doubledollar | IC INBOX

[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.

[ 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.

[Vash doesn’t seem to notice anything is wrong, and Rose is grateful. She doesn’t want anyone worrying about her, especially after she broke down in front of Takame. If Vash never found out that she sacrificed herself to save Zulius…]

[She’d be grateful. She smiles earnestly. Perhaps she can just forget for today.]

I’ll leave it up to your recommendation. I’m sure you know more of the town than me.

Oh? My recommendation? Okay, I have a great idea, then.
There's this new store that popped up there, recently--it's like a fruit store with a cafe attached. Apparently they make amazing desserts using the rare fruits from the shop...

[ poor vash still has Not coined in that Rose is going through some serious shit--something that his Sense Pain will absolutely pick up on the moment they're together. Sorry, Rose. ]

It's in Midtown. Shall we meet up around there? I can leave right away!

That sounds lovely. I'll meet you there.

[And true to her word, Rose heads immediately into midtown. She's putting on her best smile today, and there's no outward sign that anything is amiss.]

[Outward being the keyword.]

[Rose may have been able to heal any physical injuries she had, now that her powers are back, but that doesn't mean the mental injuries are healed. Far from it. Rose is doing the world's worst cover up job, and that much is going to be apparent the moment Vash steps within thirty feet of Rose. It's the equivalent of using a small bucket to try to save the Titanic.]

[ her injuries are certainly nowhere to be seen, out of mind and all that. He's a little slower to arrive, given he lives outside the city and a bitch can only fly so fast--but.

As he halfway jogs up the road, towards where he can see the red-haired Miquo'te waiting for him, his quick pace slows to a sort of... quietly concerned walk.

He can feel it. Once he breaches that 30-foot radius, it's like walking through a swamp--there's a discordant feeling in his blood, shuddering down his spine. There's always a sort of sense around the 'Warriors of Light'--the lingering sense of pain and loss they always carried.
But somehow, it was always sort of like an aftertaste, a tang at the back of his throat that reminded him of his own lingering ennui.

But this was different.
This was real and actual pain and anguish, a thinly veiled suffering that she hides behind the bright smile she's giving him as he approaches.

He could let this play out, but. ...Honestly speaking, he can't. It's so strong, he can nearly eel the pain himself--which makes it so when he finally reaches Rose's side...

He can only draw his arms around her, and pull her into a tight, firm hug. ]

[The smile is even more genuine as Vash comes into view. It's good to see her friend again. It makes her feel better.]

[And then comes his reaction. At least with Takame, she'd known when she folded. Here, there's a few seconds of thinking this is just Vash--this is just Vash being friendly. Vash has no idea what happened, and she can keep it that way.]

[But then the hug lingers, and it's clear that he knows something is wrong. She's been trying so hard the last few days to pretend she's okay, and here she is now, barely keeping her tears back.]

I missed you.

[ he won't accuse her of anything, he won't demand answers. he knows there's something wrong here, and he's definitely not letting go right away--or very timely at all, really. Deciding to keep his arms firm and around the other with a sort of quiet determination. Fingers dragging over her ears as he tucks her head under his chin, a sort of musical sound tickling her... ears? It doesn't really sound like something she can 'hear', but rather, a sound that's in vash's voice, in his breath--lifting off his skin as he holds her against him. ]

I missed you, too. [ a simple enough response, but not quite the weight he's looking for. He shakes his head. ] I don't know where you went. Or what happened. But you're here now, you're home.

[ and he's going to make sure she knows it. ]

You're gonna' be okay.

[Rose stays where she is for just a minute, letting the emotions wash over her. It's a small thing, but the hug helps. It helps her a lot more than she'd ever admit, probably.]

Thank you. [She finally lets go, and wipes any stray tears as she manages a smile.]

I know--I know I'm safe here, but sometimes it's difficult to remember, you know?

[ if nothing else, he will always have a hug ready for her. even if he technically only had one arm--he'd find a way to hold Rose to him whenever she needed it.

The buzz of pain in Rose's soul doesn't quite die down just from the action, but. At the very least... he can try to soothe it. ]

I know. Even the most tender of days come with tough ones, as well. [ he's lived 150 long years, he knows not every day is good. But... ]

If you were hurting so badly. You should have told me.

[ what happened. ]

I don't know who hurt you. But you know I'm here to help you pick up the pieces, Rose.

[She may not be smiling, but there's a part of her that's happy. Well, if not happy, content, at least. As dreadful as talking about all this is--it's certainly better than being there. And it's good to see her friends again too.]

They're gone, I think. I don't know if Zulius or any of the others there filled you in, but the realm we were taken too is closed now. They can't hurt us.

[A small relief, at least.]

I--we--figured that they had done something to mess with everyone's memories here. If they hadn't, we knew that you would have come for us.

[But they didn't, which could only mean there was something going on.]

And I thought that--that since nobody here knew--it would be better to not say anything. I thought that since the gate was closed, I'd stop feeling afraid. But I didn't.

Zulius and ... others.

[ it makes... sense. zulius had closed the vogue for a few days and vash hadn't thought anything of it--considered the guy was just taking a few days off, it was pretty normal? but no, it wasn't normal, was it? that wasn't normal at all. ]

I had no idea any of you were 'gone'. I... kept thinking maybe you were busy or off doing something, it didn't cross my mind... even if it might have, normally.

[ he looks... upset about that? what the fuck. ]

I don't know what they did to you. But I can feel it. [ he's going to once again put his forehead against Roses' temple. Eyes fluttering closed. That odd music that's just on the edges of vash's speech gets a little louder, a little more present in how it almost sinks into rose's mind. gentle. re-assuring. ]

Being afraid is normal. It's what's human.

...Stay with me for a while today, okay? You could even stay over at the cottage, if you'd like.

IC INBOX

voice! UN: Thorn

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voice -> action

action, :_)

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hello thank you for letting me be self-indulgent this evening

i will always be here for self-indulgence

;w;

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