[video]

[abweichend]

[After some time has passed Levi's voice filters across the network, accompanied by the only visual he can provide at this point: a top-down view of his now only partially tattooed hand.

He'll keep this brief:]

Looks like my little stowaway from the Grid can clean this shit up too. It takes a minute, but it's painless-- [a pause as the aforementioned stowaway floats toward Levi's face for its close-up, glowing a faint white and puffed proudly in all its pokey glory until he shoos it off to the side with a huff] Knock it off-- ...The Bit doesn't care what they say, and neither do I.

I'm not hard to find-- [Here he gives the general location of the building he's created, which by now is a bit better suited for company- there will be a pot of non-nourishing tea waiting on an end table for anyone stopping by for Bit-laser tattoo removal.

And the public portion almost ends there, but before Levi changes his psychic filter:]

...Tell me where you are if you can't make it out here. I'll find you, I guess.

[The rest is private, directed to Erwin in particular and as neutral as Levi can manage given the circumstances:]

You too.


[[ooc: Handwave, chat, go to him, have him come to you... Anything is good by me, including newbies asking for info if they haven't gotten the welcome speech yet. Dat vet thing. He can probably do that now.]]

Comments

[wholeheaded]

...now why didn't mine tell me it could do that.

[ not that Ambrose had exactly asked, nor does he really want to now, but the point sort of remains. ]

[abweichend]

[MORE BITS? DID SOMEONE SAY 'PLAYDATE'...??]

Mine seems to have been programmed to combat filth- it's wired that way, or so I've been assuming. What does yours do, if it doesn't clean?

[wholeheaded]

[ GIMME THE BITS, THE BITS, THE BITS. ]

TOTO's more... protective, I think. Encouraging and reinforcing, must be from some other... sort of computery thing. I didn't know anyone else still had one.

oh my god between the video and 'TOTO' I'm dying

[abweichend]

Like I said- it came back on its own... Damn thing have crawled into my cloak when I wasn't looking.

[Note the distinct lack of aggravation in his tone despite his harsh words- he's actually pretty fond of the stupid little guy.]

Anyway, when you say reinforcing... You mean physically?

[Bit the Builder? Could be useful.]

Totally Objective Technical Observer :3

[wholeheaded]

Well, I’m sure mine will be glad for the company.

[ oh, Ambrose knows from sudden Bit affection. they grow on you~ ]

And uh… more psychologically. Program-me was kinda error prone, so having a Bit to help keep him on task and monitor for odd behavior was a good idea. In theory.

[ in practice, AM/BRs ran off to join the Rebel faction and then got himself Automata-corrupted. GODDAMNIT TOTO YOU HAD ONE JOB. ]

[shiroganeheir]

I will be there momentarily, Levi-san. I do not need constant reminders of my failings at the moment.

[abweichend]

No one does.

[There's no avoiding it when you're hard on yourself by nature and nurture both, but...

At least the visible flavour the Bit can take care of. Levi was a waste of space back in Purgatory but so help him he'll do what he can to be of use out now, even if it's just with morale.]

Action

[shiroganeheir]

Quite. I will see you soon.

[It isn't long before there's a knock on Levi's door. Naoto is standing there, cloak on her shoulders, glowing a bit brighter golden than usual, possibly mirroring her emotions.

Under the cloak, is a sheer black top and linen pants from Melasurei, and there are Japanese characters all over her arms. She calls out, voice more tired and weaker than usual.]

Levi-san? Do I have the right place?

[abweichend]

Levi isn't judging you, Naoto. He's seen better days himself, a truth that's obvious from his less-than-imposing stance when he comes to the door. He's slouching a bit and more than a little rumpled in the modern sweat pants he's conjured for himself; his shirt is draped over a chair in the corner of the room and the Bit's perched on his bare shoulder, nibbling (or whatever the fuck it's doing) at the Survey emblem inked into the skin- Levi's been taking care of his own in between visitors, and doesn't appear bothered by the few words still scattered across his exposed arms and chest, or the fact that they're out there for Naoto or anyone else to see.

He's over it. Blow him, Trumps.]

Hey. [Not surprisingly, Levi's eyes eventually find the words and names scribbled where they're visible to him... But as promised there isn't the slightest twitch of his brow at any of them. Bastards won't turn them against each other, not like this.

