voidtreckerexpress

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Who: Inigo, Tidus (aka the two shared braincells duo) and you!
Where: The standard coach
When: Horseshoe 17
What: Inigo and Tidus are handing out free stuff because Tidus is the train's official sugar daddy.
Warnings: Probably nothing, will edit if necessary.

---

Hey guys, forget about that public breakdown the other day. Today Inigo is on the ICP with a big smile, seeming as cheerful as ever. It's fine. It's cool.

"Good day, everyone! Tidus and I brought some things back with us from Irivar to share with everyone. So why not come over to the standard coach and see if there's anything you'd like to take with you, hm? We have quite the selection! Oh, and.. erm, Taiki, Roland, Bryn and Della.. If you could make sure to come see us, we'd appreciate it! Otherwise I might have to send Ti--"

Before Inigo can even finish the sentence, there's an offscreen obviously very Tidus-y voice calling out, "Inigo! Ask for Sakura too!"

Inigo huffs, turning his gaze to the off screen source. "I was getting to that!" (No he wasn't.) Apparently he accidentally pulled his ticket off the ICP as he starts moving away from it too, because the feed just cuts out. Just come get some sweet stuff.

---

Their set-up in the standard car is a simple, if messy, one. They have a few of their offered freebies on the same table they occupy, each guy facing the other, sat by the wall. From the immediate front, fragrant bags sit no bigger than a palm, a variety of scents better to tell when held to the nose. Whetstones sit stacked mostly on top of one another, and then a cluster of hair ribbons and circular hair ties behind them. Behind the bags are a few scent oils--basically, perfumes, if not very big. There's a few to choose from, but...

...not as many as there are the soaps, which take up a half of the table in their choice. It's like a lush shop here of choice, different colours and sizes.

And Inigo and Tidus? Sit there, either playing cards or fiddling through the paper craft book available from the art supplies where the old library used to be.

A chalkboard sits balanced, with the words 'FREE 2 TAKE' written in big letters. In case you missed the public announcement.

1:
Come up, and have a look. Ask about what they've got.

2:
Or while you're here, maybe you can help Tidus, who pipes up to ask-

"Hey, quick question. How long 'til you're comfortable hugging someone?"

(ooc: as a note, all threads on this will be threeways! please enjoy trying to handle both teens at once. you can't seperate them.)

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"Looking good for the public, huh? Right. Yeah...And what a heck of a first impression I'll make now, with all of these..."

He tries to shake off the jitters, ridiculous as it is to feel it as his age, after all he's been through...

But the more they speak, the more he can't ignore it. That this was all a way to show him that they loved him? The affection that takes over him, the desire to share just a little bit more of himself, is easier now than ever before. He keeps recluse, his story kept locked up at the deepest place he can find. These two didn't deserve his solitude, though. What is charisma in the face of the true; the authentic? It warranted the same, Roland thinks. Whatever stopped him before no longer exists. Should they ask him of anything, he rather thinks it would take only the slightest efforts on either of their part to make him concede. Such is the strength of this sentiment - and more, built up through time however short it has been for all of them. And as Inigo wraps his arms around Roland tightly, he leans to the side for a brief moment in reciprocation, eyes still glazed and staring at the pile of gifts before him. In particular, his free hand drifts to the cufflinks, then to the ribbons.

He takes it back. He does remember. So he shares it to them, freely given from his own pool of love.

"My wife was the last person who gave me a gift." Roland goes, no trace of sadness in his voice. Just fond nostalgia. "That was a long time ago, too. She gave me something similar, something I could use at work. And when I asked her why, she said 'Just because.'" He chuckles, now switching his attention to the oils, in varying shades of opaque. "That was before she...And now I...With you two, and these..." An implication, though Inigo knew already. That the last person who cared about him just because, who remembered him just because, has long gone. Yet here he is, remnants of a time past coming back to remind him that no matter what, he will never fall far. That perhaps, in every world he is fated to visit, the love will follow him there too.

He flashes them both a wide, toothy grin that makes him look the way his body presents itself: young, vibrant. Full of life. He glances at Inigo first by proximity, then Tidus. "Thanks." He says, thick with emotion. "I really like it."

