voidtreckerexpress | (open) my heart is about to jump out of my chest

Entry tags:

(open) my heart is about to jump out of my chest

Who: Inigo and you!
Where: The upper level of the music carriage
When: Imagination 19/20
What: Inigo thinks he's having a private dance practice moment. Thinks.
Warnings: Probably nothing, will edit if necessary.

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(open to all)

If you happen to pass through the music carriage today - as people usually do when moving through the train - you may notice something. Either you can hear music coming from the upper floor, drawing your attention, or if you have a good heart, you may instead see an odd little creature sitting on the stairs, swaying from side to side along with the music.

If you decide to go upstairs, the creature certainly won't do anything to stop you, if you can see it. In fact, it seems to happily bounce right after you, following you up.

And upstairs the carriage is mostly empty - except for Inigo standing on the stage, dancing. The music is even more audible now. Inigo is dancing along to the beat, eyes closed, yet he doesn't seem to even come close to falling off the stage, as if he knows exactly where to place his feet. Which he probably does, considering his movements seem to be very fluid, practiced. It's a pretty captivating dance, honestly, and it's easy to just keep watching it without realising the time is passing until the song stops.

It's then that Inigo stops moving too, finally opening his eyes..

.. and therefore finally noticing that he's not alone. He lets out an absolute shriek, staring you straight in the eyes, before his foot slips and he finally ends up falling on the stage.

Temporary elegance gone. There is only a miserable little pile of Inigo on the stage now.

(closed to taiki)

Okay, okay. Maybe he just needs to get used to dancing in front of people. He danced in front of Tidus before, and that was only.. only mildly mortifying, so maybe that's what he should do. Make sure to dance in front of people he feels a bit more comfortable with.

Hence why Inigo gently dragged (read: made puppy eyes at until he gave in) Taiki along here. He said it was fine if Taiki would just sit there and paint or something, do whatever he feels like doing! It's just that Inigo has to get used to having an audience, okay! And Taiki is just about the most gentle person Inigo can think of for this sort of thing.

But thinking of that is one thing. The actual execution of this plan is another thing.

Which is why they're both here now, but rather than dancing, Inigo just sitting there on the stage, slumped over, groaning. His face is buried in his hands.

"Why is it so hard to get started when someone else is looking.." Is he whining to Taiki? To himself? Who knows.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Guess Tidus is just going to have to be tortured by the company of Inigo. Speaking of.

"Hmm... but I like it. What we did have." He's looking up, in that way one does when recalling a memory. And he recalls that time back then on that wide beach. The fighting, day and night.

"Well, maybe I'd change getting knocked over by a squid," he remarks wryly, "but apart from that and all the fighting - you were one of the first people I knew. And we did hang out!" Tidus looks at Inigo from the corner of his eye, mouth widening into a grin. "I told you to treat yourself to some chocolate! And wasn't that where you complained about chocobos?"

Or did that come later?

"Haven't I always complained about chocobos?" Look, Inigo knows himself! He knows his brand! It's complaining about those weird oversized chickens, of course!

But even though he says that part fairly easily, he too is thinking back on that day now. It feels so long ago, even though it's really only been a few months. He almost feels like a different person - though he supposes maybe that's the point where it started changing in the first place. The very beginning of it.

Hence why he's quiet for a moments, before asking in a tone that's much less joking and so much more genuine that it's almost vulnerable: ".. You really liked it?"

"Sure did!" There isn't a slip of doubt, Tidus's mind recalling as he watched the waves lapping at the shore... "We spent all that time fighting day and night, I was worrying about Yuna... I was feeling pretty good after that first mission. Sitting around, chilling out - I liked it. You came over and talked to me."

It wasn't some amazing ordeal, but it was simple, nice enough for Tidus to recall it fondly. Had any of the other missions had the same relaxing moment? Terra was more exhausting, Irivar was its own wreck, and Nion was numbing. Was that because of the missions? Or all because of Tidus becoming more worn by being a captive?

He flips the magazine over to a new page, but not before playing with the edge in signal that Inigo's ready for it.

"I liked that mission. It was tough, but... I had good company. Half the people though... most of the people I worked with are gone."

His voice dips, but not his face. It's sobering, but it's a fact - that people will come and go - that Tidus has always been able to accept. As hard as it can hit people; as hard as it's hit him too.

"Hope they're doing okay."

That's all he can ask for.

