Not too long ago, the hitwoman known as “Shrike” attacked New Vegas, targeting its ruler, Josey Wales. She killed Wales’ closest associates, with the exception of Craig Boone. Wales and Boone have been missing since Shrike’s attack and Shrike herself has been in the wind, although there is rumor that in the time since she has continued her murder spree around the country. Working alongside Shrike are two men: Thomas Hamilton and Randall Clark, both notorious killers in their own right.
Shrike slowly advances her plan to kill those she has deemed necessary, regardless of the collateral damage inflicted. Meanwhile, those Shrike pursues prepare. Will a competent defense form against her in time or will Shrike achieve her goal of ending the Legends of the Wastes?
Rules:
1. The date is June 31, 2290.
2. You can be a Human, Ghoul, Supermutant, or Synth.
3. You must post a character card before posting. You can have as many characters as you want, provided that you can handle it.
4. Don't be OP (should speak for itself). VATS is disabled. Guns and gun wounds work like real life. You cannot survive three bullets to the head, et cetera. Armored characters be it metal or skin obviously have the edge.
5. You cannot kill (or control) other people's characters, without their consent. Same goes for amputations and maiming. Named NPCs cannot be directly controlled by the players, without the GM's permission, for story purposes.
6. Take the RP seriously, shit posting will get you banned. I don't care how bored you are or how many pets you've lost. Don't hijack the story and change its purpose, you're more than welcome to make your own RP doing that. Anyone who leaves (without a good reason) will not be allowed back in. This is to stop people from taking the RP hostage, by constantly leaving/threatening to leave.
7. Please use common sense when adding a character. The story relies upon the inherent threat Shrike presents. Do not make a character that Shrike would have no desire to kill (such as a bag merchant) or a character that Shrike would be incapable of killing. If your character can’t be hurt by Shrike, doesn’t care about Shrike, or isn’t afraid of Shrike, then what the heck would they be doing here?
Character Card
Name:
Age:
Sex:
Race:
Appearance:
S. P. E. C. I. A. L. (Optional):
Tag Skills (Optional):
Perks&Traits (Optional):
Equipment:
Background: Keep in mind that your character’s background is the reason they were contacted by Miller or Shrike is coming after them. Refer to rule #7.
The new coalition planned to divide up based upon objectives. One group is planning to be headed for the Big Empty to search for a weakness for Shrike, while the other two plan to get clues on Randall or Hamilton.
It was eventually decided that Morgan Jones, Josey Wales, Denis Callaghan, Brutus, Harriot Walker, Wilkes Walker, Rick Deere, and Paul Morgan would head to the Big Empty. Tanner Collins, William Van De Poorter, Timothy Ashford, Tyrus Carr, Evangeline Winfield, and Shanks would be heading to San Francisco.
In the Big Empty, the Vertibird designated Devil 2 crashed into a crystal filled trench.
At San Francisco, Timothy Ashford ran into an unhelpful whaler, and Willy drew the eye of the Yakuza.
In the Big Empty, the crew of Devil 2 came up against THE RAT GOD, an undoubtedly worthy adversary who will most certainly destroy them. They've gotten through spore carrier forests and communist ghouls of Little Yangtze. They must press forwards to X-13 so that they can claim valuable tech to use against Shrike. After killing Rat God in X-8, rescuing Mobius, and retrieving Muggy and a Sonic Emitter from the Sink, they were ready to crack open X-13 and get valuable tech to use against Shrike.
In San Francisco, Willy was captured by the Yakuza and brought to Kabu Chotto. He was rescued by Eva, but it incited a shootout in Chotto's club between the crew of the Devil 1 and the Japanese gangsters. After defeating second lieutenant Inchi's crew, they got some information out of Chotto about Shrike and Randall, mainly Shrike's interest in the Steel Palace and Randall's severance of ties with the Yakuza. They headed to the Steel Palace.
Inside the Steel Palace, Eva met with Chairman Qin, the head of the Shi, who had no knowledge of Shrike.
Tim and Willy are about to receive some training from Ju Yung, the same woman who possibly trained Shrike, although the ages don't line up.
And those who were previously in the Big Empty know find themselves in the Divide, being briefed by Ulysses on the dangers of the Divide and Shrike's intentions. It appears the hitwoman intends to wake the giants of the Divide for usage against her enemies.
Oh, and Shanks is enabling Tanner's alcoholism. Tyrus joined them.
In the Divide, Paul Morgan and Morgan Jones fought against Shrike, and held their own long enough for Denis to lead the rest of their group below Abaddon, to disarm the missiles before Shrike can use them.
