IC INBOX

[doubledollar]

Hey, yo! You reached uh, me! You should know who this is, right?
Anyway, you must'a caught me at a bad time, so, uh. Leave a message! I'll get back to you soon as I can. Love and Peace!

username: STAMPEDE

✉ ☏ 📷

Comments

Action; 3/15

[whiteshroud]

[Spring break meant Jun had a lot more time on his hands. There were no classes, and the coffee shop didn't need as many people on shift. So he decided today would be a good day to check in on the guy he had given Zagreus's cottage to...so make sure the guy was doing okay and the cottage wasn't burnt to the ground.

He teleports just outside of the premise, letting Mikleo have a chance to orb out of him. It was good for the Seraph to get out and socialize some. And Vash seemed like a kind person]

This is the place. Vash said he didn't mind not having electricity, so hopefully he's been doing okay...

[Jun doesn't get it personally. If you don't have electricity, you can't have wifi. And without wifi, how is one supposed to watch anime? That's not how Jun wants to live. Not at all.]

[reenforces]

[Mikleo appears beside Jun in a familiar glimmer of light. He hasn't been here before, so he's immediately taking it all in. It's... really pretty out here. He's suddenly hit with a pang of nostalgia for a home he hasn't seen in several lifetimes.]

Living without electricity isn't glamorous, but it's not impossible. [He examines a nearby bush with a gentle touch, and makes a thoughtful noise.] This place is pretty big. We should see if he needs help with anything.

Text; un Libra

[monklookslikealady]

Hello Vash.

I just want to check in and make sure things are going ok for you. Have you found a place to live?

[doubledollar]

[ omg priest buddy hi. vash is delighted to get this message. ]

hey!!!!!! libra!!!!

so, my first night in the city i met this guy named zulius and he let me crash on his couch for the night, it was real swell of him
he even gave me a job??? as a bartender?? its great

then the next day when i was walkin around trying to figure myself out
i met this guy named jun, who bought me some snacks in return for me writing a poem for him

it was a terrible poem fr fr but he was so???? nice about it????

we got to talking and i sorta let it slip that i love plants and stuff
then he just
showed me this abandoned garden near the outskirts of town--it's magical, it belonged to some powerful lady and was abandoned because the guy taking care of it disappeared
so he asked me as a favor if i'd take care of it, and there's a little??? house here

anyway ive been living here since the last time we spoke and it's been great.
a little tiring, given i have to walk to and from work for a few hours but like

i got good legs.

4/3, after they've tried getting in contact with Takame; voice

[bolledivita]

Vash, have you tried contacting Takame?

[doubledollar]

[ hey, caesar, buddy. that rock-like feeling in his gut hasn't gone away, and he's pacing. when his phone starts playing, he picks it up quite literally after half a ring. ]

Caesar.

Yeah, I have.
I got some screwed up message from someone that sounds like takame, but I'm not entirely convinced it was Takame. The voice was... wrong.

How about you?

4/3 | After Shroud's Network Post | Text

[cheep_soongbird_knockoff]

[Rren sent the following text messages one after another, rapid fire, not leaving time for response between.]

• Hey. Hey. Mr. The Stampede.
  
• What the ever loving fuck is happening?
  
• Do you know?
  
• How involved are you?
  
• I want to help out! LMK, seriously.
  
• Probably should note, I am not a cat anymore. So I CAN help.
  

[Well, that was only mostly true. Now that they were stressing about this so much the ears and tail had come back. Seriously?? But. Not relevant.]

[doubledollar]

[ hoo, boy this is a Series of texts he's getting--not that he minds. it's fair to want to know? and what with how many friends he's made in the city, he doesn't mind being contacted, just... ]

Calm down, slow down, Rren. I'll answer your questions, just.
Let's take it slow, okay.

First of all, Hi.

Second of all, it turns out that the Libra app is run by Demons. Bad demons? Demons who want to gain immortality for unsavory means. Careful about what you say on there, they can see it all.

As for how involved I am, I'm sad to say 'not very,' if only because I'm actually from a different planet? I wound up here on... weird circumstances I haven't told you about.
But, I'm going to get involved, because they took two people who I care about. And I can't just stand around and let that happen...?

