[ a hum! or, rather, sounds more like a grunt that says “oh! makes sense!” never mind that he is slowly, but surely, melting in his hands, with the slight weight elliot might feel getting pushed into his palms. eren rolls his shoulders, and drops his head back. only a few more knots left.
he huffs out the quiet beginnings of a laugh, though. it’s not at him! ]
I don’t mind my hair anymore. I used to cut it. [ but now it’s free to, you know. grow to whatever length it desires. anything close to flirting initially goes right over his head, but what his tongue picks up as he licks his lips . . . is something he’s tasted before. briefly, his eyes open, and he can catch a bit of elliot in an upside down view. ]
I’m— not going to go feral, or anything. [ a pause, and suddenly— he feels awkward to say it. ] You, [ gesture, uh ] taste nervous, or.
Aha, that doesn't surprise me. Something about you makes me think you're the soldier type. [He's been around a lot of soldiers. He's used to the way they move, talk, walk. Eren wasn't a hardliner like Neithardt, but the telltale signs were still there.] But I'd say this suits you better.
[He can't put his finger on exactly why, but it..does. Maybe it was more personalized, more free]
Well words like that were enough to snap him out of his little trance, but probably not for the reasons to be expected. Eren saying he's not going to go feral, trying to assure him, it...it reminds him of Rean. Or rather, all the times would be so hard on himself for his ogre power, or be afraid of hurting them.]
I'm not nervous about that.
[He says it without the slightest bit of doubt. He doesn't even question why Eren can taste him as nervous because whatever- dragons are weird and his anxiety is hardly a great national secret.
Instead, he's focused on Eren now. Without thinking, one hand leaves the top of his head and moves to Eren's cheek, turning his head so he can look at him directly, to show that he means it.]
Even if you could go feral, I'd still stick around, okay? This is a temporary bond, but I still plan to support you with all I have. Even if I had to keep you in check.
[ adjusting the tilt of his head to turn upright and to better face him. that’s. hm.
he can’t say he’s worried about that anymore, he was simply going with what he smelled. tasted. whatever. what else did he have to be nervous about, right? and it still doesn’t answer the question of nervousness— but eren can’t derail something as sincere as that. his brows pinch ever slightly, curving as his lips do in a smile. eventually, he takes elliot’s hand away from his face, to clasp it better with the entirety of his palm covering the other’s and squeezing with the same amount, of not doubled of sturdy reassurance.
though not quite saturated as they could be, the colorful specks to his scales are bright. ]
Thanks. [ it’s sincere, and there isn’t much else to say to that. he’s grateful he can run into the right people, like this. and whatever it is that he’s nervous about— ] If you’re with me, you don’t need to worry, either.
[Oh. Oh now that his moment of encouragement and projection was over, he realizes what he's done. Now Eren was holding onto his hand and smiling at him, those scales bright. This is a much closer position than the horn rubbing was. His cheeks turn a shade of pink as this realization dawns on him.]
I-
[He gulps a little. Eren was definitely still picking up on his nerves. He can't dance around it, or Eren might think he doesn't trust him. And he doesn't want that. Combat links break if the partners have trouble trusting each other. Who knows if bonds react the same way]
I-It's not that. I mean, I always feel worry, but I trust you. You'll look out for me too. I-It's more-
[Nngh, just get out with it]
Combat Links never really...had this much...touching? S-So I'm still getting used to it. [Quickly] Not that it's a bad thing!
[ ah. ah!! okay. it’s not so much a big deal and more something he’s . . . easily adapted to. if he had to hold historia’s hand to get memories, he’d offer his contact to keep his ferocity down if it were mutual. with understanding, eren’s grip slips from elliot, but not before giving some sort of reassuring squeeze. it makes more sense, now. ]
I get it. [ narrator: eren did not get it. not on the same level, anyway. he holds the net up, done and ready to be used, as well as an expression that seems soothed. ] You feel the difference, right?
[ alright. back to the smell he caught earlier, eren licks his lips and situates him in the direction it floats off to, offering an affirming smile. spreading it out between both arms, he begins heading deeper into the foliage. he smells dirt here, and the scent doesn’t stray farther away. It ends around here . . .
just need to find the hole (haha, hole, again). ]
Ready when you are. [ it’s said with a bit more quiet, pointing to— something, scales beginning to burn excited colors. he’s. getting excited. like, look! a hunt! his first hunt. ] There’s something nearby.
