Sara Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts



Waiting in her secluded booth Sara was becoming anxious. There were too many people inside the diner and with the arrival of a few more she couldn’t take it. She got up from her booth and fished out the pack of cigarettes she kept in her coat pocket. Unconcerned with what happened to the meat she brought with her Sara grabbed her backpack, and rifle before heading out of the diner. Ace was still busy with his other guests but Sara mumbled something to him while she fumbled to light her cigarette on her way out. “I need to step out for a minute Ace. I’ll be back.” She didn’t slow down to wait for him to answer her heart was racing and she needed to get out of the diner and get some space.

Outside with her cigarette finally lit Sara was able to catch her breath. “Why the fuck does everyone need to come to the diner at the same time!? Don’t these people have anything better to fucking do?” Sara whispered to herself as she paced outside the diner, even outside she couldn’t find solace. There was a woman riding a horse around the square that quickly drew her attention. Sara was initially startled by the site of a horse, and the fact that there was someone that actually knew how to ride it. She was too flustered by the crowd inside the diner to approach the woman though. Even the small amount of people that were outside were enough to keep Sara wound up so she headed further out of town, smoking her cigarette like her life depended on it.

Sara walked along the street leading north out of town coming to a brief rest by a large salmon colored building. She slumped up against the building’s foundation and ran her hands through her matted, greasy hair. In all honesty she was exhausted from the trip down here, she hadn’t been getting the rest that she needed and it was obviously starting to take a toll on her psyche. Maybe she needed to give this whole act up. Stop searching for Eliza, stop coming to this town. Just leave it all behind and keep heading north until she couldn’t go any further. There was no chance at redemption for her. She could never walk with the righteous, not after the things she had done. She was condemned to an inescapable hell either way, best she could do was just accept who she is, and what she’s capable of. There was a time when she would be proud to say that, to spit in the eye of anyone that disagreed with her. Now it just didn’t seem right. Not after she lost Eli. Her world was just not the same without him. She would give everything she ever had, and her own life if it meant that Eli could have a chance to live his. Sara clasped her hands together in one balled fist, her palms were sweaty as she squeezed her hands together trying to knead out the fire that was raging inside her.

She was fooling herself if she actually thought it would go away. It was too late for that, Sara snapped and spun around to face the weathered stone foundation that was supporting her. “FUCK!” She hammered her fists against the foundation as hard as she could, drawing blood that spattered the stone. After a few strikes Sara exhausted herself and she drug her fists down the wall after her final blow, scraping her skin and drawing more blood. Sara’s eyes were watery but she didn’t cry, she didn’t believe that she still could and she was probably right. She couldn’t feel anything anymore, even pain was fleeting. A quick rush, a burst of adrenaline to remind herself that she was still human was all she could get. Her heart had forgotten what it felt like to care, and she couldn’t remember if she ever did. Even in her memories of Eli she could only remember the times she hurt him, the times that she wasn’t the mother he deserved. She knew deep down inside of herself that she loved him more than she’s ever loved anything else, but she couldn’t convince herself to believe it.

“Ma’am, is everything alright?” A man’s hesitant voice came from behind Sara as she turned herself to face him.

“I’m doing alright, and you cowboy” Sara stood up and composed herself, her rifle and backpack had collapsed off of her shoulders and were now laying on the ground. She still had her pistol, but from the looks of the man she could take him. Even with bloodied fists she was confident that if things escalated she would come out on top, although the man’s voice was strangely calming. It was the sincerity in his tone that put Sara off. She wasn’t used to hearing it, that unmistakable kindness that only came from the heart.

“With all do respect Ma’am you don’t look alright.” The man was accompanied by another horse, and his clothes were soiled from dirt and grime. It was clear from the streaks on the man’s face and his puffy red eyes that he was recently crying. He didn’t strike Sara as the fighting type but something told her that he had seen his share. His face was younger than her’s but it was just as worn, his eyes were so innocent and stood out from the rest of his face. Almost like another part of him was trapped inside his body. “My names Dutch. I didn’t mean to come up on you like that. I was heading back into town.” He offered his open hand to Sara, hoping she would shake it and lighten the mood.

“Dutch? That’s a good name for a cowboy.” Sara firmly accepted his gesture with her sore blood soaked hand, shaking it firmly and sneering at the pain.

• Location - Salem (Ace's Diner)

Thud. Thud-thud.

Estelle promptly dropped her luggage, its weight straining the old woman’s frail arms and cramping her gnarled fingers. A sigh slipped from between her ruddy lips. Beginning to feel the waxing sun’s heat build on her head and the nape of her neck, Estelle shrugged off her shawl and wrapped the bricolage of sewn patterns and colors around her head and neck, into a rather comfortable headscarf.

Brushing aside stray tresses of wispy hair, Estelle’s eyes wandered to a towering church several feet from her. Despite its peeling, dilapidated exterior, the place of worship donned a rustic appearance which she could not help but admire. It was a welcomed contrast to the unappealing buildings of Diamond City, which were either an assemblage of scrap metal or a dismal skeleton of one—picked dry by the many scavengers in the area. As Estelle’s gaze drifting upwards, towards the steeple of the church, a vibrant red sign caught her attention.

Set ablaze against the sun, the sign drew her towards Salem’s diner, suitcases and purse again in her hands. As she approached, Estelle noticed a woman leaving the diner, the sounds of chatter following her out.

As she approached the eating house, Estelle felt nervousness snake through her. She paused at the door, lips pursed. She quietly wished she had brought Lady Luck with her. The grizzled mutt had been Estelle’s companion for years, and she had left Lady back in Diamond City with her friend Constance. Though it scared her to admit it—to even think about it—Estelle planned to eventually die here, and did not want to damn Lady out here to suffer the same fate. She knew the dangers in rural Commonwealth were very real, and the safety of the city would guarantee Lady a pampered life. That was what Estelle wanted for her dog.

Bags in hand and headscarf framing her wizened countenance, Estelle stepped into the diner.

Summer - Salem Diner

Summer nodded. Salem. She was headed in the general direction of this small-town for the Children of Atom. “Infestation is...a bit of a term,” she mused quietly. “They’re irradiated weirdos and tend to be hostile, but I wouldn’t put them down as pests.” She was gently mopping up her own wounds with patience and focusing on making sure she didn’t just bleed out in the diner. Some other man entered, called Steve, and made a dismissive remark about her state. His nonchalance seemed to placate Summer; at least there are still assholes out there in the Commonwealth, even as far off as Salem. “Don’t fucking carry me?” she suggested sharply, frowning with alarm. “This right here is damaged goods, you’ll probably rip an arm off or something if you try to drag me out to a clinic.”

Then some other lady wandered in and introduced herself as Brandy Brooks. Summer stared at her in bemusement as she welcomed her sorry ass to Salem and confirmed that they indeed had a clinic, but then seemed to mock her miserable state by only focusing on Summer’s broken nose as if that was the biggest issue at the moment. She quirked a brow and gave Brandy a deadpan stare but before she was able to make a snide remark, Brandy had fucked off to start yelling at Steve. “Woooow,” she whistled lowly and then started to snigger, another series of faint wheezes coming from her corner of the diner.

Another woman entered and Summer immediately felt a kinship towards her because she made the snide remark that Summer kind of wanted to then immediately sat far out of the way so nobody would bother her. If Summer was in better shape, she would’ve done the same...but needs must. Whoever that lady is, she won Summer’s respect.

