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"It's not bad! Just.. strange. Is doing this for a minute really going to do anything?"

Other than make his muscles feel all weird, anyway? Or maybe that's the intended effect. Make his muscles feel weird in advance so they won't feel weird later. Inigo sure doesn't know.

And though he's trying to not show that uncertainty too much, it's hard to not let it slip out a little when Tidus goes ahead and asks him that question.

"And I-- uh, I don't know. I really thought it was going to be a different kind of dancing."

"Let's see what they have!" Oh, Tidus catches that look of uncertainty, and whether it's because he's asking Inigo what he wants from tech, he can take the reins here.

Plus, he isn't sure what this program has, thanks to being Mister 'I don't need to read instructions'. Except there's no reason yet to think that was a bad call while he's still managing to get through the thing, a 'End session?' voice heard in their ears as Tidus backs out of the current warm-up. Choices appear again as windows in front of the holo-figure, who has changed back to an idea pose.

Tidus eyes the different sections by types of dance and music, tilting his head. Then he looks to Inigo, nods to them.

"Why don't you pick one? You recognise any of the dance types here?"

It's time for Inigo to do the ultimate old person move. Apparently it's something shared by people over the age of 50 and medieval people - the thing where he moves his face closer towards the windows, as if he somehow can't see the options from a regular person range.

(Hey, at least the leaning might be its own kind of warming up, though unintentional.)

"I'm trying to look, but I'm not sure.." He glances over at Tidus. "Hey, is there any way to make these images bigger?"

Sorry that you have to deal with the teenage equivalent of a grandpa, Tidus.

"These are bigger than magazines!" Tidus protests, incredulous that Inigo can have a problem here. Look! They're single words on each of the window buttons! Tidus gestures to the selection.

"Just pick one and see what it does!"

Geez Inigo, do you need glasses?? Everyone can read Spiran on this train!

"Excuse me for not being up to date with your.."

Oh gosh, how do they call this stuff again. Inigo waves his hand at the images, clearly meaning to say 'holograms', but having a total brainfart over here. What did they call these things again back on that mission that was at least 70% walking? Why is the single braincell failing him now, in the middle of a protest?!

"Y-Your things!"

Best retort ever.

"I mean, are you really suggesting that I just press it," which he does as he says it, "and then I suddenly recognize whatever odd Spira dance it's trying to show me?!"

Coincidentally, the hologram dancer starts giving away a preview. Of this. And it shuts Inigo up, because the beginning of that? Well, it does seem not all that farfetched to him.

All the way until the lyrics kick in and the dancer starts doing the shoulder thing, and his jaw drops at the moves he then suddenly sees. "Is she imitating a monkey?!"

Your things. Your things!!! Tidus pahs, a scoff as he rolls his eyes, exasperated as Inigo gets whiny right in front of his salad instead of just playing around with the very nicely labelled buttons PROJECTING FROM THE HOLOGRAM. What's so weird about that!! Was he this bad back in Spira?! (yes)

"Well I don't know what you know!" Tidus shoots back, voice rising in that same whiny tone as Inigo is giving him. "Just mess around with it 'til you find something you like! I don't know dances! You're the dance guy!"

All said before the woman gets into the groove of her dancing, and Inigo is just balking.

"Don't ask me," he huffs, but he's watching as the dance continues, and...okay, maybe it's stupid, and so reluctantly - and with a huff - he moves them other of the dance preview, hovers his forefinger in a circle as he looks at the options and picks one at random.

This one can't be stupid, can it!?

Hah! See, he knows Tidus is totally agreeing with him if the other is actually bothering to try and select another song. You can't fool him! Can't pull the wool over his eyes!

And this new one seems.. kind of weirdly theatrical? Dramatic? He can't exactly imagine Tidus being very much into this, but maybe they should just pick something and do it already, or all they're going to do here all day is just stand there. Maybe Inigo can adjust to all this newfangled weirdness somehow. Maybe he just needs to buckle up.

(Not that he knows just how much it goes faster and more intense later on..)

