A Chance Meeting
Disclaimer: I do not own Fallout: New Vegas
The Mojave had a way of sucking the life out of a person, leaving them an empty shell. It took a person's compassion, their trust, and their hope, and siphoned it away, until it was like water spilled in the sand. Gone, with barely a trace of it being there in the first place.
Terra, better known as Courier Six, walked down the parched, dry, desert road. If anyone had seen her, the would have thought that she was a ghost. She wore a simple set of leather armor, and a black cowboy hat. She was deathly pale, but that was her normal skin tone. She had set out weeks ago, stopping only to sleep, eat, and buy supplies. She barely made conversation, and people seemed to try and avoid her. That was fine with her, however. She didn't like talking, so she was okay with people avoiding her. She had always been a loner, even when she still had friends. She was always the quiet one, the one that didn't speak unless she was asked something first, and the one that always kept a promise or a secret. It was why she made such an excellent Courier. She didn't ask questions, she didn't pry, and she always kept her side of a contract. The desert sun beat down on her, her leather armor rubbing against places that quickly grew uncomfortable, but she didn't say anything. She never did, when it came to her comfort. There were more important things to do than complain about her discomfort.
She looked at he sun in the sky, trying to guess at the heat, but she just shook her head and took her pack off. She set it down on the ground and reached in for a bottle of water. As she did so, however, she frowned, because other than her Vault 13 canteen, she was out of water. She pursed her lips at that, and looked at her Pip-Boy map to find the nearest settlement. It showed her a little area a bit north, right in her path. She pulled out her binoculars to try and get a better look.
'A trading post. Good.' She thought as she began to trudge towards the trading post, giving a short grunt as she tossed her pack back over her shoulder. She walked a bit faster than she normally did, as she could tell that she wouldn't last long without water. She walked for about ten minutes before arriving at the post, to see a man dressed as a merchant.
"Hey there, Welcome to the 188 Slop & Shop. Like our slogan says, "It's better than nothing.""
Terra looked at him for a few seconds before pulling out a bag of caps. "How much is a bottle of water?" She asked as she looked around.
"6 caps for some irradiated water, 13 for clean." The merchant said.
"I'll take 6 bottles of the irradiated water." she said as she handed the man the caps, taking one of the bottles and drinking it before as she placed the others in her pack.
She walked away from the man and began to survey the area. she looked around and saw the shop, a girl in some robes, a little kid down below the underpass, and-
"Hey you, in the leather!"
Terra was shaken out of her musings by a voice. When she turned around, she saw that it was the girl she saw just a few moments ago.
"Yeah, you. No offence, but you look like you traveled a long way down some bad roads. Where'd you come from?"
Terra just looked at the girl for a few seconds, thinking about if she should speak to this random girl. After a few moments thinking about it, she finally responded.
"The grave," She said after deliberating it.
"Wow, in that case, you look pretty good. Well, welcome, I'm Veronica, and I live in a hole in the ground."
Terra raised an eyebrow at that. She started to get intrigued about this girl, but she shook it off quickly. She did let her curiosity get the better of her for a moment, because then she asked, "A hole in the ground?"
"Well, a bunker if you want to get technical. But I think it sounds more interesting my way." The girl, Veronica, paused for a moment, before continuing. "I'm not there much anymore, I'm usually out here picking up food and supplies for my family. Whatever they need."
Terra looked at the girl, her curiosity getting the better of her. "So you just leave your family in the bunker?"
Veronica nodded before responding. "Yeah. I'm not worried. They can handle themselves. But someone has to get the groceries, know what I mean."
Terra, in fact did know what she meant, having had to walk to buy food back for her family when she was a little girl in California.
"And actually these days, I think they'd rather have me out here anyway. But that's a whole other story." She said quickly. She paused for a moment, before speaking again. "So listen, can I ask you something on the level?"
Terra shrugged her shoulders at that, before she deliberated as to if she should leave. Once again, however her curiosity got the best of her. "Go ahead."
Veronica nodded quickly and said, " I had a run-in with a group calling themselves the Brotherhood of Steel. Know anything about them?"
Terra shrugged once more, before responding. "They're usually harmless unless you use technology around them."
Veronica let out a small chuckle at that. "Well that shouldn't be a problem for me. I can't afford anything like that." She said before she furrowed her brow in thought. "Hey, so where are you headed, anyway?"
Terra thought about how to respond to that. "I just kinda drift from place to place."
"Wherever the wind takes you huh? I like that, keeps things interesting. I'll be honest, you're the first person I've seen out here that looks like she can actually handle herself. There are places I've never been to that'd be too dangerous for just me. So what do you think? Maybe we could travel together, help each other out."
Terra frowned at that, looking the girl up and down. Immediately after she was asked the question, doubts began to form in her mind. She didn't want to be the reason that this girl got killed. "You don't look like much. What do you bring to the table?"
Veronica laughed at that, as she apparently found a bit of humor in the question. "Heh. Good. That's the look I was going for. Trust me on this one, though. You'll be glad you brought me along. If I turn out to be a burden, then we can part ways at any time. No hard feelings.."
Terra sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. You can come along with me."
Veronica grinned at that, pleased to have been allowed to travel with Terra. She spoke up once more, however. "Now you're talking. One thing you should know first, though. I asked you about the Brotherhood because...I'm one of them." Terra looked down and groaned softly at that.
Veronica was quick to try and mollify the situation, however. "I know, I know. But I had to know how you would react when I told you. We've made a lot of enemies. Are you still okay with bringing me along?"
Terra sighed and held the bridge of her nose at this new piece of information. She thought for a few seconds before she finally spoke up.
"Actually, I'm a little more comfortable now that I know you've actually had some training." She said.
Veronica just grinned even wider than before. "I'm great at punching people. I'm not gonna lie. It's a gift. Well, thanks for taking a chance on a naïve young girl from California with stars in her eyes and a pneumatic gauntlet on her hand."
Terra just groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?"