Tight Fitting Jeans (Improved)
It's the same old story, but I wanted to improve on it a bit. Felt the original product was a bit too rough and unpolished, so I decided to re-do it. I hope you wonderful readers enjoy the new version!
I do not own Fallout, that belongs to Bethesda.
'Guess nice guys don't always finish last', Honest Dan thought.
Tonight was definitely a good night for Honest Dan, as he leant back in his chair with a wide grin on his face. His pockets were heavy with caps, his belly filled with food, and he managed to complete the job without any major problems. All that mattered was Amelia Stockton was safe and those assholes up in Covenant had been dealt with. Although to be fair, he did owe a lot to that guy with the weird hat and the even weirder nickname of 'Hawkeye'…
As Dan was about to take another sip of his beer, his eyes wandered over to the bar. The Third Rail was one of the more well-known bars in the Commonwealth, but it wasn't exactly the nicest. It wasn't really a place people went to, it was a place people ended up in. It was the place where people had caps to burn, but weren't exactly welcome in other settlements. It was definitely a place where you had to keep an eye out for everyone, so the mercenary couldn't help but be surprised as his eyes found this cute woman sitting at the bar.
Honest Dan had met a great deal of women in his life, came with being a mercenary. But they were tough women; women covered in scars and muscles, who had a severe lack of curves to them. But this woman, she was quite different. There was a softness to here, a sort of child-like naivety, that seemed almost extinct in this wasteland. Her black hair was cut short and her skin was pale, with a sort of nervous aura evident to her. As Dan continued expecting this odd woman, he noticed by the faded denim clothes that she wore, that she had probably never been inside a bar before. Then he kept looking, and noticed other details; the fact she was drinking a Nuka Cherry instead of a beer, the nervous look on her face, the way her eyes kept scanning the bar. All those little tells just made it even more obvious that a bar wasn't a place this woman frequented.
Honest Dan had to admit it, he was intrigued by this woman in the faded jeans and the awkwardness aura. He slowly stood up and made his way towards the bar, before sitting down next to the nervous woman. Almost immediately, the woman whipped her head around to face Dan, her brown eyes tinged with nervousness. Dan couldn't help but smile at the woman's reaction; it was cute in a way, definitely a nice change from being told to fuck off and getting a gun pointed at his face.
"Sorry to startle you there, didn't mean to." Honest Dan stated, a smile on his face. "Just wanted a change of scenery, from my old spot. Name's Honest Dan, by the way."
"Oh well bonsoir, monsieur Dan." The woman answered, nodding her head. "My name is Curie."
"Well dang, now that is a nice accent." Honest Dan said, the smile on his face growing even wider. "Definitely not one I've heard before."
"Oh it is a French accent." Curie responded. "But thank you for your compliment."
"French?" Dan inquired. "Ain't heard of that before. Where is it, on the West Coast or something?"
"Oh no it is from a country called France, that is in the continent of Europe." Curie explained. "France was a place that had a special place in the heart of Dr Collins, the man who programmed my personality."
"Wait…programmed?" Dan inquired, confusion evident to his voice. "As in…well, you're a synth?"
The good mood quickly died out, as Dan's words quickly left his lips and hung in the air. The smile on Curie's face quickly vanished, replaced by a look of pure fear. She gripped her Nuka Cherry so tightly that Dan was sure it was gonna shatter in her hands. Dan just sat there in silence, staring at this woman with the odd accent and the Radstag-in-the-headlights look. Pretty soon though, all Dan could do was shake his head and chuckle; Only he would find two woman who just stood out to him, and both of them revealing themselves as synths.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Dan stated, offering Curie a comforting smile. "I ain't got a problem with synths, they're alright in my book. So no need to look at me, like I'm gonna lynch you."
Although Curie didn't look completely relax, she definitely looked more calm than she did before. Keeping her eyes on Dan, Curie took a small sip of her Nuka Cherry before offering the mercenary a shaky smile. Dan chuckled at the synth woman's reaction, before grabbing a shot glass and pouring some of his beer into it. A confused look appeared on Curie's face, as Dan handed her the shot glass filled with beer.
"Try some of this." Dan stated simply. "Don't worry, it ain't the watered down shit Charlie gives to everyone. This is the good stuff he keeps behind the counter."
"But this is an alcoholic beverage, no?" Curie inquired. "I am unsure. Alcohol consumption can cause symptoms such as drowsiness, loss of balance and coordination, slurred speech, nausea and vomiting."
