ext_245362 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
mildlyreckless.livejournal.com) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
tampered2007-05-15 06:57 pm
mildlyreckless.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-05-15 06:57 pm
Log; Complete
When; May 15th, afternoon
Rating; G, actually, I think.
Characters; Knives (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sharpest_knife) and Vash (mildlyreckless)
Summary; The day after the Kagura rescue, Vash confesses that Millenium witnessed a glimpse of his power. Knives is not amused.
Log;
Knives watched as Tessla's door closed firmly, with a nice click, before turning to face his brother. They were seated in the living room, with the elder twin seated on the edge of the armchair, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded together. He had originally intended for a casual visit to discuss housing arrangements regarding Tessla, but the situation had taken a sudden turn to that requiring immediate attention.
"Let's get the important business out of the way first," Knives said promptly. "How did the rescue go?"
--
Vash was in trouble. He knew that already. He had decided to confess over the Network rather in person to Knives that his power had revealed itself while in the Major's lair. It had been quite unexpected; his defenses reacted to a rather sudden barrage of bullets courtesy of a horde of ghouls. That glow; those feathers... It had hardly been subtle. He'd been able to get it back under control, but... The damage was done.
"It was successful," he answered from his place on the couch. "I got a little beat up by guy with some sharp, pointy objects, but I've had worse. We got the girl and she's home with her cousins now. ...They've got some weird creatures there, Knives. Those 'ghouls' were really nasty."
Vash paused. He knew his brother wasn't interested in the girl's safety, but he couldn't help but dodge the issue a little before diving in.
"It was my defense mechanism or whatever that went off," Vash said finally. "You know; those huge feathers. They stopped a bunch of bullets. I barely even noticed when it went off. I don't know if I was just caught up in the combat or if those things somehow made it easier to go off or what."
--
Slowly, Knives dropped his head into his hands. Great. Just what he needed. He had been quite content with leaving the Doctor some drops of blood, some tissue sample, and a sliver of what Knives could do. But for them to see his brother's feathers? To see Vash stop bullets? It was making this situation so, so much worse. Millennium would want more samples of the plants, and Knives knew they had no bias towards which sibling they took said samples from. They might even kidnap Tessla.
Knives finally lifted his head and stared hard at his brother. "Who saw it?"
--
"A bunch of ghouls that didn't live much longer afterwards and Hatori and Shigure," Vash replied. "...But I'm worried others did too. That whole place felt like it was covered in eyes. And not like the ghouls' empty stares, either, like intelligent surveillance or something. I wish I could say something encouraging, but it's the truth. Something felt 'off' as soon as we stepped foot into that place. Like we were missing something. And I may act like an idiot, but you know just as well as I do that my perception isn't half-bad."
Vash was more than a little terrified over the whole situation. It felt just like back then; when they first found out about Tessla. That same horror, that same panic, that same dreading of what would happen to them... It was all back.
"...Knives, what we going to do?"
--
Knives shook his head. "Probably not eyes, but cameras. Judging from their time period, it was when Earth's technology wasn't considered lost yet. I wouldn't put it past a man like the Major to rig his entire airship with a defensive surveillance system. He probably monitors his own soldiers." The elder twin sat back in his chair but did not relax. He was far from relaxed. "Damn that man. He's too nosy for his own good." His fist clenched subconsciously.
Unlike Vash, Knives working with a mental organizer, trying to keep the facts separate and to realize the best plan of action. It was unfortunate that he didn't have all of his minions within the City; he was missing key players such as Leonof and Zazie, and with the power limitation... But Legato, Elendira, Ninelives, and now Midvalley were definitely capable enough. However, since this endangered both brothers as well as their sister...
"They won't like this." He was referring to the Guns. "But you might." He paused. "I'm willing to work with you against a common enemy." Knives could make an excuse like "For Tessla's sake," but he knew that wasn't entirely true. If Millennium ever got their hands on Vash... Oh, Knives would be bathing himself in their blood.
