Trigun: Padre Don't Preach 3
Iris had awoken at the crack of dawn, releasing a long yawn at the stretch of her limbs.
"What a night..." she muttered, thumping her feet upon the floor carelessly. To her surprise, her host had been still asleep within his seat. She had to stifle her laughter to see his head tilted back, the mouth hung ajar with drool at the corner of his mouth, and a bubble that had increased and decreased at each soft snore he exhaled through the nose. Yet, she felt attached to him for a strange reason. The feeling had been brushed aside with her independence and made the decision to move on. At least then he will not be caught in the crossfire for those who are after my bounty she thought rationally as her gaze met the floor.
The heavy boots upon her feet scarcely made a sound as Iris walked to the sleeping Vash.
She summoned every last ounce of strength in her body to have his arms loop around her shoulders and drag him to the bed. "I warmed the spot for you, chocolate monster.." she whispered softly while settling him onto the bed as though he were a delicate China doll.
Another strange feeling attacked her psyche as her hands lifted the blanket and covered him. Why do I feel like I've done this before? This is very unusual! she thought in her bewildered state. Her dark cloak and belt of weapons enveloped her form casually but the sound of Vash's mutterings made her freeze in her tracks for a moment.
"Stop tickling me..." he muttered. She gave him a sideways glance over her left shoulder and released a sigh of relief to see that he was still asleep. I can't leave the poor guy without a little memento at least. she thought as a frown surfaced on her face.
In a moments notice, she removed a little yellow post-it pad and a pencil from one of her cloak pockets. The pencil scratched the parchment with the note stating:
DearVash,
I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye in person. We will meet again in the course of time. I wish you good luck on finding that trip down memory lane even if the ride could be bumpy. As a gift I am leaving you this piece of advice: With our thoughts we make the world. My gratitude could not be complete without a good breakfast.
Sincerely,
Iris Celeste Bloodworth
It had been twenty minutes since Iris had left the room shortly to obtain the necessary hotcakes on a silver platter. She stood silently near the long window during the food preparation by the hotel's cook in the restaurant area on the ground floor.
Strange images of a ship in space flooded her mind. Of course being oblivious to the maids that gave her a few glances in the midst of their chores to maintain the spacious room of many fancily made tables decorated with white daisies resting in each blue vase.
"Miss, the hotcakes are ready." a young maid with raven black hair said in a warm friendly manner. Iris grinned to the maid and said, "Thank you, Miss..?" She paused to hear the maid's name and her reply had been: "Damara." "Miss Damara, you are doing a good job and it must require a huge amount of talent to accomplish your chores gracefully." Damara blushed a bright red and looked to the blue carpeted floor in her modesty. "I'm not that good..." she managed to say. "I beg to differ, Miss Damara. Please prove me wrong by giving the clerk the money needed to pay for the food. Ten double dollars is your tip for such talented service." Iris said with a chuckle and gave the blushing maid the needed currency. "Yes, ma'am! Right away!" she exclaimed cheerfully and had performed the task. Damara watched this woman receive her plate of hotcakes from the cook with admiration. "Bye, Miss Damara. Keep up the damn good work!" Iris called to her as she left the room.
Vash's door had been carefully opened in order not to disturb his slumber.
She shuffled backwards quietly (Michael Jackson's moonwalk in Trigun? Yikes!) and placed the warm plate of hotcakes on the dining table. The note had been posted on the lid of the hotcakes and she looked to the sleeping Vash once more. Her host continued to sleep on the bed upon his right side with his pillow huddled close to his torso as if it were a teddy bear. A hand stroked his soft blond hair affectionately as she chuckled softly and whispered, "Goodbye, Vash. Take care of yourself, chocolate monster."
Iris left the room, being saddened to leave this gentle outlaw. Her heart sunk deeper with each step that descended the staircase towards the ground floor. She waved politely to the maids in the lobby that had uttered their pleasant farewells, especially to Damara.
The hotel's door had been pushed aside to reveal the serene setting of May City.
Her boots scraped against the sandy surface of the terrain as a sad sigh had been exhaled despite the beauty of the day. The citizens did not seem to mind the outsider's presence in the town square. Young children played a round of four square near a fountain in the center of the area.
"Excuse me, ma'am but could you help me tie my shoes?" a little boy's voice could be heard from behind her. Iris paused to face the sandy blond haired boy dressed in a white shirt and brown cotton pants. His light green eyes met hers from his 3ft height.
"Sure, but I would rather teach you than help you." she said and gestured to the bench stationed near the fountain. The boy obeyed this gesture and they had sat upon the bench together. "What's your name, boy?" she asked. "Ignacious. Iggy for short." he answered. "Okay Iggy. Are you ready for the lesson?" she asked as her hand grasped his left foot and placed it in her lap. "I'm ready!" he said with determination and observed her hands closely. "First you need to give the laces a good tug." she said and tugged each of them firmly. "Then what?" he asked anxiously. "I'm going to tell you a story with these laces. It will help you the next time you tie them." she replied with grin.
