middleofsomewhere | Event: Healing Waters

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Event: Healing Waters

"Good morning passengers, it is day twenty three of the month of Grasshopper. All passengers of the Voidtrecker Express require rest. Next stop Jema’grethy Island. All passengers prepare to disembark."

It is a very strange morning message that rings through the train on the morning of day twenty three but as the passengers of the Voidtrecker Express wake their screens glow with the colour of the void and a holographic screen pops up for them to read.

World #2554098133741: A world once inhabited by an ancient civilisation and now preserved as a historical site, nature reserve and well-being retreat. It is famous for its relaxing hot springs, calming atmosphere and beautiful beaches.

It is a popular void-traveller destination, particularly among void missionaries as a place to rest and recuperate after difficult missions.

The Voidtrecker Express will spend three days here, arriving today and leaving on day twenty six of the month of Grasshopper. The dressing carriage is open for your convenience.

It is time for a holiday it seems!

Preparation

For those who go to explore the dressing carriage they will find a variety of beachwear and wetsuits. One cupboard has a pile of tents and groundsheets in all four team colours.

One cabinet is exclusively filled with beach towels, in a kaleidoscope of colours, designs and patterns. Another is filled with different shapes and sizes of plain towel dressing gowns. There is even a cabinet with buckets, spades and small rock-pooling nets.

It seems they are in for quite an adventure.

Arrival

"Shortly arriving on World #2554098133741. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train lurches and rattles as it leaves the void they will get a glimpse of silver-purple sky and a beautiful ocean below.

However some passengers might be a little more than distracted, one staring at that table for a second too long, another seeming lost in thought for a couple of seconds, a longer than normal pause in a sentence. They see a vision, a glimpse of a life that is not their own. Not all at once, but here and there as the train descends to the island.

But then it is gone and things are back to normal. Just in time, as they come to land.

Jema’grethy Island

The train has landed on a grassy ridge, overlooking a beautiful beach of white sand and the ocean beyond. It is warm, but not too hot, a cool ocean breeze cutting through the heat making it pleasant. Behind them is a grassy plain, changing to forest in the distance. There is the sound of birdsong in the purple sky. To the west the land is more craggy, the silhouette of a fortress in the distance. In a word, it is idylic. A sense of peace permeates the island.

A little more worrying is the volcano-like structure in the north. But even a quick glance will show it is not a typical volcano. There is no smoke and the liquid slowly running down it in rivulets is pink and blue.

Exploring the passengers will find beautiful beaches, ragged cliffs to walk and caves to explore. Where it is more craggy the beaches are made of pebbles- perfect for rock pooling.

The place has no people, but it is clearly maintained. The eastern beaches have racks of shallow boats, both canoes and one- or two-person sailing dinghies. There is also a small building in which scuba gear is stored, along with several waterproofed manuals and instructional literature.

Ruins of ancient houses are scattered across the island, but the main settlement is built into a rocky section in the north-west that has been secured with ropes and stairways cut into the cliffs, perfect for scrambles and hikes.

There are no living quarters, but there are sheltered sections with basic toilet facilities marked as camping grounds in five different sections of the island - by the hot springs, within the ruined fortress, beside the harbour, on the eastern beaches, and on the northern face of the mountain.

Hot Springs

To the west are the hot springs. They have both outdoor and indoor areas; the indoor areas being wooden loghouse saunas, changing rooms and storage sheds, whilst the outdoor areas are a tiered series of pools spilling down the side of the mountain and shaded by brightly flowering trees. The waters are hot, mineral-rich and soothing.

Perfect for overly stressed, world weary Void heroes...

(OOC: More setting information is here, please feel free to go wild with the setting and have a fun and relaxing time. You can use this post as a catch all for your holiday or make your own posts on

middleofsomewhere. More information about how the memory event is structured is here!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

See, Roland's been to the hot springs more than once since they landed on Jema'grethy. Apart from his daily mountain hikes and working by the beach, he considers the hot springs his actual go-to holiday. He can't even remember the last time he went in for a soak, back home. So when he walks in casually, hair down and dressed in nothing but dark colored trunks with white swirls printed on them, his path is pretty much clear. He knows where to go, where to walk. He's got routine. He's even humming to himself.

