The door to the room flew open. "Braxton P.D.! Cross, you're under-"
A quick blink at the frozen occupants. The bounty hunter was clutching the waist of Evelyn from behind, the ferryman was visibly down her throat from the other end. There was a loud slurp as he pulled out.
"Whoa-!" The merc gave a visible startle, and the doorframe slammed shut violently. He snapped an irritated look to the ferryman. "You didn't lock the fuckin' door?!"
An incoherent grumble was heard in response as Charon shrugged, unfazed.
"OhmyGod-ohmyGod-" Evelyn was beyond embarrassed, and she shook as she began to reach for her clothes with her cuffed hands. "I can't-ugh!"How was she supposed to meet anyone's eyes after having someone witness that?!
Cross gave her an aggravated look as she struggled to put on her underwear. "Were we done?"
"What the fuck do you think!?" she exploded. Her face was burning a light shade of violet, and she shook her handcuffs. "Take these off- now!"
"C'mon, it's not like it matters-"
"Are you kidding me?!" she squeaked angrily, breaking the chain with a swift yank and waving her arms around. "How does that not-"
Charon rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed huff. Dramatic Evelyn was by far the most annoying Evelyn, and she would continue her ranting tirade unless otherwise silenced. He went to the door and threw it open with a rush of air. "Yes?"
A clink as a pair of handcuffs were held out, an unfamiliar ghoul woman from the night shift not meeting his eyes- or trying to land anywhere on his body. The ghoul was still completely naked…and fully erect.
"C-C-Cross is…is he-? H-he's-"
"Under arrest…again?" The merc finished with a drawl, shoving into his pants. "Yeah, yeah. I'm comin'."
"Who, what, why?!" Evelyn halted in dressing herself to place a hand on his forearm, the broken cuff still attached to her wrist.
"I think you forgot a where and a when, in that sentence," he rumbled. A kiss was smacked on her forehead, and he leaned back and stared openly at her for a few minutes.
"What?" she asked in a hushed tone- he almost looked...sad. Another kiss, this one delivered on her lips. She couldn't help but bring her hands to the sides of his face- his kiss was so desperate.
He finally pulled away from her and rubbed at his mouth, seemingly plastering on a goofy grin. "Thomas's probably just mad he wasn't invited- ya ever wonder if you could see him glow when he's inside-"
Evelyn shoved the merc roughly, throwing him off-balance as he put on his boots. "You can take him- please."
"I think they got visitin' hours- we can pick up where we-" Another shove, this time into the hallway- he barely managed himself into his burgundy shirt. "Damn, can I finish gettin' dressed?!" His two outer layers were thrown at his face, and his hat was frisbeed before the door slammed closed, and locked.
"Hey-wait, wait!" There was the sound of heavy footsteps, followed by the bed frame creaking. "H-hold on-ah!"
The bounty hunter clenched his fists as he put on his two jackets, seriously contemplating committing murder. The woman beside him was extremely awkward in putting on his cuffs as the sounds coming through the doorframe began to intensify.
Rrrrt
The cell door opened, and the grey ghoul stepped inside.
The ghoul woman with the Pre-War patch Braxton P.D. on her vest removed the handcuffs from his wrists and held out a hand expectantly. "Weapons."
"Ain't goin' to pat me down?" He grinned down at her, and she grew flustered. The gun was handed over, and she waggled her fingers. "Aww, c'mon, it's more of a toothpick-"
"Knife."
A grumble, and it was unsheathed as he reluctantly gave it to her, the honed edge slipping through his gloved fingers. The tip was then firmly held onto, and she gave him a puzzled look as he refused to release his grip. "Can ya get me a lighter?" He gave a wiggle of the blade. "Please?"
The knife was let go, and she said nothing as she locked his cell door and clacked down the corridor. The sentry standing guard at the end was lighting up a smoke, and the merc sighed loudly at the reminder of his own tobacco quandary.
A glance up, and Roman was sitting quietly in his own cell across, his dark eyes glowing at him. The merc shook his shoulders- fuckin' creep. He couldn't wrap his head around the newly disclosed information- Evelyn was so- how?! Just to the right of the blue ghoul's cell was Rick, still unconscious on the frame of a stained mattress, a hitched snore reverberating loudly. It was not the company the merc had envisioned for, that night.
The ghoul woman came back a few minutes later. Cross put his arms through the bars and leaned his weight forward, tilting back the tip of his hat. A flip lighter was tossed, and he winked after catching it with his hand. "'ppreciate it."
A shy nod of her head, and she left.
An hour passed, the relative quietness of the prison sector causing the bounty hunter to drift off, until there was a sudden commotion at the end of the cellblock.
Rrrrrt
"Here, let me see him."
"Gruh…"
Carmen gave a disheartened look to her lover's present condition. His left cheekbone was smashed and sunken in; both of his eyes were swollen shut. She noticed a few more missing teeth than was accounted for previously. "Who fucking did this to him?!"
The sentry at her back gave a garbled, rumbling cough, just giving a look to the merc laying on the bed in his cell; his hands were clasped behind his head, his hat hiding his face away from the world- as well as his grin.