[Elliot follows behind, trying to remain as quiet as possible so not to disturb Eren's hunt. He can see that the guy is getting excited about it. In a way, it's endearing to watch, especially as those scales become more colorful. ]
Okay, I'll catch the spell on you. If you need back up give me um... [he does the first gesture which comes to mind, which is a peace sign] ...this?
[Right okay. Hopefully he has that. Elliot will concentrate his magic, and touch Eren's shoulder, giving a very quiet whistle as the incantation. Eren will feel something akin to a soft energy wash over him, muting any sounds he makes. When it's done, he'll let go of Eren's shoulder - walking away in a noisy enough manner so it sounds like both of them are leaving.]
[ has he mentioned he sort of sucks at hunting? of course he wouldn’t. the brief warmth of the spell as eren flinching, but once its done, he gives elliot a thumbs up and.
he’s trying to say something, his mouth moves and he yells it out, but, alas. nothing. he says it tastes pretty big. thick smells, they were, not something small and fleeting. or perhaps there were many in one spot? a pile of rabbits, do those exist? ah—
he can do it. deeper eren goes, getting into a crouch until he finds the gap of a den in the earth, hidden under a mossy, dead log. maybe if he put the net here, at the entrance . . . and tried to coax it out through the emergency exit? there was never only one way to move in and out of these things, he would know. let’s see— there’s one. one he’s crawling straight into as if it were his.
Elliot can only watch this whole mess transpire. He had thought that maybe Eren would have some idea of what to do, or maybe some dragon-y instincts to fall back on but.
he's never seen anyone just crawl into the rabbit hole.
He can't help but remark to himself as he watches]
[ wait for the silence. wait for it. there’s a surprise to come, and something. something screams, high pitched and foul. look toward the double ended burrow, and you’ll see:
not one, not two, but a family of five jackalope burst from the burrow’s front in due time, the first to tangle in the net that covered the hole being the fierce mother with two smaller ones frightened to split. she battles with the net, her antlers and paws snaring her the more she kicked and clawed away to flee. the last is the male, larger than all its offspring and the mother put together, bolting away in seconds flat. ]
Damn it! [ comes eren’s voice, the spell wearing away but dirty, clawed and bitten as he tries to crawl out of the hole— his hips are stuck. desperate peace sign???? he’s trying to inhale hard enough to see if he’ll flatten somehow to get through. no wiggle helps. ] That one!!
[ the mother jackalope is caught against the net and ground shrubbery, unable to make an escape as the rest did— he just wished he could’ve gotten her sooner. ]
Even before Eren gave the peace signal, Elliot started approaching the moment he saw the jackalopes running out. They weren't a breed of rabbit Elliot has seen before, but it was pretty obvious it was a family of rabbits- with babies on top of it. Which boy...Eren might already be able to tell through the link that leaves him feeling pretty conflicted. ]
Oh no...
[he reaches the area with the netted jackalope and the stuck Eren-the-Pooh, looking between which one to deal with first. Eren seems to be indicating the one in the net, so..]
J-Just hold on Eren.
[With a gulp, he'll walk over to the jackalope. It's...pretty easy to tell this must be the mom. And those babies were still pretty young, so killing her would...
...Yeah. He's got a feeling he's gonna get chewed out for this. That's gonna be fun to deal with.
He kneels down near the jackalope, and starts singing a lullaby. There's magic laced in it, a mild sleep spell. The jackalope's struggles start to slow until they come to a stop. It falls into a...well, not quite a sleep, but more of a drowsy trance. Still humming the lullaby, he'll detangle the jackalope from the net and pick her up, cradling her in his arms as he starts to run his fingers through her fur- collecting as much fur as possible. Thankfully like rabbits, jacklopes shed like crazy.
Eren might be picking up that there's a not small chance he's not going to kill the thing.]
