Whee! Lookitme! Chapter 5! Who's yo' author?! Me! Yay. Ev'ry body clap yo hands! (and do the friday dance of joy even though its only tuesday!)
Anyways... DragonLady4 seems to be my only reader... is that right? So, she's the only one who knows what I say before and after each chapter? Cool! Hey, how ya doin? How's your cat? Do you even have a cat? I did. I like cats. I used to have about 20 of them at one time... Just for you, here ya go!
Child's Play
I'm too young to understand, so mommy please take my hand. Guide me, daddy, through the day. Help me, friends, to grow and play. I'm just a child, keep me safe and in the light. Keep me from my darkest frights and help me grow to be like thee... The world is a scary thing, filled with monsters, big and mean. They want to harm me, take me away. But you won't let them do that, no how, no way. Hold me, mommy, love me, daddy, cause existing is hard, and life is not child's play.... (written by: TheCat me!)
"So, how far is this December from here?" Knives asked.
"Well, we're in the middle of June, so about six months?" Vash joked.
"Eh he he," Knives scrunched up his nose and pretended to laugh.
"About...oof! Uh... a-a-few days..." Meryl managed to say, her stomach queasy from the height, speed, and the wavy design of the sand worm's traveling.
"Three days of this?" Milly asked, her face almost a greenish tint. She put her hand to her mouth as she retched.
'Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea...' Staccato mind-spoke Knives.
'Ya think?' he glared at her back.
Staccato looked at him over her shoulder. She was standing on the sand worm's head while the others straddled the rest of it. She turned back and faced forward. Her mouth twitched into a slight smirk as she held up her hand and snapped her fingers.
"Yah!" Meryl shouted as the worm reared up and dove towards the ground. Everybody but Staccato was thrown around violently. Knives struggled to maintain his mount. Vash now sat on his head, his crossed legs in the air. He frowned, and then sighed.
Nighttime found the group Shambling about in the cold desert sand. The girls hovered around a barf hole while Vash and Knives kept a look out for more sand worms. The one the rode in on, however, didn't move a muscle.
"Elizabeth... you seem to be good with animals," Vash said as she walked up and sat beside him. He was perched on a rock, one knee up and leaning on it.
"Yes, sir... in a way," She agreed.
"Where are your parents?" Vash asked, his voice solemn and quiet.
"Dead," she replied, looking down at the ground. She felt his eyes bear down on the top of her head.
"What?" His eyes were wide with sadness.
"They were caught in the cross fire of a gang bout. It happened when I was only seven months old. That's when my teacher's... associates found me. They were going to just leave me there, but my teacher said I had great potential, so they brought me to him..." She explained. 'And he's turned me into this,'
"I'm sorry..." Vash apologized.
"Don't be. I loathe pity," She sighed and stood up. She walked over to the sand worm and sat against it.
'Not like I ever get it...' she thought to herself.
'Staccato!' Knives shouted. She raised her head and looked at him. He was standing in front of her. He sat down beside her and closed his eyes so the others would take him for napping.
'Just exactly why are you here?' he asked.
'You've already asked that question, sir,' she replied coolly.
'Answer me...' he demanded.
'I was struck with inspiration. Think of it... several days out of town with no one to bother us... I could get closer to Vash the Stampede quicker out here.' She explained.
'What have I told you about thinking of your own ideas?' he asked.
'When I was younger, you told me not to follow my own stupid objectives. Of course, now I'm older and this is not a stupid objective. A rather clever one in my own mind.' She turned her head to him slightly.
'Well, there you go. Look at your mind... nothing but a dark abyss! You have no emotion, no feelings, no senses, no nothing!' Knives said, then chuckled slightly. 'A perfect destruction machine... and would you look at that? You also lack free will! Such a good little puppet, aren't you?'
Staccato glanced at him. Her eyes burned with hatred. She got up and walked out of the camp.
'Where are you going?' Knives demanded, standing up.
'...To be alone for a while...' she replied.
"It's dangerous out there," he said.
"I'll be fine..." she replied over her shoulder.
"Don't get yourself killed," he ordered.
"Oh, no... that would be the easy way out... I'm more of the person who enjoys a challenge. Life will do," she whispered as she kept walking.
Staccato walked until she was far enough away from the camp that she was certain they wouldn't be able to detect her. She stood stiffly and closed her eyes. She levitated into the air and floated there while she cleared her mind.
'Why do I let him control me like that? Is it fear that he will do something?' she asked when her mind was completely blank and she felt a presence approaching.
'Only you can answer that, darling. Though, it could be out of respect,' a voice replied cool, calm, flowing, and gentle.
'But... his only weapon against me... I destroyed it... I know I did... why do I act as if he still retains it?' she asked.
