Chance
Chapter 14: Decisions
The evening hours passed in a similar manner to the previous night. MacCready and Roulette spoke, the time more about the possible opportunity she had on the table. The option of leaving the Brotherhood entirely was an enticing one, with the fact that she'd never need to associate herself with the group's ideals again, allowing her to go on with the life she'd made for herself. Though, Maxson's offer did have a certain pull factor of its own. If Rou agreed to take out traitors for the BoS, she would likely earn quite a few caps, and she'd have a steady flow of work, too, come to think of it. There was a downside, though, being that she would still be connected to the Brotherhood. Overall, she would still call the shots, working on her own terms, and not have to worry about the possible disciplinary actions that could follow.
Meanwhile, Elder Maxson was roaming the passageways of the Prydwen, his active mind urged him to keep moving as he mulled over the options before him. First, he could simply go through the process of formally discharging Ashley from the Brotherhood. Although it was a fairly lengthy process, he wouldn't have to worry about the Initiate ever again, and they could simply go their separate ways. On the other hand, though, her skills in the wastes would come in handy. Lately, there had been a spike in Brotherhood members simply leaving, abandoning their posts and deserting their brothers and sisters. Ashley seemed to have a knack for finding people out in the wasteland, if those tally marks were anything to go off of. These skills could be useful in finding and eliminating these deserters. The downside came with her partial exploitation of the Brotherhood's need to have somebody do the job. In all, Maxson had little choice in the matter, really, and he could tell that Ashley had already known this. As the man returned to his private quarters, he gave a heavy sigh. In a way, as he prepared to turn in for the night, he knew his decision had already been made for him.
As morning dawned, the airship once again began to buzz with activity. Maxson woke early and went about his usual routine, getting himself cleaned up and into his uniform, before getting breakfast and checking up on the crew. Afterwards, he made his way to the infirmary, where Knight-captain Cade was just starting his day. The two men greeted one another, and the Elder went to check up on Ashley.
This time, the girl was up on her feet, clad in the heavy pants and beat-up boots she had originally arrived in. The back of her worn bra clasped over one of the marks left behind from the other night. The eight marks still stood out, red and angry against her skin. Maxson had to remind himself to remain neutral in the situation, despite the mild satisfaction he felt upon seeing the result of his handiwork. The Elder cleared his throat as the young woman pulled a dark red shirt on over her head and straightened it out over her marred back.
Roulette turned to face the man, running her fingers through her half-head of black waves, "I'm guessing you're here about what we discussed last night?" she asked, looking up at the man.
Maxson sighed, feeling somewhat defeated. "As much as I hate to say it," he began, "I have to agree with your conditions. This issue must be taken care of, and your, shall we say, skills, could prove useful."
Rou gave a chuckle and a bit of a smirk, "Looks like we're on the same page," she told him. "I guess you've got yourself a hired gun," she observed, offering a hand to the Elder.
With some annoyance, Maxson met the gesture, clasping the young woman's hand, perhaps a bit too tightly, and gave a firm shake. The Elder had to restrain himself from giving some remark about the fact that the young woman before him was still working under the umbrella of the Brotherhood. As the two parted, Roulette took a red bandanna from MacCready, and went about tying it around her neck, "So," she stated, "When do I start?"
"That is still to be determined," Maxson answered. "Once you are cleared by Knight-captain Cade, we can start to discuss the matter."
"Considering she is adamant about leaving against my advice, I'd say I have no choice but to clear her," Cade interjected, standing in the doorway of the room.
"Then it seems you'll be starting soon. I expect to see you up on the observation deck in one hour," Maxson told Roulette, before he turned on his heel and left.
With the decision made, it seemed a new chapter was going to start in the lives of Roulette, the Elder, and a number of others around them. Now, the two could only hope that they had done what was best for themselves, and the people close to them.
((A/N: Hey guys, as of right now, this is the last chapter I had typed up for this story. Because of this, "Chance" will be going on hiatus until I can build up another stock of chapters to post. I have a couple drafted, but they aren't typed. What I'll likely do, is I'll continue drafting through the rest of this semester, then type up the new chapters during my coming Winter break. So, it'll likely be a couple of months before the next update. I hope you've all enjoyed the story up to this point, and be sure to leave your feedback in the comments, as I do try to take what the readers think into consideration as I move forward in writing a story. Also, be sure to check out some of my other work, if you'd like, and keep an eye out for new stories I'm looking to publish soon! Anyways, I'll stop rambling and let you all go, now.))