[ you can clearly see how much he’s trying to understand what’s going on. the future doesn’t make sense if it all ends with him. another dimension, sure he’s been hearing so much about those that he supposes the idea must settle in his head eventually, but there was still . . . that last part, getting his brows to knit and stare to look off so far past the glass displays of dango that he can only, belatedly, lift a finger up to signal “one” that presses into the surface.
he’s putting bits and pieces together. if he has no memory of it but it’s a different world, and if this man knew him and it wasn’t from anywhere he was currently familiar with— ]
We’ve— met in an alternate world?
[ look at that. he’s not as dumb as many make him out to be. ]
[Reading Eren's intention with ease, he leaves him hanging on that question to purchase two sticks of dango, one for each of them. The gem native on the other side of the display case cheerfully slides the desserts into a paper bag and passes them over with a quick, efficient exchange of credits. Then Itachi turns back, steps closer, and offers the open mouth of the bag so Eren can select one of the dumpling sticks.]
Yes, although I will understand if you don't trust my word. I could be lying.
[Just to sow the seeds of doubt and keep him on his toes, to test how he might bend under the suggestion. He is surprised and pleased to see, at least, the Eren is following along without much trouble.]
My message was a test of your memory. [Unfortunately...]
So that’s what that was. [ he thought it was just another random message from the government— juggling the actions of pulling out a stick from the paper bag and searching for his device in his pocket is slightly clumsy, but not insufficient. he still needs both hands to search the phone’s interface for messages, messages . . . and there, amidst all the passive aggressive reminders to synchronize is a name that comes out of place: ]
Itachi. Right? [ it wasn’t that he didn’t trust him or thought he was speaking right out of his ass, it just didn’t make sense to seek him out if he didn’t know him to some degree. why go through all the trouble? ] Is there something you can tell me that only I’d know?
[Itachi is the government spying on you, Eren. It is known.
He watches the young man root around for the device, rather than offer his name outright and be at all helpful; let him connect the pieces himself. Meanwhile, Itachi patiently unwraps his own stick from the paper bag and holds it pinched between fingertips, scrutinizing the colorful dough balls pierced on its skewer.]
I can, but based on your appearance, it's likely you come from a different timeline as well. What I say might be something even you don't yet know.
[Timelines, alternate dimensions… he's had time to adjust to the strangeness.]
I can still make an attempt. In this other world, you used the alias Krüeger. You told me it was the surname of the man you were named after. Also, [if that isn't enough, because Itachi is nothing if not thorough,] you come from a race of people who are capable of turning into Titans, mindless monsters that consume humans. I saw a memory of you completing this transformation.
[ the first half of the explanation is what draw out a reaction eren can’t hide— it’s classified information. not that he shouldn’t go around saying it, but if some other version of him did, then, it was real. it had to be because there was no other way not to be. now that it clicks to makes sense, he needs time to process it. realizing this was all real was like getting hit by a bus. ]
Eren Krüeger, [ he repeats it, mostly to steady his thoughts and give them direction, and also because he’s been blindsided and doesn’t know what to actually say without giving himself the moments needed for the gear jam to smooth out and roll smoothly. ] I’ve known about him for three— four years.
[ give or take. it’s to admit that, no, he’s not to early into his timeline for it to mean nothing. right now it kind of meant everything. the titans— that was practically common knowledge the world knew, even though a stranger wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him.
he wants to stretch his arm out, but at the same time, ]
— I have questions, but I don’t know where to start.
[ his poor dango is just held there, isolated, and waiting to be eaten. ]
[Implicitly understanding Eren’s need for a quiet, uninterrupted moment to process the information—partly because it’s what he would want in his place—Itachi says nothing. His attention turns to the dango; he takes one careful bite off the first dumpling, then finishes it off in a second bite with an almost meditative focus. He doesn’t indulge often.
Black eyes return to Eren, leveling on him with that statement.]
That’s fine. Would you like to walk?
[He gestures to the street. Summer Way is busy with activity, but its passages and avenues are wide enough they can walk comfortably side by side. He doubts they’ll be easily overheard with chatter loud in the air.]
I’m not aware of the exact timeline you came from before. It wasn’t something we discussed in depth.
