[He wished he could reach out and keep him from falling when the effect the thing had on him made him stumble, and Nick's hands actually did reach out for a moment before Vash was righting himself. But in the grand scheme of things, he had little time to really be thankful, or even process Vash's concern for his continued ethereal existence, before the sound of that thing, the screaming and growling and shrieking coalesced into a moment of shock as it smashed its way through a nearby dune with little regard for the sensible way of travel.
No, that was the moment the unnatural fear the thing caused turned into legitimate horror, for reasons both obvious and obtuse, a slowly-dawning thought niggling at the back of his mind, not quite taking full shape.]
Jesus, is that a Plant??? What's happened to it???
[He recoiled a small distance, his attention torn between Vash and the thing, at the trail of entrails and gore that followed behind it, the words it screamed ricocheting around almost painfully inside of his head as if he had a physical body again.
It was the feathers, though, that made him feel like he was physically ill for the first time in his entire afterlife. Oh, no, no, he didn't like those. Those were familiar, too familiar, but the instant recognition was too unbelievable. Just a coincidence, just a coincidence! Just...just a Plant thing, it had to be!
So why, then, did he find himself rushing forward, focusing his energy on scooping up a handful of sand before he was letting himself slide through the ball of wings, knowing how painful it was going to be if phasing through any Plant felt as uncomfortable as the times he had shifted through Vash without meaning to, until he was right inside of its personal space and letting his hands carry the sand forward, aiming to phase through the eyes that shone out from within and leave the physical grains behind.]
DOWN, BOY!
[Distract it from Vash, keep it from being able to see him and hope his disembodied shout would be enough of a surprise to confuse it. Even if he worried those feathers didn't need vision to protect the creature underneath, that they were acting of their own accord, keeping it safe whether it wanted them to or not.
Though this one certainly seemed to have more than enough desire to want it. And all the while, something about its words kept rattling through his head.]
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No, that was the moment the unnatural fear the thing caused turned into legitimate horror, for reasons both obvious and obtuse, a slowly-dawning thought niggling at the back of his mind, not quite taking full shape.]
Jesus, is that a Plant??? What's happened to it???
[He recoiled a small distance, his attention torn between Vash and the thing, at the trail of entrails and gore that followed behind it, the words it screamed ricocheting around almost painfully inside of his head as if he had a physical body again.
It was the feathers, though, that made him feel like he was physically ill for the first time in his entire afterlife. Oh, no, no, he didn't like those. Those were familiar, too familiar, but the instant recognition was too unbelievable. Just a coincidence, just a coincidence! Just...just a Plant thing, it had to be!
So why, then, did he find himself rushing forward, focusing his energy on scooping up a handful of sand before he was letting himself slide through the ball of wings, knowing how painful it was going to be if phasing through any Plant felt as uncomfortable as the times he had shifted through Vash without meaning to, until he was right inside of its personal space and letting his hands carry the sand forward, aiming to phase through the eyes that shone out from within and leave the physical grains behind.]
DOWN, BOY!
[Distract it from Vash, keep it from being able to see him and hope his disembodied shout would be enough of a surprise to confuse it. Even if he worried those feathers didn't need vision to protect the creature underneath, that they were acting of their own accord, keeping it safe whether it wanted them to or not.
Though this one certainly seemed to have more than enough desire to want it. And all the while, something about its words kept rattling through his head.]