kaisou | SeeD 11 - small steps

Entry tags:

SeeD 11 - small steps

WHO: Vash + Kni, for now
WHERE: Kaisou + Stardew Stable Gate
WHEN: Mid-September
WHAT: Vash picks up Kni after school, gonna go get chickens to cheer him up
WARNINGS: None for now, will update if needed.

[ It ... really didn't come to any sort of surprise to Vash that he's been called to Kni's school at least three times this week. He knew, with absolute clarity, that it would take a long time for Kni to get used to this. The idea of getting along with others 'his age', that learning how to cope with socializing wasn't going to be something he got used to over a weekend.

He'd pleaded Kni's case to his teachers a few times now, and gave them the simple option: when he starts to get too much to handle, please call me--I'll come take care of it.

Today wasn't a day he got called in to take Kni home early or to talk to him during lunch--so Vash is? Kind of proud of the kid for making it a whole day without any (that he knows of) huge interactions they need to discuss.

He doesn't know about the note that's hiding in the pocket of Kni's overalls as he waits outside--all seven goddamn feet of Vash the Stampede--wearing his hair up in a ponytail, and a floppy hoodie that fortunately didn't get too small for him when he shot up a bit in height.

When he sees Kni slowly moseying out of the school after the bell, vash will do as Vash does--wave at him like a crazy person and run over to scoop the kid up into his arms.

Sorry buddy, you're getting a hug from your big brother. ]

Made it the whole day today, huh??

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[school was awful, and there wasn't enough encouragement in the world from alberto or vash or anyone to make it less awful. the classes were fine, if extremely boring, the teachers fine, if incredibly annoying. they acted nice, all smiles and faux concern in their tones when they spoke to him - or tried to, if kni made engagement of any kind even a little easier. the growing pains here were rough and after the first week, he couldn't see how this could get any better.

but, he could handle teachers and boring class lessons that he knew the answers to already. it was the other kids that had him stumbling the most. it was the entire reason vash wanted him to attend school in the first place, learn how to socialize and be around kids 'around his age'. yet his attempts were dead in the water the moment he tried opening his mouth. other kids stared at him or worse, approached him with too many questions that left his head spinning and frustration building. some he wasn't even sure were questions, sounding more like teasing jabs especially coupled with coy smiles and giggles hidden behind hands.

the first day he had punched another kid in the face and the rest of the week just went downhill from there. worse was when the teachers called vash, his brother trying to be a beacon of understanding and patience and kni really was trying, he was-

he just didn't think it would be this hard.

the day had dragged on, especially after the incident during lunch that had one of his teachers stopping him at the end of the day to hand him a stapled note. for your brother, she said, and it had left a cold stone to settle in his stomach alongside a quarter of the lunch he managed to eat.

however, the dark clouds hanging over his thoughts are dissipated when he looks up to see vash energetically waving at the entrance. some of the tension slips off his shoulders at the goofy sight before vash is rushing him into a big hug. his arms move to wrap around vash's neck as he lets himself be scooped up. if vash were any taller, he's sure clouds would start gathering around his head.]

Mhmm... [did it really count as making it through the day if he still had a note to give vash? for now, kni will keep it to himself.] It was a long day.

[ there was part of Vash that Knew kni was going to have some difficulty. No matter how GOOD Alberto was at showing Kni how 'people-ing' was done--there was only so much that Kni would accept before he got frustrated and threw his hands in the air, so to speak.

He doesn't know about the note--and until Kni tells him, he'll remain blissfully ignorant of it. For now, he's just gonna hold Kni in his arms and give him a bit of a swing around as the other all but sighing out his distaste. ]

Most days are long, but only as long as you let them feel that way.

I'm about to make your day feel a whole lot less dragging.

See, Wolfwood is off on some delivery with tall, dark and silver--so that's why we're not driving back to the cottage in his motorcycle.

But we're not gonna' go home right away anyway. Wanna go somewhere fun with me?

That's easy for you to say.

[kni is trying not to grumble. the school day is over and vash is here, and that's what matters right now. and even if he will never admit it, being carried around like this isn't too bad, either. he could see pretty far from up here.

but the promise of something better does have him lifting his head, eyes searching vash's face curiously.]

Is it that bakery shop? You know that's more fun for you than it is for me, right? [he says it with only a little teasing, knowing that is (probably) not what vash is talking about.]

Of course it's easy for me to say, I've been around a long time.

You'll get there too, promise.

