"-and then I walked away," Wayne finished.

"Just like that?" Grei asked, incredulous. "No way. There had to have at least been a hundred of them to fill an amusement park, probably more."

"Just like that," Wayne replied. "I don't appreciate getting dicked around by a bunch of junkies."

Clair let out a low, appreciative whistle. "Damn. I guess those thugs in the alley were just another day in the office for you, huh?"

"That would imply I actually had to put in effort to deal with them."

Roe nodded sagely, a thin smile crossing his features. "You truly are an asset to our cause, brother."

"Don't thank me yet, all I've done for you is play errand boy."

"Well, from what it sounds like, that's about to change. Adam says that you're going to be infiltrating Beacon Academy," Clair said. "That so?"

"Yeah. Wanna find that kid and get into the Cross-Continental Transmit whatever," Wayne answered, rolling his eyes. "Cinder's idea, not mine."

"Adam wanted to talk to you about that, later," Grei said, shrugging her shoulders. "Can't imagine what he'd want, though."

"I have a few ideas," Clair noted, sounding rather disheartened. Wayne frowned, wondering just what it was Adam would want from him at Beacon. That's what he assumed Adam would be bothering him about, otherwise. It was obvious the guy didn't like him.

"What might those be?" Wayne asked.

"It's… nothing," Clair replied, in a way that made it clear it wasn't 'nothing'. "There's just a lot going on with him. He's… complex, for lack of a better word."

"Uh-huh," Wayne deadpanned. 'Complex'. A lot of things were 'complex'. Nuclear fission was complex. Battlefield tactics were complex. Managing the Minutemen AND the Railroad's shit was complex. A guy barely out of his teens with a hateboner for humanity and a chip on his shoulder wasn't any more complex than a dime store holotape. "I've met a few 'complex guys' like Adam before. As long as he gets me on my way home, he can be as complex as he wants."

There was no response to that. Wayne had some more...choice things he could say about Adam, but something told him that the more severe, four or five-letter options at his disposal would cause a bit of unnecessary friction. As such, he settled for changing the subject.

"If you're not gonna be eating, I suppose we might as well get back to camp so I can see what Adam wants from me," he suggested, standing up and straightening out his shirt. "Can't be too big a deal, right?"

"I assume not," Roe agreed. "Still, it's best not to keep him waiting. If you're ready to leave, then we can set off."

"Let me pack a lunch, and I'll be there." With that, Wayne went about doing just that, grabbing a bowl from the cabinets above his kitchenette and throwing a bit of Instamash and Salisbury Steak into it, and pulling a fork from the sink. Not the most sanitary considering the lack of running water, but, hell, he lived in a world where everything was irradiated. A little bit of bacteria wouldn't kill him.

Once that was done, the motley crew piled into the truck, Clair and Wayne hopping in the cargo bay as the latter started on his impromptu lunch. God, this stuff was still as horrible as it had been pre-War, maybe even worse.

"You got any real food at camp?" Wayne asked.

"Not much, I'm afraid. Mostly canned goods and whatever we can throw together from the wilds," Clair explained. "We could go into town, but I'm not sure that's the best idea considering you're something of a celebrity now."

"They've only seen and heard me in my power armor," Wayne stated, "I'll probably be fine. Anyone smart enough to notice probably isn't stupid enough to start something."

Clair shrugged. "Never hurts to be careful."

"You got that right."

The ride from his house to the White Fang encampment felt even longer than the one from town. His White Fang 'comrades' had asked him for more stories, and while Wayne had initially been loathe to oblige, he was starting to actually enjoy getting some of his travels off of his chest. He mostly tried to stick to the positive- the Jamaica Plain incident, the bar brawl in Goodneighbor with him, Yuki, MacCready, Cait, and Hancock; the cartographer girl, Ellie, and her weird conflict with her Synth body double that eventually ended in a three-way Mexican standoff in the middle of Quincy; even his short dalliance with the Hubologists got a mention, which was arguably one of his favorite stories to tell. By the time they'd arrived at camp, he was just finishing up the tale of confronting Mayor McDonough in his Diamond City office when he was revealed to be a Synth, and how Wayne had managed to sneak around him via Stealth Boy and kick him out of the window into the stands below.

"So, the mayor was secretly a robot the entire time you knew him?" Clair asked.

"Yup."

"What happened after that?"

