Eh, can't think of a note, so on with the story. ¤provides extra-large box of tissues¤
Disclaimer: Do not drop, crush, or mutilate. Contents may explode.
Rise of the Silver Stars
Chapter 22: Planning the Future
His eyes flitted around the room. Meryl Stryfe. Lina. Millions Knives. Milly Thompson. Frank Marlon. Roy Thompson. Rai-dei. Brothers and beloveds, sisters and psychopaths, hitchhikers and head cases- all of which had somehow managed to end up in the same living room with the peeling blue paint and a pair of squeaky floorboards. The friendly banter was dying down slowly as he looked around at this ever so unlikely group that had more or less formed around him during his travels. The serious talks would come soon, and he knew only one thing for sure.
He'd need to grab a few extra chairs from the kitchen.
Once that task was done, he was left utterly and completely clueless. How was he supposed to make everything right? Lina was still attached to him at the waist from earlier, drawing comfort from the contact. She was in horrible shape, most likely from being on the road without money or any real ideas besides finding him. The really sad part was that he had left her out of the book intentionally. Eriks had been another life, and wasn't required to be or even should have been mentioned in a book on Vash the Stampede. He had actually been hoping that, after finishing up here and convincing Knives to not court thoughts of genocide, he could have gone back to that little town and settled down with Lina and her granny. He should have remembered that Lina was the type who liked to act, not wait.
And even with her unexpected arrival, that possibility remained open- if it wasn't for another problem with a different member of his posse. Meryl had a bounty on her head. He knew it was somehow his fault- all it took was reading the "Known Associates" portion of her wanted poster. Worse, unlike his, hers had a picture attached. There would never be any peace for her in any town- even if the townsfolk accepted her, there was the constant stream of merchants, mailmen, transients, and of course bounty hunters between even the most remote of towns, and all it took was one bad apple to spoil everything.
The last of the small talk finished among those who partook of it, and silence settled over the room. It wasn't even lack-of-conversation silence, but silence silence. He was starting to pick up heartbeats as the moment stretched on. Mouths would occasionally open, but would remain silent and then close again as ideas on how to start were formed, initiated, and then thought better of. Frank, Rai-dei, and Roy had all wandered off and not returned, which was probably for the best. It didn't really involve them, after all. Lucky non-involved men. Well, eventually the remaining crowd would start falling asleep, so if he was fortunate this could all get put off until tomorrow.
"You. Speak."
Or maybe not. Knives had his arm outstretched and finger extended, forming a neat line that led directly to Lina. It was sort of the logical choice for his brother- as one of the newest additions and the only one currently committing the ever-so-disrespectful act of touching a plant, Knives no doubt wanted a full threat assessment. Still, couldn't he be just a little less blunt about it? In any event, he had gotten things moving as Lina finally loosened her arms from around his waist and sat up. She stared down at the compressed cushions of the green sofa they were on, and finally spoke when Meryl gently laid a hand on her shoulder from the other end of the sofa.
"I didn't know what else to do, so I tried to find you..."
His own hand found her other shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before he let it simply sit there. "Why couldn't you have just stayed with Granny Sheryl?"
Her voice cracked the first time she said something, with the result that nothing came out save a bit of a whine. She tried again, and nearly shouted out "I can't!"
He squeezed her shoulder again, and left a firmer grip on it. "Why? What happened?"
Her voice was low, and at times he had to strain to hear her. "It wasn't that long ago, couldn't be more than a month, maybe two or three... I had just fixed breakfast, well, leftovers from last night, and I waited for her to come join me, but she never did... I went in and tried to wake her up, but she didn't wake up... She was so cold, the house was all so cold... I ran to doc's place, but he couldn't do anything. He said she moved on sometime during the night..."
He sagged at the news. Granny had always been such a spitfire that he couldn't see her just.. stopping. Now he knew why she had been so upset at seeing him down below. "And I wasn't there."
He countenance shifted like the winds of a sandstorm. "Damn right you weren't! I was left all alone in that house! Everywhere I looked, I could see you or her as things used to be. It got so bad I couldn't stay there anymore, the loneliness drove me right out of town! Why weren't you there?"
