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voidtreckerexpress2022-07-01 05:46 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in voidtreckerexpress2022-07-01 05:46 am
A New Platform [Intro Post July]
PLATFORM STOP: MONTH 19
(SYMPHONY)
(SYMPHONY)
BEFORE ARRIVAL
The voice of the Voidtrecker Express welcomes passengers at the same time as always, sometime after breakfast. With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later, as the colours of the void outside the windows blur more and more.
A lurch and a jolt, and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform.
ON THE PLATFORM
1. THE ARRIVAL
At first, all your character can see is steam billowing around them as they come to their senses. But as their eyes adjust, they find themselves on a platform. It is a small platform, a dusty strip of concrete next to the tracks. The barrier is at the far end, housed in a brick shelter. The sky is dark with clouds and the air is damp. A fine drizzle falls, not heavy at all but they will find their clothes quickly become damp.
They stand in clothes not their own, in a style they might not even recognise. They're carrying a rucksack on their person, and for a moment it seems to just be them, alone on this platform. Before the fog starts to subside, and they'll see they are alone: facing the tracks.
But then there's a roaring sound to get their attention, and out from the fog arrives a train. A sleek black, it reads The Voidtrecker Express in gold lettering on the side. Every one of the doors hiss as they open automatically, and out pours a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some less so, with a majority wearing the same hoodie of four colours as they do, though some sport outfits in a variety of styles.
The train doors close behind them, and the vehicle is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform. A group of people head towards the gates of the platform, their expressions blank and unaffected by their surroundings. Altair Kallig, Aya Brea, Darth Nox, Eli Vanto, Elizabeth, Shen Qingqiu, Soma Cruz, Thrawn. They disappear through the barriers, but no one else can - all people can do is wait until the train re-emerges, finishing whatever changes it's making.
They stand in clothes not their own, in a style they might not even recognise. They're carrying a rucksack on their person, and for a moment it seems to just be them, alone on this platform. Before the fog starts to subside, and they'll see they are alone: facing the tracks.
But then there's a roaring sound to get their attention, and out from the fog arrives a train. A sleek black, it reads The Voidtrecker Express in gold lettering on the side. Every one of the doors hiss as they open automatically, and out pours a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some less so, with a majority wearing the same hoodie of four colours as they do, though some sport outfits in a variety of styles.
The train doors close behind them, and the vehicle is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform. A group of people head towards the gates of the platform, their expressions blank and unaffected by their surroundings. Altair Kallig, Aya Brea, Darth Nox, Eli Vanto, Elizabeth, Shen Qingqiu, Soma Cruz, Thrawn. They disappear through the barriers, but no one else can - all people can do is wait until the train re-emerges, finishing whatever changes it's making.
2. BOARDING THE TRAIN
After a short time, about ten minutes or so, the fog clears and the doors hiss open again. Everyone will feel a pull when they do, a need to board, and those from the train may encourage new arrivals to board. This feeling grows into one of apprehension and turns worse the longer they stay off-board.
For those that do board, they may find themselves in a few different carriages, but most likely the standard coach. A row of seats sit available, with a few tables between each. More likely than not, some cookies have been set out with jugs of drink, and cups available for pouring.
For those that don't, however, they're likely to attract attention if they're spotted. And if that fails... an unfortunate end will await them.
For those that do board, they may find themselves in a few different carriages, but most likely the standard coach. A row of seats sit available, with a few tables between each. More likely than not, some cookies have been set out with jugs of drink, and cups available for pouring.
