"What in the goddamn-" Courier Six swore, massaging her temples with one hand as she rests her Pip-boy laden arm on the floor. She was resting in the corner of the ruined church the Hestia Familia called home, slumped against the wall and sitting on the floor.
Once she brought Bell home, Hestia rushed him down to the basement they lived in and put him to bed. She invited the Courier in, but Six preferred to wait up here for them, not wanting to intrude in the small space. To pass the time, she had decided to read the subject logs the Think Tank had for Gabe Junior. She just finished reading the reports of what the psychopaths had been doing, and came away with a migraine the size of said deathclaw.
"Fucking IDIOTS! Why would you turn a deathclaw into a damn near immortal, sadistic, frenzied, voracious…" Six seethed, carrying on for a while like this.
Eventually, Six slouched further, too tired to deal with this. At least I listened to Fels. If I hunted Junior without knowing this, there's a good chance I'd have been killed. And if he was right and the deathclaw was getting stronger, she should do the same. Maybe one of these Familias will be the key.
It was still a strange concept to Six. The world worked on science and reason, yet this place seemed hellbent on proving her wrong. Six would have dismissed the idea immediately if she hadn't seen Fels grinning skull under his hood. It's okay, she reasoned, I've dealt with aliens before. This should be no different. Gods, magic, there had to be some underlying logic behind it, even if she couldn't see it.
At this, her thoughts turned to her home. This place was a paradise for the wastelander, but it was technologically primitive compared to the ruins of America. Part of her wanted to bring the citizens of New Vegas here and adventure across the thriving world, yet a larger part was telling her it'd be better to leave and shut down the transporter satellite permanently. It didn't take a genius to guess what would happen if people learned about an area of abundant resources inhabited by people who've never seen a gun, much less an energy weapon.
I'll have time to deal with this later. Shaking her head, Six sat back up, and lost herself in weapon maintenance while she waited for the boy and his goddess to wake up.
"Thank you for bringing Bell home."
Hestia's voice broke through the Courier's focus, and she looked up from the kinetic storage device of Oh Baby! that she was currently tuning.
"Don't thank me, it was part of a deal we made."
"Yes, Bell told me. I find it hard to believe, you bring him home and offer to help him grow stronger, but you only want to ask a few questions in return. What's your angle?"
Six let out a low chuckle.
"Angle? I'm head-on, flat out, all stops pulled, full steam ahead. I'm facing a one-of-a-kind monster, and I'm playing to win. Information is just the first step. Being able to question a god is an opportunity I need to take advantage of."
Hestia looked at Six strangely. She didn't speak a lie, and if she's hunting a powerful, unique monster, does that mean she's hunting the Black Dragon? Surely, she knows that a low-class Familia like her own isn't the best place to start.
"Alright. Since you helped Bell, you may ask me whatever you want. I won't be back for a couple of days, so now is your chance."
Six took a second to compose her thoughts, before finally deciding on a question.
"What does joining a Familia entail?"
"You don't know? I guess it depends on the god. Some want you around all the time, regularly update your Falna, some are more independent and let members do their own thing. Some gods like a small, cozy Familia, some want to have a company under them. But when a god gives you their blessing, it means they accept you as one of their own."
"Are the blessings that gods give any different?"
"No, any god can give the Falna. Shouldn't you know this?"
Hestia was confused, but she was getting excited. If she is asking these questions, it might mean she want to join her Familia!
"How does one learn magic?"
"Yes! You- urgk!"
Hestia was so eager at the idea that Courier Six might want to join, she was thrown off at the change in topic and the question she anticipated didn't come.
"M-most people are either born with it or learn a spell by using a grimoire, though some people who are lucky can develop it through the Falna."
"I see."
Six probably wasn't born with it, considering that she didn't see anyone with magic in her world, and if a grimoire could teach magic, it was probably expensive. At least she was naturally lucky. Her casino winning streaks were legendary on the strip, not to mention the fact that she managed to survive her adventures.
"I think I need to join a Familia."
"You can join mine!"
Six looked at the excited goddess. While her initial idea was to take this blessing, the goddess needed to know what Six wanted.
"Are you sure? I need to be independent. I need the ability to refuse a request you give me. I need to work alone. I need to go to the deepest reaches of the Dungeon. You need to be okay with the fact that I might be gone for a month or longer with little to no warning. I need to be able to leave once my goal is fulfilled. We will not see each other after that."
