tampered | Log; ongoing

Maria hadn't actually asked what Vash looked like either, and the notion that finding him might prove difficult had only struck her as she walked down the street. It hadn't crossed her mind at all.

She had gradually gotten used to this 'city with other people' thing. In Silent Hill, the only person that she had ever seen had been James. Being thrown into a city with lots of people, all of whom could actually see her, was a big part of the reason why she found the new atmosphere so daunting.

On top of that, mention of Gods thanks to Lobsel Vith, and talk of pointy headed things had not settled well with her. She didn't quite understand the god talk, but it did scare her. Pointy headed things were a different story altogether. Maria really needed a drink, and something to keep her mind off of things.

She just hoped she could find Vash. She finally found the club, afraid that she was a little late, and came to a stop by the door, her eyes then scanning the wave of people.

As Vash continued to survey the group of people, his eyes suddenly fell on a shapely young woman with blonde hair who looked almost exactly like the picture he had seen on the network. She seemed to be doing the exact same thing he was.

"Ah!" he called out, raising his hand and taking a step forward, "Mari--"

His foot caught on someone's heel and he stumbled forward, staggering to the side to avoid falling into a couple.

"I'm so sorry," he said sincerely to the disgruntled passer-by he had tripped over. "Completely my fault, I wasn't paying attention... Are you okay?"

After he'd recovered and made sure the other person was all right, Vash continued with his original purpose.

"Maria!" he said again, walking over to the woman. "Hi! I'm Vash!"

She had turned her back to him just as he'd called out his name, blue eyes still scanning the sea of people. She really wasn't used to this, but there was certainly something exciting about it. About being left to her own devices; her original purpose in the town now seemingly null and void.

No one had called her name since...James.

She turned; graceful and calm, setting one hand firmly upon her hip as she approached her company. It was a good thing that he'd seen her. She'd been afraid that she'd be scouring the crowd for hours.

"There you are." She smiled softly. "It's nice to meet you in person." She said.

"It's nice to meet you too!" Vash said brightly, smiling down at Maria. "Sorry I didn't see you earlier... I guess I sort of spaced out a little."

Vash reached over and opened the door to the club and stepped aside slightly to allow Maria to enter first.

"This is my first time here, so don't ask me what's good here," he said with a grin. As they went inside, Vash looked around, lost in his surroundings for a moment. There had certainly been no places like this back on Gunsmoke...

Suddenly aware that his companion was probably waiting for him, Vash snapped to attention.

"That must be the bar over there," he said perkily. "What do you normally have?"

She nodded her thanks as he opened the door for her, stepping inside with false confidence. That same feeling that she had felt upon first arriving had come back again. A fear of the unknown. She might have known a place like this in a memory; some distant place that she may or may not have been in. A memory that felt foreign, but familiar at the same time.

She too felt lost; trying to remember a life that may not have even been real.

"Oh.." She responded to Vash's question, her brain quickly ticking over different alcohol names. Types. What kinds of drinks had she seen in Heaven's Night?

Drawing a blank, she covered up her awkwardness with a smile and went to touch her company gently on the arm.

"I'm feeling adventurous. How about you pick a drink for me?" She said, hoping that her awkwardness wasn't showing.

Vash's eyebrows shot up as Maria put her hand on his arm. That was new. Not too many people had ever wanted to touch him in the past. The gesture caught him off-guard enough that he faltered before saying anything in response, but recovered quickly.

"Right!" he said, hurriedly masking his surprise with enthusiasm, "Well, maybe we should start off with a couple of beers first!"

Vash led Maria to the bar, occasionally glancing at her face in an attempt to read her. He had only been with her for a couple of minutes and she was already proving to be something of an enigma.

Regardless, Vash could tell that something was eating at her and that she wanted someone to be with her. And that was certainly something he could do. They sat down at the bar and, after ordering, sat in thoughtful silence for a minute or two.

"So," Vash said finally, "How do you like it here so far?"

Maria followed, observing the patrons whom had made themselves comfortable in this place. It was loud; voices all merging with each other, speaking of a hundred different topics. There was so much life in this place.

She sat herself on the barstool, crossing one leg over the other and resting her hands on her knee.

How did she like it in the City? She'd instantly attracted the attentions of some bizarre god, and numerous other interesting characters; she'd discovered that James had been in the city at one stage, but didn't appear to be there anymore. She'd discovered that the red pyramid head thing was present. It was lot to take in.

"I'm still getting used to it." She said. "There are some interesting people here."

She'd say no more, unless asked. "But? I might just grow to like this city."

