kaisou | SeeD 6 - Raindrops in the Sand

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SeeD 6 - Raindrops in the Sand

WHO: Vash, + Libra, Rren, Varian, Wolfwood
WHERE: Some places in Kaisou, Kanto Stable Gate, etc
WHEN: Mid-May
WHAT: Vash and his sidequests for the month! Still can't help himself.
WARNINGS: Likely violence for the ones with wolfwood + rren, fighting might be involved. Will update if needed.

(Click on the Arrow to reveal post!)

Do Not Look at the Dog Park👁️ (for Rren)

Honestly, take it from me. While I'm ALL for the kind of nonsense that involves people in need? I can tell you first hand, that there's no such thing as a 'lucky' anything. Unless there's actually a magic spell on that ball that gives them luck, they'd do just as well with ANY of the other balls they have.

[ listen he is an EXPERT when it comes to matters involving LUCK!!! he gives a little sigh, but then turns his head to give his enby buddy a bright smile anyway. ] But hey. You know, I've definitely gone on worse missions and had worse outcomes. Remind me to tell you how I got the bunnies on the farm one day.

[ but that's neither here nor there. ]

So, what's a dog park, anyway. Neither of us are dogs, so... getting in might be a bit troublesome. Might have to be a stealth mission?

Cotton the Act☁️ (for Libra)

You brought those knitting needles those dumb plants spat out at me a week or so ago, right? Those should help out a little, their supplies are a little thin, here...
[ vash is sitting at the table they've been shown by the helpers they signed up to volunteer with, and he's going through piles of very rough looking clothing, torn and with holes in various places...

he's sewn his own clothing together dozens of times and he's not bad at this kind of work! But. The thing was, he didn't think about it until he arrived here... but.

Sewing and knitting was sort of a two-handed task, wasn't it?

He's looking at Libra weakly. ]

Sorry that it looks like you're gonna' be doing the lion's share of the work here. I can work on matching up torn parts and--

[ oh god that's a buneary runnin right across the table, scattering balls of yarn as he goes. Vash is gonna get up and try to grab the thing. ]

Red Hot Chili Peppers🌶️ (for Varian)

[ probably after the meeting with the kid at his farm, the whole fiasco with showing the guy his neat bullet-dodging power as well as testing out a new arm prototype the guy has been making for him--it was easy, as far as vash was concerned, to want to spend some more time with the guy. that's what you do when you're trying to make a friend, right? do things, spend time with them? he remembered the last time he went to Kanto, with Waver, and that'd been a fun trip that had ended with him getting to know the professor a bit better, so.

It was easy enough to suggest to Varian--a man who boasted great skill with gadjets and alchemy--that a trip to the Kanto region might be fun. Both for profit, and to learn more things about the little round friends that came from the stable gate.

And that's how Vash finds himself walking with the shorter man--a tiny little apple-shaped worm sitting carry in his wide coat-collar as they make their way inside. ]

Have you been here before? I mean, you've been in the city longer than I have, right?

Last time I was here it was mostly for a vacation so I didn't spend a lot of time lookin' at the flora or anything like that.
[ are hot peppers in kanto gonna look different than they do back on earth.... ]

Got a Deal for You!💀 (for Wolfwood)

[ he built a hammock between two of the biggest apple trees in the small orchard near the cottage. That's where he's currently sitting, with Applin sitting atop his head, staring at his phone with a measure of discomfort on his face.

It's been about two, three nights since the impromptu campfire party with Dante, and while the memory itself was a fantastically good one--he's having a bit of a worry about the certain part of himself that returned that night.
So, now's a good time to go looking for a distraction. He's brought up the Libra mission board that Yuu had shown him, when he'd first arrived, looking. Looking for... Something fun, something simple to get his mind off it--to pretend he isn't worried about the possibility that exists that he may just one day grow that horrifying cannon--

He shakes his head as he hears the approach of footsteps, trying to quickly erase the growing look of worry off his face as he turns his head to see who it is. Being here for two months, almost three now--he's used to getting random visitors and is always excited to see them. His eyes fall upon his oldest friend, and he places his phone down on his knee--raising his one hand to wave at Wolfwood as he approaches. ]

Did you have a good trip out into town?
I told you, you could take Brad whenever you wanted, you didn't have to walk.

