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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.
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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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But it was his relationship with Eren that solidified things. It was for Reiner that Eren agreed not to attack any Warriors, knowing how much Reiner cared about them. Without their agreement not to be angry with each other, to try something else, who knows how things would have played out?
And it's because of his relationship with Eren that Reiner isn't afraid for Annie's safety. Concerned, yes, but not afraid. He knows Eren wouldn't attack her unprovoked. Reiner has, as Annie suspects, learned to trust Eren.
Maybe that's foolish of him, considering everything. But they've been as raw and honest with each other as they know how to be. Sometimes that hurts. Sometimes it drives Reiner to despair. But he's never fallen as low as he did in that future he hasn't lived.
The future that, it occurs to him, Annie has lived. She's seen him like that—worn and broken. What did she think of that Reiner…? ]
To be fair, he calls me out on mine, too.
[ Admitting that sometimes, he's full of shit, too.
He sobers when she talks about heroics, though. Picks at what remains of his food for a second. ]
… We really came from a messed up world, Annie. I mean, I know you know that. [ He meets her eyes. ] You've always known that, haven't you? But when you talk to some other people here, you start to realize exactly how messed up it was.
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As for now, she snorts a little at the mutual call outs — yeah, she can guess as much, it makes sense and Reiner needs that as much as any other... guy... who gets stuck in his own head — but her expression goes... not soft. Some of the lingering anxious tension bleeds out of her face, and she looks, genuinely, tired.
But not aching. Not hurt. )
You never wanted to hear it before. ( She sets down the empty water, finds the odd paper napkin and uses it to wipe her fingers, then around her mouth. ) And there wasn't anything we could do about it. Just know it was shitty, and we were stuck in it. Now... you and the rest, you've had room to breathe.
( And she supposes she's getting the same. She stacks all her collected former food-containing items, making them into a fairly neat stack. )
We'll build that better future. But don't worry about it. Live here, learn about the less shitty worlds out there, enjoy yourselves. I'd say escape the violence, but there's just different kinds here.
( She sits back, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the ring she'd worn for all those years. Annie sets it on the table, staring down at it. After a moment, she picks it up again, tucking it into the palm of her hand. )
Be free.
no subject
We. She's not cutting herself off. Not anymore.
He's reminded of Gabi—of her desire to return home and build something better. Are Gabi and Annie close in that future? He'll have to ask at some point, though not just yet. He's still stuck on we.
She's right; there are different kinds of violence here. But none of it compares to the horrors of their home. That, at least, is a blessing.
His eyes follow hers to the ring on the table. Useless to her now, unless she wants to use it as a tiny weapon against others. But Reiner has the feeling she doesn't even want to think about weapons, or fighting, or anything of the sort. ]
You've got room to breathe too, Annie. That freedom … it's yours, too.
[ There are still walls here, darkness hemming them in. But compared to their own world, that's nothing. ]
no subject
Of course she'd like to see what a family is between herself and her father now. It'd be nice, she thinks, to have anything between them beyond the mistaken focal point of her entering the military, of being good enough to take place as one of the Warrior Candidates, of becoming one of the nine. Neither herself nor her father know what it is yet, but they can learn.
What else? Logic tells her she's too involved to not be part of what helps to stabilize what's left behind. Less logic, and more emotion she's not good at handling, says it's because there's a chance Armin would ask, and ah, right. Fields. Planting. Any food and means to survive. The oceans should be a good resource, because the Colossal Titans from the Walls hadn't eradicated marine life, but that's a shift and change. Will it be enough to support the survivors?
Are there enough survivors to worry? (Yes.)
She shakes her head, clearing it of thoughts that have no purpose here and now. Reiner's correct. She has breathing room before she's back home, whenever that might be. Based on what he's said, it could be years. Years that will inherently always be different from back home, or what life she'll live there, whatever form it'll take. Is that freedom?
Did Eren find his? )
That would sound a lot nicer if I had any idea what to do with it.
( She uses her feet to push back the chair, letting herself gain that distance, metaphorically and literally. She doesn't cross her arms over her chest, or tug at her hood, or do any of the myriad of things she knows she does to bring herself in, make herself smaller, harder to see.
