Labrynthum Inbox

[13thcommander]

Hello, this is Erwin Smith. Please leave me a message, and I'll get back to you.

Comments

[neighsaying]

That seems like a good use of them, honestly. But, that gives us a good starting point - she probably used what would have been readily available.

[ Jean's also mature enough now to know sometimes there's an element of nostalgia you can't quite recreate. But it'll be a fun project to share with the Commander - with Erwin. With a man he knows the shape and forward face of but not too much else besides.

Something else crosses his mind when he spots them hanging up in the living room. ]

We have our ODM gear now, too. I have the new variant, if you ever wanted to check it out.

[13thcommander]

You do?

[RECORD SCRATCH, subject change!]

I would. Very much, in fact. I know the Corps switched over to them, but I never saw them.

For obvious reasons.

[neighsaying]

Well - let me know when I should bring it over and we can look at it. With your new arm, it might be easier for you to use, or harder. The biggest adjustment for me was not needing to use my hips to adjust the grapples, since it's housed on the arms.

[ Jean knows how to set up the gear for both versions, though - the updated gear even has a version that just uses the hip housing. ]

[13thcommander]

I imagine it would be a considerable challenge with the new arm. I’m getting faster, but I still have to concentrate to move it.

I wonder if it’s possible to make a hybrid, one that uses both hips and arms.

[neighsaying]

It actually is - I know Captain Levi and Mikasa used the hip models as well, when we attacked Marley. The updated design should work with either style, and I think... I can retrofit the old set with what we have here to work, though I might need to contact one of the blacksmiths for some parts.

You might have to get used to only using one blade, but the arm should help with your balance at the very least, and if all you need for the controller is to launch the grapples, we could wire up launch control to one controller... hm.

[13thcommander]

Before we could even think about retrofitting anything, I'd need to get my hands on my own gear. Recreating the harness otherwise would be a nightmare.

[When you're a big, heavy dude like Erwin, your harnesses need to be custom-made. He also doesn't want to ask anyone else to do it, since the last time he talked about the harnesses he got accused of wearing fetish gear.]

[neighsaying]

If you need any help with that, I have shards I can spend on them. I also know people can request things they didn't originally have - Eren wanted his gear after I got mine, and they actually gave him the Anti-Personnel model.

You'd probably do best to start with your model, though; it'll be more familiar.

[13thcommander]

That's a very kind offer, but don't waste your shards on me. I have plenty of my own banked away. I just hadn't thought about requesting my gear.

That's good advice: I'll make sure to request my own, personal gear, lest I get something I'm less familiar with.

[neighsaying]

Well, he asked for it specifically, to be fair.

I have noticed Vaeros wants people to be pretty exacting in what they ask for, though. Don't want to get a different gear from some guy also named Erwin Smith.

[13thcommander]

[Congratulations, Jean, you just made Erwin bark surprised laughter at his phone.]

Now there's a horrifying thought. I don't think the world is ready for two of me.

[neighsaying]

They say two heads are better than one, you know. Then again, I wouldn't want a second Eren or myself running around either.

[13thcommander]

[Jesus, Jean.]

The world DEFINITELY isn't ready for more than one Eren Jaeger.

[neighsaying]

Yeah, you and me both.

What about two Levis?

[ He throws out Levi because he's thinking about the Jaegerists, and this conversation has been mostly lighthearted and he doesn't want to bring up that Eren has a bunch of little mini Jaegers. ]

[13thcommander]

I'm far too old to keep up with two Levis.

[neighsaying]

Erwin, respectfully, you're not that old.

[ Though he does understand that in Survey Corps years, especially for Commanders, Erwin is positively ancient. ]

[13thcommander]

[In Survey Corps years, Erwin is Methuselah.]

And, respectfully, you're still very, very young.

Give yourself another twenty years and then tell me if you think your late thirties aren't that old.

[neighsaying]

Okay, Commander Grandpa.

I'll let you go for now, though. I want to take a look at our gear, and then I need to get working on dinner.