2016-06-18 (PostU) Bridges and Bridges

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Bridges and Bridges

Summary: Important things keep happening on bridges. This time it's a conversation that Tidus and Desmond have in which they realize they're actually a lot alike.



Who: Tidus, Desmond
When: June 18, 2016
Where: Plowse Bridge


Desmond-icon.gifTidus-icon.gif

The information contained within this log is to be considered information gained Out of Character (OOC).
This information may not be used as In Character (IC) knowledge or in roleplay unless it has been learned in-game or permission has been granted by the parties involved.

Questions should be directed to staff.


Bridges. They're wonderful places, aren't they? They connect two (or more) places together, symbolic of the great truth that all who share a world must learn to live together. Or at least learn to live with each other.

Also there's water under them, and Tidus likes water. So he's on the Plowse Bridge again, looking out over the water, letting his thoughts wander. Which might not be that great of an idea, because Tidus tends to get stupid ideas when he does that. But nonetheless, that's what he's doing! At the moment he's leaning on a support, thinking about seeing how deep the water below is. By jumping in.

See? Bad ideas.


Bad ideas. We all have them. Its part of what makes people, well, people. There is always a bad side to a good side, because before one idea turned good it was most likely a bad idea when it first started. The problem here is not whether a person is having good ideas or bad ideas. It's; how do you recognize when your ideas are bad?

Most people can't figure it out, either due to a lack of intellect, experience, or just pride. They go on having their bad ideas that leads them to all sorts of trouble. But fortunately, you don't always have to figure out these things out by yourself. Sometimes you have the good fortune of having friends to point this out!

"I hope you're not thinking of jumping in, bro." WHOA! Where did Desmond come from!? The hooded young man is looking at Tidus down from his perch, sitting like a great bird of prey eyeing a meal. Apparently this guy is a master of sneaking in undetected, and even more so at the bridge which has by now turned into his personal parkour site. "That's not water down there, you know? Its some kind of abyss."


Tidus probably wouldn't have been expecting anyone to approach him unless he'd been looking. And right now his mind is elsewhere, so he's definitely not expecting anybody, much less Desmond. So when Desmond speaks, Tidus jumps! "Uwah!" He leans back away from Desmond, blue eyes wide. He relaxes when he realizes who it is, though. "Oh. Hey." He smiles broadly, offering a wave.

He pauses, though, at the mention of a void instead of water. He blinks, looking down over the side of the bridge again. "Yeah, probably not a good idea to jump into an abyss, then." He looks back up. "How'd you get up there?"


"I climbed up, bro." Desmond answers with a smile and jumps down next to where Tidus is standing. Dusting his white sweat shirt, he adjusts something underneath his sleeves before glancing towards the blond haired boy again, a wry smile on his scarred lips. "Ah huh, trust me, I've learned the hard way that there's steep prices to pay for recklessness." The dark skinned young man looks up with furrowed eyebrows, as if recollecting his thoughts. Its unlikely that such a dork like Desmond came up with that saying on his own, but often times the guy doesn't seem like he's in full control of his body. Sometimes he looks like someone else is controlling him, or maybe has multiple personalities. The bleeding effect acting up for sure.

But anyway! That usually doesn't last too long and he stares at Tidus with wide eyes. "What'cha been up to? When are we gonna play some Bliztball, dude?"


Tidus is... actually not as oblivious as he might have seemed a moment ago. Mainly because at this point he's actually paying attention to Desmond. So he notes the slight shift of mood, and frowns a little.

Though before he can ask, Desmond's back to normal and asking him a question.

And the question... well, in question, makes him grin broadly. "You gotta learn how to hold your breath first." Pause, and his enthusiasm drains a little.. "And I also need to figure out a way that doesn't require staying underwater for that long, too," he realizes, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck.


"Oh yeah, the whole holding my breath under water thing." Desmond says not sounding awfully thrilled about the idea, and even rubs his nose as if already dreading it. Something within him almost having a primordial fear of water, perhaps one of these split personalities that seem to take over the hooded fellow every once in a while.

Tidus' sudden lack of enthusiasm is very noticeable though and it draws Desmond's curiosity, causing him to raise his eyebrows in concern. "How come you gotta do that?"


"Well, uh. Couple of people were saying that I shouldn't really expect THIS world to conform to MY world's rules," Tidus replies. "And they do have a point, at least where Blitzball's concerned. It's not unusual in my world for people to be able to hold their breath that long. Here, people can't do that. So if I want people to enjoy it, I have to change the rules a little."

