OPEN | [screams internally]

[alofts]

WHO: LEVI and OPEN
WHERE: Various locations around Heropa, and residence #28
WHEN: 07/1 - 07/15
WHAT: Catchall for July. Or, the one where Levi goes to a permutation of Hooters and it goes as well you might think.
WARNINGS: Possible canon spoilers but otherwise tbd.
NOTES: Contact mun if interested in a starter!

I. TUESDAY OPEN - A boarding farm outside Heropa

[ Over the weekend when the station had been piled into the poorly air condition conference room to go over the equipment budget and upcoming expectations for the dry season, Levi had been surprised to have been pulled aside by the battalion chief afterward. Expecting some kind of reprimand for one of many instances surrounding his now infamous temper it came as even more of a shock when the chief said that he needed a favor. The battalion chief had been stationed here after a long stint in the New England area sometime shortly after his two adult daughters in college; he was old, the chief. On the cusp of retirement but just shy of filing out which lead him to coming down here.

Levi had absolutely now idea what any of this had to do with him until he went on to explain both his daughters were competitive equestrians sports, and when he had moved he had taken both animals down with him to be boarded locally. It had come to his attention that Levi was adept in horsemanship and would consider it a personal favor if he would go out whenever his schedule allowed to keep the horses active and used to a rider what with the chief getting on his years and his daughters across the country. Not wanting to feel beholden to anyone, especially not his superior Levi said he would do it not as a favor but what would be best for the animals. Privately, he was more than a little excited for the opportunity.

The boarding stables was more a large ranch situated a reasonable distance away from the city. Popular, too he learned because it offered private boarding as well as lessons open to the public whether you owned a horse or not. It was only a hassle to get to only because Levi didn't own a car, or a drivers license for that matter, and the bus only took him so far that he had to walk the last mile. He hadn't learned until after bringing both horses out of the stables however, that both horse and their respective disciplines were as as different as night and day.

Edelweiss was a liver chestnut Hanoverian mare bred for her elegant physique and even temper that made both horse and rider quite a name for themselves in the dressage circuit. Levi had settled to work with her for the day because the other horse was something of a mystery to him. Bruma was a younger gelding and skewbald Appaloosa with a thicker built and powerful legs meant for something called barrel racing who came with the caveat of a saddle setup that left him confused. Western riding was something that left him a little bewildered with how wildly different two disciplines for the same thing could be. Still, he had his riding boots on and both horses eager to be tacked with the entire day ahead of him to explore the sizable tracks of land. Walking Edelweiss out of the stable with tack and harness he considered if his reasonable skill with riding would translate well over to whatever the blessed hell barrel racing was. ]

II. SATURDAY OPEN - The one with the titty bar

[ There had been a large drought fire that afternoon in that risked taking out the whole block and a number of people had their department not intervened in time. When the fire died and the EMTs had leave to move and their station came back to switch shifts smelling like smoke and the wonderful sense of being alive that was when they had finally done it. They convinced Levi to come out with the squad for what had been sold to him as a small celebration for everyone making it out in once piece. They had been running him down for weeks trying to get him to 'loosen up' and stop being so uptight for once to just have a drink with the people he relied on to stay alive. Levi had always brushed them off, but finally agreed when thrown high and lucid by the indescribable feeling of something he had been a part off going off without a hitch.

He quickly learned just what a mistake he had made when they got there sometime around eight that evening. The place was named the Orange Basket, and Levi did not fully understand the name until a woman just out of her teens in an orange crop top that barely held anything together leaned in and asked him what he wanted to drink. Levi wanted to leave, but with Rosales anchoring him to their booth with his too big hands calloused and scarred because his Captain was convinced he could play guitar but couldn't and just sliced his fingers open on the metal strings in the break room every other day was not a man who could not be contested with. Levi ended up with a whiskey and Coke and his eyes firmly set on the table. Things only got worse after Bernal tried to convince one of the girls to kiss 'a real hero'. Levi jumped in to vehemently hiss at them all that it was not 'her fucking job.' Which was apparently that wrong thing to say because the only one she ended up kissing that night was Levi; a fat one just over his right cheekbone. He had no idea what industrial strength lipstick she had been wearing but it had refused to come off completely even after he ran over it when several wet wipes and napkins.

