singillatim | Hot Potato (party log)

Hot Potato (party log)

Who: Chloe Frazer & any and all party people!!
What: Harvest Celebrations/Halloween Party/Ruby’s Birthday/Rat Marriage/Big Communal Cooking Party so Chloe doesn't burn down her house
When: October 12
Where: At Chloe’s house on Greene Street

Content Warnings: Food descriptions, probably.
Other Notes: Feel free to make this a mingle and reply to other characters!

Chloe had wondered whether to go through with the harvest party once Lalo had disappeared, but as they say, the show must go on. There's still a lot worth celebrating, and people need something hopeful after the mess last month. Luckily her house had made it through everything all right.

The poster had said to wear a costume, so she's hoping to see a lot of those, and she’d recruited some people to help her put together the menu exactly to Lalo’s specifications, so unfortunately no one is safe from British Potatoes. There are even candles for the birthday cake.

Chloe herself is dressed as a sexy lumberjack, with one of Lalo’s old flannels tied in a knot under her breasts and denim cutoffs made from the jeans Kostya had gotten blood on (shh). She's got a fire roaring, because otherwise she’d freeze.

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A forest of giant trees. Reiner doesn't ask for more specifics: he doesn't need them. Levi could mean any of the forests scattered between Walls Rose and Maria. Maybe it's the one in which the Scouts ambushed Annie. Maybe it's the one where Reiner and Bertholdt retreated after capturing Eren. It doesn't matter.

What matters is that Levi has apparently forgotten a hell of a lot. If being in that forest with Zeke is the last thing Levi remembers, and Levi doesn't even know about his injuries, then…

… Then what the fuck is going on?

Under different circumstances, Reiner might wonder if his own memory is at fault. It wouldn't be the first time he fell into delusions. But given his conversations with Eren, Reiner is confident that's not the case.

"I know that," Reiner says, choosing not to mention the instrumental role Levi played in Zeke's betrayal, helping to fake Zeke's death and whisk him away from Marley. What does that matter now? The fact is, "Zeke betrayed everyone."

Everyone. His comrades. Marley. Eldians. The whole damn world.

Reiner folds his arms, his uncertainty and confusion bleeding into his body language. "The last time I saw you was at Fort Salta. Does that name mean anything to you?

"Yeah, that's right," Levi confirms, because he's painfully aware of that fact, and a brief, almost shaky note of anger makes it to his normally mild, flat tone. He'd expected it, honestly; he never trusted Zeke, but he did believe he could be useful to them. He had not predicted just how entrenched that betrayal was, how many it would catch in its web. His squad. Another thirty people to the two hundred Zeke had slaughtered years before.

If only he'd killed him then.

If only he'd said fuck it and killed him in the forest, before he had the chance to run.

He takes a slow breath, reeling it back in. He didn't. Nothing to do about that now but keep trying. He mustn't regret what came to pass, so it doesn't slow him down the next time. As long as he's alive, he can make true on his promise. He has to believe that.

Reiner's question has him frowning; the name has probably come up while the volunteers were telling the paradisians about the world, but it's not like he's ever been there.

"Marleyan stronghold at the far end of their land," he says, not an incorrect answer but clearly one given by somebody who only knows the name from a map. "Why would I go there?"

Did-- did Zeke somehow bring him there? But that's impossible. If the explosion went off, if it hit Levi hard enough to knock him out, it had to hit Zeke so much worse.

Hearing that anger, Reiner wonders what Zeke's betrayal must feel like from Levi's point of view. He knows how it feels from his own. Zeke was never kind to Reiner, but they were comrades for most of Reiner's life. As a child, it was impossible to escape the golden glow Zeke cast—especially since they shared the same damn birthday. Zeke was the example the other Warrior Candidates strove to emulate. And for the last four years, Reiner and Zeke fought side-by-side more often than not.

Then, Zeke betrayed them all. He helped the Survey Corps attack their hometown. So many people died: Eldian civilians they were supposed to protect; Marleyan soldiers who rushed to join the fight.

And so many of their own died, too. Udo and Zofia, still children, killed when Liberio turned into a war zone. Then, later, Colt and Porco.

Precisely what did Zeke promise the people of Paradis? What convinced them to take him on as an ally?

Reiner tugs his mind away from such thoughts. Those details don't matter anymore. Not in the wake of all that has happened since.

"It wasn't just you who went there," Reiner says, his arms still folded. His bewilderment is beginning to fade; he thinks he's figured this out.

"I don't know how it's possible. But if you don't remember that, and you haven't been injured, then you must be from an earlier point in time."

For Levi, Zeke had always been an enemy. It never changed. He'd honestly expected him to try some shit -- and so did Hange and their higherups who had accepted Zeke's offer to help them catch up with the world, which was exactly why they put Levi of all people to guard him -- but he could have never imagined the fuzzball could doom his entire squad in an instant with a mere scream. It was inconceivable that something like that would even be possible -- even if it made sense Zeke wouldn't tell them of all his abilities, they never predicted something like this.

Perhaps Erwin would have seen it coming, had he been there, but his bones were resting in the Survey Corps cemetery by then.

In a way, it might not be entirely Zeke that Levi's anger is truly directed at. He'll make an excellent target for it, of course. But he had done exactly what was expected of him: fuck them over. What Levi truly has a problem with is his own helplessness in the situation, the fact that he couldn't stop it or mitigate it in any way, the fact that all of his people there had to die.

Humanity's Strongest... what a fucking joke.

He frowns slightly, trying to soak in the concept. An earlier point in time. How did that even work? Wasn't time undividable, flowing the same in all places? But then, if this was truly a separate world, perhaps it would have its own rules--

Sure. That might as well fucking happen. It does explain why Eren seemed to know the future, as utterly weird as it all is, but he's pretty good at rolling with the punches.