[ he's not gonna put kni down, either. What if he just. Starts to walk, while carrying the kid in his arms? ignoring the glances of other parents there to pick up their kids--and the slight murmurs from them about how tall he looks. ]

I mean, we COULD go to the bakery shop, but you said it, see. It's more fun for me.

[ he gives the guy a little bounce in his arms. ]

So that's not it. Any other guesses, or should I just be out with it?

Yes, but you started out enjoying these kinds of things. You have an advantage here.

[it's easy to ignore everyone, kni opting to tuck strands of fallen hair behind vash's ear. he snorts.]

If you want to stop by on the way home, I won't say no.

[purely for vash, of course. the little bounce has kni tugging at vash's earlobe.]

Out with it, please.

You'll learn to enjoy them too, just give it time!

[ he's gonna give him a little jiggle, even as they walk, not minding the hair-fussing or the ear-pulling. ]

Maybe we can, after we're done the chore I'm currently thinking about.

If you can call it a chore at all.

{ he grins, moving a hand to push his glasses up onto his nose a little more. ]

I found out there's another one of those gates-to-another-world we can visit.
Not like the Pokemon one--it's a place that's good for farming, I've heard.

[ his eyebrows wiggle. ]

So, I've been thinking.
As a reward for going to school despite not wanting to --

I'm gonna' buy you some new friends for the garden.

I thought you might, maybe? Like to have a chicken or two around?

Chickens?

[as expected, his interest is piqued. there's a very small twinge of guilt that vash is under the impression still that today was free of incident. he had planned to read the note before giving it to vash, but that isn't happening right now if they're making a trip to... farm-world?]

I'd like that, but Wolfwood isn't allowed to make any jokes about eating them.

[his heart can't take another brad-level 'joke'.] Are we going just for chickens?

I promise, Wolfwood will not be making any sort of jokes about eating them. They aren't for eating.

Maybe the eggs they lay will be for eating--but that's about it.

[ listen, ignorance can be bliss until Kni either drops the letter or vash finds it later when doing laundry. But for now, he's carrying the kid towards blue fish park--where that stable gate is. ]

I put together a little rolling cage for them where they can stay at night, but during the day they can free-range whenever you're home.

I trust you to take care of them.

I'm fine with eating the eggs. [like eating milk or cheese or honey, byproducts of animals that don't actually hurt them are acceptable.] I wonder if they'll taste different if they're from a different world.

[his attention wanders as vash carries them towards the park, watching how everyone else passes by in their own worlds. the city was so loud at first, overwhelmingly so, but little by little he's started to grow used to the droning hum of city activity.

it's not so bad, once he gets used to it all.

he looks back to vash.]

It's a little insulting if you're worried I won't. [he's very responsible! another downside to going to school, he can't hang out at the cottage around all the animals all day long. peace and quiet shattered.] They'll be very happy, of course.

I sort of wonder too. But from what I know about this stable gate, I was told --by Alberto, actually, before you arrived in the city.--That it's one big fancy farm world.

[ with his free hand that isn't holding kni in his arms--the robotic one--he gives it a little fancy wiggle with his fingers. ]

Listen, I'm just saying. There are some people in the world that can't even be trusted to watch a hamster, let alone all the animals we have on the farm.

It's a lot of responsibility!
The reason why my buddy Jun let me live in the garden in the first place is because he trusted me to be able to watch over everything.

He could have asked almost anyone else.

Do you think they'll have horses, too? It'd be interesting seeing one up close. [amazing would be another word he'd use here, honestly. horses were the pinnacle icon of cowboy imagery, riding off into the sunset after a hard day's work of keeping the peace and shooting down bad guys.

his fanboy musings inspire an uptick in his song, already starting to feel better now that his thoughts are further away from school.

vash wiggles his fingers and kni takes his hand, head tilting to study the vines peeking out between the joints. endlessly fascinating if he didn't think about why vash had a fake arm to begin with.]

I'm good at taking care of the animals we have already, right? So, there's nothing to worry about. [chickens can't be any harder than pokémon or rabbits or brad-] What kind of person is Jun? [the one who left that package for their birthday, yet another person that seemed to know kni but not the other way around.]

If they do, would you like to try riding one? I'm sure someone might have a couple of horses on their farm that they'll let you pay to ride...

