003M action;

[toobig]

[For once, Bertholdt is outside of his apartment. This is a very strange thing, considering he's always closed up inside away from everyone. Despite his shyness, even shut ins have to get groceries and Bertholdt had decided to take his work with him, stopping to sit in the park before he heads home. It's not too hot out, which means he won't overheat, around five o'clock in the evening. It's getting a little cooler out generally now anyway.]

[He can be seen sitting on a bench in the park with a thick manuscript in his hands, checking through each page slowly. After a while he'll pause in his work to light a cigarette and relax back against the bench. For anyone who's only known Bertholdt over the Network, it might be alarming to find out that he's 6'5". While he's sitting down, it's apparent that he's really tall regardless.]

[He's not a big talker, but maybe he'll appreciate some company?]

Comments

[wirsinddiejager]

Well, I've never seen the wings anywhere else. I tried googling them but never found anything exactly the same.

[Not that he's particularly skilled in the art of Google Fu.]

But yeah, who knows.

[toobig]

Right.

Uh, sorry... that was rude of me. I promise I don't, uh, stop random teenagers I see around normally.

[wirsinddiejager]

Sure you don't.

Seriously though, I'm the one who decided to stop here.

[toobig]

I-I don't...!

[Waah, don't fluster him Alan.]

I just... thought I'd recognized you.

[wirsinddiejager]

[But he is so easy to fluster it's hilarious.]

Yeah, and that's why I stopped too, I thought I'd seen you on the network.

[toobig]

Oh...

I don't use video much... I wonder where...

[wirsinddiejager]

[He shrugs.]

Can't really remember right now, but obviously you must have used it at some point.

[toobig]

[No don't just shrug. He's too shy to be on video all the time like you crazy kids.]

It's just, uh, strange... I keep meeting people a part of me remembers...

[wirsinddiejager]

...Oh. You mean like an echo thing.

[Alan's not sure he likes the idea of remembering someone from his past life, considering how it turned out with Mikasa.]

[toobig]

Yeah... You're the third.

[He scratches the back of his neck.]

Sometimes I wish... we could all just forget again...

[wirsinddiejager]

That'd be nice.

[Really nice. He leans down against his knees, staring at the ground.]

Doesn't really seem like it's an option, though.

[toobig]

Especially for... uh, kids your age. You can't really just... switch schools somewhere else.

[wirsinddiejager]

Yeah. Can't really tell my mom that we need to move out because I'm getting freaky memories from my past life and the alien conspiracy might target her because of that.

And...on top of that, it kind of feels like we have some responsibility. We can't just run away from all this.

ha ahaha ha aha h a ... .a.h.a..a....s.so...b.....

[toobig]

Right...

[A beat.]

Wait... you think that... it would hurt your mom? Why?

[wirsinddiejager]

[Still steadily staring at the ground.]

That's what happened to someone else. They turned his mom into a monster that attacked him. And I think someone else's house got burned down.

[toobig]

I didn't... I didn't think something like that could happen.

That they'd... hurt people outside of the Network...

[wirsinddiejager]

It makes sense, doesn't it? Hitting us where it hurts the most. Did you think they'd be too nice to go after our families or something?

[toobig]

I... I don't know.

[He sighs.]

I guess you're right. That's-- that's really... uh, scary.

[wirsinddiejager]

Yeah. A lot of things about this are.

[toobig]

I guess I just... hope it'll go away, if I'm honest.

I'm a coward.

[He doesn't sound too upset about it. He's accepted it, really.]

[wirsinddiejager]

[Alan makes a face at the ground and hesitates a little. It feels kind of weird to talk to an adult like an equal, especially someone he doesn't actually know, but he can't bring himself to just be polite and not say anything.]

...That's a really lame excuse, you know. It's not gonna go away, no matter what. Saying you're a coward without even trying to do anything makes it sound more like you're too lazy to try.

[toobig]

[Woah the shounen protag is strong in this one.]

[Bertholdt just sighs a little. He's being lectured by a child again.... But somehow, it doesn't even strike him as odd.]

I know I am.

[wirsinddiejager]

So what are you going to do if they end up coming after you, or someone you care about? Just sit back and do nothing?

[toobig]

I don't know what I'd do.

I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it.

[wirsinddiejager]

[Alan scowls up at him. Few things are as annoying to him as people just giving up.]

I think that's bullshit. I think if you were in real danger, you'd fight, just like anyone else.