As I write this, I have no method of posting it, being off in no-internet land and all. I'll see about fixing that...
Disclaimer: Do not try and hack a connection, it's bad karma.
Rise of the Silver Stars
Chapter 7: Parting Ways
"Dear, you're making a scene."
"But I don't want you to go!"
How on Gunsmoke she had managed to get into this situation was beyond her. Well, not beyond, more like below... It had all started last evening.
¤ ¤ ¤
They had just gotten to LR when a familiar scent wafted over, making a stomach with arms and legs fall out of the back of the truck. Vash raced over to the doughnut stand, only to impact against the 'Sorry, we're closed' sign as it came down. After bouncing off the sign, he started to sniffle. It was at this point that Milly leaned over and grabbed the steering wheel, narrowly averting a collision with a Thomas train as an expletive floated down from the truck bed. Abruptly realizing that she had been driving, she slammed the brakes just in time to avoid ramming the front porch of the Rotten Luck Bar & Inn. Somehow, it seemed a fitting place for their motley crew. Droopy Vash seemed to agree, as he walked past their near-accident and into the bar, muttering about cruel fate and needing a drink. A pounding of the truck cab jolted her out of her frazzled state.
"You wenches! Pay attention to what you are doing!"
Oh, that was it. Somebody was going to get another hole in their body. Before she could pull out a Derringer, Milly was clutching her arm.
"Don't prove him right Meryl."
She sighed and parked the truck. When Milly was right, she was right. Much as she wanted to make Knives resemble swiss cheese, that wasn't the way to solve their problems. Besides, if that sand steamer further down was headed the right way, she'd probably be out of his sphere of annoyance by noon tomorrow. She hopped out of the truck and slammed the door, noting Knives' grimace as the vibration moved up his arm.
"I'm going to see about getting a ticket. Milly, get us a room. And as for you..." She put on a big smile and changed her voice to a sickly sweet tone. "Watch the truck Knivesy-poo."
His face ticked at that and a few onlookers snickered. "Score one for the insurance girl." As she walked off towards the steamer, her smile had taken on some genuine quality. It took on more when she heard Knives bellow 'Stop staring at me!' behind her.
¤ ¤ ¤
The ticket was in hand, departure was at 10 am sharp, and this time she was traveling first-class courtesy of an unknowing loan from Vash. However, that still left her with one little problem. When she had asked Milly to get them a room, Milly did just that- got them a room. As in one room. There was only one bed in the one room, and there were four of them. While she had started an argument with Vash over who was going to get the floor, she missed seeing Knives smoothly pick up the room key, enter their room, and then snap the lock- leaving the rest of them in the hall. The three of them were motionless as the act sunk in, then the next instant she and Vash were pounding on the door.
"Let us in you jerk!" "C'mon bro, open up!"
He responded to one of them. "Of course brother, but you'll have to leave your pets out there. I said before that I wouldn't permit them to be in the same room as myself while I slept, but you can certainly come in. I'll even let you have the bed."
She was about to order Milly to blow the door down with her stungun when Vash cut the whole thing short.
"Fine. I guess you can keep the bed, since if they can't come in I'm not coming in either."
She heard the key clatter on the floor. Evidently Knives hadn't expected that one, but he didn't let it get into his voice. "As you wish, brother."
That seemed to be the end of that. Vash turned to her, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish look. "Heh, guess we'll have to make do with the truck."
They started down the hall. Milly darted ahead of them. "I'll get everything ready!" Then she was gone down the stairs with a bit of a giggle. It was then that she asked the question that was nagging her.
"Why are we just walking away? He should be the one sleeping in the truck, not us! We're going back to reclaim our room, even if we have to break down the-"
Vash had grabbed her elbow as she turned around. He was looking at her without any of the moods he'd hide behind, something he only did for her and no one else. "Just leave him be. He doesn't know any better yet. Besides, its not like we've spent the night in worse places."
That was certainly true. Third-class steamer tickets placed you about one step below the first-class freight, and they had rarely been able to get above third-class- not to mention the Thomas stables, or the crawlspace, or the one time she had found Vash stuck in a trashcan for a nap, or the outhouse... Her nose wrinkled at the memory of that night. Their own truck was actually pretty good compared to quite a few of the places they'd taken in the past. She sighed in defeat and let Vash steer her out of the building and to the alley where they had parked the truck. Milly was already sleeping, sprawled across the driver and passenger seats, wrapped in enough blankets that the only way she could tell it was Milly was by the mass of hair sticking out one end. That meant they were stuck with the truck bed. Vash hopped up and pulled her up after him. The wind picked up a bit, sending enough cold to bite even through her cloak. Vash rummaged a bit, then gave a nervous laugh.
