Solace

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Aquanthe @LordVoldemort

Reese gave Gabriel a dry look as the giant strolled out of the cabin, grinding his teeth together before looking to Tanner. "I think I know you from the book store," the boy began. "With the Harwell's, correct? I never saw or spoke to you personally, but sometimes, my uncle would send me there to make a delivery!"

He had been fond of books for a good portion of his life, his knack for reading only bolstered during the long trips between the walls. Reese had learned much of his knowledge during his lessons as a child, seeking fruition for the education he had received through seeing the walls and the districts himself. Giving Tanner a smile, he hopped towards the other boy's side, intercepting the door knob first and opening it for them.

"Of course!" Reese took a step outside, holding the door out for his companion to exit. "They'll make us run if we're late!"

The journey from their cabin to the mess hall felt like an eternity as Reese dragged his feet to the finish line, stumbling towards the mess hall. He could see the girl's side of the cabins, watching his friends begin their own trip to his destination. When the boy walked through the entrance of the cafeteria, he dramatically fell against Gabriel, whining.

"Gabriel, I think I'm going to drop dead," the smell of food filled his nostrils, causing Reese to salivate. His stomach growled violently, producing an agonizing groan from the boy. "Must... eat... food..."

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@LordVoldemort @Aquanthe

Reese was intercepted in the midst of his run towards Gabriel, receiving a hug from Olivia as she reminded him about congregating at the cafeteria. He watched the girl as she sprinted away for a moment before he turned, resuming the trek towards his original objective. Walking up to one of the wooden cabins that Gabriel had strolled into, he unlocked the door and strolled on inside, noting the cabin's surprising roominess. There was more than enough space for four people, spotting Gabriel as the taller boy was speaking to who he presumed was one of their cabin mates.

The youth took a double take of the boy, swearing that he had seen him somewhere before. Reese trotted curiously, sneaking up from behind Gabriel and appearing at his side. "Snooze, you lose!" he cackled in a childish manner, leaping towards the small ladder that led to the top bunk and climbing onto the upper bed swiftly. The boy looked between Gabriel and the other boy from above, trying to remember the seemingly-familiar face among them. Hm...

It was a distant memory, but Reese could recall through the pictures of old shipments from the company. There were very few transports for books, but there had been a store within Shiganshina District for said material. He had seen the boy before, though it had perhaps been only once or twice a year whenever there was a delivery.

At the very least, they were here now, and that was all that mattered. "I'm Reese," he introduced himself, scratching the side of his face.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Ambra @LetMeDoStuff

Food, glorious food...

His fantasy of the savory, wondrous mountains of food were interrupted abruptly as Reese was captured by Olivia, her arm tightly locked around his waist and her weight shifting over his own. The boy almost lost his balance, murmuring bewilderingly. "Cut it out," he flustered in vain, trying to squeeze himself out of her hold. He was often the victim of her vicious arm locks because of how sound a sleeper he was, and only realizing what had happened until the next day.

"Gabriel and I are in the same cabin," Reese iterated to Olivia, his struggle within her grasp ceasing temporarily. If he had heard correctly, there were four to each cabin, with two pairs of bunk beds to accommodate them; he wondered just who their other two associates would be. The boy looked around the oval of wooden structures, creating an invisible map within his head. He located the girl's side of the cabins, the mess hall, the training staff's own cabins, and the boy's side of cabins.

Reese would eventually grow accustomed to the location, as it would be among the other stations of residence during their three years of training. He had heard of stories about previous training regiments, knowing that they would be migrating to several locations throughout their training, including the northernmost parts of the wall where there was wintry weather. "Maybe we'll... wait!"

The boy spotted Gabriel as the giant went off towards one of the cabins, squirming out of Olivia's hold and waving back as Reese scurried along. "I'll see you two later!"

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Ambra @LordVoldemort @LetMeDoStuff @wolverbells

At the very least, Reese was somewhat accustomed to the hot weather that seared the training grounds, his long treks on the wagon between the districts helping with his tolerance, though the boy figured that it would not be worth anything once they started their run for miles and actual training. "As long as I get the top bunk, I won't have to worry about looking at the circus freak!"