[ eren’s desperate wiggling to free himself is calmed as instantly as elliot had the jackalope in his hands. only then does he feel a drop of the blood rolling down his face where the larger scratches ended. the male knew how to defend what was his, he’d give him that— and eren was just too inexperienced, as he was too excited, to think about the repercussions. next time, he’ll keep it it mind.
it takes a little digging around the edges, which, with dulled nails, doesn’t help as much as they could if they were clawed, but— he’s grown used to it. the tips of his fingers are rougher after all the holes he’s dug the same way, and sooner than later, he’s crawling out, rubbing his face with the inside of his elbow, and examine anywhere else for scratches. luckily, even though smooth, his scales are a little more difficult to cut through.
he’s got an object from his pocket, smaller than his watch that when clicked, exposes a fine blade the size of his palm from base to tip. one of his sharper knick-knacks that he’s brought along for simple tasks. he walks over, eyes traveling between them and their game, and. hm.
it’s . . . considerate, what elliot’s doing, calming the creature before its end. he’s pretty sure, or at least hopes, that elliot knows he wouldn’t get enough fur that way, either. they had to eat, before it got any darker and make things more difficult to track. they had to get their fur. all of this was a question of survival, and while eren isn’t heartless, he . . . does separate things.
he holds his hand out, asking for jackalope. ]
I thought I’d lose it. Good work.
[ he’s not about to celebrate killing an animal, but he does seem prepared to do what had to be done. ]
[Elliot had nearly finished getting all the fur he could off the jackalope when Eren approached. It's a good thing that Eren managed to free himself, Elliot would check on his injuries later, but...it's also clear that Eren's misinterpreting what he's doing here.
He doesn't hand over the jackalope immediately, instead biting his lip as he hesitates.]
...Eren. Her babies looked really young, they still need her. If we kill her now, they probably won't make it either...
[it's not that he doesn't understand some animal needs to die for them to eat and get what they need. But leaving those kids motherless, when they were too young to fend for themselves, it felt ... cruel.
Sad green eyes looked at Eren, pleading for him to reconsider. ]
There's still a little daylight left, maybe we can find something else.
[ oh, how it is most definitely cruel. children without mothers, childhoods, liberty to be children. eren was one. one of many who were forcibly stripped of those mother included. he knows where elliot means to go now, on a personal level.
yet, his eyes don’t falter. not completely frigid, but the gaze was firm. If he couldn’t say no to this— how would he be able to say no to everything else to come? only now is he learning how dangerous it was to let emotion influence choice, after so many countless falls and holes blown into him.
he pauses, he inhales, the pauses again. ]
They were big enough to run, Elliot. [ it was less cruel as it was being . . . rational, was all. it took years to figure that out, and let it be known he thought he was rational, when he was fifteen.
now he knows what levi meant when he said “don’t let your feelings get in the way”. ] . . . You’d really trade certainty for doubt?
[Elliot knows he must seem soft to Eren. Naive, even. And maybe he was being so. It's not that he hasn't been exposed to the harsh lessons of the world. His father had insisted he learned the harsh realities of the world, to never shut his eyes from the truth.
But being coldhearted in the face of that reality...it wasn't who he was. And if he learned one thing, it wasn't who he had to be either]
I wouldn't. But that's not what I'm doing.
If we don't find anything else, I'm certain I can go a night without food. I've done it before. And you can have the emergency rations I did bring, so you won't go hungry because of me.
As for the hair...the client doesn't care where it comes from, so if I can't find another source? I'm certain my hair will grow back if I cut it.
[Either he's given this more thought than one would expect while Eren was getting himself freed, or he's good at thinking of tactics on the fly. It's hard to tell]
But if we killed her.... I know I'd doubt if I did the right thing, and I'd have doubts about if her family's okay.
[...]
I understand sometimes one has to make a hard decision, but I don't think this is one of those cases.
[ he would’ve understood better if it was kept at “i feel bad”. he would’ve relented. eren listens, but the later half of elliot’s words gets his brows to crease, his lips to pull into a tense frown and his scales— not bright like the sunset, but a deep plum hue.
what he’s telling him is: they wasted their time. he wasted his time if he could’ve just cut his hair. they didn’t have to risk themselves, as close to the wall as they were, to come out here. what was he here for, then? too much disney princess for his being. for someone with a bomb in their hands that was set to erupt, eren doesn’t take kindly to being told this. the thing most precious to him right now is time, and— oh, boy.
