voidtreckerexpress | [ OPEN ] "would you calm down a little bit"

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[ OPEN ] "would you calm down a little bit"

Who: Tidus and You!
Where: All over! Armoury, standard coach, training gym, sports gym, and games car
When: Merriment 16 - 20
What: Supplies moving, setting up games and exercise equipment, watching that sports game Tidus is really into and also catching a case of ~~home~~ lifesickness!!
Warnings: Last prompt has connections to death/disappearing, but nothing to do with suicide or negative thoughts.

[ DAY 16 ; armoury car ]

"Heyyyy. Uh, so it looks like the train added the lockers I was hoping for. Since Light left, and Tobes's been gone for a while...," Tidus adds with a mutter, already not sounding that pleased, "--I'm puttin' everything from the supplies into them, 'kay? The healing, shields and weapons. There's a tablet with a list of what everything does and how to use 'em. It's voice-automated too.

So...yeah. That's it. See ya."

It's far from confident, the usual casual-sounding that's Tidus been heard over the ICP, but it's on par to whenever he talks about supplies. Lightning's leave already has his mood down, which is an evident sight to anyone who comes to the armoury, where he made the call (and then switched off, not interested in holding a conversation over the thing). There's nothing exciting going on: just suitcases on the ground with their lids open, the array of healing and weaponry waiting revealed inside that's to be stuffed away.

Maybe you come because of the announcement; maybe you're just passing by. You might hear a "shit!" hissed when one of the finger-sized bottles go rolling towards the other side of the carriage from where Tidus is. His movements are sluggish, and he wears an unguarded, doleful look, uncharacteristically quiet. Unless he notices anyone lingering, or just catches someone's eye -- then he'll pull on a smile, and give a simple "Hey."

Or, he's just taking a second to look at locker and its supplies once it's filled, his back to another locker, sitting on the floor. And you might hear him say-

"Hope you kick that god's ass, Light."

[ DAY 17 ; training gym - standard coach ]

( a: treadmills ~~cw cw inigo don't look~~ )

But he's being better by the next day, or seems to be. In the early morning he's in the training gym, pulling odd square containers out by a wall, with what appear to be bars curled around the sides. To anyone whose attention he gets, he offers cheerily: "Hey, how about a go on one of these?"

It takes some pressing in the right places, and then, the 'box' stars to unfold, turning rectangular while the bars raise - and it turns into what's essentially a treadmill.

"Ever seen one of these?"

Or, he could already be running on one, while the second sits there, a spare waiting to be used. Hop on! Tidus won't stop you.

( b: standard coach - blitzball )

There's a few close CR he might push to join him, but if you're friendly with Tidus and you happen to passing through, he might usher a hand, stop you from where you were going.

"Hey, hey! Wanna see me in a blitzball match?"

He's at a table, a device rolled out and a picture taking up the entire 'screen' and an energy drink open. There's footage similar to this to behold (note: without city destruction), with Tidus perhaps present an outfit like this, and his hair blond. Or, you might even get a chance to see him a year younger, in an outfit the same the rest of his team -- and with his hair a brown.

"Oh man!" He says through a laugh. "I can't believe it got video of me like this! This was when I was starting off!"

[ DAY 18 ; sports gym/games car ]

( attempt a: whomp whomp )

Tidus has got a plan. He's had a plan for a while, thanks to Roland, but now is the time to achieve it. It starts somewhere around morning to noon, after breakfast. There's notices slapped on the outside of the sports gym doors, written in fat felt.

'USING THE SPACE 2 MAKE A POOL'

'SWIMMING POOL INSIDE'
One on one side, one on the other. You might get to read them, before the troubles, or after. What are the troubles? That would happen to be when a sound like the equivalent of a bomb going off sounds from inside the gym, and before the doors can be opened from outside, they slam open from within - and water floods out into the hallway, possibly knocking anyone out there off their feet.

The good of the situation: the water is only knee-high deep on an adult. The bad of the situation: ...the car is flooded, welcoming any unsuspecting person who welcomes through the sports car (and thank goodness someone moved the transgate back out). Tidus can be found inside the car - that's impressive flooded from one end to another, in swimming shorts and coughing up water, while a blue pal is floating on the water the opposite end, wiggling and squeaking 'hiiigle!! piggle!!' desperately. ( But, they're only visible to those with a good heart/of good intentions. )

A plan may have not gone off right here.

( attempt a: dingdingdingding! )

"I've got a pool going in the gym for an hour or two! Come join me if you want!"

