1st [video]

[headheldhigh]

[It's always easy to tell when someone handling the gear isn't used to such technology. Case in point: this video, starting off with a very nice view of the sky! Two voices can be heard, one of them kind but a bit exasperated as she explains how to work the gear to the other. This goes on for a few moments before the video shifts, and a face finally comes into view.

It's a teenage girl, and... gees, she looks like she's had it rough. Her face and hair are a bit dirty, and it's even worse on what can be seen of her once-white shirt. There are dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn't slept in a while, and she generally looks like she's Seen Some Shit. Still, despite her disheveled and distressed appearance, a hint of awe manages to cross her face.]

This... isn't a dream, is it?

[She's already given up on that explanation. She's too sore for this to be anything other than real life, and she's not sure if that's better or worse. She's no longer atop Wall Rose, can't even see a hint of it... just what in the world is going on?]

B-But dream or not, I need to find my friends! We were able to regroup with others, but... I'm still worried. Please, if anyone can help me... their names are Reiner Braun, Bertold Hoover, Connie Springer, and Ymir. Reiner and Ymir have been hurt, I need to make sure they're okay...!

[Reiner's arm, broken and mauled was bad enough, but... she doesn't think she'll ever get the sight of Ymir fresh out of her titan out of her head; arm and leg missing, a good chunk of her side gone, steam rising in a steady cloud from her injuries... it's enough to make her shudder.

Ah, but she can't dwell on just that now. She got what she needed to out, and there's nothing left to do but wait for a response. In the meantime...]

And, um... these creatures....

[The camera shakes a little; it looks like the girl is sitting down, and almost immediately, a Larvitar crawls into her lap, leaning in veeery close to the gear, despite the girl's protests.]

Hey, stop--!! [There's a bit of a scuffle as she tries to push the Larvitar away from the camera, as the creature does not seem too happy to be pushed around. But she emerges victorious, with only a little bit of growly grumbling from her new companion off-screen.] What is this thing? I-It doesn't look like any lizard I've ever seen...

Comments

video;

[bertall]

<sub>[It's his Aron that ends up responding before Bertolt does. When he hears the name 'Reiner', he comes running as fast as his little legs can carry him and bonks his head into the camera with a pleased little squeak, but unfortunately for the two of them, he can't speak the human language.

Or, well, not without months (or even years) of practice, and even then it'd be... really weird. It's weird enough with the big giant fire dog saying 'no' now!

The aron squeaks again and tries to grab the 'gear in his mouth by the corner, but he can't get a good grip on it and only ends up knocking it over. Though when the Larvitar comes onto the screen, that earns a slightly louder, fiercer squeak. HE SEES YOU, BROSIS.

The extra squeaking and commotion does end up attracting Bertolt's attention, and while he doesn't pick up the gear right away, part of his leg can be seen as he steps up behind the Aron and scoops him up to plop him into the neck of his sweater. He hasn't gotten any lighter so he uses one hand to support his weight as best as he can while picking up the pokegear, and for a moment, Bertolt forgets how to speak.

It's... That's a face he hasn't seen in months. And certainly one he didn't expect.]</sub>

...Krista?

video;

[headheldhigh]

[Wow okay that is! A little startling. She'd thought her own little companion was a bit odd, but that... A walking chunk of squeaking metal! Are all the animals here this strange...?

She doesn't have time to ponder that, because the camera shifts up, up, and... oh! A familiar face!]

Bertolt!

[The utter relief in both her face and her voice is pretty darn clear now, and she smiles.]

It's so good to see a familiar face... are you all right?

Re: video;

[bertall]

<sub>[His Aron quickly sets to work on wiggling his head out so he can stretch out and start nibbling at one of the aglets on his hoodie. It's not a lot of metal, but it'll do for now! And, well, Bertolt would rather have him try eating those than another truck.

Bertolt moves around the room for a moment before deciding to prop his gear up against his backpack.]</sub>

I, uh... Yeah. ...Sort of, anyway.

