The REALLY Wild Wasteland. (The Fallout RP!)

[Generic NPC 22]

The Wastelands of D.C.

Silence. Or rather the absence of a sound or tone that you've heard for so long that you forget that it's there, until it isn't. Were her ears tuned to the right frequency, Constance Sorrowfeld would have "seen" a sonic pulse being emitted from Sylph's choker and yet, though the blue haired psychopath of the Wild Wastelands was wearing said fashion accessory, the sonic pulse was absent and with it, absent was Sylphee. A pair of Stormy Blue eyes opened, tinged with confusion, as Sylph first felt the achiness in her bones and the pressure of the debris pressing down on her chest. The pressure was eventually relieved and Sylph found herself looking up at Sister Lucy Black's face as she called out for William Knight.

"WILLIAM!" Sister Lucy Black yelled out as Sylph looked up at the brown hued skies, her eyes fixed forward as she tried to decipher the strange feeling that seemed to haunt her.

The sound of boots crushing debris only slightly registered as she heard the arrival of William Knight, his anger apparent as he assaulted Master(?) Johnny Truant.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Roared William Knight as continued he continued his onslaught against Master(?) Johnny Truant causing Sylph to try to get up in his defense, her wrist twisting as to extend the blade hidden under her long sleeves. Only the blade was even more broken than its master, the blade's trigger was jammed. Too weak to come to Master(?) Johnny Truant's aid, Sylph could only whisper.

"[small]Stop. stop.[/small]"

Blinking some sort of moisture from her eyes, Sylph managed to turn in time to see Master(?) Johnny Truant's figure lift itself into the sky and speak to William Knight, though he was too far away from Sylph for her to hear what was said.

It came eventually, the moment when the pain subsided and Sylph was able to lift herself up into a sitting position, looking forward, her fingers playing with the choker at her neck. Were she able to express herself in that manner, she would have looked troubled but the mask of calm annoyance was locked in place.

"I'm alright." Came Sylph's cold words to Sister Lucy Black as she finally stood up and turned to look at Master(?) Johnny Shakes before repeating the words louder for him to hear, "I'm alright."

Letting her fingers fall from the choker around her neck, Master Johnny Shakes, Sister Lucy Black, William Knight, Alice and the unknown young girl could see that the large red gem that was set in its center was chipped.

[hr]

The Enclave Vault: Storage Room

The void of eternity had been his companion for some time now and yet the man trapped in a slab of carbonite hadn't gone insane yet, at least he didn't think he'd gone insane quite yet. Undertaker Thomas "Shifty" McGee didn't quite know how long he'd been robbed of his sense of sight, touch, taste or smell, all he knew was that he had a lot of time on his hands to think and to remember the events that had brought him up to this point.

"(Huh. I should've probably refunded Lucy's burial fees before I got stuck in this crate.)" The Friendly Neighborhood Undertaker thought to himself as he remembered the bone coffin that he had built for the Bookish Young Woman during the Super Mutant assault on the Citadel, "(I mean given present circumstances, I'll won't be able to fulfill my end of our bargain any time soon, Walt help me. To think that I kept her money, it's unconscionable. We Undertakers are a noble breed, you know.)"

Were he able to snort, Shifty surely would have at his commentary on the Undertakers being a noble breed of Assassins. They had, after all, ordered him to kill his own brother in cold blood.

"(Maybe you'll think of me when you are all alone. Maybe the one who is waiting for you. Will prove untrue, then what will you do?)" The Undertaker started mentally humming to himself as he tried to rid himself of the self deprecating thought which brought on another problem. He had that song stuck in his head for quite some time, not that he minded it, mind you, it was the last time he found himself enjoying his time in the Wastelands prior to this point.

"(Hey Mister McGee! What're you humming?)" Came a thought into the Tall and Pale and Frozen in Carbonite Undertaker's mind, the thought signalling that he was not alone anymore.

"(You've never heard that song before?)" The Undertaker countered incredulously to his companion, "(How old did you say you were again?)"

"(Five!)" The young female "voice" answered back quickly and in a tone that indicated that she was showing the Undertaker just how old she was on her fingers.

"(And your parents don't let you listen to the Radio?)" Thomas "Shifty" McGee asked.

"(Well yes but all we have are the old President Eden recordings. Mama won't let me listen to Galaxy News Radio but sometimes my Grampa Jack does.)" Reponded the girl that Undertaker McGee knew to be named Lilith.

"(Were he not part of the Enclave, I would consider you 'Grampa' Jack a reasonable man. Then again, judge not a book by his cover or the color of Power Armor he dons in the morning. I'm sure Lord Disney would have said that were he born in the time where Power Armor had been invented. They had just barely mastered fission when he walked the Earth you know.)" The Undertaker said reverently in reference to the Lord of the Matterhorn.

"(You talk weird Mister McGee)"

"(So I've been told. That's why my mother gave me the nickname Shifty, because I could never keep on one topic for too long.)" Shifty said as he suddenly had the impression that he was being moved around, "(Are you moving me somewhere, Lilith?)"

