Chapter Twenty-Six
"Fuck this place. Fuck this heat. Why did we do this?" Evelyn complained loudly, wiping sweat from her forehead. Charon didn't reply. He just kept walking. "This stupid Pip-Boy must be broken. It keeps telling me to go north. But we've been walking all fucking day in this blistering heat and there is no Jacobstown in sight." She took a few potshots at the large insects by the side of the road. "Just these fucking bugs of doom and the scary goat skull things."
"I could skin and dress them." Charon offered.
Evelyn swiveled around to glare at him. "We are NOT eating giant green bugs." She stated firmly.
"I was referring to the goats." Charon said, hiding a grin.
"Ew." Evelyn grumbled. "Oh my fucking god, there it is! Salvation is nigh!" She yelled happily. She began to run towards the settlement, stoping a few hundred feet away. Charon saw why.
"Mutants." She hissed. "At least three."
"They have spotted us." Charon observed.
"Shit." Evelyn snapped. "Why aren't they shooting at me then?"
"I do not know. Perhaps they are not hungry?" He offered.
"Was that a joke? Really?" Evelyn groaned. "Kiss a guy one time and he's a comedian."
"You kissed me more than once. Just today." Charon reminded her with a crooked grin.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes. "I regret it all. Smart ass." She growled. "But seriously, should we just... Walk up there?"
"I will." Charon decided. "If necessary, I will fall back."
"But they could shoot you!" She protested.
"A better outcome than if they were to shoot you." Charon pointed out.
"Um no." Evelyn said. "It's not."
"You are my employer. Your life is much more valuable than my own." He insisted, moving forward.
"You're an ass!" She snapped from behind him.
He ignored her, instead keeping his eyes on the mutants in front of them. As he got closer, he noticed one of them looked different. Something about its mouth. The mutants observed him but didn't start shooting. That was a good sign.
"What business do you have in Jacobstown?" The mutant with the strange mouth asked.
"My employer and I are searching for someone named Lily." Charon rumbled, his fingers itching for his gun. He balled his hands into fists instead.
"The human down the road is your employer?" The mutant asked. It was then that Charon realized his voice sounded much different than the mutants he was accustomed to.
"Yes."
"Tell your employer that anyone is welcome in Jacobstown, so long as they don't start trouble." The mutant informed him. Charon turned on his heel and returned to Evelyn.
"You are welcome inside the city so long as you do not start trouble." He informed her.
"Awesome." Evelyn sighed.
They walked up to the mutant Charon had spoken to previously and Evelyn gasped.
"Holy shit, you're ALL mutants?!" She yelped.
"Yes human. Jacobstown is a settlement for mutants. There is one other human here, and one other ghoul. Your friend says you are looking for Lily?" The mutant asked patiently.
"Uh yeah. Lily and someone named Mark? To read to her." Evelyn stated, her cheeks red.
"I am Marcus. I can read to Lily. But what am I reading?" The mutant asked.
Evelyn plopped her back down and dug through it, pulling out a wrinkled letter. "This is a letter from Amaya." She told him. "And just to get this out of the way, Amaya has passed away. She took her own life after writing these letters and entrusting them to me. I'm really sorry for your loss."
Marcus didn't bat an eye. "That is a shame. Amaya was a good person and a friend to Jacobstown." He told her. "I will read this to Lily. Come."
They followed Marcus further into the settlement before Evelyn had to smother a giggle. Before them was a mutant in a sun bonnet and red rimmed goggles, wearing the tattered remains of a shawl embellished with a faded daisy. To top it all off, she was indeed purple, Amaya had said that she was.
"Hello Dearie!" Lily bellowed.
"Hello?" Evelyn said hesitantly.
"What have you brought for Grandma today?" Lily asked, as pleasantly as she was able.
"I have a letter from Amaya? Marcus is going to read it to you. I'm Evelyn and this is Charon. We are going to give you some privacy okay?" Evelyn sounded very confused.
