V i d e o || 001

[takethereigns]

[ When the fog of waking up somewhere new lifts enough, Jean moves into the shocked stage of wandering around Genessia. He doesn't know these streets and little by little he's forcing himself not to think about the likelihood of not knowing someone being extremely high. He's also purposefully not thinking about how much of a relief it had been the last time this happened and Armin was there. Or about the Maeve dicking him over.

But it's only after chasing down a slim blonde figure wearing a powder blue dress, mistaking it for someone he cared for, that the shock shatters. He dumbly apologizes and steps back a few paces, looking panicked and lost. They shrug him off and walk away, leaving Jean to run his fingers through his hair. Soon, he presses his back against the cool concrete of a building and fumbles for the phone he was given.

It's different from his other one, but it's not something he can't navigate now. He exhales, thumb hovering over the video button. There's a chance that Armin and Eggsy are here, but there's also a chance he's alone. Either way, it didn't change the facts. He turns the video on, trying to look as calm as he can despite the pit of his stomach feeling hollow. ]

Can someone tell me where the hell I can rent a room here?

Comments

[ video ]

[ascendedbeing]

[ He definitely looks familiar, but there's always the chance that he might not remember anything about Genessia. Hm.

Well, at least there's the comfort of seeing another blond-haired woman on the feed, smiling rather jovially. ]

Hello, my name is Sertoria. I would be willing to let you stay with me if you so choose.

[takethereigns]

[ Jean's not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (ha ha shut it) but there's something a little unsettling about someone being that damn nice to a stranger. It takes him a moment to respond and when he does, there's a sour note to his words. Like he's questioning her self preservation skills. Or what she wants from him in exchange. ]

Thanks, but I would rather stay at an inn until I get my bearings. Do you know where any are?

Video;

[inhisdebt]

[Surely Mikasa knew why she was so giddy to hear his voice again. Why was she so happy to see Jean was back (again)? I mean, they were pretty good friends here at least. There was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that there was more to this than she knew, but she couldn't remember why she was so happy to see him again.

Regardless, by the time Mikasa went to reply back, she was located in some sort of office area. She didn't have her normal military uniform on, but she had on her gear at the very least. Looks like she was just about to leave David's office. She was a bit slow to respond, due to dealing with these strange emotions, but soon enough her face pops up on his phone.]

You're back. [Nice pleasant start, Mikasa.] The mansion still has plenty of room if you would like to stay there again.

[It was big enough that it should keep Eren and Jean away from each other most of the time right?]

[takethereigns]

Wait wait. Back!?

[ He'll deal with the fact that he's talking to Mikasa in a moment, promise. ]

What do you mean "back"?

[inhisdebt]

Yeah. You've been here 2 other times before this, but it figures that you wouldn't remember. I guess you can only get lucky so many times...

[That came out sort of bitter, but don't ask her why. She has no idea.]

[takethereigns]

[ It's okay, he doesn't particularly hear the bitterness so much since he's still trying to wrap his brain around "back". It's not something he had to deal with when he was under the Maeve's thumb before. Immediately, he didn't like this whole deal of not knowing anything about this place but apparently having visited before. Twice.

So, his mood suffers for it. Jean's grumpy and frustrated and--

It finally clicks. He's talking to Mikasa. She's in this new place too.

After half a year of just having Armin around (which he was and still is grateful for, but has no hope now that he'll see again since he's in a new place) and briefly Levi and Kenny, he's slammed with this new nostalgic feeling. He started losing hope that he'd see his friends again after that long. Right here, right now, there was one of them. And she had the long hair he remembered liking so much. And yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

These mood swings were starting to give him whiplash, but from grumpy to this, Jean couldn't help the little smile tugging at the corners of his lips. ]

I don't know. As long as I don't have to tell myself "this place isn't as bad as home" I'm probably the luckiest person alive. [ He snorts. ] Want to tell me how to get to that mansion?

[inhisdebt]

This place isn't as bad as home. [She said with 100% clarity.] There are other dangers of course, but that's to be expected.

Where are you now? Are you by the Bay yet, that place you woke up at? If so, I can be there in a few minutes. I was actually just out doing some patrolling.

[Gotta earn that money after all. No she doesn't. She's stinking rich....]

[takethereigns]

Don't tell me the Maeve's here too...

[ No, really. Don't tell him that. Lie to him if you have to. At least for a little while.

He looks around, noting that he's managed to get a few blocks from the bay. That counts as still being by it right? Instead of describing what he's seeing, he turns the camera around and shows her. ]

I'm wherever the hell this is.

Action;

[inhisdebt]

The Maeve??? [Who the fuck was that...? Was it possible he was like Armin had been...?] Did you come from a different world...?

[Asked calmly since she's already had this kind of conversation before with Armin.]

Ah, alright. I'll be there soon then.

[And just like that, soon enough there she is dropping in with her gear.]