But from the indoor changing area, he could already hear them like a radar attuned to a particular frequency. He smiles, folding in his clothes and setting them into a locker. Tidus and Inigo. Of course. He was actually excited to join them for a nice dip. He briefly wonders what's gotten them splashing about, talking animatedly. However, the closer he gets to the tiered pools, the clearer and stranger the conversation becomes.

'-'re really good-looking for a guy, and I'm trying really hard to not think about that too much right now, since we're friends!

It's muffled, but Roland can tell it was Inigo, and he can make out just enough. He's honestly confused enough to double-take, trying to decide on the spot if he should just run out and pick another time for a soak or if he should at least choose a pool farther away from them. This was not what he thought they would be discussing. At all. Flustered as he is, unexpectedly so, rare for someone who comes off so calm all the time, he does the exact opposite and manages to walks along the cobbled path that directly leads him to Tidus and Inigo.

'Are you happy now, huh?! Is that what you wanted to hear?! That the oddball attracted to guys thinks you look hot?!'

He stops in his tracks, with an expression even he doesn't know he's throwing. Is it too late to back out? No, not at all. He can't now. Tidus sees him, and he sees Inigo, stood in the water - scars, plenty of scars, which he files away for later, he won't forget that -

He clears his throat to signal their attention. Better this than to pretend he heard nothing just to save face.

"...I see the Teen Twins are back at it again." Roland crosses his arms against his bare chest. He still doesn't know what expression he's making as he studies them both. He's never sounded so dry or confused in his whole life. "I, uh. I'm sorry to disturb. Just a fair warning that if this is about playing games on flirting again, I really don't want to have to referee when I warned you two not to be sore losers." He pats the dry towel against his shoulder now and slowly, painfully, shuffles to try and leave.

He clears his throat a second time. He never clears his throat a second time. Wasn't Tidus with Yuna? Was Inigo...really...with...? Does he feel...? Oh boy. He just wanted a soak. He really just wanted a soak.

Roland's rubbing the back of his neck, now. "Okay, guess that's my cue to go to the sauna first. I'll - I'll see you two around. Ah, Inigo," He doesn't know what possesses him to add one last thing, but he does anyway. He wasn't trained for this. "You...You're not an oddball. Tidus, you should be honored someone as nice as him thinks you're attractive."

...Right. Unless someone stops him, he's gonna try and slink away here. Just. Very carefully, until he can find an empty hot spring a little farther away...

what.

what.

what.

what.

Okay, so Inigo being all flustered and embarrassed?! That's fine, that's part of the goal! Tidus knows he has to be careful about how far he goes with it, and sure, that's an absolute work in progress, but it wasn't even the entire point of this!

And then--! And then Inigo goes on, standing with his declaration and announcing it basically to the entire island. Tidus can only stare bewildered, stunned, stuck frozen with less flair as before with his arms folded across his stomach. Inigo confessing he finds him so good-looking that it's distracting, that he--? Actually has a thing for him? Is that what's going on here?

Wh-what is going on here...?!

'...I see the Teen Twins are back at it again.'

--SHIT NO WHO SAID THAT GUY COULD WALK IN!?!?! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHH--!!!

Tidus has already sunk back into the water with Roland's appearance, face red, his arms over his chest because he doesn't know why?! Until he flaps one out and points forcefully-

"DON'T YOU GO ANYWHERE THIS ISN'T WHAT YOU THINK!"

Forget the quasi-confession there of at least sexual attraction, nobody is touching that and anyone who tries will get drowned in the hot springs the second Tidus sniffs out the sound of such a direction!

That pointed finger goes from Roland to Inigo.

"I WAS TELLING HIM ABOUT SPORTS FANS CHECKING OUT THE PLAYERS! IT'S TRUE RIGHT ROLAND, TELL HIM IT'S RIGHT!"

Turning to look at Inigo now.

"AND I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM IF YOU'RE GAY! YOU'RE NOT AN ODDBALL, IT'S NOT GAY TO TELL THAT A GUY'S BEEN WORKING OUT! YOU WORK HARD FOR GAINS LIKE THAT!"

His voice may be reaching a difficult, strained pitch as he continues to be far louder than necessary, but unable to stop. The heat goes to every part of him, and it might not help, but Tidus sinks himself in entirely, head and all.

And he's going to stay there.

He's a professional he can do this even when he's overemotional!!!