"(It's show and tell day in class today and Miss #1212 told me it was my turn. Sometimes she also told me that the stuff I bring in for show and tell is inappropriate, even though my Grampa Jack gave it to me.)"

"(So you're bringing ME to show and tell?)" The Undertaker asked, his "voice" dripping with disbelief. "(I'm alive you know, you're supposed to bring things that are important to you to show and tell, things like your pet rock, a holo-vid you really like, your pets or even show off your talent, not another human being.)"

"(Well Mister McGee, the last time I showed off my talent, one of my classmates got eaten.)" Lilith responded not getting into the story about the time when she brought a new born Death Claw into class.

"(I wish my friend could see me now, I'm sure she'd have a laugh.)" The Undertaker said wryly as he sensed through Lilith's senses that he was being placed in a little red wagon by a pair of burly Enclave Guards.

"(You have a friend? What's her name?)" The Young Genetically Modified Death Claw Matriarch asked curiously.

"(Lucy Black. I'm sure you've never heard - )"

"(Oh! Grampa Jack and Mister One were talking about her and her friends about how they left the Vault. It sounded like they were going out to do something important.)" Lilith responded as she started pulling the wagon towards the Enclave Vault's educational department.

"(They - they got out? Are they safe? She didn't get hurt did she? Do you know anything else about her? Lilith? Lilith? Can you hear me?)" Shifty asked desperately seeking more information.

"(Shhhhh, Mister McGee. We're about to do the Pledge of Allegiance.)"

 

[nuba km]

"...I'm sure that was just a misunderstanding you had with the Brotherhood soldiers, and nothing bad came of it right? Anyway, if you don't want to talk to them again I understand, but could you at least point me in their general direction? I absolutely have to talk to them, it would make me the happiest fella in the whole damn wasteland if I could!"
Larry didn't know how much he had missed but it would be safe to say if it was anything important that Charlie would mention it again, he groaned.
"Meeting them won't make you the happiest fella in the wasteland, though that is a low bar to jump over, it is going to disappoint you. Like anyone else the Brotherhood make mistakes and questionable decisions, and its not always them who pay when they fuck up. Though if you are dead set on going to see them they are in there."
Larry pointed at the house were he had his encounter with the Brotherhood and then started working on his next design.

 

[Blast Off To Titan]

This was clearly not the day that Constance should have selected to leave the safety and security of the American Enclave Scouts of America camp unless the strangeness that the Scout had experienced over the last day was normal. Were that the case, Constance would have more than likely stayed in the safety of her Enclave issued tent working on her sewing merit badge. But there she was, stuck in the middle of a bipolar mess of a human being, a floating drug addict with a voice that could freeze fire, a man dumb enough or brave enough to deck said floating man and wore a bomb collar like a haute couture necklace, a mercenary with a penchant for skeet shooting, an over emotional sniper and a two legged sniper with named One Legged Alice. It was enough to frazzle anyone, especially a greenhorn like Constance.

"Aren't there any NORMAL people out here?!" The Scout asked in a manner suggestive of throwing one's hands up in the air, "or did I just happen to run into the cast of a traveling circus' freak sideshow?!"

It was obvious that Constance was unnerved by the situation, as any sixteen year old girl would be, but she was an American Enclave Scout of America and such behavior was unbecoming of one of its members. It took a moment but the girl eventually calmed down.

"I should've just stuck with Frank." The girl muttered, remembering that assisting her Deep Cover Contact was still her mission and failure would not be tolerated, least of all by her. Settling down on a piece of debris, Constance began unpacking her gear. Night would be upon them soon and she did not want to expose herself to the elements or the elements of Talon Company that were converging on their position. Given their reputation, Talon Company would not be in the area until morning since they were more than likely torturing small animals along their route to this location.

As she set up her camp, she watched the strange group, noticing the fact that the Choker that Sylph wore was now emitting a different frequency than it was when Constance had first observed her. It was a given since the gem set in the middle of the choker was chipped, altering whatever harmonic frequency it was vibrating at previously.

With the majority of her preparations completed, the Scout looked at the firepit that she had made near her tent and looked up at the strange group, a look of embarrassment crossing her face.

"Um... excuse me... do any of you know how to make a fire?" The Girl who failed her Fire Merit badge asked.

 

[Legion]

Alice didn't know who the newly arrived man was, but she did recognise him from the Vertibird landing. This was largely the reason for her lack of interference in the fight that was taking place in front of her. As an outsider to the group, any confrontation on her part could be taken as hostility.

Looking over at the others she saw that Lucy was busy with tending to Sylph and the cat girl seemed to be in a similar situation to herself. Their lack of intervention, suggested to her that it was probably smarter to see how things turned out before risking escalating it further.

It turned out that this was the wise choice as the newcomer seemed to snap out of it. Soon afterwards Sylph begun to stir before finally standing up and telling Lucy "I'm alright," with a slightly dazed look upon her face. With all attention turned towards Slyph, Alice considered this as a moment to walk away. She couldn't put off leaving for much longer, not with the possibility of that sniper knowing who she was.

Deciding that at the very least she should check to see that Slyph wasn't seriously harmed, Alice approached her and asked "Do you think you are going to be okay?"
"I'm not sure. I think so," came the short reply.

