"Logan! Get me that cauterizer!"

I felt helpless. Nate laid there unmoving, as Mark did his best to help his brother despite the fact that we were hundreds of feet in the air in a Tac-Lifter being rushed back to the Guardian base. I wanted to take Nate in my arms, to tell him to wake up, that everything would be okay, but every bone, every muscle was stricken with terror. Before I met Nate, I never thought about myself in a relationship, but now that I had found real love, I sat here watching it slowly fade away. Holly and Jasmine might have been cradling me between them, but right now I felt truly and utterly alone.

"Logan! I need that… damn it! Keep this fucking bird stable! Hang in there bro, just please, hang in there."

I couldn't talk, I just couldn't find anything to say. My eyes were burning, trying to cry tears that have long since run out. My body trembled as I felt every single one of my nerves start to snap. I felt just like back in Wild Times, back when I had that chemical coursing through my body making me fear everything, but the only difference was that this feeling wasn't forced, it was real. I wanted to run, I wanted to hide, I wanted to…

"'Livi, oh you poor… here."

I threw up. It didn't seem to faze Holly as she took a small cloth from her bag and wiped my mouth. I felt the world start to spin. My head was clouded and it felt like anything Holly tried to do or say was just barely getting through it. I felt her arm as she drew me closer to her, despite being covered in my own filth.

"It'll be okay 'livi, I promise. Once we get to the Guardians, everything will be okay. Nate he… he risked his life to save yours, and I'll be damned if we won't do anything to try to save his."

I wanted to say that I was sorry, that it was my own stupid actions that put us, that put him in this position. I wanted to tell her that I'm sorry I caused him to get hurt just for my sake. Nate was in their life longer than he was in mine, and he was more of a family to them than I could ever be. A real family wouldn't put each other in danger like this, they wouldn't let their emotions take control when a clear head was needed. If Nate died because of me, how could I ever call myself a part of theirs?

"You don't have to say anything. I know how hard it is to try to think of anything to say in times like this, but remember, no matter what, you are a part of our family, and nothing will change that. We will always be here for you."

Right now Nate was alive, barely clinging on. Would she still think that if the strings of life were cut once and for all? I felt a renewed sense of moisture in my eyes as more tears finally fell. Holly gripped me tight against her, but all I could do was watch Nate and hope that I was wrong.

When we finally reached the Guardians, a medical team met us in the hanger and rushed Nate away. I wanted to run after him, to make sure that I was by his side the entire time, but after trying to take a step, I fell flat on my face. Holly and Mark rushed over to me and helped me up, but not before I threw up. Again.

"We need to get her into a bed. Jasmine, can you get us some water?"

"Y-yes!"

"Zack, can you get us some sedatives? I ran out and we may need them."

"Yes Sir!"

My eyes were locked onto the doors that Nate was brought through. I had to go be by his side. I had to make sure he was okay, that they were doing everything to fix him. I needed to be there for if… no when he woke up. If I wasn't there then he might… he might think that…

"Olivia! You are in no condition to be wondering around. We need to get you someplace you can lie down." Mark still seemed to be in medic mode.

"He's right 'livi. We need to leave Nate in the paws of the medical technicians. I know I want to go in there and be by his side just as much as you, but if we get in their way, it might hinder, not help the situation."

I still couldn't find anything to say, and even if I did, the way my mind felt right now, I doubt words would be the best thing for the situation. Every time I thought my tears were over, something seemed to find a way to trigger it, and this time it was a faint smell of Nate's musk that was still lingering in the room. As it's aroma faded, my mind started to put together images of him breathing is last breath. I slipped out of Mark and Holly's hold and fell to my knees as the tears started to fall again.

They tried to get me up, but I wouldn't budge. If I couldn't be with Nate, there was no place that I felt I belonged right now. The images of Nate dying were flooding my head. I couldn't smell him anymore, and to these images in my head, that was just as much proof to me that he was gone as anything. I felt my paw trembling as I reached for my gun.

"OLIVIA! Logan, grab her!"

I felt one of the wolf's arms grab me by the neck and he knocked the gun out of my paw. I tried to struggle against him, but I didn't have the energy, or the willpower to do so. Stalker Logan kept a firm grip on me as he brought me deeper into the headquarters towards the rooms that we had previously occupied.

Logan set me down on the bed as Mark and Holly remained at both sides, probably making sure I didn't move.

"Logan, could you get someone to guard the door to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid?"

