make no excuses

[gevurah]

WHO: KATE and REINER
WHERE: Just outside downtown Heropa.
WHEN: Afternoon of 4/29.
WHAT: Soldiers and warriors.
WARNINGS: AoT spoilers, probably.

---

[ At some point while she's baking under the intensity of the afternoon sun, Kate has to peel off her jacket and shirt, leaving herself down in jeans and a tank top slightly damp with her own sweat. She tosses the jacket and shirt atop the hood of her car where it joins her purse and some other belongings. The car sits at the edge of the street, technically in a no parking zone, but it was the only place Kate could park the car in before it finally went kaput on her. She's tried to jump start it to no avail and even went digging into the hood, the tools in her back seat.

Damn her luck with this car. It's been one problem after another.

She's also been waiting nearly an hour for the tow truck to arrive. Impatiently, she checks her watch, bracing herself against the car. Chances are with this airborne virus still within the city that plenty of services like this one have been slowed down. Kate shouldn't be without a flu mask, but there's little she can do until the tow arrives. ]

Comments

[soldiarity]

Yeah, they probably do.

[ Reiner doesn't move, though, standing there still with his arms crossed and looking at the state of her car. He's not blind to the tension in the air, he can tell she's being guarded with him because he tends to expect that from people more than he ever actually encounters. It's weird to him, and oddly relieving that someone is actually treating him the way he should be treated. ]

If I go into the quarantine zone, that means I can't leave it again until it's lifted, right? I've dealt with that sort of thing before -- those people aren't going anywhere. [ He looks at her. ] Do you need help moving your car?

[gevurah]

No, I ―

[ Kate falters, almost perplexed by Reiner's offer. It's been a long time since they've spoken, so she wonders how much he's changed since. From what she recalls, he genuinely wanted to do better. She can't pretend Reiner doesn't have blood on his hands, but the circumstances are too vague for her to determine whether or not he did what he did willingly. ]

I called a tow. They said they were coming. [ A disapproving look. ] It was something like an hour ago.

[ And it's hot and it's quite possible that unusually pale skin of hers is starting to gain some colour from being under the sun so long. ]

[soldiarity]

[ That answer causes Reiner's brow to furrow, and he shifts his weight again onto one leg so that his hip sticks out to one side.

He offers a possibility: ]

They might be caught behind the quarantine, or on the other side of it. In which case, who knows how long you'll be stuck out here. [ And it is a bit out of the way, not to mention hot. ] Do you know what's wrong with it? I don't know a lot about cars, but I'll help with what I can.

[gevurah]

[ It is quite possible and had this not been an inconvenient location for the car to die on her, she would have left it and come back tomorrow or at a later day for it. Kate looks up and down the street, as if the tow truck will magically appear at this very instant. ]

Not too sure what the problem is this time. It's a used car and has been giving me trouble since I got it.

[ She braces herself against the hood of the car. ]

It's probably dead for certain this time.

[soldiarity]

If that's the case, then you'll definitely need help moving it. Unless you're thinking of just abandoning it here on the side of the road and walking.

[ Walking until... what? They find another phone? A bus? Another method of transportation? Whatever it is Kate might be thinking, Reiner can't guess. ]

Or we can try to jump start it? What would that take?

[gevurah]

If there was a working car nearby then I could give it a shot.

[ But there aren't any cars down this particular block, so Kate may have to leave it after all. She pushes herself off the hood to begin gathering her things, pulling the driver's seat open to fetch the keys that have been sitting uselessly for the past hour. ]

... it'll be fine. If I get a ticket I can contest it since the city is under a crisis.

[ She looks over Reiner, eyeing him closely this time. ]

You should be watching out for yourself.

[soldiarity]

Not any that I've seen. I don't think anyone will be coming this way for a while, though, so your car should be safe enough right here until you can come back with help.

[ He rests his hands on his hips, looking forward down the horizon just in case, on the off-chance (perhaps) that the quarantine has come down while they've been standing here talking. Doesn't seem like it, though; it's quiet. Too quiet.

Reiner turns his head back to Kate. ]

Huh? Watching out for what?

[gevurah]

[ She can't afford to wait around any longer either being exposed out here. There's also the matter of the dog back in the apartment who's late for a feeding.

Kate slips the keys into her purse once she's done locking it. She throws it over her shoulder, another hand trailing up to her hair to push back her bangs, both the strands and her forehead sticky with sweat. ]

A soldier needs to watch his own back, otherwise he can't help others.

[ Don't get sick, Reiner. ]