"Alright, let's just do this one." And since he is learning.. a little bit.. he presses the button that makes it start.

The lady's voice rings out in their earpieces again to signal the start of the dance. Better be ready for this dramatic intro, Tidus.

If Inigo's going to settle on this one - and because of the (fighting!!) mood he's already in - Tidus answers with a 'Fine!' that's getting prepared, even as he's shaking his arms again, getting ready for the song and dance to start up properly. He said he was going to dance with Inigo, and if he has to slowly wave his arms around, then that's what he's going to do - without thinking about it! Except for thinking about how he's gonna win this.

Or get through it, anyway, that's mainly the goal. And it seems easy going with the slow intro, but then they're being chucked into tapping their whole leg. The higgledies are down for this, Gibbers ecstatic to be wiggling his tiny leg and squeaking! Waving arms! Hopping side to side!

Tidus isn't thinking about how stupid this is anymore, at least. It's GO TIME.

Maybe this is all the boys needed.

An incredibly dumb distraction. Something to keep their jumpy minds occupied.

And if there's anything this song and dance routine is good at, it's exactly that. Because it starts to speed up, and it just keeps going, making them pump their arms, jump up, kicking up their legs without a break. Now that's a workout.

Inigo isn't realising that though. He's just focused on trying to copy the movements as well as he can, even as sweat slowly starts to drip down his forehead.

The only thing he's able to say while he's still moving is just: "Can you keep up?"

You hanging in there, bro? Pal?

When Tidus isn't thinking about how he must look and just getting into the groove, then whatever he's doing doesn't matter. And he gets out of it what was the purpose in the first place: the fun.

Because keeping up, putting his all in to it, getting to move - those are three of Tidus's favourite things. He doesn't think to glance Inigo's way immediately, but he does take a few in time; to see that he's still doing, but glad he isn't hearing any complaints. If he's not complaining, then surely he's getting into this! Which means Tidus needs to stay focused too.

And hah, asking him if he can keep up!

"You should ask yourself!" he throws out, a friendly kind of bite to it. "I'm gonna dance your socks off!"

By being the best dancer there is!!

Does the dance instructor have an actual scoring system? Probably not, but these two seem to somehow be getting into the spirit of it all the same.

Especially since Inigo won't take that laying down. No matter how worried he is about his actual dancing abilities, they're still the one thing that feel even a little bit like they're his special thing. So..

"You were born a thousand years too late to beat me!"

Pal!!

Though he's definitely going to need a break once this song is done. But is it done yet? No, it just seems to keep going. Or maybe it just feels longer than it actually is, since Inigo's limbs sure are starting to feel the burn, even as he's still moving accurately along with the moves.

"Hah! Show me it, then!"

Tidus loves a competitive spirit, and he loves the burn. There's some delay when they have to switch their moves, but the move sets are forgiving for the most part, easy to predict after a while and when one pays attention to the music along with it.

It's more involved than the warm-up dance session had been, that by the time that the song does finally end, Tidus is putting his hands to his knees, bent over, catching a breath that's finally allowed the chance to be caught.

"Haaa...! Woo!" And up he comes back. He claps once, taking a few steps he has to watch back for, minding not to stumble off the stage.

"How about that!" He may just be throwing out phrases in his rush, but he looks over at Inigo, wanting to see how he looks, his mood. "Well? You got into it!"

Don't hide it!

By the time Tidus looks over at Inigo, the other has already let himself drop to the ground, now sitting on the stage as he catches his breath. It's a lot more intense than the way he usually dances, after all, so he needs a moment over here.

Especially since all the mid-song energy leaves him all of a sudden. It's the usual post-dance confidence crash, but somehow it doesn't feel as bad this time, as his heart still pounds away rapidly in his chest.

".. I did," he slowly admits, sucking in another deep breath, putting his hand on his chest. "But so did you, mister not-a-dancer."

"Hey, if it's shaking my limbs, I told you! I'm a natural!" Truthfully, Tidus wouldn't consider any of what they did dancing (nothing he'd be proud of or be planning to show off, anyway), but he's not going to be bashful about having a good time.