Giving Sylph a quickly glance over, Alice came to the conclusion that it did look like she'd be fine, as long as she hadn't suffered a concussion. Although with her limited medical knowledge, it wasn't like she'd be of any help if this wasn't the case.

"Good," Alice responded. Slinging her rifle back over her shoulder she faced the others. She was just about to take her leave when she heard a small voice to the right of her. "Um... excuse me... do any of you know how to make a fire?" The girl with cat ears asked.

Feeling sympathy for the girl, mostly due to the dejected look on her face, Alice decided to help her before heading off. The building they were in had some broken furniture in it, along with a lot of old books. Having had to build fires on countless occasions during her survival training and on missions, it wasn't too much effort to get one going. Although the materials weren't enough to make one that'd last throughout the night. "You are going to want some larger wood to keep that going," she told the girl.

Standing up straight and facing the group once more, she told them "I have to go. Take care of yourselves." She'd been distracted from her own goal for too long, and although she knew they wouldn't like it, she had a reason for being in DC and they had their own problems to deal with. With the Enclave after them, and the NCR as well as others after her, it was safer for all of them to depart from each others company.

Slowly spinning on her heel Alice wandered off in the approximate direction Lucy had earlier pointed to as being the way towards the river. With night being on it's way soon, she knew she wasn't going to make it before dark, but she'd have enough time to find somewhere decent enough to sleep.

Wandering alone quietly among the ruined streets with her rifle now in hand, Alice was casually glancing from side to side with every couple of steps. Keeping an eye out for any danger, but also searching for a suitable location to rest for the night. It wasn't long before she found what she needed. A petrol station with the windows boarded up would suffice.

Opening the door slowly, she quickly scanned the inside. Empty of almost everything except some furniture and empty shelves, and with a small hole in the roof, this would be perfect.

Closing the door behind her she wedged a chair under the door handle. It wouldn't do anything to prevent an intruder intent on entering, but it'd provide her with enough warning. Grateful that the shelving inside was wooden, she begun breaking it into smaller pieces. By the time that she was satisfied that she had enough it was well and truly dark. She took out a tinderbox from her backpack and got the fire going, carefully positioned below the gap in the rooftop.

Happy with the chance to finally take off her bloodstained coat, she slung it over one of the remaining shelves and sat down against the wall, with her hat pulled low over most of her face. She didn't expect to get to sleep in such a position but the day had taken it's toll on her. So it wasn't long before her eyelids closed and she drifted off to sleep, her rifle across her lap.

 

[Drummodino]

"Meeting them won't make you the happiest fella in the wasteland, though that is a low bar to jump over, it is going to disappoint you. Like anyone else the Brotherhood make mistakes and questionable decisions, and its not always them who pay when they fuck up. Though if you are dead set on going to see them they are in there."

Charlie looked at the house Larry pointed to, trembling with barely contained excitement. It was a rather mundane looking dwelling... hardly a place worthy of mighty paladins. Still, it didn't seem like there was anywhere better in this town they could be, so it was logical enough that they would be in there. At that moment however, a thought popped into his head that threatened to damper his enthusiasm.

"Mr Hatchet doesn't seem to be too fond of the Brotherhood... surely there must be a reason right? I mean he seems like a reasonable guy...

No, he must be mistaken, he is quick to anger remember. He probably just misinterpreted them... yea that's gotta be it."

Squashing the troublesome thought, Charlie turned to Larry and grinned.

"Thank you sooooo much Mr Hatchet! It was a pleasure meeting you and watching you work, even if first impressions left something to be desired. I hope we meet again!"

With that said, the exuberant youth turned away and strode towards the house. As he got closer however, he felt his step faltering, and eventually came to a stop just outside the door.

"Oh geez, what if they don't like me? What if I say something stupid and they laugh me out? Surely they wouldn't, they have to listen to me don't they? I'm confident I can be useful, I would be the most dedicated, hard-working trainee ever! They just need to give me a chance to show what I can do!

Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Charlie hesitantly knocked on the door. It swung inwards slightly on contact, and encouraged by this he stuck his head around and into the room.

"Hello...?"

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

Much like Sylphee's happiness, William's aggression was infectious and had served to stir up a certain rage inside her as well.

Lucy cradled an unconscious Sylph in a tight grip that faltered as she started shaking in anger. From her perspective and the observation of William's actions, that wild gunfire earlier was responsible for bringing the crumbling wall down upon Sylph.

It was one thing to be reckless - ?

"I'm alright." the low register of the nearby whisper indicated that Sylph had emerged.

Rising with Sylph at her side, Lucy grit her teeth as she watched the savage beatdown that Johnny received and the unstable madness that Johnny had openly displayed.

"I have half a mind to go up there myself and shove this rifle up Johnny's ass!" Lucy shouted, vocalising her thoughts more to herself than anything else. "I don't care who he is to you, Sylph..."

Lucy turned her eye on the Recovering Menace next to her, Lucy's expression was a conflict of outrage and concern.

