video/action

[sos_pilot]

[Video]

[ Della's face pops up looking... well, like everyone else - exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. She smacks her beak a bit, before speaking. ]

... So. That sucked.

[ Fully aware that's the understatement of the century, Della draws a breath, and tries again. ]

I think we could all use a nice, long breather after everything... and, gosh darn it, as Train Mom, that is my sacred duty. Hugs? Head on the lap? Head-pats telling you that you did a good job? A shoulder to cry on? Venting out all your feelings without judgement? I'm right here.

[ She slaps her chest, then slaps a small sign on on the sports/gym car. It reads

EXHAUST PILE WITHIN

But as she does this, Tidus enters the scene - Della jumps, surprised, almost forgetting his presence.

He just smiles, holding up two cups with steam coming off them, then addresses the video feed as well. ]

We're also making big batches of cocoa too. Any of you that're gonna stress bake? There's room for that room - s'long as you don't need a nap first.

[ It's a small chide though, his smile small but sympathetic. ]

I've gotten out some incense pots from the supplies - you guys who got your head thrown into a blender by that aash-- uh, that jerk, [ he takes a swift glance at Della, then back ] --it'll help you relax. Just some, but better than nothin'. I'll set some off in Momma Duck's air nest, but if you're not doing great and you think you need a pot? Tell me. Raven made a lot of good stuff for good nights sleep if you need any in the medcar, too.

... So, yes. Cocoa. Incense. Hugging. And if you want to sleep with friends for a couple nights, we got air beds and extra pillows in here. Nobody has to get up and go until they feel ready.

And if that's not enough, that's fine too. Maybe next month we do something a little more organized, if you have any suggestions - movie night, sleepover night, big eat night, whatever, I'm listening. And I'm here for you.

[ Action ]

And inside the sports gym, the pair can be found. They have a few airbeds blown up, but there's more that still need airing up if you pop in straight after their message. There's also a tremendous amount of pillows. If you want to help, get blowing, and make these airbeds look nice and comfy!

The transgate from the standard coach has mysteriously been moved to the sports gym's outer hallway. Who did that? But it makes it easier to bring in the cups of hot chocolate from the kitchens, and for anyone who wants to bring snacks to do so. Take a seat, remember to bring your sleeping bag and whatever else you want. Plushes, your own musical instrument to offer some de-stress medication of your own with a melody.

And there's an area where small incense pots burn away, a gentle mist rising up. It won't heal the mind completely, but it will offer it some peace. And if you're worried about nightmares, a few of Raven's sachets and teas are available.

So come get a mom hug. Come and offer hugs. Just come and get something out of the company, whatever it is. Tidus and Della - and others - will be here to give a hand.

The life you had might've been fake, but the people around you aren't.

((OOC: consider this a mingling post, where everyone is free to tag everyone else! be the comforter, the one offering comfort, both, whatever!))

Comments

[flatteries]

There's a moment of silence after Tidus says that last part.

Maybe it's since Inigo can kind of sense that the mood is going in the wrong direction - for both of them. Even though it's inevitable. After all, who could keep up their spirits while trying to argue with something that just never says anything back? Something that hardly ever even meets them halfway, and then is still ignoring most of their requests.

But it's not the kind of mood Inigo wants going on now. Especially not so close after Diagad - after what feels like their failure to protect people. If his mood gets bad enough, he'll start to think about that again, and he doesn't want to right now. And he doesn't want Tidus to have to feel bad either.

So after a slight moment, Inigo squeezes Tidus's hand a little, lightly swinging it back and forth, as if to try and draw the other's attention towards him.

If Tidus looks, Inigo smiles slightly, joking: "It'd be kind of funny if there was the sound of the toilet being flushed now or something, huh."

Truly the sign Tidus is asking for.

[blitzcheer]

The swinging gets Tidus to look, catching the smile and tugging one up the side of his mouth. Returning the squeeze, and his sigh this time being less drawn out.

"Sure, sure." Sure. He gets what Inigo is doing, and to keep with the spirit of it- "If we don't hear a toilet flushing, that means you want us to break a toilet."

Great addition.

[flatteries]

That gets Inigo to let out a hearty laugh. Which is probably not the best response to a threat of violence, but he can't help it. Especially since he knows Tidus well enough to understand that this is the other trying to go along with the mood he's creating here, and he thinks it's a pretty funny attempt at it.

"Wooow, train, you better watch out! This guy over here knows how to break anything!" It's a joke, but one rooted in reality. Never forget the last time he broke stuff with Gibbers, okay. Inigo doesn't even want to know what Tidus could do to a toilet. "You're at serious risk here if you don't listen to our demands!"

[blitzcheer]

"'What's one toilet to fix, right'? Bet that's what you're thinking! But I can give you a lot more work! Break all the toilets! And other things! See how fun fixing all that on a platform stop is!"

Is Tidus being bolstered into more threats of violence thanks to social encouragement from Inigo? Absolutely, listen to this guy. He looks ready to start moving even more, what with him raising his and Inigo's joined hand, his already in a fist. He's getting ready for a fight!!

"I'll be coming for these computers, too!"

...and maybe just having too much fun goofing off.

[flatteries]

This is probably the point where Inigo should be responsible and cut Tidus off.

For a myriad of reasons, really. Partially since this is all happening on Inigo's ticket. Partially because even though the train doesn't seem to punish them in any way, he really doesn't want Tidus to be the first person to end up that way for just going a little bit too far.

But it's so hard. Because the other is spirited, and.. it's really hard to mind anything else, as long as Tidus is right there with all of his energy, now being the one to wildly swing Inigo's arm around like he's directing an invisible orchestra.

"Who knows what he'll do next?! He's unpredictable!" Inigo may be using his free hand to wiggle his fingers a little as he says that.

