The world was a blurry mess of muted sounds that he couldn't quite make out. His head throbbed, each pulse feeling like a hammer against his skull. Vash stirred, his body groaning in protest. "Where... where am I?" he mumbled, his voice thick with disorientation. He tried to sit up, but a sharp tug on his wrists forced him back down. He was bound. Panic blossomed in his chest, a cold knot of fear tightening his breath.

He glanced around the dimly lit room, his gaze skimming over the dancing shadows cast by the flickering light of the single bulb hanging from the ceiling. It was a small, sparse room, with only one table. The only other thing in the room was a figure standing in the corner, shrouded in the deepest darkness.

"Hey, don't scare me like that! Who are you?" Vash tried to sound casual, but his voice still trembled, his eyes darting around the room, searching for any sign of escape. "You don't think I can't take you on, do you? Although... considering I'm tied up right now..."

The figure remained silent, only the flickering light of the candle giving away its presence. Vash's mind raced, trying to piece together the fragments of memory. He remembered being in a fight, but everything beyond that was a hazy blur.

"Listen, I get that you may have had a bad day, but I had nothing to do with it. So... can you let me go, please? I'm really nice, kind, not dangerous at all!" Vash, trying to portray innocence and hurt, pouted his lips, jutting out his bottom jaw. His lower lip slightly protruded, while the upper one, on the contrary, was tightly pressed against his teeth. His face, usually lit up with a friendly smile, was now contorted in a childish pout. His eyebrows, usually slightly raised, were furrowed, creating a barely noticeable crease as if he was on the verge of tears.