"I'll take a look at it," Tink said quickly as she walked over to the Palain. They didn't call her 'Tink' for nothing... "Good thing this didn't happen while we were in the midst of battle. How long has it been doing this?" She had seen him struggling with getting his leg out of it earlier, so she assumed it had something to do with the knee joint of the suit. As she looked at it, she hummed to herself a few times as she took note of certain abnormalities. "Jesus, how long has it been since you've gotten this thing serviced? It looks nearly as bent out of shape as that computer outside."
Juliano watched in surprising silence as Tink...tinkered with the suit. He knew she was trying very hard to forget about the scene that just unfolded minutes ago, but even as she worked now he could see the gears grinding in her head about her answer.

Desmond rubbed the back of his head as he thought, and finally answered, "It's...been a while, I'll admit. A more specific answer would likely only frustrate you more." He sighed.
"Don't worry, Dezzy, Tink can save anything," Salem comforted, patting Desmond on his back with an encouraging smile, "She'll have it working again in no time, I'm sure."
"Glad to know that we have a motivational coach here with us," Kate muttered under her breath, but Salem didn't seem to catch wind of her words.

Tink fell into a short bout of silence as she continued giving the leg a thorough diagnostic check. Once she was done, she sighed softly and shook her head. "This is not good. Kate, can you bring me my tool kit? You know where it is."
"Are you going to have to amputate the leg, doc?" Juliano asked, smirking.
She ignored him as she looked over at Desmond. "The 'kneecap,' if you will, is bent a bit into the joint mechanism and is rubbing against one another. That is why it has been seizing up on you. I can either give it a temporary fix that will work for...possibly a day, give or take, or I can fix it completely, but someone will have to go out and scavenge for parts. I'll need a paint gun, surgical tubing, and a flamer tank or two. It won't be too difficult to fix, but caveman need fire." She smiled slightly.

As Kate dug through Tink's bag for the necessary tools, she said, "I will need to go as to ensure that acceptable parts are collected, of course, but I'm not going out there without any escort--only God knows what I might stumble upon out there. So, who will it be?" She looked up at Salem and Juliano, further inquiring with a self-satisfied smirk, "The idiot or the idiot?" She then passed the kit over to Tink, waiting for the two men to discuss the pros and cons of being alone with Kate for an indeterminable amount of time.

However, before either of Salem or Juliano could speak, Paladin Desmond announced, "I will go with you, Kate. This is a repair for myself, after all, so--"

"Is it truly wise for the Paladin to leave, though?" Kate asked. She shook her head, glancing up at him not with disrespect, but concern, even though she was, as usual, questioning his command. "We're just now setting up this post, so perhaps you should stay here, just in case something were to go down here."

"That's true," Salem agreed, nodding.

Desmond considered it, but otherwise remained silent.

"Hey, boss, don't worry about us, okay?" Salem said, smiling. He gestured towards himself and everyone else in the room. "We're trained for this sort of thing. Kate and Tink are trained in the smart people stuff, Juliano and I are trained to make sure that they're safe enough to do their work. And you, you were great at being a knight, so you got promoted to boss us around. So, basically, it's our responsibility to do things for you. Go for the high road for once, Des."

"You are not my servants, and it is my duty to issue orders that are beneficial both to the mission and you as people," Desmond protested, but he did see Kate's point. He had to remain here, begin to set up and collect information, scout the immediate area. He finally sighed, relenting, "Be certain to return before sundown, with or without the supplies. The armor can wait, and I can most certainly live without it."

"So, I assume that I'm going with you?" Kate inquired, cocking an eyebrow at Salem.

"Looks like it," Salem said, kicking one foot against the wall, "Getting pretty restless, so it's no problem to me. Plus, I have to admit that I'm curious about what may or may not be out here."

"And I'll stay here and hold down the fort while you're gone," Juliano said, beginning to take his shoes off.