But if Inigo's going down on the floor, then so might as well Tidus, the two higgledies hopping over to the pair, with Gibbers still dancing in the spinning jumps he does to get between them. He waves up his hands, as if proud in their achievements! Or, he's just being a higgledy.

"See? You've just gotta give new stuff a chance! We don't even know what the rest of the dances are yet. Could be something more your style in there."

"Well, this one wasn't so bad either." Even if it was absolutely nothing like what Inigo is used to. Even in the slightest. But he is at least willing to admit as much.

Though for a moment his attention is instead drawn towards Jumblie, as she too moves closer towards the pair until she hops up on Inigo's lap, still dancing back and forth, like she's rearing to go for more! The higgle energy never ends.

It makes Inigo smile a little, and feel brave enough to look over at Tidus and be honest, rather than push everything down.

"I think the stretching thing just kind of threw me off. It always feels so strange to discover things that seem so natural to others, even though I've never even heard of them before." His hand moves to idle pat Jumblie's head over her cute little sunhat. "You'd think I would run out of things to discover after having been here so long, but sometimes it still feels like I don't really know anything."

At least he doesn't seem upset about the words as he says them. That small smile is still present, even as he speaks up about his fussing.

Tidus can understand the higgledies' energies 110%. He'll be rearing to go again before long, but that isn't on his mind as he listens to Inigo. Soft-spoken, telling - in that way where he's attempting to be honest about something that's bothering him. One of those things he can't quite wrap his head around or figure out the words for to start, though Tidus quickly knows what he wants to say.

"Why would you know?" He leans back, with his arms propping him from behind. "That goes for other people too. Hey, you shouldn't get worried because of what I said about stretching before dancing. I don't know what dancers do - I only know what I did to keep fit for blitzball! Everyone's life is different. I'd be just as lost in your world."

He looks away from Inigo, up to the ceiling, over to the higgledies. A smile lifting on his face.

"Know what I learned when I ended up in Spira? Then ending up on this train... sometimes," he says, "you've just gotta accept that nothing makes sense! That way, it doesn't really matter what you know or don't know, right? You're just along for the ride."

Tidus is entirely right in what he's saying. How would Inigo be supposed to know about things that just.. don't happen where he comes from, whether it's due to cultural differences or just the fact that at least half of his life so far has had a total upheaval due to endless war? And yet he somehow can't help the impulse to fuss about it anyway, as irrational as it is. Maybe it's just because he's so constantly worried about what he looks like in the eyes of others.

.. then again, maybe Tidus should be the last person he ought to be worried about that sort of thing with.

He sucks in a breath, hoping to expel some of the nervous energy along with the air when he exhales again and smiles.

"So you're admitting that nothing you ever say makes sense?"

Look. Sometimes dumb jokes are the only way to cope.

He folds his arms in mock offence, a chin tilted up.

"S'worked out so far for me!" Him and his gibberish mouth and beliefs!! You can't take this guy down! But the pouting jut of his bottom lip ceases, and he gives Inigo instead a playful punch to the arm.

"C'mon! Why don't you tell me some things too, hey? About dance, or... things you did back home. Now you've gotta, to make up!"

For Tidus sharing his fitness lifestyle, clearly.

Alright, alright, Inigo figures he at least ought to speak up in return for making that slight jab at Tidus just now. Especially since he knows the other means well, even though it feels really weird to talk out loud about dancing.

Still, his shyness and nerves aren't enough to beat him, especially as Jumblie starts scaling him like he's a skyscraper in the most adorable way possible.

"I don't know how much there is to tell about me dancing! It's not as if I really had the right opportunity to do it a lot back home either." Though for different reasons than here on the train. "The only real option I had was to skip out on sleep, sneak away at night, and hope there weren't any Risen around."

Not exactly the most soothing circumstances to dance under. The look on Inigo's face seems a little distant, as if he can still see it right in front of him, no matter how long ago it's been at this point.