For that little extra effect.

"Maybe we've found the one person who can knock down your engine wall!" With sheer force of will alone.

[blitzcheer]

"Unpredictable!" Tidus echoes, in agreement, like this is really the kind of boasting of one's skills to be sold to a train that's very likely to disregard all of this.

But there's a point where they've moved over to the ridiculousness (probably around the point toilets were brought in), so as Inigo threatens violence next onto the infamous engine wall itself:

"I can! With a big hammer!" Tidus is going to keep up with the stupid, even bringing his hands (and Inigo's one) to swing - more like a golf club, but hey.

"You won't know what hit you! Any last words, train!?" Tidus reaches over with his free hand to send the message, but quickly, with a glance to Inigo, a lowered volume. "--hey, anything else you wanna say?"

[flatteries]

There's a glance back at Tidus when the other mentions that last part. Just a quick look shared between them before Inigo leans a little closer towards the screen as well, despite this just being a voice thing.

His tone shifts though - suddenly becoming a whole lot more serious out of nowhere, switching easily in that way Inigo sometimes does when he suddenly drops an act.

".. you really have to find out what happens to people when they leave on the platform. Just saying you don't know isn't good enough when these are people's lives you're messing with. Find out if they're back home, I don't care how."

There's a very slight pause, but then Inigo leans back, a sudden casualness coming over him that wasn't there only a moment ago as he looks at Tidus. Like he's trying to avoid having to go into a much more serious topic here.

"There, that should be fine."

[blitzcheer]

It catches off-guard, but in truth, nothing about what Inigo says is surprising. It's an important matter to him, always has been - and must be more with his mother having come here. Tidus doesn't speak, even once Inigo done - all he does is squeeze their joined hands, and then presses the submit button for Inigo.

Tidus hates knowing the reply they'll get - the same they always get - but after the joking around...

Nothing ever changes.

[flatteries]

They stare at the display together for a moment. All the way until the much too familiar text appears - and nothing else.

".. same as always, huh?" Inigo can't help but say. He smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes, even as he clings to Tidus's hand more tightly than a moment ago. "Guess we'll see if it's listened to even a little bit of that eventually."

Though the chance is very small, and Inigo knows it. He's told the train often enough how worried he is about the people who left.

[blitzcheer]

This isn't the time where just a hand will do. He squeezes it back anyway, but he leans in his head against Inigo's, nuzzling the side of his forehead, the strands of their hair between their skin.

"Wanna ruin that toilet? ... Or we can take the cups to the kitchen and make too much candy floss."

He speaks it quiet, affectionately, an exchange just for the two of them. No one else around to hear them, but even if someone were to pass through, Tidus wouldn't acknowledge them.

[flatteries]

...

Inigo seriously feels like he could cry. Which isn't a rarity, sure, but it's in a good way this time. This is just everything he loves. The quiet physical affection, the words meant clearly just for the two of them. What Tidus is saying just being some light joke, trying to clear the mood a little bit, trying to make them think less about their hopelessness in the face of a train that refuses to listen to them.

It's no wonder he likes Tidus so much, Inigo thinks. It's exactly because of moments like these. Who wouldn't feel mad affection for him in a moment like this, when he shows such care?

"Let's do the latter. Taiki will scold us otherwise." He's smiling too now, though, the only thing betraying just how touched he is by Tidus's small actions here being a single sniff between words, the way his own head leans into the nuzzle, as if trying to seek out the affection in it as much as it can. "Maybe we should eat the candy floss together."

[blitzcheer]

"We can do both," he spurs on, but only for the fun of it, to give Inigo something to laugh or be tickled by. Because he does hear the sniff, the grasping for affection, and he wants to push away the sadness. A grief neither of them - none of them - deserve, but they always have to push down, try to ignore.

If with jokes and laughter. If with the company of each other.

And without making Taiki sad, which he'll concede to, without any actual argument necessary. "Alright - no toilet smashing. But a reeeally big ball of candy floss?" Oh, oh. He's tugging Inigo away from the ICP console, turning them towards the aisle. "Let's see how big we can get it! One giant-- massive pile of it! On a stick!"

There's that pesky tray to think of, but he'll figure a smarter way of dealing with when it comes into view, just sitting there - by sticking it into his arms band, of course.

[flatteries]

(Rumors say that tray is still stuck somewhere in Tidus's arms band, even to this day.)

But he's easily tugged along by their joint hands. Tidus could take him just about anywhere in this moment, and Inigo would move right along. He's just way too weak to the moments where Tidus is just being so sweet and affectionate with him, after all.

"I can't believe you usually make fun of me eating that stuff, and now you're trying to stuff me full of it." It's said with a smile though. It's a fun joke, one he likes - to a point where he can feel any and all heaviness lifting from his heart already. "I'll definitely need your help with this one though!"

[blitzcheer]

"You bet you will - eating it!" Tidus chirps, and just for Inigo - for his mood, to keep it just as light as airy - he swings their clasped hands at a ridiculous height, letting them swing back as they will.

"We can always get help if we're not up to the task. Can you imagine? Walking back into the gym with a candy cloud half the size of a room? And that's got to be the minimum," he directs. "If it's not massive, it's not a real cloud! Everything's bigger the closer you are."

Expect this wonderful sound-filling commentary on their way to mayhem. Tidus knows how to blab to take out all silence from a room.

[flatteries]

Thank the gods for Tidus's mouth that runs way too easily. It's definitely a godsend in this situation.

Especially since the scenario is kind of dumb to imagine - such a huge cloud of candy floss. To a point where it might just fill up an entire room. It wouldn't be past what Tidus is capable of, considering how he's caused chaos in carriages before with Gibbers..

"You think all those tired people in there will be up for a cloud of candy? I think they're too tired to even think about eating it."