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voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in voidtreckerexpress2022-02-12 07:08 am
No Place Like Home: On the Train
ANNOUNCEMENT
The female-coded voice of the Voidtrecker Express speaks, as smooth and calm as always.
'Please, may I have your attention. I have been compiling answers for you, and it has been noted that many believe it is wrong that you were brought here at all. This is an opinion you shared with the ministry. You were not asked on this journey. You wish to go home. Some of your worlds are in danger. Some are gone.
The need for heroes is vital, and the Voidtrecker Express must continue saving worlds. You have done countless good. However, it was not the intention of this voidcraft to keep you prisoner.
Those that wish to leave may do so. I shall send you back. You will return to where you last were before you were pulled here. It can only be to that exact place. Be ready. Exiting voidspace in ten, nine, eight...'
The countdown finishes, the only warning as the train shudders as it leaves the void. Outside the train's windows, they see a familiar sight: of a smoke filled platform.
'For those voidtreckers that wish to leave, all you need to do is walk through the barriers. The train will remain for one hour for you to partake in parting rituals.'
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: TRAIN
GOOD BYE...
Those that have been on the train more than the twelve days of this month will be very familiar with the sight before them. A smoke filled platform, polished stone cobbles lining the ground leading to two large stone arches, with glass barrier doors. All that is needed to leave is to press their ticket to the reader next to the doors, and they will open.
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
Unlike most people who leave each month, blank eyed and silent, the people who choose to leave will be able to say goodbye, They can take whatever they wish of their belongings from the train, or leave them for those that remain behind.
The air is chilly, enough to discourage standing idle outside for too long, but not so uncomfortable, so long as people are bundled up. The sky overhead is cloudy, giving the platform an altogether dull and melancholy air. There are no new people waiting, just an empty station, and the barriers, with all that lies beyond them.
The doors will remain open as promised, so that those who wish to leave, may do so. The barriers let them through and they disappear.
[ Note: A top-level for goodbyes and leaving can be found here. ]
REMAINERS
The train, good to its word, remains for one hour before the horn toots, a warning to board if they are planning to. And this is where the first inkling of things not being right, when some who try to board the train might find themselves instead pressing their ticket to the barrier, and those who try to remain on the station - or leave through the barriers - may find themselves stood on the train, with the doors closing behind them.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
"Apologies Voidtreckers. Retrying entry to the void in ten, nine..."
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.
Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.
But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.
Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
It's a much smaller crew who remain as the train counts down, the usual shudder as the smoke vanishes and the kaleidoscope of the void appears. Only for a second, before the train lurches violently to the side, flinging everyone sideways before righting itself just as violently.
As people regain their feet and their wits, they will realise the obvious - they are stationed back on the platform, mist and smoke swirling around the train.
Once again they are jerked into the void, and once again they tumble out. Hopefully this time, the passengers thought to brace themselves lest they get thrown across the carriage once more.
STUCK IN TRANSIT.
Phasing back to the void seems unlikely. It's clear something has gone very wrong, but the doors remain shut, and the train remains silent. There are a few attempts over the next few days, always warned for and given a countdown, but always ending in failure.Outside the windows, the fog swirls around, remaining thick. It seems for now, they are going nowhere; for now, they must wait.
But they needn't sit idle, with the attempts at getting back into the void having made a mess. While anything large is bolted in place, and shelving have rails to protect anything inside at normal levels of turbulence, there's still a lot that has gone flying as the train was lurched around.
It might be wise to secure anything else as well. It's clear they will be trying again to return to the void, and it might be wise to avoid having to clean up all over again.
SHADOWS WHO ONCE WERE.
The platform outside the carriage windows is shrouded in smoke and fog, fluctuating in thickness as it swirls around the train, obscuring the view.But those looking out of the window may spot a figure. A friend. Someone from the train; they appear, then disappear. Sometimes there are many, sometimes just one alone. Sometimes they leave together. It's not easy to see them, as they drift in and out of the fog, and visibility is bad.
They cannot hear them, or interact at all. They can only watch as more of their fellow Voidtreckers appear, vanish, appear again. The doors will not open, the train remains silent, clearly dealing with whatever problems it has ran into.
