Victory Road Inbox

[notvaljean]

Hi, this is Jean... [loud crackling in the background, the sound of sighing] ... and Blitz. We're busy right now and can't answer, so leave a message and we'll get back to you.

Comments

[notvaljean]

You know, weird like how all the vets in the Corps are weird. He doesn't go around sniffing people, though.

[That shit was weird.]

Why do you ask?

[schachmeister]

[All the veterans are weird, it's true. Maybe that is the only way you survive in a place like the Survey Corp.]

Someone told me something about him. I don't know if it is true or not, but it wouldn't feel right not to tell you.

[It's kind of a big deal if it is true!

Armin searches for the right words for a moment, but really, there aren't very many ways to put this, are there?]

I was told he's a murderer.

[notvaljean]

[A pause.]

Who told you that?

[schachmeister]

A man called Jack. It seems they have some personal history.

[notvaljean]

Wait, was this that Handsome Jack guy? The one with the screwed up face he can take off?

[The one Jean wanted to put on Blitz? Should he tell Armin about that? Naaaaah, he's going to keep that to himself.]

[schachmeister]

That's the one.

[Armin can't imagine there is more than one dude who fits that description.]

[notvaljean]

That's funny, because Krieg said the exact same thing about Jack. Told me to stay away from him, that he'd shoot me just as well as look at me.

[schachmeister]

Is that so...

[Just let Armin think for a moment. To be honest, Jack hadn't come across as entirely trustworthy to him, not with his talk of using armed guards to reinforce the laws of his city. It puts him in the same league as the government of their own world and everybody knows how Armin feels about the government.]

[notvaljean]

[Jean is starting to recognize when Armin is having a thinky moment, and he takes this opportunity to hand out candies to his hungry Pokemon. Armin can probably hear the sounds of Blitz eating, Lila's polite squeaks, and... whatever it is Fisch is doing.]

[schachmeister]

[Armin hopes that weird schlup schlup sound is Fisch eating.]

So who do you think is telling the truth?

[notvaljean]

They might both be.

[schachmeister]

[Have a scooby snack, Jean, you are thinking like Armin's thinking.]

Right. Their stories don't actually exclude each other. There is a possibility both are true.

There is something Jack mentioned that might confirm part of what Krieg is saying...

[notvaljean]

[Ew gross, Jean doesn't want a scooby snack, that sounds like what he feeds Blitz!]

Yeah? What's that?

[Jean admits a certain amount of bias here. He likes Krieg, who has been slightly weird but also always very friendly to him. He doesn't want to think badly of his new friend.]

[schachmeister]

He talked about his city. Apparently it is guarded by armed guards to... [what were the words Jack had used again?] strongly encourage people to stay.

[Sounds familiar, doesn't it?]

[notvaljean]

[Jean catches what Armin is implying right away, and he grimaces.]

Yeah, what must that be like?

[Truly, it is a mystery.]

Krieg talked about their world a little bit too. It sounds about as screwed up as ours.

[schachmeister]

[At least someone else has a shitty world too. So far, a lot of the worlds Armin has heard about sound like paradise.]

I suppose with so many worlds out there, it makes sense there'd be some quite similar to ours as well.

[notvaljean]

Yeah.

[Jean doesn't sound happy about that. No one should have a world like theirs.]

No titans, though. And a lot more guns.

[schachmeister]

Mhmm, Mister Pines said they had Titans in his world as well, but by his time they were just myths.

[notvaljean]

Really?

[Now there's an interesting factoid.]

So in his world, humanity defeated the Titans and reclaimed their world.

[Which means, at least in theory, that it's possible to defeat them, once and for all.]

Too bad the Commander isn't here; I bet he'd love to talk to Mr. Pines.

[And everyone else. The Commander would probably make a real nuisance of himself, to be honest.]

[schachmeister]

Not... quite. According to the myths he told me, the Titans were defeated by Gods.

[A soft, thoughtful noise.]

Of course, there is still the chance of something valuable in his stories. There is often a seed of truth in many myths. I'm just not sure what it is and if it is one we could use. And if we do find some plan we might be able to use, there is still the trouble of bringing it home with us.

[Someone is overthinking things again.]

[notvaljean]

[Which inadvertently brings up something that's been haunting Jean more and more lately...]

Armin... do you want to go home?

[schachmeister]

[He's quiet for a few moments then--]

We have to go back.

[He damn well knows that is not the same thing.]

[notvaljean]

Yeah, but do you want to?

[You're not getting away with dodging the question, buddy.]

[schachmeister]

[You can't catch him, he's gonna fucking slalom.]

I... don't think what we want necessarily has a lot to do with what we have to.

[notvaljean]

That's a bullshit answer and you know it.

[Fucking slalom all you want, Jean knows exactly what you're doing.]

Want and need are two different things and you're smart enough to know that. I know what we need to do, and I'm not asking you about that. I'm asking if, given the choice, you'd want to go home.

Because I wouldn't.