But by some miracle, they finally get it right. This pool doesn't take up the full length of the gym but one half of one side, away from the walls and about half the size going up from the ceiling. Tidus might be seen inside the water, or just enjoying floating above it; his blue pal nowhere but to seen, but for those who sense energy, may be able to discern there being entities with the water, that is otherwise nothing more than fresh, natural water.

Grab some shorts from the spa car, come and gawk, complain about the room being used up or whatever you like. Tidus dives into the water and reaches out of the 'wall' of the water, to a large trunk homing pieces of coral, breaking it off and bringing it into the bizarre pool - where it shatters into pieces, and the water wobbles...in delight??

[ DAY 19 ; sports gym - standard coach ]

( a: dance dance dance!! or shoot shoot shoot!! )

Oh no, he's in the sports gym again.

But don't worry, there's no water. This time, there's a holographic figure being projected from a round disk on the floor. About as defined as a wii fit trainer, they stand idle as Tidus - dressed appropriately - flicks through a screen of settings.

"Wanna give it a go with me?" Tidus offers, always happy for company. The dance difficulties he goes for are simple to follow, and there's the option of finding him with Inigo for company, if you want to up the potential for dumery. Two guys just doing repetitive dance moves, and if Tidus happens to catch you staring (though, he really needs to keep his eyes on the coach!), he'll grin and challenge, "Think you can keep up!?", in all his usual daring nature.

( Warning: if Inigo notices a girl/woman looking at ~~him~~ them, the possibility of him shrieking is 90%. )

But when isn't Tidus like that? Always up to something, and willing to include another. There's a new addition in the games carriage that Tidus has been having goes on, aiming to raise his highscore. Look at this wonderful gameplay.

( attempt b: 3am thoughts )

But there's more than only his usual buzzing energy going on with Tidus. He can be found in the standard coach on some of the later nights; another energy drink opened, indulging in a fizziness a guy like him shouldn't be so late. The tablet device sits on a simple stand, while his head rests in his folded arms, watching the blitzball footage.

To some, he just looks focused on whatever he's watching - intensely so. But if he happens to notice anyone come in (a 50/50 chance), he pauses the video, or just brings the device down -- like a guy trying to hide his shame, head turned towards the window, his face a warm pink. He might look back with a not-trying-to-appear-awkward "Hey" if he recognises the person - but otherwise, just, you know. Acting like he didn't do that!

Nothing weird about him, bro.

[ DAY 20 ; sports gym (late) ]

( note: prompt has some allusions to death, may involve talk related to it; nothing negative/suicidal! )

It's late again, and Tidus has something he wants to find out.

Why? There's a few reasons in his head. A few thoughts have been in his head, leading him into the sports gym, out of the way. He could go somewhere more private like the quiet car, but Tidus likes the sports car, spends most of his time in it. He likes the space and silence, as empty as it is right now.

He has a device on him, and he's counting down the time; his SCA on the floor next to him, in easy reach.

Counting how long it takes for his skin and the rest of him to start to discolour, shimmering into greens and blues; until it becomes see-through, until it gets to a point that it scares him, and he can't countdown any more and needs to grab his SCA again, all he can grab at that point.

But as late a time as Tidus picks to do his experiment, maybe he ends up not the only one there, caught with his eyes on the tablet device, ears not picking up on the doors farther away from him when they open.

Unless the person is particularly loud - then he'll reach for his SCA, and scramble to get it on quickly, the colours across his body fading as a more solid form returns.

[ OTHER DETAILS ]

[ Want to do any of the above but on different days? Treadmills, dance exercise, and gaming are available on any of them! Inigo can also be a 3rd person for dancing. Feel free to message me for any questions/plotting!! ]

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He groans, the sound soft, his forehead coming down on the tops of his fingers; feeling like a jackass for making a case on the obvious, for talking like Madoka wouldn't personally know what it's like, and yet-

He can never help himself, can he? Even now, even though there's nothing they can do, and she's right.

"It should tell you." Tidus says it anyway, words muffled some between the space of the table and his face. "You deserve to know, Madoka."

Deserve, deserve, deserve. It's what he always says, what he tells everyone. They deserve better, we all deserve better. And nothing ever changes, there's nothing else to be said. He regrets it, that he never learns better. Pulling back his hands and lifting his head back up, a grimace of an expression that's meant to be apologetic, but too pained.

"I'm sorry. I just... get like this sometimes. We should get to bed."

He puts his hand on the device with that suggestion, making it disappear in a gold colouring into his arms band. Giving up on the night, giving up on this stupid feeling that's horrible to be putting on a young girl.

Madoka's expression drops a little further when she hears Tidus apologize - but even moreso when she sees that look on his face. It's so sad. Madoka is so used to seeing Tidus in his usual sort of way. When he's being all energetic, and confident, and ready to tackle anything.

