lloydo time

[luxuriant]

Hey, Lloyd!

[They seem to split pretty even on who wakes up first, now that it's just the two of them traveling together, but today, it's Zelos who wins. They're in a shared inn room with two beds not far from each other, and it's already been a half hour since Zelos woke up. To be honest, he spent most of it staring at Lloyd from the other bed. He's not the most graceful sleeper Zelos has seen by far, but there's something endearing about even that.

It still feels surreal to be the one here with him. He'd practically invited himself, but he knew that Lloyd not pushing him away meant that he was more than welcome. Still... How selfish this was, now, after what had happened at Meltokio. They hadn't spoken about it at all. Bombs, threats, calls for Zelos to give himself up. He doesn't think Lloyd knows about any of it.

Yanking a pillow out from beneath Lloyd's head, he whacks him over the face with it.]

Llooooooyd! Come on, it's time to hit the road!

[It's very unlike Zelos to want to get a move on with things like this. They're in a comfortable inn in Sybak, there are cute girls all over, but the longer they stay in one spot, the more likely they are to be targeted. Not that Lloyd knows that. Zelos leans heavily into the pillow he's using to half-suffocate his friend.]

The early bird gets hot breakfast! [That's not the saying.] Wake up, already, man!

Comments

[softhearted]

[ He's having a perfectly lovely time enveloped in sleep, getting some well-earned rest, before he's rudely awakened by something large hitting him in the face and Zelos's not-so-dulcet tones. He is quite possibly the worst alarm clock ever. Blindly, Lloyd struggles to push the pillow away from his face so he can breathe — they can't go anywhere if Zelos smothers him to death here, after all. ]

I was already awake after you hit me! [ The suffocation really wasn't necessary. Somehow, he feels like he was just being bullied for the fun of it.

He blinks a few times, trying to get his bearings as he registers everything Zelos just gleefully shouted in his half-asleep face: hitting the road, birds, something about breakfast. Is there breakfast? He perks up, just a little. Breakfast would partially make up for his unpleasant awakening. (Partially.) There's also the matter of hitting the road right now, though, which is— more sudden than he'd expected. ]

What's the rush? I was gonna go shopping. [ Or... do anything. Catch his breath. He'd expected Zelos to treat this like an extended vacation, not take it too seriously. ] It's not like you to be so focused on the mission.

[ If it sounds like an insult, well... he's just being honest. ]

[luxuriant]

[He's about to criticize what Lloyd could possibly want to shop for when he's called out. That's enough to have him rubbing the back of his head, looking somewhere else.]

W-what? No way... I'm totally focused! [A pause. That's not believable at all, he knows it, and he's desperately thinking up alternative excuses here. He moves both arms to gesture out at Lloyd in his arguing.]

Listen, Lloyd, you just don't get it. We need to go to Altamira! Are you seriously going to put that off? Think of the beach, the sun, the babes! [Altamira was far enough away, with how the world was shifted now, and crowded enough— ugh, but would it being crowded be better or worse for a cult after his life?

He doubts he could go there under disguise. Maybe if he makes a scene, and then leaves...]

Are you in, or what?

[softhearted]

You woke me up like that because you wanna pick up girls at the beach?

[ He's not sure what's wrong with the sun or the girls in Sybak — they're all just as nice and pretty as the girls he's seen everywhere else, even if they are all far too smart for him to hold a conversation longer than twelve seconds with without embarrassing himself — but he is sure there's some ridiculous reason Zelos will spout regarding his beach seduction techniques that he doesn't want to hear, so he doesn't ask.

It's not exactly the urgent emergency Zelos made it out to be, and Lloyd would really like some time to wake up before hitting the road, but he can tell by his relentless insistence that Zelos isn't going to give this half-baked plan up. Besides, he does sort of want to ride the amusement park rides again. Sue him. ]

Okay, okay, fine. [ He stumbles over to his messy pile of things, just tossed there the night before, rifling through it for his overshirt. ] Hey, was there ever really any hot breakfast or were you just saying that?

[luxuriant]

Woohoo! [That's all he needed, agreement. Even if he's still not so sure about this, after all.] Did you really think I'd leave you hanging, hunny?

[Well, there's no hot breakfast right now, though. But he can think of a cafe or two on the way out of here that should work just fine. A University town like Sybak has plenty of quick and easy breakfast places.]

Hot breakfast is on the way! But it'll be on our way out of here. Pull yourself together, and maybe I'll even spring for some extra sausage. [Spring for it, this rich asshole.

But alright then. It's... decided. Mostly. He turns his back on Lloyd to finish gathering up his own things, even if he mostly handled that earlier. He needs the space to think, anyway.]

[softhearted]

[ He's such a rube that he actually thinks Zelos is being nice by offering; extra anything was such a luxury for so long that it's hard to comprehend someone being able to get more than enough whenever they wanted. It really is a splurge. Lloyd brightens a bit, mostly at the prospect of food. ] Wow, thanks, Zelos! [ He's a real altruist.

He takes the rest of his 'getting ready' time to repeatedly shrug himself awake, and by the time he pulls his boots on, he's in a considerably lighter mood. It's mostly the fact that he's already starting to forget that Zelos woke him up by beating and smothering him with a pillow. Regardless, he feels more enthusiastic about leaving now; Altamira is fun, Zelos is fun, and if Zelos abandons him to make lewd comments at blushing ladies, there's still a lot of things at the park he hasn't tried yet. ]

All right! [ He pushes himself to his feet. ] You actually got me kind of excited now. Let's go!

I am rustier (and slower) than I thought oh my god

[luxuriant]

Heheh. We gotta look out for each other, right? I'm just doing my bud a favor.

[He's sooooo cool and good, offering extra sausage or whatever it was he offered. He already forgot. But that's fine! They'll get it when they get there, and money is hardly an issue when you're traveling with the Great Zelos Wilder.

Once Lloyd is ready, he grins and heads for the door.]

Yep, off we go!

[And off they do go... Zelos leads them to a nice little cafe not too far from the inn. As he expected, it's packed with people from the university, and there's a pack of girls that starts to form as they notice him. It's actually making getting a table for just him and Lloyd a little difficult...]

Now, now, my darling hunnies... There's no need to push and shove. As it turns out, the great Zelos is on business right now, but you know he'll be back to visit this lovely town and its lovely ladies! Can you be patient for me? ♥

[There are instant cries of "But Zelos, I want to spend time with you now!" and "Master Zelos, please, just let us share breakfast with you!" Zelos tosses Lloyd a look in the middle of all of this. He's working on it... he's trying!! Don't hate him!]