For those that don't, however, they're likely to attract attention if they're spotted. And if that fails... an unfortunate end will await them.
a. New arrivals will notice a screen and console in every carriage sharing the same message, and a stack of leaflets in holders by them offering further information to the curious (see 'Publications'). There are lavatories available on each carriage on one end, with another console with a deposit box under it at the other. This is the train shop.
b. It'll take some time for newbies to figure out the layout, even if there's only two directions to go in. Go one end, and you'll find the food stores and washing utilities. This month's key ingredient is broccoli, and you're sure to bump into others curious about what's in the stock.
c. Go to the other end, and you'll find the sleeper cabins. Plaques sit on the wall by each door with the names of their occupants, and one of these will be yours - hopefully, they'll figure out that swiping their ticket against the doorpad will open it up to them. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. Room is tight, but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and, the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.
d. At the farthest end in this direction is the luggage carriage, where passengers who have bought items from the train shop will find their purchases. These are scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags, but there's also a small fridge and kettle here with bottled water, for those who want a quiet drink. For those curious about the reward for Purple Team they will find it here
b. It'll take some time for newbies to figure out the layout, even if there's only two directions to go in. Go one end, and you'll find the food stores and washing utilities. This month's key ingredient is broccoli, and you're sure to bump into others curious about what's in the stock.
c. Go to the other end, and you'll find the sleeper cabins. Plaques sit on the wall by each door with the names of their occupants, and one of these will be yours - hopefully, they'll figure out that swiping their ticket against the doorpad will open it up to them. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. Room is tight, but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and, the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.
d. At the farthest end in this direction is the luggage carriage, where passengers who have bought items from the train shop will find their purchases. These are scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags, but there's also a small fridge and kettle here with bottled water, for those who want a quiet drink. For those curious about the reward for Purple Team they will find it here
SOME MISCHIEF
Those exploring the train will find that some passengers have been busy in the kitchens. Three bowls of hard candies are out for display, each labelled with a placard. All are free for the taking.
Energise! Provides an extra boost of energy.
Refresh! Like dipping tired feet into a cool spring.
Calm! Allowing you to start relaxing, like a prelude to meditation.
Energise is a red coloured candy that tastes faintly sweet. When eaten it provides about five hours worth of extra energy. This may lead to characters bouncing off walls, being easily distracted, being extra curious, or blurting out whatever comes to mind, including their feelings for other Voidtreckers. When combined with the Calm candy, a character's focus is increased, though they may feel more inclined to try new things or take new risks or chances.
Refresh is a green coloured candy that tastes faintly salty. With rivigourating divine energy within the candy, those who take it will feel mildly euphoric and floaty, bubbling, or otherwise happier. Literal floating of under a metre off the ground is possible while traveling the void, as well as having characters turn into small eastern styled dragons for about an hour. When combined with the Energise candy, characters may find they're capable of limited flight in the void. They may also find themselves as a tiny dragon with an obsessive focus on something small or silly, lasting as long as their dragon transformation, so about an hour.
Calm is a blue coloured candy that tastes faintly floral. This candy aids with rest and slowing down an overbusy mind. There's a side effect of grogginess after it wears off that grows proportionate to how many candies are consumed. Combined with Refresh candy, characters will find themselves more inclined toward open discussions, forgiveness and letting go, or engaging with people in ways they'd usually inhibit themselves from. So yes, a bit like being gently buzzed, with no hangovers.
Refresh is a green coloured candy that tastes faintly salty. With rivigourating divine energy within the candy, those who take it will feel mildly euphoric and floaty, bubbling, or otherwise happier. Literal floating of under a metre off the ground is possible while traveling the void, as well as having characters turn into small eastern styled dragons for about an hour. When combined with the Energise candy, characters may find they're capable of limited flight in the void. They may also find themselves as a tiny dragon with an obsessive focus on something small or silly, lasting as long as their dragon transformation, so about an hour.
Calm is a blue coloured candy that tastes faintly floral. This candy aids with rest and slowing down an overbusy mind. There's a side effect of grogginess after it wears off that grows proportionate to how many candies are consumed. Combined with Refresh candy, characters will find themselves more inclined toward open discussions, forgiveness and letting go, or engaging with people in ways they'd usually inhibit themselves from. So yes, a bit like being gently buzzed, with no hangovers.
