middleofsomewhere | What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

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What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

By day eight the Voidtreckers have made a good deal of progress in all their tasks but there is still a lot to do to help the people of the city.

It is around mid morning when there is a message on their comms. For those that want to help it is easy to either find Anan herself or ask for netpoints and scanners to be brought to them by Chiff.

Illusions have gotten worse, uncertainty and fear are rising across all tiers and the situation is becoming more chaotic by the day. Indeed especially on the first and second tiers it seems that the voidtreckers themselves are being targeted, with creatures stalking them and attacks on their minds to make them believe that what they are seeing is real.

Same inside the Spectura system, the vines seem to almost be on the offensive against the voidtreckers though things are getting better outside the game system as more of the vicitms are freed and wake up.

Almost opposite to the situation on the lowest tier, which is getting more chaotic by the day. Anger is bubbling over, people are frightened and in a place like this the only real way to express that fear is through anger.

There has been a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work to do, especially as many of the voidtreckers have started to realise, this all seems a little too familiar.

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He wipes the corner of his mouth with the back of his sleeve. Roland shakes his head amusedly, but the offered food isn't ignored. Where he would usually tell Tidus to keep it, and that he's fine; instead Roland takes the lesser route and accepts the gift with very little resistance.

Roland bites into the treat, a subtle crunch that makes the experience a bit more rewarding apart from the world of difference in taste. Slime and goop are not only lacking in flavor, but are totally devoid of texture...

The fork, however, he removes and hands back by the handle. The pastry is taken as is, hanging off one side of his mouth. It seems Roland is here not to sit, but to pace around the table, or to stand leaning his hip against the nearest edge he can find.

"Day one of me using up an MRE for a snack," he starts off, swallowing before speaking. "And I get the strangest looks around me. I don't know if it was the smell, or if they'd never seen provisions like it before, but I either got intrigued citizens asking me where I got it or very suspicious ones ready to arrest me on the spot." He takes another bite, off the edge. "I had to throw them off my trail by eating what they ate, and saving the only bargaining chip that seems to work even for tier-two social climbers. Food. Real food."

Why he even needs bargaining chips is another question entirely, but Tidus would know to read between the lines. Though he's hungrier than he realizes, already three-fourths into the last bit of puff in less than two minutes.

Edited 2021-05-19 17:36 (UTC)

Talking about going to town, both on the pie and this investigation. They've had different experiences this mission, despite for the rare occasion being on the same team. Stealth and deduction aren't Tidus's strong suites, his hurrying habits not making him as sneaky as this mission would seem to prefer.

He doesn't bother to heat up this pie, going for it as-is, though rather regretting it into the first bite. But he keeps standing with the side of his thigh leaning against a surface, one foot hooking over the other in a state of rest. Not wolfing his food down as his companion is, who he can't read as either being hungry, or in a hurry. Probably both.

"And how's that getting you? What do you know?" Maybe nothing more than the most of them do now, but Tidus can't help but be intrigued by their current situation as seen from Roland's point of view, for whatever perspective of the man seems to sit with him now. But really, Tidus has been fumbling through this entire stay, Anan getting some more directive, but only just. He cleans off the gravy sauce from his fork, lips popping a little in the act.

"Dead consultants, writers, bodyguards and some CEO's husband - I don't know where that's leading us."

If the occupations of the murder house mysteries that brought Purple team to the second tier had anything to do with anything, and weren't just unfortunate luck.

The question has his jaw slow in its chew, eyes glazed over like he's back on the streets, running and evading. Playing the role he so eagerly clung to upon hearing the mission briefing, though now...now things are bit more serious, given the state of matters. Or lack thereof.

"What I know," he supplements, dusting his palms together. "Is that you'll end up with a cold lead if all we do is trace the trail leading straight to the victims. I don't think there's anything that ties their deaths together. The murders were, unfortunately, indiscriminate." The tumbler returns in his grip after a flash of gold, and he finishes it off even faster than the food.

"It's the crime scene that concerns me. That, and what killed them in particular." Plus, Tidus mentions the idea of being led that adds to Roland's running conjecture. Thankfully, this isn't information he hoards to himself, speaking as he settles close by, fingers cradling his chin.

"Have you gotten up close and personal with the perps? Do any of them sort of seem...familiar to you?"

"The illusions?" They know, at least, that's what they are, or what they're being described as. Impossibilities that shouldn't be lingering around, mostly only known to themselves. Foes from home, and even for Tidus- "Yeah, I've seen a few from Spira. Some machina and fiends. And none of the fiends disappearing like they should."

But instead their bodies just laying there until they eventually fade, no pyreflies to disperse within the air. And that's what fiends were, that's what held them together. It shouldn't be like that, when their bodies weren't real.