Did Inigo think about what he was going to do after saying that? Of course not. But Tidus was egging him on so much, what else was he supposed to say?! It's not even like he likes Tidus that way, it's just-- he's just good looking, and-- this is a disaster, no matter how he thinks about it.

A disaster that gets worse the moment he hears an incredibly familiar voice from behind him. Inigo turns to look, his face going from incredibly red to incredibly pale in a record time. He seems frozen like a statue as he listens to Roland's words, and only seems to realise a moment too late that his scars are on full display for the other right now. Inigo quickly wraps his arms around himself but it's not like it really covers anything up. Going into the water would be a smarter move, but..

.. you know. Who has time for smarter moves when he hears Tidus screeching like a banshee? Inigo doesn't turn his head to look at the other teen again, too mortified by what he might see on Tidus's face if he'd look, so he just stares at Roland, looking more and more miserable by the moment with each word that leaves Tidus's mouth.

Until it's quiet. And Inigo finally looks to turn to see why Tidus is so quiet. And he can't spot him anymore at all.

"What..?"

He sounds so confused, his voice oddly quiet again. Until the realisation of what's happening here hits him.

"T-- Tidus is drowning!"

He turns back to Roland, looking absolutely panicked.

"Roland! R.. Roland, Tidus is drowning!!" What does he do?! This wasn't part of Tidus's swimming lessons!

'...Is this always going to be the kind of set up I walk into, with these two?!'

"Tidus, please! Inigo, you too! The both of you need to use your inside voices, you don't have to make a scene!"

Between Inigo's sudden self awareness and Tidus's rant - pointing his finger back and forth, screaming, catching the attention of whoever might be passing by such that Roland had to turn his head to throw them apologetic looks - the president is once again, at a loss for what to actually address first. All he does for now is try and control whatever he's walked into.

And he isn't the type to just stand there, slack jawed and staring. Even as absolute chaos erupts around him for what seems to be the standard for the Teen Twins, which he has now adopted as the perfect moniker for the duo that soaks before him whether or not they approve of it, his mind is racing to figure out what to do first.

Typical of a president assessing a risky scenario, time slows down and he sees the following in the shallows of his cognition:

First; Inigo is covering up his scars, and Roland knows that's something to address later.

Second; Tidus is panicking, obviously flustered at whatever context preceded Inigo's admission.

Third; Inigo thinks his hot friend is drowning.

He closes his eyes and breathes, counts to an arbitrary number. Then, he moves.

Edited 2020-09-07 15:29 (UTC)

Time to get to work.

As soon as he opens his eyes, he makes his way with quick deliberate strides until he reaches the edge of the hot spring closes to Tidus. He jumps in, makes waves even, doesn't attempt to be gentle with the way he enters the pool, and his hand dips under the water. Tidus will feel Roland's open palm gently yet firmly keeping him down by the top of his head, as if encouraging him to stay there. Roland meanwhile, stares at Inigo with a frightening calm that betrays the comedy of his current actions. His free hand rests against his hip, at an angled lean.

He speaks incredibly casually, as if narrating the weather. Dryly.

"Did you know, Inigo, that as a pro blitzball athlete, Tidus can actually hold his breath to a near full hour, maybe a little over that if you dare him?" Whatever motion Tidus might be doing now, splashing about, arms waving, legs kicking, Roland wasn't having it. He didn't often discipline, but when he did, it was without hesitation. "So you actually don't have to worry. He's very proud of this skill. Drowning him would be near impossible. But even knowing that, please don't hesitate next time and just pull him out. Calm down."

He talks loud enough that Tidus could make his words out even from the depths. But his hold wasn't so strong that it would stop the younger from emerging from his self-imposed hydra-prison at any time.

And should that be the case, Roland will promptly let go, offering no resistance, and will just face him head on, arms crossed deftly against his chest.

"Well, look who decided to join us." That tone was unmistakable. He really, really just wanted a nice, relaxing soak... "Tidus. If it's so normal for people to think men in sports are good looking, and I'll be the first to admit that it is, then this admiration shouldn't be unusual. Why you're making a fuss about it?" He raises a single eyebrow.

It's that 'care to explain' lilt that he'll end on, as he glances between the two of them, checking who'll talk first. Any time, now, you crazy kids. So he can sink his body into the warm water and just relax, in the name of Lofty.