"It's one thing to be reckless." Lucy growled while raising her own injured hand. "But you cross the line when you can barely control yourself..." Lucy furiously pointed at Johnny with her rifle, "...and make yourself a threat to everyone around you!" clenching her fist to emphasise her point.

It was clear that she couldn't leave - no, she couldn't leave Sylph - not like this, not in these conditions, not without someone looking out for her. Enclave be damned! It was a hell of a lot better than being surrounded by an unstable man hosting a demon or a elderly women with questionable motives regarding the 'possession' of Sylph.

"I was going to leave you, Sylph. Leave the group..." Lucy hesitated as she wrung her hands anxiously, "Staying around me is dangerous. But for your sake, these people might be even worse...w-would you come with me?"

Resting her hand on Sylph's shoulder for a moment, Lucy walked over to the Catgirl that she had largely ignored in her emotional rage earlier. Perhaps leaving Sylph to mull over her thoughts might be ideal.

[hr]

DC Wastelands: Campsite

Lucy turned around and found a nearby campsite presumably prepared by the Catgirl.

"Um... excuse me... do any of you know how to make a fire?"

Lucy had snapped at the girl earlier, she was feeling apologetic and she did need the distraction.

"H-Hey there, maybe I can help with that - "

Alice had approached her and the Catgirl and offered her help with making a fire. Content with Alice taking charge, Lucy decided to follow Alice's example to collect some of the ruined books in order to aid Alice's effort. It felt strange to burn books, considering her affinity for reading back in the day.

"I have to go. Take care of yourselves."

Once the work was done, mostly spearheaded by Alice's expertise, Lucy came back with a few books in hand to feed the fire.
Lucy nodded respectfully at Alice, "Take care of yourself, Alice. And thank you for everything."

It was sad to see Alice go, but she seemed like a woman with a purpose. Not unlike herself, Lucy could relate and didn't stop her. She merely wished for the best.

Lucy directed her attention back at the Catgirl, the firepit and new feed of books she had scrounged up. She had an idea to create another heat source.

"Invert Controls: The Beast!"

Painfully, Lucy allowed the rifle to release a few bursts of steam through the restraint bolts that had emerged from the exposed innards. With the internal components creating noise while it revved and superheated the gauss bolt in preparation for fire, her rifle practically growled for release.

"Disengage!"

Once the steam burnt pain grew too much Lucy's operating hand she disengaged the alternate fire, quickly flicked open the ammunition port and tipped the glowing superheated bolt into the fire pit. The flame grew steadier as the heated bolt fed on the new books.

Tired from the physical toll that Beast Mode took upon her, Lucy sat down across from the Catgirl, tending to her hand with the miracle salve. Frustrated and more than a little sore, Lucy's pain was unmasked, but she tried to be polite for the sake of conversation. "I thought I might contribute as well. I'm Lucy for the record - ...not whatever the hell my sister sometimes calls me. And you are?"

 

[Souplex]

The Thorns were tending to what little business they had, conversing, telling amusing anecdotes, and dirty jokes. Such was guard duty for Megaton.
Jake was going cataloging the Lone Wanderer's old stuff and identifying what needed to be fixed. Moe was hauling the stuff that needed to be fixed over to the workbench where Sam was fixing them. John was fiddling with the radio in order to get Galaxy News Radio to come through clearly.
Jake: "..."Any day except Thursday." So the Initiate asks "Why not Thursday?" to which the Elder responds "Thursday's your turn in the crate."
Moe: "In the version I heard, it's a merc group instead of the Brotherhood.
Sam: "Dirty jokes transcend setting."
Moe: "I've got one. So there's three Mirelurks in a pond. A guy walks up to them. "What are you doing?" The first Mirelurk says "I'm just sitting here blowing bubbles." The second Mirelurk says-"
Suddenly a tall lanky young man opened the door.
Chuck: "Hello...?"
Jake: "Hello, can we help you?"

 

[Blast Off To Titan]

Despite the seemingly incongruous nature of the group, it seemed that there were still surprises to be had. Being a fanatic of all things Enclave and Enclave related, Constance was surprised to find a member of this particular brand of strangeness in possession of Enclave Technology, even if the program was scrapped long ago. There were a number of possibilities were not limited to Constance's top three possible conclusions: One: This woman was an Enclave Deserter and should be brought to Enclave justice as soon as possible. Two: This woman was a member of the Enclave Asset program from which Constance had recently found herself to be a beneficiary of. Three: This woman stole this piece of classified Enclave Technology.

Sensing that the woman who was called Big Sissy Lucy Caboosy by Sylph had started the fire, Constance held her hands out to gauge her distance away from and intensity of the newly birthed campfire. Despite the fact that Constance could read every letter etched on the Young Woman's Gauss Rifle, she could not see the flames of the fire.

"I thought I might contribute as well. I'm Lucy for the record - ...not whatever the hell my sister sometimes calls me. And you are?" Said the young woman politely.

"I'm Constance... Constance Sorrowfeld." The Young American Enclave Scout of America responded with a smile, glad that she was still wearing the pilfered Junior Brotherhood Scout of Steel uniform. Given that two of the conclusions that she had reached favored Lucy as being non-Enclave affiliated, it was safer not to reveal too much information in their introductions.

