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seasonsgreetings2025-06-13 01:05 pm
seasonshelpers) wrote in seasonsgreetings2025-06-13 01:05 pm
Entry tags:
Test Drive Meme #15
Test Drive Meme #15
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
You arrive in an unknown space, dressed in white clothes (player choice what kind of clothes, as long as they cover everything). Whatever was happening to you before no longer happens. It's like everything was put on a pause and you were transferred away from the situation without you realizing it happened.
The space that you find yourself in is one of these four options:
An empty landscape filled with snow and ice, almost like a blank canvas.
A field with cherry blossom trees and spring flowers.
A sunny beach near an ocean that seems never ending.
A quiet forest with falling autumn leaves.
All of the spaces seem to continue endlessly. No matter where or how far you walk it almost seems like you're not moving at all. There are no animals here - just those who happened to wake up there at the same time, in the same place. Everyone is wearing the same kind of plain, white clothes.
Despite the possible rollercoaster of emotions you might be feeling, the place somehow feels familiar. Like somehow you belong there.
And it looks like you're not alone.
After half an hour has passed the surroundings change as everyone is teleported into a room with all the other new arrivals, no matter what space they woke up in. It's a large place with plenty of seats to sit in and beverages to enjoy. Medical attention is offered to those who need it and the doctors here are very prepared for any challenging situations.
Here, in this room, everyone gets an answer to where they are and why. A hologram of a man appears at the center of the room, waiting to be heard. He brings a message on behalf of the leaders of Ellipsa. The staff nearby tells them that the message has finally been properly updated from the original one that can still be found from the records.
The Message [ Click to Expand ]
Hello, my name is Olwen. I'm one of the leaders of Ellipsa as it currently is. I'm also one of the four who summoned you here.
Our world is in trouble and we need your help. I apologize for tearing you away from your world and forcing you to come here but I hope you understand. The magic we used doesn't let us ask in advance, nor does it let us choose who we bring here. We wouldn't have resorted to it if we weren't desperate. Our world has lost the majority of power holders who kept the balance in our world and dealt with the dangers of the Segments. Just having one power holder for each Season isn't enough. That's why we have summoned you to become the new Seasonal Power Holders.
This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. They were the places we used to get our resources from, but now they're dangerous places no one should go into unless they have the power to fight back. All of them have their own sets of powerful monsters and natural catastrophes. We have recently managed to regain some footing in the segments and made them safer, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The Darkness still plagues our world, but we are constantly finding ways to fight back.
Otherworlders like you have already made great differences to the world. They have managed to find and free the dragons who in turn helped us expand the area we live in. They also managed to find the Fairy Queen and even the Mermaids and Sirens of the Great Ocean Lake are at peace due to the efforts of a few otherworlders. All of these things we couldn't have accomplished with just four power holders.
My sincere wish is that you would join us in working towards saving this world. We promise to send you home afterwards, or enable a way to travel to your world and back, as a compensation for your efforts here. You're even free to stay here, if that suits you better. This world can also be yours.
I know we're asking you a lot and that it might be hard to trust someone who just talks as a hologram, but you are always free to approach us at our guilds to talk in person.
The hologram can be viewed in private in a separate room later, should someone wish to look at it again. For now, the staff of the Research Center hands everyone their new smartphones with their small flower lucky charms (the flower is anything the player decides). They're also told that the building next door is where everyone can find a room assigned to them with some of their belongings there and possibly even any animal companions. Those concerned about their mount-sized companions are welcomed to the stables downstairs to see if their friends are there. The mounts are allowed to stay there until you find a place more suitable for them.
In the arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits of joining one.
Second type of stand is for the Welcome Center that aim to show otherworlders what the world is like and help guide people in the beginning of the journey and helps in getting settled into the new world. They even have people to help if you're unfamiliar with the new phones.
Third type of a stand has various pamphlets about businesses opened by otherworlders.
Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.
The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.
All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you a room of your own. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
Part 3
The locals have taken upon themselves to advertise the Welcome Center that is run mostly by otherworlders. Newcomers are encouraged to visit it, but sometimes the people might think someone who has been a while is new.
Inside one finds a modern Japanese style lobby with plenty of sofas, soft seats and cushions to sit on. Anyone is welcome to just sit around and eat some home-made snacks. There are also computers for searching information and practicing technology skills. There's usually someone behind the front desk, but if no one seems to be there they might be in the kitchen behind the front desk area.
