Don't worry about me. Just let me take care of you. ...goodnight, Vash.
[He's exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and he Needs A Nap. The Big Sleep. To that end, once Vash has rolled over and Ain's able to use him as a pillow... He's out. Gone. Zonked. And he will stay zonked well into the morning, only waking up when the sun is just the right angle to hit his eyes. By that point, they're three hours past "when the sun rises", the magical fire is still burning, and they have no food to eat. It's just them, a cave, and... starvation, he supposes.
They get up and they go. There's nothing else to do other than to put out the fire and go. The next time they take a break, it's several hours later, and they're forced to forage to survive. Mountain berries are, at least, food. Ain is burning so much energy that he eats most of the bush himself. Then, they fly again, then take a break at an actual town for the night, though this time they don't stay long due to the urgent state of Vash's arm. At the very least, they're able to get food, and yet again Ain eats way more than usual.
He feels like shit. He cannot stop eating, though, because that makes him feel worse. There are times he wonders if they need to slow down, until he glances at Vash's arm and never voices it.
Finally, about two days later, they make it to Ain's hometown. Not the one he was born in, but the one he was raised in, and it's... Maybe not a hometown as much as a home city. It's a huge, sprawling metropolis, where it's likely everyone knows of Vash the Stampede — but they have to contend with Ain knowing the routes in and out of the city that no one takes. The skies, for example. Where he flies them to within it isn't in the heart of the city, or even in a district full of wealthy homes.
No, they're going west, toward an outskirts bordering a thus-far unoccupied plains. A slum, by all measure, filled with people who society has failed. People in rags, people with nothing, people who don't care if a bird-pet and his criminal owner touch down in the middle of the dirt streets here. It's decrepit and perfect for those on the run.
Ain motions Vash onwards, through shelters set up between abandoned buildings and alleyways, through a park that's seen better days, and finally to a small building with a strange, unreadable sign out front that could easily be misconstrued as an art piece made up of Nordic runes. What it really is, is a marker, as will become apparent when Ain opens the door to let them in. It's dusty, with a countertop set up at the front that's long-unused, judging by the huge-ass spider taking refuge in a notch when they approach. The spider isn't what they're here for; Ain crouches and opens a hatch built into the floor back here, and ushers Vash down it. A walk through a dark tunnel leads to a doorway, which Ain opens, and finally...
They'll step out into an entire underground society filled with pets either no one wanted, or who didn't want to be owned. It's a slum, yes, but it's got electricity and running water, buildings set up like an underground city, and plenty of strays wandering about to do business. It's almost idyllic, and maybe would be so if it weren't hidden away, some secret never meant to reach the outside world.]
no subject
[He's exhausted, both emotionally and physically, and he Needs A Nap. The Big Sleep. To that end, once Vash has rolled over and Ain's able to use him as a pillow... He's out. Gone. Zonked. And he will stay zonked well into the morning, only waking up when the sun is just the right angle to hit his eyes. By that point, they're three hours past "when the sun rises", the magical fire is still burning, and they have no food to eat. It's just them, a cave, and... starvation, he supposes.
They get up and they go. There's nothing else to do other than to put out the fire and go. The next time they take a break, it's several hours later, and they're forced to forage to survive. Mountain berries are, at least, food. Ain is burning so much energy that he eats most of the bush himself. Then, they fly again, then take a break at an actual town for the night, though this time they don't stay long due to the urgent state of Vash's arm. At the very least, they're able to get food, and yet again Ain eats way more than usual.
He feels like shit. He cannot stop eating, though, because that makes him feel worse. There are times he wonders if they need to slow down, until he glances at Vash's arm and never voices it.
Finally, about two days later, they make it to Ain's hometown. Not the one he was born in, but the one he was raised in, and it's... Maybe not a hometown as much as a home city. It's a huge, sprawling metropolis, where it's likely everyone knows of Vash the Stampede — but they have to contend with Ain knowing the routes in and out of the city that no one takes. The skies, for example. Where he flies them to within it isn't in the heart of the city, or even in a district full of wealthy homes.
No, they're going west, toward an outskirts bordering a thus-far unoccupied plains. A slum, by all measure, filled with people who society has failed. People in rags, people with nothing, people who don't care if a bird-pet and his criminal owner touch down in the middle of the dirt streets here. It's decrepit and perfect for those on the run.
Ain motions Vash onwards, through shelters set up between abandoned buildings and alleyways, through a park that's seen better days, and finally to a small building with a strange, unreadable sign out front that could easily be misconstrued as an art piece made up of Nordic runes. What it really is, is a marker, as will become apparent when Ain opens the door to let them in. It's dusty, with a countertop set up at the front that's long-unused, judging by the huge-ass spider taking refuge in a notch when they approach. The spider isn't what they're here for; Ain crouches and opens a hatch built into the floor back here, and ushers Vash down it. A walk through a dark tunnel leads to a doorway, which Ain opens, and finally...
They'll step out into an entire underground society filled with pets either no one wanted, or who didn't want to be owned. It's a slum, yes, but it's got electricity and running water, buildings set up like an underground city, and plenty of strays wandering about to do business. It's almost idyllic, and maybe would be so if it weren't hidden away, some secret never meant to reach the outside world.]
Surprise!