"That's quite the Gauss Rifle you have there. I've never seen anything like it." Constance added as she kept one ear focused on Lucy while the other one checked on the others. It appeared that "Daddy Johnny Shakes" "Mister Willy Billy Bomb Collar" and "Mommy Meryl Barrel" remained on the periphery of the camp doing whatever they needed to in preparation for beating a hasty retreat from Talon Company at first light.

"And it looks like, given your friends, that you all have quite the story." Scout Sorrowfeld added, hoping that she was making her attempt to gather more information on the group much less obvious than how it sounded in her mind. Hoping to dispel any suspicions that the group had about her, Constance added a quick apology in regards to her behavior.

"Sorry about call you and your friends a circus freak show, it's ... it's been a really long day."

 

[Drummodino]

Looking into the room, Charlie counted four men either sitting or standing within. Taking in what they were wearing and all the gear and junk scattered around, Charlie's breath caught in his throat and his eyes widened until they resembled saucer dishes.

"Power armor? Check. Strange looking guns? Check. Various other explosives and supplies? Check. Look of professional soldiers? Check. Holy crap... THEY MUST BE BROTHERHOOD TROOPS! This is too good to be true!"

"Hello, can we help you?"

Giving his head a quick shake to clear his thoughts, Charlie doffed his cap and looked at the man who had spoken.

"H-Hello Sir! My name's Charlie Cannon and I heard from Mr Hatchet that you were in here. I've actually kinda been looking for the Brotherhood you see, although I didn't expect to find you in Megaton of all places. Anyway, what I wanted to ask was..."

At that moment, Charlie stepped through the door to allow it to swing shut behind him. In his nervousness however, he got his feet tangled and tripped over, falling flat on his face for the second time today. One of his homemade dynamite sticks was shaken free from his pack, and it rolled out and along the floor until it came to rest up against a table leg.

"Oops."

 

[wilcoblackflame]

Marlon laughed. "I got nothing against ghouls. From a business point of view, it's kind of stupid to anyway. They're gonna last longer than a lotta human customers. 'sides, you don't get too picky about who you sell to if you wanna actually make money. That's bad biz."

He settled back into his seat to gaze out the window as they motored along towards Rivet City. Morgan Bloom huh? Sounded promising. He'd need to make sure it was. With any luck his views on business were more in line with Marlon's and a little less in line with his family's way of doing things. It was pretty obvious that Bloom was the top cat around here and if he went to the same school as Ma' Van Graff it didn't look like it was going to be a very fruitful encounter. Still, given that the Brotherhood seemed to think he was decent enough to not take out, maybe he had nothing to worry about.

And then there was Rivet City itself. What he'd heard about it sounded pretty impressive. An old warship made into a fortified town? This he had to see.

 

[Souplex]

The young man appeared to be frothing with barely contained childlike glee.
John came down from upstairs as the young man removed his hat.
John: "All the fiddling I did with the radio did nothing. I think it's something on their end."
Charles: "H-Hello Sir! My name's Charlie Cannon and I heard from Mr Hatchet that you were in here. I've actually kinda been looking for the Brotherhood you see, although I didn't expect to find you in Megaton of all places. Anyway, what I wanted to ask was..."
The young man stepped into the house as he spoke, and the door hit him on the ass, knocking him over.
As he fell, a stick of dynamite rolled out from his person.
Moe, John, Jake, and Sam: "SHIT!"
John threw himself on top of the explosive, while Moe threw himself on top of the boy, both to protect him from the explosion, and to prevent him from escaping should it turn out to be intentional.
Granted this would be quite unpleasant for the boy considering that as their melee specialist, Moe was already a very large man, and a T-45D was 170 pounds.
...
...Nothing.
John and Moe got up.
Moe: "You all right?"
Moe helped the young man up.

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The D.C. Wastelands: A Distance Away from Team Lucy

A fair distance away from the makeshift came that His Pet's group had erected, Undertaker Henry McGee observed the group through the feed that his vulture drone sent to his data pad and grinned, at least he would have grinned had his jaw not been replaced with an artificial prosthetic after that incident with his brother. Even then, the Undertaker's sense of vanity forced him to wear a steel mask, shaped to look like a skull, which disappeared into the darkness of the Undertaker's cowl.

He had been watching His Pet's group for some time now and had not acted upon them until moments earlier when he sent one of his Vulture drones into a steep dive and unload a dart towards His Pet's collar before crashing into a portion of a building, causing it to collapse upon His Pet. He had even managed to shift the blame upon his Pet's new master, Johnny Truant. Knowing that now that the choker was damaged, Henry knew that His Pet would come seeking him unless she didn't mind having her companions' blood staining her hands.

For now, he sat back and enjoyed watching as His Pet's master was pummeled by one of very own his companions. It was a shame that one of the newer members had left the group, however, as Henry enjoyed making new acquaintances, as short lived as those tended to be. He guessed that he would have to settle with the young blind girl, an appetizer before the main course that the Enclave Intelligence Specialist #411 had asked for him to bury.

But for now, he would wait. Waiting always added to later enjoyment.