Here he pauses, shrugs. "Besides, I jumped out of the sphere to do my shot anyway, and none of the refs ever called me on it," he recalls. "So it shouldn't be too big of a deal for it not to be completely underwater. There's probably sports in other worlds that are played in water. Maybe I can put some of those rules in."


Desmond tucks his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and gives a chuckle. "Oh, that." He grins a little despite himself. "I've been trying to tell you that, man. In my world, nobody can hold their breath for that long while also playing water polo or whatever." He gives a light shrug afterwards. "But no big deal, right? Why not just give people some gear to do it? Heck, why not go talk to the Naga that live further into the sea? I hear they're not the friendlies of people but at least they might give ya some ideas."

Desmond frowns and looks up as he remembers something. "In fact, have you talked to Morgana yet? She's the resident mermaid person. I bet she could provide, you know, some insights."


Tidus raises a hand to scratch at one cheek with a finger. "I dunno about those Naga. I heard less 'not the friendliest' and more 'will gut you for not being a Naga'," he notes. "I'm a pretty good fighter, but I wouldn't wanna test myself against like a million dudes." 'Dudes', in this case, being figurative and not necessarily all male, mind.

As for Morgana? Tidus nods! "She showed up the day I came here. I think she was agreeing with looking for a way to adapt the game for non-water breathers," he notes. "And there was the other thing too... somebody's shack got blown up on the beach. I think the, uh... one with the dead cat for a pet?" He needed another way to describe her besides 'the short lady'.


"Well, yeah." Desmond admits about the Naga. "And after all the run ins I've had with Orks and Fog Demons around here, I can't blame you for being skeptical. A lot of 'things' over here won't think twice about trying to kill you." As much as Desmond hated Templars and such, at least they were human. He simply just doesn't know what to expect with monsters and the other weird things that populate Twisted.

Then he's nodding about Morgana. "Oh, right, now I remember." Eh, once a dork always a dork, no matter how many master assassin personalities Desmond might have in him, he's still not any of them. "Huh, you mean Doommuffin?" At least he remembers the name of the gnome that kinna sorta saved their lives a few weeks ago. "What happened exactly?"


Tidus nods at the mention of the monsters. "I guess I've been lucky, that I haven't really run into anything much aside from those Orks," he notes. As for what exactly happened? This gets an intake of breath. Tidus seems to be gathering his thoughts, given how he reaches up and rubs at the top of his head thoughtfully.

"Well... we were on the beach," Tidus begins. "Morgana showed up, this guy named Jaune was there, and then this... dog-guy? Urus. We were just hanging out and then all of a sudden, BOOM!" He raises his hands up to indicate an explosion. "That shack explodes. There was this little... thing in there, almost looked like a kid, but it wasn't. Doommuffin showed up and said it was goblins. I'm not sure what a goblin is, but whatever it is, they apparently don't like her much."


Desmond makes another shrug. "Eh, lucky is entirely subjective here. Personally I feel lucky of being here at all since the alternative was dying." Desmond doesn't so much minds the monsters as obnoxious as they can be, at least he has the freedom to engage them or ignore them. He couldn't say the same in his previous life.

Then Tidus goes into his explanation of what happened at the beach and Desmond looks taken back. "Goblins eh?" Well, it makes sense if there are gonna be Orks here there'd also be goblins. "I've never seen goblins personally, they are a mythical creatures in my world. But as far as I understand they are like those Orks but smaller and smarter. Just as evil though from what I gather." He chuckles. "Man, its a good thing I watched those Lord of the Rings movies. Who woulda thought they'd come in handy one day." He shakes his head. "Anyway, what did you guys do about it?"


At that statement... well, Tidus has to nod. He knows the feeling of being here being the alternative to not being ANYWHERE. "Yeah, same here," he notes. "Maybe closer to 'disappearing' rather than dying, but... Still sucks."

As for the goblins? "There wasn't a lot we could do then. Whoever did it didn't stick around. Unless it was the idiot that got caught in it. But Urus and Doommuffin figured out who it was."


"I hear ya, man." Agrees Desmond. "Personally, I say bring on the monsters. It beats sinking into oblivion or whatever." As crappy as Desmond's life was before, he enjoys existing! The only reason why he agreed on sacrificing himself was because it was the only way to break the cycle and save humanity!