"Gonna be honest, I only understood half of what you just said." Dan admitted. "But it's a small gulp, and it ain't poisoned. Trust me I'd know by now, given I've downed half of this stuff already."
Curie stared down at the shot glass and then at Honest Dan, before she let out a small breath and grabbed the glass. She looked down at the brown liquid in the glass, as if studying it, before she took a small sip of the beer. Almost immediately, Curie's face scrunched up and she shook her head vigorously, as she quickly placed the shot glass back on the bar bench. Honest Dan couldn't help but let out a loud chuckle at that, even if it wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do in that type of situation.
"Oh that is a truly horrid taste, most bitter indeed." Curie stated. "I do not understand, how can people consume this beverage?"
"It helps make the days more tolerable." Dan explained. "But I'm guessing that that was the first time you ever had a drink?"
"I must admit, it is the first time I've consumed alcohol." Curie admitted. "And I am reluctant to repeat such an experience, now that I've tried it."
Shaking his head slightly, the mercenary couldn't help but find this woman fascinating. She definitely wasn't like any other woman he had met before, except maybe Amelia Stockton. But Amelia was too quiet, too focused on her own world to notice anything else. This woman though? She had a fire to her, Dan could see in her eyes. She was interested in everything, as if she had just entered a new world and wanted to experience everything. And knowing how synths are created, Dan expected that the Commonwealth was a new world for her.
"So, what was the Institute like?" Dan inquired. "Sorry if that's rude, but it's something I've always wanted to ask a synth."
"The Institute? Oh, you believe I was created there?" Curie stated. "Oh no, I am sorry to say monsieur Dan but I am not from the Institute. I am from Vault 81, but I wasn't always a synth. I just became a synth recently, to help with my scientific studies and to expand my experiences."
"Wait…what were you before?" Dan asked, frowning.
"I was a Miss Nanny bot, designed to help with scientific experiments." Curie explained, with a smile.
Dan fell silent, as he just stared at Curie. He had heard and seen a lot of crazy things in his lifetime and had generally become numb to the insanity of the Wastelands, but this? This was something new altogether. He could accept this Curie being a synth, but her being a robot that turned into a synth? Something about it just seemed…well, batshit insane.
"I apologize if I am making you uncomfortable." Curie stated, frowning slightly. "I assume that you are having second thoughts of chatting with me now?"
"No, not really." Dan admitted. "Just…well, I ain't ever heard of anything like what you're saying."
"Oh, well then I must be most unique then." Curie smiled. "And as such, I can run more experiments on myself, to test if what has happened can be replicated."
"Experiments, eh?" Dan inquired. "You some kinda science buff?"
"I was programmed to be most knowledgeable in all forms of science by the scientists of Vault 81, and have knowledge on all forms of medicine and the like." Curie explained. "I am also most interested in expanding my knowledge, and learning as much as I can."
Dan had to admit, he found this girl interesting. There was the possibility that her whole background was fake and she was bonkers, but hey that was the risk of chatting with people nowadays. Having a sudden moment of brilliance, Honest Dan grabbed Curie's Nuka Cherry and poured some of it into the shot glass of beer. An interested look appeared on Curie's face, as she looked down at this new drink.
"Monsieur Dan, I am most reluctant to try this." Curie admitted. "I do not think adding Nuka Cherry will help to improve the flavour of this alcoholic beverage."
"I thought being a scientist meant doing experiments and trying new stuff out." Dan said, a smile on his face. "The Nuka Cherry will make it sweeter and hey, you might even like it now."
Curie gave Dan a look, before she grabbed the shot glass and took a small sip of the new cocktail. The synth's eyes widened slightly in surprise, before she took another sip of the drink. Dan didn't need an answer to know what Curie thought of the drink.
"Want some more?" Dan inquired, as Curie drained the shot glass.
"I…am unsure." Curie admitted. "I do not wish to drink too much, after all."
"Well I ain't gonna force ya." Dan responded. "But I hope it's a drink you'll wanna try again in the future."
"Oh, it is definitely a unique beverage." Curie answered, smiling. "It has a lovely fruit flavour, but yet also slightly bitter. It is definitely a concoction I would love to show my friends back home."
"If you don't mind me asking, where is home for you?" Dan inquired.
"It is a small settlement, called Sanctuary Hills." Curie explained. "It was a small cul-de-sac of houses, before the bombs dropped. Oh, it would have looked most wonderful back then."
