titanscience | Seasons inbox

[ Reiner frowns, but his eyes don't immediately dart to Gabi, especially after he picks up her body language in his peripheral vision. He's not going to make her explain this, especially if it concerns Falco; not unless he has no other choice. Instead, he laces his fingers together, weighing Hange's words, gaze remaining locked on the camera. ]

If we're going to make any progress here, I'll need to know the specifics. What was the betrayal? When and how did it happen?

And if you haven't already, I think you should decide whether or not you still consider me to be a child. Because from my perspective, our attack on Trost District was only a few months ago.

Edited 2023-06-18 15:19 (UTC)

No, I don't consider you a child.

[Childhood represents innocence and naivity, and that is something lost by not only Reiner, but all of them, a long time ago.]

[Hange is silent for a moment, intentionally ignoring the first questions in favor of debating the pros and cons of what to say. How much information to give out. What Reiner should know versus what is better kept quiet for now. In the end, they decide to give a brief rundown. Hange just told him to ask Gabi, so he is going to find it out soon anyway.]

The main point of the story is that we decided to work together, in a sense. Zeke willingly came to Paradis. While we didn't trust one another, we kept him under observation, I really thought at the time that we may be able to put our differences aside in order to focus on the bigger problems faced by our peoples.

[Namely the persecution and the threats and potential invasion and a whooole lot of other things Reiner has no idea about yet.]

Of course he repaid our hospitality by contaminating crates of wine with his spinal fluid, which he had generously gifted to all our officers, and government officials, you name it.

[This part doesn't need to be explained, surely. Reiner must know the effects of titan spinal fluid.]

And he didn't care who became collateral damage. Not even his "own people". Not even if they were children.

[Surely you can connect the dots with the last part, Reiner. Zeke's moves were dirty, and it spelt death for far too many people. A fate worse than death, perhaps, because those affected would eventually be turned into Titans and be slaughtered before they could eat innocents.]

[Of course there is a lot more to the story, and a lot of it is much more personal. Levi almost dying, Erwin dying, that one day that decimated almost the entirety of the scouts. But bringing up the events of Shiganshina is not something Hange wishes to do right now. Reiner is too involved in that.]

My point is, for those who know who he is, nobody likes Zeke. If he somehow appeared here he is receiving worse than a punch, and he would deserve it.

[ Reiner listens attentively, though confusion flickers in his eyes. Marley must've sent Zeke to infiltrate Paradis, as it once sent four kids. Why the drastic change in approach? Notably, Reiner appears startled by the mention of spinal fluid in wine: it's not a tactic he ever saw deployed, having left for Paradis shortly after his Titan was first tested in war. Then Hange mentions Zeke's own people, children, and—

Reiner's gaze darts to the side, just long enough to see Gabi, then his eyes drop to his hands. His fingers are still laced, his grip tightening as the horror of it washes over him. Somehow, that contaminated wine got into Falco, then Zeke's scream turned Falco into a Pure Titan. Did Zeke know it would happen? Was it deemed an acceptable loss? Was Gabi there to witness it?

For a long moment, Reiner just stares at his hands, visibly sickened. Zeke was never kind to Reiner when he was a kid, not by a long shot. But Zeke looked after them. He led the younger Warrior Candidates, guided them, acted as a mentor. The Boy Wonder. The one person whose fanatical loyalty to Marley outstripped Reiner's own. How could Zeke have harmed another Warrior Candidate…?

Finally, Reiner speaks, his eyes still on his white-knuckled hands. ]

All right. When you're from, Zeke is a real piece of shit.

[ A break from formality, Reiner's disgust and anger permeating the curse.

It's hypocritical. Reiner's actions have killed countless children in Paradis. But he's not thinking of that. He's thinking about how happy Gabi looks when she talks about Falco. He's thinking about a promise that he and Falco apparently make in the future. He's thinking that if Falco stopped being a Pure Titan, it was likely because Falco ate him.

He thought he wouldn't know who inherited his Armor for years. It's good that it's someone Gabi cares about so deeply.

But then Reiner takes a breath, letting it out slowly. He deliberately relaxes his hands, eyes flicking up to find the camera again. ]

… But when I'm from, he's never even met you. Before that, he was someone I grew up with.

[ Whatever "collateral damage" Zeke caused in Paradis can't stretch so far into the past. The Zeke that Reiner knows is a jerk, sure, but Zeke is still a Warrior, his loyalty to Marley unquestionable. And Reiner can't throw Zeke to the dogs—or Captain Levi's blades, as the case may be. Reiner's loyalty goes far too deep.

He lifts his chin, pressing forward. Focusing on the situation at hand. ]

If Zeke arrives here, the first step should be assessing when he's from and what he's done, not decapitating him. [ Then he frowns slightly. ] To be honest, decapitating him would probably cause more problems than it fixes. If the dead return in … flowers … [ which is still so fucking stupid, he hates even saying it, ] … then all you'd achieve is pissing him off. I don't know if you ever witnessed him in a real fight, but he can cause a lot more than just collateral damage.

[ There's a note of respect in his voice. A note of fear. It wasn't long ago that Reiner fought Zeke one-on-one to try and rescue Annie, only to have his ass handed to him.

