Geranium

[nurturing]

[ A small podunk town outside of Lost July now houses a small science station, cobbled together by pieces from an escape pod. Rem has been busy cataloguing everything she's managed to put together about both NoMan's Land and this glitch in it so far. Her data pad is overfilled with information, including some pre-downloaded survival tips for hot climates.

It means she's not longer horribly sunburnt, at least.

A radio dish and a messy attempt at a solar panel has been somewhat haphazardly attached to the roof of the house she's taken over, but there hasn't been enough parts to finish them so neither of them have been working right so far. The radio sends signals, but the receiver doesn't work. She keeps trying, though, and the adult Vash she met had been helping her set everything up so that she could live there.

Right now she can be found outside of the house, shaking out blankets and hanging them over a line. Vash had left to find more provisions, and she wanted the other bedroom to be clean when he came back. It's very domestic, and she's singing softly to herself. ]

Sooo... on the first celestial evening, a pebble from somewhere out of nowhere drops upon the dreaming world~♪

[ Rem has held it together fairly well so far, but she can't deny the nightmares and the rush of grief that falls over her in the times she's alone in the house, scarred to the bone by the catastrophe she barely escaped. All the dead in the crash, and all the suffering on this planet. ]

Sooo... on the second celestial evening, all the children of the pebble held hands and composed a waltz~♪

[ Rem shakes out another blanket - a smaller one this time, perfectly sized for a child. She needs to get that radio working so that she can try to contact other settlements and see if anyone has seen small versions of her twins. While she met an adult Vash, she's worried that this timeline mess also means that her little twins are around. ]

Sooo... on the third celestial evening, the children's waltz spawned rippling waves across the waking world~♪

[ Then there was Nai. She still hasn't found him, not even an adult version, and she's not stupid - she knows what he did now, but he's her boy, and she needs to know more. She needs to understand why, and she's not ready to hear that something happened to him. She can barely stand the well-hidden (but still obvious to her) sadness in Vash's eyes. ]

Sooo... on the fourth celestial evening, the waves showered the ground upon which every child wandered~♪

[ She shakes out clothes this time, her ship uniform changed to some salvaged clothes and a hooded cloak that protects her from the sun. ]

Sooo... on the fifth celestial evening, the showers on the earth became its beacon of existence~♪

Comments

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash gets pushed back, but this time, he doesn't hesitate and goes after him. ]

Wolfwood. You will just get me to follow you like this.

[ It's not even a threat. It's a statement of fact. ]

[nurturing]

[ Rem's a bit surprised to see Vash pushing the issue even further, and stays back while the boys keep arguing.

If she's putting in her bread piece from earlier and some water in a jug to give to Vash, well... Wolfwood doesn't need to know. ]

[louboutinjudas]

[ Fine. If he won't listen to words maybe he'll listen to actions?

Wolfwood spins on his heel and in one fluid movement aims to crack Stampede right in the face, ideally on the cheekbone, and in a perfect world it'd knock the bastard down. ]

Leave me alone.

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash... might have dodged it. He doesn't try. He takes it on the cheekbone, but doesn't fall, only stumbles back somewhat and catches his glasses before they fall. But he doesn't go back, either. His voice is... quieter, less like a fight and more like actually trying to explain. ]

Wolfwood, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to witness what you did. I'm sorry I didn't prove good enough to make it through. But I'm alive here and now, and you know that I don't give up on people. Any people. Your people, my people, everyone is people.

Let me trust you and help you the way you can choose. Please.

[nurturing]

[ There's a gasp from Rem as Wolfwood takes a swing at Vash, and they're too old for her to get in there and pull them off eachother like she did when the twins were little. All she can do is watch with wide purple eyes and worry.

...at least it didn't seem too bad? Vash even keeps talking like nothing happened, and his words slowly start to make her chest hurt from what he's saying. She's so proud of him. Deescalating, dodging, soothing... he's doing everything to help the situation and it's amazing.