DEPARTURE
The train begins to rumble with activity, and the platform starts to disappear into a fog as the voidcraft moves. A female-coded artificial voice echoes throughout the train.
"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express. Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points, and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."
The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.
"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."
A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.
NAVIGATION ~ GAMEPLAY ~ SETTING ~ CHARACTER INITIATIVES ~ QUESTIONS
Thank you to Rakel (player of Lan Jingyi) for the enchanted candy mischief. Any questions about those should be directed to them.
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But if the other thinks it won't, then Inigo sure won't push. Instead he casually turns towards the papers, like he's not thinking about any of the aforementioned things, and instead just about his paper choices here as he starts to look through them.
There sure are more kinds than he expected.
"Don't you have anything with flowers on it?" He asks, a tiny but amused smile on his face.
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There are pastel blues and pinks with gentle five-petaled blooms, pale wave patterns with crimson flowers as delicate as lace, round blossoms nestled into needle-sharp leaves and dawn-gentle purple with sharp white petals perched above deep forest-green. They're easy to isolate, and Esteban forces himself to slow down as Inigo makes his choice.
He's rushing too far ahead. Decision made, he always ends up going too fast, taking things too far, feeling the tick of time that slips between his fingers. He wants to be more open, he wants to be more honest, he wants to be here with his friend, right now, and instead, he's too far ahead; five, ten minutes in the future, cutting down the time he has even shorter because he doesn't know the meaning of patience.
It's for his own comfort that he leans against Inigo this time, shoulder to shoulder, gentle enough not to disrupt his friend's actions. He'd lay his head against Inigo's, but that's a bit inappropriate, and his friend's shoulder's a little too low to lay his head there. Curse his too tall height. If Esteban were a real dragon, that wouldn't be an actual issue.
But then, that would change everything that he's allowed to be.
"I'm happy that you're here, Inigo." His heart is heavy. But also light. He has now. He has now. "I'm happy that I met you." The smile that curves his lips is softer, gentle. Today is easy.
Tomorrow...
Tomorrow isn't here yet.
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And yet, at the same time, not at all.
Because they are out of the blue in the context of the conversation, but it's not like Inigo is entirely stupid. He can at least read the layers here, realise that there have to be a lot of things here Esteban is not saying. Thoughts that might be knocking around inside of the other's head, though they won't come out - and yet they drive these words to come out of his friend's mouth.
He allows it. Both the words and the leaning. Inigo doesn't seem to push back to try and push him away, nor does Inigo lean away. He just lets Esteban lean as Inigo looks through the few papers that have flowers on them, trying to make his decision while he's talking.
"Glad to hear it," he says, and despite the casualness that hangs around his tone, he does seem to mean it. "I mean, it'd be kind of awkward if we were sitting there three steps away from cuddling and you'd tell me you'd rather not have me here."
It's a light joke! Just a light joke, with the ends of his lips curled upward. It's Inigo's way of trying to keep up the mood, and trying to not make Esteban any more energetically antsy than the other seems to be in this moment. It's almost like he's about to vibrate against Inigo's side.
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"Three steps away, hun. Which three steps?" he asks teasingly in return, but he doesn't actually expect an answer for that. Worse, he's not sure what he'd do if Inigo has an answer for that, and he's-- still playing pretend. A mortal lie, in some ways.
Which doesn't mean it's any easier to say the words aloud.
"Sunshine's literally a bottle of sunshine." He might as well start there. Trace back the objects that have come to mean so much to him. "Y'could hold it up an' see it gleam~" There's laughter again in Esteban's voice, brighter when he shares this, the joy that he has when he sees these gentle reminders.
"There's a bit of sand 'cause he likes the beach, but it's mostly water. I like the way sunlight bounces in it. There's a wave that churns at the bottle's neck, curls 'round it an' make a loop." His hands make a vague shape to indicate the bottle, then a quick circle where there is a loop of glass crystalized as a wave.
