middleofsomewhere | The Will to Fight: Conclusion

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

The battles rage loud and ferocious at the gates of the city and off in the ruined wastelands of Erda, and on the walls a struggle of a different kind occurs. The team who stayed behind at the towers are small but determined as they move stoically across the walls to right the stones that have become misaligned, even as their friends battle not too far away.

The city begins to hum. It's a quiet hum, not loud enough to be heard out where the others are fighting but it vibrates even through stone. The recovering monks assure them that it is done, the wards are back up and no demon will be able to enter the city.

Eventually the battle is won, all three battles. The demons fought back and killed, a major blow to their gate system that will keep them back for hopefully a long time. Those waiting in the caverns return to the city and by the time they get there the illusions are gone. Everyone can see the world for what it really is.

But despite the ruins of their world the people are relieved, the adrenaline of the fight coursing through their veins and the mood is one of hope. They will build again, their people will survive.

All Voidtreckers please return to the Voidtrecker Express. Departure will be in a few hours

It has landed not too far from the city, cloaked to make it unnoticeable to the citizens, for all the good that does. No one has been particularly subtle this last week. People can begin regrouping, packing up the camp and getting any wounded not already healed to the train.

However roughly half an hour later another message appears on their SCA.

Passenger Persephone has requested we remain on system System #86525656412355 for an additional day to further assist the people of Erda. The Voidtrecker Express will depart on the morning of Day Fifteen of the month of Kazoo.

The train remains where it is, so the voidtreckers can use its facilities. There is definitely a lot that can be done to assist those of this world and the citizens will welcome any helping hands.

After an extra day they finally depart, returning to the void once more.

(OOC Note: Once the wards are up any characters who are demonic in nature will not be able to enter the city either!)

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He hadn't meant to make it a big mystery about what he was going to be doing. It's still in that state between day and night, where the night is visible, but the darkness may change that at any minute. Tidus turns, the camping gear ready and hanging from his shoulder, Inigo's guess easy to make.

"Persephone's really done this place up!" he says after a moment, looking around, as if it's so inviting to want to camp where there's new trees and fresh life around. But- "We're gonna be stuck in that train again soon - be a waste not to enjoy the last night."

Without having to worry about demons jumping them, and all. Some of the ground around them was still dry and dirty, the splotches left by the demon corpses now gone still leaving a ghastly residue. Gotta find a better place than the not-so-long ago battlefield.

It's a desire he understands. A desire he thinks anyone stuck on the train could understand. Everything is so cramped back there, after all. And the fact that plants are starting to grow on what used to be nothing but a hard rocky ground is also very inviting to Inigo.

.. and, well. It's not the only thing that's inviting here, now is it.

"I'll come with you."

It's most likely why there's no hesitation in him saying that. He remembers Tidus inviting him to go sleep together during the mission. If he didn't mind it back then, or the times when they've slept next to each other before even on the train, so surely he won't mind it right now. Right?

He quickly steps forward until he's next to the other.

"Guess we'll have to share a tent." Since it's not like Inigo came out here with camping gear in the first place.

"You can go get one."

Tidus stands there, watching Inigo expectantly, letting that moment go for just long enough before he laughs and turns, patting Inigo on the arm to follow. Does he know where he's going? Not really. Anywhere else, Somewhere that looks nice. Feels nice. Anywhere with a good view.

"You sure you don't wanna be with Taiki? I woulda invited him, but..."

But- it's a pretty obvious 'but' on why he didn't. Would he be alright? When he was so sensitive to blood and all that, and even though the battling had ended hours ago, Gyousou had told him before how easily the guy got ill. He didn't want to risk Taiki's health. Hopefully he enjoyed some higgledy company, though...

Inigo freezes up, and there's a moment where the two of them are just staring at each other, like two cowboys in a wild west standoff.

Except Inigo is mostly just looking like a kid whose favourite toy just got stolen, completely fooled for the few moments before that laugh starts escaping the other's mouth. It's then that he runs to catch up with Tidus, a hint of redness on his face. "Tidus! That's not funny!"

Please, think of his sensitive soul!

