The making of a hero (Open)

Alan looked out his window as he was sitting in a small but cozy armchair. A small drizzle has appeared to start outside, and the light emitted by the street lamps was twisted by the small drops. Nighttime has descended that day quicker than usual - perhaps a sign that the colder days were approaching. Alan got up from his chair, and started pacing his room in the Military Police headquarters. Unlike most soldiers enlisted in the army, the Military Police got their own private rooms that were well-furnished and decorated. Alan spent a second looking at his room, which doubtlessly held items worth more than his entire house growing up.
This is insane, Alan thought to himself There's no way I can go with this...
And yet he has. In a bag beside his bed were a few things he bought today. A wooden panel, some cloth, blueprint templates... Alan has taken the first few steps to creating an alter ego.
It was a hard thing to do - perhaps ludicrous, but Alan was certain that he could do so much for humanity if he were to cross beyond the walls and help the Survey Corps with their fighting. However, the Military Police won't let him do such thing, and more importantly his mother would be completely opposed, if she knew what he was plotting.
The whole reason he joined the Military Police in the first place was because his mother wanted him to live a successful and happy life with no danger. By going beyond the wall, he would undo everything he has worked for, and everything his mother pushed him for.
But that's the thing Alan pondered as he grabbed the dark grey cloth from the bag by his bedside Alan Kaltewande would never leave the Inner City, let alone roam the titan lands. Alan Kaltewande will be chronically ill and therefore absent for short periods here and there. Meanwhile, a new figure will emerge, one that will bring hope to the the people, hope to human-
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Alan froze for a moment in fear, only realizing later on that he didn't physically voice his internal monologue. He slowly and quietly grabbed the bag after putting the cloth inside, and hid the bag under his bed. The knocking was getting louder. Alan went ahead to the door, as the raindrops were growing heavier and pounded loudly against the window, much like how Alan's heart was pounding violently.
"Yes?" he asked, as he opened the door.

Auth looked up to the building. The military headquarters. The place with the highest soldier concentration in all the inner district. Also, the least guarded building... He begun scaling up the wall. It had a high number of decorative parts on it, so finding a ledge to grab was more than just easy, and even a novice could climb it.It took no time for Auth to end up near the window of the person he planned to visit: Alan Katlewande.

Why him, one might ask. Well, since the trial, Auth had seen some tendencies in Alan that could make him easy to steer around into doing something useful for the vi Rauco family. And from the soldier records, while not the best, Alan could turn out to have quite some potential to become very useful, should he pick up some specific skills.

A knock on the door attracted Auth's attention from the ledge he was currently standing on, right near the window, but in a blind spot. Soon enough, he heard his companion speak. "Oh hello. Excuse me, is this Darren's room? And if not, could you please tell me where it is. I'm tired of looking."

Now, a half step to the window, watch Alan with his back turned. Draw a knife, use it to open the block keeping the window closed. Open a quarter, slip in silently, close the window back, sheathe the knife. It was so much easier when you had where to hold your feet, and didn't have to dangle on a moving window by your fingertips.

Auth took a seat silently on the bed, looking at Alan. He wondered what his reaction would be when he turned around and saw him standing there. Auth swallowed a chuckle at that.

Alan opened the door the a sheepish looking brunette soldier. She looked a bit younger than him.
"Oh hello. Excuse me, is this Darren's room? And if not, could you please tell me where it is. I'm tired of looking." she asked politely, her voice high-pitched, but showing signs of weariness. It appeared she was looking for this Darren person for quite a while now.
"Darren lives over there." Alan said, nodding with his head left to the rooms further down the corridor "Room 74B."
After the girl politely thanked him and walked away, he closed the door. He stopped for a bit, thinking about Darren. 2 years his elder, Darren was a noteworthy soldier who quickly rose through the ranks of the Military Police. Of course, that's the tip of the iceberg. He served as a guard for an illegal gambling ring, and quickly took over through intimidation. All the higher-ups of the Military Police were part of this gambling ring, so in order to keep his mouth shut, they promoted him quickly. He was a brute of a man, but cunning as well.

