Place: Megaton, Moriarty's Saloon. Time: Early evening. Characters: Jericho, Mary, Ceara, Simon, Arlington. (In progress, closed) Content: Crude language. Summary: A boring evening, ruined.
After a harrowing few days, Jericho had decided that they needed to be around people that weren't going to try and kill them. It wasn't entirely selfless, of course - he had been itching for a goddamn drink for awhile now, and being back home, amongst the ghosts of his old habits, it was an itch he intended to scratch. Vigorously. She could use one too. Nothing like a little hard liquor to held an injury mend, right?
It was good to be back in Moriarty's, even if the man gave him the evil eye the second he walked in, demanding he pay up his tab on the spot. Grumbling, Jericho forked over almost the last of his caps, buying two bottles of whiskey with the leftovers and taking up his usual table in the corner. Once they were settled in, he poured them each a glass, clinking his against hers and smiling. They should probably toast to something, right?
"How 'bout we drink tah havin' th'most borin' week fuckin' possible?" he asked her, tilting the glass in her direction. No more crazy people, no more raiders, no more discussions or thinking, just a nice boring goddamn week to recharge their batteries. Then he'd probably be about ready for the next wake of bullshit the Wastelands decided to dump on their heads.
Ceara slept alot the last few days, alot alot. No arguing other than petulant whining for Jericho to come lay down with her now and again, but that was always half playful and most of the time asked in a good natured sense rather than real whining. Otherwise she hadn't brought up their issues again. As far as she was concerned, things were.. okay for now and she was going to leave them alone and hope they stayed that way. She was still prone to coughing fits now and again but she was also getting hardcore cabin fever. So Jericho's suggestion that she and he go get a drink was taken with welcome and gusto.
She shifted him a few caps when it was time to buy the whisky, she might as well chip in since she hadn't actually gotten to help him pay for his shack. She clinked her own and grinned back at him. Then nodded. "A boring fucking week.. " she agreed.
Then she wanted to go back to the Ruins.. she wanted to take a look around the library, she had plans you see. Plans that involved making sure that they were both real damned comfortable when Jericho decided he was getting too old for this shit, whether or not they were together. He's been taking care of her when she's inexperienced and in danger, she can fuckin' take care of him when age slows him down too much whether he likes it or not.
Simon had little trouble deciding that Megaton was far superior to Big Town in just about every obvious way. It was fortified, for one, which meant safety from at least the outside, though that hardly meant those within wouldn't pose a problem. Once on the other side of the massive doors the utter contrast to the waste was more inviting than he was really willing to admit. No one looked like they wanted to kill them, at least. Still, a well-coordinated settlement meant food, water, beds. That was more than enough incentive for him to give it a fair shot.
The steep steps down into the community itself were a little surprising, but not so much as the giant bomb that came into view, causing him to pause his steps to frown at it. Well, at least now he knew where the town got it's name. "Interesting." He'd said it aloud, probably with the intent for Arlington to hear him, but it wasn't a statement that really required a response. That didn't mean he wasn't about to get one.
"Moooooooooooo."
Abruptly turning his head, he released a breathy laugh, realizing he'd been so distracted by the bomb that hadn't even seen the Brahmin there, blatantly grazing beside him. Almost without thinking, he reached a hand out to pat the animal on one of its heads, between the horns, the other head seemingly too busy slowly chomping on some sort of weed to notice or care. His eyes found Arlington again, ready to follow her wherever she decided to head first, trusting her familiarity with the place. "So, where to first?"
Arlington grinned at Simon as they entered. Yep, it was fortified and stuff, even had a real sheriff and everything. Just wait til Simms got a look at Simon. That'd be funny, although Simon looked more like wolverine than he did like a vault dweller at this point, bomber jacket and lumberjack shirt and messy hair. Yeah. Hee! Reminds her of an old comic book she found once. She tugged at his sleeve when he stopped and stared around with shock.
A nod when he said that the bomb was interesting but she shook her head and pointed towards it, warning him not to go too close. The water around it was highly irradiated and it was not precisely disarmed. That and she knew Simon knew jack shit about explosives, so better safe than sorry. A silent giggle shook her shoulders when she saw him petting the brahmin. Cuute.
One hand waved at him though and she pattered off up the gang way almost silently, her skirt swishing around her legs as she moved, waving for Simon to keep up. The girl lead him towards Moriarty's then opened the door and blinked as the lights from the city were brighter than the dim interior.
