Attack on Conference Call (Network Cast Mingle)

[urtitan]

[After learning about the future of her homeworld (not everything, but enough to know that there will be war between Paradis Island and Marley), Frieda had initially comforted herself with the thought that her (and Eren's) continued absence would at least erase the worst of all dangers - if they were allowed to remain here in Ellipsa. If not... well, she's been trying not to think about that.

Over the last couple of months, however, a few potential avenues have opened up to maybe accomplish what she hardly dared to hope for: To free their world of the titans without sacrificing her people in the process. Having spoken to the (most likely) only person who might be able to directly help, and having explored several of the dimensions more recently opened for investigation, she needs to speak to the other Eldians in Nightwake, no longer wanting to decide everyone's fate over their heads.

After getting a crash course in how to set up a conference call, invitation messages arrive in the inbox of Eren Jaeger, Erwin Smith, Falco Grice, Jean Kirstein, Levi Ackerman, and Reiner Braun - all the Eldians in Ellipsa Frieda is aware of. They all can see who the other attendees will be, and the brief text asks them to forward the invitation to any other Eldians who may be present in this world - unbeknownst to Frieda, that's Bertholdt Hoover, Marco Bott, Mikasa Ackerman and Sasha Braus.

Whether they accept or decline the invitation, before long, the day and time of the conference call arrives... a pop-up notice informs the attendants that the meeting will be recorded!]

Everybody, thank you for joining this meeting. I know you must be wondering what I might have to share with all of you. Please, listen to what I have to say first - you may ask any questions you have afterwards.

[Going by the expressions of those who've managed to turn on their cameras, they look more apprehensive than anything else - and who could blame them? To the Paradisians, she kept the truth about their world concealed at all costs, and to the Marleyans, she abandoned them to a life of near-enslavement. To all of them, she's the most awful ruler imaginable. She needs to convince them that she has her people's best interests at heart, now that she's been given the chance to act on their behalf without breaking her ancestor's vow.]

We may in part be divided by birthplace and beliefs, but I'd like to think that we can all agree on one thing: Titans are a scourge upon our world, both for those who live in fear of them and for those who are turned into them to be used against others as weapons. If Ellipsa had space for all our people, would we not want to bring them all here?

[Perhaps there are already some interjections at this point, but she raises her hands to ask for silence as she continues.]

As you are most likely aware, the Research Centre is working on finding a way to accomplish that - and most recently, habitable worlds in neighbouring dimensions have been discovered, locations fit to house our race. However, so far, there hasn't been a breakthrough in the research. As such, I sought out the support of a fellow otherworlder - a deity who helped my friend by transporting her parents from their perilous world to a safer one. His name is, ah... Max Davis.

[She knows that it's an unexpectedly mundane name for a god; she was a little surprised too!]

He offered to relocate all our people to a safe, habitable world under his dominion. The caveat is that said world is out of reach for us here. That being said, I fear that with how uncertain our continued presence here has proven, we can't afford to wait for the Research Centre's efforts to bear fruit, even if their success might enable us to invite our people into Ellipsa or one of its neighbour dimensions.

[There's more to it - Max also offered to help her remove the curse of the titans through a special method that might damage her mind -, but one thing after the other. After all, he isn't yet sure if all of this will truly be feasible, needing to assess the "rules" of their world and the Eldians' role in it further, because apparently even gods need to abide to certain regulations that may be incomprehensible to mortals.]

What are your initial thoughts?

[(OOC: Since this is a conference call, feel free to thread-jump, refer to things said in other threads, hijack the call to discuss other topics, etc, and technical difficulties are naturally par for the course. For reference, Frieda's talk with Max is here!)]

Comments

This Meeting Could Have Been an Email

[urtitan]

[Those who can't (or don't want to) attend the conference call will receive a recording of the meeting, along with an ask to share their thoughts via email, or else via one-on-one discussion with Frieda, be it on the phone or in person. She wants to understand how her people feel!]

video; un: jean

[rustyhonesty]

[Jean isn't exactly impressed nor is he sure this kind of a 'conference call' is a good idea, but he's going to play along anyway.]