Upstairs there are many rooms that can be into familiar places for characters (not exactly the same, but similar) with futuristic technology. It's set up to help fight any homesickness and provide a quiet place to relax.
One bonus the Welcome Center provides is a gift basket with some treats, basic ingredients for making meals and some gift cards for the Underground Mall, to possibly shop for new clothes or other necessary items. All of these have been donated by volunteers to help newcomers settle in.
Of course the people working here are always looking for new volunteers to help around! There are plenty of things to do, all in the name of making otherwolders' arrival to a new world more comfortable.
In the arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits of joining one.
Second type of stand is for the Welcome Center that aim to show otherworlders what the world is like and help guide people in the beginning of the journey and helps in getting settled into the new world. They even have people to help if you're unfamiliar with the new phones.
Third type of a stand has various pamphlets about businesses opened by otherworlders.
Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.
The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.
All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you a room of your own. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
The locals have taken upon themselves to advertise the Welcome Center that is run mostly by otherworlders. Newcomers are encouraged to visit it, but sometimes the people might think someone who has been a while is new.
Inside one finds a modern Japanese style lobby with plenty of sofas, soft seats and cushions to sit on. Anyone is welcome to just sit around and eat some home-made snacks. There are also computers for searching information and practicing technology skills. There's usually someone behind the front desk, but if no one seems to be there they might be in the kitchen behind the front desk area.
Upstairs there are many rooms that can be into familiar places for characters (not exactly the same, but similar) with futuristic technology. It's set up to help fight any homesickness and provide a quiet place to relax.
One bonus the Welcome Center provides is a gift basket with some treats, basic ingredients for making meals and some gift cards for the Underground Mall, to possibly shop for new clothes or other necessary items. All of these have been donated by volunteers to help newcomers settle in.
Of course the people working here are always looking for new volunteers to help around! There are plenty of things to do, all in the name of making otherwolders' arrival to a new world more comfortable.
The City of Nightwake has seen better days. Windows and fixtures are broken, plants are damaged, roads are charred, rubble and garbage litter the streets with some bloodstains in the alleys and sometimes even in the open. Anyone asked will explain that in late May, a number of crises all happened at once, and while things are calm again, parts of the city are still rebuilding.
Magical and mundane repair help of all kinds is requested by various civilian homes and businesses. Anyone who answers the calls for help can be put to work repairing and restoring any items and buildings, replacing windows, repairing doors, building things, and/or cleaning up messes. Any help is appreciated... especially since people are reporting random garbage falling on them from nowhere, thanks to an ongoing quest!
Anyone who volunteers will also be able to learn a new spell that allows them to repair their clothing or armour on the go. Handy when you're out in the Segments and can't just go to the blacksmith!
City council has coordinated the cleanup effort, and snack stations have cropped up near big repair sites so volunteers can get water and food. The snacks vary from place to place, but are always something popular in the district they're in; for example, a stand in Sunwaning might provide curry pan or taiyaki, Dayrise might have fried fish or cream-filled buns, or Coldreach might let you come in for chips or deep-fried pickles.
June and July is also the time of the Solstice, a traditional Ellipsan holiday, and just because everything is in shambles doesn't mean people aren't celebrating. While volunteers take breaks at the snack stations, they're encouraged to weave flower crowns with provided cut flowers that are already enchanted to last longer. Plenty of civilians are already out on the street wearing theirs!
While it's common to make your own flower crown, people are also encouraged to exchange flower crowns with others. Some natives might urge anyone who tries to pay attention to flower language when doing so. After all, while not everyone knows flower language, a crown that says "nice to meet you, can we be friends" is very different from one that says "I hope you lose your fortune" or, for that matter, "elope with me"!
With summer just around the corner, word gets around that there's going to be a giant beach party in Solarpeak. The natives see this as another way to thank the otherworlders for their continual efforts to help across Ellipsa. So, just a couple days before it starts, everyone will receive a message inviting them to come to Solarpeak and join in on the festivities and enjoy the decor and events that they'll be hosting.
Upon entering Solarpeak, visitors will see everything looks ike it's part of the party. There's stalls with a variety of savory foods, drinks, desserts, and frozen treats. Otherworlders can totally find their favorite summer treats in the assortment - the natives did their research!
There's also several events scattered in the sandy landscape and in the pool itself. In the pool - there's floaties, pool noodles, and a variety of fun pool games. On land there's an inflated obstacle course, slip-n-slides, a water gun fight arena, and beach volleyball set up. Party goers are also encouraged to start up their own activities Don't worry - there's plenty of shady spots to relax, too!
