「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- ...He was pretty sure that wasn't how safety glass worked. It was tougher than normal glass and it didn't break into piercing shards. Not usually, at least... but given that it was another him, that would be just their luck, wouldn't it?

This was going to give him a headache if he thought about it for too much longer. He supposed it didn't really matter how it had happened, but it had happened.

"...Well, I guess it doesn't matter how it happened..."

Man, he really didn't want to do this... Sure, it wasn't like there wasn't anything he hadn't seen on the guy - they were doppelgangers so they'd be relatively the same physically... but that didn't make it any less weird.

"An' yer sure ya couldn't've gone to a hospital fer this...?" He was going to be as fast about this as possible.

“A hospital, for something like this? It’s not going to kill me.” Vash has seen hospitals, mostly places where people go to die of tuberculosis or other incurable diseases. This is just glass. Pour some booze on it and he’ll be fine in a week.

…Not that he could afford to go lie in a fancy hospital. He’d tried calling some of the doctors he found on the internet, but they all insisted he make an appointment, which was dumbfounding. What’s the good of a doctor you have to book in advance? Most people don’t know they’re going to be shot two weeks before it happens.

Vash finishes taking his clothes off. Oh look, he’s started bleeding again. He snatches a towel to hold to it.

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before. You don’t have to get embarrassed about it.” Part of him says that the other Vash must be grossed out by how he looks, but that makes no sense. They’re the same person! They have the same body!

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- He stared at his doppleganger for a good long while yet again. Somehow... he got the feeling that this guy didn't see them as separate entities at all. They were one and the same, apparently.

Which, sure, they were similar, but...

Man, was this how other people saw him...? - He thought it not for the first time since meeting this other Vash. Not that he thought he was any better than him, he was sure that he wasn't. But the guy was still annoying.

Was that a bad thing to think about, technically, oneself?

"It might not kill you but it could still get infected, y'know...? Besides, I'm really not lookin' forward ta pickin' glass outta your backside..." He'd do it anyways though.

When the other him said that it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before, the elder of the two twitched slightly. "Look, just because we're physically almost the same, it doesn't mean I'm fine with it -"

He sighed. He was already picking out glass, his lips pursed.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Maybe he was far more directly involved in his own detainment than he'd like to admit, but... well! That was beside the point! He really had been trying to do something good! It wasn't like he went out looking for trouble - at least not intentionally! ...Most of the time...

Vash could barely defend himself, though. It was true - these guys were shady and he'd just admitted to being with them when they were all dragged into the station. ...He'd also taken their weapons and interfered, sticking his nose where it didn't belong once again. That was what had spurred all of this on....

He was certainly reckless of his own safety as well.

His cheeks puffed out. Pouting. He was pouting.

"I just took their weapons to stop those guys from going into an all out fight... Somebody could'a gotten shot, but then they just ran after me instead..." - Saying nothing of the oversized custom revolver at his own hip...

It was a mock sort of upset as he was chided by an apparent child. He knew how stupid it sounded when he said it aloud. He knew that it wasn't something most people would do - filching weapons and then trying to deescalate the problem...

Then Vash blinked. He looked at the much smaller young man next to him. He'd missed it at first, but yeah... the kid had pretty big ears... However, something else was what he focused on - "Y'know, if you're an Echo, ya can just 'em and they'll stop trying to contact yer parents."

was this guy... pouting?

a grown ass adult acting like a toddler?

and the guy wasn't even a half-foot. although he himself took great offence to the practice of his kin of making themselves appear younger in behaviour to manipulate other races, at least he understood where it came from.

this guy wasn't a half-foot. no matter how chilchuck looked at it, he was a tall-man and probably one well into his adult life too.

this display was almost... sad. no. not almost. it was just sad.

"sure. whatever you say, i guess." the way chilchuck could physically feel his vitality dry out with every passing moment, he simply could not muster any more will to point out the obvious insanity in the tale. he was almost afraid to bite onto the actually seemingly promising bone he had been tossed here. but for now he would. if it turned out more trouble than it was worth, at least he was used to tuning out idiots.

"aside from the fact that i'm far too old for anyone to be contacting my folks, i'm not sure i wanna know what you're talking about. but you do sound slightly convincing, so i'll at least hear you out."

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- "Really, if ya just tell 'em that you came out of th' big tower in the city center they'll -"

Wait...

Vash sat there for a moment.

Too old?!

Perhaps too obviously, his eyes scanned over the person he assumed was a child. Maybe he was a teenager actually? ...He guessed the guy did look a bit older than an actual child.

And then he full on pointed at him.

"Too old? Hang on - how old are you?!"

