Deep Dweller: Start

[voidtreckermods]

After the dreams some of the voidtreckers report on day Four of Grasshopper those that have been on the train for a little while will be expecting what comes the next day. Their SCA's glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparations and Arrival

As promised the dressing carriage is opened for optional extras. There are flight suits, similar to those they wore into space but without the helmets. There are instead hard hats and some basic climbing gear as well as bags to put supplies in. There are even a few red tents if any of those planning on tackling red's mission want to grab one, they hold six people in two inner compartments and are relatively easy to put up and take down.

They have a few hours of preparation before the announcement comes. Soon approaching system #789327772. Planet Terra. Drop order: Orange, Red, Blue, Purple. Orange to doors. Leaving the void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. A sharp jerk, a judder and the view from the window changes from the void to dark cloudy skies and very red sand.

They land smoothly, and indeed it seems they have landed on train tracks. A few moments later they pull up outside a huge metal and glass building.

Orange Team

Arrival

Jumping down from the train they will find themselves outside large metal gates. Noticable is the spotlights that shine even in the day time, reflecting oddly off the red sand. It is hot and dry outside, a slight breeze sending red dust rolling around their feet.

The gates aren't locked. There is no lock though they will notice devices that are probably security cameras. The doors are glass and inside is light and airy. They enter into a large lobby, a large circular desk in the centre and a glass walled waiting room to the side.

It is empty. No people at all. All the lights are on. Time to explore.

Exploration

Going up two floors and down five the lab is large and full of all manner of interesting things. Scientific equipment, monitoring stations measuring chemical levels in the air, temperature, water levels. Where to even start is a good question. The lights remain on, which might be annoying at night.

Red Team

Arrivals

Red team to doors. The train continues travelling along the train tracks, looking out the windows they will see endless rolling red sand. Factories rising up from the ground, dotted across the landscape. As the train gets close the air outside seems hazier, through the fumes. They may even see in the distance, strange silver floating orbs.

Eventually it pulls up at a station. Just a raised block really, but easy enough for red team to disembark.

The land stretches out around them. Train tracks criss cross the surface but apart from that there don't seem to be any boundaries. No fences, roads or sign posts.

It won't take them long to find the first orbs, strange silvery spheres and seem almost liquid, until they are not.

Night Time

It grows dark quickly after sunset here, which might take them by surprise. Taking them more by surprise however may be the scraping, scuttling noises in the dark. Skittering close. There is no light out here on the surface, they are far away from the research facility that Orange found themselves in.

If anyone manages to catch a glimpse they will see grey, long limmbed creatures. They shy away from light but anyone in the dark is likely to be attacked. They fight with claws and teeth.

When the sun rises they are gone.

Blue Team

Arrival

Blue team to doors. The train continues across the landscape, passing more orbs, just floating there silently. It stops at the entrance of a cave.

The cave slopes downwards into darkness and soon turns into small tunnels. They don't need to go far when they meet the first ground of Gry. A group of young Gry, practising with spears in an wider section of cave.

Despite being very surprised at the sudden visitors no weapons are pointed at the voidtreckers, instead they are met with curiosity. They are soon led further into the tunnels and soon come to the living areas.

The Gry lead simple lives but they are all pretty fascinated to see their visitors and will allow them to look around their home and answer any questions they have.

Night Time

Most of the Gry sleep in a large communal sleeping area and the Voidtreckers are welcome to join them, though the Gry won't be insulted if they choose to seek out a more private area.

If the Voidtreckers awake in fear in the night, after strange dreams they will find they are not alone. Many of the Gry have awoken too and will reassure the Voidtreckers, tell them it is an honour to communicate with The Burrower.

Purple

Arrival

Purple team to doors. The train continues on the tracks and soon enters a tunnel itself. It's a bit of a bumpy trip, this train was clearly not made for warren systems but after some uneasy twists and turns they pull to a stop.

They are at a train station, not that it's easy to see because it is pitch black. But it is clear there are people around, some looking very confused at the very odd train.

Once the last of those going on the mission leave the train it speeds off into the darkness.

The Terran's are large and tower over most of the voidtreckers but they are friendly enough, if a little confused, once it is explained that they are here to help. They will be led over towards the collapsed section of city.

