Solace

Attack on Titan: Somnium

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

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Aquanthe @LordVoldemort

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Attack on Titan: Somnium

@SheriffLlama

yea boi

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@FrostedCaramel

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

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

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

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

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Head Instructor Schulz

@QT

"Is that so?"

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

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

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

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

---

Reese Kestrel

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

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

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

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

Attack on Titan: Somnium

@FrostedCaramel

Just leaving this here since I might be gone when you come online, but whenever you're offline, may I take control of the Drill Instructor in your absence, to move things forward?

edit: Ok, Bells told me to go with it anyway, looks like you lose. :p
I'll likely have a slightly different portrayal of the instructor, but hopefully it isn't anything huge.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

@FrostedCaramel @LordVoldemort

I improved the chart

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@LordVoldemort @wolverbells @Ambra @Jinxer @HecateProxy

It was difficult to feel anything but distress throughout the impending situation, and even though he had finally exchanged an awkward introduction with the taller boy, a stressful uneasiness continued to hang around Reese's head. While he drew a shadow of a smile along his lips and lifted the heaviness that was his hand, there would be no shortages to the catastrophe that had doomed humanity. His body jumped in a shudder as his eyes caught wind of another flash of lightning from within the district, his eyes casting a horrified glance.

"Not again!" his uncle's worker cursed, but there was no sight of the Colossal Titan from before. Reese was left momentarily confused, gasping so suddenly as the northern gates exploded into ruin. Alongside the debris flying through the air, he watched as several soldiers of the Garrison, who had been caught off guard, were sent into the air, their bodies like mangled kites as an Armored Titan emerged from the smoke. He looked towards the main road, seeing only few surviving soldiers riding off on their horses towards Wall Rose in a frantic rush.

"They... really did it," Reese could not believe his eyes, casting his glare away from the Armored Titan in fear and disbelief as he looked between his friends. They've actually breached Wall Maria.

He overheard several declarations of vengeance and protection, believing their intentions in enlisting with the military. Reese, however, was very much undecided. He felt obligated to do so after witnessing and losing a piece of himself in the madness, but was chasing revenge what his father would have wanted for him? Would he even see his father or mother ever again, if he enlisted? What if he was to fall during combat, and his life taken away? Even now, they knew nothing of his location or his fate.

"A good heart like yours shouldn't be trying to protect every single soul of humanity, but rather, the humanity towards you," his uncle's words spoke truly once more within his mind, yet they had fallen upon ears too young to understand their depth. Reese took notice to Gabriel, whom he had been standing closest to, as the taller boy had begun to shed tears.

The youth tugged at Gabriel's arm in comfort, trying his best to temper his own nerves but failing miserably. If it took enlisting in the military to keep Reese alongside his friends, then it was a destiny he would steel himself to face.

Attack on Titan: Somnium

Reese Kestrel

@Ambra @LordVoldemort @Jinxer

The last line between the dreaded reality and his conscience thought was at the brink of crumbling. Reese had forcefully confined himself within his own bubble of sanctuary, the only bastion of hope for the boy that was his own body; the lock around his knees weakened as a pair of arms circled around his waist, another warmth pulling itself against him. The touch startled him momentarily, causing a flinch until he saw that it was Olivia. He stiffened a slight frown, his legs bending foreword and giving himself space. He looked up to see the tall boy from before, cradling an infant in his arms as he nearly collapsed.

While Reese shifted his body around to face their direction, he watched as more of the group had made it safely. Even the sight of his friends did not bring relief to the boy, feeling a single tear rush down his left cheek as he looked up to the sky. Of all the horizons that dawned over their lands, this had been the one chosen for their world. The boy had once dreamt of an otherworldly vision, dreamt of exiting their world's atmosphere.

The youth's hands continued to tremble slightly as he fought against the pressure weighing down his shoulders, almost struggling to keep his legs straightened in a normal walk. "I didn't get to say it earlier," Reese found the strength to formulate words beyond all of the screaming and cries, his voice still hoarse and cackling. "I'm Reese Kestrel. You know, the Kestrel Company?" the boy referred to his father's wealthy trading business.

He watched while Lauren tended to the injury at Gabriel's leg, almost numb to the sight of the blood for the given moment. As Reese suffered from a coughing episode, the boy recognized one of the traders that had accompanied them to Shiganshina, a longtime friend to his uncle. "Is that you?" the man removed his hat, approaching as he knelt down to look at him eye-to-eye. "Kestrel?"

"Yes," Reese answered with seldom enthusiasm, his expression foreboding.

The trader sighed in relief. "Reese, about Kled—" his teeth clenched, the wrinkles in the man's face tightening. "Your uncle. Have you seen him?"

The boy shook his head almost reluctantly, the question sending another dagger into his heart.

"Damn it," the man threw a fist into the deck of the boat in anger. "This shouldn't have happened!"

Attack on Titan: Somnium

I'll start up a post in like, half an hour! too lazy right now