ARCHIE - Sandy Coves Inn, second floor -- mid to late afternoon

“No not the moon robot, the crater just outside of town by the lighthouse.” Steve groaned at the robot “fuck it... Command override vocal audio house, Robert access core programming."

"It's Archie, good sir," the Mr Handy corrected again. "Are you quite all right? I dare say, you've muttered gibberish a total of three times since you entered the inn. Have you suffered any head trauma, recently?"

“Forget it, just take me to the roof robot... although quick question, are you the only robot here? Does... Manager Celeste have other robots?"

"Sir, you may call me 'Archie,' as I have mentioned a few times. Are you suffering from some short-term memory loss? Perhaps you should visit the doctor. Ms Frieda just took over some fresh supplies earlier today." Archie drew up to a ladder and a hatch in the ceiling, tucked far away on the second floor of the inn. "Here we are, good sir! Do be careful on the roof. A fall from a height would only worsen your cerebral condition, or perhaps, kill you. Ta-ta!"

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn - mid to late afternoon

Sara approached one of the rooms closest to the stairwell. “This one will work.” Sara walked inside sitting her pack on the ground, with her rifle resting alongside it. Celeste lingered behind, in the doorway. Sara immediately began to peel off layers of clothing. Celeste glanced away, unsure if Sara were aware that she was still standing there.

Suddenly, there was a creak of bedsprings and a sigh of relief. “I feel like a queen!” Sara giggled as she rolled her sleeves up past her elbows on her flannel, revealing a tattoo on her forearm. Sara pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail, the sides of her hair had been shaven at some point but had regained most of its length. “So where do we go from here?” Sara inquisitively cocked her head towards Celeste as she un-bloused her pant legs, and began to unlace her boots.

Celeste smiled, genuinely oblivious to some overt cues given off by Sara. "Just glad to see you are settling in! I'm going to go back downstairs, I left a mess in the kitchen from baking the scones. If you need anything, just holler, or come on down to the lobby. I should be around for most of the rest of the afternoon, but I have some...plans, later this evening." She blushed after the last statement, twirled, and went back downstairs to the lobby.

Brother Abraham – Crater House

Abraham laid the hammer down on his desk and sat back into his chair. The porthole was boarded up, it had been broken during the storm the night before. Now the only light came from two candles that sat on the table. The shattering of the ancient glass would have woken Abraham had he not spent the night awake. Sleep had a habit of eluding him, especially in times of change and Abraham could feel the change in the wind of the storm. He had sat in the same chair, looking at the storm through porthole before it broke. His tired eyes forced to watch the sky change color and the dirt and debris be blown about.

The door to his small lean-to was opened and emanated a loud grinding noise as the daylight poured into the dark chamber. Abraham rose from his chair and looked at the doorframe. A figure stood assertively, his silhouette was armored and as it stepped inside Abraham recognized the armor as that of the Inquisitors. He squinted to see in the dim light and was surprised to see the man looked familiar.

"Brother Abraham? It's me, Ian, from Megaton," said the man, his voice containing an unexpected note of kindness. The Inquisitor threw his arms out in greeting. "I haven't seen you since I left Megaton with Confessor Martin." Abraham hesitated, he wondered if this veteran inn front of him, could really be the young man that had left some ten years ago to go North to the Holy Island.

“Ian? Ian Carver? Is that really you? By Atom you’ve surely changed.” Ian smiled and leaned back against the wall near the door.
"How have you been faring during these years, brother?" Ian asked, Abraham moved forward and embraced him.

“As well as one can in this land, tell me was that you I saw yesterday in the Lighthouse? When did you arrive in the Crater?” He moved away from Ian and toward his stove, “Would you like something to drink or eat? I have something called ko-ko, I bought it from a scavenger some time ago, it’s very good when added to hot water.”

Humming along to Diamond City Radio, Brandy took the chicken from the hot cooking oil and placed the pieces on a cooking sheet. She grabbed an extra egg to put away when arms wrapping around her waist startled her, she yelped and dropped the egg. As soon as she saw it was Ace, it eased her slightly, but her eyes glazed over as she backed away from him.

Ace move closer and took her hands, "You should've just waited for me Brandy. Reggie is long gone history, hell I haven't seen her in almost 4 years. I'm not with her anymore. I wouldn't lie to you." He kissed her hand, "Ever since I saw you arrive to town those few weeks ago, I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you. I want to be with you...please believe me..."

His words made her heart jump, knowing that he wanted to be with her are words she had been searching for, for some time. She sniffed back her tears, “Really ?”

Ace nodded, “Yes, really. Believe me when I say Reggie is history. Brandy, I want to be with you.” Ace embraced her and lifted her up to kiss her, sitting her on the counter. He ran his right hand up her leg feeling her soft, supple skin. With his left hand he pressed her closer to him, as they kissed with vigor. He pulled back and moved down to kissing her neck while his hand traveled on the inside of her thigh.

“Yes,” she gasped as things continued to heat up between them, “I want to be yours Ace, I want to be all yours.” She put her hands in his face and returned to kissing him. Ace scooped her up and carried her upstairs to her room.

Bow chickie bow wow

Brandy laid on the bed, rubbing Ace’s cheek as she stared at him, never before had she felt that kind of relief. She was sweaty, butterflies still chased each other around in her stomach. The way Ace touched her, his eager eyes, the way he took control, all things she had been longing for had come to fruition. Surprisingly she was more than comfortable laying nude in front of him, her modesty had left the building, instead being filled with loving confidence. Ace took his undershirt and wiped her off, she pressed his hand against her face and closed her eyes. “That was...wonderful, I had no idea how wonderful it could be.” She pulled his face to hers and kissed him again, her legs still trembled a little.

Brandy sat up and looked for something to cover herself with, there was nothing laying around. She looked at Ace and smiled, “I guess it is my house, and I don't think you'll mind if I walk downstairs naked to get my dress?” she giggled a little, walking down the stairs with Ace right behind her playing grab ass, she was thrilled that he felt the same as she did and loved the attention he was giving her. She picked her dress up off the kitchen floor and slipped back into it. She opened a drawer to fetch some oven mitts and took the chicken from the oven. It was sizzling, but luckily it had not burned one bit. The aroma filled the kitchen and floated outside through her open windows. She turned around and yanked Ace over to her by his belt and threw her arms around him kissing him again. The waves crashing against the shore in the background made it all surreal. “So...do you want to try a leg or breast? Both are really good, I'm sure you'll like them.”

((OOC: Lol, I hadn't checked the posts, so I failed to see you made a betty post before I checked the OOC. Thanks Sky!))

