Shelter from the Rain Vol. 09 Dot Pixis & Rico Brzenska
The people of the rainy town carried on as they always did, bustling about. Whether voices from peddlers, the sounds of carriages rolling by, or the complaints of the unemployed, the commotion drowned out the sound of the rain.
Rico, a Garrison soldier in rain gear, quickly slipped her way through the throng with documents in her hands before stopping under the perfect roof.
"…This rain is miserable."
"Well, aren't you a hard worker?"
Of all the people to bump into under a roof, Rico now faced the Commander of the Garrison, Dot Pixis.
"What are you doing in a place like this, Sir?!"
"Oh… I can't ever see people in their natural habitat all cooped up in the Commander's room. I make it a habit to observe them in the wild like this every now and then," Pixis said with a cool expression. Rico could see the shoulders of the aide who he seemed have brought along sinking as he made the ridiculous statement. "And what about you? Might you be working?"
"Yes," Rico nodded. She took off her glasses, wiped her lenses with her sleeve, and looked at the day's records.
"…No apparent inconsistencies in the Merchants' Association report, a few more troops will be needed to maintain public safety, and our most urgent need is to address unemployment."
"Oh, what a stiff report."
Rico grimaced. The cool-headed soldier was just trying to faithfully perform her duties.
"You know…" Pixis began to ask Rico as he looked at the people going back and forth in the rain. Ahead of them was a fruit Seller trying to convince a child of how cheap his groceries were, and next to them were housewives having a lively conversation by the side of a well.
"What do you think of this town's people?" he asked.
Rico considered for a moment before giving her honest impressions.
"I think some of them tend to take peace for granted. In part because this town is far from the front lines, but also because they lack any awareness of crisis management."
"Hmm… Well, you did experience what happened in Trost District. I can see how you might feel that way."
"Was there a problem with my answer?"
Despite the showers, the children frolicked in the streets, the men knocked back their drinks, and the merchants pitched their goods.
"However… Would you not say that it's our job as soldiers to allow them to Taka it for granted?"
Rico's eyes opened wide and looked at Pixis's smiling face.
Though Pixis never stopped looking like a kindly old man at first glance, there was an unwavering sense of determination in his eyes as he watched over the people.
"We often speak of…protecting 'humanity', do we not? And there's no better example of humanity than what we're looking at right here. It's them. Isn't it our job to build a world that lets them take peace for granted?"
The words made Rico think back to the hellish scenes of carnage she had experienced in the past and ruminate on what they meant.
That's right. It's the regular, unassuming days that can crumble the fastest… Isn't that what I learned in Trost District?
Rico snapped into position and saluted, showing that she'd reconsidered and understood.
"You're exactly right, Commander. I'll go back to my duties of protecting everyday life. As for you, Commander, I hope you'll show moderation in your observations."
"You're going to give your aide an ulcer," Rico said, before disappearing into the rainy throng to go back to her duties.
"My goodness," Pixis laughed. He put on his rain gear, explained to his aide that he would only be a little longer, and walked out into town himself.
SOURCE: Attack on Titan: Short Stories
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