[Vash had been on his way to the orphanage, to pay a visit to Wolfwood's grave, to try and settle some of the lingering weight in his chest that he knew would never really go away but had hoped would ease somewhat, if only he gave himself a chance to have a proper moment to process everything now that things were all said and done. Give himself a chance to say a proper goodbye, without feeling rushed and panicked, with the threat of annihilation hanging over the heads of everyone who was still alive.
He should have figured that the place wouldn't have stayed empty forever, of course. It had been almost a year since Octovern, and the children still needed a place to live. But he'd still been surprised when, as he neared it, the sounds of children laughing and playing began to filter through the air, and he'd quickly decided to stay out of sight until nightfall. It had warmed his heart, still, to see Livio amongst the sea of children in the distance as he tucked himself into a nearby ruin to nap and wait for everyone to go to bed.
He had only gotten settled for an hour or so before the sound of voices, Plants, his sisters had filled his mind, repeating words in his memory so close to what he remembered that it was like a flashback, and yet just different enough that it was almost more of a shock to his system than the voices themselves. It was enough to make him scramble to his feet before he was staggered again by the rumbling of the ground below him and shocked into a bewildered stupor by the sound of thunder cracking through his head.
Everything went silent afterward, and it almost felt as if the sound had deafened him before he heard a familiar voice in the distance crying out. He moved on instinct, rushing out to help before he registered that the place was strewn with fresh rubble and blood, and the children who had been here only moments before...were...all gone.]
Livio! What happened?!
[Probably not the best way of announcing that he was there, no, but he was rattled and not quite thinking clearly, and people needed help. He was never great at making quick decisions when people were in danger.]
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He should have figured that the place wouldn't have stayed empty forever, of course. It had been almost a year since Octovern, and the children still needed a place to live. But he'd still been surprised when, as he neared it, the sounds of children laughing and playing began to filter through the air, and he'd quickly decided to stay out of sight until nightfall. It had warmed his heart, still, to see Livio amongst the sea of children in the distance as he tucked himself into a nearby ruin to nap and wait for everyone to go to bed.
He had only gotten settled for an hour or so before the sound of voices, Plants, his sisters had filled his mind, repeating words in his memory so close to what he remembered that it was like a flashback, and yet just different enough that it was almost more of a shock to his system than the voices themselves. It was enough to make him scramble to his feet before he was staggered again by the rumbling of the ground below him and shocked into a bewildered stupor by the sound of thunder cracking through his head.
Everything went silent afterward, and it almost felt as if the sound had deafened him before he heard a familiar voice in the distance crying out. He moved on instinct, rushing out to help before he registered that the place was strewn with fresh rubble and blood, and the children who had been here only moments before...were...all gone.]
Livio! What happened?!
[Probably not the best way of announcing that he was there, no, but he was rattled and not quite thinking clearly, and people needed help. He was never great at making quick decisions when people were in danger.]