a man for flowers ✿ ( INIGO ) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
flatteries) wrote2020-08-30 08:58 pm
flatteries) wrote2020-08-30 08:58 pm
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leave a comment here, mostly for
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voidtreckerexpress in-game shenanigans but anything else will be appropriately labeled. leave a comment here, mostly for
voidtreckerexpress in-game shenanigans but anything else will be appropriately labeled.
i can't believe roland didn't expect this to be the exact result of this plan
What is happening.
It's like instant panic forms in Inigo's head. For multiple reasons. For one, Roland usually always goes looking for him, rather than broadcasting something like this across the train. And then there's the matter of that odd edge to the man's tone - something that Inigo spots immediately. He's seen too much emotion from Roland at this point to not be able to tell that something is up. Something is up so bad. Especially since Roland is saying 'pup' so publically, rather than just mentioning.. you know, his name?!
And with the way Inigo is, the first assumption his mind jumps to right off the bat is that he's done something wrong. He's really screwed up something. Not that Inigo knows what, but there's got to be something if Roland is calling him like that!
And what doesn't help the situation in the slightest is the fact that he's still wearing the dance outfit. At least 30 minutes gives him some time, but there are definitely some pieces of it that he couldn't quite take off in time, instead covered up by his hoodie as he hastily slips it on over the last few remaining pieces of his dance outfit. Inigo then practically dashes over towards the library, completely out of breath by the time he makes it, spotting Roland's form.
Roland's thinking form.
Inigo doesn't hesitate for a moment. ]
Father, I'm so sorry!
[ Does he have any idea what he's apologizing for? No, not at all. But if he's really done something wrong, it can't hurt to come out strong right off the gate - Inigo's eyes wide, shaking a little. PANICKED PUP, PANICKED PUP IS HERE. ]
i can't believe inigo didn't expect this expert REVERSE UNO
Alas. First things first. As important as that little tidbit was to Roland, what mattered now was incredibly urgent, enough to have his hands fly to the sides of Inigo's face, palms warming up his cheeks, his expression trying its best to exude calm. ]
You did nothing wrong. I promise, I just needed to speak to you in private. Right away. [ He knows this song and dance well. He knows that's not going to be enough to convince Inigo, so Roland thinks its worth repeating, this time with a smile. ] Thanks for meeting me here. You're okay, you're fine. I'm not mad at all.
[ He pulls him in for an embrace, quick and prompt, which...probably reverses all the good work he's done to ensure Inigo comes down from his panic. Though Inigo is usually the first to offer such physical acts of affection, Roland doesn't exactly rebuff him or try to get out of the hug earlier either. He always lets it linger, takes his time with it, warming his heart up in ways he doesn't need to verbalize. But now, now he seems charged with an energy that he usually only dons on missions. As soon as the embrace breaks, he's already pacing once, twice in place, before pulling out a chair, his smile faded and his lips met in a straight line. ]
I think you should take a seat for this, pup. I just want to talk to you about something that happened today. I won't take too long.
[ PANICKED PUP V.2 LETS GET IT ]
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Not even the physical contact, for once. That's how bad this whole situation is. Even a hug or his face being touched can't calm Inigo down. Because Roland is so charged, and the things he says in this moment are - quite possibly - even more charged. Why did he need to talk to him so badly and so quickly? Why does Inigo need to sit down?! Why does this all sound so serious?!
All these questions are going through Inigo's head as he moves to sit down. His face is a few shades paler than the usual, and though he's trying really hard to maintain a neutral facial expression, it's not really working. The eyes that are looking at Roland are definitely the eyes of a panicked pup. ]
W-What happened..? [ What could possibly be bad enough to inspire this kind of behaviour in Roland? Inigo can't even guess. ]
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There's no easy way to break the news, and by all accounts, Roland isn't even sure why its nerve-wracking. This should be fine, right? ]
I don't suppose you took a quick peek out on the platform today? [ Inigo's going to say no, he knows it, he knows the toll it takes on him so that's a rhetorical question. He nods to himself, as if affirming the weight of the words resting against his tongue. The frown that furrows brows, meeting in the middle. ] Right. Pup - Inigo - there's somebody from Ylisse here on the train.
[ He begins just as he did with her, figuring out every piece of the puzzle step by step, agonizingly slow. Intuition filling in the gaps, seeing the similarities now. A mirror, they were mirrors of each other! No wonder he had enough perception to try and create a connection! His hands return to Inigo's shoulders, keeping him focused on him and him alone. ]
I spoke to her before we boarded and I left that message. That's why I had to rush. [ He searches that face again, the Brand, which he knows is the tattoo to forever connect Inigo to a world beyond the train. A world he cannot follow -
- He shakes his head, determined as ever to rip the bandaid off. This wasn't helping Inigo's anxiety in the slightest, so he doesn't dally any more. ]
Inigo, Olivia's here. [ Roland forces down a thick swallow, but he will not blink away, he will hold him here until he can see what such an announcement does for him. ] Your mother, or at least, a version of her...she's on the Voidtrecker.
