Dog's Got A Friend

October 2nd

Buzz!

Buzz, buzz!

"Arghh! Who's ringing my doorbell at this time???" She cried out, hearing someone deliberately pressing her bell to wake her up. It was Saturday morning and she preferred to sleep than talk to people so early in the day.She groaned into her pillow and slowly rolled out of bed, her barefeet hitting the floor as she forcibly plopped her legs to the side. "This better be good..." She said and shuffled around for something to wear. She slid on a large jacket, the zipper left undone to revealthat she was wearing a tanktop and shorts.

Scarlett wasn't very keen on talking to strangers, but she made her way to the door, passing by thehallway mirror to see her messy appearance. Her designer eyebags were still prominent and waking up while her hair was sticking up in odd places. "That's not very cute..." She commented to herself before brushing her fingers through her hair, untangling the knots and waves from the previous day's braid. Once her hair was less bed-like, she opened the door without thinking to look in the peephole. She assumed it would be Vash, but she was wrong.

A man standing at six feet verticalwas looking down at her, his tan complexion and black hair were the first things she noticed, then his formal attire. She blinked, the man doing the same as shock registered on his face. He wasn't expecting a woman to open the door!

"What is it?" She inquired blankly.

"My bad, I've got the wrong apartment! Do you by chance know a Vincent Saverem? He lives in this building and I can tell he gave me the wrong address." The guy said in an annoyed tone with a shake of his head, holding his large white cargo beside him. Her attention flickered to the object, for it was as big as him and shaped into an odd 't'formation with large straps over the surface. It appeared to be a cross.

"Yeah, you've got the wrong door, but you're not too off from your destination. He's right behind you." Scarlett said while wondering how this guy would know Vash. Probably a friend or acquaintance judging from how he used his legalname for her convenience. She's never seen this guy in town. She used her finger to point at his door down the hall, "I'm not sure if he's awake at this hour, but good luck."

"Thanks a lot, and sorry for waking you up." The man apologized sincerely, his darkeyes never leaving Scarlett's figure. She shruggedat his apology and slid her sandals onto her feet, her handgrabbing for thekeys and shut the door behind her once the man stepped to the side. She was so petite that she barely reached his broad shoulder, angling her head to spare him a faint smile,hands resting in the pockets of her oversized jacket. It made her appear much smaller.

"Don't worry about it. I'm gonna get the mail while I'm awake, so I guess it's whatever. Have a good day now." Scarlett said half-heartedly and began her trek down the steps, letting out a tired yawn.

Wolfwood observed the woman as she left his view, her curly brownhair bouncing behind her as he let out a short whistle. "A sight for my sore eyes." He said with a grin, wondering who that young lady is. He thought she was fairly cute for having woken up. Especially since she wore nothing but her pajamas to show off all that skin. That was the shit he loved to see from a hot neighbor in the big city.

However,he couldn't keep his attention on that girl foreverand went to the appropriate door, buzzing the bell with quick swipes. In record timing, the door swung open to reveal Vash who grinned upon seeing his friend. His hair was hanging down this time, sporting his jeans and long black sleeved shirt."Wolfwood?? You actually came!" He cheered, moving to the side and ushered him in. "Come on in! It might be a little messy, but I just got here!"

On the inside of his apartment were white walls thatencased a simple home of one bed and bath. Flattened boxes lay on a pile on the floor next to the entrance which connected to a skinny hall for entering other rooms.

"Whose your hotneighbor?" Wolfwood asked, bringing in his heavy luggage. He set the item against the wall, straightening his posture as he looked at his bubbly friend."You didn't specify which door it was and I ended up knocking on hers. It's eight in the morning and I thought she was gonna pound my face in, but she seemed nice about it." He said with a sigh, not approving of inconveniencing someone's start to the day. Though, he got the lucky opportunity to see her sexy bed head.

Vash raised his brows, eyes wide as plates as it dawned on him, "You're talking about Scarlett?I'm surprised she opened the door for you. She doesn't like interacting with people too much." He informed, making Wolfwood remember seeing her less than happy eyes glare up at him.

Wolfwood for a moment grinned asher image flashedin his head, "I don't know about that. But hey, I came here to see how you're doing. You settled in quick." He commented, now roaming around the new apartment.

"I didn't have much to bring, just boxes of large items. Don't you know that since you helped me pack?" Vash asked brightly, trailing after his friend. "And how's the ministry going? Still picking up kids at that other place?"

