#but since nothing has been a proper thread yet bc of my hiatus I'm slapping the number one on this thread

[osmosisdreams]

planned starter | @naitfall

Working in tech usually meant Eren didn't even have to leave the house. In fact, that was true enough that he had gotten used to rarely doing so. That wasn't to say he never saw people, because certainly, people visited him all the time. He wasn't exactly a shut-in, either. He did go out, just... for necessities. Groceries, visiting people, and... well okay, maybe that was about it.

Not that it was entirely intentional. A part of him was uncertain in how to interact with some of his old friends lately. Not just his childhood friends or anything, but his old old friends. The people who could say they knew him before they were even born here. It was becoming instinct to wonder if those people recalled the things he recalled, or if those things would put a strain in their relationship.

Didn't matter today though! Floch had dragged him out after finding out from Jean that Eren hadn't left his house closing in on a week. They were probably getting worried, actually, but Floch had resolved to yank him along to a tea shop so he could at least leave the house. It wasn't like he couldn't work wherever he was, so it technically didn't matter.

At least with Floch he was comfortable enough knowing not all of the man's memories were back. They were scattered, and he'd been lucky enough to not get most of the grisly ones yet.

It sucked that memories of a past life were hindering Eren now. He could remember being mostly similar to who he was as a child last time, and that continued through his teenage years. Unfortunately they seemed to be catching up with him as he got older, reflecting similar years of that life. Also unfortunately, his personality kept shifting in response, and his friends - aware of similar memories or not - kept noticing.

He was expecting to just get a corner table and keep working - flexible hours on his own schedule? Perfect for working whenever, wherever, and however long he wanted... hence why he was pulled out here to begin with... but he was stuck between yes, definitely get that table right now, and wondering how much he should stand out.

There weren't many people left that he remembered as though they were just in his dreams alone, albeit many times over, but there were some; people he hadn't seen again since the times of titans. He hadn't exactly given up the idea that he'd eventually see them, but the world was, well, gigantic. What were the chances he'd see all of them again? That they were all living in close proximity?

Perhaps that was why seeing Levi behind that corner felt like a shock. Having these memories never made him a guarantee he would come across these people again. In some way it was like seeing someone that only existed in the dreams his mind made up actually becoming real.

Despite that he recognized Levi, Floch hadn't flinched, stopped dead or anything. He didn't react at all. He must not have remembered Levi at all at this point, because he walked right up to that counter and spoke with no hitch whatsoever in his voice. "Do you have coffee here? My friend prefers coffee. I'll take a lemon tea though. And... two lemon and two chocolate scones."

Okay, so he recognized someone. He could still be normal, right? Totally. Yeah. "Are you sure you don't want an actual lemon with that?"

"With enough sugar to cancel out the sour I might consider it. You're trying first though."

"By the time you're done testing flavors on me I'm going to have a whole zero taste buds surviving."