Chapter 1: The Recommendation
The sounds of your footsteps echoed in the hallway, as you make your way to the Ex-Commander's office.
You pulled your hood further in front of your face, hoping no one else is around.
"No one is going to recognize you here, (y/n)." Notes your companion walking to your left, with a smirk. "Even so, I don't want to take any chances." You answered as your head swivels from left to right, to confirm you two are still the only ones around.
The man walking next to you pulled on your arm for you to stop, looking for your familiar (e/c) eyes hidden under your hood. "You don't have to do this, (y/n)," he said softly, "you'll have full citizenship in less than 2 months."
You lifted your hood slightly, meeting his cool hazel eyes with your determined (e/c) ones, "I know, Peter. But you know that's not why I'm doing this." You squeezed his hand and gave him a small smile. You know he doesn't really approve of your choice, but he has known you long enough to know when your mind is made up.
He sighs heavily as he lets go of your hand, and runs his hand nervously through his ear length curly black hair. He decides to leave it at that, and leads the rest of the way to the office of Keith Shadis.
"Do you think he will remember who you are?" Peter asks without looking back at you. You were silent for a moment, pondering your answer. It's been 4 years since you met Shadis, and the circumstances of your meeting weren't exactly ideal. But he has met many people under similar circumstances, so you doubted he would recognize you.
"I don't think so, but it doesn't matter," your eyes darken a bit at the memory, "maybe it is best he doesn't, but regardless it doesn't have anything to do with why I want his recommendation." Peter nods quietly and doesn't push you any further; he knows it's a touchy subject for you.
He hasn't seen you so adamant about something in a long time. When you heard about the scouts having a human that can turn into a titan, you had been determined to find your way into the scouts.
You and Peter reach Keith Shadis' door, taking a deep breath you knock softly on the wooden door.
A loud mumble can be heard from the other side of the door, signalling for you to come inside. You slowly open the door and walk inside the small office, Peter following closely behind you.
Shadis raises his head slowly and nods at Peter, "Dr. Thompson, is this the woman you were referring to?" Peter nods as you step forward, hood still pulled over your eyes.
Shadis' usual frown deepens as he looks disapprovingly at your hood covered face. "Remove your hood, please." He says as he sits back in his seat, crossing his arms.
"Do titans need to know what I look like before devouring me?" You smirk sarcastically. You pull your hood back slightly, just enough so you can clearly see Shadis' face. That may have been a mistake. You're not one to back down, but something menacing darkened his eyes. You decided he probably wasn't one to be snarky with. Noted.
You reluctantly pulled your hood off, revealing your large (e/c) eyes, soft pink lips and (h/c) hair pulled back in a tight braid. Even though he tried to hide it, Shadis couldn't help but appreciate your beautiful features.
Your (e/c) eyes looked everywhere around the room, but not directly at Shadis. No matter how many times men marvelled at your looks, it still made you uncomfortable.
Peter chuckled a little bit, noticing how uncomfortable you were. "This is (y/n) (l/n), she-," "I know who she is," Shadis interrupted Peter, not taking his eyes off of you, "we've met."
You finally decide to meet his gaze, taking note that it seems to have softened a bit. "I still don't really understand why you're trying too conceal your identity." Shadis commented, almost to himself. "I have my reasons." You mumble as you shift your weight from left to right uncomfortably.
You don't like thinking about the past, and the events that lead you to this point. What Shadis thinks he knows or doesn't know had nothing to do with your current goal. You left that life in the past, and the only way to stay away from it, is to hide your identity.
Shadis waits for you to speak up again, but when he is only met with silence, he sighs heavily, "Look Mrs. -," "Ms." You corrected him right away, cool (e/c) eyes meeting his cold stare. "Ms. (L/n), I don't know why you're coming to me for a fast track to the scouts. If you're looking to join the Survey Corps, you can go through the years of training like everyone else." Shadis uncrosses his arms and brings his focus back to the papers on his desk. "If you're looking to join the scouts immediately, it's Commander Erwin you need to talk to, not me."
"I've tried writing letters, asking for a meeting, but I get told the same thing, 'go through the training.'" You were getting annoyed from all the rejection. You knew you already had the skill to be a very valuable asset to the scouts. But no one was giving you the chance to prove your worth.
I'm not wasting anymore time. I don't need the training, I will get there somehow I just have to. I don't have the time to waste... You thought to yourself, growing more and more frustrated.
"I know I'm ready for the scouts, if I can just show them my skills, I know they will recruit me right away." You walk closer to his desk and sit in the chair in front of him. "Let me show you what I can do," you try to meet his eyes, but he is still looking down at the papers on his desk. "Please sir, I'm not wasting a few more years of my life not making myself useful. I don't know how much longer I have until..." You trail off, lost in thought.