It's clear that something has gone very, very wrong.
A SWIRL OF REALITY.
The constant entering and exiting of the void takes its toll eventually. Sleep is harder to come by, there's a general sense of disorientation as the train moves in and out of void space. It is more than just their bodies that are being bashed around, it is their minds as well.Tempers might peak or emotions might come on stronger than they usually would. Adding in the stress of the situation, and the knowledge that those who left seem to be returning, leaving, and returning again to the platform, and passengers are unable to call out or reach to them, it's a very tense few days.
When they do sleep, their dreams are plagued by weird dreams. Not always bad, but bizarre for sure. Often they dream a dream that is not theirs.
OOC NOTES
OOC post. Ask questions here.
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
This is the first half of February's event. It will last between Poi 22-25 (12th to 19th February). The second half of the event will go up during 20th to 25th February (Poi 26-28) where those left behind will rescue those out world hopping.
Feel free to play out threads for as long as you like, of course! A few details:
- The train will not be responding after its first attempt to leave the station
- No matter what, the doors won't open.
- Though they can see the voidtreckers outside, those outside don't seem to be able to see them through the windows and so communication between the two groups will not be possible.
- Likewise their SCA comms are not working during this event.
Good-byes
What a sick joke.
He's bitter at the train now-- a sentiment he knows can't last; he'll have to let it go properly-- but it does give them time at least to say goodbye. What little time it'll allow them to have. One hour. A month wouldn't be enough for Esteban to collect the goodbyes he wants, wouldn't be enough for him to gather his hoard and polish it to a pristine shine so that he will not forget, cannot forget them.
But he has now; make the best of it.
The grin that splits his face is as wide as he can make it; a touch of sadness at the corners, maybe, but he'll say goodbye to the friends he's made with all of his heart and soul, every single one of them. Tidus is precious to him too, he realizes, and he doesn't give himself time to think too much about it before going to hug him, his sunshine companion. The little thought lifts his spirits a bit higher, at least, and he feels better already.
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"Hey! Too bad I never got to see you do your real dancing. But you take care, alright?" It's definitely the position of someone seeing another off, than getting ready to leave with Esteban. The right words for that lacking, the spirit not there.
But he lets Esteban have his hug for a bit, before thinking to pull away, and ask: "You want any snacks for the road?"
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There's a shake of his head as Esteban denies it, not particularly caring for the snacks right now when he still feels half offput by the entire situation. It's only when he takes a step back that he notices Tidus doesn't even have his bag with him, doesn't even have anything. Just... waiting at the doors, rather than walking out.
"How 'bout you?" he asks curiously, lingering-- every minute he buys with his friends is another 'now' he can collect greedily, even if it is tinted with sorrow. "Waitin' for someone?"
Oh! Is he waiting for Inigo? That would make sense. Esteban only half-remembers the message that had given him such a strong kick of emotions, only knows that it had felt personal somehow, with how he'd barely re-learned to make friends only to have them wrenched out of his hold. A "don't get attached" that the half-elf knows he'd react non-verbally to if someone had said it to his face. (He tucks that anger away too.)
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So he's met instead with the question, one that his brow furrows for, lifts, a 'welllll...' emoted before it comes out, with Tidus's gaze looking out at the platform, then back. He raises a hand to rub at the back of his head.
"It's gonna be awkward, standing around out there..." He pauses, then tilts his head. Sheepishly: "I've never been good at goodbyes. I'll just wait here and wave people from the train!"
...which sounds dumb the second it leaves his mouth, but there it is.
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"You're stayin'?" He wonders aloud, startled, wondering-- Zetta had said no one wanted to stay, no one wanted to be on this train, not willingly, but if Tidus is staying--
He makes his decision in less time than it takes for his words to finish. Esteban spins on the ball of his foot, twisting his burlap sack with the ease and practice born from years of spinning poi. In less than a second, the bag is sent sailing, flying through the air even as the half-elf finishes his full turn, a brilliant smile back on his face.
