Home of broken hearts

When Mordecai is finally awake and about he finds himself passing an open window where he spots Maya sitting at a desk scribbling on papers. She look immensely bored, although too focused to notice him passing by. He continues following Lilith who leads him to a place past the reception hall. The room looks like an old as hell workshop, a factory for miscellaneous crap, in one place he watches several young looking boys dunking bundles of what appears to be wool into barrels of dye. Another cluster of slightly older boys weaves intricate images onto what will soon become warm blankets, as he look around again...they're all male. Not a single woman in sight, are they segregated or just not permitted into the abbey?

His attention focuses back on the present when he bumps into Lilith's shoulder, she looks at him curiously before lightly elbowing him in his ribs. She stands in front of several coffin sized crates each one painted with a one of three emblems. All the ones at the front have a white square with a bright red cross painted on them,one with a skinny Triton, wait that's a fork. The last few have a square with a triangle painted over it, is it supposed to be a house? Mordecai finds himself glaring at the stack of boxes. Is that it? Around fifty supply boxes?! He got married for THIS!? From behind him Mordecai hears the sound of marching feet, when he looks he sees almost twenty tall burly looking men, all clean shaven and only mildly interested in the goings on. Leading this small procession is Allfather, he smiles and reaches out to shakes their hands. He points to three men standing in the middle of the line and then holds up three fingers.

Both Lilith and Mordecai watch as these men brings over one of each crate, Lilith watches Mordecais eyebrow twitch. Allfather smiles, the motion not having gone unnoticed.

" I am going to show you what is in each crate, I know it doesn't look like much. But we like to preserve space so much of the contents are highly condensed."

He pats the lid of a box with the red cross on it, one of the three men steps forward with a crowbar to pull it open. Allfather reaches in with one hand and pulls out a small white box with a picture of a pill on its top, it opens with a soft 'pop'. Inside the box are several little packages of red pills.

" these pills are to bring down fever, aches pains. A cure for simple things, colds flu's things of that nature. Each crate has twenty of these cases. Each case contains about eight hundred pills, each pill lasts one week."

" I don't think I've ever seen anyone catch a cold on Pandora, more like pneumonia."

Moredecai looks at Allfather with growing irritation. Allfather closes the box and places it back in its spot, he pulls out a slightly larger yellow box with three black circles on it.

" this contains concentrated antibiotics."

He opens the box with a familiar pop, showing how each box is organized. Four short wide glass bottles of a pinkish liquid, several plastic wrapped needles and in a column beside that several more shrink wrapped syringes. He goes on about the quantity use and then brings out a stainless steel case, containing surgical tools. He goes on about this as well, Mordecai watches but only half listens. The rest of his mind wanders back to Maya, what was she doing? What was that paper work? Why did she look so irritated?

The medical box is slammed shut, the box with the weird fork is opened next. Inside this are several varieties of freeze dried and dehydrated this and that. Meat of various colors, sliced diced and Julianned everything else, little 'rehydration pouches'. Vitamins and little green envelopes of seeds, terra cotta containers of soil and at the very bottom parts to a water filtration system. This box closes then onto the box with the little house painted on it. In this box are several hundred blankets, tightly rolled sleeping mats, clothing of various sizes, compacted pillows. There is a bucket filled with bars of soap, a stack of towels washcloths along with many many bottles of shampoo and lotion. On the far end of the box is various forms of cleaning supplies and every type of scrubbing utensil available.

She really did look unhappy hunched over those papers, was is the work that had her so upset? Or was she still mad about having to go to Pandora? Was she sore- was he too rough with her? Did he say something stupid...

This box is nailed shut, three men pick it up and follow Lilith to the fast travel station. As Mordecai moves to follow her, he finds a light grip on his shoulder. When he looks back, Allfather is returning the gaze.

" I wondered if I could have a moment with you."

Mordecai arcs a brow at the older man.

"..."

" I have something else to give... just one last thing. For you and Maya, do you live alone? I mean will you be living in a place where it will be only you two- or do you live communally?"

" both, I stay in city at headquarters at the moment but I have a few places I keep to myself outside Sanctuary. Why?"

" do you have a separated room? or-"

" I have a camp in the mountains, a tower in the tundra, a house in both Fyrestone and Oasis and I even took a place in in Opportunity. Whatever it is I can find room for it."

It was said with a snarl, does this man really believe that Mordecai is incapable of providing for that woman? Does he really think that he's so poor he can't afford even a separated room? If he thinks all these things are true of Pandora, of him than why is he letting her go?