Good to hear you solved your feline problem, and if you think you can help...
Well.
Be me the last person to refuse someone's aid.
Just.

...Promise you'll be careful, yeah?
I'll be there with you, I'll watch your back.

4/8 | text | un: hikari-vi

[whiteshroud]

I got you a solar power generator. I can bring it by later.

You'll have to watch the power levels if it hasn't been sunny, but now you won't be completely without electricity.

[doubledollar]

what with everything going on, and you're STILL looking out for me.

I'm gonna' start thinking you're some sort of guardian angel
or what was it in those old stories

fairy godmother
...
you don't really fit the description tho i guess

a few days after he's rescued, video; un: kesitakame

[hoshikiri]

[For as much space Takame wanted and as little as he was allowed by both his employers and his boyfriend to actually move about, he thrived off of interaction. And with the space he preferred to give Waver, he thought he would follow up on something that worried him.

On video because typing is hard with one arm, as Vash will well know.]

Vash? How are you doing? [He sounded exhausted.]

[doubledollar]

[ it's very hard to type with just one hand, but he's figuring it out!!!
with a bunch of typos and stuff but noone noticed or anything its fine

the video feed opens up to a very plainly dressed vash, his hair down and messy and not at all like how he usually styles it. The smile and voice is unmistakably him, though. He's in some sort of... cottage? ]

--Takame!!

Hey, buddy! You ... really sound tired, but hey, I guess that's totally understandable.

How've you been holding up? I've been wondering about you, but Zulius made me take some time off, so...

action | sometime after the event and everyone is out of that hell

[stripartist]

[It took a bit of walking from the bus stop to get to Vash's farm, but Yusuke does it and finds the farm easily enough, thankfully. He doesn't see Vash outside, so he just goes the door and knocks.

Lovely place. Very...is it cottagecore?]

[doubledollar]

[ cottagecore is absolutely the right word to use. easy to spot too, due to the greek stone pillars that surround the place, wrapped in ivy.
Yusuke may get stared down by a particularly mean looking shoebill in the river next to the cottage, but.

In a moment, the door opens with a creak, and a very frumpy looking humanoid typhoon answers. oops. he DOES brighten when he sees yusuke, however--recognising the man from their unfortunate time in the metaverse. ...Takame's sweetheart, right?? ]

--Yusuke! [ see, he remembered!! ]

Whoa, you came all the way out here? You should have called, I'd have been out to welcome you, waah.

[action] [4/19]

[asipofbride]

[ Wolfwood is clearly a creature of habits. Vash may only sleep two hours a night, but it's clear that Wolfwood's pretty comparable in terms of time spent awake and time spent in restless sleep--he's late to bed and early to rise, and since Vash is more messed up than usual, he's been grudgingly doing... farm things in his early mornings.

well. eventually he's doing farm things. there's another thing he's doing, but it hasn't panned out, so it might slip Vash's notice that Wolfwood's been testing his Cross Punisher every morning, pointed above a stretch of fence that doesn't appear to have anything living in relative proximity behind it. he wakes up at ass o'clock, pulls his weapon's trigger, gets a whole lot of nothing, and then goes to harass the vegetables with a cigarette in his mouth and Ebony bouncing on his hip because he's pissed off. you never know when you're going to have to make an example of a tomato--he thinks those are tomatoes? the names all blend together.

it's a nice little routine for a couple of days.

and then on the fourth day, instead of a whining click, Vash (and anything else sentient enough to care at Vash's little homestead) will have 5 am filled with the shrill scream of Wolfwood's gun doing what she does best.

enthusiastically. loudly. hope you weren't enjoying one of your two hours of sleep. ]

[doubledollar]

[ being able to sleep only 2 hours a night was pretty much the most amazing thing about this world. He wasn't sure WHAT brought it on--he'd sort of fell into the habit after buying a particularly nice set of heart-shaped sunglasses from a goodwill store. But his two hours was all he needed and they were IMPORTANT to him.

The habit that Wolfwood had gotten into didn't bother him yet so far--because HOW would it affect him so far? He barely woke up to someone shaking him awake, let alone to a click click of a gun that refused to fire. His sleep was sound and blissful, for four beautiful days since he'd invited Nico to come live with him on his little farm-slash-garden.

