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Who: Vash and you
Broadcast: None
Action: A catch all for the Planet!
When: Any time until the drift starts happening again!

Twin Roses

[Your co-captain hasn't been sleeping much. Usually up at all hours when he's not visiting the planet or working at The Space Bar. Pouring over some of the maps he's been attempting to keep of their travels. Watering the planets on the ship. Playing quietly with the animals. If it's not in the middle of the night he'll practice his harmonica. Basically doing anything he can to not fall asleep.

But sleep eventually will catch him. Catch him as he's sprawled out sideways in the arm chair with his legs danging over the sides of the armrest. One arm draped over his face and the other limp on the floor. He may look like he's peacefully sleeping, but approach with care - it's not a pleasant dream he's currently having and his gun is still on his hip. Although the safety is on for those with keen enough eyes to notice.]

Le...go... [Comes the occasional mutter.]

Inside The Vault

[Those who know how important life is to Vash may be surprised to see how unemotional he is at finding all the bodies. There's just an unsurprised, yet disappointed sigh as he takes glasses out of his pocket and slides them onto his face.

"Here we go again." Is the thought that crosses his mind. He knows better than to touch or move the bodies. Back home he would dig a mass grave when he would come upon scenes like this, but not this time. Instead going one by one next to them. Stopping at each to say a small, silent prayer for them and bowing his head.]

I'm so sorry, that you were locked away and forgotten.

In the Desert

[This place has been a painful and constant reminder of the challenge he must face back home. It's also an excuse to blow off some steam, but out in the desert Vash can be found shooting his gun over and over. He's strung up a bed cloth with a crude target painted onto it. It flutters now and then in the breeze. He's chosen to use his old fashion revolver. Again and again there is the crack of gunshot and bullet casings litter the ground by his feet.

Yet the bed sheet seems to have only one small hole in the middle of it. Maybe he's just that terrible of a shot? Can't hit the broad side of a sheet.]

The Space Bar

[Catch Vash here while he's at work and he'll have a friendly smile and the food is decent as always. When he's not working, but not ready to go home he sits and drinks quietly at the bar. Thinking things over. He won't say no to company as he slowly nurses his drink.]

A Bar - Later - Locked to Anders

[Now Vash does want to be alone. He's found himself a bar on the planet that he thinks no one else will visit. He drinks himself to a point where he thinks he can sleep without nightmares, but it doesn't work. He wakes with a start and nearly falls from his bar stool as the empty bottle of whiskey falls to the floor and shatters.] Aw hell...

[He was going to have to clean that up. Even here he was cleaning up messes caused by his brother. Even if he was just in nightmare form that time. No... wait... he doesn't need to clean that up. In a few hours it will be like it never happened. Like nothing mattered here.

Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered. Nothing mattered. NOTHING MATTERED!

He grabs his empty glass and chucks it into the bottles still standing behind the bar. They shatter with a satisfying sound. He's never had a real outburst like this and he had to admit it felt good for the moment. He picks up a bar stool and smashes it over the bar with a scream and just keeps going from there.

Eventually he runs out of energy and sits quietly again with his drink on one of the few reaming bar stools. No, he does not care that his one fist is bleeding or there's a cut just above his eye where some glass hit him. He actually didn't even notice the second one.

He plans to sit there in the ruined bar and make sure everything reverts back to normal before he leaves. Surely no one will come and interrupt him here.]

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[Nami joins him at the table when her shift is done, dropping a shot on the rough wood before him.]

Just what is your tolerance, anyway?

[It's an easygoing cheer she's got, but look, sometimes people recognise patterns. And Vash is just not particularly happy, like at all, and she can take a guess as to why.]

[It wouldn't be too hard for Nami to pick up that something may not be quite right. Having a drink after work if they're drifting or there's someone he wants to talk to already there is not strange. Having several drinks every day after work regardless of who is there is unusual.]

Pretty high, but I'm not sure it's as high as yours. [He's seen how many drinks have been bought for you over the years and how little effect they've had.

He takes the shot in his hand with a grin.] Cheers. Or is this coming out of my pay? [He teases as he tips the shot back. Not really caring even if it was coming out of his pay.]

Still thinking about it. Seems pretty low, though, doesn't it? [Says the queen of low. But no, she's not charging.]