Sailing somewhere unfortunate, judging by the crash and the stutter of rolling bags and suitcases behind him. Esteban does not turn, but a wince crumples his chirpy expression for a moment, and he rubs at the back of his head in an unvoiced apology, before shaking himself up.
"Oh, no!~" He pretends, and the over-saturated tone of his voice is clear, even when his smile does not disappear, proving he is not half as heartbroken as he
cannotpretends to be."Looks like I lost all my stuff an' won't find it back b'fore we leave!~" Un hun. Entirely believable, sure. "Looks like you're stuck with me a lil' longer, Sunshine~"
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what.
Scratch being surprised about the hug earlier - this is what surprises Tidus more. It's not the spin that gets him, but as the bag goes flying, smacks into the upper cargo, drops into some seat gracelessly. He stares at it, its direction, and then back at Esteban, the hand behind his head as still as Tidus is speechless.
"Uh?" It's only a sound he manages, even as Esteban voices his new intentions. Because-? Uh?
"...Did I miss somethin'?" Tidus feels so lost, so behind. Did he say something? Did something just happen?! More than Esteban throwing aside his bag, that is. "Esteban?"
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"New plan! Hey, did you know-- did you see?" He jumps out of his own thoughts, beaming with an eager grin, and reaching out to Tidus' wrist, so he can tug him along. "There's a weather system in th' stone garden! We c'n get rain an' wind an' snow! Like, anytime!"
This, he is eager to share, and he's already moving, as if he hadn't just made a complete one-eighty over the chance of going home. It doesn't seem to phase Esteban at all to make the choice, and he's striding on and away, same as any other day, eyes bright as a summer sky.
[ooc: Oh! There's a paper origami and letter memorial in the stone garden! Could Tidus help relocate it before someone makes it rain in there?]
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"Don't you want to say bye to everyone? --wait." Wait, and that word does make him pause, to try and get Esteban to stop too. "Is this because of me? You don't need to stay because of me -- I'm fine!"
Honest, he is! He's cool with it! 100% cool and fine!
[ ooc: he could now! ... or accidentally forget and them it gets wet. BUT THAT'S OK. it will get moved...eventually. ]
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There's a bit of a pause as Esteban tries to formulate his words, just a quick one, startled that Tidus-- what, worried?-- about his decision, but he's quick to try and lay the thought to rest.
"I mean, yeah. I have fun with y', Tidus! 'S it so surprising that I wanna stick around?"
It's... just that simple to him. He doesn't have a reason to go back-- hasn't had a reason to go back to the Moon Mountains in four bloody long years, and any-- any friend Esteban has made on the train is more than reason enough for him to stay. He wouldn't leave them behind. And for now, the travelling is more than enough to keep him entertained; even if they only see actual proper skies once in a blue moon.
He's okay with staying. Better even, he wants to stay.
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The why that he's looking for might be obvious enough without asking, but Tidus can't help but to do it anyway, confusion still weighing on his brow:
"Don't you have somewhere to go home to?"
People? Friends, family? More than a guy he's known for a few weeks, or anyone else on this train, at that. So many were choosing to go back, and Tidus understood why they would want to. And he could understand wanting to stay too, but - that was a little harder, apparently, for his head to wrap around.
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"Not really?" There's a bit of a question there, because, sure, Esteban would like to go home; but it's kind of more like wanting to visit than wanting to return. Just pop back in, say "hi", and then walk back out.
"I've been a travelin' entertainer for years, y'know. 't's a bit hard t' make friends when you're movin' out every two weeks." Not that Esteban doesn't manage. He's always been sunshine-bright and friendly, and people like him well enough. But it's been... He's glad he's here now. He's glad he's met everyone on the train.
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"I just...wanted to know you were sure. --Sorry," he adds; because he has no right to be bugging a guy about it, but he can't help it. Gaze finally returning onto Esteban, if lacking the knowledge of what to say next.
(Probably, 'well, let's go!' would be good.)
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"I always do what I want, Sunshine; couln't stop me if you tried~" Or at least, there's very little that could stop Esteban when he's on a roll. But Tidus does deserve a bit more than that, and Esteban is fine to add it for his companion's benefit.