"Sanctuary Hills? That's pretty far north." Dan stated with intrigue. "What are you doing all the way in Goodneighbour then?"
"Oh, my friend monsieur Lorcan is here to discuss business with Mayor Hancock." Curie explained. "He is interested in opening trade between the Minutemen and Goodneighbour."
A frown appeared on Dan's face, as he stared at Curie. Now why on earth did that name Lorcan sound so familiar? That name was just scratching at the back of his mind, begging to be remembered. But then he remembered, and it hit him like a ton of bricks; he remembered back at Covenant, of the man with the sniper rifle, who gunned down everyone in his path and wouldn't hesitate to jam a knife into someone's face if they got too close…
"Woah, wait a minute." Dan said slowly. "This Lorcan guy…he wouldn't happen to be a sniper guy, would he? Got an ugly mug, wears sunglasses and one ugly looking hat?"
"Oh you know of him?" Curie stated, smiling widely. "He is truly an amazing man, no?"
"Well I do owe him a lot." Dan admitted. "The guy saved my ass, back when a job in Covenant was about to go bust. Gotta admit, the guy does work fast if he's already in Goodneighbour…"
"Oh yes, he is most fast." Curie responded. "I always tell monsieur Lorcan he needs to rest sometimes, but he does not like to stay still for long."
"Gotta be careful sometimes." A new voice stated. "If you talk about the devil enough times, he's gonna appear."
Curie and Honest Dan spun around, to face the man who had just talked. A man was walking towards the two, a wonky smile etched onto his face. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, which rested above a crooked nose. The man hadn't shaved in a while, with a thick brown stubble being apparent.
He wore a simple, zipped-up leather jacket with durable trousers and heavy boots, worn over a regular work shirt. Holding his trousers up was a simple leather belt with utility pouches worn casually over the waist, a knife sheath over the right thigh, and most noticeable, a large, armoured brace for his left arm, kept in place by a torso strap and shoulder pad. Resting on the man's head was a wide-breamed hat, made from some brown cracked leather. A sniper rifle was strapped to his back, looking to be in pristine condition. Dan didn't need any introductions as to who this guy was, given he fought alongside him back at Covenant; this was 'Hawkeye' Lorcan.
"Well if it ain't Honest Dan, the most honest mercenary in the Commonwealth." Lorcan stated simply, with a curt nod. "Didn't expect to see you again, after what happened in Covenant."
"Well I had planned on moving on to the Capital Wasteland, but I decided I'd stick around here for a bit first." Honest Dan admitted. "There's still a lot of jobs left in the area, most of them high paying and all above board."
"Well that's good news then, real good news." Lorcan answered. "Also nice to see you treating my friend Curie well; most people wouldn't be as…courteous as you have been, if they were in your position."
"Oh do not worry, my friend. Monsieur Dan was a true gentleman to me." Curie interrupted, letting out a small giggle. "There is no need to fear, at all."
"Never said I was worried, Curie love." Lorcan retorted. "Just saying…would've been hella pissed if he did something unsavoury towards ya. Anyway, we gotta head off; need to talk with Nick about a case of his."
The Sole Survivor turned and faced Honest Dan, before giving the man a smirk and a tip of his hat. Letting out a small chuckle, Lorcan turned around and exited the Third Rail, leaving Curie and Dan alone. A somewhat awkward silence filled the air, before Curie finally decided to break it.
"I am most sorry, but I believe it is time for me to go." Curie said. "I would love to stay for a bit more and chat, but it is time I headed off."
"That's alright, I get ya." Dan answered, giving the synth a small nod. "It was fun while it lasted, anyway."
"Oh, but you can find me again." Curie responded. "After all, I am mostly at Sanctuary Hills. So, if you wish to continue our conversation, I hope you come there."
"Well….maybe I will." Dan responded, a smile appearing on his face. "After all, I'd love to get to know you better."
And Tight Fitting Jeans is done and dusted. I'd like to thank Mandalore the Freedom for helping out with writing this, he was a massive help here. I'd also like to thank HappinessIsBlau, colstrent and IamtheAble, for reviewing my stories. Especially Blau, for reviewing ALL of my stories. Like goddamn, that is amazing to me! Thanks so much for reading all of my stories and reviewing them, that means a lot to me! Anyway, I hope to see you guys and gals soon!
Love,
The Desert Dancer