There is a lot of activity. People digging at rubble, others using their sheer size and strength to hold up beams. There is an array of rescue equipment and a group of official-looking Terran's holding large devices that are comparable to a tablet-computer and discussing solutions.

There is plenty to do to help, smaller rubble to clear, injured people to tend to. Worried Terran's to calm and reassure. Those brave enough can volunteer to use their smaller size to help get supplies through to those trapped and those with any scientific know how, great strength or magic can put their skills to good use.

Rest Time

Throughout the day people are rescued and other parts of the tunnels stabilised. There is more work to be done but the Terran's seem to be working in shifts and they will encourage their surprise allies to rest as well. They will offer to host them.

They live in large groups and will happily invite the voidtreckers into their homes. They will be curious about the voidtreckers but will also answer questions. Telling them about the strange storm and the collapse of the tunnels. They are urged to sleep early and the next day it will be back to work.

(OOC: Information is here)

Comments

[flatteries]

Despite the initial side-eye, Inigo does seem to talk to the Terrans rather easily. Even despite said Terrans' general.. let's call it oddness. Inigo talks to them the way he might talk to anyone, with a smile, like nothing about this situation is even slightly weird or intimidating at all.

But as soon as they're being lead further in by the Terrans, Inigo does move back to walking next to Roland. He's caught up in his own thoughts for a few moments, but is easily snapped out of it when the other speaks up.

.. with another compliment. And even saying he's impressed, of all things?! Roland, you're going to kill Inigo one day. The boy's cheeks light up a bright red, strong enough that it's faintly visible even in this dark cave with just the light coming from the SCA.

"Ah, well.."

This is not the right time to confess he's actually super shy, right. He can't ruin Roland's impression of him now! So he should just say something else that's also true.

"I just like people. Even when they are very different from us. So it's just a nice thought that we might be able to build some friendly connections here, even if we may never return."

[adregem]

This time, Roland finally does notice the flush in Inigo's face, but he thinks nothing of it. He chalks it up to his youthful demeanor, and that perhaps he just wasn't used to receiving honest feedback. He studies the structure of the tunnels as it continually winds down, noticing tracks and other service carts laying around their periphery. It seemed the system was built for both commute and transport. The ingenuity was something to behold.

"I'm glad to hear that," he remarks easily. "You'd be surprised. You're part of one in a million who think that everyone they meet is worth getting to genuinely know outside of what they're good at doing. I could stand to learn a little bit of that, myself." Roland prides himself on work and talent, but not much else. His time in Evermore has been a life-changing experience, but he's aware of his own misgivings. He really could learn to just relax and enjoy things for what they are.

As soon as he sees more signs of life, he turns to his companion once more. "I don't imagine we'll have a lot of time to sit and talk later when we get to work, so how have you been doing since we last spoke? You were a huge help telling me about missions early on." He grips his hand in determination. "I was able to prep early, even if by just a small margin."

[flatteries]

"I doubt it's truly one in a million.." He protests, but it's weakly, like he isn't going to be stubborn about it. Inigo would like to believe people are better than that, but on the other hand, he has met a lot of people in his life who really did think of people only in terms of how useful they could be to them, one way or another. But the people on the train are kind, at least. They completely restore his faith in humanity - Roland included.

Besides, he doesn't have much time to protest that when there's something much more important to be dealt with. Namely The Question That Must Not Be Answered Honestly over here. There's no way he can tell Roland he spent pretty much half of the month crying himself to sleep every night.

So he tries his darnest to smile. Who cares that they're in a dark cave and Roland might not be able to see his expression too well anyway, he has to make sure just in case!

"Oh.. you know, it's just been the usual!" What a bold lie. "But I'm glad to hear that you've managed to be prepared for all of this. I know that the first mission can be quite overwhelming. But you're not in this alone, and you're a competent guy, so I'm sure you will be fine."

[adregem]

Roland doesn't quite notice the discomfort, or the forced smile on the boy's face. Chalk it up to the poor lighting, or to the fact that he hasn't spent enough time with him to know the difference between an authentic smile and a fake one. What Roland does notice, only because he does it adeptly himself, is the clever diversion to return the conversation back to him.

