---

Gabriel watched Olivia speak to the small boy and raised his brows at his stature. He was one of the shortest human beings he had ever seen in his life. Was everyone just born with some kind of deficiency or was he just grown giant? Sometimes it was hard for him to tell, but clearly something was off with the height differences in the 104th Cadets. He had almost forgotten entirely about Reese and Tanner until Reese gave him a punch to his stomach and Tanner spoke of getting him to a medic. He let out a small grunt and held his stomach, rubbing it gently as he looked down at the boy. He watched Olivia ruffle Reese's hair and walk off and was about to speak up to say something to her, but decided against it in the end. Instead, he waved at her and called out. Seeya, Olivia....we'll see you tomorrow!" He crossed his arms and took a deep breath, wondering what exactly he should do next.

Out of the blue, Reese came up to him with a cup of water. Gabriel had a nervous smile on his face and took the cup. "T-Thanks...you didn't have to get me anything, Reese. I said I was fine, you two. I promise." Even so, he felt a little warm inside that someone was willing to go out of their way to give him something. It was almost like how Lauren had given him first aid. He always was appreciative of those who were willing to look out for him, and a small blush grew on his face from the kindness of Reese. It was nice having friends...it really was. He took the cup up to his mouth and drank it down almost as quickly as Reese had gotten it.

Looking back down at the two, Gabriel smiled slightly, and motioned outside the cabin. We...should probably go and get our rest." He was about to walk out when he looked back at the boy sitting down. For some reason, he seemed familiar...as if they had met once before. He thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out who this short kid was. He looked down at Reese and Tanner and spoke up. "Actually, I'll catch up with you two...just give me a minute, okay?" With that, Gabriel walked passed them and sat down in front of Emil on the opposite side of the table, resting his arms on the table as he gave Emil a curious look. "I feel like I know you for some reason. Were you in Shiganshina?"

---

Gabriel was daydreaming slightly as the group went about training. It was always nice to be outside, especially in such perfect weather like today. He looked around at the sky a bit, wishing to go on a small fishing trip later today, then looked back down towards his opponent. Grant was the perfect height for Gabriel, but he believed he had the clear advantage in this situation. Gabriel was not only stronger, but Grant was only slightly faster than he. It shouldn't be too hard to get a good grapple on him, he thought, and slowly began to engage Grant.

A smirk grew on his face, putting his hands up as he watched Grant closely. "So how have you been, Grant? We don't get to talk very often." Gabriel spoke to Grant as they sparred not only to distract him, but because he genuinely did want to speak with Grant while they had the chance. "I'm thinking of going fishing later today if you'd like to come with me. Shouldn't be too hard,
since there's a lake nearby." Gabriel stepped up quickly towards Grant and went for a hold. Luckily, if Grant wasn't fast enough, Gabriel would have a good, solid lock on the other 'giant.'

Gabriel thought about the last training session that they had; the Maneuver Gear test was a frustrating one. Although he didn't exactly fail it, Gabriel had to spend some time trying to adjust to the feel of it. It didn't come naturally to the large boy, especially because of his height. In a way, it upset him greatly because of his father's history as a military man. Still...it wasn't all that bad. At least he didn't fail, unlike a few select cadets. Gabriel stopped thinking of the test afterwards and moved back to concentrating on Grant.

Lauren had found Mora still sprawled out on the training field, her slightly hungover attention had startled Mora out of her slumber as the girl slathered her balm over her neck. "Thank you." she had told Law, thankful that speaking offered only a mild discomfort. Now Mora was only besotted by the ache that throbbed through her stiffened limbs. While sleeping under the stars had given calm to her heart the ground was a little more unforgiving. Law had left, seemingly to check on other patients before the grueling day and leaving Mora behind to dust herself off. Today was the start of training. Something already felt different about that day- like the air held a threat of a promise of what was to come.

Breakfast was fast, the same unappetizing dish as the night before. Still she managed to choke down what was given, change into a fresh uniform and even perform on some small miracle that her hair seemed to be behaving. The sense of soreness still lingered even as she lined up for their ODM gear test run. Mora felt her nerves spark to life with excitement as she watched her fellow cadets go before her. They showed promise, well most of them. She felt prepared, after watching each person hosted themselves up. As they buckled her in Mora flashed everyone a cheeky girl before she felt herself start to rise off the ground. 'Whoa.' the thought flew across her mind as she suddenly found herself fighting to stay upright. This was way harder than she anticipated. Mora no longer looked out at the crowd, instead she looked down at her own wobbling body with a furrowed brow.

That's when the whole world around flipped. Literally Mora wasn't able to stabilize herself any longer and suddenly, the redheaded cadet found herself dangling upside down in front of everyone. A few cadets chuckled out loud as she tried to right herself. If only the ground would open up and swallow her whole right then and there, but alas there was no mercy as she was brought back down and helped to her feet. Irritated, sore and embarrassed she turned to sulking in the back until they moved on from ODM practice.

