Truth in the Ruins (closed for heartofcourage)

[Nordican]

Stone nodded and gave a nod to the shopkeep before the moved along. Once more they returned to the streets of Windvale and Stone moved his hand slowly to link up with Dylan's.

"I hope you like them." He offered as the moved along. It had been some time since Stone had traveled there but much seemed the same. Things obviously seemed different walking hand in hand with someone but he did his bet to appear comfortable and not walk like a stiff rod on legs.

Up ahead a trio of men sat at some crates and packing equipment with weapons both ranged and melee. They had black stripes going down their arms and a white circle on their shoulders. "Sons Militia." He said quietly to her in knowing she hadn't come through.

"They're part of the local enforcement group that keep things in Windvale in line. Their current leader isn't that bad but he's not super friendly to anyone causing trouble." He said as they moved along past them.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan looked down as Stone took her hand in his. She smiled as she glanced as his features and saw the look of determination on his face. He could play this little game of stony silence if he wanted, but she knew that he had a heart as soft as putty.

“They’re fine. It’s nice to have something that fits.” She said as they moved through Windvale, her smile falling only when he pointed out the militia members that were packing equipment.

“Then we shouldn’t cause any trouble, should we?” She asked, glancing at him again as they moved past them without notice. “You’re not here to do something bad, are you, Stone?”

 

[Nordican]

Stone gave her a little laugh and looked back at the militia soldiers.

"Me make trouble?" He said trying to give her what amounted to a silly smile though he wasn't sure how it would come through.

"No I'm only here to get some gear and I only need that gear to make sure we stay safe out there." Stone said as they moved along towards the lockup. It was true that trouble had already caught up to them once but he didn't usually attract trouble lest people were actively looking. It would be a while, probably even a day before any bounty hunter put out on their trail would manage to even get close. The extra hour spend enjoying the morning might cost them but it wasn't much in the larger scheme of things.

They arrived at a townsquare where a man was preaching verses from the bible to a group assembled around him. Stone gave him a momentary glance before moving his hand into a pocket to grab a key they would need to get into the lock box.

'God wouldn't have allowed this to happen.' He thought as his eyes moved back to the preacher again. 'Maybe everything that happened was a punishment.' Moving inside an old rustic looking building named Morty's Lock and Key he moved swiftly with Dylan down a hallway to the right of the entrance door. The shop keep paid them little mind after recognizing Stone and then he promptly returned to his clipboard settled in his hands.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Yes, you make trouble. You did get us shot at the last time.” She said as he looked at her with a silly smile and pulled her towards some destination that only he knew. She wondered exactly where they were going as they passed by a man preaching verses to a group and then they ducked into a old looking building.

“Where are we?” She asked in a soft voice as he pulled her along behind him, their pace brisk.

 

[Nordican]

"Marty's Lock and Key. It's a good place to keep things hidden. Sure people figure some important stuff is in here but that's why you make sure to get premium service. The people I work for know how to keep things secure." Stone said and then he paused at a wall past a bank of lockers. Turning back and forth he moved Dylan closer to the wall to limit the chance they'd be seen then he took a key from his pocket. The key seemed simple enough cept for the main handle portion. The black plastic had a small diode on it which Stone pushed.

The wall clicked and then started to whirr before a door space was revealed when the portion of the wall parted. A stairway that looked newer than anything else in the shop led down. Stone took point and then after making sure Dylan was in he moved down the stairs as a small light turned on guiding their way. Inside on the lower floor a hallway reached out and there were six doors three on each side.

Stone moved forward and pressed in a code into a keypad preparing to open up one of the heavily reinforced steel doors.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan pressed against the wall where Stone directed, her eyes looking down the hall to see if anyone else was watching. It seemed that they were very much alone, but she knew better than to trust her judgment in such matters.

Watching him closely, he pulled out a key and pushed a strange black button upon its surface until the wall clicked and started to pull apart. Taking his hand again, she let him pull her along the staircase until they reached a steel door and Stone pressed in a code to make it pull apart.

“What’s so important that it needs all this cloak and dagger stuff?” She asked him as he pulled her through the second door way.

 

[Nordican]

Stone looked back to her and favored her with a small smile. Then he opened up the door and beckoned her inside the space. Inside was what amounted to a small armory. There was weapons and gear of every make and mold. Some looked pre fall and some looked like brand new tech that had somehow been churned out even after everything went to hell. Stone closed the door behind them and began looking over the weapons and gear and selected one of the new age pistols that would be a welcome replacement for his revolver. He planned to keep the revolver given it never hurt to keep up in appearances. But there was nothing quite like a Smith 2088 with custom reinforced grip and expanded 12 round magazine.

