victory_road | one; video in New Bark Town

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one; video in New Bark Town

Okay, seriously, this is just stupid.

[For someone who had never seen a camera or a video until a couple of hours ago, Jean has taken to both rather quickly. He always did enjoy fooling around with things and learning about them through experimentation, and while the angle of the camera is distinctly unflattering—somehow stretching his long face out even longer while simultaneously giving him six chins—the sheer indignation in his eyes comes across perfectly.]

Everyone else gets something cute, or useful, or sweet or whatever. And I get this.

[The camera swings around, jittering wildly out of control for a moment, and then focuses on a round, red and white ball with glaring eyes. The ball’s eyes narrow further when it realizes the camera is on it, and it lunges forward with a crackling sound. Jean yelps and jumps backwards, making the camera swing wildly for a moment.]

See! He’s crazy!

[The Voltorb crackles ominously but doesn’t try to come any closer, watching Jean from where it hovers.]

So how am I supposed to make friends with this thing? Because that’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Make friends with them?

[Jean sounds almost condescending about the idea of befriending the Pokemon. Anyone listening very closely might notice how his voice is trembling the tiniest bit, betraying all his uncertainty that he will vehemently deny if he gets called out on it. His hand stretches into view, pale with callouses across the palm, and he extends it towards the Voltorb.]

You want to be friends, asshole?

[The Voltorb lunges forward again, and the camera falls to the ground, pointing upwards towards the sky, capturing cheery blue and recording the sounds of electricity crackling and Jean shouting.]

Ow! OUCH! You dick, what was that for?!

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[Dazed and confused might be the best way to describe how Armin is feeling. The last few hours --day?-- have felt like a rush. The expedition outside of the walls, the appearance of the Female Titan and the encounter in the forest, the moment of near victory and then defeat, and finally their homecoming. It has been one of those days that feels like it should have been a week.

And now this.

Armin doesn't think he is hallucinating. Or dreaming. He reaches up to brush his fingers through his hair, pain pinching his face when he brushes over the injury he had sustained during their expedition. No, dreams didn't hurt. Neither did hallucinations. But then what was this place? He remembers the last few hours as mostly a blur; returning to base, getting his injury checked out, washing the blood off his face and hair and finally falling into an exhausted sleep in a bunk --probably his but he isn't actually certain of that-- and now this.

The town is odd, like none he has ever seen before. There is something odd about the people too, and it takes Armin a while to put his finger on it: there is nothing drawn about their faces, nothing to tense their shoulders or burden their steps. The people within the walls haven't looked like that in years, not since the Colossal and Armoured titan took down Wall Maria. It is something he remembers from his childhood --and maybe that sort of carefree nature still exists somewhere deep within Wall Sina-- but it is nothing he has seen recently. He replays the little conversation he had had with the woman who had shooed him out of her house --'Good luck on your journey, dear!'-- but that didn't exactly answer any questions. Neither had she, for that matter.

With a small frown, Armin starts to walk. He doesn't have a goal in mind, not really, but he also won't understand his situation any better just standing around. Where was he? Why was he here? And more importantly, where were the others? Mikasa, Eren... where they here too or--

A small tug on the back of his slacks makes him pause in his steps and he glances down. A small owl --though unlike any Armin has ever seen or read about-- hoots cheerfully up at him, ruffling its feathers. Somehow it looks... expectant. Jubilant.

He does not have the time for this.

He starts to walk again, ignoring the bird still hopping after his heels --normally it'd make him curious, but right now, it is very down on a long list of things Armin wants answers too-- until he finally spots something familiar and it jogs his heart.]

Jean!

[If it turns out he shouted at some stranger, Armin is going to end up feeling pretty damn embarrassed, but he's pretty confident there's only one guy in the world with that hair cut.]

[excuse you, sir, like you have any room to talk smack about other people's haircuts]

[It has been a rough morning. Jean had gone to sleep exhausted, worn out from his first expedition beyond the walls--which, hey, he got to fall asleep afterwards, meaning he survived, which puts him above the usual fifty percent or so of new Survey Corps recruits who never make it back from the first mission--and slept like the dead, if the dead had uneasy dreams and visions of death and titans. He'd slept, and when he woke up, he'd been in a strange place, with a strange woman who had babbled a bunch of things at him before pushing him out the door and into a village that was not the one where he'd fallen asleep. He'd wondered if he'd actually hit his head during the expedition, if it had been him and not Armin who'd gotten a head wound, but a careful inspection of his scalp had yielded nothing, and Jean had wandered away.]

[It hadn't taken very long until Jean had become aware of two very important things. One: this village has no wall. Two: he doesn't have his gear. The lack of a wall doesn't upset him that badly, since he could be far enough inland that the wall isn't visible. The lack of his gear is much more upsetting, and Jean is prowling around with his shoulders hunched forward, trying to figure out where it could have gone. He remembers all too clearly what it's like to be trapped on the ground with malfunctioning gear, and there will be no Marco here to save him this time.]

