&quot;Made in their fractured image...&quot;

( Continued from here. ) @lettherebemonsters –

As the ship came to a halt at the long-abandoned port, Cyrica remained wordless even as Reiner and Ymir spoke among themselves. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess of worry and regret … and it was better, in her mind, to keep it to herself. Those two needed to hold onto whatever shreds of positivity they still could. Only when the time came to disembark did she finally speak up, heaving a weary emotionally-drained sigh. “Well … moment of truth, then. Keep your eyes peeled–if there’s one thing I still remember from the Scouts it’s that they have eyes everywhere. I’m almost positive they’re gonna have a visual on us long before we ever make it to the Walls.”

Reiner was sitting on the bed, wrapped up in the thin blanket he was given. At least it was better than anything Zeke had given him…..Zeke and his bullshit about ‘his warriors.’ He loved claiming the others as part of his retinue, yet the first chance he had the ape fuck ran off like a coward…..

Ironic how the devils were more human than the beast titan and his human pilot…..

“ Pleasant isn’t the word I’d use to describe it….”

Ymir, as always, piped up.

“ Yeah, you should have heard him snoring. I didn’t know if I was listening to Braun or his titan half the time….”

Even with her teasing….she was as terrified as he was. Maybe more so…..Reiner lost Bertholdt. But Bertholdt couldn’t feel pain anymore……at least that’s what she desperately clung onto.

But here…….Christa was still alive somewhere. She didn’t know where……she only knew that her love was alive and that her life was in danger for being a Reiss.

It was enough to make anyone cry…..even a Titan.

Pulling up a chair for herself, the Commander seated herself alongside the table, crossing her legs in a relaxed gesture. Ash she spoke, she began leafing through one of her journals, a pen held in her other hand. "Glad to see the both of you are in better spirits this morning. Now, then..." Her remaining eye fell upon Reiner, her expression calm but stern. "Walk me through the events that led to you arriving here with us. Help me understand." She would try her utmost to keep an open mind ... despite the bitter resentment that still gnawed at the hollow left behind in her chest. A difficult task but one she was determined to see through--part of being Commander was remaining as fair and objective as possible ... and not allowing emotion to cloud her judgment. Even if she still harbored a grudge for the part they played in so much loss and destruction ... if moving past it was the only way to uncover the real threat to her people, she would persevere.

(Closed starter for @lettherebemonsters, because I have no self-control. <3) – Cyrica watched with frustrated helplessness as Annie–no, the Female Titan–carved a path of destruction through Stohess in her flight to freedom, Eren’s own titan in hot pursuit. If only she had listened to her … hell, if only Reiner and Bertholdt had listened, for that matter. So much pain and misery could have been avoided, on all sides. She didn’t have long to dwell upon it, however, as the constant rain of debris from broken buildings kept the Scouts plenty busy escorting civilians to safety. Stubbornly, despite the injury to his ankle not yet being fully healed, Levi had ignored Commander Erwin’s urging to sit this mission out. As it just so happened, though … Cyrica was every bit as stubborn as he, and so she had literally glued herself to his side. With as much as he had come to mean to her, over the past several weeks … he wasn’t leaving her sight for a moment, if he insisted upon putting himself in harm’s way. She had already failed to protect him once, when he had injured himself in the first place–she wasn’t about to fail a second time. Using her ODM gear to propel herself to the rooftop Levi stood upon, she landed alongside him as she stared at the two titans locked in a life or death struggle. “If Eren doesn’t handle her soon, there isn’t gonna be much of Stohess left to save. As if the MP needed anymore reasons to revoke the Scout’s custody of him.” She growled in aggravation.

Levi took the keys silently from Hange. He looked emotionless, but he was beyond stressed and exhausted.

While he silently appreciated that people cared….he didn’t want sympathy. He never liked being sympathized with, and he hated being seen as this weak, feeble thing that needed to be coddled.

He waited for Hange to leave to head back to the prisoners before slipping outside his room. He bothered to knock on the door to Cyrica’s temporary quarters. He needed to talk to her….as much as he knew she might want to talk to him as well. There was too much in the air between them…..too many secrets.

He needed answers….he needed to hear from her why this happened……and how they’d continue on. He desperately wanted to see her alive…..but even the great Levi Ackerman had no power when it came to the royal family, even if his family had been caretakers and guards for the royal family in Paradis…..

His knocks were slow and steady as he was.

“ Cyrica? We need to talk…..it…..it might be our last chance….”

Their last chance…..before a possible end.

#LeaderOfThePack (Slayer AU)#lettherebemonsters

The sound of Levi's voice from the other side of the door invoked a wide array of complex emotions, all at once--relief, worry, bitter sorrow ... she knew his words to be entirely true. Depending on how the next day's events played out, this could very well be the end. If she was deemed to great a threat to keep alive, he would be forced to lose the one he loved ... a man who had already survived so much loss. It was a difficult thought to dwell upon, so she simply chose not to. She had to believe that somehow, someway, they would all emerge upon the other side of all of this. It was the only hope keeping her moving forward... With a soft shaky sigh, Cyrica hesitated for only a brief moment before calling back out, "Yeah ... come in." She remained where she sat upon the edge of the bed, her head still in her hands as she heard the door unlock and swing open. Only then did she finally lift her gaze to him as he entered, those burgundy eyes looking far more defeated and tired than they ever had before. It was hard not to feel run-down and broken, knowing that her very existence hung in the balance. Even the lives of those she considered family lingered in uncertainty, dependent upon the petty whims of ignorant nobles. It was a hefty burden to bear. Even now, however, she still managed a thin smile ... though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hell of a day, huh...?" The mother of all understatements, most definitely.

