Armin Arlert (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schachmeister) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
victory_road2016-12-22 01:57 am
schachmeister) wrote in victory_road2016-12-22 01:57 am
[Armin carefully, quietly, eases open the door to Jean's room, trying not to make more noise than he needs to. It's still early, after all. The winter sun won't be ready to rise for a few hours still, but right now something Important is happening. With his egg bundled up in a blanket and clutched to his chest, Armin makes his way over to Jean's bed, nearly tripping on at least three carelessly abandoned clothes on the floor.]
Jean.
[His voice is soft and hissed, as if he is trying not to wake anyone else --not that there is anyone else sleeping in the room-- but the way he is shoving and shaking Jean's exposed shoulder makes it clear that whoever he is trying not to disturb, it clearly is not Jean.]
Jean, wake up. Come on, wake up.
[Stop drooling and wake up already! It's time.]
Jean.
[His voice is soft and hissed, as if he is trying not to wake anyone else --not that there is anyone else sleeping in the room-- but the way he is shoving and shaking Jean's exposed shoulder makes it clear that whoever he is trying not to disturb, it clearly is not Jean.]
Jean, wake up. Come on, wake up.
[Stop drooling and wake up already! It's time.]
[Would Armin believe Jean if he told him there were clothes everywhere because Blitz likes to knock them off the bed? Yes? No?]
Mfuh... go 'way...
[Jean, still more asleep than anything else, pushes crankily at the hand on his shoulder. The action dislodges the blanket, exposing Blitz, who has wedged himself up against Jean's flat belly and is snoozing away. The Electrode opens one eye and glares sleepily at Armin, making a half-hearted crackling noise before going back to sleep. Is this really necessary, Small Yellow? Is it really?]
Mfuh... go 'way...
[Jean, still more asleep than anything else, pushes crankily at the hand on his shoulder. The action dislodges the blanket, exposing Blitz, who has wedged himself up against Jean's flat belly and is snoozing away. The Electrode opens one eye and glares sleepily at Armin, making a half-hearted crackling noise before going back to sleep. Is this really necessary, Small Yellow? Is it really?]
Edited 2016-12-24 11:10 (UTC)
[Next he'll say Sandy Claws came and left them all over the floor.
Armin adjusts the blanket when he hears Blitz's half-hearted crackle, partially exposing the egg he is carrying. Peace, Blitz. You wouldn't zap a guy carrying an egg, right? Armin hopes he won't at least.
Either way though, Jean is not getting peace. Armin shakes Jean's shoulder a few times more, before he bends down, putting his mouth close to Jean's ear.]
Shadis is coming.
Armin adjusts the blanket when he hears Blitz's half-hearted crackle, partially exposing the egg he is carrying. Peace, Blitz. You wouldn't zap a guy carrying an egg, right? Armin hopes he won't at least.
Either way though, Jean is not getting peace. Armin shakes Jean's shoulder a few times more, before he bends down, putting his mouth close to Jean's ear.]
Shadis is coming.
[This Sandy Claws guy sounds awfully suspicious, although he could, in theory, lower their heating bill. Jean wouldn't be entirely opposed to a visit from Sandy Claws.]
[For once, appealing to Blitz's better nature works; his eyes widen when he sees the egg, and instead of crackling, he decides to start helping and nudges Jean in the belly. Come on, get up, something is happening with the eggs!]
[Neither shaking nor nudging is enough to get Jean up, until he hears a whispered warning in his ear. Shadis. The scourge of the 104th, the man who taught them all the meaning of utmost fear. Jean's eyes fly open, and he jerks into a sitting position so quickly that he nearly headbutts Armin.]
What! Where!
[If Armin is watching, he'll see Blitz roll his eyes before gently head-butting Jean's side again.]
[For once, appealing to Blitz's better nature works; his eyes widen when he sees the egg, and instead of crackling, he decides to start helping and nudges Jean in the belly. Come on, get up, something is happening with the eggs!]
