Note: About damn time, Alyson.
Chapter Six
Surprises, Sisters, and Revelations
"That's Val?!"
Lucy winced at Wolfwood and Vash's simultaneous whisper-shout, but thankfully, Meryl didn't seem to hear them. Or she did hear them and chose to ignore them, which was highly unlikely considering that the older of the Stryfe sisters did like her privacy when something was seriously wrong.
"Yes," Lucy said, giving a sigh. She knew it would be best if they didn't approach Meryl now, though none of her guests seemed inclined to move from the spot. Or, in Vash's case, return his jaw to somewhere above the vicinity of his shoulders. At least he had managed to free it from where it had crashed through the landing.
"You named your Plant Angel?" Wolfwood asked.
"No, Meryl-oneechan did," Lucy replied, the tension in her body giving way to a wariness of what the future now held for her and her family. "We don't know why, but she named her shortly after Momma died. Now, whenever something bad or stressful happens, she comes here. It's like this is her refuge."
Vash was dimly aware of Lucy's words, and was filing away every sentence for examination and possible questions later. He just couldn't seem to take his eyes from Meryl's tense form. He kept running through all the reasons for the Plant Angel to be reacting the way she was, but everything he knew about his brethren was being thrown out the window. He vaguely heard Lucy mention returning to the main house to await Meryl's return, but he was reluctant to tear his eyes from the small, quivering form on the floor beneath him.
He had just turned in the direction of the door when the warm, familiar, amused voice of the Plant Angel invaded his head once again.
So, just how well DO you know our Meryl?
Vash gave a start, not because of the voice in his head, he was used to conversing with the Plant Angels, but he was not used to hearing an amused, almost suggestive undertone to their words. Unfortunately, his left foot happened to be near the edge of the staircase, and when he jerked in surprise, he got caught up in his own feet, and pitched sideways. He promptly began a very painful and loud descent down the metal stairs as he tumbled head over heels in a series of thumps. He finally landed on the cold concrete floor in a painful tangle of lanky limbs and bruises. He stared up at the ceiling for several moments, then became aware of movement off to his right. He turned his head and winced from the heat of Meryl's glare.
"Just WHAT do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, kneeling beside him.
"Well I," he began, then stopped on a squeak when she began to unbutton his coat. "M-Meryl?!"
"Shut up," she snapped. "If you tore open your shoulder I'm going to tie you to the bed until it's well."
Ooooo, kinky.
Vash groaned, both from the soreness in his shoulder and from the amused voice in his head. You're NOT helping any, he groused, only to hear a chuckle in return.
Meryl pulled open Vash's jacket and managed to get the form fitting suit he wore underneath down in order to bare his bandaged shoulder. Vash closed his eyes and prayed that the wound hadn't reopened. It didn't feel like it had, but he never paid attention to pain much anymore (unless he thought hamming up his injuries would gain him some donuts) so it was hard for him to determine the true state of his injury. All he knew was that if it HAD opened again, Meryl probably would tie him down to the bed in order to keep him from moving around until it had fully healed.
Meryl checked the bandage and was relieved to find it still pristine white. Just to be sure she lifted up an edge of it, but no fresh blood greeted her probing eyes, and with a sigh she relaxed and moved away, allowing him to repair the damage her searching hands had done to his suit and jacket. Once he was presentable again, he climbed to his feet, wincing a bit as abused muscles protested the movement.
"Geez, Tongari," Wolfwood chuckled as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "You certainly know how to make an entrance!"
"Are you all right, Vash-san?" Milly asked, her blue eyes concerned as she gazed at him.
Vash rubbed the back of his head and nodded. He chose to ignore Wolfwood's baiting remark, and returned his attention to Meryl as Lucy reached the concrete floor.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, his eyes taking in the taught lines of her face. Meryl seemed to stiffen at his question, but before she could blast him with her temper, Lucy intervened.
"Meryl-oneechan," she said softly, her eyes dark with worry as they darted back and forth between Meryl and Val, who was still pressing her hands against the inside of her container as she watched the activity outside of her world.
"I'll explain later," Meryl said, her shoulders suddenly sagging as if a great weight had suddenly crashed on top of them. "We're going to need to have a family get together. I know it's short notice, but do you think everyone can be assembled in the living room after dinner?"
"Do you need everyone, or just the heads of the different departments?" Lucy asked cautiously, every fiber in her being screaming WARNING WARNING WARNING as she gazed at her sister.
"The heads should be enough," Meryl replied after a few moments of thought. "There's no need for the kids to come, and I'm sure everyone else probably have plans for tonight."
"Right," Lucy agreed. "I'll go find Ryan and give him the heads up. He can start letting everyone know so they can get ready or find someone to take their place at the meeting if they can't be there."
Meryl nodded in agreement, her eyes losing some of their focus as her thoughts turned inwards. Vash and the others thanked Lucy for taking the time to show them around, and with a grin that was decidedly less bright than the one she'd had before they entered the Angel's chambers, she turned and left. The group was silent for a moment, then Milly stepped forward and laid her hand on Meryl's arm, bringing the senior insurance partner back from wherever she had gone.
"What's wrong, Sempai?" Milly asked worriedly.
Meryl glanced around the small group of worried faces, took a deep breath, and let out a sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment, then answered, "You'll find out at the meeting. We may have to be here for longer than I had originally thought. I'm pretty sure I know Milly's answer, but Vash-san, Wolfwood-san, Milly, I want you to know that I don't expect you to stay here the entire time that I have to be here. I'm sure there are other things you want or need to be doing."
"Don't be silly, sempai!" Milly said, giving Meryl a reproachful look while Wolfwood nodded in agreement. Vash briefly thought about making a joke about all the broken hearts he was leaving behind in the big cities, but a flash of loneliness across Meryl's face caused him to halt his words. He had never seen such a vulnerable look on her face before, and it was gone so fast that he almost convinced himself that he'd imagined it. Almost.
