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At most, Inigo nicks him on his way down. But that tiny nick and the whole something dropping abruptly behind him is enough to make Tidus jump forward, straight into the door. Slamming hard into it with hands smacking into wood, his chest too; and if one were to replay the reaction from a different angle, it would be an absolutely embarrassing way to be startled: slamming yourself into a door.

But that will never exist, and Tidus turns himself around, "Xue--?" starting to come out of his mouth (did he just knock him!?). When instead, he's met with a familiar lump on the floor.

An Inigo shaped lump, standing up. Tidus blinks, feeling delirious, looking around, as if that might help!, but turning back onto the guy no less smarter.

"Wh-- what's the big emergency?" Shh, indoor voices! "Couldn't you wait 'til breakfast?"

Maybe Inigo sneaked in for some deep and sad reason, but it's early alright, he just got nicked THROWN INTO A DOOR, he has Gibbers all delighted in his chest at their friendly company...!

Usually Inigo may have felt a bit worse for ~~making Tidus slam into a door~~ making Tidus act like a total idiot, but right now he's a little too distracted by this entire situation to give it too much thought.

Especially when Tidus seems to act like this is just normal. Or that this is Inigo being weird, rather than the situation being weird.

"Why would I--" have snuck in and jumped down from the bunk overhead, he wants to say, but he does remember to use his indoor voice a little sooner than Tidus, promptly shutting up before they wake the one person still sleeping in this room.

At least Inigo doesn't seem sad? That's a good thing, right. Although he sure does give Tidus a confused look when he speaks up again.

"Tidus, I-- I woke up here. I woke up here." He repeats the words, as if putting more emphasis on them will make it more clear to the other what exactly is wrong here.

Tidus continues staring at Inigo, bleary-eyed, perhaps that small excitement a second ago rattling up his brain, but-

"Wuh...? Well...yeah? That's what you do in beds..."

Wait.

"...oh."

Oh? Now his stare is a more blank sort, blinking. Before Tidus decides to take a step towards Inigo and...look him up and down.

"Is everything...normal?" Blink. "You look the same."

"Why would something be wrong with me?!" Even though he's using his indoor voice, there's still a hissing edge to it. Maybe it's mostly since Inigo knows that it's actually not that weird of a question to ask under the current circumstances, but something about him having changed out of the blue is something he doesn't want to consider too deeply right now.

Hence why he doesn't look annoyed as much as he looks a bit panicked, gaze nervously darting across the room. Having very little problems with waking up, Inigo's emotions easily build up to their usual high despite the early hour. (As far as there are hours on this train.)

"I feel the same as always," he admits, realising he may have to consider the idea just a little bit. "Maybe.." He shakes his head, finally looking back at Tidus. "Maybe the train realised moving people around at night is a dumb idea and decided to stop doing it."

Behold as Inigo shows himself as current owner of their one braincell. Tidus does stop eyeing Inigo over once he gets upset about it, not really sure if it's that unreasonable...but he may still be half asleep. This feels like being asleep.

But then Inigo puts to work his brain, and actually-

"The train does that?" Wow - he had no idea. Moving people into new cabins? But actually, it makes a lot of sense (even if Inigo's only slept over a few nights), and Tidus nods his head as it sinks in more and more. "Huh, I had no clue. Well... ... ...are you okay with that?"

His thoughts land there in his hard thinking, a look around the room ending as his gaze falls back on Inigo. Did he want to switch rooms? Be stuck above S'reee all the time?

"Hey, I'm not sure!" He adds, quickly, like some sort of caveat in case he's just guessing wrong here. There are other possible explanations, right? Maybe something else odd is up with the train this particular morning, for all they know. But it does feel like the most logical one, right?

But before Inigo can contemplate it any more than that, Tidus asks that question.

"Huh? Well.." His voice trails off. The surprise is half real, and half feigned, because he needs a moment to think anyway. Not to think about his answer - oh no. Sure, the idea of switching rooms after this long is weird, but Inigo instantly knows he'd be overjoyed to just share a room with Tidus without the inconvenience of having to borrow Tidus's ticket and waking up in his own bunk.