Hestia felt stricken. While she desperately wanted another Familia member, especially one as capable as this Courier seemed, their desires were almost polar opposites.
"I-I can't give you that. Since you're helping Bell and gave him medicine, I can ask around when I go to the Banquet of the Gods tonight."
"Thanks, Hestia. By the way, since you're up here, does that mean Bell is ready?"
Hestia perked up at the mention of her Child.
"Yes! He's incredibly excited to begin training. One more thing before I leave," Hestia exclaimed before dropping her voice and giving Six the cutest glare the wastelander ever received.
"If you try to seduce my Bell, I'll rain divine punishment upon you!"
A pin could drop in the silence that followed, and have been the loudest noise on the block. It continued for a couple seconds before Six couldn't help it anymore, and began laughing.
"You-you think I want to- Bell? He's what, thirteen? A bit young, no? I know the wasteland is uncivilized, but I still have standards."
"I'm fourteen," Bell stated, emerging into the rundown building, and Hestia went beet red. "Why are you asking about my age?"
"No reason! I gotta go! Train hard!"
Hestia booked it. Bell looked at the still-laughing Courier confused, before asking,
"We are training today, right?"
Composing herself, Six stood up, stretching.
"Yep. I'm gonna warn you. It will be brutal."
"I'm ready."
"Alright, let's see what I'm working with. Stab my arm."
Six was taking off the armor on her arms, putting it and her coat on a pew, revealing the pale, scarred flesh beneath. It had been a while since they had seen sunlight, it seemed. Then, Bell's brain caught up with what she said.
"I don't want to stab you!"
"Too bad. Right here, as hard as possible."
Reluctantly, Bell jabbed his knife at her forearm. To his surprise, it slid off her skin, doing no damage.
"Pathetic. Geckos bite harder than that."
Now, Bell put effort into his stab. This time was no different than the last.
"Oh, maybe you could kill a mantis."
With the goading of Six, Bell stabbed, with all the force he could muster. This time, he made a faint scratch on the Courier.
"Hmm. I see. Your stabbing technique needs work. At that angle, you're more likely to break that shoddy blade than pierce a hard target. Let me show you."
At the Courier's instruction, Bell was learning how to properly wield his dagger. They spent a couple hours like this, Bell slashing at the Courier's arms before she gave him corrective advice. Around noon, Bell gasped. The last line he left on the Courier stuck around longer than the rest, and ever so slowly a crimson fluid leaked out from the shallow cut.
"Miss Six! I did it!"
"Congratulations, Bell. Let's get some lunch, then we can start training."
The words caused Bell to freeze. Start training? What have they been doing?
"You had to be able to tell if you landed a solid hit before we started actually training. So, I had to teach you how to cut."
Bell sagged, before he perked back up.
"Oh, I know where we can go for lunch!" He froze again, before realizing," I forgot to pay!"
He ran inside long enough to grab his wallet before sprinting out the door. Six kept pace with him, sliding her coat over her now reequipped armor.
Oh no. Six recognized the bar Bell ran to. Hesitating outside, Six decided to go in, hoping they would let bygones be bygones.
"Well, I do appreciate you going through so much trouble to bring me this. Yeah, because if you hadn't, I'd have had to find your ass and collect on the payment myself."
Walking into the tavern to see Bell apologize to a built woman in a blue uniform, it was immediately made obvious that they would not. The woman in blue pushed Bell and the grey-haired waitress behind her, while the other waitresses hurried out of the kitchen and stopped serving the small lunch crowd, drawing various weapons, including the elf Six …met… on the roof.
"Uh, table for two please?"
"Sorry, girl, I don't serve people who attack my staff."
The one in blue glared down at Six.
"In my defense, I didn't want to fight."
"Miss Six, what did you do?" Bell asked from behind the large woman.
"You know this woman, Bell?" the grey-haired one asked, shooting Bell a suspicious look.
"She is dangerous, Mr. Cranel. How do you know her?"
The elf that clashed with Six spoke, glancing at the knife on Six's hip.
"She's my teacher!" Bell spoke up.
Slowly, Six took Blood-nap off her hip, and placed it on the ground, trying to appear as unthreatening as possible. Oh Baby! joined it on the ground shortly after and Six raised her hands to show she was (hypothetically) disarmed.
