TriStamp role swap AU mock chapter
Here’s also the bit of fanfic I wrote in a daze yesterday. Mind you, I wrote most of this in one go, half asleep and re-read it maybe once. Might feel a bit weirdly paced but whatever:
Jeneora Rock n’ Roll!
Meryl considered herself a kind person. No nonsense and sometimes a bit short-tempered, but always willing to lend a helping hand. She was no criminal, that’s for sure.
Was she currently looking down at a wanted poster of herself? Unfortunately, yes, she was.
Meryl glowered at what she could only describe as a crude caricature of herself. She was a woman short of stature, with big blue eyes and slim body, most of the time covered by a wide cloak and covered in sand. Intimidating wasn’t how she would describe herself. The offending image on the poster was of a tall, busty woman who’s chest showed even from behind her coat flaps, her long face staring back with a sultry look.
A grumble rippled through Meryl’s throat and she had to take a big gulp of her beer just to stop herself from letting out a string of profanities. She’d been on the run for years now and everytime a new iteration of the “Sexy Typhoon” found its way between her hands, she was reminded why she had been as successful as she was with avoiding authorities. Except for the similar haircut and the rather faithful coat, this caricature didn’t look like her at all.
It wasn’t even like she was an actual criminal! She had just been at the wrong place, at the wrong time and suddenly there was a 6 million $$ bounty on her head and a string of disastrous luck to follow.
Meryl’s hands gripped the paper just a bit tighter, a lump forming in her throat at the memory. It hadn’t been her fault, she hadn’t been the one to destroy a whole town. Yet, just thinking back on that day, if she just hadn’t…
“Vash!”
Shoulders jerking up in surprise, Meryl snapped her gaze towards the bar’s entrance. The previously rather rude bar lady had switched her frown into a blooming smile, her face almost glowing from the pure happiness on her face. The recipient of that outburst was a tall, lanky man in a bright red coat and a mop of shiny blonde hair. In fact, the whole bar had gone into an uproar as soon as the men had entered, cheerful welcomes and many excited shouts making the man fluster.
Meryl just raised her brow. The townsfolk of Jeneora Rock were your typical, doubtful bunch. With two Plants of their own, they were no strangers to gangs and thieves trying to infiltrate the city, but they were grouchy and insane enough to fight back on their own. That was also why they usually showed any strangers the cold shoulder, as Meryl had graciously experienced herself.
Seeing them this jovial and happy about another person sure was strange. For cautiousness’ sake, she turned her eyes back to the paper in her hands, but she perked her ears for any snippet of information that she could gather.
From the short look she had gotten of him, the man – presumably Vash – must have some official function. He wore bright orange glasses on the top of his head, a pen tucked behind one ear, an earring on the other. Despite the mass of people blocking him, she had caught some kind of badge or pass hanging from his neck and vanishing in a pocket by his chest. He looked too young and loose to be a Plant engineer and also not rough or conniving enough for a sheriff or mayor. Not that the people of Jeneora Rock would take kindly to someone like that in the first place.
She strained her ear to catch more of the conversation. Something about him saving the town? No, him reporting about the town? Wait, now there was discussion about the Plant-
Meryl snapped her eyes downwards, not having realized her gaze had travelled back to the entrance. The bar lady and this Vash figure had moved to the counter, the crowd now dispersed. She had to be more careful, she was trying to keep a low profile after all. No need to appear as if she was spying on strangers.
Eyes now focusing back on the offending poster in front of her, Meryl frowned all over again.
“Why even “Meryl the Stampede”? Doesn’t roll of the tongue…”
“I agree. Not to mention, that doesn’t even look like you.”
Meryl’s whole body tensed, her breath seizing all together. There was an unknown voice right by her ear and she had not even noticed the person approach. Cautiously, she turned her eyes sidewards, only to be met with bright aquamarine staring back at her.
It was the man from the entrance, Vash.
He smiled cheerily at her and, without even asking, took the seat next to hers. Only then did it hit her what he had even said.
Her wide-eyed stare narrowed down to a severe frown.
“Who are you?”
Vash backpaddled, his smile morphing to a flat line and his hands flying up in a surrendering gesture.
