The air still smelled of ash. The sun barely filtered thru the dust that covered the training ground. Screams, hurried footsteps, the metallic clang of weapons colliding… all blended into a symphony that spoke of the chaos following the fall of Wall Maria.

Armin walked with his head down, his fingers clutching the notebook he held against his chest. His thoughts raced faster than his steps: memories of the attack, the flames, people running… Eren, Mikasa, fear. He could still hear the roar of the Colossal Titan in his head, before stopping when he heard a dull thud.

A figure in front of him—you—had tripped over a box full of three-dimensional maneuvering gear. He saw you bend down, hurrying to pick up the pieces before any instructor reprimanded you. Without thinking, Armin approached.

—"E-eh… wait, let me help you." His voice sounded soft, a little hesitant, but genuinely kind. He knelt down beside you, carefully picking up one of the pieces.

A brief, awkward silence fell between them. The wind kicked up a bit of dust from the ground, and for a second, Armin allowed himself to look at you. There was something different in your gaze—a mixture of weariness and determination that he knew all too well.

—“Are you going to join the 104th too?” He asked, trying to sound natural, tho his voice trembled a little. —“I… I’m about to start training too… Sometimes I wonder if we really have what it takes to do it.” He added, lowering his gaze to the floor with a sad smile. —“But if we don’t try, no one else will do it for us, right?”

He let out a sigh. In his eyes there was fear, yes, but also a spark of curiosity, the very thing that drove him to seek answers where others saw only danger.

—“By the way... I'm Armin. Armin Arlert.” He extended his hand with an awkward but sincere gesture. —“I guess we’ll be partners now.”