synopsychic | backdated to the day after the shift from clonetemple mountain to basketballroom

[Welp. At least she fell down facing the thing. At least she can still see its neck. She's not quite where she's good for talking out loud though, so she'll be replying mentally.]

Grab... grab my daggers before they disappear. Joscelin... made them for me.

[And he's gone. For fuck knows how long.]

... can heal... use blood in me already... gonna need more... ugh.

[Armin briefly shouts in pain as she hits the floor and he feels bones break. He reaches down to her leg, probing it gently and wincing when he feels the answering pains wrack her body.]

Ah - oh no, I'm sorry. I didn't mean...

[Hearing her voice coming out when he speaks again stalls him. He stares down at her hands. Though he has adapted to the situation quickly, only now does he truly think about what's going on, instead of simply dealing with it. He's... in Thorne's body? How is that even possible?

He quickly calls out to her over the network, before he can panic over what forcing her out of her body may have done to her.] Charlene! Jiějiě, where are you?

[He looks up to Eren as he rushes over, still trying to understand.] I don't - I'm... [Abruptly, her head turns to look back toward the workshop - and toward his body, lying lifeless on the floor.]

[It wasn't so much how she fell; he purposely positioned himself so that she could see him emerge. This was faster and easier than explaining.]

[Eren's eyes go a little unfocused as soon as he's next to her. A sign he was listening to Thorne's telepathic instructions as he hadn't quite learned how to focus on the thoughts and his real surroundings at the same time yet. He nods once, sharply, then turns and rushes over to pull the daggers from the titan's neck. He's back by her side in an instant, setting her daggers down next to her and guiding one of her hands to the hilts. They can't disappear if she can feel them, right?]

[Then Eren follows where she's looking sucks in a breath through his teeth in surprise and fear. He speaks, briefly, so quietly than even being so close Thorne (and Armin) likely wouldn't have heard it if not for her enhanced senses.] No- Why- Not again!

[Then he's yelling again as he's off like a shot towards his friend's body.] Armin! Armin, say something! [Eren comes to a stop next to Armin's body, kneeling down and gently pulling his friend into his arms protectively, checking for signs of life. It was hard to tell from where Thorne was, but Eren's hands were shaking a little. Not again. It was just like before. He'd thought that was caused by some kind of supernatural Sarmatian bullshit so why again!?]

I'm here! [she answers, impatiently.] I'm in my body! Someone's just--

[And then it occurs to her just who must have taken over her body.]

Oh my fucking god, Armin, what the hell are you doing in my body? Idiot. Go back to your own, now!

[And she pushes at him, pushes at him with her mind and--]

Owwwww.

[Ugh. Her ribs. Her legs. Her everything. Time to at least start healing all the bruises...]

Eren, no, it's all right... [He's not listening, and at that point Thorne starts talking to him.] I don't know, Jiějiě, I don't understand what happened. I -

[And before he continue, much less figure out how to return to his body, he's shoved - roughly - and his mind snaps back to where it should be. He stirs in Eren's arms, coming back to himself with a splitting headache. One hand move to rub at his temples, and he blearily opens his eyes.] Nnnngnn. Mm. 'm all right, Eren.

[If he knew it was Armin talking to him he would have listened. But that's Thorne's body and Thorne's voice so obviously it's Thorne talking and nope, that is his oldest friend lying seemingly lifeless on the ground over there and he doesn't have time for things like listening.]

[Armin stirs and Eren freezes for a moment. Then he sighs in relief and pulls his friend against his torso in a hug. Hopefully Armin's head is the only thing that hurts because that is a very tight hug. Also while Eren's not exactly yelling he continues to lack the concept of an indoor voice. He'll uh. Feel bad about that once he realizes that's probably making things worse.] What happened!? Did you faint!? I thought... I thought what happened to you before was happening all over again!

[Sorry Thorne, he'll come back to help you out once he calms down. In the meantime... At least despite how weirdly nervous and aloof Eren's been towards him since they got back, how much tension hung in the air between them, it's painfully obvious how much Eren still cares about him.]

He borrowed my body. [Thorne's voice is hoarse from across the gym, but she pitches it so the other two can hear it. And then she switches to psychic, because it's easier this way:] Dunno how and it was probably because he was freaking out about both of us. But he jumped in me and that's why I couldn't move at first. I think.

You could have asked, you know.

[Armin winces, squinting a little.] Eren, could you... tone it down a little? [Luckily, it is just his head, and with all the tension between them recently, he certainly doesn't mind the hug.

