"Cassidy Caravans has been bought out," Elizabeth told Alice McLafferty as she returned to the Crimson Caravan main office.
"Very good. On occasion it's proven more profitable in the long run to simply buy out the competition, and this is one of those occasions," She paid Elizabeth a little less than she wanted, but she really didn't want to complain.
The others were waiting outside under some shade when Elizabeth returned to them.
"Can't we take a break?" Veronica whined.
"You guys are tired?" Elizabeth asked.
"Not everyone has as much willpower as you, you know," Cass smiled, "Where to next?"
Veronica glared at her, and Elizabeth checked her Pip-Boy, "We need to find someone named Henry Jamison in Freeside. Maybe we can even make a stop in New Vegas."
"Please, not Freeside," Veronica pleaded.
"What?"
"That place is a literal shithole. I've never seen so many drunks and junkies in one place. But if you want to, I'm not going to stop you."
"Just don't... buy any food there." Boone added.
"I'll keep that in mind. Are you sure you all want to come along? I can do this alone."
"Hey, we agreed to follow you, plus, there's nothing much to do," Cass was currently building a small pile of dirt with her foot, then she smashed it. "Also, I was wondering if you were able to make a detour."
"What is it?"
"I wanted to pay my respects to my caravan. It's not too far."
Elizabeth wished she could resist those eyes, but she just couldn't.
"Of course," She smiled, making a note on her Pip-Boy.
"Thanks," Cass sighed.
Freeside wasn't actually as bad as people make it out to be. Other than the people who look like they would kill you and eat your heart if you looked at them the wrong way, it was like any other town.
Before the gang stopped by the Old Mormon Fort, Elizabeth sent everyone off to trade everything they've picked up along the road and trade it for medical supplies, food, water and money if they were able to.
Elizabeth pushed open the doors and walked inside.
The inside was like any typical Followers base, Elizabeth thought. There were tents around the area, and people frantically walking about. She couldn't find any doctors patient enough to talk to her until she walked into one of the tents.
There was a man with a Followers coat sitting at a table and writing stuff down. He was older- looking, wearing glasses and light blond hair.
As she approached him (a little bit cautiously, as her hand went straight to her holstered gun), he looked up from his work and smiled.
"Hi, If you're looking for medical help, try the other doctors. I'm just a researcher. Not even a particularly good one."
"What kind of research?" She asked.
"Oh, you know. Finding alternative treatments for common illnesses and injuries. Stimpacks out of barrel cacti and other fantastic improbabilities," He said rather unenthusiastically, "As far as fruitless wastes of time go, it's quite noble in its aims."
"What's the goal?" She asked. It was a little bit interesting, much to her surprise.
"For the past hundred years or so, the Followers have managed to get by using salvaged medical supplies from the Old World. But the side effect of medical success is that more people live longer. Funny how that works. Eventually, we'll run out of hospitals to loot. We need new ways to produce those supplies. Or maybe old ways, if this research goes anywhere."
"You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, "I'm enthusiastic about helping people, but nihil novi sub sole."
"Nihi-what?"
"Oh, sorry. 'There is nothing new under the sun.' If agave and mesquite were that miraculous, the locals would have figured it out a few thousand years ago."
"Where did you learn that?" She asked, her fingers twitching against the gun. He seemed to notice as well, and he just smiled.
"Not from the Legion, if that's what you're getting at. Books, sheet music, Gladiator holotapes. Bits and pieces here and there. The followers have extensive libraries, but we all draw water from the same water from the same old well. Even Caesar."
"Do you know much about Caesar?"
"I don't know anything that the others couldn't tell you. Caesar was one of the Followers. Before my time, of course. He wanted to rebuild the new world in the image of the old. A sad story if good intentions gone bad. In that regard, he's hardly unique. If you set aside his leadership capabilities, extensive knowledge, and ruthless cunning, he's just another jerk who steps on people to get his way."
He pulled his glasses off his face to clean them, and those pair of green eyes popped into her mind again.
"Anything else you wanted to ask?"
"Why do you do research instead of medical help?"
"Not all Followers are people persons. Besides, someone need to do research. I have no problem with Julie sticking me back here. Out of sight, out of mind. There are worse things one can be, though I do admit, it is a bit boring. Though it has a noble goal, I don't think this research will yield much fruit. No pun intended."
"Why don't you come with me?"
"No offense intended, but why should I go anywhere with you?"
"Things are bad. I'd to help in whatever way I can. And so do you, apparently. So why not?"
"Hmm. That seems appropriately resolute yet vague. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with you. But let me be clear about something. If you plan to help Caesar's Legion, this is going to be a brief relationship. I may not have all the answers for how this is going to fix Freeside's problems, but Caesar taking control isn't part of the solution. Fair?"
"Yes, of course."
"Then let's get going."
They left the fort, and the man readjusted his glasses, "I'm Arcade, by the way."
"Elizabeth," She smiled.
Cass had managed to score the gang two hotel rooms at the Atomic Wrangler, and Elizabeth took care of Henry Jamison. She introduced Arcade to the others and retired to their rooms.
Cass, Elizabeth and Veronica all shared a room while Boone and Arcade shared the other.
