stood Anke needed to shake out her leg a little. While she was quite flexible and she did stretch this morning, this boy was still taller than her by a sizable margin. She began dusting herself off until she realized that in all likelihood she might fall to the ground soon at least a few more times. ”Alright then sensei. Bring it on. Teach me by fighting back. I learn better that way.” The young girl with fire and determination in her eyes raised her hands in a fashion almost resembling a proper fighting stance. Anyone who was trained though could see the myriad of holes in her defense.

“You aren’t wrong there. You learn best when you’re in pain,” he commented, wringing his arms in a to and fro from his sides.

Ramiel Diakos was stripped of his sympathy; they did say it was cruel to be kind. He fostered up his own fists, fingers cramping to a style of class in which his fingers had inning towards the palates of his palms. The law of a fist came from the understanding that one must be kept soft, and the other hard. The feet needed to be unplanted. He had an inkling that Anke wasn’t in that harmony; he knew that she was focused on her own energy rather than his. She wanted to fight fire with fire. She didn’t know how to claim his energy and consume it like sin. The force, in difference to her, came from his mental intelligence rather than muscle. Exercising his move to footprint, he sunk to one side, making postural adjustments. Pure discipline pulled him back in a jounce. He could see the puckerings of her physically tensing when he appeared to have lunged. They all did. He waited till her chest sunk down in the firsts of relaxation. There. There opened the opportunity. This time when he lunged, his vertical first went directly under her chin. With an upwards stroke, like the bearer of lightning, he was sure her jaw cramped together.

“Come on village idiot. Control your senses,” he mouthed, breezing as he changed to the wind and yawed behind her, “This isn’t a street brawl. Never put that much energy in a startup. The more energy you put in the beginning, the more your foe can take back just as quickly and dirtily. It can happen as soon as you breathe out your nose.”

Light glinted on his flaxen brown hair, and through his example he wove in a three-sixty two touch spin back kick. It had begun with a light touch sidekick to her head. As he looked over his shoulder in a rapid turn, he delivered a second smoking kick towards her head again. An acoustic shock reverberated from her.

“You’re lucky I didn’t use that much force there, Vinter. Otherwise, you would’ve been dead. Brain stem,” He said in syllables of no moral turpitude, “Point is, if you’re going to kick, don’t make them expect it,” Undoubtedly, he was sure her ears were still ringing from that. Still, the advice lingered.

Using their variation of space, he was once more on the move. Uninterruptedly, he moved along to her right side where his foot lashed out, sweeping in drop kick. He swept her off her feet.

He gave the first laugh like each consonance made for a year for the seven that came with a broken mirror. It wasn’t the appropriate time. Anke Vinter's balance gave out once more. His competitor was back to the ground.

“Why didn’t you stop me?” Ramiel rhetorically asked, the nature of a bizarre grin that takes an axis of evil if interpreted wrong, “Is that mud on your eye? Tch. Anke I thought you were over animal farms. You need to think before you hit or kick. Use your space and timing. ”It was given that Anke Vinter would fall again. It was the matter of how many times she would stand up. It was the matter of how many more blows she’d take before a coarse whisper bit out, “I can’t do it anymore.”

Thus, Ramiel Diakos had no intention of stopping. It was free for all gander of what cards he wanted to shuffle, when he wanted to slam down an ace or a jester. He was moving like an acrobat that could prance the foot from a star to the next; after all, bright light was the only thing Anke blinked to when his fist collided repeatedly about her. He was hopelessly swinging, sidetracking into nebulas of zigzagging loops with heels soft. Anke Vinter may have been used to an unordered line of attacks, but in the ones she witnessed she was focused with locked horns not the moving hooves.

Tearing her down limb by limb, it wasn’t a count longer before there was faint blood seeping from her black and bluing skin. He expected it. Normal cadets would apologize, but Ramiel Diakos was neither. He had already walked on the red carpet of the king’s corridor, which had been spattered with his sweat and tears. If only Elyse Hildebrand knew what it took.

