Inquisitor Carver

The Inquisitor stood outside the Crater House, staring at the radstorm brewing, contemplating his options moving forward. He would need to take several actions. First, he would need to speak with Brother Abraham tomorrow, ask him about what he knows of the rumors, and what Brother Quaid said. Following this, he would interview more of the congregation depending on what he had learned, until he could put together a conclusive picture of what the situation was. Once he had that, he would be able to take the necessary measures to end the attacks, judge those involved, stamp out any erroneous or heretical doctrine being circulated, and set this flock on the correct path.

Once any problems or errors in doctrine were corrected, he would need to address the consequences of doing so to ensure the continued well-being of this flock. If the rumors of attacks were true, he would need to try and smooth things over and make peace with the locals and traders, which could potentially be rather difficult. He would also have to taking measures to ensure the flock would not to go back to raiding, which potentially meant punishing whoever was responsible and staying around to monitor things. All in all, he had his work cut out for him and he would not be returning to the island any time soon.

It was a lot to do, but for tonight, with the Children of Atom huddling from the wind and dust of the radstorm, Carver would need to get some well-needed rest.

---

The next day

Carver rose from his mattress in one of the crater shacks. He was rested, the storm had passed, and he had been able to reflect on what he had seen and heard. It was time for the Inquisitor to get some answers. The first thing he would need to do would be to reacquaint himself with Brother Abraham, for both the business of gaining information and for the pleasure of catching up with an old associate. In addition, Abraham appeared to be rather respected in the crater, and to earn his confidence may help build bridges with the others.

Donning his armor but not his mask, Carver made his way across the crude catwalks to Abraham's crater shack and stepped inside. There is a time and place for donning the mask and being the Inquisitor, he reasoned, but this was a time for showing his face and just being Ian.

"Brother Abraham? It's me, Ian, from Megaton," he introduced himself, throwing his arms out in welcome. "I haven't seen you since I left Megaton with Confessor Martin."

"How have you been faring during these years, brother?" he asked, leaning against a ramshackle wall.

X2-88 "Abel", Salem

"Alright, I like your credentials and I don't care you're a synth, even though others might...tell you what, I'll let you into the town. Your job is town guard." Barney said to Abel.

"I thank you, Barney. Mission objectives updated: defend Salem." X2-88 lit up with it's new mission, and walked out of the building were they were conducting the interview.

"Yeah. You do that." Barney said as he watched Abel leave the town to perform its new duties.

Abel wandered aimlessly through Salem. His data files told him that this was a place where people where executed as "witches" centuries ago. It reminded him of the persecution of synth-kind throughout the Commonwealth today. Abel looked at the ground, kicked a rock and continued walking. Abel passed by the human dining hole and heard a commotion. He quickly stormed the place, Institute Rifle in hand.

"All civilians please deescalate the situation and evacuate the premises." By the time he got there, the place was already empty of the two fighting civilians. Abel holstered his weapon and waved his hand awkwardly to the people in the diner.

"Greetings, I am the new town guard. What was the problem here?" Abel said.

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - Early Afternoon

“Yes, Rook is Super Mutant. Rook is Rook as well. Brandy is good person, Rook thinks she is one of the nicest people he had ever met.” Rook gave a nod, as through that was the ending of that range of fact. “Rook is building a wall, needs help to build it, but Rook also has questions for you. They are important ones.”

It was almost as though his voice was entering her ears from a room, down the hall, with the door closed. "Important questions...for me?" she parroted, dumbly.

Rook took a moment to look around the room, but then frowned. “No matter. Does lady know if there are stairs to the roof of this place? Does lady want wall built so wall is against building, or away from building? Would lady mind having a gate near her door as well, so people pass by here first if they arrive on other road?”

"Please, it's Celeste," she offered a small don't-eat-me smile in response. "Honestly, I'm not sure if there's access to the roof. That'd be a better question for Archie. He's the Mr. Handy robot who's lived here for over two hundred years, an' all. As for a wall...uhh..."

Archie descended the last few stairs into the foyer. "I couldn't help overhearing --"

"Better late than never," Celeste muttered, in an uncharacteristic show of bitterness.

"If this is to be a tactical, perimeter wall, it likely makes sense to establish it away from the building, hmm? That way the unsightly riff raff can't attempt to use our windows as points of entry."

Celeste looked between Rook and Archie. She shrugged, and sighed. "Well, Archie, I'll assume you know more about security and shall I leave you to it, then? I do have a guest waiting on me, after all." She couldn't help but smile to herself at the thought of returning to Adam. "Archie, he was asking about the roof. Know anything about that?"

"Indeed I do, Manager Celeste! Please, follow me," the robot instructed, turning and going back up the stairs from whence it came.

Celeste scurried back into the kitchen, carefully placed a warm scone onto a small yellow plate with an unfortunate chip on the edge, filled up a mug of coffee, and expertly carried both without spilling a single drop or crumb into the dining room. Adam sat, waiting with the patience of a saint. "Miss Celeste," he greeted her. She smiled, placing the snack and drink in front of him. He gestured at the chair opposite, and her heart nearly leapt out of her throat. She perched herself down, happily.

"Ma'am, I need to be upfront. I...I think I know where this is heading and....I can't let it get there," was the next thing he said.

It was as though a bubble had popped. Celeste blinked. "I...oh," she replied, meekly.

Adam appeared to glance at the scone, but otherwise showed no interest in it. He spent the next several moments telling her, gently, about the pain and loss he had endured, the scars it left, and went so far as to pull out an old photograph. All she could do was listen quietly, and respectfully -- and if anything, it made her feel sympathy for him, above all.

"...I didn't want Jack to have that life. He deserved better." Adam stood up, a quiet hand asking for his picture back. Celeste placed it gently back into his hand. "I've never been with a woman since. Not as some sort of penance, but I never wanted to let another woman in my heart like that, to risk losing them like that again." He rolled the picture into its film case and tucked it in an inner jacket pocket. He bent in and gave her a slow and gentle kiss on the cheek, "If I stay in town a while and we spend a little more time together, maybe I'll finally get over my wife's death."

She flushed, feeling happy, almost giddy. Celeste reached up and touched the place on her cheek where he'd kissed her. Her thoughts were interrupted by Adam choking on the coffee. "I....I shoulda.....ugh....drank it hot...."

"Oh, my goodness!" Celeste sprung from her seat, grabbing a nearby napkin and immediately dabbing his chin. "Are you alright?"

Her question was answered by a chuckle. He looked back and smiled, "Goodbye....Celeste."

Celeste stood, moonstruck for a moment. She smiled and raised her hand to wave.

"Oh right!" He threw a small pouch to Celeste, that she fumbled and nearly dropped. She stared at it for a full minute, genuinely confused as to what he had even given her. She plopped back down in her chair and opened it, dumping its contents onto the table. Several caps fell out, and a piece of paper.

"115 for the goods. 50 for being the worst. first date. ever. Come by my place on the coast. Look for the seaside shed with the big white boat and the Brahmin, I'll treat you to the better one you deserved," she read out loud, slowly, emphasizing every word.

"A better wha -- OH!!" Her heart soared, clutching the note to her chest, completely elated. "He likes me, he likes me, he likes me," she giggled to herself. Celeste spent several moments feeling high on life while she tidied up the leftover dishes. She stared at the remaining scones, wondering what to do with them. On a whim, she loaded them all up onto a large plate and brought them to the front desk to treat her guests as they arrived.

