"Ow," Leith said, though his reaction to the pebble hitting him was delayed by several seconds. He rubbed the back of his head, looking around to see what the source of the projectile was; usually, people were shooting at him, not trying to pelt him with rocks. He then heard the noise, and looked over to see a little girl; her red hair was a tangled mess, her cheeks flushed and splotched in dirt. She looked mean, but also terrified. He then smiled softly and said, "Look, I'm just a ghoul. A nice one, I mean, not feral or anything. So just put down the slingshot, okay? I'd rather not have the whole town think I'm a threat as soon as I get here."
Nekoholic
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- Nekoholic 8 yrs ago
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Bio
I prefer Casual and Advanced roleplays, as writing paragraphs and multiple characters makes it feel more as if a group is collaborating on an actual novel. One-liners, speed-posting, and the like just doesn't interest me. I don't have a specific genre that I write in, as I tend to jump around them, but I suppose that I tend to lean more towards ones that involve action, drama, and horror. When I write romance, I like for it to be that "slow burn" sort. But in general, I can be interested in just about any genre, as long as the idea of the story itself is appealing to me.
*The fanart in my avatar is not mine.*
*The fanart in my avatar is not mine.*
Most Recent Posts
"What are you talking about, Kaye? I don't think you've changed at all since then," Leith said, unable to refrain his laughter. Though the situation was tense, considering that there was this raider kid and that Brotherhood soldier, it was relieving to have something, anything, to alieve the tension.
Finally, after days of seemingly endless walking, Leith had located a town; his only hope was that this one would be friendly towards ghouls, as, unsurprisingly, there were few that would even allow them through their gates. There had been occasions that he had even been shot at. Sometimes, if he just yelled at them, they hesitated and just told him to get lost, but there had been times when they just reloaded and kept going at it until he got far enough away. He understood. He looked like a walking corpse. If he wasn't a ghoul himself, he'd probably be terrified of the sight, as well. There weren't any hard feelings. For the most part, at least. He avoided mirrors and puddles for a reason, after all.
But if he was lucky today, then this one wouldn't have guards prepared to blow his brains out on sight; he'd be able to slip in, purchase what he needed, and then he'd be out of their hair once more. As nice as it'd be to just settle down somewhere, he knew that there were limited options for his kind. And he wasn't too keen on finding those abandoned metro tunnels and calling them "home." Their structural integrity was about as trustworthy as a raider with a syringe full of psycho in one hand and a gun in the other, the ferals often dwelled in there, as well, and even he had his standards for company, and they were just hard to navigate and depressing, in general. He wasn't a mole to be forced underground, out of sight and even further out of mind. There were communities of ghouls that he had heard about in passing, but he hadn't been able to find a trustworthy method of tracking them down. He wasn't about to go chasing after idle fantasies, either, so the road it was.
Finally, after days of seemingly endless walking, Leith had located a town; his only hope was that this one would be friendly towards ghouls, as, unsurprisingly, there were few that would even allow them through their gates. There had been occasions that he had even been shot at. Sometimes, if he just yelled at them, they hesitated and just told him to get lost, but there had been times when they just reloaded and kept going at it until he got far enough away. He understood. He looked like a walking corpse. If he wasn't a ghoul himself, he'd probably be terrified of the sight, as well. There weren't any hard feelings. For the most part, at least. He avoided mirrors and puddles for a reason, after all.
But if he was lucky today, then this one wouldn't have guards prepared to blow his brains out on sight; he'd be able to slip in, purchase what he needed, and then he'd be out of their hair once more. As nice as it'd be to just settle down somewhere, he knew that there were limited options for his kind. And he wasn't too keen on finding those abandoned metro tunnels and calling them "home." Their structural integrity was about as trustworthy as a raider with a syringe full of psycho in one hand and a gun in the other, the ferals often dwelled in there, as well, and even he had his standards for company, and they were just hard to navigate and depressing, in general. He wasn't a mole to be forced underground, out of sight and even further out of mind. There were communities of ghouls that he had heard about in passing, but he hadn't been able to find a trustworthy method of tracking them down. He wasn't about to go chasing after idle fantasies, either, so the road it was.
"Oh..." Leith murmured. He pursed his lips. "Well, in our defense, it was the Brotherhood soldier who did the job." He folded his arms over his chest. "But what do you plan on doing now? It's dangerous to be on your own, even if you did have supplies."
Leith rolled his eyes, and replied, "When you get to be my age, even an elderly smoothskin is a kid to you." He smirked just a little, then looked back at Kaye. "One, he's not an 'it.' And two, he's his own person. Unless he wants to come with us, we're not doing anything with him."
Basil was silent for a long time before he finally asked, "Why is it that you only allow jealousy to be your motivation? I've known Leith for not even two days, yet you keep insinuating that I'm interested in him. That's just ridiculous!" He shook his head, clearly exasperated. "And I don't give a damn about your father or him being a drunk or anything. What I care about is accomplishing our objective in the most rational manner, yet you're making that harder and harder every day. This isn't about me, it isn't about you, it's about something far more important than either of us. So stop being a selfish child!"