Inigo lets out a small 'hmm' sound, to show he's still listening, even as he's staring at the pages, reading the blurbs that come with all the photos. Really, he's hearing everything Tidus is saying, though there are edges to this conversation right now that he doesn't want to burn himself on. Like the thought of just how many people are gone now. Inigo is well aware just how hard it hits him, that something about him makes it harder for him than for most, and so he doesn't want to think about it too hard. Doesn't want to fall into that misery.

Though that doesn't mean he isn't glad that Tidus can talk about it. It's probably healthier that way, rather than cropping it all up the way Inigo does.

"We're still here though." It's still a little dangerous, dangling much too close to that edge from where Inigo knows his feelings will spin out of control, but it feels like he's going to land on the right side of it this way. "I'm glad for that."

His hand moves down, playing with the corner of the page of the magazine.

"Well, not glad that we're still stuck, but.. you know. I'm just glad neither of us has involuntarily abandoned the other."

Tidus could probably deal with it better than Inigo, he thinks. But he still can't imagine that it'd be fun for the other to watch him walk off the platform either. Having to hope that he'll be okay somewhere out there.

"Can't get rid of me that easy."

Tidus nudges into Inigo, the two too close for it to be anymore than a muffled pressed of his elbow. But he can tip his head back with a comfortable smile, seeing Inigo out of the corner of his vision, hope the tone does well enough to assure the other guy. He can figure it might not be fun for a guy like Inigo to talk about people gone... not that it'd be exactly fun for Tidus either, but.

But he'll keep what he wants to ask down his throat. Take the steps to move away from anything too difficult.

"Wanna bet what the next mission'll be? We haven't had a space station yet - not since I've been here! That's four missions!"

This is still doable. Sure, the thought of Tidus leaving like that is absolutely awful, but it's just a hypothetical. Just a thought. And while he's this close to the other, pressed against him, it's a lot easier to pull himself away from the abyss of dark thoughts it threatens to cast him into. Physical contact always helps with that sort of thing.

It may explain why Inigo's head moves against Tidus's shoulder affectionately though - like he's trying to recenter himself here for a moment, until the movements still when that question is asked.

"I hope it's not space again. That was the last mission we had before you showed up." Well, not counting the awful one with the shadows, but that one was only a few hours long. It feels weird counting it as a proper mission rather than a random disaster they were thrown into. "And it's awful. I don't like space. Everything is just so dark and cold and empty."

This squished arm of his is getting tougher to move with Inigo taking it all for himself to lean on, shoulder too. But Tidus will try to manage - it's been a tough conversation, and he knows what Inigo likes. A stiff arm is fine, if it'll keep the other guy happy.

Plus, he's now distracted them both for a moment from the magazine.

"I don't really want to go into space for the view-" since yeah, Tidus can agree there, from the movies he's seen? Boriiing looking! "-but what about riding a spaceship?! Didn't you guys get to do that before! Me and Kitty have a promise, you know! It's the Kitty and Tidus Team Up Time the first spaceship mission we get!"

Okay, so maybe Tidus isn't going to be still as he'd earlier decided to be; his pillow arm not moving, but that other one surely is. Look at this fist!!

"You want to force me to be there in the cold, lonely vacuum of space just so you can have a date with Kitty? So cruel."

Inigo knows very well that's not a date. He knows what Tidus is like, what Kitty is like. That's exactly the sort of thing they'd do together, just for fun. But Inigo has to distract himself with a joke, before he thinks too much about how during that mission it was him and Yuki sharing a ship the whole time.

He reaches out to turn the page of the magazine.

"I wish we could go to a world that's a little more like the one Roland is from. Not Evermore, I mean-- the one he's originally from. I have no idea how to even imagine what it's like." Maybe like that frozen over place that had houses with fridges?

Wow, Inigo, Tidus isn't going to let that go uncontested, nudging him again. "Hey. She's like a little sister!"

Though, he can't say he's ever been brotherly-like, especially not around her and how many times she's seen him be down and depressed. But she definitely has that kind of face in Tidus's mind. It's what he thinks about before Inigo remarks on Roland's home world. What it must be like.

"I think I got him a book...?" Tidus guesses. Which was it though? Evermore or Aremica; and he starts to think that it might be Evermore, before-

"Oh- why don't you ask him to pick a movie? That looks like somewhere he's from. That'd be fun - for the both of you."

A movie. What movie isn't fun! Especially if you aren't getting popcorn dumped over you.

Under any other circumstances, Inigo may have made some sort of joke about how the solution to everything always comes down to movie watching with Tidus. If he were any less modern-society-challenged, he may even have joked about Tidus probably having shares in some sort of cinema business.

