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[schachmeister]

[Armin is used to exactly three forms of communication: person-to-person, in writing, and via smoke signals. This concept of being able to communicate via a communicator and being able to reach everybody at once in the Mansion? Yeah, that had needed some explanation. And he still feels he barely understands it, but he ought to make an attempt at it.

So, when he appears on screen, he looks a little awkward, the camera maybe a tiny bit off, and his words sound stiff. Like he rehearsed them. Which... is actually exactly what he did. He doesn't want to make an idiot out of himself. At least he didn't write them out before hand. Much.]

I hope I am using this right. Jean said I could talk to everybody using this device, though I don't really understand how that is possible. He said this sort of technology isn't uncommon in other worlds though.

[Don't start to ramble.]

Either way, uhm. I thought it was best to introduce myself. I'm Armin Arlert. I woke up here a few days ago. I come from the same world Jean comes from, though I am not sure how many of you know him. Or how much he has told you about our world...

[Right. Anyway.]

There is actually something I wanted to ask. Jean told me there is a library here. Can anyone just borrow books from it, or is there someone I should speak to? I'm not really certain how things work here. I don't have any money but I can work.

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[deflectere]

There's a library?

[ alec had, apparently, missed that. he'd been so caught up in learning about everything else that he'd missed something as simple as a library. ]

If it's like the library I know, you don't have to talk to anyone.

[ but the institute library was probably different. ]

Usually you just make sure you return the books.

[schachmeister]

According to Jean, there is. Though I haven't seen it yet.

[Armin has spent the last few days just trying to... take it all in. Not just this whole new world, but also everything that Jean had told him about what had happened at home. It was so much, that he hadn't even gotten around to exploring the place they were now living in. And he still feels like he understands only half of everything he has been told.]

I just wanted to make sure. Everything here is so different from back home. I don't want to upset anyone without meaning to.

[deflectere]

I don't know Jean.

[ but who did he know? not many. some would say he should work on that but alec was still resisting this place. ]

What was your library back home like?

[ better question: ]

Where is your home?

[schachmeister]

I'm not sure if many people do. To be honest, I'm not even sure how many people there are in this place.

[If there are only a dozen or so people here, it'd be expected for them to know just about everyone, but for all Armin knows, this place could be filled with hundreds of captives. Which is what they are: captives. No matter how much Jean tells him this place isn't so bad, Armin still feels like he's been captured.

He leaves the question about the library back home for what it is, for the moment, instead focusing on his second question.]

Well, I was born in a place called Shiganshina, but I'm not sure if you are familiar with that. Apparently, all our worlds are very different.

[deflectere]

Never heard of it.

[ which was not surprising. there was always a little hope that he'd talk to someone who might be from his world or would know what a shadowhunter is but so far, that hasn't happened. it's not discouraging, it's just expected. it]

From what I've gathered about this place, there's a lot of people here. Some have been here for a long time as well. And people seem to arrive often.

[ a handful of people had arrived after him and he still felt new, like he was still getting an understanding of how things worked. ]

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[normandysbest]

Jean, like Kirstein? He's done some good work for me in the past. You part of the army there too?

[Why are so many kids in whatever place he's from trained swordfighters? She's guessing the answer is complicated.]

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[schachmeister]

I am. We're both part of the same squad.

[And if what Jean is saying is true, they are both among the very few survivors of the Survey Corps.]

If you don't mind me asking, what sort of work has he done for you?

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[normandysbest]

I run the guard around here. Protecting against danger, when I can. Jean's helped me a lot.

[He's put his neck out on more than one occasion where she didn't ask him. She's got some trust.]

If you're a friend of his, you're certainly in my good graces.

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[schachmeister]

What sort of dangers are there in this place? Jean didn't mention anything about that yet.

[Not that Armin holds that against him. There has been so much Jean has needed to explain to him that he can't fault him for not having gotten to it all yet.]

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[normandysbest]

Has he talked about events at all? That's the only time this place goes really off the rails. Sometimes they're tame, but otherwise... we have the guard.

