Money Matters
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He awoke slowly, feeling a cool breeze on his face. Rolling stiffly on his side, he found himself lying on a couch. Above his head, a metal fan spin swiftly, creating a soft wind. "Bizarre." He muttered, clutching his head. Fragments of the dream he'd had came to him slowly, rising like gas bubbles through mud. Something about a shootout, a red-headed girl, a watch. He grunted. Even those images were fading. "How you feelin'?" Asked a deep voice. He looked up at the man leaning over him. "Not too bad, considering I've got a knife wound in my shoulder." Jet chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to Spike. "Maybe next time you'll listen when I tell you to wait." Spike rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, well maybe next time you should get there on time. There anything to eat around here?" Jet looked at his partner strangely. "Sure, let me go whip up some Eggs Benedict. Of course there's nothing to eat! You ate the last of the instant noodles for breakfast! And if you hadn't gotten stabbed, that bounty could have paid for more." Spike toned out everything after Eggs Benedict. Why did that nag at him? Something was connected to those words. He remembered an old man, a butler.... then nothing- it was gone. "I'm gonna take a shower." He said, levering himself upright. Jet simply grumbled under his breath.
Under the hot spray, more images came to Spike. He remembered being shot, twice- no- three times. And a red- headed girl had rescued him. Something about her had been special.... But what was it? "Spike, you going to be in there all day!?" A hand beat on the door. "Speaking of special." Muttered Spike, turning off the water. Draping a towel loosely about his waist, he slid open the door. "Feeling dirty Faye?" Faye Valentine placed her hands on her shapely hips and glared daggers at the slender man in front of her. "In case you didn't notice, I was the one who had to collect YOUR bounty after you guys screwed it up!" Spike smiled condescendingly. "The only reason you got him was because I'd already shot him in the ass. Makes it kinda hard to run." Faye tossed her head, flipping her dark hair. "Please- that little 'flesh wound' didn't even slow him down. Lucky for you I caught him at all!" Spike crossed his arms. "For you to catch him, it HAD to be luck." Faye's eyes burned. "Listen you..."
"Ok children, enough crap out of both of you- you're giving me a worse headache than I already have!" Spike turned as Jet walked past- leaving just enough room for Faye to slip past him and lock the door. "Hey!" He kicked the door, and instantly regretted it when he stubbed his toe. "Ouch- damn it, where's my gun!" A girlish giggle came through the door. "You mean this gun? Really Spike, you shouldn't leave these things lying around." Gritting his teeth, Spike leaned in close. "Good thing I keep another one in my room." Her voice came back to him, just as close. "Don't even think about it." Her threat was followed up by the sound of a hammer cocking. Abandoning his shower, Spike put his hands behind his head and strode away.
Forty-five minutes later, Spike stepped into The Griffon, a local pool hall. There were very few patrons this time of night. A few surly looking men sat at the bar, smoke drifting around them while they nursed their beers. As Spike lifted a pool cue from the rack, a slim hand appeared and took it from him. Spike turned to see a woman standing behind him dressed in black. Thick blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in heavy curls. Her smile was tilted to the side as she regarded him. "I'm sorry, but this is my favorite cue. I hope you don't mind." Spike smiled, grabbing another stick. "Not as long as you join me in a game miss..."
"Angel."
Spike smiled. "Miss Angel. Solids or stripes?"
Their game ended up lasting two hours. Spike was pleased to find that Angel was a skilled player. During the course of their game, he took the time to admire her comely features. Her eyes were hazel, with tiny pinpoints of green. Her hair draped around her shoulders like a living thing, thick and golden, and coiled like a snake. He found that association odd- and wondered where the thought had come from. Before he could consider it further, she dropped her last ball in the socket. "I win." Spike casually lit a cigarette, laying his cue on the table. "So what's your prize?" Angel lay her elbows on the green table surface, leaning forward to look at Spike steadily. "I want you to do something for me." Copying her gesture, Spike looked back, a slow smile forming. "And what would that be?" He asked, smoke rising between them. Unblinking, Angel took the cigarette from his mouth and crushed it out on the pool table. "I want to hire you."
"She wants to what?" Spike sat on the yellow couch, cigarette dangling from his lips, while Jet, and Faye sat across from him. On the floor, Ed was typing madly on her 'Tomato', while Ein snoozed at her feet. "Geez Jet, even I heard him the first time. So what does she want us to do?" Spike regarded Faye expressionlessly. "Not 'us'- 'me'."