Vash watched Maria with interest as she made herself comfortable and suddenly found himself thinking about Meryl. He wasn't sure why... He decided it was probably just the fact that he hadn't had the sole company of a woman in quite some time.

Or maybe it was because both women's names started with "M". That was probably it.

"It does seem to take some getting used to," Vash agreed. "But I think I like it already. If anything, the weather's a lot more pleasant than back in the desert!"

Vash was a little unsure about how he should continue. It had been apparent on the network that Maria was distressed about something, but he didn't feel right just coming out and asking her. After a few second's deliberation, he decided to play things down for a little while longer. After all, he thought as they received their drinks, they'd only just gotten there and there was a whole night ahead of them. There wasn't any hurry.

"It seems like you've met some pretty helpful people on the network," Vash remarked cheerfully. "Have you made many friends?"

Maria didn't particularly wish to dampen the mood with talk of Silent Hill. Mention of the town had a tendency to do that, so she tried to avoid it as much as possible. Hell, she'd make a good attempt to try and forget about the whole thing, if that monster had never been mentioned. She was starting to see this as some sort of second chance opportunity, but how much of an opportunity was it if she had to be so painfully careful to avoid running into things of the past?

Too many bad memories came with that awful place. She wanted to forget Silent Hill. It was a little hard, considering both her past, her origins, and the fact that she saw Mary every time she looked in the mirror (which then reminded her of James), but she would distance herself as much as she could, for as long as she could.

The drinks were placed in front of them, and Maria eyed the glass for a moment. It was an interesting colour... She wondered, momentarily, if she was going to be this curious about everything that she came across for the first time. Everything that she felt she should have tasted, smelled, and experienced in another lifetime, but of which she had never had.

"I think so." Maria nodded slowly, taking her glass. "I've met a girl by the name of Lady. She's been nice, helping me out a few times there. And you gave me that guide. I have to thank you again for that; it was very helpful. "

She paused for a moment, running her fingertip along the rim of the glass idly. "So..how long have you been here?" She asked.

Vash smiled as Maria thanked him for the guide. It was nice to feel helpful again. It had been quite some time since he'd felt like he was able to do anything useful. Getting kidnapped on the Arc and being held there for six months wasn't exactly his idea of helping out; neither was showing up just in time for his best friend's fight to the death.

Yes, it was good to know he wasn't completely useless anymore.

...How long had he been in the City?

"Well, let's see," he said thoughtfully, counting on his fingers, "About four days now, I guess! Heh, for some reason it feels like it's been longer, you know?"

It really did. He had met quite a few new friends already, and he and Wolfwood had pretty much picked up where they left off. Of course, so had he and Knives and Legato.

That thought was disheartening, so Vash pushed it from his mind, hoping it hadn't shown on his face.

"Anyway, I'm really glad I could help. It can be scary suddenly turning up in a new place; especially a place as strange as this. I'm sure you'll fit in pretty quickly, though. You seem to have a pretty good grip on things!"

"Really?" Maria laughed softly, tilting her head to the side, humoured smile on her face.

She wasn't so sure that she had a good grip on things. She was probably just really good at covering up her own uncertainties; her own awkwardness. She seemed to be getting on relatively well with most people she came across, which was certainly a good thing. She just wished that her entry hadn't been so chaotic. She'd chosen an interesting time to come appearing in a random city, too.

"There are some interesting people around here..." She commented. "I hope I'll fit in a little better. The curses are a bit of a worry; and it is all a little strange to me still."

But not too strange. She had come from Silent Hill, after all.

"You're fitting in fine already," Vash assured her. If there was one thing he was good at, it was being encouraging. "Just be yourself and you'll be a pro here in no time! And don't worry about the curses. They never last long, right?"

Maybe not, but after getting affected by his first curse a couple of days ago, Vash was finding it a little difficult to be completely encouraging about them. Seeing Rem hadn't been too bad, but it certainly left an impression on him. To be honest, it had disturbed him a bit. And hearing about some of the other curses that had swept through the City... It was unnerving.

Maria had a nice smile, Vash noted. He was glad she could smile. He had been worried that she would be too upset to smile.

But I smile over things too.

...He hoped that wasn't the case.

"So where have you been staying?" Vash asked kindly.

So optimistic. The woman was rather good at internalising things, or at least she thought she was good at it. She felt alone; she felt that she needed to be a little braver in order to keep people from asking questions.

Besides, why let her worries ruin her fun? She felt rather relaxed in this place, with Vash. There was no need to dampen the mood, right?

"Well. I spent my first night on a park bench. I don't recommend it." She said, before taking her glass to her lips. The amber liquid was rather bitter; and she found herself screwing her nose up a little at it's taste. She didn't hate it; it was interesting.

