synflux | November/December catch-all

[But regardless, Vash probably could use a distraction so here they are, in Vegas. Chasing down bits of worm.

But Sylvain still has hope, mainly because somebody has to. They're going in circles, and he knows it, and he knows that Vash knows it, and-]

Look, this is the third time we saw that same casino and- [No, something more important to focus on.] -is that kaiju porn?

[Because it sure does look like a kaiju porn movie theater right over there.]

( He had thought accompanying Sylvain on his worm-mission would have been enough to drag him from the depths of his Wolfwood shaped depression. He had thought he'd have been able to focus on something more useful, more productive. He had hoped anyway. Except the longer they walked, the more his thoughts wandered. Las Vegas was a bright city - much like July - and he had a whole host of bad experiences with those, so really the struggle was coming from inside the house.

Until Sylvain speaks.

Vash's head lifts, swivelling to what his friend is looking at before he can stop himself. For a moment there is no reaction. And then his eyes widen behind the orange of his glasses and his face spasms and his voice goes all squeaky. ) What? No, wait - what?

( There's a poster. He looks at it. )

Why?

[And this is the first big reaction he's gotten out of Vash, and, so, Sylvain brightens and slings a nice arm around his shoulder even as he is quickly deciding what he feels about this. To be decided, but it's nice knowing that even a slut like himself might discover there's new kinks out there. The world is a big place. Full of mysteries!]

No clue! But if we're finding this here you know there's gotta be a big demand for it. Rent's not cheap.

[That said, he's neither stepping closer nor retreating. They can just admire it from here.]

Place looks pretty new. [Like it was remodeled shortly after the Vegas mission - not that Sylvain had been around for that, but still.]

Okay, but why is there a normal human woman? Surely the - the size difference ... why would they -? ( He trails off a little, lifting a hand to scrub at his eye, baffled. And it's not entirely that Vash is a prude. He's been around a long time, okay! He enjoys figuring things out, he's heard stories, he's hung out with guys who own dirty magazines! He's even - once or twice - had sex. But this? ) Also ... aren't people usually like, afraid of the kaiju?

( HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. )

Why is it even wearing a shirt in the first place? Just to rip it?

[Sylvain's working backwards even as he's dragging Vash towards the poster in question. They can walk together.]

Shirt's probably 'cause it's fun undressing your partner. Helps with the anticipation. And sometimes, fear's sexy? There's a reason why sex and horror go hand in hand.

[But he's going to carry on before Vash asks too many questions because he's an idiot with two brain cells that can barely spark an idea if you knock them together, and he doesn't want Vash questioning it.]

And maybe it's...uh. I don't know. Ribbed for her pleasure? And, judging from the art, she's into it.

What does that even mean?

( Except the question is small and under his breath. Because unfortunately for Sylvain ( and possibly for Mr. The Stampede ) those one or two times were never very informative. It is hard to have interpersonal relationships when you spend a century on the run. Even harder when your evil twin brother kills anyone you ever touch out of spite fuelled jealousy. Sometimes it has been far easier to just pretend he's not interested in all that. Any of the titty-mags he'd accidentally seen were normal anyway. )

Fear's sexy?

( More out loud this time. More firm a curiosity. )

[It's amended to,]

Fear can be sexy. Not all the time, but there's a reason why a lot of people find quiet corners after a battle and- [In for a gold, in for a bullion.] Well, fuck it out.

[Sylvain's just going to lead Vash a little ways away from the Sexy Kaiju poster, because even if he's going to have this conversation, gosh darn it, he's not going to have it right next to a Sexy Kaiju. The Sexy Kaiju can watch them (with a smoldering gaze) as they retreat a few steps away.

Because yes, he's still companionably draped over Vash's shoulders. Better to wrangle him around instead of letting him be a free range sadsack.]

You read a lot, Vash? Or if not read, do whatever it is people from your home do for fun when it comes to swapping stories.

( At fuck it out Vash physically chokes on his own exhale, the sound coming from him after a little rattling wheeze. ) No they don't! ( And then, with dawning realisation ( and maybe a smidgen of horror ). ) Oh, they do.

( Listen, he's been around. He's seen what people get up to. He's rolled with a few gangs in his time and sometimes he's witnessed people wandering off after a gunfight. He just never gave it too much thought. Sylvain might be realigning some things.

Either way he's just letting himself be directed because the physical weight of the other man's arm is soothing and he could use some friendly camaraderie right about now. ) I read, yeah. I mean, whenever I can. Why?

[And Sylvain could use someone to be friendly camaradering at because why not, and also because Dimitri has banned him from hugs 2 months in a row and sometimes a man needs to friendly lean against someone. So it all works out, or something.]

Just figuring out where I need to start. What sorts of things do you read, Vash? Me, I- [This is the point in which he'd swerve in some way, but he's in for a bullion.] Usually go for histories when I've got a choice - I know, I don't look the type or act the type, and it's not like it's any use here.

I'll read anything.

