A Rookie's Training (Open to Everyone)

It was noon and it was sunny. In a village near a forest, located a few hours away from the Utopia district of Wall Rose, there was a young scout. He was in the woods near the village, where he had some training dummies set up so he could train. The scout was a rookie, being a month since he joined the Survey Corps.

His name was Renay Fox, of the Trost District. Renay was wearing the standard Survey Corps uniform, minus the green cloak. He had his three dimensional maneuver gear equipped. He wanted to live long enough so he could fullfill his purpose, and that made him determined,he felt the need to continue even if that would completely exhaust him.Nobody else was around his little training grounds in the woods, but he infomed command about his whereabouts in case he was needed.

After some minutes of preparations, checking if everything was in place, Renay started using the Maneuver gear, going from tree to tree and was ready to strike the titan dummy. It was a 7-meter class titan dummy. Although this kind of training helped him use the Maneuver gear better and better, the titans wouldnt be just standing and doing nothing while he would attempt to kill them.

Renay would go from tree to tree,continuing this for some minutes so he would get used to the gear. Then the time to strike came, he moved towards the 7 meter dummy and sliced the part where the Nape was supposed to be but he didnt make a deep enough cut.

After his failed attempt, he just stopped. He leaned against a tree and was thinking what he did wrong. "Ugh, damnit..Why do i fail this every single time. What did i do wrong? Not enough Speed? Not a good Angle? If i dont do this right, i'll be dead meat for the titans out of the walls." He thought to himself. Renay then would sigh and stare at the ground, thinking about his current situation "I wont be useless, i just wont be!" He said out loud and then noticed "Stupid,Stupid" He thought to himself and now sat against the tree.

Cora was everything but looking forward to this day. It had already begun extremly annoying by having to get some hungover soldiers off the ground, onto horses and onto training. Why did she volunteer again? Right. Cause she wanted Gillian to owe her one. Well, he hopefully owed her more than just a bit now given what she had to go through in the goddamn morning! She could take unwilling mercenaries! But not this early! And not hungover! And even if they were they should just get their shit together!

That to be said though, Cora, last night was not so bad. We did have some fun betting on fighters, did we not?
Yes we did. But why are they so hungover. Or well, why do they show me that they are.

Cora sighed and angrily rode towards the forest. There was a training ground that was apparently not that often used by the military, good thing they were allowed to train there though. Those soldiers of Gillian were hopeless in Nec's, Vex's and Cora's eyes and encountering a single titan would kill them instantly. Surprisingly enough not because they got scared, she doubted they could. Probably too dumb to do so.

Once they had arrived she ordered them to just get used to the 3DMG a bit and it did not take long for one of them to crash into another one. Her day only got better. The first time she actually started shouting at them they pulled themselves  abit together though and atleast managed to keep from crashing into one another.

She just decided to let them keep by themselves and went for a short venting walk deeper down into the woods. She did not want to use her 3DMG right now, she would get too far away in too short of a time and they were still supposed to be able to find her later after all.
"Goddamn idiots. They will all get themselves killed."
"Calm down, they had alot to drink yesterday."
"It is not my fault they either can't control themselves or can not take the alcohol well!"
"That might be true but be lenient with them."
Cora just scoffed and continued walking.

After a while she spotted a guy leaning on a tree. Oh! Military! Nice! Actual military! Vex mumbled something inside their head about it making no difference, the last time she had encountered sober military people she did not know they all seemed to be more drunk than any of her own drunk mercenaries.
She could see him moving his lips but did not hear what he was saying properly. He then sat down.

Cora adjusted her black shirt and strolled towards him. She could not look like she was up most of the night if she had to formally introduce herself to a soldier after all!
Vex giggled at her thought process. For him it did not matter, and he was pretty sure Cora was just making stuff up, probably influenced by her own alcohol induced headaches.

"Oh well, if that is not a nice sight. A wild soldier in his almost natural habitat! Lemme guess...Survey corps? You part of the winged division?", Cora asked him rather loudly while approaching him.
She stopped a good two meters in front of him and stared down at the sitting soldier. Cora adjusted her own slightly modified 3DMG and put her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing all alone?"

Sitting on the grass, against the tree and thinking, Renay was grimacing. Time seemed to go by slow for him. He was calculating the reason he didnt slash the training dummy's Nape area efficiently, then it came to him. He just didnt believe he could do it,maybe fear got the better of him,who knows? He certainly wasnt sure about it.