But enough about that, now he has a new world to save, ironically enough. But this time, he can at least do it his own way. "But you guys mentioned it was goblins, right?" He asks. "As in more than just one. Aren't you guys gonna track them down and make sure they don't go exploding people? The myths did say after all that goblins usually work in packs. Kinna like the Orks."


"...Yeah." This in response to the statement of 'bring on the monsters'. It's not unenthusiastic-- it's actually said in a thoughtful tone. Wasn't that something like what Auron had said to him about the reason Jecht wanted Tidus to go to Spira? Granted, Auron said it in that taciturn, frustratingly cryptic way that drove Tidus absolutely BONKERS... but it's still similar.

Why had Jecht brought him to Spira from the idyllic Dream Zanarkand? It wasn't just to help the Aeons rest, Auron said. It was because Jecht wanted Tidus to have a chance to LIVE. To make mistakes and learn from them, to experience the bad so the good of life would be that much sweeter... to live his life, short as it would be, with no regrets.

The question of goblins gets a nod. Though when asked if he's going to track them down, he raises a hand to rub at the back of his head. "I guess Doommuffin is, yeah," he hedges. "I'm not... really sure what a goblin is, actually. Aside from something about her height but lots more violent. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Though I did offer to help if they need support fighters."


"What's wrong, man?" Says Desmond suddenly as he baps Tidus' shoulder when he gets less than enthusiastic at the thought of monsters. "The other day you were raring to go and tear monster butt apart. Don't tell me you're reconsidering." Reasonably speaking it should be Desmond who should be wary about these giant monsters. He can't make magical swords appear from mid air or shoot spells like Tidus can. Sure, he's a master assassin, but how far that'll take him is yet to be seen.

Anyway, he does have something that he didn't have back in his world, and that is a good friend like Tidus. Maybe both separated would have problems around here, but Desmond feels like if they stick together they might just pull through.

So far it looks like they will have to stick together, since Tidus is showing a remarkable lack of initiative despite being the resident expert at fighting magical monsters. "Look, don't worry about it." Desmond assures Tidus and even ruffles his messy blond hair. "If you end up getting dragged to that just bring me along for the ride. I'd know what to look for." He smirks. "I may not look it but I'm a pretty badass tracker." Desmond has his ancestor Ratonhnhake:ton to thank for that.

Guess it all works in the end. Bad ideas, bad decisions and mistakes in general are far more meaningful when they are done with friends.


Tidus 'oof's a little at the bap on the shoulder. But he notes, "It's not that." He draws a breath, pauses... and then sighs. "...I had this... well, I guess you could call him an uncle," he begins. "My dad disappeared when I was like seven. And then this old guy in a red coat showed up. Said he was a friend of my dad's, that his name was Auron."

"I got brought to another world-- not this one; ANOTHER 'other world'-- because it turns out the world I was born in was some kind of perfect dream world," he explains. His voice is quieter than one might have thought he was capable of. "My dad disappeared because he ended up in that 'real world', and wanted Auron to bring me there when I was old enough. What you said about the monsters being better than sinking into oblivion, it made me think of what Auron said... that it was because my dad wanted to give me a chance to... well, live. So I could find meaning in my life. Not just exist as a dream."

And then Desmond starts messing up his hair. "Hey!" Tidus complains. It's not like it was in any semblance of order anyway, but he does complain nonetheless. Reaching up to fix his hair-- how can one bloody TELL, is the question-- he nods. "Definitely want to let Doommuffin know, if you see her again before I do," he notes. "I'm not sure if she's rounding up help, but I know Urus seems to have taken it personally that someone tried to blow her up."


Desmond huhs as Tidus begins to tell his story. It's quite of bothersome really, he'd been hanging out with Tidus for a while now and its not until now that he understands Tidus' background. A testament of how well they've gotten along. Desmond didn't feel the need to ask about Tidus life because he saw a kindred soul in him. Even though there was no need for the boy to share his tale, Desmond is glad that he did so, as he feels he understands Tidus even better now.

"I hear ya." He says finally as Tidus finishes his story and reaches up to lower his own hood, finally revealing his whole face, a sign of trust amongst the assassins. "It's funny, you know?" Desmond gives a sad chuckle. "My dad kinna did something similar to me. I uh... I guess I haven't been completely honest with you either." Well, since they are dropping bomb shells, Desmond figures that Tidus should be the first person to know who he really is.

