Hi! Today we meet Gloria! I'm so happy.
Thanks to Cowgirl13, yes I'm back.^_^. Thank you NessacusGirl! I'm so glad you like it. It was so nice to meet you. Has it been fifteen minutes yet? Kyra, thank you! *hugs* OMG really? Free crab tomorrow! Thank you, Setryochi, me? Cool, thank you! Thank you Moonfairy! Hehe, poor Jet wait until you see! Thank you, RySenkari! Yay! You liked the song! (I like that song too^_^) Shari Hirtle you're back! Yay! Thank you Sushigirl07!! I know! I nearly fell out of my chair!
Well, here comes the real test.
Disclaimer: I do not own Cowboy Bebop. *Got a drummer boy quarter as change in the cafeteria on Friday*
Thought are in italics
Flashbacks are indicated by a line____ _
An Ed in Central Park
Today is the final day of the famous Earth Festival that takes place in Central Park. Which is a week long festival in commemoration of Earth. The many attractions include artists, amusement rides, Old Earth style, and displays of many historic artifacts, demonstrations and speakers and musicians….
The article just seemed to ramble on and on about this festival, Sounds like a real intellectual trip… Faye thought sourly, as she turned to a new page in the magazine. She had woken up early in the morning and could not get back to sleep. Being that they had no real schedule she and Spike usually slept pretty late. Jet had a schedule. After all these years he still had the habits of a working man. Now was about the time she should have been getting up.
"Are you gonna go to that?" came Spike's voice from right over her shoulder. She jumped and turned around giving him the 'glare of death.'
"No."
"Oh." he said straightening up and putting his hands in this pockets. "I just thought that you might-"
"No."
"Wow, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed." he said smirking.
She glared at him and he turned off into the kitchen. Since he had found that tuna fish tasted good and it annoyed Faye when he ate it, he ate it at leased once a day. He smiled as he reached the last step and then took a big bite of…air? He looked up and saw Faye's retreating back and watched as she lifted the sandwich to her mouth and took a bite.
"Thanks." she said chewing as she walked off.
"Hey! That's my sandwich!" he ran after her.
She turned around at the end of the hall to face Spike and popped the last piece in her mouth before he could stop her.
He growled and turned around and stomped off mumbling about how she always ate everything on the ship.
Tuna fish always makes a good breakfast. she thought patting her stomach.
Ed hummed as she walked with Ein trotting next to her down Carson Avenue. As soon as Jet had left on his wild goose chase Ed had snuck out of the Bebop. She new that Spike-person and Faye-Faye would not notice that she was gone. There were many people all walking this way as well. Ed didn't actually know where she was going she just figured that if she walked around enough and followed the crowd she would get there eventually. Cars rolled down the streets in traffic jams, and ships and planes flew over head, while the babble of a million people flowed thought the city.
Up a head there was a break in the lines of buildings, skyscrapers and streets. It was green.
"Ein look!" she pointed at the green fuzzy looking gap that could only be Central Park. Ein looked in the direction of her finger, but could only see peoples back sides. He looked at her and wined.
"Oh, Ein you can't see! Ed ward will fix that!" she picked him up and put him on top of her head. "There is that better Ein?" she asked looking up her forehead at him. He barked, tongue hanging out one side of his mouth.
"Alright!" she pointed one finger straight up and started to run, both hand holding on to Ein.
Ed walked through the festival staring in awe at all the stands and people. She would have loved to stop and gawk at things, but she was on a mission. Ein balanced on her head and arms swinging she continued to search.
She walked between great oak trees and lilac bushes down gravel paths and over wide lawns. She passed many people. She stopped to sit on a bench and took Ein of her head and held him close to her face and said sadly, "Ein Central Park is too big for Ed. Ed thinks Ed needs a map." she hung her head. Ein made a sound of consolation and wiggled out of her hands and on to the bench next to her. He looked around. He barked at Ed and hopped of the bench and trotted away.
"Ein?" she trotted after him.
She followed him to a man handing out maps of where all the attractions were.
She walked stiff-legged up to the man and sang out, "One map for Ed, please."
He looked down at her his dark blue cap shading his eyes from the sun, "Here ya go kid." in an accent reminiscent of old N.Y.C. and handed her a map.
She flew back to the bench and unfolded it. Ein jumped up on the bench and scanned the maps with her.