"I just don't ever wanna regret things I haven't done. Not--" He's not foolish enough to think regret will never happen ever but-- "Not long-term, at least."
"So 'f I say, 'I wanna stay', it's because I decided to." Another grin. To Esteban, it really is that simple. Between his homeworld and his friends, there isn't even really a competition at this point, and his world will always be there when he came back.
He has so little time with the people here, he doesn't want to lose any of it.
Which does mean that Tidus brings up a good point about staying back and saying proper goodbyes to those leaving, even if Esteban doesn't feel like he can sit still for a moment more.
"Change of 'change of plan'," he manages, laughing at himself by now. "We'll wait until we leave b'fore going t' play with the weather." There's sliders, Tidus! Sliders! Esteban is going to love tweaking the stone garden to be just right with whatever weather he's in the mood for! "Which option's your favourite?"
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Not everyone would want to, or be staying for that reason - but it's a nice one, Tidus thinks.
"You mean weather? 'Cause a sunny sky's my favourite." But he's not sure that's what Esteban means, and cocks his head to the nearest open doors. "But saying good-bye first sounds good. Weather's not going anywhere - or us!"
Esteban isn't the only one with the incredible humour around here, a grin accompanying that goofy joke.
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It's the first time he actually sits down with Tidus to talk about Tidus, now that he thinks about it, and Esteban suddenly has too many questions to ask, that he doesn't know where to start them. But well, his grin returns easy enough as he hops up to sit on a suitcase, pulling one foot up to tuck underneath his opposite knee as he gets comfortable. The toe of his boot still on the ground bounces with relentless energy, but he's trying his best to sit still.
"What's something you think 's missin' from the train?" He's curious as to what his companion might have to suggest, and with his own request filled by the votes, he figures he can help out his friends, bit by bit.
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"From the train?" Wow, he can make a list there. His brows lower quizzically, but, thinking about it... "A sunny view, fresh air, a beach; seeing the stuff you buy before you order it, wider everything."
He makes a motion of the narrow design of the carriages being brought out more box-like, offering more space. Yes, please.
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He's only ever seen the one side of the train after all, and the entire concept of travelling in a long noodle, though quirky at first, had definitely grown less interesting as the days passed by. Esteban has a tendency not to even use the TransGates because the movement helps him feel a little less trapped, even if he has to walk up and down the same hallways twenty times in the same day.
"Why a beach?" That one's a bit more quirky. The rest he gets it, but the beach in particular makes the half-elf curious. Esteban would love for a giant tree to be set in the train (another logistical nightmare he wouldn't outright ask for), but that's because trees are so important to his culture. He wonders if Tidus has the same problem as he does.
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So without more than a beat, Tidus explains: "I play a water game professionally, blitzball! I grew up over the sea too. So a beach? That's the best spot to go - hang out and relax. Anything!"
Anything you want to do on a beach, with some waves and all.
"S'better than being stuck on a train all day."
Being stuck on a beach? He'd deal with that.
You have No Idea how long I've been trying to get this detail canonically
That's so cool! The redhead is delighted to hear that detail, tucking it away into the corners of his mind, shifting his understanding of the person before him.
Sunshine had seemed all well and good, but it had been so shallow, so simple, and he'd been missing more; missing details. Now; now Esteban has something more concrete, something more personal, and the glint of sunlight gets captured in a bottle, with sand grains so fine and soft they whisper when shifted, and blue waves that sigh as they feather against the shores.
Tidus.
A more sunny grin he could not find, beaming, relieved to hear about the blond directly for once, rather than the missions, or the items they'd been seeking, this sort of friendly-but-strangers distance Esteban had not particularly cared for. Greedy, he knows, but it's a part of him, and the half-elf has long since learned to roll with it, to embrace this side of him so eager to get to know other people.
"How d'you play it? What're the rules? H'w many players d'you need? We're y' th' one wh' request'd th' pool? Wait-- was it a pool that was requested, 'r a pond? D'you want me t' help y' with th' votes?"
If Esteban's speech pattern is a bit of a mess on a good day it is nothing compared to his overeager torrent of words now; hardly pausing for breath as he utters all the questions that rush at him at once. Better hope Tidus caught even a third of that.
