twisted2

Disclaimer-I'm too lazy to write two of them. Same policy as before. And I'm still not making any money at this so don't even bother.

----

The man in red paused outside of town to adjust the tote he was carrying. It was a heavy pack to be carrying in this heat, but he managed it with ease. Entirely too much ease in fact. It was as if he barely noticed that he carried it, which seemed impossible, but it was merely one of many mysteries surrounding this man. It was evident he was a fighter. To the trained eye in fact, this man walked with the catlike grace of one who is always in tune with his surroundings and who was always ready for any situation.

The person who watched the man in red from behind an outcropping had a discerning eye. From here she could tell that he seemed to be carrying two guns, a smaller one strapped to the small of his back, and a larger weapon strapped to the outside of one thigh. That aside, he wasn't as well armed as she'd been led to believe. Honestly, she'd expected the infamous outlaw to at least have a machine gun and a bunch of henchmen. Ah well, the legends were almost always exaggerated, and she should be used to being let down by now. But surely, her mind reasoned with her, the Humanoid Typhoon at least would live up to his reputation?

Through her binoculars, she saw the man straighten and lean back, evidently working a crick out of his back. He acted so... ordinary.

Evidently not, she whispered to herself, wondering why she'd volunteered for this assignment, when there'd been a serial killer in December that she could have been tracking. Now THAT would have been exciting. Far more so than watching Mr. Red over there adjust his bag. Sighing, she leaned back against the rock behind her and wondered for the umpteenth time why Vash the Stampede led such a boring life. She'd been tracking him for nearly three months now, and nothing had come of it. He traveled, he slept, he ate, he helped mothers and orphans on occasion... but not much else. If she had even half the skills he was reputed to have--well her life wouldn't involve chasing insurance hazards, that's for sure.

Sighing, Meryl Stryfe looked over the rock once more. There he was, he hadn't moved much since she'd last looked. Now he was staring at the town that lay before him. She couldn't see what he found so riveting about Inepril. It was only another town, not much ever happened here. It's population had nearly doubled since July City's unfortunate demise, but still... it wasn't exciting in the slightest.

Hefting the tote over his shoulder, the man in red started in towards town. Sighing heavily at her damnable luck, Meryl wondered once again why she couldn't live a more exciting life. There were always plots and schemes going on left and right in the books... However, this was real life, and this was her job, so if she wanted to eat she'd have to continue to follow Vash all over this godforsaken planet. What a depressing thought.

---------------------------------------------


Wolfwood noted absently that the woman was following him again. For some reason, she felt it necessary to hide from him, although even the most oblivious of people was bound to notice that someone was following them after the first month and a half. She'd been following him for almost three months now. He knew why too. Like the others who'd been sent to tail him, she thought he was Vash the Stampede. If it wasn't such an ridiculous concept, he would have found it completely funny. As it was, he wasn't even supposed to know that she was there, so he couldn't even really take advantage of this case of mistaken identities.

Wherever you are, Vash the Stampede, I hope you realize that I'm suffering on a daily basis because of you, he muttered, before snagging a crumpled cigarette out of his coat. Lighting it carefully, he tossed the match behind him and entered the city's gates.

Inepril was a busy city, and its population boom had only increased the amount of goods and services being trafficked in and out of the city. The minute he entered the city he was surrounded in the sights and smells of everyday humanity. To either side street vendors hawked their wares, each offering an impossibly low price on goods that they felt he couldn't possibly survive without. Ahead of him, a man was selling roasted nuts and hotdogs, while the lady next to him was selling pottery. It was nearly impossible to separate out individual voices from the clamor of the whole, but he enjoyed every moment of it. He spent entirely too much time alone and it was always a treat to be in the company of others. In his opinion, solitude was not so much a gift as a necessary evil. If he had been given his lifelong dream, he would have been a priest or something similar where his duty would be to spend time with others. However, it was not to be. As it was, he was forced to enjoy what he could of living within the tides of humanity while being constantly on the move.

The din in the street died down as he left the business quarter of the city and entered into the residential area. From the reflections in the windows he passed he could see that the woman was still tailing him. She was actually quite good at this, but years of experience had made him an expert.

