Tales from the Wastelands
1st Tale: Of rifles and memories
by
Silver-Eyed Rukia
Rated: T
Pairing: Piper x F!Survivor (Jordan Shepard)
Note: Please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.
A soft wind blew over the hill, rustling through the bleak bushes and dead branches of the atomically devastated terrain. The sun glared down on the ground below with blinding intensity which was odd considering it was still supposed to be the beginning of spring, but nuclear war seemed to have changed more than just the landscape and its inhabitants.
A sudden strong gust sent some of the branches tumbling about wildly, a dangerously loud cracking noise resonating through the field in the process. A shot sounded, no impact, and an annoyed sigh escaped the reporters lips before her head popped up from somewhere behind a line made up of bushes, tree stumps and fallen logs.
"It landed somewhere in between the shack to the left and the dead car just behind the can."
Sphene coloured eyes followed the outstretched finger and Piper stood up, stretching her tired back until she felt a satisfying pop and slung the rifle over her shoulder before she started massaging her tired forearms.
"We've been at this for about an hour now, Blue. And so far the only thing I was able to hit was anything but the actual target. And your nose with the rifle butt. Still sorry for that by the way."
The vault dweller rose as well, binoculars dangling from her neck and her seemingly never disappearing faint smile ghosting over her lips. "We're targeting something a couple hundred yards away, I am surprised you managed to hit anything at all. I actually expected you to kill some molerats while we're at it."
"With a sniper rifle."
A slender eyebrow rose. "You wouldn't believe the things I saw in training."
"Right…"
The younger woman tugged at her messy ponytail. She wasn't used to her hair being all tied up and the pressure at the back of her head was a feeling that would take some getting used to. It was a thought that made her look away from the woman in front of her, shame filling her mind at the realization of how ridiculous something like that would sound to her. 'Getting used to a ponytail. She had to get used to an entirely new world after literally everything was taken from her. Way to go Piper, local reporter manages to repeatedly make things awkward between herself and the only person she considers family besides her little sister.'
"Earth to Miss Wright. You aren't off mentally planning out your next article again are you? I don't want to rise any further in the local popularity ranking."
She had been so caught up in her musings that she didn't even see Shepard approach until her strong yet gentle hand was placed on her shoulder, making her raise her gaze to meet the stunningly pure sapphires that were the woman's eyes. The smile was gone and Piper knew that whatever the redhead was thinking about, it was important to her. She rarely ever dropped it.
"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry Blue, must have spaced out for a second there. So what do you say, are you sure you want to continue teaching me or have you grown tired of searching my stray bullets yet?"
The previously on her shoulder resting hand traveled over her back to rest just above her behind, pulling her closer and against the armor covered front of her lover. The other hand came up to gently tug the hairband out of her midnight coloured tresses before running through them, smile returning onto her scarred face before a single kiss was placed on top of the reporter's mussed up hair.
"I'll never grow tired of being around you Pip, even if it may cause some unintentional nasal damage, but that's what stimpacks are for."
Piper scoffed and let out a short laugh before shoving Shepard away playfully. "I'm not your fancy pre-war body toy, so don't even start with that."
"Calling you Pip?"
A hum answered her question as the owner went back to lying down in position, rifle already loaded and ready to shoot by the time the redhead claimed the spot right next to her. "Piper's really not that long a name, you don't have to shorten it."
"Because that's why you call me Blue and not Shepard or Jordan."
"…touché." The reporter sent a crooked grin her way and the taller woman only shook her head at the motion. "Enough chatter now though, let's kick the can so we can go back, I'm starving."
They went through their already established routine of checking the weapon, the target, their position and all other necessary details before they actually started with shooting practice. They had covered 200 yards a couple weeks ago and were now trying to get the raven-haired woman to hit the 300-yard mark.
"How'd you get so good at this?"
"Talking isn't a requirement here, Piper. It messes up your aim."
The smaller woman turned her head to look at the familiar profile of her love, momentarily surprised at just how familiar it already was to her despite not even knowing the woman for that long. "You tell me your story, I leave you alone. And no, it's not for my newspaper. It's for me, personally."
"I am slowly starting to understand why the mayor wants to chase you out of Diamond City with pitchforks and torches", Shepard mused humorously before she nodded her head towards the target. "Tell you what. You hit the can, I tell you what you want to hear. Deal?"
The reporter gave a cocky grin before turning back towards the rifle. "Oh you are on."
The sun was starting to disappear beyond the horizon when the pair found themselves sitting at the bar at the Third Rail, a still untouched bottle of beer sitting in front of the reporter while her taller companion was already enjoying the first sip of her bourbon, giving her a blissful smile when the liquor left a hot trail down her throat. Magnolia's jazz underlined voice carried through the repurposed underground station with ease, voice as strong and enticing as always.
The moment her glass hit the counter she was assaulted by an overly eager reporter, eyes shining in anticipation that was only matched by the smug smile that was adorning her features.
"I won our little bet so you have to spill it. You said something about training, meaning you were in the military before the war?"
Shepard unconsciously licked her lips and felt the bumpy skin of the scar running over part of it and her left cheek, a permanent reminder of the life she used to have, the life from over 200 years ago.
"Marine Corps. I was an instructor for a huge variety of firearms, thus my rather impressive knowledge of their usage", she started before taking another sip of her drink. "Firearms also included explosives, pretty much anything from mines to grenades and missiles."
Piper took a slow sip of her beer, eyes distant as if she was visualizing something from the top of her head before her gaze returned to the pale features of the redhead. "You mentioned a law degree though, if I remember correctly. If you had one, but also used to be in the Corps…how old exactly are you?"