He takes a bite of pie, chewing and speaking at once. "What're you thinking?"

Tidus might have an idea, but again, Roland's the one always with a thought. And he's curious to how far those thoughts go.

"..."

He stays silent for a little bit longer, processing what he's heard and remembering what he's had to go through. The jarring experience of suddenly encountering the different faerie minions of Horraura inside a perfectly normal house isn't one he expected when he donned detective gear to solve clues, but it set the tone for the rest of the mission.

If it happened to Tidus too, then conjecture might well turn into practice sooner rather than later.

"Invasive," He answers eventually. "The monsters. The illusions in the house. Isn't that what it feels like? Every time you enter the crime scene to figure out what's going on, what monster actually killed these people...doesn't it feel like you're being led?" His brow dips further into a frown. A trap. "Why are we fighting monsters from our worlds? Why are they here?"

There's a motion to say something else, say more perhaps, but Roland halts his tongue and shakes his head instead. A small sigh escapes his lips, a hand lifting to rub the back of his neck. "I wish I had more to tell you, but this detective's out of clues."

Invasive...Tidus lingers on the word in his heard, the whole mystery that hangs around them in the different tiers, in their very buildings. The murders that brought them here, the illusions that have followed, turned more personal.

Honestly though, it helps some to hear Roland be as stumped as Tidus is himself. There's a picture they have, but it's a puzzle piece than the full thing. All but a piece of his pie is left to be devoured, sitting between his fingers as he knows he wants to speak first before finishing it off.

"All the illusions and monsters... it's like we being read, isn't it?" Apparently, Tidus decides he doesn't need to wait much longer than that, popping the shell into his mouth and combing both chewing and chatting into one. Hey, his mouth isn't that full!! "People seeing places from home? Fiends and machina are one thing, but that? Only problem is, we have no clue who's behind it!"

And wasn't that the biggest question of all. He swallows, licking off his thumb, a smile spreading over his lips.

"Hey, not even the great Detective-President Crane can solve the mystery in a week. Guess you're like the rest of us after all!"

It's a more fun note than their morbid mystery deserves, but Tidus also knows that thinking too much about anything sucks. And they weren't over with this yet.

"Couldn't have put it better myself." Like we're being read... "As if it tailors the experience precisely to us...But did the victims see the same thing? Did the aggressors change based on what they've gone through?"

Questions that have no answers, not yet. Tier Two reminds Roland of the high-end suburbs back on Earth, and there wasn't anything to be had in those streets apart from scowling faces and paranoia. The desire to keep unbroken status quo, despite the murders afoot.

He almost misses the quip at his persona, so lost in trying to figure out what to do or say next. Thankfully, Tidus's joke meets its mark despite Roland's roaming thoughts, to which the chief consul laughs quietly at under his breath.

"Guy like me's been out of the game for so long, but this city keeps pulling me back in," He goes on, pretending rather expertly, even shaking his head in make-believe reminisce. "A week used to be more than enough time to crack a case. Guess it's time I hang up the old coat and retire for good, eh pro?"

"Giving up so soon? That's not the man I know." There's little dramatizing needed, just a shift in his tone that leads towards playful, but still with that encouraging edge - and it still sounds like Tidus, no acting necessary. He sets the plate and fork onto the table, not bothering to put it away as he goes on. "This case isn't over yet! And if you've got a lead, maybe I'll join you. Bring another pair of eyes out there!"

There's a beat, a glance up, and then, losing all added flair: "Oh yeah, and think about some birthday gifts for Taiki and Inigo with me sometime before the next platform stop. I wanna put them together a thing. Get them hanging out with some of the other guys on the train."

No pressure or anything out of nowhere, Roland. Don't mind the news of your train-son having a birthday very soon.

Like a perfect little drumbeat, Roland stands straight and moves to take the plate and fork with a fluid hand. They meet whatever makeshift cleaning area laid to the side, whether it's the sink or something simpler. There is no chiding to be had, either. Roland simply knows what to do at that moment, and even the invitation to come is met with the same smooth response. "Why not? Come on then, bring that young blood with you. We'll get to the bottom of things yet."

Detective lingo aside, Roland smiles in earnest at Tidus. He had been planning on taking his investigations to another tier, and who better to show him the ropes on team hopping than their tried and tested? Though before he's able to take another step, Roland throws him a look of mild wonder.

He also offers his empty water tumbler for Tidus - a silent request to have Gibbs fill it up.

"Wait, really?" He says. "How do you know it's the train date equivalent to August 7?" Which is a date he remembers for Inigo, of course. Roland shamefully doesn't speak out about how he wasn't able to ask for Taiki's. Regardless, he crosses his arms over his chest, thinking as he speaks. "Huh. I guess it doesn't matter. It's always a good time to give someone something they like. Yeah. I think I know what to do."