Adam 'Trails' Wilford- Ace's Diner
The waitress Betty looked at the Adam like he'd just dropped in from the moon, "Either you've been living in a cave for too long, you're out of town or you 're just having me on about not knowing what a synth is. Shit, the Insitute that used to exist till the Minutmen General blew it up, created them. Good for nothing eggheads with too much time on thir hands." Adam chuckled through his beard, "You caught me, ma'am. I'm an out of towner. New to the area. From the deep south to the, well, everything east of the Mississippi, really. Still not familiar with some of the local things that go on. I just came in out of D.C. to be honest. Can't say I cared for it much, either. Brotherhood clowns thinking they're the lawman around, more like a bunch of bullies you ask me."

Adam watched Betty walk off to the coffee maker, then come back to pour him a cup and scolded him, "Don't be Ma'aming me, old man. Do I look old to you." Adam made a small smile of amusement and egged her on a little, "I hope that's a rhetorical question." She shot him a dirty look then looked in an old mirror on the wall, making sure she hadn't aged and that she hadn't noticed. Adam looked down at the counter, feeling a little bad she took him so serious. "You look fine, Miss. Just having a little fun at your expense is all. I was just raised to be polite is all." Betty didn't say much to that and instead chose to walk over to stove and grill, and started preparing the steak he'd ordered. "You see the institute created things like him to look like us and replace us. You can't even tell em apart from human beings...well this one you can cause it's face is all messed up, plus when was the last time you saw a person with a red eye?" Adam paused, "Probably me when I looked in a mirror back in Atlant. Was completely drunk and on a gambling bender for two days without sleep on the casino strip by the boardwalk." He chuckled and cleared his throat, "But uh, I guess that wasn't what you'd meant, huh?" Adam was happy for his meal to arrive. He quietly at his steak, savoring its seasonings and preparation. After the last bite, he washed down the last of his coffee and put his caps on the counter, leaving an extra 10 caps for a tip. He stood up and straightened his coat, "Thanks for the meal, Miss Betty. Not many good cooks in the wastes, always glad to meet one of them." He gave flew his fingers off the temple of his head in farewell and stepped out into the late day air.

Salem

Adam made a deep sigh and inhaled the air, never ceasing to be tired of the beauty of that ocean air. He walked the streets, hands in his pockets, his mind a million miles off. He sat on an old bench and began contemplating his life, letting go of his wife opening a new perspective for him. The wind gently toyed with his hair as he stared off into the past. He thought of his days as a highwayman, wondering if she died because it was God's punishment to him for his wicked past. He vaguely remembered the cowering screams of men and women begging not to be shot as they jumped the bushes. Adam was the 'moral one' in his group, so he never shot a mark, but that didn't forgive it. His gut twisted at the shame he felt. All the times they'd robbed and plundered innocent caravaneers. When he left, he hoped to make amends, but he knew life didn't work that way. He kept that past hidden deep inside, how would other townfolk react if they knew that eccentric drunk that scavenged for a living used to be a thieving bastard and a Brahmin rustler? He didn't want to consider that. As far as he was concerned, that past was put to bed and the trader he'd been since his twenties was the man he is now. He leaned forward, his arms resting on his knees as he stared into the distance. He looked at a small picture of a young Adam and some of the men he used to ride with.

Adam felt a little guilty he'd sold them out. The lawmen in Kentucky were going to hang him and three others, but swore to let the one who sold out the gang out could go if they turned a new leaf. Adam was the one who broke silence. Even now, he could still hear Will yell 'You always were a weak-stomached son of a Bitch, Trails. We should've let you rot when you were bleeding out on that highway!'. Three days later, all nineteen outlaws were hanging on a noose, he was the one who escaped. One of the marshals looked at him, "That'll be you if you don't change, Kid. You're twenty, don't throw your life away.". Adam stared at the hanging men, each on a man who had at some point trusted him, considered him a friend. That was when he'd shaped up his life, started living upright. His finger gently massaged the jean fabric on his leg, contemplating that his life was built on the backs of nineteen outlaws. Then he sighed, "Each as rotten a bastard as the next, ain't no reason for me to feel bad." Adam muttered to himself as he got up from the bench. He eyed a small pile of discarded goods across the street, a small table and chairs. He only took two of the four and carried them back to his shed, contemplating how nice it'd help make his home look. Before he did, however, he threw down the picture of the men into the pile and shrugged, "No sense in them bastards keeping me down." he said, dragging his new furniture through the street to his shed.

Inside his seaside shack, Adam put the small table to a wall with a painting of Pre-War D.C. across from his bedframe. He looked through his boxes as he began planning for the night ahead and found it, a bottle of wine unopened and went over to the hotplate to start cooking a meal for two.

Mary Hawthorne - Her House

"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, then suddenly became agitated and stood up excusing himself from table, "SInce I'm...Since I'm going to be staying here...perhaps I should check out the town."

"Lovely weather for it", Mary replied, "I'd go with you but I have to clean up the saddle of the horse and find his owner...if they are still alive, anyhow."

Rick left via the front door, and Mary finished her lunch then packaged up the leftovers and put them in the refrigerator, then washed the pans. With two of those robots working, she could get this house properly cleaned in a fraction of the time it would have taken her to do it. Something odd about Rick though....he seemed better educated, and less worldly than the Wastelanders she had met. And he seemed to be eager to hide that as well....like he was protecting someone or something. But then she hadn't exactly been fully forthcoming either....she had understood exactly what the Cultist's battle-cry was, words in a language never intended for human tongues to utter. As for what it meant specifically...she would have to research it. She would investigate tonight...for now she had other things to do. She went into the living room, where two of the robots now sat upright, their legs curled up underneath them, being charged by a device Rich had connected to the two of them. The third, partially disassembled, sat off to the side. And sitting on a old folding construction sign was the saddle she had taken of the horse, dried blood spattered all over it. Finding some saddle soap in one of the saddlebags, she thoroughly cleaned the saddle and saddlebags, removing the bloodstains. Once clean to her satisfaction, she put the items back in the saddle bag and moved to drape them over the saddle, when suddenly a knock was heard at the door.

"Hello?", came a man's muffled voice outside. It wasn't Rick. Mary walked to the door and opened it, a stranger stood there, a tall, scruffy looking man in jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt. At his hips were a pair of semi-automatic pistols.

"Good afternoon", Mary said, "How may I help you?". She heard out the man's reply then spoke again.

"The Horse?", she asked, "He's not mine, sad to say. I decided to step in when I noticed he was left tied up outside the Diner all night with no food or water. He's not yours either....you look too healthy for that, the saddle and bags were covered in blood and there isn't a mark on you."

"With that said", Mary continued, "If you know who he belongs to, I'd be obliged if you would introduce me. I'm sure they would like him back, not to mention the contents of the saddle bags."