Two questions.

What kind of a deity is this guy and what does he want in return?

Video | UN: frieda

[urtitan]

[Holding a conference call like this certainly was a risky idea, and as of yet, the outcome is still uncertain. Frieda hopes that in the very least, honest communication may create more of a sense of unity among the Ellipsan Eldians, but in the worst case, the opposite might happen!]

He's a fae god. As for the payment, it's still undecided, but he said that the more of us are willing to contribute to it, the less each individual will have to pay. He's very open to, ah, haggling and suggestions, and seems to favour services over material payments.

[She decides to withhold Max' idea of her leaving the titans at his disposal, should he find himself in conflict with third parties - after all, he easily let go of it when she explained that she doesn't want her people to be further used in such a way.]

[rustyhonesty]

[Of course it's a fae god. Jean shakes his head, looking stern.]

As someone who considered making a contract with a fae goddess from Avalon... I can't support that. The more I put thought into the idea the worse it became. There's not big enough safe prize for what you want to do.

[It would have likely cost all of his memories to pull off what he wanted to do. Possibly even more. Who knows what else Morganna would have wanted.

At first it had seemed like such a good idea, but he had been desperate, he supposed. Now that the Research Center had plans he wanted to help them find a safe and non-sacrificing way.]

Fae deities are fickle. They can word their contracts in a way that costs you more than you bargain for. You've probably seen what the fae can do in this world already, too. Why would you put the fate of anyone into one's hands?

[urtitan]

[She listens seriously, taking a moment to consider what he said. Max seemed very kind, and while he did tell her that if no one were to support her endeavour, he'd ask for her soul, he was upfront about it... but he also toyed with the demons of his world, resurrecting and then eating them when he found no further use for them. She still isn't entirely sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, demons are evil and arguably deserve no compassion, but on the other hand, who's to say that a fae will make a distinction when push comes to shove - and is there even a distinction between Eldians and demons? (Another thing she shouldn't say out loud if she wants this meeting to continue in an orderly fashion.)]

I was warned about that... and yes, the trials we went through spoke for themselves.

[Jade didn't mince words about how dangerous fae can be, and the experience in the usurped fairy kingdom would have left her badly damaged if not for Rinku - and still, she went for this opportunity, similarly desperate as Jean was when he considered striking a bargain with Morganna.]

Can I ask what contract you wanted to make?

[If he had the same base idea, they'll have that common ground at least!]

[rustyhonesty]

[He takes a moment, looking awkwardly away from the screen for a while.]

Similar reasons. But at first they were purely selfish and only about one person in particular. But they appeared here, so I thought about using the same method for others, until I realized it wouldn't work or wouldn't be worth the risks.

[He still had the papers about his plans, written neatly in eldian script, tucked away in a locked box. He really ought to just burn them at this point.]

I'm placing my trust in the Research Center about this, instead. They have plenty of resources and methods at they arsenal without the need of sacrificing anything to a random fae god.

So whatever you're planning, you can count me out.

video; un: Mikasa

[callyourname]

[ What the fuck...? Hello, did you want to meet a young woman, who is clearly a mix of Ackerman and Asian?? ]

You'd trust someone, who says he's a deity or whatever, who's apparently actually a fae, whose real name could be whatever else instead of that? Does your friend even have any proof, that her parents are in a safer world or that that world's going to stay safer at all? Besides, faes almost always ask for something fucked up in return too aside from all the other twists, that happen easily when dealing with them.

[ Congratulations, Frieda, you've unlocked ... something. Mikasa doesn't talk this much most of the time, at least not to most people, and instead of her usual calm poker face, she seems -- less calm, but somehow she's still pretty much keeping that poker face. Oh, and she's not even done yet.]

Besides, he's stuck here like the rest of us, right? Why would you trust--

Hey, even real, local gods and most powerful witches and wizards and whatever else in other worlds couldn't bring

[EREN!!!!]

anyone into them no matter how much they might have tried.

