Flying on Her Wings (Attack on Titan)

Questions... and Not so Direct Answers.

Rachel's P.O.V

Before shorty can start attacking me in the middle of the hall, Commander Eyebrows shows up in the doorway.

"Captain Levi, stand down." The shorty instantly growls, hesitant towards abandoning the fight, until Erwin says, "Now." The Captain leaves the hall, eliciting a chuckle from me to which the Commander turns to face me. "As for you, I request your presence in my office immediately."  I stare at him for a minute, thinking about declining his offer again, but shrug.  I'll play along with Eyebrows' orders for now, though I don't like being ordered around by these humans.

   "Fine, Erwin.  I'll come to your office."  He looks at me impassively and turns on his heel, motioning for me to follow as he exits the dining hall. On the walk to his office we are both silent, which is fine by me. Less of a chance to get attached.  Once we arrive, he beckons me into his office, following after me and closing the door. I realize Levi and Hanji are already in the space and ask,

"What are they doing here?" My feathers ruffle up in slight irritation at the sight of the brunette with glasses.  If this is another excuse to get a closer look at my wings, she can forget it.  My eyes narrow, displaying my clear displeasure.  I will not fall into the trap of experimentation ever again.

"They're here to hear what you think about the situation we're in." Oh great, more planning and talking... blegh.  I calm slightly, letting my feathers settle back to their natural state.  Hanji doesn't even try to hide her staring, and I shift uncomfortably.  Moving to the other side of the office seems like the best option for me to be the most comfortable in this situation, so I quickly adjust my position.

"Go on then." I nod my head in Erwin's direction, and he sits at his desk with his hands folded in front of his mouth.  Levi leans against the wall opposite of me, arms crossed over his chest and a scowl fixed on his face.  Hanji stands still beside him, which I sense is unusual for her– the excitement in her eyes is dimmed by whatever topic we are to discuss.

"As you already know, there is a Female Titan after Eren. She has been interfering with our plans for a while– and we plan to capture her." I raise an eyebrow. You and what army? Shorty and Madwoman? Yeah, you're going to need more experienced people other than those two. "We would like you to help us to discover the Female's identity, and apprehend her." My eyes widen.  I can't help the expanding of my feathers in rising irritation, and by the looks the three shoot my way, they notice the immediate change in my demeanor.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up. So, you want me to help you discover the identity of the Female Titan– who is 15 meters tall with an obviously high level of intelligence, might I add– capture her, and bring her in for questioning?"

Erwin raises a gigantic eyebrow, as if to say, "Yes. Is there a problem?" I sigh, and drag my hand through my long, smooth hair.  The anger settling in my chest disappears as I work through a tangle in the long locks.  If that means I can go home, back to the forest, and protect Armin, then I guess I can make an exception.  ... I guess.

"Fine. But only after my wing heals." Erwin seems satisfied with my answer, while Levi looks about ready to start shouting obscenities at me. You wanna go, Shorty? He sends me one last glare before exiting the office, followed by Hanji. I stare after them, the full realization of what I have just agreed to smashing into me like a solid brick wall.

Just what have I gotten myself into?

~~~~

"Oh, hell no." I glare at the Scout, forgetting all about my polite-fulness. I wasn't about to have my wings disregarded for a simple test of balance.

"B-but ma'am... While your wings can't work, you need another way to get around..." His voice fades at my deadly glare.

"I already said no. Plain and simple– no. I swear, what part of no don't you Scouts understand?" I mutter the last part as the boy slowly takes a step back, then takes off running. I sigh, feeling a momentary pang of regret.  I shouldn't take my anger out on the messenger.  Mother would have been angry.

   Apparently, Erwin thought it would be a fantastic idea to tell every Scout I have wings and can fly. Without asking for my permission. I am seriously ticked off– and because of that, I send practically every young Scout that comes to talk to me running away, crying.  Secrets were once guarded treasures to my family, and then between my close friends– and even though the fact that I have wings isn't really a secret, it still bothers me that discretion obviously isn't highly valued here.  I'm glad I got to remove the cloak, but the stares I receive from every passing cadet doesn't feel worth the trouble.  Ugh, I forgot how habitually annoying inexperienced warriors are.

"Damn it, Erwin..."  I turn as I hear the familiar voice of Armin calling out to me.

   "Rachel!  Rachel, there you are!"  I smile lightly at the blond as he reaches me, panting slightly.  Man, this boy needs to work on improving his endurance.

   "Hello, Armin.  What do it need?"  Once he can his breath he stands up, and my mood instantly darkens again as he starts to talk.

   "Well, I heard about you practicing with the 3D-MG–"  I cut him off.

   "I am not practicing with those... restricting machines.  I will wait until my wings heal, and then I will proceed from there."

   "But–" he stops at the sight of my glare, his shoulders slumping in defeat.  "Okay.  But please, try and heal quickly.  We never know when another attack can happen."  I nod, happy that at least someone backs off when it comes to the Gear.  I think about how there are so many straps, that would trap my wings in the constricting structure–

   I shudder and extend my good wing, letting my feathers sway in the light breeze.  It has been a day since I came to the Survey Corps Headquarters.  Already, the bones in my broken wing have begun to mend themselves, and I figure I will be able to be back up in the air once again soon.  I've never realized how essential flight is to me...  I am just worried about the Female Titan– she has to be stopped somehow.  But first, her identity has to be revealed.  That is the biggest obstacle.

   Just who is the Female Titan?

~~~~

   "You wanna go, Horseface?!"  I watch in amusement as Eren and Jean glare at each other.  According to the rest of their friends, they act like this all the time.  Seeing such raw– not anger, I can't really put a name on the emotion– passion to shout insults at one another when not on the battlefield is quite... refreshing.  Eren and Jean snap out of it on missions, I'm sure, but it is good for them to vent to and about their teammates: in their own way.  I fix my gaze on Armin and ask,

   "So, this is really normal behavior?"  He chuckles at my inquiry, and replies,

   "Yes.  Eren has always been rash since childhood, but when he met Jean, those two seemed to be just right for taking their frustrations out on each other."  I laugh, and glance around.  Sasha and Connie are talking quietly with their heads together with the occasional glance around (probably scheming something involving food, no doubt), while Ymir and Christa laugh with each other.  Reiner and Bertholdt are having a heated discussion on some topic I choose not to dwell on. Eren and Jean are still arguing, and Mikasa watches impassively, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.  These kids... they stay upbeat and happy, despite all that's happened to them...

   I cast my eyes down, clenching my fists in my lap.  My decision is made.

   I will protect these kids, at all costs.  Even though I've just met them....

   They're my friends.