"Through it, there's a thread an' a lil' fin danglin'-- that's for Gibs!" He has to move away, because if he sticks to describing them all in as much detail as he's given them, they'll be sitting there for hours if not more.
"Amaya's a pair of gauntlets. Someone's gone ahead an' made an armor for her, but I find it... too shiny-- too bright." And a little too perfect. A reflection rather than the reality of things.
"So these ones 're duller, darker. I wanna find a design to etch on the forearms--" yes, he's aware that would make them weaker. Decorative gauntlets. But it's his hoard, he does what he wants with it! "-- but I'm not sure what yet. I'm thinkin' a tree; but that might be too..." he winces. Tree symbology is a little awkward in his mind, and yet he can't help but view her as a sturdy, gentle presence. Something tall and standing proud, despite the losses.
"They're set on a trainin' dummy, an the hands are placed like this--" and at this, Esteban presses both his index fingers and his thumbs together, leaving the three others raised, before he draws a circle with them, and leaves the side of his palms pressed together. It's his SCA that pipes up this time, a metallic {family} that resonates in the small area which they're occupying.
"Allen's a lil' bitty snowman--" Sorry Allen-- "Sittin' on a deck of cards. Romeo's a plush toy of a fox, with a lil' satchel of nuts an' mushrooms. Najaran's a white cloth pressed 'gainst a shard of blue 's bright as the sky. Kitty--" And this slows him down, hitting a note from someone that they no longer have access to; but he keeps going, because Kitty was important to him all the same. They hadn't had a chance to talk as much as he would have liked, and he misses her. But she is there, in his hoard.
"Kitty's a black cat mask, an' it has a-- oh, it's not a veil, per say? It's kind of thin an' see-through, but there's beads--" It stops him. For the way he'd been talking and talking, leaping from one item to the next, this full-on stops him, because he doesn't know the words, he doesn't know what comes next, he doesn't know what else to say. His eagerness withdraws, chased away by the losses, but he can't... leave it like this.
"Ev'ryone that I care for, ev'ryone that I meet an' love an' laugh with. I make up somethin'. I make up somethin' pretty an' press what I know 'bout them in the design. Catch memories in it an' whatever brightness I can find." He smiles, softer now, the wind snuffed from his sails, caught drifting in the memories.
"That's my hoard." And he would give so much, just to see them all happy.
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It leaves him blinking for a moment, but then quiet, allowing Esteban to ramble on about his little project here. There's a lot of details, but since Inigo knows it's not like he has to memorize any of them - this won't be a test! - it doesn't really matter if there are. It's easier to just let Esteban throw it all out there if it feels like it helps the other guy, and Inigo can just sit here and quietly listen, his own creative work forgotten for a moment.
(Or maybe it's just that he doesn't want to seem too disinterested by doing his own thing while Esteban is telling him such a long story and showing him all of this.)
He's a little temped to make a joke at the end there about him not being there yet and him having thought he is surely a more important friend to Esteban than that, but he's a little worried about the other taking it the other way, so he keeps the joke to himself. Instead he just glances at what Esteban has done so far, thinking that it's got to be the other's way of dealing with the transient nature of relationships here. Esteban's way of doing what others have been trying to do with the meditating, maybe.
"Sounds like you've been busy," Inigo instead replies by the time the other pipes down. His tone is very gentle. "Do you have many more to do? You've already got quite a lot here."
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Did he misrepresent it? Did he not explain it well enough? Where is it that he's missing something? It's very disappointing to him that he'd messed up that badly somewhere but it keeps him grounded at the same time. He's fallen, he's failed. Now he has to try again.
Carefully. He has to try again, carefully, because if he tosses words out right now that don't mean enough, he might never actually say it. And-- to begin with, this was not about his hoard, Dead Guardians in a ditch, everything about this went wrong didn't it?