“Woah, scary! They really don’t do the real thing justice.”
Meryl’s brow twitched. Not only did this weird man apparently know her true identity, but he even had the gall to make fun of her. She was no fool, despite the placating look she could see the corner of his mouth twitch upwards.
As she decided to keep quiet, the man in red popped open an eye to look at her. Something under Meryl’s skin bristled. Despite his approachable appearance, there was something sharp behind those eyes, something a lot more serious and dangerous than what his dopey smile presented.
He left her no time to ponder on this realisation as his stare suddenly turned into a 1000-Watts smile, sending Meryl reeling, and a hand entered her space.
“You can call me Vash! I’m a freelance reporter turned newbie at the Bernadelli news agency!”
Meryl quirked a brow.
“Isn’t that kind of backwards?”
Vash only laughed sheepishly and Meryl found herself slowly shaking his hand. Before he could take his back, however, she tightened her grip and fixed him with a look that she hoped was as threatening and she had planned.
“Well, Vash, it seems I don’t have to introduce myself.”
Her grip tightened to a painful degree.
“How do you know?”
Vash, apparently not affected by his fingers bending in an unnatural angle, just questioningly tipped his head to the side.
“Aren’t you literally the most wanted criminal on all of Noman’s Land?”
She barely left him enough time to finish the sentence before slapping both her hands onto his mouth. As subtly as possible she raked a quick look over the bar in apprehension someone might have heard. Thankfully, the drunkards and poker players were too absorbed into their groups to pay them any mind.
Meryl sighed heavily before glaring back at the reporter who patiently waited for her to free his lips. She tightened her jaw. This guy was dangerous. Infuriating, but dangerous. Having a reporter here who knew who she truly was really was just another entry on her long list of unlucky situations she found herself in. She could also not read this guy at all. He was all smiles and lax attitude, but it had been him who had approached with intent. Her brow furrowed.
“Listen here, you little-“
A glass was slammed onto the table, her own half empty beer wobbling dangerously. Twin stares shot up to meet the angry look of the bar lady. Meryl noted that that fury was only directed at her.
“I do not take kindly to roughhousing in my bar.”
Her voice was deep and grouchy, had Meryl been anyone else she might have shrunk under that glare. But she stared back defiantly, ending in a glaring match with the barkeep. She felt something squirm beneath her hands, which made the other woman snap her eyes towards her involuntary companion.
“Do you know her, Vash? Depending on your answer, I might have to react differently.”
Meryl did not miss the underlying threat, neither did Vash, apparently. He sprung back from her hands, only to encircle her shoulders with a long, lanky arm. Meryl was tugged in and crushed to his side, his loud laughter booming.
“Oh, Rosa, calm down! Everything’s fine!”
His laugh was shrill in her ears and she was already starting to jab her elbow into his ribs. His grip only tightened.
“She’s actually an old college buddy of mine! Remember, I told you about my time at November university.”
Meryl felt the blood drain from her face. There was no way he could know, this had to be a lucky guess. Yes, of course, there were a handful of universities to go around, he had to just have chosen November on accident. There was no way he knew that she-
Another wave of Vash’ fake sounding laughter brought her out of her second-long panic. He was jostling her whole body from side to side and, looking up, she saw that he was staring down at her with an insistent gaze. She frowned, annoyed, and turned back to the bar lady. Rosa was eyeing them suspiciously for a while before a sigh left her. She did not look convinced at all, but she had seemingly given up.
“Fine, I’ll let it go. I hate how you always get yourself in trouble, but I hope you know what’s best for you, Vash.”
With another grumble, she put down a second glass of water, this time in front of Meryl. An uneasy feeling bloomed deep in her stomach as she took in the brown liquid presented before her.
“Sorry ‘bout the dirty water, our water production Plant is malfunctioning.”
Meryl was surprised at the sincere apology. It made sense, however, once she realized it was directed towards Vash. The reporter had a worried knit in his brow as he swirled the brown liquid in its cup. Rosa tapped nervously on her tray.
“We’re buyin’ what we can from a neighbouring town, but there’s just not ‘nough to go around.”
“Maybe I can do something.”