"No work for Faye-Faye! Hahaha!" Squealed Ed from the floor, bobbing back and forth before the colorful screen. "Shut up Ed!" Shouted Faye, pulling her feet up under her. "Both of you shut up!" Shouted Jet. Turning back to regard his partner, he leaned his arms on his knees. "So how much is she willing to pay?" Spike stretched slowly, wincing a little as he pulled at his wounded shoulder. "40 million." Ed giggled at the computer. "I got you, fishy fishies! Dive boooooommbb- KABOOOOOM!" Ignoring the girl, Faye sat up quickly. "Who's the bounty head?" Spike crushed his cigarette under his shoe. "Forget it Faye. I'm going after this one."
Jet frowned as Spike stood stiffly. "You know, ordinarily I'd tell Faye to mind her own business,"
"Hey,"
"But I think you should take her along on this one. That shoulder could cause problems."
Spike put his hands in his pockets, giving the group a small smile. "Come on Jet, have a little faith huh?" As he left the room, Faye crossed her arms, peeved. "Fine, he want's to get himself killed? Don't let me stand in the way!"
Faye cursed as she piloted her Redtail through the city. "Damn him, bastard!" The small blip on her screen moved to the left, and she tilted the wings to follow. "Why the hell am I doing this anyhow!" She yelled, clenching her fists around the controls. Wind screamed by outside the clear dome of her cockpit. Before her rose the tall spire of the Black Pearl restaurant. Just beyond it was a shorter building, her destination.
Spike flicked his lighter, inhaling deeply as the end of his cigarette caught the flame. Blowing out a stream of smoke, he shut the lighter with a soft snap. Angel's description of the guy was quite detailed- down to the drink he usually ordered at the bar. Soft jazz floated up to greet him as he entered the darkened pub. The place was packed, bodies moving back and forth like a continuous wave. Definitely not the sort of place Spike normally frequented. In a shadowy booth, Spike caught sight of his quarry. Casually, Spike lifted a beer from the loaded tray of a serving girl that passed him. Taking a sip, he moved to sit in the booth right behind his prey. Unfortunately, the booth was occupied.
"Hey pal, find your own spot, this one is taken!" Said the angry man and Spike squeezed in next to his girlfriend. For her part, she merely smiled, running a hand through her coppery hair. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Spike returned her smile. "Not to worry folks, I don't plan to be here long." The man started to protest again, but the girl simply gave him a cold look. "Shut up Mark, this was getting old anyhow!" Taken aback by her attitude, Mark muttered darkly and stalked from the table, shoving someone to the floor as he left. "Nice guy- you weren't dating him were you?" The girl grinned. "Who?"
With a small laugh, Spike turned around in the booth, draping his arms across the backrest. The bounty head was curled around his untouched drink, a small piece of paper before him. Scrawled on the surface, Spike could just make out the letters X.P.D.- H.H.Q. "Interesting reading, though usually I go for something with more than one sentence." At Spike's even tone, the man startled, toppling his drink in the process. The sound of the glass shattering was ignored by both men. "Who the hell..." The man turned, and came face to face with the business end of Spike's Ruger. "What's say we take this outside huh? It's kinda stuffy in here." Glaring, the man placed his left hand on the table to push himself upright. His right hand clenched tightly around the paper he'd been holding. As Spike led him to the door, he looked down at the woman he'd shared a booth with. "A pleasure meeting you ma'am." She blushed again, her blue eyes sparkling. "Pleasure's all mine cowboy."
As Spike pushed his bounty through the door, he suddenly sensed movement on both sides. Ducking quickly, he felt the wind from the shotgun blast that went over his head. At the same time, he saw his bounty make a break for it. "Uh uh, no way pal!" Spinning quickly, he delivered a jaw shattering kick in the face of one of his attackers. As the man dropped with a pain-filled grunt, Spike jabbed his hand out, palm upright, and broke the nose of the other guy who dove in from the front. Unfortunately, the move tore at the healing wound in Spike's shoulder, and he had to clench his teeth to ward off the pain as he raced after his escaping bounty.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Finally- some stinking Bebop characters! I'm grateful to those who've come this far with me! I promise, this (maybe) will start making sense soon!