"...I didn't know."
"That's not an answer you jerk!" She accentuated the statement with another punch to the ribs.
"Really, I didn't know! If I had, I'd have been there. But I didn't, so I wasn't." Before she could retort with another pummeling, he drew her against him and continued. "But that still doesn't make it right. Being alone is a terrible thing, nobody should have to be all alone... but we're not alone anymore. I'm right here, and I won't go anywhere if it would leave you alone again."
Her reply was slightly muffled by his shirt. "You're still a jerk, Eriks. I don't know why I had to talk to you that day..."
"Heh, you're just too kind to us poor alley bums. Speaking of which, it looks like you've had a rough time trying to find me. How about you go and get all washed up with Milly?"
She nodded in his chest, and Milly led her off once she had disengaged from him. That left just three people in the room, which was soon reduced to two after he politely but firmly insisted that Knives go pick out a bedroom.
"So."
"Yeah."
Nothing else was said for a time. Meryl sighed, and leaned over to rest her head on his arm. It was good to feel her that close again.
"Seems bad luck just follows you everywhere and rubs of on anyone nearby, doesn't it?"
"It does indeed..." He steeled himself for what he had to say next. "I wouldn't blame you if you told me to get out of your life after what being near me has caused."
Her voice was as detached as his was. "What if I did?"
He swallowed once, and spoke. "Then I'd go. I'd go somewhere far enough away that I couldn't hurt you, then I think I'd cry. I don't think I would stop for a very long time."
She shifted closer to him. The movement said more than words could, but there were still things to be said. "My life won't ever be the same. My career's ruined, my other job prospects are dismal, and I can't stay anywhere for too long before the bounty hunters will arrive in droves."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault, or my fault. I don't think it's really anyone's fault unless you can just point the finger at humanity. However, I've seen where that leads, and I don't want to go there."
This wasn't like her. Then again, he wasn't quite himself either. "What happened, exactly?"
"They arrested me when I got to the head office, but not before they tried to trick all the details out of me. They said I had been brainwashed or otherwise coerced into becoming part of your gang, and threw me in jail. I was hurt, alone, and cold, but more than anything I was terrified. Not of what might happen, but of things I hadn't yet been able to do that I wanted to do. Things I might not ever get to do in there. And above all else, I was terrified that you might be driven over the edge by what was happening. ...I could hardly close my eyes before the nightmares appeared."
"Nightmares aren't predictors."
"Yeah, just mirrors for your own fears, which lent them an air of realism. Vash, promise me you won't change! No matter what might happen, don't ever give up that goofball dream of yours!"
"Goofball dream, eh?" Well, it was descriptive. Too bad it had already been shattered once. Somehow, she had managed to pull the sundered fragments back together into something stronger than it had been before, but now she was a part of it. If she left, could its fragile crystal stay together? He just didn't know. He could tell a little white lie... But to her? About this? He pondered and debated, and she shifted closer still. "I can't say for sure on my own dreams... but I can promise that the nightmares will never become real. Will that do?"
A long pause. Nothing was to be heard from either, or at least nothing loud enough to be heard over the very muted murmurs that would come from deeper in the apartment and the occasional splash of water. He jumped a bit when she did speak. "I suppose, for now."
The final distance between them was closed. They spent some time like that- maybe a minute, or an hour, or a blissful eternity. Time was unimportant. He was still welcome to trod life's path with her, and it filled him with relief. Not that he was worried, or anything. The sweat running down his sides was purely from the heat. Yeah. She got just a fraction louder, and sat just a bit more upright- Subtle signals that told him this next phase was going to be easier. He could kiss her just for that much.
"I could ask you what plan you have to keep me safe, but I already know that you don't have one. Oh, don't you dare try that stupid grin on me! I know you too well for that, Mr. Vash the Stampede."
"Dang, shot down before I could even flap off the ground." "Okay, so you can still see through me as good as ever. So, what plan do you have?"
