Disclaimer: No Trigun for poor me...
Chapter Three: Questions That Get Nowhere
As the sun shines through it pushes away and pushes ahead
It fills the warmth of blue and leaves a chill instead and
I didn't know that I could be so blind to all that is so real
But as illusion dies I see there is so much to be revealed
Vanessa Carlton- Twilight
Knives sneered at her hand as though it were covered in filth. She should at least have the brain capacity to know that she wasn't permitted to touch him. But, when she reached out to place his hand in hers, he recoiled as though she had the plague. The caused Rhianne to sigh; getting to him was going to be harder than she had originally thought.
"Look, you don't have to shake my hand if you don't want to, but at least tell me your name." she sighed, exasperation clear in her tone.
"Who I am is none of your concern, vermin." he snarled, obviously still furious and drained of much of his energy.
She leaned back on the wall again and sighed again, loudly and trying to show how stubborn he was being. He was by far the most conceited and arrogant man she had ever met; his air of superiority seemed to ooze from his very pores. Rhianne didn't shift her gaze from him, and decided not to bother psychoanalyzing him now. She had more important things to occupy herself with. Her captor was leaning against the opposite wall, eyeing her, watching her as she processed his figure through her mind.
Her eyes took in his hair, a pale, near-platinum blonde that shone brilliantly under the fluorescent lights. His eyes, as blue and clear as polar ice, peered out from beneath a high, scowling forehead. His lips, although nicely set and the softest shade of pink against his pale skin, were pulled tightly together in a grimace of discomfort. His muscular arms were folded across his equally well-toned chest in a sign of displeasure. He wore a white bodysuit that fit his form rather well, though it made the woman snicker inwardly at it. He was a handsome man, she concluded with a sly smile.
What she hadn't realized while studying her captor was that Knives had taken it upon himself to examine her as well, hoping to learn from her outward appearance any clue as to how to manipulate her more efficiently. Her hair framed her head nicely, side-swept bangs fell over her forehead and almost into her shining aqua eyes. Framed by her chestnut hair, pulled back into a leisurely ponytail at the nape of her neck, her eyes stood out like emeralds upon white silk. Her small ears were doted with three piercing each, a large silver hoop in the central lobe, small blue gemstones he recognized as emeralds above them, and small and slender coils of white gold that wound up through the skin through three other piercings. Her torso bore a red maroon suit that covered her from the shoulders into her boots, winding around rings on her middle fingers, while her throat was clothed in a cream turtleneck that lay underneath the suit. Upon her feet were combat boots; their rugged spiked along the bottom caked in dirt and sand. He could see nothing to indicate any sign of weakness, which frustrated him. One could tell by Vash's eyes that he was a gentle soul; one could tell by Legato's dark gaze that he was the heartless killer Knives had taught him to be; Zazie's had been blank and vacant, the sign of being inhabited by something other than his own soul. Her eyes were somewhat like that; vacant with the barest of emotion. Yet there was nothing unnatural about her gaze that could hint at something inhabiting her; this was a trained gaze, something she was forcing herself to do. Damn her.
"Look, will you please tell me who you are?" she asked again, interrupting his thoughts "You saved me, and I have a right to know the name of my rescuer." she smiled a little, perhaps seeing something in Knives' expression that he didn't know was there. "And besides, I don't like the feeling of talking to a complete stranger. Even though you've been in here for at least a half-hour, I still don't know your name. Tell me and I'll give you any information you want to know. Please?" She asked, her tone bordering on pleading.
"Knives." He grunted, almost without knowing it and with little hesitation. He blinked stupidly for a moment, trying to grasp the idea that he had just given information about himself to the vermin. He realized she was learning. Something in that thought alone was enough to make him uneasy; but what made him angry both at himself and at her, was that she had been able to manipulate him. That thought didn't appeal to Knives, and he shuddered inwardly; it had taken her very little time to realize what he wanted and expected from people, and she had been able to use that against him. She had been able to retrieve information from him without his consent, and without his being aware of it. Damn her. She was capable realizing things quicker, and putting them to effective use more efficiently, than anyone Knives had ever encountered. She was quick, this one, and he would have to be on guard if he wished to keep information about himself (or anything else that didn't concern her) beyond her reach.