[hr]

The D.C. Wastelands: Campsite

Sylph's stormy blue eyes surveyed the camp unsure of what to do, the same uncertainty that she had felt since she had found herself no longer able to retreat back into the darkness of her mind. She had helped Master(?) Johnny Truant to the camp, unrolling a bedroll for him helping him onto it, the beating that William Knight had given him seemed more severe than it actually was. She had place Mistress(?) Beryl Craw's things out for her, a glass and a bottle of Whiskey that Sylph had found inside her pack.

Walking to the outer reaches of the glow of the campfire, the Red Menace sat and surveyed the terrain that surrounded the camp, looking for the signs that Father was nearby and saw nothing in the fading sunlight. Sighing briefly, she turned to look at the campfire, at Sister Lucy Black and Constance Sorrowfeld, who appeared to be deep in conversation.

Briefly she wondered how long it would be before she had to leave them, before she had to seek Father out.

 

[The Harkinator]

William stood near the camp, but kept his distance. When the red mist/dust had cleared after the fight with Johnny, there was a tangible tension about the group. William had seen it before, many years ago, when the survivors from his destroyed home had reached crisis point. This could all end soon, everyone could go their separate ways. Thought William, as he looked at each member of the group. They were mostly staying away from each other.

Sylph had put Johnny to bed, an odd sight for anyone, and decided to wander off herself for a bit. William thought she was ready to leave, as if there was some unfinished business waiting somewhere that she had to deal with alone. That gem around her neck is broken, who knows what's going on inside her head? Lucy had said some words about leaving, not to William but he had faintly heard her say something. As for Beryl and Johnny, William didn't know if they would stay or go. Where would they go? I haven't the faintest idea. But they wouldn't be the first people to leave for pastures new without knowing exactly where they were going

What about the newcomer? Where would she go if the group split up? I honestly don't know much about her. William mused, there had been so much going on that he had quite forgotten to say hello. For that matter where will I go? I need to get to Rivet City, or the Citadel and get this collar off. And after that, I don't know?

 

[Drummodino]

"Oof!"

The air rushed out of Charlie's lungs as one of the very large and very heavy men jumped on top of him in what appeared to be an attempt to shield him from the non-forthcoming blast. As this happened, another of the paladins had jumped on the unlit explosive.

...

When it was obvious that there was no immediate danger, the two men got up and the one that had nearly crushed Charlie offered him a hand. Charlie gladly accepted it, coughing a little as he stood up.

"You all right?"

"Yea, I'm okay. Feels like I might have a couple bruised ribs, nothing too serious. Oh man, I am so terribly sorry for that, it was completely accidental I assure you. I seem to be developing a habit of making a fool of myself today..."

Charlie quickly bent down and stuffed the dynamite back into his pack. Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight and looked the man who had jumped on him right in the eye.

"Let me start again. My name is Charlie Cannon and I would like to join the Brotherhood of Steel. I was hoping that you would be able to help me with that."

 

[Rip Van Rabbit]

The D.C. Wastelands: Campsite

"That's quite the Gauss Rifle you have there. I've never seen anything like it."

"...Huh?" Lucy responded distantly. "Oh this..." Her eye had stopped darting from person to person.

Today's events had taken a toll on everyone, that much was clear. Any hope of this group happily travelling together was smashed along with Sylph's damaged collar.

"It was a gift from my Father." Lucy responded despondently. There was once a time when the presence of this rifle had torn her family apart. Why did she cling to it?

Lucy turned her eye on the young Constance, now with the fire to illuminate her appearance. Lucy recognised the very familiar Brotherhood insignia patched onto the uniform, what she didn't recognize was the addition of a 'Scout' title stitched under the insignia.

"Since when do The Brotherhood have scouts?" Lucy recalled an image of Gilford's Recon Armour. "You're dressed a little light." Lucy got to the task of reloading her rifle after she let her hand rest.

"And it looks like, given your friends, that you all have quite the story."

"Life outside the Vault is less than ideal, but some of us will make it work." Lucy regarded the rough ground below her. "I'll miss my room and bed though...thanks for letting us rest here for a little bit."

Perhaps it was a combination of fatigue and anxiety, but Lucy chose not to filter her words around the young Brotherhood Scout. The young female would know nothing about the Enclave Vault or the nature of a Gauss Rifle Plus, so it was fairly safe to keep things ambiguous.

Getting to her feet after William had arrived at the corner of the camp. Lucy made her way towards him, momentarily stopping at the injured form of Johnny Truant. Taking one more glance back at the crumpled wall that had injured Sylph. Lucy could only look at Johnny with disgust before she felt the sting of Sylph's physical and emotional distance.

Had she offended Sylph in her rage earlier? Most likely. However, Lucy took the responsibility of being Sylph's guardian. A task that honoured Shifty's final wishes. Could she truly and honestly fulfill such a request? Nobody said it would be easy.

Reaching William, Lucy stopped before him. Extending a tender hand to momentarily rest on his shoulder, Lucy slowly removed her eyepatch under the cover of darkness. It wasn't quite 48 hours yet, but Lucy would endure the pain. With her back to a nearby wall and her new eye out of sight, Lucy spoke up.