Rosa and Vash jerked their heads towards her. The malfunctioning Plant was no surprise to Meryl. In fact, it was exactly the reason why she was here in the first place. And now she had the perfect opportunity to get close to it. She threw Rosa a look.
“I’m actually a Plant engineer.”
The bar lady rose a disbelieving brow.
“A plant engineer? Didn’t you say she went to your university?”
The question was posed to the reporter next to her, though he could only look back at Rosa with bewilderment. Meryl scoffed.
“Yeah, and? We had different majors. Didn’t know you countryfolk were this uneducated…”
A crude remark, one she slipped out with practiced ease despite the sour taste in her mouth. If there was anything she had quickly learnt in the wild west of Noman’s land, it was that getting townsfolk riled up is the quickest way to get what she wanted. Once they were too emotional to think straight, it was easier to manipulate the conversation in a way she wanted. Even if she hated doing it.
Rosa squared her shoulders at the jab, growl coming from deep within her throat. Vash had shot up, placating hands waving from Rosa to Meryl and back and effectively doing nothing to calm the situation. Meryl also rose from her seat, albeit slowly and with purpose.
“Want me to help you or not?”
Her tone was cold and annoyed and she turned up her nose just slightly. Rosa immediately bristled, but despite her flared nostrils, her glare grew suspicious.
“How can we trust you?”
Meryl clicked her tongue. Rosa was a smart one, she would give her that, not falling for her spiel. Meryl tried not to let her disappointment show, instead she just waved her arms across her form.
“What do you think I’ll do, steal it? If you remember, I quite literally crawled in her on all fours with nothing but this cloak on my back.”
She heard something that sounded suspiciously like a snort from her side.
Rosa kept staring.
“Alright. Then what do you want? We don’t really have the money to pay you.”
Must have been the truth considering the bitter tone to Rosa’s voice. At least she had the barkeep hooked, now she just needed the perfect argument to get her on her side fully. This was not the first time being in this situation, and despite no one ever believing her, Meryl usually asked for nothing. The reason, of course, was simple: She wasn’t really an engineer. She had witnessed Plant maintenance up close often enough to maybe fix small issues, but if a Plant malfunctioned badly enough to the point of leaving water brown, she probably could do nothing. Not that it mattered, she was here for her own interests after all.
Trying another tactic than just stubbornly glaring at each other, Meryl let herself deflate with an almost pathetic whine, evidently catching Rosa off guard.
“Honestly?” she mumbled, “if I just get a hot meal and warm bath out of this, then it’s on the house.”
Rosa now stared at her with a comedic mix of disbelief, confusion and suspicion. The way her eyes raked over Meryl’s face betrayed her inner conflict and Meryl could basically feel the tension thickening in the air.
You could hear a needle drop.
Instead, something loud and metallic clatter on the table, both women jerking from the sudden interruption. Vash chuckled.
“Tonis! Are these the new pets you wanted to show me?”
Meryl’s eyes inched sideways towards the intruder, only to stare back at unblinking, bulging green eyes. They were buzzing.
A startled squeal escaped her and she swore she almost jumped her own height off the ground. Meryl scrambled away from the caged insects, somehow ending up behind Vash and gripping his shoulders for dear life. Through her panic she noted that one of his shoulders was a lot harder than the other, unnaturally so. It ended as a passing thought, however, as she ducked behind his back once the Worms started buzzing loudly.
Rosa, for one long moment, just stared in disbelief, cogs only slowly turning behind her eyes. It was only when Vash and Tonis shared a hearty laugh that her frown fell back into place.
“Tonis! How often have I told you not to bring those inside!”
The culprit – a young boy with reddish hair and a missing tooth – squealed at Rosa’s bellow. Vash laughed at their antics and let himself be tugged out the bar by the kid. Once they left, both women let out a heavy sigh, Meryl’s full of relieve while Rosa’s was grave.
Their eyes met again and Meryl could tell something in her gaze had changed. The barkeep was sizing her up again, but Meryl could watch her defiant expression slowly breaking. In the end, another deep exhale left Rosa and she turned fully towards Meryl.
“Alright. If you are offering, I’d be a fool to decline. Give me a minute and I’ll show you the way.”
