Attack on Titan / Interactive Story

98

"You called?"

Annie Leonhardt pulled you to the side, talking lowly.

"Do me a favor."

Her chosen words were made to be used as a question, but the tone of her voice made it sound like you had no choice in the matter.

"I would have asked the Winona girl but she seems hopeless."

You scrunch your eyebrows. Hopeless? If anything, Winona could do the same task as you but ten times better.

"I need you to deliver something to a soldier in the Scouting Regiment."

"Why can't you do it?"

She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and looks at you with her low eyelids. Her expression makes you feel like an idiot. "I have other responsibilities to get to."

"What makes you think I don't have any?"

The words come out funnier than how they sounded in your head. You? Plans?

You didn't have anything else to do, but were you actually willing to deliver something for Annie?

Eh. Fuck it.

"Nevermind, I'll do it."

If Annie could smile, she'd be beaming. Possibly.

~~~

The envelope is tightly held in your palm. A small wax button is placed on the back to keep it closed. Your fingers had traced the Military Police symbol engraved in the green wax over and over.

The voyage to the Scouting Regiment location was long and tiring. You boarded wagons and small boats to get through the walls. Finally, you walked a small trail, indented with the footprints of all the new soldiers that had passed through this area to their own personal graveyard.

You remembered the few who had joined the Scouts: Valencia Lowe, Calum Buhari, the Nameless boy. Were they all still alive?

A castle, nowhere near as grand as that of the King's (but still very impressive), peaked beyond the trees.

The letter, which seemed like military business at first, had suddenly seemed personal. How would you go about this? Couldn't you get in trouble for being off duty?

You flipped the letter in your hands over and over again as you neared the castle.

"今晩", or 'tonight', was imprinted in very small, black ink on the front corner.

"Give it to Reiner Braun." Annie had demanded.

"What does he look like?"

Annie's blue eyes had looked down to the floor in thought for just a moment. "In all respect, look for the guy with skinny-ass eyebrows."

Annie was a shitty observer.

Your fingers skimmed over the envelope again. If it wasn't Military business, that meant it was personal. You tapped the envelope with the flesh of your fingers, treading up to the castle. A stable was outside, some soldiers roaming with buckets of cleaning supplies, others out and about doing who-knows-what.

Should you go inside? Could you ask someone, or did you have to be discreet? Was this letter... a love letter? Blackmail? A drug exchange?

You almost felt obligated to ask someone. Your eyes skimmed for someone who looked friendly enough, maybe even a face you recognized.

"E-excuse me?"

The person's head turns to look. He's tall, buff, honestly. He reminds you of Ballard.

"Would you happen to know where Reiner Braun is?"

The guy smiles, an odd smile that's close to a sarcastic look. His muscles seem mostly pulled to his right cheek. Your eyes wandered up to his eyebrows - a perfect match.

"That'd be me, kid."

You hand the envelope over to him without a word. You watch as other soldiers pass, curious as to what is going on. You begin to feel anxious as a couple eye your Military Police jacket.

Reiner opens the envelope, pulling out the letter. You're not exactly sure if you should go or not, as it is getting late. Delivering the letter took almost all day. You slowly begin to back away when Reiner catches your movement.

"Stay for a minute."

You reluctantly stay, looking up at the sky to make an estimate on when the sun would finally drop. Reiner's eyes move from the letter to your face, as if something in the writing had made him recollect the fact that you were still there.

"I'm not quite sure how to put this, kid..." The boy starts, tucking the letter back into its envelope. He smiles, his facial muscles brushing to the right side once again. "But how would you like to join our side?"

Continue (Chapter 108)