[ he folds it more or less into a more compact shape and keeps it in his arms for now. ]
Well— You and the people who were in the corps. Like the squad and other leaders–? [ he wants to say “his squad”, but he isn’t sure how far he should go with that. just thinking about it gets his features to strain some. it’s hard not to feel guilty for something you know is your fault. ]
I don’t remember all their names. But I know how great they were.
[ which. brings him to stare at his bag over there again. there’s something else in there, a little bulky and pretty big. like, he bought a hiking bag for it. ]
[ that look on Eren's face is prooobably not a good sign, but he's going to let him choose what he wants to share. it's not like he won't remember it himself eventually, whatever it is. ]
[ the prize is: pain! all for you, no spoilers!! at least, as long as it isn’t squeezed out like lemon juice.
he’s glad he’s off the hook there at least, wondering how much of a good job he did at hiding that (hiding what), but now was the good part. not even eren could turn this down when he started relearning the ropes. back to his bag, he unzips the larger pockets—
and out he drags is a heap of a contraption. tons of straps and belt buckles, what probably looks like a harness of some sort strapped to metal boxes and cylinders. ]
We used them to fight titans. It’s called three-dimensional maneuver gear.
[ he holds the metal containers connected to a waist belt. it’s surprisingly light for its size, so it doesn’t take much to lift. only a little awkward to move around without it being where it should. ]
You move in three dimensions instead of two— It’s pretty much like flying.
[ but he’s sure levi would remember them eventually, better than he did. he just hopes that he could help him a little, considering a brief introduction. ]
You can try using mine if you want. When you want. [ after a brief brow furrow, looking down at the blades. ] . . . You might need them. Things aren’t always as normal as they’ve always looked.
[ they can sit, perhaps–? maybe it’s best to sit, this might be a long story. ]
Something can happen at any time. That includes any form of monster or trouble showing up. [ eren pauses for a minute, dipping his head forward as he hauls the equipment between them, if levi wanted to get a better look at that. ] Retrospec wasn’t good at admitting it before, but at least they do that now— they’re in trouble, and they need us.
And if we still want this world standing, we need them.
[ it took a while for him to admit it— for months eren would be on the fence about whether or not they were a good thing, if they could be trusted . . . and it’s just one of those things that needs little choice. ]
[ yeah, he'll sit... reluctantly, because they're outside and outside is dirty, but he'll get over it. he leans down to poke around more closely at the gear. this is gonna take a long time to learn, isn't it.
but he sits back up when Eren's words hit him. that didn't sound good. he doesn't look terribly concerned yet, but that's... just kind of his thing. ]
So... we're supposed to be fighting monsters? Like with this thing?
[ he prods at the gear with his foot. ]
And if we don't help them it's the end of the world?
[ so that he doesn’t necessarily say “ghost” or something as corny as that— ]
Some sort of . . . Corruption. It’s the same thing that killed the world we have memories from. Retrospec was supposedly the ones that saved us, it’s why we’re here.
[ there’s a lot of history behind it, details that were pretty wacky that he could share later through documents and sorts— the important thing was to be aware of the gist. minor gaps could be filled in later, or on levi’s own time. ]
Some people have magic— real magic, or other amazing abilities. [ that included less powerpacked abilities; leadership, support, inspiration . . . ] We use what we can.
[ what the hell, magic? why can't he have magic? that's bullshit.
in any case, he seems to take this pretty well, in that his expression hasn't changed since he got there. better get used to that. ]
Guess I better start learning to use that thing, then. [ he's looking at it again. it's so weird-looking, whose idea was this?? ] It might be kind of hard when there's only one...
[ okay, let's just deal with the elephant in the room. ]
So you can turn into a titan. How the hell does that work?
[ levi you have yourself that is definitely magic. that and oxiclean. ]
I don’t mind if you— [ take it, he was going to finish, words catching back in his throat when there literally. is something bigger than an elephant here, huh. at least he’s taking things fairly well!! eren cleans his throat. ]
That’s . . . I hurt myself. [ yeah let’s just get straight to the point!! ] I need to be hurt enough to bleed, and have a goal.