Alan finally turned from the door and was about to grab his bag from under his bed, but he noticed a young man sitting on his bed. He tripped back, startled, but managed to not trip onto the ground.
He recognized the person who appeared out of nowhere.
"A-Auth vi Rauco? Son of Adar vi Rauco?" Alan blurted out, regaining his balance "How did you... get in here?"
He recalled seeing Adar and his son in the trial. Auth was impressive, and seemed very logical and well-trained in the art of defense. However, Adar was simply incredible. While he was a legend on his own, seeing him in the flesh was an amazing experience for Alan. Adar seemed to be the only dignified Military Police soldier Alan has ever heard of. Most Military Police officers, no matter how royal or proud, all had a dirty past of some kind. However, Adar was the only one with no such reputation. Alan held so much respect for the man. He's the one who showed him that with enough power and dedication, he could truly make a difference.

Auth grinned widely for a second, then went back to his usual half-smile. He pointed with the thumb towards the window. "See that? You might want to put a lock on it. Just sayin'." Auth stretched. Seemingly, climbing up to here was not enough effort to make him feel like he really used his muscles. Pity.

"Alan, was it?" Of course, Auth knew the name perfectly, but giving the impression he wasn't giving Alan as much attention as he was would help. "I'm here to... talk... to you a bit." He gave Alan a look that would make it seem as if Auth was here to kill. It would be good to keep Alan half-scared, easier to toy around with him. "But before that... you seemed to be very eager to leave just now, before you saw me. I have to wonder, what business might a young MP could possibly have at this late hour, hm...?"

Auth's tone left many things to be understood. Of course Alan wasn't the guy to DO any of what Auth implied, but he could at least get embarrassed. And this time around, Auth didn't even do it simply for the sake of it (well, only a little). If Alan was too worried about that, he might just blurt out the real reason. Or, in any case, at least a clue. And a clue could go long ways.

Alan looked over at the window, then back at Auth. He was growing more and more afraid of what was to come. Did Auth think him of some sort of crooked Military Policeman? Or perhaps was he here to make amends for Cora's trial? Alan wasn't certain. However, when Auth mentioned going somewhere, his eyes quickly darted to the bag under the bed, then back to Auth.
"I was, uh, just heading out to grab a drink! It's awfully cold today. I thought a good drink can fill up my belly with warmth."
He had serious doubts if Auth was convinced. He sighed and walked up a bit to Auth and sat in his armchair.
"Forget about that. What did you want to talk about? It's not everyday I get to talk to one of your renown."
Alan was keeping very close attention to anything Auth was doing. He doubted he could overpower him if an encounter arose, but he was fairly certain he could hide from him in the building, or at least get people's attention before anything serious would happen.
On the outside, he tried to look calm, but he was pretty sure he wasn't looking very at ease. He wasn't a good actor.

Auth caught Alan's sight dart to under the bed. Such things were easy to catch, if you payed attention. And it was highly unlikely that Alan would throw that subtle a red herring, too.

Auth raised an eyebrow at Alan's last sentence. "My renown? Why, that's not good. It'd be much better to be able to pass unobserved... ah well." Auth tilted his head slightly sideways. "Now..." His hand darted very quickly inside of his cloak and then back outside. He held by two fingers a folded piece of paper, the same way one would hold the last playing card in a game. With another quick movement, he passed in on his other hand and extended it to Alan. "There are records for at least half of all the times you made law... flexible".

"Then there's this" He extended him the report of his behavior during Cora's trial. "And also, this" He gave him a paper containing what his former colleagues, from when he was a trainee, had said about him.

"All of this screams Survey Corps" Auth tapped the insignia on the uniform beneath his cloak. "And yet... you wear the sacred single-horned horse instead of the wings of freedom." He leaned towards Alan. "And I ask: why?"

He modulated his voice so that this last word would echo from the room's walls. Auth didn't move a single muscle further, but kept them all semi-active. Anyone around could easily tell he looked like a compressed spring, or a feline ready to pounce. He didn't do it primarily for the ability to jump into action instant, but for the mere way it looked. It would help with the rest of the atmosphere, and Auth knew all too well that every single thing you can use for the buildup helps.

