Ace Makovich - Diner
Ace grabbed an old mug and poured himself a cup of coffee. He took one of the papers and started to read it. He flipped through the book as he sipped on the coffee and ate the eggs. It was a quiet morning, or at the very least not many had woken up. Publik Occurrences was now a weekly newspaper, and thanks to Piper expanding operations, one could read up on news from various settlements.

Starlight City seemed to be a busy place, lots of ads from businesses there. If people grew tired of Diamond City they could go to Starlight. It was a safe settlement, but it was a cutthroat place. It was a prime caravan hub where almost anything could be found and bartered for in the City. He had only been to Starlight City once for a brief visit. It wasn’t as big as it is now. What made them stand apart from most settlements, were the towers. There were plenty of multi-story towers in the center of town that rose above everything and where a lot of people lived. Settlements tended to be 2-3 stories high; the tallest building in Starlight had 8 stories and the entire top floor was owned by the ‘mayor’.

As ace was reading the door to the diner opened and Barney walked in. Ace looked at him, “leave the door open, need to air the place out of your stench. By the way I went to Finch Farm, Abby wants her husband’s gun.”

“Only stench here is your so called food,” Barney replied as he took a seat by the counter. He lit his pipe a motioned for a cup of coffee, “I finished modifying the Captain’s gun. I’ll ask Tom to drop it on his way back.”

Ace poured a fresh cup for Barney, “No need for that. Daniel will be stopping by to drop off some supplies I requested. You can hand it to him.”

As Ace spoke to Barney, someone new walked into the diner. She looked a mess, and to be in bad shape. Ace slid his hand to his pistol and took the safety off. He nodded to Barney to look her way, and they stared as she took a seat. On closer look Ace could see she was bloodied up. “Go get the doc. I’ll see if I can help her.” Ace told Barney as he grabbed some rags and a glass. He poured some water, and headed over to her placing the glass in front of her, and handed her the rags.

Barney headed out for the church to get the doctor. Ace went over to the fridge and grabbed a lump of ice and placed it in another rag. He handed it the woman, “Are you okay ma’am? I sent the old man to get the co for you… Can you tell me one thing? Is trouble following you?”

FRIEDA RICHTER -- Brandy's house, late night

Brandy stretched and yawned, “Ya…yeah, I have food.”

Frieda frowned, immediately feeling a pang of guilt for having woken the younger woman from a deep sleep.

Brandy sat up and scratched her head, “I could use a snack too, I never ate today.” She led Frieda downstairs to the kitchen and opened the fridge, “I loaded up on supplies when Shelby and I went to the sanctuary.” She opened up two different cupboards to show Frieda more options, “I don’t have a single cap to my name, but I have food,” she giggled. “Look at these Frieda,” she popped the top off a plastic container, “Fresh eggs, have you have had them?”

Frieda blinked. "I...aheh. No. I haven't had them." She didn't want to say, exactly, that she had no interest in trying an egg from a wasteland chicken, but she knew she had to at least try and be..."open minded."

Brandy opened up a drawer and pulled out a box of Fancy Lads, “I love these things, you want some?” She opened up a package and wandered into the living room.

Frieda gingerly picked up the snack cake. She was familiar with them, but her deeply ingrained training taught her that sugar shouldn't be the first thing she reached for when she was hungry the way she was. She took a deep breath, pushing thos efeelings down, and followed Brandy to the living room.

The younger woman was looking over her bookshelf full of books, eventually selecting one. She pulled out an old book and smiled, she held it up for Frieda to see, “This book has some good ideas for me to follow to make Ace happy.” She blushed and whispered, “Naughty ideas.”

Frieda blushed harder than she wanted. "Y-you...don't say..."

Brandy flipped through a couple of pages, “Like this here, wearing special outfits and stuff.” She let out a big yawn, “I’m going to go back to bed, just help yourself to whatever you want Frieda, I have more than enough for both of us.” As she got halfway up the stairs she stopped and turned around, “I hope the rooster doesn’t bother you, I’ll get him to quiet down after he wakes me up, otherwise he’ll keep being loud.”

Frieda finished her snack cake and found herself wanting more. She already owed Brandy for the smokes, and the room, what would another cake do? She plucked another one from the package and went out back to have a cigarette at the same time. She stared up at the stars, feeling content about her current situation, though sad for her lost brother.

MORNING

Frieda woke late, much later than she had been conditioned. She opened her eyes slowly, hearing foreign sounds like water breaking upon the shore, and a breeze. Her mouth had a weird taste in it, probably from all the sugar she had eaten the night before coupled with not having brushed her teeth before going to sleep.

"And the smokes," she heard in her brother's voice.

Frieda pushed the thought aside and rolled herself off the bed, rubbing her eyes with her fists as if she were a child. There was a scent in the air. Hot grease, and something else. A smokey smell?

She stood up and stretched, listening to the different joints in her body pop and snap in response. Frieda tied her long hair back into a ponytail. She made her way down the stairs and found Brandy at the kitchen table with an ancient newspaper in her hand, picking at a plate of eggs, meat, and potato. "Morning," she greeted the younger woman. Frieda spotted the other plate sitting neatly on the table. She glanced between the plate and Brandy. "That's for me...?"

Frieda felt a combination of awe and disgust. She looked at Brandy, who was gazing at her expectantly, and knew she had to ignore her inhibitions and just take a bite. She picked up the fork, took a little bit of potato, egg, and "meat" and put it all into her mouth at once.

The flavour and texture was good, even appealing. She raised an eyebrow and tried desperately to forget it all had come from the wasteland. Deep down she knew she was a surface dweller, now, and destined to become one of the mutants she had been conditioned to hate. She chewed, swallowed, and took another bite. Then, another. Then, another.

"I don't know how to make all of this up to you," Frieda began. "I promise you that I'll owe you one. Or ten."

She pushed the empty plate away from her and looked out the window. It appeared to be dawning into a beautiful looking day. "I think I'm going to talk to Barney, see about being paid for this 'militia' he's starting up. Otherwise," she tapped on the table twice with both hands, "I'm going to need to find myself a job. Know anyone who could use a gal that can hit what she's aiming at?"

Summer - Diner

At best, Summer was hoping to get enough coffee to sharpen up her sluggish reflexes and perform some half-assed self surgery. She was definitely not expecting the kindness she received and, by the looks of her surprised then immediately wary expression, she was not used to getting such treatment at all. After she made an unconvincing impression of a simple patron the man working behind the counter had sent off what appeared to be his friend - for reinforcements, most likely - as Summer heard what was either the clink of a glass or the click of the safety on a pistol. She expected a gun and got a glass of water, then a few washcloths. Summer blinked, entirely thrown off guard by this new development. She gingerly grabbed the rags and shoved them into the water. It was clear by her drunken movements and the pallor of her skin that she most likely lost a fair amount of blood just getting here. To say that Summer was 'in bad shape' at this point was an understatement.

Slapping the sodden rags over the worst of her wounds, Summer sighed as a hunk of ice in a cloth was then offered to her and she used her other hand to press it against her black eye and just on the edge of her broken nose which prompted a sharp hiss of pain. She took her time in answering the question as she enjoyed feeling a little less shitty, then decided to speak in a croaky and sullen voice. "Not that I know of, they thought I was dead..." She tried to laugh in vain. It was a few half-hearted wheezes. "...They're gonna wish they were right once I'm done with 'em," Summer slurred with an edge of anger in her voice. She slipped her gaze to stare Ace down with a frown. "Very hospitable, for a wastelander," she noted idly. "I hope your 'friends' are as nice as you are." The emphasis was audible on friends. She wore no armour (which was most likely why she was in such a poor state to being with) and was clearly armed with what looked like an institute rifle with all sorts of modifications done to it, as if it had been taken apart and put back together several times over with some new and deadly component. Her chest rose and fell shakily and she didn't touch her water unless she was washing the rags of her blood.

For a moment, Summer's bitterness subsided as she looked around the diner with only the slightest movements of her head and asked "Where am I?" with a tinge of worry in her voice. She sat up a little straighter and flinched at the pain as she did so, continuing to look at Ace with mistrust but never making a single move for her weapon.

Steve cooper- going to bed.

