Fierce New World- Mission Start!

[voidtreckermods]

"Good Morning passengers. Today is day six of the month of Jelly." The voice echoes through the train as passengers wake up in their beds. Not long afterwards their SCA’s glow with the colour of the void and a holographic image will appear.

Preparation and Arrival

They have a short time to prepare for their mission, enough time to read their briefs, make decisions, meet in their teams and gather anything they may need.

A few hours later there is another announcement. "Shortly arriving on System #2207385. All passengers get ready to disembark. Next stop world #2207385. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

The train judders as it leaves the void, the colours from the windows turn into the blackness of space but quickly white as the train descends into the entrance of the biosphere.

The doors of the train open and passengers can enter the large white-walled holding bay. Currently, they are the only vehicle inside. There are four large doors around the bay each labelled with where they lead. Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

The doors open easily, and their SCA’s show a basic route, though the non-linear nature of the sectors mean that obstacles will need to be navigated. While they are in a closed world, there is a day and night cycle: the panels far up above are designed to make it seem like there is a natural sky, brightening and dimming every ten hours.

Red/Summer

Empty Streets

Wide streets divide sealed-off factories and manufacturing pods that tower up towards the ‘sky’. It is hot here, though the fumes from the factories are vented out, leaving the air breathable if overly warm.

Sometimes the pods are not yet finished, empty shells that can be sheltered in. There are also stations for living, with plumbing and basic amenities scattered through the sector. Places to rest as they move towards the center and the Great-Summer that they seek.

Helpmates

Where factories are still being built they will find Helpmates, operating machinery or moving materials.

They will not pause in their tasks for long but are programmed to answer questions so can be drawn into a conversation. Or, if the Voidtreckers are unfortunate, they will find those that are malfunctioning turning on them as they approach.

They aren’t too difficult to fight, but can do some damage with the machinery if they manage to take a Voidtrecker by surprise. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down outright.

Wild Weather

Though warm, the corridors remain a constant temperature that is not too unpleasant for people. For the most part. Unfortunately, due to the malfunctioning state of things routes may become impassable. Boiling air, freezing blasts, electricity crackling across a pathway.

Their SCA’s do a good job of warning them, allowing them to change direction or shelter in nearby buildings.

Purple/Autumn

Exploring

The Autumn sector is the least complete of the sectors, with shells of habitation pods and not much else. No one is expected to live here until nearing the end of construction, and so the pods are unfurnished, many missing doors, some missing internal walls.

Outside the streets are wide and clearly made to be pleasant to walk on; it is airy, bright and spacious, if a bit eerie due to the quiet.

There are panels on the walls, to call Helpmates to appear. Here they are primarily for helping citizens, giving directions and offering aid.

Malfunctions

Since there are more helpmates there is more risk of them malfunctioning. They attack with or without weapons, using any tools they can pick up to attack. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

They won’t chase people into the houses, their privacy programming preventing them from doing so.

Turned Around

The roads seem simple, built in a grid pattern around the houses. However, whatever is going wrong here is affecting the very streets themselves. Sometimes there will be a wall where there wasn’t before or roads go in circles. Sometimes they find themselves at a dead end, trapped until structures shift again.

Their SCA’s do their best to keep up but it can take a while for them to reroute and by the time they do, that path might be blocked too!

Blue/Spring

Patchwork Forest

The Spring sector houses the hydroponics and pastoral sections. It alternates between grazing land and more heavily forested areas with rows of pine-like trees in a checkerboard pattern, with empty plots interspersed. Walkways divide each square, but all squares appear able to move about as required, as though on a conveyor system.

There are clear walkways to avoid stepping on any newly growing plants. In the grazing land live flocks of camelid creatures resembling alpacas with blueish wool, on average a metre and a half tall at the shoulders. Helpmates appear here as if on a timer to feed the animals and tend to plants.

Destruction


If the Helpmates here malfunction they attack anyone nearby, cause havoc to any farming equipment and frightening the animals.

