Er…interesting reviews. Aha. Trust me, these poor guys are going to have much more trouble than that. Gallows being an idiot, Jet being completely difficult…Clive desperately trying to keep things under control…yeah, we'll see. Anyway, let's just read.

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The Gorg's Curse

"Let us use what we know," said Clive, once Cheville had decided to leave them to sort their 'problem' out. "Yesterday, our leader was bitten and infected by a Gorg. To make matters worse, we must overcome this…obstacle, or Virginia will die in a matter of one or two days."

"Obstacle?" growled Gallows. "This is Ginny we're talking about, Clive. I don't wanna have anything to do with this!"

"For once, I agree with him," said Jet. "Besides, what do you mean 'we'? You're the smart guy, aren't you? Figure this out yourself."

"Unfortunately," said the sniper patiently, "our options are already limited. Devising an alternative plan would further jeopardize Virginia and misuse our time."

For the next few moments, the only sounds in the room were the steady drumming of Gallows fingertips on the table and the ticking of the clock overhead. No one spoke, or moved for at least a minute before Gallows shifted his weight and rested his forehead on his palm.

"You mean…" he said haltingly. "Someone really has to…you know…"

Clive did not say anything, but nodded. When another silence ensued, and Clive continued to stare at him with an expectant look, the Baskar began to realize something else.

"Wait-" he almost choked, slapping the palms of his hands on the table. "One…one of us!?"

It was now that Jet felt a cold shiver run up his spine. He didn't know why he'd just assumed that someone else would volunteer and do it, but now the truth was finally setting in. Knowing Virginia, would she even consider anyone outside of the people she knew best? Especially if she knew she had to do it, who would she want to do it?

Not him. Jet pushed the thought away with such force that it startled him. Not for all the gella in the world, he decided bitterly. She was just too…well, unattractive.

Which, of course, was the complete opposite of how he really felt.

"I believe it's safe to say that I am not suited for the task," said Clive with a slight tinge of restriction in his voice. "Assuming we will not be telling Virginia about the curse, I would imagine she would not approve even if I were…eligible."

"Obviously," Gallows muttered. He sighed and looked crossly at the silver-haired Drifter. "I think Jet should do it. He's the closest one to her, isn't he?"

"Gimme a break!" snapped Jet, uncrossing his arms. "Virginia and I aren't like that at all!" He paused for a moment, before leaning against the wall again and closing his eyes. "Why don't we just rent her out? It'll solve our problem, not to mention reel in some decent cash."

"That's your plan?" said Gallows. "What are we gonna do, drug her and string her up by the feet? Paint a sign that says 'Cheap Sex Toy For Sale'?"

It was clear that the Baskar was becoming more than 'ticked off' by Jet's arrogant behavior. This is why Clive chose that moment to intervene, leading their train of thought towards another subject.

"Virginia cannot know that she is under the Gorg's curse," he pointed out solemnly. "She may believe that her life is not worth 'forcing' someone to 'expose' themselves in order to cure her."

Gallows felt slight guilty when he knew that Clive was right. "It's uh…not like that," he said, as if every word he spoke was a hot coal coming from his mouth. "It's, you know…Virginia. Of course I'd do pretty much anything to save her life, you know? But she's not like that…she's like a little sister to me. It would feel really, really wrong."

Clive nodded in understanding. Always prepared to hear both sides of a debate, he then looked towards Jet.

Jet scowled deeply. "I'm not doing it."

"Not doing what?"

All three of them jumped noticeably at the sound of their 'fearless leader's voice. When they each directed their attention towards the source, they observed a very wide-awake and happily smiling Virginia standing in the doorway to the adjoining room.

"Oh," she said, dropping her smile a little. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all," said Clive, forcing a casual smile. "We were only deciding who will look after the horses overnight. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she said, stifling a yawn. She also noticed that both Jet and Gallows were staring at her oddly. She planted her fists on her hips and frowned at them. "Cut that out, you two! I'm not going to fall apart any second!"

"Uh…" Gallows scratched his head, averting his gaze. "Yeah, sorry…"

"What about it?" said Jet, breaking the uncoordinated mood. He stared at Clive firmly. "Who's looking after the horses tonight?"