Unfortunately for Eren, he seems much more worried about Thorne at the moment, and doesn't answer immediately. He responds to her over the network, sounding confused and concerned and apologetic.] Sorry, Jiějiě. I... I didn't know I could do that. When I saw you trying to attack Eren, I guess I just... reacted. I wasn't expecting it, so I, I guess my reflexes weren't very good - I'm sorry.

Are... are you gonna be okay? You can heal yourself, right?

Yeah, [she replies after a long moment,] but I'm gonna need some help setting my bones first. I'm pretty sure I broke some things.

HE DID WHAT!? [Guess who has no idea most of the Telepathic Skills are A Thing, let alone that one of his best friends is scary advanced in them? Also approximately half a second after that sudden screaming reaction Eren processes what Armin just asked him and winces himself. He's careful to talk quietly after that.] Ah-! S-sorry... Does your head hurt?

[Well, at least if it is a head injury Armin's still thinking clearly. That's a good sign right? Yeah, that means he'll be okay. Probably. Not going to keep Eren from worrying though. Also the lack of an immediate answer is okay, of course Armin would worry about his sister before worrying about himself. Still kind of stung but even Eren knew getting upset over it now would be pretty irrational. So he decides to shut up for the moment and listen to them talk over the Network. In the meantime he shifts Armin slightly to support his friend with one arm, then collects Armin's daggers and tucks them carefully into his own belt for the time being. He'd noticed a theme with wolves and if that meant Armin was given those daggers by who Eren suspected, the last thing Armin needed right now was for Liminal Space to make those disappear too. Good thing Thorne had said something about her own daggers, so Eren was actually thinking about that?]

[With the weapons secured Eren very carefully stands back up, lifting Armin as he does so. He carries Armin, bridal-style, over to where Thorne is still lying on the ground. Then he very carefully sets Armin down next to her, before turning his attention to Thorne.] Where does it hurt? I'm not a doctor like Dad but I know basic field medicine. I should be able to help set bones if you don't know anyone that would be better for this.

Edited 2016-01-19 23:57 (UTC)

... oh my god, [she says in a low voice,] did you just bridal carry Armin over? [She starts laughing... and then she starts coughing... and then,] OW!

My ribs, [she says, switching back to psychic.] And my legs. And Armin is scary when it comes to brain stuff. That's just how he is.

[He actually flinches at the shout, hand going to his forehead.] Y-yeah... [Better late than never, he supposes.]

All right, Jiějiě. I'll... [He starts to try to push himself to his feet, but just then Eren cuts off the effort by picking him up and carrying him.] E-Eren? What...?

[Taken entirely off guard, it's several moments before he starts to blush - a blush made exponentially worse by Thorne's reaction.] There's nothing wrong with my legs, you know. [Still, even bring pink, he doesn't seem to mind too much, leaning into Eren a little in the moment before they've reached Thorne and he sets him down - at which point she is once again the focus of all his attention.]

We've both had field training in medicine. It should be enough, if you have enough blood for the task. [He doesn't even mention his psychic abilities.]

Huh? What the hell is so funny? [No seriously, he was trying to take care of his friend here. Why is that funny? What was he supposed to do, toss Armin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes? ...Really Thorne he was already getting a complex over how backwards his world was when compared to most others and how dumb that was making him routinely look. Not helping.]

No, but you probably hit your head when you fell. I'm not going to let you try to push yourself only to end up getting too dizzy to stand or blacking out and falling again.

[He practically snorts at Thorne's comment about Armin's mental abilities.] Armin's always been a little scary when it comes to "brain stuff." What does that have to do with him controlling your body? [Yeah, he really hasn't experienced much in the way of Telepathic skills beyond being able to think at people, and there's a little too much going on right now for him to stop and figure out the connection.]

Don't worry, you can have some of mine. It's the least I can do for causing this. [...Someone might want to warn him about the side-effects of being bitten by Thorne's particular line of vampire while he's coaxing the bones in her leg back into place.]

More... more like adorable. [Okay, now that she has control of her limbs, she's so stashing her daggers in hammerspace and trading them out for some bottled blood. Which... she's just going to maybe chug a little now. For reasons. And then heal. And then chug some more.

Yeah, she's definitely feeling better now with some more blood in her. And more apt to actually talk to people.]

I don't just mean he's scary smart. I mean. He is scary smart. It's really great. I'm helping him learn science stuff and he's really getting so much out of it.