Roland continues to smile as excitement grows, blossoms innocently. He takes the blue ribbon out of its tie and hands it carefully to Inigo. "Can you help me tie it on?" Should he agree to help, Roland will then move on to Tidus next, twisting the lid of the rose-scented lotion and offering that to him with a careful nudge, making sure nothing spilled over. "Teach me how to use it?"

Edited 2020-10-09 20:24 (UTC)

What's that we there, buddy???

Tidus considers swivelling his gaze over to Inigo at that, but in the end, it's Inigo; Inigo speaking as Inigo's going to speak, and it's not that big of a crime. Just maybe a word stronger than he'd use, but hey, he isn't being asked for confirmation, so he isn't going to say anything to ruin the moment.

There's an old man being sappy between them after all. ... and admittedly, Tidus enjoys the scenery of the pair: Inigo hugging Roland, the both of them happy. Content. There may be the trace of worry he had before about the relationship between the pair, but right now... he's glad for the both of them, to have the other to support them. Is this just what some people need?

Maybe, you find what you need when life takes it once - in other people searching to fill a hole too.

Or, something like that.

More than that, Tidus wonders about Roland's reaction, the strength of it, on what it reflects and says. But Roland speaks it himself, and Tidus understands the story that Roland probably isn't sharing. That sure, a guy like him got presents, but there's a difference between getting gifts for what you are, and who you are.

A President's got to be popular - but someone getting something for you will always mean something else.

He won't make any remarks to the signs of emotion slipping through in Roland's demeanour, the weight of his voice. Tidus just keeps smiling, watch them, and then raising a brow when asked for aid.

"Show you? You don't know how to do it?" It's incredulous to Tidus for a second, and then, more surprised: "You don't have it where you're from?"

He's been thinking Roland's world is closer to Zanarkand's product level than Inigo's, but now he's not so sure...

You better accept that we and like it, bro!

But Inigo goes quiet entirely when Roland starts about his wife. It's not the first time he's told Inigo about her, and Inigo is indeed well aware of what happened to her even before he hears Roland's voice trail off with the implication now. But that just makes him all the more glad that Roland can talk about it in the first place - that it isn't painful enough to just avoid it entirely - and that he can speak of it with nostalgia rather than sadness.

That's what Roland deserves, after all. Nice memories, fondly remembering them. And maybe Tidus and him showing Roland by accident that he can still make more of those nice memories, even if it's with different people in different places.

And when he hears Roland and Tidus start about the lotion, Inigo releases his hold on Roland, instead grinning as he listens to the two speak, the incredulous tone on Tidus's part being pretty amusing to Inigo. It's so much like how these two interact on a regular basis, and he wouldn't dare interrupt that.

Instead he goes to work on the older guy's hair, gently pulling out the hairtie Roland was already using so he can get to work on tying a new ponytail with the ribbon.

The only thing he says is when he looks at Tidus from across the table a moment later, hands already in Roland's hair-- "Don't we have a comb or a brush in there somewhere?" Look, they bought so much, it's not like Inigo remembers it all!

The question doesn't offend Roland at the slightest, and in fact, engages him in a different way. He tentatively takes a small dollop from the bottom of the lid as a sample, and wipes it on his palm before he rubs his hands together. Product warmed up from the friction, the rose-scent comes through so much stronger now. Roland uses this motion to demonstrate his point, fully allowing Inigo to work what he can in tying his hair with a brand new ribbon. The best ribbon! He hopes he'll never lose a single one.

"Of course I use moisturizer, but this -" he says, another whiff of the back of his hand again to be sure. "- I wondered, might be different than what I had back home. The smell is strong. It's multipurpose? Hands? Face?" Listen. Magic universes and void spaces might have their own skin care routine alright. And the last thing Roland wants to do is waste these precious gifts. He'll honor them by making sure they're used as intended!

"Uhhh..."

Did they buy any?? Tidus puts out a hand to wait for something to appear, and when nothing does, he changes its position, goes "Waitaminute," and instead makes his train-designated washbag poof into existence. He opens up the zip and pulls out his comb, giving it a useless look at before passing it over for Inigo to take.

But listen over here, where he's getting pestered a second round! Tidus turns back to Roland and his mOiStuRiSeR, catching the whiff of roses as it comes through. Wow, that is a big difference, huh.

