MercedesVee
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Dream Bebop Cast
1 min read
Just thinking about who could play what... And I came up with these contenders:
Spike Spiegel: Adrien Brody
Faye Valentine: Milla Jovovich (?)
Jet Black:Ron Perlman, Laurence Fishburne
Radical Edward: Ursula Parker (You know, the younger daughter of Louie C.K. in "Louie")
Julia: Uma Thurman(?) (Maybe Charlize Theron)
Vicious: Christian Bale
Ein: A trained corgi
V.T.: Deborah Harry
Punch: Sacha Baron Cohen
Judy: (I really wish I could cast Brittany Murphy😢) Her Luanne Platter laugh would complete this role...
I'm really not trying to whitewash everything, I just see these actors really doing these roles justice. No doubt that Brody, Ursula Parker, and Debbie Harry would rock these roles!
Spike Spiegel: Adrien Brody
Faye Valentine: Milla Jovovich (?)
Jet Black:Ron Perlman, Laurence Fishburne
Radical Edward: Ursula Parker (You know, the younger daughter of Louie C.K. in "Louie")
Julia: Uma Thurman(?) (Maybe Charlize Theron)
Vicious: Christian Bale
Ein: A trained corgi
V.T.: Deborah Harry
Punch: Sacha Baron Cohen
Judy: (I really wish I could cast Brittany Murphy😢) Her Luanne Platter laugh would complete this role...
I'm really not trying to whitewash everything, I just see these actors really doing these roles justice. No doubt that Brody, Ursula Parker, and Debbie Harry would rock these roles!
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The tall and gangly man descended the stairs, staggering with each footstep as a bright and almost heavenly light shone about his surroundings. Julia's voice rang inside his mind; "It's all a... Dream...". "Yeah, just a dream..". A smirk crawled across his face as he surveyed members of the Syndicate gawking at him in awe. He continued to climb down the stairs, until he paused for a moment, raised his right hand, and held it in front of himself in the fashion of a gun; he mock-fired it at the spectators, imitating the sound of a firearm's shot: "Bang". He collapsed to the ground and lie there in the bright light.
Soon after, Spike arose from his slumber and noticed that all of the spectators had vanished, and that the gunpowder and debris on the stairs had been cleaned up. His wounds were nowhere to be seen and no marks or damages could be found on his clothing. No traces of the collapsed building could be detected in his current surrounding, and Spike began to wonder if he was really in Tharsis at all. All of a sudden, the darkness was cut into by another blinding light. Spike covered his eyes, but soon looked up and saw a terrifying but glorious sight: an Archangel of The Lord stood before him, his towering stature and colossal wings intimidating and frightening Spike to the point of him running away and cowering back on the ground. The Angel carried a giant cross entwined in black fabric. He slowly held out his right hand and began to navigate toward Spike.
"Do not fear me, Spike Spiegel, for I am here to bring good news upon you..."
The angel placed his hand on Spike's right shoulder as he continued to shake with fear. He quickly jumped up and moved away from the Angel, he was much too frightened to stay near.
Spike was speechless. He could barely look at the Angel due to the bright beams of light radiating out of the heavenly being. Spike continued to quake with fear, until he managed to muster out a few words.
"...Where...where on earth am I?!"
"At this moment, you are not even on earth... You are near the Heavenly Realms of the universe. Your body has been rid of your soul, but not for long..."
"You mean...I've finally died?"
The Angel stared at Spike for a moment.
"The message I bear involves this very subject... The Universal Ruler and His Council of Archangels have decided that your soul has prematurely departed your flesh..."
"You're sending me back?!"
"You have been chosen to experience multiple second chances at life... Make the most of this next experience, and remember: take note of this object I hold in my hands..."
The Angel held out the cross to allow Spike to study it.
"The person in possession of this object is in need of your help. Don't be fooled by his personality or situation... This will be your test..."
The Angel began to levitate and slowly fade away as Spike grew frantic and watched this strange and beautiful sight slowly disappear. He cried out, "Wait! I need more of your advisement! I don't know what to do or expect! Have I died before this instance?! Please tell me!"
The Angel began to repetitively mutter, "Just breathe..."
"Well, what do you mean, 'Just breathe'?! How can I be sure of anything right now?! Please, I'm begging you, I just want to know what's expected of me during all of this!"
"Just breathe."
"Why do you keep saying that?!"
"-ALRIGHT HE'S BREATHING NOW!"
