[ it is perhaps strange, for someone who is usually a whirlwind of laughter and constant motion to stand as still as luffy does, his hat casting a shadow over his eyes — but then, the one thing he has that sets him apart is his intuition, his skill with people; almost uncanny in the way he can look at people and tell what they need, tell whether they're good or not.
and tell whether they're telling the truth or not.
and while the guy is certainly not lying, or luffy doesn't feel like he is, about this... it doesn't feel like it's the entire story, either. it just feels like avoidance. ]
Yeah, maybe. [ he glances up, watches as the colours burst across the sky, paint his face in a glow of red, then violet, then yellow. ]
Like I said. You don't gotta tell me if you don't wanna. [ he breathes out so forcefully it's more of a huff.
and then, almost like a switch is flipped, there's something warmer in his eyes as he looks back at vash, a smile playing on his lips as he lifts his hand to his hat. ] Wanna go elsewhere? I've seen enough, I think.
[ vash is good at avoidance; good at shutting his eyes to what's right in front of him and turning away, good at running from whatever is doggedly snapping at his heels for acknowledgement, good at deflecting and telling himself everything is fine. everything is fine. everything is fine, so the rigid smile plastered across his face seems to insist, creeping up along his features despite luffy's warning from earlier. he can't help it, you know - it is more instinctual now, an automatic reaction to anything that cast an air of uneasiness.
his weight shifts from heel to toe, poised like he is about to run (because that is the only thing he can really do), vash watches luffy as he watches the fireworks, seeing the colours cast across the other's face, dyeing their surroundings with each squealing explosion. the change of topic is a welcome one - almost obviously so, as vash perks up like a dog to attention, the halfhearted, automatic smile switching a little brighter. ]
[ in his mind, it is an easy thing to do: if he can't make the guy admit whatever the hell is wrong with the fireworks and him and all that, then at least he can offer this, a change, something else to focus on. somewhere else to be. because as much as lying annoys him... the nightmares still find him, every once in a while, when he wakes up with his brother's name on his lips and the scar on his chest burning like it had been, two years ago, and on those days, he wants to stay as far from fire as he possibly can.
so he gets it, kind of. ]
Yeah, 'course I'm sure! I wouldn't have said so, otherwise. Come on, Orange Glasses, I think there's still some stuff going on in the bazaar. I didn't get to eat all I wanted to, anyway, and there was one game I wanted to try...
[ he looks like he's just going to continue to chatter on even as he turns towards the bazaar, simply expecting vash to follow without looking back to make sure; if his voice is loud and excitable and drowning out the bangs from the fireworks, well, surely that's just a coincidence. ]
[ the chattering, and the concentration that it takes amidst the crowd to really listen to the other, does help take vash's mind off the display going on over both of their heads as he follows luffy weaving his way through the throng - heading down the gentle sloping hillside back to the bazaar.
the fireworks are much harder to hear at this distance - the sound of sizzling meat and other food, as well as the vendors calling out the prices and people shouting orders help too; not that vash feels much like eating yet - his stomach is still twisted into anxious knots full of guilt, half his mind still replaying the explosions, seeing image of falling ships mirrored in the back of his eyes. a hundred ships, a thousand thousand lives caught alight, fragmented across the night sky. ]
Uh, my name is Vash! [ he manages to finally interject between the endless flow of chatter, stepping around a big guy and falling into step beside luffy. ]
Haha, it's a good thing it's a bit quieter here now, I didn't get a chance to have a good look around before ... what's the game you wanted to play?
[ and here, someone else might be surprised — nothing follows, the usual declaration of the man who will become the pirate king glaring in its absence. but luffy just grins. ]
Right? Hey, if you didn't get to look around before, then let's see it all! [ and then adds, brightening up even more, ] Oh, it's this one where you scoop fish out of water! It seemed fun! Did you try it yet?
[ hey, vash isn't judging the lack of details - he is similar in that way; no humanoid typhoon, no calamity or monster or the shadow of his age old sins trailing behind no matter how fast or far he runs. it makes him feel guilty, being in this world, being just vash and nothing else. it makes him feel bad every time, to feel the relief.
but for now, he is going to quash it all down - swallow it like rising nausea behind the back of his teeth, and vash cranes his neck to peer over at the game that luffy is pointing out, his eyes wide. ]
[ tilting his head, luffy considers this — he hadn't really thought they'd be anything else... but suppose they could be robot fish? how cool would that be! ]
Anyway, let's go! We can see who gets more out without the scoop thing breaking!!
[ his grin is bright and infectious — in the sky, the last fireworks start to die down, and luffy just smiles. nothing like a game to distract from something unpleasant, right? ]
[ honestly, robot fish would be so cool and vash would lose his entire mind .... but as they get closer to the stall to look down at the tubs, it appears that they are just your normal run of the mill goldfish, swimming away in the water. ]
A, alright!!!
