The Room Where It Happens
Erwin’s arrival came sooner than expected. Thus, the pre-expedition commenced. Among the attendees were the following leaders: Commander Erwin, Section Commander Hange, Captain Levi, and Section Commander Miche Zacharias, a sandy-blonde, brooding man with a wispy mustache. He towered over Captain Levi and both held the same cold composure. As for recruits, only Winnigan and Armin were in attendance. The tension in the war room was thick as the six stood around the round table, waiting for Erwin to take a seat.
“Artlet, Morgan, I am glad you were able to join us,” Erwin said with a clearing of his throat, sinking into the high-backed chair at the apex of the table. Hange sat opposite of him, the others filling in between the two. Levi, at Erwin’s right hand, reminded Winnigan of a leashed guard dog. She stifled a rising giggle. “We’re here to overview some of our strategies for tomorrow. Then, I want the recruits to share their ideas.”
Armin gave a resolute nod, failing to conceal a nervous gulp. Winnigan didn’t move.
Erwin cleared his throat again, spreading out a large map across the table's surface. The parchment was marked with various symbols and lines, detailing the route they would take beyond Wall Rose. Winnigan's eyes traced the paths, her heart racing as she realized just how far they would venture into titan territory.
The map was marked with red X's indicating known titan hotspots, and dotted lines showing alternative escape routes if things went south. Commander Erwin's finger traced along the main path, stopping at key points where they would need to establish supply stations. "Our primary objective," he began in his commanding tone, "is to establish a forward path through here," He tapped a spot roughly thirty kilometers beyond the wall with sketches of thick, giant trees.
“We will begin at Karanes District and head due East to Shiganshina.”
Armin gasped, but Morgan squeezed his hand from under the table to quiet him. There was no reason to show cowardice in front of the Commander.
“Thanks to Eren Yeager’s titan, we were able to block the obstruction into Trost,” Erwin explained. “But we have lost our direct path to Shiganshina in the process. While this path is longer, it will buy us time and reclaim land we have since lost to the titans.”
“I understand the importance of this mission, Commander,” Hange contested. “But is this really the best mission to send out droves of greenhorn recruits? Wouldn’t you think they would need more training? We could instead capture a new straggling titan to take back to my lab— ”
Erwin jammed a pointed finger into the map, keeping his temper at bay. “Hange, enough experiments. We can reconsider that avenue once the killers of your last titans are caught. Besides,” Erwin sighed. “What I have just told you is simply an aspect of the true mission.”
Silence befell the war room. Erwin used that silence to his advantage.
“It would be lunacy to assume that Eren is the only titan shifter among us. Whoever infiltrated Shiganshina years ago will certainly be hell-bent on keeping us from reclaiming Wall Maria. So…?” Erwin asked pointedly.
“We bring as many ranks as we can to weed out the enemies,” Armin realized. Erwin nodded intently. “We use the thick forest to our advantage so that titan shifters are easier to apprehend?”
Hange clapped excitedly. “More titan shifters? Can I experiment on them?”
Levi muttered obscenities under his breath and Miche kicked Hange under the table. Winnigan and Armin couldn’t help but laugh. As the situation died down, Armin continued:
“Eren’s also got to be their biggest target. We need to conceal his location during this expedition.”
“So the titan shifters could be spread out between all of us, and we can’t do anything to corral them together,” Winnigan argued, speaking up for the first time. “I agree that we need to keep Eren safe, but we could also use him as bait.”
Erwin smiled. If it weren’t for his jolly demeanor, Winnigan could’ve sworn Erwin enjoyed endangering troops. “So, Winnigan, what do you propose placement-wise?”
Winnigan ran her fingers nervously through her light, wavy hair. Her fingers snagged in tangles on the way through. Absentmindedly picking at the knots, she responded: “Place Eren with Captain Levi. He already trusts the Captain, and he’s also probably Eren’s best defense.”
Levi smirked, an action that didn’t go unnoticed by Winnigan. “But,” she continued, grabbing handfuls of wooden figurines meant to represent the troops. “In the official map seen by the recruits here, we place Eren’s marker on the left side. With the troops joining tomorrow, we place him on the right. Meanwhile, we keep him center.”
Erwin inhaled, eyebrows raised in surprised admiration. “So if a titan shifter appears on either side, we will know which squadron they came from?” Winnigan nodded. “Very good. In that case, we will position each of you throughout the formation so that we have eyes on all sides.” Erwin took the figurines Winnigan had placed on the map, rearranging them into a pyramidal shape. “Artlet on the back right, Morgan on the back left. Hange and Miche, you two can coordinate the best arrangements for your squads.”
Erwin turned to his right, where Levi waited expectantly. “Follow Morgan’s instructions,” he ordered. Levi scoffed at the ridiculousness of a subordinate ordering him around… even if it was a good idea. “Keep Eren concealed with the Levi Squad in center.” Levi dipped his head in compliance, pushing away from the table.
