The walk back was absolutely silent between the boys. Crickets chirped in the evening light, humming their nightly lullabies to the world. Every time he looked over, Vash could see that Roderich was thinking up a new song as they walked. The Austrian's right hand waved in small, fluent patterns as if conducting a symphony, while the left played out notes on an invisible piano. Vash didn't bother to interrupt him, if Roderich wanted to look like a fool, and he was well used to it, then it wasn't the blonde boys place to stop him, even if it was a little annoying. However, it was something to keep them occupied through the silent walk back, as long as it wasn't that song then there was no reason to bother with it.
At the door of the house, an elderly butler opened the door for the two and they moved inside, still without a word. Roderich led the way to the dining hall where the girls would surely be waiting. He neglected to make it noted that they might very well still be in tears, or that Lilli might be angry with Vash, that was something the ignorant young man could figure out on his own, the hard way. Roderich bowed his head slightly at the door and nodded him in wordlessly, seeming as though he had no intention of joining them. He would never be so uncouth as to leave his guests to a meal without him, but he did in fact have a new melody forming in his head and he wanted to make certain he got it on paper before it left him.
"You'll have to excuse me, I'll be in shortly. There's just something I want to do quickly." Roderich explained gently before he turned away and moved down the hall, leaving Vash to stand before the closed doors and stare at the dark wood that separated him and his sister. It was almost like preparing for a world meeting, he could already imagine Lilli was upset with him for running away like that earlier. There weren't many times to fear Lilli, but when she very well could be angry with him, it was best to avoid such situations. Then again, if he waited it off much longer she could just be angrier with him. That would be a disaster.
Sighing softly, the blonde young man pulled his coat a little closer to him from where it hung still loose around his shoulders where Roderich had placed it by the lake side. He was not fond of the thought that it hit the ground again. That coat was a treasure and one time on the ground, in the dirt, was enough. Once certain it was secure, he pushed the door open and took a step inside. A flurry of pink jumped from her seat just as Vash was fully in the room and she could see him. Lilli ran over to him and wrapped her arms tight around her brother's mid section, embracing him endlessly as a fresh stream of tears slid down her cheeks. She hid her face in his chest, wrinkling his black under shirt. At firt her embrace made him shutter and he released the coat, which in turn fell to the ground. He didn't much seem to mind it though, dear Lilli was distressed and he had to set things right, whatever she was upset about.
Slowly, Vash moved his arms around her and pulled her a little closer to him, a soft smile on his lips as he hushed her crying. He hadn't seen her so emotional in a very, very long time, he couldn't really understand why she was so upset all of a sudden. He didn't ask questions though, he just held her till her blubbering subsided and she looked up at him. Vash raised his right hand to her cheek slowly and brushed the tears off her cheeks, smiling at her wordlessly. She stared up at him for a long moment until his hand moved away from her face and she raised her hand slowly. At first Vash thought she was trying to ask a question, like a school girl in a classroom, perhaps Elizavetta had taught her that since they got there, but within a moment that thought was gone.
Crack. The sound of cold flesh on flesh rang through the silent room. Vash raised his left hand to his cheek, which throbbed painfully from where she'd hit him. Lilli paused a moment, before she cowered back into his arms and shed a few more tears. Vash sighed and put his right arm around her for a moment longer.
"I thought you were dead…" Lilli muttered through her tears as she continued to cry into his shirt. Vash stared down at her for a long moment, trying to register what she'd just said. Dead? Why on earth would she think that? It took him a long minute before it clicked and he held her tight in his arms, shaking his head. He felt so stupid, how could he make her worry like that? He was a terrible brother, he wasn't supposed to make things harder on her and make her cry for heaven's sake! He almost wanted to cry at the sight of her in tears over him, but he held back. He didn't cry over many things, and even if that one song had brought him to tears, he wasn't going to cry again.
"Shh… Lilli, it's alright. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you. Besides, you should know me better than that. I would never leave you like that." He whispered gently, stroking her hair down while Elizavetta watched the both of them in silence. It was the first time he'd seen her seriously sit still and shut up. Lilli's crying slowly subsided and Vash finally released her. He raised his hand to her cheek once more to wipe away her tears before he slipped his hand into hers and walked over to the table. Lilli continued to sniffle a bit as she sat at the long table beside Vash, but she did her best to stay quiet. She felt a little guilty she'd hit him to begin with, but Vash didn't seem upset with her so she didn't say a word about it.