--
"Wolfwood and Livio won't like it either," Vash said thoughtfully. That was an understatement, but it didn't matter right now. "...Okay. I'm willing to work with you too. ...As much as I hate to say this, it might be safer if we all shared one place. Maybe multiple apartments. Just until we figure this out."
Now that was a disaster waiting to happen. Vash knew he and Knives could make nice for something as important as this, but the Gung Ho Guns and Wolfwood and Livio were an entirely different story. The open threats they made to one another over the Network was obvious proof of that.
"But we'd both need to keep the people on our respective sides in check. I know Wolfwood's just as bad as Legato and so on and so forth, so it would have to be a mutual thing."
--
"No."
Was Vash crazy? Oh wait, yes--he's the brother who'd spent a century and a half running around dodging bullets and preaching peace. But this? This was absolutely ridiculous. Both parties in the same building, on the same floor? Knives was willing to make nice, yes, but there was a very definitive line that should never be crossed and Vash had just suggested crossing it.
"No," Knives said again, jaw set, eyes hard. "If you think living within the same building is going to keep everyone safer, then we might as well hand ourselves over to Millennium. You remember what happened the other night when the curse ended. Imagine that every single day. I'm not going to sacrifice my sanity for that." Then his tone and expression softened. "You and I can take care of ourselves. Even if I can't spend my power as I could back on Gunsmoke, I'm still deadly, and our hair's not getting any blacker. You, I'm not worried about. It's Tessla."
He glanced sidelong at their sister's closed bedroom door and hoped she was sound asleep.
"I'm not only talking about defense as well. We need information. Millennium knows who my servants are, and hopefully Midvalley keeps his business far from theirs." Knives made an exasperated noise right then and raised a hand to his forehead. A headache was festering underneath his left temple. "If only the Beast were here."
--
A very large part of Vash was incredibly relieved when Knives said no. Thank God. One less thing to worry about. But his brother had always been kinda funny when it came to enemies and Vash couldn't be sure what it was he would want.
When Knives' gaze wandered, Vash followed it with his own eyes and felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. More than ever he quietly wished to himself that Tessla had never come to the City. Things were so complicated now...
"...Hellsing," Vash blurted out after Knives trailed off. "Maybe Hellsing will help us. They're a group that's apparently been fighting the Millennium for a long time now. They're the ones who helped us get ready for the fight. I don't think they'll get directly involved because it's too much of a risk, but maybe they can give us information. It never hurts to ask, right?"
--
Another party against Millennium definitely boosted their chances. Granted, Knives wasn't planning on attacking Nazi vampires anytime soon, but any leverage against that organization was going to be useful. And if they helped Vash before...
"Very well. You keep in contact with this Hellsing group. I've not met any of them, so they're more likely to listen to you than to me. We'll need any information you can glean from them--how Millennium began, what it's comprised of, effective methods against them, so on. Arm yourself accordingly. We'll need to update my map of their ship, too."
Knives paused, trying to think of anything else necessary for defense against Millennium. Then--"Have you met Lady Red yet?"
--
Vash shifted slightly in his seat, trying to get comfortable. It was really hard to think when something was hurting.
"All right, I'll see what I can do," he said. "And yes, I have met her. The Horseman of the Apocalypse, right? Why?"
--
That headache was worsening. "She's been a wonderful benefactor. However," and Knives stressed his point severely, "she will not take sides. In fact, she'll try to increase any tension to the point of conflict between us and Millennium. But if you need weapons or information, she might help out. Keep in mind that she'd do the same for the Major, though." And that was where his list of helpful allies stopped. Aizen was completely out of the question, Kurama was merely someone on amiable terms with Knives, and any other people Knives spoke with probably disliked him too much.
"Anyway, there's another issue I want to address that's become a lot more important now that we have the threat of Millennium upon us." He looked at Tessla's door again. "We need to make sure she's always with someone on our sides."