"Gotta file my reports so I'll send someone to watch the room. Knowing that rabbit, I might need to put a few Defenders on it."

Logan left and closed the door behind him. Holly turned and sat down next to me on the bed.

"'Livi, sweetie, what is going on in that head of yours?"

"H-he… h-his s-scent, I c-can't s-smell it… h-he's… h-he's… d…"

"He is not dead! Now, I don't know what that foxy DNA is doing to you 'livi, but just because you can't smell him now, doesn't mean he's dead. I can't even begin to imagine what that's like for you. I can smell Mark's scent, but only when we're fairly close together, you were acting like some tracker wolf the way you managed to find out where Nate was."

"Even I can't sense Nate like that, and I'm a fox, and his brother. You two, I feel as if your bond with my brother goes so much deeper than even Holly and my own. Maybe it's because of your DNA, maybe it's just because you two are the most mentally broken, yet kindest mammals I have ever known, but you need to stay strong for him. It's what he would want."

He was right, but I didn't want him to be right. How can I feel strong when I know that this is my fault? That every time I keep trying to stand up, to face my fears, I keep getting knocked right back down into a deeper hole. This time, I wasn't sure it would be easy to get back up.

"I-It's… t-this is all m-my… fault…"

"Mark, can you give us a few minutes alone?"

"Uh, yeah Holly. I should go check on things anyways, see if I can lend a paw or two."

Mark left, closing the door behind him. Holly looked at me, an odd expression on her face. "Olivia, come here."

She didn't sound very happy. I slowly turned to face her better, not sure what she was about to say. Then she slapped me across the face.

"It is NOT your fault! You got it? You had a high caliber auto-turret pointing right at you! If Nate hadn't jumped in, it would have… we would have lost you!"

I was rubbing my face, it was feeling very sore. "But if I-I was s-stronger, if I-I didn't let my e-emotions…"

Holly raised her paw again, causing me to close my eyes and wince. I had expected her to hit me again, but instead, I felt her grab me tight and pull me close to her as she whispered into my ears. I felt a slight dampness that told me she was done holding back her own tears.

"We are all upset at what happened to Nate. If I wasn't so shocked at what I had just seen, I would have unloaded every grenade I had into that fucking Burrow. His near sacrifice should tell you how much he really loves you. You didn't tell him to save you, he chose to. You weren't going to be able to dodge a gun like that, especially since you had just used your B.A.T.S. It was his decision, and his alone, and whatever happens, you need to remember that it was him, and him alone that saved your life. He's still alive and he's still fighting to stay that way. I'll tell you something that I'm unsure if he even knows it himself.

"He's not a fighter, you can probably tell that already. He'd do his best to either avoid a situation, find an escape, or simply go with the flow, keeping his head down the entire way. There's… been times when his emotions seem to overwhelm him so much that he just shuts down. Mark and I have seen it too many times already. It scares us, but what scared us the most was that, after everything him and his brother had been through, that one of these days he would simply… stop trying. That was before he met you. I don't like saying this, but if this same thing happened, but it was him protecting one of us instead of you? I…" she had to stop for a moment to wipe her tears away. "I'm unsure if he would still be alive. You didn't get him hurt, but it's you that's keeping him alive right now."

We were both crying now as we held each other. I knew how much Nate cared about me, but to hear something like that from someone else, someone who is so much more a family to him than I am, it didn't stop me from blaming myself for what happened, but maybe, just maybe, it will help put me on the right path.

Three days. It's been three days since we arrived back at Guardian HQ. While Nate's vitals had been stabilized, he was still in a coma. The trauma to his body seemed to have shut down all but his most basic of mental activities. He was alive, but I had no idea when, or if, he'd wake up.

Doc said that him activating the B.A.T.S. also caused major issues with his heart. Nate had told me once before that he never used that serum because it messes with his heart, but I didn't realize how serious it was. In order to keep his heart from exploding, they had to keep him hooked up to a chemical drip to slow his heart down to a more manageable pace. Between losing his arm and his erratic heart functions, they weren't sure if he'd ever be able to live a normal life again.

All of this had happened because of my incessant need to track down those Legionary fuckers to protect everyone from them, but instead I failed to protect the one mammal who means everything to me. Until Nate's awake and better, I could care less about what the Legionaries are doing.

While I have some brief interactions with my friends, I mostly stayed in either my room, or at Nate's side. He looked peaceful in his induced state. There were a few times that I kissed him, hoping that this would be like one of those fairy tales where the valiant prince wakes the sleeping princess with a kiss. I never believed them when I was a kid, and now I believe them less.