"Finally." she grumbled as they started pairing off the cadets. Mora had been bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation, her anger simmered right beneath the surface as she eat he's Shultz give his final instructions on how to take down an opponent.

Turning to Emil she offered a smile, not that the rest of her face was forgiving. She could still feel the flush from her earlier failure. Mora would not allow herself to fail here too. Emil was slightly smaller than her, but lanky. He didn't seem like he had any muscle to him where Mora was built from years of hard work. "Forgive me for this." she whispered in her head as she took a be six fighting stance. Mora didn't wait for Emil to speak before she rushed at him, her fist balled tight as she first thought to to deliver a solid blow but at the last moment she shifted her weight and dropped low. Sweeping her leg out in hopes of catching him off guard.

Night had settled and each cadet had eventually returned to their cabins, and in turn, their beds. Tanner was anxious that three other cadets would be sleeping in the same room as him. He desperately didn't want someone like Gabriel or Reese intruding on the careful documents Tanner had gathered over a series of several years. While Tanner had just became friends with his roommates, the worry and fear had forced him to search for a hiding place to store the papers from prying eyes. Eventually, after a period of searching the roomy cabin, Tanner gave up and decided to place the notes deep inside his belongings, using his jacket to cover the bag that held Tanner's items securely in place. It was the best location to hide them, Tanner thought, since surely no one would dare search another cadet's belongings. He didn't see the need to worry about thieves either, as those Tanner had met so far appeared friendly and nice, rather than the despised roguish behavior of a criminal.

By the time Tanner found a place for his revered papers, the rest of the cadets hadn't arrived. I suppose I should sleep before the rowdy bunch comes in. Tanner thought, sitting down on his bed. The bed itself was barely suitable for anyone to sleep on, completely different than the finest soft cushions that those deep inside the walls could afford. It was stiff, the blanket was thin and the pillow desperately needed to be fluffed once more. Glancing at the other beds in the cabin, Tanner felt that they were in this condition to break the cadets down, just as the Head Instructor wanted them to do. In order to make them soldiers, the cadets had to break out of the civilian mindset that they all had in order to face the titans, and perhaps, sacrifice their lives in the line of duty. Whatever the case was in the end, Tanner didn't mind it as much as those that had already left on the wagons to return to a life of heavy work tilling fields and mining rocks.

It had taken Tanner awhile to fall asleep. For the past two years, Tanner devoted himself to another person, and with the help of a family friend, Tanner raised the girl he had saved on that fateful day as his own little sister. She would always have nightmares about the titans and other horrific events that happened in the district, and Tanner would have to console her. For several nights, Tanner would stay awake and let his new sister rest her head on his lap, but now Tanner wasn't there to comfort her anymore. It was a change of pace, and for once in his life, Tanner was worried about someone else other than himself and the girl that haunted his dreams. He hoped that she was okay, and with a prayer on his tongue to the walls that surrounded them, Tanner wished for her nightmares to disappear.

Eventually, night had been swept away by sunlight. Tanner wasn't sure when he fell asleep, yet he knew he was one of the first to wake early like always. The boy was an early riser, and Tanner knew that those who were awake early in the morning were usually given the best there was. Freshness was always a virtue, and during his short time as a refugee, Tanner managed to receive quality food for him and the girl whereas others were given stale or even burnt bread. Tanner felt a hint of sorrow for those that hadn't received what he managed to snatch from those who were passing out the relief supplies, but each time Tanner looked back at his old neighbors, he remembered he had someone depending on him. Even if the poor sight enraged him, Tanner knew that he couldn't subject the girl to stale, burnt and perhaps moldy food. She could have gotten sick, or been famished by the poor diet that the refugees were forced to accept. It wasn't just something Tanner could accept as her temporary guardian.

Not long after Tanner woke up, Reese stumbled out of his fuzzy dream-state and rose. The two of them had shared their greetings as they were doubtlessly tired from waking up so early, but there was business to be done. Climbing out of bed, Tanner made way to the closets that held the cadets' uniforms, and proceeded to get dressed with a long yawn. Still in his tired mindset and with "sand" in the corner of his eyes, Tanner hopped around like a rabbit trying to pull on the long boots that they wore. Eventually after a moment of struggling, Tanner was ready for the day, and set out with a farewell to Reese and the rest of the cabin's inhabitants. First things first. Breakfast awaits. Tanner thought as he made his way to the mess hall. Today was to be eventful, and he, or any the cadets, would hardly make it through the day without some form of nutrition to eat and receive energy from.

As expected of teenagers, not many were in the mess hall, or and even less were awake at this time of day. Taking his tray, Tanner approached the almost empty line, and proceeded to be handed what appeared to be almost the same meal from the night before. The bread was there as well the soup, yet now it consisted of some cheese and what Tanner thought to be some foraged nuts and berries. It wasn't special, just as the previous meal, yet it was enough to get Tanner through the day. The cheese is odd, but the nuts and berries aren't bad. Tanner thought, eating his meal in silence. The cheese had barely a taste of freshness, as if it was stored for too long, yet the foraged goods were slowly becoming Tanner's favorite in terms of taste and general edibility. He hoped that the rest of the cadets would wake up so he could possibly try to get the other cadets to give him their portion, but before he knew it, Tanner was finished with his meal.