And he won't address theme if Naoto doesn't. shit, he has no room to talk anyway- they share at least a handful of transgressions, apparently.] Come on, this won't take long.

[Stepping out of her way he waves her inside to the comfortable waiting area-esque room and indicating the tea.] Help yourself.

[shiroganeheir]

[Naoto walks in with a small, thoughtful bow, and glances around the room. Taking off her cloak, folding it carefully, and putting it in her shoulder bag, she goes over to the tea pot and pours herself some.

Glancing at him only for a moment, she has a momentary curious look on her face.]

Please tell me if I am over-reaching, Levi-san, but what is that symbol that the bit is currently working on? You need not tell me much, I am simply curious. It is not one I have seen before.

[She considers for a moment, and removes the flowing top she was wearing to reveal a tight tank-top like garment. Oddly, she for once in her life does not feel too embarrassed. This is completely business, and the Bit likely could not do its work underneath a shirt.

On her right arm is her Trump Mark, a Sun-shape in a blue frame with XIX underneath it. The rest of her arms are covered in Japanese characters.]

ackermans surprise-off, go!

[callyourname]

[ Levi . No, it's not even a question. Different world and all that but it's easy to recognize him. She takes a moment to reply anyway. ]

Oh, you are here too.

sorry this is so slow =/ work is crazy today

[abweichend]

Mikasa--! [Insert psychic surprise here- of all the voices Levi was expecting, Mikasa's wasn't one of them.

The feed cuts instantly to audio only as Levi moves to don his equipment, and so he can concentrate on pulling something useful (A flare gun, or something similar) from nowhere. She's quick and so her getting squashed by one of those trucks isn't particularly likely, but even so--]

Are you all right? Do you have your gear?

[...he has to ask. If she was injured on the way here, he'll need to take care of that.

Regardless of her condition, though... He can't help feeling a little relieved in spite of the overall situation. She's skilled and competent and familiar; none of these are bad things even if this journey isn't really one he'd wish on anyone let alone any more of his brats.]

hey i'm trying to play catch up with my inbox now, so i'm sure i'm the slow here

[callyourname]

[She can insert that psychic surprise there because just hearing him say her name like that is enough to imagine it.]

I'm --

[Tired. Exhausted. Heartbroken that Eren is not here. Relieved that at least some people from home are here, especially since one of them is Armin and the other is Levi, because that is often good for surviving anywhere and even she can admit it these days. None of those are the answer he's going to hear though.]

Fine and yeah, arrived with it in front of one of those ...whatever the hell they are.

[They are trucks but who even cares about correct terms right now. So yeah, her arrival was a fun experience but she's obviously alive. No big deal for her, that was like dodging a sudden titan attack. Also no, she's not 'fine', far from it but as if she's going to admit it.]

slow ass sloth status lmfao

[abweichend]

[You mean not barked out along with an order? Give him some time....]

Good. [He highly doubts that, but honestly he'd have said the same- clearly emotional constipation is in their blood...] Where are you? If you're lost, I can send up a flare-- it's safer here than on the roadway.

[neverfeltthatway]

[Armin hesitantly enters the conversation, realizing the potential for confusion since Mikasa doesn't know Leo.]

She's in my and Sansa's room in Leonardo's workshop, sir. I found her when I realized new Travelers were appearing.

[Because guess what's the first thing Armin does, every single time new Travelers arrive?]

y u gotta text me like dis > private.

[menschlich]

[ the liminal space hadn't been new to erwin - in that he wasn't as blindsided by the residual memories and feelings like he'd been the jaunt before. he understands, just enough now, how this could get 'easier' simply in how you know what to expect. it doesn't overwhelm him, like it had last time, in the simple existence of the two lives - but rather, the content of them.

he sees levi - various forms and states - and himself. him. it's not just the memories, though, but the feel of it. the emotions and the physicality that'd been packed in glimpses that had taken over ever inch of him he'd started to rerealize.

he's embarrassed, more than anything,and it's a feeling that burns hot in his chest. he hates the reaction, hates how that's how he feels about it, but his mind wanders when he closes his eyes and he can't find a way to stop. it's been a day or so since they've been back, and erwin has spent it wandering the streets between the machines, trying to think. there are faces staring back at him, from all over him, words that he's known to be true his entire life etched into the lines of his veins. monster, coward, traitor, animal, evil all curled around the pained, agonized looks of his comrades.