"Ryuu, pick them up."
"Yes, Mama Mia."
The now named elf picked the weapons up, and put them behind the counter. Mama Mia spoke once Ryuu was done.
"Anya, Chloe. Prepare a meal for Bell and his guest. The three of us are going to have a chat."
The tension left the room slowly as the staff got back to work, and the few patrons let out a sigh of relief.
"Why were you on my roof?"
"I needed a place to sleep."
"You could have rented a room," Mia sent her a glare.
"I doubt you accept caps as payment."
"And you attacked Ryuu."
"It was self-defense. She swung a sword at me when I tried to leave, and I had other plans for the day. I was pretty merciful, I thought."
"You blinded and deafened her for half the day."
"I left her alive, didn't I?"
The cold statement brought a silence around the table, and Mia grew angrier. Then Bell spoke, having been quiet while the two women were talking.
"Miss Six… Are you homeless?"
"My home… I suppose I'll tell you, Bell. My home is a war-torn wasteland. If you don't die in the desert, the monsters inhabiting it will kill you. But even worse than the monsters are the people. There are cannibals, murderers, slavers, and rapists that roam around. If someone wrongs you, you kill them, to protect you and yours. If you are lucky, you might be able to live a meager life in a civilized community. So yes, I defended myself, and I was quite forgiving."
The boy looked shocked at the Courier's words. Mia deflated; anger fading.
"Fine. No lasting harm was done, so if you behave from now on, and order a large meal, you're forgiven. By me, at least."
The next moment, one of the cat women on staff placed down a plate laden with noodles and a couple slices of white meat, while Syr placed an identical meal in front of Bell.
"Here you go, nyah. Dig in!"
Shrugging, Six poked at her meal, unsure what she was being served. There wasn't a lot of white meat in the wasteland, and she wasn't sure what was acceptable here yet.
"What kind of meat is this?"
She received a strange look from the server.
"It's pork, nyah. From a pig. Why are you asking, nyah?"
"The hell's a pig?"
The table took a moment to look at Six in confusion. How'd she not know what a pig was?
Not liking the silence, Six spoke again.
"Uh… I would prefer to only eat things with four or more legs. Are pigs what people call those animal people?"
Apparently, it was the wrong question to ask. The staff paled as the nature of Six's question sunk in, Bell looked on in confusion, and the cat girl took a step back, looking sickened as she asked her question.
"Ma'am… Have you eaten people before?"
"Not knowingly. I don't eat meat I don't recognize. I have shut down three separate cannibal rings though, so rest assured, I don't tolerate it."
Bell finally understood what Six was asking, and the boy was unhappy with her question.
"Miss Six, eww! Please don't joke about that! A pig is just a farm animal!"
"Right. Sorry. My …joke… was in bad taste."
The tension left the room when Bell unwittingly convinced them it was a bad joke. She forgot that people are probably a little less understanding about accidental cannibalism when it probably hasn't happened to them.
"Was that… a cannibalism pun?"
Syr spoke up, having brought a plate of food for Bell. Six just grinned before tasting the slice of pork, pleased at its taste. The attempt at humor restored the jovial atmosphere of the bar, and most of the staff returned to their jobs, while Syr hung by Bell's side, talking with him, and Ryuu standing back glaring at Six between tasks.
"Hey Bell."
"Yes, Miss Six?"
"Could you cover my bill? I don't have any money."
Once back at the church, Bell and Six readied for training.
"Alright Bell. We're going to spar. We're going to keep going until you draw blood. This time, I won't be standing still. I'll have no armor on, so anywhere you hit is fair game."
In the open area in front of the church, Six stood in a shirt and pants, with boxing tape wrapped around her fists.
"When do we begin."
"Now."
Six lunged at the boy, throwing a left hook. Bell was flung to the ground, before scrambling to his feet, and barely dodged the next punch. He leapt forward, thrusting his knife at Six, before the blade was knocked to the side, and a fist slammed into Bell's gut.
"Grk!" Barely keeping his lunch down, Bell was caught by Six's follow up, and was knocked down.
"Get up."
Bell stood back up, and lunged in with his knife. He dodged the next punch, and stabbed at his mentor. The blade rolled off of her shoulder, no blood drawn. He went for another jab, before he was shoved away.