Seeing as he had nothing more to eat, Tanner placed his tray and other dishes where they belonged, and set out to scour the training grounds. Nearby the cabins and mess hall were these large contraptions, doubtlessly meant to test the cadets' maneuverability and balance with the ODM gear. Leaning against a railing, his mind wandered back to the days when Tanner would bother any soldier on duty. Tanner couldn't help but to smile as he wondered how many of them fell flat on their faces as they tried balancing in another dimension for the first time, yet the smile disappeared when Tanner remembered that his first time was to be today. The boy had trained for this moment, even going as far as trying to sit up a makeshift contraption and studying any public disclosed manuals, but Tanner wondered what would his fate be when they buckle him the machine. Would he keep his balance, or would he fall straight on his face? The latter made Tanner shudder. He was already waiting for his fight with Jade, and Tanner didn't want to look even more like a laughingstock if he failed at both the ODM and hand-to-hand combat training.

Time had flown by before Tanner realized that he managed to grow lost in his thoughts. Tanner blinked once, and blinked again when he noticed that most of the cadets were now up, and a few were flocking the mess hall, but more were diverting their attention to the machines that the cadets were slated to use today. He walked over the forming crowd, and many of his fellow cadets appeared nervous about trying to balance themselves at all. Everyone knew the tales of previous cadets falling on their face, and the machines before the cadets were ruthless. Anyone could believe they had excellent balance, but then one slip up could cause the loss of dignity and the creation of a nasty bruise on their forehead. Waiting for Schulz to summon the rest of the cadets, Tanner gazed at the contraptions. One could say Tanner was starstruck by his steady glance towards the machine, yet he knew he had to take the time to understand it, to see how the contraption worked.

Eventually, the cadets were called over for their training to start. Tanner was in the middle of the line, and he had the chance to see the failures of many of the cadets before him. As expected, the machines didn't care, and several cadets clunked against the ground harshly. Tanner had noticed a few of cadets that he met last night take their chance at the machine, but for the most part, they had failed just as well as the other cadets. Pain and hate for the contraptions would surely be a topic during the time the cadets were allowed to socialize for lunch, and Tanner hoped that he wasn't to be one of those complaining. An injury now would be a disadvantage in his fight against Jade, or any cadet.

"Harwell!" Schulz shouted in his usual booming voice, signifying to Tanner that it was his turn to test his compatibly with the ODM gear. Tanner stepped forward, approaching the machine and took a big breath of air, hoping his fate might be in his favor. The cadets aiding Schulz buckled Tanner in, and to the tune of a crank, Tanner was raised off the ground and left to try to balance himself. Come on, Tanner! You've got this! Tanner thought as he was given full control, and soon realized that his training paid off. Many of the cadets were surprised, and some muttered their amazement as Tanner hung almost lifelessly with the makeshift ODM gear, barely moving a muscle as he swung slowly in the air.

Lowered to the ground shortly after, Tanner was nearly assaulted by anxious cadets with questions on how he hung so easily. He tried to deflect them with answers about how you just need to train, or you'll get used to it eventually, and thankfully for him, Tanner managed to keep the cadets satisfied long enough for him to shrink into the crowd and almost disappear. Tanner hated being on the spotlight, and his actions today had already made him known to many of the cadets. He didn't need them distracting him from his training or from his upcoming fights with Jade and Olivia, along with any other cadet he might face. I don't see how I should help them if they can't help me. I hardly know these people. Tanner thought, returning to his reclusive nature as he hid in the back of the crowd of cadets.

Not long after they finished their first practice with the ODM, they were to train with hand-to-hand combat training. Tanner was paired with Olivia, and he frowned when he heard the news. He wanted to face off against Jade first, but Tanner didn't let his disappointment show to Olivia. She was friendly enough, and Tanner had no reason to be mean to her. They were explained different stances, and before Tanner knew it, the two were off in the field ready to fight each other. "If you'll let me be a gentlemen, I'll let you go first." Tanner stated to Olivia, holding his fists up as he taunted her with a beckoning of his hand.

Emil was near the end of the line of cadets waiting to take the ODM gear aptitude test watching his fellow cadets intently as he slowly moved up in the line. There were few that, with some luck and immense effort seemed to be able to pull it off, and then there were even more that seemed to have no hope at all, falling flat on their faces as they were hoisted into the air. The resounding clunks of skulls meeting the dirt was far more prevalent than that of the cheers of fellow cadets when someone barely managed to scrape by, and as Emil neared the front of the line many of the cadets ahead of him were taking on anxious looks as they eyed the machines with fear and their fellow cadets who ahd already passed with what Emil could only imagine was jealousy directed toward their already being done.