The fluster doesn't last for long though, since Inigo wouldn't dare to take the topic of their mutual close friend anything but as seriously as possible. He immediately turns more sober. "And Taiki seemed so tired, right? I think he needs to rest.. I'd probably just keep him from doing that." Considering. You know. Inigo's everything. He's much too animated.

And it's even more true that taking Taiki out here is out of the question entirely. This place had been a battlefield for so long now, who knows how long that feeling would linger in a way Taiki could sense.

Pfft. "You mean with your late night conversations? 'Hey Tidus, what would snakes look like with arms?', 'Tidus, Tidus, I swallowed a gem as a kid. Do you think it's still in there?'"

Is this a call out, right as Inigo's already trying to gather himself? Indeed, Tidus is firing all the shots tonight - it must be that nature-y scent that Persephone's provided to the land that has Tidus in a good mood, rising up towards a gathering of trees, wind gently rustling the leaves.

Tidus takes each hefty step asked for, not even deigning to look at his target. Suffer as Tidus has!!!

He's suffering alright.

But maybe Inigo won't be the only one, since his whining continuing like this also means that Tidus will have to endure said whining. Teasing Inigo - it truly is a two-edged blade.

"Hey! Those questions are important, you know!" If not just to Inigo and Inigo alone.

He moves up until he's at Tidus's side, putting his hands on the guy's shoulder, shaking him a little.

"I mean, what if it is still in there! What if it could kill me?!" You only have yourself to thank for setting this off, Tidus.

For now, this is a double-sided blade that Tidus can handle, scoffing at that comeback--and the fact Inigo's taking himself very seriously. His upper body responding to the shake before Tidus nudges that shoulder up.

"Wouldn't it've done it by now? You're still alive, far as I see! Unless you're...an Unsent?" His head swivels, and he looks the guy up and down, voice slowly deliberate. "Something you're not telling me, Inigo? You know, if you died and came back, I won't judge you."

He swears it, bro.

"D-Don't even joke about that! If I died and came back, I would've been one of the Risen!" Dude, different worlds, different rules for the undead!

Thankfully it's not as if Inigo sounds genuinely upset about the idea. Sure, the Risen may be a traumatic thing for him at the core, but while they're just stupidly messing around like this, he can kind of joke about it.

Even though it sure isn't making him look any less like a kicked puppy at this point.

"And I'm sure I'm alive! But I can feel something really odd in my stomach from time to time! I'm a ticking time bomb..!" (Okay, he's just stupidly overdramatic at this point.)

Edited 2021-03-30 19:21 (UTC)

Tidus scoffs lightly, but for what may seem dismissive as they come upon the upper landscape, the few scattered trees never too close together to obscure the view above, Tidus is thinking. Something's wrong with Inigo's belly, is there...

But also, he's thinking he doesn't want to go too deep into the skeletal woods, turning to look back at the view they've left: a weary city of high walls, the soft glow that barely escapes the top. Tidus drops the bag onto the ground, flopping onto the ground after it.

"I'll check if you want," he offers casually, hands behind him to give him a small lean, chin tilted up to look at Inigo. "Wanna?"

This can surely only be a very serious and sensible offer.

Honestly, anyone can tell what's behind Tidus saying something like that. His intentions can probably be spotted all the way from way back over up on top of those city walls.

And yet Inigo doesn't think about it. The thought of Tidus's true intentions doesn't cross his mind, not even for a moment. And the reason for that is simple - it's since the thought of Tidus checking it out is enough to make Inigo's cheeks colour a faint pink.

He's such a simple guy. A simple guy, who totally is thinking with something other than his brain right now.

"H-Huh?"

Apparently he doesn't manage to get out a reaction anymore intelligent than that in the face of the thoughts that start racing through his mind while he stands there and stares blankly at Tidus, the other laying there on the ground. Inigo's imagination way ahead of the rest of him.

"Sit down," Tidus says with a nod at the space beside him, a slight drawl in his voice, "Pull up your shirt, and I'll have a feel."

