[closed] This blood on my teeth is far beyond dry

[warrioreidlos]

Characters: Reiner Braun and Armin Arlert; Reiner Braun, Bertolt Hoover and Annie Leonheart.
Date: Throughout the latter part of January
Location: Various
Situation: Various
Warnings/Rating: Spoilers for the AoT manga

[ooc: Just a catch all post for several scenarios. No open starters at this time, but if you'd like to plot something, you can always contact me.]

Comments

Reiner, Bertolt & Annie - domestic baseline (16/01)

[warrioreidlos]

[With a jaw splitting yawn, Reiner rises from the couch, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. While the couch is ten times more comfortable than most of the places he had slept in his life, it isn't doing much good his neck. With a slightly sleepy grunt, he rolls his neck until he can hear it crack, stumbling still half sleep-drunk to the kitchen. Outside the sun is only just rising, the thin light streaming in through the windows, but despite the early hour, Reiner can't sleep any longer. He's been a soldier for too long, too used to getting up at the break of dawn for another hellish day of training. It feels like if he is going to sleep even just ten minutes longer, Shadis will just materialize right there to yell him off the couch and into some brutal, grueling torture that only passes for training on sheer technicality.

God, he misses it.

Scratching one stubbly cheek, he glances out the window for a moment. He should go for a run. It still won't be enough to get his heart really pumping and his muscles burning, but it is better than just sitting around here. The idleness is certainly getting to him.

But first breakfast.

Poking through their sizeable food stash, Reiner digs out some bread and fruit, a few slices of some sort of dark sausage, even relishing in getting a huge glass of milk from the ice box. It feels like a meal fit for a king, almost decadent compared to the thin porridge and stews that make up the majority of their meals back home.

It makes him wonder, in the back of his mind, how long this is going to last. This sort of crazy quantities of food couldn't be normal... right?]

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt has hardly moved since he fell asleep a few days ago. There are blurry, dreamlike images of getting up and staggering to the bathroom at least twice, but beyond that, nothing except the darkness of pure exhaustion sleep. It's nice. When he sleeps like this, he doesn't dream.]

[For the first time in three days, the sounds of someone else moving in the apartment penetrate the fog, and he rises slowly towards wakefulness. He opens his eyes, and blinks in confusion a few times before he remembers where he is. Right… strange new city, on the back of a turtle, Reiner and Annie taking him back to a house that was in a tree. So it wasn't all a dream.]

[Moving slowly, Bertolt sits up, wincing as every bone in his body seems to crack and pop at the same time. He swings his feet over to the side of the bed, pulling out his shirt and sniffing it, his nose wrinkling in distaste. God, he needs a shower, or at least a damp washcloth and a bowl of water. He rises to his feet and pads in the direction of the noises, moving almost silently just on default.]

Reiner?

[warrioreidlos]

[Reiner hears the noises of someone stumbling around, but at first he assumes it to be Annie. It isn't until the footsteps are coming closer and he can hear how heavy and clumsy they that he realises it is not Annie. Bertolt can be pretty quiet, but not first thing in the morning and never as quiet and measured as Annie.

He leans back in his chair to greet Bertolt, gesturing with his apple.]

Hey, sleeping beauty. How you feelin'?

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt starts to answer, but then Reiner moves away from the table by sitting back, and he sees the spread in front of him. His eyes go wide; that is so much food.]

[At that exact moment, Bertolt's stomach, neglected for three days straight, gurgles loudly and reminds him of exactly how hungry he is.]

[warrioreidlos]

[He laughs at the ridiculously loud growling of Bertolt's stomach. It is so much food. And it isn't even half of what they have.]

Help yourself. I can get more.

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt needs no more invitation than that. He stumbles to the table, sits down, and attacks Reiner's plate. Don't talk to him right now, he has serious business to attend to, including sucking down this entire glass of milk in one go and giving himself a milk mustache over the stubbly black one he grew during his long nap.]

[warrioreidlos]

[Reiner snorts. What a handsome sight. He is swooning, someone catch him. Still, he lets Bertolt have all his food, getting up himself to get a second glass of milk, leaving the carton of it out on the table, meanwhile grabbing some more bread and fruit too.]

Don't choke yourself.

[wreckingbert]

[Bertolt will not be catching a swooning Reiner; he's too busy snagging that carton of milk and forgoing a glass to chug it all down. Who knew that sleeping for three days straight would make you really, really thirsty when you woke up?]

[warrioreidlos]

[It also makes you really really smelly. Seriously, Reiner is used to the smell of Bertolt's sweat but this is rank even for him.]

If you choke on it, I'm just going to say I told you so.

[He leans his chin on his hand, watching Bertolt devour everything in his path like a very hungry, hungry giraffe.]

[wreckingbert]

[A hungry giraffe that smells like it's been dead for about a week.]