They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down. The panels here are less obvious than they are in the more urban sectors, low to the ground, looking almost like energy panels. But once they know what to look for they will be able to use them to shut down the Helpmates.

Stampede

Frightened animals are likely to flee and unfortunately in this case it means rampaging across the grazing land to the newly growing trees.

They will need to be calmed, returned to their grazing lands and the plants restored. Or it might be that the Voidtreckers can stop the Helpmates before the creatures get too spooked.

Orange/Winter

Exploring

The Winter sector’s primary concern is life support. Huge banks of air scrubbers form artificial cliffs, while other sections are tanks filled with water in varying stages of processing or recycling.

The paths here are a lot narrower than they are in other areas, sometimes requiring moving between pipes or scrambling over layers of railing.

There doesn’t seem to be any easy or straightforward path through the sector, their SCA takes them on wild winding routes through the machinery.

Help or Hindrance

The fluctuating temperatures here are causing problems with many of the pipes, several sections are flooded, others are in danger of being so.

There are patch kits in easily opened panels, designed to be used by the helpmates and indeed there are many helpmates out.

But some are less helpful, those that are malfunctioning are more likely to cause more damage than they are there to fix. They will attack any one who tries to interfere with them. They can be fought with weapons or magic, or for those that think to use the panels they can be shut down.

Patch Job

Once the malfunctioning Helpmates are dealt with the pipes still need to be fixed. The patch kits do not have any instructions but are simple enough that anyone with a basic knowledge of how to fix things should be able to figure them out- though the more knowledge and expertise they have the better the fix!

For those that don’t, many of the jobs will need more than one person and so for those that don’t mind taking instructions they will find an extra pair of hands is always welcome.

Comments

[flatteries]

Of course Inigo's hand fits right into Roland's the moment he reaches out for it. It's practically instinctive at this point. Inigo doesn't even have to think about it. He's mostly just thinking about what Roland is saying instead, but before he's even done with that, they're already moving hands, Inigo moving right along with the other.

(He may also be pondering the meaning of the word resetting, okay.)

"It's alright." Inigo doesn't sound too bothered, though it's hard to tell if the light tone is natural or him putting it up on purpose. It could be either with the way it sounds right now. "I've had to deal with one of those things already. They're not very strong. The robots during the last mission were much worse."

[adregem]

"That's true. But we shouldn't let our guards down so easily. We don't know what's causing them to go crazy yet. Last thing we need is a surprise attack in a place like this."

And what a place it is indeed. Even with the hand in his, Roland feels disturbed. It's just a vast nothingness that he can't understand. There's no one to ask questions, and if a Helpmate comes, there's a chance it'll go haywire first before they can even prod at it for help. Pods are unfinished, barely functional...homes barely resembling their namesake.

He hums deeply, a breath audible.

"I know that place messed with our memories, but I'm missing Jema'grethy real bad. At least the island was by the beach, with nice fresh air." His chuckle is not one of joy. When you start wanting to return to past missions no matter how much they messed you up, you know it's gotten bad.

[flatteries]

Sheesh, that is bad. Not that Inigo can't understand it. He doesn't like this place either. Not the way it looks, not the way it constantly changes, not the way it's so devoid of life.

But in the face of it seeming to bother Roland badly enough that he'd long for that island that exposed them to their own and other people's worst memories, Inigo can't whine about it himself. He shifts modes instantly, as instinctively as he always does at these times, and tugs a little on Roland's hand.

He's got a plan.

"Father, I know we have a lot of ground to cover, and that we should keep moving.. But could we maybe stop and rest for a moment?"

[adregem]

The tug is acknowledged instantaneously. He stops walking and already, his brows are meeting in the middle as he gives Inigo undivided attention. On regular train days, Roland can be expected to treat such a thing with more fondness than apprehension. But on a mission? His calm turns into a weapon - not that this is his intention when he hears what Inigo has to say. The concern on his own face is evident.

