video | @typhoon

[photosympathies]

I need advice!

( Hello network, here's your friendly neighbourhood Stampede about to fully launch into something with no forewarning and no introductions. It's how he makes friends ... and also enemies, don't worry. ) So, we have to get jobs, right? But I'm not exactly sure what I'd be good at. I usually just do whatever people need around the towns I'm visiting, which means I know a little of most things. But I figured this place was new and people might be a little more cautious about that. So I made flyers!

( In one hand - metal, blue sometimes sea green - Vash holds up a stack of leaflets. )

Only when I was trying to give them out I got a lot of dirty looks so can someone tell me what I've done wrong! I really want to be useful while I'm here.

( Turning the flyer around so that his ( unfortunate ) captive audience can see. The design is obviously home made, and probably in a rush. On the paper it proudly proclaims

VASH THE STAMPEDE
RENT BOY
WILL DO WHATEVER YOU NEED
COST: ???
Below that is a crude drawing of the man himself - a stick figure with a triangle body ( his coat, sadly missing ) and a mass of spiky hair. It has a crude beaming smile on the circle of a face. )

Is it the drawing? I could have done better I guess, but I was in a hurry. ( A pause, a slow dawning realisation. ) Aw, shoot. It's the name, right? I didn't use my civilian name! Crap, that's probably a no-no.

( Nothing else could be the issue.

... Right? )

Comments

[photosympathies]

I got eaten by a worm once.

( As nonchalant as can be! )

But whales? That's pretty cool. I bet they're hard to fight on water. We don't have oceans where I'm from, though considering what's in them maybe I'm happy about that.

[eyescar]

The lizards electrocuted me.

[ Yuji just grins, though. ]

We had to go out onto boats and fight them there! It was intense.

[photosympathies]

Electrocuted? Yowch.

( He's been there, buddy. )

But that's so cool, I'm a little jealous. Not that I want to fight a whale, but the beach was so fun. I've been on a sandsteamer before, but never a boat.

[eyescar]

Yeah, that one sucked.

[ Pouty. ]

You can probably go back whenever you want for now? Especially if they get the teleporters working properly.

[photosympathies]

Do you think they have boats?

( Did he see one? Maybe. It's entirely possible he just didn't notice. )

Wait, do the teleporters sometimes not work? Isn't that a little dangerous?

[eyescar]

I think so?

[ They had boats with the kaiju, so… ]

They only just started working, but I had surgery when they first appeared so I didn’t want to risk it.

[photosympathies]

You had surgery?

( Immediate concern for a boy he doesn't know, but that's Vash for you. )

Here? Are you all right?

[eyescar]

Yeah? It's fine, I asked for it.

[ People are always so shocked! ]

It was an upgrade.

[photosympathies]

( Perhaps surgery should be avoided. )

An upgrade? ( A beat and then a frantic backtrack. ) You don't have to tell me if you don't want. Sorry, I guess I'm just curious about this place.

[eyescar]

It's fine, I don't mind talking about it since I was one of the first.

[ Both times. ]

I have healing and teleportation.

[photosympathies]

Teleportation?

( You'd think with how often Vash or the people around him get hurt he'd be more interested in the former, but no. Through the screen his eyes get wide and interested. )

That's so cool! How far can you teleport? Do you need to know where you're going to manage it? Can you take people with you?

[eyescar]

Not super far, like ten kilometres? And it's just me so far. I imagine the place I'm going, but I don't know if I need to?

[photosympathies]

That's super cool. Ten kilometres is still a good distance if you can clear it instantly. Maybe with practice you can get further!

[eyescar]

Maybe! The upgrades usually have those limits built in, though, so unless they change it in the future I might be stuck.

[photosympathies]

Oh.

( Disappointing! )

Was it a hard surgery?

[eyescar]

I don't think you should get it unless you really need it.

[ Yes. ]

[photosympathies]

Oh, no. It probably wouldn't work on me anyway.

( At least he's assuming. )

But it's kind of neat. I get why some people would.

[eyescar]

I didn't think it would work for me, but both have worked fine. The surgery is just really, really painful.

[photosympathies]

( He's already pretty much human-shaped roadkill. But he doesn't think any of his friends would take kindly to him doing something weird and rash like that. So instead he just laughs, bright. )

I'll bet. At least now I know not to challenge you to a race!

[eyescar]

I could already run fast before that!

[ Yuji laughs brightly. ]

My 50-meter track score was 3 seconds!

[photosympathies]

Oh hey, you could give me a run for my money and I'm known for that!

[eyescar]

I think I'd be even faster now, but I haven't tried!

[photosympathies]

Maybe you should! You could race people, take bets!

[eyescar]

That feels like cheating...

[photosympathies]

Hm. Maybe?

But I guess you could always make people aware of your skill first. And then it's like a strongest man competition! I did that once, I had all sorts of big, beefy guys lining up to try and beat me in an arm-wrestling competition. You just need to have someone else look after the money you make because boy do fellas like that get mad when their pride is wounded.