"You do that dearie. You should go meet Doctor Henry. He's a nice man." Lily suggested. "He's inside."
"I will, thanks." Evelyn said with a small smile. She and Charon walked a short distance before she turned to him. "That was the weirdest fucking thing ever."
She whispered.
"It was strange." Charon agreed.
"Let's go meet Doctor Henry I guess. I could buy some stims." Evelyn sighed, walking towards the large dilapidated resort. They walked inside and she squeaked.
"Oh look. More purple people eaters." She said quietly. Charon held back a snort.
"Can I help you?" One of the purple mutants asked awkwardly.
"Um. We're looking for Doctor Henry?" Evelyn said, tilting her chin up to look the mutant in the eye.
"The uhh good doctor is... Over there." The mutant grunted, pointing to the right. "Do not look at me!" It yelled suddenly.
"Oh! Sorry!" Evelyn yelped, looking away.
"It is all right human. I am sorry." The mutant grumbled, stomping away.
"What the fuck?" Evelyn asked Charon. He shook his head and they walked through the doorway the mutant had indicated.
The first thing they saw was a petite ghoul woman. She wore a black dress under a white lab coat. She had the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes Evelyn had ever seen. Those eyes were locked on Charon.
"Hello. Welcome to Jacobstown." She purred, extending her hand to Charon. He surveyed her a moment before taking her hand and smirking.
"Thank you." He rumbled.
"Where is Doctor Henry?" Evelyn snapped suddenly.
"Behind me." The woman said, not taking her eyes off of Charon.
Evelyn stared at them for a moment before huffing and seeking out the doctor.
"More interruptions? Always with the interruptions. Calamity! Who are these people?" An older man snapped irritably, as he spotted Evelyn approaching. Calamity ignored him, already in conversation with Charon.
"My name is Evelyn. And Lily told me to come find you." Evelyn explained.
"Did she now? By name?" Henry asked, suddenly interested.
"Yes?" Evelyn said.
"That's excellent progress. Her memory seems to be improving now that the cure has been administered." He mumbled.
"Do you have any medical supplies I can buy?" Evelyn asked, ignoring his strange mumbles.
"You'll have to speak to Calamity about that. She's talking with your friend over there. I say, he's a large ghoul isn't he?" The doctor blurted out.
They watched the ghouls chat back and forth, and Evelyn bristled when Calamity placed her small hand on Charons forearm. She was giggling and tilting her head flirtatiously, those big blue eyes sparkling. Charon still wore a smirk.
"Yep. He's a big guy." Evelyn agreed at last. "Calamity!"
The woman turned to look at her, looking irritated by the interruption. Evelyn strode over to her, drawing up to her full height. She dwarfed the petite ghoul.
"Henry said you could sell us medical supplies." She said stiffly.
"Of course human." Calamity told her with a simpering smile. Evelyn didn't like the way she said "human" and found herself bristling again.
"Well?" She snapped, her hand on her hip.
"What do you need human?" Calamity asked, smug that she had gotten a rise out of her.
"Stims, Radaway, bandages." Evelyn snarled.
"I have stims and bandages. No Radaway. I don't have to worry about that." Calamity said sweetly.
"Yeah well some of us have skin we would like to keep." Evelyn retorted.
"Skin is overrated human. Isn't it Charon?" The petite woman asked, flashing Charon those baby blues.
"I have gotten along without it well enough." Charon stated.
Evelyn pursed her lips. "Yeah well, that's great. I'm going to go see Lily. Why don't you just stay here with your new friend?" She said through her teeth.
"If that is what you wish." Charon replied, not even looking at her. Evelyn rolled her eyes and stormed out of the resort.
Lily was just outside, standing with Marcus.
"Hello dearie! My my you look cranky." Lily said happily.
"I'm fine, thanks Lily." Evelyn couldn't help but smile at the mutant.
"You can count on the support of the Super Mutants and Nightkin." Marcus told her.
