voidtreckerexpress | [Closed] Time to talk

Entry tags:

[Closed] Time to talk

Who: Taiki and various people (Wen Qing, Sarai and Gyousou, Tidus and Inigo)
Where: Various carriages (see threads)
When: Fiddlesticks latter half, after Wester's ICP post
What: Taiki takes Wen Qing food in the med bay. Taiki speaks to Sarai about current events. Probably the next day Tidus decides to teach Taiki and Inigo to play badminton.
Warnings: Mentions of murder and torture though nothing will be graphic or detailed. Individual threads might have more warnings than that.

For Wen Qing (and anyone else in medbay)

He had spent a good few hours wandering the corridors, helping those he could and trying to do things to make anything better.

Of course he can't actually make anything actually better. It is beyond him. But he can try and help people through it. For a creature who so despises blood and violence he has seen far more than his fair share of it. He is not innocent in any sense of the word.

So he helps and listens until his heart feels like it has been cut into a hundred pieces and still he continues because sometimes there is very little that can be done except listen to a person's pain.

He had stayed out of the way of the medical bay, knowing that there at least he would be more a hinderance than a help. But as the hours ticked by he went to the kitchen and began preparing some simple food.

Nothing too difficult or time consuming to eat. Nothing too heavy. He made green tea to go with it and carefully carried it back to the medical carriage.

He looked through the door before knocking, not wanting to disturb her if she was in the middle of something delicate. But then gently knocked.

Standard: For Gyousou and Sarai

It had been a long day and finally Taiki had found his way to Gyousou's side where his king sat in the standard coach. They were sat at one of the table seats, the book Creatures of the Void open between them as they made notes in their notebooks.

They might just be myths and legends but it was more than the nothing of information they had about anything else.

Taiki was struggling to concentrate though often just staring blankly at the page, not reading at all.

The next day: Standard again!

Even with everything else going on Taiki hadn't forgotten about Inigo and his friend's own pain. He made an effort to seek him out and spend time with him.

Quite nervously he had asked if Ingio would mind if he painted him and was surprised when Inigo had agreed. Even more surprised when it seemed Ingio was good at modeling.

Then again he was a prince, it was perhaps not that surprising. He must have had to sit for paintings before.

They were sat either side of a table, Taiki's art case open in front of him, a piece of paper he had borrowed from the printer in front of him, the start of a portrait.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Aw-! Tidus got a compliment, though it takes a second for him to react to it and then throw Taiki the quickest of thumbs up before he watches where the shuttlecock is going.

But with Inigo's flustering, the shuttlecock has definitely lost its nice arch as it returns to Tidus, more of a straight line now coming for him like a bullet. ...well, slower than a bullet. It doesn't keep up however, when Tidus readies his racquet with a swing that starts from the side and meets the shuttlecock to throw it up, saying even before it hits--

"To Taiki!"

--and indeed, has his racquet bent to now get it to change its course, the smallest burst of a chuckle sending off the shuttlecock to its intended target.

It's probably a good job his name gets called, because he is busy worrying about Inigo. He is doing alright, though he looked like he had struggled with that last shot.

But now the shuttlecock is coming towards him and he ran towards it, swinging out...

And missing it completely. He blushed red when it bounced off the floor.

"Sorry..."

He bent to pick it up, to serve it again.

See, this is exactly why Inigo was cheering Taiki on earlier! The other is so fragile, it's like he might bruise as easily as a peach at the smallest mistake - like the way Taiki blushes as he fails to hit the shuttlecock.

(Not that Inigo isn't exactly the same in that department, but he likes to think he's not as much of a baby as he really is, okay.)

"Taiki, don't apologize! You're doing just fine! Don't worry!"

He dramatically points his racquet in Tidus' direction.

"Tidus, you prepare yourself! Taiki will now unleash the beast..!" What beast? Who knows.

