video; un: reiner

[hometown]

[ The video shows an (unfairly) well-built young man who looks like he may have missed a night's sleep. Despite the fatigue, Reiner flashes a quick smile—it looks good on him; he knows it—and gets down to business, deep voice steady. ]

Hey, I'm Reiner Braun. I have some extra things that I don't need. They're pretty neat, so I'm offering them to anyone who wants some.

[ He turns the camera to a table covered in various trinkets and amulets made of wood or metal. They've each been shaped by magic, manipulated into twists, whorls, and pleasing shapes. ]

The larger ones are decorative, [ Reiner continues off-camera. ] The smaller ones have very basic protective magic worked into them. The spells vary. They're mostly minor resistances to specific elements—stuff like that. Nothing fancy.

[ Once Reiner finishes panning over the assorted items, he turns the camera back to himself. ]

Let me know if you're interested. You'd be doing me a favor. [ He puts on a half-smile. ] I've got too many of these and no room to make more. Thanks.

Comments

un: gabigabi

[nodevils]

--what the heck!!!
Did you make these by hand or by seasonal energy!?

voice; un: marco.bott

[sunspotted]

[ He doesn't like texting if he doesn't have to, so he decides to reply in voice. ]

Wow, those look really good! The spiral looking one at the bottom left - does that have some protective magic on it? What kind?

[ It's one of the trinkets, not attached to anything yet. ]

Galliard and I were thinking about taking on a quest, so we could use them.

text; un: hakkai

[knowsvinewhip]

Ah, Reiner. Lovely to see you.

[Hakkai don't say that like you don't lock yourself in the library at all hours-]

Those are quite handsomely made. You have talent for craftsmanship.

video; un: seasalt

[rollcharisma]

[Amicably:]

You made these, Reiner? That's really impressive.

[He's really not trying to kiss ass - he means it! He and Reiner haven't quite settled into a fully friendly dynamic, but...Armin likes to think they've gotten somewhere over the past few months.]

un: abnormalitylover, video

[abnormalizes]

They look good! Did you make them?

[...Evangeline notices that he looks tired, and is trying to think of a polite way to ask if he's taking care of himself.]

UN: FKGawain, video

[houndofmanchester]

Those who know me would likely say I have no need to be even more durable. I would disagree. I'll gladly take some off your hands.

video; un: mikasa

[callyourname]

[Okay, Reiner, you had the nowadays extremely long haired, older but not because she has been growing up in Titan Hell, silent network stalking deadpan faced gloomy brat at--]

Minor resistances to specific elements?

[hometown]

[ Oh, right. Gabi wouldn't have seen these, confined to Reiner's room as they are. ]

Surprise. 😊

[ Look at him, remembering emojis exist. ]

A little of both. I use seasonal power to manipulate the wood and metal, and I use my hands to shape them. It's good practice. I haven't figured out how to do intricate work without physical contact.

voice forever

[hometown]

[ Reiner is grateful that Marco chooses audio, not video. It's easier for Reiner to control his voice than his expression. This way, no one sees the flurry of emotions that pass across his face.

(Will he ever stop hearing an echo of a scream? Maybe someday. Not today.) ]

That one protects against slashing damage. Think knives or swords. It's very basic, so it won't hold up against a full swing. But it'll guard you from grazes.

Galliard—

[ Reiner pauses, catching himself before he explains that Galliard shouldn't carry that one. It's true; if Galliard has to cut himself and transform, it might interfere. But Reiner has no idea how Galliard feels about sharing his status as a Titan. He doesn't want to take away the option of relative anonymity. ]

—he would probably benefit from something like ice or wind resistance. It depends on how much control he has over his fire.

[hometown]

Thanks, Hakkai. I've never made things like this before. [ When would he have had time? ] It's kind of nice.

[hometown]

[ They have indeed gotten somewhere, even if it's not the same place they were before. (Or the place they will be in a future Reiner hasn't lived.) While Reiner remains internally wary, it doesn't show on his face; he appears calm, if still fatigued. ]

Thanks. It's been good practice.

[hometown]

[ Reiner smiles. ]

Yeah, I did. I learned how to manipulate wood and metal recently. This is a good way to practice controlling it.