he has to inhale. he inhales, rubs at his mouth, before clicking his blade away and moving away, his breath in a huff. he wasn’t about to argue an opinion and warm-loving heart, for god’s sake, it’s a rabbit-thing. he’s not about to work up a storm about that. but. his time? brushing it off like— it was something as easy as cutting off locks when he pronounced himself to something else? no no no, he wouldn’t accept coming out here for nothing. “i’ll give you my emergency rations”. “i’ll go a day without eating, i’ve done it before”. from what he remembered— the client said animal or monster fur. no human hair, gods know how fucked up a spell can get if you try to dupe him. you’re trying too hard and it’s showing is at the tip of his tongue, but that would’ve been said with hotheaded snap rather than reasoning.
which is why he doesn’t say anything akin to such. ]
We didn’t have to come out here for you to cut your hair.
[ he’ll just. be bluntly honest instead. eren begins to shuffle, makes for the discarded net and balls it back in his arms, waving backwards as he moves ahead, as if to gesture to elliot to go on, do what he felt better doing. the jackalopes are gone by now. he’ll have to track down something else. and so, he begins: nearly licking the bark of a nearby tree and circling around it, the opposite way the jackalope family went. ]
[Sorry Eren, he's more used to harping on him for not thinking things through, for not taking responsibilities for his actions. In his eyes, explaining what steps he plans if his decision sets them back felt like the logical choice.
But clearly, something made Eren irked about his response. He's not entirely surprised by it, but at least he seems to be backing down.
He sighs, a little exasperated]
Not like I want to cut my hair. I'm just willing to take responsibility if we don't get anything else. You know, it'll be my fault?
[trying to be mature here!!! But Eren's letting him do his thing, so he'll go ahead and do that. He'll kneel down and put the jackalope back on the ground. With a snap of his fingers, the spell is broken and the creature snaps back awake. It wastes no time bolting back into the underbrush in the direction the other rabbits went.
Elliot will watch it go, feeling relief, before gathering what fur he pulled and putting it in the bag they were suppose to fill. After all the clumps are in, it's now about a third of the way full (rabbits shed a LOT man).
When that's all said and done, he'll stand back up and move to follow after Eren. doesn't take long to catch up, since he is busy...licking things.]
[ oh. wow, he’s. he wants to interrupt!! he wants to interrupt and now certainly say something snappy, because this. sounds like the opposite of what elliot wants to sound like. BREATHE IN breathe out, eren’s internal voices say, inner peace, ommmmm, buddha is with him, reiki bell chimes— god if he were fifteen.
but he’s not, and his boiling point simmers when he hears a gentle thanks. not enough to soften him up, but it does pull his breaks. a pause, an extra tongue flick to the bark closer to the ground one more time, before he’s pinching the bridge of his nose, flattens said hand out in gesture, and turns to elliot.
Just— stop, trying to explain it.
[ there’s edge to it, of one who may be prone to explosive reactions but has a handle on it for now. ]
You’re trying too hard as it is, you’ll dig your hole deeper.
[ shifting around the trees ahead, he continues to walk until he’s found a willow, tipping his head back and tasting the air. there’s a hole at the top . . . and the track goes from the ground to there. ]
[Well that makes Elliot go quiet with confusion. He...wasn't supposed to explain it? After years of always having to justify himself whenever he did something that didn't fit the expectations of a typical "Erebonian man"? How did that make sense? Why did this guy seem so irritable about it?
Not to mention the trying too hard bit.]
...Of course I'm trying really hard? [He's confounded and it shows in his voice. He's a scrawny musician alone in a strange and dangerous world. What else would he be doing but going overboard with trying?] I just didn't want you thinking I was... [oh right. He's "explaining" things again and somehow 'digging his hole deeper". He stops himself] ... Nevermind, sorry.
[The hunt, right. He can't taste the air like Eren, so he can only follow and watch what the other does. Eventually he'll follow where Eren's looking and spy the same hole.]
[ that’s better, enough that he doesn’t have to turn his head to show eyes that want silence. although eren’s not above talking about it later, when his own head has cooled off and he’s more. well, maybe less of a pissed off reptile.
so, tree. removing any more remnants of shoes, he flexes his arms and stretches the way his neck curves from side to side. ]
Tastes like it— I’m gonna check it out.