Her ears pricked up at what sounded like several gunshots outside, and close enough to make her feel scared. Celeste gasped, wondering if she should peek out the doors. Archie appeared at the bottom of the stairs into the foyer once more.

"Manager Celeste, did you hear that?"

"I-I did, Archie. What should we do?"

"No need to do anything, manager. Allow me to investigate."

Celeste swept a stray curl off her forehead. "Oh, be careful, Archie! You just check it out and come right back, you hear me?"

"Back in a jiffy!" the robot replied, before exiting the inn.

Sara Weaver
Salem, Massachusetts - Late Morning



Sara scratched her head while she waited for the girl or Ace to say something to her but they were promptly interrupted by the sounds of gunfire. They were close from the sounds of it, and Sara didn’t flinch at the sound of them either. Her focused snapped to them like a bloodhound on a trail, and she bolted in the direction of them without hesitation. Handgun drawn she shouted out to Ace and Brandy while she left. “I’ll be right back! Don’t worry I’ll try and bring you back a souvenir!” As ecstatic as she may have appeared on the outside she was much more excited on the inside, her heart was racing and her whole body was tingling. It had been a while since she had gotten a chance to shoot somebody, and she certainly wasn’t going to miss one.

On her way down the road she passed a horse with a man and a woman on it. At first she paused in shock at the sight of a horse, but then she realized from the disposition of it’s riders that they may very well have been the source of the gunshots. “Hey you guys didn’t happen to leave any by chance!?” They were moving too quickly past her and must not have heard her because they kept going. “What the fuck? Who has a horse this far east?” It seemed odd to her but her body was pumping with adrenaline so she didn’t care to explore the subject further. She needed to see where those people came from, maybe they left something for her. Sara holstered her handgun for a moment so she could tie her hair up, and stash her gear behind some debris. She left her rifle and pack behind, taking only her handgun, knife, and a bundle of rope wrapped around her torso anything else would just slow her down.

Fortunately for Sara she could follow the horse tracks for about a half a mile outside of town to the site of the shootout. Two goons, left to rot. “Kill!” Sara ran over to the one, fetching a sword from the ground. She swung it around like a child playing with a stick, eagerly poking the fresh corpse with it. “They fucked you up good, huh buddy?” She stabbed the sword back into the dirt and got down on her knees to examine the body. She mumbled to herself as she checked the man’s body for anything good. “Chest wound….no two chest wounds. Injection site on the neck, were you shooting psycho you crazy bastard? You remind me of my boys, except they were a lot better at not dying, and they carried better shit.” Sara’s search didn’t turn up anything of spectacular value, just the sword and a large knife that didn’t seem to be as good as the one she carried. She took both of them, the sword she planned to keep, but the knife had to have some value to somebody. For the time being she left them both by the first corpse so she could search the other one.

“Ah man…” Sara recoiled at the sight of the other body, his head blown to pieces by a gunshot. “Nice!” She squealed with more joy than she probably should’ve. “You take anything for that headache big guy? Or are you just going to sleep it off?” Sara gave a slight smirk as she kicked the body, she knew he was dead it just felt right to kick him. Like before she knelt to examine the corpse but while she was doing so she heard someone, or something rustling in the ruins of a nearby house. She stopped what she was doing and sat down on top of the corpse's stomach, drawing her pistol and making sure her safety was off. Her stance was rather relaxed even though she anticipated an attack, her heart was still pumping in overdrive and Sara kept clenching her non shooting hand into a fist in anticipation. “Really jackass? I know you’re here, just get out here and get it over with.”

Then as if on queue another robed figure ran out from the rubble, this one much more alive than the others but not for long if Sara had any say in it. He was sprinting at her with a long blade in his hand, he was obviously deranged as he grunted and hissed like a beast as he ran towards her. Sara drew her pistol and cracked a shot off into the man’s leg, sending him tumbling face first into the ground. Before Sara could get up from her seat the man was already trying to stand back up, although with his muscles split and shredded he was struggling. “You’re flying high too? Good, means you’ll hang on long enough for me to enjoy this.”

Sara holstered her pistol and walked up the the struggling man, he cursed at her in an odd tongue while he violently swung his blade at her legs. “You guys are quite the collection aren’t you? The crazy ones are always fun.” With a swift and firm strike of her boot the blade flew from the man's hand and Sara collapsed onto his back, sitting on his neck, forcing his face into the dirt. “Psycho doesn’t help you breathe does it dickhead!?” Sara let him struggle for a few seconds before she shifted her weight onto the small of his back, letting him breathe. He gasped for his breath but once he recovered he continued the same deranged rambling as before. Sara grabbed the man's head and bashed it off the ground, but it didn’t seem to stop him. “Okay, I’ll stop when you stop.” She kept smashing the man’s head into the ground until his face was bloody and caked with mud.

Now his beastial screams were replaced with screams of pain. Sara realized that he was probably coming off of the psycho so she pulled her knife from its sheath and run it across the man's throat, causing him to gargle on his blood as he died. “I hate it when they start screaming. I’m not sleeping tonight now.” Sara nonchalantly removed the rope from her torso, tied it around the man’s ankles and started dragging him as he continued to choke on his blood. “I haven’t done this in years! This is getting my juices flowing, girls going to need to get a room here shortly. You know we used to string fuckers like you up all the time back home? Even had the Legion feeling the pressure for a while, nothing kills morale like trade routes lined with legionnaires...in the heart of Arizona. But hey you don’t care about any of this shit do you!?”

At this point the man had already died and while Sara was struggling to drag him she managed to get him to a nearby tree. She threw the loose end of the rope over a branch, kicked her heels into the ground and pulled the corpse into the air, securing it firmly. Know a corpse was strung up in a tree on the outskirts of Salem and while Sara was admiring her handiwork she heard the hum of a robot coming behind her. She turned to face it and was met with a worn but functional Mr. Handy.

“Good morning Madam! Are you the source of the disturbance?” Mr. Handy’s sort of creeped Sara out, she didn’t really care for robots in general but Mr. Handy’s were too friendly. It was unsettling. Still she didn’t have any reason to attack it, even though she was still rushing with adrenaline.

“Unfortunately not, except for that last shot. My friend over there is just hanging out until his friends come to pick him up.” Sara gestured to her trophy with a sneer.

“Oh my! Well I’ll say, your friend looks rather worse for wear Madam!”

“I know right!? Kids these days just can’t party like they used to. Hey since there’s probably going to be more of these guys showing up do you know of any place I could stay around here?” Sara didn’t really want to stay in Salem but she also did not want to miss an opportunity for round two, or three, or four. Honestly she could do this forever, she had forgotten what it felt like. It was better than sex, or at least the sex she remembered. It didn’t matter though, she felt good and it stopped her from thinking about all the fucked up shit in her head for a few a little bit.

“Oh well if you’re looking for room and board I know just the place! Follow me if you would Madam…? The Mr. Handy paused as if it were waiting for Sara to tell it her name.

“Sara…”

“Okay splendid Ms. Sara! Do come this way!” Obviously the Mr. Handy wasn’t too worried about the gunshots now and was more focused on showing Sara this place to stay. She didn’t know what to expect from this place, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she should stay in town for a few more days.

