OPEN - catch all;

[deliverant]

Who: vash and YOU!
Where: panorama + everywhere else
When: october
What: general shenanigans and catch all. will mark warnings!

Warnings: vash is always a cw ...



open starters TBC! action, texts & wildcards all welcome.
feel free to hit me up at sdat for custom starters or hit me with one of your own.
here is my plotting comment!!

Comments

livio's friends;

[crimebaby]

[ so, livio had invited them both to a local diner, giving no details but just saying "there's a surprise" for you. once they'd both arrived, livio had flagged down a table for the two of them, (one that was even accommodating to charles's wheelchair) insisted they make themselves cozy and started up introductions between the two of them ]

[ once the names had been shared, livio had abruptly told them he was going to get them coffee!! or some other excuse and then disappeared. just disappeared wholesale. if one had keen eyesight, one could spot him climbing out a window subtly in the background. ]

[ spotted or not, that leaves the two of them!!! what an icebreaker... ]

[ (when it comes time for the bill, they'll find that it's already been taken care of....) ]

( PANORAMA )

[deliverant]

➤ WIND AND RAIN

[ you know, before crash landing in this place, vash could count on one hand the times it's "rained" back in his world. and to be honest - compared to the kind of downpour that he's caught in right now? you wouldn't even call the two at all the same thing. it's mostly been a very rare late-night or early-morning affair, something about the differing gravity pull of the moons in their cycles aligning, or not aligning for that matter (the argument differs between groups), causing some kind of atmospheric clash that pulls the sunken moisture out from deep within the depths of the planet. some people also claims that it's got something to do with the worms - subterranean caves full of water, though that's been mostly dismissed as children's fairy-tale nonsense.

either way, vash has never seen this much water outside of -- well, artificially generated means, let's just leave it at that.

you might be caught in the rain too, having to duck underneath an awning nearby - or maybe you're in a corner store or a junk shop or even a laundromat, waiting it out. or you might be one of the lucky ones with an umbrella or a raincoat, or even a sheltered car to sit in for now. either way, there is a man coming up the road you're on, completely soaked through with the rain. it doesn't look like he's particularly bothered about it, even though his red coat is shiny with wet, the bottom hems swishing heavily with every step. the only concession he's made for the weather is to take off his glasses and tuck it safely into the inside pocket.

catching your glance, either curious or just half noticing someone moving in your periphery, vash will raise his hand in a cheery greeting. ]

Afternoon! It's not looking like it'll let up anytime soon, no?

➤ CIDER FEST

[ festivals are an easy way to make money at; the sheer number of people gathering to try whatever the businesses have on offer means that the said businesses are pretty harried for extra hands, and vash is good at making himself ingratiating and trustworthy with his million (sixty billion?) double dollar smile.

hence, the apron. and the tshirt with the logo of the pub (the hole in the wall). the tight black leather over the prosthetics stay on, and there's nothing much he can do about all the gnarly scars that show all along his arms, so just ignore those. oh, but maybe the absolute beast of a tray of pints he's balancing on one hand might serve as a better distraction anyway, as he stops at a table with the said megawatt smile and a chirpy greeting. ]

Welcome to the Hole in the Wall! How many did you order?

[ he does have a little cheat sheet in the said apron with the order dockets jotted down, but let's see how honest you are? ]

➤ PAPER MOONS

Hello, you there!

[ walking down a dark street (even if these paper lanterns do help with some of it) and having some random, disembodied voice call out might be an unsettling experience ... or potentially dangerous for the said owner of the voice, if the other person was particularly trigger happy about being surprised.

if everything goes well, they will notice a figure perched on the power post, dangling his legs over the edge and holding a small moon in his hand. the tattered edges of his coat flutter with the breeze as vash waves down at them. ]

Are you any good at playing catch?

