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--Why?? Why is he getting looked at with that face by Inigo?! The slow realisation showing in his brow, as it comes together more and more to meet in the middle to a display of incredulity, confusion. What does he expect him to do?! And he gives as subtle of a tip of his head towards Roland, as if it was more of an involuntarily twitch. It's up to him, not Tidus!

But the chocolate is deposited into the waiting hand when offered, Tidus perhaps feeling snubbed that he wasn't offered a bite of the pancake with the two of them. And he might sulk and live with that, except who do you think he is? So stubbornly he takes the spoon that Roland had just used and declares, "Well I'm having some too!", directing Inigo, "Keep a hold of the plate" so he can pour out a small drizzle of the honey on the side.

...or use the spoon he now has, seeing as that's just way easier. Whatever Inigo, let Roland do whatever he's doing back there with the chocolate. It's pancake time already for them!

Yet another moment of communication confusion between the teenagers over here. Or maybe it's just Inigo setting too high expectations for Tidus. Because the other always seems to know how to handle Roland much better - at the very least when it comes to putting his foot down, anyway. Inigo is so weak, he just can't do it. He can only hope to reach out to Roland, and if the other doesn't reach back, then he's all out of plans.

And while there is some reaching happening on Roland's part right now (or so.. Inigo thinks.. it's so hard to read, after all), he still kind of feels like shrinking, too uncomfortable in the mood that has been created here in the carriage.

So rather than saying anything, Inigo decides to just focus on eating with the spoon Roland handed to him. He patiently waits for Tidus to be ready with the honey.. though he doesn't seem to think of using the honey himself yet, completely ignoring it there on the side in favour of just breaking off a piece of pancake with his spoon and scooping it into his mouth.

.. Apparently they're not that bad after all? Or Inigo just has really, really low standards after having to get by for a long while with whatever he could manage to find to eat, because there's no reaction on his part at all. He's just regularly eating it over here, as if he's eating any random thing.

Still not speaking up though. Someone sure has been startled into silence over here at their first encounter of Parent-Teenager-Disconnect, apparently.

Said Guy only offers a throwaway look to Tidus's nabbing of his spoon, but otherwise remains steadfast in the task of the final pancake. The Special One. The Pancake to End all Pancakes. Despite the thick silence that drapes over the three of them, Roland remains focused on the art he's trying to form, scraping the very bottom of the bowl until it's licked clean of batter and two spoons are grabbed willy-nilly to try and shape...something. Drops of chocolate pieces sprinkled on the wet side; then the spatula resumes its place in his right hand, the pancake flipped with some assistance.

He crosses his arms, stares at the pan for a good moment, until he turns to the both of them with a similar look across his face, one he wore earlier. Worried, or searching for some sense of doing a good job. Roland takes the handle of the pan and slides the entire thing down into a separate plate.

With both hands as if presenting to a judge, he hides the budding nerves beneath a well-crafted facade of calm. Tidus and Inigo need only to look once to see the...interesting shapes the pancake has taken the form of. On one half, there is a clear attempt to make the long ears and whiskers of what seems to be a type of rabbit. On the other half, as if a hybrid creature, is a similar effort to mimic the expressions of an aggressive looking feline, snout and eyes made of chocolate for both faces.

"...Does it look like them?" Roland says, shifting one hand to hold the plate for inspection, the other rubbing at his nape. "I don't have photographic memory, and I've only heard them from you two, but..."

The Taguel and the Ronso.

"Gah. Sorry. Maybe with a photo as reference, I'll make them look better next time."

Roland can be making fifty more pancakes for all Tidus will pay any attention to, cutting into the pancake with the edge of his spoon, wiping some of the leftover honey onto the main body of the sweet breakfast treat before he scoops up his bite. No, nevermind, this is the sweet treat; a honey overload bursting over his tastebuds, the sponge of the pancake only there as a guest. Tidusimmediately wishes he'd used a clean spoon, but then decides it's not so bad as his tongue adjusts the flavours in his mouth.