"That's strong.." She commented, placing the drink back on the bar bench. "I went and found an apartment in building seven, so I've been there ever since."

Vash suppressed a grin as Maria called the beer "strong". If she thought that was strong, it was a very good thing he hadn't ordered a scotch or something...

"Funny, I spent my first night on a park bench too!" Vash laughed. "I'd probably STILL be on one if I hadn't found my friend! I tend to forget about silly things like finding a place to live and all that... I'm living over in building twelve. You know, people were right; the ticking isn't even noticeable when other people are around!"

Vash listened to himself babble and quickly told himself to shut up. It was a nervous habit and it occasionally got on his own nerves. But it was better than nothing, he supposed.

...Most of the time.

Poor Maria. It was the first drink that the woman had actually had. She'd surely get used to it, and then think that it was nothing as she tried other varieties, and gained preferences. She had the memories, but lacked the actual experiences.

Maria was quite content with the babbling. It saved her from talking about herself; she hadn't quite made up a history for herself yet.

"The ticking is a nuisance; but come to think of it, it is less noticable when you're around others, isn't it?" It wasn't really a question, but more of a statement. The ticking was just another thing that added to the strangeness of the City.

"It's much more noticable when I'm in the apartment."

"That's why I'm glad I live with a friend," Vash remarked. "I highly reccomend finding a roommate if you don't mind the company."

Vash glanced back at the crowd of people on the dancefloor. It had been a very long time since he had seen people out and enjoying themselves with others. He wondered if Wolfwood had come here yet.

He looked back at Maria and suddenly realized he felt rather... relaxed. Despite the recent craziness in the City, the idea of curses, and the presence of his brother, Vash really did like it there.

"Sorry," he said with a smile. "I got a little lost in thought there. I guess staying up all night will do that to you, huh? Heh."

She nodded, retaining that smile of hers as she turned in her seat to watch the dancers, her elbows resting upon the bench.

"That it does." She sighed, watching people enjoying themselves; laughing and moving gracefully..or ungracefully..together. It was probably the most relaxed that she felt since she'd woken up in the city.

She'd had very little sleep; sleep came with unwanted nightmares and she could only last a half an hour at the most without waking up with a terrible fright.

"I haven't had much sleep at all. I should probably work on that." She smirked; eyes still on the crowd.

Vash nodded sympathetically.

"I've actually already gotten in trouble for the not sleeping thing," he mused.

Vash propped his elbow up on the counter and rested his cheek against his fist, watching Maria thoughtfully as she gazed out at the dancefloor. He was beginning to wind down and it was showing in his mannerisms. He wasn't sure if it was because he was finally sitting down to a drink, or the fact that he was simply enjoying his company.

"I'll try not to keep you up too late," Vash assured Maria. "I was just a little worried about you. It can get lonely here when you don't have anyone from back home. I was lucky that I found my friend only a day or so after I got here."

"Tell me about it." Maria replied.

She had hoped, despite his rejection of her, that James would be in this city. That she'd have the hope of finding him. Hearing that he had been and gone saddened her, in a way.

"I appreciate your concern though. I don't think I'll be able to sleep anytime soon. As long as I'm not keeping you up..?" She said, turning around to grab her beer.

She took a longer drink this time around. "I wouldn't want to keep you past your bedtime." She teased, grinning behind her glass.

"Bedtime?" Vash echoed with a grin. "Sorry, lady, I don't think I've ever heard of one of those. Nah, you're not keeping me up. I like having the company."

It was nice to be able to just relax with other people for a while. It was something Vash hadn't been able to do for a very long time before coming to the City. And he planned on staying up to enjoy it.

"So tell me, Maria," he said easily, "What do you like to do in your spare time? Besides meet strange men at a strange bar," he added teasingly.

She smirked, swivelling the amber liquid gently in the glass.

"I read. And I love to dance." She said teasingly. She leant forward, lowering her voice just a tad as she went to speak.

"I used to do exotic dancing before I came here." She admitted. She couldn't actually remember if she'd worked as a dancer at all. All she knew was that she'd woken up in Heaven's Night Gentleman's Club and bar.

She could dance; she just couldn't remember how she'd come to learn. But the idea of telling people she hardly knew that she could do exotic dancing amused her. She wanted to see their reactions.

Vash choked on his drink when Maria described her occupation. He certainly hadn't expected that...

"Uh, wow, okay," he said, still in shock. She was probably getting a lot of enjoyment out of his sudden awkwardness. He coughed, trying to recover and not doing a very good job of it.

"That must be... an interesting job..."

Smooth.