Then it happens.
[ he pauses, but awkwardly hoping it’d be a good idea: ]
We can use that to train you? After you learn how to balance and, the first things, obviously—
[ well— if you’re all suited up into that contraption and ready to go (which, don’t worry, eren probably helped with strap goes where!), eren steps quite a few meters away. safety first. he’s a little pensive, but—
this was levi ackerman. he’d be able to get something out of this. besides, eren could just hold back.
(although the thought of holding back with levi feel nigh impossible).
with most jitters under control, eren breathes up the guts and determination, the resolve to do this, why they had to and how important it was— he quietly drifts his small switchblade across his closed palm as he walks, lets it bleed as he puts it away . . . he’s about to ask if he’s ready, but swallows in back down with an inhale.
a bright flash comes followed by a terrible sound, pulling to life muscle, fibers and the redness of flesh until
suited up though he may be, it's no help when he's completely awestruck. which he is. a giant nude man just fucking materialized out of the meat dimension. also he has basically no idea how to use this thing.
he fires an anchor at a tree uselessly. okay, so that's how that part works. now he just has to learn how to be better than everyone at it. no big deal.
[ alright eren! do not panic. you’re just going to have to try and kickstart some godlike skills, no big deal! it might dawn on him now that said skills might accompany a very strong memory, and he might be on the receiving end of an attack.
he should’ve thought this out sooner.
but there’s no going back now! time for a simulation. the titan makes a noise and goes for grabbing the now even smaller (hah look at me joking) levi. please dodge this somehow, it’s going to be awkward if he picks you up! ]
[ fuck fuck fuck, okay, he definitely does not want to be manhandled (who knows where those hands have been?), so it's time to think fast. fortunately, he's good at that. better than he thought, even. he manages to figure out the whole "maneuvering" thing just in time, which sends him rather unceremoniously up into the tree.
success. except he knocks his head on a higher branch on the way up, earning a loud obscenity and nearly a trip right back down to the ground. fortunately, it all feels vaguely familiar. almost like he could have taught himself before. hmm.
okay, now he just has to... not fall out of a tree. or get grabbed. this is a really weird game of tag. ]
[ eren, despite trying to play big angry titan trying to not eat you because obviously who would do that!!! looks mildly distressed after the lurch upwards, a thunk and one of those curses that could earn awards. he wants to ask if he’s okay, because when eren was trying to relearn, he . . . cracked his ribs during a session.
but all that’s coming out are some gargles and attempts at words with zero amount of lips to help form them. spit goes everywhere, and now, for sure, is eren trying to sort of go after him with his palms.
[ oh, my god. he did not just get titan spit all over him. it hits him and he wants to scream. he's not even scared, he's too busy being thoroughly disgusted. fuck.
but he's still being swatted at, which is a problem. there's not much he can do besides... switch trees. so he tries that. and everything's going well until an anchor pops back out, on account of it being covered in slime, and so he winds up losing his balance and slamming into the tree. for a moment, he just hangs there by one side, covered in spit and probably bleeding a bit from his head.
humanity's strongest soldier, ladies and gentlemen. honestly, you might as well just kill him now and get it over with. ]
[ oh boy he’s definitely bleeding. it doesn’t take more than two stomps, or maybe just one and a half before he’s looming over levi and groaning with his brows in a worried knot. god, what has he done!!! more distress comes in the form of blarg blarg blarg as he carefully cups levi in one hand and tugs the gear’s wires in between his other fingers to set him down.
can you hear him?? how many titans do you see??? blarg blarg blarg!!! please don’t have a concussion and don’t freak out before he can put you down—! ]
[ yyyeah, he might—might—have a light concussion. it's no big deal. it doesn't even hurt that much. (yes it does.)
in any case, he's not freaking out; actually, he's pretty much frozen. it's not like he's worried Eren will hurt him (or eat him, haha!! joke), but there's something to be said for being in a giant hand for the first time. holy shit.