Alan tried to keep it together, but his face revealed his horror when Auth took out the records of his misdoings bending the law. Alan didn't know what he needed to do. Should he get rid of the evidence and attack Auth? Should he beg him to not tell anyone? He looked at the three documents in front of him, feeling shaky.
Auth knew. Alan had no idea how, but he knew about him. He managed to find out about Alan more than anyone ever did, despite the fact that Alan is surrounded by trained soldiers on a regular basis.
Was this Survey Corps training? Or perhaps the teachings of Adar? Or just maybe, was it one of Auth's own talents?
Alan made up his mind. He was going to spill his chips. He may as well get everything out of the way, So Auth won't have any more cards to pull against him.
"You're.... you're right." Alan said finally, looking out of the window, a sign of defeat in eyes.
"The truth is... I've always wanted to join the Recon Corps. they give humanity hope. They're honest fighters who do honest work. It's hope that got me to where I am today." he said, looking at Auth "I live to serve others. I exist to make the world a better place for others. It's what I tell myself, at least. I... guess my mother made me like that. She.... she used to beat me up, you know?"

He looked down "I grew up in a poor home. Forced to take oddjobs from an early age, to make sure there was food on my plate. Any extra money we made, mother lost gambling. She would've been a drunk if she had any access to alcohol, but it was rather expensive where I came from. Despite all that, she... she cared for me, in her own way. She forced me to join the military, to become the best of my year and be enlisted in the Military Police. She wanted me to have a better life, having free time, and excess money. In retrospect, she was just miserable. Not cruel, but angry and sad."
He looked up at Auth again "So I joined the Military Police, for my mother. I owe her everything in my life, from giving birth to me, to feeding me, and even forcing me to join the Military Police. I am not loved here, and I doubt I'll get any big promotions, but I am living a generally comfortable life. I managed to catch up on education, learned lots of skills, and met up with lots of new people. And... and yet...." he sheltered his face with the palms of him hands "I can't help but feel worthless knowing I am not serving humanity as best as I can... that instead of saving lives I am ruining them."
Alan breathed heavily. He was a bit sweaty despite the cold, and his hands were shaking. He has never told anyone about his inner conflict before. He thought it would be a great experience, but it was just a painful one. He looked at Auth, managing a smile.
"Who reported to you about my dealings with the law? Was it William? I should've known..." he said, chuckling slightly.

Auth listened patiently. This whole inner conflict... Auth hadn't known of it per se, but it was an easy guess something like this had happened. "To think Freud was right though..." he thought. A family conflict, that he didn't see coming. It suddenly made him wonder how would he himself have turned out if his father wasn't who he was. Auth very quickly wavered the thoughts away for now. He had to keep calm and composed.

There is no thing as omniscience. On the other hand, if you are skilled enough in controlling your expressions and wording, you can give the impression of omniscience. Auth never aimed for that though. It was much too hard, if not plain impossible. Auth preferred to give the impression he can work anything out, as to have an excuse for not knowing something, to get him time to find out.

"I've expected as much." He said to Alan. "Also, to suspect a friend?" Auth laughed, and used his foot to get the bag from underneath the bed to slide out. "If you're planning to get into this business, if this is what I think it is..." Auth gestured towards the bag. "... you have to learn that the walls have eyes and ears. It is a common mistake to suspect somebody you know. Unfortunately, many, many times it's a mere 'nobody' spying on you."

Auth climbed out of the bed and went towards the window. There, he looked outside. "You're in good fortune though... very, very good fortune." Auth smiled. Of course, Alan couldn't see the smile, as he didn't face him. "You look smart enough to understand what I'm saying. The question is, will it be a yes or a no...?" Auth silently drew a dagger. Doing it without Alan seeing wouldn't have been any problem, but he made sure that Alan observed it. Still, he didn't do it in a directly threatening manner, giving the impression he still tried to hide it.