[ . . . he doesn’t know about climbing trees with your bare hands, but this should be enough. especially with the knife, which he flicks out again to use as a support.
[Elliot isn't sure about climbing trees either, but he's seen Fie do it a lot- so maybe he'll be fine? Doesn't feel like the right time to argue with him anyway. He'll reach out, touching him on the shoulder. The same silence spell gets cast again, with the same feeling washing over him.
Then Elliot will back up, readying himself in case something happens. ]
[ the toks of sound that could’ve been made by his knife embedding into bark is silenced by the bubble of noiseless air casted as he climbs. perhaps the only thing inherently off to their prey is the vibration it causes upon every impact. eren pushes a little sideways to stay clear from the hole’s line of vision, and it’s a rather good thing he does. a juvenile raccoon pokes out from a bed of leaves in its home, whiskers twitching and glancing outwards to what it wonders, disturbs its nap.
it’s ears perk up once its vision lands in elliot’s general direction, and that’s probably the last time he’d see it alive. eren invades the den head first from the side before it could pin a smell to soundless rumbling, knife in hand and eyes— wilder, pupils dilating from the rush. It’s in his hands now, not elliot’s. it dies on the spot, and for a moment, after eren has the lifeless fur in his hand, he rests his weight on his elbows, and hangs off the branch and hole.
he doesn’t feel pleasure, he’d be twisted if he did— but he is exhilarated, more than he expected. feeding a predatory ability would do that. ]
[ Unbeknownst to Eren, Elliot's actually killed a number of raccoons in his times. They were monsters in his world. Not particularly powerful, but tricky enough to be nuisances if you were caught off guard. So when he sees what it is? He feels no qualms about it being hunted.
So he just stands by, watching the situation go down, ready to jump in as needed but it looks he's got a handle of it. Eren is far from the most elegant fighters, but it looks like he can handle himself in his own way.
When it's all done, he approaches closer to the tree. If he notices Eren's exhilaration, he doesn't seem to think anything of it. He's pretty used to fighters and their rushes from fighting]
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no subject
he huffs out the quiet beginnings of a laugh, though. it’s not at him! ]
I don’t mind my hair anymore. I used to cut it. [ but now it’s free to, you know. grow to whatever length it desires. anything close to flirting initially goes right over his head, but what his tongue picks up as he licks his lips . . . is something he’s tasted before. briefly, his eyes open, and he can catch a bit of elliot in an upside down view. ]
I’m— not going to go feral, or anything. [ a pause, and suddenly— he feels awkward to say it. ] You, [ gesture, uh ] taste nervous, or.
[ something. and for a moment, a small moment
eren realized how god damn weird that sounds ]
1/2
[He can't put his finger on exactly why, but it..does. Maybe it was more personalized, more free]
2/2
Well words like that were enough to snap him out of his little trance, but probably not for the reasons to be expected. Eren saying he's not going to go feral, trying to assure him, it...it reminds him of Rean. Or rather, all the times would be so hard on himself for his ogre power, or be afraid of hurting them.]
I'm not nervous about that.
[He says it without the slightest bit of doubt. He doesn't even question why Eren can taste him as nervous because whatever- dragons are weird and his anxiety is hardly a great national secret.
Instead, he's focused on Eren now. Without thinking, one hand leaves the top of his head and moves to Eren's cheek, turning his head so he can look at him directly, to show that he means it.]
Even if you could go feral, I'd still stick around, okay? This is a temporary bond, but I still plan to support you with all I have. Even if I had to keep you in check.
no subject
he can’t say he’s worried about that anymore, he was simply going with what he smelled. tasted. whatever. what else did he have to be nervous about, right? and it still doesn’t answer the question of nervousness— but eren can’t derail something as sincere as that. his brows pinch ever slightly, curving as his lips do in a smile. eventually, he takes elliot’s hand away from his face, to clasp it better with the entirety of his palm covering the other’s and squeezing with the same amount, of not doubled of sturdy reassurance.
though not quite saturated as they could be, the colorful specks to his scales are bright. ]
Thanks. [ it’s sincere, and there isn’t much else to say to that. he’s grateful he can run into the right people, like this. and whatever it is that he’s nervous about— ] If you’re with me, you don’t need to worry, either.