Jericho had just knocked back his shot from their toast and was pouring them another round when the door opened. He raised an eyebrow only slightly at the girl, pretty sure he'd seen her before, but he'd never interacted with her. Hell, it'd only been from a distance at best. It was hard to miss a shock of red hair even from the railings up by his shack. He'd always figured her to be a trader or something like that. There were a lot of familiar faces in Megaton, but a lot of them were transient, and he'd never been social enough to bother getting to know each and every one. The guy behind her, though, yikes. Looked like little miss redhead had gotten herself a bodyguard.
"Check that out," he said lowly to Ceara, though someone with extraordinary hearing wouldn't have much trouble picking it up, "An' I betyah thought I was hairy, eh?"
He grinned and lit himself a cigarette, leaning back in his chair and watching the newcomers with amusement.
Ceara hadn't set eyes on Arlington before, but Jericho was right, it was hard to miss red hair out in the wastelands. She glanced over at the pair of them and tilted her head curiously when Jericho spoke. "Only the day before I make you shave." she teased back playfully. Not that she ever actually made him shave. In fact it was the day after he shaved that was the worst, when things were spiky!
She frowned though at what she saw and carefully scooted her chair into the shadows, fading a little bit in the manner Jericho knew so very well. She was semi-solid at this point, which means that either the redhead or her bodyguard scared her. One hand reached out, stole his cigarette real quick to get him to lean close.
"From the vault, security." she whispered, then gave him back the cig.
"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm comin'." Simon grunted as he made his way up the ramp after her. The moment the door to 'Moriarty's Saloon' opened, he could smell smoke and alcohol, hear the sound of a radio and the chatter of the patrons inside. For a moment he took a step back, his senses bombarded with the unfamiliar, until he finally adjusted. The scent of liquor was strong and unusual, and even at a distance it burned his nostrils slightly, though it wasn't so much for the atmosphere as it was for the ghoul at the bar.
The other idle chatter in the room seemed to dim slightly as the stranger's words filled the air around his head, ringing lightly in his ears. He managed to look perplexed then. Was that asshole talking about him?
He purposefully looked over, seeing the man's rather glassy, bald head and scoffed, though his expression changed when he saw Ceara. He didn't look any more or less pleased, even seeing her before he heard her. At least she was alright, though he couldn't much speak for the company she was keeping. He drew his eyes back to the front, falling on the radio for a moment, though he spoke loud enough for Ceara and her companion to hear. "Your friend's a real charmer, shadow hopper. Or is blatant jealousy an attractive trait in the wasteland?"
Arlington laughed silently again when Simon gave his grumbling response. She seemed to be pleased enough to be back at Moriarty's and in Megaton. There were no slavers here, so that was a definite bonus as far as she was concerned. Safety, food, and she could probably pick up a message or two to take back to Rivet City with her for some extra caps.
A glance over at Jericho and Ceara, though of course she couldn't hear their quiet conversation like Simon could so she just offered them a smile and headed on up to the bar. A few caps tossed down and she pointed, then bounced in place, waiting for her Nuka cola. She never drank alcohol, it dehydrated and that was just dumb in the wastes as far as she was concerned. Besides, it tasted like burning.
Arlington ducked when Nova tried to ruffle her hair and reached up to tug on one of the redhead's own strands, though she thought Nova dyed hers cause of the color. Maybe not though, it was hard to get dye out here, even henna, but maybe not red clay turned into dye.
She glanced around again and then touched her belly and pointed to the door, then pointed to the Brass Lantern through the window and slipped out before poor gob could hand over her nuka cola. She'd be right back.
His smugness had faded to amusement when Ceara had stolen his smoke, but when he leaned in to retrieve it, his amusement faded into quiet alarm. Vault security? Not that the guy had any jurisdiction out here, of course, but still. If it was from her vault, the motherfucker could possibly shoot rockets out of his nose or some shit. Jericho swallowed and dug deep to find his manners, leaning back and smoking to cover up his nerves. Great, he'd already pissed the guy off. He had his blue pajamas covered up too, or maybe he'd ditched them entirely, which meant he wasn't a clueless vaultie, either. What had happened to boring?
"Evenin'," Jericho said, wondering just what in fuck security from Ceara's vault was doing out here. Shouldn't he be back in his vault, securing it? He was obviously up to something, and he knew Ceara, knew what she could do, and he didn't trust him at all. The large man was reminiscent of the slavers Simon had likely seen, skin weathered from long exposure to the sun, armored, scarred, and just all around shady looking.
