Welcome to the Wasteland (closed)

[JadeKnight]

He let her slide over him and off of him to lay beside him. He didn't move his hand to follow, so it slipped off of her to lay on his stomach. He gave a little smile and chuckle for a moment at her thanking him for repairing her suit.

"It wouldn't exactly be right for you to be wandering around in half torn clothing, so you are welcome."

He paused for a moment, as if seeming to contemplate his answer to her request to go with him. He had planned on asking her, or at least point out the merits of staying with him when they got up later. If she was willing to stay with him freely, he had no problems with that.

"I was never planning on killing you, so there is no need to worry about that. And my answer is yes, you can stick with me for as long as you want. The wasteland isn't exactly safe for a beautiful young lady to be wandering around by herself. Now I suggest getting some more sleep."

He shifted so that he was on his side facing her, a little more comfortable position. He shifted the arm underneath him so that it was stretched out above him while he reached over and draped his other arm lightly over her before closing his eyes once more.

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when John said he was never planning on killing her. Even though it was just his word that she had, it was enough to bring her solace for now. Now the only thing that threatened her was the fear he'd kick her out. Sure, he'd raped her, but the raiders had been rougher, and if they had raped her, they's probably have killed her afterwards. Going back out into the wasteland alone did not appeal to her one bit. Her capturer's looks only had a little to do with it. She needed his skills more than his dreamy eyes (though his good looks definitely didn't hurt). She wasn't used to being around such an attractive person. He was more beautiful than any of the treasured residents in the vault in her eyes, and she'd been forbidden to even look at them, for they would be the ones who would breed and bring prosperity to the vault with their golden children.

"Thanks," she said softly when he said she could stay with him as long as she wanted. She hated that she had to request this of her savior turned rapist, but here she was. Perhaps he would be her savior once again in return for sexual favors. Hopefully he wouldn't get bored of her.

Him calling her beautiful made her blush and she looked away from him. "Yeah, I don't think I could have survived much longer on my own," she admitted. "I'll do my best to keep up."

Maybe she was crazy. Absolutely she was crazy, asking her rapist to protect her, but Lucy knew she couldn't survive on her own. She'd been nearly on the verge of death yesterday, and still pretty much was. John had let her have some food, well, she'd helped herself to some food, but she was still hungry. She didn't want to ask him for more though; she didn't want to press her luck here.

She wondered what his story was. Had he grown up in the wasteland like this? Did he have anybody else? Or was he a true loner? How many other girls had he saved and then plundered? Still, there was no denying the weight of his arm across her side felt nice. It felt good to feel safe like that, even though she knew she wasn't truly safe, but it was better than being out in the open. She was grateful for that.

Tonight the pair, well, at least she, was exhausted. John probably needed his sleep too. Walking around in that power armor surely could not be easy. Her long lashes graced her freckled cheeks as she closed her eyes and breathed softly, letting herself finally feel comfortable.

 

[JadeKnight]

He closed his eyes after watching her to make sure she had truly fallen asleep. He could see she was exhausted and probably needed sleep more than him. He closed his eyes once more, drifting off to sleep.

He didn't know what time it was when he awoke, but he woke up before she had. He gave a little smile watching her sleep for a few moments longer before carefully extracting himself from beside her without waking her up. Deciding to let her sleep, he carefully dressed and made his way to the hatch. He opened it carefully to avoid any noise before climbing out and closing the hatch behind him.

He judged it to be about noon, feeling refreshed himself. Benjamin came bounding out to greet him from his little sleeping area near the building. John laughed as the dog licked at his face for a few seconds before John could calm him down.

"Good afternoon to you too. I see you did well in keeping guard. Good boy."

John petted his dog on the head for a few moments before pulling out a small piece of meat and letting the Great Dane woof it down.

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy awoke to an empty bunker. She had no idea what time it was, but she sensed a lot of hours had passed. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got out of bed. She lifted the vault suit John had improved for her and admired it for a moment before stepping into it. It felt heavier than before with the extra padding and leather modifications. The heavier weight made her feel safer.

