middaeg | [Open] Canon Update & Catch-all!

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[Open] Canon Update & Catch-all!

Who: Elliot & OPEN!
When: January 4th
Where: Mirror house & around Aefenglom
What: Canon update/Catch-All!
Warnings: Major spoilers for Trails of Cold Steel 3 afoot! Also CW mentions of death.

I. Mirror House
[Elliot didn't visit the mirror house very often. Aside from the times of new arrivals or checking to see if someone's left, there wasn't much reason to be there. But today, he felt compelled to go, by reasons he couldn't explain. Without really thinking about it, he wound up in front of mirror that was decorated in assorted carvings of music related items and his beloved friends. And still without thinking, he reached out to touch the reflective pristine glass.

And all of a sudden, came a whirlwind of memories playing on the glass. They start off nice: leaving home to go on tour, releasing his first record, concerts, seeing Rean again, getting the group chat going. But just as pleasant as the memories start, they quickly go darker: the truth of Hamel, the dark dragon, Azure Siegfried, the Curse, Angelica, the Gral of Erebos, the Courageous exploding, Millium-

Elliot, who was completely transfixed on the memories, collapses as soon as the glass goes back to normal. Once more, he's aware that he's back in Aefenglom. Not in the hellish Gral, watching friends die and knowing what was now spreading across Erebonia. They were all in danger, except now he was-]

N-No..! Not now, I can't...why?

[Whatever he means is lost, because he's completely overcome with sobbing. He'll probably be like this a good long while. Anyone bonded with him will feel waves of grief and fear coming from him.]

II. Aefenglom
[Eventually, Elliot's able to collect himself enough to pull himself off the floor and leave the mirrorhouse. From there...well, he doesn't know where to go. He doesn't want to go back to his house, how do you go home to your friends who are none-the-wiser and tell them such horrible news? He really didn't feel up to that just yet. Nor did he feel like continuing on his daily schedule, there was no way he could focus on music or anything else.

So eventually, he decides to just...wander. He starts walking, not even really thinking about the direction or where he'll go. If you pass by him, it's clear he's barely paying attention to his surroundings as he slowly walks. It doesn't even seem to register to him that it's freezing out. Or maybe you'll catch him standing still, near the river or the ocean, simply staring - completely lost in thought, sometimes quietly talking to himself ]

...What am I supposed to do now...?

[No matter how many times he asks himself that, he can't seem to find the answer]

[OOC: Elliot's been canon updated to the end of CS3! Clearly, it had a happy ending. ]

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[ his promptness will be relevant, but perhaps, not in the immediate moment. it could wait. as he listens and keeps his arm there, feeling all this grief ram into his skull— he doesn’t know if he’s “used to it” (hard to), or if he was so wrapped up in his own that this . . . felt mild, somehow. it wasn’t, of course, but eren sees and feels this very loss not as an inhabitant, but someone with the world in their hand and just— gazing from the outside.

even though he’s here, physically, emotionally, he’s a touch detached. not so much that his end of their bond goes abnormally mute, no. it just feels like elliot’s feelings are going somewhere, at least getting sucked up, but they don’t bounce back. they disappear into a void that’s simply too deep to return from. things weren’t going to be alright. things weren’t okay. he was on the opposite end of the line where everything was fucked and not saved. he almost thinks, for a second, of what his friends back home were feeling the second he remembers, but he discards the thought. it doesn’t even matter, anymore.

almost awkwardly, eren’s wing shifts, as if he wanted to do a little more and didn’t know how, or what. the wing moves back and remains, and after silence between the other’s choked sobs, ]

What happened?

Edited 2020-01-07 10:43 (UTC)

[Perhaps lucky for Eren, Elliot is busy experiencing such raw grief to fully notice what's happening on the end of his bonded. It's not that he doesn't care, it's just when you have an injury that hurts so much, it's nearly impossible to notice anything else around you.

At the question, it takes a few times of him swallowing to even muster words. What didn't happen? At least it's easy enough to know where to start.]