➤ WILDCARD

[ ANY OTHER PROMPTS FOR PANORAMA (any location within), or even a different scenarios for cider fest or paper moons. i'm also down for any car-related scenarios (vash CANNOT drive), scrapyard (vash's poor car), or jolly roger munitions/shooting range. hooking him up with a gun would be very welcome! ]

( KOLLIERY )

[deliverant]

➤ MINING THINGS

[ vash will be there with livio and wolfwood for work, so i am down to do anything with the cave in and the resulting cleanup, if your character is also around the area! otherwise he would love to dig around for information on chroma, so would love a thread with someone who is knowledgeable on that! ]

( DIFFUSION ZONES )

[deliverant]

➤ AUDREY'S FLOWERS

[ the flowers are ... overpowering, to say it lightly. it smells like a whole lot of too much in here, but as vash wanders around the slightly humid, warm depths of the store to look around at all the differently-vibrant colours of the flowers and other plants he'd never seen in his life, he starts to relax.

that was probably not the best idea, considering. ]

Uh--

[ as you round the corner, you'd be greeted with vash with his entire left arm in a viney chokehold. or maybe it's a big weird thing. either way, this is not looking too great for him, is it? help??????????? ]

[ or MAYBE there is a small hoard of these leafy-footed bastards only a couple of feet away from where you both are. they aren't moving to charge at the moment, but the way their leaves and petals are quivering with anticipation, it might be any second now. ]

Just--- slowly- back away. [ vash slides in front to block the way between you and the said plants, hands outstretched. do you run, or do you try to do something else? choose your horrible floral adventure now! ]

➤ WILDCARD

[ down to make up any areas for spooky october or otherwise! let's plot something! :') ]

( WILDCARD )

[deliverant]

➤ LITERALLY ANYTHING ELSE

[ plz i dont want to sound desperate but i also would like ALL OF THE CR. feel free to check my plotting comment or just PM or plurk or game discord me for brainstorming ideas!

TDM: any of my TDM prompts are completely fine to use here as well!

PHONE: vash will be pretty open to giving out his number to anyone that he's already spoken to, so feel free to message him via text! ]

[thetruefocus]

[ Charles has been busy lately, but not so much that he wouldn't accept an invitation that was clearly important to Livio. The man is very sweet at heart, and the fact he wanted to introduce Charles to someone important to him touched him. The first time they met, he could tell that Livio wasn't used to having a lot of friends, or any in fact, but now he has many, as he deserves.

He is glad that this is one of the diners that is accessible for his wheelchair, not all of them are, and he smiles warmly to Livio when he spots him. Charles introduces himself to Vash, and he doesn't think to be curious where Livio is going when he gets up. He is, though, a bit surprised when he leaves altogether. It's impossible to pull one of those on a telepath, even if he stays out of minds. He feels little tugs with the brains he knows best.

His eyebrows go up, glancing in that direction, before looking back at Vash. Charles is in his early forties, but he looks younger, his beard freshly trimmed and his hair a bit on the longer side. ]

I assumed he wanted to sit with both of us, but I suppose this works too.

[imperatour]

[ She doesn't really like surprises, but Livio means well. So she obliges, meeting him at the diner to meet... his friend?

Actually, it's kind of sweet when she thinks about it. Nice that he isn't all by himself here. That does not change the fact that she watches him with keen eyes as he makes his escape attempt, although she just watches from the table rather than trying to stop him.

She turns her head, toward Vash, asking over the rim of the glass of water. It is already her second refill despite the fact that they've been here for less than ten minutes. Scarcity mindset is hard to shake. ]

Does he always act like that?

[ Act like he's not one of the tallest people here and built like a truck. It is not exactly the body type for subtle, covert operations. Honestly, Furiosa is kind of impressed he didn't get stuck in the window on his way out. ]

[carcajous]

[ There's almost no grown man on this planet that wouldn't have gotten a resounding Go fuck yourself to a mysterious invitation that sounds way too fucking much like a blind date. But something about Livio makes him not want to be a giant asshole to him, like the smallest hint of a sharp word was gonna make him burst into tears or something, so.

Here he is.

