different angles ;;

His eyes shift back up to her face while he slowly absorbs her words. He doesn’t like what he’s hearing, of course. He can’t take her down? The legion is dying? The latter he’d already come to terms with, at least. Half of the members are gone and the ones remaining have turned in their jackets. Eren’s hanging on by a thread, bound by a sense of duty and a drive to take down the titans with the only group he’s familiar with. There’s no army. He knows that. But there’s a force, and there always will be.

"I… I know." He stares at the wall behind her. "I won’t blame myself for it—I know she’s the only one to blame. If she didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have messed up in the first place.” It’s skewed logic, and not quite what Hange was trying to say, but at least it makes sense in his own mind.

"But… I did take her down. Once." Voice a little spacey, he narrows his eyes, trying to catch onto the wandering memory. All at once, his eyes brighten and he straightens his posture. "I did! I managed to take her down, but then—!"

To someone like Hange, the Legion's demise was obvious before the process had even started.  The mission was gone, no goal to unify them once more.  It had allowed the former soldiers to drift apart, unable to come together once more once the goal was in sight.  Frustrating.  The thought called for Hange to let out a sigh, before she shook her head.

"That's a better way to think about it, at least.  To be honest, I wish everyone who could shift into a Titan was on our side, like you.  Their goals are-- wait, what?!"

Her body jolted forward, and honestly, she looked like she was about to tackle Eren down.  That look on his face is so familiar, he's remembering.  He's the first to remember the outcome of the female Titan situation, and Hange would be the second.  As he spoke, her eyes widened in realization, before she put her hands on Eren's shoulders.

"Eren!  I know what you're talking about, I know!!  We found her identity and... the plan, in Sina!  The wall..."  She looked like some sort of creep as she slunk away, holding her head in her hand as she recalled the events that put the Scouting Legion at risk.  Holding Nick over the edge of the wall... Yes...

"I... I can't remember who she is.  I remember being so frustrated over not being able to question her... yelling at a soldier in my squad when he tried to break open the crystal..."  She drew in a sharp breath, before she finally looked at Eren again.

While Eren has never been completely relaxed in her presence, she’s easily someone that Eren can admire. Without her research and tenacity, who knows how long it would take to accumulate retaliation against the titans? And if there’s one person that wants retaliation against the titans, it’s Eren.

He won’t be able to get over what happened so easily, but he’s trying.

Shooting a glance over at the snoozing bara, the brunette swallows back the guilt and releases a frustrated grunt before thumping back onto his bed. Seconds later, there’s thumping on the door. A visitor?

"Eren!!"

Oh. Oh, no. Eren recognizes that voice; it’s one he hasn’t heard in quite a while! Occasionally she’ll pop up on the feed—however… she’s been mysteriously absent otherwise. Hoisting himself back up, he unlocks the door with a click and pulls it open, sliding himself through the opening and letting it shut behind him. Hange’s… loud. Don’t wanna disturb the bae.

A warm smile on her face, she held her hands in front of her, looking just like a kid in a candy store at the sight of Mister Eren Jaeger himself.  "It's been a while since I've seen you," she started, before he tackled the topic head on.  Ah.  He's...

"Eren.  That's enough."  The researcher took a breath.  A delicate subject, she struggled to find the right words to say.

"... It's... not your fault.  Yes, you encountered her.  Could you have taken her down?  Absolutely not.  Please remember our first encounter with her.  She knows how to defend herself, and the efforts of our Legion couldn't take her down.

"Commander doesn't seem to realize it, but... the Legion is dying, if not already dead.  Even if we all came together, it would be impossible, even with you.  If a strong Scouting Legion wouldn't be able to, how do you expect a dying Scouting Legion to be able to, you see what I'm saying?"

Hope…

Despair…

No escape…

Useless.

Everyone, or for the most everyone that Dio could behold, seemed so cozily seated into the fate that befell them inside Hope’s Peak. Did they attempt not to change their fate any longer? They’re not even bothering to fight back against a bear, but beyond that, an enemy invisible to them.

Were they all not humans, but cattle ready for the inevitable slaughter?

Fools.

Dio was not a cattle. This bear was a headmaster, but not his master. Dio was a master. And more—worthy of being crowned a God. His body once crumbled, but now he breathed once again. The World was weak, but over time… over time, his stand would grow once again as well. His goal remained unfinished, still there for him to pursue. His fate, here, would be soon or less conquered. There was no fear that could sweep over him, for the ones on the top held no fear.

Escape was not an idea that immediately ran through in Dio’s head, either. He could feel that there were still things—people, rather—that blocked his path. They were here, too… Dio didn’t have to ‘see’. This meant that he was here for a purpose.

He had to get rid of them. Kill all of them. This was a priority, always a priority. The Joestars meddled with his plans for far too long.