[ part of eren wonders if he could just wrap the skewered rolls into a napkin and shove it in his pocket, but staring so intently at itachi as he accepted a walk (and would have to buy more for his flatmates) has him hovering the tip somewhere close to his mouth to fill in the empty spaces of silence— sharp eyes could entertain themselves with the detail that he misses due to the focused gaze of ice blue and hits his lips first, some centimeters below the target site, then snatching on with his teeth. the sweetness is the only thing that gets his attention to pull away and actually notice what he’s eating. it’s good. and he’s never seen nor remembered something savory like this.
what’s it called again? agh, it’d have to wait. ]
Did we discuss anything in depth?
[ or maybe, just. “how well did we know each other” works, too. ]
[He doesn't face Eren as he answers. Dark eyes level on the sidewalk ahead, seemingly focused with an intensity that does not show in his neutral disposition.]
You want to know how much you told me.
[It's what Itachi would want to know in his place, to gauge the relationship as well as suss out his own disadvantage.]
I believe you always spoke the truth to me, but you were secretive, too. There was plenty you did not say. Our relationship wasn't close—yet there was still an implicit familiarity between us. It was never difficult to understand you. You described the history of Titans to me while giving little of yourself in the process; it was still more than I expected.
[Another neat, careful bite to the next dumpling.]
[ well if he’ll be damned (except not)— future eren didn’t leave behind any clues for past eren. another day and another life until he’s taken by utter shock enough to shatter his world a second time, but at least . . . the description checks out with himself even today. he just wonders, with mindful curiosity as he begins to assault a second dumpling with more finesse that the last time— what made them understand each other regardless of intimate history?
on it’s own regard, itachi has already become of interest. perhaps all over again, but he’d find out whatever it was on his own time. the last few words slow eren’s munching to a halt enough that he forces a swallow of a bite still large. ]
. . . I was a lizard. [ because. that’s what dragons are? he just had a mental image of him as an iguana and it was weird. and another thing— ] Then what were you?
[He watches Eren swallow past a large bite without fully chewing, a touch of amusement in his eyes—slightly deepened by the response. Itachi’s attention turns ahead, steering them down another street in the direction of a wide, open park with greenery the likes of which Hell never had. Seeing an open sky, wilderness, sunshine... perhaps it was something he took for granted in the past. He now covets these spaces, disliking the busier districts crowded with people.]
Not a lizard. [A faint smile shapes his mouth, hidden and lost to his next bite of dango.] Something called a Witch. There were two designations in that other world—a Monster and a Witch.
[It should go without saying that dragons are monsters, but just in case it isn’t clear:]
You played the other role. And you looked the part, as well. [Eyes pass Eren over as he stops by a cool, shaded tree.] Tall. Scaled. Wings, fangs, and talons. Is it difficult to imagine?
[ there were more monstrous things out there, and perhaps he didn’t need to have any extra appendages or accessories to strike terror into the hearts of billions— that’s what made it more believable when it could just seem like some fairy tale. no one around here expects a fifteen meter giant with a lipless maw and pointed elven ears. or one of the more elaborate ones. his brother is giant monke.
the last dango would have to remain a lone warrior at the butt of eren’s stick once they’re in a place that gets his facial features and even his shoulders to seem less tense. they are. he’s seen marley’s busy streets, but this city’s metropolis was a little too much for him. he favored quiet, these days, or only selected company that was dwindling by his own choices.
he’s trying to pick at the small points of a smile that could be here and there, all subtle, and like he’d be able to gauge more if he simply gawked at it. ]
Does that still make you a Witch? [ and after a beat, ] Wizard?
[It isn't difficult to note the physical change in Eren's posture when they breach the edge of trees and enter the park. Similar, even, to his own - a slow ease of tension to be taken out of the steel jungle behind them and placed in familiar territory. The ability to think now returned to them, greenery clearing the mind. It's quieter here. Less chatter, less bustle, less crowds.
Itachi calmly finishes his dango as black eyes study the surrounding area, leaves and branches stirred in a tepid breeze. He continues to hold the skewer pinched in his grasp; experimentally, a fingertip prods one sharp end, indenting flesh, a glossy fingernail catching the shaded sunlight of the afternoon.]
No, just a Witch. [The smile twitches, more obvious now as it shapes his lips.] You were almost towering as a dragon. About here. [One hand extends to draw the line above Eren's head a good distance, over a foot from his own height.] I did have unique magic as a Witch, but now my original abilities have been returned to me, outside the gems. I prefer it that way.