Clearly, he just needs to cut a larger amount of the pancake next, which he starts doing. But he's not ignoring of his breakfast mate, eyes flickering over and seeing that Inigo hasn't touched the honey, pointing to it with his own utensil.

"Try it with some of that. Just put some on your spoon..."

He doesn't need to lead Inigo through each step of the process, does he? Deciding to stop there, see if he'll go for it. Where he is, Tidus doesn't catch any looks from Roland from where he is, and it's only with the call for their verdict that he turns around, taking the few steps to see what exactly Roland is talking about.

...

...

???????????????????????

What is this morphed hybrid... wait, is this for Inigo? Nudging Inigo with an elbow, hey does it look like them???

Tidus's helpful suggestion seems to go ignored. If Roland was so worried about them eating his pancakes, then Inigo isn't going to absolutely coat them in honey in order to hide their taste, okay. He's going to eat them like this. As is. In silence.

.. or, well, that silence may actually be broken. Because Inigo doesn't miss the way Roland calls out to them, nor the way Tidus immediately saunters off to go take a look. Inigo follows, a bit more reluctant, and still chewing a little on his pancake as he stares at Roland's.. unique creations.

If he'd stay silent now, it'd only make Roland retreat more all over again, huh. Or.. probably? Inigo still isn't too sure how to read this side of the guy, but it seems like this task is up to him here, considering how baffled Tidus looks.

"It's a little cuter than Taguel usually look," Inigo points out, apparently more on the same wavelength when it comes to these ideas as Roland. (Really, it's the context that helps him realise, Roland saying he heard about it from them.) "But of course I recognize it!" Inigo sucks in a breath, and musters up everything he's got to try and smile at Roland. A last attempt at encouragement. "Are you trying to get more creative, father?"

But Inigo knows he never told Roland about something looking.. kind of.. cat-like..? So Inigo nudges Tidus right back with an elbow. That one's for you, dude!! Come on!!

Ding ding ding. Ten points to Inigo, but also -

Roland rubs the back of his neck, setting the plate down and hurriedly turning off everything else behind him. Stove, spatula, and soiled bowl all stacked nicely for cleanup later. He returns with his own set of utensils; a fork and a knife because he seems incapable of freestyling when he's already this conscious of his work. It helps at least that one of the twin teens understood his intention, even if it was through context.

"It's called pancake art." He supplements for Inigo, turning it around by the bottom of the plate. The side with the botched Ronso reaches Tidus for his review. "I've only ever made small shapes and circles with them. Like mice." A beat. "I wasn't sure how this would turn out but, well." He hums strangely, almost like a mix of a cough and a clearing of his throat at the same time. "Thanks. I'm glad it sort of resembles them, at least." Or the taguel does; how about that Ronso face, Tidus??? Is that your friend who can jump super high, higher than he can?

His joins them eventually, where they're settled as the first stack rests, being consumed little by little. Maybe this batch wasn't as horrible as the one he made before? Only his taste buds will tell. He's only slightly restless, masking it with his turn to remember something that feels essential to their breakfast, but really it's an excuse to gather his calm once more.

"Ah. I'll get us milk."

Taguel? A taguel...? --ohhhh, a taguel, which luckily only takes a second for Tidus to remember. Somewhere in his memories the comparison to a rabbit taking over, and that now the word he remembers better. Look, is it his fault there's a rabbit he sees around sometimes??

But that leads him to realise where Roland was going with the other side too, which was...an attempt. An attempt not so offensive that Tidus won't pipe up, say before Roland can scurry off for that milk:

"Next time you need blue food dye! I've never seen an unblue Ronso -- 'least, most of them are. If you wanna spend the day making pancakes," he goes on, a sly note and the hint of a grin, "to perfect them, I won't say no to eating them after you're done."

A beat. "I'll eat Inigo's friends too."

Hey? Hey??

