“Now listen, you get up and mingle. It’s like a mixer...just be social.” Hayley said to Castillo, who didn’t even turn from his seat at her voice. 

“Maybe a mixer at a nut house…”Castillo muttered to himself. 

“Hello again, little ember.” A chilling voice calmly said from behind them. This caught Castillo’s attention, who turned to face the new voice. Hayley did as well. 

Before them was Poe, whose dark features and opaque glasses made his nonchalant lean on his baseball bat all the more unsettling. 

“You look like you’ve lost a few inches. Maybe this time around you won’t set off as many of my pressure plates.” The man said, a gaping grin spreading across his face as he turned his blackened gaze to Castillo. “In case our mutual accomplice hasn’t already told you -- I am Poe. Assuming there hasn’t been an abrupt change of plans, I’m supposed to be the security and supply expert for our little group of motes and pebbles.” 

Hayley, still stunned from his comment on her weight, couldn’t speak before the man spoke again to her.

“I wasn’t able to procure a Pipboy on the way here -- but I managed to get my hands on the one our least favorite hanger-on is wearing. Redundancy would be nice though. Do you know if anybody else is going to have one?” 

Hayley cocked her head back, letting out a quick, unbelieving chuckle at the man’s initial comment. 

“Well shit Poe, I’m just flattered at the attention you seem to be paying to my figure. I judged by your affinity for that bat and your habit of juggling balls in your hands that a ladies’ curves would be the last thing on your mind.” Hayley said, crossing her arms and nodding to a grenade on his person. “Nice to see you too.” 

“Carter Castillo. Pleased to make your acquaintance, though I will retract that if you blow one of my limbs off.” Carter said, offering the man his hand and a grin to show his quip was a joke and not a threat.

“As to your redundancy question, from what we know, we should have another couple coming on this trip. Not sure who the guy is that has the one we’ve got though. He wasn’t on the list. I’m guessing he got that Pipboy off’a one of the guys we aimed to invite, otherwise Victor wouldn’ta let him up. He’ll still need to be vetted though….be that as it may though, yeah, you should have more toys to play with. Between you, the Nightkin, and a yet arrived, more mechanical member of the crew, you should have plenty of tools for you box, Poe.” Hayley said. 

“So, I take it you two have some history?” Castillo said, a bit more interested now that something interesting was happening.