"I see." He resumes watching the Terrans lead them down. They're getting close to the wreckage, the surrounding area slowly morphing into infrastructures he can finally recognize. "I didn't see you on the platform a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like you're the type of person to greet everyone new the way you did for me." Roland's smile is still kind as he glances back at his companion from time to time.

"And hey, thanks. But competent won't cut it." Not for me. His expression falls back into its usual seriousness, something he does without missing a beat. "We don't know what'll come our way down here, and there are injured civilians to rescue too." He grips his fist tightly, in determination. The responsibility, though shared among the Voidtreckers, always felt heaviest on his shoulders. Something he likes to do to himself out of habit. "I'll have to work doubly hard to ensure the team and the Terrans can rely on me to get the job done." He then meets Inigo's eye with a sharpness that tells you he means business.

"That goes for you too. You're not alone either, alright? I'm here to help you, and I'm ready to do so at any time. Promise me you'll remember that."

[flatteries]

"Oh, of course I promise," he says while glancing at Roland. It's a easy enough thing to promise to remember that, after all. There's no part of that promise that actually involves acting upon the remembered fact and asking for help, so there's absolutely no hesitation in his answer. He's not lying! Though a hint of concern does appear in his eyes after he says it, but that's for a different reason entirely. "You're almost starting to slightly worry me though with the way you speak of it. I mean.. I'm aware that it's most likely just because you're the strong and responsible sort, but you sound as if you're about to take the responsibility for this entire mission upon your own shoulders."

Maybe it's since Inigo is so used to fighting in groups and falling behind a leader. It makes him easy to recognize Roland's attitude as that kind of thing - a leader trying to take the biggest share of the effort and responsibility upon himself. That'd be a lot for a first mission, so he can't help but worry, despite his belief in Roland's strength of character and conviction from the previous time they spoke.

[adregem]

"..."

He watches Inigo speak and looks away after he finishes. Everything he said was actually quite true, and Roland was aware of his own habits. But he also speaks from an experience that spans decades, more than his youthful face can show. As they reach the Terran city with additional directions from their Terran guides, he finally speaks again.

"...Sorry to worry you. Heh. Let's just say that in terms of being useful, this is about the only thing I'll be able to do with confidence." He adjusts his sleeves, scanning the area around them, his mind already racing on how to fully optimize the manpower. If he sounds self-deprecating, it certainly isn't on purpose. Roland is just, by all accounts, married to the work. "But I haven't forgotten that this is a shared goal, too. No, not at all. That's why I want to do my part, above and beyond - so we can all work together to save these people. All for one and one for all, right?" He flashes him a reassuring grin.

"Speaking of..." He halts as they reach the site of the explosion, Terrans hurriedly moving to excavate and rescue. He hums, arms crossed against his chest. "...Dammit. That's a lot of debris. I hope our swords can cut through that. What do you think, Inigo? Got any aces in the hole? Magic and spells, maybe?"

[flatteries]

See, that's the exact problem. Roland might not speak out of self-depreciation, but Inigo over here is practically the Prince of Self-Depreciation himself. He thinks negative thoughts about himself so often, even though he tries to keep them close to himself, that he can't help but project a little when he hears Roland's words and wonder if the other is like that too.

He hopes not. Roland seems so great. So cool and capable. He should only think positive things about himself, because they'd all be true.

All of those thoughts keep Inigo's mind occupied for a while until he realises the man asked him a question. He shakes himself out of it, blinking until the question fully registers with him.

"What? Oh.. erm, not really." He doesn't seem weirded out by the idea of magic, at least. "I don't really have any special abilities. I'm just a regular guy with a sword! Maybe there's someone else with us who would be more useful.. But even if that's not the case, we could always start moving around some of the debris, right? It's nothing good old manpower can't handle!"

[adregem]

"Well said." Roland slaps him gently on the back out of reassurance and finishes his own prep, revealing an Arms Band wrapped around his bicep. "I like your style, Inigo! Good answer. That's definitely the way to approach this, especially when we have Terrans relying on us to help. We can't do with excuses." And he means that. They'll just have to play it smart and make sure both manpower and energy were utilized with minimum effort but maximum effect. They'll need a map, some guidance before they hack and slash, just to make sure they don't damage the already compromised structure of their tunnel system.