He actually enjoyed the peace of the woods, untill a stranger came by him. He looked up as the woman approached him, observing her and her characteristics, trying to remember if he knew her or not, but she didnt ring any bells. He got up from the grass, and looked at his feet, adjusting his Survey Corps Jacket.

When the stranger asked about which regiment he serves in, and if that is the Survey Corps, he replied "I belong to the Survey Corps yes, the wings of Freedom indeed." After that he realized he had some dirt on his leg due to him getting up from the ground without wiping it off, so he did and shook his head afterwards.

He thought of countless reasons a stranger would be in the forest but he didnt seem to really choose one to think about. He had a lot in his mind, 1 month since he left home, he had a letter to write to his parents, wasnt sure if he'd do that or not. He was anxious due to thinking that he wont match the other Scouts skills in combat, but he showed none of it.

After the Stranger asked about what he was doing, he looked up at her, and scratched his chin. She was taller than him, which was a rare sight. He pointed at the training dummies, 4 of them were around, 2 7-meter class and 2 5-meter class "I'm just training for when the time is right,Titans wont just let me kill them just like that" He said with a sigh.

He then realized the Stranger had 3DMG with them "Not a soldier i guess? I dont see you wearing any Insignia on you or a uniform" He scratched his chin again and thought about it. He had heard of mercenaries using 3DMG but he never saw one to confirm it himself.

He was pretty determined to achieve his purpose, failure out of the walls was no option and he knew that well, afterall people rarely returned injured, most returned in a body bag or their bodies never did "If i want to be one of the best, this will have to do" Renay pointed to the dummies as he was about to use his 3DMG again, to try slashing the Nape area again.

It would be a lie to say that Cora was not surprised at the soldier's friendliness. He did not ask any weird question as for why she was not wearing uniform, how dare she could wear 3DMG and not be part of the military, etc, etc. Apart from that he did not start blabbering about how they should get the whole bar to fight the titans. She was really surprised at his question. Or well, the phrasing of the question, he simply stated that she did not seem to be part of the military. Great! Ha! She was happy with herself but could not properly explain why.

"You are training even though you are not part of the rookies anymore? Interesting, interesting.", she said her voice getting more quiet and then continueing almost whispering, "guess I never knew about that. Never went past rookies myself."
She looked up again.
"That is nice! Training is always good.", Cora looked towards the training dummies. Good to know, she thought they would be a bit more to the other side of the forest, not here. Well, her own soldiers would have to find her anyway, so they would get to be around those dummies.
"You want to be one of the best, eh? Good luck. By the way... a titan's nape is a bit more...strong in real life so I suggest cutting even deeper than you would normally on these. And looking at what you did...", she stopped herself, "Whatever, you don't belong to me. No need for me to lecture you. Go on. Don't want to disturb you training."

As he was ready to use the 3DMG to practise he stopped. He would inspect his surroundings. As she mentioned that he is not part of the Rookies anymore, he merely shook his head "Im still a Rookie. Even if i am not a Cadet, I still have to learn how to do the job correctly. The Survey Corps arent for the weak" You might get eaten,he wanted to say but he held back, letting out a sigh.

As she mentioned that she didnt go past being a rookie, he looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She probably was a Cadet? Maybe she was a soldier like him at the start? He couldnt guess these type of things and he thought it would be rude to do so. "A rookie? You were once a Cadet yourself?" He couldnt stop himself from asking so he did, he sounded kinda intrigued.

As the Stranger said that training is good, He merely nodded "It is what seperates good Soldiers from bad Soldiers. Thats what my instructor in the Cadet Corps told me, day 1" And it was true, in his mind, to be one of the best or to be good in general, you must work hard to achieve that.

As she proposed a solution to the problem he had with slicing the nape, he was surprised. She has killed titans? Even faced one? He was still a rookie, behind the walls and never out on a mission so to him that was an entire new level. Although he had witnessed the invansion of Trost by titans, he never had the chance to fight one.
Finally, he talked "Well, thats a good piece of advice. You have my thanks. If i want to survive out there, it'll have to do"

As she mentioned that he didnt belong to her, he raised an eyebrow again. Was she an official? A mercenary Captain? A landlord? These things all went through his mind but he decided to stay silent. He would prepare to use the 3DMG again and did so. He went from tree to tree, doing some manuevering which was in his own style. He didnt use the one he was trained with but one he made up. He was testing his own tactics. Finally, he sliced the Nape area, and this time made a deeper cut. "Finally!I did it" He thought and smiled, having a wide smile as he landed back to the ground. "Finally" He muttered and nodded to himself.