[She'll wait until she knows what he knows before continuing. She doesn't want to overwhelm him too much.]

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[noreason]

[Hey there, Armin, have a glowing dude on your screen.]

You can just take things from the library if you want. You can also stay there and read them. But there's no one around to check in with if you want something.

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[schachmeister]

[Armin tries not to stare too much at the glowing. Naoki is, at least, roughly human-looking. And Armin has seen humans turn into Titans. He should stay polite.

Though he can't help the way his eyes occasionally keep flicking back at the lines etched on Naoki's skin.]

Nobody at all? Aren't they worried about the books disappearing?

[Books are pretty expensive where Armin is from. Everything is. Except Trauma. The trauma is free and plentiful.]

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[noreason]

It seems like they just kind of...go back, after a while.

[Naoki shrugs. He's not the biggest reader around so he doesn't have a ton of library experience. He just goes there on occasion.]

Besides, it's so big that I don't know if anyone would notice something missing.

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[schachmeister]

'They just kind of... go back there'?

[Armin echoes those words uncertainly. They give him the idea of books just randomly disappearing and reappearing in the library. But that can't be true, right? That's just too crazy.]

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[noreason]

That's the best I can explain it. I mean, I'm sure people bring them back most of the time, but what if you totally forgot you had it? It'd have to get back to the library somehow.

[He operates under the assumption that nothing really gets lost in Wonderland. Things just end up places unexpectedly.]

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[bibliocorn]

[The library is Sunburst's favourite place in Wonderland- and he always jumps at the chance to talk about it. ]

You can borrow books from it. There are residents who look after the library, but no one's stopping you from taking out books to read. No money required. Like...well, like any library, really.

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[schachmeister]

[Jean had mentioned to Armin that there were many people from different worlds in this place. He just somehow had failed to mention that some of those people were talking horses.

Or well, a unicorn to be exact. But still, a brightly-coloured, cape wearing, talking unicorn. With glasses.

So while Sunburst talks, Armin stares. In fact, he doesn't snap to attention until the strange unicorn on his screen has already stopped talking and has probably been waiting for him to acknowledge him for a few moments.]

Ah, uhm...

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[bibliocorn]

[Sunburst's delight in talking about books!! quickly fizzles out when he realises the staring his happening. He lets out a soft 'ugh', rolling his eyes. ]

Okay. Fine. Let's just get this over with so we can talk like civilised beings again. Yes, I'm a unicorn. Yes, I can talk. Yes, this is normal where I come from.

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[schachmeister]

[Armin flushes, ducking his head.]

I'm sorry. My friend told me there were people from all sorts of worlds here, but I hadn't realised just how different he meant.

[Assumptions make an ass out of... mainly Armin here! And Jean a little bit for not warning him.]

If you don't mind me asking, but when you say this is normal where you are from, do you mean you are all unicorns?

[Or is it more that there are both talking unicorns and people? Do all animals talk? Now that he has gotten over his first shock, Armin cannot help but grow curious.]

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[bibliocorn]

Yes. For some reason no one ever expect unicorns.

[Which is ridiculous, unicorns are everywhere.]

Oh, no. There are a few different kinds of ponies, and other creatures too, in lands beyond where I live.

[At least Sunburst is happy to TEACH people. That, he doesn't mind at all. ]

[mourning_ghost]

You can borrow the books without talking to anyone.

[schachmeister]

Isn't there anyone to keep track of things? Aren't they worried about books going missing?

[mourning_ghost]

I think Wonderland puts them back after a while.

[He doesn't have any proof since Nageki puts the books back himself. But he's able to find the books he's searching for.]

[schachmeister]

It's going to take some getting used to the idea that this world can... do things like that.

[And that it seems to have any sort of will, really.]

Uhm, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been in this world?

[mourning_ghost]

Three years. [Nageki didn't bother looking at the date when he arrived, but he's worked out how many years he's been around by using the seasons.]