It feels like a difference of night and day. Like someone just snuffed out Tidus's light, and it feels wrong to leave things like this. To just go to bed with this mood hanging over the other.

The girl says nothing. But the moment both of them are standing as if they're ready to go to bed, Madoka instead latches onto one of Tidus's hands with her own hand, starting - or trying her best to, anyway, considering their sheer size difference - to drag the other right along.

"No way," she says, a strange stubbornness seeming to take hold of the girl as she keeps moving, making her way over to the transgates. "I don't want to go to bed like this. So.. I'll help, Tidus. I can't set everything right, but.. I'll help."

By doing what? That much still seems to be unclear for now, considering she isn't saying a thing about what their exact destination is.

No one can resist the strength of one pink-haired young girl.

That is, Tidus isn't going to be rude and try! So he's getting dragged along, a stuttering "M-Madoka?" leaving his mouth, the can of energy drink he shouldn't have opened being swished in his other hand as they make their way over. She can't make everything right, but she wants to help - but what does she mean? Is this some aggressive bed-taking and reading him an uplifting bedtime story? Tidus isn't so sure how Inigo's going to feel about a young girl coming and tucking him into bed...!!

"What are you going to do?" Words that are usually said in fear, but fortunately, they're more confused before apprehensive.

Tidus can't begin to guess Madoka's intentions. The intentions of where she's taking them anyway, with her reasons behind her actions clear.

There's no answer from her - perhaps omniously, though it's hard to find a girl who seems so much like the human personification of candy omnious in any way, huh.

Still, she's silent as she continues to drag him along. Thanks to the gates it doesn't take too long to arrive at their apparent destination: the kitchen. Because it's there that Madoka finally lets go of Tidus's hand, but not before turning towards him with the cutest stern words: "Don't move."

She then starts moving to grab some supplies. Not that she's planning on making a lot, since it's so late.. but just a bit for them to share should be fine.

"Whenever I felt bad back home, especially at night.. mama always said I should have something to eat while sitting with her." And granted, those usually were leftovers her father had made during the day.. but with this many big eaters on the train, leftovers are a myth. "Because even if it might not help solve some big problems.. at least it'll make you feel all warm and filled up inside."

How can Tidus ever go against a small cute Madoka? He continues not to, standing in place but doing the fidget things that a person is prone to do when they're confused and not sure what's going on: looking side to side, expression shifting in tiny puzzled ways. Never a still person to begin with, and how is he supposed to be still now...!

But then Madoka finally speaks; she explains, and there's a pang, a feeling to his heart. Sad, but... touched in a way too, with that same dash of guilty that's been there for dragging Madoka into his troubles.

"You don't want me to help?" he offers; then, looking over at the cleaned side. "...if you don't, can I sit on the table?"

Or is that too naughty for Madoka.

Yes. It's obviously too naughty. How dare you even think of going against what Madoka is telling you here, Tidus.

Except she's obviously not that strict at all. Madoka pauses for a moment with the pot she's carrying around - she was thinking of making some soup, considering it's warming, not too heavy, and something that's easy to make - and stares over her shoulder at Tidus.

There's a slight moment of thought, but then she just smiles.

"Well, if you want to help.." Her voice trails off in the sort of way that implies she's not going to stop him in that case. "You can grab some things you'd like to have in the soup."

It's Tidus's cheer up meal, after all. It should be yummy to him!!

Madoooka even when he's sad, Tidus likes to move arooound, he can't help iiit.

But that Tidus can do, though he wonders what kind of soup Madoka was planning to make in the first place. This part of the kitchen sucks; where the fridges are in the stores, but with a look over his shoulder in thought, he looks back at her.

"Fish broth, tomatoes, red diced bellpeppers, make it red and give it a smoky taste?"

Does that go with what she was planning? He's standing there, an eighteen-year-old waiting on a fourteen-year-old's permission.

"Sure!"

Look how well-trained Tidus is, being all polite and waiting for her answer first. But it doesn't seem like Madoka has any trouble with what he's asking. Spoilers: she was going to say yes, no matter what he'd suggest, because she wants to leave it totally up to him.

.. but Tidus does seem to like fish, so his answer kind of aligns with what she was originally planning in the first place.

Madoka beams a bright smile at him. No bummers here.

"I'll get everything here ready in the meantime, no worries!"

Madoka is a kind and caring future goddess.

Tidus is happy anyway, at the permission for having opinions on his own meal (even if it is Madoka treating him!); smiling back at her, a step taken backwards.

"Alright, I'll get what we need from the stores!"

