voidtreckernet | video; horseshoe 28

[ Ugh, Bambosh standing on his head! Why are these tiny things so cute, huh, Inigo loves them all and their varied higgle-personalities. He doesn't seem to mind the higgledy conquering him like he's some sort of mountain at all, instead easily smiling.

There's a slight laugh and a quick, ] Let's not talk about those things ever again, alright.. [ Before Inigo shuts up to listen. If Bambosh is about to impart some wisdom upon him, then he'll make sure to absorb it all!

So he listens. He'd nod along, but he doesn't want the tiny guy to fall off!

Speaking of falling off.. There's a slight 'hold on' as he stands up to walk back over towards the ICP, taking Bambosh right along with him, like they're a two man circus act. Teen With Higgledy Balancing On His Head. ]

Alright, there. Now I can tell Roland too. Wouldn't want to leave your dear friend out of the conversation, right? [ See, Inigo may be a teen, but he's a good teen! He can only imagine how hard it must be for Roland to be left out of all of this - if Inigo was the only one who couldn't understand these cuties, he'd sure feel bad! ] Bambosh is saying that Jumblie likes eating things that are unusual to eat. Like.. um, star-shaped salt? Is that something they have over where you were, Roland?

[ See, now Roland can be an interpretator in his own way. They all have a role in this conversation. ]

Do you know anything else she likes, Bambosh? I'm not sure what out of the things on the train would be seen as a 'rare' treat, you know? It's all new and rare to me..

[ Bambosh appreciates this circus act, he will have Inigo know! So much so that he begins hopping around, light enough that the movement doesn't put pressure on Inigo at all. You can't stop this now, Roland.

At the call, Roland stands to attention and nods, letting Inigo proceed. A thoughtful hum coming from his direction at the mention of 'star-shaped salt'...but this is immediately run through the book in his hand, the sound of pages flipping the only thing to be heard for a short time. His eyes widen slightly in recognition, a smile forming on his face as if the answer had been there all along. ]

Of course. [ Roland nods again, reading the paragraph. It's not a page he would have bookmarked on higgledies, more like a footnote in the resource, but that's why Bambosh had to help him out, huh? ] There are items like that in Evermore. They're so rare that when we see them out on expeditions, we hardly ever even use it to cook with. It's in our Stores for safe-keeping, just for higgledies to eat. [ It makes sense. 'Rare' meant so rare that if they consumed it, it'd be almost impossible to get it back unless you went out of your way. Bambosh says the same to Inigo, high-pitched sounds vibrating out of him. ]

'Higgle piggle! The Dear Soul has finally understood! She likes to eat things just like that - salts that you can't find anywhere else, food and treats hidden from plain sight! Young traveler, she will like you even more!'

[ Inigo laughs. ]

Well, I'm trying to get her to like me, anyway! [ He's making sure that the part of what he's saying to Bambosh that can only be understood by hearing both sides of the conversation is kept brief though. Inigo's delicately trying to balance things here. ]

But I guess I understand now. Though it would have been easier if her taste was a little less picky.. [ Because this definitely sounds like something he's going to have to try and order, if he can't find a good substitute on the train. Maybe he'll be able to pick something up in the worlds they visit..?

Inigo seems to think for a moment, but then shrugs off the thought. It's always something he can consider later.

Besides, he hasn't forgotten about Roland's question from earlier. ]

Hey, Roland. Did you know Bambosh calls you Dear Soul? It's really cute. You two seem like you're becoming good friends!

[ Bambosh says something in the midst of that, but Jumblie too pipes up from where she is - in his heartspace or manifested out in the open with her hat and her petaled collar - reassuring Inigo that there's no trying needed. She already does like him, quite a lot! ]

[ Roland pipes up from his reading and offers an inquisitive look across the ICP. ] He calls me what now? [ Dear...Soul? He closes his book and plants his finger under his chin. ] Huh. I wonder why? Is that what they call you and Tidus too?

[ J-- Jumblie!

This is no time to get all gooey though, not when Roland is asking him a question. But Inigo may be briefly pressing a hand to his heart - the place where he always feels Jumblie the most, even when she's not inside of him at any given moment. Her rays of sunshine always seem to reach there.

But he turns back to the screen soon enough, still delicately balancing Bambosh on his head. ]

Um, it depends? They also call us 'young traveler' a lot. But, you know, you're not really..

[ Young. Is that insulting to say? Inigo will just cautiously leave that sentence to trail off.. ]

Jumblie also likes calling my friends 'dear friend'. Maybe Bambosh just likes you?