Alan pondered at Auth's words. He honestly wasn't certain if William was the one who has reported on his actions. He was simply the only one Alan knew for a fact that knew his secret. Truth be told, he knew very little about the mysterious William.
He wasn't even surprised when Auth pointed at his bag. He was rather surprised by Auth drawing a blade. Alan was fairly certain Auth didn't mean him any physical harm, at least for now, because he could've easily taken him out before. However, he understood the position he was in.
He stood up, and and looked at Auth. "It's a yes."
He saluted him. Not something you'd usually do for someone who holds such information about you, but something Alan did nevertheless.
He felt that he could trust Auth, despite his mysterious demeanor. If half the stories about his father were true, he knew he could rely on him. Besides, the way he acted during Cora's hearing proved him to be a caring person.

In one swift movement, Auth took the dagger and pointed it at Alan's chest. "So, it's a yes, eh?" Auth held the dagger by the blade. It wasn't a threat, he was offering Alan the weapon. "It's symbolic. If you're going to engage in any sort of deceptive business, that is. And you most obviously are."

He stopped and changed the tone to a more serious one. "You're obviously aware I'm going to get something out of this deal, eventually. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you what it is." He narrowed his eye a bit. "You'll have to learn stealth. And you'll have to learn to control your facial expression. And... oh, a bunch more things. Luckily, I know perfectly where you could pick up all those skills. Interested?"

In truth, he couldn't tell Alan not because it was a secret, but because he himself didn't know. Still, better not to give off wrong... well, right... impressions about that. This man here had the potential to become a very powerful ally though... and a very loyal one too. Auth wondered just how much of all this his father knew, as he himself didn't tell him anything. Probably just a bit more than Auth himself knew, in fact. To deceive his father was not something a human being could do.

Although Alan knew Auth meant him no harm, Auth's sudden movement made nearly made him flinch. Alan nodded solemnly as he grabbed the dagger by the hilt from Auth. Alan didn't like the way Auth classified his future plans as 'deceptive business', but he wasn't going to argue with him. Alan just preferred to look at it as a hidden contribution to mankind.
Alan already knew that he had to give Auth something he return. He wasn't sure what he could offer someone as powerful as Auth vi Rauco, but his trust in the young man calmed him a little. He figured whatever Auth had in mind for him wouldn't be completely out of his comfort zone. Then again, with these mysterious men, you never know.
Alan was glad to hear that Auth knew how to teach him all these skills. They were all things he knew he needed to master if he wanted to go ahead with his plan. How Auth knew was beyond him. Perhaps a combination of facts, hints and a little guesswork.
"I am interested, and I swear that I will repay the dept, whatever it is you need." he said, putting the dagger away and bowing slightly.
What are you doing, Alan? a voice in his head asked him Bowing to a blackmailer?
"As long as you keep words about my... intricate relationship with the law, I'll do as you say. To be honest, I am pretty interested in what you have to offer." he added.
His statement was true. As long as his mother doesn't find out about this, he's willing to do whatever it takes.

Cora was walking around the inner district. A few hours she had seen Auth. Just a glimpse of him. Cora tried to follow him but she lost him. The only thing she knew now that he was at the military headquarter.
Next thing she wanted to know: what was he doing there?

Nec and Vex were guessing but noone had any reasonable idea. She decided on just waiting near the Military Headquarter and wating for him to come out again.

Honestly she didn't even know why she waited for him. But she just guessed that she wanted to talk to him in general after she had left the military.

Auth left out a chuckle at Alan's request. "You... you really weren't in the MP for too long, were you? Half your superiors already know of your doings." He quickly continued when he saw a look of horror might form on Alan's expression. "And, no, it's okay. They're actually glad to see you're not the law-is-sacred guy you seem to be. So be calm about that one."

He went back towards the window. "Now, you should first learn to sneak in and out. It'll help when you have to learn the other skills. You saw Cora at the trial, yes?" He didn't wait for the answer. "She'll be your teacher... and speaking of the devil... I wonder..." Auth opened the window, and vaulted outside. This time around he didn't bother closing it back.

Going down was pretty easy, and soon he found himself in front of the shadowy figure he had seen from the window. And quite indeed, it turned out to be Cora. "Why, hello there, Ms. Alpha Wolf." He smiled widely. "And how are you today? Amazing weather we're having, isn't it?" He had a half-mocking tone. Of course Cora wouldn't be here for smalltalk, so joking about that was a must.