On the way Sara grabbed her loot from the other corpse, and her rifle and pack from alongside the road leading into town. Sara remembered the horse but was now more concerned with seeing where this robot was taking her. She needed some privacy right now if she was going to dedicate the focus she needed to on investigating that horse and it’s rider. Her robotic companion lead her to a large abandoned structure, called a Convalescence Home. “Con..va..les..scence? Is this a whore house? Robot did you bring me to a whore house!? I don’t know if I should hug you or smack you right now.”

“Of course not Ms. Sara! Such an establishment is no place for a woman of your calibre!”

“I’d beg to differ…but you know whatever.” Sara mumbled to herself as the robot opened the door into the building, revealing a young woman standing behind the front desk. The Mr. Handy whirred into the building ahead of Sara and made his introduction for both of them.

“I’ve returned manager. Ms. Sara and her friends were the cause of the disturbance we heard earlier. She’s now looking for some place to stay.”

“Uh ya, let’s get that straight. I did not kill all of those people….unfortunately, and they were not actually my friends, that was a joke.” Sara shifted the weight of her pack so it sat more comfortably on her shoulders while she stepped up to the counter to speak with the woman. “I’m just looking for a place to stay for a few days, the robot brought me here when I asked. So do you have any rooms or do I just pick a corner and set up a tent? Not really sure how this stuff works, it’s been awhile. I’ve got money.” Sara pulled a large pouch of caps out of her bag and sat them down on the counter with a satisfying jingle. “Is this enough? For whatever?”

Steve Cooper- Revenge Stage 1- Diner- Early Afternoon

Unfortunately for Steve and perhaps Betty “Mr Killjoy” Acey step in, breaking up the fight before Betty could strike back and then left the diner with angered one. Even worst however was that Acey had left before Steve’s meal could be made.

Once they had gone, seemlying heading to the beech Steve turned to Betty, who was resting an ice bag against her bruise mark “I might have a way for you to get back at The Little twerp if you’re interested? She’s been threatening my business as well.”

“Whatever it is count me.”

"All civilians please deescalate the situation and evacuate the premises."

Steve turned around to see... well he wasn’t quite sure what the “man” seemlying with a robotic skeleton (or alteast skull was). Steve assumed he was some sort of synth, perhaps a prototype like valentine before the instuite had been able to create fully “human” or whatever they call them synths.
Valentine can’t have been the only prototype

"Greetings, I am the new town guard. What was the problem here?" the synth-man asked as holstered his rifle

“Young Betty here had as been a victim of an unprovoked assault and would like to report it.”

“Huh? Oh yes that Bitch... “

“Brandi” Steve corrected her

“Yes, Brandi came in to the diner, falsely accused me of having an affair with her boyfriend, despite having only known the man for a few hours and then punched me.” Betty said as he removed her ice pack and showed the synth man her bruise.

“She headed towards the beach with Ace; Betty would like press Assault charges on her.” Steve added on as he pointed towards the direction they had headed

“Yes... whatever that means.”

“It means that you like Brandi arrested and either Jailed or fined for the assault....Probably up to Barney but recommend suggesting the fine because then she had to pay you.”

“I like the sound of that!” Betty said as he turned to synth-guard man “I would like to press Assault Charges on Brandi.”

Probably best if I’m not around when she get arrested


Whilst Brandy had assaulted Betty being the one who suggested getting her arrested would likely anger Acey so Steve decided to leave the diner and see what that wall thing he could being built was but as he left the diner Steve could hear gunshots followed by “Buttstallion” the horse been ridden into town by that girl and now an guy on its back.

Probably those atom fuckers shooting at them as they rode past

Lighting up another smoke Steve slowly made his way up the hill towards what appeared to be an old retirement home, perhaps he could go there for mattress after he checked out the gunshots and the wall which he had to admit was decently built.

Too many doors however, will have to speak to them about that.

Reaching the front of the retirement home it would appear Steve had missed a mini battle of sorts with several what appeared to be atom cultists left rotting on ground although one unfortunate cult bastard (perhaps the leader) had been hung in a nearby tree, perhaps a warning to the others.

From Steve’s experience however this tactic only ever pissed people off especially when it was crazy atom worshipping cultist who already consider not cultists to be heretics. Taking out his knife Steve cut the man down and began to search his pockets.

It would appear someone had already looted the man’s pockets but around his neck Steve noticed he was wearing a medallion which oddly looked familiar but from where? Pocketing the medallion for now Steve noticed and followed a pair of footsteps that led from the hung corpse to the old folk’s home.

Steve was unsure who was inside and simply barging in may get him shot by people still hyped up from killing atom cultist so Drawing his 50. Eagle Steve knocked on the door “hello? Anyone inside? It’s Steve was Salem.... I heard the gunshots but it looks like you killed them already.”

"Good shooting and knife work by the way."

Rick Noel - Salem - Afternoon
"Pleased to meet you, Rick...i'm Mary Hawthorne", Mary replied with a eerie calm as she reached into her pocket. "Don't act alarmed, but we're about to be attacked. Be a dear and get that rifle unslung, if you please."

Rick unslung his rifle from his shoulder, the bushes in front of the ruined house less than fifty feet to Mary's right rustled and two forms hurtled out, rushing straight for them. "PH´NGLUI SOTH!", one of them screamed as he raised up a old Chinese officer's sword and charged straight for Mary. Before Rick could react, the other raider made his way towards Rick and slung his arm and sword. *These surface dwellers still use swords? What is wrong with these freaks.*

Rick used his rifle to block the blow from the sword, and as soon as he blocked him, Rick kicked the raider in the gut as hard as he could pushing him back. He was almost frothing at the mouth, and looked at Rick with such a rage he had never seen before, he almost looked possessed. Rick aimed his gun at the raider and shouted, "STAND DOWN! I WILL SHOOT YOU IF I HAVE TO! STAND DOWN!"

The man disregarded his warning and came charging at him. Rick held his breath, and controlled the tremble from his arms. He let out a single shot striking the man's forehead. The recoild wasn't anything he couldn't handle, but this was the first time he saw it strike a human being. It went in clean through the front. The back of the head was fully blown, as brain matter and blood scattered on the ground.

Rick felt queasy and had forgotten about Mary and her Raider. Sure he had killed before, when they journeyed to Vault 88, but he had never seen the corpses upfront. This seemed so real to him, far more than shooting some target from far away. His stomach turned at the sight of the body. He looked over and Mary had killed her attacker.

She then walked up to the attacker on the ground and put a round into his temple , probably to make sure he was dead. She looked over at Rick, her arm, still holding the smoking revolver hanging limp by her side, "We need to get out of here, Rick", Mary said. "there may be more of them".

Rick nodded in agreement to getting out of there. She brought back the horse from where it had run off to. "Get up behind me", Mary said, reaching out her hand for him to take. "just stay still, and hold on to me and we'll get back to town alright."

Rick looked at her and the creature, and shook his head, "That's alright. I can walk, you know we are so close to tow..." She gave him a look and insisted. After a couple attempts, she was able to get Rick onboard, and they rode back into town, heading for her house. Rick hung on for dear life, he was both excited and scared shitless being atop the creature.