Cyrica’s eyes narrowed at the child’s words. “…..‘Stupid devils’, huh…? Cute.” Slowly, she knelt down so that she could look Gabi squarely in the eyes as she spoke in a deceptively calm tone. “'Cause as it just so happens, kid … I’ve seen who the real devils are. And it’s not the people forced to live as second-class citizens over ancient history.” The way the girl spoke stoked a fire in the pit of her gut. She’d killed grown men for saying far less, when she lived as a vagabond on the streets of Liberio. This was different, though. This was Reiner’s own flesh and blood. But beyond that … she was a child. Cyrica couldn’t have willed herself to harm her even if her own life depended upon it. In truth, Gabi was as much a victim of the Marleyan system as she, herself, was. After all, a dog raised among wolves will think itself a wolf … and this little girl could howl with the best of them. They had programmed her well–too well. Was it too late to steer her away from the life they wanted for her? Time would tell. For Reiner’s sake, though … she knew she had to get through to her.

@eldian-siren

Reiner had been trying to at least teach Gabi tolerance…..but it was so hard. He was barely around, and when he was…..he was always exhausted and weak. He was looking worse…..like a disease was eating away at his insides.

He barely ate, the nightmares made sleeping almost impossible. Either the curse was killing him….or his own guilt was doing to job itself.

His voice was quiet as he spoke, trying to reason with his baby cousin…trying to do what he could despite how weak he was.

“ Gabi, she’s right. They’re not devils. The people on Paradis are Eldians just like us…”

Gabi scoffed, giving him an incredulous look.

“ Reiner, we’re MARLEYANS. Honorary Maleyans! Yeah, sure, we were born Eldians but we’re BETTER now! We’re better than those freaks will ever be! Besides, you know the stories! How a legion of Titans bigger than mountains are just waiting there for the chance to kill everyone on Earth!

We’re NOT gonna let that happen! We’re going there to kil these devils, take back the Founder and save this freaking world!”

It was all too close for comfort for Reiner….joining the candidacy to be a hero. And here was Gabi….wanting the exact same thing as he did….

The room was massive…..and a place where nightmares of the past remained. The huge eyes had an undeniably animalistic quantity to them, with the faintest echo of human…..

Gabi saw more jars…..but it was bigger than just specimen jars. It looked like displays in someone’s private collection…..each one getting more and more gruesome. Because she knew what these were the more she examined each display.

There was a jar that looked like it had a severed finger or claw….the claw massive and vaguely metallic in look……another holding diamond-like crystal structure. The one though that made her pause…..was a large display case that showed what looked like golden scales, interlocking together in the shape of armor plating.

Armor…..

“……..They took samples from the Titans of Marley….”

She felt sick…..really sick. All her excitement went right through her feet and out her body as chills hit her like a damn fever. Terror…..horror….disgust. Who…..how? How was this possible…?

Why were these people….pulled apart? Why left like this? While the room was cleaner and more organized than the rest of the building, it was still a mess. Something huge had been evacuated from here…..what looked like blood drops bigger than dish plates showing a faint trail that vanished…..gone.

Cyrica couldn't help but feel her stomach twist around into knots at the sight. Gabi spoke truly--there was no mistaking these contained specimens as belonging to titans. Somehow, the chemicals they floated in kept them from disintegrating as titan flesh normally did. But the question remained 'why'--why would they bother to do such a vile thing? To what end? It was impossible to know for sure ... after all, the various scientific minds of the Pseudo Project were willing to stoop to a great many lows in the pursuit of the results they wanted. Apparently, this was just another stepping stone along that dark path. For the moment, the half-titan tore its gaze away from the jars, too sickened to stare any further as the crimson glow of her eyes instead fell upon a stack of manila folders set upon a dusty table. Shifting her bulk to one side, the large creature drew nearer, tentatively turning one of them open with the tip of a large claw. The first few words, larger than the rest, immediately drew her attention: 'Transfer records for Location B.' The Pseudo-Titan's eyes shot open wide. "Oh, hell no ... they didn't..."

(For @lettherebemonsters with love. <3) – It had been an especially eventful past few days, to say the least. The revelation to Reiner that Annie hadn’t been bound and tortured for all this time … his assessments with Commander Hange both for himself and Armor … it had been a lot to take in. Just as jarring and difficult to adjust to, however, had been the sudden change in her ‘living arrangements’. As she was still assigned to Captain Levi’s custody, it had been decided that the better option would be for her to move into his own quarters rather than rejoin the others in the barracks. Rather than resign her to making due with just a bedroll on the floor, however, he had at least taken the curtesy of having a second bed brought into his room. A gesture that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Cyrica. Comfortable as her new accommodations were, however, one factor remained unchanged–her sleep was haunted by relentless visions of a childhood spent in constant medical experimentation and the slow agonizing demise of her companions. Every jab of a needle, every slice of a scalpel, every faint echoing cry was hers to relive, each time she closed her eyes. Small murmurs and moans of unconscious distress escaped her as she tossed and turned in the midst of tormented slumber.

Pseudo was transfixed at the sight, the semi-Titan feeling the pain worse than Cyrica. She was a Titan…..all titans came from the same core. They all originated from Ymir….they all shared their pain in a deeper, almost genetic sense.

His pain reverberated deeply in her as she moved closer to the Armored Titan. She lifted her clawed hand, gently resting it against damaged armor plated flesh across his face.

His eyes……such a mighty beast that inspired fear and terror….yet those eyes were the eyes of a mighty king…..like looking into the eyes of a lion. Eyes that showed pain…..but a refusal to give up.

She spoke to him in their tongue, her words changed to human words as his had been.

“ Who did this to you….”

Though she really meant…..why…..when…..how? She needed to know…..they all needed to know. Who was he? Why was he trapped? What had he done to earn a horrific fate where he was sealed in a prison, waiting until his will broke enough that he decayed like the others before him…..

