#the deathclaw skull at the very end I saw

[randomsufff]

Ok where’s the one guy in the fandom who points out all the game/show comparisons via gif/images??? Cause I want to see all the references my stupid pea sized brain missed damn it.

[enaelyork]

Hey girlie! I got a Coop request for you!!!

May I please please have a Ghoul x fem reader where Cooper gets badly wounded in a gunfight (or maybe a deathclaw encounter? Whatever takes your fancy lol) and she's gotta take care of him, despite his protests?

Thank you luv uuuuuu xoxox

Hey sweetie !!

Thx you so much for this request ! I like the idea, so, let's go.

Cooper Howard (The Ghoul) x Reader/ No Restriction/ A little piece of tension/ English is not my first langage.

My ask for Cooper Howard is OPEN

He hadn't come back.

Several hours had passed since he decided to go alone to the other side of the valley. Night slowly began to bathe the sky and a touch of bitterness pierced my abdomen. Obviously, I let him go, he gave me no choice. We don't negotiate with Cooper. It's always take it or leave it, and when I said that his idea was bad he made me understand by force that nothing would make him change his mind about the need to search the building. But he hadn't killed me. Because I understood, during these long days walking alongside him, that he needs me as much as he is useful to me. Something is literally stopping him from killing me with every passing second, and that gives me some leeway in how I respond to him. So obviously, I allowed myself some liberties when he asked me to be quiet, for example, by reminding him that I had no orders to receive.

But it was a bad idea.

When I heard Dogmeat's distant barking, at first I thought I was wrong to think so. That they were finally back and that I was going to have to admit my mistake. But when his lone figure finally appeared in my field of vision, then I understood the gravity of the situation. Dogmeat had returned without him. He was barking because he needed help.

Or even worse.

My heart jumped in my chest without being able to explain it to myself. I didn't have time to think about what the idea that he might not have survived provoked in me. Grabbing the backpack at arm's length, I slid down the sandy slope to meet Dogmeat and all the bad omens he brought with him. I followed each of these steps in an interminable wait where my fears and my desire to finish him off if he was not already dead jostled.

Then I saw it.

Not him. But the monster lying on the ground, not far from where he was going. His corpse was still warm and his blood soaked the surrounding sand.

A deathclaw.

I recognized this species by its terrifying skull and sharp claws. It was worse than looters, worse than anything I could imagine. There was no longer any doubt about...

-Cooper?

Dogmeat barked inside the ruined building, drawing my attention to the still-intact corridor that someone seemed to have rushed into.

- Oh no.

The words died at the end of my lips when I discovered him there, lying on the ground. I thought he was dead for a moment before I noticed his wheezing. It wasn't good, not good at all and quickly I threw myself on top of him, gently tilting him onto his back.

He breathes. Wrong. But he breathes.

- I said it was a bad idea.

He didn't have the strength to do anything to me anyway, so I might as well take this opportunity to remind him that he was wrong this time.

- Leave me here.

- That's a bad idea too.

I had to act quickly if I didn't want to lose him. And I refused to let that happen. So, without even listening to his protests, I grabbed the inhaler from the bottom of the bag and presented it to his lips.

-Inspired. I said coldly. And you better do it if you don't want me to shove that thing in your mouth.

He no longer had the strength to protest, which made the situation profoundly dramatic. The animal had scratched his side heavily and, without his care equipment, it would not have taken very long for him to stay there.

When I finally felt his deep breath, I understood that I had won the first round.

- I'll carry you to this room and we'll see what we can do, okay?

- No way. His voice was shaky, hesitant, not very credible. So I didn't pay any attention to him, or even to the way he tried to push me away. Without success. It was pathetic to be there: on the verge of death, but too proud to ask to be let out.

- I have to see.

- No.

Unceremoniously, I cleared a bench of the few utensils that occupied it to place Cooper there, too weak to move, he wanted to stand up and lean his back against the wall. There was such determination in the look he gave me that I struggled to maintain control.

- I'm afraid that's not a question.

I looked down at his chest, the idea that I was going to have to remove some of his clothes making my hands numb with impatience and anxiety. A particular mixture that I had never had the opportunity to feel and not only due to the idea of ​​discovering his injury.

There was something in his irises, still burning despite his weakness: fear? Anger ? Something else ?

My fingers had delicately slipped over his jacket, seeing no resistance on the horizon, I helped him get out before noticing the damage. It wasn't pretty. Not pretty at all, but treatable with a lot of resources.

- I have excellent news. You are not going to die today. I only had a loud breath in response, his head fell against the wall while I worked with the bag to find the survival kit.

- What don't you understand? His hollow voice attracted my attention, I waited for the rest of his sentence which did not come. Perhaps he wanted to know why I was trying so hard to keep him alive when he had repeatedly tried to kill me.

- I wouldn't get there without you. I said, grabbing the treatment equipment. And you have to go there too, don’t you?

Why was I talking to him that way? What was this hint of heat radiating down my throat? The band I was trying to wrap around his bust went around it several times before I cut it and fixed it for good. For the rest, he would have to be conciliatory. I was captivated by what I was doing, too much to notice the eagerness with which he grabbed my hand.

But nothing came out of his mouth. Nor mine. We both stayed there, the silence that hovered around us took on a stormy air. I was way too close to him. He too, moreover, was approaching me very dangerously.

My hands struggled to accept the idea of ​​no longer touching him, constantly trying to check if the tape was placed correctly, but when his hand grabbed my wrist, this time, the trend was reversed. It was he who hesitated. He was hesitant to push me away or to pull me towards him. This is what was happening. It was incredibly violent, deliciously violent.

- I'll stay up tonight. I finally said before things got out of hand. Dogmeat will watch you while I prepare something to continue the treatment.

I healed his body while he destroyed my mind.

This is what I was reduced to, trembling, on the forecourt of a ruined building trying to control what was happening inside me. He had refused my help before finally keeping my hand close to him. And, now that I knew he was out of danger, I didn't know if the joy that arose in the depths of my soul was solely due to this idea.

- Janey…

His voice had emerged from the dark night and caught my attention. Worried at first, then reassured to see him sound asleep, the spectacle he offered me tightened my heart. His voice rang out again, weakly proclaiming that name.

A host of questions came to mind, but the evidence was there, in the hollow of this curious moment. He had a heart, and it beat for this person.

So yes, he had to survive, whatever the cost.

[fallout4-reacts]

how would companions react to sole who still sees feral ghouls as human, giving them names, knitting them hats, etc, and somehow managing to just casually 'hang out' with them?

Phew, I ended up having time to take care of it. I’m sorry about the delay, but I had a lot of stuff to deal with IRL so uh… I hope you’ll like it

I admit that I put the reactions (accept it or not) at random, knowing that in the game, the acceptance of the bullshit that Sole can do depends entirely on the level of affinity (except when we talk about atrocities in some cases, and still…)

Note : Aaaaaaaah I just realise it was Lucy who was killed by ghouls, Deacon's wife was by his former gang.... .... how could I'll be so out of track... sorry

But to be honest I'm actually working on a hard ask and I will not change anything

Maybe later if really it's bother someone

Cait : She sees a swarm of ghouls approaching Sole and knows exactly what to do. She grabs her baseball bat with both hands and swings as hard as she can at the first skull that comes her way. The person who hauled her out of the cage starts screaming hysterically.

"No way, Cait! Don't harm Ralf! He's only bringing me some ammunition because he saw a deathclaw nearby and wants to protect me."

Bat halfway through the air, Cait glances at Sole like they're some kind of alien.

"You're right now fucking with me. This ghoul is chomping on your arm."

"At all! It's his way of saying hello! If you want, a swap."

"However, he trades a piece of your flesh for a purulent scar."

"Aaaah. It's because I'm mistaken. It's Edith, not Ralf. She's having difficulties holding back, you know?"

"What about those?"

"They also have a hard time holding back."

"I'm not the brightest person on the circuit, but I recognise a feral attack when I see one. They'll bleed you to death."

"No, they just like small bites."

Cait tosses her bat to the ground and walks away.

"I don't even want to be a part of it. Tommy is better than any Fred or Edith."

"Ralf-ouch!"

Codsworth : "Uh, madam/sir, I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Come on, Codsworth, Mr. Trellaway, adoooooore your tea. Please do more."

"But what will Mr. Preston say when he finds, uh... Mr. Trellaway in the living room?"

The poor robot is at a loss for words. Indeed, the ghoule does not appear very hostile; he is busy gnawing on the leather strap that Sole gave him to chew on, but the companions have undoubtedly warned him of the dangers of a ghoul going feral. He can't help but think his master/mistress is a little... naive in their approach to the predator.

"Preston may chomp while discovering our guest, but I promised him your famous tea, and he will have it!"

Codsworth, a little frightened, lights the kettle on fire. He hears a stifled pain scream in the brief moment when at least one of his three sensors is not on Sole.

"Mr. Trellaway, please! That is beneath you!"

The poor robot then worries if the radiation did not eventually overcome his master/mistress' intelligence.

Curie : Curie can't help but be astonished. She can't fight with Sole on this one any longer. Still, it was a dangerous decision. She follows Sole and their new companion to the Red Rocket.

"Farkesh" 

"I'll be honest with you, Farkesh; I still haven't figured out what Strong means by this stuff, but if it rings any bells," Sole shrugs their shoulders as if it were a minor detail. The ghoul next to them appears irritated.

"Farkesh!"

"There's no doubt about that, Farkesh. Oh! Look! Other friends! Are we going to greet them?"

Curie suppresses a shiver of horror as she witnesses the base being overrun by super-mutants.

"S-s-s-Sole, I don't think you should make more than one friend at a time; that's disrespectful to Farkesh!"

Sole appears to stop and think, then shrugs again.