Especially not carrying that thing.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he'll wiggle that stump where his arm normally is as Wolfwood puts his foot where it normally would be, as if he'd stood on it. A little bit of a whine in his voice as the man PROUDLY announces that there are jobs for the co-pilot. This again!? Because YES, Wolfwood absolutely gave him a grilling about this back on No-man's land early last year! ]

I know I have duties!! Listen, I know what I gotta do! You once launched me outta the seat because I was eating donuts in the sidecar and failed to share one with you, you know??

You got so mad about it you tried to make me drive to the next city to where we were, but then I almost crashed and you took over again...

[ he seriously flew, like, ass over teakettle!!! it was pure dumb luck that the donuts were safe!! ]

I know my duties and I'm gonna--
Hey, what do you mean ride bitch? I ain't gonna' give up my sidecar for just your gun, that ain't fair at all!!

Not to mention Fritter is WAY too small to sit in the chair and read a map, let alone hold a gun to shoot the wheels off enemy bandits, don't put that evil on him!

[ he's gonna grab a handful of chips and angrily drink his orange water. ]

[ maybe if Vash had an arm, Wolfwood wouldn't be able to put his feet just anywhere, so get good, Vash. Maybe then you can put your arm up on Wolfwood's legs instead. he smirks when Vash whines at him--and then outright laughs when, once again, the lines between himself and the other Wolfwood cross at a perfect intersection, smirking over his blueberry water. ]

Alright, so you're never driving the bike, good to know.

[ he teases, holding a hand out for one of the cupcakes with an expectant look, not using his words because though the women at the orphans tried, Wolfwood was a feral child with minimal home training. ]

We'll have to teach Fritter how to shoot someday. How else will you know he's prepared for the world? He can pull the trigger with his tail.

[ he slurps his blueberry water right back, still terribly smug. ]

Edited 2023-05-17 00:41 (UTC)

[ god damn why don't you have any manners you goddamn gremlin, has noone taught you to use your words?! He's gonna give an almost offended sound, half like a laugh, half a hopeles little sound. god. ]

Look, I don't wanna' drive. Angelica is your baby, right? You just got her and -- [ he's gonna cross himself comically, as he's DEFINITELY started to blur the lines between 'his' wolfwood and 'this' wolfwood. ] God almighty forgive if I dare put a scratch on her perfect mantle.

[ he's gonna eat the handful of chips, continuing to talk with his mouth full as he tears open that cupcake package clumsily, handing one of the swirled confections over to the priest. ]

Fritter is just a baby, he does NOT need to learn how to shoot a gun. All he needs to know is how to enjoy apples and life.

[ it's all that smoking insect stingers and running with twelve baby gangs that Wolfwood did as a small child. maybe also the shit that happened after, but who's to say?

he laughs when Vash crosses himself, flipping him off with the hand holding the chip bag. ]

Anything you do to her, I'll do to you. [ he taunts, watching Vash also be a feral child with no table manners, and so since he's the company of his kind he's gonna stuff the whole cupcake into his mouth and chew, nosily. ]

God that fat little bastard loves apples. He races me for the ones that're on the ground, you know.

[ he's gonna pick up his own cupcake and BITE IT IN HALF, LIKE YOURE SUPPOSED TO, NOT POUND IT BACK like it's the last bite of food and you're afraid someone's about to steal it from you.

It's got a gooey cream center. ]

I jus' said I wasn' gonna' do anything to her! Don' threaten me! [ he muffledly-complains through his mouthful--okay maybe he's a bit of an untrained brat too, given he only had a mom for a year before his brother and him crashlanded the whole space fleet into the planet. ]

He's just a hungry guy. I think he's getting bigger? Growing.

It's normal for animals to grow. I found him in a place with a lotta' apples, too, so it makes sense. Maybe he's a baby and he's bound to get bigger or something.