"Not much of one, I'm afraid. I'm an outlaw now, and I don't know the first thing about how to be one. Therefor, I need to learn the trade, so to speak. There's sixty billion double dollars out there that nobody's been able to claim, and I need to know how you managed that. Beyond the plant benefits."
"Well, the most important rule to being an outlaw is to always be prepared to just drop everything and run. Not being there when the bullets arrive is great, and if you know they're coming just jump out sooner. As such, you can't let yourself get too attached to anything, or you'll be slowed by the burden."
"...we're already completely screwed on that, aren't we?"
"Yep, blown that one clear into orbit!"
They glanced at each other, and he could see the spark of amusement deep in those eyes. She lifted her arm and placed it across his shoulders. Wait, wasn't he supposed to do that? "Well, if we've already done that much to the poor rule, might as well kick it into the suns from there. Let's get married."
He suddenly found himself pitched over the couch's armrest to land heels-over-head on the floor. He shifted his legs and managed to get himself merely horizontal from mostly inverted, and could see that something the prior owners of the apartment had kept had been scratching at the underside of the armrest. A bit of couch fluff drifted down from the gaping wound in the green cushioning to land in his hair. Meryl's head popped over the armrest a moment later, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. She had just said something, hadn't she?
"Are you okay?"
No, that wasn't what she had said. Well, she had said that just then, but it was something she had said right before that statement that he couldn't remember. Why couldn't all those little Thomases running around in the air above be a bit quieter, and where was that birdsong coming from? Terribly distracting, it was indeed. Okay, so they were discussing the finer points of life on the run, then they agreed that they couldn't abide by the most important rule, then they loosened up a bit, and then she said- "M- M- Married?"
"Yeah."
He was on his feet in an instant. The angels of heaven were surely smiling down on him then and there, he could practically see their divine light and golden wings, okay, so one had gold-painted cardboard training wings and was dribbling cigarette ash on the rug, but damn, they were there!
"Are you okay?" she repeated.
"Oh, I am more than okay! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I, Vash the Stampede, shall become your loving husband for all time! ...uh, where's the ring?"
"We need the rings already?"
"No, the engagement ring... Wait, I'm supposed to ask you!"
"You are?"
"Well, yeah. Oh man, I don't have an engagement ring for you yet!"
"The what ring?"
"...you don't know much of the ceremony, do you."
"I guess not. It never seemed too important until quite recently."
He looked down at her confused face as she perched on the armrest. There was a slight hint of worry that she had somehow messed it up. Well, she had, but since when did anything around him happen quite as expected? He broke out in a huge grin that his face could barely contain, and she sprouted a nervous counterpart to it. Okay, that did it, he had to do it now. "Oh, you just look adorable!"
"I what?"
The blush that spread across her face just made it worse. "You're so cute like that! Tickle-hugs!"
As the activity that started sort of on the couch slid off it, and then kind of swept around the room with all the thought of a few involuntary reflexes, heads began to emerge from the various rooms. As the laughter got louder, it led to a pair of knowing smiles and a variety of open-mouthed stares. Two stares got pulled back into the kitchen by one knowing smile which happened, by way of quite a few muscles and neurons, to be attached to a pair of abnormally strong hands that were quite good at gripping shoulders. Another one made a gagging motion before it got tugged back into the bathroom by the other knowing smile, and the final head looked around to make sure that nobody was there to see it. Once satisfied, it made a mirror of the first gagging motion, having decided that such an expression was called for at such a display from the main room. Of course, this was all completely missed by the two who were rolling around on the floor, each forcibly making the other emit whoop after whoop. It was, all in all, just what the two needed. That is, until one decided that while laughter is the best medicine, this was overdosing.
¤ ¤ ¤
In the apartment directly below, the thumping and mildly dampened laughter was getting to be quite an interruption of their evening card game. While Hearts was certainly less stressful and more family-friendly than Poker, there were limits on what one could tolerate in the way of disturbances while playing it. Especially when said disturbances might not be easily explained to the young'uns. His lover started to give him that look that meant he had better take care of it, but before he could unseat himself to go get something to pound on the ceiling with, there was one extra-hard thump accompanied by a few short words.
