nomans_land | Geranium

Geranium

[ 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~♪

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[ This is not his JuLai.

It's been an interesting couple of days to say the least. One minute he was well on his way to getting completely, satisfyingly, mind-erasingly drunk in some filthy bar on the far side of the aptly named Carcasses, and the next the world split open with a choir of angels singing knives of song right through his brain. When he could see again, the bar was gone, Carcasses was... different, proper synth buildings replaced with stone and clay, and, probably the most frightening of all, no people. Nobody at all.

Oh, there were bodies, starved and desiccated, but nobody alive. He'd always figured Hell was made up, but if it really did exist, Wolfwood was prepared to swear that an empty world made for much better torment than fires and pitchforks.

So he'd headed to JuLai. Why not? If this really was Hell, then JuLai was the site of his worst betrayal, the crime he'd been well and truly damned for. Walking half a day across the sands proved to him that his body still worked -- more or less -- so he'd clawed his way back into Carcasses and found himself a car to hotwire.

JuLai -- or July, as the map he'd found in the car named it -- was different as well. He'd been expecting a crater in the middle of the desert, but what he found instead was a pile of rubble. Abandoning his vehicle, Wolfwood wandered through the empty streets, trying to wrap his head around what exactly he was doing here. The bricks were softened by the wind and sand, and the drifts against the few walls still standing proved that this city had been blasted years ago.

There was nothing here for him, he finally had to admit, and he was just about to turn around, head back into the city and find that car again, when he heard singing.

He was running before he was aware of it, desperate in a way he didn't want to think about quite yet for the sound of another human voice, the sight of another person's face. And then there she was, a woman standing outside of a slapdash kind of building, hanging up laundry like it was any summer's day. If there'd been any water left in his body he might have cried for joy. ]

Yo!

[ Exhausted, sunburned, looking more than a little wild, he stumbled down the incline and headed in her direction. ]

Are you real?

Sooo... on the sixth celest-

[ She pauses as she hears a voice call out to her that isn't the Vash she knows, turning to see a man heading her way. She raises a hand in greeting, putting down the next blanket as she does. ]

Hello! Last time I checked, I was definitely real.

[ There's a smile, and she raises a water jug towards him so he will join her. Poor guy looked like a mess, and with what Vash had told her, people were sparse around here.

He could definitely use her help. ]

[ He could definitely use her help! Wolfwood runs for her -- and the promise of water -- on shaking legs. If there isn't a glass, he'll just drink straight from the pitcher, but one way or the other, every drop is going down his throat, and now. And then, sloshing, he collapses at her feet, out of breath but more alive than he's felt in however many days it's been. ]

I'm saved.

[ She laughs a little at the way he chugs the water, and then throws one of the thin blankets over his head to keep him cool. ]

You should get in the shade and rest a little. I have some food inside and my boy is getting more provisions.

[ So he knows that he's not taking anything she can't give. ]

What are you doing out in the sun without equipment?

[ The blanket is far too hot, even as thin as it is, but she's right that he needs shade. He drapes it over his head in a cowl, and just getting the sun off his head has him feeling more and more human by the minute.

My boy is getting provisions, she says, and he hears the warning in those words. Don't start anything -- I'm not alone. Grinning one of his more harmless grins, he folds his legs up under him, content to just sit for awhile and let all that water soak into his system. See how non-threatening he is? ]

It's not by choice! I just woke up here. Well... [ And he jerks his chin back the way he came. ] ...A day or so north of here anyway, wherever here is.

[ He squints at her then, in the bright sunsslight, and while he's grinning pleasantly there's still a wariness to his voice as he asks: ]

You are real, aren't you? 'Cause let me be honest, up until I saw you I was pretty sure this was Hell.

[ Very non-threatening! It definitely works on her, she's not as jaded as most other people. She's keeping an eye out, sure, but she's not tense. ]

Another person just waking up in this place? It must be very confusing, I'm sorry.

[ Rem glances over it where he gestures that he came from and then shakes out the last of her clothes, hanging that as well. Dust and sand-free, thy were going to feel a lot better, even if she can't wash them. ]

I'm definitely real.

[ She crouches down next to him and tries to poke Wolfwood on the forehead. ]

See?