The older man sighs heavily motioning for Mordecai to follow him. He does, through a slim door to the back of the warehouse where there sits a small wooden cart. In this cart is wrapped mattress. Several thick comfortable blankets folded and tied into fluffy squares, colorful pillows with little flowers printed on them. On top of the mattress at the very back of the cart is a large black leather trunk with brass hinges and deadbolts. Allfather motions to it, Mordecai opens it to find neatly organized books, stack of stationary with small jars of various colors of ink. He sees several little fountain pens all tied together,graphite sticks and then another smaller box.

"Sleep has always been a problem for her, it took along time to find a mattress that she is comfortable enough on to sleep all through the night and she likes to read you see, these are some of the only books in the library she hasn't read yet and well. She likes colors, to etch little pictures of things she reads about. And this-"

Allfather reaches in and opens up the smaller box, little wisps of cloudy vapor rise up. When Mordecai looks in he finds wrapped pieces of meat in a translucent blue pouch, beside that sits a little basket of fruits and bright red berries. His eyebrow twitches and silently Mordecai closes the smaller box, laying the stationary back on top of it, closes the lid and turns the deadbolts.

" I'm sure you don't mean for your gift to be insulting but-"

"please try to understand..."

The old mans hands are quaking, he tries to still them only for it to spread up his arms to his shoulders. When he speaks again he voice it wavers and cracks ever so slightly.

" This is all I can do now. This is it, I thought I would be able to take care of her for the rest of my life."

He breathes deeply through his nose and clenches his jaw to try and calm himself.

" I want to keep her here and keep her safe but I can't- I can't watch her anymore I can't pick her up again when she falls- I – please I know one day you will understand. She is my treasure, my daughter and now she is going so far away and I don't know when I will see her again. Please please"

Allfather finds himself placing hands on Mordecai's broad shoulders and gripping tightly.

" please I need you to promise you'll take care of her. See to her she is my treasure and I know she will be your treasure soon enough. Please care for my daughter."

This is not what was expected in the least, the intensity of the mans words strike him like lightning, has he been greedy again? Self centered and defensive, assuming the worst of these people. Of this man, this man begging him to care for the person he loves so much. Mordecai lightly pats the mans shoulder in an awkward kind of reassurance.

" I promise. "

Maya huffs heavily as she signs away her life, filling out crappy paperwork to change her citizenship status. It shouldn't take this long, but the soreness in her thighs is slightly distracting. Every time she shifts she feels them ache and then soundless memories replay in her head. She keeps having to refocus and figure out where she left off, its tedious but finally done.

She turns in the work and finds herself wandering back to that room, only to find the heavy blue rose sitting on the bedside table. Maya sighs as she picks it up and watches through the round window as people carry away so many boxes to that strange station around in the farthest part of the cathedral. Eventually Lilith finds her standing alone in the room, just holding the bright blue rose.

" hey, ah- I guess you should go say your good byes. Its time to go."

Maya turns slightly to look at Lilith, who looks so apprehensive.

"what of my dear husband? Why are you the one calls for me and not him?"

" I have him working already- he's already back in Sanctuary getting things in order there. He thought you would want to say bye to your dad or whoever before you leave."

" thank you"

Maya nods to Lilith before walking past her,letting her feet carry her through the place until she finds Allfather standing in wait beside the fast travel station. When she walks up to him she wraps her arms around him and simply grips him tightly. He returns the embrace, it is the first time in years that has reached out like this and the last for many yet. After a moment he gently pulls away, for some reason he lifts the hood from her. Exposing her bright blue hair all tucked away in a folded ponytail.

" you don't have to wear this anymore you know, when you get there I'm sure your new husband will get you nice new clothes okay."

He pats invisible wrinkles out of the shoulders of her gown.

" I'm sure as well...father?"

"yes?"

"will you give this to Kotyk for me?" (ko-tee-yek)

Maya holds out the blue rose that had adorned her hair just last night, the night her brother was not here to give her away. He is not here to say goodbye, he will return home to find his other half missing. Allfather allows her to place the fake blossom into his palm before she turns away and follows Lilith to Sanctuary.

The travel is bizarre and leaves her slightly dizzy, when she orients herself the first thing she notices is the smell. The strong smell of piss vomit and beer, she cant quite separate them as there is currently a drunkard passed out in the back of the station, his pants are soaked and his dinner is spilled over his stomach. The culprit being a tipped over bottle, its contents drying on the cement floor.

Maya gawks at the man for a moment before looking around, finding bullet shells along with various bits of trash and scurrying rats. She jumps when she hears Lilith calling her.

