[OPEN] Library Shenanigans + May Catch-All

[petitejournalism]

CHARACTERS: Meryl and YOU!!!
DATE: Mid to Late-May
WARNINGS: Sleep issues & Tristamp spoilers! Will update more if needed.
SUMMARY: Some studying, some rough times, and a bakery run! Feel free to PM if you'd like to thread with her outside of these and I can set something up as well! AU plotting post over here!

Comments

[petitejournalism]

Yeah... Yeah, you're right.

[ she doesn't disagree with him — it's often helpful to get out of your head for a while so you can reevaluate things. she's used to the concept being taught to her in university, to help them see the things they're writing a little more clearly.

it, unfortunately, hasn't been something that she's been able to do much with since coming here. turns out dealing with a best friend's near death and a mentor's actual death are harder than just 'take a walk'.

she tries to smile for him, still looking exhausted in the process. ]

If even the Humanoid Typhoon himself is getting overwhelmed, then maybe I never stood a chance, huh?

[ it's... mainly a joke. but maybe it's a little serious. she's too tired to think it out. ]

[painhub]

[ Vash smiles, reflexive. He's used to that name being thrown at him with a sneer, but he knows Meryl doesn't mean anything unkind. ]

It's funny, I was thinking of it the other way around. You always seem like you're ready to throw yourself into whatever comes your way. I get in over my head, and one of you jump in to bail me out every time...

[ It's unfair of him, he knows, but it's true. Any time he's been up against a wall, someone else has been willing to step in, or to trust him.

Every time he'd expected Meryl and Roberto to decide they'd had enough of him and turn around and walk away, they'd kept coming back for more. Even on the Sand Steamer when they'd said their goodbyes, Meryl had insisted on coming after him and Wolfwood, determined to see it all the way through.

He gives her hand a little tug, urging them to move. It'll be easier to talk somewhere that isn't so close to the suites where everyone is asleep. ]

I guess that's why it's strange to see you like this. What's been eating you, really?

[petitejournalism]

[ she certainly doesn't think herself more capable than vash, so it's surprising to hear that come from him. the things he does are beyond comprehension for her, and despite how "in over his head" he claims to be, he always looks the opposite to her — like he's fighting with everything he's got, knows what he's doing, and is able to deal with what's given to him.

of course, aside from her final memories of what was happening in her world, which prick at her thoughts once again, fresh from her sleep. she was the one trying to bail him out, but she's not sure she would've been able to...

she snaps out of it when he finishes his piece, asks his question. she jolts slightly, finally pulling her hand away from his in favor of the reflexive way she puts her hands up in between them, a shield. ]

Wh-What makes you think something else's eating at me? [ he said 'really', which implies he can tell. ugh.

she sighs, shoulders drooping in the next second, still too tired to keep up with things. ] It was that obvious...?

[painhub]

Meryl. [ Vash says, and despite the gentle coaxing in his tone it's clear that he's not going to let the issue drop.

At least she's willing to admit it now, which is better than he would have gotten over text message. He doesn't needle her to keep going right away, just waits for her to continue for now. ]

[petitejournalism]

[ she sighs, after a moment, and considers what she might be getting herself into.

there's not much thinking she's really capable of now — surface level, of course, but much deeper and her mind becomes a tired haze. that's just how it goes when you've gotten little to no sleep for the past month or so. ]

Let's, um — we can talk about this outside, okay?

[ if anything, she'd prefer this conversation happen in a more peaceful area. the garden she's been visiting nearby should suffice, especially since it has benches they can sit on. and she sure as hell doesn't want to be standing for this, if she goes through with it. ]

Come on.

[ she'll go ahead and make her way there with him, if he allows it. ]