But.. would that be weird? Too much? Tidus has been pretty okay with Inigo staying in his room, so it's not like he's totally worried about it.. But still a little bit. Would him being excited about it just seem odd to Tidus?

"Y-Yeah! Of course!" Something about Inigo looks vaguely flustered because of all the worries flying through his mind at maximum speed. Even now, speaking up and looking over at Tidus, Inigo's hands nervously fretting by picking at the ends of his clothes.

And of course, with Inigo trying so desperately to moderate his enthousiasm, he just ends up sounding suspiciously shy in the end. Like an idiot.

"I.. I'd be really glad to share a room with you, you know.."

Tidus scratches the back of his head, for no particular reason while Inigo appears to think it over. It's still an odd situation to wake up to, and he didn't think this was going to happen when he got up... it's platform day too, he realises, in the time he has to ponder everything. Wonders to himself if that's got anything to do with this.

"Well...!" But with Inigo's decision voiced, Tidus hand drops, and there isn't much other discussion or thinking that has to be done. "You wanna grab... your stuff? Was it--is it up there?"

Because his brain might be waking up a little, and remembering that oh right, Inigo fell out of bed. Probably didn't get time to look at what was in bed with him before he did...

Inigo turns back towards the bunks, reaching up to pull something off the bed. (It gives him a moment to not have to look at Tidus and shake off his awkward shyness from a moment ago too, thank Naga.)

He ends up not fully pulling something off there though. He's just pulling something partially over the edge, so now there's the head of Inigo's very recognizable huge plush wyvern hanging over the side of his bunk. Hope you'll enjoy having that company here too, Tidus.

"It was already there."

Just like how he kept mysteriously being moved around in the morning - except now it's the other way around, with his stuff having mysteriously been moved over here.

".. this place really works in some strange ways, doesn't it?"

There's something interesting Tidus notices in the time Inigo is messing around the top bunk, holding his tongue and waiting until a beary-fabric eyes are staring cute yet lifelessly out.

It's actually not immediately recognisable, until- oh yeah. That thing. When he was mucking around with Inigo on the platform (the good ol' days).

"I wonder if you're not the only one...?" He's staring at that plush face as he says it, then - with a flicker onto Inigo - he turns and nods to the other bunk bed. And now, when he sees it more clearly-

"Xue Yang's gone. And- I don't see anything." Nothing noticeable. "Unless he's gone gone."

But he couldn't have gotten up before them, and - where were there any signs he'd been in bed? A quick look shows plain clean sheets, though Tidus does look back, see S'reee there in the tub.

...maybe Xue Yang is gone gone?

Honestly, it's not hard to not feel bad about the idea of Xue Yang being gone. Although Inigo is stoked at the idea of sharing a room with Tidus, he's a bit less so at the idea of sharing a room with a murderer. And it's not like he knew the guy personally in any way, let alone even wanting to know him to begin with.

But it is curious. Inigo stares from the bunk with the plush on it over to the other empty one opposite it.

"Maybe the train switched us around?" But why?

Then again, does anything the train does ever make sense?

"Although I was on the other bunk.." Inigo frowns slightly. "This is so confusing."

This is so confusing. Got that right. But those words seem to be enough for Tidus want to dismiss thinking too seriously about it, since why? After all-

"Train's dumb. Well, if it moves you in or out, whatever, right? Let's see what happens." There it goes, any further brain-power-using consideration of this situation gone. He points to the door instead, the same time he's grabbing for the handle.

"Let's see if we can still get in the showers!" he hushes. The door opens. "Come on, we might be lucky!"

Let's go let's go let's go!!

"Wha--"

That's nowhere near the direction Inigo expected this exchange to take them in, so he sputters when he's suddenly urged along like this by the other teen. Inigo's mind was still too wrapped up in trying to imagine this, what it all means. It sure wasn't even close yet to jumping right ahead to the thought of showers, please.

"Y-You want to go shower?! Right now?!" Please, Tidus, is this your priority right now! Why are otherworldly people so obsessed with cleanliness?

"A shower's the best way to wake up!" Tidus, undeterred by Inigo's flustering, only grins at the prospect of a shower. He's got the energy for that!!

