III

                                    

                                          
Circa 843
The Scouts still came by for training, but often times you evaded lectures to work on your manoeuvre gear. It didn't matter so much, Hange would fill you in over the dinner table. They had made a habit of staying behind to talk to you, it was nice to have a friend higher up. You supposed they were disappointed you wouldn't be joining them in the Survey Corps, but you reassured them Nanaba would be, and you two had promised to visit each other. 
It had been a while since you had heard from Sean and the kitchen staff.
"Don't worry Spud, he's getting a transfer to the Garrison base. Can't take the time off to see us because it's a bit of a downgrade. Less holiday time, know?" Rico laughed, nudging an apple towards you.
You bit into it's red flesh, savouring the taste of the stolen fruit.
"It'll be good to see him!" You said, between bites.
You were pretty set, although you were on the cusp of the top ten, you felt no need to push as the Garrison was your end game now. Graduation was quickly rolling around, you barely had time to socialise with the new recruits in the years below. You had no clue how others managed.
You set the core of your apple down, careful to cover it with leaves so know one saw.
"I'm going for a zip around, you coming Rico?" You say, tightening your straps.
She nods, and grabs a blade. Seconds later, one comes hurtling towards you. You catch it without looking, it's in a reverse grip. 
"Couple more tries and I reckon we'll have that move," she said, laughing, "just need to sort your grip."
You sigh, it's the most natural grip that comes to you, it was the grip you had on the knife as you drove it into your brothers hand. If it was more than just a dream.
 You shake your head and pull the trigger, flying out of the supply shed. You passed over Nanaba, who had been heading towards the shed, and hooked onto a nearby tree. Beneath you, Hange gave a whoop, it was a sight to see you flying. Not one for an audience, you moved further into the training forest. It was a tourist hotspot half of the time, mostly in spring when the flowers bloomed and in autumn when the leaves fell. Today, in the hot heat of June, it was filled only with a few cadets. You flipped around without a care. Gas-sink they called folks like you, using up your canisters on flips. You didn't care, these skills didn't need to be perfected for the Garrison.
* Below, a tall blonde man stood beside Hange.
"True, they're skilled enough, a little training and the gas wouldn't be burned so fast. But..." he said.
"I know, Garrison. You could always pitch for a transfer after their graduation. Let her see a Titan and I'm sure they'd join" 
"Isla, you said? I ran some records, we may be able to rope her in some other way" the man replied.
Hange nodded, looking up as your body twirled through the branches. You had told them about your memories of your brother, you had trusted them to find a lead, and a lead they had. All it would take would be to convince you, but that could wait until after you graduated. *
You landed swiftly, feet touching the ground at a run. Rico and Nanaba had set off after you, and just now were they catching up. You smiled at the two, and ushered them towards the gear shed. There, you removed your gear, and help the others with theirs. The three of you walked through the training fields. Between the hot June sun and the constant trampling of feet there was precious few specks of plants left. Still, you plodded on towards the barracks and shower block. After stripping out of your training clothes, you nestled under the cool flow of the shower.
"It's awful in winter, but man am I glad we get cold water in summer," Rico sighed.
Nanaba hummed in agreement from the stall over.