"Wait, that's Rivet City?" Charon winces at how loud Treiy's voice is as he steps up beside her.
"Yes, and I highly suggest you don't alert any nearby enemies with your shrieking." Treiy smirks at him, noticing how his voice has taken on an almost teasing tone. In fact, she had noticed a lot since last night. His attitude had seemed to change from cold and detached, to a bit kinder and more sarcastic. Even if he decided to be a complete ass, at least he would be showing some emotion, she had decided.
"Whatever. I don't shriek." He scoffs as she starts up the stairs.
"Like a banshee." She stopped and looked back at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Banshee?"
"An old pre-war legend. I forget how it goes but-" The man at the top of the stairs, sitting cross-legged on the ground, interrupts Charon in a desperate voice.
"Do you have any water you can spare?" Just the sound of his voice makes Triey's face fall, and her happy tone disappears from her voice. She gets down on one knee and starts rummaging through her pack.
"Will any water do?" He shakes his head.
"I've been drinking this irradiated shit, but...I just can't do it anymore." Treiy bites her lip, looking as though she's about to cry.
"I'm sorry, but that's all I have." He sighs, and strangely enough he starts reassuring her that it's okay, since she's started tearing up and looks as though she's about to cry.
"You're the only one who's cared to try, anyway." He tells her.
Charon pulls the pack away from her, slinging it over his shoulder and pulling Treiy up and on her feet by her armpits. She gives the man a little wave as the bridge extends, and she follows Charon across it.
"I wish I had some water for him, I feel so terrible about it."
"If it'll make you feel better, we might find someone selling purified water in Rivet City. It's a slim chance though." Her face brightens a little bit as looks up at him, and he fights the urge to smile back down at her.
"What's your business in Rivet City?" The man at the bridge aims down his sights at the two, casting a wary glance at the tall ghoul standing behind Treiy.
"I'm looking for my father. He's a middle-aged man, salt and pepper hair-" The man cuts her off, lowering his gun when he notices Charon's homicidal glare.
"Listen, kid. I know everyone on the ship." Treiy quickly shakes her head, crossing her arms in annoyance.
"He's from a Vault, he came here looking for Doctor Li."
"The doctor?" the man's face brightens in recognition,"Right, she's in the Science Lab. There are signs all long the walls if you get lost." Treiy gives him a smile as she steps the rest of the way off the bridge.
"Thanks..."
"Harkness."
"Thank you, Harkness."
The two head up the staircase, and Charon stops Treiy,"We should stop by the ship's clinic. Your cut needs to be taken care of."
"Right." She casts wary glances at some of the ship's inhabitants, who are exchanging disgusted looks with each other as Charon and Treiy pass them by. She can hear them whispering, and finds herself wrapping her arms around herself self-consciously.
"What is that doing here?" She hears somebody hiss to their friend.
"I have no idea. You'd think Harkness wouldn't have let it in."
"Just looking at it makes me want to puke." Charon sent a glare in their direction, and the two quickly scuttled away into the room they were outside of.
"I don't get it." Treiy's quite voice piped up beside him. He had noticed how somber she had been since the problem with the water.
"What do you mean?"
"Why do people treat you like that?" Charon shrugs, watching as she turns the corner and stops, checking the signs along the wall.
"I'm a ghoul."
"And?" He looks at her in surprise.
"Ghouls aren't really...accepted. That's why most of us stay in Underworld, it's the safest place for us."
"Oh."
They step into the clinic, the doctor almost jumping out of his skin at the sight of the large ghoul in front of him. He didn't even seem to see the girl in front of him as she waved.
"Hello! Can you check out my cheek?" His head snaps in her direction, and he nods slowly, never taking his eyes off the ghoul.
He works quickly after he pulls the bandage away, grimacing at how infected she had let it get.
"What have you done so far?"
"Washed it out, then put the gauze on it. I didn't have much supplies, or else I could have fixed it up and I wouldn't even be sitting here." He raises an eyebrow at her, not knowing of her father's medical expertise and the fact that he had taught her almost everything she knew. Instead, he merely nods.
When he's done patching her up, he looks over at Charon,"He good?"
Treiy moves back from the doctor and turns to Charon, pressing a hand gingerly over where the bullet had been.
"You good?"
"Yes."
"You're not just saying that so we can get the hell out of here?"
He smirks,"No."
"Awesome." She turns to the doctor, fishing out her caps and trying to ignore the weird look he was giving the two.