[ sounds like Vash wants to get his cupcake stolen by his little brother proxy. Wolfwood does everything hardcore--bug stingers, whiskey, murder, little creamy cupcakes. here for a good time, not a long time. Wolfwood snitches a piece of jerky, trading more chips for it, giving Vash a closed mouth grin (because he doesn't want to lose his food, not because he's suddenly gained table manners). ]

If I don't threaten you, Blondie, we won't have half as many conversations as we usually do. [ be feral with him, Vash. take ibuprofen together. ]

I feel like his colors have changed up, too, like. Is he more yellow than he was when you got him? He's like a weird little worm, right? Maybe he'll become a winged worm if he eats enough and doesn't get eaten?

[ to be so close, and yet, so dumb. ]

[ NO STEALING HIS CUPCAKE the rest of it is going in his mouth because hE CAN SEE YOU EYEING IT UP YOU MOTHERFUCKER. He's going to take a strip of jerky out, too, once it's down and gone, deciding to save the donuts to be a while-driving food. ]

We can have just as many conversations without you threatening me! We can talk about a lot of things, I have 150 years of experiences to go off, you know!

[...you know, 'cause by now they had that talk about him and his lack of honesty
and a small promise that he'd try to be more honest from now on, so... ]

Is he more yellow? I don't know, I didn't notice.
He hated me for the first week we had him, remember, I couldn't get near him without him hissing and growling at me.

[ huff. finish drinking his water. ]

[ he's eyeing it and he absolutely would've made a play for it if Vash hadn't hamptered that right into his cheeks. his eyes widen a bit when Vash finally puts an age to his weird plant shit, sitting back a little with one hand braced on the bike so he doesn't slide off like a total dork. ]

That so? You sure we should be runnin' around like this, pops? You might bust a hip at this rate.

[ new target to tease Vash with: acquired. honesty isn't easy and isn't always rewarded, even if it should be. he gnaws his way through his jerky, giving a little nod as the conversation turns to Fritter--giving a grin as Vash brings up one of his favorite things from the little asshole's first week with them. ]

He used to be more red all the way around but he's slowly going yellow, yeah. And how could I forget how much he hated you? It was hilarious to see him purr at everything and everyone and then turning into a hissing little demon at you for some godforsaken reason. What did you do that week to make all the animals hate you, man?

[ it was... weird, being openly honest with things. telling the other his age had taken a moment to mentally be okay with just speaking it out into the air. as if it was some great secret, like he was admitting that he was some weird monster, what with how young he looked, despite how long he's lived. he's always joked that he was old, but. being a century and a half is a lot for a human to hear, isn't it?

he chews his beef jerky slowly as he gives wolfwood an ANNOYED look at being called POPS, and he's gonna reach out to pinch one of wolfwood's exposed ankles. ]

Hey, just because I am old doesn't mean I'm physically aged, you know. I stopped aging when I turned about, I don't know. Ten? [ hey wolfwood you know how you grew up insanely fast? ...apparently it's a plant trait. ]

Hm. Maybe that just means he's getting mature or something. The apple he's in got bigger.
But, for real, I have no actual idea. I think it was just another curse, like the one that made me talk funny, or the one that gave me weird. Fuzzy worm hair. [ s i g h. ] This place is deeply magical, you can't expect a lot of the things that do happen.
Before you got here, I actually had a gunfight with dinosaurs.

Ow ow ow! What the hell! [ he whines as Vash's fingers go right for the ankle, twisting to try and free himself from Vash's cruel, inordinate retaliation, giving him a wounded look that fades to a little grin... that goes a little rueful and cool behind the eyes, if only Wolfwood weren't wearing shades. ]

Huh. Wonder if that's where the doc picked the idea up from--I've looked like this since I was about. Fourteen? Fifteen? [ one bout of honesty deserves another, right? a truth for a truth. it's weird to think that Vash or his shitheel brother might have some contribution in all the weirdness running through Wolfwood's veins.

he's not sure what to think about it, so he doesn't. Fritter's a nicer topic of conversation, just like the blueberry water tastes better on his tongue. ]

I kind of think he's picking new, bigger apples. Like, sometimes they come out just massive, which is also magical bullshit, I'm guessin', and I think he picks those as free real estate.

