Jenny stared in confusion at the mass of dark hair next to her, and the naked body curled tightly against her, as the events of the last night eluded her (as an after-effect of the drug, albeit she didn't know that). In fact, she had troubles remembering her own name and the blonde sat up with startle.
After a second that seemed like eternity to her, she blurted out "Jenny!" and shook her head. The previous night was coming back to her now - discussing Vic, discussing life, Tala and her tender caresses... Jenny shuddered for a moment as if shaking off the feeling of unease that came from the blackout after waking up, and smiled at the memory of Tala. Jenny was no stranger to carnal pleasures, of course - but her clientele, save a very few, cared for nothing but their own pleasure. Vic was the only exception to this that Jenny could think of off the top of her head... and he was mostly just good intentions.
Tala had been no expert, either, but eager and passionate. Passionate about her, Jenny, not just looking out for herself. Not something that happened often with her, the blonde thought as she contentedly reburied her face in the shoulder of the stronger woman and laid to wait Tala's waking. And for a moment, she considered the tribal's words from last night. "Come with me." Perhaps it would be worth it? Perhaps she should go, trust her fate in the hands of this stranger? Perhaps she would find Vic with her, or perhaps the dark stranger had spoken truth when asking Jenny to love her while they were entwined in passion?
But the moment passed and she released her grip on Tala's thigh that she only now noticed she had taken. The girl had been high last night, stoned out of her mind. And Jenny was nothing but a woman for sale, not someone to love or particularly care for. Love at first sight - that was not her.
Jenny barely noticed as she drifted back to sleep.
The brunette tribal had much the same feeling as Jenny did when she woke up. She didn't remember how she got to where she was, nor why was she cuddled up with a pretty blonde, but she was used to it. She knew that the memories would return soon, and also knew that these blackouts were the reason she used her weedwater only in safe situations. So, by logical conclusion, she was safe.
The logical conclusion, of course, conflicted with the approach of muffled footsteps. Freeing her right hand from the bedroll without disturbing the blonde next to her was not too difficult, although she did stir a little as Tala reached for the gun next to her. Luckily, the 10 millimetre Colt had narrowly escaped from being covered by Tala's jacket, obviously discarded in passion.
The gun felt natural in Tala's hand - she knew how to wield one, she discovered, just as the steps came around the boulder and Tala aimed her gun at the approaching figure. The scary-looking, green-faced and tattooed figure with a large bone in his nose didn't even flinch.
"Grampy Bone told we and I to find you here," he exclaimed. Tala lowered her weapon and sighed. Of course. Klamath, Tala, Sulik, Jenny. And Vic. "Grampy Bone also tells us you both be awakening now," Sulik added with a nod.
Tala sighed and rubbed her eyes as Jenny stirred next to her. The memories flooded back to the brunette - among them her making a fool of herself by declaring her undying love to a... lady of the evening she had only met a few hours ago. Undying love that, naturally, didn't exist. There was attraction, certainly. Doubly so while under influence (albeit the blonde looked quite lovely even in the morning light, Tala had to admit), but that's all it was - a physical attraction, desire born out of being deprived of intimate contact for quite some time now.
Tala shook herself from her thoughts and pulled the blanket off herself while sitting up, not caring one whit about the show she was giving to Sulik, who showed no intentions of leaving. Grumpily, she started reassembling her clothing that was strewn about on the ground and on the boulder while Jenny looked on with some admiration and Sulik with an entirely unreadable expression.
Tala was half-way dressed when Jenny sat up as well - modestly covering herself with the blanket, the brunette noticed with a bit of amusement - and looked around.
"Hey, Sulik, go make yourself useful in the meanwhile and get us some water, will you?" Tala turned to the other tribal, who nodded, muttered something about spirits and left.
"Good morning," Jenny finally said, smiling at Tala as she took her own jacket and fished out a small pack and a lighter. The blonde still kept the blanket around her, which Tala found odd, but did not question. "Want one?" Jenny asked, offering the Chosen One a cigarette.
"Yeah, sure, thanks," Tala replied, accepting the cigarette and the light without really knowing why. She didn't smoke - or hadn't been smoking up until now, anyway. But she set that aside in her mind as well and tried to hide a cough from the alien substance entering her lungs. She looked up and their eyes locked. Tala had decided to be angry, or at least cold, with Jenny - albeit the rational part of her said there was no one else to blame for last night and, in fact, nothing to blame for, anyway - but the blonde's smile was too bright and too genuine and Tala couldn't help but smile back.
"About last night..." Jenny began and looked down.
Tala nodded. She had been expecting it. "Yeah, I did keep you for the whole night, didn't I?" she said with a half-smile and reached for her money, but Jenny's hand stopped her.
