seasonsrpg | [Closed Log] Fireflies are stars that couldn't journey to the skies

Eren might have only showed up because he likes the beach, or someone might have nudged him gently (or not gently) into coming. Either way, he does show up. He's never seen fireflies, of course. He's seen weird glowing shit thanks to Folkmore, but the fireflies aren't exactly like that.

He holds a(n empty) jar in his hands, looking down at it as if he's unsure whether he should actually catch the insects in it. He's a little in awe of them, though whether that actually shows on his face or not is a toss up.

OR

Later, after he's managed to catch some fireflies in a jar by whatever means, catch him sitting on the shore, barefoot. He's close enough that the water comes up around his feet where he sits with his knees bent, arms resting on them. The jar of fireflies is a little ways behind him, safe from the water.

Sorry, was this social hour? He's bad at that. Bully him.

Jean may have seen fireflies at some point, but not this many at the same time. He's watching them fly against the evening skies, with a content look on his face. Really, he could just watch them and not do anything else and he'd be alright with that.

But apparently the jar they have would be convenient later, so he lifts it up after opening the lid. Nearby fireflies start curiously circle around it, as if considering him and the jar.

Later, once he's gathered all the fireflies that want to live in his jar, he's just sitting on the beach and continuing to watch the fireflies. Even if he doesn't approach anyone, he's definitely approachable to talk if anyone feels like it.

It's also significantly cooler around him, as he's using magic to control the temperature around him. Evening or not, Solarpeak was still a warm district and this is how he copes.

Even if Paradis had fireflies, that doesn't mean Levi has seen any before, especially from up close. Being surrounded by them, the little creatures brave enough to be touched without fuss, is something entirely new. They look like little stars that have landed on the ground, sharing their lights with humanity.

Regardless at which point in time Levi visits the beach -- maybe he's his normal self, or maybe he's a ratty looking child way too small for a ten year old -- he looks completely awestruck by the fireflies. His attempts to catch them might be a bit less careful if he's his younger self at the moment, but he still doesn't seem keen on hurting them, eyes wide with wonder. He might even manage a smile.

::

And sometime later, after having gathered up a jar of fireflies of his own, he can be found still staring up at the sky and the dancing little lights in amazement, while gently cradling the jar to his chest with both hands, as if it's something extremely fragile, and yet unspeakably precious.

Edited 2023-11-18 18:57 (UTC)

Galliard is very, very unsure about all this. It turns out there are a lot of people from his world here, but the majority of them are from Paradis, and from all different times. Non-aggression agreement or not, he's pretty sure that his presence won't be wanted or appreciated.

What's the point of (eventually) fighting on the same side if everyone is going to judge you for what side of the divide you were born on?

Completely ignoring that, until very recently, he himself bought into the whole 'you were born on the island and are therefore my sworn enemy' bullshit, Galliard had been ready to sit this out until Marco asked him to come along. He figures he owes Marco, after that whole dinner fiasco, and he has to admit, he is a little curious about the people Marco knows. He's spoken to Levi, and he doesn't seem so bad, especially for being one of the most terrifying ones. Maybe everyone is just willing to chill out around here.

Still, he's mostly keeping to the edges of the field, hands in his pockets and simply observing.

***

Once he eventually stops being a dork and starts catching fireflies, Galliard turns out to be fairly good at it. He's got quick reflexes like his titan, and after watching them for awhile, can predict where they're going to fly. If any of the kids are having trouble (and let's not even get into how weird it is that some of them are kids, what the absolute hell?), he'll approach and offer to show them a few tricks. He may even trade his jar, with all his captured fireflies, for an empty one if any of the kids ask.

Option A

A stocky, square-faced blond boy stares out at the fireflies, lips parted in silent wonder.

Reiner has never seen anything like this. Maybe other children have heard stories of dancing lights, insects that glow and flicker like stars—but not Reiner. His bedtime stories were tailored to stoke a righteous flame, not spark imagination. He looks out at the fireflies, an empty jar clutched in his hands, wondering why in the world he would want to trap them.

