perception ⸝⸝ aot

8

"Take a seat," Erwin tells me, signaling to the chair across from him at his desk. I felt his eyes trail up and down my body as I took a seat, resting my arms on the table and looking down at the ink and writing on the papers. He had a map laid out in front of him and a paper with a formation on it. His fancy cursive writing was scrawled on it. 

"How's your injury?" He asks, glancing at my stomach. "Feeling better?"

"Yes sir, it's still healing though," I give him a warm smile as my heart fluttered. Not even Eren asked about my injury.

His stern icy blue eyes stared into mine as he took a calm breath. I crossed my legs and rubbed my sweaty hands on my pants, his gaze makes me nervous. "Tell me, (Y/N)," he says slowly. "What was your purpose of joining the Scout Regiment?" 

"To help humanity overcome the titans, sir," I reply as much earnest as I can muster.

"Tell me the real reason. Don't give me the default answer, Amana." 

I look down at my hands, clenching my fists and unclenching them. I look back up at him and he raises a thick eyebrow at me. Suddenly, he opens his desk drawer and takes out a notebook. It had a familiar symbol on it; a sun with a single teardrop in the middle and a ring encircling the sun and teardrop. I furrow my eyebrows, trying to remember. 

He flips it open to the first page. "Written by Edward Tybur," he points to the writing under a portrait. He then points to the man in the portrait, "This is your Father—Arden Amana. Is it not?" My eyes widen and my hands begin to shake at the sight of my Fathers face. I take the book from his hands, bending closer to the painted portrait of my Father. 

"I-it's Dad..." my eyes begin to fill with tears as I trace his long blond hair which was kept back in a pony. He looked young, in his 20s and he had a light smile on his face. "How?" I look up at Erwin, setting the book down. 

"Your family was well known," he tells me. "We went to the Amana estate to investigate the supposed house burglary, by we, I mean Levi and me. The house had been shut down but we managed to get in thanks to a friend I have in the MPs, and we found this. Sadly, it's written in a language we can't understand. The only thing in English was who it was written by. There are a few other illustrations," he opens a page that was bookmarked. "It appears to be a titan—the Colossal to be precise," he flips to another page, pointing to another illustration.

"And the Armoured," he goes through 7 other depictions of titans. "We don't know what those are, but we know the Armoured and the Colossal. So, this leads us to believe that the Amana family withheld secrets about the world which led to their supposed burglary." 

I lean back in my chair, shaking my head. Had Dad helped the titans? Was he behind it? Was I going to be put to death just like my parents after years of survival?

"Had you any idea of this?" He asks me sternly. 

"No, I knew that my parents were murdered because I saw it. But I had no idea of this... I was like 6," I reply truthfully. There's no point in lying now. 

"Can you read it?" 

"No," I tell him, tracing my fingers delicately over the strange letters. "I've seen the emblem on the cover somewhere, though... I just don't know where." 

He hums in thought. "Perhaps we should take you back to Mitras to jog your memory?"

"Mitras?" 

"That's where your house is located, is it not?" He furrows his eyebrows. So I was right. The guilt about lying to Armin vanished from me, making my body lighter. 

"I didn't know," I shrug. "One of the MPs helped me run away and directed me to the Underground..." I tell him, choking back tears as flashbacks came up in my mind like rapid ocean waves crashing against rocks. 

"...And Levi's Mother took you in, yes. He informed me when I questioned him about your proximity. You both seemed too comfortable for strangers. Especially Levi, he's never like that with anyone," he tells me. "Not even Petra."

I wanted to push further on what he meant by bringing up Petra. Were Levi and Petra a thing? No, he's not interested in romance. But it could be. 

I look down at my hands resting on the tables, which Erwin hesitantly covers with his own. "I need your help, Amana, something tells me your family plays a significant part in this. Something tells me you're a part of the bigger picture." 

His hands felt warm but rough. Despite the callouses, his hands brought me comfort. I relax and nod slowly, giving him a weak smile. "But understand that we only trust you because of Levi, he pledged that you wouldn't betray us. So please, no more lies. Give us all the information you have." 

"I don't have anything," I said, my eyes fixated on his blue ones. They were filled with hope. "I joined the Survey Corps because I had no other purpose, so I thought I might as well do good. If I had the information I would've done something to avenge my parents." 

"We can, if you help us, we will help you avenge them. I promise." 

"I would've helped either way," I roll my eyes. "I don't have anything better to do so why not? But win-win, I get to avenge my parents too." 

He nods, "You may go eat now if you want. That's all I wanted to talk to you about," he says. "Oh and, I'd appreciate it if you could accompany me to the Cadet graduation." 

"Sure," I reply with a shrug as I get up and walk towards the door. 

"Amana," he calls, making me stop. "Who do you think the real enemy is here? Think about it."