This continued for a while, Bell trying to attack, only to be forced away, and be hit or barely dodge. Every strike he made was towards center mass. He obviously had only really fought monsters before, and she punished him for it.
"I'm not mindless, Bell," Six said as she threw him down again. "I see what you're doing, and I can make a counter strategy."
Again, he launched himself towards her, only to be tossed back, but each time was becoming less and less telegraphed, if only slightly.
"You keep attacking like I'm a monster, but you lack the power for a kill. Joints, tendons, disabling shots. Those are a knife's bread and butter. Go for critical damage."
His eyes widened as he took in the information. He finally realized that he only stabbed towards a monster's magic stone, and how much easier it would be to fight large opponents if he could cripple them.
With a shout, he leapt at her. For the first time, he feinted, using his speed to drop into a roll behind Six. This was his chance. He lashed out his knife at her unprotected knee, eager for his first real hit in this spar.
It never came. Six spun quickly and kicked him, launching him into the wall of the church. He bounced off, wheezing on the ground as Six stood over him. A hand reached down, and she spoke as she helped him up.
"Good! You're smaller than me, so use it to your advantage. It's good to see you using a feint without instruction. You're learning quickly."
"Are we done for today?"
The sun was just setting, and Bell was exhausted. He'd been trying hard, she'll give him.
"Well, I've got to start looking for a Familia tomorrow, so this may be your last chance to train with me, if I find one. Up to you."
At that, Bell picked his knife back up and took a stance, and Six grinned smugly.
"That's what I thought. Come on!"
Six helped the bruised and battered kid down the stairs and into the bed. He fell asleep as soon as he laid down, and Six took it easy on their couch. He's getting better, and he's got gumption, but he's still a rookie. He didn't manage to draw blood today, but he could do some serious damage if he had a saturnite combat knife. She briefly entertained the idea of giving him one, but until he improved further, it was more likely he'd get mugged for it. Not to mention, there wasn't much benefit for her if she gave him a knife that can cut almost anything, nor did he have enough valuables to trade for it, even though he paid for lunch.
He offered to take her down to the Guild tomorrow and show her how to exchange her magic stones for Vallis, and despite the fact that she could probably figure it out on her own, it was amusing to see how much the boy wanted to help her. He didn't feel that he repaid her yet, which, considering that she broke his ribs, only amused her further.
During their training, they took a couple breaks, and Bell asked her some questions about her home. She kept it vague, telling him about the Independent Mojave Wasteland, and she confirmed for him the three cannibal covens she hunted down, and the boy looked at her like she was a hero.
It was nice, and it's why she kept it vague and cut him off whenever he asked deeper questions. She wasn't a hero, and everyone in the Mojave knew better than to believe in heroes.
The next morning, the streets were busy as the two of them headed towards the Guild. They passed the Hostess of Fertility, and Syr called out to the pair of them. After enduring a session of Syr's flirting, Bell was given a lunch made by the girl, and they went on their way.
"You know, if you are aiming for Wallenstein, it's probably best to let her know that. Let her down gently and all that."
"M-Miss Six! Why would you say that?!"
"I guess you could have a backup, she is quite cute."
"Stop teasing me!"
The lighthearted banter continued the rest of the way. Once at the Guild building, Bell took her to the desk to exchange magic stones, and while waiting in line, Six heard someone call for her.
"Miss Courier, over here please!"
The pink haired attendant that registered her was waving her over. Misha, if she recalled correctly.
"Take care, Bell. I gotta go see what Misha needs. Don't die in the dungeon."
Bell waved her off, and Six began following Misha into a private room. They sat down and Misha began talking.
"It's good to see you're alright. I thought you'd come back sooner to find a Familia. I kinda, sorta, forgot to get you completely registered, so we should do that."
Six sighed. She knew it was too easy when she stopped at the guild.
"What do you need from me?"
"Well, we need a blood sample to confirm your Familia, but we can wait until you join one before we take it so you don't have to pay the extra fee for updating your registration. There's some extra information for you to fill out, as well as a quick portrait that we need to take for your official files. This will be shown on any announcements that involve you, such as level up notices. We can also run through the various Familia that you may want to join, and go through Dungeon basics so that you can go past the fifth floor."
Oh. Right. She wasn't supposed to go down very far. The rest of it seemed pretty standard, but if she was supposed to wait for someone to draw a portrait of her, it may take a while.
"Alright, let's get this over with."