[ He nods as if he's heard that before. ]

Yeah, they call Evan that too. I have to tell you about higgledy stones some other time. [ Roland shrugs once. It's fine. It's not something he hasn't heard from you two before!!! ] Well, you can ask him but I guess it's nice to know I'm...dear to him? I know I haven't been feeding him right either. So I'm glad you're getting just what you need for Jumblie. She'll be happy.

[ Not having the privilege of Aunty Martha, higgledy extraordinaire, was just the curse Roland had to live with. ]

Haven't you figured out what he likes to eat? [ He looked up what Jumblie liked in that book he had, right? But maybe not all higgledies are in there? ] Do you need me to ask him?

[ Inigo will gladly help play higgledy translator! Little does he know about Tidus's antics with that already. ]

I can't imagine how much harder it must be if you can't directly hear what he's telling you. So just tell me if you ever need my help, alright? I want you and Bambosh to be able to become super great friends, just like me and Jumblie! [ And hey, with Bambosh still balancing on his head, he can practically let Roland and Bambosh know that at the same time now he's saying it. ]

[ Roland's expression turns dry for a second. ] Tidus asked. Guess what? He wont' tell me what Bambosh said. [ A sigh, but the thought is well-meaning since he went ahead and placed an order of this mystery food anyway, so it's not a weighted sigh to begin with. ] His antics. Can't win, yknow?

[ But of course Inigo would want Roland to be best friends with his higgledies. Bambosh seems to agree too, but is more stirred by his own independent emotion than that of Roland's. Squealing high and jumping up and down Inigo's head, still with perfect balance. ] I will. Thank you, pup. I'll try not to bother my human higgledy translator as much as I can, heh. [ Though now that that's mentioned...He wonders if he could actually - ]

Inigo, do you think you can ask him? Ask Bambosh why he calls me that? I'm a little curious when it's so different from young traveler.

[ Yeah, that is.. entirely unsurprising to hear. That sounds like exactly the kind of thing Tidus would do as a prank. But he also knows Roland well enough at this point to know that sigh doesn't mean he's genuinely annoyed with Tidus over it, so things seem to be the same as ever between those two.

Besides, he can help now! Especially since Inigo doesn't feel the desire to play pranks on Roland - or, well, at least not to that point. ]

Of course! [ He smiles, unbothered. It's a little weird to talk to the little guy while he can't see Bambosh while he's up there, but.. ] Bambosh, would you mind telling me why you call Roland that? I think it's cute, but it seems Roland is curious about it!

[ He won't trust the Twin Teens when they come together, even if their pranks on Roland are more or less done out of affection!! Can't keep his guard down, and they're definitely keeping him alert in the best way possible!

But for now, he waits quietly as Inigo addresses their little buddy. He hopes to reach an understanding with them apart from their time in battle. ]

[ Bambosh at the ready, reappears in front of Inigo in a flash of light, falling gently and safely down to the nearest surface he can find. If only to wave at Inigo in gesture, a small arm in the air, his winged headpiece bobbing in time to the licks of his flame. The 'hig' squealing from him is loud, enough for Roland to know they're speaking now. ]

'Young traveler, that is because he is a soul that is dear! Hiiigle! Dear, like special, a dear that has not been seen in a long time!' [ Is that confusing? Bambosh is a fired up now, so he won't let it simmer for too long without more. But now, he'll start to dance, a cute jig where he jumps up and down. ]

'Like your soul, piggle, connected to a Special God! His dear soul is connected to, to someone who must be saved! A soulmate, young traveler! Higgle piiiig! He is dear because he is one who has a soulmate!'

.. huh?

[ That explanation makes Inigo look surprised. It's not quite like what he expected. He thought he'd just hear about how important Roland is to Bambosh, or how they're good friends or something, but instead..

Inigo's confusion is probably even weirder to watch for Roland, who has no idea what Bambosh is talking about in the first place.

He's not even sure whether or not to bring it up. What if Roland didn't want him to know? But then again, lying about it would mean Bambosh knows he's lying, which is also not good..

Inigo frowns a little before deciding to just be honest by the time he looks over at the screen of the ICP again. ]

Um.. he's saying that he's calling you that because you have a soulmate. [ The slightest, awkward pause, as he's waiting to see what Roland's reaction is. ] .. Do you?

Oh. So, that's why.

