voidtreckerexpress | Excuse the mess but we live here.

Entry tags:

Excuse the mess but we live here.

Who: Gladio and... anyone! If someone from Blue Team wants to come assist, they can!
What: Gladio has a mission. And is bored. So bored.
When: Egret 19, dawn. Or as dawn as you can get. And will be going on almost all day till he gets to the cabins.
Where: Currently the dining car. But he will be everywhere!
Warnings: Just a bunch of silliness, really! ^^ Gladio has only one working arm currently so this should be highly amusing. Come help him, chat to him, judge him as you pass by, whatever floats your goat.

Gladio was no stranger to getting down and dirty with the troops. His father had taught him well. Just because he was the Kings Shield didn't put him above others, he needed to do his part to the cause, so to speak.

Which was why, when the Shield discovered that his 'Team' had chores to do, he found himself in the store carriage picking through the cleaning supplies to get a start on doing just that. What else did he have to do, exactly?

After picking through the cleaning products that he would need, Gladio headed for the next carriage. For now he was only going to clean the common areas, without having permission from the other passengers he wasn't about to go barging into bedrooms demanding they get the hell out so he can tidy up their mess. No, he would start from one end and work his way through. The dining carriage was his first port of call. He had polish and cloths for tables and chairs and anything else he could find that undoubtedly had layers of dust. The kitchen he bypassed and up he went, armed and ready to do battle with dust bunnies and coffee rings.

The fact he only had one usable arm did not deter him. He didn't really need two to clean, right?

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"I'm used to open spaces..." He shot the kid at his side a glance and offered a small smile. "This is a slow torture for me. Sitting around doing nothing, can't imagine anything worse." Not for someone like him. He needed to be able to move. He was always on the go. Always doing something. Those stolen moments of peace and quiet where he could sit and read were precious and rare and all the more special for it. But now? It was all he seemed to do. It was starting to lose some of that specialness.

"What about you? Are you okay with all this sitting around on your hands waiting for something to happen?" He had stopped cleaning now and had actually turned to give the kid his attention.

"Ah.."

Gladio picked exactly the wrong moment to give Inigo his full attention, because Inigo sure wishes he didn't have it right now. After all, that question makes him think about his situation back home. Thinking of days where he had to fight until it felt like his arms were about to fall off, of nights where he couldn't sleep with worries over the people he cares about being in danger or the guilt of killing.

Compared to that, this feels like paradise sometimes. A vacation. But he can't exactly say that, considering how little he wants to talk about his situation back home. But it's still impossible to hide the awkward pause when all of that shoots through his head as he just stares at Gladio.

His head dips a little, and something sad flashes across his face before it's quickly hidden behind a slight smile as he quickly returns to cleaning.

"You know. It could be worse? The people here are pretty nice. And the food's good too." Not that that's a real direct answer to that question, huh.

Gladio frowned, not understanding what he'd just seen there. But since he didn't know the kid he didn't want to pry too much.

"It could... And part of me is almost happy to be here. Back home it wasn't the best. Least from what I'm told my future didn't look the brightest." Gladio had missed out on what the others had seen. Luna's passing, Ignis' losing his eyesight...himself being an ass during such a time. "I just don't like enclosed spaces." Gladio continued with a low chuckle. "Do you like camping?"

Geez. That's something Inigo hadn't even considered yet - that people in this place could be told by others what might happen in their future. This may just be the first time he's felt glad to be the only one from his world in this place. It's probably better not to know.

He gratefully latches onto the last question though, happy to have something to talk about that doesn't make him think too much.

"It's alright. But I've done it so much in the past few years before I ended up here that it was pretty much the regular way of existing to me." Thankfully it's easy to play it off as just a lifestyle choice or something.. "It was so strange to get used to actual beds again here."

He laughs.

"If you don't like enclosed spaces, then I'm guessing you love camping. You sure look like you could wrestle a bear."

Edited 2020-04-25 17:44 (UTC)

"You did?" Gladio couldn't help but grin. "That was the same for me and my friends. We travelled before we came here. Camping almost every night." And he'd loved it. It had been his element and he'd enjoyed every second of it.

He laughed right along with the kid and had to nod.

"If you ask my friends they'd say yeah, I love camping. I like being close to nature." Another laugh. "Not to wrestle bears though."

"I can imagine why being on this train would suck for you then. Not much nature here, other than those few plant boxes they put up and the greenhouse car." And even the greenhouse isn't really nature, now is it.. Sure, Inigo likes it there, but half of the things are still growing and it's not quite any wild piece of nature.

He shakes his head though, prefering to focus on the positive rather than the negative. Especially since he finds himself quickly prefering the way Gladio laughs over the way he can scold people... Please, let him stick on the good side of this guy. He's even working hard on cleaning up here for it!

"You're seriously going to tell me though you're never wrestled a bear before? Not even once?"

"Not a bear, no..." Gladio laughed again. No he'd never wrestled a bear, but the list of creatures he had was a mile long and he didn't think this guy would know many, if any of them.

"Tried my hand at a behemoth once, does that count?" That was the biggest and baddest creature he could think to name.