Levi was in hell and just wanted to finish his second whiskey and Coke and slink out before his squad started singing Daddy Yankee again, badly. Because that was all the radio played that could be heard over the game playing on eight flat screens and dominated every wall. For the first time in his life he tried to look as small as possible with his shoulders drawn up tight and his eyes glued to the football game he wasn't really watching. ]

III. NEXT WEDNESDAY CLOSED - Armin bonding time

[ It had been nearly a week until Levi took notice of the fact the small package had been meant for him, and nearly a month later before he started wearing the leather cuff bracelets Armin had gotten for him and listen to the thumb drive for of their usual screaming and political metal fare which he really rather enjoyed. It had been done for him, for him which he learned after checking the calender was, and he still didn't fully grasp the enormity of it: Father's Day. The entire incident left his thoughts upended and muddled for the next few days and not entirely sure how to proceed. Levi was not someone who could say they had a lot of experiences with receiving gifts, or anything like it for that matter. To him it felt like something that had to be repaid; a sort of action that left him beholden to Armin in some way. It was the only way he could rationalize it.

That night while he thumbed the supple crisscrossed leather of the bracelets that engulfed both of his wrists did he come to some kind of conclusion that abated his unshakable disquiet. Sonata Arctica was a metal band he had been positive had for one reason or another slipped by Armin's notice, and one he might enjoy. Swinging by the music store after his shift he purchased a iTunes gift card and the only CD of theirs they had in stock. Finding the house empty that night he reasoned he would just put it somewhere in Armin's room where it would be easy for him to find and leave the whole thing at that.

Armin's room used to have been his room until circumstances brought them into their home and Levi giving it to him rather than being left to the devices of strangers, and worse, Annie and Reiner. The situation had changed over time but Armin didn't move out and Levi had never asked him to. The room was a far cry from how he was when Levi had occupied it. For one, it looked actually lived in. Personalized with posters on the wall, a stereo on a new dresser that could fit the wide-ranging fashion choices of today’s youth even thought half his clothes were in a laundry basket- folded a week ago but had never been put away for a variety of excuses. At least he kept the place clean so Levi didn't pitch a fit there. The most 'Armin' thing about the room was the bookshelf that hadn't been there before and filled on every shelf with just about every non-fictional and fictional subject known to man. Some of them Erwin's, most of them hoarded from local library sales where Armin would come home with packing boxes stuffed with books purchased ridiculously cheap. A lot of them looked creased in the corners and spines, well-read and better cared for books not left to rot on the shelves.

That was where Levi ultimately decided to leave the gift card and CD, and to unconsciously start rummaging through Armin's personal library out of curiosity if nothing else. On the bottom shelf he found a small but sizable collection of colorful little bottles with tall white screw caps and strange names printed on the sides. Levi picked up one at random; it was black and creatively labeled 'oil spill.' He turned it over in his hand then twisted off the cap and took a cursory sniff of whatever was inside before hurriedly twisting it back on and stifling a gag. The smell was chemical and pungent and not at all what Levi expected as he dropped it on the thinly carpeted floor with a low thud. Whatever Armin was doing with something that smelled so bilious Levi wasn't sure he wanted to know. ]

IV. WILDCARD OPEN - Anything for July

[ Open prompt night. Any location around Heropa. ]

Comments

[blondtactician]

Reach out for the light, far beyond confines, you have read the magic lines...

[Armin's singing along with his headphones absently. Shoes off at the door, of course. He toes off his red sneakers, feeling a bit unhappy that they're starting to show signs of wear. He'd never seen anything that looked or felt as clean as the white rubber at the toes of his shoes.

He's lucky to have a job at the library where it's consistently air-conditioned, but even the commute back home is a bit of a humid mess. He can hear someone stirring upstairs, and doesn't think much of it, refilling his water bottle at the sink to take up to his room.]

Fleeing from the light in your mind...

[His heart only drops to his stomach with dread when he realizes Levi's in his room. An inspection? Armin keeps things relatively clean, but he's not used to having so many clothes and sometimes the laundry gets a little ahead of him. He prays Levi hasn't been making a thorough search of the place. Of course there's a banal sort of acceptance of masturbation (and therefore, smut) in the barracks, and Levi could be no stranger to the idea, but there are still certain things he'd rather not have his squad leader know about.

