__________________________

Raphaela looked up, her eyes widening slightly. What was that shout? Had some trainee gone berserk or something?

Everyone else's heads turned towards the sound, the room being filled with small mutters and near silent whispers. A familiar head of dark brown stood out from the smaller crowd, grabbing everyone's attention the minutes they saw it.

"Her?"


__________________________

Teresa stood still. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, making the hairs on her neck stand up in alert. The boy she had shouted at a few seconds ago froze too, looking up at Teresa with wide eyes. He shrunk into the wall, as if a wave of terror had suddenly swept his mind.

"I was too loud... WAY too loud..."

Teresa bit her lip. What was she going to do? How was she going to explain this situation? All eyes were on her now, and all she could do was wait. Wait for the instructor to come and give her an earful like he did with the other trainees outside. She clicked her tongue, turning her head towards the gaping crowd slowly.

Damn it... What do I do now?

"I only need these because sometimes my vision goes extremely blurry every once and a while, and a few times my vision would completely black. I just hide them so people don't think I'm a nerd or something," she said with her hands shaking behind her back. "I'm pretty strong though. Does that count as tough?" Caroline asked with a playful smirk.

She started to become more comfortable in the crowd, even though Caroline only managed to have one conversation with somebody. It took a while for her to realize that the boy was about to leave her, so she quickly blurted out,"Wait, I don't know if I got your name yet. Can you tell me what it is? If you said it at before then I must have been distracted."

Caroline thought this was a stupid question to ask, knowing that she'll find out at some point; she decided to ask anyway to get it over with.

In the distance she realized people were looking at certain direction, so she tried to find what they were staring at. It was a little difficult because her vision was still blurry, and combined with the crowd it was like looking at a multi-colored wall.

NEMO ALTARE

"Physical strength will help you survive the titans, but it's strength of the mind that will help you survive the military...", the boy replies calmly, finally catching a glimpse of his spot from a midst the crowd. His glance turned back towards the girl. Noting her improved state, he smiled faintly, "And I'm no one, by the way...just think of me like that for now..." He holds out a hand, offering it kindly, "...and perhaps later you'll figure out the rest."

His goggles searched her, trying to identify, though ultimately...failing. It seemed odd, what had taken hold of her...but he supposed it couldn't be helped.

...they were, after all, only human.

A pain of regret strikes him, and Nemo quickly withdraws the handshake, turning away from Caroline. All traces of his previous extension seemed to fade from his face, and indeed, his entire body, creating the ghost he was once more. And with that, the visage melded into the crowd, drifting out of sight among the currents of naivety, hope...and identity.

Caroline turned back to where the boy was standing, realizing that he has walked away. In seconds the happy look on her face disappeared. So they say that I need brains, tell me that they're nobody, and won't let me get one last glimpse before we have to leave? Okay then, she thought with a confused look.

At least talking to him cheered her up, but it still didn't encourage her to introduce herself to other people. She decided that she'll talk to more people later, since she's too distracted with the questions that are still forming in her head. Caroline paused for a moment, looking down at the glasses in her pocket. She quickly put them on then crossed her arms with a wide smile on her face.

Her vision quickly cleared up finally letting her see details that were in the crowd. It didn't help very well in her situation though. The crowd was too thick, and the height of some people blocked the way. Caroline couldn't see where the loud shout came from nor find the boy, even when she tried to look around on her toes. She sighed, but still had a happy look on her face. Caroline continued to search while the time passed by.

The day, hour and minutes slowly ticked by as the time for socialising were to soon come to an end. 54 Minutes had passed since the command to 'Get to know their comrades' was initiated. The truth was, Yuri and Grant weren't the best at doing what they had been told to do. In fact, the large crowd made the two uncomfortable, even though they towered over every single little ant that wished to do what they had signed up to do. Living in a small village, running a small shop...Yuri was less-comfortable with the amount around him. Vast numbers of vast ages were scattered around, each with their own story to tell...some more interesting than others'. Though really, Yuri never liked audiences at all. He was prone to messing up when he had eyes watching...glaring at his every movement. He had the tendency to slip-up or give a bad performance depending on how many eyes were prying down on him. The near-man was actually quite self-conscious, though had little self-esteem. He still blamed himself for the shop's bankruptcy, despite it really being Vera's. If she hadn't disappeared off, the life would've been more simple. Though he could say the same about his father as well...

