DISCLAIMER: Trigun and its characters belong to Yasuhiro Nightow.
You're Invited
"They what?!"
"I'm sorry, Meryl, I really am," sobbed her coworker Karen into the phone. "I was so excited over your news that I blabbed and the Chief found out, and he just blew his stack! He was stomping all around yelling about conflict of interest, and this is completely unethical, then he went in his office and slammed the door and the next thing I heard was, 'Meryl Stryfe and Milly Thonpson are fired!'"
"But they can't fire us!" Meryl protested. "Who does the Chief think has been keeping Broom-head here from going around causing wanton destruction?"
"Stop calling me that!" Vash protested in the background.
Meryl threw a donut at him. "Will you shut up? I'm on the phone!"
"Broom-head?" Karen queried.
"Vash," Meryl explained. "He likes it when I call him Broom-head."
"I do not!"
"How did you ever fall in love with such a dangerous man, anyway?" Karen wanted to know.
"He's not really that dangerous. Well, yes, he can be. But he…he's more…he would never…when I look at him, he's just my Vash," was the best Meryl could explain it.
"Well, I'll try to be happy for you," her friend said. "But the facts remain, the Chief knows you're involved with Vash the Stampede, and you're both fired."
"You know, I always thought he was a smart man, but now I see he's just a dolt," Meryl seethed. "You tell him he's not invited to the wedding!" She slammed the phone down.
She turned around to get Vash – and saw the whole post office staring at her.
"What the hell are you all looking at?" she demanded. "It's not my fault this is the only phone in town. Mind your business!"
When Meryl commanded, people obeyed. The post office bustled back to business as usual.
"Vash, let's go!"
"Sure thing," Vash said, munching on the donut she'd thrown at him.
He waited until they got home to ask. "What's the matter?"
She whirled on him and pointed. "I'll tell you what's the matter!" she huffed. "Milly and I have been fired."
"What? But they can't do that!"
Meryl crossed her arms and snorted. "That's what I thought, but apparently they can. It seems the company can say who I can and can't love."
"The hell they can!" Vash went to the closet and took out something he thought he'd never wear again – his red duster.
"And just what do you think you're doing?" Meryl asked as he put it on and strapped on his holster.
He smiled devilishly, the hint of trouble in his eyes. "We're getting married. I'm going to go give your boss an invitation."