[Bertolt just grunts, setting down the carton of milk when it's empty, completely oblivious to the fine, milky mustache he sporting, and attacks the food in front of him. Holy god, sausages, he can't remember the last time he ate sausages!]

[warrioreidlos]

[Someone open a window. Or just dunk Bertolt in a bath. Or five.

Despite the fact that he is not getting any responses, Reiner keeps chatting anyway. The last few days he only got to talk to Annie, or rather he got to say words and sometimes Annie was in the general vicinity to hear them, and he'd much rather chat against Bertolt's wall of silence.]

You slept for three days. I was getting close to making Annie kiss you awake.

[Except even he doesn't dislike Annie enough to inflict that sort of torture on her.]

[wreckingbert]

[Take him out back and hose him down, then burn everything he was wearing. This is clearly the only solution.]

[Bertolt glances up from his destruction of all things edible, a little surprised at what Reiner just said. He… doesn't quite know how to respond to that, beyond being all but certain that Annie wouldn't try and kiss him, awake or otherwise. He noisily swallows the mouthful of food he has before responding.]

… what?

[warrioreidlos]

[They may have to burn the bed as well.

Reiner lifts his head off his hand a little, taking a swipe at one of the apples Bertolt now got piled up in front of him.]

You know, like the story.

[They hadn't been told a lot of stories growing up, because stories didn't prepare you for killing the way training did, but he can remember this one.]

The princess fell asleep and needed a prince to kiss her awake. Come on, you gotta remember.

[He takes a bit of his apple.]

Remember how Berwick tried to kiss hearing Annie after that story? I think she practically broke his nose.

[He's grinning. It's good to share these old memories with one of the only people he can share them with. It's like it keeps Berwick alive when it seems no one else will ever remember him.]

Reiner & Armin - (25/01)

[warrioreidlos]

The stable where Armin was supposed to work at wasn't that hard to find.

Careful to stick to the shadows, Reiner leans against the side of the building, his arms crossed loosely over his chest. With just a casual glance, someone might mistake him for someone just taking a quick rest, or even just someone waiting for a friend, but under closer scrutiny, he is not nearly as relaxed as he is trying to appear, the muscles in his shoulders tense, and his eyes flicking to the road ever so often.

In the moments he allows himself to relax, he finds an almost strange, nostalgic comfort in the smell of the stables. He even, for a moment, wonders what ever happened to the horse that had carried him outside of the walls on his first expedition and the one that had carried him to Utgard, before he quickly shoves the thought away. That is a part of his life that is over with and something he cannot allow himself to dwell on any longer. He's a warrior now, still, again, and the only thing that matters is carrying out his duty to the best of his ability.

Or what is left of it.

The winter coat he bought upon his arrival here has been left purposely unbuttoned, showing the slacks and button down shirt he is wearing underneath while also showing his lack of gear. It's largely symbolic, even he gets that. He could flatten Armin just like this if he wanted to, and it is not like he can ever put the warrior away, but he hopes Armin will understand the gesture anyway. He's here to talk. For Annie and Bertolt's sake, he needs to come to an agreement with Armin. They can't afford to be discovered here which means they cannot afford any unnecessary fights with Eren. And for that purpose they need Armin. If there is one kid that talk some sense into Eren's head, it's him.

[strategisch]

Armin works in the stables until the already low winter sun begins to set. There are plenty of Kirin in the Wood Sector, and so he has plenty to do. The mindless, menial tasks allow him to work off stress without compromising his ability to think. Staying sharp is what he worries about the most. It's his greatest asset, his only asset... So he tries his best to keep his mind on point, get enough sleep, and continue life as normal so nobody becomes suspicious. Someone figuring out about the Titan Shifters on Tu Vishan might ruin his plans entirely.

Since winter blew in, Armin had adopted some more Kedanese-style clothing to keep warm. He sighs a misty breath as he puts on his cloak and takes his pitchfork to its hanging spot outside the barn.

A very tall shadow shows itself from around the corner. The setting sun throws long shadows, but this one still belongs to a particularly large person. They're just standing there, as if waiting. That's far too telling. Armin grips his pitchfork tightly and moves in silence, slowly peeking...

His heart leaps into his throat. Shit. Reiner. Shit. Can he get away? Should he wait in the barn until he leaves? No, then he'd just corner himself-- Even with a sort-of weapon, Reiner had a ridiculous advantage at hand-to-hand fighting. What if his goal was to kill him? If he was determined enough, he could just become a Titan, it would be that easy-- Oh, if only he could contact someone for help! All of his available options were suicidal! He didn't think they would go so far as to split Eren and him up to get rid of them...

[warrioreidlos]

The small movement catches Reiner's attention and he lifts his head. Something shifts in his expression when he spots Armin, a small tightening of his mouth and a narrowing of his eyes, but then he is pushing away from the barn, taking a step towards him. It isn't hard to spot the wariness in Armin's posture, nor is it unexpected. Uncrossing his arms, he raises them in front of his chest, palms out. "Relax, I'm here to talk. I have no intention of hurting you."