But Inigo recognizes the intention behind the suggestion for what it is, and decides to not make fun of it for that reason.

"Maybe." He sounds like he's seriously considering it, at least, even as his gaze drops back to what's on Tidus's lap.

"Or maybe they have magazines about Aremica. With photos like these." Because a book about it would just be way too boring, please. Even if Inigo was genuinely interested, he'd never manage to make his way through that. "Maybe there'd even be some stiff press photos of mister president in there."

"You gonna order some?" Tidus eyes Inigo with the curve of his lips, a curious but amused curl. He was going for the less expensive option here, but if Inigo wants to bring points into it...

"Who knows? He might have a book about him if you searched one. A biography - those have pictures. Maybe even some from when he was a kid. That's how they do it where I'm from." And why wouldn't a biography in Roland's world have a few photos to include? Unless it's as dry as the guy himself.

"Try searching for magazines like... Aremica Weekly. Aremica Monthly."

What else was there? Tidus doubted they had anything called The Blitz on sale...

He lets out a dry laugh.

"A book about him may be a little too much, right?" It'd feel like snooping, like being too nosy. Inigo wouldn't know how to feel if someone else had a book about him, after all - and he's pretty sure no such book even exists in the first place. It might make Roland feel like Inigo thinks he can't just ask him stuff if he's curiously.

"But magazines couldn't hurt. I'll have to see if I can find something.." Especially with how picky and yet stupidly literal the train can be at times about orders, ugh.

But rather than thinking too much about the annoying downsides to the train ordering system, he'd prefer to think of something more fun. Something more positive. Something like--

"Don't they have blitzball magazines?"

Tidus hums in agreement, somewhat, an unsure sound. Was it too much? Maybe for other people who didn't have to grow up with their old man being talked about on the constant, in writing and speech. ... nah, he could have done with less of that too.

... well, maybe.

Anyway. Speaking of a life of sports-

"Blitzball? Sure they do! We had magazines on everything. Reviewing the month, the upcoming month, looking back on older games and players. You even had magazines that talked the gossip about us." Which Tidus shares with a crinkle of his nose, the downward curve of his mouth.

"You can get all that on the net or download it, but we had paper books too."

Oh no, Tidus.

Tidus, what did you do? Do you realise the consequences of the things you just mentioned? Maybe not, because it only becomes clear the moment Inigo gives Tidus a really, really puzzled look.

He even stops leaning against the other a bit, sitting up more straight, as if this requires his full and utmost attention.

".. 'On the net'? As in.. in the water..?" He's sounding like a real grandpa over here. Even though he's still a teenager. "And.. 'down-load'?"

What is this download thing and why is it the opposite of paper books!

Oh.

Oh.

The realisation makes Tidus grimace at first, until thinking for a second or so makes him figure that hey, actually, this doesn't have to be difficult at all. Let's just see if it actually goes well in execution.

"Okay, so, you know how you can put music on your SCA from the train, right? That's a kind of download. And then a network-" he puts his hands out, magazine sitting on his lap for now, "-is a system... you know the ICPs? When you stick the ticket in, it has the same screens, don't it? No matter where you are. That's a network. But now imagine a network that anyone can use and make their own screens! And you can put anything on there."

Oh, wait. "You ever talk to Webmind?"

See, there's parts of this Inigo can understand. The download part is.. iffy.. (is it just putting anything onto anything else?) but the internet part comes across partially, at least. It's just that the concept of it is so big that he can't quite fully grasp it. Put anything on there? Like what? And why would you? And how do you make your own screens, and..

Inigo looks like his brain is slowly shutting down from thinking too much, the look in his eyes a little glassy when he looks at Tidus.

Maybe it's easier to answer the one question he does understand here.

"Only that one time he admitted he was stalking us." REMEMBER THAT, BRO?

"We were talking in public to the whole train..."

To be fair. To be fair to Webmind. Tidus can't hold it against the robo-guy when everyone was technically 'stalking' them! He just doesn't care about the majority of what he says being heard by everyone. He also doesn't think about it.

"Well, his world has the same thing. If you saw what he could do, it would make more sense! But, uh..." What's a way to put it now? ...does he really want to with the way Inigo's looking at him?

"--I'll show you," he decides, patting Inigo on a leg. "Someday. There."