Iris paused for a moment to see a shadow of a huge cross and a man smoking a cigarette that stretched before her. This man's presence gave her reassurance that he would not cause trouble and continued with the lesson. "Once upon a time there had been a prince and a princess that loved each other very much and they would dance together every day..." she said and crossed the laces with a tug. "Ugh, mushy stuff!" Iggy complained.
"Soon you will like it when you are older, kiddo. One day, a horrible troll kidnapped the princess and took her under his tree." she said with a chuckle and created the first loop.
"What about the prince? Doesn't he find her?" he asked. "Of course he does.
He searched the forest for her day and night. She screamed for help from inside the tree." she replied as the other lace encircled the first loop. The man from behind her chuckled slightly, she brushed it off, and concluded her story. "The prince dove into the tree, killed the troll, and rescued the princess with courage. Both of them lived happily ever after." she said as the other lace had been pushed beneath the criss-cross, creating the perfect bow.
Iggy began to tie his other shoe and recited the story to himself with each step.
"That's a creative way of teaching, miss." the man from behind her said in good humor.
"I do what I can to help." Iris said, modestly. Footsteps crunched the sand as the man departed from the fountain and stepped in front of her. He had been a handsome man that had light tan skin, short raven hair dressed in a suit of black with silver crosses for cufflinks. "I can see that. You can help by telling me your name." he said with a smile.
"My name is Iris Bloodworth. What's yours?" she asked as a hand had been extended to him. "Nicholas D. Wolfwood. Its nice to meet someone named after the rainbow goddess. She was one of my favorites." he said and shook her hand politely.
"Oh, thank you..." she replied with a blush. "Urgh...more mushy stuff!" Iggy complained once again. Wolfwood and Iris laughed like innocent children with blushing cheeks.
"I'll leave you two aloooooone." he added teasingly while making a few kissy faces in their direction. The boy ran off to join the other children, laughing merrily.
"So Iris, are you a resident here?" Wolfwood asked. "No. Unfortunately, I don't stay in one place for very long." she replied. "Are you on a mission?" he asked again.
"Yes, you can say that. I am disgusted by the suffering on this planet and I wanted to do something about it." she answered. Of course this person was a man of the cloth and Iris could not fib to him. Her current status as an outlaw had been risking that line of honesty and that had been the only answer she could muster. ."That is a very noble mission.
You are only one person against the world. Do you not feel the least bit hopeless?" he asked. "At times...but...with every action there is a reaction. Take a look." Iris objected, confidently with a jerk of her right thumb.
Wolfwood looked in that direction that she had indicated and watched Iggy give an old lady in shabby clothes a muffin. "Well, I'll be damned..." he said; being dumbfounded,
"Your action is enlightenment and my reaction is an invitation to breakfast.
What do you say?" "Thank you, I accept. You flatter me too much, Mr. Priest." she said with another blush. ."Get used to it." he said with another chuckle. He offered his hand to her in a gentleman manner. She accepted this gesture by grasping his hand and helped her lift herself from the bench. "You must be exhausted by lugging that cross around. Need a break?" she asked. "That is if you can lift it." he said with smirk.
"Certainly." she said in the same confident tone. One of the arms of the cross rested on her right shoulder as a hand supported the cross from the bottom most strap she could reach and the other grasped the other arm of the cross in order to stabilize the balance. "How cute!" he exclaimed with his hands in his pockets. "What's so cute?" she asked in a puzzled manner. "You look like a little ant carrying a watermelon!" he replied in laughter. "Oh rub it in..." she said with a roll of her eyes. "The ants go marching one by one...hurrah! hurrah! The ants go marching one by one...hurrah! hurrah!" he sang while marching in place. "Company halt!" she exclaimed in laughter. "Ma'am, yes ma'am. Let's go to the saloon down the street." Wolfwood said. The two fast friends walked down the street together towards the saloon without hesitation.
The moment had been harmonious on their trip but it had been cut short by the time they had stepped over the threshold of the saloon. So I finally get to meet Valentine's little girl. The resemblance is ridiculously striking. a male's mocking voice said inside her brain. Iris stopped in her tracks in surprise by the message that had been uttered as though it had been her own conscience that spoke to her. She felt intruded by this presence invading her personal mental space as she frowned in irritation.
"Something wrong?" Wolfwood asked as he looked over to her from over his shoulder. "No, Mother Nature decided to raise her voice and I have to answer it in the bathroom." she said casually with a small chuckle. "Okay do what you have to do." he said.
She walked past a few young men playing poker at their table in the saloon and entered the bathroom quietly. Who are you? Why are you in my head? If you have something to say, spit it out! she thought aggressively. Such spirit being wasted on the human race. Can you not set your standards a tad bit higher? the voice said with disappointment.