After questioning Governor Liu, and getting tipped off that the best place to get useful info on Shrike might be New Reno, The crew of Devil 1 returned to the Warehouse just after the crew of Devil 2. There they regrouped and prepared for their next mission.
They flew to New Reno, intent on getting info on Shrike from the many families and gangs there. Attempting stealth, their arrival was spotted, and only Morgan Jones successfully got away unseen. She headed to the Desperado club, where she intends to meet with the Mordinos. She had an unexpected, but ultimately friendly, encounter with Bosu No-Kiba.
Shanks and Kayleigh hit the streets, getting info from a trio of junkies. They got insight into Shrike's backstory, how she used to work often with the Van Graffs and frequently butt heads with the Bishops. Kayleigh determined it'd be best to meet with the Bishops, but elected to regroup with Tanner first.
Tanner, for his part, led the rest of the Brigade to the Van Graff's compound where they were relieved of their weapons. Exiting onto the showroom floor, Tanner intends to try and have a word with Tiaret Van Graff, the family's matriarch.
Through a series of shenanigens, Tanner, Duncan, Tim, Naomi, and Hancock ended up in the penthouse suite of a centenarian Tiaret Van Graff, who mistook Naomi as her daughter, Gloria (who had been killed 9 years prior by the Courier himself). They managed to learn a bit about the Van Graffs and Shrike, many the hitwoman's connections to the family, as well as the Van Graff's ongoing plot to smother the caravan trade. During this, Johnny Angel was also running amok in the compound, causing all manner of trouble, which included bopping Eva over the head and dosing Doris with sleepy juice. He also microwaved someone's guts using his mind. Johnny ran into the rest of the Devils who were in the compound, and they all managed to more or less escape together, although they left their weapons, as well as Doris and Eva, behind. They'd better fix that!
On the other front, Morgan Jones had a poor meeting with Mrs. Mordino, who sent her off to the torturer known as Mister Fingers. The two engaged in a game of mental cat and mouse, which ended only slightly in Morgan's favor--she got away with knowledge of Shrike's name and Mister Fingers' memoirs, but Mister Fingers took her eye in recompense.
"Not particularly but it'd take me ages to craft another of its standard, so I'd rather not part with it, unless absolutely necessary." Naomi pointed out, with a shrug.
"Hold on there for one second." No-Kiba spoke up. The ganglord pushed off from the wall and approached Morgan. "You'll take this." He produced a notecard from his pocket, with the number for a radio frequency scrawled on it. "Next time you need something, you'll reach me through it."
"I have an idea..." Tanner murmured, looking over the garage.
"I don't suppose you still have that uniform Edwin gave you, Duncan? And can anyone hotwire a car?"
"It's a two-way frequency." No-Kiba said. "One day, if I need help, I might call you."
"Oh hey." Tanner perked up upon seeing the radio.. "Never mind, better plan. Do a 'calling all units' to a part of the compound that we won't be. Then we run in, grab Eva, and Doris, and run out. Say a Deathclaw is attacking or something, something big."
"You can call it what you like, Miss Jones." No-Kiba smiled, nodding for the guard at the door to oepn for them. "And keep your eye forward. You've only got the one left."
"You threatening to take the other?" Morgan smirked.
"Like I said, it. is...worth it. Now that I have some memoirs with three hundred years worth of knowledge in them. Just think of the secrets.." She managed a smile.
"Plus the knowledge of Shrikes name. The fuck does an eye matter when compared to all that."
"I couldn't care less about her name", Shanks scoffed. "I was promised caps in assisting with her assassination, and that's what I will do. She can remain a nameless corpse for all I care."
He yawned and stretched out his long tongue. "Now I am tired, and thirsty. That fight earlier got me some good aching bones to tend to as well."
Shanks looked at her curiously. "Don't mention it. It's what man's best friend is supposed to do after all. And a good soldier should know how to secure valuable team players."
Evangeline lightly tapped Doris on the shoulder. "Doris, wake up. Something is happening. The guards are moving away."
"Could ask the blind girl", Shanks scoffed, not having bothered to learn names. "She seems to have some experience in that department, what with the freaky pupils and all."
"Doris", Evangeline insisted, trying to shake the bald woman awake. "Please, get up."
"I don't know about that", Shanks snickered, his teeth gleaming. "I could use myself a good fight before a drink. Preferably not one where a big brute will crush my bones to powder."
Kayleigh figured they'd be safest from the Mordinos in the Bishop ran establishments and headed straight there. They hadn't made an enemy of the Bishops yet...
Shanks couldn't help but wonder just how and why someone who had just lost their eye could be so in the mood for drinks, but then again she was buying, so he saw little point in arguing and decided not to question it.
"I guess, he is prone to do that." Kayleigh sighed, leaning back with a faint chuckle as she poured her drink into a glass.