"Well, Rick", she said, "I must say that meeting you has been....interesting. If you'd like, I can put out a extra plate for you...and perhaps you could tell me more about what you saw in that Quarry." She led him inside, passing through the living room and some piled up robots.

"Amazing what folks throw out, isn't it?", Mary said, "Found them while looking for bottles. I hope to find someone able to get at least one of them working again...don't know the first thing about fixing them myself." She then took Rick into the kitchen, inviting him to take a seat at the kitchen table. She offered him some brahmin milk from the refrigerator,and he accepted, even though his stomach was all turned from the sight of the bodies.

"Only meat I have is venison", Mary said as she moved about the kitchen, "but I've got some pretty good recipes for it."

*Venison, hmmm she must mean Radstag. I've never had it wonder how it is?* He nodded, "That sounds good...Do you mind if I take a look at those Mr. Handy's for you? I know a thing or two about robots" He walked back to the living room and started inspecting the units. THey were crude robots, pre-war. The institute had surpassed such simple designs, these Mr. Handy's are what Rick used to pull apart and put together as kid in grade school.

Two of the units were salvageable, the third would be canabilized for some parts for the other two. However, no vital part needed to be taked out, which meant if he could get his hands on some scraps he could get it working as well. He went through his pack and pulled some tools and microfusion cells for the pistol he carried.

He worked for a bit and lost track of time unti Mary cam over to tell him lunch was ready. "Be right there, need to charge em up," he replied as he took the cells and connected them to the robots. He got up and headed for the kitchen. He sat down at the table and looked at the prepared food. This was going to be new for him, he was used to just eating nutrient pills and bars. He never had a real meal before.

"So tell me, Rick", Mary said in a friendly manner, "What brings you to Salem?"

Rick looked up at her, "Oh well im doing some travelling and I was just curious about the north. You know away from the minutemen, and battle for Boston. Figured I'd visit the old town of Salem and see some witches. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me, if someone doesn understand something they call it magic."

"take a look at those robots. For someone not versed in robotics or science, they'd consider that magic. For me childs play... sorry I've had so many debates on this issues back home at..." He caught himself as he might be saying things that would be sensitive. "Sorry...two of the robots are charging right now. It'll be a basic charge, maybe last a few day. I see town has no electricity, so if you have a generator, I'd recommend you hook them up over night every few days. the third one just needs some parts and i could get it to work"

Rick cut up some of the meat before him, and brought it up to his lips. It was a peculiar and odd taste. It was definetly different from food he had before. He ate some more and quite enjoyed the taste after a few bites, even that of the milk. "I wonder what those raiders were shouting when they charged at us. Sounded like latin, but im not so familiar with dead languages..." he stopped himself again. He was saying more then he should.

Ace shook his head, “Nah…not the time. I’m on break right now with my girl.” He paused, “By the way, I hired a waitress and cook to help me out at the diner. You know to give me time to spend with you or anyone else for that matter. Bit of an attitude on her, has nothing in this world, even the clothes she’s wearing once belonged to me. Escaped from Children of Atom. I think if you started over, you might like her…”

Brandy ran her finger around on Ace’s chest, “I'm really sorry, you know that's not me. It's just...I have someone that I want to really get to know, spend time with in a different way now.” She looked up and kissed his chin, “I've never really had a relationship. Shelby just got me so worked up, maybe it wasn't right, but she did point out something. I need to stop letting people walk all over me, not sure if I can do that again though. I may need your h….” Then it clicked, she raised her head and looked at Ace with a long face, “Di...did you say she is wearing… your clothes ?” that last words and a saddened pitch to them.

“Are you alright kid? That was a hell of a swing? You need to put your hips into it next time, knock her on her ass.” said the woman who was in the diner this morning.

Brandy blushed with tears still in her eyes, “Kind of, I feel terrible though, been a bad day so far.” She wiped the tears from her face, “I'm Brandy, welcome to Salem, just wish the circumstances were a little different though.”

She looked back at Ace, “How did she get you clothes?” Gunfire echoed from nearby, startling Brandy, she clung tightly to Ace.

“I’ll be right back! Don’t worry I’ll try and bring you back a souvenir!” Sara said and headed towards the gunfire.

Brandy's eyes widened, “Why would she go towards it? We need to get out of here Ace, I have that turret in my house, maybe we should go there? What if we're being attacked?” Her heartbeat thumped as she began to get more scared when more gunfire erupted

Ace Makovich – Salem Beach

Brandy ran her finger around on Ace’s chest, “I'm really sorry, you know that's not me. It's just...I have someone that I want to really get to know, spend time with in a different way now.” She looked up and kissed his chin, “I've never really had a relationship. Shelby just got me so worked up, maybe it wasn't right, but she did point out something. I need to stop letting people walk all over me, not sure if I can do that again though. I may need your h….” She raised her head and looked at Ace with a long face, “Di...did you say she is wearing… your clothes?”

He looked down at her; he realized he may have said too much earlier. Luckily before he could answer her question Sara showed up in the nick of time. He came to check up on Brandy and give her some pointers for throwing a punch, He’d rather Brandy not fight again, she tended to cause more trouble for herself than anything.

Brandy introduced herself to Sara, at the moment he was more worried of what Sara might say now. However, before he could say anything Brandy looked back up at him, “How did she get you clothes?”

He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, as he was about to stammer out an answer, shots rang out in the distance. It caused Brandy to clutch at him tightly with her nails, Sara’s eye glimmered in joy and she ran off in the direction of the shots. Brandy pressed harder as she seemed to tense up, “Why would she go towards it? We need to get out of here Ace, I have that turret in my house, maybe we should go there? What if we're being attacked?”

Ace got up pulling her up with him, “You’re right. But let’s go to the diner, it is closer to us.” Ace started walking over there clutching Brandy’s hand, but she stood still and firm in her place. Ace tried pulling hard but she was firm in her position, like a little kid who refused to budge. Ace let out a sigh, “Okay…take it you don’t want to face Betty. We’ll take the side door…and go down to cellar.”

Brandy hesitantly agreed and they walked over to the diner. She gripped his hand very tightly, he looked back at her and she looked frightened. *She must have really been sheltered if gunfire frightens her.*He pulled her closer to him and held her tightly. He kissed the top of her head “It’ll be alright. Come on, if you hurry we can get to safety quicker.”

They walked over to the diner and reached the outside cellar doors. Ace went to unlock them, but they were already unlocked. *Right, Betty broke in here. Need to make note to replace lock and get better security.* He opened the door and had Brandy walked down first. He closed the doors and they were down by the storage area, “Mind the mess, I used this area for the diner’s food. My living space is the other half. Let me get light.”

He turned the lights revealing a room with multiple fridges and freezers as long as with barrels and crates filled with goods. They walked over to his room; he saw Betty’s old children of atom rags and pushed them under the bed with his foot. He grabbed Brandy close to him and planted a kiss on her lips. He sat on the bed and made out with her for a bit.