Oh - and don't miss the giant bonfire everyday at dark! The bonfire will also include sparklers and smores.
As part of the summer event, Sage Blaze is hosting a cooking competition. Sage is the most recent winner of one of Ellipsa's televised cooking competition shows – Culinary Quest. This competition isn't just about being the best chef, either, it's about learning how to cook with love. Sage will be showing anyone who wants to participate how to make sure that the chefs are cooking with feeling – literally!
People who are tasting the food of the participants will be able to taste the feelings of that participants in the food. That means a dish made with love have a boost in flavor, and if the same dish is made with hate it'll be noticeably less tasty.
While there's no real winner in the competition, participants will walk away with a handy new trick. Sage may also call out when they feel a dish is especially tasty or creative – as long as they can taste the love!
Summary of the prompts [ Click to Expand ]
Arrival• Characters appear in one of the four seasonal spaces, depending on what season they are
• After half an hour they are teleported to the Research Center lobby and given information
• Hologram of Olwen (Winter Guild Leader) plays, explaining the situation
• They're given their smartphone-like device and told about the Starter Apartments next door
• Possibility of finding a roommate!
• Welcome Center welcomes newcomers and those who have been here for a while alike
Fix-It Crew
• The city is recovering from a disaster, so buildings and fixtures all over need repairs and cleanup
• Garbage and debris may randomly fall on characters due to someone else using a defective magic item for cleanup
• Characters who take part in repair efforts are taught a spell to repair clothing and armour
• Snack stands offer food and a place to rest to volunteers
• During rest breaks, they can also make enchanted flower crowns for the Solstice holiday
OBLIGATORY BEACH EPISODE
• Solarpeak is hosting a beach/pool party!
• Stalls with food, drink, desserts, and frozen treats.
• There's several pool games, floaties, etc.
• Options to play beach volleyball, water gun fight, slip-n-slide, etc.
• When it gets dark, there's a big bonfire with smores and sparklers.
• Cooking competition where participants learn to "cook with love".
- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.
- The TDM is available only to friends of the mods and their friends. If you want to play in the TDM, please leave a note here to inform us who invited you over. We will get to you as soon as possible.
- Test Drive is open for current characters to make a toplevel as well. New characters can add TDM on their subject line to indicate they're new!
- Current characters cannot access the starting area again to meet new arrivals. They can, however, be at the Research Center when the newbies are teleported in.
- The TDM is game canon so anything in the TDM can happen for your character(s) in the game as well.
- Smut is not allowed on the TDM. You can play situations leading to it, but if the thread is turning into smut, please move it to a private space such a post in your character's journal, or a locked post in the game's log community if you decide to app!
- Check Locations: City to find more areas to explore inside the city. Every place in the districts is open.
- Similarly, Locations: Segments is useful for outdoors adventures.
- You can find monsters to encounter in the Bestiary.
- The FAQ has information on characters' smartphones as well as general things about the world that might be handy.
no subject
( An admission of something that means so much to her and has such a strange twisted revelation to it. You can love someone so intensely even when you've hated them just as intensely, partly because the whole time, you already knew you loved them too.
She's matched Reiner's pace, so as he slows, she slows, head turning his way at the movement of his hand. She clocks where it stops, blinking, when the words spill out of him and across her in a wave.
Oh. She... could have guessed, a few minutes ago. Different points in time. The same people. Yet something in hearing that Bertholdt is still alive here, isn't just on the Path, isn't the puppet Eren or Ymir or whomever used on the Attack Titan's horrendous ribbed form, isn't the remnant of himself that woke with every other Warrior passed down in time over the centuries.
Annie feels one hand curling into a fist, catching her breath even as she near misses a step. Reiner's hand is still there, and she doesn't think hard about it — it's a brief, desperate thing, to reach out and take hold of one finger with near-bruising force, just for a moment. Annie lets go like it never happened, even as her gaze drops. )
Oh.
( The difference in knowing, concretely, that Bertholdt had died, and knowing here, he's alive. Knowing the how and why, because Armin told her, even years before he was speaking at her and admitting that what animosity they held against the Warriors was their lack of understanding in how they were capable of the same things. Of hearing Armin say, it should have been Erwin, and Annie unable to respond, it shouldn't have been any of you.
