Annabel "Ellie" Lyons | Annie Leonhart (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shortspoken) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
savetheearth2013-08-30 05:20 pm
shortspoken) wrote in savetheearth2013-08-30 05:20 pm
Closed
Who: Alan and Annabel
What: Sparring practice. Which won't turn nasty and grudgey and personal in any way (haha yes it will)
When: Yesterday evening
Where: The park Annabel used to work at
Warnings: There will be violence and huge spoilers for Attack on Titan within! Stay out if you're only watching the anime ok good
[ For most people, goading a teenage boy into a fight under the vague pretense of it being "practice" would be a terribly scummy thing to do. For Annabel, it's just your average Thursday.
In her defense, Alan is really annoying. And he cost her her old job. And she's pretty sure he was involved in one of her less pleasant echoed memories. And he's taller than she is. It's her who should be feeling victimised here, being such a tiny frail young lady and all.
Which is why she brought her taser, just in case. GOOD LIFE CHOICES, ANNABEL, A+++.
She leans against a tree in the park and waits for Alan to show up. She's pretty sure she'll be able to hear him coming from five blocks over. He's that shouty. ]
What: Sparring practice. Which won't turn nasty and grudgey and personal in any way (haha yes it will)
When: Yesterday evening
Where: The park Annabel used to work at
Warnings: There will be violence and huge spoilers for Attack on Titan within! Stay out if you're only watching the anime ok good
[ For most people, goading a teenage boy into a fight under the vague pretense of it being "practice" would be a terribly scummy thing to do. For Annabel, it's just your average Thursday.
In her defense, Alan is really annoying. And he cost her her old job. And she's pretty sure he was involved in one of her less pleasant echoed memories. And he's taller than she is. It's her who should be feeling victimised here, being such a tiny frail young lady and all.
Which is why she brought her taser, just in case. GOOD LIFE CHOICES, ANNABEL, A+++.
She leans against a tree in the park and waits for Alan to show up. She's pretty sure she'll be able to hear him coming from five blocks over. He's that shouty. ]
no subject
This is probably not a good idea. Getting into fights is exactly what Alan's been trying to avoid for a while now. But Annabel really gets on his nerves. Plus she was slandering him to the cool smart kid! Who even does that?! There's nothing wrong with getting angry about that, right?
And if he wants to take it out with some sparring, that doesn't count as being a violent jerk like his past self, right? She's the one who suggested it!
By the time he shows up (not shouting at all, FYI) he's managed to rationalise the whole thing pretty nicely to himself.]
Hey.
no subject
It's a hell of a sigh.
That done, she stands upright from her slouchy slacker leaning position and sweeps back her bangs. You're not getting a "hey," Alan. DWI. ]
You actually showed up? Last chance to back out.
no subject
Funny, I was about to tell you that.
no subject
[ Some people around here don't have fancy-schmancy echo military training. Some people are limited to lessons learned from free self-defense classes. The most important thing Annabel learned from hers was the principle of using your opponent's strengths against them, so she's been busy sizing Alan up.
He's taller than her (who isn't), but she thinks she's in better shape. His technique is probably better than hers, if he's actually capable of using the things he claims to have learned. And last time, he only came off better in their little dispute because he took her by surprise.
Which naturally means she has to take him by surprise this time. There's no "are you ready" - just Annabel charging forward to body-check him. THERE IS NO WAY THIS CAN END BADLY AT ALL. ]
no subject
His reflexes are pretty sharp, though. And so, as she charges him, he easily sidesteps her and kicks her in the leg. GET IT IT'S A CLEVER ROLE REVERSAL.]
no subject
The first is FUCK. So much fuck. All the fuck.
The second is the knowledge that something like this happened before as her legs are whipped out from underneath her by Alan's kick. Only the other way around.
IT'S LIKE A CLEVER ROLE REVERSAL OR SOMETHING, WHAT ARE THE CHANCES???
She thuds to the ground - rather heavily, since she's too shocked to really try to cushion the fall. Then: nothing. She just lies still.