[Neither shaking nor nudging is enough to get Jean up, until he hears a whispered warning in his ear. Shadis. The scourge of the 104th, the man who taught them all the meaning of utmost fear. Jean's eyes fly open, and he jerks into a sitting position so quickly that he nearly headbutts Armin.]
What! Where!
[If Armin is watching, he'll see Blitz roll his eyes before gently head-butting Jean's side again.]
Good, you're awake.
[There is absolutely not a shred of remorse in Armin for scaring Jean the way he had. Some things had to be done. Ends and means and all that. And right now, he's here with an important purpose.]
Look.
[His voice is a little breathy, an odd mixture between excited and nervous as he adjust the blanket again so Jean can see the crack running down from the top of the egg Armin is carrying.]
It's starting. How is yours?
[They had received them at the same time, after all, and had walked roughly the same distance. Maybe Jean's will be ready to hatch too?]
[There is absolutely not a shred of remorse in Armin for scaring Jean the way he had. Some things had to be done. Ends and means and all that. And right now, he's here with an important purpose.]
Look.
[His voice is a little breathy, an odd mixture between excited and nervous as he adjust the blanket again so Jean can see the crack running down from the top of the egg Armin is carrying.]
It's starting. How is yours?
[They had received them at the same time, after all, and had walked roughly the same distance. Maybe Jean's will be ready to hatch too?]
Huzzuh?
[Armin. Armin Arlert. You, sir, are a dick. Jean boggles for a second, before his brain connects everything together. There is no Shadis; Shadis doesn't live in Pokemon world, and even if he did, they're Survey Corps now and answer to Erwin, not him.]
You ass!
[His anger is soothed by the sight of the cracking egg though, and the way Blitz is trying to get him to pay attention to it. Jean grunts and sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.]
Lemme check.
[His egg is in a little nest Jean made for it in his backpack. He fishes it out, and boggles at it.]
Mine's cracking too!
[Armin. Armin Arlert. You, sir, are a dick. Jean boggles for a second, before his brain connects everything together. There is no Shadis; Shadis doesn't live in Pokemon world, and even if he did, they're Survey Corps now and answer to Erwin, not him.]
You ass!
[His anger is soothed by the sight of the cracking egg though, and the way Blitz is trying to get him to pay attention to it. Jean grunts and sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed.]
Lemme check.
[His egg is in a little nest Jean made for it in his backpack. He fishes it out, and boggles at it.]
Mine's cracking too!
I did try waking you up by shaking your shoulder but you wouldn't budge.
[Which, you know, clearly puts this thing on Jean. If he had only woken up when Armin had first shaken him, Armin hadn't needed to unleash the terror of Shadis on Jean.
Armin perches on the edge of Jean's bed, tucking his bare feet up against the side of it so they aren't on the cold floor.]
They must nearly be ready to hatch. The crack on mine has been growing longer.
[Which, you know, clearly puts this thing on Jean. If he had only woken up when Armin had first shaken him, Armin hadn't needed to unleash the terror of Shadis on Jean.
Armin perches on the edge of Jean's bed, tucking his bare feet up against the side of it so they aren't on the cold floor.]
They must nearly be ready to hatch. The crack on mine has been growing longer.
You should've tried harder.
[Jean will be prepared to argue this further later on, but for now, he sits on the side of the bed next to Armin, holding his egg in his lap. Blitz shoves up under Jean's arm so he can watch, brows drawn down in concentration.]
Let's hope nothing huge springs out of them, huh?
[Jean hasn't forgotten his talk about Pokemon physics with Anders, which really created more questions than it answered.]
[Jean will be prepared to argue this further later on, but for now, he sits on the side of the bed next to Armin, holding his egg in his lap. Blitz shoves up under Jean's arm so he can watch, brows drawn down in concentration.]
Let's hope nothing huge springs out of them, huh?
[Jean hasn't forgotten his talk about Pokemon physics with Anders, which really created more questions than it answered.]