"That I can believe. After all, you are big enough to hold the place down even if a tornado was to ravage this land." Tink smiled at him innocently, knowing this would set him off.

His face almost instantaneously turned red as his anger flared up at her comment. "I'm starting to think being exiled from the Brotherhood would be worth it just to get away from you."

Tink smiled at him and bowed while pretending to hold onto the hoop of a dress. "Glad to be of service." She then looked over at Kate to see her already making her way towards the door. Ignoring the rest of Juliano's mumbling, she walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't think you would get away without saying goodbye first, did you?" She smiled slightly, though it faltered. She hated being left behind while Kate went off to face God knows what dangers out there without her. It made her feel helpless and it worried her to no end to think what could happen out there to her without her ever knowing what became of her. If something were to ever happen to Kate, Tink didn't know what she would do. They had always been by one another's side and it was unfathomable living in a world where she wasn't with her.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as her hand fell limply to her side. "Be careful out there, alright? Watch you six, and don't let Salem drive you crazy in my absence...that's my job." She forced a small smile to her expression.

Kate smiled softly in return, and said reassuringly, "It's just a supply run. We'll be back before you know it." Hesitating briefly, she finally turned away and followed after Salem, who already had his plasma rifle in his grip.


The Rust Bucket served the town well as both a hotel, bar, and eatery, even if it was rundown with frequent leaks and a single waitress who was certainly in over her head about actually keeping this place clean. At the counter in one corner of the room, people had the option of purchasing a night in one of the rooms upstairs or being served their choice of poison, while at the tables, the waitress would come and serve actual food with the choice of either water or a soda. Leith, though he preferred to know exactly where his food came from and how it was prepared, had to admit that the food here wasn't too bad, even if his squirrel bits were a bit too charred.

"Lover boy not going to show or something?" Leith inquired, finishing off his last bite of breakfast. He looked over at Basil, who sat on the opposite side of the table. Strangely, the kid hadn't even bothered to order anything, but he decided against questioning it this time; he was already taking risks asking the first question when Basil clearly wasn't in all that great of a mood.

"I'm not sure," Basil quietly said, not meeting Leith's eyes. Then again, that wasn't too strange for people; they often looked somewhere between his nose or at his forehead, since his eyes were, well, not too pretty, to say the least.

Kaye pursed her lips, remaining silent for awhile as she studied Basil intently. She could tell something was off about him and she was willing to bet it had something to do with Jace. It was unusual that Jace wasn't glued to Basil's side like he always was and now that she thought about it, she'd never seen them apart since they had first joined the duo. Sure, they had had an argument the previous day and Jace had nearly killed him, but she honestly thought that they would have gotten over their dispute rather quickly; after all, pointing a gun at a friend was simply a way of life in the Deeper South.

It wasn't a secret that Jace was in love with Basil and she had thought nothing could tear the two apart, considering Jace always followed him around like a lost puppy. Had the owner finally grown tired and kicked the puppy around a bit, making the puppy lose faith in its bond? Or had the puppy simply lost interest and went its separate way again?

"Did you and Jace have another argument? I was for certain you two would've been over this and already had makeup sex." She smirked slightly.

Basil stared at Kaye for a long moment, expressionless, and finally said flatly, "It was unsatisfactory, I'm afraid."

Leith nearly choked on his Nuka-Cola, coughing as he attempted and failed to recollect himself.

Becoming more serious, Basil added, "Jace and I had a disagreement, and he has to reconsider his own options and goals. I don't know if he will be joining us, but I doubt that he will, considering that we will have to be leaving soon." He tapped his fingertips against the table, lips pursed; as business-like as he tried to be, he really did hope that Jace would have second thoughts and come in. Even though they certainly weren't on the best of terms at the moment, what with Jace actually going as far as to aim a gun at his head, Jace had always been something stable in his life. He was always there, willing to help and support. The thought of suddenly losing him like this, potentially never seeing him again, almost made him stand and leave himself to search for him, wherever he might be at this point.