"...I see," he just says.

He's both tempted to ask what happens and uncertain if he really wants to know.

I see, indeed. What else is there to say? As outlandish as the idea is, it's not so much stranger than the concept of different worlds. Add to that the metaphysical connection between all Eldians, binding them across time and space to the same point…

Well. Reiner supposes he's experienced things that were equally strange.

"It's the only explanation that makes sense," Reiner says, his arms still folded but his shoulders rising in a small shrug.

He starts to ask something, though the question isn't fully decided, still forming itself even as his lips start to shape the first word. Do you need time to think about it? he might have asked. Or, Do you believe me? Do you have a better idea? Do you have questions?

It's the last possibility that stops him short, his lips pressing together before making a sound. After a moment, he decides on something less fraught.

"I don't have any quarrel with you," he says, "here or back home."

As much as Levi likes thinking he's seen plenty of weird shit, getting kidnapped into, apparently, a different reality is certainly a whole new thing. Still, the rest of it isn't exactly weirder than that, so he thinks he can accept that and work from there.

"Yeah. I suppose you're right."

The rest... well.

He seems to examine Reiner's face a bit more closely, a slight frown on his own. Them being on the same side would certainly be convenient, though more so back home than here. How do I know you're not lying?

But then, he's not sure it matters either way. Even if Reiner did have quarrel with him, what exactly would he do about it here? There's no Marley to give him up to, no Titans to sic on him, no reinforcements coming for either of them. The boys don't even have their regenerative abilities, though Levi has also discovered the hard way he doesn't have his usual level of strength, either. Nonetheless, the absence of politics makes any fighting seem unnecessary until proven otherwise.

Still, the last he's heard of Reiner, he'd been a staunch supporter and weapon of his homeland, so that's a pretty significant change if true. Levi holds no love for his own -- it is people, rather than titles or lands that he fights for -- but he can't quite imagine himself allying up with a force trying to level their whole island. He can't help but want to pick at it at least a little bit.

"...How did that happen?" he asks instead. His voice remains mellow, but whatever hint of emotion hints toward curiosity rather than doubt.

Reiner looks away, his folded arms tightening a little. His jaw works, explanations considered then abandoned one after the next. How would he go about explaining any of it? How would he put even half of it into words without breaking down here and now?

There were so many factors at play. So much loss. So much death. Even saying the simplest part, that Eren enacted the Rumbling, would require additional explanation. Not just because of how it happened, but because of how Reiner has reacted.

He should hate Eren. He doesn't. He understands Eren, and he can't stop.

"… It's a long story," he finally says, even his voice sounding faintly defeated. "I…"

I don't want to talk about it, he wants to stay. How childish.

"I wouldn't know where to start." True, but far from the whole truth. Reiner looks at Levi again, exhaustion creeping into his gaze. "I don't have a reason to fight you anymore, and every reason not to. That was true back home; it's true here, too."

Levi is aware of the possibility of the Rumbling -- Armin's version of it. He's not really considering the alternatives, because why would he? Eren might be going through his rebellious stage, but he's still on their side.

Right?

Their higher-ups don't seem to think so, but fuck them. Levi isn't going to let them brush off all those sacrifices that went into keeping the kid alive. That was why he'd wanted to do away with Zeke instead, before... before that happened.

Still, he can see that Reiner is uneasy about something. He's bothered by something, and he's dodging the question, which doesn't really give Levi any answers but it does suggest that whatever happened couldn't have been Marleyans' decisive victory.

Will he have better luck pressing Eren? He's not quite sure. But if he and Reiner have something like a truce going on here, he'd rather not fracture it by being stubborn.

"Alright," he says finally. As long as they both keep to it, it should be fine. Which means... Reiner's something of his people now, and that means looking after him at least to some extent. He eyes him for a moment before swiftly changing the subject.

"Do you have a place to stay? Food?"

The questions catch Reiner off guard. He startles slightly, gold eyes widening, the surprise on his features temporarily easing some of his exhaustion. He looks younger when he's surprised. Less like a worn-out Warrior marching toward his grave.

Then he offers a tiny smile—one that shows more in his eyes than on his lips—and nods.

"Yeah, I'm all right. There are plenty of places to sleep here. And people have been pretty generous."

Reiner survived in Paradis as a child, after he and the other Warriors broke through the Wall. Compared to living through an actual famine, this place hasn't been bad.

There's something perhaps a little melancholic to Levi's gaze as he watches years get shaved off of Reiner's face with a mere expression that's not a mask to hide behind.

He thinks of his own squad, the way Reiner seems to fit in with them that much better all of the sudden, yet their expressions had changed a lot over four years, too.

They're all still kids, in some ways. In others, some of them have never have been.

"Good." He considers leaving it at that, but he's not sure how much of the welcome talk Reiner has gotten, so he adds after an awkward pause; "If you run out, there's usually extra at the town hall."

He's one of the people making sure of that, so he feels well within his rights to tell someone else to raid it if they need to.

The town hall. Reiner nods, making a mental note of it. It'll be helpful while he gets his feet under him, figuring out things like what and where is safe to forage.

"I'll check it out." Then, a little quieter: "Thank you, Levi."

Simple words, but sincere ones.

It's worth checking out for many reasons. There's usually spare clothes, and the message board that allows for communication, albeit potentially slower than a mail carrier.

For a moment, he considers giving Reiner an encouraging shoulder pat, but decides that they're not that close, at least not from where he's standing. Still, the start is decent. Instead he nods, a simple noise of acknowledgement following.

Then he turns to continue his search for the newlyweds he's supposed to congratulate.

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Hot Potato (party log)

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wrapping up i think!