[hometown]

[ Reiner flashes another half-smile. ]

Those who know me would probably say the same. Are you interested in anything specific?

[hometown]

[ Reiner bites back the reflexive oh shit response when he sees Mikasa. If she wanted to hurt him, she would've done it months ago. Besides, he doubts he'd have rebuilt a friendship with Jean if Mikasa objected.

He nods. ]

That's right. Mostly fire, wind, water, and earth. There are some that specifically deal with ice, plus a few that mitigate slashing damage—from a blade.

[ Two guesses why Reiner might find that last one important. ]

[sunspotted]

[ Marco tries not to think about the friendly voice calling him a devil, either. But he did want to try, and you can't try without putting yourself out there.

He nods even though Reiner can't see it when he mentions slashing damage against knives or swords. Before he can confirm he understood, however, Reiner suggests ice or wind resistance over slashing damage. That's significant, in his brain, but he doesn't press on the reason.

Instead he hums his verbal understanding this time. ]

Okay, I think I understand. Then I'd want one of the slashing resistance ones and... is there something that looks similar, or that you think he'd like, for ice resistance? Since he's a Summer and all.

[houndofmanchester]

Wind protection, mostly. I have an inherent resistance to fire, a mermaid necklace for water, and my own seasonal powers for earth.

[hometown]

[ Reiner scans the table, eyes coming to a halt on one of the ice resistance amulets. It's a little bolder and more jagged than its fellows—a little more like teeth.

He smiles; it permeates his voice when he speaks again. ]

Yeah, I've got one I think he'll like.

[sunspotted]

[ Ohhh, Reiner's smiling. Despite himself, that gets Marco grinning a little bit, though he keeps the knowledge of it private. ]

That sounds great! I'll get something to put them on - maybe some leather for a necklace? I still remember Sasha teaching us how to braid strips of leather together for accessories.

[ A good use for thin scraps of leather, she'd said. She'd taught other people how to weave glass beads into them, for good luck, but Marco never had success with that. ]

[hometown]

[ Reiner had nearly forgotten those lessons. He looks down at his fingers, trying to recall the last time he braided anything. Maybe he should try braiding Eren's hair or something. ]

That would work. I don't have any strips of leather handy. But if you track some down, I can make them stronger and able to withstand more wear.

[sunspotted]

[ For Marco, they're still fresh in his mind. The offer to make the leather withstand more is a good suggestion, and ... his brain alights on an idea.

Good luck charms, Sasha had called them. Reiner has a little cousin. Reiner probably doesn't have that many items from home, either.

Maybe he will finally figure out how to weave beads into the leather braids. ]

Mm, yeah, I'll take a look around! I really appreciate you helping out. I'll make sure Galliard doesn't get into too much trouble when we're out in the segments.

[ His tone is... cheeky. ]

video; un: jean

[rustyhonesty]

Huh. Did you unlock metal and wood manipulation recently?

[The amulets are made of those materials, after all, so he makes an educated guess.]

You know, that would be useful at the forge, if you ever wanted a place to practice.

[abnormalizes]

They're very cool, but... you look like you've been overdoing it a little?

[hometown]

Right. You two keep an eye on each other.

[ Reiner's tone isn't cheeky at all. Instead, it immediately adopts the strong, steady cadence with which he instructs others and issues orders. In other words, he's fallen straight into "big brother" mode.

(Is it "big brother" mode when Galliard is older than him? Well, whatever.) ]

Consider what you need for your mission [ quest ] and ensure you're well supplied. Edible plants vary between Segments; don't count on foraging unless you've studied. If you've figured out Seismic Sense, use it regularly to check your surroundings. And if you two run into trouble, don't hesitate to call for backup. Some things out there are nasty.

[hometown]

Yeah, pretty recently. I figured it out in October.

[ The month when Reiner tried (and ultimately failed) to avoid spiraling again, his hard-won stability slipping through his fingers. Is it any wonder he's made so many trinkets since then? ]

You think so?

[rollcharisma]

It looks like you've been hard at work.

What sort of elemental protections do you have there?