video | orchestra one, immediately post platform

[jingyeets]

( Lan Jingyi, appearing briefly on ICP, soaked from head to toe, actively dripping water with his hair and ribbon plastered down either side of his face, his, er, nightgown likewise... plastered... against him... and it's white, this is a wet shirt contest and no one told anyone who showed up on platform, they all just suffered together. )

Look, if anyone's trying to find me and is confused why I'm not in my tiny short bed cabin, I'm staying in the "inn" carriage the next week.

( that's it, that's him wanting to inform the ones who'd probably want to know but being in a less than happy mood to track everyone down so doing it in the most broadreaching, effective way the train's got going for it. )

Comments

video; from the garden

[lanxichen]

[ Xichen frowns slightly to himself before choosing the reply option. ]

Would you like company?

[ 'What is wrong' seems ... not right to ask, as if Jingyi were willing to share that part, he'd have done so. ]

[agoodsoul]

... your room get moved around too?

[Is what he just assumes. Dragon boy miffed about his room being moved decides to take a mini vacation from the cabins all around.]

[deferences]

Jingyi, you... [‘you're all wet,’ is what he wants to say; much like he'd pointed out the obvious before during their spider fight, it's something he wants to do now in the face of distress and sadness, yet he changes his mind instead.

they don't need it blatantly said, not when this platform day has been hard enough on all of them (again).

finally, following a slow, measured sigh,] Whenever you're free again, I'd like to come and visit you.

[flatteries]

[ Look how strong he's being, Jingyi. Exactly because Inigo knows why the other is having trouble right now - the problem hits too close to home for him to not know, obviously - he's doing his best to ignore the whole 'wet shirt competition' going on here. He's being strong. He's not even blushing. It's fine as long as he just looks at Jingyi's eyes on the screen. I-It's cool. Fine. Great. ]

Uh, is this.. a 'leave me alone' kind of announcement, or a 'you can join me for a bit if you bring good food' kind of announcement? [ Do you need company, pal? Bro?

Did you really think clingy puppy Inigo would not offer some, in case you'd need it. ]

[jingyeets]

( asking this dripping guy if he wants company, and he pauses; )

Zewu-jun. ( the brief bow, his hands up, his respects paid, but not Pointedly. ) I would appreciate company... I can make tea?

( perhaps when dripping less. perhaps right now?! )

[jingyeets]

No, we're still where we were, where'd you get moved to?

( It's fine, he's just taking a Space Vacation after one of his best friends shipped out and some jackass was in his memories and he's DOING FINE he just also can for once get some space to work on it without bristling up. )

[jingyeets]

I'm always free as far as time goes, we're not on schedules...

( This is said as more of a sigh, while he's still dripping wet and blinking bothersomely at the ICP screen. )

I'm showering, then I'll be ( here's a flop of a hand gesture ) visitable, it's not like I'm going anywhere really.

( just to a LARGER BED. and the only personal space of a kind they frankly never have, so it would be novel, were he in a more novel mood. )

[jingyeets]

( Sorry, give him a moment to just blink at the screen, then wrinkle his brow. )

I was telling people so they wouldn't worry.

( In other words, he doesn't see how it leads to either of Inigo's scenarios, though he supposes he can reflect on Inigo's need to hear what it means to go "I am not in my room I am spending lots of points to Not Be In My Room and Instead Be In This Other Room". )

It's not telling anyone to go away, I'd say leave me alone if I wanted to be alone. Guess it has to be your other one.

( "one" as in scenario, though he's still standing dripping water and making a nice puddle at whatever ICP he'd reached once back on train. )

[longforgottenpromise]

Shuǐlóng

[His voice is quiet, worried.]

Please let me know if you need anything.

[flatteries]

[ PLEASE, JINGYI, DON'T GIVE HIM THAT LOOK?

Seriously, Inigo feels like he's withering under it, even though he was just asking to be considerate.. but now he feels like he's being made out to be dumb for asking. It's even worse when it's over the ICPs, and Inigo hates communicating so publically in the first place..

Can't he just lock himself in the bathroom and cry for a little bit or something. That's clearly the only way to deal with social interaction. ]

I was making sure. [ He slowly says, awkwardly glancing away from the screen, as if he can't Directly Engage. At least he's keeping his tone low and non-confrontational, because he doesn't want to make things harder for Jingyi. ] But if you don't mind, then I'll be stopping by.

[jingyeets]

A bath. Shower. Something, Xiao Ki.

( the literal something of a present need is easier than things like "i don't know" or "probably food at some point" or having to use critical thought at all. It's not even just having Wen Sizhui head off platform, or Elidibus playing around in his head for his own righteous purpose, or being abducted from his own abduction to answer questions and feel like none of them had guarantees about their systems or the seriousness of the Void Ministry or their non-communicative ship or any specifics. It was the collection of it all.

Anyway, it's why his answer is less than helpful. )

[jingyeets]

( His look of utter confusion! He can't help it, he was caught off guard!!!

He's still confused, but lets go of that with a softer sigh. )

I don't mind. I never would. We're friends, right?

( A weak ass smile right here, because after coming in from the rain, when the adrenaline of flight has worn off, he's just... tired. Drained and tired in a way very different from the exhaustion he'd been caught up in after anchoring. )

[fivemilesdeep]

[Well, if Ryo hadn't been aware that Jingyi is on his "everyone is attractive and nothing is fair" list before, he sure is now. While he can get past it well enough to recognize Jingyi probably isn't too happy right now (on account of being soaked and Done enough to broadcast his business to the entire train) and he should at least try to help, there's still color in his cheeks when he replies.]

Thanks for letting us know. Do you need anything?

[flatteries]

Of course.