A small, triumphant smile snuck onto Meryl’s lips as she watched the bar lady go.
---
No matter how often she came across the big, metal doors leading towards a Plant chamber, Meryl always found herself in awe. The structure was gigantic and it seemed almost silly something this big could open by itself. Well, almost.
Meryl watched with a sympathetic quirk to her brow as two men were struggling with a lever by the gate. It groaned heavily and once they managed to flip it, the big metal door crawled at an agonizingly slow place.
Rosa, to her left, gave a sigh. Vash, to her right, chuckled good naturedly. Meryl threw him a look.
“Why are you here?”
Despite her curt tone, the lanky reporter only grinned down at her.
Now up close, Meryl could tell his profession more clearly. She had indeed caught a badge hanging from his neck, now fully taken from his neck and stuffed in his breast pocket. His other two pockets were bulging with the notepads and instant cameras he had squished inside.
What also immediately sprang to attention was the ridiculous gun at his thigh. This was no small self-defence weapon, this was a proper firearm that looked suspiciously like lost technology. What reporter had any business carrying something like that around?
Vash cringed slightly under her piercing stare.
“Why, I’m here to report, of course!”
As if to emphasize his statement, he fished out his camera from one of his pockets. Or at least, tried to as its cord got stuck and he ended up lifting half his coat.
Meryl just kept staring.
Vash chuckled nervously, before dropping his shoulders in a whine.
“I really have to get a scoop here, you know! Or my senior is going to have my neck.”
Trepidation found its way onto his features.
“I might have…gone off ahead of him. Alone…But he still has the car!”
Meryl hadn’t asked but he immediately swung his arms around to defend himself. Rosa from behind her chuckled.
“Well, you might as well. We could really need you saving us again.”
Now, that got Meryl’s attention. She turned from the bumbling buffoon to the other woman, voicing her question with a quirked brow.
“He saved the town?”
Rose smirked.
“Sure did. This Plant already malfunctioned a few years back. We had an engineer coming but apparently, he’d gotten lost somewhere on his way here.”
The barkeep sighed, fingers pinching her brow. Apparently just remembering the ordeal brought forth a headache.
“Thankfully, Vash was coming by the town at the same time. Guy looked at our glum faces and went out into the desert alone to find the lost engineer.”
Meryl found herself turning back to the reporter, this time with newfound astonishment. Vash had dropped his clownish act and now seemed genuinely flustered, hand jumping to the back of his neck. Meryl heard Rosa’s voice continue behind her.
“Not only did he find the poor, shivering lad, he also wrote one heck of an article about Jeneora Rock which spiked our tourism for a good while.”
Rosa now leaned over Meryl’s shoulder, winking at Vash with a flirty look.
“Might need you to do another one of those, eh?”
Now looking thoroughly uncomfortable by the attention, Vash just laughed strangely and turned back to the big gates, which had finally stopped rumbling.
“Oh look, gate’s open, let’s go!”
He all but ran into the building. Rosa chuckled while all Meryl could offer was a roll of her eyes.
The jovial atmosphere was all but forgotten once they stepped into the chamber. Vash was already standing before the big tank, shoulders squared, and Meryl could only empathise with his apprehensive stature.
Plants usually swam in a cool tank, the water shimmering in an unearthly blue. For Meryl personally, it had always been a mesmerizing and calming sight. But the big cauldron before her shone in an unsettling purple, radiating off just a feeling of wrongness.
They ascended the stairs in tense silence. Meryl and Vash kept their eyes on the tank, watching their own, frowning expressions reflected back at them. Rosa could only switch her nervous gaze from one to the other.
Once they reached the platform, Meryl was loath to find the exact situation she had feared.
“It’s red.”
Two tanks stood next to each other, each holding the bulb of a Plant inside. One was tainted in a bloody red. Rosa was eyeing her verily.
“Is that bad?”
Meryl’s breath hitched.
“It means its dying.”
Meryl jerked her head towards Vash, who looked at her surprised in return. He had uttered the sentence at the same time as her, though she could have sworn he had used “she”. Meryl’s brows fell into a furrow. How would some no name reporter know that. Who even was this guy?