Reese puffed one of his cheeks, bothered by the illusion that many seemed to draw based on his family name. While it was true that the Kestrel Company was the primary trading company within the walls and was almost swimming in wealth, the boy himself had not had a taste of that luxury since his childhood. Since then, he had lived a fairly modest life, working an adult's job at half the age until the breach happened. "Unfortunately, titans can't be killed with money, only humans."

His face normalized as the arrival of two others brought a light smile to Reese's face. Though, the first giant had now aligned himself with the second, conspiring their thoughts of superiority amongst themselves. Most of their group had suffered this form of discrimination at the hands of these oppressors for years, but like titans, the boy held thoughts of grandeur, hoping to one day triumph against them through the miracle of puberty. Someday.

"He's the bridge that we take from normal people to soldiers," Reese decided in continuing to suffer in silence, talking about their instructor. He spotted Jade wave a hand to him in greeting for a moment, doing the same in return before returning his attention to their circle. It would take some time to adjust to the gruff nature that was military life, but it had been what the boy signed up for; what everyone standing around signed up for, truly.

Looking to Olivia, the blond patted a hand against his stomach, his expression turning sour. "But I'm going to miss eating like a normal person," Reese whined, his idea of the military making way for his picture-esque memory of the food that that his aunt had made for them every night. He nearly salivated at the mere thought, looking off in wanderlust.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Hey everyone, I'm going to be out cold for an indefinite amount of time today, I've come down with a really nasty cold and I haven't been able to sleep at all. Sorry for the inconvenience, I'll do my best to get better as soon as I can

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Alrighty, I've moved things along with my post; everyone can interact with whoever for a little before they go to their cabins. I think I'll let you guys decide who to bunk with, and I think the limit to each cabin is like four people each. Not entirely sure on that, but go crazy.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Aquanthe @LordVoldemort

Even after standing with the expectation of being berated by the drill instructor, Reese still found it difficult to stomach all of the insults to his character as Schulz spoke of his father's company, finding it overbearing that the man had known of his past inhibitions. But the boy had been in the heart of the chaos that was the breach of Wall Maria, and he had been in the midst of humanity's massacre in Shiganshina; he and his friends had seen things that the other recruits only had nightmares of, and his will was unwavering in the face of the instructor, who would shape them into the face of the military.

His insecurities were dissipating only slightly as a new determination founded itself, though it would not fester yet. Reese almost broke at the words of Schulz as the instructor left him to survey the corps. An eternity seemed to drag on as the boy found his legs beginning to stumble from the prolonged period of standing, his eyesight beginning to lose focus in the humidity and heat. Yet, his fist clung to the heart within his chest, and it refused.

"Another Shiganshina survivor?!" Schulz called out before one of the other recruits, Reese tilting his head to the right to see who it was, as he had not recognized the voice that responded initially. It was someone that he did not know, but if they claimed to be a survivor of the breach, he could add them to their tight-knit group of other survivors.

"And a hero?!" Schulz eyed Tanner with daggers, chuckling. "You must think you're real fucking special! Don't you, cadet?"

It made Reese wonder about how many people had truly survived that day, and all of their experiences. His fear for the titans had been profound since then, and this person had managed to save another person, like Gabriel did. Even now, the guilt hung over the boy, even as he sought to bolster his resolve through the training.

"You'd better convince me that your life was worth preserving over the hundreds that perished that day!" the instructor shouted, walking off to the other recruits as the day dragged on. When Schulz finished making the rounds, the trainees were assigned to their cabins, separating the boys to the western half and the girls to the eastern half of the camp.

Before heading off to his designated cabin, Reese had managed to reunite with Gabriel at the end of their small orientation, scampering up to the taller boy. "Hey, Gabriel," the boy drew an exasperated sigh mixed with relief and exhaustion, wiping his forehead of sweat. "Or should I say, Circus Freak?"

Reese stiffened a laugh, adjusting his ponytail. "I think we're in the same cabin!"