--
"...Of course," Vash said, blinking in surprise. He had sort of considered Tessla's being with one of them at all times a given. Unlike Knives, he had plenty of allies. If anything, Greed had taken quite a liking to Tessla and vice versa, and Vash had no doubt in his mind that Greed could put up a good fight. Even without the homunculus, Wolfwood, Livio and the Guns made up a large enough group that it wouldn't be hard to find one of them willing and able to stay near her at any given time. Not to mention the two brothers themselves.
"We should set up a schedule then," Vash said, more thinking aloud than anything else. "Should we go week-by-week?"
--
Unlike Vash, Knives didn't trust his "allies" unless they were one of the Guns. Even Kururu, because that girl couldn't defend herself, let alone someone else. And he certainly did not trust Greed with Tessla. Something about that man spelled "pedophile," "voyeur," and "opportunist," among other things.
"That works," Knives replied at last. "It can change after every weekend."
--
"Okay," Vash said with a wince. "So I'll take her for the rest of this week. She hasn't been here much anyway and I've missed having her around. I think Wolfwood has too."
Vash looked down at Sasha as the kitten stalked Knives' legs mischievously and smiled.
"And I think the cat's been bored."
He was running out of things to say. Vash decided to take that as a sign it was time to say good-bye.
"Thanks for bringing Tessla over," he said, standing up with a grunt. "Can I get you anything before you leave?"
--
Knives eyed the cat with decided indifference, then stood also. "No," he replied shortly. He started for the door, then stopped and turned back to look at Vash. "Actually," he ceded, "do you have any more of that cake from the other day? I think Legato would like some."
--
"Yeah, I do," Vash said, making his way into the kitchen. "I'm a little surprised it didn't get thrown or something the other day, but..."
Vash cut the remainder of the cake in half and put it into a container before handing it to his brother.
"You don't need to bring this back, we've got others. ...Take care, Knives."
--
The other twin took the box and turned again to leave. "I'd say the same to you, Vash."
With a slight nod, he walked through the door and into the hallway.
Rating; G, actually, I think.
Characters; Knives (
sharpest_knife) and Vash (mildlyreckless)Summary; The day after the Kagura rescue, Vash confesses that Millenium witnessed a glimpse of his power. Knives is not amused.
Log;
Knives watched as Tessla's door closed firmly, with a nice click, before turning to face his brother. They were seated in the living room, with the elder twin seated on the edge of the armchair, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands folded together. He had originally intended for a casual visit to discuss housing arrangements regarding Tessla, but the situation had taken a sudden turn to that requiring immediate attention.
"Let's get the important business out of the way first," Knives said promptly. "How did the rescue go?"
--
Vash was in trouble. He knew that already. He had decided to confess over the Network rather in person to Knives that his power had revealed itself while in the Major's lair. It had been quite unexpected; his defenses reacted to a rather sudden barrage of bullets courtesy of a horde of ghouls. That glow; those feathers... It had hardly been subtle. He'd been able to get it back under control, but... The damage was done.
"It was successful," he answered from his place on the couch. "I got a little beat up by guy with some sharp, pointy objects, but I've had worse. We got the girl and she's home with her cousins now. ...They've got some weird creatures there, Knives. Those 'ghouls' were really nasty."
Vash paused. He knew his brother wasn't interested in the girl's safety, but he couldn't help but dodge the issue a little before diving in.
"It was my defense mechanism or whatever that went off," Vash said finally. "You know; those huge feathers. They stopped a bunch of bullets. I barely even noticed when it went off. I don't know if I was just caught up in the combat or if those things somehow made it easier to go off or what."
--
Slowly, Knives dropped his head into his hands. Great. Just what he needed. He had been quite content with leaving the Doctor some drops of blood, some tissue sample, and a sliver of what Knives could do. But for them to see his brother's feathers? To see Vash stop bullets? It was making this situation so, so much worse. Millennium would want more samples of the plants, and Knives knew they had no bias towards which sibling they took said samples from. They might even kidnap Tessla.
