So this was how it was going to be.
She figured there was only one place on the entire planet that would have even a fraction of the equipment and old technology needed to contain Knives. She tried to pay attention as he outlined his plan, but she couldn't understand how fast Vash's demeanor had changed. Last night, he'd been a completely useless wreck. Today he was as go-get-em as anybody could imagine. Sure, she'd grown used to the mood swings, but when she actually stopped for a moment and thought about it, he really was a puzzle.
She watched him while he talked. He had established a communication link with the fallen SEEDS ship via his pen/radio doohickey. He'd gone to the pharmacy and gotten all the sedatives they had in stock. It would last them just over two weeks. It would normally take them 3 to get to the ship, so they needed to drive in shifts, driving all 24 hours in each and every day. No other towns were even remotely close to New Oregon, so they'd have to make it work with the supplies they had.
"Cutting it close." That was a much more fitting motto for Vash than "love and peace."
He spoke in calm, confident tones, with words that almost had her convinced that last night's episode had all been a dream. But when he suddenly looked over at her, she saw the uncertain glance he gave her, and realized this was a long way from over. She looked over at Milly. If that girl had any doubts in her head, they weren't showing up on her face. She sighed quietly. She hoped that the doctor aboard the ship would have a better idea of how to contain Knives than his brother did.
He asked if they wanted to accompany him. This was more for Milly's benefit than anybody else's. He knew they were going to come along, whether they wanted to or not.
After the conversation, Vash said he had toclose the dealon the truck he'd bought that morning. Meryl watched him walk out of the house with little more than an inaudible sigh, and then went straight to packing. The group was accustomed to picking up at a moment's notice. Hell, Vash himself lived out of one duffle bag. Milly took care of getting Knives ready for the trip. She had picked up basic veterinary skills at her farm and was quite handy with a syringe. Meryl busied herself with organizing the hallway. There had to be a more systematic approach to packing besides dumping everything she was going to need onto the floor. Organizing things put her in a trance-like state. As long as she had a variety of small tasks to carry out, she felt like she could maintain her sanity.
She quickly packed her pink suitcase. She laid out all the bed rolls, dusters, and goggles they would need. She picked up a spare duffle bag and rummaged through the kitchen. She pulled out 3 sets of eating utensils, a pot, a skillet, all the non-perishable food they had (which was mostly pudding), some bowls, three cups, a cutting board and two kitchen knives. She put everything but the cans, skillet and cutting board into the pot, and placed all the items in the bag. She set the bag by the door. She got a small overnight bag and went into the bathroom. She noticed all of Vash's things were already packed. She grabbed some toiletries and her hairbrush and left the room. She put that bag inside her suitcase. She attached her type writer to her suitcase. She grabbed all the canteens and went to the sink. She filled each of the 6 individual canteens with water. She capped them and put them by the door. The big water tanks were outside. She'd have to fill those in the bathtub.
She hauled the four big water tanks inside. She put one under the faucet and filled it to the top. She capped it and struggled to move it out of the way. She put another one under the faucet and repeated the process. She managed to squeeze the third one into the bathtub. She filled it and capped it. Three full...and no more room for the fourth. She tried to lift one of the tanks out of the bathtub, but gravity was defying her. She stood on the rim of the tub and tried to get more leverage, but it was no use. She was getting frustrated. She wiped her arm across her forehead and just as she was about to give the laws of physics what for, she heard an amused chuckle behind her. She turned quickly to see a smiling Vash behind her.
"Hey, those are almost as big as you are. Let me give you a hand." He walked in and easily picked up two of the tanks.
She watched him as he left the room and put the tanks by the door. Her trance was broken. She was back to thinking about the utter destruction of the entirety of the human race on this little planet and the manic mood swings of one Vash T. Stampede. Without thinking about the task, she put the last of the tanks under the tub faucet and started filling it up. Vash walked back in. He looked at her downcast face.
"Meryl...something wrong?" he questioned as he went down for the third tank. She looked up at him.
"Do you..." Do you know what you're doing? Do you think you can keep Knives from killing everybody? Do you really have a plan? Do you... She couldn't finish the sentence.
"Do I...what?" He looked down at her questioningly
She shook her head quickly. "Do you...think this is going to be enough water?" Ugh...what a dumb question.
Vash laughed, seemingly relieved. "Yeah, I think this'll be enough." She looked back down at the tub, turned the faucet off, and capped the last tank. She felt a strong hand patting her back. "Hey...um...don't worry about it. You're doing a...um...a great job."
She started blushing. She kept staring down. "...Thanks...I...just feel bad leaving the house with so much stuff still in it." WHAT? In all honesty, they were taking almost everything they owned. They'd left several houses in pieces, in ruins, and even on fire. This landlord was getting off pretty easy by stampede standards.
He picked up the two remaining tanks. "Well, I'm sure it's fine. Come on. I thinkwe're ready to go."
"Yeah, ok. I'll be right out," she said without looking at him. It was funny how the idea of inevitable doom could destroy any kind of romantic thought in her brain, but just one innocent pat on the back could bring it all to mind again. She splashed some water on her face to cool her cheeks and then left the room.
After Vash imposed an official mandatory "potty break" for everyone (what a goof), he and Milly finished packing the car and got Knives into the bed of the truck. Meryl took a moment to look around the town. She saw people living their lives, kids playing in the street. This town was full of life. She wondered if this would be the last time she'd ever set eyes on a town again.
She felt a light tap on the shoulder. She turned around. It was Vash. He scratched the back of his head.
"Are you ready to go?"
She looked around her one more time. "As ready as I'll ever be." She turned to walk to the car, but he stopped her.
"Hey, I actually...um...got you something while I was running errands this morning." He pulled a package out from behind his back and handed it to her. "I hope you don't mind."
Her eyes got wide. "For me?" She took the package. It was heavy!
He kept scratching his head, embarrassed. "It might not be your style, but hopefully it suits you."
She looked at the package, and then at him one more time, and then tore into the paper surrounding the box. She popped the lid off of the box, trying to contain her excitement. When she saw what was inside, her heart sank a little, but she managed not to drop the box. She couldn't stop the sarcasm. "Gee, Vash, you sure know how to make a girl feel special..."
He laughed a little, "I know you're used to the derringers, but I saw this, and we're going through some prettydangerous terrain, and I just thought it might be easier to reload a gun with a magazine instead of having to deal with all those little guns. You know what I mean, Meryl?"
She looked at him when he said her name.
He continued. "I'm going to need some backup, and you're the only person for the job."
She smiled at him, and regarded her present with newfound respect.