Sara Weaver
Sandy Coves Inn, Salem, Massachusetts - mid to late afternoon



Sara gave a shy smirk as she removed her weathered boots and stuffed them alongside her bed. “Thanks Celeste…” By time Sara looked back up towards the doorway Celeste was gone. She could hear her footsteps heading away from her room and back towards the entryway. “I guess it’s just me now.” Sara got up from where she was sitting and made her way to the door, peeking out to make sure there was no one around but it was only Celeste. Sara wanted some privacy, mainly because that Steve guy was still around so she gently closed the door and exhaled a sigh of relief.

With her door shut Sara quickly undid her pants and dropped them where she stood, kicking her wet socks off in the process. Her underwear had started to soak through as well causing her to cover her face in embarrassment upon realizing it. “No, no, no. Why is this happening!” Sara tried to keep her voice down as she shamefully removed her underwear and put them in the pile with her pants and socks. Fishing through her backpack Sara got a fresh pair of clothes for her to change into. A pair of dark blue dungarees, a tank top that was in much better shape than the t-shirt she was currently wearing, and a dry pair of socks.

Sara took the fresh clothes and sat them on the seat of the chair that her jacket was on while she removed the rest of her dirty clothes piling them with her pants and underwear on the floor. Letting her hair down Sara sat down on the cold wooden floor and stretched out her muscles, she was starting to ache from the fight she was just in and hoped that some stretches and rest would put her muscles at ease.

Satisfied with her few minutes of stretches Sara clumsily stood up and cracked her windows. She wanted to feel the cool ocean breeze, that was one of her favorite parts of Salem, the ocean. Where she was camped at up north she wasn't anywhere close to it but down here she could taste it in the air. It sent a shiver down her spine as the cool breeze hit her bare body causing her to perk up instantaneously. In the cool inviting light that danced through the blinds Sara got a good look at just how dirty she was. It had been a few days since she cleaned herself last, and it would honestly be a few more but she wanted to look presentable...for whatever reason.

“I might as well try that bathroom out. I wonder if there's a bucket I fill up or something? Hmm, probably should've mentioned that to Celeste.” Not being in any state to chase Celeste down Sara entered her small attached bathroom. “This place really is something isn't it?” Sara marveled at the freshly cleaned bathroom. She'd truly never seen anything as amazing as this inn. It wasn't anywhere close to the condition it was in before the war but Celeste's compassion for her business was evident in the work she'd put into it.

Unsure of what to expect Sara hesitantly twisted the knobs on the sink, and surprisingly water came out. Sara quickly turned the water off and stepped back from the sink with a look of astonishment on her face. “What!? You've got to be kidding me!” Sara wiped her eyes and turned the knobs again, letting the water splash into the sink and down the drain as she ran her hands under it. She'd never seen anything like this before, the water certainly wasn't perfect but Sara had been washing herself in an algae covered pond for months. Making this bathroom a huge improvement.

Too excited to contain herself Sara shut the water off for the sink and made her way to the bathtub. Leaning over she turned the valves, wondering why there were two like the sink. She turned one on and left it run, the water still came out so they didn't both need to be on. Except the water was frigid like the water she bathed in at camp. So what did the other one do? Sara turned off the valve and then opened the other. Only to discover the same thing, the water was cold. “Well what's the point of having two if they don't do anything?” Sara tested the water again and quickly recoiled her fingers. “Ouch! That's hot!” Sara took a moment to process what she was experiencing and then started giggling. “It's hot! It's actually hot!” Sara turned the valve open all the way and inspected the toiletries around the bathroom while she giddily waited for the tub to fill.

After a few impatient moments of waiting the tub still hadn't filled. Causing Sara to realize that the plug chained to the tub was to keep the water in. So she plugged the drain and continued to wait. She sat on the toilet, playing with a slippery white bar of something, she wasn't sure what it was but it didn't taste very good. Either way it occupied her long enough for the tub to fill. Unable to wait any longer she shut the valve off and dipped her toe into the water letting out an audible shiver in doing so.

With her new toy and a washcloth in hand Sara climbed into the tub, submerging everything from the tip of her shoulders down. She'd never felt anything so good in her entire life. Her entire body tingled and her knees buckled underneath the soothing water. Still unsure of what to do with the little white bar she found, Sara let it drop into the water. An opaque cloud followed it from her hand until it came to rest on her hip.

Filled with curiosity Sara placed her hand over the bar and ran it around her waist and up and down her thighs. It's slipperiness under the water, coupled with the sensation it caused Sara to feel told her that she was doing something right. After a few minutes and a rather audible moan, Sara stopped and let the bar tumble off of her stomach and fall to the bottom of the tub. Sara curled her toes as she delicately traced her fingers around where the bar had been. Surprisingly it had left a film on her skin that was just as slick as the bar. “What is this thing?” Sara pulled her fingers up to her nose to smell the residue. It had a rather mild fragrance but it smelled better than she did.

So she grabbed the bar again and rubbed it on her arm, smelled it, then wiped the residue off with her washcloth. Again to her surprise the bar had cleaned her skin off, and left it smelling so much better. “This stuff is awesome!” Sara rubbed herself down from head to toe with her new slippery friend, following behind it with her washcloth until her whole body was the cleanest she could ever remember it being. “Where have you been my whole life?”

Sara’s demeanor completely changed when she entered this place, and she was fully aware of it. Now she didn't want to leave, this was what she'd been looking for. A place like this that made her happy, someone like Celeste that made her feel weird inside. All of these things felt special to her, and even if she didn't fully understand them she didn't want them to go away.

Sara finished cleaning herself up and let the tub drain. She grabbed a towel and began to dry herself off, including her hair, which felt so much cleaner now that she had a chance to rinse the grease and dirt out of it. Grabbing a comb from on top of the sink Sara sat back down on the toilet and went to work combing her hair back. After she was finished and completely dried off Sara hung the towel back up in the bathroom and made her way back into the main room, crashing onto the bed still completely naked. She had never felt so comfortable in her life, and a calming sensation came over her as she laid in bed. Sara grabbed a pillow from behind her head and began to cuddle it as her eyes began to grow heavier with each second. “So this is what home feels like…” She let out an exhausted sigh of relief and drifted off to sleep, as a small puddle of drool started to form on her pillow.

Rook had remained on the roof even after everything was all said and done. He had planning to do. Though many called him slow because he was not the smartest person in a bunch, he was still rather skilled when it came to taking care of the larger picture. While up here, he started to rethink his plan for the wall. Three was a problem. They didn't have the power yet to handle three of them...

“Rook, the short madam downstairs...” A voice called, making Rook turn slightly to look at him. Ahh, the one the others had been calling Steve. “Celeste I think her name is, said your building a wall?” Rook gave a short nod before the man continued. “Good idea, but I think you're making a mistake having three doors.”

Someone did agree with that idea as well. It made sense now that he was looking at it. They lacked the other all man power and materials for it as it stood. The man's words echoed that idea as well. Two doors, and he pointed to where they should be.