"c'mon girly we don't have all day- you have work to do."

Lilith grabs Mayas arm and drags her out of the station across the center of sanctuary to headquarters. The people are scrawny, emaciated and come in various stages of some sort of plague. In the distance she sees Mordecai talking with a man in a white coat pointing to the contents of one of the boxes. She is dragged away from this scene into another, where a woman in a red coat and brass goggles rambles on in a corner. The word bacon is loudly and angrily ranted about from the woman, Maya continues to the left and up some stairs. She passes a series of bunks with deeply worn sheets stretched tightly across the thinning mattresses, a few injured men sleeping here and there. She is taken passed a large safe and a damaged yellow couch to a room filled with blinking screens.

Central command, its pathetic. Their whole government is is approximately four people and a handful of rescued equipment? Maya waits to be instructed but as soon as Lilith opens her mouth to tell her what it is she was supposed to do, her echo flares to life. Maya recognizes the sound of Mordecais voice cursing on the other side, although she can't make out his words. Lilith curses under her breath

" I don't have anyone to spare-"

Her yellow eyes go wide and stare intensely at Maya, who only looks back curiously.

" can you use a gun?"

"...?"

Maya catches her sarcastic retort and tries to formulate a more polite way to inquire about Liliths I.Q. What use would someone who never left the abbey have for a gun? Before the words can form Lil just shakes her head and almost shouts into the echo.

" looks like you're taking you new wife out for a spin- teach her how to shoot"

Once again the sound of cursing spills from the other side of the echo, Lil flicks it off and escorts Maya all the way back down and out. When she arrives at the door she finds Mordecai rushing over, he skids to a halt when he sees her waiting and bellows at her.

" hurry the fuck up-I don't got all day!"

Maya jerks her head back at the comment in confusion and shock, despite the irritation she bolts forward to his side. He has such long legs it quickly becomes difficult for her to keep up- difficult but not impossible. She almost slams into him when they arrive back at the fast travel station, instead he whips around and says almost too quick to catch.

" bandits are moving in Fyrestone"

He turns back around and taps at the screen then dissipates from view, she blinks in bewilderment. Maya glances around before stepping forward and lightly tapping at the stations start menu, she searches for the name in the list but cant find it. Agitated she swats at the screen, surprised when it scrolls, ah there's Fyrestone. She pokes it with the very tip of her finger and finds herself whizzed off to tin can of a hut. On a broken sign read the words 'Dr. Zed's med's'. a moment later she hears a loud popping noise and watches blood splatter across the ground in front of her.

Horrified she stumbles backward, her heel getting caught in her own gown. She falls backward and dives behind a counter, only to swallow her scream as she finds herself directly beside a body thats been rotting for quite a while.

"gotcha pendejo!"

His laugh rings out like a beacon, only to be followed by a series of loud pops and a grunt, horrified she bolts out and finds him crouching behind an ammo box. He quickly bolts up and around another little hut and fires two shots, which are followed by two dull thuds.

Mordecai turns and glares at her.

"where the fuck where you- wheres your gun?!"

He marches and looks at her with his face all twisted up in a sharp scowl, he grabs her elbow and drags her back to zeds abandoned vending machines. He winds letting off a string of curses when he finds it out of order, not enough so he slams the sole of his boot into its small blank screen.

" whats wrong? Did you need someth-"

Mordecai almost throws her back behind the counter, several bullets perforate where she had been standing. They bounce off of Moredecai, a small white hexagon in his belt flashing brightly, he pierces a hole in their foreheads and rushes forward. She hears a flurry of heavy thuds screaming and rapid gunfire, Her husband dives behind the counter with her. He quickly reaches out and wraps a belt around her waist, and shoves a heavy gun into her small hands.

" try to aim for their heads"

With that he darts away taking much of the gunmen with him. She looks down at all the little pieces that hang off her belt and prods them curiously before a shadow looms over her. When she looks a up a very tall burly man is staring down at her with beady little black eyes.

" come here little one, its time to die."

She stares at him with a blank expression to freaked out to respond, so she lifts the heavy gun with both hands. Her finger squeezes tightly around the trigger, she unloads a full clip into the mans face before he can lift that large pipe looking weapon of his. His blood spatters all over, little droplets scattered across her face like tinted freckles. She finds herself in shock as she walks along randomly emptying clip after clip into the screaming bodies of masked men.

Watching the bullets bounce off her shield would be spectacular if she wasn't waging an internal war about whether or not this is right. This numbed thought process continues until she aims and only hears a dull clicking noise.