Alan was in doubts if his superiors knew about his dealings. The majority of them were drunkards who couldn't tell what part of the blade was the handle if their life depended on it. However, Auth's words were concerning. He didn't want to be associated with those who break the law. He was on the other side of things - he only broke the law in areas where the law's justice was nowhere to be seen.

His thoughts were interrupted when Auth jumped out of the window, into the rainy evening. It was way too dark for him to properly see what or who Auth has spotted. However, he was deep in thought about what Auth said about Cora teaching him the art of sneaking. Surely, she must be one of the stealthiest people he knew, and yet Alan had doubts if Auth could convince her to teach him her ways. He hadn't spoken to her since the trial, on accounts of not being able to face her. The mere thought of the way he acted in the trial filled his heart with disgust. He practically betrayed Cora in front of the judge. He knew Cora was hardy and believed that all wrongdoings should be repayed. He wasn't sure if she had it in her heart to forgive him, but for the not-so-low chance of being killed by the mercenary, he wasn't willing to take that bet. He wanted to improve their relationship, but he felt himself unworthy.
Alan scooped out of the window, raindrops falling onto his head. He stared out, trying to see what Auth was doing, but the lighting didn't give him a good angle. Alan wasn't sure if Auth was planning to come back that evening or not. He kept the window open, and started heating up some tea in the corner of his room. As he was doing that, he took out the wooden panel he bought, and started carving at it. He worked delicately and slowly, revealing years of practice. Growing up, Alan didn't have much, so a lot of things he had to create for himself. He was no stranger to work tools and basic material. He used to make himself toys, not that he had any time to play with them due to the oddjobs he had to take.

Cora smirked. She was right. He was here. Great. Now...why was he here?
"Your Ms. Alpha Wolf is doing pretty well! Also the weather can be quite nice. If I was here to kill someone I would love it. I mean: all the traces I leave get washed away."
She looked at the building he just came from.
"I think I need to talk to you. You know...about mercenary matters and so on. General speaking: Some new sellswords in the military.", she grinned. Cora really respected Auth in every way.
He was smarter, stronger and nearly better than her in every way imagineable.
But Cora wasn't jealous, she just respected him and saw a reason to get better.
She wiped the rain drops out of her face.

Auth grinned. He half-expected that Cora would continue his joke.

"Well, I see, I see. It also happens I am in need of you." Auth made a half step to be next to Cora, then started walking slowly. "You know Alan Katlewande from the trial. Fact is, he's actually planning to secretly help the Survey Corps. Also, from my viewpoint, while he ain't much now, he's got the potential to become very, very useful." He made a small pause before continuing. "I was thinking maybe you could teach him how to sneak properly, and not like an elephant in a pottery store." Auth stopped, the wall right in front of him. He gestured upwards. "We could go up to him, where you'll scare him good about how the training will go, then we can talk some other business. I actually could use some hands on some matters, and now that I have access to semi-trustworthy mercenaries..."

He grinned. Auth wondered just how many times will he and Cora use the windows instead of doors. Many, many times looked like the most plausible bet.

Cora gave him a friendly punch on his shoulder, "You? You are in need of ME?", she grinned widely, "The great Auth vi Rauco, offspring of the even greater Adar vi Rauco needs a psychopath with multiple personalities who got nor or less kicked out of the military for nearly killing a fellow soldier? The great Auth vi Rauco, who loves to be called my Lord by his friends needs me?", she bowed down, "Of course I will help you my lord, of course I will.", she raised up again.

Cora was serious again now, "Just wondering...why semi trustworthy? I'm as trustworthy as...dammit...you?", she smiled again.
"I will teach him. Don't worry. I have also a plan to get him to help the surveys. But this would only work if you could manage that the military hires sellswords."

