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VI. Cinderblock Eden

Already the limo had made its way through the winding streets of the Grey City and into the slums. Vash for his part, had immediately, fallen asleep. He laid there, cheek pressed to the window, a thin stream of drool running down the glass.

It was raining in the slums. Like all things in this area, it was thick, oily, and grey with a faint sulfuric smell. "I hate this rain," Millie said slowly, "Why do we have to drive through stuff like this?"

Meryl hung up the phone in the limo. She cracked her knuckles. "Well, the towing company moved Thomas to the garage as usual. At least we were lucky enough to find him. If we knew where we were headed..." She trailed off and also watched the grey rain fall. "I think it's because the Plants in the Slums are near failure. Old programming."

"Oh," Millie said, her mouth open in a circle of surprise. "Where are we heading?"

"Ask him."

"Where are we going, Mister Vash?"

As usual Millie was being ultra polite.

Meryl watched as Vash looked up, a surprised expression on his face. She watched as the expression went through bemused, amused, and then Vash gave out a low chuckle. "Mister Vash?" he asked, staring at her partner.

Millie grinned. "Why my momma always told me to be polite to all peoples. Even if they aren't really people. She said that you have to be really polite to Plants because they will be mad and... and..."

Vash leaned forward as Millie trailed off. "What did she say?" he asked.

Meryl already knew what she would say and almost mouthed along. "Because they'll do something and it won't be nice."

Vash chuckled slightly. "She sounds like a nice lady."

"She is," Millie chirped leaning forward.

Meryl sighed and glared at him. Vash grinned like an idiot and scratched the top of his head. "O-kay," he said, "So who are you, where are you from, and why do you want to meet with me?

"Ma'am, do we really have to give him the speech?" Millie groaned, "It's so boring."

Meryl shook her finger in the air to and fro. "Really, Millie," she said, glaring at that Plant. She really thought that something that was older than you had to be... well wise. She frowned at Vash who gave her a rather lame looking smile. "He doesn't even know who we are."

Millie nodded in complete understanding. "Ahh," she said, nodding slightly, "That makes complete sense."

She held out her hand and Meryl grasped it in understanding. "All right!" Meryl cheered, "We'll show the world why we are the number one insurance agents in..."

"Umm, who are you?" Vash asked finally.

"And you, shut up!" Meryl snapped, the weight of having her beloved Thomas break down on her and discovering that her immortal plant prospect was childish and immature finally getting to her, "This is a conversation for my partner and I."

She proceeded to take the Bernardelli Insurance Society Rules and Regulations manual from her bag and soundly whump Vash over the head with it. "Merci, merci, merci..."

"Ma'am," Millie suddenly chimed in, "I thought we were supposed to give Mister Vash a insurance policy, not a concussion."

Meryl paused. "Oh dear," she said, poking at the groaning Vash with one finger, "Are you alright?"

Vash's eyes teared up. "How can you ask me something like that?" He rubbed his head and sniffled. "Jeeze-louise, I was just asking a valid question." He reached over and knocked on the smoky glass that covered the driver's compartment. After Vash had punched it out, it had automatically been replaced. All nanotech did that. "Brad."

The window rolled down to show the back of a man's head and the reflection of his glaring eyes. "What?"

The Plant simpered. "Tell this nice young lady that what she did was a wrong thing..."

"Fat chance."

The window rolled up again.

Vash sighed and leaned back in his seat. His gloved hands drummed against each other. "Man," he moaned, probing the back of his, "A bump. Knives is sure to know-"

"Mister Saverem," Meryl began, but Vash continued to whine.

"-And he'll say, 'Who did that to you, Vashu?' And I couldn't tell him that a short girl walloped me with a binder. "

"Mister Vash?" Millie tried tugging on his coat sleeves when she said this. "We still haven't introduced ourselves."

Meryl shook her head. "There's no way he would buy a policy now." She shook her head. "You better let us out," she added as an afterthought to Vash.