'not as much of a baby as he really is' tell that to their spooning nap session, buddy. which taiki never needs to know the details of.

"It's fine!" joins Inigo's reassurance, just before the dramatics can begin. His grin starts to widen before he pulls it back, making a scoffing sound.

"Huh, a beast? You better mean like a dolphin! Somethin' elegant, and smart!"

Because neither of them may know what a dolphin is so instead of taking time to explain them in detail, let's pick two features and go with that. Tidus has his racquet ready, eyes on Taiki and something of a light shuffling in place as he waits. Come on, kirin-dolphin!

He's calmed by both of their reassurance but more than that he is calmed by their dramatics. It's... fun. Their teasing is reassurance in itself, they don't act afraid of him, they don't treat him like he is their only hope.

To them he is neither, he is just a person. It's a strange feeling and a luxury probably doesn't deserve.

But that doesn't stop the smile as he serves the shuttlecock back over to where Tidus is.

It's a good thing that the shuttlecock is currently headed from Taiki towards Tidus, since Inigo is completely distracted. He should probably know better than to let himself get distracted in the middle of a game, but it's already too late. Inigo looks like he has to think really hard at Tidus' mention of dolphins.

What are those? Maybe he also knows Taiki is a kirin and that's just what Tidus' world calls pegasi? Elegant and smart does kind of suit those, after all..

Yeah, he's all the way off in thinking land, staring blankly ahead of him. Have fun, you two.

Tidus is not guided by self-knowledge, but by the knowledge of the blitzball legends, the big stars in his home sports who expect only the best and yadda yadda that's not actually a belief in blitzball at all because everyone wants to beat the other up to be the best.

But let's pretend that when Tidus takes the serve, that a someone--or many someones--have noticed Inigo's lack of attention and decided to punish him by guiding Tidus's swing to send the shuttlecock hard and fast in his direction, the light slow spell put on it before now having eased off. There's also no warning than the smack the sound of the shuttlecock and the racquet connecting, and perhaps if Taiki has time to speak up.

eat shuttlecock, inigo.

He sees the direction of the shuttlecock and realises it is going towards Inigo, he turns again... To see Inigo not looking ready to respond at all.

"Inigo?" Is he alright? That shuttlecock is coming in fast...

Inigo is so not ready to respond.

Which means he 100% is going to eat shuttlecock.

With how quickly it's coming towards him and how far lost in thought he is, there's no way Inigo could try to stop that thing in time. But it's even worse - he just seems totally unaware that it's heading his way in general. Which means that it hits him square in the face.

There's no response. Not even a shriek or anything. No, one moment Inigo is just hit in the face hard by the shuttlecock.. and the next moment he's just falling straight over onto the ground.

Man down, man down! Alert, man down!

What the---

What the--

There's a sputter and a choke, a "They ain't that hard!" at Inigo crumbling to the floor, but Tidus groans in resignation and goes over to the fallen friend with a grump in this step, absolutely knowing this has to be some Inigo dramatics. It has to be. Tidus can't believe this, was this actually planned, who plans to get knocked in the face with a shuttlecock for laughs.

inigo you better be dead

"Inigo!" Taiki doesn't often shout, and he doesn't shout now. But his voice is louder, shocked, worried. He rushed over to where Inigo had fallen, trying not to glare at Tidus too much.

After all it wasn't Tidus' fault. Taiki wasn't sure why Inigo had been hit. But Tidus had just been playing the game... "Ingio are you alright?"

At first it does seem like Inigo might be dead. Or-- well, less dramatic, but knocked out cold also seems like a real possibility. He's just lying there on the ground, his eyes closed. At least he doesn't seem to have any visible injuries, considering Tidus is right that a shuttlecock isn't that hard.. It just left a red spot on his forehead that'll probably fade sooner or later.

But just as a moment or two passes and it seems like something really is wrong with Inigo, he opens his eyes, blinking blearily.

"Tidus.. What's a dolphin?"

