[IC] Atomic Rain (Fallout)

[Nekoholic]

Basil fervently shook his head, and protested, "No, you need it just as much as me." He accepted the bag, however, and examined it as if to ensure that it was truly Rad-Away; after being scammed once before, he was always cautious. "We'll half it. Now get into warmer clothes, while I prepare it. And we should also take some Rad-X for the night." Seemingly satisfied, he began to search through his bag, where most of the medical things were kept, for two syringes and the bottle of Rad-X before the adverse effects of potential radiation poisoning could worsen.

[NinjaButterfly]

"I will be fine, Basil," Jace said quickly, glaring at him slightly. "I will be okay for the night, really. Besides, I barely feel a thing." He grinned him to show emphasis. "Halfing it won't do a damn thing. You take this one and I will take a double dosage of rad-x; in the morning we will head straight for a doctor to cure my radiation.. Do not argu3ewith me because this is non-negotiable." Though he felt a migraine coming on and the silver filling in his tooth was buzzing painfully, he seemed unfazed by the pain as his tolerance to pain had been built up since a young age. He watched for a moment before pulling out a dry set of clothes for himself.

[Nekoholic]

Basil narrowed his eyes, scowling slightly. "Rad-X will barely even protect us in this storm, and it certainly won't purge you of the radiation already in your body." He leaned forward slightly, gently placing his hand on Jace's forehead. He nodded, then added, "And as I expected, a fever is beginning to set in already. You need this, probably more than me. Please, Jace, take this--I won't be able to even sleep through the night knowing that you're completely exposed to the elements, so consider it a favor for my sake, okay?"

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace couldn't help the small blush that fought its way to his cheeks and he narrowed his eyes as he stared at Basil, hating when he pulled the favor move on him. He stared at him in silence for a long moment in contemplation. Flashbacks begun to cloud mind and he had to fight the urge to shake his head rid of them. "I am stronger than you, both mentally and physically. I will be able to fight the toxins better than you can. Take them...please. If something happens to you again..." he cut himself short and cursed mentally for having brought up such a painful memory for them both. "I wouldn't forgive myself a second time." He turned his head away from his touch. Even the next crack of thunder, now right on top of them, didn't faze him this time.

[Nekoholic]

Basil was quiet for a moment. He then said, "If you're stronger than me, in more ways than one, then consider how you could become incapacitated from radiation sickness. We're miles from any friendly settlement. There are raiders and wildlife surrounding us. How could I possibly depend on myself to survive without you there with me, protecting me, advising me?" He glanced at the patchwork ceiling, shivering in the cold and watching as the fog thickened and the lightning strengthened. This was one of the worse storms. It could persist for days. They could be stuck here for even longer. He moved closer to Jace, unscrewing the cap to the bottle of Rad-X. In a more serious tone, he said, "If you're not taking it, I'm not either. That's final. We'll die together." He shook out two pills and passed them to Jace.

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace gritted his teeth in annoyance and looked over at him in rising anger. As soon as their eyes met, though, noticed the concern in them and just like that hid anger dissipated. After a moment, he sighed softly. "Damn you and your persistence..." he said softly as he took a pill from his hand, staring at it. "I am glad you feel like you need me so much. It makes me feel like my life isn't a complete waste of air, space, and resources." He then threw the pill into his mouth and chewed it up before swallowing to stop the tingling in his tooth. "Promise me you won't die on me if I take half of the radaway?" Though he meant it to be playful, he didnt realize just how serious it had come across as.

[Nekoholic]

Basil, relieved that Jace had finally agreed to take half, retrieved the syringes once more and properly measured out the Rad-Away. "I promise. And you don't have to worry about me so much; really, I'm more equipped to look after myself than you think." Once each of them had finished with their medications, he changed clothes, adding a worn brown poncho that he'd scavenged a few days prior over it that he wished he'd remembered earlier before he'd gotten drenched, and drew his knees closer to his chest for warmth. Despite that, though, a headache had begun to form in the back of his skull, a common symptom of the medication, and the rain still seeped through the cracks and holes in the ceiling, scattering from the drafts that were let in.
Still, it was better than trying to walk through this or being entirely out in the open.
"When do you think we'll be able to head out again?" he inquired after several minutes of silence between them. Usually, he would pull out his journal and jot down all of the information he found noteworthy, or work on his theories about the science behind the G.E.C.K., but he supposed that he'd take a break tonight; it could get wet and ruin everything, and he just in general didn't feel quite like it.

[NinjaButterfly]

"It is hard to say," Jace admitted and looked up at the sky through a crack in the ceiling. When a flash of lightning filled the space, he quickly shut his eyes and looked back at Basil."it doesn't look like its going to pass any time soon. If we're lucky, might pass over by morning. There wasn't much of a warm front passing through so there isn't much...intergrity (integrity) for the storm to linger." He wasn't the smartest apple in the bushel, but at least he knew his weather. A lot of his time was spent outside and over the years you just picked up on things like that.
He crossed his long legs and put his hands in the crook behind his knees, trying to warm them. He fell silent for a minute as he contemplated their next move. "I, personally do not think we should stay here any longer than we should. If this storm hasn't given up by high noon, then I think we should make our way to the next settlement. We will surely die of radiation poisoning if we stay in this for longer than a day. Just wait out the coldest part of the night..." He smirked slightly. "Thank god I was born with some common sense or we'd be in some trouble."

[Nekoholic]

Basil snickered slightly, despite the serious tone of the conversation. He then said, "It's 'integrity,' Jace." After a moment, though, he nodded, and said, "I hope it doesn't last too long. If it does, we may have no other choice but to try and travel through it. We can't stay here for too long on these limited supplies."
Discussion died once again, and within mere minutes, Basil found himself becoming restless. There were nights when he'd practically pass out, but then there were others when he would even be the one keeping watch; this was one of those, as the energy from his nerves coursed through him. He glanced at Jace, shifting occasionally, wondering if he felt the same. Thunder flourished directly above them, the heart of the storm arriving. He'd rather sleep through it, but he knew there was little chance of that.