There was also sets of armor that was much like the one that Stone wore on his chest. He rested his hand over a breast plate that might fit Dylan.

"This is just a small token of some of the tech and gear that comes out of New Haven. They let procurers like myself get to use some of their toys but we have to be absolutely a hundred percent secure about things. They're meant for last resort, to keep things from escalating. He showed her the Smith 2088 pistol. This pistol is new, unlike most of the weapons most raiders and slavers will have. The potential for jamming is highly reduced, we also have solvents for cleaning and manuals to teach people how to fire it and clean it." He said and passed her the gun as if to get used to the weight.

It wasn't lighter than the pistol she had fired before but it felt newer and she could feel the smoothness of the grip and felt it would be easy to fire.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan stepped through the doorway that she was directed, glancing around at the small arsenal that was stored within. She had no idea what she was looking at, but it clearly was for Stone and his business in getting people like her to a laboratory. People like her, she thought absently as she watched him pull down a weapon and passed it to her.

She glanced over the pistol, getting use to the weight and the glanced up again as she watched Stone pull down a breast plate that looked about her size and passed it to her to try on. She frowned and glanced at him, unsure of how to even put it on.

“You’re going to have to help me.” She said as she placed the gun back down on the counter.

 

[Nordican]

Stone turned back to her and then back to the breast plate and then nodded. Grabbing the breast plate he turned back to her with the armor in both hands.

"It works best concealed. You'll have to remove your top." He said and tried to sound professional even when he knew he might enjoy seeing her full breasts again but right now he was focused on the task at hand. That task unfortunately did not involve spending unnecessary time in the safe room kissing the package.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I think you just want to see my breasts.” Dylan said with a smile as she pulled her top off, standing there in the middle of the storage area bare chest and waiting for him to fit the breast plate to her. “Who knew that the silent and mysterious Stone would be toppled by a soft pair of breasts?”

 

[Nordican]

Stone leaned his head to the left and then gave her a small smile. Moving forward so that he was withing a few inches of her he just stood their quietly almost just to play with her. "They are quite extraordinary specimens." He remarked and held of saying that they tasted quite good when he had his lips locked around them.

Moving forward he lowered the cold metallic armor plating over Dylan. The armor was steel cold and would likely send a chill through her body as he settled it into place. Once it rested with it's straps on her shoulders parts of the plating seemed to move to accommodate her 'twins' comfortably and then Stone went from her left to right side closing up the other clasps. Resting a hand on the side of the chest plate he looked up from it after a moment.

"Any difficulty with normal breathing?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan smiled as Stone made mention of how much he enjoyed her breasts. Then it was all business as he fitted the cold metallic armor over her body and fastened it to her chest. She shivered as the chill raced through her body, waiting patiently as he started to lock the clasps together.

“No problem there.” She said, taking a deep breath to show him as he rested his hand on the side of the chest plate. “Though I wouldn’t mind a kiss to make it all better.” She said with a grin.

 

[Nordican]

Stone did his best to resist the smile and just put a like peck on her lips but as he remained close and looked into her eyes he found it was hard to resist her wishes.

Moving closer with slow deliberation Stone's eyes remained on hers as his hand moved lover across the material of the armor and slid over her hip before he tugged at her pants. Bringing her to him their armored chests rubbed together and he pulled her the last lingering inches closer till they both felt each other's breath warming their faces.

Leaning in the last few inches Stone brushed his lips against hers gently enjoying just the taste for a moment. He knew he shouldn't, that he was not supposed to get attached and that this was all just a job but as he looked at her and felt her close to him he found it hard not to just let go. Finally he pressed his lips firmly against hers with a near silent 'mmmm' while his fingers climbed around her hip to clutch her perfectly curved ass and bring her boy that much closer to him. He knew he shouldn't but he wanted it all the same.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan grinned as she won the kiss from Stone that she’d requested. His hands tugged her hips into his and their chests rubbed together as he deepened their kiss. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him even closer. She loved the way that he held her, his hands caressing her ass and loving her body.

She pressed herself further against his hips, feeling his cock start to respond to what they were doing. She wanted to beg him for sex, but they were in a place where that probably wasn’t possible. Plus, she didn’t want to seem like the biggest sexual deviant in the world.

 

[Nordican]

Stone welcomed the feel of her arms around his neck and he wondered if the both of them weren't falling hard for one another. When he felt her lips push forward he swore he could even feel her warmth and her need through her pants and as his lips parted he almost smiled though his eyes betrayed his enlightenment to the effect he had on her.

He would have had no problem taking her right there on the floor of the armory but he had a much more comfortable place they could retire too once the day was over.When her hips nudged against him more however it was still quite hard to resist but slowly he let the pressure on her ass go as he looked down at her.