And then the doctor arrived. Summer also liked this man. No bullshit conversation starters, no introductions, just sitting down and getting the fuck to work. The only words he said were the important ones; there’s a lack of medical supplies and she needs to be carried. The last thing Summer wanted to be was a back-seat doctor, but she fidgeted uncomfortably at his sense of urgency. “Is it really THAT bad…?” she asked slowly, hesitantly adding “I mean, I haven’t passed out yet. That’s a plus. The worst part is I’m meant to be a medic myself, if those fuckwads hadn’t taken my stuff.”

Luckily, someone volunteered to help out and Summer immediately regretted being so nice to these strangers. The guy looked like he was used as a chew toy, with the intelligence of one of the wet rags Summer had pressed onto her torso. Nevertheless, a man with that many scars probably knew how to stitch up a cut or two and that was all Summer could really ask for, given the circumstances. She also had to admire his straightforward attitude to the situation too. She wanted to say ‘you look like a dumbass but you’re being more helpful than the majority of the people in this building’, but couldn’t put it into words that wouldn’t offend anyone, so she decided on simply smiling at the doctor and Royce and firmly saying “thanks.”

Dr. Arthur West - Ace's Diner

"I'll help." Came a gruff reply from a new face amongst the crowd of townspeople in the Diner. The scarred man had been the only one to offer any help to the weary Doctor West. Arthur was crestfallen at the seeming lack of interest or concern for the injured woman in the Diner. Instead of stopping to help or assist with his plea for medical supplies, they'd simply continued to go about their business, acting as if the young woman wasn't bleeding her life away on the floor.

The surface never ceases to surprise with its barbarity.. he thought to himself.

"Thank you," Arthur said, turning to the man who had made the offer, "We need to do this gently. I hate to move her at all, but I need to get her to a better spot to treat her injuries. And the clinic is right across the road. We can do it together."

“Is it really THAT bad…?” the woman had asked slowly, “I mean, I haven’t passed out yet. That’s a plus. The worst part is I’m meant to be a medic myself, if those fuckwads hadn’t taken my stuff.”

"I won't know for certain how bad your wounds are until I can examine them closely, but to put it bluntly, yes: it looks that way," Arthur replied simply, "Now lets get you moved."

Carefully, Arthur and the volunteer moved the wounded woman out of the Diner and into the first floor of the Salem Church. Arthur motioned for them to lay her down on a makeshift bedding that was laid out on the wooden floor of the church and he immediately set to work. He used what supplies he had on him to stabilize her condition as best he could. He had only a single shot of Med-X which he used to help dull her pain and a stimpak to help boost her body's own natural healing processes. However, he had very little anti-septic to help treat the wounds and prevent infection, as he'd used most of it on Eliza. The lack of supplies that he'd mentioned back in the diner hadn't been a lie, and he found himself woefully unable to fully treat the woman. Just as he'd said.

"I've stopped the bleeding for now. But I'm going to need more anti-septic and some fresh clean bandages if we want to ensure you don't get hit with a nasty infection later." He shook his head in disappointment, "I can't believe they did nothing..." in a low voice he then added, "..sometimes I wonder if we weren't right.."

Arthur then turned his attention to the man,

"What did you say your name was? Or...did you say it at all? I'm sorry I'm afraid I can't remember...listen thank you for your assistance, but I'm afraid I need to ask one more favor of you. I saw an old pre-war retirement home when I first came here. I believe one of the townspeople is turning it into an inn of sorts right now...in any case, its the closest thing I can think of right now which might have some medical supplies to scavenge. Can you please go to the owner and ask her to send what she can spare to the Church? Clean linens, medicines, or anything that can be used as bandages. I need more supplies. I have two patients who are being treated for gunshot wounds and I need help."

Rook had spent nearly half the day hauling the ship in. He had helped to reset the ropes as well, making use if the additional pulleys he had brought to add more mechanical force to things. It didn't ever take long for a number of things, but this took a lot longer than Rook had expected it to. It did remind him of hauling a car out of the water to be used for making a lot of metal tools when he was near one of the Great Lakes, as it had been called.

Still, by the end of it, Rook was sweating, his body was sore and hurt, and he would need a few hours to recover. The boat had been another beast to be beaten, something else claimed from the fires of a war far older than anyone could dream of. The fact they had so little working boats was something that Rook had always wondered about. He had seen a man restore a pre-war tank and modify it to use the nuclear motors of various other cars, but he so rarely had seen boats...

Well, there was one raider gang based out of a Marna. They had sail boats, but they weren't anything special. He used rocks and grenades to skin those. When it was all said and done however, Rook sat down on the side of the dock, looking over the water.

“Can man get it to work? Boats can be useful. Boats can be helpful. Rook only hopes we have enough to keep raiders away who might want boat.”

Adam 'Trails' Wilford- Outside Adam's Home

Adam and Rook had worked for hours, hauling the rope inch by inch. It was exhausting work and he made no mistake in acknowledging Rook was the man who did the brunt of the work and he and Bessie were more the help on the project. By the time they were done, Adam collapsed onto a small milkcrate on the wall of his shack, sitting in the noontime shade. His forearms ached like a thousand knives, but he reached for two bottles of water, one for him and one for Rook. He passed Rook's bottle to him and the mutant spoke up, “Can man get it to work? Boats can be useful. Boats can be helpful. Rook only hopes we have enough to keep raiders away who might want boat.” Adam sighed from exhaustion, "I don't know, man. I haven't looked yet." He sourced an old handkerchief from his jeans and wiped away sweat and got up with a groan and walked down to the coastline with Rook, "I only looked to make sure it ain't got holes in it that'd sink it when we pulled it. I figured if we got her to shore, then we'd worry about what's under her skirts." He climbed over the side and opened the hatch to her engine with a yell of "Oh, holy hell!" and went silent as he continued looking around inside. Then slammed it shut in mild anger and looked back at Rook. "Yeah, she'll run, but it'll take a few days. Engine's flooded with sea water and a few common components are rusted, but it'll take a few days talking to some of the guys I know on the road. They'll bring the parts but it'll be about two to three days. I can get this dried out by the next few days. But the dang thing's gonna need a lot of TLC before she's truly seaworthy again." He half-waved his hand in the air in frustration and sighed, "Thanks, Rook. You're a good man. I don't think I'll be needing you for anything else. But if I see any of them crabmen about, I'll give a holler. That said, don't think I'll forget that you done right by me. The deal still stands, a crate of fish from every catch I bring in whenever you want, just stop by and ask whenever you're in the mood for fish." Adam dug around in an old chest left by whoever used it before the war and dug around for the small pumps he'd need to drain the water and spoke as he set them up, nothing fancy, just a small electric pump, "Uh, right now though. I'm going to take a walk about town to blow off a little steam, get my mind off the boat while she drains the sea outta her belly." He went in his shack, putting on his trader's jacket and slung his sack on his back. He went back to Rook and shook his hand, "Again, thanks, friend. I couldn't have done this without you. We're bringing a whole new venue to the town. Might even make Salem relevant as a key trading hub in the region." He smiled a genuine smile, not his phony trader smile, the traces of his hidden sadness in the lines, "I've met a lot of people in my time on the road, not many of them good ones, but I'm glad you're not one of those many.". He turned and made his walk into the town proper, putting back the mask of happiness he kept for the world firmly in place once more.

Salem- Sandy Coves Inn

Adam had overheard some woman was camped out in a place that used to be an old retirement center and figured he might try to see if she'd let him dig around in her place for things to scavenge. Most people weren't willing to part with their goods, but some were....for a price. If he was lucky, she'd be one of the latter. If not, well, such is life as a roving trader. He finally found his feet in front of the inn and opened the door and was taken aback to see it was a robot behind the desk, not a lady. "Hello, sir! I'm Archie and welcome to Sandy Coves. Will you be requiring a room? It's only eig-", Adam put up a hand to halt the Handy, "Woah, slow down there, hoss. I ain't here for room and board. I'm uhhh, here to speak to your boss. Tempeste? Selista? Somethin' like that?"

