Chapter Eight: Teaching the Devil Patience

Frost reflected on the chain of events that had led her to seek out and join the raiders as she paced toward Fizztop Mountain. Before she`d become a mother the woman never would have imagined she could do the things she`d done. It was only after carrying another life around inside of her, that she became capable of killing. What would she have done back then, to protect her baby? Anything. What had she done to get Shaun back after he was taken from her? Everything within her power, with no mind for how her choices affected others as long as they got her closer to reuniting with him. The Wasteland didn`t allow her to stay soft, or to remain blissfully ignorant of the filthiest scum humanity had to offer. She was surrounded by it. The only options Frost had in the end were to fight the darkness or to own it. The former Vault dweller would be a victim no longer. Never again will anyone take what is mine, she thought. The raiders she met along her way back to the Mountain did not approach her. Instead they moved aside, walking around her slender frame. Even though she wore no armor they did not threaten her. A few here and there nodded an acknowledgment or whistled lewdly at her as she passed them by. The later were met with a raised middle finger. It was no secret they all talked behind her back. Every one of them was watching, waiting for the chance to either tear her apart or to try to weasel in to her good graces, due to the nature of her position. Her old self would have been killed or worse long before now. She had left most of that identity behind, and told herself that she was happier this way.

What makes a raider? Frost wondered as she navigated the cracked paving stones of the plaza and skirted the central fountain. Some were born in to it. How did those who didn`t fit that category find themselves falling down the rabbit hole to join these bandits? Some of them must have experienced a different kind of life; one where torture, drug use, and murder weren`t an everyday occurrence. Yet they found themselves here, just as she did. There must have been a plethora of reasons, untold stories that could raise the hairs on the back of a person`s neck. Nuka World was the home all of them, regardless of origin, could not have elsewhere. The closer she got to Fizztop the more her mind went towards Porter Gage. Why had he become a raider? Not once had Frost witnessed him drink alcohol or get high like so many of the other raiders. He didn`t come off as the hard partying type. Imagining he may have started off as a captive was impossible. The man had a take no prisoners attitude and had put the strategy of killing before being killed to deadly use in Dry Rock Gulch. It was clear he enjoyed a good fight, enjoyed killing even. Part of her felt the same way, but that wasn`t why she`d come to Nuka World. Frost took the lives of monsters, mutants, and synths. She had never killed a settler; although she had beaten a few with sticky fingers or wandering hands badly enough to make them think twice. The idea of harming a child repulsed her on a level she couldn`t fully realize, and seeing the broken families raider groups often left in their wake made her want to hunt the villans and grind their bones to dust. Colter had been one more human in a long list of bad people she`d killed, that in her eyes, all deserved it. She could not say the same for Gage, because she had little idea how long exactly he`d been a raider for, or what he had done in that time. In some ways the two of them seemed to be the same. At other times, the woman had no idea what he was thinking. She worried (not for the first time) over what she might be walking in to as she rode the lift up to Fizztop Grille, one arm holding a crate of supplies she`d picked up at the marketplace on her way back.

MacCready`s voice was the first thing she heard as she reached the top and scanned the area. The faded gray floor was cleared of debris, and the doors to the inner hallway were propped open. At the smaller bar area to the left side of the patio sat MacCready and Gage, bickering. Scattered between the pair on the countertop was a mess of battered cards.

"Asshole!" MacCready exclaimed. He slapped the counter with his palm as he cursed at the other man; he was a sore loser. From the looks of it they had been evenly tied until just that moment.

"I told you I`m a fast learner." Gage replied with a mild smirk.

"I never should have taught you how to play Caravan." The mercenary grumbled as his opponent raked the pot of caps over to his side of the bidding area. He was not spared the indignity of his loss as the Overboss set down her purchases on the central bar and walked over. She teased;

"Getting your ass kicked at cards again, MacCready?"

"You mean like I used to beat you all the time?" He griped back and took a sip from a classic Nuka Cola.