"Breakfast won't be for another hour unless we wanna get cereal or toast." And is Inigo even thinking about food? He hasn't closed the cabin door just yet (Inigo can, if he wants), not even considering the plaque he could be checking, instead more curious about-

"What do you want to do? Didn't you wanna wake up?"

What does an Inigo do first thing in the morning...

Inigo will close the door, thank you! He was not raised in a barn! And he is listening to what Tidus says, still not entirely sure how to answer that question when his mind is still entirely occupied with this situation and its implications, but trying to think about an answer...

.. when his eye does fall on the list of names next to the door.

"Wait, hold on." Tidus better not be attempting to walk off just yet, because Inigo is certainly not above grabbing his hand and janking him back if he has to, okay. "Look at the names. Mine's up there-- and Xue Yang's isn't."

He's not walking off, he's waiting to see what Inigo wants or plans to do! What do the go do early in the morning? Except for bug him about room plaques.

--oh.

Except Tidus does look when asked, blinks. A small sound muttered of surprised. He looks back at Inigo, a shrug implied when he considers, "Maybe he's in your room now."

Which Tidus doesn't sound very bothered about.

He's quiet for a moment, as if overthinking it. Though the only conclusion he seems to come to, judging by what he says after that moment of silence, is just: ".. Poor Elfnein."

Look, he'd say 'poor Orisa', but he's pretty sure she could instantly crush every single bone in Xue Yang's body, so. Good on her. And although Inigo can't help but feel a little selfish for it, since it means there are now other people who have to deal with rooming with a murderer, he still can't help but feel relief to know that it's at least no longer Tidus who's stuck with him.

Inigo shakes his head, turning back to look at Tidus.

"Sorry. It must seem strange that I can't stop thinking about it so easily, huh." Especially since Tidus seems to shrug it off much more easily. Maybe he's just being as much of a worrywart as ever, Inigo thinks. "I just can't help but keep thinking it's odd, especially if it only happened to that guy and me."

"You're overthinking it!" Tidus shakes his head, hands falling on Inigo's shoulders to make him focus his way. On him, not on any plaques or in his head - not while Tidus is asking for his attention. "If we head to breakfast, we can ask anyone else if they changed rooms or something's up. We can check the ICP too, see if Xue's still on the roster, right?"

At least as a gold name, or not.

"Standing here isn't gonna help us any." He at least speaks with a smile, brightening to try and encourage Inigo. Giving him a nod this time. "We'll even check up on your old room if you want. Your roommates."

But he looks up, over Inigo's shoulder, letting go of them as he moves around the guy.

"I can tell you if these other names look familiar. Let's see... Yup, Lea and Xion's always been next door... Glor should be at the end here too."

Tidus is walking to check the names, and indeed, the cabin leading to the last sleeper car has Glorfindel's name beside it- Xander too, and Alfredo.

UGH, but Tidus, overthinking is what he does! Would he still be Inigo without it? Besides, he just wants to make sure the train didn't do anything weird to him! What if that did happen and they don't find out until later, huh? It's going to be a disaster!

But - as easily influenced as Inigo is - he is rapidly starting to think he's just overthinking for no reason. And being dumb. He does turn to look at Tidus when the other releases him and heads off to look at the other name plates, but there's something definitely embarrassed about his gaze.

(Also, wouldn't it just be more concerning if he's somehow the only one who changed-- ugh, no, stop thinking!)

"I get it," he says, sounding somewhere between pouty and embarrassed. Or maybe just both at the same time.

Usually he'd say 'you don't have to rub it in', but he knows that's not what Tidus is doing here. He's just trying to reassure Inigo, but in turn it just makes him feel more awkward for needing that over what may just turn out to be nothing.

"Sorry that you have an idiot friend who worries about everything."

.. okay, no, now he's definitely pouty. Though at least he doesn't seem to be angry with Tidus, just with himself as he looks away, cheeks red.

But--! But isn't this what Inigo wanted him to do? Didn't he want him to be more considerate? Why's he getting pouty about it now? Tidus isn't sure if it's something he said, or was it the way he said it?; but when he hears that first note of pout, and then it turns into more of it, Tidus's expression morphs from simple confusion, to something more puzzled.