_{[He gives her a curious once-over, and his brows furrow. She's close to his point, isn't she...?]}

Are you?

video;

[headheldhigh]

[Her clothes certainly match what she was wearing when they got trapped in Castle Utgard, so that's a good sign for you, Bert!]

I think so... but you said "sort of". Did something happen?

[Physically, she doesn't feel any different. Which isn't to say she's okay; the exhaustion from riding all night, from the titan's attack on the castle, the tower coming down... she's exhausted, but no worse off.]

I still can't believe this is happening. Are... we sure this is all real?

[It has to be somewhere outside the walls... but how did they get here?]

video;

[greatrage]

... Krista? Krista!! That is you, isn't it?! [Eren's face takes up the whole screen, and he smiles brightly, his eyes shining] You're here! Haha! Finally! [Eren looks off screen and yells at someone else] ARMIN, check out the network, quick!

video;

[headheldhigh]

[She'd recognize that yelling anywhere! And while she can't say she's good friends with Eren, it's a huge relief to see and hear him. He's a familiar face, and he mentioned Armin, so this means she's not alone in this craziness. Thank goodness...]

"Finally"? [She's pretty darn confused, but she can't help but smile a little. Geez his excitement is infectious.] You sound like you've been waiting for me to wake up...!

[Does that mean the rest of the squad all nearby...? Maybe he just woke up first and, being Eren, charged ahead to see what in the world is going on.]

video;

[greatrage]

It's sort of like that... except you woke up in a whole new world! ... And, well, Armin and I have been here for a while... Bert, too! Oh, and Jean. Sasha got here recently... [Eren shakes his head] I'm sorry! It must be really confusing. Time does... weird things here. But none of that matters! [you may notice that Eren is... a lot tanner than when you last saw him. Indeed, his hair is a bit longer! Strange] Because in this world, there are no Titans. We're safe. And that's the most important thing!

video;

[headheldhigh]

Wha...

[This... it has to be some kind of joke, right? No titans? A different world? Time acting weird? No titans????? It all sounds like something out of a fairy tale! Or something that might be from one of the forbidden books from outside the walls. Any sensible person would call what he's saying absolute nonsense.

But... the proof is all around her, isn't it? A town without walls, without guards or alarms or any kind of anti-titan defenses. A town with strange technology she's never seen before. And Eren, happier than she's ever seen him...]

We... we're really free...?

[Just saying the word free lifts something off of Historia's shoulders that she never realized was there. She wants to yell, to cheer, because isn't this what they've been fighting for? Isn't this what they signed their lives away to the Survey Corps for? It's a cause for celebration, but--!]

T-The others! Our friends you mentioned.... if they're the only ones here, then we have to find a way to bring the others here...!

video;

[notvaljean]

[By now, Jean has heard the commotion from everyone else, and knows what to expect when he looks on the network. Still, it's good to see someone from home alive, safe, and well, even if his heart does clench painfully over who it is that's showed up. At least there's another member to the Absent Best Friend club?]

Hi, Krista.

[He smiles at her, calm and not as excited as everyone else, but hey, he had some warning that they didn't.]

This is definitely not a dream. Bertolt is here, and he's fine. I saw him this morning.

video;

[headheldhigh]

[Thankfully, Historia's already talked with some of the others, so it saves Jean some explaining and dealing with a bit more fretting. But she still looks a bit dazed, and can you blame her...?]

And the others...?

[Eren hadn't mentioned anyone else, so she probably won't get any more news there, but... she has to try.]

video;

[notvaljean]

I had breakfast with Armin and Sasha, and Eren is probably assing around here someplace.

[Your concern is truly touching, Jean.]

But the other ones aren't here. Sorry.

video;

[shiro2hero]

Easy. It's going to be okay.

[This poor kid looks awful, to put it mildly. And he can sympathize with coming here in the middle of a crisis.]

You're safe enough, here. Did anyone explain what's going on, or where you are? Or... what your friend there is?

video;

[headheldhigh]

[You're lucky, Shiro! Coming in after a few of her friends means you get Historia's much calmer response.]