"You really are trouble aren't you Ms. Dylan." He couldn't help but comment and a smile finally broke through as he still held her.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Not trouble. I just know what I like.” She said with a smile as he held her and grinned down at her. “But I know that there is a time and a place for such things and if you wouldn’t seduce me so much, we might be able to get some work done.”

Taking a step away from Stone, Dylan grinned and pulled her shirt back on over the armor, situating the cloth so that it lay right and made it look as if she were wearing nothing at all beneath the shirt.

 

[Nordican]

Stone looked at her and watched her lips form into a smile. It was effortless and simple and made him long to hold her and kiss those lips again. It was funny that she said he kept seducing her since that generally wasn't his intent. He was attracted to Dylan and felt a general bond of lust and protection with her but he didn't think to seduce her specially while trying to gear up. It was strange to think about as she pulled down the shirt making it appear as if nothing else was underneath.

Stone nodded and then gathered up some more supplies. New ammunition, rations, medical supplies and a metallic axe with a segmented pummel at the end. Holding the weapon for a moment he smiled in admiration. He had hoped that one would be waiting for him. It was a truly deadly weapon and one he couldn't wait to try out. Turning back to Dylan he also grabbed one more small bag that had freshly pressed undergarments in a sealed bag so that she would not have to keep using her regular ones. The eggheads were nothing but prudent.

"Lucky for you our work is nearly finished here. Plan is to stop at one more place to get some information and then we'll hang out here tonight at a rented room. Then we'll be off again." Stone said as he prepared to lock down the safe room and secure it.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan felt almost giddy that they would be staying in a room tonight instead of the truck. She smiled wide and her eyes sparkled, her hips wiggling in a little dance as she watched him pack up his equipment and start to lock down the safe room.

“You’ll spoil me, Stone. Not that I’m complaining about not sleeping in the truck tonight.” She said, looking around their surroundings as he finished up his duties.

“I think I’d like to take a proper shower with warm water. It’s been forever since I’ve enjoyed a hot shower.” She said, practically moaning at the thought as he took her hand and started to lead her out of the facility once more.

 

[Nordican]

Stone hoped that the hotel would have it's water fully functional when they got there. The thought of seeing her displeasure at such a discovery made him hopeful to avoid it.

He guided her out soon enough and enjoyed the feel of her fingers with his again as they exited the store. the preacher had left by this point and a militia patrol seemed to have taken it's place. Stone watched the three soldiers for a moment and then saw an officer approaching. An officer he knew.

Turning quickly he nudged Dylan a little to the side of the store as the patrol spoke with the officer. Moving closer to her he put his left hand around her neck and pulled her in slowly for a kiss while his right hand moved slowly to his side to brush across the handle of his pistol in case of trouble.

 

[heartofcourage]

Everything seemed so normal outside the storage facility. The streets were quiet now that the preacher had gone home and she looked around freely. She smiled at the people that were around them, bustling between the shops as they made their last few purchases for the day. It made everything seem…normal.

Dylan gasped as Stone nudged her to the side of a store, his hand gripping the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss. “What…” She was cut off as his lips crashed down on hers and she clung to his shirt while he took her breath away.

She whimpered at the feel of his lips and tongue, her back pressed against the hard stone of the building. Something was wrong, she knew that much to be true, but the way that he was kissing her made her not care about a thing in the world.

 

[Nordican]

Stone was counting off the seconds during the kiss till he was distracted as he felt Dylan's fingers bunching up in his shirt and her tongue prodding at his lips. A little whimper made his cock stiffen slightly against her and for a moment he almost forgot what he was doing. His eyes opened slowly and looked over to the soldiers.

It was him alright. Stone was still unsure why he was here but soon enough the man he was focused on walked past the troops and past the two without giving the kissers a second glance. Stone closed his eyes and pressed his lips more against Dylan enjoying the taste of her lips before he slowly pulled back.

"Sorry to push you. The officer is named Victor Helgin. I met him years back as things were starting to go to hell. He's ex military and works as sort of a personal agent for some guy named Raymon Mormont. From what I can tell Mormont is some rich landowner, made himself a small business empire with gun shops, hotels and tenant farms that spread to New Mexico. Word is it if you cross Mormont sooner or later you end up dead." Stone said as he looked back to where Victor had left before turning back to Dylan.

Taking her hand in his he directed them away from the store and back on course to the next stop. "Not sure why Mormont has any interest in Windvale, or Sons."

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan sighed in a soft tone as he pulled away from their kiss, her lips still searching for his as he started to explain what had just happened. She listened through the haze of her mind and nodded, allowing him to pull her back towards the next stop.

