Log; Complete

[mildlyreckless.livejournal.com]

When; November 03, evening
Rating; PG-13 for being drunk and talking about stupid stuff.
Characters; Elendira (suitcaseofnails) and Vash (mildlyreckless)
Summary; Vash has promised Elendira a night out. And after a run-in with Cori, he needs the distraction anyway.
Log;
Elendira was not amused by a few things. Dodging the random and odd creatures crawling all over the place was one. Listening to the rather sleepy sounds of her guest was another. But she made good time, dropping off the guest before heading to the Square to wait for Vash. He sounded off, very off, and her ‘Vash-o-meter’ was telling her that the Plant was again moody.

Honestly, she wondered why he bothered with trying to keep a smile on his face. With everything in his life, he seemed like a punching bag willing to get punched. Taking a moment to powder her nose, Elendira waited.

~*~

Vash wasn't really in the mood for going out, but a distraction would be nice. Honestly, things had been just peachy until the Corinthian decided to pop up and talk to him in Meryl's journal. Things got a hell of a lot worse when the nightmare made a crack about being into preachers.

Vash had to wonder if he just wanted him to break his jaw, because that was the only logical explanation for egging him on like he had.

At any rate, the whole thing had left him in a pretty irritable mood. Just because he'd forgiven Wolfwood apparently didn't mean he was over the whole thing.

The Square was louder than usual with all of the new visitors running around, and Vash had to dodge a few hugs and tackles before finally finding Elendira waiting for him.

"Yo," he said a bit listlessly. "You ready?"

~*~

Oh yes, it looked like someone just hit him in the gut after running over his pet dog. Elendira tucked away her compact and looked up at him before sighing.

"Honestly, I think I like the smiles better," she said and then started off through the crowds. It was a bit hard going, but she was not above using her heels as weapons when she need to. "I've got us a table at Pandora's, unless you rather just hit a bar right now."

~*~

Vash blinked at her as she started walking, about to ask what she meant by that, but he stopped himself. He already knew. And she knew he knew, so there really wasn't a point to playing dumb.

Fine, whatever. He didn't really care at the moment.

"Pandora's is fine," he said, walking with her. "I haven't had dinner anyway."

~*~

She nodded, glancing over at him and then looking over the people around them. The crowd thinned once they got onto the streets and headed for the restaurant. Getting some food before they talked about anything serious was probably a good idea. Since serious talks between them were best dealt with when alcohol dulled the pain.

"So tell me, how is everyone at your place? Or did some go off to their own little places now?"

Elendira could just ask Zazie but there was no fun in that. She liked getting several sources before coming to a conclusion after all.

~*~

"They're fine," Vash said evenly. "Business as usual."

Friendly or not, Vash still had reservations about what he told Elendira concerning the others. She was still a Gung-Ho Gun and she still worked for Legato. That alone made Vash nervous.

"Sort of boring for you, I'm sure."

~*~

"Boring? Hardly, darling. You know I like hearing how others are faring in this place."

Gung-ho Gun or not, Elendira was still a gossip hound. She had a few things that she kept to herself, of course. It wouldn't be any fun if Legato knew everything about everyone after all.

It was a fairly quick trek to Pandora's, although the strange people made some of it a bit crowded. She leaned close to Vash, actually brushing her shoulders against his in order to squeeze through a group clustering around a stuff toy.

"Honestly, I think this is a bit much, don't you?"

~*~

Vash glanced down at Elendira at the touch, but didn't pay much mind to it otherwise.

"Most of them aren't so bad," he said, opening the door to the restaurant and waiting for Elendira to go through. "Some are really nice. There are a few annoying ones, though."

~*~

"It's like the City is showing us how powerless we really are about everything. I'm not too terribly ungrateful since I can still live here, but this is like -" She flapped her hand at the people "– like rubbing it all in."

Elendira smiled up at him, stepping inside and waited for him before approaching the maitre de to get shown to their table.

"It's like they are saying 'We know all about you and your lives give up and let us play with your minds'. You know?"

~*~

Vash gave her a blank look. He really needed to focus. Right now he felt like he was only half there.

"Uh, yeah," he said dumbly as they headed to a table. "I guess so."

He honestly tried not to think too much about the City. It made his head hurt.

"At least this place has its upsides."

~*~

"Mm, I suppose it does," Elendira replied. She nibbled on her lower lip, watching Vash for a moment before giving up. Honestly the Plant was disturbed enough that he was going to be unfocused for most of the night. Which meant she needed to figure out something to make sure he at least participated in the conversation.