She's not too fond of the light sprinkle of guilt, though. Maybe they should have a conversation about that. Eventually. ]

[louboutinjudas]

[ God, he just won't stop talking, will he? Wolfwood rakes both hands through his own hair just to have something to do that isn't flying at Stampede and pummeling him purple. ]

You don't get it, do you? I don't want anything from you! The only reason we know each other at all is because I agreed to bring you into custody, and in exchange your asshole brother won't take any more kids from the orphanage and turn 'em into monsters like me!

[ He won't look at Rem one time during any of that. He can't. He has to say what he has to say and he can't let himself care if anyone's feelings get caught in the crossfire. ]

And yeah, I feel bad about that! Because you might be the most fucking annoying bastard I've ever met, but you still didn't deserve what the fuck was gonna happen to you once I handed you over. But don't kid yourself. [ He jabs a finger at Stampede's chest. ] If that's what it took to keep those kids safe, I'd kill you myself.

[dontdeserve]

[ .. of course Vash keeps talking like nothing happened, that's not. Nearly bad enough to give him pause. Wolfwood's words, on the other hand, make him take a deep breath and try not to sigh. ]

You're the one who taught me that even when you don't want anything from someone, you can still be granted a lot, you know. Yes, you were there to do a job. But that you helped me, that you listened to me and did things my way when you could, that you didn't abandon me to struggle on my own. All those things are ones I didn't expect you to do, I didn't ask them of you.

[ He is not going to address the monster part directly because they are arguing about enough things already. But he's heard him, loud and clear. ]

Do you think I don't know you would? So stop keeping yourself from keeping them safe, and take the resources you need. That's all.

[nurturing]

[ It's alright, Nicholas. She's steeled her heart now, putting everything away to deal with later. Deal with him later, and do everything she can to help him be better. Instead she's watching her other boy quietly while Wolfwood speaks.

God, what hell is everyone going through on this planet? ]

[louboutinjudas]

[ This planet sucks, Rem. Sorry you get to learn that firsthand. ]

Of course I fucking did things your way! It was my job, how many more times do I have to say it?! If I kept doing things my way, you were gonna get mad and leave me behind, and I couldn't risk that!

[ Not just for the kids, but for Stampede's sake as well. But he's not even admitting that to himself at the moment, much less willing to say something so sentimental and weak out loud. ]

I already took everything I needed from you. I completed my contract.

[ And if he dies now, nobody will suffer for it but him. He doesn't owe anybody anything, not anymore. ]

So are you gonna stand down, or am I gonna beat you unconscious in front of your mom?

[ It's not a bluff. He's done talking. ]

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash kind of raises an eyebrow at Wolfwood, because has he ever really seen him get mad? But that doesn't matter as the next part manages to hurt Vash, and he can't even say why. But the blue eyes show his pain, just for a moment, before he swallows it down, and the smile returns to his lips.

His voice is still very quiet, when he manages to find some words. And no, he doesn't exactly back off, but his shoulders still are slumped in defeat. Because at this point he's pretty sure, for all he knows he's not pushing him for that reason, that what he's trying to help with is right... the pushing is causing Wolfwood to hurt himself in some way or another, and there is a very narrow limit of how much he will willingly hurt people.

And even smaller one of how much he's willing to hurt people he feels more specifically for, compared to the general way in which he loves everyone. ]

Wolfwood... it hasn't been all about your contract. And it doesn't have to be. We'll be here, when... if you are willing to give a chance to that.

[nurturing]

Please calm down, Nicholas. Go do what you need to do.

[ She looks over at Vash and smiles softly. ] Let him go, honey.

[ They both needed to cool off, and the argument was going in circles. It couldn't continue this way, or they'll end up even angrier. Well, Wolfwood might be. Vash seems more hurt than anything, and Rem walks over to put a hand on his shoulder as she looks at the 'undertaker'. ]

We can come back to this later. You can come back. Nobody here is angry at you but yourself, and those feelings seem a little too loud right now. [ They're not kids, Rem. ] Be careful out there.