"Jesus...look at the height of them two? Insane, right? You think they'll be too big for the Gear?" All such smart-arse remarks came from around them. Annoying as it was, they'd have to get used to it. These 'Soldiers' were to work alongside these two. However, Grant found it irritating being known as a Titan...Although...they weren't aware...

Yuri scavenged around his feet as he kept quiet. Lilith was lost amongst the group chatting away and making friends, or enemies...probably enemies...Grant would be twiddling his thumbs and rubbing his back as he muttered to himself. A few trainees surrounding them were shivery, as] the early-winter frost began to settle onto Isiah. Grant and Yuri seemed to shrug off the icy chill, being used to not having much warmth. Speaking of which, Yuri had read some of the historical journals that were translated. An old language that his Fore-fathers had written about their misadventures with society, building up great businesses. Though only two of the seventeen were able to be translated to the best of Humanity's current knowledge, he still gathered a lot of information. The Fatherland, as it was mentioned as, was told to be a cold and desolate place. Fitting for someone like Yuri, he supposed. Suddenly, he turned to his taller friend.

"Grant? D'yah think we could find someone here able to translate the Father-talk?" The father-talk was what the two referred the ancient language as. It fit with the name of the land it originated from. "Like...do you think someone is intelligent enough? I did bring Bolton's and Nikita's. That way I have one already to read and one to tran-"

"I'm sorry...what was that? I was too busy listening to someone drear on about something that isn't important right now." Grant grinned at him, ending his silence. Yuri flashed a deep glare back at him, even though he was completely right. "Hey Yuri, when are you going to go prepare your life with a lass like I have already?" Yuri was quick to reply.

"I'm sorry...what was that? I was too busy listening to someone drear on about something that isn't important right now." Word for word, it simulated what Grant had said, leaving him to scowl in a friendly way towards his friend. Grant was always going on about that. If it wasn't about him and Asartha, his new lass, then it was about getting someone else it. Everyday he would mention one of those two subjects, and to be honest, Yuri had been finding it extremely irritating.

"Y'know...as soon as this 'Session' is over...we are going to have to talk to someone...we can't go however-long left we have on the course to actually graduate not saying a single fucking word to anyone but the Instructors and superiors."

"Grant. That is the single-most smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Shut y'ah Gob...cheeky fuck..." The two chuckled lowly to one another. They could still hear the comments from other trainees around them. Yuri felt like walking over to them...eating them. Titan Simulator 864.

Suddenly, a sound-flare pinged into the air, sending shimmering waves of a high-pitched squeal into the two's ears. It must've at least affected the entire parade with that sound. The noise could've shattered mountains, caused earthquakes, exploded an entire Titan Horde...well...maybe not any of those, but that was what it seemed to most of the smaller and younger trainees. For Grant and Yuri, they simply flinched and fiddled with their ears temporarily before turning to the noise's origin place. They managed to catch glimpses of all the Trainees who were 'Over-reacting' in Yuri's case.

