Note: Still working on it. Warning, language.

Another day, another half gallon of booze to keep him afloat. Today was no different than any other day, including the weird little girl who wandered into the saloon. Jericho couldn't count how many people came in or out of the place. Or how weird they were.

Really, he couldn't. By the time she'd shown up he was already drunk enough to be thinking all philosophical and shit, his face mashed into the counter top and becoming one with the surface. Thinking 'bout getting old and being so fucking tired of all this stupid shit, living in Megaton. Wishing he was back out there, out in the wastes, with his rifle on the back of some dumb fuck's head and one hand in their pocket.

Moriarty wouldn't boot his ass out of the saloon, no matter how stupid he acted. In about half an hour, he would be conscious again and ordering another round. His money was just as good as anyone else's. Well... when he bothered to pay.

He could afford it. He just liked to play that he couldn't. Liked annoying the shit out of the Irish fuck, watching the look on his face when he argued with him about his bar tab. Wasn't much else to do in the saloon but beg Nova like a dog, and hope she came around. That... he groaned to himself, peeling his face from the counter. That wasn't gonna happen. Kept turning him down, no matter how pathetic he acted.

When he hit his second wind that night, the little girl was asleep in the corner and the suited asshole was gone, probably off to sit around his house and ignore everyone in town. Didn't know what the asshole wanted or why he was around, with him acting like he was better than everyone. Who the fuck cared, anyway.

Whatever, fuck him. Jericho poured himself off of the counter and moved to the asshole's chair. Hell of a lot more comfortable. Used to be his chair, but that asshole was always there anymore when he got his ass up to the saloon―

Jericho rubbed his eyes and coughed up blood, and stared at the girl in the chair beside him. This idiot, falling asleep in Moriarty's Saloon... hah, she was gonna get a rude wake-up. The Irish fuck didn't like her, anyway. He'd watched the little "pow-wow" Moriarty had with her. Neither one of them got what they'd wanted, and Moriarty never took well to people who didn't play his fucking game.

Jericho coughed again, fished out some caps, and bought another whiskey before he sat down for good. Put his legs up on the table in between them and took a long drink, then toed the girl's face with his boot, watching her.

No reaction. He pushed the toe of his boot into her cheek and smeared something nasty onto her skin. She was fucking pale as shit, funny scars on the sides of her head. Had yellow hair, yellow almost like Jenny's jumpsuit. Jericho snorted to himself. Fuckin' Jenny. That was a whole bunch of shit he didn't need to remember when he was drunk. Or sober.

The girl stirred, and Jericho moved his legs back, planting his boots on the floor. Took another drink and watched the girl waking up. Wondered what she'd say. Maybe he'd make her pasty ass cry. Heh, that'd be great.

First thing she did was bolt upright, blinking furiously, then swept her eyes over to him. She looked at him like he was shit under her heels, for a moment. About what he expected for some broad wearing heavy-duty gear like her combat armor. Thought she was better than him. No wonder she was talking to the suited asshole.

Second thing she did was touch her face and gag a little, and wipe that shit off with her sleeve. She glanced back at the chair, and Jericho moved his eyes forward. Stared across the bar without looking at her.

"What the―what is this," she muttered, scooting forward on the chair cushion.

"Probably Brahmin shit," he said, smirking.

"You―" she frowned. "Did you put that on my face?"

Jericho grinned and kept looking at the wall. The girl huffed, stood up, and checked her pockets. After a moment she walked away from him, slamming the door of the saloon.

'Bout what she deserved. Moriarty would have probably had Gob toss her out on her ass, anyway. He went back to drinking, enjoying the chair for as long as he could.

Saw her again the next morning, having an excited conversation with Nathan. Of all the assholes 'round this shit heap she could latch onto. She seemed way too into the old man. Probably liked the retarded little stories he could pull out of thin air. Fuckin' morons.

Jericho wiped his nose and watched her jabbering on from outside of the saloon―hadn't gone to bed just yet, was still working on his whiskey from the night before. Was thinking about his little idea too, about wanting to get back out in the wastes. Girl was gonna leave anyway... why not? Having company, even if it was stupid company―

He grinned. Stupid little girls were the fucking best kind of company.

New people were something to watch, though. This one, he didn't think she was with the raiders―

Jericho thumbed the buckles on his jacket nervously. She better not be. Goddamn sheriff was already up his ass about his bad behavior, never mind that he could shoot better than half the damn town. Didn't wanna have to kill the bitch and get himself shot.

He watched her wandering around town, and saw the look on her face every time she bought something. Tough titties, little girl. Followed her into the doctor's clinic at the end, and man she was fucking upset at the price of meds. Damn near threw a fit at how much she had to shell out for her precious Rad-Away.