[ Rem doesn't bring up that he thought this was hell, because honestly... the things she has heard were close to it. ]

[ The only reason he allows her to get close enough to poke him is because she's responsible for all the water currently sloshing around in his gut. He still gives her a hell of a stinkeye for that poke, though. ]

All right, all right, point made. You're real, I'm real... [ His lack of cigarettes is real... ]

You got a name, Miz Real?

[ Everyone's real in this place and that's what's fucked up about it, honestly. ]

Oh, I'm Rem. [ She says with a little laugh, standing up again so she can hold out a hand for him to get up as well. They would do better in the shade of her home. ]

What about you, Mr. 'saunter through the desert in a suit'?

[ They're moving? ...They're moving, okay! He'll get himself up though, with a little wave of thanks. Rely on others as little as possible: that's Noman's Law number one, right at the top. ]

You like it? [ He brushes the sand off his knees and straightens the lapels, puffing out his chest just a bit to give her a proper look. ] Nicholas Wolfwood, at your service, here to fancy the place up a bit.

[ She opens the door for him to come inside, leaving it slightly open so she can get some air flowing. Unfortunately she doesn't know the laws of this land very well, and is quite comfortable being relied on by wayward survivors.

It's probably going to get her in trouble, eventually.

The way he puffs up makes her laugh, cocking her head a bit to the side to take him in again. Yep - definitely trouble, this one. ]

It's very nice to meet you, Nicholas. Would you like some soup while you're gracing me with your fanciness?

[ He got a laugh! Good. Then she's comfortable enough to appreciate some joking around, and that means he can stick around for awhile.

It'll take him awhile to get used to being called Nicholas, though. ]

Don't ever turn down a chance to eat or sleep, that's my motto.

[ His training is shouting at him in the back of his mind about going into an enclosed space, totally unarmed, with a stranger, but what's she gonna do? Kill him? She's welcome to try. Honestly, if she isn't too sloppy about it, she's even welcome to succeed. ]

You must've been here awhile, to get something like this set up.

Wonderful, then we can share what I was making earlier.

[ It's simple but filling, even if Rem really doesn't want to know what's in it after she found an insect leg.

(Don't introduce yourself as Nicholas Wolfwood if you don' want to be called Nicholas by space mom!) ]

Not as long as you might think. The place was in good shape when we found it. I had a lot of help, and a lot of spare parts to build things. I'm not exactly an engineer, but the radio is almost working!

[ nai is growing increasingly loathsome over the way this planet and whatever ethereal magic wrapped around it seems to enjoy tossing him all about without much more than the warning of a tremor and a terrible headache afterwards. one moment he'd been in december in search of a working radio and the next he was here, laid out flat under the desert sun with only the warning of the ground trembling before everything went dark.

he doesn't have a map nor an older-little brother to guide him through the wastelands of sand and heat so when he looks around to see a modest building of some kind in the distance, nai figures it's certainly better than having nothing at all.

as he gets closer, the soft sounds of a melody reach his ears and for a moment his steps falter.

could it be...? maybe - could it be?

before he can let his thoughts spiral, nai's steps pick up until he's breaking out into a mad run. he nearly slips a few times when the sands underneath him give out, but he doesn't stop until he's rounding the corner of the makeshift building to see her there. his heart pounding, nai's hands twist in his shirt as he tries to catch his breath. ]

R-Rem?

[ She almost drops the next piece of cloth as she hears someone rushing towards her. Little legs stumbling through sand, and then

and then- ]

NAI!

[ There he is. Her Nai, just as small as she remembered - a child, a boy, just an innocent kid but with such a broken spirit that he did all the horrible things Vash had told her about.

Even so. Even so. That was Nai, and she drops to her knees, holding her arms out for him. ]

Oh Nai, I was so worried.

[ Look, he doesn't spend a lot of time around moms, okay? His usual crew are rough guys and even rougher brat kids, all of whom call each other by various labels and slurs instead of given names, just to keep that distance.

She's nice, though. He could get used to being called by his name if the person calling him was nice. ]

By we you mean you and your boy? [ Or are there others wandering around? ]

[ seeing her there, calling out his name, nai's chest tightens painfully. he hesitates for a moment, weighed down by everything he knows now - the dread and anxiety that constantly threatens to rush over him without warning. that heaviness sits in his chest, chewing through him bite by bite.

but he finds the strength to move, nearly tumbling down the small hill to just about fall into her open arms. vash's voice rings out in his mind as nai breathes in her familiar, comforting scent, arms wrapped around her neck. all at once he feels terribly exhausted. ]

I'm okay... [ he murmurs against her shoulder, hesitant to let go like he might be under normal circumstances. ] But I haven't found Vash yet... [ his vash, their vash. how many other variations of his brother would he encounter before finding the one he shares a face with? ]

[ It's probably a good thing she didn't call him 'Nick', then!