He had watched in awe as one of the cadets seemed to remain motionless once hoisted up, barely swaying back and forth as remained suspended in the air. "Amazing..." Emil said aloud as he watched from the back of the group. The boy was let down and unhooked before being swamped by a few of the other cadets waiting in line on how he managed to do so well. Emil couldn't help but smile as the boy seemed to make an escape from the rabid group of cadets into the safety of the larger core group of the cadets.

He moved his attention back to the line, which had moved up quite quickly since he started paying attention to the other cadets test. Now next in line Emil stood nervously, shifting his feet as he watched the cadet in front of him being slowly lifted into the air before reeling forward. Emil couldn't help but to close his eyes as the boy smashed his face into the hard ground below him with a sickening thud. The brief moment over, Emil opened his eyes to watch as a few of the other Instructors rushed over to the seemingly unconscious boy and unhooked him from the harness. They pulled him away from the machine, leaving a bright trail of crimson as they did, before Emil was called forward, "Alright let's see what the our very own criminal Midget can do! Burton get the fuck up there!" called Schulz as he waved Emil toward the closest machine.

Silently Emil jogged to the machine, raising his arms for the two cadets that were working it to hook his harness up, 'Oh this is going to suck.' Emil thought as he gave a thumbs up to the cadet on the crank. Emil closed his eyes, listening to each tick of the crank and trying not to focus too hard on the new found tightness of the harness as it was pulled taught while he anxiously waited to meet the ground. A few moments passed of the constant clicking of the crank before it stopped. "Is something wrong? The crank not working?" Emil asked as he opened his eyes, "What's the ho--" he stopped his words as he looked below him, the ground now firmly out of reach.

"NO FUCKING WAY MIDGET!" yelled Schulz as he approached the machine at a brisk pace, "Here I thought we'd only have one cadet that barely broke a sweat doing this but I guess we've got two now! Just how in the world are you so goddamn good at this!?".

Emil still couldn't figure out what exactly was going on as he hung in the air, the motion of the winch the only thing that had him barely swinging in place. But then it struck him, he'd spent most of his teenage years running from angry people, sure they had good reason to be angry, but angry nonetheless. The boys at the orphanage had taught him how to run from angry people. Through crowds, down alleys, and most importantly across rooftops. He thought for a moment as he blocked out the yelling coming from Schulz on all the times he had leaped off of buildings, from rooftop to rooftop, and found himself falling unexpectedly. The sensation he was experiencing now wasn't all that different, familiar even.

"I guess being a criminal pays off Sir!" Emil yelled in response to Schulz question.

With his answer given Schulz motioned to the recruits at the machine to let him down, the feeling of being lowered now much more noticeable to Emil with his eyes open. He hit the ground with his feet and immediately undid the hooks on his belt before starting to walk for the cadet group. Much like the boy before him had been unexpectedly bombarded by nervous cadets, Emil found himself in the same position. He waved away the questions and smiled, simply stating that it was luck he did so well as he walked toward the main group, leaving the disheartened cadets behind.

Following the ODM aptitude test the group of cadets, regardless of whether or not they actually passed the test, were ushered to a training field where they were quickly run through the basics of hand-to-hand combat and the essentials of a take-down. Any good feelings that Emil had had left over from the ODM test were instantly wiped away as he watched the moves, 'There's no way I can manage these.' he thought as he looked at the cadets around him, many of the larger than him.

They were paired off with similarly sized cadets and sent to work. His partner was a red head, slightly taller than himself and by the looks of it probably stronger. 'Great.' he thought as they were given the okay to begin by the instructors.

The girl he was paired off with, Mora, gave him a smile to which Emil returned a warm smile and raised a hand in a friendly wave, "Hi, I'm Emi--" his words cut short as the girl burst into action. She rushed directly at him, seemingly ready to punch. 'Fuck.' Emil thought as he tried to back away from the girl to place distance between himself and her fist, but it was too late. Emil braced for the punch but was surprised to find himself instead experiencing something he was rather used to, he was falling sideways on his right side for the ground.

He lowered his right arm parallel to the ground and reached his left hand out for the ground as it came up to meet him, as his hand connected with it Emil pushed hard at the ground and rolled back over himself as quickly as he could, finishing the roll on his feet and rising. "Alright then." Emil said with a small smile as he angled himself to the girl and shaking his leg out where hers had met it.

Watching Mora closely he decided to play defense and instead react to the girl, as she obviously had no problem going on offense.

There was a satisfied feeling that floated through Mora as she felt her kick connect and watched Emil topple over. Though they feeling was short lived. While Emil easily bounced his way back up, Mora was having some issues. She could feel her body protest as she stood back up, her limbs not wanting to move as readily as they normally would but she wasn't about to eat that slow her down.