"Never said I was the one doing the ass kicking." She admitted with a half smirk and walked around them both to rummage behind the bar. A quiet hum came from a bulbous red mini fridge underneath. She checked the charge level and saw that she would need to add a few more fusion cells by tomorrow night to keep the thing running. A rustle overhead caught Frost`s attention. Gage was looking over the edge of the counter to see what she was up to. She pulled out two bottles of Nuka and offered him one.

"Ah!" He set the drink down in surprise at how chilled it was. Condensation from the glass quickly began to run down the side. The raider peered at her wide eyed and asked, "How is it cold like that?"

"Fusion cell powered mini fridge." The boss shrugged and straightened up. She twisted off the cap left-handed and leaned a hip on the counter.

"You`ve always had a knack for making things like that work." MacCready observed as he tried to relax back on his barstool and jerked, having recalled there was no back to it. He had a habit of tilting normal chairs on their rear legs too. "How did your meeting go? You came back in one piece so I imagine it wasn`t too bad."

"The Operators came through on their end. It looks like the auction should be a success provided things went smoothly here."

"Nothing broke and no one tried to take anything that wasn`t on your list." Gage contributed as he opened his drink and savored the cool sweetness. He eyed the woman curiously, filing away her apparent mechanical skill in his mind for later analysis.

"Good to know. I appreciate you two keeping an eye on things here for me."

"It was a decent plan to distract everyone and get on the Operators` good side while you`re healing." He granted. She was clever; he never would have thought of something like that, or imagined the Blacks would go for it. He looked her over and asked; "How is that going, by the way?"

"It`s tender, and I`ve been avoiding lifting anything heavy with it. Seems to be doing better. By tomorrow or the day after I should be healed enough to get back to working on clearing the parks, provided my aim isn`t off."

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright! I`ve been itching to get some target practice in." MacCready agreed.

"Don`t get too excited; I have to survive tonight first."

"I thought you said the auction should go smoothly. Are you worried about something?" Gage tilted his head in puzzlement. His one visible eye studied the Overboss as she slowly spun the top of her beverage causing the bottle to rotate. She wasn`t exactly fidgeting, but he could tell she was thinking about something that made her uncomfortable.

"It`s not the auction I`m worried about, it`s the celebration I was invited to after." Frost sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She finally looked over at him and awkwardly asked; "Gage, is Mags Black interested in women?"

"I don`t ask about things like that. I don`t think she`s picky though. Why?" Gage wasn`t sure where this was going, but he knew already he didn`t like it.

"I think she may have been trying to flirt with me after we agreed to the terms of payment for the Operators` services." The woman stared intently at her bottle of soda. "Since I`m neither interested nor suicidal I turned her down. Although, I`m not confident she got the hint."

"If you`re worried about it that much, why not avoid going altogether?" MacCready asked as he began to gather up the cards. He shot the winner of the game a dirty look. Said rival shook his head and stated, as Frost had already known;

"That ain`t an option. The Boss here is still new, and still tryin` to make an impression. Staying on the good side of the gang leaders means she`s gotta show up when they ask for her. That was one huge mistake Colter made; not showing up to discussions. If he`d have only done that it would`ve been a lot harder to plan out killing him."

"I still don`t fully understand why you lot picked her as the one to take out your trash and clean up the mess of things here."

"You`re missing the point, MacCready. I`m here, and I have no intention of backing down or giving up. That`s the last I want to hear of it." Frost warned the Gunner.

"Just let me know if you change your mind." RJ replied coolly with a shrug. He pushed the last of the cards back in to the makeshift pack that served as a protective case. "If you really have to go though, why not just tell her you`re taken? It might get her to leave you alone, without risking making her angry."