See, he was onto something here after all! There's no way that a guy who looks the way Gladio does hadn't at least done something similar. Hell, even Inigo has fought bears before, and he sure feels his near average amount of muscle paling in comparison to Gladio.

"A behemoth?" He repeats the name, like he's searching his memory. "Can't say I've ever heard of those before. Are they bigger than a bear? Probably, right? Even just the name alone already sounds kind of intimidating."

"They're... damn big." Gladio chuckled. "They'd use this train for a chew toy." Which wasn't much of an exaggeration. They were massive things, terrifyingly large and dangerous as hell.

"What about you?" Gladio have the kid a searching look and smiled. "Where do you fall on this train? Fighter or not?"

Inigo's jaw just drops open as he hears that. Sure, he expected something big, but.. that's beyond anything he could have imagined! That's bigger than any animal he's ever seen! Geez, apparently this guy just really is as impressive as he looks. (Now Inigo is pretty glad he didn't piss him off any further..)

His mind slowly starts processing the fact he was asked a question though, and so Inigo shakes his head to snap himself out of the thought of behemoths to answer it.

"I'm a fighter." He can answer that much confidently. It'd be doing himself a disservice to not call himself that after all he's done back home. "Believe it or not, but I was actually a mercenary back home."

"A merc, huh?" Gladio cocked his head to the side and looked the guy up and down. He was a little on the clownish side, acting the fool and borderline childish. It had reminded him just a bit of Prompto. But he knew how capable a fighter he was and now he was looking at this other guy, really looking at him... he was seeing hints. It was in the shoulders, the arms. There was strength there. And then the eyes. There was something...

"I believe it." Gladio replied with a low chuckle. "Personally I'm military trained. My job was to protect my Prince, now my King. But I've met a few mercs in my time. Most were good. Are you a good..." He gave a little gesture of his hand for the guy to fill in the blanks, because so far he had no idea what the guys name was.

Of course out of all of the possible people to run into, it just had to be someone who protected a prince. Of course. This is his kind of luck. No wonder the way he was getting scolded earlier felt so familiar! He sure hopes that whichever prince Gladio is protecting doesn't have to be on the receiving end of that, sheesh...

Before he can get too lost in that thought though, he realised he's practically being asked a question here. "Oh-- I'm a swordfighter, mostly. There's some other weapons I can use if I try, but swords always felt the most comfortable to me."

There's the tiniest moment of hesitation before he holds out his hand to Gladio, hoping a handshake from the other might just not crush every single bone in his hand. "My name's Inigo, by the way. And.." Any hint of hesitation is quickly replaced by a slightly too hopeful smile, as if this part only seems to have been fully processed by now. "You really believe it?"

"Gladio." He grinned and took the hand offered in his one good hand. No, he didn't shatter the guys hand. While Gladio's grip was firm, it was also warm and his smile friendly. He wasn't trying to make a point of strength here.

"I help train fighters back home." Gladio replied. "I trained Noct. So yeah, I believe you when you say you can fight." And as if to prove it, the hand he'd been shaking he turned over so that Gladio could see the palm. They weren't the delicate, smooth hands of someone who didn't know what hard graft was. Which puzzled him given the way the kid had reacted toward being asked to clean up his own messes.

"Maybe one day you'll show me what you're made of." Gladio chuckled. "And I'll go easier on you next time you mess up the dining room."

".. thanks, Gladio."

It comes out after a moment of pause, but it sounds very genuine. Honestly, Inigo's starting to feel a little bad for having gotten such a rough first impression of the other. Not that he wouldn't freak out again if Gladio yelled at him, but.. he doesn't seem super strict now. Not in a constant-no-fun-allowed kind of way, anyway. There's a lot you can tell from someone's handshake, and Gladio's is definitely a good one.

Although the most important part is that Gladio believes him. For real. And so quickly too. Inigo is so very unused to people giving him the benefit of the doubt, so it means the world to him. While he's trying to look at least a little cool here, there's no way he could stop a hint of the dumb grin it gives him from slipping out anyway.

"I'm curious to see what a guy like you can do too."

Gladio grinned. And showed him.

He moved his good hand to the side and in a flash of warm blue light he materialised his sword. The thing was as tall as Gladio was and nearly as wide. Black and gold and beautifully ornate, and wickedly sharp.

"When I'm fully armed, I'm pretty handy in a fight." Gladio winked, showing he was teasing and making a joke of the fact that he was currently only able to use a single arm.

Well.

Now that's something Inigo didn't expect. Especially since he had no idea that Gladio was able to pull out his sword that way, nor that he could do it with only one hand.. and especially not that the sword would be that size. Inigo's jaw is just about on the floor. He may not be as much of a nerd for swords as his cousin is, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate something like this.

The admiration is obvious on his face even as he metaphorically picks his jaw off the floor and laughs. "That was a terrible pun, but I'll forgive you it since that sword is amazing. I mean, I'm no bad swordsman, but I'm nowhere near the level of skill that has to be required to wield something like that."

Gladio thought it had been pretty damn good! But he couldn't help laughing, even as he twisted the sword, causing it to swish through the air until he was holding it out by the handle toward Inigo.

