blitzcheer | ( voidtrecker ) inbox

[ With points awarded and a little time to kill, Roland makes an even earlier start than usual. He takes a quick trip to the kitchen for a carrot muffin, a little too sweet for his liking but delicious nonetheless, before jogging to the nearest ICP terminal popping out of the wall. He bites down on the muffin, lets it dangle against his mouth while he types against the screen with both hands. ]

Well, now. Thank you kindly, train.

[ Roland's eyes grow slightly wide, checking how many points he's gathered: 134. Perfect. He's already done the math in his head, and without hesitation, he types in what he needs first and foremost: his backup. A higgledy. A High Higgledy, to be precise. He adds a little bit more - a gift for a friend. An Arms Band order is placed for Tidus too, before he finishes his round. But he types awfully slow, making sure every word on the order is precise to avoid confusion, so if anyone had to use the ICP here, they'd have some time to line up and wait for him to finish... ]

If Tidus is looking to see if his things are still intact, he'll find something else there too.

Hey,

I'm not sure how our conversation is going to go next time we meet. Hence, the letter. I won't force you to talk, that's not my style. You come to me when you're ready, ok?

You're one of the first friends I had on this train Tidus, and I intend to keep it that way. I hate to see someone as happy as you in this state. You need to take care of yourself. This is going to take time for you to heal up properly. Try to give yourself that much. Don't go do anything crazy, alright?

You've always got a friend in me, Tidus. Hell, you're like a brother to me.

I'll see you when I see you.

Zidane

P.S. Stop being so tall man, I was tempted to keep your hoodie just cause it's so comfortable.

[ It's like the world on repeat. Because there's been a whole mission inbetween, and there's a myriad more things to worry about at this point, and yet here Inigo is again. All the same. At Tidus's door.

It's not hard to notice the other still not being around as much as usually, and of course Inigo is going to fuss over it. That much hasn't changed, no matter how much else has in the meantime.

But rather than sitting outside his door and talking to it like he did before the mission, instead Inigo is just.. going to knock here. Until Tidus opens the door. Open up, bro.... He can do this all day, bro!! Especially now he knows it's not like Tidus is avoiding him or doesn't want to see him! That brings renewed determination to all this! ]

[ Sometimes the dumbest conversations start in the most normal situations.

Like when you're both sitting on the floor while you take a slight break from training, higgledies now hopping all around them and chittering among themselves as if it's just a regular thing now. Just their life now.

The two of them are quiet though - for once, just a second - before Inigo pipes up, completely out of the blue: ]

Do you think I should tell Roland that I like guys?

[ He's going to do it anyway.

But might as well check the brovice first. ]

[ Inigo is the first to leave the Stores after their little one-on-one talk to clarify things, and there's a wave to someone that Roland recognizes even as he takes his time to figure out what in the world just happened between him and Inigo in the first place. But it can't be anyone else other than Tidus, so he knows to leave after Inigo does, hoping Tidus stayed behind the adjacent room.

He is there, seated on the table, cross-legged. Which, on any other day, would have meant Roland's reprimand to sit properly, people eat on that, but today is not that day. Today, Roland waits until it's safe to speak, then rushes over to Tidus with his arms crossed against his chest and his expression almost dumbfounded. ]

Hey. Did you know about this? [ Never mind that he might have been eavesdropping. There are more important matters at hand right now! ] Inigo just...told me he likes men.

[ Instantly, the very moment Tidus picks up: ]

Tidus. Hang up. Try calling Roland.

[ He just hangs up. (Even though he said hang up, but, whatever.)

TENSE, INIGO? HAHA, GOOD JOKE, PAL, HE IS SO CALM RIGHT NOW. CLEARLY. OBVIOUSLY. ]

[ First, find someone you trust to be with you. Tidus knows about this, if he's around.

Well, that narrows it down pretty quickly, doesn't it. Someone he trusts to be with him - if he narrows it down, then it'd be either Tidus, Taiki or Roland, right? But Taiki is already such a sensitive soul, and Inigo can't imagine Roland would be particularly happy with Inigo going along with this experiment.

So his fellow teen in crime it is. Inigo seeks Tidus out among the weirdness of the biosphere, jogging over in his direction once he recognizes the familiar form. ]

Hey, Tiduuus! [ He calls out, pretty loudly still - though as he approaches the other, Inigo seems to get a bit more serious. This isn't just something he's fooling around about, after all. ]

I need your help.

[ Today the train seems to consist of nothing but chaos.