"Of course." Roland replies immediately, already leading them to the side where the cover of half-constructed pods lend them some semblance of privacy. Not that there was anyone to look at them, here. "What's the matter? Are you okay? Do you feel sick?" He adds, giving him a fair assessment with sharp eyes. Obviously, Roland doesn't quite understand this was more for him than Inigo.

[flatteries]

Inigo gets the impression really quickly too. But on the other hand, is it so bad if Roland thinks it's for Inigo's sake? At least it means he'll actually give in and rest, unlike when Inigo would reveal it's actually mostly for the older man's sake. So maybe a little white lie isn't so bad.

He shakes his head, smiling slightly. "I'm just a little tired." Not really, but whatever! He knows that should work. Especially since he's always so good at hiding his fatigue that outwardly not really looking tired shouldn't ruin the whole thing. "You know, because of this place's entire.." He gestures with his hands. "Everything."

Dumb modern technology.

Inigo's already moving to sit down, his back leaning against one of the half-done pods. ".. Come on, sit down with me."

[adregem]

Roland, how are you so weak to them, honestly.

There's not a hint of doubt that Roland completely falls for Inigo's sleight of hand, metaphorically speaking of course, even if a part of him wonders when he was able to grow this honest about overworking. Was it not just a few worlds ago that Roland had to trick Inigo himself into taking a break and taking a nap in his tent because he wouldn't admit to being tired? Yet here they are, dancing around each other once more, too similar to quit or let the issue go.

Roland plants himself next to Inigo, one knee raised against his chest. He pats his free shoulder, the one closest to Inigo.

"All right. Rest against me. I'll keep watch over you. Be still for as long as you like. I don't want you collapsing due to stress."

[flatteries]

"Thank you, father."

That quiet thanks is something Roland immediately gets in return for being so willing to go along with this. Even though Inigo thinks the idea of him collapsing because of stress is laughable - he's cultivated this whole 'Inigo the Invincible' thing for years, okay, he's not ready to let it go now! - he will accept the possibility existing in Roland's head just for now.

Just for this. Just for Inigo leaning his head against Roland's shoulder, cozily snuggled up to the other's side. Like the only bastion of warmth and companionship in this empty, wide technological desert.

But he doesn't sleep. Inigo's eyes are still open, and a moment later his Arms Band glows, summoning something to his hands.

It's flowers. A whole bunch of purple flowers. Obviously not from this place, since there doesn't seem to be any greenery here as far as the space stretches out before them until it hits an oddly placed wall.

No, these are ones Inigo took along from previous missions, exactly for this kind of scenario. If they ever ended up in a place without. And he knows the reason Roland would long for the island isn't because of what happened on the volcano.

It's for this, right? The quiet, relaxing moments he must have shared with other people. If that's what Roland longs for, then Inigo will give it to him right now, no matter how unsuited the setting is. (Maybe something like this is what he should have done back during the last mission too - if he hadn't been too busy freaking out himself to think of it.)

He takes Roland's hand into his free one, but just so he can drag it over to rest on top of Inigo's legs. It's easier to work on it that way.

And that's exactly what Inigo is starting to do. Starting to weave flowers along Roland's hand and arm. Rings, bracelets, circling up almost like a glove, though he's only just getting started when he speaks up again. Relatively softly.

"I think.. at a moment like this, my mother would have said something about how every place is just what we make of it with the people around us."

[adregem]

There it is again.

From time to time, it emerges. Peaks out from the cracks and crevices of the facades they play, but Roland knows it immediately when he sees it. The moment Inigo takes his hand and rests it upon his leg, the flowers catching his attention as the only colorful thing in this entire dome, Roland takes a hold of it before the recognition escapes him. It's the unmistakable sight of the kind boy who he had met so long ago, who had helped him when he was stitching himself back together, who thought of Roland more than Roland thought of himself.

He's here again, by his side, and it melts him thoroughly and utterly. If his limbs grow lighter, almost limper by comparison, it's only because he wants Inigo to know without words that he's more than okay with this. That even as he understands now, the real reason why Inigo asked for a break, he's more than willing to grant both of them such a reprieve.