"But I did it anyway, even if it might mean sleeping less when we already had so little time to sleep. Dancing just.. feels helpful to me. It feels so much easier to get my emotions out that way, rather than through words. They always come out so dumb if I try to talk about them instead. It takes me so long to think about what I want to say, but with dancing, I just.. do it."

"Better way to talk, but you won't let people watch you?" He's teasing by making the point, a nudge of his shoulder that doesn't actually reach Inigo, but the gesture is there. The idea of Inigo dancing to speak his feelings - it's a strange sight in Tidus's mind. What did dancing even say? All the dances he knew...

His mind takes him back to Yuna's dances. Sad things. Hardly the best comparison, a fleeting thought before he lets it go.

"You got a lot of it from your mom, right? You never took any classes back then? You know, before things got crazy?"

There was plenty there Tidus figured they could talk about. Probably things that was hard to single out. You don't think about what's a way of life until you have something to bump up against it, show that it isn't the same way for others.

At least he doesn't seem to get too upset at the teasing. Maybe it's easier to go along with it when he's starting to feel better, to just try and shrug it off for once, rather than letting it get him all upset.

Instead he just shakes his head as Tidus moves on to ask that question.

"Not really for my kind of dancing." Sure, he's had some more formal dancing training as part of being a prince, in case they'd have to dance during diplomatic events, but.. Inigo feels like that doesn't count. That sort of dancing doesn't allow him to express himself in any way. "They don't really have classes for it where I'm from. It's just something that's.. passed down. Or something you have to learn by yourself. I was lucky having my mother, in my case."

Learning a type of dancing from his mother, huh. Tidus tilts his head, a look up taken as thinks about that - nothing so deep or needing too much of it, but when he does...

"I don't know if we had anything like that back in Zanarkand. If you play blitzball, you play the same game, right? You have different moves," so, there was that, "--but there was a whole lot. And it takes a lot to make up a new move." Haha- he starts to smile. "Everyone wants a signature move."

He looks back at Inigo.

"Did your mom have a signature move? A dance move she always did!"

"Are signature dance moves a thing?"

He looks a little amused as he asks it. Sure, they are actually a thing, but it's not like Inigo ever went deep into dance theory. Especially not since he only really ever had his mother to look up to in that regard back home, and even back then he had been so young, that he might not have been able to remember her signature move if she had one.

But rather than lingering on that very specific topic, it makes Inigo think of something else, slightly spinning in Tidus's direction to look at the other with a smile.

"Wait, are you saying you had a signature blitzball move?"

"Sure did!" Now he sounds livelier. Talking about blitzball at all? Tidus is ready! "You'd shoot the ball my way and I'd to a backflip and hit it into the goal! Give it extra speed so the other team can't stop it!"

Is Tidus starting to clench a fist here? Yes. He's proud of it, alright - it's simple, but very effect. ...or would be if he got to use it more in actual action.

Nevertheless, he hasn't forgotten who this was about, and with that fist he unfurls it, gesturing to Inigo. "You could have a signature move too! A cool dance move you can pull off in the middle of any song! Like...a backflip! And then doing the splits!"

It's a silly suggestion, he knows. But Inigo gets his point, right?

Now that's the enthusiasm Inigo loves seeing from Tidus. Not that he doesn't get to see if often, but it's still a treat each time, watching the other's eyes light up. If there's anything that sucks about this whole train deal - and really, aren't there way too many things on that list? - it's the fact that Tidus is being denied the chance to play something that's so important to him.

But at least he can still talk about it at moments like these. At least it's something, even if it's not much.

"You want me to do a backflip in the middle of a dance? Are you trying to kill me?" There's not a single bit of Inigo that sounds upset though. Instead he just sounds amused, like he's about to laugh. (He gets the idea, though. It's just that this is a little too funny to not poke fun at.) "We can't all be backflipping blitzball pros!"

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the outfit that woman is wearing would fit in zanarkand

NOW I'M JUST IMAGINING THE PANDA SUIT INSTRUCTOR

unlock the panda suit for ur holo-coach by dancing More

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there's so many threads i never got notifs for!!!

suffer

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