"I don't know, really. His secretary's the mayor until they elect someone else. I heard that I was in the running, though I doubt I'll be getting any votes in absentia." Wayne chuckled at the idea of him being the mayor of anything. His great-great grandfather had been a political man, and he'd been told by some of his fellow servicemen before the bombs dropped that being an Anchorage veteran was a shoo-in for political office in this day and age, though Wayne never felt the desire to test it. Being the sergeant-at-arms of the local Fraternal Post was enough for him.

"Well, if you get elected when you go back home, maybe you can kick the ne'er-do-wells out of windows, too," Clair suggested through laughter of her own. "Diamond City tradition!"

Wayne joined in the laughter, the absurd image of the Diamond City guards dragging Raiders and half-dead mutants off of the Fens and into Diamond City and all the way up to the box so that Wayne could chuck them out of the window. Better yet, have Strong do it, he could probably launch someone all the way to Home Plate from that window. It was… nice. He actually felt happy about something, even if it was the rather morbid memory of splattering McDonough across the stands.

He'd been a jackass, anyhow.

"We're here," Grei stated, poking her head out from the driver's seat. "Wayne, go ahead. We gotta park this thing."

"Right, thanks for the lift."

Leaving the bowl in the truck, Wayne slipped out the back, noting that the camp seemed to be a bit more empty today. The few people that were around seemed to be busying themselves. Ammo, weapons, fuel, other supplies, everyone had something in their hands or was working on something else. Hell, even the Lieutenant was away from Adam's side, off coordinating a group that was moving around some large containers of Dust. Adam, meanwhile, stood outside his tent, watching everything with his usual look of 'mildly pissed off'. As Wayne approached, his gaze shifted, and Wayne noticed that Adam was smiling at him. He didn't like that at all.

"Just the human I wanted to see," he said, in a tone of voice that made it clear that human was an insult. Wayne just brushed it off. He'd been called far worse. "I assume your mission with Cinder was successful?"

"More or less," Wayne replied. "What did you want from me?"

"To make sure you understood that you work for me," he replied. "I have a task for you. A simple one. Almost impossible to fail, unless you've been putting up an illusion of competence for this long. I need you to find someone."

Wayne cocked a brow at that one. At least he had plenty of experience in this field—he'd never been much of a detective before the bombs dropped, but being around Nick and having to survive out in the Commonwealth had sharpened him to a fine edge. Few details escaped him now. "So," he asked, "who would this someone be?"

"A former member of the White Fang. Once, she and I were close, but she lost faith in our cause. Betrayed us. I believe that she may be at Beacon Academy, from what Torchwick has told me. Still… I need to be sure, and I can't risk one of my agents being compromised in the attempt. You aren't one of my agents. If anything happens to you, you're not one of us. You're just a strange man who doesn't know where the hell he is. The way I see it, we both make it out scot-free. If you're up to the task, that is."

"I'm a regular bloodhound, Adam. Gimme a name," Wayne stated.

"Blake Belladonna," he replied. "Dark hair. Golden eyes. She's a cat faunus- look for her ears. Find her, and report back to me. Nothing else. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I got it," Wayne replied. "She a student?"

"I don't see how this is relevant to the task at hand."

Wayne sighed. "I don't know , it might help narrow shit down, just a tad. That ever crossed your mind? That I might need an age range?"

Adam scowled behind his mask, and Wayne replied with a wan, sardonic grin. If Adam thought he was going to intimidate Wayne, he was sorely mistaken.

"I do," Adam replied through grit teeth. "There's no word as to whether she is in attendance at the school, or even living in the area. All that I know is that she and three other young women attacked Torchwick and his stolen mech, destroyed it, and very nearly captured him. That was the day before yesterday. She's likely to be at the dance when you and Cinder are executing your mission. She's integral to my plans for our operations."

"And how might that be?"

"You aren't in a position to be asking so many questions, human. Do not test my patience. Go."

Well, that line of questioning wasn't going to go anywhere. Wayne wasn't the most socially gifted man in the world, but he knew when he'd hit a nerve. "Alright. I'll go find Blake Belladonna. Easy."

"I said. Go." Adam placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, as if that would make Wayne go any faster. Fuck him. Wayne took his leisurely time on his way out of the tent, digging his Scroll out of his pocket. If he was supposed to find this girl at the dance, he was gonna need to inform his dance partner.

Clair had taken some time during their impromptu story sessions to show him how his Scroll worked, and he had a few 'contacts' on it once Madder's digital fingerprint was wiped. Roman, Clair, Mercury, Emerald, Neo, and Cinder were all present on the list, but it was the lattermost who he needed to speak with. Pressing his thumb down on her name, an image of the woman in question popped up, with an icon shaped like a phone on one side, and one shaped like a text box from a comic on the other. He hit the former, and within a few seconds, he was on call.