OH NO ALAN YOU KILLED HER, BETTER CHECK THAT SHIT OUT
DON'T SWEAT IT BRO SHE DIDN'T JUST ECHO BACK ANY SKILLS OR ANYTHING
(hehehehe) ]
no subject
Oh shit.
The thing with skills gained from echoes is that it's kind of hard to actually think about them. Right now, Alan definitely wasn't thinking about what he was doing, his body just acted on its own. It's kind of scary just by itself, but now it occurs to him that past him was kind of a murderer and maybe using his skills might result in accidental murder.]
Are...are you okay?
[Wait, if she is okay he doesn't want to sound all scared and uncool. Clearly the best thing to to here is to go check out how she's doing.
NOTHING BAD CAN POSSIBLY COME FROM THAT.]
no subject
HAVE A NICE TRIP
LOL ]
First mistake.
[ She gets to her feet - no scrambling, only military precision here - and raises her fists. The stance might be new to Annabel, but to the Annie part of her it's like coming home. ]
Try not to make any more.
no subject
[WHOOPS TRIPPED. He smacks to the ground, just barely managing to catch himself enough to avoid cracking his jaw.
Damn, he feels stupid for falling for that. Note to self: do not go easy on the scary lady.]
I'll keep that in mind.
[He can't help but stare as he stands up, though. It doesn't take any real talent in reading body language to tell that something's changed about her.
But there's no time to think about that. He adopts the same stance, determined not to be caught off guard again.]
no subject
He's using the same techniques she
knewknows. Her techniques. She doesn't remember teaching him - just beating the shit out of him with them - but it means the other her must have taught him at some point.Would she have taught him everything? LET'S FIND OUT, KIDS
She swipes at Alan with a short flurry of punches, trying to see how he reacts rather than trying to hurt him particularly. Not that she'll mind if she does, obviously. ]
no subject
Whether something has changed or not, he can tell she's good. As good as him? It's possible. Especially since the way she's fighting is awfully familiar.
He aims a punch of his own at her jaw, not bothering to hold back. This is obviously not going to be as easy as he'd initially thought.]
no subject
It's also not stopping her using the momentum of her turn to wind up for a punch towards Alan's gut. There's no holding back on her part, either. ]
no subject
Of course, having this little freakout means he's getting the full force of the punch to his gut. He lets out a little "oof!" and doubles over, staggering but not quite falling over.]
no subject
Teehee.
She backs off slightly upon delivering the kick so she can spit out a mouthful of blood. Yuck. That punch hurt more than she really wants to let on. ]
no subject
As soon as he can, he charges at her again with another punch. This time it's a feint, though. If she falls for it, he's shifting his momentum to a kick of his own, but it probably won't be hard for her to read his intent.]
no subject
Gosh, she's almost proud. Annie taught Other Alan so well. :')
She does grab for Alan as she trips in an attempt to bring him down with her, though. It's not very graceful, but fighting stylishly is for pansies
and clean-freak pirouetting gremlin men. ]no subject
Think fast if you don't want him dropping on top of you, Ellie.]
no subject
She's actually getting really pissed off, now. A stupid punch to the jaw shouldn't be hindering her so much - she should be able to just shake it off like it wasn't there -
She doesn't even notice the puff of steam as she takes her hand away to raise her fists again. Alan might, though. ]
no subject
(-steam rises from the Titan's shoulders and eye as she stands up, just in time to sidestep his blow, and something is roaring - is it him?-)
-Alan gasps, stumbling a little as he takes another step back. What the fuck was that?]
8')
Assuming that's what's going on. Which it obviously is.
Probably.
Annabel holds back for a moment, trying to catch Alan's eye for some kind of confirmation - as if to say "yes, it's me." So comforting! So helpful! So unrelated to any traumatic memories anyone might be experiencing! ]
h8
More importantly, he's starting to realise what he had been in that memory.
(monster)
If it seems like he's panicking, that's because he is.]
no subject
Annabel can see something's not quite gelling with her initial assumption, here. Even for someone as bad at human expression as she is can tell Alan is freaked. So what's the best way to snap him out of it?
By attacking, of course!
She runs at him, kicking out powerfully as she gets in close. Surely he'll snap out of it and block her instead of taking it like a chump, right?
