[B][CENTER]Year 846, one year after the breach of the Southern Wall. Eastern Region 101st Trainee Squadron Initiation Day[/B][/CENTER]

Hundreds, if not thousands, of them stood in uniform rows. All of them were merely young boys or girls, but every single one had the same look on their face - that look that said nothing short of death would stop them from achieving what they left home to do. Of course, a large portion of them would be going home that very night. They'd work the fields or do something else menial with an abhorrence for their weak constitutions for the rest of their lives. Jonah Althaus, of Wall Rose, stared with steadfast determination into the captain's eyes as he strode up and down the rows, looking for the weakest links. The large man paused and gazed menacingly down at the boy.

Captain Schaeffer stood tall and proud at a solid six feet, his skin tanned to near leather from the time he spent in the open sun training "ingrates and maggots" as he so endearingly referred to the cadets. There was an intimidating scar that ran from an indeterminate spot on his shoulder all the way up his neck and over his left cheek. Rumours had spread throughout every Trainee Squadron as to where it came from, but every other instructor knew that it was a simple accident when he couldn't duck in time on horseback and was smacked with an incoming tree branch. Despite popular belief, he did not acquire the scar when he pissed off his own instructor and the two dueled; nor was the closed wound awarded to him by an angry wolf (or pack of wolves, depending on the version of the story which one chose to believe) which he taunted into a fight. The muscle which bound each of his limbs seemed to push his flesh to the limit of its holding capacity. Veins pressed against his skin, almost visible as they pulsed and after a good long thought... he moves on from the boy. Jonah wasn't worth his time - nothing he said would intimidate or even cause the boy to flinch.

Minutes later, he came across a boy with red hair, long enough to be braided, staring straight ahead as he was instructed to do. However, his eyes weren't flat... they didn't gaze on into nothing... They seemed almost ready to jump to any opportunity to present itself. To let the boy move, he almost seemed to be driven insane by that required salute and Schaeffer relished the opportunity to make him squirm. He stopped dead in his tracks, stared at the boy in front of him, and held that position for a dreadfully long ten-count in silence. "What's your name, [I]son?[/I]" He asked, pouring on the sarcasm for the final word.

It was clear that the boy was straining to respond, "Alois Heidrich, Karanese, Eastern Region, sir," He recited.

"[I]Mmmmhmmmm...[/I]" The captain hummed in response, elongating the words and forcing the boy to stay still as he did so. "And what makes you think that you're even remotely qualified to be a part of the most talented, important fighters that our world has to offer?"

"Because there's no better feeling in this world that tearing into the flesh of an aggravated piece of shit Titan, sir," Came his brisk and sadistically excited reply. 

Schaeffer had to prevent himself from laughing, "And how in the [I]Hell[/I] would you know that, boy?"

"Because it's true of all things..." He said with little hesitation before quickly adding, "Sir."

The captain almost seemed impressed and decided better of pushing the topic - whatever this kid's issue was, he knew that he would see everything he needed to over the next three years. If the kid even lasted that long.

When he stopped at his next victim, he was answered before he even asked a question.

"Ava Ekkehardt, Wall Sina, sir!" Came a formal, measured, and calm line. "Future Survey Corps, 72nd Battalion, sir."

"Well, well... Looks like we have ourselves a real go-getter here," He said devilishly. "The Expansion Battalion, was it? I give you a week and you'll be gone."

The girl's brown eyes flashed, they almost looked burgundy under the lighting. Her sky blue hair was tied back into a pony tail and her bangs framed her face perfectly. "You would be wrong, sir," She said without hesitation, showing no sign of backing down.

"You're feisty, I'll give you that, but once you realize your pretty, all cleaned up hair gets mussed... Your fingers start to tire... Your legs give out... You'll send a letter to mater and pater - maybe even tonight - begging them 'please, let me go home... I miss the comfort of the interior... I want to go back to playing chess with my classmates and studying my textbooks..."

The girl didn't falter, "All due respect, sir, but you're making yourself look like a bumbling idiot. I'll be leaving those walls as soon as I can, no matter what waits out there - come Hell or high water, I'll not take no for an answer."

The captain actually laughed, right in her face. The girl's hand moved to her face to wipe away the spit that flew onto it and with a sophisticated swipe, removes the obstruction on her skin. She cleared her throat and resumed her dignified salute.

"Well, we'll see where that attitude is when you're done running. I'd like you to start running laps... One of the other instructors, or myself, will tell you when it's time to stop."

The girl's face turned into one of disbelief - did she do something wrong..?