[ If Inigo expected a grander reaction, or maybe a more shocked one, it doesn't come. In fact, the opposite happens and Roland almost just sounds like he overheard someone tell him what the weather would be like today.

Though he also now just realizes he's not told Inigo about that part about him either. Roland nods. ]

I do. He's in the second world.

[ ...He just smiles. ]

Thanks, Inigo. That explains a lot. I appreciate you asking for me.

[ WHAT IS UP WITH THAT CALM SMILE.

No, for real, what's up with it. Because Inigo didn't expect such a casual reply to such a wild, wild statement. ]

Well.. Yeah, no problem.. [ But even as he says that, he sounds absent-minded, still obviously very distracted by this whole sudden soulmate deal.

Should he ask? Would it be weird? Roland is still smiling now, and he doesn't want to ruin that..

Glancing over at Bambosh, it's easy to feel a bit more courageous though. ]

Is that just a normal thing between your world and that second world? [ Considering the casualness Roland uses to talk about it. ]

[ Said fire spirite just sits there, nice and cozy, on top of Inigo's head. Don't mind him, dude!

Roland meanwhile, seemingly distracted, turns back to the ICP and offers him a shake of his head. ]

I'm led to believe that no, it isn't normal. I think it used to be? Ah, but...Hold on. I think it's better to switch up the channel. Give me a sec, pup.

[ Roland tinkers around with the ICP for a few seconds, before it clicks and buzzes through the other end. Now, he's turned their correspondence into a closed channel. ]

There. Better.

[ He's a little bit more confident now, sharing what he knows through a private comms line. And honestly, it's not that it's a big deal. There are days when he forgets the other's existence, until he recalls the last few months of his adventure. Inigo should know though, since he also thought it important enough to ask the higgledy living in his heart. ]

Long story short, Evan's bedtime stories seem to suggest that having a soulmate was a more normal occurrence back in the day. In my world, we've heard of no such thing, though. But it exists. And I got the luck of the draw, heh. [ Roland rubs the back of his neck. ] Wish we could have met in better circumstances, but it is what it is I'm afraid.

[ Vague, but Roland isn't lying. He's grown a bit softer around the idea of him, after everything that's happened. ]

[ It's a good thing Roland knows how to private these things, because Inigo sure doesn't know how to only direct your messages to only one ICP, rather than broadcast them for the entire train to hear..

Granted, he also wasn't aware to begin with that this was such a private topic. ]

We haven't heard of anything like that where I come from either..

[ Inigo mostly says it since he figures it might help explain his surprise about it a bit better. It's the first time he's heard of it being a real, actual thing, rather than just a metaphorical one. ]

But, um.. [ His voice trails off for a moment. There are so many things he could ask. So many things he wants to ask. But he's not sure what he can or can't thread on, especially with how secretive Roland tends to be about things. If he hadn't brought this up before, he probably had a good reason for it. ]

.. Is it.. weird? Having a soulmate? What is it like? Could they show up here on the train too?

[ Not that this was private by intention, but Roland is a private guy when it boiled down to the nitty gritty. He doesn't even think about how natural it was for him to switch communication. ]

I see. Not at all, huh? I guess between the line of the Exalt and the beaststones that help transform, Ylisse is more or less pretty magical already. [ Maybe having soulmates there would have been overkill? Nevertheless. He catches on quick, and does his fair share to encourage Inigo to go on. To ask. If he didn't want to talk about this, then nothing would have pried this information from him ~~apart from the train forcing it out.~~ But this is Inigo. He could be honest. ]

I think he could show up. I don't know how strong Doloran is to resist the magic of the void, but I won't put it past this train to beat him. [ He thinks about how to word out the next part, mulling over words and eventually deciding to be candid anyway. ] It's a little weird, yeah. I can still remember the first time he showed his face to us. It was...unnerving. [ He shakes his head. ] He had my face. Or, I guess, I had his. Gah. I don't know how that works.

Yes.. That must have been strange to see.

[ Inigo sounds a little thoughtful as he says it. Not just because he's empathic enough to immediately put himself into Roland's shoes, but it's just something he himself has been thinking about too. The new him hasn't been born yet, but.. could he ever come face to face with him, someone with the exact same face as him? It'd be so weird. ]

Though.. I've known you first, so if he does show up, then it's totally your face. I get to decide that. [ There's a hint of something more joking to his tone as he says that, like he wants to lighten the mood for what seems like an at least slightly difficult subject. ] But we'll need to some find way to differentiate between the two of you when it comes to that! Do you have the same voice too? Or does he have your, uh..

