[IC] Shingeki no Kyojin: Cleansing Amongst Man { Jack & Angel }

[AngelBites15]

Sara quietly hummed, as she managed to catch his silent submission on being able to cooperate, and place his trust into her, as well as the rest of the Scouts. Even while she kept those intimidating yet gentle blue eyes upon the teen, the words of her past continued to bother her.

'Find my son. Protect Eren Yeager. Sara, his life will be in your hands. Find him..please'.

These specific words were all part of a ten-year puzzle she had yet to solve. What was the significance of it? What made Yeager so important? Her gut was telling her that only he was her best lead, as to finding out 'why'. "Hm", she again quietly hummed to herself. That was when she nodded, and gave a very small yet thin smile. "Rest well, Yeager. Thank you for your cooperation", she said, before starting to making her departure to the private barracks, silently satisfied to now know who he is, as well as remembering on what her goal was.

Sara didn’t even look back at Kate, while she was making her departure, until she stopped on the spot. ”Miss Bellows”, she said, before turning her head a little bit, to see the other recruit within her peripheral vision. ”A word?”.

[FalloutJack]

She followed Sara until she would stop, noticing that the Lieutenant seemed very distracted for a moment, possibly over the situation overall. Patience eventually bore out, as she noticed that Katherine was following her, and then she asked. This led to the Brunette raising her hand slightly and saying "Many.", as this whole thing was very loaded. And so, unaware that she may be inadvertently speaking OF the plan while asking about the plan, she unleashed her torrent.

"Eren, Armin, and Mikasa are all friends. We came from the same district, the very one that had originally been attacked, five years ago. It seems likely that I will also be a witness, to report on the facts. I would like to be used to help Eren, not condemn him, if at all possible. We should learn from him, make it a matter of all-important study, like I do, or my Aunt does. Let me get Commander Zoe in on this. She'll fight tooth-and-nail to study him, no question."

Kate was kind of a protege to Hange Zoe, and that much could possibly be guessed by her actions, although she was obviously better at machines and materials than biology. Still, it wasn't a widely-spread fact that Hange was her aunt. Generally, if people knew anything about Katherine's family, it was about her mother, the engineer, Myra Bellows... Still, Kate wanted to know the plan and aid the plan, not even aware that she may have just figured out the plan without even realizing it.

[AngelBites15]

They were just standing at the point, at the upstairs hallway, connecting to the stairs, to the dungeon. Thankfully, they would be out of earshot from the Military Police, as well as Eren. The plan won't put Eren entirely at risk, but Sara had to trust the fact that it was Commander Erwin's idea to ensure his very existence. Having to lean against the wall, in the hallway, while listening to Katherine sum up the details, in regards to the three cadets, Sara had to place the basics within her mind, and understand that, not only Eren is important, but also his companions. She wasn't sure, whether or not, they knew about his ability, but they were still crucial to the case.

With her arms crossed while looking to the side, there was a huge chance that Hange would want to put her head into all of this, especially since Jaeger is a very important case that would involve her level of experience. The very thought made the lieutenant internally chuckle at Commander Hange's drive, considering that it will always run wild. In truth, she can't exactly visualize Kate in such an extreme way. Closing her eyes for a moment, Sara considered on getting Kate a run-in on the Commander's plan, so she did just that, before bidding the young recruit to have a good night's rest.

The next day came, as quickly as the sun began to rise. Commander Erwin had already instructed Section Commander Hange Zoe to retrieve the teen from the dungeons, and take him to the court room that was in the center of town. It all comes down to their final judgement, as Eren's fate was to be decided. Of course, Mikasa and Armin had to be present, as they were key witnesses. With her arms crossed, Sara stood with Levi upon the Scout Regiment side, before having to watch Eren enter, and be placed in the center of attention upon the floor. Shackled to a stand, he was before the "judge" Darius Zackly, the head-commander of all three military branches.

[FalloutJack]

Wasit a good thing or bad that Katherine was this smart, that she was bright enough to figure out confidential matters? Hard to say, but it got Sara to speak to her about the plan and more-or-less reassuring her since...in her mind, there was no way that it could fail. The trial would be a trial, no matter how much the MPs might be howling for blood. There would be a judge, and there would be order. Under those conditions, the right course of action would be followed instead of the wishes of the mob. Kate was able to rest easy on that thought.

The next day, court was in session. She'd slept right up to the point in which she was told to gather. Well...yesterday was exhausting. She hadn't taken REAL rest that day, not with Eren's situation, but now at least Kate had proper energy about her, grabbing food quickly and making her way to the courtroom. Just slightly late, she found things to be tense already and Eren hadn't even shown up yet. Then, after taking her seat and even spotting Sara in there, the doors opened and - Surprise, surprise! - Hange Zoe came in, escorting Eren to the pole in the middle of the room that he was soon chained up in.