Mark had needed to take a trip back to the bunker to pick up a few supplies, and while one of the Guardians had driven the APC here, Logan recommended that they take a Tac-Lifter in case they needed to get back in a hurry. It took them the better part of the day to make the trip, but it was better than a the few days driving the APC may have taken.

He had brought back with him all of the Jack Savage books along with a few others that he thought would interest me. I hadn't been doing anything productive, and had barely even been eating, so I think it was his way to help me pass the time. I tried to read some of them, but my mind kept drifting off, replaying that scene in the Burrow over and over again. I had to keep checking the machine Nate was hooked up to in order to remind me that he was still alive.

The morning of the fourth day was when I think Holly had enough of watching me mope around.

"'Livi, you've barely eaten anything these past few days. Come and join us in the mess hall for breakfast. Don't make me slap you again."

I begrudgingly got up and followed her. I kept looking back at Nate every few steps, wondering if he would still be there each time.

"He's not going anywhere 'livi. He's stable, and in no risk of dying."

"W-what if he… never… wakes up?"

"He will. I told you, he's being strong because of you. As long as you keep your chin up and hope for the best, he'll pull through."

"But what about his… arm?"

"I won't lie and say that he'll be the same old Nate when he wakes up. He's not, but that's why you need to be strong for him 'livi. If you keep putting yourself into such a dreadful state, how are you going to be able to support him during this long road ahead?"

"Y-your, right. I… it's just that… When my mother died I was upset, I was beside myself with grief. I wasn't able to operate normally for months afterwards, and even then, it was building Onion that ultimately helped me get over her death."

"He's not going to die, I keep telling you that. He will wake up, he has to."

"But the thing is, when my mom died, I was grieving for months. With Nate? He's still alive, yet I'm not feeling the same sorrow I did for my mother. This grief, it's… agonizing. When my mom died, it felt as if I lost something, when Nate was hurt, I felt it torn from me, and every time I look at him, all I can see is the trail of blood leading right back to… me."

"Look, he's not going to die and it's not your fault. How many times do I have to tell you this before that brain of yours registers it? This isn't easy for any of us, and we all know you're taking it the hardest. I'm not asking you to cheer up, to act all happy and such. No, I'm just asking you to stop blaming yourself. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if Nate woke up long enough to slap you too."

I know she was trying, and in a way it was helping, but trying to clear my head of these thoughts was the hardest thing I could ever do. I had to be stronger, not just for Nate, but for my friends as well. If I kept worrying them, then soon this entire place will be drowning in my own sorrow.

We entered the mess-hall and I saw Jasmine and Zack having a conversation, while Logan and Mark were talking. The moment they heard the doors open, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at us, at me. Silence filled the room as if the Grim Reaper himself just entered, looking for his next victim.

"Relax everyone, she's fine. I think."

Holly led me to the table the others were at as I sat down between her and Mark. A plate of small fried carrots was in front of me.

"Bo and his wife got their first batch of produce grown. They ain't he largest things, but it's better than the crap they serve here." I could tell that Mark was trying to skirt the obvious cloud of emotion surrounding me.

"It looks… good." I poked one of the carrots, but I didn't feel hungry.

"Eat 'livi. You need your strength."

I picked one up and put it in my mouth. I feigned enjoyment of it as I swallowed.

"So Logan, Mark was telling me that Chief Lazlo is on some kind of mission? I'm sure Olivia would love to hear about it."

"Yeah, well, the Chief finally decided to put together a team to take back Precinct One. They left shortly after you departed here last time. Problem is, we've lost communication with them. We were on our way to reestablish communication when we intercepted a communication about you four in the Bu…"

Holly cut him off before he could finish, but I knew what he was about to say, and it caused me to stab one of the carrots with my nail.

"Aaany word on it?"

"Afraid not. We're in the process of trying to establish a link now. A team left yesterday to assist with that."

"You think he's okay?"

"He may be old, but the Chief is a strong mammal. He also made sure to take the best soldiers we have. They'll be able to take anything that's thrown at them, but it's caused a bit of a… disturbance in the ranks."

It must have been something new because Holly's question had a tinge of concern in it. "What do you mean a, disturbance?"

