we were born to break the doors down

[soldiarity]

WHO: REINER BRAUN and YOU / VARIOUS
WHERE: Various places in Heropa and Nonah
WHEN: June 1st - June 14th
WHAT: Various things! Sparring, school, shopping, ssssurprises. Let me know if you'd like an individualized starter.
WARNINGS: Will ETA if necessary. AoT spoilers.

⒈ ( A FOREST IN NC | CLOSED to NO1 )

[ It's probably a mistake, but Reiner hadn't been able to stop himself. Meeting people here who seem to come from a similar situation, boast powers or histories reminiscent to his own, makes Reiner feel both curious and wary -- the familiarity is both a comfort and a grim reminder of what a facade his own humanity really is.

In which case, it's good to get a measure on any fellow monsters here.

Still, it had been an impulsive offer, perhaps a reckless one, and Reiner had told Annie about his "sparring" session with No1 so that she could observe if she so chose. Best to have a spotter in cases like this; it was impossible to be too careful. North Carolina, luckily, is not overly populated with imPorts at present, so it seems the better location. Reiner found a forest where they could meet and got in contact with No1 to tell her where and when she could find him, and that's where he waits for her today. He's dressed very plainly, standing in a clear and isolated part of the forest in case he finds himself needing to shift at any point.

Though hopefully his own strength will be sufficient without that. ]


⒉ ( HEROPA'S HIGH SCHOOL | CLOSED to MINAKO )

[ Reiner isn't stupid, not really -- he's actually quite sharp when he needs to be, particularly in any subject he's ever had to be sharp in, but when it comes to normal schooling, he is definitely a step or two or three behind the rest of the class. Some of the subjects he finds easy, some of them he finds extremely boring, and some are simply incomprehensible for someone unfamiliar with this world and coming into class so late in the year. The latter two types of classes stress him out, because it's difficult for Reiner not being good at something. Sometimes he simply skips those classes and leaves school early, and sometimes he sits through them with his head hurting and his mind desperately trying to absorb historical and geographical facts that mean absolutely nothing to him.

Minako's offer to tutor him, therefore, comes as a great relief. He knows, in addition to simply the status that comes from doing well, that good marks are needed both to participate in extracurricular sports and to graduate school at all, both things that interest him much more than these classes themselves. It's worth the effort. As he waits for her he takes a seat outside against the side of the building rather than in the crowded lunch hall when the bell rings, his books in a neat pile that he rests his feet upon like a stool. ]


⒊ ( HEROPA'S HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY | CLOSED to ELLIE )

[ The protective, older brother-like instincts come a little too naturally to Reiner still, a fact he reminds himself isn't a particularly good habit to continue indulging. He's not that person anymore, he has to remember not to fall into the same traps. It's just not his job to help everyone.

But all that said and done, when the agreed upon day arrives, Reiner is ready to meet Ellie and fulfill his promised offer to show her the school's library, if not a tour of the school itself. The building is large and brick, offset from the school by a short walk across a close-clipped and over-watered lawn, and it boasts glass doors and large, open windows. At this time of day there are only a few students inside, only those with free or study hall periods, so it seems like the ideal time. He'll wave upon seeing her, but hopefully she knows more or less who and what to look for. ]


⒋ ( THE HEROPA MALL | CLOSED to ARMIN )

[ More and more, Reiner tries to remind himself of the dangers in getting too comfortable with Armin's company; he knows the hazards of trusting Armin, and knows they are more than likely warranted, too. After all, Armin had been there on the Wall. Barring that, Commander Erwin and Captain Levi were here, and even Jean knew the truth about Reiner and Annie. Even Connie.

This friendship they maintain wears a mask, but for Reiner it's one split down the middle; the mask that knows it's a lie, and the mask that prefers the lie. Were there no benefit to Armin's company Reiner would reconsider, but the fact is he finds himself needing that small escape from the knowledge of who he really is and all that he's done. Even if it's temporary.

Reiner's thinking idly about this -- not only Armin, but the various 104th cadets he and Annie find themselves surrounded by -- as he finishes up work for the day, earlier than usual because he left school early, and as if conjured up by his thoughts he notices Armin on the opposite block from him. That's right, Armin had been suspended, hadn't he...? Reiner watches him for a moment before he raises an arm to wave. ]

Hey, Armin!


