dialogue – thoughts
"dialogue" – speaking
--
Chapter 11:
--
"Here sempai, take this, you're fever is still hanging on."
Milly dutifully handed the petite woman a steaming cup of tea before pulling the bedcovers securely up to Meryl's waist—at which the latter sighed in disappointment and exasperation mixed.
Exactly how long had she been awake?
Ten minutes?
And already Milly was acting as though she was sick on her deathbed??
Taking the cup, Meryl set in on her lap, content to stare into the murky liquid's depths while Milly hovered around the room fussing over the slightest details. The taller woman had been adjusting things non-stop to her ultimate satisfaction. Close the window there. Pull the drapes here. Stoke the fire, put in more wood! Open the door, close the door, pile more and more quilts onto an already sweating Meryl!
Really, all she wanted to do was go downstairs and threaten that half-blood until he gave her some damned information! She had already wasted more than four days lying unconscious and she didn't think she needed to misuse any more!
Of course, Milly thought otherwise…
"Now, sempai, drink you're tea. You aren't going to get any better by just staring at it!" the taller woman scolded her partner as the she continued to stare into her tea, making no move to drink it.
Scowling at the tea, Meryl thought dryly, She's starting to sound like my mother!
"Sempai? Are you listening to me?" Milly's voice floated across the room from where she was now prodding the wood in the hearth. The fire did nothing but crackle furiously and spit embers at the tall woman.
Turning her scowl upon her self-appointed nursemaid, Meryl replied, "Really, Milly, is all of this necessary? I feel fine! All I want to do is get some answers from Vash."
Yeah, like who this vampire intent on killing me is! Or maybe why he somehow managed to gather a whole gang of bloodsuckers to rampage the streets trying to run Milly and I down!
Milly shook her head good naturedly, "Now, now, sempai, that's what my big big brother used to say! He had the flu, said he was fine and insisted on walking around, and it came back ten fold the next day! He was in bed for two weeks, hardly able to move!" she straightened up and smiled, "Do you want that to happen to you?"
Meryl set her tea on her night able, "I don't have the flu, Milly." She pointed out clearly.
Pausing at that, the taller woman thought for a moment, "Well, sempai, a fever is the first sign of a flu!"
"That doesn't mean I can't walk around my own house!" retorted the petite woman loudly, "Besides, I haven't heard of one case of the flu this spring!"
Milly sighed, "That doesn't mean there won't be a flue!" she turned at stern eye upon her partner, "Jeez, sempai, I'd have thought you'd have at least some consideration for your health."
"I do, but I want to get my job done!" the petite woman protested hotly.
"What's that, then?"
"Getting answers! Information!!"
"But sem-"
"Let me out of this bed!"
"Sem-"
"Milly!"
A loud knock on Meryl's door interrupted the two women's bantering, and a two pairs of livid eyes settled on the closed entranceway. And without waiting for an answer to his knock, Wolfwood swung the door open and sauntered in—a cigarette lit between his lips. Then, closing the door lightly behind him, he turned to face the women with a good-natured grin.
Milly made a half-strangled noise as she saw the smoking stick hanging from the priest's mouth, and Wolfwood turned a questioning eye on her, one eyebrow arched delicately. Meryl watched darkly.
"Eh, what's wrong with you?"
Milly bit her lip, "Mr. Priest!" she exclaimed in distress, her hands in her hair, "Don't smoke in here!!"
Cocking both eyebrows at the woman, Wolfwood shrugged with a slight scowl and plucked the cigarette from his mouth before flicking it into the nearby fire. He then proceeded to humph, his nose in the air and arms crossed, "Shorty never had a problem with it before." He stated snidely, turning an accusing eye on the small woman under the pile of blankets.
Milly smiled, her usual jovial face back on after the cigarette had been disposed of, "Yes, well, sempai wasn't sick before."
The priest sniffed and turned to glare fully at the petite woman, watching the strained look on her face intensify. She looked as though she had just bitten into a lemon. The priest decided to take pity upon her, and his dark façade instantly cracked.
"Glad to see your up" he grinned at her, "Has the big girl been fussin' over you, or something?"
Slight annoyance immediately lit up on Milly's face, "I am not fussing, am I sempai?" She turned to the woman in the bed, planting her hands firmly on her hips.
Meryl twitched slightly, shying away from the stare she was receiving from her partner, "Well…"
One large lunch and half an hour later found all four occupants of the house crowded into Meryl's small bedroom with the latter sitting dejectedly with bedcovers piled up to her neck and a blazing fire crackling merrily in the hearth.