"Nightkin?" Evelyn asked.
"Those like Lily." Marcus explained.
"Oh, purple mutants?" Evelyn asked. "I mean- Shit. I'm sorry." She added hastily.
"That's quite alright human." Marcus assured her. "What do you need us to do?"
"Um. Well, can you meet Arcade Gannon in New Vegas? At the Lucky 38?"
"We can." Marcus replied simply.
"Okay great. I'm sending everyone there. So head out whenever you're ready." She told him.
"Boys will never stop disappointing you dearie. You just have to find one that's worth it." Lily interrupted.
"Thanks Grandma." Evelyn said with a giggle. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You do that dear. Where are you staying tonight? I don't want you to catch a chill. Marcus dear why don't you show her where my pumpkins cabin was? I'm going to miss my pumpkin." Lily stated sadly.
"She loved you very much." Evelyn assured the forlorn looking mutant.
"I know she did. She sent you after all." Lily brightened up.
"I'll show you to Amaya's cabin, though I'm afraid only she had the key." Marcus told her. "I can remove the door easily though."
"No no, that's okay. I have her keys." Evelyn explained quickly.
"Very well." Marcus said, leading her to a small cabin across the courtyard. "Should I find other sleeping arrangements for your ghoul?"
"That's okay. He'll come looking for me soon. That's kind of his thing." Evelyn grumbled.
"Very well. Good night human." Marcus told her as she unlocked the door.
"Thank you Marcus!" She called after him. She stepped inside and closed the door. She looked around and cringed. What was up with Amaya and teddy bears?
She tossed three of them off the bed and threw her pack into the corner. She flopped down on the large bed. She kicked her boots off and tried to get comfortable. With a high pitched growl, she sat up and yanked off her armor. She felt a little exposed in a tank top and underwear but she figured not a whole lot of people tried busting into a city of super mutants.
She rolled around the bed restlessly. She was jealous and she knew it. Charon had talked to and smiled at that other woman. Did she have a right to be mad? He was only with her now because of this stupid contract.
She pulled the well worn piece of paper from her pack and looked at it. The words had long ago faded, but she wasn't ignorant to its significance.
Was she forcing him into this? Was she no better than the slavers she fought against? She resolved to be better in that moment. She refused to push anything on him. If he wanted to spend time with Calamity, that was his business. She didn't own him.
The door slammed open. She yelped and aimed her old pistol at the door. Charon stood in the doorway, looking relieved.
"I could not find you." Charon stated, staring at the paper in her hand.
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I should have let you know." She gulped, putting the pistol back under the pillow.
"You forgot your medical supplies. I procured them." He stated, indicating his pack.
"Oh, thanks Charon." She forced a smile.
"You are holding my contract." He pressed.
"Yeah. I was, uh, looking through my pack. I was about to put it away." She lied.
He just stared at her. It was clear he didn't believe her.
"Well Charon, I'm going to get some sleep. You should too. If you want." She said. He nodded. She rolled over and he turned off the light. She heard him shut the door and remove his combat armor. Her heart was beating so fast she thought he might be able to hear it.
He lay in the bed next to her. She held her breath. He slid closer and wrapped his arm around her.
"What are you doing?" She gasped.
He moved away from her instantly. "My apologies."
"What about Calamity?" She asked, rolling to face him. It was too dark to see him.
"What about Calamity?" He echoed back.
"You don't have to do this. I've been pushing you. And it's not fair." She told him.
He was silent for a long time. "You are going to sell my contract." He stated flatly.
"What? No!" She exclaimed. "You're allowed to fuck whoever you want. I'm not petty enough to sell your contract over that." She took a deep breath. "You're free to do whatever you want. All that I ask is that you have my back in combat."
Charon was quiet for so long, she thought he had fallen asleep. Just as she began to drift off, he pulled her to him. "You are mine." He said softly. He pressed a dry, rough kiss to her forehead.