"That wouldn`t be a bad idea, except for causing the gang leaders to question what other loyalties you hold. They ain`t gonna be happy to hear their new Overboss has an outside affiliation like that, especially since they don`t know who it is." Gage commented, chewing on the idea. Mags would definitely take it poorly to be rejected on preference of an outsider, assuming she was interested in the Overboss in that way. Porter could see why she might be. Frost was tough, clever, good-looking, and in charge. If she worked at it he was certain she could command the respect of all the raiders in Nuka World. Mags being at her side meant that the Operators would obviously have more favor than the other gangs. Potentially, she could manipulate the Boss in to a position of vulnerability later down the line and steal control of the park from her.

"I don`t exactly have a stand in for something like that. Gage has a point too. I can`t just grab some traveller and throw them in there. You saw how the raiders reacted to you showing up; the whole marketplace was moments away from becoming a bloodbath."

"So use him as your stand in." MacCready suggested with a nod towards Gage. His poker face was good; she didn`t see that coming.

Frost was mid-sip in to her drink when RJ`s bright idea caught her by surprise and caused her to choke. She managed to swallow most of the cola, but a painful amount made its way up her nose. Gage responded similarly. His eyes watered as he coughed out;

"What?!"

"Think about it. All of the raiders see you as the Overboss`s second in command, right? You could go with her, watch her back, and they can`t get too upset because you`re one of them."

"You gotta be shitting me." Frost told him hoarsely. "We met for the first time a few days ago. There`s no way they would belive that."

"You met a few days ago, and yet you already risked your life to protect him. It might not be as hard to believe as you think. Besides, all you`d have to do is pretend to be sleeping together. If this crazy bit-, er, lady thinks you`re too wrapped up with each other it`ll probably get her to back off."

"Ain`t nobody gonna be convinced someone like her is interested in scum like me."

"If I didn`t know better, I would have believed it." MacCready said plainly. He raised an eyebrow at the woman on the other side of the bar. She was pointedly staring at the counter, and appeared deep in thought as she rubbed a thumb against the scarred side of her jaw. He cleared his throat to try to get her attention. "Hey. What do you think?"

"Oh, hell. He has a nice ass, sue me for staring. I hadn`t entertained any ideas if that`s what you`re asking." The Boss replied bluntly and rolled her eyes. A hint of color crept in to her cheeks. With her arms crossed over her chest she glanced over to find Porter gawking at her.

"When were you even looking?" The raider sounded uncharacteristically shocked, somewhat pleased, and also a bit offended all at once. He couldn`t tell if he was being complimented or insulted. The fact that she had noted any part of his appearance with favor at all caught him off guard. Apparently she`d been discreet.

"When you were trying to make it seem like you weren`t watching out of the corner of your eye."

"Ugh, get a room you two." MacCready made a fake gagging motion and stood up. He stretched, twisted his back from side to side, and walked over towards where the restaurants` booths had been that morning to light up a cigarette.

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This was a bad idea, Gage thought as he waited for the Overboss in front of Fizztop Mountain. They had parted ways to take care of respective tasks. In Gage`s case that meant he`d gone to find something decent to wear and spent a few hours scrubbing himself clean, shaving, spiking his mohawk, and burning off his restlessness hanging out with his not-quite-friend Red Eye. He wasn`t sure how to approach this situation; he had no experience with going on an actual date. It ain`t even one of them, either,he told himself while he hung out in front of the fountain. Gage hadn`t exactly confided in Red Eye, although he had asked him for advice. The radio host made it public knowledge via his broadcast show that he had had more than a few flings. Porter asked him what one was supposed to do to catch the attention of someone out of his league, on the basis of piecing together what not to do. It wasn`t as if Gage had trouble with women. He`d been with enough not to call himself an amatuer. However, they had all been raiders, or indiscriminate individuals whom he wouldn`t have to deal with again. Gage had left 'civilized' life behind at an age where he was young enough to not be deeply interested in any kind of intimate relationship. Surviving in the Wasteland had meant making himself invulnerable. The various raider gangs he`d run with didn`t exactly have a wholesome worldview. Meaningless one night stands were common, and there was no such thing as 'calling her later'. Gage felt he could handle everything up until that part with skill. It was the idea of pulling off this ruse without actually getting himself in over his head that had his shoulders aching with tension and his mind buzzing while he waited for the lift to come down. How was he supposed to do this without pissing off the Overboss? They had to fool Mags, so they needed to appear genuine. It wasn`t going to be problematic for him to get up close and personal for one night. How they would work together afterward was where he saw the potential for difficulty to arise. Lust wasn`t the hard part of this equation, when she arrived looking like she did.

