[Something changed. Armin changed. It confirms the illusion and it’s a stab through the gut. Is the real him trapped—in that shifting body, somewhere else?
[Bertholdt pulls her attention back. He looks like he’s going to cry. Guilt claws its way in; the pieces haven’t quite settled, to Aubrey, but the outline is faint. He was a titan. Armin ate him, had to eat him. And, nine years ago…
[He’s so human, for a monster. They all are.]
[There’s a temptation for the anger to grab that admission, claw at it til there’s nothing left. How could anyone think attacking a town was the right thing? Even if they were young—
[“We didn’t know.” And the past can’t be changed. No matter whose fault....]
[Aubrey is silent for a while. The fury dissipates in a figurative steam; she looks at Bertholdt, past him.
[It’s all so goddamn sad.]
It’s already happened. [Finally, she sounds distant again. Not entirely, not dead yet. But not quite here.]
no subject
[Something changed. Armin changed. It confirms the illusion and it’s a stab through the gut. Is the real him trapped—in that shifting body, somewhere else?
[Bertholdt pulls her attention back. He looks like he’s going to cry. Guilt claws its way in; the pieces haven’t quite settled, to Aubrey, but the outline is faint. He was a titan. Armin ate him, had to eat him. And, nine years ago…
[He’s so human, for a monster. They all are.]
[There’s a temptation for the anger to grab that admission, claw at it til there’s nothing left. How could anyone think attacking a town was the right thing? Even if they were young—
[“We didn’t know.” And the past can’t be changed. No matter whose fault....]
[Aubrey is silent for a while. The fury dissipates in a figurative steam; she looks at Bertholdt, past him.
[It’s all so goddamn sad.]
It’s already happened. [Finally, she sounds distant again. Not entirely, not dead yet. But not quite here.]