closed rp Post

[assjerky]

CLOSED RP POST with okiedokies art by pignk

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[assjerky]

The Ghoul dug out a cigarette and an old scruffed lighter out of his coat, and was smoking it with his hat tipped down while she changed. She took long enough that the proprietor was starting to look up from his comic and squint at him. He didn't have to be looking at him to see it, he could feel the suspicion.

He exhaled a plume of grey smoke as the Vaultie finally ducked out of the alcove and did a little spin. Weren't as perfect a fit as her blue jumpsuit, but even that helped her fit in. He took another drag, the orange glow illuminating his face as he studied her, his expression hard to read. "Yep, think that'll do," he replied, dropping his cigarette and stubbing it out with his boot. "Find a hat. Your nose is turning redder by the day."

[okiedokies]

Lucy figured that agreement was as good as any she was going to get and so she flashed a smile before she turned to start looking through the rest of the things. Eventually she came up with a simple hat the same shade as her pants and a jacket. Not one as long as his but it hung past the curve of her backside and it looked like it was good enough to protect her from the elements.

Once she had them in hand, she moved over to him with a curious look on her face. “What now?”

In other words, how was she going to pay?

[assjerky]

While she hunted up a hat and a coat, the Ghoul took her pack and rooted through it until he came up with a box of snack cakes. Barely waiting for her to acknowledge she was done, he ambled up to the counter and slid the box across to the shopkeep. "For the clothes," he drawled, carelessly shoving her vault suit into the pack before handing it back to her.

The owner blinked, and seemed like he was about to protest before he got a good look at the box. "Hey are those pre-w--"

"Shut the fuck up," the Ghoul interrupted smoothly, staring the shopkeep down until the cap dropped in his head. The last thing they needed was other folk overhearing pre-war food.

"...yeah, okay," the guy responded, taking the box and whisking it off the counter, stashing it somewhere out of sight and picking up his comic again.

"Dandy. Lesgo, darlin'." The Ghoul strolled out of the creaky building, unhurried but with purpose. Best to move on and get gone before anyone looked too hard or too long.

[okiedokies]

“Okay,” Lucy nodded at The Ghoul as she tugged her new jacket on, noting it was a size or two too big for her but maybe she would appreciate that at night when she could use it for a blanket. Then she wouldn’t need to cuddle up to The Ghoul for heat even though he would be warmer than her jacket. She also wasn’t going to look too closely at the fact that she felt a flicker of disappointment at only using her jacket at night.

Brushing those thoughts from her mind, she turned to look at the man with a bright smile. “Thank you for your help and the clothes.”

Then she turned to hurry after The Ghoul as the guy blinked at her.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul whistled for Dogmeat, who was sniffing curiously around the placid brahmin, as he led the way back to the highway. He didn't try to talk until the trading post was well behind them, and he was sure they weren't being followed.

"So how's it feel, Vaultie?" He glanced at her as he took his canteen out for a sip of water. He hummed as he drank, then passed her the canteen. "Hm. Guess I gotta stop callin' you that now."

[okiedokies]

She had noticed that he glanced around enough that she felt the need to do the same, checking their surroundings to make sure that it was just them as they walked away to continue on their trek in the same direction her father had gone.

“It feels weird,” she told him truthfully as she glanced down at herself. “But it’s strangely…freeing. Comfortable.”

Then she looked at him, considering. “You don’t have to.”

[assjerky]

The Ghoul made a vague sound of acknowledgement, lapsing into silence as he screwed the top back on his canteen and stowed it. He'd probably still call her Vaultie when it was just the two of them, but around anyone else, well. Might be best not to advertise it.

"Don't look half bad on you, neither," he remarked--probably the closest thing to a compliment to come out of his mouth.

[okiedokies]

It would probably be fine if he called her Vaultie when it was just the two of them, like it was his own personal nickname for her that he wouldn’t share with anyone else.

“Thank you,” she looked pleased because she didn’t want to look silly and she figured that him saying that meant the clothes worked as they wanted. Then her smile grew as she patted the jacket. “There are also a lot of pockets.”

[assjerky]

The Ghoul hummed softly in amusement at her obvious delight, eyeing the road ahead of them as they headed deeper into the Mojave. "Yeah, somethin' them vault suits lacked, huh," he remarked, considering saying more but ultimately deciding against it. Telling her he knew that well, cause he was probably the first person to put one on, would open up a terrible, painful door. "Think we're getting close to the split in the highway. Real curious to see which way your daddy headed." Both led to New Vegas, but one was more direct--and more dangerous. Still, maybe the risk would be worth it to him, in that big tin can suit.