A school of mutual killing… wasn’t it nothing but the perfect setting for him to manipulate all for his benefit towards that immediate goal?

What a perfect present for none other than Dio.

Out of one set of walls, and into the next.  And still, Hange has never felt more trapped.

These walls have done a number on Hange's mental state.  Experiencing death, experiencing such uselessness... it's driven her into a state that wasn't unfamiliar.  Scary.

These thoughts always raced through her mind.  Always.  She had reached the point of shutting herself away, in hopes that the destruction of her mind wouldn't bring harm to those around her.  Not again.  A trip for food would allow her to meet this character, however.  The air around him was... strange.  She stared up at him, eyes nearly shining with curiosity.  It was almost as if he was reading her mind.

"... Strange question."

She hesitated.  No, she did not want reveal the inner workings of her mind to a stranger, but she also did not wish to be dishonest.

Disgusting.

Humankind is disgusting and wasteful in Yuuka’s eyes. Wasteful. Selfish. Weak. They’re all weak, aren’t they? They require others to fight for them. Others who are stronger. Stronger than their weak and flimsy selves. Of course, back in Gensokyo, only the powerful had subordinates whom would fight to their whim. That’s how society worked. Power. The strongest would be on top. The strongest had all that they wanted. In Hope’s Peak, in a human’s world, the most powerful are the ones at the bottom, being used by the more intellectually skilled.

It’s a pitiful sight, really. The intellectuals are the most twisted, maddened by their own intelligence and wit. Their inability to be satisfied as any normal human would with accomplishments. They wish to achieve more. More and more, stepping on the backs of life as they rise to their own pedestal. 

Yuuka found her solace in the wilderness, surrounded by trees and shrubbery, the very things she feels most connected with. She took everything in; the fauna, the flora, the atmosphere, everything. Yuuka Kazami takes in the beauty of nature to rejuvenate herself. The sort of energy she has been deprived of for so long. Her parasol hung over her shoulders, opened, basking in the warm sunlight beaming over a crisp, frosty environment. 

Crisp. Crunching.

A disturbance.

The parasol snapped closed, the woman’s body turning on a heel. If the intruder is close by at this point in time, then the very tip of the accessory will be pressed to the other’s neck. As nonthreatening as a parasol can seem, her own is used as a catalyst for a powerful spell. The intruder would feel a warmth resonate from the parasol’s tip; proof that such a catalyst will be put to use if push did come to shove. She will not step down from a fight if a fight is more thoroughly picked.

She would not fall again.

If she cannot fight, she will run.

Such thoughts grazed her mind before her eyes landed on a peculiar sight.  A young woman, all alone.  She hardly looks like someone who can defend themselves, but then again, judging anyone in this school would be a foolish choice.  Despite that, Hange's curiosity is there, and so she would descend.  Her landing in the snow would create that crunching nose, before she stepped closer.

Her mouth was open to speak, before the woman made the first move.  Wow, what an introduction!  Hange would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed, anyway.  Eyebrows raised as she glanced down at the parasol, feeling the warmth resonating from it.  Instead of answering...

"Wow, a magic user!  That's it, right?"  There she goes, grabbing onto the weapon and pulling it to the side, eyeing the tip with pure curiosity.  Wait, no.  Magic users can kill you, Hange.  Time to be social.  "Oh-- Uh.  Well, I've never been good with manners at all, so I guess doing something impolite isn't beyond me!"  Not even an apology.  Wow.

The start of this had made him tired. He didn’t understand why he was here, who would create such a place. He’d known of humanity’s cruelty, but he didn’t think it would go to this extent.

Moblit slowly made his way down the hall where the dormitories were located, looking over each number and the inhabitants, an attempt to memorize them in addition to finding his own.

Just as he approached the number that had been assigned to him, something made him freeze in place.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

A sound. Very familiar, very unsettling, though he didn’t know why.

"MOBLIT!!"

Yes, he's got a right to be afraid.  Her poor assistant.  Her poor, poor assistant.  That shriek ripped through the halls as she took off in a sprint, arms open wide.  It'd been months since she'd seen her partner in crime.  If one could even call him that, really.  Such a Debby Downer.

Regardless of whatever it was, here came the hug, arms wrapped around her assistant in a bone-crushing embrace.

Ts. Figures. 

"What did he do? Tell you all the whole story?" Dang, that was embarrassing. Not only had they messed up big time, but everyone seemed to know all the details too. "So the star in the middle of the circle was a pentagram." Great. Now he knows that much. That doesn’t really explain anything, though. Pentagram means nothing to him. Just a word. "Wait, he banned us from it?" When was this? He hasn’t even seen Commander since they had to check his back for wounds.