"TRAINEES! LISTEN UP!" He waited for them to slowly begin to listen. Arek had returned and the hour had finished. He was on the dot, and made good time from it. Continuing without waiting for the recovering Trainees, he bellowed into the gloomy wind. "We have to inform you your 'Playtime' is over. Now you might be hungry, I suppose? Before I send you off to the Mess-Halls, I must set you into three individual 'Packs'. These groups will be a way to organise who does what, when and where during your time here in Isiah. All those on the Left face, are Pack 1...All those in the Centre are Pack 2, and those on the right in Pack 3. Pack 1 will be using the Eastern-Camp Mess Hall. 2 and 3 will be using the Northern-Camp Mess Halls, Pack 2 in Hall A and Pack 3 in Hall B. I am making this extremely simple, quick and easy to understand. So let me hear you...DO YOU FUCKING UNDERSTAND?!" The reply came strong, though the quiet jokers in front of the pair were screaming no, as if they could do whatever they wanted. Arek's eyes narrowed. "Once you are done with that...you will use Mixed-Gender Dormitories and set up for a late Lights-Off." A few mutters came around the Parade. "Oh please tell me you aren't that pathetic to cry over sharing the same sort of room with people you'll be working with! You will all be given a card when entering the Mess-Hall. On it should read your Name and Dormitory. You'll only need this to navigate there. Do that, and we can have a nice time. There are a total of 15 Dormitories so don't get fucking confused. You realise how fucking long this shitty programme takes to plan? Now as I am tired of wasting my precious lung-capacity on such worthless beings, I will go and leave you to 'Figure out where you need to go'. Dismissed!" He walked off, leaving the Trainees to scatter to their designated Mess Halls. Yuri and Grant stayed shoulder to shoulder, making sure the two would not split off when entering the hall. Yuri's breath was heavy, as he wasn't prepared to talk to whoever sat next to him in the Hall.

__________________________

As the instructor suddenly stormed in through the doors, Teresa looked up, hearing the man's every word. Every now and then, she would get a glimpse of the now silent boy, shrinking into the shadows of the dark corner. She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms as she listened. The small trainee did the same, making sure his gaze didn't land on the angered Teresa.

As soon as the instructor had finished, the other trainees scattered, Teresa following along after. She tried not to topple over the much smaller trainees in the area, keeping herself straight and balanced. Sighing, Teresa ran her fingers through her hair, hearing her own stomach grumble. She didn't really have much for breakfast, and as far as the people in her neighborhood knew, Teresa was one of those people who couldn't go at least three hours without food. She kept on walking, meandering her way through the sea of people and towards her designated location.

"Seriously... How bothersome... All these damned boys piss me off."


__________________________

"Damn... I'm straving!"

Raphaela continued to moan to herself as she dragged herself along, almost falling over one of the smaller trainees. Was it her, or were people getting smaller and smaller each year? Since Raphaela was only fifteen, growing a little bit taller as the years go by is quite normal... but when you're already over six foot tall and still growing, then the least you would want is to continue growing.

As soon as she arrived in one of the mess halls, Raphaela scanned the area, searching for the tanned woman she had come across earlier. Even though the chances were rather slim, Raphaela wanted to bag a seat next to her, whereever she was. Raphaela exhaled, twisting her head left and right to get a glimpse at the other trainees. Some of them looked back, gawking at Raphaela's large stature. That was expected, though. The girl was pretty much used to be stared at anyway.

As she moved in, she crashed into someone, making her stumble back. As she rubbed her head, Raphaela stared up, something that she didn't do so often when it came to looking at people. Her mouth dropped open, leaving her speechless as she gazed at the taller trainee's jet black hair.

"H-Holy shit... He's freakin' huge!"

Caroline heard a loud screeching sound, and quickly put her fingers in her ears. She realized that it was a flare being shot into the sky, so she quickly focused her attention towards the direction it was shot from. Caroline could hear a speech coming on, so she tried to listen to every word, nodding every once and a while.

Once they were dismissed she quickly stormed through the crowd, a little excited. A few people would be pushed aside when she ran through, and of course they yelled at her. She honestly didn't care because she was starving, and food easily gets her attention.

While speeding through the crowd Caroline bumped into somebody, almost pushing both of them down since she was walking at a very fast pace. She rubbed her head then fixed her glasses, then looked up realizing that it was the boy that she talked to earlier.

"Oh hi..." she awkwardly said to him.

As the two kept moving, they were half-way down the Parade Field before something bumped into him. Well, here's the thing. People were pushing past and occasionally bumping into him as he'd expect, yet this one seemed more forced...as if with intention or just pure clumsiness. He stumbled forward ever-so-slightly, grunting and muttering everything under the sun as he turned around. Grant didn't notice him stopping at first, but managed to realise just in time to not end up trailing away from his Friend. Yuri stared down, looking at the minute girl who had just barged into him. Judging by her facial expression, pure shock, she seemed to have done it in an accidental manner. Although, onething was said...and it slightly infuriated him.