[ he almost looks jealous when Vash mentions a gunfight with-- ]

What's a dinosaur?

[ vash has a cheeky grin of his own as wolfwood cries out in pain-- moving to put the refuse from their finished off snacks into the bag he'd carried them out in, to dispose of it later. ]

...Hm. I suppose that puts some things into perspective. [ he... doesn't know how old wolfwood is. he knows they did some weird experimentations on him in knives' weird cult, but he didn't know the extent of it. he'll have to ask, later, if he's older than he looks...
or, perhaps, younger. He doesn't want to think about it, honestly. he'd agree that fritter is a better topic. ]

Yeah, the garden is magical in some ways. It's why we get so much fruit--or why some of the vegetables grow when they're actually out of season. It's kind of wild. [ and fortunate, for two of them. children who are used to starving in a desert, it's paradise. ]

...Oh. Right. I keep forgetting.
You were raised on no-man's land. [ hm.
time to grab his phone and google and show wolfwood a picture of a pack of velociraptors. big fuckoff dinosaurs--with a picture of a man for comparison. ]

About a dozen of these.

They have hundreds of sharp teeth, like eating people, and screech, too.

You're tellin' me. One day I was eight, and then three months later I was a foot taller and thirty pounds heavier. [ it's as close to the sun as he's willing to fly without a cigarette and a handle of something that burns on the way in, but maybe Vash deserves that much after all of Wolfwood putting the blond's business all over hell and half of Augusta. ]

Ain't half bad. I don't know how you managed to get lucky enough to get a place like that, but damn, Blondie, whoever handles your normal luck must've been asleep at the wheel that day. [ part of him loves the garden. the bounty, the plenty, the sweet air and the soft grass and the food that's so tender and fresh that you can eat it from the vine, from the soil--the boys who grew up with nothing but artificial replicas that cost blood, sweat, and tears really have found paradise.

suck it, Knives. nobody even had to die for it, probably.

he leans in to look at Vash's phone when he pulls up an example image, giving a laugh that just grows. more incredulous as he thinks about it. ]

How did you have a gunfight with that, Blondie! Lookit their arms! Their little, little arms!

[ he's getting a view into wolfwood that he hadn't before. it's... eyeopening, honestly. it makes him feel oddlyw warm in one way to learn about the man more--but also somewhat uncomfortable, knowing this is what the man went through to become the person he is today. he never saw wolfwood as a monster--hell, he was just another human, as far as he was concerned, despite his clear superstrength and his apparent ability to regenerate using those odd little phials that were kept in a cupboard in the kitchen.

He furrows his eyebrows a little at the other and decides to leave the question of how old his companion was for later. ]

I guess, because it was my first day here in the city, lady luck hadn't caught up with me yet to start stealing away my fortune.
When I first arrived, a girl named Ryoko rescued me from my labyrinth. Showed me how to use my phone then left. After that, Libra treated me to some donuts, and Zulius let me crash on his couch after giving me a job.
The next day when I went out for a walk, I met Jun after writing him a terrible poem in exchange for some breakfast, and he just. Brought me to this beautiful place and told me he didn't have time to properly care for it.

[ he laughs as he crumples up the now empty beef jerky bag, taking out the last big chunk and offering it to wolfwood. ]

And the dinosaurs didn't HAVE guns, they had huge teeth and like, literal blades on their feet. I ended up having to shoot a ton of them while carrying a girl named Yasuho out of the building under my arm.

...