"Oh, you are so lucky Yarne isn't actually there. He would have believed you and screamed your head off."

Inigo can imagine it so, so vividly. Even though it's been a long while by now since he's last seen the others from back home, their mannerisms are completely ingrained in his mind. Yarne shrieking about Tidus making him go extinct just by eating some pancake version of him.. That's exactly what that guy would do, isn't it.

Also, wow, Inigo totally notices that attempt on Roland's part to sneak off. That so isn't happening. And thankfully Inigo has his own little way of preventing it - by reaching out and grabbing Roland's hand. So he'll have to shrug Inigo off if he wants to leave, and he can't do that, right? Can he??

He's also just eating another bite of pancakes. Hey, might as well while they're here..

"Also," said with his mouth absolutely full, apparently more talkative now the other two seem in a relatively better mood, "I totally can't believe that Tidus just suggested throwing paint on the food."

The single braincell must be in Tidus's custody right now.

Wow, aren't they just hitting him with all the things that will make him stay instead of running to get a carton of milk!

For one thing, he's already staring at Inigo speaking with a full mouth, which is the first thing Roland addresses with a very quiet yet stern 'don't talk when you're chewing,' before he moves on to pointing at Tidus with a determined look on his face. Did he just receive a mission? Who knows? Maybe this is what counts as one.

"You read my mind," he says, already allowing Inigo to keep him rooted on the spot. Whether or not he realizes he's being kept there is anyone's guess. "I'm going to perfect this pancake thing if it's the last thing I do. The only way to do that, as with all things that involve skill-based output, is through hard work and practice. That would be appreciated, so that we don't waste food."

And since that's being discussed already, with the current plate of pancakes being devoured before him and what Tidus points out; Roland meets Inigo's eye too and nods at him with a similar mood. "What color are taguel usually? Is Yarne blue too? I can get food colors. They're just edible paint you can use to make food a different color, they don't affect taste."

What was he going to get again? Something for the pancakes...? Oh, it's a lost cause given he's staring at the half-eaten stack like something is clicking in his mind's eye. Are they actually...not gagging on his cooking...?

do you want tidus to gag, roland. tidus can easily gag if you want him to.

But Tidus isn't because he has manners, despite the belief of his two companions. Though it's Inigo for once who's getting the manners talk - earning a smarmy 'uh oh' from Tidus in the instance it comes out. Instead of remarking on the far more important suggestion that all of Inigo's friends (from home) are overly dramatic.

"Now you've really got Roland going." Or was it actually his suggestion doing this? Still, Tidus is elbowing Inigo like this is his fault -- a good fault. "Roland can teach you a few things about food. You never seen a colourful cake? Guess there's no reason to if it's just the train you've been stuck on," Tidus reasons in his own talking.

When did they ever get the chance otherwise to see more flashy, decorated food? Tidus begins takes a side of Ronso cheek from the pancake that's been presented - or starts to, but then starts his spoon over to the taguel, remarking, "I'll eat this Yarne guy."

As he said: It's time to eat Inigo's friends first.

Inigo is clearly, totally, obviously not a daddy's boy.

Which is why, the very instant Roland tells him to not talk while he's chewing, Inigo immediately closes his mouth and finishes chewing and swallowing the bite of pancakes he's got in his mouth first before saying anything else. Because he's totally not a daddy's boy who doesn't want to disappoint his father even in the slightest. Nope siree.

And when he does open his mouth, it's to do the typical thing.

Whine at Tidus.

"Wait-- stop making it sound weird!" He's even batting with a hand at that spoon, like Inigo is protecting this pancake version of his friend from back home from Tidus's weird Taguel-eating tendencies.

It's only momentary batting though. Because Inigo then looks over to speak to Roland, and he's distracted enough by it that Tidus can take all the bites of bunny-shaped pancakes he wants.

"And no, of course he's not blue! Taguel are brown, just like most rabbits." Inigo may be giving them a slightly skewed idea of what Taguel really look like, considering they're not exactly cute, tiny cuddly bunnies... "Though a darker brown than these pancakes."