“Do you think I’m a jerk, Anke?” he asked at once, drawing back from causing more severity and rubbing his claret knuckles,“If you do...I only have to say that I taught you how to fish. They say giving one to eat will feed a man for a day, but teaching him how to fish will feed him for a lifetime. Either way, I’ll let you decide on that one, no?”

Through blurry vision and with her ears ringing, Anke couldn’t really comprehend what Ramiel was saying. She just knew that it hurt. That she was, within mere moments, weaker and much more tired than she had been before. She felt the dirt caked on her face from the repeated collisions with the ground combined with the blood running from her busted lip. Her limbs were heavy and she could barely move them. However her determination and resolve refused to allow her to just lie there.

Slowly and with great effort the young girl clenched her fists and slowly raised herself onto one knee. Anke looked at Ramiel through one eye, placing her left hand on her knee, she tried to stand but her leg gave way. Spitting out some blood she raised her left fist in a vain attempt to egg Ramiel on to continue. It was obvious to anyone watching she was on the verge of collapse. She stayed in that position shakily watching Rami. He said not to let your opponent expect what was coming? Well, she knew how to do that and with the last of her strength she threw her right arm up and let the dirt enclosed inside fly for the boy's face. Whether the dirt went to it’s target or not she wouldn’t know for a while as with the combination of exhaustion and the very recent beating caused Anke’s body to give out. With the force of her thrown arm she fell face first into the ground out like a light.

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: - | Interactions: Elke ( M Moonlessite )

​

Jo did hear the small whimper and wondered if she had been a little too eager in pulling that attack on her. Though, in all honesty, it would hurt a hell of a lot more if the knife was sharper. Though, Jo did feel rather proud when Elke perked up and asked her where she learned that move from. "I've been reading a little bit about anatomy lately, and I've heard the soldiers use a similar move when fighting Titans with their swords. What I hit was your quadricep, which basically helps with walking, running, and so on. Once that's cut, good luck trying to use it for anything." She explained. "Cutting either the front or the back of the thigh works." Jo always did enjoy explaining things to other people. Sure, it did wonders for her ego and let her show off what she knew, but she did always feel satisfaction teaching someone something.

Jo felt another tinge of pride sweep over her when Elke got into another defensive stance, eager to learn more. She cocked her head for a moment before she suggested, “Try standing a little more perpendicular. If your attacker runs at you, you should have a little more time to react. Though, you’ve been good with your dodging. Feints like mine can be harder to avoid, but not at all impossible.”

 

[Moonlessite]

MENTIONS: Arcanist [Jo]
​

Elke listened to Jo's explanation with wide eyes. Was there really... a quadruped inside of her leg? And inside of Titans' legs, too? She'd definitely be able to use this tactic against the Titans she would fight as a Scout. Her hand reached down to tenderly massage the muscle that the knife had struck only moments before, before she settled once again into a defensive stance. She perked up when she heard Jo's advice. Stand perpendicular. She shifted her foot back so that she followed the smart words, almost feeling lighter as she did so. "I feel better already!" she chirped, bouncing on the balls of her heels as she waited for Jo's next move. "Thanks for sparring with me, by the way. It means a lot."

Her words were sweet, to the point, and full of gratitude. She was thankful for Laurie for helping her practice as well, but Jo was different. "This will help me get into the Scouts for sure. I'll show those nasty Titans what I'm made of with these moves!"

​

 

[Serei2477]

AND
----------------------------------------------------------------------------​

A spar session against Jewel and Bee wasn’t anything new to them. They’d fought as if their lives depended on it multiple times during their time in the Underground. Jewel would have had to fight against men who fell for his woman facade often; obviously to mend their broken pride. On top of that, whatever Jewel or Bee learned during their “adventures”, it would be reported back to the other. There were no secrets between them combat-wise, however there was still the differences between them in their own way. The sparring field itself was large enough to accommodate them all, which was good. It meant they wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally hitting another person. At least he hoped that wouldn’t happen… Mostly.