"Nothing better to do than dodge bounty hunters," he said instead, grinning down at the small insurance girl, though inside he began to worry about being found by Knives.
Don't worry, came Val's gentle voice. As long as you are here or in Key Town, you are under my protection.
Your protection? Vash asked, curious.
Yes. Knives usually finds you by enlisting the help of our brethren, who don't know any better than to tell him what he wants to know.
What makes you different?
He felt her amusement as she answered, I'm old, that's what.
I think there's more to it than that, he replied.
Vash was pulled from his internal conversation when the group began to ascend the staircase. He turned and gave Val another glance, not surprised to see that she was still watching the group. Her eyes met his and she lifted a hand in a gesture of farewell, a movement that he returned before turning his attention to climbing the stairs without falling flat on his face again.
--------------------
The atmosphere in the living room was strained at best, down right nerve breaking at worst, as everyone moved around the area hunting for unoccupied seats or chairs. Many of the visitors were people that the group had met on their tour of the Complex, but there were a few new faces mixed in with the bunch. Vash figured that the new faces were the replacements for the department heads that were unable to attend the meeting due to prior duties or engagements. He noticed that the majority also carried note-taking supplies with them, probably in order to be able to report word for word what happened to the heads that couldn't be at the meeting.
Meryl had confiscated a large over stuffed sofa chair and had settled into it with a large, leather bound book on her lap. She was positioned in such a way that she could easily see everyone in the room as they jostled and hunted up for seats of their own. Lucy had settled down on the love seat with Ryan while Milly and Wolfwood had dragged in two of the chairs from the dining room. Vash had snagged the other oversized sofa seat, and was sitting with the back against the wall, his eyes moving restlessly from the face of one person to another. He noticed that whenever someone would glance at the large book on Meryl's lap, his or her face would tense up and their eyes would grow wary.
Vash's eyes returned to study Meryl's small form as she sat on the chair, taking in her tense composure and marveling at it. A few hours earlier, he had wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack and had found Meryl in the middle of making dinner, only instead of chopping vegetables she had been leaning against the cabinet, her shoulder's shaking with near silent sobs. He had watched her, torn between the near overwhelming desire to go and gather her into his arms in an effort to sooth her pain, and the knowledge that if he did so she would only pull away from him and most likely clobber him for coming upon her in a weak moment. He had opted for retreating, but he silently promised himself that if he came upon her in a similar state again, he'd forgo self-preservation in favor of offering some form of comfort.
He was brought back to the pending meeting when the noise level in the room died down as everyone finally found their seats and turned their attention to the small, dark haired figure that was currently representing the head of the entire Geo Plant. He watched as her hands clenched nervously on the book for a moment before relaxing. Meryl, nervous? The movement had been so slight that Vash wondered if he had imagined it, when her hands clenched again. He found himself wishing he were sitting closer to her, so that he could reach out, lay his hand over hers, and let her know that she was supported. He watched as she glanced around the room, her gaze touching briefly on everyone's face, before she glanced down at the volume in her hand. She opened her mouth, hesitated for the briefest of seconds, then spoke.
"I want to think everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules for attending this impromptu meeting. I especially want to thank those who are here in place of those who couldn't make it. First off, I want it known that I am going against my father's wishes by calling this meeting."
There was a ripple of surprise amongst the attendees, and Lucy sat up a little straighter on the couch, her eyes fastening on Meryl's face.
"Most of you already know this, but Dad is very ill. He told me just this afternoon that the doctors don't know how much longer he's going to be around," she said, bending the facts in order to keep that part of their conversation secret, though she had every intention of telling Lucy and her brothers the truth in private. She glared at the few members of the meeting who jumped to their feet, causing them to pause before they returned to their seats. "Need I remind you," she said softly, "That Dad doesn't know I'm telling you any of this. It would go against his wishes if any of you went to see him for any reason regarding his illness. When he's ready, he will tell you himself. Until then, I ask that you respect his wishes."
Lucy was regarding Meryl with narrowed eyes. She seemed to instinctly sense that there was something that Meryl was keeping back. Feeling her sister's eyes upon her, Meryl glanced up and gazed at Lucy. In the age-old way of siblings who had spent most of their lives with the other, Meryl managed to convey to Lucy that she would tell all to her siblings as soon as the house was empty. Lucy nodded once, and took up her former position of using Ryan as a back support.
Meryl sighed as she waited for the minor chaos her announcement had caused to die down. She wasn't looking forward to what was coming up next. She opened up the large leather bound book that was occupying her lap as soon as most of the voices quieted. That movement caught everyone's attention, and an eerie hush fell over the room. Every single person present knew what that book was, and they also knew that it wasn't a good thing if Meryl had brought it from it's location in Joseph Stryfe's room. Apparently, the house budget hadn't been the only area that Joseph had cut back on. Meryl wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least she wouldn't have to spend an inordinate amount of time explaining the situation.
As she glanced from face to face, the reality of the fact that what she was about to say would affect not only the people in the room, but everyone who depended on the Geo Plant for their lively hood, came crashing down on her shoulders. She wanted to fold into herself from the weight, to hide away from the responsibility that her father had placed in her hands. Sure, she had been responsible for Milly ever since they had first been paired up at Bernadelli, her being the senior partner and all, but there was a world of difference between a single partner and an entire community. As she began to panic slightly, her eyes landed on Vash, having been drawn there by the sheer fact that his coat was the brightest object in the room. Her gaze met his, and she felt the frantic fluttering in her stomach ease up. Vash's gaze was steady, his eyes concerned, and yet, at the same time, they were also supportive. It was almost like he was reaching out a steadying hand to help her safely navigate the edge between doing what she had to do, and outright panic. She took comfort from his unvoiced support, and as she continued her tour of the faces in the room, she saw the exact same expression mirrored on Milly and Wolfwood's faces. Drawing on their offered support, and taking comfort in the confident look Lucy was sending her, she took a deep breath and related everything her father had told her about the loan, and what it meant if they didn't raise enough money to successfully pay it off with interest.