Maybe we should--
[Go outside is what Armin had wanted to say. Not that he gets that far, not when his egg suddenly lights up with a bright glow almost like the glow of an evolution.]
Ah!
[Okay, fuck going outside, this is apparently happening right now. The glow brightens before the egg doesn't so much crack open like a bird egg --which is what Armin had been expecting-- but rather shifts, twisting in form until the light finally dims and Armin's got a small black and red kitten sitting on his lap.
Thank god for his kneecaps that wasn't an Onix.]
[Go outside is what Armin had wanted to say. Not that he gets that far, not when his egg suddenly lights up with a bright glow almost like the glow of an evolution.]
Ah!
[Okay, fuck going outside, this is apparently happening right now. The glow brightens before the egg doesn't so much crack open like a bird egg --which is what Armin had been expecting-- but rather shifts, twisting in form until the light finally dims and Armin's got a small black and red kitten sitting on his lap.
Thank god for his kneecaps that wasn't an Onix.]
Whoah...
[Jean watches in fascination as Armin's egg glows and then moves on his lap, changing from an oval shape into... a kitten.]
That is not where kittens come from.
[Maybe not the wisest observation ever, but it's all he can think to say before his own egg starts to glow and shift. Jean nearly drops it in surprise--which would be unfortunate, Blitz would probably kill him if he did--but manages to keep his grip as the egg turns into another black and red kitten.]
[Jean watches in fascination as Armin's egg glows and then moves on his lap, changing from an oval shape into... a kitten.]
That is not where kittens come from.
[Maybe not the wisest observation ever, but it's all he can think to say before his own egg starts to glow and shift. Jean nearly drops it in surprise--which would be unfortunate, Blitz would probably kill him if he did--but manages to keep his grip as the egg turns into another black and red kitten.]
That surprised me...
[Armin's voice is a little soft and awed. He has been expecting the egg to crack open and reveal something inside. Not... not this. Just another way how things work very differently in the pokemon world than their own.]
Ah, gimme your gear!
[He wants to know what these pokemon are and his own gear is in his room and give it to him, Jean.
Meanwhile the kitten on his lap seems to be looking around just slightly dazed --well, it was just born, after all!-- little nose and whiskers twitching as it takes in all the smells and sounds.]
[Armin's voice is a little soft and awed. He has been expecting the egg to crack open and reveal something inside. Not... not this. Just another way how things work very differently in the pokemon world than their own.]
Ah, gimme your gear!
[He wants to know what these pokemon are and his own gear is in his room and give it to him, Jean.
Meanwhile the kitten on his lap seems to be looking around just slightly dazed --well, it was just born, after all!-- little nose and whiskers twitching as it takes in all the smells and sounds.]
It's in my bag...
[Lila, awoken by all the commotion and understanding what Armin wants, pokes her head out of Jean's bag and nudges the communicator forward. Here you go, Small Yellow, now stop making so much noise, please and thank you.]
Hi, kitty.
[Jean is too busy looking at his own kitten to care about what kind of Pokemon it is. He tentatively strokes his hand down its back, the same way he'd do with a regular cat, and his kitten, as dazed as Armin's, turns its head to look up at him.]
[Blitz, meanwhile, tilts himself to one side, the better to examine the kitten, and--wonder of wonders--smiles at the little Pokemon before he starts making soft, soothing crackling sounds.]
Armin! Blitz is talking to it!
[Talking is good. Talking instead of zapping is even better.]
[Lila, awoken by all the commotion and understanding what Armin wants, pokes her head out of Jean's bag and nudges the communicator forward. Here you go, Small Yellow, now stop making so much noise, please and thank you.]
Hi, kitty.
[Jean is too busy looking at his own kitten to care about what kind of Pokemon it is. He tentatively strokes his hand down its back, the same way he'd do with a regular cat, and his kitten, as dazed as Armin's, turns its head to look up at him.]
[Blitz, meanwhile, tilts himself to one side, the better to examine the kitten, and--wonder of wonders--smiles at the little Pokemon before he starts making soft, soothing crackling sounds.]