Desmond raises his hand up to chest level and pulls his sleeve down, revealing a thick metal bracer. "I'm not just some guy. I'm an Assassin. My dad, he wanted me to be the best there ever was and kept me locked up in this training facility to fulfill my destiny or whatever. But I just wanted to have a normal life. Eventually though I got dragged back into that mess and had no choice but to become a Grandmaster. It was the only way my world could be spared from destruction." He pulls his sleeve back up to hide the bracer. "Hey, but not a word of this to other people around here. And I mean it! I don't want word to go around I'm a professional killer, that's too much heat for me, all right?"

Finally, Desmond smirks and shrugs again. "Eh, maybe we can both get a chance to get a normal life here in Twisted. Or as normal as it can be anyway."

Then he's grinning again back to a good mood. "Even if she's not rounding up help I got nothing better to do. Heck, I bet we can solve this mess before they do. Which reminds me..." Desmond points out. "Do you know where I can get some magical swords or something? I feel like I'll need some equipment upgrade if I'm gonna be fighting orks and goblins."


It's kind of the same going both ways, really. Tidus hadn't seen the need to ask about Desmond's life either. Partially because he too just got along so well with Desmond that it didn't seem necessary. Also because he didn't really want to pry. And also because Tidus is still more than a little naive! He tends to believe the best of people until he's shown otherwise.

But Tidus looks over at that mention that Desmond hadn't been completely honest. "Eh?" And then he looks at the hidden blade, listening to Desmond tell about his own background. And it's really ironic. "...Guess we were both kept in prisons, huh?" Yes, Dream Zanarkand was indeed a prison, utopia notwithstanding-- a golden cage is still a cage, after all.

He nods, though, when Desmond requests not to tell anyone about that whole 'professional killer' business. "Yeah, I bet," he notes. "And even if people didn't start treating you differently, you'd have people wanting you to 'deal with' this guy or that guy." A pause. "It's also kinda backwards that now that we're both in... Fayth only knows where this place is, that it's only NOW that we can try to have something like a NORMAL life, huh?"

Oh, then there's the question of extra equipment. Tidus frowns thoughtfully. "Here? I dunno. If this was Spira, there'd be a couple merchants I know personally. O'aka would have given you a deal, but he'd have less for sale. Rin woulda had more stock but since he made us pay for goods when we stocked up right before running down a giant world-eating monster's throat, I don't think he'd have given you a deal on anything."


"Yeah, you know it." Desmond answers with dry laugh and brings both hands up engaging his hidden blades, the knives extending out his wrists with a SHINK noise just to show Tidus that he's not kidding about the professional killer part. "Once peeps get a load of these babies they're all wanting me to 'take care' of this guy or 'take care' of their boss or whatever." He flicks his wrists and the blades retract back to his wrists and then his hands go back to his pockets. "I'm not that kind of Assassin, I don't kill for a living, more like a just cause. But that's a story for another time really." Desmond doesn't want to bore Tidus with the ideals of the Assassin Creed. Hell, Desmond himself finds it quite tedious, hence why he wanted no part of it to begin with. However, it does make sense and as he learned, its the best way to live life, which means that at some point Desmond might end up 'educating' Tidus about it anyway.

"Like I said earlier." Desmond points out when Tidus tells him the irony of their situation. "I'm just glad to be given this opportunity. The details are, you know, irrelevant."

Ah, but of course, Tidus would have no idea where to look for magical items seeing that he's not a local. "Eh, I figured as much. I just thought that you might recognize stuff like that if ya happened to see any shops." Desmond sure as hell has never seen a magical blacksmith outside of a videogame. Which does give him an idea. "How about we go shopping for stuff? There's a lot out to see at NeoEdo. Maybe afterward we can hit the clubs and pick up some hot chicks, huh?" Nothing like two bros going clubbing.


Tidus takes a surprised step back when suddenly Desmond's wrists are sprouting knives. "Whoa!" he observes. Though he understands Desmond's plight. "Bleh," he announces. "Yeah, I can understand." He rather had that feeling when on Yuna's pilgrimage, though more for her-- she was expected to cure all Spira's ills while nobody gave two flicks of a towel at someone's butt about how she felt about the whole thing.