⒌ ( CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE / HEROPA OR NONAH | OPEN )

[ Tell me what you want what you really really want. ]

Comments

[bullysandwicher]

[ When Noi got the message, she was on the move right away. These past few days have been far too boring, far too annoying and this could be the most exciting thing she would do in days.

Per usual, she is wearing her mask, that one thing she never takes off… if ever. Being surrounded by humans, the mask is what labels her as Magic user and Devil’s follower, so she never takes it off. Her clothes don’t vary much from what she also wears nearly every time; a dark track suit, since it’s the best thing to wear when fighting, with “NO1” stamped on its back. This, and the fact that she is around 6'10, is the reason why everyone thinks she’s a man.
However, she didn’t leave home unprepared. Before leaving, Noi grabbed all the food she could and as she headed to the forest, she made sure to eat as much as she could. And also save some for latter, at least.

When she finally arrives, Noi has her mask liften up just enough to expose her mouth, and is basically wolfing down some hamburgers, while she carries a bag with more food inside. When sorceress spots the other, she rises her arm to greet him ]

Hey!

[soldiarity]

[ Before he even turns his head, Reiner has his arm up to return the wave. He greets back: ]

Hey! You made it -- no trouble finding your way, right? [ Though seeing her in person finally, what catches Reiner off-guard more than the mask is her sheer size. He's pretty tall himself, particularly for a fifteen-year-old, but she's still got about nine inches on him. He rolls his shirtsleeves up and rubs one hand with the other, acknowledging in his mind the increasing likelihood he might have to shift at least slightly for them to be more evenly matched. ] What's with all the food?

[ In case he was staring. He's not sure. ]

[bullysandwicher]

Well, it's good to have a lot of energy before a match, right? [ noi sounds pretty excited about it, too! But she decides to be polite enough and rise the hand holding the bag towards Reiner ]

Do you want some? I have some fries, burgers, fried chicken, cake, donuts, tuna sandwiches, and something they call "brownies". [ so, she eats a lot ]

[soldiarity]

You have a point there. But--

[ It's cutting it a little close, he means to say -- he doesn't usually eat that soon before. Still, he looks at the offered food curiously, figuring why not?

He grins, shrugging his shoulders before he nods. ]

Maybe just a burger -- I'll feel sick if I fight on a full stomach. Thanks. [ He reaches for one. ] Is any of this for later?

[bullysandwicher]

Alright. [ Noi opens the bag to grab a burger for both of them. And after giving Reiner his, she pulls her mask off, allowing her white hair to fall down. The red eyes almost make her look like an albino, but Noi's skin tone is pretty normal and she doesn't seem to mind the sun at all. ]

Yeah! After sparring I'm usually pretty hungry. [ you are always hungry, Noi ] You can eat some after, too. I don't mind.

[soldiarity]

[ Reiner plucks the burger from her, looking at Noi curiously once she pulls off her mask. He isn't sure, really, what he was anticipating to be hiding under there, but he's vaguely surprised all the same. More and more, she reminds him of someone that -- where he comes from -- could have been a titan. ]

Me too. We could have a picnic or something. [ It seems kind of ridiculous, but it is just a spar after all, not a fight. Reiner finishes his burger in a few large, quick bites before he cracks his knuckles and flexes an arm. ] Let me know when you're ready, yeah?

[ofloveandbeauty]

[Minako has never tutored anyone cause well, being at the bottom of her class meant not many people sought her out for tutoring. But today she would get to tutor a cute guy, how could her life get any better?

She had grabbed some good history books, books Ami most likely would have liked to read. She could at least try to help Reiner get some kind of foundation which he seemed to lack. She couldn't imagine coming in from an entirely different world, it must be hard catching up.

Books in her arms, it wasn't difficult to find him once the bell rang for lunch outside. At least it's nicer out here, less noisy.]

Hi there! You're here for studying right?

[She greeted him with a bright smile, waving cheerfully.]

[soldiarity]

[ When he sees her, Reiner smiles in return and waves with his fingers, nodding his head agreeably. He sits up, removing his feet from his books so that they can actually be open and read when comes the time. Also, so that he looks more serious about this learning thing. ]

You're my teacher, right? Hey. [ He offers his hand to her. ] Do your worst -- I'll try to keep up.

[ofloveandbeauty]

That's right, I'm Minako! [When he offered his hand, she took it both of hers to shake up and down, maybe a little too hard but what could she say, she was excited.]

Great! Do you want to study here or maybe we can go sit down somewhere? [She offered, glancing over at some picnic tables set out outside for students which were deserted.]

