Nekoholic

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Basil thought for a moment, then said, "I'll give you a small dose of Med-X. We don't have much left, but otherwise, yes, this would hurt quite a bit." Taking off his pack, he looked around inside and pulled out his first-aid kit. Opening it, he began to prepare everything that he'd need. "I only have enough for basic treatment of this. Once we arrive in another town, he'll need to check in with a doctor who has more supplies to properly take care of the rest. If we head out soon, we should be able to arrive there within an hour or two." He looked over at the boy. "I would give you a Stim-pak, but I have no way of knowing whether or not the bullet shattered upon breaking skin until I actually...get in there. If it's a whole bullet, I'll give you a Stim-pak and you should be fine within a few hours. But if not, you're not getting one. We don't need the wound healing when you have lead festering inside you. But first, what was it that shot you--like, do you know what kind of gun or was it a turret instead?"

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Basil sighed, but decided to focus on the injured person instead of Kaye and Jace; they could resolve that issue on their own. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. And yes, I know that promises aren't worth much out here, but I highly doubt that the bullet is going to just come out of its own accord. So you either let it stay there and the wound get infected or you give me the opportunity to prevent that. Your choice."
"Damn, Basil, harsher than usual," Leith commented.
"It's been a long day, Leith. And it just progressively gets worse. So excuse me for lacking a...bedside manner at present."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

"Shut up, Kaye," Basil said with a huff, shaking his head in exasperation. He then stood up from his perch on a boulder a good fifteen feet from where Jace stood. He then noticed Leith coming out, then the... "Who's that, Leith?"
Leith was relieved to see that Basil hadn't left without them, as a part of him suspected he would have. In this situation, Basil would be the one more likely to take his stance; however, there was a glint in his eye at the moment. Clearly, he wasn't happy. He assumed that it had to do with that Brotherhood of Steel woman, but with how he was far from Jace, who also looked like he'd just swallowed half a gallon of sour milk before he finally tasted it, there was probably more to the story than that.
"He's one of the victims of the security downstairs," Leith said, leaving out the raider part for now. He gestured towards his shoulder. "Basil, aren't you a doctor or something close enough? Could you take a look at him?"
Basil seemed to consider it, then sighed and said, his features softening as he noticed the boy's injury, "Sure. Though I don't know how much I can actually do. I've worked with more machines than people."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Leith was quiet for a moment, but finally said, "He comes with us, Kaye. It's like he said. He's injured and in no condition to defend himself, much less attack us with any hope of actually winning. The least we can do is help him to the next town. If it comes down to it, we'll leave him there, he can get medical attention, and then...then he's on his own from there." He shook his head. "And we can dump this load onto the town, too, try and get some of the caps that we lost back. Because there's nothing here. Nothing worth risking our lives over, anyway."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Leith wrenched himself for Kaye's grip, then turned back to the boy and said, "So you're willing to come with us now? If you don't mind me asking, why the sudden change of heart?"

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Surprised by her quickly drawn defense, Leith was struck silent for a moment before he said, attempting to be as placating as possible, "I didn't mean to insinuate that you can't handle your own, kid. It's just..." He sighed. Every child, even the most sheltered of them, had come to know the true horrors of the world. It's just how it was out here. Back before the war, everything had been hidden. The government's lies and plots, what was happening overseas, the plans that neighbors cooked up from behind locked doors and curtained windows. And people, even the adults, were perfectly content to pretend that nothing was wrong with their world, that everything was fine and that nothing at all could touch them and their families. He'd been one of them. Hell, he'd only ever reserved a spot in the Vault because his employer had suggested that they do it...not because he'd actually thought he'd be fleeing toward one someday, desperately trying to protect his wife and daughter from a threat that could devastate an entire country within mere seconds.
Sometimes, he just found himself forgetting that things were different now. That kids weren't waiting for school to be dismissed to eat dinner and rush to the playground. They were wondering if their parents would even come home. Scraping together a meal. Trying to find ways to survive, in general.
He clenched the strap of his bag, his jaw momentarily locking.
It shouldn't have to be this way.
But there was nothing that he could do about it, either, so he simply said, "I've got to get going, kid. See you around." And with that, he left and didn't dare to look back at the scraggly little girl again.

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Temporarily taken aback by her clumsy attempt at a cuss, Leith chuckled and said, "I'll keep that in mind, kid. Thanks again." Giving her a little wave, he started to head deeper into the town, but then gave pause and turned back to her. "And get home soon, you hear? It'll be getting dark soon. Even surrounded by walls and protected by guards, you never know what could happen."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Leith just stared for a moment, then cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "So the bar sounds nice. I'll...I'll head there. Thank you, um, little person. Child." He reached into his pocket, plucking a couple of caps out of it. He then offered them to her. "No job without a reward, don't you agree? Thanks for not...pelting me with more rocks. And for the information. That's the most polite someone's been to me in a long while now."

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Leith sighed softly, relieved that the girl appeared to no longer be so alarmed. "I'm just a traveler, here to gather more supplies. I may spend a night here, depending on if there is any sort of inn or bar here?"

Atomic Rain (Fallout)

Leith sighed softly, and tried again, "If I was a bad ghoul, then wouldn't I have just charged in here and started chewing people's faces off? Besides, would I even be able to talk to you right now?"