[ was being a lizard better than being a titan? lmao, with less information, he'd still go with what's been finally at a sizable level of usage and experience instead of something brand new like . . . the gem powers. on top of needing what's currently his and feeling at ease to know it's still with him rather than stolen. the realization that what was originally itachi's was taken from him was . . . troubling. ]
To have them taken in the first place . . . [ dangerous. and having to adapt to something else in a short amount of time? it spelled trouble. it took him years to get three-dimensional maneuvering to an acceptable achievement. he'd always lag behind his classmates if it weren't for the will to catch up to them. the outside breeze against pantsless thighs after accidentally setting them on fire was crisp in his thoughts and wrinkles his nose. thanks, stiles. ] It's not easy. [ for me. ] What could you, naturally?
we can prob wrap this up to make room for event :eyes:
[It's strange to him, of course, to have adjusted to new powers that he now no longer possessed. The well of magic within him is burned out - carried over from one dimension into another, only to be cut off here. Still, Itachi doesn't mind; it is his chakra that matters more to him. His adjustment in Aefenglom was one done out of pure necessity.
Eren's question earns a deliberate look, dark-eyed, curious to know whether he speaks from experience. What natural abilities will Eren maintain here? Something to puzzle out another time.]
Perhaps I'll show you. [He glances around at their peaceful surroundings. A couple of native gems pass, hands held between them affectionately.] … In a more suitable setting for it. Would you be willing?
👀 and then they went to a jutsu appropriate location
[ show him— even eren wished he had a similar possibility in his sleeves. it didn't seem like anywhere in this city was suitable for a titan vessel to walk around in. the whites of his eyes show for the offer so prompt, and one second more than that, he's nodding, only once. ]
I just don't think I can do the same.
[ it's a bleak and dim gaze over to the shinobi for someone so young, but there's something still there behind the dull lack of ecstatic light in his eyes: inquisitiveness, just a sparkle, and the remains of eren that would still be passionate enough in seeing it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
he’s putting bits and pieces together. if he has no memory of it but it’s a different world, and if this man knew him and it wasn’t from anywhere he was currently familiar with— ]
We’ve— met in an alternate world?
[ look at that. he’s not as dumb as many make him out to be. ]
no subject
Yes, although I will understand if you don't trust my word. I could be lying.
[Just to sow the seeds of doubt and keep him on his toes, to test how he might bend under the suggestion. He is surprised and pleased to see, at least, the Eren is following along without much trouble.]
My message was a test of your memory. [Unfortunately...]
no subject
So that’s what that was. [ he thought it was just another random message from the government— juggling the actions of pulling out a stick from the paper bag and searching for his device in his pocket is slightly clumsy, but not insufficient. he still needs both hands to search the phone’s interface for messages, messages . . . and there, amidst all the passive aggressive reminders to synchronize is a name that comes out of place: ]
Itachi. Right? [ it wasn’t that he didn’t trust him or thought he was speaking right out of his ass, it just didn’t make sense to seek him out if he didn’t know him to some degree. why go through all the trouble? ] Is there something you can tell me that only I’d know?
no subject
He watches the young man root around for the device, rather than offer his name outright and be at all helpful; let him connect the pieces himself. Meanwhile, Itachi patiently unwraps his own stick from the paper bag and holds it pinched between fingertips, scrutinizing the colorful dough balls pierced on its skewer.]
I can, but based on your appearance, it's likely you come from a different timeline as well. What I say might be something even you don't yet know.
[Timelines, alternate dimensions… he's had time to adjust to the strangeness.]
I can still make an attempt. In this other world, you used the alias Krüeger. You told me it was the surname of the man you were named after. Also, [if that isn't enough, because Itachi is nothing if not thorough,] you come from a race of people who are capable of turning into Titans, mindless monsters that consume humans. I saw a memory of you completing this transformation.
no subject
Eren Krüeger, [ he repeats it, mostly to steady his thoughts and give them direction, and also because he’s been blindsided and doesn’t know what to actually say without giving himself the moments needed for the gear jam to smooth out and roll smoothly. ] I’ve known about him for three— four years.
[ give or take. it’s to admit that, no, he’s not to early into his timeline for it to mean nothing. right now it kind of meant everything. the titans— that was practically common knowledge the world knew, even though a stranger wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him.
he wants to stretch his arm out, but at the same time, ]
— I have questions, but I don’t know where to start.
[ his poor dango is just held there, isolated, and waiting to be eaten. ]
no subject
Black eyes return to Eren, leveling on him with that statement.]