He glanced at Ceara, noting she was wary as well, and arched a brow at him, "Yah a far way from home ain'tcha, vaultie?"
Really, he ought to be dialing down the sass in the face of potential nose rockets, but he couldn't help himself. He didn't want to look like a wuss in front of his girl.
She wanted to know what had happened to boring too, and gave the whiskey they had just drank a look, one of those looks she gave Jericho when he put his muddy boots on the bed or something. One of those, what the fuck did you just do, looks. Some toast, of course it's the drink's fault.
She took a deep breath and just shook her head at Jericho, not sure what to say, whether to warn him or not, how to handle all of this. Simon had been one of the 'nice' ones, but that only got him so far. He was security, she was experiment, there was a level of bitterness within her that was directed at him despite the fact that he wasn't really at fault. She glanced up from Jericho when Simon spoke to her and bit down on her lower lip. "What the fuck are you on about?" the jealousy thing, she just didn't get it. What did Jericho have to be jealous of? "If you think you're here to take me back or start something, you got another thing comin'."
"You're not wrong." Simon replied firmly to the guy, not bothering to look back at the man. He had to hold his tongue to keep from telling Ceara's buddy he'd riddled a few of his friends with holes a few days earlier, but was too busy watching Arlington interact with the short haired woman. When the girl spoke, his head turned in her general direction, but he didn't glance over. "I fail to see the logic in chasing your ass all over the wastes after letting you leave to begin with. Stow the threats, Ceara."
Surprise overcame his features as his redheaded companion slipped past him, and his eyes followed her, confusion more than apparent, and maybe even a slight look of disapproving abandonment that he kept aimed at the door even a few seconds after she'd disappeared through it. Wasn't it her turn to do the babysitting? He sighed as he turned his attention back around to the bar, stepping toward it, removing his pack on the way. He dropped it at his feet as he slipped onto the bar stool, half returning the slightly confusing smile the short-haired woman tossed at him.
The ghoul wandered over and Simon did his best to collar an involuntary responses to the look and smell of the guy. He seemed pleasant enough, like the two other ghouls he'd met wandering the wastes, and even offered a smile. "What can I get for ya?"
"Um....one of whatever she's having, I guess." He replied, gesturing with a thumb to the empty chair Arlington had been sitting at only seconds before. He tossed the same number of caps down, eying the bottle sitting in front of the vacant seat, not really sure what to make of it.
Arlington wasn't gone long. The Brass Lantern was only a stone's throw from Moriarty's and it didn't take Jenny long to prepare a couple of bowls of noodles. She slipped in through the door with a grin and brought the two bowls over to where Simon was sitting. Somehow she missed the whole exchange between him and Ceara and Jericho, otherwise she may not have abandoned him like that.
Maybe she would have though, she wasn't real big on altercations. They tended to end with her hiding under the table and whacking anyone's toes who came too close to her hiding spot. That's just the way it was, Arlington wasn't much good in a fight, no luck with most weaponry and no strength for brawling, so she got by on wits and luck for the most part. Okay, alot of it was luck. Like Simon rescuing her out there in the wastes, that had been totally luck.
She came in just as Simon was smiling at Gob and she grinned brightly. The girl had no problem at all with ghouls, they tended to be more patient than most normal humans which meant that they treated her better on the whole. Most of 'em didn't get grabby like a lot of humans did either, and that was definitely a plus as far as she was concerned. Strange though, considering how affectionate she was and how easy it was for her to succumb to touching another individual without thought or hesitation. It wasn't that she didn't like touch, she did, and she was affectionate by nature, it was just that some wastelanders and stuff were a little on the rough side.
She nodded at Simon then nudged his bowl with the tip of her finger. They were good. Not as good as Gary's but good!
Jericho arched an eyebrow at the look she gave the booze. What had it ever done to her? After a moment, though, he realized that her ire was more directed at the man in front of them, and rightly so. Vault security sounded like a position of a jailer, not a prisoner. Since she fell into the latter category, why shouldn't she be on poor terms with him?
He arched an eyebrow when the man snipped back at Ceara, however. Stow the threats, eh? At least he wasn't the only one who'd had to deal with her firecracker personality. Jericho swallowed a smile, however, not daring to have too much of a reaction in the wake of their past troubles. He poured himself another drink instead, pointedly clinking it against her own glass with a wry expression. Fucking cheers.