He stopped and looked at her smiling, “I hate to stop this, but I should check upstairs, make sure everyone is okay.” Brandy didn’t want to let go, He kissed her again but managed to pry himself loose, “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Shelby and Waylon managed to carry Eliza to a chair to sit her down, “Thank you. I don't really have any idea on where to go from here. Everything I owned that meant something to me was on my horse and I don't know where he went. So I don't know what to do.” Eliza stopped herself for a minute and raked her hair with her fingers, she was getting a little emotional and was trying to calm herself down. “I don't want to be alone anymore. I've spent too much time alone, and afraid. I can't do it anymore.”

Shelby got down on her knees next to Eliza and brushed her cheek, “Don't worry Babe, I'm not going anywhere.” She looked at Waylon, “Have you seen a horse? Would you be willing to look for it? Someone must've seen it.”

“I can do that, did you want to get her upstairs, or did you want to wait?” asked Waylon.

Shelby looked at Eliza, “Let's wait a little bit before we do that, I saw you wince a few times leaving the clinic Hun.” She jumped up, “OH, and find out if Brandy actually followed through with it would ya?”

Waylon shook his head, “You're terrible.” He walked out the door.

Shelby turned back to Eliza and held her hands out to her side, “Was it really that bad? I mean, the girl needs to be defensive at least once in her life right?” She waved it off and grabbed a couple bottles of purified water from the dorm size fridge, “Here ya go Hun.” Shelby drug a second chair over by Eliza and sat down, “If you need anything please just tell me.” She took a swig of water and just looked at Eliza, tears started to flow again and she put her hands on Eliza's knee, “I still ca...can’t believe you're here, I missed you terribly. I was worried to death, almost literally about you.”

“Mind the mess, I used this area for the diner’s food. My living space is the other half. Let me get light.”

“OK,” Brandy replied while fiddling with her hands nervously. When the lights came on she gawked at all the functioning appliances but kept quiet. She followed Ace over to his room and he grabbed her and pulled her to him, her heart fluttered. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her, she raised her hands to his shoulders. Ace sat down on the bed, pulling her down, she turned to face him and straddled his legs as he took away the fright inducing gunfire. Breathing heavier and heavier she adjusted the collar on her T-shirt then pulled on the bottom of her shirt to remove it.

Ace stopped and looked at her smiling, “I hate to stop this, but I should check upstairs, make sure everyone is okay.” Brandy didn’t want to let go, He kissed her again but managed to pry himself loose, “I’ll be back soon, I promise.” She finally let go him, wiping a little sweat from her forehead before she fell back on Ace’s bed. He just left her hot and bothered as she turned into her side to get comfortable. She laid there, rolling to her stomach she clutched the pillow and yelled into it, “WHYYYY!!!”

Thought that's why he hired Betty? she balled up her fists in frustration. She turned to her side and closed her eyes. Laying there for a few minutes calming down herself so opened them and instinctively reached for her glasses on the nightstand and knocked over a picture. Oh no!!! You dummy, you didn't even wear your glasses here. She sighed and sat up, reaching over to pick up the picture she knocked over. She caught a glimpse of something shining on the corner of the table, she picked it up and felt sick to her stomach. “A wedding ring?” she then turned the picture around and nearly choked at the scene of Ace embracing an attractive Latina woman. “What have I done, he is married? I'm a disgrace to my grandparents.” She couldn't even face herself, tears dropped down from her cheeks to her chin to her lap. She couldn't let the picture go, nor could she even move or speak. Her thoughts were all over the place, wondering how she did not know that Ace was married. He was a handsome man, so why wouldn't he be? She began to compare herself to the Latina woman in the puc, coming up short in everything that she thought of. She laid back down, slipping his wedding ring on her thumb and staring at the picture.

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - early to mid afternoon

It felt like years since Archie had left the inn to investigate the disturbance. Celeste found herself standing still, frozen, behind the reception desk. All manner of threats streamed through her mind. Raiders? Mutants? Ghouls? All of the above? Worse?!

Her breath caught in her throat and it was as though her heart threatened to stop altogether. She'd been away from home for all of ten minutes and her very live could be snuffed out, never to be talked of, again.

“I’ve returned manager. Ms. Sara and her friends were the cause of the disturbance we heard earlier. She’s now looking for some place to stay.” Archie entered the inn, sounding triumphant.

"You...huh...what?" she breathed, coming out of her paranoid daze.

“Uh ya, let’s get that straight. I did not kill all of those people….unfortunately, and they were not actually my friends, that was a joke.” The woman shifted the weight of her pack so and stepped up to the counter to speak with the woman. “I’m just looking for a place to stay for a few days, the robot brought me here when I asked. So do you have any rooms or do I just pick a corner and set up a tent? Not really sure how this stuff works, it’s been awhile. I’ve got money.” She pulled a large pouch of caps out of her bag and sat them down on the counter with a satisfying jingle. “Is this enough? For whatever?”

Celeste looked between the caps, up to the woman, back to the caps, and back to the woman. She cleared her throat and offered her most dazzling, charming smile. "Welcome to the Sandy Coves Inn! I'm Celeste Brown, proprietor of this establishment. Please, help yourself to one of the scones, they're fresh baked from scratch." She eyed the caps pouch. Her fingers twitched but she refused to simply help herself to the money. To do so would just simply be rude. "Room rental is eight caps per night. So for three nights that would be...twenty-four caps," she nodded. "Archie is my assistant. He could lead you up to a place, if you are okay with that?"

There was a strange knock at the door, causing Celeste to startle, and Archie to turn. “hello? Anyone inside? It’s Steve was Salem.... I heard the gunshots but it looks like you killed them already.”

Celeste looked to the robot, and shrugged. The voice continued.

"Good shooting and knife work by the way."

Celeste immediately looked at Sara and paled, almost shrinking behind the counter. "...another, um, friend, of yours?"

"Manager?" the robot prompted.

"Ah, oh. Right. Well...go answer the door, I guess," Celeste squeaked.

Archie floated to one of the main doors and magically flung it open. "Hello, and welcome to the Sandy Coves Inn! Do come inside."

FRIEDA RICHTER - Salem Clinic - Late morning to early afternoon

Frieda had hummed happily to herself for a few hours, shearing linens into strips with the scissors the doc had given her. She wiped some sweat off her brow, surprised it had accumulated there, considering the task wasn't exactly taxing. She brushed off some of the resultant lint and stray threads from her hands and shelved one last pile of bandages, wondering what to do with the overstock still in her arms.

Probably makes sense to just take these out into the clinic, proper. She left the storage room and stepped into the main room, just in time to watch a stranger hug Arthur before leaving with another man and pushing a patient in a wheelchair.

“Doc, I can't put into words how thankful I am for you and what you did for Eliza. I will repay you, I promise, you name it.”

Arthur appeared unsure of how to react and did not return the hug. "Yes...well...think nothing of it." He stuttered out once the woman had pulled back. He adjusted his glasses which had become askew and cleared his throat. "My only request for payment is that you do what you can to return the favor to help the clinic when you can and to..ahem..help me...as well..." His stomach grumbled loudly enough that Frieda heard it, "Aside from that...there is no charge."

Frieda stepped towards the pulpit where an assortment of items had already been assembled. She attempted to place the new bandages neatly among the items, then slowly approached where the other patient lay. Arthur sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes. He walked back over to the patient and Frieda.

"I'm just going to lie down for an hour or two..I'll just be...just be.." He babbled, so tired he was unable to finish.