" oh... crap."

This one just stares back at her in obvious amusement, this one is covered from head to toe in a massive coat boots and a bizarre hat. His massive gloved hand swings out, she see it coming but find her body all locked up. The hit connects and her light body is thrown backward, she feels the weight of the gun slip from her hands as the world seems to flip upside down. The sky is wrong, its under her and the ground come up to slam into her face. Her body crumples on top before she unfurls on the ground and lays still. She can hear the heavy steps and screams internally to get up, to run away to stand up and hit back to do something. Instead the nomad walks into her line of sight laughing in a sickening way, just as he leans down to carry her away something flies by and his brain bursts out the side of his head in a wet mess across the ground. Modecai bolts into her line of sight, he grabs her by the back of her neck and forces her to stand up. She feels him shove the gun back in her hands.

" fuck is wrong with you?"

Maya watches a wave of bullets fly off his shield before he runs off and jumps onto various cans and chest to end up on a rooftop. She can hear him reload every five bullets, the sound repeats until she begins to focus on that noise over the rest. Masked men in faded orange pants run at her screaming obscenities before she ventilates their ribcage. This continues for hours, until she finds herself once again completely out of ammo.

She tries not to listen to Mordecai when he has to pick her up, she tries not hear him at all right now. She tries not feel cheated when images of him smiling at her with that tender look flash through her mind. What happened to him calling her mami? What. The. Fuck.

Shes on the ground again, Mordecai moves to grab her up again only for her to backhand him and shove herself up. Ahead of her a massive man marches forward, aiming that pipe looking weapon, which she now recognizes as a rocket launcher. What an idiot, those are only good at long range- so she closes the distance.

" what the hell are you doing? get back here!"

Mordecai bellows from somewhere behind her but she isn't listening, as she closes in the Goliath she extend one arm out. Around his head appears a violet bubble, he freezes in place just before the body drops. His detached head still wedge in the bucket looking helmet floating in the air. Maya flicks her wrist, removing the bubble and marching forward. Three men come barreling around a corner, she heard them screaming about their mothers 'bumpy tummy' so was not surprised. Before they can get anywhere near she has her arm out, allowing all three of them to run straight into the little violet bubble.

She hears them still screaming and yelling from inside it, so empties half her clip on their masks. Their bodies drop and Maya huffs as she begins to grow weary, but no such thing as a break- those little bastards just keep coming. Mordecai watches her toss her gun to the side, pick up another and shoot down a wall on top of an oncoming wave of Goliaths. Shes getting better, she appears to be capable of taking care of herself at this point.

It is a good while before they make several rounds through Fyrestone without being bothered, finally its clear. She listens as Mordecai reports in, informing Lilith of the number of bandits that had been there, that they will need people to clean up and guard the place. As he talks Mayas gaze trails down Mordecai's body, pausing over a place on his leg where he bleeds profusely. With a sigh she looks around and decides to tear a thick strip of cloth off her gown. Mordecai jerks in place when she kneels in front of him, tending to his injury.

Lilith rambles over the echo, Mordecai only half listens while he watches Maya try to clean up his leg. There is no bullet to remove just a gaping hole, she wraps the cloth around his narrow leg twice before trying it off as tight as she can.

" Thanks "

Maya glares at him as she pushes herself up off her knees, she pats out the lap of her gown before responding to him.

" wouldn't want you to slip in it."

She then marches off to wait beside the fast travel station, Mordecai grimaces inwardly. After Lilith finishes talking Mordecai find himself trying to remember all the things he yelled while Maya was struggling to muddle through her first fight. As he slowly recalls all the things that came out of his mouth, he steadily feels more and more guilty. Maya never left the abbey before, why the hell would she know what to do here?

Mordecai walks to ward the station trying to think of how to make it up to her, when he finds her standing beside the fast travel station she immediately informs him.

" It is not functional."

Sure enough, thin ribbons of smoke spill out of the various bullet holes that adorn it like freckles. He looks at it slightly irritated.

"c'mon we'll get a car."

She follows him out the front gates where he pops the heads of five skags before walking over their bodies to a pole with a screen attached to it. He pause his motions and says over his shoulder.

" you did pretty good out there."

"..."

"you mad?"

She doesn't answer, only stifles a slight scream when a car appears out of nowhere. Her eyes however remain wide and alarmed. He cant help but chuckle at her response to seeing the vehicle spring into existence.

" the hell is that thing?!"

Mordecai grins widely when he realizes she's never been in a car before.