((@skrtwithaweaponI'm sorry for the light CC of your character, I hope you don't mind. I just figured since it attends the desk he'd be there at some point, so I only used a basic 'welcome' line to reduce any possible conflicts of personality. If you have a problem with that though, please let me know and I'll correct it promptly. :) ))

Royce took in the sight of the severely injured woman, she must have been the one jumped by the now-dead corpses on the road into Salem. Redirecting his attention back to the Vault-Dweller, Royce could instantly tell that the man was on his last legs. He certainly hadn’t expected a town like this to consume the time of a doctor this much but definitely didn’t blame it. The man’s instructions were clear and without a word Royce followed his lead by carefully raising the injured woman and making their way towards the church, gently placing her down up on the makeshift bedding on the entry floor.

Summer made a low snarl of “watch it..” as Royce and the doctor lifted her up, but it was quickly silenced by the worrying realisation that she could no longer stand on her own. In fact, being lifted made the corners of her vision go dark. Anxiety started to take root and Summer opted against complaining until she had been seen to.

In mere seconds the Doctor began work on her. Royce stepped back in intrigue; he already felt far too invested in the situation to turn back and leave. With his brows furrowed at the sight of just how dire the wounds were, Royce couldn’t help but be impressed at just -how- resolute the woman was to have made her way into town. She was far too small, far too feeble, it was almost as if the waspish expression imprinted on her face was the sole reason for her heart to still be beating.

As a matter of fact, that waspish expression was directed towards Royce at the moment. She didn’t mean to scowl at the man but the thought of taking a good long look at her own wounds and having to bite back the urge to tell a fellow doctor how to do his own job was too much, so she looked away from her own personal surgeon and glared steadfastly at Royce. Every so often a whimper, hiss, or grunt of pain went through her clenched teeth and caused another shudder to run through her broken body. It made the scowl go worse, almost as if she was singlehandedly blaming the complete stranger who was watching her for every little twinge of discomfort.

Royce’s eyes drifted on the Doctor who was fully immersed in the preservation of life. Weary, almost withered by whatever strains the previous days had put on him. Royce felt a tinge of respect for his efforts, at least compared to what he’d seen from the vault-dwellers ilk throughout his travels.

The woman had managed a few words in the diner that only helped convey her vexed state even further. ‘A medic? She sure knows a thing or two about bullets now.’ Royce thought back. His attention was again snapped back onto the Doctor who must have finished with his work.

"What did you say your name was? Or...did you say it at all? I'm sorry I'm afraid I can't remember...listen thank you for your assistance, but I'm afraid I need to ask one more favor of you. I saw an old pre-war retirement home when I first came here. I believe one of the townspeople is turning it into an inn of sorts right now...in any case, it’s the closest thing I can think of right now which might have some medical supplies to scavenge. Can you please go to the owner and ask her to send what she can spare to the Church? Clean linens, medicines, or anything that can be used as bandages. I need more supplies. I have two patients who are being treated for gunshot wounds and I need help."

Royce didn’t respond with anything aside from a few nods as the vault-dweller made his second request. He felt strangely compelled to help the man, he wasn’t making demands, he wasn’t being pushy, in fact these were pretty reasonable requests, he had two almost dying people to take care of after all. Besides, Royce was technically a free man now.
“Of course. I’ll get on it right now.”



Without wasting anymore time Royce left the church, scanning the surrounding buildings around it for what could have been the retirement home the Doctor mentioned. He eventually found it, and upon entering noticed a merchant waiting by a Mr.Handy robot at what was supposedly the front desk. Royce didn’t have much experience with robots, in fact he felt too uncomfortable to converse with one. Instead he raised his voice enough to catch one’s attention, directed at the merchant, and asked “Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency.”

Ooc: wanted to give a quick reply to summer before replying to others.

Steve cooper – Salem

“Doesn’t fucking carry me?” she suggested sharply, frowning with alarm. “This right here is damaged goods; you’ll probably rip an arm off or something if you try to drag me out to a clinic.”

“Correct” Steve replied as he turned to the injured woman. “But then why the bloody hell would I drag you to the clinic princess? If I was gonna take you to clinic I’d carry you in my arms like the other injured woman and she was alot further away from the clinic than you are...”

-----

“I can make him happier than your stupid drugs and girls, you can take that 25% discount and shove it up your…” but before she could swear hotshot came in and saved her.

A pointer! Need to training a radgull to come and bite it off...

Steve considered for an movement if he should reply back and break the little mouse’s heart (or finger) but doing so would like piss of Ace and ruin his advertisement plans. Besides Steve had an idea on how to deal with Brandy so instead Steve simply replied with an “of course.” As he finished of his coffee

She’s kind of cute when she’s angry

Once Hotshot and Brandy had left the diner Steve turned to Ace “despite what she said... I assume you’re okay with 25%? You will also have access to anything else build or set up later on like VIP rooms.”

“Oh and very nice coffee.”

Getting up off his stool and walking outside Steve lighted up a smoke as he watched as young woman he thought he’d seen yesterday riding on the Horse around on town. Until (or if) he could find an buyer looking after that horse would be an drain on resources and perhaps a potential bullet in the head from whoever was asking Ace questions about the Horse.

She seems to know what she’s doing...best to leave it with her, can always steal it back later anyway.

By now the doctor and his volunteer, some sort of tribal Man with numerous scars on his body, seemlying all from dogs on his body had carried “Princess” as he had nicknamed her into the clinic. Taking a puff on his smoke Steve walked down the street and followed them in.

Entering the clinic the doctor was talking to the tribal man “Can you please go to the owner and ask her to send what she can spare to the Church? Clean linens, medicines, or anything that can be used as bandages. I need more supplies. I have two patients who are being treated for gunshot wounds and I need help."

Once the tribal man had left to get supplies Steve walked up to the doctor, opening up his jacket pocket Steve pulled out a small bag of various different chems, opening it up he took out Several doses of Med-x, two buffout pills and a stimpack. “All I have on me right now, well the ones you need alteast but once you have dealt with princess and gotten some sleep come and see me and I’ll have Johnny brew up the meds you need.” Steve stated has he handed the doctor the drugs

“first batch will be free but after that For cost price.”

Only guy in town who can patch people up... best to keep him happy and well supplied.... don’t worry get shot only for the doctor to not have any meds.

Leaving the doctor to treat Princess Steve headed up stairs to the second floor of the church only to find Eliza chatting with that sherbet girl who had rushed in and kissed her... Had she gone home last night?

“Sorry to interrupt” Steve said as he walked into the room and over to Eliza’s bed “I just wanted to see how you were doing, you lost alot of blood last night.”

“Oh and here I got you this.” Steve added on as he took out the small one-eyed teddy bear he had found earlier on in the clothes shop and gently handed it to Eliza.

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." Brandy just stared at the functioning robot in awe.

"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."

“He paints too? WOW !!!” Brandy

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.

Brandy waved, “Nice to meet you too Archie.” She looked at Celeste and pointed at Archie, “Now that is really cool, you're so lucky. If I had one of those I could get so much done.”

Celeste walked around the desk, "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.

Brandy looked up at Frieda with a big smile, “That would be wonderful Celeste.”

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!"

“Oh, now that is neat. All of them have working plumbing? It took me over a week to get mine up and running, it really sucked.” Brandy went and flushed the toilet in one room.

Celeste 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?"