His eyes met Cyrica’s……eyes that looked like Reiner’s. Eyes that showed strength…..but gentleness. A family trait.

“ I don’t know……I just remember…….the teeth. The pain…..then I was here with the others. Everyone else gave up….I didn’t. I felt like someone needed me……now now….in the future. I waited…..I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to turn into the others…..”

He swallowed heavily, the pain in his eyes deep enough that the permanent grin from his lipless maw looked more like an agonized grimace.

“ I heard him…..I heard him being born. I heard him crying…..I had to go to him. I had to find him….he was all alone out there…..I heard him scared. They locked me away….”

He said a word that had no human equivalent…..the closest was ‘descendant’….but it was deeper than it. He had fought to find someone descended from his bloodline….someone who gained his power. He had fought….to find his son.

Such an amazing and fascinating creature ... relegated to such a hideous fate. It was enough to make Cyrica ill, tears stinging at her eyes as she looked and his sorrowful eyes and hung upon his every word. Punished for the love of family ... that definitely sounded like a very 'Marleyan' thing to do. But to see it taken to such a foul extreme ... it was infuriating. Stepping forward alongside Pseudo, her own tiny hand hesitantly reached out to touch the damaged plating of the behemoth's cheek. "Isn't there anything we can do for him? To try and get him out of this hellhole?"

A puzzled look came to her face at the prospect of titans having parents. Cyrica’s knowledge and understanding of titans was woefully lacking, but … was this common knowledge? It didn’t seem like it, or else she felt as though she would have heard of the concept sooner. This she had to see.

@eldian-siren

Bringing home not one, but TWO Armored Titans had been a massive shock for the Corps. There was A LOT of agitation surrounding the much bigger, much scarier looking Armored that looked more like a lost puppy than anything else.

Being dead for half-a-century had left him completely clueless over most things, and Armor had to coax his progenitor into meeting his friends. It took some time, but soon the older Armored endeared himself to the group, and he became like a babysitter for the group.

Unlike Armor, who needed to rest in Reiner from time to time, the new Armor had since been fused with his human half; the giant form was his permanent self, so he was permanently massive and imposing…..like a massive guard dog.

And just like a massive guard dog, the old Titan was asleep, enjoying the sun warming up his plates and re-energizing him. Somehow in his sleep he ended up with his head on top of the roof of a building, the weight of his skull enough that the roof was bent in half.

Snores echoing everywhere as steam flowed from huge exposed teeth, his hand twitching as he dreamed what every proud Titan would dream of…….food of course! He dreamed of chewing on a huge drumstick, maybe from a dragon.

Mmmmm……dragon…..

Aegis purred. He wanted to nuzzle Hange but she was too far up his shoulder for a proper snoot boop, so instead he opted to do to her what he did to Reiner……he licked her.

While it may have started out as mutual partnership towards understanding the world the other lived in…..it was getting obvious that the huge Titan might be smitten with the much smaller human. If she told him to jump he’s leap a building.

Reiner could feel his own titan snicker……even Armor recognized when a fellow Armored Titan was showing signs of being attracted to someone who was definitely not another Armored Titan. The big difference being his had been a Colossal…..and not a human he might accidentally squish.

“ You know, I might let Armor out on the next hunt too. Two Armored Titans and Pseudo might be able to cover more ground, maybe even scout ahead in the forest to double check the outer perimeters.”

It would be safer to do it with Titans and not the new recruits….recruits who while great…..were a long time away from going in the field to fight and hunt down their own titan. Many of which were smarter and faster than they appeared…..

The rake of that large titan tongue caught the Commander off-guard, her cheeks flushing a deep scarlet hue. Her very first titan 'kiss'--she was humbled into silence. All she could do was give a squeal of excitement as she hugged the side of Aegis' neck tightly. Today was a very good day. Cyrica couldn't help but grin up at the endearing sight. Somehow ... with Hange's long-standing love and fascination towards titans ... she couldn't say she was all that surprised. It was only a matter of time. She nodded approvingly at Reiner's suggestion. "Sure, fight 'fire with fire'. That way not only would we be able to return back with more game, but it'd also be safer to hunt in areas that would normally be too risky to try. Sounds like a winning strategy t'me." She smirked over her shoulder in the Captain's direction. "Assuming a certain someone can be persuaded into agreeing with it. Y'know how he is about me, ever since the shit that went down with Eren."

Down the Rabbit Hole (New Thread)

@eldian-siren

There were very few days where things were boring and uneventful at the Survey Corps headquarters and today was no exception. Regular patrols, Levi hounding the recruits to get their asses moving or they’d never make it anywhere on the team…

Even Reiner was running his butt off….well……specifically his titan. Armor was helping the Scouts train worst case scenarios, acting as a live target for them to practice their ODM gear out in the fields adjoining the castle. There was enough space for several Titans, but the huge armored beast was enjoying the brief moments of freedom he had.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the other armored titan was there helping out Hange. The huge Titan was much older than Reiner’s and he sometimes felt his age……in a way, he enjoyed watching his pup frolic and play with the humans in the guise of training.

Though he had growled at a squad member who had shot a line into Armor’s exposed muscle, causing the titan to yelp in surprise. Something that immediately got his parent furious…..needing to be calmed by several people as a result.

At the moment though, he was lying on his stomach, hands under his head, watching Hange as she worked. Sometimes if she needed something up high, he lowered it down for her.

Today was a weird day….Titan anatomy. WHY she wanted to know baffled him, but whatever.

It was amusing watching this tiny female walk up and down, scribbling away at her book, all the while throwing barely veiled glances his way. He didn’t mind but he found it odd…..was she studying him? Or….was she interested in him beyond what he could do…..