He huffed, turning around and walking towards the exit once more.
He came here to protect me? Well, I'm the wrong person; that's likely why he feels so cheated now.
Leith sighed, relieved that he had finally abandoned the weapon. "I don't kill children, alright? If I have an option, that'll be my last resort. And I could tell that you were just scared, so..." He shrugged.
He huffed, turning around and walking towards the exit once more.
He came here to protect me? Well, I'm the wrong person; that's likely why he feels so cheated now.
Leith sighed, relieved that he had finally abandoned the weapon. "I don't kill children, alright? If I have an option, that'll be my last resort. And I could tell that you were just scared, so..." He shrugged.
Basil narrowed his eyes, scowling as he said, "Yeah, you could definitely save them when you barely know what a G.E.C.K. even is. And yeah, you could definitely save them when the Brotherhood inevitably slaughters everyone in the town or takes them under martial law in retaliation." He walked past him, clenching his fists. He then paused and turned back around. "Look, I don't care if you like me or not, Jace. I asked you to come with me because you were the only person in my life that ever even cared enough to so much as listen to me. But if you really think that I don't know what I'm doing anymore, then please, enlighten me on how to do better. Because if we're to stay together on this, then we need to agree on something. Otherwise, I'm going on my own. I'll just hire someone. Hell, Leith would probably even do it if I offered enough caps, and he'd complain less than you do to boot."
Every day, I'm becoming less and less of the person that he remembers. He's coming to hate me. Perhaps it'd be best if we'd part ways, that way I could at least preserve what remains of him.
Leith sighed, "You don't want to patch up that wound before you eat?" He shrugged, reaching into his bag. He then pulled out a half-empty bottle of water and a bag of old potato chips. "Here. It's all that I have on me at the moment. But come on, kid. Just put the gun down. If I was going to hurt you, then I would have done it already; after all, I'm a ghoul. We don't even need guns."
Every day, I'm becoming less and less of the person that he remembers. He's coming to hate me. Perhaps it'd be best if we'd part ways, that way I could at least preserve what remains of him.
Leith sighed, "You don't want to patch up that wound before you eat?" He shrugged, reaching into his bag. He then pulled out a half-empty bottle of water and a bag of old potato chips. "Here. It's all that I have on me at the moment. But come on, kid. Just put the gun down. If I was going to hurt you, then I would have done it already; after all, I'm a ghoul. We don't even need guns."
Basil winced when Jace deliberately ran into him, but merely sighed in response to the antagonism. Did Jace think that he was happy, that he was proud, to leave the vault empty-handed? He'd been on this journey, as well, for months now, and he was just as damned tired of finding leads and just as quickly losing them. But if they had found a vault that had one functional G.E.C.K., then he had hope that there'd be another. And the last thing that either of them needed was the Brotherhood of Steel coming after them; this way, perhaps the woman would remain true to her word and keep their own expedition under wraps. That way, they could all keep to their own business in peace.
"Wait a minute," he murmured, just now noticing that Kaye and Leith had disappeared. Had they feared a worse confrontation and finally decided to take the risk of excavating deeper into the vault? Well, they weren't here for a G.E.C.K., so he couldn't see why not; after all, they were just a couple of dealers of junk. Anything was worth something to them.
Leith sighed, ignoring Kaye's dissatisfaction with the results of his kindness. He then reached into the smaller bag that he always kept on him, pulling out what appeared to be a miniature first-aid kit; it was nothing fancy, but in times of crisis, it had become useful for hasty jobs of stitching and disinfecting. He then dropped it onto the grimy floor, kicking it forward.
"You're not getting anything else, kid, unless you put the gun down. I don't want to fight you, but I would also prefer to keep my belongings," he said.
"Wait a minute," he murmured, just now noticing that Kaye and Leith had disappeared. Had they feared a worse confrontation and finally decided to take the risk of excavating deeper into the vault? Well, they weren't here for a G.E.C.K., so he couldn't see why not; after all, they were just a couple of dealers of junk. Anything was worth something to them.
Leith sighed, ignoring Kaye's dissatisfaction with the results of his kindness. He then reached into the smaller bag that he always kept on him, pulling out what appeared to be a miniature first-aid kit; it was nothing fancy, but in times of crisis, it had become useful for hasty jobs of stitching and disinfecting. He then dropped it onto the grimy floor, kicking it forward.
"You're not getting anything else, kid, unless you put the gun down. I don't want to fight you, but I would also prefer to keep my belongings," he said.
Kate narrowed her eyes, no longer smiling. "Back down, Jace. Listen to your friend on this one. He has sense."
"Jace, please, listen to me," Basil pleaded.