Thankfully, everyone waited patiently until she was finished to voice their shocked comments and questions. Several members complained that it had been unfair of Joseph Stryfe to pull such a move without consulting them; complaints that Meryl agreed with whole-heartedly. As the initial panicked furor died down, Meryl cleared her throat and began to speak again.
"I not only called you all together in order to tell you about the loan, but to also ask for your help," she said, waiting until all eyes were once again on her. "I've been away from the workings and business area of the Geo Plant for many years now, and I'm not as up to date on what areas our current funds need to go to, while tightening down on some of our current budgets in order to obtain the money needed to pay off the loan. I need for all of you to get together with the other department heads and the other personnel, and brainstorm up ways to save and make extra double dollars. This has to be a group effort, because every single department will be affected no matter what the outcome is."
The group sat in silence after Meryl finished, and then, one by one, each of the meeting participants stood up and agreed with her statement. A few even mentioned that they already had some ideas brewing, but they wanted to run them by their fellow coworkers before bringing them to Meryl's attention. The crowd slowly began to dwindle down until the only ones who remained were Meryl's immediate family along with Vash, Milly and Wolfwood. Vash wondered if he and the others should leave in order to let Meryl have some private time with her sister and brothers, but Milly seemed set on staying, and as long as Meryl didn't ask them to leave, then he figured it was all right if they stayed.
"I know there's more," Lucy said quietly once the last person had left the room. "What are you not saying, Oneechan?"
"It has to do with this illness of Dad's, doesn't it?" Ron asked flatly.
Meryl sighed, letting her shoulders droop for the first time since the meeting had started as the weight of what her father had unfairly asked of her came to rest there once again. Lucy got to her feet and moved to Meryl's side. Leaning down, she wrapped the smaller of the Stryfe sisters in a gentle hug, letting her sister know without words that she was lending her some much needed physical support.
"Yes, it does," Meryl said quietly, "But I think it's something that Dad should tell you himself."
"What, now?" Ron asked, looking startled.
"Now is as good a time as any," Meryl replied, and started towards the Stryfe patriarch's room. She glanced behind her and stopped when she saw that Ryan was hanging back a little. "You should come, Ryan. You're family, too." And Lucy will need you, she thought to herself.
The large man gave her an uncertain look, then glanced at his wife. Lucy gave him a reassuring smile and held out her hand. Ryan relaxed and took it, following after the family as they vanished through the door and into the hallway.
Milly, Wolfwood and Vash exchanged glances, and Wolfwood shrugged.
"Whatever's going on there is for family only," he said, prompting Vash to roll his eyes.
"You say that like we're in the habit of barging in on sensitive family discussions on a regular basis," the gunman groused, shifting his injured arm a bit in its sling.
Wolfwood gave Vash a dirty look and was about to reply when Milly neatly stepped in and said cheerfully, "We can take this opportunity to get our luggage unpacked and get settled in our rooms."
Vash and Wolfwood glared at each other before turning away and stalking off in the direction of the stairs. Milly followed after them and informed that they weren't allowed to fight while unpacking, because it might disturb the conversation going on below their rooms.
"But he always starts it!" Vash and Wolfwood said in unison, then glared at each other some more.
--------------------
The sound of a sharp knife deftly cutting through vegetables was like a balm to Meryl's frayed nerves. Thirty minutes had passed since she had left her siblings in her father's room, and it had only taken a few minutes for her to be in the kitchen and preparing tomorrow night's dinner. For some reason cooking had always been able to soothe her whenever things seemed to be spiraling out of the control. She figured it was because she had a set course of rules to follow, and when they were followed to the letter, the results were always good.
She sighed, and scooped the neatly sliced vegetables into the simmering pot on her right. Joseph Stryfe had been less than pleased with his eldest daughter when she had brought her siblings into his room and informed him that he was to tell them the truth, as well. The man had given her a glare that could have given Vash's "dangerous gunman" look a run for its money in terms of sending chills down a person's spine, but Meryl had held firm and Joseph had eventually given in. She knew he knew she was right, and with a slight nod in his direction, she had exited his room while quietly closing the door behind her.
Shaking her head slightly, Meryl gave the simmering stew one last stir with her spoon, and was in the process of placing the pot's lid in place to allow the stew to cook overnight when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. She gave a muffled shriek as the lid dropped out of her hands and landed in its place on the pot with a clang. She relaxed almost instantly when she recognized the presence of her sister behind her.
"Damnit, Lucy," she began to scold, only to stop when she felt her sister tighten her hold around her waist.
"Thank you," Lucy said softly, her voice sounding like it was on the edge of tears.
"It was only right that he told you and our brothers the truth, too," Meryl replied, feeling her own eyes start to sting with unshed tears.
"That's not what I'm thanking you for," Lucy said, and pulled back to turn the elder Stryfe sister around to face her. "I'm thanking you for not trying to shoulder everything alone."
"What are you talking about?" Meryl asked, confused.
"Meryl-Oneechan, every time something bad happened, or some problem came up, you would never allowed me, or Ron-niichan or Randy-niisan to help you with them. In fact, you would never tell us that there had been a problem until long after the problem was solved. I know," Lucy said quickly when she saw Meryl open her mouth, "You did it because you were trying to protect us from the worries of running the Plant."
