[This conversation is getting weirder by the second. Raising all sorts of red flags, but none of them seem to want to fit together. Jean's not one to beat around the bush, Blue's the command team, the medical team, the one in charge of sorting supplies and petsitting and all sorts of noncombatant duties. Jean was (is?) a blue. Armin is a blue, if one who's been laid up for weeks—
And ignorant of just how difficult this is for Jean to work through:]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org what the hell is that supposed to mean
[ It'd be great if he didn't have to explain this in detail, but it sounds like Eren's missed the memo on what's going on. Which isn't too odd, the Oranges were whisked away for whatever the fuck it is they do, but... ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Wow. I don't know. Maybe it means stay away from any blues?
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org They're a liability right now
[ He doubts that anyone would be stupid enough to ask Eren to help them—or that Eren would throw his life away on a whim—but their task is to be convincing. Better to leave the danger out entirely. ]
[Yeah, for some reason no one thinks it's a good idea to tell the emotionally volatile shounen asshole about the casual murder that's going on. It's only a matter of time before something comes out. But Orange Team's been busy, and murder doesn't make for great chit chat.
Also, shockingly: Jean isn't the boss of him. So he's going to have to do better than that.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org I can still read, asshole
[ See, Eren, maybe if you weren't liable to make a choice with so many regrets you'd be included in the inner murder circle more often.
Jean doesn't have much patience for this—he hasn't slept right, hasn't had a chance to stop thinking about death and dying and that's not so different from usual but it wears. It's fortunate that he's enough of a pigheaded bastard to keep up with Eren anyway, but still. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Frankly I don't have time to explain the whole thing to you
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org So can you please just tell me you won't do anything stupid
[ That please is a little more earnest than he cares for. ]
[Woah, breaking out the P-word. And maybe that odd earnestness actually carries through the text, echoes through the humming unhappiness that's been hanging over camp, lately. There's a slightly longer pause between messages. He's grinding his teeth the whole time.
Jean isn't a liar. If he says there isn't time...]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
Armin's in blue.
[He's also in stasis. He can't even know if that means anything if he doesn't know what's going on.]
[ Of course Eren doesn't actually use his words to assure Jean of anything, but it's good enough. Nothing could put him at ease, but knowing that Humanity's Last Hope might avoid horrible and wholesale slaughter brings him a little welcome peace of mind.
...Which isn't much, since he's been worried about Armin too. There's not much to be done about how sick he apparently is, but at the very least... there's no feasible way for him to be involved with the mission when it necessitates conversation. Maybe he lucked out. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org From what I've heard I don't think it'll affect him
[ ... ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Speaking of Armin though, I've got something to leave him in your rover
[Look, it's about as close to a promise to not do something stupid as he's going to get without actually knowing what he's promising not to do. (He's probably going to end up doing a stupid thing like picking a fight with Vriska or something anyway. That's still better than getting himself actually murdered. Jean.)
It's some small relief, at least, to hear that Armin's likely safe from whatever's going on. Not much of one, because the whole reason he's exempt is probably because Armin's been out cold in the medtent for ages, and he hasn't shown any signs of getting better any time soon.]
[ This is almost literally his last request and you can't manage it for two Ajna days. Eren, you actual piece of shit.
He actually scoffs quietly to himself. Of course Armin's not there. But whatever he wants to drop off is going to have to wait until he wakes up anyway, and his trust for the med staff isn't incredibly inspiring. And it'd be nice for him to actually get this delivery... whenever he decides to wake up. Selfishly, he thinks it'd have been nice if they could've talked face-to-face.
But it's better this way. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org I know, but I'm not keeping stuff in the med tent
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Drop it off on his bunk for me when you get back
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org You'll know it when you see it, dumbass
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org But if you need that much help it's a box of supplies and an envelope
[ Specifically, a modest collection of weaponry and a nice scarf he's returning, along with Armin's notebook, updated slightly to keep up with the times (if with a much less loving hand). It's topped with a letter that's absolutely not for Eren, Armin Arlert specifically scrawled across it. ]
[Don't ask him for favors and then be a douche about them Jean.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org yeah yeah I got it. I'll tell him.
[Fine!!! He'll make sure Armin gets them when (when) he wakes up. Even if Jean could just do it himself, what a lazy ass. (Since when does Jean go around giving gifts? "None of your business," of course. Still.) After a pause.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org ought to be back in a few hours
[Orange got clearance to leave the mysteriously locked down camp to go digging. Lucky them. So they've been out a lot. It does have the added bonus of helping to keep Eren out of the murder loop long enough for Jean to get himself killed.]