Her smile had dissipated as she launched another attack at the cadet, but where her fist should of connected with flesh Mora only felt air. Emil was light on his feet as the two seemingly danced around each other. 'Shit.' she growled as once again, Emil slid just out of her reach. This was getting her no where. Panting and sweating she stepped back, taking the defense now. She was in no shape to close the gap in between the two of them. Emil's movements were smooth and precise. With each attack she had launched he managed to wait until the last moment before darting away and as a result her body was wearing out fast.

She was going to try to draw him out of the defense when "Switch!" Shultz yelled over the crowd. Sighing, Mora let herself relax before looking over at Emil. "Good job." she breathed before turning to Jade, "I warn ya. Kid's fast." Mora laughed. She'd have to try fighting him again, when her body didn't feel so tight but despite her earlier foulness Mora felt herself leaving the match on a good mood. Wiping the sweat off her face the redhead headed over towards Reese and Lauren. She smiled at her friend. She might be a medic but Lauren's mom had imparted down of her skills on her beloved daughter. "That's right, Law. Soften him up so I can take him down!" she laughed once more. Reese didn't look as light on his feet as Emil did, Mora was hoping she'd at least get in a shot or two this round.

Emil stepped to the side, a punch from Mora sailing past him at chest level wuickly followed by a jab from her free fist which he managed to back away from fast enough to have it connect with nothing but air. 'It's working.' he thought to himself, proud that he had been able to pick the girl out as someone that would easily go on the attack. She was wearing herself out with every swing. Every kick left her a bit more gassed. Emil watched as she lunged at him again, her punch just a fraction of a second slower, her body moving just a tiny bit more sluggishly.

If he kept it up, he'd have no trouble downing an exhausted opponent. And keep it up he planned to do. Until Schulz yelled that it was time to switch. Dropping his arms to his side Emil smiled at Mora as he caught his breath, "Thanks," he said in reply to her compliment on his work, "You nearly took my head off a few times there, let it be known." he joked as he looked to the girl that was now patiently waiting at their side.

It was the girl that he had spooked in the cabin, Jade, if he remembered her introduction correctly. She seemed to have been watching the end of their spar intently. "Jade right?" he asked curiously as he motioned toward her, she seemed like she was smart enough to know what she was getting herself into. Not a great fact for Emil but he'd have to put up with a lot of not very great facts these next three years and for his enlistment afterward. "Might as well get to it then." he let out with a sigh as he raised his arms up, hands balled into fists in front of his face.

Emil stood for a moment as Jade readied herself. He settled his mind on testing his opponent first, dashing out and aiming a jab at Jade's left side. He pulled the punch about a foot away from the girl before starting to take a step back, all the while watching how Jade reacted.

As she helped Reese up a tall soldier approached, older and his insignia proclaiming him to be a member of the Survey Corps. Lauren felt like saluting the man, with so many questions instantly buzzing around in her mind, but he spoke to Reese, giving the young man some advice. Then he looked between the two he nodded, said something that felt Lauren feeling like there was something that she was missing in the conversation, and then left. With a sigh, having missing the opportunity to ask her questions, she resumed her stance opposite Reese.

"Sure, once you've done it a few times it'll come to you easily. I guess over the next few years we'll have a chance to properly master it, I don't mind giving you some one on one lessons, if you want." She grinned, shifting her feet a little and watching Reese' body respond as he mirror her movements. "I'm not all that experienced, my Ma was in the Garrison and she insisted I know a bit so I guess I'm a little ahead of some of you."

She darted forward, watching him shift before slipping in under his guard and starting to perform the same manoeuvre. This time, however, she stopped once she had him firmly in her grasp, ready to be thrown over at any point.

"Your footing's a little better but you're still too tense, it makes it easy to knock you off balance. See where my leg is? If I move like this..." She shifted her leg back so that his own balance was knocked off further. "Then your footing goes and I can do whatever I like." She retreated, letting go of his wrist and jacket, dancing back a few steps and taking up her stance.

"Now you go. Take it slow if you want, to get it right. Once you've got the basics down you can just flow into it. There's a lot more moves Schulz showed earlier but I prefer this one, there's less chance of hurting someone but you can easily disable them. Also..." She nodded towards Gabriel and Grant who were sparring nearby, "it doesn't really matter how big the other person is, in fact it works better if they're taller than you."

They sparred for a bit, changing it up a little with some simple boxing and trying out a few other techniques Schulz had shown them. Then Schulz ordered them to switch and Lauren disengaged from their current match, breathing more heavily than she had expected; she and Reese were well matched in strength and speed, in fact probably had the edge, and her lead in experience had quickly been eroded.

"I think I'm going to be exhausted by the end of today. Take care, Reese! Oh, and don't go too easy on Mora. She may be hurt but she'll still send you flying!" She gave her friend a wink, hopping over and tilting Mora's head up a little before the girl could respond, to examine the marks on her neck. "I think we're okay. Don't go straining yourself though. Reese, can you avoid her neck if possible? And don't go hurting him, I don't need more patients!" She grinned at the pair before turning to see who her next opponent was.

