Old Mormon Fort. The sounds of people couching, sick, vomiting – Julie surely got tired of it, she had too. Everyone had to after a while. It was the same process, day after day, and with running out of supplies, and having more and more people venture in, it was becoming so hard on the people working. Arcade wasn't even so closely knit on being a doctor for the Fort either. Shame to say it, but he wanted an escape – somewhere else to be. He hated the idea of being stuck in this place until something came along and killed him. And sadly, that was the reality of the world as of recent. If someone died of old age or a natural cause it was a miracle. Arcade wasn't getting any younger either, and as a researcher the idea of getting out to experience what he was so interested in sounded amazing. The only thing that pulled him from his self-loathing was the sound of barking – familiar barking.

It sounded like that dog that had been brought through a few times, god forbid if he remembered his name now. He stood from his seat, away from his desk where papers were sprawled about and cluttered, and peered out from his tent, seeing a man that wasn't The King with that dog. He arched a brow, but wasn't curious enough to venture out. It looked like the guy was talking to Julie anyway, and Arcade didn't want to pry. The guy was probably a gambler looking for hand-outs of stimpaks and drugs.

Shaking his head, he went to move back to his desk, but heard the click of metal feet running in his direction. Before he even managed to make it too his chair, the dog was in front of him, panting and pawing at his feet. Though confused, Arcade knelt down, patting the dog on the ears and smiling.

"Rex!" Oh right, that was the dog's name. "God damn it, you can't go running off like that."

Arcade looked up to the voice, seeing the clearest blue eyes he could swear he had ever seen in his life. He blinked slowly, slightly mesmerized before he caught himself and shook his head. Well, perhaps this guy didn't need medical attention, he looked fine from the front. Black hair, shoulder length, but shaggy. He looked young, clearly younger than Arcade, but it was obvious that he had seen his share of the wastes. There was even a pip-boy on his arm. Already intrigued, Arcade stood back up straight, and the man's eyes watched him, sharp enough to cut through steel.

"He wasn't bothering me." He spoke after a silence, and the man chuckled.

"I wouldn't have expected him to. He isn't the kind to just randomly go attacking people . . . unless they're wearing a hat, which you're not. Most I've seen him do is growl at people with hats though." His voice was slightly accented with something, but Arcade wasn't sure what it was.

"Well, I can't say I wear hats very often, so, I guess I'm safe." Arcade laughed, smiling at the man before him. "My name is Arcade, by the way, Arcade Gannon."

"Ale, short for Allen. Just call me Ale – no need for strange formalities. I was here giving supplies to Julie because I had some to spare. She never gets a break, I've noticed." He tilted his head back a bit, rubbing his neck and sighing.

"Have you been here before?"

Ale nodded, yawning, a quirk in his lip resembling a grin. Shame they hadn't met before now – Arcade rather liked this man's company, to be completely honest, and this was only the first time that they had met. He was a little odd though, but in a strangely sensual sort of way. The way he looked at him made him feel almost violated, as if Ale was undressing him with his eyes. Maybe that was just Arcade wanting that sort of attention, as he hadn't had it in such a long time, especially with being in the Fort. Hopefully this wouldn't be a problem.

"A few times, I'm surprised I haven't seen you before. I suppose I just run into to Julie near the entrance so I don't have to come this far back. How sad. Pretty face would have highlighted my stay in Freeside." And he said it without missing a beat.

Arcade could feel his face flushing, and the man chuckled. He shook his head, taking a step closer to the blond researcher, taller by an inch or so.

"I'm sorry. I do that a lot. I've gotten in trouble because of my mouth, but, you know, when you're living expecting to die you take more chances. That's why I travel I think, because I might as well."

"It's . . . fine," Arcade mumbled, still flustered just by a bit. "You travel?"

Arcade backpedaled to his seat, and in response, Ale sat on the ground beside Rex, wrapping his arms about the dog's neck. The other man nodded, seeming a little less surly, and a little more tired. It was a strange change, but Arcade didn't take it as anything.

"Yeah, quite a bit. I've been all over Nevada, I was briefly in California, and I've been some other less important places." He was looking at the ground, fingers idly playing in Rex's fur. "You look like you could travel a bit too. Why are you just sitting in here, Arcade?"

The blond briefly looked back to his work, then shook his head, disregarding it. He wasn't sure how to answer that question, because he could travel if he really wanted to, but it just wasn't all that safe. This man seemed to be traveling on his own for the most part, and he was just fine, but he also looked more accustomed to it. Arcade had been in the Old Mormon Fort for too long to just up and leave on his own.

"I guess I just didn't want to travel on my own. And I have nowhere specifically to go; wandering aimlessly isn't safe."

The man's eyes seemed to perk up a hefty deal, the blue almost glowing as a smile stretched across his lips. Arcade knew where this was going already.

"You could travel with me. I—"

"Not to be rude, Ale, but why would I travel with you? I hardly know you, and you could be some insane fiend supporter. It could be in my best interest to wait for the next person to come along."

"Well, I don't know Arcade. I need a pretty doctor to patch me up and protect me. The wastes can be cruel, and I'm running out of luck."