A horde of medical personnel and nurses rushed the wounded Spike into the emergency room of a local hospital. The nurses frantically strapped on their medical gloves and grabbed multiple gauze pads and bandages to sop up the blood that was flowing out of Spike's body. A blue-haired Nurse Practitioner had strapped an oxygen mask onto Spike's face and was pushing the cart that contained the bloody patient into a surgical unit. She summoned a younger nurse over. Spike was bleeding profusely all over the blue haired nurse practitioner, upsetting the younger one, but she paid no attention to her reaction.
She calmly explained to the frantic medical worker, "the patient requires immediate stitches for the slice wounds on his leg, torso, and upper shoulder. Send for Dr. Ross to room 119 so we may begin the surgeries promptly. The patient runs the risk of hemorrhaging if he's not attended to in time..."
"Yes, Nurse Mizuno..."
The young nurse ran down the hall and disappeared. Nurse Mizuno continued pushing Spike into the surgical unit with much speed and agility. She quickly left the room and went into a small chamber, changed into a clean pair of scrubs, and threw the dirty ones into the trash bin. She and the other workers began placing an I.V. in Spike's arm and cleaning his wounds, finishing by the time Dr. Ross arrived. They spent 7 hours in surgery, from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. They removed a broken off blade in Spike's right shoulder and applied a skin graft to the area. They stitched up the slice marks and paid careful attention to the giant wound across his torso. They put in a catheter and placed him on an infibulation machine via intubation through his nose and into his lungs. Once they had finished, Spike was given extra morphine in his I.V. and placed in the Intensive Care Unit, where he remained in a comatose slumber for three days. Nurse Mizuno was assigned as Spike's caretaker. For those three uncertain days, she cleaned his wounds daily and refilled his IV bags with potassium and saline to revamp his recovery from all of the experienced blood loss. Nurse Mizuno was unsure that her patient would wake up and survive this predicament, until one day, groans and coughing heard from his hospital bed interrupted her worries; her patient had managed to prove her wrong.
Soon after, Spike arose from his slumber and noticed that all of the spectators had vanished, and that the gunpowder and debris on the stairs had been cleaned up. His wounds were nowhere to be seen and no marks or damages could be found on his clothing. No traces of the collapsed building could be detected in his current surrounding, and Spike began to wonder if he was really in Tharsis at all. All of a sudden, the darkness was cut into by another blinding light. Spike covered his eyes, but soon looked up and saw a terrifying but glorious sight: an Archangel of The Lord stood before him, his towering stature and colossal wings intimidating and frightening Spike to the point of him running away and cowering back on the ground. The Angel carried a giant cross entwined in black fabric. He slowly held out his right hand and began to navigate toward Spike.
"Do not fear me, Spike Spiegel, for I am here to bring good news upon you..."
The angel placed his hand on Spike's right shoulder as he continued to shake with fear. He quickly jumped up and moved away from the Angel, he was much too frightened to stay near.
Spike was speechless. He could barely look at the Angel due to the bright beams of light radiating out of the heavenly being. Spike continued to quake with fear, until he managed to muster out a few words.
"...Where...where on earth am I?!"
"At this moment, you are not even on earth... You are near the Heavenly Realms of the universe. Your body has been rid of your soul, but not for long..."
"You mean...I've finally died?"
The Angel stared at Spike for a moment.
"The message I bear involves this very subject... The Universal Ruler and His Council of Archangels have decided that your soul has prematurely departed your flesh..."
"You're sending me back?!"
"You have been chosen to experience multiple second chances at life... Make the most of this next experience, and remember: take note of this object I hold in my hands..."
The Angel held out the cross to allow Spike to study it.
"The person in possession of this object is in need of your help. Don't be fooled by his personality or situation... This will be your test..."
The Angel began to levitate and slowly fade away as Spike grew frantic and watched this strange and beautiful sight slowly disappear. He cried out, "Wait! I need more of your advisement! I don't know what to do or expect! Have I died before this instance?! Please tell me!"
The Angel began to repetitively mutter, "Just breathe..."
"Well, what do you mean, 'Just breathe'?! How can I be sure of anything right now?! Please, I'm begging you, I just want to know what's expected of me during all of this!"
"Just breathe."
"Why do you keep saying that?!"
"-ALRIGHT HE'S BREATHING NOW!"
A horde of medical personnel and nurses rushed the wounded Spike into the emergency room of a local hospital. The nurses frantically strapped on their medical gloves and grabbed multiple gauze pads and bandages to sop up the blood that was flowing out of Spike's body. A blue-haired Nurse Practitioner had strapped an oxygen mask onto Spike's face and was pushing the cart that contained the bloody patient into a surgical unit. She summoned a younger nurse over. Spike was bleeding profusely all over the blue haired nurse practitioner, upsetting the younger one, but she paid no attention to her reaction.
