you don't have to hold back

let's say I am not who I say I am, can you then say you are who you say you are? [indie Annie Leonhardt; up to date on the manga; might not be around terribly often; please read info!]

[consideredhumantoo]

xvires

"Bertholdt's been looking for you."

It was a short greeting, seemingly flippant, but she knew he'd understand the meaning behind it. That was enough for her.

[arminthestrategist]

Armin hesitates one final time before he banishes any lingering doubts from his mind. To catch up, he has to take one big stride, and then a second, but once he’s walking side by side with Annie, he can’t help a curious glance over at her.

He heard the promise in her words, and he believes it. He doesn’t think he’s ever seen Annie treat anyone gently, but rather than scare him, that just intrigues him. He wants to know more about her, because she’s one of the few people he finds difficult to read. 

Although he has no idea what she hopes to gain from sparring with him, he’s open to the experience, even though his stomach drops a little as the training grounds come into view. Thankfully, there’s no one else around, so only she will be privy to his failure.

"How are we going to do this? Same rules as during regular training?" He’s proud his voice doesn’t waver. 

[consideredhumantoo]

She doesn't meet his gaze as they walk, but she knows he's watching her; it's a feeling she's experienced more than once and it's one she dislikes no matter how long she's had to get used to it. With Armin, it's a feeling that comes along with a strong sense of wariness.

Armin may not be as much of a presence as Eren, but she's heard them talk. She's seen him gesture to Marco about the blatant injustices their government forces on them, watched him take notes in what passes for class. Armin is too perceptive by half, and she has secrets to hide. She would be a fool to ignore the threat he might be, no matter how confident she is in her ability to lie, 

But right now, there's no need for her to think so much. Much simpler to judge in fighting, where she's most at ease.

It's only now that Annie looks over at him with a casual glance.

"Same rules as during regular training," she echoes, reaching behind her back to pull out the wooden dagger she'd stolen and stuck in between her hoodie and her military-issue trousers just for this. "Steal the dagger from me, knock me to the ground. Then the other way around."

[arminthestrategist]

It was not a surprise that Annie had noticed Armin didn’t get much out of training when everyone treated him with kid gloves, pity winning out over the possibility of an honest lesson. He’s seen enough of Annie training with Eren to know that she’s a force to be reckoned with, but he figures he prefers to fail again and again in order to learn, no matter how embarrassing it might be. So he nods, only a little hesitant. “Okay then. I’ll spar with you.”

[consideredhumantoo]

She nods, straightens herself a little, and starts to walk towards the training grounds -- all but assuming he'll follow behind her.

"I won't go easy on you," she promises; she thinks it's a kinder truth than the care his friends have offered him, which have only served to soften him up and make him useless.

But he isn't Eren. She isn't doing this to teach him.

Annie knows it's Armin's mind that's the most useful weapon in his arsenal, and she would be a fool not to be wary of it. And yet, she's intrigued, despite herself. Testing him through sparring is something she genuinely wants to do. It's a foreign feeling, but one she accepts nonetheless.

[asklivingfarlanchurch]

" … "

"Fair enough, but I’d have to ask, you done ever get lonely? Hell, or even miss someone?"

[consideredhumantoo]

"..."

"We all left homes behind to join the military, didn't we? I'm not an exception to that."

[selfish-in-excess]

“No. Probably because I don’t. No one relays how you make the walls tremble in favour of keeping their throat in-tact.”

[consideredhumantoo]

"I wasn't asking your opinion. Just thought someone should let you know."

[karniivore-deactivated20160506]

     ”Th’ hell? Well, I suppose it’s a combination of both? I don’t know!” he said a little too quickly, “I mean, I do it for my own personal need for him to shut up, but in turn it’s a public service. Kind of like a win-win situation.”      Why did she play these games with him? He could always tell when she toyed with him. Maybe it was time to turn the tables and start asking the questions himself.      ”Why are you always so withdrawn?

[consideredhumantoo]

"That's a convenient situation for you, isn't it?"

It wasn't so much that she really cared about Eren's feelings towards Jean, but it worked as a nice method of keeping him alert, on his toes, thinking. Better for him to realize when his excuses were excuses and start learning to use that plainly to his advantage.

Still, his question made her pause.

"..."

"Why do you care?"

