video, both courts.

[andallbite]

[ It's been a couple of weeks since he's last shown up over the lockets (gone mostly forgotten thanks to other events), but when Eren finally makes another appearance, he seems a little exasperated. ]

I need a mechanic. [ Yeah, that's the greeting. ] Or—just anyone who can repair something for me. My maneuvering gear is busted, and I can't get it to work again on my own, so I'm looking for anyone who's willing to give it a shot.

Comments

[andallbite]

[ Eren's somber disposition lightens up when she mentions how the world beyond is—a terrifying but amazing place. And he knows that feeling, now, which came to him only a couple of weeks prior when Reynard had taken them all across the world and tossed them right into the raging sea. At the time, he was truly afraid—but once everyone had gotten to safety and the storm passed, the endless, vast waters was a sight to behold.

And here she is, saying the same, and probably about other things, too. The conversation feels a lot like the days when Armin and he would pool themselves over the one book they had with page after page after page of words that told of the world they knew nothing about. It's nostalgic. ]

I've never been to the outside world—being here is the first time I've ever left the walls. But if it's anything like this, then it's something I want everyone to be able to see. It really will be worth it.

[vaccinations]

It will be. It has to be.

[For a second, she thinks about asking what's keeping him in the walls. It must be something nasty like the infected but definitely not the same. He understood the frustration of being trapped due to some threat outside but the idea of an infection didn't seem to register. What could be as bad as infected? It was a morbid curiosity, she had to admit.

But she holds her tongue and instead heads for the more productive route.]

I'm Ellie, by the way.

[andallbite]

[ Yeah, absolutely.

But that's all said and done for the two kids with big dreams. A nice little conversation, he has to admit, because the only other person he ever dreamed this big with isn't here—Eren doesn't expect he ever will be—and there's something a little depressing about being this awed over everything around you on your own, when everyone else seems to have a handy grip on it already. A certain solidarity that makes a person feel less alone.

The conversation steers into something more casual; he's okay with this, too. ] Oh, right. My name's Eren.

[vaccinations]

Eren.

[It's not a name she's ever heard before. Then again, this place is full of names she's never heard. It's kind of fun. Like being in a video game.]

So. Now that we bonded over shit circumstances. You gotta show me how your gear works once you get it fixed. Can't leave me hanging.

[andallbite]

[ "Bonding" was a sappier way of phrasing it than Eren might have—though they... have, he guesses, though he's more likely to claim empathizing. Well—no matter. It's all the same when you got down to it.

In the end, Eren lets out a mild snort, as if he isn't sure he could fully agree to that right off the bat. ]

I could show what it is, but using it usually means I'd be fighting against something.

[vaccinations]

We're in some weird fairy land in a war. Eventually, we're gonna come across a fucking cyclops or a dragon or a sea monster or some shit like that. I'm sure we'll be able to make it work.

[VERY MATTER OF FACT. Like she's pretty sure that shit is gonna down and then she's gonna see some sweet maneuvering. It's just a matter of time.]

[andallbite]

You sure you want to?

[ Because... about that... ]

A damn sea monster is the whole reason why my gear got as fucked up as it is in the first place.

[ Okay, it's more like being completely submerged in water that did the trick, but details. That whole night sucked. ]

[vaccinations]

Woah!

No shit?

[The locket is coming closer to her face. Like someone longingly pressing their face to the glass window of a store.]

So did it have tentacles full of bone crushing suckers or was it more like a big shark man with tons of pointy teeth? Come on, don't leave me hanging.

[andallbite]

Uh—

[ As she pulls hers closer, Eren holds his further back. Not like her face is actually being pressed up near his, but in a way, it sure feels like it. Her sudden enthusiasm takes him by surprise, as well. (On that matter, what the heck are 'sharks' supposed to be, anyway...) ]

I think it was more like—a giant snake? With a lot of pointy teeth.