She calmly explained to the frantic medical worker, "the patient requires immediate stitches for the slice wounds on his leg, torso, and upper shoulder. Send for Dr. Ross to room 119 so we may begin the surgeries promptly. The patient runs the risk of hemorrhaging if he's not attended to in time..."
"Yes, Nurse Mizuno..."
The young nurse ran down the hall and disappeared. Nurse Mizuno continued pushing Spike into the surgical unit with much speed and agility. She quickly left the room and went into a small chamber, changed into a clean pair of scrubs, and threw the dirty ones into the trash bin. She and the other workers began placing an I.V. in Spike's arm and cleaning his wounds, finishing by the time Dr. Ross arrived. They spent 7 hours in surgery, from 3 a.m. to 10 a.m. They removed a broken off blade in Spike's right shoulder and applied a skin graft to the area. They stitched up the slice marks and paid careful attention to the giant wound across his torso. They put in a catheter and placed him on an infibulation machine via intubation through his nose and into his lungs. Once they had finished, Spike was given extra morphine in his I.V. and placed in the Intensive Care Unit, where he remained in a comatose slumber for three days. Nurse Mizuno was assigned as Spike's caretaker. For those three uncertain days, she cleaned his wounds daily and refilled his IV bags with potassium and saline to revamp his recovery from all of the experienced blood loss. Nurse Mizuno was unsure that her patient would wake up and survive this predicament, until one day, groans and coughing heard from his hospital bed interrupted her worries; her patient had managed to prove her wrong.
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Cowgirl Ed: Chapter 10-Sting Operation
5 min read
Cowgirl Ed: Chapter 10- Sting Operation
Two days had passed since Vash departed and the girls kept themselves occupied with delivering the mail and paper routes. Edward never said much about it, but Nema could sense sadness within her friend. One evening, Nema approached Edward while she was giving Ein a bath and decided to get her to open up more.
"...Hey Edward, need any help?"
"Hey Nema. Yeah, maybe you could rinse him off after I'm done scrubbing him..."
"Okay..."
They finished cleaning Ein and troweled him off. Edward began to clean off the hair in the tub, but Bema said she could do it for her. Edward went into the living room and sat down next to her computer, Tomato. She strapped on her goggles and began surfing the internet.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've done this.." Edward thought to herself. She came across news reports of missing children from all over the galaxy. She further surveyed the report, which calculated the disappearance of over 10,00 children. She felt a strange and suspicious inclination as to who was behind this, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She took off her goggles and saw that it was Nema.
"Sorry to interrupt, but the tub's all clean! Not a spot of fur left."
"Thanks Nema..."
Edward closed Tomato and laid back on the couch. She slowly began to rub her temples as Ein jumped on her lap, dripping wet. Nema picked Ein up and placed him on the ground. She kneeled next to the couch and rested her elbows on the arms of the couch.
"Ed, this is just out of observation, but is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"
Edward stopped rubbing her temples and sighed.
"No, I don't think so, Nema... You've already been such a great help already. I know I've been mopey and sulky and not much of a good company, but I think it'll pass in a week or so..."
Nema grinned at Edward.
"You miss him, don't you?"
Edward closed her eyes and remained in that position for a long time.
"Hey, that's not a bad thing, Ed... You guys had a lot in common." Nema paused for a moment.
"I know it's difficult getting back into the groove without Vash, but if there's anything I can do to lift your spirits, just say so..."
Edward sat up and began rubbing her temples again.
"Well, it's not just that... I read something online just now about 10,000 kids disappearing throughout the galaxy and I have a really bad feeling that Alabaster may be behind it..."
Nema stiffened when she heard that name.
"What is this?"
Edward opened up Tomato and placed it on the floor next to Nema. She grabbed hold of her goggles and the both looked through one lense to read the article. Edward read,
"10,000 children have been reported missing from the planets of Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Mercury, and Earth earlier this afternoon. An extensive Missing Child Investigation has been called by the police forces on these planets but all planets are encouraged to keep an eye out for possible human cargo or abductors". Nema stared at Edward in disbelief.
"This is really strange... I thought that tunnel was smoked by the explosions..."
"I thought so, too..."
Images of burnt and frantic children climbing out of the colossal hole in the ground flashed in Edward's mind. She winced at this memory and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I just can't stand the thought of 10,000 more kids having to go through what we did. I'm thankful that we made it out alive, but think of those who didn't... Think of those who have continued to be exploited for the past 5 years and those who are about to be... I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself while these kids are being abused... I won't stand for it!"
