Cowboy Bebop Fan Fiction / Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Hey, Goddess? It's Me, Edward! ❯ Scenes from a Bar ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Scenes from a Bar

Faye Valentine stared into the glass until she couldn't tell where it ended and the bar top began. Of course, the five beers she'd had helped a lot. Not that she'd been counting in the first place.

The bartender, however, had been, and when Faye asked for another, he told her so. "Lady, I think you've had enough."

Faye glared at him, and for a few moments, she was surprisingly coherent. "Look, pal. The closest thing I had to a boyfriend just bought the farm for no good reason, and I've got the money! I think I'm entitled to another beer!"

"Get it somewhere else. I'm not giving you anything else to drink."

"Then put it on my tab," said a quiet voice behind them.

The bartender went pale. "Yes, sir!" He quickly gave Faye a beer and vanished into the back room.

Faye turned around to see someone dressed in a dark blue cloak with a hood that concealed his or her face. "Thanks for the drink, buddy, but if you're looking for something in return, you won't find it."

The person raised their head. "You flatter yourself. I'm not that kind of woman."

Faye's eyes widened. "You're a woman?!"

The crimson eyes beneath the hood narrowed slightly. "You really ARE drunk. Maybe you didn't need that beer."

"Why'd you buy it in the first place?" Faye asked.

"Because there's no point in starting a fight if there's no bounty or honor at stake."

"And what makes you think I'm a bounty hunter?"

"Only two kinds of people come here, and since you're not dead or chained to some guy's wrist, you can't be a bounty."

Faye smirked and took a sip of her beer. "So what do they call you, stranger?"

"I wouldn't know. No one I've been after has ever lived long enough to call me much of anything. Well, except one…"

"And I'm guessing whatever they called you wouldn't make much of a name."

"Not really." The woman sat down on a nearby barstool. "Anyway, you won't know me long enough to need my name. Soon as the bartender comes back with my order, I'll be gone."

Faye frowned. "But you didn't order anything."

"Didn't have to. He knows what I came for."

* * * * *

Ed pressed her face against the glass, staring at all the yummy treats on the other side. Cakes, tarts, doughnuts; some with icing, cream cheese, sprinkles, some without. Ed wasn't hungry, but she was still a child, after all. It was as natural as playing with Ein to her. She wished the baker hadn't made her leave him outside. She decided to get him a little treat to make up for it.

It was then that she first noticed the other girl.

She was also staring, her small hands and brown face pressed against the glass. She wore a fluffy pink bonnet on her head, her tresses of dark brown and white escaping in two neat locks on either side of her face. Her large, amber, almost catlike eyes were fixed solely upon a large, delicious looking slice of carrot cake with white frosting. Ed recalled that her own eyes were a similar color, and decided to make some friendly conversation.

"Ed likes red velvet the best," she said matter-of-factly. "What about you?"

The girl looked at her for a moment, then longingly back at the carrot cake.

"Oh, Ed sees. Ed likes carrot, too."

The girl made a quiet whining noise in her throat, almost sounding like a cat.

"Don't be sad. Ed can buy it for you, if you want."

The girl's mouth watered at the thought, but she quickly shook her head.

"It's okay. Ed has money!" And before the girl could protest again, Ed was paying for the hunk of carrot cake, easily big enough for the both of them. "See? Doesn't it look good?" She held out the slice, waving it in front of the girl's face.

The girl's eyes followed the slice as it moved, and then she grabbed it. But remembering her manners, she broke it in half and handed a piece back to Ed. Ed tore into her piece with reckless abandon, while the girl ate hers slowly, savoring each bite.

Their peaceful moment was suddenly interrupted when Ein began to bark.

Ed ran outside of the shop, only to find Ein cornering a small, furry animal that seemed to be a rabbit…from a distance, anyway. But as Ed got closer, she decided it was more like a chipmunk with big ears and feet and whiskers. "What is it, Ein?" she asked, leaning down for a better look.

The animal bared its tiny teeth and hissed, the hairs standing on end all over its white body. Its crimson eyes narrowed in anger, and the tiny yellow jewel set in its forehead seemed to gleam in the sunlight.

Then Ed noticed a blue collar on it. "Hey, this must belong to somebody!"

Without warning, the girl from the bakery suddenly swooped down and scooped up the white creature before hurrying down the street.

Ein barked loudly and raced after her, determined not to let his prey escape.

"Ein, stop!" Ed shouted, following at a run. "Ed has cake!"

But Ein didn't stop until the girl finally tripped and fell. Ed caught him by the collar and pulled him away.

"Sorry! Ein doesn't usually act like this. Are you okay?" Ed realized that the girl's bonnet had fallen off. A large amount of brown and white hair spilled down her back, and there was a red gem at the top of her forehead.

The girl stared at Ed uncertainly for a moment, then turned her attention to the white creature still hissing in her arms. She stroked its head gently and rubbed it against her cheek, smiling as it calmed down and became silent.

"Is he yours?" Ed asked quietly.

The girl nodded, placing the white creature on her head, where it nestled down in her bushy hair. She carefully stood up and brushed off her dress.

"So there you are," said a voice behind them. "I've been looking for you two."

Ed looked up to see a woman wearing a long, dark blue cloak. "You were looking for Ed?"

The woman blinked. "No, these two," she said, gesturing at the girl and her pet. "They're with me."

The girl ran up to the woman and made some wild gestures with her hands.

"Oh yeah. Her name's Ryo," the woman said. "She doesn't talk, but I guess you knew that."

"Ed is Ed," Ed replied with a huge grin. "And Ein is Ein."

Ein barked and trotted over to the girl, sniffing at her feet.

"Smart dog," the woman muttered, then turned to Ed again. "So what are you two doing in a place like this?"

"Looking for Mama-person," Ed answered, pulling Ein away from Ryo again.

"Strange place to be doing that in. You plan on staying here?"

Ed shook her head. "Mama-person is far, FAR AWAAAAAAY! Ed & Ein are just passing through. Right, Ein?"

Ein barked and licked Ed's hand.

"Really smart dog," the woman said. "Well, look. Ryo and I have to make a stop, but after that, we can take you anywhere you want. Interested?"

"Ed will go! Ein will, too! But where is your spaceship?"

"Oh, it's here." The woman prodded the white creature in Ryo's hair with a finger. "Hey, you. Wake up. Time to go."

The white creature yowled and leaped into the air.

Ed's eyes widened as the huge shadow fell over them. "Ein can't do THAT."

Ein whined and hid between Ed's legs.

The woman smirked. "Four going up, Ken-ohki. And take it easy on the mutt."

Just after they vanished from sight, Faye stuck her head out of the bar. "Oh, great! Now I'm starting to hear Ed & Ein everywhere I go! I need another drink…"