Brandy looked out over the balcony, ideas rushing through her head. Then she was snapped from her thoughts as 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!" 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?"

“I think it will be great when word gets out. I mean, it is already great, but when more people can enjoy it will be something special.” Brandy places her finger over her mouth, “You know Celeste, I brew my own moonshine. You have the space, I have the knowledge to make a one of a kind alcohol, I think that space would make a nice honky tonk...bar kinda thing. I also have some interesting recipes for potatoes and onions if you have a deep frier. But we can talk about that some more later, I told Rook that I'd help with the wall.”

Archie could be heard greeting someone at the front desk. Brandy looked and saw the trader she had met at Ace’s Diner speaking to Archie, "Woah, slow down there, hoss. I ain't here for room and board. I'm uhhh, here to speak to your boss. Tempeste? Selista? Somethin' like that?"

Brandy walked out and waved, “Good morning,” she offered a pleasant smile and pointed, “That's Celeste.”

A rather large man with some pretty intense scars walked in just moments after the trader, “Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency.”

Brandy looked, the man was intimidating then pointed at herself, “Na...no, I don't, the robot is Archie and Celeste over there is the owner.” She then caught herself looking at the large man's scars and shook her head, “Emergency? Is everything OK? Can I help?”

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - Morning

“I think it will be great when word gets out. I mean, it is already great, but when more people can enjoy it will be something special.” Brandy places her finger over her mouth, “You know Celeste, I brew my own moonshine. You have the space, I have the knowledge to make a one of a kind alcohol, I think that space would make a nice honky tonk...bar kinda thing. I also have some interesting recipes for potatoes and onions if you have a deep frier. But we can talk about that some more later, I told Rook that I'd help with the wall.”

Celeste's eyes widened. Moonshine! "Hold up, are you serious?" She could barely believe what Brandy had just old her. "You'd...you'd distill out of my inn?!"

They were approaching the foyer again. Before Celeste could continue questioning Brandy, the digital voice of Archie could be heard, talking to...someone. Brandy was there, first. Celeste thought she recognized the man at the counter, but wasn't totally sure. She was pretty tired the night before and couldn't remember everyone she saw, if she hadn't talked to them.

"Woah, slow down there, hoss. I ain't here for room and board. I'm uhhh, here to speak to your boss. Tempeste? Selista? Somethin' like that?"

Brandy walked out and waved, “Good morning,” she offered a pleasant smile and pointed, “That's Celeste.”

"Good morning!" Celeste chirped in addition. "Can I help you, sir?"

A rather large man with some pretty intense scars walked in just moments after the first, “Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency.”

Brandy blinked, then pointed at herself, “Na...no, I don't, the robot is Archie and Celeste over there is the owner.”

"...hello," Celeste replied awkwardly, offering a small wave.

“Emergency? Is everything OK? Can I help?" Brandy continued.

Celeste looked over her shoulder to see Frieda remained loitering in the doorway to the hall, appearing slightly interested but generally disconnected to what was going on. She's so weird. She returned her attention to the folks in her foyer and cleared her throat, trying not to sound annoyed. "Sorry to interject," she smiled, tilting her head to look up at both men standing in front of her. "I'm Celeste Brown," she repeated for emphasis, flipping some curls off her shoulder and smiling her sweetest smile. "This is the Sandy Coves Inn, and my assistant there is Archie."

"Pleasure to meet you!" Archie greeted in a pleasant sounding, though robotic, voice.

"I'd be glad to help out as best I can," Celeste continued, "but you're all gonna have to tell me what it is that's goin' on. So!" She placed her hands on her hips and stood up as tall as she could, which truly, was not very tall. "Who wants to go first?"

Adam 'Trails Wilford- Sandy Coves Inn

Adam turned at the sight of the scarred man who seemed reticent to speak to one of them bots, which was understandable and turned to Adam. “Do you work here, or know the person that works here? Emergency.” He thought to say no, but couldn't help himself. "Sure am. Sander G Coves, some 'round here call me Sandy. Hence the name." But before he could continue his shenanigans, the girl from the diner named Brandy stopped him and spoke over him. “Na...no, I don't, the robot is Archie and Celeste over there is the owner.”. A small, kind of cutely meek really, woman popped out from a corner. "I'm Celeste Brown," she repeated for emphasis, flipping some curls off her shoulder and smiling her sweetest smile. "This is the Sandy Coves Inn, and my assistant there is Archie." Adam stood aside, making a sweeping motion with his fingers for the big man to go ahead, "Go on, partner. I'm in no rush.". Adam leaned against the wall as he waited for them to finish up before he had his say.

Adam approached and nodded. "Ma'am.", instinctively tried to tip his trader's cap and realized he'd forgotten it back at the shack, "Oh...this is embarrassing. Seems I left my cap back at the shed." He wiped his hands on his jeans again, realizing he'd forgotten to take care of that back at the shed. "Sorry, was working on my fishing boat and I didn't wash my hands before I came into town." He cleared his throat to try and introduce himself again. "Name's Adam Wilford, scavenger and merchant by trade....and a little side work in repair too." He put his hand to his side when he finished his introduction. "I'm not really one to beat around the bush, so I'll just come out and get to business. I heard your ol bed n' breakfast here ain't running yet. I was wondering if maybe you might be willing to let me look around for anything good. I will pay top shelf for it if you're willing to sell." He dug around in his pockets and found a worn leather pouch and muttered to himself, "Oops, that's the personal funds. Need the....business!" He found the blue pouch and put a bag of 500 caps out to her to count. "See? So you know I ain't some 'dine and dash' trader trying to rip you off." He put the pouch back in his jacket. "If not, that's alright. I'm overdue for a meal that ain't canned and cooked on a hotplate too if you're up for mealtime. Or both, really."

Rick Noel – Finch Farm

Rick woke up early in the morning. It was hard not to, as it seemed to be quite lively outside. He sat up on the old mattress, and stretched his arms as he tried to alleviate some of the pain and tension on his back. The mattresses at Vault 88 were far more comfortable than these so called beds. The vault’s mattresses had been in vacuum sealed storage containers. Why no one made new ones surprised him.

He hadn’t gotten a chance to see where he had arrived. After a long day he headed straight to this little guesthouse and rented a room. He grabbed his bag and headed for the hall. He looked down both ends and saw a room marked *Bathroom/Showers* and had the male symbol on it. He headed for the room and stepped inside. He cringed his nose at the smell; it definitely wasn’t Institute quality clean.

It dawned on him, he would now have to get used to such accommodations and quickly went about his business. After using the toilet and taking a quick ice cold shower, he left the guesthouse and found himself by the market of the settlement. It was quite busy as people were coming in and doing some shopping. He looked around and the vast array of vegetables surprised him.

He perused the various stands, and saw stopped at a clothing vendor. He saw a pair of blue jeans and some white undershirts that were his size and he decided to purchase them. To most this would seem like a mundane transaction but to Rick it was exciting making his first purchase. He would now get to buy clothes, rather than putting dirty clothes in hamper and retrieving clean clothes from a freshly stocked communal bin.

As he walked around he spotted a pair of sunglasses. *These glasses look similar to the ones X1-25 used to wear while deployed to the field.* He purchased them and put them on. It wasn’t a sunny day, but he liked the way they looked. He made his way to some caravans, and heard them talk about heading to Salem. He had read of the small town from early reports, about a town, but where only one man was left, rest had been killed or left.

However, from the sounds of it, peoplpe were settling there again. It piqued his interest, he had option of staying at Finch Farm or head for a new settlement. He tapped them man that seemed to be leading his caravan, "I'm sorry, I heard you're headed for Salem, can I accompany you on the trip?"

