37th Confession [Written/Accidental Voice a While Later]

[notabluesbro]

[It's been a while since the... Well, since the draft. On the most outer part of him, Wolfwood looks like he's faired well enough—but a lot of that is just show, as it's always been. Vash went and died, Sanji's been distant, Nami's gone... The place was so tense, it was impossible to even cut through the thickness at a certain point. But then the New Feather's came trickling in, and with that comes his best performance, best attempt at making it seem like this whole thing didn't bring everything he's stepped toward crashing down over his head.

In terms of finding him...? Well, he's been volunteering to help at the Cloud Nine (has been off and on, but times have been pretty shakey, haven't they? He'll even have a drink or two before he leaves--nothing too big. It's still daylight and he's not a big drinker nowadays, even if he really, really wants to be.

He goes home, takes his turn to watch Noah. He takes the time to talk off and on, maybe write something to a question or two; usual business.]

[Written]

Welcome, welcome. Hope you guys didn't have a rough landing. Literally—how many of you fell out of the sky, got stuck in trees, the usual? I know the guide answers plenty enough, but hell, I got something else I wanted to offer.

If any of you want lessons on how to shoot a gun—how to take it apart, put it together, reload, just lemme know. Around here? We have plenty of reasons to have a gun. Especially if a bad shift hits. Or if we get assholes throwing dangerous temper tantrums at everyone else.

[When he stuffs the journal in his back pocket (it sits halfway out, like a newspaper in a paperboy bag; like he cares), he plops down beside the six-month-old baby and offers him a hand to grab It's about 30 or 40 minutes after his initial written message, and on par with the usual luck, sometime during his less guarded time with Noah the journal drops behind him on the floor—audio picks up a voice just distant enough to hear despite the muffling of the blanket.]

—geez, you really do got your mother's eyes, I swear. Lookit you, kiddo; we got pretty good genes for blending, huh? [A soft coo; he's probably wiggling fingers at the baby's face. Wolfwood's clearly gotten too used to this.] Lookit that. Hey there. Hey. You got your mama's personality, too, don't ya'?

[Noah giggles. There's a snort.]

Let's hope you got everything from her, huh...? Wolfwood's aren't known for their luck with... anything, I guess. Maybe one or two things, but they don't mean much. [A baby noise, and he let's the boy hold on strong to his fingers, off-screen.] You're strong though. In the way your mother is—not like me. And you won't ever have to worry about anyone treating you wrong while I'm around... Got it? No kid should ever have to feel like they don't belong; I know... I won't let it happen. Not again.

[A shuffle, as he picks Noah up, leans him against his shoulder. He closes his eyes. It's quiet for a long pause.]

Just... don't end up like papa. I've done too much to go back.

Just....

[... 

The feed goes quiet. Answers to that won't show up for a good ten minutes.]

Comments

[notabluesbro]

[Sudden urge to protect offspring.

Sudden urge to kick something stupid in the head.

So why is it so easy for him to roll back, nestle Noah protectively, and kick this sudden blur of a person into the wall? Just like it's easy to aim his gun with Noah being rocked in his arms, crying in annoyance at the sudden rocking and thud.

WHO GOES THERE]

[goldenglasses]

[Who goes there is a twitching, gurgling, half dressed gunman. Vash makes no move to get up right away. It's a bit jarring to suddenly come into being to find yourself in free fall, only to be kicked brutally into a wall only moments after that.]


oo-OW!

[notabluesbro]

...

[No way. This timing is just too shitty--

What's he thinking, of course it's screwy. It's Luceti.]

... Vash?

[goldenglasses]

[Vash sits up, holding his now pounding head.] I think so... I'll let you know for sure it's me once the room stops spinning.

[notabluesbro]

[He wants to be happy, but really, he's also pissed. He'd hop up, yell, kick the bastard over dying when he shouldn't—but Noah's in his arms looking up at him, calm and confused and hey isn't that vash?

The baby looks over at Vash and smiles big.

"Nngah?"]

... You're—back.

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, I'm back. Jeez, did you really have to kick me?

[Vash slowly picks himself up off the floor. He rubs at his head as he tries to recall exactly where he had come back from. He remembered feel very sick and deep into the woods and then... what?

He ran into Nami? No, she wasn't in the woods. Yet his mind is oddly stuck on the color green. Was she in the woods?

And what of the rest of the enclosure they had been in? Obviously they had been returned and by Wolfwood's tone he hadn't come back with him. He doesn't remember dying. He had been trying to rest by a tree.]

What happened? [As he just can't piece it together anymore.] Did the Malnosso find a cure? [Is that why he had gone missing? Droids had taken him away?]

[notabluesbro]

[He sighs, holding Noah close, looking at the ground.

He's not one to sugarcoat anything. He never will be. You know that, right?]

You changed. Infection took over, so... they had to take you down.

[A pause.]

But they managed to find a cure. Just in time to stop 'em from blowing it all to kingdom come.

[goldenglasses]

[If Vash had to admit it, he was glad Wolfwood was the first person he had run into. For matters like this, blunt was far more kind in his eyes. Although he could have done without the kick.

So he had changed. Damn it. And had apparently made it back into town or at least close enough that someone ran into him in the woods.]

Maybe it would have been better- [No. He shakes his head. What's done is done. He can't go back and change what he had done and what maybe he had thought about asking of Wolfwood back when he given him his ammo.]

They? [So it hadn't been Wolfwood.] Do you know who? Was it Nami? Is she alright? I keep... I think I ran into her.

[notabluesbro]

... Yeah, she's alright. Got back alive and uninfected.

[He shakes his head.]

I didn't ask much about it... That'll be up to you.

[goldenglasses]

[Vssh sighs.] I'm glad she's alright.

[A pause.]

Sorry, Wolfwood. [He didn't mean to die.]

[notabluesbro]

[He grits his teeth. It's really hard to get angry when he's holding his kid and his friend's back from the grave. Even harder when he's done this same thing himself: dying and then popping up in Luceti. But he manages enough annoyance.]

Shuddup and make sure you tell everyone you're alive again.

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, of course. I'll tell them. [He looks down at his white pants.] After I get a shirt on.

[notabluesbro]

[...

Sigh.

How the fuck can he be angry right now? It's really hard to be. He wants to punch your teeth out. He really, really wants to, but it's jut not gonna happen.]

At least they gave you pants.

[goldenglasses]

Better than nothing I guess. [And Wolfwood may notice that hidden a bit under Vash's chin is a new, light scar. Because the mun forgot to mention it before.

I'll get dressed and let the girls know. [And then maybe a more public statement. He's not too sure on that one just yet, it's hard to just casually say into a book: Hey! I'm back from the dead! Some weather we're having, huh?]

[notabluesbro]

Good... Expect Amelia to be pissed off at you, but she won't strangle you too bad. Defeats the purpose of being glad you're back, right? [there he said they missed you without saying it directly. good nuff, right?]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, I know. I guess everyone show's they're happy in different ways. [He totally understands, Wolfwood. Of course it's more than good enough.] I just wish her's weren't so... violent.

[notabluesbro]

Her way of showing she cares.

[After a beat, he holds up Noah to Vash; the baby looks perfectly content, blubbering at Vash.]

She's not the only one who's missed you. Don't piss my kid off—he's a natural asskicker, remember?

[goldenglasses]

[Vash puts his arms up and cowers just slightly.] Oh, never! How could I ever forget that! I'm sorry you had to miss me Noah! I'm home now.