(Untitled)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen meant to go back to her world last night, get on Shiphrah and Puah's back, and ride like hell after the people who raided the Republic of Dave. She has orders to track them down, get Dave away from them, and bring him back to his erstwhile Republic regardless of what's happened to him. She intends to obey those orders, too. One way or another

Comments

[boston_bruiser]

There's a sudden eruption of gunfire to Ellen's left, a deafening and continuous BUPBUPBUPBUPBUP.

If she looks in that direction, she'll find Voodoo prone in the grass at the firing range, leaning into his M60 and emptying belts of 7.62 millimeter into a target silhouette, pausing only to reload.

Standard procedure is to fire in three to five round bursts.

Voodoo is not following standard procedure.

[boston_bruiser]

He sighs.

"I know."

He fingers the tomahawk gash again.

"Feels like it sometimes, though."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"It's going to feel like that for a while," Ellen says quietly. "Maybe for a really long time. And it's awful."

"But if it helps at all, I promise I won't ever fault you for it. Or say stupid things about it, like- like they'd somehow make it better just by getting said. Be- because I know they won't. But I can listen, and keep my mouth shut. Or just- or just bring Dogmeat. Whatever."

[boston_bruiser]

"Don't need to fault me for it. I already do."

"But...thanks."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen nods. That's about where she thought it might end up.

After a bit, she says, "Dogmeat. Go get food."

Whatever it is, she can at least offer to split it with him, and even if he doesn't want to eat, she's pretty sure it can't hurt to try. Everything in the world is worse when your blood sugar is low.

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo's quiet.

After a while, he slings the M60 to the ground and starts changing the barrel. It's cooled down to the point where he can change it with gloves.

"So what's going on on your side?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh-" Ellen reaches up to run her hands over her face, which is only possible because she pulled off her new armor's headpiece some time ago. "What was supposed to be a diplomatic mission went really wrong and now I'm on a manhunt, basically. North of the Wasteland, farther north than I've ever gone."

She can go into details, but everything has to start somewhere, and she knows people's eyes kinda glaze over if she dumps too much on them to start with.

[boston_bruiser]

CLACK goes the barrel as it's mated to the receiver.

"Need help?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Wouldn't say no," Ellen says. "I'll leave Shiphrah and Puah here. Two people might go undetected, but two people and a cow are asking a bit much."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods. "Give me thirty minutes. I need to get ammo and supplies."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"I need to get her booked into the stables anyway," Ellen says. "Get what you need."

There's a soft crackle of cellophane and a satisfied whuf; Ellen looks up. Dogmeat is standing about a foot away, tail wagging and four-pack of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes- which is to say, basically Twinkies- on the ground in front of him.

"... I really hope you got those from the Bar somehow," Ellen says. "Voodoo, you should eat something. Even if it's just one of those, to get started."

[boston_bruiser]

"...alright."

He unwraps one and bites into it - not bad, considering he doesn't know how Dogmeat got these.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen grabs one herself, as she didn't really have much breakfast. "These are more sugar at one time than I'm used to," she says around a mouthful, "but they're not that bad, and they're easier to handle in the morning than dried meat. Fresher than the ones we come across back home, too."

[boston_bruiser]

"Haven't eaten anything like this in a while," Voodoo says after a swallow. "Haven't eaten anything real sugary ever since I got into the teams. Something like 10 years, then."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"We didn't have them in the Vault," Ellen says. "I first encountered them on the surface, when I was buying supplies from Moira Brown. Sugar was tightly rationed in Vault 101, so the most sweetness I ever ran into growing up was the occasional bottle of Nuka-Cola. These things are still weird for me. So's chocolate. Much too sweet, much too strong."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo shrugs. "Can't say I know what it's like. Grew up with chocolate. Had a factory a couple miles from my elementary school, out of the city."

He takes another bite. "Wasn't real exciting. Then again, we always got our hopes up."