Please let me know what you think! Oh- and I'm sorry about the formatting, I'll repost this at my website so you can see what is should have looked like. Bye for now!
http://www.geocities.com/naninuyasha/index.html
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
He awoke slowly, feeling a cool breeze on his face. Rolling stiffly on his side, he found himself lying on a couch. Above his head, a metal fan spin swiftly, creating a soft wind. "Bizarre." He muttered, clutching his head. Fragments of the dream he'd had came to him slowly, rising like gas bubbles through mud. Something about a shootout, a red-headed girl, a watch. He grunted. Even those images were fading. "How you feelin'?" Asked a deep voice. He looked up at the man leaning over him. "Not too bad, considering I've got a knife wound in my shoulder." Jet chuckled as he sat down on the couch next to Spike. "Maybe next time you'll listen when I tell you to wait." Spike rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, well maybe next time you should get there on time. There anything to eat around here?" Jet looked at his partner strangely. "Sure, let me go whip up some Eggs Benedict. Of course there's nothing to eat! You ate the last of the instant noodles for breakfast! And if you hadn't gotten stabbed, that bounty could have paid for more." Spike toned out everything after Eggs Benedict. Why did that nag at him? Something was connected to those words. He remembered an old man, a butler.... then nothing- it was gone. "I'm gonna take a shower." He said, levering himself upright. Jet simply grumbled under his breath.
Under the hot spray, more images came to Spike. He remembered being shot, twice- no- three times. And a red- headed girl had rescued him. Something about her had been special.... But what was it? "Spike, you going to be in there all day!?" A hand beat on the door. "Speaking of special." Muttered Spike, turning off the water. Draping a towel loosely about his waist, he slid open the door. "Feeling dirty Faye?" Faye Valentine placed her hands on her shapely hips and glared daggers at the slender man in front of her. "In case you didn't notice, I was the one who had to collect YOUR bounty after you guys screwed it up!" Spike smiled condescendingly. "The only reason you got him was because I'd already shot him in the ass. Makes it kinda hard to run." Faye tossed her head, flipping her dark hair. "Please- that little 'flesh wound' didn't even slow him down. Lucky for you I caught him at all!" Spike crossed his arms. "For you to catch him, it HAD to be luck." Faye's eyes burned. "Listen you..."
"Ok children, enough crap out of both of you- you're giving me a worse headache than I already have!" Spike turned as Jet walked past- leaving just enough room for Faye to slip past him and lock the door. "Hey!" He kicked the door, and instantly regretted it when he stubbed his toe. "Ouch- damn it, where's my gun!" A girlish giggle came through the door. "You mean this gun? Really Spike, you shouldn't leave these things lying around." Gritting his teeth, Spike leaned in close. "Good thing I keep another one in my room." Her voice came back to him, just as close. "Don't even think about it." Her threat was followed up by the sound of a hammer cocking. Abandoning his shower, Spike put his hands behind his head and strode away.
Forty-five minutes later, Spike stepped into The Griffon, a local pool hall. There were very few patrons this time of night. A few surly looking men sat at the bar, smoke drifting around them while they nursed their beers. As Spike lifted a pool cue from the rack, a slim hand appeared and took it from him. Spike turned to see a woman standing behind him dressed in black. Thick blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders in heavy curls. Her smile was tilted to the side as she regarded him. "I'm sorry, but this is my favorite cue. I hope you don't mind." Spike smiled, grabbing another stick. "Not as long as you join me in a game miss..."
"Angel."
Spike smiled. "Miss Angel. Solids or stripes?"
Their game ended up lasting two hours. Spike was pleased to find that Angel was a skilled player. During the course of their game, he took the time to admire her comely features. Her eyes were hazel, with tiny pinpoints of green. Her hair draped around her shoulders like a living thing, thick and golden, and coiled like a snake. He found that association odd- and wondered where the thought had come from. Before he could consider it further, she dropped her last ball in the socket. "I win." Spike casually lit a cigarette, laying his cue on the table. "So what's your prize?" Angel lay her elbows on the green table surface, leaning forward to look at Spike steadily. "I want you to do something for me." Copying her gesture, Spike looked back, a slow smile forming. "And what would that be?" He asked, smoke rising between them. Unblinking, Angel took the cigarette from his mouth and crushed it out on the pool table. "I want to hire you."
"She wants to what?" Spike sat on the yellow couch, cigarette dangling from his lips, while Jet, and Faye sat across from him. On the floor, Ed was typing madly on her 'Tomato', while Ein snoozed at her feet. "Geez Jet, even I heard him the first time. So what does she want us to do?" Spike regarded Faye expressionlessly. "Not 'us'- 'me'."