Leith sighed, contemplating on the request for a moment. If it meant that there was the possibility of saving a kid's life, then, yes, he'd risk his life; after all, he'd lived through two of them. However, Kaye was also at risk here. She was only a few years older than the boy here, as well.
Finally, he sighed, and set his gun down on the ground. He then kicked it over to him. "Here. Keep it, too. That one in your hands is liable to kill you just as much as me."
"Jace, please, listen to me," Basil pleaded.
Leith sighed, contemplating on the request for a moment. If it meant that there was the possibility of saving a kid's life, then, yes, he'd risk his life; after all, he'd lived through two of them. However, Kaye was also at risk here. She was only a few years older than the boy here, as well.
Finally, he sighed, and set his gun down on the ground. He then kicked it over to him. "Here. Keep it, too. That one in your hands is liable to kill you just as much as me."
Basil turned back, eyes widening as he saw Jace raise the gun once more, aiming it between the soldier's eyes. He shook his head, and said, "Jace, no! We will find another one, so we don't need to kill her. And deep down, you know that this will only cause us more problems in the future, even if we were to gain the G.E.C.K. here and now! So lower the gun and leave with me, okay? Please..."
Kate only smirked. "What? Do you believe that I just left it lying around somewhere? It's gone. I'm just here to perform more research, to gather more information regarding the other vaults and this one's prior experimentation. Killing me will do nothing for you; in fact, it'll only cause your friend to hate you."
Leith sighed, holstering his revolver. He then outstretched his hands. "Do you believe me now, kid? I don't want to hurt you." He glanced at Kaye, then focused on the boy again. "If you come with us, we can help you. We have the supplies necessary to patch up your shoulder. If you leave it as it is, then you'll either go into shock or it'll become infected."
Kate only smirked. "What? Do you believe that I just left it lying around somewhere? It's gone. I'm just here to perform more research, to gather more information regarding the other vaults and this one's prior experimentation. Killing me will do nothing for you; in fact, it'll only cause your friend to hate you."
Leith sighed, holstering his revolver. He then outstretched his hands. "Do you believe me now, kid? I don't want to hurt you." He glanced at Kaye, then focused on the boy again. "If you come with us, we can help you. We have the supplies necessary to patch up your shoulder. If you leave it as it is, then you'll either go into shock or it'll become infected."
Basil sighed, and said, "Look, she has it. We'll find another one. There are so many vaults that I doubt this is the only one left that is functional." He glanced at the woman before he continued walking back the way they'd come. "She's Brotherhood of Steel, Jace; it'd be wisest to leave her alone. We can't further risk having them come after us. We don't know what all they have hidden behind their backs, but I'd also rather not find out."
Kate smirked, but then asked, "Hey, kid. What do you plan on doing with a G.E.C.K., anyways?"
Giving pause, Basil eventually replied, "Using it for its intended purpose. Terraforming, purification. What else would I do with it?"
"Fixed functionality is the bane to the greatest minds," she said, but gave a dismissive shrug, "But nonetheless, good luck. I won't tell my friends of you four, so long as you don't deliberately make yourselves known to them."
Leith aimed his gun between the raider's eyes, but halted when he realized that this one was particularly young. He sighed, "Christ, you're a kid." He shook his head. "Look, lower the gun. I'd rather not end your life, okay?" To bear witness to a teenager in ratty clothes, plates of rusted metal that he didn't doubt came from the door of an old car, with a gun that would probably blow up in his face, was just...sad to him, to say the least. Not to mention that he appeared to be hurt, if the blood that seeped from his shoulder was any indication. Not only that, but the bruises that were scattered all over his face, his bloodshot eyes, the pure terror that seeped from him in waves. Someone this young shouldn't have to become a ruthless murderer in order to survive. But that was just the world they lived in, wasn't it?
Kate smirked, but then asked, "Hey, kid. What do you plan on doing with a G.E.C.K., anyways?"
Giving pause, Basil eventually replied, "Using it for its intended purpose. Terraforming, purification. What else would I do with it?"
"Fixed functionality is the bane to the greatest minds," she said, but gave a dismissive shrug, "But nonetheless, good luck. I won't tell my friends of you four, so long as you don't deliberately make yourselves known to them."
Leith aimed his gun between the raider's eyes, but halted when he realized that this one was particularly young. He sighed, "Christ, you're a kid." He shook his head. "Look, lower the gun. I'd rather not end your life, okay?" To bear witness to a teenager in ratty clothes, plates of rusted metal that he didn't doubt came from the door of an old car, with a gun that would probably blow up in his face, was just...sad to him, to say the least. Not to mention that he appeared to be hurt, if the blood that seeped from his shoulder was any indication. Not only that, but the bruises that were scattered all over his face, his bloodshot eyes, the pure terror that seeped from him in waves. Someone this young shouldn't have to become a ruthless murderer in order to survive. But that was just the world they lived in, wasn't it?
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