It shouldn't fucking hurt, or be laced with guilt she can't do anything with. Someone she'd never properly gotten to mourn, and a world she hasn't had time to process, because as soon as she 'woke' up, she was on the run. Then she was there, fighting, again, because no one can leave well enough alone, and it's the one damn thing she's good at. Not sorting through emotions. Not facing that she'd always known but never understood, or the accusations she'd had relayed about people who seemed to think Warrior inheritance reformed their personalities.
If only. )
That's good.
( Annie says, soft, staring unseeingly at the ground, unaware that the hand she'd used to squeeze Reiner's finger is now fisted into the fabric of her hoodie over her heart. )
no subject
Just as Bertholdt is the only one who could understand the guilt of leaving Annie at the mercy of their enemies, and the desperation with which they'd struggled to go rescue her. The three of them grew up together. (Four, it should've been the four of them.) They know the best and the worst of each other. No matter how ugly things got, they always had each other.
Until they didn't.
Reiner had a chance to mourn for Bertholdt here. It was agony. And it allowed him to understand precisely why he ended up so broken in that future he hasn't lived. Losing Marcel, then Annie, then Bertholdt… How the fuck could he be expected to carry on?
Here, Reiner gives Annie a moment. When he speaks again, his voice is soft. ]
He's happy here, Annie. He gets to read all the books he wants. He doesn't have to fight.
[ Between Reiner and Bertholdt, Bertholdt has been the more successful in laying down his arms. Reiner still hasn't; he can't. Not when that drive to protect, to shield, still thrums in his blood, as tangible as the Titan still lurking beneath his skin. ]
Aside from the three of us, there's only one other from Marley: a Warrior Candidate named Falco Grice. There were others for a while: my cousin Gabi, and Porco. But sometimes people vanish.
[ Unconsciously, his fists tighten at his sides. Evidence of his fear that Bertholdt might vanish. That Annie might vanish again. She was here once before, albeit briefly; he doesn't want to lose her a second (third?) time. ]
From Paradis, it's mostly Scouts. Jean, Mikasa, Sasha, Levi, Erwin Smith… There's a woman named Frieda Reiss, who I'll have to brief you on. And there's Eren. [ The way he says that name is different. Fond. But then he presses on. ] … And Marco.
[ Marco, who they killed. Marco, who Reiner made Annie kill. ]
no subject
She's already lived through what it means to everyone else. She's seen Reiner both want to die and be forced to live, circumstances conspiring to push him forward. Has seen it with the fractured balance between the people they'd trained with into their teen years, and the core group of them, the Warriors, who'd know each other from childhood.
No, what has her straighten up is the list of the (former) Warrior Candidates — all two of them, for all Gabi is gone now — and the list of the dead still living here. Sasha. Erwin. Eren. Marco.
(Frieda, whose last name tells Annie anything she really needed to know, just as it also tells her: maybe it's the best thing that she no longer has her Titan, but it sure is troubling to think everyone else he just named probably does.)
But she knows why Marco was listed last. )
I know Falco, and I've met your cousin. Back home. ( She makes herself let go of her hoodie, brushing her palm over it to flatten the fabric over her chest. It's more for her hands to have something to do in the moment than anything else. ) You don't make it sound like anyone's lost their Titans. Does he have the Jaw?
( As if she's glossing past Marco's name, but she hasn't. It takes her time to circle back around, still remembering their ride in the cart, her voice feeling small to herself when she asked Jean, "What about me?"
What the hell is forgiveness besides absolution none of them earn? )
Is he happy here too?
( She's not asking about Falco, but she isn't saying Marco's name in that moment. )
no subject
In this case: Falco.
She says his name, asks about the Jaw. His mind can't quite process that, still too stuck on Marco. So he breezes past it—at least initially. ]
Yeah, Marco's happy. He has Jean, and he's picked up some new hobbies. He likes taking photographs.
[ Then, like Annie, Reiner circles back. ]
No one has lost their Titan, [ he says, giving her a puzzled look. Does she think they've been eating each other here? ] But why would Falco have the…
[ It finally clicks.
Reiner's expression drops, his fists going slack with shock. He stares at her for a long moment. Remembering how easily Porco had forgiven him. Remembering that no one ever said which Titan Falco inherited, and how he'd simply made enough connections to assume it was the Armored. Realizing how wrong he was. ]
… Porco died?
no subject
Falco, apparently, is firmly from before Zeke screamed.
She's not well equipped for comfort, physical or emotional. Annie's only learned the traces of it over the years because she cares enough about the people around her to want to communicate something, but dropping Reiner right now won't be helpful, and for a moment, she's not sure what the hell to do.