"You are correct. Anyway, I can't wait to show this one to Strong! He'll be less lonely."

As they walk away, the poor synthetic sighs with relief. She truly wonders how Sole has survived so long in such a state of denial, but every day suffices is irradiated.

Danse (Post-BB) : "This is regarded as insubordination!"

"This is an act of inhumanity on your part!"

"It is precisely humanity's duty to put an end to their suffering!"

"Who says they are suffering?"

"These are creatures with tortured brains!"

"So they're not that different from you!"

Danse's eyes widen in surprise at the insult... That's a touch too close to the mark. He scowls again, taking off the whisky bottle (now empty on the ground) that Sole had given them.

"And they're not attacking you?"

"What would make them attack me? They attack to defend themselves against fools like you who forget they're people."

The blow is delivered once more with force. Danse has to recognise that, for his part, he is not human. He groans as he lowers its head.

"You just squandered a decent bottle of whisky," he grumbles through his beard.

"They have fun, so nothing is wasted."

Danse sighs and crashes on a trunk near one of the ghouls with particularly unpleasant breath.

"This one should brush his teeth more often."

Deacon : "WOH!"

What else is there to say? Deacon enters the barracks and finds Sole engaged in a conversation with three ghouls (who are snarling) over a pair of needles and balls of yarn. To say he was not anticipating it would be an understatement.

"What?!"

"No, no, no!" says Sole.

One of the clawed hands is slapped by Sole.

"It has a loop on it and one on the bottom. Not..." They scrape the previously completed work in a motion reminiscent of the hideous creature. "Do you want to wear this hat or not?"

"Grmgkmomrf"

"I...this is a bad time?" Deacon then inquires, having recovered from his surprise.

"Not at all," his pal responds, smiling. "Would you like to learn to knit as well?"

The Railway agent shifts his gaze from one ghoul to the next, attempting to overlook the numerous scratches and bites on Sole's arms and face.

"I'll pass; I'm already an excellent knitter.  Did I ever tell you about the occasion when I knitted an illusory brick wall to protect Glory and me from Courser's troops? I crocheted so quickly and so forcefully that the wall became permanent."

Sole is overjoyed. Knowing how Barbara died, they had honestly assumed that Deacon would be the one of their companions who would reject their vision of their irradiated friends the most, but he appears to have underestimated him. In reality, Deacon is not so bitter. He blames himself for failing to defend Barbara, but Sole who can befriend a ghouli? There will be plenty of stories to tell at HQ.

Dogmeat : Cocking his head to the side, Dogmeat looks at his new companion with interest, but as he comes to sniff him, the being that act like a human but has a peculiar demeanor growls like an animal. Dogmeat retreating and whine.

"Come on, my good boy," his master encourages. "Jerome has a dog allergy, but he will not harm you."

When his owner reprimands him, Dogmeat goes even further, his tail between his legs. He prefers not to offend his beloved master, but if the new human-strange continues to bite his master, Dogmeat will show him who has the biggest fangs.

Elder Maxson : Shoot on the spot. Every time Maxson kills one of their new pals, Sole moans for days about it, but Maxson doesn't give a damn about their complaints.

"The guidelines are very clear, and the abominations must be carried out."

"You decide how things work!"

"I sometimes doubt your common sense."

"If you can't respect my guests, then you should stay on your ship!"

"These-are-abominations!"

"Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror lately?"

"DISMISS!"

If sole insists, they will end up at the Cambridge Prison.

Hancock : When it's his turn, he snatches the bottle of whisky from the other ghouls. There is not even a drop remaining. These other ghouls are completely devoid of common sense. Handock groans and then draws an inhaler of Jet.

"So, Freddy, how did Sole meet you?"

In his efforts to get the most out of this wild evening, he pays no attention to the quarrel that is going on between Danse and Sole. When Danse is compelled to lie down among them after being defeated, Sole brings out a fresh bottle of their renowned whisky, and Hancock makes it a point to be the first one to get his hands on it.

Gage : Take aim and fire. As Sole crashes on him, they grabs his arm to prevent another shoot.

“MARLEY! HOW DARE YOU!”

“What? Boss? You may have taken in too much of this gas, I fear.

"When Oswald took a short break, I supervised Marley. How am I going to explain that?”

"It was a ghoul!"

"He was my friend!"

For a while, Porter observes the motionless walking corpse with extreme caution.

"I strongly disapprove of this...distraction."

"So, you want me to secure the park, okay, but how was Marley threatening you?"

"That thing looks like a feral ghoul!"

"He didn't harm you at all! He was not as dangerous as Nisha!

Even as Porter tries to deny it, he has to admit that they're probably right, but he can't just abandon the ghoul-infested section of the park, right?

"This park is mine! I’m the Overboss and I do what I want!”

"And who nominated you?"

"The one who just robbed me of the most incredible mutfruit pie recipe in the Commonwealth by murdering the chef who created it."

"I'll show you what you should do with a mutfruit."

But Porter doesn't get the chance for a while, because Sole mopes around for weeks after the "murder" and doesn't want to talk to him. Sole no longer causes problems inside Nuka-World after Oswald and his companions decide to leave the park, although Porter also chooses to skip over the occasional story Shank gives him about wild nights in some Commonwealth bauge.

MacCready : No. No, seriously. MacCready comes at the boathouse, finds the three ghouls relaxing happily with Sole around a chess game (which appears to be a real piece toss), then turns his back on the scene and leaves. With this new employment, he's seen green ones and ripe ones, but truly, companion of feral ghouls? And how will he acquire his son's meds if...wait a minute. He opens the door and peers into the place.

"Can you be friends with any ghoule?"

"First and foremost, Mac, they are human beings."

"We can talk about it later, but... hm... are you interested in doing something for me?"

Nick Valentine : "Be careful," he provides Sole as they pass into the Fens. "There are a lot of wild ghouls around."

"Are you referring to Jerry and his gang? They enjoy a good laugh now and then, but their jokes are never too serious."

"Please excuse me?"

Valentine turns to Sole, as he is unsure whether or not his hearing sensor picked up the correct information.

"Miska, Jerry, Samuel, and Prince. They're on the next street over. They occasionally take an arm or two or a few arrogant stiffs, but it's nothing to worry about. They're merely pranksters."

Nick rubs his chin, pondering the new one. He'd seen his fair share of fools in the corner, but this one appears to be an outlier.

"You know what a feral is?"

"A human whose brain radiation makes oral communication very difficult."

"It's... a way of putting things. However, it's not only spoken communication that is challenging."

"Yes, I know, they have bad coordination, but have you ever seen Paul Pembrooke after a night of partying at the Dugout?"

“Currently…yes.”

"Same shit."

"Let me, haha...understand. For you, a feral is a human who is horrible cook?"

“Isn’t that it?”

Nick sighs and shrugs his shoulders. This poor vaultie will have plenty of time to realise their error. In the meantime, he can't wait to get to his office in Diamond City and forget about Malone altogether.

Piper : "Hehe, Charlie! Yes! Yes, fantastic!"

Piper takes a hesitant step back towards the door, determined to leave the house without losing a single piece. Sole looks up at her, happily smiling.

"He does, and he enjoys your articles! He's also a talented poet; do you want to see his latest work?"

While the monster quietly chews a baseball, the journalist swallows slowly, her gaze fixed on the ghoul.

"You know what? You'll deliver all of this to me at the Puclick Occurrency. I'll gladly read them, and I'll even offer you some old newspapers to give to your friend. But I...really need to get going. I have... a friend on fire, and, oh..."

"A friend on fire? Piper, you're so funny."

"Yes, eheh," Piper chuckles. "I am a true clown. It's all me! Anyway, bye!"

She rushes out of there without looking back, only to run into a frightened Preston in the street.

"Hey, Garvey!"

"Piper."

"Did you... come to see Sole?"

"I...think she already has a...guest."

"Eh, indeed."

"Truly, truly..."

Piper approaches, peering over her shoulder.

"Do you think... something burned on the balcony?"

The Minutemen sigh deeply, letting go of the mask.

"I think the entire attic turned to dust."

Preston : "General, I've heard of..."

When he sees Sole seated on their couch, sharing a plate of Fancy Lads Snack Cake over a cup of tea with... a ghoule whose pieces aren't even in position to savour the taste of the miniature cookies, his voice dies on his lips. The colonel's sight passes Codsworth's visual sensor, who raises his appendages and brings two cups of tea into the living room.

"General?"

"Ah! Preston! Come on in! Come see Mr. Trellaway! I told him about some of our exploits, and he enjoyed them. I'm sure he'll be overjoyed if he hears from you."

The unfortunate man finds himself taking a step back.

"General, it's a feral!"

"Rah, insults and racism right away. Preston, you've surprised me. I'm a little disappointed. Get this poor Preston a cup of tea, Codsworth. We'll return some sanity to his mind."

Preston takes another step back, wondering whether it's Sole who needs to regain control of their own mind.

"I... no thanks. I'm going on my tour. But, uh... General, when your... visitor departs, please come and see me. A settlement requires assistance."

"But please sit down and tell me all about it!"

"No, don't be insistent. It's... Sturges calling!"

The colonel sprints outdoors, his heart racing. For the thousandth time in a month, he wonders what he was thinking when he was made Sole General.

Strong : "Puny human stupid."

"Strong!"

"Stupid rotten human. Puny human stupid. Strong goes"

"Strong, attentions!"

"Puny human want Strong hit them?"

"No… But hold on. You're disrespecting my guests."

The super-mutant growls at the few feral ghouls gathered around the fire before turning his heels. He will have to seek out the milk of human kindness on his own. A human who becomes friends with ferals will never be able to get close to it.

