Vash stared at the jello, speechless. His mind seemed to be cramped and time stopped around him until he was awakened by another voice.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Vash! Fancy meeting you here!" Millie chirped, making her way over to the dessert table. She had a plate full of parfait and a piece of chocolate cake in her hands.
"Is Meryl here too?" Millie asked.
Wolfwood stared at the outlaw, who was still silent. "Hey, I told you I was keeping an eye on you." He said, picking up a fork from a little box next to the jello.
"What are you guys doing here?" Vash finally spoke.
Wolfwood smirked. He had guessed correctly. Judging by the hint of hysteria in Vash's voice, the outlaw had still refused to kiss the small insurance girl.
"Well, you see," Wolfwood started, waving the fork around like a conductor. "I was thinking about it, and what better place to get donations than at a high school reunion where everyone is trying to outdo each other." He nodded to the small confessional tucked under his arm.
Vash wasn't buying it, Wolfwood could tell by the down fallen expression stamped on his face, his mouth hanging slightly open.
"And I couldn't resist watching the jello; it looks so delicious, I wanted to make sure someone like you could enjoy the richness of its flavor." He gave Vash an over extended smile and scooped a clump of gelatin into his mouth. "MMMM…mmmmm… mmmm!"
Millie looked over at Wolfwood. "Gosh, Mr. Priest, you sure make that jello sound good." She then examined her own plate in serious consideration, trying to find a way to fit something else onto its surface. Maybe if she pushed some of the parfait over to the edge of the plate a space would emerge, but even then she would have to deal with the residue left behind.
Wolfwood glanced up at the outlaw. Vash was white. The Priest picked up another utensil from the little box and placed it on Vash's plate.
"Better have a taste before the night's over." He said, and then casually sauntered away, asking random graduates for donations and confessions.
Panic began to close in on Vash. He looked down at the wiggling jello. Its glossy surface reflected his eyes, tainted red. At once he dropped the plate on the table like it was something contaminated and diseased. He glanced at Meryl who was still near the vegetable table, oblivious.
And that's when it hit him.
With speed he rushed up through the stream of people to reach her, taking care not to bump into a single person. When he was finally next to the insurance girl, he gripped her shoulder. Meryl spun around and then looked relieved.
"Oh, you scared me I thought you were Travis," she stated with distaste. She looked back up at Vash. He looked oddly serious, as if he was preparing to go to a battle front. That look coming from an outlaw was nothing to feel relaxed about.
"Meryl, I need to talk to you," he said urgently.
"What's wrong?" She asked, staring into his determined eyes searching for an answer.
Without another word, he grabbed her arm and pulled her away in a rush. His tight grip made Meryl nervous. What was going on? What happened? Her heart sank. Someone must have found out he was Vash the Stampede!
He pulled her outside the busy room and down a hall, his eyes glancing at doors wildly. Why hadn't he thought of it before? Of course, the solution to his dilemma was so simple! It would be an awkward situation, but not as awkward as kissing her. He shook his head. That Priest had been so confident that his intimidation had stunted Vash's problem-solving skills. All he needed to do was to tell Meryl everything! She could play along and then the Priest would be off his back in no time!
….
Wolfwood sat down at a circular table next to Millie. He took another bite of jello and let Vash's last expression roll over in his mind. By the end of the night, Meryl would be confessing her long lasting love of Vash the Stampede, and heck, she may even leave a donation, Wolfwood thought. His eyes rested on the little confessional propped up in the center of their table. He had purposely made it conspicuous to the eye.
"Oh hey!" A loud voice interrupted his thoughts. A hand hit him on the back with a thump, making him choke on jello. He sputtered for a moment, but the individual took no notice, instead she began talking a hundred miles an hour.
"I'm so glad we have a priest in our class! I had no idea you would ever become one. Didn't you spend most your time with Landen and Trent? I knew you three were the best of friends. My friends are all here tonight, we still get together every so often. But I'm sure you guys do too. Oh my gosh! Isn't the jello just delicious tonight? I had a helping myself, even though…"
Wolfwood stared at her. Clearly this woman had mistaken him for someone else. He wasn't surprised though, after all the friendly faces he put on to try and get donations. Half of the people in here had thought him to be their classmate.