A-Ash...one of Rean's students, shot the Emperor. W-We didn't know why at first, Chancellor Osborne claimed he was an agent of Calvard, but there's no way that's true. He just wanted to start a war.

And then... Osborne started this ritual t-that'd end the world. Giant cryptids in large numbers started rampaging through Heimdallr. [you know, kinda like titans] Sharon and G-George, who were allies, they turned against us. George even shot Angelica, they were best friends but...but that's why no one could find her. A-And that's not even getting into what he did to Crow...

[He knows this probably doesn't make much sense to someone whose never been to his world or met half these people, but he has to keep explaining or it might never comes out. He's trembling just thinking about it all in Eren's hold]

We went to stop the ritual. They'd taken Altina, Rean's student - she's just a kid. W-We gave it everything to reach them in time. I stayed back with Jusis and Machias to help fight off Osborne's Ironbloods, including Millium who was there on their side for some reason even though she's one of us. T-Then we find out that Altina...and...her sister Millium, the reason they were born was so they could be...s-sacrifices. That's why they created them.

[It was so twisted to think about. That you would create life only with the intent to one day kill them for your own ends.]

But then...e-everything really went to hell. The Courageous showed up to help, a-and they made us watch as they blew it up along with everyone on it. And n-no matter how much they fought, the ones who made it down there couldn't incapacitate the beast used in the ritual. It was about to kill Altina, and then... [he swallows again]

M-Millium jumped down there...and tried to shield her. S-She was only fifteen and yet...s-she wanted to protect her sister and us... [his voice cracks] It didn't work - it cut right through her shields like they were nothing and killed her. Rean...lost it, and murdered the beast, and doing so, c-completed the ritual.

[He wipes his eyes with his sleeve] N-Now ... the world's going to end. A curse that caused so many tragedies, that made Ash shoot the Emperor in the first place, is now ... everywhere.

Edited 2020-01-07 15:05 (UTC)

[

that’s rough, buddy.

eren has to obviously let some words and their meanings go, but the gist could be filled in with the rest. more or less, at least. he listens and listens and his ears eat up every word. he feels for him, surely, and when it’s all over— eren’s reminded of bertolt when they sat atop of the trees in titan forest, and eren questioned them. all this time, betraying us, being responsible for everything that’s happened. what did you feel? bertolt only curled his arms around his legs and quietly, almost coolly replied: i felt sorry for you.

it hadn’t been the answer eren wanted, but even the answer he sought wouldn’t make a difference to him. he would still be in agony, and seething, hurting, wanting to do the worst to them for having done the worst to him— until years later, eren dismisses reiner’s fear of being tortured and slowly, slowly killed by his hand. after all . . . they were the same, weren’t they?

there’s only so much empathy eren can offer, and resonance with emotion, all while being on the other side of that playing field. relinquishing ymir’s curse, activating the rumbling— and destroying the world. eren won’t give elliot a farce; the days of cursing his enemies and those who have wronged him are far gone. his bonded lost family. everything is in chaos and he probably won’t be able to think properly for days. he feels for him because, there’s care, but if he hadn’t— he’d be turning a blind eye and moving forward, else he wouldn’t be able to. moving forward to make all those deaths count in the end or else losing them would’ve been . . . for nothing. innocent, marlian, eldian, comrade or otherwise. their weight . . . was suffocating, but he could still breathe.

the same way elliot had once done for him, eren does: he offers what he could, as a friend. a certain distance lies beneath his actions as he picks the young man up by the arms, steadies him on his feet, and keeps his wing blanketed across his back.

it was just the same story . . . in one more world. imagine if he profusely mourned for all of them? he’d be a useless wreck. consideration is in his thoughts, and he hopes elliot feels it, and that it brings him some sort of comfort the way his membranes warm his spine. they were all people. people who didn’t deserve more or less to live. they deserved to live, they fought, and they died.

may the best happen, but eren does not trap himself in wishing elliot’s group a rise in victory. on the other villainous side is a story just as mournful. thousands of them. hundreds of them. they all get eren’s consideration. ]

Let’s get you somewhere to rest. [ a pause, then: ] It doesn’t have to be your house.