"I dunno kid, we aint in the protection racket. But can't stop you from trailing us. Just make sure you know how to use that gun of yours."

"Don't worry I know how," Replied Rick as he adjusted the straps on his backpack, "Name's Rick."

"Daniel Finch, just try and keep up. It's about 2 hour walk, but we try to move quickly and get there sooner."
----------------------------------------------------
Daniel wasn't kidding when he said they moved quickly. They were close to jogging not walking. At least it was a steady pace, and rick was able to tail along. The stillness of the Commonwealth was almost palpatable, for the most part it was dead silent aside from the sound of the wagon wheels and their footsteps.

Rick could see a lighthouse closing up in the distance, but rather than head straight, they made their way leftward, and away from the main road. Instead of jogging, they slowed down and were careful. It seemed the area was well known for raids. They passed the area as quietly and as quickly as possible. Soon they were back on the road to Salem.

They were close to the Museum of Witchcraft, and oddly enough a growling sound emanated from the inside. Daniel looked back at Rick, "Stay away from there, some terrible Joojoo in there."

Rick nodded, but he stopped in his track and looked to the northwest. A strange pull called to him in the distance. He looked back at Daniel, "Thanks for the company. But this is where we part ways."

"Good luck, and remember stay out of that building." Daniel shouted back as he continued on his way.

Rick continued in the direction of the pull, and soon found himself outside an old quarry, a place called Dunwich Borers. He carefully made his way forawrd, but there didn't seem to be anyone there. He got on all fours and carefully made his way to the edge. He looked around him again to make sure no one was around then looked down.

He could hear slight chanting of sorts, and a group of hooded people stood at the bottom of the deep pit. He couldn't make out what they were saying but they congregated among something, but he couldnt make out what it was. He jumped to the walked way below him and quietly began to make his way down to get a closer view.

He was closer now, and there appeared to be two groups. One group off to the side, was using the machinery to continue digging, the other group was before a monolith of some sort, a small obelisk much like the one located in Bunker hill, but it was roughly 12 ft tall, and looked like it had been dragged there. Whatever the hooded men chanted, he couldn't understand. However, every so often he felt a wave or pull coming from the obelisk.

He had enough and started to make his way back up. As he left, he heard shouting, and he looked back. Hooded men and woman started to give chase and they were beginning to pull out weapons. Rick started to run, and he pulled his bag forward and opened it. He pulled two plasma cells from his pack, and quickly zipped it and put it back on.

He grabbed the cells and smashed one and pulled some filament and wrapping from one and released it. He wrapped the other cell with the metal copper with the positive side facing negative and vice versa. He tied the fillament and soon the cell began to get hot, and very quickly too. He reached the top, and quickly he threw it down on the landing below. As soon as it hit landing, a sizeable explosion emanated, and the the planks collapsed.

He had prevented them from chasing him for the time being. He continued running south as fast as he could and not looking back. Whatever he had seen was not normal, and whatever it was no one would believe.

Royce furrowed his brows at Sander G. Coves, or Adam Wilford, as he introduced himself to the woman who was presumably the real owner of the retirement home. With some slight suspicion, he waited for the merchant to make his introduction and proceeded to tell Celeste what he arrived here for.

After the merchant had done his talk, Royce added a brief: “As for me. The doctor in the clinic at the church asked for spare supplies. Anything from antiseptic to bandages and medicine.” he hesitated before adding “there's a heavily wounded woman who needs these supplies to avoid getting sick.” After all, Royce was not here for a simple barter; the doctor was dependent on these supplies and so were all of his patients.

Eliza Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts



Eliza was taken aback by the gesture from the man, a teddy bear was probably too childish for a woman her age but she appreciated it regardless. Although part of her still didn’t trust him, she’d grown leery of men and only felt safe because Shelby was with her. Eliza still didn’t want to show weakness even though she was obviously exhausted. So she accepted the man’s gesture and waited for him to leave. “Thank you. This means a lot. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, but I really just need to rest.” Eliza gave the warmest smile she could in her current condition and nestled herself back into bed. “Shelby? I really hate to bother you again with this, but can you please help me get cleaned up? I can’t get comfortable like this.”

Ace Makovich – Diner

Ace looked around and soon everyone had left. HE crossed his arms and walked back to the kitchen area. *All those people and not a single sale.* He wiped down the counter and continued to try and read the paper but as he sat down on the stool, an older woman with bags in hand walked inside the diner. Ace looked up from his paper, “I will be right with you ma’am, please have a seat anywhere.”

He stood up and made a new batch of coffee. As he waited for the pot, a caravan arrived in front of the diner, and soon Daniel Fitch and his cohorts walked in. Ace smiled as they delivered the milk he had ordered. They knew the drill and headed to the hatch outside the diner that led downstairs. Ace walked outside and unlocked it for them.

“Took you guys a while, its nearly 1PM.” Ace said as he turned to Daniel.

“Eh, you got your milk that’s all that matter. Also, got those crates of veggies and spices you requested. I gotta get going, gotta get the gun from Barney otherwise Mom will chew me out.”

Ace locked up the cellar doors and returned back inside. He walked over to the elderly woman, “Name’s Ace, Anything I can do for you ma’am, I can pretty much cook up anything you like. As you can see I got restocked, so don’t be afraid to request anything.”

Thomas “Dutch” Kater & Sara Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts



“Cowboy?” Tom took a minute to stir the word around in his head before chuckling. “I guess I’ve been called worse. So what do I call you?” Tom wasn’t put off by the woman’s bloody hands. He had seen his fair share of blood and didn’t even bother wiping her’s off on his pant leg. She didn’t seem right though, there was something about her. Tom couldn’t put his finger on it, he felt like there was something connecting the two of them but he couldn’t figure it out. He tried to find something on her person that would connect the dots but nothing clicked. All he could see were scars and tattoos of a woman that seemed to have weathered the wasteland’s worst.

“People don’t call me much of anything anymore. But my name's Sara. I’d say it’s a pleasure to meet you but I don’t quite care for a liar.” Sara picked up her rifle and pack, slinging them over her shoulder again as she prepared to get on her way.

“I can appreciate a woman with that attitude these days. People seem to have forgotten what it means to be honest.” Tom could tell that the woman was trying to remove herself from the conversation, she seemed troubled by something. He could see it in her eyes, they projected an internal pain that Tom was well acquainted with. They must’ve been the connection he felt. There was something Sara was suffering from that Tom wanted to help her with, but he was smart enough to know that approaching her about it would end badly. Still he liked Sara, she had attitude. He didn’t want her to leave. “Where you headed?”

Sara stopped in her tracks to answer Tom. He was starting to get on her nerves, she just wanted to be left alone and a man that didn’t know when to stop asking questions wasn’t helping her any. “North, far away from this place. Salem isn’t my kind of town.”

“Is that right? Something tells me there aren’t too many towns around here that are your kind.” Tom kicked his feet in the dirt like a shy little boy before he continued. “But hey! Before you leave would you want to get breakfast?”

Sara raised an eyebrow in astonishment but food didn’t sound bad, especially if it was cooked by someone that actually knew what they were doing. She could only cook food so it wouldn’t kill her when she ate it, and that by no means ever made it taste good. Still she knew what the man was hinting at, even if he didn’t come right out and say it she would. “Are you buying?”

“Well of course! I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t paying. So, is that a yes?” Tom’s heart beat a little faster as the anticipation rose inside him.