"It's common knowledge that the Chief should have presented an heir by now to take over the leadership of the Guardians. Ever since Chief Bogo of the ZPD founded the Guardians, it's always been a decedent of his that took over, but since the Chief never wed or took a child, there's currently no one in line to take over, and that's caused some concern with a few of the mammals over the future of the Steel Guardians."

"That sounds serious. Can't he just pick someone?"

"With him so adamant about taking back Precinct One, he's been avoiding it. He says he's fit as a fiddle, and while many of us believe him, he's not immortal, and one day will die, either naturally or in battle. Then, we'll be left without a leader, and that's unsettling to many of us."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mark also seemed concerned about what Logan had just said.

"Until the Chief's return, there's nothing we can do. Plus, you three already have your paws full."

"'Livi, you okay?"

Holly must have noticed that I had been playing with my food rather than eating it. I had stabbed the carrots so many times with my nail that they were starting to lose structure, turning into a crumbly mess on my plate.

"I'm not hungry." I probably should have been eating, but the thought of food just made my stomach unsettled. I don't think even Petunia's meals could win me over right now.

Holly was about to say something when Logan received a communication on his radio. I hadn't been paying attention, not really caring about anything else, but when I heard Nate's name mentioned, my ears perked.

"Engineer Tuskgen would like to see you. She thinks she has an idea. I need to report back to duty. Rothschild, you can take the next few hours to be with your friends before reporting for training. Stalker Grant, come with me. We have a few things to tend to before you start your shift."

"Yes Sir!" Zack always seemed rather dutiful, no matter the situation.

"Y-yes. Thank you." Jasmine, however, still didn't seem like she belonged yet. She did, however, smile as Zack motioned her to bend her neck down before giving her a polite kiss on the cheek. That caused her to turn ever so slightly red before he hurried on after Logan.

"Well, let's go see what Tuskgen wants. Come on 'livi, maybe whatever it is will help get your mind focused on something else. I've seen how you ogle over techy stuff."

"Yeah, maybe." I doubt it though. If my mind would just stop playing back that scene over and over, then maybe I would be able to focus better, but it was almost as if my brain was trying to taunt me, to keep me locked down in this state.

Tuskgen's lab was a mess, even more so than usual. There were papers scattered over nearly every desk, and parts of machinery dotted all over, each of them busy slaving away at whatever automated task she had given them. Bolts, screws, and every assortment of scrap parts were littered on the floor. It almost looked as if this room, and this room only had been hit with a massive earthquake.

"There you are!" Tuskgen, in her long flowing lab-coat, came out of an adjacent room. She used her trunk to push up the thick goggles she had been wearing.

"Logan said you had something important to tell us?"

"Yes, yes! Well you see… Onion, could you bring it please?"

Onion? I had forgotten about him. I vaguely remember the elephant asking for his assistance, but I wasn't in the mental state to really register it.

"Yes Miss Tuskgen."

"How many times do I gotta tell you, stop calling me 'Miss'. You make me feel old. Tuskgen, or even Edna is fine."

"Yes Miss Tuskgen."

"Didn't I just… how do you put up with him Olivia?" I didn't answer, my mind only seeming to register bits and pieces of everything. "Oh, well, anyways, the reason I called you here is because of this." She held up a Pip-Boar. Was that…

"I-It's, Nate's, isn't it?" The words seem to have flowed without me even telling them to.

"Yes, it is actually. Well, I came up with a rather brilliant idea. Got it while trying to fix one of the arm actuators on Defender Dollop's Exo-Armor. The controlling circuit got fried and left his arm stuck in a rather embarrassing position. I joked telling him it was a good thing that arm wasn't attached, but he didn't seem to find that funny. I found it rather humorous myself. Maybe you should have been there. Anyways. We obviously can't grow Nate's arm back, but what if we could build him one?"

Once again the mention of Nate had snapped me back into reality. "Build him one? That's… why the fuck didn't I think of that!"

My sudden outburst caused Tuskgen, who was much, much larger than I, to take a few steps back.

"'Livi, calm down. Your mind wasn't in the right place to think of that. You think you can do it Tuskgen?"

"Yes, I think. No, I know I can, but… there are two problems. Since it was his Pip-Boar arm that was taken, I want to integrate his unit into it, but I am lacking the proper connectors to allow the arm and the Pip-Boar to properly communicate. Also, I don't have the properly sized actuators for the elbow or wrist."

My hopes were both built and then destroyed in one swoop. I had not thought of this, so that made me angry at myself. When she said it was possible, that anger subsided, but when she said there wasn't the parts for it, when we were surrounded by scrap, and standing in an underground base with more pieces of tech than I have ever seen in my life, I felt something snap.

