3rd Confession [Action]

[notabluesbro]

[When Vash had finally conked back out (him and his stupid Malnosso kidnapping problems...), Wolfwood took at as a chance to sneak away to the bar—this 'Seventh Heaven' place, as Meryl had worked at the other place and he wasn't too sure he wanted to think quietly there.

Drinking certainly had its perks, and a light buzz was often something that got Wolfwood by the occasional bout of worried aggression. But trying not to think about things was a little more difficult that usual.

Of course, he had his crucifix with him propped in a nearby corner, as he was fairly certain he didn't want to encounter anything negative without it. Luceti was relatively peaceful. Nothing, other than the kidnappings, had been happening within town. But... it wasn't enough to just assume. He didn't like getting cozy and then finding himself unshielded from a looming danger... That was famiiiiliar territory back in Nostaglia Land, and he was not ready to tread it anytime soon.

He wonders a few things. Did Vash actually hurt or... kill Legato? Or was the man just screwing with him?

And did Vash know Legato had killed him? It was hard to say... Bringing it up would be a whole new issue. No, no, what the hell was he doing? He always got into these thoughtful ruts. He just had to shake himself loose and avoid this whole 'mulling over' thing. Just sit up straight and don't let it get to you, like usual...

He murmurs, eyes directed at his shot glass.]

I must be losing my edge.

[And sighs against the palm of his hand.]

Dammit, Needle Noggin, how'd this all get so difficult?

Comments

[goldenglasses]

Y-you weren't much better!

[notabluesbro]

... I had to hold you up the whole walk there.

1/2

[goldenglasses]

...

[Defeated! Takes a drink-]

2/2

[goldenglasses]

[-Sputters! Oh yeah...]

[notabluesbro]

[Laughs at your sad little sputtering. Are you turning into an old car, needle noggin?]

Looks like your shooting outweighs your drinking, just a little.

[goldenglasses]

I'm not THAT loud!

[notabluesbro]

Well, no, I think you're smart enough to not wake a sleeping insurance girl at this point.

...

How's she doing? I'm sure she was pretty relieved to see you're in one piece...

[goldenglasses]

[He actually jumps and turns around to see if she's standing behind him, looming doom and death upon his head, but lets out a sigh when he sees she's not there.]

Ah... well, [he stares at the bottle] better now. [She thought I was dead.] I can't seem to stop worrying her lately.

1/2

[notabluesbro]

That's in your nature, isn't it?

[But he smiles sympathetically.]

I'm sure you're off the hook this time, idiot—it's not like you can control what these Malnosso characters do.

[notabluesbro]

...These guys will piss me off, I can already feel it.

What's this about a 'draft', needle noggin?

[goldenglasses]

[He grows serious.] They need fighters for a war they're facing with a group of people they call The Third Party. They have bigger wings than we do which allow them to fly. There's very little we know about them, but twice they've sent people out to fight them in different areas outside Luceti.

They say that if you request not to go you won't be sent, however, that hasn't happened. The two times their draft picks have been posted everyone on the list has been sent out to the battlefield.

[notabluesbro]

... I gotcha.

Anything important to know, if you're selected? Age limits, weapons, the terrain? [Basically, give him anything he can use, in case this happens to him.]

[goldenglasses]

Anyone can be sent. People who are use to fighting or not. There is no age limits. [He plans to go on, but figures that needs a moment to settle with Wolfwood.]

[notabluesbro]

[He's not particularly shocked about age limits. Gunsmoke was bad about involving the young kids, too, but it still didn't make him any less annoyed at the idea. People who couldn't fight were also a common theme. But...]

How disgraceful, our kidnappers like to act like they're looking out for our best interest, but then they pull shit like this...

[goldenglasses]

The man who posts the list... well, I'm not sure of his name. Lately he's been calling himself Catherine. He claims that the list he posts are just people who can safely be 'shifted' to the battlefield. The choice to go is up to the person and he's not responsible for the droids that drag people there or kidnap people.

But how much we can trust this information is impossible to know right now.

As for once you get there they have a system that will grant you nearly anything you ask for. Well, except to be sent home. [He tried that.] Also if you get too hurt or are out too long and are growing tired they have a way to teleport you back to a safe area they keep for people to rest in.

[notabluesbro]

That's ridiculous. They can shift people from place to place, but they keep saying they have no way of sending people home? I don't believe it.

[He starts up on a cigarette, of course, because serious talk starves him for one.]

...And what was your time there like?

[goldenglasses]

Well, they say it's complicated. That when people do go home it's because they found the right equation to send them home. That's why the draft seems so random as they say it's because those are the people out of the whole population that would work at the time.

["I wish you wouldn't smoke in here." It's on the tip of his tongue, but really, he just wishes you wouldn't smoke.]

Oh, you heard about that. [Yup, that's all he's saying right now.]

[notabluesbro]

Yeah. I heard about it.

[Puffs quietly.]

You weren't planning on telling me.

[Definitely not in the form of a question, but a fact.

And of course, he's probably calling the kettle black here... but still.]

[goldenglasses]

Well, I didn't think it was too important that you knew I went. It wouldn't change anything. [Also he just doesn't like to think about it.]

[notabluesbro]

No, it wouldn't.

[He sighs.]

Did they ever say why these two groups are even fighting to begin with?

[goldenglasses]

Not much. Apparently different world views. They did get in the barrier once, but that was before I got here. You should ask Meryl more about that. But apparently their idea to save us is to kill us all.

[notabluesbro]

Into the barrier, huh? I'll keep that in mind.

[After all, if they were able to get in once, maybe people could be sent out, someday. If they can figure out how this whole 'shift' and 'event' thing works.]

What makes them think that? We all just come back anyway, right?

[goldenglasses]

[Vash just shakes his head.] There's little we know of them. I've been told that they think they're doing us a favor. They know they come back when they kill us, so maybe they know of a way to do it permanently. Or I've heard that when we die we awake outside the barrier and the Malnosso pick us up from there. Maybe they want to cause some kind of interference with that.

Not that anyone that I know remembers what happened to them between when they died and when they were revived inside the barrier. [Including himself, but again, not something he thinks you need to know.]

[notabluesbro]

And people can just randomly disappear and go back home, right?

[Something he best address now, if any time.]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, it can happen any time. All their stuff just vanishes, along with their journal. [This makes him look a bit more upset than it should, but it still hurts. Remembering the morning he went to wake Rem to find she was gone from his life again.]