Still staring out at the papers before him, there's a soft downturn to Esteban's lips, and they thin a bit, reflecting on his own failed attempt. It holds for a moment, his thoughts getting the better of him, but he smooths the furrow between his brows quickly enough, manages a gentle nudge back, shoulder to shoulder as he nods at his friend.
Try again. He can try again.
He starts with a light hum, somewhat agreeing, but not quite as firm as another sound might convey. "Mm. I'm just doin' part of my hoard right now." He grins, but the lack of energy is downright strange to see on him, for how little he is bouncing about this, a more gentle kind of warmth rather than his eager sunlight. "The whole of it would be too much, an' some of them 're just fondness rather than missin' them."
His words are running in circles in his head, and his constant stumbling is tripping him up even more. He just wanted to tell Inigo the truth. He just wanted to trust him with it, tell him, because Inigo deserves to know. But the words clog at his mouth and he doesn't know where to start.
He keeps on opening and closing his mouth, taking a breath to speak up and then changing his mind because it's not working out as well as he wants. He's thinking too hard about it, and he really should just blurt out the first words that come to mind but that seems crass and stilted and those words are long-gone by now. He couldn't find them if he tried.
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Inigo can notice something shifting a little in the mood, and he's.. not quite sure why, really. It's not like he gets just exactly why this hoard business is so important to Esteban in the first place, after all. But even in his confusion about the ever-shifting mood, Inigo just smiles.
After all, there's nothing better to do than to just be supportive, right? Clearly this is all important to Esteban, and Inigo would never want to discredit that, no matter whether he understands it or not. So he continues to speak gently, that same smile still on his face.
"Creative projects like these are usually a pretty good way to try and sort out your thoughts."
Or just to try and ignore said thoughts, but Inigo knows that's a little bit more of an Inigo way. It seems like this for Esteban is instead a way of processing all his thoughts and feelings for other people.
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"I just get myself more confused," he protests lightly, glancing at the papers that have spilled and spilled. "I get to think 'bout people, an' how I miss them, but not--" Oh, better way to frame it. "I get t' think 'bout the past that way."
He gets pangs of nostalgia after all, but Esteban can't ever recall being lost to a memory without sitting still, without turning inwards and stopping the world around him from spinning. He'd never considered that before.
He's always thought of the 'now' better as he moves, a grounding far more effective than the papers and loss and things that he can't change. Maybe that's why he's missing his words now, feeling them still feathering across his mind, but too small and soft for him to catch them yet.
He wishes he could ask Inigo to dance with him again. Unconventional as it is, he feels like if there was something he could do with his friend, it would help the words come out better. Which-- Hang on!
Honesty. He wants to be honest.
"How upset did I make you back on Jema'gerthy? When I asked you to dance with me?" he asks, because he doesn't want to tiptoe around this. His gaze is steady when he turns back to his friend, a light dip between his brows, but he does not want to look away. He doesn't want to tiptoe around anything anymore.
Telling himself it's not the time and the place and always ending up dancing around the issues-- no wonder he can't find his words. Too many layers have piled up, case by case, little nothings that weren't much but still itched at him until he doesn't know how to speak around Inigo anymore.
Is he truly helpful when he does these things? Brightening and sharing only the good things, the light things around his friend? Walking on eggshells because he doesn't want to hurt him? Is it a wonder he can't tell him about things now?
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"Back on Jema'gerthy..?" It's not that he doesn't remember. That's not the problem here. It's just.. "What do you mean, 'upset'?"
Inigo's mouth drops open a little, hanging open like that between words.
"Did I seem angry?" He tries to think back to that moment. Inigo doesn't think he seemed angry, but.. who knows? Maybe it came across that way? It's always harder to tell when you're not some third party seeing yourself from the outside, huh..
But it had been such a non-incident to Inigo that he's not even sure why the other is bringing it up here.
"I was just a little embarrassed!"
(And honestly, when isn't Inigo a little embarrassed.)
