[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash felt pretty crummy this morning when he woke up and realized he had once again fallen in love with another girl. Every year! How does he fall for it every year!? Oh man, he just knows Meryl is going to yell at him big time for this. Maybe he should just get it all out of the way, but man, she's sleeping in really late today.

He taps gently on her room door and peeks his head in.] Meryl? Are you up? Listen I- [Empty. Her room is completely empty. It couldn't really be empty could it? After spending almost a week in love and kissing the wrong person, she couldn't really be gone. Could she?

But the room is still empty. Quietly he'll find the Milly, Wolfwood, and Amelia if they're home to let them know before making a voice announcement.]

[Voice]

For anyone that knew her, I'm sorry. Meryl was sent back home. It's alright, she was in a very safe place there.

[Vash will be visiting Good Spirits shortly after. Wanting to let the workers there know of her return home in case they missed his message. Anyone who wants to find Vash can find him there, at the flower shop, or at home, but not the bakery today.]

Comments

[voice]

[all7seas]

This Meryl -- friend of yours, Vash-lad?

[voice]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, she was a friend from my world who traveled around some with me.

[voice]

[all7seas]

Sorry to hear that, mate. Friends are rare things, eh? You alright?

[voice]

[goldenglasses]

Sometimes too rare sadly, but I'm alright. When we parted ways at home she was in a very nice and safe town. So I know she's alright, and now she's away from the Malnosso's experiments too.

[mikangirl]

[...this day just keeps getting better and better. She sounds tired when she responds, but this is important.]

Wanna drink on it?

[goldenglasses]

[He had heard that commotion over the journal earlier. He can guess why you're sounding a bit tired right now.]

Thanks, but I'm alright. From what I've heard you've had a pretty busy morning yourself.

[mikangirl]

Yeah. So I'll be drinking anyway.

[Just putting that out there.]

[action]

[stungunning]

[And Milly's standing at the door to Meryl's empty room, uncharacteristically quiet, holding a pile of Meryl's freshly laundered clothes, neatly folded, ready to be put away into her dresser.]

[Disbelief is one word for the look on her face. Pale and slightly green is another.]

[action]

[goldenglasses]

I'm sorry, Milly... but, we know she's safe back home. So she won't be experimented on here anymore.

[action]

[stungunning]

[Very calmly, Milly's just going to step into Meryl's empty room and put her clean clothes on her bed, laying the pile down carefully so they don't wrinkle. Then she turns to Vash, and without saying another word, she will be hugging you.]

[action] /KICKS INTO THIS HERE

[notabluesbro]

[After the Milly and Vash moment here, Nicholas gets home and excuses himself from Vash's presence to come check up on his wife--because he knows she can't be taking this well. Not at all.

He opens their bedroom door gently.]

... Big girl?

[action] /GOSH HOW MANLY

[stungunning]

[Milly's not feeling quite so sick anymore but very drained; possibly because she's not got anything left in her tummy to throw up anymore and also the fact that since she stopped being sick and laid down on the bed clutching her pillow, she's been crying into it in soft, hiccuping little sobs so that no one can hear just how upset she is.

The door opens just as she takes a big, shaky gulp of air. Upon hearing her husband's voice, she sits up, swipes at her eyes with the side of her hand and sniffs before forcing herself to sound bright and cheery.]

Oh silly me, it must be time for dinner soon. I'd better get started. M-meryl wouldn't want everyone to go hungry-

[She can't do it. Her voice trails off into a wobble.]

1/3

[gomugomunopwn]

Meryl...!?

[gomugomunopwn]

[This... this has to be one of the worst nightmares he could imagine. Hell, he's had nightmares about his friends being sent home like this before. So before he responds any further, he pinches himself. Hard. And stretches his rubber skin in all sorts of different directions.

It's not a dream...

Damn. Damn. First Flynn and now....]

No...

[Voice]

[gomugomunopwn]

NO!!!

[And then, in a fit of anger he's going to throw his journal at the wall. Only to run back over to it and pick it up again because screw that. He's not letting it end there.]

ARE YOU SURE!? DID YOU DOUBLE CHECK!? HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WASN'T A KIDNAPPING!?

[And this is when he clinches his eyes as tightly as possible. Trying to stop the tears from running down his face.]

She's-- she's been here longer than I have! There's no way she just... just vanished like that!!! [Especially not without saying goodbye...]

[Voice]

[goldenglasses]

I'm sorry, Luffy. I know you two were close, but all her stuff is gone.

[Action] After this voice thread o/

[mikangirl]

[Yeahhh, Nami's going to come hunting for you, captain, when she hears this screaming over the journals. Fuck, this is a lousy day.]

[notabluesbro]

[Here is a Wolfwood coming back, entirely unaware that they're one person short. Though... he's already noticing there's something not particularly light about the air in here. That's not good. He walks through, hanging up his coat, moving into the kitchen.

Where is everybody?]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash hears Wolfwood enter and he heads for the kitchen.] Wolfwood, Meryl has been sent home. [It still seems so strange to think that Meryl isn't going to be in the kitchen cooking dinner tonight.]

[notabluesbro]

...

Meryl went home?

[He's surprised to hear this; maybe he's gotten too used to them all being safe from returning home. He tilts his head down, thoughtful.]

... All her things are gone, huh?

[action]

[tinyhealer]

[Whenever he drops by the flowershop, there will be a young girl here who wasn't before. She's popped in here a few other times during the week, but likely not at the same time as most of the workers. Mostly she's just admiring the different plants that are displayed.]

[action]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash had caught glimpses of the girl before, but his mind had been a bit more distracted this last week.] Well, hello there! You must really like flowers if you keep coming back to visit!

[action]

[tinyhealer]

I like looking at the different varieties. I've never seen so many plants collected together inside like this before.

[action]

[thedicearecast]

[Amelia's already in a strange mental place when she gets home that evening, with news of her own. The relative quiet that greets her at the door, however, doesn't do anything to settle her mind.]

Hello? Is anyone here?

[It wouldn't be completely unusual for members of the house to go out for dinner or anything, but still. Amelia can tell that something isn't right.]

[action]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash heard the door open and stood up from the couch and made his way to the front door.

How he hated giving this news so much.] Amelia? I have something I need to tell you.