Confident!

...

Is Roland being fussy about cleaning up even on a different world?!

Tidus won't say anything, but he doesn't need to, since looks can speak so much, and Tidus's is following the chief consul with one raised eyebrow, a flat mouth. No matter the expression then given in turn with the tumbler, turned to peer down its centre before Tidus understands - and behold, here the high higgledy of water appears, perching himself onto the length of a forearm.

"Who needs to figure out birthdays anyway, when you can just have one?" Dismissed as it was, it's the way Tidus has been approaching these fun days so far. Find out someone should have a birthday, turn it into something else - while still instilling who those people are. "There's a few younger guys on the train our age, so I think it'll be fun. Let Inigo and Taiki make some cakes, get some drinks and food in - thinking about asking for Ylisse and Tai foods. Really spoil the guys." And a nod to Roland, as the tumbler is already about filled in his hand. "--You're helping me pay. On top of buying presents."

Thanks, old man.

Dishes are dishes no matter where you are, and he's not going to settle for anything less than putting them away!!

"Hm. Good point." He agrees fairly quickly, and there's really no argument to be had about it either since the point stands: enjoy the days as they go by, and question not the passage of time. They were in the void, standing between here and there and nowhere. It didn't really matter, and who was Roland to deny Inigo and Taiki the simple joys of good company and friendship?

He takes the tumbler when it's offered, back into the Arms Band. Roland doesn't even bat an eyelash at the assumption, though he can't help but raise a brow, making a slight face of disbelief at how quickly Tidus jumped on such an opening. He doesn't expect any less of him.

"Err. Sure. Happy to do it, if it'll make them happy." Roland answers. "Taiki came from a version of Earth apart from Tai, too. You could mix it up for him." As for Ylissean foods- "I recall Inigo liking honey. I made his coffee with honey, before. Honeycakes, maybe?"

What Roland does next is purely out of habit. From his Arms Band comes out a well-worn notebook with so few pages left, it's a wonder he's still got something to write on. He sits back down and starts jotting notes down for his part in their get-together, eyes immediately glazed with focus.

Wow, he's really going to do this now. Not that Tidus is about to suggest they focus on the mission, when the mission really hasn't been as desperate a situation as the last one. He hums at the idea of honeycakes - sounds nice; can't you get some of those with flake pastry? - but for any of his own recommendations, they're silenced at the appearance of the well-loved notebook that's never far from Roland's person. A familiar sight.

...

An unwelcome sight, as Tidus places his empty hands onto his sides.

"What happened to the riven?"

By the pointed tone, Roland's response should be carefully considered.

"Huh?"

The what now?

It's also par the course for Roland to write, lost in his thoughts as soon as pen hits the page, so the delay in his response is not done to spite or to tease. In fact, he looks up some, brows furrowing in wonder as if caught from a trance. They were talking about gifts and food, for the party. Now it's -

- The riven?

Oh. The riven! Roland's eyes grow wide, and he at least has the decency to look slightly embarrassed that he was working in front of the guy who gave it him using tools that were decidedly not it. He scratches the back of his neck before a sparkle of gold tucks his noteback back into temporal space. Out comes the said tablet, settling nicely on both of his hands, already expanded into its longer, more usable form.

"Sorry," he offers two tones quieter. "Force of habit."

Now to type...in front of Tidus...on the tablet with strange keyboard placement...

Typical. At least Roland does have the decency to know what he's done instead of dismissing and continuing with his notebook, which Tidus can appreciate. Going over to lean his weight on the back of a chair with a foot folding over the other, except--

Except for as comfortable as that would be, Tidus realises what telling a guy more used to paper than a keyboard is going to keep them here longer than necessary. A point Tidus had considered when getting the thing, but he lifts away from his perch with a sigh, coming over to Roland and sitting a hand on his shoulder as he leans down.

"Riven, new document voice mode."

And if Roland hasn't gotten to that portion yet, it pops up now, or changes the document he's opened: a symbol appearing on the screen. Tidus says nothing, moving back a step and making a gesture of 'go on'.

It's voice mode, pops. Time to let the riven do the writing.

He whistles low.

To say that it was an impressive feature is an understatement. Voice activation tech wasn't necessarily new, but boy did Tidus activate it with presentation! And what's Roland if not easily caught up in those things just as much as the actual act itself? He chuckles, watching the symbol pop-up, eyes wide and eager. Bright-eyed as if years didn't hide behind his face.

He doesn't need to be told twice, either. The gesture is met with an approving nod before he turns back to the riven with full attention. Clearing his throat, he goes:

"Note to self: purchase gifts for Inigo and Taiki." He pauses, watching the screen close to see if it follows his words. It does, and it's a marvel to behold. Roland continues. "Buy food they might like for their party, and-" ah! "-look for something in Faraway Forest, shop purchase."