Pausing at one window, he eyed the sign hanging above it, before pushing through the batwing doors and entering the bar within. It was dark and smoky, but he could handle that. Crossing the room, and ignoring the pointed stares in his direction, he intercepted a barmaid on her way to another table.

Pardon me, but are there any available rooms here?

Smiling flirtatiously, she winked and answered, Sure are honey, give me a second with these morons and I'll be right there to help you with ANYTHING you need. From across the room there came a tableful of protests at the description.

Laney, you come over here and I'll show ya I ain't a moron at all things, one man catcalled. Even Wolfwood laughed at that one. Life was good, he mused as he crossed to the barstools, sitting between two other men.

A few minutes later the barmaid came back. She was grinning broadly, evidently enjoying having the full attention of every male on the premises. She seemed so openly happy that it was impossible not to smile in her presence.

So, you wanted a room? He nodded. Okay, we've got two left, one is kind of small but with a nice view of street... and the other is bigger, but it has problems with drunks every now and then.

He thought about it for a moment, I'll take the smaller one.

She smiled at him, Good choice. But I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask for payment in advance. How long will you be staying? She was apologetic, which he appreciated.

Only for a couple of days, he answered. When she gave him a figure he paid it in full, with a little bonus for her. Smiling broadly, she leaned forward and gave him a light peck on the cheek, along with the keys to his room.

Remember my offer, she teased before returning to her duties. Smiling at her, he nodded and hauled his bag. His room was up the stairs and somewhere over the bar, and he intended to sleep for a couple of hours before beginning his work. Much as he'd like to have a drink, he needed to be fresh for the night ahead.

Upon reaching his room, he flopped down on the bed and unbuttoned the red coat that caused him so much trouble. Carefully folding it, he placed it on a chair before flopping down on the bed. The coat was falling apart again, he noted absently. I'll have to see about getting that fixed. Damn you, Vash, is your sole purpose in life just to torture me? Rolling over, he mumbled something incoherently before falling asleep on the bed.

With any luck, he'd find who he was looking for tonight, and there wouldn't be any more need for him to continue on this quest. However, he'd been looking for roughly seven years now and the chances of ending his pursuit tonight were looking pretty slim. He could hope though.

--------------------------------------------

Meryl watched the man enter the bar and speak to the barmaid. From her vantage point across the street, she saw the barmaid gesture at the men in the corner and then a few minutes later speak to Vash for a few minutes before handing him a few small items. THey flashed as she dropped them into his palm.

she decided, So this wonderful establishment is where he's decided to set up base. Meryl watched him go upstairs, presumably to his room, before deciding that at least she knew where he was now where he was, and she could find herself a place to rest. And eat. This being her first time in Inepril in a very long time, she'd decided that she was going to experiment with the local cuisine. Rumor had it that Inepril made some of the best chili on the planet, and she fully intended to take advantage of that.

However, she only had around six hours to do this in. She knew the routine by now, Vash enter town, Vash find room, Vash sleep for a few hours, and then Vash sneak' (she used the term loosely) out to go wander the town. It was almost like he was looking to be mugged or something. He would leave the inn at dusk and proceed to walk every inch of the town, usually taking several days to cover every alleyway, every nook and cranny of every single settlement he came across. Honestly, it was perfectly obvious he was looking for something or someone, but he could do it in a more logical manner. Certain parts of town simply weren't open to lone strangers in the daytime, let alone at night. It never seemed to affect him however, but it was a bitch for her to follow him.

She sighed. Okay, she probably should have allowed for a few personality quirks in such an infamous outlaw... and he was pretty normal in every other way, but...

He travels, he sleeps, he eats, he helps mothers and orphans on occasions... and he persists in checking every single town for God-only-knows what, she mentally edited her list of his activities. Well, everyone's got to have a hobby. At least he didn't crochet, which would have driven her completely nuts. And, she admitted, these nighttime excursions proved to be exciting on occasion.

Glancing once more at where he was staying, she carefully untied her Thomas from its hitching post before strolling down the street to find lodgings for herself. And a hot bath, and a good meal, she grinned happily. After all, you always had to have priorities, and right now, those were hers. She'd be back on the job again soon enough, so she might as well enjoy a break right now.