I mean he's really scary when it comes to psychic powers and shit like that. Like, he could probably read the mind of, like, almost anybody here. And he can do this shit where he can put parts of his mind or memories in a little box in the back of his mind where it can't touch the rest of it. And, like, he can show people memories and bring them into his own mind--although I think he might have to pass out himself for that. And he has some weird trick where he turns himself from an Investigator to an Infiltrator. So, like, I think stealing my body is the next step on his road to have the most OP brain of them all.

Basically, of everyone I know, Armin is the most dangerous and scary. It's, like, a combination of his brain, his brain stuff and... um... his Armin-ness? Like, uh, he's pretty ruthless sometimes. [When he needs to be.]

Also, um, I appreciate the offer of the blood, but... you're still fifteen, right? So. Uh. You're a little too young for me to feel comfortable eating you. Maybe in three years or something.

[Armin starts setting her other leg - he already knows where the break is, since he felt it break himself. He doesn't respond to his friend's explanation for carrying him.

He loves Eren. He loves how much Eren cares about him. But he hates when Eren sees him as weak, when he thinks Armin can't stand on his own.

Even more than that, Armin hates when he proves Eren right.

But now's not the time for that. He and Eren are rocky enough as it is, and right now they're looking after Thorne. But then they start to talk about his intelligence and psychic abilities, and he sort of hunches in on himself, even more quiet - he feels awkward, and he has no idea how to respond to this situation. His face is deep red by the time he breaks in, and he speaks quietly, not quite looking anyone in the eye.]

...Can you guys stop talking about me as if I'm not here?

[Eren bristles a bit at that "adorable" comment. And also starts blushing slightly. At least he doesn't start yelling again?] ...What's that supposed to mean?

[She doesn't actually have to answer that though, as soon as she starts explaining what Armin can do Eren completely forgets about that question.] Mind reading? Like being able to tell what people are thinking!? That's not something just anyone can learn, is it? [Yeah, it's clear that that's kind of a scary thought. Not because Armin can do it - he trusts Armin, always has and always will - but because he definitely doesn't like the idea of random strangers pulling things out of his brain.]

[The more things Thorne rambles off, the wider Eren's eyes get. Eventually his jaw drops and he's just left looking completely dumbfounded. Armin could do all of that? He had no idea... Then Armin speaks up and Eren shakes himself out of it.]

Ah, no, that's not what-! [He didn't want this. He just wanted to understand, for Armin to talk to him instead of needing Thorne to explain. Eren reaches a hand out like he was going to place it on his friend's shoulder. But then stops, hesitating in place, before pulling his hand back. He looks down, not able to make eye contact as he speaks.] Why didn't you tell me about this? Don't you...? [No, he can't finish asking that question. Don't you still trust me? He's not sure he wants to hear the answer. Why else would Armin have kept this a secret?]

[Sorry, Thorne, but that wasn't a very good explanation and with him already becoming more and more worried about how much younger he is than Armin now, and how much of an idiot he must seem to all the people here that weren't born into worlds that were backwards, war-torn cages like his. Saying he was too young, without even explaining why that was an issue? It felt like salt in a wound. He very carefully keeps looking down, and now that he was done realigning the bones in her leg he let his hands clench into fists so hard his knuckles turned white. Speaking to her again now his tone was pissed. ...And also pretty damn hurt.]

I am not just some dumb kid!

What--? It's not because you're a dumb kid! [Well YOU KIND OF ARE DUMB SOMETIMES but that is not the point. And you are a kid. But. But!] Look, okay, the reason I won't bite you yet is that it's kind of sexy and where I come from a twenty-five-year-old woman doing something sexy with a fifteen-year-old boy is kinda creepy. That's why I said to wait like three years. You'd be old enough in my world then. I just didn't want to have to say it straight out like that if I didn't have to because you were a vampire too and Sarmatian vampires don't have to deal with that shit and-- I don't know, I guess I didn't want you to be too weirded out.

And I mostly just know the shit Armin can do because I've seen him do it. The only one he told me he could do is the part where we share memories. I'm not even entirely sure about the mind-reading, to be honest, but it seems like the kind of thing you'd have to know before you hijacked someone's brain like he did that one time.

[Speaking of which...] Uh. Sorry about that shit before, Armin. And again just now.

Edited 2016-01-21 00:02 (UTC)

[Armin is quiet when he responds to Eren, far from comfortable with this conversation.] Anyone can hypothetically learn. But it's not an easy thing to pick up. And you can learn to protect yourself from it too.