Frieda had seen exhaustion like that before. The doc had clearly suffered from severe sleep deprivation and many hours of adrenaline-induced action, but his body was shutting down. It wasn't as clear during their earlier chat, but to her defence, she hadn't spent quite enough time with him to see the signs at that point, either. "You have a place to lie down?" she asked, almost tenderly, though in truth she hadn't been through the entirety of the place and knew nothing of its layout.

Arther gave a tremendous yawn in response and he trudged over to the staircase and up to the second floor, out of sight.

"...so, that's a yes," she answered herself, glancing down at the other patient who continued to sleep through the entire ordeal. Frieda tapped her fingers on her thighs, feeling restless and a little out of place. She paced around the main floor of the church-turned-clinic, gazing around, bored but wishing for a task. She reflected on how the poor doc's stomach had growled and suddenly remembered the bag lunch Brandy had given her that morning. She retrieved it from the storage closet, tip toed up the stairs as quietly as she could, and had opened her mouth to declare her entrance when she saw the doc had already passed out on a pallet.

"You're a long way from the Vault, huh, doc?" she sighed, with a slight smirk on her face. Frieda scrawled a little note on the paper bag -- 'There's no free lunch! - pre-war expression - except today, this is a free lunch :) - F.R.' -- and gently placed the bag lunch down on his nightstand, next to his glasses. She stood, re-reading her little note, and internally groaned.

"No free lunch"? What's wrong with you?

"Girl's got a crush, I'd say," replied her brother's voice in her mind.

She furrowed her brow, as she would if she were really talking to him. I do not. He's just...familiar, somehow. He's softer than us, but still...disciplined. It's just intriguing.

"Sure," Brian's voice again, and in her mind's eye he was smiling.

Shut up. You're probably dead.

Frieda spun on her heel and whipped back down the stairs. As her feet hit the landing, the distinct, though distant, sound of gunshots rang out in the air. She paused, a lifetime of military conditioning immediately feeding her instincts, telling her to ready her weapon, find cover, and await further orders.

She reached down for her gun, which...wasn't there. The memory of it sitting on the dresser back in Brandy's house flashed into her mind.

"Fucking hell," she muttered. Frieda looked at Summer, back outside, back to her empty belt, cursing herself. How could she have left her weapon behind? How careless could she be?

"'Unprepared' is a synonym for dead," she heard Brian, and countless instructors over her years of training, echoing in her head.

Frieda growled. "Maybe I'd rather be dead!" She slipped to the door, regardless, and peered out. She saw nothing indicating a scuffle anywhere near the closest buildings. Frieda strained her ears to hear more but could hardly pick out any distinct sounds. Everything in her essence dictated she should ready and prepare herself for a confrontation, but her lack of weapon nagged at her as a snag. Besides, she couldn't in good conscience leave the clinic, what with the remaining patient down for the count already, and the doctor sleeping above. If something were to happen to him, well, the town would be hard pressed to find another medic who remained so particularly fixated on cleanliness and generally thorough.

...

She blinked, as she realized her subconscious had picked up on details that had hardly registered, before. No wastelander, doctor or otherwise, was such a stickler for being precisely clean as he was. Brandy's house was clean and tidy, for sure, but definitely wasn't organized with such...sterility. Just another chip in the pile of things that didn't quite add up about the doc.

The clinic was her post, and she'd take it seriously. In a moment of clarity, she retrieved the scissors -- "Mind the edge, it is sharper than it looks," the doc had warned -- and went back to the door of the clinic, prepared to melee any threat that dared appear. Several moments passed before a horse, a woman, and a man, came barreling down the street and disembarked at a home next to Brandy's. Frieda blinked, but turned her attention back to the road, remaining vigilant. She idly turned the scissors in her hands as she watched.

Ace Makovich - Diner - Afternoon

Ace smirked as he looked down at her. She looked at him with her wide open eyes pleading for him to remain. He gave her a wink and turned to go upstairs. As he stepped out side the room, he opened a small safe by the ladder leading up to the hatch located in the kitchen. He opened it, and stared at the Plasma Defender inside. It was his trusty gun, and had been with him since he was a kid training at Lost Hills.

He grabbed the pistol, some ammo, and tucked it into the back of his belt. If there was any true trouble he'd want it by his side. He heard a clattering sound coming from the bedroom. He turned in the direction of the room, "Everything alright in there Brandy?" She stammered through her words and replied affirmatively.

Ace shruggd his shoulders and headed upstairs through the stairs, up the hatch and into the kitchen. Betty was standing there with her arms crossed, "You know I have half a mind to slug that little tart...I might even find some local lawman an press charge..."

Ace put up his hand with one finger, stopping her from speaking further. He cleared his throat, "Yeah...You could do that... I mean I won't stop you, but I could also fire you for getting her in trouble. It's up to you."

Betty huffed and rolled her eyes, "Whatever old man...She owes me though you gotta give me that at least."

"Look Brandy just lost her cool, alright. She got some terrible advide from someone who shouldn't have been advising her. I'm sure she feels quite sorry for what she did." Ace replied.

"Whatevs..." Replied as she turned around and cleane some dishes. Ace turned around to face the guests, he took a step back as he saw an armed man standing before him. However, he was not a man, he was a synth. You could see metal bits sticking from his face, as if he had taken a pummeling too many.

Ace immediately pulled his defender out, and pointed it at the thing before him. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!? WHY SHOULDN'T I FILL YOUR BODY FULL OF HOT PLASMA!?"

"PUT IT DOWN! GODDAMN IT!" Barney shouted as he walked into the diner. He cleared his throat, "He's a synth yes, but he's been freed by the Railroad. Salem once served as a safehouse for his kind."

Ace lowered his gun, "Now look here old man..."

Before he could finish Barney raised his hand towards him, "I'm the owner, mayor, grand poobah of this town, and I say he stays...If you have a problem with that you can leave. After all, aren't you someone seeking refuge, escaping from your past."

"Whatever...If he goes berserk, it is on you old man. What are we supposed to call this glorified toaster?" Ace shrugged his shoulders and placed the defender back into his belt.

Mary Hawthorne - Her Home

"That sounds good...", rich said with a nod, he then gestured out towards the living room. "Do you mind if I take a look at those Mr. Handy's for you? I know a thing or two about robots"

"Be my guest", Mary said, "We didn't have anything like that when I was young...well, where I grew up."

Rick walked back to the living room and busied himself while Mary prepared lunch for them both. She could hear the clattering of parts moving around, and odd whirring, but she left him to it as, raised in a simpler age, she had no idea how the things worked. Once lunch was ready, she called for Rick to come to the table.

"Be right there", he replied, "need to charge em up!"

After a moment he came into the kitchen and took his seat.

"So tell me, Rick", Mary said in a friendly manner, "What brings you to Salem?"

Rick looked up at her, "Oh well im doing some travelling and I was just curious about the north. You know away from the minutemen, and battle for Boston. Figured I'd visit the old town of Salem and see some witches. Bunch of nonsense if you ask me, if someone doesn understand something they call it magic."

"Quite true", Mary replied.

"Take a look at those robots. For someone not versed in robotics or science, they'd consider that magic. For me child's play... sorry I've had so many debates on this issues back home at..."

He then immediately changed the subject....clearly he had caught himself just before saying something he felt he shouldn't.