"Um, Ein where are we?"
Ein snuffed and put a paw on the map. Ed lifted his paw and looked at the map and then stood on the bench and looked around. She dropped back to the bench. And began looking for Gloria.
"There she is Ein!" she pointed at a white square. She put one finger on where they were and then moved her fingers together, sliding across the map to meet halfway.
She folded the map back up and put it in the back of her shorts. *where else would she put it?* She picked up Ein, set him atop her head and them took off across the park.
She had reached where Gloria had her things set up. She had been sitting under a tree across from Gloria's tent for the last ten minutes staring at her. Watching her chat with customers about the paintings or local news or chatting with people who were acquaintances. In the ten minutes Ed was there Gloria had made two sales. One was painting of the Statue of Liberty and the other was of a red and white striped lighthouse. (Portland Head Light).
She turned and looked down at Ein who was sitting next to her. "Ein? Ed is nervous." she hugged him. This wasn't just any person. This was Gloria. She buried her face in Ein's fur. The was a piece of paper attached to the side of the booth that people would stop to read. So Ed got up and being careful not to be seen by Gloria, read it.
Gloria Gustafson
Gloria Gustafson is a historical water color artist. A native of Mars, she has studied art at New Julliard on Mars and has worked with many prominent artists throughout her career. She is most famous for her renderings of the Grand Canyon, and the skylines of many prominent cities on Earth before the Gate Incident. Her main subjects are historical places on Earth. She also is known for her work with lighthouses and many famous landmarks. She currently lives in Cirrus on Venus.
Visit her homepage at http://un.glogust.com
She rotated her head and looked down and at an angle at Ein, "Oieee! Ein! Why didn't Ed think to go there?" she wined and pointed at the paper. He sat down and scratched behind his ear and then sat upright and looked at her as if to say , 'you should have asked me.'
"Ieeeeeeyaa." she sighed. She tiptoed back to her seat next to the oak tree. She watched Gloria for a little while longer and then decided that it was now or never.
She walked slowly and calmly to the booth, hands clasped behind her back.
"Hello." she said.
Gloria turned around and said, " Hello." she was wearing a long sundress with a light shirt over it, which the breeze stirred gently. She even had the same long red ponytail that Ed remembered. Gloria smiled kindly and asked, "How are you?"
Ed reached up and wrapped her arms around her neck and her legs around Gloria's waist and whispered, "Ed missed you Gloria."
Gloria had stiffened in surprise when this gangly, golden eyed child had wrapped herself around her waist, but then, "Françoise?"
"Ed is Françoise." she replied simply.
"Ed?"
"Yes! Edward Wong Hau Pepalau Tirvirsky the 4th ." she nodded proudly. Then Ein barked Ed looked down at him and said, "and this is Ein!" Gloria realized at this moment that there might be more to her Françoise than meet the eye.
Hours later the sun was getting low, and the shadows were long as she sunset in a crimson blaze of glory. Things were quieter now, and many people had gone home or where ever they go at the end of the day. Ed had spent all afternoon telling Gloria all about everything that she had done and where she had been. Gloria had listened patiently and asked questions and gasped in all the right places Ed thought.
Ed turned and waved one last time at Gloria, big smiles lighting up both their faces. Ed thought about how Gloria had reacted when she had told her all about Bebop. Gloria had made her promise to come back and see her. Ed was also sure that Spike-person and Faye-Faye had noticed Ed's disappearance by now. Briefly she wondered as she and Ein made their way back across Orphis towards where the Bebop was, what she was going to do now that she had found Gloria.
It was warm and comfortable. She sighed and became even more relaxed. It was perfect. Wherever she was it was perfect. No pain, no nothing. Just comfort and warmth.
"Faye!" she sat up coming out of her fuzzy warm world reluctantly.
"What?!" she yelled back at Spike. She had fallen asleep in the chair.
"Ed is gone and Jet has been gone all day!" it was just like him to be too lazy to get off and tell her like normal person.
"So?!"
"Just thought that you would like to know." he came out and leaned on the railing smirking down on her.
She threw a pillow at him and it bounced off his hair, he caught it and threw it back. She, in turn caught the pillow and stomped out of the room.
NFA: Ok so there it is Ed's chapter in the sun! I hope you liked it! As always please review!!!