"Now, now, Meryl," Millie said, "Turn that frown upside down and give this man the Speech."

The Speech. It was up to an agent to bring honor to the society, Mr. Bernardelli had said. And a younger Meryl, fresh out of high school, had listened to them with pride. Even now, The Speech flowed easily. "I am Meryl Stryfe and this my partner Millicent-"

"Millie," her partner hissed, "Millie."

"And Millie Thompson of the Bernardelli Insurance Society. We're here to offer you life insurance."

"Oh?" Vash asked before a smile spread slowly across his face. It was clearly an 'I know something that you don't smile'. "I'm immortal. Don't need it."

"Great," Meryl said, stonily, "Can we be let off at the next subway station?"

"Um, sure," Vash said. He suddenly dug in his pocket and retrieved a few wrinkled dollars and handed the surprised duo the money. "Enough money for two lovely Insurance Girls."

He didn't even say my name, Meryl realized as she found herself outside the number forty subway station.

"Wasn't he such a nice young man?"

Meryl was quiet.

"I think I like him."

"He's a nitwit!" Meryl snapped, "That's what people admire and fear?" She shook her head.

"Well," Millie said, "My big big brother works in a nearby Plant. He says she has pretty elf ears and feathery hair. And big bumps on her back like babies and," she held her hands up to her mouth in a good impression of teeth. "Big teeth to chomp with."

Meryl sighed, "I guess the best to do would be think up a better plan."

"That's my Meryl!"

ooo

The door was marked with faded gold numbers. Vash never really looked at them. Why would he? His brother was the only person in this building. Smiling slightly, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Knives snapped on the other side. Vash checked his watch. Nine in the morning. Knives was pissy if he was woken up before noon. "Go away."

Vash mock-pouted even though he knew Knives wouldn't be able to see it. He even faked a little sniffle. "Gee, brother. If I had known I was unwelcome, well, I would have never come."

One dozen locks and one creaking door later, Knives finally faced his brother. Clad in a ratty robe, flannel pants, and ratty sneakers, Knives was the very image of hermit. Even his self-cut short ragged hair screamed out loner to the world. "Well, if it isn't my darling brother." He smiled. "How are you? Seen Tessla lately?"

Their relationship had been strained lately. It had been two months since he had paid Knives a proper visit.

"She's in Arizona getting a fake leg from this doctor... he, uhh, seems nice and..."

"Why are we meeting in the hall?" Knives asked.

"Well I..."

"Get inside," Knives almost commanded. "Or is my apartment too messy for your high class?"

Vash chuckled as he ducked under the low doorway. They both had to duck. The door was too short by a foot. "You know I don't have the patience to keep anything neat. So, why are you up?"

His brother looked slightly pained. "Legato insists on eating. That chewing of his keeps me up."

Vash scratched the back of his head and sat down on one of the boxes that passed for furniture in Knives' apartment. "So where is Legato?"

Knives shrugged. "In the kitchen. Where else? He's been looking forward to meeting you."

"Oh."

"That's all you can say?"

"Yeah."

Knives rolled his eyes, dusting his hands off on his pants. "Well, tell him to put the ice cream back in the fridge when he's done. I'm going to take a shower."

Knives never asked. He simply stated.

Vash sighed and pushed his way through the doorway.

There was junk food on the table. Candy, chips, and soda in a bowl of ice cream dripping with chocolate. Spooning in this mixture was a blue-haired man with one visible eye.

"Hi, I'm-"

"I know," the man whispered in a rather silky sounding voice. "Ma- My lover's brother, Vash Saverem." He said the Saverem part like it disgusted him.

Vash shudder slightly. "You must be-"

"Ma- Knives' boyfriend, Legato Bluesummers," he said coolly before sprinkling more barbeque chips over his ice cream.

"So... do you have one of those relationships?"

"It would be nice if I did," Legato sighed.

Great, brother, why do you have to fall for the loony ones?

...to be continued.