rollcharisma | IC Inbox for seasonsrpg

[He can only guess what this is about, and he is not in the mood. It's hard to keep his voice pleasant when he answers the phone, but he's a good liar.]

Is everything alright?

Edited 2024-01-02 20:16 (UTC)

Everything's fine with me. I just want to talk to you. You know what about, and you probably don't want to.

[At least he guesses so. Easier to pretend you're fine if you don't talk about it, right? Jean did that with his siblings recently. Just didn't talk to them about an attempted murder. It sucked.]

But at least give it a chance. We can do something else if it doesn't work. I just don't want you to be on your own right now.

[And he shouldn't be on his own, really. He isn't in a good place. He's not sure that he ever has been, or that he ever will be. Jean cares for him. Armin knows that. And he cares for Jean too. He shouldn't be so resistant, but was he ever really given the chance to process his emotions back home? Not for years - not for as long as he can remember.

[Sometimes he hates their world as much as he hates himself. But the blame will always be on Armin's shoulders.]

You're right, Jean...

If you're referring to my conversation with Reiner, then...no, I'd really rather not talk about it. I mean...

This isn't about me, or my feelings. It's about his.

[...]

But we can meet. If you'd like.

[Jean very much wants to argue, but if he does, Armin would probably reject meeting up completely. And he really doesn't want him to be on his own right now.

Yes, it's about Reiner's feelings. But that didn't mean Armin wasn't hurting.

So at least he'll offer him distractions.]

Do you want to go horse riding? There's a stable in Sunwaning you can rent a horse from.

[There's a bit of a pause.

[Jean has always been one of Armin's most treasured friends. He has a big heart. He wants to help. He's doing a good enough job of it, too, by not pressing him. Who knows what they may talk about once they're on their horses, but...]

That sounds nice. I'd like to, yes.

[Odds are Jean would probably not bring it up, depending on how Armin looked. He does have some emotional sense. Ultimately, he wanted to provide him company and distractions, not to drag him down.]

We can ride on the Solarpeak beach. Some of the horses really like it there.

[But he sends Armin an address to the stables. It's not very hard to find.]

[Jean. He can be so sweet. He knows exactly where to take Armin to cheer him up. Armin should be more grateful...]

Alright. I'll meet you there soon.

[With that, he hangs up. He leaves right away, so he's at the stables shortly, in clothes appropriate for riding.]

[Jean is already there, he has his own horse (pictured with Mikasa's horse, Bella). He waves at Armin with a small smile.]

Hey. There are a bunch of really nice horses there. I sometimes volunteer here, so I'm familiar with all of them.

[Armin waves a bit when he sees Jean. He tries to make his smile convincing, but - well, Jean already knows (or seems to) Armin's mental state. He doesn't need to pretend the way he would with a complete stranger.]

Hi, Jean.

You know I'm not picky. Plenty of experience with horses, as it were.

I know. Still, you can choose anyone you want. All of them are rental ones. I can come with you or wait here, whichever you prefer.

[It's not like Armin needs Jean to be there, but hey. An offer is and offer.]

I think I can handle it. [Said lightheartedly, despite a poor mood overall.

[He takes a few minutes to sort out the rental, then returns with reins in his hands, a horse in tow.]

She's a beautiful one, isn't she?

[Of course, Jean recognizes the horse, smiling as he quickly pats her muzzle.]

She is. I'm sure you'll get along just fine, too. Let's lead them to the street and then get on.

[Armin nods, and off they go to the road. He mounts up once Jean does. It feels as comfortable and natural as anything. He never bonded particularly with one Scout horse over the other, but he's always been fond of them. These ones aren't quite as fearless, but that suits this place.]

We're off to Solarpeak then?

[The horses are a little different, but still very good. Jean's isn't even from Ellipsa though, so it's a little more user to danger, being an ex-knight mount.]

Yeah. It should only take us half an hour on horseback from here. You can set the pace you want to go with.

[Armin glances back at Jean, giving a firm nod. Then he takes off toward Solarpeak - perhaps a little too quickly; used to riding fast and all that, but it's more than that. The desire to run, maybe. He doesn't look back to make sure Jean is keeping up.]

[Jean's keeping up alright. He doesn't mind the faster pace, and neither does Ace; he prefers to run, rather than walking. But for now he doesn't try to compete with Armin's horse.]

[Armin doesn't slow down until they've reached the sands at Solarpeak beach. Finally, the horses slows to a trot, and he glances back to see if Jean has followed.

[It felt good to just run like that. Armin's not all that eager to stop, in fact, but...he did say he would talk to Jean, or, at the very least spend some time with him (he doesn't want to talk about it - he really doesn't, but...)]

[Jean makes sure they're going the same pace at least, once they've slowed to a trot.]

It's nice out here, isn't it. I never get bored with this beach.

Edited 2024-03-08 13:49 (UTC)

[Armin glances over at Jean, forcing a smile.]

I feel the same. I'm out here every day, almost.

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