Upon seeing the towering Gabriel she winced a little. While what she had said about the throw to Reese was true, she still didn't relish the thought of sparring with someone clearly much taller and stronger than her, especially when she was tired. She also had a sneaking suspicion that Gabriel was either a quick learner or had some experience, she wasn't sure what gave her that idea as there hadn't been any signs but she headed over towards him prepared for a tough session. She nodded to the two in greeting.

"Hey, Gabriel, Grant. Whenever you guys are finished, I'm ready. No rush."

Jade had watched the pair spar with each other with much intent. Her eyes studied Emil, who seemed to be rather quick on his feet. For some reason Jade had not thought about the fact that Emil could be agile. He never struck her as someone that was motivated enough to move faster than the others. She looked over at Mora as she had made a comment towards Jade, in which she simply replied with a small nod, before returning her attention towards Emil. When he spoke to her, the young girl smiled a bit before walking over to be across from him. "Hi Emil." There wasn't much for Jade to tell the young man so she quickly took her stance and calmed her breathing. In the mean time, she watched Emil as he threw a few punches her way, causing her to react fast and pull away. She frowned slightly every time, seeing that he was just testing her by pulling away before it got too close.

"Ha! Who would've thought that we'd have some entertainment this evening! Our favorite midgets going at it!"

Schulz's words stung Jade a bit more than they probably affected Emil. She wanted to turn and kick Schulz right in his jewels, but unfortunately that would have her on a truck off to the fields. Instead, Jade let a little growl out as she lunged at Emil, dodging him ever so slightly and throwing her arm onto the back of his neck, lifting one of her legs and trying to kick out his, to have him fall forwards.

She greatly depended on his reaction time to be slow. If he was faster than her, he could easily grab her and lift her or grab her by the neck. Moral of the story being that Jade would end up on the ground instead of Emil, which would not be surprising, but it was also not wanted.

Pacing himself around the training arena, Tanner watched Olivia's movements with the eyes of a hawk. She had thrown up an aggressive stance with her fists, clearly signifying her intent to make the first move, yet Olivia's feet were struggling to follow in a fluid motion. The girl charged forward without worrying for her own defense, like an abnormal titan, and Tanner thought to exploit it. He waited until Olivia had ran the distance between the two cadets, and once she swung her first punch, Tanner had leaped backwards, rather to the right as Olivia was hoping Tanner would move.

Using the momentum that Olivia had forced onto herself, Tanner reeled back a foot as the girl stumbled from missed blows. It would hurt for both of the cadets, for Tanner's shin would be smashing into Olivia's legs, but for his foe, landing on their butt against hard ground might hurt more. Sending his leg crashing into Olivia's flailing legs, Tanner swept both of them out from underneath of the girl. She had paid no attention to her lower body, and Tanner sought to take advantage of it. Olivia fell on her butt, and Tanner tried his hardest not to laugh at the girl's almost comedic fall, especially when Olivia had been so nice the night before.

Taking a step forward, Tanner approached Olivia and offered a hand to the girl. A part of him was waiting for Olivia to take his hand and throw him, yet as he was cautious, Tanner felt that Olivia was too nice to do such a thing. "I think you did alright, Olivia, but I could see through your plan at the start. You focused too much on being aggressive, and as a result, you left yourself open for me to take out your legs." Tanner explained, smiling to another person again for the first time in years. It seemed friendship was to be a common factor in Tanner's military career, and it had already begun to change him from the quiet, reclusive child he was before.

The sun set its place in the sky whilst he stared at everyone else committing to their ODM gear practice. Many felt like it was something they were going to fail, but by chance some were successful as it was. Whilst most fretted about the sights of dangling from two wires, Grant sought to finally do some good in the Training Corps. Balance was something he was good at, at least he thought he was. Sure, back in the years he'd had his odd tumbles off of his horse, but since he had to adjust to various different stallions at the absence of his own Rhys, who was still in the custody of Jade, he'd found a place with balancing. Plus, back in the day, a similar sort of exercise was given to him by Mateo during his horse-training sessions. Now that he thought about it, it may have looked a bit suspicious that he was giving his nephew the specific training apparatus, or at least a make-shift one. Maybe Mateo always was trying to get him into the military, just like himself. They were more alike than Grant was to his father.

Eventually, his name was called up. And so, as commanded, Grant silently took to the invisible stage and found himself hoisted into the machine. It was nerving, no doubt about it, but not as nerve-wracking as what everyone else might have felt like. Slowly, the wires were tightened, hoisting him up slightly. At first, he stumbled, nearly losing his balance straight away as the first bit of tension lifted him only a few centimetres from the ground.