[ because he knows how it is. ]

[Elliot picks up on Eren's emotions, but they feel like the light of a distance ship on a stormy sea- so easy to miss, hard to consider too deeply. He feels the care, just like he feels the tentative detachment from it....which he couldn't fully blame him, without understanding the reasons for it. Eren didn't know Millium, or anything about his world that he didn't tell him. It was like hearing a sad story in the news, just made a touch more personal by knowing someone connected to it.

Picking him up is almost like picking up a rag doll. He's light and it's easy to move him, but there's no real strength to Elliot's own movements. He stands limply, like he might fall back down if Eren wasn't there to prop him up.

The idea of rest, though, gets him shaking his head vigorously. If he closes his eyes right now, he knows he'll see it all over again. And even worse was the idea of going home. His friends were back there, oblivious to what future awaited them.]

I don't wanna sleep. Or go home.

[He doesn't know where he wants to go, but he knows not there. Not now.]

You don’t always need to sleep to rest.

[ honestly, he’s probably not going to be sleeping for a while, either. not that he’s overly upset but there’s just a lot on his mind. whirling. swarming. maybe the upset would hit belatedly, maybe it’d come in bursts. or maybe . . . he’s a little worried that he won’t feel anything.

maybe it’s just the activity talking. arm still an umbrella over his bond’s shoulder (or, arm rest, with his height), he begins to walk, ushering elliot with him in that direction. ]

C’mon. It’s been a while since you’ve seen my place.

[ he’s been absurdly picky with what goes in and out. neither elliot nor lex receive invitations on the daily run of things. even if the little tinge of greed that it’s his and no one else should be there is there, a more human mindset sits atop of his actions today.

elliot wouldn’t steal anything. ]

[That was true enough. But as long as Eren won't try to force him to nap, it was fine. He moves with the shepherding, not moving away from that arm resting on his shoulder. Physical contact with a Bond still helps relax, something greatly needed right now.

That second statement catches him by surprise, since yeah, he has notice the lack of invitation or even information on where Eren stays. He was a very elusive person, his bond. Were it a normal day, Elliot probably would've felt some excitement. Now, there is a glimmer of curiosity among the sadness. ]

Really? You're fine with me being there?

If you don’t take anything.

[ that was only 1/3 a truth, 2/3 a joke. it’s what his massive, extraordinary (pea sized) dragon brain usually thought up as a reason not to engage in any home visitors, but from the way eren says it, a hint of—smile, was it? his palm clasps onto the witch’s shoulder, and as faint as the curve on his lips were, at least they were there to indicate there’s no harm in it. ]

You’ll just have to be careful where you step.

[Elliot doesn't take the warning seriously, at least. He knows there's that dragon instinct and really he wouldn't take anything from Eren's place without asking or letting him know, he was sure of that much. He couldn't even think of anything he'd want from there. Eren's sharp edges collection? No thank you.]

Your hoard is safe from me.

[Because seriously, he does not want it. Your treasure is safe]

I'll watch my step...er, is there light in there?

[ real eren: of course sike

dragon eren: but what if

and it’s actually not long to get to one of them, either. eren had a quick means of transportation that didn’t require any prolonged contact with the winter chills, even if he had his runes restocking constantly now with elliot better. it’s just— a thing, he prefers. the hole itself is kept shrouded under the shadows of an overgrown bush, leaving his bond to take a handful of vine and drag it out of the way.

it looks like your average, cramped hole, but eren’s always been busy, especially when autumn came. no wonder he was never around, because . . . ]

I have some wood, when I feel like it.

[ answer: yes. eren gestures for elliot to go first, and it might definitely be dark, but— foremost, it’s not small. once elliot drops in from above, he’ll be able to stand at full height, facing a tunnel that stretches far. ]

[It's convenient that Eren has a hole nearby. Elliot doesn't think too much of it, other than "oh that wasn't far". He watches Eren reveal the hole, holding onto the vine he's given and dragging it compliantly. ]

Wood huh...