[ carefully taking the scoop from the vendor, vash turns it between his fingers to examine the thin filament - is it paper? - before scooting into place beside the other and lowering it into the water.
almost immediately, a big fat goldfish decides that it's had enough of people trying to catch it, and shoots straight through it. ] Wow! Did you see that??
[ luffy bursts into delighted laughter immediately, clapping his hands in excitement and cheering for... the fish, apparently. ]
That was awesome!! This fish is really something, huh. Alright, let me try —
[ his own turn, while executed with great enthusiasm, ends absolutely the same way; not that luffy seems to mind. he just laughs more and exclaims, ] Hahaha, looks like we both got beaten by a fish!
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expiationlogs2024-06-10 07:58 am
no subject
and tell whether they're telling the truth or not.
and while the guy is certainly not lying, or luffy doesn't feel like he is, about this... it doesn't feel like it's the entire story, either. it just feels like avoidance. ]
Yeah, maybe. [ he glances up, watches as the colours burst across the sky, paint his face in a glow of red, then violet, then yellow. ]
Like I said. You don't gotta tell me if you don't wanna. [ he breathes out so forcefully it's more of a huff.
and then, almost like a switch is flipped, there's something warmer in his eyes as he looks back at vash, a smile playing on his lips as he lifts his hand to his hat. ] Wanna go elsewhere? I've seen enough, I think.
no subject
his weight shifts from heel to toe, poised like he is about to run (because that is the only thing he can really do), vash watches luffy as he watches the fireworks, seeing the colours cast across the other's face, dyeing their surroundings with each squealing explosion. the change of topic is a welcome one - almost obviously so, as vash perks up like a dog to attention, the halfhearted, automatic smile switching a little brighter. ]
Um, if you're sure! Yeah! I'd love to!
no subject
so he gets it, kind of. ]
Yeah, 'course I'm sure! I wouldn't have said so, otherwise. Come on, Orange Glasses, I think there's still some stuff going on in the bazaar. I didn't get to eat all I wanted to, anyway, and there was one game I wanted to try...
[ he looks like he's just going to continue to chatter on even as he turns towards the bazaar, simply expecting vash to follow without looking back to make sure; if his voice is loud and excitable and drowning out the bangs from the fireworks, well, surely that's just a coincidence. ]
no subject
the fireworks are much harder to hear at this distance - the sound of sizzling meat and other food, as well as the vendors calling out the prices and people shouting orders help too; not that vash feels much like eating yet - his stomach is still twisted into anxious knots full of guilt, half his mind still replaying the explosions, seeing image of falling ships mirrored in the back of his eyes. a hundred ships, a thousand thousand lives caught alight, fragmented across the night sky. ]
Uh, my name is Vash! [ he manages to finally interject between the endless flow of chatter, stepping around a big guy and falling into step beside luffy. ]
Haha, it's a good thing it's a bit quieter here now, I didn't get a chance to have a good look around before ... what's the game you wanted to play?
no subject
[ and here, someone else might be surprised — nothing follows, the usual declaration of the man who will become the pirate king glaring in its absence. but luffy just grins. ]
Right? Hey, if you didn't get to look around before, then let's see it all! [ and then adds, brightening up even more, ] Oh, it's this one where you scoop fish out of water! It seemed fun! Did you try it yet?
no subject
but for now, he is going to quash it all down - swallow it like rising nausea behind the back of his teeth, and vash cranes his neck to peer over at the game that luffy is pointing out, his eyes wide. ]
I haven't tried that! Are they real fish???
no subject
[ tilting his head, luffy considers this — he hadn't really thought they'd be anything else... but suppose they could be robot fish? how cool would that be! ]
Anyway, let's go! We can see who gets more out without the scoop thing breaking!!
[ his grin is bright and infectious — in the sky, the last fireworks start to die down, and luffy just smiles. nothing like a game to distract from something unpleasant, right? ]
no subject
A, alright!!!
[ carefully taking the scoop from the vendor, vash turns it between his fingers to examine the thin filament - is it paper? - before scooting into place beside the other and lowering it into the water.
almost immediately, a big fat goldfish decides that it's had enough of people trying to catch it, and shoots straight through it. ] Wow! Did you see that??
no subject
[ luffy bursts into delighted laughter immediately, clapping his hands in excitement and cheering for... the fish, apparently. ]
That was awesome!! This fish is really something, huh. Alright, let me try —
[ his own turn, while executed with great enthusiasm, ends absolutely the same way; not that luffy seems to mind. he just laughs more and exclaims, ] Hahaha, looks like we both got beaten by a fish!