She slammed her computer closed and stood up. Nema followed her action and placed her hand on Edward's shoulder.
"I'm with you on this."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. You know a while back when you said you wanted to help these kids get out?"
"Yes..."
"Well Ed, keep in mind that we've got the resources now. We have a giant cargo ship outside. Just gimme the signal and I'll be on deck to help you get these kids away from Alabaster..."
Edward beamed.
"You really mean this, Nema?!"
"You betcha..." Nema began to walk toward the phone.
"Hey Nema, who are you calling?"
"My boss... I'm gonna take a part-time position now. I suggest you call Youssef and do the same. We're gonna need a lot more time invested in this mission..."
Two days had passed since Vash departed and the girls kept themselves occupied with delivering the mail and paper routes. Edward never said much about it, but Nema could sense sadness within her friend. One evening, Nema approached Edward while she was giving Ein a bath and decided to get her to open up more.
"...Hey Edward, need any help?"
"Hey Nema. Yeah, maybe you could rinse him off after I'm done scrubbing him..."
"Okay..."
They finished cleaning Ein and troweled him off. Edward began to clean off the hair in the tub, but Bema said she could do it for her. Edward went into the living room and sat down next to her computer, Tomato. She strapped on her goggles and began surfing the internet.
"Wow, it's been a while since I've done this.." Edward thought to herself. She came across news reports of missing children from all over the galaxy. She further surveyed the report, which calculated the disappearance of over 10,00 children. She felt a strange and suspicious inclination as to who was behind this, until she felt a tap on her shoulder. She took off her goggles and saw that it was Nema.
"Sorry to interrupt, but the tub's all clean! Not a spot of fur left."
"Thanks Nema..."
Edward closed Tomato and laid back on the couch. She slowly began to rub her temples as Ein jumped on her lap, dripping wet. Nema picked Ein up and placed him on the ground. She kneeled next to the couch and rested her elbows on the arms of the couch.
"Ed, this is just out of observation, but is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"
Edward stopped rubbing her temples and sighed.
"No, I don't think so, Nema... You've already been such a great help already. I know I've been mopey and sulky and not much of a good company, but I think it'll pass in a week or so..."
Nema grinned at Edward.
"You miss him, don't you?"
Edward closed her eyes and remained in that position for a long time.
"Hey, that's not a bad thing, Ed... You guys had a lot in common." Nema paused for a moment.
"I know it's difficult getting back into the groove without Vash, but if there's anything I can do to lift your spirits, just say so..."
Edward sat up and began rubbing her temples again.
"Well, it's not just that... I read something online just now about 10,000 kids disappearing throughout the galaxy and I have a really bad feeling that Alabaster may be behind it..."
Nema stiffened when she heard that name.
"What is this?"
Edward opened up Tomato and placed it on the floor next to Nema. She grabbed hold of her goggles and the both looked through one lense to read the article. Edward read,
"10,000 children have been reported missing from the planets of Venus, Jupiter, Pluto, Neptune, Mercury, and Earth earlier this afternoon. An extensive Missing Child Investigation has been called by the police forces on these planets but all planets are encouraged to keep an eye out for possible human cargo or abductors". Nema stared at Edward in disbelief.
"This is really strange... I thought that tunnel was smoked by the explosions..."
"I thought so, too..."
Images of burnt and frantic children climbing out of the colossal hole in the ground flashed in Edward's mind. She winced at this memory and tears began to well up in her eyes.
"I just can't stand the thought of 10,000 more kids having to go through what we did. I'm thankful that we made it out alive, but think of those who didn't... Think of those who have continued to be exploited for the past 5 years and those who are about to be... I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself while these kids are being abused... I won't stand for it!"
She slammed her computer closed and stood up. Nema followed her action and placed her hand on Edward's shoulder.
"I'm with you on this."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. You know a while back when you said you wanted to help these kids get out?"
"Yes..."
"Well Ed, keep in mind that we've got the resources now. We have a giant cargo ship outside. Just gimme the signal and I'll be on deck to help you get these kids away from Alabaster..."
Edward beamed.
"You really mean this, Nema?!"
"You betcha..." Nema began to walk toward the phone.
"Hey Nema, who are you calling?"
"My boss... I'm gonna take a part-time position now. I suggest you call Youssef and do the same. We're gonna need a lot more time invested in this mission..."
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Around 15 years ago, a small Françoise Appledehli and her father, Mr. Appledelhi, had stumbled into a small Catholic orphanage to seek shelter from an ongoing storm outside. As they entered the facility, they saw that the inhabitants had all retired to their chambers and had all fallen fast asleep. Not wanting to disturb them, Mr. Appledehli made a small makeshift bed in the corner for Edward constructed of towels and throw pillows.
