A fantastic day! (Vacation-pool-open to all-Adult themes could be here so be warned.)

Severin observed the clearly disgruntled man search the water.He was safe at the bottom of the pool.As he watched the man fail at finding him,Severin heard several splashing sounds,and saw familiar swim trunks.His squad had joined him at the bottom of the pool.They all sat there,looking at each other.Charles looked at the man and gestured.Severin nodded,and the whole squad spawned a mischievous grin.They swam around on the bottom of the pool,looking at him.Severin surfaced,and called out to the man."Is your thirst quenched yet?Or do you need some more water?"He made sure to be on the other side of the pool.

Oluo growled and made a move towards the kid, but Petra stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"It's not worth it," she whispered.

Oluo shook her off and turned his back on the garrison boy, muttering under his breath. Seeking to relieve the tension that now hung in the air, Gunther spoke up.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but all this swimming has made me work up quite the appetite. What do you say we all grab some dinner?"

Never one to turn down a meal, Oluo followed Gunther out of the pool, with Petra close behind. They walked over to their chairs to dry off before making their way toward the snack bar.

Petra stopped and turned to Reia. "Are you coming?"

Reia stood up slowly. "Yes," she said, casting a glance at the garrison boy to see if he would try anything else. He seemed focused on his friends for the moment, so Reia followed Petra and the others to the snack bar.

Seeing the man leave,Severin raised his hands in the air.His squad began pairing up,hopping onto another's shoulders.Soon,there were 8 pairs of men.They split into two teams and began trying to push the other men on top off their friends and into the water.Soon,everyone in the pool was doing it.Except for the woman and her friends.Severin himself got locked in with another of his squad mates.After several minutes,the other man,Charles,was dislodged,and he made a huge splash when he fell.Severin declared himself King of the Pool,and used a pool noodle as a scepter.

Reia stood there, staring at the menu, trying to discern what the least unhealthy thing on the menu was. After a few minutes, she gave up and ordered an unsalted soft pretzel. She wished that they at least had hot dogs, but meat was rare, especially after the fall. While the occasional chicken dinner was part of the perks of being in Special Ops, there was no way they would serve meat to the general public.

She sighed and ripped off a piece of her pretzel. The Garrison soldiers that were here had begun playing a game which involved getting on each other's shoulders and trying to push everyone else off. After a few moments of watching their antics, Reia got bored and turned her attention to her squad members, who were quietly discussing their resident titan shifter.

"I wish Eren could have come today. He would have loved this," Petra said.

"Well there's nothing to be done. You can't just let a titan run around in public, even if he is also a human. He could go crazy and eat everyone." Oluo responded.

"I don't believe Eren would just lose it like that. Something intense would have to trigger it."

"Still, it's best not to take any chances," Gunther countered. "Besides, it's not up to us. These orders come from the Premier himself."

"What do you think Reia? Out of all of us, you probably know Eren best. Do you think he's dangerous?" Petra asked.

Petra was right. Reia did know Eren best, partially because she had known him in Shiganshina before the fall, and partially because Commander Erwin had ordered her to befriend him, to find out any information that might be useful. Reia considered the little boy she knew five years ago, and the young man he had become. There were many words to describe Eren Jaeger. She didn't think dangerous was one of them, not when he was human, anyway. She had never seen his titan form firsthand, but she had memorized the reports. She knew his control was spotty.

Reia thought carefully before answering. "Gunther is right. It's not our choice to make."

Severin walked up to th concession stand,wielding his noodle scepter.He ordered seventeen pretzels,and brought them to a table.Soon,his squad appeared,each taking one."A pretzel,"Severin exclaimed,"to fifteen missions without casualty!"Everyone took a large bite of their pretzel.One of the men piled up."I snagged a few turkeys outside the Wall while patrolling today.So that means Severin can make those divine sandwiches again."Severin laughed."Well,keep your voice down,Charles.Don't tell half the world.You know how valuable meat is?For all we know,some MPs could try and take them.Emphasis on 'try'."The men all laughed."But seriously,keep your voice down.That woman over there doesn't seem to like loud noises or water."The men all looked over.Severin stood up."Well,guys,see you at the bottom of the pool."He flipped into the deep end.