And whereas usually Tidus and Inigo tend to be the origin of any kind of chaotic shenanigans going on around them, today that's definitely not the case. And it sure wasn't hard to figure out what was going on either, considering all these kids with faces that seemed familiar, yet younger - and Roland's obvious change. Something weird is happening again, maybe something similar to the voidstorm. Hopefully something that should similarly not last that long.

But for now they've just retreated from all the chaos. The constant sound of quick footsteps as kids run around, the screaming. And while there aren't too many places to hide from that sort of thing when you're stuck on a train, the spa carriage seemed like their best option for now.

.. although their spa carriage decision brings a whole new discovery with it. Perhaps Tidus has already changed into one of the available trunks, but Inigo seems a little slower.

And not out of a sense of embarrassment, this time. Instead he lifted his shirt, took a look, and then let the part of the shirt he was holding drop from his hands again, so he's still just wearing it. ]

Tidus?

[ His voice is a little soft, yet surprised at the same time. Inigo turns his face towards the other. ]

It's--.. They're gone. [ A very comprehensive explanation as to what exactly he means, huh. ]

Kazoo 4

[Inigo had advised Entrapta that Tidus was a good guy to go to for fighting observation, so she finds his room. With a balled-up fist shape of hair she knocks on his door, her real hands tucked behind her back.]

Hi! My name is Entrapta. Your friend Inigo said you could help me!

[Maybe.]

[ She's gone.

At least he saw it coming. Not that he didn't hope, the moment he saw her name had turned golden right after the mission. Maybe she'd come back after all - he tries to keep at least a spark of hope alive in his heart, connected to that thought. But that didn't mean he could just ignore the very real possibility that his mother would be among the people walking off the train the next time it'd stop at a platform.

And so she was. Her name crossed off the roster, as if it was never there to begin with. As if she was never on the train to begin with. And maybe she's just back home now. But they can't be sure, right? Inigo still remembers the answer the train gave him, Taiki and Tidus that day vividly. What happens to people when they leave the train is unknown.

(Please let her be home, he prays in his heart. The only thing he can do. Asking Naga for her safety, for her happiness. Please, please, please, let her be home now..)

The uncertainty lingers in the dark corners of his heart though, dragging Inigo down all day. Even as he tries to talk to newcomers, trying to pretend everything is normal. After a while.. he just can't anymore.

So Inigo drags his feet back to his cabin - even that has changed now, huh, with the inevitability of people leaving - and climbs up onto his bunk to drop himself there.

He doesn't move anymore. ]

[ It doesn't take too long to find out about the new rooms that are available, after looking around the sleeper carriages to see where his room, and the rooms of several other people he knows, are now located.

It takes a little longer to think about it. Not for himself - Inigo instantly likes the idea. It's not even that he dislikes their current roommate, Rose has been nice enough to him when they spoke before. But sharing a room with just Tidus would mean being much more comfortable about a whole lot of things, knowing no one else will see them or know about them. Like his dancing gear or magazines. Not to mention that the idea of sharing a bed with Tidus is...

.. well. Inigo's opinion about that is probably clear enough already.

No, the hesitation comes in being unsure what the other would feel about the idea. He thinks Tidus would probably enjoy having a place just to themselves too, having just a bit more space for the both of them. But with Tidus being ~~slightly~~ quite a bit less touch addicted than Inigo himself is, he wonders if the other would be bothered by the idea of sleeping in one bed, even if they'd still have more space than in their current bunks.

Inigo stands there for a while, watching some people sign up for it, and then decides to go and find Tidus anyway. Sure, it'll be a disappointment if the other guy says no, but it's not like he's going to even have a shot at getting a 'yes' as an answer until he asks.

He walks through the train until he finds the other, trying to smile more easily than the nervousness in his heart makes him feel. ]

Hey, Tidus. Did you see the new rooms?

[ It's not often that Inigo spends a day on the train like this. But maybe it's exactly what they needed - or maybe the one thing they can handle after how that mission ended.

It's already later into the day, sometime during the afternoon - or whatever passes for an afternoon on the train, anyway - and Inigo and Tidus are still in bed. Inigo has had plenty of reasons to be glad that they moved into their own little private double room, but this is one to add to the books: it sure makes it easier to just stay in bed together.

Not that they haven't done at least some stuff. They put up some of the things they (or, well, mostly Tidus, since he's the ideas guy) took along from that odd city, making the room feel even a little bit more like it's theirs.

It's after Inigo lets his gaze linger on the lamp filled with jellyfish for what feels like the umpteenth time that he rolls over, facing Tidus again. It's hard to see the other without thinking of the amount of pained faces he's seen the other make only just the other day, honestly. Inigo is thinking of it even now.