" come on, I'll teach you how to drive"

He grabs hold of a side rail and jumps into the driver seat, she looks at him curiously wondering where it is that shes supposed to sit.

"c'mere- you can sit in my lap and I'll show you how to drive."

Maya huff mildly embarrassed at the thought, however she hikes up her gown and climbs up the car, carefully placing herself in his lap.

" hey mami"

She looks over her shoulder at him, still fidgeting to wiggle into a position where she isn't in his way.

" I didn't mean to get pissed at you out there I -"

" those are not the worst things people have said or done to me. It was simply unexpected. I would prefer it not to happen again but I understand if it does, please teach me to drive now."

She feels his hands glide around her waist line as he leans forward to press a kiss to her cheek.

" mami, you really did pretty good- I mean you never been in a scrap before huh?"

" not from long range or with so many opponents but I have been in several 'scraps' before"

Maya watches him put the car in gear, packing out of the small port before turning to the right and shifting again.

" left pedal is gas, right is break- this is the turbo. What fights did you get in at a church?"

She places her hands over his on the steering wheel, smiling slightly as they pick up speed.

" yes it was a church, but men are still men and I was the only woman there. That's why father trained me specifically for close quarters combat."

Mordecai glares forward, that wasn't an answer he found amusing... not what he expected. Although she didn't appear bothered by it, without thinking about it he lets off the gas and rolls nearly to a stop.

" they tried to-"

" the key word is tried, is it my turn now?"

He smirks when she wiggle til he moves his foot and lets her hold the wheel.

"left is gas... rights the break?"

"yea"

The vehicle lurches forward, then jerks to a halt. Mordecai places his hand behind his head while she figures out how much pressure to put on the gas. They move in short jerky intervals for a while before she has them moving at a steady pace in wide circles through the dirt. Mordecai watches her grin like an idiot as she figure out the controls and stumbles along. Once she has them moving she starts cracking up, she sits up straight and looks around. In his mind she looks like a meerkat, an incredibly amazed meerkat. As she begins to speed up, an idea occurs to him so he slips his hands under hers and nudges her foot off the gas.

"hey-"

" you're gonna like this."

He slams on the gas and veers off road, he laughs when she screams at the change in direction. Her body is pressed backward against his chest, she grips his wrists- not really sure what else to do with her hands. For some reason Mordecai enjoys the way her long blue hair whips out behind them, the feel of her hands on his and they way she leans back on him. As she grows accustomed to the speed she begins to laugh again, letting go of Mordecai to raise her hands up in the air. She feels him wrap one arm around her waist just before making another sharp turn.

" see that button?"

"the 'turbo?'"

" push it"

Gleefully she prods the little red button on the dashboard, screaming in delight when they rush forward. She suddenly realizes their heading for a wash.

" oh my GAWD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

He laughs almost hysterically at her terrified questions. In a moment they're flying over the wash, her wight lifting from his lap, her face shifts again from horror to glee. Mordecai grips her tightly holding her against him, they land heavily. Her face almost slams into the steering wheel, his arm over her chest however keeps her firmly in place. They skid to a halt and she cant stop laughing, shes struggling to breathe and crying.

" you like that?"

Her head rolls back onto his shoulder, she looks at him still grinning.

" again?"

" yea?"

"please!"

He loves the way she looks when she smiles like that- so elated jubilant. She burns rubber before shifting gears and rocketing them forward, he spins the wheel almost flipping them over and rocketing back toward piss wash gulley. This time when they wind up in the air she wraps her arms around his shoulders and holds on tight. When they slam back down onto the dirt she bounces in his lap even though she grips him so tightly.

" I got more if you want-"

" yes more!"

He drives faster and further into the distance they ramp off various dirt mounds and splatter through unsuspecting skags.

" they explode when you hit them! Get that one-that one there!"

She points off to the right, loving when he makes sharp turns even more than the sound of little bodies splattering under the tires. He obliges her every request, making sure everything she points at gets under their tires until his echo goes off again. He doesn't answer, but knows that's their cue to head back.

" can we do this again?"

Mordecai looks at her feeling himself smirking at the fact that she still has one arm around his shoulders. Her other hand is set on his chest as they speed toward the nearest functional fast travel station. When its time to get out of the car they are both reminded of his injured leg.

" whyy did you want me in your lap!? I shouldn't have say on you-"

" it's fine-"

The pair dissolves and reappears in sanctuary.

" didn't hurt much anyway"

" but it still hurt?"

She mumbles and looks at his wrapped leg, he pulls her close and presses a kiss to her forehead.

" you got a cute laugh mami, I wanna hear it more."