no subject
I-
[He gulps a little. Eren was definitely still picking up on his nerves. He can't dance around it, or Eren might think he doesn't trust him. And he doesn't want that. Combat links break if the partners have trouble trusting each other. Who knows if bonds react the same way]
I-It's not that. I mean, I always feel worry, but I trust you. You'll look out for me too. I-It's more-
[Nngh, just get out with it]
Combat Links never really...had this much...touching? S-So I'm still getting used to it. [Quickly] Not that it's a bad thing!
no subject
I get it. [ narrator: eren did not get it. not on the same level, anyway. he holds the net up, done and ready to be used, as well as an expression that seems soothed. ] You feel the difference, right?
no subject
Y-Yeah, I do...
[Oh well. They did still have a hunt to do. So he'll pull away his own hands and examines the net. ]
Net looks good! Should be able to catch something with that.
no subject
just need to find the hole (haha, hole, again). ]
Ready when you are. [ it’s said with a bit more quiet, pointing to— something, scales beginning to burn excited colors. he’s. getting excited. like, look! a hunt! his first hunt. ] There’s something nearby.
no subject
Okay, I'll catch the spell on you. If you need back up give me um... [he does the first gesture which comes to mind, which is a peace sign] ...this?
[Right okay. Hopefully he has that. Elliot will concentrate his magic, and touch Eren's shoulder, giving a very quiet whistle as the incantation. Eren will feel something akin to a soft energy wash over him, muting any sounds he makes. When it's done, he'll let go of Eren's shoulder - walking away in a noisy enough manner so it sounds like both of them are leaving.]
no subject
he’s trying to say something, his mouth moves and he yells it out, but, alas. nothing. he says it tastes pretty big. thick smells, they were, not something small and fleeting. or perhaps there were many in one spot? a pile of rabbits, do those exist? ah—
he can do it. deeper eren goes, getting into a crouch until he finds the gap of a den in the earth, hidden under a mossy, dead log. maybe if he put the net here, at the entrance . . . and tried to coax it out through the emergency exit? there was never only one way to move in and out of these things, he would know. let’s see— there’s one. one he’s crawling straight into as if it were his.
and that was the last time you saw eren jaeger. ]
no subject
Elliot can only watch this whole mess transpire. He had thought that maybe Eren would have some idea of what to do, or maybe some dragon-y instincts to fall back on but.
he's never seen anyone just crawl into the rabbit hole.
He can't help but remark to himself as he watches]
What is he doing...?
no subject
not one, not two, but a family of five jackalope burst from the burrow’s front in due time, the first to tangle in the net that covered the hole being the fierce mother with two smaller ones frightened to split. she battles with the net, her antlers and paws snaring her the more she kicked and clawed away to flee. the last is the male, larger than all its offspring and the mother put together, bolting away in seconds flat. ]
Damn it! [ comes eren’s voice, the spell wearing away but dirty, clawed and bitten as he tries to crawl out of the hole— his hips are stuck. desperate peace sign???? he’s trying to inhale hard enough to see if he’ll flatten somehow to get through. no wiggle helps. ] That one!!
[ the mother jackalope is caught against the net and ground shrubbery, unable to make an escape as the rest did— he just wished he could’ve gotten her sooner. ]
no subject
Even before Eren gave the peace signal, Elliot started approaching the moment he saw the jackalopes running out. They weren't a breed of rabbit Elliot has seen before, but it was pretty obvious it was a family of rabbits- with babies on top of it. Which boy...Eren might already be able to tell through the link that leaves him feeling pretty conflicted. ]
Oh no...
[he reaches the area with the netted jackalope and the stuck Eren-the-Pooh, looking between which one to deal with first. Eren seems to be indicating the one in the net, so..]
J-Just hold on Eren.
[With a gulp, he'll walk over to the jackalope. It's...pretty easy to tell this must be the mom. And those babies were still pretty young, so killing her would...
...Yeah. He's got a feeling he's gonna get chewed out for this. That's gonna be fun to deal with.
He kneels down near the jackalope, and starts singing a lullaby. There's magic laced in it, a mild sleep spell. The jackalope's struggles start to slow until they come to a stop. It falls into a...well, not quite a sleep, but more of a drowsy trance. Still humming the lullaby, he'll detangle the jackalope from the net and pick her up, cradling her in his arms as he starts to run his fingers through her fur- collecting as much fur as possible. Thankfully like rabbits, jacklopes shed like crazy.