I must know the standards first before raising them. Why did you mention my mother the first time you spoke to me? Did you two have unresolved issues? If you so then why are you wasting your time with me?! she thought in the same tone of voice. I expected your sensory perception to be strong and it is impressive. And yes, your mother and I did have unresolved issues. Your mother's marital status to your father had been inexcusable towards our cause. I am offering you a proposal to allow you to be put under our guidance. he explained. Iris found it hard to believe from what she had heard from this unseen voice. She distrusted this man's presence and knew that if the proposal had been accepted then he would use her as a puppet for a dangerous cause. Sir, I respectively decline from your offer. she thought firmly in a polite manner. Foolish little girl...It is your human half that makes you ignorant of the possibilities. he said in disappointment.
The ground began to rumble beneath her feet after the unseen voice finished his sentence.
Water within the toilet bowl of the open stall began to vibrate during each audible thump in the distance. She felt another dangerous energy force from a different presence approach the saloon. "He has a way of persuading people." she muttered sarcastically stepping out of the bathroom. The patrons bolted out of the door in a rush to see the source of the rumbling. "Bloodworth! We would like a word with you!" a southern-accented woman's voice shouted from outside. "Oh no...Not her again..."she muttered in disbelief with a shake of her head. "What's going on Iris?! Talk to me!" Wolfwood demanded from behind her. "Please don't be presumptuous. I'll explain the details later, but now I suggest that you evacuate half the citizens to the other side of town," Iris said quietly with a sigh, "It could get ugly."
"Very well. May God protect you and keep you." he said quietly with a hand upon her head. "Thank you, Father." she said solemnly. Wolfwood and Iris stepped out of the saloon to gaze upon a behemoth of a purple haired woman dressed in a leather dress and boots standing at thirty five feet! This giantess had another woman with curly blond hair in a black leather dress standing on her right shoulder proudly. "Long time no see, Bloodworth! You haven't changed abit!" the lady on her shoulder shouted.
Iris ignored her and snapped at Wolfwood to her left, "What are you waiting for?!
Get these people out of here!" "All right!" he shouted in surprise and obeyed her.
Wolfwood ran past the giantess and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"LISTEN UP PEOPLE!!!! GET OUT OF THE BUILDINGS AND TO THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN!!!! HUSTLE NOW!!!! FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!!"
Men, women, and children had departed from the buildings in haste with Wolfwood urging them to run faster. After he had successfully completed that chore, she grinned and said softly, "Thanks Wolfwood..."
Iris walked slowly to the center of the street, being prepared for this battle.
The wind ruffled her dark cloak and auburn hair as she stood serenely in the face of the danger that this dangerous duo impeded. "Are you not the least bit shaken? You should be since we are about to even the score." the lady on her shoulder said spitefully.
"It's not my fault that you are a sore loser, Ms. Nebraska. This time you have brought your mommy to help solve your problems." Iris said sharply. "You have brought me down once but this time it is you that is going down!" she shouted angrily.
Mother Nebraska withdrew a foot, ready to kick Iris like a soccer ball.
She stepped out of range, withdrew her blade, made a dash between her legs, and severed the left Achilles tendon with one swoop in her jump! Blood gushed from the wound in a scarlet spray that splattered the sandy ground. Iris' form landed on the ground in a graceful pivot with her sword held in front of her, taking the defensive position.
"You will also learn that the bigger they are, the harder they fall!' she shouted.
She telepathically felt the pain in her left ankle, but allowed the anger and the adrenaline numb it as her own form of anesthetic. .
Mother Nebraska began to weep in her physical suffering, falling to ground with a tremendous thud, shaking the buildings as though they were attempting to dance the rumba. "Mother!!! What has that little bitch done to you?!" she cried with gushing tears.
"Oh you say bitch like its a bad thing." Iris said with a wave of her hand.
"DAMN YOU!!!" she bellowed and withdrew a pistol from beneath her skirt.
The six rounds had been fired from her gun but she stopped in her tracks to witness Iris slice the bullets within the air. In a swirl of silver, the bullet halves littered the ground. Gunpowder seemed to form into a sulfuric mist in the atmosphere which gave an eerie setting for Ms. Nebraska's opponent. "Are you done?" Iris asked sternly. She could not find the strength to retreat for her legs had been temporarily paralyzed with fear. "How...can this be...it's not...possible..." she said in shock. "Are you going to come along quietly or do I have to make you streak in front of all of May?" she said in the same tone. She raised her hands into the air and stammered, "I-I-I give up."
"March!" she commanded.
It had been five minutes since Wolfwood waited for his new friend in front of the local church at the other side of town. He leaned against the wall of the dusty church with his bent cigarette between his lips, ignoring the murmur of the crowd of worried citizens.
Damara's shouts of joy pierced the concerned atmosphere: "The woman did it!
She apprehended the Nebraska family!" The priest shifted his brown eyes to his right to see Iris escorting the sobbing Marie Nebraska at sword point towards the town's small law enforcement station. With a shake of his head, he said, "I don't who is crazier...her or Vash." He inhaled the fine tobacco from the cigarette then exhaled the gray smoke between his teeth as he smiled and added, "But I have to admit...both are equally good."