[ Pause. He's trying to be delicate here, he really is, but.. ]

Your.. old.. face..? [ You know, since Roland's face must look a lot older when he's at his actual age? ]

Thanks, pup. I'm gonna say I'm the more handsome of us two, as well. Call me biased.

[ He smiles with more mirth. At the time, it was a bit more serious facing his soulmate...But now, he can look at it in a different way. ]

But he has a deeper voice than mine. And his hair is white, cut short. No, that doesn't mean he looks old. [ He'll just go ahead and stop him right there, 1/2 Twin Teen. He knows where this is going. ] But the face, the face is the same.

[ Doloran's eyes though, they'll always be more lonely. Roland wishes he could do something about that, but it'll be up to the revenant king, in the end. This is something Inigo doesn't need to know, so he just keeps it to himself. ]

[ CAUGHT HIM IN THE ACT OF IMAGINING IT. But come on, you can't tell him he has short white hair and not make him sound old! Inigo remembers Tidus asking if Roland's hair was white back home, okay, he now knows that's an old people thing. ]

So it's you, but different.. Huh, well, I guess that's for the better. [ It'd be even weirder if they were exactly the same, right? Inigo can't imagine two Rolands standing next to each other. ]

... did he have kids..?

[ The question is asked a bit more seriously. Because Inigo can't help but think about it. Maybe that other Roland has a kid too - would he find it weird to hear about Inigo? That Roland just kind of adopted him like this? ]

No. He didn't.

[ He says this with certainty. No room for argument, not even for wonder. Maybe, he says it a little sadly too. ] Maybe one day, he will.

[ Not that Roland is in any position to assume how he would move on from Alisandra... ] At any rate, if you see a guy with my face, short white hair, and talks in a deep voice, that's Doloran for you. Just send him my way.

[ He's joking about it, but he doesn't want to think about a moment where they would occupy the train at the same time. Weird, but also dangerous. Inigo meeting him first would not be the best scenario... ]

I will!

[ And you know Inigo is a Good Boy, Roland. If he says he will, then he'll definitely keep himself to it.

Although he does go quiet for a moment, thinking.. ]

.. It's okay for me to talk to him though if that happens, right?

[ Not that Inigo knows of the whole deal with Doloran or anything, but he's just trying to be considerate. He's trying to think of what would happen if people from his home showed up here. He sure didn't mind his friends talking to Gerome, and any of his other friends from back home would be fine too, but.. what if Chrom showed up, disappointed in Inigo as he is? Inigo would rather hide himself and everyone he knows from having to hear about that.

So he just wants to make sure first. He'd never want to do anything that could hurt Roland or make him awkward. Not on purpose, anyway. ]

...Yeah. It should be okay. [ Though that isn't something he's willing to put confidence in. It would depend a whole lot on whether Doloran came at a time before or after he's been beaten and made to see reason.

Otherwise...No, No Roland won't think of him doing that. Inigo doesn't have a kingsbond. He doesn't want to imagine that it is, putting him directly in Doloran's interests. Naga was not a kingmaker. ~~Right?~~ ]

Just make sure you tell me as soon as you can if he starts making you uncomfortable. [ But these are hypotheticals. It's not going to happen. ~~Right?~~ ] Heh. Or pinch him. I'll feel that. I'll know it as the sign to come running.

[ Inigo is definitely wondering what this Doloran is like now, for Roland to assume that he may end up doing something to make Inigo uncomfortable..

Or is that just Roland's default worry about Inigo, considering he gets uncomfortable all the time in social situations? Who knows.

He doesn't bother to dig for now though, instead just committing the fact to memory. ]

Got it. Pinching him. I'll make sure to remember that. [ Doloran has no idea what potential fate is awaiting him on this train. ]

Either way.. Thank you for trying to help me out with Jumblie, Roland. And for giving her to me in the first place. She's been a really big help already.

[ He should be SCARED OUT OF HIS MIND!!! Doloran get wrecked!! By Roland's teens! ]

I'm glad to hear that pup. That's all I want for you. [ To be okay. To be happy. ] The both of you are good for each other. And you've got the added bonus of talking back to her too, heh.

[ He looks aside and starts summoning his own higglepal back to him. Bambosh makes a cute wave and dance and disappears, only to reappear on Roland's shoulder. ]

I'm off to the library. [ Roland pauses. ] I'll see you at dinner?

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flatteries - 2020-12-02 17:49 (UTC) - Expand

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