"Man, I remember reading his Dossier... His, Josey's, Yours... I wouldn't be surprised, if someone put something insane in there to get one over on me."
"No, not at all", he objected. "Just some toilets and classroom C1 to C4. But how was I supposed to know that the sewer pipes ran just below them all? Someone should've fired the plumber who designed the place."
It was at that point Morgan chose to get up and move to a table on her own. She sat down and prodded at her bandages. It hurt. Like hell.
Fuck man, I can just imagine you fussing over me, Rook. She thought as she leaned back and took another sip of whiskey. I'd have been whisked away to bed by now, if you were around.
She sighed and prodded at the communicator in her ear.
"When we realized that we weren't going to be of any use on this assignment, we decided to go on a little sightseeing. And then Doris was drugged by this man calling himself Johnny and ..." Evangeline's eyes suddenly fixed on Johnny. "What is he doing here?" she growled.
"You look great, you know", the dog-man said in all honesty. "To be honest, it's a bit uncanny just how similar you look like my ex-wife."
"There's no way they would just leave their entire compound unguarded."
Back at the compound, Wilkes had taken to tinkering with his exoskeleton. His current setup was still rather bulky, but he had been working up plans for a system that was essentially a single-leg powered brace, concealable and inconspicuous.
All he needed to do now was gather the parts needed.
"We ran into him upstairs." Tanner said, not really recalling the guy's name, but immediately wanting to dissociate himself. "Maybe, five minutes ago. He was trying to rob the place, I think.
"You said he drugged Doris?" Tanner asked, glancing over at Johnny. The dude looked relatively harmless. He gave off a real 'classy high schooler' vibe, like the kind who would work as a cashier just so he give free milkshakes to pretty girls and say he had a job. Tanner felt no explicit danger radiating from him.
"I see you've administered the antidote." Johnny said. He gave her an easy smile.
"Good girl."
He did seem a bit of a jerk, Tanner guessed, but that was about it.
Back at the compound, Wilkes had taken to tinkering with his exoskeleton. His current setup was still rather bulky, but he had been working up plans for a system that was essentially a single-leg powered brace, concealable and inconspicuous.
All he needed to do now was gather the parts needed.
"Looks a bit like what I got attached to my spine." Josey said, looking over the exoskeleton. He sipped noisily from a cup of Nuka-cola. "Ain't you never wanted new legs? What if this thing breaks?"
Lazarus Grimm wrote: "When we realized that we weren't going to be of any use on this assignment, we decided to go on a little sightseeing. And then Doris was drugged by this man calling himself Johnny and ..." Evangeline's eyes suddenly fixed on Johnny. "What is he doing here?" she growled.
"You look great, you know", the dog-man said in all honesty. "To be honest, it's a bit uncanny just how similar you look like my ex-wife."
"Well, it seems you have a type?" Kayleigh suggested, with a faint grin.
"I see you've administered the antidote." Johnny said. He gave her an easy smile. "Good girl."
"Do not talk to me, you snake", Evangeline said. "You expect me to trust you after that last encounter?"
"You said he drugged Doris?" Tanner asked, glancing over at Johnny.
"He did", she confirmed. "And when I tried to take him out for robbing the place, he ..." She couldn't quite begin to explain the burning sensation she had felt back then, although she certainly still had the red marks on her arms. "I think he burned me somehow", she finished.
"You have her smile as well, though I think your jowls are prettier", Shanks snickered.
"Not you too." Johnny laughed defeatedly. What was it with women thinking he could just burn people.
"Look. I'm sorry for using you as a distraction. Truly. But I've got enough here that's worth the caps. And I'd be willing to give you a split." The handsome man offered.
"Burned you..." Tanner said, wondering how Johnny had done this. Being a psyker would be the likely answer. That would be two seperate instances.
"Not you too." Johnny laughed defeatedly. What was it with women thinking he could just burn people.
"Look. I'm sorry for using you as a distraction. Truly. But I've got enough here that's worth the caps. And I'd be willing to give you a split." The handsome man offered.
Eva was pretty incorruptible so Tanner didn't think that would work.
"Now wait just a second. Aren't you people forgetting we're in the middle of the Van Graff compound in New Reno?" Johnny said. Finding the mistrust in him disturbing.
"So if you're gonna pull my toenails out, at least wait until we've cleared the city."
"I'm not sure that's worth an eye... I mean, I once met a giant fruit god but I still don't consider it worth the chunk of brain, I lost, in order to get it."
"If I had not been raised and taught how to behave myself among people, I would have told you where you can shove those caps", Evangeline said angrily. "You just stay the hell away from me and Doris, you hear?"
