[Action]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash is one of the many returning home today. Seeing that the Malnosso are jerks, they took away the black coat he asked for while there, but were nice enough to give him a pair of white new feather pants instead of just a towel. He’ll be hurrying as quick as he can to his apartment, taking a route he hopes won’t have too many people around. They didn’t give him a shirt after all. Not that, that means anything in Luceti.

He just wants to get home, but anyone who happens to catch him in this sorry state may be surprised. Besides being horribly embarrassed by his scars he seems just fine. He doesn’t seem terribly upset by the war he just came from. Won’t even bring it up himself. Of course, there should be at least one person in Luceti who knows better. Right Meryl?

Well, her and whoever might have an apartment near them. As Vash will spend the next few nights screaming. Most of it is just unintelligible shrieks, but sometimes he’s yelling for Rem and asking her jumbled questions. At least the journals won't be picking up any of these night terrors.]

Comments

[bernardelli.livejournal.com]

[ Lucky, or unlucky, for Vash, Meryl is at work for the majority of the afternoon. She'll be in for a surprise when she makes it to the apartment and spots him. She pauses with the door open before slamming it to make sure she has his attention. ]

W-When did you get back? Why didn't you contact me?!

[goldenglasses]

[He's changed out of the white pants and into his usual red coat once again. He was sitting on the couch letting his mind wander, so when the door open it took him by surprise. He then winces, oh boy... she was upset, and honestly - rightly so.]

Ah... sorry Meryl, I just... needed a shower first and then took a nap. I didn't want to bother you at work. [They're all bad excuses and lies for the truth, he got thinking about what just happened and simply... forgot.

[bernardelli.livejournal.com]

[ Meryl puts her hands on her hips, looking rather indignant. No, she osn't buying it. And, if that is the truth, she might even be more mad at him. Doesn't he realize how important something like this is? ]

Don't you think I would've liked to know something like that? I could've come home right away!

[ She swells up and walks her way over and... throws her arms immediately around him. ]

1/2

[goldenglasses]

[He braces himself for a smack he rightly deserves.] Meryl, I'm so- [That's... not a smack.] -rry.

[For a moment he can't move. Can't even think. Wanting to believe so badly that all those bodies he saw over the past few days were only a dream.]

2/2

[goldenglasses]

[And then his shoulders start to shake.] I... I really am sorry Meryl! I meant to tell you... [His journal is even laying forgotten next to him] ...but I- [Didn't want to talk through the journals] -lost track of time. [That's true too, his mind wandered away from that point as to why he was afraid to talk about what just happened over the journals.]

[bernardelli.livejournal.com]

[ Meryl can feel that tell tale shaking and she holds him close, one knee braced on the couch. It's times like these where she feels bigger than him, somehow. She sighs, frown etched on her face. ]

I should put a good lump on your stupid broomhead, doing something like that. You idiot...

[ It's all half-hearted as she rubs the back of his neck, trying to comfort him. She knew something like this would happen. ]

[waypastcool.livejournal.com]

[Well, on the way he might just bump into Sonic, who's taking some time to dart around the village. Not that he minded being in the middle of the action, but it's nice to have at least some downtime.

...but just a little.]

[goldenglasses]

[Well he might have to literally run into him. As Vash isn't really in the mood to chat. He's moving quickly with his arms covering his chest, making his way home.]

[waypastcool.livejournal.com]

[...Well, that's odd. He'll skid to a stop eventually, trailing close behind.]

Yo, Vash. What's eatin' ya?

[goldenglasses]

[Jumps] E-eating me? Ah... nothing I guess, just trying to get home. [Crosses his arms across his chest, because you know - that will totally hide the fact he's missing large chunks out of him and is basically held together with steel.]

[waypastcool.livejournal.com]

You sure?

[NOT CONVINCED. But he won't force it if Vash is in a rush.]

[no-use-running.livejournal.com]

You're back.

[Hey, he's been consistently nice to her. He deserves the closest she gets to being nice in return.]

[goldenglasses]

O-o-o-oh! Hey there! Yeah, I'm back. [Tries to cross his arms in front of at least the metal grates on his chest. Damn the Malnosso, couldn't they have lest given him a shirt too?]

[no-use-running.livejournal.com]

Were you injured?

[goldenglasses]

Ahahaha- no, not too bad. A few scrapes here and there, nothing overly serious. There were some great healers among us. [New injuries are hard to find. As he did see a healer for his bad injuries. Besides a few scrapes and a few missing feathers he's fine.]

[no-use-running.livejournal.com]

So you did pretty well in battle.

[kenpo-kitty.livejournal.com]

**Oh hay, you (should) know this girl!**

Hey... you!

[goldenglasses]

[Jumps and crosses his arms in front of him.] O-oh, hey there!

[kenpo-kitty.livejournal.com]

For being a guy using a gun, you were pretty cool out there.

[goldenglasses]

Ahahaha... was I? Uh, thanks! [Don't mind him. Shy about his horrible scars. Keeps slowly backing up.]

[kenpo-kitty.livejournal.com]

I mean you like... didn't even kill an-

Hey... something wrong? **Yeah, all that scar stuff... doesn't phase her really. She's seen scarier things in the mirror (and that's not a girly joke!)**

Later that night

[goldenglasses]

[He’s dreaming; much like he did every night during the fighting. Everything is black and white, except the ground. It’s a deep shade of red and there are bodies everywhere. Stop it. Why won’t they stop killing each other? Why does it have to be like this? He sees his teammates fighting, killing one by one. He tries to yell at them to stop, just stop fighting for a minute and talk to each other.

There has to be another way besides all this senseless violence. There has to be! As he spins around trying to find and think of some solution there in the heat of all the battle stands Rem. Standing calmly against it all with a frown on her face.

Oh, Vash.

Rem. Tell him what to do Rem. What should he do? Please, please he needs help, but she won’t answer. Just shake her head sadly as she slowly starts to vanish in front of his eyes. Wait, Rem! Don’t go! Wait! He reaches out to her, but there’s blood on his hands. Laying dead on the ground in front of him, with a smile on his face is not a third party member.

Vash screams.]

[bernardelli.livejournal.com]

[ Well, there's no better alarm clock than Vash screaming next door. She falls right out of her bed with a thump, hissing as she touches her head. What's going on? She scampers to her feet, straightening her bed shirt.

Before, she would have covered her ears and whimpered until he calmed again, but not anymore. No... she had to make sure he was okay. She has to do everything she can for him, and this is a part of her responsibility. She... loves him, right? She loves him, even if he doesn't know, and now she needs to help him through even this.

Not bothering to knock, she throws the door open and runs over to him, shaking his shoulder. ]

Vash! Vash, wake up!

[goldenglasses]

[Rem's leaving! She's leaving!] REM! DON'T!

[Then suddenly someone is yelling his name. Meryl! Meryl needs him! Where-then suddenly something is touching him and he snaps fully awake. He bolts into a sitting position on his bed, with a gasp, and looks around wide eye for a moment. There's no danger. He knows these walls and the person touching him is...] Meryl...

[bernardelli.livejournal.com]

[ Meryl jumps back a little, but doesn't let her hand leave his shoulder. She just moves where it lays when he sits up and tries to hush him. ] That's right, Vash, it's me... it's alright. Everything's okay now.