Logan tilts a little too the left, watching Livio squeeze his massive frame through the window. Like watching a bear escape the zoo.

He sighs. He could just stand up and leave. But he wants his goddamn coffee for riding all the way out here.

Also: Logan squints at the man in front of him. ] We met before?

[ Looks kinda familiar, but might be just a coincidence. ]

u know what it is

[headhunt]

( some things were just meant to happen.

that's probably why karlach stumbles across an unfortunate matchstick of a man during an evening walk in the restaurant and bar section of the city. she had been intending to familiarise herself with the area, getting to know panorama bit by bit. it's a novel place for her, full of novel things and new and exciting foods. she might garner a lot of stares for her appearance, but it's not dampened her mood or sense of curiosity.

she finds vash in an alleyway. he's just a guy who is probably taking a moment to himself, but—

there's something uncomfortably hollow about his expression. )

Hey! Hello!

( she calls out to him with a friendly wave, walking closer. )

You've got a real look about you.

[freakymagoo]

I. See you kept my number. [The most deadpan delivery. Vash would have gotten more reaction out of talking to drywall. Bucky does remember explicitly hinting "feel free to lose my number" before they parted ways but apparently it wasn't a big enough hint.]

I'm not a mechanic. [Says the man who showed up on his bike with some random sized tools he's managed to scavenge over the past few days under his saddle and in the saddlebags. He doesn't take any of them out just yet as gloved hands reach under the front of the hood to grope around for the lever and pop it open.]

Have you considered taking driving lessons. [That wasn't a suggestion.]

[deliverant]

[ it's kind of nice that livio is trying to introduce him to people ... and in turn, vash is equally interested in just what kind of people the big guy has opened his heart to so readily during his short time here, so he is looking forward to these meetings - which is why he seems so relaxed about it on the outside, long legs stretched out under the table comfortably.

after a short, friendly introduction is over, livio makes his extremely obvious exit. vash doesn't seem to really mind though, glancing at his escape attempt with a fondly indulgent sort of smile before turning his attentions back on furiosa. ]

Yeah, I think so.

[ that might tell her a couple of things - that vash might know livio and vice versa, that they have some kind of an understanding between them as friends of some sort, but they haven't spent all that long a time together yet. maybe that's deliberate on vash's part, or maybe it's more some unconscious habit of always putting a measure of distance between him and others.

in the same breath, vash reaches over to refill her water glass without a word when she puts it down. ]

How do you two know each other?

[deliverant]

[ a wheelchair is a rare sight where vash is from - only in the fact that there are more outlandish modifications that people would do to help, in a world that's largely made up of limited resources and therefore lots of creative recycling. in a way, it's no different to what the people in this world are doing.

vash catches livio's eyes probably as he ducks out the back window - and he even cheerfully waves him goodbye, before turning back to charles with a little laugh, pulling his mug of coffee closer towards himself. real milk, and as much sugar as they could want? this is heaven. ]

I think he thinks we'll talk better if he isn't here.

[ wonder why ...

he hasn't probably been told that charles is a telepath either, but for now - if he wants to, that is - he might be able to sense nothing much out of the ordinary on vash's part; just a bit of curiosity, considering the way they've both been dragged here by livio to meet - maybe just a thin layer of fatigue colouring everything over, but otherwise? nothing much else. ]

So, where should we start?

[deliverant]

Nope!

[ how many blond-and-black hair man with a red jacket does logan run into on a day to day basis? 🤔🤔🤔 probably not many, but funny if it happened twice (smh) ...

anyway, yet another meeting - but it's not like vash minds at all; meeting new people was always a good thing, and better if he could already have the benefit of a prior, mutual acquaintanceship. livio was a nice guy, yet with a good head on his shoulders on whether a person was trustworthy or not. so vash has some hope that this one won't end up in a gun-or-a-knife-fight or worse, even if the man across from him doesn't seem overly eager to strike up a lasting eternal friendship.

something about logan is familiar though, but maybe it's the frown. or the grumpy demeanour. oh, vash knows a lot of those. ]

I've only been here a little while.