Leaving the church and overcoat Steve head back home, noticing the rad storm brewing in as he did. radstorms oddly never occurred back in DC, wherever this was due to being on the coast, the nearby radiated glowing sea or limitations in the dark gods power Steve didn't know but in an commonwealth they where an common annoyance, radiating people , knocking shit over, ruining crops and sometimes striking people dead.

Returning to the pleasure den Johnny was fast asleep in one of the lounge chairs, various different and half-empty drug inhalers laid scattered by his feet and on the table. Likewise upstairs loud noises could be hear coming from rose's room who was seemlying "entraining" an guest

finally earning some caps Good.

"Edgar, please clean up and take Johnny to bed."
"me clean."

Leaving Edgar to the clean up Steve made his way upstairs to his own bedroom, getting undress he laid down on the bed and injected a radaway... slowly falling asleep under the drugs dowsing after affect...

It’s just an flesh wound, we have an mission to complete

Morning- Operation Roof

Steve awoke around 6.30am the next morning, for most people it may have been early but Steve who'd had trouble sleeping since before he started hanging around with Johnny it was rather later... perhaps the karma overlords had rewarded Steve for saving that girl.

getting dressed and grabbing a packet of sugar bombs from his secret stash Steve headed downstairs to see rose waving goodbye to the caravan guards she'd be "entraining" last night

"Have a good night?"

"They were okay but cheapskates didn't wanna share any of the drugs with me.... Rosey needs her jet "she winked hoping he would give her some.

Steve chucked as he prepared for himself a bowl of sugar bombs "little Rosey didn't get her fix last night? well Johnny fell asleep with half his crap unused, I asked Edgar to clean it up but he probably just put it all in Johnny’s room... it's yours if you can find it."

"Sweet" Rose replied as she rushed off to Johnny's room, hoping to sneak some drugs out before he awoke and finished them off.

As Steve ate his sugar bombs he thought about what he could do to improve the pleasure den, the first would be putting up that sign... he'd be doing that breakfast but he also needed to get an dancer for the lounge area, keep people entertained as they waited for Rose (and perhaps another girl) to be available.

"You can have the rest of these." Steve said to Edgar, handing the childlike mutant the half-empty cereal box "clean up the bowls afterwards however."

Going up to his room Steve gathered up some of his tools, placed the two support beams he'd built yesterday in his backpack and picked up the large wooden sign he'd built & drawn on yesterday... Steve knew the perfect place to put it but getting there... that could tricky.

Leaving the pleasure Den Steve may his towards the centre of town and the large brown building next to the church and Dinner. Once some sort of clothes shop Steve made his way inside and to the back of the store where he found a staircase going upstairs.

The upstairs room was wrecked and mostly empty with only a few boxes and mannequins in the room. On one of the boxes however was a small teddy bear, it was missing an eye and bit dusty but otherwise in rather good condition.

Taking you

Pocketing the One-eyed Teddy Bear Steve made his way over the window, the reason he came to the store in the first place. Opening up the rectangle window Steve looked down at the diner rooftop, it was damaged in some of the corner but only little bit lower and made of metal so should support his weight.

Fuck it worst case I fall on though.

Pushing the wooden board though the window first, Steve made the bold but also somewhat foolish move of climbing out the window and slowly down onto the dinner roof! Although 200 year old and rusted the roof was able to support him and with some sort of Commotion going on inside his "landing" he was seemlying not noticed.
Someone will spot me sooner or later need to hurry

Reaching into backpack Steve took out the support legs he’d built and screwed them onto the wooden board before positioning the sign on a more stable part of the roof and where it could be seen by people entering town.

Now to get the fuck off here.

Making his to the front of the dinner roof Steve slowly climbed down onto an old newsstand box before then jumping down onto the ground. Brushing some dirt of his trousers Steve causally walked into the diner like he hadn’t just climbed off the roof.

“Morning Acey, one black coffee please.” Steve said as he noticed another injured woman was in the diner “Another one? This is why I said the clinic should be moved to the first floor...." he signed "If you want carrying I'd do it after I’ve had my coffee. “

Caravan Guard #1 & #2

After spending the night at the pleasure den and then checking up with tom the caravan guards made their way to the diner when one of them noticed a sign was on the roof:

Looking for some entertainment after your meal?
Head around the corner to the Pleasure Den!
BOOZE! DRUGS! AND GIRLS!
Also Hiring!

Brandy playfully pushed the eggs around on her plate, "Morning," Frieda greeted before she glanced between the plate and Brandy. "That's for me...?"

Brandy swallowed the bite of food, “Oh, good morning,” she smiled, “Yes, I made you breakfast, I hope you like it. If not, I can make you something else.” Frieda looked at Brandy, she smiled and nodded to the plate and Frieda sat down and took a bite. It seemed like Frieda hadn’t ate a meal in a while as Brandy watched her take bite after bite.

"I don't know how to make all of this up to you," Frieda began. "I promise you that I'll owe you one. Or ten."

Brandy sat her paper down and waved, “No way, you don’t owe me anything; it is enough to have a friend here to share the morning with.”

Frieda pushed her empty plate away and looked outside, "I think I'm going to talk to Barney, see about being paid for this 'militia' he's starting up. Otherwise," she tapped on the table twice with both hands, "I'm going to need to find myself a job. Know anyone who could use a gal that can hit what she's aiming at?"

Brandy pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow looking up at the ceiling, “No, no I don’t. Barney would be your best bet, or Ace, or maybe even Waylon and Shelby at the gun shop, S&W.” Brandy pointed in the general direction of S&W, “It’s across town. I know they both know a lot about guns and stuff, but I’m not sure what else they do. Shelby can be kind of…mean sometimes. But I think she has emotional issues or something, but who am I to talk?” She looked around, “I usually don’t charge anything to help work on stuff, I just want to make it as nice as I can and if somebody pays me, then awesome. But, if not, as long as they pay for the supplies I don’t say anything. I’m pretty lucky though, most of the time I get the leftover stuff, or salvage things from what I’ve replaced. Keeps me supplied with materials and I can trade some things for food and whatnot.”

Brandy stood up and cleared the table, washing the dishes as soon as they hit the sink, “I try to keep my house clean. In case somebody is interested in my work and wants to see what I can do before they hire me ya know.” She dried the dishes off and put them away before she pulled out two bags and sat them on the counter. She dug in the fridge and pulled out two small packages of smoked jerky she had made dropping one in each bag, followed a bag of Potato Crisps, a package each of Fancy Lads, a bottle of water and some gum drops. She rolled up the top of the bags and turned to Frieda, “Here’s a lunch for today, I mean, since we both forgot to eat yesterday. “ She laughed and handed the sack lunch to Frieda, “I have to go get ready, I have to help Rook with the wall after I stop and see Celeste and…” she blinked and grinned ear to ear, “…and Ace.”

She nearly skipped up the stairs humming as she went into her room. She pulled on a pair of khaki shorts, just a touch shorter than what she usually wore, but still far from Shelby’s cut-offs. She pulled a white T-shirt over her head and brushed her hair. Then she tied up her work boots and went to brush her teeth, “Frieda, I made this toothpaste, it’s purified water and baking soda with a dash of mint flavoring. I’ll leave it by the sink.” She walked back to her room, backing up and looking at Frieda rifling through her clothes. “Frieda? I have to do some laundry later; I do have some clothes that are a little big for me if you want? Just go through my closet, they’re the shirts on the left and the pants and shorts on the top shelf on the left are big too.”

Brandy scurried down the stairs to the kitchen and grabbed her sack lunch, she stopped at the base of the stairs and yelled up, “I’m going to stop and see how Ace liked his breakfast, if you want to go see Celeste’s place I will wait for you at the diner.” She opened up the door and closed her eyes, taking in the morning sun, “What a gorgeous day.” She walked onto the street and froze when she saw a sign on top of the diner.






Her jaw dropped, Ace DID NOT put that up there. She frowned, hoping that Ace had no part of the new sign for the Pleasure Den. She walked inside the diner, immediately she noticed a woman who looked a little worse for wear sitting at the bar. She walked up and sat her sack lunch on the counter, “Good Morning, I'm Brandy Brooks, welcome to Salem. We have a clinic if you need to him for your nose,” she said to the woman as she rubbed her own nose, "Looks like it hurts, maybe Ace can give you a wet rag to clean the blood off." She looked at Ace and smiled befor putting her hand on the women's shoulder, "If you will excuse me for a second."