[soldiarity]

Reiner.

[ He barely notices her exuberant handshake, but follows her glance, looking over at the tables and cocking his thumb in that direction. ]

Over there looks good. Might as well get a table, the ground isn't exactly soft. Doesn't bother me much, but-- [ He raises an eyebrow, motioning with his arm. ] I bet the light's better over there, too.

[ofloveandbeauty]

Perfect! [Minako nodded before leading the way.] And it's always good to be comfortable while you're studying, less distractions!

[Says the girl with manga sandwiched between the pages of her chemistry book so she could read them during class.]

4.

[blondtactician]

[Unsurprisingly, it's a book store display that has Armin's attention. Works all day with books, spends his free time reading books, and still, here he is. Contemplating an e-reader, actually, because he's simply running out of space to put all the books. Could he actually give up the feeling, the weight of a book in his hands?]

Reiner!

[Armin smiles and waves, approaching with a warm demeanor. Here we go again, he thinks, with both a sense of dread and strange thrill.]

What are you doing out of class?

[soldiarity]

[ Having just finished up with work, Reiner's skin has a slightly overheated glow to it, although his regeneration ability makes short work of any visible sun damage. He strikes his palm once across his forehead anyway to relieve it of any excess moisture before letting both arms rest at his sides. ]

Ah, it was boring, so I left early to get my work done. As long as I'm down here, you know? [ In Heropa, that is. ] Better than making a whole 'nother trip on the weekend. I was just finishing up.

[ He smirks a little, showing Armin the decent wad of cash, tips included, he procured that afternoon. ]

How long are they keeping you out for?

[blondtactician]

For the rest of the year. I think they're going easy on me because I'm an imPort, honestly. Their rules against fighting are pretty stringent.

[Armin looks suitably impressed at the wad of cash. He doesn't earn tips at the library of course. He has to wonder if Reiner's earning so much money due to his work ethic, which wouldn't be surprising. Or maybe he does his work with his shirt off?]

Whoa, you made all of that today? I must be in the wrong line of work... [Armin titters, and tries to push all irrelevant, unsafe, strategically unimportant images out of his head.]

Are you just killing time on your own? [Is Annie around?] I ruined one of my shirts during the fight, so I figured I'd buy a new one...

[soldiarity]

[ It sounds like a while before Reiner remembers that the school year, as they call it, is nearly over. He nods his head, putting his money away and his hands on his hips. ]

It's rough work, but my clients are pretty generous. I wouldn't have expected it just from cutting grass and digging holes.

[ Among other things, but the details aren't important. He nods again. ]

Trying to make up my mind between going home and buying a jacket, so if you want some company I wasn't rushing back.

[blondtactician]

It is a little surprising. To think they were treating us like we were lucky to get gruel when we were digging holes as refugees... I guess it really is a different world.

[Armin's gaze is distant for a moment, as if he could truly lose himself trying to comprehend the space between their different lives. He laughs and shakes himself of the strange mood. He nods in a direction left of where they're standing, starting to stroll in that direction.]

A jacket, hm? I'm guessing a light one for summer?

Is it that much colder in Nonah? I guess I won't see you much after the school year ends...

[vaccination]

[People here are much more friendly and open than she's used to, but she figures out that the guy waving at her must be Reiner. She's already skipped school more than she's attended, though she finds herself more and more willing to sit inside a classroom when she remembers that Tess is here and trying to play guardian.]

Hey.

[It's her usual greeting.]

Uh, sorry if I'm late. Still figuring my way around this place.

[soldiarity]

Don't worry about it, it's easy to get lost around here. The school is bigger than any other building I've ever been inside back home.

[ He says it offhand, but it may not be an exaggeration; not that bigger buildings didn't exist, but he himself never had much reason to be in them. The same goes for this one, really -- Reiner isn't against learning, but there's a sizable difference between learning something because you need to know it and learning just because you can.

He steps away from the wall, indicating the door with his thumb before he grasps the door handle. ]

Plenty of room for books, though. I like it better in here, anyway.

[vaccination]

[She's been in abandoned malls and hotels, so the size doesn't do much for her. She does give the building another glance over, though.]

So there's nothing like this where you're from?

[At least she still had the skeletons of places like this.]

[soldiarity]

We have libraries, but not like this. It's not about reading for fun so much, except for anyone who finds reading fun all the time.