So it's actually sort of a relief to see Levi's looking at his nail polish.]

Sir...?

[alofts]

[ Levi pushed off his knees, sore for how thin the carpet was over hard wood and more solid foundation of concrete. He turns sharp on his heel to see Armin in the doorway of his own room, and still regards his own recruit that inhabited this very room as intruder. Who was he, to invade his own spontaneous inspection, anyway? The face he wore was a mask of invasive inspection and brutal dispassion as he looked Armin once over and again.

He took off his shoes before coming upstairs. At least he had taken something from those years drills and however many more Levi had pounded into him until routine and cleanliness were rendered into instinct. Almost, and so close, Levi had been brought down to something bordering into being impressed. ]

What the hell in this antiseptic smelling shit? [ Levi held up the bottle of nail polish so very not creatively labeled as oil spill black. He wasn't because no noses or furniture was left in pieces to imply he was angry. Only that this was the only way he projected genuine curiosity. ]

[blondtactician]

[Since arriving to Heropa Armin's acquired a fine dusting of freckles, the product of multiple sunburns and as much time out on the beach in the sun as he can. His posture hasn't changed, even in the loose, civilian clothes he favors.

He is alert, polite, and just glad he's not being taken to task for not having put his laundry away.]

Oh - that's nail polish. You've probably seen people wearing it. Mostly women.

A lot of folks in metal and rock bands like to paint them black, like that - men and women.

[alofts]

[ Levi takes short but encompassing strides across the room until he is practically looming over Armin were it not for the all of three centimeter difference dwarfing him. It was more presence than physicality that allowed him to stand tall against his subordinate. Grabbing his hands and holding them close against what little light the lamp on the nightstand allowed with the closed blinds. His brows furrowed and for whatever reason appeared displeased. ]

The left hand looks blotchy and uneven. Did you do this yourself? It's shit.

[ And then he yanked poor Armin by the wrist because his own dissatisfaction with a job half-done outweighed any personal comfort for his underlings. ]

ii.

[sacrificusdux]

[Erwin had just settled down for the night when he received the text, more accurately what he recognized the distress call from Levi. Even if it was only a few short words, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he began to text Levi back, making him way just for a few moments.]

I'm on my way, Levi. Be patient. [The last part was a comment he couldn't resist before he was up and getting changed. As much as he would comment about it later, he wouldn't ignore the request. He changed into slacks and a polo shirt, taking his time before he was heading down to the restaurant Levi had mentioned in his text. It wasn't difficult to find and he tucked the phone away after sending a text to Levi that he had arrived before stepping inside.]

Re: ii.

[alofts]

[ It was very possible the woman was angling for a large tip from literally the only man in the sports bar who had aggressively defended her honot but when she had brought around their second round of wings and beer she stopped in front of Levi. Sandwiched between Bernal and Castillo's weight, fat shoulders her was hard-pressed to resist as their waitress bent down and kissed Levi yet again above of his brow this time, against all of his anguished, flushed squirming. The entire bar cheered and raised their glasses while Levi wished nothing more than to shrink into non-existence.

He had texted Erwin but when one of the truck operators commented on the 'Captain America looking mother fuckers' coming in through the bar area had he desperately wished he had contact Hange instead. She would have been less of a spectacle even if she would have been louder. Hey, Short-stuff is that your dad? one of the rescue operators asked before Levi had time to duck back into his jack and Coke. ]

[sacrificusdux]

[Erwin ignored the distractions around him, the comments around didn't matter if they weren't useful to what he was there for. He doubted Levi was sitting out where he would be easily spotted and it wasn't difficult to spot a hunched over figure with familiar black hair when he passed by a table.

He noticed the smears across his skin, only sparing the waitress an even look before thanking her for her service and that she was no longer needed before his gaze fell back on Levi after a cursory glance at his companions.]

I assume you're ready to come home now, Levi.

[Oh, he would never be forgetting this.]