Scattered around the plaza were burn barrels giving off a faint orange glow. It was enough to see by for someone used to low light environments. In Gage`s opinion there was plenty to see. He`d gotten an idea of what the Overboss looked like without armor on earlier that day when she had returned from her meet up with the Operators. This was entirely different though. Gage felt under dressed in his new black pants and pinstripe vest. He`d traded out his bulky yellow armor for supple black leather gear, including a soft pair of lace up combat boots he hadn`t worn in a long while. The studs on his armor were blunted; more for show than function. Porter was out of his element. An uncomfortable sensation had his stomach in knots until Frost walked his way. He thought she had looked good earlier, but now he was having trouble thinking, period. The little black dress was held up by thin straps and clung tightly in all the right places. From the waist down it was loose and swayed with her hips when she moved. The bottom was cut at a slant; the right side stopped just below mid-thigh, while the left ended above her knee. The thin, billowy material was accentuated or replaced in multiple areas with dark red lace. For the first time since coming to Nuka World her hair hung loose, unbraided and unbound. Despite a thorough brushing her natural waves had refused to straighten out. Not as much of her hair was cut as short as he had thought; the relaxed curls covered the shaved portion completely. Combined with the dark makeup and black fur shawl casually shrugged over one shoulder, she could have been a vintage pin-up girl. Others might have thought her eyebrow piercings, scars, or tattoos he hadn`t known she possessed until now made her less attractive. Gage disagreed. He gave her a long look up and down as she came closer, not bothering with subtlety since Frost was also giving him a once over.

"Damn, Boss."

"You ready to get this party started, handsome?" She asked with a smirk.

"Sure we can`t just tell them to fuck off and have a party of our own?" Gage suggested, only half joking. He was experiencing difficulty recalling what it was he had been stressed out about. Those knee high leather boots she was wearing made her bare legs look like they went on for miles. Frost touched his arm and spun him with her as she strutted by in the direction of the dinner theater.

"That foul mouth of yours is about to be put to better use helping me sweet talk the Operators. Look at this as an opportunity. We`re going to see if we can`t learn anything about Colter`s old associates while we`re there, to make sure I`m not missing out on any people of interest. I`m still not sure if that explosion was a coincidence or not."

I can suggest a few better uses for both of our mouths if you`d like to hear them, Gage thought. What he said was; "This whole thing is going to be a trap where they try to learn about you too, Boss. Specifically what they can use as leverage against you. I get you though, its smart to give that further thought."

"They`re looking for a show, Gage. We should put on a good one."

"You won`t hear any complaints from me."

"I`m holding you to that." The Overboss told him, thinking she wouldn`t be wholly opposed to the idea of holding him down against a mattress as well. His vest showed off the muscles underneath it in a way that she wouldn`t have been opposed to watching all day long.

The entrance to The Parlor was flanked on either side by a an Operator guard. Both were armed and recognized Gage and their Overboss on sight. One greeted the guests as she`d been instructed, while her male counterpart held open the door to admit them. Inside a jukebox played Frank Sinatra`s version of "Luck Be A Lady". Oil lamps and candles gave the place a soft illumination. Although the pattern on the red carpet was faded, and the matching curtains covering the walls had seen better days, the place looked good. Compared to the rest of Nuka World, at least. Small tables and a few chairs provided intimate seating in front of the stage, which a few of the raiders were using as a dance floor. A steady flow of people migrated from a bar in the adjoining room to the main area, chatting, drinking, and smoking. Through the doorway leading to the bar a VIP lounge was partially visible. The Overboss began making her way in that direction, knowing the Black siblings would be there, and she would be expected to greet them upon arrival.