"Talk." she said, obviously a bit annoyed.

"Bad time?"

"Between 'classes'," she replied.

"Adam wants me to look for a 'Blake Belladonna' at the school. Name ring a bell?"

"Not particularly, though I've made no effort to get to know my classmates," she replied. "Why does he want to know?"

"He won't tell me. Just says to find out and report back to him."

"Interesting. Come to Beacon Academy. Bring your dress uniform, and use that alibi. A dear friend of mine managed to filter through the Atlas database and add your name to the roster, 'Azur'. You're an official liaison for the security forces to the Vale council, and you'll be attending the dance as an attache to General Ironwood. You should get introduced to your post for tomorrow's festivities, anyhow."

"O...kay. You gonna meet me there?"

"Would look awfully suspicious, don't you think?"

"You got me there. I'm on my way."

"Be discreet in how you arrive. Go in through the front door, and ask to speak to Headmaster Ozpin. He'd be the one to ask."

"Got it. See you tomorrow night."

"I look forward to it."

The line died, and Wayne placed the Scroll back in his pocket, before whistling over to Clair, who seemed occupied with an odd-looking pair of pistols, slim and blocky with long, tapered magazines and some sort of coils atop them.

"Clair!" he called out.

"Yeah?" she asked, mouse ears perking up high through thick tangles of white. She almost looked sort of cute like that, curious and doe-eyed. Maybe that was why Adam had her on the team. The less threatening the infiltrator, the more convincing they are.

"Need a ride back to the house, then a discreet entry to Beacon Academy," he explained. "Adam wants me to go find someone who evidently sold you out, report back to him. Cinder wanted me to check the place out, anyhow, so I might as well take the time now instead of waiting for the dance, when we're on a timetable."

"Got you. The truck's not an option, then," she replied, her brow knotting in thought. "Why your house?"

"I have an Atlesian soldier's uniform. Disguise. Cinder says I'm a sort of ambassador for them, according to some forged documents, so I won't be arousing too much suspicion," Wayne continued, shrugging his shoulders. "She seems to think I'm a better liar than I actually am, especially in regards to Remnant's shit, but I'll make do. I just need to find the girl and leave, anyhow. Hell, I don't even need to see her, I don't think. Just confirm she's on the premises."

Clair's expression morphed from one of contemplation to one of deep, deep frustration. "Oh, great," she grumbled. "Not a-fucking-gain."

"That doesn't sound good."

"Get in the truck. I'll explain."

Wayne let out another low, amused whistle as he followed her to the vehicle, hopping into the passenger seat. "Oh, this is gonna be a good one."

"You don't know the half of it," she replied as she started the truck. "Blake is the daughter of our previous High Leader, Ghira Belladonna. He was an ineffectual leader. He wanted a conversation, a discourse, as if most humans are willing to listen to us. Even when he was shot at and threatened with death, even when attempts were made on his life in his own home, in front of his own child, he continued to demand peace and nonviolence. He was afraid to take the necessary steps. When the movement began to move without him, he stepped down. Blake, of course, was with us from the beginning. A good girl. Smart, savvy, and a believer in our cause. She and Adam were close. Very close. Then, one day, she left. She didn't tell a soul why, she was just gone with the wind, and no one has seen her since. It makes me wonder just what the hell alley our little kitty cat crawled into, and why she's suddenly showing up at Beacon."

"Starting a new life, maybe?"

"She shouldn't have started one less than three hours' drive from our home, if she wanted a fresh start," Clair stated, matter-of-fact. "Still… can't hurt to have a look."

"Guess not," Wayne agreed. "You coming with?"

"I'm afraid I have my own assignments, brother," she replied, frowning. "Probably something related to the greater plan. Don't worry. We'll be seeing each other again soon, I hope."

Wayne nodded, offering the Faunus girl a smile. "I appreciate you, Clair," he said. "You've really been sticking your neck out for me."

Clair shook her head, letting out a low chuckle as she leaned back in her seat. "No, no, no, if anything you were the one sticking your neck out for me, Wayne. You saved my life. You've got no skin in the game, no reason to pick sides, and yet you stepped up for me and fought for me when no one else in that damnable city would have. I owe you more than I can repay with a few rides and a conversation with Adam."