She looked up the building. It was way to easy to climb up there. Cora climbed up and silently got into the already open window. He didn't hear or see her yet.
She smiled. Auth said she should scare him. There was no better way than letting all of her alters out and speak together. With a quick move she got one of her knives out of her boot and threw it. The knife got stook only a centimeter away from his head.
All of Cora's alters laughed and she tilted her head to the left.
"Hello my dear Alan...", she smiled. The look in her eyes was mad and the grin didn't make it seem more harmless.
Her voices had overlapped again and made her sound like a machine.
She came closer and threw her knife up in the air and caught it again.
"Want to...play?", she whispered.

Alan was thoroughly busy with sculpting the wood panel into a mask. It has already seemed to resemble the shape of a head, but not quite. His motions were slow but precise, cutting into the wood gently and in a mesmerizing way. Working on something always mesmerized Alan, but his peace was disturbed by a knife that hit the wall next to his head. Alan froze for a second, looking at the knife.
That knife... he recalled, It's-
He stood up and raised the dagger Auth gave him, just like he was taught during his training. He spotted Cora near the window, giving him an inhuman glare and grinning like a maniac. She laughed in a voice that didn't exactly sound like her own, and tilted her head, like a puppet. She greeted him and approached him slowly while twirling a knife.
Alan was completely horrified. What was she doing here? Was she here to get revenge for the events of the trial? That wasn't completely beyond her. Alan didn't want to harm her, but didn't want to die either.
"L-look, Cora-" he stuttered "I'm so sorry for what happened to you at the trial, I truly am."
He started backing up towards the door, with his knife still up. He knew that while he had enough muscle to overpower Cora, he precision and dexterity were more than enough to leave him dead and bleeding before he got the chance to wrestle a knife out of her hand. He planned on escaping, if he needed to, but he also had doubts if he could escape someone as quick and as cruel as Cora.
Escaping was also not possible. There was no way out.
He stopped backing away towards the door, and slowly started circling Cora with his dagger raised.
Thankfully, his room was pretty large, so there was a lot of space for what he feared would happen.
"Why are you doing this?" he blurted out.

Cora started laughing and held her stomach. It was her normal laugh. She wiped away a tear from her eye.
"Oh Alan! Your reaction was great! You should've seen the look in your face!", she went to the wall and pulled her knife out. With a quick movement it disappeared at its normal place.
"I won't do anything to you. I just met Auth and he said I should scare you. And because you know of Nec and Vex I thought: why not let them come out at the same time?", she grinned widely.

"So...Auth said I should teach you some things...also...you might have the possibility to go on Survey Missions with me. But nothing is fixed yet. I will have to wait for Auth to manage that."

Alan stared at her for a moment, mouth gasping for air. He finally sighed and sat on his bed, grabbing some tea from the corner of the room where he finished heating up the drink. He took a sip and looked up at Cora.
"I don't think that was very justified." he simply said, and took another sip. He was very glad that Cora wasn't out to kill him, but it wasn't a great sensation to feel total helplessness.
"So... you're going to be my teacher? That's.... that's great." he finally said. He was truly glad to have someone as talented as Cora teach him the ropes of the skills he needs, but then again he hadn't spoken to her since the trial.
"How are you, by the way?" he managed to say, pretending to be very interested in the rain outside the window. Truth be told, he just didn't want to look at Cora. Every time he did, he felt a sting of guilt.

Auth began scaling the wall slowly. He wasn't in a hurry, as spoiling Cora's act wouldn't be good. While he had reached the window before she had finished, going up a bit more while remaining unnoticed wasn't hard. Right now, he stood upright and leaning against the wall, using the upper ledge of the window as support for his feet.

When Auth heard Cora finish, he began climbing back down, grinning all the while. The scare was meant to set a first reference point for Alan. Later, he'd do something similar again, and watch for his reaction then, to check how much progress had he made.
His line of thought was suddenly interrupted by coming face-to-face with Alan. After raising his eyebrows, he began speaking. "Why are you here? Don't you know this window is your new room door? Please try not to block it."

Auth slipped into the room and took a seat on the bed. "Well, Cora, while I may generally be a better organizer than you, I don't know either of your programs. Thus, I cannot help this time. You have to, you know, actually talk to each other about when to begin the lessons. All I can do is provide space for training, if Cora would prefer a training-dedicated place to the city directly... which I doubt."