"He got a name?" Jericho wondered quietly, still attempting to keep his voice down. The vault guy seemed distracted by the redhead, rightly so. She was your typical Wastelander, but she still a sort of weird shine to her, like the dust hadn't worn away at her insides yet. It was a rare trait for a regular.
It's not really poor terms, exactly, it's wariness and a certain amount of bitterness. In all honesty Simon had gone out of his way to give her a little extra time out of her cell when he could. She knew he could smell her or hear her heartbeat or whatever when no one else could and he hadn't tattled on her, so.. she had to give him that. The fact that he told her to stow her threats just made her grin, wolfishly.
Of course other people had to deal with her firecracker personality. It was a part of who she was and usually Jericho liked it, except when it was filled with hurt and barbs and venom and directed at him of course. He tended to like it when it was passion or violence though, she thought anyway. She sighed and shook her head a little bit, nudging Jericho and then grinning at him. Yeah she's a handful.. and she knows it, but y'know what they say about idle hands right?
"Simon." she answered with a faint shrug. "And he can hear you, he hears everything, no matter how fuckin' quiet." She answered with a shrug and then looked from Jericho back to the pair. The girl wasn't from the vault though. "Don't know her, she's not from 24 unless they kept her on lockdown." her brows knitted faintly, then she shrugged. "If he aint lookin to take up his old job though he isn't really a bad guy."
Simon could hear the conversation that continued on, but he only gave a small amount of attention to it. For now he was staring, perplexed, as his own bottle of Nuka Cola was deposited in front of him. When Arlington returned, he glanced at the bowl she was pushing toward him, the smell instantly making his mouth water. Not as good as jerky and mac, probably, but it was hot and fresh.
He decided to ignore the glass bottle for now, waiting so he could watch Arl open hers first. The ghoul had wandered off to talk to the woman who'd been smiling at him. Glancing around for something to eat with, he finally leaned over to reach into his bag, rummaging for a few seconds until his fingers found his fork, if one could call it that. The prong end jabbed into the palm of his hand, causing him to grunt and grimace, though he didn't bother checking the damage yet. There was food to be had, after all.
He couldn't taste the first few mouthfuls, simply content to get something into his stomach, but as his pace slowed he actually found that noodles really weren't that bad. It showed in his face, and the fact that he was practically wolfing his dinner down. By the time he swallowed and took a moment to breathe and digest a little, he faintly gestured with his head to Ceara and her "friend", trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. "Know that guy at all?"
Arlington could have asked Gob to open her soda for her, but it seemed that the ghoul knew she liked opening them herself so he left the caps on. She grinned brightly at him and at Simon then pawed through her messenger bag and pulled out a bottle shaped nuka cola refridgerator magnet bottle opener. This she used to pop-chhh the top on her cola and on Simon's. Both caps were thriftily stored in her pocket before she remembered one wasn't hers and gave it back to Simon.
The opener was traded in for a fork from her bag and she started to dig into her noodles with not much less gusto than Simon. It wasn't Blamco but it was pretty good. She thought maybe Blamco put some sort of chems in the powdered cheez stuff to make it addictive. Nah, it was just delicious.
She lifted her head when Simon gestured and shrugged faintly, holding out her hand palm down and waggling it back and forth. She sort of knew him, like everyone else. The girl started to draw in water condensation on the bar using a fingertip. Stick figures with mohawks and spikes. One with his back to them walking away. Two stick figures with stars on their chests. Then she gestured to Jericho again.
"Oh," Jericho blanched slightly, adding an eloquent, "Uh," as he cast another look in Simon's direction. Well, that was better than what he'd been thinking. Extra good hearing wasn't much of a threat as far as he was concerned. When Ceara referenced the redhead he shook his head, waving a dismissive hand, "Nah, she's a regular. Seen her around before. Works with the caravans a'some othah shit like that."
He smirked and swirled the amber liquid in his glass before knocking it back, squinting a little at the redhead like he might figure her out if he looked long enough, "Kinda a weird one. Gob likes 'er, but fuck, he'll like anyone that ain't bein' nasty to him."
Gob, sufficed to say, didn't really like Jericho very much.
"Anyway," he reached over and flicked at some loose strands of hair, "If Simon ain't here t'botha yah, we can resume our borin' fuckin' evenin'. Ain't our problem."