"Mainly dry hands, but I mean, no reason you can't put some on the face if you want to. They said the best time to use it is after a wash, hot water. Opens up the pores and all that. The usual! You just wanna use a little. But hey - it beats the same ol' stuff the train gives us."

There's a quick smile at Tidus in exchange for the comb, along with a slight, "thanks."

Once he does have the comb though, he's quick to get to work. Tidus and Roland are busy having their little discussion about.. uh. Well. Something, anyway. Inigo can't tell any of these weird modern products apart, honestly, even though Tidus did at least try to explain some to him when they were grabbing them to take home.. But his head still feels dizzy when he tries to think about it. What happened to juse using good old water, huh?

So don't mind him over here! He'll let those two have a moment while he's busy enough combing Roland's hair, getting it to look all proper until it's ready to tie back into a ponytail with the new ribbon. He's pretty sure Roland wouldn't want a single strand to be out of place, after all.

"You got that right. I try not to take too many hot showers, myself. It'll dry your skin up real fast. But I guess with this in my arsenal, I can now." But that advice is well-noted, and he screws the lid back on the moisturizer with the knowledge that he'll be able to ration it well, now. He may or may not complain about the lack of specific vanity items on the onboard shop, but he wonders it's feedback that can wait. Roland knows there are more important things to ask for than that.

Though he would be remiss if he didn't take advantage of something right about now. He slowly turns his head, just enough to signal that what he's about to say next is for Inigo to hear. The smile on his face betrays nothing; a youthful innocence that suits him somewhat.

"Hey, uh. Remember when you taught me how to make flower bracelets back in the island with sweet syrup?" He goes, folding his arms across his chest comfortably. "Do you think you could apply the same braided pattern to hair? I think it'll be really nice. A change of style."

It's probably the mood that's making him more compliant to these things. It's the warmth in his heart, the gifts that are still taking up most of his attention that's made him ready to say yes to just about anything right now. Looking at the last gift too; he'd have to ask Spider to make him a suit. Any suit. Just give him an excuse to put the cufflinks on, with the matching pin on the collar. It could work, even on a blazer. He's definitely excited.

...

...

"...Are you asking him to stick flowers in your hair?"

Here is Tidus opening his mouth, no idea if what comes out is close to what is actually being requested or some kind of technique of making bracelets that he isn't privy to. But his eyes are definitely flickering over to where Inigo is messing around with that length of black hair, imagining tiny flowers being dotted all over it.....

Inigo is listening to Roland’s request very genuinely, his own heart being softened and lit up at the happiness of his companions here, but then Tidus speaks up, and that actually gets him to laugh.

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that either, you know!”

It wouldn’t be the first time Inigo would be playing with flowers and hair, after all.. But he won’t suddenly do that to Roland, knowing just how important his hair seems to be to him.

“I’ll see what I can do though.” At that he stops combing for a moment, instead just pulling his own fingers gently through the hair. “It’s hard to do the exact same thing here as with the flowers, but don’t worry, I’ll figure something out! I’ll make you look great.”

"Then, why don't you do both?"

The idea Tidus brings to the table - pun intended - isn't something Roland necessarily expected, but it's not unwanted either. Far from it. Perhaps a strange, tender part of him actually desires to experience such an act. Being around them makes him realize a lot of things he never got to do...and as indulgent as it is, if he were to watch his actions from afar, he can't seem to bring himself to care enough to restrain it.

He glances between the two of them again, a slight twist of his neck from front to back, before his left hand glows. Cradled in his palm, gently, the two flower accessories: Inigo's long, flower necklace and their two flower bracelets, fully preserved as if they were just freshly picked from the memory island. This, he hands behind his shoulder, careful with small motions.

"I mean, I've got the flower cufflinks already. Might as well, right? Never say I'm not one to change up my style, heh."

Tidus meets Roland's surveying glance with bewilderment; nothing like a revulsion, but confusion at most. Wait, where would they get the flowers from? Are the ribbons going to act as the flowers? Is there some technique here Tidus isn't considering? What's even going on here anymore?

And then the present of the flowers - one of which Roland shared with him once, the day that Tidus got Inigo the book - only puzzles him more.

This is so beyond him. And Tidus concedes to that fact with a tilt of his head, a resigning sigh. All he needs to do is throw up his hands for effect, but he'll leave that out for now.