If Jace had made his choice, though, he wouldn't stop him; he understood why Jace might no longer want to walk and fight alongside him. He was merely a replacement, and one that Jace had never asked for.

"I'm sure that he'll eventually show up," Leith finally said, watching the remaining contents of his Nuka-Cola swirl around in the bottle as he absently twiddled with it. Really, he didn't know; he'd only known the two for a couple days, and from what he'd been able to gather, the two had a rather unhealthy relationship that bordered on co-dependency. He didn't want to encourage it, but, well, sometimes one just had to take people where they could find them, even if they weren't the best for each other. Still, perhaps it'd be better for the both of them if they had some time apart, but who was to say that they'd ever be able to find each other again at some point if they just up and left without arranging anything? They couldn't just hope to stumble upon each other somewhere random in the wasteland, after all.

"Oh my God, we forgot the kid!" Leith suddenly borderline shouted, standing as he slammed his palms onto the table.

Kaye didn't care about the looks a few people gave her as she burst into loud laughter at Basil's deadpan response. She expected him to deny the claims like he usually did, but to have him actually go along with her insanity! "I will make sure to tell Jace what you said when he meets up with us...and he will meet up with us. Trust me when I say this, but despite what made him react so hatefully yesterday," and she had a very good idea of what could have caused it, "that idiot still loves you...don't think he doesn't. He will come around, believe me when I say this."

She nearly jumped out of her own skin when Leith suddenly shouted and she stood up as well, copying Leith. "Oh my god! Where did we leave him?! Poor thing, he's probably hiding out in an alley somewhere, wearing a trash can lid as a hat and a garbage bag as a jacket. Poor kid's probably eating rats and leftover squirrel bits from the bins outside."

Basil thought for a moment, then said with a twinge of guilt in his tone, "Um, so I may or may not have left him at the clinic..." He held up his hands in a "what can you do" sort of gesture. "Whoops?" he asked as his shook his head.

"Basil, how can you just forget that another human being is with you?" Leith asked.

"I vaguely remember telling him to meet back up with us, and he never did, so I'm assuming that he just decided to ditch us on his own accord," Basil responded, leaning back in his seat as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Did you actually show up where you told him to meet us?" Kaye asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you forgot that he was with you to begin with, then how would you know to meet up with him later? That's it! We have to conduct a search party for him! We must split up; I will take the-"

"There you guys are!" Raider suddenly appeared by Kaye's side, glaring at them all before his eyes finally settled on Basil."You told me to meet you at the general store! I stood there for three hours before the owner kicked me off the porch and told me to get lost. Do you know where I slept last night? In a fucking trash can."

Basil held up his hands in surrender, "Look, I'm really sorry for forgetting to meet up with you. It wasn't on purpose, I swear."

Leith sighed, rubbing one hand down the length of his face. He then flopped back heavily into his chair, and mumbled, "I'm a failure as a parent."

"What?" Basil asked, cocking his head to the side as he turned from Raider and back to Leith, who looked as if he was genuinely devastated.

Raider slowly turned to look at Leith as if he had lost his mind. "You ain't no father of mine, ghoul. My father sold me to a group of raiders when I was five years old...for three shots of Psycho. And considering you forgot about me, I don't think you are any better than my real father." He knew that was being a little more than cruel, but he couldn't help it. Ever since his family had given up on him, he had grown to not give a shit about anyone but himself. When living in a raider community, that was the only way to survive and you learned that before anything else. He wasn't about to change his upbringing just because these people decided to help him with his injuries on a whim. In the end, they were probably only wanting something from him, anyways; that was probably why they had ditched him to begin with when they realized he didn't have anything to offer them.

Leith sighed, but accepted the insults as they came. He then said, "Well, you're nonetheless welcome to leave with us, if you'd like. Though, do keep in mind that we're only heading towards more Vaults and nowhere that you could really consider developing into a home." After a moment's consideration, he added almost as an afterthought, "Care for something to eat? I'll pay for it."

