(Charon's POV)
I turned around to see an obnoxious-looking little scab of a boy around Minion's age, with greased-back hair and a black leather jacket. He was smirking widely, and I knew just by looking at him that it was only a matter of seconds before he pissed me off. Minion heaved a sigh and turned around slowly, hunched over like a child who'd been called out by a bully. The girl named Amata had already disappeared again.
Minion straightened up and put on a fairly neutral face. "Yooo, Butch. What's happening?"
"Man, you look tough. I guess that's what the outside does to you, huh - GAHH, THE FUCK IS THAT?!"
I growled and started towards him with my fists clenched tightly but Minion linked arms with me to keep me at bay. "This is Charon," she chirped, suddenly in a good mood. "Chaaaa-rooon. He's my best friend! Try not to piss him off. He's kinda grumpy sometimes."
I rolled my eyes.
The boy called Butch shivered a tad and turned his attention back to my employer. "Anyway, listen to this: I'm really, really sick of this dump. I wanna get out there where you go, and start a gang or something. It'll be like so rad. But since that shit-head won't let anyone leave, it can't happen! You gotta help us, babe. I know I was an ass to you before, but it was all in good fun, yeah? I respect you now - you seem like you could kick some serious ass!! So whaddaya say?"
He seemed excited, once he got talking. He talked kind of like Minion when after too many Nuka-Colas. I dreaded the thought of accompanying two bouncy numskulls as they paraded the wastes. If she could help these morons, he'd better just go on his own way and leave us alone. One Minion was enough.
A loud, evil snicker from my left distracted me. I sighed, knowing that this was all about to go downhill.
"Don't worry, Butchie," said Minion darkly, her bangs masking part of her face. "I plan on giving the Overseer a good talk. ...You know, Butch, 'talk?'"
A slow grin crept over the boy's face. These two could have been siblings for all their disturbing similarities. "Heh heh. Yeah. I get'cha."
"Soon, all of your problems will be gone," said Minion, dreamily waving her hands in an arc. "C'mon, Charon. Let's go." She turned from the boy and I followed, glad to finally be rid of him.
"That boy is a nuisance," I said, as we made our way through the maze-like corridors of the vault.
"Pfft, tell me about it," she laughed, popping a new piece of gum into her mouth. "Asshole never left me alone when we were kids. It was always 'Tunnel Snakes this' and 'Tunnel Snakes that' and 'dumbass dyke.' I did kick his ass, though, a few years back." She smiled fondly as she recalled the memory. "Hehe, he and his cronies were picking on Amata and I kinda lost it. I was a lot less violent back then, but hey, he provoked me."
We stopped in front of a unique door in a sort of dead end. "That girl..." I started, unsure where I was going with this. "You still have feelings for her?"
Minion seemed caught off-guard. Her face turned pink and she frowned and started to stammer as the doors opened. "Yeah. Well, uh- um, I mean, no!! She doesn't care about me like that. She's too bloody straight for her own good. It's really, um -" she jerked her face towards me and I watched with mildly wide eyes. "L-like, why do you care anyway?! Blehh!" She stuck her tongue and I chuckled, which only pissed her off more. Damn girl was more confused than ever. If only she'd just let Amata go.
"Ahem," came a stern voice from in front of us. We both ceased our bickering and snapped our eyes to the front. There was an older man before us, with a pair of security guards on either side of him.
"Oh hi," grumbled Minion.
"Well, if it isn't Lindsay," he said in a very pompous voice. "And some trash from the wastes." I leered at him but kept silent. "I will speak to you alone, daughter of James. And you will leave your weapons with your disgusting companion. Clear?"
She growled deeply and threw her guns and items to the ground at our feet. "Sounds great to me." She spat her gum off to the side. "I love walking into traps."
I nearly choked on the ironic truth to that one.
"Minion I do not think that this is a very wi-"
"Later, Red." She cut me off and stepped into the room with the three men. I inhaled as the doors closed her inside. This was bad, very bad. I couldn't leave her in there alone. She was more than just an employer to me now, she was ...as ridiculous as this is going to sound, she was right - she was my best friend.