"What's wrong now?"
"Well... We seem to only have one blanket." He held it up- it was the best one they had, but it was still just one. "You can take it, I'll be fine." Vash tossed it to her, then huddled in amongst their bags. She wrapped herself up, then noticed Vash's leg shiver. If it hadn't been practically under her nose she would have missed it. This just wouldn't do at all. Hell, it was probably why Milly had just left them one blanket. Sometimes that girl was scary with her plans, they always seemed to work. She loosened the blanket, letting out a hiss as the cold air crept in.
"Get in."
Vash just looked at her and blinked.
"Yes, you."
That was all the prompting it took. He slid in under the blanket, and the cold that had crept onto his clothes started to spread. Now it was her turn to shiver, at least until there was enough heat generated between them to banish the cold to the outside. Ironic, really- you'd fry in the day, and freeze at night. Just another wonderful benefit of living on a desert planet. Vash yawned, stretched, and smoothly brought his arm back down under her shoulders. She smirked and rolled over so she was half on top of him, shifting slightly to avoid the spots that concealed the more grievous of his scars. He actually made a fairly good mattress. Then his other arm came up and began to creep down her side, so she have him a kick.
"None of that tonight."
He chuckled and brought the arm back up to the safe zone across her back, then directed his gaze up. She turned her head to follow his gaze, and saw the stars high above between the buildings. They laid like that for a minute.
"You know..." he started, "...I kind of wish this night would never end."
She didn't bother turning to look at him, instead continuing to peer at all the distant points of light. His body was really warm, forming a stark contrast to the air on her face, and his breath kept a steady series of frosty plumes going up towards the sky. She simply said, "I agree." Then she shifted again, placing her cheek against his chest, letting the beats of his heart lull her to sleep.
They dreamed of endless fields of grass and trees, and of running along to someplace, anyplace. The destination didn't matter, just that they were going there together. Thus it was that two souls found a fragment of paradise, tucked away in a cold dark alley behind the Rotten Luck Bar & Inn, in the middle of a world of endless desert while the stars shined down from above.
¤ ¤ ¤
However, all good things pass, and morning came. Vash pulled a technicality on Knives that got them back into their room ("You said they couldn't come in while you were asleep- you're not asleep now, are you?") and to the attached bathroom for a good morning self-cleaning. Breakfast came next, with three of them enjoying a good meal courtesy of the inn, and a sourpuss enjoying an emergency ration bar out in the truck. By then it was time for her to get to the steamer, so she gave Vash a goodbye hug- except he didn't quite get the concept of 'release'. Thus it was that she was going to the steamer, with a blubbering mass of flesh attached to her ankle. She dragged it foreward every other step, ignoring the looks the other townsfolk and steamer personnel were sending. However, upon reaching the ticketmaster, she had to deal with it.
"Good day ma'am. I take it you only have one ticket?"
"Gee, however did you guess?" The sarcasm was dripping faster that the tears on the flesh-mass' face.
"I could get a crowbar..." The man gave her a wry grin. She returned it.
"That sounds fairly good. Get two, I'll pry, you hit."
The flesh-mass spoke up, or whined up as the case may be. "I can't believe you'd be so cruel!"
"Sorry, rules are rules. I can't bring you along. Besides, don't you have someplace to be going as well? And I don't think you want to be acting like this around your brother."
"Huh?" He jumped up and looked around. Sure enough, Milly and Knives were coming to send her off. They passed through the crowds easily, since Knives was shooting icy stares at anyone who invaded his personal space. And since this was Knives, 'personal space' meant pretty much everywhere. He had it up to a good five yarn radius by the time the two of them arrived. Vash and Milly held up for a few seconds, then they both broke down. Knives just looked up, as if by ignoring the scene made it cease being real. In another second, Meryl found herself sandwiched between the two weepy companions.
"For the love of... Will you two show some backbone?!"
Milly bucked up and did as commanded. Vash claimed to be an invertebrate, so she yanked her arm free.