"Name."
"Courier Six."
"Age."
"Twenty-five-ish." At the look she received, she shrugged. "It's all I got."
"Birthplace."
"Unknown."
"Age of first blessing."
"Unknown."
It went like this for a while, Misha asking a question, and Six giving the best answer she could, which usually wasn't much. Afterwards, Misha noticed that Six didn't pay too much attention during their discussion of the Dungeon, but still seemed to absorb the information she was talking about. She didn't get a sinlge question wrong on the quiz afterwards!
Not that there necessarily was supposed to be a quiz, but Misha was getting a little frustrated and petty after the Couriers nonchalant attitude towards the whole affair. It wasn't until they got to the topic of Familias that Six seemed to perk up.
"So, what are you looking for in a Familia, Six?"
"Independence, and going deep into the Dungeon."
Misha hummed in thought.
"Well, you could always apply for the big exploration Familias. Both Loki and Freya go into the deep floors, though both require members to be available around the clock. Freya in particular seems a bit clingy. Hephaestus Familia often goes with them on deep dives, and they offer more freedom than most Familia, but it's really for smiths."
Misha looks through a registry, commenting on various Familia as she flips through the pages.
"Hermes would be a good fit, I think, but he hasn't been in the city for a while."
"Ishtar has strong members, but do NOT go to them."
"Oh, this seems promising. The Soma Familia. Apparently, they allow their members a great deal of freedom, and they are allowed to work with other Familias. Primarily an exploration Familia, they dabble in production, and their members hold other various jobs."
Her face scrunched up as she continued.
"But… They always seem a bit jumpy, and always seem to need more money. If you decide to go there, here's their location, and a Guild recommendation."
Six internally raised an eyebrow, comparing the noted behavior to the addicts around Freeside. I might as well try. If it's on the level, it might be a good fit.
"Thanks for the help, Misha. I'll come back once I get into a Familia."
As she was about to leave, she paused, before reaching into her coat and pulling out a large bag filled with magic stones.
"Where do I cash these in?"
Misha took the bag, and started looking into it, and led the Courier down to the counter outside.
"Follow me. The counter is- Miss Six. Is this an Orc's magic stone? From floor ten? Even though you weren't permitted to go down there before our session today?"
At the look of Misha, Six felt a little worried. Why did she care that some random person was worried about her? Was she going soft?
"Uh- I- A guy named Fels was with me. He said he was with the Guild, so I thought it was fine."
Misha's face scrunched up. "Fels? I don't know any guild employees named Fels. And he shouldn't be in a Familia if he's in the Guild." She shot a pointed look at Six. "You need to be less trusting."
Six almost laughed at the statement, taking it to mean she really was losing her edge in this place. But she was a little unsettled. Who was Fels, if he wasn't with the Guild? She gave him a lot of information, so she needed to find out, sooner rather than later.
Six found herself staring at the compound that made the Soma Familia's home. It was fairly clean, but there was a faint scent of alcohol on the air, and some of the windows were bars. Stepping to the front door, a large man stopped her.
"What's your name and business?"
"The name's Courier Six. I'm looking to join a Familia, and I was recommended the Soma Familia."
The man looked her up and down, taking in her armor and weapons, before replying.
"Anybody know you were coming?"
She shook her head.
"Figures. Wait a moment."
He went inside, and after a few moments, he stepped back out with another person.
"Greetings. I am Zanis, captain of the Soma Familia. You are here to join us, correct? Please, follow me."
He lead Six through the main building, up the stairs and into a room with a man stirring a pot of wine.
No, not a man, Six narrowed her eyes, that's Soma.
"Before we get into negotiations, let's have a drink."
As if it took all the effort he could muster, Soma glanced up at her from his work, before merely ladling out a cup before handing it to Zanis. It was then offered to Six, who hesitantly took it.
Briefly, Six thought it might be poisoned, before shaking it out of her mind. If it was, Soma wouldn't be so intent on it. And Misha wouldn't recommend a Familia that poisons their recruits, right? It's all a moot point, it'd have to be a poison stronger than anything she's encountered to actually kill her.
It helped she was getting curious. It was like one of those fine wines pre-war people went nuts over. She downed the drink, and Zanis smirked.
"It's good, yes? It's Soma's perfect wine, one sip, and you'll do anything for another. I think you'll work out here wonderfully. Soma, would you give her the Falna?"