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Well now. Clearly he can't really read Inigo right after all. He'd probably made too much out of nothing, really. A little embarrassed is not-- Esteban likes seeing Inigo flustered, he likes seeing the flush rise to his cheeks and the way his eyes widen just a bit; their colours come sharper. But.
"I thought I'd scared you." He explains, his head canting to the side when he returns his gaze to the patterned papers before him. "Or-- not scared; just--" Oh, words are still hard, still difficult to find, but he doesn't want to back away from them. He will reach and grasp them with his bare hands-- these flightful birds that always seek to flutter out of his reach.
"I'd never wanna make you somethin' you don't want to-- there wasn't... a safe spot on that island that I could think. An'... I didn't think y'd dare say no." That's why--
"I'm pushy, an' I know it-- an' with someone like Tidus it's fine, 'cause I'm pretty sure he'd tell me off 'f I forced him, but I wasn't sure you'd try." Inigo hadn't said 'no', just diverted it. Which, fair, it's just--
"So off I go, tryin' to fix things, an' tellin' myself I shouldn't put you in that situation anymore--" He smiles, his grin a little weak, but genuine nonetheless, and the edges are painted with the tiniest bit of mischief that sparks in his eyes. "-- but turns out I kinda suck at not doin' what I like an' draggin' in my friends with me."
He'd only asked him to dance once since-- despite their newly acquired dance studio-- and even then; that had been at the small get-together. The one where they'd all danced together; Tidus, Jingyi, Ryo, Taiki, and them both. He'd done so purposefully-- because he'd just told Inigo he was allowed to tell him 'no', and everyone had poured so much practice-- he hadn't wanted it wasted.
Even if it had not been the happy event Esteban had envisioned when he'd, ah-- suggested Tidus that he should learn to dance.
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After all, to him it feels like Esteban is making this a bigger deal in his head than it ought to be. Or maybe it's just because Inigo - from his perspective - has already gone through this so many times. Basically everyone who has ever learned about his secret hobby has tried pushing him towards being more open about it. Always with good intentions, Inigo knows that, though it's not quite as easy for him to go ahead and just give in to his passion, for..
.. well, an entire myriad of reasons.
But it's why the situation with Esteban back on the island truly didn't stand out in his mind. Not even a little bit. It's why Inigo seems so genuinely unbothered in this moment, because he is genuinely unbothered.
"You backed off when you realised it. So what's the problem then..?" He tilts his head slightly sideways as he looks at the other. "That you got a little ahead of yourself? Everyone does that from time to time."
It's not like all communication is forever clear and not awkward, after all. No matter who you're interacting with, and no matter how close you are.
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"That's not an answer." His voice is soft and gentle, but steady. Esteban is expecting one. Please, Inigo. He's serious about this.
"Would you tell me off 'f I went too far?" Even his accent is almost gone when he speaks, his words more steady, and slower. He needs this. He needs this.
But then... Maybe he'd gone too far. Asked for too much. It wouldn't be the first time.
no subject
Maybe it's a mix of both.
"Yes?" That question mark is mostly there because he feels like it depends on the other's definition of 'too far' in contrast to Inigo's own.. Inigo is pretty sure that Esteban is the kind of person who would never push someone too far in the first place. He's way too nice for it, after all.
"I told you back on the island, didn't I? I asked if we could at least do it somewhere more secluded, because then I would've been fine with it!" He's trying to get better about the dancing thing, after all. Step by step. Doing it out in the open is too scary, but it's not like he's never danced in front of just one friend.. Heck, he danced with Esteban before. It wouldn't have been that big of a problem then. "Esteban, you're acting like you.."
Inigo's voice trails off, seeming to think for a moment. Then he shakes his head, continuing with: "You act as if you tortured me or something along those lines back there."
Rather than just innocently having asked him to dance.