Her eyes went wide, and she automatically dropped the green ghoul's collar from her hands. Rick hit the concrete with a thud and distorted groan. "You?!" She stood from her spot and stomped towards his cell in a flash of anger. "Just whose fucking side are you on, anyway?!"
The merc lifted his hat slightly, a single eye glowing at her in the dark. "Quit fuckin' yappin'…tryin' to sleep."
Her eyes narrowed. "Did you fucking grow a conscious, over her? You're pathetic."
Another tilt, and the glow disappeared for a moment as he gave her a wink. "Not what you said that one time in back of Kretcher's-"
A snarl, and she stamped her foot loudly. "Don't you fucking dare, you fucking pig!" A muffled chuckle drifted as she snapped her fingers at the sentry over the half-comatose ghoul. "Patch him up, and then go around and get the others." A scathing glance back to the merc. "Are you fucking with us? Or not? Did you fucking forget what he promised us? Is she worth it, over that?"
The bounty hunter was silent for a moment, and then he slowly began to sit upright. The glowing eyes of Roman silently watched him as he came to stand before the woman. "How 'bout you open my fuckin' cell, first?"
Carmen assessed him for a moment, before nodding curtly to the sentry on duty. "Do it…then open the armory, we're not taking any chances with this."
Rrrrrt
The merc fished out a smoke; the lit ember tip illuminated his shrouded face in an orange glow as he took a drag.
Carmen redirected her beady eyes to the blue ghoul sitting quietly, seemingly disinterested in the unfolding of events. "Roman, are you with us?"
He said nothing- she was not his employer, and she was unaware of the special conditions that made him so.
"Eh, we don't need him." The merc whisked the newly acquired lighter closed. He stretched his spine- a few loud pops sounded. "Let's get this shit over with- is he here?"
Carmen was still suspiciously glaring at the silent ghoul. "I don't want to discuss the plan without Rick, first." She then snapped her horrible stare at him. "What the fuck were you thinking?!"
Cross rolled his eyes. "Had to 'play the part', didn't I? Got Thomas hawkin' my ass- think he'd let me stay if I didn't at least try and get her back?"
"And what about the others?! You nearly destroyed my operation at the Catwalk- was that all 'playing the part'?!" Her voice was now shrieking, and it grated his ears. "I swear to God, if you fuck this up for us-"
The bounty hunter nubbed a pinky finger inside his ear canal, giving a vibrating rub. "Goddamn woman- I've heard deathclaws fuckin' that sound more pleasin' than you."
"Ugh!" She shoved his shoulder roughly; he didn't budge an inch. "Where is she now?"
He roiled his cigarette to the other corner of his mouth. "Back at Tweedy's- she's got a ghoul bodyguard with her-he's a tough sonofabitch."
"So? What's his price? Did you bother asking him? He's our kind- it shouldn't be an issue."
He let off a few puffs, judging her, then squinted his eyes at Rick's crumpled form being administered aid. "Ain't so simple…he has a thing called a contract- he's bound to whoever has possession of it."
"The smoothskin has a ghoul slave?!" Carmen visibly riled. "So then just fucking kill him!"
The merc dove his fingers inside a breast pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "Figured he'd be best to have on our side."
The hem of her shirt was being lifted over her navel. "Charon."
A frustrated growl, but regardless, he lowered it.
"Oh my God! You are…insatiable- put on some clothes!"
A crimson index finger tapped along the curve of her thigh; an eyebrow muscle raised down at her. "Is that an order?"
She expelled a sigh, covering her face with her hands. "I just showered- you need a shower."
His hand was creeping along the valley of her waist. "…are you tired?" The question came out quietly.
"I'm exhausted," she admitted, rolling onto her side to face him. She tucked her hands underneath her head, twining her legs through his own. "Why did they take him?"
A shrug. "You should not lose sleep over it- he will return." He then leaned over her slightly, stretching a muscled arm to flick off the lamp. "You need to rest."
A chortle in the darkness. "Oh, you're telling me this?"
"I am." The bed groaned under his weight as he rose, and the straps of his armor began to click together.
"Wait, where are you going?" He half-turned. Her face was beseeching in the shadows. "Are you leaving?"
"I was going to stand guard in the hallway," he explained. "Would you rather I stand watch in your room?"
"Um." She then raised her arms to him, and he rolled his eyes.
"He will be back."
"So?"
"I am not going to lie in bed with him. If it is just you, then that is fine."
She gave a disbelieving sputter. "B-but we just had sex! Together!"
"That is different."
"How?!"
A knock at the door; there was a glow underneath the crack of the frame. It was thrust open, and Thomas was standing on the other side, and for a solid moment, he was taken aback at the half-naked ferryman towering over him. "Is this not Evelyn's room? By God, what is that smell?"
A distorted sound left her mouth as the door widened and the light was flipped on. "Ch-Charon! Let me get dressed!"
The glowing ghoul paused, clearly connecting the dots of the picture he was given. With a pivot on his heel, he gave her the necessary privacy as she scurried around for her clothes. It was…shocking, to say the least.
"I will not judge your personal choices, Evelyn…but I do know Cross, and you should be more careful."