Heaving a sigh, Soma pulled away from the vat of wine to face the pair. The god had stopped caring at this point. This always happened, mortals were simply children that couldn't resist his wine.
"I've never understood people's obsession with wine. It just tastes like crappy fruit, and it's too weak to get you wasted fast enough."
At the Courier's remark, both Zanis and Soma froze. Zanis had planned to use the god's perfect wine to entrap the Courier within the Familia. He didn't expect the Courier to simply shrug off what should have been an instant addiction. How could he have known that, between her synthetic heart filtering out the most dangerous chemicals and her augmented brain preventing chemical dependencies, she was insanely Chem Resistant? Zanis was speechless at the lack of effect the drink had on her, as well as her criticism at what should be the perfect drink.
Soma, on the other hand, was indignant, and felt a rising anger. How dare this insignificant, irreverent, MORTAL speak this way about my work?! How dare she speak down to me, the god of drink! He spoke to her in a low, cold voice. "What could you know of wine?"
Six shrugged, "Not much, I'll be honest. It takes a lot for me to get drunk now, so I have to make some of my own alcohol. You could try some if you want."
Soma calmed as he listened to her. She simply wasn't a wine person. He understood, it's why he devoted himself to his craft in Tenkai, as he didn't care for the drink of choice of most other gods. Then, he was struck by a realization. She was completely sober. No other mortal who tried his drink- hell, not even other gods were this unfazed by his drink. He was the only one who could think clearly after tasting it.
Slowly, Soma turned his thoughts back to her question. She was a brewer like himself, what art would she have crafted to indulge herself. He eagerly nodded.
At his acceptance, Six reached into her coat and pulled out three bottles of brownish-red liquor. She handed a bottle each to Zanis and Soma, grinned, and remarked, "Now, THIS will put some hair on your chest."
Wasting no more time, Six cracked open the bottle and started chugging. Gulping, Zanis looked at the bottle, and took a tentative drink. The taste was appalling. It was disgusting, and much stronger than Soma's drink. He sputtered, trying to cough up the mouthful he swallowed, his head already spinning.
Soma looked at the Courier who was almost finished with her bottle, and looked dismissively at Zanis. He had already proved that he couldn't resist Soma's craft, so if he reacted this strongly, it had to be near his level of refinement, right?
He took a small sip, planning to swirl the liquid to fully absorb the flavor, but soon regretted it as it coated his tastebuds. It felt acidic, the taste was almost metallic, yet it was surprisingly invigorating once you got past the taste. It was strong too, stronger than his wine. He swallowed the drink. This wasn't an art like his. This was made for the sole purpose of becoming intoxicated. He surprised himself when he took another pull from the bottle. He hated the flavor, but he could almost ignore it if he drank quickly and focused on the rising warmth in his gut. It wasn't long before he began to feel a slight buzz.
"W-what foul concoction is this? A-are you trying to poison Lord Soma?" Zanis sputtered from his seat.
"It's a Sierra Madre Martini. It's not for everyone, I guess."
"Zanis. Leave us," Soma spoke.
"But sir! I am the cap-"
The protest was cut off by Soma, "You cannot handle your drink. I wish to discuss my craft with another. You will leave."
Six watched as the captain shuffled out of the room, before turning to Soma.
"A bit harsh, you could be a little nicer, you know. He seemed worried."
Soma scoffed, "He was worried because he couldn't control you. Enough about him, where'd you learn to make this?"
Six was a bit concerned about Zanis's behavior, and the fact that the god didn't seem to object to it, she answered.
"A greedy old man who lived in a poisoned city taught me the recipe. What'd you think about it? It feels good, yeah?"
"Indeed, I feel quite invigorated. It tastes abhorrent, though. How long have you dedicated yourself to it?"
"Dedicated myself? I just mix some up every now and then. It takes a lot to get me drunk, so usually I only drink it if I want to get wasted. If I just want a little buzz or if I'm drinking with my companions, I brew some Wasteland Tequila or some of Cass's Moonshine."
"I see. Do you happen to have either of those on you as well?"
"Yeah, give me a minute."
After a couple seconds of rummaging, Six offered two bottles to the god, and pulled some out for herself as well. It'd been a while since she got drunk, and she wanted to blow off some steam from the whole "the Think Tank accidentally bio-terrorized a parallel world and now magic exists" situation.