[ He'll do what he wants, don't stifle him. And he's given gifts in the past, just not to Eren—can you imagine? That might give people the impression they're like, friends or something. It'd ruin their street cred. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Thanks
[ —so what now? He hates this part. Even with the buffer of text (and being left completely in the dark, in Eren's case), it feels like some kind of eulogy; Jean's always sounded like a dead man walking, but this is different. Still, it doesn't take too long for him to shoot off one last message. It's pretty simple to come up with once he stops (over)thinking and goes back to the tried and true route of honesty. And all their past, petty differences aside, lately the truth of it was— ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org Counting on you, Eren
[ Seems a little much for simple package delivery. But hey—maybe it's more than that. ]
It's a little much for a simple package delivery. Even with the buffer of text, it's strangely serious. And as derailed as this conversation's gotten, he's still chewing on what he's supposed to do with Jean's weirdly abrupt warning (his weirdly abrupt request.) Those last four words—counting on you, Eren—call back to another time and another place and it picks at the edges of his attention. His jaw locks, he frowns down at the message for a few long seconds. A little slowly—]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org Yeah. Sure.
[It's weird. Whatever's going on, he'd rather figure this out face to face anyway. So.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
of course you don't.
And ignorant of just how difficult this is for Jean to work through:]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
what the hell is that supposed to mean
no subject
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Wow. I don't know. Maybe it means stay away from any blues?
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
They're a liability right now
[ He doubts that anyone would be stupid enough to ask Eren to help them—or that Eren would throw his life away on a whim—but their task is to be convincing. Better to leave the danger out entirely. ]
no subject
Also, shockingly: Jean isn't the boss of him. So he's going to have to do better than that.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
I can still read, asshole
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
what's going on
no subject
Jean doesn't have much patience for this—he hasn't slept right, hasn't had a chance to stop thinking about death and dying and that's not so different from usual but it wears. It's fortunate that he's enough of a pigheaded bastard to keep up with Eren anyway, but still. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Frankly I don't have time to explain the whole thing to you
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
So can you please just tell me you won't do anything stupid
[ That please is a little more earnest than he cares for. ]
no subject
Jean isn't a liar. If he says there isn't time...]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
Armin's in blue.
[He's also in stasis. He can't even know if that means anything if he doesn't know what's going on.]
no subject
...Which isn't much, since he's been worried about Armin too. There's not much to be done about how sick he apparently is, but at the very least... there's no feasible way for him to be involved with the mission when it necessitates conversation. Maybe he lucked out. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
From what I've heard I don't think it'll affect him
[ ... ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Speaking of Armin though, I've got something to leave him in your rover
no subject
It's some small relief, at least, to hear that Armin's likely safe from whatever's going on. Not much of one, because the whole reason he's exempt is probably because Armin's been out cold in the medtent for ages, and he hasn't shown any signs of getting better any time soon.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
He isn't here.
[As if any one of them's forgotten.]
no subject
He actually scoffs quietly to himself. Of course Armin's not there. But whatever he wants to drop off is going to have to wait until he wakes up anyway, and his trust for the med staff isn't incredibly inspiring. And it'd be nice for him to actually get this delivery... whenever he decides to wake up. Selfishly, he thinks it'd have been nice if they could've talked face-to-face.
But it's better this way. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
I know, but I'm not keeping stuff in the med tent
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Drop it off on his bunk for me when you get back
no subject
He frowns down at the text. But he doesn't ask why Jean can't do it himself. (He couldn't get into the rover, for one.)]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
what is it?
no subject
It's...
[ wait for it. ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
...none of your business.
no subject
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
I can't drop it off if I don't know what it is, smartass
no subject
You'll know it when you see it, dumbass
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
But if you need that much help it's a box of supplies and an envelope
[ Specifically, a modest collection of weaponry and a nice scarf he's returning, along with Armin's notebook, updated slightly to keep up with the times (if with a much less loving hand). It's topped with a letter that's absolutely not for Eren, Armin Arlert specifically scrawled across it. ]
no subject
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
yeah yeah
I got it. I'll tell him.
[Fine!!! He'll make sure Armin gets them when (when) he wakes up. Even if Jean could just do it himself, what a lazy ass. (Since when does Jean go around giving gifts? "None of your business," of course. Still.) After a pause.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
ought to be back in a few hours
[Orange got clearance to leave the mysteriously locked down camp to go digging. Lucky them. So they've been out a lot. It does have the added bonus of helping to keep Eren out of the murder loop long enough for Jean to get himself killed.]
no subject
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Thanks
[ —so what now? He hates this part. Even with the buffer of text (and being left completely in the dark, in Eren's case), it feels like some kind of eulogy; Jean's always sounded like a dead man walking, but this is different. Still, it doesn't take too long for him to shoot off one last message. It's pretty simple to come up with once he stops (over)thinking and goes back to the tried and true route of honesty. And all their past, petty differences aside, lately the truth of it was— ]
FROM: kirstein.jean@cdc.org
Counting on you, Eren
[ Seems a little much for simple package delivery. But hey—maybe it's more than that. ]
no subject
It's a little much for a simple package delivery. Even with the buffer of text, it's strangely serious. And as derailed as this conversation's gotten, he's still chewing on what he's supposed to do with Jean's weirdly abrupt warning (his weirdly abrupt request.) Those last four words—counting on you, Eren—call back to another time and another place and it picks at the edges of his attention. His jaw locks, he frowns down at the message for a few long seconds. A little slowly—]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
Yeah. Sure.
[It's weird. Whatever's going on, he'd rather figure this out face to face anyway. So.]
FROM: jaeger.eren@cdc.org
I'll see you around.