[ vash explains as a way of things, as he reaches over to the sugar jar and proceeds to dump several spoonful of it in his coffee. ]

So, what do you do?

[deliverant]

Of course I did! [ why couldn't he break his phone as well while wrecking his car. why. ]

[ if bucky is a drywall, then vash is also one - because walls don't have brains, for the main thing, and things like hints, however big and obvious, will just go fly right over them. in any case, the other's rather frosty, distant demeanour doesn't seem to faze vash at all as he trots over to him.

the car that bucky would be intensely familiar with by now (after spending several hours trapped in it with vash a few days ago) is gently smoking behind vash, though it thankfully doesn't carry with it a smell of burnt rubber or oil - so maybe everything will turn out okay after all? ]

Thanks for coming out, [ at least vash sounds genuinely grateful, standing off to one side and watching bucky approach the sad wreck. ] I was doing okay!!! At least, right up till it started doing .... that.

[ bucky wouldn't not notice several more tiny dents and scratches on the already pretty sad looking paint job ... ]

eyes emoji intensifies.... also cw?? alcohol dependency mention

[deliverant]

[ an unfortunate matchstick of a man who is having a very good evening. he really is, okay??

vash is just glad that even in a mix-match world like this where everyone kind of comes from everywhere else, some things are still the same; cheap booze, for example, still burns down the throat and fills up the hollowed out feeling in your gut, even if the labels are different (he doesn't care to ask what's in them, because first rule of cheap booze - don't ask any questions). second, there's always a questionable card game or two going on in the back corners of the bars, and if you're nice enough in asking you can join in for a couple of joolies thrown in. and the last and most important thing, there's always an opportunity to pull tricks when you can.

it's not like he's emptied out people's pockets completely - vash isn't that mean, and the times are hard here as it is back home. so instead, he buys them a round of drinks every time he sweeps the table until they're just as happy as whether they'd been winners. and at the end of the night, vash gets to walk away with a decent amount shoved into the inside pocket of his coat. and then ... onto another bar. and repeat.

he's only really stepped out to have a breather when karlach happens to come across him, leaning against the alleyside wall, looking up at the sky and counting the constellations that are nothing like he's ever seen. at his age, seeing something different is refreshing enough that vash can distract himself with it easily enough - well, until he can't.

as soon as he notices her presence in the vicinity though, and as soon as she takes a few steps towards him, making it clear that it is vash that she has set her sights on, the oddly blank expression of his snaps off as though a mask is removed; replaced in its place is a sloppy, pleasant, half drunk smile, and vash waves back just as enthusiastically, if not more. ]

Haha, bet you say that to everybody!

[freakymagoo]

[He keeps his head turned away when he finds the lever and manages to open it up, a little more smoke pouring out freely now. He looks long enough to find the rod to keep the hood open but he'll give it time to settle before sticking his head in there and taking a proper look.]

Have you killed anyone yet. [It was definitely asked dry enough to sound like a joke but honestly Bucky wouldn't even be surprised if the answer was "almost" or "if I said no would you believe me?"]

I brought some oil, and coolant. Can't promise anything. [A pause.] You know, everyone should know how to do the basics. [At least checking the oil level and colour, changing a flat tire, that sort of thing. Yes everyone means you too, Vash.]

[headhunt]

( huh. now that's interesting.

in an instant, the guy's expression and body language snaps into something else. something friendly. almost like a machine being activated. it's a curious thing, but karlach knows what she saw. knows the kind of look that had been plastered across his face.

just as she also knows what it feels like to have to perform.

maybe she's wrong, maybe she's seeing something in nothing. maybe it's none of her business. maybe she shouldn't bother a total stranger because she thought he looked sad for a second.

or maybe she she should. )

Just the ones who look lost.

