This story contains the use of guns and mild swearing, but there is no graphic content otherwise.
As a bit of an author's note, I have a bunch of rough drafts sitting around in my drive (like this one!) that I've been dusting off and re-working in hopes they may be good enough to publish in the future. I doubt there are a lot of readers in the Trigun category nowadays, but for those who do read and review my stories, I truly appreciate it! Now, with all that out of the way, please enjoy!
Please do not re-upload any of my stories unless I grant you permission. I don't profit from any of the stories that I write.
Meryl Stryfe took a deep breath, inhaling the hot steam that still hung in the bathroom from her shower. She wiped the fog from the mirror before applying some moisturizer to her face, rubbing slowly in circles and attempting to clear her mind. Using a warm washcloth, she wiped her cheeks and saw the tiredness in her reflection. So far, her evening was going exactly as planned.
Meryl had hoped to go to bed early last night, but duty called; she and Milly had run overtime during an evaluation with a client whose property had been damaged by none other than her least favorite 60-billion-double-dollar man. She had also planned to turn in early the night before, but went overtime on writing a report, and then had to keep an eye on a drunken Vash the night before that. However, she had promised herself that tonight would be the night. Even if Vash crashed through the motel wall with guns blazing, it wouldn't stop her from getting into bed at 8:30 and having a full 9 hours of sleep.
The insurance agent put on her fuzzy slippers before exiting the bathroom and climbed into the queen sized bed, stretching before she laid her head down on the pillow. It was just her luck that she and Milly had happened to get two seperate rooms, and almost a miracle that they were both suites. She closed her eyes and pulled the satin covers over herself. If ever there was a night to take it easy, it was tonight-
BANG!
A loud noise shook the foundation of the motel, causing Meryl to jump up in surprise. What was that? She almost wanted to look out the window, but stopped before doing so. You worry too much, Meryl reminded herself. Just don't even let those thoughts cross your mind-
A drumming on the door caused her to jump. "Meryl, wake up!"
The woman groaned as she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the door. "I'm awake, Milly. Come in," she responded. Perhaps her friend just needed to borrow something, and Meryl could get right back to relaxing.
The door slammed open. Milly, who was dressed in her pajamas, rushed into the room with a look of distress on her face. "Meryl, you need to get up! Vash is outside causing trouble! He's already doing a lot of damage!"
"I doubt that it's Vash, Milly. It's probably just some guys who got in a bar fight and are making a lot of noise," she said, hardly sitting up to look at her co-worker. Meryl was almost ready to drift off to sleep when she felt a firm hand shaking her back to consciousness.
"Really, I'm serious! Come to the window and look!"
Meryl knew Milly had a tendency to make outlandish claims, but decided to humor her anyway. "I find it hard to believe that Vash would already be acting up at this early in the night. It's more than likely just your imagination playing tricks on you-"
Meryl's eyes went wide as she witnessed a a group of men chase a lanky figure down the street, bullets flying as none other than the humanoid typhoon screamed in terror. "Guys, just leave me alone, ok?" He begged, trying to scramble away. "I didn't mean it, I promise! Can't we just all forget this happened and enjoy our night?"
"Enjoy this, asshole!" Meryl watched in shock as one of the burly men aimed his gun at Vash, only to hit a gas lamp on the front of a local business. She had no idea what they were fighting about, but she was aware that herself and Milly would be the ones talking to the owner of that property- likely sooner than later.
"See! I told you!" Milly exclaimed. "They're making a huge mess! We're going to do something about it, right?"
Meryl thought about it. Yes, she had already dedicated herself to a night of relaxation. However, she couldn't force herself to let her post slide on account of her own personal enjoyment. She wasn't getting paid for nothing (although, she may argue that she wasn't getting compensated enough). Plus, how would she feel if her property had been destroyed by some donut-guzzling, spikey-haired, destructive, good-for-nothing outlaw?
She looked at the inviting, soft bed, then back to Milly. "Give me some time to change," she said with a defeated sigh. "We'll go take a look."
Maybe tonight wouldn't be the night, but as she walked back into the bathroom, Meryl swore to herself that she'd get to bed early tomorrow.