[consideredhumantoo]

tagged by: arminthestrategist Do not reblog; repost and answer instead. name: Annie Leonhardt age: 16-20s (I feel like modern verses often age them up? College AUs and things, can't be done if these kids are still kids.) your favorite picture of your muse’s fc:

(it's the one I have as my sidebar picture!! I'm fairly in love with it xD)

questions — what would be their twitter name? what sorts of tweets would they tweet? I feel like it's either a really bad pun or something exceedingly simple like @aleonhardt; with Annie it really could be on either end of the spectrum. she's got an awfully dry sense of humour, though, so even if her twitter handle is the super simple one her tweets are probably likely just going to be dry observations of the world around her, interspersed with occasional conversations with her friends and really awful jokes too. what’s their favourite genre of movies? of music?  hm. I feel like when it comes to movies and TV shows, Annie's not picky because she doesn't really watch much of them? or, like, she half-watches movies when she's bored or watches through parts of TV shows, enough to be able to make obnoxious pop culture references if she deems it necessary, but otherwise she doesn't bother with movies or TV, they're just not her thing. she probably also keeps up with spoiler sites, though, just to spoil the shows her friends are watching. I feel like Annie'd take a lot of amusement from that ::laughing::

when she does watch movies, though, I imagine she likes psychological thrillers, but then also those really stupid bro movies and kids' animated movies, which she'll never admit to anyone.

as for music, I myself tend to associate Annie with MS MR when I'm writing her, so I'm tempted to go for things like that. I think Annie'd be sort of a hipster, she'd like alt rock and indie music and stuff. hm...but classic rock too, I feel like!

what’s on their top queue on Netflix?  shows that she's watched half of in scattered seasons, probably movies that someone's mentioned that she thought she might enjoy, or that her friends have recommended to her because 'who doesn't watch movies, Annie, what the fuck' what’s their favourite scent? do they smell like that?  the smell of drizzly rain? she finds it sort of cleansing. it's not a strong smell, but she likes to go out when it's drizzling so that she can just be alone and think. she doesn't smell like that, though, I don't think it's possible. her smell is nearly invisible unless you get close enough to smell it, though, she's not extravagant about it. she...probably smells like vanilla? or maybe something minty. sharp and clean, though.  apple or android?  apple! I feel like Annie's opinions about going with the flow and the charade of being stupid soldiers in canon would translate to the whole info tech debate going on now versus apple and android, paper books vs e-readers, etc etc. and Annie, as she is in canon, would be the ultimate conformist in that regard, even as she calls it out.  favourite season? least favourite season?  favourite season would be...hm, fall, I think. perfect weather for her sweatshirts, not too hot or too cold but a comfortable middle ground. I think she'd like watching the snow fall too, though, imagining Annie standing outside in the first snowfall of the year feels right to me. other than the first snowfall, though, I don't think Annie'd terribly like winter. or summer, to be honest. I don't think Annie'd be one for extreme weather unless it's for a particular reason. are they a bottom or top or versatile?  versatile, for the most part! although I do think there are some cases where she'd be more inclined to top, or to do the whole topping-from-the-bottom thing, especially depending on who you pair her with.  describe their morning routine. Do they wake up early or sleep in? do they press the snooze button a bunch of times or do they immediately get up?  HORRIBLE MORNING PERSON ANNIE GIVES ME LIFE. lmao I've just been talking about this on my personal and with a friend of mine, Annie is definitely not a morning person, 100%. she wakes up with an awful case of bedhead and if someone is waking her up earlier than she wants to be woken up she will glare and probably punch them and then try to go back to sleep. she most definitely is the type of person to practically smash her alarm to press the snooze button, and it's wise not to attempt to talk to her before she's had coffee. it would be dangerous. if they were to be compared to a canon character, who would that be? (spirit animal.)  ah...hm. I feel like she'd identify very strongly with Slytherin house, but none of the characters fit her very well. maybe in a sort of vague way Draco Malfoy? nothing very concrete, though. I don't think Annie's the type to put much stock in identifying with fictional characters, at least not consciously so. 

tag five people so they can get to know their muse too (if you haven’t already done it): oh, I don't know enough people to do this yet! maybe loyalprxtector, if you've got time and haven't done it yet??? I feel like most people on my dash have done this already...but if you haven't and you'd like to, go ahead and do so, please! I'd love to see what comes of it. :D

[consideredhumantoo]

selfish-in-excess

"Has anyone told you how loudly you snore?"

[asklivingfarlanchurch]

"You give off that kind of vibe. Maybe not friends though, just something to talk to?"

[consideredhumantoo]

"I'm fine on my own. Don't think that just because I talked to you, I need that kind of pathetic validation."

[keytohumanity]

Eren spat to the side, shaking his head in a vain hope of quelling the ringing that had taken residence between his ears. Swallowing (which tasted like copper, so he had probably bitten his lip somwhere in there), Eren raised his hands into a defensive posture again. “I think so? One more time, just to make sure though.”

With that, he steadied himself before moving forward with a punch, trying to land his fist on Annie’s face.

[consideredhumantoo]

She didn't answer him, only settling more firmly into her position. Grounded enough so that she wouldn't stumble, but lightly enough so that she could move quickly.

He was so predictable.