"Well I also got the memoirs of the Ghoul who took it." Morgan smiled. Denis could hear the excitement in her voice. "Over three centuries of knowledge are in this book I have."
"Yeah, there's not really a we." Tanner said, heading for the door and nodding for the rest to join him. "We'll be leaving the compound. You're a guy who robs things. We're different crowds."
"Do not look at him", Evangeline said, glaring back at Johnny for all her synthetic lenses could manage. "We are going back to the Warehouse."
She hated to admit that even though she had been suspicious from the very start, his charms had definitely taken her off-guard. She would not let herself be that easily manipulated again by a stranger.
"Doris, drool later, we're leaving. You can come with us if you'd like." Tanner said, letting the door to the compound swing shut behind them. He looked up at it with a frown. What a strange place.
Johnny was not fased by any of the threats made to him. Tanner was the leader and he had successfully charmed him. They would do nothing to him.
"Here let me help you." Johnny offered Doris a hand to help her back up, which the still dazed woman gladly accepted.
She giggled as she fell into his chest.
"Oh sorry... my knees are still a bit..."
"It's alright." Johnny said as she practically embrassed him. While he had Doris clinging to him, he looked not at her but at Eva again. At first glance because the situation was awkward and he was imparting sympathy, but there was just something about the way he looked at her.
Evangeline wanted to hit the man, or somehow get him away from ever touching Doris again, but seeing as she herself was already struggling with supporting her, she knew the woman was going to hit the ground if she lashed out at Johnny.
She couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the way he was looking at her. She had sensed it before, back when he had first offered to help them. And she couldn't quite put her finger on what exactly it was that made her feel so ... powerless in his presence. It wasn't the same kind of helplessness as she felt whenever she was close to Tanner, but rather an insidious feeling that this man could and probably would do all matter of things to her were they to be left alone in a room together. And what exactly those things were, was something completely up to imagination.
"Compliments suits you, Kay", he said. "You should be getting more of them."
Evangeline chose not to reply, seeing as he was already doing it. And even if she had refused he most likely would've just helped herself to feeling her up anyhow.
"So ... "Shanks began warily, "when we get back to the Warehouse, would you ..." He scoffed. "Nevermind."
"See, you're doing great already." Johnny encouraged Doris as they walked, which made the woman giggle like a school girl twirling with her hair. Sadly Doris did not possess a single follicle on her whole body that would allow her to actually twirl hair
"That's the one", Shanks laughed, eyeing Kayleigh curiously. "You are a rare deal, redmop. You know that? Any other broad would have just up and walked before so much as looking at me."
"This again?" Evangeline grumbled upon having to relinquish her last means of defense against whatever grabbing hands she could expect from the club patrons.
"Oh, I am sure they just left out the juicy bits", he smiled mischievously, putting his hand on top of hers.
Tanner spotted her and walked over, skirting around the many occupied tables of the Club. It was the most popular casino in Reno, and thus was crowded. He even had to dodge a backpedaling server.
Tanner reached to pull out a chair and froze upon getting a good look at Morgan. "Holy shit, what happened?"
"It is not ... fine", Evangeline said, clearly distraught by the sight. It triggered the memories of how she first lost her own sight. While Morgan had only been so lucky as to having suffered the loss of one eye, Evangeline could definitely relate to the sensation of damning permanence.
Shanks leaned in over the table with his big head, resting it against the table surface as he glanced up at her. "Just maybe you will get to experience it as well", he said suggestively with a playful smile.
Johnny remained with Doris as well. The thief pulled a cigarette from the pack he had kept in his shoulder pocket and after having it dangle on his lower lip, patted around to find a lighter or match.
"You don't happen to have one do you?" He asked Tanner casually. The man didn't look like much of a smoker but something that could create fire was always useful to carry around.
"Listen up, you worthless cocksuckers!" the harsh man's voice boomed. "In about two months time I want to see you all transformed from the maggots I am looking at now into battle-hardened badasses! You hear?! I want you all to be ready to give those damn commie-loving gooks a whooping so hard they will be shitting bullets in their caskets if they decide to pick a fight!"
While the drill sergeant was looking another way down the lane of other recruits, the young man made sure to fish up a packet of cigarettes from the back pocket of his outfit. Just when he was about to light it, he felt a stern slap against his hand and watched how both lighter and cigarette flew off.
Another hard slap against his cheek caught him off-guard. It felt all too familiar from the ones he received back home.
"What's your name, faggot?!" the drill sergeant roared.
He stuttered, completely smitten by shock. How the hell had he gotten there so fast? Not to mention even noticed the cigarette. But he was more shocked by the fact that he had been struck. Back during highschool no one would have dared to tread on him the way this sergeant was.
