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[flatteries]

leave a comment here, mostly for voidtreckerexpress in-game shenanigans but anything else will be appropriately labeled.

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[blitzcheer]

"...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!)

[flatteries]

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!

[adregem]

"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.

[blitzcheer]

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.)

i figured we can probably wrap this one here?

[flatteries]

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.