Her squad grew quiet as the Garrison soldier approached the concessions stand. They had an unspoken rule to not discuss the details of the Eren Jaeger situation around anyone outside the squad. Oluo glared at the boy as he ordered, but otherwise left him alone.

Reia regarded the boy with a cold curiosity. He carried a pool noodle like a scepter and pretended he was king. She couldn't help but wonder exactly how old he was. With the intensity of their day-to-day duties, it was easy to forget that a lot of these soldiers were still just kids.

The boy delivered seventeen pretzels to his squad and announced that they were in celebration of fifteen missions without a casualty. Being in Special Ops, her squad didn't have casualties. They were too skilled. Still, every time they left the walls, Reia had to wonder if this was the mission that they would meet their match, if this was the mission that one or more of them wouldn't be returning home.

The only time she had been in a squad with casualties was just a few short weeks after her early graduation, four and a half years ago. However, Reia remembered every detail like it was yesterday. The screams of her comrades, their blood that stained the forest floor, and the abnormal that could...

Reia pushed the memory from her mind and looked around, doing her habitual sweep of the area. She noticed the Garrison soldiers were all staring at her. "Tch, whatever," she thought, returning her attention to her squad's conversation.

When Severin came up for air, he noticed his squad was staring at Reia.He smacked Charles with his noodle."Guys,quit staring.You look weird."The men looked at Severin."As King of the Pool,I order you to jump in!",Severin exclaimed.When nobody moved,Kurt rammed Charles into the pool.Several seconds later,everyone followed suit and jumped in.Kurt went back to munching on a bush.While on the bottom of the pool,Severin and his men began posing.Severin looked like he was roaring,and the rest of the squad laughed.Charles impersonated an MP,pretending to gamble and drink.After several minutes,they all came up for air.As they were floating,the men began discussing their first Titan kills.Most of them got their first in Trost.As they were talking,Severin mentioned seeing a Titan decapitate another Titan,and that that flying head almost killed him."I saw someone flying around,though,s the Titan probably just missed his swing.But damn,that Titan was strong.You remember that,Edward?You broke your arm in Trost,and I had to help you up the Wall.The mentioned man nodded.He wasn't that much younger than Severin."Oh!That reminds me.We're being sent to patrol the outer towns tonight,and kill any nearby Titans."

Eren Jaeger - another child who had been forced to grow up too fast. He was much like herself in that regard, although they experienced a very different set of circumstances.

"Honestly, Petra dear, you shouldn't let your guard down around him." Oluo scolded.

"I don't," Petra snapped, clearly annoyed with Oluo's condescending tone. "But that doesn't mean I can't also see him for the boy that he is."

"You need to see him as a titan."

Petra shook her head. "Reia, help me out here."

Reia thought for a moment. Erwin had ordered her to befriend Eren, and she had. She had learned a great deal about him, including the fact that he had lost his mother on the same day that she had. Reia replayed that conversation in her mind. She remembered Eren's anger and sadness. She thought of his determination to eradicate the titans, and to finally be free. "He's human," she informed them, her tone quiet but assured.

"Ugh, women," Oluo complained.

Reia shot him a glare.

Oluo cringed. "I'm sorry," he squeaked.

Severin got out of the pool and stood up."Enough talking!Time for the human cannon!"The other men laughed and got out.They formed a double row,with Charles being held by them.There were several other men nearby.Severin raised his arm."Fire!"The men heaved,and Charles was launched several feet before splashing into the pool.They did this several times,until nobody was left to launch.He then grabbed another pool noodle,began spinning,and jumped onto another squad member.Charles.He managed to duck before the noodles hit him.As they swam,the group began a conversation."You guys see the Trainee Corps this year?There was this one kid that seemed really angry about something.Whenever I saw him,he was angry.He stood out,like he had some sort of dedication none of the other cadets had.You guys know who I'm talking about right?"Severin asked the group.They nodded."I saw him in Trost.Poor sap tried to take on an Aberrant solo.From what I saw,he got his leg bitten off and he crashed on a roof."Severin told them.They began discussing their experiences at Trost,each one noting the Trainee Corps performing very well under their circumstances.

