NAUGHTY ESCAPED LAB SUBJECTS GO IN THE SPRAY BOTTLE BOX

[vapidus]

When Ventus showed up with the wirecutters, nobody wasted any time. The alarm went up minutes later, flattening Vanitas's more sensitive pair of ears as he ran, and in the hallways and the lights and the running, and the knocking over of confused staff, and the scraping under more fences, first Repliku had disappeared, then Xion, until it was just the two of them, him and Ventus still.

Vanitas was a practical person. There was no chance of going back for them.

Once they get past the last fence, Ventus flapping his useless wings as much as he can make them go in the climbing, the world suddenly changes. There's lights on sticks, broad flat paths and many, many buildings. They go several blocks and it just doesn't seem to end; sometimes vehicles roar down the paths and they hide in nearby alcoves or bushes. Vanitas had no idea what he was expecting - something like in the Olympics, or the documentaries of forests and animals by the man with what even Vanitas had to admit was a soothing voice. Not... more, strange, lab. His ears are swiveling, alert, then flatten again as something falls on them, and Vanitas looks up.

That's about the warning they get before it starts raining.It's not heavy - more of a mist than anything else, but the kids have never experienced it in their climate controlled areas their clothes are definitely made for. Vanitas hates it immediately, making a noise that is absolutely not a hiss of frustration, before glancing at Ventus as if to say "any more bright ideas", because it is just now dawning on Vanitas that, perhaps, neither of them prepared for this in a tangible, shelter and food way, beforehand.

Comments

vanitas is the old lady on the fence meme

[waywardwont]

I've actually thought long and hard about if Ven's feathers are waterproof or not. Feels like the sort of shitty corner cutting these bitches might do but he has to take showers not dustbaths lmao so... Probably somewhat????

Ventus, after many long years of interacting with people with no care to understand him, has long mastered the extremely telegraphed eyeroll, helped along that his eyes are in fact, very shiny, even in the overcast light.

"I meant like, maybe a tree or something!" He huffs, not exactly caring Vanitas won't get 90% of that right now. He gestures vaugly to the other side of the road with another pointed look. Bushes, trees. Weird sheds in peoples backyards, dunno, anything! Ven doesn't know how long they're supposed to walk, in what direction. A few seconds to catch their breaths out of sight might not go amiss. He signs again. Shelter

[vapidus]

God having to take dustbaths would suck. You'd need a water bath to get rid of the dust... then you'd need a dust bath to get rid of the water... then...

There go Ventus's eyes again. Vanitas is almost a connessieur of Ventus eyerolls by now, elicits enough of them he does.

MEANT-TREE is what he picks up out of that, and Vanitas reluctantly follows his gaze. "What, like a hollow one?" They can be hollow right, he's sure he learnt that somewhere. "I guess." You're right Ventus, but he's not going to say it outright. He'd roll his own eyes maybe.

He's still very on edge. There could be people anywhere. But shelter is needed. "...there's a roof on that doorway," he says, referring to one of the houses across the street, it's windows dark. It only sticks out so far, but it's better than nothing and Ventus might actually be able to scribble something while they plan their next move, because someone could come through it any second. Vanitas darts out across the road like someone who has never learnt traffic rules - thankfully, there isn't much.

[waywardwont]

WINGS MAN.

Ventus tries to unruffle his feathers a bit, pulling his coat down over his wings again and tugging at an ear in obvious distress. He's stressed just as much as Vanitas is. They need shelter, they haven't traveled nearly far enough on foot...and Ventus, for the first time in his life, really doesn't know what to do. Before everything was so organized, even working against it felt obvious. Here...even the wide open sky made him feel unsure.

A hollow tree would be perfect. He's less sold on the porch, exposed and close to people as it may be, but he really needs something to write under. The rain, at first magical...well it was a teensy bit inconvienent.

Ventus wished Namine were here, just a little. He'd seen her run out...he was sure of it, but he'd gone back to try and get Vanitas. He just had to trust she was ok for now.

"Hey, wait-!" He let out a harsh screech, puffing up a bit as Vanitas dashed off and doing a sort of flap run after him, eyes wide with worry. Ventus also has no concept of traffic, he just didn't want to get Vanitas out of his line of sight!

[vapidus]

Vanitas twists his spine (a tad more than you'd think he'd be able to) to hiss out a 'shhhh, idiot!' at hypocritical volume, but he doesn't stop running until arm's length of the porch whereon his movements become a lot more cautious, ears pricked and and steps as quiet as he can get them.

The porch has a window overlooking it, next to the door; Vanitas crouches down below it, like he would to irritate the researchers who cursed the day Vanitas worked out the existence of two-way glass, and gestures for Ventus to do the same.

His tail twitches, and stills when Vanitas deliberately tamps down on it, old habits dying hard. His fingers knead at a knee.

"Okay," he says, well, semi-whispers. "So we can't stay here. Duh." His ear twitches as a thought occurs to him. "Did you get food?" Vanitas hadn't thought of it, on the way out. They'd passed vending machines, but with no money they were scenery, and anyway he was busy. If he'd known about the escape beforehand maybe he could have tried storing food again; it probably would have been long enough since the last time they caught him doing it. But this had just come out of nowhere.

[waywardwont]

Ventus gestures with a squawk that just about translates to. "Then don't run off, idiot!" before he also shuts up as they near the house.

Ventus finds himself peaking through the window before Vanitas is even half done talking. It's dark inside, he has no special vision, but usually dark is good, right? Dark means unused.

He pauses at Vanitas finaly question, patting his coat pocket suddenly. A half eaten sleeve of crackers is pressed into Vanitas's hand with an apologetic expression.

A few seconds later the notebook was out.

So maybe I'm not the best at plans. But it probably wouldn't have worked if I said anything! It was so hard hiding stuff in the first place, and waiting for a good time!! But I have that and you can eat it first. He looked up towards the building, blinking at the window. Unless you think theres a kitchen...in there?

[vapidus]

"Don't peek through the window, dumbass! What if's someone's there!" Vanitas's tail temporarily puffs a little, but the dampness makes it not as visible as usual. Ventus didn't seem to see anything, at least, so there probably was nothing in view, and it settles, disgruntled.

Vanitas accepts the crackers as a peace offering, fishing one out with his claws and nibbling it while he waits for Ventus to finish writing, and reads.

"At least we're out," he says, and there's enough praise in that, he feels. Ventus's plan worked, huge glaring flaws aside. Now they need new plans. He considers the cracker thoughtfully. "Maybe." He lifts and tilts his head up over the windowsill, peeking in himself. It's dark, but Vanitas's vision is good at dark - he realises there's some kind of curtain over the window on the other side and shuffles until he's in the middle where there's a small crack. Not much other than the dark of empty space can be seen through it. "We'd have to find a way in." There's a latch, but it's up. Some experimental scrabbling with trying to get his claws in the join yields frustratingly no results. "Ugh." They've thought of everything.