"Sorry...two of the robots are charging right now.", he said. "It'll be a basic charge, maybe last a few day. I see town has no electricity, so if you have a generator, I'd recommend you hook them up over night every few days. the third one just needs some parts and i could get it to work"

"Really?", she said with genuine surprise, "you fixed two of them already? I'm not sure what to say...that was very kind of you." She then added, "I don't have a generator, but I do have a supply of fission batteries to power the appliances and my purifier...would one of those get them charged up for a while?"

Rick cut up some of the meat before him, and atarted to eat, slowly at first, as if he'd never eaten venison before, then faster as he seemed to like the taste of it.

"I wonder what those raiders were shouting when they charged at us:, he said absentmindedly, "Sounded like latin, but im not so familiar with dead languages..." he stopped himself again.

"That wasn't Latin, Rick", Mary replied amusedly. She searched for a current day example, but could think of only one....those annoying Papists from the 'Abbey of the Road' that liked to snoop around Point Lookout, like Marcella. Obediah had wanted to kill that woman, convincing that pigheaded man killing her would only make things worse had taken all her powers of persuasion. But it only figured that if only one organization would survive the War that it would have be the Papists. "I've heard missionaries from the "Abbey of the Road" saying their prayers in Latin, and that sounded nothing like those two." she then added, "They are probably Tribals speaking some made up language."

They weren't Tribals, Mary knew that much. What Rick had told her, and her altercation with the Cultists, alarmed her greatly. She had some research to do, and tonight she would do some investigating on her own. The time she had spent learning alchemy...and other things from Orne and Hutchinson would come in quite handy.

"Are you just visiting Salem", Mary asked, "or are you planning to stay? If you like, you can stay here for a few days...it's the least I can do for helping me with those robots."

Adam 'Trails' Wilford- His boat, 'Pride of Amalfi'

Adam came back to world with blurred vision of the deck of Pride in front of his eyes and his old Radiation King echoing out 'Just a Little Lonesome' into the sky. He crawled over to the side of the ship and vomited off the port side into the sea, the motion of the ship not coupling well with his whiskey hangover. Despite his better judgement, he reached for the bottle and took another swig before half-assedly rolling himself out onto the beach. The last thing he remembered after throwing his old photo overboard was pulling out an old bottle of the good proof and saluting the sky. Adam held his head, walking inside to drink some purified water and clean himself up, "Augh, I need...food...good food, not this crap.". He pushed a can of pork n beans away and composed himself enough to not be too obvious he was recovering from a booze coma and made for the diner. A loud gunshot rang out and Adam made a skillful dive for a wall nearby in town, taking cover and unholstering his 10mm pistol. His first thought was raiders as he waited, his heart racing in tenseness as he reluctantly prepared to fight. However nothing ever came after a while, so he was more than happy to holster his weapon. That dive took a little out of him in his state and he sat, rubbing his temples. Finally, he'd reached the diner, ready for some good food. Adam pushed open the door eagerly, mouthing in tune to himself 'always just a little blue'. The bell chimed and "Howdy, I..oh....", he stopped as he came in to the owner, Ace, yelling at some guy and a gun to him. "WHY SHOULDN'T I FILL YOUR BODY FULL OF HOT PLASMA!?" Adam looked over to Mayor Barney as he walked in after Adam and nodded, but Barney was apparently too focused on Adam to notice, "PUT IT DOWN! GODDAMN IT!" Barney yelled, then went to a lower tone, "He's a synth yes, but he's been freed by the Railroad. Salem once served as a safehouse for his kind." Ace seemed reluctant to do it, but he lowered his gun, "Now look here old man..." Before he could finish Barney raised his hand towards him, "I'm the owner, mayor, grand poobah of this town, and I say he stays...If you have a problem with that you can leave. After all, aren't you someone seeking refuge, escaping from your past." Ace, unhappy with Barney's decision, only replied with, "Whatever...If he goes berserk, it is on you old man. What are we supposed to call this glorified toaster?". Adam, unsure what to do, only cleared his throat, unaware of what was going on or what a 'synth' was, spread his fingers in a slow look of not trying to get involved, "Hey, uhhh, sorry to bother whatever is going on here, but are you open? I just want some chow, sir."

Steve Cooper - The Sandy cove- Mid afternoon

For a few moments there was no answer only for the doors to then magically swing off, catching Steve off guard for an movement as a robot, handyman model appear and cheerfully stated "Hello, and welcome to the Sandy Coves Inn! Do come inside."

“Yè lì bàzhǔ could have told me you gonna do that robot.”

Holstering his pistol Steve flicked away the butt of his cigarette and walked inside the “sandy coves inn” as the robot called it, looking around it appeared much clearer than the other places in the Salem, no doubt due to the robot’s hard work over the last 200 years.

Should ask about buying the bot ... would make an good bartender

In front of Steve was main reception area with a small but notably curvaceous woman with curly brown hair and blue eyes standing (or hiding?) behind the desk and appeared to be slightly neverous.

Probably hid in here during the gunfight

Standing in front of the desk a new woman... some sort of scavenger/Merc wearing an pilot jacket who oddly looked somewhat like Eliza although less.... curvaceous than her or the short girl.

------------------------------------
( Wild wasteland add-on: Somewhat Oddly however she was completely covered in mud but was notably slimmer than her younger sister :D )
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“Greetings ma’dam and Fēi nǚhái” steve said as he winked at both girls

“Like I said outside I was coming up here to find out who was building that wall, whoever’s building that is making an mistake with the three doors.... Anyway getting back to topic I heard some gunfire and came to investigate but it seems you killed them already...or alteast this group"

Steve then turned to the Handy man robot, since it had likely been here for the last 200 years “Robot do you know when those atom losers moved into the crater? How many there are? If they are attacking travellers on the road Might be a good idea to clean them out before they start causing trouble for the town...”

Pleasure den won’t matter if those freaks decide to purge us for the holy atom....

Rick Noel - Salem - Mid-Afternoon

"That wasn't Latin, Rick", Mary replied amusedly, "I've heard missionaries from the "Abbey of the Road" saying their prayers in Latin, and that sounded nothing like those two." she then added, "They are probably Tribals speaking some made up language."

*Some surface dwellers developed their own language? I find it hard to believe, they aren't that sophisticated, plus I dont remember seeing any reports of there being such a case. Then again there was much that their reports missed...like the intentions of the devil that destroyed the institute.* He looked at mary and shrugged his shoulder's, "That could be so."

He drank the last of his milk, and he felt stuffed. "Like I had said earlier, I don't really know much latin just a tad but, and mostly of scientific terms. Some of the scient... some of the people I know, knew a bit for their resea...studies. You know wanting to understand the old world and make sure its secrets werent fully lost."

"Are you just visiting Salem", Mary asked, "or are you planning to stay? If you like, you can stay here for a few days...it's the least I can do for helping me with those robots."

"That'll be lovely, I thank you. Wasn't sure if the was a guesthouse or Inn in town for me to stay at." Rick replied, however as soon as he said that he could feel his stomach turn in all directions. It felt as if someone had punched him in the gut with their fool might. Rick maintained his composure in front of Mary. He had been warned prior to leaving, not to eat food. Of course he didn't listen.

