#oraclekaase

"Do you really have to be a villian now? In front of other people?"

"Cheers."

"I’m sorry! We’ll invite you next time! I’ll make it up to you. Promise!"

Hunger was literally the worst feeling in all of existence. It was no wonder that people would do anything to get rid of the feeling of hunger if it persisted long enough. How painful starving must be to humans... He'd never realized it-- never really felt it, not since childhood-- but now that he did, he could hardly call that a point on the side of his brother. Surely, enduring this was a test on the psyche... 

Oh, what was he saying? He'd only been hungry for like, five minutes! He just needed to distract himself.... Maybe he'd visit a friend and help them out. Yeah, it was decided. That was definitely what he'd do. 

Obviously, going to a bakery full of delicious food was hardly his first option (that would be kind of counterintuitive), but his friend list was limited, and Wolfwood probably wouldn't have anything for him to do except drink. It was far too early for that! Granted, his standard for drinking time was the mid afternoon, if he could get away with it, but... 

Ah, nevermind that. It was an option, if nothing else. He greeted Elmira with a smile and a wave. 

The sight that lingered in Vash's mind as he wandered, looking for a place to finally start the life that he wanted, was the sight of what remained of his brother. How nobody had found him there, Vash couldn't comprehend. Perhaps those "servants" were all Knives had ever had, and that was why he was allowed to simply waste his power and burn out in a painful mess in the sand. It left him shaking, his fingers trembling as sweat dripped down on goosebump-marked skin. 

It was easy, in this state, to not notice the flushing in his face. Surely, a product of anxiety. The heat he felt, the sweat, also a product of that. His stomachache... also anxiety, but probably hunger as well. When was the last time he'd eaten? He had no idea... he'd been wandering for far too long... his exhaustion and weakness had to be a product of that, right? 

The sneezing was the first red flag that something was out of the ordinary. Vash did sneeze-- his nose was not immune to irritation, but it wasn't every few minutes. It was starting to hurt, honestly... this must have been what illness felt like. But why now? Why at this terrible time, when he was already miserable and lost? 

Jack was walking down the street, just smoking his cigarette. He was killing some time before a target got out of a meeting. He hadn't done much looking around in this universe. He hadn't been in this city before and, since he was already here, he figured he'd just look around a bit. His hat was pulled down a bit and his head lowered. So, when he was distracted by a car squealing past him, he didn't see the fact that he was about to bump into someone.