( she answers as she approaches. karlach doesn't advance on him too fast, making sure to take moderate, careful steps as she walks towards him. she knows what she looks like—how she looks like a devil with her sharp appearance, the ever present flicker of flame across her skin, and towering height—and she doesn't want to give him the wrong impression.

the wrong approach could really make this seem like some kind of attempted mugging. or murder.

it's because of this that karlach wastes no time in introducing herself and stating her intentions. )

My name's Karlach. Let's be friends. Wanna go drinking with me?

( a pause. )

. . .Unless you already had enough?

( CLOSED TO NAMI )

[deliverant]

[ a bunny bar ... well, let's just say whatever idea vash had about what it could be, seeing the sign prior to actually walking in here, was entirely wrong.

but you know what? this kind of surprises were good! after a couple of weeks of being here, vash is starting to (slowly!!!) get used to the fact that he can walk into a shop, a bar, anywhere crowded, and not have to worry about someone recognising him from a wanted poster stuck up on a grimy wall somewhere. if there are any suspicious glances, it's only because he's a stranger - and not the planet's most wanted with billions of currency to his head. so yeah, safe to say vash is plenty enjoying himself ... the scantily-clad bunny servers or not.

he always sits at the corner of the bar, a habit that's hard to break; it gives him a great view of the floor, a handy piece of sturdy furniture to duck behind if things get rough, and not to mention gives him a chance to chat people up. what he doesn't realise is that the particular night and time is when a big-shot likes to sit at the exact seat that he's claimed for himself.

before he could even take a sip of the drink, vash finds himself being grabbed by the back of his coat and spun around, the glass being knocked out of his hand and shattering on the ground. damn ... that cost him so much joolies ... nevertheless, his attention will snap back onto the culprit - a wide, stupid, overly easy grin snapping over his face automatically. ]

Um, can I help you?

[ the man scowls heavily.

'this. is. my. seat.' he grunts out while giving a little shake of his clenched fist with every word, making vash wobble around like his bones are made of jello.

apparently the guy isn't here to make friends ... at least, not one like vash anyway. ]

[thetruefocus]

[ The chair does not suit Charles and it's old and rusty, but beggars cannot be choosers. He has two engineers working on making him something better, and until then, he'll suffer through one that's not very good. His own advanced chair was destroyed before he arrived, so he was lucky they had one at the scrapyard at all for him. It does make getting around the city slightly more complicated for him than other people, but that's nothing new.

Charles is comfortable with meeting new people and chitchatting, so it doesn't bother him that Livio has left him with a stranger, more that he too is wondering why he'd prefer not to be a part of the conversation. He'll ask him at a later date.

Charles doesn't tend to go searching in people's minds, although he does a preliminary check sometimes to be certain no one is a danger to him or anyone else. In this city, that's become a necessity due to the raiders. But there is something sort of innate about his abilities, and he detects no threat from Vash.

He orders a tea and glances back at Vash, observing him in a more direct fashion. Another relatively friendly person given he isn't alarmed at being left with a stranger either.]

I suppose I can answer if you have any questions about this place? I've been here longer than Livio.

[carcajous]

[ Uh-huh. Cheerful little bastard, isn't he?

If it helps reassure his new friend, Logan looks less like he's ready to pick a fight and more like he's asking what the hell kinda wrong turn he took to wind up at a meet-and-greet instead of doing what he usually does.

Speaking of.

Good fucking question. His eyes stay fixed on the fifth spoonful of sugar dissolving in Vash's cup. ]

Not this shit, that's for damn sure. [ It's not an easy answer to give. He doesn't have a tidy little thing that he did. He can't say teacher or fry cook or mechanic, and even soldier feels as though it oughta come with a couple of footnotes. ] Got a job later welding some pipes.

[ Let's go with that. ]

[imperatour]

[ The word choice doesn't go unnoticed, but Furiosa marks it only with a slightly raised eyebrow. Thinks so?

