[IC] Atomic Rain (Fallout)

[NinjaButterfly]

There was a little more than an hour left before sunset when they arrived at their post. Minimum bickering had taken place on the rest of the journey, but it couldn't have been helped, especially when Juliano started complaining about the hunger pains in his stomach from not being able to eat every hour. Once they found the place where they were going to set up camp, which was a dilapidated, abandoned ranch home, he had wasted no time peeling himself out of his armor to dry out and pulled his rations out of the bag.

"You poor soul, you almost didn't make it, did you?" Tink asked with the shake of her head as she watched him shove a large mouthful of pork n' beans into his mouth.

"This place is so fucking hot!" Juliano complained as he wiped sweat from his brow. "I cannot wait to get back home. The Deeper South can keep it and all their mutated mosquitoes while they're at it."

"At least they have plenty of food to feed off of tonight. At least they leave us alone when you are around." Tink gently placed her pack on the ground in a corner before rolling the kinks out of her shoulders. She sighed in relief as the bones popped a few times to release some of the tension. Now that she was finally able to move around without carrying the seventy-pound pack, her foot was beginning to decompress and beginning to seize up, which happened every time they settled down for the night. "I'm going to go for a little stroll through the park and take in our surroundings before it gets too dark. Stretch out this foot a bit now that all that weight isn't on it."

"Do you need me to go with you?" Juliano asked, already beginning to stand.

"No-no...it's okay. I'm not going far. I might do a little scavenging while I'm at it. I saw a couple of old computers on our way up the path and thought I'd take a look at them. Would you like to go with me, Kate, to check it out?" She turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

[Nekoholic]

Kate glanced up at Tink and nodded with a smile, "Sure." Dropping her bag on a dust-covered kitchen table, she followed after Tink, Salem watching both of them as they left.
Rolling his shoulders, he looked at Juliano, who was already looking for more to eat, and over at Desmond, who was struggling to get his pants' leg out of a chink in his Power Armor. "Well, the girls are having their private bonding time, so why don't we, too?" He pulled out a chair, flopping down. Stretching out his legs, he let out a little groan as he melded into his newfound seat.
"Actually, I need you to check for more fusion cells," Desmond mentioned without looking at him, having finally wrenched his pants from the metal contraption he called an outfit.
Salem sighed, but nodded, "Okay, on it."

[NinjaButterfly]

Tink smiled slightly and walked out the door after Kate. She didn't bother to talk as they made their way away from the ranch house and to the tree line. After sparing a quick look towards the house to make sure no one was looking, she turned back to Kate and offered a small smile.

"Some day it's been, isn't it?" She shook her head in exasperation. "This mission may be over one day, if we can survive to complete the objective. I've never seen such a team that loves to argue as much as ours does. The fact that I start half the arguments myself is completely irrelevant." Her smile returned as she sauntered towards her. While stepping on her tip-toes, she tried making herself look taller as she leaned into her ear to whisper, "I'm still up for running away from these idiots if you'd like." And she was deadly serious, too, despite the teasing tone that she reserved only for Kate's own ears. "Just you and I can complete the mission on our own terms and put our own stamp on it."

[Nekoholic]

Kate rolled her eyes, nudging her away as she continued down the scattered remnants of a paved road, "If we were to just abandon the Paladin, it'd be considered desertion whether we completed the mission or not. We'd be tried for treason and either exiled or executed." She folded her arms over her chest, kicking a loose rock as she walked. "Besides, I don't even think we're genuinely arguing half the time. Salem and the Paladin aren't too bad. Juliano is a different story, considering that we have the actual potential to starve to death because of his unorthodox eating habits. But Salem's good with a gun and for a few laughs, and the Paladin is good to us. He cares more than most do. That could be his fatal flaw for all I know, though, huh?"
She smirked at the lithe blonde, and added, "What do you have against them, though? I'm only ever teasing them, but you seem to...genuinely not like them. Did they do something to you?"
Honestly, Kate couldn't imagine Desmond hurting even a Bloatfly, but in the end, he was a higher-up of the Brotherhood of Steel and therefore had to relay the more questionable orders of the Elder from time-to-time. And Salem, even if he didn't mean it, could be a sarcastic idiot when he wasn't thinking his words through. Perhaps he'd accidentally said something to set her off. After knowing the girl since they were children, just running around the Citadel and annoying the instructors with their questions and pranks, Kate had found Tink to be a bit sensitive and one to hold a grudge. And then there was Juliano. But he'd pissed everyone off at least once. It was pretty much his thing at this point. But unlike Salem, it wasn't through poorly placed or timed words, but through his actions. He did things without asking, without thinking of how detrimental it could be for the entire group. He was hard to trust, which didn't bode well for those selected for a recon mission.
"If they did, you know that you can just tell me, right?" she insisted, brow furrowing in concern.