[ ... Hahah, this isn't even the first time here, recently that is, when something has made her think about her first moments in Empatheias followed by thinking about all of those years without him around at all.]

Video | UN: frieda

[urtitan]

[Jean never mentioned Mikasa by name - he always referred to her as "my wife" -, but hearing her given name alone wouldn't have made a difference (her family name is a different story). Even after Frieda glimpsed her at his side on a few occasions, she didn't realise quite what her nature is, though she did notice that there was something peculiar about her. Now, seeing her on this call, it all falls into place. She's an Eldian-Hizuruan mix - and there was only one Hizuruan clan on Paradis Island.

In addition to the strong surge of - what is it, apprehension, animosity, or even fear? - that Frieda feels at the realisation, Mikasa's strong start takes her aback, and she'd wonder what has her so angry - if Jean's contribution hadn't made it clear that both of them must have accrued plenty of bad memories of fae across different worlds. She internally calms herself down, determined to not feed into the other woman's anger.]

I know that it's almost impossible to bring specific people here. Max can't do that, either - he can only call people to worlds under his dominion. It's the best option we have in the short term, given that the Research Centre's efforts are still a work in progress with no date of projected completion.

[That being said, though...]

While he has demonstrated abilities beyond those of regular mortals, it's true that there is no tangible proof that my friend's parents really did arrive in the sanctuary world, given the lack of communication or visitation options. As such, this operation indeed requires a degree of trust.

[Hearing herself say all of this makes her feel like Mikasa's questions dismantled her entire argument structure, leaving only a blind leap of faith in a deity of a notoriously deceptive species. As the one who spoke with Max, she felt that he was genuine in his dealings - but that will hardly constitute convincing grounds to the others, especially to those who have made such negative experiences with fae.]

[callyourname]

No. Not just almost, it's literally impossible to bring specific person or people to any of these worlds.

[She has tried. In all three worlds but that's not why or how Eren, Sasha or any others suddenly showed up here. So instead, she had so much fun in a world, that was all about emotions and turning her worst fears and everything else against her among everything else.]

Just in case you need a reminder, it's entirely random who arrive, stay or leave here.

[At least for now. Does Mikasa even think that it being less random in the future will ever be possible? Probably not, no matter how much the Research Centre says that they're trying to do stuff. Did she really need the reminder? Of course not, but she gets it anyway.]

But this isn't a world under his dominion. Neither are any of those portal dimensions to the point, where he would be able to do that.

[Or at least she thinks that's how it works and she'd be surprised if it doesn't work like that...]

You think one of us, well you, making a deal with a fae is our best option? Bullshit. The best option is never ever doing that for any reason. They have things like hidden intentions, or very tiny small fine prints and bullshit between the lines in their deals, and things that they just casually "forgot to mention" in any deal, and any other vague bullshit, that they can later use to fuck you and everyone else over...

I'd never make a deal with any of them. Not even for ... One person. And neither should you or anyone else.

[ . . . she's not naming any names but . . . if you know, you know who that one person is or which two (or three or more but especially one and two) she would have summoned anywhere if it worked like that. Aaaaaaaaaaand Frieda gets a really, fucking long silent staaaaaaaaaaare at the whole lack of communication and visitation options.]

Right, well the lack of them is just very convenient for him then. Tch. It would require a hell a lot more than just a degree of trust.

[urtitan]

[Frieda can't help but feel that Mikasa is abrasive... but what right does she have to complain about that? If she's really half Azumabito - and there can be no doubt about that, given the circumstances -, then Frieda's family persecuted hers, just like they persecuted Levi's. (Come to think, why is she getting such a strong sense of resemblence between the two of them... surely, it's not just because they are both rude!)

She struggles to maintain her composure, wanting to avoid a clash at all costs. She could, technically, reveal that Evangeline had somewhat of a mind-merge with Max and could sense that he wouldn't do her any harm, but that would take the discussion to a whole other level of esotericism, not to mention share some very private things about her friend, anonymously or not!