[ Not even a beat passes between Jingyi saying that and Inigo's answer. He doesn't even have to think about it - the words fly out of his mouth before any real consideration is given to them.

Because it's just true. They are friends, it doesn't even have to be asked, doesn't even have to be said.

Inigo slowly exhales, trying to let go of his awkward feelings, and instead hang on to that thought. ]

Should I bring something after all? Or else I can just.. bring myself. In case you want to nap. [ You know, tiny dragon cuddle naps! Cuddle naps are just about the only thing that can make Inigo feel a little better when he's feeling bad, though he isn't necessarily sure if the same counts for Jingyi.

They're pretty different people, after all. But the least he can do is offer. ]

[longforgottenpromise]

I understand. [He does, as much as he can. Some time alone would help with thoughts, but too much time alone would not been good for him in the long run.

It is never good to be alone too much when your heart is hurting.]

I will bring some food for you later if you wish, after your shower.

[so_dark_a_road]

[ Curufin is also wet from head to toe. But he's collecting clothes to change into, and he has a towel to dry his hair off afterwards. ]

Jeez, Lan Jingyi, you must have gotten saturated out on the platform! I've never known it to rain that hard out there. The train ought to give us rain gear for days like this. And I do recommend a hot shower and a change of clothing.

[jingyeets]

( He runs the back of his wrist across his forehead, catching at the water beading below the line of his forehead ribbon, dripping down his face in an annoyance of sensation; too saturated to do anything but continue to drip, and he gives up, letting his hand fall back down again. )

You're enough. ( Blunt, because there's no one-two hit to anything being brought that he can say, yes, this solves the collective frustrations we both know have no clear resolution, and it's what he's said before. People. Isn't it about being around people? )

Just you.

( Inigo doesn't need to bring anything else, he means, there's not some invisible metric for what qualifies as worthwhile, as something, beyond himself, his friend. He could show up dragging several friends along and it is as enough as arriving alone, and no more or less expected, not to someone raised in a collective, who is used to a lack of space, a lack of quiet, a lack of many things about to catch up with him three days from now. )

[jingyeets]

Please.

( Easier to say it that way, to say please, and to say thank you, than to grant people permission to do anything when he feels they should simply do as they will. He doesn't want to navigate it for them right now, lacking that particular focus, that will; so he nods and bows his head to Xiao Ki, and that is as much as he can say, in this place where he's already in this room, where the hall bears the one shared bathroom, where he can drown himself in heat for a moment not because he needs it, not even for wanting it, but for the shock of the difference.

The cold of the rain had been welcome in a different, wonderful way, but absent the rain, left only soaked, it has lost its comfort. Now it is an annoyance, and he, bearing with it in poor humour. )

[jingyeets]

( If only we all had wet t-shirt contests every day, what eye candy it would be, wouldn't it?

Jingyi blinks, slow, more reptilian for a moment, lifting his hands after, showing they were empty. )

A shower?

( What answer to that, in the end? He does need a shower, it's the obvious answer, and he blinks through to the equally obvious and useless followup: )

Dry clothes. That's coming, just ( a gesture of his hand ) telling people first.

[jingyeets]

( Clothes, right, those are in the rucksack he's packed and sits offscreen, against the wall in the hire carriage hall, and he breathes out in something like a sigh, something like a frown on his lips. )

The rain felt nice. Being wet and not in the rain feels less nice. I hate being soaked, ( he says, like it's an explanation of sorts, and it might be ) and it's not like the train bothers with weather updates before shoving us on platform.

[so_dark_a_road]

I agree with you, the rain felt good. I've always liked rain and snow, not that there was any snow. Though I'm sure it's only a matter of time until we come to a platform that is buried in three feet of snow and ice. [ Curufin laughs a little over that idea. ] It would remind me of my home.

Weather updates! That's a good idea. The train really should give us those. Maybe I'll go to the network feedback post and suggest it?

[flatteries]

[ Does Inigo have about a thousand and one issues with the idea of him by himself, without anything extra, ever being 'enough'?

Of course. But this is the one moment he won't argue that, because Jingyi has a whole lot more to deal with. So rather than starting about that, he just says: ]

I'll stop by later today then.

[ Once Jingyi is settled in there. And.. ]

You know, when we're.. dry. [ Even if Inigo was kept partially dry.. there's no true escape from the rain, not in full, when they were suddenly dumped out there and then had to run back in once the doors opened up again.

But he's not going to force Jingyi into wet cuddles. ]

[deferences]

No, we aren't, but I— [sizhui stops, reconsidering, taking another quick breath then shaking his head. nevermind what he said, it doesn't matter now, not when jingyi has already stated that he isn't busy.

he nods.] Mm, that sounds like a good idea. [after all the cold rain and all.]

And you better not go anywhere, [comes the halfway playful threat. (seriously though, if jingyi ends up leaving, there just might be a riot following shortly thereafter—)

in jingyi's defense, however, it makes sense to want a little more room and privacy; sizhui sure misses his and a-qing's double room.]

[jingyeets]

What, you lived on a winter mountain or something?

( He snorts, flicking his fingers, which sends water droplets flying... none manage to hit the camera lens, thankfully, though he looks surprised by himself. )

Do, people don't complain enough about what the train can do to work with us instead of against us. Yeah, Voidtrecker, weather updates.

[jingyeets]

( Let alone in flight, but then he'd been able to shield, which is still a strange mix of new and his own mind control, to keep his passengers dry. The comment about being dry, though, earns something of a snort and a half-smile: )

Yeah, wet human is the worst.

( Joking, since he's human enough that qualifies him too, but the whole joke: who wants to smell like wet animal? From the one who has more fur and scales and all the things that tend to not align to human form to count as more than human, or animal, or both.

Let him have his weak jest. )