She got here so quickly...

Of course she did. It's what she always did, as a woman who excitedly pursued all interests with both legs running and both arms gripping. Aunt Zoe was more of an extremist than her mother, the calm and calculating one who could see a problem for what it was, and - with great detachment - shove a three-foot pipe through its neck- Katherine shook her head, forcing that image away. That was unnecessary now. With Eren chained up, it was time to do her duty, as did they all. One thing that surprised her was the presence of the Order of the Wall, that crackpot religion that made the walls out to be sacred... What was with them, lately? They'd been faiirly quiet and unimportant for years, and then suddenly they were getting extremely vocal, ever since the Colossal Titan kicked in the gates. But that wasn't some sign of higher powers, only bigger feet.

Nevertheless, the court session began, and what it began with was the facts. Witness testimony from all different people, for and against Eren. Eren was there when the Colossal Titan struck. Eren ordered the immediate attack and got nearest to its neck. Eren saved Armin's life. Eren lashed out at Mikasa. It went on and on like this, and they had her reporting her own findings to the court as she had done last night. It was only the fact that Eren were prepared to hear this now that kept him from being freaked out. One thing she refused to do, however, was give the MPs the benefit of untested theory on 'What Eren might do'. For the reason that there was simply no further evidence, she refused to comment further, and was allowed to step down so that the trial could continue. They asked Mikasa about Eren punching himself in the face, something that actually made Kate snort with amusement. She almost lost her composure entirely when the cadet insisted he was swatting at a fly.

Of course, the prosecution was being incredibly damning, painting Eren to be to great a threat to be kept alive and even considered him a conspirator to destroy their way of life, which naturally got everyone - Eren included - riled up. Kate frantically made gestures at him like 'No no no, don't give them what they want! Oh hell, here come the rifles.' as the MPs started pointing guns.

[AngelBites15]

Even after the proposals were made, the people around the court remained silent, having to look at one other, and quietly whispered amongst themselves. It was clear that there was a lot of motivation behind the boy's words, and it made Sara narrow her blue eyes, and hum quietly in an approving manner. On her side of the argument, there was more to Eren than meets the eye and, even though most of the people in the room didn't know that she harbored a secret that made her just as valuable as the boy. At the same time, the lieutenant was quite confident in the plan that her Commander had managed to conceive.

"Is that so? Because a report from Trost states the following: 'He swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman right after transforming'. Is Mikasa present?", Darius read the report before looking around, in search for the girl, having to eventually spot her on the sidelines with Armin, standing right next to the priests. "Is it true that after transforming, Jaeger attacked you?", he asked her. Said-girl stayed quiet the entire time, having to internally feel anxious for the decision of her adoptive brother's fate. As soon as she was acknowledged, she gave herself a moment of thought before answering. She couldn't quite figure out whether if she should lie or not. ‘What would be a more-qualified answer? Eren...’, she wondered to herself, before exhaling.

The white-haired woman wasn't sure if that was what really happened, but if she was completely honest, even she herself wasn't there when this said-event occurred; she only knew through the report. On the other hand, by the way that Eren had explained his testimony from yesterday, the report didn't quite seem to match his motive. However, she can't assume if that were the case. But then, she had a hunch that it was the latter, considering that Kate's testimony was exactly the same, as to what she had told her, the night before.

"Can we really trust him with the fate and manpower of mankind?", one of those corrupted wall-cult members objected, clearly distrusting Mikasa's word. "Yeah! He could be a Titan, who infiltrated us, disguised as a child!", said another. "Her too! How can we be sure she's human?", another one. "That's right! Dissect her too, just in case!", and another. It was a back-and-forth agreement amongst the corrupted. Then the voice of Eren came into the fray, and the everything started to elevate from there.

The shout itself made the entire court room grow eerily quiet. No words were said; only faces of disbelief, and shock.

"What the hell are you waiting for?! Take aim!", the MP commander ordered, wanting this to be over and done with. "Yes sir!", the object of his execution was there, and the shooter seemed to show no hesitation to finish the job.

However, one person will not tolerate such an action. There was suddenly a kick to Eren's face, fatally knocking one of his teeth out, then a punch to the stomach. Sarah's face held no emotion, as much as she could, before sending a knee to the boy's face, right to the nose, then a kick to the ribs, and a punch to his jaw. From there, she let his head hang, before she kneeled down on one knee, and gripping his throat. "From the way I see it, you lack discipline, Jaeger. See this as a punishment for your mistake: Never speak, unless spoken to", she made him look into her blue eyes, as she said this.

The beating continued for a few more seconds. The lieutenant could only hope that Erwin's strategy would work.