Armin! Blitz is talking to it!
[Talking is good. Talking instead of zapping is even better.]
Thank you.
[Sorry, Lila. Armin just has a lot of noises to make right now.
Armin is still turning on Jean's gear so he can boot up the pokedex, though he is distracted by Jean's words.]
That's amazing. I didn't think Blitz would be the type to have a soft spot for babies.
[He didn't think Blitz was the type to have any sort of soft spots.]
[Sorry, Lila. Armin just has a lot of noises to make right now.
Armin is still turning on Jean's gear so he can boot up the pokedex, though he is distracted by Jean's words.]
That's amazing. I didn't think Blitz would be the type to have a soft spot for babies.
[He didn't think Blitz was the type to have any sort of soft spots.]
Well, he liked the eggs, so I guess it would make sense that he'd like the babies?
[The kitten seems to be listening very closely to whatever Blitz is telling it, its tiny ears pricking forward in the Electrode's direction. It wiggles on Jean's lap before reaching out a paw and experimentally tapping at Blitz's face.]
Oh man... that's really cute.
[Hurry up with that communicator, Armin, Jean needs to take a picture of this and send it to Anders at once.]
[The kitten seems to be listening very closely to whatever Blitz is telling it, its tiny ears pricking forward in the Electrode's direction. It wiggles on Jean's lap before reaching out a paw and experimentally tapping at Blitz's face.]
Oh man... that's really cute.
[Hurry up with that communicator, Armin, Jean needs to take a picture of this and send it to Anders at once.]
I thought he might stop liking them once they hatched and stopped being round.
[Armin figured that Blitz had liked them because they were round and he has seen something of himself in them. But that isn't so true anymore.
The kitten on Armin's lap, meanwhile, has turned its head, its wide eyes focussing on the other kitten's tail before it reaches out to bat at it. This is some precious fucking stuff. Anders would probably die seeing it.]
[Armin figured that Blitz had liked them because they were round and he has seen something of himself in them. But that isn't so true anymore.
The kitten on Armin's lap, meanwhile, has turned its head, its wide eyes focussing on the other kitten's tail before it reaches out to bat at it. This is some precious fucking stuff. Anders would probably die seeing it.]
[That's what Jean figured too, and he's pretty happy that Blitz is continuing to be nice to the babies. He remembers how Annie acted around the eggs, and he wasn't looking forward to having to confine Blitz to his ball until the babies were old enough to fend for themselves.]
[Jean's kitten turns clumsily when it feels something bat its tail, and with a little squeak it lunges at the other kitten. Jean reaches out to grab it but is too slow; it flops on top of the other kitten and starts playfully biting at its ears.]
Oh hey, c'mon now, you're like a minute old, don't be a dick!
[Beside Jean, Blitz makes a sound that is suspiciously like laughter.]
[Jean's kitten turns clumsily when it feels something bat its tail, and with a little squeak it lunges at the other kitten. Jean reaches out to grab it but is too slow; it flops on top of the other kitten and starts playfully biting at its ears.]
Oh hey, c'mon now, you're like a minute old, don't be a dick!
[Beside Jean, Blitz makes a sound that is suspiciously like laughter.]
[Armin would interfere, but honestly, it does look like his own kitten is giving as good as its getting. Jean's kitten might be chewing on its ears, but his got its paws wrapped around the other almost like a wrestling move.]
I suppose that's normal behaviour for brothers.
[And they are sort of like brothers aren't they? Hatched together, the same species. Who knows, they might even have come from the same parents.]
Ah, there it goes.
[Wow, Jean, your pokedex is slow. Maybe having Blitz constantly zap it isn't so good for it.]
It says they are littens. Here.
[Armin leans to the side a little, showing the screen of the pokedex so Jean can read along.]
I suppose that's normal behaviour for brothers.
[And they are sort of like brothers aren't they? Hatched together, the same species. Who knows, they might even have come from the same parents.]
Ah, there it goes.
