2017-05-05: The Sidekick
- Log: The Sidekick
- Cast: Riesenlied, Vash the Stampede
- Where: Silver Coast, Descartes' base
- Date: May 5th, 499 PC
- Summary: Riesenlied stops to speak to the rumored Vash the Stampede and... gets more than she bargained for.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
In the aftermath of the scene of carnage on Descartes' base...
Riesenlied sighs quietly as she takes the chance to take a step back and assess the situation. She'd just finished apprehending Garlyle's minion, Descartes, and had Noeline and Zed help her take an inventory of what they'd gathered intel-wise from their assault... and most importantly, ensured that the King was in safe custody and not in harm's way.
There was one other thing.
That mysterious man in red -- the rumored 'Vash the Stampede'. The destroyer of Lost July. If he could still be seen... she would approach.
She looks to him slowly. What would she say? The same as many others that saw him -- with disgust, with fear, with baffled looks of shock and disbelief? With a penchant of love and peace for berry-sprinkled donuts?
"Thank you," she speaks.
Or she could do it with gratitude.
She glances to Descartes, and says, "For not killing him, even when you could have."
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
He was quick. He tried not to call attention to it. A beat of a heartbeat and three shots, that's all it took in the end. And for the most part, it worked -- most people seem to have just assumed the idiot Descartes was talking about was Zed (understandably).
The way that the blonde, red-coated man seems to have spent the majority of the time afterwards sobbing into his donuts and wailing to anyone who would listen until they just got sick of him probably helped to seal the deal.
"WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH I WAS S-S-S-SO SCAAAAAAAAAAAARED OHFFNOMFFHOHMPH"
Like that. Pretty much like that.
It helps to crystallize that simple idea that anything he might have done during that fight was simple fluke, and it also gives him an excuse to stick around to ensure that everything goes where it should -- that the King wasn't shuttled elsewhere, that the Gear wasn't conveniently disappeared by parties unknown. He goes, largely, unnoticed.
Except...
"I THINK I CHIPPED A NAIL, WHERE'S MY COMPENSATIIOOOOoouhhhuh?"
This is the sight that Riesenlied is greeted with: Vash the Stampede, eyes red and bloodshot with the tears staining his cheeks, staring at her as uncomprehendingly as if he was staring at an alien. His eyes track towards Descartes with a certain sense of quiet.
And very slowly, he brings a donut to his lips. And bites. Very... very... slowly.
"--Oh, h-haha, yeah! I'm pretty brave, huh? And an ace shot!!" he brags with the sudden flare of his nostrils; silver gun is procured and brandished wildly in a way that looks incredibly, dangerously, Yosemite Sam-ishly amateurish.
"For someone as daring as I, Mister Yamamasplash, it was nothing at all! GA HA HA HA!"
And here, he starts laughing. Daringly.
(Obnoxiously)
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied has to pause and kind of... stare at Vash's antics -- she had to admit, she really, really wasn't familiar with someone who acted like this. She didn't think her senses were wrong -- you see people fight from all walks of life for hundreds of years and you kind of get a tic for who's doing something completely randomly and who's obfuscating expert action underneath deception.
"I hope so," Riese says, "Because I would have hated to see him be unnecessarily hurt if that ace shot went any other way."
She hesitates just a little, squinting a bit closer. Was this really... not Vash the Stampede? The legends certainly have a way of exaggerating anyone -- he wasn't the first. But there's just contradiction after contradiction that makes this man rather curious...
"But it would not have been possible without you. On my companions' behalf, thank you for that as well. We'll ensure the King is brought back to Lacour safely."
She tilts her head and puts a finger to her lip. "But whatever were you doing here in the first place, Mister... Yamamasplash?"
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
She saw. Which says as much about her as it does about him. Those aqua blue eyes turn back on Riesenlied as she makes her observations. She would have hated to see a man even like Descartes unnecessarily hurt?
"Gosh, I sure hope so, too! I'm not a big fan of pain, y'know! Ha ha!" And here, the blonde young (?) man rubs the back of his head, laughing in a way more helplessly awkward than the endlessly obnoxious guffaws of earlier. "But you don't have to worry, Miss Mysterious Winged Girl With Horns," yes, he's just deciding that's her name, right off the cuff, "I never miss my shot... in life, or in love!" He closes his eyes and smirks confidentally, as if he had just said something profound instead of something that was complete nonsense.
Still, ever-humble man that he is - probably - he's quick to wave off his accomplishments as she lays them out with a meek laugh and a deep, almost sparklingly girlish blush that devolves into a true 'oh, stop!' kind of gesture. "You're making me blush here, I don't know what to say! It was really you guys -- you were doing some really crazy stuff out there, I was surprised! And horrified! If it weren't for my trusty steed dragging me out here I would have just ran away the first chance I got, you guys are scary!" Really. In fact --
-- as soon as he says this? Mister Yamamasplash (?) reaches out to take Riesenlied's free hand and hold it between both of his like a death grip, head dropping in pure, deferential gratitude.
"Thank you, o' beautiful angel, for saving the day and my precious life!!"
He might also be shaking that hand. Vigorously.