“Aside from that, looks like you've been doing a good job on the wall.... err, Good work Rook.” He said, making Rook smile a bit.

“Rook was thinking one near Inn, here.” He pointed a short ways down the road, then drew a line with his finger all the way to where he was building the wall at first. “And another there, both ways in front of town, but town is surrounded by water, easier to protect town that way. Also, if we take barge and move it to other side of town, where bridge used to be, and lock it there, can be good way for people to leave in emergency.”

He had been doing a lot of thinking about this. There was a lot of work to do to make this wall a success. “Rook cannot build wall alone though. Rook is one person, and some times spots will take more than one person. Does Steve man know how to make cars work again? There are two truck cars on other end of town, would be helpful in moving materials.”

Now Rook had many more ideas. There was enough scrap in the town to make mostly metal walls, and if they could trade for cement, he could do even more. Rook sat on the edge of the building, his legs hanging off as he looking over the landscape before them all. Rook's mind had already started to wander a bit, no matter what Steve said, Rook would start talking after a few minutes of silence, alone or not.

"Long ago, Rook used to be in town many weeks from here. Rook helped to build wall, almost built entire wall himself. Towns people said Rook was only here to make them feel safe and lure other mutants there. They threw Rook out, shooting at him and being mean. Rook came back weeks later to try to talk it over, but Rook discovered town was gone. Deathclaws had moved in and killed people. Rook doesn't want to see that here."

Ace Makovich - Brandy's house - Late Afternoon

Ace looked at the smiling Brandy, and couldn't help but smile himself. He looked at the food she had been preparing and it just hit him that they had left stove with frying oil on. He shook his head, "I'm equally to blame here, but next time let's make sure we turn the hot stove off, don't want to burn the place down after all."

He pulled Brandy close to him and kissed her forehead, "I'm a leg man myself though of course I do love me some breasts...as far as chicken is concerned I'll take some breast." Ace had wicked smile on his face as he said that. He began rummaging through her counters "Now where do you keep your booze...ah here we go. Some vodka, prefer whiskey but this will work."

He placed the bottle on the table along with some glasses. As Brandy turned to prepare him a plate, he pulled out his small tin and took two pills. His head was killing him, he hadn't taken one since the morning. He could feel them quickly work through his body, and could feel his body relax as it was no longer demanding for more pills.

As he put the pills away, Brandy turned around and brought him a plate. It smelled delicious, and the vegetables that accompanied it looked different, and tasted different. It wasn't a bad taste, in fact tasted better than regular produce, she definitely did not get these from him.

"You got to tell me where you got these vegetables from, they taste so good, better than what I have, and I get most of my stock from Finch Farm." Ace poured himself a large drink, and down all of it. He looked down at his chest and arm, he still hadn't put on his shirt.

He ran his fingers across his Brotherhood emblem tattoo, "I wonder if there's a way to remove this one...lots of people around these parts hate the Brotherhood...bunch of rock bangers..." he looked over at Brandy, "should I go check on diner? Make sure Betty is not overwhelmed? Don't want her to burn out...also need a shirt, cause a certain someone ripped mine off and left me with a soaking undershirt...not that I'm complaining."

"Sorry am I rambling...don't know why I'm rambling. Just have so many thoughts running around in my head...the chicken is good though Brandy, you have some skills after all...not that you're not skillful, I didn't mean it that way...if you opened a restaurant you'd probably run me out of business..." Ace laughed awkwardly, he realized he shouldn't have taken two pills, however ideas and thoughts just kept popping up, he was definitely going to struggle sleeping this night.

Steve Cooper- Roofing with Rook- later Afternoon

“Rook was thinking one near Inn, here.” He pointed a short ways down the road, then drew a line with his finger all the way to where he was building the wall at first.

“Yeah that’s a good spot.”

“And another there, both ways in front of town, but town is surrounded by water, easier to protect town that way. Also, if we take barge and move it to other side of town, where bridge used to be, and lock it there, can be good way for people to leave in emergency.”

“Shouldn’t be too reliant on the water protecting the town, more people than you think can swim.” Steve replied as he looked down at the boat, unsure from up here if it was working or not. “Hadn’t considered using boat.... that could be useful but getting it working could be a bitch. Or do you already have it working?”

“Rook cannot build wall alone though. Rook is one person, and some times spots will take more than one person. Does Steve man know how to make cars work again? There are two truck cars on other end of town, would be helpful in moving materials.”

“Cars?” Steve said as scratched his hair and though for a movement “Never worked on a car before but I guess I could have a go? But even if I got a car-truck running do we have any fuel for it?

Pretty much everyone per-war seems to have a car so can’t be that difficult to fix. Fuelling it will be the bigger problem

Rook sat on the edge of the building, his legs hanging off as he looking over the landscape before them all and was oddly silent for several minutes “err.. Rook?” Steve asked but seemlying couldn’t get an reply out of the mutant.

"Long ago, Rook used to be in town many weeks from here. Rook helped to build wall, almost built entire wall himself. Towns people said Rook was only here to make them feel safe and lure other mutants there. They threw Rook out, shooting at him and being mean. Rook came back weeks later to try to talk it over, but Rook discovered town was gone. Deathclaw’s had moved in and killed people. Rook doesn't want to see that here.
Karma overlords an depressed super mutant...

“If that’s true then those people were short-sighted, cheap bigoted assholes...Fuck Building a wall would be counterproductive and make it alot bloody harder to raid the town...”

Assuming he’s telling the truth about that

“But if you built the wall anything like this one then you shouldn’t blame yourselves for their deaths... not your fault if they didn’t use it properly.”

Although even the Enclave with all their fancy gadgets and armour got slaughtered taking on a pack of deathclaws so they were probably fucked either way... those fucks can climb so walls would have been useless.

“You know I once met a friendly super mutant before... his name was Fawkes, he had a big Gatling laser and with the help of a Vault kid he stopped some bad people from poisoning the water in DC.... got an shiny medal and House in Canterbury for his heroics.”

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



Eliza sprawled out on the couch once Shelby helped her to it, even though a couch wasn't really what she wanted. Either way it didn't matter, she just wanted to lay down, hopefully with Shelby and try to forget everything that had happened to her again. It had gotten easier for her to move past all the violence and suffering she experienced as a young woman but the wounds Bragg left were fresh, and they cut deep.

Everyday had been filled with paranoia and anxiety. Eliza cloistered herself away from everyone else, she'd grown weak and afraid. Everynight was just the same she barely slept, or if she finally did it was because she cried herself to the point of exhaustion. Eliza had become so ashamed of herself. She wasn't worthy of being a Rough Rider anymore, she was a worthless, broken woman. Unable to defend herself and the ones she trusted.