"There was never any reason to get all of you involved in the problems," Meryl said softly. "You were so busy raising the twins that once they were at the age to be at least semi-self sufficient that you let you childhood slip away from you. It was the only way I could give you at least some of your childhood back."
"You were a child yourself," Lucy refuted. "It was unfair to me, and to the twins once they were older, to not trust that we would be able to handle whatever problem you needed help with. But now , now, we know we have your trust. We know that you believe we can help take care of whatever is thrown our way. And you won't be running yourself into the ground trying to solve the world's problems the way you used to, causing the twins and me to worry for your health."
Meryl was quiet as she absorbed her sister's words. After their mother had died, and their father had thrown himself into the running of the Geo Plant in his grief, she had been determined to take care of and protect her younger siblings at all costs. Lucy had easily taken on the care of the twins, telling her elder sister that it was a little like playing dolls, only these dolls were quite loud whenever they wanted something. Meryl had assumed all the other vital roles their mother had filled, feeling guilty that she couldn't do it all and spare Lucy the pain of having to grow up before her time, but that aspect of their youth had been unavoidable. She had never known, though, that Lucy and the twins had ever been aware that Joseph had taken to confiding in his eldest daughter whenever there were problems, and had come to rely on her steadfastness.
"I never knew," she said softly, giving voice to her swirling thoughts.
"I know," Lucy replied, smiling slightly. "But now you know you can rely on others, and that not all things are done best if done by yourself. I have Milly and Bernadelli to thank for that change." And perhaps I should thank a certain gunman as well, Lucy thought with a smile as she pulled her elder sister into a hug, needing the comfort as her tears were no longer a threat but a reality.
Meryl returned her sister's hug, her own tears falling freely as the stress and knowledge that their father was, indeed, dying caught up with her once again. But this time, she wasn't going to be handling the rather monstrous problems alone. No, this time she had her siblings, the entire Geo Plant, Milly, Wolfwood, and last but not least, Vash to help her get through and find a solution, and that thought comforted her as much as a single visit to Val usually did. She was surrounded by friends and family, and she wasn't alone.
Caught up in their shared grief, neither sister saw the lanky shadow detach itself from its place near the doorway to the kitchen. Vash wiped a stray tear from his eye as he made his way back to the room he was sharing with Wolfwood, glad that he had heeded the voice that had cautioned him from entering the kitchen when he had heard voices coming from it. He hated to think that he might have barreled in on a private conversation between Meryl and her sister. Though, to be honest, eavesdropping hadn't been all that much better than simply walking in while they were grieving.
Wolfwood glanced up from unpacking his bag as the gunman entered the room, and the priest's eyes instantly noticed the tears in the blonde's eyes.
"Damnit, Tongari, don't tell me you're STILL crying over that story about the Dogwood tree! You're worse than a woman sometimes!"
Reluctant to tell the black clad priest what he had just over heard, Vash took refuge in a sarcastic white lie. "No thanks to you, I happened to walk into the kitchen while Meryl was chopping up onions for the stewpot, so now I get to sniffle for the rest of the night!"
Wolfwood rolled his eyes as if to say, yeah, whatever, before he asked, "Have you been able to come up with any money making ideas?"
"No," Vash answered. "I can't really think of anything short of selling some of the healthy trees, and I highly doubt that Meryl will allow for that to happen."
"No kidding. I suppose I could always offer to turn you in," Wolfwood said, grinning as Vash yelled, "That's not funny!"
"I was kidding!" Wolfwood said, then pulled a deck of cards out of his luggage with a wicked grin on his face, "Think we could talk the Big Girl into a game of strip poker?"
"Did you ever tell me what kind of priest you are?" Vash asked with wide eyes as Wolfwood walked through the door of their room and headed for the one Milly was sharing with Meryl.
"One who believes in granting all types of Mercy," Wolfwood replied as he knocked on the closed door. "And relieving boredom until the small girl comes up would definitely be merciful."
Vash rolled his eyes as he began to hunt through his clothing in order to pile on as much of it as he could. If Milly was half as good at poker as she was at chess, then he figured that since it was Wolfwood's idea, then Wolfwood should have to pay the consequences. Vash grinned at that thought as he struggled to get some extra shirts on over his jacket without jarring his arm. Watching Milly take Wolfwood for everything he had in a game of poker was definitely worth the discomfort of wearing another ten layers over his usual clothing. He couldn't wait for the game to begin.
To be continued . . . sometime . . .
Terms:
Tongari - Needle-noggin'
Oneechan - Big sister
Hai - Yes.
Bokushi-san - Mr. Priest
-san - An honorific title like Mr. and Miss I just think it sounds better sometimes.
Niichan/Niisan - Big brother. The reason for the difference is because Randy is slightly older than Ron (which he likes to remind Ron at times) and this is to differentiate between the two.
Senpai - Most people are familar with this term in it's usual school use, where it translates into Upper Classman. In Milly and Meryl's case, her use of "senpai" shows us that Meryl is actually the senior partner of the M & M duo. If I left anything out in the terms, well, lemme know.
Notes: GAAAAAAAAAH! It took me over a year to do this chapter, and I STILL think it sucks. Bleh, and I can't do any emoticons, either. Bleh yet again. Sorry it took so long, and a HUGE thanks to everyone who's reviewed. The only thing I can say is . . . Life is evil, and it just got worse and much busier for me. Especially since I'm going to be starting graduate school in the fall, and I'm looking for a new job. Again. I fully intend to continue this story (despite this chapter being harder to pull out than my wisdom teeth were) because, damnit, I know where I'm going with it and I know what I want to write. It's just finding the time to do so. Er, I"ll shut up now. Hope ya'll enjoyed, and again, I'm sorry it's so crappy. I will now make a grumpy face and poof off.
Chapter Six
Surprises, Sisters, and Revelations
"That's Val?!"