Ceara nodded, giving a faint shrug at Jericho in response to his Uh. Fortunately she had learned to speak Jericho fairly well by this point and she grinned again. Yeah, it could be worse, he could be like her or something, or that creepy cannibal she had heard about. If she sees that one it's a bullet between the eyes without a second thought. The dark haired girl chuckled at Jericho's words, giving him a small nod. "S'funny, how we're all hookin up with 'regulars' t'get by isn't it?" Of course there was more to it than just wanting to get by for her, she could survive on her own quite well and Jericho knew it. He was wanted rather than needed absolutely, even if he had saved her ass a few times.
"That's a reasonable way to behave y'know. I'm fairly nice to most people that aren't nasty to me too y'know." She lifted her own drink and took a sip, trying to ignore the burning in her chest. "I'd tell ya that you shouldn't be mean to Gob too, but then, you're mean to everyone an he shouldn't take it personal." She ducked the swat that might be coming and winked at him.
A playful nip tossed in return to the tips of his fingers as he swatted at her hair. "Boring fucking evening it is. Y'can invite them over if you want."
The sound of the bottle after the cap had come off made Simon jump a little, and the sweet scent of the contents almost immediately filled his nose. He tugged the bottle toward him, trying to inconspicuously sniff at what was inside, but the released carbonation was burned his nose a little. Still, he lifted the bottle and took a sip, the liquid burning his tongue slightly, but not in an overwhelming way. It was sweet, and pretty damned tasty. It also did a pretty good job of burning all the foul tasting muck out of his throat.
Simon had never seen Raiders before, so the explanation was a little lost on him, but he understood that the guy had been a part of a group and had wandered away from it. Still, that didn't tell him too much about Ceara's new friend. "The noodles are good," he said finally, even though it had nothing to do with his previous topic. "The jerky and mac is better though."
Arlington glanced up at him and giggled silently when she saw him sniffing at the bottle of cola. Did they not have even Nuka-cola in the vault he was from? What kind of awful place was it not to have the cola? It's delicious, irradiated goodness! She giggled as the carbonation tickled his nose, watching when he took his first sip. She had been pretty sure he'd like it if he tried it. Nearly everyone did!
She pointed again at the last picture of the two men with stars on their chests, indicating that the man he was sort of picking a fight with was kind of like a deputy so far as she understood it. Of course, she couldn't be more wrong, but she knew he helped protect the town from raiders and slavers, right? Right.
She grinned at Simon again as he complimented her mac n cheese with jerky dish, her cheeks going all pink from the flattery. It was almost kind of cute except it clashed with her hair something fierce. One shoulder lifted and fell and she gestured faintly towards Ceara and Jericho, then arched a brow. If you're curious, go ask them.
Mary was lucky. She hadn't run into a soul on her trek from the ruins of a suburb to the gates of Megaton. Not a single vicious animal or human being had crossed her path. Had that happened, it was very likely she wouldn't have found herself gawking up at the welded steel walls that fortified the town. There was a robot out front, chattering on in monotone. Mary hadn't conserved water or food terribly well, her throat dry and her stomach more or less gnawing at her insides for lack of anything else to eat. Intellectually, she knew she was feeling the effects of dehydration, malnutrition, and exhaustion. None of that seemed to matter much, however, in the face of seeing her first Wasteland civilization. It was so... primitive compared to all the Pre-War pictures she'd seen, more like a fortress than a city. Had she been more alert and aware, she might've noticed the armed guards perched up in the tower. She'd certainly been noticed by the one overlooking the front gate.
She was compelled, after a jarring clank from the greeter robot, to write down her first impressions into the journal of her PipBoy, but she resisted. Once she was safe inside, safe and sound from all the raiders and slavers she kept expecting to pop out from behind every patch of scrub, then she could dissemble. Fresh water, first, and perhaps something to treat her slowly climbing radiation levels. Having not ran into trouble other than her own lack of survival skills, and receiving help from a stranger and an... acquaintance, she felt strangely positive about the whole thing, flinching at the sound the metal gates made as they scraped back.
The vault dweller still looked the part. She was wearing her blue jump suit, though it was somewhat ill-fitted, hanging slightly on her gaunt body. Her PipBoy, however, she kept cleaning off, so the metal of the device glinted in the night lamps bedecking the settlement. Mary didn't really have much a direction as she shuffled down the steep steps, nearly taking a spill on the last bit of incline. The town's namesake loomed over her and she was gawking again, eyes wide. She was drawing some looks now from patrons of Jenny Stahl's stall, snickers and elbows exchanged. Looked like they had a vault stray on their hands.