"P-private Wain!" he said, straightening his back.
"That's 'Private Wain, sir', to you, faggot!" the drill sergeant corrected him sternly and gave him another slap that almost sent him off-balance.
He felt the urge to just punch back, but knew that if he did, that would be the end of his military career. But he would not be pushed around like this. The sergeant was even two heads shorter than himself, and yet he commanded such respect in his stature and the way he spoke that there was little else he could do but to comply.
"Private Wain, sir!" he finally said, steadying himself.
"Wain what? What kind of nancy name is that?! I want your full name, faggot!"
It's my father's name, he reflected. And if the father had been there, he would have set the drill sergeant straight with fists and probably worse for daring to insult the family name.
"It's Shane, sir! Private Shane Wain, sir!" he replied monotonously.
"Shane Wain? Sounds like a fucking weather vane to me, private!"
He could feel the damning stares of the other privates. They were either looking down on him, feeling sorry for him, or worrying that they would be next.
"Tell me, are you a weather vane, private?!" the drill sergeant yelled out.
"Sir, no, sir!"
"Then what are you?!"
He wasn't sure what to reply. Was it a trick question? He just knew he needed to comply and answer, lest he would receive another slap or get yelled at more.
"A soldier, sir!"
"The hell you aren't! Not with a fucking sissy name like that, you aren't! Now tell me your full name, weather vane!"
Just the notion of having to utter his father's first name was enough to make him feel queasy. "Shane Hank Wain, sir!"
The drill sergeant raised his eyebrows. "Hank? Your father was Hank Wain, faggot?!"
"Sir, yes, sir!"
This seemed to amuse the sergeant. "Well, I'll be damned. How did a badass killer like him get himself a faggot for a son, like you, eh?! Tell me that, private!"
"I... I don't know, sir!"
"You are damn straight. It's beyond me as well. And when you are out there in the fields of death taking orders, you don't want to be remembered as the weather vane who died, now do you?"
"Sir, no, sir!" He felt the need to just collapse. The sheer presence of this man rowing down on him made him want to sit down and catch his breath. Never before had he been so humiliated, except by his father, but never out in the public.
Back at highschool he had been the king of the hallways, at the family home he had been the father's personal punching bag while the mother helplessly watched, here ... he was no one. And then back at home at the apartment with Molly, he was the worthless husband, struggling to support a child that had yet to be born. Just two more months, he thought. Two more months until the training was over, and two more months until the baby was born. The midviwes at the hospital predicted a girl which made him happy. He didn't want to bring about another son of the Wain family into the world, fearing that history would repeat itself, with himself in his father's shoes. The thought was terrifying indeed.
"Let me have a look at you, private! Stay put!"
Am I little less than a dog to him?
The sergeant circled around him, examining him with his intimidating gaze. "You are indeed your father's son, private. At least in appearance. But appearances don't mean shit to me. I want to see what you are worth in the field of battle, you hear?!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" Shane responded.
Not that there would be any battles. Though there had been news of turmoil and uprisings in Asia ever since Canada had been occupied, people said that there was little reason for concern. Canada had yet to be fully liberated even though Operation Anchorage had been a success. Most likely it would only be a matter of time before China surrendered and by then he would be living off a decent salary along with his wife and presumed daughter.
"Tall bastard, aren't you?" the drill sergeant scoffed. "Look at those sturdy legs of yours, just like your old man."
Shane didn't know if he was supposed to thank the sergeant. He felt very conflicted about whether it was a compliment or not, but chose to remain silent and just hope that the officer was soon done inspecting him.
The man approached the dog-tags around his neck, reading out his full name for all to hear. "Shane Hank Williams Wain", he proclaimed. "From now on your comrades can refer to you as 'Shanks', private. Unless you have any objections and would prefer being called faggot for the rest of your training? Speak up, private!"
Shanks?
"Sir, no objections, sir! Thank you, sir!"
"Get back in line then, long-shanks!" the officer taunted him and let go of his dog-tags. "And the next time I catch you with a cigarette during my drills, I will make sure to put you up for volunteering as a training dummy. As you were, private Shanks!"
As the drill sergeant walked away to hound the next poor soul he couldn't help but feel relieved but also so humiliated. How could he ever hope to begin garner some respect here? At highschool he could have waved a finger and Frank "Frankie" Moors would have done his homework or even given up his lunch money. He could have whistled for that dumb broad Betty Dimples and they would have made out in a bathroom stall, leaving hickeys on his neck. If any of the students had seen the way his father treated him, all that respect would have been gone in an instant. They would have seen that he was just ... no one. And the way this drill sergeant had treated him had made him realize just that, and the rest of these privates had all seen it as well. There was no recovery from this disgrace. The thought that his glory days were over began to set in. No king ruled forever, they said.