Someone who looked important was standing in front of a podium now, adjusting the microphone. Wolfwood glanced over at the woman, but she took no notice and continued talking faster than the Priest could comprehend. Her words jumbled spastically in his ear. Subconsciously he picked up a few here and there, but was unable to string them together in a relevant order.
The man standing in front of everyone had on a deep blue business suit and was beginning to bald. His red powerful tie looked expensive and up to date. He adjusted the microphone once more and began to speak. Slowly, the room fell silent and old classmates began to make themselves comfortable for the speech. Only one person was talking now besides the man, the woman standing next to Wolfwood and Millie. She took no notice of the sudden quiet atmosphere and continued on at top speed loudly.
Finally the short plump man next to her nudged her shoulder and brought her back to reality.
"Oops," she said. "I'll talk to you later, Taylor!" And she trotted her way to an empty chair, the man slinking behind.
Wolfwood sighed and took another bite of jello. His eyes glanced lazily around the room while the man before them seemed to drone on about something to do with all these people around him. His words were meaningless to the Priest, but Millie looked quite interested as she stared politely.
Wolfwood's eyes stopped at a door exiting the area. Wait a minute… his eyes scanned the people in detail. People with brown hair, black hair, blue eyes, brown eyes, mustaches, and necklaces crowded the room, all listening to the man before them save for the few spouses who looked irritated. His eyes halted at the door again.
They're gone… grrr! With a flick of his wrist, he stabbed his fork into the red gelatin. That sneaky Needle Noggin!
"Come on, Hun," he said to Millie, standing up. "Our target has disappeared."
….
"Vash, what are you doing?" Meryl asked.
Finally, the outlaw stopped at a door labeled custodian closet, swung it open and pulled Meryl inside. The little room smelled strongly of cleaning solution, brooms were resting on the north wall, a rolling grey trashcan was backed in the corner, and a shelf full of bottles and containers was mounted just above Meryl's head. Meryl heard a fly buzzing contentedly around the room when Vash flipped on the light. The bulb was a low wattage, lighting the room up gloomily with a taint of frosted yellow. Her eyes slowly adjusted and Vash shut the door behind them.
"Meryl, I need to tell you something," Vash said. The dim illumination made him look livid and even more urgent. "You know how Wolfwood has been acting lately?"
"Yeah…" Meryl said slowly.
"I think a lot of it is all because of this stupid bet we made a while back."
Yes, Meryl remembered hearing them discuss something of the sort through the paper thin walls of that cheap hotel. But why was he telling her this now?
….
Wolfwood and Millie were wandering the hall just outside the commons. Keen with his senses, the Priest scanned the area. They prowled lightly down the corridor, stopping every so often so Wolfwood could put his ear up to a door and listen for voices. He examined a classroom entrance curiously. Was it possible that the needle noggin was getting more than his serving of jello? He doubted it. The outlaw was having a hard time stomaching the stuff as it was, unless the short insurance girl had-
Thump.
The Priest's eyes peeled away from the classroom and rested on a little door further down the hall.
….
Meryl picked up the broom and repositioned it against the wall with its relatives. This closet was so petite that it was difficult not to bump into anything. If she wasn't careful, she would probably knock all the brooms to the ground.
….
Stealthily, Wolfwood led Millie to the door. The frame was an entrance to a little closet originally made for janitors. This time, however, Wolfwood knew by the voices that it was currently housing an outlaw and insurance girl.
The Priest froze. Millie, following his lead, listened intently to the words.
….
Meryl broke her eyes away from the brooms and returned them to the gunman before her, who was still looking distressed.
"Well," Vash continued at a quick pace. He shot a glance at the door. "In order for me to get to Marington I had to ride with Wolfwood. Meryl, he only let me go under one condition and now he won't get off my back until I fulfill my part. And…" He glanced at the door again. Meryl followed his stare curiously. "I need your help."