What do normal, regular, better socialized people do for each other? Think back to the camps, to families, to friends, to lovers, to any examples she's seen as the observing outsider. It's not her strongest impulse, but she steps closer, and more or less claps her hands to either side of Reiner's face. This... is not how most people would get focus, but she wants his now, total, and not just sunk into his head and the labyrinths he built himself there.
Has he learned to be even keel? She can't know. )
I heard it from Gabi. Falco had accidentally ingested some of Zeke's spinal fluid. Zeke screamed. Porco made his call. And Falco... he's the reason why he, Gabi, and I made it in time to help keep the rest of you idiotic heroes alive. He flew. The Armored Titan never would have been able to do that.
( This is her roundabout way to get to the point, where usually she'd make it more violent. For now it's just her voice that's low and fierce: )
If you dare make any of this your fault, I'll drop you on your back faster than you can blink. Even without the Female Titan, you know better than to mess with me.
( A point, made explicit, dangling another fact: she isn't a Titan Shifter anymore. Death wouldn't change that. Since the Rumbling? Think, Reiner. )
no subject
Because of course, she's right. Reiner will always try to take the blame, the guilt, the responsibility. He'll pile it higher and higher, the weight of the world cracking him. He took the blame for Marcel's death; he blamed himself for Annie's capture; he even decided that Bertholdt's death must've been his fault, because if only, if only, if only.
Of course he would try to do the same with Porco's. Annie knows him too well.
Instead, he's forced to listen. To process. To piece things together.
Zeke's spinal fluid…? Fuck, no wonder Porco said Zeke was a traitor. No wonder Porco didn't want Zeke protected by the non-aggression pact. If Annie weren't so intent on making her point, Reiner might blame himself for not being strong enough to defeat Zeke. As it stands, her voice turns low and fierce in a way that commands him to listen.
Reiner thought that he'd be the one listing fact that would make Annie's head spin. Instead, he's the one left bewildered—but thoroughly present, not vanished into his fractured mind. ]
All right. [ Agreement: he won't try to make this his fault. ] But … I don't understand how you don't have your Titan.
[ Eren hadn't shown him that much. ]
no subject
He can return to making her head spin in a moment. It's currently her turn to break down the bizarre truths she's just walked out of. )
Because we succeeded in doing what Eren hoped we could do. We stopped him. And in doing that, Ymir was freed. We separated from the Path. There are no Titans on our world anymore.
( They're no longer fated to die accelerated deaths. They're no longer fated to do jack-all but what they decide on doing, which at this point, is probably helping stabilizing and integrating survivors.
She won't bring up numbers. She won't bring up the details from right before Mikasa had done what needed to be done; when Armin kept Eren in a standstill, and Annie and Reiner and everyone else with the capacity fought to keep that shitty centipede-like thing from reconnecting. That's too much, even for her brain to still wrap around. She just knows bone deep that there's no Titan to shift into anymore, regardless of what this world might be doing to her. She felt that certainty back home just as every Eldian present that the fucking centipede-Ymir-whatever turned into a Titan reverted to human, and the whole line of Colossal marching Titans condensed down to the humans they'd always been beneath. )
All of us are just... human.
( ... factually incorrect in present company, but she is part of that future everyone in his perspective. (So please, wonderful timing with that peace negotiation being in place; it's much easier to not worry about getting a limb cut off because someone brilliantly thought it was a way to control a Titan Shifter, and not just leave someone permanently maimed.)
no subject
It's an overwhelming thought. Something Reiner would dismiss as an impossibility were it not Annie saying it with such urgency, her hands still pressed to his face, fingertips digging in enough to keep him present. He couldn't dismiss her if he tried. And the truth is, he doesn't want to. Because no more Titans means no more "devils," no abbreviated lifespans, no fear of "heaven," no children sacrificed to Marley's war machine. No more Titans means that they would all be… ]
Human.
[ He repeats it, awed. Trying to wrap his mind around a world in which Eldians are just that: human. Not ticking time bombs cloistered away, but human beings.
Annie … is human.
For the first time, Reiner notices it: the slight difference in their skin temperatures. Reiner runs hotter than normal, as do Bertholdt and Eren—evidence of the Titans in their blood. Annie, on the other hand, doesn't feel Titan-warm. Is it entirely psychological on Reiner's end, or has she really cooled down to average?
