middaeg | [Open] Let's count the seasons

[Eren...She'd been wondering that for a while now.

The droplets get an antenna flicker from the fae. And slowly she hauled herself up to stand, using the trunk of one of the many apple trees as support and shelter. Her crutches abandoned in the mud for now. Another set of clothes that would never be truly clean again.]

You think I'm lying? [It was quiet and slow. She wasn't accusing even if her eyes flicked away. The smallest amount of grey showing as the pupils moved to look at her feet. And she speaks again, just as somber as before.]

Did you? [That could mean many things Eren.] All of it or..? [All the bloodshed and death, or just the security it brought.]

[ all of it? the destruction, the pain? no, but the realization that that was all the world would ever be beyond the walls and not what he had so dreamed— ]

I wanted to make it all disappear.

[ he has yet to stand, shifting to rest his weight against his ankles, knees pushing into the supposed slushy mud under them with his brows furrowed— but furrowed in discomfort. ]

You’re not lying, [ he starts, with a hitch so small in his breath that it hardly makes a sound other than being a pause with it, ] you just won’t tell me the truth.

[ or maybe she had. he was family. but why say it so trembling? why say it with so much stutter, so much doubt that it filled him with even more distress?

eren coughs, gurgling and barked— he coughs up water, and in a second, a blink, the water is up to their necks, they can’t feel the grove beneath their feet. it’s empty. endless. eren’s scales sizzle and he struggles to breath, and as their illusionary scape (at least for him— as fae as illusions go he’s just kneeling there) becomes aefenglom’s most famous river. ]

[Her eyes slide shut, a slow breath slipping out. Eren...

Not that she gets time to ponder his comment much. The truth what wa-

Then there's a furious buzzing. Her wings flickering at the sudden water that...Didn't react to her wingbeats. Didn't dampen her clothes and she could see through it. The 'water' was like a haze, a blue mist that seeped through the orchard.

Then she hears the hacking and her head is snapping to watch the dragon. He was choking? And for a moment she's still watching him, with and struggle, not understanding. Still not understanding as her wings gave another flit to send her closer.]

Ere- [Her good leg was fine, but she stumbled, hissing through gritted teeth and crashing into his huddled form as it went from under her.] Eren! [What was wrong, why was he choking?]

[ as far as eren knew, his head was bobbing under and over the slushy surface of water, and all he’d manage was to keep sinking. ah, he saw it, felt the invisible hand of illusion at work as mikasa went to pick him up— she struck him square in the nose (not during real time, but as a part of the imagery that wasn’t real), and that’s where he’d lost the rest of his strength the the stars he’d see in his eyes.

water, he chokes, sputters, and relives a drowning he’d have to get pulled out from, possibly the same way the tentacles of a merrow had rolled him back to shore. ]

[She hadn't even grabbed him. Not properly. She'd just sprawled into him, grabbing as she went down. The only reason they both didn't eat dirt was that the dragon had a lot more weight than she did and could hold himself, and he was acticly trying to stay up.

But she used him like a humanoid post. Clinging to him as she hauled herself up with a grimace. There's an attempt at giving him a shake, as feeble as it was. He was simply too big and she didn't have the leverage when balancing on one leg.

The seconds pass and his strange movements get worse, without him saying anything. And the fae was thinking. Then with another frown, lips pressed into a thin line she looked down at that hard, chitin covered fist.

Then, murming a small 'sorry' she's socking him in the face.

She was actually sorry, but this is what worked for Levi.]

[ then comes the second blow. thock. right between the cheek and his nose and sending the dragon's head whipping sideways with ackerman momentum. in an instant, eren snaps his eyes open, looks back up, grasps at the grass that— is no longer soggy. it's as dry as can be. the only soggy thing here is probably eren himself, in panicked cold sweat.

slowly, but hoarsely, eren breathes deep and looks around him. at mikasa briefly, at the ground, his legs. did she really say sorry? did he hear that right? bringing the back of his hand to the spot on his face feeling tender, there's no blood. not even from his nose, although it stung a great amount for a wake up call. he sat there for a moment longer in silence, to gather himself. ]

Wasn't that deserved?