And out he'll go, back into the stores to grab the ingredients to pile in the safety of his arm and chest. They end up here often, don't they? Or Tidus is certainly reminded of the last time they ended up in the kitchen. ...second last time - when they first talked about taiyaki and sweet potatoes.

But this hasn't entirely dismissed his previous mood; rather, it's just made it not sure where to settle as he comes back into the kitchen, setting the ingredients down by where Madoka is, an awkward small smile on his place.

"Anything else you need, chef?"

Well, there may not really be anything Madoka needs.. but considering how Tidus wanted to go grab the food in the first place, she figures that it's most likely better to keep him busy than to just make him watch.

Like an adult giving a little kid a task. Although rather than occupying him to keep him calm, it's more just Madoka trying to give him things to do to keep his mind from wandering too far.

"Yeah, can you dice the bell peppers? Then I'll get the broth going, and then we'll be able to put them right in!"

Look, Tidus! They're being productive! I-Isn't cooking with your pal Madoka fun?

"Sure thing." Dicing it is! A task that is relatively soothing in itself, at least for Tidus. He grabs a chopping board and a knife he likes from a nearby drawer, takes off the top before getting to work.

He's done this plenty of times, with different fruits and vegetables. Learning to dice vegetables, and get patient enough to actually do it - it comes to him even now, the reward for taking the time and not just getting messy with it.

(Okay, it's a little messy. But it's still diced and small...!!)

"Hey, do you think the coconut would be good with any of the fish we've still got to use?"

Thinking about food while handling food. It's better than being quiet or depressing, right?

"Oh, I'm not sure.."

Madoka is busy working on their food over here as well, but she lets the content of the pan simmer for a moment while she's stepping back to think about it.

"I haven't cooked with coconut a whole lot before now." If there's anything the train is good at, it's making them cook with random stuff all the time, huh. The sheer amounts of ingredients Madoka has learned how to cook with out of necessity.. "But it's not like the taste is that strong, so at least it probably shouldn't ruin anything either?"

"Hmm... we might need a few recipes," he considers, then with a bit more mirth, "You'd think the train would give us a few more recipes with coconuts, with how many we get."

He brings over the diced pepper to her, or over to the pot, to be added as Madoka wants it to be. "But it might not be too bad as soup pots, right? A white soup. I can't think of what else to do; all of the recipes are stews or soups to begin with."

Is that what everyone used coconut for? That or cakes. Maybe it would keep with dried fruits.

...geez, he's starting to sound like in his own head like a fussy dork.

The train did give them a lot of coconuts.. Madoka is pretty sure she's never seen that many together in her life before! Not even in the movies!

But rather than remarking anything about that, or even something helpful about what they're making and Tidus's suggestions.. there's another thought that creeps up in her head.

One that Madoka can't help but voice, a small smile on her face.

"It sounds like you're really liking cooking, Tidus."

There's a small scoff at that, an observation that he isn't going to deny, but- he'll hum like it's a bother to answer, a put-on inconvenience.

"I like cooking a lot at once. You know when you get that nagging and you really want to do something? Cooking's like that for me. I don't really like getting in the way of the people here who do it." The cooking, since there's far too many who like to take it up!

"But it's fun. I mean." He huffs, an awkward sound of mirth as he amends, "It's fun when you know other people are going to eat it. I guess I could just cook at dinner times, but it's weird. I'm used to cooking... on my own, in a tiny kitchen. Making whatever's around and sticking it in the fridge as leftovers for later."

The arms bands are his fridges, in this case.

There's a bit of the answer that feels very uniquely Tidus-like, Madoka thinks. Something about the way he jokingly pretends it's something really bothersome. The way he jokes about getting in other people's way - but then all of it mixed up with sincerity at the end.

(There's also that remark of him cooking in a tiny kitchen back home.. Then again, Madoka supposes it's not too odd. Tidus is a little older than her, it's not too strange for him to be cooking at that age, right?)

It's the sort of thing that's probably better to not ask about, and instead she makes a hand gesture to imply he can put the diced ingredients into the pan.

"Do you like eating together with other people too?" She instead asks.

Edited 2021-08-16 19:52 (UTC)

In the peppers will go, whatever tries to cling to the board knocked off with the edge of Tidus's hand. He didn't bring the knife over, ok.

"It's alright," he says, nonchalant. "Eating with the others during breakfast? S'nothing special. But," and the thought is twitching a bit of a smile on him, a glance to Madoka taken, "--eating with a group of pals? That's fun. It's always fun! Going out and hanging with friends was always a fun time."

The cutting board's been settle to the side, and he looks at Madoka proper.

"But that's normal, isn't it? For everyone. ...well. 'Cept the real loner types."