Lucy approached the ladder and her stomach rumbled when she passed the shelf of food. But she knew better this time. She ignored the modest assortment of food and began to climb the ladder, then she opened the hatch and emerged into the dull orange sky once more.

"Hi, John," she said upon spotting him. He was in the process of feeding his dog a hunk of meat. Her stomach grumbled in response. It did not look appetizing of course, but the slobber dripping from the dog's mouth and delight in it's eyes as it wolfed down the raw meat reminded her of her own hunger.

She looked away from the feasting dog and brought her gaze up to meet John's eyes. She wasn't used to meeting people's eyes very much, so it was difficult to maintain eye contact when she asked, "Is it breakfast time?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled when she came up from the shelter, watching him feed his dog. He gave a little laugh for a moment at her question.

"It's actually closer to lunch time, but that's beside the point. Give me a moment and I'll see what I can come up with."

He looked in his backpack for a few moments, rummaging through it for a few moments. He finally pulled out a couple bottles of purified water, handing one to her. Next he pulled out a couple packages of wrapped cooked Brahmin steaks, giving one to her as well.

"This should keep you filled for a little while. I cooked it up yesterday and wrapped it well."

Benjamin laid down at her feet, crossing his front paws and laying his head down. John laughed for a moment.

"He looks like he likes you. His name is Benjamin."

John smiled before walking over to a somewhat intact metal chair in the shade of the building, unwrapping the steak before taking a bite out of it and chewing slowly.

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy was relieved at his reaction to her question, and even more relieved he was going to give her some food. She grabbed the mysterious meat from him as soon as he presented it to her and began devouring it without seconds. She probably looked like a mad woman but she didn't care. She was so, so hungry.

"Thanks," she said simply.

The great dane came to lay down at her feet and she smiled at the creature. They'd had no pets in the vault, but she'd seen pictures. "Nice to meet you, Benjamin," she said, reaching her free hand out and gently stroking his head.

They ate in silence for a moment. Lucy was too busy eating for it to be an uncomfortable silence, but when she was finished eating and guzzling some of the purified water, she decided she'd try and spark a conversation. "So, what are things like out here?" she asked, genuinely curious. "Here, in the wasteland, I mean."

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled softly as he watched her eat, almost comical as she wolfed the cooked meat down. She acted like a starved pack of rats trying to devour their first meal in days so that no meat remained intact. Well, he would made sure that she wouldn't go hungry again, at least not while he was around.

Benjamin looked up at her as she petted his head, happy for the attention. His tail wagged happily back and forth before he rolled over in front of her, his paws in the air. John continued to eat, taking his time to eat. He wasn't in a hurry, and it was a new day blooming on their new found relationship.

"Well, that's a tough question to answer. I would have to say it's mostly just a harsh place to live, depending on where you are. Even in the more civilized areas, it can get rough. In the wilderness, you've got all the mutated animals to deal with, not to mention raiders and supermutants. The more civilized areas, like the Seaside jewel Miami, are a little better but you still have to contend with the seedier side of humanity."

He licked his fingers clean for a moment before taking a long drink of his water.

"What has been your experience so far, besides me?"

 

[Emstar303]

John's soft laughter as he watched her scarf down the meat was unheard by Lucy as she relished her meal. As she ate, John's dog Benjamin settled in closer to her, rolling over on it's belly, seeking further attention. Lucy let out a small laugh of her own at the adorable sight. "You're just one big, puppy, aren't you?" she smiled and rubbed his belly as requested.

She listened carefully as John described his experienced in the wasteland. She'd slowed down the pace of her eating now, deciding it would be better to savor the little that remained.

"There are civilized areas out here?" She asked, hopeful. Perhaps she could make a life for herself out here, but... if there were such places, why did John chose to live in this junkyard? "Can't be too civilized if you choose to live away from them," she mused aloud. He'd said you still had to deal with the darkness of humanity, even in the civilized areas, so maybe that was why. Still, Lucy was used to growing up in a community. It was a cold community, but still a community. She couldn't imagine living on her own with just a pet for a companion like John did.

