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[This event is disturbing on so many levels. Kaneki wouldn't say it's more disturbing for him than for others--after all, this is daily life at home for some of them--but perhaps it's a special kind of disturbing for Kaneki. He's heard of these titans, but seeing them is just--

No, he's still not sure if titans or ghouls are more terrifying. Titans don't know what they're doing and ghouls do, but which of those is scarier is beyond him, even now.

What he does know, and what is becoming increasingly urgent, is that, although he's lost all of his speed and strength and the ability to even use his kagune, he's still hungry. Now is really not the time to go seeking food, with the closets being a bit disagreeable, and the man-eating monsters threatening to break through the walls any time.

For that reason, more than because of his complete inability to do anything helpful, he's spent the event so far keeping out of the way. He's only crept out today because he doesn't know how much longer this will last and he knows that waiting too long to eat is a terrible, terrible idea, even if he's much less likely to manage to kill anyone this time around.

He can be found skulking around the Mansion and the area of the grounds immediately outside. He doesn't want to wander too far outside, though. He'll just get in the way. Everyone seems so busy that he doesn't want to get in the way, and he certainly doesn't want to be eaten ~~been there, done that, thanks~~.

Feel free to run into him.]

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[In Eren's mind, there has only ever been one good thing about life in Wonderland, and that was the lack of Titans. Now, even that factor has failed him.

Since Armin's accident, he's been unable to focus properly. The image of his friend helplessly struggling against a Titan's grasp plays over through his thoughts in loops. If only he'd been there a little sooner! If only he'd been able to push his 3D Maneuver Gear to move a little faster...!

These muddled thoughts continued to plague Eren to the point that his reaction time on the front lines has been compromised, and it's for that reason that he'd been sent to help with the indirect front. With Armin bedridden, they surely need another set of hands, anyhow.

It's while walking through the Mansion and mulling this over that he first spots the familiar face of Kaneki. It takes one moment to connect the face with the correct name, and another to register that something feels a little off. His first instinct is to ignore him, but he finds himself calling out, anyway.]

Hey. If you're not helping, you should head down to the basement.

[Kaneki hesitates when he Eren speaks to him, and at least at first keeps his distance. Eren seems preoccupied, but that might be for the best. The last time they'd spoken had been a bit more tense than he had liked--not that he could blame Eren for that.]

...Why the basement?

[It would certainly be out of the way, but if there were other people there, it was probably a bad idea.]

You're- [Eren's voice catches before he can manage to get the rest of his sentence out. The basement. Right. The events of That Time had also happened down in the basement, hadn't they?

When he begins to speak again, he's no longer looking directly at Kaneki. Even so, he manages to keep his tone sounding fairly normal and steady.]

You're safer underground, if they get break in.

[Kaneki notices that hesitation, but isn't totally sure what caused it. Though he knows his Mirror attacked Eren, there are some details he still doesn't know.]

I um...I'm not really worried about my own safety, Eren-san.

[He'll ignore the awkwardness of his suffix choice for now, but he really needs to make a list someday of what he should call the people he knows.]

[In any other situation, Eren might have corrected the odd sounding suffix, but not today. Not after Kaneki says something so daunting and worrisome.]

What's that supposed to mean?

[He might be reading the implications wrong, but...]

I thought by now, you'd have that under control.

[Kaneki resists the urge to sigh. It's pretty easy, under the circumstances, but he still doesn't want to have to justify his eating habits.]

Needing to eat isn't really something that goes away.

[What a miserable way to live. As on guard as he is around Kaneki, he still can't stop himself from feeling sort of bad for him.]

At least you eat to survive. The Titans - those creatures out there - they're just filthy monsters who eat people for no reason at all.

...I don't know if that's worse or not. One ghoul I knew wasn't that different, but she enjoyed it.

[She also happened to be the (first) ghoul who tried to eat him. Memories.

He shakes his head. That's really not that important right now.]

I don't know how much longer this is going to last, so I think it's probably best if I stay away from everyone until it's over.

I can imagine how well that'll work out for you.

You did a great job of avoiding me.

[He's already taking a few steps towards Kaneki, testing the waters by seeing how Kaneki reacts to a "human" moving closer into his personal space.]

[Kaneki wants to make a smart retort, but Eren is right. He's not exactly the king of stealth and subtlety.]

I'm not much of a threat right now. [Not any more than any other university literature major, anyway.] I--

[He stops himself, watching Eren, backing up half a step. At least he's more bemused than alarmed.]

...What?