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"... yes? A bit. Not torture-torture but--" His frown deepens when he tries to say the words, a hand coming up to card through his hair. Again? Had he-- he's too mundled-bundled into this and it kind of comes however it wants to, but. But as long as he says it; as long as he clears things out between them, isn't that the point of this?
"I should've-- I shouldn't 've pressured you. I know y'r shy 'bout it an' I went ahead an' started on what I wanted anyways." He hadn't thought about it, but that didn't mean that he should just excuse himself for breaking Inigo's trust.
"I should've been more careful." And for that, he's sorry. But Esteban doesn't believe in apologies that are just words, so he'd started fixing things, but he'd never admitted to his wrong, and it hadn't sat well with him. "I will be more careful."
This time, there's a promise laced in his words, and, for what it's worth, he feels a bit better at that; the smile that lifts the corners of his mouth is a bit more at ease. The words that kept on taking flight, however difficult to catch, are in his hands now, and Esteban can breathe a bit easier.
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So he smiles, reaching out to gently tug the other closer towards him, holding Esteban in a hug if the other will allow him to do so.
"There, then there's no more problem, right..? Next time just ask me if I want to dance first, and we'll be fine."
Especially if it might make them both feel better in the long run.
"I really don't mind it if it's just the two of us, you know? I trust you, so.. as long as no one else can see us, it's-- um, well. I can be brave and dance then." You know, like dancing with just one close friend and no one else being able to see it is some deed that requires great courage.
But apparently it is, for Inigo.
no subject
'We'll be fine.' He likes this. Eyes drifting closed as he takes in the comfort offered; Inigo is truly too kind and patient for his own good. It makes Esteban want to protect this, wants to make sure nothing would harm his friend that might leave scars across how good a person he is. He's not strong enough for it, he knows. But he wants to protect him nonetheless, protect what Inigo finds precious, finds important. Protect any sort of happiness that his friend might gather close, no matter how small.
He lets the silence linger, just a bit, still too greedy and selfish to let go, but he won't let his friend's words fall into nothingness. When they break apart, Esteban's grin is crooked, an mischievous, bright in the corner of his sky-lost eyes when he responds.
"I trust you too," he assures him, nudging his side lightly. "Else I wouldn't have told y' 'bout my hoard. It's what we dragons hold most precious, y'know?"
Levity sheds from him like ice dropping down his spine, finding it again, that little piece of his words that... says everything while saying nothing. He's still hiding it, shifting around the subject. But he is not going to be a coward. He wants to give his friend the truth. All of it. No more pretending. No more playing at being mortal.
"It's what Immortals hold most precious." It's a bit of weight. A bit of a weight he knows won't be understood, but that he has to expose nonetheless. He shouldn't have pretended. It was bad for him all around.
"I've chosen my friends," he adds, smile returning as he allows the comfort of his hoard to seep through as well. It is the most precious thing he has. "The people I've met, what they like, what they enjoy. Smiles on their faces." He grins again, nose scrunching in mischief, as he adds a chirpy "you included~ You've got a pretty smile~"
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Or perhaps - just sorry that Inigo's reaction might be a little anticlimactic. It's just that this sort of thing is pretty normal in his world, so he doesn't seem all that phased by the way Esteban talks about himself. He's got manakete friends back home, and he knows that they tend to live a whole lot longer too than the rest of them. Sure, there's not exactly same stuff with hoards and all that, unless Nah just never told him about it, but the rest of it is all so familiar and normal to Inigo that he doesn't even blink.
(Then again, maybe that's a good thing, considering the context.)
If anything, Inigo seems to react much more to what Esteban says at the end there, moreso than any talk about mortals or immortals. It's that last line that makes him start to blush, letting out a tiny flustered squeak.
"C-Come on, there's nothing special or pretty about it..!"
Yes, clearly being flustered over getting the tiniest compliment ever is so much more important than anything else going on here, right.
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"What-- I'm not allowed t' find you handsome?" They... might be a few month too late for that. Just a bit.