Well, not right now, at least.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, so I won't ask that, but there is something I'd like to discuss."

[strategisch]

Armin brandishes his pitchfork with all the determination and general effect of a mouse wielding a toothpick. He puts several steps of distance between them-- basically as much as he can get while still being close enough to have a conversation without yelling. It's clear, no matter what Reiner has said, he's ready to bolt as soon as the opportunity presents itself.

"...This is idiotic of me," he admits, bristling for a thousand different reasons (betrayal, anger, fear), "But at this point, I don't have much choice but to listen to you, don't I?"

[warrioreidlos]

For a moment Reiner feels the ridiculous urge to tell Armin to spread his legs a bit wider and shift his weight onto his left foot. His hand even twitches with the want to physically adjust Armin's grip so he will be less likely to injure himself and more likely to injure his opponent, but that is him now, isn't it? He cannot be the guy they all looked up to once, not anymore.

"You could run. I won't chase you, but I know you are smarter than to think running away will solve this issue."

[strategisch]

Even if Reiner were to chase him, a man not known for his speed, he'd still catch up to the painfully slow Armin. He knows that. This was over before it even started.

"Solving an issue?" he can't help keeping his tone from picking up an acid-sharpness, "You want to solve an issue? Take three steps forward and wring my neck, and your 'issues' will be dealt with for good."

[warrioreidlos]

"Killing you won't solve my issues." If it could, Armin would not be standing there. It would be a hard decision to take, and a harder kill to make, but if Reiner, for even just a moment, thought Armin's death could safeguard them here, he wouldn't have come unarmed. It'd be a murder that would sit in the pit of his stomach sickeningly, but that is nothing he isn't used to be now.

He rubs his hand over the back of his neck for a moment, his other hand going to his hip. "I have no interest in killing either you or Eren. Rather, I want to ask you for a favour, I guess you could say."

[strategisch]

Skepticism suffuses Armin's face and posture. He's been certain for quite some time that Reiner is the head of this slippery snake, and so he has even less confidence in his word than he did in Annie's.

"Even if you have no interest in killing either of us, there are plenty of humans that live on this land. We have a responsibility to protect them from you. How am I supposed to have faith in your word if I have no idea as to what your motivations are?"

From Armin's point of view, they were nothing but indiscriminate slaughterers. Tens of thousands of humans that they had absolutely no connection to died as a result of their actions. It would be a perfectly logical next step for them to do the same here.

[warrioreidlos]

"You shouldn't. I always thought you were one of the smartest ones of us, so you should know better than to trust a guy like me." His tone is matter of fact, and strangely reminiscent of the way he would've once given advice on the best way to cushion a fall or tie a bandage.

"I'm not asking you to trust me, but I am asking you to think. If our goal had been to completely destroy humanity, don't you think we would've done it? Nobody suspects a couple of refugee brats. We could've easily brought down wall Rose without ever joining the 104th."

[strategisch]

"How you chose to do it doesn't matter!" Armin nearly shouts, and realizes he's beginning to lose his head. He bites his cheek and takes a deep, rattling breath to try and calm himself, "It may have taken you five years, but you still tried to breach Wall Rose. The only thing that stopped you was Eren's sudden transformation. Isn't that right? If you were successful, humanity would surely have been doomed. The result is exactly the same."

[warrioreidlos]

Eren's sudden transformation had certainly halted their attack on the wall. It was a spanner in the works, but it had been the kind of spanner they could've used.

"It matters. You are the one who figured out Annie was inside of the female titan because of the way she killed." It had been that moment that very much solidified Armin as one of their most dangerous opponents in Reiner's mind. All that time, it had been so easy to consider either Eren with his crazy determination or Mikasa with her larger than life skills as their most dangerous foes, but in reality it had been Armin all along. "Being attacked by Annie or being attacked by a regular titan... the end result would've been the same, right? But the reason mattered."

[strategisch]

"So your plan had holes that I spotted! How does that change anything?"

He grits his teeth and wills his tears to not fall. His pitchfork shakes in his grip.

"Yes, you lived among us! We laughed, and shared bread, and shed blood! Together! Do you want me to show weakness by letting those times to cloud my thoughts? When you picked me up when I fell? When Annie so carefully pulled back my hood?"

Armin stomps his foot and takes a step forward, lifting his pitchfork like he actually means to attack, but then just stands there and trembles in fury. He can't. He can't.

"No! Those times only make you all the more cruel! I told you of everything I had lost, my family, my home, all of your doing, and you sat there and gave me false compassion! How could you? How could you possibly live with yourself, lying to everyone, who had suffered because of you?"

"You are a monster, and I won't have you deceive me again!"