X6-88 : Shoot on sight. The Courser, although Sole arguing for hours, does not bend, respond, or comment. When Sole encounters another wild pack, X6 eliminates them all until Sole finishes saluting them. When Sole became enraged, X6 seized their arms and transferred them to the Institute.

"Father, your... parent has a difficult time differentiating between humans and dangerous entities. Before returning them to the surface, I strongly suggest that you submit them to a battery of medical exams."

Sole fights, debates, and tries everything, but after explanations, Shaun agrees with X6. They put them through so many tests that Sole has more time to think things through than he needs to. When they eventually get their leave, they swear not to hang out with X6 when they travel to see their buddies.

[practicingmedicine]

Practicing Medicine: Chapter Seven

(+)7

2075 ROBCO(R)

LOADER V1. 1

EXEC VERSION 41.10

32K RAM SYSTEM

14302 BYTES FREE

HOLLOWTAPE LOADED: "THE-WORST-THING-EVER"

INITIALISING….

SUCCESS!

STATUS

Battery Level: 42%

Wireless Signal: (?)

Operating Temperature: 92F

HEALTH

BP: 170/130

SPO2: 100%

Temp: 99.5F RR: 28

HR: 185

TIME

Day: 24 SEP. 2279

Time: 16:10

CLIMATE

Current Temperature: 76 F

Atmospheric Pressure: 750 mm

Background Radiation: 1.321 RAD

WARNING: Dangerous wasteland creature in range!

Yeah, no shit, Sherlock! Why don't you tell me my chance of survival as a percentage too!

I'd been tipping back in my chair when the wall exploded, so now I was sitting on my ass in a state of total mental shock, slowly butt-scooting my way backwards. The NCR soldier who I'd been sitting beside popped up, knocking his stool over in the process.

"Ayuda!" he shouted. He was shooting his rifle, but it wasn't making any noise. He screamed something about shit ammo and started yanking on the charging bolt.

Amongst the wreckage, Tandi tried to stand back up. How she survived an impact like that was beyond me, but I wasn't about to point that out. She turned her head to look at Gram.

"Gram, get the-" she started. Before she could finish, the big white reptile threw itself directly at her, knocking over the entire table and crushing Cook and Jas as Tandi rolled out of the way, trailing pink insulation foam behind her. Gram sprinted past me and started clambering up the stairs to the second floor, leaving poor Chomps sitting in stunned silence.

The deathclaw reared around to face Tandi, who had drawn a six-gun from her hip.

"Fuck off, cyka!" shouted Tandi, and emptied it directly into his face, shattering his jaw and blasting off his nose.

The gunshots, the shrieks of the injured beast, the dust that was gathering in the air... it was all so overwhelming! I'd never been so close to anything so dangerous, and my whole body was screaming at me to run for my life, but I just couldn't send the signals to my muscles. I couldn't move, couldn't shout, couldn't breath...

The beast lunged at Tandi again, and she caught him by his arm and snapped it against her leg, then grabbed onto his broken jaw and forced it into the back of his throat. He immediately swung his other hand at her, impaling her through her forearm and thigh. He probably would have disemboweled her in the next motion, but was interrupted by a sudden hail of gunfire.

My eardrums pounded as the soldier fired shot after shot from his now-functional rifle, striking the deathclaw all across it's back and arms, poking lots of inconsequential little holes in the thing. By the end of the magazine, I couldn't hear anything but a loud ringing, so I didn't even get to hear the soldier's scream as the Deathclaw reeled around and folded him against the wall, taking all the life out of his body and sending him tumbling to the ground in a way that made it clear that he'd not be getting back up. The beast stalked over to him...

And in Came chomps like a goddamn pro wrestler, swinging a stool over his head like a sledgehammer. The beast didn't even bother to turn around as it raked Chomps across his entire upper body with its good claw. I could see the blood running down his face as Chomps stumbled backwards into the fallen table and fell onto his back, trying to figure out which of his massive wounds to clutch as he writhed about with his legs in the air.

Then, the thing turned it's whole upper body to face me. Our eyes connected.

Have you ever been so scared that you choked on your own spit? Because, as the beast stared at me with its one remaining eye, I distinctly remember gagging so hard that I started choking on my own spit.

It started walking towards me- a big, ghost-white beast, stained all over with its own blood, all its parts hanging loose- and I involuntarily let out a mix between a wet cough and a squeal. More logic-defying noises escaped my mouth as I scrambled for the stairs, trying and failing to stand up in the process. But it wasn't me who the deathclaw was keying in on now- It was Gram, standing behind me on the stairwell with a laser gun.

"Cover your ears, Boy!" He shouted over the ringing, and I followed his advice. I pressed my hands against my ears and shut my eyes.

Next thing I felt was heat on my skin- wasn't no light, but there was heat alright! Heat and a noise like a can of sarsaparilla taking a fifty cal right in the center! Drops of hot liquid splashed across my skin.

Next thing that hit were the smells. Burning fat, a delicious dinner and clouds of gunpowder, pools of coagulating blood and bodily fluids; The sounds- screaming, shouting, sobbing, and there was that damn ringing in my ears! My head hurt too, and my skin was all hot and prickly. I swear I could feel my chest caving in, I was breathing so hard…

"Isaac! Isaac, get moving, people are dying! ISAAC!"

Someone hit me in the back of the head, so I turned around and bit them as hard as I could. I could taste blood so vividly, as they pulled their hand back, putting them off balance. I grabbed the wrinkled, bleeding hand and yanked it forward, pulling its owner down the stairs and onto the floor. Someone walked up to me and tried to say something to me so I started screaming as loud and hard as I could, until they backed away.

Then it struck me- the deathclaw was dead. It's head had been hollowed out, pieces scattered all over the room. No one was even paying attention to me as I beat the ever living shit out of Gram, who had probably just saved my life. They all had their own problems.

I was hyperventilating, I realized, and it was making my vision go dark around the edges. I tried to regulate my breathing as I scanned the room, wondering what the hell I was supposed to do first. But it was hard- so, so hard with all the ringing, and the prickly hot feeling on my skin and the static in my head!

Where to start? I started compiling a mental list of all the problems that I had to fix, or "doing triage," as my father would have said. In my head, it looked something like this:

I'd hurt Gram after he hit me in the back of the head, but he was already getting back up.

Cook was lying underneath a table, wheezing and trying to get it off her chest- she was probably having trouble breathing, but Jas was helping her at the moment, and she was making noise so it couldn't be that bad.

The NCR soldier was in a bad way, probably got his back broke. I couldn't tell if the blood all over his back was his or the deathclaws, which warranted a closer look, but there was still air going through his body so I'd put him on the back burner for now.

That left Tandi and Chomps, the two with the nastiest wounds. If the claw had hit his throat, Chomps would be dead very soon, if he wasn't dead already. I decided to deal with him first. Ignoring Gram's muttered insults, I stalked across the room and fell down on one knee beside the old man. There was a frightening amount of blood pooling around his head, and my heart rate picked up when I dragged him on his side and gave him a quick once over.

Three parallel gashes- One deep wound across his stomach, one relatively shallow one across his upper chest and collarbone, and one across his forehead that was bleeding profusely but which had stopped at the skull. I saw no signs of life-threatening bleeding, though his intestines were poking out through the stomach wound. I motioned towards Gram.

"Gemme a wet towel." In spite of what I'd done to him, he didn't argue with me, disappearing into the kitchen without a word. I looked back at Chomps. I'd been an idiot and left my medical kit in the cart, so my emergency treatment was going to have to be improvised. I didn't like that, but I wasn't about to leave any of the people in the room to go get the kit. I'd have to make do for the moment.

First step would be to remove the clothes around the evisceration. How was I going to do that? I couldn't just pull off his overalls. I'd have to cut through them. What options did I have for cutting? My utility knife was in my medical pouch. But, when they'd set the table, there had been steak knives…

Find a steak knife, I told myself, and started scanning the floor. I could faintly hear the back door open as Gram headed outside to pump water on a towel, which I'd use to dress the evisceration. Steak knife, steak knife…

Amidst the debris, I found a fork and steak knife lying together, so I took both just in case I ended up needing the fork for something. After putting a quick gash in the pale, unfeeling strip of skin on my forearm to get a feel for the knife's cutting edge, I leaned back over Chomps and slid the knife against his blood-soaked denim. It took a bit of force, but once I had cut through the tough edge, it became a lot easier to run my knife through the worn material. I cut out a rough square of cloth all around his chest, and carefully peeled it off his sticky, bloody skin. Poor man was conscious, I noticed, but he wasn't saying nothing. Just watching.

"Don't try and move. Your guts weren't ripped, but they might be if you start squirming. No matter how much it hurts, you gotta stand still," I said, tearing off the loose strip of overalls and bunching it up into a makeshift rag for later. It wasn't sanitary, but it'd have to do. 

Gram came back in shortly after, carrying several ragged towels soaked in water. I gave him a nod of acknowledgment and held my arms out for Gram to drop the towels into. Not stopping to check his trajectory, Gram tossed the load in my arms, and continued walking until he reached Tandi. He knelt down beside her.

"Toss me the pip boy!" He shouted. I was confused for a second, then remembered the medical profiles I'd created. Quick as I could, I logged off the pip-boy, and tossed it underhanded to Gram. I didn't wait to see if he caught it.

"Remember: Don't move," I said, laying the wet towel across Chomps's jutting intestines. He winced as the towel touched the wound, but he didn't squirm. Don't think there was much that could've made Chomps squirm. 

"You're doing great!" I told him, securing the towel around the edges. I checked the rest of his wounds. His airway was swell, and the leaks in his forehead and chest weren't gonna kill him. Which means he was as stable as he was going to get, without a stimpack. "I'll come back to you soon. I need to check the soldier…"

"No, Fuck that guy! Tandi's been thrown through a goddamn wall!" shouted Gram, but it sounded quiet next to the ringing in my ears. I rubbed my temples. Jas had gotten the table off of Cook, and was doing what I guessed to be a misguided attempt at CPR on her, for some reason. Probably because she was complaining about breathing? First things first, I needed to put a stop to that 

"Jas, does Cook have a pulse?" I asked, barely able to hear my own voice. Jas nodded. 