there is a little bit, there, where he stares at them. at mike, at petra, soldiers he'd sent and he'd killed and he'd continued to carry. those don't weigh down on him nearly as much as he would think. more like shedding a light on something he's already been aware of.

and then it's levi's voice, exactly like it had been that first day he was here. you too and erwin pauses, then chuckles, though the sound is more self deprecating and tired than he means it to be. get rid of these? he thinks about them even when they aren't staring back. ]

You plan on finding me, then?

private audio forever;

[abweichend]

['Easier' is relative- that's what the takeaway here should be. Easier means not feeling overwhelmed with the rush of multiple lifetimes and the wildly flailing attempts to snatch the parts that are real as it all shoots by; 'Easier' is being able to distinguish which those are on feeling alone, even if it's far from a perfect science even now:

Erwin isn't the only one having trouble with the memories, the flashes and phantom impressions of fingertips and emotions that have no business being stirred up again- Levi's just lucky there's no one close enough to recognize the signs for what they are. Mai'd come closest when she'd woken him up and his hand had reached out not for a weapon but for the warmth of another body resting beside his on expensive sheets, for Erwin's, but so far this particular struggle has gone undetected save for a word or two etched into his skin.

'Easier', in this case, only goes so far.

Since his perfunctory check in of five words or less, there's been nothing on the contact front, so much silence that until the response filters in Levi'd actually started to wonder if he'd be getting one at all... It stings a bit even in spite of his best efforts to remind himself of how he'd felt more than a year ago when it'd happened the first time, but like hell he's going to acknowledge that for what it is, either.

His own reply is a bit chillier than usual, both because he doesn't want to give too much away and because frankly...

What the hell kind of response is that?]

If that's what you want. Unless you got off easy. ...I didn't.

[A little unnecessary considering his original broadcast included video... But there you go.]

private audio forever; at least until erwin hangs up

[menschlich]

[ 'easier' is relative but 'easier' is also a fact. erwin's mind isn't nearly as boggled as before, and the part of him that is three hundred steps ahead is ready for the time where he can shift between one life and the other without as much as a blink.

before, it had been trying to sift through memories. through a version of himself who was wholly different due to various memories and shifted variables. that had been difficult, if only because in hindsight, there was much he would have done differently. here? here, he didn't feel all that different. given the situation, the people, the place, much of what he did fell within his abilities, his choices. there wasn't much about himself he felt he needed to come to terms with.

and then there was levi.

even now, he thinks about it - his hands, his lips, his skin under ervwin's, and he reacts. now, in the now, he reacts. his body still aches for it, and that is what keeps him to himself. from contacting. erwin has always, for his whole life, been able to trust him and a few others. but when that central part, that central pillar, cracks?

he thought it best to wait. which was how those days passed, and erwin wandered, trying and failing to push away the thoughts and memories he wanted to forget most. it was unfair to levi, and erwin knows that, but until he can be sure he sees it as a judgement call. levi can wait.

but levi doesn't wait. he calls out to him. and while erwin should have ignored it, he finds that too difficult. not worth fighting. he chuckles, once, when levi mentions the tattoos. ]

No, I didn't. [ the faces and names of all those soldiers, some more clear than others. names, words, phrases, decorating every line of his body. a dark part of him wonders what would have been written, if he still had that fourth limb. ] But they're hardly surprising.

and LEVI'S the rude one!!

[abweichend]

[Erwin's lucky, then- the Levi in Purgatory had been all of the things the real one hates- selfish, apathetic, indifferent, and worst of all lazy, and yes, tattoo, cowardly. He was powerful enough, he could do magic for fuck's sake... And he chose to use it to pop up behind people and mess with his lovers. The wasted potential is almost too much for Levi to bear.

All of which is aggravating in ways he can't even describe... Though shamefully it's not what gives him the most grief when he tries to settle down and foolishly allows his mind to wander. Like Erwin's his body knows what it wants, isn't shy at all about letting Levi know exactly how it feels about what'd gone on between them there, reminding him of something he'd only just begun to come to terms with before it'd been taken away by the same fucking entities that're dangling it in his face again; he might have been tempted to as why if not for the very obvious answer written all over his skin.

He's far from innocent, and if this bullshit is supposed to be a punishment he thinks he might deserve it.