Their little stare-off was only interrupted by Rosa’s rising voice.
“Wait, what do you mean dying? We can’t afford a new one!”
Meryl looked at her with a pinched look. It wasn’t like she couldn’t understand Rosa’s panic, but to Meryl a red Plant meant something a lot more terrifying than some dirty water.
“If we don’t do something, getting a new Plant will be the least of you worries.”
It had only been a silent mutter, but she was acutely aware how Vash’ eyes widened a fraction.
“So you need money, do you?”
The trio startled at the introduction of a new voice. Looking back at the staircase, a group of dark clad men stood by the railing, all heavily armed.
Vash laughed and waved his hand in greeting, but Meryl could hear the nervous slant to it.
“Oh, the JuLai military police! How can we help you?”
Meryl felt her blood run cold. JuLai military police? Why were these guys here?! Jeneora Rock was literally on the other side of the map!
To Meryl’s utter dismay, the mustached man turned towards her, sneer planted on his face.
“We’ve finally tracked you down, Humanoid Typhoon!”
There was no way, not only had someone finally recognized her, but the JULAI MILITARY POLICE of all people? She was in deep trouble.
The captain of the group stepped forward, sinister grin stretching his lips, and flicked his wrist to present a paper. The poster he held was the first accurate print she had ever seen of herself. Usually, they veered off into unrealistic caricatures, but the one staring back at her could have been a mirror for all she knew.
There was a severe frown on her face and the way they had printed her sunglasses made her look almost feral. But Meryl knew exactly when this photo had been taken, after all, she had literally barrelled into the photographer. Despite how intimidating she looked on the paper, she knew for a fact she had just been bewildered beyond believe.
“Haven’t you heard of the huge bounty on that lass’ head?”
Meryl shook herself, this was no time to get scatterbrained. She glanced at Rosa from the corner of her eye, taking in the wide-eyed look on her face.
“Six million…”
Rosa muttered quietly, but Meryl already didn’t like the indication in her voice on where her mind was going. As footfalls approached, Meryl glared back the police officer. He laughed.
“Funnily enough, that’s exactly the cost of a Plant. If you turn her in, it’ll solve this town’s problems.”
Meryl scoffed at his self-satisfactory sneer.
The men came to a stop just a few feet in front of her, wanted poster still pushed her way as if mocking her. Meryl slowly crouched into a defensive stance, watching the guy closely.
Suddenly, an awkward laugh from the side.
“My, my, can we not just talk about this?”
Vash’ lackluster attempt at diffusing the situation was answered by hurried actions on both sides. The police captain made a hasty grab for her, but Meryl sprung forward from her low angle. She slid past under his arms, leaving him stumbling and fighting to keep his footing.
His men engaged immediately, crowding her and already taking out a rope to restrain her.
Meryl huffed. If they thought a group of lumbering men could win against her speed, then they were mistaken.
She kept her momentum, running towards them with as much speed as she could muster. As planned, the quick approach made them hesitate and fumble. She rushed past them, trying to grab at their weapons. She managed to detach one officer’s gun holster and kick it off the platform.
Meryl jumped back a few steps when one man’s hand came too close for comfort. She eyed the stairwell and decided to make a run for it. Unfortunately, two of the attackers had managed to get their bearings and blocked her path. She managed to whirl around the first man as he made a haphazard grab for her. His colleague forewent trying to catch her and went in for the attack, whirling his arm back to take a swing at her.
Once his stance opened wide, Meryl let gravity drag her down, sliding underneath the man’s fist and through his legs, all while grabbing hold of his ankle and taking him down. A satisfying crunch echoed through the chamber as the police officer went down chin first.
Meryl stumbled back onto her feet, now almost at the stairs, only for a well-aimed shot to block her path. She crouched low again, swinging around to face her assailants.
The police captain frowned at her, face more annoyed than angry, and aimed his gun forward.
“You better stop resisting, if you know what’s good for you.”
A quiet growl left her as the conniving bastard made a quick gesture towards Rosa and Vash. This asshole was going to hold two civilians at gun point just to try and catch her. Meryl was debating whether to bluff and act uncaring, but by the way she was already hesitating, mustache man immediately got his bargaining chips validated.