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And while Roland's piecemeal way of revealing what he wants to say doesn't help either, at least it's keeping Inigo's brain occupied for the time being. He shakes his head a little when Roland asks if he's been on the platform - the place he hasn't been for months now - but then just stays quiet and listens.
Someone from Ylisse. Lucina? It's her who his mind first goes to. Sure, it could be any of his female friends, but maybe Lucina somehow noticed him being gone and managed to follow him here. If anyone could do that, it'd be his reliable older sister, after all. It'd be so much like her.
But no. It's not Lucina.
Inigo's heart skips a few beats inside of his chest, and he stares at Roland as if he's seeking for a hint of anything else. Of a joke, of a lie. Surely Roland can't be telling the truth. Why would Olivia show up here? Why now, after all this time? ]
.. oh.
[ It's the most stupid possible reaction to that statement, Inigo thinks, but for a moment he can't force anything else out of his mouth. His throat feels so tight, making it impossible to speak.
Olivia's here. Olivia's here. His mother is here, and Roland spoke with her. His mother is here, and all its implications. (If something were to happen to the train, then--)
There are so many things he could say. So many emotions he could express, right as they all rise in his chest all at once, contradicting each other.
But in the end, all he manages to ask is: ]
How.. How did she look? [ What else is he to do when it's so hard to think of himself and his own feelings? Of course his worries are first and foremost going to go out to someone so important to him instead. ]
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Oh, is precisely the right reaction. Roland, for all his unflappable glory and keen instincts to stay calm, could only think of one thing at that moment: he needs to see Inigo and he needs to see Inigo now.
And here they are, face to face. He makes more effort to stare into the Brand in Inigo's eye; what once was a reminder to tell Inigo apart from a crowd, now morphing into a reminder that Inigo had a destiny to fulfill. Had the burden of blood to live up to. With his mother here, how would he feel? Would he hide from Roland again; would he want him to change? This, holding each other, touching each other as familiarly as they do because...because, in the end...
Roland shakes his head. In the deepest recesses of his heart, Rannygazoo thrums warm, like a fireplace igniting the hearth to reassure him. To incite his spirit as it slightly weakens in resolve. Keep going, he says. Keep going and do not stop. You know in your heart; you are both okay. ]
She's fine, if not a bit shaken. I mean, who wouldn't be on a day like this? But...she's extra jumpy. Like the sound of the wind could surprise her. [ Roland chuckles weakly. Even in his urgency to explain this to him, he can't help himself. He can't help the hand that carefully grazes Inigo's cheek, the side of his Branded eye. ] You two are more alike than you ever made it seem when you talk about her, you know? She screamed at the train and I could have sworn it was your voice. Heh.
[ How does he say that the more she stays on the train, the more he looks forward to seeing how else they were alike, and in what ways they were different? No, that's not important right now. Roland shakes his head and the hand falls back down to his side. Back to work. Inigo, Inigo must be all right. ]
Anyway. I don't want to delay this. She needs to see someone familiar. I may have let it out by accident that someone from Ylisse is here, but I'm not sure if she even knows you. I...I don't know how time works back in your world. I didn't want to risk it before speaking with you. She was asking for Lord Chrom though, if that helps. It's how I was able to determine who she was in the first place. Not a lot of newcomers are going to ask for that guy unless they're from your halidom, after all.
[ And that goes even if they're on a train designed to resist the pull of time itself. Roland steps aside from where Inigo sits, as if giving him space to dart out of his space to go run after her. ]
I don't know where she went, but it's a cramped train. She's bound to be exploring. Go on, Inigo. Go to your mother. Be with her. She can't be alone right now, when everything is so scary still.
[ The upper corner of his mouth tugs into a half smile. ] If you still need me, you know exactly where to find me.
[ Because he's worried about Inigo, but now isn't the time to feed that feeling. Now it's about a reunion long overdue, and today, his role is to help bridge the gap between mother and son. ]
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That his mother just is like that, for one. Jumpy, easily startled. That it's all born out of her soft, caring and gentle nature, just a natural part of her. Or that they're not very much alike at all when it comes to the important things, that Inigo could never follow in his mother's footsteps when it comes to kindness, when it comes to strength. Or that her knowledge of him depends entirely on how old she looked.
But it feels like there's no time for that. Roland is right. Inigo does need to rush over and help her. Even if she doesn't recognize him, Olivia could still use all the help she can get from someone who understands exactly what it's like to go from a medieval world like Ylisse to an odd place like this train. Even if it's just as a helpful stranger, a random boy, he ought to help her.
Inigo rises to his feet.