"I wouldn't have recommended you meet with her if I weren't confidant she would be useful." Peter spoke up after a long uncomfortable silence, causing you to jump a little at his voice, forgetting that he was even still in the room.
Shadis studies you for a bit longer; you meet his stare calmly, waiting for his response.
"Alright, I'll give you an hour. If you're not exceptional, I never want to see your stubborn ass again for wasting my time. If you are as good as you and Dr. Thompson claim, I will recommend you to Erwin."
You smile thankfully at Shadis as he stands to lead you out to the training grounds. You were finally going to get your chance. You were excited for your new beginning; eager to leave your past behind. You knew it would be hard, and you just hoped no one would care enough about you wearing your hood at all times, to question who you really were. The focus should be on the titans, not to reveal the personal lives of scouts.... or so you hoped.
Erwin's POV
Making my way to the training grounds, I am a little frustrated. Shadis knows what it's like being the Commander of the Survey Corps, yet here he is, requesting my time to watch some girl practice vertical maneuvering, hand to hand combat and horseback riding.
"Why are we doing this again? Can't the shitty brat go through the proper training?" Levi complained to no one in particular.
"Shadis only requested Erwin's presence, Levi," Hange replied, "You don't have to come." Levi glares at Hange and fell silent again. "At least I have no trouble admitting that I'm genuinely curious. Shadis has never recommended someone who hasn't gone through basic training." Hange's eyes shine with excitement.
"Also, didn't you join the scouts without going through training, Levi?" Mike chimes in, smirking at the warning glare Levi shoots his way.
If I'm honest, I am pretty curious myself. Shadis never shows any sort of favouritism toward anyone, regardless of skill, let alone some random civilian. This better be worth it.
Author's POV
You shifted your weight nervously from left to right. Even though you got Shadis' approval, you still had to impress the actual Commander of the scouts.
Making sure your hood was securely obscuring your face, you look up to see a group of 4 people walking towards you and Shadis.
There was a very tall man with sand coloured hair hanging just above his eyes, and a beard. Next to him was a be-speckled brunette with a high pony tail, and walking just behind her was a smaller man with black hair and steel coloured eyes. But the one who looked the most intimidating to you, is the other tall man with blonde hair slicked back neatly and piercing blue eyes.
You stopped shuffling around uncomfortably, and stood silently, waiting for one of them to address you directly.
The group makes their way over to Shadis, each politely greeting the ex-Commander. They were speaking quietly amongst theme selves, so you couldn't quite make out what they were saying.
The woman in the group is the first one to approach you, "Oh! Levi, look! Someone who is shorter than you!" You narrow your eyes at the woman for commenting on your height, not that she would notice since your hood was still covering your face. "I'm not that much shorter." You mumble to yourself.
"Hello," the woman greeted you enthusiastically, "I'm Hange Zoe, and I'm a squad leader in the scouts!" You nodded and saluted her appropriately.
The three men and Shadis made their way over to you and Hange. The two tall men nodded at you, but the shorter man, who must be 'Levi', crosses his arms and scowled at you.
"You've never gone out of your way to recommend someone like this before," Levi commented to Shadis, not taking his eyes off of you, "what is your relationship with her?" You know what he is insinuating, and it's pissing you off.
This Levi guy may be intimidating, but you're just as feisty, and you will not have someone accuse you of sleeping with someone to get a recommendation.
"You got us," you say sarcastically, taking Levi by surprise a little bit, "But it was just a one-time thing. I couldn't help myself, I assumed all his aggression would make him good in bed, but honestly he's kind of boring to sleep with." You could hear Hange and the tallest man try to conceal a chuckle, while the tall blonde man covered his mouth, to keep from showing a small grin.
"As you can see, she's also fucking hilarious," Shadis growled, shooting you a dangerous glare, "can we get this over with so you can get her out of my hair." He must have known you were thinking of mentioning the fact that he didn't have any hair, because his gaze became even more venomous.
Even though Shadis and you only spent a couple hours together, while he was evaluating you, but he figured out very fast that you're a smart ass who loves pushing buttons.
"Oh I like her! Can I keep her, Erwin? Please!" Hange begged the tall blonde man, while walking closer to you. You stiffen as she pulls you into a tight hug. Due to your past, you don't typically like physical contact, especially not from strangers.
She let go of you and studied you. "You've got some nice curves for someone so small! Boobs and butt, impressive!" Your lips purse tightly, you're used to getting compliments and criticisms about your body. Growing up where you did, that's all too common an occurrence. But hearing it here, made you all the more uncomfortable.