it seems his first priority is to attempt to shake off some of this drool. this is the worst day ever. ]
— at least. the shaking and drool is enough to get eren to shut up and stop making it rain saliva all over his superior. if anything, he gets a quick, throaty grunt of an apology as he’s set down like the most delicate of dolls. it was weird, but he did it.
and once that’s done, the titan keeps his hands to himself and kneels down on one knee. this isn’t proposal, do not get me wrong here. because pop goes the back of the titan’s neck, dipping its head down to reveal eren, the actual neck fetus just covered in meat. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Well— You and the people who were in the corps. Like the squad and other leaders–? [ he wants to say “his squad”, but he isn’t sure how far he should go with that. just thinking about it gets his features to strain some. it’s hard not to feel guilty for something you know is your fault. ]
I don’t remember all their names. But I know how great they were.
[ which. brings him to stare at his bag over there again. there’s something else in there, a little bulky and pretty big. like, he bought a hiking bag for it. ]
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[ that look on Eren's face is prooobably not a good sign, but he's going to let him choose what he wants to share. it's not like he won't remember it himself eventually, whatever it is. ]
What else did you bring?
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he’s glad he’s off the hook there at least, wondering how much of a good job he did at hiding that (hiding what), but now was the good part. not even eren could turn this down when he started relearning the ropes. back to his bag, he unzips the larger pockets—
and out he drags is a heap of a contraption. tons of straps and belt buckles, what probably looks like a harness of some sort strapped to metal boxes and cylinders. ]
Look familiar?
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[ what the shit is that? part of it looks familiar, but the giant matching metal... things are a mystery. he squints at them curiously. ]
I remember all the belts and shit. Almost everyone was wearing them. The rest of it I haven't seen before.
[ presumably, it's for killing things. big things. the hell if he knows what does what, though. ]
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[ he holds the metal containers connected to a waist belt. it’s surprisingly light for its size, so it doesn’t take much to lift. only a little awkward to move around without it being where it should. ]
You move in three dimensions instead of two— It’s pretty much like flying.
[ but he’s sure levi would remember them eventually, better than he did. he just hopes that he could help him a little, considering a brief introduction. ]
You can try using mine if you want. When you want. [ after a brief brow furrow, looking down at the blades. ] . . . You might need them. Things aren’t always as normal as they’ve always looked.
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I was wondering how we went about fighting something like that.
[ this is the thing he's allegedly the best at using? that's gonna take some processing. ]
I've already gathered that things aren't normal. Why would I need this now, though?
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Something can happen at any time. That includes any form of monster or trouble showing up. [ eren pauses for a minute, dipping his head forward as he hauls the equipment between them, if levi wanted to get a better look at that. ] Retrospec wasn’t good at admitting it before, but at least they do that now— they’re in trouble, and they need us.
And if we still want this world standing, we need them.
[ it took a while for him to admit it— for months eren would be on the fence about whether or not they were a good thing, if they could be trusted . . . and it’s just one of those things that needs little choice. ]
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but he sits back up when Eren's words hit him. that didn't sound good. he doesn't look terribly concerned yet, but that's... just kind of his thing. ]
So... we're supposed to be fighting monsters? Like with this thing?
[ he prods at the gear with his foot. ]
And if we don't help them it's the end of the world?
no subject
Some sort of . . . Corruption. It’s the same thing that killed the world we have memories from. Retrospec was supposedly the ones that saved us, it’s why we’re here.
[ there’s a lot of history behind it, details that were pretty wacky that he could share later through documents and sorts— the important thing was to be aware of the gist. minor gaps could be filled in later, or on levi’s own time. ]
Some people have magic— real magic, or other amazing abilities. [ that included less powerpacked abilities; leadership, support, inspiration . . . ] We use what we can.
no subject
in any case, he seems to take this pretty well, in that his expression hasn't changed since he got there. better get used to that. ]
Guess I better start learning to use that thing, then. [ he's looking at it again. it's so weird-looking, whose idea was this?? ] It might be kind of hard when there's only one...
[ okay, let's just deal with the elephant in the room. ]
So you can turn into a titan. How the hell does that work?