[NinjaButterfly]

Tink looked off to the side for a long while, letting her words sink in. Of course she could tell Kate anything and she knew it without having a single seed of doubt she would judge her for it. After a minute had passed, she turned to look at Kate and smiled, though it was a little forced.

"They are juvenile idiots who are going to get us killed if we are not careful. Desmond is just too soft-spoken for this line of work and doesn't know when to speak up, I'm almost certain Juliano is going to kill us while sleepwalking and eat us in a cannibalistic hunger rage, and Salem is just a loud-mouthed idiot." She sighed softly and looked up at the sky as they walked, "Not many things frighten me in this world, but their incompetence does. Someone is going to get killed and I wouldn't be surprised if it is from one of our next firefights. We aren't organized enough for this. That's why...I want us to run away. Call it desertion if you want, but I consider it saving our lives. I want us to get away from the Brotherhood before it kills us." She sighed softly. "I'm not at all afraid to die or sacrifice my life for a good cause, but I don't want to have the target painted on my back or yours. If something were to happen to you..." She bit her lip and looked over at Kate.

[Nekoholic]

Kate blinked almost dumbly, but then smiled nervously and said as she rubbed the back of her head, "Come on, Tink, have more faith in us than that." She sighed, looking down at the ground. She understood what Tink was getting at, but she couldn't stomach even the notion of abandoning the Brotherhood. Salem was her friend and comrade and Desmond someone who she looked up to. She believed them to be capable of their work, otherwise they would have never been promoted to begin with. And back home, there was her family. Her mother, father, her older sister, Emilia. There were her other friends, too, her fellow scribes and the knights who had safeguarded her on numerous missions throughout her career. She wanted to go back home to them. She wanted them to be proud of her and impressed by her work.
The Brotherhood wasn't just a cause or an organization to her, but a family, her home. Yes, she didn't always agree with the assignments that she'd been given; this one, for example, hadn't been assigned to her without ample complaint and protest. But she didn't expect to agree with everything, and in the end, she knew less than her superiors. She had to trust them to know what they were doing, to make plans that would serve towards the best outcome for the entire group. She even understood that this recon mission, though risky to the five who had been given it, was necessary. It was better to send a squad, rather than an army, to uncharted territory to see what their prospects were. Even if they died here, that'd be a decent warning to their comrades back home--to either not come here at all or to be more careful when they do.
Slowly shaking her head, Kate said, "I understand how you feel, Tink; you've never been like me on this, after all. But you also know how I feel on the subject. I'm not leaving. Not now. Not ever. And no matter what happens."

[NinjaButterfly]

Tink closed her eyes and nodded her head in disappointment. Of course she knew what her answer would have been, but there was always a sliver of hope she always kept hidden within that one day Kate might surprise her and say 'let's hit the road.' She understood their duties and although she didn't fully understand Kate's undying patriotism towards the Brotherhood, she respected her decisions and wouldn't question her on the issue. If that was the path she wanted to walk, then she would bite back her own insecurities and fight on alongside her.

"I hate you, you know." She finally looked over at her and offered a small smile and grabbed hold of her hand. "I'll stand by your side through the hail of hot lead and brimstone. And I hope you can do the same for me." Just as the words were out of her mouth, she tripped over a rock and fell to the ground. She didn't let go of her hand as she fell and pulled her along with her. As she fell, she made sure they fell into a small patch of dead grass to soften their fall and landed in a way where she landed on top without putting any weight on top of her.

A sly smile crossed her features as she stared down at Kate. "I definitely didn't plan to do that...I do not think." She then slowly reached down and placed a soft kiss on Kate's lips.