She went to go behind the counter and caught herself, she motioned for Ace to come over, “I was wondering how you liked breakfast this morning?” she leaned to his ear, “I’m trying to not embarrass you,” she winked, and then remember the sign, “Have you seen the sign on the roof? You didn’t put it up there did you?” Ace widened his eyes and looked at Steve, Brandy followed his lead, “OH,” she gasped. She looked back at Ace, whispering again,” So how can I get a kiss? I will find your flowers and chocolates after I leave, but I have to have a word with Steve first.”

Brandy exhaled through her nose and shook her head as she walked over to Steve and tapped him on the shoulder, “Excuse me,” she said sharply, “You put that sign on the roof of the diner? Do you own this diner? Did you ask Ace? Because it wasn’t up there earlier when I was here. That is unacceptable, go put that on you…Pleasure Den. That sign will make people leave, and what if they have children huh? You freely advertise drugs and other nasty things right there for everyone to see? That’s just wrong, you need to take that off of Ace’s diner…RIGHT NOW!!! It’s disgusting.”

"Good morning Ms. Eliza," The Doctor said as he entered the room, "You survived the worst of it I'd say. There was a few times in the night where you had me worried, but your condition is quite stable now. I expect you should recover nicely." As he spoke, he clasped a blood pressure gauge to her upper arm and began taking a reading. "Much better," He said with a smile.

“I’m still here Hun. If the Doc says it’s alright, I will wash you up later. Maybe even be able to take you to my place, but only if the Doc says I can.” Shelby whispered.

"....Oh...well," Arthur said awkwardly, "I expect she'll need a few more hours to recover before I can release her in good conscious. And even then she will still need to be cared for carefully, but of course, I can't stop you if you wish to leave now Ms. Eliza. It is up to you."

Shelby felt Eliza interlace her fingers in her own; she could already tell Eliza was a bit stronger than last night. The transfusion had left both women exhausted, and the feel of her fingers in hers made it all worth it. She looked over to Eliza as the Doctor walked in; she kissed the edge of Eliza’s ear.

“I’m still feeling a little out of it doctor, so I don’t think a few more hours will hurt.” Eliza paused for a brief moment, “No offense to you doctor but I don’t want to stay in this clinic any longer than I have to. I’m not really sure of who I can trust in this town and I’d feel safer at home.” Eliza started to sweat from the warmth of Shelby against her so she removed the blanket from her body, leaving Shelby covered. “As long as Shelby stays I’ll be more comfortable here. Nothing against you doctor. I’m thankful for what you’ve done for me so far…..I’m just a little anxious around strangers.”

“I’m not going anywhere Hun,” Shelby assured Eliza as she could really see that Eliza was far from the strong woman she had met in New Vegas.

“Do you think I would be able to get cleaned up?” I look like I just crawled out of a grave and judging by how I feel. I think I might have.” Eliza asked with a touch of her spunk.

Shelby kissed her cheek, “When the Doc says you can, I’ll help get you cleaned up,” she grinned at Eliza, “I love my dirty girl but…you are a little ripe Hun.” Shelby ran her hand very carefully down Eliza’s chin to her bandages across her abdomen, “Slow and easy, we will have you up and running again soon, just let us help you. Besides, I’ve just wanted to hold and touch you forever, we can make this enjoyable.”

Ace Makovich - Diner

The woman replied in a croaky and sullen voice. "Not that I know of, they thought I was dead..." She tried to laugh. "...They're gonna wish they were right once I'm done with 'em," She slurred her last few word. Ace nodded, and she continued “Very hospitable, for a wastelander," she noted idly. "I hope your 'friends' are as nice as you are."

“Well just wanted make sure to see whether or not we should ready ourselves for a raid, can’t be too careful, especially out here.” Ace replied, “As far as Barney, the old man, he’s alright. It of an ass, plenty of attitude but he keeps folk in line. Besides he’s only getting the doctor.”

Ace looked over the woman in front of him. It seemed her attackers had it easy, as she wore no armor. What caught his attention was the rifle she carried, it was an Institute rifle. Clearly it had been modified. That in itself might be a beacon for someone to attack. Most still remain wary of anything institute related, even though they had been destroyed two years ago.

The woman looked a bit dazed, as she looked around as she asked where she was located. “You’re in Salem, small town north of Boston area. More mirelurk in the surrounding area than people, plus we have a Children of Atom infestation to the southeast.”

As Ace answered the question, Steve walked in and referred to him as Acey. That was his childhood nickname, and he hated it. His face probably showed as much. Ace walked back behind the counter and grabbed two mugs. As he poured Steve a cup he responded, “Unless you’re my mother, don’t call me Acey.”

Steve looked at the injured woman, “Another one? This is why I said the clinic should be moved to the first floor...." he sighed "I’ll carry you up there after I’ve had my coffee. “

Ace shook his head as he placed a mug and poured her some coffee, “What do you mean another one? Besides, no need to carry anyone. I sent Barney to go get the doc, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” As Ace stood there speaking to Steve, brandy walked in, setting her bag at the counter. He looked back at Steve, “By the way, there was some guy inquiring about the horse last night. I’d be careful if I was you.”

As he said that to Steve, Brandy made her way over and introduced herself to the new guest. Ace felt Brandy was too trusting in people. Seeing them all as good, that is until they point a gun in your face. After all, the first thing Ace did when she walked in was to click the safety off on his pistol. Brandy excused herself, headed to the counter and motioned for Ace to come over.

Ace walked over and she leaned in and asked him how breakfast was, “It was good, though eggs were burnt around the edges… Though I think we should talk about a certain someone breaking in, you could’ve just left note to come over, and I would’ve happily obliged…By the way, when you leave a place you’ve broken into, make sure to lock door on your way out. Also, i was just joking about flowers and chocolates but now that you mention it... no need to worry about such trivialities.”

She mentioned a sign on top of the diner. Ace thought for a bit and aside from the diner sign, he couldn’t remember one being up there. Ace inquired as to what it said, and as soon as she told him, his eyes widened and he looked over at Steve. Ace wasn’t so mad at the fact, steve had put the sign, but the fact that he was up on his roof.

Brandy walked over to Steve to confront him over the sign. Ace reached for his pocket, pulled the tine out and took one of the pills. He placed it back in his pocket and walked over o where Brandy was, “You put that sign on the roof of the diner? Do you own this diner? Did you ask Ace? Because it wasn’t up there earlier when I was here. That is unacceptable, go put that on you…Pleasure Den. That sign will make people leave, and what if they have children huh? You freely advertise drugs and other nasty things right there for everyone to see? That’s just wrong, you need to take that off of Ace’s diner…RIGHT NOW!!! It’s disgusting.”

“Whoa, hold on a minute there. No one is going back up there yet. First of all you could’ve inquired before putting a sign on my roof. What if you had fallen? I’ve been meaning to reinforce it, and last thing I need is someone walking up there.” Ace said as he stood next to Brandy and placed his hands on her shoulders.

He kissed her cheek, “Now you need to calm down, okay? Frown lines don’t suit that pretty face of yours. Don’t worry I’m sure Steve and I will come to an understanding.”

FRIEDA RICHTER - Brandy's house - Morning

“No, no I don’t. Barney would be your best bet, or Ace, or maybe even Waylon and Shelby at the gun shop, S&W.” Brandy pointed in the general direction of S&W, “It’s across town. I know they both know a lot about guns and stuff, but I’m not sure what else they do. Shelby can be kind of…mean sometimes. But I think she has emotional issues or something, but who am I to talk?”

Frieda was worried about having to go crawling back to Barney. She nodded to acknowledge the help.

Brandy looked around, “I usually don’t charge anything to help work on stuff, I just want to make it as nice as I can and if somebody pays me, then awesome. But, if not, as long as they pay for the supplies I don’t say anything. I’m pretty lucky though, most of the time I get the leftover stuff, or salvage things from what I’ve replaced. Keeps me supplied with materials and I can trade some things for food and whatnot.”

"Well, I have a sharp eye for, um, operating tech, and detail. I could help you use your pistol a bit more effectively, too. I'd be more than happy to help you become a bit stronger with your firearm."

