[Action]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash can be found sitting on a bench in the plaza, his glasses on and a very grim look upon his face as he looks the place over. He’s thinking back to the incident with Kefka. A man died and he hadn’t been able to stop it. There must have been a way. What had he missed? He’ll be sitting there for a while, teeth clenching as he tries to figure out what he did wrong. Meryl is welcome to pick up/comment on the sober mood he’s probably been in the past day or so.]

Comments

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

[Thanks to the Kefka incident? Sanji went home and smoked off the rest of his stash in a day, his nerves were that shot. Getting attacked by clowns and seeing Nami-san being skewered? Oh yeah, he needed that nicotine. So he's out shopping today, thinking about picking something up for Chopper while he's stuck in the house. Maybe he should grab a few groceries. Lobster for the crew sounds nice...

He almost misses Vash sitting there, he's so used to the man being loud and expressive. A few days have passed and he's still quite pissed at him for his actions, but Sanji can't help but pause at the sight of that pained expression. Stupid shitty gunman]

[goldenglasses]

[Sorry Sanji. Vash is a little distracted and isn't going to notice you. Otherwise he might not be talking to himself right now. If you're paying attention you might just pick up what he's saying.] What should I have done Rem?

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

[Sanji must be feeling indulgent today. As much as he'd love to ignore you, something tells him to at least keep the guy from talking to himself]

... Oi.

You might wanna keep your voice down.

[fallenambitions]

[Alexei kept his involvement to a minimum for most of the battle. He wasn't directly involved and most the people that were there had the situation covered. Naturally if he didn't need to dirty his hands, he stood back to observe. As he notices Vash, he recalls this fella kept trying to avoid any sort of conflict. Poor guy.]

Still feeling unsettled by what happened?

[esper-flight.livejournal.com]

[At some point, Terra's walk takes her within range of that bench. Her expression is similarly solemn, not having enjoyed what happened. The fact that she knew it had to be done didn't make her heart any less heavy. Even the mental flailing over having transformed in front of so many people took a backseat to those emotions.

Upon spotting Vash, Terra pauses abruptly. She vaguely remembers his pleas during the battle, despite having known more about Kefka's deeds than anyone else except the Returners. Poor man, he only seemed to want an end to the violence...which kept escalating until she had ended it in a way that he undoubtedly wouldn't have wanted. Vash had seemed like a possible friend before, but after what happened, he must hate her. She took a step back, wondering if she should just return in the direction from which she had come. Better than to force an interaction he more than likely wouldn't want.]

[goldenglasses]

S-Sanji... [He looks at you rather shocked as he wasn't excepting to see you and - a bit scared? Someone doesn’t know how he should act right now.]

[emp3thy]

[Minato doesn't know Vash or anyone involved with the Kefka fight, but a somber looking guy out in the cold is hard to ignore. Deciding to abandon his shopping plans for the moment, he slowly approaches.]

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

[there's a light glare in his eyes, but he at least doesn't look like he's going to kick you]

... You're still this upset, huh.

[goldenglasses]

[Fairly deadpan and yet a hint of anger directed mostly at himself.] A life was ended... and I didn't stop it.

[goldenglasses]

[Without looking up just yet.] A man is dead... and I was right there. I should have stopped it.

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

You're not God, Vash. You can't save every life that's in front of you.

[sniperkingftw.livejournal.com]

[It's a miracle in itself that Usopp's walking through the damn plaza right now. He questions this decision increasingly, but no return of the killer clown or random murderous psychopath, so things are looking up.

He needed to find that ring for Chopper's antler anyway. Gonna stop, stare at your emo, stare just a little more and then he'll have a seat next to you. At what he'd consider to be a distance respectful of personal space. Gdit he dislikes seeing people be emo. ;;]

So did you hear Chopper get back?

[goldenglasses]

[The sudden movement catches his eye. Emo or no Vash is still a gunman who's use to having nearly the whole world after him. Quick movements are going to grab his attention. But he'll give you a smile - even if it's a bit forced.] Hello Terra.

[goldenglasses]

[Slow isn't threatening. So sorry; right now Vash is a bit too deep in his own thoughts to notice just yet.]

[emp3thy]

[Good, because he doesn't want to be threatening. After stopping at a reasonable distance and waiting for a moment, he speaks up.]

Having trouble?

[goldenglasses]

[He'll turn towards you and plaster a happy but forced smile on his face. Not as forced as others he's been giving during the day as that actually really cheered him up earlier.] I did! I'm glad he's alright!

[unseenspy.livejournal.com]

[Now that the commotion is over, Jay goes to investigate the scene. There's no sign of Kefka, but he does see Vash. Jay ponders for a moment; hasn't he met this guy before?]

What happened here?

[goldenglasses]

NO! There's always a way! I just didn't SEE it in time!

[fallenambitions]

Even knowing he would return regardless, because of this twisted place? A man of his history...do you believe death could have been avoidable for him?

[esper-flight.livejournal.com]

Hello, Vash.

[The forced smile provokes one of her own. The urge to flee is there and tempting, but...Terra doesn't want to be a coward. Besides, she owes him something and she knows it. The forced smile fades, an apologetic expression forming in its wake.]

I'm...I'm sorry you had to see that....

[Even if he doesn't want to talk about it, even if he'd rather avoid her from now on, she has to at least get out that much.]

[misterthou.livejournal.com]

[Because I was late to the party, Cyan was at the battle but wasn't very active in it. ...That's it.] It is over. Do not sorrow.

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

[And that makes him snap]

Oi! Just how fuckin old are you?! Is your world painted that black and white?!

Listen, you shit. None of us were willing to give you a way to save him. It was out of your control since the beginning, so grow a pair and stop blaming yourself!

[goldenglasses]

[Not looking up just yet. He's a bit lost in thought.] A man died here... he wasn't a good man but he shouldn't have died. [I should have stopped it.]

[goldenglasses]

A life was lost.

[misterthou.livejournal.com]

Aye. My wife and child was avenged as well. A whole kingdom was.