However Long The Night

EIGHT: Defeat the enemy, no matter the cost

Despite the losses they'd endured during a simple training exercise, the Scout Regiment didn't stop for a second to even process their losses. With the retaking of Wall Maria looming over their heads, now more than ever, they had to keep moving forward.

It was confirmed, now, that their next expedition was to scour the ruins left behind from the fall of the wall all those years ago. They were going to get a sense of the area before going back out. Two expeditions would take place before they set out to recover lost land.

The first would be in only three days. The commander announced, more for the new recruits' sake, that the sighting of Titans would be a major possibility, but one they would try to avoid. Many of them hadn't seen a Titan since the attack on Trost.

There was another thing. Rosario had gotten to a point where she could blend in and not be completely noticed. Though her presence is not at all welcome, most have grown accustomed to it and, thus, have learned to ignore her. It served her well, especially when she was able to overhear about their concern over facing more enemies than just titans.

Titan shifters, then. The Female Titan had been apprehended. The Beast, Armored, and Collosal were yet to be captured. Behind closed doors, Rosario had found those pieces of information, only divulged to their trusted little squads.

Speaking of which, Rosario had been making progress. Her self-satisfaction was great when Section Commander Hange came up to her and invited her to see the hardening experiments that were performed in preparation for retaking the wall.

In the openness of the Scout Headquarters, the Levi and Hange squads, as well as Rosario and two other new recruits, were crowded in the highest places they could find while Jaeger stood below and waited for their signal.

Rosario had seen titans fleetingly when Trost was attacked. From the depths of Tamashi, she'd seen snippets and heard the screams. This would be the first time she saw one up close. And she wouldn't even be commanded to kill it.

"This has to be the last time we perform these," Commander Smith said to the higher-ups. It was also a plus that she didn't blend so well with the leader of the regiment. While he kept a close eye on the girl he thought of as a useful deviant, she was able to be present at times while he revealed the inner workings of his mind. "Eren needs to be rested for when we leave for Shiganshina. If these come out well, then we put a stop on the experiments. Hange, how do you see him so far?"

Zoe cast a look over to Jaeger, who had been joined by Armin and their personal Ackerman. They were engaged in some animated conversation that Rosario couldn't hear from all the way atop a building.

"His skills gave us the ability to create that anti-titan weapon, which has minimized the amount of Titans near Wall Rose for some time now." She looked back over to the commander. "But he's tired. Exhausted even. I've overworked him. Despite that, however, he refuses to back down. He's willing to waste away if it means reaching our goal."

"Levi?" Commander Smith turned to his other confidant.

"He can do it. And we've come too far, like to start tip-toeing now."

"Perfect then," the commander said. "Then should he be excluded from the next two expeditions?"

"No," both the Section Commander and the captain said in unison. The captain took over from there. "He won't be put to use his Titan powers, but we've made his get used to only relying on them. Eren needs to learn how to depend on his training as well."

"It's risky," the commander commented. "We can't expose him more than we need to."

Expose him to the other Titan shifters. They want to abduct him. Rosario had known this.