Brandy stood up and cleared the table, washing the dishes as soon as they hit the sink, “I try to keep my house clean. In case somebody is interested in my work and wants to see what I can do before they hire me ya know.” She dried the dishes off and put them away before she pulled out two bags and sat them on the counter. She dug in the fridge and pulled out two small packages of smoked jerky she had made dropping one in each bag, followed a bag of Potato Crisps, a package each of Fancy Lads, a bottle of water and some gum drops. She rolled up the top of the bags and turned to Frieda, “Here’s a lunch for today, I mean, since we both forgot to eat yesterday. “ She laughed and handed the sack lunch to Frieda, “I have to go get ready, I have to help Rook with the wall after I stop and see Celeste and…” she blinked and grinned ear to ear, “…and Ace.”

Frieda stared at the packed lunch. It brought up a lot of feelings and memories she wasn't ready for. "Thanks," she said, softly.

Brandy took off up the stairs humming as she went into her room. Frieda was left alone once more with her thoughts. She drummed her fingers on the table while she daydreamed. She and Brandy planned to see Celeste's place, but it sounded like her first stop should be the diner, too. She went back up the stairs herself and started rummaging for something clean-ish to put on after a shower.

“Frieda," Brandy called from the bathroom, "I made this toothpaste, it’s purified water and baking soda with a dash of mint flavoring. I’ll leave it by the sink.”

"Oh, great," she mumbled, more distracted by her own task than anything. Brandy came back to her door, a curious tone in her voice. “Frieda? I have to do some laundry later; I do have some clothes that are a little big for me if you want? Just go through my closet, they’re the shirts on the left and the pants and shorts on the top shelf on the left are big too.”

"Are you trying to say that I smell?" Frieda teased. "Thanks, I just might do that."

Brandy scurried down the stairs, rummaged around, before yelling up, “I’m going to stop and see how Ace liked his breakfast, if you want to go see Celeste’s place I will wait for you at the diner.”

"Okay, good plan." Frieda helped herself to Brandy's wardrobe as suggested. She nearly fell over at the sheer number of cute little dresses hung up so neatly in a row. She looked to the left and frowned at the pants and shorts, fairly certain they weren't going to fit her, even if they were too big for Brandy. She gratefully selected a pastel blue tank top and what looked like a faded yellow sports bra, then made her way into the bathroom for a shower. Ten minutes later, she was towelling off and felt renewed. She pulled on the sports bra, tank top, and a pair of her own cargo pants before brushing through her wet hair, and leavning the house. She'd closed the front door and taken two steps, before she turned on her heel and took out her bagged lunch.

Brandy was genuine and generous, she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

Frieda strolled back through the town, taking everything in anew with the sunrise. Something seemed different about the diner. Was that...an ad for a so-called "Pleasure Den"?

Was that there last night? she wondered. Regardless, as she approached the diner, the distinct aroma of dark, gut-rotting coffee wafted into her nostrils. She almost had heartburn just smelling it.

Brand's voice could be heard, mid-rant, as Frieda entered to retrieve her. "...you freely advertise drugs and other nasty things right there for everyone to see? That’s just wrong, you need to take that off of Ace’s diner…RIGHT NOW!!! It’s disgusting.”

Frieda turned to see who Brandy was talking to, and was not surprised it was the creep Steve. It seemed appropriate the greasiest looking guy in town ran the brothel and drug den. "Brandy, calm down a second," Frieda said gently, touching her friend on the arm. "What's going on? What's this about?"

Frieda listened to the explanation quietly, then nodded. "Well, Brandy, if Ace doesn't care, then there's not much you can do about it. Come on, let's go see Celeste. We can talk about this later, huh?" Frieda gently steered her friend out of the diner and towards the inn.

She lit a cigarette as they walked. "Honestly, if that creep wants to run his nest of disease and drugs, there's nothing any of us can really do about it. What we can do is maybe put him out of business. ...somehow." Frieda blew out some smoke and looked at Brandy, who appeared angry and appalled. "Wh -- no, NO, not like that. I mean, somehow run a counter business. Something like that," she rambled. "I don't have an idea exactly yet..."

They drew up to the double doors of the inn. Frieda tossed her cigarette butt over her shoulder and pulled one open, motioning for Brandy to enter. "After you."

Rook went with the man, he was in such a rush it felt almost unreal. He didn't understand why this person was in such a rush. He couldn't hear gunfire, shouting, or screaming, there was no stealth attack it seemed. Part of him was disappointed at this knowledge, the rest of him knew that this was better for the town if there was no attack. When he was shown the boat, told everything that the man wanted to do... He just paused.

“Let Rook understand this... You want to pull over old boat to bring food to the town. Rook gets that, but why wake up Rook in middle of the night. This can wait for morning, Rook thinks so. Rook will help you tomorrow, but it will need to wait until after Rook has restarted work on Wall. While boat is helpful, boat doesn't keep out raiders. Yet...” Rook said, thinking for a moment and then nodding. “Tomorrow.”

With a grin, would walk back to his shack to rest for the night after all this excitement.



A little after dawn, Rook was up. He was stretching out everything. He was getting ready to do his morning jog. He didn't know if he was going to go off the rails by being lazy. He had spent some time with other super mutants, seeing how they were lazy, battled each other, never did anything with the powers they had gotten from the change. They never seemed to care, but he always took care of himself after he woke up in the sewer, and he never seemed to suffer the decay they did.

Doing a quick jog (by human standards) around the edge of the town on the beach. He was armed this time, bracers and shin guards, with a good looking steel pole. He had that strapped to his back to keep him defended from Mirelurks. If he made it all around with no problems, he would start work on his wall until he was gotten by the trader to help pull out the boat.

For now it was making sure all the corner posts were at least roughly made so they could be placed with out any issues later on. He needed to get a hold of a shovel and a pickaxe so he could dig down and work on making the posts a bit more secure for later. The men at the diner said they could help make the gates automatic so that way they didn't have to hand crank the doors open. He would probably take the next few days to drag up the machinery when he was able to.

Sara Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts



Sara awoke early, well before the sun. She had a trip to make today and it would be a good 3 hours south. It was her hope that by leaving as early as she planned to she would miss everyone but the person she intended to meet. Her camp-site was situated well to the north of Salem, she figured it was around 12 miles. Salem was the closest settlement to her campsite but it didn’t matter to her. She had kept to herself up in the woods away from everyone else, only coming back to civilization to trade off excess supplies or look for her sister. Something she had been doing for what felt like forever, and her spirit was starting to waver. Eliza’s trail vanished months ago since then Sara’s been chasing ghosts, she was just hoping they weren’t literal ghosts.

Regardless she was burning precious time. She had accumulated some extra meat and supplies from her hunts. Game was plentiful this far north, away from civilization but life up here came with it’s own sets of dangers. Anyone that lived this far away was on their own, there was no law and definitely no minutemen in this territory. That served Sara just fine, she was left alone and could socialize when she wanted to and she could hunt to her heart's content. With her contact in Salem to sell her excess to she had a pretty good set up, but she couldn’t lose sight of why she was out here. She couldn’t settle down until she knew for sure what happened to her sister, and her housing reflected that attitude. Sara had set up camp in a dilapidated house seemingly dropped from the sky and into the barren forest of skeleton trees. It wasn’t the sturdiest structure but it served it’s purpose.

Finally shaking off the chains of slumber Sara crawled out of her sleeping bag, exposing her lithe nude frame. She wasn’t able to clean herself that often so smears and specks of dirt and grime covered her body. Shambling up and off the couch she was sleeping on Sara grabbed a ragged t-shirt from her makeshift clothes line and pulled it over her bare skin. Her perky breasts clearly silhouetted through the fabric. She wiped what was left of the crust from her eyes and retrieved a pair of worn jeans from her clothes line as well. Clumsily hiking them up without trying to lose her balance. She then tucked her t-shirt into her pants, further accentuating what was underneath. Her pants sagged loosely under her hips, it had been awhile since she could find a pair that fit her. Without a proper fit she used her belt to hold her pants up before she grabbed a flannel button down shirt as well, rolling the sleeves up past her elbows. Her clothes were well worn, some had holes, others had patches were there used to be holes. Either way they were all faded and dirty. Life in the wasteland didn’t leave much time for cleanliness, at least not for Sara who was now comfortably dressed. She plopped back down onto the couch again, grabbing her leather boots and socks that were stuffed inside of them. Her boots had seen better days as well but they still held together, they were built to last and Sara could appreciate that.