"What the fuck do you mean you don't have the parts?! You have fucking parts all over the place! Scrap one of the Defender's armor! Scrap half of this fucking place if that's what it'll take to fix him!"

"Olivia! Calm down!" Holly grabbed me when I started to make a motion towards Tuskgen. I could see the fear forming in the elephants eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, but we just don't have the parts here. I can't just go around taking things apart, plus there are no Exo-Suits Nate's size, otherwise I would've thought of that first."

"That's no excuse! This is Nate's fucking life on the line! I'll scrap this entire place if I have to just to make sure he can have what I fucking got taken from him!"

"Olivia! Stop this at once! I thought we were over this, it. Isn't. Your. Fault!"

I tried to fight Holly. I don't know what my body wanted me to do, but I was tired of fighting it. Something had to be done to help him, no matter what the cost. I don't care who I have to hurt to make him better, no one is more important than Nate, no one is…

"I knew these would come in handy."

I felt weak all of a sudden. My eyes grew heavy as my muscles stopped listening to my brain. I felt as if I was melting. I felt as if…

"You failed me."

What? Who is that?

"You tried to throw your life away again."

"Who is that?"

"You failed me."

A face suddenly appeared in front of me. How did I not recognize that voice? How I did I not know it was him?

"I loved you, and you got me killed for that."

"I'm sorry Nate! I… I wasn't strong enough!"

"You could have been stronger. You should have been stronger. I guess you really didn't love me after all, did you?"

"No! That isn't true! I love you, more than anything Nate!"

"I'm dead because of you, is that how you express love? By getting those you love killed? You got Blanche killed. Now you showed the same 'love' to me."

"No! Please, please don't go. Please. I don't want you to leave me!"

"You already threw your own life away along with mine. There's no turning back from this."

The face faded away.

"Come back! Please come back! I'm sorry, I am so, so, sorry! Please, don't leave me!"

"Please don't leave…"

"'Livi, we're here, we're not going to leave you."

I opened my eyes to see Holly and Mark both sitting beside me on one of the bunker beds. I was curled up, a damp feeling on the bed. Both of them had their paws on my arm, and they both looked at me with worry in their eyes.

"I-I'm sorry. I… I don't want him to l-leave me."

"He won't, I promise."

"I'm sorry I had to sedate you Olivia, but you were going nuts and nearly scared Tuskgen to death."

I felt my neck where he had injected me. "I… I shouldn't have snapped. I… I just…"

"Shh. It's okay 'livi. No one is mad at you. Took a bit to get Tuskgen calmed down after that, but she understands the stress you're under. Mark and I are here for you. Remember Olivia Springs, you are our family just as much as Nate is, and nothing, I mean nothing will ever change that."

Mark and Holly both wrapped their arms around me, cradling me there as I started to cry again. I haven't eaten or drunken much, so where were all these tears coming from? I didn't try to stop them, I just placed my arms on both of them and let it flow. I could tell they were doing the same.

I had to be stronger than I am. I had to do it not only for Nate, but for them as well.

I had to do it for my family.

Fallout: Zootopia After Show

Featuring:

'Stripes in the Morning'

[Stripes]

"Good morning Zootopian Wasteland! This is Stripes with Stripes in the Morning! Can you believe it? This marks not only the sixtieth chapter, but the fortieth After Show? Boy how time flies. Only twenty-two more chapters until it's all done folks. If my math is correct, that would mean this story will wrap up just as the year wraps up. Now, let's get this show on the road! Today I've caught up with someone who was introduced somewhat recently, and to be completely honest, she was going to be a simple throw-away character, just don't tell her that. I really enjoyed creating her so much that I just had to revisit her later on in the story, but that's for another day. So without further ado, may I present one Letty Oswald! Good day Miss Oswald, how are you doing?"

[Letty]

"Oh, hello. I'm doing okay. Were you talking about throwing something away just a moment ago?"

[Stripes]

"Pay no mind to that, it's nothing really. So Miss Oswald…"

[Letty]

"Just Letty please. I'm not much on formalities."

[Stripes]

"Well then, Letty… that's quite the unique name you have. Any meaning behind it?"

[Letty]

"Yeah, apparently it's not a very common name. My father really wanted a boy to name after his father, Lanny Oswald, but my mother really wanted a daughter to name Betty after some famous actress she had seen a recording of. Guess when I was born they decided on a compromise. You should've heard the nicknames when I was a kid. Some of them clever, some of them… not so much."