For being so imperative, the outlaw stopped abruptly, eyes still lingering on the door.
Meryl looked back at him. His eyes looked dark green in the faint light, and she could see the door reflected in them tensely.
"What do you-" Meryl began, but stopped as Vash brought his index finger to his lips, signaling her to stay quiet. Silence overlapped them.
….
Darn that idiot! Wolfwood thought in the still air. Darn him for being an outlaw with $$60 billion on his head! He gripped Millie's hand. Vash was far too sharp for his own good.
….
What in the world was going on? Meryl wondered. She was stuffed in a broom closet with an outlaw pretending to be a doctor when they should be over with all her other classmates! But Vash looked so serious. Someone was listening to them. Should she be worried? Was someone after them? She wondered again.
Vash's eyes were locked; he stood up right and frozen.
Then all at once the silver door knob twisted and the door burst open revealing a joyful Priest and Millie, who were uncomfortably close to one another.
Wolfwood laughed. "Woops! Sorry, Hun, looks like this place has already been taken!"
Meryl glared at him as he weaved his fingers through Millie's, laughing like an idiot. What the heck were they doing here? Had the Priest threatened to reveal Vash to the world if he hadn't done his part? And how did they get inside the school? That Priest always had to ruin everything!
Wolfwood's eyes found Meryl and he quickly looked away.
"Ah! Vash!" He said as if he had only just noticed the outlaw. "Just the person I needed to talk to!" The Priest wandered his way from Millie to the gunman. He swung his arm around Vash in a brotherly fashion. Disappointed, Vash looked longingly at Meryl.
"Hun, I'm going to have a little man to man talk with our good friend here. Why don't you and Meryl save us some seats?" Wolfwood ask casually.
Meryl raised an eyebrow. "Wolfwood," she began, "are you drunk?"
The Priest looked at her seriously. "No, I just need to talk to Needle Noggin," he answered. Moving away from Vash, he sent Meryl out the door with one friendly push, while Millie followed behind. Another hateful glare was thrown in Wolfwood's direction by the short insurance girl. And in return, Wolfwood simply smiled and waved them a goodbye.
"Save the seats in the front!" He said as the two departed. He sighed and began closing the door. The moment it shut, he rounded on the outlaw and transformed into a hellish demon. Vash could have sworn he saw the flames of damnation raging in Wolfwood's dark eyes.
"You idiot!" He raged, grabbing Vash's collar. "What were you thinking!" He shook the outlaw fiercely. "You sneaky-! You can't tell Meryl that would ruin everything!"
Vash looked up at the Priest with inferiority. How much longer would it be before he met his maker?
Wolfwood gradually let go of his shirt, struggling to refrain from strangling the outlaw. Spikey was one of the few who really knew how to set him off. Even when he was doing what was right a dark side of the Priest loathed him and his perfectly good nature.
The collar of Vash's new shirt was now crumbled and creased. Wolfwood's fingernails had left an imprint in the fabric. Wrinkles were prone to take over.
This priest is going to murder me one of these days… Vash thought, staring into those angry dark eyes.
"Listen, Spikey," Wolfwood said tensely. "Did you ever think that maybe Meryl would feel offended or depressed that you didn't want to kiss her?!"
Vash blinked in response.
"If she does like you, and I'm sure she does, than you would ruin all possible opportunities to ever touch those luscious lips!" He continued. "Did it ever occur to you that she might want that moment? How could you even think of breaking the innocent heart of a woman?" Wolfwood asked.
Vash was looking very irritated now. "I know I promised to do this," he said, "and I'm thankful for the ride- while it lasted- but I can't go through! This day has been blown horribly out of proportion, especially since you came bounding in here looking for amusement. This isn't some game!"
"Precisely! So stop beating around the bush and get to the job!" Wolfwood snapped.