[ he's hoping so, anyway. wouldn't it be fun?? he liked riding on Brad's back well enough, a real horse... he's already grinning at the idea--his own faintly pleasant music mingling and mixing with Kni's own heightened tune, hopping from foot to foot as he waits to cross a road, heading towards the park. ]

You are! All the animals seem real attached to you lately, too. Don't think I didn't notice Rabbit sleeping next to you lately. [ wonder why that is. ]

Mmmm... as for Jun...

I think he's a good person. He's one of those people who believe in God, but. I don't think he uses it like a crutch like a lot of people back home used to.
When I first got here, he was the first person who helped me out when I got here. I was so hungry. And he bought me a full meal of donuts and some fruity-tasting water just for me writing him a terrible poem. He grew me a flower with his hands and told me about this world.

And then he even let me live in the Garden we now live on. It apparently belonged to his friend? And he said he felt that I'd take care of it best out of anyone he could consider.

...I think he realised pretty quickly that I wasn't human. And he didn't treat me at all weird due to it.

Yes. [a-hem. it's hard to stay cool when they keep feeding into each other's excitement like this. kni biting the inside of his cheek so as not to smile as vash bounces.] I can pay for it, too. [can't have vash paying for everything...

he can't help the little swell of pride at vash's very astute observations.] That's because we understand each other. It was only a matter of time, of course.

[maybe it's a little odd, this feeling of understanding - empathizing? - that really started to kick in not all that long ago, but he isn't complaining. if he were to liken it to another feeling, he'd compare it to the connection he shared with vash, as improbable as that was.]

Donuts aren't a full meal, Vash. [another good person to add to the seemingly innumerable good persons vash knew here. especially compared to the sinners that made up the population of no man's land (still a dumb name) and the scars that littered vash's body because of them.

(and because of him, mustn't forget that)]

Maybe he was already used to meeting non-humans, if he's been here for a while. [something kni wasn't complaining about, he preferred the ratio to lean in favor of non-humans.]

You can pay, huh? Did you get up to some mischief lately? [ he says 'mischief' in a playful way--it's possible wolfwood already told him about the chess thing, but also--what if Kni told him himself?

hee's his chance. ] Understand each other, huh? Should I start getting jealous? [ another jovial tone as he prods his fingers gently into Kni's ribs as they walk--tipping his head back and fourth a little as he considers. ]

Donuts COULD be a meal. [ but he digresses. ] And ... you're right on that fact. He shares a special bond with a man named Mikleo--a nature spirit. He's a being who is ... physical, and yet not. It's hard to explain.

He's like a being who is a living facet of water. He's well over 300 years old, too.

I figure after sharing a bond with a water spirit... a couple of plants aren't too strange, comparatively.

[and being given his chance, kni puffs up with a rather chuffed smile.] I just aced some little chess party in the park, it was so easy. They gave me a chess board, those apples I brought back, and some money. [when he saw the advert for the championship, the money prize was what first caught his attention.] A very old human even threw the chess board at me because he thought I was cheating. As if.

[it had been very satisfying all around for kni. he came out a winner and everyone else very sore losers.]

Heh, yes- Vash! [vash gets a surprised laugh out of him before kni moves his hands to try and knock vash's away.] Jealousy is a bad look on you.

[as vash tips his head, kni tilts his in a mirroring response.] Wow, he's really old. Even older than you. [vash is old, etc etc] Does he look like us or more - [kni moves one of his hands in the motion of moving water] Fluid?

--Oh yeah?? I remember the chessboard that's suddenly in the house... I was wondering where it came from. I'm pretty proud of you--even if it sounded like your opponent was a sore loser. He didn't hurt you, did he? [ there's real concern in his voice--but honestly, he knows Kni would have told him. But hearing the kid went and did something like that on his own...

He's wearing a happy tune. ]

Aw, come on. I'm not THAT jealous. Just a little.

He is pretty old. But hey! I'm not SUPER old or anything, come onnnn. [ stop itttt. ] He looks like us, but he's very... it's hard to describe, he's definitely got this supernatural look to him. Pale hair, nearly purely white. And he's got this way of moving that almost feels like he weighs nothing at all.

And apparently normal humans can't even see him.
Only other supernatural beings.

It's really not that impressive. [but, it was nice - more than nice - to hear vash praise him. he didn't want to cause his brother more undo stress and worry, especially after the troubling last week they've had. kni shakes his head.] No, he didn't, but he probably wanted to. He made the others really nervous.