She taps her fingers on her thigh. Then she looks at the ring again, holding it between two fingers, flicking open the hooked blade, pushing it closed. What to say... how to make it make sense to a Reiner who hasn't been through it? Bluntly, that has to be easiest. Not best, but at least bluntly she can get it out. That freedom... it's yours, too. )
I didn't want to come to the last fight. I didn't go, really. I left for Hizuru on Kiyomi Azumabito's ship, with Gabi and Falco locked up in one of the rooms. I didn't want to have to kill anyone else... not even Eren.
( She looks up, hooked blade of her ring open. She presses the pad of her thumb into it, knowing exactly the pressure it takes to force herself to bleed. )
I was done. Done with fighting, done with all of it. Then Gabi and Falco had their own crazy idea, because of what Falco had seen in memories... I didn't think he could really do it, but when he said it, and when Kiyomi said try, we had to try. So Falco transformed, and he kept himself that time — ( Important point, said calmly. Most of them are not Bertholdt when it comes to mastering their Titan form. Falco had not been rational when he transformed earlier that day. ) — we sunk that ship, and we flew after all of you.
( She continues to press the pad of her thumb against the hook. She feels the exact moment it breaks skin, and there's nothing, nothing at all, behind it but the sharp scent of copper-iron, and the prickle of a pain she's ignored for more than a decade. )
I'm tired of killing people, Reiner. I don't think I can do that anymore. But I'll fight in this place's shitty fights as long as I don't have to add anyone else to my body count.
( Red beads and drips down into her curled palm. No hint of steam, and nothing healing. Just a fool cutting herself on a needle, and the quiet snick as she folds it closed with that same slowly bleeding thumb. )
no subject
Reiner pushed himself. He pushed Annie. He didn't know then that he was pushing her away.
When she pushes back from the table, there's a sickening moment where Reiner thinks he did it again. He thinks he screwed up, said something wrong, pushed too hard. He's been trying to get better about that, Jean having snapped at him like a cornered dog after he did the same thing to him.
But it turns out that Annie just needs some space. So Reiner sits still, and he listens.
I didn't want to have to kill anyone else... not even Eren.
He feels his stomach drop, the implication behind those words making him nauseous. But he doesn't interrupt. His face twists into concern as she toys with her ring; for a second, he thinks she means to transform right here. But that's not what happens. She bleeds … and she doesn't heal.
It seems fitting, given all that she's saying. That she would bleed and not heal. Seems far more fitting than the fact that all the violence they've endured has left no scars, no marks, nothing tangible. Only the marks left on their hearts and minds, gouged so deep that Annie lost her will to fight and Reiner lost his mind.
He drags his eyes from her bleeding thumb to her face. Searching it. ]
You don't have to kill anyone here, Annie, [ he says, his voice gentle. ] Even if you do choose to fight, you don't have to kill anyone. Most of the enemies here are monsters—real ones, not "devils." They've never been human.
And you can help in other ways, too. You can repair stuff, build new things, help out with food… I've got a shop where I sell defensive enchantments. Only defensive ones. [ He twists his fingers together. ] Some people don't understand that, but… I want to protect people, not give them weapons to hurt each other.
[ He already caused a famine. He doesn't want even more secondhand blood on his hands. ]
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She knows there's gangs, too, and that's human or human-enough violence; an extinguished cult, but where one's been, maybe another can appear. People are malleable, she knows that, she's lived that, and if it weren't for her own nature, she'd have swallowed it as easily as so many around her.
The strong trample the weak. But should they? The powerful oppress the poor. But should they be allowed to?
She closes her eyes for a moment. Thinks of sky, and water, and a boat, and an unfamiliar scent she admits she likes. None of those things are here when she opens her eyes again, and she pops her thumb into her mouth. Blood. Licks it clean without batting an eyelash. It's not going to staunch right away, but it'll slow down on its own.
She decides not to point out that defense can be misappropriated, because she presumes he knows that, and his particular choices are ones that make it harder, less reasonable, much too difficult to do. Annie gets it. Wanting to protect people is why she headed back toward Marley.
Wanting to protect people is why she's still alive at all. She pulls her thumb back out of her mouth with a small, poignant pop. )
I... don't... know, what that involves. ( Helping in other ways. Only protecting. Creating, not just destroying. (She's admittedly hyper specialized in fine-tuned destruction even just as a human being. In turn, doesn't that mean she can also fine-tune protection?) ) But...
( She trails off, grimacing a little. Then she decides to smile. )
I'm willing to learn.