"Sorry," he said, hoping he wasn't turning red, "That just sort of... took me by surprise a little... There's nothing wrong with it or anything!"

Even better.

At least now she knows why I'm still single...

"...As you can tell, I'm not very good with the whole... well... talking thing," he said sheepishly.

And she laughed; a silky laugh which was neither too loud nor too soft. She quickly placed her drink back on the counter so that she didn't end up losing grip of it, and dropping it amidst her amused laughter.

"I'm sorry." She said as she caught her breath. "I guess I'm a little too open about some of my interests." She grinned wryly.

...Uh-oh.

It suddenly hit Vash that Maria might be up for more... intimate company than he had originally thought. It wasn't that he had any reason to think poorly of her... She seemed very nice and was certainly attractive, but... For one thing, there was the little matter of the sheer amount of scars covering his body. (Not to mention his robotic arm.) He knew how it looked.

Meryl said she didn't mind.

That didn't matter. Even if people didn't mind, they would wonder about them. And anyway, people should have sex with other people that they trusted... Not potential weapons of mass destruction. Especially ones they just met.

"Ah," he said, sitting up a little, "That's okay. It's good to be open, I think. It's better than locking everything up inside."

Maria really wasn't an easy butterfly to catch. She found joy in teasing others. She liked to flirt occasionally, but she couldn't carry through with more than that.

Why did she feel like she'd betray a man who had rejected her? Why did she feel a certain amount of devotion and loyalty to someone who had told her that he didn't need her anymore? She could flirt all she wanted, and do her dancing, but anything else just felt...

...Not even she was certain.

So Vash was safe.

"Exactly." She shrugged, blinking and turning back to the dancing sea of people. "I honestly don't see a problem in being open about certain things. I hope I didn't bother you too much."

"No, no," Vash said sincerely, "You didn't. I like that you're able to be open with people. And you've certainly got a good sense of humor. Sorry. It's just been a while since I've been out."

He looked back at the crowd and smiled to himself.

"A really long while."

Open about most things anyway.

"Hey. At least you're out now, right?" She said with a shrug. "I can't say I've been out in a while either; and it's nice..being able to relax in this city instead of being wary of the place."

"It really is!" Vash said brightly. "It seems like there's a lot of really fun things to do here! You know they have a beach? And I wonder if it snows... I'd love to see snow! And rain! I've never seen any of those things for myself before!"

He really did want to see snow. And he was curious about swimming.

Focus.

"...Right. Anyway... I'm glad we were able to get out tonight. Do you want another drink?"

Maria nodded, listening to him talk. She'd seen fog. She'd seen plenty of fog, but she'd never seen rain or snow. Or the sun shining, or a beach for that matter.

"I'd love to see the beach.." She said randomly, wondering what it looked like. Wondering what sand felt like. "There's a lot of things I haven't seen for myself either."

She paused to finish the remnants of her drink, and when she was done she set the glass back on the counter.

"Another drink would be great, actually. It's nice to get out."

"You know what I think?" Vash said after ordering another round. "I think that even though this place is strange and seems to bring a lot of people down, it's almost like a new start for the people who come here."

As Vash said this, his mind wandered back to the people back on Gunsmoke. Were things still continuing on without him and Knives? Did they realize he wasn't there? Were they all right?

Ugh. It seemed like the more relaxed he became, the more thoughts plagued him. He hoped Maria only noticed what he was saying and didn't see any sign of the conflict he was feeling.

"Are you feeling any better?" he asked brightly. "I'd hate to think I dragged you all the way out here for nothing."

Maria thought about that for a moment. A new start, it may have been. She only wished that her 'new start' had been a little smoother, and devoid of the mentioning of Pyramid Head.

"I think you're right. A new start is just what some people need, I guess." She said.

The crowd seemed to be getting larger as the time passed. More were flowing into the club. The place was becoming louder.

"I'm feeling a lot better. A lot more relaxed. I'm sure the beer has contributed to that." She responded with good humour. I'm glad I came out here tonight."

"I'm so glad you came out here tonight too!" Vash said brightly. "We should definitely make a point of doing this again sometime! And if you think the beer helps, you should try vodka sometime... Though I don't really recommend trying a lot of it with people who might blackmail you later."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow, barely suppressing a laugh. "But I think it'd be safe to try a lot of Vodka with you. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?"

She was teasing again, attempting to sound serious about her statement though her tone of voice gave it away that she was joking.

"Not unless you gave me a good reason to!" Vash teased back with a grin. He definitely liked Maria's sense of humor. He enjoyed being around easy-going people. And he really enjoyed being in a place where he could be more easy-going with them.

Yes, they would certainly have to do this again sometime.

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