Treiy stops in front of one of the doors, 'Science Lab' written in black letters above it. Her face brightens considerably as she gives Charon a small smile.
"He's in there. I'm going to see him again and everything will be okay." Whispering those words to herself she pulls the door open, stepping inside.
"Dad?"
"Who the hell are-" The woman that approaches them as they go down the stairs is in one of the lab coats. Her eyes widen as she looks at Treiy, her mouth hanging open slightly.
"You...you're James' daughter aren't you?" Treiy nods, giving the woman a big smile.
"Yes, ma'am. I'm actually looking for him, is he here?"
Charon wanders around the lab as Treiy talks to the woman. He was already disliking her. From the way she held herself to the way she spoke, it all basically screamed 'I'm better then you'. Of course, Treiy was being polite and kind, as she was to most people she met.
He sighs as he watches her, her blond hair pooling around her shoulders and her green eyes tearing up as her face fell. He could tell that she was receiving bad news. Her father was probably somewhere else in this Godforsaken wasteland.
He was right.
"H-He's at the Jefferson Memorial." She stutters, looking as though she's about to cry.
"What if he's not there either? What if I never find him?" She sounded so despaired, and Charon puts a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. We will find him." He rasps, nodding when she begins to calm down.
She waves a goodbye to the doctor as the two head out, and turns to Charon,"I feel terrible."
"Understandable. You have not been sleeping much. I've noticed you are also having nightmares." She flushes, looking at the walls as they start to the other set of stairs.
"Oh, right." It was true. She had been having terrible nightmares about her father dying horrid deaths out in the wasteland. She was always hoping that he was capable, since she was terrible at the whole combat thing. Of course, she had to remind herself that he had been raised out here, not her.
"You, girl. You don't look like one of the lab techs. No, too...weathered. Are you perhaps for hire?" The older man in the corner speaks out. She had been hoping that he would ignore her, since he had seemed the creepy type.
Ever the pleasant one, she merely sighs,"What are we talkin' 'bout here?"
He smiles, and she decides she doesn't like it.
"You see, I've misplaced some sensitive property. An android to be more precise."
She cocks an eyebrow,"Android?"
"Oh, yes. You probably don't know what an android is."
As he explains, she slowly gets the picture. The android...he's like a slave. I can't let this man find him. No.
"Sorry, I don't work with slavers." He shakes his head.
"An android is not a slave, it doesn't even have feelings."
"It obviously felt something to have run away, changed it's face, and had it's memory wiped. I'm not working for you." Zimmer glares at her, then shrugs, leaning back against the wall.
She quickly hurries off, looking back to make sure that Charon was behind her.
"Let's find someplace to crash for the night, I'm exhausted."
They find themselves at the Weatherly Hotel, and with a little coaxing Treiy gets the woman to accept Charon, and asks for an extra cot.
When they get to their room, Treiy barely gets her armor off before she collapses on the bed, letting out a groan.
"Ugh, I'm so sore." She grumbles, then falls silent. After a few minutes Charon expects she's gone to sleep, and moves quietly to retrieve his weapon.
He uses a spare rag in their pack and begins to clean it, something he rarely got the chance to under Ahzrhukal.
"Charon?" Treiy's soft voice cuts thorough he silence, and at first he beleives she's having another nightmare, but as she turns in the bed to look at him her eyes are wide open.
"What do you think of me?" He frowns, what's left of his eyebrows furrowing.
"What do you mean?" She sighs, rolling over to look up at the ceiling, folding her arms over her chest.
"I mean, am I as bad as Ahzrhukal?" He looks over at her incredulously. How can she even think that?
"No. You are significantly better than him. You are kind to me and others, you stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. You are better than most people out here, me including."
"But, I own you! Like a slave-"
"I am no one's slave, Treiy." Her face brightens, and she sits up in the bed, grinning at him wildly.
"That's it!" He frowns at her, believing that the girl's finally gone off her rocker.
"What do you mean?"
Her grin widens, and she wiggles her fingers at him,"Loopholes. I order you to speak your mind, do what you want, critique me if I'm doing something wrong or stupid, and speak up for yourself if you don't like what someone's saying about you."
He smirks at her. Damn, kid.
"If that is what you wish."
Treiy lays back in her bed, and is still smiling as she falls asleep.
Yay, Charon/Treiy bonding time in the bigoted Weatherly Hotel. Anyway, accidentally lied...again. We won't be meeting Dogmeat until a couple more chapters. Sorry. I'm terrible at this stuff.
This is Sylvia, signing off.