That’s fine. Would you like to walk?
[He gestures to the street. Summer Way is busy with activity, but its passages and avenues are wide enough they can walk comfortably side by side. He doubts they’ll be easily overheard with chatter loud in the air.]
I’m not aware of the exact timeline you came from before. It wasn’t something we discussed in depth.
no subject
what’s it called again? agh, it’d have to wait. ]
Did we discuss anything in depth?
[ or maybe, just. “how well did we know each other” works, too. ]
no subject
You want to know how much you told me.
[It's what Itachi would want to know in his place, to gauge the relationship as well as suss out his own disadvantage.]
I believe you always spoke the truth to me, but you were secretive, too. There was plenty you did not say. Our relationship wasn't close—yet there was still an implicit familiarity between us. It was never difficult to understand you. You described the history of Titans to me while giving little of yourself in the process; it was still more than I expected.
[Another neat, careful bite to the next dumpling.]
You were also a dragon.
no subject
on it’s own regard, itachi has already become of interest. perhaps all over again, but he’d find out whatever it was on his own time. the last few words slow eren’s munching to a halt enough that he forces a swallow of a bite still large. ]
. . . I was a lizard. [ because. that’s what dragons are? he just had a mental image of him as an iguana and it was weird. and another thing— ] Then what were you?
no subject
Not a lizard. [A faint smile shapes his mouth, hidden and lost to his next bite of dango.] Something called a Witch. There were two designations in that other world—a Monster and a Witch.
[It should go without saying that dragons are monsters, but just in case it isn’t clear:]
You played the other role. And you looked the part, as well. [Eyes pass Eren over as he stops by a cool, shaded tree.] Tall. Scaled. Wings, fangs, and talons. Is it difficult to imagine?
no subject
[ there were more monstrous things out there, and perhaps he didn’t need to have any extra appendages or accessories to strike terror into the hearts of billions— that’s what made it more believable when it could just seem like some fairy tale. no one around here expects a fifteen meter giant with a lipless maw and pointed elven ears. or one of the more elaborate ones. his brother is giant monke.
the last dango would have to remain a lone warrior at the butt of eren’s stick once they’re in a place that gets his facial features and even his shoulders to seem less tense. they are. he’s seen marley’s busy streets, but this city’s metropolis was a little too much for him. he favored quiet, these days, or only selected company that was dwindling by his own choices.
he’s trying to pick at the small points of a smile that could be here and there, all subtle, and like he’d be able to gauge more if he simply gawked at it. ]
Does that still make you a Witch? [ and after a beat, ] Wizard?
no subject
Itachi calmly finishes his dango as black eyes study the surrounding area, leaves and branches stirred in a tepid breeze. He continues to hold the skewer pinched in his grasp; experimentally, a fingertip prods one sharp end, indenting flesh, a glossy fingernail catching the shaded sunlight of the afternoon.]
No, just a Witch. [The smile twitches, more obvious now as it shapes his lips.] You were almost towering as a dragon. About here. [One hand extends to draw the line above Eren's head a good distance, over a foot from his own height.] I did have unique magic as a Witch, but now my original abilities have been returned to me, outside the gems. I prefer it that way.
no subject
To have them taken in the first place . . . [ dangerous. and having to adapt to something else in a short amount of time? it spelled trouble. it took him years to get three-dimensional maneuvering to an acceptable achievement. he'd always lag behind his classmates if it weren't for the will to catch up to them. the outside breeze against pantsless thighs after accidentally setting them on fire was crisp in his thoughts and wrinkles his nose. thanks, stiles. ] It's not easy. [ for me. ] What could you, naturally?
we can prob wrap this up to make room for event :eyes:
Eren's question earns a deliberate look, dark-eyed, curious to know whether he speaks from experience. What natural abilities will Eren maintain here? Something to puzzle out another time.]
Perhaps I'll show you. [He glances around at their peaceful surroundings. A couple of native gems pass, hands held between them affectionately.] … In a more suitable setting for it. Would you be willing?
👀 and then they went to a jutsu appropriate location
I just don't think I can do the same.
[ it's a bleak and dim gaze over to the shinobi for someone so young, but there's something still there behind the dull lack of ecstatic light in his eyes: inquisitiveness, just a sparkle, and the remains of eren that would still be passionate enough in seeing it.
just a very small ✨ ]