[louboutinjudas]

[ Wolfwood just glares at the two of them, individually and collectively. If this is what a family is, people standing around telling you how you're supposed to feel about something? Then he's glad he avoided that whole mess entirely. ]

To hell with both of you.

[ He's grabbing that water, though, as he once again storms off. He's mad, not stupid. ]

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash is at least relieved he takes the water. But his hands just hang limply at his sides as the man leaves, the sunburn goop still held in one of them.

It takes a moment past when he loses sight of Wolfwood before he squares his shoulders again, turns to Rem with a smile. ]

I'm sorry. He's. That's not all of how he is. I just seem to be the person he doesn't want to be around anymore, and you got caught up in that. Sorry.

[nurturing]

Vash, you don't have to apologize for the feelings of another person. [ She says softly, pushing down everything Nicholas had said about Nai and torturing children and all those things deep, deep down to be dealt with eventually. Or never. ]

I'm sure he's a good person inside, if that's what you believe. I don't think he can see it right now, so it might take some time for him. We know where he's going, and he knows where this place is, so you two can reunite again when he's a little less ready to burn every bridge he has.

[ She wipes her hands a bit on her makeshift apron, and then gently cups Vash's cheek so she can guide his head down a bit and kiss him on the forehead. ]

You'll be okay, honey. You don't need to smile for me.

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash's breath hitches, and for a moment, he closes his eyes. But the smile stays, just a little sadder, and he wraps his arms around her shoulders, to give comfort against the storm to one person who at least might take it. ]

I don't think he does, no. I'll... Yeah. Later. It... When he is hurt, he can heal, using a special... medicine. But out there on his own, I don't know if he has any. So I'll look after him, later.

[nurturing]

[ That sad smile will break her one day, knowing that such a kind and happy boy carries the world on his shoulders. If she knew how people have treated him, if she knew how lonely he has been, Rem isn't sure if she could breathe any more.

He deserves so much. Her boys both do.

...and she's pretty sure Nicholas could do with knowing he's worth something, too. ]

That sounds good. He seems like the kind of boy not used to kindness and rejects it to not be hurt. [ Rem looks at the house and smiles again. Compress it all. Focus on what's needed. ] I was serious about him having a room here. We better look into building bunk beds or something so we have enough.

[dontdeserve]

[ Vash blinks, once again startled by how efficiently she not only recognizes what the problem in, but puts it into words that make complete and utter sense to him. ]

Oh... Yes, that is also probably a big part of it. Especially since he knows by now I can do more than most people, and yet I still. Failed him already.

[ congratulations, Rem, you broke his mask without breaking him, that's pretty rare.

He tilts his head towards the house, and the brightness that returns to his face is so much sweeter. Relieved, because she gave him one more piece of the puzzle. He doesn't know what he'll do with it, but going in blind is never preferable. ]

That sounds good. I can build a lot of things, I'll help!

[nurturing]

No, honey. You haven't failed anyone. You both had reasons for what happened, and in the end all that matters is to repair the wedge between you. It's not failing him, it's just... a little bit of extra work. Okay?

[ Getting to the root of the problem is what good moms do, and then they help you solve the situation. The new smile on his face is so much more real that it almost makes her teary-eyed and she wraps an arm around Vash, leaning in to kiss his cheek. ]

I expect the best of beds for all my boys!

[dontdeserve]

Oh! Oh, no, no, no, I don't think I failed him! I think because from his point of view... Well, I'm a plant, right? Supposed to live long, and he knows I'm pretty resilient. So then he thinks he sees me die, and that's like putting his faith in someone and then they fail him.

[ and Vash knows that job or not, Wolfwood would not have called him out on his death wish if it didn't matter.

But we're not bringing that up before mom. ]

Extra work is extra work. Never will be afraid of it! With people or with beds!

[nurturing]

Mm. Good.

[ Rem makes a small noise in agreement, at least relieved that her boy isn't racking up any more guilt at the moment. Just a switch in perspective. ]

I know you're not afraid of it. You're such a good boy, Vash. [ Smiling, she ruffles his hair again and then leads him off to the house. Please help her eat the bug soup, it's crunchy. ]