[alofts]

[ Levi spotted Erwin well before he made it to their booth, the blood flushing out of his face almost with every step the man took. Not knowing if this would have been a fantastic joke to either Erwin or his squad-mates, of if Erwin were really here to take him home the lines across Levi's brow and creases of his eyes deepened. Sharpened as he looked at him levelly like he wasn't smeared across the face with drying alcohol and lipstick. ]

I'm too half in it to call a cab. [ He had half-responded before Rosales yet again had him around the shoulders in his grizzly bear arms, hair and all. Shaking him and laughing. Esé, let's buy the old a round!, they yelled and if these hadn't been the men who had dragged his sorry ass out of the literal inferno he would have been inclined to level them then and there. ]

He's not a drinker, sit your ass down.

( iv. wildcard )

[huntergames]

[ It's quite boring when Connie's at work and unable to join Sasha in another adventure of exploring this land. Now that she's been fired from work and school's out (until summer school, so unfair), Sasha has way more time than she knows what to do with. At the grocery store she heeds Will Graham's warning, buys a couple of fruits and one of those turkey sandwiches, and sets off on her own back to the parking lot she's been visiting a lot recently.

There's no other good place as far as she knows for trying out these superpowers of hers, so it's back to sprinting up the pathway and as soon as she's within closing distance of the dumpster she adjusts her weight, bends her knees slightly and springs into the air. It's difficult to remain physically relaxed without the security of 3DMG strapped to her hips, so her body is more rigid than she means it to be.

Alas, she can already feel her feet being dragged down and her boots hit the pavement with a loud thud, her figure crouched low to keep from falling over. She wobbles a bit and groans loudly in disappointment.

This isn't working. ]

[alofts]

[ Roof hopping at odd hours was becoming something of an unshakeable habit of his that he knew would eventually set the eyes of the enagamtic American government running this imPort dog and pony unfavorable on him. With his status still firmly set as an upstanding Registered member of their little community, Levi didn't much care if he ruffled a few feathers working the kinks out of the new powers they had given him in the first place. As long as he held onto that shred of self-possession then anything else was not something he would be losing any sleep over.

Propeled off of a street lamp and skidding across the gravel lined roof top of a squat little corner grocery store. There is a moment where he assumes the crash below is just some cat that got a little too ambitious with its dumpster diving, that is until he catches the tail end of a very human groan of frustration. Leaned over the edge of the building as if weightless or some kind of especially dour puppet taut on its strings, is Levi, peering down at Sasha with something almost amused buried under all that vexation. ]

The hell is this?

[huntergames]

[ She's beginning to regret not bringing out her 3DMG for this again. Her kneecaps sting a little after the impact, so it takes her a second to straighten her legs out. Before she can lean over to begin rubbing that part of her legs, she registers a familiar, but unexpected voice from above that startles her, her back snapping into a straight posture in the presence of her superior officer. ]

... Captain.

[ She swallows, staying put akin to a deer caught in headlights. Or small prey trying and failing to go unnoticed in the open. How long has the Captain been standing there? While she didn't wind up upside down again, it's still unnerving to have Captain Levi's eyes focus directly on her. ]

I'm... practicing, sir.

[alofts]

[ The air cuts beneath his feet with a low pitched gale that peals through the narrow alleyway shouldered against the squat grocery store he leaped off of. Be it his own aptitude for this sort of maneuvering or his own tertiary permutations of abilities that allowed for inhuman durability is moot point, but which it was allowed to land softly some feet away from Sasha. ]

Harassing the trashcans?

[ It was clear from what snatches of events that has transpired he caught that Sasha was in possession of abilities similar to his own, and had been making the effort to work out the kinks before he showed up. Part of him knew he should be offering to assist at this point. Levi was not much for teaching; he lead by example more than anything if his famously abysmal tolerance for teamwork or glacial personality were any indication.

His thin brow quirks up oddly as he appraises Sasha's staggering back up. ]

It's the take off, isn't it? You're having trouble compensating for the lack of the 3DMG there to draw you up.

I.

[yseult]

[ Acclimating to the 21st century had been rocky for Sansa. Life in a Florida suburb was so drastically different from what she was accustomed to that she had almost been inclined to just lock herself away in her room for the majority of her stay. She had reflected upon many of the things she used to occupy the hours of the day with. Reading and embroidery were easy enough. She missed her walks in the garden, though; the parks in Heropa did not really live up to what she was used to. When she had mentioned to a native that she had occasionally watched jousting, they had laughed and informed her that she wouldn't likely find any of that outside of "Ren Faires"... whatever those were.

