adregem | 000 - voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post

You are way too into this.

[ But it's fondly teased, and Tidus doesn't need to take off his VR headset to guess half of how Roland must be looking right now. Who would've imagined the guy getting this into videogames? Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea, and Tidus really did get him a new hobby. Who'd have thunk it.

The cartoon that loads has the white light coming down into the form of a human--the 'dragon' now transforming back into the cloaked and hooded figure, who collapses onto the ground. It zooms into half of their face, showing a...youthful jaw, grimacing as they then lift their head, an arm obscuring the players' view as they go to pull back on their hood.

...to reveal a youthful, sickly-looking boy, ragged, coughing into a fist, the gaps of his outfit showing how far the bandages cover his entire body.

'Ten years, my father trapped me here... I wanted him to be the one to suffer. T-to know what this is like... before I finally...'

He turns his head, his black hair hanging, and points to a vial on a table showing a red liquid that the camera goes onto.

'...save my sister. She is the only one...who ever loved me...'

It then moves on back to the castle, the princess, a young woman, waking up from her deep slumber, and then a crowd cheering of the civilians as the castle they started off in shows in full view, confetti and hangings decorated like a proper celebration.

'You Won!' comes over the screen in gold letters, and they're left to listen to very cheerful music.

...how about that ending, Roland. ]

...

[ His glee slowly deflates as the cutscene rolls in. He watches the scene in silence, and at the big reveal, Roland feels his grip on the controller tighten. With his mouth suddenly dry and the high he's chased finished for the day, all he can do is clear his throat and listen to the music blaring in the VR set. ]

That...came out of nowhere. [ He says this quietly, a little confused, but he doesn't take off the headset, not yet. ] Guess my hunch was wrong, huh? [ There's a very significant dip in his energy, but whether or not that's because the game is over and it's back to his usual reality is anyone's game. Roland sets the controller aside and removes the VR headpiece afterwards, no longer waiting for the credits to finish. He glances to his side and offers Tidus a small smile, but a genuine one. Never mind how that ended.

He smooths his hair meticulously with one hand. ]

Well. In real life, the adviser would have been the bad guy. Trust me. I've got good instincts about this kind of stuff. [ And that would be his attempt to remove the idea that he just beat a child, a sick one at that, with a sister who was waiting for him - ]

[ Guess he wasn't playing that game again... ]

Yeah, the ending sucks, [ is Tidus's indifferent remark--or rather, going for that. He didn't really pay attention to it, seeing it all before and knowing how little sense it made (seriously, he's gone through the entire early level already to see where the clues were to no avail), the headset off him already (though the ending music is catchy, giving his ears a rub and his hair a shake too.

But he looks over to that last part that Roland says, catches the smile, the side of his mouth lifting in turn. ]

You just really want to be the bad guy that badly, huh? Sounds like I need to keep my eye on you. [ But, after a beat- ] You should play it again with the other classes, it's fun. Plus there's a scoreboard at the end for getting through it quick.

[ For that extra incentive! ]

It's certainly one way to put it.

[ He's going to be candid at this point! And he's still smoothing out his hair, because that headpiece did a number on his hair ok. ]

Heh. What can I say? I'm all kinds of dastardly. [ Roland smirks, but can't find it in himself to replay the game just for the scoreboard...He nods at Tidus' suggestion and handles the controller again, feeling it out as if for the first time again, gaze low. ] There should be other games on this thing though, right?

Just press buttons until you get to the main menu, then press that button. [ He can lean over and point to the actual one this time round, not as blind, a button in the controller's centre. ]

But I'm out on more games. [ He lets out a breath, rolling his neck, his shoulders; he's been sitting in place for too long. ] I need some sleep. Did a number healing yesterday...

[ Or on one specific heal, but it all added up in the end. The plan of action doesn't stop him however from seeing the apple forgotten in his lap, picking it up and taking a bite. ]

[ He hovers over the buttons, committing the motions to memory. Roland repeats this a couple more times before he darts up and looks at Tidus with a wry expression.

I insisted on not getting healed...! Now look what happened! ]

Go to bed. Rest. You're not fully recovered yet, especially after what you did. [ How Roland manages to sound sharp yet caring is a question for the ages. He also mutters the last part to himself but he doesn't make too much of an effort to not be heard. He watches Tidus bite into his apple but his hands are still fiddling around with the VR set, as if he's trying to understand it for later when he won't have Tidus around to help him set it up. That, or he just doesn't want to do the same. Sleep. ] Back to work it is.

[ Maybe with enough points, he can ask for more games? Something from the arcade? ]

Edited 2020-08-04 14:39 (UTC)

[ It takes Tidus a moment to realise that Roland thinks he's talking about healing him, but the explanation he could give--that it was more than him, people dragging their wounds to the train that they shouldn't be dragging--but he doesn't care to. It doesn't matter. Whateeever.

So he picks himself back up with nothing more than a ] Yeah, yeah, [ to dismiss the concern and chide, apple popped in his mouth until his hands are free. ]

Play some more. Don't be a bore--I forget you're supposed to be young.

[ And Tidus is off with that, the crunch from his apple the last sound that isn't his footsteps. ]

[ He waves, watching Tidus leave. He throws his voice out - a simple thank you! - for dragging him out of counting the stores to play something fun, before his hands drop the controller, VR set forgotten in an instant. He did enjoy, he did!

But as he cleans up after themselves, controllers and wires and everything else settled in place as if no one was there playing for half an hour, Roland is still unsteady. The image of the dragon turned child is too close to what he woke up from, so he doesn't bother returning to it. Tidus won't need to know that if he ever needed to play again, it wasn't going to be this. Not unless he can skip the end. ]

Supposed to be young, huh?

[ He stands, dusts himself off, and follows Tidus out of the car after some time passes. And back he goes into the only thing he finds solace in, the only thing he knows - his nose in a book; documents shuffled in his hands; stores counted; chores done. ]

000 - voidtreckerexpress Universal Contact Post

no subject

roland: 👁️👄👁️

heh heh heh

this is a crime against roland's everywhere, apologize ree!!!!

bzzzzzzt no, kid also had hair like evan, deal with it

y-yeah well the old crusty adviser looked like ur face >:(

wow bro...dude...rude....

they see me roland, they hatin' 8) also don't mind this just closing it off~