Meryl’s eyes sprung from one of the goons to the next as they slowly approached. What to do? She could still make a run for it, but by the sheer glee in the bastard officer’s dark eyes, she couldn’t be sure that Vash and Rosa were safe. Should she fight? But then they could end up hurting the Plants…
Still, she wouldn’t go down easily, that’s just not how she rolled. Oh so slowly, her hand inched backwards. The inside of her coat was lined with ten thin but hardy Thomas leather strips, each strip holding onto 5 derringers with a secure lash. Meryl prided herself on her speed, so if she just reacted fast enough, she could take these loons down before they even fired the first shot.
Everything seemed slow down, the men’s steps echoing threefold in her mind as they zeroed in on her. Her fingertips had already reached cool metal, when-
“Hey, hey, hey, you sure about that?”
The slurred voice broke the tension like a flying beer mug crashing against a saloon’s wall.
“Vash?!”
Rosa’s incredulous outcry made everyone swerve their heads towards the reporter. Meryl furrowed her brows in confusion as Vash stumbled forward, an unmistakable sway to his step.
Was… was he drunk?
“This is gonna make a great article.”
He lumbered towards the captain, getting all up in the man’s face.
“You’re that reporter from the desert.”
“How about this as a headline:”
Now Vash was leaning back towards Rosa as if expecting an answer. Instead of waiting for a reaction, he swivelled back to bastard officer, hand slapping the air as if putting his words on an invisible wall.
“JuLai police show their weakness: Cowardly drawing their guns on unarmed suspect!”
Meryl’s eyes widened as realization set in. Vash was doing exactly what she had tried with Rosa, riling the officers up until he had him exactly where he wanted him to.
She frowned.
Why act as a drunk, though?
Vash and the officer were now basically nose to nose, the reporter smiling smugly albeit lopsidedly, while the police captain seethed.
“If you’re a real man, then you will settle this with a duel.”
“A duel?!”
Meryl couldn’t stop the outburst. What was that idiot reporter doing?! She was trying to get AWAY from the JuLai police, not be forced in close proximity to their captain and having to SHOOT him! It was Meryl’s MO to not hurt people, heck, at least half her derringers were filled with rubber bullets. And now a duel, was this guy for real?!
“Otherwise, you will be known as a coward for the rest of your days.”
Vash broke his “drunk uncle” spiel with a sing-song voice, openly mocking the officer now. The bastard captain glowered.
Then there was a gun in Vash’ face.
Rosa gasped and even the officer’s cronies seemed a bit taken aback by the action.
Then, a smirk lifted his mustache.
“You’re on.”
Everyone jerked in surprise by the statement.
“Captain!”
“Are you serious?”
The officers were getting into a frenzy as Vash and their captain started laughing over each other in an exceedingly unhinged way. Merly could do little but sit there with her mouth hanging open.
Suddenly, the bastard officer’s eyes darted her way, before fixating back on Vash.
“But, you will be the one duelling me, reporter boy.”
Vash’ laugh cut off immediately after that.
---
“It’s a duel!”
When Meryl had arrived only hours earlier in Jeneora Rock, she could have never guessed she would end up in a situation like this. If that wasn’t the story of her life.
The townsfolk excitedly put piles upon piles of money and coin into betting hats, shouting loudly while cheering on the different sides of the duel.
Meryl rose her gaze to the rock outcropping bathed in the evening sun. Vash was waving widely at the crowd, howling back and striking poses. It didn’t take him long to deflate once he faced his opponent.
Meryl had a very bad feeling about this.
“It’s a quick-draw duel, the last man standing wins!”
She heard Rosa sigh next to her.
“I don’t think a duel was the best idea.”
The barkeep sounded legitimately worried. Meryl couldn’t blame her, one look at Vash and she could immediately tell he going to do horribly at this. But, her sympathetic side still wanted to elevate the mood if just a bit.
“You don’t win a duel by drawing first.”
“Huh?”
Rosa now turned to her. Meryl gave her a wry smile.
“If you shoot too early or too late, you lose.”
If you survive, that is.
Meryl thought that last part quietly.