As if nothing happened just now.. Maybe the shuttlecock hit his brain in just the right spot for him to just completely have forgotten about what happened.

Or maybe Inigo is just an idiot.

Tidus is giving it more time before any concern than the tiny tiny thread of it that exists in him finds itself troubling him. He knows that shuttlecock wasn't hard, knows it wouldn't have caused the other guy to perish even at being hit with it in the middle of the game.

And then--and then in the same second that Tidus might be reconsidering his position in this room to be more aligned with Taiki's.

He speaks.

And Tidus is wholly unimpressed.

"I'll throw you overboard one day and you can find out," he flatly replies.

His worry grows as Inigo doesn't move, he smells no blood but that doesn't mean he isn't hurt... But he opens his eyes and his question.

"Inigo... That's what you were wondering about?"

He does glare at Tidus at that threat. It lacks heat though, he is more concerned about Inigo. "Do you feel dizzy? Do you need to sit down?"

"Yes, I was just.."

His voice trails off, and for a moment he's quiet, slowly blinking again as if his brain needs a moment to process all of this. Then the look in his eyes regains a bit more life, and - almost instinctively, since he doesn't ever want to worry anyone - he starts smiling again.

"Oh, no-- I'm fine, really! Don't worry about me." He rubs the red spot on his forehead. "I must just have.." Wait, what did Tidus just say? His head snaps in the other guy's direction. "Hold on a second, you can't throw me overboard! I can't swim!"

Why is he getting in trouble...!

It silences any more quips Tidus could throw Inigo's way (like 'I know'), and quietly sighs behind his mouth, still not all that impressed by this situation. Inigo may be acting like he's suffering a concussion, but oh no, he's seen Inigo's dramatics. He refuses. Refuses!

"I'm not going to throw you overboard," he promises, more for Taiki's benefit than the potential victim's. But then with more purpose, since it is the more pressing point: "You're getting me in trouble, getting spooked like that! Taiki's gonna ground me into doing all your chores at this rate."

But Tidus is walking over, has been since he started his not-serious chiding, and he holds out a hand over Inigo's not-corpse.

"Bet you don't even do your chores in the first place!"

Said like catching him out.

He's still worrying. It looks like Inigo has hit his head, shuttlecocks aren't exactly dangerous but it still might have hurt him. He doesn't believe Inigo's smile, even less so since speaking to Gerome. Ingio's smiles hid a lot of pain.

He was about to chide Tidus when Tidus spoke instead and got closer to help Inigo up. He smiled slightly in relief. They were friends. This was just the way they showed that.

He smiled, letting out a small laugh looking between them. It was almost similar to how he had seen others acting before. But those people had known each other for many hundreds of years and Tidus and Inigo can't have known each other more than a few months.

"I am sure you both work hard at your chores."

Inigo grabs Tidus' hand the moment it's offered to him. Despite the insult! Or rather, he does it before he can even hear it, since there's not even a beat between Tidus offering the hand and Inigo grabbing it. It just happens that quickly since it's all instinctive.

Once he is standing upright on both feet again though, the words finally seem to register with him.

"Why is it my fault for getting spooked! It's your fault for threatening me!"

Yet Inigo's dramatically worked up tone makes it hard to believe he really thinks Tidus threatened him. Surely the guy wouldn't really throw him overboard knowing he can't swim, right? .. Right?

It's the sound of Taiki laughing that completely quiets him for a moment. It's hard to be dramatic in the face of that much cuteness.. So instead he just nudges Tidus with an elbow.

"Taiki is right. We both work hard." Don't say anything else in front of Taiki now! Don't you dare ruin their cutie friend's mood, bro!

Oh, nice, he's not getting told off anymore. Not any telling off looks anyway that count, unlike Inigo's high volume offence, which is just fun and to be expected. And between that and Taiki's laugh--both seemingly natural, or as natural as Inigo's joking can be considered, a better energy than the noticeable lethargy he'd carried coming here--Tidus isn't going to be upset about that.