"If I knew you two were gonna get like this..." He shakes his head. "You're just doing everyone's hair today. You want me to buy some of those fake flowers people put in their hair for real? Then you can do Rolo up pretty every day!"

Inigo gives the flowers a rather surprised stare. Not at their sudden appearance - Inigo knew that Roland had shoved them into his Arms Band, after all! No, he's instead surprised that Roland actually wants him to do this. He didn't take Roland for much of a flowers in hair kind of guy. Not to mention his hair seems to be so important to him, and yet he's entrusting Inigo with all this? That's a lot all of a sudden.

And he can't even look to Tidus for some crisis help, because the other seems to have already thrown in the towel on this whole situation. Thanks, but no thanks, bro!

"I-- Well, surely he wouldn't want this every day!"

Is Tidus joking? Is he serious? The usage of 'Rolo' makes Inigo lean towards the former, but how can he be sure!

"Are you sure you want this though, Roland? I wouldn't want to do anything to your" precious "hair that you don't want!"

He stifles the start of what sounds almost like a real peal of laughter, but it stops there. Roland looking on, as if completely enthralled with amusement between the two of them talking about how putting flowers in his hair might be of some great offense to him.

"If I didn't want it, I wouldn't have asked. Don't worry." He says, not chiding but with a lightness to him, a slight shrug that it was really no big deal. He'll shoot Tidus a look too. "And I'm offended you don't already think I'm pretty everyday, without the flowers in my hair. That hurts." Not as dry as he might want that quip, or what might have worked better for the right effect, but Roland is unnaturally easy to please today, gifts perhaps softening him up in ways even he didn't expect.

However, when he hands Inigo the flowers, he realizes that he can't use up all of them, and instead hands the boy only the necklace while the two bracelets are kept back in the Arms Band in a hurry. Those were special. The necklace, at least, was a byproduct of Roland's first failed attempt. That, Inigo could do with as he pleased.

Hey, what does Tidus know that Roland wants? Other than better hobbies, but that's already a work in progress he should get get back around to, sometime. Maybe one of the VR multi-player games with all three of them. That would be nice.

For now, Tidus bobs his head to the side, a flat but amused look painted onto his face.

"Pretty isn't what a guy in his fifties should be aiming for." That's far from the word that comes to Tidus when he thinks 'old', anyway... but now that Roland has opened up the floodgates of Tidus's opinions on his age (what): "You should be going for the kindly old granpa look, y'know? …well," he second-guesses, remembering the direction this make-over is going on, "You're probably gonna look like some fancy person's gardener. Or just eccentric."

Both, even. Zanarkand's idea of a gardener was more of an indoors structure than the more soil-dusted one...

Roland sure won't be able to notice, with Inigo sitting behind him and all, but Tidus will clearly see Inigo mouth fifties? in confusion. Wasn't Roland 67?

Not that his mind lingers on it long. Not with this immediate 'to flower or not to flower' conundrum in front of him. Roland really seems to want it, but something about that Tidus says nicks a little at the corners of his resolve, insecurities sneaking in. What if he makes Roland look dumb? Or eccentric? What if his reputation suffers because of Inigo?

But there's the realisation that Roland is probably just going to fuss over him if he backs out now, and Inigo sure doesn't want to cause the other worries either, so.. ugh! Fine, whatever! He'll just do it and make sure Roland realises what he looks like at the end!

So Inigo finally takes the flower necklace and starts braiding Roland's long hair, having an idea of what to do with it, even though he's not sure how the final result may turn out. He looks half-pouty, half-focused about it - apparently focused enough that he doesn't even say anything for now, letting Roland instead reply to Tidus's words.

Roland's unaware of the internal struggle behind him, only knows that his hair is being braided and he's happy that he's getting the experience regardless. And when Inigo begins in earnest, it lends a calm edge to his retort back to the other teen watching from the other end of the table.

If someone were to walk in on all three of them right now, it might make for a hilarious picture. Not that Roland would care, his heart still full from the gifts presented to him a few moments ago.

"Kindly old grandpa...?" Roland repeats, making a dry expression. "Please. Flattery will get you nowhere." He quips back, slightly sarcastic though bemused. "You know, some people say fifty is the new thirty back home. And that's without flowers in their hair. I'd say I'm a trendsetter. You should try it sometime. Grow out your hair, see what it looks like."