"Thank you for fighting for Sylph." Lucy cocked her head slightly to get a better view of Sylph's back turned to her. Sighing heavily, "She probably doesn't see it that way though."

Flexing the fingers on her injured hand, Lucy mentally thanked Alice once more for the miracle salve that had tended to her steam burnt hand.

"I'm thinking about Rivet City and maybe The Citadel. I think I have to clear my name with the B.O.S. and I would really appreciate someone to vouch for me." Clenching her fist, Lucy turned to face William directly.

Unknown to Lucy, William would notice that the iris of Lucy's left eye was now a sharp red in colour. A stark contrast to her right eye's characteristic blue.

"I won't forget what you did for me at that Vault. You saved me." Lucy blinked with clear concern, a little more happy to have the use of two eyes. "Are you okay?"

 

[Generic NPC 22]

The D.C. Wastelands: Camp of Team Lucy

Sylph's stormy blue eyes observed the camp from afar from where the Red Menace was perched on the outskirts of the makeshift camp. She saw that both William Knight and Sister Lucy Black appeared to be unsure of what to do next, though the possibility of disappearing in the middle of the night was a possibility. She watched as Sister Lucy Black conversed with the newest member of the group, Constance Sorrowfeld, though her membership was likely temporary given the strangeness that followed the group.

Sitting in and staring into the near blackness, Sylph tried to foresee her future, whether it would be with Master(?) Johnny Truant, Mistress(?) Beryl Craw, Sister Lucy Black, William Knight and Constance Sorrowfeld. It was a fruitful as trying to milk a Death Claw - at least it was until she heard someone or something moving through the darkness.

Was it Talon Company, already here despite assurances to the contrary? No. Whatever was moving out in the darkness was by itself and whatever it was, it seemed to mock her.

"Syyyyylpheeeeee." The voice said as the darkened form shot past her field of vision, "Syyyyyyyylpheeeeeeee."

There was something - familiar - about the voice and about the manner that it moved in the darkness, as if it wasn't trying to hide its position. There was also an irregular pattern to its movements.

*Crunch - cr - crunch - cr - crunch*

Standing up slowly, Sylph waited for the figure to pass once again, ready to pounce.

"Syyyyyyyylph -- SYLPHY!!" It yelled as the Red Menace leaped towards the figure, tackling it to the ground. Whomever it was, The Stormy Blue Eyed Psychopath found that it was human as she started pummeling away at its face, her wrist blade still jammed from earlier.

"SYLP-" *CRACK!* "SYLPH-" *THUD!* "SYL-" *POW!*

Sensing that the person was dazed but conscious, Sylph stopped, her curiosity forcing her to cease her assault. How did this person know who she was and why did this person seem so familiar to Sylph?

Dragging the figure into the light of the campfire, Sylph noticed that the person was wearing a dress very similar to the one that Sylph had worn prior to the uniform that Sister Lucy Black had given her and had blue hair, very similar to Sylph's own hair and had a face that was identical to Sylph's own.

"[small]Sylphy?[/small]" The Doppel-Sylph murmured as she tried to clear her head from the beating she had just received, sitting up slowly while Sylph stood in the light of the campfire, too stunned to move.

"SYLPHY!!!!" The Doppel-Sylph yelled as she tackled and hugged Sylph in an all too familiar manner, flinging them into the light of the campfire for all to see.

"SYLPHY!! SYLPHY!! SYLPHY!! SYLPHY!!" The Doppel-Sylph squee'd before spotting the rest of the group and smiling extra extra big for them.

[hr]

The D.C. Wastelands

Observing the group through the sensors mounted on the high flying Vulture Drone, Henry McGee suppressed a harsh laugh as he watch one of his Clone Pets violently hug his Original Pet. Infiltrating Vault 108 had been a waste of time, the Undertaker reflected as he tucked away his shovel and the bag of Caps that he had collected. Without an original sample of His Pet's DNA, he had been forced to rely on what was more than likely corrupted genetic material resulting in an army of Useless Clone Pets that had spent the entire day launching Raiders, Scavengers and the original inhabitants of Vault 108 out of a School Bus.

Putting his Data Pad away, Henry looked up to admire his handy work. The small detachment of Talon Company had only been a scout group for the main group that was headed towards His Pet's location. Killing them would delay the main group for a few additional hours but it would hopefully allow His Pet's group to get to safety, not that he cared for their well-being of course, he would have preferred eliminating them himself.