"Yeah, but she says that she can't breathe, so I'm doing-"

"Stop doing that! CPR is for dead people!" Jas didn't complain no more, instead standing up and going to examine the NCR soldier. If Gram was telling the truth, I didn't have time to worry about how Jas was going to screw him up, so I ignored her and hurried over to Tandi. Surprisingly, she was still conscious. She gave me a weak middle finger as I sat down.

"Helmet off- stop moving it if she complains about her neck," I said. Gram complied immediately. Tandi didn't have anything to say as the helmet came off, revealing her sweaty, mutilated face. There were no new injuries there, though it was still as shocking as ever.

"Where's it hurt, Tandi? Is your back okay?" I asked. She looked up at me like I was stupid.

"No, I'm completely paralyzed. Dumb whore..." I rolled my eyes.

"Surely, I am as dumb as they come! But, the pip-boy says you've got internal bleeding, and it's still figuring out where. Where're you hurtin' at?" Tandi laughed a little.

"Internal? Then it's in the right place." I shook my head and inspected her pip-boy image. There were so many warnings that it was impossible to try to interpret them all. I suddenly really wished I could read, even just a little more.

"Tandi, this is life or death! Where did it-" Suddenly, the image on the screen changed. The pip boy beeped, and a blinking warning sign appeared dead in the center of her character's chest. The BP stat, I noticed, was down from the last measurement.

"Y'have no idea how often people say that. Anyways, he hit me-" she started. I began to pull off her coat. I elbowed Gram in the shoulder, and pointed at the stricken woman.

"Strip her down. Tandi, please help as much as you can!" She gave me a suspicious look.

"And what if I don't want you exploring all up in my nooks-and-crannies?"

"Tandi, something is very fucking wrong! Help me take the armor off!" She clutched her wounded leg and growled at me.

"...Aggghhh, Fine! But I'll kill you afterwards."

Gram worked on taking off the armor supporting her back, while I removed her dented chest-plate. Once I'd gotten that free, I took off her shirt, Gram removed her baggy jeans, and we got to work freeing her armor harnesses. When one of the clips got stuck, I picked up my steaknife from the ground and sliced through the whole strap. It was surprisingly easy to cut through, I guess for emergency situations like this. Once I got that off, Tandi was left in her sportswear. I removed her chest wrapping on account of some bruising in that area. Her knickers weren't covering nothing up, so I left those alone.

The full picture was distressing, real distressing. Amongst Tandi's considerable collection of old scars, there were several huge, rapidly swelling patches of yellow, purplish skin all over her body, the biggest of which was right over her heart. I pulled my stethoscope off my neck and plugged it into my ears- had em backwards, got them in the right way and then checked around for her heartbeat, and got back a faint, muffled noise. Combined with her wormlike neck veins and the fact that I couldn't even get a pulse on her femoral at this point, that made Beck's Triad. Father always told me I'd never be able to diagnose tamponade like that on a real clinical exam, but here were all three symptoms, sticking out like a compound fracture.

"Oh no," I breathed. I tried to compose myself, but panic was already overtaking my mind. Before I even spoke, I could hear my voice cracking. "Jas! Get- uh, break into the wagon out back, and grab the orange bag and the other one, the other emergency-looking one. Bring em back fast!" Jas looked at her fallen companion, who she had sat up against the wall, then at the door, then at me. Slowly, she stood up, walked away from the unconscious soldier, and exited out the back door, picking up speed as she went.

Preparing myself for what came next, I placed the cold knife against Tandi's bare, swollen chest, and started counting ribs. One, two, three, four, five... The tip came to a rest beneath her right breast.

"What are you doing?" She asked. I pressed the knife a bit harder, seeing how hard I'd need to press to cut her sweaty skin. Not very. A drop of blood seeped out from under the knife.

"There's blood gathering in the lining around your heart, Tandi. I gotta open your chest up to fix you." Tandi's eyes opened wide.

 "What- NO!"

I felt her grab onto my wrist, but she was late; I'd already abandoned any doubts that might've been left in my head and punched my knife through her chest, right by her sternum. A primal scream filled my ears as I dragged the blade through the layers of skin and fat, all the way to her shoulder blade. I shoved my hand into her intercostal space.

"Spread her ribs and hold 'em," I grunted. Gram made a face.

"Oh, Christ..." Tandi continued to shriek in pain and squeeze my wrist as Gram spread the wound like a clam shell. I tried to wrap my fingers around her pulsating heart, but couldn't quite get at it. I pushed her lung aside.

"Stop it! Da idi ty, fuck you! Otvyazhis'!" Tandi cried, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. It had to be done, or her pericardium would fill up with blood and squeeze her heart til it stopped beating. I kept digging around as the blood coursed over my hands and arms; I was slick up to the elbows with it. 

"Anyone got a flashlight?" Gram shook his head. I swore and spit on the ground. That was gonna make this next part a lot harder.

Tandi kept on hollering and thrashing as I tried in vain to get a grip on the pericardial sac without also grabbing the throbbing heart inside. My fingers were too slippery to pinch it, so I pulled the dinner fork out of my pocket and hoisted the sac up that way. It slipped off the fork a couple times before I could get it in a good position, but once I had it pulled taught, I didn't waste any time opening it up between the phrenic nerves- Tandi was dying quick. She looked like she'd been drained by a vampire, and her shrieks of pain had already quieted down to confused sobbing.

"Ah hell Isaac, I don't know how long I can hold this! Could you hurry up?" grunted Gram. I could see the muscles straining beneath his skin, bulging in his face and neck. His arms were quaking.

"Yeah, sure! Now help me turn her over…" I put my hands on Tandi's back and worked with Gram to move her on her side, so the blood could leak out of her cavity. The floor was covered in the stuff by now, and it had streaked and smeared where she'd been struggling. I tried to ignore it as I got down on my hands and knees and stared into her wound. "Great. I'm gonna peek down here again, try and figure out where it's-"

Before I'd even finished my sentence, a gout of bright red blood sprayed out the cut I'd made in the pericardium, all over my chest and face. It dripped down my glasses like some sort of cheesy horror-movie effect.

"Doc! Hey, Doc, I've got the stuff!" I looked over my shoulder to see Jas stumbling in through the back door, carrying both the stimpack bag and my medical bag in her arms. I motioned for her to set them down next to me. "Um, there's a few stimpacks here, which should I-"

"Fuck it! It don't matter!" Something like a laugh rattled through my chest as I snatched the syringe out of Jas's hand. Tandi's heart coughed out another gob of blood, but I'd already moved to the side, and soon my hand was in the clamshell wound again. My fingers clawed for the source of the blood. 

"I'm hurting bad!" grunted Gram. I started probing with my stimpack.

"Well don't let go, use a- I don't know, use anything!" I was hardly paying much attention to Gram at this point. I could feel the blood coursing over my fingers as they brushed over some artery, can't say which one, and I figured pretty quickly where the rupture was. I jabbed the stimpack in. 

And Missed.

I tried again, and missed. Which gave me that sinking feeling that you get in your stomach when you realize that you've not got much time, and your body just isn't the right machine for the task. Usually that came with a certain embarrassment, that telltale hotness of the skin, but not this time. This time, the hair on my arms stood up straight, and the sweat on my skin grew cold.

 I looked over at Gram. His eyes were jammed shut, he'd bit through his upper lip- and his hands, shaking more than ever. My hands were shaking too. The animalistic energy that'd been carrying me through this had gone. For a moment, I was just a kid again, in over his head and scrambling for a way out. 

But it was only a moment. Like a lumberjack throwing all his weight behind an axe, I took three more passionate stabs with the needle before piercing the artery. I had no hope of suturing it now, so I just hoped to high hell that pushing stimpack juice through the pipe and pinching the rupture shut with my nails would actually work. I'd made so many choices based on pure hope already, what was more on the pile?

The moment I pulled my hand out and discarded the empty stimpack, Gram grunted and collapsed on top of Tandi. He'd stopped holding the site open, but his fingers were still buried in the bleeding wound. His lungs rattled with each jagged breath.

"What- what should I do? Do you need help with her?" panted Jas, and I waved her away. I was panting too, panting and hot and covered in sweat and blood and god knows what else. I could feel my heart beating in every crevice of my aching body.

But was Tandi's heart still beating?

Her eyes were open and unreactive, her skin was pale and waxy. Seemed like she was breathing, but the hairs on my arms still stood up as I prodded around for a pulse near her groin; there was nothing at first, then a faint squirming beneath my fingertips, and then nothing again. The skin felt cool as glass. I put my hand on Gram's back.

"What's her- check the pip boy, what's her BP say?" Gram lifted his head up just slightly to look at the pip boy screen.

"Seventy six and fifty." There was a solemn silence. "Is that…?"

"That's good. Better, I mean.

I wiped some of the sweat off my brow again. It was pointless, seeing as how I probably deposited a bunch of blood when I did it, but I had to let out all that relief somehow. I hadn't even been able to get a femoral pulse when I'd checked last time, which meant that her pressure had been somewhere below seventy. A jump back up to seventy six was good news.

Of course, Tandi's troubles weren't over- her pericardium was slit, she still had herself a gaping hole in the chest, and the cavity was still full of blood in spite of my efforts. I grabbed my hand-suction pump from out of my bag and hooked up the reservoir, plunged in the tip, and got to work squeezing. An onlooker might have thought that I was still putting in my all, but at this point, my mind was elsewhere. I glanced over my shoulder. 