[Stripes]

"I would love to hear some of them, but Letty continue with the interview… ouch! You hit me! Picard never hit me! Oh, that's gonna leave a bruise."

[Letty]

"Who's Picard?"

[Stripes]

"Um… he's a star who makes a trek… you know, never mind that. You don't hold back your punches, do you?"

[Letty]

"Next time I'll use my claws. So, you have another question for me?"

[Max]

"I know I've been fairly quiet up until now but uh… If you feel the sudden urge to lash out at him? Don't hold back… Like…At all."

[Stripes]

"You are one feisty kitty. It still stings… yes, I do have some more questions, but please, lay off the physicality."

[Letty]

"Just don't give me a reason."

[Stripes]

"Not one word Max, not one word. So, you run a bar in Hope, am I correct?"

[Max]

"Either you're deaf or you just weren't paying attention buuut… Beat ya too it!"

[Letty]

"Yeah, I'm actually on the way back with supplies, maybe we can walk and talk? I'll even knock a few caps off a drink, as an apology for your bruise. Press any of my buttons however and it'll be double, even if you don't buy anything."

[Max]

"You might wanna just skip the discount and roll straight into the double pricing… Quadruple if you really wanna make my day!"

[Stripes]

"While I would love to take you up on that offer, the whole discounted thing that is, just ignore my partner over there, plus… the mayor kinda… banned me from the town…"

[Letty]

"What in the world did you do to ruffle her tail?"

[Stripes]

"Apparently some of the residents and visitors filed some complaints that I was a 'public nuisance' as she put it. I still have no idea why, but she won't even see me to find out."

[Letty]

"You're that zebra?"

[Stripes]

"Let me guess, you're going to tell me to shove my mic someplace not so pleasant, aren't you?"

[Letty]

"Oh, quite the opposite. I would love to find out what makes you get under her fur. Please, continue."

[Max]

"… You are SO going to regret saying that to him…"

[Stripes]

"Ooookaaay… not exactly the reaction I'm used to, but hey, an interview is an interview. So, back to the bar. How is it working there?"

[Letty]

"To be completely honest, I'm not that good at it. Mixing drinks is a lot harder than it looks. Half the time I knock a poor patron unconscious because it's too strong, the other half they complain that I gave them watered down piss. I have a long way to go to live up to the reputation Bucky left behind. I'm having to take up a business partner just to make ends meet."

[Stripes]

"Bucky?"

[Letty]

"My boss, Jeremy Bucksworth, I call him Bucky when I get annoyed with him. Or in this case, stressed over something he has me doing."

[Stripes]

"That bad huh? I'd love to help, but other than the fact that I'm a bit unwelcomed there at the moment, I'm also a drinker, not a drink maker. Knowing my luck I'd accidentally create an atomic cocktail that actually goes nuclear. If the place is going so bad, why all the supplies?"

[Letty]

"Surprisingly, the ones who complain buy the most booze, go figure. Plus, there is one thing I can do well. I can sing, and the crowd knows it. Sometimes I wonder if that's the only reason people show up to Nyte Lyfe."

[Stripes]

"Well, you are awfully attractive for a cat."

[Letty]

"'For a cat'? What? You have something against preds?"

[Stripes]

"NO! No, no, no, no. I apologize, I really didn't mean it that way. I'm just normally more inclined towards the… taller ladies. Like, really tall. Let's move on before I say something I'll regret… Now, I ask this question to everyone, so don't feel like I'm singling you out after a recent… incident, but what is your opinion on one Olivia Springs?"

[Letty]

"She's a good kid. Too good for me now that I look back. Yeah, that wasn't the greatest thing I've ever done, I was just… desperate for attention. It's no secret that I like women, but not just any girl does it for me. I like them cute and fierce. I don't know why, but I've always been drawn to strong bodied and strong willed prey, the kind that won't back down from a fight, who would make even the meanest predator turn tail and run."

[Stripes]

"That's not really that uncommon honestly, especially out here. The strong survive and the weak perish. It's as simple as that unfortunately."

[Max]

"Yet YOU seem to find a way to defy conventionality and run straight into the most dangerous places in the wasteland…DRAGGING ME ALONG WITH YOU!"

[Stripes]

"Didn't I say the strong survive Max? I am no spring chicken here."

