Introducing the ghoul vaquero! ...To the gaggle of idiots he's going to be following around for the forseeable future.
Black Mountain
Somehow, Cass had expected Li to walk off Black Mountain in pieces, if she did at all.
She had not expected that she would do so with a ghoul mechanic, shaking so badly out of combined nerves and laughter that she couldn't talk. But she was still walking under her own power, which should have been impossible.
"You really have to tell me how you did that." Cass said later, when they were sitting at the base of Black Mountain with their new ghoul friend, Raul.
"Come to think of it, boss, you didn't actually fight your way through the super mutants, did you?" Raul mused. "There wasn't half as much blood as there should have been."
Li shook her head, still shivering. "No, I sorta…walked past them. With a Stealth Boy and, you know, bobby pins." The nervous giggle was back again, and Cass wondered if her sanity had finally decided to give out.
"That explains the lack of explosions, but not you still having both arms, boss." Raul informed her.
"Did you ever see a Mr. Handy there, Raul?" Li asked. "Well, it turns out Tabitha-the-insane-nightkin actually wanted it repaired. And then she and her best buddy Rhonda the Mr. Handy decided to wander off into the wastes and have adventures."
Raul was speechless for a minute or two. Cass's mind went blank at the sheer ridiculousness of it.
"And…that's the story of how I got you out. After I flipped a switch in Rhonda's casing, anyway." Li added. She paused. "Jesus, it seems even more insane when I say it out loud."
"Then what's with the 'traumatized refugee' impression?" Cass demanded.
"Tabitha hugged me out of gratitude or something, and I still can't feel my arms." Li said.
"Oh," said Cass. She glanced at the ghoul. "So, Raul, are you gonna be joining up with our little conspiracy to destroy Caesar's Legion?"
Raul shrugged. "I'm just an old man with a knack for fixing things. But if the boss wants to go on a suicide mission, who am I to say no?"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Grandpa." Li said sarcastically. Then a scheming smile came to her face. "Hey, Cass, how much do you think Lily will want to meet someone her own age for once?"
Cass burst out laughing.