[Like torches? Well, that was better than nothing. He follows the gesture and climbs down into the hole- the drop is much deeper than he expected, making him stumble a little on the landing but not so bad that he falls over. He certainly wasn't expecting to be able to stand in this place...]

Whoa...what?

[He casts a small light spell, to light some of the darkness. His eyes grow wide. Already, this is more spacious than he was expecting.]

[ important places call for important holes. in the inside, light would make massive claw marks visible in ridges of now compact dirt— if an elephant sized dragon dug this up, surely they’d fit inside with little problem. eren drops not long after into the space, discarding a need to grab some wood and set it on fire (yet). ]

I keep myself busy when the moons come. [ and with that, he walks, but closer to the walls. ] Or if I can’t sleep.

[ it’s better to keep an overabundance of energy going somewhere than not. especially when he gets a bit more thoughtful. ]

[The claw marks get another surprised look. Sure. He's seen Eren's dragon forms many times before. But it's always a surprising reminder when he sees examples of just how big and powerful it can be.]

So this is where you get to those nights...

[He's felt it. Eren being restless at night, but not serious enough for Elliot to check up on him. It's a balancing act, between keeping an eye on your Bonded and leaving him the freedom he craves. You can't react to every single thing.

He follows after Eren, the ball of light following him as he walks. ]

It’s comforting.

[ in some strange . . . reptilian way. this wasn’t eren’s home, but creating a domain for himself and marking down territory was like a walk through the park. or maybe staring up at the clouds and counting sheep. overall— more natural than stress. it was a go to safe spot. ]

Like your music— Don’t think too bad of it.

Hey, I wasn't thinking bad of it. If anything, it's really impressive!

[He does get it. Sometimes you need to do little activities to help comfort yourself. And the fact Eren was able to take that need for comfort and turn it into something useful and vast...it was incredible. ]

How far do these tunnels go?

You get worried.

[ which is what he meant too, but hey! if it’s all good, it’s all good. there’s also still some dead things lying around . . . cool. they pass another slightly smaller tunnel, and if one were to shine a light into it, it leads further downwards and twists. an abundance of charred remains happen to agglomerate in these “dead ends”, with the dirt especially dry where fire would spew. ]

Depends on where I want to go. The farthest out is close to The Wilde.

[ the “main lair” so to speak! and a fraction of where they’re going. ]

...Yeah, I do. [He can admit this about himself] I do try not to check in every time I feel you being restless.

[He really is doing his best to respect Eren's space and freedom, even if his own anxiety would flare up. Anxiety that....well, he's sure it's not going to improve anytime soon, considering what just happened.

He makes a slight face at the occasional dead things lying around, because that's just gross, but he bites back a comment since he did promise not to take anything. He's not up to arguing right now anyway. Maybe later.]

That's so far...so you could get to anywhere in these tunnels? Where are we going now?

[ appreciated he mutters, but loud enough in all the tunnel’s dampened silence to be heard as clear as an outdoor voice. it wasn’t as if checking every time would change anything— and eren very much prefers it after with, h m what just happened x2. today is not a good day, or was it? was there ever a good day? (he can’t lie to himself or be unfair— there have been. maybe he just feels poorly about it, from time to time). ]

Almost anywhere important. [ eren points at the ground right in front of elliot’s next step. shards of glass. they were getting close to the first pocket at least. surprisingly, it’s warmer than one would think down here. ] We’re in one of the resting spots.

[ he says when he spews a flame to a torch buried into the wall. then another, and another— this one’s smaller than the main hub, but it’s sizable enough to rival an average room’s space. sharp things from your obvious knives to pieces of paper to slabs of iron and more can be found gathered into a hefty pile. anything you can think of. if it has a point, or a sharp face, eren probably has it. ]

. . . I don’t have a chair.