"A darker brown...Well, I can just cook the pancake a little longer then. You don't need special food coloring for that, I guess."

Just like that, the milk errand is totally forgotten. Roland's knife and fork dig into - unironically - the taguel side of the pancake, taking a chunk of that long ear off and he eats it tentatively at first. They're crowding each other, he realizes, with one of his shoulders across Inigo's and the other underneath Tidus's forearm, but it's not something he minds or tries to overly correct anyway. The more important thing here is that when he chews slowly, dry as the pancake may be, it isn't terrible. It might be the additional chocolate peppered in last minute, or maybe, pure dumb luck that his extra teaspoon of sugar did precisely what it's supposed to. Add flavor.

Still. There's a lot left for him to change. It goes down rough, barely able to swallow it without the added honey to soften the spongey texture, and now without milk to chug it down. He extracts himself from the twin teen fold for now to face away, polite to clear his throat away from them as they continue to eat. Or not eat the rabbit people, in Inigo's case. He could be interested in some sweet, sweet revenge by eating the Ronso too.

"If I ever get good enough, we could even bake a rainbow cake. Every layer is a different color so when you cut into it, it looks like you're eating rainbows." He coughs lightly, but otherwise has his faculties returned to him. He shakes his head, though; "We really need milk, hold on. That's not going down without a fight."

But Inigo (or Tidus!) need not worry. His trip to run and get milk isn't one that delays him at all, returning immediately with three clean cups and a bottle out of the Stores. He pours them each a serving, adding under his breath, "I told you, it's not that good," but said more as a peaceful acceptance of matters he can't control versus pouting or reacting violently to the fact. Plus, he goes in for another chunk off that taguel too, this time, slicing into the other ear.

"...Aren't most rabbits white?"

This is what Tidus has to speak up to - not Inigo's whining about him, since that's just a part of life, but this new information that not all rabbits are the same snowflake colouring he's seen up to this point. What the heck?? Brown rabbits? Get outta here.

He doesn't hasn't stopped nibbling at Inigo's taguel friend either, though he's taking small bites that hopefully won't give Roland the wrong impression. Nothing to do with the taste, since they're decent for what they are, the honey helping for the dryness - but you know, he's got to see how long it will take for Inigo to complain. ...if he will.

But before that - Tidus has some complaining of his own to do, it turns out. A point he could leave well alone, but he won't: turning to Roland with his spoon raised pointing his way, mouth tugged into a disapproving slant.

"That's the last bad word about your pancakes I wanna hear, you got it? They're fine! We'll get you a cookbook for pancakes, cakes, whatever you want - and if you wanna say anything bad about any of 'em, you've gotta say one good thing! That's the only way I'll allow it! That's how you improve!"

He's putting his foot down!! Sure, this entire disaster of a situation started because of him, but he'll go for bossy before he'll let the guilt start eating at him again to hear any mumbled criticisms. Tidus bumps his shoulder as he faces back to the plate, forgetting his attempts at devouring Inigo's pal for going at his own. Goodbye, Ronso chin: it's time for Tidus's maw.

"I can't make faces outta my pancakes."

Huff! (Chomp!)

Inigo doesn't really get into Roland and Tidus's whole kerfluffle - though smaller than earlier, thankfully. He's just eating here. Mostly the Taguel imitation, since it looks more like a regular rabbit than it looks like Yarne, but he may be sneaking in some Ronso bites too while he thinks Tidus isn't looking.

At best there's just a small disagreement of: "No way, rabbits are brown," but it's quickly stifled with another bite of pancake into Inigo's mouth.

Chewing, chewing. He's not even touching the milk, or the honey. He's just eating. Calmly. Not whining at all.

In fact, it's only after Tidus gets through his daily p-pah moment that Inigo looks between both of the others, slowly blinking.

".. Is this that bad?" He sounds so genuine as he asks that.