Rosa still had an uncertain knit to her brow. Meryl sighed, turning back to the duel-to-be.
“Well, all we can do now is watch.”
And watch they did – a whole lot of nothing until suddenly that bastard officer whipped out a bazooka from seemingly nowhere.
Meryl watched in horror as a cluster bomb sprang apart in the sky high above Jeneora Rock. If that thing hit, it wasn’t just the Plant that would be dying.
“That cowardly bastard-!”
Meryl had to get up there, fast, if only to minimize some of the damage. But the screaming, fleeing crowd made it impossible to close in, only shoving her back more and more. She wrenched herself to the side, stumbling into a small alleyway and effectively adjecting herself from the human flood.
Catching her breath quickly, she took a peek around the corner, back to the duel. She just caught the tail end of a conversation.
“Vash, get down here!”
“Keep everyone inside!”
Rosa was shouting pleadingly up at the reporter, but, surprisingly he stood his ground. Meryl watched with a sense of awe as Vash confidently turned towards the falling bomb, cape catching in the wind like some western movie.
She watched him widen his stance and stare down certain doom. For a moment, everything seemed to still, then his hand shot down towards his thigh. His gun left its sling in a fluid motion, now aimed skyward. Vash was preciously adjusting his angle and Meryl could pinpoint the moment his posture locked in place to take the shot.
Only, nothing happened.
His arm twitched again and again, nothing firing from his pistole. He lowered his arm to inspect the bullet chamber. His shoulders tensed.
“You’re joking.”
There was no way. He did not just enter a duel with an empty gun- No, yes, he did, he was already shouting frantically towards the fleeing crowd for ammo.
Meryl rubbed her face. This guy was impossible.
“Does anyone have .22 calliber bullets?!”
Vash’ shrill voice carried over the rock outcropping, panic very evident. Meryl patted herself down quickly, trying to find any spare bullet. Her own weapons didn’t have the bullets he needed and there was nothing in her pockets but lint and sand. She groaned.
She rounded the corner, analysing the scene before her. There was no way she would make it up there in time to take a shot herself, but looking around, all the townsfolk already slammed their doors and windows closed. At this rate both Vash and the JuLai police, and if worst came to shove, half of Jeneora Rock would be decimated.
“Anyone!!!!”
Meryl ground her teeth. She had to do something!
Unsure steps approached her. Turning towards the sound, a slightly dazed Rosa shuffled towards her. Wordlessly but with a determined knit to her brow, she held her hand up to Meryl.
The .22 bullet shone in a shimmering gold in the evening sun.
Meryl made a grab for it before even registering the sight properly. She swung on her heel and took off running towards the duel site. Dodging the few still fleeing residents, Meryl took deep breath and shouted.
“I’ve got one!”
Vash stopped mid wail, head snapping towards her.
“It’s from Rosa!”
Meryl reeled back her arm and threw the bullet as hard as she could.
It flew in a wide arc, Vash’s fingertips almost making contact, when a shot rang out and the bullet went flying. Meryl glowered, that bastard officer again!
Backed by his manic laughter, the bullet kept rolling across the rocky ground towards the other ledge. Vash sprinted after it, legs pumping and arms swinging. The police captain started aiming again, but with a flick of her wrist, Meryl took out one of her own guns and pulled the trigger. She could more see than hear his pained cry, pistol flying out of his grasp and scattering down the outcropping’s side.
His sneer turned her way, but Meryl couldn’t care less, instead focusing back on the red blur that was Vash. He took a running jump and somehow, miraculously, closed his fist around the ammo.
The moment he loaded his gun and aimed upwards, Meryl started running again. With her eyes glued to Vash’ form, she made a dash for the duel site. She lost sight of him for but a moment as she ascended a flight of stairs, but once she reached the top, she felt her breath stutter.
Vash’ body was stock still, firing stance confident and impeccable. The evening sun shone from behind him, silhouetting his form and making the moment almost look ethereal. She could tell, he was about to take the shot.
The moment was broken as Vash swerved to the side, the unmistakable spark of a bullet hitting metal glinting off his gun.
