PSL for arkfall

[goldenglasses]

[Vash was getting use to his life in the city. Some of it has been pretty bad, but for the most part he really can't complain. He always had enough to eat. He had stopped pouring sand out of his clothing. Could have all the water and shower for however long he wanted. No one had tried to shoot him in months. The people here even didn't care about his scars. In fact some people really liked them!

He was currently without a dominate, but he didn't mind. A small grace period to find another one and he wasn't in a rush. Which is why he was taking a moment to enjoy a bit of people watching in the Down. Munching on a donut and enjoying the day.

The only problem was in times like these his mind tends to wander to thoughts of home. Worry starts to settle in. Hoping that his friends were alright without him. Things certainly looking good when he left. Of course, there wasn't much he could do for them here so he tries not to think too much about it.

Besides, this donut was really tasty. Right now he just wanted to sit and enjoy them. Nothing bad could happen on this day, right?]

Comments

[goldenglasses]

I have to, Knives! I have to because of you! If you hadn't terrorized them then maybe I wouldn't need to hide. [Deep down he knows that's not fair. Meryl had gotten to know who he was and she had been scared to find out what he was. He saw the way she would occasionally flinch around him now. Knives had also never been here and still he hid the truth.]

[arkfall]

And thank you so much Vash for proving my point about how it will be better for you if I'm dead.

[goldenglasses]

Don't twist my words around. I didn't say that. I was saying my life would be easier if you didn't go around killing everyone. That doesn't mean I want you dead. Or would be better off if you were.

[Although it is enough to get Vash to pay more attention to where they are and what they were doing. A submissive arguing with a dominant in public is not a good look. He wouldn't be surprised to find that one of them will have some sort of fine for this is they don't get moving.

He scoffs and turns back to walk to their new home again.] I don't want you dead, alright? I don't. I mean it.

[arkfall]

[Knives lets it drop there because replying with 'no, you just want everything about me changed' seems petty and just a way to prolong the argument when they really shouldn't do this in public.

Instead, he focuses on getting back to the apartment. He doesn't say much on the trip, mostly he just pays attention to the layout of the city and how things look around them.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash also doesn't argue further. After all, now that he was contracted, any fines he got would go to Knives. Not only would he be forced to be sure they're paid, but he'd see what Vash had been up to.

And in the case of letting a submissive back talk at him? It may actually be Knives who gets into trouble. Really it would be for the best of both of them for him not to stir up more trouble.

So they'll arrive home in silence.] I'm guessing you don't care what room I take?

[arkfall]

Do what you think is best. I think I need a shower.

[To wash away the city and the people, you see.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash will choose the bedroom closest to the kitchen for himself. Feeling like he might want to have a bunch of comfort food over the next few months.

He puts most of his stuff in the bedroom but the plants he puts in the sunniest parts of the apartment. Including the healthiest looking one in the other bedroom. A little bit of a peace offering for him even if he's not completely sure he brother will see it that way.

He's not near the door when the envelope is pushed through the letter box so Vash doesn't notice it right away.]

[arkfall]

[Knives is in the shower for a while. He cleans pretty thoroughly, but it is also a place for him to clear his head and try to process what he's experienced so far.

All of this had happened just in one day. His emotions keep violently swinging back and forth. He feels like he's on a teeter-totter that keeps flinging him between wanting to hug his brother or smack him.

There's still his hate burning deep inside of him, but the thought of acting on it fully exhausts him. He wants to cease to be again, and yet he can't quite bring himself to do anything about it.

Everything in his head feels like it's swarming. He lacks the sense of purpose he has had for the last one hundred and fifty years.

When he finally does get out of the bathroom, he's trying his black hair with a towel when he crosses into the living room to see what Vash is doing.

He doesn't seem to think it's weird to walk around mostly naked as he recovers from the heat of the water.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash is currently playing with the air conditioning and heating unit. What he would have given for a heating unit during the winter months here.

He doesn't seem to be bother by his brother walking around practically naked. Wolfwood hadn't been much better when they shared hotel rooms and Duplicity had dulled it even more.]

This thing even has a timer! [Okay. He might be in love with this thing. Where was it in the last hundred years of wandering an endless desert?!] You can set it so the place is nice and cold when you come in from outside on a hot day! Or toasty warm! [The thing beeps as Vash continues to play with the settings. The fans moving as he commands them.] Oh! Or you can set one room hot and one cold!