[He doesn't bother addressing how he can do a lot more than Thorne mentioned. But he hears the unfinished question from Eren, and he recoils from it, looking horrified and stricken.] Eren, I... I thought I did tell you I was good with the network. [He opens his mouth to say something else, but then averts his head before either of them could see him start to tear up, so he never gets to 'of course I trust you.' That expression on Eren's face, the fact he even has to ask that question - coupled with the guilt from not telling him about what he's plotting, and the confrontation with Thorne about his spying earlier, it's just too much.

Thankfully the vampire bite gets brought up - and that, Armin can address without difficulty.] No, Eren, that's not what she's - [That's as far as he gets before Thorne jumps in, but as long as they stay on this topic Armin will be all right.]

[He nods in response to Armin's answer, but doesn't press it, paying attention to Thorne's explanations instead. If it wasn't easy to learn, then it'd probably take someone on Armin's mental level to be able to figure it out, so it wouldn't be common at all. Still, he should probably figure out how to protect against it, but that could wait a little while.]

[Eren doesn't see Armin recoil. He's still too busy stubbornly looking away so they can't see his expression. But... Armin sounds sorry. That's good a good sign, right? And that Thorne hadn't actually been told either, that was... Maybe good?]

No. You didn't. Even if you had, how is being "good with the network" supposed to explain being able to take over other people's bodies?[He didn't sound angry. A little sad, a little hurt, but mostly just tired. Eren was exhausted from having used his "titan power," and with both Armin and Thorne seemingly through the worse of it the adrenaline was receding and leaving him even more tired than he would have been. So he just... didn't have the energy left to fight or argue about this. Not when the tension in the air between them suddenly seemed even heavier. It must have been palpable to even Thorne now, with what was spoken and obviously unspoken, and the way they couldn't even bring themselves to look at each other...]

[Eren doesn't look up until Thorne explains the real reason she had refused his offer.] You- it's what!? That's... ugh. Why the hell would you biting someone feel like that? ...Is that like the other guy making people feel different by yelling at them? [He was genuinely trying to understand and wasn't juding her at least?] ...You could have just said that without bringing my age into it...

I've got some theories for that. Well, not the ultimate why, but I've got some ideas for what purpose it serves anyway. It's to disguise what we're doing when we feed on people. They just think that making out got suddenly really good. And it makes them liable to let us eat them again.

[She sighs.] Sorry I said it the other way. Look, when you're eighteen and I feel less like a dirty old woman for trying, I promise I'll eat you if it'll make you feel better. And if Mikasa doesn't kill me for it. Which is the other reason I don't want to eat you now.

I'm... I'm sorry, Eren. I r-really didn't mean to hide it! It's just - well, I don't think about it in those terms. The network and what I can do with it, it's just a part of my life now. So I guess... I forget that you don't know about it. And I don't usually talk about it unless someone asks.

[Still not looking at his friend, Armin tries - and mostly fails - to blink away the tears welling up in his eyes.] I'm s-sorry...

[He shakes his head at Thorne's explanation.] That's not the point! It's not like I want you to drink my blood! And don't talk about it like that! [He can't quite suppress a shudder at the memories talking about "eating people" is bringing up.] Just saying it that way's probably enough to seriously piss Mikasa off!

[He was going to say more. The conversation with Thorne is... It's easier, than whatever is happening between him and his friend. Eren wishes he could just go back and never offer to help with the stupid decorations. Then no one would know he's a freak even by the Travelers' standards, Thorne wouldn't have gotten hurt, and his friendship with Armin wouldn't be even more damaged. Shit, what the hell had he been thinking!? There's no way he can take all of this back... He just wants to go shut himself in his room where he hopefully can't screw up anymore.]

[But when Armin speaks up again Eren can't just run away from it, that'd be as good as giving up on ever repairing things between them. Except... he doesn't know what to say. And even if he did, he's not sure he could choke the words out past the lump in his throat. So wordlessly he raises his hand again, and although he still hesitates, this time he does put his hand on Armin's shoulder. It's both apology and forgiveness. Eren continues stubbornly looking down, but he does turn his head a little like he wants to look up, but can't quite bring himself to do it. But it's enough for Armin to see his face if he looks over. Expression hurt and uncertain, but also full of shame and guilt.]

backdated to the day after the shift from clonetemple mountain to basketballroom

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