Tidus is happy down here, thanks. He's never been in waters this warm and his head felt dizzy even before how quickly he submerged himself with little more than a gulp of air, but it doesn't mean he's going to pay attention to any discomfort his body is signalling to him. He's good at that: blitzball was more than just holding one's breath. It was about operating under stress, under pain. It was an endurance built through hard work.

And while this was not the typical situation that played out during blitz games--an old guy you kinda respect like walking in while your best guy friend around accidentally makes his appreciation of your physique sound a little gay--it was a challenge all the same. And Tidus wasn't about to give in so easy.

Except Roland is now apparently trying to kill him WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP THERE DUDE?!

Okay, no, Roland isn't doing anything but holding his hand there.... is this a message, gramps!? Tidus becomes immediately distracted trying to decipher this, even as Roland goes on to do his Look I'm So Calm And Old Listen To Me Talk voice, explaining Tidus's profession. But buddy, he knows what this old bag of bones is trying to tell him. 'Just stay under there', 'how about we see how long you can really stay down', 'Why don't you cool off'--

Well just wait and see when Tidus gets his turn one of these days, pops...!!

For the One Guy Fight going on down below, Tidus doesn't actually struggle against the light push or attempt to come up until there's an end to the blah blah blah of Roland's dulcet tones, and he lifts up and out: beet-red, moody faced, a glaring sulk that faces in Inigo's direction, but easily finds it's way to Roland.

Oh, he wants to fight him so bad!!

"First off, I ain't your walking stick, old man. Lean on someone else!" His voice has body, but it's not overly loud fortunately, the water swallowing more of the sound. "And I was just tryin' to tell Inigo-- I wasn't making fun of him 'cause he's gay! I was just having guy talk. I was telling him what it's like--people looking at you in sports. But I forgot Inigo doesn't do sports where he is!"

And for as huffy as he sounds, there's an underlying understand there, an admission on his part. He flubbed up. That was his mistake.

"But then you showed up and made it all weird!" --but he's not entirely to blame here, waving out a hand from the water in Roland's direction, then letting it splash back in. "Don't act like you did nothing! Stop calling this flirting!"

OKAY.

At first Inigo has even less of an idea what's going on here. Seeing Roland walk a little closer is reassuring - surely he will solve this situation.

But rather than solving anything, Inigo just puts his hand down into the water. And while Inigo can't fully see what's going on there, it's easy to assume that Roland is actually just.. holding Tidus down underwater?! Is Roland actively trying to drown Tidus?!

Despite trusting Roland, Inigo instinctively takes a step forward, likle he's ready to step in and save his friend. Until he hears those words, that is. That it's near impossible for Tidus to drown.

... oh.

Inigo is still staring. Still listening. To the rest of what Roland says, and then once Tidus emerges from the water, to what he's ranting to the older man about too. Somewhere between realising he was throwing a fuss over nothing, his dumb confession of his opinion on Tidus's body from before Roland walked in, the words I wasn't making fun of him 'cause he's gay and the realisation his scars are still on full display, embarrassment washes over him like a wave.

So Inigo just takes a step back. Until he's at the other side of the hot spring again.

And while Roland and Tidus are busy with Tidus's tantrum, Inigo is just going to submerge himself in the water here. Not as far as Tidus just went a moment ago, obviously, since he can't breathe underwater, but he's definitely just letting himself sink in until he's only chin up above the surface.

Maybe he can just vanish over here while they're not paying attention to him. That'd be great right about now. Can the ground open up and swallow him yet?

Roland's attention is split between the two, and it's a wonder he hasn't yet gone cross-eyed with how often he glances from one over the other just to check and be certain he knew exactly what was being said, what was being done. Also, water is being splashed in his direction, which fine, he guesses he partially deserves. Partially!

Upon further assessment, he finds that Inigo is now sulking, which Roland takes as a sign he might be convinced he did something wrong. Which of course, wasn't at all true. Closer to Roland, Tidus is returning to his riled up, eager self, no longer screaming but his tone and actions still speaking volumes. Another round of miscommunication between Teen Twins, though at the very least, Roland is slowly starting to understand what's transpired. Maybe. He honestly has no clue, and has little desire to back track that far. All he knows is that maybe he once again, made another mistake since Tidus was calling him out for making it weird.

But Roland can't see how it was a wrong assumption to make with the amount of nervous screaming that he walked into without really meaning to. And he only caught the tail-end of it, so what was he to assume!