'Because you know that he can still do damage to your physical being. Do not worry. You're only human... you're not perfect.'
'I know, sir...'
'Although you are close enough to it... not all humans have the ability to speak with the dead as if the dead were alive...'
Staccato remained silent, not knowing what to say or how to respond.
'Master Knives frightens you, doesn't he? That's a problem only you can fix. And this plan you have with him... I advise you not to go through with it... but it is totally up to you. If you wish to challenge the Humanoid Typhoon, it's purely your choice. Don't allow Master Knives to make that choice for you.'
'I have to let him choose for me... I don't have the agency to do that on my own... he took that agency from me years ago... you know, you were there...'
'You are a human being, Staccato. You have every right to make choices on your own. Just think about it for a while. Meditate on it, sleep on it- what ever it takes. I can tell you this, though... your life will be determined by the choice you make- whether you keep living, or die. Make me proud, darling...'
'Yes sir...'
'Don't let him push you around. Just keep him thinking he's all that...'
'I will...'
'You know I'm always here for you, my student...'
'Yes sir...'
'You must go now, they call for you. Remember what I said,'
'I will... master Legato...'
"Elizabeth!" Vash called out, looking around in the darkness of the desert night.
"Elizabeth, where are you?" he asked. He heard the soft puff of feet landing on sand. He turned and saw her standing there a little to his right.
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" he said, approaching her to give her a hug. She stepped back.
"Oh, come on, it's not like I'm poisonous or anything," Vash said, his arms down by his sides.
"I'm not the affectionate type..." she replied and headed back for camp. He smirked and charged up behind her, embracing her shoulders from her back. His eyes took on a sudden look of pain as he grabbed his head and moved away. She glanced over her shoulder at him. He panted as the headache darted away as quickly as it had made its self known.
Staccato kept walking. Vash looked at her retreating figure in confusion. He kept his distance as he followed her back to the camp.
"There you are! We just made dinner! Help yourself," Milly said, greeting the two. Staccato shook her head and sat against the sand worm.
"Eat something, Elizabeth," Knives said in a cleverly hidden command. Staccato glared at him, but got some anyways. She put a spoonful of a mashed potato like substance on a plate and poked at it for a while. The others ate generously while she merely nibbled on it here and there.
"Whoa! That was good! Didn't know you could cook so well, Ms. Stryfe!" Vash smiled and patted his stomach.
"It was only ultimate 'taters..." Meryl shrugged.
"Delish, ma'am!" Milly said, kissing her fingers. Knives nodded and looked over at Staccato.
'What's the matter with you?' he asked.
'I don't eat for a reason...' she replied, her thoughts heavy with sickness.
"Are you okay, Elizabeth?" Vash asked. She stood up and shook her head, holding her stomach. She woozily walked behind the sand worm and fell to her knees. Vash followed her and found her panting and wheezing.
"Liz?" he asked, wanting to pat her back, but didn't want to scare her and cause her to... do what ever she did earlier...
"Elizabeth?" No sooner had Knives appeared than Staccato felt her stomach jump. Her 'ultimate taters' flew out of her mouth and landed all over the sand.
"Liz, are you okay?" Milly asked, rushing around and spotting the child getting sick. 'Elizabeth' raised her head and panted. Her arms shook as if they were to give out and send her falling to the ground. Vash and Knives helped her stand while Milly handed her a napkin and helped her clean her shirt off.
'What happened?' Knives asked.
'I... can't eat solid food... you know that!' She replied, shakily.
'Why not?' he demanded.
'I don't know... that's just the way it's always been... that's why Legato always came back from the store with dieting drinks and liquids... they're the only thing I can hold down...' she explained as they helped her back into the camp to lay down. Meryl had a wet rag waiting for her, but she just sat up and shook a little bit.
'You're just an anorexic fool!' Knives shouted at her. Staccato glared. She sighed and laid back. She jumped when she felt some one touching her from behind.
"It's okay... it's okay..." Vash said calmly, sitting behind her. She relaxed into his hands and lay against his chest. He waited until she was asleep to lay her in his lap. The others were asleep by now, too. Only he was awake to watch over them.
"I don't know what, but there is something strange about you, Elizabeth..." he sighed and stroked her hair. He looked out into the desert, glancing over the Sand worm.
"Defiantly strange indeed..."
End, Chapter 5
Yay... whew... my keyboard hurts... Love-shove-heart-hate? Now, we see that Staccato has some emotion... in the least bit... also we know that she can't eat much... and last but not least, we see that she can control dead things... yay... Vote! BTW, I'm seeing signs of a block making its self known... anyone have any ideas? Just in case there is some confusion, Elizabeth=Staccato.