A short and awkward exchange about accommodation and water found Mary, after a few tries wandering in circles, in front of Moriarty's Saloon. She steeled herself and pushed inside, immediately overwhelmed by the gathered crowd in the surprisingly small area inside. There was something horribly wrong with the man behind the bar, but he seemed to carry on without noticing that fact. A woman with short red hair near him tapped his shoulder, and he turned to regard her. Oh boy, a live one. They didn't get many vaulties in Megaton these days (obvious ones, anyway), but they always looked the same - completely pathetic and hopelessly confused.
For her part, Mary stayed pressed against the door like she was doing her best to blend in with it, eyes humongous as she attempted to process everything.
Jericho was pouring another drink when the door opened again, and even he gawked for a moment. He was so used to running into vaulties that had half a clue lately, seeing that bright blue jumpsuit staring back at him through the dust was a little startling. She hadn't even covered up her PipBoy. At least, he was pretty sure it was a her. It wasn't easy to tell. She was pressed flat against the door, staring goggle-eyed at the establishment, and Jericho nudged Ceara, his face split in a wicked grin. It was going to be one of those nights, eh?
"Hey!" he called out, making the girl look over in alarm. Jericho leaned forward, amused as she leaned back despite the distance between them, "Th'Overseer was lookin' f'you."
The woman made a strangle noise and shoved at the door, forgetting that she had to pull it to open it in her panic. Jericho laughed and leaned back in his chair. Too easy.
Ceara glanced up when a newcomer entered and arced a brow curiously at the vaguely familiar woman. Of course she too was from 24 but that didn't necessarily mean they were going to get along fabulously, in fact it pretty much meant that they wouldn't unless well specific circumstances were met. She frowned for a moment, looking over how ratty and how pitiful the woman looked. Hmm, that must have been the one that was holed up somewhere for three weeks and didn't know her ass from a raider. One hand lifted and smoothed through her hair. She glanced towards Simon to see if he knew the woman better than she did and if he'd handle it. She kind of hoped so. She had no intention of taking in strays, afterall Jericho was already saddled with her ass, making him help take care of another might just piss him off.
She glanced from Mary to Jericho and then arched a brow at the sight of that wicked grin. Oh fuck.. this was going to be bad. She couldn't help but snicker a bit though at the woman's reaction even if she did give Jericho a 'shame on you' look and nudged him in the ribs gently.
"I see ya made it to Megaton" she spoke to Mary, offering what might approximate as a smile.
"Nother one of the experiments, member the one I told you about in R.C. that was using her pipboy like a diary." whispered to the bald man beside her.
When she gestured, he glanced over, then looked back to shake his head before taking another sip from the bottle. "Nah, no need to disturb the lovely couple."
He enjoyed a few more bites until he heard the door open again. He paid no attention to it until a distinctly familiar scent wafted to him, over the food, booze, and goul. Fresh from the vault. He turned on the stool in time to hear Jericho and see Mary bolt for the door, and instantly he frowned, setting his fork down, climbing to his feet.
"Don't help." Simon's firm glare found the bald man, keeping it firmly plastered on until he made his way to Mary, trying to look a little less scary for her at least. She certainly was a skiddish little thing, though considering what she'd been through so far probably, he couldn't blame her. He at least hoped she recognized him enough to not flee from him as well. "Hopefully that's your first encounter with an undeniable asshole." He stepped aside, gesturing openly with his arm that she was welcome to sit with him and Arlington, not overly opposed to setting up introductions when the two women were in closer proximity to each other.
Arlington turned to see what was going on. With Jericho yelling at the door and the thump, then Simon getting up. She tilted her head, looked down at what was left of her noodles and then huffed a silent sigh. Okay, right, she knew 'greater need' when she saw it. Those bright blue eyes flicked towards Ceara and Jericho, giving the couple a 'meanieheads' sort of look. She shook her head and took a soft deep breath, then pushed to her feet.
Gently she padded over to where Simon was speaking to Mary, offered her a bright little wave and then handed her the noodle bowl, all in silence.
"I ain't th'helpin' type," Jericho assured Simon, weathering the glare with what might, to some, be infuriating smugness. What was he going to do, listen to him to death? He chuckled when Ceara nudged him and nudged her back, though he did tilt his head when she told him it was yet another stray from her vault. Well, he probably should have guessed that, but nobody with special powers ought to look like complete shit in his book. He leaned closer, watching Simon and the redhead go to her rescue, and arched a brow, "What's her deal? S'her power lookin' like molerat shit?"
