Tempest Wind (Vash x F!Reader)

Otherworldly Lullaby

As morning arrives, you examine Vash. He feels a bit warm to you again, despite the medicine, but he isn't red or sweaty. Checking the wounds, you see that the ones in his shoulder have closed up, leaving bright pink scars, but his stomach one has not healed. You count your blessings by being glad that the wound isn't bleeding or seeping anything else. You lather more ointment on it before giving Vash medication and water.

You clean the room and organize your bags in case you have to make a quick escape. After sorting out the dirty clothes, you leave them to soak before taking a damp cloth and starting to carefully clean Vash's prosthetic of the dried blood. You hear Vash occasionally making little noises while you work away, and his right hand slowly moves along the bed as if looking for something.

You notice the rest of the inn come to life. You've heard some noises from downstairs for a while, but now it seems that breakfast is fully on its way. You need to keep up appearances and excuses just to make sure nobody gets suspicious. Finishing up with the arm, you place it by the bed, covering it with Vash's bag just in case. You leave your own belongings in a spot he can see from where he lies. You doubt he will wake up while you're gone, but if he does, you want him to know you're close by.

You go downstairs and see Mary tending to the tables where people are having breakfast. She immediately notices you and swings by.

"Good morning! How's your sack of meat doing?" She laughs as she reaches for her apron.

"Good morning! Ah, as you'd expect, hungover. He looks awful and sounds worse. He'll probably stay in bed all day and complain." You try to keep your tone as light as possible. You'd be happy to hear Vash complaining at this point; it would mean he has the strength to do so.

"Oh, I understand; believe me." She hands you a folded paper. "Here, have a look at the menu. I see an empty seat over there in the corner. I'll come back in a second."

"Thanks!" You make your way to the little table and chair she had pointed at and sit down. Looking over the menu, you see simple breakfast options, and you mainly think about what would be something Vash could eat if he regains consciousness.

A little while later, Mary appears before you once again, asking if you've decided on something.

"Two bowls of porridge, please. I'll take one upstairs to the dying man if you don't mind." You smile at her.

"No problem; just return the utensils afterwards. I trust ya." she nods.

"Also. Any news of the Typhoon?" you carefully ask, paying attention to her expression.

"Nah, it's quiet. Many have already left town, thinking he might have skipped this place since the bounty was only good till sunrise. I believe many others will follow during the day. Personally, I think it was all made up anyway. How could someone know the whereabouts of a madman like that? And the whole situation sounds strange; a random person put such a huge bounty on him for seemingly no reason. What about you? Going to skip down as soon as your worse half gets steady on his feet?"

"Maybe the Typhoon wants the hunters to believe he's not coming and hits it later? I think we will stay for at least another night, if not two. I'm in no hurry."

"Good to hear!" Mary seems cheerful and walks into the kitchen with your order written down. Moments later, she returns with two bowls and spoons that she puts down in front of you. "Here you go!"

You hand her the money and get to eating. You don't taste the food; you barely notice the texture, even as you force yourself to not shovel it all in in one go. You need to seem as collected and carefree as possible. You keep an eye on the people at the tables; most of them seem in low spirits, some even angry. You wonder if the reason for it is solely the lack of their expected bounty.