"Something over 200, I forgot to keep count", she smirked and only shrugged when the reporter send a full-fledged pout her way. "I'm your very own pre-war relic, that's good enough." A loud bang resonated through the air, the sound coming from a door that had been shut rather violently and suddenly, as if someone had flipped a switch her expression dropped and her eyes darkened, mind not in the here and now anymore.
"Careful soldier, they might be primed."
The young Corporal continued his search, footsteps heavy on the debris covered floor as his blast suit added a good extra 80 pounds unto his frame.
"They're corpses, Gunny. The rain of death from a few days back shouldn't have left a single human alive in here or the surrounding area."
Shepard felt uneasy, something just didn't seem right. She knew that the bombardment had leveled the area, save for a few houses and buildings that had miraculously survived complete annihilation, but the rebels hadn't left the area entirely after the bombing. And that was what worried her.
She released a breath she didn't know she was holding and took a few steps forward, standing close to her lower ranked comrade who was currently examining one of the many mutilated bodies they had come across ever since they had been assigned to this place. The rest of the team was outside, far away enough to not get hit by the full force of a bomb if they should encounter one, but close enough to be of assistance if needed.
"What is that?"
The redhead, also clothed in a full blast suit, followed the outstretched arm to what looked like a makeshift bomb, lying directly beneath the headless torso of what used to be a woman.
"A decoy?"
She shook her head and crouched down to get a better look at the object.
"Looks like a dud. Give it a quick check, I'll secure the entrance."
She hadn't taken as much as two steps when a sudden beeping noise crackled through their frequency, successfully cutting off any means of communication. Shepard turned her head towards her fellow soldier, realization dawning upon her as she grabbed the man by the collar of his suit and tried pulling him away, but too late.
She emptied her glass and slid some caps including a generous tip over the counter, heading for the staircase leading to the exit with quickened steps. Piper grabbed the rifle that had been resting next to her bar stool and waved a short goodbye to Whitechapel Charlie before hurrying after the taller woman. Ham gave them a curious look and Piper was sure that he would have raised an eyebrow if he still had some as they excited.
The music was abruptly replaced by the noise of the patrols doing their rounds as the door fell shut behind her, laughter and chatter ringing through the air and filling it with life. 'Goodneighbor never sleeps it seems.' Piper found the survivor looking at the darkened sky, leaning against a broken lamp post. She approached her but before she could even do as much as ask if she was okay, the woman spoke and the lack of eye contact was oddly unsettling to her.
"Sorry for bailing on you like that, I hope Charlie won't charge us double for the rude exit next time."
"I said goodbye on your behalf. Well, waved goodbye to be specific but still." Her brownish-green eyes longed for their oh so familiar counterpart but when they found none her heart dropped, chest filling with worry at the uncharacteristic behavior from her love. "Look, Blue, I'm really sorry if I cracked open a can of worms back then, I really wasn't trying to-", she started but got interrupted by a firm, yet gentle, soul-searching kiss that left her mouth slightly ajar when Shepard pulled back, smile back in place and blue eyes resting on her features again.
"Don't you worry your clever little head off Piper, it's not your fault. I just needed some space, cool off a little."
The reporter smiled and shifted the rifle from her left side to her right when she felt the redhead wrap an arm around her shoulder as they started walking, blushing slightly and thanking the heaven's silently for it being dark enough to cover up her reddened cheeks. "Well aren't you just the sweetest little thing? How you ended up in the military is beyond me." Piper was curious, wanted to know what had triggered the unusual behavior but for now she was content with just being with her love, enjoying the time they spent together after a day of hard work.
Shepard laughed, a short, melodious sound, before she pressed another kiss against the reporter's temple and pulling her just a bit closer to her side. "You're shorter than me, just for the record. Now let's get back to Covenant before another Radscorpion pops out of nowhere in the middle of the night."
Piper hummed as she ran a lone finger over the scar across her lover's cheek, vividly remembering their latest encounter with the mutated specimen. "Yeah no, I can gladly pass up on that. You attract these things like a magnet, no wonder you got a bunch of these", she added and poked the other scar trailing over the woman's right eye, giggling when she received a faked look of hurt.
"I earned those, they weren't given to me you know?"
"Oh, do I sense a Story here?"
"You are a reporter, right down to the core."
The reporter shrugged as the pair left the city, digging around the pockets of her slacks and scribbling a short note unto the slightly crumbled up paper before slipping her now free hand into that of her love.
'Personal note to self: Ask Blue where she got her scars from. They're oddly sexy.'
So yeah, here it is: My very first FO4 Story. I only have like 2 days worth of playtime but goddamn I love Piper so goddamn much like jdbdjghdgkh I had to write a story. Or several. Yes, I already have like 4...I regret nothing.
Similar to my "Between the Lines" fanfiction this will contain a collection of one-shots that are in no linear order but do happen in the same universe. No regular updates, I update when I find the time/motivation to write :)
If anyone wants to know a little more about my survivor I will post a short summary of her on tumblr in the next few days along with pictures. She's a natural redhead, got a couple scars from her active service time, honorably discharged and pursued a career as a lawyer after leaving the military, all before 2077. (Because let's be honest: The main character can handle explosives and guns so well they have to have a military background...) And she reminded me so much of Shepard from ME for some reason that I gave her the same name I gave my FemShep in every single playthrough.
So yeah, until further stories: See you later my mates, girls, boys and non-binary people alike, love to all of you :)
PS: Who found the Borderlands reference? :)
Phrase of the Day
Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
~Mary Tyler Moore
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No flaming please.