[Max]

"YOU only survive because I'm there to chase whatever the hell is attacking us away at any given time."

[Letty]

"It's more than that. I dunno. Maybe it was the fact that I was raised by parents who felt prey were inherently weak, the first prey I ever saw was this cute little deer who gave a beat-down to a tiger like it was nothing, and after that I found myself drawn towards girls like her. When I heard about this rabbit causing trouble to all these raider groups, I was drawn to her like a fly to a flame. When she came waltzing into my bar, I thought it was fate."

[Stripes]

"But why try to force it like you did with a chemical? I know it didn't quite work out the way you thought it would, and I believe you when you said you really didn't know what that stuff was, but why not just talk to her?"

[Letty]

"I… that never ends well. You might call me cute, but many prey see me simply as a predator. Yeah, not all do, but those usually end up being straight, taken, or genuinely uninterested. I used to try to get them to 'relax' a bit with a drink, but I built up such a tab with Bucky doing it that he started to take it out of what little wages I was already making. When I do score a date, I usually do or say something so bad that I never see them again."

[Stripes]

"I know what you mean. I usually say or do the wrong thing before there's even a chance for a first date. Now, I have to ask. The way you addressed Mayor Swift those two times during this interview with those dreamy looking eyes, is there… anything going on between the two of you? We already know that she swings in your gender's direction."

[Letty]

"Well… maybe… I hope? I've been trying to… well… take it slow. Besides the whole debacle with Olivia, the last thing I need to happen is being kicked out and not being able to pay Bucky back."

[Stripes]

"Well, I won't press the subject anymore. Today. So, let's see, we have time for a few quick questions. How exactly did you wind up working for Mister Bucksworth to begin with?"

[Letty]

"Well, I had been wondering the wasteland looking for someplace to call a home for, well, two years almost. I was lucky enough to keep my head down, but lived on whatever I could scavenge for most of that, doing odd jobs here and there for people, but it was never enough to make a living, and half the time I was run out for trying to woo a daughter or two. I had stopped at the tavern to escape an oncoming rad-storm. I had no caps to my name, and I was starving and thirsty. Now, it wasn't Bucky's tavern, it was his brother's at the time but he was kind enough to give me some water and a few nibbles of food, but still had a business to run and he had no time for freeloaders. I tried to get him to give me a job, but I'm not a good bartender, a horrible cook, and not very good at delivering the right food to the right people. Then his jukebox broke.

"It was an unusually crowded night. Normally there were maybe four to seven regulars since it was a bit out of the way from, well, anything. It was a bunch of raiders, the Quills I think, who had stopped in for some drinks. Despite them being raiders, they were… mostly civilized, the music and the booze keeping them rather sedated. That was until the jukebox stopped working. Drunk and irritated mammals don't make for good manners and it started to get a bit… rowdy. I had one foot out the door when it hit me. I dropped what little stuff I had and ran onto the stage where the jukebox was and started to sing. My voice was really the only compliment that I was ever given, so I decided to use it. Seems that they were so enthralled by my singing that when he finally got that jukebox working again, the crowd didn't even want him to turn it back on. From there on out, I had a job and he even gave me the small room upstairs to live in. Sure it wasn't perfect, but I had a roof over my head and food to eat so long as I could sing. When Bucky came to take over for his brother when he went on some 'foolish treasure hunt' as he always called it, he kept me on, although gave me a bit more work to do than his brother ever did, but my singing was always my main job there."

[Stripes]

"Well, I guess beauty really can sooth the savage beast. Now, you said you were alone for two years? What about your parents? Don't tell me they died due to some unfortunate circumstance. That seems to be the case with a few it seems."

[Letty]

"I wish that was the case. No, unfortunately my parents are both alive and well. Remember how I said that I grew up being told that prey were weaklings? They really did not like prey. I am ashamed to say they dealt with the slavers. They weren't slavers themselves, but they ran a fishery and used exclusively prey slaves to do all the manual labor. It never sat right with me, but as my father always said: 'My roof, my rules'. I got a small side job handing out fliers for the Arena Fights. It didn't pay much, but I wanted to save up everything I could in order to move out, to set my own rules. Unfortunately, my 'freedom' was much sooner than I thought. Remember that deer I told you about to fought down a tiger? Well, she was one of the slaves my parents owned. You see, it never did sit right with me how my parents treated the slaves, or any prey for that matter. Hell, their only clients were predators, they downright refused to sell to or even buy anything from any prey. I think that's why they chose a fishery, since prey are vegetarians, they wouldn't have to deal with them.