"Jas, you wanna be helpful, right?" I asked. I didn't wait for a response. "Prepare the worker's quarters for all these patients. I want beds, I want chamber pots, whatever we can get. And when you're done with that, you and me are gonna haul these folks upstairs."

Jas might've said something to me after that, but I couldn't hear it over the fuzz in my head, the static of stress. I looked around the room one last time, and I don't think I have to tell you the specifics of what I saw; just that I could tell right then that this would be, without a doubt, the longest night of my life.

[+]

[x688plsloveme]

Companions’ Biggest Injury

ADA: She fell in some dirty water that clogged up her circuits while she was still traveling with Jackson. They were hunting some mirelurks because hey were

hurting for food, and one of them butted her into the water. Jackson repaired her head first, and she watched as he cleaned out the rest of her parts. some

wires were ruined, which made the whole process harder, but Jackson was adamant on fixing her as soon as possible because she was his favourite robot.

CAIT: During her time in the Combat Zone, Cait fought more than other people. They once put her up against a baby deathclaw. Sure it was still a baby, but it still had talons as long as her hand and was almost as big as she was. As much as she hates to admit it, the chems she was on was probably what saved her that day. Without them, she would've passed out for sure. The baby deathclaw gave hear a six inch long gash right up her side. She almost died, but at least she can use it as a good story at parties.

CODSWORTH: Sole doesn't like taking Codsworth out much, and he much prefers staying at home and cleaning, so Codsey doesn't get into a lot of trouble.

However, there was one time where a group of raiders tried to invade Sanctuary while Sole was out. He thought he had gotten all of them, but one of the slimy

dastards snuck into the kitchen during all the chaos, and as soon as Codsworth had his...back? turned, they hit him with a cast-iron skillet. The raider didn't last long, but Sole had to hear an earful when they got back. "Honestly! The nerve of some people! Do you know how hard it is to find a decent skillet

anymore? Do you!?”

CURIE: Back when she was a simple Miss Nanny, she didn't get so much as a scratch. However, as a synth with new senses and a curiosity that burns stronger than ever, she found herself getting into a lot more accidents. Particularly ones that involve food. Making dinner for everyone is a wonderful way to stimulate all of her senses and she loves it, but sometimes she gets carried away and burns herself pretty badly. There was also the time where she accidentally cut off her finger! Good thing Sole knows "someone" the institute with a mysteriously large "collection" of synth parts.

DANSE: The worst injury Danse got was actually after he left the Brotherhood. Power armor doesn't allow for many injuries after all. It's no secret that the

Brotherhood of Steel has plenty of bigots in it. Danse didn't even know the extent of it until he found a Paladin outside his door one day. It was one of his

close friends and Danse almost started crying right there at seeing someone from his past that wouldn't try to kill him just for being what he is. He was

relieved for about two minutes until the guy sucker punched him in the face and started screaming about how he "can't believe I got tricked by a filthy synth!"

and "I'm surprised you're even alive!" It shook Danse so bad he didn't know how to respond. Sole saved him from getting killed by putting a bullet in his skull

when they came to see what was happening. The mental trauma of not only finding out that one of his friends wanted him dead but also seeing them face-down themselves was terrible. Thankfully Sole is His actual friend and was, and always will be, there for him no matter what.

DEACON: No one actually knows what deacon’s worst injury is-he gives out different answers every time, but there are fan favourites that he’ll repeat every once in a while. His favourite by far (and Sole’s, but they’ll never tell him that) involves chems, a magic sword, and two dozen deathclaws. “I swear, all it took was one hit of psychojet!” He’d tell the gathering group. “When all those uglies came at me, I knew I had to buy some time. While they ran towards me in slow motion, I pulled out a magic green, glowing sword passed down by the great Shimada clan, the Ryūichi moji!” He paused for dramatic effect here. “One by one the green dragon of the Shimada legends carried me to each smelly lizard and one by one they fell. The greatest injury I received from that fight was from the mother deathclaw. Nothing is meaner than a mom with small kids let me tell you. She swung down with the force of a falling building, and right when I thought the famed sword would break, a flash of light obscured our vision, and a force knocked me back. When I came to, there was the mamma deathclaw, defeated on the ground, and a giant gash that spanned the length of my entire right arm.” This is the part where he shows a giant scar on his arm, making everyone cringe in sympathy pain. “The gash seemed like a mere cut when I noticed the sword lying shattered at my feet, my dragon friend gone. I just hope the old bugger I living large wherever he is...” The story ends and usually, people clap. The real way his arm got injured was much less fanciful. He just got caught by surprise by a raider. Where’s the fun in a story like that though?

DOGMEAT: bold of you to assume that I would ever let anything happen to my favourite puppy Poor boy was chasing a molerat and went too far from Sanctuary. He followed it back to its den where there was around two dozen of the nasty creatures. He got scratched up pretty bad before he could escape, but at least he got spoiled rotten because Sole's "poor baby" got hurt and anyone who didn't give him at least a pat on the head while he was healing was going to feel Sole's wrath. And NO ONE went against what Sole wanted for their dog.

GAGE: The most obvious large injury out of everyone-Gage's biggest injury was losing his eye. But what's not so obvious is how he lost it. Colter was pretty stupid compared to Gage, but when it came to 'street smarts,' he won against everyone. He knew he had to be ruthless and do anything to get to the top-especially in his line of work-so to show everyone that they shouldn't mess with him, he took the guy who was the biggest threat to him and gouged his eye out in front of everybody. Gage may be weaker than some of the crew but he was way more clever. You couldn't win against him one way or another, so instead of just killing him, Colter made him an example and kept him close afterwards just because he could. Gage didn't even scream. He didn't want to give that son of a bitch the satisfaction.

HANCOCK: Hancock has been in so many fights, he doesn’t even know where to start thinking. At least. That’s what he tells people when they ask. The truth of the matter is he just doesn’t want to tell anybody because they probably wouldn’t believe him. It was the story about how he met his life long brother McDonough. Both boys lived on the streets with hardly anyone to look after themselves and after a particularly bad tousle with some junkies over his last bit of water, Hancock thought he was a goner. He hadn’t expected some equally as young, and equally as scrawny kid come up and offer to take him to a place where he thought he could get some help. Hancock was in no position to deny the boy’s offer, so he followed him to a rickety shack 20 minutes away. He was feeling faint from the blood loss and passed out, but when he came to, he saw a young woman standing over him-seemingly just getting finished with giving him medical treatment. She introduced herself as “Murphey” and told him that he would help out someone very important one day. Then she just...left without another word. Late on, when Hancock asked McDonough about why he helped Murphey he just told him that she paid him to go to a certain alley and bring the kid there back to the shack. Both teens agreed that that was pretty freaky, but also agreed that they should start looking out for each other from then on out. Can’t have too many friends in the streets in their opinion. 

LONGFELLOW: He’s got stories for every single one of his scars, just ask him. He especially likes sharing about the jagged, faded one right above where his heart is. It was a long long time ago, but even in his old age, Longfellow remembered it like it was yesterday. All he had wanted in his youth was a sweetheart to battle life with. What he got was a toxic psycho. He did everything to please that girl and all he got in return was more demands and less control of his own life. Her downward spiral of hate and jealousy got so bad, that one day, after seeing Longfellow talking to another girl, his crazy girlfriend just snapped. She got a knife and went for his heart telling him that this is how he made her feel when he was around other girls. There was no hiding their abusive relationship after that. The girl was arrested and moved off island entirely. Longfellow got help, and even though it took a really really long time to gain his self-respect and confidence back, he still did it. He moved on from his past and overcame it stronger than before. He’s a strong believer that anyone can do it, and after the local therapist died, he became the unofficial one for anybody having issues with themselves because of abusive relationships. He did that for many years until the fog became so thick most people just left. He was glad to be living such a fulfilling life. He never thought he would get past his dark thoughts, yet here he was uplifting youngsters with his tale.

MACCREADY: When MacCready was a kid, no one warned him that Big Town wasn't the safest settlement in the wasteland. In fact, it was a shit hole. Sure the Lone Wanderer still popped by every now and then, but the months in between those visits were hell. If he wasn't such a good shoot he would've died within a year. In fact, he almost did. One of the first nights and MacCready stayed there, a slaver party from out west ransacked the town. being groggy because he had just woken up, his perception was thrown off and he got shot in the stomach. Red had already moved on with her life and was no longer living there and it wasn’t like anyone had any stimpacks either. He thought he was a goner up until he heard the slavers start dropping one by one in quick succession. He peaked over his cover and would’ve started crying if he wasn’t already. There stood Lone with their dog and boyfriend, Butch, who was looking very queasy at the sight of all that blood. In all 16 years of his life, MacCready had never been that happy to see anyone in his life. Lone gave him a stimpack while enthusiastically welcoming him to the real world. “I knew your birthday was around this time, so I dropped in to say hi and give you this.” They handed him an almost mint condition rifle and he wouldn’t tell anyone this, but he almost started crying again that day. He still uses that rifle. 

PIPER: Just like her buddy Nick, Piper made her fair share of enemies. The most dangerous, however, was a group of gunners that she was stalking for a story. No one except other gunners knows what goes exactly goes down in their little organization and Piper thought it would be nice if people knew. Sadly, this is the moment where she found out she wasn’t exactly cut out for being sneaky. She was found out the third day and was “interrogated” by the group. They didn’t beat her too badly, but it’s not like it was any fun for her. The group let her go shortly after realizing her smart mouth wasn’t worth the trouble of keeping around. She was just thankful to learn a valuable lesson without dying in the process, even at the cost of a few broken fingers.