"You won't know unless you try." He had shorter swords and he would probably offer one of those to him in a minute, but he was curious if he was being humble or not.

"Huh?" Inigo glances from the sword's handle up to Gladio's face and back. Like he can't believe what he's seeing here. Is Gladio really letting him hold his sword? Sure, Gladio said he believed Inigo earlier, but this feels like such concrete proof of that fact that it just completely baffles the boy. Trust isn't extended to him like this very often, and so when it comes across his path now, he's not sure what to do with it.

Other than to try to live up to it. Because failure when he's being trusted is unacceptable.

".. Alright."

He's still feeling nervous as all hell, but he actually grabs a hold of the handle. The sword is much bigger and heavier than what he's used to, and it shows, but as he puts a bit more strength into it, Inigo actually manages to hold onto it without dropping it like an idiot. He does have some muscle, after all.

"This is really different from what I'm used to.." Inigo even sounds more contemplative now, like he's actually taking this seriously. "Almost more like the axes I've trained with a few times back home."

For a second or two Gladio didn't think Inigo would take him up on his offer. And he wouldn't have really blamed him if he'd said no. That was very much the guys choice. There was no tricks, he wasn't teasing and he wasn't trying to put the younger man on the spot. He was just honestly curious as to his capabilities. That fact he'd seemed so shocked made him wonder if he had to fight to get people to understand just what he was capable of.

So he waited for Inigo to get a good enough hold of his sword and slowly let go. There was a moment where the sword dipped, but Gladio grinned when the kid was able to actually hold it up.

"It's called the 'War Buster'. It's a Greatsword. You're right, it lends itself more toward axes than actual swords because of how heavy they are and difficult to wield. But with practice you can account for that." He'd been using swords like this for so long that he could wield it like he imagined Inigo would be able to wield a normal sword.

"Lots of practice, no doubt." It's not that he can't imagine himself ever using something like this, but it's so far from his usual style that Inigo knows he'd really have to dedicate himself to practicing it for a long time to even be able to get used to this weight in his hands. Just holding it up like he does now is already much more of a struggle than he's used to with swords.

Although it makes sense, considering what Gladio looks like. That guy is so ripped! No wonder he'd be able to handle a sword like this.

"Don't get me wrong, I mean this in a positive way, but.. it really seems like a "you" kind of sword. It's exactly the kind of thing I'd imagine a guy like you would wield."

"Lots." He agreed with a laugh. Many years, in fact. Too many years.

With a smile, Gladio held his hand out for his sword to be returned. He didn't want Inigo to struggle needlessly with the sword after all. He'd seen what he'd wanted. Inigo wasn't just all talk. He could back up his words.

He laughed again, louder and more cheerful this time. "Can't imagine me with a little knife or something, huh?"

Inigo will gladly return the sword. He's doing so the moment Gladio holds out his hand like that. Not that he doesn't like the sword, it's awesome, but Inigo is pretty sure he's going to regret holding it for so long if his muscles would start to ache because of it in the morning.

"No way." His reply is almost comically fast. But it's just the truth! A big guy like Gladio with a small knife? He'd probably have a hard time being as subtle as the kind of guys that use those where Inigo is from, considering his stature. "I'd show you my sword from back home, but unfortunately I can't just pull it out of nowhere like that."

He's surprisingly calm under witnessing that ability though - he's seen weirder here on the train at this point.

"And this place sure doesn't seem to like giving us weapons, even though it expects us to fight. So you've gotten lucky to have yours with you like that."

Gladio laughed loudly, very amused by just how quickly Inigo replied to him. Was he that bad?

"I'll give you that. Little knives aren't my thing. But I can use them in a pinch. I've trained with different weapons. Guns aren't my style. But great swords are what suit me best." He had the size and strength to use them and it just worked.

He let the sword return back to the armiger and grinned.

"I'm lucky to have a King who has the ability to share his magic with us. Especially since this train really doesn't like to give weapons." He gave Inigo a curious look. Maybe the kid wouldn't be able to answer him, but maybe...? "Any idea why that is?"

.. kings can share magical weapons with other people in the place Gladio comes from? That sure is a fact that Inigo is mentally filing away. That would for sure be a useful thing to have in his world too, but.. no, wait, scratch that, it'd probably end up being yet another way in which he'd be letting everyone down as a prince.

So instead of remarking anything about that, he blinks as he takes in the man's question.

"I don't think we've been given any official reason. I always assumed it was since they didn't want them falling into the wrong hands. It only takes one person who gets a little too stab-happy, you know?"

"I suppose I could understand that..." Gladio agreed with a slow nod. But then he began to laugh. "Guess the train didn't take into account us who could summon them, huh? I could get 'stab-happy' and make short work of a lot of people before anyone thought to stop me." He said this so matter-of-factly, as if he were speaking about the weather and not murdering half of the train.

"I won't." But he could. And it would show the train for the idiot it was not making sure people were properly armed when surrounded by fighters and warriors from so many different worlds.

"Besides, hard to do much of anything with one hand. I'll be glad when I can get use of my other." It was driving him insane. Truly insane. But he supposed it was better than being dead so he was lucky there.

Excuse the mess but we live here.

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