She's very nice. Too nice for NoMan's Land, the way she easily, fearlessly turns her back to him and seems to not be carrying any kind of weapon. There's none seemingly around in the room, either. Just a woman and her boy. ]

That's right! He's out looking for some more food to keep this place stocked. I want others like you to have a place to rest when they need it.

[ He'll follow inside as she leads, sit where she tells him to sit, eat what's put in front of him, and thank you. He's also, given that she's really clearly unarmed, going to stick around until this boy of hers comes back, just in case the next stragglers coming over that hill isn't as friendly and kind as he is. ]

Given the way it looks out there, I don't think he's gonna find much. It looks like this place ran out of food and water months ago.

[ Which makes the meal she's offered even more valuable, and even more likely to get her shot. ]

You're the first living person I've seen since I got here.

[ Not the first person. Just the first living one. ]

[ She wraps him into her tight embrace, holding him close. He's so little and sweet, coming here to hug her in more than his flustered, awkward way. He seems to really need it this time, and no matter what she has been told that he has done, she loves him. ]

It's alright, Nai. I know one Vash that seems to be okay, but he's much, much older than the one we know. I don't know how that happened, but he's out to get some provisions.

[ She's not going to pull back from this hug until he does, wanting to feel him alive and safe in her arms and make him feel okay at the same time. ]

[ She serves him food and more water, getting him a place to sit on a fairly intact couch. It's comfortable and safe and so very, very easy to take for anyone who wants it. Hell, she just said she had a mostly working radio. That alone is worth killing for. ]

He's very resourceful, I'm sure he'll find something.

[ First living person, he says, and easy look on her face cracks a bit with the grief behind her eyes. Rem keeps it together, though. She'll have time to fall apart later, without a guest and away from Vash's eyes. ]

[ He nods in thanks at the food, and digs in immediately, with a kid's sloppy manners. He doesn't come up for air until half the soup and that whole fresh glass of water are forced down his throat, and then he only stops because his body demands it.

But while he's slurping, he's watching her, and looking around the place. Is she a city girl, not used to going without? She's certainly resourceful, if this place is anything to go by, and stronger than she looks to still be alive. ]

So where're you from, Rem? Before this, I mean. [ An awful thought occurs to him, and he asks, a little more gently: ] Were you in JuLai?

[ another vash, another older vash to add to the list of brothers. nai stays where he is, hesitant to move as if budging even an inch might disrupt whatever spell or magic has been cast here, leaving him all alone again.

he is so tired. ]

I've met two like that... they're both older. [ he blames the sand and sun for the way his eyes burn hot, even as he squeezes them shut tight. there's so much more he wants to say, the words bubbling up inside but he's afraid of what he's capable of now. what is his potential in a world where every vash looks at him with such grief? ] Rem?

Two of them, really? That's so strange.

[ It should be impossible, but she's already seen one Vash that wasn't their Vash, and he had told her it might be some kind gate thing. If her Nai was here, is their Vash all alone out there?

It's almost too much to think about. Instead she keeps her attention on him; he sounds so weary. ]

Yes, sweetheart?

[ She looks a little amused as he digs in like a desperate man or a starving dog, but doesn't say anything about it. Instead she eats her own food slowly, with manners lost to the decades. Perhaps she looks like a grandmother, even if she's barely thirty. ]

No, I'm not from Julai. [ It's sweet, how his tone changed at that question. ] I'm from a ship, where I worked as a scientist. [ She says, as it's the truth. Just... not the ship corpses they knew these days. ]

What about you, Nicholas? You look like you're a businessman.

[ He can't have heard that right. ]

I'm an undertaker. [ But that's not the important part of this conversation: the important part is her, and the fact that he doesn't think she's lying. ] You can't be from a ship, They all crashed a hundred years ago.

[ So is she lying? Is she from that ship, what'd Vash call it, Home? Or is she looking good for a great-great-great-great grandmother? Wolfwood picks a worm leg out of his bowl and crunches on it contemplatively, watching her close to see what tells she lets slip. ]

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Geranium

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