“If you’re paying then I’m on board. But lets clear this up now so we’re all on the same page. This isn’t a date, I’ll never have sex with you, and you shake hands like a pussy. Now I take it we’re going to the diner?” Sara didn’t wait for him to answer she just started heading back towards the diner on her own. Tom was left blushing behind her, he didn’t know what to say but he was a man of his word. No matter what he was going to by Sara breakfast, even if his plans were just thrown in his face. “Don’t take it too hard cowboy. Even if you were my type I’d still make an exception for you.”

“Point taken, you’re a bitch.” Tom mumbled his response to himself, he was coming to regret his decision but Sara still heard him somehow.

“You know it. Now are you going to feed me or what? You being a man of your word and all.” She used the word man lightly. Dutch seemed like he had seen his fair share of shit but from how he acted Sara kind of figured that he wanted everyone to give him sympathy because of it. Sara didn’t sympathize, the wasteland didn’t play by the rules. It could take just as quickly as it could give. Sara learned real quick that the only way you could come out on top was to drop the rules and play to win. Except now she started to question that mentality. After all she didn’t feel like a winner, not anymore she had lost too much to ever feel like a winner again. Now she was just a salty vet that was going to spend the rest of her life aimlessly searching for the remains of her dead sister before she died alone. Ya there was no sympathy, if not for her, than not for him. They headed to the diner, Dutch tied his horse up outside while Sara headed into the diner greeting Ace on the way in. “Sorry that I stepped out Ace. I needed a breather, found this poor thing while I was out.” Sara gestured to Tom as he came in the door behind her. “He’s buying.”

Tom stepped into the diner and removed his hat, gesturing to Ace. “Morning!” He had only started talking to Sara a few minutes ago and her attitude was already starting to wear on him. At first he found it attractive but now he wasn’t sure. Little did he know that was the plan. Sara was messing with him because she had no interest in him. So she was hoping that she could deter him from getting too attached, fortunately for her it seemed to be working. Sara’s heart couldn’t care for someone like that anymore. After she lost Eliza and Eli, she just couldn’t do it anymore. Charlotte was still alive but as far as Sara was concerned she could’ve died in Caliente. She flew off the deep end and went crazy, Sara couldn’t blame her and while it hurt to lose her baby sister like that she had to move on. Loss was just another part of life in the wasteland.

Sara took notice to the elderly woman that was in the entryway to the diner as well. She respected women that made it this far into life. “Good morning Ma’am.” Sara smiled and slightly bowed her head out of respect before heading to her booth tucked away in the corner. Tom didn’t accompany her, he sat in another booth. He couldn’t bring himself to sit with her, not after what she said to him. “I’m still paying don’t worry.” Tom raised his voice just enough so Sara could hear him but he didn’t yell.

“Bitch.” Sara whispered to herself while she removed her gear and placed it on the booth alongside of her. She crossed her legs under the table and leaned back in her booth. She was looking forward to speaking with Ace again, not like she’d let him know that but she enjoyed his company. So she waited for him to come over to her before she said anything, she just wanted to relax while she had the chance.

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - Mid-morning (~11 AM)

"Go on, partner. I'm in no rush." The older gent crossed his arms and politely deferred to the larger, more gruff looking man.

After the merchant had done his talk, the larger man added a brief: “As for me. The doctor in the clinic at the church asked for spare supplies. Anything from antiseptic to bandages and medicine.” He paused before adding “there's a heavily wounded woman who needs these supplies to avoid getting sick.”

Don't no one got any manners, left? Celeste nodded as she understood what the man was saying. The shrewd businessman blood in her veins began to show through. "This doctor, he wants me to just give these supplies to him, for free? Assuming I have them?" She tapped her foot as the gears turned in her head. "I mean, to be fair, it would be bad business practice for me to simply give away some of my supplies without something in return. I imagine the doctor is charging money for his services?"

There seemed to be an awkward pause in the room. It was Frieda who spoke from behind her.

"Why don't you send me with the supplies, as your, uh, representative? I'll bring him some linens and drugs but won't leave them unless he pays."

Celeste considered it. It was the robot, Archie, that piped up, first.

"No need for that, Miss Frieda! I represent the inn myself and could easily take on such a task with little fuss."

Frieda stepped between Celeste and the robot, holding up her hand. "I absolutely insist. Both of you have your hands full here, at the moment, and I'd be glad to help. Give me what you're willing to spare, and your lowest price, and I'll negotiate something in between."

Celeste noticed a look between Brandy and Frieda but had no idea what it could mean. She turned, instead, to the robot. "I think that sounds okay?"

"As you wish, manager," the robot replied. "Please, do follow me," he chimed at Frieda, spinning around and retreating through the door into the kitchen and towards the basement stairwell. Frieda hastily followed.

The first man approached and nodded. "Ma'am," he began, reaching up for a hat that wasn't there. "Oh...this is embarrassing. Seems I left my cap back at the shed." He wiped his hands on his jeans. "Sorry, was working on my fishing boat and I didn't wash my hands before I came into town."

Celeste giggled in spite of herself, finding a particular charm in the man's awkward attempt at being polite. "I've got a sink you can borrow, if you like."

He cleared his throat to continue. "Name's Adam Wilford, scavenger and merchant by trade....and a little side work in repair too." He put his hand to his side when he finished his introduction. "I'm not really one to beat around the bush, so I'll just come out and get to business. I heard your ol bed n' breakfast here ain't running yet. I was wondering if maybe you might be willing to let me look around for anything good. I will pay top shelf for it if you're willing to sell." He dug around in his pockets and found a worn leather pouch and muttered to himself, "Oops, that's the personal funds. Need the....business!" He found the blue pouch and put a bag of 500 caps out to her to count. "See? So you know I ain't some 'dine and dash' trader trying to rip you off."

Celeste all but rubbed her eyes in her astonishment, hardly able to believe that the man in front of her had so casually pulled out such a sum of money and dangled it in front of her. "I...well, that's...I mean..."

Adam put the pouch back in his jacket. "If not, that's alright. I'm overdue for a meal that ain't canned and cooked on a hotplate too if you're up for mealtime. Or both, really."

"O-oh! No, not at all!" She felt her cheeks begin to flush. He had a certain rugged handsomeness about him that had caused her heart to beat just a little bit faster. He was so calm about life in the wasteland, but also self-assured. It was...stunning. "Too bad you weren't here yesterday, Archie and I spent most of the day picking up and tossing out the junk, including the broken robots. Most of it just got piled up behind the building. But, you're welcome to take a look around, and I'm sure I can toss up something edible for you without a problem. I've already made some coffee, if you'd like?"

Archie reappeared with Frieda, loaded up with some plain linens and what appeared to be a toolbox. "Success, Manager Celeste! I found about four plain bed sheets that were simply redundant and a spare first aid kit that's never been opened. I do believe that should help the doctor with his conundrum, hmm?"

"How much do you want for it?" Frieda chirped, appearing uncomfortable but still holding her burden with little difficulty.

"I...ahh..." Celeste was starting to have second thoughts about demanding money from the doctor, but she figured she should at least try. "Ask for three hundred but you can go as low as one fifty. Does that seem fair?"

"Well now, assuming these sheets would have helped service at least four beds in our establishment, at eight caps a night, three hundred and sixy five days in a year, a quick calculation comes to a loss of eleven thousand, six hundred and eighty caps. Minus the three hundred you are charging for the supplies, that is."

Celeste furrowed her brow as she tried to think very hard upon how the robot even came to that number, let alone how much money eleven thousand caps even was. "So...yes?"

Frieda spluttered a laugh. "Do you want to sell the stuff, or not?"

Feeling annoyed, Celeste waved her hand and stomped past the tall blonde and the robot. "Tell him three hundred caps and go from there." With that, she retreated into the kitchen and began to bang around in an attempt to cook up a meal for Adam.