But, regardless, he'll pause at that last question; looking up, those big blue eyes blink in confusion, before he glances aside. Towards Descartes. Solemnity reaches his gaze, for a rare moment. His eyes shut, and the huff of a small breath slips past his lips.
"Mister Hamspammaslash," he corrects off-handedly at first, even though that is absolutely not what he said the first time, "... and I came here... on a mission."
<Guest> Slime Guest connected to Dream Chasers!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
If there was anything Riesenlied had to hide, it wasn't necessarily hidden in her posture. She's carried herself confidently in the battlefield, and whatever identity she had to hide, it didn't have to translate to obfuscation of demeanor like how Vash chose to do it.
Though vice grips still kinda hurt, whether or not you're a metal demon. Her hand isn't metallic like some kind of Terminator's, at least, though it might feel a bit different than a flesh-and-bone human, to those in the /know/. "Ah-- no, that's fine... and my name is Riesenlied," she winces just a bit, keeping her smile up. She was similarly modest, though perhaps just a smidgen more earnets about it. "All I could do was direct our efforts. Everyone fought well, we accomplished our mission, and no one was grievously hurt. That's about as clean a win as I can hope for, in a fight."
Besides, didn't he ride in on Gwen's steed, Gulliver? The detail doesn't escape her, but when he'd mentioned that he came here on a mission, her eyebrows raising. "A mission, you say...?"
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
All I could do is direct our efforts, she says. And before he gives the ~dramatic truth~ of his reasons for being here, Vash the Stampede pauses, for but a moment.
"Was there any casualties?" he asks, though given the way he asks it, and the information she's already supplied, it almost seems like he's wondering as much for the bandits that kidnapped the king to begin with.
It's a strangely and earnestly concerned sentiment that lingers only like a flickering flame before his hands ease around Riesenlied's own. "Yes," he murmurs, voice as serious as the grave, "a mission. You see... I am a hunter." His eyes open. Are they -- sparkling? They seem like they're sparkling. "A hunter, here to chase the most elusive of mayflies..."
His hands lift; one grips her shoulder, full of vigorous passion. The other points DRAMATICALLY into the distance, towards that sparkling horizon, full of such energy in the motion that one might think the skyline something of a promised land where endless possibility awaits if one but dares to look...!
"... ~*LOVE AND PEACE!!!*~"
...
...
He'll hold that pose for several long, dramatic moments, until he squints.
"... Wait. Where'd my loyal steed go?? I'VE BEEN ABANDONED! NO!! DAMN YOU, GULLIVERRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
One can practically hear his heart breaking. Probably because of how loudly he's sobbing.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Yes," Riesenlied answers, and from her tone, she seems to know that he was asking for the opposing side as much as their own. "Some due to direct combat actions, others due to succumbing under the flames that spread." It wasn't like the Black Ties were careless, but when you combine combat injuries, a near free-for-all, and a lot of fire scattered around the battlefield... some casualties were, unfortunately, unavoidable. Or at least, unavoidable with the amount of power, precision and resources that they had.
She -- can't help but stare as Vash gives his speech and holds her shoulder, and she stares towards where he's pointing. "Love... and... peace?"
Her horns twitch a little, wiggling up and down in confusion. Poit, poit.
"A hunter of love and peace?" She murmurs, confused as she rubs her chin. "Perhaps peace is as a mayfly... I have heard that quote before..." she sighs quietly, before looking more confused. "Do you mean Miss Gwen's horse? Her name is Gulliver, I am reminded, but..." she peers around the valley. "Perhaps it would not be polite to take someone else's steed without their permission. Or do you need a ride back to Adlehyde with us, mister... Hamspammaslash?"
She's just expecting him to switch names again now.
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
There is a certain, brief, somber note in the blonde man's gaze -- a certain sadness that seems almost resigned as Riesenlied imparts her news, as if it wasn't unexpected... but no less tragic for it. It's a deep weight of experience that undercuts the tall drifter's youthful appearance.
... But it only lasts as long as it takes someone to blink; the whiplash-inducing swing of his mood is terribly abrupt as much as it is when he devolves into tragic heartbreak over the loss of Gulliver (who he told to leave anyway (shhh)), only offering up a dejected little, "This world is made of love and peace," of a mumble as if in explanation to her, "and it is my sacred duty to spread the message to all who'd hear it. It's a lot more painful than you'd think--"
And it's just as jarring when he suddenly looks -deeply- offended at her insinuation regarding Gulliver. "We reached an accord!" he insists with the stamp of a foot, (fortunately) releasing her so he can throw his arms to the heavens. "Sealed with my last precious possession on this scarred earth! And I've been abandoned! I'll never recover from this tragedy!!"
His shoulders slump. A sigh escapes his lips. "I guess I'm just gonna hafta find another apple core to bribe a horse with..." What? Unfortunately, or probably fortunately, any explanation is set aside by Riesenlied's question/offer. There's an expected and off-handed, "Mister Spanishradish," before he pivots on his heel to face her, wide eyes full of wonder. "You'd do that for me?! And feed me??" Who said anything about giving him food-- "For free???" Who said anything about free--
"OH, I FEEL SO TOUCHED I COULD CRY!" He actually -is- crying. Again. How does he just summon it at will like that? "Oh thank you, thank you, you've truly won over my heart~~!"