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I don’t mind if you— [ take it, he was going to finish, words catching back in his throat when there literally. is something bigger than an elephant here, huh. at least he’s taking things fairly well!! eren cleans his throat. ]
That’s . . . I hurt myself. [ yeah let’s just get straight to the point!! ] I need to be hurt enough to bleed, and have a goal.
Then it happens.
[ he pauses, but awkwardly hoping it’d be a good idea: ]
We can use that to train you? After you learn how to balance and, the first things, obviously—
no subject
So what, do you have to carry a knife around just in case you need to stab yourself?
[ you know what, it doesn't really matter how he does it. kinda fucked up he has to make himself bleed, but "fucked up" seems to be the new normal. ]
Well, it's not like there's any other way for me to learn it. Yeah, let's do it.
[ and so the master becomes the apprentice. how embarrassing. ]
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[ this is awkward but, you know what, you’re going to have to get used to weirdness!! ]
When do you want to start?
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The sooner the better, don't you think?
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[ HE NEEDS TO BE
ONE HUNDRED PERCENT SURE, YOU, LEVI, WANT HIM TO SHIFT ]
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[ what's the worst that could happen?? ]
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this was levi ackerman. he’d be able to get something out of this. besides, eren could just hold back.
(although the thought of holding back with levi feel nigh impossible).
with most jitters under control, eren breathes up the guts and determination, the resolve to do this, why they had to and how important it was— he quietly drifts his small switchblade across his closed palm as he walks, lets it bleed as he puts it away . . . he’s about to ask if he’s ready, but swallows in back down with an inhale.
a bright flash comes followed by a terrible sound, pulling to life muscle, fibers and the redness of flesh until
you got a titan ]
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suited up though he may be, it's no help when he's completely awestruck. which he is. a giant nude man just fucking materialized out of the meat dimension. also he has basically no idea how to use this thing.
he fires an anchor at a tree uselessly. okay, so that's how that part works. now he just has to learn how to be better than everyone at it. no big deal.
this might suck, actually. ]
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he should’ve thought this out sooner.
but there’s no going back now! time for a simulation. the titan makes a noise and goes for grabbing the now even smaller (hah look at me joking) levi. please dodge this somehow, it’s going to be awkward if he picks you up! ]
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success. except he knocks his head on a higher branch on the way up, earning a loud obscenity and nearly a trip right back down to the ground. fortunately, it all feels vaguely familiar. almost like he could have taught himself before. hmm.
okay, now he just has to... not fall out of a tree. or get grabbed. this is a really weird game of tag. ]
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but all that’s coming out are some gargles and attempts at words with zero amount of lips to help form them. spit goes everywhere, and now, for sure, is eren trying to sort of go after him with his palms.
please, sir, don’t hurt yourself. ]
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but he's still being swatted at, which is a problem. there's not much he can do besides... switch trees. so he tries that. and everything's going well until an anchor pops back out, on account of it being covered in slime, and so he winds up losing his balance and slamming into the tree. for a moment, he just hangs there by one side, covered in spit and probably bleeding a bit from his head.
humanity's strongest soldier, ladies and gentlemen. honestly, you might as well just kill him now and get it over with. ]
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can you hear him?? how many titans do you see??? blarg blarg blarg!!! please don’t have a concussion and don’t freak out before he can put you down—! ]
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in any case, he's not freaking out; actually, he's pretty much frozen. it's not like he's worried Eren will hurt him (or eat him, haha!! joke), but there's something to be said for being in a giant hand for the first time. holy shit.
it seems his first priority is to attempt to shake off some of this drool. this is the worst day ever. ]
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— at least. the shaking and drool is enough to get eren to shut up and stop making it rain saliva all over his superior. if anything, he gets a quick, throaty grunt of an apology as he’s set down like the most delicate of dolls. it was weird, but he did it.
and once that’s done, the titan keeps his hands to himself and kneels down on one knee. this isn’t proposal, do not get me wrong here. because pop goes the back of the titan’s neck, dipping its head down to reveal eren, the actual neck fetus just covered in meat. ]
Captain— Levi, you okay?!
[ IT
SLIPPED OUT ]
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