[FalloutJack]

Everything went silent as Sara started beating up on Eren Jaeger. Well, mostly silent. You could see the shock on Mikasa's face right before she was about to go out there and do something about that. Fortunately, Armin stopped her, probably because he saw where this was going. It was a good thing too because...in all honesty, it was impossible to tell just how dangerous that girl really was. She'd thrown herself into training and come out a vicious killing machine, something that surely came out in the battle of Trost. The problem was her singular devotion to Eren, which could lead her into unreasonably...well...wanting to basically kill anyone here, to be honest. The thought of anyone trying to disect her didn't even bring a reaction, since she'd probably just take the knives out of that person's hands and...yeah, let's not dwell on that.

For now, they were all staring at this one-sided slugfest, where Sara was beating the everloving shit out of the boy. Kate was frankly shocked, as well. Everyone was, but for her...she didn't expect this.

Sara didn't...mention this...earlier. Was that a tooth...? Did something just SNAP?

Not everyone was reacting this way. Probably not Commander Erwin. And Levi? He looked impassive enough, but was there just a small smile of approval on his face? Of course, he'd've done the same, probably would have, if Sarah hadn't. Eren continued to take a beating in front of everybody, until the man who'd ordered a gun pointed managed to chime in "Hey, stop it. You might make him angry, turn 'im into a Titan.". Did it seem like his heart suddenly wasn't in it, like he didn't really believe his own words? It might've been more like he couldn't take watching Sara at work, while Kate noticed that Aunt Hange was both shocked and facinated by all of this. Honestly, though, Kate wanted to speak up, as well, stating that Sara might do irreparable harm soon, which would slam home the impression that Eren was still a fragile human, not an indominatable Titan.

[AngelBites15]

When the MP commander cautiously interrupted, it eventually made the lieutenant stop her assault upon the teenager. However, she kept her gaze upon the boy, who was covered in bruises, and even a bloody nose.

"As I have heard, Commander Niles, he killed 20 other Titans before his strength had finally wore out. If he were an enemy to any of us, he might cause more trouble than the intel received. He won't be able to escape when I'm around, though", Sara pointed out, with narrowed eyes.

"Sir, I have a proposal. Why don't we put Eren under Lieutenant Sara and Captain Levi's supervision, and send them on a recon mission, outside the Wall? Whether Eren can control his Titan power, and whether he may be a benefit to mankind, should be decided, based on the results of that mission", Commander Erwin seemed so sure of this.

”’Watch Eren Jaeger’. Can you do that, Lieutenant?", Darius asked her.

"I can definitely kill him if he doesn’t cooperate. The problem is, it'll either be for all, or for nothing", Sara answered, before looking at Jaeger, and sneaking him a thin smile, knowing that killing him will not be part of the plan, as far as she is concerned.

"Then, I've made my decision", he finally said.

------------------------------

They won. They finally won. It was all thanks to Erwin's clever thinking. They all met in another room, where Hange tended to Eren's wounds.

"We had to play our trump card at the right time. I apologize, Eren, for the brutality of my lieutenant. I want to welcome you to our team", the commander said, waiting for the teenager to take his hand for a shake.

[FalloutJack]

With Eren being not particularly threatening and Captain Levi confident that he could end him if he really needed to, Commander Erwin's proposal was easily accepted. The MPs assumed that killing Eren for some fruitless disection and their own peace of mind was a foregone conclusion, but in no way was it this. An advantage, a resource, had to be cultivated properly. They had so very little, on the grand scale of things. They needed this, and they needed the incentive towards a particular goal.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the dungeon, right before Sara and Kate left Eren's cell...

"...the basement!"

The basement?

"There's something in the basement of my home in Shigenshina. My father told me there was something important there, and I have the key!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An incentive, a clue. Eren seemed convinced that his father held something important in his basement. Kate remembered it, vaguely. She remembered the key around Grisha Jaeger's neck during one of their sessions, supposedly the same key that Eren had now. It was a longshot, truth be told, but suppose... What if there was something really there? What if, besides the notion of sealing up Wall Maria, they could learn something new and important? Kate had, of course, no idea what Grisha did in his spare time. He was a doctor and he helped cure her of her trauma from when she was younger. If Shigenshina were targeted because of him...

No matter, for now. We'll have to reach it first. Now...wait a minute. Where'd it go?

People had started getting up and leaving. Eren was being taken away. In the shuffle, Kate noticed that the tooth was gone. Someone must've picked it up, and the only real answer to that was...

"Of course she did."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Eren was still sort of reeling from the trial, or from the blows inflicted upon him by Sara. He was actually kind of surprised he didn't transform. When Erwin greeted him, apologized to him, it was a little hard for him to contain himself. He took his hand almost eagerly. And why not? Erwin Smith was a man of rank, courage, and determination. He was someone to look up to, believe in. Sara, on the other hand, was a bit scary.