At first, Gallows didn't catch on. He had just begun to form a question on his tongue when he happened to spot Clive's reproachful expression from the corner of his eyes. Instantly, the Baskar's instincts kicked in.

"WHAT?" he practically bellowed. "You're letting him decide!?"

Jet rolled his eyes and, ignoring the surprised look on Virginia's face, stood up. "Why not? You said you would do it, right? Either way, I don't care."

"I am not deciding anything," said Clive, trying desperately to back out of their argument. "However, if you cannot come to an agreement soon, I will look after them myself. That way, the both of you can resolve your problem without my interfering."

Virginia was looking on quietly, every once in a while feeling ready to leap at them with a comment of her own. However, their weird debate ended abruptly, which left her behind in the turbulence of their words. Blinking, she took a few steps forward and spoke haltingly.

"Um…" She stopped, and sighed. "If no one wants to watch the horses, why don't we flip a coin? That way no one will have an excuse to stay behind."

There was a moment of dead silence. Eventually, Clive was the first to come to his senses. "Perhaps we shouldn't be resolving our problems based on luck," he said, trying his best to hide the double meaning of his reason with a wearied tone. "It seems rather childish to be bickering over something so small."

"Don't be silly," she said while rummaging through one of her pockets. "See, I have a coin right here. Whoever loses the coin-toss stays here, and the winner looks after the horses."

"Sounds fair to me," said Jet. He wore a carefully crafter mask of indifference.

Gallows looked ready to faint. "I, uh…I guess…"

"Ready?" said Virginia, smiling. Apparently, her thoughts weren't even remotely related to the ones in the minds of her contestants. "Okay, Gallows, you call it in the air!"

Placing the gella coin on her thumb, she held out her arm and flipped the small disc into the air.

"Tch-" Gallows clenched his teeth. His eyes followed the rotating form of the nefarious instrument of currency as it sailed towards the ceiling. He managed to free his throat long enough to squeak his decision. "…tails?"

Four pairs of eyes traveled skywards, and then fell as the coin came to a suddenly stop in the palm of Virginia's hand. Jet rolled his eyes. Clive adjusted his glasses. Gallows held his breath.

Everyone leaned forward to read the results on the face of the coin.

It was heads.

Gallows breath exploded from his lungs, rending his throat raw in the process. Jet was smirking, probably the closest to laughing out loud as he had even been before. With a side-glance at Virginia, the silver-haired Drifter strode towards the door and paused long enough to give the Baskar his regards.

"Have fun," he said casually. "See ya."

With that, he disappeared into the twilight outside.

Which left Gallows, more frozen than anything he'd ever introduced to his freezer doll. The look of shock and dread was plastered on his face, unmoving. He wasn't even breathing, or thinking, or listening. He could only stare at the coin in the palm of Virginia's unfolded hand.

Her expression had changed from serious, to worried. She quickly put the coin away and looked between her two remaining teammates. "Is there…something else going on?"

Clive considered her question for a moment, unsure of how he should handle her suspicion. "It is rather unusual that Jet would respond in that manner," he admitted. "But perhaps we all need rest. After all, you still need to recover from your wounds."

"I suppose," she said, caution edging her voice. "Are you going back? To your house, I mean?"

Once again, Clive nervously pushed his glasses up on his noise and glanced at Gallows. "Of course," he said, masterfully disguising his embarrassment. "There is only one bedroom and two beds here. Cheville has already agreed to sleep in the spare bed in Kaitlyn's room."

Virginia's face lit up with guilty awareness. "Oh no!" she said quickly. "I don't want to be a burden on her! Why don't I sleep in Kaitlyn's spare bed and Cheville can stay here?"

Gallows recuperated from his state of astonishment somewhat. "Uh, no!" he said, probably a bit too quickly to compliment his acting skills. "I mean, uh…someone should look after you…you know…in case you get sick, or something…"

Virginia thought about this for a moment. "Oh…" Suddenly, she grinned. "That's so sweet of you, Gallows!"

"Yeah…" The Baskar dropped his eyes and cleared his throat. "No problem."

No one said anything for a full minute.

"I suppose I should leave now," said Clive at last, pushing his chair back. "I promised Catherine I would return before Kaitlyn goes to bed."