"Milly, I'm counting on you to keep these two out of trouble until I get back. Don't let them give you the slip, and don't forget to send in the reports as usual. This is your first solo assignment, so do your best and make me proud!"
Milly nodded and smiled, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "You can count on me Meryl! I won't let you down!"
"And as for you..."
Vash looked up. He was giving her the eyes again.
"If I hear you've been giving Milly any problems, there won't be a place on the planet safe for you." Then she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I'll miss you too."
¤ ¤ ¤
She kept waving as the town slipped over the horizon. She had half expected them to try some foolish stunt to stowaway on the steamer, which was part of why she had stayed up on deck until now. The main reason was just that she wanted to. Milly and Vash had been flapping their arms hard enough that she was almost positive she'd seen them lift off the ground. If there was ever a synchronized waving contest, those two would win for sure. Knives had actually waved goodbye too, though the creepy smile added a 'and don't come back' to the unspoken goodbye. He seemed utterly hopeless, but then again, so did Vash. The reasons were completely different. It was hard to picture them as brothers. However, they weren't her concern for now. She retired to her cabin as the midday suns began to beat down.
She popped open her luggage and got out the various papers and other items of her trade. There was going to be trouble when she got back to the main office, and being unprepared would just make things worse. She slid a fresh sheet into the typewriter and began to peck away at the keys. Midway through the pile, a noise made her jump, but it was only a lizard that had fallen out of the duct. She was about to pitch it out to the folks outside and say it was a mobile snack, when she stopped. She considered it for a moment, then set it down next to the typewriter.
"You just stay there. I'll let you off when we reach December. You should consider yourself lucky, I'd have tossed you out without another thought just a few months ago."
She shook her head. "Guess I'm just getting soft." The lizard actually did stay put, and when they reached December three days later she bid farewell to her odd little roommate. The city beckoned before her, and she set out.
...to face your destiny! (/Vader) Sorry, sorry, I had to make the pun. Anyway, there's another fluffy chapter for you. Next time, it's Meryl Vs. The Uncaring Bureaucracy. Let's hope she doesn't hurt them too badly.
Reviewer Responses
Can't get to any dang reviews due to aforementioned lack of internet. I'll pick it up next chapter. Oh well, double the chapters, double the update, double the goodness! ¤prepares an inflatable Vash to serve as a distraction/escape facilitator should glomping occur¤
Disclaimer: Do not try and hack a connection, it's bad karma.
Chapter 7: Parting Ways
"Dear, you're making a scene."
"But I don't want you to go!"
How on Gunsmoke she had managed to get into this situation was beyond her. Well, not beyond, more like below... It had all started last evening.
They had just gotten to LR when a familiar scent wafted over, making a stomach with arms and legs fall out of the back of the truck. Vash raced over to the doughnut stand, only to impact against the 'Sorry, we're closed' sign as it came down. After bouncing off the sign, he started to sniffle. It was at this point that Milly leaned over and grabbed the steering wheel, narrowly averting a collision with a Thomas train as an expletive floated down from the truck bed. Abruptly realizing that she had been driving, she slammed the brakes just in time to avoid ramming the front porch of the Rotten Luck Bar & Inn. Somehow, it seemed a fitting place for their motley crew. Droopy Vash seemed to agree, as he walked past their near-accident and into the bar, muttering about cruel fate and needing a drink. A pounding of the truck cab jolted her out of her frazzled state.
"You wenches! Pay attention to what you are doing!"
Oh, that was it. Somebody was going to get another hole in their body. Before she could pull out a Derringer, Milly was clutching her arm.
"Don't prove him right Meryl."
She sighed and parked the truck. When Milly was right, she was right. Much as she wanted to make Knives resemble swiss cheese, that wasn't the way to solve their problems. Besides, if that sand steamer further down was headed the right way, she'd probably be out of his sphere of annoyance by noon tomorrow. She hopped out of the truck and slammed the door, noting Knives' grimace as the vibration moved up his arm.
"I'm going to see about getting a ticket. Milly, get us a room. And as for you..." She put on a big smile and changed her voice to a sickly sweet tone. "Watch the truck Knivesy-poo."
His face ticked at that and a few onlookers snickered. "Score one for the insurance girl." As she walked off towards the steamer, her smile had taken on some genuine quality. It took on more when she heard Knives bellow 'Stop staring at me!' behind her.
