middleofsomewhere | Event: Abort! Part One

Event: Abort! Part One

Until now there has been one mission in every month. The practice in Apple and since then one for each month. So for those that have been on the train for a while they will be extremely surprised when on the twenty fifth day of the month of Egret their SCA’s glow gold and a hologram appears. Another mission.

Strange or not preparations need to be made, the voidtreckers are needed, strange timing or not.

Preperations

As promised the dressing room is open once again and there is a collection of leggings, shirts and tunics. All are in bold, differing shades of team colours and are made of sturdy material. There are a couple of cloaks, like those they wore in the goblin world they look medieval in style but will keep rain off as well as a modern raincoat.

As usual they have about an hour of preparation time, to gather supplies, get changed and help those who need more help disguising themselves to do so.

Arrival

”We are now approaching world#27462947582. Warning: Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four,” Hopefully even those who are new know to hold on or sit down by now. ”Three, two, one.” A jolt and a lurch and the void from outside the windows disappears to show green grass and a blue sky.

The Voidtrecker Express has landed in a small dip between two hills. Tall enough to mostly hide it and once everyone who wishes to disembarks it vanishes.

The voidtreckers, on climbing the hill, will find they are inside the city walls, just. Here it is mostly farmland still but as they move towards the centre there are more houses and things become more crowded and bustling. The city is big enough that an influx of strangers doesn’t turn many heads.

Their SCA has a map, red team’s has a marker for the northern gate, purple’s show the position of guard posts. Orange and Blue’s shows the main gates that lead out into the kingdom beyond.

Red Team

Getting to the northern gate doesn’t take all that much time and they are let out without much fuss, though fair warnings about the monsters out there. It is clear that though this city is nominally guarded and walled, it has been a long time since there has been war here and people can come and go as they wish.

The desert is, much as can be expected. It is more a scrub land rather than rolling dunes of sand but the land is cracked and dry. They have to move at least an hour away from the city before they come across any monsters at all.

When they do they are strange almost-boar looking creatures. They are vicious and will attack on sight, charging with huge tusks and teeth that are far too sharp to belong to a natural creature. They are clearly intelligent, even if they don’t seem to have language. But they never come across more than five at once and there doesn’t seem to be any movement of them towards the city.

Purple Team

The guard posts are only have a few guards there at any one time. Though questioning any of them the voidtreckers will learn that there are other guards in the city, ready to come to the defence of the walls if the alarm is ever sounded. Those on the walls are there to keep watch.

It might take a little bit of persuading but there isn’t a huge problem with purple team being allowed up onto the walls. As long as they don’t seem to be causing or bringing trouble.

The surrounding countryside is clear. To the north is the desert but to the east, west and south there are rolling hills of green. The kingdom that this city is part of.

For them it is a few hours of tedium and anticipation. Watching the landscape, waiting for a threat. The other soldiers are curious enough that they could be coaxed into conversation or a game of dice.

Blue Team and Orange Team

It is very difficult to convince a city full of people who have not known danger in a long time that they have to pack up and leave.

There are difficult shop keepers, confused farmers, worried parents.

Some are able to be ready quickly and so can follow the Blue team out of the southern gates. It might take more than one group, with a few blue team going with each one. The kingdom isn’t particularly dangerous but who knows when that may change. Keeping everyone together and moving will be the challenge here.

For Orange team there are plenty of logistical problems to get stuck into. Animals need moving, people need help packing or wrangling small children. Older people need help finding carts to ride.

Not to mention the very stubborn ones who will take a lot of persuading. Those who were on the goblin world have had practice in this already of course, and hopefully have tips to share.

(OOC: Information about this event is here)

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He can feel the question in those words.

Though it'd be easy to avoid the question. It's not really fully being asked, after all, and he figures Taiki is sweet enough that he wouldn't mind if Inigo just switched the topic around and avoided answering. But he decided to be open with Taiki last time too, which went.. relatively succesfully? Maybe he can be open about this too. He can just avoid the sad parts, then maybe he can distract the other from whatever Taiki's woes are for the moment by talking about himself instead.

"Yes." He laughs. It's a little airily, with a touch of something awkward, before he turns to smile at the other. "I'm actually a prince. I just usually don't tell people here about that because I don't want them to treat me any different from how they otherwise would, you know?"

"A prince?"