Man. [ wolfwood's laugh is... nice. ]

[ it's certainly a complicated question, and one that Wolfwood's not sure he has the full answer for himself. who knows how much time was really stolen from him in long hours-days-months-years of chemical-based experimentation and the grueling, body-and-mind breaking training that the Eye of Michael put him through?

it was easier to snitch the last piece of jerky from Vash and offer a handful of chips as a bartering offer, snack for a snack, life for life, truth for truth, strife for strife.

he gives Vash a low whistle as the man recalls his earliest days in Kaisou. ]

That is crazy lucky for you, huh. It's almost like some new luck demon had to catch up with you and take over. [ he swigs his water, and just... ruminates on it.

he's not left to ruminate for long because dinosaur pictures happen to him, and he can't help but laugh, especially once the real thought hits him between Vash's attempts to handle the situation. ]

Aw, c'mon, Spikey! That's almost lame compared to-- [ and he draws his arms back so his elbows are tucked to his sides, fingers curled like he's holding pistols in his hand. ] Just picture it! Tryin' get a good shot with itty bitty little arms--

[ and someday, when No Man's Land comes to collect Wolfwood's sorry soul, a scaley gunman with a ridiculous name like Fitzpatrick the Two Pint Terror will come and shoot him directly in the ass when he's between vials, and that's how Nicholas Dangerous Wolfwood will die.

of ass bullet.

it makes him double over laughing again. ]

[ he makes a yelping noise when his jerky is snatched!! making a motion, dramatically, as if to steal it back, before opting for the less violent option of accepting the potato chips instead. crunch. ]

It's like. When I got here, the goddess of bad luck lost track of me and I went back to my REGULAR luck. It's crazy. Then she found me again, because I can only escape for so long. Sssssssigh. At least I got a really nice home for myself before everything went to crap...

[...and then his head is coming up. Slowly.
As Nicholas makes motions of something ridiculous. Dinosaurs with little guns, a name like the two pint terror...

The smile on Wolfwood's face is bright and playful, and it... makes his heart churn in an odd way. He feels his stomach flip a little, and soon... the laugh becomes infectious enough that when it doubles down, Vash is laughing, right alongside with him. His hand moving up to cover his face as tears sting the corners of his eyes. ]

--I'm. I'm not gonna' be able to look at the dinosaurs the same. Ever again. If they ever show up again I'm just gonna' start. Laughing my ass off because I'll be picturing them with pistols... Nico, you're gonna' get my ass killed!!

[ this moment
is one he could call joy ]

Edited 2023-05-27 22:33 (UTC)

[ maybe Wolfwood will do a peace offering--one whole half of the jerky returned to its rightful place at Vash's side and later, in his mouth. ]

Have you tried havin' less of a devilish smile and a gambler's spirit? Maybe Lady Luck would find some other schmuck to tango with, instead of an intriguing devil in red.

[ he's feeling--oddly playful. light? the sword of Damocles isn't over his head anymore, the orphanage both a pressing concern and yet not. Julai is frozen somewhere else in time. Wolfwood can just be Nico for a minute, doubled over in cackling laughter on the back of a bike that he owns, stomach full and lips tasting berry sweet.

Wolfwood continues to crackle his laugh from the depths of his chest; and man, its been a long time since he's felt such a bubbling sense of absurdity in his belly, let alone having been peaceful enough to actually show it, to laugh like this without it being sharp or cynical. he's wheezing as Vash comes apart with him. ]

Like you can't do some sort of--giggle-dance with your dumb springy limbs and dodge every shot! You're the bendiest asshole I've ever seen; the only time I've seen someone hit you is when you didn't bother to move!

Listen, you have to gamble when you're all about taking risks to make sure everything turns out okay! Just because my smile is devilish doesn't mean anything, I'm a for-real angel inside, honest! Really, honestly! [ he's laughing a bit more as wolfwood keeps going, calling him an intriguing devil in red. This is familiar. It's so familiar it's making his heart feel light and carefree, as if nothing could go wrong.

He could get lost in a world like this. free of the strife of home, free of the overwhelming presence of life-ending danger looming overhead. he could just... enjoy life, just like rem said he would be able to, once the world had figured itself out and the grasses turned green.

He wants more days like this. Outside on a bike with Wolfwood, eating snacks and playing around like it's the easiest thing in the world. ]

Hey, it's not like it's my fault people make a regular habit of shooting at me! I had to learn some way to counteract it in a way that didn't involve shooting them back. Avoiding it is WAY easier, I've gotten really good at it, it's second nature! And besides, it does WONDERS for making people quit fights against me, too.
They get super disheartened when they unload a hundred double dollars worth of bullets on me and not *one* hits...