Lucy winced at Wolfwood and Vash's simultaneous whisper-shout, but thankfully, Meryl didn't seem to hear them. Or she did hear them and chose to ignore them, which was highly unlikely considering that the older of the Stryfe sisters did like her privacy when something was seriously wrong.
"Yes," Lucy said, giving a sigh. She knew it would be best if they didn't approach Meryl now, though none of her guests seemed inclined to move from the spot. Or, in Vash's case, return his jaw to somewhere above the vicinity of his shoulders. At least he had managed to free it from where it had crashed through the landing.
"You named your Plant Angel?" Wolfwood asked.
"No, Meryl-oneechan did," Lucy replied, the tension in her body giving way to a wariness of what the future now held for her and her family. "We don't know why, but she named her shortly after Momma died. Now, whenever something bad or stressful happens, she comes here. It's like this is her refuge."
Vash was dimly aware of Lucy's words, and was filing away every sentence for examination and possible questions later. He just couldn't seem to take his eyes from Meryl's tense form. He kept running through all the reasons for the Plant Angel to be reacting the way she was, but everything he knew about his brethren was being thrown out the window. He vaguely heard Lucy mention returning to the main house to await Meryl's return, but he was reluctant to tear his eyes from the small, quivering form on the floor beneath him.
He had just turned in the direction of the door when the warm, familiar, amused voice of the Plant Angel invaded his head once again.
So, just how well DO you know our Meryl?
Vash gave a start, not because of the voice in his head, he was used to conversing with the Plant Angels, but he was not used to hearing an amused, almost suggestive undertone to their words. Unfortunately, his left foot happened to be near the edge of the staircase, and when he jerked in surprise, he got caught up in his own feet, and pitched sideways. He promptly began a very painful and loud descent down the metal stairs as he tumbled head over heels in a series of thumps. He finally landed on the cold concrete floor in a painful tangle of lanky limbs and bruises. He stared up at the ceiling for several moments, then became aware of movement off to his right. He turned his head and winced from the heat of Meryl's glare.
"Just WHAT do you think you're doing?!" she demanded, kneeling beside him.
"Well I," he began, then stopped on a squeak when she began to unbutton his coat. "M-Meryl?!"
"Shut up," she snapped. "If you tore open your shoulder I'm going to tie you to the bed until it's well."
Ooooo, kinky.
Vash groaned, both from the soreness in his shoulder and from the amused voice in his head. You're NOT helping any, he groused, only to hear a chuckle in return.
Meryl pulled open Vash's jacket and managed to get the form fitting suit he wore underneath down in order to bare his bandaged shoulder. Vash closed his eyes and prayed that the wound hadn't reopened. It didn't feel like it had, but he never paid attention to pain much anymore (unless he thought hamming up his injuries would gain him some donuts) so it was hard for him to determine the true state of his injury. All he knew was that if it HAD opened again, Meryl probably would tie him down to the bed in order to keep him from moving around until it had fully healed.
Meryl checked the bandage and was relieved to find it still pristine white. Just to be sure she lifted up an edge of it, but no fresh blood greeted her probing eyes, and with a sigh she relaxed and moved away, allowing him to repair the damage her searching hands had done to his suit and jacket. Once he was presentable again, he climbed to his feet, wincing a bit as abused muscles protested the movement.
"Geez, Tongari," Wolfwood chuckled as he reached the bottom of the stairs, "You certainly know how to make an entrance!"
"Are you all right, Vash-san?" Milly asked, her blue eyes concerned as she gazed at him.
Vash rubbed the back of his head and nodded. He chose to ignore Wolfwood's baiting remark, and returned his attention to Meryl as Lucy reached the concrete floor.
"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, his eyes taking in the taught lines of her face. Meryl seemed to stiffen at his question, but before she could blast him with her temper, Lucy intervened.
"Meryl-oneechan," she said softly, her eyes dark with worry as they darted back and forth between Meryl and Val, who was still pressing her hands against the inside of her container as she watched the activity outside of her world.
"I'll explain later," Meryl said, her shoulders suddenly sagging as if a great weight had suddenly crashed on top of them. "We're going to need to have a family get together. I know it's short notice, but do you think everyone can be assembled in the living room after dinner?"
"Do you need everyone, or just the heads of the different departments?" Lucy asked cautiously, every fiber in her being screaming WARNING WARNING WARNING as she gazed at her sister.
"The heads should be enough," Meryl replied after a few moments of thought. "There's no need for the kids to come, and I'm sure everyone else probably have plans for tonight."
"Right," Lucy agreed. "I'll go find Ryan and give him the heads up. He can start letting everyone know so they can get ready or find someone to take their place at the meeting if they can't be there."
Meryl nodded in agreement, her eyes losing some of their focus as her thoughts turned inwards. Vash and the others thanked Lucy for taking the time to show them around, and with a grin that was decidedly less bright than the one she'd had before they entered the Angel's chambers, she turned and left. The group was silent for a moment, then Milly stepped forward and laid her hand on Meryl's arm, bringing the senior insurance partner back from wherever she had gone.
"What's wrong, Sempai?" Milly asked worriedly.
Meryl glanced around the small group of worried faces, took a deep breath, and let out a sigh. She rubbed the bridge of her nose for a moment, then answered, "You'll find out at the meeting. We may have to be here for longer than I had originally thought. I'm pretty sure I know Milly's answer, but Vash-san, Wolfwood-san, Milly, I want you to know that I don't expect you to stay here the entire time that I have to be here. I'm sure there are other things you want or need to be doing."