Lucy watched as he licked his fingers clean, then took several large swallow from his water bottle. She watched as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow. The harsh sun shined in his hair and his shirt stuck to his muscular torso a little bit from sweat. Why did he have to be so handsome?

"What has been your experience so far, besides me?" he asked.

Lucy almost laughed. "Not very great, if I'm being honest. I must have been wandering for 3 or 4 days before I found this junkyard. Just walking along that southern highway. I hadn't run into anybody or anything except a group of wild dogs I hid from in a derelict car, until I found the raiders in the junkyard. I thought maybe they could help me. It was stupid."

 

[JadeKnight]

He laughed for a moment, shaking his head as she mentioned about living in here in the junkyard. He finished his water before throwing the empty bottle back into his backpack. Everything had it's own way of being recycling and used, even inside the cities.

"I actually don't live here. This is just one of the many places I come and scavenge from. I think that little shelter we slept in was built long ago. I'm not sure what all they used to get it like that."

He tossed the wrapping from the steak into his backpack as well before walking over to his dog and Lucy. He knelt down, scratching on the dog's belly.

"Only three or four days? Where have you been living at that you're so clean and pale? Not that I am complaining any at having a beautiful young lady traveling with me."

He stood up in front of her, rubbing her auburn hair playfully for a moment.

 

[Emstar303]

At the realization John didn't live here, Lucy nodded in understanding. "You sleep where you can out here, right?" she said, smiling a little bit.

John finished his food and walked over to her to join her in petting Benjamin. The dog was loving every moment - now he had two sets of hands to pet him as Lucy had finished her food as well. "I've actually never met a dog before. I hadn't expected them to be so soft and goofy," she mused. She handed John the wrapper from her steak, as it seemed he had a place for the paper.

John asked about her past and how she seemed so clean and pale, but insisted he was in no way complaining about her presence, on the contrary he said he was happy to travel with a beautiful young lady. His words made her blush. What, was he like 10 years older, max? It felt funny to be called a young lady by him but that didn't mean she didn't like it. He stood up from the ground and his dog mewled at the loss, so Lucy sped up the frequency of her pets. She felt John's hand start to play with her hair briefly before she explained her past to him. She wished he'd keep playing, but she wasn't about to request that.

"I'm from an underground vault, of course. I thought my vault suit would give it away. See the big 169 on the back? I'm from there, but I, well, I got kicked out," she said with embarressment and some degree of shame. "The Overseer thought I wasn't smart enough to help contribute to our community in any meaningful way, so they threw me out and told me to come back only if I found something worthwhile that would help the community." She sighed. It hurt to recollect her depressing fate. "So... you've never met anyone from a vault before?" she asked, hoping he had. Becusae if he hadn't did that mean the others had all failed? Perished to the wastes as she'd feared? No, she couldn't think that way. The wasteland was vast - it was perfectly plausible he hadn't met a vault dweller before.

 

[JadeKnight]

He did stop playing with her hair as she spoke about coming from a vault, though he didn't remove his hand. He shook his head a little as he heard how she had been thrown out to fend for herself. It really was sad overall.

"Yes, I figured that you might have come from a vault, but I wanted to be sure. Your vault isn't the only one that's been found, but it's one of the few still operating. That's as far as I know of. As a matter of fact, Vault 175 is located in the heart of Miami. It opened up a few years ago, became a little trading hub."

He smiled before he continued to play with her hair once more. He looked around for a moment before looking at her.

"Well, the closest settlement is a few hours away. If we leave now, we can reach it by nightfall."

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy liked having John's hand her, it made her feel comforted. It was silly. Maybe she had a minor case of Stockholm syndrome, or maybe she was just happy to have someone's attention for once. She also appreciated the look of pity on his face at her story, but he didn't comment on it, instead he dropped the bomb that there was another Vault nearby. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise. "There is? How far is Miami? Why did they open up?"

She was eager to see the other vault. Did they have the same policies as hers? A breeding program? Probably not since John had said they'd opened up a few years ago. She couldn't imagine her own vault ever opening up. The overseer insisted they had enough supplies to last decades. She wasn't sure if there was any truth to that, but she knew opening up was an absurd idea to the residents of Valut 169.