"It's okay, though... I understand why it was necessary."

And this was where Hange pulled out the tooth he lost. Good god, she was keeping that? If she did that, you have to wonder...did she have his arm from before too? Probably. Hange seemed to want to test it, and him, for alot. She asked him about the pain he felt and even wanted to see the inside of his mouth, where it was revealed...he had a full set of teeth.

"Commander, are you sure I'm not going to be disected?"

Before the man could even try to reassure him, Hange got in first by a mile, shaking her head wildly with those glaring eyes.

"No no no no! I would never take apart someone as vitally important as you! How could you even suggest such a thing when there's so much more to learn while you're alive? Run some tests, make some notes - certainly. But I have other subjects for the really deep stuff."

Eren was taken aback. He saw several things familiar about this woman. Like he'd seen a face like hers that was alot more calm, but still blessed with that same mad spark of genius. And those eyes. He'd seen those wild eyes before. That was when Eren had the 'Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?' look, for sure.

[AngelBites15]

Sara was leaning against the wall, as she watched the interactions between her Commander and Hange, as they easily welcomed the newcomer into the Scout Regiment. She was sure that he would be of good use for the war, considering that Erwin secretly did the same process with her; being a Titan and all. From now on, she would be able to keep a closer eye on him and, if possible, show him what being a Shifter is all about, when the time comes. For that thought, she approached the teenager. “You do trust me. Do you, Eren?”, she asked.

Internally, the lieutenant wanted Eren to believe that what she did, was all part of saving his life, and hope that it didn’t result him into showing any contempt for her, in return. "I only hoped that my actions wouldn't make you resent me, or any of us. At least you managed to understand our intentions", she elaborated for him, before giving him a thin smile. "Welcome to the team, Jaeger", she managed to catch a glance at Kate standing nearby, hoping to see that she would be relieved on the result.

[FalloutJack]

Only a very exclusive few were aware that there was more than one Titan-Shifter in the room, and it was gonna stay that way until it was important enough to blow that cover. One can only imagine what sort of things go through Sara's head in regards to that confidentiality. Did she fear being put into the same danger as Eren himself was in? Did she regret not revealing herself sooner and giving humanity an edge more publically? One can only guess, but the thing to know for sure was this: Those in this room who were fully-aware of Sara's secret nature believed that it should remain as one, because it truly does go further than 'Oh, we've had a Titan-Shifter this whole time.'. It was more like 'We've known that there are humans who become uniquely-dangerous Titans for a while now, and that knowledge is even more dangerous out in the open than it is quiet.'. After all, someone had to BE the enemy that kicked in the gates. If they knew about this, they'd never be so brazen in exposing themselves at the second wall.

Still, of the people who were in the know, Kate Bellows was not. She had walked into the room quietly, making no noise to disturb the others, no comments to interrupt them. At least, not until there was a great need to speak. This was the job and both the Commanders and Sara had the floor. She wasn't even going to greet her Aunt until she was focused away from Eren...which might take some time. As to Sara's question, Eren said "You seemed to believe in what I said, so I have to return the favor.". As stated beforre, he understood WHY she beat him, and it worked. So, while the Lieutenant was rather intimidating - right along with her cousin - at least things appeared to be alright now. She would see that Kate was indeed relieved, even smiling. It would be a hard road ahead, but now that they were walking the path, they would never stop until the end was reached.

"Will my friends be alright?"

And this is where Kate broke her silence.

"Nothing will happen to them, Eren. They'll be fine. The only problem is that, for obvious reasons, they can't go where you're going. You're our responsibility now, and by that token, everything you do reflects directly on us."

So, if he were to - say, for instance - go completely out of control and have to be put down, possibly killing people along the way...heads would roll, literally, as punishment. This sunk in deep into Eren's understanding...a very seriouss thing...which is why it was completely out from left field that Kate would suddenly get practically tackled and put into a tight deathgrip of affection by Hange Zoe.

"Katherine! When did you get here?! You've grown again, haven't you?!"

"...hi, Aunt Hange... You're the one who arrived unannounced... I've been here."

She released Kate, going "Oh yeah, that's a good point.", and then gripped her hands excitedly.

"I hear the Titan-Shredder is going to be approved for regular use! How's the new project coming along?"

"Got the basics of it down, but I'm gonna need a black powder supply to fill the heads. If I don't test a fully-operational prototype, we won't know how effective it is."

They're both getting that wild look in their eyes over - one would assume - some other invention or even mulitple inventions Kate was working on. What? You thought the Titan-Shredders would be the only thing she could make? Her mother perfected the wall cannons and railing system with a few measurements and some math. This kind of thing was running in the family!