Some of the recruits looked groggy after the push ups that was given for punishment in the mess hall. Jewel and Bee, used to having minimal to no sleep, weren’t affected by it too much.
Jewel looked at his sister with a smile, cracking his knuckles. He’d tied his hair back into a high ponytail, but pieces of his hair were unruly thanks to the self-barbering he had to give himself. “Ready?”

Bee tilted her head, hearing her neck pop in a few places. She’d also tied her hair back, but in a lower ponytail to keep her layered hair out of her face. “You’re the one I’m waitin’ on.”

He didn’t wait another second. Jewel quickly closed the distance and shot his fist forward at his sister’s jaw, who quickly smacked and deflected the fist. With her brother still following the momentum, Bee quickly side stepped to deliver a kick to his legs. However, Jewel was quick to react and moved, dodging her attack. He’d caught sight of her body’s weight relying on one foot, and so he rushed forward and pushed her. Jewel was successful, taking her to the ground and tried to pin her on her stomach. Bee, however, recovered quickly enough to roll back onto her feet. She huffed, trying not to breathe the dirt that she’d kicked up and used it to her advantage.

With the thin layer of dirt to hide her movements, Bee rushed forward again. She faked Jewel with her left hand, being deflected as she thought then shot her head forward to headbutt him, hitting his mouth, nose, and chin. With that momentary stun, Bee reeled her fist back and delivered another hard punch to his jaw. The sound itself was loud enough for anyone close by to hear.

The familiar numb pain shot through his jaw, Jewel shaking off the vertigo that followed such a hit. After years of taking worse from men twice his age in the past, he could recover from the good punch. A normal civilian? It might have knocked them out cold.

Bee was small, but she knew how to use her strength.

Unfortunately for her, Jewel wasn’t going to give her the chance to use it again.

He fell to the ground, acting as if Bee’s punch had been powerful enough to send him to the ground. As Jewel thought, his sister moved to kick him while he was down, literally. Her foot slammed down on dirt, catching pieces of Jewel’s hair and his jacket. In retaliation, he grabbed a handful of dirt and swung it at his sister’s face. Bee, having fallen victim to his move before, shielded her face just in time. However, that little bit of time was all Jewel needed to stand back up. Just as Bee got ready to attack again, Jewel’s hand shot forward and grabbed her by the neck, his foot slid from behind her’s, tripping and forcing her onto the ground again.

With her stomach against the dirt, Jewel’s hand on the back of her neck and his knee against her back, he made quick work of taking her down.

“Fucking cheater.” Bee commented, giving her brother a grin. “Wouldn’t expect any less of you Juli.”

Vivian watched the scene from afar, somewhat amused with the way they fought. She knew that the other set of siblings were crafty and cunning, which could easily be observed through their fighting styles. She had been trying hard to hone more practical skills on the battlefield, but maybe she could learn something from Bee and Jewel.

“Hey.” She tossed them a simple greeting as she approached them. Vivi was already a bit scuffed up by one or two scraps she had with the other recruits, but she wasn’t too injured. “Looks like you two are having fun.”

Jewel and Bee looked up to see someone approach them; one of the trainees. This girl… they weren’t really sure her name. It started with a “V,” Jewel remembered that.

He got off of Bee, standing up and offering his hand to her. She took it and was lifted off the ground, brushing herself off of the dust that caught to her uniform.

“Hey.” Jewel greeted the other girl in turn, smiling at Vivian. “Heh, lots of fun. I love getting punched in the face by my munchkin of a sister.” He petted Bee’s hair, intentionally messing it up. Bee smacked his hand away, the ruffling of her hair forcing her to redo her ponytail.

“I’m Jul and this is Bee. I didn’t really catch your name.” Jewel introduced themselves.

Thanks to Gabriel’s smart thinking, he’d given them names that would work with their actual ones. “Jewel” could be a nickname for Julian and have the feminine version of “Julie” whereas “Bianca” would let Bee keep her name as the nickname instead.