Some people did have soft spots for vaulties but he generally wasn't one of them. He did wonder how things would've gone with Ceara at the start had she been wearing a blue jumpsuit and a doofy expression. Likely he'd still be facedown in his shack in a puddle of his own vomit. Even with that thought, however, he couldn't feel guilty for hazing the woman. She'd have to learn that the world was a shitty place some time.
Mary, a bit overly terrified by the 'O' word, didn't quite register Ceara's much kinder words. When Simon approached and spoke to her she regarded him with a wild expression, looking between him and the bald man in the corner, the girl beside him and back again. Her brow creased and her face twisted into a confused grimace. She'd been had, hadn't she? Much as she prided herself on her intelligence, she was so strung out and broken down that it was easy to swallow anything someone unfamiliar spoke as truth. What sort of cruel person would do that, though?
Now she did recognize Simon, her vague recollections from his PipBoy messages coalescing when she got a good look at him.
"I'm afraid so," Mary said quietly, embarrassed and sheepish. She looked to where he'd gesture, regarding the redhead with renewed wariness. She didn't speak, but there was kindness in her eyes that told Mary she could relax. Mary did not relax, of course, but it was nice to have the option. The noodles smelled like heaven, but she was still half-plastered to the door. She liked the feel of something solid behind her, but she liked the idea of eating real food even more.
"I... I wouldn't want to impose," she managed. She did take a few steps away from the door, however, tentative and skittish.
"*cough* bullshit*cough*" came the whispered response from beside Jericho. Ceara knew him well enough to know he was absolutely the helping type, whether or not he liked to admit it, there was a part of Jericho that liked feeling needed or wanted or whatever. She grinned at him though and gave him a little nuzzle against his shoulder. To the other vaulties it must look kind of strange, the weird darkling snuggling up against the much older ex-raider but eh, she didn't give a flying fuck. Her head dipped again and she looked towards Mary and the others, "No, don't know her powers." She sighed softly and gave a shrug. "While I was playin with you, she was holed up somewhere bein' scared I think." She was a lot more gentle than Jericho but she sure as fuck wasn't Simon or Arlington. She had grown bitter and dark during her captivity and the darkness was a part of her in more ways than just her shadows.
She watched the little show in the corner, giving a nod to Mary and Simon, but for the most part she stayed where she was and kept her ass quiet. The girl did not want others to know that she was a vaultie, she'd done a damned good job making everyone think she's just a wastelander and thus not look twice at her, not think about whether or not she had powers. No one but Jericho knew.
Simon was more than aware that walking straight into a pub wearing a vault suit was probably like carrying a flashing sign that said "notice me, I'm different". The only thing he could think to do was slip off his own jacket and offer it to her. At least that would cover up half the jumpsuit, especially the giant 24 on the back. "I don't think we should really advertise," he explained quietly, making a mental note to get her some proper clothes of her own later.
"Mary, this is Arlington, she's a friend. Arl, this is another person from my vault." He spoke low, so that only the two girls could hear them. Arlington, apparently, didn't really seem to need much of an introduction to be friendly, though that definitely made the situation easier on him.
Simon knew full well what Mary's abilities were, as he did everyone's who'd been under his partial care at the vault, but that didn't mean he was about to share. Apparently Ceara wasn't going to be of any assistance considering her attitude so far, and he didn't particularly want the bald guy anywhere near him or the girls, so the information he was glad to keep on a strictly need-to-know basis. Just as long as she didn't go around turning his abilities off whenever she felt like it.
He gestured to his seat, more comfortable with the idea of her sitting between them to potentially help avoid contact with anyone else in the bar. He saw the suitcase and wondered if she'd managed to gather any useful supplies. Still, he couldn't imagine much could fit in something like that. "When was the last time you had water?
Maybe Ceara was going to be a little helpful. When Simon asked about water, the dark haired girl tossed a bottle at him, which Arlington caught and helpfully held out to Simon and Mary. She grinned brightly at Ceara and Jericho then looked back to the pair in front of her. Aww, it'll be okay She gestured faintly, a small shushing motion with one hand as if to calm Mary without actually touching the skittish vaultie. How weiiird. She had gone almost six months without meeting any vaulties at all and now apparently there were three of them in Moriarty's. Was something going on that she didn't know about? She looked to Gob at the counter but he seemed oblivious, so she looked to Ceara and Jericho to see if they had any answers as to why Megaton was now a vaultie convention. Of course with Ceara and Simon knowing each other, that probably wouldn't get answered by them either.