Clair turned to look at him with bright red eyes like focused lasers, and smiled warmly. "You're a good man, Wayne. In a world that doesn't have a lot of good men, no less."

Wayne signed, averting his gaze from Clair to focus on the road ahead. "I'm not a good man."

"Don't pull the self-depreciating-"

"I am not," Wayne repeated, more forcefully, "a good man."

"Why?" she asked. "You've done nothing but show me otherwise."

Wayne sighed once more, pressing a palm into his temple until his head started to ache. He didn't have time for this debate, didn't have time to be the Savior of the Commonwealth, and now, the Savior of the Faunus Girl on top of it. He had too much red in his ledger, too much black ink on his books to ever be a 'good man'. The best he could hope for was being remembered as 'conflicted', perhaps 'troubled' if they were being generous about it. People that went to the lengths he did, for the people he did them for, were not 'good'. One good deed every once in a while didn't offset that, no matter how many times Codsworth or Curie or Piper or Preston insisted that yes, Wayne was a good person, and that being imperfect didn't make you evil, as if what he'd done to so many people, to his own son, couldn't be excused as an imperfection. That was evil. Abandoning his love for his wife after not even a year out of the freezer was evil. Hitting the fucking chems every day to pretend that he wasn't in deep physical and emotional pain was evil. Every Raider he killed, every Super Mutant, every Institute Synth or Brotherhood Paladin, he was dragging them down to his level of mud and grime and beating them to death with experience. Wayne was just as evil and sadistic a son of a bitch as these elites that Cinder crowed about could ever be, and the only reason he probably wasn't on their side was because he found Cinder first. He'd done plenty of batting for the wrong team before, he noted sardonically, recalling the jumpsuit and jacket once again locked away to collect dust.

"I've done plenty of things that good men don't do," Wayne finally replied. "I still do."

"And yet you rescue me, and ask for nothing but a way home. Why would an evil man believe that I, a broken, dejected wretch in an alleyway, could ever help him return to another fucking world, apparently?" Clair asked, giving the dashboard of the truck a thunderous smack as her tone grew more agitated. "I don't believe for a minute that you were as horrible a person as you claim to be, because here, you've allied yourself with the most oppressed people in all of Remnant with no expectation of monetary compensation, no leverage over your head, just the faint, unlikely promise that you might return home one day, and yet you've not once come into our camp demanding answers now. You've been patient over these past few days. Even when you had to go to the mattresses and do some dirty fucking business, you only killed a son of a bitch whose day job is propping up the most repressive regime in all of Remnant. You're about to go into a school full of children trained to kill just to find a mole from under the nose of one of the most powerful men in Vale. You're about to be participating in the greatest paradigm shift in eighty years, and yet you have the audacity to tell me that you're not a good person because you 'did some bad things'. We've all done terrible things for the greater good, Wayne. I've killed. Lied. Stolen. Everyone in that camp has, but it has been necessary, in service of the day when one day, we won't have to kill, lie, steal. I pray unceasingly that one day, I can look back on all of this shit that I've done with the Fang and tell my children, my grandchildren, that they'll never have to do the things I've done or see what I've seen."

Clair slowed the truck down a bit as they continued onto the more urban roads that led to Forever Fall through the city. "It's not what you did in the Commonwealth that matters now, Wayne. That's for you to deal with when you go back. If you really believe yourself to be an evil man, then now's your chance to do some good. To make up for those things you've done. In my humble, very biased opinion, you're already off to a good start. Just… think about it, would you?"

Clair offered him a thin, joyless smile. "You may be human, but you're a member of the White Fang, now. My brother. I won't have you moping."

Wayne didn't respond. Didn't know what to say, if he should say what he wanted to say. To spill his guts, to tell her the truth, to tell her what made him as evil as he believed himself to be.

He settled for silence.

Beacon Academy was unlike anything Wayne had ever seen, for better or for worse.

The school looked like the old Holy Cross in Downtown Boston if it mated with an old-school medieval castle, and that was not a compliment. It was gauche, overengineered, and almost gave off an air of pomposity just by existing in the space it did. Whoever made this building wanted very badly for it to stand out, by any means necessary.

He wondered how many 'students' were in there. Strange, that a world had a school dedicated to killing monsters. The Commonwealth, even as the world seemed to be clearly fucked, never bothered to add firearms and combat knives to the curriculum for kids. He remembered Zwicky getting pissy at him when he told the kids they'd need to bring lots of guns if they ever wanted to leave The Fens.

