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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[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)

[The owl doesn't know how to turn the communicator on, it appears. The ball, on the other hand, is only too happy to help, and pushes past Jean's arm to zap it again. Jean grins a little, stupidly pleased at his ball's skills, before looking back at Armin.]

Blitz what?

You used it. Are you giving him a name already?

[They don't even know if these weird things are theirs, Jean. Don't you know naming them is the first step to attachment?]

Oh.

[Jean looks down at the ball, whose attitude has completely changed; now it's all sunny and delighted, waiting at his elbow to turn the communicator on or off again.]

How do you know it's a boy?

[He'd rather not answer that, since... yeah, he just called the ball by a name.]

[Armin frowns a little.]

I don't think there is any way to tell. [Do balls even have sexes? At least on horses and dogs and cats it is always very very obvious.] It just... sounds nicer.

We're getting distracted though.

[They still have bigger fish to fry! Like why they are here. And how. And if anyone else is here.]

Maybe we should split and look for information separately. We'll cover a lot more ground like that.

Yeah, maybe.

[Jean isn't too sure about the idea of separating, especially without their gear, but this place seems pretty safe. He also wants to fool around with the communicator a little more, and the ball is nudging at his elbow, eager to help.]

I want to try and figure out how this thing works. Maybe you could go and find out more about where we are?

[Armin had carefully weighed the pros and cons of them separating before suggesting it.

It is true that they are unarmed --though unlike Jean, Armin doesn't really consider his 3DMG skills high enough to make much of a difference-- however the people here seem peaceful. And in any case, if there were enemies around, they must be the ones who had been able to kidnap and bring them here, despite them being inside of the barracks. Armin doesn't really understand their reasoning for doing so, especially not when they have released them here like this, but he figures that if people who are capable of doing that intend to do them harm, even staying together and being armed wouldn't even out the odds. Rather what they really need is information and standing around here like this is not going to get them that. Splitting up and gathering that is the best possible course of action in his mind.

It is almost a pity Jean doesn't argue with his suggestion. He wouldn't have minded letting him in on his thoughts.]

All right. It's best to meet back here. If you end up having to move, leave me some kind of sign.

Edited 2016-09-15 12:37 (UTC)

[Armin is going to need to learn to just pipe up with his thoughts around Jean. Because this clearly isn't a life or death scenario, Jean is just going to take what Armin says at face value without probing any deeper. Nor will he try and pry things out of Armin; he's not Eren, he doesn't yet know what Armin's thinking-but-wanting-to-talk-about-it face looks like.]

Okay. I'll probably stay around here.

[Jean plunks himself down under a nearby tree, his ball floating at his side, and starts playing with the communicator. The ball moves in close to investigate, and Jean offers it the controller.]

How does it work?

[Armin doesn't really know how much time has passed by the time they reconvene. But he does know this:

The town they are in is tiny, barely more than a hamlet. It was easy, even for him, to walk all across it and see everything there was to see. There wasn't a single indication that any of the other were here --and, lets be real here, they stand out enough even without their gear that someone would've noticed-- and Armin isn't entirely certain what to think of that. Certainly he is glad that not more of them had been brought here, not when they have such important things to do back home, but at the same time, he can't help but have to admit a part of him would feel more confident with Mikasa or Eren here.

Well, at least he is not entirely on his own. He has Jean, after all.]

Jean.

[Yo, he is back, have you gotten electrocuted by your ball yet?]

[Jean has been electrocuted by his ball several times, thank you, but said ball is currently sitting between Jean's crossed legs with its eyes closed, just like a giant, plastic cat. Jean has the communicator balanced on the ball's head, and is slowly, painstakingly tapping away at it when Armin comes over. He looks up and smiles.]

It's called a Voltorb. This one is a boy, and his name is Blitz.

[The Voltorb opens one eye, looks up at Armin, and then goes back to sleep.]

He showed me how to work the communicator.

Really?

[Armin glances curiously at the ball. Whatever it may be, it does seem to be pretty smart, perhaps smarter than a dog even if it could work the device they had been given.

Armin sinks down in front of Jean, his knees tucked against his chest and his arms resting on top of them. The little owl is still sitting on his shoulder, though Armin hasn't made a move towards naming it yet.]

Did you find out anything about how we got here?

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