As such, all she manages is to hold Mikasa's gaze... and even that feels difficult. While she maintained her moral high ground, or what passes as such, during her fierce argument with Levi at their first proper meeting, she doesn't think she would conduct herself in the same manner if it happened again with Mikasa. What is it about her..? Don't tell me she's also an Ackerman! Seriously, what would the chances be?!]

...

I understand your reservations. What I can offer is for you to meet Max yourself. I'm sure he'd be happy to answer all of your questions.

[Alas, she doesn't expect Mikasa to feel receptive towards that invitation.]

[callyourname]

[ Mikasa's looks come from her mother and leave absolutely no doubt of her heredity but maybe there's--- Something in her so called emotionless poker face, that might resemble anyone of a certain midget too. And also in the way how she has no problems with keeping her cool, calm and collected composure (FOR NOW) despite how she more or less obviously feels about this topic. And yes, considering how people used to hate her just for her looks and name and whatever else when she still lived with her parents in the mountains (and she'll never forget it), it sure is--- Something to be so fucking negative about someone, who she has never even met.

Noooo, Frieda can keep her friend out of this, there's really no need to bring her into this.]

I'm not interested in meeting him at all nor in how happy he'd be to answer any questions.

[In fact, how nice of him to show his face on the network (or one of them in case he has more appearances than one or animal forms or whatever else), now she'll know who to avoid whenever she can.]

Hey, if you make a deal with him to try that thing despite all of this and fuck us over with it in any way, I will personally make you regret the hell out it.

[Not even asking is she making herself clear or is that understood. It's not a threat, it's a promise :) Good lord, Mikasa is usually showing her nicer sides in this world.]

You asked for my thoughts too. My answer is no fucking way and my name is Mikasa Ackerman.

[Surprise, Frieda, now you know that for sure! ... And yes, Frieda's original line said initial thoughts, but she's leaving that out because she sure as hell doesn't think that she'll change her mind about it later.]

video; un: reiner

[hometown]

[ Reiner sits with his arms folded, expression guarded, caution behind golden eyes. He's no longer the only Eldian from Marley; he's not alone in whatever decision they'll make. (Because of course he'll listen to Bertholdt, and act in Falco's best interests—for Gabi's sake, if nothing else.) However, as he listens, his eyes narrow. ]

No. [ Spoken with absolute certainty. ] I'm not entrusting my loved ones to a random man who promises a safe world.

I don't know him. I don't trust him. And I don't believe for a second that he can wield that much power while in Ellipsa—if he could do it at all.

Video | UN: frieda

[urtitan]

[So far, everyone had the same reaction... it surprises Frieda, to a degree, but then again, all of them have made rather negative experiences with the local fae, and besides she is the only one who actually spoke with Max. How should the others have any faith in him? However, she does have an offer for Reiner.]

Perhaps I should have invited him to attend this call together with us so you'd have a chance to meet him. I thought it better to first discuss among us Eldians, but in hindsight his presence might have alleviated some concerns.

["Might" being the operative word here.]

That being said, he expressly said that he's eager to meet more of us to better understand the situation of our homeworld. Let me put his contact information in the chat.

[She posts Max' phone number. Whether his voicemail will actually alleviate any concerns for those who do call him... well!]

[hometown]

[ Reiner takes note of the number, but leaves it alone for now. ]

Trust can't be built with a single conversation. No matter how pretty this person might talk, I'm not willing to take that risk.

[ Speaking of: ]

You said payment is "undecided." What has he proposed? What "services" does he want?

[urtitan]

[Reiner sure is asking the uncomfortable questions!! But since Max accepted Frieda's refusal of letting him avail of the titans as an army, she feels that she can withhold that proposal in good conscience. What she will share shouldn't be met with much outrage, given her position... though the nature of the ask does make her feel unease about what the reaction will be.]

He said that anything that holds value constitutes a potential payment, and he's open for debate about the value of things.