.. He's thinking of the way Tidus disappeared back there, even now.

Inigo hasn't brought it up earlier. Too distracted by the relief of ther reunion right after the fact, and then there just hadn't been time between saving civilians, and then.. well, then the illusion that brought both of them down. ]

Tidus. [ He says, softly, half-muffled by the way he's leaning so heavily on the mattress below them, his cheek smushed against it. ] Can I.. ask something?

Edited 2021-05-27 19:18 (UTC)

[ Inigo knows that the party isn't everything to his birthday. After all, he did ask Tidus for one other thing. Surely the other guy still remembers too, right?

Even though it means waiting until the party is over. Inigo even stays with Tidus afterwards to sort out the whole leftover food situation, but once they're finally truly done, Inigo figures he ought to speak up.

Even though he feels so nervous about it. Is it weird? They already discussed it before, so.. probably not, right? Then why does he still feel so nervous?!

His throat feels so dry, but Inigo opens his mouth anyway, forcing out the words before he has the chance to get so insecure about them that he can't say anything anymore. ]

I, uh.. I can still.. have my other present, right?

[ Inigo is so nervous.

He's determined to make this a success, sure. He's been planning this for ages now! But maybe all that planning is exactly what's making him nervous now, considering he knows about all the things that could make this go very wrong. Like looking nervous, for one. He's asked Tidus earlier in the day to come to their room a while after dinner for you know what, but the lack of specific timing on this train thanks to the lack of regular clocks leaves Inigo with so much time to prepare that he ends up having a little bit too much time - forced to spend the rest of the time with trying to get the nerves out, by screaming and jumping.

Is it working? He's not sure.

What he is sure of, however, is that he stops any and all shenanigans the moment he hears the sound of someone right there outside the door. He nervously smoothes his hair, his clothes, before quickly turning towards the door and stepping towards it the moment he can hear it open.

And when it is open, Inigo immediately latches onto Tidus's hand, drawing him in enough to make the door fall closed behind him. It leaves the initial moment startling, sure, but Inigo doesn't seem to move after that. He just stands there, one hand still holding on to Tidus's wrist - giving the other a moment to actually take a good look at him.

Since there's a lot to see. Inigo did put on his dancer outfit, as promised, but it's not the only thing. There's a tiara nestled in his hair, makeup around his eyes in dark blues and golds, and stick on jewelry in similar hues on his stomach, accentuating his belly button.

Inigo still feels deadly nervous, but he's trying so hard to not show it. So hard. Tidus likes it when he's confident. It's what this look demands. ]

Hey, handsome.

[ At least he manages. He's shoving these nerves so far down in order to flash the other a charming smile. Inigo may even have tried using the lamps they ~~stole~~ took from places as mood lighting. ]

I believe it was my turn to show you a good time tonight.

( he's avoiding having to think hard on gift culture here where everyone's a mishmash of cultures by leaving this for tidus outside his door, with a folded piece of notebook paper bearing his name and wei wuxian's signature, followed by a smiling face.

congratulations, here's your plush otter, wearing a tiny shirt with an Aquafir logo on it. )

[ Look, sometimes braincells are rubbed together into great ideas.

Or what Inigo thinks is a great idea, anyway. A true effort of collaboration between him and Jingyi over here, and he actually does seem genuinely excited to present this gift to Tidus - or at least, he thinks Tidus would be able to appreciate it moreso than anyone.

So the moment they're back on the train, Inigo is already (metaphorically) dragging Jingyi over to find the other guy. While making Jingyi hold the mystery box.

Sorry, bro, apparently those of us with dragon strength need to carry it. ]

Tidus, Tidus!

[ Look who's sounding like an excited toddler today, waving his arms. ]

Tidus, we got you a gift!

[ Inigo decides to go alone to the remembrance.

It's just.. he wasn't sure if any of his friends would want to do this. It might be too heavy for them, even though he knows that each and every single one of them has suffered loss in some way, would have something to think of at a moment like this.

But who says that they'd want to think about it? To Inigo it's practically unthinkable to not honour both his father and his mother at a moment like this, no matter how awkward his relationship with his father is - was - or how much it hurts to think of his mother. He knows that he had to go.. but he didn't want to burden anyone else with the thought of having to be witness to such a heavy moment.

So when Inigo spots Tidus in the crowd, he's a little surprised to see the other. Out of all people he imagined might voluntarily go by himself, the other guy certainly wasn't at the top of his list.