Esteban's ever-present grin is wide across his lips as he asks this, shifting lightly to tuck his ankle at the crook of his opposite knee.
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Inigo answers. Instantly. The word rolls across his lips so quickly after Esteban is done talking that it seems entirely instinctive. An impression that might be helped by the fact that Inigo looks kind of confused after he said 'no' so fiercely, pauses, and then says:
".. Yes!"
Clearly he is putting a lot of thought into this. Either way too much thought, or way too little. Either way, he seems totally unsure of his own dual answer here, and he shakes his head fiercely, like he's trying to reset it to a point where he isn't too flustered to think at all - since that's the point he's currently stuck at, thanks.
"I-- I mean, you can think that? I guess?!" His voice is growing so high in pitch too with how flustered he is, like his voice cracked.. "B-But I don't think that's all that true in reality, you know!"
Don't worry, he doesn't seem upset. This is entirely just fluster, and Inigo being totally unable to deal with any compliment being thrown his way.
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Cute as it is to see Inigo's face flush, his stumbling along with his words is just a little worrisome. He doesn't really know what to do to help his friend not panic so much, but he really shouldn't be struggling so hard with this? Esteban has enough trouble thinking around him to begin with, nevermind when his friend flusters and struggles, and all he wants to do is distract him worse?
No! Bad Esteban!
It's always easier for him to share his affections in actions rather than words-- but he... doesn't have that kind of relationship with Inigo, and that's not something he's trying to change. There's too much laid out between them still-- too much he doesn't know, too much he cannot help with-- that he doesn't dare want for more. Greedy as Esteban is, there are always, always limits he will not cross.
But he can and will absolutely try to
bullyencourage some self-confidence in his friend if he can! Anything at all that he can gift him, that he can try to gift him. If he can just-- find the words-- and that, he's never been good at."Why wouldn't it be true?" He asks, trying his best to keep things lighthearted. "Y'r smile's pretty an' I like the way it lights up y'r eyes." Right, descriptions aren't really his domain-- not spontaneous ones at least. Oh! Better idea. "An' I've called you cute an' handsome an' pretty b'fore now, an' you didn't protest." He's Fairly Sure he did at least. Or was he just thinking it way too loud?
Nah, he doesn't have a good enough hold on his tongue to keep it quiet.
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Either way, he can think of some explanations as to why he might not have flustered. Maybe it was more in passing, for one, or maybe he was focused on something else, or maybe he was still wearing his mask of overconfidence, even though that one is a little more unlikely.. But any of these are still possible enough that he doesn't bother to question what Esteban is saying here.
It definitely doesn't help to get rid of his blush though. If anything, it seems to grow a little in intensity.
"It's different when you draw so much attention to it!" You know, like so boldly asking what Esteban asked him a moment ago. If he's allowed to find him handsome. That's just putting him way too much on the flustered spot..! Or at least, Inigo think so. That question ought to be outlawed.
"I-I mean--" He sputters, then shakes his head. "Do people call you handsome all the time back home?"
It wouldn't be surprising to Inigo, since Esteban definitely is good-looking. Maybe that's why Esteban can say this stuff with such a straight face, rather than flustering the way Inigo does.
(No, Inigo, that's definitely just because you are the shy baby here.)
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"Well, I gotta bring attention to it, or y' don't notice it!" he snickers brightly, nudging Inigo's shoulder lightly with his own. "Y'r not very observant on this," he adds with a toothy grin, as if he wasn't waving a red flag in a glasshouse at the moment. He really shouldn't be allowed to make comments onto anyone's observation skills. Ever.
His question surprises Esteban a bit, but he shakes his head without much consideration, adding a shrug as he casually dismisses it.
"Nah, not really." He peeks at Inigo's hands again while he talks, looking to see if his friend has finally settled onto a patterned paper so that Esteban can steal it from him. "I don't stay long in the same places back home, an' most my conversations turn 'round work more than flirtin'."