He caught her looking at his rear and his eye narrowed slightly as the muscle around the eye-holes in his armor gave the impression of him trying to lift a non-existent eyebrow.

Okay, now it was obvious she was checking him out. Usually a female of his type would show interest like that. Seeing what looked to him almost like courting behavior from a human was interesting.

He noticed that she looked flushed and he edged his head closer to her. His huge nose doing his best to gently sniff her….though the suction could have easily sucked her inside his nose by accident.

She looked like she was sick, and he let out a bird-like warble of worry. In his native tongue, speaking to her since he struggled immensely to use the human language without any lips.

“ You look sick. Are you feeling okay? We can rest if you want….”

#AWellTrainedBeast (Cadet AU)#lettherebemonsters #omfg poor hange #she's not used to getting flustered XD

Given her growing 'appreciation' for the massive ancient, it was already considerably difficult to concentrate on the task at hand as her gaze was tempted to wander ... but then his large head drew closer to her, so close that she could feel the woosh of his inhale and the intense heat of his breath. If she wasn't blushing deeply before, she certainly was now. While the literal meaning of the titan tongue still eluded her, she had come to understand enough of the tone and accompanying body language to at least grasp the context. It was clear enough that he had noticed her flushed state and was concerned. She cleared her throat with a nervous smile, brushing some stray brown locks from her face. "Oh, hah, I'm fiiiiine, my dear, don't you fret. It's just ... umm ... humid out! Yes. Very humid. And warm, yes. I-I get overheated a bit easily sometimes. Heh." Not a word of that was true.

Gonna be doin' some streamin' at 8pm EST, if any of you cuties wants to come hang out! Gonna be playing Dead by Daylight instead of AOT2 this time but it'll still be entertaining, I promise. Mostly because I'll be playing Survivor, which I'm terrible at, so you get cheap laughs at my expense. XD

#ASheathedBlade (The Mun) (OOC)#omfg this is gonna be such a disaster XD #I HOPE YOU WILL BE ENTERTAINED #even if it's not aot related XP

We be live, bitches. <3

Gonna be doin' some streamin' at 8pm EST, if any of you cuties wants to come hang out! Gonna be playing Dead by Daylight instead of AOT2 this time but it'll still be entertaining, I promise. Mostly because I'll be playing Survivor, which I'm terrible at, so you get cheap laughs at my expense. XD

#ASheathedBlade (The Mun) (OOC)#eventually i'll have something resembling an actual streaming schedule i swear lmao #for now enjoy the chaotic mess that is me X3

Down the Rabbit Hole (New Thread)

@eldian-siren

There were very few days where things were boring and uneventful at the Survey Corps headquarters and today was no exception. Regular patrols, Levi hounding the recruits to get their asses moving or they’d never make it anywhere on the team…

Even Reiner was running his butt off….well……specifically his titan. Armor was helping the Scouts train worst case scenarios, acting as a live target for them to practice their ODM gear out in the fields adjoining the castle. There was enough space for several Titans, but the huge armored beast was enjoying the brief moments of freedom he had.

Meanwhile, back at the castle, the other armored titan was there helping out Hange. The huge Titan was much older than Reiner’s and he sometimes felt his age……in a way, he enjoyed watching his pup frolic and play with the humans in the guise of training.

Though he had growled at a squad member who had shot a line into Armor’s exposed muscle, causing the titan to yelp in surprise. Something that immediately got his parent furious…..needing to be calmed by several people as a result.

At the moment though, he was lying on his stomach, hands under his head, watching Hange as she worked. Sometimes if she needed something up high, he lowered it down for her.

Today was a weird day….Titan anatomy. WHY she wanted to know baffled him, but whatever.

#AWellTrainedBeast (Cadet AU)#lettherebemonsters #hange behave yourself! XD

It was only with the recent development of human/shifter partnership that the opportunity to gather so much titan information had presented itself ... and the Commander was keen to learn as much as she possibly could. And one of the subjects for which there were the fewest answers was basic titan biology. After all, it simply wasn't possible to safely study mindless specimens while they were still alive ... and performing autopsies wasn't feasible, given how rapidly titan bodies disintegrated. An opportunity like this was too precious to overlook. Trying to be as clinical as respectful as possible, Hange navigated her way around the ancient titan's massive form, a ledger under her arm and a pencil tucked behind her ear so she could take notes as she went. Every inch of the powerful behemoth was fascinating and awe-inspiring in equal measure, and she couldn't help but feel a deep flush of heat come to her cheeks as her gaze appreciated his powerful musculature. Everything from his giant biceps to the curve of his equally-gigantic rear was as perfect as though sculpted by the hands of a legendary artisan. A marvel of nature, indeed. Goodness, she was going to need a very cold shower after all of this.

(Closed starter for @lettherebemonsters, because I have no self-control. <3) – Cyrica watched with frustrated helplessness as Annie–no, the Female Titan–carved a path of destruction through Stohess in her flight to freedom, Eren’s own titan in hot pursuit. If only she had listened to her … hell, if only Reiner and Bertholdt had listened, for that matter. So much pain and misery could have been avoided, on all sides. She didn’t have long to dwell upon it, however, as the constant rain of debris from broken buildings kept the Scouts plenty busy escorting civilians to safety. Stubbornly, despite the injury to his ankle not yet being fully healed, Levi had ignored Commander Erwin’s urging to sit this mission out. As it just so happened, though … Cyrica was every bit as stubborn as he, and so she had literally glued herself to his side. With as much as he had come to mean to her, over the past several weeks … he wasn’t leaving her sight for a moment, if he insisted upon putting himself in harm’s way. She had already failed to protect him once, when he had injured himself in the first place–she wasn’t about to fail a second time. Using her ODM gear to propel herself to the rooftop Levi stood upon, she landed alongside him as she stared at the two titans locked in a life or death struggle. “If Eren doesn’t handle her soon, there isn’t gonna be much of Stohess left to save. As if the MP needed anymore reasons to revoke the Scout’s custody of him.” She growled in aggravation.