.. and yet.. here is he. Inigo is close enough by the time Tidus speaks to even hear what the other is saying.

It leaves him awkwardly standing there for a moment. Does he speak up? Does he not? Would it be interrupting something too private?

Inigo frowns, still not sure of his decision, even as he's making it. Even as he's already speaking up. ]

.. Tidus. [ His voice is soft, but still audible over the crowd around them, considering most people are kind of quiet during this part.

Inigo isn't sure what else to say though, other than the other's name, quietly said like that. ]

He can't do this.

It's the realisation Inigo never wants to have, and yet he can't stop it anymore. After already having felt crappy on the train, and then going into this mission and just running for days on nothing but fumes and sheer determination, it feels like he has completely drained himself at this point.

It all started this morning. First there was the realisation that something felt different from the few days before, like something was lifted off his shoulders - except instead of a burden being lifted, it was a boon. A presence that felt like it was there with him through the days he just tried to work his ass off and keep his emotions in check is now gone, leaving behind a hollow void that only makes the emotions more intense than they were before the presence helped him out.

And then there was the realisation that some of the distortions had changed, that one of them now lead to a hellscape not unlike the one he and his friends fled from back home. A world they had been determined to never let come to pass. Sure, Inigo tried to do the usual things. Inform everyone. Try to stay on top of it. Try to give advice, try to help out.

But the longer he lingers in that distortion, the harder it gets to not see Ylisse all around him. To not feel the same overwhelming sense of dread and despair. It's like the distortion in front of his eyes and his traumatic memories start to blend together more and more, until it's unbearable, until it feels like he can no longer breathe, until, until--

Until he flees the distortion. He sinks on his knees right outside it, unable to think of anything.

Instead Inigo just sinks to his knees. It feels like he's having a panic attack, even though he tries to suck in deep breaths. He feels so awful. About what could be happening back home, about their current existence on the train and its instability, about this mission and the way they're erasing people, about this distortion, so much like Ylisse.

Gasping for air, he feels hot tears starting to stream down his cheeks. He can't do this anymore. He's not strong enough to just keep pushing on, and--

And he doesn't want to be alone. He knows he can't call anyone, because he doesn't want anyone to see him like this when he's supposed to keep himself strong during this mission, but his heart longs for company, for the way his friends at least get close to comforting him, to soothing his heart.

He thinks of that moment a day or two ago, when he and Tidus walked side by side, and the other had grabbed his hand for a moment, so innately understanding of Inigo's frame of mind in that situation. The way Tidus understands him so easily, the way Tidus holds him..

.. he wants it. In this moment, where he can't do anything but cry and try to keep breathing, he just wants Tidus here with him.

[ Does Inigo feel tired after everything? Of course. Somewhere between being hauled back to the train through the void and jumping in on the rescue of a few people himself, he can feel the exhaustion in his bones as well.

But he knows that it's not the worst for him. He knows that the people who stayed back on the train - or who got to, anyway, since it's not exactly like Inigo voluntarily left - got the worst of it. They had to pull back so many people. And Inigo knows Tidus well enough to know that the other must have dragged back so many more people aside from just him, aside from the people he saw Tidus rescue. Tidus must have exhausted himself in making sure every single person would end up back on the train, rather than lost out there in the void.

So Inigo isn't surprised when he wakes up ahead of Tidus. He slowly blinks, his eyes adjusting to the sight of their room, the first time he's woken up here again in days. It feels familiar, yet a little strange all the same, leaving Inigo staring up at the ceiling for a few moments until the familiar soft breathing next to him draws his attention instead.

He turns his head, spotting the obvious there. Tidus, still asleep. His hair all messy from turning in bed in his sleep, his eyes closed, his breathing steady.

.. he really missed this. Inigo was honestly so afraid that he'd never see this again. That he'd forever be stuck in that state he was in for the last few days, having disappeared out into the void just like everyone who had left the train. He thought he wouldn't see Tidus again, wouldn't have the experience of waking up next to him anymore like this, but..

He does. Here he is, next to Tidus. Watching the other sleep.

It's tempting to wake Tidus up, but Inigo knows that the other can use every single moment of sleep he can get, considering how hard he worked. So Inigo doesn't touch or otherwise try to wake the other.

He just turns his body in bed so he's there on his side, watching the other. Just enjoying this moment that almost feels miraculous, just because he can have it once more. ]

Grasshopper 31 - The morning before the platform stop

horseshoe 1 - 5, the puppy inigo saga

After getting his hoodie back

horseshoe 13, maybe??

horseshoe 25