Knives finally lifted his head and stared hard at his brother. "Who saw it?"
--
"A bunch of ghouls that didn't live much longer afterwards and Hatori and Shigure," Vash replied. "...But I'm worried others did too. That whole place felt like it was covered in eyes. And not like the ghouls' empty stares, either, like intelligent surveillance or something. I wish I could say something encouraging, but it's the truth. Something felt 'off' as soon as we stepped foot into that place. Like we were missing something. And I may act like an idiot, but you know just as well as I do that my perception isn't half-bad."
Vash was more than a little terrified over the whole situation. It felt just like back then; when they first found out about Tessla. That same horror, that same panic, that same dreading of what would happen to them... It was all back.
"...Knives, what we going to do?"
--
Knives shook his head. "Probably not eyes, but cameras. Judging from their time period, it was when Earth's technology wasn't considered lost yet. I wouldn't put it past a man like the Major to rig his entire airship with a defensive surveillance system. He probably monitors his own soldiers." The elder twin sat back in his chair but did not relax. He was far from relaxed. "Damn that man. He's too nosy for his own good." His fist clenched subconsciously.
Unlike Vash, Knives working with a mental organizer, trying to keep the facts separate and to realize the best plan of action. It was unfortunate that he didn't have all of his minions within the City; he was missing key players such as Leonof and Zazie, and with the power limitation... But Legato, Elendira, Ninelives, and now Midvalley were definitely capable enough. However, since this endangered both brothers as well as their sister...
"They won't like this." He was referring to the Guns. "But you might." He paused. "I'm willing to work with you against a common enemy." Knives could make an excuse like "For Tessla's sake," but he knew that wasn't entirely true. If Millennium ever got their hands on Vash... Oh, Knives would be bathing himself in their blood.
--
"Wolfwood and Livio won't like it either," Vash said thoughtfully. That was an understatement, but it didn't matter right now. "...Okay. I'm willing to work with you too. ...As much as I hate to say this, it might be safer if we all shared one place. Maybe multiple apartments. Just until we figure this out."
Now that was a disaster waiting to happen. Vash knew he and Knives could make nice for something as important as this, but the Gung Ho Guns and Wolfwood and Livio were an entirely different story. The open threats they made to one another over the Network was obvious proof of that.
"But we'd both need to keep the people on our respective sides in check. I know Wolfwood's just as bad as Legato and so on and so forth, so it would have to be a mutual thing."
--
"No."
Was Vash crazy? Oh wait, yes--he's the brother who'd spent a century and a half running around dodging bullets and preaching peace. But this? This was absolutely ridiculous. Both parties in the same building, on the same floor? Knives was willing to make nice, yes, but there was a very definitive line that should never be crossed and Vash had just suggested crossing it.
"No," Knives said again, jaw set, eyes hard. "If you think living within the same building is going to keep everyone safer, then we might as well hand ourselves over to Millennium. You remember what happened the other night when the curse ended. Imagine that every single day. I'm not going to sacrifice my sanity for that." Then his tone and expression softened. "You and I can take care of ourselves. Even if I can't spend my power as I could back on Gunsmoke, I'm still deadly, and our hair's not getting any blacker. You, I'm not worried about. It's Tessla."
He glanced sidelong at their sister's closed bedroom door and hoped she was sound asleep.
"I'm not only talking about defense as well. We need information. Millennium knows who my servants are, and hopefully Midvalley keeps his business far from theirs." Knives made an exasperated noise right then and raised a hand to his forehead. A headache was festering underneath his left temple. "If only the Beast were here."
--
A very large part of Vash was incredibly relieved when Knives said no. Thank God. One less thing to worry about. But his brother had always been kinda funny when it came to enemies and Vash couldn't be sure what it was he would want.