Obviously, Meryl and Wolfwood had lost the argument with Milly, who had firmly insisted the woman stay in bed. Meryl, however, was intent on getting information from the blonde vampire (who had since taken up residence in her spare room) and demanded she talk to him. The taller woman had then—cheerfully—announced a meeting, and Nick had proceeded to wake the man from his sleep—at which the blonde protested loudly at his sound thrashing—and promptly hauled the vampire upstairs.
Meryl had been less than pleased about letting the half-blood see her in such a state, but she reminded herself that he wasn't much better himself. Eyes blurry, bandages clearly visible under his half opened shirt, a good bruise under his eye, stubble dotting his chin with and hair so chaotic he resembled a dog more than anything else. And then again, it had been her idea to speak to him.
So, Milly and Wolfwood had taken seats, preferring to keep a close eye on the vampire so near their "sick and injured" friend.
That brought you to up to the present time.
Milly cleared her throat slightly, trying to break the thick silence that had since engulfed the room, "Well, Mr. Vash, I'm glad to see you're looking better."
Meryl almost snorted, but restrained herself under her partner's critical eye. If he looked this horrible now, how had he looked four days ago?
Vash managed to grin, casting an offhanded, albeit wary glance at the priest—who was in a foul mood after being prohibited from smoking in Meryl's bedroom—and laughed slightly, "Well, I feel much better, too. I'll have to repay you some time."
Smiling despite the almost identical glares the blonde was receiving by the remaining occupants of the room, Milly shook her head slightly, "Oh no, Mr. Vash. You'd have to thank sempai and Mr. Priest, they were the ones who got you to the house and patched you up."
"Ah, well, I guess I'll have to show gratitude them, then." He nodded to the priest with a smile, and sobered slightly before nodding and casting Meryl an incomprehensible look.
It didn't go unnoticed by the petite woman, but she chose to ignore it, to pretend it had not existed. Something about his statement had rubbed her the wrong way, in the first place. After all, she had dragged him half way across London and that was all he had to say for himself? She was allowing a vampire to stay in her house, for goodness sakes!
The half-blood started again, not wasting any more time, "I understand someone wants information?" he glanced around the room, grinning, "I can say I wouldn't mind knowing what's going on myself."
Wolfwood huffed airily, "That makes two of us." He stated dryly, narrowing his eyes at the two partners.
Catching his irritation, Milly smiled apologetically, "Sorry, Mr. Priest, but I didn't want to say anything without sempai's permission, and she was asleep."
Wolfwood threw his hands up into the air, "Why is it that everyone leaves me out of these things?? I give you all the information anyone needs and you proceed to ignore me!" the priest sniffed, slightly offended by the tall woman's remark, "I demand some respect from you people!"
Meryl growled slightly. "Be quite, priest. You're giving me a damn headache." She met Nick's irritated glare with one of her own.
Vash had watched the exchange with a bit of guardedness, but finally decided to interrupt before it got ugly. Clearing his throat slightly and shifting on his seat, the half-blood cut off the retort coming from the priest's mouth, "Why don't we start from the beginning, so everyone knows what has been happening around here."
The suggestion was taken without protest and immediate order was restored to the crowded little room. However, a nagging in the back of Meryl's mind made her uneasy. She still hadn't told anyone besides Milly of the "K" on her neck, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to. She had almost forgotten about it, and it hadn't been bothering her lately…
Still…
Maybe it had been too long already…
Glancing at Meryl, and then over to Vash, Milly stated with an ever-present smile, "I think it all started with you two, sempai, Mr.Vash." she folded her hands in her lap and settled down into her large chair.
At that comment, the half-blood chuckled slightly. It sounded nervous, and the petite woman seated on her bed cast an overly aggravated glare at the blonde man.
"Be quiet, you idiot." Meryl snapped haughtily, crossing her arms and waiting for the vampire to settle down, "As Milly said, it started when I was going over to Nicholas's house for a meeting with him and Milly and broom-head over there decided he needed to kill someone to quench his disgusting thirst for human blood!" Meryl finished, glaring at the occupants of the room as if daring them to argue.
The remaining three sat in a slightly stunned silence before Vash spoke up, outrage evident in his voice.
"It was your fault you were out at night, shorty!" his aqua marine eyes narrowed, "People should know better than to wander around at night, especially women!" the blonde man glared at the petite woman, who in her turn leaned forward in rage.
As the short woman made a move to jump out of her bed, Milly was by her side in a moment. Grabbing hold of her small partner, she pulled the hunter back down and piled more blankets onto her. Fully restrained but still angry, the petite woman shot daggers at the vampire, who was now looking smug and superior.