Roland flashes him a determined look, as if the work that lies ahead excited him. He was in his element. "So, what's say we tag team for a bit? Get a rhythm going between two melee fighters?" And this way he can keep an eye on Inigo for a bit, true to his word that he wasn't going to let this kid burn out on day one.

[flatteries]

Inigo smiles at those words. He knows it's probably a simple approach, but he knows it works for him. He can't do anything special, so he might as well give it his all at the things he can do, even if they may not be as helpful as someone who could lift rocks and move them around easily with magic or something.

"Tag team?" It's those words that make Inigo's eyes grow slightly wider in surprise. Not that he doesn't know those words - although that is often the case, considering he's from medieval times - but because they're just surprising coming from Roland. "Are you sure you don't mi.."

He stops himself mid-sentence when he realises how insecure and dumb that sounds. That's not like him. Or, well, not like what he's supposed to be like. Even though Yuki leaving the train still has an effect on his mental state, making those kinds of things fly out of his mouth more easily before he can stop them.

"Ah, I-- I mean, I would love to. I'm sure there is plenty the two of us can do to help this situation out."

At least he hasn't caught onto that ulterior motive at all.

[adregem]

Aha, now that they're in slightly better lighting, Roland does notice it. The hesitation, the meekness that wasn't present when they first met...He quirks a slight eyebrow at it, but again, doesn't mention it or press further. Not only was it not the time to be distracted - it was a mission with civilians! - he also wasn't sure if he was in any position to talk to Inigo about anything more personal aside from what they've already shared with one another.

But he does feel some duty to help Inigo out the way Inigo helped him on day one. He wouldn't have been able to prep for this mission had he failed to realize the extent of their job off the train. His expression falls slightly, just enough to be warm, if he can tell from such poor light, and walks a little closer.

He doesn't mean to continue where the young boy trailed off, but he does to help sound reassuring. "Hey, of course I don't mind. We're teammates, after all. I trust you! You'll have my back like I'll have yours. You...do have my back, right?" He jokes, a smirk on his face as he nudges him with a gentle push of his arm. He may not be the most intuitive person on the Voidtrecker, but he can at least try to be if it means it helps someone out!

[flatteries]

"Of course I do!"

Even if Roland may have meant it in a slightly joking sort of way - or maybe just trying to get Inigo a bit more at ease - Inigo seems to take the question very seriously all the same, judging by the speed at which he answers said question. There's hardly a beat between Roland nudging him and Inigo spewing out that answer.

"I'm here to help out everyone, so of course that includes you." Inigo just is like that. He's fully ready to exhaust himself working his butt off here to save as many people as he can and try to support everyone else. Tidus' warning about Inigo's habits wasn't exactly about nothing.. "And this is your first mission, so that means I ought to help you out even more until you get used to it. I know it might seem like a lot at first, even if you're already slightly used to doing these kinds of things."

Fighting, he means. Or helping people. Roland seems pretty experienced with both. But it's still something entirely new when you're doing it in a place so foreign to you, Inigo thinks.

[adregem]

"That's good to hear." He allows a pause before adds something else, though his tone masks his true intentions to keep a promise from a mutual friend. "Remember to pace yourself. If you're tired, you'll be off your game. That won't help anyone. Alright?" He looks to Inigo with the same expression as he started - determined to do good - and all Roland wants to show him is that he can't burn out too fast, otherwise he won't be able to accomplish what they set out to do. He supposes that he means this even without Tidus' chiding.

They start walking towards the first site, with a set-up from the Terrans struggling to get rocks out of the way in an even more enclosed pocket of tunnels. "No, no this is definitely out of my experience. I can coordinate and help others with allocating manpower, but in terms of missions? Heh. Like I said, I'll rely on more experienced and talented Treckers like yourself to set the pace. I'll follow your lead, sir." He mocks salutes with an encouraging smile, and readies himself, wondering if it's about time to show a weapon to help clear out debris.