“Interesting,” Vivian blinked at their introductions. She had seen kids fight before, but this was a little too amusing. Even the way that they interacted with one another was kind of funny. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Vivian, but you can just call me Viv. I was wondering if you’d like to spar for a bit with me? I feel like I could learn a bit from you two.”

“Nice to meet you Viv.” Jewel said first.

“Yeah, good to know ya.” Bee responded afterward then her brother spoke up again.

“Bianca lost our fight, so I think she should get some extra training in. What do you say?” Jewel grinned seeing his sister glare at him.

“You won because you’re cheap.”

“I won because I’m crafty.” Jewel countered, “Besides, you could learn a thing or two from Viv. She looks like she knows how to hold her own.”

Bee stole a glance at the other girl, and she had to admit, Vivian did look like she might know a thing or two about combat. If that was actually the case, then the real loser here would be Jewel for not experiencing such a technique first hand.

Bee smiled, “I’m ready when you are, Viv.”

Vivian patiently waited for the two siblings to decide who got to fight her. In the end, Jewel stated that it was best if Bee fought her. She looked the girl over. She was small, dainty-- but still a good fighter. Goes to show that size doesn’t matter. I can’t underestimate her. Vivian thought. Best to test the waters.

She sent out a punch directed at her right side, putting enough force behind the blow to daunt the girl slightly if it hit.

Jewel stepped off to the side, leaving Bee to fight her new spar mate. She put her arms in front of her to try and block, the amount of force in Vivian’s blow did tell her to be more wary. A good punch could knock Bee out cold. She’d already lost once, and dammit she wasn’t going to make Gabriel look bad.

She swung a fake right punch at Vivian, with the intention of trying to knee her in the gut if she took the bait.

The corner of Vivi’s lips quirked when she saw that her blow had been blocked, though she could tell the other girl was surprised by the force of her attack. Vivi reached a hand up in an attempt to block Bee’s attack, though she herself was met with a knee to the gut. The blow drew out some of her breath, but she was quick to recuperate.

Not that Bee would figure that out, at least, she hoped. Vivi bent forward, grimacing slightly as if she had been in severe pain. Then, without a moment’s notice, she straightened up, using the momentum to send an uppercut towards Bee’s jaw.

Bee, having just fallen for the fake hurt from her own brother, whipped her head back to narrowly avoid getting hit by the uppercut. She moved to try and grab Vivian’s wrist then swung her head to deliver a headbutt much like she had done to her brother.

This girl was quick to react, wasn’t she? Vivi ground her teeth together as she yanked her arm back and moved out of the way of Bee’s headbutt. She brought down her arm again, and slammed her elbow right between her shoulder blades. Bee seemed to crumple under the blow and Vivian watched as she stumbled to the ground once again.

“Thanks for the fight. See you around,” Vivian stated, waving off Bee as she turned away.

The strike certainly shot through her system much like her punch had done to Jewel's jaw. The strength behind the blow was enough to make Bee to a knee, holding herself up from falling to the ground. She was ready to continue, however Vivian seemed to take this as the training session being over. She underestimated Bee. Did she really think Bee would go down after a little fucking hit like that?

Did Vivian think her that weak?

Bee growled under her breath as Vivian turned to leave. Jewel, standing with his arms crossed, chose not to say anything. This was a lesson Vivian would need as well.

The shorter girl sprung up and ran after Vivian. Within a second, Bee was behind Vivian and wrapped her arms around the girl's stomach from behind, holding her tightly before Vivian was suddenly lifted off the ground.

"HRAH!"

Bee swung Vivian above and behind her, her body bending backwards to slam Vivian's head against the dirt in a suplex. The move was swift, most likely needing Vivian to take a second to register what had just happened as Bee uprighted herself again. She brushed her hands against each other to get the dirt off of them.

"Why the hell did you put your back to me? Do I look unconscious to you?" Bee asked the other girl "If I had a sword or a rock, I could have killed you. Be more careful."