Behind them, Roderich reemerged and took his seat beside Elizavetta, facing Vash. Somehow the great deal of dislike for Vash's actions had carried on to anger toward Roderich, because both boys were treated harshly over dinner. Neither of the girl's spoke to them all through the meal, even while the boys tried for simple conversation. Even without words, though, Lilli kept her hand in Vash's through the entire meal, eating with her left hand and awkwardly avoiding her steak because she couldn't pick up the knife to cut it while she was holding onto her brother's hand.
It was a nice meal, traditional Austrian foods, like schnitzel and wurst. The steak was topped with a thick cream sauce, which neither of the blonde's took note of because they couldn't cut it with their hands interlocked. Dessert was a soft peppermint frozen yogurt, which was pleasant and a good end to the meal.
Only once they'd finished eating did Lilli let go of Vash's hand. At the end of the dining hall stood a grandfather clock that chimed ten as the house staff came around and picked up the last of their dishes. Everyone seemed a little surprised that it was so late, even when the sunset it hadn't seemed so late, but it had already been hours since Vash and Lilli had arrived, it really was that late, even if it didn't feel as such. Lilli and Elizavetta stood slowly and bowed to both of the boys slowly before they turned to leave. Lilli paused beside Roderich and leaned over slightly, as if to whisper something in his ear.
"Please keep him safe." She pleaded quietly before she gave their host a soft, friendly kiss on the cheek, and headed off to bed. Vash and Roderich sat a little longer in the dining hall, staring down at the white table cloth where their food had once sat. They both seemed a little disappointed in something, as if their awkward staring was with cause. Perhaps it was the fact that they were thinking about how angry the girls had seemed, or the way Lilli had spoken earlier, like Vash might actually do something stupid.
"She had good reason for it you know." Roderich muttered finally to again break the awkward silence that had befallen them. While he awaited a response, Roderich slipped his hands in his pockets and stood up beside the chair, watching as Vash did the same. Through the course of the meal, his jacket had been moved to the back of his chair and he picked it up happily, glad to see it had been dusted off since it had been dropped.
"I understand that. Lilli worries a lot, but it's always quite rational. I just wish she wouldn't." He responded honestly. Roderich nodded slightly and walked around the table to the door, Vash following at a short distance.
"Don't give her so much reason to worry then. As you said, it's quite rational. You shouldn't put her in a place that she would need to worry in the first place." Roderich remarked, keeping his back to Vash as they walked to the stair case. For a short moment, the only sound that echoed down the halls was the click of their shoes against the hard wood floor. At the edge of the stairs, Roderich turned and looked back to Vash, who was walking slowly, his head hanging while he considered what Roderich had said. He was right, Lilli worried about him for a reason, and if he ever wanted her to stop then he really needed to quit that, but still, it kind of hurt to have Roderich tell him that.
Suddenly, Roderich grabbed Vash's arm and pulled him closer. His grip on the smaller boys arm was tight, almost painful if not for the fact that the young Swiss man was far stronger than Roderich. That didn't make what came next any less painful. Roderich's grip tightened a bit more, and his other hand moved up to Vash's cheek, where he smacked him just as Lilli had before. Vash could only stand to stare up at the dark haired Austrian, stunned that he'd just been hit like that, and by someone he never thought would ever be concerned with Vash again.
"Don't ever worry me like that again! I've never been more afraid in my life!" Roderich shouted at him before he let go of Vash and moved a few steps up the stairs before he turned back to Vash. He paused, then descended again and stood before his old friend. Slowly, he leaned in and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's lips, leaving Vash in utter shock. "Somehow, I still can't bear to lose you."
Roderich turned away at that and made his way up the stairs to his room, leaving Vash to his own accord. Without protest, without a word, Vash sat at the bottom of the stairs and leaned his head against the railing. His mind raced, trying to set it all straight. In the end, it was futile, and instead of going up for a good night's rest, he fell asleep across the bottom stair, his coat hanging over his shoulders to keep him warm.