Bah, what did it matter now? Knives mulled, his name possessed nothing of major importance. At least, he would have liked to have thought so. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had given her a part of himself. She now had information he had been reluctant to give, and knew something about him. By revealing his name to her, she now knew a little about him, and therefore had purposely created a connection between them. That thought in itself was enough to make Knives feel ill. A connection with a lower life form thoroughly disgusted him. Perhaps she was doing this to gain influence over him? By creating a connection between them, did she hope to manipulate him, he wondered.
"Don't worry Knives, I'm not going to kill you or anything" she stated, oblivious to the fact that he wanted nothing more than for her to shut her mouth and I certainly don't want to make you angry again, but I can't tell you anything if you don't calm down, you're so jittery, you look like you're going to jump out of your skin." She laughed again, and could see that Knives was beginning to dislike her persistent giggling That thought brought more laughs to her mouth and they tumbled out incessantly. And as they did, Rhianne could see what Knives had regained of his patience begin to slip away. So she cut her laughter off, and motioned to the bed again, her hand quivering slightly with her bottled laughter.
"I'll stay here." he spat and she decided to let it drop. She leaned back on the wall again, resting her head in her hands.
"Alright then Knives, where were we?"
Knives paused for a moment, trying to hold in his annoyance at her constant use of his name. Each time she uttered the one-syllable word, she added to the bond between them. And each time she did, he felt like backhanding her into the wall. But he knew that he was in no shape to move. He had depleted almost every ounce of his mental ability at her, and had saved very little to help him function properly. Dashing to the bed and back had been surprisingly tiring. And he had good reason to believe that if the girl was suicidal enough to try to move him from his resting position on the wall, he would simply topple to the floor like a pile of bricks.
Quickly recuperating bricks, Knives reminded himself smugly. He reasoned that if she answered his questions, he would have regained enough strength to kill her easily without straining himself in the process.
"Where are you from and how did you manage to get to my planet without my noticing?" he spat, almost snarling at the woman before him. She inhaled a deep breath "my planet is over one hundred and twenty years away, and I came here because-"
"Liar" Knives spat. She looked up from her hands, which she had been examining with fervor, not wanting to look him in the eye "what? What did you say?" she asked warily, as though not sure of what she had heard. Her face took on a ferocious look, and Knives thought that she might leap from the bed and tear out his throat with her nails. Yet her face held that look for only a moment before it collapsed and she sighed, albeit angrily.
"You know what? I don't care what you call me right now, because I'm getting tired, can we talk tomorrow?" she asked, rubbing her eyes to emphasize her exhaustion. Knives sighed and looked out the little window in the room. The sky was littered with stars, and he could see two of the moons already making their way across the sky. As much as he hated to admit it, the vermin was right; it was getting late, and he was tired as well. That surprised Knives, as he had always considered himself to have more endurance than that. Perhaps, he thought, it was that he depleted most of his energy towards the vermin, and now he was paying the price. But he wasn't going to give her what she wanted without a bit of a battle first
"But why, vermin? You seem so full of energy, and the night is young. Answer my question" he crooned, his voice hitting a tone that made the sarcastic demeanor of his remark nearly waspish.
"Look Knives, I've had a tough day, and I always know that sleep makes me feel a whole lot better about everything. So let me get some sleep, and then we can talk tomorrow, alright? Then I'll tell you whatever you want." She asked, an almost pleading tone creeping into her voice.
Knives snorted angrily. He despised... no, despised was too weak a word, hated the thought of giving in to the desires of lesser life forms. Why should a superior being change its plans to conform to those of weaker beings? It made no sense. To Knives, it just seemed like a big waste of time. What good would come of it anyway? He would give in, she would win this battle, and it would take longer to retrieve what he wanted to know. And that meant pandering to the desires of a needy human. He sighed loudly, watching the girl's eyelids droop heavily. She was obviously tired, that anyone could see. Perhaps if she lacked in sleep the vermin would be more susceptible to his demands and would be dead before midnight. Knives toyed with that pleasant thought for a moment, liking the idea of being rid of the annoyance that had so rudely interrupted his solitude. But it didn't stay for long. She obviously possessed some mental abilities that he had never discovered, and he meant to make good use of this vermin before her welcome expired.