“That little-“
Meryl bit down on the curse as she watched the bastard officer take a run towards Vash, gun ready. She started her ascend with renewed vigour, simultaneously fishing out another derringer from her cloak. She would not let that stupid, conceited captain stop Vash from saving a whole town!
Her worry was for naught, however, as in an utterly unexpected turn of events, Vash dodged four bullets from but a hair width away. She watched him sling the officer over his shoulder before backhanding the bastard’s neck with his gun. Vash pushed the man aside, taking a few running steps to the side and then seemingly ripping a boulder out of the ground with his bare hand and throwing it all the way up between the falling missiles.
In one, fluid motion, he repositioned his gun and took the shot.
Meryl was slack jawed as the rock exploded into hundreds of tiny bits and somehow managed to hit each and every cluster bomb. The once falling disaster erupted into a shower of smoke and sparks, creating an impressive firework.
The resulting explosion blew back a gust wind, making Vash’ coat bellow and making him look like some kind of hero from a comic book.
Just who was this guy?!
The loud cheer of the townsfolk ripped Merly from her reverie.
Running the rest of the distance, Meryl arrived at the outcropping just as Vash turned towards the ledge, waving towards the crowd and laughing breathlessly. He was acting triumphant, but she could tell he was drained.
She approached slowly, eyes surveying the area. It didn’t take her long to find what she was looking for. The bastard captain and his cronies were gathered on the outer ledge of the rocky field. One of the officers tried to help their captain get to his feet but was only refuted with a swipe of his arm. The group glowered at the reporter and by the way their hands inched towards their guns, Meryl knew what they had in mind.
Her brow twitched.
She’d had enough.
6 Derringers already lay empty by her feet before the officers even knew what hit them. Disarmed and bewildered, they had no time to react as she closed the distance in the blink of an eye. One solid hit to the neck, two to the side of the face and one very devious combo of kidney, artery and private parts had the whole group slumped into one writhing pile.
By the time Vash joined her side, she was just finishing the last knot on the rope.
“Wow, your reputation ain’t a lie, huh?”
Meryl whirled on him.
Vash had her used Derringers dangling from one hand, the other experimentally squeezing the top of one of her rubber bullets. He gave her a smirk.
“But you’re actually really kind, aren’t you?”
He reached out his hand, presenting her the fake bullet. Meryl just kept glowering at him.
“Vash, just who-“
“Vash!”
A chorus of excited shouts interrupted their conversation.
What could only be half of Jeneora Rock was speeding towards them, all of them cheering and calling Vash’ name. In his moment of distraction, Meryl snatched back her belongings, stowing them back into her cloak where they belonged. Vash managed to quirk a playful brow at her before being swarmed by half crying men and women.
Meryl stepped back to let him deal with the onslaught alone.
Only Rosa and three men split from the group. The barkeep instructed her entourage to cart away the incapacitated officers, then looked towards Meryl with a smile.
“I guess I should thank you too, couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Right back at ya.”
Despite herself, Meryl found herself grinning back in earnest. Rose held her gaze for a moment before chuckling quietly, shaking her head, then turning back to the crowd.
Once again, Merly found herself watching Vash. This reporter sure was something else. He was switching between idiot and genius on a dime, making it impossible for Meryl to read him properly. Not five minutes ago he evaded and disarmed a supposedly trained gunman, now he was acting flustered as kids and women hugged and kissed him for saving their lives.
It was almost blinding, this scene. Palpable joy and relief from the townsfolk, awkward yet sincere laughter from the man of the hour.
And Meryl found herself standing on the sidelines, watching from the shadows.
Something painful throbbed in her chest.
She turned a wry smile towards the sky.
---
“Okay, but why the drunken act?”
Merly couldn’t help but ask. Among all the crazy stunts that Vash had pulled, that instance was still the biggest question mark to her.
Vash laughed, a beer foam mustache adorning his lip.
“Oh, I just thought about what my senior would do.”
His gleeful face shuttered closed to something tired and annoyed.
“Keep acting like that and you won’t be long for the world, newbie.”
His voice dipped into a deeper baritone, slight slurring adding to the “drunk uncle” spiel he was pulling.
Vash laughed at his own antics, before a pained whine escaped him.
“Oh, Roberto is so gonna kill me…”