But whatever mutual agreement Inigo wants him to share in on in this moment...

"You're too nice to him, Taiki," he says, one mature adult to another. "He's gotta show us he can do an even better job. Show us his dedication!"

Insert a determined fist here. Because sure, let's make this about how well Inigo does his chores now and get pumped up about it.

"That's because it is impossible not to be nice to Inigo. He is so kind after all." It was true, he doesn't even understand how Tidus can find it in his heart to be mean to him, even in jest. Not that he thinks Tidus is a cruel person, but he clearly is able to withstand Inigo better than most.

He is still smiling at their antics though and nods at Tidus. "Dedication is important."

Dammit, Tidus! Is even agreeing with him on that too hard for you?! Can't you throw him a single bone! Sure, Taiki may be laughing at their antics, but Inigo is about to start crying on the inside!

... Until Taiki speaks up, that is. The compliment actually has Inigo's cheeks burning a bright red. The sweetness is expected from Taiki, sure, but it's still.. so much. Impossible not to be nice? To him? No way.

It takes about two seconds of him obviously blushing for him to realise Tidus is right there though, and Inigo figures there's no way Tidus wouldn't make fun of him for this. So he forces the blush off his face as soon as he can.

"I'm always dedicated already! About everything! T--There's absolutely nothing I'm not dedicated about!"

...is there anything to be taken by that look, that pause inflicted in Inigo? Surely not, not right now, and Tidus isn't certain exactly what he caught right there. Anything?

But there's no time to think about it for more than a few seconds, time moving, the joke of the moment to be responded to. Tidus folds his arms, racquet poking out from one side.

"Well, if you say so...and if Taiki's backing you up, then... Hmmmm."

He's giving a thoughtful look between the pair, taking his time, before turning back to Taiki.

"So you'd support him, Taiki? No matter what?"

Is Tidus up to something...absolutely not...!

"Yes." He nodded.

It's not quite the truth. He wouldn't support Inigo in violence, he wouldn't support Inigo if he were to be cruel to others. He would not support Inigo if it went against the interests of Lord Gyousou.

But he can't imagine any of those scenario's happening. So it is not quite a lie at all. He would support him. No matter what.

Tidus is absolutely up to something. Inigo is sure of it.

Although he's a little distracted by Taiki just.. saying yes so easily to that?! It may be sweet and very Taiki-like, but Inigo never in his life imagined anyone would say they would support him no matter what. His face turns red all over again. He tries to hide it behind his racquet before the fact that those are rather see-through registers in his head about two seconds too late. He quickly moves to put the racquet behind his back instead.

"Taiki, that's... so kind of you," he half-stammers. Look, he can't let that slide without saying at least this much in return, it's what Taiki deserves! But he quickly - and very much embarrassed - adds: "B-But what are you even asking that for, Tidus?! What kind of question is that out of the blue?!"

Inigo is acting like...a giddy blitzball fangirl!

It's so bewildering to watch, and Tidus (if the guy looks his way to check) has the courtesy to act like he didn't catch the raise of the racquet to Inigo's face, the colour of his cheeks. But wow, wow! There's definitely a story there. Not a story he should be poking at any time soon, but...!

Maybe he should poke it later...

"Well," he says, not so lost within potential future endeavours to be distracted by reality, "that's 'cause Taiki's gonna come with you to keep playing badminton with me! Once, two times a week? Just like this!"

He spreads out his arms and hands, racquet still held, smiling brightly as he regards each of them.

"What do you think?" But to Taiki in particular, cocking his head at Inigo: "Just no distracting Inigo in the middle of a game."

[Closed] Time to talk

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there are so many different emotions in this tag how do i pick 1 icon

10/10 would threaten inigo's life again

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do we want to start wrapping up?

grabs ribbons

we did it reddit