What you don't expect at literal DAWN of the fourth day is to be rocketed out of bed due to the sound of gunfire.
Because not only was there THE SOUND OF FUCKING GUNFIRE AT HIS COTTAGE AT 5AM, but, you know. PTSD made him immediately think he was under attack.
His only hand shoots under his pillow, grabbing up his .45 colt, and he's holding it out, looking around to see where the FUCK the threat was.

...Nothing in the house, however, as he looks around. Libra probably having already left for early-morning sermons at the local church, and ... no wolfwood. ]

--Nico??

[ Vash cries out, a panic hitching in his voice as he's up out of bed, shirtless with only a pair of stretchy sweatpants clinging to his hips. Gun still in his hand, racing out into the garden to make sure his friend is SAFE. ]

[action] [sometime after Waver is rescued, probably]

[poisontippedcure]

[Now that things are quieting down, Rose isn’t quite sure what to do. The problem with such a hectic month is that it makes the quiet days seem more quiet. Too quiet, apparently.]

[So instead of dealing with her own thoughts, she’s going to visit her friends. She arrives at Vash’s doorstep with a hot kettle of tea (don’t ask how it’s still hot), and a smile.]

I came to check up on you.

[doubledollar]

[ he will never refuse a hot cup of tea, he loves that stuff.
but once she arrives, she will absolutely find the man at home, as he opens the door after a moment, shouting a quick --coming!! before throwing it open.

he may take a moment to recognise, fully, as at home, it seems he doesnt put in the effort to style his hair or wear his usual flashy clothes. oops. ]

--Rose!!

Hey, now isn't this a surprise!! Come in-- you should have called ahead, I'd have made food or something....

[ noodle man is gonna shuffle fast out of the door to invite her inside.
the house has plenty of windows, allowing light to spill in. probably a good thing, because there isnt any electricity, the only other source of light inside being a few hanging lanterns. ]

text: un: trienemybest

[droptheious]

Hi there! Texting ahead of time like you asked. I wanted to check out that cool bullet thing of yours and I've managed to get a prototype for your arm cobbled together too. It's not finished yet, but I can at least check on the fit for you.

[This kid just casually cobbling together an entire human arm in the space of a couple weeks. Honestly, he took his TIME on this. It's usually so much worse. ]

[doubledollar]

[ OH HEY this is a lovely text to get on a sunday morning. vash is out doing his morning exercises when his phone beeps at him, so he's quick to respond. ]

hey!! thanks for giving me the heads up, i'm around the garden today so your trip won't be in vain
and wait what seriously you have a prototype already??? i expected it to take months, wow

you're the real deal genius huh

7/1 after vash speaking w/ kni. text; un: kesitakame

[hoshikiri]

[Vash's sudden departure from work was an immediate concern. Takame did worry about him taking on too much after shift's end (partially because Takame would be more than glad to take on anything extra) but he's never left that abruptly.

Normally he wasn't one to pry, he would just let things be. But this... it didn't feel right. So Takame contacted him some time after he left.]

Are you alright? You left in a hurry, did something happen?

[doubledollar]

[ he should have expected it. he's moving through the city as quick as he can without gaining too much attention--he doesn't want to get in trouble for moving faster than a 'human' generally can, but. when his phone beeps, his... expression softens a bit when he sees who it is.
Ah. Did he leave that abruptly... oh no. ]

ah
did i worry you
im sorry
something ... came up
someone.
i think...
i think my brother might have showed up in the city

text | UN: Thorn

[poisontippedcure]

Vash, are you there? There's something I want to talk to you about.

[doubledollar]

[ it might take a moment for him to answer. he's dealing with a lot in the last few days, but the moment he has even a second, of course he's messaging rose back. ]

still alive--despite all the skywater
rain really is some crazy stuff, huh

what's up

[ his message is that mix of attempt at being casual but also written... way too fast ]

UN: Shroud | Text | A couple days after Kni's arrival

[whiteshroud]

[Jun doesn't know how this text will go down, which is why he hesitated for a few days. But in the end, he wanted to make things clear for his own sense of peace.]

I understand you want to change your brother's path.
In the name of mercy, you have one chance.

But should he stray back to his old path,
And prove to be a threat to the people of this world.
I will destroy him myself.