Eliza just wanted to sleep, her words had escaped her once again. She felt horrible that Shelby had to see her like this but she felt even worse knowing that she may never get better. After Bragg caught her in the woods, after all of those nights...Eliza felt something snap inside of her. She couldn't take it anymore and she's spent everyday since then wandering as a husk of her former self.

“Shelby could you lay down here with me? You can use a stimpak while you do it. I just don't want to be awake anymore.”

Shelby watched as Eliza wrestled with something, something inside that she could tell ran deep. She just lightly rubbed Eliza's arm, “If you need to talk I'm here, I hate seeing you like this Hun.”

“Shelby could you lay down here with me? You can use a stimpak while you do it. I just don't want to be awake anymore.” asked Eliza, the pain on her face was not due to the external injuries, that was evident.

Shelby nodded, “I can, I'm sorry, I didn't know you wanted to sleep. I can give you a stimpack and then I can take you upstairs if you want? I just don't think that I can do it by myself. At least not without causing you pain anyways.” She got up, “The stimpacks are up in my room, just give me a second.” Shelby sprinted up the stairs and snatched a stimpack from her dresser drawer and rushed back downstairs just as quickly.

She took and wiped down the area above Eliza's gunshot wound and readied the stimpack, “Are you ready Hun?” With a nod from Eliza Shelby administered the stimpack, bringing a wince in Eliza's face. Shelby sat the empty stimpack in Waylon's desk and laid down, “Let me know if that helps, and if you think I can get you upstairs to my bedroom OK?”

Shelby held Eliza, it was a comforting feeling, but it did not extinguish her worry for Eliza. She just wished that she could help her past what was bothering her, patience wasn't always a value that Shelby had, but she had been learning it, albeit slowly. After several minutes Elzia moved her injured leg, just a little, then she nodded that she was ready to tackle the stairs with Shelby. “Alright, let's give this a try.”

Shelby helped Eliza up to a sitting position and draped her arm over her own shoulders. She placed her arm around Eliza's waist and they very slowly began their way to the stairs. At the base of the stairs Eliza paused, taking a deep breath and nodded, Shelby helped her up the never ending staircase. Once they reached the top, Eliza again paused and grimaced, but she was able to put a little pressure on her leg, a sign the stimpack did indeed work. She led Eliza to her bedroom and helped her to the bed, she pulled Eliza's legs up so she did not have to strain any more than necessary. “Would you like some different clothes Hun, or anything?” asked Shelby as she pulled the curtains closed.

"Good afternoon", Mary said, "How may I help you?".

“Well, I'm looking for a horse.” Waylon scratched the back of his and gestured at the horse in the pen.

"The Horse?", she asked, "He's not mine, sad to say. I decided to step in when I noticed he was left tied up outside the Diner all night with no food or water. He's not yours either....you look too healthy for that, the saddle and bags were covered in blood and there isn't a mark on you."

“That comes as no surprise that he'd be covered with blood.”

"With that said", Mary continued, "If you know who he belongs to, I'd be obliged if you would introduce me. I'm sure they would like him back, not to mention the contents of the saddle bags."

“It is a friend of mines, or rather Shelby's girlfriend Eliza owns him. She got shot up pretty good and ended up at the clinic. We just took her back home to our shop earlier and she asked about the horse because everything she owns is in the… saddlebags I guess.” Waylon shrugged, he didn't know much, if anything about horses. He smiled, a little embarrassed of his lack of knowledge, but he took in the young woman. Her cared for long black hair, his eyes met hers, a spectacular blue they were, he blinked and shook his head bringing himself back from his gaze, “Sorry, yeah, I'm sure she would like to thank you herself.”

The woman brought out the bridal and saddlebags, handing them to Waylon. She fetched the horse from the pen, “Right this way, our shop is down the road. By the way, I'm Waylon.”

The young woman seemed very cool, calm, and collected, but in a different way. The way she spoke, her tone was different also, but Waylon's thoughts got distracted as Mary stopped ahead of him waiting for him to take the lead. He gave a pleasant smile and took the lead, “Looks like you've been set up here for a little bit, surprised I haven't seen you around town.”

As they approached S&W Weaponry he tilted his head towards the front door, “This is our shop, the girls should be inside. You can tie him up...over here.” He pointed at an old fire hydrant. He opened the door for Mary and stepped inside, he didn't see them anywhere, then he noticed the broken office door. He put his left hand in front of Mary and pulled his 1911 from his holster, “Wait here.” Waylon held the pistol, ready for whoever may be in his office. All that was inside the didn't belong was Eliza's wheelchair. Waylon returned to Mary, “I think I know what happened, but better safe than sorry.” He maintained his ready stance as he began to head up the stairs with Mary behind him, “SHELBY, YOU UP THERE?”

Shelby appeared at the top of the stairs, “What the hell Waylon?”

“What the hell Shelby?” he holstered his pistol, “Another door? Really?” He shook his head and stepped aside, “This is Mary, Mary, Shelby.”

“New girl Waylon? She's pretty, nice to meet you ” Shelby grinned as Waylon blushed.

“No...um...she was taking care if Eliza's horse and would like to meet her. She had the saddlebags too.” He shot Shelby a look, she quickly returned it.

“We just got her upstairs and situated, she wants to rest, so…” Shelby shrugged, “I don't know how talkative she'll be, but c’mon.” Shelby led them to her bedroom where Eliza laid, “Hun, Waylin found your horse and stuff. This woman, Mary was taking care of him.”

It did cheer up Rook to hear about the Super Mutant named Fawkes, part of him wondered if he was related to Uncle Leo. He would nod once more and then look to Steve, as if looking him over for something more than what was on the surface.

“Was Fawkes one of the Eighty Sevens? Rook did battle with many of them. Strong, but stupid. Too straightforward in how they act. Like children with guns. Rook honestly wished there was more he could do for other town, and all the towns he was in long ago, but for now, Rook will put all his efforts into Salem. Rook won't let this town get taken by Deathclaws, raiders, or Adam Sons. Rook has beaten them all in the past, Rook can do it again.” He would root around in his bag for a moment before pulling out a bit of red chalk. “Rook should get back to work, will have to ask others later on about if they have things for welding. Rook has found a lot of scrap steel we can use for wall making.”

He would nod once more to Steve before scooting forwards. The building was just over three stories, but he landed softly, mostly due to him catching himself on the way down on a ledge and then letting go before all the inertia was spent and could damage the building itself. He was still a beast of a person, heavy and made of dense muscle tissue. Once he landed on the ground, he stood up and walked towards where he was going to put the first gate, marking the cement with a large red X.

Before he really got started however, Rook looked into the distance. Part of him was curious about what was all around them, but the armor that he could make out from this distance, and the way they carried themselves, that was enough to let him know what was going to happen. The wall was no where near ready. He was going to take care of this on his own. It was a short sprint from this spot to his shack, and it only took a few moments to fully armor up. He was glad the armor had been made in a way that he could put it on quickly and without much issues.