[takethereigns]

[ If she has to ask, there's no way he can pussyfoot around the confirmation. So, exhales a little and simply grunts a 'yes' in response. No other offered explanations come, because if she didn't need to know some of the things he'd seen and done, he wasn't about to openly talk about them. And he sure as hell wasn't about to tell a girl he once had a crush on just how much of a whore he had to become to survive in that world.

Jean still had a little dignity left.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Mikasa makes good on her word and Jean still stands there feeling grateful but discombobulated. He pushes away from the wall and breaches some of the distance. ]

So what is this place anyway?

[inhisdebt]

[Mikasa was wearing pretty casual clothing compared to her uniform; She's finally gotten out of the habit of wearing it constantly. Her long hair (by this point), was in a loose side braid that Sertoria did for her that morning.

Something felt right about being near Jean again, but it wasn't something she could put her finger on. Maybe it was just because he'd become a good friend of hers by this point? Well, whatever.]

This place is called Genessia. Right now we're located in Genessia City, but we live in Nova City. It's not too far away with the archways though.

[Already showing the way.]

[neverfeltthatway]

Jean!

[Armin's eyes are wide with surprise and joy - after everything that's happened, having another friend returned to them is a relief, and a somewhat unexpected one. If Jean is observant, however, he'll note that this Armin is older than the one he knows. Years older, at least a couple.]

Are you all right? Do you... remember being here before?

And you don't need to worry about renting, we have a house - er, a mansion. It's mostly empty, anyway, there's plenty of space.

[takethereigns]

[ Except Jean doesn't notice the differences right now at all. Instead, immense relief swells in his chest, managing to make the rest of his body sag slightly. ]

You're here too... I thought I was going to be alone.

[ Which is a different kind of alone than the implication of not having friends. Maybe Armin can note the way his expression softens and the light smile he adopts just looking at him.

Honestly, Jean should probably be thinking along the same lines of his conversation with Mikasa but he's just so damn relieved that he's not being smart enough about it. ]

No, I guess the Maeve decided to give a reward for good behavior and not send me back home.

[neverfeltthatway]

No. You're not alone.

[Armin blinks tears from his eyes - and in his state, he too fails to notice the differences if Jean's reaction is a bit more intimate than he might have expected.]

...It sounds like we have a lot to catch up on.

[takethereigns]

[ Catch up on? Okay, now he's starting to wise up a little. Maybe... Is this-- ]

Don't tell me you're from ahead of me again...

[neverfeltthatway]

In a manner of speaking. I did not come to this place straight from home.

[Wait, actually, there was something in what Jean said...]

'Again?'

[takethereigns]

[ Yep. There's a sinking starting in his stomach that definitely has everything to do with Armin asking for clarification. ]

What do you remember from home?

[neverfeltthatway]

The last thing... [Armin starts to answer, then looks away at something off screen, distracted. When he turns back, he doesn't continue, shaking his head.]

Sorry - I'm at work right now. And this conversation will probably take a while, so we should continue this later. Once we both get back home to the mansion.

Do you need directions on how to get there?

[takethereigns]

[ As disappointing as it is to cut the conversation short, he understands. ]

Mikasa's coming to get me, so I'll see you there.

[ A little reluctantly, he shuts his end of the video off and lets his head thunk back against the concrete wall behind himself. At least he doesn't have to wait too long until she's swinging down to get him. ]

[video]

[meddlesomehero]

[There's a face she thought she'd never see again. For a few moments, she's just in total shock. Then, without even thinking--]

Jean?!

[takethereigns]

[ She's met with a look of mixed caution and confusion. ]

Yeah, and who are you?

[meddlesomehero]

[...oh. She's reminded of Luceti, where people would return without any memories of being there before.]

Utena. Utena Tenjou. ...sorry, you just...

[How does she even explain something like this?]

[takethereigns]

[ Fortunately Jean never had to go through that, until now. Most of the people he knew just blatantly vanished.

But when he responds, he tries not to be short with her, even if he lets out a somewhat annoyed breath. ]

Just spit it out. How did you know my name?

[meddlesomehero]

[Jeez, she had almost forgotten how harsh Jean can be at times. This is a mess...]

You're probably not going to believe me. I can't really blame you if you don't, since this is going to be a pretty weird answer.

[Not that she isn't used to telling people strange-sounding things. After all, explaining her prince always sounds weird, even to her.]

Before I came here, I was in another world that wasn't mine... and while I was there, I met you. Or a you, I guess...

[Beats her. This whole thing is still pretty beyond her, and that's another reason she can't blame him if he doesn't believe her.]

Anyway, we were pretty good friends back then.

[takethereigns]

[ That doesn't even begin to cover "weird" for him... But at least he doesn't give any impression that he's annoyed by her explanation? In fact, he might even look a bit relieved that it's not as bad as he thought it would be. ]

That makes both of us, then. I came from somewhere else, but if you were there we never met.