"Order anything you want, doll. And if you're not too hungry, I heard the soup is supposed to be good tonight."

~*~

Vash nodded and silently wondered if it'd be terribly impolite if he ordered straight-up vodka right away. He spotted a man wearing round-framed black sunglasses too much like the Corinthian's and clenched his jaw and fists. Dammit, he really had to get a grip.

"I'll have some salmon then, I guess," he said a little bitterly. "What are you going to have?"

~*~

It was Wolfwood. That dammed priest just had to go and break Vash after everything they threw at the Stampede. She glanced over at the other customer and nodded, deciding on lemon chicken. she thought about easing into something to drink, like wine but decided that getting a start on real drinks might make him better company.

"Mm, would vodka be too strong for this time of day?" she asked, even while she waved for a waiter to come over.

~*~

"No," Vash said, rubbing his forehead. "I think it's late enough for it."

Any time was a good time for vodka if you were pissed enough.

"It'd probably be classier if we started with beer or something though."

~*~

"Beer with vodka chasers?" Elendira asked, frowning a little. At least he wasn't projecting his moodiness to the rest of the world right now. Oh she was getting madder at that priest every moment, even if it wasn't his fault. He allowed it to happen in the first place after all.

~*~

"That works," Vash said, swinging his hand around in an attempt to look nonchalant, but probably coming off as slightly mental. He waited until they had finished ordering before letting out an irritated huff of air.

"You know," he said, "It's amazing how knowing one thing can change how you feel about all sorts of things. I mean lots of them. Tch. You think you know where you're going, and then suddenly you're falling off a cliff and thinking, 'well, damn, I guess that grenade WAS live'."

Not wanting to go into details, Vash took to sulking.

~*~

"I know all too well. Some times, it's nice being ignorant about the world since then it can't hurt you so much."

She rested her chin in her cupped hand, watching him. Her face was set in a slight frown, as if she really wanted to pat him on the back and shoot Wolfwood and that thing and whatever else was being cruel. Vash was Knives' plaything, not anyone else's. Don't those people realize that?

"So it's that, isn't it? It's still bothering you."

~*~

Vash frowned at the table.

"What is?" he asked. He wasn't too keen on the idea of Elendira knowing about what Wolfwood had done. He didn't feel like fighting with her, and that's what that would turn into.

~*~

How cute. He was going to shut the idea out. Fine, she'll wait. Elendira was good at waiting. Well, sometimes.

"Life, the universe, and bad vodka."

~*~

Vash's eyes narrowed. He really didn't like it when people got vague about these things.

"If you know something, I wish you'd just come out and say it," he said. He'd had way too much of people not telling him things lately.

~*~

"Pft, I thought you didn't want me to talk about your personal life anymore," Elendira replied, looking slightly shocked. Shrugging, she leaned forward so that no one could overhear her. "He still loves you, right? A lot of people do not like to see that kind of love."

~*~

Vash flinched and looked away. Did she know what had happened or not? God.

"Yeah, he does," he muttered.

~*~

"People like to destroy that idea, they like to mess with lovers' minds and see them hurt. Some actually feed off of them, you know. Just, let's not talk about it right now. It's hurting you and making me want another fight."

Elendira noticed the beer and vodka being carried their way and sat back, frowning to herself over the whole mess. That Wolfwood, God she could shoot him right now and not feel anything about it.

~*~

Vash knew that fact all too well now, thanks to that nightmare. He ignored the beer completely and went right for the vodka. Might as well get through this faster.

"I just want to drink until I stop thinking about it," he muttered darkly. He paused and then raised his glass. "Here's to...love and peace."

~*~

She picked up her glass and tapped it against Vash's. "To love and peace."

Drinking until it was out of his mind and gone was probably the best medicine for him. Later one, after the hangover, he might just be able to place it in perspective. Maybe she was a tiny bit jealous about him and Wolfwood's relationship, but it was nice to see that they weren't always perfect. Although this black mood was not something to see on an empty stomach.

~*~

Vash sat back with a sigh after he'd drained his glass and looked around the room a little as he poured another measure.

"I'll get over it," he said flatly before downing another shot.

~*~

"I have no doubt that you will."

Elendira drained her glass and glanced around. The person wearing those odd glasses was gone and no one seemed interested in them. Good. Instead of filling up her shot, she took a sip of beer.

"How are the kitties doing?"

~*~

"They're fine," Vash said, a bit more placid. "They missed me, apparently. They've been following me around ever since I got home."

He turned his attention to the beer and thought in silence for a few minutes.

"Did you date a lot back home?"

