Heylo; welcome to our first story.  Surprisingly, this is how Apple Juice got her name… LOL, to us it is classic.  Please read and review for any comments.  We'd really appreciate it!  LOVE AND PEACE!! ^__^//\\ -- OH, and please note that most of these just suddenly end – It's kinda unique, though. :o

Apple Juice

~ by the Insurance Girls

Meryl gets blasted

"But It's also like taking a break… and breaks are fun." One little sip wasn't going to affect her head, and... that was for the best. But a whole glass now...eh... "In fact... I think you should drink more often, Meryl. This job must really frustrate you...and the way you act around Mr. Vash..." Her voice trailed off as she took another drink, only noticeably longer..


"The way I act around Vash, what do you mean—" X_X!!!! The taste finally got to her senses, causing her eyes to become teary and to begin coughing at the disgusting drink she took a chugging gulp of. "AH-- Milly, this is horrible!"


She waved a hand at Meryl's cry, smiling slightly. "You'll forget what it tastes like sooner or later, Meryl. Try and ignore it...anyway.  After a while, it kind of tastes like apple juice." ^^ At least that's what she thought...eheh..


@_@... "Apple... juice. Milly... sometimes I wonder what planet you came from." Coughing a bit more, Meryl placed a hand on her chest, squinting her eyes at such a taste as it haunted every corner of her mouth. How could people drink stuff like this every day? With flushed red cheeks, those light purple eyes stared down at the glass again, pondering if she should take another 'sip' of it again. "Agh...."


"..What...you don't think so??" She said quizzically, tilting her head slightly. The way she was acting, Milly would've thought that Vash was shooting one of those 'bullets' again.


Meryl looked up at her partner with curious purple eyes, staring at her for a good few seconds-- before a bubble burst inside of her, causing her to laugh hysterically, resting her head in her folded arm as her other fist banged down upon the bar table. Whatever the bartender gave her, it was REALLY hard or it was the 'newbie high' and made her already affected by the alcohol. "Apple juice!!!" xD!!!!!!


She grinned, starting a more-than-cheerful giggle herself.  "...You're funny..." Either she was actually laughing at how Meryl was acting, or she was just laughing because… eh... she felt like it. Nevertheless, the scene itself was still hilarious. Apple juice.  Pfft. xD.  After a moment of laughing, she realized the alcohol did take on the taste of some kind of fruit juice and downed the rest.


"Eheeeehehh..." Slowly regaining from her laughing stage, she grabbed the glass in front of her, looking down into it with blushed red cheeks and silly purple eyes, smiling in a laughing sort of way. "Well, I like apple juice.." With that, she raised the glass to her lips and drank some more, her tongue trying to fight back the horrible taste the drink gave off-- her glass almost empty already. Quickly, after her chugging, she dropped the glass back down on the table with a hard knock. "AGH!!" Again with the coughing..


"Really!? Me too!" She exclaimed loudly...maybe a little too loudly. She emitted less than insane snickering as she waved an enthusiastic arm to the bartender. "MORE PLEASE!" At least she hadn't forgotten her manners. Like they really mattered now anyways. The tender would've normally refused, but business had been slow, so two more glasses were set down before them. "..Heee...eee...Thaaank you.."


All of those gulps were all that she needed to get blasted, sadly. Since Meryl wasn't much of a drinker, and that she had a small figure, the alcohol got to her much quicker than a casual drinker. Recovering from her last disgusting encounter with such a drink, Meryl looked up, seeing two new fresh ones being passed down to them. Because of how dizzy and delirious she was becoming, she didn't have the thought to refuse-- or think for that matter.


You would certainly think that it would take longer for Milly to get intoxicated, because of her height and all...however. It was exactly the opposite. She was as faring as well as Meryl was, and before tipping her glass again, held her stomach for a bit to settle the 'icky' feeling. Shortly after though, she was back on track… or... off track, whatever; starting to empty her new drink..


Staring at her fresh new glass of alcohol as her chin leaned upon the bar table, strange thoughts came to mind, and Meryl felt the need to say them...-- even if she didn't want to, she wouldn't know. It felt as if her body was working on it's own, far from her control for now. "Milly, why are you so... nice?" Her words were slurred. "I mean... I don't get it. Vash is the same way... why?"


She couldn't very well answer it appropriately, but her brain tried to figure out what to say the best it could...  "...Because it's.."  Hiccup.  "The nice thing to do?" Her answer was more of a question. This conversation wouldn't get very far..


"Oh......" The short insurance girl blinked, staring at Milly as she slowly, and wobbly, raised her head from the table... placing her hands upon it. "Because... yeah.. I always thought about that. Milly, you're an airhead-- I always knew that. You're.. a natural." She laughed a bit, looking as if she'd fall off her stool any time now, but she still had more to say. "But Vash... he's an airhead like you... and......." She paused to think for a moment staring off into space with a blank expression, until it looked as if someone slapped the back of her head for her to start again. "And it also looks like he's faking it, in a way... you know?" Her words were slurred once again, closing her eyes.


Milly looked nearly thoughtful as she talked on and on, nodding her head. "Uh-huh... yeah... faking it..." Taking a few moments to ponder over what she said, she gave a gleeful laugh before asking, "Who's faking what?"


Meryl sat there getting lost in a daydream, completely ignoring Milly's question, without knowing it, and her bottom lip quivered as her eyes became teary. "Vash." escaped from her lips, for the sake of saying his name. Throwing her arms upon the bar table, she placed her head on them and began to sob obnoxiously for no reason, perhaps? Who knew? After a few moments of crying loudly, she felt herself begin to slip off her stool, but couldn't hold herself upon it because of her crying, and fell with a CLUNK to the wooden floor of the saloon. But to anyone's surprise, all she did was curl in a ball and continue to cry uncontrollably.


The pudding obsessed girl tipped back to see if her friend was all right, and while doing so, didn't notice that the stool was leaning back a little toooo much. "...Meryl...??  What's wr—"  She was cut short when evil gravity used her weight against her and made a similar noise on the floor. Landing with an 'oof' and a giggle, she crawled to her knees and observed the weeping Meryl. "… Uhh... I meant… what's wrong?"


The short girl's sobbing slowly began to die down, and she sniffled and caught her crying breath here and there, looking up with tear-filled eyes to her partner. She sat up some, having her hands upon the floor for support and her bottom lip continued to quiver as she spoke out— "What's wrong... what is wrong... why... I want to know... I need to know!" After such nonsense, Meryl leaned forward, falling upon Milly for support as she cried on her. What was she talking about? No one around her knew, not even Milly... but deep down inside Meryl, she was questioning herself about Vash the Stampede.


For a moment there, it seemed Meryl knocked the alcohol right out of her. Milly stared down at her, eyebrows turning upwards as she appeared saddened and confused. No matter how drunk she was tears would always bring her back to reality. "…Meryl..."  She said quietly, trying her best to be a comforting person.