[Nekoholic]

Kate laughed softly and said, "No, you're certainly innocent." She reached up, brushing a strand of Tink's blond hair from her face. "But we need to be serious, don't you think? We don't know what exactly to expect out here. We should be on our guard, at least until we get this post broken in."

[NinjaButterfly]

"Don't you think we have been serious enough lately? I don't know about you, but I'm in serious need of a break...even if it is just sharing this short-lived moment with you." To make her feel a little better, she held her head up long enough to take a look around before looking back down at her. "Besides, how many opportunities do we get to be alone and away from the guys? I'm actually quite surprised they haven't caught on, yet, but they aren't the shiniest apple on the tree..."

[Nekoholic]

"You're too mean to them," Kate chuckled, shaking her head, "But really, we should start heading back. Desmond will probably be needing our help with something or another."

[NinjaButterfly]

A twig broke directly behind them, nearly making Tink jump out of her skin. In an instant she had her pistol out and rolled onto her back to aim in the direction of the assailant...only to have it pointed directly at Juliano's chest. Her eyes widened to the size of baseballs when she noticed who it was, but given the situation she hesitated to lower the weapon.

"I think this apple just got a little shinier," Juliano muttered, looking as equally bewildered as Tink. There was also a slight blush adorning Juliano's face as he stared between the two of them. "You two...are together? And have been under our gaze this whole time?" He failed to even notice the gun pointed directly at him or perhaps he didn't really think she had it in her to shoot a comrade. Right now, she honestly didn't know herself.

"I hate jinxing myself all the time..." She sighed heavily. "You shouldn't have come looking for us, Juliano..." Tink said in a low voice. Although she looked angry, she was actually frightened. She didn't care about being exiled from the Brotherhood, but Kate clearly did and she wasn't going to be the cause of it happening.

[Nekoholic]

Kate looked between the two, and finally said urgently, "Tink, lower the gun, please. He's not our enemy." Well, she couldn't be certain of that, not yet, but she did know that he was technically their comrade. She then glared at Juliano. "Why were you following us? Have you never heard of privacy? Besides, I assumed that the Paladin would have you organizing there or playing sentry." She wondered if Salem was anywhere near, now that she thought about it; though he was considerably nicer than Juliano, the two seemed fairly close. Then again, Salem could get close to just about anyone, due to his philosophy that "everyone has their reasons for how they are." Apparently, that justified anything in his eyes; personally, Kate saw it more as a coping mechanism, one that may have developed due to how...poorly his combat training had gone, then the results of his early missions. She'd never pried too much, though.

[NinjaButterfly]

It only then came to Juliano's atention that she had the gun poised at him and stiffened. "I just wanted to make sure that you two were alright... Running off without knowing of our surroundings was foolish without an escort. But...I can see you two were more than fine." He grinned slightly, though it faltered. "Please...lower your weapon. Like Kate said, I'm not the enemy here."

Tink scrambled to her feet while still keeping her aim on him. She wasn't so quick to trust any of them; she didn't fully trust anyone unless it was her family or Kate, then sometimes she still didn't trust her family... "How do we know you won't go tell on us and have us banished?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't do that." Juliano rubbed the scruff of his beard.

She still didn't trust him, but even then she couldn't just kill him and go about their business as if nothing was astray. Ever more hesitant, she slowly lowered the gun and holstered it. "What are we going to do, Kate?"

"We may not get along too well, Tinkerbell, but I'm not one to go pointing fingers. Being a snitch is something you don't want hanging over your head. I know that first-hand from someone of a previous team. I had nothing to do with it, but it did not go well for them."

"Shut up! I wasn't asking for your opinion," she snapped, glaring. She turned to look at Kate, desperation evident in her eyes. "Please...before it's too late." 'Let's get out of here.'

[Nekoholic]

Kate averted her gaze from Tink, and asked Juliano, "How can we believe you? We need more than your word here."

[NinjaButterfly]

Juliano held his hands up in a large shrug and sighed heavily. "There is no possible way for me to show you with anything else but giving you my word. It is the only thing I can offer."

Tink turned back to Juliano and stared intently. "Sorry, but not good enough."

"Then what do you think, Tink? Kill me now?" He winced when he said it, realizing that is exactly what Tink wanted.

"That does sound enticing..."

