Falling Into Flames

Bizarre Oddities

Colaborative piece between Ashkelunita & Rennslyaer

As Eren sat in the portable office, listening to the soft whirring of the AC Unit, he figured this was the best he could do.  There aren't too many places in the world for young kids fresh out of high school, with no work experience, lacking in backup funds or guardians willing to provide them.  It’s not like Eren could have asked his foster parents to pay his way through college, even if he had been close with them, which he most certainly was not.  So sitting across from the owner of the carnival that was passing through town seemed like the best place for him to be.  Still, Eren couldn’t help but run his hands up and down his shorts, attempting to quell his nerves as the man before continued to talk, probably about something important.  Maybe rules, or what his tasks for his first day were going to be, but Eren couldn't focus on whatever was coming out of the man's mouth.  He could have been detailing the events of a mass murder and Eren wouldn't have heard a single word of it.  He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts on the appearance of this man.

The carnival owner was nothing like what Eren had always imagined someone in his profession to look like.  To put it frankly, the man before him looked like he could have been Captain America, but he went by the name of Erwin Smith.  In its own way the name seemed to suit the man, at the very least his last name held the same kind of classic American feel that Rodgers gave off.  Eren had always assumed carnival owners would be large men, balding and with an overall lack of personal hygiene and piss poor manners, but Erwin by contrast had a handsomely chiseled face with a body to match it.  He looked like he belonged in an advertisement for Armani suits more than here in this cramped little office.  His voice was as deep as it was smooth and it made Erwin slightly less intimidating in this whole ordeal.  Job interviews and first days are never a stress free situation, but the kind smile and calm tone Erwin was regarding him with helped Eren with his nerves.

Eren perked up and snapped out of his tangled thoughts at the sound of his name, “…Eren, do you understand everything?"  Erwin was looking at him, smiling gently, "You will need to sign these forms to get you documented as an official employee, and then I can introduce you to the man who will be showing you how things work here during the day.”

Eren nodded enthusiastically, silently berating himself for zoning out.  He watched Erwin straighten a stack of paper before handing it to Eren.  Taking them gingerly, Eren looked them over and held in the sigh he desperately needed to release, the stack was heavy and Eren felt more like he was holding a giant white brick rather than whatever he was actually holding.  He reached over for a pen and began to sign his name on each line Erwin indicated, filling in birthdates and other necessary legal information.  The process took what felt like an eternity and Eren felt exasperated at the amount of paperwork required for something so simple as a job, why does everything have to be so complicated.

~Four Days Earlier~

"Eren no, absolutely not."  Mikasa's voice was stern as she stared pointedly at Eren, disapproval and worry clearly presented in the look she was giving him.  "There is no way you can work for a carnival.  It's not a safe form of work, what if you got injured and couldn't travel with them? What would you do?"

Eren groaned and covered his face in his hands, "honestly Mikasa," barely able to contain how exasperated he was at this point, "I'm not going to do anything stupid while I'm there.  It's not like I’m going to trip over a rock in the dirt and break my hip like some eighty year-old man."  However, as Mikasa's eyes widened even farther as the idea of that possibility settled in her brain Eren threw his hands in the air and groaned in frustration.  "Mikasa, I am an adult, you know!  I am capable of taking care of myself, I don't need you to babysit me."

"But-"

"He's right, Mikasa," Armin chipped in.

"Thank you, Armin." Eren turned to stare at Armin; glad he was finally receiving some back up against Mikasa's endless fretting.  She was always too overprotective; Eren didn't even want to think of the last time he had tried to cook.  She had practically ripped the pan from his hands.  Later mumbling something about the dangers of fire and cooking with oil on a gas stove.  Very pointedly ignoring the fact that the stove was electric and Eren hadn't even turned on the goddamn thing when she had decided to fly into him.