Roland takes in a deep breath, his chest rising visibly at the motion, before he exhales just as audibly, eyes coming to a close for a second before he looks down at where they're joined by the flowers weaved into links around his hand. And what beautiful flowers too. His free hand attempts to touch the soft petals but he draws back at the last second, too frightened to disturb Inigo and accidentally bruise them at the same time.

So instead, Roland rests his palm against his own lap and watches. Listens to the words Inigo tells him, smiling warmly as more chains are created like flora crawling up a vine.

"She's a well of wisdom." Roland says kindly. His head leans to the side too, planting his temple against the crown of Inigo's hair. "And what would you make of this place then, if that were true? Hm? What would you say if you looked back on this mission after we board back the train?"

[flatteries]

There doesn't seem to be much time necessary for Inigo to think about the answer before it's already leaving his mouth.

"That it was annoying and dumb."

Okay, maybe that's not entirely in the Spirit of Olivia. But Inigo, even while trying to be eternally optimistic, is just a tad bit too much of a teenager to not admit that truth. What else is he supposed to say about having been dumped into a barren place like this and forced to walk around and avoid walls without much purpose or sense of direction?

He really doesn't like this place. Not one bit. But his hands don't still, gently weaving the flowers across Roland's arm and hand even now.

"But that I was certainly glad to have my father by my side." An eternal truth. Not to mention-- "And even Tidus came along with us. Just that is worth a celebration."

Not that Inigo doesn't admire his bro for always going where his help would be necessary the most, but he knows he misses Tidus when he's not around. He likes being with just Tidus, or just Roland.. but things feel more complete with the three of them.

"And Taiki too."

Look at all these people important to him gathering together.

[adregem]

It's hypnotic, the way Inigo is both so gentle with the weaving without losing the firm touch needed to create chains upon chains against stem and petal. He doesn't mean to get lost in it, but Roland inevitably ends up staring at the handiwork crawling up his arm until it forms something akin to equipment that he could be enchanted with on any other given occasion. Who knows? Maybe someone on the train could do that for him? And the sentimental value of the flowers Inigo is sharing with him isn't lost on Roland either. The same thing happened in Jema'grethy...and some of those flowers are still preserved perfectly in his hammerspace, what weren't lost in his hair when he tried to braid it that one time.

Roland doesn't quite chuckle at Inigo's words, but he doesn't disagree, humming subtly instead. He figured Tidus came to Purple this time around for Inigo and Taiki, the moment he glimpsed the kirin and his pup before mission start.

"Right? I was shocked too. It's once in a blue moon he decides to take his trip around missions with Purple first." Okay, now he chuckles, remembering their short exchange. "Though it doesn't look like he's getting a lot of action on the mission right now. Then again, that's not something I want to wish for either. I suppose it'll be a blessing in disguise if we can minimize casualties this way."

He hasn't seen Taiki fight yet too. Doesn't even know at this point his aversion to blood, or what real kirin's like him can do when provoked.

The fingers of his opposite hand make a second attempt to touch the petals. So far, he's not even bruising them, feathered caresses to commit the texture to memory.

"Where did you get these flowers, pup? Did you grow them in the greenhouse?"

[flatteries]

"Ah.." The answer to that is a little awkward. The last thing Inigo wants to do when it seems that they're finally having a calmer moment in this odd place is to ruin it by reminding Roland of the last mission. Of them standing underneath a sky that looked like it was on fire, of them standing in front of a funeral mound. So rather than going into specifics, he just shakes his head and says: "I took these along on a mission."

There, nice and vague. No time for bad memories. Especially not since Inigo makes sure to quickly speak on, not giving Roland's mind too long to linger on it.

"You should do me a favour and try convincing Tidus that the purple missions aren't always like this, father." This is just giving him a bad impression of them now! The one time he goes along with them, and things are all boring and weird like this! Sure, it's good since it means they can easily keep Taiki safe, but what if it turns Tidus off from wanting to go with them ever again, huh?