"You could tell everyone when we get back to avoid the fear of having me snitch. At least then you can realize everyone really doesn't give a fuck one way or another. Being completely honest, though...it's kind of hot." He grinned when he saw Tink blush. "We aren't as heartless, stupid, and untrustworthy as you claim we are. We're all in this together and we are a long way from home. The only way we are all getting home is by working together."

[Nekoholic]

Kate shook her head in clear exasperation at the "hot" comment, but looked up nervously at Tink and said, "I suppose there isn't anything else that he can do, Tink." She hesitated, but then continued, "We should tell them, like he said. If even Juliano doesn't care, then I doubt that Salem or the Paladin would hold it against us, either. It's our best option. Better to come clean with them than have someone use this against us in the future. Worst case scenario, they'll...reassign us. Away from each other. And as much as I'd hate that, it's better than them finding out some other way and exiling us."

[NinjaButterfly]

Tink winced, feeling as if she'd been shot at hearing the prospect of being reassigned. The two of them had been nearly inseparable since they had befriended one another as children and couldn't think of what life would become without her best friend by her side. In all honesty Tink didn't believe in how the Brotherhood conducted business like some anti-Robin Hood figure, stealing from the poor to make themselves richer and giving back the poor the leftovers when they were finished. If it wasn't for Kate, then she probably would have run away from the BOS a long time ago.
Exile didn't seem so bad... She had been trying to convince Kate for a few years now for them to leave together, but knew that wasn't going to ever happen. Even if they were exiled, Tink had the feeling Kate would begin to hate her for getting them into this situation if they were banished from their home because being a scribe meant everything to her. Although she secretly wished for the poorer outcome, she hated herself for even wishing that upon them because she wanted Kate to be content despite her own happiness. Everything was always for Kate.
As Tink stared over at her, she could practically see their life outside the bunkers. It wasn't all country cottages and white-washed fences with a dog running around in the front yard, but it would have been their lives to be lived as they saw fit. A life that was too much of a fantasy to be within reach. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief. A dreamer could dream, but in the face of the situation, reality always reigned as king.
"I hope you're right, Kate...or wrong for that matter." She sighed softly. "I don't want us to be separated, but if that's what you want to risk...then I'll abide to your wishes." Unable to tolerate her gaze any longer, she looked away from the both of them as she tried swallowing the lump in her throat in a futile attempt.

[Nekoholic]

"This is up to you as much as it is me," Kate replied, folding her arms over her chest. She shook her head again, making to move past Juliano. "However, we have other matters to worry about, as well. Juliano, keep this between us until we come to a decision, okay? Until then, let's...focus on our other duties. There's a lot to be done within the next few days."

[NinjaButterfly]

"You can count on me," Juliano said, giving Kate a mock salute as she walked past.
"I highly doubt that," Tink muttered under her breath so no one could hear her. She watched as Juliano started walking behind Kate and took up the rear of the trio. Not that she didn't trust him to make a move to hurt them, she just didn't trust him not to run that big mouth of his. As they kept walking towards their camp, she caught the sight of Juliano's eyes and slapped him none too gently on the shoulder.
"Watch where those eyes linger. That is mine," she snapped.
"Sorry, sorry." He couldn't help but smirk a little in embarrassment. "It's just-"
"You gave us your word that you would be silent. So make use of that promise." After that, he didn't another word and paid closer attention to everything around them but Kate's presence.
Once they arrived back at the house, Tink hesitated just outside the door before walking in.
"I cannot believe you wasted nearly an hour on trying to fix that rusted pile of junk," Juliano said as soon as he walked through the door.
It took a moment for Tink to realize what he was talking about, but was smooth to catching on. "Well, it was worth a shot. Couldn't even salvage the hard drive because it was rusted into place and crumbled to the touch." She didn't dare look at anyone in the eye, especially Kate as she made her way back towards her bag lying in the corner.

[Nekoholic]

"Just leave that sort of work to us, Juliano," Kate said, glaring at him, "Could have probably gotten it to work if you hadn't been bothering us."
"Great, you're all back," Salem said, smiling, dissolving their "argument," "How about some help? Dezzy broke his Power Armor, and it's hard to get it back to working order without our all-knowing scribes helping us out."
Desmond snapped, "I didn't break it! It's probably just jammed somewhere..." He flushed, averting his eyes from the rest in the group, embarrassed by his outburst.