[flatteries]

It's a good thing they run into the Terrans, because the first thing Roland says really has Inigo giving him a surprised look, though it's too awkward to say anything about it once they're with company. It's not even that the advice is so strange, but.. it's just.. certain people have nagged him about that specific thing so often before that he can't help but feel like he's having deja vu over here!

But instead of saying something about it, he just gets right back to work once he spots the Terrans struggling with the rocks. Even before replying to Roland, he's already taking a big rock from a Terran who looks like they're about to drop it, carrying it off to the side himself before glancing back at Roland.

"I don't know if there's much of a lead to follow.." He laughs, as if it's a joke and not some genuine self-depreciation. (It definitely is the latter, but he covers it up really, really well.) "I'm simple enough that I can't see people struggle without wanting to help them out. Here, you can give me that," he says to one of the Terrans before taking another rock.

"Come on, you grab some too. We're strong guys, right? We'll have this passage cleared out in no time."

[adregem]

There was definitely something off with Inigo, but Roland can only read so far. Was this the real reason Tidus asked him to keep an eye out for his friend? He can only assume. Whatever the case, something must have happened between the time Inigo met Roland on the platform and this first mission of his to have caused a shift in the energetic behavior he has come to associate with the youth.

Or perhaps it was all just a friendly facade for newcomers?

Whatever the case, he maneuvers around the thought and nods at Inigo, bending down by the legs and using the momentum to carry at two weights at a time, moving it away from the clogged entrance and into a growing pile of rock and dirt. The Terrans working with them no longer questioned their presence, having been briefed by the ones they had spoken with by the train's drop-off.

"That's the spirit. I'm right behind you. I showed you my pistol before, right? I can probably shoot smaller pieces off to help loosen big boulders."

[flatteries]

"Those things can do that?"

Inigo gives him a slightly surprised look. Sure, he may have seen guns before thanks to being on this train - you're ought to encounter all sorts of things that don't exist in your own time or world. But that doesn't mean he necessarily understands all about them yet, nor does he know all of their uses. And even the guns they had back during that one mission fired lasers rather than bullets, so he has no idea what exactly the strength of Roland's pistol is.

He smiles, and then slightly laughs. "I probably ought to get out of the way before you do that though, huh. I sure don't want to end up like one of those boulders! I like being in one piece!"

[adregem]

Based on Inigo's reaction the first time he materialized his gun, Roland's pretty much pieced together the idea that he may not have pistols and rifles from where he hails from. He wipes his brow, some sweat already starting to develop in droplets from their rigor of the work. "Indeed, they can. Well, they can when I'm using it." He smirks easily, a slight shrug in his shoulders. He was good with a sword sure, but with a pistol? Especially one imbued with magic from the Second World? Roland was a natural sharpshooter, that much he can be proud of. And this is saying a lot - he wasn't someone who bragged about things often. When he does, it's probably because he knows he can walk the talk.

He lifts a couple more rocks and passes it off immediately to some Terran helpers as he pipes again, checking to see how much more they needed to chunk off before they could see an opening. "And don't worry, I like you being in one piece too. I'm sure a lot of others would say the same. I've handled firearms almost all my life and I've never once shot a friendly by accident. Trust me, you'll never be in my line of fire." He says this nonchalantly, with a lightness in his voice as he bends down by the waist again, examining the gap they've already created.

A thought crosses his mind about his weapon of choice and his current companion, but he saves it for later, when the time is right.

[flatteries]

Inigo is still busy carrying off one of the rocks, but he's very much listening to what Roland is saying. He's well aware of how little he knows about pistols, after all, so any knowledge he can glance here is good. Especially if he's going to be around Roland while the other uses them - sure, it may be easy to be careful with them now, but Inigo knows how these missions go. There's no way they won't be attacked by something or another sooner or later.

And it's always harder to be careful in the middle of battle.

Still.. "It's a good thing I trust you so much, Roland." And apparently he's not even afraid to admit that! The upsides to being a baby with way too many emotions, it's easy to express your affections for others.. "If anyone else told me that, I might just be doubting that sort of statement! But I know you obviously would never be able to forgive yourself in the slightest for hurting someone as amazing as me!"

He flashes a goofy overconfident grin before dropping the rock off and moving towards where Roland is.