Knives is No Man's Land's God because he made them men in his image: desperate for survival to the point of unforgivable violence.

poor fucking guy :(

Trimax Vol 1 Ch 1

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- He was collapsed in a heap next to the man he'd accidentally dropped in on. Having landed on top of the man briefly before rolling off of him. Getting tossed around was hardly anything new to Vash. He did it plenty to himself or got it during chases and fights. Still, having a rusty ladder crash down on top of him definitely hurt. Not to mention the the coffee that had been launched into the air and was now soaking into his freshly cleaned coat.

He pushed the ladder pieces off of himself, groaning as he sat up, "Sorry about that... Are you all - Wolfwood?!"

He lit up somewhat, perking up with a small smile on his lips and a fresh light in his eyes. All attempt to ask if the other man was fine was foregone. It was Wolfwood, he'd be all right... maybe sore and annoyed, but physically probably better off than anybody else it could've been.

Moving into a crouch, he started shifting the pieces of ladder off of the once priest. Chit-chatting like all was well and normal (after all, Wolfwood knew the drill and Vash wasn't bothered by the threat), "I'll buy ya another coffee... This district is pretty shady, what're you doin' here?"

With a disgruntled groan and a couple of swears—two of course sandwiching the other man’s name in between-he picks himself up and gets to dusting off. Dust here, dust there, but worst of all, a stain on his brand new sweater! If not for already at LEAST being able to have had food in peace earlier, he probably would have yelled. Oh well. He got lucky.

“I think the better question is what YER doin here. Who the hell is your pin-cushion ass ‘runnin from now?”

Even in a land where neither of them were known outlaws the guy could find a way to spark issues anyway. In all honesty, it was kind of impressive. Kind of. It would be if the results weren’t always at HIS expense some how.

“Heard they had a good coffee shop here so I risked it ‘n came. Then did some volunteer work for the morning, too. More boring stuff than you’ve been up to, clearly...”

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Vash was sat back on his heels, looking much like a dog being scolded as he ducked his head while Wolfwood climbed to his feet and brushed himself off with several grumbles. It did seem that the location could change but the trouble that followed him never did.

The gunman soon raised his head though with a rather dopey smile he hoped would charm the other man into forgiving him (probably not, but he could try, couldn't he?).

"Well... ya see -"

"I SAW HIM GO THIS WAY!"

Nary a thought was given as he quickly scrambled up to his feet and grabbed the other man's wrist, taking off at the fasted bolt he possibly could. Exasperated laughter bubbled forth as they went skidding around another corner. "I might've gotten a little mixed up with those Vemon Rings guys when I first got here and they want me back in the betting pool!!"

His grip on Wolfwood's wrist was tight.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐈 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐘 a merry people . this alone was not the strangest of things , when within the many realms and the many cosmos of asgard's reach , there were many a merry peoples . did not the light elves of Álfheimr break bread and drink wine to the content of their heart of hearts ? or did the great dwarves of niðavellir not boast and brawl , whilst wrapped in the embraces of their golden meads ?

NAY . it was not the merriment of the aercon that was a stranger to thor .

it was instead that perhaps he was now a stranger to it .

the strangest of all was how truly familiar it felt to stand upon the outskirts of the jovial and discover that his footsteps lay bound just before their threshold ; strange , to once again find that merriment was a HEAVIER BURDEN than any battle .

such a sentiment . . . . would be left UNSPOKEN , as so many burdens often were , laid upon the offering seat of a throne .

but as the bulbous pulps of the game went flying , sending showers of colored powder to BURST as they hit streets , and walls , and ceilings , thor watched over their joy , and found that even the ache of his melancholy glowed as an ember of love .

and this was something deeply rooted in star - sovereign's esteemed confidence : an ember that he shared with a dwindling few . so it happened that thor felt rather than saw or heard the APPROACH of one of those few — his , a familiar hum of radiant energies . ( though perhaps bearing a bit more frantic static as of late . )

thor balanced his weight upon his fist and cocked his head to one side , silently acknowledging vash's forthright step into his presence .

❝ i am simply watching their game , ❞ said he , responding to the query posed of what it was he was doing up here , so far from the festivities itself . he rocked his head forwards , directing vash's attention to the crowd below . ❝ its purpose is foreign to me . i have never before seen such play . ❞

and the fact of it was that thor had seen a great many things , and was fated to see a great many more .

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Keen eyes had noticed the god watching from on high. He'd broken away from the children to go and poke his nose where it certainly didn't belong. Again.

The Plant had sauntered his way up to the shop rooftop. His own clothes were marked with colorful smears of powder, partially drenched by water. His pants, his shirt. Part of his hair had been dyed yellow again by it. He left a little trail behind himself.

Vash hummed slightly, one leg crossing behind the other as he leaned against the railing. Fingers absentmindedly plucked at his shirt slightly, a burst of blue pluming into the air as he let go, shaking some of it from his person.