“You don’t think that he’s looking for someone like me, do you?” She asked, a little bit of fear in her voice at the thought of having to go through the horrors of slavery again. “You promised to keep me safe.” Her fingers squeezed his, their contact important to her in that moment.

 

[Nordican]

As they walked Stone turned back to her. He didn't smile but he looked at her with a look of determination. "I keep my promises Dylan. I won't anyone take you away again." He said and though part of him knew he shouldn't his fingers clasped in around hers holding her firmly in the hopes of asserting the notion.

Anyone who tried to get her would have to put him in the ground if they wanted her. She was his cargo, his package and well someone he would not want to let go of if he could do anything about it.

"But you shouldn't worry." He said trying to divert her mind from Victor. "I'm sure its just some trade thing with Windvale between the town and Mormont. Could be anything but Mormont has never really been interested in purebloods." Stone said truthfully. There was little value to purebloods for the old man as far as word was. Perhaps if a cure for the lingering sickness and malformation was discovered then he'd try to latch on to the people Stone worked for but as far as the procurer was concerned the group was far below Mormont's radar. The group had a hold network of people whose job was just that.

Soon enough they came to Jacky Dees, a well kept establishment with red brick walls and a neon sign that was build from various sources but worked well enough. Next to the restaurant was the Iron Star hotel that they would move to afterwards. It was a nice four story building that probably had merited 3 stars before everything went to hell but it was as safe a place as Stone could ask to stay the night.

Inside Stone was pleased to find Harrity. Harrity claimed to be a veteran when he met him but Stone still wasn't sure. The man's portly belly and wild hair didn't shout ex military. But he was friendly enough to Stone and always was a good source of information when he came by Jacky Dees on any sort of trip.

"Ah look what the winds brought us today Rock." Harrity said with a wide grin missing two of his upper left teeth as he held a small Chihuahua in his hands. The collar around the small dog was patchwork but had metallic screws and other tidbits spelling out a M. The dog barked at Stone and Dylan as they entered and Stone paused looking amused at the small pet. Harrity loved that dog more enough to once reveal where Stone was working to some bounty hunters. Stone wasn't the biggest fan of Molly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan had never seen Stone look so serious about something in his life. He gripped her fingers tightly in his, assuring her that everything out be alright in the long run. She trusted that he’d keep her safe but she also worried what danger might fall on them if they were spotted by someone that wanted to kill them yet again. If Stone got injured, could she nurse him out of an illness again?

She nodded as he assured her that everything was alright and tugged her back into walking. They came across a well kept building that had red brick walls and a neon sign. She frowned slightly, wondering why they were here when she noticed the hotel next door. It seemed that Stone knew this place well because he didn’t hesitate to pull her behind him into the facility.

She found herself looking at a large man with wild hair and a very small Chihuahua. Dylan liked dogs, but only the ones large enough to not qualify as small and yappy. The man and Stone spoke to each other with familiarity and Stone even looked a little bit amused at the small pet that was barking at them both.

Dylan pressed against Stone’s side, unsure of what they were really doing there. Again, she had to remind herself that she trusted Stone and everything would be alright. If she said it enough, she would have to believe it sooner or later.

 

[Nordican]

Stone smiled at Harrity and he guided Dylan over to a barstool. "This will just be a second." He said resting his arm on her forearm and looking into her eyes before commenced business.

"Good to see you Harrity. This is Sarah. New partner from out in Arizona." Stone said in all due serious which meant his tone was as stern as his last name. "Just checking and seeing how things are for the town." Stone said and grinned while keeping his right hand on Dylan's leg to let her know he wasn't going to leave her or anything.

"Course of course no one visits this dump otherwise." Harrity said with another grin. "Well been fairly quiet recently. Governor Bens is trying to make sure the farms are well watched after. I'm sure you may have seen Mormont's man around. Way he says it he there is a bandit warband on their way here and that Windvale should throw in their lot under Mormont's protection and the problem will solve itself." Harrity said and Stone frowned. He did not like Mormont's hand reaching out this far. It wasn't any of his business but Windvale was a bastion of good people. Governor Bens might not have been the best leader but he wasn't the worst and he wasn't a corrupt slaver on the side either, two things Stone valued for those who ran towns in this new world.

He could use help. Then Stone looked back over to Dylan and smiled before looking back to Harrity.

"Well I'm sure the governor will make the right decision. You hear anything else you know the usual place." Stone said and then passed the old man twenty caps before for the information before turning to Dylan.

"If you're hungry we could get some food here. Won't be any better at the hotel but they make a pretty good hot dog here." Stone said to Dylan. Molly yapped off to his left and he glared at the mutt before returning his gaze to his companion.