Cora watched him, her hands still on the sides of her hips. Atleast he was good at using 3DMG, unlike some of her borrowed soldiers. The military was not the worst in teaching you how to use it after all, still in other aspects. Pathetic.
She put her hand on her forehead and grunted quietly. Her headache was annoying. When exactly did she start this drinking? While she was still enlisted in the military she could not stand alcohol at all, it did not taste good, yes it made you feel funny...but nothing special. She mostly did it to enjoy her evening a bit more. Yesterday? Yes, she certainly enjoyed her evening more, but it...was different. Before it was like a catalyst to make an evening even better. Now? Now it was more like the only thing that made it bareable. She had had some fun betting on their fights, she had enjoyed laughing at them failing but...Cora shook her head thinking about her situation.
Still not the same like it used to be. She remembered the time she had met Auth for the first time, then the first time she had met Mitsuo, then the first time she had met Alan. It had been great and...somehow it had all broken down. It seemed as if all the joy in her life that she had gotten from her friends...all this joy was now lying in front of her feet, like a broken vase, pieces over pieces. The moment she would try to put it back together, the moment she would try to get back together with her friends she would just cut herself, she would harm herself and she would probably harm the others by breaking the shard once again. And even if she would piece the whole vase back together, carefully...and meticulously...it would still never be the same as a huge piece was missing. It was broken down into small shards and everytime she would have tried to pick it up and put it with the others she would have broken it down more. And just like this piece could never be added to the vase again, neither could Alan.
And the worst part was still...that she was the one that had thrown the vase down in the first place.

Cora held her hands in front of her, they were bloody, ripped open, shards of glass sticking out of them, in front of her feet the broken vase. It was glued together in the best way possible. The wind blew through the woods, Cora's red-dyed hair got blown into her face and once it had faded the vase was broken down again. Even more pieces than before. She had the urge to scream out loud, to somehow easen the pain a bit...but she did not. Instead she pressed her eyes together, swallowing down all the sadness within her, pinched the bridge of her nose and looked at the Survey Corp which was landing in front of her.
Cora took one last look at her own hands, just to confirm that her daydreamt nightmare had gone and that her hands were the way they had always been.
She took a deep breath and put on the most convincing smile she could. This day had started horribly and she was not looking forward to how it would continue at all, but maybe she could atleast get her mind off of what had happened.

"Good job, rookie! I think you got it now. If you want me to show you something...tell me...", her voice was a bit shaky but got better with every word she spoke, "even though...it might be better if I don't. To be eaten by a titan is probably not that unpleasant."
She just wished there would be some nearby, enough to let her have one last fight before she would finally succumb to them, just turning into another statistic in somone's office.

As he landed, he had finally done it. He smiled to himself as he had used his newly developed manuever. It was one that he thought up for hours and he finally thought that even if he had to plan it for a long time,it finally payed out. He chuckled at the thought and the smile widened.

All of that untill the stranger mentioned that it seemed like for her, eaten by a titan is not that unpleasant. He frowned as she said that. "Is everything alright? And about the moves you are talking about, if you want,i would gladly watch" He said keeping the frown as he leaned against a tree.

He replayed the scene in his mind,the successfull cut on the training dummy, his manuever which finally worked. He was proud of himself, he thought that he would become one of the best. Afterall,he wanted that and not to be eaten by a titan. That was the worst death to him and he wouldnt allow it to himself or to his comrades. Then the stranger mentioned that she didnt found getting eaten by a titan that unpleasant. He frowned again,and then let out a sigh but he didnt want to bother her,maybe it was something personal,he didnt want her to feel uncomfortable so he kept quiet.

Cora was quite surprised that the young man in front of her would actually listen to what she had to say. A nice survey corp he was! That was rare. He was not the type to boast about everything. Amazing. She took quite a liking in him and forced herself to cheer up a bit.

"Everything alright? Just lost a very close friend. Still did not get over it.", she made it simple and hoped he would understand. He seemed to be rather understanding in general so she was not too worried about that.
"And not even to a fucking titan.", she grunted before securing her 3DMG, "Whatever. Lemme see!", a smile appeared on her face, atleast this would give her a bit of an adrenaline rush if she would be extra risky with what she was doing, right? Adrenaline was always nice. It made you think fast, it made you move faster, nothing really beat it.