After a few minutes, Reiner settles cross-legged in the sand, the closed jar still held in his hands. He's clad in clothing unfamiliar to him but familiar to others: a hunter-green long-sleeved shirt, cargo pants, and combat boots. If that weren't enough to hint at his identity, the look he fixes on anyone who approaches may reveal it, the golden eyes beneath arched brows bright and intense even as a youth.

Option B

How Reiner ended up here again is anyone's guess. Maybe someone simply asked him to join. Maybe it was a combination of nudging by several people, teasing or dares or outright demands. Maybe he wanted to see the fireflies again through grown-up eyes, curious to know if they would hold the same fascination.

Truthfully, Reiner has no idea. Each possibility seems equally likely to him. Maybe someone will clue him in without him having to admit that he's … gotten confused. Again.

It's happening more often lately. Armin's arrival destabilized the ground beneath Reiner's feet; Marco's arrival effectively fractured it. Often, Reiner feels like he's clinging to a crumbling cliff by his fingertips. But he keeps hanging on. Keeps trying to pull himself up.

Stay.
Okay. As long as you do.

So, here Reiner is. Trying to act normal—whatever that means in this situation. He has a jar in his hands, but it remains closed; he's more interested in watching the fireflies dance than catching them.

Option C

At some point, it all becomes too much. Too many opposing feelings; too many conflicting memories. Reiner's sense of who/what he is slips away, his hands trembling as he stares blankly at the fireflies, unable to figure out which Reiner he's supposed to be.

And then, there is no Reiner. There is only a dog.

A pit bull, to be exact. Coat as blond as Reiner's hair, only splashed with white.

It's not the first time Reiner has transformed, but it's the first time he's done so in front of anyone from his world. But it feels easier like this. The storm in his head calms, simpler emotions and desires rising to the forefront.

Like sleep. Fuck, he'd love to get some restful sleep.

So Reiner turns in a circle in the sand, paws digging as he makes himself a good spot. Then he flops down with a huff, half-curled, his muzzle laid on his paws.

Edited 2023-11-19 03:03 (UTC)

What's better than a beach? A beach at dusk with fireflies.

Erwin has never seen so many at once. They would come out as the sun went down in the summertime in the little garden of his family's home, but there were never as many in the city as when they visited the countryside to see his grandparents. There, they flourished, but it was still nothing compared to this.

If he'd had shoes when whatever magic had transformed him, ten-year-old Erwin has already lost them, rolling his pant legs up to his knees and running into the edge of the surf and out again, laughing joyfully as the waves chase him across the sand.

Eventually he finds a jar - whether someone gave it to him or he picked it up himself, and walks along the beach in feet coated with sand, holding out his hand for fireflies to land on. There's hundreds - thousands, maybe even millions of them, blinking softly in and out, and he manages to coax a few into the jar, like captured starlight.

When he spots the dark haired boy, Erwin approaches eagerly, all big blue eyes and eyebrows that he definitely hasn't grown into yet, his blonde hair windblown.

"Hello!" he greets, perhaps a bit over-friendly. "Did you catch any?"

Marco has returned to catch fireflies of his own, now that he's not herding an amount of children that are people he may or may not know. Jean is sitting on the beach with his jar, and Marco hums as he walks up behind him.

The fireflies have been nice. He's.... had a weird couple weeks, between talking to Reiner and Galliard and now the portals.

"I would have thought you'd still be hanging out with Mikasa," he teases his friend gently as he comes to stand next to him in the sand. "Especially now that you remember you're married to her."

Jean's face turns red, ears included, as Marco says what he does.

"Don't remind me of that," he says, tone clearly annoyed. He's more embarrassed than annoyed, though. Jean got a very good reminder of how annoying he used to be as a trainee, and how ... into Mikasa he's been since day one.

Jean noticed Reiner shift into a dog. It's the first time he's seen Reiner actually use animal transformations, and he wonders just how much is going on inside his head right now.

He weights his options. Leave him alone to give him some space, or walk over there for quiet support. Maybe some gentle pets, too. He chooses option two and walks gently over, sitting down on the sand next to the pit bull.

"Tell me if you want me gone," he says, simply.