Guess he can't forget those.

"Well, some people also just aren't used to it.. Not necessarily because they want to be alone, but just because they never had time or an opportunity to spend time with friends like that."

Like Homura, Madoka thinks. Some parts of this place could actually have been an opportunity for the other girl, and yet.. she had already disappeared before she could make any real friends here.

She doesn't want to linger on the idea, instead looking back at their stew as she stirs it a little.

"Though it's a little sad, the idea that some people just didn't even have friends before.."

"Yeah," he agrees with the last of what Madoka says, softly. Watching the saucepan the same way if she does, if just to give him somewhere to set his gaze.

"The people here... you can't really guess the kind of lives they've had, but it's usually not that great." It's good to assume, more of the time. "As much as I don't like the train, I like them getting a chance to experience something different. Even if it's just for a while."

Even if they can't keep it, even if they can't take it back with them. Everything about this place is temporary, always temporary.

"Maybe it helps them when they get back. I hope that's the case."

Madoka softly hums.

"Me too.."

Especially when some people's stories just seem so sad. Sure, Madoka had a hard time the last little while before showing up here, and it's not going to be easy when she gets back either - but at least she got to live for fourteen years as a totally normal girl.

A lot of people here didn't get that luxury.

.. Tidus doesn't have some of that luxury either, she thinks, considering what he said. The train is all he has now.

"Did you also get a chance to experience something different here, Tidus?" It's followed by a slight pause that's mostly just Madoka looking at the pan,and then making a surprised sound-- "Ah, and can you please grab some bowls? I think it's almost ready!"

Well, he can't answer if he's on bowl duty. There's a small 'oh!', but Tidus hurries over to where the bowls are kept, opening up and grabbing a pair, getting two spoons to go with it along the way. He sits them on top of the chopping board, splitting them apart with a 'Here', so she can add the soups in.

"Well, I'm getting fish soup right now." A late answer, once the soup is being filled in from the pan to the dishes. Tidus slips a spoon into each, and he'll scoot one of the bowls closer to him, swishing the spoon along the surface.

"Wanna take the first bite together?"

Don't worry. Madoka is a patient girl, she can wait for him to grab the bowls first. She can even wait while she ladles the soup into the bowls..

.. though she does laugh when he says that.

"I'm sure you've had fish soup before!"

Right? .. R.. ight?

Madoka sounds amused enough for it to be obvious that she's joking, feeling comfortable enough with Tidus to actually come out of her shell a little like that, but at the same time she's not entirely sure. Still, fish soup must have been a thing where Tidus comes from!

"But.. yeah, let's do it!" If not just to make this a little more fun. And that's the idea behind this, right? Just thinking about having fun, and being together with a friend, and not much else. "On three! One.. two.. three!"

"But I didn't have it with you," he explains, a slight lilt to it, fun and teasing. Shared in time so Madoka doesn't have to worry or assume the worse about Tidus suffering a life without fishy soup goodness.

Otherwise, he manages to chime in to echo with her 'three!', and with the soup on his spoon, Tidus leans down for a bite, going with putting the whole thing in his mouth than being delicate about it. It's a smoky taste with the paprika, just how he likes it, and he scoops up another spoonful to enjoy, humming positively on that one.

"I don't know 'bout coconut soup, but nothing beats fish soup!" Heheh! He nods his head over to the opposite counter.

"C'mon, let's take a seat. No one's gonna tell us off at this time."

Because there's nowhere to sit except for on the steel tables, and Tidus is here to be naughty. You saved the kitchen from Tidus's butt for a while, but not now, Madoka...! He's picking up his bowl carefully, taking it over with a mission.

(To sit and eat.)

There's a small part of Madoka that, even as she's certainly enjoying the fish soup, kind of wants to pipe up that her parents told her that it's not polite to sit on tables though..

.. but then again, Tidus looks so happy again right now that Madoka doesn't want to do anything to ruin it. So instead she follows him all the way over to the tables - though she has to put her bowl down for a moment to pull herself up onto the table. Life is hard when you're a tiny girl.

"It's okay. People here on the train are so nice.. I don't think anyone would scold us even if more people were up."

(That might be just a sliiightly too rosy view of that, but okay, Madoka.)

If Madoka's little legs need help, then Tidus will hoist her up onto the table than have her fuss and struggle, easy as pie. Get her on there and jump on himself, wiggling his butt into a good spot so he can pick his bowl back up.

"It's nice when the kitchen's quiet like this, huh? ...or eerie," he adds without much space between, nevermind the contradictory qualities. "I can't tell which. Everyone likes to go hang out in the spa if they're still up."

No one ever wants to play late night sports. Weirdos.

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