Cora shot her hooks into two trees but did not pull herself closer to them, instead she took a deep breath.
"Here we go again!", she said half loud and flew up in the air. Cora ungrappeled her hooks and made a short free flight before grappling into the wooden titan. She swirled around his neck, catapulted herself in the air and cut out his 'neck'. She fell a good two meters down before grappling into the next tree and pulling herself towards it.
Cora flew back to the rookie and landed in front of him with a backflip.

"Uh man, I missed this. I should go out more! I really missed this! Ha!", she grinned over both ears, "I need some titans, man. There is nothing better than this rush!", she started humming something before turning towards him.
"Cora. By the way. The name is Cora.", she stretched out a hand. If he would shake it she would grab it a bit hard before letting it go. If he would not she would barely even notice.
She turned around, her hands on her hips and stared at the wooden titan.
"I should enlist again! This was entertaining!"

Cora could remember all to well the times when she was still a cadet. Her suicidal ways of fighting titans had gotten her quite the attention. She wished she could turn back time. Alan would still be alive then as well. She shook her head to make her stop thinking about it. This was not a solution, she had to find a way to deal with it.

As she said she lost a friend,he would frown and go by her. He would pat her shoulder "I am sorry for your loss." He said standing next to her, looking at his surroundings.As she said that it wasnt even from a titan, he would sigh and look at her "Oh?A person then? That is bad..Really bad..I thought everyone inside the walls trusted each other, but well,if it was a criminal i get it. Was your friend in the military?" He asked.

As she indicated that she will show him some moves,he sat back and observed. He was surprised to see that good of a manuever. He was in awe. "Wow.Thats really good. Im impressed." He said with a slight grin.

As she said that she needed to kill titans,he chuckled "Thats the spirit! But it wont be that easy out there" He said looking at the ground for a second. As she introduced herself, he smiled a bit and nodded "Im Renay,pleased to meet you Cora" He said and shook her hand. Even if she grabbed it a bit hard, he didnt seem to really mind.

Then she mentioned enlisting "Well,i think you'd make a great soldier.Judging by your moves,you could be a scout. Only the Elite survive there and thats what im hoping to accomplish" He said with a small chuckle and leaned back against the tree. He remembered his own days as a cadet, the blood and tears he spilled to reach the top 10,at the 6th position,his choice to join the Survey Corps instead of the Military Police Brigade. One month ago,he might have regretted that,but now,he didnt regret it.He looked up to the sun,which was shining through the leaves of the trees and smiled.

Cora's laugh started quietly before she bursted out into complete laughter. Cora wiped away a tear from laughing and just grinned at him with a wide smile.
"Oh man. I used to be military. I got kicked out. They won't take me back. Now I am still working for the government but I get paid and I don't have to wear those funny short brown wests.", her grin did not fade, "never graduated though, cause I got kicked out when I was still a rookie.", she scratched her head, "Honestly don't know whom I would have joined. That never was an option for me...I guess I would have just gone for the division where I knew the most people."
She dusted herself off.
"Nice to know you, Renay. Man, I know alot of people with similar names to you...I know a Renn, I know a Rene...", she smiled, "Odd. Seems to be a rather popular name these days, but I like it!"

Cora stared up at the tree tops. The sun was shining through them, warming the forest up, it was still cooler than outside but nevertheless still pleasantly warm. She looked at some birds flying through the forest before she went to answer his previous question.
"About what you asked before. My friend was military indeed. He was a military police captain.", she sighed, "I mean...you will experience the same. Just...probably worse than I will. You will have alot of colleagues which you will lose. You will see your comrades die...", she did not want to continue talking, it would just worsen the general mood around. Cora sighed again.
"Don't be bothered too much by me. I also have quite the hangover.", she smiled, "Don't drink, kid. It's not good."

Cora wrinkeled her forehead, "That to be said. You might not be that much of a kid. How old are you?"

As Cora started laughing,he was pleased to see that she atleast was a bit cheerfull. After all, being sad would ruin the mood indeed. And he also didnt want her to feel uncomfortable. If she did, he would feel bad, he wasnt the best at comfort but seeing someone feeling uncomfortable with him, made him sad.