"Well, I snuck off to the slave quarters most nights after my parents fell asleep, bringing food, drinks, anything I could to them. I made a few friends, although I had to play it off during the day, I knew what those collars could do and didn't want anything to happen to my friends. There was this one girl who stuck out to me though. Sharice. That cute deer and I developed something more than a friendship. To be honest, she was my first, and the only girl to ever really take notice of me. All the slaves knew of our developing feelings towards each other, but we all kept it from my parents. In front of them, I was another predator subjugating prey, when in reality, I felt like the one being subjugated along with my friends.

"One day my parents sent me on an errand to pick up supplies from a nearby settlement. My father normally did it but he was ill and my mother was taking care of him. I told them that I wasn't sure if I could do it by myself, if I could take one of the slaves to help me carry the stuff. They agreed, saying that I needed to know how to 'use' a slave since it was their plan to leave me the hatchery when they passed, being their only child. I choose Sharice, but my parents saw deer as one of the weaker of the slaves we owned, but she was also the largest, and I played that to my advantage, saying how I might need more help if I brought the smaller slaves with me. They didn't like too many slaves leaving, even with one of them, so they finally agreed. Sharice and I would have a bit of freedom, and alone time, for the first time ever and we were both ecstatic.

"Halfway to the settlement, a group of raiders attacked us. It was only three of them, but it was still one more than I thought we could handle. Two wolves and a tiger. Now, the one good thing my father did for me was teach me how to defend myself. The wolves weren't much of a problem for me and my rifle, but then the gun jammed just as the tiger charged me. Normally I could unjam it quickly, especially since it had the tendency to do such and I knew exactly the cause, but I had never been in a real fight and I was scared, so scared that I kept fumbling with the gun. That's when Sharice ran in and kicked him so hard he fell flat on his back, stunned. She grabbed me and we ran as fast as we could back home.

"I told my parents what happened, and what did they do? They blamed her for it! Not only did they not believe that Sharice had knocked out a tiger, but they thought she lured me into a trap! The two of us often found secluded places during the day to make out, and my parents noticed that absence, yet never noticed that I was always missing at the same time. I was so flustered and angry that I blurted out that I was in love with Sharice. Let's just say that didn't end well. For either of us. They thought she brainwashed me, that I was 'corrupted' by prey influences. They tortured Sharice. Tied her to a pillar and whipped her until she was barely holding onto consciousness, and made me watch. I was so upset, so angry, that I punched my father, grabbed the remote to the collars and disabled them, grabbed Sharice and ran, ran as far away from that place as I could. Or at least I tried to. My father taught me how to use a rifle, and he never missed a shot. You can probably guess what happened then. I was so horrified that I just kept running, and never looked back."

[Stripes]

"I am so sorry. If I had known, I wouldn't have brought it up."

[Letty]

"No… no, it's okay. It isn't the first time I've told that story. I'm not a very closed person, especially if I'm comfortable around them."

[Max]

"Well that's a first to my ears…"

[Stripes]

"'Comfortable'? So does that mean…"

[Letty]

"Don't push it. I will, however, try talking with Jessabell about your little 'ban'. Now, if you excuse me, my new business partner is waiting for me, and for a two-hundred year old ghoul, he is really impatient sometimes."

[Stripes]

"Sounds like a perfect place to call this a wrap. This interview might be a bit longer than a normal one, but I rather enjoyed it, and I hope you did as well folks. I seriously have no idea where I will wind up next episode, so any ideas on a potential interviewee or historical tidbit you want to know about, do not be afraid to let me know, so until then folks, take care and stay safe!"

[Max]

"Heey uh… Letty? If I could just have a moment of your time here… Now I know Stripes is… Somewhat harmless. There's a reason he's banned from Hope and the Guardian's HQ… There's also a bounty out for his head from the Red-Necks now, don't tell him that last bit. Anyhow, I think it would be much safer, and better for Mayor Swift's mental wellbeing if we just kinda…Let the ban stick for now? I'm really trying to keep lines open between Hope and the Guardians for my employer and well… One of the conditions is that I keep Stripes FAR away from either location. Trust me. It's for the greater good of us all right now."

[Stripes]

"You do realize that not only is the mic still on, but that I can still hear everything broadcasted through it…"

[Max]

"Since you deigned to ignore my existence through most of this interview, turn about is fair play today I'd say."