"Okay, let's get going then," she agreed when John told her they could make it to a settlement by nightfall, only a little sad that leaving meant he had to stop playing with her hair. She stood to her feet and began to follow John and Benjamin. "What is the closest settlement? Is it the vault" she asked, extremely curious and hopeful. "What are the people like? How far away is it? It might be a day for you, but I don't move very fast." Lucy peppered him with questions as she followed towards the entrance to the junkyard.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little laugh for a moment as she fired off her questions about the vault. He just let her throw them out as he moved into the garage, picking up a small fusion core. He ejected the nearly empty one before replacing it with a fresh one and climbing into the power armor. He closed the rolling door of the garage as Benjamin waited patiently near the entrance to the junkyard.

"The settlement is one of a couple I helped to get up and running awhile back. It's small, but does have a pretty good trading route to Miami."

He covered the hatch to the shelter back up before walking to the junkyard entrance. He reached down and gave Benjamin a pat on the head as he looked back at Lucy.

"The Miami vault has been open, I believe around 50 years now. It was supposed to be some underground library system I think."

The power suit did have a voice modular inside it, so his voice sounded a little robotic as he spoke. He pulled out his guass rifle and held it at low ready.

"You'll probably want to have your weapon ready."

He gave a little tap on his rifle with one hand before starting to walk around the junkyard in the direction he came from. He kept to a walking pace so that she could keep up.

 

[Emstar303]

"I take it there's no chance you've got another one of those fancy metal suits laying around?" Lucy joked, watching John enter the power armor. She was a little sad that she'd not be able to stare at his handsome face and strong, muscular body on their journey, but that was probably for the best, honestly. She needed to keep alert. She didn't want to anger him by being slow or misfiring her weapon because she was preoccupied staring at his ass. She wondered if he'd punish her again for something like that. The thought made heat curl within her and she pushed it down.

John told her the settlement they'd be going to was one he'd helped get up and running. She was a little surprised - he seemed like the loner type, not one to help build a community... but what did she know? It couldn't have been more than 24 hours with him at this point.

Lucy patted her laser weapon slotted in the holster John had modded into her armor. "Yup, I'm good to go! But hold on, did you say 50 years? That's crazy!"

She was curious about that vault, but perhaps even more than that she was curious about John's past, but she decided not to ask about it for now. She probably wouldn't be able to fully understand what he was saying with the power armor on anyway.

 

[JadeKnight]

The walk was relatively quiet for the first couple of hours. He decided the best way to go was through the forest rather than the road to avoid most creatures. However, that didn't mean they were completely safe from harm.

There were occasional glimpses of small groups of radstag, two head deer, minding there own business as they grazed through the underbrush. Large dragonflies and other insects mutated over the years since the Great War also made their presence known by flying close to the trio or further away. A couple of feral dogs were seen in the distance, but they didn't spot the trio. John did point out the various wildlife they saw, like a guide.

He had just pointed out a maejestic radstag perched on top of a small mound of dead trees when Benjamin started growling. He stopped in place, baring his teeth before he started barking. John lifted his rifle in response.

"What did you pick up boy?"

It wasn't long before five raised lines of dirt was spotted heading straight for them, the telltale signs of molerats, mutated moles that were always a nuisance in his opinion.

"Molerats, get ready!"

 

[Emstar303]

The walk was tiring, but far more pleasant than journeying alone, especially since they had a destination. She was no longer wandering about aimlessly, but being led by someone familiar with the wasteland, experienced even. Luckily, Lucy was quiet enough not to disturb any big creatures. John pointed out the highlights along the way, but the mutated animals were still shocking to see up close. She'd only see pictures.

Benjamin did a good job of alerting them to any dangers and steering their path through the forest. He began barking louder all of a sudden part way through their journey. John told her to get ready and the next second a handful of clumps of dirt began rushing towards them. Lucy grabbed her laser pistol as ordered and pointed it at one of the incoming clumps. Shooting had been a mandatory class in the vault. They'd had a few break-ins before of corrupted wildlife and felt it was important for the citizens to know how to defend themselves. Still, she wasn't deemed the best, just okay. As such, she missed the first two times but nailed the third. shot into the closest pile of dirt. Fuck, ammo was hard to come by out here. She had to get better at this. She couldn't afford to miss. She felt a rush of adrenaline when the molerat stopped moving and turned her attention to the next closest one. She waited until it got closer this time, then shot into it's freaky little beady eyes as it shot out of the dirt, killing it.

