Disclaimer: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and all its characters are copyright Bandai, Sunrise and Sotsu.
Gone. Father Maxwell was gone. The church was gone. Everything was gone.
"Barkeep? 'Nother!" His hand swished toward the empty glass sitting on the counter in front of him.
"Ya can't take another, Cowboy. Go find a spot to sleep it off."
"Me?" Duo pointed to himself, nearly poking a finger into his eye.
"No, yer mule. O'course you!"
"Horse," Duo giggled. "Shhhh. He thinks he's a horse."
"Really?" The barkeep grabbed Duo's still empty glass and began polishing it.
"Yup."
"What's his name?"
"Deathscythe."
"Strange name for a mule."
"The instr'ment of Death." He slipped off the stool to land on his knees. "Y'know, I think I've had too much ta drink." The barkeep nodded. "M'just g'nna take a nap."
"You do that."
The counter made a wonderful pillow, but it was only moments before someone was prodding Duo in the side. He twisted his head around to get a better view of his tormentor.
It was a woman. She was dressed like a man, except that her hair was bound in buns on the sides of her head and she wore glasses. The single most impressive thing about her, though, was a silver star pinned to her left breast.
"S'alright, Sheriff Une. He ain't been no trouble. Just needs a bit o' sleeps all."
"Really, Pagan?" She didn't sound convinced. "Perhaps he would rest better with a bed and a real pillow."
"This one's fine," said Duo snuggling closer to the counter and attempting to fluff it with his fist.
The sheriff grabbed Duo's pounding fist. "Get up, boy. I'll give you a place to sleep tonight and in the morning you can say, 'Thank you very much, Sheriff Une. It was a pleasure,' and be on your way."
Duo thought it over carefully, which considering his soggy state, wasn't easy. He finally decided a bed would be softer and climbed to his feet.
"Lead the way, O' Great Sheriff!" He attempted to give a dramatic arm flourish, but it left him stumbling across the room. Sheriff Une caught him near the opposite end of the room and draped one of Duo's arms around her shoulders. "Pagan, you shouldn't let people walk all over you. Call me if this happens again. I really don't mind helping." She slipped out of the saloon before Pagan had a chance to protest.
Duo scanned the street, trying to remember what Deathscythe looked like. His brain sloshed out the image of an overgrown gray rabbit with a long nose and horseshoes. Nothing in the street matched his mental image.
"Sheriff?" He planted his feet, effectively pulling the sheriff to a stop.
"Yes, Mr. Maxwell?" Her voice conveyed polite interest.
Maxwell? He didn't remember telling her his name. "How do you know my name?"
"It's a long story and you're tired," she said sensibly. "If you still wish to know in the morning, I'll explain then. Until morning arrives, you need your rest."
Well, that made sense. It was good that something made sense because very little at the moment did. Duo let the sheriff steer him through the dusty streets and fell into the bed she offered.