[arkfall]

Huh.

Imagine having one back home.

[He didn't mind the planet's hostile temperatures, but he knew how popular a unit like that would be to the people on No Man's Land.

He glances around the room and notices the paper before moving to go pick it up.]

We got mail?

[goldenglasses]

I'd would have paid extra for any hotel that had this back home easily.

Did we? [He hadn't noticed.] Probably a welcome letter about orientation that eventually happens. Every time the city gets new people we have to go. [Vash is clearly unconcerned as he sets the air conditioning unit back to its original settings.] You'll probably get a text message about it soon too.

[arkfall]

[Knives groans and then tosses the letter on the coffee table. Not really interested in reading anything to do with what this place thinks of as orientation.]

Are you hungry? [He asks, heading to the kitchen. It had been a while since the sandwich, and the donuts had seemed more like a snack than a meal.]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah, I could eat. [A response Knives will get use to hearing all the time when it comes to food. Vash moves to join his brother in the kitchen. Also ignoring the letter for the moment as there was food to be consumed.] Do you have a craving for anything?

[arkfall]

No.

[He says simply as he looks through the cupboards and the fridge.]

My ability to do this stuff is pretty limited.

[And he doesn't admit that often.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash joins him in checking the cupboard.] How hungry are you? I could make us some pasta. [He's going on the assumption that Knives can't boil water anymore.]

[arkfall]

All right. You make us pasta then.

[After a moment.] We're going to have to do the shopping and other... things. Aren't we? [Things like washing dishes and cleaning up the house and ugh things are a lot easier when you have people to boss around.]

[goldenglasses]

Yeah. We are. [Vash can't help but smile in amusement of Knives's dislike of the idea of chores.] I'll see what kind of basic supplies they left you here and see what I can do. Otherwise if we need to go out you might want to get dressed.

Not that anyone out there cares how you're dressed, but you might get a few, ah, offers if you walk around like that.

[arkfall]

[Knives glares at the idea.]

Well, I'm going to go put on every layer of clothing they gave me then.

[He says, before moving to go back into his bedroom to get dressed.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash covers his mouth to keep from outright laughter, but it can't stop the snort that escapes.

He knows its rude and not exactly wise to laugh at Knives but the mental image of him putting on that many clothes is too much to resist.] I don't know if you need to go that far.

Look, if you really don't want to go out again today I'll write a shopping list, you sign it, and I'll go buy our groceries then come back.

[arkfall]

[Knives waves his hand in a dismissive way.] Let's worry about it later. There should be enough in there for simple pasta.

[goldenglasses]

Yeah. I think there should be. [He starts pulling what he needs from the pantry.] Just remember it won't be the best of the best! At least not this time! [It was still going to be really good pasta. The doms really did get all the nicer things right at the beginning too.

He starts humming a tuneless song and fills a pot with water.]

[arkfall]

[Knives disappears to get dressed and then comes back out once he's clothed.

He plops down on the couch and reaches for the letter, finally bored enough to read it.

As Vash is busy in the kitchen he opens the paper and then glares at it as if he can make the words change.]

Vash. [He calls, with some urgency in his voice.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash doesn't like that tone. Or the feeling he can sense from his brother. Automatically he turns the burner on the water down to a very low simmer as he moves to head to the couch. Suspecting that this isn't a yell from the kitchen sort of problem.]

What? What is it? [Please tell him that the only pants Knives could find had the ass cut out of them and that's why he's upset. Only no. His brother is sitting glaring at a piece of paper. His heart sinks.] Let me guess. Not a letter about orientation? [They were getting faster with their fines.] How much money do they want?

[arkfall]

[Knives doesn't answer. Instead, he hands over the letter so that Vash can read it.]

[goldenglasses]

[Vash takes the letter. Afraid and thinking that it's a request for them both to show up to the SLUT center. Only what he reads is much worse.] Wha-- [He reads it again. Then again. He blinks a few times, but the words don't change.

It was a citation alright. Only instead of money, instead of the people zoo, instead of being sent to SLUT a lesson is apparently to be learned again. It was a fine for Knives for failing his role as a dominate while in public. So they gave him a choice and Vash doesn't like either of them.] Well. [What can he say?] We can't just ignore it. [Show up for a public correction demonstration or have his submissive taken away for private correction.]