[Oh, that had done more than expected. Or rather it had hurt her hand less than she'd thought it would. But that made sense, if the chitin was effectively bone now. It really was ironically like the armored titan.

Mikasa held her breath for a moment, frowning at him. Almost able to meet his eyes without moving her head with him kneeling. Waiting with bated breath to see what he'd do, if that had snapped him out of it. The tension holding her still drains away when he turned back to her, when he spoke.

Only for her frown to deepen at his words. Blinking.]

Why..? [Then again for clarification.] Why was it deserved?

[ *breathes in*, girl, ]

Don't tell me you didn't feel like hitting me once this whole time.

[ because. hrm. she had reasons to. eren would hit himself. has hit himself. but maybe that's just eren? if no one wanted to hit him, he'd think there was something gravely wrong with them.

(then again people who hit themselves have something wrong going on too—) ]

Thanks.

[ it's all he says, with his gaze briefly catching her's. ]

[Uggh, enjoy the groany-sigh as she reels back a little. Hand still braced against his wing to hold her up with her crutches sprawled on the floor.]

I already have... [Several times. Hit him so much that even his nose had been bloody. Hit him until her own hands had been bloodied... It hadn't made her feel better. Well, the first hit had.

Then she'd seen his face. And the resignation on it, the acceptance, the acceptance he had now.

She clickers under her breath, turning her head to break his gaze. Only one unblinking black eye staying on him. What good was punching someone who wanted to be punched? It'd be better to do something that was a surprise. Something that would make her feel better, instead of worse like hitting him had.]

What was all that about?

[ already done didn’t meant there wasn’t more waiting. eren tries to pull his hair back and realizes it isn’t wet. ah, well. a bun, anyway. ]

I don’t like water.

[ that’s the only superficial explanation he’ll offer, but it might be clear he doesn’t want to go into detail. ]

[She stares, waiting for a bit more there. Ears tilting as it got more apparent that it wasn't coming.]

Water? [It takes her a moment because ?? Eren, there's no water. Then she remembers the ilusions, the ones that she'd been mostly unaffected by until her's slipped up.

She'd seen Eren. The younger Eren, the boy who'd been able to stab two men. His image sliding over the Eren that had started the rumbling. It had been something she'd already put together, that Eren had always been capable of this. But seeing both at the same time...

But why had she seen that and he'd only seen water. It made her slump. Hands sliding down his wing, one grabbing his ponch and using it to give herself an awkward tug to pull herself up.]

...You don't like water that much? [She didn't remember that. It seemed like something she'd have remembered from when they were younger.]

Not anymore.

[ hesitating, eren eventually lifts himself as mikasa does, his wing (arm) still where it was until it wasn’t acting as a crutch for with of them. ]

My scales can’t stand them if they aren’t protected.

[ which serves the purpose of his tattoos, holding a dull, teal glow where the shadows of bone should be, now inked on him from top to bottom. ]

[She...hadn't actually been this close to him. Not for a long time. It was only now that she'd been close enough to see his tattoos. She'd heard of them, debated getting one. But the chitin that covered most of her skin including her familieral tattoo nixed that idea. So she'd gone with earings... Still waiting for that appointment.

Still his comment gets her frowing because...]

What do you drink then? [It wasn't like iron. One didn't need iron to live, but everything needed water.]

[ funny enough, he drank water just fine. the minimal necessity, but he often didn’t feel too thirsty or enclosed to drink as much as he used to. he could answer that normally, or, he can’t. the closeness, it gets him to his full height and dipping his head down to look at her. he hesitated . . . so much. he felt like such an awkward stranger around her despite living with her for so long.

he wonders if that’s even repairable, but it’s really up to him still, isn’t it? mikasa was here already. ]

Alcohol.