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's task is grim. As grim as becoming the enemy of the world. But it doesn't stop her from regretting it when loss of life is taken. No matter who it is -- demon, human, Guardian, Veruni -- she fervently believes that life should be allowed to reach its natural conclusion, without impediment from anything else. And that extends to her enemy too.
She flinches just a little and takes a dainty step to the side when Vash releases her, rubbing at her shoulder. Whew, he can really grab. "Love and peace... can truly be painful--" is about all the rumination she gets, before she holds her hands up as Vash starts imposing DEMANDS! Free food?!
"Ah..." Riese pauses for a moment, before saying, acquiescing, "Sure, why not? It is not as if feeding you would be exorbitantly expensive..." She's kind of familiar with such face-stuffers like Odjn and Zed, after all. And speaking of Zed, there's a certain kind of pattern to this goofy madness that she's... kinda familiar with.
Even if Zed is more earnest with his goofiness than Vash is.
"Come, there is a carriage that we prepared," she gestures towards the valley exit. They couldn't demand the King to march back on his feet, tired as he is, after all. "I'm afraid I can't put your room and board up for too long, but I could speak to a few friends who seem to be in a similar situation to you..."
She silently apologises to Hiro and Jean for, if he accepts, introducing another curious person into their fold. But she can't help but feel he'd fit like a raging fire right in with the Vile Fiends.
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
And so she agrees. And so, Vash's eyes shine like there were a dozen fireworks going off behind that aqua gaze. Truly, he looks touched. Truly--
"Ah, is this what finding your soulmate feels like--??"
--he's still saying absurd things. But at least he seems grateful.
She might regret offering to sate his ravenous appetite, she might not. Either way, as she explains, even offers to try to set him up with room and board with those she knows, he seems to listen -- even as that expression softens, just a bit. Even as he takes a rare moment to offer, with a simple, gentle sort of sincerity:
"You have a kind heart, Riesenlied."
And despite all of his absurdity, that sentiment carries through with something more indescribable in its weighty yet simple guilelessness.
Sadly, it doesn't last.
"Alright! I've decided!! You, too, are now my honorary agent of LOVE and PEACE! My protege!" What? "My sidekick!" What?? "Don't worry -- it's the least I could do to repay your generosity! No need to thank me! A ha ha ha haaa!!" It's a laugh that sounds like she's sealed her doom without even realizing or asking to. And it's an ominous notion, sidestepped by one simple request:
"... D'you mind holding off just a bit before we head off, though? Sorry, really -- just something I've gotta take care of."
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied is-- is not so sure on this soulmate business. Then again, she's a terribly doe-eyed ingenue, as Noeline would put it, when it comes to that business, so she reels back just a bit, before settling down when he offers his sincere comment.
"A kind heart..." she murmurs, gaining her own quiet moment of downcastness. Did she truly have a kind heart? She wasn't certain, herself. She couldn't think of herself as a kind person, not with the kind of task that she needed to set forth in this world.
"A-- a sidekick?! Of Love and Peace?!" she exclaims, just a bit baffled. You could just see the 'jaan--!' expression underscored by blue lines on her face. "Though... in a way, I suppose this is not the most ludicrous accolade I've accrued." It might be 'Cucco Queen' Riesenlied. Jury's still out on that one. "... ah-- certainly."
She glances towards the base below them. If what she'd heard about his exploits taking bases down were true, then she might be able to guess what he was up to. She didn't have a problem with it. The less out there that can violate the Treaty of Iscariot, the better...
"Just come up when you're done, I've got to check on the others." She turns about-face and starts heading towards the exit, her wings wiggling softly. Perhaps she's a bit more pleased with that comment than she lets on, even if she knows that she cannot avoid wearing an iron gauntlet.
<Pose Tracker> Vash the Stampede has posed.
"Thanks, I really appreciate it," Vash the Stampede is quick to offer, with sincere gratitude. He even meekly rubs the back of his head in the wake of an easy smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes for however warm it might be.
A fact, perhaps, masked by the energetic thumbs up he gives not seconds later. "You truly are an excellent sidekick! I have chosen wisely! GA HA HA HA HA--"
And there he goes, wandering off, laughing like a shrieking pirate the entire way down toward the base proper as Riesenlied heads towards the exit. He doesn't explain himself -- and if asked, he doubtlessly will have something absurd to say as an answer, but eventually he emerges from that base as simply as he entered it, staring up towards the sky for a long, quiet moment before he closes his eyes and sighs a gentle exhale.
"... I guess this'll just have to do for now," he murmurs half to himself. Whatever work he's done on the things inside the base proper, to the equipment and tools of destruction within, it's impossible to say. But as he leaves, there is one thing immediately obvious:
A shallow grave dug more in memorial, a rudimentary cross built from the parts of the Garlyle gear jutting from the rocky sand.
"I'm sorry I couldn't do more," he offers to that memorial, before making his way towards the coach above, quietly solemn.
"Please... sleep well, now."