"Is she always like this?" You direct your question at the men in her group. "Yes." They all answer in unison.
"It's just the way the belts fit," you finally respond to Hange, "they make them more pronounced. If it's a problem or a distraction, don't blame me, blame my gender." Hange laughed and patted you on the back, "No need to be like that, I don't mind at all!"
"Heartwarming," Shadis mumbles, stepping forward, "but can we get on with this, I have a busy day." The tall blonde man nods and steps closer to you, eyes narrowing at your hood covered face, "Name please." He asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"(Y/n/n)." Shadis answers for you. The blonde man looks at Shadis, large eyebrows raised, "That's her first name? What is her last name?" "Is it relevant?" You interrupt, before Shadis can answer for you again, "Do titans need to know my name before I slaughter them?"
"No, but the people who fight alongside you may feel more comfortable around you, if they know who you are," the tall blonde says, frowning down at you, "plus, we place a lot of trust in each other as soldiers. How are your fellow soldiers going to trust you, when they don't know who you are?"
He has a point, you know it. To be honest, you don't know how you will get others to trust you. You're hoping your skills will speak for themselves, but that's probably wishful thinking.
"(Y/n/n), is a name I was given, but no, it is not my given name." You try to look up at him, without letting your hood fall back too far, "I know I may be asking a lot for you to trust me. I know you won't right away, but you will eventually, I know it." You thought you would push your luck a little bit more. "Another thing sir, and correct me if I'm mistaken, but I heard you once recruited 3 criminals from the underground. One of whom turned out to be a very valuable asset to the scouts." You turned your head toward Levi, who was giving you a cold 'if looks could kill' look.
The tall blonde analyzes you silently, until Shadis cuts in, "For what it's worth, Erwin, I trust her." You hear Levi scoff as the blonde man, Erwin, considers Shadis' words.
You're usually pretty good at reading people, but this man is very difficult to read; he doesn't give anything away. "Alright, well let's get started." Erwin says as he turns on his heels and walks towards the 3DMG training ground.
You breathe a sigh of relief as you jog to catch up to him, Erwin's other 3 companions and Shadis following behind.
Erwin's POV
I wasn't really expecting much, but I wasn't expecting this. She flew through the 3DMG course like she was born with wings. Her movements are fast and precise, and her cuts to the dummy titans were never too shallow. I hadn't seen anyone with this level of skill since Levi and his companions from the underground.
Her equine skills were commendable, clearly a natural when it comes to interacting with horses. She was able to stand up, take off and land perfectly on the horse.
Her hand to hand combat was very good, although I could tell she was holding back a little. She was able to hold her own against Levi, but I could tell she was more focused on keeping her hood up. I can't deny that she would be a valuable soldier, however I would be lying if I said her insistence to keeping her identity a secret didn't concern me. I will definitely be keeping a close eye on her.
(Y/n/n) is breathing heavily as I make my way over toward her. She stands up straight, pulling her hood down a little farther down her face; that seems to be a nervous tick of hers. "Don't make me regret this cadet. Welcome to the Survey Corps." I say as I hold out my hand for her to shake. I hear her breathe a sigh of relief as she shakes my hand firmly and thanks me.
"Levi wants you on his squad, but I'll be keeping an eye on you as well." She releases my hand and nods, "You won't regret this sir, thank you again."
I nod at her and make my way towards Shadis, "I assume you're not going to tell me if I were to ask how you met (y/n/n)." Shadis nods stiffly, "I don't feel it would be going against her wishes if I told you she is acquainted with Dr. Peter Thompson," I raise my eyebrows at this new information, "she seems to have some sort of medical background, so you can use her to help triage in the field."
Medical professionals are always needed on missions; the faster injured scouts receive help on the field, the better their odds of survival. Doctors, like Dr. Thompson, for the scouts stay on the inside of the walls, and who can blame them. We only have a few scouts with some medical training, that go out into the field, but they are difficult to replace when they die.
I shake Shadis' hand and bid him goodbye, then I make my way to the rest of my companions. "I said I wanted her first, Erwin! Levi has enough excellent soldiers, and a titan!" Hange pouts as we make our way back to HQ. "Shut it, shitty glasses," Levi retorts, annoyed by her childish whining, "she is a good fighter, not someone for you to toy with."
"She's just so mysterious, I can't help it! I'm definitely going to figure out who she is, if I don't it's going to drive me insane." Hange babbled on to Levi, who stopped paying attention to her at this point.
I secretly hope Hange will find out, whoever this girl is she's definitely an interesting person. I hope to find out more about her as well, though not as openly as Hange. This may get interesting...