By the time Rook was done and made it back out to the X, he could tell the group was headed his way, and they were raiders. Dirty, crude armor, crude weapons, and the way they seemed to walk around like they owned the place. Rook stood at the road, stoic and calm as they approached him.

“Hey, lookie here, a lone mutie. Didn't know any of you were up here. What? Get lost from your freak show friends?” The leader of the group asked, stepping forwards and holding his weapon. It was, from the looks of it, an automatic pipe rifle. Probably cobbled together recently from the lack of rust on some of the parts. “Get outta the way or I swear to fuck I will murder you.”

“Town under Rook's protection. Leave or Rook will have to kill you.” Rook warned, his grip upon the pike he carried getting tighter. When the leader just laughed, lifting up his weapon, that was when Rook struck. While he didn't have the training of the gunners, or the skill of the Brotherhood, he was still a Super Mutant, and he was far faster than they were. His armor would take most of the brunt, now it was just time to get this done.

It was five on one, and it was still in Rook's favor. None of them carried heavy weapons, and the one with the baseball bat still didn't stand a chance. Rook stepped in, and swung his arm to catch the closest of them in the chest. The sheer power, the weight of the strike, and the angle where enough to send this one into the tree. Bones broke with the impact, and Rook continued his assault. With the momentium of the strike, he used it to turn his body, bringing the halberd to the game now, and slashed hard across the second one, cutting through the ragtag armor like it was paper.

Two rounds fired out of the weapons the raiders carried, the leader had done the smart thing and took a step back. The first bullet hit metal, denting the steel from the impact, and second one grazed over the leather joint, ripping that and drawing blood. While his body was highly resistant to physical damage, bullets still left a mark. Three foes remained, and Rook still had the momentum on his side. With another step, Mikan landed a hard punch to the man's jaw. He felt bones shatter under the force of the strike, and the dull look in his eyes said enough. Two left, and the second was about to fall. Rook thrust with the spear point of his weapon, ending this one as well.

Now alone, the leader put up his hands. “Woah woah woah!” He said, Rook stopping in his tracks. “I get it. I get it. We are not gonna show up here trying to extort caps. Fine, I get it... Lemme go and you won't see me again.”

Rook hesitated. This was something he was not good at. Shit...

Sara Weaver
Sandy Coves Inn, Salem, Massachusetts - mid to late afternoon



Stirred by the distinctive pop of more gunshots Sara raised her head from her pillow, a trail of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth. Her first thought was of Celeste, the shots were closer than the last causing Sara to fear for the worst. While she hurried to get dressed, a lingering miasma of exhaustion still over her head she couldn't help but question her motives.

Earlier she was driven by bloodlust, eagerly charging off to partake in whatever fight was happening outside of town. But now she wasn't so eager, she felt afraid, not for herself but for the innocent woman at the counter that seemed so intent on taking care of her. Why was Celeste making her feel like this? Enough was enough though, Sara could hear the faint sounds of a brawl through her windows. She couldn't waste anymore time.

Instinct and years of raiding took control of her body, and she bolted out of her room grabbing her rifle along the way. On her way down the hall, her bare feet pattering on the hardwood flooring Sara cycled the bolt on her rifle chambering a round with a distinctive clunk. Within a few seconds Sara was at the counter rifle at the ready, and an extremely worried expression on her still groggy face. Everything still seemed like a dream to her, and maybe it was that would explain why she was feeling the way she was, but the sight of Celeste startled behind the counter brought it all back.

Sara froze in place, restraining herself from comforting Celeste. As much as she wanted to, she was too afraid herself. Instead she called out to her from where she stood, rifle in hand, maintaining a firm and alert posture. “Celeste are you okay!?”

CELESTE BROWN - Sandy Coves Inn -- late afternoon

Celeste hummed to herself as she swayed from side to side, cleaning the dishes and other items she had used to make the scones. She piled them up as neatly as she could in the second sink so that they would dry, wiped her own hands on the raggedy dish towel, then stepped back into the dining hall, nibbling on one of the scones. She looked around and gave a happy sigh. It was empty, then, but soon enough she imagined a bustling hall, filled with the noise and warmth of guests and visitors alike, enjoying her snacks and hospitality.

Hospitality! Celeste gasped to herself, nearly forgetting her date. She pulled Adam's note from inside her bra, her mouth moving while she re-read the words, finding herself giddy all over again. "I better get ready!" she exclaimed, dashing into her room and flipping through her clothes. She found a light purple dress featuring a white polka dot pattern that she hardly remembered packing form home. She shimmied into it, finding it tighter around her bust than she expected. She rooted through her footwear and found that the only ones in the most presentable condition were a pair of bright blue "All American" sneakers.

She had just finished lacing the second one and returned to the counter, hoping to speak to Archie to let him know her intentions for the evening, when she heard the gunshots. Her body tensed as she listened closer. She couldn't hear anything else. Celeste found herself sinking to the floor to cower behind the counter. Where was Archie?!

There were footfalls on the stairs. Curiosity got the best of her and she rose to see who it was. The tired face of Sara stared back at her from the stairs.

"Celeste, are you okay?!"

Celeste gulped, then offered the smallest of nods. "Yes, I'm just fine. Have you seen Archie? What's going on, outside?" She swiped a hand over her brow. "Do you think a wall will keep this from happening over and over?"

It was as though she finally registered that Sara was carrying a gun. "Wuh-wait, are you going out there?" she peeped.

"I'm equally to blame here, but next time let's make sure we turn the hot stove off, don't want to burn the place down after all." Ace commented as he turned off the stove.

Brandy clapped her hand over her mouth though she was grinning, “Sh...crap.”

Ace pulled Brandy close to him and kissed her forehead, "I'm a leg man myself though of course I do love me some breasts...as far as chicken is concerned I'll take some breast." Ace had wicked smile on his face as he said that. He began rummaging through her counters "Now where do you keep your booze...ah here we go. Some vodka, prefer whiskey but this will work." Before she could reply Ace had found a bottle of vodka and put it in the table.

Brandy turned to prepare him a plate, as she turned around and brought him a plate she noticed him slip the small tin in his pocket, she furrowed her brow.

"You got to tell me where you got these vegetables from, they taste so good, better than what I have, and I get most of my stock from Finch Farm." Ace poured himself a large drink, and down all of it. He looked down at his chest and arm, he still hadn't put on his shirt. He ran his fingers across his Brotherhood emblem tattoo, "I wonder if there's a way to remove this one...lots of people around these parts hate the Brotherhood...bunch of rock bangers..." he looked over at Brandy, "should I go check on diner? Make sure Betty is not overwhelmed? Don't want her to burn out...also need a shirt, cause a certain someone ripped mine off and left me with a soaking undershirt...not that I'm complaining."