"That soft enough for ya, Françoise?"
She silently nodded at her father and smiled at him. Françoise had never spoken a single word in her six years of life, but Mr. Appledehli had grown accustomed to her silence and nevertheless enjoyed her company. He watched her as she slowly curled up and fell asleep on the ground. Mr. Appledehli listened to the pitter-patter of the falling rain until he finally nodded off...
"What the heck is that???"
"It looks like a hermit came in here or something..."
"Is it dead?"
Françoise was rudely awakened by a poking sensation in her face. She quickly awoke and noticed she was surrounded by a group of children and a rather dirty-looking boy had been prodding her face with a stick. She abruptly jumped up, grabbed the stick, and hissed at the boy like a feral cat. The children screamed and dispersed as she heard the voice of an adult.
"Children! What is going on?"
"Sister Clara! It has rabies!"
"Just what on earth are you talking about?"
"That!"
The boy pointed a fearful finger at Françoise, who by now had turned her face completely into the corner. A small child approached the nun and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Sister Clara, Gene poked it with a stick to make sure it wasn't dead..."
"Is that what happened?"
The child nodded.
"Well no wonder it's upset... When you do something like that to someone, it's going to rattle them up a bit. The poor dear was probably exhausted."
The nun stooped down to Françoise's level.
"Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?"
Françoise peered at the nun and drew even closer to the corner. The nun patiently placed her hand on the girl.
"My child, you look tired and famished... If you will allow me to help you, I'll get you some nourishment. Gene here was just curious about you and probably didn't express that in the most polite manner... Maybe if you could tell me a bit about yourself, say, your name, maybe we could help locate a family member..."
Françoise slowly turned around and faced Sister Clara. The nun looked into her eyes and realized the child's dilemma.
"Oh dear...Someone left you here last night... Didn't they?"
She averted her eyes from the nun and began to survey the orphanage. She caught eye-contact with Gene who gave her a disgusted look.
"Ugh, I don't know if it's a boy or girl..."
Sister Clara glanced at him severely and snapped, "That will be quite enough, Gene! Say another thing like that & you'll be sent to bed without any supper!"
"Yes, Sister Clara..." Gene began to walk away into the hallway. Sister Clara held out her hand to Françoise.
"Don't fear, little one. You're in safe hands, now. Now let's get you something to eat... You must be starving."
The nun fed the girl a confection of herring and grits which Françoise ate up heartily. She introduced her to the children that day and let her join in on all of the schooling activities. Françoise could already read and write pretty well, but she was most proficient in mathematics. She even solved some of the older children's problems with ease, but she never uttered a single word.
This dynamic carried on for a few more days, until one morning, Sister Clara made an unexpected announcement that no lessons were to be held that day.
"Alright children, settle down... I just received very important news this morning that I'm sure you will all be thrilled to hear. Father Wolfwood is paying a special visit to earth later today to see all of you and bring by some food!"
The children all began exclaiming in awe.
"Now, I know you're all excited, but I need you to be on your best behavior and show Father Wolfwood gratitude for his visit..."
"We will, Sister Clara," said the children in unison. Françoise gave off a confused look as to who this Father Wolfwood was. A small girl named Samantha approached Françoise.
"Have you ever met Father Wolfwood?"
She shook her head.
"Oh, he's so cool! He's this priest who carries around a giant cross and brings us candy and plays with us... He's strong and tall and super handsome as well!"
The girl had stars in her eyes as she said this. Françoise held her hand to her mouth and giggled at the girl. Gene butted in and said, "Father Wolf is too much of a man to focus on that sissy stuff!"
"Oh quiet, you! Go bob for apples in the outhouse!" Gene fell silent and walked away. Françoise looked at the girl in admiration as she turned to face her.
"Sorry about that...My name's Samantha..." The girl extended her small hand to Françoise. She shyly shook the girl's hand and smiled at her. "I can introduce you to Father Wolfwood later. He'll be happy to see a new kid here..."
Sister Clara then summoned the children to get cleaned up before Father Wolfwood arrived. All of the children were given warm baths and changes of nice clothes which had been donated to the orphanage for special occasions. Françoise received a nice green plaid dress with white socks and black patent shoes. She had some trouble walking in them due to her unfamiliarity with wearing shoes. Sister Clara gathered the children outside of the orphanage. They waited outside for a while until they heard the sound of a distant motorcycle approaching. Just when they thought the revving had passed them, a large motorcycle drove up and stopped. A tall man wearing a black suit and sunglasses unmounted the bike. He gathered a large cloth-covered cross and planted it on the ground. The children looked up at him and screamed with delight. They all ran to him and swarmed him with greetings and numerous questions. Father Wolfwood picked up a small child and mounted him on his shoulders. Françoise stayed behind and watched the children welcome the mysterious priest. Sister Clara approached him and gave him a warm hug.