Gallows made an abrupt movement, as if he was prepared to leap right out of his seat. His intentions were subdued, however, by a rock hard glare from the sniper. The Baskar relaxed slightly in the manner of an animal caught in a trap.

"Goodnight, Clive," said Virginia. She broke out in a heavy yawn, sitting down at the table as she did so. "Oh, and would you thank Cheville for me? She's been a big help…"

"I will, Virginia. Sleep well," said Clive. He rose from his seat and took a few strides towards the door. He then froze and turned to Gallows. "Gallows, could I speak to you for a minute? Outside?"

"Uh…" The Baskar scratched the back of his head. "Sure. Coming." Leaving his seat, he crossed the room after the sniper and followed him onto the porch outside the house.

The sun was setting in the distance, leaving the town aglow with a soft, orange hue. There was no one in the square -- it had been deserted for safety purposes, as monster began showing up just around the failing of light.

"Something imperative has come to my attention," explained Clive when they were safely out earshot of their 'fearless leader'. "I'm sure you already know what I am going to say…"

"Uh, yeah?" Gallows was grimacing. "Clive, it's Virginia! How can I…well…argh!"

"I understand," said the sniper. "Please keep your voice down. I also had to say…should this work out, it is important--"

"--to be gentle? Take it slow? Don't hurt her?" Gallows wore a worn down expression, and his posture matched. "Yeah, I got it."

"You must remember that she is…vulnerable," Clive pointed out. "She may be our fearless leader, but she is still a young woman."

"Thanks. I noticed," the Baskar grumbled. "Man, I just can't do this…"

"Yes you can," said Clive. "I agree it should have been Jet to begin with, but it's wrong to force someone in love to do things they are not prepared to do."

"Oh, so it's fine to force someone who's not?" said Gallows, placing one of his large hands over his eyes. "Look, I told you, all right? 'Course I love Ginny, just…not…like that."

"That feeling must be strong enough to protect her, then," came the sniper's stern reply. "I'm sure I'm not the only one that wishes Virginia a full recovery."

"Yeah, I know, I know…" Gallows sighed. "If this really happens…I hope she forgives me…"

"She will understand," Clive assured him. "Should the worst occur, I will simply tell her that it was my idea."

"Pretty heroic," said the Baskar. "Considering it was."

Clive nodded. "Take care," he said before turning around and taking his leave.

Gallows watched him descend the steps. He looked away before the sniper reached the middle of the square, staring directly into the faintly glowing window of Cheville's house. From where he stood, he was able to see Virginia sitting on the edge of her -- he shuddered -- their bed, brushing out her wavy brown hair with a small brush.

He felt his stomach do a flip when his mind began to swim with all kinds of unwanted thoughts. Thoughts that normally would have put a goofy grin on his face and earned him a slug from his 'fearless leader'. But they did not affect him that way, not now, and he doubted they ever would.

Gathering what was left of his wits, he crossed the porch and entered the house.

What was he going to do?

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I know what you're thinking.  You're screaming, "THIS IS A JET AND VIRGINIA FIC, DAMMIT!!!" Well, you're right. It is.  On the other hand, I love to make things complicated. Therefore, you will read the rest of this fic, and enjoy it. Okay? Okay. I'm hungry. floats away

floats back By the way…don't assume anything's happened yet. You'll see how the events turn out next chapter. There are NO time lapses in this story unless I point them out! floats away again

Klox: Okay…replies, replies…rummages through the replies

Aughus: Are you going through Yachi's things?

Klox: Does it look like it? I'm replying. Okay, Black Waltz…sure, thanks. Uh, Teefa85…um…er….ahhh….

Aughus: Oh, if only robots could blush.

Klox: Shaddup. Keep your Burianne friend away from me, lady.

Aughus: Ah, here is one. JayJay-Sawada, is it? I see, you're choice of reasoning is very plausible. The characters mentioned in this story are by my mistress's terms, 'respectable' and any form of adult literature based on these events would simply be too--

Klox: Look! A cute librarian!

Aughus: Where? wanders off in search of true love

Klox: Bwahaha…idiot.

Yachi: Look! A data recollection sensor unit!

Klox: Where?