 

[Souplex]

Marlon laughed. "I got nothing against ghouls. From a business point of view, it's kind of stupid to anyway. They're gonna last longer than a lotta human customers. 'sides, you don't get too picky about who you sell to if you wanna actually make money. That's bad biz."
Danielle had conflicting feelings on ghouls. She had met many ghouls. Most of them were perfectly nice people, but they were also smelly and radioactive. Some of them were assholes, but the same could be said about almost every group. Danielle tried not to treat ghouls differently, but she did try to limit her exposure to them.
"When we get to Rivet City, you might want to procure some apparel that doesn't have your family crest on it. We're going to be attempting a negotiation with the Outcasts later, and one group of people they hate at the negotiation is already going to be problematic."
The truck stopped, and the back-gate to the trailer opened.
"We're here."
They got out and walked up to where the bridge used to be.
"So now what?"
Two of the men in construction power-armor threw another man in construction power armor across the gap.
"Well, you can wait several hours for us to fix the bridge, or you can get tossed over. The choice is yours."
Danielle turned to Marlon.
"How do you feel about being tossed?"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Charles: "Yeah, I'm okay. Feels like I might have a couple bruised ribs, nothing too serious. Oh man, I am so terribly sorry for that, it was completely accidental I assure you. I seem to be developing a habit of making a fool of myself today..."
Charlie quickly bent down and stuffed the dynamite back into his pack. Taking a deep breath, he stood up straight and looked the man who had jumped on him right in the eye.
"Let me start again. My name is Charlie Cannon and I would like to join the Brotherhood of Steel. I was hoping that you would be able to help me with that."
Jake: "We take most anyone who's at least semi-competent. The catch is that you have to go to the Citadel to join. We're not going there any time soon. The trip's bound to take you past some raiders and mutants though, plus wildlife is always a factor, and there might be run-ins with Enclave troops."
Sam: "You could always tag along with a water caravan, they'd take you pretty close."
John: "You didn't hear? ...Of course you didn't, you were unconscious when we got the news. Rivet City was under heavy siege by behemoths. We ran the caravan together with Rivet City security, so I doubt water caravans are coming by anytime soon."
Sam: "Well that's problematic."
Moe: "You could always find a trade-caravan to tag along with. Assuming they'll take you. Should bring you relatively close to the Citadel. You could also hire an armed escort if you're particularly wealthy, but judging from your attire, I don't think that's an option."
Jake: "However you decide to get there, it's almost directly south-east of here. It's a big pentagonal fortress. If you're crossed a river, you've gone too far east. But as we've already said, they won't take you if you're incompetent. Do you have any skills?"
Jake had no desire to know if this young man could sing, dance, farm, juggle, wiggle his ears, or list pre-war state capitols.
Jake: "...Specifically; useful ones."

 

[Drummodino]

Do you have any skills? ...Specifically; useful ones."

"Well I'm no slouch in a fight, I can take care of myself. This machete here got some use when a couple of thugs tried to mug me a few days ago, let's just say I think they'll think twice about attacking a random stranger next time. My real specialty however is explosives. I love to experiment and come up with my own designs, like that dynamite I, uh, happened to drop just then. I basically just put them together from whatever I can find, but they're pretty effective.

I am certain I could be useful to you guys, all I ask is for a chance. I would be the most dedicated, hard-working trainee you ever had!"

Even though he was trying to appear serious on the outside, internally Charlie was singing with joy. He had a chance! Now all he had to do was get to the Citadel. Although from the sounds of it that might be a bit trickier then the journey to Megaton had been.

"Is the trip from here to the Citadel really that bad? I'd prefer to get going sooner rather than later, but I'd rather get there in one piece if you know what I mean..."

 

[Souplex]

Chuck: "Well I'm no slouch in a fight, I can take care of myself. This machete here got some use when a couple of thugs tried to mug me a few days ago, let's just say I think they'll think twice about attacking a random stranger next time. My real specialty however is explosives. I love to experiment and come up with my own designs, like that dynamite I, uh, happened to drop just then. I basically just put them together from whatever I can find, but they're pretty effective."
John: "I love explosives! You'll have to show me before you go."
Chuck: "I am certain I could be useful to you guys, all I ask is for a chance. I would be the most dedicated, hard-working trainee you ever had!"
Sam: "I'm sure you could, but again; we're not in charge of recruiting."
The young man was trying his best to maintain a serious facade, but was frothing with barely contained glee.
Chuck: "Is the trip from here to the Citadel really that bad? I'd prefer to get going sooner rather than later, but I'd rather get there in one piece if you know what I mean..."
Moe: "Well obviously. Nobody sane enjoys dying or grievous injury."
Jake: "The problem is that the area around the Citadel is quite a bit more urban. Lots of places for raiders to ambush you, lots of fortified positions to be attacked from. The rest of the wasteland is flat empty plains and hills, you'll see any threat coming out there. Plus there's the Super Mutants. They're pretty heavily concentrated in DC. We've been bogged down in urban warfare with them for years."
John: "Your most likely bet is to wait in front of the gates for a trade caravan, and ask them to tag along for a bit. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the extra set of hands."

 

[Drummodino]

"I love explosives! You'll have to show me before you go."

"Yea definitely! I'd be honoured to show you."

"Your most likely bet is to wait in front of the gates for a trade caravan, and ask them to tag along for a bit. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the extra set of hands."

"I guess I'm stuck here for a while then. If things are as bad as you are saying I don't think many caravans will be moving through the area in the near future."

Charlie was a little disheartened by this turn of events, but the prospect of showing off his creations cheered him up a little. Grabbing several out of his pack and strewing them on the nearby bench he began rambling as he described them to the interested Paladin.

"This one I couldn't find enough bottle caps to fill it, so I replaced them with..."