That was a curious addition, but Roland seems confident in the instruction. Perhaps the mystery will unfold sooner than later.

"Did you want anything too? Come on, I'm buying. Heh." Roland tilts slightly to the side to meet Tidus's gaze across the table and the tablet, a small smile on his face. "You're part of the party too, birthday or not. Oh, wait hold on-!"

Unfortunately, the riven continues to register Roland's voice notes despite the latter half addressed to someone actually in the room with him. He scowls slightly, waiting for the cursor to pause in its typing before a flurry of reprimands fly out of his lips unwittingly. 'Backspace, delete. Delete. Not that much! No don't write that down!'

It's fun, watching Roland experience the new gadgetry with a better ease than he was before. This was the function that made Tidus buy it for the man. He just could see the guy with a riven, talking away his thoughts and letting it document everything, with the same energy as he would be jotting away in the various of notebooks he made appear from thin air whenever a note was necessary.

And then the obvious happens. Obvious, but Tidus hadn't planned or expected this, any answer he had to the offer interrupted by the trip-up that leads to more, and to give a lending hand-

"Riven, pause! -- did it work?" Look, he's not actually playing that close attention to know from where he hangs out, but he'll rest his forearm on Roland's shoulder again to check, and for the portion of text Tidus figures isn't wanted, he drags a slow finger across where it reads on the screen, highlighting it and pressing a symbol that appears on its own upper keyboard to delete it.

"You can do that to move it down a line too, or you can highlight it for real. I had a model like this I used for school. Hey, you'll get the hang of it!"

There's a ticklish humour in the way Tidus speaks, and he pats the man on the shoulder as he leans off him.

"And don't worry about me, you can just help me buy things! We wanna get some drinks too, and the ingredients for a cake. I saw a recipe in a book that Taiki can eat too."

"Huh. Would you look at that?" This was indeed, a pleasant surprise. For all the intimidation of a new piece of technology from another world, it wasn't so different from the tablets he used back on Earth. He had one in particular that he would never leave home without. Would there be any merit in bringing that to the train...?

Of course not. There was no need of it now. He had this.

He looks up to nod thanks before Tidus crosses back to his seat opposite him on the table. The rest, suddenly, becomes easier for Roland to maneuver. The demonstration was one thing, but muscle memory supplemented the way his finger hovers a bit more comfortably across the transparent screen, putting the cursor back to where it was on voice function.

He types the rest quickly - unlike how he would type on the ICP's back on the train - and then collapses the riven altogether. Whatever it was he added, Roland didn't seem keen on giving Tidus a preview.

"Looks like your boys night is gonna be jam-packed, then. I'd suggest movies, but that's more my style." He stands up, dusting himself off. "Besides, it sounds more like a social affair. I'll let you know what I get for it after the mission, yeah?"

There's some curiosity, but Tidus doesn't bother to ask, bound to find out the details when the time is more relevant for discussing it. As Roland makes mention, there's a mission there's on, a task to get to, and Tidus rises off from his place of rest.

"Sure, let's not get the same things. Alright! Anan wants us to put netpoints in some good places. Let's find some bigshots and bug their buildings! Or you wanna go full Roland-play and see if you can shake the hand of some CEOs?"

Get it? Roleplay, Roland play? He's a natural at these puns!! And pumped to get going, especially with the activities that awaited them once this mission was over.

He doesn't quite chortle at that, but it's a pun appreciated with an easygoing smile. "Heh. You got a comedy routine I don't know about?"

Roland stands to height, looking ahead, all of a sudden a bit more serious than when the riven was out, speaking of gifts to buy and nights to plan. "Anyway. I was thinking of hitting level four, actually. I mean, tier two was practically the stairway to heaven and it's pretty messed up." He grips his hand into a fist. "What more at the lowest level where those bigwigs don't even care to look at? Anan says that's where she needs them the most, too."

So off he'll go there, not one to be dissuaded when his mind is set.

Though at least, for the time being, his playfulness hasn't subsided quite just yet. "I'll get you a souvenir."

Gah, tier four. He shouldn't really be worried about that though, and it doesn't rub him the same way as when they first got the mission reports, with tier fours jobs being about the underground fight clubs. All the levels had people of different living standards, and it wasn't the fighting that Roland was likely to be getting involved in. Anan needed info, and connections.

So- "Sure. You don't let your pretty face get you in trouble." Which even Tidus can't say with a straight face. "I'll keep an eye on things up here, check on the higher level. Maybe I'll take those sneaking lessons from Guri when we get back. It's never really been my strong suit."

He's the kind of guy to leave a mess behind him.

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What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

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