The ticket was in hand, departure was at 10 am sharp, and this time she was traveling first-class courtesy of an unknowing loan from Vash. However, that still left her with one little problem. When she had asked Milly to get them a room, Milly did just that- got them a room. As in one room. There was only one bed in the one room, and there were four of them. While she had started an argument with Vash over who was going to get the floor, she missed seeing Knives smoothly pick up the room key, enter their room, and then snap the lock- leaving the rest of them in the hall. The three of them were motionless as the act sunk in, then the next instant she and Vash were pounding on the door.
"Let us in you jerk!" "C'mon bro, open up!"
He responded to one of them. "Of course brother, but you'll have to leave your pets out there. I said before that I wouldn't permit them to be in the same room as myself while I slept, but you can certainly come in. I'll even let you have the bed."
She was about to order Milly to blow the door down with her stungun when Vash cut the whole thing short.
"Fine. I guess you can keep the bed, since if they can't come in I'm not coming in either."
She heard the key clatter on the floor. Evidently Knives hadn't expected that one, but he didn't let it get into his voice. "As you wish, brother."
That seemed to be the end of that. Vash turned to her, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish look. "Heh, guess we'll have to make do with the truck."
They started down the hall. Milly darted ahead of them. "I'll get everything ready!" Then she was gone down the stairs with a bit of a giggle. It was then that she asked the question that was nagging her.
"Why are we just walking away? He should be the one sleeping in the truck, not us! We're going back to reclaim our room, even if we have to break down the-"
Vash had grabbed her elbow as she turned around. He was looking at her without any of the moods he'd hide behind, something he only did for her and no one else. "Just leave him be. He doesn't know any better yet. Besides, its not like we've spent the night in worse places."
That was certainly true. Third-class steamer tickets placed you about one step below the first-class freight, and they had rarely been able to get above third-class- not to mention the Thomas stables, or the crawlspace, or the one time she had found Vash stuck in a trashcan for a nap, or the outhouse... Her nose wrinkled at the memory of that night. Their own truck was actually pretty good compared to quite a few of the places they'd taken in the past. She sighed in defeat and let Vash steer her out of the building and to the alley where they had parked the truck. Milly was already sleeping, sprawled across the driver and passenger seats, wrapped in enough blankets that the only way she could tell it was Milly was by the mass of hair sticking out one end. That meant they were stuck with the truck bed. Vash hopped up and pulled her up after him. The wind picked up a bit, sending enough cold to bite even through her cloak. Vash rummaged a bit, then gave a nervous laugh.
"What's wrong now?"
"Well... We seem to only have one blanket." He held it up- it was the best one they had, but it was still just one. "You can take it, I'll be fine." Vash tossed it to her, then huddled in amongst their bags. She wrapped herself up, then noticed Vash's leg shiver. If it hadn't been practically under her nose she would have missed it. This just wouldn't do at all. Hell, it was probably why Milly had just left them one blanket. Sometimes that girl was scary with her plans, they always seemed to work. She loosened the blanket, letting out a hiss as the cold air crept in.
"Get in."
Vash just looked at her and blinked.
"Yes, you."
That was all the prompting it took. He slid in under the blanket, and the cold that had crept onto his clothes started to spread. Now it was her turn to shiver, at least until there was enough heat generated between them to banish the cold to the outside. Ironic, really- you'd fry in the day, and freeze at night. Just another wonderful benefit of living on a desert planet. Vash yawned, stretched, and smoothly brought his arm back down under her shoulders. She smirked and rolled over so she was half on top of him, shifting slightly to avoid the spots that concealed the more grievous of his scars. He actually made a fairly good mattress. Then his other arm came up and began to creep down her side, so she have him a kick.
"None of that tonight."
He chuckled and brought the arm back up to the safe zone across her back, then directed his gaze up. She turned her head to follow his gaze, and saw the stars high above between the buildings. They laid like that for a minute.
"You know..." he started, "...I kind of wish this night would never end."
She didn't bother turning to look at him, instead continuing to peer at all the distant points of light. His body was really warm, forming a stark contrast to the air on her face, and his breath kept a steady series of frosty plumes going up towards the sky. She simply said, "I agree." Then she shifted again, placing her cheek against his chest, letting the beats of his heart lull her to sleep.
They dreamed of endless fields of grass and trees, and of running along to someplace, anyplace. The destination didn't matter, just that they were going there together. Thus it was that two souls found a fragment of paradise, tucked away in a cold dark alley behind the Rotten Luck Bar & Inn, in the middle of a world of endless desert while the stars shined down from above.