“I’ll go find the brat and tell him the plan.”
“Don’t do that!” Armin protested, involuntarily pushing up from the table as well. Winnigan spectated in bewilderment at the interaction. “He’s a bad actor and a terrible liar! You’ve got to keep him in the dark with everyone else.”
Erwin backed Armin’s request, Levi sighing once again at being bossed around by some teenagers. “Morgan, let’s run ODM drills again.”
“I need her here,” Erwin interjected, reaching his hand across the table to pat the table in front of her. “The rest of you are dismissed.”
As the soldiers shuffled out, Winnigan straightened herself in her seat. “Commander,” she cleared her throat. “I would like to thank you for getting me Pietro’s wings.”
She fidgeted with the patch in her jacket pocket. Pulling it out, she smoothed it across the table. “I know you didn’t have to hold onto it.”
Erwin sighed, shoulders relaxing as he hunched over the table casually, a sight Winnigan was shocked to witness. He balanced his chin on his forearm, his elbow propped flush against the table. “We had had a feeling that his letters home got intercepted, so it didn’t feel safe to send it home when he passed.”
Winnigan was taken aback. She felt the blood leave her face, pale in the candlelight. “Pietro wrote home?”
Erwin nodded solemnly. “Every single day. Seeing your reaction, I suppose our suspicions were right…” Winnigan watched him in silence as he reached across the table and grabbed the patch gently. “Though to be completely honest, I wasn’t ready to part with the patch, either. Since you’re here now— a decision Pietro hoped you would make— I figured it was time to move on from it.”
His eyes watched Winnigan with sad reminiscence, almost like he could see Pietro through her. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she realized tears welled in the Commander’s eyes, too. Their sky blue had dulled into the deep blue of the night sky, the mistiness of tears becoming clouds in his vision. He hastily wiped his tears, offering the patch back to Winnigan.
“How close were you?” Winnigan asked desperately, clambering out of her seat as Erwin rose to leave.
“The bestest of friends.”
“Like brothers?” She asked hopefully.
“Not quite.”
…
It felt as though all and none of Winnigan’s questions had been answered all at once. She now knew why she had never heard from him again, but wondered why his letters had been intercepted. Pietro and their parents parted on sour terms, but surely they wouldn’t discard of his mail? Winnigan remembered Lady Morgan crying for weeks and how Lord Morgan refused to say his name. Why wouldn’t they let Pietro and Winnigan write to one another?
The relationship between Pietro and the Commander was murky at best, but even still clearer than before. Pietro wasn’t in the Survey Corps for too long before he passed, so how did he work his way up so fast? How was he so close with Captain Levi, Hange, and especially Commander Erwin?
Sleep evaded her like an enemy as she tossed and turned in the barracks that night. Winnigan knew how important sleep was, seeing how she could very well die when the sun rose. The plan was so convoluted, full of alternative motives and secrets she could only confide in Armin. He was snoring softly across the room, so that wasn’t an option. She rose from her bunk and grabbed her towel from her belongings, sneaking out of the barracks and to the bathhouse for one final shower before the expedition. As she stripped and sunk into the bath, she closed her eyes and relaxed for the first time that day. She dozed lazily, fighting the urge to sleep in the bath until sunrise. However, the chances of another soldier stumbling upon her in the morning was high, and that wasn’t a situation Winnigan wanted to deal with before her first nerve-wracking expedition. But surely, closing her eyes for a while longer wouldn’t hurt.
That was until a loud clatter followed by a big splash awoke her suddenly. She jumped at the sound, now standing waist deep in the giant tub, scrambling to grab a floating bottle on the surface. That soap wasn’t hers… in an instant, Winnigan’s head whipped from side to side, frantically searching for the culprit. To her horror, Captain Levi leaned over the stone divider between the tub and showers. With a shriek, she chucked the bottle at him and ducked down to her neck in the water to cover herself.
“If you’re going to keep perving on me while I shower, I suggest you get a better hiding spot,” Levi quipped, a hint of humor in his otherwise stoic expression.
“How am I a perv?” Winnigan argued incredulously. “I was here first! You’re the one peering over at me while I’m all vulnerable in the bath!”
Levi laughed openly for the first time in Winnigan’s recollection. “Right, you’re sneaking out here after curfew. You didn’t deliberately choose to come here during my designated time in the showers?”
“Bullshit,” Winnigan seethed. “You can’t just claim a whole bathhouse to yourself. Plus,” she added indignantly. “Bathing helps me clear my head. I can’t do that if I’m surrounded by rambunctious soldiers.”
“Exactly,” Levi teased. “So that’s why I got my own assigned bathing time after I was promoted to Captain.” He strode towards the exit, towel wrapped tightly around his hips, to Winnigan’s relief. “Now go to bed and get some rest before the expedition tomorrow. And,” Levi turned to face her one last time, smirking at her beet-red face. “Stay out of the bathhouse after midnight. I won’t hesitate to tell Commander Erwin next time.”