"Does it look good yet?" The gap, he means.

[adregem]

He's actually visibly shocked upon hearing such candidness from his companion. He really wears his heart on his sleeve, huh? But it is refreshing, and Roland sees it as a good sign that his initial read of Inigo was indeed, correct. He once again expresses this easily, despite the continuous movement of moving and shaking debris like a well-oiled machine running at full speed.

"I have to say, your honesty is refreshing to hear. Heh. You really are a pretty upstanding guy." He moves closer to examine their work with some detail, though he does turn his head back to offer Inigo a smile. "I don't know if I deserve your unconditional trust yet, but I sure will work hard to earn it at some point. Thank you, Inigo. And you're absolutely right," He stands straight and in his right hand, a glow of gold light brings forth his pistol, the very same one he accidentally showed Inigo on platform day. "I really wouldn't be able to. So don't worry, at the very least, you can rely on me to help you when you're in a pinch. No questions asked."

He walks next to him again, side by side, as he figures out the problem of the blockage. There really was something keeping them from moving a big chunk out. With his arm outstretched, a motion he has done so many times before, core strong and centered, Roland aims the end of the gun at a minuscule target. His goal was to loosen the bottom of the unmoving debris so it could roll off without causing a cave in. It leaves Roland only a tiny room for error, but he's exuding confidence regardless of the risk. He keeps his eyes trained on the target as he speaks to Inigo next.

"Hey, so here's your warning." He goes. "I'll charge this up to a small laser beam to try and loosen the bottom of that big piece right there." Roland nods his head at it, gesturing at the general area. "It'll be quick, but as soon as I land this hit, wait for five seconds then check to see if we can move it out of the way?"

roland please man you got to stop doing this to him

[flatteries]

There's just a whole whirldwind of emotions happening here now on Inigo's end. There's Roland calling him an upstanding guy (!!) and saying he'll work hard to earn his trust as if it's that important (!!!) and that he wouldn't be able to hurt Inigo (!!!!) and that he'll help him no questions asked (!!!!!!!!!). It's too much. This is too much. Inigo's poor heart might just give out at this point. Roland is so effortlessly sweet and cool, how does anyone deal with that?! Where is the dealing with Roland support group, Inigo needs one stat.

Not that he has long to get all lost in thought about it. Suddenly there's the word 'warning' and Inigo's mind snaps right back to attention. Enough to take a step back (okay, maybe it's a near stumble since he was stuck in fanboy mode, but cut him some slack), and then another. He hasn't seen any pistols in use often enough yet to trust to keep a small distance to them.

"O-- Of course. Am I far enough out of the way right now?"

inigo, you giant walking cinnamon roll with extra glaze, roland's about to straight up murder you rn

[adregem]

When he turns back to see Inigo react after a relatively short period of silence, Roland is concerned to see him stagger backwards so...fearfully? Did the reappearance of his weapon startle him too much? His brows furrow out of worry and immediately, the gun disappears from whence it came, sparkles of gold returning it to his Arms Band hammerspace. He does recall the way Inigo initially reacted to it on platform day, and the last thing Roland wants is to alienate a teammate out of a misunderstanding. Especially not in an underground planet, drowning in darkness, with civilians under their care.

He takes a couple of steps towards him, voicing out a little of his apprehension. "Hey, are you okay? Listen, I really promise I'm not going to hurt you when I've got the gun out. I'm an expert at it, it'll only hit the targets I aim for and you're never going to be a target. I'll just loosen up the boulder, yeah?" He shakes his head, regretting his bravado. That really will teach me to be trigger happy.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to make you panic. You don't have pistols where you came from and I should've understood that the first time around."

that's a very threatening statement considering he was holding a gun just a moment ago

[flatteries]

"I'm fine!"

It doesn't sound like he's snapping in any way as he responds with that, but the response does come just a little bit too quickly and eagerly, as if it's more of a reflex than an actual response. And it is. There's no way Inigo could ever hear the question 'are you okay' and answer with anything else but that.

He sucks in a breath and manages to smile at Roland more easily, putting his hands up in a friendly, hopefully calming gesture.