See, the difference between me an' you is that you play fair when you're gamblin', I stack the deck in my favor. Maybe I'm the devil an' you're the angel, eh? [ Wolfwood is Wolfwood, when he's given a chance to be.

There's something about this that Wolfwood... draws over his shoulders, like a blanket on a frigid night, blocking out the cold and the shapes in the dark. He can pretend the danger's not so bad from down here, sugary cream in his teeth and tank full of gas in his motorcycle. The end of the road might've been Julai, but maybe they can be in the two months in between, jumping from town to town with the radio on and the the reporters arguing in the front seat while Vash just smiles with the corners of his eyes all crinkled and calm. ]

See, I get the same effect by just tankin' the bullets. Tends to freak people out when you don't drop like a sack of flour, and then it's easier to shoot them instead.

[ he sips his water as Vash drops his statistic, giving a low whistle. ]

That's a lot of grocery money. Like two day's worth for the whole orphanage.

I don't think you're the devil. Even if you try really hard to be. Maybe an imp. [ another thing that's just the same between them. Wolfwood is Wolfwood--and he's getting more and more settled with that as the time ticks ever onward. He almost speaks out that he doesn't really think himself as an angel--he's killed far too many for that. But he decides not to ruin the moment, instead choosing to start putting things away, getting settled in the bike's little sidecar again. Hefting the box of donuts so they have something to munch on while they drive. ]

I got to admit, I'm not sure my heart's ready to see you take a bullet or something for the first time. I'm not even sure you could do that sort of healing back in the timeline I'm from, but. It's possible you just haven't done it in front of me, yet. [ because his wolfwood is a little more cagey, and a little less suicidal. ] And I know, right?
I always tell them it's a waste of time and ammo to shoot at me! And then they do it anyway... and then they get all mad...

I don't wanna be an imp. If I'm gonna be a devil, I wanna be one of the ranked bitches. [ let it rest, Vash. if Wolfwood didn't bring it up... you don't need to either. he's not the arbiter of forgiveness, given that he's not a practicing priest in his version of your neck of the sand woods, but he's also a mean bitch who would call you out if he felt you needed called out.

Vash can let himself be an angel for a little while. ]

When the drugs start working again, I can take a whole hail of bullets and keep kicking. Maybe your Wolfwood was such a lucky guy that he didn't have the chemicals. [ sounds like bitch tactics, get on the tank train, other Wolfwood. ]

See, at least my gun's being funded by your dickhead of a brother, more or less. Always gave me the warm fuzzies to waste a few thousand doubledollars of his funding at any given time. [ Wolfwood'll swing his legs around to straddle the bike properly, though, looking behind him as he turns the bike on. ]

So. Ready to cruise for a bit, Blondie?

Who says imps can't be ranked. King Imp. [ he's gonna laugh again. he's definitely in too good a mood to bring it down with his usual struggle with seeing anything good about himself, so it isn't being brought up. not by a long shot.

maybe he'd like the idea of being an angel for a while. especially if that's how wolfwood wanted to see him. that was... a nice thought. ]

I'm not sure if he was lucky. He was real bad at gambling, but he was real good at using that cross of his as a shield, too. Difference between yours and his, too? the--short arms on it weren't just for show, they actually housed about ten pistols in them in case he ran out of the good bullets in the big machine gun part.

[ just so you can waste even more bullets on nai's dime, you know? ]

Ready when you are. It was a nice interlude, but. I was enjoyin' the drive.
[ he's gonna reach out and turn up the radio again.

🎶 Desole, desole.... 🎵 ]

King Imp sounds dumb. I don't wanna be King Imp. That's like being King Shitshoveler. [ he throws a hand up, despairing of Vash--the man just didn't get it. he backs the bike out of the parking space and kicks her into gear, rejoining the road in a smooth motion, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of the bike, the cars around him. ]

If he was anything like me, he wasn't dumb enough to go in unprepared to make luck go his way, you know? And I might not have a bunch of little pistols, but I usually have a laser at the other end of the gun. I cut one of the giant hiveworms in half once.