Reia tore off another piece of her pretzel, watching as the Garrison soldiers threw each other around the pool. Once they were done, they began a rather loud conversation. Reia heard them mention a trainee that displayed exceptional determination. A trainee that got his leg bitten off at Trost. Eren.

Reia had arrived late with the rest of the Scouts, so she hadn't seen the Trainees fight. Of course, she had read all the reports, but firsthand accounts were different. She listened closely.

Severin gestured to several other men."Charles,Epsilon,Slips and I were doing tactical relay at Trost.While we were complex in a belltower,we saw a squad of Trainees.There was this extremely pissed off kid.He was right next to a blond person.No idea what gender.So they run off the roof and start moving.Not ten seconds after,and aberrant comes up and eats one.The squad froze.Then,50 Shades of Pissed Off leaps off the building towards the Aberrant,yelling his face off.Not surprisingly,the rest of the squad follows.To their death.Poor sap got his leg chomped before he collided with the roof.The girl had her cables grabbed.The other guy got slapped mid-air.Blondie was the oh one we didn't see die."He closed his eyes."We couldn't do anything,as we had to get the report back to HQ."

Reia replayed the reports in her mind. The Garrison's stories lined up with Armin's account of that day, even the details of his squad's death.

Armin, incapacitated by shock and despair, had stood motionless as a titan picked him up. It was only as he was about to be swallowed that he snapped out of it and screamed. The titan dropped him into its mouth, but miraculously, Eren came to his rescue. He jumped in the titan's mouth and threw Armin out. Before Eren could escape, the titan's jaws slammed shut, chopping off his left arm. After that, Armin went into shock and didn't remember anything until another Trainee squad shook him awake.

Even though no one was there to see it, they had been able to fill in the blank space in Armin's report. Eren turned titan in the creature's stomach and tore it apart from the inside. Then he went on a rampage and killed all the titans in the area. There were none left to eat Armin. Eren had saved his life.

A majority of the population, even Eren himself, may see him as a monster, but his ability to change didn't inherently make him evil.

Charles piped up."Can't forget the Titan,Sev.Thing was 19,20 meters?"Severin nodded."19 Meter Aberrant with eyes that glowed a shade of emerald,with a roar so fearsome that it intimidated the other Titans before it beat the daylights out of them.We saw it on our way back to the refill station.Charles had a broken leg,and it was overrun with Titans.Then,along comes the Titan.It just beat the shit out of the other Titans,before it was overwhelmed.It killed the Aberrant that 50 Shades of Pissed Off tried to kill.And then it died.Pretty odd,as the nape was still intact."

"Tch," Reia sighed. Their other details may have been right, but they were wrong about one thing: Eren's titan was 15 meters. Although, young, enthusiastic boys did tend to over exaggerate.

One thing puzzled Reia. These boys had seen Eren fight before he turned into a titan. They must have seen him again when Dot Pixis introduced him to the entire army before the reclaimation mission. Yet, they were talking like they didn't think Eren and the titan were the same thing. Did they not recognize him on top of Wall Rose?

Severin sighed."Apparently we missed the planning in Trost's retaking.Some people say Pixis yelled it out from atop Wall Rose.Weren't we investigating dissapearances that day,Slips?"He looked at a blonde haired person not much older than him."That is correct,Sev.We were at Wall Sina,looking into the vanishing of five soldiers sand their gear.We have yet to find them or their bodies."Severin raised his hand.Was that woman staring at them?He waved.The rest of the squad looked over.Charles asked Slips,"Why is that guy's hair like Levi's?He a fan or something?"Slips responded with an 'I don't know'.Severin looked at his friends,then pointed down.Several seconds later,they submerged themselves again.

"Ah, so they missed the reclaiming."