Look, the train may have gotten him addicted to the actual existence of sugar, but it's not like Inigo is very picky by nature. Spending years eating whatever you can get to keep yourself from starving doesn't exactly make you have some amazing taste. This tastes perfectly serviceable to him!

"It's..."

It's silly, and stupid, and this is his daily life now.

Between Inigo's innocence and willingness to give anything Roland does a shot, regardless of how much he's warned; and Tidus's stubbornness too, a blatant refusal to let Roland take the blame for something that started off with performance issues and dick jokes. This is life as Roland has come to know it, and most of all, has come to accept. The feeling that lingered in the back of his mind has all but disappeared when he's faced with this newfound side of reality, this utter ridiculousness surrounding something so simple as pancakes he can't seem to master.

Is it that bad? No, this is the best they've ever tasted in years.

I can't make faces out of my pancakes. Sure, but you can cook with your eyes closed, without a recipe, and I think that's really swell.

And in their own ways, both of the Twin Teens have proven that there's really nothing they have to say, no matter how badly Roland can cook, or whatever skills he lacks in this area that makes him shy away from them, wanting to prove himself as some sort of figure to rely on. To impress, even. He likes them so much that he doesn't even realize it, until the swelling in his chest comes close to bursting; until the explosion draws forth a sharp laugh that lights him up from within, volume slowly rising in pitch till he chuckles the amusement away.

Oh boy. What can he do, what can he say to any of that apart from rushing to chew his current piece of taguel pancake-ear while both his hands find themselves on top of their heads of hair. Strands ruffled in clear affection, an arm each around their shoulders.

But it's what he says in such a hushed tone that evens things out; makes it easy to forget this all came about as a joke gone awry. Or that in the end, he'll be excited to show them how much he's improved with his pancake game as soon as he can get a suitable tutor. That desire to impress them won't fade any time soon.

"Thanks. Eat up, okay?"

He draws his arms back and focuses on the plate of pancakes remaining, barely two bites each from the giant half-monstrosity experiment of two different breeds of creatures from two different worlds. He's glad he didn't make them another grimalkin. That's his king.

Who do you think you're laughing at, Roland! Whose hair do you think you're ruffling there, old man!?

Tidus is still deep in standing his ground mode, nevermind the pancake shoved in his mouth he's got to chew. But for the manners Roland thinks Tidus doesn't have, he gets as far as making a ~~whining~~ disgruntled noise, but doesn't follow it up with words by the mess inside his mouth. Chew-chew-chew faster, teeth!

But he's not faster than the hand already ruffling at his hair, the mixed signals that injects into his riled state, the arm around him that furthers to confuse him. This isn't a fight...

...it's a sappy old man!

And how is Tidus meant to be around one of those? Those are even more difficult for him than an adult giving him an obvious cold shoulder, trying to put him in his place with silence. He looks over to Inigo once, but he quickly looks away, back to the pancake being well and truly demolished.

"This whole day's been stupid," he grumbles, and then spoon-cuts another part of the pancake to fill his mouth. If he's got food in there, then he can't talk.

(It's a very good excuse.)

If Tidus tries to look over at Inigo at all like that, even for a moment, he sure won't find any connection. Not during this moment of all times. Because while Inigo had no idea how to deal with Roland's earlier foreign attitude, this is something he's so much more accustomed to.

Which is why he just smiles when that hand finds a way up to the crown of his head. There may even be a healthy blush spreading on his cheeks out of sheer happiness. Out of the lightness of his chest. There is no grumbling on his part, no complaints. He seems happy enough with the more positive attention he's getting from Roland now, the way the older guy's mood just switched right around, even if Inigo isn't too sure why.

So he just smiles and keeps eating, replying to Roland's words with a 'hmm!'. He'll keep eating, alright.

Maybe Tidus is a little right. That this whole day is kind of stupid.

But maybe it's actually not that bad of a kind of stupid when things end up like this.

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i figured we can probably wrap this one here?