It's a fact that sits strangely with Bertolt, creeping up on him in quiet moments, unnoticed until he finds himself gazing at a field, or a forest, or a sunset that turns the distant mountains purple and blue. Paradis, the "Heaven" so many Eldians fear, is a gorgeous island. A place filled with so much natural beauty it sometimes takes Bertolt's breath away.
There's nothing like this in Liberio. Nothing like this on the battlefields they were sent to as newly minted Warriors, the foreign landscapes littered with trenches, mud, and blood. Maybe such places exist outside of Liberio, in other parts of Marley, but it isn't as though Bertolt has ever seen those with his own eyes. All he has for comparison are Liberio's gray streets and scenes of war.
It seems so peaceful here. It isn't, of course. Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie—they've brought more death and terror to this island than it knew in a century of isolation. But still, when Bertolt looks out over a forest painted the golds and reds of early autumn, he can't help but think it beautiful.
He pulls his eyes from the trees, adjusting his pack and glancing down at the compass in his hand to double-check its bearing. It wouldn't do to get lost out here. He and Reiner are near the top of their class, as is Annie, and they must ensure they stay there. Losing points because they messed up on a simple exercise would be both a setback and mildly humiliating. As it is, he and Reiner have made good time: they split from the rest of their team a few hours ago, pairs setting off to "explore" different areas before reuniting at a set location. It's intended to simulate a survival-slash-exploration mission outside of Paradis' walls. However…
"This exercise," Bertolt starts, looking over at Reiner. "It doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Doing all of this in the daytime, I mean."
If they were really on a survival mission outside the walls, they'd be moving at night, not with the sun high in the sky.
Paradis had definitely been a lot different that Reiner had imagined. A paradise on nature and beautiful sceneries. The "devils" were no devils either, at least so far. Sure, some of them were obnoxious and annoying, but none of them seemed like the spawns of evil they were constantly told about.
Not that it would matter in the end. Their mission remained unchanged. All of them had to die at some point. Even the people they were training with.
(Even the people he called his friends. The ones that looked up at him and trusted him. Was he really someone who would break that bond? If there was another way, for him to act his duties as a Soldier, protect the humanity and his friends-)
Bertholts voice breaks his invading thoughts. Reiner looks at him and nods.
"I don't really understand the point myself, either. They should primarily focus on exploring places during nighttime." What use are their abilities to hike in a forest and find their way if they can't do it in the darkness of the night, with limited fire. It's not like they had light like they had back in Marley.
Bertholdt nods in agreement. Navigating at night would be a far more useful skill for Paradis' soldiers. It isn't as though this island is completely ignorant about Titans: they know that Titans move in daylight and grow sluggish when the sun sets. So what sense is there in recruits practicing maneuvers when the sun is high overhead?
Then again, the expeditions outside the Walls occur in daylight, too. And Bertholdt, at least, won't be the one to tell them that it would make far more sense to move at night and sleep high in trees during the day.
"Maybe," he agrees, absently worrying his lower lip as he thinks. "Torches mostly use animal fat as a fuel source, don't they? I guess they might be conserving that."
It would make sense, given how scarce meat has become since the Wall fell. Since he and Reiner broke through the Wall.
"I don't know," Bertholdt continues. "I … feel like we might be missing something in this exercise. Like there's a trick to it, or … some obstacle meant to throw us off."
no subject
It's a fact that sits strangely with Bertolt, creeping up on him in quiet moments, unnoticed until he finds himself gazing at a field, or a forest, or a sunset that turns the distant mountains purple and blue. Paradis, the "Heaven" so many Eldians fear, is a gorgeous island. A place filled with so much natural beauty it sometimes takes Bertolt's breath away.
There's nothing like this in Liberio. Nothing like this on the battlefields they were sent to as newly minted Warriors, the foreign landscapes littered with trenches, mud, and blood. Maybe such places exist outside of Liberio, in other parts of Marley, but it isn't as though Bertolt has ever seen those with his own eyes. All he has for comparison are Liberio's gray streets and scenes of war.
It seems so peaceful here. It isn't, of course. Bertolt, Reiner, and Annie—they've brought more death and terror to this island than it knew in a century of isolation. But still, when Bertolt looks out over a forest painted the golds and reds of early autumn, he can't help but think it beautiful.
He pulls his eyes from the trees, adjusting his pack and glancing down at the compass in his hand to double-check its bearing. It wouldn't do to get lost out here. He and Reiner are near the top of their class, as is Annie, and they must ensure they stay there. Losing points because they messed up on a simple exercise would be both a setback and mildly humiliating. As it is, he and Reiner have made good time: they split from the rest of their team a few hours ago, pairs setting off to "explore" different areas before reuniting at a set location. It's intended to simulate a survival-slash-exploration mission outside of Paradis' walls. However…
"This exercise," Bertolt starts, looking over at Reiner. "It doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? Doing all of this in the daytime, I mean."
If they were really on a survival mission outside the walls, they'd be moving at night, not with the sun high in the sky.
no subject
Not that it would matter in the end. Their mission remained unchanged. All of them had to die at some point. Even the people they were training with.
(Even the people he called his friends. The ones that looked up at him and trusted him. Was he really someone who would break that bond? If there was another way, for him to act his duties as a Soldier, protect the humanity and his friends-)
Bertholts voice breaks his invading thoughts. Reiner looks at him and nods.
"I don't really understand the point myself, either. They should primarily focus on exploring places during nighttime." What use are their abilities to hike in a forest and find their way if they can't do it in the darkness of the night, with limited fire. It's not like they had light like they had back in Marley.
"Maybe they're worried about light sources."
no subject
Then again, the expeditions outside the Walls occur in daylight, too. And Bertholdt, at least, won't be the one to tell them that it would make far more sense to move at night and sleep high in trees during the day.
"Maybe," he agrees, absently worrying his lower lip as he thinks. "Torches mostly use animal fat as a fuel source, don't they? I guess they might be conserving that."
It would make sense, given how scarce meat has become since the Wall fell. Since he and Reiner broke through the Wall.
"I don't know," Bertholdt continues. "I … feel like we might be missing something in this exercise. Like there's a trick to it, or … some obstacle meant to throw us off."