If Tidus was smarter, he would put more of a flirtatious spin on it - make his look more pointed, the smirk on his face suggestive, his tone too - but he's also probably there enough, even without meaning to. But Tidus's thoughts aren't going any lower than Inigo's stomach. Ohhh, he'll have a feel around alright.

He's doing his best not to laugh or smile any brighter in the anticipation of Inigo's doom.

Touch? Touch? Tidus is going to touch him? On his skin?

Inigo is like an obedient sheep being lead to the slaughter here, no idea about his upcoming fate. Because his entire brain is now nothing but a mess of thoughts about Tidus wanting to touch him underneath his shirt, even though the context absolutely is not sexy in any way, shape or form. Even if Tidus wasn't planning something nefarious over here.

So Inigo sits down, still looking kind of weirdly half-dazed. Then he moves to start to pull up his shirt a little.. only a little, though! He's shy, okay!

"U-Um, like this?" W-WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO, BRO?

This is so dumb and Tidus hopes it's going to be worth it.

But he won't delay; fingertips coming to press on the plane of skin visible, the wrist that knocks into Inigo's hand already. "Higher," he commands, if humorously, and there's a weight to his fingertips, if kept light.

A lightness more noticeable when he skates them across from one part of Inigo's belly to another, only a brief flicker downward taking Tidus's eyes away from his face. Then, from one side of his stomach to the other.

"Here? Anything feel funny?"

More like: did Tidus see anything 'funny'?

Higher?!

Despite the panic that only one word suddenly instills in Inigo, he's as obedient as can be while he's in this state. The moment there's that knock at his hand, followed up by the one-worded command, his shirt is already being moved higher. No matter how embarrassed and flustered he feels about it.

"U.. Uhhh.."

Apparently he's incapable of producing anything other than that one sound for a moment, his hand shaking slightly as it's holding up his shirt. The touch of Tidus's fingertips against his skin threatens to kill him - or at the very least, it's currently making his face look very, very red.

Even though it's not really like Tidus is seeing anything he hasn't seen before. Inigo's skin, the scars that trail all across his torso.

"I.. I don't think so..?" Is there something funny to see?! Inigo is too afraid to look down and see for himself, since he really doesn't want to see Tidus's hand against his skin when only feeling it is already threatening to overwhelm him.

He can't even keep eye contact with the other, instead glancing away with his red face.

Inigo looks embarrassed, which is a different sight than a guy who's ticklish to the feathering touches to his skin. But is it embarrassment, or is it actually worry? It's hard to tell with Inigo, sometimes--he'll let his mind go in crazier directions than Tidus's own goes. Like being worried about this stone he swallowed how many years ago in the first place.

But this calls for a change of goals, Tidus lowering his gaze to Inigo's belly with a soft hum between his lips, fingers searching around, soft presses now and then, until-

"--Ah?" Tidus blinks, his hand pausing. A finger carefully prodding at Inigo's stomach again; head leaning in, as if trying to get a closer look.

"Did you feel that? Right there...?"

Poke. Poke poke.

Two wolves exist within Inigo right now.

And they're both panicked, just in very different ways. One mostly about the touches along his skin, but now the other one is starting to rear his head. Because he's pretty sure the gem can't still be there in any way you could actually feel, but.. on the other hand, Tidus's current reaction is just way too believable to a gullible idiot like Inigo.

And him being incredibly flustered to begin with sure isn't helping his cause here. His eyes go wide.

"F-Feel what?" He can feel Tidus poking, sure, but-- "Did you find something?!"

"Wait...just...here..."

A poke, a searching poke, and Tidus tilts his head down lower, really pushing in his finger while still trying to be gentle about it. But there's a jamming to it that it reaches, just as he finds--

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Tidus bolts right up along with that scream, hand pushing Inigo back by the stomach.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Inigo's scream is in perfect sync with Tidus's own, considering it's said scream that startles him into screaming in the first place. The hand does manage to push him back at the same time - though perhaps a bit too much, since it ends up accidentally just shoving Inigo over entirely in the middle of his panic.

When he uprights himself again, his shirt has fallen back down to cover his chest, but his face is even redder than a moment ago, and his hair is totally disheveled.

"W-What?! What is it?! What did you see?!"

