["friends" is a start. livio wonders about that, sometimes. so hearing vash say as much is indeed reassuring.

what's more worrisome is the way vash dances around the rest of it. still putting himself down, while implying something deeper. like always, he doesn't know if the plant is just stuck in his head, or genuinely isn't interested...

maybe he should just... say as much.]

... Vash, I'm gonna be real honest. I ain't very good at social intricacies to begin with, and on top o' that, I really can't tell if you're just bein' shy, or you don't wanna get into this at all...

Is it a better question to ask how you feel?