PRESTON: The worst injury Preston got was when he was escaping Quincy. He had rushed to save Marcy and Jun's kid Kyle from getting killed by a gunner and took a bullet for the kid. Along with several burn wounds. At that point, he had already fractured his wrist and twisted his ankle, and was hurting like all hell but

there was no way he was just going to quit on all of these people that depended on him to defend them. He brought Kyle back to safety with cheers from everyone, only to lose him a week later in a super mutant raid. To Preston, his still healing wounds were nothing compared to the pain he felt when he had to bury a child while his parents sobbed behind him.

STRONG: Let's be real here. The super mutants are evolving. They can converse more in Fallout 4, and Strong actually has opinions of the companions besides "lunch." Regardless, besides a few exceptions, Gen 2 super mutants are so so dumb. Strong included. There's not much that can seriously hurt a mutant besides guns, or a very long fall down a very high building. And you guessed it, that's exactly what happened to Strong. A shoving match between two muties can end pretty horribly. One of Strong’s comrades(?) pushed him off the sixth floor of Trinity Tower in one such fight-resulting in many cuts, bruises, and broken bones. It’s a good thing super mutants heal fast, or Strong would’ve been toast.

VALENTINE: Nick has had his fair share of bigoted ass-hats coerce him, but this was the first time someone outright attacked him. Nick didn’t see it coming when he got knocked on the ground, but he also wasn’t worried because for every one bigot he sees, there are two friends to back him up. Still...getting beat up by some random dude is never a fun affair. Even when the neighboorhood reporter eventually follows the commotion and scares the guy off. Nick was pretty shaken about the whole thing and it really gave an insight on just how terrible people can be because of ignorance and fear. 

X6-88: X6 is a courser. He doesn't get hurt. Hell, he didn't think he could even get hurt until getting slapped in the face by a yao-gaui. He never thought

that he would ever risk his safety for someone else, but there he was, jumping in front of a giant mutated bear with paws bigger than his head, just to protect

Sole. The funny thing was that he did it solely because he wanted to protect them, not because he had to. After the initial hit though, the poor mutated bear didn't stand a chance. Sole's awed face and the gentle way they cleaned his wounds  afterwords were definitely worth the initial pain though. (he swears he did not act tsundere and grumble about this while blushing) 

Thank you anon for suggesting this! It really got me back into the writing grove and I’m happy about that. Sorry its a bit all over the place i def did not do this all in one sitting. I’m okay with how this turned out and I hope you guys enjoy it!!!

[nuclearmu5hroom]

I saw this floating around and I decided to pick it up for funsies idk

FALLOUT OC INTERVIEW

Rules:

1) Choose an OC

2) Answer questions as that OC

3) Tag 5 people to do the same

1) What is your name? Dr. Drake Fenring, Director of the New Institute.

(more under the cut)

2) How old are you? You’ll have to get more specific than that. I suppose biologically you could say I’m approximately 44 years old, though I was born in 2052. I doubt you’ll be able to understand the circumstances that brought me to this era.

3) What do you look like? I’m 5′7″, 140 lbs. Blonde hair, brown eyes its right there in the picture, what more do I have to explain? If you’re wanting to know what kind of clothing I prefer I am generally wearing my lab coat, or my uniform. I keep clean, bathe regularly (unlike the rest of these cretins) and prefer to stay as healthy as I can. 

4) Where are you from? Where do you live now? Originally I’m from Boston, out near Concord area. At this particular time, my current residence is classified; I’m sure there are many people who would love to know where I sleep.

5) What was your childhood like? Nothing of note. I am an only child, my mother’s name was Marie and father was Anthony. I received high marks in school, particularly in math and science. Socially, I suppose you could say I was even well liked, but my peers were simple and could be impressed by balloon animals so that doesn't quite count for much. I was more than content on my own.

6) What groups are you friendly with? Are you allied with any factions? *rolls eyes* ah yes, the factions...before my sudden voyage here I supported the US Government; I was even on the short list by invite of General Chase to reside on an oil rig just off the coast in the even of War. I didn't quite make it there, if you hadn't guessed. They called themselves the Enclave after the bomb dropped, so you can say I align with them as an original member. Its my plan to combine my former employer with my current organization which is all that is left of what used to be the Institute. Occasionally, I have been known to employ a few talented Gunners to run security from time to time as well.

7) Tell me about your best friend. I--I don’t have one...well, um. No. I have an associate that I’ve worked closely with however ‘friend’ is not the word I would choose, lets not be silly. 

8) Do you have a family? Tell me about them! They’re dead. They’ve been dead for 200 some years now, honestly I don't think much about them. However, if you must know more detail I guess I was closer to my mother growing up. My father didn't quite approve of certain aspects of myself as I got older but I never needed his approval for anything anyway. 

9) What about a partner or partners? UM.....well. That is also a complicated area of life. I’ve just recently started to realize I had....interesting emotions...come up as of late and I’m not quite sure what to make of it. I don't like this question....MOVING ON.

10) Who are your enemies, and why? Oh darling, who aren’t my enemies? Let’s see....the Railroad and the Minutemen are my current opposition, and won’t they be surprised when they find out what I have in store for them...I find the Children of Atom to be completely infantile with their “mysticism” *tch* please, give me a break. 

11) Have you ever heard of The Brotherhood of Steel? What do you think about them? The Brotherhood could have had potential but in the end they lacked the full scope of their own vision. Not surprised, considering they thought that dirty neckbearded child they called Elder could lead them to whatever victory they thought to achieve. 

12) What about The Enclave? Ah yes, my Enclave. We’ve suffered setbacks, yet no one can quite get rid of us, eh? Mark my words, I will spend my last breath in the pursuit of their return. There is so much that the Enclave and the Institute could share together. A thing of orchestrated beauty.

13) How do you feel about Super Mutants? Fascinating, if anything. As a biologist, the FEV virus was an absolute joy to work with, despite the difficult process to stabilize it. Unfortunately, like all works in progress it was not viable to continue and since they’ve become a menace to our own operations extermination is required on site. It is nice to capture one alive and run some tests...for old times sake.

14) What’s the craziest fight you’ve ever been in? I prefer not to fight, but escaping the Institute during its destruction was probably the most intense combat I've faced since Anchorage. 

15) Have you ever fought a Deathclaw? Yes. I do NOT recommend it. Only a fool would consider it.

16) Do you like fighting? It depends. I like a good struggle, especially as I watch them lose consciousness. Its amusing to watch them squirm when they wake up restrained. I am not above taking certain advantages in a fight.

17) What’s your weapon of choice? I am quite partial to my quad gauss rifle, I also have a soft spot for my bat. There’s nothing like beating a man’s skull in with nothing but a solid piece of wood.

18) How do you survive? Your wits, your charm, your skills, brute force, some combination? (a.k.a. what’s your S.P.E.C.I.A.L?) I can be very persuasive when it comes to getting what I want, when I want it. Its not hard to read the intentions of these wastelanders out here. I would be lying if I said that I didn't have a bit of luck on my side as well; things fell into place almost as soon as I arrived in this century. 

19) Have you ever been in a vault? What do you think about them? HAHAH the Vaults....right. Yes. They’re fun little games, aren't they? Some of my research even made its way into a few of the programs Vault Tec used. It was a pet project, however I still thought it was unnecessary. Waste of good resources on average people.

20) How do you beat all the radiation around here? Has it affected you? Hazmat suits, lackeys, decontamination arches, general avoidance. Its not like I’m some dumb vault dweller who decided to play hero and soak up a lethal dose like some kind of idiot. 

21) What’s your favorite wasteland critter? Critter? What kind of descriptor is that, you backwater hick? Local fauna has become too contaminated to be considered a ‘favorite’, they’re all mostly disgusting creatures. 

22) What’s your least favorite wasteland critter? Bloatflies. Hands down.

23) How do you feel about robots? Useful, to a degree. Not quite what a Gen 3 Synth is capable of....or even a Gen 1 Synth but for disposable use I find them agreeable.

24) How many caps do you have on you right now? Why? Is this a pitiful attempt to set me up to rob me after this interview? I have plenty of caps at my residence. I don't carry currency on me. 

25) Nuka Cola or Sunset Sarsaparilla? Ugh, I’d rather swallow Abraxo cleaner than drink either one of those.

26) Do you do chems?  I make chems, I don't do them. Chems are for the weak

27) Do you ever think about the Pre-War world? Often. I....miss the music.

28) What’s your deepest regret? What would you do differently? If I would have known that that Holoway girl was going to destroy everything I worked for I would have shot her back in Anchorage. I also....have some regrets over how I viewed my previous partnership. 

29) What’s your biggest achievement? Or what do you hope to achieve? My biggest achievement is my own survival. My goal is to purge the Commonwealth of all that is impure to pave the way for a more advanced group of individuals. My legacy will be to ensure that whatever’s left of humanity comes from only the best genetic stock.

30) What do you want for the future? For yourself? Your friends? The world? I want to be able to look upon the world that I have created and say “I made this happen.”

tagging: @vkm11, @catastrotaffy @coffeecogs @red-king-4, @radiationgroove, @mininuked   @theartofblossoming (only if you want to)

[purkinje-effect]

The Purkinje Effect, 19

Table of Contents

“You in there yet, brother?”

Geek groaned, cuddling up to the body next to him. The stink of petrol and plastic coated every scrap of his senses.

“–I’m awake, Hancock.”

“That’s not me you’re holdin’, and it’s an understatement to say I’m glad it isn’t.”

The pink mess opened his swollen eyes and tried to process his surroundings. They were in a computer-encrusted, warehouse-sized room that very likely had been the brain and heart of the Switchboard before it had been occupied. When Geek looked to the one with whom he lay in the floor, he was met with a tangle of robotic gore. A short breath jutted out of him and he shoved it away.