"H-Holy shit...He's freakin' huge!" She must've muttered louder than she had anticipated. As Yuri had now found himself towering over the girl who'd crashed to the ground. His head tilted as he began to scratch the top of his hair, ruffling it a little bit more. Yuri sighed slightly at the comment.

"Holy shit...people have different heights?" He grinned to himself slightly. Squatting down to the level she was at, on the floor, he nodded to himself. "Speak for yourself? I think the real thing is that you are either too small...or I might be a Titan?" He kept a little grin on his face as he spoke, Grant rolling his eyes at his poor joke. Standing back firmly onto his two feet, he held out his long arm. He offered to help her to her feet. "You know...the Instructors don't like a dusty uniform...or a trampled body in the middle of the Parade Square..."

NEMO ALTARE

Deep in thought, Nemo only barely caught the tail end of the speech, his usually observant manner completely broken by the wave of memories that had overcome him earlier, prompting his swift exit. A sudden sound erupted overhead, followed by a wave of shrieks to accompany it. The boy was broken out of yet another train of thought, causing him to snap back into his usual self once more. He stood up, and--having gotten only the middle to end of the speech--managed to just barely piece together what had been said, sighing as he headed for the proper mess-hall.

Even taking his time, his pace a bit slowed as he tried to recover his previous thoughts, the tan-skinned boy found it incredibly aggravating as to how the unorganized mob rushed past him. Had they not eaten? Was this all they had looked forward to the entire day?

"...animals...", he mumbled to himself as another cadet roughly shoved past him, trying to make THEIR way towards the food as fast as possible. His temperament began to turn sour, his brow slowly furrowing down in frustration as the mindless savages around him hurled themselves into the hall, their hunger pushing away all signs of discipline and etiquette. Fingers rapped angrily against crossed forearms as a pair of military boots constantly had to re-adjust weight distribution and balance from those shoving and tumbling on by. Nemo's sense of annoyance churned up into one of almost pure loathing, creating an aura of concentrated, blood-boiling fury about him.

A sudden jolt sent his foot lurching forward, only barely stopping him from colliding with the floor. His goggles, however, had no such advantage, and were sent hurtling off into the crowd. Baring hateful green eyes and a dark scowl, the young soldier whirled on his heel, his hand already mid-motion for a counter-strike.

...which would be stopped...once he noticed who had bumped into him. His hand hung hesitantly in the air for a moment, before lowering. He felt his rage slowly beginning to cool now, even as a few various others shoved or brushed past him.

"...hiya back.", he replied upon seeing the girl once more, rubbing his temple with the nail of his thumb, clearly still holding a bit of resentment for the jolt he'd received earlier. The boy sighed, exhaling out a small fog before him as he calmed down, closing his eyes for a moment before re-opening them. "Well...you found me earlier than expected, I'll give you that much. I take it you too are of the mindset to try and get as much food in your belly as possible, hmm?" He looked about, crouching down to search the floor for his goggles, another scowl spreading across his face as he noted the crushed frames just a few meters away...still being trodden upon by unwary feet.

A rumbling growl emits from the recesses of the boy's chest, "...I'll kill the fucker...I'll--tch", he mumbled lowly to himself, gritting his teeth as he stood up and prepared to head over, with the attempt at a retrieval of his precious keepsake.

Caroline saw his goggles fly off and she started yelling, "OH GOD OH GOD I'M SORRY!" She started to freak out like crazy, and was too busy to answer any questions or listen to him. "I-I'll get your goggles for you!" she squeaked, then sped through the crowd scooping up the goggles before he managed to get any closer.

She quickly ran back in front of him with her hands held out, the broken goggles resting on top of them. Her face was a bright red, and steam was forming on her glasses due to her sweat. Caroline's entire body was shaking, scared that he's going to do something bad to her. "Gomen nasai gomen nasai," Caroline repeatedly muttered.


"I-I might b-be able to f-fix it," she said, stuttering like before. Caroline obviously talked louder when she's anxious, and this definitely worried her. She looked at his dark green eyes, blinking her own a few times while her face started to become redder. Don't kill me don't kill me, Caroline thought to herself.

