edited 8/5/14

Mint dreamt of Benny and woke up next to Veronica. Ever since the 188, Veronica had stood by her side, if for no other reason than she was interesting. Veronica was interested in her. Memories or not, maybe even because the memories were so haphazard. Mint couldn't blame V if her interest was purely scientific. Hell, if their roles were reversed, Mint might look at the scribe with intense curiosity as well.

Sure that Veronica wouldn't wake until Mint forcibly prompted her, she took account of her own body. Mint had, weeks ago, assessed herself for clues to her identity.

She was taller than most Wastelanders, even the men. Fitter too. She wasn't all skin and bones like those who had survived thus far on scavenged, irradiated leftovers from 200 years past. Her build wasn't all that different than Veronica's in that sense, someone who had access to food and water and but also engaged in strenuous physical activity. Many of the other women in the Wastes were...different. Their pants hung off bony hips but their arms lacked any sort of muscle tone. Their eyes looked hollow, men and women both.

Between Goodsprings and Freeside she hadn't encountered many Tribals in close quarters. Legion, sure, but Mint wasn't quite sure if that counted. No females to compare herself to when it came to Legion anyway. They had seen Khans from a distance, but they didn't pick useless fights and neither did she.

Were Vaulties soft? Doc was the only former-vault dweller she had encountered and he was too old to make an assessment. But the mere fact he was one of the oldest people she encountered in the Wastes counted in his favor. Even without the safety of metal walls and food dispensers, he had thrived. His was still the nicest house she had been in. He was skilled, sharp, and unjaded.

...But what if there was an option C...

Mint rolled over to face Veronica, still sleeping. Veronica claimed she didn't dream. Mint only had her dreams.

Veronica's lips were soft and sure, even in a half-awake state. Mint had kissed her before, in a teasing, friendly sort of way. But they always stopped before things got too far. This time, she could feel Veronica smiling against her lips. Their suspiciously healthy teeth clattered against each other.

Veronica's fingers traced along the hem of Mint's boxer shorts. Mint rolled on top of the scribe and ground her hips against Veronica's broader ones. The friction was sharp and sweet. They continued to smile against one another. This felt good, but distant, even though it was happening in the present. Mint thought she should have been able to trust the present, at least. The problem was there were always those memories threatening to burst through in all their vivid glory. Like that dam people kept pestering her about.

Mint's dark, curly hair cast a curtain over them both as she leaned over to bring their lips together over and over again. Veronica was pushing back with her hips, lifting Mint up a bit and causing her to rock on the balls of her feet. Maybe it didn't matter so much who Mint was.

After a few minutes they both came to their senses and prepared for their day. They never really talked about what was happening between them. It happened or it didn't and then it stopped.

On the dresser was a stack of Dean's Electronics that Mint had looked over the night before. She copied some of the relevant passages to her Pip-boy so she wouldn't have to tote around the hard copy versions.

Veronica holstered her pistol and tossed Mint the laser one. It was starting to look worse for the wear, but Mint wasn't the best shot and it often took more rounds than entirely necessary to make sure something was good and dead. After all, it turned out humans were a fuck of a lot harder to kill than anyone expected. Nuclear bombs, shots to the head, certain starvation. People were tough fucks.

Downstairs Francine was manning the bar. Mint made sure to drop off enough caps for the following night, just in case they failed in their attempt to make it into Vegas and had to, yet again, reassess the situation. They had packed all their things, leaving only the old books behind in the room. Francine said that was fine, if they didn't come back she'd just sell 'em if it was all the same to Mint.

The corpse of that unlucky squatter taken out by the bots had yet to be disposed of. No one cared since the streets always smelled or rot, no matter what the circumstance. Everything about settlements smelled wrong to Mint. Veronica smelled nice, so did Arcade. The two of them and the open Wasteland, when she and Veronica were miles away from the nearest town, when the stench of other people and their livestock (sometimes one and the same) were nowhere to be found.

"Hello, friendly bot!" Mint was enthusiastic. Robots could read emotions, but only very clear, direct ones. Happiness was probably a better choice than fear.

"Passport or submit to a credit check."

Mint smiled. It was easy to do so, she liked bots. "Well, letsee here...activate PDQ-88b recall code violet."

As the words passed from Mint's lips it was obvious that something was wrong. The Securitron's screen went dark and Mint's Pip-boy sputtered on her wrist, the screen went dark and would flash back to light. Then the entirety of her vision copied the pattern. The world around Mint went dark, then it was too bright and blinded her. She felt, distantly, like she was shaking. After three cycles she found herself sitting against a crumbling wall, only feet from the corpse. Veronica was holding out a bottle of water and had an open snack cake in her other hand.

"The fuck was that?"

"Well, you fried the bot pretty good. Shut straight down and got the attention of the others just out of earshot. So in that sense it worked." Veronica let an exaggerated pause hang in the air. "You also short circuited your Pip-boy and from the looks of it, scrambled your brain...again. It's like you're trying to be a basket case."

Mint groaned and redirected her eyes to her Pip-boy, the screen was dark and there was evidence of burn marks around her wrist. She didn't technically have to look at those to know they were there, but seeing them confirmed why she was in so much pain.

"Why the fuck," Mint fiddled with the Pip-boy strap, trying to wretch it off, "would my brain scramble from a bot command?"

"Do I get three guesses? I love guessing games!"

"Guess one is not that I'm a robot. Let's not even go there. I can't go there." Mint was pretty sure she wasn't a robot. Her accuracy was too fucking low. The Pip-boy loosened, but in the end she didn't remove it entirely, just let it hang from her arm.

"So that doctor who put your brain back together," Veronica started.

"Doc Mitchell."

"Vault doctor, yeah?" Mint nodded and let V continue. "Say your brain gets blown out, from, for instance, a douchebag with a 9mm. Brain matter everywhere, right? What do you replace that with?"

"For fuck's sake, V, I cannot take this"

"Robobrain!"

"I said being a robot isn't an option. Come up with something else, V."

"I didn't say you were a robot. Just...braaaains!"

"Fuck you, V. Let's just get inside before someone realizes what we've done." Mint stood up and brushed some dirt off of her pants. Plenty of grime remained behind.

Just as Veronica had indicated, they were able to get through the gate with no further issues.

Something seized inside Mint's truly human chest. She was afraid. She wanted to turn around and run back to the Old Mormon Fort and throw herself against Arcade.

Something was telling her that toward Vegas was the wrong direction. The bright lights and cheerful colors of the Tops casino pulled her forward against her better judgement. Those memories of the carpet and a purple dress that must have been hers pulled her forward.

She brushed off the robot that approached her. It had been "following" her for weeks now, always concerned with her well being. Where the fuck was it when she was trying to get inside the Strip? It reminded her it was best to meet with Mr. House sooner rather than later. She'd just as soon put a bullet through the old man's brain. There was a lot of that kind of hospitality going around.