~*~

"Aww, the poor dears. I'm glad that you're taking care of them despite all the curses."

Blinking, Elendira placed her glass on the table, wondering where that came from. It was true that here she had a few lovers, but it never really mattered. It was just for a physical release, for a spot of fun in a boring day. It had never been serious, since none of them had been Knives.

"I had a couple lovers; I wouldn't call it dating. Why?"

~*~

Vash shrugged.

"I was just wondering," he said honestly. "It's not like I know a whole lot about you when it comes down to it."

~*~

"There's not much to know really. I was made, I lived in the desert, and then I was found." She shrugged too.

Their food came and Elendira stabbed her chicken a couple of times before she started to dig in. She had the feeling that she was going to need all her strength tonight. "you do know you can ask for details at any time." Now was time for a refill of vodka.

~*~

Vash watched her eyes for a while and then dropped his own to look down at his salmon. He poked at it for a little while before finally starting in on it, even though he had a feeling he wouldn't be eating much anyway.

"I never know what to ask when it comes to stuff like that," he said. "I'd rather people tell me what they want to."

~*~

"You used to ask me about why I followed Knives a lot," she said, downing the vodka and refilling her glass. "I guess I never thought there was much to tell. It's not like I was normal with a normal background."

Elendira leaned back, looking at Vash's expression. "I suppose it's a bit sad in a way."

~*~

"But I already know the answer to that," Vash pointed out. "Why would I ask again?"

He helped himself to another glass of vodka.

"Everyone who lived on that planet had a sad history. That's just how it was for all of us."

~*~

"There were happy times. We've both seen that happen as rare as it might be." She tapped a finger against her lips for a moment. "And you know about the Plant DNA and that I was a tube creation. I don't think there's much else I haven't told you."

Well, outside of her skills with airships, but that was completely different. It wasn't like she advertised that sort of thing here. Besides, that skill she saved for only Knives to command.

"I miss it anyways."

~*~

"...Mm," Vash said, drinking his fourth glass of vodka. "I miss it too."

Over a hundred and fifty years would make any place a person's home. Vash looked over at a large table where several people were apparently celebrating something and smiled sadly.

"I miss the people there."

~*~

"At least you have some friends here," Elendira replied. She glanced at the table, watching them and wondered what that was like before giving herself a shake. She pursed her lips at how much he was drinking and finished off her beer.

"Hm, I think we should hit the bars next or at least buy something and go somewhere to drink."

~*~

Vash made a face and had another drink.

"You know what?" he said, slurring slightly and catching himself, "I don't...feel like going somewhere else. Because I'll just pass out. And Meryl will get mad. And I'll have to listen to that for days."

He rested his head on the table miserably and sighed.

"God, I hate that clock so much."

~*~

Elendira couldn't resist patting him lightly on the head; he looked so adorable like that. She nodded because she could understand not wanting to go anywhere while feeling mad and hurt, so she waved a waiter over and negotiated the purchase of several bottles for them to take home.

"That clock needs to be nailed to something explosive," she said. "I think that we can finish the drinks at your place, if that's okay with you. Unless you don't want the company."

~*~

Vash considered this for a while before saying, "Yeah. Okay. My place is two places, so we can just drink in the other living room. People don't go in there as much."

He sat back up and finished his beer before getting to his feet. He wasn't in the mood to pretend to be inebriated, and he hadn't had nearly enough alcohol to genuinely cloud his vision, so he didn't waver as he stood up.

"I've got whiskey back at my apartment too."

~*~

"Whiskey with vodka chasers should at least drown out the ticking."

She stood up as well, paying for the meal and the bottles the waiter brought them. Holding the bag under one arm and taking his arm, Elendira headed for the door, not wavering at all. She didn't have enough to make her unsteady, just enough to make her a touch clingy.

~*~

Vash jolted a little at the contact. Did she have to do that? There had been way too much touching in this damn city already.

"Hn, they'll drown out something." He hoped, anyway. He'd always had a hard time stopping his train of thought. And these tracks were incredibly disturbing. "Let's just hope it does the job."

~*~

Elendira was just a touchy-feely kind of gal. She would even cling to Knives if he had allowed it. But she didn't press too close or tried to hang off of him more. Just a friendly arm link just to make sure that neither of them got lost or stumbled into those strangers.

"I think they should. It's what gets me really out of it, so it should help you."

~*~

Vash didn't say much as they headed back to his apartment. He just let his mind wander down dark paths with the firm resolution that he would soon be killing the brain cells that created them. He regarded the door to apartment eight carefully before changing his mind and taking the door to ten instead. There was less chance of someone waiting for him in there. And he didn't really feel like explaining what Elendira was doing there.