FRIEDA RICHTER - Sandy Coves Inn - Mid-morning

Brandy was far more kind and excited about the whole tour than she was. Politely, she followed the two women as Celeste dragged them all through the decrepit, dusty, ruined building, gushing about things like running water and a working robot. It made her deeply homesick. Something within her wished she could laugh about the primitiveness of it all with her brother, the realization that she may never talk to him again hitting her like a punch in the gut.

Hold it together, Richter.

They were led onto a balcony overlooking the dining hall. Celeste and Brandy gabbed about its potential while Frieda just looked around, caught up in her own thoughts. Eventually they had found themselves back in the foyer with visitors. She leaned against the door frame and observed the scene in front of her. She had all but tuned out the entire conversation until the large, brutish man spoke up.

"I mean, to be fair," Celeste was saying, "it would be bad business practice for me to simply give away some of my supplies without something in return. I imagine the doctor is charging money for his services?"

The doctor! Frieda nearly fell over. The man from the diner, the night before, with the soft demeanour and even softer looking skin. This could be her chance to get him on his own and ask him some questions, namely, about his origin. Part of her knew it would be a stretch to even hope he was from some pocket of Enclave she didn't know, and he could, perhaps, help her in her search for her brother.

Frieda quickly jumped in to the conversation. "Why don't you send me with the supplies, as your, uh, representative? I'll bring him some linens and drugs but won't leave them unless he pays."

"No need for that, Miss Frieda! I represent the inn myself and could easily take on such a task with little fuss," the damn robot interjected matter of factly.

Frieda stepped between Celeste and the robot, holding up her hand. "I absolutely insist. Both of you have your hands full here, at the moment, and I'd be glad to help. Give me what you're willing to spare, and your lowest price, and I'll negotiate something in between." She truly hoped she sounded convincing. Frieda caught Brandy's eyes and saw an odd expression cross her face, but did not otherwise respond.

Celeste turned to the robot. "I think that sounds okay?"

"As you wish, manager," the robot replied. "Please, do follow me," he chimed at Frieda, spinning around and retreating through the door into the kitchen and towards the basement stairwell. Frieda hastily followed.

"Watch your step," the robot continued, effortlessly gliding over the stairs that were in an extreme state of disrepair. Frieda, while quite physically fit, wouldn't have considered herself particularly agile and found herself trying to keep her balance desperately as she tip-toed down the stairs.

"This way," Archie turned abruptly, leading Frieda through a maze of shelves packed with an assortment of all things needed to host folks expecting the full range of hospitality. Cleaning supplies, linens, robes, clothing, spare dishes, down to groundskeeping items such as rat poison and flower seeds, were jammed into ever nook and cranny. Frieda marvelled at the supply, wondering how exactly so much had been acquired when the majority of the living world struggled with scarcity before the bombs fell.

"Here we are, Ms. Frieda." The robot had in its arms a pile of bed sheets, neatly folded, though not freshly laundered. They smelled starchy but also dusty. At least they were clean.

"Ah, great!" she replied, taking the linens from the robot's several arms. "What about antiseptic and drugs?"

"What about them, indeed," Archie seemed to mutter, floating through the shelving and towards an opposite wall. Frieda followed, though before she could find any of the items, the robot produced a sealed and pristine first aid kit. "Would you look at that!" it gushed proudly, holding the kit up by its handle. "Never once opened. Can you believe that? I wonder why it would have been left down here, like this."

"Because it was a spare?" Frieda answered, a thread of sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh, quite. Perhaps." Archie did not sound impressed with her response. "Well, then, shall we return to the others?"

"Tell him three hundred caps and go from there," Celeste concluded tersely, following their return to the foyer and a discussion on price.

"Well, all right!" Frieda looked at Brandy and smiled. "See you later. Why don't we meet at the diner for some dinner? My treat." She turned her attention back to the large man still loitering at the door. "Shall we?"

They stepped back out into the sunshine. Frieda plodded down the ruined roadways towards the church. "I'm Frieda, by the way," she offered, hoping the man would offer her the same.

She nearly tripped walking into the church, not quite able to see over her stack of linens and stumbling upon some rubble. Frieda looked around and immediately locked her attention upon the doctor.

Well dressed, well groomed. Definitely conditioned habits from somewhere much more disciplined than anywhere on the godforesaken surface. "Hey there," she called in, holding up the linens, the first aid kit dangling by its handle in her right hand. "Where do you want these?"

Frieda turned, keeping her grip on the items. "No, please, let me carry them. If you wouldn't mind showing me where to put them?" She really wanted to have a moment with the doctor, beyond other eyes and ears. "By the way, Celeste would like three hundred caps for the lot, if you've got it. We can negotiate that privately, too." She shifted her weight, hoping the didn't sound too obvious in her attempt to talk to the doctor one on one.

Betty - Commonwealth

*FUCK THIS SHIT, FUCK IT, FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!* Betty ran through the woods heading north. She was running away from the crater. She had joined up with the Children of Atom out of need. She didn't want to be out in the wasteland, struggling to live from one day to another. She faked seeing Atom and joined up with the Children for the room and board.

Everything had being going well, until this so called Inquisitor showed up, dressed as if for battle. Like hell she would die for their stupid beliefs. Everyone in the crater and lighthouse were whispering and talking of how men such as the Inquisitr are zealots, and dangerous. She was getting out before it was too late. Her problem was she didn't really know area and only knew way to the tin town north of the crater.

She reached outskirts of the town and stopped before what appeared to be a wall forming. She stopped to catch her breath, and started to check out the place. She saw a red building with a sign above it. She laughed at the advertisement for some sort of 'Pleasure Den'. Luckily, the place in front of her said Diner

She snuck along the wall of the diner and saw some cellar doors. She looked around and made sure no one was looking. She pulled a bobby pin from her hair, a swiss knife from her pocket and began fiddling with the lock on the door. She managed to unlock it, and slowly pulled one of the doors open, and made her way in, quietly closing the door behind her.

It was dark, and as she stumbled around she could hear the rumbling of old fridges. She felt around a wall and she walked feeling for a light switch. She found one and flipped it on. She looked around the room and saw that there was another room and headed over there. She slowly opened the door and it revealed a bedroom with an open door revealing a bathroom. She started to rummage through a nearby drawer, but all she could see was mens clothing.

She scoffed at the poor selection of clothes, but she needed to wear something else, all she had were her old COA rags. She pulled out a black undershirt, and khaki pants that could pass for some shorts if she cut the legs. She stripped of all her clothes, and stood there naked as she used her swiss army knif to cut the pants.
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Ace looked towards the door, and Sara had returned with that strange fellow from the previous night. “Sorry that I stepped out Ace. I needed a breather, found this poor thing while I was out.” Sara gestured to Tom as he came in the door behind her. “He’s buying.”

Ace shrugged his shoulders, "As long as someone pays, I wouldn't care if you were dining with the devil himself. Though knowing you, he'd rather starve." Ace smirked as he said that, and turn to see them seating on seperate booths. Ace shook his head and rolled his eyes. He patted the man on the back, "Don't worry buddy, it's mostly an act. She is in fact a sweetheart."

Ace was turning back to the elderly woman, when he saw the some light coming from the hatch behiind the counter. He would never leave it on. "Excuse me folk, I'll be right back. need to get something from cellar."

Ace made his way over and opened the door, and slowly walked down the stairs and closing the door behind him. He pulled out his pistol and flipped the safety off as he made it down. There was someone in his room, and he made his way over and pointed the gun, "Freeze." But as he said that he saw before him stood a naked young woman, and he quickly tuned his headbut catchng glimpses at the same time.