However, all good things pass, and morning came. Vash pulled a technicality on Knives that got them back into their room ("You said they couldn't come in while you were asleep- you're not asleep now, are you?") and to the attached bathroom for a good morning self-cleaning. Breakfast came next, with three of them enjoying a good meal courtesy of the inn, and a sourpuss enjoying an emergency ration bar out in the truck. By then it was time for her to get to the steamer, so she gave Vash a goodbye hug- except he didn't quite get the concept of 'release'. Thus it was that she was going to the steamer, with a blubbering mass of flesh attached to her ankle. She dragged it foreward every other step, ignoring the looks the other townsfolk and steamer personnel were sending. However, upon reaching the ticketmaster, she had to deal with it.
"Good day ma'am. I take it you only have one ticket?"
"Gee, however did you guess?" The sarcasm was dripping faster that the tears on the flesh-mass' face.
"I could get a crowbar..." The man gave her a wry grin. She returned it.
"That sounds fairly good. Get two, I'll pry, you hit."
The flesh-mass spoke up, or whined up as the case may be. "I can't believe you'd be so cruel!"
"Sorry, rules are rules. I can't bring you along. Besides, don't you have someplace to be going as well? And I don't think you want to be acting like this around your brother."
"Huh?" He jumped up and looked around. Sure enough, Milly and Knives were coming to send her off. They passed through the crowds easily, since Knives was shooting icy stares at anyone who invaded his personal space. And since this was Knives, 'personal space' meant pretty much everywhere. He had it up to a good five yarn radius by the time the two of them arrived. Vash and Milly held up for a few seconds, then they both broke down. Knives just looked up, as if by ignoring the scene made it cease being real. In another second, Meryl found herself sandwiched between the two weepy companions.
"For the love of... Will you two show some backbone?!"
Milly bucked up and did as commanded. Vash claimed to be an invertebrate, so she yanked her arm free.
"Milly, I'm counting on you to keep these two out of trouble until I get back. Don't let them give you the slip, and don't forget to send in the reports as usual. This is your first solo assignment, so do your best and make me proud!"
Milly nodded and smiled, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "You can count on me Meryl! I won't let you down!"
"And as for you..."
Vash looked up. He was giving her the eyes again.
"If I hear you've been giving Milly any problems, there won't be a place on the planet safe for you." Then she leaned over and whispered in his ear. "I'll miss you too."
She kept waving as the town slipped over the horizon. She had half expected them to try some foolish stunt to stowaway on the steamer, which was part of why she had stayed up on deck until now. The main reason was just that she wanted to. Milly and Vash had been flapping their arms hard enough that she was almost positive she'd seen them lift off the ground. If there was ever a synchronized waving contest, those two would win for sure. Knives had actually waved goodbye too, though the creepy smile added a 'and don't come back' to the unspoken goodbye. He seemed utterly hopeless, but then again, so did Vash. The reasons were completely different. It was hard to picture them as brothers. However, they weren't her concern for now. She retired to her cabin as the midday suns began to beat down.
She popped open her luggage and got out the various papers and other items of her trade. There was going to be trouble when she got back to the main office, and being unprepared would just make things worse. She slid a fresh sheet into the typewriter and began to peck away at the keys. Midway through the pile, a noise made her jump, but it was only a lizard that had fallen out of the duct. She was about to pitch it out to the folks outside and say it was a mobile snack, when she stopped. She considered it for a moment, then set it down next to the typewriter.
"You just stay there. I'll let you off when we reach December. You should consider yourself lucky, I'd have tossed you out without another thought just a few months ago."
She shook her head. "Guess I'm just getting soft." The lizard actually did stay put, and when they reached December three days later she bid farewell to her odd little roommate. The city beckoned before her, and she set out.
...to face your destiny! (/Vader) Sorry, sorry, I had to make the pun. Anyway, there's another fluffy chapter for you. Next time, it's Meryl Vs. The Uncaring Bureaucracy. Let's hope she doesn't hurt them too badly.
Reviewer Responses
Can't get to any dang reviews due to aforementioned lack of internet. I'll pick it up next chapter. Oh well, double the chapters, double the update, double the goodness! ¤prepares an inflatable Vash to serve as a distraction/escape facilitator should glomping occur¤