"Ow! What'd I do?"
The young'uns looked up curiously, then back to him when no more noises were forthcoming from up above. Their little eyes were asking questions, and one seemed to be delighting in the knowledge that whatever it was would make him all flustered if he had to explain it. Thus, he just tossed down a card, and slipped the queen of spades to the one courting nasty little child thoughts. That'll teach 'em to respect their elders.
¤ ¤ ¤
Back upstairs, breaths were being caught from the various places they had been lost. No small task, mind you- after being tossed around so, it takes a while to catch them all. Not that either particularly minded losing them to begin with.
As he panted on the floor, he turned to gaze up at goddess in gray that graced the pea green sofa with her presence. Okay, so maybe that was a bit sappy, but a little sappy is in all good fun and good spirits, right? Besides, that was a great way to introduce the next outlaw living rule- don't act like an outlaw, or if you happen to be a bit too uptight, try and forget what you are every now and then. As she panted on the sofa, he could see a good bit of annoyance, a helping of happiness, a pinch of nostalgia, and complete obliviousness towards certain unfavorable aspects of life. It wouldn't take long for her to remember, but for now everything in her world was blond and idiotic.
It was a little thing, but it was something he could do for her, and that was reason enough. She leaned foreward and wagged a finger at him, but the smile behind it countermanded any threat it tried to express. He flashed pearly whites with a lopsided grin, and then the moment was interrupted by more growling noises from their midsections.
"Ready for food?"
A nod on his part.
"Well, let's see what those three managed to cook up since they escaped."
"As long as they kept Frank away, it should be edible. He can fix a gun better than anyone, but when it comes to meals, anything beyond a opening a can is best left to others. On the road, we had to pull him out of meal rotation after a few too many inedible dinners."
"Something so bad even you call it inedible? What does he do, burn the water?"
"Well, that one time..."
She shook her head at him languidly then crossed the room, stepping over his prone form. Aw man, cavalry pants were just no fun to look up at. He followed her as she pushed open the kitchen door, and he sniffed the air. Hmm... definitely wasn't burning. He was tempted to have another go at her sides while he was at her back, but decided not too. There was luck, and then there was pushing luck.
Besides, he'd have to get Lina as well next time.
Three...two...one...all together now!
Everyone: "Awwwww..."
Legato: ....
Sweet, wasn't it?
Wolfwood: Yeah, and I got a cameo!
Sorry, glee-inspired visions don't count. You need flesh, and yours is all worm-chewed under a pile of dirt somewhere.
Wolfwood: Geeze, give a man his moments would ya...
By sandworms, no less! Big ones!
Wolfwood: Enough already!
Reviewer Responses
cjflutterbye: You spotted the important plot bit, so you get a cookie! Or an hour with the character of your choice ;) And yes, everything emergency-related is kept in little glass boxes with little hammers nearby, because breaking stuff is fun!
betsytheripper: Eep, not good on that diagnosis thing. Odd thing is, I self-taught myself to use a keyboard, and evidently got it all wrong according to everyone I've talked to about it- except that it makes me almost immune to stress problems. Go figure. And thanks for the e-mail note, I already forgot I had it up... Bode well for the future, that does not.
SapphireWhiteTigress: Yes, Lina. I think that should finish up the new faces for a while.
Sorian: I live in my parent's basement right now. I have little to offer to the law-ninjas aside from belly-button lint.
Neptune Butterfly: I think I made things lively, but it's all in the eye of the beholder. ¤disintegrates a wall section¤
Elektra3: Heh, you guessed right on the reference. Pray that Vash never decides to get Knives a pet bunny. The world is just plain screwed if that happens. (Oh, and glad to have you aboard!)
Yma: Perhaps I should start to worry if I can keep pulling off Knives. Takes one to know one, after all. And of course, since I said I wouldn't stop until the end, one of the many gods that have nothing better to do but throw stuff at me decided to lob a bit extra. I'm looking foreward to a relative of Vash coming to visit soon, I think s/he's called Frances. Joy. >.<
Disclaimer: Do not drop, crush, or mutilate. Contents may explode.