They did, but... it's all a bit hard to believe, isn't it? Other worlds, time not moving back home... it all seems so impossible.

[Honestly, if it had been anyone other than her friends telling her this, she might not have believed the. But they're good guys, despite their tendency to butt heads every moment they got, so...]

video;

[shiro2hero]

[It's okay either way! Panicked young people is... really nothing new to him, really.]

It does. You're not the only one in that boat. Just give it some time to adjust.

I'm guessing you've found some familiar faces?

Video;

[schachmeister]

[Well, someone yelled at Armin to get his ass on the network, so here he is.]

Krista! It's good to see you.

[So, they might not be the closest, but it is always good to see more members of the 104th here. Don't they all deserve this sort of peace?]

Not everybody is here, but Bertolt is. Jean, Eren, and Sasha too. We're all doing fine. I'll try and explain everything as best as I can.

Video;

[headheldhigh]

[By the time Armin speaks up, Historia is smiling again. There's still a bit of exhaustion and weariness surrounding her, and the worry isn't completely gone either, but she looks much less panicked than she did earlier.]

Even filled me in on most things, I think. About this being another world, and time not moving back home. He... he mentioned there were no titans here, either.

[There's an almost awed tone in her voice, and zero doubt. If Eren Jaeger believes that there are no titans here, then it has to be true!]

Is there anything else I should know?

Video;

[schachmeister]

That's right. There are no walls here either.

[They are free as birds, Krista.

And Armin knows Eren well enough to know that if he gave her an explanation, it will be one lacking various crucial details. Of course, sometimes Armin is the only one who thinks those details are crucial, but still.]

No, I think Eren got the most important things for now. [Undoubtedly there will be more questions on her end, but right now, Armin's got one. His brows furrow slightly in worry as he takes in her less than radiant appearance.] I think the more important question right now is... are you all right? You look like you've gone through a lot.

[Text]

[bleedingunversed]

It's a slave. You're suppose to train it then use it to battle people.

At least that's what I've heard.

[Text]

[headheldhigh]

[Oh geez. Okay, just... give her a minute to figure out how to do this...]

Slaves? But I've seen other people in town with other odd creatures like this one.

They were treating them more like pets than slaves.

[Text]

[bleedingunversed]

Glorified slaves.

You still own it. You control it. You make it do things.

It's a slave no matter what you want to call it.

Video

[dreamsofahero]

Of the names you mentioned, only Bertolt is here, however there are also several others from the same world as you two.

It may also help you to know that time that passes here has no bearing on that of other worlds.

Video

[headheldhigh]

[She's talked with Bertolt and the others, thankfully, so there's no fretting there, but... she still doesn't look okay.]

Eren said as much, yes. And it's comforting, but...

[Again the image of Ymir, disfigured and bloodied, flashes before her. Something she's not sure she'll ever be able to get out of her head.]

I'm still worried.

Re: Video

[dreamsofahero]

Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done, for now. And while your concern is laudable, I doubt that worrying will benefit your friends, either.

» video

[lordofthefries]

Krista!

[Finally, another girl! Sasha's been getting tired of being the only one suffering with the boy smell and it's kind of lonely having the girls' tent all to herself. So have a giant overjoyed smile, Krista.]

It's a Pokemon. [Not a slave like that idiot says. Ignore him, goodness.] I'm not sure what kind of Pokemon it is exactly, but it's one of them. You can make friends with it!

[A pause and then the smile slides right off her face.]

Connie's not here, though. Neither are Reiner and Ymir. What do you mean Reiner and Ymir are hurt? Did something bad happen?

» video

[headheldhigh]

[Gosh Sasha's excitement is extremely contagious. Historia can't help but smile, and even when Sasha brings up the topic of Reiner and Ymir, the smile doesn't completely fade.]

Um.... a lot of things happened. They'll be okay, I-I think! But... things got rough. And I guess you don't remember, just like Armin and Bertolt... [Messing with time and memories... that's a little morbid, isn't it?] Does that happen a lot? The not remembering?