All Regret (Isabel Magnolia x Reader)

Better off alone.

  "Hey, wake up! You missed the new recruits getting introduced."

Unwillingly, you opened your eyes. The weather was perfect, and for once you weren't tasked with doing some stupid drill in the morning. It was supposed to be a day without any kind of event. You lean into your knees and spat on the ground, the soil turns dark before you take the toes of your boots and rub it. You were tasked with cleaning the stables after you snapped back at your superior. Luckily, the stables weren't that messy and you were actually able to finish cleaning it while everyone else was leaving to meet the newest members of the Survey Corps.

  "Who's...who're the new people?" You yawned.

  "Couple of rats from the underground layer."

  "Underground? We're not that desperate, are we?" You stood up and stretched, walking over to the man who had just woken you. You smirked at him as you reached for your back pocket. "Should I hide my wallet now or do you think I'll have a second chance?"

  "Hey, this is serious!" He stepped off and craned his neck. "These are the same people that stole all those Vertical Maneuvering Equipment not long ago."

Your brows knit. Suddenly the curl of your lips straighten and feel a tinge of anger begin to rise within you. "You're lying to me."

  "Not ever." He adjusted his collar and looked away. "Last thing I expected when joining the Survey Corps was to be working with criminals."

You weren't really sure how to chase his comment, so you didn't. You remained silent for a few seconds and followed him with a question instead. "Where are they putting all of them?"

He smiled somewhat. "They've all been placed in Flagon's squad."

  "Damn it." You scowled. That was the squad you were also assigned to. "Is there going be to another formal meeting or...?"

Your friend shrugged. "I believe they'll be in our training today. You'll meet them there."

A long, drawn out sigh left your mouth. You weren't really sure how to react. You had volunteered to join the Survey Corps. Everyone here was a volunteer. It was the one thing everyone had in common. Perhaps these 'underlings' weren't so bad either. You then felt a little shameful for thinking negative about them. Perhaps they're just as driven to see the outside world as you were...

...

...

On your horse, you trotted along the green pastures. The weather was sunny; inviting and pleasant for anyone looking to relax. This place never really offered anything new, it was common sight to behold. It was used by the Survey Corps as a training ground, it just kept you sharp and focused; improving where you lacked and straightening any wrinkles in your line of thinking. It also got you closer to your squad mates, who usually trained on either the same task, or kept them busy in the same field too. This was the most ideal place to meet the newest additions to the squad.

Everyone, including yourself, felt a little more tense that day. You could all agree you didn't fancy the idea of doing any of the regular exercises with the strangers that just recently left the underground ruins. You all worked hard to get here; trained, bled, and worked day and night to get where you were now. It was hard to fathom the thought of one person, lead alone three, made it to your tier of expertise without any kind of formal training or even education.

Tsk.

You realized you weren't really doing anything besides sitting on the back of your horse, daydreaming about the current circumstances. This clearly wasn't going to help anything. Off in the distance you could see several people clustered near the training grounds where dummy-mock up Titans were stationed. Further behind you there were two lone figures on horses too. Even further, you saw the private quarters for the officers. If anyone saw you here, they'd question what you were doing.