[AngelBites15]

Although she made a few glances towards her cousin, who was sitting right next to the teen, Sara nevertheless listened to Eren, as he seemed to express good-will for the actions that she made towards him. Something had always been quite absolute amongst the Scouts: Trust, as it had always been a good asset within the battlefield, up to the point where that trust was mandatory amongst the ranks. It became one of the reasons why the Scouts were so upheld on their belief to take back the world that humanity lost; it was what kept them going. At the same time, it even extended towards those people that were considered "family", in Sara's eyes, whether or not, there was a relation. That didn't mean, however, that she would go out of her way, and reveal the one secret that she, Levi, and the Commander knew. Sure, there may be well, in fact, another Titan-Shifter before them, but that didn't mean they would let the cat out of the bag, just because the other showed up. It may, as well, come, and show up, at the right moment. That alone, was Sara's decision.

Also, she had to assume that the price of Eren losing the deal, would end up with upmost defeat...mainly on the boy's part, and therefore, Sara was going to have to be discreet, and do as much as she can to keep him in the light of his power. However, it wasn't going to be an easy feat, considering that it would conjure suspicion for the rest of the recruits, probably with the exception of Erwin and Levi. It was one of her inner ideas, while the other leaned towards the lay-low: Just sit back and let Eren figure it out himself. It was a dilemma, considering that the teen was now technically her responsibility, and that he was the key for her to piece together her forgotten past. The thought itself caused the lieutenant to look over at Kate, who was in the same state, as her own Aunt: Wild and eager. Should she even mention to the young woman her issue? Can she even trust her word, even if she were indeed to tell her? Narrowing her eyes in thought, while continuing to keep eye contact upon the other, the platinum-haired woman remembered that Kate knew Eren and his friends, more than anyone in this very room.

Their custody of Eren began right now, but then, they were to move out with Levi's squad, first thing tomorrow.
Closing her eyes, Sara could only think of so many ups and downs for the very expedition.

[FalloutJack]

Indeed, that fateful excursion was due to be rife with potential madness, but before that happened, there were a few other things that had to go on. It begins with Eren asking "So, what happens now?", and...him getting an answer. Maybe not the answer he or anybody wanted to hear, exactly, but it was the one that was inevitable. In short, Hange answered.

"Naturally, with this expedition in mind, we can hardly go into this unprepared. We need to understand how your change works, what its limits are, how we can control or at least direct it, and I believe we're all on the same page on where that should take place?"

She looked to the two other Commanders, who of course were in the know. Erwin nodded, knowing that he had Eren in good if...perhaps overly-anxious hands. He knew Hange would not get too overzealous with this, of course. The only real concern he had was imparted with just a look in Levi and Sara's direction. It was a simple gesture, but the message was clear: 'Your best wisdom on this matter, at all times.' He was positive that certain unknowns were about to come to light, things that he had remained silent on for the good of all, and would remain so until one of the others - or perhaps just Sara herself - broke such a silence. He was going to be busy organizing the expedition itself, and he had a few thoughts on who to assign that would help...

"I must go and get things underway, so I'll leave you in their charge now."

And with that, Erwin left the room. No doubt, they'd be putting Eren back in his cell - probably for his own good - to await heading out to the location in question in the morning. At the moment, Kate was actively distracted before realizing after Erwin left...

"I forgot to ask him for help in getting some of that powder, 'cause I think the MPs aren't gonna just give it after we took Eren from them."

"I'm sure we could sneak away with something on the way out, especially if you need to test them out first."

Speaking of ups and downs, there appeared to be plans of explosive powder theft going on right under their noses here...

[AngelBites15]

As the day had passed, Eren Jaeger was, as promised, now within her and Captain Levi’s custody, having to become a frequent study by Hange, while having to be free from the intimidations and distrusts of the city. Of course, Kate was almost-always present when her Aunt had the teen under her thumb, but Sara couldn't quite complain, considering that they wanted more intel on his ability to transform.

Having to sit in the main serving room, where all of the soldiers are, the lieutenant sat in the corner, by herself, looking out the window, while taking a few occasional sips of her tea; her plate was already empty, so all she had to finish was the drink in her hand. The veteran still remembered her chat with Eren Jaeger, shortly leaving the room they were in earlier, after the trial.

"Starting tomorrow, me, the Captain, and everyone within his squad, including you, will be venturing back to one of other bases. From there, we will discuss on how you can prove your loyalty to our cause", she explained. "As you heard from the judge, you are to be supervised by me and Captain Levi. I'm sorry, but it's to ensure the safety of yourself and our soldiers. If you have any questions, it would be best to get answers from either me or him. Do you understand?”, the white-haired woman asked, hoping for the boy’s cooperation.

"Yeah. Thanks for giving me a chance, ma'am", he said, before clenching his fist once again, ready and eager. Having been through terrible ordeals, there's nothing really left besides giving his best.