He blinks, seeming to return from whatever memory pulled his focus. ]

That's part of the point of a mutual nonaggression pact: preventing collateral damage.

[Yeah, Zeke is a piece of shit alright, but Hange can't allow themselves to feel smug or pleased over Reiner conceding to that point. If they knew that Gabi was there listening to this, they would certainly feel ashamed about dragging her into it, making her relive those awful moments, but as it stands it was a weakness to be exploited, that emotional connection between the cousins being the best hand that Hange had been dealt in order to cultivate a seed of doubt in Reiner's mind as to how much respect should be afforded to one Zeke Yaeger.]

[Hange continues to listen silently. Reiner is right- if Zeke showed up here, and that's a big if, the first step would definitely be to establish a timeline as to what he knows and what he has done. And while Hange hates the idea, really hates it, they also believe that they cannot necessarily punish him for something he may or may not have done yet.]

[If they allowed it to happen, wouldn't that make them this world's worst hypocrite? They haven't punished Eren for what he eventually does after all, and that is a million times worse than anything Zeke conjured up, even though the emotional damage may be just as severe. These last two months have been an attempt to make progress, as assurance to Eren that this world is about making a choice, about forging a different future away from the mass murder he eventually commits, that being here is a chance to do better.]

[The same should be offered to his brother, right?]

[Man, Levi is really going to hate this. Hange can't even glance over in his direction right now.]

I agree, the first step should be to find out what time he came from, that is if he is summoned here at all. We know all too well the devastation that can be brought about by that beast, and even I can admit that pissing him off unnecessarily will lead us down an troublesome road that will be difficult to rectify.

[Hange is choosing their words carefully here, agreeing to parts they can agree to while being very careful to not make promises they don't know can be kept.]

I'll have to discuss it with the others. As you know, it's going to be a hard sell.

[ Reiner nods, realizing that's the best he could reasonably hope to achieve. Better, maybe. He'd prepared himself for worse scenarios than this; half the reason he's wearing his Warrior armband is that it's an anchor, helping him remember just in case he started slipping. So he doesn't push for a definite answer now, even if he'd prefer the security one would offer. ]

Understood. [ Then, in a tone that sounds slightly more off the record: ] For what it's worth, it sounds like it could be a hard sell on my end as well, depending on who shows up next.

[ Not "if someone else shows up," but "who shows up." In Reiner's mind, there is no if, only when. He won't remain the only Warrior here forever; he's sure of that. ]

[Yeah, at the very least they are going to be fighting similar battles...]

I hope Gabi is doing well! Next time you see her, you have to tell her I said hello!

[And since they are discussing arrivals..]

I suppose it should be expected that other people who we know also arrive here, given the number that are already gathered.. I wonder how they go about picking people for their magic, exactly..

[Its weird to imagine that out of an entire world, its a small group of heavily connected people that woke up here. Then again, it's not as though Hange has gone onto the network and asked about it. Maybe there's some kid from Wall Maria here, or a baker from Liberio who has no idea who any of them are, who knows.]

Ah- one last question, it's unrelated to the treaty but I'm simply curious about it. Where did you wake up, Reiner? The beach? In the snow? Somewhere else?

[ Reiner nods again, somehow keeping his gaze from flicking to Gabi. He has more to tell his cousin than a "hello" from Hange, but who knows, maybe Gabi appreciates it.

His lips twitch in amusement as he asks, ]

Are you wondering if I'm another Summer? [ He shakes his head. ] I'm Autumn. Woke up in a forest feeling like it was exactly where I was meant to be.

[ What a wonderful, fleeting feeling it was.

Then he hesitates for a second. Hange is eccentric, he knows, but maybe it wouldn't be bad to share his thoughts? Another olive branch of sorts. ]

… Personally, I think the magic chooses people tied to significant events. [ He shrugs. ] But you're the researcher, not me.

[You guessed correctly, Reiner.]

Autumn? So it isn't fire, or water.. It's different from Eren's..

[They're mumbling to themselves more than directing it towards the video. Maybe, just maybe, they can sort all of this mess out and become friends and then the important things can begin. Namely, attempting to convince Reiner to go through the same experiments Eren did. What do autumn powers mean for titan transformations? Oh, the possibilities!]

[It's Reiner's next words that finally pull the Commander out of that little daydream.]

Significant events? [...Huh. They hadn't thought of it that way. It's true there have been plenty of significant events, but not all have been present for them. Then again, with how time works, just because they shared a specific moment together doesn't mean they would be pulled from that same point.. Hange had been so focused on the points of time themselves, they had admittedly glossed over the fact that perhaps it is easy to pick the person, but not their particular place on the timeline.]

Significant events... maybe when their own world has been is peril....

[Huh. it's certainly an avenue to explore...]

Could be. At any rate, it's something worth exploring.

[ If nothing else, it may give them a better idea of who might appear from their world. ]

Thanks for hearing me out, Commander, and sorry for interrupting your meal. I'll let you get back to it.

[ Right now, he wants to check on his cousin. ]

Oh you don't have to apologize, it's fine with me!

[In fact now that the tension is over, Hange goes right back to munching on the food beside them.]

I'll send you a message when I have an update. Talk to you later, Reiner.

[Likewise, Hange wants to deal with the inevitable conversation that is about to happen the moment the feed ends....]

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