His hands reach out, latching onto Tidus's shoulders to start literally shaking the other guy.

"What did you see?!"

The panic must be why Inigo misses the obvious: an obvious that may become more so as he starts to shake Tidus.

Because Tidus is giggling, small laughter bubbling in his throat; a chuckle that bursts as Inigo starts to shake him, the only pauses in the way he's rattled, disrupting him. But Tidus couldn't stop voluntarily even if he wanted to, and it's starting to hurt, the laugh he wants to let out and how he's been flapped around. He puts his hands on Inigo's shoulders to try and get him to stop, when even he can't stop himself, can barely concentrate on what he wants to do.

His head is falling inward, back arching, his forehead threatening to bump against the space between neck and shoulder, while Tidus's lungs ache in his mirth.

It definitely takes a few moments before Inigo realises what Tidus is doing. He's so caught up in his panic that the sound of Tidus's laughter only enters his ears a few moments after it actually starts. It makes him stop shaking the other - though the hands still linger on Tidus's shoulders - and instead freeze up for a moment as the realisation slowly starts to hit him.

He's been fooled. Bamboozled. By the evil mastermind named Tidus..!

"Tidus!"

Now Inigo sounds exactly the same as a moment ago, but for an entirely different reason.

(Please, Tidus, don't lean this closely against him, oh Naga, sweet Naga, help--)

"How could you do that to me! I was really panicked!"

Too late, Inigo, Tidus needs to practically hug you right now just to give himself some semblance of support, the hands that had been gripping at his shoulders even sliding together, meeting at the nape of his neck and his head leaning firmer where it's rested. He's a shivering, shaking frame, the kind of laughter that one just can't cut off, no matter how much trouble they're in.

He couldn't apologise even if he wanted, shaking his head, lifting it some to the line of Inigo's shoulder. But eventually he'll lift it away, his cheeks rosy and red, his nose only inches away from his friend's. Nothing to say for himself, except to tip his forehead against Inigo's, a chuckle vibrating like a hum behind a closed mouth pulled into a tight smile.

Bro, just let him enjoy this. This was too good, bro.

Wow, please. Inigo does not enjoy being at the butt end of this joke, especially since here he was just innocently concerned about whether gemstones can linger in your stomach for that long!

But he still doesn't move to push Tidus away in any way. His hands slowly drop off the other's shoulders, but they don't move up again to shove him against the chest or something. No, Inigo is just starting to accept his fate here, no matter how much he's currently pouting about it.

.. it's hard to be mad at Tidus anyway when he's being this cute. When he's genuinely laughing, forgetting about his worries for a moment. When he's this close.

"If my stomach explodes one day, I'm blaming you." But it's really nothing more than a half-mumbled, pouty statement.

He remembers being this close to someone: his hands near to being around someone's neck, the tiny conversations mumbled between each other, the mirth on one's lips. His lips now, even as Inigo pouts, and Tidus knows that isn't what this is -- but he wants to pretend; creeping his forehead off from Inigo's, but still lingering near enough that their noses could touch. His eyes half-lidded with the close proximity, his smile tiny.

"Can I make it better?" he asks, coyly; telling himself, it's just fun, Inigo won't mind some fun. "If I make up for it now, you can't blame me later."

Right? He can get a Get Out Of Trouble card, right now.

This is unfair. Because Tidus isn't allowed to ask that sort of thing while he's this close to Inigo's face. It makes him weak in the knees - or, well, weak everywhere, considering they're sitting down. It makes him unable to straight up say no to that, especially not with that smile so close to his face, their noses nearly rubbing together.

It feels warm in a way that no dumb little prank could ever truly ruin between the two of them.

(Inigo just hopes that this time it's genuine, rather than a double prank - but he thinks Tidus seems genuine.)

"Well.. I guess I can give you a chance," he says, still with that same tiny pouty voice. And like he's doing Tidus some huge favour here by giving him a chance.

Inigo looks him in the eyes as he speaks, at least. (Not that it's easy to look anywhere else with their current proximity.) "But you'll have to think up yourself what could make up for this. That's your punishment."

The Will to Fight: Conclusion

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