Everyone present had cleaned and dressed themselves up for the party. As the hosts Mags and William set an example. The brother looked sharp in a black tuxedo, in spite of the fact that he had already been drinking heavily. Mags was stunning in a fitted red evening dress decorated with sequins. A ruby colored choker made of satin accentuated her slender neck. Her long blonde hair was styled in to a elegant braid instead of her usual tight ponytail. The invisible hairs on the back of Frost`s neck stood on end when she spotted the two of them. She wanted to turn around, walk out, go back to Fizztop, and spend the rest of the night playing cards and trading stories with Gage and MacCready. There was work to be done here though. William was the first to spot the Overboss and Gage heading towards them.

"Ho-ly shit. Would you look at that?" He leaned over from where he was sitting and tapped his sister on the shoulder to get her attention. Mags looked vaguely annoyed at having her conversation with one of the other Operators interrupted. She brushed her brother`s hand away and glanced up.

"Overboss! And I see you've brought Gage along..." Mags rose to greet the pair. Frost forced a polite smile.

"Mags, William. You both look well tonight. This party is impressive." She`d subtly grabbed her "date`s" hand on the way over to ensure they weren`t separated in the crowd. Now she placed it on her hip and let go in a successful sleight of hand maneuver. Gage didn`t hesitate to play along; he moved up beside Frost and pressed one side of his chest against her as he snaked his arm around her waist. The message of assertion was obvious, which had been the point. William raised both eyebrows at the other man, silently impressed. Mags hid her own reaction behind a face as still as stone. She said;

"This is nothing compared to what we`ll be able to pull off with more resources from the parks being cleared out. Care to sit with us and discuss the future?"

Frost knew that although the invitation was phrased as a question she didn`t really have a choice. The brunette slid gracefully in to the booth and her companion followed. Gage took care to place his arm over the back of the seat behind Frost`s shoulders. He let his hand hang down so it was resting on her collarbone. To keep up the act she didn`t protest, even though it tickled when he began to toy with the strap of her dress as the group chatted for the next few hours or so. There came a point when the Operator`s leader offered her guests refreshment in the form of wine or liquor. Both declined; for similar reasons. Already the absence of her usual arsenal was making Frost feel naked. The western revolver tucked in to a garter under her dress helped a little, but it only held six shots. She wondered how many weapons her partner was hiding on him, if any. They had both been checked once inside; this was a no weapons allowed kind of party. At least no one had weapons out in the open. Anxiety left a growing tension in her muscles. Frost could feel a headache trying to form at the base of her neck. The dead boring conversation didn`t help. William kept going off on tangents as he became more inebriated throughout the evening. Finally Mags sent him away, to change the music on the jukebox and get her another drink. At this time Frost managed to excuse herself to use the bathroom and grab herself and Gage bottles of water from the bar. That left Gage and Mags with the booth to themselves.

"You and the Overboss seem to have gotten awfully close, Gage."

"She`s a knock out, that`s for sure. I`d be crazy to turn her down." Porter told the blonde with a grin as he watched Frost walk away.

"Turn her down? As in, she made the first move? My kind of woman." Mags feigned amusement. Her doubt was obvious.

"She was very direct. The little lady knows exactly what she wants and isn`t afraid to take it." Gage could feel the jealousy simmering off of Mags. Were the situation different, he may have been in trouble. There was something deeply satisfying about lording he and the Overboss`s pretend fling over Mags` head on her own turf. He had never appreciated how Mags and her gang looked down on him. William he could stomach from time to time, but he was one of the few. They were essentially stuck up rich kids with guns, Porter felt.