 

[JadeKnight]

John knew the molerats were one of the simplest creatures to kill, but they were annoying. Even more so when they came in packs like this. He lifted his rifle at the approaching dirt mounds as if to fire, but he held the shot. He really didn't want to waste the ammo on the ground.

While Lucy was busy with the first two, he focused on the others. One continued straight for him at a quick pace before suddenly leaping out a foot in front of him, sharp teeth gnashing at the air. John brought up his right arm, bashing the flying rodent aside. The pink rodent bounced on the ground a couple of times before righting itself. It shook it's head from side to side before hissing and walking around for a few moments.

The next one went for Benjamin, leaping out at the large dog. The dog did a little leap backwards to avoid the attack, the rodent landing a couple of feet away. The great dane was on the rodent quickly, biting on it's neck. The molerat squealed as it's neck was crushed slowly and swung violently from side to side until it's neck was broken, hanging limply from Benjamin's mouth.

The last molerat veered around behind John, leaping at him from behind. There was a thunk for a moment as the molerat's teeth clanged against the metal of the power armor. The molerat smacked against John's back before hitting the ground behind him, stunned for a few seconds. Meanwhile, the other molerat leaped back into the ground, racing for Lucy.

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy was a little surprised when John didn't fire even as a molerat closed in on him, but he knew what he was doing. He slammed the mutated rodent aside with his massive power armored fist, getting it out of the way for a while. She steadied herself as it came burrowing towards her, being sure not to fire too soon.

When it was just a few feet from her she fired, and it fell to the ground, dead. Adreline was thundering in her veins. Even though they were just molerates to John, they She'd had to deal with radroaches in the vault before, but these molerats were triple the size. She was proud.

She turned to John, and, not wanting to seem too giddy about her first kill in the wasteland, asked, "Good to go?"

 

[JadeKnight]

While Lucy took care of the molerat burrowing towards her, John turned his attention to the stunned one behind him. He turned around to face it before lifting his right leg up. He brought it down hard, slamming his armored foot onto the creature. There was a sickening crunch as it's skull was broken and flattened into the ground. He smirked and turned back around as Lucy turned towards him.

"Anytime kitten."

He wasn't sure why he called her that, but she was like a little newborn kitten coming into the world from it's mother's protective bubble. He reached over and patted her head lightly with his hand before a moment before starting to continue onward. Benjamin took up the lead, occasionally running ahead to scout for danger.

They had been moving along for a few hours when John decided it would be a good idea to get a little meat to take back to the settlement. He motioned for Lucy to stop as he caught sight of a radstag family of three further away from them. He lifted his rifle to his shoulder, aiming for the largest of the three. He pulled the trigger back slowly, charging up the weapon for a few seconds. Once it was fully charged, he pulled the trigger back completely as he fired the weapon. There was a muffled 'whoop' sound as the projectile left the muzzle heading towards the stag. A moment later, the head of the stag blew apart before the body collapsed to the ground.

He quickly sighted on another stag as they got spooked, firing at half charge this time. The second smaller radstag was hit in the center, stumbling and falling into a heap. The third one turned and bounded off as John led Lucy towards the dead bodies.

"Do you know how to skin and cut upon any animals?"

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy grimaced when John flattened the last molerat like a melon, squishing it underneath his massive metal boot. She turned away from the sickening sight and instead looked at John. Lucy didn't want to admit it, but she thought his little nickname for her was cute. She also liked how he patted her head softly, a small gestur of encouragement for taking out some of the molerats.

She followed John and Benjamin into the wastes ahead. She was grateful for the dog's presence - he could alert them to danger well ahead of them running into it. After several hours of mostly silence save for her heavy pants and John's robotic breathing, John motioned her aside and took aim at a family of stags in the distance. He took out two of them while the smaller of the three ran away.