It had been nice to learn that horseback riding was not an unusual hobby, though it was less convenient than it had been back home. She could hardly keep a horse in the backyard of her house in Heropa, after all. With some assistance, she had arranged for a taxi to take her out to the stables.

There had been some concern when she had arrived in an ankle-length dress with no intention on compromising on her refusal to change into pants, but the riding instructor who was helping her to one of the horses seemed reassured once it became obvious enough that she knew what she was doing. ]

Re: I.

[alofts]

[ The dress was a bit dated even for Levi, but none to much that he saw anything especially off about her attire. Only that it was just the first thing he noticed about her at a distance as he walked Edelweiss up the greenway separating a large pasture and the main stable, leading her back up to the mounting block with his firm on her reigns. There was time enough in the day to the horse around the footpath that made up for the circumference of the ranch, but he settled to walk her back up to the stables for a reprieve.

She couldn't have been older than sixteen, and maybe as young as thirteen. Recruitment age by the look of her, but very much not built with the stock of the usual pool of young military hopefuls enough for him to consider her even an imPort. Until he saw the faintest and telltale blue glow from under the fine hem of her sleeves. He then concluded she was not simply some local with an eccentric leash on fashion, but another imPort. And if he had to guess someone who had come out here to escape the maddening overstimulate of the urban sprawl. ]

If you're going sidesaddle then they should have warned the main trail is going to leave you sore and that dress a real shitshow by day's end.

[ Levi commented, because of course he had to, as he brought Edelweiss up to the mounting block beside Sansa. The stable owned horses were even-tempered from being passed around from student to student so Levi didn't think twice about adjusting his own horse's tack so close to her. In spite of his scathing remark he too was dressed sharply in his own riding clothes down to the treated boots and the cravat he seldom found reason to wear these days. ]

Just tell them you're an imPort and they'll fall over themselves to get you squared away with rental trousers or something.

[yseult]

[ She did an adequate job at hiding her inherent flustered response at the language. At least her time masquerading as Alayne Stone had taught her a thing or two about life outside of the circles of nobility, where people were much less likely to think twice before tossing vulgarities about in conversation. ]

It is how I learnt to ride. I've never done it any other way.

[ The suggestion makes her pause. She certainly had many individuals suggesting that she buy some jeans after she had inquired about 21st century fashion on the network, but it's still a concept that she struggles with. She had always frowned upon Arya's proclivity for dressing like a boy, and it seemed like her world had been turned upside-down when she found the other imPorts encouraging such behaviour. ]

I was taught that trousers are unladylike.

[alofts]

Trousers are unladylike, but they're also practical. [ He could imagine the Sina elite finding fault and blanching seeing so many young women in the service going months upwards to years without ever seeing a skirt. There was nothing wrong with a dress, but Levi imagined it could be comfortable when in a saddle. ] It's important to decide now if you're going to dress how you please, or how you think you should.

[ Levi gathered almost right away this girl had to have been born into wealth and privilege, and all the practiced niceties dictating her every action. That hardly got him to sympathize with her situation, but it explained her behavior. Why have all that wealth if it just meant you had to act so stiff every waking moment? ]

Fine. [ Lines creased deep into his brow; he wasn't annoyed, but something about the way he spoke implied he felt he was taking up some bothersome task. ] There is a trail flatter than the main trail that runs a little shorter. It's used to practice jumps but should be clear today.

IV -- July 5th

[fieldresearch]

[Prepare yourself, Levi, for the most unsettling text message you may ever get. Or, rather, a series of text messages.]

levi

levi

hey

levi

[ad infinitum until he answers]

Re: IV -- July 5th

[alofts]

[ It's like eight in the morning and he spent all night putting out the mistakes of firework enthusiasts. Fucking god, Hange. He sent exactly one reply back before rolling back into bed. ]

no.

Re: IV -- July 5th

[fieldresearch]

I haven't even told you what im thinking about yet!! but i guess i can send you another message in a few hours

[true to her word, she lets him sleep another three hours or so. Then;]

WAKE UP SLEEPY HEAD :) :) :)

its morning

the sun is shining the ocean is beautiful and i found a big open field out in the middle of nowhere. there's a lot of that in florida.

you know what that means!