Eren might be picking up that there's a not small chance he's not going to kill the thing.]
no subject
it takes a little digging around the edges, which, with dulled nails, doesn’t help as much as they could if they were clawed, but— he’s grown used to it. the tips of his fingers are rougher after all the holes he’s dug the same way, and sooner than later, he’s crawling out, rubbing his face with the inside of his elbow, and examine anywhere else for scratches. luckily, even though smooth, his scales are a little more difficult to cut through.
he’s got an object from his pocket, smaller than his watch that when clicked, exposes a fine blade the size of his palm from base to tip. one of his sharper knick-knacks that he’s brought along for simple tasks. he walks over, eyes traveling between them and their game, and. hm.
it’s . . . considerate, what elliot’s doing, calming the creature before its end. he’s pretty sure, or at least hopes, that elliot knows he wouldn’t get enough fur that way, either. they had to eat, before it got any darker and make things more difficult to track. they had to get their fur. all of this was a question of survival, and while eren isn’t heartless, he . . . does separate things.
he holds his hand out, asking for jackalope. ]
I thought I’d lose it. Good work.
[ he’s not about to celebrate killing an animal, but he does seem prepared to do what had to be done. ]
no subject
He doesn't hand over the jackalope immediately, instead biting his lip as he hesitates.]
...Eren. Her babies looked really young, they still need her. If we kill her now, they probably won't make it either...
[it's not that he doesn't understand some animal needs to die for them to eat and get what they need. But leaving those kids motherless, when they were too young to fend for themselves, it felt ... cruel.
Sad green eyes looked at Eren, pleading for him to reconsider. ]
There's still a little daylight left, maybe we can find something else.
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yet, his eyes don’t falter. not completely frigid, but the gaze was firm. If he couldn’t say no to this— how would he be able to say no to everything else to come? only now is he learning how dangerous it was to let emotion influence choice, after so many countless falls and holes blown into him.
he pauses, he inhales, the pauses again. ]
They were big enough to run, Elliot. [ it was less cruel as it was being . . . rational, was all. it took years to figure that out, and let it be known he thought he was rational, when he was fifteen.
now he knows what levi meant when he said “don’t let your feelings get in the way”. ] . . . You’d really trade certainty for doubt?
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But being coldhearted in the face of that reality...it wasn't who he was. And if he learned one thing, it wasn't who he had to be either]
I wouldn't. But that's not what I'm doing.
If we don't find anything else, I'm certain I can go a night without food. I've done it before. And you can have the emergency rations I did bring, so you won't go hungry because of me.
As for the hair...the client doesn't care where it comes from, so if I can't find another source? I'm certain my hair will grow back if I cut it.
[Either he's given this more thought than one would expect while Eren was getting himself freed, or he's good at thinking of tactics on the fly. It's hard to tell]
But if we killed her.... I know I'd doubt if I did the right thing, and I'd have doubts about if her family's okay.
[...]
I understand sometimes one has to make a hard decision, but I don't think this is one of those cases.
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what he’s telling him is: they wasted their time. he wasted his time if he could’ve just cut his hair. they didn’t have to risk themselves, as close to the wall as they were, to come out here. what was he here for, then? too much disney princess for his being. for someone with a bomb in their hands that was set to erupt, eren doesn’t take kindly to being told this. the thing most precious to him right now is time, and— oh, boy.
he has to inhale. he inhales, rubs at his mouth, before clicking his blade away and moving away, his breath in a huff. he wasn’t about to argue an opinion and warm-loving heart, for god’s sake, it’s a rabbit-thing. he’s not about to work up a storm about that. but. his time? brushing it off like— it was something as easy as cutting off locks when he pronounced himself to something else? no no no, he wouldn’t accept coming out here for nothing. “i’ll give you my emergency rations”. “i’ll go a day without eating, i’ve done it before”. from what he remembered— the client said animal or monster fur. no human hair, gods know how fucked up a spell can get if you try to dupe him. you’re trying too hard and it’s showing is at the tip of his tongue, but that would’ve been said with hotheaded snap rather than reasoning.
which is why he doesn’t say anything akin to such. ]
We didn’t have to come out here for you to cut your hair.