He folded his arms.

He hummed slightly as he looked down below alongside Thor. "Mm... Honestly, I don't really understand it myself sometimes since back home there wasn't a whole lot ta celebrate either... but does it really have ta have a purpose? I guess it's sort of a community-building game, letting go of all the usual stuff and just doin' something fun for a while."

Vash raised a hand, waving with a smile down at the little group of children who were pointing in his direction once they'd noticed him.

"It might seem tough to get it back, and maybe we can't ever get it back completely, but even folks like us still deserve to laugh and smile sometimes..." Blue eyes glanced at the god. He pushed off of the rail, tipping back on his heels. "Maybe it's none of my business, but I think the kids would really appreciate another player - they say I'm too slippery and they need somebody who can really get me."

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Vash was already jamming his finger on the button when Legato got there. As if that would call the elevator any faster. When it did arrive they both hurried inside, Vash hitting the button to close the doors at the same time that Legato hit the button for the floor.

Another look outside as the doors closed revealed that the people were still locked in place by Legato's power. It made Vash shiver imperceptibly remembering the feeling of being locked in by that very power himself. But now wasn't the time for that -

"Well, I mean, ya were planning on dealing with me, weren't you?" It went unspoken - what else would Legato expect when planning on anything involving Vash? This was just how it went when he got involved in anything. He offered an awkward sort of smile, regretful, maybe? Being stuck in an elevator with Legato was definitely strange...

"...I'm pretty thankful for it..." Vash's expression grew somewhat sullen, but he still smiled. "It was nice, but it wasn't real, right?"

The elevator dinged, opening up on the top floor.

A short, relieved breath escapes the human and he leans against the metal wall of the elevator, automatically angling his body so his shoulder piece doesn't hit the wall. They're not free yet, not even close, but with the doors closed and the metal box moving, it feels like danger is a little further away.

"Not exactly in public, but yes. I just... Seeing our things here, on display as if we don't own them, as though we aren't real people, it makes me angry." His unburdened shoulder shrugs and he glances at Vash though the fringe of longer than normal hair.

"It was nice, for a little bit. But... no. It was not real. They were not real. Just shadows and illusions, like this place always has for us." He steps out without another word, cautiously glancing around the roof.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Silence passed between them for a moment. He didn't quite know how to respond. Or rather... he didn't want to feel what he was feeling. Just for a moment. The breath he took was slightly shakey. "Yeah... I kinda had a feeling about it fer a while, honestly..."

The moment they could get out of the elevator, Vash was moving. Not before pressing every single button he could though - at least make one elevator nearly unusable...

It took far longer than it should have for the doors to close back up, but that was fine by Vash for now. They had bigger things to worry about anyways. He went over to peer around the rooftop, looking for a way down or anything that might prove useful.

...There!

"Hey! There's a ladder over here!" There wasn't really anything else they could use and the sound of sirens was coming closer. They had to go and going back down the stairs was too risky. The fire escape ladder was their best bet with nothing really around for them to try and scramble over to.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Another year, another spring. Another day of fooling around with the local children. This time, though, was special - Coating Colors Day. Vash was dodging whatever the children threw at him, letting them get him every now and then. After all, letting them get in a couple of good hits was only fair!

It had been going well with another round just about to start when Vash had noticed several kids dragging another around by the arm - sort of mousy brown hair, big ears, covered in yellow paint...

Oh boy.

They were taking a brief recess from the running around when he finally had a chance to ask the kids who were parading Chilchuck around, "Hey now, did you all ask him if he wanted ta play?" - They were young and would probably just be confused by the fact that Chilchuck was actually an adult. (A fact that Vash had only recently become aware of himself, but who knew if the poor guy had wanted to be dragged off into a paint war.)

One of the children had a firm grip on Chilchuck's arm. "You said anybody could play! And he was all by himself!"

Vash looked both guilty and almost helpless. "Yeah, but I didn't mean you should go and grab whoever ya felt like..." -Even it was nice to grab somebody who looked lonely...

when it came to things chilchuck hadn't expected spending his day on when he woke up that morning, geting covered in paint was definitely high on the list.

although still very unfamiliar with the city and the workings of it, he did want to learn the ropes, and local festivities were always a great way to do that. especially if he was going to be living and establishing a life here. the crowds and noises guided him along, and before he even knew what was going on a tall-man child had approached him and dragged him off to other shenanigans.

granted, the situation hadn't fully been explained to him before the games began, and the amount of washing he would have to do later of both his body and his clothes he dreaded. but maybe it was a parental weakness that he just really wasn't able to get upset with these children.