The movements of his hands slow a bit as he seems to think.

"I know it's selfish, and I know it's better for him to help out other teams that need it, but.. I really wish he could be with us more often. It feels better when it's the three of us together. Like at the hot springs back on Jema'grethy. Sure, it was kind of ridiculous back there, but.. also fun, right?"

[adregem]

He doesn't push for an explanation, merely humming pleasantly at the answer. Inigo likes flowers. It need not be so complicated, and you could acquire different things on the train anyway. So he stays content, their shared warmth radiating in waves.

"Well, I think Tidus isn't looking for excitement when he goes off to mission hop, Inigo." He chuckles as a response, though he's not one to ignore what Inigo is actually saying. His desire to see them together again, or at least, more often than not. He can't deny it either. The energy was different when the three of them spent missions together, whether in awkwardness or in shared competition; in the pleasant little lulls of activity between missions or when someone isn't quite sure of a pancake recipe that embarrasses the other. Roland wouldn't have it any other way. So he allows himself to be honest, briefly intertwining his fingers to hold Inigo's when the chance comes as he weaves flowers back between knuckles.

"And hey, that's not selfish at all. If you ask him to come, I'm sure he won't hesitate to spend time with Purple during missions. I'll try harder too. With our powers combined, he won't be able to resist. Heh."

[flatteries]

Inigo doesn't quite expect the sudden hand holding, but of course he's not going to protest it. It just stops his work for the moment. Otherwise Inigo is very much more than content to just sit here and hold his father's hand for a bit.

"You think so?" About Tidus not being able to resist, that is. Inigo isn't so sure. Tidus is pretty headstrong when it comes to the things he wants to do, after all. And that's actually what Inigo likes about him. That he's so passionate, that he always figures out what he wants to do and just goes for it like that.

And he wouldn't want to get in the way of that, just because Inigo thrives with his friends around.

"I'm not so sure he's that weak to us just yet." Inigo keeps his tone light as he says it though, a smile on his face. Like he's just joking.

[adregem]

"Well, we'll see about that. He doesn't know what we can do together, after all. He'll wear down and give in. Then, it'll be the three of us off to do some...crazy adventure on an alien world all over again. Hot springs or none."

He lingers where there hands are joined, imagining such a scene vividly in his mind's eye, before he slowly lets go and allows Inigo to continue the task of creating a gauntlet of flowers around his wrist. It's making some progress, as the trail of it grows more and more colorful the higher up the braids are being done. And the image of it - of what Inigo loves to see, to experience even on dangerous missions - is for his sake too. He wants Inigo to know that he's not alone, that they all care about one another and nothing's wrong with wanting to spend time with people who are close to you. Perhaps the best time to do it even, is when you're off the train and there's more experiences to be had in between tasks.

The Roland of old would never have even entertained such a notion. The work always coming first. He wonders if Inigo too, has seen a similar change in himself.

"Like right now, there's so much...nothing going on. I bet you he'd start daring us to do something silly, something wild that we couldn't do onboard. Otherwise, he'll get bored real fast." He tilts his gaze up, meeting an artificial sky, before chuckling. "Or even crazier still. Why don't you and I follow him once in a while? To another mission? We could surprise him."

Coming from a Team Lead himself? Oh, Mister President! How could you!

[flatteries]

It's a vision Inigo can easily imagine too. It's even possible right now - for Tidus to suddenly find them, to run around some corner and start some sort of shenanigans with them. Inigo sure wouldn't be surprised if it would suddenly happen under the current circumstances. It's not like Roland isn't fun, and it's not like Inigo himself isn't fun either, but.. neither of them can truly live up to Tidus's energy when it comes to things like that, huh?

It's a nice thought though. Inigo likes thinking about it. Even with as bad as the train can be, he's still glad he just got to experience this. To be this close with other people, to show them his true self without hesitation.

