"Ahem."

Vash looked up innocently into those stormy gray eyes. "Um...good morning?"

"Get off."

He laughed nervously, sat up, and looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"They already got out. I've been trying to shove you off for the last two minutes..." Meryl calmly gathered her luggage and strolled out the bus.

"Hmm. She didn't hit me once...that can only mean one thing..." His face turned crazy. "EVIL IS AFOOT!" Vash leapt from the bus with his bag in tow and struck a superhero pose. "Fear not May City, your hero has arrived!" The vein in Meryl's forehead throbbed, but everyone else ignored him.

Milly stood beside Wolfwood with her hands in her pockets, watching as three men struggled to toss him his cross from the roof of the bus. "You really carry that with you all the time?"

"Yep." He caught it with a smirk. "It's part of my profession."

She cocked an eyebrow. "So you're leaving?"

"Duty calls." He donned his shades. "Thanks for everything though. Maybe we'll meet again if a good wind blows. Go with God's protection my friends!"

The three waved as the strange man left as abruptly as he had entered. Meryl lowered her arm. "What a weird guy." Vash and Milly nodded.

"Sempai, can we go find a Bernardelli branch office now?"

"That's true. We need money for food and a place to sleep."

"And more ammo...do they cover that?"

"They should..." She turned to Vash. "Well Mr.Stampede, we're going take care of some things. Please stay out of trouble!"

"What makes you think I'll even stay in this city? Hmm?"

Meryl just glared at him. "Come on Milly."

Milly sat Indian style on the hotel room floor, dressed in her pj's, surrounded by guns and cases of ammo. "You think that thing was really a cross?" She reloaded another one of the Derringer's and placed it on the left pile.

Meryl typed reports with one hand and drank coffee with the other. "It sounded like metal. Aren't church crosses always wooden?"

"I haven't gone to church since I was a little girl. Seems like wood would be a lot easier to tote around though."

"Why would anyone tote it in the first place? All you need is a Bible."

Milly looked down the barrel of her unloaded revolver. "Ugh, these things need cleaning." She got up to get a rag.

"So tell me, Milly..."

The sudden change in tone made her look back at Meryl.

She spoke in between sips of coffee. "What was up with that bus ride? I came back and you were all over him."

She blushed, leaning over the sink to wipe down the Magnum. "Don't be stupid."

"Don't tell me you actually let that man get under your skin. A smooth talker like that probably has a girl in every town..."

Milly laughed and spoke sarcastically. "But he's a priest! He could never do such a thing!"

"Yeah, a clergyman that smells like guns, booze, and cigarettes."

Milly smiled. "He didn't smell like booze...besides, it's called the Blood of Christ in religious talk."

Meryl sighed. "I don't know. Who knows what that man's real story is, but I wouldn't put too much trust in him."

She turned off the bathroom light. "Yeah yeah. Advice noted, mother. You know I wasn't the only one in a questionable situation last night."

"Excuse me?"

Milly grabbed a pillow and laid on it teasingly. "Vashie-kun!"

Meryl immediately leapt from the chair and tackled her. Milly burst out laughing, and swatted her away with the pillow. It escalated into a pillow slugfest. Times like this, only showed how right Milly really was about the emotions in question.

Meryl grabbed him by the coat, pulling him down to her level. "ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID?"

"NO!...I mean...I was kind of talked into it! And it's for a good cause!"

"VASH, YOU ENTER THAT CONTEST AND THUGS WILL COME FROM FAR AND WIDE JUST TO TAKE A SHOT AT YOU! DO YOU REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS TOWN DESTROYED?"

"OF COURSE I DON'T! JEEZ, WHY DON'T YOU GO YELL AT WOLFWOOD!"

Milly looked up from eating her ice cream. "The priest is here?"

"He's the one that signed me up!"

Meryl sighed, letting him go. "I'm going back to the room...obviously you are an idiot and this is out of my control."

"This isn't the way to our room..."

"I know, Milly."

"I see..."

They came to a halt outside a door where Vash and Wolfwood could be clearly heard talking about the contest from inside. Meryl pressed her ear to the door while Milly just stood with her arms crossed looking up and down the hall. Meryl motioned for her to move in. Milly made a disapproving face, but did anyway.

As soon as her ear touched the door, the priest's voice rang out. "COME ON IN GIRLS! YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND OUT THERE LIKE THAT!"

They both jumped back in embarrassment. Milly was shocked. If he had been an enemy...he could have killed them. How did he know? Meryl opened the door with her head hung, while Milly tried to erase the shock from her face. Vash looked surprised as well.

Meryl did a small bow. "Mr.Vash, Mr.Wolfwood...we apologize for eavesdropping but..."

Wolfwood almost felt guilty. That little trick had completely unnerved the big girl. He grinned sweetly. "Yeh, yeh...Now who wants a drink?"

They were drinking at a small round table by the window. Meryl sat quietly next to Vash while Milly sat beside Wolfwood.

She watched while Wolfwood poured her a drink. "How did you hear us?"

"I didn't." He handed it to her then poured another for himself. "That floorboard by the door bends in a little when someone's standing outside. I noticed it earlier as people walked by." He smiled at her. "I just figured it was you two."

Vash looked at the silent Meryl. "Come on little insurance lady, don't you want a drink too?"

She scoffed at his already slurring voice. "It's barely dark and you're already toasted..."

"Come on Meryl! Live a little!" Vash motioned to Milly. "Take an example from her, she's downing them like a pro."

Wolfwood smirked. "Big girl knows how to party." Milly smiled innocently, unsure if that was anything to be proud about.

HOURS LATER

Milly sat the glass on the table and leaned back. She barely knew her own name. She hadn't been like this in a long, long time. This priest was a bad influence. An influence she kind of liked. Reason and inhibitions had gone out the window. She'd already thrown her coat on the floor and now her shirt suddenly felt like a tight annoyance as well, clinging at her chest and holding back her breathing. She was hot too, and felt like announcing it. "Ugh...I'm hot."

Meryl observed her situation. It was 3:00am. Vash was slurring, hanging all over her...talking about some donut farm he wanted to take her to, Milly was completely wasted and fixing to strip, and the somehow unaffected priest was just egging them both on.

Milly leaned against Wolfwood to steady herself while she unbuttoned her shirt. Meryl instantly spazzed. "MILLY DON'T DO THAT HERE!" The drunken needle noggin hit the floor when his support stood up.

"But I'm hot..."

Wolfwood seemed to agree, laughing as he put an arm around her. "You go big girl!"

She undid the last button and rested against his chest with her shirt wide open and baby blue bra exposed for all to see. "...relax sempai...it's the same as being in a bathing suit..."

Nick grinned with a mocking tone. "Yeah, Sempai...it ain't like she's gone skinny dipping quite yet." He paused, giving the curvy brunette an obligatory once over before smiling even broader. "But maybe with some persuading..."

The drunk insurance girl giggled loudly in response, and soon the priest was laughing along with her.

Meryl's glare was beyond frightening. "I can't believe you're trying to take advantage of her! Just what kind of priest are you?" She was about to go over there and pry the two apart when she suddenly felt a hand on her own body. Her leg to be precise. Vash...was trying to look up her skirt. Her skirt. Perverts everywhere! "GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!" The table flipped over and the remaining booze spilled across the room while Meryl viciously attacked him.

Wolfwood looked on in amusement as Milly remained untouched, comfortably snuggled against his chest.