The other three quietly nodded their goodbyes…….all of them too exhausted, too worn out to be enthusiastic. Especially since they knew they would be sentenced to death tomorrow by a king that hadn’t bothered to help his own people in years.

Bertholdt offered Cyri a smile, though it was laced with concern. Given how fragile Reiner’s mental state had been since the treason had been revealed, he had every right to fret over his best friend. And Annie……even Annie. The closest he ever had to a sister, at least in his own eyes….

Without Cyri……the three would be at the mercy of Hange.

Reiner could feel his titan grow restless…..a sign of shared tension. Hopefully he could just sleep, though he was very annoyed at having to share space that normally he had with just Bertholdt.

If it was up for him, he’d be snuggling next to Bertholdt……letting the cares of the world wash away as he fell asleep feeling safe….

#LeaderOfThePack (Slayer AU)#lettherebemonsters

Catching all of their eyes with her own gaze, Cyrica trying her best to appear as reassuring as she possibly could. Come hell or high water, she would find the means to save them all tomorrow. She would make them all realize the value of keeping them alive ... and finally, they would all have a very real chance to fight back against the Marleyans. One step at a time, however. With a sigh, she turned and followed Hange up the stairs leading out of the cellar, hoping this wouldn't be the last time she ever saw her friends again. It wasn't long before they arrived at the upstairs wing of the castle, where the normal lodgings were located. It was no noble's manor but it certainly was a step above sleeping in a dusty dark cellar. Opening the door for her, Hange gently ushered the other woman inside. "I hope you'll understand that for the time being, you'll need to be locked in. If I'm being honest, I don't feel as though you would attempt to escape, but ... we have to err on the side of caution, you know." Reluctantly, Cyrica nodded. "All things considered ... I get it. 'Til tomorrow, Section Commander." Hange gave the girl a small grateful half-smile. "Your cooperation is appreciated ... and will be duly noted in your records that we present before the nobility. Try and sleep well, Miss Warren." And with that, the door was gently closed, the clicking of the lock meeting Cyrica's ears. With a sigh of resignation, she flopped down upon the edge of the bed and rested her head in her hands ... sleep would certainly not come easy that night. Outside, Hange walked to the next door over and rapped her knuckles against it--the Captain's temporary quarters. She murmured against it in a low tone so that his 'neighbor' would not hear, "Miss Warren has been given her accommodations. Just dropping off the key to her door for you." A sour twinge of sadness clung to the back of her throat, unable to keep from feeling a deep sympathy for Levi's unenviable circumstances--not knowing if his lover would survive to see the end of the next day. She couldn't even begin to try and imagine how he was coping with it all.

( Continued from here. ) @lettherebemonsters –

As the ship came to a halt at the long-abandoned port, Cyrica remained wordless even as Reiner and Ymir spoke among themselves. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess of worry and regret … and it was better, in her mind, to keep it to herself. Those two needed to hold onto whatever shreds of positivity they still could. Only when the time came to disembark did she finally speak up, heaving a weary emotionally-drained sigh. “Well … moment of truth, then. Keep your eyes peeled–if there’s one thing I still remember from the Scouts it’s that they have eyes everywhere. I’m almost positive they’re gonna have a visual on us long before we ever make it to the Walls.”

He chuckled.

“ Let’s see, we haven’t snuggled like that in ages…..and what can I say? You’re a titan in the sheets….”

He wouldn’t dare say that he was happy. Long ago he swore he would never allow himself to feel happy again. But in that moment…..it was so hard to just say he wasn’t happy. Because, with Cyri…..he was happy.

He was the happiest man in this fucked up excuse for a world…..and he wouldn’t trade that for no matter how many severed Titan heads there were out there waiting for him….

He wanted to enjoy the time they had together, but already he could hear commotion as everyone was waking up and rushing to get breakfast before off to train. Levi groaned, burying his face in the pillow.

“ Looks like the whole squad’s up already…….knowing Hange she woke up at the crack of dawn to poke at your friends….”

Meanwhile, in the makeshift prison Reiner and Ymir were held, the sounds of outside were much louder than in the castle. Reiner groaned as he opened his eyes, wincing at the light hitting him. Ymir was still snoring away and he threw his pillow at her.

“ Yeems…..YEEMS. Wake up.”

The pillow hit her and she shot up, hair crazy as she momentarily looked like her titan only…..small. She huffed at him.

“ Your throwing sucks. No wonder you can’t pitch a game….”

A slight frown creased Cyrica's brow at the mention of the Commander. Considering all that had happened the day before ... she was beyond worried as to what that 'poking' might entail. "Yeah, well ... hopefully she doesn't get too carried away this time." With a defeated sigh, she planted a tender kiss against the side of his neck before sitting upright and stretching languidly. For the time being, duty called, pulling them from this small moment of peaceful paradise. -- Elsewhere, Commander Hange was making her way towards the 'lodgings' Reiner and Ymir were currently occupying, carrying an armful of writing materials and large books. Her method of extracting information this time around would be more gentle ... but no less thorough. There were a plethora of discoveries to be made. The two would hear her steady boot falls drawing closer until she finally arrived at their door. The sounds of a key twisting into a lock would be followed by the slow creak of aging wood as the door opened ... and in stepped the Commander with the tools of the day's 'trade'. At the very least, it looked as though she had come without any heinous-looking medical equipment or tools this time around--a promising start. A stern but calm expression rested upon her features as she regarded them and set her materials down upon the nearest table. "Good morning. I trust you had a relatively pleasant night, all things considered...?" Considering their history, and the previous day's events, the attempt at small talk seemed a bit out of place, but ... it felt like the right thing to do, if they were to start on different footing.