"Who do you think I am, broom-head?!" she growled, "I was armed, and I know how to take care of scum like you! I could have killed you if I wanted!" satisfied with her words, Meryl settled herself back down into her covers, arms crossed and a haughty air about her.
Casting one last glare at the woman, Vash turned his head and refused to look at her, a slight pout adorning his face. It made him look like a child.
Midst it all, Wolfwood looked on, an unimpressed and slightly bored expression adoring his shaggy face.
Damn, this was going to be a long day…
--
Three hours and countless arguments, headaches and six near-fights later, all four (still) sat in Meryl's bedroom. Milly had moved to take a seat beside Meryl, occasionally restraining the small woman as she made moves toward the usually complacent and smirking half-blood. Wolfwood sat silently, brooding; content he had finally been told the whole story.
It was now five in the afternoon. The sun was setting, the streets were emptying and Vash had just began to tell the three companions what he knew about the vampire who had been stalking Meryl's dreams and life the past week.
Of course, only Meryl knew that. The blue eyed man in her dreams. Not to mention the mark adorning the back of her neck. She had briefly wondered if anyone had noticed it while she had been unconscious.
She doubted it. No one had mentioned it, so she wasn't about to say anything.
Well, not yet, anyway…
So, here they were, listening intently to the half-blood who had retained all the information Meryl needed. Everything—she was sure—she needed to know. And the best part was that he was completely willing to share it with them.
Well, that was what the priest, and the two women thought.
Vash, however, knew otherwise.
It would be highly dangerous to tell them he was a brother—a blood relative—to the vampire who had been trying to kill Meryl. He had already seen the short girl on a rampage and wasn't keen on provoking a negative reaction. She might feel it obligatory that she shoot him on the spot!
It wouldn't be smart to tell them everything he knew of his brother's plans, either. Too much information at once could lead to trouble. And, really, he wanted to know what his brother was doing too.
He had never before taken so much time in picking out a victim and killing it…
So, he simply improvised.
"I've met him once or twice, and I know who he is. I don't think any vampire doesn't know who he is." Stated the half-blood carelessly in answer to Milly's "Who is he?"
Milly's smile widened at his answer, "That explains how you know this Legato man, right? He's in league with the vampire who is after Meryl?"
Nodding, Vash replied, "He's a henchman, and a dangerous one at that."
The taller woman was about to voice another question when Meryl cut in, "So, what's his name? Who is he and what does he want??"
Blinking slightly at the petite woman, the blonde's brow creased slightly, "His name is Knives." He paused slightly before continuing, "He's the ruler of Purebrood, son of Lord and Lady Saverem and wants nothing more than to kill every human on the planet."
That caught her attention. Meryl's head snapped up, and her smoky eyes settled on the half-blood across the room. She stared.
Saverem…?
She watched the man carefully as Milly went on to ask another question. He betrayed no sign that he had made some sort of mistake when he mentioned Lord and Lady Saverem.
Saverem…
Where had she heard that before…?
It sounded so familiar…
"—Isn't that right, sempai?" Milly's cherry voice interrupted her thoughts.
Blinking rapidly, Meryl focused on her partner, "Pardon? Sorry, I didn't hear you, Milly."
Unfazed, Milly repeated, "I said, I think it's a little late, and we should have dinner before it gets too dark out and Mr, Priest and me have to leave, right sempai?" she waited patiently for her partner's answer.
Meryl glanced outside. Her partner was right. It was dark once again, but the sky looked clear enough.
It wasn't going to rain tonight.
"Okay, Milly, it sounds like a good idea." Her smoky grey eyes trailed over to the half-blood, who was now staring absently into the fire, "Vash can tell us more in the morning, right, Mr.Vash?" she put an emphasis on the Mr and watched at the blonde glanced up, startled from his daze.
Briefly, their eyes met before the blonde glanced away again.
"Sure." The vampire said.
Nodding and not noticing anything unusual, Milly stood up, "I'll make up some spaghetti and warm up that sauce from a few nights ago, sempai." She turned to Wolfwood, "Would you help me, Mr. Priest?"
Nodding absently, Wolfwood filed out of the room with Vash in tow.
He had watched the whole discussion, digested the information and rolled it over in his head.
Then he had come to a conclusion: Vash was obviously hiding something. He was probably lying, too.
Although he didn't know the reason, he was sure the blonde had good motivation for it.
Vash didn't seem like the deceptive type, and the priest doubted he could do evil even if he tried.
And he hadn't missed Meryl's startled look after Vash had stated whom vampire's parents were, what his name was and what he wanted to accomplish.
Wonder what's got the short girl so tensed up… Wolfwood thought absently and followed Milly into the kitchen.
--
--Cayenne Pepper Powder