"I am never not going to remind you of that," Marco replies cheerfully, reminding Jean that while he might be sweet, he can be mischievous when he wants to be. Thankfully, he doesn't speak up about it again, instead opting to look up at the fireflies. His jar is still empty and unopened for now as he looks up at them.

"The glow is pretty, isn't it? We'd get a few out in Jinae in the summer but... never this many."

That's what best friends were for, right? Jean sighs. It's not like he really needed a reminder that Marco wasn't all just sweet words. He remembers the times he actively enabled Jean to do something.

Jean looks at the fireflies again, his expression softening a bit. He's still red, since that will take a while to settle down, but at least his expression isn't screaming 'I'm embarrassed'.

"Yeah, I've never seen this many in the same place either. I don't really remember if Trost had any fireflies... but I've seen them before."

"They had them in the places you've been before?" Marco hopes he correctly determines. He raises a hand into the air, holding it patiently. His patience pays off in the forms of several fireflies landing on the back of his hand, and he smiles at them.

"The glow reminds me of something, you know."

"Mmh, in both of them. Somehow, I didn't think about them a lot before seeing them like this, though." Seeing them in numbers like these is definitely different. They basically light up the whole beach without needing additional lights.

Jean looks back to Marco, who looks kinda magical with the fireflies on his hand, smiling in their glow. "Yeah?"

Marco agrees that this many fireflies feels surreal. It's like the sky has fallen down and the stars are floating around them - or something poetic like that. Marco lowers his hand a little, only dislodging one firefly as he cups his other hand over them, making the light intensify a bit.

He's not looking at Jean, but his smile is sad.

"I know you told me you were fine but... I'm still worried about the fact that you died here..."

It takes Galliard awhile to figure out that the little kid wandering around is Levi. He is... decidedly less intimidating when he's this size, although for all Galliard knows, he's probably got a weapon hidden on him and is ready to shank anyone who gets too close.

He watches young Levi go after the fireflies for awhile, then approaches him.

"Hey." He smiles, his hands out where Levi can see them, nonthreatening. "Want some help with that? My brother taught me how to catch them when I was about your age."

A lie: there were no fireflies in the Liberio ghetto, and definitely none on the battlefield. But it's something Marcel would have taught him, had it been available. Of that, Galliard is sure.

It's like looking into the past.

Was Galliard ever the same size as Reiner is now? He had to have been, because he and Reiner were about the same height for a long time. But he doesn't remember what it's like to see the world from such a low vantage point anymore, or to see things like fireflies and be in awe of them.

It's a sad thing, being twenty-one years old and already feeling like an old, old man.

Still, there's a chance to make things right here. Galliard approaches Reiner, wondering if he'll recognise him as he is now, or if his view of Galliard is still as a little snot-nosed kid.

"Hi, Reiner." His voice is soft. "Mind if I join you?"

It is weirdly fitting that his summer powers have given Galliard the ability to turn into a cat. He's tried it a few times at home already, and it turns out that being a house cat--orange tabby with white paws and a white tummy, slightly chewed up ears--isn't that dissimilar from being the Jaw titan. It's just on a smaller scale. He's already startled Marco by hiding under the couch and batting at his ankles, which is super fun, and he understands why cats like doing it now.

Now, at the firefly gathering, Galliard notices when Reiner turns into a dog, which is also weirdly fitting. Especially a dog built like that; why not just announce to the world that you're the Armoured titan, geesh. They haven't talked much since the disastrous dinner with Marco. Things are still too fraught, too emotional. But being an animal is different. Their emotions are... smoother, somehow. Easier to deal with.

Galliard slips behind a tree, and when he emerges, he's a cat. He pads across the sand, tail high in the air, in that brisk, business-like trot cats have when they're too dignified to break into a full run. He approaches Reiner where he's dug himself into the sand, meowing once to alert him to his presence, and flops down next to him, leaning against his back.

It doesn't occur to Jean that the glow he might be reminded of is the glow that they both had on when they met. Not until Marco speaks again.

Honestly, if he hadn't been glowing back then, Marco wouldn't have heard about Jean's death yet. It's not something he would have wanted for him to find out so soon after arrival. Honestly, it was probably better this way than Marco learning about it from someone else.