He leans himself in a half-seat against the edge of the pool and retains his stance of arms crossed against his chest.

"Look," he starts off, calmly, the Diplomacy Voice if the two are already used to his default seriousness. Even here. "If I made it weird by accident, then I'm sorry. It's difficult to think anything else when Inigo sounded that passionate. His words were the only things I caught." Speaking of, he turns his head and stares at Inigo sink further and further into the hot spring, trying to make himself as small as possible.

"Inigo," he almost sighs this part out, but is able to resist the urge. "Come on back. You didn't do anything wrong. It was a mutual misunderstanding...on everyone's parts. Mine too. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate anything, but I will stand on what I said about it being okay to show admiration if you think Tidus's physique is something to marvel at. He's right. Pros do take pride in their looks because they work quite hard at making sure they perform in tip top shape. He's got a lot to be proud of."

Roland's lecture cuts short when he starts rubbing his neck, not really tired but a little flustered himself.

"Now that everything's cleared up...I can leave, alright? There are other unoccupied hot springs, or I can go to the sauna. We're here for a good, relaxing time, after all. Don't let me ruin your fun."

Gosh, why did he feel ten times more fatigued? The mysteries of life.

ASSUMPTIONS MAKE AN ASS OUT OF ME AND YOU, OLD MAN!!!

But ugh, for wanting Roland to back him up before, Tidus hates it now--he's absolutely too Roland for this! It's either that--just making it sound weird by his explanation--or the time for it gone.

He wants to put on twenty layers now. Twenty shirts! He'd rather deal with Inigo getting upset with him than any of Roland.

"Do what you want," Tidus grumbles, not about to make the man go or say. He sinks himself appropriately into the water, his arms folded; any quasi-compliments of his appearance making him want to dunk his head again for real, but suppressed. He'd say something to Inigo, but as it is, he'll let the other guy decide if he wants to re-emerge or...what. Without added prodding.

Tidus is going to stare at the waterfalls. Pah.

Inigo awkwardly stares between the two others as he first listens to Roland's diplomacy speech, and then watches Tidus's.. well, very Tidus-like reaction to it. He's unsure of what to say, and so Inigo remains where he is for a moment, like the water is protecting him from having to deal with any part of this situation.

It's just hard. Roland's explanation is the perfect excuse for Inigo to use, and yet it kind of feels wrong to go along with it. It'd be a lie, after all. Inigo's words weren't just solely in admiration for how hard Tidus worked to earn that body - but this seems like the worst possible moment to have the dad-I-am-extremely-gay talk with Roland.

So Inigo doesn't say anything to it. He just waits until Roland arrives at those last words. It's only then that he shifts in the water, shoulders slowly rising from the surface to join his head above the water.

"Y.. You can stay if you want to." The same response as Tidus, but as often happens with them, the complete opposite emotional undertone. Especially since even as Inigo says those words, his puppy eyes directly aimed at Roland clearly convey please stay. He doesn't want to leave with the awkward that would emerge between him and Tidus if they were left alone now!

...Well this certainly wasn't awkward. Caught in between two volatile teenagers once again, Roland wonders if he should just ignore that and leave anyway, allowing them to banter however they saw fit as usual. But he was already there, and he figures he might make it worse for both Tidus and Inigo if he opted out. Tidus would probably give him hell for it - exactly as he is doing now, staring away like that, what did Roland even do wrong? - and Inigo would absolutely assume it was his fault. So, he does what goes counter his intuition this time and nods at Inigo. By the looks of it, he's guessing a bit of third-party intervention might help somewhat...though Roland's not entirely show how, or what he should do.

He begins to sink himself eagerly into the water, until only his broad shoulders remain in view above the surface. He tries not to let out a sigh of relief; no matter how awkward things got, nothing would take the mineral-rich dip away from a tired man!

"Thanks. Don't mind if I do, then." Roland settles in nicely, and the silence should be hanging thickly in the air among the three of them, but he supposes this is where his experience in tense situations comes in handy. His hands begin to comb through his long dark hair with a little bit more care than might be necessary or expected of such a stoic guy, as he glances back and forth from Tidus to Inigo without swiveling his head.

"So...Have you two been coming here often?" He clears his throat. "How has the island been, overall?"