__________________________

Raphaela took the guy's hand, pulling herself to her feet. She stared up at him for a moment, taking in his abnormally tall stature. Not that Raphaela herself was any different, though.

Again, she hesitated, then made a cheesy grin, looking like a seven-year-old playing around on a hot summer's day. Raphaela laughed, her loud voice causing a few head tilts in the mess hall.

"Ha, sorry 'bout that. But seriously, you're really, really fucking tall! Seriously, guys like you don't come around that often. Do you know how happy I am knowing that I'm not the only titan walking 'round here? This is great!"

As she dusted herself off, she continued to run her mouth, keeping the two guys in front of her occupied with her never ending speech whilst the other trainees rushed to get food. "I guess I'm not the only one who thinks the little runts running about here are freakin' tiny... but when I look up at you guys, I feel like some ant! Being this tall now at this age is pretty weird... and troublesome... Crap, I haven't told you my name yet! And you helped me up as well so thanks... I'm Raphaela Leistner by the way. Nice knowing ya!"

And as soon as she finished, she disappeared completely into the hungry crowd. Forget her tendency to let conversation hang for way too long. She needed food!

NEMO ALTARE

Nemo's anger faltered for a moment, and he suddenly felt unprepared for this unexpected situation.

His next action would be to immediately grasp her thoroughly by the shoulders and yell out "CAROLINE, SHUT UP AND GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!"

He coughed and patting down her jacket shoulders...clearly trying to forget he had just raised his voice to the point where the remaining cadets entering the hall could hear--and subsequently stare--at the two of them. "...ahem, I mean, it's alright, I can fix them later anyway.". The boy held out a hand for the goggles, trying to contain his inner paranoia at someone else touching them, nay, HOLDING them. With a slight smile, he raised an eyebrow, "...can I have them back?", stating the words calmly, trying to get her to relax a bit so the event wouldn't seem...AS awkward.

Annella and Lilith had been near the front of the crowd, close to the Chief as he shot the deafening sound flare into the skies above. The screech made the two girls wince, even making Annella try to cover her ear before she would have her ear drums burst on the first god-damn day.

They stood at attention, their conversation broken as they listened to their chief carefully. Annella couldn’t help but notice how attentive the overly-cheerful girl was beside her. She’d be a great soldier, good for taking orders. The short brunette observed, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose as she looked at Lilith beside her from the corner of her eyes.

With the chief done with his speech, the two girls looked at each other. “Seems like we’re grouped together. Maybe we’ll be in the same dorm, hm?” Lilith grinned at her, the girl’s hands flying behind her neck as she stretched her limbs with a groan. “We may also be lucky if I get you introduced to the others, but we’ll see then.”

Before Annella could question her further, the cheerful girl tugged on her jacket, squealing something about food before dragging her through the crowds of hungry teenagers and towards their assigned hall. Others? Oh god, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to this many people in my life, the girl panicked, but didn’t find the will to voice her opinions.

“Are you sure you want me there? I don’t want to intrude-“

“Don’t be silly! They don’t bite, Grant and Yuri are really nice so don’t worry so much.” The girl waved off her concern with a giant smile – is this girl ever upset?! – and tugged harder towards the building.

Caroline put the goggles carefully in his hand, with her own hands touching him accidentally. Her right hand was extremely warm, and the other was freezing. In the distance she could here someone loudly shout, "CAROLINE GODAMMIT WHY DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR ME?!" She quickly recognized it and realized it was one of her friends from home, Angelo.

Angelo rushed to her, his short ponytail flying behind him. He stopped beside the two, breathing heavily. "You agreed at my house that you would stand near me in the parade!" he yelled annoyed. Angelo looked at the boy in front of her with angry purple eyes. "And you are?" he asked.

"Umm, Angelo, you're making more drama than I usually do," Caroline said with an annoyed look on her face completely forgetting about the goggles incident. "I still don't know his name yet," she finally answered, then turned towards the boy in front of her. "Lets just go. Try to ignore him though," Caroline said.