"Fucking Hell! Old man...Don't you know how to knock?" Betty said as she stared him down.

"Damn woman, put your clothes on...besides this is my place. Why should I knock?" Ace said as he turned around, but glancing back again.

Betty shook her head and rolled her eyes, "Whatever old man, you perv..." She put on the balck shirt and the pants that were now turned to shorts. They were loose on her, so she walked over to Ace and reached for his belt. She undid it and put it on herslef to make her new shorts fit. She winked at him smiled. "Listen old man, name's Betty. You own this here joint?'

"Listen I'm only 33, so cut it out with the old man shit. Besides, why would I hire someone that just broke in my house, and stole my stuff?" Ace said as he put away his pistol and crossed his arms.

She adjusted her pants and looked up at Ace, "Listen old man, I need a job, and i can pay you back for this shitty shirt and shorts. Long story short, just ran of way from the children and need place to stay. So lets go old man, I know how to prepare some food."

Ace had been considering hiring one or two new people, the town had grown, more people were coming and Ace was getting a bit overwhelmed. He shook his head for ab it, "Fuck...Fine but you better actually work. Come on you start now, name's Ace, you better "

Ace headed for the stairs, and Betty followed behind. She smiled, "But dont think you'll get another peek for free. First one's free, second peek will cost ya. Also, i expect 2 weeks paid vacation and sick time."

"Whatever," Ace mumbled as he headed upstairs. He walked into the diner and returned to the older woman's side, "I'm sorry about that, new employee arrived, had to take care of some business."

Betty saw a pad and pen laying on the counter. She grabbed along with a towel she put over her shoulder. She walked over to a woman and man sitting on two booths and she approached the woman first. "Name's Betty, I'll be your waitress today. What'll you have toots, and make it snappy. Ain't got all day."

Sara Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts

A young woman approached the table as if she was the one to take Sara's order. Sara didn't recognize her from before, she had thought that Ace worked by himself but apparently she was wrong. Either way this new girl looked like a handful, but Sara liked her.

"Name's Betty, I'll be your waitress today. What'll you have toots, and make it snappy. Ain't got all day."

Sara cracked a smirk at the girls attitude. She missed that kind of fire. “Good because I don't either. A glass of water, two eggs over hard, and a brahmin steak cooked to medium.” She knew what she wanted, she had been thinking about it since she left home so she didn't waste any time ordering.

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church

Arthur had bent back down to continue helping the injured woman when the man who had assisted with Eliza, Steve he thought his name was, had entered the Clinic and gave him a small sack of pre-war medical drugs along with an offer to make more. Arthur nodded his appreciation,

“All I have on me right now, well the ones you need alteast but once you have dealt with princess and gotten some sleep come and see me and I’ll have Johnny brew up the meds you need.”

"Uhh, well..that's very kind of you..." Arthur replied with clear hesitation. The chance of a probable wasteland chem dealer 'brewing' up medicines in anything even coming remotely close to a healthy and sterile environment was low indeed. Arthur wasn't going to allow that sort of likely contamination. Not in his clinic.

"If you can get me the base chemicals and ingredients, I can fabricate them myself. It will save you some of the extra effort." He offered.

“first batch will be free but after that. For cost price”

Arthur furrowed his brow at this, "Cost price?" He awkwardly paused for a moment. Steve was at least trying to be reasonable and suggest that he wasn't going to profit from the exchange, but that didn't exactly help Arthur, nor did he like the idea of haggling with him for this. He gave a frustrated sigh and continued, "Well what exactly do you want me to pay you with? I don't charge for my services, and I don't intend to start. The 'price' you're getting is that your town has a working clinic that you can go to when the next mutated beast or radiation addled psycho tries to take a bite out of you. If that's not enough then....well then I don't know what to tell you."

With a frustrated huff he turned back around and continued trying to make the wounded woman comfortable and gave an over-the-shoulder dismissive wave to Steve, who proceeded to walk upstairs and speak with Eliza. Arthur tried to busy himself with his work to keep his mind off both the increasing fatigue he was experiencing from having got little to no sleep the previous night and the frustration he was feeling from the townspeople's seeming indifference towards their own health and safety.

Footsteps emanating from the creaking floorboards of the ancient church made him turn around once more to find one of the women he'd recognized from the Diner entering along with the man who'd he'd sent to the retirement home and, who he also realized, he didn't yet know the name of. The woman seemed..different somehow. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself or her general demeanor, but she didn't seem like the typical surface-dweller that he'd grown accustomed to. A Vault Dweller perhaps? Then again, maybe he was just imagining things.

"Hey there," she called in, holding up the linens, the first aid kit dangling by its handle in her right hand. "Where do you want these?"

Arthur gave a soft clap of his hand in excitement as he saw the much needed supplies, "Thank you, I'll take them." He said gratefully, and walked over to the woman with arms outstretched.

"No, please, let me carry them. If you wouldn't mind showing me where to put them?"

Arthur withdrew his hands quickly as if they'd just been burned, a bit surprised by the woman's insistence,

"Oh..well. I suppose we can put the linens for now in the back of the church. I'll get to changing the bedding for the patients soon. As for the first-aid kit, you can just set it over on the table there. I'll need to use that immediately for..uh..well..Ms...." He paused for a moment or two, hoping the injured woman would fill in her name.

"By the way, Celeste would like three hundred caps for the lot, if you've got it. We can negotiate that privately, too."

Arthur blinked a few times. He wasn't..entirely...sure how much that was, given how often the surface-dwellers seemed to fluctuate the value of their currency, but he knew he didn't have that. He had none of it in fact.

"Oh for the love of..." He started to say in a spout of anger, but caught himself, took a deep breath, and adjusted his glasses, "Yes, I suppose we can 'negotiate'. Perhaps we should continue this privately." Arthur led the woman around to the back of the church and to a small low-ceiling room that had probably previously served as a devotional area or perhaps a cry room for small children. Arthur had thought to use it for storage at some point.

"You can set the linens over there," he said simply. Determined that he was going to get what he needed one way or the other. Although he hadn't exactly figured out what the 'other' would be. Arthur rubbed his weary eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose in a look of both resignation and disappointment,

"Look..." he said, trying to sound as confident and sure footed as he could muster. He'd always preferred to avoid confrontations like this when he could, "...I can't pay Celeste for the supplies. I don't even have the uh..caps, " He emphasized the world strangely, as if he found it weirdly amusing, "But, I need them regardless. The young woman back there needs proper medical treatment to prevent further infection and Eliza..." he pointed upwards, to the second floor, "Is still on the path to recovery. I don't understand what is it with you wastelanders. Everything has a price. Everything has its cost. Every chance is an opportunity to get more money or chems...or..or whatever! And god-forbid we work together communally to actually do something other than live in abject squalor and moral degradation our entire lives! For Pete's sake, there was a woman lying on the floor of the diner dying and people kept on eating their lunch like it was...oh..you know..just a merry ol' average day. Woman just got mugged and nearly shot to death, but hey...just another lovely day in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts right?"

The sudden realization that he was ranting struck him immediately when he saw the look on the woman's face. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Sorry," He said, calmly, "Didn't uh...didn't mean to get heated there. I'm running off well..no sleep right now and I could just about murder for a decent cup of coffee that isn't made with a 200 year old tin of Slocum Joe's....well not literally of course. Figuratively. I wouldn't you know actually...nevermind. Anyway..."He gave a quick shake of his head and changed the subject, "....I don't exactly know what Celeste wants for the supplies, but it can't be caps. That much I'm certain of."