(For @lettherebemonsters with love. <3) – It had been an especially eventful past few days, to say the least. The revelation to Reiner that Annie hadn’t been bound and tortured for all this time … his assessments with Commander Hange both for himself and Armor … it had been a lot to take in. Just as jarring and difficult to adjust to, however, had been the sudden change in her ‘living arrangements’. As she was still assigned to Captain Levi’s custody, it had been decided that the better option would be for her to move into his own quarters rather than rejoin the others in the barracks. Rather than resign her to making due with just a bedroll on the floor, however, he had at least taken the curtesy of having a second bed brought into his room. A gesture that certainly didn’t go unnoticed by Cyrica. Comfortable as her new accommodations were, however, one factor remained unchanged–her sleep was haunted by relentless visions of a childhood spent in constant medical experimentation and the slow agonizing demise of her companions. Every jab of a needle, every slice of a scalpel, every faint echoing cry was hers to relive, each time she closed her eyes. Small murmurs and moans of unconscious distress escaped her as she tossed and turned in the midst of tormented slumber.

The door didn’t burn….instead…..it was as if it had been waiting for her. A handprint echoed as a rumbling formed. Lines cut up and down as the stone made a deep echoing rumble. Pseudo jumped backwards, pulling Cyrica with her as the huge doors started to open. The doors pulling inwards, sand, stone and rock falling from years of being sealed shut.

The doors opened to a dark cavern set in around the stony mountain. Very little light was in there……it looked more like a horrific prison than anything. Bones…..ancient armored bones from others who had rebelled but had lost the will to fight, succumbing to the malaise that destroyed their brothers and sisters outside the cavern.

That sound from within, now clear……heavy, labored breathing. Metallic, like echoes in a chamber. The sound was so labored it was like something dying……dying yet refusing to just give in….to give up. Pseudo’s eyes could see perfectly in the dark as she saw what had been trapped here for longer than any of the two of them had been alive.

What looked like chains made of metal and twisted with armor and flesh were coiled tight around the wrists of a massive armored titan. The titan easily dwarfed Reiner’s by two…..maybe three meters, in not more.

His arms had been stretched to the point that they had been dislocated from his shoulders, his body hanging slightly as his was kneeling on the ground. Huge shackles of the same material nailed into armored ankles…..

His head was hanging low, but even from where she stood……the look on her face (or whatever came close to a look on a doggish skull face) said everything.

“……He looks like Reiner….”

The armored titan looked so brutalized……it was as if his wounds couldn’t heal. Despite this….he refused to stop fighting…..made even more apparent as he slowly raised his head so he could look at the ones who had opened his door.

Brown hair, exposed teeth…..but those eyes. The features…..it was like looking in an older, more damaged Armor. He let out a faint whimper……speaking in the tongue of titankind. But translating easily here in the Paths…..so he spoke human tongue.

“ Help me….”

As the doors parted, equal parts trepidation and terror welled up inside her as she willed herself to step inside. Outside already had horrors aplenty ... she could scarcely even imagine what could have been imprisoned (or entombed) within for all this time. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight that lay within. Cyrica could only stare slack-jawed in wide-eyed horror at the massive ancient figure bound within, enduring unspeakable suffering for who knew how long. Everything about the massive maimed figure radiated a sense of power and nobility ... broken but unbowed. Tears stung at her eyes as impossibly familiar eyes met her own and the titan spoke. Though she could already instinctively understand titan speech, it caught her off-guard to hear it converted into human words. His deep thunderous baritone resonated deep into the core of her being--intimidating and comforting in equal measure. Even as she stared back at the mighty titan, her words were directed at Pseudo. "S-Shit ... what can we even do for him?"

Cyrica’s eyes narrowed at the child’s words. “…..‘Stupid devils’, huh…? Cute.” Slowly, she knelt down so that she could look Gabi squarely in the eyes as she spoke in a deceptively calm tone. “'Cause as it just so happens, kid … I’ve seen who the real devils are. And it’s not the people forced to live as second-class citizens over ancient history.” The way the girl spoke stoked a fire in the pit of her gut. She’d killed grown men for saying far less, when she lived as a vagabond on the streets of Liberio. This was different, though. This was Reiner’s own flesh and blood. But beyond that … she was a child. Cyrica couldn’t have willed herself to harm her even if her own life depended upon it. In truth, Gabi was as much a victim of the Marleyan system as she, herself, was. After all, a dog raised among wolves will think itself a wolf … and this little girl could howl with the best of them. They had programmed her well–too well. Was it too late to steer her away from the life they wanted for her? Time would tell. For Reiner’s sake, though … she knew she had to get through to her.

@eldian-siren

Reiner had been trying to at least teach Gabi tolerance…..but it was so hard. He was barely around, and when he was…..he was always exhausted and weak. He was looking worse…..like a disease was eating away at his insides.

He barely ate, the nightmares made sleeping almost impossible. Either the curse was killing him….or his own guilt was doing to job itself.

His voice was quiet as he spoke, trying to reason with his baby cousin…trying to do what he could despite how weak he was.

“ Gabi, she’s right. They’re not devils. The people on Paradis are Eldians just like us…”

Gabi scoffed, giving him an incredulous look.

“ Reiner, we’re MARLEYANS. Honorary Maleyans! Yeah, sure, we were born Eldians but we’re BETTER now! We’re better than those freaks will ever be! Besides, you know the stories! How a legion of Titans bigger than mountains are just waiting there for the chance to kill everyone on Earth!

We’re NOT gonna let that happen! We’re going there to kil these devils, take back the Founder and save this freaking world!”