1/2

[doubledollar]

[ it makes him feel profoundly sick, for a handful of moments
getting a message like this from someone he knows
yet he doesn't, at the same time
he's seen what shroud is capable of, so there isn't a moment that he doubts that the white-cloaked man can accomplish what he's promising here, but there's that hundred-year-old instinct to prevent death that rears up in his head
along with the instinctual desire to protect his own kind

and it takes another dozen moments for him to stomp the feeling down flat long enough so he can rationalize an answer that isn't a shotgun spray of misaligned emotions.

he knows
he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows so profoundly what the right answer is. He's known for a long time. ]

[7/20][text] username; ndwolfwood

[asipofbride]

i fuckedu p

[doubledollar]

i could jump to so many conclusions rn
but im not
im gonna give you a whole 10 mins to explain yourself instead of assuming you crashed angelica and are now lost somewhere in the woods

[ he jumped to a conclusion anyway ]

7/20 (text) | un: kni

[ornamentals]

are we going to eat brad?

Re: 7/20 (text) | un: kni

[doubledollar]

[ it's some sort of comedic timing that he gets this text at the same time that he gets this one.

Oh my god wolfwood. ]

NO WAY. Absolutely not, not in a thousand, thousand years--

Brad is my friend, he's not food!!

shortly after Birthday,

[fionnuisce]

[A box shows up on the cottage's doorstep addressed to Vash, containing a box with a radio in Vash's clearly preferred color and a small collection of albums from Queen, The Police, and David Bowie.]

[...he grew up in England in the 70s-80s, leave him alone.]

Vash-

Sorry the technology's probably comically behind to you. I thought you and your brother might like a little Earth culture lesson, so I tried to pick out a few things you might enjoy.

Happy birthday.

-Waver

what the fuck yo

[doubledollar]

[ given that Varian brought him a working generator for the cottage that can run something like the radio easily? this fucking thing is gonna become regular use at the cottage.

vash is definitely not crying over the fact that it's a thoughtful gift--music is an amazing gift in and of itself, the fact that waver got a radio thats HIS COLOURS is just a step above...

he's gonna write you one hell of a thank you note in return waver, get ready for it ]

[8/2][group chat: house](for the cottage crew+guests)

[asipofbride]

[ @ ndwolfwood is adding multiple people to a group message! ]
[ there's a picture attached of a black cat just. passed the fuck out in the laundry. the laundry that belongs to wolfwood. wolfwood's laundry. ]

did one of ya'll bring a creature to the house

[ornamentals]

it looks like a cat.

voice: UN: hotgoss during the Krusnik mess

[bebest]

[Does Zulius sound stressed out? He's definitely stressed out. Barely holding on by a thread, really.]

Ring ring, Babe. Vogue telephone tree. Have you seen Takame or Rose anywhere? They're both late for work and I can't get in touch with either of them and I'm starting to freak OUT.

I swear to god, if you don't answer me either I'm gonna start screaming.

[doubledollar]

[ at the very least, vash will pick up. almost immediately, honestly. theres a brief moment of relief in his throat as he can be happy knowing Zulius is safe, but

the next thing zulius says just makes the panic he's already feeling cave in his chest furthur.
Breathe, alien boy, breathe. ]

I'm here. I'm here, I'm sorry, I left work as soon as Sei showed up so I didn't get the --

[ now isnt the time for that. ]

Rose and Takame aren't answering my texts, either.
I've been-,calling a few people, and they're--

Zulius, Dante's brother just disappeared and he's freaking out.

Someone made a grab for my kid brother and my buddy Eve.

Delivery! August

[whiteshroud]

[Outside the cottage there'll be a package. Inside the package is a couple birthday gifts. The first one to Vash is a 12-pack of dunkin donuts of various flavors, a set of red gardening tools, and finally a small canvas painting of red geraniums (minus the stock image water marks) done and signed 夜道純 (Jun's name)

The second gift is to Kni. It's a collection of various school supplies such as pencils, a pencil sharpener, notebooks, a ruler, a compass, a scientific calculator, colored pencils, folders, and a bento-style lunch box. Among this there's an envelope that contains about $100 for Kni's backpack and a list of stores you can find good backpacks (because it's important for kids to pick out their own, the note emphasizes).