"Kicked out huh? What happened and you got kicked out?" He asked out of curiousity. As she said that she knew a lot of people with a simillar name to him, he chuckled "Just a coincidence,it isnt that common from where i come from." He said with a small grin and just continued looking at the treetops, as the sun warmed them up.

After mentioned that her friend was a Captain, and a unicorn at that, he thought to himself that it was unnaceptable for them to randomly die by criminals. Werent they well-equipped? But he knew that the MPs were just people that never saw action in their lives,unless the trainees who fought at trost to evacuate the people joined the MPs.

When she asked about his age,he chuckled "Im 18 years old, so yeah not exactly a kid. And you had a hungover? That must be really bad.. And dont worry i dont drink a lot anyway so im fine" He chuckled lightly,he then started looking at the grass below him. The day was warm,sun was getting through the leaves,reminded him of old days with his parents when they went to a trip in a forest. He had a smile on his face.

Cora looked at him. Should she tell the truth why she was kicked out? Would that make him uncomfortable? Why did she care about that even? Lying was not a good idea now, it's not like the whole military knew about it...well...alot of them did. So if she would tlel him something and he would just go back home and ask someone it was pretty certain they would tell him what happened anyway. So it was better of her to just tell him first hand, this way it would atleast not be turned around and twisted to be a different story than what it actually had been.

She was rather surprised at him saying that he was 18 years old. She could have bet he would be younger, after all, she was almost done when she got kicked out and she had been a good two years younger, almost three.

Cora sighed briefly but then started chuckling, "Why I got kicked out, eh? Oh...well...let me put it like this. I have a few more...companions in my head and the military does not allow 'madmen'", she made quotation marks in the air and her voice was indicating how much she despised that word.
"I am not mad. I have myself under control. They did not believe me. So...they gave me options: either sign up for weeks of torturing to get rid...or leave.", she stopped talking and stared a bit at the sky, "Well, you can guess what I chose, given I am not part anymore."

Cora did not say anything for a bit, giving him time to take in what she had told him. Still if he would try to say something now she would continue talking right before he did.
"And you are 18? Mh. I am only a year older. When did you join the military? And why, if you don't mind me asking?", she looked at him. Cora was not sure whether or not he would still comment on what she had said before about getting kicked out, she would not mind either way.

When Cora mentioned that she was called a madman,he sighed and facepalmed. Then he looked over at her,sizing her up and frowned "But you dont seem mad at all.. Thats a very poor reason to kick you out.."He said and sighed again. He believed that everyone deserved a second chance, getting kicked out because you were special and you were called madman,that is a pretty poor reason.

"Well i believe you Cora. You seem pretty normal to me.You made the right choice. They just couldnt understand you right? If that happened to me, I'd be mad to be honest." And indeed he would be. After all,it would ruin years of work and training. Learning formations and how to use the 3DMG isnt easy after all, is it?

As she asked about when and why he joined the military,he smiled a bit "Well i enlisted at 15. I was at first going to join the Military police because well, the safe life and all. Then at the graduation ceremony, i got the 6th place. I remembered why i admired the soldiers,i also saw friends who came in higher than me join the Survey corps and i just joined aswell. For the greater good of Humanity,to show that there is still hope for the human race." He said. And it was true,he believed in the purpose of the Survey corps. He could have chosen the easy life but he didnt. He didnt want to sit back and watch the others die while he enjoys himself. That would show that he was a coward, and he didnt want to be called that.

Cora chuckled happily at his remark about her being a madman. It was nice of him to say that she would have deserved a second chance. It really was. He genuinely seemed like what he said was what he believed as well. Cora really took a liking to this soldier. He was not like the others at all. Well, like...alot she had met so far. Auth did not count into that, and neither did Mitsuo.

"Pretty normal.", she said with a very happy voice, almost starting to laugh, her voice suddenly changed completly, turning into a male one, cold, like of a person that had smoked his whole life, and so did her facial expression. Any faint hint at the fact she had been smiling before had faded "I would not consider us normal."

Cora smiled again, taking over her body, "Anyway. I hope I did not scare you.I have to say...it is pretty amazing...the fact you went for survey corps even though it is by far the most dangerous branch.", she stopped and scratched her head, "well, let me take that back. The livers of the soldiers in the garrison certainly see alot of alcohol than you will ever see titans.", Cora chuckled, "Sorry. ANYWAY...if you ever get kicked out of the military, hit me up. I might just hire you. We pay well, but...well, you will see soon anyway once you get to know the soldiers I brought for training."

