Bullshit, Reiner. If you want to try to be a hero, that's on you, but don't act like your madman is a good gamble.
[ She's convinced the risks aren't something they can afford, and she's holding steady. They were two different issues in her mind. What happened to Bertolt was their own fault, and completely incomparable. ]
He isn't crazy. He can eat people. He takes their mind, their memory--even their form. I've seen it. [His words are lower now, but suddenly he hesitates and shakes his head. He's not winning this battle. He isn't sure he wants to. His words sound crazy. Has he fallen so far already?]
Forget that for now. There's something else we need to talk about. Hange and Levi approached me. They say they want a truce.
[ That's... pretty fucking crazy. It'd take a lot to derail her, but it turns out that Reiner knows exactly what to say to adequately change the topic. ]
[That makes his teeth grit a little, but Reiner doesn't respond. Lashing out at Annie isn't the right thing to do here. If anything, he should be glad she hasn't twisted the barbs ind eep just yet.]
I don't know. If the CDC wins, our whole world dies. That doesn't mean I don't trust them not to stab us in the back when we're least expecting it.
[For now, he keeps what they said about the CDC reviving recruits to himself. He's pretty sure Annie would just scoff at him.
[ Reiner was going to drive her crazy at this rate. They wouldn't need to worry about allies and enemies if she was utterly off the deep end. He's getting involved in too much, too fast from her perspective. He's...
Unfortunately, he's absolutely right in at least one regard. ]
I don't know. I wanted to talk to you first. [Before he even agreed to consider anything. He knows he's already screwed up with Alex, and he's not eager to repeat that mistake.]
[ She's still worried what will happen if they're caught killing their so-called CDC comrades without some sort of approval. They haven't earned enough good will. ]
But don't hesitate to kill them if you have to. We'll lose if we do.
We're more valuable to the CDC than they are. [It's simple fact, in his mind.] If they attack us, we defend ourselves. No excuses. [It sounds so easy, to say it.]
[Reiner focuses on her hard at that, suddenly brought into focus. Is she going to be able to do this? Of course she will. She has to. Failure isn't an option.]
It is. Do you want me to contact them? [Hange and Levi, he means.]
[ Dealing with those people would be dangerous, doubly so for Reiner. Still, she wasn't going to try to take away his autonomy just because she's concerned. He remembered now.
[He'll be careful. If he isn't, Annie will be on her own--and that's just something he can't allow. She doesn't need him to survive, they both know that, but he needs to pretend she does at least a little to keep himself going.]
[ Annie isn't sure she's strong enough to stay on her own anymore, and she's not necessarily afraid that she'd lose him to violence. He was powerful. He could defend himself, so long as he just knew to.
But the life of a soldier had a way of seducing him. How he could forget so much and lose himself to it isn't something that she understands, but she can see the appeal. It had to be better. Clear cut, his enemies defined for him. If he didn't remember then it was like he hadn't betrayed all of their comrades from the 104th and murdered uncountable numbers of people.
When compared to her, just her, it doesn't sound like much of a competition. She lets out a soft sigh that has just a hint of a shudder to it. ]
[He knows better than to hug her again. She'd made her feelings known on the matter, and he'd respect them, even if he doesn't necessarily understand.
It doesn't stop him from reaching out to touch her shoulder however briefly. He's there for her, and he'll do his best to stay there. He'd promised her he'd live. But, he's also promised himself that he'll make sure she lives, as well.
If she has nothing else to say, he'll pull back and begin winding his way back to where he'd been.]
[ As he pulls his hand back, she moves her own on impulse. Her fingertips just barely brush his, but then she's jerking her hand back like it burned. No one had ever taught her affection or how to reach out. She'd drilled for years how to fight, how to kill, on just what her mission was, and none of it had ever once included a real connection with anyone else.
The few times she's tried to make them, they've blown up in her face.
Eren, Armin... Bertolt. In a way, she's been left fragile. She can't possibly believe that this won't hurt her in the end as well if she let her guard down. Without addressing her peculiar action at all, she moves to leave more quickly than she might have otherwise. ]
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[ She snarls this at him, eyes bright and focused. ]
Be smart.
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[He snaps back, his fists shaking.]
What if he's right, and he saves everyone? What if he proves himself?
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[ She's better at confrontation, and gives her something to focus on. ]
They're nothing against us.
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[The words aren't wielded like a weapon. If anything, he throws them down like they're his last gamble. He doesn't have anything left.]
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[ She's convinced the risks aren't something they can afford, and she's holding steady. They were two different issues in her mind. What happened to Bertolt was their own fault, and completely incomparable. ]
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Forget that for now. There's something else we need to talk about. Hange and Levi approached me. They say they want a truce.
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Don't tell me that you believe them, too.
[ There's more than a little venom there. ]
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I don't know. If the CDC wins, our whole world dies. That doesn't mean I don't trust them not to stab us in the back when we're least expecting it.
[For now, he keeps what they said about the CDC reviving recruits to himself. He's pretty sure Annie would just scoff at him.
It does sound impossible, after all.]
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Unfortunately, he's absolutely right in at least one regard. ]
What terms?
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If they want a truce, we need terms. Good ones, I guess.
[ After all, it's not like they're the ones with a disadvantage here. ]
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[ She's still worried what will happen if they're caught killing their so-called CDC comrades without some sort of approval. They haven't earned enough good will. ]
But don't hesitate to kill them if you have to. We'll lose if we do.
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[ She falls quiet a moment, thinking. ]
If we have to deal, I almost want the 104th involved directly. Negotiations might mean nothing from higher ups, I don't know...
[ But Reiner would know. He'd been in their unit, so she trails off. ]
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Eren won't dare cross them. Mikasa will listen to whatever he says.
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[ There's a shiver that runs through her small frame, barely perceptible. After all their history, he was the one that left her the most conflicted.
And, though she'd never tell anyone, the day she'd failed wasn't something she could put from her mind. ]
I don't know. Maybe. It's worth trying.
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It is. Do you want me to contact them? [Hange and Levi, he means.]
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The sooner we get it out of the way, the better.
[ The longer they wait, the more complicated it was all going to get. ]
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[ She hesitates, looking down at her boots. ]
Reiner, be careful.
[ Dealing with those people would be dangerous, doubly so for Reiner. Still, she wasn't going to try to take away his autonomy just because she's concerned. He remembered now.
Maybe he wouldn't forget again. ]
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[He'll be careful. If he isn't, Annie will be on her own--and that's just something he can't allow. She doesn't need him to survive, they both know that, but he needs to pretend she does at least a little to keep himself going.]
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But the life of a soldier had a way of seducing him. How he could forget so much and lose himself to it isn't something that she understands, but she can see the appeal. It had to be better. Clear cut, his enemies defined for him. If he didn't remember then it was like he hadn't betrayed all of their comrades from the 104th and murdered uncountable numbers of people.
When compared to her, just her, it doesn't sound like much of a competition. She lets out a soft sigh that has just a hint of a shudder to it. ]
Yeah.
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It doesn't stop him from reaching out to touch her shoulder however briefly. He's there for her, and he'll do his best to stay there. He'd promised her he'd live. But, he's also promised himself that he'll make sure she lives, as well.
If she has nothing else to say, he'll pull back and begin winding his way back to where he'd been.]
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The few times she's tried to make them, they've blown up in her face.
Eren, Armin... Bertolt. In a way, she's been left fragile. She can't possibly believe that this won't hurt her in the end as well if she let her guard down. Without addressing her peculiar action at all, she moves to leave more quickly than she might have otherwise. ]