"[B]I said [I]now![/I][/B]" He shouted and, rather than wiping the spit from her face a second time, the girl took off to join the one or two others who had chosen the wrong words during their interrogation in laps. They all eventually started to run only short distances from each other, shooting looks between them that said 'really?' But nonetheless, they kept running. She didn't join the corps to be treated fairly.

"Shinganshina, eh? You're a long way from home, Driuker," the captain said after meeting Rodrick. "Lucky you moved to the eastern part of Wall Rose, eh? Things feel quieter over here... Maybe you think you'll be safe..." Before Tinker could even give his reply, Schaeffer was diving headfirst into berating the boy about running away - even if he had only done so by following his family - and how even a cozy garrison position in the East wouldn't keep him safe and he could just forget about joining the Military Police. Before Tink could even respond, Schaeffer was moving on. The captain tried to keep his attention span varied - some cadets got no attention, some got prolonged, and some only got yelled at before he stepped along the line.

After addressing Kiryuu, he gave a surprised 'hmph.' He crossed his arms, "What is it today and having so many Wall Sina enlistees? Hope you're ready for a real beating, kid - not just from me, most people here, myself included, are from Wall Maria. You're going to have a real hard time being the minority when your money isn't going to help you," He said with more than a bit of venom. "You're lucky I don't make you go running with Ekkehardt," He spat, rolling his eyes and moving on, not wanting to see another pompous [I]child[/I] try to show him up.

[B][CENTER]Year 849, days before graduation, final test results[/B][/CENTER]

Three years after the start of their training, the five students had unintentionally become fast friends. Though some of them had their own issues with one another, they still had their own little team together. One thing was for sure: they wanted nothing more than to make the top ten. Too many cadets came in hoping to join the Military Police, to live a life of bliss, reveling in ignorance on the innermost wall. Each of the five had their own reasons for wanting to join the 72nd Battalion, be it a desire to strive for the dangerous or the adventurous or just to have some form of acceptance, even if it meant you would almost surely die.

Captain Schaeffer stood before the soon-to-graduate cadets, numbering just shy of three hundred, "The top ten students in descending order for the 101st Trainee Squadron are as follows... First place, Friedrich Elder; second place," He gave the faintest of cringes at the name which followed, "Alois Heidrich; third place, Amy Branch; fourth, Jonah Althaus; fifth and sixth place had tied scores for their final examinations - Rodrick Driuker and Gregory Marinus; Sixth place, Kiryuu Zero," there was a murmur throughout the crowd. A couple of snickers, a couple of disbelieving whispers, groans, and a few almost sarcastic chants of his surname in mock-worship of him. They were nearly inaudible and, sans exaggeration, only made out of pure jealousy from people who would have difficulty coping with the fact that they'll never see that unicorn on their jacket. "Seventh, Ava Ekkehardt; Eighth..." The list went on, but the five students could all breath a sigh of relief as they made the top ten, taking exactly half of the spaces, knowing full-well that they could do anything they wanted in the military. 72nd Battalion? Easy. Military Police? If they so desired. Garrison Corps? They'd be welcomed with open arms.

[B][CENTER]That afternoon, in the barracks, Squad 3's room[/CENTER][/B]

Approximately one year into their training, the cadets had to assign themselves to squads. The group of five were tentative to work together at first, but they did eventually find a rhythm together, even if they weren't perfect friends. Ava was assigned Squadron Leader by Schaeffer, who hand-picked each Squad Leader between the forty-five or so squads in the 101st Trainee Class. She sat on her single bed, one knee crossed over the other with her arms folded in front of her, her eyes scanning the four boys in the room. Dear god, what she would give to not be the only girl here... But she lived with the hand she was dealt and did her best to ensure that not a single one of them got the wrong idea from her. As a friend, she was warm and welcoming but as a leader she was iron-fisted and articulate. Their room was immaculate, though many of the other cadets seemed to believe that was on account of her squad having two immaculate Wall Sina residents in it; she would argue that nobody was even allowed to leave in the morning, no matter the punishment for tardiness, until their room was clean. In the room, there were two pairs of bunkbeds and then hers, placed neatly at the far wall of the room, making her the only one who didn't have to share her personal space.

So, it was pep talk time. They graduated in a few days - they were, for the most part, all decided on their plans for the future. Most of the people in the room knew they were going for the 72nd, but really they would only know when it was crunch time. She rose to her feet with purpose, looking from Alois to Kiryuu, Kiryuu to Jonah, and Jonah to Rodrick, choosing her words carefully.

"Congratulations - all of you, all of us," She began, striding forward. However, it didn't seem like she was planning to say much more as her hand came to the doorknob, her head cocked over her shoulder, "Anything you guys wanna say before we get back to practice? We're not graduated yet," She reminded them. Ava - always the studious one, not a moment to waste, even with examinations finished.