With her socks on and her boots laced Sara started gathering her gear for the trip. Her backpack would be doing most of the work but she still had cuts of cured meat wrapped in burlap that would need to be carried. Fortunately she packed everything she needed to take with her the night before so she grabbed her bag, hefting the loaded pack over her shoulder. Her rifle was next, she slung it over her other shoulder. Before she grabbed the meat Sara ran her hands through her greasy hair, unsure if she had everything but she was certain of it. When it came to packing gear Sara was meticulous, all she needed now was her pistol. She ejected the magazine to make sure it was loaded, slid it back inside, pulled the slide back and put on her safety. Everything was in order except for her jacket, which she almost forgot in her rush to leave. She sat her gear down and grabbed her trusty leather jacket, the mornings were getting colder for her so she especially needed the jacket. Now one hundred percent confident that she had everything Sara headed down out of the house and into the forest, she had a long hike ahead of her but she’s walked it a dozen times before.

In about 3 hours time Sara was regrettably in Salem. She didn’t mind Ace and Barney, their company was a welcome change from the usual. It was everyone else that suddenly started moving into town that bothered her. Too many people, meant that there were soon going to be too many problems. Sara didn’t mind chatting with Ace, and the man was a pretty good cook but Sara enjoyed living alone. You couldn’t pay her to stay here, Salem was just a place to stop by and treat herself to some food, and maybe make a few caps. She couldn’t make it a home.

Wiping the sweat that had accumulated on her brow from the hike down Sara walked into Ace’s diner ignoring the sign on the roof and especially the people inside. She didn’t want to be bothered, and at first she contemplated just heading back home but she wasn’t going to waste a trip. Ace was inside and that’s all she needed, and it looked like he had a girlfriend now to. Sara wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to subsequently alert Ace of her presence and be a smartass. “You get a new piece of ass Ace!? I thought I was your favourite? Or did you forget about me?” Sara cracked a smile and moved to the booth furthest away from everyone before she sat all of her gear down and waited for Ace to come over to her. She didn’t want to be in the way, plus the further away she was from the others the less likely they would be to talk to her...hopefully.

Steve Cooper- Diner

“There was another injured woman in that apartment block; I carried her to the clinic last night... I’m surprised no-one in here saw that.” Steve replied as took a slip of his coffee.

Acey makes some good cup of Joe.

The Naive girl... Brandy if Steve called correctly walked in and spoke the injured woman as Ace at Steve, “By the way, there was some guy inquiring about the horse last night. I’d be careful if I was you.”

“Thanks for the heads up.” Steve said as he turned around to look at the horse which was still tied up outside the diner. Was the person asking about the horse the one who shot Eliza?

Should find out either way could be trouble

Steve sat down on a empty stool just as Brandy walked around the counter and asked about breakfast...which she apparently cooked herself.

God I bet it was awful...

“It was good, though eggs were burnt around the edges… “Ace said seemlying confirming Steve suspicions but what worst is that she seemlying Stole the stuff from the diner and didn’t lock up afterwards! Acey would probably stop her from working at the Pleasure Den but Steve would have to find a way to exploit this naive girl from himself
Or perhaps I could wait until he’s finished with her? did flirt with Hotshot too.... Hmmm Yes vulnerable little Mouse.

“Have you seen the sign on the roof? You didn’t put it up there did you?”

Okay here we go... let’s get this over and done with....

Brandy exhaled through her nose and shook her head as she walked over to Steve and tapped him on the shoulder, “Excuse me,” she said sharply, “You put that sign on the roof of the diner? Do you own this diner? Did you ask Ace? Because it wasn’t up there earlier when I was here. That is unacceptable, go put that on you…Pleasure Den. That sign will make people leave, and what if they have children huh? You freely advertise drugs and other nasty things right there for everyone to see? That’s just wrong, you need to take that off of Ace’s diner…RIGHT NOW!!! It’s disgusting.”

“No it won’t.” Steve replied as he took a slip of his coffee

“I don’t know where you came Xiǎo gūniáng but I think you’re forgetting were in an apocalyptic wasteland and sure things may be fairly “normal” and safe in towns like these but out there.” Steve said as pointed to the wasteland “it’s a fucking shithole; everyday people have to fight for their lives against raiders, mutants, hunger and all other sorts of wastelands horrors...”
doudt she's even fired a gun before.

“You might think drugs are bad but have you ever fought a super mutant? Killed someone for bottle of radiated piss? Or... beaten, starved and locked up in a bloody broom closet by your own fucking father for three days? Have you? HAVE YOU?” Steve asked as he stated directly at Brandy.

Taking another slip of coffee Steve continued “For a small price I give people a escape from the karma overlords fucking hellhole that is the wasteland and allow them to indulge in their fantasies but No, you didn’t think of that did you?

“Whoa, hold on a minute there. No one is going back up there yet. First of all you could’ve inquired before putting a sign on my roof. What if you had fallen? I’ve been meaning to reinforce it, and last thing I need is someone walking up there.” Ace said as he stood next to Brandy and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“The roof is fine besides I’ve walked on weaker, wooden rooftops whilst under fire and didn’t fall off.” Steve replied "but yeah... probably should have asked first, sorry Acey."

Acey kissed brandy on cheek, “Now you need to calm down, okay? Frown lines don’t suit that pretty face of yours. Don’t worry I’m sure Steve and I will come to an understanding.”

“25% discount on all pleasure den services and products. I was gonna offer you that just to mention the den but I then though making a sign would be easier”

And more effective

Dr. Arthur West, Salem Church Clinic

With Eliza seemingly in good hands and the two women obviously enjoying each other's company plenty enough without him, Arthur took the time to finally give himself a break. He'd been up all night and had barely eaten anything since yesterday evening. He was starving. While the two women were....distracted, Arthur quickly fetched his pack and took it around to the upper church mezzanine, and dug into it. He pulled out the box of nutritional supplements and eagerly took another pill like a chem addict taking a hit of his drug of choice. He couldn't think about rationing right now, he needed energy and he needed it now. And he certainly didn't want to have any surface food right now.

"Doc?" Arthur looked up to see Barney standing off in the doorway of the upper floor.

Arthur froze in place and slowly tucked the box away and hoped that Barney hadn't seen the imprinted vitruvian symbol.

"Uh...yes? What is it?"

"Ace is lookin' for you. He says a woman needs help over at the Diner."

Arthur sighed, "A physicians work is never done I suppose..."

"Pardon doc?"

"Nothing. I'll be right there." Arthur set his pack down and went back into the room where Eliza was recuperating, "Excuse me Miss Eliza. I'm afraid there's someone injured down at the Diner. I need to go. You should be quite alright given your current condition, but make sure you don't do anything too strenuous. You need plenty of rest to fully recover. I should be back shortly."

With that Arthur grabbed his medical bag and walked briskly across the street to the Diner. He entered through the doors and looked around, he tried his best to hide his fatigue. His eyes immediately fell on the injured woman.

Oh dear.... he thought to himself.

He knelt down next to her and opened his bag. The woman's injuries were nearly as severe as the ones he'd just treated on Eliza. And he'd used quite a few of his spare medical supplies on her,

"I don't have what I need to treat her," He said looking around the diner, "I used up nearly all what I had treating the Eliza girl. I need bandages, Med-X and anti-septic. And I'll need someone to help her to the clinic, a gurney to lay her on would be helpful as well. No need to take her to the second floor, I can move what I need down to the first quickly enough."

Adam 'Trails' Wilford- Outside Adam's seaside home

“Let Rook understand this... You want to pull over old boat to bring food to the town. Rook gets that, but why wake up Rook in middle of the night. This can wait for morning, Rook thinks so. Rook will help you tomorrow, but it will need to wait until after Rook has restarted work on Wall. While boat is helpful, boat doesn't keep out raiders. Yet...” Adam chuckled a mischievous little chuckle at Rook's annoyance. "Sorry to get you down there, but you gotta dream big if you want to get anything done in life." He stepped back over to the rails, extending his arms outward. "THIS will be a game changer, Rook. It's no wall or big-ass turrets, naw. But think about it. We'll be abundant in fish and shelled foods. Just imagine the trade power that'd bring this town." He turned back to the big mutant, "So, what do you say, hoss? You in?" Rook's only reply, understandably, was, “Tomorrow.” then he walked away from Adam back to his shack on the other side of town. Adam walked over to Bessie and pat both heads and gave each head a kiss on the forehead before heading inside, rolling the metal door shut and calling it a night. He unbuttoned his jacket and pants, leaving him in shorts and an undershirt. Adam yawned and knelt down, covering himself in his bedroll. His eyes closed and soon he was reliving old memories again.