She was poking her leg into her pants; the insinuation caught her off guard. She lost her balance and fell over backward, hitting the floor with a thud.
"The bounty hunter is aware. He was just here," Charon's voice rumbled.
"You don't have to explain it to him!" Evelyn shrieked, flailing into the other leg wildly.
Thomas had one heel to his forehead, smashing it against his cranial. He did not care to have that much information.
"Would you rather he had witnessed us as that sentry had?" Charon asked flatly. Evelyn's overexcitement was grating on his nerves. "She seemed to understand the situation well."
"STOPSTOPSTOP-"
"I do not understand your complaints. You seemed to enjoy having us both-"
"CHARON! I ORDER YOU TO STOP FUCKING TALKING!"
The ghoul clicked his jaw shut, and raised an eyebrow muscle down at her. She was absolutely livid.
"Thomas! You heard fucking nothing!" she snapped.
"Believe me, I wish I hadn't," he muttered under his breath.
She angrily stomped to the door, ignoring the behemoth ghoul standing ominously to the side with his arms crossed. He hated it when she gave him orders- it was something she rarely did, and it was normally out of desperation; he didn't understand why this particular one was called for. His hand then slapped over her shoulder, and he gave a tight squeeze and pulled her back roughly.
"Ow- what the hell was that for?!" She hissed as she was thrust back.
He just answered her question with a dark look.
Thomas turned around, observing the distance between them. "I am sure he does not wish to flush you with radaway, at this time of night."
There was a mouthing of 'O', and she glanced up apologetically to the ghoul. "…sorry." He elected to say nothing, and she crossed her brows. "Oh my God, now you're giving me the silent treatment?!"
"Is that not what you wanted?" he asked in his most deadpan tone.
"Ugh! Thomas, why the fuck are you here?!" She stomped her foot angrily. "Why is Cross back at the station?!"
"Evelyn-"
"Are you arresting me too?!"
The glowing ghoul said nothing, but rather, his entire expression faded, and he just stared at her passively…the air around him was, disappointed. She immediately ceased her tantrum as she visibly cooled, and she ducked her head, toeing at the floorboards.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
Charon's neck nearly snapped in half from swapping back and forth between them so quickly. What the fuck was that about?! The ferryman was never able to get her to shut up so effectively before, especially when she was having a cataclysmic nuclear meltdown. That was something he had to learn.
Thomas finally gave a tired sigh. "Did you forget what I had always told you?"
The line in the wood at her feet was suddenly extremely interesting, but nonetheless, she answered him softly. "Do not allow your dissensions to supersede the task at hand."
A nod of his head. "Quite right. Evelyn," She finally met his eyes with her own; his voice had grown serious. "There is something you need to know."
"What the hell is he doing here?!"
"Rick! Calm down-!"
The mayor of Braxton waved his hand accusingly. "Calm down?! ME?! He tried to kill me!"
"And if ya don't shut the fuck up about it I'm goin' to make sure I finish the job this time," Cross threatened.
"Carmen, really, you think we can trust him?! HIM?" Rick gave a scoff, gingerly touching his mending cheek. "He is completely head over heels for her- how can you not see that?!" The merc gave a low growl in his throat, but Rick continued. "Let's back this up a step, we're not actually considering on having him secure the package for us?"
"You forgettin' who fuckin' brought her this far?" Cross snarled. "She trusts me- took a lot of fuckin' work to get it that way. I can get her to hand over her fuckin' self if I ask her to."
"If you were serious about the job, you would have escorted her directly to us as agreed...so, where were you?" The mayor squinted his eyes, a sadistic glimmer behind his stare. "She is a rather beautiful woman…did some nightly company happen to sway your one-track mind?"
Cross blew out a breath. "Not goin' to lie- it'll be hard to go back." He gave a grin as Carmen rudely commented on his nightly tendencies. "Can ya blame a man for takin' the opportunity? Now, thought we were tryin' to be serious here- I got shit to do, and some caps to collect."
"As we all do." Carmen delivered a seething glower to her lover, and she now turned her attention to the merc. "So?"
"Won't be easy- Thomas suspects somethin' as it is…he has a few guards stationed around the buildin', he's pretty damn set on keepin' her tucked away for the night-"
Carmen waved her hand. "Not an issue- we have an insider that Thomas trusts-"
"Who?"
Carmen crossed her arms and gave a nod to the sentry at the door.
A rosy ghoul was summoned inside; Penny gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm late." The merc simply stared at her as she came around to his side. "Surprised?" Penny joked quietly at his impassiveness.
Cross grunted. "…didn't take you to be the type."
A humored expression was on her face. "For a moment there, I could say the same about you." He said nothing, and she shifted on the weight of her heels. "…can you let her go?" Penny asked softly, and there was a lace of genuine concern in her voice.
"Look, I know what ya saw…I had fun with her, while I could." A shrug of his shoulders. "…it was hell of a ride." A sad smile. "But ya learn to let go."
Carmen narrowed her eyes to their low conversation in the corner. "What are you two discussing, over there?"
"Just the operation, sorry," Penny apologized, clearing her throat. "We're ready, when you are."
