Tell Me More

Summary – Penelope talks to Twig.

Note – Season 2, Episode 2 – sometime after Twig meets Ron but before James and Ben find the Lockre.

Disclaimer – I do not own or pretend to own anything from either the Fallout games or from Nuka Break, the web-series.

"So, Twig, I've told you mine, but what's your story?"

"Aww, you already know the basics Pen."

"Yeah, but I want to know the fascinating details." Penelope looked up at him, smiling, and Twig caved like a Fancy Lad snack cake soaked with Nuka Cola, which always tasted better than it sounded.

"Well," Twig began, "all of this started because I needed a break, and by all of this I guess I mean my life." He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. "I didn't have much of one in the vault."

"A break though? From what?"

"A break from the walls. A break from the bullying, which was getting worse and worse - before I left I swear I heard Lard, his name is really Lars, mention that I was polluting the gene pool. Later that night, I had a dream. A dream that I had found the perfect Nuka Break. It was just me, sitting on a bench near a lake, with a bucket of ice cold Nuka Colas recently taken from a vending machine. Perfection. Maybe there was even a Quartz or a Victory."

"You and your Nuka." Penelope rolled her eyes and shook her head, still grinning.

"And with that I set out from the vault, only taking a few bottles with me. My perfect break would have plenty of Nuka, and I'm sure I could find it close by."

"And that was your first time in the Wasteland?"

"Yeah - and I was seriously under prepared with just a pistol, a little extra ammo and my skills. Thankfully, my Pip-Boy helped me out with shooting...I don't think I would have survived those first few days without it, and I know I wouldn't have survived beyond those days without Ben."

"So how did you meet Ben? Did he rescue you, like you guys rescued Scar?"

"No..." Twig laughed a bit. "That was different. Really different." He had a faraway look on his face as he thought about their rescue of Scar but then returned to Pen's question. "I had stumbled onto a Super Duper Mart, down to my last two bullets and starving. I mean, this exploring thing was hard work. Ripping into some Fancy Lad cakes, I was wolfing them down when I met Ben - and then screamed, spraying him in the face with half eaten cake."

"Seriously!?" Penelope laughed and nudged Twig. "I can't imagine what I would do...what was his reaction?"

"He screamed back. Yelled something about assholes and Smoothskins. I was a little busy trying to get to my pistol to really listen."

"Was he your first Ghoul?"

"Yes and no. First non-feral Ghoul, but I didn't know that, so when he knocked the gun from my hand, I started begging him not to eat me."

"And?"

"He just looked at me, with this long, sad look." Twig shrugged his shoulders. "Then he asked me where I was going."

"Where were you going?"

"I didn't have any particular place. I just wanted peace, quiet, and Nuka. When I told him that, he said he didn't have anything better to do than to go on some fool's quest."

"Did you find a break with Ben?"

"Ha!" Twig exploded. "Not even close! And when Scar joined us, it got even worse."

"How so?"

"I was always the decoy when we were getting shot. Fat Man's Charge, Dead Man's Fate, Chunky Suicide Bomber - they had all these different names but it was always me being shot at. Ben even said he didn't care, that two surviving out of three were good odds."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it." Pen immediately consoled.

"Said he didn't care." grumbled Twig.

"And they picked you because you're so cute." Gushed Pen. "Most people would shoot a Ghoul on site and from what you've told me about Scar, her tongue's a little on the abrasive side."

"True." Twig thought about it, and a big grin come over his face. "They really did need me to do that, didn't they? All those times."

"Yep. And since you're all still alive, it shows what a good choice that was."

"But I don't know if they're still alive." Complained Twig, thinking sadly about his missing friends. "I don't even know where Ben and that Ranger are - at least I know Leon isn't gonna kill Scar."

"But you do know they're not dead." Said Penelope.

"No...?" Twig looked at the blonde in the confusion.

"I didn't explain that right." Pen thought for a moment, taking her pencil out of her pocket and writing on the air. "I meant, you have no knowledge of their death, so you should be hopeful."

"Oh." Twig smiled again, a big beaming one that mirrored on the blonde's face. "Yeah, that makes sense. I can do that."

"And I can help." Offered Penelope, taking Twig's hand and giving it a squeeze.

"Thanks Pen..that helps a lot, already."