Dawn

Adam yawned and rolled out from his bedroll. He put on a pair of jeans and stepped outside, checking to make sure no one else was around, he unzipped and took a morning leak near the rocks, sighing in relief. Finishing with a shake, he went back inside a put a bottle of water into a pan, putting it over a hotplate. Digging through his pouches, he found the grounded coffee and poured it in too. While he waited for it to cook, Adam headed out to Bessie's post and looked beside her boxes. "Hey girl, you know where that old radio is?" He asked, digging through the crates. "Ah, gotcha!" He found his old Radiation King radio and began scanning the local stations until it landed on a 'Diamond City Radio'. He'd never been there, but he'd heard talk of it. Apparently based out of some old baseball field. He put it in the right hand corner of his shack, the music echoing through the shed as the cool of the morning air emanated through the old broken windows. Judging by the windows, they probably broke in a storm long ago. But he shrugged off the thought digging through his boxes back outside muttering to himself. "Rope? Need that. Blowtorch....blow...ah! Might need you too. Fancy Lads? Good snack. Need them as a reward. Cat's Paw magazine? I'll..uh...need that later...", he discreetly tucked that back in the bottom of the crate. "Toolbox.....check. Old Pipboy 2000? Junk." He chucked it far over the way towards the town. "Alright, so I got the essentials. Just tuck you bad boys in the row boat for later.". Adam went back inside and poured a cup of coffee from the pan into a mug and sat outside on an old milk crate, his bare feet gently running his toes in the sandy dirt as he absently admired the beauty of the town in the sunrise, feeling an odd sense of peace. He was on the cusp of turning 43 and he'd spent 24-25 of those on the road as a drifter. To settle down like this, so far from home, it was unexpected to say the least. On the other hand, it felt right. He had a good feeling about this place, like in the end everything would turn out okay.

“Whoa, hold on a minute there. No one is going back up there yet. First of all you could’ve inquired before putting a sign on my roof. What if you had fallen? I’ve been meaning to reinforce it, and last thing I need is someone walking up there.” Ace said as he stood next to Brandy and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“No it won’t.” Steve replied as he took a slip of his coffee, “I don’t know where you came Xiǎo gūniáng but I think you’re forgetting were in an apocalyptic wasteland and sure things may be fairly “normal” and safe in towns like these but out there.” Steve said as pointed to the wasteland “it’s a fucking shithole; everyday people have to fight for their lives against raiders, mutants, hunger and all other sorts of wastelands horrors...”

“I know that Steve, but to blatantly put it out there like that? Is that really necessary?” Brandy pointed towards the ceiling.

“You might think drugs are bad but have you ever fought a super mutant? Killed someone for bottle of radiated piss? Or... beaten, starved and locked up in a bloody broom closet by your own fucking father for three days? Have you? HAVE YOU?” Steve asked as he stated directly at Brandy. Taking another slip of coffee Steve continued “For a small price I give people an escape from the karma overlords fucking hellhole that is the wasteland and allow them to indulge in their fantasies but No, you didn’t think of that did you?

Brandy backed up a bit, she folded her arms and with a smug attitude, “If you killed for a bottle of pee you’re just dumb. I have actually…haven’t. But I have seen people do those things, people that I’ve cared for and they didn’t need drugs to escape because they’re not like you. You are just a…a…JERK!! You take advantage of people when they’re down and…”

“Whoa, hold on a minute there. No one is going back up there yet. First of all you could’ve inquired before putting a sign on my roof. What if you had fallen? I’ve been meaning to reinforce it, and last thing I need is someone walking up there.” Ace said as he stood next to Brandy and placed his hands on her shoulders, he kissed her cheek, “Now you need to calm down, okay? Frown lines don’t suit that pretty face of yours. Don’t worry I’m sure Steve and I will come to an understanding.”

Brandy relished in the moment enjoying Ace comforting her. “If he wants a sign, fine, I guess, but it needs to be somewhere else is what I’m saying. It shouldn’t be the first thing you see when you come into town.”

Frieda entered the diner and stood back listening before interjecting, "Brandy, calm down a second," Frieda said gently, touching her friend on the arm. "What's going on? What's this about?"

Brandy’s arm shot out and pointed at Steve, “Steve put that horrible sign on top of Ace’s diner without permission and it needs to go. He is carrying on about giving people an escape by doing drugs and having sex. Ace rubbed Brandy’s shoulders; it was starting to calm her down when Steve spoke up again.

“25% discount on all pleasure den services and products. I was gonna offer you that just to mention the den but I then though making a sign would be easier”

Brandy’s jaw dropped, she narrowed her eyes and pointed aggressively at Steve, “You listen here Steve. Ace doesn’t need a stupid discount, he has me.” She reached up and put her hand on top of his, “I can make him happier than your stupid drugs and girls, you can take that 25% discount and shove it up your…” Frieda gently steered Brandy away from Steve and Brandy saw a tall woman take seat, she had her the woman say something but Steve had her so angry she didn’t quit catch what was said.

"Well, Brandy, if Ace doesn't care, then there's not much you can do about it. Come on, let's go see Celeste. We can talk about this later, huh?" Frieda led Brandy towards the door. Brandy was shooting Steve down with her angry stare as she was escorted from the diner. Once outside Frieda lit a cigarette. "Honestly, if that creep wants to run his nest of disease and drugs, there's nothing any of us can really do about it. What we can do is maybe put him out of business. ...somehow." Frieda blew out some smoke and looked at Brandy, who appeared angry and appalled. "Wh -- no, NO, not like that. I mean, somehow run a counter business. Something like that," she rambled. "I don't have an idea exactly yet..."

“I will talk to Barney, we can put him out of business, I like that. He doesn’t need to hide behind Ace either, that guy is such a jerk. He thinks he can just do whatever he feels like and slowly kill people with his drugs.” Brandy raised her hands in surrender, “You’re right, we can come up with something later, Salem doesn’t need that type of place. Or at the very least Steve should respect the people’s opinion in town.”

They drew up to the double doors of the inn. Frieda tossed her cigarette butt over her shoulder and pulled one open, motioning for Brandy to enter. "After you."

“Thank you,” Brandy said as she walked into the reception area of Celeste’s place. Celeste was standing behind the counter directly opposite the door with her head resting in her hand fiddling with a pencil and a blank stare, “Good morning Celeste,” Brandy looked around, “This place is amazing.” She caught a glimpse of a Mr. Handy floating about the hallway behind Celeste, her eyes widened, “That is fantastic and this place is HUGE!!”

Something felt off about today. Rook had been out here for a while, but so far no one had wandered up this way at all. His mind combed through various possibilities, but then he just shrugged. The trader did have the right idea, the boat would bring in fish and shelled food, it would help to improve the economy of the town... But it also made them a target. Rook looked at the wall he had been working on. It was primitive, but it would work at the very least. Popping his neck, he started to lay the logs down in the front. Using the sea water, torn up cloth scraps, and old ropes, he would wrap the logs with the rope and pack the gaps in with mud. He had seen this done before, to the west, and it was made to make simple mud houses.

The barrier was not that high, but he knew it was a start at very least. If they got attacked while he was working on the boat, they at least had a little bit of cover. Walking back to his shack, he knew the man was going to be arriving before long. Rook had gotten the cables off an old pre war construction device, as well as a number of pulleys, during his travels. These would come in handy as long as he had a place to hook them to. Docks usually had spots he could set them up at. Rook gathered all this up ans headed to the spot he was shown last night, where the boat was resting at.

“Rook is here. Let's get boat pulled up so you can start working on it.”

Royce came to a stop before the five long dead corpses on the road leading into Salem. He wasn’t sure whether to take this as a bad omen, or to praise the town's security. It had obviously been several hours since the dearly departed found their grave, blow files already festering on their skin and the risen early morning sun practically boiling them on the pavement. After ensuring the dead had already been looted, he figured out that one of the people involved in the kerfuffle had managed to survive. Barely, judging by the brief splotches of blood that trickled their way in the direction of the town. Whether it was the victim or the perpetrator, that seemingly didn’t matter anymore. Especially not to him.