Oh look, he's being signalled in morse bro. Signalled a question that brings in his brow, makes him re-think the number. Eighty-seven? he mouths back, but just as questioning as what Inigo gave him. He doesn't know, all these ages confuse him? You think he's been paying attention to the roster lately??

Anyway, back to his own work on this old geezer while Inigo fixes up his hair. Tidus will fix up....his everything else. Or something.

Except, Roland planted his foot on the edge of something there, gets Tidus to open his mouth to speak, but nothing but an awkward sputter comes out. He touches the side of his hair, the strands that've been losing their blond shine to them. The roots showing the darker colour underneath.

"If I let my hair grow out," he aims to say affably, "it wouldn't be because you told me to. …maybe I wanna let it go back to normal."

He drops his hand into his lap, then beside him on the seating. You know... not that he's been thinking about it... not that he's been wondering about how it'd look! It even makes him forget about correcting Roland on his actual age.

Now Inigo is busy with this whole braiding thing, he's actually getting kind of into it. It's been so long since he's done this - before today, anyway - but it's fun! It's starting to get along pretty well too, he'd say, even though he isn't quite done yet.

Especially with these distractions. First he sees Tidus's reply, wisely nodding along - yes, that sounds about right, doesn't it? - like this is what they're agreeing on today for Roland's age.

But that's not the biggest distraction here. It's the latter part that actually makes him look up from Roland's hair, though his hands are still holding onto the ends of the braid to not let it come undone.

"That's not your real hair?!"

He's so surprised. Like Tidus is revealing a much more shocking birth secret than 'I dyed my hair'. Then again, dyeing your hair isn't really a thing in Inigo's world, these anime hair colours are all natural, baby.

If it wasn't Inigo letting go of the braid, it might have been Roland's almost whiplash-like movement to stare at Tidus in utter surprise, mouth slightly open as the realization also hits him hard. But then, upon closer inspection, that made sense, right? The blondeness has begun to fade by the roots, dark hair peeking through gold. Also, ouch that hurt his eardrum pup but that's okay, he would have done that same thing if he were not!Roland.

And so now, Roland is left to stare, imagining it behind closed eyes. A finger under his chin, the calm to the panicked energy Inigo is setting behind him. Hopefully that braid hasn't totally come undone because of Roland's prior movement.

"...No, it'd look good." A rather strange thing to say given Roland didn't even hear Tidus deny the statement of growing his hair out a bit more, but he hears the implied and went there immediately. The smile on his face genuine and warm when he flashes it at Tidus, encouraging. "Even as a brunette. That's honestly a surprise. Did you order hair dye on the train?" Since the crawl of brown isn't that far into the tips of his hair, but he may be putting too much thought to that. "It'd be a change to see, but we'd get used to it. Right, Inigo?"

Edited 2020-10-18 17:39 (UTC)

Puh. Puh. What is with that loudmouthed reaction!? And with every way he can say it, why that? Tidus stares at Inigo like he's crazy, too shocked to say anything until he finally manages to choke it out-

"It's not a wig!"

Inigo better not think it's a wig over there! He honestly can't tell, but then he has Roland being mister cool and collected right there, so he gives up on looking at either of them, dropping himself - slowly - into the actual seat of the chair below.

"It's just good hair dye, that's all. I got it done professionally." He knew he'd be stuck with it for a while - and he was banking on that, to not have the brown show through and have it get it done over and over, especially not with how often he's submerged underwater. Zanarkand may have better products than Aremica than some places, but that's still bleaching your hair.

...but alright, he has to look back at Inigo with a bit of a squint and ask: "What did you think my hair was?"

It's not like this blond goes into the roots, bro...! That was a style choice!

No, through the power of what could only be a sheer miracle the braid is still in existence. Inigo is still holding onto its ends - just about the only thing he can do right now, really, other than still stare at Tidus in surprise.

He's still so startled into silence by this whole reveal that he isn't even sure what to first answer - Tidus's question or Roland's. He just starts stammering and trusts his brain to lead him somewhere.