Either way, he doesn't doubt her. Eren may have been ignorant of his Titan for years, but Annie never was. They never talked about it, but Reiner is certain she could feel it, just as he can feel his own—that lightning power coiled inside, ready to unleash itself at the slightest drop of blood. She had to learn to control it, just as he did. (Just as Bertholdt didn't, having perfect control from the start.) If she says it's gone, then it's gone.
He swallows. ]
Eren wanted this?
no subject
Besides, it's such a fresh memory for her that it actively still hurts. They'd all cried when those locked away memories returned. Or she assumes they all did, because hers weren't the only ones she noticed.
Even now, she blinks back tears, expression a cross between consternation and heartbreak. What a fucked up world they were born in.
She clears her throat a little. )
He did. That shithead.
( Making the absolute worst of plans, having no means of pulling himself back, just as he never, ever had. When he'd decided to cut everyone off from being able to make those attempts, he'd been more methodical and deliberate than she might have given him credit for back when they were all trainees. )
But remember he lies. When you're bull headed about a singular goal, can you afford anyone turning your head away?
( She asks, turning her own head away. They know all about that, don't they? )
no subject
His stomach drops. There's no way to hide the look on his face, a flash of concern so sudden it nearly makes him dizzy. Again, he starts to reach out; again, he catches himself, stopping just shy of touching her arm. His instinct is to offer physical comfort—a squeeze on the shoulder, a hand to hold, a chest to cry against. But with Annie, he falters, his desire to comfort at war with his respect for her personal space.
"I'm going to puke," he recalls her saying once. "Could you please not put your face so close to mine?"
They've come a long way since then, it seems. He suddenly wishes he could remember it.
She turns her head away. ]
Annie…
[ He starts, then stops. What can he say to that? What is there to say? He knows what she means. Remembers how hard he'd tried to keep them all facing forward, trampling everything in their way until it was Marco's body beneath their feet.
He lets his hand lower. A knot of dread coalesces in the pit of his stomach, Eren at its heart. He tries to ignore it for now. If he doesn't, he'll give into that turmoil and active the magic ring on his left hand, just to ensure that Eren is still on the other end.
Remember he lies, she said. Reiner wonders if Eren is still a liar, even now. ]
… Eren and me. We're together here.
[ Better she hears it now, from him, than from the rumor mill that surrounds them. ]
i'm so sorry hlkasjdf
She avoids it, because she'd have to say that to Mikasa back home as well, and that would... genuinely be cruel.
Instead, she very awkwardly reaches out and pats his arm. There, there. )
Good luck with that.
( Then shakes her head, turning to look forward and start walking toward the food smells again. Movement is easier. Who handles emotions? Or the very odd feeling that announcement brings, because it feels utterly surreal, and outside her realm of experience. )
I don't do boy talk unless you're buying me something to eat first. Hitch had free one-way listening for four years. I'm not suffering through that again.
LMFAOOO I'M HOWLING
Hastily, he scrambles after her, feeling flustered and embarrassed and very much like a nineteen-year-old boy, not a weapon in human skin. ]
It's— I'm not—
[ Fucking hell, is he actually stammering?! ]
I just wanted you to hear it from me. People like to talk.
[ And having been publicly together for so long, it's not a matter of "if" someone would've spilled the beans, but "when." Especially considering the bunch of gossips who call themselves the Survey Corps.
The food stalls come into view then, a wide array of tantalizing smells emanating from them that makes Reiner's stomach sit up and take notice. ]
Get whatever you want. I have plenty of Moon Coins.
[ So, yes, he is indeed buying. Whether this means more "boy talk" is unclear. ]
she's so supportive i know
She doesn't do anything with it, but she does note it. )
People do like talking. ( It's factual, and if he means the Survey Corps people, she knows that's even more true. ) Did you want me to say congratulations? Look shocked? I really don't care who you're sleeping with. Or married to. Or whatever.
( It's at the food stalls that she finally does look back at him, because he mentioned he's buying, and then she doesn't have to worry about that or the phone-thing or any of whatever that is.
Annie points to the stall with a variety of meat and vegetable skewers, and little sauce selections. )
Great. Let's start there.
( She hasn't cut off the boy talk avenue. Reiner can run with that, or not, as he likes. (Just expect zero good advice, because like she fucking knows?) )
peak support, wow
But this reaction—walking off and essentially rolling her eyes at the whole thing—is so typically Annie that it makes his chest ache. He's missed her. Missed her dismissal, her irreverence, her ability to make him feel like a dumb kid instead of a hardened Warrior. She knows him better than almost anyone, and he's missed her.