When asked if she knew how to skin an animal, Lucy shook her head. "Uh no, sorry, can't say they had those classes in the vaut." She wrinkled her nose at the sight of the greenish, irradiated stags, but knew it was what they had to do to survive. "But I bet you're gonna teach me all about it, huh?" She supposed she had to learn if she were expected to survive out here, but it didn't appeal to her one bit.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little laugh and shake of his head at her response about not being taught how to survive outside the vault. He pulled out a combat knife as he knelt beside the headless radstag.

"Wasn't Vault-Tec motto "Prepare for the future"?. Sounds like they did such great preparation down there then."

As he began to strip, gut, and cut up the radstag, he took his time to point out everything she needed to know on cutting and preparing of the meat for travel. After skinning the radstag and cutting up the meat, he wrapped all of it in the skin of the stag before putting it into his backpack. The second one didn't take as long since it was smaller, so he was ready relatively quickly.

"Alright, the settlement isn't much further now. Just stay close and you'll be fine."

He motioned for her to follow him once more with his right hand before starting off. The forest was beginning to get thinner and there were fewer of the forest creatures to be seen. They soon came to a large clearing where he stopped and pointed to a large wooden wall in the distance. It could barely be seen in the fading light.

"There's the settlement. It's called The Rail Station as it's built around one of the now defunct train tracks that pass through the area. About twenty people live there, not including me. It's not much further."

He didn't say anything that he had a former lover living there, as he really didn't think it was important at the moment. It was the furthest thing from his mind since everything was good between him and her. As they got close to the settlement, the large wooden doors that served as the gateway opened while one of the gate guards waved to them.

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy didn't bother to counter his insult to Vault-Tec, as she was certainly not their biggest fan. All the classes in the vault that weren't your typical history, English, and math classes had been mostly theory and speculation about the wasteland - they had a gun range they shot at from time to time to learn the basics of shooting to kill giant bugs and the occasional invader (Some high tech raiders had blown up the heavy vault door and they'd never been able to secure it as well ever since) They didn't prepare her for the wasteland at all, and they expected her to come back with someting of value? How could they just throw her to the wolves like that?

She'd had friends there, adults she'd looked up to all her life, but in the end no one fought for her "Overpopulation," she remembered one of them saying as the security guards hauled her towards the entrance. "It's as simple as that, I'm sorry, Lucy." "It's just simple arthemitic, if you take out more than you put in, you're just a hinderance to us." "Only come back if you've really got something worthwhile."

Lucy shook these memories from her head and tried to pay attention as John showed her the proper way to butcher the radstag. It was really, really gross and she hoped he wasn't expecting her to do this too often. The potent combination of radiation, blood, and animal innards filled the air and she felt naseous. Good thing John worked quickly.

He told her the settlement wasn't much further now and they set off once again. The sun was just starting to set so Lucy was glad they'd reach the settlement soon. Though even if had gotten dark, she was sure John would be able to take care of anything that got in their way. She fellt safe with him from the horrors of the wasteland, but, admittedly, she was still a little scared of him personally.

After a bit more walking they reached the wall they'd seen in the distance earlier. The guard at the gate waved to John before opening the doors to let them in. As the bigs doors opened, she stared in awe not at the derelict settlement, but at the people. There weren't that many, but a few were chatting by a fire, some were entering into a shack. These were the first people I'd seen outside of the raiders and John since leaving the vault. It was a little shocking, to say the least.

Everyone was a little grungey looking, naturally, and they all wore different clothing. Cowboy hats, blue jeans, ripped leather studded armor. One woman was even wearing a dress. There were no vault suits to be seen. There was such freedom out here in the wastes, she thought.

"We finally made it," she breathed. It definitely wasn't as spectacular as she'd hoped, but it was civliation. It was life in the wasteland. It was good enough for her.

 

[JadeKnight]

"Yes, we did finally. You did well out there."

He rubbed Lucy's head gently in his metal hand before pulling it away.

"I'll give you a quick tour and then we can settle down for the evening."