[okiedokies]

“Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with them but,” she trailed off with a shrug, feeling a momentary flash of guilt. Knowing what she did now twisted up how she felt about Vault-Tec and the vaults, so it left her feeling mixed when she went to say something bad about the suits after so many years, her entire life, of believing certain things in a certain way.

She looked over as he wondered out loud about the route her father could have taken. “Which way will we be going?”

[assjerky]

"Well we ain't marchin' into Deathclaw territory," the Ghoul drawled. "There's a third option too. Sayin' fuck it to the highway and cuttin' through the desert." He ran his tongue over his teeth and hummed thoughtfully. "Think taking the Eastern road's still our best bet. Have to be loaded down with supplies to survive that, an' theres no NCR patrols to keep things 'civilized' off the highway."

[okiedokies]

"I can agree to that, I would like to avoid Deathclaw territory very much," Lucy nodded before falling silent as he continued with their options, her gaze dropping briefly and then sweeping away. "I'm going to trust you to choose since you know this area and I don't, I'm going to rely on your choice. But if you ask me, Eastern road sounds like a good road to take."

[assjerky]

"It's the long way 'round, mind," the Ghoul pointed out, rolling a shoulder, his eyes focused on the cracked and broken road. He didn't add that if it weren't for her presence, he'd probably risk cutting through the desert. Weren't near as hard for him to survive those harsh conditions. "He took a shorter route, he'll get there 'fore we do. Means we'll have to pick up the trail." His lips twitched into a wry sort of smirk. "Lucky thing I'm real good at pickin' up trails."

[okiedokies]

He didn’t have to make the addition that they were choosing a different route because of her since it was easy to figure out. She glanced down the road, clearly considering telling him they could go the shorter, more dangerous route but she decided against it.

“I’m sorry,” she told him as she focused on him again. She waited for him to look at her before sighing softly. “It’s my fault we’re going the slow route, right? It’s going to slow you down in the search for your family.”

It seemed more of his conversation with her Dad was coming back to her.

[assjerky]

The Ghoul glanced at her with a raised eyebrow, then frowned, exhaling a sigh with a low sound deep in his chest, part thoughtful, part quiet exasperation. Couldn't say he didn't know this was coming, eventually. "Ain't your fault, Vaultie," he replied gruffly. "Been on this path for 200 years. Taking the highway ain't gonna make it take that much longer, in the grand scheme of things."

[okiedokies]

Lucy half expected him to react the same way he did when she asked who he was but found herself somewhat pleasantly surprised when he did. She was also relieved in the sense that he didn't blame her for having to slow down his search.

"You made it sound like my Dad knew where they were," She decided to push her luck, biting the inside of her cheek. "Were they in a vault?"

[assjerky]

"Yep. Just don't know where." He hesitated, scanning the horizon, sucking at his teeth. May as well just fuckin' rip the scab off. If he didn't, she'd keep picking at it. And he had implied he'd tell her how he knew her daddy. His steps slowed as he spoke, until he came to a stop, so they could stand face to face. "...My ex-wife. She worked for Vault-Tec. Your daddy was her assistant. He got himself a long freeze, reckon she did too. Her, an' my daughter both."

[okiedokies]

She looked pained as her heart ached for him, so much so that she didn't notice any other feeling she might have had at hearing him refer to his wife as an ex. At the same time, one shouldn't assume that someone being their ex meant that the feelings were gone. She knew feelings could be complicated after all.

"Your daughter?" She tilted her head to the side. "How old is she?"

[assjerky]

"She was 7." Wasn't what she'd asked, exactly, but he was fair sure that was what she meant. Honest answer to her exact question was, he didn't know. She could still be 7. She could be 77. She could already be dead and gone.

He didn't know, and not knowing was hell. Every goddamn day for 200 years. He turned and kept walking. All the shit he felt, thinking about Janey, he didn't want it showing on his face.

[okiedokies]

She knew what he was trying to say or not say. The probability that he didn't want to face and the uncertainty that most likely haunted him every day. It helped her to understand him a little more which she was sure probably bugged him too.

"When we find my father, I promise I will do whatever I can to make him tell you where they are," she said loudly so he would hear her even though he was trying to stride ahead so she couldn't see his face. She watched him to see if he would pause and look back, hoping he would see so he would see how serious she was. "I mean it, whatever I can."