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Did Reiner have a choice back then? How much has he wronged Annie, really? He knows that Marco's murder was a strike against her as well, but what else has he done over their many years?
The guilt that begins to gnaw at him (so familiar, taking the blame) stops dead in its tracks as Annie smiles. It makes her look younger, or maybe just freer. Makes her look like a girl who could laugh, not one who has to kill and kill.
Reiner returns the smile, his heart warming. ]
I'll be here to help out every step of the way, [ he promises. ] Bertholdt will, too. I'm sure of that.
[ They were four kids saddled with a mission to save the world. Maybe here, three of them can actually help do that. ]
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Not that she's less capable of it, but she can choose degrees. )
I'll consider holding you to that. And him, if he wants.
( Considerations, because she doesn't feel it's owed. Not from anyone, certainly, but if that's because she sidesteps that kind of committed admittance or because she genuinely doesn't believe it's something she deserves is difficult for even her to say.
Annie gives a soft sigh as she exhales, lifting both brows a touch. The last lingering remnants of her smile tug the corners of her lips up a smidgen, a ghost of a smile that doesn't need to haunt either one of them. )
We can get back to that list of everything you were thinking about earlier now if you want. I'll ignore the stupid suggestions.
( Read: over-protectiveness is pointless when it comes to her, as assuredly human as she is now or not. Reasonable precautions are accepted.
She plucks at the corner of the paper napkin, tearing it off to fold and press against the pad of her thumb. Her ring slides back into her kangaroo pocket, hand lingering to turn it around a few times, familiar with the metal, the shape, the grooves, the intentions. Maybe it's shifting closer to a time where she can let it go. )
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He wants to keep that smile there. Wants this world to be a place where she can smile without reservation. Wants to protect that smile.
But for now: safety. ]
A Safety Pin is the priority. It's a brooch that creates a barrier around you when you activate it. Think of it like a protective bubble.
[ As he speaks, Reiner pulls a ring from his pocket—perhaps drawing attention to the fact that he wears a different ring on his left hand, right where a wedding band would be. He presses his thumb against this new ring, and a hologram appears in midair. ]
Neat, huh? [ Then: ] There's a shop called Riki's that sells Safety Pins. This— [ he clicks on a menu ] —is Riki's inventory.
[ He starts scrolling through said inventory. ]
This one here, the Guardian Brooch. It makes a noise when it senses danger, which gives you a few seconds to react. If you use it in conjunction with a Safety Pin, you should be safe from just about anything. Or you can use that second to counterattack.
Healing Band-Aids will heal any wound. [ He glances at her hand. ] … You should probably get some.
Or there's another option for healing. Something called a magical tattoo. I have one here. [ He taps directly over his heart. ] When you get it, different spells are woven into it. One potential spell is regeneration.
[ Which Reiner obviously didn't bother to get. ]
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( Annie, who keeps having people flash wedding rings at her with little context to say that's definitely what they are, does ping to Reiner's: he didn't deny being married earlier, so maybe he is. She's setting that thought aside for now. )
Magic tattoos, is it?
( She considers this, jumping to the last mentioned option for reasons mitigated by certain desires to... ugh, protect. She's actually curious if the magic is why it stays on Reiner: she doesn't think regular ink could. )
If it can regenerate, that'd be useful.
( A pause before she sighs. )
The ones who don't want to know what's coming are going to start guessing too much if I bleed normally.
( Concession it is, then. )
That... hell. All this new technology makes me feel like I'm the one from an isolated nation.
( She taps her heel against the ground, considering. )
That Safety Pin. Will it make you stop making that face each time you realise I can't regenerate limbs or recover from gunshot wounds to the chest anymore?
( No specific reasons for those examples. Truly! Probably. Yet the casual mention brings something else to mind. Annie straightens up, leans forward, and fixes her gaze on him. )
... Reiner. Just so you know. No one was ever able to touch me in Paradis. I hardened myself, then they dragged me into a basement and left me there.
( It's her belated attempt to reassure him that the limb removal and gunshot wounds weren't things that happened after she was caught. (The gunshot wounds were definitely from before.) )
In case you ever heard anything different.
( Annie vaguely remembers something being mentioned in her crystal's hearing years back, but that hazy state didn't always leave her sure that she wasn't dreaming. )
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Tension Reiner didn't know he was carrying suddenly eases from his shoulders. His swallows, then nods, his brows pinched with emotion he can't suppress. ]
People kept trying to tell me you weren't. I wanted to believe them, but… [ He huffs. ] Armin's a really damn convincing liar.