[Wow, Jean, your pokedex is slow. Maybe having Blitz constantly zap it isn't so good for it.]
It says they are littens. Here.
[Armin leans to the side a little, showing the screen of the pokedex so Jean can read along.]
You think they're brothers?
[Jean likes that idea more than he'll admit. He was a lonely child, ridiculed and ostracized by his peers, who never knew what friendship was until he joined the military. He used to dream about having a little brother, or even a sister, just someone to be his friend and spend time with him. He likes the thought that the two Pokemon kittens wrestling across their laps, watched over by two humans and Blitz, are united through brotherhood and will always be friends.]
Yeah, it takes awhile to warm up.
[What, is he supposed to turn it on himself? Like a peasant?! Jean can't do that, it'll upset Blitz! And also, lazy.]
[Jean ducks in closer, lifting one hand to keep the kittens from rolling off and hurting themselves, and looks at the entry.]
Hey, they're fire types! We both needed a fire type!
[Jean likes that idea more than he'll admit. He was a lonely child, ridiculed and ostracized by his peers, who never knew what friendship was until he joined the military. He used to dream about having a little brother, or even a sister, just someone to be his friend and spend time with him. He likes the thought that the two Pokemon kittens wrestling across their laps, watched over by two humans and Blitz, are united through brotherhood and will always be friends.]
Yeah, it takes awhile to warm up.
[What, is he supposed to turn it on himself? Like a peasant?! Jean can't do that, it'll upset Blitz! And also, lazy.]
[Jean ducks in closer, lifting one hand to keep the kittens from rolling off and hurting themselves, and looks at the entry.]
Hey, they're fire types! We both needed a fire type!
[What a familiar sounding childhood. Well, no, Armin did make two whole friends before entering the military, but before he and Eren managed to click, his childhood had been a lonely, bullied one as well. The bullying actually extended beyond that, but Mikasa had been very swift at kicking people's asses if she saw.]
Well, we did receive their eggs at the same time, from the same person, and they hatched here at the same time. It makes them as good as. Though I suppose they could be sisters too. We don't actually know.
[Fire, yes, that's good. Armin definitely needed a fire type. He had wanted one ever since watching Bertolt pretty much burn his way through Ilex forest with little to no issues. Of course, he had already managed to beat the gym even without, but who knows what other fire-weak gyms he might run into in the future.
Armin leans a bit close, his shoulder ending up pressed against Jean's boney one. His eyes fly from side to side, quickly reading all the available information, though he'll probably end up studying it all in depth more later. Once he gets to the end of it, he waits until he figures Jean must have finished reading too.]
Here, hold up yours. I'll scan it and we'll get its statistics.
[Time to answer that question of whether they have boys or girls or a mix.]
Well, we did receive their eggs at the same time, from the same person, and they hatched here at the same time. It makes them as good as. Though I suppose they could be sisters too. We don't actually know.
[Fire, yes, that's good. Armin definitely needed a fire type. He had wanted one ever since watching Bertolt pretty much burn his way through Ilex forest with little to no issues. Of course, he had already managed to beat the gym even without, but who knows what other fire-weak gyms he might run into in the future.
Armin leans a bit close, his shoulder ending up pressed against Jean's boney one. His eyes fly from side to side, quickly reading all the available information, though he'll probably end up studying it all in depth more later. Once he gets to the end of it, he waits until he figures Jean must have finished reading too.]
Here, hold up yours. I'll scan it and we'll get its statistics.
[Time to answer that question of whether they have boys or girls or a mix.]
[Jean's friend making abilities are still hovering around one, or possibly one and a half, so Armin has got something over on him.]
Okay, let me just...
[The kittens are rolling and wrestling, and it takes Jean a moment to get ahold of them and pull them apart. He ends up with some new, tiny scratches on his hands, but he figures that's just the price one pays for dealing with kittens. He holds them both up, one in each hand, and offers them towards Armin.]
I honestly have no idea which one is which. They look identical.
Okay, let me just...