[assjerky]

He didn't turn, but he did pause and glance back over his shoulder briefly. The Ghoul didn't have to see her face to know she said what she said with her whole chest. He'd thought she was full of shit when they'd first met, as phony as everything else that'd come from Vault-Tec. But she wasn't. He hadn't decided what she was, yet. Quite possibly, something entirely new.

All that to say, he did believe her. He also knew there were limits to what she could do, mentally and emotionally. He thought maybe she knew that, too. Whatever I can was different from Whatever it takes.

"...Yeah." He clicked his tongue to call Dogmeat from her wandering ahead with her nose to turn ground, and kept walking.

[okiedokies]

Maybe she was overestimating the influence she had over her father but she had managed to convince him to give Moldaver the code for the cold fusion, she was sure that she could convince him to at least tell her where the Ghoul's family was.

She also knew there was no reason for the Ghoul to believe her and she could see him pause as he listened to her. She figured his response was as good as she was going to get and she didn't really need anything more because that one word was more than enough.

Giving a determined little nod, she hurried after him.

[assjerky]

He pushed their pace harder than he usually would have, but he thought there was a spit of land along the way with a couple old houses they could keep warm in, assuming nobody'd claimed them. Turned out his memory was good, but even he was starting to get worn out by the time he'd been proven correct.

He almost didn't hear the barely audible sound of an armed mine before it was too late. Dogmeat sure didn't, and she yipped in alarm, her warning focusing him in. Lucky for them the Vaultie was being cautious, moving into the mostly intact house slowly and hesitantly. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back, wrapping his other arm around her to hold her back against his chest. "Shh," he hushed softly in her ear. "Hear that?" Dogmeat whined softly and bumped their calves as she peeked around them. "That right there's a good way to lose a leg." He took a slow step back, nudging Lucy behind him, then crouching down to get a look at the mine. It was a ramshackle home job, and was covered in an inch of dust and dirt. Interesting.

"Back up, Vaultie. My arm blows off, I can sew it back on." He waited until she retreated before he reached out to carefully disarm the pressure plate, picking up the mine and eyeing it curiously. Pretty bog standard, but it'd been there a while. So long he was surprised it hasn't gone off spontaneously. Whoever has set it, for whatever reason, had left and never come back. Or--a less pleasant option--they were still in there.

Could've just picked another spot to camp, but now he was curious. He took out his sawed off, ready to shoot if he had to, but he doubted anything in there was living. Mostly he focused on keeping an eye out for anymore mines, or tripwire.

[okiedokies]

Lucy didn't want to admit that she was tired but she swore she could feel the ache in her legs and everywhere else in her body by the time they reached the split of land he had mentioned to her earlier in the day. She also didn't want to admit that she felt a bit nauseous at times but she was writing it off to having not eaten much beyond a couple snack cakes and some of the cactus fruit they had saved.

She was relieved when they found the houses though and she wanted to rush ahead but she knew better, so she was playing it cautiously as she followed him. Maybe she wasn't cautious enough though as she almost didn't hear the click until suddenly he was hauling her back against him, causing her to squeak in surprise as he kept an arm around her and brought his mouth to her ear. She was instantly alert even as his warm breath fanned across her skin, her eyes darting this way and that before she nodded slowly.

Shifting behind him when he let go of her, she looked concerned as she glanced at the ground and then back to him again. "Can't we throw something at it? What happens if it's more powerful than you think and you get hurt?"

She had reached out to touch him, her hand brushing against his shoulder before she fell back further at his insistence. Biting her lip, she watched him, tension radiating throughout her body as he picked up the mine and eyed it. Glancing at the mine and then back, she licked her lips. "Do you think..."

Shit, he was taking out his gun and so she did the same, pulling her gun from her holster as she glanced at the house.

[assjerky]

They could've thrown something at it or shot it from a distance, but that wouldn't get them a mine he could patch up and use if needed. Waste not want not. Sometimes the risk was worth it.

Thankfully it was the only one...and they didn't have to move much further into the house to see where said mine had been made, a makeshift workbench with all kinds of spare parts laid out on it, also covered in a thin layer of desert dust. He was pretty sure he could sus out what'd happened; most likely the squatters bones were littering the Wasteland, a victim of an angry yao guai or chemed up raider. Or they'd been snatched up by the legion, for slave labor or worse.

Sucked for them. Lucky for him and the Vaultie. His stance relaxed a little as he swept the rest of the house, then started scavenging. "There's a hearth over there, Vaultie," he remarked, jerking his chin towards said stone construct that already scraps of burned wood in it. "See if you can get a fire started."