Basil shook his head, surprised that Leith actually hadn't smarted off right back at the kid, but remained silent.

"And have you guys leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere? Sorry, but no thanks." Raider then contemplated on the offer for a moment, staring at Leith intently as if trying to pry him open for information. No one was simply nice to someone for the sake of being nice, especially to a lowly raider, and there was little doubt in his mind that he had ulterior motives hidden away under that decaying skin. Although his stomach gave a fierce protest, he shook his head at the offer. "I don't need your help."

Kay rolled her eyes as she practically shoved Raider into the fourth chair that was originally reserved for Jace. "Quit trying to act tough and just accept the damn meal. With how your stomach is growling, I thought a yao guai walked into the joint."

Raider turned around and glared at Kaye as she took her own seat. "Why do you even care in the first place? I'm just a lowly raider with no morals and no path to lead in life, so what's the point of helping me? Please, I want to hear an answer." He didn't even realize how his voice practically sounded as if he was begging for a response, a plea for a good answer that he so desperately needed. It was sad that he could count on one hand of how many people had actually went out of their way to help him in his life, and the three sitting at this table now counted as three of them.

Leith spoke, "If you had no morals, then I doubt that you would have even come into this town without immediately trying to stab or rob someone." He then waved the waitress over, who stopped with a tired, but genuine smile on her face as she awaited the order. "Two Mirelurk cakes and a Nuka-Cola for the boy, please."

"Yes, sir," she said with a nod, then stepped away.

Raider was a little surprised when Leith ordered him two mirelurk cakes and even a drink to go along with it. He watched from the corner of his eye as the waitress jotted down the order onto a small paper pad before walking away to fill the order. Once she was out of sight, he slowly turned to look at Leith as if he was trying to puzzle him out.

"What do you want with me?" he asked softly. "No one is this nice just for the sake of being nice. Not out here."

Kaye sighed heavily. "You don't have to be so suspicious all the time, you ass-hat. Can't you just accept the help and show him a little token of gratitude? We ain't asking anything from you and we don't intend to. Well, unless you go with us, of course. If you tag along then you have to pull your weight as well, just as the rest of us."

He fell silent, not knowing how to respond. This was another invitation to tag along with them, but he honestly didn't know what to do. If he didn't go along with them, then he would most likely fall back into his old ways and would probably be killed in a week on his own. Stealing was the only thing that he knew and was good at and didn't know how he would survive otherwise. If he did go with these people, then at least he would have a chance in this world. After all, they had saved him once before, so didn't that mean they didn't have any ill intent in mind for him?

After a long silence, he released a soft sigh. "If I go with you...what will I be doing?" He bit his lip nervously. Even if they gave him a satisfactory answer, there was still always the chance of them deceiving him...

Basil took the opportunity to answer that one, "We have been excavating Vaults in search for particular pieces of technology."

Leith then chuckled lightly, and quickly assured, "Don't worry, that one does the science stuff, not us. Kaye and I just protect him as we head towards each location, claim supplies, the like. You could help us with that."

Raider stared at the table directly in front of him and nodded his head absentmindedly. "Umm...wasn't there another guy with you guys yesterday? Will he not be coming with us?"

Kaye could feel the tension grow to near unbearable levels at that. Hesitantly, she looked over at Basil and stared at him. "Umm...are we going to go look for him? I thought he would have been here by now." She bit her lip nervously. "You...you aren't going to actually leave him behind, are you?" Although they had only known one another for a few days, she had to admit that she was going to miss the crazy idiot.

Basil was quiet for a long while, but finally answered, "I...I don't know. I honestly just don't know if he even wants to see me again." She clasped his hands together in his lap, worrying at his bottom lip.

"You have to talk to him, at the very least," Leith said, but received no response from Basil.