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace gulped as the thunder claps were practically right on top of one another; the echo of the first one didn't even dissipate before another followed. There was definitely no chance of him getting any sleep tonight due to the racket. It sounded too eerily like bombs for his liking.
"What do you think the others are doing back home?" He looked over at Basil. This was the furthest and longest time he had ever been away from home and was growing more restless with each passing day.

[Nekoholic]

Basil pondered on the question, inwardly relieved for a conversation, and replied, "I doubt much has changed. My dad is probably being yelled at for there not being enough water, repairing people's appliances, just doing his best to keep the general maintenance going on his own." He wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his chin on them. "I feel a little bad for leaving him to do it all himself. But...hopefully this will make up for it in the end." A part of him also missed working with his father; he was the only family he had left, after all. And despite being berated constantly by the other townspeople for all of the water problems, he knew that it'd been a load off his father's shoulders. He was getting old; he just couldn't handle that stress on top of everything else.
He tried to think of others, but honestly, bringing Jace with him was like bringing half of his home, as well. It was tough talking to the other people, for multiple reasons. Doc Thurston had been an almost-friend to his father at times, especially after Basil had almost died from radiation sickness, but it was seldom that they spoke with each other beyond necessity. People had to trust the only doctor in the town, and considering that they didn't trust his father, becoming friends with him would make that a more difficult task than actually curing people of the ailments that plagued them every day.

[NinjaButterfly]

"I can only imagine my father is passed out, drunk off his heels," Jace said, staring off into space. At least the small water supply the settlement had wasn't wasted on his deadbeat father. "I know everyone in town is waiting for me to turn out to he his spitting image. A drunken fool who does nothing bit wallow in his own piss and filth." He fell silent before looking at Basil. "Can you be honest with me? Do you think...have you ever thought that I would turn into my father?" He averted his gaze. "One of the reasons I volunteered for this mission was so people would look at me differently. I want people to look at me with respect instead of the town's troublemaker who is on the brink of raiding the place."

[Nekoholic]

"You're nothing like him," Basil quickly said, shaking his head. He sighed softly, falling silent for a moment. He then added, "And honestly, you shouldn't even bother caring about what they think. The people in that town are nothing but idiots. All they ever do is complain and hurt others for what they don't have, even though they have no idea how to get it for themselves. Or they do have a notion, but are too lazy to work towards it because it's someone else's responsibility apparently. They're hypocrites." He pursed his lips, regretting what he said immediately. In a moment of honesty, he quietly finished his rant with, "I only want to do this for you and my dad. And for my mom, even if she's no longer here. Everyone else just got lucky."

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace stared at Basil in stunned silence, haven't ever heard him speak so intensely. Even when he had first met him, when the kids were taunting him, he didn't fight back with5h fists nor words. This was side he rarely seen, if he ever had at all.
"You are the other half of the reason I decided to do this," he said softly. "You know I never would have allowed you to go along and would still go with you even if you asked me to follow you to hell...but I would have volunteered for this mission even if you hadn't tagged along. Though I probably wouldn't have found anything without you by my side..." He smiled softly at Basil.

[Nekoholic]

Basil laughed. "Come on, Jace, you're just being sappy now." He spared him a glance, though. "Then again, I do owe you a lot. I probably wouldn't have made it this far; may be smart, but not one for commonsense, am I?"

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace couldn't help but chuckle at that. You sure can be blond when you want to be." He ruffled his hair, shaking a few water droplets from his. "Glad I could be your knight in shining armor." He tipped an invisible hat and winked teasingly. "You are welcome."

[Nekoholic]

Basil rolled his eyes; nonetheless, though, he smiled. "Yes, thank you very much."

[NinjaButterfly]

Jace still smiled in good humor for a minute more, it slowly fading as their conversation faded as well. For awhile they sat in silence but for once Jace didn't really care as he was lost in his wandering thoughts. The storm was beginning to slack off slightly as well but the rain continued to pour.
A soft sigh escaped his lips as he spread out his makeshift sleeping bag that he had made two ragged blankets before leaving on their mission. "I reckon I should try to get some sleep and save my strength for the walk into town tomorrow; I suggest you to do the same." Once he laid down, it never took long for him to fall asleep and only minutes later, he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Jace awoken as the sun just begun to rise over the horizon. It was still misting slightly but it was a good indication it would dissipate soon considering the sunbwas peeking through the clouds, splaying a beautiful easel of colors against the morning sky.
Naturally, Jace wasn't much of a morning person and practically punched Basil in the shoulder, trying to wake him. "Rise and shine, herb-boy," he muttered as he scrubbed his own face vigorously with his hands, trying to wake up.

[Nekoholic]

"Ow..." Basil whined dazedly a few moments too late. He forced himself into a sitting position, rubbing the sore spot on his shoulder. After looking around for a bit, he recognized where he was and, glancing at Jace, who seemed to be in as much of a hurry as he was within a few hours of wakefulness, he also began to pack the rest of the meager belongings, inwardly hoping that nothing had been damaged in the storm.
As they checked everything, Basil asked, "Are you feeling sick at all?"

[NinjaButterfly]

"Not at all,"Jace lied, not looking in his direction as he started packing. In all honesty, he had a splitting headache and thought his head was about to sprout wings and fly away. He also felt sick to his stomach like he was going to puke but pushed it in the back of his mind. he was just hungry, is all. That is what he kept telling himself.
One he packed the last of his items, he turned to look at Basil. "You ready to get out of here?"