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.

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He looks a bit disquieted but luckily he knows already that badminton does not involve beating people up. He is silent as Tidus explains, as he is aware Inigo doesn't know how to play, he spends most the explanation staring at the racket.

It's weird having people who want to spend time with him, who want to play sports and seek out his company, just because.

It's terrifying in many ways and he definitely doesn't deserve people like this. But there is part of him that is very happy indeed to have such people in his life. Even if they are all trapped on a train far away from where they should be.

"I will try and be a good partner." He told Inigo softly.

For a moment it seems like Tidus is very sincere about this being the strangest kind of fight club, and Inigo is about to nervously sweat at the implications of that.

But then thankfully he realises that the other is just teasing him. For better or worse, Inigo is still not quite back up to his regular energy levels enough to get all embarrassed over it though. He takes in the information strangely quietly instead.

Inigo knows Tidus is right though. He could do with something mindless. They all probably can, considering the weird atmosphere on the train lately..

"Right. This actually sounds like a good idea, Tidus, so th--"

.. hold on a second. It's as if what Taiki is adding to all of that is only hitting his brain in the middle of his thanks to Tidus, and Inigo's brain has opted to shut down all other processes for a moment in order to be able to properly reassure their sensitive friend.

"Wait! Taiki, you're great, okay?" He may be grabbing a hold of the hand Taiki isn't using to hold his racquet, gently glasping it with his own free hand. "You are always a good partner. You don't even have to try."

Was hand-holding like this common in their worlds? Was it something in particular about these two, or did one get it from the other? It's peculiar to Tidus to witness, reminding him of the way Taiki's held his hand; twice now, under different emotions. A gesture Tidus takes note of, but it's not enough to completely distract him from the far more important point as he lifts his racquet upright.

"Inigo's right, Taiki, don't worry about it! This is a game between friends. I'm gonna start us off easy too -- get us used to how to move and react. So you just think about having a good time, alright? Just enjoy yourself!"

If there's any deeper meaning to Inigo's insistence of Taiki's partnership skills, Tidus doesn't know. But then, he doesn't need to.

He smiles gratefully at Inigo as he seeks to reassure him and nodded at him and Tidus. Since Tidus had went to such lengths to try and help them find a distraction. He would try his best.

Inigo definitely needed cheering up and if playing a game with them would help, he is willing to try. He squeezed Inigo's hand reassuringly and nods again.

"Alright. We shall try our best to match you, Tidus."

Just seeing Taiki smile makes everything feel a bit better again. Not fully better, considering Inigo still feels like someone smashed a hole right through his chest, but at least he doesn't also have to worry about Taiki's wellbeing at the same time. For the moment, anyway.

So he lets go of the other's hands once he's fully sure that Taiki has been adequately reassured. And then takes in a deep breath, because.. well, he doesn't want to be the one to drag the mood down now. He's just going to try and find his usual levels of energy. Or at least fake it until he makes it.

First of all by making sure to put a smile on his face.

"Just don't go too easy or you'll make us feel bad!"

"The second you two wanna speed things up, all you gotta do is say!"

This wouldn't fix anything, and what anything it could give would be temporary--but a temporary distraction from an always lingering ache was still a distraction, and it was a change of pace, maybe an introduction to something new to those who'd never have thought to try.

Regardless of the results, Tidus doesn't show worry for if this will be a waste of time, an effort tested in the wrong mood. Once the pair are in place on the other side (no need to worry about a net--they can care about that if there's another time), Tidus stands a distance on his own, a shuttlecock in hand that for a moment he holds it, a few white lights curl around it for a second, disappearing in their dance towards the air.

"Ready...! You want to hit it back at me like I'm gonna hit it! Watch where it comes!"

And with those last directions spared, Tidus throws the shuttlecock some in the air and hits it, sending it in a curved flight towards the pair. It's not insultingly slow, but it's not too fast either, and the two will be able to follow where it's going--in an angle towards Taiki--and make a dash for it. Let's just hope they get a swing in to send it back!

Taiki finds a smile as well. After all Tidus has gone to an effort to try and cheer both him and Inigo up and Taiki won't make him feel bad by not appreciating that effort.

He nods at Inigo and then stands in position, noting the lights as Tidus hits the shuttlecock towards him.

It's not too fast or too far for him to run towards and hit back. He has played badminton before, back when it was still possible for people to be convinced to pair with him in gym, back before his teachers had given up on forcing terrified school children to face him and let him sit on the sidelines and watch.