"Ah, w-well! I just.. thought your hair was like that!" Sure, it's not like Inigo hasn't noticed the roots at all with how often he spends time around Tidus, but he figured maybe that was just a Thing in Tidus's world? "We don't have hair dye where I come from." He even says it in that kind of tone Inigo always uses when he talks about stuff he has no clue about.

He's quiet for another moment, his cheeks growing slightly pink with shame over his dumb outburst.

"R-- Roland's right though! You're a handsome guy, so it'd look good on you either way, you know?"

He's almost tempted to bait Inigo with a sly, Why don't we double-check that it's not a wig? but Roland is a man who respects someone's looks. ESPECIALLY when it comes to someone's hair! He won't do that to the pro, already locked on to the idea of changing up his style when his hair grows at a certain length. He wants to be supportive of the shift. Roland nods in agreement, lets that joke idle out in his mind.

Would have been funny though. But if it were him on the other end of it, pulling on someone's hair would not have made his day!

"Guess this means I should be sharing these hair oils with you soon, huh? Did you know that you have to stimulate your scalp with a good hair brush and oil to get it to grow faster? We could try that." He says to Tidus with all seriousness, and he can take it for what it is regardless of how it might sound. Roland knows the tricks of the trade when it comes to this! Might even wonder if there was an accessory he could buy for him, to help with his style as soon as he turns back to brunette...

Edited 2020-10-18 19:49 (UTC)

He'd groan at Roland usually, if this were about anything else. Sorta kinda maybe still wants to, but instead he thinks about what he says. Kicking up a foot against the edge of the table, his knee squeezed in close to his face.

"I...don't know if I want it long." It comes out difficult, unsure of how sincerely to answer the suggestion. Quiet for a pause before he goes on. "I just want it to go to its original colour, is all. See what it looks like. It's been a while."

And he doesn't know what he'd look with long hair anyway. It makes him think of his dad, and that's a reference he's keeping deliberately out of this conversation: Why he wanted the change in the first place, why his feelings have changed.

(Also, it's not that deep. It's just hair! There's no bigger deal to it.)

"Why don't we ask if Inigo wants to try a different colour?" For also a different subject for this topic. "The good stuff lasts for a year or two. All you have to do is apply it. You can get any colour that you want."

Easy!

Inigo is half waiting for the groaning coming from Tidus. He's at least grown used enough to the dynamic between the three of them that Inigo knows that what Roland is saying right now is exactly the sort of thing that would get Tidus to roll his eyes, or huff, or call Roland an old man - or all three at the same time, sometimes.

Instead Tidus's reaction is a bit more difficult to read. Inigo glances over, trying to figure it out, but then realises he can't quite think of what would make Tidus feel so awkward about having long hair. So he instead focuses his attention back on Roland's hair while he speaks, braiding it further.

"Then you should definitely try it out! If you don't like it, you can always.. dye it again? Right? Is that how it works?" Don't look at him, he's rapidly trying to process this information over here.

Inigo's starting to finish up the braid, wrapping it up at the end with the ribbon. Next up are the flowers-- though he's momentarily distracted when Tidus continues.

"Wait, me?" Judging by his tone, he didn't see that suggestion coming. It makes Inigo go quiet for a moment too, surprisingly finding himself running into the same, yet opposite daddy issues. The colour of his hair is just about the only thing that he resembles his father in - never managing to match the man in anything other than looks. And then there's his sister. "I.. No, it would be slightly strange to change it now, wouldn't it? I've always looked this way."

Roland follows the conversation too, not wanting to linger where it's unneeded. Not that he catches the nuances perfectly, but if Tidus is pushing past, then so will they follow. And it might just be the fact that he can feel the braid coming together, which pleases him in strange yet jovial ways.

On the topic of dyeing Inigo's hair in particular though, he does pipe up from where he's seated, trying to imagine him in another hair color though it's a difficult task without the visual aid. Was Inigo's hair dark blue, or dark indigo, even...? Roland supposes it depends on the light.

"The best part about hair dye is that you can get ones that are temporary first. You can wash them off when the day's over." He used to buy them for Will, before he was confined. He still remembers it, though the quality is left for wanting of course. Roland hums, adding something else to that train of thought. "Hm. Though I kind of get where Inigo is coming from. Back home, I never dyed my hair either. And I was already showing grays."

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