"Don't," she said. "I... I didn't work last night. I... I enjoyed it and... Thanks," she smiled a disarming smile again while taking Tala's hand in hers.
Tala looked back and saw only sincerity in Jenny's eyes. She had a feeling that had she meant what she said last night, she could repeat the request and Jenny would give in and come with her. Without really thinking, Tala found herself this close to blurting it out again - "Come with me." Three simple words, but words she didn't mean. But having already opened her mouth, Tala opted for a "You should get dressed before you catch cold. Besides, I have to leave for Den soon," she spoke, adding her own winsome smile.
Jenny sighed and nodded. She dressed quickly and by the time Sulik returned with a flask of water, Tala had packed her bedroll and the two women were leaning against the large boulder, side by side. "We and I think it's far enough into the day to get going. There are slavers at Den, and Grampy Bone says we might find sis there with you!"
"Right you are," Tala nodded after taking a few sips of water before passing the canteen on to Jenny. The tribal pushed herself off the boulder and her flung backpack over her shoulder. Jenny followed suit with a sigh; a part of her dreaded going back to Klamath and wanted to stay at the woods, by the boulder, as if in a dream - but reality won out and she followed the two tribal warriors, staring at the ground.
Klamath itself was relatively dead as almost everyone seemed to be asleep or hung over. Crossing the central square to get to the Buckner's House felt like walking over a battle field, as more than one person had simply fallen asleep or passed out in the middle of the street. In front of the Buckner's House, Jenny and Tala stopped while Sulik entered the house.
"So..." Tala began. Her moment of doubt had passed and she was determined to say goodbye here. For time being, at any rate.
"Yeah... See you around?" Jenny asked.
Tala nodded. "Yeah. When I happen to come back to Klamath, I'll see you around." Maybe it even wasn't a lie. On an impulse, she stepped closer to the blonde and kissed her (followed by a catcall and a whistle from two still drunk trappers), before stepping back.
"Right... see you," Jenny said, nodding to Tala and watching as the door closed after her. With a sigh, she headed for the Bath House.
Inside the Buckner's building was relatively quiet, too. Only Maida was around, counting money from last night with a big smile that she immediately replaced with a well-practiced scowl when Tala and Sulik entered.
"We and I be out of here," Sulik announced. "There be slavers at Den, and Grampy Bone tells us to let the bad blood out to play with them."
Maida's eyes widened and she gulped before collecting herself. The reputation of the slavers preceeded them also in Klamath, and the barkeeper knew well that one did not just march up to the slavers and demand the release of a captive. The only way that was possible was with a good deal of money or a big army, neither which these two tribals had, as far as Maida knew.
But the stranger seemed cool-headed and even-tempered and would hopefully hold Sulik back, so Maida didn't add her own warnings and pleas into it. Besides - she was supposed to be angry with Sulik and even downright hate him.
Tala quickly bought some essential supplies from Maida and stuffed them into her increasingly heavy pack. She wanted to be gone from Klamath before the partiers of yesterday woke up and possibly forced her to endure more speeches and annoying goodbyes.
Disappearing was as easy as Tala predicted it would be - the few that were out and about barely even noticed as the two tribal warriors left the trapper community. For the time being, at least.
The road to Den was uneventful. The landscape was much the same as around Arroyo, if slightly less mountainous. There was no sign of any human habitation visible during the entire journey and that gave Tala a sense of unease that she could not explain. Though the constantly hallucinating (either that, or possessed) warrior was annoying at times, Tala was grateful for his presence. She liked being alone every once in a while, but him, demi-stranger though as he was, was reassuring, a solid point to keep an eye on and not feel so lost in the strange wastelands.
They swapped stories on the road, Tala speaking of the legends and stories of Arroyo, Sulik mostly about his sister and his journey from the Great Salt Water all the way to Klamath. But often, they spoke of nothing at all. During the evenings, Tala just sat and stared at the fire, absentmindedly playing with the wolf paw amulet hanging around her neck, thinking of the times in Arroyo and friends and family left behind.
But eventually, the road ended and the rather unimpressive town stood before them. It seemed little different from Klamath from the distance, except that it was bigger. Not the kind of dark and gloomy fortress with burning human bodies still alive impaled on stakes around the gates, as Tala had seen it in the most colourful fantasies. Even as they reached closer, Tala remained unimpressed. Certainly, it looked like a dirty and mean town - a good place to own a gun - but aside from a few try-hard teenagers, there didn't seem anything overly dangerous. Several people, filthy and dressed in rags, were milling about, wandering aimlessly around the two tribals without noticing them, mumbling some sort of gibberish.
"We and I wonder if these people are possessed?" Sulik asked, walking with his hand resting on the hilt of his combat knife, just in case.
"I don't think so," Tala shook her head. "Drugs, I'd think. Of the chemical, city-produced variety."