You wanna talk about it? [It's comfortably said. She expects him to say no.]

I dunno. How low would depend on one thing! Would I at least get the employee discount?

[He tilts the empty shot glass slowly around in a circle. Mulling over his answer for a second. He knows he could probably get away with a no--] I suppose I keep thinking how sad it is. That they were just forgotten down there for so long. Was there an outside agency that could have helped if they only knew sooner? [Much like his Earth back home. If they could send help to the people trapped on his dusty world would they send it? Or would that pocket of the human population be left to die? It was a popular debate back home.

And by opening up about that part of what's been bothering him it's easy to hide away his thoughts and feelings about home. Letting the outside world think it is all about the recent discovery alone.]

[Colour her surprised. That was a more or less straight answer.]

You could drown in all the maybes.

[It is sad. She was treating the town like a joke until the bodies turned up, and now? Easier to take it lightly when you assume everyone left, not died.]

But you know... they won't be forgotten any longer, will they? It might have taken a while, but we're here.

[It's easier to get straight forward sounding answer when he's using them to hide issues he'd much rather avoid altogether.

He smiles, and while it is mostly genuine, there is a hint of bitterness to it as well.] Yes, I don't think most of the fleet will forget this planet for a long time. I know I won't.

[Unless of course he's randomly sent home and back like what seems to happen now and then.]

That's good, though, isn't it? [She leans across to the bar and fetches a bottle, refilling his glass.] I don't want these people to be forgotten. We know. We can pass on the news.

[It's terrible af but it's an accident and it was likely decades ago, even centuries. A low melancholy is as far as she goes; practically, she wants people to know this happened.]

[ Normally, the sound of gunfire would put Jayden immediately on her guard - but she knows that while they're on this particular planet, it has to be someone from the Fleet. So while it's still a little alarming, she's not going full soldier mode, by any means.

Still, she's curious enough to make her way over. She sees that sheet with the single hole through the middle, despite the number of shots she heard. There's two likely explanations for that... she won't speculate just yet. ]

Target practice?

[ He'll plainly see the shotgun slung on her back, and a handgun at her side. ]

[Considering how many people in the fleet tend to have special abilities if she assumes it is because he's shooting straight through that one hole then she would be correct.]

Yeah, just a bit. [And a reminder to not get rusty. He needs to be prepared for the trouble he'll face back home.] I thought with how empty this place mostly is I might not bother too many people with the noise.

I hope I didn't startle you. If it's a bother I'm happy to stop. [Judging by the shotgun and handgun he doesn't suspect that to be the case.]

Who knows, there could be other planets that used that terraforming technology as well. If we spread the word of what happened here perhaps that can stop the same thing happening again elsewhere.

[He gives a nod of thanks as he takes a sip of the newly filled glass. Savoring it this time as he lets the thought: If it isn't already too late for others be left unsaid.]

[They'll be drifting soon, if his since of timing and how long they'd been on the planet already was any indication. This was his last real chance to find supplies for the road, as it were.

He had a small satchel of things already, more for the kittens than for himself or his personal stores, but still. When he came across the bar, he nearly kept walking. How much had he already been drinking? Not just since Wolfe, but before that! He was fairly certain he'd spent the months of Wintermarch, Guardian, and most of Drakonis in a haze of either drinking, working or sleeping and not much else. It seemed Cloudreach might be the same. He shouldn't duck in and see if there was anything he wanted to grab, he knew Crowley had a standing tab open for him at Malum, that should be enough.

But he also didn't want to bother his friend with his presence as often as he might like, despite the fact Crowley acted as though he didn't care. His hand was hovering over the handle when he heard the crash inside and that, more than anything, had him opening the door anyway.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but Vash sitting amongst the debris of shattered furniture and glass wasn't it.]

Vash!

[He rushed in, only taking a moment to lock the door behind them in case whoever had attacked tried to escape. Except, as he got closer, saw the wounds, the mess, the way Vash was calmly sitting and no one else in sight, Anders began to get the sinking feeling that this wasn't what he'd originally thought.

He slowed as he came closer, his tone softening and his touch careful as he set his hand on the bar near where Vash's elbow was.]

Are you all right? What happened?

