Shorter Than Me

5 Ecyn

Dren eventually walks me back to my dormitory. He gives me the tiniest squeeze and lets me go. I get cold instantly.

"Goodnight." He smiles a little.

"Goodnight." I smile back and wait for a second before turning to go inside.

I am met by three sets of eyes staring at me. Kren, Qui, Felcides look at me expectantly.

"Are you going to tell us what that was about?" I see the eagerness in Qui's eyes.

"He wanted to talk... and I was cold."

So I'm sorry I haven't really had a chance to develop any of these three's characters much. They all know each other and I guess they would spend some time together. So, sorry. Bye.

"And?" Kren prompts.

"Nothing else happened." I tell them. I walk to my bunk, which is across from where they're all sitting.

"What did you talk about?" Felcides asks.

"Are you a thing now?" Qui raises her eyebrows. They lean forward with their elbows on their knees.

"No. We're not," I reply. "We talked about the Scouts and training."

"Keeping it formal. Good." Felcides nods in approval.

"They're going too slowly." Fren complains.

"Don't try to control how quickly they go!" Qui nudges her.

"I'm going to go to sleep now," I say.

"Tell us all the details in the morning," Felcides orders.

***

The next morning at breakfast, Briine sits on my left and Dren sits on my right. The trio of girls sits across from me. They whisper to each other the whole time and glance at Dren and me the whole time. As we're walking out, Briine asks me, "Do you know what that was about?"

"Dren and I talked last night and they think something's going on."

He looks sideways at me. "Is there something going on?"

I shake my head. "I honestly don't know."

"Alright." We walk to the stables and wish the captain a good morning. We mount the horses and ride to the forest for more practice. I can tell Captain Zebbo is trying to go faster. It makes the day a little less boring than yesterday.

The next few days pass likewise. My three fellow trainees obsess over Dren and me. I train with Briine and learn to use the maneuver gear better. I talk with Dren some more. I get to know him better. I already knew he grew up in the Trost District and joined the military sometime after Wall Maria was broken through, the same time Briine and I joined. I learn that he has a little sister. His parents were sent out on the death mission to retake Wall Maria and he never saw them again.

You know, the thing Armin's dad died on. I don't remember what it was called and I don't want to go find it in the anime or anything.

His sister is thirteen now. He doesn't know if she has any wish to join the military, but he doesn't think she's brave or skilled enough for the Scouting Legion.

He also learns about me; how I lived in the Shiganshina District with my mother and brother, how our lives were destroyed like so many more on that day, how that feeling of helplessness and fear drove me to join the military and leave my family. My father died trying to defend the District from the sudden flow of hungry titans. I don't know if he was eaten or stepped on or crushed by thousands of fleeing people. Was he one of the ones that tried to prevent people from getting on the already overflowing boats? Was he one of the ones that tried to defend those people from the endless titans coming after them? Was he instantly crushed by parts of the Wall?

I have no idea. I have no answer to these questions.