No king, but the King.
But as the moment passed he soon realized that the privates were all just standing there. There was no condemnation from any of them. They were all deathly afraid, knowing that either of them could be next for getting chewing out by the sergeant. None of them seemed to even look at him or whisper behind his back about the stupid nickname that he had been given. It just occurred to him that they were all equals here. Maybe all of them had been just like him before they came here? They had been at the top, and now they were all at the very bottom.
Somehow, that idea was quite endearing to him. It made him gain an ounce of self-composure back. After hearing the drill sergeant nickname the next private from Canada "Lu-Loo", made him feel all the more proud over his own given nickname. Shanks wasn't such a bad thing to be called perhaps?
The Retroriffic Man wrote: Johnny remained with Doris as well. The thief pulled a cigarette from the pack he had kept in his shoulder pocket and after having it dangle on his lower lip, patted around to find a lighter or match.
"You don't happen to have one do you?" He asked Tanner casually. The man didn't look like much of a smoker but something that could create fire was always useful to carry around.
Tanner did, in fact, have a lighter. He produced what appeared to be an incredibly ancient pre-war cigar lighter.
"What're you hanging around for?" Tanner asked. "You haven't made many friends here."
Johnny took his sweet time to light the cigarette thoroughly after which he took a large drag, held it for a second and then blew it out slowly through pursed lips.
He looked at Tanner for perhaps a second longer and then answered by raising his eyebrows and gesturing at Doris.
"I was helping the lady get to... this dive bar."
Once more he took a drag, only much quicker now.
"Very cozy." He hadded sarcastically while smiling at Doris, who happily enjoyed the attention given to her by the handsome man.
"You attacked them." Tanner said, something he didn't appreciate. "And we have no idea what you've juiced Doris up with, twice now. You need to explain yourself, or hit the road."
Evangeline ignored Johnny's half-hearted attempt to apologize. Doris could forgive him for all she wanted, but she recognized a scoundrel when she saw one.
Morgan blinked and awkwardly reciprocated.
"I was wondering, Eva, do you have the plans to your eyes? I'm gonna make one for myself eventually."
"I ... do not", she said. "But my Overseer most certainly does. Though normally we do not distribute classified files, I suppose I could call in a favor through the Pip-Boy once we get back to the Warehouse."
Evangeline touched Morgan's cheek affectionately, trying her best to hide her sincere concern for her well-being with a smile. "No problem. What are friends for if they can not be there for one another?"
"Right. Well... To answer your question then. I don't plan to stick around much longer. Rest assured that I have no desire to be in the company of those that toy with the idea of shooting me in the face."
Doris' eyes turned sad.
"Y-you're leaving?"
"Not just yet, Doris." Johnny assured her. Having difficulty reclaiming his hand from her.
"Lazarus Grimm wrote: Evangeline touched Morgan's cheek affectionately, trying her best to hide her sincere concern for her well-being with a smile. "No problem. What are friends for if they can not be there for one another?"
"Right." Morgan nodded, not wanting to diminish the mood. "That's true."
"No one's going to shoot you in the face." Tanner assured Johnny, it wasn't something he was comfortable with either. Although, granted, Tanner had shot a lot of people in the face. They were usually asking for it though.
Shanks' ears shifted in his sleep, clearly he was dreaming about something.
"Y-you're leaving?"
"Not just yet, Doris." Johnny assured her. Having difficulty reclaiming his hand from her.
Evangeline glared at the man, clearly disapproving of his stay. She couldn't help but wonder just what made him stick around. He had gotten what he had wanted, hadn't he?
She instead turned to Tanner, her face seemingly lit up at the mere sight of him. "Good to see you again", she said.
Evangeline grimaced in dismay and dismissed Doris with waving gesture. "Silly Doris", she chuckled nervously. "We talked about this, remember? Not yet, but soon. When we are home safe and sound. Until then, you just rest up and try not to bite off your tongue. Alright?"
Doris' ramblings had taken her completely off-guard. She couldn't allow her to ruin anything now. If she had to confess, it needed to be on her own terms and not out in the open in some low-life bar.
Johnny noticed just how uncomfortable this made Eva and pulled Doris to the side, whispering something in her ear.
Doris giggled and turned her head to whisper something in return which made Johnny's eyes light up. He grinned as he sat back comfortably in his chair, keeping his eyes on Eva.
Evangeline's eyes met Johnny's for a brief second, and for an instant she felt uneasy, wondering just what Doris had told him and what he was thinking of it.
Et tu, Doris? she reflected.