They stared at each other in the dim light with distaste, eyes hard and lips pressed thin. Vash could hear the fly buzzing around in the corner near the trash can and he suddenly felt tempted to push Wolfwood into the garbage so that the insect could have some company.
"She doesn't like me," Vash finally said, breaking the heavy silence. "At least not like that. She's spent all day trying to get me to be someone else- telling me how to act, she yelled at me and even poured a huge bucket of water on me! If that doesn't tell you something than I don't know what does."
Wolfwood's reaction took Vash by surprise. The Priest looked aggravated with him, as if he could help what Meryl felt for him.
"Spikey…" he sighed in dismay. "She was flirting with you! What did you do? Did you guys get in a water fight?"
"What? No! I fixed my hair!" Vash answered defensively.
Wolfwood looked like Vash had just told him the apocalypse had arrived. "You fixed your hair?" He asked in disbelief. "Oh, Vash, what were you thinking? Clearly she was playing with you. You shouldn't have taken it so seriously!"
"You would have taken it seriously too if you had seen the death glare she gave me." Vash growled.
Wolfwood let out another exasperated sigh. "The outlaw of the century and he can't even do a little flirting." He made a self note.
"She wasn't flirting. She's been really stressed today," Vash looked away towards the door.
"Okay, Spikey," Wolfwood said intently. "You still have a chance, the reunion isn't over."
Vash's eyes widened. "What are you talking about? I can't kiss her! Not only would she be completely appalled, but I'm really rather rusty at this stuff." He blushed slightly, hardly visible in the dim light. "I actually went for it today, and she was completely confused with me. Wolfwood, I was heading in the wrong direction!" Vash cried out, beginning to sound hysterical.
"Oh…" was all he said and then raised an eyebrow at Vash. Again they stared in silence, Vash's eyes darting away from him until Wolfwood clapped his hands together. "Oh, don't worry about it, you'll be fine! Just make sure to put your hands on her jaw line, that way you won't be able to miss." He said. "Now when you find the next moment, don't listen to any of those self defeating thoughts and just do it! Heck, Spikey, are you an outlaw or not?"
"I'd prefer not, actually." Vash admitted, sounding depressed.
"Fine! Are you a man or not?" Wolfwood demanded with new euphoria. "You've stopped countless villains without a single bullet, what girl wouldn't want you?"
Vash kept his thoughts to himself this time. In all truth, he could think of plenty who wouldn't.
"Don't you feel that fire burning inside you?" Wolfwood asked. "That sense of manhood? Where you would do anything for the woman you loved? It's in there Spikey, I've seen it when you've rescued damsels in distress." The Priest was pacing now, like he was delivering a pep talk for a sports team about to go on the field. He used his hands to portray his thoughts and emotion leaked from his words. "Don't you want to love her? To hold her close and never let her go? What kind of man are you? Are you just going to let another woman get away without your consent? Take control Spikey! Show them how you really feel! It's not about whether she likes you or not, it's about letting her know you like her!"
He fell silent, checking to see if his speech had helped the Needle Noggin with his nerves. Vash looked slightly more lively and strong-minded.
"Do you wear that red coat just for looks or is it not the flag of determination?" The Priest growled.
"Determination," the outlaw whispered.
"So inhale the masculinity in your bones and go get her!"
Vash took a deep breath and then stared at the Priest. The air deflated out his lungs and suddenly his developed pride began to diminish. Doubt began to wash over his eyes again. What would Meryl do?
"HELP!" A piercing scream slashed through their silence. "SOMEONE HELP!"
Wolfwood and Vash's previous thoughts vanished from their minds. What was going on?
"We need a doctor!" Another voice echoed through the hall. "IS THERE A DOCTOR HERE?"
The Priest's eyes darted to Vash's. Before the outlaw could move an inch, Wolfwood had grabbed his shoulders, digging his nails into his flesh. With one swift gesture he pushed the outlaw through the door.
"Over here!" Wolfwood yelled. "The doctor's over here!"
Vash's face went white and his eyes landed on the Priest with panic. What had he gotten him into?