From the point of knowing his name, Sara felt her obligation beginning to tick in her subconscious; that meant she had to keep a close eye on him, almost constantly. It was the last thing that she recollected from her past, leading her to believe that he was the key in helping her remember. As far as they have discussed, her cousin wanted the boy to sleep in a basement. Even though she didn't completely agree, it became reasonable for the wellbeing of their troops; the lieutenant gave a sigh of exhaustion at the realization, rubbing her eyes, and pinching the bridge of her nose.

[FalloutJack]

With Eren's situation squared away and the young man himself out of harm's way, there was at least a brief moment of calm, at least until the morning. So, for instance, now...people were taking their evening meal. Speaking of Katherine, though, she hadn't shown up like everybody else, not at the same time. In fact, it would be around the time Sara was finishing her meal that the light-haired lass would hear a telltale rolling sound. It was a distinct sort of noise. It was big, heavy, and wood. It was almost like a log, you might say. It wasn't a bad guess to take, even. In fact, better than bad, it was good, because the real answer was a loaded wooden barrel

In fact, looking over at the source of the sound, one might say that it was a powder keg, except that it was labeled 'Beans'.

The propellor of this rolling container took a steady path to the kitchen to get her food, obtained the night's meal, and then actually headed over in Sara's direction to take a seat nearby, steadying the barrel with using some deft foot control before making use of the salt and pepper on her meal. Kate Bellows treated this odd action like it was nothing. Whether it was actually nothing or not would require some probing, if one was up to it, because instead of explaining this business, the Brunette spoke thusly while enjoying her meal.

"I know the Elites didn't really take to the Titan-Shredders, since it doesn't mesh with their overall technique, but copies will be in circulation by the expedition, and I think they will like the new weapon."

Or was that an explanation? Those probably weren't beans in that keg. It was probably exactly what you think it is in there, and that means that Kate was planning on firing something, blowing something up, or both. The smirk on the girl's face said she was definitely looking forward to this. Despite the length of the day and what they'd had to do, she still had the time and energy for mischief, it seemed.

[AngelBites15]

Reinhardt was out of her Scout gear, only leaving the pants and boots on, while her vest was retired, revealing the white, sleeve-less t-shirt she wore underneath. Her pale arms, like the rest of her, nearly blended in with her short, snow-white hair, added with some muscle in her arms, given that she’s clearly had plenty of exercise, in order to keep her body well-toned.

Leaning back in her seat, with one leg pulled up on the seat, the white-haired seemed to be quite distant in her thoughts, while nursing the cup of tea in her one hand. However, it was interrupted by the sound of something rolling. Looking to her right, the lieutenant took notice upon the younger caramel-haired woman, who happened to be Katherine...rolling a barrel of...beans? However, it was only at the last second that she remembered the other's intentions. Gazing at her for a few seconds, almost scanning her, with her blue eyes, just by listening to her explanation. A thin smile appeared on Sara's face, as she momentarily closed her eyes, and turned her gaze away, almost amusingly.

“Still determined on that prototype, Miss Bellows?", she asked with her usual cold yet soft voice. Sara didn’t bother to add the word ‘soldier’ to the end of that sentence. She was just too exhausted to deal with being professional, after having to handle and train, as many of the new faces as possible, as well as steer the Military Police away from the quarters. “Damn it”, she whispered to herself, frowning, feeling the exhaustion crawl through her.

[FalloutJack]

Yes, it did seem like she had come over to Sara with this thing because she would be in the know and would not give her hell over it. The Lieutenant - while she had been cold to people in the past - also seemed to have a certain soft side that Kate had been noticing. Eren could have ended up in alot of bad ways, but in her own way, she had shown that she cared for the plight of others as more than just doing the job or following orders. What is it they referred to this as? Going above and beyond the call of duty? Yes, that sounded right. Although, this was more like delving deeper into the heart of humanity, given the situation. In either case, it was a great quality to have, and definitely great to see it in a person like Sara Reinhardt.

In Kate's world of trying to make sense of the world and all the people in it, the people who behaved irrationally toward's Eren's plight seemed less and less human, and more like unthinking animals. The things they said back there... The MPs were a bunch of scared roaches, and it was deplorable. The first real victory, and they were prepared to waste it... Well, that was over now, and in light of that, Kate had indeed been getting a little more proactive with her work, her smile broadening as Sara remarked.

"I'll be demonstrating it at the base."

Plans were in motion, then. Now, while Kate was eating, she actually stopped when she heard Sara curse. She wasn't sure why it was she did that, at least not without noticing after a second that she was apparently rather tired. This seemed a good a time as any to broach a particular subject, something that'd been standing out to her that need not be, at least not with her. So, after a moment...

"You really don't have to be formal with me, you know. Everyone knows that I don't... I really don't think that way, about title and position and stuff. Makes me uncomfortable. Maybe one day I'll be Dr. Bellows...but right now I'm just Kate, or Katherine. Whichever works."