Rick stood up excusing himself from table, "SInce I'm...Since I'm going to be staying here...perhaps I should check out the town." Rick left her house for a bit, and felt the strength leaving his body as it fought the food he had just eaten. He walked up the road past a church and some houses, he was by some cliffs, he looked around to make sure no one was around. He leaned over the edge and puked his guts out, and it seemed he was never going to stop.

After a bit he sat on the ground from exhaustion. He felt he couldn't puke anymore. he looked over to his side and saw an older man looking at him, "Son, you need a doctor. GEt on over to the church, doctor is there. I'd take you myself, but I don't want barf on me."

Rick nodded and he gather what strength he had and made his way over to the church. He clutched his stomach with one hand, and wiped sweat with another. he threw up again, next to the church. He wasn't sure how he was puking so much, his stomach was almost empty now, and gastric acid was making its way out.

He walked up to the church and there was a woman wielding some scissors there, "Please get me the doctor...I need him quick..." He saw a bin by the door, and threw up again, feeling the burning gastric acid.

Eliza Weaver
S&W Weaponry, Salem, Massachusetts - early to mid afternoon



Eliza grabbed one of the bottles of water that Shelby had brought over. She was parched and could feel a slight headache coming on, on top of all of her other aches and pains. Dehydration was something she did not want to deal with right now when she had finally been given a chance to rest without fear. “In all honesty Shelby I came to this town to die. I have a lifetime of pain and suffering behind me, people I’ve lost or left behind. I can’t live with that anymore, and I can’t escape it in a world filled with it.” Eliza was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire, instinct told her to spring onto her feet but her injuries stopped her dead in her tracks. Her body had become tense from the gunshots, and she quickly realized that she didn’t have Bragg’s gun with her.

“Fuck! Where did I leave his gun!?” Eliza couldn’t move but she was getting anxious in her seat with sweat running down her brow and slicking her palms. She was convinced that whatever trouble was happening outside of town was related to her. Even though Bragg had died she wasn’t comfortable with the idea that he was the last person from her past that she would run into. In this life she had more enemies than friends, but she realized that she needed to keep her friends close to her if she wanted to push through this. Thoughts on the past and her friends brought her to her collection of dog tags, miraculously they didn’t get lost in the shuffle but Eliza momentarily forgot about them. Between them and Shelby they were the only memories of her past that she wanted to keep close to her. Eliza fanned through each dog tag, putting a face to each name. These people dedicated their lives to her, and here she was the last one left. It hung heavy on her shoulders but she couldn’t shrug the weight, this was her burden to bare.

Fanning the dog tags helped to calm herself down causing her to realize that she may have struck Shelby a bit too sharply with the doom and gloom speech. She wasn’t lying, there were more times than she could count that she contemplated ending it all but she could never go through with it. Eliza attributed it to her being weak, but now she realized that she was too proud. That’s why she fought Bragg and struggled against her death, she wasn’t willing to die like that. Her Riders wouldn’t want to see her go out like that. She couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotions when she thought about them, she missed those days so much. It was the closest she had ever come to having a family, but she still had a chance. Her brothers and sisters made sure of that. “Shelby I’m sorry. I should be thankful for what I have left, not what I have lost. It means everything to me that you're back in my life."

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church Clinic, Second Floor Mezzanine

Arthur's eyes peeled open and in his disoriented state, he thought for the briefest of moments that he was back in his old apartment. But instead of the 1,000 thread-count sky blue sheets of his old bed, he found only the course linens and straw pillow that was the makeshift one he'd thrown together for himself in the church. The illusion vanished instantly and he sat up groggy and disorientated, and his vision was blurred. Even his exhausted state, he'd at least had the wherewithal to remove his glasses and place them on the nightstand. God knows how he'd get by if he lost them because he'd accidentally crushed them.

Gently, he reached for both his glasses and a nearby cloth and wiped them clean, before placing them back on his head. Now that he'd reoriented himself, and could actually see, he noticed that something else had been sitting on the nightstand: a brown bag and a short handwritten note attached to it. Puzzled, he examined the note.
'There's no free lunch! - pre-war expression - except today, this is a free lunch :) - F.R.'

F.R.? Frieda Richter?

He looked in the bag. Just as the note said, there was a neatly packed lunch inside. Arthur looked back down at piece of paper and re-read it. He couldn't help but feel a bit of embarrassment rising up. He had probably looked like a mess splayed out on the bed when she'd dropped off the lunch.

Well...at least I was decent. He thought to himself with relief.

It was a kind gesture, one he hadn't expected, especially from a woman he'd only just recently met. But....a welcome one. Arthur peeked into the bag once more and felt his heart sank. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not be able to eat well..any of it. He felt his stomach rumble again.

"I'll try some..just a little," He told himself.

His thoughts on the lunch were interrupted suddenly as he heard someone burst into the clinic and shout for the doctor. After that, Arthur had only heard the unstained sounds of someone emptying the contents of their stomach in a rather violent fashion. This caused Arthur to bolt out of his bed and rush down the stairs towards the man, who was currently gripping the sides of a waste bin for dear life,

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Or is it venom?" He sputtered out, trying to get whatever information he could.

“In all honesty Shelby I came to this town to die. I have a lifetime of pain and suffering behind me, people I’ve lost or left behind. I can’t live with that anymore, and I can’t escape it in a world filled with it.” Eliza was interrupted by the sounds of gunfire, instinct told her to spring onto her feet but her injuries stopped her dead in her tracks “Fuck! Where did I leave his gun!?”

Shelby held up her hands, “Whoa there Hun ,” she helped Eliza get situated back down. “Look where you're at, you're in a gun shop.” Shelby grinned at her, “I'm pretty sure we can find you a gun,” she winked. She noticed that Eliza had took hold of a number of dog tags tied together and began to fan through them as she sat quietly for a second.

“You know, I have been through of world of shit too. I've done a lot of shit that I wish I could take back and I've suffered too. We have each other now, or again, however you want to look at it, it doesn't matter. We are here...together, for each other, try to relax. These are good people around here so far, and that little twit Brandy, you won't find a more goodie two shoes I guarantee you that.” Shelby took a drink of water.

“Shelby I’m sorry. I should be thankful for what I have left, not what I have lost. It means everything to me that you're back in my life."

Shelby smiled, “It means the world to me too.” she stood up and pulled a .44 mag from the wall display and handed it to Eliza before she turned around and rifled through some boxes of ammo. She found a box that had 11 cartridges in it, “Here, if I don't make you feel safe enough. Told ya we could find a gun,” she laughed then pulled an AK-47 from the wall display and a full magazine for it from under the counter. “I'm not leaving, I'm just gonna pop my head out the door.”

She walked and looked outside up towards the diner and around, seeing no action she returned to Eliza's side and sat down, “Guess we'll just sit and wait. When we get you upstairs I'll make sure you have a nice scoped rifle, you can pick off assholes from my bedroom window.” Shelby just stares at Eliza, her hair was still damp and hanging free, she shook her head, “You know what? It was all worth it. Every last bit of it, all the shit Calypso put me through. Luckily I had Waylon, he rescued me, risking his own life for me. He helped me to heal my physical wounds and tried to help with my emotional ones too. He did everything that he could, and I'm grateful. I know you will like him, I saw the way you looked at him a couple of times. Honey, trust me when I say he is good people.”