( But history and horses for his new redheaded friend? Sure. Makes sense. ) Like, literally anything. People have such a big imagination, and I like seeing where it goes. Back on No Man's Land I liked these cheap mysteries. Sometimes you could get one in a gas station for a coupla double-dollars. Sometimes the romances too. ( A beat and then. ) N-not like the posters! But the sweet ones. With the happy endings.

( That Vash the Stampede likes happily ever afters is probably not so surprising. He's been chasing after one for everyone as long as he's been alive. )

I like physical books better than using the implant though. So I've been reading with some of the kids. I think if you like to read histories you should keep doing that. They shouldn't get to take that from you.

[Happy endings says Vash, and Sylvain huffs, amused, but...maybe not in a bad way. It's not a malicious huff, just more like - of course he would, of course he wants happy endings, Sylvain's known Vash for all of maybe a handful of weeks but he already knows that much about the blond. It's obvious.

And he smiles at Vash, as Vash tells him that he shouldn't let them take that away from him. It's not like Sylvain doesn't smile - he's just all easy smiles and easier grins, but this time it's something smaller.]

Maybe I will. [Then, louder, more like his usual self:] But sounds like you don't read too much horror- don't worry, I don't either. But you know what horror and porn have in common?

( This is the thing he likes about people. Even the most standoffish will reveal themselves eventually. That little smile has Vash perking up, half resolved to figure out the hows and the whys and whether or not he can get him to do it again, maybe at a later date when his own heart isn't smashed into the dust coating his ribcage. It could be a project.

Except then his friend is talking about porn again and Vash winces, but gamely continues on. )

No, what? Bodily fluids?

[Sylvain sees that wince. He tells himself he doesn't and pretends like he doesn't, but he sees that little wince. And, so, why not continue walking? Just a redhead, manhandling his friend (a little, but the Goddess made him tall for a reason and the situation demands a little bit of manhandling) in a direction that, coincidentally, doesn't have a sexy kaiju, ambling through a city which Vash doesn't seem to really like, looking for the quietest spot for them to hide in...

...if asked, he'd say he's hungry and just wants to eat.]

Relax. [Don't ask him what he's saying 'relax' about, there was no little wince. For related reasons, if Vash's attention starts drifting there's going to be friendly shoulder nudges, elbowing, and talking with hands - nothing to think too hard about.] See, what I think is that porn and horror are both about making you feel something first and foremost, more than any genre of anything. Porn is supposed to make you feel lust, and horror is about making you feel scared. Other stuff like your mysteries, or- my friends used to read knight tales. Chivalry, stories about- well, you wouldn't know who they are. Those can make you feel things, but the first thing they try to do is something else entirely. You follow so far, Vash?

( Is this what he does to people? Abuse his freakishly long limbs to corral any innocent old victim the way he needs them to go? Because while Vash is careful about touch he absolutely has flung his arms around someone stubborn in an attempt to get them to mosey. It's kind of funny it's happening to him now, but he finds he doesn't mind it. ( Touch-starved, a terrible malady. )

Thankfully the posters are behind them, and Vash is warming up to the topic even if a part of him is still flustered. ) Sure. But that's art, right? That's the point. Even p-pornography. ( Just because he avoids it doesn't mean he's judgemental. Vash has certainly made several friends in very specific employments throughout his lifetime. ) People do most things to inspire feeling, I think that's the point of living.

( He bites his lip, thoughtful. ) So, okay. Lust. But that was definitely something most people consider a thing to be frightened of, right? I'm not getting that wrong.

You're not getting that wrong.

[It's an immediate echo.]

And I'm definitely reading too much into this. I'm sure that wasn't that deep. [And Sylvain laughs as he says that, waving his free hand in the vague direction of the poster. The one, over there, the one with a sexy kaiju in a shirt.] Nothing's that deep here. But sometimes you're scared of something, for whatever reason, and one of the oldest ways people have of conquering that fear is by trying to have sex with it.

[He - very apologetically - squeezes Vash's shoulder. He knows. He wishes this was going in a different direction too, yes, he's a slut, he's very comfortable talking about sex, but sometimes? Sometimes a guy can wish for rainbows and the light of heaven, not a terrible punchline.] I grew up on a border and for all my people hated the people on the other side, I heard more than one detailed fantasy, believe me.

( That pulls a clumsy laugh from his throat. )

Wait, okay. So it's like, uhh, the wicked cowboy and the preacher's daughter? ( Is he blushing? Maybe a little. But he blusters through. ) I've seen those kind of books. I get some people are into different things. I've been friends with a lot of different kinds and people tell me things, I have the face of a listener. ( Slightly mournful if only because of the conversation topic. ) So I get it. It's never been my thing, but I get it.

( Well. Actually. Is it his thing? He'd certainly found the way Wolfwood handled his cross appealing, but that's shying a little close to the things he will not be thinking about now. So. Kaiju porn. )

But the deal with that is they're human? Wait, do you think people want to fuck Godzilla? In his lizard form, I mean.

[Now.

His dick has led him places that he shouldn't have gone; he's stuck it in many people, under many different circumstances. He's read porn. Given he's from a Holy Kingdom, that's an accomplishment, but Sylvain's read porn. He commissioned a glassblower to make him a toy to while away the time while dealing with war.

