why is Vash distant with Meryl and Roberto?
(warnings: long post ahead, ep 5-8 spoilers, Trigun maximum manga spoilers)
after saying they were friends
after he insisted in looking them inside the worm and risked his life to save them
(Yes, that broke my heart too T_T)
Well, we have to accept Vash has met and helped and saved A LOT of people in his life cause (SPOILER) he has lived many, MANY years.
In the manga, he meets a lot of people in his adventures and we don’t know if he sees them again (even though we know they’re worry about him and are waiting news from him). Rosa in TS is a reference to this. She met Vash time ago and talks with him like a good friend.
But Meryl and Roberto are just another two more he just met like many others before them. Have they done something important for Vash that makes them more special to him? …Not really.
Maybe in the car when Meryl is worried about Vash not eating in three days…and we know him, he could pretend to be asleep but actually is aware of everything. He could heard her…
nevertheless he says goodbye to them really easily. Specially cause he is going to confront his older brother and doesn’t want anyone to get hurt, just like the friend he lost the day before.
And now he is distant with Nicholas too (SPOILER) cause after he defended him, he killed Rollo.
Clean, one shot…Impressive.
Who is Nicholas really? Why is he following Vash?
What if getting Nicholas away from the reporters and letting him believe Meryl and Roberto are not special to him is the best chance to keep them safe?
And when he reunites with them again, he is genuinely surprised and maybe worried like “I just got you out of my typhoon life and now you are here again??”
That reminds me all the moments in the manga when Vash recognizes he just can’t get rid of the insurance girls following him everywhere.
He is under their supervision to avoid disaster…but that gives them more like a passive role where they are just there keeping an eye over Vash.
at the beginning, the girls just follow him like Meryl stampede and Roberto are doing right now, and like Vash ‘23, Vash in the manga doesn’t interact too much with Meryl and Milly when they just met (he hides from them actually).
In 98’ anime, he asks them to stop following him when his situation was too dangerous for them.
And even though they’re good fight partners, Wolfwood is the only one who can fight side to side with him, so they have more adventures together most of the time without the girls.
Maybe that’s why we feel a cold relationship with Meryl and Roberto, cause Vash is always fighting and running…
And when Vash ‘23 sees them again he doesn’t have time to talk. He has to protect them and the other people in the sand-steamer, defeat the Bad Lads and then go back to help Nicholas, who actually does have a heart and has someone to protect, so he can’t be that bad…
And now that he knows they helped him in the sand-steamer all we can do is wait and see if their relationship evolves…