[Could it be any more vague?! Alas, he is a fae.]

My friend ended up owing him one favour for each person he relocated - she could exclude things she wouldn't be willing to do under any circumstances -, however since my request is so big, the price will be higher.

[She really wanted to avoid sharing this part, but since Reiner asked outright, there really is no way around it...]

If multiple people share the price, it may amount to something similar, but if I pay alone, the price will be my soul. That's still a cheap price for so many people saved, if you ask me.

[hometown]

Your soul.

[ Reiner repeats it, just to make sure he heard that right. His guarded (or armored) exterior softens slightly, his voice dropping. ]

Frieda, this man can't be trusted. He's promising you a solution—a peaceful solution—to a problem that has torn our world apart. You must care about it more than anything, right? You'd be willing to do just about anything. You'd give just about anything.

Do you think "Max" didn't notice that?

[ Reiner knows how much he gave to "save humanity." And he knows Frieda, too. She's kind, generous, trusting—all things that this mystery fae must have spotted. ]

I don't know how souls work. But I know you are tied to all of us. What happens if you hand that over? What if you're giving him the keys to influence every single Eldian?

video; UN: Levi

[wingbound]

[ Whatever relief Frieda might feel from Mikasa's departure might be short lived, because she's about to have another familiar face weigh in. ]

[ So far, the kids have covered all the most important parts -- the lack of any proof or evidence to trust some guy who says he can do all that and yet remains stuck here with the rest of them, and the uncertainty of it helping even if it theoretically worked. Unlike Jean, Levi isn't particularly concerned about Frieda losing whatever part of herself to her own naivety, though Reiner does have a point about it potentially affecting the rest of them. With all that out of the way, he can offer something just a little more personal. ]

[ Of course, it all sounds level and even, though his glare does suggest some amount of cold anger. ]

Do you have any idea how many people died to make our shitty world just a little less shitty? Are you planning to spit on their sacrifice just like that? We owe it to all of them to at least try to make it work.

Video | UN: frieda

[urtitan]

[Let it be known that seeing Levi silently staring and judging from his little video feed while she was fielding Mikasa's attacks questions and feedback did not add to Frieda's comfort!! That said, it is a mercy that he opted to only speak now that she's left the call, albeit for his own reasons.

At his words, Frieda straightens up a little. For whatever reason, she seems to find it easier to stand up to him than to his relative (how closely they are related, she can only vaguely guess).]

If so many people had to die, then should we not do our best to prevent their deaths with the means available to us here? I heard the concerns about the method I proposed, but I'm speaking on principle now. Is it not better to keep somebody alive than to honour their death?

[wingbound]

[ Well. He'd expected her to go for the other low hanging fruit of and yet you're here, how curious but this angle is just as much of a pain in the ass. Damn it, is he losing his touch? Maybe he needs to ask Mikasa to come back... ]

[ He simply continues staring. ]

That is why some of us are working with the Research Center.

[ In other words, yes. If it were possible, he'd like to see them -- his friends, Underground kids, Rumbling victims -- alive. He has not been presented with any such possibilities here, however, as far as he's concerned. And honoring them is the next best thing, the only realistic thing he could do back home. ]

[urtitan]

[Much as they don't see eye to eye, she wouldn't fault him for being here. It's not like any of them were given a say in the matter, after all. His response is satisfactory enough for her: Given that Jean and the others elaborated on why they're opting to wait for the local researchers to achieve a breakthrough, she doesn't need Levi to explain it again.

Still, she does wonder... with Eren, Mikasa and Reiner having displayed different degrees of a (to her) shocking lack of care for the wider Eldian population outside their personal circle, she can't help but want to probe Levi's feelings a little more.]

Is it your hope, then, that the Research Centre will come up with a way to bring over all those people who died for the sake of our world? What if they "merely" find a means of opening gateways to the points in time they took us from?