[Vash smiles because even as upset, angry, and drunk as he is he doesn't know how to not throw on his mask. The smile is hollow and even the least observant at this point could probably see through it.]

Anders! Good to see you! [Go away. No one was suppose to see this.] Happened? [He waves his hand with the bleeding knuckles in front of him as if to wave Anders's concern away. Even more impressive when one considers he has ripped through the protective leather gloves he wears.] Nothing! Nothing happened! It's fine.

[He sways a bit on his stool and looks around.] Oh this? [...] It was... probably a natural disaster or something.

[He snorts and grins wickedly into his glass at his own joke as he takes another drink. Not caring if Anders get the joke at his own expense or not.]

[First they met over desserts and now desert. She hadn't been out looking for him, but when she heard the sound of gunshots in the distance she decided to check it out. She's surprised to see her co-captain, but she knows she shouldn't be. After all, for as much as he's against killing guns seem to very much be his weapon of choice and one he is extremely adept at using if the memories she saw were anything to go off of. Not only does it make sense he'd want to practice when he gets a chance she imagines it's probably cathartic for him in the way that training is for her.]

Was that bed sheet talking shit?

[ Yep, that's the assumption she's rolling with. ]

You didn't. Just came to see what was going on. [ Beat. ] Mind if I join you? Might as well take advantage of there being nobody around to bother.

[ Which... sucks for the people who were here long ago. But... still. ]

It's worth a shot.

[Was it terraformers in this case? The threat of Atroma's terraforming is still valid, but--]

Wasn't it because there was a reactor accident?

Stole my donut. [Comes the instant reply. He noticed someone coming closer even over the noise of his gunfire. He stops firing to replace the six bullets.] It had to be taught a lesson or the pillows may get the wrong idea that they could cross me.

Hope the sounds of the execution didn't startle you.

That was my thought as well. [And would also agree that it sucks for the people who once lived here. He motions with a slight bow to offer her the next shot.] Ladies first.

Oh! [He suddenly remember that he didn't actually do much to put the sheet up on that dead tree it was currently tied to.] I could probably find some rocks or something to keep it from moving if you want a better target. I sort of got a bit lazy after all the work of getting it to hang from the tree right.

[Actually, he wanted more of a challenge, but he'd rather downplay what he was doing if possible at this point.]

Oh-- [He smiles ruefully and gives his head a quick shake. Note to self: Don't drive the shuttle for a bit. Autopilot only.] Sorry. It was. As the planet would replace everything and replicate I thought of it like a type of terraforming. Or at least something along those lines. Creating something from nothing, or recreating one thing into something else to make a place more inhabitable for a people.

But I suppose it probably wasn't really for that.

No, I see what you mean. It seems every time we run into people taking a shortcut through efficiency it's backfired on them in some way or another.

Hmm. It does. I hope we start running across places where things haven't backfired horribly. [He'd really feel better if he could see a successful terraforming attempt.]

Donut-stealer had it coming then.

[Striding closer now that he's stopped to quip back at her.]

Who me? Do I seem like a startle easy?

I don't know enough about terraforming to really give more thought in that regard. But I can at least join you in commiseration about how pointless the deaths here were.

It's fine. [ She shakes her head as she draws her handgun and loads it. ] Don't want it to be too easy.

[ And once she's ready, she quickly takes aim and fires! So now there are two holes in the sheet - hers just slightly to the right of his. ]

Having it flying in the wind like that kinda forces you to think more about timing. Nice.

Yeah, especially because I heard it was going to switch out the chocolate chips for raisins in all the cookies in the world after that.

[He remembers what she hates.]

No. I don't think you would startle easily. But I still probably could have concerned you in some way. Or you know, just bothered you with loud noise while you were trying to nap or something.

Oh yeah? [That is exactly why he did it.] I didn't even think about that! I was just too lazy to go find proper rocks before.

But if you think it's even more of a challenge then that's even better! [He moves to the small pack he has with him. Switching out his classic, old fashion six shooter for a more modern laser pistol he's picked up along the way.]

I should probably get more practice with this one. I don't use it nearly as often. [He'll take careful aim of the sheet and fire a quick blast from the gun. It's projectile hitting just the very edge of the sheet.] Looks like I need a lot more practice. [Seeing as his intention was to miss it.]

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