[The kittens are rolling and wrestling, and it takes Jean a moment to get ahold of them and pull them apart. He ends up with some new, tiny scratches on his hands, but he figures that's just the price one pays for dealing with kittens. He holds them both up, one in each hand, and offers them towards Armin.]
I honestly have no idea which one is which. They look identical.
That might be a problem. We should get them some collars or something.
[Of course, the gear will tell them exactly who is whose, but it is not realistic to whip out their gear every time they need to identify them. They'll need something that stands out at a glance.
Armin scans each of them in turn.]
Lets see, the one on the right -- your left-- is yours, and the other one is mine. It looks like they are both boys.
[There is also a bunch of other stats like their abilities and weight, but Armin figures Jean is less interested in all of that stuff.]
[Of course, the gear will tell them exactly who is whose, but it is not realistic to whip out their gear every time they need to identify them. They'll need something that stands out at a glance.
Armin scans each of them in turn.]
Lets see, the one on the right -- your left-- is yours, and the other one is mine. It looks like they are both boys.
[There is also a bunch of other stats like their abilities and weight, but Armin figures Jean is less interested in all of that stuff.]
So brothers, then.
[Jean leans back and puts the kittens down on the bed, where they'll have plenty of room to play, and they respond by immediately attacking each other again and rolling around in a squeaky little ball of fluff and fury.]
I'm sure we can find some collars in town.
[Look at these little beasts. Look at how damn cute they are. Can anyone blame Jean for not wanting to get up and go get a pair of collars immediately?]
Do you have any ideas for names?
[Start the naming process early, Jean figures, otherwise Armin will be fretting about it for days and his kitten will remain nameless.]
[Jean leans back and puts the kittens down on the bed, where they'll have plenty of room to play, and they respond by immediately attacking each other again and rolling around in a squeaky little ball of fluff and fury.]
I'm sure we can find some collars in town.
[Look at these little beasts. Look at how damn cute they are. Can anyone blame Jean for not wanting to get up and go get a pair of collars immediately?]
Do you have any ideas for names?
[Start the naming process early, Jean figures, otherwise Armin will be fretting about it for days and his kitten will remain nameless.]
[It's like five AM. They are likely the only people awake in the whole building right now. The collars will have to wait.]
Are you really asking me that?
[Come on, Jean, you know how Armin gets with names.]
I was so busy worrying about getting them to hatch right, I didn't think about any names yet.
Are you really asking me that?
[Come on, Jean, you know how Armin gets with names.]
I was so busy worrying about getting them to hatch right, I didn't think about any names yet.
I thought maybe this time you might've been thinking ahead?
[Jean laughs a little, and the kittens, unsupervised, have resolved their differences. With some prompting from Blitz, they're sneaking up behind their trainers, and launch a combined assault from the back, latching onto their backs and scaling them using their claws.]
Hey!
[Jean plucks his off when he reaches his shoulder, and cuddles the kitten near his chest.]
All right there, you little explorer, that's enough of that!
[Jean laughs a little, and the kittens, unsupervised, have resolved their differences. With some prompting from Blitz, they're sneaking up behind their trainers, and launch a combined assault from the back, latching onto their backs and scaling them using their claws.]
Hey!
[Jean plucks his off when he reaches his shoulder, and cuddles the kitten near his chest.]
All right there, you little explorer, that's enough of that!
[Blitz, no. You are a bad uncle.
Armin yelps, twisting around to pluck his little assailant off. He carefully cups him against his chest, laughing softly when the little litten kitten takes this as a chance to sniff Armin's face.]
I wasn't sure how I could think ahead if I didn't even know what it was going to be. Do you have any ideas?
Armin yelps, twisting around to pluck his little assailant off. He carefully cups him against his chest, laughing softly when the little litten kitten takes this as a chance to sniff Armin's face.]
I wasn't sure how I could think ahead if I didn't even know what it was going to be. Do you have any ideas?
Edited 2016-12-25 12:51 (UTC)
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