It'd be a problem.

[Another step closer, this time less warily.]

If you cause trouble, I mean. So let's figure out how to fix this together.

[Kaneki's instinct is to make an excuse and get the heck out of Dodge, but he knows it would be a problem and it really is nice of Eren to offer to help--even if he's doing it to prevent anything bad from happening and not to be nice.]

...I appreciate it.

[Even if it makes him a little anxious.]

I've tried the closets and even the kitchen, and I couldn't get anything that tasted edible.

Well...

[An idea quickly dawns on him -- it's troubling how quickly his thoughts are willing to move in such a perverse direction. He can't help but feel a little disgusted with himself for even considering it.]

There might be a way. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but it's better than nothing.

[Eren certainly doesn't seem enthusiastic, but he has to know better than Kaneki (Kaneki hopes).]

What's that?

Titans don't have digestive tracks. After a while, they have to spit the bodies back out to make room.

[He uses "spit" because it's a kinder sounding word, but really the proper choice would have been "regurgitate." Mushed up, chewed on, wet with a sticky, thick coating of saliva. Eren has only seen it up close once before, but that one sight had been enough to haunt his dreams ever since.]

[Kaneki blinks, considering that, then imagining it. His face goes pale.]

...Are you serious?

[He's sure Eren's telling him the truth--he just can't believe this is a thing he might need to do.]

That's how it works.

[Yeah... it's gross. He wonders what Kaneki will have to say when he sees what it looks like in person. It's worse than words can describe.]

But it's the only option you've got.

[Kaneki is silent for a long time, before:]

Eugh.

[That's really all he can say about it right now. Just that disgusted, resigned noise.]

Where should I be looking?

We look outside. Anywhere you see Titans walking around, really.

[Eren turns on his heels, heading for the doors. He plans on starting the search now.]

[Kaneki starts and has to hurry a few steps to catch up. Somehow, he wasn't expecting Eren to go with him, but he definitely can't say it isn't a bit of a relief. Eren at least has experience with those things, in case they get into trouble.

His relief isn't enough to keep him from protesting, though.]

Isn't that dangerous? I mean, more than this whole thing already is.

Maybe? I'm not the best at planning things out. [He usually leaves that part to Armin...

His friend's current situation a good part of the reason he's so on edge. Helping Kaneki seems like a nice way to let off steam, and maybe even a way to feel useful during an event that has thus far caused him to feel completely useless.

So. What would Armin do?]

Do you think you can hold yourself off until nightfall? That's when they're the least active.

Ah... [He actually thinks about that for a few seconds.] Yes. I can wait. I'll have to. I don't want you to be in any more danger than necessary.

Night it is.

[Eren slows his pace, but doesn't stop walking entirely.]

What are you going to do until then?

[Kaneki keeps pace with Eren, though he's no longer sure where they're going.]

Stay out of everyone's way. It's the best thing I can do now.

[Panne is doing rather the same as Kaneki at the moment. To be honest, she's had it up to her eyeballs with the Mansion as of late. This has to be at least the third or fourth time that it's decided to take the power of her Beaststone from her, and she does not take such slights kindly. Not to mention when she's stuck in her humanoid form, she's useless as a fighter, having no skill with blade or bow. As much as she'd like to help the forces outside, there's nothing she can do.]

[And the smell. Dear Naga, those giants outside stink to high heaven, like rot and death. It puts a permanent grimace of disgust on her face.]

[The sight of Kaneki only lifts her mood so much.]

'Lo, Kaneki. [He seems a little nervous and shifty, so she lifts her ears to listen to his heartbeat.] And how does this wonderful mess treat you?

[Kaneki can guess that, if he can't summon his kagune, Panne must be stuck in this form. He can tell she's displeased and surmises that that's why. He doesn't know how lucky he is that his sharpened sense of smell disappeared with the rest of his ghoulish traits.]

Panne-san. [He nods a greeting.] I um...I'm a little worried. I'm having a hard time finding something to eat.

[Though his nervousness comes across in his voice, it isn't over admitting that to her. It's about the situation in general.]

Are the closets no longer cooperating?

[That would explain his behavior. She quirks her head to the side.]

Can you think of any reason why? Does it have to do with the chaos going on outside?

I think so. All they really want to give me are rifles and that gear so many people are using.

[And Panne should know from their many training at dawn sessions that Kaneki is really not that coordinated.]

It's not as bad as it could be, at least. Even if I attacked someone, they'd be able to hold me off pretty easily. But I don't know how much longer this is going to last....

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