Chapter 22: Planning the Future
His eyes flitted around the room. Meryl Stryfe. Lina. Millions Knives. Milly Thompson. Frank Marlon. Roy Thompson. Rai-dei. Brothers and beloveds, sisters and psychopaths, hitchhikers and head cases- all of which had somehow managed to end up in the same living room with the peeling blue paint and a pair of squeaky floorboards. The friendly banter was dying down slowly as he looked around at this ever so unlikely group that had more or less formed around him during his travels. The serious talks would come soon, and he knew only one thing for sure.
He'd need to grab a few extra chairs from the kitchen.
Once that task was done, he was left utterly and completely clueless. How was he supposed to make everything right? Lina was still attached to him at the waist from earlier, drawing comfort from the contact. She was in horrible shape, most likely from being on the road without money or any real ideas besides finding him. The really sad part was that he had left her out of the book intentionally. Eriks had been another life, and wasn't required to be or even should have been mentioned in a book on Vash the Stampede. He had actually been hoping that, after finishing up here and convincing Knives to not court thoughts of genocide, he could have gone back to that little town and settled down with Lina and her granny. He should have remembered that Lina was the type who liked to act, not wait.
And even with her unexpected arrival, that possibility remained open- if it wasn't for another problem with a different member of his posse. Meryl had a bounty on her head. He knew it was somehow his fault- all it took was reading the "Known Associates" portion of her wanted poster. Worse, unlike his, hers had a picture attached. There would never be any peace for her in any town- even if the townsfolk accepted her, there was the constant stream of merchants, mailmen, transients, and of course bounty hunters between even the most remote of towns, and all it took was one bad apple to spoil everything.
The last of the small talk finished among those who partook of it, and silence settled over the room. It wasn't even lack-of-conversation silence, but silence silence. He was starting to pick up heartbeats as the moment stretched on. Mouths would occasionally open, but would remain silent and then close again as ideas on how to start were formed, initiated, and then thought better of. Frank, Rai-dei, and Roy had all wandered off and not returned, which was probably for the best. It didn't really involve them, after all. Lucky non-involved men. Well, eventually the remaining crowd would start falling asleep, so if he was fortunate this could all get put off until tomorrow.
"You. Speak."
Or maybe not. Knives had his arm outstretched and finger extended, forming a neat line that led directly to Lina. It was sort of the logical choice for his brother- as one of the newest additions and the only one currently committing the ever-so-disrespectful act of touching a plant, Knives no doubt wanted a full threat assessment. Still, couldn't he be just a little less blunt about it? In any event, he had gotten things moving as Lina finally loosened her arms from around his waist and sat up. She stared down at the compressed cushions of the green sofa they were on, and finally spoke when Meryl gently laid a hand on her shoulder from the other end of the sofa.
"I didn't know what else to do, so I tried to find you..."
His own hand found her other shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before he let it simply sit there. "Why couldn't you have just stayed with Granny Sheryl?"
Her voice cracked the first time she said something, with the result that nothing came out save a bit of a whine. She tried again, and nearly shouted out "I can't!"
He squeezed her shoulder again, and left a firmer grip on it. "Why? What happened?"
Her voice was low, and at times he had to strain to hear her. "It wasn't that long ago, couldn't be more than a month, maybe two or three... I had just fixed breakfast, well, leftovers from last night, and I waited for her to come join me, but she never did... I went in and tried to wake her up, but she didn't wake up... She was so cold, the house was all so cold... I ran to doc's place, but he couldn't do anything. He said she moved on sometime during the night..."
He sagged at the news. Granny had always been such a spitfire that he couldn't see her just.. stopping. Now he knew why she had been so upset at seeing him down below. "And I wasn't there."
He countenance shifted like the winds of a sandstorm. "Damn right you weren't! I was left all alone in that house! Everywhere I looked, I could see you or her as things used to be. It got so bad I couldn't stay there anymore, the loneliness drove me right out of town! Why weren't you there?"