"Really, I'm not panicking. The thought of that is pretty hilarious, actually." At least that's not an outright lie. The real reason he was so startled is since he was way too lost in his thoughts about Roland's compliment shower, but it's not.. as if he can tell him that.. So the true response is here to just downplay it all, right. "I just haven't seen them in use much, so I wasn't sure what the potential blast radius might be. I was just trying to be careful-- I'm truly sorry if it seemed like anything else to you."

......he will murder u with his total protection >:( *holds in his arms like a baby bird*

[adregem]

"Alright. If you're sure. It's not going to affect a wide area, so you're safe where you are." He's glad to hear that, and flashes him a relieved grin, resuming his position with the pistol reappearing in his hand. He turns away from Inigo and aims as if he didn't just look back to check on him.

"Here goes nothing." He charges up the gun, an action he's done many times before, and before it gets too uncontrollable, he shoots with expert aim, a column of light clearing out stubborn pieces of rubble. He gestures for Inigo to wait as he lowers his aim to a safe position, five seconds in his head ticking down, before he nods at the young man to remove the debris. He follows suit to assist lifting what may be too heavy.

thank u for protecting my precious son roland..... i owe you my life

[flatteries]

To be fair, it seems Inigo was telling the truth just now. It's really not the gun that worried him as much as he was flustered about being caught off guard at exactly the right moment. Now his brain isn't overloaded with thoughts of ooh mister Roland ooh, it's much easier to just stand there and watch Roland shoot.

Inigo doesn't even bat an eyelash. Totally calm! When Roland nods at him, he's even immediately moving to clear the debris, like there's not even a doubt in his mind about the fact that Roland wouldn't shoot him and that there isn't any danger anymore now, despite his lack of knowledge about the weapon.

"You were right - it's getting a lot easier to remove this now!" He only then turns his head to look at the other with a smile.

he will ATTACCC anyone who hurts him starting today, also we can wrap this up soon for bonus AC? ;)

[adregem]

The gun disappears for a third time as he jogs up to his side, moving things along to help him out. He meets his smile with his own, glad to see progress and that he hadn't accidentally scared off his companion.

"Attaboy, Inigo." He claps his hands together to dust off the dirt. The process afterwards is quick, as the Terrans surround the entrance, calling for aid while pulling civilians out of tunnels. They work in tandem as Roland syncs his movements to compliment Inigo's efforts, distributing the workload where he can. He's very enthusiastic, and he offers his kindness to the strangers thanking them left and right. It reminds him a little of someone familiar from back home, someone who's ready and willing to aid anyone who needs help regardless of who they are...Above all things, its this genuine nature of helping others that inspires Roland to assist when and where he is able to.

Eventually, they clear up more and more, and Roland finally feels a bit of the early fringes of fatigue creeping up. He pointedly ignores it, straightening his back and cracking his neck from side to side. "I might shift gears soon. I'm seeing some interesting Terrans moving about. They could be the village leaders. We could stand to speak with them sooner than later. Maybe get a better map that goes further in..." He takes another look at Inigo and comes in close, arms against his chest.

"Can you update me on how you're doing, from time to time?" He hasn't forgotten Tidus' request, but now, he's more convinced he's also doing it for his own peace of mind. He can see why Tidus would think he was the type to overwork himself and not say a word about it. "I know you're more than capable on your own, but I'd like to help out a teammate take reasonable breaks, if I can."

yes!! feel free to wrap it up pal

[flatteries]

An upside to all of this work is that there's so, so much less of Inigo just letting his dumb mouth run. He's way too focused on helping people and getting debris cleared out to talk much, after all.

It's only when Roland speaks up much later that he glances back at the other and talks.

"Sure," he easily promises with a smile. Inigo kind of hates himself for it, since he knows it's partially a lie - he will check in with Roland, but he will make sure to find convincing ways to lie about breaks he took that he actually didn't take at all. He's had enough practice with doing that sort of thing back home to know how to mostly get away with it. But.. you know. What Roland doesn't know can't hurt him and all that, right?

"I will stick around here. I'd rather get these boulders and the like cleared out as soon as possible so we can reach people who may still be stuck behind them. You go talk to those Terrans - you seem like enough of a diplomatic type to get things done."