"well, if it isn't the big guy." as vash appeared to chatise the kids, chilchuck addressed him casually even though the other was annoyingly talking over him. the half-foot was getting an impression that the other was seeing him as an unfortunate victim. or that he was going to snap at the kids any moment. honestly he understood why such assumptions might be the case, but that didn't mean it wasn't annoying.

"you know i'm perfectly capable of both hearing what you're saying and answering your questions myself right?" maybe a bit harsh, but then again he could be much harsher if he wished. he put his hand on the shoulder of the kid. most likely the eldest in the group, and a slight bit taller than he himself was. "these guys did explain it. well, mostly at least. so don't be too harsh on them."

steadily the group of children began joining in, curious to what was going on and when their games could continue. that was when chilchuck got an idea. "or are you actually just being harsh because you're scared they would beat you if you got dragged in? a silly little children's game like this?"

a young girl gasped behind him. 'could we really beat a big guy like that?!' it didn't take long for more murmurs to join in. and soon many pairs of innocent eyes were locked at the much larger tall-man.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- All right, maybe he had done a bit of passing right over Chilchuck but this was more about teaching the kids that they should really be asking people if they wanted to participate before... Wait....

Huh? What?! How was this -

"Harsh?! I'm just - Hey! I'm already playing with 'em!" He was smattered with color here and there on his shirt and pants, having discarded his coat and glasses for safe-keeping at a water stand.

And maybe he had been dodging them a little too much but -

The children were joining in, "Mr. Vash, you move too fast! It's too difficult to hit you!" "But it's fun if it's hard..." "But it's too hard! We never get him ever but he always gets us!"

"Hey - wait -" How had turned from playing to ganging up on him?! "Okay! Fine! You're all on! If anybody can get my hair, you win!"

Vash took up a small balloon full of paint, watching the children scatter with a grin.

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Nothing was there.

中文版↓

Tell me what my Muse’s nickname is in your Muse’s phone.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- Ah… a lecture. Man, that sure was familiar.

The gunman dipped his head down just slightly, his fingers fiddling together as he was half scolded. He looked thoroughly embarrassed. “I didn’t see that two of ‘em were in the car as I was popping the tires.. they got out an’ started chasing me right when the others left th’ bank… then all of ‘em were after me. At least they dropped the money before they came after me?”

Then Dan Heng was talking about having spent his entire life fighting and wanting to use his skills to protect those who mattered to him...

His smile softened, turning into something more gentle and genuine than performative. Vash understood that. He was the same in that regard. Blue eyes were warm. “...I think that's an admirable goal. Just make sure that the weight of that decision isn't too much for you."

He knew the burden. Especially of handling it all alone. - Not that he’d take his own advice either.

Fortunately, Dan Heng wasn't one to go on and on-- he'd given his little piece of advice and explanation, and that was all. There was no need to get too involved in other people's lives, after all. Most of them wouldn't even listen.

And somehow, he doubted that Vash would learn his lesson.

He sighed, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck, before crossing his arms over his chest. "I suppose so. Hopefully, the police will clear everything with the bank as well. You did tell them about the full incident, right?"

Then, his gaze lowered, a slight press of his lips hinting at some deeper rumination. He shut his eyes, exhaled, then looked up again, calmly meeting Vash's gaze once more. His expression had cooled, save a slight wistfulness, a little set of determination in his jaw.

"It is an impossible goal," he admitted. "There is no way to prevent every disaster, to control every variable... and even if there were, to attempt such a thing would be unjustifiable. All of us will fail someday-- what matters is what we do when that happens."

To accept failure, and to accept farewells-- and to try as hard as he could up until that point.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- "Yeah, I told them. They said they'd take care of everything so we don't have to go to the station!"

Learning those sorts of lessons about where he should and shouldn't butt in really wasn't Vash's strong suit. He'd been told it all plenty of times, but it never seemed to quite sink in. Or rather, he refused to change. If he thought he could do something to keep things from getting violent, he would. Even if it landed him in hot water.

Even so, everything seemed to have worked out. At least mostly.

Vash stuck his hands into his pockets as Dan Heng continued to speak. His gaze drifted out to the other civilians who were beginning to go back to their normal routines with the fuss having died down. They were all just people doing their best and living their lives day to day. It wasn't any different from how it had been back home - everyone was trying to survive and get by however they could. Of course they could take a wrong turn here and there, of course people could stumble... but... overwhelmingly...

"Sure, it might be impossible to help everyone, but you don't have'ta control everything about a situation. ...I think that the most important thing you can do is to reach out and understand that the person next to you is breathing and existing. What matters is that we communicate with each other. Even if there's nothing we can do about what's already happened in the past, we can still choose what we do with the future." His own voice was wistful, wishful. Tender even. A little good will, a little kindness from one person to another.

He turned a smile to Dan Heng.

Reason enough to fight