“My friend, you ate the face off half the Synths we’ve encountered,” Deacon explained, visibly shaking. He’d been clearly maintaining a safe distance from Geek for some time now. “Your display spooked even me, and I’ve seen things.”

“It’d give a Deathclaw nightmares,” Hancock seconded, already having been smoking to even out his nerves. “Remind me not t’give ya more of that stuff unless we’re in a pinch. You took out every single one of ‘em on your own. We haven’t fired a round since we first stepped foot in here.”

The more Geek saw of the carnage littered around him, the more he wished he hadn’t. Smears of coolants and lubricants, shreds of wire and structure. He’d even leapt up the wall to punch down a turret that had made him mad, the dome-shaped glorified tin can now pulp on the polished concrete. If these had been humans– He couldn’t even form the horror, and took the moment to wipe the crust of half-solidified fluids from his entire face best he could.

“You good now?” the ghoul fished, not trying to hurry his friend faster than the Psycho-induced hangover would allow. Geek sat up with a grunt.

“I will be.”

“Stay here with him,” Deacon urged, motioning with his rifle. “I’m gonna go retrieve our hidden treasure, now that Geek’s worn himself out and gotten out of the strong room.”

“Fall back a tic. Got it.”

Geek knew better than to object. Once he was sure Deacon was out of earshot, he lit up a cigarette of his own, scooting up against the metal front of one of the office desks in the middle of the room.

“I didn’t hurt either of you, did I?”

“We’re both fine. Justifiably rattled, but ah. I never said I always make the best decisions. I’m sorry that happened. That was my fault.”

“Did I at least clear it out? Make it safe to get back out?”

For a moment, Hancock focused on his smoke instead of answering directly.

“Oh yeah. No question of that. At one point you were even beating one Synth with the wreckage of another Synth.”

“…I wonder if they feel pain,” Geek blurted, glaring at one whose pseudo-skull he’d cracked open and gutted the components inside it.

“It doesn’t matter if these ones did. They were enemies, brainwashed by the Institute. Did you achieve the goal of shutting them down in the messiest way I think you could have possibly done it? Sure. But no matter the means, the end was supposed to be the same. Deacon couldn’t have retrieved that prototype without ya fumigatin’. What matters is whether you’re okay after all that.”

“I… I don’t know.” He slowly rubbed at his face with his free hand and held a squint. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I can rightly stand up. Everything is heavy. Not emotionally, literally.”

“If you actually swallowed everything you ripped off, I’m not surprised. Sorry if that comes off as bad taste.”

“Was that a goddamn pun, Hancock?” Geek kicked his foot at him.

“…An unintentional one, but at least it got you smiling.” Hancock looked at him in earnest. “I know how it’s gotta sound, but I gotta ask. This is comin’ from a place of worry… but you said all this time you’ve been feeling ill? All that…” He vaguely motioned head to toe at Geek. “That stuff ain’t… comin’ out the other end, is it.”

The gauntness of Geek’s eyes deepened in a heartbeat, to have it verbalized. For a moment, the pink dreg couldn’t look at his companion, but when he did, Hancock felt like the whole room had dropped twenty degrees.

“Did I interrupt something?” Deacon began. When the two looked up, they weren’t sure how long he’d been standing there. He’d put up his rifle at his back, and he held up a decently-sized rectangular device with one hand to demonstrate the prize. “We should get this back to Carrington. I’d planned all this time for Geek to be delivering it to him personally, to make a statement to everybody back at HQ, but… I think it’d be better if I did. Forgive me for not entrusting it to you, Geek, but I’m sure the Doc would like it back in one piece.”

“Now that ain’t fair.” Hancock smashed his cigarette out on the concrete floor and whipped up to close the gap between him and the Intel specialist. “If this ghoul had half a brain left, he’d say you were plannin’ on taking all the credit for yourself. You played us. Do you have a clue what this recon mission did to Geek? And for what? Some dumb piece of tech? Sure hope it’s worth somethin’.”

“For as understandable an impression you have of this situation is, you’ve got me wrong, Mayor. I just… don’t want what happened to all these Gen I’s and II’s to happen to this prototype. It’d make this trip for nothing.”

“Give me the prototype.” The ghoul flipped a switchblade from his back pocket and wavered it at Deacon. “I’ll make sure Geek brings it back in tact.”

“Hancock, cool it.” Geek clenched his teeth and tried to stand up, needing to defuse the argument. “I… I get it –agh.” He turned to face the desk and used it to brace himself and push upward. His stance uneven as he hunched over the desktop, he tried his best to look the part of composure. “Deacon, give the damn thing to Hancock.”

“You did earn it,” Deacon reassured dryly, having no option but to hand it over, lest he belie his motives. With it in hand, Hancock put away the knife, and Deacon’s posture loosened. “You did all the work. But you have to understand, how little of a trust exercise this has been. Geek… did all that, and I don’t think we could have stopped him if we wanted. And Hancock just pulled a knife on me, when you didn’t like that I’m shy to hand over candy to a kid who can’t keep from putting anything and everything his mouth. And what’s to say that dose of Psycho didn’t give him an addiction? The rate of that happening is… alarming, to say the least. …Geek, you look bad. Real bad.”

“You said you had a doctor back at HQ?” Hancock started into a second cigarette. “Would that doctor be able to take a look at him? Willing to?”

“Delivering that prototype will beholden him to you, that’s for sure. And he sees a lot of strange ailments, tending to the agents after their missions.” Deacon sighed, looking on at Geek. “This does prove one thing, Boss. You are one hell of a Heavy. Dez wanted to take you on board as just another tourist–the odd jobs, the laundry lists, the errands. What a waste! You are a force. Psycho only enhances qualities a body’s already got. The first impression you gave me was messy, but it was definitely impressive. I hope I get to see what you do clear-minded.”

Geek managed to turn toward them finally, sitting on the side of the desk.

“You should’a seen him mow down all those mole rats so we had a place to sleep last night.” Hancock laughed dirtily. “Took out easily a dozen of those fuckers without hardly breaking a sweat, still had the stamina after to gut, skin, and smoke ‘em all.” He exhaled smoke through the gap in his face, side-glancing suggestively at him. “He’s a freight train. Perfect Railroad material, going on merits like those.”

“Funny, you turned down mole rat chunks for breakfast this morning.” Geek flicked his cigarette butt off to the side. “Y’trust Hancock with that gadget, right?”

“I do worry he’ll try to sell it for drugs between here and North End. You’ve got a reputation, Mayor.”

Hancock read the deadpan delivery like a byline, and held up the brick-like tech in both hands and playfully narrowed his eyes at it, his cigarette loosely between his lips.

“This thing really worth anything to anyone but the Railroad? How many hits of Jet are we talkin’?”

“I know it might not be the best piece of information to disclose to present company, but the Doc does keep Jet on hand for the more shell-shocked agents.”

“Y’don’t say.” The ghoul looked over to his companion and puffed at his smoke a bit, still holding up the prototype. “Hopefully the cost of treatin’ Geek’s cheap enough that the doctor can toss a few ampuoles into the trade.”

“Good to know I’m top priority.” Geek tried to bear his full weight on both feet and stifled a flinch, starting to sweat. “–I think I’m gonna need t’take it slow gettin’ back to headquarters.”

Deacon gave him a long stare.

“You take all the time you need, Boss. If you feel as bad as you look, Carrington needs to do you a once-over. I hope you don’t mind me sticking behind with the two of you. I’m worried. And you’re right. As little good it does casting blame after the fact, it’s just as much my fault as it is Hancock’s you ended up in this mess.”

Trying to lead the way, Geek felt as though he were dragging his legs with every step he took. After a moment walking away from his traveling companions, he stopped, realizing he didn’t have recollection how any of them had gotten to the room they were in. His leg burst into a wildfire of pain and abruptly buckled under him. He narrowly kept himself from falling by steadying himself against the door frame.

“We should get outta here, and head back. …ASAP.” He didn’t have to look down to know his lower leg had snapped. “Either of ya– got a Stimpack?”

[radioactivechalk]

Nuka Nightmare - Pt. 1

Following the odd radio broadcast probably hadn’t been their best idea, but Chalk was curious - along with wanting to find something for their friends...’shinies’ for Jimmy, if he ever came back, and maybe some of those parts for  toy yellow animal things that sort of looked like radstags for Buttons, if they could find any, for him to give to Meg.

[wilddragonflying]

Visitors

MacCready gets some visitors from the Capital Wasteland! Ruby © @red-flare-art

“Kaili!”

Kaili laughs as she spots MacCready jogging towards her and Preston. “Mac! Miss me that much?” She and Macready pull each other into a hug, laughing.

“Yeah, but I’ve got another reason for being excited,” he says, gesturing over his shoulder, deeper into the renovated Sanctuary. “Got some guests you’re gonna like.”

Now Kaili’s intrigued. “Guests?”

MacCready grins. “Follow me.” Kaili and Preston share a look before doing so. Macready leads then to the center of Sanctuary, and Kaili gives Pipsqueak an absent pat as they pass; she’ll give the deathclaw more attention later, after she’s met these guests. Kaili’s former house has been renovated into a meeting hall of sorts, and that is where MacCready leads them. “Kaili, Preston,” he says as he pushes open the door, his grin evident from the tone of his voice, “I’d like you to meet Ruby and Charon, two of my friends from the Capital.”

The ghoul-and Christ he makes an imposing figure, standing over six feet tall and built like a brick shithouse-snorts. “You and Ruby are friends” he appears to remind Macready, who makes a face. “I always thought you were a pain in my ass.”

“Ignore him,“ the red-headed woman next to him laughs. "He was just as excited to see you as I am.” She turns to Kaili then, a friendly smile on her face. “I’m Ruby,” she says by way of introduction, and Kaili pastes on her ‘General’ smile as she holds out a had to shake.