Once the noodles and the water had been turned over and introductions made with a small bobbed curtsy, Arlington went to go and get her soda, Simon's soda and his noodles and bring everything over to Jericho's table. There, now they all can sit together instead of just being weird and goggling at each other. Much better that way, right?
Jericho shot Ceara a look when she called bullshit but said nothing, just giving her a look. He had a reputation as a mean bastard to maintain, here, thanks very much. The goody-goody drama unfolding in front of them was passingly entertaining, at least, even if it did violate their boredom. When Ceara tossed the redhead a bottle of water, however, he scowled at her without malice.
"Fuck, kid, don't feed th'strays," he protested, half-joking, "Y'ain't nevah gonna get rid of 'em ifyah do that."
They had water to spare, but he really wasn't eager to get wrapped up in their little vault party. His life had enough goddamn drama in it.
Mary, however, was exceptionally glad for the vault party. She nodded at Arlington, and though a smile wasn't really in her range of expression, she managed a thin lipped grimace, her teeth hidden but clenched together. Simon was offered the same meager expression for covering up her blaring obviousness with his jacket, though the covering felt especially heavy on her slight shoulders. It was comforting in a way, however, like a portable wall that she could hide against.
"I've never quite believed in luck until now," she offered, ducking her head. Though Mary wasn't short by any means, she kept her posture hunched, trying to make herself smaller than she was, "Thank you for... for all of this."
It was the water she fell on first, drinking it a bit more greedily than she intended, but before she could start on the noodles Arlington had moved. Moved over to the cruel bald man's table, and the man himself looked rather displeased with the development.
"Fuck off," he told Arlington, making a shooing gesture, "Private party. No sober people fuckin' allowed."
She had done it quietly enough, and teasingly enough, besides she doubted anyone would believe her if she told them flat out that Jericho had an altruistic streak hidden beneath his big growly, gruff, bear-like exterior. That's why she had started calling him Papa Bear those weeks ago. She winked at him then when he told her that she'd never get rid of the strays and then she leaned up to kiss the curve of his neck, beneath his closest ear. "Mm, that must be why you're still stuck with me."
They did have water to spare, and she felt bad for Mary. Simon she was uncertain about and Arlington as a wastelander was on her own but Mary was just another experiment and so deserved at least a little help in Ceara's eyes. Maybe. She watched with a hint of amusement when the redhead came to join them and Jericho tried to shoo her away before she ended up dragging Simon and Mary over to the table. What else could she do but greet the trio. "Hey." she said with a small shrug.
"Jericho's rules. Can't sit here unless you're drinkin." She smirked at both Arlington and Simon, then turned those strange green eyes on Mary. "You though can finish your water and noodles first before ya start."
Simon could only watch as Arlington completely repositioned them, blinking as if his brain had been turned off. Hadn't he been doing his best to ignore these people? He probably should have let the redhead in on that earlier. He was the last one to move, but when he did it was to pick up his gear, shouldering it before making the wary stride to the new table.
Tossing it all down again, he helped himself to a seat, watching Jericho, making sure he was in a seat separating him from Mary and Arl. That meant having to deal with being next to him, but aside from being blinded by the head glare he couldn't think of any real reason why he himself should be worried. "Drinking what? And on whose tab?" He didn't really know how far the caps he'd gotten from the slavers would take him, and he sure as hell didn't want to waste them just to be allowed at a table he hadn't wanted to sit at in the first place.
Everyone seemed to know each other and there didn't seem to be any reason to continue to take up the whole bar when they did. She thought that was just silly. So she grinned at Jericho and Ceara and then looked up at Simon with an equally innocent smile. Her head tilted to the side gently, curious as any cat, and she watched as Nova kept peeking over. Gently she reached out a hand, touched Jericho's sleeve and then spocked a brow canting her head at Jericho and then back towards Nova, asking him if 1. he sees it too, and 2. if it's directed at him. So much can be said with expression but only so much. Ceara of course just arced a brow at this whole Nova glancing their way thing.
She patted the seat beside her for Mary and then started to sip at her soda without any complaint or any further talking. If she intended to drink whiskey, it would have to be after her soda, right?