"Come check out Becky's!" a child's voice called out towards them. "Best prices, best chances!" The house in front of which the two children - a dirty-looking pair of boys - were standing in front of one of the less rotten buildings that looked as if it was receiving maintenance every once in a while. But what really caught Tala's attention were the glowing red letters next to the door, reading "Becky's".
"So, this place has electricity," she mumbled and headed towards the door. The children next to it were eyeing her eagerly, but Tala stuffed her hands in her pockets and stared at both meanly, causing the kids to gulp and neglect any malicious intent.
The inside of "Becky's" turned out to be a bar and a casino, albeit there weren't many clients at the noon hour. Inside was another sign marking Becky's casino bar, this one lit up as well. The guards in scrap-metal armours eyed both tribals warily as they entered, but didn't move an inch as they looked around.
The barkeeper was a pretty and young blonde woman that made Tala think of Jenny for a moment, albeit the resemblance did not go beyond the colour scheme. The tribal could feel all eyes on her as she walked casually to the bar and sat on a stool, dropping her backpack next to it.
"Hey, welcome to my bar. Anything I can get you?"
"What's on tap?" Tala asked, nodding for Sulik to come and have a seat as well.
"Nuka-cola and water. Of alcohol, beer and whiskey - pure Dyer brand!" the blonde replied with a well-practiced smile.
"Dyer?"
"Oh, that's my family name. Rebecca Dyer. We've been in this business for a while already."
Tala nodded and checked her PipBoy. 12:44 pm, enough time to take a look around in the town and thus too early for alcohol. "I'll have two nuka-colas," she nodded again. "Too early for alcohol," she smiled.
Rebecca fetched two blue bottles and Tala paid up. Sulik didn't have any money as it was and quite frankly, Tala didn't particularly trust him in monetary matters, despite him having travelled more than her.
But that was neither here nor now. She opened the bottle and took a sip before turning back to Rebecca. "Does the name 'Vic' mean anything to you?"
The barkeep frowned. "Depends. If you mean the trader, Vic, then yes it does."
"That's the one," Tala nodded eagerly, her interest perking. "Do you also happen to know where he's at?"
"Yeah. He ran into some trouble with the slavers and Metzger has him locked up," she explained. "Something about him selling malfunctioning equipment to the slavers. Not a smart thing to do with a man like Metzger in charge."
"Metzger?"
"Yeah. He's the leader of the Slaver's Guild, at least here in Den. He... is not a very nice man, as you can probably guess," Rebecca shrugged. "Albeit I do not turn his men away. Money is money, and banning the Slavers in Den would be foolish."
Tala nodded, processing the information as Sulik spoke up. "We and I had our sis taken by Slavers. You... seen her, perhaps?"
Rebecca blinked, her eyes darting back and forth between the two, vastly different as they were. "Ehh... I don't remember. Is she like you?"
"She be our sis," Sulik nodded. "Many were taken by slavers. We and I will find sis," he continued, now seemingly speaking more to the spirits around him than to Becky, who was looking at Tala with a slightly bewildered expression. The brunette merely shrugged.
"Any place here to trade at?" Tala asked after a short pause interrupted only by Sulik's mumbling.
"Yeah. Tubby's store is just across the street and Flick's is further down the street. Actually... that reminds me," Becky spoke, looking at the weathered protective leather jackets and the weapons that the tribals sported. "I'd have an offer if you cared to hear."
"Oh? What's that?" Tala asked. Sulik had slipped deeper into conversations with the spirits.
"There's a man who owes me 200. His name's Fred and... Well, I'm sure he HAS the money... but he just avoids me and any of my security. If you could retrieve it for me, I'd make it worth your while."
"Alright... I'll keep an eye out for him. What does he look like?"
"Last I saw him, dressed in rags. I'd try the derelict houses. He's rather tall, dark-haired. Probably less dirty and more healthy than most of the addicts, too. And not armed to teeth like the gangers here."
"Alright. I'll keep an eye out. No promises, though."
"That's all I could ask for," Rebecca nodded, then looked up as the door opened again and a group of four people entered the bar. She politely excused herself and went to take the orders of the newcomers and Tala was left to her thoughts and rapidly emptying bottle of nuka-cola.
So Vic was in trouble, much as Jenny had feared. Tala hoped it wasn't TOO deep a trouble, as the trader was the only link she had to the GECK and Vault 13. She tapped her fingers on her backpack, in which was, among other things, a radio confiscated from Vic's house in Klamath. "I think he mentioned having a good deal in Den, about selling a set of radio equipment to someone," Jenny had told her back in Klamath.
"Good thing I kept it," Tala muttered as she finished her drink and got up. "Let's go, Sulik. Today should be an interesting day..."