[ so he just kind of. gestures to the soft earthy bed, while he makes his way onto the pile itself. ]

[Anywhere important. Well at least he had a vague idea of what's important to Eren, so it's a good thing to keep in mind in the future.]

One of the resting spots?

[That meant there had to be more, and probably a main hub somewhere. Eren really went all out for this place, it was extremely impressive. Though at the same time, it was only for him wasn't it? Did it ever get lonely? Questions for another time, probably.]

That's fine, dirt feels pretty right now for me anyway.

[That was said mostly as a weak attempt as a joke. But before he moves to sit down in the earth, he pauses. He has no idea how Eren is comfortable sitting on all that stuff, but...whatever, dragons are weird. Him on the other hand....]

There's no blades in the dirt pile, right?

Edited 2020-01-26 19:17 (UTC)

[ it’s more questions for the masses, tbqh. seems like possession overrides a social need to interact— for the time being. he still felt lonely and no one had been good enough to stay down here with him. on full moons, at least. eren usually jumps houses on a normal day, and prefers waking up to someone in a bed. and then leaving before they wake up, what a jerk.

eren’s plated scales keep any fine cuts and prods from happening overall. talons click on iron as he picks one of them up, and lays back as if it were all truly a bed. ]

There shouldn’t be. I keep everything in sight. [ but yes, one of. ] The bigger space is too far off. Across the Bright Wall and bordering The Wilde.

[Eren that's so creepy stop Edward Cullening and at least stay until they wake up.

Elliot trusts him enough to take his word for it, moving to sit down in the dirt pile, stretching his legs out. Yeah. This isn't the most comfortable spot in the world, but it'll do for now. Sitting is easy.]

Across the Bright Wall? Is it safe from Cwyld?

[Cause uh bro, you're kinda weaker to the stuff than most]

[ he ain’t stupid ]

It’s not that far out. [ and, lifting his fist up. ] And I bought protection.

[ it’s expensive as shit but hey!! he’s loaded ]

[He's not saying you're stupid, it's a reasonable concern! Like building a house in a flood zone.]

I guess you do tend to be pretty careful about Cwyld...

[So, he'll take your word for it. There's still worry, but well, it's not Eren specific. He lets out a sigh, knowing Eren can pick up on the feeling]

Sorry...my mind's finding things to worry over.

[It's not hard to guess as to why.]

[ building a house in a flood zone is a little insensate tho. eren opens his hand and observed the membrane that webs his pinky to the extra digit close to his wrist, then the larger one at his elbow to make up his wings. the veins in between them. the color it had with the fire’s light behind it. every detail to not think about other details that would be saved for his solitude.

it comes back down so he’s able to rest the top of his hand against his forehead, and stretch the membrane that connects the rest of his arm to his ribs. he can feel it sleeping into him and threatening any attempt he had in corking his own thoughts— thoughts that weren’t quite worries. just wandering, bitter thoughts. ]

Better that than what you just saw. [ but then, with a sigh. ] It’s impossible not to.

[ the sound of a quick slap rings out a thud; his tail against an ax. ]

We had perfect timing.

I guess... [Eren had a fair point, even if Elliot wasn't a fan of it. So many things had gone wrong in their mission.

And the worst part was, Elliot couldn't chalk it up to their own incompetence or inability. They had done everything right with the knowledge they had. There was no way they could've known the curveballs that got thrown at them. Which of course, made the worry all the worst. What else could go wrong?

It'd take awhile to shake those fears from his anxiety. He could recognize that much.

Eren's last statement does confuse him a little, along with the bitter feelings coming from Eren.]

Perfect timing? What does that mean?

[He'd been so caught up in his own grief, he hadn't even noticed the oddness of how quickly his bond had reached him]

[ even if was a bit of a sarcastic “perfect timing” because, mirrors, and they both hadn’t the best of times. eren is perhaps better at internalizing in the long run— and, that he’s getting what he wanted. there’s no room for complaint when he’s chosen this willingly. ]

You didn’t realize? [ his tail . . . is coiling around the ax. ] I was there before you.

[Open] Canon Update & Catch-all!

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