Trudging into town, the first thing to catch his attention was the big sign on top of what looked to be a diner. It took him some time, but he eventually made out the words on the sign to be “Pleasure Den”. Maybe the five corpses outside of town had something to do with this building, who knew, a lot of people do a lot of stupid stuff for pleasure. Knowing exactly what kind of establishment a Pleasure Den could be, he made his way inside to converse with local company. After all, what Royce needed was a place to stay. He was new in town; in fact, he was new in the commonwealth altogether.

It wasn’t quite… like any past ‘Pleasure Dens’ he’d been in or heard of. Firstly there was a woman practically dying in one of the corner booths - luckily being seen to by a vault-dweller who he assumed had medical knowledge - and secondly there seemed to be a lack of dance poles. Now Royce was by no means an expert but had thought that all brothels follow the basic architectural themes. Overhearing the Doctor's request regarding help with moving the woman Royce didn’t waste a moment and stepped his way towards the duo, voicing out a gruff “I’ll help.”

Adam 'Trails' Wilford- Outside Adam's seaside home

Adam had rubbed his brow at the crude set up, using an old car as his base for the rope when he came back to shore. He paddled the boat slowly in the morning sun, the smell of the sea wafting pleasantly in his nose. When he touched the boat, he jumped on deck to look around the boat to see if he could find any holes needing patching before he began. He did find a small tear, but nothing too deep and welded a small sheet of scrap metal he'd brought along. When that was done, he tied his ropes to the ship and checked to make sure they were securely in place with a few hard yanks and tugs. Satisfied, he jumped into the small rowboat and made his way back to shore with the rope. He listened to the gulls squawking noisily as he reached the shore and walked up the mud and winched the rope through the car, to keep the ship in place in case they lost grip on the ropes and he then tied the ropes to Bessie. "Alright girl, MUSH!" He slapped Bessie on the ass and she began to pull with all her might and so did he. He grunted and pulled, his gloved hands slipping but regaining a slow grip with each slip soon after. "Alright, stop...stop......stop." He leaned forward, wiping sweat from his brow and pushing back the matted mop of hair in his face. They'd made some progress, but they looked to be at it all day at this rate, or possibly even tomorrow. He sat in the dirt to try and recoup when a big shadow overtook him. Adam looked up with a hand over his eyes, thinking the sun had gone cloudy. “Rook is here. Let's get boat pulled up so you can start working on it.” Adam smiled with a worn out look and extended his hand to Rook's, "Welcome aboard, big man.". Adam turned to the jury rigged winch, "We've got the boat about...well...one/fifth of the way here. But with you here, we should be done in the next few hours.". He moved about to the other side of the winch system and pointed to a spot on the other side of the car as his energy was slowly coming back. "So, you will pull here in front. I will help feed the rope through this...uh...car...winch....thing and Bessie will pull it from her side. As she pulls, the rope tightens so if you lose your grip, we won't lose progress, see?" With that, Adam turned and yelled, 'Go, girl!' and she began to pull as he gave Rook a friendly pat on the back and the two began the process of pulling the boat to shore.

CELESTE BROWN -- Salem Diner

"I'm closing up soon," Ace had announced. Frieda had escorted what looked like a sloppy Brandy from the establishment, and soon, many others paid their tabs and left.

"Thanks for dinner, Ace! I'll see ya soon, I hope!" she chimed, a genuine smile on her face, before she slipped off her stool and left as well. She thought she heard a gun go off, and nearby, when suddenly Brandy's voice could be heard declaring "I'M OKAY!!!"

"Jeepers," Celeste giggled. She walked back into the inn, closing the door behind her.

"Ah, Manager Celeste! Welcome back. Did you enjoy your time in town?"

"Yes, it was fine. I met some more settlers over at the diner." Celeste yawned and stretched. "Well, we're open for business, but we don't have any boarders."

"I will manage the innkeeping overnight while you rest, manager," the bot replied.

"Oh," she yawned again, "fantastic." Celeste padded her way past the desk and into the hallway. "Oh, and in the morning, you need a proper name, okay? Remind me to think of something great."

"I certainly will. Oh, by the way, what's our nightly rate?"

Celeste paused, tapping her nose as she thought. "Gosh, I hadn't thought about that. Ummm...what about...eight caps?"

"Eight caps it is, Manager. Rest well!"

MORNING

Celeste woke feeling rested, though momentarily confused as to where she was. For a split second, she was looking for her bedroom walls in Niagara Falls, but instead of panicking, she reminded herself she was waking up in the inn. In her inn. She smiled to herself, wiping some rebel curls off her forehead, before getting out of bed.

She dressed herself in a short green dress with ruffled sleeves and a pair of comfortable, strappy brown sandals, and went out to the front desk. The smell of coffee greeted her, much to her surprise. "Good morning!" she chimed to the robot.

"Ah, Manager Celeste! I took the liberty of preparing some coffee, I hope that was quite all right. I realized I didn't even think to ask your preference before you went to bed."

"Coffee is wonderful," Celeste purred, sauntering into the kitchen and pouring herself some of the fresh brew into a mug. She hugged it with both hands and inhaled its aroma blissfully, before coming back out to the front counter. "Any customers overnight?"

"Sadly not, Manager. If you like, I can return to tidying up the dining hall? I found some spare paint in the basement and thought the walls could use a bit of a touch up."

Celeste blinked. "Wow, yes! Sure!"

"Most excellent! Well, just ring if you need me, hmm?" The robot floated off into the kitchen.

"Huh! Well aren't you helpful." Suddenly, she gasped, slamming her hands on the counter. "That's it!"

The robot turned. "What's that, Manager?"

"Archie! Your name is Archie!"

It paused. "That's most creative, Manager Celeste! 'Archie' it is, then."

Celeste perched herself on the stool behind the counter, sipping on her coffee, glancing around for something to do or organize and came up short. She pulled open all the drawers, being nosy as she was curious, and found an old Boston Bugle with an incomplete word search.

An hour later, she'd consumed three cups of coffee and found herself stuck trying to find PERILOUS. It simply seemed to be missing from the puzzle part. The smell of paint had overtaken the inn as the robot hummed and painted the dining hall.

She was bored.

A more intelligent person would likely be fretting for the viability of her business, or even, attempting to think of ways of drawing in more folks, but not Celeste. She was content to sit there, behind the counter, staring at the ancient word search, and simply hope someone walked in.

Suddenly, the door opened, and in walked Brandy, followed by Frieda. The latter was nearly unrecognizable with her hair down and in such soft colours. “Good morning Celeste,” Brandy greeted her cheerfully as she looked around, “This place is amazing.”

Celeste straightened and smiled. "It is a good morning!" she replied. Frieda merely smiled. Just then, the robot entered the reception area from the kitchen.

Brandy's eyes widened. “That is fantastic and this place is HUGE!!”

"Visitors! Welcome, welcome!" the robot chimed. "We do hope you enjoy your stay here at Sandy Coves."

"They're not here to stay, Archie," Celeste corrected. "These are some people I met just last night, Brandy, and Frieda."

"Ah, I see. Well, do take care not to loiter about too much, hmm? Please excuse me, I must retrieve some more paint from the basement. One of those cans had the bones of a dead animal in it and was totally dried out."

The colour drained from Celeste's face. "The paint, or the bones?"

Archie seemed to hesitate. "Both, I suppose. In any case, lovely meeting you all!" It floated out from behind the receptionist area, back down the hall, and completely out of sight.

She came out from around the desk and put her hands on her hips, having to look up at both the other two women in her presence. "Well, why don't I take you both on a tour, huh? Then you can at least tell people you've seen it and it's fantastic," she winked.

Celeste began by leading them up the stairwell immediately sprouting off the foyer. She pointed out the different rooms, gushing about how each of them have their own bathrooms with real, working plumbing. "They're all just so unique, you know? One was decorated all pre-war military style, another was full of boats, then there was one covered in paintings...just such a fascinating place!"

She led them onto the balcony that overlooked the dining hall. "Now this is one of my favourite things: the big ol' dining hall. Ace runs a fine diner, and I'm not about to try and compete with that, but just look at that big room! The robot fixed up a bunch of the tables and chairs, so there's lots of places to sit. Maybe I should try an' collect some books and magazines, maybe just turn it into a coffee shop? I do make a decent scone..."