Because someone like Sara, who helped out a friend of hers, deserved to BE a friend, to be someone Kate cared about.

[AngelBites15]

Leave it to Katherine to come up with the craziest, most-creative, and yet, the most logical ideas ever conceived. She didn’t know whether if the battle of Trost was the first time she ever used the Titan-Shredder, but then, it seemed that Bellows was performing with the same efficiency as she did in any other escapade, the Scouts have previously took part in. To Sara, anyway, it would seem that the prototype had served a great purpose in the fight, to which led to her agreement on Katherine’s plan. Cold and rough on the outside, the lieutenant may seem, but something more caring and soft on the inside.

The white-haired woman gave the other a nod, merely to silently pass her acknowledgement that what she had was a great plan, and a great idea. If it became a major benefit for the Scouts, Miss Bellows should be recognized more-often. She didn’t know much about Kate, but when it came to her, by observational skills alone, actions spoke louder than words. Sara didn’t know what her upbringing was like, but she can only infer that it was rather rough one, which would explain her untamed outbursts, around the more verbal, physical, and emotional lengths.

No matter how many times the lieutenant had to literally hold the troubled girl back from a fight, or anything else, that wasn’t of military conduct, she could see the two windows on the her face, which translated themselves with sadness, anger, and frustration; very little of true happiness. Perhaps Katherine was more than she seemed, on the outer shell.

Sara didn’t even realize that she may have been looking at her for too long as she thought about this, having to finally sigh, and look down, by the time the young woman spoke up again. Rubbing both of her eyes, with a hand, and tearing her glance away, she thought about what Katherine meant. After having to wake up with no memory of her past, Sara trained extensively with her cousin, before taking on the persona, as the lieutenant of the Scout Regiment. Having to be too wrapped up on her duties, as well as finding anything clues that might connect the dots to her past, she didn’t even think they were that important.

Okay, while this may be a very long excuse, Sara may be having a hard time making interactions that were outside of her “drilled-in” professionalism. So, to call Bellows by her given name...it felt too personal. But then, she was told by the other lass that it didn’t really quite favor the latter. It wouldn’t hurt to try talking on a more casual level, right? ”Okay...?”, the white-haired woman seemed unsure, but she took a breath anyway. ”...Kate”, she seemed hesitant on even saying the name itself, in a not-so-formal fashion, to which she was really used to speaking with the other soldiers. It felt odd and awkward, but then, Sara gave “casual-talk” a try.

[FalloutJack]

The thing about calling her by name was about what she was comfortable with...and also sort of a humbling thing. Kate didn't think of herself as important, even though she had knowledge and precision operation in Titan-killing down to a T. She didn't have her mother's talent, exactly, and she didn't want to take over for her, just yet, because the real Dr. Bellows had been, in her eyes, irreplaceable. She had been there too. In fact, she was there for the sudden initial blast that was the Colossal Titan's very first kick. And...you know how that was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The gate had exploded. Several people were instantly killed while others were injured. Everything was in disarray, panic was in the streets already. Among some of that rubble was a brown-haired woman with a pair of broken glasses who'd been hit by a number of rocks while thrown by the shockwave and was lying near a torn-up shop, adbent-mindedly running her head through some calculations to distract herself from the pain. She was still doing such when her teenaged daughter found her.

"...so we must conclude that the ratio of the force indicated by the blast was equal to the mass of a leg several times larger than a creature that size needs to stand up, even though..."

"Mom!"

"Ah... There's my little protege'. How are you, my dear?"

"Mom, we have to go. It isn't safe!"

"I'm broken, sweetheart... Couldn't move if my life depended on it."

"Then, lemme take you somewhere they can fix you!"

The woman narrowed her view and her casually-delirious tone vanished.

"Katherine, you know there isn't time, and that I'd probably die on the way. Leave me now and save yourself."

"But...I..."

"I know, I know, but they're coming...and I won't let them take me."

The Colossal Titan having moved its foot, the entryway was now free for Titans to filter in. Myra Bellows touched Katherine's cheek with a smile.

"You are the best years of my life. Now, go."

She went...and rather weirdly, the last thing she heard from her mother was of her blowing a raspberry at one...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her time trying to engage with others outside of the friends she had was hard, and she had withdrawn into herself for a while, to the point where it might've seemed like she relapsed. This wasn't much worse than others around her, of course. Eren had lost his parents, which were Mikasa's surrogate family, as well. Armin had also lost everything. Really, was there anyone who hadn't lost nearly if not completely all when this tragedy started? Still, it all made authority a bit scary to Kate, taking time to eventually work it all out in her head, especially when her Aunt discovered her. That all rather-neatly landed her in their current situation, where Kate could just about manage to get a seemingly-cold-but-perhaps-not-really Lieutenant warm up a little.