He tried his best to angle the shot so it would go back towards where Tidus was. It was two against one, he doesn't want to make it too difficult on him!

It's probably for the best that the first hit is aimed for Taiki. It gives Inigo - who is literally holding a racquet for the first time in his entire life - some time to watch and see how this is supposed to go. You know, as opposed to him trying it out by himself first and looking like a total idiot.

It's easy enough to tell it's coming for Taiki, and though he does stand at attention in case it's too hard for the other to hit it back and Inigo will have to heroically dash over, he instead just stands there and watches as Taiki hits it back to Tidus.

Well, thankfully this game seems easy enough to understand now he's seen it in action. But it's not like Inigo can ever keep his mouth shut even when he's attentively watching, so of course he has to let out a loud whoop (again, way overcompensating..) when Taiki hits it.

"Go Taiki!"

Sorry, Tidus, you can have cheers when you're not the enemy.

Taiki's got some moves! In that, he's moving at all, and Tidus couldn't be happier to watch the other guy participating. It's not that he had any doubts that the guy wouldn't try, but he also didn't really know how well this would go to start off with- but then, Taiki's pretty much the one who showed him and all that kids how to play soccer, even if Tidus had the one to match the kids better in energy.

But it's alright that some friends are TRAITOROUS and SHOWING FAVOURITISM on the other side, though Tidus doesn't see it as so. What he's seeing and focusing on is where the shuttlecock comes back, its journey over to him a visible and easy to analyse destination. He kicks his legs into a shot sprint to meet it, swings back his racquet and sends it flying back to the other side, to whoever-- who will be the one it's heading towards this time!?

He startles a little as Inigo calls out a cheer and can't help the tiny smile that flickers onto his face. It fades a moment later as he concentrates again, but it's good to hear enthusiasm from Inigo. It gives him hope that he might be feeling at all better. That Tidus' plan for distraction is working.

The shuttlecock is heading more towards Inigo's side this time so he stays still, and watches.

Despite being busy with his biased cheers, Inigo is still paying attention to what's going on here. And so when he notices the shuttlecock heading in his direction this time, he's watching it. He's ready. Both Tidus and Taiki could hit it, so that means he has to be able to do the same! So much pressure!

Thankfully it's not the hardest thing to do, even when you absolutely have no experience with it. And Inigo learns quickly by watching anyway, which means that he's able to swing his racquet and hit the shuttlecock back to Tidus..

.. although with a little less grace in not making it hard for Tidus. Not that Inigo is making it hard for the other on purpose, it's just that he's so relieved to be able to hit the thing back that he's just smacking it as hard as he can. Enjoy!

'In not making it less hard'. Fool. This fool. What an imbecile. Forgetting everything about Tidus's legwork and what makes him a star player in more than just blitzball. Because Tidus doesn't react in any other way than in fluid response, reading the direction and velocity forced into the shuttlecock, and having the sense to find exactly where he needs to be to meet it.

It's becoming a fighter that's allowed him to become so swift in his response to any little thing though, his style of fighting, that anything to do with his sports career (but it helps, since blitzball is 4 lyfe). So when he swings, he sends it right back the way it came, if intentionally--because he can tell that Inigo's the one who needs the practice, who needs that test. But he doesn't put his arm into it as hard as Inigo, though it doesn't lose that new speed as it comes back to him.

Still, it's a straightforward path back, curving only in its return to Inigo. And should Inigo get it, only needing to realise and prepare himself for its return, that's when he'll change its course for Taiki.

Look, maybe Tidus likes sports a lot.

"Well done." His encouragement is a lot quieter, a lot softer than Inigo's was to him. But he still makes sure to verbalise it.

"Good shot Tidus." When the shuttlecock returns towards Inigo, since he doesn't have to concentrate on moving or hitting right now he can cheer them both on.

Even in sports he believes in fairness.

Wow, Taiki, way to make him look like the bad guy here for not cheering for the competition!

Thankfully Inigo is much too distracted by the game to even think about that. After all, he needs to put a lot more focus into this with how new he is to badminton - or the idea of sports as a whole, honestly. It's not exactly a common past time activity in the hellscape future he comes from. So when the shuttlecock unexpectedly comes right back for him rather than going to Taiki first, he scrambles to return it. Sure, he does manage to hit it and not even last-minute, but it's with much less finesse or strategy than Tidus hits it. Inigo seems like he's mostly just trying to hit it to get it away from him.

But look, as long as he's not falling flat on his face and looking like an idiot doing this? He'll chalk it up as a personal victory.

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?"

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