His own momentum threw him forward, but she had more practice, and it was simple as ever to simply dodge by leaning to the side fast enough when he was close -- and then throwing her leg upwards to knee him hard in the stomach. Then, instinctively, her arm shot out and she grabbed his left shoulder with her left hand, using him to ground herself as she kicked her left shin into his bent knees, and then easing his fall by pushing him down with the hand she still had on his shoulder.

"When I said you didn't have to hold back, I didn't mean 'be careless'," she told him, looking down at where he was sprawled on the ground with no trace of sympathy in her eyes.

[loyalprxtector]

A soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped the dark haired teen’s thin lips. She stared at the blonde with the same neutral expression as she always did, but this time there was some fatigue showing as well. Usually, she would simply state her opinion, or rather answer, and quietly leave. However, this time was different. Mikasa had to actually… talk with Annie.

"I… I’m not sure. I just, I want to make the most of what I have."

It was rather strange for Mikasa, having to talk to the shorter girl, almost like speaking a foreign language she didn’t know at all. Most of their previous conversations had been short and simple, some times nothing more than a single word or the occasional greeting. And there were the times they were sparring partners, where their conversations were a bit more elaborate. However, this time was the longest they had been in each other’s presence.

[consideredhumantoo]

Annie met her gaze, unmoving and unwavering. She had been taught to always stand her ground, and even for her own personal beliefs, she wouldn't fail here. But the look on Mikasa's face made even her curious; was it Annie herself that was causing that look of hopelessness to cross Mikasa's eyes?

That had never been an emotion she'd inspired in anyone. Theoretically speaking, the honour for inspiring hopelessness had to go to Bertholdt.

It truly was like having to translate; Mikasa was a beast she had not had to deal with in many capacities before now. Sparring was a language that she was much more comfortable with, and she almost longed to force Mikasa to yield through fighting. And yet something stymied her, if only for now.

"What do you have, Mikasa?" Her question was quiet, but sharp. "What do any of us here have?"

[karniivore-deactivated20160506]

     Eren caught sight of the smirk and minor annoyance began to set in. Was she toying with him? It seemed highly possible. It wouldn’t be the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. That he knew.

     ”I don’t go ‘picking fights’. That stupid jackass always has something stupid to say. It’s a public service to set that idiot’s head straight, isn’t it?” he huffed, his teal hues narrowing in on the blonde.

[consideredhumantoo]

"Some would say the same thing about you." She neatly evaded the question, instead raising her eyebrows at him.

She wouldn't ever deny that she enjoyed making Eren react to the things she said, but it was just so easy. It amused her to no end; might have even been on par with when they fought. "Are you really doing it because you consider it a public service, or because you just want him to shut up?"

[arminthestrategist]

That’s an honest answer, at least. He figures she deserves the same. “Mikasa and Eren, mostly. Sometimes Marco. No one really takes me seriously enough for real sparring.” He says the last bit quietly, with a small shrug of his shoulders.

[consideredhumantoo]

"I've been monopolizing the time Eren spends sparring with you."

It's not a question; it has to be true, given that she's recently gotten herself into teaching Eren her technique during their mandatory hand-to-hand combat training. Another thought occurs to her, and she tilts her head slightly, raising her eyebrows. "And they go easy on you," she says, once again not a question.

[arminthestrategist]

"Then why the sudden interest?"

[consideredhumantoo]

"Just my curiosity."

"Who do you usually spar with?"

[consideredhumantoo]

keytohumanity

"Have you figured it out yet?"

[the-unsociable-captain]

"What do you need?" He asked her coldly. The icy reply being entwined with his natural way of speaking. 

The Scouting Legion had little relations with the Military Police so her arrival was in the least way expected. If Erwin had plans that required the assistance of the MP’s, Levi would have recognized their name. He did recognize her name, but not for good reason. He eyed her carefully, not giving in to hasty assumptions yet.

[consideredhumantoo]

She blinked almost lazily, breaking her salute to brush her hair from her eyes. The rest of her demeanour, however, was flawlessly military; she stood straight, looked directly at him, and, when she spoke, addressed him with the proper respect. Once she'd finished with her hair, she returned to rest position, hands joined behind her back. Nothing betrayed the fact that she'd seen him eyeing her when she'd walked in, or that she could perhaps have been concerned about her cover.

"I was sent to deliver a message to you, sir," she replied calmly, unaffected by his rudeness. "Aside from the Scouting Legion's summon to Stohess to decide the fate of Eren Jaeger, the unfortunate deaths of your Special Operations Squad have drawn the attention of some of my superiors. From what I understood, they'd like to have your understanding of what occurred; it might be relevant to the trial."

[arminthestrategist]

"Are you sure? I won’t be much of an opponent for you."

[consideredhumantoo]

"I don't expect you to be."