She was not looking forward to Gillian's soldiers and continueing to train them. Maybe she would just find the most capable one and tell them to teach themselves....on the other hand...using 3DMG was certainly entertaining. Cora was not sure.

"I respect you, not chosing the military police for simple comfort. You would have had it quite nice in Mitras. Beautiful city. If you like everyone pretending to be someone else. Friends turn out to be the ones that are the most likely to kill you...What was that saying? Watch your enemies but watch your friends closer...lr was it keep?", she was not sure, neither did she care much about it. He would understand what she meant after all.
"So when will be your first mission? Or what are you doing here? Apart from training, I mean in this district."

As Cora changed her voice into a male one,her facial expression too, he just listened. He didnt mind it a lot even if he found it a bit weird,he didnt show it. He didnt want to offend her or anything so he kept quiet, looking around the forest. The Training Dummies were all on the ground,the nape areas were all cut. He smiled to himself as he thought of what he would do after returning to HQ.

"No,No you didnt scare me at all. You're fine" He said with a nod and smiled a bit. And truly, even if he found it a bit strange,it didnt seem to even bother him at all. She was a person afterall, everyone is different afterall.. As she mentioned being kicked out of the army and such he chuckled "Well the only reason i'd leave the Survey Corps would be death. I wont just step back and leave. That would be treason and would also show fear..Although everyone is afraid and they do not admit it."

"I've heard about Mitras. I've heard quite a lot.A nice city,quiet most of the time and the Unicorns are many there. About friends though,i dont have many so im not worried. I trust the ones that help me, the ones that actually care. I do not fear Betrayal but i hate it. I also dont like lies..It just isnt ethical.."He said and sighed.

When she talked about a mission and when he would do one,he shrugged "No orders from HQ yet although i have not been outside the walls..I want to go on a mission at somepoint tho.It will help me put my training into practise."He said with a chuckle. "What about you Cora?Ever been outside the walls?"

Cora grinned and listened to what he had to say.
"Oh well, I have been outside...I don't actually know how often. I have killed a few titans...not that many though. And only one when I was a cadet. That was pure chance though, I was on the walls and there was some poor Survey corp...whatever. Man, I feel so old tellling you these stories, as if I am some sort of veteran!", she laughed loudly, "Ha! I even behave like one! I mean, turned into a total drunkard, am melancholic over the death of my friend and can tell you countless stories about fighting.", she stopped talking and grinned widely at him, "When I was your age I was not like that!", she chuckled, "Oh, man. I should stop talking."

Cora could hear her soldiers in the background, it did not take long before they showed up either.
Her laughter disappeared and she just stared them down until they had managed to stand in front of her in a row and not in a mess.
"Good. So. As we two already had fun with the dummies...I want you to try cutting out the necks or atleast pretend to. Don't die. I might just...challenge you a bit later on. Or he will", she pointed at Renay.

One of the soldiers raised an eyebrow, "But he is not with us."
"He is not with us, Sir. Please. Adress me correctly. Or if you really want to you can call me Ma'm.", one of them chuckled and as surprising as it was to the rest Cora did not get angry. After all it was meant as a joke. Or was it?
"Anyway, he is quite skilled, so we might pretend to be titans and just cross your way and throw you down. Or atleast I will...ANYWAY. Go.", she said and turned to Renay.
"I am sorry for dragging you into this. They are rookies, only started using 3DMG like a month or less ago."

When she mentioned that she had been out of the walls and also killed some titans,he looked at her in the eye,smiling "And how did it feel?Being out of the walls and all?Killing the titan menaces? I heard it gives you a feeling of freedom." He said eagerly to hear her answer.He stood next to her and looked at the grass below him.

When her soldiers came in,he looked at them,sizing them up. "She has her own little army huh?" He thought to himself and smiled as she instructed them.He looked at their faces and their equipment. "Training to become titan killers?"He whispered to Cora "It takes years of practise to master the 3DMG.It requires agility and precision"

As Cora told them to call her Ma'm,he chuckled and looked over to her. As she apologised for dragging him in,he merely shook his head "It's fine,i find it quite entertaining. I can show them some manuevers if you want" He said with a shrug and leaned against a tree,watching the soldiers. They indeed seemed rookies and they reminded him of himself 3 years ago. But they didnt have the luxury of Choice like he did, Military police,Garrison or Survey Corps,they were destined to be titan killers or food.