"Well, I mean, we saw a lot of the story, there wasn't much telling needed to be told.  Let me tell you, it was an experience."  She shrugged.  "Yes, and also a symbol of the Antichrist, or something along those lines.  This is what I'm talking about with needing to research beforehand.  Know what you're working with before you get someone killed."  She paused.  "Or in the case of of last night, bite your Commanding officer's pinky off."

Funny. If Jean knew about half the shit that actually happened in the school regarding the Scouting Legion, he’d still not worry about it. In fact, it might just draw shame to the fact that he was a part of it. 

That… Sounded like way too many people. “Ts.. How did it even become such a big deal?” Light show gone wrong? Invite the school to come witness the destruction! Just what he needed, though. Attention. So much for staying under the radar. But hey, if people weren’t talking about it- “That’s the only plus I’m seeing.” 

Don’t laugh. There’s nothing funny about either the audience or the burns. It’s not a humorous matter, Hange. 

"The what?" Pentagram? And what did she mean by ‘whatever was in him’? So many questions and too much pride to ask them all. He’ll have to get clarification from Marco later when he wasn’t curled up in Jean’s bed asleep. "Worse than having your face burned?" No hard feelings. Ha! He’s not exactly apologizing. 

"Well, if I recall correctly, Marco nearly had a panic attack over MonoTwitter.  Something about bleeding out your eyes?  Which you were, by the way.  You really don't remember a thing, do you?"

A softer laugh was let out this time.  Actually, Jean, this entire situation is pretty amusing to her.  She'd always had a thing with getting over dangerous situations pretty fast and looking at them with ease.

"Pentagram.  Or rather, the 'star' you two were trying to summon.  You two should really do more research before you dive into these sorts of things.  I won't ban you from it like a certain Grouchy Brows, but just let me help you research, next time."

Oh. She’d been there. Well, Jean didn’t exactly like hearing that. It meant he’d had an audience. It also meant Marco left out more in his explanantion than Jean had guessed he did. Just one mysterious man was already turning into two people. How many more onlookers would spawn into view?

"If you're worried about people that were there, there really wasn't all that many.  Just the Commander, Sophie, myself, the man who stopped the possession in the first place, along a couple other bystanders who eventually left.  Nobody's been talking about it, so your dignity's safe, at least."

She let out a laugh.  Thanks, Hange, that sure did help.  Probably not.  At all.  Hey, she specialized in strategic and book smarts, not people smarts!!

Huh? Someone was looking for him? Impossible.

Thanks to that door having been beaten down, it no longer gave that soundproof quality it once had. In fact, it probably still didn’t shut properly at all. Thanks a lot, Hange. 

You're welcome for that door, by the way!  You can live on knowing that you did Hange some good by providing your door to knock down for the sake of her bowel movements.  However, that wasn't why she was here, although she did plan to hijack the bathroom if something like that came up.

"Oh?" What an obvious thing to point out. Of course a lot of people were angry at him. Stupid, really. It wasn’t even like those who died here stayed dead outside of these walls yet there’s more backlash here than there’s ever been. Not that he cares for it. Let all of them come at him. He’ll tear each one to shreds.

He might even attack this one, just out of curiosity to see if she learned her lesson. Holding back was foolish. Luckily there was just that reason; nothing else furthered the urge to start a fight here. “The prince never gets nervous.”  So much more to say but that’s it for now.

No, her role was to just hole up somewhere and research some giant cannibalistic creatures.  Though she was fast and wise, her combat skills were sub-par.

It was very lucky for her that he didn't wish to start a fight.  Unlike Levi, Hange didn't hold the same fighting spirit that he did.  "The prince?  Are you actually royalty, or is that crown and that attitude just the result of an overactive ego?"

Drumming his fingers on the table, he waited for Hange to fully settle in her seat. So much to talk about, so little time. Memories as seemingly insignificant as how Hange liked her coffee served definitely don’t fade very easily.

"Is that why he’s been a piece of shit lately?" Ah, Levi. No tact whatsoever. "Good going, four-eyes." Those scars looked gross, though. She wore them without a care in the world (unsurprisingly) so Levi is in zero position to make a scene.

"Oh goodness, has he been bugging you lately?"  She let out a light laugh, tucking a stray lock behind her ear and shrugging.  "Maybe I should apologize, I keep forgetting!  Maybe that'd get him to settle!  Haha, my bad, my bad!  What's he been on your case about?"

Oh?  More questions directed at her.  Even now, they surprised her.  Hange's lifestyle was pretty predictable.  "Yeah, you're right on the ball.  It's getting harder and harder, though."  She took a breath.  "We'll just have to see what happens.  I plan on keeping my companions close, though.  That's why I wanted to have this get-together--"

"He's not exactly a 'boyfriend' anymore.  Step it up."

... No way.  The grin on her expression was instantaneous.  Incredible.  Absolutely incredible.