When she looks back at him, his expression might be confusing. He still looks embarrassed, of course, but there's something softer underneath it. Something more tender.
He tries to wipe it away as he approaches the stall as well, but he's never been the best at hiding what he feels. Not unless he's masking it with something else. But for a while, at least, he's granted a reprieve. He's true to his word, buying whatever dishes Annie wants (plus food for himself) without even glancing at the prices. That's one nice thing about going on Guild explorations to thoroughly cursed locations: it nets a lot of money.
Once they're loaded up with whatever they can carry, Reiner finds a table for them to sit at. He's tempted to resume their conversation with, I'm not married. But then he might have to explain that lately, he's kind of wanted to be, and like hell is he opening up that can of worms.
So he clears his throat and asks, ]
Are you staying in the starter apartments?
is he still sure he missed her
... Since.
Annie completes her food-carrying balancing act with a sideways hook of her foot around the chair's leg, hauling it out so she can sit and start carefully divesting foodstuffs to the table's surface. She's spared from the wonders of Reiner's marriage hopes for the time being, and instead answers after biting into one of the still hot skewers: )
Yes. Found six pies on the table in the one I was assigned.
( ... Nothing else, but she doesn't really know that people found actual Things Of Use in their apartments. She just found excessive meat pies. )
... Did you want one?
( Asked as she continues eating, only slightly better in her table manners today than she was in her recent past. She's not making a mess, for what that's worth. )
😂
(Or maybe Hakkai has joined the committee and now bombards newcomers with pies. Maybe he should ask.) ]
No, I'm alright. [ A pause. ] I learned how to bake pies.
[ In case she wants more after she's devoured all six.
Her table manners don't bother Reiner in the least. They've both known what it is to be hungry, and if she's hungry now, it's better that she just enjoy the food. She can worry (or not worry) about manners some other time, in the company of people who might judge. ]
Did you find anything else? Weapons, uniforms…?
[ That's the majority of what was in Reiner's apartment. Weapons, uniforms, and a manual coffee grinder he last used with Bertholdt atop the Wall. The uniforms still hang in a closet in his house, neither having been worn. ]
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Just. Pies.
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[ Has anyone else had nothing but pies? Maybe Reiner should ask around. But how weird a conversation starter would that be? Hey, when you got here, did you have an excessive number of pies in your apartment?
Reiner takes a few bites of his own food before speaking again. ]
Well, if you decide you want your gear or anything else from home, there are magic items you can use to wish for it. [ He holds up a hand. ] I know that sounds insane, but it works. A shop called Riki's sells all kinds of useful stuff.
We'll have to get you a Safety Pin from there. It basically puts a defensive shield around you when you activate it.
[ And without her Titan… Reiner's brow furrows slightly, already thinking of all the protective equipment Annie might need. ]
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You're doing it. Stop.
( It's the worrying thing. She knows the look, and his tendency, and while what he says does sound insane, realistically so is turning into a Titan and also being called to the Path and having one person be able to rewrite an entire people anyway they please, so.
Summoning useful shit from elsewhere feels low down on the ladder of Strange But True Facts they're breezing through today. )
We can run through an inventory of whatever I should be looking for after eating. And what people are doing in these zones, and how often that crosses over into the central area, and how much of a criminal empire or empires we're dealing with. Because apparently, that's all happening.
( Is someone feeling walled in again? Yes, but she knows why, and it has less to do with dangerous places filled with things that are good at killing them, or the not so faint sense of horror that seeded into her stomach hearing about repeatedly being revived from death as one of those oh don't you want to know conversations at the Welcome Center, and more to do with being trapped.
At least she knows her father's okay. At least the explanations of time not moving parallel but instead perpendicular made sense. (And if it didn't move like that anyway, she has faith that Armin will keep the present Eldians from being massacred, if only because he has the drive and means to do so as the "Hero Who Defeated Eren Jaeger."
Mikasa will never take that title. Annie has no doubt on who really earned it.) )
I have no idea what's actually relevant or important.
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But "just" is doing something, isn't it? And besides, Annie knows him too well. Cutting him off so early means he doesn't have time to build steam. Doesn't have time to dig in and start listing items rapid-fire, telling her what spells are useful for defense, where she can learn, what else she can do, more and more information piled on when all Annie wants to do is eat.
It's for the best, probably. But it still leaves him with his mouth hanging open for a second before he snaps it shut. ]
… All right, [ he says after a second. ] We'll take it at your speed.
