After I died

8

Anastasia

Hanji told me the next day, that I'd be teamed up with Petra until after the next mission in a month. Petra was quite excited when I joined them for training that morning. Levi had already talked to her about us being teamed up. She said she was glad there was finally some more "female representation" in the troop and that she was starting to feel "lonely" among the four guys.

She often took turns explaining a strategy to me after Auruo had done so before but didn't manage it without either exaggerating everything or getting completely lost in telling mea glorious story from one of the many missions they'd been on. I wouldn't say he was particularly unlikeable, but sometimes a bit self-absorbed. Petra called him "embarassing" at least once a day.

Eld and Gunther and I didn't exactlz have much to do with eachother so far, but I'm sure I'll have enough time to get to know them after the mission. They both seemed nice tho and didn't have a problem adapting to me suddenly being in the team. Eld was the one who thought of slight changes in their attacks that he'd always thought would improve the strategies but up until now they weren't enough people to try them.

The team overall was a little confused about suddenly having someone in the team they didn't really know and who'd been in the survey corps for less than a month, but they trusted Levi and Erwin's decision so non eof them pressed any further. If anything, they were quite glad to have some additional help. After all, fighting a titan alone wasn't something anyone really looked foreward too.

I learned lot from Levi's team, they definitely did deserve their titelas an elite troop. It was the evening before the mission when we were preparing our horses for the long travel. Auruo, Eld and Gunther where out to get some water, while Petra and I were chatting over this and that.

"So how did this elite squad thing, start?", I asked, looking over the back of my horse at Petra. "Well, I'm not exactly, I just know that corporal Levi chose all of us for the troop and he's considered humanities strongest, so..." She shrugged. "Humanities strongest? Ain't that a bit, over the top?" Petra started chuckling as I asked that.

"I never heard someone question that, I mean, he's quite a lot talked about. And he killed 89 titans alone." "Whats the average for that?", I asked. "Just for measure." Petra though for a bit. "Well, I don't think there's somehing such as an averag. The only one close to Levi's 89 is Auruo with... 32,  believe. After him, there's Eld with 14, me with 12 and then theres you and gunther with 7 and 5."

Levi really must be as good as everyone say he is.I've seen his precision and agilityon the wooden titans in the forest. Suddenly this "humanity's strongest" thing didn't seemso odd anymore. My line of thought was interrupted by Gunther, Eld and Auruo coming back with water.

"Now, everything ready?", Eld asked, coming by to check up on us. "Yes, the horses are ready, they only need some water now.", Petra replied before putting the hay down. "Then off to bed everyone, you gotta get some sleep before the mission." Eld hushed us away everyone to their rooms. When I arrived, Hanji was sitting at her table, she turned to me with a smile.

"Hey Ana, did they tell you the formation strategy yet?", she asked, already holding up the plan, she probably had something to say about it. "They told me, briliant isn't it?" "Yes.", Hanji replied excitedly. "Sadly, this is meant to avoid any contact with the titans. So we cant capture me some new ones." Hanji made a sad face.

"How about you just go to bed. yeah, Hanji? It's quite late and you should rest before we head out for the mission tomorrow.", I said. Hanji already opened her mouth to reply something, but I cut her off before she even had the chance to say something.

"No buts, off to bed with you, Hanji." She pouted a bit but then got upfrom her desk. "And I assume you haven'tshowered yet." Hanji glanced at  me sideways. "But you do know you can't just order me around, I'm a higher up.", she replied, ignoring my question. She rarely ever mentioned the difference we had in rank, and when she did,like right now, it was usually not in a serious way.

"I'm not saying that to you as a higher up, but as my friend. Because I want you to stay clean and healthy and alive." Hanji sighed, but then grabbed her towel and got over to the bathroom door. We were nothin bed and saying our good nights around half an hour later.

I was awake for a bit longer, thinking about the mission tomorrow and the risk it brought. The last time I had fought titans was only for about an hour, maybe two at most and had already exhausted myself with that quite much, but now we would be out there for a much longer time.

My technique had gotten better over the last month, so I was using my and the 3dmg's energy more thoughtfully but still, it was a situation I'd never really been in before, fighting humans was one thing but-

My attention got caught my the sheets of Hanji's bed shuffling, steps on the wooden floor and the sound of a petroleum lampbeing turned on, then light. "Hanji Zoe, get your ass back in bed right this second.", I said jokingly but with a hint of warning.

She started pouting again but in the end turned the light off and went back to bed. The next morning, she actuallywasn't sitting at her desk when I woke up, she'd actually listened tome and slept. After breakfast, we were already on our way to getting ready.

Hanji and I gave exchanged quick "see you later"s  before she headed off to her position on the front of the formation, while I stayed in the back with Eren and the elite squad.