Sam Gunner's Story

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"What- Hold on a moment!" Earl nearly doubled over as he felt Hiro grab onto the back of his shirt, pulling him towards her and away from the general that had left the barracks. He groaned, annoyance filling his every feature as he stopped and did not turn back. Taking a deep breath, Earl shook his head as if shaking off a thought. I need her- she’s my partner. Can’t let her die or kill her just yet. But his crimson eyes said elsewise as he turned to look at the blue-haired girl, his eyes tired and pronounced with something close to hatred- but it was marred with something else, something close to a sort of caring, one that Earl had refused to recognize for a very long time. "You can't expect me to walk there, can't you? Come come," Before Earl could say anything, the girl had already partially transformed into a glaive without waiting for Earl’s reply to her beckons, causing another sigh to escape from Earl as he looked at her with weary eyes. "Well?" She held her hands out, as if beckoning Earl to pick her up- which she was doing, of course. Great. Not right now. But it was not like his partner would be able to hear his inner thoughts. "Unless, of course, you'd like to carry me, that's fine too. But I'm only carried princess style, for your information."

With that, Earl slapped his hand on her forehead hard and then kept his hand on her forehead, as if to push her to the ground. “Stop transforming, God damn it, you know I hate it when you reveal your weapon form to others.” Without a second word, Earl picked up the girl in the exact way he had always done since the first day they had been partnered together- in his arms, princess-style. Ignoring the whispering and eyes of the other trainees who had somehow had enough time to calm themselves down to gossip, Earl walked through the crowd and out of the barracks, his tanks already filled with gas and his weapon in his hands. “Don’t move- if you do I’ll toss you on the ground and leave you there.” He said angrily, his face annoyed as he glared down at Hiro through the corners of his eyes. Why did I have to get the useless partner! Earl thought, but there was no answer to his question. For some, the question was a no brainer: Hiro had ranked 7th in their regiment though she was held back by her legs. For Earl, the question was much more complex: take her ranking as the full scope of her powers or base it on the fact that she could be extremely annoying from time to time? It doesn’t matter now- giants! His mental reminder for himself sent shivers down Earl’s spine and a smirk to once again form on his face. “Keh!” He spat again on the ground, turning his head in a wide angle so as to avoid Hiro’s legs. Finally! The word had been raging inside his mind ever since they had been called to the barrack’s- and now they were to be the first on the frontlines due to their high ranks during graduation.

Earl eagerly stepped out of the disorderly barrack and into the nearly empty grounds. The sound of breaking buildings and havoc could be heard from the army academy grounds that Earl now stood on- with Hiro still tightly held in his arms. For some, this instilled fear; For Earl, it only increased the size of the smirk that had been on his face. However, as Earl stood with his head turned to a side, his eyes roamed towards the four figures that stood in the center of the grounds, their hands behind their backs, staring at the 40 trainees that slowly straggled out of the barracks. Quickly, he wiped the smile off of his face and walked over to the four figures, standing but two meters away from them, in the placement he had been given ever since those few years ago. First. Shared! Earl glared at his compatriots before standing at the farthest left spot, his teeth gnashing together though the lack of Scar Bellerose and her partner gave him a sense of tiny triumph. Tardiness equates to uselessness! He laughed out in his mind, directing the thoughts at Scar Bellerose, though she definitely would not be able to hear Earl’s thoughts.

“Just stay in my arms, don’t move.” Earl said, not looking at Hiro as he turned to look at the four figures- one female and three male- standing at the head of the relatively small group that now started to form in front of them. But they did not start debriefing the trainees yet- most of the top 20 and their partners were still stuck in the rowdy barracks, though Earl had no idea why they were trying to avoid the chance to go and fight the giants. “Come on…” He muttered unconsciously, glaring at the open barrack doors, waiting for other trainees to slowly stream out so that they could head straight for the invading giants without delay. A cough distracted Earl from his muttering, as a man- the general for the Survey Corps stepped forward, his eyes harsh as he glared at the gathering trainees.

“We cannot wait any longer, let the others come afterwards; we must go and provide assistance to the men already out there fighting the giants.” A loud sound of a building collapsing cut through what the man was saying, but he looked unperturbed. Finally! Earl’s mad cackle mingled with the loud, cacophonous noise of bricks and stones hitting the ground- but no one heard. They were all too busy controlling their own fears and wishes, too busy making sure that they stayed sane in this land of sheer madness.