 

[Colorless Spectrum]

Laurence Arnault

"Oi, Laurie!" With a jolt, Laurie turned around to see Noah looking at him with the same grouch he always wore. He noted the dirt that stained the other teen's clothes and figured that he had just finished sparring with someone else.

He gave him a wave, "Hey, Noah. What's up?" Laurie said with a smile as Noah glared at him. It felt so intense that it seemed like there was a sharp knife by his throat. Well, there was a knife by his throat. A wooden one. "No warning, huh?" He gave a relaxed tone, only to show how he didn't seem to mind the surprise attack.

"Nope!" Noah said in a lecturing tone, "You have to be prepared for everything, Laurie." He reprimanded taking the wooden knife from the other's throat. At times, Noah can be an overly serious teenager but when outside of training he was an easy-going person with a tendency to burst into anger.

Laurie held his hands up as if he was caught guilty. A lopsided grin embedded on his face as Noah glared at him in frustration. "If you wanna spar you just have to say so." He teased knowing that the other did want to spar some more even when he had already done it with three other people.

"Whatever." Noah struck, with the wooden knife in hand he trusted it straight to Laurie's chest. The older teen pushed it away with his palm before giving Noah a weak knee to the stomach. "You're not taking this seriously." The younger teen groaned through clenched teeth, the attack still had quite the impact on him after all.

Laurie merely gave him a shrug when he took a step away from the irritated Noah. He struck again, this time grabbing the other's collar with one hand while another wound to strike him at the side of his face. Noah's fist was almost hard as a rock, the kid was definitely building his strength the past few weeks since joining. "That is definitely going to bruise," Laurie said with a groan, caressing his cheek with a pout on his mouth.

Noah then tackled Laurie to the ground where they proceeded to roughen each other up while rolling. To another, the two would have looked like mere children playing around with how Laurie had a playful smirk on his lips. After some time rolling in the dirt and giving each other bruises, their spar ended with Laurie giving Noah an armbar. "Enough! Enough! I give up!"

The two were both sitting on the dirt, panting like they ran a marathon. "Well?"

"Okay, maybe I thought you were being a little too easygoing," Noah stated with hurt pride, "and I'm sorry for that. It's just I don't think you're giving it you're all. You could make it to the top ten."

There was a contemplation on Laurie's part. He never did strive to be the best, like the others, or to improve like Noah. "Well, I think the top spots are more deserving to other people. Like the ones who wanna prove themselves or get to the Military Police, like Jo..." His eyes turned to his old friend who was now fighting with Elke. Yeah, that is for the better. She'd be safer inside the Walls. He thought to himself.

Noah's face was scrunched in confusion as he looks to the other cadets around them then to the ground. "I don't really get it but okay, I'm sure you have your reasons for being here."

A soft smile painted Laurie's face, he was glad that he didn't have to explain further and he appreciated Noah's worry. With a nod, he said, "Anyway, why don't we get outta here? I know you've done a lot and would be pretty tired by now."

"I'm actually not, but everybody else is busy sparring with others so, I guess I'll come with you."

mention: Arcanist | Jo M Moonlessite | Elke || interaction: Myself lol

 

[Arcanist]

Jo Schreiber
Mentions: - | Interactions: Elke ( M Moonlessite )

​

Jo watched as Elke listened attentively, shifted her foot back, preparing for Jo to throw herself at her again. She nodded, glad that she was grateful of her help. "You're welcome. I'm glad it's helped you out." She readied her attack stance again, hands up and knife ready to go. "Though, let's hope you don't have to do hand-to-hand combat with a Titan yourself when you're a scout, eh?" The size difference would have literally been the biggest problem. They had an advantage when it came to that.

Once both parties were ready, Jo rushed forward, though, rather than opting for any upward motion, she decided to change it up to a downward slash. With Elke's new information on hand, she'd be able to dodge it pretty easily, giving her the window to try any other defensive measures on Jo.