His foot slammed down onto the floor, before he began to topple over, using the tips of his boots to regain his posture. It only took about 15 seconds before he had to nod towards the instructors controlling the apparatus. Eventually, he began to lift further and further, his arms stretched out wide as the nostalgia filled his boots and uniform, almost taking over his mind. He just pictured what he saw in the past: the barn, the horses outside, the sounds of the cattle and Mateo beaming at him with pride. The minutes seemed to flow by flawlessly. The sights and sounds echoing within his head and clouding his vision almost made him feel more alive, like nothing in the world had ever caused tragedy. And before he could fully embrace this, a shout ruined the entire trance he was loving and admiring.

It was one of the instructors, not Schulz, luckily. He was back onto the ground, his feet touching it as if he'd never taken off. He looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened. The instructor only nodded, pointing for him to make-space for the next cadet. His mind switched around as he beamed brightly, for the first time since he'd arrived, at what he'd quickly, and quite staggeringly, completed.

---

He kept his eyes locked onto Gabriel. Two titans were about to clash, both large and large eyeing each other with daunting expressions. Everyone around them rushed into combat, determined to take down their foes swiftly and in a humiliating fashion. Grant knew briefly about what Gabriel could be capable of. In that sense, he knew that he should take caution. There was no telling what he'd trained with in the past, but it was certainly better than what Grant was capable of.

Grant listened to his words, smiling at the kind offer he had. It actually intrigued him. Grant had never gone fishing at all, let alone with Gabriel. In fact, it was a good offer to finally expand his circle of good friends, rather than acquaintances. Sure, the two enlisted together, but Gabriel was more of a friend to Olivia, much to his dismay.

"Y'know what...Usually I'd pass on the offer, but you seem like someone I could enjoy it with. Sure, maybe we can catch something to show off at dinner?" His arms extended, before retracting immediately. Gabriel moved towards him, Grant only dodging it enough for his arm to be grappled onto slightly. Gabriel was strong, very strong. But Grant had other plans...At least he thought he did.

In an attempt to break free of his grasp and take him down, he swiped his leg around like a clock. Whilst he succeeded in kicking and breaking his iron-stance, he didn't figure out the part where he had to get Gabriel away from his steel-grip on Grant's arms. It caused the two to fall, Grant being the first to land, technically counting as his own loss.

He panted heavily, trying to regain his footing before stumbling once again onto his backside. At this point, he would dare anyone to take on Gabriel and get as far as he did, but what he did was most likely viewed as pathetic and almost embarrassing. Still, he got him onto the ground, somehow...

He saw Lauren approach the two, already asking up to join in on the challenge. Grant knew that he would lose any sort of fight he had to get into, but at least in his defeat someone else could gain a victory. A smile came onto his face, as he pointed towards Gabriel.

"You can take on him first, then me if you want." Before he finished speaking, he turned back to Gabriel, nodding his head with his suggestion. "Maybe we could invite her too? More catch if there's more rods?"

Emil wasn't surprised that Jade was simply pulling away from all of his feigned punches, it was expected that most wouldn't want to be hit so the reaction was normal. But he was surprised that she wasn't taking advantage of any of the moments inbetween the punches, when Emil had to reign himself in. They were moments of weakened defense. Moments that Jade could easily have worked herself into and taken him down with a bit of determination and luck. Emil turned his head slightly to listen to Schulz as he yelled in their direction about the entertainment they were affording him.

He watched as Jade listened as well before throwing another punch in her direction. For a moment he thought he had misjudged the distance between them and was going to hit the girl, but then realized that Jade had in fact moved closer to him just barely dodging the punch. She let out a growl as she did and brought her arms up to him. He felt her arm on the back of his neck and barely noticed as her leg began to swing out, 'So that's how it's going to be...?' he thought as he didn't lift a finger to counter, allowing the girl to successfully press her attack.

Jade's leg met with his, sending them quickly backwards and off the ground. For the third time today Emil found himself falling, the ground eagerly awaiting his arrival. Landing with an "oomph" Emil rolled himself over and sat up, shaking a bit of dirt off himself as he did.

"HELL YEAH MIDGET GIRL!" called Schulz from off in the distance, "Great show!" he yelled before Emil watched him turn back to some of the other cadets. With Schulz's interest in the two of them extinguished, Emil smiled at Jade.

"You're pretty fast. Didn't have any time to react." he lied to the girl as he rose to his feet.

Adrenaline rushed through Jade's small body as she stood with her back to Emil, her breathing a bit labored. She wanted to dance around, feeling victorious in the fact that she could bring down a guy, which was a bit of line for her, but still, she couldn't believe that she had knocked Emil down. When she had seem him going at it with Mora, she had seen how fast he was, which had led her to believe that he could easily evade anything that she threw his way.

After a few seconds of recapping what had just happened, Jade turned to look at Emil standing up, pushing the hair out of her face. She could hear Schulz in the background but she was more focused on her opponent. Her head tilted slightly as she watched Emil smile at her, which first brought a grin onto her face, but as he spoke, she began to question if he had really put forth any effort.

"Are you sure you didn't have time to react?" Jade teased as she walked past Emil, back to her initial starting spot. She took her stance once more, wanting to get in several rounds with him before Schulz either made them switch or called off the sparring. "You come at me now," she called out gesturing with her hand for him to make the first move. It wasn't exactly something that she was confident about, but it would help her learn, and hopefully get a fair fight out of Emil.