"Nicholas... So glad you're here..."
The man took off his sunglasses and smiled at the nun.
"It's great to be back... I was starting to miss these little guys..." The priest noticed Françoise cowering behind Sister Clara. He bent down and studied her.
"Well now... Who's this new addition to the family?"
Françoise recoiled even more and hid her face in the nun's dress.
"Oh don't be shy... I was just asking," the priest cheerfully stated to her.
Sister Clara sighed. "It's hard to say... She hasn't said a single word since she came here."
"Oh, well she seems like a pretty neat kid. That's a pretty dress you're wearing." He winked at Françoise. "Well, whatever-your-name-is, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you enjoy it here."
The priest stood up and walked away with the horde of children following him. Sister Clara took Françoise's hand and led her inside the orphanage. Wolfwood read the children Bible stories; Françoise especially enjoyed the story of Joseph. Later that day, the children asked if they could go outside and play kickball. Wolfwood had brought them a new ball and they were eager to try it out.
Teams were chosen and Françoise was on the kicking side with Samantha. Gene was one of the team captains and the pitcher; he had an especially hateful gleam in his eye against Françoise. Gene struck out kids right and left, until it was Françoise's turn to kick. Gene rolled the ball toward her as she kicked with all her might and sent the ball hurtling towards the sky. Gene attempted to catch it, but failed. Françoise won her team a home run. As she neared the end of the home base, Gene approached her with the ball in hand and flung it in her face as hard as he could. The children gasped as Sister Anna, another nun, came over and began to berate him. As Françoise picked herself up from the ground, she heard Gene utter the unthinkable:
"She cheated! She cheated! She's just mad and out to get me because her dad left her here on purpose..."
Françoise sprinted towards Gene and violently flung herself onto him. Before Wolfwood could react, she pinned the boy to the ground and began slapping and punching him. Gene screamed in pain and begged her to stop, but Françoise persisted. She got dirt all over her face and dress but still continued her attack. Wolfwood ran to the scene, snatched Françoise, and picked up her flailing body off of Gene's.
"What in the hell is going on here?!"
Françoise struggled against the priest until he grabbed her arm and told her in a firm voice, "HEY. Knock it off..."
Gene sobbed, "that street rat tried to kill me! She's a monster!"
Wolfwood looked at the tiny girl and drew her closer.
"Okay, girl. What caused this?"
Françoise remained silent and pulled her arm away from the priest's grasp. With catlike reflexes, he grabbed Françoise's arm and jerked her back. Françoise winced at the pain from the forceful jerk.
"C'mon! Please answer my question!"
Almost as quickly as the priest had done, Françoise let out a loud yelp and clawed the priest across his face. He let go of her arm and grabbed his cheek in pain. Françoise ran away frantically and entered the orphanage. She ran to Sister Clara and buried her face in her habit.
"What's wrong? Did you get hurt?! Oh, poor thing. You're all dirty...?"
The little girl began to sob into the nun. She patted Françoise on the back and quietly comforted her. Soon after, Wolfwood and Gene entered from outside and began to run cold water on a rag for their wounds. Sister Clara approached him.
"Oh dear... What happened to you two out there? Where did you get that nasty cut?"
"Oh, there was just a little dispute on the field... I think we've resolved it now..."
Sister Clara turned to Françoise and stared at her for a moment.
"Did you have anything to do with this?"
Françiose wiped tears off her face and peered at the ground.
Sister Clara gave both children a disappointed look.
"I see... Well, it looks like you children will have to be punished for this violent behavior. You'll both be placed in time-out and will be restricted from joining in the rest of today's activities. You'll also apologize to Father Wolfwood for displaying such behavior."
"Yes ma'am..." Gene uttered.
"Sorry, Father Wolf..." The nun gave Gene a menacing glare.
"Uh... Father Wolf...Wood..."
The priest nodded at the child. Françoise was about to pass both adults until Sister Clara cleared her throat loudly, indicating for Françoise to apologize to Wolfwood. The small girl stopped and stared at the ground for a few moments until her eyes shot up at his as she muttered, "Sorry."
Both adults stood in awe as the formerly silent child walked away and retired to the solitary room.
"That's the first word she has ever spoken since she's been here..."
"Well, the kid certainly packs a punch..." Wolfwood chuckled as he lit up a cigarette.