"Are we ready to leave then, Tanner?" she asked him before turning to face him.
"Oh ... right, of course", Evangeline said, slightly flustered.
Shanks and Kayleigh were seated further in at the bar. The mutant had at this point completely slouched over the table in his sleep. His elongated face pointing out underneath his hood, and a tongue sticking out from the side of his jaws, indicating he was far off into the dreamlands.
"Agreed," Duncan murmured. "I'm not sure why she don't want us to go kill the bastard who did it... we've got enough firepower to blow'em to kingdom come..."
Shanks gave out a startled snort as he sprang back to life, licking his rows of teeth. "Huh", he mumbled as he turned to Kayleigh. "I must have fallen asleep. Now where were we with ..." He was just about to say something until he realized that the rest of the crew had arrived. "Nevermind, they are back."
"It speaks." Johnny couldn't help but say. He didn't know how a canine mug could formulate words like a human could but there it was. Happening before him, like some freak of nature.
The Retroriffic Man wrote: "It speaks." Johnny couldn't help but say. He didn't know how a canine mug could formulate words like a human could but there it was. Happening before him, like some freak of nature.
"So do you apparently", Shanks replied unamused. "Who is the Ken-doll by the way?" he asked no one in particular.
Shanks had no idea what all the killing business was about, but he was just about done with New Reno and just wanted to go back home to the warehouse and lick his wounds, crack open a beer, and dance with Kay.
"So I see that everyone has gathered again. Does that mean we are done here?"
Evangeline looked after Johnny as he left, having the creeping sensation that she wouldn't have seen the last of him just yet.
"Apparetly they've been in at with Shrike, from the start. Apparently they killed one of their higher ups and probably hate her as much as Josey does. Might be a potential ally..." Kayleigh suggested, with a shrug.
The man pulled another cigarette from his pocket only this time he didn't ask for someone around to light it for him. The tip of the tube become red with energy, practically lighting itself.
He couldn't help but be intrigued by those people. They had obviously been doing something big at the Van Graff compound as well. And for a band of mercenaries they were an incredibly diverse bunch indeed, talking dog included.
And then there was that woman. Eva. Something about her... Even while she looked visibly repulsed by him, she was pretty. A wicked grin danced across his face and he let out some smoke.
"I don't see why we have to keep it so secret," Duncan said. "Name's just a name... It's not like we'll just yell it at her and she'll just pop out of existence..."
"I agree with Duncan." Tanner said. "I don't think words will faze Shrike. She seems like a pretty unmoved person. But, for now, let's just try to meet the Bishops."
Johnny Angel held the curious necklace up between his index, middle and pinky finger. Dangling the small square microchip in front of his eyes, trying to deduce its worth. By the way Doris had kept it hidden from everyone, he assumed it was quite valuable to her at least.
"Fuck it, I'll go with you", Shanks said. "If it means you'll stop trying to bust in my poor ear drums. Can't imagine the gangsters would spill anything with a dog present anyhow."
“God-fucking... alright, everyone, time to drop the life or death battle with Shrike and go find a bloody necklace!” Duncan announced, glaring at Bitchy McPlasticface.
Angel unlike most of what passed for people here, did in fact smell nice. It marked his scent quite clearly among the rest. He had gone right into a gambler's district of New Reno with less-than-respectable casinos. The Freeside, but worse.
"This way", the dog-man said, gesturing with his head in the direction of the gambling district. "Try to keep up, bald-meat. I am ditching my date for this crap."
"Are you some sort of ... syndicate boss?" Evangeline asked warily.
"Hm? no." Morgan shook her head. "I guess...I am a humanitarian." She shrugged. "Synths and humans live together in...relative harmony. We even have raiders changing their lives."
"The sooner you find him, the sooner you can get back to your date." Doris coldly responded.
They passed a group of unsavory types that coughed and sneezed while they walked by. Some of them could be heard laughing at the freaks walking past, feeling confident to do so while enjoying safety in numbers.
Doris started to notice just how much they were sticking out here. It was like earlier in the alley all over again.
Johnny Angel's scent seemed to go on a bit further, going into a casino/brothel/den of sorts. It was all three if the the neon lights outside were anything to go on. They formed together to create a badly drawn woman with her legs open, sitting on a roulette wheel which had triple X's etched in the edges. What were supposed to be the nipples of the woman flashed on and off.
Shanks sneered. "Looks like my kind of joint", he snarled, heading on inside, but not before pulling up his face wrappings and lowering the hood over his head.
"I wish we could have that in the Commonwealth", Evangeline lamented. "But the Raiders there, they are cut from a different cloth."