Mora has but a moment to get into place before Reese had flown at her. Her eyes widened in surprise as he closed the distance between the two. "Oh." the word fled her lips as she felt his foot catch on hers, suddenly she felt herself shift as he closed his hand around her wrist. As the surprise begin to fade she felt her body pull away, her feet disengaged from his and found the ground beneath her. Now she needed to get her wrist from his grasp. Mora's lips pressed into a firm line, her teeth gritted as she bent her free arm and swung it at the boys neck. With their close proximity there was no way for him to dart away as Emil had.

She felt his body connect with hers in a solid thud as she yanked herself backwards and free. Panting, she crouched as her subconscious argued with her instincts on what their next move should be. "Come on, hero. At this pace you'll be nothing but a blood stain on the field!" Schulz barked at her from behind. It was like something within her clicked to life as her mind suddenly went still. Mora charged at Reese but her earlier hesitation had given him time to readjust, as with Emil her first strike missed but he wasn't nearly as nimble. She noted the stumble in his footsteps, the slight shake in his stance as he dove out of her way.

"You're dead, hero," Schultz mocked in the background, "Power means nothing if you can't connect the shots." Beneath his criticism he was offering advice. Nodding she rushed Reese again, limbs tight beside her body as she sought to close the gap between the two. As she neared instead of lashing out as she normally would she chose feign a punch to his left. It was when he went to step back that she shot her hand out and grabbed him by his belt and pulled him forward. His moment worked against her, unfortunately, but she still managed to make him change direction as Reese stumbled forward before her. Mora swung out her leg, aiming for his mid section. As long as he was off balance and more importantly off guard for the moment she had the upper hand.

Listening to Olivia, Tanner felt something was wrong. Never speaking but instead listening to others to find information had taught Tanner how to read facial cues without much of a problem. Olivia appeared to be disappointed in herself, her laughter was nervous and she was fighting a frown. Even as reclusive Tanner was, he found it hard to walk away from a girl in such a sorry state, especially one that had just become friends with him. Placing a hand on Olivia's shoulder, Tanner gave the disappointed Olivia a smile.

"You know, Olivia, you don't have to hide the fact that your disappointed in losing. If you want, I would be willing to train with you in the future." Tanner replied, looking at the other cadets fighting. "I'm not much of a mentor, but I can teach you a few tricks. My family ran a bookstore, so my head is a realm of knowledge, for better or worse." Truth be told, Tanner had a lot of time on his hands after drying the district up of information about the woman. Without having any friends or travelling anywhere, books were Tanner's only companion in the confusing darkness that bothered him non-stop.

Emil watched Jade as he rose to his feet, the look of triumph on her face quickly fading away to doubt, 'Did I make it too obvious...?' he thought to himself as he listened to the girl questioning the amount of effort he had truly put worth in the earlier bout. Emil let out a small laugh and raised his arms up in a shrug, "Why wouldn't I try when you're obviously out to get me? That'd just be a stupid choice for me." he said as he watched the girl take up her position in front of him.

He let out an audible sigh as Jade motioned for him to be the first to attack. Violence was never truly something that Emil was good at, he never had the nerve for it, the stomach for the blood that came with it. But this was training, it wasn't high stakes like out in the real world, and yet somehow Emil still had reservations for going on the assault. For throwing punches meant to connect, meant to bruise and break bones, the intense emotions that accompanied violence. It just wasn't what Emil was suited for.

He moved forward a step, and then another. He paused, his hesitation obvious as he seemed to survey the small amount of dirt in between Jade and himself. He breathed in, the sound of the air filling his lungs soothing him as he did, before letting the air out in a long winded gust. He took another step. His hands were still raised, shaking ever so slightly now, the thought of using violence against another; and a girl much younger than himself, causing him to lose his nerve just a little bit more every moment.

He clenched his fists in front of him, the tremors slowing to a practically unnoticeable level now. He took another step, the distance between the two now just a few feet. He stopped again, took a deep breath, attempted to push the sickening feeling in his stomach away, to somewhere he couldn't feel it.

He sent a punch aimed for the girls left flank at full speed practically guaranteed to hit, but as he did the feeling of nausea in his stomach grew immensely, so large that his vision clouded over, and it was all that Emil could focus on. His punch sailed past the girls side harmlessly as he no longer gave it any thought. His legs became weak and he stumbled to Jade's left, managing a few steps before falling to his knees. The gravity of violence toward another human weighing down his body as if he were being buried alive, his breath became harder and harder to pull in, and his body was threatening to give at any moment. Planting his hands in the dirt was all the boy could do to not fall completely to the ground.

He wretched for a moment, producing nothing before he vomited up the remnants of his breakfast. His earlier meal displayed for the world to see, Emil gasped for air as the tightness in his chest began to give way.