Attack on Titan: Somnium

@SheriffLlama

yea boi

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@FrostedCaramel

Reese had kept to himself for the most part; that is, until the time came when it was his turn for the instructor's evaluation. One by one, his friends were berated with insult and, in some cases, injury, their beliefs and resolve challenged by the fervor that was the instructor's spirit. His eyes peered down the left to catch a glimpse of Gabriel and Olivia, seeing if they were holding steadfast in the face of their special orientation.

The boy managed to contain the unease within his legs as the instructor approached Mora towards his left, steeling his will when Schulz looked upon him. Reese looked through the instructor while the man goaded him about his gender, to which he figured that the instructor already knew. While it had been a more widely debated talk with people he did not know when he was younger, it had become far less frequent in his current age.

"I'm a boy, sir!" the youth's voice was unwavering. "Reese Kestrel is my name, sir!"

There was no doubt that the drill instructor would know of the Kestrel Company from Wall Sina, and exploit the fact; while his body may have started to show the signs of anticipation towards what would happen for the next three years, Reese was prepared to face it for the sake of everyone else, wherever it would take him and however it would change him.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Head Instructor Schulz

@QT

"Is that so?"

A bead of sweat trickled along the edges of Schulz's beard, scoffing as he released his constraint on the recruit's hair. His dark eyes studied the look of a quiet determination that her face wore, having seen a similar lot within the rest of the worms scattered before him. Just as a temporary moment of calmness showered over the instructor, his body swirled towards the source of the insect who had interrupted his train of thought, his fists balling up as he shuffled towards the suicidal individual.

Getting a good look and sizing up the infant that had dared to speak without his permission, Schulz's brow furrowed angrily, a scowl returning to his face. "WHAT IN THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY?" He bent slightly, his face only inches apart from the waste of space as his voice howled. The man grounded his teeth together, a feral look in his pupils as his forehead crashed hard against the other's head. "YOU WILL NEVER SPEAK TO ME UNLESS INSTRUCTED, OR I WILL BREAK YOUR HEAD!"

Continuing to look at the eyesore was already beginning to give Schulz an aneurysm. "YOU THINK THOSE TITANS ARE GONNA STOP TEARING APART YOUR FRIENDS AND COMRADES IF YOU ASK POLITELY?" the instructor pulled back from up close, his body and hands doing his best feminine impression. "O-oh, please stop eating her, mister titan! Please, stop it!~"

Schulz's face hardened in an instant as he spat on the back of his hand, delivering a hard backhanded slap to Sano's worthless cranium. While it recovered from his strike, the instructor wiped the spit from his hand on the cretin's uniform. "DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY, RIGHT NOW, YOU FUCKING PUSSY!" Schulz ordered. "AND THE LONGER YOU WASTE MY TIME, THE LONGER EVERYONE IS GONNA RUN THE FIELD!"

---

Reese Kestrel

It had certainly not felt like two years had already passed for Reese Kestrel. Standing a few inches taller, the young boy's hair had grown just enough to require containment, keeping the hair at the back of his head in a small ponytail. Clad in the uniform of the 104th Training Corps, he had originally been undecided after the fall of Wall Maria, but his friendship to the others had depended on it.

When they had become displaced from the loss of their home in Shiganshina District, Reese refused to allow them to suffer at the overpopulated refugee camps, and instead, offered them his home in Trost District. While his aunt had been heavily distraught over the loss of his uncle, she and Reese's cousins had welcomed the group of displaced children with open arms, allowing them to stay under the roof of their estate.

Shuffling his feet nervously, Reese unknowingly began to puff one of his cheeks in the anticipation of the drill instructor's arrival, having expected a much less expletive-filled orientation ceremony. Luckily, Mora was to his left, and the presence of the giant named Gabriel managed to slightly soothe the boy's nerves. He kept to himself, watching as the drill instructor went through each of the recruits, grimacing when Jade was struck without hesitation.

Reese kept his whine to the lowest volume when the instructor ordered one of the boys to do push-ups, hearing that they would have to run for a longer period of time if the boy did not finish at a fast time. This is how the military really is, the youth thought to himself, holding his salute resolute.