"Don't be silly, sempai!" Milly said, giving Meryl a reproachful look while Wolfwood nodded in agreement. Vash briefly thought about making a joke about all the broken hearts he was leaving behind in the big cities, but a flash of loneliness across Meryl's face caused him to halt his words. He had never seen such a vulnerable look on her face before, and it was gone so fast that he almost convinced himself that he'd imagined it. Almost.
"Nothing better to do than dodge bounty hunters," he said instead, grinning down at the small insurance girl, though inside he began to worry about being found by Knives.
Don't worry, came Val's gentle voice. As long as you are here or in Key Town, you are under my protection.
Your protection? Vash asked, curious.
Yes. Knives usually finds you by enlisting the help of our brethren, who don't know any better than to tell him what he wants to know.
What makes you different?
He felt her amusement as she answered, I'm old, that's what.
I think there's more to it than that, he replied.
Vash was pulled from his internal conversation when the group began to ascend the staircase. He turned and gave Val another glance, not surprised to see that she was still watching the group. Her eyes met his and she lifted a hand in a gesture of farewell, a movement that he returned before turning his attention to climbing the stairs without falling flat on his face again.
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The atmosphere in the living room was strained at best, down right nerve breaking at worst, as everyone moved around the area hunting for unoccupied seats or chairs. Many of the visitors were people that the group had met on their tour of the Complex, but there were a few new faces mixed in with the bunch. Vash figured that the new faces were the replacements for the department heads that were unable to attend the meeting due to prior duties or engagements. He noticed that the majority also carried note-taking supplies with them, probably in order to be able to report word for word what happened to the heads that couldn't be at the meeting.
Meryl had confiscated a large over stuffed sofa chair and had settled into it with a large, leather bound book on her lap. She was positioned in such a way that she could easily see everyone in the room as they jostled and hunted up for seats of their own. Lucy had settled down on the love seat with Ryan while Milly and Wolfwood had dragged in two of the chairs from the dining room. Vash had snagged the other oversized sofa seat, and was sitting with the back against the wall, his eyes moving restlessly from the face of one person to another. He noticed that whenever someone would glance at the large book on Meryl's lap, his or her face would tense up and their eyes would grow wary.
Vash's eyes returned to study Meryl's small form as she sat on the chair, taking in her tense composure and marveling at it. A few hours earlier, he had wandered into the kitchen in search of a snack and had found Meryl in the middle of making dinner, only instead of chopping vegetables she had been leaning against the cabinet, her shoulder's shaking with near silent sobs. He had watched her, torn between the near overwhelming desire to go and gather her into his arms in an effort to sooth her pain, and the knowledge that if he did so she would only pull away from him and most likely clobber him for coming upon her in a weak moment. He had opted for retreating, but he silently promised himself that if he came upon her in a similar state again, he'd forgo self-preservation in favor of offering some form of comfort.
He was brought back to the pending meeting when the noise level in the room died down as everyone finally found their seats and turned their attention to the small, dark haired figure that was currently representing the head of the entire Geo Plant. He watched as her hands clenched nervously on the book for a moment before relaxing. Meryl, nervous? The movement had been so slight that Vash wondered if he had imagined it, when her hands clenched again. He found himself wishing he were sitting closer to her, so that he could reach out, lay his hand over hers, and let her know that she was supported. He watched as she glanced around the room, her gaze touching briefly on everyone's face, before she glanced down at the volume in her hand. She opened her mouth, hesitated for the briefest of seconds, then spoke.
"I want to think everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules for attending this impromptu meeting. I especially want to thank those who are here in place of those who couldn't make it. First off, I want it known that I am going against my father's wishes by calling this meeting."
There was a ripple of surprise amongst the attendees, and Lucy sat up a little straighter on the couch, her eyes fastening on Meryl's face.
"Most of you already know this, but Dad is very ill. He told me just this afternoon that the doctors don't know how much longer he's going to be around," she said, bending the facts in order to keep that part of their conversation secret, though she had every intention of telling Lucy and her brothers the truth in private. She glared at the few members of the meeting who jumped to their feet, causing them to pause before they returned to their seats. "Need I remind you," she said softly, "That Dad doesn't know I'm telling you any of this. It would go against his wishes if any of you went to see him for any reason regarding his illness. When he's ready, he will tell you himself. Until then, I ask that you respect his wishes."
Lucy was regarding Meryl with narrowed eyes. She seemed to instinctly sense that there was something that Meryl was keeping back. Feeling her sister's eyes upon her, Meryl glanced up and gazed at Lucy. In the age-old way of siblings who had spent most of their lives with the other, Meryl managed to convey to Lucy that she would tell all to her siblings as soon as the house was empty. Lucy nodded once, and took up her former position of using Ryan as a back support.
Meryl sighed as she waited for the minor chaos her announcement had caused to die down. She wasn't looking forward to what was coming up next. She opened up the large leather bound book that was occupying her lap as soon as most of the voices quieted. That movement caught everyone's attention, and an eerie hush fell over the room. Every single person present knew what that book was, and they also knew that it wasn't a good thing if Meryl had brought it from it's location in Joseph Stryfe's room. Apparently, the house budget hadn't been the only area that Joseph had cut back on. Meryl wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but at least she wouldn't have to spend an inordinate amount of time explaining the situation.
As she glanced from face to face, the reality of the fact that what she was about to say would affect not only the people in the room, but everyone who depended on the Geo Plant for their lively hood, came crashing down on her shoulders. She wanted to fold into herself from the weight, to hide away from the responsibility that her father had placed in her hands. Sure, she had been responsible for Milly ever since they had first been paired up at Bernadelli, her being the senior partner and all, but there was a world of difference between a single partner and an entire community. As she began to panic slightly, her eyes landed on Vash, having been drawn there by the sheer fact that his coat was the brightest object in the room. Her gaze met his, and she felt the frantic fluttering in her stomach ease up. Vash's gaze was steady, his eyes concerned, and yet, at the same time, they were also supportive. It was almost like he was reaching out a steadying hand to help her safely navigate the edge between doing what she had to do, and outright panic. She took comfort from his unvoiced support, and as she continued her tour of the faces in the room, she saw the exact same expression mirrored on Milly and Wolfwood's faces. Drawing on their offered support, and taking comfort in the confident look Lucy was sending her, she took a deep breath and related everything her father had told her about the loan, and what it meant if they didn't raise enough money to successfully pay it off with interest.