Not a chem junkie. That was good news for him. If she wasn't a user, she definitely wasn't a raider.

He went back up to the saloon and waited outside of it, leaning on the wall. That information she wanted from Moriarty... she'd be back for it. He knew her type. Naïve. Wasn't trusting, that seemed fair, but naïve as shit and maybe a little too new to the wastes. Maybe the little girl had come out of that Vault on the hill, or maybe she was just stupid. Couldn't tell, yet.

So he waited. She came back, alright. Jericho watched her, and when she was about to open the door he stopped her. Grabbed her wrist and held her firm.

"Hey," he said. "I gotta ask you somethin'."

The girl narrowed her eyes at him, and flicked her eyes to his wrist. Looked back up at him with her mouth set into a funny little pout. "What do you want," she asked, cautiously.

Jericho let her go. "You ain't with the raiders, are you?" he asked, crossing his arms and staring down at her.

"No," she said, lowering her arm and facing him. "I'm not." He believed her. She sounded so damn sincere, he would have believed anything she said.

"Good." He looked out over the town for a moment, let the silence draw out between them. The girl didn't walk away, but stood there watching him. "That Irish fuck ain't gonna tell you what you want, you know," he said, staring at the town. Warning her as best he could.

"I do," she said, just as cautiously. "But I have to try."

"Wanna get into that Vault," Jericho said, scratching his beard under his chin. "Fuck, think you'd be better off trying to defuse that damn bomb." He motioned at the center of town.

"I might do that, too," she said. She moved to the side, away from the door, and planted herself in front of him. So he had to look at her. Fuck, she had weird eyes. All shiny and shit. Jericho dropped his to her chest. Heh, not bad. He could get used to that.

"What is your name?" she asked him, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him.

"Jericho," he said. "Fuck do you care?"

"I'm Lillie." She looked him up and down. "You smeared that stuff on my face yesterday."

"Call me an asshole if you want," he said, pushing himself off of the wall, "but you got what was comin'." He stared down at the yellow curls on her head, and moved closer to her. "Little girls shouldn't be so fuckin' stupid, fallin' asleep in a bar."

She laughed. Nice laugh. She wasn't looking down on him or nothing. Thought he was funny, like she liked him. Jericho smiled at her, but his was always a dirty old man's smile. He was a dirty old man.

"I'm not a little girl," she said, and pushed him backward by a step. Shit, she was stronger than she looked. "Jericho." She looked him up and down again. "You know your way around this place?" she asked, curiously.

"I know what the fuck I'm doin'," he said, glaring at her. "You know what you're doin'?"

She smiled a little. "I'm talking to you," she said, simply. "You're... interesting."

"Fuck me," he muttered. "You one of them fuckin' science-y types? All lab coats and beakers? ...Don't look like it, not in that get-up. Look like you're fuckin' playin' pretend." He backhanded her chest, and she jerked backward reflexively. "Looks fuckin' stupid, Lillie."

"I wear armor for the same reason you do," she said, staring at him again. "You know how to get to that Vault?"

"Know how to get to lots of places," he said, sniffing. Fuckin' runny nose. Making him look like some kind of mouth-breather. He fought the urge to cough.

"Okay," she said. She curled her hand up near her chin and looked at his rifle on his shoulder. "Know how to handle yourself out there, too." She pointed at the rifle with her fingers together, looking curious. "No one gets the drop on you, I bet."

"I'm the fuckin' best," he said, stepping forward and making up the distance between them. She didn't try to push him away, this time. She let him stand inside her personal space and stared at his face.

"Maybe you'd want to come with me?" she asked. "I could use an extra gun."

Fuckin' finally. He knew it was only a matter of time. "Maybe," he said. "Maybe. You got caps? I don't work for free, little girl."

"I'll see what I can do," she said. She smiled at him and turned to the side, then stopped and looked back at him. "Jericho, right?"

"I know you ain't that fuckin' dumb, don't play no games with me," he snapped. Stupid little bitch. He'd have to mind her fucking attitude, if she actually did pay him.

Lillie smiled, and went into the saloon. Shit, she looked like a little kid, smiling all innocently and shit. Like she―shit, like she did think he was interesting.

Maybe he was thinking wrong, wanting to get out of this shit heap, but she was a hell of a lot more exciting than sitting 'round this place and losing his head to booze every night. Shit, she was too young and dumb to last more than five fucking minutes out there, on her own. Wondered how she made it to Megaton, even, with that weird attitude of hers.

He shrugged and leaned against the wall, again. She'd be back, though.

Goddamn naive bitches.