The two didn't talk very much initially but Stone enjoyed Cait's company and they passed the time inhaling jet or popping pills. The fighter's eyes grew wide when Stone recounted her chemistry habits and some trust grew between them after Stone handed Cait a modified combat shotgun so she could better protect herself. Stone's lockpicking skills had earned Cait's respect as well. They had become friends rather fast on those grounds alone.
Stone figured the combat shotgun was a necessity considering they had stumbled across several corpses with a taunting bloodstained letter as they got closer to the gallery. In the back of her mind she wondered how much of a good idea it was to impress the mayor this way. Her face flushed when she thought about it and all reasoning faded away. A few weeks passed before they had actually found the gallery.
It was high noon when they came to Pickman Gallery and they quickly dispatched the nervously chatting raiders outside of the entrance. The overbearing scent of copper made both gag as they stepped through the doorway, but they picked off raiders back to back regardless. The air smelled of death and gun smoke as they nervously poked around the dilapidated house filled with rotting bodies and bloody canvases.
"This is suicide," Cait muttered as they crept through the house.
They spent about two hours clearing out the house and marveling in horror at the artwork. They finally came the final basement room where they saw a group of raiders around who Stone guessed was Pickman. Instinctively, she shot the attackers in the head and Pickman remained eerily calm as he approached and thanked her. Cait stared at her in stunned disbelief, remaining silent as Pickman talked.
After handing her the key, Stone scurried out of the cellar with Cait in tow. Out on the rooftop, Cait glowered at her.
"What the fuck was that all about?" her eyes were glowing coals and Stone shirked away from her.
"It was just instinct and then…I dunno, I froze," she pulled the key out of her pocket and dangled in front of Cait, "At least it wasn't in vain."
Cait huffed at her as Stone climbed down from the roof, "Protectin' people like that is goin' to get us killed, Stone. So what was the point of clearing out that shitehole?"
"It's was a job," Cait furled her brow in disbelief before Stone continued, "which pays about 400 caps. Two hundred are yours for the help."
"Well, why didn't you say so? Who'd you do the job for then?" Cait followed behind as they circled back around to the entrance of the gallery for the reward.
"Mayor Hancock."
When the two had gotten back to Goodneighbor, the sun was low in the sky. Stone's face was gaunt as she and Cait made their way to The Third Rail. As they settled at the bar, she signaled for Whitechapel Charlie and asked for a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
The two girls split the bottle, telling tales about the past and getting more boisterous as the bottle emptied. Stone took out some jet and sighed longingly after a deep hit. She looked around for the mayor, grimacing when she didn't see the red frock.
Cait cocked her brow at Stone and smirked knowingly, "Looking for the Hancock?"
Her pale face instantly becoming florid, Stone stammered her response and elicited a laugh from Cait.
"It'll happen eventually. After all, you are his lackey now."
Stone's eyes twinkled, admiring the idea. She popped a mentat in her mouth and handed one to Cait.
"Why don't you go tell him about the Pickman Gallery? Stop playin' around and go find him." Cait brazenly leaned forward pulling Stone's head forward, "After all, I have your back. Go an' get 'em girlie."
~~~This was a rushed chapter…and you can probably tell. I'm trying to get back into the habit of writing, and I'm currently working on another tale since I started a new character profile. That story will be up soon too.~~