...Erwin's avoidance too, he supposes, though right now he's not really in the mood for it.]

They aren't supposed to be... Just public. [He sighs, frowning at the letters steadily disappearing under the Bit's care.] Do you want me to take them off or not?

[Sorry, Erwin- he can't help being a little short. The tension is suffocating, even psychically, and while the reason is logically obvious... He doesn't know. Maybe a part of him had been hoping for another reaction.

Maybe he'd been hoping it'd be like last time.

Stupid.]

yup c:

[menschlich]

[ erwin, thinking about it, is almost amused. more so because he knows how much levi would hate his alter ego, but also just how different the demon version had been. different, but still levi, and then erwin has to change his way of thinking, his line of thought, because he’d get too close to that feeling, and he has to redirect.

there are smaller words, mixed in between the faces. coward and selfish and scared. words that erwin isn’t sure what he would think, had this not been directly after this jaunt. words that he knows, now, what they’re related to now. punishment is a good way to put it, a heavy reminder of what he knows he ignores, what he now knows is right under the surface.

erwin is used to being in control. erwin is used to being able to depend on himself. where does this leave him now?

he nods, silently, so levi can’t necessarily see his response but he’s not sure the extent of the psychic connection, so he could know. he could. but erwin doesn’t know what happened last time, erwin doesn’t know what levi is expecting when he reaches out. all he knows is the decision he’s made to wait this out until he can, at the very least, begin to trust his own actions again. ]

No? [ he’s vaguely curious what levi thinks they’re supposed to be, but he also doesn’t know if he wants to continue the conversation for much longer. ]

Take care of your other offers. I’m not a priority here.

[ a roundabout way of saying ‘no’ ]

[wantedittobeagame]

Oh good.

[This is Adachi sounding so damn relieved that he can get these horrible tattoos off of him. He really doesn't need a reminder of all his failures.]

I'll try and get to you.

[abweichend]

[Levi's more than happy to oblige, of course. He may have gotten over it enough that he's willing to handle his own between other Travelers', but considering some of the shit he's seen in passing he can imagine it's a little more urgent for some.

Some logistics need to be taken care of first, though:]

Are you outside? I'll lead you here.

[wantedittobeagame]

Yeah, on an embankment.

[Adachi paused, looking around. A room would be able to stand out in a place like this, right?]

[He pops into the room a few minutes later thanks to Levi's guidance, looking a bit tired and bedraggled, but otherwise all right. The only tattoo that could be immediately seen was the "lazy" on his hand, though there were obviously others. Oh, so many others.]

Hey, this is cozy.

[abweichend]

I was able to make it bigger than last time. Not as cramped anymore.

[He actually sounds pretty pleased with himself even if he is gonna get slapped in the ego when he sees what Leonardo's cooked up this time around- he's never had the means to furnish anywhere to his taste and so he's taking full advantage of the ability...

At least as far as the decor is concerned. Physically... He's not looking his best either. By this point he's zen'd out at least a little bit from his initial buttrage, but he's still pretty beat and the half-removed tattoos still marking up his arms ('THUG' and 'HIGH STRUNG' and 'CONTROLLING', among others) are giving his entire person a half-finished, rumpled sort of look that's almost hilariously out of character for him. Adachi's not alone here in Club Mess.]

If you want tea, take it. Otherwise we can get started... U-- [It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a fucking tiny ball of ecstatic energy barreling out of fucking nowhere into your general facial area!! The roomBit is so enthused to have more work it's ridiculous...

Hope you're ready for a friendly greeting, Adachi.]

[wantedittobeagame]

Hunh... amazing people can do stuff like this.

[He let out a sheepish noise, rubbing at the back of his neck.]

When I first came here, there weren't that many vets left. Apparently a Jaunt had gone real bad... they lost a lot of people.

[He paused awkwardly, not sure what else to say. After a moment, he reached for a teacup, only to end up accosted by a hyper ball of energy.]

W-whoa!

[He flailed a moment, backing up.]

G-geeze, all right, all right, gimme a sec.

[He pulled his jacket off, before unbuttoning his shirt. Even though his tattoos were all covered up, it would have been pretty easy to see why he wanted them off, especially considering the big bold, "MURDERER" right on his chest. Peoples names were listed on his torso under that word, looking like they were dangling. That was in addition to all the other flaws scrawled all over his arms.]

All right, g'head and get to it.