Cora watched her soldiers carefully, shaking her head from time to time or sighing as if she had lost all hope in them....which she did the more she watched them. What did Gillian do? He....she put her hand on her face and looked down.
"Mine are so much better trained", she said quietly and went back to Renay.
"Anyway, you asked how it is to kill titans?", she just repeated his question to make sure she did not get it wrong and to give her a bit more time to think about it.
"You just feel...how do I put it....you feel great because you have finally killed someone that...most certainly killed someone you cared for...more like revenge. And about feeling free? I personally only feel that when I am using 3DMG...not necessarily fighting titans. You don't feel free when doing that. You are stressed, fearing for your life...or your friends' lives if you have any friends...or your limbs for that matter. The moment all of them are dead, then yes you do feel free again...but...I guess you mostly feel fear.", she stopped. Did she feel fear? Did she? Did Cora really do that?
She stopped and just stared at the sky.
"Let me..take that back....I never really was too afraid. I think I lack that part...in my brain or something.", she smiled awkwardly.
"Anyway...I guess everyone is different and you have to experience it first hand. And about those...those peeps there just seem to be food for titans right now. Mine have it set down after possible half a year...those are slow.", she grunted, "He did not train them well...my own soldiers work harder...", she shrug her shoulders, "Well I am not the one that payed for them...I won't lose anything.", Cora said coldly. She did not care about these soldiers much and her words made that quite clear. If they were not good enough in her opinion it was just fair for them to die at the hands of a titan. She was not sure how he would react to her saying that, it would be interesting to find out for sure, though.

As Cora's Soldiers trained,he observed their movements.They seemed to be newbies and rookies alike. He was familiar with that situation,which reminded him of 3 years ago,when he was a trainee aswell.The difficulty of mastering the 3DMG,the resolve needed to fight and the will to do whats necessary.Good old days to him.

As Cora replied about how it is to kill titans,he sighed "I have heard,it is really hard to achieve killing one,and there are lots of losses in the Survey Corps. It will be a hard job to go outside the walls. I've heard from veterans in the corps,some have lost their limbs indeed.I dont want to suffer the same fate"He said with a sigh and looked over to her,then to the trainees.

As she said that she wont lose anything,he sighed. Human life is important and must be valued,this is one of his principles.He cant stand losing people due to carelessness "Well,with what is happening right now,you should value them even if they are rookies.They are humans afterall. A life isnt like a rug,which you can throw away without caring"

Cora did not say anything to him mentioning the veterans in the survey corps. Poor fellows. Not being able to do anything. Not moving on their own properly...or not being able to grab anything...she pitied them. She did respect some of them, but not all. Alot of them just...had lost their limbs due to carelessness. That would hopefully never happen to her, but she did not see it as impossible, given her usual risky ways of using 3DMG.

"Well,with what is happening right now,you should value them even if they are rookies.They are humans afterall. A life isnt like a rug,which you can throw away without caring"
Cora stared at wherever she had been looking at before and only turned her head towards him a short while later.
She looked at him. Similar to Mitsuo in that regard, or Alan...or...anyone else in the military for that matter.

"I agree, they are not rugs, their lives should not be thrown away. Just...to clarify this though, I am in no way throwing it away, they are throwing it away by not being good at their job. I just don't care much if they do. I don't even know their names, I just train them.", she looked back at her rookies, awaiting his answer.
This would be rather interesting.

As he waited for Cora to anwer to his question,he would refill his blades and his gas. He had set up a small tent next to the training area he had made and it was full of supplies provided by the corps. He had noticed that she was looking at him but didnt say anything,he thought that she was thinking of what to say.

As Cora answered,he would just stay silent for some seconds,thinking about the things she said. He valued his comrades even if he didnt know them but even so,these rookies werent his soldiers. He tried to supress his need to speak up,due to the fact he didnt have anything to do with her mercenaries or the rookies as to say.

Then he just shook his head "I would care a lot more than you but it isnt my unit so i wont say anything more. I just hope this terror ends soon,i believe we can make it out of the walls. I want to see what's out there,not die inside here like cattle" He emphasized the last part,his curiousity was mostly speaking. He would lean against a tree,and would look at his surroundings,the sunlight piercing the leaves of the trees.