"...I didn't know."
"That's not an answer you jerk!" She accentuated the statement with another punch to the ribs.
"Really, I didn't know! If I had, I'd have been there. But I didn't, so I wasn't." Before she could retort with another pummeling, he drew her against him and continued. "But that still doesn't make it right. Being alone is a terrible thing, nobody should have to be all alone... but we're not alone anymore. I'm right here, and I won't go anywhere if it would leave you alone again."
Her reply was slightly muffled by his shirt. "You're still a jerk, Eriks. I don't know why I had to talk to you that day..."
"Heh, you're just too kind to us poor alley bums. Speaking of which, it looks like you've had a rough time trying to find me. How about you go and get all washed up with Milly?"
She nodded in his chest, and Milly led her off once she had disengaged from him. That left just three people in the room, which was soon reduced to two after he politely but firmly insisted that Knives go pick out a bedroom.
"So."
"Yeah."
Nothing else was said for a time. Meryl sighed, and leaned over to rest her head on his arm. It was good to feel her that close again.
"Seems bad luck just follows you everywhere and rubs of on anyone nearby, doesn't it?"
"It does indeed..." He steeled himself for what he had to say next. "I wouldn't blame you if you told me to get out of your life after what being near me has caused."
Her voice was as detached as his was. "What if I did?"
He swallowed once, and spoke. "Then I'd go. I'd go somewhere far enough away that I couldn't hurt you, then I think I'd cry. I don't think I would stop for a very long time."
She shifted closer to him. The movement said more than words could, but there were still things to be said. "My life won't ever be the same. My career's ruined, my other job prospects are dismal, and I can't stay anywhere for too long before the bounty hunters will arrive in droves."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault, or my fault. I don't think it's really anyone's fault unless you can just point the finger at humanity. However, I've seen where that leads, and I don't want to go there."
This wasn't like her. Then again, he wasn't quite himself either. "What happened, exactly?"
"They arrested me when I got to the head office, but not before they tried to trick all the details out of me. They said I had been brainwashed or otherwise coerced into becoming part of your gang, and threw me in jail. I was hurt, alone, and cold, but more than anything I was terrified. Not of what might happen, but of things I hadn't yet been able to do that I wanted to do. Things I might not ever get to do in there. And above all else, I was terrified that you might be driven over the edge by what was happening. ...I could hardly close my eyes before the nightmares appeared."
"Nightmares aren't predictors."
"Yeah, just mirrors for your own fears, which lent them an air of realism. Vash, promise me you won't change! No matter what might happen, don't ever give up that goofball dream of yours!"
"Goofball dream, eh?" Well, it was descriptive. Too bad it had already been shattered once. Somehow, she had managed to pull the sundered fragments back together into something stronger than it had been before, but now she was a part of it. If she left, could its fragile crystal stay together? He just didn't know. He could tell a little white lie... But to her? About this? He pondered and debated, and she shifted closer still. "I can't say for sure on my own dreams... but I can promise that the nightmares will never become real. Will that do?"
A long pause. Nothing was to be heard from either, or at least nothing loud enough to be heard over the very muted murmurs that would come from deeper in the apartment and the occasional splash of water. He jumped a bit when she did speak. "I suppose, for now."
The final distance between them was closed. They spent some time like that- maybe a minute, or an hour, or a blissful eternity. Time was unimportant. He was still welcome to trod life's path with her, and it filled him with relief. Not that he was worried, or anything. The sweat running down his sides was purely from the heat. Yeah. She got just a fraction louder, and sat just a bit more upright- Subtle signals that told him this next phase was going to be easier. He could kiss her just for that much.
"I could ask you what plan you have to keep me safe, but I already know that you don't have one. Oh, don't you dare try that stupid grin on me! I know you too well for that, Mr. Vash the Stampede."
"Dang, shot down before I could even flap off the ground." "Okay, so you can still see through me as good as ever. So, what plan do you have?"