"Aye it is tough trying to convince them." Morgan agreed with a rub of her chin. "Still, it's worth it. Warm homes and solar power are pretty tempting to people who have nothing."
Evangeline wished she could have Morgan's optimism, but as far as she knew the only good Raider was a dead Raider. The Raiders of the Commonwealth didn't care none for the promises of a better life. All they were capable of was destruction and preying on the lives of others. Not because they needed it, but because they enjoyed it. Though she had no doubts that a life without rules or penalties for deeds committed could corrupt even the purest of minds, she'd rather put one Raider down to ensure the life of the next settler they would have stumbled upon.
"They sound different from the type I encounter", was all she could say.
Inside there was a pretense of class, but clearly a bad aproximation made by people who didn't know the first thing about it. A garish dilapidated parody of the playboy mansion that had mouldy corners where the carpet had curled away from the wall and smelled of piss.
Though it had a roulette wheel on the sign outside, there appeared to be no roulette tables, or at least not anymore. Instead, simple blackjack and poker tables had been set up where raiders and their types bet with caps upfront. No chips. Those would probably get stolen anyways. Guns were allowed in as well as was evident by the firepower on most of the clientelle and the staff's hip. Someone clearly had been to New Vegas once and seen how successful the casinos on the strip had been, and had desperately tried to recreate it to the best of their ability without the security of New Vegas' borders.
That was the casino's side of things. The other was the exploitatively dressed (and just generally exploited) female personel. They walked around in outfits that left very little to the imagination. Evangeline would've fit right in.
Doris couldn't believe this was a place that Johnny would visit willingly. She had assumed he had been a bit classier than... well... this.
Shanks, however, tried to do his best to conceal the smug smile on his canine face as he passed by the waiters. Though he had no doubts about the horrific working conditions they had to withstand, it would not stop him from looking at the things he liked about the female form.
He motioned for Doris to follow him into a less crowded area where he could catch the man's scent once more. There were too many impressions out on the open floor for him to soak in.
"Oh, uhm... " Evangeline would like to say that she trusted Morgan, but was it really alright for her to go around and tell people her true identity? "I don't really know if there is a word for the profession. Agent? Assassin? Scout? All in one, perhaps. I am a member of the Order of Salem. Though I don't think you are likely to have heard of us. We like to brand ourselves as the eyes and ears of the United States, or what's left of it anyhow. With the influence we have, we strive to rebuild this country by means of spying, eavesdropping, subterfuge, and even eliminate potential threats."
Shanks was at first enamored by the multiple plump, swaying tits on display, feeling incredibly dry at the back of his throat all of a sudden, but then he recalled Kay and wouldn't want to let her down.
"Uhm..." he began hoarsely, clearing his throat. "Hello?"
"I would have been happy to", Evangeline said. "But the truth of the matter is that our numbers have been growing quite thin with the years. I don't expect us to last throughout the decade without some fresh blood in our ranks."
Shanks was torn. He knew he needed to help Doris, but this woman certainly didn't make things any easier for him. He wished he had the initiative to just shrug her off, or scream at her to get the hell away from him, but it would only attract unwanted attention from the masses if he was to all of a sudden lash out at her.
Instead he went with the old scare tactic. He swiftly pulled down the facewraps, exposing his wolfdog exterior. "I certainly do, ma'am", he grinned, showcasing his gleaming fangs. "So when are we fucking?"
Psychomantis108 wrote:
"So... Tanner." Kayleigh offered, looking back to him.
"While they're looking for that, should we go and see the Bishops?"
"Right." Tanner said, shaking his head at all the shenanigans. He led her towards the rear of the casino, towards where he assumed they could find a Bishop. "So... how've you been getting on?"
The woman, though herself a freak of nature, was at least pleasant to look at. The same couldn't be said about Shanks, which she made very clear by how repulsed she looked when her hand recoiled from the dog man.
She seemed angry as well when she stormed off, as if she had just wasted valuable time.
"Shanks." Doris pressed as she gestured at herself and Duncan.
"Thank you, come again", Shanks mumbled to the woman with his voice muffled as he covered back up again.
"Shanks." Doris pressed as she gestured at herself and Duncan. "Johnny. Where did he go?"
Shanks pointed in the direction through the masses. "One of the doors over there. At the back."
"If it only was that simple", Evangeline sighed. "We are not an organization one could join on a whim like that. We recruit members after years upon years of observing just what kind of people they are. We need to ensure that our members are the kind of people who put loyalty above all else. The information and knowledge within our archives is enough to make Wastelands rise or fall. Imagine what it could do in the wrong hands for a member whose loyalty can be purchased by some lucrative people. We need people whom we can trust would rather die than betray our cause, so to speak. Not just for our sake, but for the sake of many."