"You betcha. My last stop before coming home was to the church. Got back here with five new kids." The priest explained as he took a seat on Vash's couch. He leaned back into the cushions, heaving out a sigh as he relaxed into the seat. He needed a smoke real bad."It'll be interestingseeing you running around in this new town. Think you'll be staying here longer than the last?"

"Are you only saying that since you live here?" Vash said with a blanched expression, going over and sitting on a chair that was perched next to the couch. "And to answer that question, I think this place is nice! There isn't much crime unless you're coming from the West end of the city. I'll be on my best behavior, promise! You knowI have certain stipulations I have to follow." He reminded with a serious undertone.

"Not only do I live in this city, but I finally get to keep an eye on your troublesome ass! You've been going all over the country and they told me you'd be stationed here in myhometown. That means I don't have to run too far to keep you from doing dumb shit.You'vealready pressedthe limits on your agreement many times and I'm quite surprised they just didn't take you back."

Vash clasped his hands together as his elbows balanced on each knee, his back slouching forward in a concerned position. "Wolfwood, you aren't a stranger to why they've let me do as I please. You were in the same boat once." He said as they came from a similar background. "And that's why they're makingyoubabysit me! You have the choice not to, and I'd be happy with that!"

"Wipe that grin off your face." Wolfwood snappedat the all time bubbly man who grinned at his scathingwords. "You better not cause too much chaos here. The crime rates are going up lately and I don't want you to do a single thing about it. You don't have that kind of authority anymore."

The young priest craved a freshly lit cigarette after learning he has todeal with the idiot whom he considered a close friend. Vash was always getting involved in politics and major events without trying. They managed to take his face and name off of most websites and news articles to keep him from being known to the public.

"I'm gonna go for a quick smoke. Don't do anything I wouldn't." Wolfwood told him, jumping up to his full height as he looked out the nearby window. He noticed the fire escape that latched onto the side as a makeshift balcony, but opted to step outside of the building.

"You got it!" Vash mock saluted his friend as he left.

Wolfwood sighed as he stepped out, shutting the door behind him and pulled out a cigarette from the carton. He had his eyes closed, needing a space to reflect on these current changes. Vash was always a handful, but he truly wondered if he'd lay low this time. The priest flicked his lighter on but stopped when he heard approaching footsteps. He lifted his head and saw the same woman walking up to her door. She was flipping through her mail, busily reading the letters on the front as she absent-mindedly strode past him.

"No smoking in the building." She told him withouta gaze to his direction, her eyes scanning the envelopes with disinterest. Her hand gestured to the small 'No Smoking Allowed' sign on the wall to their left.

Wolfwood closed his lighter, tucking his unlit cigarette into its carton as a smug grin landed on his face. "Yes ma'am... I don't think I introduced myself earlier. My name's Nicholas D. Wolfwood. How about you, miss?"

She stopped when she reached her door, her nose crinkling at the unsavory advancement. She tucked her mail into her pocket and sent him an unamused smile, her eyes narrowing at his intentions. "Wouldn't you know? Your friend's got a big mouth." She replied before inserting her key into the lock.

Hearing her remark about Vash made him laugh aloud. "Haha! You aren't wrong about that. But come on, doesn't hurt to know your name. I said mine." He said, inching close to her small figure. He was a womanizer for sure.

She kissed her teeth before granting him a forced,sweet smile, "Scarlett Lee. Now, back off, good sir." She said insistently, shutting the door on his face.

Wolfwood stood in his spot as the door swiftly shut on him. He took a step backas Vash poked his head out his doorframe, seeing his friend standing out in the hall with a stiff posture.

"Everything okay out here? I thought I heard a slam... and that was a quick smoke break if you took one."

"...I don't need one anymore. How about we go and get a bite to eat? I'm starved."

"Sure! Only if you're paying!"

"...You act as if I make lots of money doing what I do."

Scarlett managed to sleep for another couple hours before rudely waking up to a call. She mumbled profanities as her hand hopped on the blanket to locate her phone. Through half-lidded eyes, she held the phone up to her face to see a potential spam caller. She immediately swiped to hang up the call and threw her phone down into the the couch. "Ugghhh..." She moaned in annoyance. She had to get up either way-- motivating herself that if she got ready, she could indulge in something sweet downstairs.

'Ooh wait, I thinkthey started sellingHalloweenthemed specials.' She recalled in her head seeing them writingon the chalkboard outside. She enjoyed their pumpkin blast special which consisted of vanilla and pumpkin spices. It was so yummy with a scone. Her body sat up quickly at her newfound excitement and rushed to the bathroom to clean her appearance. She stood at the sink, splashing her face with cold water to wakeup fully. Scarlettshivered at the cold temperature and towel dried her skin, grabbing a comb and slicing it through her thick hair to combat any of the knots that refused to be brushed out. It took a few minutes, but she French braided a small section from the leftof her face , allowing the rest of her curly hair to run down freely. She usually never let her out down that often unless it was a weekend. Then, she applied a light touch of blush to her cheeks, concealed her designer eyebags, and brushed mascara through her already dark lashes once the contacts were in.

