That was it, they were done weren't they? Despite them doing their best and Samara and Koto excelling Ki'te was positive they were going to be thrown out. And if they failed then that meant their village was forfeit as well, everyone's lives were at risk because they hadn't been adequate enough. In the pit forming in her gut was the sneaking suspicion that their failure rested squarely on her shoulders too, she'd single handedly brought down her brother and friend, and their entire people. Samara excelled with the 3ODM gear and Koto, while he lacked in that regard, was a proven and highly capable fighter. Her? She merely stood in their shadow and tried, poorly, to emulate their successes. And yet emulation hadn't been enough it seemed, not of their current predicament was at all telling. Feeling her chest tightening and her anxiety rising she was shaken when Koto approached her, looking up at her brother with wide eyes.

"B-But... Why? We did everything they s-said, we tried our best..." Ki'te's words came as little more than muttered pleas as she cast her gaze down, grasping tightly at the cloth of her shirt, "We're not animals... Why do they t-treat us like animals..." Every single one of them was human regardless of birthplace or origin, no matter what crimes they may have committed or who they swore fealty to. While that may be the reality it appeared that no one cared for it, instead seeing fit to live in their own world. Those with fairer skin, those who lived within the walls, [i]they[/i] were superior. It mattered not that Ki'te scored higher generally on aptitude tests than most of them, or that Samara could quite literally swing circles around others, or even that Koto, inch for inch, was stronger than nearly every other recruit. No, simply because they looked different, because they were [i]outsiders[/i], that alone was enough to justify treating them this way. It was something Ki'te had been told countless times over the past few years and yet it didn't make stomaching that any easier.

While Ki'te had hoped someone might come and fetch them she'd have preferred someone a bit... Nicer, to do so. Jumping out of her skin when the whistle pierced the silence she shot upright reflexively and stood at attention, her jaw taut as she fought to keep herself from trembling. So they were under her command then and were to follow her so soon, why? Why weren't they allowed time to celebrate or even rest? Far too high strung to even think of arguing Ki'te fell in line with her brother and friend, keeping her head low as they marched from the building. Now where were they off to? The barracks? The ceremony? No, she doubted either, but she couldn't imagine where Sergeant Ekkehardt might be taking them. 

Eyes downcast and focused on the ends of her shoes she'd barely noticed when Sergeant Ekkehardt broke rank and approached them, gasping and reflexively grabbing onto Koto's arm. Was she... Sympathizing with them? On one hand it sounded as though she might be trying to console them and reassure them everything would be okay. And yet just as swift as the sergeant was to console them she made a very clear threat as well: try and leave and you'll be cut down. Ki'te's blood ran cold through her veins because she knew the woman meant every word of it, as if she or anyone needed any more reason to kill her or the others. Nodding numbly and muttering a faint "Yes ma'am," she exchanged a worried look with Koto and Samara, more concerned about the latter and her constant threats to try sneaking her and Koto back home. It wasn't even a matter of what happened to them anymore, was it? If they escaped, successful or not, their whole village was at risk. They couldn't leave... The only way they would get out would be by dying in the line of duty.

And with that they were left alone again. While they had some idea of what to do with themselves now Ki'te could hardly say she felt any more at ease. They hadn't been dropped out of the program, far from it, and the knowledge they remained soldiers came as both a comfort and a fright. No one had said why they were removed from the rest of the class nor why this woman, who none of them had ever seen before, was in charge of them. Just what were they doing? Holding her hands tightly to her chest she tried to smile, looking at Koto and Samara both as she rubbed her thumbs together. "W-Well... Looks like we're still in!" she laughed meekly, glancing over her shoulder at the tent where their uniforms awaited them. "I guess we should go get our things... I mean we want to m-make sure it fits, r-right?"

A new bunch of recruits, and with them came another headache of training the whole lot of them. Would they last longer than the others? It was doubtful, very few made it through 72nd in one piece. In fact the only other person that had emerged from the previous iteration, the leader aside, was Sergeant Ekkehardt. Considering that 72nd had consisted of no less than 15 members altogether that was an abysmal survival rate by anyone's standards and went to show how maniacal the missions they were assigned tended to be. There might be pity for the new recruits if most hadn't earned their place here one way or another. Criminals with no other recourse and staving off execution were a familiar case with their group and it hardly mattered if they lived or died, callous as that may sound. No, the few that warranted even a shred of pity were the outsiders, and yet deserving though they may be the Captain felt none for them. They had been dealt a poor hand and dragged into a situation beyond their control, and doubtless it would be the death of them, but there was nothing for them. She couldn't be bothered to feel anything, not when they'd probably be dead in a week.

They would be gathering the recruits soon and that meant addressing them and finally filling them in on just what their assignment would be. Some would break then and there, there was always a few who did, and one might even try to flee. Like it or not this was their life now and they would see through it to the end no matter what, whether that was through earning their freedom, the end of her blade or through the teeth of a Titan. Stepping out from her personal quarters, a ramshackle tent on the edge of the encampment, her eyes narrowed slightly seeing her sergeant wandering among the recruits. Why was she letting them meander about? They had an explanation due to these kids and they should be gathered together for it, not wandering about like hapless cattle.

"I'm assuming you were on your way to get them ready, sergeant?" Though void of personal animosity Captain Stella's voice was cold as she spoke, near emotionless save for the faint hint of annoyance that colored it. Looking down at her subordinate she placed on hand on her hip and simply stared as though awaiting an answer, but before any could be provided Stella waved her hand in dismissal. "Get them together and be quick about it, I want to get this over with. They still need to get their uniforms and be assigned to their bunks, we have enough to do without wasting time gathering them together."