When Knives' gaze wandered, Vash followed it with his own eyes and felt the corner of his mouth twitch slightly. More than ever he quietly wished to himself that Tessla had never come to the City. Things were so complicated now...
"...Hellsing," Vash blurted out after Knives trailed off. "Maybe Hellsing will help us. They're a group that's apparently been fighting the Millennium for a long time now. They're the ones who helped us get ready for the fight. I don't think they'll get directly involved because it's too much of a risk, but maybe they can give us information. It never hurts to ask, right?"
--
Another party against Millennium definitely boosted their chances. Granted, Knives wasn't planning on attacking Nazi vampires anytime soon, but any leverage against that organization was going to be useful. And if they helped Vash before...
"Very well. You keep in contact with this Hellsing group. I've not met any of them, so they're more likely to listen to you than to me. We'll need any information you can glean from them--how Millennium began, what it's comprised of, effective methods against them, so on. Arm yourself accordingly. We'll need to update my map of their ship, too."
Knives paused, trying to think of anything else necessary for defense against Millennium. Then--"Have you met Lady Red yet?"
--
Vash shifted slightly in his seat, trying to get comfortable. It was really hard to think when something was hurting.
"All right, I'll see what I can do," he said. "And yes, I have met her. The Horseman of the Apocalypse, right? Why?"
--
That headache was worsening. "She's been a wonderful benefactor. However," and Knives stressed his point severely, "she will not take sides. In fact, she'll try to increase any tension to the point of conflict between us and Millennium. But if you need weapons or information, she might help out. Keep in mind that she'd do the same for the Major, though." And that was where his list of helpful allies stopped. Aizen was completely out of the question, Kurama was merely someone on amiable terms with Knives, and any other people Knives spoke with probably disliked him too much.
"Anyway, there's another issue I want to address that's become a lot more important now that we have the threat of Millennium upon us." He looked at Tessla's door again. "We need to make sure she's always with someone on our sides."
--
"...Of course," Vash said, blinking in surprise. He had sort of considered Tessla's being with one of them at all times a given. Unlike Knives, he had plenty of allies. If anything, Greed had taken quite a liking to Tessla and vice versa, and Vash had no doubt in his mind that Greed could put up a good fight. Even without the homunculus, Wolfwood, Livio and the Guns made up a large enough group that it wouldn't be hard to find one of them willing and able to stay near her at any given time. Not to mention the two brothers themselves.
"We should set up a schedule then," Vash said, more thinking aloud than anything else. "Should we go week-by-week?"
--
Unlike Vash, Knives didn't trust his "allies" unless they were one of the Guns. Even Kururu, because that girl couldn't defend herself, let alone someone else. And he certainly did not trust Greed with Tessla. Something about that man spelled "pedophile," "voyeur," and "opportunist," among other things.
"That works," Knives replied at last. "It can change after every weekend."
--
"Okay," Vash said with a wince. "So I'll take her for the rest of this week. She hasn't been here much anyway and I've missed having her around. I think Wolfwood has too."
Vash looked down at Sasha as the kitten stalked Knives' legs mischievously and smiled.
"And I think the cat's been bored."
He was running out of things to say. Vash decided to take that as a sign it was time to say good-bye.
"Thanks for bringing Tessla over," he said, standing up with a grunt. "Can I get you anything before you leave?"
--
Knives eyed the cat with decided indifference, then stood also. "No," he replied shortly. He started for the door, then stopped and turned back to look at Vash. "Actually," he ceded, "do you have any more of that cake from the other day? I think Legato would like some."
--
"Yeah, I do," Vash said, making his way into the kitchen. "I'm a little surprised it didn't get thrown or something the other day, but..."
Vash cut the remainder of the cake in half and put it into a container before handing it to his brother.
"You don't need to bring this back, we've got others. ...Take care, Knives."
--
The other twin took the box and turned again to leave. "I'd say the same to you, Vash."
With a slight nod, he walked through the door and into the hallway.