At least Tidus eases on his fixed and judging glare on Roland by the time he sinks in, trying to settle himself like he once was, before things got so out of hand. Which isn't the best of places to have that happen, a multi-arena of heat. But he wants to be over this weird mood himself, the way it weighs heavier than the air.

Ugh. Too bad Roland tries ebbing at it first. Tidus comes in first with a sound, nonchalant, an Eh in mood.

"Fine. Waiting for the game to get postponed, but nothing's jumped out at us yet. First time in hot springs--completely. Never heard of 'em before now."

It's a straightforward reply, a little lacking in tone, but not meaningfully so. Just one guy getting over an awkward exchange but not entirely out of it yet. As it goes.

Thank god for Roland's diplomacy skills in this situation, because the awkward air sure isn't going to be cleared by either of the awkward teens here. Though they're trying.

Each in their own way. Because where Tidus almost seems a little too nonchalant and energyless compared to the usual, Inigo instead just still seems a little bit too meek, though he does at least speak up.

"It's my first time too.." Please don't put that within the context of what Roland overheard them ~~talking~~ yelling about, okay. "And the island has been.."

Inigo's voice trails off. Wondering if this is where he should confess about how much he's been fussing about that first thing he saw when they ended up here, but.. it seems like a bad idea. He'd just drag down the mood even further, and so he keeps it to himself. As always.

"Well, it's been a little odd? Not having anything to do. But at least it's really pretty here."

Roland continues to comb at his hair, eventually reaching for the towel he had set aside against the edge of the pool. It's folded neatly into quarters before it's dipped into the water, wrung out twice, then placed neatly on the top of his head.

Whatever energy is trying to remove itself from the spaces in between them, from Tidus's grumbling to Inigo trying still to get swallowed by the water, Roland rolls easily back into the fact that he's enjoying himself at the hot springs, and how baffling it was to hear neither of them have ever had this experience before. "But Tidus, you can still hold your breath even when the water's at temperature? Does the same go for freezing water?" He only asks as he seemed comfortable enough to do so just moments ago, no thanks to Roland, of course.

While that discussion plays out, Roland adjusts the towel on his head and grabs the second one, slightly smaller in size, does the same with it. Dips it in the water, wrings it twice, then wraps one of his hands around it so that it can do for a makeshift sponge, gently dabbing at the soft skin of his face in a quiet massage. There was a strange routine to his actions that seemed oddly natural, and out of place for someone who came across so seriously.

"Yeah? Why not? I'm more in danger of freezing. It's not comfortable, but I can get around if I need to. But it's not like we really need to train for the different temperatures--Zanarkand was a warmer climate."

He had to go through swimming in freezing temperatures, so he knows for sure he can handle it. The inner caverns of Mt. Gagazet were far from pleasant, but doable.

And if the mood hadn't been what it was minutes ago, he'd be inclined to make some remark about Roland's weird particulars with the towels, how so precise he is in handling them--but instead Tidus notices it with an inner 'this guy is weird'. He can imagine some old man doing this, too. ...maybe with not the bath towel hairdo.

"You gotta remember, you get knocked and grabbed in a blitzball game. We don't go down easy."

"I think that's an amazing skill though, Tidus. .. The whole underwater thing, I mean."

It's a surprisingly earnest compliment. Maybe it's Inigo's way of trying to bridge the gap between them a little again, to try and lift the awkward atmosphere. Sure, Tidus doesn't always do well with Inigo's earnest sappiness, but he's willing to risk if when the compliment has to do with Tidus's sports ability - surely he wouldn't mind that as much, right? It's something the other takes pride in!

But that isn't the only thing he's noticing here. After saying that, and slowly emerging at least a bit more from the water again, Inigo's gaze moves from Tidus to Roland.

"And Roland, if I may ask.. Why are you wrapping your hair like that?" It seems so deliberate! Is it just something people do in hot springs? It's not like Inigo would know, and if it's Tidus's first time as well, then they have to rely on Roland's knowledge here.

"Is that so? Hm. It's too bad Inigo and I can't see you in action, even here. Or is it possible on the beach?" Roland continues the motion of dabbing at his face gently, almost relaxing totally in the water now. He's slightly aware of how blitzball would look like given all his interaction with Tidus on the subject matter thus far, but the mechanics of its magical nature elude him. "You should ask Tidus to teach you how to hold your breath for that long. I'd be happy holding my breath for a little over five minutes, myself."