[There's another reason he wants his gear. There's this... ball... thing... floating after him. At first, Jean was sure it was a hallucination and tried to ignore it, but then it had nudged him. It feels solid enough, and Jean has taken to pushing it away every time it gets too close. The ball doesn't seem to like that very much, and makes crackling noises at Jean every time he touches it. If an ambulatory, floating ball could look pissed off, this one definitely does.]

[It's midday and Jean is in a state of low-level panic--why can't he find his gear--when he hears someone call his name. He jerks his head up, looking around wildly, until he spots a slight, familiar figure in the distance.]

Armin!

[He starts jogging towards him, the ball trailing him and crackling, and Jean wonders if Armin will be able to see the ball too.]

[Ah, it is Jean. Armin breathes out on a soft sound of relief. Knowing that Jean is here doesn't really answer his questions, but at least he has one friend in this place. And who knows, maybe if Jean is here, Eren and Mikasa will be here too. Of course it is a little debatable if Armin should want his friends to be here, when he doesn't even know where here is and how he got here.

Armin quickens his step to meet up with Jean, immediately launching into speech before even coming to a halt. There is a lot on his mind, okay, and if Jean has anything he knows about this place that Armin doesn't, he wants it.]

Jean! Do you remember what happened? I haven't been able to find anyone except you since I woke up here. Have you--

[An ominous crackling from behind Jean has Armin pausing though, and he leans to the side to peer around Jean's frame and at the weird ball. That, for some reason, looks pretty damn pissed. Which immediately strikes Armin as an odd thought to have. Balls can't look pissed off. They don't have emotions.]

Is-- What is that?

[Jean isn't surprised at all when Armin starts babbling while they're still a few meters apart. It seems like Armin always has a lot of information he needs to share right this exact minute, which is probably one of the reasons they never really bonded with each other. That, and Armin's absolutely terrible taste in best friends.]

[Jean can't help the way his heart sinks a little at what Armin says. Sounds like this place is new to him too, and Jean had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, Armin might know a little more about what's going on. At the very least, Armin might have had his gear, but if he does, he's not wearing it.]

I woke up here too, same as you. I've been checking things out, and...

[And Armin has noticed Jean's ball, which is more relieving than Jean would have thought. It seems that if the ball is a hallucination, it's one that can be shared.]

It's a ball. It's following me.

[Before Armin has a chance to comment on Jean's ball, the small owl that had been following him finally catches up. This time it is not content to just nip at Armin's pants though. This time, it flutters up to his shoulder with a loud hoot that doesn't cover up Armin's yelp of surprise. Not that the owl seems concerned it very nearly gave him a heart attack. It's far too busy rubbing its beak against Armin's hair.]

[Jean leaps backwards in surprise as a tiny, feathery ball lands on Armin's shoulder, and his hands go instinctually for blades that aren't there. A good thing, too, or the feathery thing--an owl, he can see it's an owl--would be pierced through. Instead, Jean flails impotently at his hips.]

Shit!

[Armin clutches at his shirt, waiting for his heart beat to settle down again. Wouldn't that be just perfect? He'd survived the whole expedition beyond the wall and an encounter with what he is pretty certain was another intelligent shifter like Eren only to die at the hands --wings?-- of this feathery ball.]

It's been following me. I thought it just wanted food but...

[But now that he has seen the ball following Jean, he's not so certain. In any case, it is not exactly normal behaviour for owls, is it? Being up during the day and begging for scraps.]

[Armin's heart isn't the only one that's racing; Jean's feels like it's trying to jump out of his chest. He drops his hands to his sides, since he clearly isn't going to find any blades to use on the menace, and takes a step closer.]

It's an owl.

[The bird turns and looks at Jean, blinking wide eyes at him like he's just stated the most obvious thing in the world, and goes back to rubbing its beak on Armin's hair.]

It, uh... it likes you?

[Jean doesn't know much about birds, but he's pretty sure this isn't normal, and he reaches out to poke the owl.]

[The hoothoot takes the poke with a long hoooooot, but it doesn't particularly look bothered, blinking its large eyes at Jean.]

Maybe. I'm not... [Armin hesitates for a moment, feeling a little awkward.] I'm not really good with animals.

[He doesn't dislike animals, really, he just doesn't have much experience with them.]

Huh.

[Jean is surprised when the owl doesn't fly away after being poked, and he cautiously strokes its chest. The bird allows it, closing its eyes halfway, but all its attention is still on Armin; Jean gets the sense that he's just being tolerated, and Armin is the one the bird really wants to impress.]

[And yeah, Jean has gathered that animals aren't really Armin's thing. He sits on a horse like he's terrified of it, and Jean was frankly amazed that when they started riding lessons during training, Armin hadn't gotten thrown off and broken his neck.]

Well, he seems friendly enough, and... hey!

[Something shoves Jean in the small of the back, and when he turns around, the floating ball is glowering up at him.]

What, do you want to be poked too?

[He pokes it, trying to shoo it away, and the ball... appears to like that, actually, and pushes back against Jean's finger.]

[Horses are tall, strong, and have tiny, high strung brains. Of course Armin is wary of them. He doesn't want to end up trampled.