Thankfully, everyone waited patiently until she was finished to voice their shocked comments and questions. Several members complained that it had been unfair of Joseph Stryfe to pull such a move without consulting them; complaints that Meryl agreed with whole-heartedly. As the initial panicked furor died down, Meryl cleared her throat and began to speak again.
"I not only called you all together in order to tell you about the loan, but to also ask for your help," she said, waiting until all eyes were once again on her. "I've been away from the workings and business area of the Geo Plant for many years now, and I'm not as up to date on what areas our current funds need to go to, while tightening down on some of our current budgets in order to obtain the money needed to pay off the loan. I need for all of you to get together with the other department heads and the other personnel, and brainstorm up ways to save and make extra double dollars. This has to be a group effort, because every single department will be affected no matter what the outcome is."
The group sat in silence after Meryl finished, and then, one by one, each of the meeting participants stood up and agreed with her statement. A few even mentioned that they already had some ideas brewing, but they wanted to run them by their fellow coworkers before bringing them to Meryl's attention. The crowd slowly began to dwindle down until the only ones who remained were Meryl's immediate family along with Vash, Milly and Wolfwood. Vash wondered if he and the others should leave in order to let Meryl have some private time with her sister and brothers, but Milly seemed set on staying, and as long as Meryl didn't ask them to leave, then he figured it was all right if they stayed.
"I know there's more," Lucy said quietly once the last person had left the room. "What are you not saying, Oneechan?"
"It has to do with this illness of Dad's, doesn't it?" Ron asked flatly.
Meryl sighed, letting her shoulders droop for the first time since the meeting had started as the weight of what her father had unfairly asked of her came to rest there once again. Lucy got to her feet and moved to Meryl's side. Leaning down, she wrapped the smaller of the Stryfe sisters in a gentle hug, letting her sister know without words that she was lending her some much needed physical support.
"Yes, it does," Meryl said quietly, "But I think it's something that Dad should tell you himself."
"What, now?" Ron asked, looking startled.
"Now is as good a time as any," Meryl replied, and started towards the Stryfe patriarch's room. She glanced behind her and stopped when she saw that Ryan was hanging back a little. "You should come, Ryan. You're family, too." And Lucy will need you, she thought to herself.
The large man gave her an uncertain look, then glanced at his wife. Lucy gave him a reassuring smile and held out her hand. Ryan relaxed and took it, following after the family as they vanished through the door and into the hallway.
Milly, Wolfwood and Vash exchanged glances, and Wolfwood shrugged.
"Whatever's going on there is for family only," he said, prompting Vash to roll his eyes.
"You say that like we're in the habit of barging in on sensitive family discussions on a regular basis," the gunman groused, shifting his injured arm a bit in its sling.
Wolfwood gave Vash a dirty look and was about to reply when Milly neatly stepped in and said cheerfully, "We can take this opportunity to get our luggage unpacked and get settled in our rooms."
Vash and Wolfwood glared at each other before turning away and stalking off in the direction of the stairs. Milly followed after them and informed that they weren't allowed to fight while unpacking, because it might disturb the conversation going on below their rooms.
"But he always starts it!" Vash and Wolfwood said in unison, then glared at each other some more.
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The sound of a sharp knife deftly cutting through vegetables was like a balm to Meryl's frayed nerves. Thirty minutes had passed since she had left her siblings in her father's room, and it had only taken a few minutes for her to be in the kitchen and preparing tomorrow night's dinner. For some reason cooking had always been able to soothe her whenever things seemed to be spiraling out of the control. She figured it was because she had a set course of rules to follow, and when they were followed to the letter, the results were always good.
She sighed, and scooped the neatly sliced vegetables into the simmering pot on her right. Joseph Stryfe had been less than pleased with his eldest daughter when she had brought her siblings into his room and informed him that he was to tell them the truth, as well. The man had given her a glare that could have given Vash's "dangerous gunman" look a run for its money in terms of sending chills down a person's spine, but Meryl had held firm and Joseph had eventually given in. She knew he knew she was right, and with a slight nod in his direction, she had exited his room while quietly closing the door behind her.
Shaking her head slightly, Meryl gave the simmering stew one last stir with her spoon, and was in the process of placing the pot's lid in place to allow the stew to cook overnight when a pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. She gave a muffled shriek as the lid dropped out of her hands and landed in its place on the pot with a clang. She relaxed almost instantly when she recognized the presence of her sister behind her.
"Damnit, Lucy," she began to scold, only to stop when she felt her sister tighten her hold around her waist.
"Thank you," Lucy said softly, her voice sounding like it was on the edge of tears.
"It was only right that he told you and our brothers the truth, too," Meryl replied, feeling her own eyes start to sting with unshed tears.
"That's not what I'm thanking you for," Lucy said, and pulled back to turn the elder Stryfe sister around to face her. "I'm thanking you for not trying to shoulder everything alone."
"What are you talking about?" Meryl asked, confused.
"Meryl-Oneechan, every time something bad happened, or some problem came up, you would never allowed me, or Ron-niichan or Randy-niisan to help you with them. In fact, you would never tell us that there had been a problem until long after the problem was solved. I know," Lucy said quickly when she saw Meryl open her mouth, "You did it because you were trying to protect us from the worries of running the Plant."