Entering the school was surprisingly easy with the disguise. A dress uniform certainly stood out, but not in such a way that it would draw scrutiny. It drew attention, not questions. Wayne looked odd, but not out of place, by his summation. Students parted before him, giving him odd looks and whispering amongst themselves as he entered the main building, acting all the world like he owned the place.

"Is there something that I can help you with, soldier?"

The shock that went up Wayne's spine at the sudden interruption of his train of thought felt like a strong hit of the rads, and it took every bone in his body to suppress his instinct to draw on the… kindly looking middle-aged man standing in front of him. White-haired, with a pair of glasses halfway down his nose, an unremarkable suit, and a cane. A harmless civilian.

"Oh, uh, sorry. Just… was lost in thought," Wayne replied. "Corporal Azur Marin, Atlesian Security Force. General Ironwood sent me."

The man didn't seem to question the ruse. Indeed, he only gave Wayne a quick once over before smiling at him in an almost grandfatherly way. "A pleasure, Corporal. I am Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

Well, shit. Wayne offered a snappy salute, drawing a chuckle from Ozpin, who simply shook his head and waved him off. "No need to salute me, I'm only a civilian."

Wait… jackpot. 'Would make sense for the Headmaster to know if this girl was here, considering she's a bit of a special case,' he thought, so he felt there was no harm in asking.

"Was there a reason for your visit?" he asked.

"We, uh, got a… concerning… report, sir," Wayne replied. "There's been talk that a wanted criminal has disguised herself as a student here at the Academy. General wanted me to investigate. Suspect is female, teenage. Black hair, gold eyes, cat ears, goes by the name of Blake Belladonna. Ring any bells?"

Ozpin seemed surprised, looking over Wayne's shoulder for a moment before looking back to the man and shaking his head. "My, that's… that's a new one. I've not heard such rumors, Corporal, but I can assure you, they're just that. Any such criminal behavior would have been caught through a background screening. They would have never passed the authorization process."

"I figured as much, sir, but it's possible she's using an alias. With all due respect, I'd like to perform an investigation."

Ozpin smiled and nodded. "I understand your concern, Corporal. Allow me to… oh." Ozpin's gaze returned to Wayne. "I believe you won't have to look far."

Wayne looked behind him to notice a girl that matched Adam's description, save for the distinct lack of cat ears and a comically large bow on her head. Behind her, though, was a far more interesting subject. A young black man, clad in a leather jacket and the signature bright blue and yellow of a Vault suit, staring at Wayne's Pip-Boy intently.

"Well, fuck me…" he muttered, in a thin Irish accent, before meeting Wayne's eye. "Where'd you get that Pip-Boy, bruv?"

Wayne's eyes shot to his forearm, and sure enough, he hadn't taken off the fucking Pip-Boy. He'd gotten so used to having the thing as a 'second skin' that he didn't realize he'd even put it back on when he dressed up for the occasion. He was pretty much compromised, now, and all because Adam couldn't let go of a rat too stupid for her own self-preservation.

Wayne didn't immediately respond. He wasn't sure how to. He'd been expecting to run into the mystery interloper at the dance, yet here he was, right in front of his face. For once, lady luck's dice fell in Wayne's favor.

"You deaf?" the man repeated with clear aggravation in his voice, stepping up to Wayne. He was smaller by a fair bit. Five-foot-ten at his tallest, gangly and sinewy, but powerful in spite of his lean frame. Wayne could tell just from the way the Vault suit hugged his form that this guy wasn't just a fresh-out of the Vault, doe-eyed survivor. This guy had been topside, probably for a respectable amount of time. "I asked a question. Where. Did you get. The Pip-Boy?"

Wayne didn't move, looking down at his younger counterpart with a scowl of disdain. "That's none of your concern, civilian," he stated, putting on his best snobby, official air. "I'm here for information. The rest is secondary."

"And you have your information, Corporal," Ozpin interrupted, as even-toned and calm as he had been when Wayne walked through the doors. "Liam. I am more than capable of handling this matter, as much as I appreciate your concern."

"Oz-" 'Liam' started, turning to look at Ozpin.

"I think that the Corporal has all the information he'll be able to find here at Beacon Academy," Ozpin said, turning to Wayne. "Corporal. You may go."

"Not until I complete my objective," Wayne replied, turning his attention to the girl he believed to be Blake, who looked like a radstag caught in the crosshair. If she wasn't Blake, she was very, very nervous. "I find it hard to believe that someone matching my exact description, save for a couple of extra ea-"

"You back up, or we're gonna have an international fuckin' incident, bruv," Liam cut him off, stepping between 'Blake' and Wayne in a fashion that made it clear that Wayne had his girl. "What's your major malfunction?"