It was all too close for comfort for Reiner….joining the candidacy to be a hero. And here was Gabi….wanting the exact same thing as he did….

Gabi followed, though she had to run after them since she wasn’t as fast as they were. The whole time as she followed, she examined the halls and doors they passed.

The deeper they went, the more rotten and decayed it seemed to be. Less that it looked lived in, and more that it was just so old and dank and covered in old blood and guts that it had started eating away at the interior. It was gross to look at….

There were places she noted that would make for good spots to place wires and whatever she could scrounge up that could react with the electricity and fuel left over to generate an explosion. Her brain thinking up a million ways to cause maximum damage in a short amount of time, and she was feeling maybe a teeny tiny bit giddy.

This was gonna be more fun than blowing up that train at Fort Slava!

One room though she saw was…..weird. It looked cleaner than the other places, and what looked like file cabinets. It was a huge room……maybe an office? But it couldn’t be an office because she could see something like the shadow of specimen jars…..

“ Hey….HEY! Pseudo! Wait up! Come take a look at this!”

She didn’t know why she had the need to see what was inside this room….only a weird feeling in her telling her that a few questions had answers in there…..and maybe…..just maybe…..a name for those responsible….

#AWellTrainedBeast (Cadet AU)#lettherebemonsters #>_>

Cyrica's half-titan barked lowly at Vigil, her closest approximation to saying 'wait' in the titan's tongue before quickly following in Gabi's footsteps. The male halted mid-stride as he watched Gabi and his fellow Pseudo-Titan vanish into an adjacent room, canting his head in an expression of confusion. What could be more important than leaving this place? He made no move to follow them. As the pair stepped into the room, the lingering chemical odor of preservatives prickled at the half-titan's nostrils. Almost instinctually, Cyrica could feel the hackles of her mane standing on end. There was a familiar 'wrongness' to that smell ... as though heralding from a distant memory only part of her consciously retained. And then she saw them. A multitude of glass jars of various shapes and sizes occupied the shelving upon the walls ... each containing some manner of body part or viscera. All of them too large to be human--which could only mean... Her stomach dropped as she approached one of the larger containers and hesitantly touched its surface with the tips of her clawed fingers. 'Staring' back at her were a giant pair of eyes floating in a yellowish fluid. Long-since clouded over, their original color was impossible to discern. "What ... the ... hell...?"

A puzzled look came to her face at the prospect of titans having parents. Cyrica’s knowledge and understanding of titans was woefully lacking, but … was this common knowledge? It didn’t seem like it, or else she felt as though she would have heard of the concept sooner. This she had to see.

@eldian-siren

Bringing home not one, but TWO Armored Titans had been a massive shock for the Corps. There was A LOT of agitation surrounding the much bigger, much scarier looking Armored that looked more like a lost puppy than anything else.

Being dead for half-a-century had left him completely clueless over most things, and Armor had to coax his progenitor into meeting his friends. It took some time, but soon the older Armored endeared himself to the group, and he became like a babysitter for the group.

Unlike Armor, who needed to rest in Reiner from time to time, the new Armor had since been fused with his human half; the giant form was his permanent self, so he was permanently massive and imposing…..like a massive guard dog.

And just like a massive guard dog, the old Titan was asleep, enjoying the sun warming up his plates and re-energizing him. Somehow in his sleep he ended up with his head on top of the roof of a building, the weight of his skull enough that the roof was bent in half.

Snores echoing everywhere as steam flowed from huge exposed teeth, his hand twitching as he dreamed what every proud Titan would dream of…….food of course! He dreamed of chewing on a huge drumstick, maybe from a dragon.

Mmmmm……dragon…..

Levi met her look with a very faint smirk.

“ Why, would you look at that. Finally that big brat is pulling his weight around here….”

He wasn’t shy about his feelings regarding the addition of the much bigger titan, but he couldn’t exactly do anything about it given how Hange was his boss and all. Still……maybe the big idiot wasn’t as bad as he thought he was…..

Aegis looked mighty proud of himself and was positively beaming, if it was possible for a huge armored titan to beam. Aegis used the huge main gate the enter the area……although he was big and strong enough to literally just walk through the defensive border like a child walking through a field of flowers, he didn’t want to hurt the humans.

Instead, he carefully maneuvered himself through, carrying the scouts in his hands. Once through, he knelt down, lowering his hands to the ground so everyone could jump off. Once everyone was off, he dropped the bodies of the deer they had caught onto the ground.

The meat still fresh even after being dragged across the forest in the huge mouth of an ancient titan. Finally out and about after a few days of being too weak to even get out of bed, Reiner was feeling better, but still not strong enough to want to risk waking up Armor unless necessary. His Titan was getting very needy, now with his progenitor there to keep him company.

As fine as that was for Reiner, the extra time stuck in his Titan was draining him more and more. He was going to have to talk to Armor soon about this…..in case the young armored titan forgot what happened to shifters if forced in their titans for too long….

He smiled at seeing Aegis, walking towards where the ancient was knelt. The Titan rumbled, happy to see his descendant. The Titan opened his jaws to let his huge tongue out as he licked Reiner.

Reiner was covered in sticky Titan spit and he gagged, laughing at the same time.

“ Aegis!”

The Titan let loose a series of short cough-like grunts……he was laughing. He nudged a deer carcass towards Reiner, whining and yipping in Titan speech. Reiner sighed.

“ Aegis, I told you. I’m just not that hungry. I can’t eat a whole deer……my stomach isn’t as big as yours….”

Aegis whined with worry and Reiner felt horrible. The Titan was just trying to help. He sighed at the way the much more massive male titan looked at him…..those damn eyes could melt anyone.

“ Okay okay……I’ll try eating some. Later. Why don’t you go eat something? You look hungry.”