[ it’s delivered with seriousness, but it’s overall meaning is definitely dry humored. hell yes for drinking his troubles away. there he stands, next to her, and peering into her eyes. ]

[He hesitated to answer. She...doesn't hesitate to respond. She was just very slow to respond. Pushing against him a little as she righted herself a bit more. Still on the same level as the dragon, even with him crouched.

Her black eyes meeting his.

Then she shoves as hard as she can. It might move him, even if it's a little. Her wings fluttering to keep her from going backwards at her own shove. It might be familiar to something that happened all those moons ago, a small fae trying to shift a larger dragon. Though their forms were different this time.]

[ he literally saw that coming, but. the shove might as well always make squeaky noises when it hits him. he waves like a tree receiving a cool breeze . . . ]

I wasn’t joking. [ not that much . . . anyway. more serious now. ] I can drink, but I don’t drink much water.

[ he only actually just bothers with the booze. ]

[The swaying gets a small hiss, so little... She reared back as much as she could. Then goes in for another shove, nearly falling and having to lean on him when he bum leg went on her.]

You shouldn't. [She'd drank a few things here. Probably more than she ever had back home. What with the varity, the opertuinies to drink. But she'd still not gotten into it. Not like some of the others had.

...Not that she needed booze to get drunk. She'd gotten drunk on hot chocolate before.] It's not a good thing. [And with that, she starts the awkward shuffle. Shifting so that she'd upright again. Neck craning to look for her crutches.

Ah, there they are. Her wings gave a small flicker, moving her closer to them and away from the dragon.]

[ was she

nagging?

in all seriousness, though— she was. looking out for him. it makes eren fall ever quiet as his gaze stayed on her, lasted on her as she left for her crutches in a slight waddle.

in a moment, his arm outstretches, his hand holds her shoulder to keep her in place. if they exchange looks, the fae would see that he is . . . looking at her, surely, with something soft and nostalgic in his eyes that equally shared in the taste of longing sadness.

he steps ahead of her, large steps, and retrieves the crutches for her. he didn't even have the gall in him to snap back with something curt and biting about what's good for him or not. so many things he did partake in weren't good things— ]

Trying to drink less.

[ since that last episode he had of really fucking up. that was probably a better truth to hear. ]

[It's the most awkward waddle. Her wings slightly flitting so she could kind of hop along on one leg. Then she's steadied by a winged arm. Her own spiny stump of a second arm raising to bash him weakly. Or grab, it wasn't as though those new arms had anything to grab with.

But then he's overtaking her. Giving her the wooden supports. He'd get a small nod of thanks as she righted herself. Glancing at him again once she was stable.]

Are you? [Maybe once she would have been more firm with it. But...this place. There was so much here. Hadn't she brought Jean wine as a gift? Then there was the matter of her being a fae. One that got drunk without alcohol. She couldn't chastise him too much.

She could a little though.] ...It's better to keep a clear head. Isn't it?

[ better is on way to look at it. eren can't entirely agree too much sometimes, but that was just weakness talking from time to time. he'd rather get out of here instead, take the apple's he's already gathered, and be on his way. farther ahead, they'd likely separate, or even now. it'd depend on how much and where mikasa was going to walk. ]

It should be.

...Should be. [Dryly. Eren, Eren what does that even mean? That it was better to live through life in a drunken haze, not seeing nor truly remembering what happened.

She hadn't been in the best mood to begin with. The injuries, the illusions. The bullying him about his habits had been a short moment of silliness but, it wasn't something to laugh or joke about. Not if it was as bad as he was making it sound.

But he's quicker at moving than she was and she had work to do. So there's that irritated chitter, the same as they'd heard deep in the forests back in that first dream. That unnatural sound that cuts off with a huff. She didn't have time if he was going to just ignore it. Her income had already taken a hit with how limited she was and the time she hadn't been working.

So it was time to get back to work and collect as much as she could.]

[Open] Let's count the seasons

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