maskormenacelogs

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open!

WHO:Connie Springer and open!
WHERE:the trains that run between the cities. or through the cities. pick a train, any train. Connie thinks they're recreational fun!
WHEN:this week, various days. he only works part time so he has lots of days off.
WHAT:just riding around on the trains chatting at people and marveling at modern technology! IT GOES FAST! LOOK AT THE SCENERY FLYING BY!
WARNINGS:possible attack on titan spoilers?

Connie gets up early that day to catch the very first train out of the station. He doesn't have to work that day, and he's excited to spend it exploring something new but not quite so new that he can't understand it. He buys a ticket all the way to the end of the line. Money well spent!

There's so much of this new country he hasn't seen yet. He's seen the trains go by though, and they're so fast! He can't wait to see it. Traveling just for the want of traveling is such an incredible luxury. He's never experienced it before. He decides to spend the whole day that way. Why not? If this place is home now he might as well try to get to know it.

He hops on board the train eagerly and plops down next to a random stranger while he waits for the conductor to come through and check the tickets. He also leans forward, nearly over the passenger beside him, to see what's out the window from where they are.

It's probably just the train station receding into the distance as they pull away. Or just passing scenery. Sorry about that.

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Annie hadn't looked up from her book when Connie first sat down. She didn't want to lose her place in the paragraph, reading through to the end before glancing over at her fellow passenger.

She blinks, mouth opening a little in surprise. This isn't where she expects to see anyone from home, let alone on her self-granted downtime day. She wants a quiet day in a different location where it's difficult for people to catch up with her. She's even left her communicator at home, wanting to be difficult to track by anyone other than the government responsible for the tattoo at her wrist.

"Ah... do you mind?" Voice mild, she pulls her head back, closing the book around her finger. Annie is forever wearing hoodies, and this time is no exception. She may in fact have very little else in her wardrobe. "It's considered rude to lean across someone to look out the window, if you don't know them well." Or are older than the age of five.

She leaves that part out for now, holding herself still and watching for his reaction.

Connie actually startled at that unexpected voice. No...it couldn't be. But it was. There was Annie, right in the seat beside him. He leaned back, casting the view out the window a forlorn glance. She wasn't even using it! She was just wasting it on a book!

"We could trade." He suggested. Which probably wasn't what he was supposed to say if he ran across Annie alone like this, but he wasn't sure what he was expected to do instead. Befriend her, apparently. But how? They'd never been friends anyway. Annie was always kind of a bitch. Wasn't just making pleasant conversation good enough?

Assuming that she didn't think trading seats was asking for too much anyway. Maybe he could even call it manipulation in his report. Isn't that what manipulation was? Getting people to do what you wanted?

He tried using wide eyes at her. Manipulatively, maybe. She was hogging the good seat and not even letting him share. Sasha made a way better traveling companion.

Annie looked completely unimpressed by Connie's wide eyes. She'd never had anything against Connie, in particular; they'd never talked before he'd been involved with Reiner and acting under what she presumes are orders... but not necessarily from Erwin.

Hange? Levi? Both remained disturbing answers.

She considered his request for the sake of it, looking out the window to the passing scenery. Annie liked the sunlight that came through on this side of the car, a gentle kind of warmth she appreciated between the occasional shakes and rattles of the train.

She sighed, hefting herself forward, out of her seat.

"Fine." Annie rested her book on top of the headrest for the unoccupied seat in front of her. Someone sat in the seat directly in front of Connie - they looked over, and she inclined her head toward them in polite recognition.

Nothing to think hard on here, sir. Nothing but two people changing seats. Hopefully it'd get him to shut up.

No way! It really worked? Score! Connie ducked under Annie's arm and slid into her now unoccupied seat before she could change her mind. Ooh, it was all toasty warm already too. Nice. And when he turned to look out the window now he had an even better view than he had when he was leaning over before! He grinned at it, then he remembered that he was technically sharing a seat with the enemy. Right, yeah. He should pay attention. Just as soon as he couldn't see the water anymore...

"Where does it end?"

Annie looks up a few beats later, book open again in her lap after she'd taken the seat Connie had vacated. She'd considered moving away altogether, but the hassle in a mostly full car wasn't worth the energy expended.

She didn't know why it was she expected he'd be a quieter companion. After all, she remembered Connie in all his time through training. She closed her eyes, keeping her sigh internal.

"Where does what end?" He was leaving the question too broad for her tastes. The water was the obvious answer, but she preferred for him to state it plainly.

Mike certainly hasn't expected to run into the same kid again on a train out of Heropa of all places. He does his best to press his back into the cushion of the chair when Connie leans over to look out the window. It's only when he remains there for a few seconds too long that he says, awkwardly. "Excuse me."

Sasha can't remember their intended destination anymore as once she's joined Connie on those trains she's been hearing about, her thoughts are preoccupied with just how utterly amazing it is. It's vaguely reminiscent of a carriage, only Sasha has likely never seen the interior of the ones the richer folk use when they travel. She oohs and awes at its sleekness and how roomy it is before she plants her butt down on a comfortable seat.

There's a lot to discuss with her best friend, about the Captain's plans regarding Annie and Reiner, about Eren not knowing what they know, and this world in general ― but from the moment the train begins to speed off, Sasha is glued to the window.

"Wowwwww!" she grins, "And these go to other cities?"

Connie doesn't mind Sasha snagging the window seat, because he doesn't think she'll complain too much if he leans over into her space to stare outside too. Trains are new and magical things to them both, after all. The scenery just whizzes by! It's so much fun!