As they moved in along the train tracks, he pointed towards a long wooden building. It look as if there was only one door leading in. Several large open windows with small counters. Various items were placed along each countertop looking like they were being sold.

"There's were the local vendors sell from, weapons, armor, medical supplies, food, clothing. The bunkhouses for everyone is in those stacked metal trailers there."

He continued with her moving in front of the vendor building to come to the center of the c-shaped area where the bunkhouses were. He pointed to the two story little building for a moment.

"Up there is my little bedroom when I stay here."

He moved to the power armor station that was setup beneath the stairs before stepping out of the suit. He waved to a couple of the settlers who were lounging on the deck in front of the center trailer before heading over to the workstation, unloading his backpack into it.

"Feel free to look around and mingle kitten."

 

[Emstar303]

Lucy was happy to be complimented. Yeah, she hadn't done half bad! John rubbed her head carefully again in his huge metal glove and she smiled.

He gave her a little tour of the place; it was a pretty small settlement so it didn't take long, then went to get out his power armor and told his little kitten to mingle.

Lucy wasn't used to mingling - she had her group of friends at the vault and those she was forbidden to talk to. There wasn't much mingling going on, especially not with new people, and she suddenly felt very shy. Lucky for her, some of the friendlier residents who were always happy to make a newcomer feel welcome soon approached her. It was the same little group John had waved at earlier.

"Howdy there, John. Who's this little lady you've got with ya?" A man old enough to be her grandfather approached them. He didn't say it in a creepy way, just in a curious, friendly way. There weren't a lot of new faces to come by in the wasteland so it was always a little exciting to meet someone new.

"I'm Lucy," she answered for herself. "Who are you?"

"Harold." The dark grey-haired man in a cowboy hat, jeans, and button-down shirt held. "Where'd you get yourself one of them vault suits? I've never seen that number, 169, before."

Lucy hesitated in responding - she'd just told John her life story, and wasn't really feeling up to explaining it all over again.

"Come on, Harold, don't pester her when they've just got in. You must be very tired," A middle aged woman said. She slapped Harold softly on the arm, saving Lucy from having to respond. "At least let's get some food in her belly before we start peppering her with questions. Don't mind him, dear, we're just excited to see someone new. Travelers don't come by that often." She turned to John then, "What do you say? Some brahmin steaks? I'll cook em up free for ya."

Another pair of women approached then, both around John's age. "Mm steak sounds good, Helen," one of them spoke. She had dirty blonde hair tied back in a messy ponytail, cowgirl boots, jeans, and a form-fitting tanktop. She was accompanied by the woman in the blue dress Lucy had spotted earlier. She had dark brown hair and a friendly smile.

"Hey John, welcome back, and who might you be?" she asked Lucy in a soft, quiet voice.

Harold answered for her. "This here's Lucy. She's from Vault 169."

"That's a fun number," the blonde said. "What crazy experiments went on down there?"

Lucy didn't know what they meant by crazy experiments, but she wasn't about to ask. Instead she ignored the question and kept it polite. "Nice to meet you all," she said simply.

 

[JadeKnight]

John couldn't help but chuckle a little at the attention that Lucy was getting from the others. It had been a while since anyone new had come to the settlement, but he didn't mind at all. The settlement had been made to be livable by only so many, so recruiting had been stopped a short time before.

"Speaking of steaks, Lucy and I killed some redstag, so we have more meat to eat. Where's everyone else?"

The middle aged woman smiled for a moment as she brought down a chair from one of the wooden decks that served as a porch for the railcar houses.

"Farming, sleeping, hunting, just the usual things to do around here. Steak is good no matter where it comes from. Lucy was it? Why don't you tell us more about you?"

John smiled to see the others warming up to her, even if a little sarcastic. He certainly hoped they wouldn't run her off or anything. He moved to the fire and took a few moments to cook up a few portions of brahmin steak and radstag steak, setting the portions on plates.

"Dinner's ready folks. Come and get it."

Harold was the first over to grab some food, but he took two plates carrying one over to the middle age lady who thanked him with a smile before he sat down. John took a plate to Lucy before sitting down near her on a wooden bench with a plate of his own.