NEMO ALTARE

"...actually, I'm curious to meet your friend here.", he said as he placed the broken goggles back into his jacket, his green eyes looking him over inquisitively. "I'm no one, and you are Angelo? Interesting name..." He glanced back and forth between the two, finding it odd--the differences in their natures. "Caroline here has told me so little about you...therefore I believe an introduction is in order, don't you think?", the tan boy stated rather calmly, looking down the hallway at the entrance to the mess hall. It seemed so far away now...perhaps he should leave.

He pondered this as he waited for Angelo's answer.

Then again, based on this girl "Caroline"'s answer...perhaps he should just leave now.

But it seemed so rude to leave after asking for an introduction...

Great now Angelo is going to start blabbing about himself, Caroline thought while she squinted her eyes at both of them. "Angelo Bedion, at your service Sir Nobody!" Angelo joked. "I'm one of Caroline's childhood friends, and she's like a little sister to me. Am I right Miss Tsuyoi?" he said with a smirk.

Caroline looked like she was about to punch Angelo's lights out; her face was steaming red while she made tight fists out of her hands. She took a quick breath then grabbed the boy's hand pulling him towards the direction the rest of the crowd was going. Angelo's smirk faded away, and he started to follow the two trying his best to catch up.

She could hear him walking behind them so she warned 'Nobody', "I'll try not to drag you, okay?" then started to weave through the crowd pulling the boy with her. They managed to easily lose Angelo, but also angered a few people. Caroline didn't really care since Angelo gets annoying fast.

NEMO ALTARE

Nemo felt himself being pulled along for a wild ride by this--notably--complete stranger. It seemed odd, the way her hands felt...biological perhaps? Probably. Why was he thinking all of these meaningless questions? Was he really this bored? Definitely.

Well, he supposed he could continue playing along. This was, after all, turning out to be quite the interesting day.

"Might I ask the reason you just abandoned your 'friend'?", he said slyly, trying to hold back the amusement he was gaining from this turn of events. It really seemed quite queer, the way those two acted...but especially this girl. Perhaps he could pry something out of this...

...either way, this was FAR too fun to let pass up.

"Well, he easily gets jealous about any guy that hangs out with me so he could easily rip you to shreds. That's how close friends we are. And I'm not joking about the ripping-you-to-shreds part," Caroline said with a serious face. She kept a tight grip on his hand, as if she was about to break his hand any second. Caroline finally realized, and loosened her grip but didn't let go.

She sighed then started to walk at a normal pace, but was still partly pulling 'Nobody' with her. "I still want to know your name though. Y'know, if something happens and I had to say your name," she said trying to make up a good excuse to find out this one simple detail about him.

Far behind them Angelo was searching for the two, using his height as an advantage. You gotta be kidding me, he thought realizing that there were too many short people in the crowd, expecting that everybody would be a little taller.

NEMO ALTARE

"You already know it.", he said, suddenly and forcibly stopping her. He slipped his hand out of hers quite easily, pocketing it and smiling as he did so. "...afraid of the big-bad-titan behind you?", he grinned. His green eyes looked into hers, questioning her. Why WAS she running away from this person? It certainly seemed uncalled for.

However, her clear state of annoyance wasn't exactly something he felt like pushing...not today anyway, so he decid--

Nemo stopped just a second after he started again.

"...what was it about him "ripping" me to shreds?", he stated, his tone suddenly changed. "I thought only animals were worthy of such a term...does that make your friend apart of the category of "beast"?"

Caroline didn't bother answering, but with the worried look on her face it was obvious that something secret about both of them. She looked at his smile with her face starting to turn to a bright red again, losing her train of thought. "L-lets just c-continue on, o-okay?" she said with her squeaky voice coming back.

Crap, I've said too much about Angelo! He's gonna kill me if he finds out, Caroline thought getting anxious. She looked back at 'Nobody', slowly calming down. "Y'know, you're kinda-" Caroline was interrupted when a bunch of idiots pushed her into him, running towards the front of the crowd to be the first to get food.

She thought to herself, I think the universe just saved me from saying something stupid.