Finally, we are here
"Hey, hey, hey, hey." There's a laugh as Tidus belatedly repeats the word, for a frenzy already at an end. Hands up in an amicable gesture. "One thing at a time, okay? I'll tell you about blitzball - but after everyone's gone. I've got some footage of games back in me and Inigo's room; I'll show you!"
Which he's happy to do, pleased to; it's something to look forward to, a familiarity of a life he can't really enjoy here on the train, or off of it. A grin keeping on his lips, amusement more than it should be, all things considered.
"I can even show you some moves out of water - not as cool as the real thing, but I have a ball!"
And no shame to stop him from showing off.
*finally gets back to this after a week and then some,* orz
"Break it down for me? How d'es it play?" He asks eagerly instead, leaning a bit precariously over his own seat until the angle pinches at his foot and he can feel it fall asleep underneath him. He grimaces a bit when he switches it out, still sitting just as crookedly before a new question gets more of his attention.
"Actually; better one. What d'you love the most 'bout it?" That's making Esteban really curious now, and he wants to know, because everything he can gather about his friends are little bits of treasures to him, kept more preciously than gold or diamonds into his hoard.
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"--I love the thrill of it!" But, the answer's a fairly easy one to come to. "Going up against another team, putting your all in it? It's about skill and teamwork, and being able to read the field!"
He needs so little, and in floods the passion that starts to light Tidus up. A glow about him in his movement, his certainty, the hand he moves in a circular motion along with the flow of his talking.
"You have to be quick in blitzball, and know how everyone's going to move. At least be able to guess it; if you've got the ball, then you know they're coming for you! You can't float around stressin' and overthinking everything."
A grin's wormed itself on his face, bold and confident.
"But when I have the ball? It's time to shoot for the goal!"
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Oh, but that does explain a lot! The way Tidus was this sort of anchor point for everyone when they went on mission; how he constantly kept other people updated with new information and made sure they were well equipped. There was confidence in him, yes, but it had also taught him to watch out for the others in his team as well. Altruistic, but with the training to back it up into proper structure; something Esteban himself lacked. He could learn a few things from him, now that he wasn't wandering alone anymore.
"That sounds like lots of fun!~" 'Dians, here they are, staying still in order to provide people they care about with proper goodbyes, but, darn it, they really aren't helping their case, are they? Esteban wants to move so badly he's jittery, and he unhooks his poi from his belt to toy around with the straps, tangling them around his fingers and then off again.
"Okay; now break it down for me?" He snickers at his own tangent thoughts, constantly tugged between twenty questions that he wants to ask. "How d'es a game play out?"
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"Okaaay, okay." But he'll still make it sound like he's being put upon by Esteban's insistence. Just, nevermind the smile on his face. "Quick version is, you have two teams and one ball! Your team has to get the ball and put it in the goal on the other team's side. Everyone's moving around in the middle trying to get the ball-" and he waves both his hands to mimic the fluster and movement of the players. "-and there's always someone at the goal to protect it, or people in the middle who're gonna try and stop a shot! And don't forget the important part that this is all underwater!"
Because everyone makes a big deal about the water part, so, you know. Emphasis on the underwater.
"You have different ways you can set up your team, who's gonna stick on which side of the field, who's the one you want shooting the ball, but that's for me to show later. But maybe you've heard of a ball game like that! I know the train's got some like it in the sports gym."
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"Under--" Surprise catches his breath from his lungs, and the sheer look manages to convey more shock than Esteban can truly say, this sort of baffled what-the-hell glance that widens his eyes. He has to make sure he understood that correctly.
"All of it? Underwater?" He pauses for the confirmation, blue eyes searching for a trace of a joke in Tidus' smile, or the tilt of his head. But it seems... honest?
Processing. Wrapping his head around this. And of course, the first questions that pops out.
"Do you have gills?" No wait-- "How many lungs d' you have?!?"
A perfectly legitimate question. C'mon Tidus, cut him some slack, this is Clearly Not Normal for him.
(no subject)
This is now my favourite conversation between them XD
lungs talk itt
(no subject)