[it was a big step, big enough that kni isn't interested in exploring how big it was, to reach out to a stranger and initiate some kind of conversation. he's just appreciative everything worked out in his favor.] Wolfwood scared him off.

[a pretty decent guard dog, but kni won't say that out loud. the longer they talk like this, easygoing and tune dancing, the easier it is to pretend there isn't a note with vash's name on it in his pocket.]

You're half his age. That's still pretty old, Vash. [an age kni would like to reach himself one day, for all his teasing.] I bet if he took you swimming, you wouldn't have to worry about sinking. [a pause, considering,] Unless you're worried he might not actually like you. Then you'd have reason to worry.

Sounds just like Wolfwood. He doesn't really tolerate people being complete dillholes for no reason--especially when it comes to young people. [ ...and part of him is quietly happy to hear that wolfwood helped Kni--maybe things were... going well...? maybe ...

he could be hopeful without drawing too much attention to it, right? just act like it's normal! it's normal... ]

Come onnn, stop rizzing me about my age. One day you'll be old too, you know. I don't actually know the full age of plants, you know? [ they can last for hundreds, thousands of years, right... if taken care of. ]

--And I don't worry at all about that! Not at all!

He probably just wanted to fight. [and he cared about vash, who cared about kni. he understood it was just courtesy, at the bare minimum. kni didn't expect anything beyond that, and he'd find himself foolish if he even considered it.] They were an asshole.

[language.

kni's lips pull up into a smile, his hand moving up to tug at a dark strand of hair framing the side of vash's face. it's almost a question.] ALthough, I could do without this.

[he lets go, looking ahead.] Well, you shouldn't worry. Everyone likes you. [a pause, heh.] Except Vergil, but he's pretty smart.

Edited 2023-10-05 04:49 (UTC)

[ through all the walking and talking, himself and Kni have arrived in the Central Square--there's a train just a little ways away that he's been told that goes to this new place.

Thanks, Alberto. ]

Some people you just can't get along with, no matter how hard you try. Those people are just not worth your time or energy. [ it's a good lesson to learn. Even if he HUFFS at Kni calling vergil SMART for not liking him. ]

Come on, how is that smart!
I try so hard to be nice to everyone 'cause I think it feels nice. That's all.

--We're almost there.
You ready to ride a train?

Does it really feel nice?

[nice enough to always default to it in so many situations? kni doubts it, or at least he doubts that it would feel the same for him as well. vash wanted him to try, as did every other adult in his life now wanted him to try being better, being nicer, more polite -

the efforts come out scratching like nails, instincts that scream warning with nearly every new interaction. maybe it'd feel nice for him, too if it wasn't already exhausting to try.

kni looks to the train up ahead, stalled ready for passengers to start boarding.]

We're going there by train?

[he's never ridden one before, although that's hardly a surprise. maybe it's a little exciting, unable to hide the way his melody bounces with anticipation.]

It does feel nice. Nicest thing in the world, in my opinion.

[ he adds the addendum of opinion because, of course, that's how it is. it's his opinion--and maybe Kni will never agree, but he can try.

Vash pauses for a moment to run his card along a little blue machine, where it spits out a pair of tickets. He hands one to Kni. ]

Yep. Apparently this train has a stop in another world. Alberto told me about it.

It's called Stardew, or... something.
When we're there, one day passes in ten minutes over here. You can spend weeks in this place without even a day passing here, back home.

[ interesting, isn't it?

He's gonna offer a hand to Kni. ]

....It'll be my first time riding a train, too.

Hm.

[another difference between them, but one that he knows has always been there since the very beginning. his nose is already wrinkling with fleeting disapproval. vash's opinion is right.

he takes the ticket vash hands to him, skimming over the writing as he turns it over.]

How does that even work? [he sniffs, brushing his thumb along the perforated edges.] But, it is pretty convenient. I wonder if you can age faster over there...

[kni lifts his attention from the ticket to vash's offered hand and takes it without hesitation.]

If you're nervous, you don't need to be. [obviously because kni was not nervous, at all.]

I'm not sure how it works--something like crossing through a gate, kind of like the Pokemon one?
I'm kind of looking forward to it myself.

[ but it's... something to consider, isn't it? ]

You know, with relativity? Yeah, I suppose. You could spend years in this gate and come back to the normal 'Earth' much older than when you left, with barely any time having passed.

[ kind of scary, honestly? he's gonna squeeze kni's hand. giving him a wobbly smile. ]

You're going with me.
'couse I have no reason to be nervous.

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