"Home sweet home," he said flatly as he opened the door. Oh, yeah. Tonight was going to be awesome. He just hoped he wouldn't be able to recall most of it the next day. God knows what he'd end up talking about with Elendira in a few minutes...

~*~

"Lovely, darling," she said, letting go of his arm and stepping out of her shoes. She walked into the room and set the bag down, her hands resting on her hips as she looked the room over. Then with the exaggerated care of someone taking a big leap on unsteady ground, she took a seat on the couch.

"You have glasses and whiskey here?"

~*~

Vash fished in a cabinet for a while before pulling out a bottle and two glasses.

"I said I did," he replied blankly, handing Elendira a glass and taking a seat in an easy chair. He poured himself some whiskey and slouched back with a vacant expression. He really needed to stop thinking. Fast.

~*~

"Of course you did." She took the glass and opened up the bag, taking out the first bottle of vodka and cracking it open. Pouring herself a good measure, she settled back against the couch, folding her legs under her.

"Let's see, how about a drinking game?"

~*~

Vash was already on his third glass when Elendira made her suggestion.

"Sure," he said apathetically. "Let's. What do you want to play?"

~*~

"I Never?" It was about the only game she knew, outside one that the Guns invented while out cleansing towns. Elendira doubted that he would be interested in that kind of game, so chose something lighter. She tossed back her vodka and poured herself some whiskey. "Have you played it before?"

~*~

Vash blinked at her.

"Of course I have," he said blearily, having another drink. "But I've never worn women's clothing."

~*~

She stuck her tongue out at him and emptied her glass. "I never grew wings."

~*~

Vash's eyes narrowed and he finished another glass. He had a feeling this would get tricky later, but for now...

"I've never had sex with Legato."

~*~

She sighed and drained that glass too. Really, Vash was being mean here. Then again, so was she.

"I never tried stopping a bullet meant for someone else."

~*~

Vash wondered if since he'd done that a lot, it meant he had to drink more. He decided it did.

"I never helped someone try to wipe out humans," he said once he could see again.

~*~

She wondered if she bought enough bottles for this. Shrugging, Elendira took several shots for that and then sat her glass down, breathing heavily until the fog lifted. Sucking in her breath, she refilled her glass.

"I never slept with a priest."

~*~

"HA!" Vash said more than laughed in a loud, bitter voice before slamming down quite a few glasses. "I wish—"

His eyes were starting to burn and he cut himself off (thankfully before he gave anything else away). Goddamn, just how many had he put away?

"I never wore make-up. ...I think..."

~*~

It was low for her and she actually winced at the sound in his voice. Gritting her teeth, Elendira grabbed the vodka bottle and finish it off. She wiped her lips off on her sleeve and wavering, set the bottle down carefully, completely missing the table. Then she hiccupped.

"I never had... a fake arm?" Yeah things were definitely getting fuzzy here.

~*~

Vash finished off the bottle of whiskey and gave Elendira a disapproving look.

"You drink too much," he said, then took a few seconds to think. "I never... Uh... Screw it."

He opened another bottle of vodka and poured himself a glass.

"Can't 'member what we were doin'."

He couldn't really get drunk, but he could drink too much too fast so his body couldn't keep up. And he didn't care enough to consciously keep purging the alcohol from his system.

~*~

"So do you. Honestly, I think you drink... drunk... drank... more than me." She nodded and looked for her glass. It was somewhere around here. Spying it, she made a lunge for it which tipped over the just opened bottle of vodka and spilt all over her lap.

Cue her shrieking and pushing the bottle upright and trying to get her skirt off before it stained and getting tangled up in the process. "DAMMIT TO HELL!"

~*~

Vash stared for a second and then started to giggle, putting his hand (and bottle) up to his eyes.

"Elendira," he snickered, "Vodka's like water. Won't stain anything."

~*~

"Water stains silk." Crossing her arms over her chest and pouting at him, Elendira spilt her glass all over her top. Cue another shriek and flailing fest.

She somehow managed to be half over the couch when she got done, complete with puppy dog eyes. "...Can I borrow something to wear? I have to soak this."

~*~

Vash frowned and staggered to his feet.

"You can wear some of my sweats," he offered, making his way towards his room and tripping over the coffee table. "But SHH. I gotta go into the other side of the apartment and somebody could be up. So don't..." He waved his arm vaguely here. "...Get all loud and stuff."