[ It's a small thing, but it's an indication of how he's grown during his time here. He's still overbearing, just like most Brauns, but he's better at dialing it back. ]
Can I ask what season you are?
[ That's both relevant and important! ]
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Yes, he's had that drive for ages; no, she doesn't want to tell him to fuck off with it, but it tends to roll over anyone else, and she doesn't have tolerance for that right now. Rarely ever. )
... Thank you.
( It's quiet, and it's not as swiftly delivered as would be normal for most conversations acknowledging each other, but it's there at all. That too probably hits different, remembering her from before she was solely in the Military Police.
Annie manages to not be stripping flesh from bones on that turkey leg when Reiner asks about her season. She blinks, belatedly feeling it's a bit strange that her season is Summer when she's born in the tail end of winter going into spring, but what is logic? She fought in one world ending war just to end up summoned to another.
Dammit. )
Summer. You?
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For perhaps the first time, Reiner wonders what it must've been like for Bertholdt, stuck as the emotional glue while Reiner and Annie pulled in different directions. Maybe he'll ask sometime. Or maybe he'll just thank Bertholdt for it. ]
I'm an Autumn. Bertholdt is Winter.
[ Fitting, he thinks, that they should all be different seasons. ]
You'll be able to do some useful stuff if you work at it. Controlling the temperature, creating fire, making fire harmless… It's a very physical season. Autumn is more mental.
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Okay. Tell me about you and Eren.
( Because that is...
... it's a hell of a thing, really, but it can't be worse than listening to Hitch, who did not hold back. It also means she can further slow down the information re-absorption, because parts of this had been talked about or was in brochures or whatever the hell else she'd seen in the Welcome Center, and she wants to have a little more energy on her side to process everything before she's diving into the details. )
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It's only after she kicks him (and his shin is aching) that he realizes what he'd started doing. Sharing information without even meaning to, thinking aloud more than anything. Trust Annie not to tolerate a lapse.
Before Reiner can start berating himself or scramble for another topic, Annie picks one for him. And it's so unexpected that he stops eating entirely for a moment, looking at her with blatant surprise on his features. She really wants to hear about him and Eren…?
Put on the spot, it takes Reiner a moment to figure out where to start. This isn't a conversation he'd ever imagined having with her; where does he even begin? ]
… It's really good, [ he starts, honest. ] He's from sometime in my future, like you. At first, we clashed a lot. But then we realized … we didn't like being angry with each other. We didn't want to be stuck constantly fighting the way we were back home. We wanted something different. So, we started trying to work toward that.
It's taken a lot of work. We still disagree on stuff. And it took me a long time to accept that he wasn't getting close to me just to take revenge. But we try, every day.
[ A little smile appears on his lips. ]
It's been two years now. We've got a house where we live together. We've got this weird cat, and a couple Pokémon. [ A pause. Then, quieter: ] He's good for me, Annie. I think I'm good for him, too.
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Reiner can't know how much his words echo what she's said, in his future. Or how much the sentiment reflects in her heart, and has for more than long enough, even when she'd tried — and failed — to flee.
She doesn't want to fight them anymore. Not even Eren. Much as he both pisses her off and makes her heart ache, much as he was an even crazier jackass than they knew, he was still someone who'd once been a friend. Annie knows it's not as strong of a feeling for her as it is for so many of the rest of them, and if that's how she thinks, she can empathize, does empathize, with what they feel.
As far as understanding relationships... Hitch is her entire baseline for normal. And while it's a well stated one, being good for one another, what does that mean? Something like balance and contrast, probably the arguments Reiner's mentioning. Learning trust. Probably negotiation. Compromise?
It sounds good for them, which is... surely something, when they're two not terribly stable people stabilizing each other. She supposes that's... good. All she knows is Reiner doesn't have the same exact loyalty pitfalls that Mikasa does, that the push back will be greater when Eren is Eren, and she's not sure what Eren's strengths are in a relationship that's clearly romantic, other than he's... probably... loyal too. Yeah.
Yeah, that's about what she can think of.
She does perk up about the cat. Who knows what a pokeymon is, but cats? She likes cats. If the cat can stand both of those fools, then they can't have too disturbed a home. )
You won't bend where Mikasa would. Eren probably needs that. You'd call him out on his bullshit more too.
( .............................................. she slurps the water. She, again, has no actual measure to say what Eren would be good at in a relationship, so she doesn't bother trying. )
You both always wanted to be heroes. Up until the world broke how that even looked.
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