"I'd...rather call you Sara, than Lieutenant Reinhardt, myself. Don't worry, though. I won't be like Aunt Hange..."

So, she won't be overly-dramatic or eliminating personal space without consent? Thank goodness.

[AngelBites15]

She remembered herself as a bit mellow and soft, as she was growing up, but then, the last thing she knew that was (supposedly) happy, was being in her mother’s presence, and being told by an older male, to find Eren Jaeger. Everything was a blur, and the notion of where her mother Rosa, and her unknown father might be, had dissipated in time, since the incident. There was darkness, and then, she found herself in the middle of nowhere, within the body of a Titan, where Levi and Erwin have found her. They didn’t know who she was, until blood ties became more apparent during training. She was nineteen-twenty years old, at the time.

She never saw her parents in the same frame, mainly due to her unknown father not being part of the picture, in times of need. However, it was only one day where Sara remembered crossing paths with a mysterious man in a hat on the streets, a few times without her mother’s knowledge, and having to be secretly taught things that would definitely benefit the both of them. The name of this man was a sliver, but she happened to recall the name ‘Kenny’, from time to time, to which was all-too familiar for her cousin. She wasn’t even sure if he or Rosa were even still alive. In her mind, Levi was all she had in biological relations, although she did remember her mother briefly mentioning about her sister, who happened to be cadet Armin’s own mother, making him count, pretty count.

Perhaps she was much more comfortable in her more professional persona, since she found it to be a much easier mindset during interaction. The memories of her childhood came out as shards, as it wasn’t entirely cheerful, while having to be quite gray, mostly revolving around books, discipline, and survival. Sara didn’t have a lot of friends, or really any, mainly due to the fact that she was mainly soft-spoken, quiet and, if one looked more closely, shy. Her training and professionalism only made her a bit more hardened, although it seemed that Kate was able to make her outer shell briefly crack. She spoke again, after a moment, with the softness still evident within her voice.

”Alright then...Katherine”

Perhaps the other young woman was right that, in a way, Sara could try to show who she really was, underneath her usual businesslike temperament, to which the platinum-blonde completely shrouded, since she had been found, all those years ago, starting with her stepping away from using the usual titles. It would be, at least, fair that Bellows would do the same for her, by calling Sara by her first name, rather than by her professional one.

Would it be possible that Kate was under a similar umbrella? That her real self may be shrouded by the one she currently displayed? It could explain the girl’s efforts in keeping her emotions buried. That very thought was in her mind, once more, as she continued to look at her with soft yet concentrated eyes, from the other side of the table, as if the woman was trying to pinpoint on whether if she was right or not, at the very moment.

[FalloutJack]

Funnily enough, Sara was pretty close to being on the mark about Katherine's own guarded feelings. The only significant difference was that it was actually a case of protecting the one she was inside from that which was outside. There were things in the world that her psyche couldn't handle, so it had gone and locked up to kkeep from being harmed. The Titans were, strangely enough, not the root of the cause. They just didn't help. Sara's attempts to figure Kate out would not fail to understand certain things. If Kate were hiding her real self, then her outbursts had to be a definite unsurpressed Kate that would be more outgoing and free, if not for something. She didn't let herself 'out' as often because it wasn't safe. She felt exposed in these circumstances, and that led her to 'burrow in' and wait out the danger.

The only times that she had outbursts were when she simply could not contain what was bothering her or making her happy, and of course during he more savage moments when attacking Titans. Kate wasn't well-adjusted, but emotionally skewed and trying to push herself back into balance with her intellect. More to the point, it wasn't as though she lacked emotional ties, but rather had trouble forging them, so whatever ones she had were ultimately important to her. Imagine the trouble that Eren had been in, and how that affected her. She wasn't as seemingly close to him as Mikasa was, but like Armin, she was devoted and would probably take any news of something bad happening to any of the trio pretty badly. Kate had invited Sara to that short list of people she felt secure around, although...when you think about it, it wouldn't be as hard as you might think.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but...in all the praise of her mother or Hange Zoe, or even her own abilities, did you notice that she never mentioned her father? Well, in any case, it might be that they had things in common, or that Kate really wanted to get to know Sara because she'd decided that the Lieutenant was ultimately trustworthy to some capacity. She smiled as Sara appeared to ease up, maybe even let down her own guard, as well. Or perhaps...it had been down right when they had started talking. Katherine made mention of her discomfort, yet she had apparently endured other people who referred to her professionally without comment. That was a definite sign that she wanted Sara to not be her cold self around her, at least when she didn't have to be. She was almost finished with her meal now, when the Brunette spoke up again.

"So, any plans before tomorrow? Once I deliver the 'beans', I'll be all set."