Brandy was taken back by Ace’s sudden change in his demeanor, firing off questions like she usually does, “I...um...I grow my own vegetables. Are you OK Ace?” She offered a smile and pointed at the Reggie on his chest, “I think you should try to change or remove that one.”

"Sorry am I rambling...don't know why I'm rambling. Just have so many thoughts running around in my head...the chicken is good though Brandy, you have some skills after all...not that you're not skillful, I didn't mean it that way...if you opened a restaurant you'd probably run me out of business..." Ace laughed awkwardly.

Brandy just watched Ace as she ate her fried chicken, he was fidgety and acting very weird, like he suddenly had a burst of energy. “It's ok, I like to hear you talk about things. I'm glad you like the chicken, it was my Grandma's recipe.” She blushed a little, “I doubt I would run you out of business. Besides, if I added more to my greenhouse maybe I could supply you with some vegetables.”

She took the empty plates over to the sink and rinsed them off. She turned around and leaned against the counter, “I don't think any shirts that I have would fit you,” she walked over and ran her hands down his muscled stomach, “You should cover up though, I don't want Betty seeing you like this.” She gave him a kiss, “So, I can kiss you whenever i want now and it won't embarrass you right?”

“Oh, I forgot, I'm supposed to go and talk to Celeste down at the inn. Maybe you should go make sure the diner is alright, I can go see Celeste and stop by later if that's ok?” She pulled out a picnic basket and wrapped up the remaining chicken and put it in the basket. Walking over to Ace, she looped her arm through his, “Follow me,” she led him to her basement where she had a small pen and lamp, “I have these baby chicks, so I'll have more eggs when they get older, you could serve some at the diner.” She drug a milk basket out of the corner and pulled out a jar, “This is my Papa's Potion moonshine I distill out back, try it.” She took two jars and placed them in her picnic basket, “I'm going to sell some at the inn, like a bar type thing so i can actually make some caps.” She giggled, “Burns going down but mellows out, it's potent.”

Brandy headed back upstairs, Ace followed, she opened the front door for him and locked it behind her. She interlaced her fingers in his and walked across the street to the diner and gave him a kiss, “Go make sure Betty isn't causing any trouble, I'll see ya later Honey.” She made her way down to the inn, singing along the way. She heard two pops of gunfire and scurried inside the inn, slamming the door behind her causing her mason jars in her basket to rattle. “Not again, twice in one day?” She calmed herself down when she saw Sara, who could apparently hold her own as she ran off earlier to the disturbance that disrupts her beach time with Ace. “Hi Sara, Celeste you look great. I sure hope this stuff stops outside.” She sat her picnic basket on the counter, “Oh Celeste, thank you for the wheelchairs. I fixed two up and Shelby's girlfriend Eliza was allowed to leave the clinic because she didn't have to walk on her injured leg.”

Steve Cooper- Don’t fucks with Salem- early evening

“Was Fawkes one of the Eighty Sevens? Rook did battle with many of them. Strong, but stupid. Too straightforward in how they act. Like children with guns.”

“87? Or wait you mean "Orange" super mutants... Yes Fawkes was one of them, maybe even an original one since he had an old vault suit on although he was alot smarter than the regular orange mutants, much like you I guess.”

“Rook will put all his efforts into Salem. Rook won't let this town get taken by Deathclaw’s, raiders, or Adam Sons. Rook has beaten them all in the past, Rook can do it again.”

“Atom cultists” Steve corrected “But yeah you protect the town from bad people.”
I wonder if I could exploit this... perhaps later on...

Rook rooted around in his bag for a moment before pulling out a bit of red chalk. “Rook should get back to work, will have to ask others later on about if they have things for welding. Rook has found a lot of scrap steel we can use for wall making.”

“Could probably make an welder...” Steve replied “but good thinking with the chalk, mark out where the gates should go, I’ll stay up and call out if I think it’s an good spot or not. ”

Rook nodded before jumping off the building...

Steve had seen people in power armour jump down stair case before but that was one floor... this crazy mutant son of bitch had Willing Jumped off a three story and remarkably as Steve looked over the edge had landed okay and seemlying unhurt..... “Crazy motherfucker...”

Unaffected by jumping from a height that would kill a normal person Rook then made his way over to road and marked cement with a large red X. “Good Spot!” Steve called out.

One the main road, plenty of space for travellers but also defendable once wall is built

That was when Steve... and seemlying Rook as he quickly took off for his shack noticed a group of people approaching town but judging from armour and oddly coloured hair this wasn’t an group of traders but raiders... Likely scouts from a nearby camp.

Punk kids have no chance against Rook....

Deciding to get up close view of what would be an Blood-dome level beat down (no way those punks where gonna kill Rook) Steve opened up the Hotel roof hatch and climbed down. Making his way back down to the lobby Steve could here a twerpish voice; someone else had come to visit them. “Oh Celeste, thank you for the wheelchairs. I fixed two up and Shelby's girlfriend Eliza was allowed to leave the clinic because she didn't have to walk on her injured leg.”

“Heya twerp.” Steve called out as he walked down the staircase into the lobby and turned to face the short curvaceous woman “Madam, Rook is currently eliminating some raider scouts we spotted from the roof; please do not worry about the noises....They will be dead pretty quickly”

Steve then turned to Fēi nǚhái (ooc: Fly girl) who had seemlying just jumped out of bed, barley dressed and to the great disapproval of Steve... bare feet “First rule of combat, protect your feet.”

“I’ll go and check on rook although I don’t expect those raiders to much trouble for him, go put some shoes or something before coming out yourself.” Steve seemlying ordered to the woman before walking out of the Hotel.

As Steve had pretty much expected the raiders, including one who’d seemlying only been armed with a baseball bat (good luck against an super mutant with that) had been no match for rook. By the time Steve had left the hotel only three... No two where left, with rook literally destroying the third raider’s skull with a single punch.

Never get into an fist fight with an super mutant..

The Final raider put up his hands. “Woah woah woah!” He said, Rook stopping in his tracks. “I get it. I get it. We are not gonna show up here trying to extort caps. Fine, I get it... Lemme go and you won't see me again.”

With Rook seemlying hesitating Steve drew his Deagle Pistol “and how do we know you won’t just come back with a bigger group to extort us? Our wall isn't finished yet and it won't take you that long to round up a gang large enough to outnumber us... I have a better idea, how about we use you as an message.”

“An message?”

“Yeah, don’t fuck with Salem or you’ll end up dead. "Steve chuckled as he pulled the trigger.

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Clinic

"They are a curious group Dr. West. They believe themselves to be descendants of the old world government, the true "remnants" of the US government. Long ago we had contact and they pretty much demanded we submit to their authority."