"Here you go. So, what else do you brew, Soma?"
Soma took a sip of the one labelled moonshine first, and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. There was some exotic fruit he'd never tasted before in it, and he found himself liking the flavor.
"I focus solely on perfecting my wine. Why bother on anything else?"
At this, Six frowned. "That's a shame. I'd have loved to try any whiskey or something you made. And why limit yourself to just one goal? It seems like you'd get bored, or hit a road block and get frustrated. Do any of your Familia members brew? They might have branched out a bit, yeah?"
Soma frowned. Did any of his Children brew? He would assume so, but he wasn't sure.
"I'll have Zanis get anything else we might have. What was your name again?"
Zanis was on edge. Some stranger walked into their Familia's headquarters, and now everything was wrong. His plan has worked countless times to coerce someone into their service, and his plan to sell the new recruit to another Familia was stopped dead in its tracks by her completely resisting Soma's wine.
Now, this 'Courier' was sharing drinks with Soma, who for some reason was treating her as an equal. Whatever was happening was out of character for his god. The only explanation was that she bewitched him somehow! Suddenly, he was thrown out of his thoughts as the door opened again. Soma looked at him and gave an order for the second time in years.
"Zanis, bring me different liquors from the Familia. We wish to sample them."
The order was unbelievable. Soma, wishing to sample other drinks? He watched as the door slowly swung shut, and Soma sat down, looking at the Courier with rapt attention as she spun some manner of tale for the god.
He moved from his position outside of the room and numbly walked towards the breweries inside of the compound. He had no choice but to bring his master the selection of alcohol they had. If this Courier joined them, his position of power was in jeopardy, especially with the favor Soma showed her. He started laying a plan in his mind, he needed to dispose of the unknown variable, but he'd also need a scapegoat. His thoughts towards a specific runaway who fit the bill perfectly.
"Here you are, Lord Soma. The brewers were ecstatic that you'd try their drink. But Miss Liliruca Arde was quite particular that Miss Courier Six tried her bottle of beer."
The lie flew off his tongue easily. The bottle he offered the Courier was spiked with the poison of a Poison Vermis from the lower floors. Upon drinking the bottle, she would drop over dead, and he could simply point towards the runaway. Soma wouldn't know, and no one in the Familia would dare call him out.
When Six took the bottle, she eyed it intensely. Zanis started fidgeting nervously, afraid she'd discover the tampering.
"Hey! Soma! What's with this bottle of beer!"
Soma cocked his head as Zanis panicked internally. He was about to deny anything strange about it when she spoke again.
"It's cold! Are you supposed to drink beer cold?"
Zanis held back a breath of relief, too busy worrying to be confused at the Courier's question. He was hurrying out of the room, but he almost tripped when he heard Soma laugh. He'd never heard Soma emote before, about anything. This simply proved that the fate the Courier would soon meet would be deserved.
Derisively, Soma replied, "Of course! What, have you only ever drunk warm, skunked beer before?"
At Six's nod of affirmation, Soma looked scandalized.
"Well then, try it. Liliruca… I think she was a child in our Familia. Tell me, does she do me proud?"
Six chugged the drink, before saying, "I don't know if it's because I've never had it cold before, but that's one of the best beers I've ever tasted. It even had a little spicy flavor, almost like cazador venom."
Outside of the room, Zanis listened with his ear to the door. She described a poison so deadly that only one adventurer in Orario could cure it as "a little spicy". No matter, she'd drop dead soon.
It had been three hours. Zanis was close to bursting into the room to figure out what was happening. The Courier was still alive, and she and Soma were drinking the night away, chatting about anything that crossed their minds, while the Courier told nonsensical stories about places and things that couldn't exist. A machine that could think like a human named Eddy? Two metallic dogs that had a litter of metallic puppies? At least the poison made her delusional.
All the while, Soma acted like a normal person. The degree of separation between himself and those who would speak to him was gone. He sounded like an average man who was drinking with a friend. He's drunk, Zanis realized, I thought he was constantly drunk on his own wine, but now he's actually intoxicated.
Inside the room, Six and Soma were laughing. Empty bottles were scattered around the table, and the two were drunk a while ago.
"So anyway, I asked him how he got his job, and he told me 'They asked me how well I understood theoretical physics. I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard.'"