Right? ]
no subject
monsterperson he had been.Which would be why he's taking the full force of the kick LIKE A CHUMP, slamming hard against a tree.
He slumps to the ground, coughing and, embarrassingly, crying a little. He's too distracted by the pain and the slowly fading panic to notice the faint hiss of steam rising from him.]
no subject
Titan. ]
Practice is over. Get up.
[ She's gracious enough to offer him a hand and pointedly not mention the fact that he's crying. What a good person! ]
no subject
That wasn't- I was distracted.
[Just so it's clear that she didn't win. Prioritites!]
no subject
[ Aww yee, gloating.
She hauls him to his feet, letting go of his hand with only the slightest hesitation. The urge to keep her grip on it and interrogate him is strong, but he's clearly in no fit state to ]
What did you remember.
[ Oh right yes she's a little shit and doesn't care if Alan should be talking about this right now
Ok carry on ]
no subject
[She'd punched his jaw off. Before dropping a tree on him and god that hurt.
Was it even Ellie? Maybe it just looked like her.]
I don't really know.
[Either way, he can't tell her. No one can know what he was.]
no subject
You don't know much, do you. Does that always happen? The steaming.
[ She nods at him, folding her arms. She is not liking the evasiveness. At all. ]
no subject
[He glances down at himself, making a horrified face at the faint wisps of steam.]
It's happened before a couple of times when I was angry, but...
[The titan had been steaming from her injuries. Now that he's making the connection, he recalls how impossibly hot the other one's mouth had been when it swallowed him.
(monster)
He shudders, the panic rising again. It wasn't supposed to be like this.]
no subject
[ She's not about to let him freak out again, so she reaches up to click her fingers in Alan's face. Godfuckingdammit she should not have to reach UP to do that. Life is pain. ]
Stay with it, idiot. The steaming isn't anything to worry about. Others have it too.
[ Meaning Ryan and Bertl and NOBODY ELSE!! ]
no subject
[Oh fuck, they do. Ryan's got it. Does that mean he's the same as Alan? It makes sense, they'd been soldiers together. But weren't they supposed to be training to kill titans? He'd made such a big deal about it to Jean...]
It doesn't make sense.
no subject
[ She flicks her bangs out of her eyes impatiently. Then notes the lack of pain in her jaw from the head movement.
Huh.
Not unexpected, considering. ]
What do you know?
no subject
[He stares, not sure if he should be scared or not.]
So I guess it really was you in that memory. That titan was you.
no subject
[ Her eyes flick left briefly as she idly twists at the ring on her index finger. ]
Are you sure your blood didn't get on me? Titan?
[ This lying-without-lying business is really difficult. But that's totally plausible! ]
no subject
[oh fuck oh fuck, this is all wrong, he doesn't want to be a monster]
No. I'm sure.
no subject
[ This is kind of a gamble, but... Ryan said he had to consciously heal his wounds. And Annabel had been thinking about her jaw shortly before it stopped hurting. So...
She pulls out the catch on her ring, releasing the barb, and clenches her fist on it. ]
Well.
[ She raises her bleeding palm to show Alan, making a very conscious effort not to think about the wound or the slight pain of it. It's not steaming. ]
Are you still sure?
no subject
[He stares at her hand, his heart sinking. Maybe he really did imagine it. He could have been mixing up what he was really seeing with the memory or something.]
I guess not.
no subject
She really does, though. ]
Relax.
[ Really, really scummy. ]
It's not even a big deal. You have a superpower. Congrats.
[ She wipes her bloody hand off on her pants, allowing it to close up as she does so. She can't be sure she won't visibly heal it in front of Alan by accident, and the fabric should stop the steam being visible.
Scuuummmmm. ]
no subject
[A superpower. Hah.]
Thanks for the practice.
[And he turns to go. He can't stay here anymore.]
no subject
[ It's a stupid idea, considering. But: ]
- if you need more. You have my network number.
[ And she nods him away. He'll be fine.
(Scum scum scum scum horrible scum) ]
no subject
[He's not going to call her. He doesn't want to fight anymore. It's not going to change what he is, but maybe he can feel a little less like a monster that way.]