[In other words: Is he happy to accept all those deaths and only save whoever remains alive at his point in the timeline, assuming that not everyone taken from a prior point will still be here by the time it becomes possible? If that proves true, she'll find herself justified in having deemed him - and the rest of them, by all appearances - selfish.]

[wingbound]

[ She should not believe people's words so lightly. Mikasa and Reiner had been among the people willing to sacrifice their loved ones to save the world, in the end. But he can't expect too much from Frieda; she had been blind to the suffering of people right under her feet. How could she possibly see into the much farther depths that is the human soul? ]

My hopes will not be relevant, then. They're already dead where I'm from.

[ A non-answer answer that is also ought to make her feel bad for asking! He's being genuine with it, though. So far, they hadn't been able to intentionally bring even one person here, let alone more, as nice as it would be to give those who died violently another chance. But it is the price they paid for their new world. Not worth it, perhaps, but nonetheless it is what they've been left with. ]

[ And everyone still alive in Levi's time -- apparently including him, no matter how sure he'd been he was dying -- will get to shape it into something better than it used to be. They don't need to be whisked away. ]

video; un: marco.bott

[sunspotted]

Miss Frieda.

[ She and Marco have not spoken much, but they have crossed paths. When he appears on screen, he looks concerned, leaning over a counter as he stares at his phone. ]

It seems the others have covered the matter of politics well in hand, but I have a simpler question. What will you do if the people you bring here do not want to come here?

[ Marco has seen evacuations happen before. There is always someone who feels it is their time, their right, or simply does not wish to leave. His mother taught him they had the right to stay behind if they wanted. ]

Not everyone will feel the same way about leaving. Not everyone hates what they are, either.

Video | UN: frieda

[urtitan]

[For Marco to be an Eldian - Marco, who first showed her what an animal transformation looks like, who flitted around her as a bird unconfined by anything - feels surreal to Frieda, given that she hasn't had much time to compartmentalise the realisation. What would she have felt if she'd known sooner? Regret, certainly, for what he must have experienced in the Walls and beyond after she was gone in his timeline, never having known the truth about their world as a result of her silence.

Well, now he knows - and still, he remains considerate and polite. She's grateful to him.]

If we were to send those fellow Eldians back - be it through Max' abilities, or through the Research Centre's hypothetical portal - we'd abandon them to greater danger, but if they wanted to return home in awareness of that, we ought to let them choose for themselves.

[She's sure that everyone, especially those who faced persecution from the royal family - Erwin, Levi, Mikasa - are sneering at her at least internally. She knows what this looks like: After a century of deception, the ruler of the Walls has a change of heart and promises total transparency? A likely story. But with everything having come to light in Marco and the others' timeline, what alternatives does she have left? She can't veil the truth any longer. She can only choose between antagonising her people (a dangerous game, not least with the Ackermans and Eren's Founder in the mix) or trying to cooperate with them.]

[sunspotted]

I think taking everyone through first isn't a good choice.

[ Marco says this slowly, after having considered what she says. ]

I think finding a way to give them the option while they're home is the best. Sending one person through and back is surely more effort than transporting an entire group and then returning those who wish to return, right?

This would give people a chance to talk to their people, as well. People like me and Jean could speak to the people in the walls, and people like Reiner and Bertholdt could talk to those from Marley. We could even be used as evidence that it's possible - I should be dead back home, so if I'm there, I'm proof what they're saying is real.

[urtitan]

[She nods - albeit hesitantly, because what he's proposing isn't compatible with the plan she presented. Granted, with all who have spoken being so strongly opposed to it, this isn't as much of a dealbreaker as just a an additional reason for them to stick to their veto.]

Being able to send envoys would be much preferable. In addition to what you said, it'd also give the people time to prepare for their departure and gather what they want to take with them.

[Being able to take with them any precious heirlooms, spare sets of clothing, utensils, perhaps even livestock - or else to arrange for the takeover of such by those choosing to stay behind - would definitely make the departure from their homes and the only world they've ever known easier for all their people.]

For this to be possible, it seems that we'll have to wait for the Research Centre to develop a two-way portal.