Even as he speaks up, he's still smiling a bit.

"That may just be the most irresponsible thing I've ever heard you say, mister team leader." But it's not scolding in any way. Inigo is laughing, his eyes forming small, smiling crescents. Roland does often seem more loose when it comes to the kind of suggestions he makes around the two of them, huh? Inigo can't imagine him suggesting that kind of thing when it would come to anyone else, just ditching his work like that.

[adregem]

Roland laughs quietly under his breath, a gentle ringing in the otherwise eerie silence of the dome, joyfulness betraying the true age of his soul. The chances of him actually doing that are slim...but for the twin teens? Those odds are bound to change, quicker than blinking.

"Ssh. Don't tell on me now, Your Highness. I don't want to get into trouble." He nudges Inigo's shoulder gently, before resting his temple against the side of his head. "We'll be back to Purple before Glor notices I'm gone. I can play hooky too, if I want to."

He obviously won't, but hey. Things change. People change. And it's growing more and more pleasing to Roland to start helping out other teams more actively in the next missions to come.

[flatteries]

"Who thought I'd ever hear you being this cheeky."

Inigo finally seems done weaving the flowers around Roland's hand and wrist, letting go to admire his creation for a moment before moving to hold the hand in such a way that he won't squish the flowers on it - as if Inigo was weaving them in such a way that would still allow easy handholding access. Inigo knows handholding is kind of inevitable when the two of them are together, after all.

And once he's holding the hand, he leans in a little, his own smile slightly mischievous too - but mostly just happy.

"I think we're being awful influences on you."

Although maybe not exactly awful. After all, Inigo thinks it's a good thing that Roland is getting a bit more loose. The guy deserves to have fun every once in a while too, rather than always having to focus on his duty.

Roland has done enough for said duty already, after all.

[adregem]

He's a hand holding champ by the time they're all allowed to leave the train, but he doesn't want it any other way. His fingers slowly start wiggling around Inigo's, careful not to disrupt the gentle petals intertwined around his wrist and grip. Eventually, he will tuck the entire thing in his Arms Band for safekeeping. For now though, he wears it proudly, leaning his head towards Inigo's too, happy for the rest even if the mission hasn't proven much of a challenge thus far.

Or maybe Roland's just wanting to be close to him too, in his own way. Stolen moments between father and son that he remembers, takes to heart, and hopes to keep even as the days pass in a blur. Hopes he will have more of as time ticks for them all, even if a big part of him still thinks him unworthy of such a reward.

"Well, that's not so bad. It makes things exciting, don't you agree? Besides, I can't always play good cop. I've got a dangerous side to me too." Roland smirks lopsidedly, teasing in the lilt of his voice. Inigo can take it for what it is, though Roland isn't one to say such things even in jokes and not mean it even just a little.

[flatteries]

Inigo's eyes narrow a little.

Knowing the boy as well as he does, Roland will most likely be able to tell that Inigo is just being overdramatic, rather than this being any genuine doubt on his part. After all, Inigo has seen Roland fight. He knows he's - in this form, anyway - not some guy who only spends all day sitting behind a desk.

But it's so hard to resist the temptation to poke just the tiniest bit of old man fun at Roland.. He did say it was okay, right? That one time at the meeting? Even if it's just the lightest way of teasing, this fake suspicion of Roland's claims of boldness.

"Really? What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done then?"

[adregem]

He lets out a teasing, almost breathy chuckle. Roland could play this out in plenty of ways, but how honest is he willing to get with a guy he's already come to see as a son? Is he going to get shocked? Horrified? Scandalized?

Only one way to find out.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Roland says, the smile on his lips easily turned into a smirk. "Would you like to hear something from when I was on Earth, or when I was in Evermore?"

Your choices are a-plenty, Inigo. Choose wisely.

[flatteries]

It does feel like he's being presented with an Important Choice here. Even though it's most likely one that doesn't require any real thought - and yet Inigo finds himself thinking about it all the same, considering what to answer.