Finally there are smaller packages for the other housemates: a pack of quality tea bags for Libra, and a giftcard to a shoe store for Wolfwood.

Attached to all of this is a pop-up birthday card with a handwritten note: ]

Happy belated Birthday Vash!

I'm sorry this is late, I only got out of house arrest recently. I heard Kni was starting school soon and shares a birthday with you, so I thought to send some school supplies to help him out.

Hope all's been well.

Always your friend,
Jun Nightroad

[doubledollar]

[ birthday card is getting a place of pride on his cork board, even after the sudden explosion of music makes wolfwood and vash scatter from it like a pair of scared hens.

boy this is one hell of a thoughtful gift and you're gonna get one hell of a hug the next time he can work it naturally into a conversation. ]

9/3 text

[ornamentals]

[after seeing this post:]

you need to check in on your pet, vash
it seems like he's having some trouble.

[doubledollar]

[ wait hold on wait hold on there's too much happening at once here he needs to address one at a time-- ]

did
did you just call wolfwood my pet!?

voice; un: noxxed

[sassery]

[Sssssomeone has been hearing shit on the teacher grapevine about a certain plant twin- and honestly, it hits Nox in a way that he's far too familiar with.

So Vash is getting a call from Nox, surprisingly, and it may not be exactly what Vash is expecting at first.]

Hey, Vash- question for you. How's Kni been doing in school?

[He already knows the answer, really.]

[doubledollar]

[ somehow, he'd not at all be surprised IF someone's at least heard about his little brother's unfortunate... run-ins at school, but. Getting a call from nox makes him at least hope someone might be looking out for him.

He laughs a little as the question hits his ears, and he finds himself nodding along. ]

As I expected, he's a bit too smart for the class he's in. He gets bored quick.

[ he pretty much knows everything, already. and has to show off, too. ]

It's mostly the social aspect that I'm worried about. Focused on?

text; backdated to the evening of 25 August

[prontissimo]

SO...
I met Kni today.
🙃🌤️🌱🙎🏼💁🏽‍♂️☕🍝🧀

[ He came. Kni didn't ditch! They actually met! And Vash not only gets a report on how things went, look at that — he even gets a visual illustration. Vash obviously got a real pro on the case, here. ]

[doubledollar]

Heh, oh yeah??
I'm guessing all those emojis are a story about how it went...

Should I try to decipher it? I'm hoping he behaved himself.

action, shortly after her talk with Jun, early Sept-ish

[playtag]

[Not long after she heard that Jun has a bookshelf on offer for her, Eve goes searching through the cottage for Vash. Hopefully he's back from work by now. If not, she'll wait until he comes through the door and settles in before hovering nearby. Like a small but quiet shadow.]

Vash. Are you busy?

[doubledollar]

[ fortunately, he had a pretty early shift today--so when he does get home, she'll catch him getting his gardening gloves on--his sun hat in his hands. He gives her a look, and then grins, wide. ]

Was just gonna' check the garden for evil weeds, but I can put it on hold.

What's up, Evie?

voice! UN: Thorn

[poisontippedcure]

[Act normal! Act normal. Takame might have been tipped off by her change in behavior, but that didn't mean everyone needed to be. It would take some time, but she would recover. She had to.]

[Still, her time in Purgatory weighs heavily on her mind. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to see her friends again, and she was struck acutely by how much she'd miss them. So here she is today, reaching out to Vash. It has nothing to do with the fact she doesn't want to be alone now.]

Vash, are you free today? I was wondering if you'd want to go somewhere.

[doubledollar]

[ it's not terribly unusual to go a few days without talking to some people--maybe it was due to Vash's immortality that he lost track of days, but there was also that whole... thing where he really didn't feel like anything was off.
Despite the fact that Rose, Moxxie, and Zulius were missing. Despite the fact that he was going to work and just not Seeing Some People who he saw almost every day.

The thought doesn't even hit him as that terribly odd when he gets a phonecall from one of his favorite people, flipping his phone up to his ear with a happy little hum when he saw the name on the screen. ]

Free as a bird. I can put away some time for you. You got anyplace in mind? I can be there as quick as I can get brad to run into town.

[not_a_possum]

[Vash gets a platter of fancy cupcakes and a book on cupcake decoration.]