But then stops. Like something about what Roland says is nagging him so much, tugging so much on the back of his brain that he can't leave just yet. He feels kind of guilty for not going off immediately, but he's well aware that he'd feel just as guilty if he didn't linger to say this.
So he reaches over, towards Roland's hands, making sure to hold both of them in his own, keeping his gaze trained on the other's eyes. ]
Roland-- Father.
[ There's almost something desperate in Inigo's voice. Even though he doesn't know. What Roland feels right now, what he's thinking. He seems to be acting like normal, but you can't ever quite be sure with him, right? What if he's hiding something under all of this? What if he's thinking-- ]
This.. this changes nothing between us.
[ Even if his mother is here. Because maybe she doesn't even remember him. And even if she does, technically that Olivia is just as much not his real mother as Roland isn't his biological father. There's no way he'd cast aside everything they have between the two of them, their promise for the future, just because of this.
And he'd never want Roland to think that either. ]
You know that, right..?
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Roland's eyes widen. His hands twitch in Inigo's grasp, and Roland could have sworn he saw Inigo's entire figure suddenly warp, as if the lines that make up his shape glow with a gentle light. Is it magic? Is Jumblie suddenly awake? No, no it's neither of those things. Roland realizes it's just Inigo; and this is just what it feels like to be at the center of such a fervent love. That even when all Roland can think about is getting him as fast as possible out of the library and right smack into where Olivia might be on the train, Inigo still seeks him out. Still thinks of him. It's overwhelming. It could stun him to silence, but the Brand remains on that eye and it reminds him there's no time to waste, regardless of the paternal sentiment.
His expression softens. Roland nods. ]
I do. I know.
[ The higgledy of determination that represents the very best of him stirs deep in his soul. He moves and writhes, filling Roland's heart with a desire to meet Inigo in the middle. He won't lie to himself more than he has to; the thought did occur to him. But he refuses it. The more the idea plants itself in his mind, the more Roland resists, remembering not just the promise he made to Inigo on top of that volcano, but all the promises that followed thereafter. The worlds they had to save, and the future he wants Inigo to fight for. With the people he loves. With Roland, too, if he could be granted such a fate. To live with him, by his side... So to hear this from Inigo, reassuring him of the same thing, it strengthens his resolve even more. He removes his hands from Inigo's grip, only to pull the boy in for an embrace so tight; firm as his words are honest and true. ]
And if things did change, I...I don't think I would have accepted that anyway. I'll fight for a place in your life, regardless of what it might be. I promised you something a long time ago and I intend to keep it no matter what. I'm sorry to be so stubborn.
[ Roland laughs, gently caressing the back of his head. He's not sorry at all. After a few more seconds, he calmly lets go and nods to Inigo again, smirking. Hands firm on his shoulders, ready to push him out of the door. ]
Come on, son. You've got more important things to take care of right now. I'll see you later. Tell me all about your meeting. Okay? Go, she's waiting!
[ He uses the term deliberately - son - because that's who Inigo will always be. Be it in the Void space, on Earth, and any worlds in between...Roland is a decisive man. If he deems him family, then family he shall be, now and forevermore. ]
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It leaves the boy staring at him for a moment more, even after Roland lets go of him in the hug, instead putting those hands on his shoulders. There's something hesitant about it, like even now, Inigo is still having trouble actually ripping himself away from the other for a moment to go seek out his mother. Not that he doesn't want to see her, but -- it's just hard when your heart wishes to be everywhere at once, be with everyone all at once. ]
.. okay. [ Inigo finally says, slowly, convincing himself that it's fine, he can just talk more with Roland later. That right now, he mostly just really needs to make sure his mother is doing alright in a place as overwhelming as this.
(And maybe he needs to see her too, after the years and years and years he spent longing for nothing more than for his mother to come back and tell him everything would be okay.)
But as he takes a step backwards, starts walking, Inigo does stop for another moment.
He looks back at Roland, like there's a million things he wants to say.
But only one comes out. ]
I.. I love you, father.
[ He doesn't linger after saying it. Instead Inigo quickly lets his feet speed up to a jog, quickly starting to move through the train to find the familiar head of pink hair. ]
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[ Inigo is long gone when Roland utters such words to himself, in the bustle of the library, passengers seated and minding their own business. Tucked away by the corner, Roland is able to compose himself fully, but there's a spirit that lingers, different from the charged energy he lends Inigo before sending him off. Suddenly, the smile on his lips drops, and his brows meet in the middle. Without another word out of him, Roland walks over to the ICP assigned to the library car and inserts his ticket in.
He doesn't miss a beat. The screen flashes to life, and his fingers know where to scroll, what to press. For once, Roland rushes to type before the sentiment leaves him completely. It had to be done. He had to make sure.
As soon as the message disappears into the void of the feedback terminal, he closes his eyes for another deep breath before removing his ticket from its slot, tucking it back into his pockets, and walking out of the Library. ]