"There was never any reason to get all of you involved in the problems," Meryl said softly. "You were so busy raising the twins that once they were at the age to be at least semi-self sufficient that you let you childhood slip away from you. It was the only way I could give you at least some of your childhood back."
"You were a child yourself," Lucy refuted. "It was unfair to me, and to the twins once they were older, to not trust that we would be able to handle whatever problem you needed help with. But now , now, we know we have your trust. We know that you believe we can help take care of whatever is thrown our way. And you won't be running yourself into the ground trying to solve the world's problems the way you used to, causing the twins and me to worry for your health."
Meryl was quiet as she absorbed her sister's words. After their mother had died, and their father had thrown himself into the running of the Geo Plant in his grief, she had been determined to take care of and protect her younger siblings at all costs. Lucy had easily taken on the care of the twins, telling her elder sister that it was a little like playing dolls, only these dolls were quite loud whenever they wanted something. Meryl had assumed all the other vital roles their mother had filled, feeling guilty that she couldn't do it all and spare Lucy the pain of having to grow up before her time, but that aspect of their youth had been unavoidable. She had never known, though, that Lucy and the twins had ever been aware that Joseph had taken to confiding in his eldest daughter whenever there were problems, and had come to rely on her steadfastness.
"I never knew," she said softly, giving voice to her swirling thoughts.
"I know," Lucy replied, smiling slightly. "But now you know you can rely on others, and that not all things are done best if done by yourself. I have Milly and Bernadelli to thank for that change." And perhaps I should thank a certain gunman as well, Lucy thought with a smile as she pulled her elder sister into a hug, needing the comfort as her tears were no longer a threat but a reality.
Meryl returned her sister's hug, her own tears falling freely as the stress and knowledge that their father was, indeed, dying caught up with her once again. But this time, she wasn't going to be handling the rather monstrous problems alone. No, this time she had her siblings, the entire Geo Plant, Milly, Wolfwood, and last but not least, Vash to help her get through and find a solution, and that thought comforted her as much as a single visit to Val usually did. She was surrounded by friends and family, and she wasn't alone.
Caught up in their shared grief, neither sister saw the lanky shadow detach itself from its place near the doorway to the kitchen. Vash wiped a stray tear from his eye as he made his way back to the room he was sharing with Wolfwood, glad that he had heeded the voice that had cautioned him from entering the kitchen when he had heard voices coming from it. He hated to think that he might have barreled in on a private conversation between Meryl and her sister. Though, to be honest, eavesdropping hadn't been all that much better than simply walking in while they were grieving.
Wolfwood glanced up from unpacking his bag as the gunman entered the room, and the priest's eyes instantly noticed the tears in the blonde's eyes.
"Damnit, Tongari, don't tell me you're STILL crying over that story about the Dogwood tree! You're worse than a woman sometimes!"
Reluctant to tell the black clad priest what he had just over heard, Vash took refuge in a sarcastic white lie. "No thanks to you, I happened to walk into the kitchen while Meryl was chopping up onions for the stewpot, so now I get to sniffle for the rest of the night!"
Wolfwood rolled his eyes as if to say, yeah, whatever, before he asked, "Have you been able to come up with any money making ideas?"
"No," Vash answered. "I can't really think of anything short of selling some of the healthy trees, and I highly doubt that Meryl will allow for that to happen."
"No kidding. I suppose I could always offer to turn you in," Wolfwood said, grinning as Vash yelled, "That's not funny!"
"I was kidding!" Wolfwood said, then pulled a deck of cards out of his luggage with a wicked grin on his face, "Think we could talk the Big Girl into a game of strip poker?"
"Did you ever tell me what kind of priest you are?" Vash asked with wide eyes as Wolfwood walked through the door of their room and headed for the one Milly was sharing with Meryl.
"One who believes in granting all types of Mercy," Wolfwood replied as he knocked on the closed door. "And relieving boredom until the small girl comes up would definitely be merciful."
Vash rolled his eyes as he began to hunt through his clothing in order to pile on as much of it as he could. If Milly was half as good at poker as she was at chess, then he figured that since it was Wolfwood's idea, then Wolfwood should have to pay the consequences. Vash grinned at that thought as he struggled to get some extra shirts on over his jacket without jarring his arm. Watching Milly take Wolfwood for everything he had in a game of poker was definitely worth the discomfort of wearing another ten layers over his usual clothing. He couldn't wait for the game to begin.
To be continued . . . sometime . . .
Terms:
Tongari - Needle-noggin'
Oneechan - Big sister
Hai - Yes.
Bokushi-san - Mr. Priest
-san - An honorific title like Mr. and Miss I just think it sounds better sometimes.
Niichan/Niisan - Big brother. The reason for the difference is because Randy is slightly older than Ron (which he likes to remind Ron at times) and this is to differentiate between the two.
Senpai - Most people are familar with this term in it's usual school use, where it translates into Upper Classman. In Milly and Meryl's case, her use of "senpai" shows us that Meryl is actually the senior partner of the M & M duo. If I left anything out in the terms, well, lemme know.
Notes: GAAAAAAAAAH! It took me over a year to do this chapter, and I STILL think it sucks. Bleh, and I can't do any emoticons, either. Bleh yet again. Sorry it took so long, and a HUGE thanks to everyone who's reviewed. The only thing I can say is . . . Life is evil, and it just got worse and much busier for me. Especially since I'm going to be starting graduate school in the fall, and I'm looking for a new job. Again. I fully intend to continue this story (despite this chapter being harder to pull out than my wisdom teeth were) because, damnit, I know where I'm going with it and I know what I want to write. It's just finding the time to do so. Er, I"ll shut up now. Hope ya'll enjoyed, and again, I'm sorry it's so crappy. I will now make a grumpy face and poof off.