"Not much of one, I'm afraid. I'm an outlaw now, and I don't know the first thing about how to be one. Therefor, I need to learn the trade, so to speak. There's sixty billion double dollars out there that nobody's been able to claim, and I need to know how you managed that. Beyond the plant benefits."
"Well, the most important rule to being an outlaw is to always be prepared to just drop everything and run. Not being there when the bullets arrive is great, and if you know they're coming just jump out sooner. As such, you can't let yourself get too attached to anything, or you'll be slowed by the burden."
"...we're already completely screwed on that, aren't we?"
"Yep, blown that one clear into orbit!"
They glanced at each other, and he could see the spark of amusement deep in those eyes. She lifted her arm and placed it across his shoulders. Wait, wasn't he supposed to do that? "Well, if we've already done that much to the poor rule, might as well kick it into the suns from there. Let's get married."
He suddenly found himself pitched over the couch's armrest to land heels-over-head on the floor. He shifted his legs and managed to get himself merely horizontal from mostly inverted, and could see that something the prior owners of the apartment had kept had been scratching at the underside of the armrest. A bit of couch fluff drifted down from the gaping wound in the green cushioning to land in his hair. Meryl's head popped over the armrest a moment later, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape. She had just said something, hadn't she?
"Are you okay?"
No, that wasn't what she had said. Well, she had said that just then, but it was something she had said right before that statement that he couldn't remember. Why couldn't all those little Thomases running around in the air above be a bit quieter, and where was that birdsong coming from? Terribly distracting, it was indeed. Okay, so they were discussing the finer points of life on the run, then they agreed that they couldn't abide by the most important rule, then they loosened up a bit, and then she said- "M- M- Married?"
"Yeah."
He was on his feet in an instant. The angels of heaven were surely smiling down on him then and there, he could practically see their divine light and golden wings, okay, so one had gold-painted cardboard training wings and was dribbling cigarette ash on the rug, but damn, they were there!
"Are you okay?" she repeated.
"Oh, I am more than okay! Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! I, Vash the Stampede, shall become your loving husband for all time! ...uh, where's the ring?"
"We need the rings already?"
"No, the engagement ring... Wait, I'm supposed to ask you!"
"You are?"
"Well, yeah. Oh man, I don't have an engagement ring for you yet!"
"The what ring?"
"...you don't know much of the ceremony, do you."
"I guess not. It never seemed too important until quite recently."
He looked down at her confused face as she perched on the armrest. There was a slight hint of worry that she had somehow messed it up. Well, she had, but since when did anything around him happen quite as expected? He broke out in a huge grin that his face could barely contain, and she sprouted a nervous counterpart to it. Okay, that did it, he had to do it now. "Oh, you just look adorable!"
"I what?"
The blush that spread across her face just made it worse. "You're so cute like that! Tickle-hugs!"
As the activity that started sort of on the couch slid off it, and then kind of swept around the room with all the thought of a few involuntary reflexes, heads began to emerge from the various rooms. As the laughter got louder, it led to a pair of knowing smiles and a variety of open-mouthed stares. Two stares got pulled back into the kitchen by one knowing smile which happened, by way of quite a few muscles and neurons, to be attached to a pair of abnormally strong hands that were quite good at gripping shoulders. Another one made a gagging motion before it got tugged back into the bathroom by the other knowing smile, and the final head looked around to make sure that nobody was there to see it. Once satisfied, it made a mirror of the first gagging motion, having decided that such an expression was called for at such a display from the main room. Of course, this was all completely missed by the two who were rolling around on the floor, each forcibly making the other emit whoop after whoop. It was, all in all, just what the two needed. That is, until one decided that while laughter is the best medicine, this was overdosing.
In the apartment directly below, the thumping and mildly dampened laughter was getting to be quite an interruption of their evening card game. While Hearts was certainly less stressful and more family-friendly than Poker, there were limits on what one could tolerate in the way of disturbances while playing it. Especially when said disturbances might not be easily explained to the young'uns. His lover started to give him that look that meant he had better take care of it, but before he could unseat himself to go get something to pound on the ceiling with, there was one extra-hard thump accompanied by a few short words.
