So, yes, more Dean now in the chapters; a lot more. This is mixed news, since while I love the character, I'm not sure I look forward to trying to figure out his character... xD
If anyone have any pointers feel free to voice them, just please in a friendly way.
"So, let me see if I got this straight. You're going to escort this man across the Mojave. So far, it sounds like a regular job. But from what you've told me… wasn't he a complete bastard?"
The Courier looked at Raul calmly while he voiced his concerns, understandable enough. It was very early in the morning, shortly before 6am and she was doing her last checkup of the bag she was bringing with her. It contained mostly ammo, food and water, but not too much of it. She knew several paths across the Mojave by now and they usually had water and wildlife to shoot.
"He is, but he has his charms too," she smirked amused. "Besides, jobs have been few lately and we need the caps."
"Getting yourself killed isn't worth caps, Ash," the ghoul frowned back at her, as she merely shrugged. She got up on her feet afterwards, pulling the pack over her shoulder.
Ash.
Her… 'name' if you will. Very few knew her real name after all and she preferred it that way.
"You worry too much, Raul. I trust you'll be keeping an eye on the rest while I'm gone?"
"Sure. I'll be a real papa to them," he rolled his eyes. None of her companions needed to be 'looked' after but Ash simply was like that. Concerned. Valued her friends.
The black haired woman grinned amusedly.
"Don't be like that," she told him off gently, as she turned towards the elevator, waving with her hand over her shoulder. Victor waited there, ready to take her down to the street. Once there, she waved at him too before making her way over to the Tops.
If she expected anything from Dean it was that he'd be punctual and she was right. The ghoul was waiting outside already, bidding his time with a cigar. He tossed it to the side though upon her approach.
"Finally," he said although she was pretty punctual herself. He eyed the bag on her back, as well as the weapons she carried.
"That's, uh, not a whole lot for a trek across the Mojave," he pointed out, with a hint of concern in his voice. Ash looked over her shoulder, not sure he meant the bag or the weapons.
"I'm carrying four types of weapons, Dean," she frowned back at him, deciding for on the latter. "Unfortunately I'm not a Brahmin," she added drily.
"That'd be a sight."
"I'm sure."
She was glad to spot the pistol in his belt again and a knife on the other side. At least he wasn't going to be entirely defenseless. However, why he had decided to travel across the desert in his usual attire was beyond her. It wasn't like someone would care out there. But then, he had probably done fine in the Sierra Madre with it.
"Alright, let's get moving. The more ground we can pass cover while it's still light outside, the better," she said, as she started to move through the Strip, followed by the ghoul. They'd have to pass all of Freeside to even get outside of New Vegas; it was an area where getting attacked by thugs was a high possibility, to say the least.
"I suppose seeing New Vegas in this state must have been a small shock for you," she said, while keeping an eye out for the so called thugs. At this hour, every bedroll on the streets and along the walls were was occupied by someone, whether it was an inhabitant or a wanderer. But it didn't mean everyone was asleep.
"Not really. Wasn't all that hard to figure out that the bombs would leave more or less desirable effects on the world. Although I had assumed it would be a larger city than from what you told me."
"It is large," Ash frowned a bit, as she looked over her shoulder at him.
"Las… or rather New Vegas was a lot larger Pre-War. I guess for your standards it's considered large though. Doesn't take much to impress you people, clearly. There's no class and style these days."
Ash jumped as they rounded a corner of an old brick house; a scrawny-looking man dressed in patched together clothes had jumped out in front of her, holding a kitchen knife in his hands. His whole face screamed of poverty, with scars, unkempt stubble and dirt. So did his clothes too actually.
"Gimme your caps or get gutted," he demanded, waving the knife towards her. Ash could see at once, judging by his horrible stance and balance that he wouldn't have time to move forward with the knife before she'd have a weapon out herself.
"I wouldn't do that, pal," she said coolly, reaching down for the pistol in her belt. Sure, the man moved forward but stopped moments before the barrel of her pistol was aimed to his head. At least he seemed smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be able to reach her before she had shot him, considering there was still a good one metre meter between them. Regardless, she was ready to move out of the way if he'd charge but runts like this usually didn't take risks like that.
"Get lost," she huffed, gesturing with the gun to the side briefly. The man couldn't believe his luck, scurrying off before she could change her mind. As he ran off, she looked after him, not holstering the weapon until he was out of sight. That's when she looked back at Dean, who hadn't really reacted all that much, sure of her abilities as he was.
"Class and style won't save your ass today," she said with a small smirk, before she turned around again to continue forward. Dean grunted something under his breath.
After that little event, they got outside of Freeside without any further problems and Ash paused outside, lifting her arm to check the Pip-Boy on it, map and all. Dean had yet to give her the very exact location of this 'friend' of his so she only knew somewhat where to bring them. It was basically across all of the Mojave though.
She lowered her arm before correcting the bag over her back.
"Alright. Unless you'll agree to carry something, we'll have to take this slow. I can only move so fast in this current setup and I don't think you want me to be exhausted every five minutes," she spoke up calmly, looking at him.
"Just how slow are we talking?"
"Getting to your destination will take a little over a week. That is, if everything goes as planned. Which it usually doesn't."
"Well, I'm all for you not being exhausted so hand over a weapon or something. Least that way I can stay more protected…"
Ash rolled her eyes, handing over one of the rifles on her back. Dean looked it over, before strapping it over his back with some awkwardness, as if he didn't think it belonged there. It probably didn't because if she recalled right, he preferred pistols.