To- "Don't call my friend an idiot." He's folding his arms over here mister! ...but he also doesn't want to put too much emphasis on this, go on too much - that just usually makes it worse for Inigo. So he lets his arms free after a good moment of looking Very Serious, nodding and gesturing a hand over to where he is.

"Come on, let's go to breakfast and see what we can find out. And if we find out nothing..."

...

...

"...Want me to call you Xue Yang?"

At least it's that final comment that seems to snap Inigo out of it, if not just partially. Because the very idea of it is so ridiculous that it's hard to stay pouty at it, even if it's him being pouty at himself.

But as he walks over towards Tidus to join him in heading towards breakfast, he does grab a hold of the other's hand. He won't intertwine their fingers or anything that embarrassing, but.. just let him have this comfort for a moment, okay? Please? It's making him look a bit better right now.

"Please, I think it's much better for neither of us to ever be in touch with that guy."

Murdering kids in cold blood just because you felt like it isn't exactly a good look on anyone.

"Maybe I'm just moody since I'm hungry." Probably not, since Inigo isn't even that hungry, but it's a convenient dumb and small thing to blame, rather than the mess that his brain can be at times. And he doesn't want to bother Tidus with it when them moving into the same room is actually a good thing, as far as he's considered! No matter the train's weird possible intentions behind it.

Edited 2020-12-13 20:07 (UTC)

If holding hands is what it takes to pacify Inigo's anxieties, then Tidus will accept it, wiggling his hand a little even to fit it snug into place. Probably what he should have thought to do than joking about anyone taking on Xue Yang's name.

"Are you worried?" That's what it seems to be, though Tidus doesn't well in quelling those fears. He dances around the idea if it's worth trying again now, turning around at least to get them physically moving, with every intention of leaving the carriage to start the walk to Webs's morning teleport routine to the dining carriage.

"It's not that I don't get it. But we won't learn anything just worrying, you know? And I can't think of anything bad happening... unless Saku and Taiki got separated. That'd suck. You think we should ask them when we see 'em?"

"Yeah," he admits when Tidus asks if he's worried. Maybe it's part of him trying to be open, but it's much more likely that Inigo knows he's being too obvious at this point to try and deny it anyway. And if Tidus is bothering to give him the comfort of held hands, just the smallest kind of physical affection that manages to soothe Inigo's heart a bit, then the least he can do is be honest in return. Even when he knows it's dumb overworrying.

"You just never know when something ends up being bad on this train!" Especially something like this. Because if it only happened to them and not a whole lot of people, then they may not find out until a long time later. "But I'll try to not think about it too much. Maybe it is better to think about everyone else." It's a distraction, at the very least.

A better distraction than walking is so far, but maybe food will also be a good one.

"Checking up on lord Gyousou and Taiki is a good idea.. And maybe we can see if Roland is still in the same spot too. Just to make sure."

"Roland's room is this way anyway." Since they're heading backwards towards the dressing car and not the other way round. "So, let's look out their names! Mm, you know though, I don't really check to see who sleeps where. It's never fun coming down here to find someone."

He knows about one person by heart (other than Roland and Inigo, vaguely--even if the last one doesn't matter now), and that's Lightning all the way at the back of the sleeper cars.

(And of course, Yuna's cabin used to be the first one at the front.)

"Rol might not be in his room though. You know if he's an early guy? Seems like it." But then, he doesn't seem like a cheater at first glances, so who knows!!! "But Purple's doing prep and he's cool with Webs... eh... wonder if he's cooking anything..."

Don't mind his concerned mumbling to himself.

...

Inigo is taking in the information quietly, but it's as if something about him perks up a little when Tidus mentions those last few words. It's dumb, almost instinctive, like a dog that hears something and is suddenly at full attention, wagging his tail.

"Do you think Roland is making breakfast?"

Guess who is suddenly much more enthusiastic for breakfast, if he may be able to have it together with Tidus and Roland. This guy over here. Goodbye, worry.

"We could eat together with all three of us!"

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