For a minute he forgets to answer, listening to that click-clacking sound and enjoying the way the train vibrates as it takes up speed. He can see the other end of it as they start around a bend...it's HUGE. Wow.

Eventually, though, he remembers that Sasha asked him something. He grins up at her and gives an enthusiastic nod. "They go dozens of places." But there's more, and he takes a long pause to tease her before he adds what he knows will be her favorite part. "And there's a snack cart."

It's a snack car, actually, but he got the important word right.

Connie unfortunately grew up with brothers and then shipped right out to military training at the age of twelve. He's not as aware as some might be that most people require a certain amount of personal space. Evidently.

When he glances up (only now wondering who his neighbor is) he sees a face that he recognizes, and smiles at the sight. Hey, it's that guy he met on the first day! "Mornin' Mr. Mike! Where are you going to?"

"You know," Connie points out the window, either oblivious or indifferent to Annie's annoyance with I'm. He gestures to the massive body of water they're click-clacking past. "All of that."

Maybe he can even convince her to put the book down and take a look. The train ride and their surroundings are far more interesting than studying anyway.

She latches onto the word "snack" and everything else is white noise in that moment. Sasha turns to peer at Connie, almost mechanical in movement, her jaw hanging open and eyes burning with the usual deep seated desire for food.

"Snack," she repeats. "What kind of snacks?"

Tough it hardly matters when she's never been a picky eater to start with. She's trying new foods everyday, but she devours everything with the same eagerness she would a loaf of bread or potato. Everything tastes more strongly, too, and she's unsure if it's due to being unaccustomed to the food or if it's preparation differs that greatly from the way they do back home. She assumes the latter given the technology.

Suddenly, Will Graham's warning comes to mind. She adds: "Do we have to pay?"

Edited 2014-07-03 10:48 (UTC)

It's Sasha, so Connie doesn't hold back from rolling his eyes. She knows not to take it too seriously. "Yeah you have to pay. Unless someone buys it for you. And don't look at me!"

As for the kinda of snacks, there are lots. Most of them are unfamiliar to Connie. He's learning quickly that he really enjoys anything called a sandwich. Even if most of them make him sick after he eats theme they still taste really good.

"North Carolina." Mike answers, noting with some bemusement that Connie still hasn't moved. "First time on a train?"

Connie isn't aware enough to realize he's confusing Mike either, but he nods with some enthusiasm to answer the question. Then he contradicts himself. "No, it's the second time! I took it once to see Reiner. That's in North Carolina too. Do you know Reiner?"

"I'm not familiar with the name." Mike is resigning himself to the fact that Connie is only going to move when he wants to so he just bears with it. It's not like the kid is annoying anyway, just excitable? "What were you doing there?" Small talk. He can handle this.

"What sort of friend are you?" she turns her nose up, but it's not done seriously. Connie and Sasha would never fight over something like this anyway. "Jean bought me lunch. Jean of all people!"

As surprised as she is to recount that meal shared with the bristly, arrogant Jean Kirstein, there's traces of amusement in Sasha's voice as she tells Connie.

"Besides, I have money. Honestly!" Sasha digs into the only pocket available on her clothes, which is on her blouse, and pulls out some small bills. "See?"

She stares out the window, expression difficult to read. Annie keeps her book open in her lap, palm spread out over the center, holding it in place. She has an answer for his question. She debates the worth of opening up that conversation.

"Hundreds of miles away. You can look at the maps they have of this world. The oceans cover most the surface."

"That jerk." Connie grumbles, because c'mon already. But he's not going to explain to Sasha why a guy like Jean would usually offer to buy a trash tip-a woman- like Sasha a nice meal.

Just kidding, he's obviously going to tell her. He elbows her lightly and laughs, "Hey, congratulations. He must've moved on from Mikasa, huh?" But he's not teasing about everything. There really is food. When Sasha pulls out the cash, Connie nods and leads the way. They might as well get something for the trip, right?

Woah. Connie doesn't day it out loud, but he cranes his neck to stare until he can't possibly see it any more. His much surface does the world have if all the land in the world doesn't even make up most of it? There seems to be a lot of land here, and it's not even all the land they know. It's outside land, but maybe even farther away than that. It's the kind of thing that makes his brain want to stop thinking about anything at all.

He decides to change the subject, but the problem is it's impossible to make small talk with Annie. "Are you allowed to talk to us?"

It's a dumb question. There's no one in charge of Annie here. She can do anything she wants to. It's not the same for them.

She screws up her face and gently elbows Connie right back. "As if! I bet the second Mikasa finally shows up he's going to back to making goo-goo eyes at her."

She follows Connie closely, peering over his head (which isn't a difficult feat) for this food cart and what kinds of snacks they're serving on the train. She hopes it's sandwiches, the kind she finds in the grocery store. Especially those turkey ones.

"Hey, do these trains pass by the farms? There's got to be farms nearby these cities to have all this food."

Hmm, tough question. The real answer is that it was a spy mission, but Connie is pretty sure he's probably not supposed to tell things like that to civilians. Even if this guy doesn't come across as strictly a civilian.

"We used to be friends at home. I went to talk to him." He's proud of his answer. It's true and it doesn't give a mission away and it even sounds plausible. "What're you going for?"

It's enough of an answer for Mike. "I'm just visiting. I wanted to see what the other cities are like." The Porter cities first. Then the non-Porter ones.

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open!

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let me know if this is okay! 29th + labeling this with aot spoilers.

totally fine! (he loses a tooth sometime on the 29th but it doesn't have to happen here haa)

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or it can go to the 30th or 28th. i am not picky!

whups sorry! (28th?)

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