[It is, on so many levels, worse than he could have imagined. It's a failure on so many levels. He couldn't convince his brother to back down. A whole city was left destroyed in his wake. Jeneora Rock had been bad enough, but this reality? Millions called JuLai home.

He can't believe it. He can't.]

No. No, no. They're lying -

[And yet even with just a handful of words, the truth feels so obvious. Of course he and Nai would fight. Even here, his brother had clung steadfast to those beliefs, no matter how desperately Vash had begged him to stand down. And how many times had cities been damaged just because Vash was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Maybe Wolfwood is lucky, in that Vash doesn't really process what he says. The downside is that Vash finally, finally seems to pull away. He lets go of Wolfwood's hand, trying to draw back into himself. The upper set of hands draw into his hair, nails pressing into his scalp enough to sting. The other pair, if allowed, will twine around themselves.]

They got out, right? They evacuated the city? They wouldn't just - seeing people like us fight, they'd run. The Military Police would round everyone up and - and -

[Where would they go? Would they have time? Or would Nai cut them all down without mercy.]