"It's already been several months since I died. I won't claim I'm completely fine and over it, but I don't at least think about it as much as I used to."

Jean looks back at the fireflies. "The Segments are pretty dangerous. That's where I got killed. In the Winter one."

Marco understands not being over it. His own memory of his death is visceral in his mind, and sometimes he wakes up grasping his other arm to make sure it's still there, that his skull is still whole.

"What happened?" He asks softly. He won't push it if Jean doesn't want to explain how it happened, but he still has to ask at least once.

Jean is quiet for a moment, wondering what he should say. There's always the option of not wanting to talk about it, but that doesn't really feel right to him.

"I was out on a expedition with two of my friends. It was supposed to be a quick observation type of thing, but instead we were caught in a series of storms and ended up on a very dangerous mountain."

He's come to accept the fact that there was nothing he could have done to prevent them from ending up there, no matter how much he tried to replay the trip in his mind. It was just very unfortunate.

"We encountered creatures called werewolves and ended up fighting them. One of them slashed me, giving me fatal wounds. But that wasn't what killed me."

As Jean speaks, Marco listens, but he also gently starts moving towards Jean. He doesn't care if the fireflies on his arm fly away, but either way his goal is to sit down next to Jean, since he's talking about his death.

Marco slowly lowers himself to the ground, setting the jar between his legs, and with his firefly-free other hand, reaches up to rub Jean's back a little.

He doesn't say anything just yet, giving Jean a soft, sad look.

It comforting to have Marco close. Jean gives him a very sad smile, mostly to appreciate him being there and rubbing his back. It might have been a while but it was still a tough subject for sure.

"There was an earthquake. It was strong enough to break a part of the cliff - the part I was standing on. I tried using my gear to save myself but ended up making things worse. So I fell to my death. Luckily I lost consciousness before that happened."

The only lucky thing about the whole situation. Jean touches his chest gently. The scars there felt like they were burning.

"It took three days for me to be revived. I was fully healed, except for the scars that the werewolf inflicted on me."

"And that's when you woke up in... the flower yard." He's had that explained at least, by someone familiar. He gives Jean's back another little rub.

"I'm sorry, but thank you for telling me. Our deaths were different but... even if you came back from yours, it's still hard to deal with. I have nightmares about it." He assumes the same is for Jean.

"If you ever need to talk about it..."

Jean nods to confirm and brings out his phone that has his flower charm still attached. A pink peony. "The flower's still there, too. As if I need a reminder."

Not that he's been to the flower yard since. He sees no point in that. It was a depressing place in its own way.

Jean shifts his focus back to Marco. He appreciates the offer, of course, but he needs to extend it back. Especially with how recent Marco's own death was. "You know, you can always talk to me, too, if you need it. I know it's not easy to talk about, but it might do you good, too."

It's no surprise when Reiner's feet carry him to Eren's side, the sight of Eren seated at the shoreline a beacon to which he is pulled. Reiner has long since given up on resisting that pull. Long since given up on considering who else may be nearby when he answers it, too.

Was the risk of other people seeing them ever really a consideration? Their first kiss was as public as could be. Their first date, too—whether it was at the Underground Mall or on a street strewn with cherry blossoms. There are more people from their world here now, cracking Reiner's carefully reconstructed sense of self and sanity. Yet Eren remains a constant in his mind no matter what he believes he is, a presence he seeks out again and again.

His tread may be familiar, Marleyan combat boots heavy on the sand. (No need to conceal his approach.) When he reaches Eren's side, he stops about a foot from the waves and leans down to untie his boots.

If he's going to join his … his Eren, he doesn't want to get his boots wet!

"What do you think of them?" he asks, head turned so that he can look at Eren even as he busies himself with his boots.

[Closed Log] Fireflies are stars that couldn't journey to the skies

ota

ota

ota, specify if u want bb! or dad! levi ;>

ota, he's regular sized for all of this

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gimme a bb - also pretend I have a bb erwin icon

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C

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bb please!

A

AND AGAIN, C this time

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