"So we're just going to walk?" he asked.
"Yep."
"Just… walk."
"Yes…"
"You people need to start inventing cars again. Or go find horses."
"What the hell is a horse?"
Dean let out a long sigh.
"Never mind," he said afterwards, waving it off. Ash wasn't about to push him, mostly because she didn't want to do too much talking out here among the house rubbles and debris. She wanted to pay attention to any strange sounds from it. But she'd need to remember to ask him about it, fascinated with pre-war things as she was.
However as time went on and morning became afternoon, the scenery changed from rubbles to near desert, beyond a few cliffs and abandoned shacks here and there. With more view of their surroundings, Ash didn't really much mind talking and a conversation had been going on for the last while between them. Otherwise it hadn't really been more than some questions and explanations. She certainly hadn't strayed anywhere the subject of the Sierra Madre, for her own sake.
"… And that's how Mr. House basically kicked NCR in the ass… and away from the Hoover Dam, in a way," the woman explained, gesturing with her hands in front of her as they walked along the still cracked up, main road. She didn't really know how they had gotten into the subject of Mr. House, probably because it was a pre-war subject they both had heard about.
"And you left New Vegas under the rule of a… computer… or whatever he is," Dean frowned.
"He's the one who saved New Vegas. I had no interest in taking the city away from him," Ash shrugged. "Also, one of his securitrons sort of… saved my life. Probably for more reasons than being 'nice', but I'm not really picky."
"But you still work for him?"
"Technically, yes. If he or his securitrons can't do something, I'm the one who does it."
"So you work for the thing that controls the casinos…"
Dean was looking thoughtful by now and Ash rolled her eyes.
"I'm not helping you rob them," she announced before he could really finish the thought. "So do me a favor and don't attempt it yourself. I'd hate to be the one who needs to fix you."
"Fix me?" Dean repeated with a cackle. "So if your boss ordered you to kill me, you'd do it?"
"I didn't say kill. I'd make you stop or leave."
"My dear, if I got the idea to actually… do something illegal in the casinos, there'd be precious little you could do to stop me."
"I could just shoot you?" Ash suggested coolly, as the ghoul's smirk merely widened.
"Don't kid yourself. You're too nice for that," he waved it off afterwards, not missing her ongoing scowl at his words.
"Or are you going to disagree about that?" he asked coolly.
Ash turned her attention forward to the road they were following before letting out a grumpy sound.
"Well, no. You're right, I wouldn't shoot you. But I have other ways," she shrugged, determined not to lose her face.
"Granted, you'd probably blow me up before that," she added knowingly. She smirked as Dean moved his right hand to rub the brink of what was left of his nose.
"You're going to be using that for a long time, aren't you?" he asked with just the slightest hint of vexation.
"Yep."
They fell into silence after that, only the sound of their footsteps and the wind faintly blowing around them being heard. Familiar sounds to Ash anyway, but it wasn't Raul or Boone she'd see if she looked behind her. She did glance behind her, noticing how Dean seemed bothered by something, now that he assumed she wasn't looking. Probably not used to walking so far. It was afternoon, but at least a few hours until it would start getting dark.
Ash knew this well, after so much time out here. So when the sky started to get darker without it being close to actual evening, she got puzzled. She stopped suddenly, looking around, hearing Dean pause as well although he seemed less concerned and looked at her questioningly inquisitively.
"I hope it's not what I think it is," the woman muttered suddenly, as she thought she felt the wind had picked up as well now. And it was picking up fast.
"Think what is what?" Dean asked tersely.
Ash didn't answer him at first, as she suddenly left the road, heading towards a few large buildings further off, indicating marking an old, small village. As they approached it, a few startled birds flew up from the dirt covered streets. It seemed abandoned enough, but one couldn't be too sure. There were no fresh corpses or tracks of anyone, humans or animals. The only real sign of life, beyond the birds, were a few skeletons resting against one of the house walls.
She pulled out the pistol from its holster in her belt, just in case something'd jump up on them.
"Would you care to explain what you're doing?" Dean demanded now, keeping his hand on his pistol as well, although he hadn't moved it from its holster yet.
"Finding a shelter. There's a sandstorm coming and it's coming fast," Ash explained, as they moved through the main street fast. She couldn't hear or see anything, beyond the increasing wind around them.
"Hmph, perfect," Dean muttered annoyed, as it was indeed approaching them fast. What had been clear daylight before was now clouded and sand was already being whirled up wherever it could. A few wooden signs, hanging along the houses were creaking ominously, creating a rather eerie atmosphere even without the approaching sandstorm.
Ash stopped outside what seemed to be the main building, probably the village's former townhouse or something. She pushed the door open, wincing as the sand was now blowing up in her face and unlike Dean she didn't have any glasses to protect her eyes.
"Get in there!" she told Dean, after having peeked inside briefly. The ghoul obeyed with some reluctance; helping her shut the door once she had stepped inside as well.
"Like I said, things rarely go as planned…" Ash muttered, as she brushed the sand and dust off her shoulders and hair. Dean was doing the same, just in a more elegant matter while he looked around in the large hallway they had ended up in.
"For how long does those things usually last?" he asked, glancing down at her.
"Several hours, maybe more. It'll be dark in a few hours though, so we might as well rest of for the night," the woman shrugged calmly. "And hope the building's sturdy enough for a sandstorm. Come now, there should be a kitchen or something around here."
Next chapter will be quite amusing I think!