He nods to the mention of shops in Neo-Edo. He misses Desmond's last statement until he's about halfway through addressing the subject of the shops. "Yeah, I bet they have an armor shop around-- whoa wait what?" Finally it clicks, and he looks at Desmond, surprised. "You know most of those clubs won't even let me in the door, right?" He's seventeen, after all... hell, he can't even smoke!


Desmond throws his head back in light laughter when suddenly Tidus gets cold feet about visiting clubs due to an age restriction. "You're a freaking monster slayer an Olympian athlete and, didn't you say you saved the world you came from? I don't think that what a random bouncer believes applies to you at this point." Perhaps Desmond will instruct Tidus about the Creed sooner than anticipated as he gives him a strange look. "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted. The Brotherhood of Assassins that I formed part of had this code of ethics that can be applied to anything and anywhere. Laws are simply an invention of mankind, even in this place where literal Gods walk the earth, they too make mistakes and mess things up. The fact that we have freaking Orks running around trying to kill people is enough evidence of that." He makes a motion around the bridge pointing to the spot where they fought those Orks weeks ago. Then he's glancing back at Tidus.

"Basically; you should make the decision whether to drink or not, not let some crazed government official of an equally crazed world make that decision for you." Actually, what is the legal drinking age in Twisted or NeoEdo for that matter? Is there even one? I mean, there's undead people here that look like they are in their teens but are really hundreds of years old.

"Now if you can't handle your liquor that's another matter." Desmond chuckles since he wouldn't want to get Tidus in trouble.. well, not more trouble than either of them could handle anyway.

"And as for not being let in, well, heh." He dusts his sleeves. "There are some perks of having an Assassin for a friend, masters of stealth and subterfuge." Huh, Desmond can get a little cocky sometimes. Who knew? Then again, it may be another one of his personalities taking over.


Tidus rubs the back of his head when Desmond asks about his capabilities. "Yeah, but..." Pause. "My dad kinda... hit the bottle too hard most of my life. So it's probably not a good idea that I start." A frown. "...I don't wanna be like him." Oh boy. Maybe there's even more in common with these two-- daddy issues too?

When Desmond starts talking about the Creed, Tidus tilts his head. And then he gives a confused, skeptical look. "Sounds like that's anarchy," he notes. "I dunno how 'ethical' anarchy can be..." Of course he doesn't get it. People a lot more deep and introspective than Tidus have been confused by it.

Tidus rubs the back of his head. "I don't really want to get in trouble, not over booze and girls. There are better things to get in trouble over. And I can't claim celebrity status anymore to bail my butt out of trouble." Also Desmond might have noticed that Tidus is about as subtle as a brick to the face...


Oh yes indeed, Desmond recognizes the daddy issues card from miles away. "Say no more." He raises a hand as soon as Tidus brings up that his dad was an alcoholic. "Then its not a good idea at all." No one understands 'I don't wanna be like my dad' better than Desmond, which is yet another thing these guys have in common.

That Tidus doesn't get the Creed isn't surprising to Desmond. Not because Tidus is kind of thick but because he himself didn't get it at first either. "It is and it isn't." He explains. "The Creed is not something you understand in one go. It just grows on you as you go along." Desmond even offers him a small smile from his scarred lips. "I guarantee you'll understand it more and more as we explore more of Twisted. This place feels like its in dire need of assistance from the Brotherhood." But more on that later.

And yes, Desmond has noticed that Tidus kind of doesn't do stealth very well, him insulting an Ork back and egging them into a fight in broad daylight was enough evidence for that. "Honestly? I was kinna joking anyway." He grins. "I've spent so much times in clubs that I'm kinna bored with 'em."

"Let's go see if we can stock up on some gear and then get pizza. Or go to the Arcade. Or just do some parkour in the city. We can literally do anything we want."

"I'll tell you, it feels great not having anyone to tell me what to do."


Tidus seems relieved when Desmond seems to understand his aversion to booze. "Thanks. He wasn't violent... just an ass," Tidus assures Desmond. Then, with a tone he stole from Auron and doesn't quite do as well, he snarks, "Then again I'm not sure if that was the booze or if that was just his natural state...."

Tidus blinks, though, at the mention of the place needing more help from the Brotherhood. No, he doesn't quite get that either. He is also relieved that Desmond seems to have been kidding about the clubs. And at the alternate suggestions? "Now THAT sounds like a better idea," he replies. "I need another buckler anyway. My Genji Shield didn't make the trip either..."



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