Then again, she doesn't have much room to talk. Barely learned one of her closest ally's names before she went and (she assumes) kicked it bleeding out on the floor of a monster truck, so. Lots of reasons people come together fast. ]

Met at a gas station. [ The bathroom actually, staring at an open sink tap. ] Not long after I rolled in. Got to talking about where were from, and it didn't sound so different.

wind and rain

[decussate]

[ As convenient as her motorcycle can be, the recent rains have severely undercut its practicality. Thus The Knave has found herself stranded, her motorcycle parked with her under the awning of an abandoned, shuttered off restaurant. The tables and chairs that used to fill the patio are long gone; only a brief partition of dented ornamental fencing hints at what may have been.

Still, she waits with great patience. With her black motorcycle helmet on, one could mistake her still form for a statue sitting against the wall — except for the spiked crimson throne she rests upon, its living glow suffused in the humid air. Curiously, a trio of cats have taken shelter underneath it, but The Knave makes no attempt to attend to them.

When a man walks up the road without even an attempt at umbrella, her helmeted head doesn't turn to watch his approach. It's only when he hails her that she finally seems to "wake up," one black hand rising to remove her helmet and reveal strange, crimson-crossed pupils that seem to cut through the rain as she studies him. Many find her gaze uncomfortable, but her voice and manner are perfectly elegant. ]

Indeed, it doesn't. Though that doesn't seem to bother you in the slightest.

[deliverant]

[ the easy grin on vash's face doesn't fade - even when she closes the space between them, revealing all the ... unusual features that's previously been hidden by darkness and distance both. granted, there's all sorts of people here who's made this strange world their home now, but to date he hasn't seen anybody with a horn as huge and impressive as hers before (that is not a pun). besides - who is he to judge people by their appearance? especially someone who seems friendly ... and clearly concerned enough about the wellbeing of strangers to approach him like this.

he really hopes she's not out to mug him. he only just won this!

vash's gaze does, however, briefly rest on the broken off edge, but it doesn't seem recent ... so he'll refrain from remarking on it even as a passing concern in his inebriated state that makes all the bad decisions seem great.

the only reaction he would give outwardly then is a slight stagger and a muffled oof as he cranes his neck up to squint at karlach, promptly lose his balance, and lean back with a heavy thump into the wall behind him. ]

Au contraire, my - hic - friend, the night is still young!

[ maybe the next drink he desperately needs is a glass of water ...

vash drops his eyes for a moment - but it's only so he can stare down at his two hands for a moment as though confused about how to work them - before reaching out with his (heavily gloved) left hand for a shake, if she'll take his hand. ]

Vash. Got any place better than this one in mind?

[deliverant]

[ bucky will probably think that vash either has 1) skin thicker than an elephant's ass or 2) absolutely no brain present in that head of his, because instead of being at all insulted or appalled at the implication, he will just laugh - hard enough that his eyes scrunch up at the corners. ]

Actually, this is first time driving since you helped! [ is that good news? not for bucky.

when the other man gets the hood popped open, letting enough of the smoke dissipate so they can take a look, vash will inch closer anyway out of curiosity. ]

I, uh, ended up running into a couple of people I know - [ it's a long story, and vash has a feeling that bucky doesn't care enough to listen to it - so he will spare him that at least. ] - so getting around has been ... not as bad as you think ... ?

[deliverant]

[ the straightforward way with which Charles regards him doesn't seem to bother Vash; in fact, if their eyes do meet, he'd find that Vash has been looking at him almost in a similarly direct gaze as well over the rim of his coffee as he takes a sip. it speaks of a habit developed over a long time - of keeping an eye out on everything and everyone and glancing over his shoulder if he's got time to spare. a common behaviour among those who are used to being hunted and run out of town.

however, Vash's look isn't necessarily out of any suspicion, or even hostility toward Charles - it's frankly just curious. ]

Oh, I've got lots!

[ his answer is glib, breezy, easy. ]

But I guess I'd ask what you think is the most important thing for someone new? Apart from not walking into any strange sticky buildings ...

[ yeah, he's had a bit of trouble out in the fringes. ]