"Mhm, look at you, Lettie. You look good!" She complimented herself as she admired her work. She grinned at her reflection and went to her closet to find something appropriate to wear. When she got mail this morning, she was hit with the heat of Summer! She forgot that even if it was transitioning to Fall, Global Warming had a chance to stick around till November. It must be super warm out by now. She bit her lower lip as she settled on a pair of denim shorts and a light black knit sweater where the sleeves were puffy and tapered down to her forearm. She twirled in front of the mirror, judging her appearance to be acceptable. In fact, she felt super cute for today.

Scarlett slid on her infamous green sneakers and hurried out the door with her keys and small brown purse. She raced down the steps, her hair flying and her purse bouncing against her hip as she made her way to the bottom level. It's Saturday, so she was expecting the city to be busy since it was about noon now. She exited the apartment lobby and was met with large crowds of people roaming the streets. She warily entered the masses in a zig-zag formation to reach the cafe, pulling the door open to see it was fairly busy as she suspected. Right as she stepped into the building, she heard someone call out to her.

"Scarlett! Hey, Scarlett!" Vash yelled from their table, his hand up high as he waved to her. "Come sit with us!!"

Her spirits dampened at his loud voice, her head slowly turning to see her neighbor obnoxiously waving his arm, his black haired friend beside him with a wave of his own. The customers began to stare at the commotion and she shrunk in her spot.

"Fuuuck." She cursed under her breath, shifting quickly to the counter in an attempt to ignore them. She just wanted to have a peaceful day for once! She hid her face with her

Wolfwood watched as the girl deliberately ignored them, his lips forming an amused smirk as Vash stopped his loud distraction and let his arm rest on the table. The blonde sighed as he gave up trying to get her attention. "I guess she doesn't want to play today..."

"Play? She's ignoring you because you're too damn loud and causing a scene."

Scarlett was next to order, holes burning into her backside as she just knew they were watching her every move. She did her best to not let her irritation be visible as Kallie gave her a friendly smile. "Hey, Scarlett!Are you here to meet up with your friends?" The teenager asked curiously andthe woman let out an annoyed groan. Kallie just smiled innocently, waving over to Vash and Wolfwood who returned the faraway greeting.

"No. They just happened to be here before me." She said, her back slumping in physical discomfort. She pulled her cash out of her wallet, "And, please don't entertain them. Just let em be."

"Why's that? They both seem nice! And, super duper handsome!" Kallie gushed. Scarlett shook her headas she chose what she wanted to order, setting the exact cash on the counter. The young teen grinned and brought over the muffin and scone she ordered, the barista working on her special drink.

"Kal, I suggest you don't go for older guys like them. All men are just dogs." Scarlett advised as a funny idea popped into her devious brain. She scooped up the muffin as she spoke, letting the soft pastry sit on her palm. "I shall now demonstrate my statement."

Kallie couldn't utter another word as she saw her customer grab the paid pastry and now assumed the position of a pitcher. The teen's face morphed into shock as Scarlett pitched the muffin as if she were on the field, the pastry flying through the air straight to Vash. It cut into the seating area with lighting speed, able to avoid hitting anyone as if she knew what she was doing. And, the older woman knew what she was doing of course!

Comically, Vash turned his head to the oncoming muffin and yelped, his mouth opening wide and receiving it like a trained dog. He bit down to prevent the food from falling, his eyes wide with happiness. "Bark, bark!" Vash howled out as he threw the muffin up and swallowed it whole. The bystanders looking at the trade off were in totalshock or laughing along.

"O-Oh my god!"

"That girl's got a good throw alright! You go, girlfriend!"

"Damn, kids these days just throwing food around like it means nothing."

"Mommy, did you see that? She threw it and he caught it like a doggy would!!"

Wolfwood covered his mouth with a hand, laughing into his palmas he saw the ridiculous relationship those two neighbors had. Now, he was starting to like that girl a lot. Vash's eyes were sparkling in awe, licking his lips as he said, "See! She does play with me!"

Scarlett on the other hand turned to see the appalled expression on Kallie's face and offered her a smile, her shoulder tilted up into her cheek for a shrugas to act cute and innocent for her fun demonstration.

"See? I've made my point here."