"No work for Faye-Faye! Hahaha!" Squealed Ed from the floor, bobbing back and forth before the colorful screen. "Shut up Ed!" Shouted Faye, pulling her feet up under her. "Both of you shut up!" Shouted Jet. Turning back to regard his partner, he leaned his arms on his knees. "So how much is she willing to pay?" Spike stretched slowly, wincing a little as he pulled at his wounded shoulder. "40 million." Ed giggled at the computer. "I got you, fishy fishies! Dive boooooommbb- KABOOOOOM!" Ignoring the girl, Faye sat up quickly. "Who's the bounty head?" Spike crushed his cigarette under his shoe. "Forget it Faye. I'm going after this one."
Jet frowned as Spike stood stiffly. "You know, ordinarily I'd tell Faye to mind her own business,"
"Hey,"
"But I think you should take her along on this one. That shoulder could cause problems."
Spike put his hands in his pockets, giving the group a small smile. "Come on Jet, have a little faith huh?" As he left the room, Faye crossed her arms, peeved. "Fine, he want's to get himself killed? Don't let me stand in the way!"
Faye cursed as she piloted her Redtail through the city. "Damn him, bastard!" The small blip on her screen moved to the left, and she tilted the wings to follow. "Why the hell am I doing this anyhow!" She yelled, clenching her fists around the controls. Wind screamed by outside the clear dome of her cockpit. Before her rose the tall spire of the Black Pearl restaurant. Just beyond it was a shorter building, her destination.
Spike flicked his lighter, inhaling deeply as the end of his cigarette caught the flame. Blowing out a stream of smoke, he shut the lighter with a soft snap. Angel's description of the guy was quite detailed- down to the drink he usually ordered at the bar. Soft jazz floated up to greet him as he entered the darkened pub. The place was packed, bodies moving back and forth like a continuous wave. Definitely not the sort of place Spike normally frequented. In a shadowy booth, Spike caught sight of his quarry. Casually, Spike lifted a beer from the loaded tray of a serving girl that passed him. Taking a sip, he moved to sit in the booth right behind his prey. Unfortunately, the booth was occupied.
"Hey pal, find your own spot, this one is taken!" Said the angry man and Spike squeezed in next to his girlfriend. For her part, she merely smiled, running a hand through her coppery hair. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Spike returned her smile. "Not to worry folks, I don't plan to be here long." The man started to protest again, but the girl simply gave him a cold look. "Shut up Mark, this was getting old anyhow!" Taken aback by her attitude, Mark muttered darkly and stalked from the table, shoving someone to the floor as he left. "Nice guy- you weren't dating him were you?" The girl grinned. "Who?"
With a small laugh, Spike turned around in the booth, draping his arms across the backrest. The bounty head was curled around his untouched drink, a small piece of paper before him. Scrawled on the surface, Spike could just make out the letters X.P.D.- H.H.Q. "Interesting reading, though usually I go for something with more than one sentence." At Spike's even tone, the man startled, toppling his drink in the process. The sound of the glass shattering was ignored by both men. "Who the hell..." The man turned, and came face to face with the business end of Spike's Ruger. "What's say we take this outside huh? It's kinda stuffy in here." Glaring, the man placed his left hand on the table to push himself upright. His right hand clenched tightly around the paper he'd been holding. As Spike led him to the door, he looked down at the woman he'd shared a booth with. "A pleasure meeting you ma'am." She blushed again, her blue eyes sparkling. "Pleasure's all mine cowboy."
As Spike pushed his bounty through the door, he suddenly sensed movement on both sides. Ducking quickly, he felt the wind from the shotgun blast that went over his head. At the same time, he saw his bounty make a break for it. "Uh uh, no way pal!" Spinning quickly, he delivered a jaw shattering kick in the face of one of his attackers. As the man dropped with a pain-filled grunt, Spike jabbed his hand out, palm upright, and broke the nose of the other guy who dove in from the front. Unfortunately, the move tore at the healing wound in Spike's shoulder, and he had to clench his teeth to ward off the pain as he raced after his escaping bounty.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Finally- some stinking Bebop characters! I'm grateful to those who've come this far with me! I promise, this (maybe) will start making sense soon!
Please let me know what you think! Oh- and I'm sorry about the formatting, I'll repost this at my website so you can see what is should have looked like. Bye for now!
http://www.geocities.com/naninuyasha/index.html