[ Not his thing, clearly. ]

You know, history, books about the world... I never read a whole lot of stories. The kind that aren't supposed to be real. [ He raises an eyebrow curiously, then looks at the building again. ] Here they have plenty of those.

late...with starbucks. just kidding it's annie

[notmymom]

[Connie is a good soldier. He worked hard at his training (almost all of his training) and made it into the top ten. He screws up in battle sometimes, but it's not because he doesn't show up. He just isn't great with theory.

He doesn't understand this order. He doesn't like it. But...he's a good soldier. At least he was. Right...?

He's not supposed to object to orders. Hadn't they just finished that conversation before he got here? Even if the orders are awful or confusing, they can't win this by questioning them. So, here he is. Knocking on the door to the building where Reiner is supposed to live.]

annie is a topless mermaid from seattle - let me know if this is okay!

[lyingheart]

[ She's not expecting anyone, per say, and so when Annie looks up from the books that give her headaches she almost can't sleep off at the end of the night, it's with a thoughtful pursuing of her lips as she examines the door. She pushes back from the table, moving on light, quiet feet toward one of the front windows with an angle out to the front door. Who is it? Not the mailman. Probably not Slurpee Guy.

Connie is not who she expects to see. But... she steps away from the window. What games are you playing now? It's a question for all of the commanding officers from back home. She's not sure why she thinks Levi first, except for the fact that Levi has been the one needling at Reiner, and she can't see this as anything but an extension of that attempt at psychological warfare. Reiner had - did - does care about the people in the 104th he'd spent years training with and learning to live alongside.

It's his divide, and it's that weakness she feels Levi wants to use. What does Hange think of it? Or Erwin? It's hardly well advised.

Annie moves toward the door, turning the lock and standing quiet and apparently at ease in the doorway. ]

I didn't know Reiner was expecting company.

that means I can visit annie. drink from annie. hmm. (& yes it's perfect)

[soldiarity]

I'm not. Who's there--? Is it Armin? Is--

[ It's mostly by chance that Reiner catches what Annie says, as he's walking down the stairs at that moment on his way to answer the door as well. Annie's beaten him there, obviously, but he comes up behind her to see who's shown up anyway; it's not like she's difficult to see over.

But not only is he not expecting company, he especially isn't expecting to see Connie there. His muscles tighten anxiously, arms stiff at his sides, neck tensing. ]

Oh, hey, Connie!

[ Over Annie's shoulder, Reiner waves, and decides not to (yet) ask any questions. He glances at Annie briefly before looking back over at Connie. ]

... Do you want to come inside?

that escalated fast

[notmymom]

[Connie waves back automatically, but he hesitates over stepping inside. He's probably supposed to, but something about crossing over the threshold feels like crossing a line. Even under orders he's not sure he's ready to cross that line yet. He doesn't want to invade anyone.

He scratches his head and shifts on his feet. There's an air of unease around him as he shrugs. Maybe they can start off in neutral territory? Ease into this...thing....]

D'you want to come out? For a...food? Or cold...malted? You try those yet? It's-

[It's a good way to lose your lunch all over the lawn, actually. At least that's what Connie's experience with them turned out to be. He makes a face in spite of himself. That probably won't help with his invitation.]

There's other stuff. I haven't tried those yet but there's lots of cold drinks. A hundred! Maybe more. And...it's hot.

[Flawless logic! There's no way Reiner can refuse now. Even if Connie almost wishes he would. He glances over at Annie. It's not like Reiner couldn't toss Connie over his shoulder and drop him back off at Survey Corps like a bratty kid getting sent home if he wanted, but it's important to make the gesture, right?]

A...and you can bring backup.

never leave us unattended

[lyingheart]

[ She doesn't say anything at first, eyebrows inching upward as she hears herself announced as back-up. Which she is, and she knows, and she's already acted like it for Reiner, perhaps in ways he doesn't even know. She'd like to keep it that way.

She steps out of the way, allowing Reiner to be the only direct person facing Connie. When Annie speaks, it's with a measure of calm, and an air of unconcerned nonchalance. It doesn't escape her notice that Connie stays on the stoop. He's hesitating, and she doesn't feel it's just because of her.

Not when he's crossed states and used the porter to get here, in Nonah, when he lives in Heropa with most the imPorts. Hange couldn't be so stupid to send Connie out like this... nor Erwin. Maybe the one man going crazy in this modern morass was dragging yet another of their number into his collective insanity. ]

I have free time this afternoon.