Please don't emphasize too much how the whole train could hear them, okay. Is this something Inigo technically knows, somewhere in the back of his mind? Yes. Is it also something he actively has to block out in order to not look like a total flustered idiot on the network all the time? Yes.

Let's let sleeping dogs lie, okay.

"We don't have it on the train, Tidus. You can't just show me." It sounds a little pouty, but even as he's pouty, he's settling right back in against Tidus's side, against his shoulder. That's his claimed spot now. "I don't think any of the worlds we went to had anything like it either."

Or Inigo just missed it. Because he didn't know about it in the first place.

"I'll show you," Tidus repeats with a sigh. "Later. I'm telling you, I'll find something! It's not that complicated anyway, just think of a big newspaper or bulletin board that's always updating, but you don't have a pile of people around you! Agh-"

He waves his hands. He's being dragged back into it! They'll never escape and Inigo will just feel bad about being old-fashioned!

"Nothing I say's gonna help." So, in that case- "Tell me about something in your world. There. I wanna hear about Ylisse stuff."

"Y-Ylisse stuff?"

Inigo sounds caught off guard. Maybe even a tad self-conscious. After all, what is he supposed to say about Ylisse? What kind of fancy stuff do they have that other worlds don't? Inigo can't think of anything, considering they don't have modern technology. Sure, there's the dragons, but he and Tidus already went over the differences in wildlife plenty of times.

So what's left to be said?

"I-- I don't know. I'm not sure I can think of anything they wouldn't have had in Spira or Zanarkand." His fingers fret with the sheets underneath them, plucking at them while he thinks. "We have cities, and markets.. But those are all normal. I'm sure we had a lot of boats too, but probably somewhere off to the south or the east, where I haven't been much.. Um, there's a desert somewhere in the south too.."

"Well... tell me what the markets were like. How many cities?" Tidus grabs at those two, knowing that Inigo's struggling to know where to start, but those two seem like a good starting point. And Tidus finds his own brain getting going too. "It's a kingdom, isn't it? Are all the cities in the same kingdom? How many have you been to?"

Alright, maybe that's a lot at once. But it might get Inigo thinking, and the questions are genuine too. Tidus watching, watching, the magazine forgotten for now.

It is a lot at once. But it's not like Inigo wants to leave Tidus hanging when he's made the other talk about plenty of stuff from his own world before, so he tries to answer as many as he can - thinking about what to answer first, though the questions make it a little easier to find concrete things to talk about, at the very least.

"There's only a handful really big cities. Including Ylisstol, which is the capital, where I used to live. But there are tons and tons of smaller villagers scattered all over the place." Think the idyllic countryside types. With farms and stuff.

"There are probably more cities over in Plegia to the west and in Ferox to the north, but I've never really been there very often myself when I was young. They don't like Ylisseans very much, especially in Plegia."

There we go. It reminds Tidus of asking questions and listening to Zelda speak about Hyrule, though that kingdom sounded a lot smaller in comparison to what Inigo is sharing. What about Tai? But Tidus never took the time to ask about the individual kingdoms there...

"What's up with Plegia? You guys got history?"

That, however, sticks out to Tidus. Having a world destroying dragon to deal with didn't really sound like the best time to be holding onto bad blood.

"Hmm." Inigo nods. Usually this would have been old history for him, since it's not like there was much of a war between regular people possible after Grima attacked, but his trip to the past put it all back into focus.

"They've been worshipping Grima just as long as we've been worshipping Naga, so our nations have always been at odds over it. Probably all the way back to when those two first appeared, a thousand years ago. A big group of people within Plegia was trying to resurrect Grima, so Ylisse went to war with them to try and stop them. That was only stopped when my grandfather died, and instead my aunt Emmeryn became the Exalt."

He's staring off at the opposite wall of the cabin now as he speaks. And though Inigo is talking about family - his grandfather, his aunt - his tone sounds a little distant. Like he's talking about history, things not as directly related to him.

"She wanted there to be peace, so she stopped the war. Plegia didn't seem to think about it the same way though, and instead they started attacking Ylisse, even after we had withdrawn. They even killed Emmeryn. That's how my father ended up becoming the Exalt instead."

Someone was actually worshipping the world-destroying dragon? Yeesh! Tidus doesn't know what to think from the moment it starts (where's it even going to go?), but it probably goes about where it can. What an ending - and it wasn't even that.

"All that over some dragons?" One really, Tidus doesn't hold back his bewilderment. "And that turned out great. What happened to Plegia? Once Grima came back."

(open) my heart is about to jump out of my chest

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