Soma laughed as Six did her best Fantastic impression. Six has been having a wonderful night. She was originally on edge around these gods, but Soma was an almost familiar sight, and looked a bit like a wastelander. Don't get her wrong, he was still cleaner than anyone living there, but he was gaunt, his hair long and unkempt.
"I can't believe that my Familia has so many brews! Maybe you have a point, about doing more things."
Soma looked at her. He lit the candles in the room for the first time since he could remember. The way the light played off of her red hair made it look alive with fire, and Soma felt something stir in his chest as she laughed.
"You 'oughta pay more attention to them, y'know? If they want to brew like you, they could probably use a teacher."
Six stretched, picking up another bottle from the table as she walked to the balcony overlooking a courtyard outside. Fruit trees were scattered throughout the area, and a sweet aroma hung in the air. Soma followed her his breath hitching as the moonlight played across her face, her pale scars accentuating her faintly glowing, electric green eyes.
"Six… If you want, you could stay. Join my Familia. I… enjoyed tonight."
Six looked at Soma, his cheeks flushing red from either the liquor in his system or slight embarrassment, possibly a combination of the two. She chewed on her lip for a minute before speaking.
"It was fun. You're a pretty alright guy, Soma. But I need to be somewhere I won't have attachments."
Soma felt disheartened at her answer. "I-I get it. Purely business. I can do that."
Six sighed. "I don't think you can. Besides, it's not like I never want to talk to you again."
Emboldened by enough liquid courage to make a farmer fight a deathclaw with a switchblade, Soma leaned in and kissed Six quickly. He reeled back and burned crimson as Six raised an eyebrow at him.
"I mean- If you don't want to mix business and pleasure, and you don't want business from me- What about pleasure? Not that you'd- Or-"
Six laughed as Soma fumbled over his line. "You know, if you worked on your delivery, you could be a real Lady Killer."
Six pulled Soma back in.
Sunlight trickled in through the curtains, and Six roused herself in the early morning light. She took a minute to get her bearings. The last dregs of the alcohol in her system were filtered out by her enhanced organs as she slept, leaving her with no ill effects from previous night of revelry. Opening her eyes, she sees the sleeping face of Soma next to her, and the lack of clothing on either of them makes it plain what happened. Slowly extricating herself from the bed, Six picks up each piece of her Elite Riot gear that is spread across the room, and not wanting to take the time to put it on, she stores it, simply putting on a set of brahmin hide clothes from her storage. She slips the armored coat on as she is leaving, pausing to look back at the sleeping god. Sighing, she pulls a jar out of her storage and leaves it on the nightstand next to him. As ridiculous as it would be, if the god of wine had a hangover, the black coffee should help.
Then, Six slipped out of the room, silently sneaking out of the compound, and left the Soma Familia's headquarters behind. It was early in the morning, and she should probably head back to the Hestia Familia's church. Bell made her promise that she would stay there until she found a place of her own to avoid another incident like the at the Hostess of Fertility, so he was probably wondering where she was.
With a spring in her step, Six walked off, more relaxed then she had been for a long time. Maybe this place wasn't half bad.
Soma woke not to long after Six had left. He groaned, opening his eyes, and looked in confusion at the cup on his nightstand. Sitting up, he shrugged before reaching for it, and after smelling it to find that it was some form of coffee, he downed it. After chugging the room temperature coffee, he gagged a little, the taste a little repugnant, but soon after, he felt better, more alert and aware. It had truly been a long time since he simply enjoyed a night of drinking, and he blushed as the memories of what he and Six did came back to him.
After putting on some clean clothes, Soma walked back to his office, and frowned when he reached his current batch of wine. It seemed he left it standing for too long after forgetting it the prior night, and now it wasn't going to reach his standards. He bottled the failed brew up, and as he worked, his mind turned a towards the words of a certain courier. 'It seems like you'd get bored, or hit a road block.' He dismissed the concept last night, so why did he hesitate to start another batch. How long had it been since he had a night like last night, where he could simply enjoy some drunken revelry? Isn't that why he had started brewing to begin with? How long had it been since he did anything not related to his wine, or simply smiled? He'd looked down upon those who were so easily addicted to his drink, but what if he was the biggest fool of them all?
He stood there for a bit, questioning himself. It wouldn't hurt to make a single batch of something else, right? What did that courier say again? She was partial to whiskey, right?