Sister Clara was awestruck.
"You mean to tell me she physically attacked Gene and managed to scratch you across the face?!"
Wolfwood smiled.
"Yeah... She's definitely something else... I kinda like her spunk..."
Sister Clara buried her head in her palms.
"Oh, children should never be so violent..."
"Actually, Gene may have needed some sense knocked into him."
"What do you mean by that?!"
"I'm just saying... The kid's got a big mouth and doesn't know when to stop talking. He's prone to saying some damaging things... Who knows? Maybe that redhead taught him a valuable lesson today." Sister Clara chuckled and shook her head.
"I actually find myself agreeing with you on this one..."
Wolfwood laughed and propped his cross on the wall.
"You know, Sister Clara, I admire your patience with all these kids..."
"...And I admire your generosity."
The nun summoned the children inside for dinner about an hour later. Wolfwood picked up an extra bowl and decided to deliver it to Françoise. He knocked on her door and poked his head in.
"Hey kid... I brought you some grub."
Françoise looked at him with tears streaking down her face. She quickly wiped them away and continued watching the priest. He entered, placed the bowl near her, and sat down next to her.
"Looks like its fish 'n grits again... It actually tastes pretty good if you put some Tabasco on it..."
He reached in his front pocket and poured a few drops in his bowl. He stirred the contents around with his spoon and blew on the mixture to cool it down.
"I know you're probably still upset with me about earlier... That kid wouldn't pipe down and I shouldn't have grabbed your arm so hard... For that, I apologize... I guess I had it coming for being that forceful."
Françoise looked up at the priest and saw the scratch marks on his face she had left. Sadness and guilt swelled up in her heart. She reached up and touched his face. The priest winced a bit, but quickly smiled at her gesture. Françoise returned his smile and quickly reached for the Tabasco sauce, put a few drops of it in her bowl, and began to eat. The priest smiled chuckled at this.
"Well I'll be... You like the spicy stuff, huh? Most kids hate the taste of that stuff..."
Françoise picked up her bowl and began to drink the contents. He placed two pieces of ginger chews next to her hand.
"You know, Kid... I like you... What's your name?"
Françoise struggled with this for a moment. She picked up a candy, popped it in her mouth, and began to chew. She looked at the wrapper which read, "Edward's Ginger Chews".
"Gee, Sister Clara wasn't kidding when she said you were a quiet one..."
Françoise looked up at the priest and said, "Edward."
"Huh?"
"Ed's name is... Edward".
The priest paused for a moment.
"Edward, huh? That's a nifty name... You're probably used to calling me Father Wolfwood by now, but you can always call me Nicolas... Or just Wolfwood... Whatever's your preference."
Françoise, now Edward, giggled at him.
"Woof-wood..."
" hmm?"
"Woofwood..."
"Not bad... I kinda like it. You're okay, Ed... I'm gonna let you finish up your punishment now, but if you ever wanna talk again, all you gotta do is ask, okay?"
Edward nodded and smiled at the priest as he exited the room.
Over the next few years, Wolfwood and Edward developed a close friendship that surpassed that with the other children. During his visits, Wolfwood read to her at bedtime and would bring her pinwheels from other far off places he would travel through. Wolfwood would let Edward watch "Jesus Christ Superstar" with him on every Easter, much to the chagrin of Sister Clara. He was drawn to her eccentric personality and would berate the other children if they made fun of her speech impediment or how she spoke in the third person. She almost viewed him as an older brother. He had been one of the first people who had consistently cared about and had taken care of her.
Until one day, he stopped showing up at the orphanage...
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Cowgirl Ed-Ch. 8- Old Rugged Cross
7 min read
The next morning Vash was awakened by the sound of the doctor abruptly swinging open the door to Edward's room. The doctor gave him an angry look and slowly shook his head.
"I thought I told you to keep off your foot and stay in your room..."
"Well, you see, doc, Edward here was all alone and I just felt the need to-"
With that, the doctor reached for a small bottle in the pocket of his medical coat and squirted Vash right in the face with cold water. The doctor began to laugh profusely as Vash screamed and exited the room.
"Shoo! Go on, get outta here! It's not your turn for a checkup!" The doctor turned and faced a somewhat disgruntled Edward.
"Sorry about that, Miss Edward. Just trying to ward off intruders is all... Now, let me see that tongue of yours so I can examine it..."
The doctor put on a pair of rubber gloves and felt around on Edward's tongue for lumps. He took out a popsicle stick and measured the swelling levels with it.
"Alright, looks as if we won't have to give you anymore injections for that puppy, but we'll be sending you home with some meds and herbs to help heal the swelling.. Can you say some of your consonants for me real quick?"