"Ow! What'd I do?"
The young'uns looked up curiously, then back to him when no more noises were forthcoming from up above. Their little eyes were asking questions, and one seemed to be delighting in the knowledge that whatever it was would make him all flustered if he had to explain it. Thus, he just tossed down a card, and slipped the queen of spades to the one courting nasty little child thoughts. That'll teach 'em to respect their elders.
Back upstairs, breaths were being caught from the various places they had been lost. No small task, mind you- after being tossed around so, it takes a while to catch them all. Not that either particularly minded losing them to begin with.
As he panted on the floor, he turned to gaze up at goddess in gray that graced the pea green sofa with her presence. Okay, so maybe that was a bit sappy, but a little sappy is in all good fun and good spirits, right? Besides, that was a great way to introduce the next outlaw living rule- don't act like an outlaw, or if you happen to be a bit too uptight, try and forget what you are every now and then. As she panted on the sofa, he could see a good bit of annoyance, a helping of happiness, a pinch of nostalgia, and complete obliviousness towards certain unfavorable aspects of life. It wouldn't take long for her to remember, but for now everything in her world was blond and idiotic.
It was a little thing, but it was something he could do for her, and that was reason enough. She leaned foreward and wagged a finger at him, but the smile behind it countermanded any threat it tried to express. He flashed pearly whites with a lopsided grin, and then the moment was interrupted by more growling noises from their midsections.
"Ready for food?"
A nod on his part.
"Well, let's see what those three managed to cook up since they escaped."
"As long as they kept Frank away, it should be edible. He can fix a gun better than anyone, but when it comes to meals, anything beyond a opening a can is best left to others. On the road, we had to pull him out of meal rotation after a few too many inedible dinners."
"Something so bad even you call it inedible? What does he do, burn the water?"
"Well, that one time..."
She shook her head at him languidly then crossed the room, stepping over his prone form. Aw man, cavalry pants were just no fun to look up at. He followed her as she pushed open the kitchen door, and he sniffed the air. Hmm... definitely wasn't burning. He was tempted to have another go at her sides while he was at her back, but decided not too. There was luck, and then there was pushing luck.
Besides, he'd have to get Lina as well next time.
Three...two...one...all together now!
Everyone: "Awwwww..."
Legato: ....
Sweet, wasn't it?
Wolfwood: Yeah, and I got a cameo!
Sorry, glee-inspired visions don't count. You need flesh, and yours is all worm-chewed under a pile of dirt somewhere.
Wolfwood: Geeze, give a man his moments would ya...
By sandworms, no less! Big ones!
Wolfwood: Enough already!
cjflutterbye: You spotted the important plot bit, so you get a cookie! Or an hour with the character of your choice ;) And yes, everything emergency-related is kept in little glass boxes with little hammers nearby, because breaking stuff is fun!
betsytheripper: Eep, not good on that diagnosis thing. Odd thing is, I self-taught myself to use a keyboard, and evidently got it all wrong according to everyone I've talked to about it- except that it makes me almost immune to stress problems. Go figure. And thanks for the e-mail note, I already forgot I had it up... Bode well for the future, that does not.
SapphireWhiteTigress: Yes, Lina. I think that should finish up the new faces for a while.
Sorian: I live in my parent's basement right now. I have little to offer to the law-ninjas aside from belly-button lint.
Neptune Butterfly: I think I made things lively, but it's all in the eye of the beholder. ¤disintegrates a wall section¤
Elektra3: Heh, you guessed right on the reference. Pray that Vash never decides to get Knives a pet bunny. The world is just plain screwed if that happens. (Oh, and glad to have you aboard!)
Yma: Perhaps I should start to worry if I can keep pulling off Knives. Takes one to know one, after all. And of course, since I said I wouldn't stop until the end, one of the many gods that have nothing better to do but throw stuff at me decided to lob a bit extra. I'm looking foreward to a relative of Vash coming to visit soon, I think s/he's called Frances. Joy. >.<