~*~

She nodded and managed to slide onto the couch more or less upright. It was enough to get her shirt off, revealing that she wasn't wearing her usual suit. Then again, she hadn't gotten it repaired yet.

"I am reduced to sweat borrowing thing..." she muttered, pouring a glass of vodka.

~*~

"Elendira!" Vash yelped, covering his eyes. "Put your shirt back on until I get stuff for you to wear!"

He stumbled into the other side of the apartment and did his best to be stealthy as he made his way towards his room. If only the two doorways would become one again so he could see where the hell he was going.

Finally he got inside and started rummaging through his drawers. A loud mew startled him and he looked down over his shoulder to see Sasha and Sneakers staring up at him.

"Shh," he said in a loud whisper. "I'm way too drunk for the four of you."

~*~

Elendira looked down. It's not like she really had breasts - that was an illusion from the whole suit thingy. The skirt stayed on and she went poking around for a faucet to soak the shirt in. It took her a moment to actually remember how to turn the faucet on and then she poked at the drain until she got it to close. Then cold water for the shirt and she stood there, tapping her foot and making faces at her image in the mirror.

~*~

Vash finally got his hands on some sweats and headed into the bathroom, nearly running into Elendira.

"Whoops," he said, swaying a little. "Here. Got some clothes."

~*~

She made a grab for them, finally getting them on the tenth swipe. She pulled the pants on under the skirt and then zip, off it went into the sink as well. The shirt was pulled on and she rolled up the sleeves, feeling downright tiny in his clothing.

"Thanks, doll." Elendira poked at the soaking clothing and pouted, attempting to turn off the water. "That was my favorite shirt." The water went off and she nodded, nearly walking into him. "There's more drinks?"

~*~

"Mm," Vash said hesitantly, "M'kinda tired, honestly..."

He nearly fell backwards and crashed into the wall.

"Ow."

~*~

Elendira blinked at him... and him... and him and then shook her head. They became one Vash and she reached over to pat his cheek and make sure he was standing there and not to the side. "Maybe we need to sleep?"

As if she was about to say that she was tired. Especially not to all three of him.

~*~

"Sleep sounds good," Vash murmured drowsily. "I guess you can stay here if you need to. You seem pretty smashed."

So was he, but there was no way he was telling her that.

~*~

"Mmkay, let's go find a bed!" Elendira grabbed his hand and headed right for a wall. Rubbing her forehead she blinked at the door. "It moved!"

~*~

"That's the wall," Vash pointed out matter-of-factly, tugging Elendira's hand towards the door. "This way."

He narrowly avoided stepping on Sneakers and finally staggered into his room, Elendira still holding his hand. He gave her a filthy look.

"Don't you try to come on to me, woman," he said as solemnly as he could when he was slurring. "I'm actually committed. I won't sleep with other people. Tch."

~*~

"That's wonderful of you," she replied, leaning against him in order to avoid the cats - all ten of them. Elendira still gave him a light peck on the cheek before letting go and poking at the air until she found the right bed. "I don't sleep with the uninterested ones anyways. You've gotta be wanting me. Am not into forcing anything."

She was slurring too now and the sweat pants made her stumble right onto the mattress. She still continued to mutter, waving a hand in the air. "Honestly, just cuz I have a... a... few people don't mean I'm a... what are they called... slut."

~*~

"I didn't say you were a slut," Vash said, collapsing onto the bed. "But you have a thing for me, right? And we're drunk. S'common sense."

His eyes were getting harder to open. He felt something tug at the blanket and soon felt a series of little paws on his back.

"Kitties..." he murmured quietly, "Maybe I should've had you keep an eye on Wolfwood. You keep a good eye on me."

~*~

"You look like my honey Knives." She managed to move until she was more on her back and tugged the blankets up for coverage. "'Snatural, y'know."

"He'd think I was being evil and be right... aww kitties cute." Elendira tried to pet one and then yawned. "Sleep?"

~*~

Vash didn't reply for a while; just stared at nothing, his head facing away from Elendira. He didn't like thinking about Knives. He certainly didn't like being compared to Knives in that way. But his mind was too fuzzy... He couldn't...focus.

"Mm," he said finally, "Yeah. Night."

He just hoped he didn't dream.

~*~

Elendira didn't mean to, but really, it was always in her mind. Especially how she missed him. Snuggling into the blanket and pillow, she muttered a 'Night' and soon was drifting asleep.

~*~

Vash suddenly felt his body get a hold on the alcohol in his system and had a brief moment of horror thinking about what the next morning would bring, but it was too late to do anything about it. He crashed. And he crashed hard.

He'd just have to deal with things after he'd slept it off.