[ imagine wasting the energy cells necessary for that cannon on nai's dime. ]

If you know which way the highway's hidin' in, point it out, Spikes. Let's hit a long road for a little while.

[ the radio croons along

🎵 but dear, I don't wanna die 🎵 ]

Okay, good point. You deserve a better heading than that. Something wild and free, huh? [ like the open road they're on? he's gonna catch Wolfwood with a wide, sunny grin. ]

Nah. You're pretty resourceful, no matter what universe you come crawling out of, seems like. I'd love to have seen how you managed to cut a whole giant hiveworm in half with a laser cannon though, sheesh. ...not that I actually say we should go looking for trouble, though!!!

Let's just go find that package this guy needs to find and enjoy the day driving around.

[ because back home, the driving was always for an end goal that sang death knells for them. here... here it could just be for fun. he liked that idea.

the radio continues its light hearted, slow and enigmatic cruising music, with the announcer interrupting just to introduce the next song, to mumble about the weather...

life was good. today. ]

Yeah. Yeah! I'm not giving up this whole gig I've got going right now to just be a shitty imp leader; I want to do my own thing. [ it's weird, not having a choke collar or a noose around his neck, and he almost feels like he's stealing time for every minute, every hour that Noman's Land is far away from him. ]

S'not hard to use a laser cannon to cut something. Hiveworms are just... yanno. Meat. You spin the cannon and it goes through them. Use your shoulders. Also, I don't think you're the person to talk about not havin' trouble show up. [ he pops the 'p at the end and smirks as he turns in whichever directions Vash points out to him until they hit open road and get to just... cruise for a while.

the air is nice and pleasant, there's no sand whipping their faces. Wolfwood's gonna take his time rumbling up one side of the highway and back down the other, until Vash starts pointing out how to get to his bar workplace over the buzz of the radio and the rush of running wind. he's got his sunglasses on and they're on their way to do some sort of easy work for quick cash, right?

life really is good today. ]

Here's to doing your own thing as long as you want, then. [ its a simple sentence. throwaway, even, but its one that lingers on his tongue as they continue to drive, going down as many roads as wolfwood wishes to. no real direction for a while, driving for the sake of it, for the feeling of the wind on your cheeks and having it bluster through your hair. Sunglasses to keep the wind from stinging your eyes, music contuing to play over the radio as they slowly start to come into areas with more people.

He's certain it's quite an odd sight, a motorcycle carrying two mismatched individuals and a large wrapped cross, but.
It's not as if Vash cares. He's here, in this moment, staring a little too fondly at Wolfwood with thoughts that were getting away from him.

It's not the wolfwood he's grown attached to over the last few years. It's not the wolfwood who scoured the desert for months to find him, it's not the wolfwood he woke up next to in a hospital, relieved to see him alive and horrified that he could have lost him, realising all at once that this was a man he didn't want to see hurt.
But it's still Wolfwood. he can see it in the way the man talks, the way his humor turns sharp. how he's slightly mean to him just for the sake of seeing him react, how he smiles at him even after being a brat. A smile warmer than the sun is, with eyes that look more gentle than the man who owns them.

He directs them to the Vogue theatre, and he uses the exuse of texting Zulius that he'd be parking his new motorbike in the lot out back in order to shake the thoughts off so he could
maybe
hide the melancholy look on his face from his friend and get back into a headspace where maybe for a while

he can allow the escapism to this world be a fantasy where he's allowed to be happy. ]

Zulius said he'd have eyes kept on the bike, so no worries about it. There's a few of my buddies on staff so it'll be looked after.

[ he fixes wolfwood with a grin. ]

We may not get to use the cross punisher to fight any giant bugs today, but.
Maybe it'll be a good suggestion to have whoever might have stolen the package we are looking for to give it back peacefully, yeah?

... No killing, though, whatever happens.

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