His eyes widened, he hadn't known that. Inigo didn't seem like a prince at all. But then again how would Taiki know what a prince was like? Lord Gyousou had no children and though some of the other kingdom's monarch's had children, Taiki did not know them. He had no idea what Inigo's world was like either, how his own world viewed the children of kings was very different than a world like earth, where power was hereditary.

"Oh I didn't know that... I won't tell anyone, if you don't want them to know I mean... But I don't think anyone would treat you badly because of it."

"I'd appreciate it if you could keep it from others." Inigo does his best to smile as he says it, turning his attention back to the clothes for a moment. He's still not quite ready to tell just about everyone on the train that. "Yuki does know, but he's the only one aside from you. I know both of you can keep a secret though."

After all, they're two of the people Inigo trusts the most on the entire train.

"I mean.. It's not as if I think people would treat me badly for it! It's just that being a prince makes people have a lot of expectations for you, and I'm fairly sure I can't live up to all that. I'm better at just being Inigo."

Taiki's attention had been pulled from the clothes completely and he was watching Inigo sadly. "I won't. I promise." His voice was soft, serious. He could keep a secret. He didn't like doing so, but it was important to Inigo. So he would.

But he tilted his head at Inigo's words. Because indeed being a prince would put expectations on him, though this wasn't his world and this wasn't his land. There would still be an expectation in how to act, how to treat others.

But he was absolutely certain Inigo could live up to all that and more. "I think you must make a very impressive prince... I sorry... I don't know you all that well. But I think that you would more than live up to any expectations."

There were lots of different things you needed to rule, after all.

".. Impressive?"

That's just about the last word Inigo would ever use for himself. He's in no way a prince. If his older sister hadn't existed, then Ylisse would surely have been doomed from the moment of his birth. Even his own father is disappointed in him. He's a terrible, terrible prince.

But of course Taiki of all people would think that anyway. Because he's just too nice for his own good. Nice enough that it makes him think all these things about Inigo that are just factually not true.

"That's really kind of you to say. I'm not so sure if you'd say if you saw my older sister though-- she's got me beat in pretty much everything."

Really quickly, almost to smooth right over that comment, he's grabbing a red tunic and holding it out for Taiki. "What do you think about this one?" Yes, let's focus on clothes and not Inigo's inadequacy for everything he's meant to be.

He can understand only too well that feeling of being terrible at doing what you were meant to. After all he is the worst kirin in the history of Tai, he might be the worst kirin in the history of all of the twelve kingdoms.

But Inigo is not like him. Inigo is brave, strong and true. Any man who could stand and hold a strangers hand, to face down a hoard of demons without even a weapon and refuse to leave. That person could lead a kingdom.

But Inigo also seemed quite awkward about it and Taiki didn't want to upset him so he focused on the tunic in front of him. "Yes. I like that one."

"Great," he says, all too happy to focus on this rather than his own inadequacy and the confusion on how to deal with Taiki giving him so much positive reinforcement that he isn't used to getting in general. "It'll look good on you, I think."

He hands the piece of clothing over to the other.

"Do you want to try it on?" A slight pause, and then he seems to realise something slowly.. "Oh, erm, should I turn the other way?"

He nodded and took the tunic, pulling his hoodie over his head as he began to get undressed. He blinked at the question and looked a bit awkward for a moment. "Um... I don't mind. You can."

He doesn't want Inigo to feel awkward, but he's not sure what will make Inigo feel more awkward and he is is torn, not wanting to upset him.

"Um... I mean... Sorry. It's fine."

He is just going to concentrate on actually getting dressed now. He honestly doesn't mind, court robes are practically impossible to get into without help so it's not like he isn't used to getting dressed in front of people.

This is a disaster already.

Because Taiki is trying so hard to accomodate Inigo, but here Inigo is, doing exactly the same thing in return for Taiki. Because he thought it'd be polite to turn away, but with the kind of answer Taiki is giving, now he's worried if maybe it's insulting to look away for something like that in Taiki's world? Even if he's just taking off his shirt?

Which means Inigo just stands there, frozen, and keeps watching. Except he's quickly getting really embarrassed. It's not even anything he can hide either - Inigo's face is getting so incredibly red. What does he even say in this situation?! He can't just let an awkward silence linger! Say something, Inigo!

"Ah.. uh.. looking good, Taiki!"

NAGA, NO, THAT'S NOT WHAT HE WANTED TO SAY.