But what to do about sleep? Knives certainly wasn't going to admit that he was tired to a lower life form, so that nearly put it out of the question. Then he encountered a surprisingly simple and yet ultimately effective plan: he would pretend to befriend the vermin. The notion crept through his mind as he chewed the thought slowly, weighing his potions against one another. If he chose to let her sleep, she would triumph over him; but if he denied her of it, he would collapse from lack of sleep as well. Damn it all to hell. But, he thought carefully, if he made it seem like he wanted to be her friend, she would probably be less reluctant to reveal her secrets and he would be left in his happy solitude once again. Knives sighed angrily; being nice to vermin disgusted him, but if all went smoothly, then he would ultimately win out in the end. He liked that thought very much.
"Fine...." Knives paused for a moment, not sure if he could actually being himself to say her name "Rhianne. You may have your sleep. But first thing in the morning you will answer my questions, are we clear?"
Rhianne nodded her head slightly.
"But there is the small problem of clothing. I won't sleep in my uniform, it's against protocol, and disrespectful. May I borrow a shirt please?" she asked, her tone somewhat wary, but very needy at the same time. Knives snorted and she took it as the warning sign of another rage attack he was ready to unleash should she anger him any more.
"Fine then, turn around please." She commanded. It was obvious that Knives wasn't going to leave the room, he had made it clear that he was too intrigued to give her the chance to escape; and besides which, asking him to do something he didn't want to do was like striking a match in a gas-filled room. Rhianne was actually quite surprised when Knives complied, turning his back to her.
"Thank you" she said, and began to shed her somewhat dirty clothes. Folding them carefully she placed them under the bed and crawled into the bed, marveling at how warm the thin blankets were.
"Okay." she stated, plunging her head and shoulders under the sheets as she heard Knives turn around.
Knives, who had been staring at the wall without much interest, had allowed his mind to wander while the girl undressed. He could hear her movements, and wondered why he had allowed her the privilege of sleep in the first place. He then remembered his decision to 'befriend' the vermin. Yuck. His mind wandered for a minute or so, going over his questions for the next day, until he realized that he had nowhere to sleep. Knives' eyes traveled over his strong expanse of chest to the cold floor. Oh well, he sighed to himself, sacrifices were evident when in this sort of situation. When the vermin told him he could turn around, Knives was ready to kill her with the bed sheets for commanding him to do something. Just who did she think she was, continually ordering him around? He grappled with his rage for a moment before turning around, feeling not quite in control of his emotions.
The girl had snuggled up under the covers of the bed, forming a large lump in the bed sheets. What, Knives wondered, was she doing? He asked her, and the girl stuck her head up out of the covers.
"It's warm under here." she stated calmly as she watched Knives' face redden. "What's the matter? Are you cold?" she asked, concern quite bold in her tone. Knives glared at her. What business was it of hers how he felt, he thought angrily, feeling his anger begin to rekindle. Rhianne took his silence as a yes.
"Do you want to sleep on the bed? I'm fine with the floor." she offered, sitting up, but still clutching the blankets to her chest to hide her underwear. Knives snorted. What was she trying to do? Get on his good side so he would let his guard down and she would escape? Not bloody likely.
"I'm fine." he found himself stating. The brutal honesty in his voice surprised both him and the vermin, whose eyes widened a little and her eyebrows raised in a questioning motion. "Are you sure Knives? I mean, I've been in worse conditions than a cold floor half-naked, you know." She prodded, obviously trying to be nice. But she had a feeling that manners were wasted on someone like Knives. Even so, it was always worth a try.
"No, I'm fine. Good night." Knives retorted, his tone final. Rhianne stretched out in the bed, her long body making the best of the unusually long length of the bed, thinking about how she had come to understand a man like him so quickly. She pulled up the blanket to just below her chin, turned her head, and smiled at Knives, who was now sitting on the floor, propped back against the wall, an unhappy look smeared across his face.
"Good night Knives, sweet dreams." she sighed as she watched him reach up and flick off the light.