Reia was intrigued by their mention of the soldiers' disappearances, something she had not heard of. It must be one of those need-to-know cases. The military had a lot of those. Still, five missing soldiers was troubling, especially in the interior where titans couldn't possibly be responsible. That left one explaination: humans. Reia sighed. Sometimes she thought that humans were the real monsters in this world.

Severin raised his hand and waved at her. She acknowledged him with an incline of her head, then went back to eating her pretzel.

While they were at the bottom of the pool,Severin and his friends began talking with sign language,so as to have some privacy.Some of the topics they discussed were that odd Levi fanboy,the woman in the bikini,the mission they were on,and how good Severin's turkey sandwiches were going to be.Severin went up to get get some food.He bought some more pretzels,and sat down next to Reia."Hello there.My name is Severin,how are you?"Severing was looking to strike up conversation with someone new,and the woman seemed pretty interested in what they were doing.

Reia regarded the boy with raised eyebrows. Why was he talking to her when he had no reason to? Reia had never enjoyed socializing, except with a select few. Given the antics this boy had been involved in today, Reia didn't think it was likely that they would get along.

The rest of her squad had mixed reactions to Severin's arrival. Gunther was looking back and forth between him and Reia, wondering what she would do. Petra stared at the boy with a pitying expression on her face. Oluo just looked ticked.

"Why do you ask?" Reia responded.

"Well,"Severin began,"you've been watching me and my squad pretty much the whole time we've been here.That,and it can get a bit boring talking to the same people all day."He took a bite of his pretzel."I also thought you would like to help us with the disappearances.Judging by your appearance and the way you carry yourself,you are probably in the Survey Corp,and are higher up in the pecking order than me and Ember Squadron."He took another bite."You interested?If not,I'll just ask some of the other squads for assistance."

Seriously? He was offering to read her in on the mission? Did he even have that authority? The boy had already admitted that she was higher up on the pecking order than he was. However, at least learning about the mission would cure her boredom for the moment.

"Divulging confidential information is treason. How do you plan to avoid that?" she asked.

"I'm not divulging any confidential information.Just asking for help with tonight's sweep to search for evidence."He stretched his back."Nobody high up listens to the Garrison.Not even to trained anti-personnel squads like ours."He finished his pretzel."We may not look it,but we are very good at what we do."He stood up and began to leave."There is one thing though:our evidence points to the Military Police being responsible."Severin turned away,walking over to where the box he brought in was.

Reia knew the MPs were corrupt, but this took it to a whole new level. If they truly were under suspicion, it wasn't surprising that Severin came to her for help. Everything involving this mission would have to be done with the utmost secrecy. They couldn't report to the higher-ups, otherwise the MPs might find out that the Garrison was onto them. However, they needed help from somewhere, so why not ask the Special Ops, who did things that weren't exactly kosher all the time?

Despite the risk, Reia couldn't just sit by while soldiers were disappearing. She excused herself from her squad and joined Severin by his box. "What evidence do you have?" she asked.

Severin pointed to the large box."It's all in there.That MP earlier tried to take it.I'll have to move it again soon,before they come back."He opened the box and pulled out the patches."These belonged to several of the missing men,who happened to be in our squad."He then began pulling out the other items in the box,explaining their acquisition and worth to the mission."Kurt.Guard."He pointed to the place behind the snack shack,in the shadows."We have several other crates of evidence,Scout.Bur we have nobody to trust,not even Pixis.This isn't exactly a 'for the record' mission,if you understand what I mean."

Reia nodded. There was something to all of this. She just wasn't sure what it was yet. "What else do you know?"

"We believe the Military Police may be assisting hostile groups,such as supplying them with hard to get items."Severin grabbed a map."On this map are several locations we've seen Military Policemen-"Severin didn't finish,as they were interrupted by the same MP from before.He'd brought even more men this time."This is just like Hermiha all over again.."he whispered to himself as he packed everything up.He flicked his wrist under the table,and his squad mates nodded at him.Severin looked at Reia."We need to prevent the MPs from getting this."