"Could ask you the same question, son," Wayne replied.

"Corporal. I believe that you may wish to leave, before I file an incident report with the General. I would rather not have to do any extra filing this afternoon," Ozpin warned him, and that was enough for Wayne. Something about how Ozpin said it, though, implied that the headmaster. knew something Wayne didn't, and that rubbed him the wrong way.

"Understood. I found what I was looking for, anyhow. General sends his regards, Headmaster," Wayne answered, coldly shifting his gaze back to Liam, who looked just about ready to start throwing punches. At his size and shape, that wasn't a fight he was going to win against Liam.

"You're not seriously just gonna let him-" Liam protested, only for Ozpin to raise his cane and hush him.

"No need for an incident. Not now. I assure you, it was nothing to worry about. Merely… extracurriculars."

With that, Liam fell silent, still glowering at Wayne as he turned about and made his way to the exit. He couldn't get out of this damn school fast enough, that was for sure. No matter what, his fellow Wastelander had a bead on him, and that wasn't going to be easy to work around after an exchange like the one he'd just had. No matter. He'd found Blake and the other Wastelander. The rest could come after the dance. He had a long day ahead of him tomorrow, and frankly, he was about tired of today anyhow.

Wayne fished his scroll out of his uniform's jacket pocket, and dug into his contacts to find Clair. She picked up quickly- the phone barely even had time to ring.

"Everything okay, Wayne?"

"I found our girl and a guy from my neck of the woods. I've never seen him in the Commonwealth, but I'd recognize what he's wearing anywhere. Keep your eyes open for a black kid with a blue jumpsuit and yellow jacket. As for Blake, she's at the school. She looked ready to run for the hills when she realized I was looking for her. She may go to ground."

"She won't. Sounds like she's hell-bent on sabotaging our operations with the help of her new 'friends'. I'm on my way to pick you up now, Wayne. Anything else?"

"That kid knows I'm like him. He'll probably inform Ozpin. Don't be surprised if I'm in the news a bit more, don't know if anyone managed to catch a look at my face, but I wouldn't be surprised. Once the dance is over, I shouldn't need to be infiltrating anything anymore."

"That sounds about right. Still, be careful. Don't want you to get caught out too early, especially when this other guy might be your ticket home. Did you get any info?"

"No, not yet." Wayne was off the grounds and through the gates now, thus far unmolested by Ozpin or any of his ilk, much to his shock. He was expecting a more hostile ending to this confrontation, but the old man genuinely seemed to think that telling Wayne to just fuck off and not following up on it would be a good idea. Wayne had to respect the confidence. "Not to worry. I got a feeling I'll be getting the chance, especially if Blake's still operating against the White Fang directly. This guy seemed to be getting pretty friendly with her."

"Very interesting, Wayne. I think we might have something worth reporting in."

Wayne smiled mirthlessly as he began to walk in the direction of camp, thanking God that he'd managed to somehow luck his way out of that encounter. Wasn't often that the Wasteland threw you a bone, so it was certainly a welcome change of pace.

"Let's get back to camp, then," Wayne said, "I have a long day ahead of me tomorrow, and the less time I spend near this Academy, the easier I'll be to forget."

With that, he hung up, placing the Scroll back in his jacket and continuing his slow, methodical march towards his not-quite-home away from home. With the infiltration at the dance, a Vault dweller who knew his face, and some sort of genius master plan he wasn't even in the slightest privy to, this was looking like the most harebrained scheme he'd pulled off yet. He could almost hear Deacon laughing at the absurdity of it all.

All things ideally going well, he'd be hearing that laugh all the way back to Diamond City as he explained it to him. Regardless of whether he got home tomorrow or not, the dance was the last big step forward he'd been given. All he had to do now was follow through. If that headmaster was stupid enough to let him walk, he certainly wouldn't have the wherewithal to search for him at the party, let alone trace him if he was noticed or burnt.

"This is gonna be easy," Wayne muttered under his breath. "Just… keep cool."

A/N: Massive funk hit me lately, but I'm back. I've not been doing too well mentally, but I put my best effort forward in making this work and pulling the reveal. Hey yo dawg, I heard you like Fallout protagonists, so I put a Fallout Protagonist with your Fallout Protagonist!

Feel free to tell me how much I should have waited and that this chap sucks, love you all : )