[ he’ll just. be bluntly honest instead. eren begins to shuffle, makes for the discarded net and balls it back in his arms, waving backwards as he moves ahead, as if to gesture to elliot to go on, do what he felt better doing. the jackalopes are gone by now. he’ll have to track down something else. and so, he begins: nearly licking the bark of a nearby tree and circling around it, the opposite way the jackalope family went. ]
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But clearly, something made Eren irked about his response. He's not entirely surprised by it, but at least he seems to be backing down.
He sighs, a little exasperated]
Not like I want to cut my hair. I'm just willing to take responsibility if we don't get anything else. You know, it'll be my fault?
[trying to be mature here!!! But Eren's letting him do his thing, so he'll go ahead and do that. He'll kneel down and put the jackalope back on the ground. With a snap of his fingers, the spell is broken and the creature snaps back awake. It wastes no time bolting back into the underbrush in the direction the other rabbits went.
Elliot will watch it go, feeling relief, before gathering what fur he pulled and putting it in the bag they were suppose to fill. After all the clumps are in, it's now about a third of the way full (rabbits shed a LOT man).
When that's all said and done, he'll stand back up and move to follow after Eren. doesn't take long to catch up, since he is busy...licking things.]
...Thank you.
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but he’s not, and his boiling point simmers when he hears a gentle thanks. not enough to soften him up, but it does pull his breaks. a pause, an extra tongue flick to the bark closer to the ground one more time, before he’s pinching the bridge of his nose, flattens said hand out in gesture, and turns to elliot.
Just— stop, trying to explain it.
[ there’s edge to it, of one who may be prone to explosive reactions but has a handle on it for now. ]
You’re trying too hard as it is, you’ll dig your hole deeper.
[ shifting around the trees ahead, he continues to walk until he’s found a willow, tipping his head back and tasting the air. there’s a hole at the top . . . and the track goes from the ground to there. ]
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Not to mention the trying too hard bit.]
...Of course I'm trying really hard? [He's confounded and it shows in his voice. He's a scrawny musician alone in a strange and dangerous world. What else would he be doing but going overboard with trying?] I just didn't want you thinking I was... [oh right. He's "explaining" things again and somehow 'digging his hole deeper". He stops himself] ... Nevermind, sorry.
[The hunt, right. He can't taste the air like Eren, so he can only follow and watch what the other does. Eventually he'll follow where Eren's looking and spy the same hole.]
Something in there?
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so, tree. removing any more remnants of shoes, he flexes his arms and stretches the way his neck curves from side to side. ]
Tastes like it— I’m gonna check it out.
[ . . . he doesn’t know about climbing trees with your bare hands, but this should be enough. especially with the knife, which he flicks out again to use as a support.
at least until his lizard hands grow in. ]
Be ready to intercept if I miss.
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[Elliot isn't sure about climbing trees either, but he's seen Fie do it a lot- so maybe he'll be fine? Doesn't feel like the right time to argue with him anyway. He'll reach out, touching him on the shoulder. The same silence spell gets cast again, with the same feeling washing over him.
Then Elliot will back up, readying himself in case something happens. ]
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it’s ears perk up once its vision lands in elliot’s general direction, and that’s probably the last time he’d see it alive. eren invades the den head first from the side before it could pin a smell to soundless rumbling, knife in hand and eyes— wilder, pupils dilating from the rush. It’s in his hands now, not elliot’s. it dies on the spot, and for a moment, after eren has the lifeless fur in his hand, he rests his weight on his elbows, and hangs off the branch and hole.
he doesn’t feel pleasure, he’d be twisted if he did— but he is exhilarated, more than he expected. feeding a predatory ability would do that. ]
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So he just stands by, watching the situation go down, ready to jump in as needed but it looks he's got a handle of it. Eren is far from the most elegant fighters, but it looks like he can handle himself in his own way.
When it's all done, he approaches closer to the tree. If he notices Eren's exhilaration, he doesn't seem to think anything of it. He's pretty used to fighters and their rushes from fighting]
Nice work, Eren!
[And eyeing that raccoon]
Wow...raccoons sure are smaller in this world.
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