After a moment of contemplation, he answers: "How about back on Earth?"

After all, from everything he's heard about Evermore, it's a lot closer to Ylisse. Not entirely similar, since he's heard plenty of stuff he's never heard of before, like the higgledies.. But every single story Roland has about Earth is absolutely wild to Inigo.

So he can't imagine what kind of dangerous stories Roland could have about that place.

[adregem]

Guess he shouldn't have presented Inigo with choices if Roland had to resist the urge to clam up so fast. The moment Inigo says Earth, Roland's already fighting natural instincts to stay still and let the moment pass. Except there is no moment to pass when he created this opening himself; weak to his son, weak to the hand he's holding as flowers pepper the skin along his wrist.

Roland clears his throat as a distraction, more for himself than for Inigo. "On Earth, huh? Let me see..."

Forty years of life and every milestone is as colorful as they come, yet thinking of what to share to him is proving to be more troublesome than he anticipated. Roland inwardly grimaces at his predicament. It's pretty simple. He's just not that good with this kind of thing, either by design or by habit. He could share his deepest thoughts to Inigo as he saw fit any day, really. It's why it came so easy to him to offer the topic in the first place. But suddenly faced with it now; to recall the wildest thing he's done on Earth?

He would assume he's better at thinking things through.

"..." He hums quietly, a soft vibration against his ribcage. Then, he laughs just as quietly. Oh. He has a perfect anecdote for his teenage sensibilities.

"Okay. Wanna hear about the time I faked a fever so I could skip school and go around town for a whole day?"

There we go. Perfect. A memory that's neither painful nor uncomfortable to bring up.

[flatteries]

The pause is a little odd to Inigo. Mostly since he figured that the man would already have the stories lined up in his mind when he presented the choice to him to begin with - but apparently not, considering just how long it feels like Roland has to think before he finally speaks up again.

".. sure?" He sounds a little unsure, but not necessarily because Inigo doesn't want to hear it. Of course he's curious - of course he wants to know absolutely everything about the other's life.

But it's more the present content of the story that baffles him a bit.

"Is that the whole story? Because I've done that before too, you know, father.." Which means it surely can't be that wild! Inigo knows he's not a super wild boy!

[adregem]

"Of course it isn't. I mean, sure. Every kid faked to be sick just to get out of something right? But here's the thing..."

The way he leans to the side conspiratorially could draw anyone in, but he hopes the payoff is worth it. Not one to be pressured, Roland is sharing something both private and personal with Inigo. Plus, maybe a small part of him wants the pup to know he was so vastly different as a kid than what he ends up with on the train - which is lucky. That's definitely for the best.

"I didn't want to go at it alone. I wanted to take my best friend and my girlfriend with me. So I snuck out and asked them to fake being sick too." Roland conveniently leaves behind that he remembers his best friend actually being sick, and how his girlfriend wasn't all that keen of lying to her family about skipping school under unsavory pretenses, but those details are what color such memories as fond for what they are. Roland's grand, teen day-off.

He bounces Inigo's hand in his palm as he continues, the smile on his face brightening up his usually stern expression.

"We had no agenda. We didn't know what the day would hold. And it was the best part of faking being sick. Nobody knew what you were up to. You just...had all the time in the world. Or at least, that's how it felt. Who needed school, we had that every day of the year. That's what I was thinking." Roland raises his eyebrows up, hiding beneath long bangs.

"Now, ask me how we got around town."

It's about to get exciting. Hold on for the ride, Inigo. Your dad was a rebel.

[flatteries]

"Okay, okay."

The response may be the tiniest bit exasperated, but it's fond in every single other way. It's just great to see Roland get so excited, even if it's about something that seems so totally uncharacteristic for him. Maybe he really was a bit more of a regular teenager when he was younger?

It's so weird to imagine. Roland not acting all.. Roland-y. But Inigo is willing to go along with it, smiling and clearly full of interest as he stares at the other.

"Tell me how you got around town. How wild was it?"