The sensation of sharp nails on his shoulder caught Gage by surprise. He turned his head and saw a female Operator standing off to the side of the booth. She caressed his shoulder again.

"Hello Gage. It`s been a while." The girl gave him a saucy smile. She obviously knew him, but he didn`t know who she was. To his knowledge they had never met.

"Something you need?" He asked her uninterestedly. The cold, rude approach seemed best here, he thought. Sipping from her wine glass on the other end of the booth Mags smirked at him. He knew then that something was up. What is she plotting?

"Hmm, I can think of a few things. How about someone tough and strong to keep me company tonight? You can slip away from your duties as the Overboss`s... help, later, can`t you?" She leaned closer and purred next to his face. Her breath smelled like pillow mints and bourbon where it tickled his cheek. The hand on his shoulder began to rub suggestively. Gage picked it up and moved it away with distaste. Now he understood what was going on. He had not yet seen the Overboss returning from her brief excursion, which was just as Mags had planned, of course. He`d been unwittingly enlisted as an actor in a show she was intending Frost to see. However, he was spoiling the plan by not reacting as anticipated.

"What makes you think I would be even remotely interested? In case you hadn`t noticed, I`ve been enjoying the Overboss`s company already."

"My mistake. Perhaps I was thinking she wasn`t appreciating your company enough, since she took off on you. She`s been gone quite a while now, from what I`ve seen. I wouldn`t leave a catch like you alone. Never know who might steal you away."

"A skilled thief recognizes when the mark is beyond his or her ability to obtain." The Overboss had arrived soundlessly, unnoticed until she wanted to be. Neither Gage nor Mags had witnessed her approach. The girl who had been hitting on Porter flinched and stepped back. Mags was visibly surprised, as evidenced by the widening of her eyes. Frost had a hand resting possessively on both of Gage`s shoulders from where she now stood behind him. She smiled at the flirtatious stranger, exuding a confident, malicious aura. "Touch him again, and I`ll cut off your hand and make you eat it. Porter Gage belongs to me."

Without a word the other female quickly made herself scarce. While she was disappearing in to the crowd and haze of cigarette smoke William Black returned. He glanced between his sibling, her guests, and the young woman who'd just scurried off with confusion. Gage tilted his head back and looked up to where Frost was standing over him. She seemed to be trying not to laugh at how fast the Operator had run away.

"Don`t I know it, Boss. Although it seems like some people aren`t convinced. I think you might have to stake a more, ah, visible claim." He was anticipating something along the lines of her sitting on his lap. If they didn`t make a statement here while everyone was watching, their charade would most certainly be foiled. What Porter did not expect was what the Overboss actually did next.

"Oh? Then I`ll just leave this where everyone can see it, unlike the other ones." Her loose curls tickled Gage`s shoulder when she moved her face next to his. One hand traced along the opposite side of his jaw, making his skin tingle where her fingers touched. Suddenly she grabbed his chin and turned his head away from her face. A soft brush of her lips on his neck evolved in to a sharp bite. A line of white heat shot through the raider and the room around them ceased to exist for a moment. His stomach clenched and his pulse accelerated without warning. When Frost pulled away after a few seconds of Gage doing his very best not to writhe or groan with desire, a dark hickey bruised the left side of his throat. Although she didn`t know it, she`d picked the one spot that set him off the most. He wanted to pull her right over the back of his seat and in to his lap. Instead he stared at her with one smoldering hazel eye while he wordlessly touched the mark she`d given him. Gage rose from his seat and moved around the booth to stand behind her. He pressed his front against her back and wrapped his arms around her waist, then buried his face in her neck and hair to inhale her scent. Frost crossed her arms over his and leaned back against him slightly. She spared their hosts a dark smile;

"It`s time for Gage and I to excuse ourselves. This was fun though. Enjoy the rest of your night, Mags, William." The Overboss gently extricated herself from Porter`s hold for the most part, and they went for the door without further delay. Her arm remained around his torso while he`d draped his across her shoulders.