Despite the lingering feelings of unease, Roland just sighs contentedly, sinking a little deeper into the pool, his back sliding against the smooth stone. He doesn't stop his eyes from drooping a little even when Inigo asks him a question.

"To stimulate blood flow, of course. Helps with healthy hair. And so I can control the temperature. If it gets too hot, I might get split ends." Roland replies with a strange confidence that could imply this is something he's known for a while now. He even secures it in place for emphasis. "You should take note of these grooming tips, you two. I wish I had known them when I was your age."

"I can show you some of the moves, sure--I showed Taiki and Inigo some earlier when we were hanging out."

Giving Inigo swimming lessons, and it's probably not that embarrassing to share but Tidus will have a careful mouth and let Inigo disclose himself what they were up to, if he wanted. Adding though, since he realises Roland likely wouldn't know, brightening as he does, "Saku got a blitzball! I can practice it again! Well, more here than I'll get to on the train."

Which he ends with a grumpy tone, but that can't rid Tidus's otherwise positive mood at acquiring the ball, and Saku's kindness. How lucky can you get for timing?

However, it does mean with Tidus's brightened mood than from the second Roland goes on about his hair, now comes a scoff, a flippant tilt of his head given.

"Uh huh. So how much hair you got back at your real age?" Oh, is that slyly asked or what. Look at that smug grin coming into shape.

Don't mind Inigo over here. When Roland starts talking about split ends and grooming tips that are apparently (?) important (??) when you're young (???), Inigo looks really confused, moving one hand out of the water to instead tug a little at his own hair, as if he may suddenly find something wrong with it because he isn't doing the same thing as Roland here.. Future grooming is weird, man.

And he'd gladly contemplate whether or not to tell Roland about the swimming lessons, and whether or not to think more about Gyousou gifting Tidus that ball and talk more about blitzball right here and now.. But the last thing the other teen says completely draws him out of those thoughts.

His jaw even drops a little. Inigo doesn't say anything out loud, but he's definitely mouthing "Can you just ask that?!" at Tidus right about now. Bro. Pal. What are you doing. What if Roland is balding and he's insecure about it!

There's a striking contrast between the calm Roland settles into as he sinks further down into the pool versus his eyes suddenly flying open again, an offended expression masking over him like a storm cloud. He folds his arms over his chest tightly, loosening the towel over his head. If this was any other man, it might even look funny. But he turns to Tidus as if the young man actually did Roland dirty that one has to wonder where this annoyance was coming from...

...Thankfully, it's not a question left unanswered for very long.

"Hey." He says, sitting up a bit straighter. "I'll have you know that outside of this body, I've aged rather gracefully." Roland frowns deeply, almost to the point where he looks like he wasn't about to let up until the matter is put to bed. "Among my constituents, I've still got a full head of hair, and I haven't even thought of dyeing it back to black, not once. Now those chemicals would increase my chances of hair loss and balding!"

To his defense, he was a president who traveled extensively from coast to coast, country to country, to strike peace deals and treatises left to right. He wasn't being vain. But he can't deny that he always needed to leave a good first impression, and so what if he's ingrained that into his daily habits outside of work? It's normal! They should be keeping note of these, while they're still both naturally spry!

Now that that was settled.

Roland quietly clears his throat and begins to sink back into his previous position, adjusting the warm towel over his head and resuming at dabbing his face with the other. His eyes close again as he speaks, but now he's less calm about things, at full alert in case he had to god forbid, defend himself from such relentless and untrue accusations from Tidus's cheekiness. And with Inigo around, goodness was this kid impressionable, can't even tell what Roland's real age is on any given day thanks to the other's constant jabs...

"Okay. So you've got what you need to do a quick blitzball exhibition. If you're up for repeating the demo, I'd be a willing audience member." He opens his eyes now, only slightly smiling at the thought, looking over at the blonde on the other edge of the hot spring. He's about to ask who Saku was, but it dawns on him that he means Gyousou - Lord Saku Gyousou, as Taiki had introduced to him the other day.

"I'm glad that you finally got one though. I'm sure you'll treasure it and keep it safe." Roland turns his head slightly towards Inigo knowing, remembering that he witnessed it already. "Did you enjoy his one-man game? How was it?"

roland - tidus - inigo, baYBEE

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