[ And Reiner had held a grudge a mile deep for the entire time Armin was present in Ellipsa. They'd managed to make up after Armin revealed the truth about Bertholdt. But when it came to that lie about Annie, Reiner was never able to fully forgive. How could he? Bertholdt's death was one Armin had no control over. But that lie about Annie—the one that made both Reiner and Bertholdt worry for weeks and weeks—was all Armin.
He shakes his head. ]
… I'll try to quit making whatever face I'm making. [ Said while his expression once again flirts with that part-preoccupied, part-worried look he's been wearing. ] But I'd feel better if you wore a Safety Pin. I have one, too.
[ That makes it better, right? Right! ]
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I know. I've been listening to him talk at me for the last four years... he was good at lying to himself too.
( Hitch had come to her with all the boy problems. Armin had been the boy problem.
Not wanting to admit or address that, finding it absurd and also sweet in a fucked up, undeserved way, Annie lets it go. If she's a little flushed across her cheeks for the moment, so be it. That fades away on its own in time. )
Fine. I'll look into getting one of those things.
( New headache incoming: Annie realising in full that she may need to fake being a Titan Shifter, just because the majority of everyone is not... from... or aware... of how the Rumbling went. She looks back to Reiner. )
Is there anywhere to drink around here?
( Alcohol. She doesn't even like it, but it feels appropriate to wash down the bitter taste on the back of her tongue. Burn that clean. )
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He nods, pleased by her acquiescence, then stands to lead the way to the nearest bar. ]
Sure, I know a place nearby.
[ Not that Reiner drinks in excess (except on those occasions when he does). But he's lived here for years; he knows the general layout.
As they start off, Reiner circles back to something Annie said. ]
The technology here made me feel like an idiot for a while, [ he admits. ] But we're not the only ones new to it. I can help you out; so can Bertholdt. Or you can ask the people at the Welcome Center for some lessons. They're used to helping people from worlds with less advanced technology than ours, or people from places with just magic.
[ This place, with its mix of advanced technology and magic both, likely provides obstacles for just about everyone. ]
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(Bertholdt, per Annie, probably doesn't have better tastes, but that's also because since when has she ever been the girl people wanted to know better? She knows what she's like. Really, all ... two of you.)
Annie drops all the apparently disposable clutter into one of the bins where other people are doing the same, following Reiner's lead for the time being. Mentions of technology has her pulling out the device in question. What made it light up again? Annie takes a moment before pushing one of the side buttons pops up a... thing. Sure. Now she can see stuff on it again. )
I talked with them enough to understand one of these images leads to some kind of message post system. And this one is how people spend and receive money. Which doesn't exist anywhere but here.
( If that's not just ripe for scamming.
She taps a finger over the banking app, which does open it, only to try and figure out how to close it again to no avail. )
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The message post system is trickier. It's called Ellipsanet, and it's how most people communicate long-distance. You can share information, ask questions, or do just about anything else you'd do in a crowded room. [ Which, for some people, is A Lot. ] You can make messages "private" to specific people, but by default, everyone can access what you put there. Keep that in mind.
It has options called "text," "audio," and something called "video." Video is… Well, it's easier to show you.
[ He opens his photograph app and clicks on a short video of several men gathered around a campfire. As it plays, Annie will recognize most of them: Eren, Jean, Levi, plus one stranger (Hijikata). The conversation is mundane, just chatting quietly while cooking. But the view of the campfire flickering on a snowy plain with stars overhead is beautiful. ]
Amazing, isn't it? [ Reiner allows himself to sound faintly awed, as he still is by such technology. ] Moving imagines and sound.
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She mimics the closing of the app, frowning a little in the process. Route memorization until this makes intuitive sense. That's fine, but it's a bother to start. )
So don't shout anything you wouldn't want everyone to know.
( No sensitive information. Nothing she wants to keep out of certain sets of ears. )
Text as in the kind in books? Audio is just talking...
( She waits for his demonstration of video before she comments on what that possibly could be — oh. Annie leans in without realising it, watching the tiny versions of people she knows, captured perfectly if in a narrow frame, just existing. How... truly fascinating. )
Who's that one?
( She taps on the stranger, which has the side effect of pausing the video. Her finger jerks back, not sure what she did to make it stop. )
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