The problem was, was that there were only two beds in their room, and there were three of them.
"Fuck it, I don't care. We'll sleep together," Cass told Elizabeth.
Her breath hitched and she felt her face get hot. Veronica laughed, but Cass was already slipping into bed, too tired to care.
Elizabeth took off her vest and boots and slipped into bed next to the other. She turned her back away from her, just to be safe.
She slept better than she usually did. She woke up not feeling that tightness in her chest and her breath caught in her throat, and stretched and yawned. She looked at Cass, sleeping peacefully next to her.
The other woman was, obviously, much smaller than her, but still had a bit on muscle on her arms, and possibly the rest of her body as well, Elizabeth guessed. Her hair was a color that looked like fire as it was splayed out across the white pillow. Her skin was tanned and very freckled, and she looked both young and weathered at the same time. She had very sharp features, unlike Veronica, with a pointed nose and thin, pink lips, and a defined jaw line. She, also, had a chubby face, and rosy cheeks.
When she opened her eyes, she and Elizabeth stared at each other for a moment, then Cass smiled.
"Do you need something?" She asked. Elizabeth broke eye contact and cleared her throat, "No, sorry."
Cass smiled again and sat up, and stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes. She looked at Elizabeth, who was accidentally staring again.
Elizabeth, you need to stop, she's probably not even into girls, Elizabeth thought to herself.
Veronica was the last to wake up when Cass woke her up by throwing one of her pillows at her.
She shot up with her power fist still on her arm and holding a sloppy defensive position while looking around tiredly.
Elizabeth giggled, and then stopped when Cass laughed as well.
"That was adorable!" She said.
Elizabeth giggled again, her cheeks feeling warmer.
After Veronica woke up a little more, she called dibs on the shower first, and Elizabeth helped Cass do laundry.
They were in the laundry room, Cass sitting on one of the broken dryers and Elizabeth leaned against the wall opposite of her, in bathrobes, not talking to each other.
"Where'd you get that necklace from?" Elizabeth finally asked, noticing her necklace for the first time. It was a pendant of some sort, with a flower on it. It was really pretty.
"Gift from my Dad, along with my name. Rose of Sharon Cassidy. Mom said he got the name from some Old World book about dirt pilgrims. Name sure sounds sweet, though. Pendant's a little rose. Originally thought it was one of Mom's tribal necklaces, but no, came from Dad."
"Your mother was a tribal?" Elizabeth asked, crossing her arms.
"You know, like one of the tribes from the East- we got 'em out West, too. NCR's herding 'em up, though, domesticating them. Mom was from East of the Colorado, though, not sure what tribe. Was before Caesar rounded them up, made them Legion. She walked a hell of a way until she crossed paths with my Dad, and he convinced her to stop walking. And luckily for me, he was a horny old bastard."
"That's... one way to put it." Elizabeth didn't want to think about that.
"Didn't ask Mom to elaborate. Never heard her complain about his bedroom behavior, only complain he wasn't around to do it no more."
"Tell me about your dad."
"Not much to tell. He ended up walking East one day when I was young and never came back. Not a family deserter like some, though. Mom died waiting for him, and she had me to raise. She was sick but she held off dying until I was old enough to be getting into trouble with boys. As for Dad, I figure he just got himself lost or dead. Happens... and I'm not all boo-hoo about it."
"Any idea why he went East?"
"Not a clue. When he left, I was too in my crib to understand why, and around the time Mom passed, I was too into my teens to listen. Got his name, got this pendant, and that's about it. Now your turn. Why are we walking all this way?"
"I'm looking for a man who shot me," Elizabeth said a little self-conscious.
"A man who shot you?" Cass raised her eyebrow.
"Twice, in the head," She raked her hands through her hair, showing the other her scar.
"And you got better," Cass said suspiciously.
"A doctor helped patch me up."
"Two shots in the head without an Auto-Doc is a lot of patching. Hope you thanked him properly. Who's this snake that put bullets in your head? Did he have a cause, or...?"
Elizabeth shrugged, "He wanted something I was carrying."
"So he robbed you? Robbing a courier's low, and any family or group he's with is going to get a black eye for it. Caravan code of the wastes is you don't fuck with the one who brings you your mail, and you don't fuck with your supply line. Hope this shithead knows what he's in for. From both of us... what's his name?"
"I found out recently that his name was Benny. But he didn't introduce himself, and wore a bad suit."
"Bad suit, huh? Well, if assholes had taste, we'd all be feasting on shit. Still... suit means money, and suits stand out, especially here in the Mojave. One of the larger towns, or Vegas, might be the place to go. Don't you worry, though," she side-smiled, "we'll sort this asshole out, rattle his cage a little."
Elizabeth smiled and looked away from the other, and went to take the clothes out of the only dryer that worked.
They gave Arcade and Boone their clothes back and returned to their room.
Veronica was drinking a bottle of Nuka-Cola, naked, on the couch, while reading a book.
Cass threw her the Scribe's robes and underwear, then pulled out her own clothes.
"You can take the next shower."
Elizabeth nodded and went into the bathroom and turned on the water.
A/N: This wasn't edited like at all lmao I hope it's not bad but I trust myself