Armin watches Jean poke his ball, but really, the mystery of these two... animals? isn't the one they should be focusing on. They have bigger titans to slay, so to speak.]

We should try and figure out where we are. See if we can find any of the others. If we were brought here, they might be too.

[Horses are hilarious, like big, stupid dogs. Jean likes them. He hopes someone back home is taking good care of Buchwald for him, and making sure his coat stays brushed and his hooves are clean.]

[Jean pokes the ball again, and it floats backwards a few inches, looking a little less pissy than before, and then floats back, bumping on Jean's hand. Jean frowns; it's like the ball is trying to play with him. He gives it a tentative shove, and the ball crackles merrily before floating back and bumping him again.]

Have you spoken to anyone yet? Or played with this thing at all?

[Jean gestures vaguely at the communicator the lady had given him. He's never seen anything like it, and doesn't know how it works, but she said it could be used to communicate. Maybe Armin has figured it out.]

Just the woman at the house. She wasn't very helpful.

[Seriously, Armin doesn't even remember his mother, but he sure knows this woman wasn't her. And any questions he had tried to ask her had just met a bright smile and more well wishes on his journey.

When Jean indicates the communicator, he shakes his head a little.]

Not yet. I wasn't sure if... it could be trusted.

Yeah, mine either.

[Jean keeps pushing the ball around with one hand--he has no idea why the ball likes it so much, but it's not being obnoxious at the moment so he'll keep it up--and takes out his communicator with the other. He squints down at it, frowning when it doesn't immediately tell him all its mysteries.]

Did you listen when she explained how it worked?

[Jean didn't!]

I got her to write down how it works. I thought maybe if I went along with what she was saying, I might be able to ask her more questions...

[The way he trails off and his little shrug indicates it hadn't worked. All Armin had gotten from his efforts is a note with very basic instructions of how the gear works and a headache.]

Edited 2016-09-11 13:36 (UTC)

Can I see what she wrote?

[Ignoring the ball a little, Jean turns his attention to Armin and holds out one hand. The ball hurries forward to push on Jean's outstretched hand, and he huffs a little before pushing it again.]

Well, at least it's not being an asshole anymore.

For now.

[Ever the optimist!

But he hands over the folded note, so Jean can go over the instructions. And once he has handed it over, he allows his hand to half-experimentally, half-awkwardly drift upwards so he can brush the backs of his fingers over the owl's feathers, earning himself a pleased hoot.]

[Jean takes the note and looks it over, all the while pushing the ball back and forth. The ball seems to be enjoying itself, making crackling noises that are somehow cheerful.]

It says there's an on switch somewhere...

[Jean switches to pushing the ball with his elbow so he can look at his communicator. He just... stares at it blankly. He doesn't even know where an on switch would be.]

[The ball, seeing his confusion, rolls along his arm and helpfully zaps the communicator. The device chimes, and a flat rectangle on it lights up. Jean jumps in surprise, then looks at the ball.]

Uh... thanks?

How did it do that?

[The air still prickles slightly, smelling of faintly of ozone, making it feel like every small hair on Armin's face is standing on end. That had been like thunder, like a titan's transformation, and that had been no coincidence: the ball had not only understood what Jean had wanted, but he had made it happen.]

[The ball buzzes and rolls around in the air, clearly pleased with itself.]

I have no idea.

[Jean holds the communicator out to the ball.]

Can you do it again?

[It can! The ball, jollier than Jean has ever seen it, zaps the communicator again and the screen goes blank.]

That's amazing. It seems like it can understand you.

[And can make thunder just happen like that. But Armin feels that even he doesn't need to point out that, not when they both just saw it.]

It does, doesn't it?

[Jean sniffs; the air around him smells like the sky after a lightning storm now, and he raises an eyebrow at the ball.]

You're just a little blitz ball, aren't you?

[The ball crackles merrily, and pushes itself against Jean's chest.]

Can your bird do anything?

Edited 2016-09-12 13:04 (UTC)

[That is a very good question. Armin glancing at the round little owl from the corners of his eyes, but if the bird can do anything like that, it is not showing it.]

I wouldn't know how to find out...

[Jean's ball seems very eager to prove itself, in as far as balls can be eager to prove themselves, but Armin's owl seems content to just perch on his shoulder and watch everything with its huge eyes.]

[The ball is awfully eager to prove itself; it's a shame Jean doesn't know anyone else like that, and has no idea how to respond. Nope, none at all, not at all.]

[Jean rubs the top of the ball, above its eyes, which it seems to like, and offers the communicator to the bird.]

Can you turn it on too?

[The ball makes an irritated crackling sound--turning on the communicator is its job--and Jean lightly scrapes his nails over its top, in what he hopes is a soothing manner.]

It's cool, Blitz, let him try.

[The hoothoot tilts not just his head, but practically his whole body when Jean offers him the communicator letting out a soft hoot. He regards it only for a moment, before looking back at Jean. Looks like hoothoot is out on this one.

Armin watches the little scene, before turning his attention to Jean, arching a brow.]

Blitz?

Edited 2016-09-13 11:54 (UTC)

[Several hours in the past but not too many and also in person]

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