He can tell Inigo is embarrassed and now he is embarrassed and he doesn't know what to do. Maybe he should turn round? No that wouldn't solve the problem. Instead he just tried to get dressed as quickly as possible.

Which would have been fine but then Inigo spoke whilst Taiki was half way through putting on the tunic. He paused a moment, confused, his head tangled up in the neck of the tunic.

"Um..."

Someone open a window, he's going to hurl himself straight out into the void. It's the only solution now. What does he even say? Nothing can make this alright ever again. He's dying.

Inigo crumbles to the floor until he's just squatting there, his hands firmly clasped over his tomato red face.

"D-Don't mind that!" Why is his mouth quicker than his brain?! "J.. Just get dressed! It's fine! Pretend you didn't hear a thing..!"

"Um okay..." He finished pulling the tunic over his head and turned to see Inigo... slumped to the ground.

What had he done? Had he upset him in some way? Had he embarrassed him? Face full of concern he moved over to crouch down in front of him, reaching out like Inigo was a spooked animal.

"Inigo? Inigo are you alright... What's wrong? Sorry... If I upset you..."

"No! No, you haven't upset me at all!"

That might not be the most convincing statement ever, considering Inigo's face is still very red.. But he just can't even bear the slightest thought of Taiki assuming he must have upset Inigo. There's nothing to do other than to deny that as quickly as possible and try to make sure Taiki doesn't believe that.

So he quickly rambles on, as if saying more will do more to convince Taiki. "It's fine! I--I'm fine! It's just.. me and my dumb big mouth!"

"Inigo..." He reached out, tentatively. Still like Inigo was a frightened puppy. He fell short of actually touching him, but his hand was close to his shoulder. He doesn't really understand what has caused this but he feels guilty about bringing his friend any upset and wants to fix it.

"Your mouth isn't dumb. You didn't say or do anything wrong, not at all."

They may differ on whether or not his mouth is dumb, but what Taiki is saying is still touching enough that he actually looks at the other, just silently staring for a moment. Even after he said something so dumb and awkward and freaked out over it, Taiki is being just as sweet as ever. And that's all on top of the fact that Taiki didn't seem like he was doing so great today.

Sometimes Taiki feels like such an endless well of patience and kindness, and Inigo isn't quite sure if he deserves it. But he can't stop himself from indulging himself either way.

"Well, I don't know about that.." His cheeks are still pink, his voice a tad softer than usually. "But, um.. how about we just hug it out?"

Especially with that hand hovering so awkwardly near his shoulder.

"I do. I am sure of it." Inigo is not dumb, he is good and kind and Taiki is not sure what has just happened. But Inigo is upset and he is determined to change that. He nodded and leaned forwards, wrapping his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

He can only hope that this helps.

At least this much does really help. Inigo is a simple boy, after all. Most of the time all he needs to calm down and feel better is just getting the slightest scraps of affection. And Taiki hugging him so tightly is more than just a scrap.

So despite him not saying anything, Taiki may feel the other getting calmer in his arms as Inigo moves to cling to Taiki in return as well. He buries his face against the other's shoulder, letting out a slow breath.

"That's better," he mumbles after a few quiet moments. He can only help the hug might make Taiki even the slightest bit better about whatever had him so upset. "You're such a great hugger."

It seemed to be working and so Taiki didn't loosen his hug, letting Inigo take whatever comfort he needed.

It felt good to hug someone as well, it didn't diminish the darkness that lay over him with Gyousou's absence but it felt good, comforting, friendly.

"Oh... thank you."

That was good, good that he had not forgotten how to bring comfort with a hug.

Inigo lingers like that for another moment before he finally - and maybe somewhat reluctantly, but he knows he can't just sit there hugging Taiki forever - pulls back. He's definitely seeming a bit calmer now, judging by his facial expression.

".. I guess we should get going." Before they completely miss the mission's start with their hug.. "Will you be alright out there..?"

Taiki found a smile, it was easier, when being hugged, to find one. But Inigo was right, they should get going or they would miss the mission.

"I will be. You will be too..."

He has every faith in him.

"Yeah." It's not a lie either. Honestly, Inigo feels 100% more confident going into that mission to face whatever monsters or enemies might be out there than in any given social situation.

He gets back up on his feet, helping Taiki up as well.

"Come on, let's go."

Taiki was pulled easily to his feet and nodded, time to go.

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Event: Abort! Part One

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