"No-- Wait!" There's a panicked scrambling, a split second where his impatience echoes in Esteban's own, and their resonating emotions pull.
The ropes creak and strain and groan, ominous in their sound as Esteban's need to go too, need to try and save Inigo, the side of him that always cares too much tries tries tries to run right alongside Tidus, and the half-elf has to dig in through every rational thought that his place is here as an anchor, a way back. Esteban is their way back.
And he's struggling with too many emotions, too many worries; he's not nearly as strong a tether as he thinks he should be, but when he laces that thought along the pull of his heart, he manages to quieten himself down, dig in his claws in the earth and plant himself firmly "here". He will be their way back. (He will be their way home, he tells himself, echoed through the bond, but Tidus knows Esteban is using these words to placate himself more than daring to believe either of them would see it that way.)
It takes him another breath to feel secure, to feel steady as he keeps his grasp onto the train, testing his pull lightly before he finally nods. The bottle with the cresting wave is bright, shining like a beacon, a nudge of hope that Esteban can properly focus on now, and fine, Tidus is probably way ahead now, might not have even stopped when Esteban had to focus on not breaking his own connection, but the half-dragon can focus on him now, can give him his full attention.
"Get him back quickly?" Esteban is using his own emotions as a tether to the train so that he can properly focus, properly weave every instance that he's shared with Tidus into a tie, a bond that stretches between them. He thinks of opened doors and bright afternoons spent learning how to jump, grav-con in hand. Remembers the scare Tidus had startled into his bones when he was practicing, and-- fair warning-- the notion that he still wants to get him back for that. Think of them eagerly talking about blitzball and weaves in that they are going to play together one day.
He's got his back. And Esteban isn't letting any of his friends down; not today.
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The ropes creak and strain and groan, ominous in their sound as Esteban's need to go too, need to try and save Inigo, the side of him that always cares too much tries tries tries to run right alongside Tidus, and the half-elf has to dig in through every rational thought that his place is here as an anchor, a way back. Esteban is their way back.
And he's struggling with too many emotions, too many worries; he's not nearly as strong a tether as he thinks he should be, but when he laces that thought along the pull of his heart, he manages to quieten himself down, dig in his claws in the earth and plant himself firmly "here". He will be their way back. (He will be their way home, he tells himself, echoed through the bond, but Tidus knows Esteban is using these words to placate himself more than daring to believe either of them would see it that way.)
It takes him another breath to feel secure, to feel steady as he keeps his grasp onto the train, testing his pull lightly before he finally nods. The bottle with the cresting wave is bright, shining like a beacon, a nudge of hope that Esteban can properly focus on now, and fine, Tidus is probably way ahead now, might not have even stopped when Esteban had to focus on not breaking his own connection, but the half-dragon can focus on him now, can give him his full attention.
"Get him back quickly?" Esteban is using his own emotions as a tether to the train so that he can properly focus, properly weave every instance that he's shared with Tidus into a tie, a bond that stretches between them. He thinks of opened doors and bright afternoons spent learning how to jump, grav-con in hand. Remembers the scare Tidus had startled into his bones when he was practicing, and-- fair warning-- the notion that he still wants to get him back for that. Think of them eagerly talking about blitzball and weaves in that they are going to play together one day.
He's got his back. And Esteban isn't letting any of his friends down; not today.