Birdie (Levi x OC)

three

I finished unpacking and changed into my new uniform, the crisp Survey Corps fabric still feeling strange against my skin. I didn't linger; feeling restless, I immediately set the green cape aside and cleared space on the small wooden desk. Once settled, I was lost in thought, still putting away the last of my journals.

Capturing Titans...

The standard procedure relied on barbed netting, but that was useless against an intelligent target. My mind flashed back to the sheer scale of the Armored and Colossal Titans—barbed netting wouldn't even snag them, much less slow them down. We needed something more: something lethally forceful yet designed for restraint.

I drew rough sketches of Sawney and Bean, the two subjects I had seen this morning. They were terrifying. I penciled in their wide, vacant eyes and big, smiling mouths. How could something look so human and yet so wrong?

As I drew, my mind frantically cycled through every weapon I had worked on and researched, searching for a breakthrough. Cannons? Foothold traps? Multiple large snares? Maybe a combination of those and the netting could bring one down.

No, it wasn't good enough. We needed a true innovation.

An abrupt knock at my door interrupted my concentration, causing my pencil to draw a line straight through Bean's head. Damnit.

I quickly got up and opened the door. Standing there was a man in a clean Scout uniform. He was tall, with a steady, quiet presence, his kind face nicely framed by light brown hair.

"Hello?" I said expectantly.

"Hi, you are Birdie, I assume?" he replied.

I nodded.

"Hange sent me to grab you for lunch. I'm Moblit," he smiled, extending a hand.

"Hi Moblit," I replied, returning the firm handshake. "Are you part of Hange's squad?" I asked, hopeful.

"Yes. Technically the vice-captain, but mostly Hange's glorified assistant," he laughed. The respect in his voice made the self-deprecation sound like a compliment.

I laughed along with him. "I'm truly thankful to be a part of your squad. I promise I won't let you or Hange down."

He smiled in return. "Shall we go get us some lunch?"

"Yes, I'd like that," I said.

He led me toward the mess hall, which was now full of Scouts. Moblit guided us to a table where Hange and Captain Levi were already sitting, along with two other faces.

"Ah, Birdie! Come sit," Hange said, patting the seat beside her expectantly.

I sat beside Hange and directly across from Captain Levi.

Moblit excused himself to grab our food.

"Birdie, these two are on the Special Operations Squad led by Levi," Hange explained. "This is Petra Ral," she said, gesturing toward a woman with reddish-blonde hair. "And this is Oluo Bozado." The man wore a cravat, much like the Captain.

"Birdie," I introduced myself. I stood and reached across the table to offer a firm handshake to each of them. They both reciprocated, Petra being visibly more warm than the taciturn Oluo.

As I sat back down, a sudden curiosity struck me. "Isn't Eren Yeager on your squad now, Captain Levi?"

The Captain gave me a bored look. Petra quickly intervened. "He is! He's actually with the other members of our squad right now. They're all getting supplies ready so we can move to the old Survey Corps headquarters early tomorrow morning. It's the best place to keep a watchful eye on him."