Auth sighted a fruit bowl on a small table in the room, and proceeded to take an apple out of it. "Yes Alan, your home is currently being hijacked by a blackmailer and mercenary. No, there's nothing you can do about it." With that, he took a bite out of the apple. Of course, he subtly made sure it was real before he did that. He wouldn't want to bite out of a plastic apple, even less so when having audience.

Cora grinned, "Look Auth. He is scared of me being his trainer!", she patted Alan's head.
"Don't be scared. I won't kill you. And I'm good I would say. Pretty good at least. Not really sure about that though.", she turned to Auth again, "I mean you should manage the mercenaries in the military not his program. I can manage that. I will just let him train a bit with my pups."

Cora sat next to Auth and poked his shoulder, "Are you drunk or have you actually developed a sense of humour. My dear lord?"

Alan's vision of the rainy street was obscured by Auth who decided to come in through the window. The young man made some comment about windows being doors and then came through the window, claiming Alan's bed as his seat. Alan sighed and leaned against the wall, looking at the two rather unusual visitors in his room. He wasn't glad that Cora pretended to try and kill him, and he wasn't thrilled that Auth was eating his food either. That being said, he was very happy they were here to help.
"I am honored to have you as my teacher." he said to Cora, truly meaning it. He was certain she was capable, and was looking forward to learning from her "And I am not honored that you're eating my food without my permission." he glared at Auth.
Alan thought for a while, and the stood upright. "From now on, we should find a different place to talk in. While tonight is dark and rainy, so the chances of people spotting you are low, it'll be much harder to meet up during most days. I personally suggest taverns, restaurants and libraries as possible places for catching up. As for my schedule, I patrol the Inner City most days from dawn 'till dusk, with Monday and Tuesday being my days off. Thursday nights are... off the table." he said, staring at the floor. He didn't mind his friends knowing that he was planning to fight the titans under a facade, but his affection for Marian was something he was planning to take to his grave.
"As for about sneaking out," he followed "I plan to don an outfit so no one may recognize me. The things there are the start of said outfit." he nodded to the contents of the bag on his floor. He sipped more tea and looked at the wooden mask he was making.

Auth smirked at Cora's comment about his humor. "Actually, dear Alpha Wolf, it's you finally starting to get a sense of humor. I've always had it." He entirely ignored Alan's comment about eating his food.

"Oh, and about meeting places, I'm all for taverns!" He very quickly cut the joke off this time though. "...and that's actually because it's the only real place when seeing a mercenary, an MP, and myself would make sense. Sure, we wouldn't go in our uniforms, but we're still recognizable. And going full-disguise would just attract needless attention." He stood up and brushed some nonexistent dust off his clothes. "About dealings between military and mercenaries, that can be arranged." Auth extended a silver coin-like token with a wasp engraving on it to Cora. "Come by my home at anytime and present that. I assure you it won't take long until I can be there to discuss details. My father will also have to be present though, as he's the one pulling most strings in the upper military ranks."

Auth paced to the door slowly. "I'll leave this way for now. Stay calm, no one will ask anything. I actually come in here by the windows pretty darn often. Goodbye." He opened the door and slithered through it. His pace was quite slow, and should any of the other persons in the room decide to follow him, they wouldn't have to hurry.

Cora listened to what Auth said. He was right taverns were indeed the best.
"So next meeting point taverns. Just wondering how are we going to contact each other?", she whispered. That question was more meant for herself than anybody else.
Cora put the silver coin into her boot. She would definitly need it. Not now but later on.

"Okay...Monday and Tuesday then? That sounds good. Just one thing to remind you though. I'm not in the inner disricts all the time. I'll be here for a week or so and then go back to our main hideout. And that's not far from Nedlay. I can't just be here anytime.", she scratched her head and mentally checked her timetable.
"I might have the chance to come here every second Monday and Tuesday. I say I might because I never know it excactly."
She sighed, "The inner districts are so bad for mercenaries. You can't just openly train here! That's the main problem I have. All my pups are at Nedlay."