But some things are new to him, one of them being xeno, and as Vash asks that he has a far-off stare as he digests the question and then laughs a bit because? Because?]

Probably? There's no way he actually fucked 'cause you can't tell me that we wouldn't know about it, but probably someone's been curious-

[Which leads to another question, and Sylvain looks at Vash, as in, he really looks at him.]

You think somebody tried?

[Surely not. Because Godzilla's a big man, and there's no way that would fit in anyone, but...]

Why would we know about that? Do people just go around telling other people when they're f-fucking? ( He's fine, this is just awkward. ) Do lizards? Actually, maybe lizards do. Mating calls.

( He did hear some shrieking on base recently. He wonders if that had anything to do with anything. )

I get in his human form. It's nice. Objectively he's handsome, right? Because I know we've got some big guys around, but maybe not that big? So the lizard is a little ... mindblowing.

Edited 2024-11-15 11:19 (UTC)

[There's no good way of saying that they'd know because Godzilla would be so loud if he came that there would be legends of the noise and property damage, he's never spoken to the guy so this is 100% slander, but sometimes you see a lizard and go, "No, you'd break walls, beds, spines, and eardrums if you had an orgasm." Sometimes you just know. It's fucking obvious.

But then, there's Vash, pure and innocent and moving right along and Sylvain's moving with him.]

But you know people are curious. [How would it fit???] You're curious. I'm curious. Not like that, but we're curious, and some people are curious like that- you think he ever got back to his room and discovered some secret admirer stuff out front? An admiring letter, a card, a gift of some kind, or...?

Maybe? Is that how people show they're interested?

( Usually people come to his room and then he has to either cry or pretend he's far too drunk to do anything about it. Nobody's sent him gifts. Would he have been more amenable with a letter? No. Probably not. Besides, it's not like it matters now. )

I'm spending far too much of my day thinking about this, Sylvain. ( But the whininess is laugh tinged, so progress? ) I wonder if we could ask Gigan. He knows Godzilla. But I think they fight a lot so maybe he doesn't want to think about it either.

[That's a laugh-tinged whine! Progress. He's getting there.]

I'd hate it if you asked me about the love life of somebody I wanted to throw in a dumpster six days outta seven.

[Okay, they're walking again. They can walk. He's vaguely looking for a bookstore with the awareness of someone who doesn't expect to find one in Vegas, but wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. But they could get lucky?]

'kay, change of subject, what's the nicest thing anybody's ever gotten you?

Oh, that's easy. My coat.

( Nostalgia does wonders, as does Vash laughing at the idea of Sylvain throwing someone in the dumpster. He brightens visibly, passing his hand over the sleeve of one arm. ) This isn't it, I'm using the style implant. But the real thing is super important to me, you know? It was one of the first gifts I'd ever been given, and clothing was super hard to come by so people really put in the effort to offer me something to help me feel less lost. Plus it's my favourite colour. Like a geranium.

( Like Rem's geraniums. )

I kind of wish I had it here, you know? The fake one makes me feel a little better but it's not quite right. It doesn't fit the same way. ( Ah, mournful again. But he rallies. ) How about you?

[He looks at Vash, and then Sylvain sort of looks...past Vash, not not at Vash so much at a Vash that's slightly to the left, and slightly easier to bluff. Because there's a lot of things he could say to that, most of which are awkward and would ruin the 'lighter and softer' mood he's trying to get going.

So...]

I've always been more of an... [What's a good word for it.] ...experiences kind of guy, so the nicest things were usually someone covering for me when they shouldn't - but that's not really a thing, you know?

If it counts for you then it's a thing. It doesn't have to be a physical item to be a gift either. Sometimes it's just kindness.

( Like something precious has been given. He absolutely is going to bring Sylvain a present at some point in the near future though. He just has to figure out if he's a plushie guy or not. )

You're some kind of soldier, right? Like ... ( He kind of wants to say a knight, because he's read stories about those. But it's the vibe. ) Is that what life is like back home?

[And, now, he shoots Vash a look - a little sharp, a little measuring, one which almost immediately shifts into something more congenial. Easy going. It's a question, honestly asked, one which has a very easy answer.]

Yeah, something like that! [To the soldier part or the home part? Doesn't matter, it's the same answer either way.] Gifts from where I'm from are usually, uh. Practical? Like if I was giving you something and wanted to give you something up to traditional Faerghan standards, I'd give you...

[What's something that's not obviously feudal, nor something that's a coat, because a coat's the obvious answer to what's the closest equivalent to a cloak, but also Vash had just talked about getting a meaningful coat and that feels weird. "I'd give you a cloak, just like the other person did!"]

Dunno, something you can use. [Oh wait, he's got it.] Like a blanket? [Nailed it.] But I've always been bad at being Faerghan so if I were actually giving you something, I'd get you something else.

worm worm worm worm [worm chants intensify]

this is the worst thank you

you're welcome this is an intervention LESS SADSACK

WOW via pornography???

yeah!!!

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