Edward slowly muttered and garbled out a few as the doctor jotted something down onto his clipboard.
"Yeah, looks like you're going to need about a week's supply of those meds... Though you seem to be showing significant signs of recovery... Your tongue has gone down in size, so we have that to look forward to..."
Edward nodded and peered over in the corner. The doctor turned around and saw that Vash had his spiky head in the doorway and was eavesdropping on them. The doctor reached for the bottle and Vash quickly retreated to his room.
"Wow that guy won't ever give up... He must be pretty attached to you or something to be that clingy... Well, Miss Edward, I think you're on your way to a swift recovery. You can leave anytime you choose. I'll have Nurse Wanda assist you when you're ready to leave. Now I have to go check up on Vash...I'm sure he's DYING to get out of here..."
The doctor departed the room and headed towards Vash's room. Later that day, Nurse Wanda, Nema, and Vash helped assist Edward out of the hospital and to home. Ein greeted Edward warmly and never left her lap. Nema picked up medications while Vash kept Edward company at home. He babied her by constantly making her soothing tea and soup and by regulating her medication ingestion. This helped the swelling in Edward's tongue go down sufficiently. She was immensely touched by the help Vash offered her and would thank him as best as she could by changing the bandaging on his snakebite wound. Youssef visited Edward and gave her extra time off in order to fully recover. A few days later, Edward could speak again and her tongue no longer had any pain. She resolved to return to work in the morning, but first she had to speak with Vash about his intended departure. She spotted him one afternoon sitting outside on the porch. She slowly entered the area and pulled up a chair and sat down by him.
"Hey Ed... How's your tongue feeling?"
"Much better since I can speak now... How 'bout your ankle?"
"Almost as good as new... The bitemark's almost gone and Nurse Wanda said I don't have to wear the boot anymore, so that's a plus..."
He and Edward surveyed the angel rays of the sun in the distance.
"Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
"Oh, I was just curious why you stayed longer than you planned..."
"Well I had to help take care of you, Ed. It was the very least I could do after you bought me donuts and sucked poison out of my foot... If at all, I should be on-call for you 24/7 after all you've done..."
Vash smiled shyly at Edward and she returned the gesture. She pulled her knees to her chin and slouched.
"That'd be nice.... You've been a great help to me as well... It's gonna be a shame to see you go... I'm just glad I got extra time with you and that you & Nema are on good terms... Speaking of which, what's up with that? How did that happen?"
"Well, we just had a few discussions while you were asleep in the hospital and came to an understanding... "
"Well that's good... Hey Vash?"
"Yes?"
"I know it's probably none of my business, but, why are you deciding to leave?"
Vash remembered Nema's words.
"I'm in the midst of a very bad feud with a family member of mine... And I must attempt to find him and make peace with him..."
"Oh, sorry to hear that... That's hard to have that going on with loved ones..."
"Yeah, but it could be a lot worse... I just hope he's more open to change by now...What about your family?"
"Don't know that much about them... My mother is unknown and my dad has some sort of early-onset Alzheimer's or something... Last time I saw him was about 5 years ago on earth..."
"Wow, that's heavy..."
"Yeah, but there are too many good people in the universe like you and Nema to let that phase me... I've always felt loved by someone, which is in itself a blessing... I hope you can experience that with this family member of yours. I hope you can make peace with each other and that you can come back and visit one day..."
Vash grinned at Edward.
"Oh, I'm planning on it, Edward... Even if things don't work out, I'll still make it a priority to come see you & Nema again..."
They continued chatting until Nema came home. They helped him pack that night and saw him off in the morning. Edward and Nema hugged Vash and gave him a box of donuts before he departed. Edward approached Vash and gave him yet another warm hug.
"I'm gonna miss you so much..."
"I'm gonna miss you as well, Ed.."
"...Please travel safely and best of luck to you..."
"Thanks Ed..."
Vash began to walk away until he realized something. Throwing down his bags, he began to frantically sprint back towards the house.
"What's the matter, Vash?!" Nema shouted as he ran through the front door and began to run up the stairwell.
"What is going on?"
"Oh nothing! I just forgot something in the guest room closet is all..."
Vash came down the stairs carrying a giant cloth-covered cross. Edward gasped as the recognition of the object settled in her memory.
"Ah-hah! I knew I couldn't leave without it..."
Edward slowly approached the cross and reached out and touched it. She studied it carefully.
"What is it, Edward?" Asked Vash...
Edward continued to stare at the cross. She finally came to her senses and answered him in two words:
"That priest..."
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