Arcade stared at this man for a long moment, lips slightly parted, which he licked and quickly closed soon after. Well, that got his attention, and before saying anything else, Arcade stood up, checked his holster for his plasma defender, and motioned his hand toward the outside of the tent. Ale smirked, passing a wink for emphasis and then pushed himself up, brushing the dirt of the pants of his leather armor.

"Are you this much of a flirt with everyone?" Arcade had to ask as they walked through the streets of Freeside, looking around to make sure that a thug wasn't trying to sneak up behind them.

Ale didn't seem concerned, he just continued on his way to the second portion of the settlement, yawning softly before deciding to answer.

"Not exactly. Close friends, people I need something from, and people with nice faces. Don't worry, Blondie, it wasn't my plan to get you out here with me – so I was flirting because I like how you look." If it ever bothers you, let me know. I don't want to scare you off." He was quiet for a moment. "But I'm glad you're into men. I do this to straight men too and I get punched in the face."

Arcade could imagine, and he laughed at the thought, but said nothing else about it. He had questions of his own, to make sure that traveling with this man wasn't a horrible idea. If The King trusted him with his dog, then he couldn't be too bad.

"Are you siding with anyone specifically in all that's been happening?"

"Mm, not really. I'm mostly doing things by my own terms."

They were heading to the Strip, it was obvious now, and Arcade wasn't entirely sure why, but he was sure that this man knew what he was doing – hopefully.

"As long as you don't plan on siding with the Legion anytime soon, I'm fine with traveling with you."

Ale stopped in his tracks then, and Arcade looked over at him confused at the sudden action, actually having accidentally taken a step ahead of him. The younger male's face went slack, eyes lowering to the ground. The display frightened the researcher, and he was humorously wondering if something he had said broke the needle tongued man. After a seemingly long moment, Ale's eyes returned to Arcade, and he sighed.

"I'm not, don't worry." He replied shortly, and then started walking again.

Arcade figured that it was the mention of the Legion – a lot of people had serious problems with it, so the blond couldn't over think it. The Legion had killed members of families, kidnapped, and seriously injured, so Arcade figured that prying would be bad.

"Can you tell me what you do for work?" Changing the subject would be best.

"Ah, I'm mostly a courier, but I do mercenary work, I've been a bounty hunter, and a few other things." He crossed his arms over his chest as they walked through the Strip's gate, looking around eagerly once they had reached the other side.

"Are you much of a gambler?" Arcade asked with a risen brow, and Ale laughed.

"You could say that."

Ale was leading them to The Tops, a place where Arcade had only been once before. Once at the door, the taller man stopped and gave a glance to the male beside him, smirking.

"I've got something I've have to do. I just need you to watch my back for a bit, alright?"

Arcade couldn't do anything but nod considering that he hadn't the slightest idea of what was going on. They walked in and Ale approached the desk, placing his hands on the flat surface and leaning forward, smiling. Arcade wasn't close enough to hear the conversation, but he could see the change in the face of the man behind the desk. Last time he was there, Arcade remembered having to give his weapon up, but no one was forcing what they had off of them. This was all very strange, and when Ale came over, placing caps in his hand, Arcade was lost.

"You should gamble a bit. Keep your gun handy though, just in case I need you. Rex will keep you company, alright? I'll come back and get you when everything is settled and it's time to leave."

"Okay . . .?" Arcade eyed the caps in his hands, then shrugged and walked over to a slot machine, sitting but watching as Ale walked past.

He approached a man amidst a group of guards. This man seemed startled at first but Ale walked closer, speaking words that the distance wouldn't allow the blond to hear. After a moment of exchanged words, Ale leaned in close to the other's ear, and after a moment or two, both of them walked to an elevator, and the guards dispersed. Arcade shook his head and turned to the slot machine, only then realizing that he hadn't traded in for tokens. Considering that he didn't think it would take Ale very long, he decided to just sit and wait.

It took a lot longer than he thought though, Ale returned after an hour or so, disheveled. He placed hand on Arcade's shoulder and rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself. He reeked of sex, but there was blood on his armor too. He figured that he'd get answers once they left. Ale motioned for the door and pulled Arcade up and out the door without so much as a word.

"What happened?" Arcade asked once they were outside.

"Mm, that guy tried to kill me a bit ago. Shot me in the head and stole something from me. So, I repaid him. It took a lot of convincing for there not to be a fire fight – who would have guessed that sex would make someone holster their gun? – and then I slit his throat while he was resting. Once his body gets cleaned up we have to go back, but we have plenty of time for that."

Arcade didn't know where he was being led, honestly he didn't know why Ale still had his arm, but he was staring at him with the most perplexed look on his face, so utterly confused by what Ale had said to him.

"Wait, you slept with the man that tried to kill you?" That just sounded so ridiculous that the blond thought that he was being jested.

"Yes, to keep his guards from trying to kill me, and to keep him from weaseling himself away. He was more into the idea than I thought he would be, but yeah. He's was a good lay." He shrugged then laughed to himself, pursing his lips. "We should go to the Wrangler to sleep, it seems more fitting than going to Lucky 38. I'll get a drink after too."

"Lucky 38?" Arcade was being fed too much information at once.

"Don't worry, Blondie, I'll explain everything to later, after I'm drunk enough to forget where I just put my dick."