"Hmmph, a ridiculous notion," Arthur replied with a dismissive huff, "As if any organization has any kind of legitimate claim of being the so-called 'Government' anymore. Did they expect us to just bow to them because their great-great grandfather was a senator for the United States?"

Rick got up from the chair and started to make his way for the door while he continued explaining, Arthur followed suit and made sure he was steady enough to walk,

"However, we did share a common enemy, the Brotherhood of Steel. I always though they were destroyed by them... I guess there were survivors very much like us, after their presumed destruction."

"One thing we have in common then I suppose," Arthur remarked grimly.

"To be honest I doubt many outside their high echelons and intelligence services knew of us. Aside from Brotherhood, we probably were the one other group that could stand against them. " Rick stopped for a moment, "They hate anyone outside the Enclave...they would never be among us "mutants" as they put it... If she's here, it could mean she left the organization or was kicked out, though a secretive organization might have killed her rather than let her go."

"Mutants? Us?" Arthur was surprised at the idea. He had to wonder if The Enclave had truly understood what being a 'mutant' meant. Perhaps Arthur could have illustrated the point to them more...succinctly. He knew all too well.

"In all honesty it's up to you Dr. West whether or not you tell her background, considering she might be suspicious. Just do not tell her of Vault 88. As far as these surface dwellers are concerned, we were destroyed and survivors were scattered through commonwealth."

"Hmm. Noted," Arthur nodded in agreement. He didn't want to tell Rick that he'd already mentioned the Vault to her before. But, then again, there was no real indication that she'd know or even care where the Vault was. Vault 88 had been an unfinished project, so perhaps it wouldn't be listed on any kind official documentation that the Enclave might have access to. Arthur hoped that was the case.

Once they'd descended to the first floor Rick had greeted Frieda and struck up a conversation. Frieda seemed happy, even a bit giddy, and she soon explained why,

"Oh, and, good news! I've decided to work here for you, full time. Security guard-slash-assistant." Frieda paused, finally realizing how bold it was for her to assume. "That is, if you're okay with that. You look like you could use an extra set of hands, and I just thought...ahem." She fidgeted, then, feeling awkward. "If it's agreeable to you, then I'll be sure to carry my gun much more often. I could even go get it right now, if you want?"

Arthur was surprised, she'd taken quite the initiative in setting herself up at the clinic as his assistant. His first thought was that it might be distracting having someone else around here, but he quickly warmed up to the idea the more he thought about it. Having someone who was well-trained and with obvious military experience to guard the clinic and help protect him and his vulnerable patients made perfect sense and might even be necessary. What's more, he had to admit, he did rather like the idea of Frieda sticking around....

"Alright then..." Arthur relied as shook himself out of his imagination, "I could certainly use the help around here and, god forbid, if someone were to ever try and attack this place I'd be well...in a pickle. I don't exactly have any formal weapons training. Although...I don't charge for my services so I'm not sure what I could pay you with. I suppose I could offer to split any food or supplies that the townspeople agree to provide. That is, unless you've worked something out with Mayor Barney perhaps? Either way I..."

Arthur was cut short with the not-so-distant echo of gunshots resounding through the town. The shots seemed sporadic and certainly didn't sound like Ace was out hunting..

"Oh my..." Arthur muttered fearfully, "What's happening you think? Are we under attack?"

Lorelei Jones – Jones Residence

God…my head…

Lorelei’s green eyes fluttered open and she gently placed her palm against her forehead. She had been rudely invited to a new day. She rose to sit against the head of her bed and took a deep breath. Her entire body and her entire bed had become painted in a sweltering layer of sweat and she had drifted into a long state of unconsciousness without a single article of clothing.

Lorelei reached for her end table and seized one of the two beers at her bedside. She immediately put the bottle to her mouth and her back sank into her plush pillow. The events of the previous day were fuzzy to her, but as she ingested a bit of liquid courage and came to, the important details become more articulate. She rolled out of bed and slipped into some clothes, putting on a white tee and high-waisted jeans while neglecting her overcoat. Steve would be disappointed in that oversight. She ran her fingers through her sweaty hair and shook her head. Right about now, running water would be a divine thing. But she would have to retrieve some to fill the tub – the tediousness of it all made her tired even thinking about it.

Once she was ready, Lorelei swung her rifle around her back and shuffled downstairs, grabbing a water bottle from the cupboard. She stepped out onto the porch and folded her arms. There were more people about than she remembered. The house next door had been pried open. Have I really been out that long? I hardly recognize this place at all.

Lorelei’s gaze shifted to the left, where a faint tower of smoke was visible by the ocean. She pursed her lips and hopped off the steps, heading toward the trail before she stopped dead in her tracks.

BANG.

Lorelei’s reflexes kicked in and she immediately swung her rifle off her back. It’s too early for this shit. She pulled back on the bolt and headed in the direction of the reverberating gunshot. She raced to the edge of town to find Steve and Rook staring down an unidentified group. A body lay at Cooper’s feet, a pool of blood accumulating on the ground. She pointed her rifle at the unfamiliar group and stood next to Steve.

“…the hell is going on, Steve?”

Ace Makovich - Salem Street - Nightfall

Ace blew Brandy a kiss as she walked away towards the the inn. He watched as she disappeared in to the distance and then made his way to the external cellar doors. It wouldn't be proper of him to walk into the diner without a shirt. As he opened the door he saw the light was on and heard some rustling. He reached for his pistol, but exhaled as he sw it was just Betty going through the boxes.

He walked downstairs, and Betty turned to face him and she smirked as she saw him standing there shirtless. She reached out and felt his bicep and placed her hand on his pec, "Ooh, what this an early bonus?"

Ace shook his head smiling, "No, just need to get a shirt, nothing else."

"Ah...I get it...That little girl made a man out my boss...Not bad..." She smirked as her hand travelled down, but Ace grabbed her hand stopping her before she got too far. "Spoilsport...Anyway just getting some supplies. Things slowing down, It's almost night time so, I imagine things will considerably slow down."

"Thanks for the help. I still have some stuff to do, so close up." Ace replied as he headed for his room. Betty nodded and headed upstairs, leaving him alone. As he stepped into the room his eyes turned to Reggie's picture on the nightstand. He walked to it and slamed it down, "Don't look at me like that...So I moved on, so what?!"

He sat on the bed and picked the picture back up and stared at it longingly, "I'm such an idiot..." As he sat there he could here the muffled sound of gunshot. It wasnt near based on the sound, he put on a tight red t-shirt and made his way upstairs.

As he walked outside, and headed to the church, he saw what looked like Lorelei, running off towards the gun fire. Looks like Sara isn't the only one to run towards gunfire rather than away. He noticed the doctor, Frieda and some newcomer standing by the church's entrance. "Hope you folk are alright, second time today gunshots have rung out. Perhaps tomorrow I'll help that greenskin with that walk he's erecting."