"Anyways," she shrugged, "it seems like a big waste of space if I don't do something cool with it, you know?" Celeste motioned for the women to continue following her.

"That's my room," she pointed to her quarters. CELESTES RUME had been written onto the door in permanent marker. "This is the kitchen -- it's not as big as the one in the diner, I'd imagine, but it will get the job done! There's a little coffee left, if either of you are interested? Just help yourself!"

Finally, Celeste led them back into the foyer. "That's that! The whole place. It's only eight caps a night. Not too steep for a place with clean linens, huh?" She grinned, looking between both women. "What do you think?"

• Location - Commonwealth Road

Though the war-marred lands of former Massachussetts never fostered much of an idyll scene, Estelle could not help but feel disappointed by the lack of beauty. In the wake of cataclysmic war—the vestiges of which being gelded, charred trees, ugly shrubbery and barren soil—what was now called the Commonwealth had progressed very little in terms of flora and fauna reappearing. All that caught the senile woman’s bespectacled eyes while she sat in a brahmin-pulled cart were the occasional scuttering of animals and the sick, tallowy sky above her.

The recoiling bumps of the cart had kept Estelle awake for most of the journey from Diamond City to Salem, six hours yonder. The man who owned the cart and cattle, a hulking mass of muscle with leonine hair named Russ, offered enough company to keep her spirits up, making small talk with Estelle as she sat bundled up in a thin blanket and wedged between what little belongings she brought. Admittedly, Estelle was apprehensive of the muscular cart-driver initially, for she had only met him today. As they ventured further away from her home of old, however, Estelle felt only relief for having a capable man guiding her. The skulls and remains of less lucky travelers they passed quickly dispelled any distrust.

“We’re here, Ms. Bennett,” came the virile voice of Russ. Estelle’s body jolted upwards and she craned her blanket-cocooned body around to see.

“Well, certainly what I was expecting,” Estelle quipped. From her view, the small town did not seem to boast very much.

Perhaps it is better that it doesn’t.

The cart halted southeast of the settlement. Unwrapping the blanket from around her, Estelle's feet touched the dusty ground for the first time since leaving the city.

---

• Location - Salem

After paying Russ and bidding him a safe travel back, Estelle hobbled into Salem, her shawl draping her shoulders and suitcases occupying both hands and the crook of her left armpit. She had sent a courier down to Salem two weeks ago, and after an additional fortnight of waiting for a reply she assumed her messenger dead and decided, to her distaste, to simply come unannounced to the town.

Peering about the area, Estelle cursed herself for having the impatience of her father.

Mary Hawthorne - Her House - Dawn

Awakened to the sound of a rooster crowing, Mary opened her eyes and began to stir. A slight breeze was moving the threadbare curtains on her open bedroom windows, the dawn of a new day beginning to be visible through them. It had only been a few days, but the absence of the aches and pains she had felt for so long was gratifying....not to mention her now clear vision and improved hearing. A ghoul's extended lifespan carried a heavy price indeed...a burden Mary did not care to re-assume unless she had to. She climbed out of bed and put on the tan dress she had laid out on the dresser the night before. The musty smell and accumulated dust of the long vacant house irritated her...not to mention offended her reacquired sense of smell....she had spent most of the day yesterday cleaning the house, and there was still much to be done.

Making her way downstairs, she lit a fire in the fireplace then grabbed a pail and went to the kitchen sink. Turning on the tap, she waited until the brackish water cleared up then thrust the pail under it and let it fill. Obediah had been good enough to include a small purifier with the items she had brought from Point Lookout...and showed her how to use it...but it only produced a couple gallons a day, and she needed that for cooking and cleaning so the brahmin would have to make do with tap water, not that it would hurt the mutated creature any. Once the first pail was full, she swapped it out for another and placed the first one outside her front door. Once the second was full, she shut off the tap and went outside, picking up the other pail and heading for the brahmin enclosure next to her house. As she walked, she noticed that there were more people moving about than there was yesterday. She entered the pen, and emptied the pails into the old bathtub she was using to water her brahmin. The thirsty creature mooed contentedly and began to drink. Exiting the pen, and closing it behind her, she looked around....noticing two things right off the bat.

On the roof of the Diner, a sign had appeared.

Looking for some entertainment after your meal?
Head around the corner to the Pleasure Den!
BOOZE! DRUGS! AND GIRLS!
Also Hiring!

"Girls" and "Also Hiring" made her lips curl with distaste.

"A whorehouse? Here in Salem?", she thought bitterly, "John would have had that whoremonger horsewhipped and run out of town on a rail!"

She then caught herself....the stern morality of her youth was not relevant anymore...that was a far different world than the one she was in now. She also knew now what she had not then, that they were not sinners in the hands of an angry God, ceaselessly watching over them and keeping score. Whore or virgin, there was only one thing behind the veil for all....oblivion in a vast and uncaring universe. It really didn't matter in the scheme of things what you did...though it was still foolish to squander what little precious time they were given with such activities. Also, a place like that might have it's uses. The idea of actually selling herself in such a place was out of the question...but other opportunities might present themselves. The sort of people who frequent such places might be useful as helpers...if paid in sufficient coin. And she would need help indeed with the task that had brought her home after all these years. She decided to find this place and speak with it's proprietor later.

The other thing that got her attention was the horse....the first one she had seen since a few years after the War. She had noticed it tied up to a lamp post outside the diner yesterday, after she had been distracted from her cleaning by some silly child playing with a small pistol in the streets. If that woman who had confronted the Mutant hadn't taken it from her she would have gone out and given her a piece of her mind. She hadn't given the horse any further thought, but she now saw it was still in the same spot today, and getting a bit restive from the way it had begun to pull at the halter securing it to the lamp post.

Heading back into the house, she put away the pails and got the clean pail she was using for clean water, then filled it from the plastic tank the purifier was discharging into. She then exited the house and, pail in hand, walked towards the Diner and the horse. As she approached, she noticed the horse, a silver dappled Rocky Mountain Horse, was still saddled and there was blood on it's flank. Approaching the horse, she patted it reassuringly and moved around the front of it, and placed the pail of clean water where the horse could reach it. The horse immediately plunged it's muzzle into the pail and began to drink greedily.

"Thirsty, are you?", Mary said as she stroked the horse's neck affectionately as she examined the blood on the horse. To her relief, the horse was uninjured, the blood on it's flank and smeared on the saddle was human, probably it's rider. "What happened to your rider?", she said. The horse looked back at her and snorted, not that she expected an answer. Looking in the Diner, there were several people, none seemed at all concerned with the horse or her. "Well, lets get you cleaned up and get that saddle off you....these people clearly don't know what you need....but I do."

Mary untied the horse and led him back to her house. Once there, she removed the saddle and saddle bags, draping the blanket over the railing of her front porch then hauling the saddle bags and bloody saddle inside. Looking into one of the bags, she found among the personal effects of the rider the horse's brush, which she took and closed the bag up again. After filling the pail again, she went back outside, and gave the horse more water. She then turned her attention to cleaning the blood off the horse and brushing it, while it grazed at the overgrown grass in her front yard. The horse patiently allowed her to take care of it, though she could see that all was still not quite right.

"You need some exercise, don't you?", Mary said. "I don't have a big enough pen for you to run in so we'll take a short ride....how about that?" She then clambered up onto the horse's back....the water having earned her enough good will for the horse to accept her....and after a few unsteady moments, coaxed the horse into a slow trot. She hadn't ridden a horse bareback for so long that she could barely remember it...she had been fifteen and had done it on a dare from her elder brother. How upset father had been at her for that...both of them had gotten a taste of his belt. The sensuous feeling of the powerful animal between her bare thighs brought the old memories flooding back...her life had been a happy one in those days....happy in her ignorance of the awful truths that she would come to know, and what the world had been like before the fools running it had ruined it for everyone else.

After the first circuit of the streets surrounding the Village Square, she felt secure enough in her seat to coax the horse into picking up the pace, trotting around the Square, smiling at the townspeople who had noticed what she was doing and stood and gawked. Soon, she would need to find who this horse belonged to and get their property back to them....but for now she chose to enjoy the moment.