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↱"Some of us think holding on makes us stronge; but sometimes it is letting go." ↲
- Hermann Hesse.
✺
that same night
COMMANDER ERWIN SMITH checked the watch he kept in his pocket, partly annoyed that he had arrived so late to his meeting with a promising cadet.
In his defense, the Survey Corps was gearing up for an expedition the following morning- the attempted taking back of Wall Maria- an expedition he knew would prove fruitless in the end but was nonetheless necessary. The previous attempts had been completely unsuccessful, but he believed if he just pushed further, salvation would come.
"He's late."
Captain Levi Ackerman appeared next to Erwin after bringing their horses to the stables, wiping off the dirt that had gotten on his hands. He was incredibly annoyed at how filthy Shadis kept the stables and wondered whether he was putting the recruits to good use.
"We're late, Levi," Erwin corrected, straightening his bolo tie and smoothening his hair. "It's perfectly understandable that Keith isn't here to welcome us."
"Well, do we have to wait?" Levi was more than slightly irritated that Erwin had insisted on dragging him along to this. New recruits were basically Titan fodder, but for some reason, Erwin thought this one was special just because Shadis had made it a point to mention her.
"I thought by now you'd develop more patience, Levi," Erwin smirked as he noticed Shadis approaching. "Either way Keith is here now. Tryto be on your best behavior."
Levi clicked his tongue as he muttered under his breath. "I'm not a dog."
As Shadis approached, the man was flustered, to say the least. He had just finalized all the cadets' rankings and was preparing for graduation later in the evening.
"Erwin, Levi, how great you could make it," he said, trying to hide the hint of irritation in his voice. Out of all the nights, the pair could have arrived late, they chose this one.
"I'm sorry if we caused any trouble, we were preparing for our expedition tomorrow, but we're very eager to meet this Cadet-?" Erwin trailed off.
"-Devlin. Katerina Devlin." Shadis continued, ushering them through the gates of the camp.
Erwin felt a wave of nostalgia as they passed the young bright-faced cadets, ready for their futures and full of promise. Levi wished he'd never have to lay eyes on brats like these again, the constant stares and whispers annoyed him. His reputation didn't allow him a second of peace.