“Kaili Swesson, General of the Minutemen, and my right hand, Preston Garvey,” she says as Ruby takes her hand in a firm grip, doing the same to Preston when he stick out his own hand.

"Didn’t know Mac had friends coming,” Preston says amiably.

“To be fair, he didn’t either,” Ruby grins. “Heard from a caravan that there was a man named MacCready sending money and supplies down to the Capital, decided to come see if it was the same MacCready we knew.”

“Got us into a lot of trouble along the way,” the ghoul-who most be Charon - grumbles.

Ruby just grins. “You would have been bored out of you mind, otherwise.” she teases. Charon rolls his eyes, but doesn’t comment.

“So you’re just here to visit Macready?” Kaili asks curiously.

“And see about maybe helping out around here, Maybe drop by the Brotherhood’s zeppelin,” Ruby confirms. “Was kind of running out of things to do down south. Also heard Maxson became Elder, want to see if it’s true.”

Kaili shifts her weight, fidgeting under the amused looks both Preston and Macready are giving her. “Ah, if you’re talking about Arthur Maxson, then yes, that’s the Elder currently in the Prydwen.”

“Kaili and Maxson are… intimately acquainted,” MacCready snickers. Kaili gives Preston a pleading look and he rolls his eyes before elbowing MacCready hard enough to make the other man wince.

Charon raises an eyebrow while Ruby grins. “There’s a story there, isn’t there?” she guesses.

Kaili sighs, resigned. “We had an argument that got… very physical.” Kaili gestures to the coat she’s wearing. “This was his, just with a Brotherhood patch. I charged it to a Minutemen one after sneaking out of his quarters.”

Ruby laughs as the implications hit her, and even Charon cracks a smile. “Well, that does look like a very nice coat,” she snickers, and Kaili can’t help but laugh as well.

“It is,” she confirms. “Very warm, and offers a good amount of protection and makes me look even more intimidating.”

“Not that you need it,” MacCready laughs. “I’ve seen Raiders run away pissing themselves when they catch sight of her in their scopes.”

Kaili shrugs, cheeks hot. “Have you been shown around Sanctuary yet?” she asks in a not-too-subtle attempt at changing the subject, ignoring the fond look Preston’s giving her.

“Well, no,” Ruby says slowly. “We ah, haven’t gone out on account of the ground shaking in a very suspicious way.”

It takes Kaili a moment, then she grins. “Oh, that’d be Pipsqueak and Larry,” she tells the newcomers. “Pipsquak’s the albino alpha, and Larry is the chameleon. They’re both harmless, so long as you don’t threaten anyone in Sanctuary.”

“They’re deathclaws,” Charon says slowly, as though speaking to a child.

Kaili raises an eyebrow. “Yes, I realize that. However, apparently deathclaws imprint, because I was there when Pipsqueak hatched, and that’s exactly what happened. And then when she had her own egg, I was there when that one hatched, and Larry imprinted on me. I realize this is very unusual, but I can assure you: Don’t threaten any citizen of Sanctuary, and neither of them will bother you.”

Neither Ruby nor Charon looks terribly reassured, but Kaili really doesn’t have any other words to attempt to use to put their minds at ease, so she doesn’t try. An awkward silence reigns for a moment before Preston breaks it. “Well, Kaili and I just got back from wiping out some super mutants,” he says. “We were headed to the commons, why don’t you two come with us? We’ll show you around Sanctuary, introduce you to some people, and talk about heading out to rustle up some trouble.”

Ruby and Charon exchange a glance, talking without words in a way that Kaili recognizes as that language long -time couples develop, and she can’t help a glance at Preston, seeing that he’s recognized it as well. He’s looking at the two with a soft expression, and Kaili can’t help her smile. Her attention is drawn back to their guests, however, when Charon says, “That sounds nice.”

“You don’t say much, do you?” Kaili asks with a grin. “Come on, then; follow us.”

Introductions are the easier part, and Ruby and Charon are suitably impressed by the wall that surrounds all of Sanctuary, as well as the extent of the construction that’s been completed inside of the wall. Every house has been rebuilt and expanded upon, and what used to be the playground is now the farmland, and the two houses that were too degraded to be rebuilt at the western end of Sanctuary, in the cul de sac by the large tree, had been torn down; in their place is the commons, the gathering area for the citizens of Sanctuary and including a bar, several campfires, and plenty of comfortable seating. Kaili and Preston take seats at the edge, anticipating what happens next: As soon as they’re settled, Pipsqueak and Larry appear seemingly from thin air, pushing and shoving at each other until Kaili gives a sharp whistle, catching their attention. Once they realize there’s enough room for one at each side, mother and son settle down, laying next to Kaili, close enough that - even though she’s had Pipsqueak for a couple of years and Larry for one - adrenaline still floods her for a split second, kicking her heart rate into high gear for a moment. She takes a deep breath as usual, reminding herself that she knows these deathclaws, and then reaches out and starts doling out the required skritches. Pipsqueak prefers hers along the underside of her jaw, while Larry likes to be vigorously scratched along the edge of his horns where they connect to his skull.

Charon is eyeing her like she’s lost her mind, but Ruby mostly looks intrigued. “So they really are tame?” she asks.

“In a manner of speaking,” Kaili answers. “They’ve got the instincts of wild deathclaws - should’ve seen Pipsqueak tear into the Mirelurks at the Castle when we took it back for the Minutemen - but because she wasn’t raised by them, those instincts are… Directed differently, I guess. Most adult deathclaws are solitary, but males will often raise young for the first few months of life, mostly just making sure they know the basics, near as I can tell.”

“You’ve spent time with wild deathclaws?” Ruby interrupts, eyes wide.

Kaili shrugs. “Stay far enough away, they usually won’t mess with you,” she answers. “General rule of thumb. Some things, like Yao Guai and radscorpions, they’ll bite you soon as they catch your scent, but deathclaws don’t seem to care unless you get too close or you shoot first. I had some time on my hands, followed a couple of families, made some observations - and saw Raiders kill the male guarding Pipsqueak’s egg. I knew enough to know it had been incubated, was nearly ready to hatch, so I sniped them all and hauled ass to the egg, watched over it. Idiots would have tried to take it, probably to sell to that stuck up Mr. Handy in the stands in Diamond City, and it would’ve hatched on them halfway there.”

“So you made sure you’d be there instead,” Ruby surmises, and Kaili shrugged.

“Alternative would’ve been leaving the poor thing to its own devices, and no way would it have survived. Especially not being an albino. So it hatched, and I’d had suspicions that they imprinted, and that was confirmed when she started following me around without any bribery. Brought her back here, raised her, and she’s stuck around, except for when she’s gone off to mate. Only had one viable egg so far, and that’s Larry.”

“So, she just hangs around here?” Charon asks, still eyeing the pair of overgrown mutated geckos warily.

“Well, yeah. Helps defend against raiders, occasionally goes out and brings back prey. Only time she’s left was when we went to the Castle, and she only tagged along because most of Sanctuary went to help fight.” Kaili rubs her fingers gently over a rough patch of skin, devoid of scales. “Got this from the Mirelurk Queen’s acid. Hancock likes to joke that we’re like mother, like daughter.” She gestures to the patch on her neck where she’d gotten splashed with acid as well, bleaching her skin and leaving it pockmarked as well.

“Hancock?” Ruby prompts.

“Mayor of Goodneighbor,” Kaili answers.

“And our partner,” Preston adds.

At Ruby and Charon’s confused looks, Kaili elaborates, “I started a thing with Hancock, fell in love with him and him with me, then we both fell in love with Preston who fell in love with us - that was a messy few weeks while we were trying to sort out who loved who and what we were going to do about it. So the three of us are together, but - ”

“But Kaili has a thing on the side with a former Raider, name of Porter Gage,” Preston finishes, and Kaili gives him a reproachful look.

“But Kaili is also dating a former Raider,” she corrects, and Preston tilts his head, conceding.

“Sounds… messy,” Charon comments, and Kaili chuckles.

“It was, but it’s worth it. I’ve always been of the opinion that so long as everyone involved knows what’s going on and consents, and no one’s getting hurt, then who the fuck cares what other people think? It’s not their business, anyway.”

“Where are Hancock and Gage, anyway?” Preston asks, glancing at Kaili, who shrugs.

“Hancock’s probably in Goodneighbor, and I think Gage said something about scouting out some Gunner camps near the co-op. He’s probably heard over Radio Freedom that we’re back, though, so he’ll probably be back by tonight.”

Preston makes a face. “Long as I don’t wake up spooning him again, then he can stay with us.”

Kaili laughs, patting Pipsqueak in apology when the deathclaw grumbles, annoyed with Kaili’s distraction. “Well, that’s a problem for later,” she says with a grin, turning back to Ruby and Charon. “You guys said you were looking to help out around here?”

Ruby nods. “We’ve done pretty much everything there is to do in the Capital, wanted to see if there was something new to do here.”

“Well, we’ve got a couple of Vaults we haven’t gotten around to clearing out, including one over in Malden we’re pretty sure is full of Gunners,” Kaili says thoughtfully. “There’s also a few feral nests that need to be cleared out, same with some super mutant hives. Raiders aren’t much of a problem anymore, now that the Minutemen are back at full strength, but there’s always the odd group.”

“Long as the Vault ain’t full of Mirelurks, I’m in,” Charon says gruffly; he and Ruby share a look that suggests there’s a story behind his words, but Kaili doesn’t pry, only grins.

“Well, if you two want to visit the Prydwen, catch up with the Brotherhood - who, fair warning, I think are racist, elitist dicks, despite the fact that I’m a Paladin there - we can work our way east, explore a bit, wreak some havoc on people who deserve it?”

Ruby looks delighted at the prospect. “Bring it on.”