#AWellTrainedBeast (Cadet AU)#lettherebemonsters #let's be honest here #hange just appreciates the opportunity to observe natural titan hunting behaviors without endangering any humans ^_~

Cyrica gave a brief roll of her eyes at Levi's remark, a smirk creasing her lips as she playfully ruffled his hair as she walked past him. With how the Captain still felt about the Armored Titans, a comment such as that was honestly high praise. Little by little, they were winning him over. She rushed to admire Aegis' haul alongside Reiner with an appreciative whistle. "Well, damn, big guy, you really hit the jackpot out there." Commander Hange positively beamed as she affectionately patted the ancient titan's heavy plating. "The squad has really gotten the hang of working in tandem with Aegis' natural hunting instincts. A beautiful partnership, if I do say so myself." Cyrica rubbed her chin thoughtfully at this, the beginnings of an idea squirming into her mind. "Hmm ... I should bring Pseudo along with you guys the next time you go hunting." Hange's eyes widened with excitement at her proposition. "Ooo! Yes! That would be perfect! With your additional speed and tracking prowess, we could acquire even more game. We could fill the larders for months at a time!" The Commander's mind reeled at the possibilities.

rp-memes-atyourservice

Manhandling symbol starters

Send one for your muse to…

★ - drag my muse by the arm ⁂ - grab my muse by the front of their shirt, possibly shoving them back ✱ - take my muse by the hips to carefully move them out of their way ➜ - smack my muse upside the head ⌧ - grip my muse by the back of the neck © - put a hand on my muse’s back to steer them somewhere ✂ - point sternly at a chair and tell my muse to sit down ✉ - push my muse back down when they try to get out of bed (perhaps involving illness, injury, or sleep deprivation) ☛ - press a finger to my muse’s lips to shut them up ♚ - put a hand on my muse’s knee while sitting next to them, to discourage them from standing up ♧ - slap my muse’s hand away from something they shouldn’t touch ♦ - grab my muse’s hair and yank ♤ - slam a door shut before my muse can leave the room ♞ - physically pick my muse up and carry them ♭ - grip my muse’s jaw to make them look yours in the eye ♨ - rub my muse down with a sponge/wet cloth ☀ - pin my muse with their arms behind their back ☠ - slam my muse into a wall ☾ - wrestle/pin my muse to the ground

Add as much or as little context as you’d like!

#LetLooseAFearsomeCry (Memes)#LetLooseAFearsomeCry (Sinday Memes)#do it you cowards <3

A puzzled look came to her face at the prospect of titans having parents. Cyrica’s knowledge and understanding of titans was woefully lacking, but … was this common knowledge? It didn’t seem like it, or else she felt as though she would have heard of the concept sooner. This she had to see.

@eldian-siren

Bringing home not one, but TWO Armored Titans had been a massive shock for the Corps. There was A LOT of agitation surrounding the much bigger, much scarier looking Armored that looked more like a lost puppy than anything else.

Being dead for half-a-century had left him completely clueless over most things, and Armor had to coax his progenitor into meeting his friends. It took some time, but soon the older Armored endeared himself to the group, and he became like a babysitter for the group.

Unlike Armor, who needed to rest in Reiner from time to time, the new Armor had since been fused with his human half; the giant form was his permanent self, so he was permanently massive and imposing…..like a massive guard dog.

And just like a massive guard dog, the old Titan was asleep, enjoying the sun warming up his plates and re-energizing him. Somehow in his sleep he ended up with his head on top of the roof of a building, the weight of his skull enough that the roof was bent in half.

Snores echoing everywhere as steam flowed from huge exposed teeth, his hand twitching as he dreamed what every proud Titan would dream of…….food of course! He dreamed of chewing on a huge drumstick, maybe from a dragon.

Mmmmm……dragon…..

Aegis rumbled happily, purring as best he could at Hange’s attention. He had grown very fond of her……in a way, she was part of his pack. It wouldn’t be the first time he wished she was a Titan too…..

Then at least he could talk to her in his language…..and not sound like a stupid armored donkey.

Despite there haven’t been any sightings of mindless in the area for a while, he wasn’t chancing it. Aegis lowered his hands flat onto the ground…….offering to carry the squad back home. At least with his heavy plates and horrifying jaw power, he was a better defense than to be left naked and exposed in a sea of huge trees.

The squad hesitated…..did they really want to trust the Titan enough to let him HOLD them? But Hange was right next to his face and all he did was make a noise like an horse. If that was all he did with potential food literally right there…..

Slowly they climbed on, and Aegis slowly stood up. He hugged his hands close to his chest so they could hold on better as his long legs carried them out of the forest. All the while, having the weirdest sensation of being watched somewhere.

Somewhere a furry face loomed, teeth stretching pointed ear to ear.

Soon…….just a little more time. Enough to really sink in the passiveness……before he wiped these whelps out for good. Eren would be saddened, but he’d understand……after all, to accomplish their plans, sacrifices had to be made.

At least afterwards they’ll have access to, not one, but two pristine Armored Titans, as well as a Colossal Titan and a Female Titan…..the Yeagerists would be pleased to acquire these titan forms. Very pleased indeed….

Back at base, Cyrica was overseeing the training exercises of the cadets, alongside Levi. While by no means their superior, her position of seniority over them and her relationship with their Captain meant that they often regarded her as such regardless. Not that she minded--it was refreshing to be treated with a modicum of respect. The ground rumbling beneath their feet drew Cyrica's eyes to the horizon, beyond the fortified walls of the base, and it wasn't long before the large looming figure of Aegis became visible through the treeline. Seeing the large quantity of deer carcasses hanging from his toothy maw, she couldn't help but smirk. "Well, somebody's been busy today." She remarked to the Captain nonchalantly.