I

[vaccination]

[Getting to the stables was an adventure in its own right, but Ellie makes it there eventually. New areas have her on edge. She's constantly looking over her shoulder as she walks in the general direction she thinks Levi might be in, sneakers kicking up dust. It doesn't occur to her to wear anything but her usual jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt, even if it's a bit hot--and she's still not used to the humidity here. It sucks, but Ellie's used to some level of discomfort.

It doesn't take long before she spots Levi, and she lifts an arm in a slightly-awkward wave when she nears. With so little socializing outside of Joel for so long, getting used to other people and all that comes with interacting with them is taking her some time. She's never been a social butterfly.

But hey, she's trying. That's why she's here.]

[alofts]

Took you long enough.

[ In actuality it didn't, but as Levi came striding up to the mounting block with both Edelweiss and Bruma gripped tight by the reigns under their harness. He was only ornery by virtue of waiting more than a second longer than he intended. ]

Meet Bruma. [ He jerked just an inch of the skewbald Appaloosa's harness towards Ellie to indicate which was which. ]

Now get your ass in the saddle before this poor bastard falls into entropy.

[vaccination]

[In the short time that she's known Levi, Ellie's come to figure out that he just talks like that: bluntly. Plainly. It's nice in a weird way, kind of reminding her of Joel. A lot of the people here talk to her like she's a kid. While technically that might be true, she'd bet her paycheck that she's done a lot of shit that no kid they know has done.

Anyway, he's comment gets nothing more but a slight roll of her eyes. She was prompt enough.]

You don't seem too happy with this job.

[She gives Bruma a pat on the neck before heading for the saddle. She misses Callus, and she misses Princess, too. That poor horse was probably dead by now too, used by soldiers too rough and too impatient.]

CLOSED | Bradbury

[alofts]

[ When the call came in that there was cat stuck in a tree, Levi was tempted to ask if it had either been a prank call playing on the old maxim. Or if there was really a cat out their too afraid to climb down with an owner too stupid to own a ladder in their garage. It being the latter, and in the imPort residential area no less, Levi was the one who volunteered to go along if just to see this for himself. Piling into the smaller brush unit truck with a ladder thrown into the back, he could only let his imagination run wild as to what and fool whoever made that call must feel like.

Parking at the curb outside the residence, Levi was the first out of the truck and already making his way up the long before the ladder was brought out. And sure enough as he approached an old oak baking in the summer heat he could hear a cat meowing frantically up into the dead branched. Levi sighed, exhausted and long-suffering as he looked for a branch that could support his weight. ]

Has the owner shown up? I might just throw their sorry ass up there with the cat.

[waiting]

[ Bradbury was well aware of the stupidity of the situation at hand, really. The saddest thing about the whole affair was that it wasn't even really his cat -- he'd been taking Terror out for a walk, and they'd just been about ready to get back inside the house, when the terrier had suddenly torn free of his leash and chased a cat up a tree.

By the time Levi got on the scene, Bradbury was standing by the tree and rubbing his temples, not looking up... until he heard that voice, which plucked at an idle memory, and he blinked, frowning. ]

I don't know who owns it, actually. I was kind of hoping we'd be able to figure that out once we get it down.

[ He did remember seeing a collar on the cat before it shot up into the tree. But more hey, he remembered this guy. Hard to forget a killer stare like that. His name, on the other hand, was a little harder to summon from the depths of memory. Revise? Levi's? Something like that, anyway. ]

[alofts]

And the super-powered neighbors, or a ladder just passed your notice when you called us out here?

[ Levi sniffed, mood going further south when he noticed the branches both lacked the girth and were too tried out in the summer heat to support his weight. That removed his own powers from the equation. That killer stare fell on Bradbury when the only one in vicinity of his piss poor attitude happened to be him. ]

I'll get the ladder from the truck.

[ Walking back down to the brush truck, and returning with all the heavy weight of the collapsible ladder balanced over Levi's shoulder as he took it in stride. It was then coming back up to the tree where the cat mewled and hissed with a strong voice for such tiny lungs that a glint of recognition lit up Levi's eyes when he turned back to Bradbury. ]

I know you- White Russian.