Ch. 4 Drinks for All! (Except Milly)

Vash flashed his trademark smirk and looked to the woman rather coolly. The dark circles beneath his eyes became visible as he removed the blood red sunglasses and tucked them into his coat. His arm gave another shake and seemed to shed the gun like it was shaking off splinters.

"What a past couple of days!" He cried out manically. "Why, suddenly, is no one fearing me? Is it because of the bounty being removed? I can fix that believe you me! And don't you suppose typing is an abnormal habit of someone who so willing to kill the largest threat to mankind?"

Dominique faltered and lowered her one visible eyebrow in frustration.

"What are you?"

"You're bringer of death!" Vash cried out while laughing insanely. "If what you mean is 'how did you know that', then please, ASK STRAIGHT OUT!" he yelled like a madman, quite pleased with himself for figuring out her favorite pastime.

"How did you know that?" she asked under her breath. Vash cackled and finally calmed down enough to reply.

"You have a crease on your sleeve halfway down your wrist where you rest your arm while typing. You have indents on the ends of your fingers from an old time typewriter! And black ink is still poorly clinging to your hands, ink used in printing novels, but doesn't dry to the paper instantly and you didn't allow those recent papers to dry before you picked them up! How obvious it was you used an Underwood conventional typewriter. Those are a frontstroke typebar machine with a four- bank qwerty keyboard and is a single shift, inked by a ribbon."

"You know a lot about typewriters, odd enough. But to let you know, I could have killed you three times during this conversation." She held up three slender fingers and three buttons popped from his dusty black coat. Vash laughed and looked at her with slyness playing over his gray eyes.

"And I you five times…" He laughed nervously and smiled to her truthfully, "Okay, so let's say four." Several buttons in turn popped from the Cyclopes' blouse, and she swiftly wrapped her white coat over her chest.

"Prepare to die…" she whispered and before the wind could even carry her voice to Vash she had disappeared from sight. Vash's eyes widened in horror as she appeared beside him with a gun pointed up from his chin. She smiled in satisfaction and squeezed the trigger.

"Please Mr. Priest, how can we repay you? It was very kind of you to save our lives!" Meryl said loudly to the black haired cleric.

"It was all the work of god," he started nobly "I can ask nothing from you…" He smiled innocently and pulled a mini church from his bag "except that you buy this portable confessional!" He smiled craftily and waited for a reply.

"Boy, that's neat. Did you make that yourself?" Milly asked childishly while prodding at the confessional. Wolfwood growled in annoyance and stood up straight.

"Do you want it or not?" he snapped. Meryl sighed.

"I suppose," she handed him two double dollars and set it behind her and said: "But I'd feel better if we could buy you a drink Mr. Priest-man. We owe you a lot." Milly cheered at Meryl's suggestion.

"Yay! I could use a good drink!"

Meryl rolled her eyes and leaned towards Nicholas.

"Be sure she doesn't get any. She becomes way too wild."

"Oh come on now! This is a celebration of our still being alive! Let her loosen up a bit."

"YAY!" Milly cheered loudly and instantly stormed into the nearest bar and started shouting for drinks. Meryl sighed again and Wolfwood laughed.

"Lively young girl, isn't she? She's starting to grow on me!" Nicholas chuckled as he entered the bar and Meryl pulled out her wallet with a sad look. She didn't think the priest would be interested in a drink, and it was just her luck to find the one church man willing to drink himself silly. She looked and the forty-eight double dollars left in her purse and could already imagine that money all gone.

"I have a bad feeling in the pit of my wallet." She cried silently as she entered the bar solemnly knowing they will now be broke. "Greeeeaaaat."

Sorry for the long time periods between posts. Homework has been controlling my life, and so have friends and needed sleep. Speaking of which, I've stayed up WAY too late writing this for you people, now I'm going to bed and you should be happy. BTW, write more reviews or don't expect too much from my part. wink wink