The town of Sanctuary was amazing in every way. Johanna's head whipped around in every direction, startled by the advances in technology that a poor group of farmers had created. There was a power grid that ran electricity to all the buildings. Running water, though slightly irradiated, was available in most homes. And apparently, Nora had not been joking about having a Deathclaw guardian.

Having never seen the creature before, Jo was hiding behind one of the homes and peeking around the corner to get a better look. It was ugly, with the face and teeth of a monster, and must have been eight feet tall. She thought the creature was aptly named, as its claws were easily six inches long and they certainly looked deadly. If memory served, this was the legendary beast that scarred Arthur Maxson's face.

She didn't understand why the creature wasn't attacking the settlement and she made a note in her head to ask Nora about it. Though it seemed tame, Jo thought that it could easily take out the entire settlement if it wished. If it had been up to her, the risk of such casualties wouldn't have been taken.

Watching the Deathclaw stomp around instilled a fear inside Johanna that she couldn't conquer. It was with an uneasy sigh that Jo backed away, putting more distance between her and the monster.

She found herself in front of an entire building devoted to the market. For some reason, she was almost as afraid of entering the building than she was of watching the Deathclaw. Her lack of social skills had always made interactions with others somewhat of an uncomfortable experience.

Jo stood in front of the house, reading the red paint that proclaimed the building as the Marketplace. Settlers were rushing past, barely paying attention to the strange girl standing in the middle of the sidewalk.

Digging deeply for her bravery, Jo took in a deep breath and pushed the ancient door open.

The first room, the kitchen that was converted into a shop, was filled to the brim with ancient objects that she had only read about, in addition to the normal things like ammunition and armored clothing. The merchant gave her a huge smile, perhaps knowing that Jo wasn't from the wastes.

"Welcome," the woman said cheerfully. "Can I help you find anything?"

"No thank you... do you accept trade, or is your establishment cash only?"

"I'll accept whatever type of payment you have," the woman said with a knowing smile. "Most traders up here do." It seemed Johanna couldn't help but to advertise her origins.

It took a few minutes for Johanna to dig through her backpack for the .38 rounds that she no longer had use for. In addition, she threw the stacks of pre-war money stolen from her vault onto the counter.

The woman gave her a fair price for the items- fifty caps, which she then used to pay for a baseball cap and a box of 10mm bullets for her pistol. The prices were considerably lower than the Brotherhood's quartermasters'.

Grinning, Jo pulled on her new baseball cap, carefully threading her braid through the back. Honestly, the harsh sun bothered her more than she cared to admit. It made her eyes hurt, and she was always incredibly tired after spending time in direct sunlight. The bill of the cap gave her eyes instant relief.

Johanna thanked the woman and headed down the hall, where one of the bedrooms bragged to house a blacksmith.

Without any sufficient amount of caps, Jo couldn't do much more than browse and compliment the merchant on the professional cleanliness of his stock. She admired a semi automatic 10mm with longing, not daring to ask the price.

The second bedroom was set up as an infirmary, complete with hospital beds. Jo did not linger, but jokingly asked the doctor where to get a stiff drink. To her surprise, she was directed to Sturges' Bar and Hotel, located at the farthest end of the cul-de-sac by the big tree.

"Thank you, " she mumbled, backing out of the door. As was her luck, Johanna ran into something very solid. The apology died on her lips as she spun around and caught sight of Danse, looking more angry than she had ever seen him. Jo was hardly surprised; she had never directly disobeyed an order before.

"Polowski…"

She waited for him to continue, but he only rubbed his eyelids wearily.

"I'm sorry, Danse."

Honestly, she wasn't sorry in the least. Not after being confined to the Prydwen for months, without a single soul to talk to. He seemed to sense that her apology was less than sincere and waved her off.

"Back to the vertibird," he grunted out. "Our business here is complete."

"Already?" Johanna's voice was dangerously close to a whine. One glare from Danse and she closed her mouth, clearing her throat. "Yes, sir," she mumbled, following him out of the building.

xxx

The ride back to the Prydwen was silent. Not even Nora could coax a response from Danse. He seemed determined to stay mad at Jo, shooting her some angry expressions that would give Rhys a run for his money.

Not even the success of their first trade deal put the Paladin at ease.

Johanna hated the tense environment, though she was wise enough to keep her mouth shut. In theory, the sooner he forgot, the sooner he would move on.

Climbing down to the flight deck was a relief for Jo after all the time she was crammed into the tiny plane. Sanctuary was probably only ten miles away, but it felt like they had been gone all afternoon. The sun was low in the sky, giving credit to her claim.

"Polowski, with me." When Danse finally spoke, he sounded cold and professional. Jo felt her heart sink as she wondered, not for the first time, if her rash decision required disciplinary action.

Looking back now, she considered her defense as she followed Danse inside the ship. Jo had not technically disobeyed direct orders when the paladin had ordered the team to wait inside... he hadn't technically told her not to go outside, though it had been implied.

Johanna wondered briefly what shade of red Danse would turn if she spoke her ridiculous defense aloud.

Paladin Danse stopped just inside the door of the foredeck, leaving Jo to shut the door behind them before she forced her eyes up to meet Danse's. He looked more disappointed than anything and Jo felt yet more tension in her chest.

"Scribe... Polowski... Your impulsive behavior is going to get you killed someday."

"I'm sorry, Paladin." She spoke formally, unable to judge his mood.

"That's not always good enough," he argued, slightly red in the face. "We were honestly worried about you today. Did you see the Deathclaw they let roam around?! Not to mention that the place is crawling with ghouls."

"Yes, I saw," she replied quietly, deciding not to mention that she had studied the Deathclaw for a good ten minutes.

"Maybe you don't understand an order I give. Follow it anyways. You have no idea... if Elder Maxson finds out what you did-"

"Please. Enlighten me, Paladin Danse."

The two of them turned their heads, finding Elder Maxson himself standing at the top of the stairs with a frown on his lined face.

While her heart fluttered at the sight of the young Elder, a lump formed in her throat at the thought of what Arthur would have to say about her disobedience.

"Sir," Danse exclaimed, saluting his superior officer. "The situation is under control. I was just speaking with Polowski about an incident that occurred in the field."

Jo knew that Maxson wouldn't leave it there, but she made a mental note to thank Danse for the attempt.

"What incident?"

"We were told to wait inside-" Johanna spoke before Danse had the chance. "I wanted to see the town, so I did."

They were all quiet for a few moments and Jo wrung her hands with anxiety.

"I see. Paladin, I should like to speak to Scribe Polowski alone."