Queen's note: I forgot I finished this chapter. Oops. Have a small cute!

Welcome to the Wasteland

Chapter Thirty Seven:

Rain, he called it

There was just something about the sound of rain that was... Calming. That white noise effect that was and was not there. Giving something for the mind to focus on to keep the nightmares of the world, well, outside.

When the storm was not a radiation filled nightmare but just… a storm.

It was nice this time.

More so when one was warm in bed and snuggled up under a thick fur blanket. The moss covering the cabin's walls and roof outside were not only eating up the radiation in the rain, but produced a marginal amount of heat doing so. Not a lot of heat, but just enough to help insulate the inside of the cabin.

There was also the semi muffled, local music playing from the central workshop. One of the lucid 'ghoul' Uncles or Aunties was working mostly quietly that night. Keeping busy with something they liked while the night watch was patrolling unseen in the dark.

A soft pop had Lana cracking her eye open to check. Nothing had gotten out of the small pot belly stove that had been put into the opposite corner of the cabin. It was a crude thing relatively speaking but worked wonders. Perched up on flat rocks and some carefully boxed in sand as this heater was one of the first attempts. The metal had been heated and bent into the right shape. A group effort really though most physical effort on Valory's part. As her claws did not conduct heat or burn as easily as little human fingers did. A large crockery pot was set on top, slowly simmering away all night for a rich breakfast.

Lana smiled, shifting in the joined beds and in turn the arm over her did as well. The other woman shifted herself and sighed in her sleep.

Both Lana and Mary settled back into sleep, a true deep sleep of those that trusted they were safe. The animals were all in the barn building, the roof at least covered in the same rad-exus moss. Most of all, that raw protection of Valory outside, and a little farther out was Moon Ridge.

That was something Lana was admittedly used to all her life. Mary was just getting used to not just the protection but Valory herself. Not that the pack sisters minded or were offended by it thankfully.

It was nice for Mary really, even though she could not go far or fast with her healing broken foot... she had a much needed breather break from her parents. Yet still had the luxury of being not that far from home and family.

Though at this moment, she was not thinking that. Or much of anything, just subconsciously revealing the feeling of being safe, warm, stuffed full from dinner and maybe loved.

And all the cuddling.

Cuddling was the best.

In the early dawn, it was peaceful in the co-op as the place was starting to wake up.

A turkey Tom gobbled, practically yelled between the old church and the cabins on the hills.

Mary lifted her head, waking up rapidly to the new sound she was just learning. Oddly, she was not sleep-drunk after almost a full night's sleep. Mary reflexively squeezed Lana's shoulders until the other young woman lifted her head at a second gobble.

"I want it." Mary announced, as Fredrick chuckled from the spot he had settled down in on the other side of the cabin.

"Is the sun up?" Lana wondered, but was reaching out from under the big fur blanket. Feeling around for her clothes from the night before.

"It's trying to rise, much like you miss." Fredrick offered as he got himself back into hovering. Moving the clothes he had folded last night, getting them set on the bed for the two women. As well as making sure the boots were set near before he fetched the Rad-X. The bottle that Noel had given the evening before.

The Mr. Handy made sure that both of his humans took the pills. Offering water to help get it down. Fredrick then moved to dish up their breakfast off the stove.

"What am I doing up again?" Lana asked as she really woke up, taking the Rad-X as the rain shifted its pattern to sprinkling. Making it harder to hear inside the cabin.

At least until Mary opened the window shutter on her side of the double bed. Mary grinned at the sound of the bird, trying to see where the Tom was.

There was a cuff and a panicked squawk.

"Oh dear, I think that was Valory catching it." Mary paused, peeking out the window propper, "Uh, Valory…? Is it still alive?"

Another squawk answered her before the big deathclaw came back up the hill beside the cabin. Peering back and showing the semi big turkey (compared to the first Tom they met), "Yes?"

"Could you not eat it?" Mary asked, adding on quickly, "Please. And put it in with Camomile?"

Lana looked over, blinking slowly, and once Valory agreed she handed her half eaten bowl back to Frederick before falling back down into the bed. Pulling the fur blanket back up over her head. Almost falling asleep right away, not bothered as Mary climbed over her to get her own food and new boots on.

"I think she might be a little bit before being awake, Miss." Fredrick noted as he fussed over Mary. Once she was dressed offering her a bowl of food, making sure she ate before leaving the cabin.

"She did go to bed later than me." Mary giggled, remembering how after checking the bunker Lana got grabbed by Valory. The woman took a deep breath as she relaxed a bit, sitting on the bed with her lower back against Lana. "Once we get our chores done, we can go play at the school? Or try to go into town to look for that blender?"

"Mmm," Lana gave a happy mumble, not as asleep as she seemed.

Mary grinned, looking at the table against the back of the cabin, and the neat little rows of sweet corn cakes that she and Fredrick had made yesterday. "I should drop off some of those to the farm…"

"...I sense a 'but'." Lana finally started to stretch out under the fur blanket. Not resisting a yawn as her body changed its mind about going back to sleep. Mostly it was a betrayal of the bladder.

"Buuuut," Mary drew out the word playfully, wiggling before scooting as the other woman started to sit up again. "Going into that Fallon's in the old town seems exciting. It's been boarded up mostly since after the bombs dropped? It should be safe there right? But also there would be…goodies? Right?"

Lana blinked owlishly as the light from the still open window shifted from that last gray tint to propper yellow tinted. "It should? Lots of stuff has stayed untouch through the years. Not everything, but a lot."

Lana shifted, making sure her thinner tank top that was used as a sleep shirt was back in place. She leaned to her right as Mary reached over to gently scratch along the scarring across Lana's back. Making a happy sound as it was just starting to itch.

"How did you get this?" Mary asked, realizing she never did. She felt a bit more confident now.

"Hm? Oh, on the back, oooh itch higher to the right?" Lana started, distracted as the itch moved. "It happened years ago, I was on a shift helping at the hydro pump station up lake. Something was clogging the systems. I'm not exactly sure how it all worked, but I was one of the bodies needed. It ended up being one of the stray nuclear waste barrels that 'mysteriously disappeared' back prewar. The jam cleared with a backlog of contaminated water."

Lana looked over her shoulder as best she could, rotating one and then the other shoulder. Showing again that she had almost all her range of movement.

"Ooowww," Mary hissed in sympathetic pain.

"I wasn't the worst hit," Lana reassured, trying to hide a wince, "Uncle Richard blocked me and the others. But he oddly healed like…five times faster."

"How rude," Mary snorted, knowing how fast some lucid ghouls could heal.

"Very!" Frederick offered, humming happily as it got Lana giggling. "Before you go miss, can you check your dehydrator?"

"Right, forgot about that with the whole vault thing." Lana stretched again, getting her socks on. It was one of the few personal things she saw the worth of extra weight on the long, almost half year trip across the country. Socks, under things and some extra boots.

"Why have you been constantly drying veggings?" Mary helped find Lana's shoes as the other padded to their small table. Checking her semi little machine running with a slightly modified energy cell.

"Emergency food, but overall good preservation." Lana said, stopping the set up and set the lid to side, and then set the trays across the table. She offered one of the few seasoned carrot slices. "Also, good snacks!"

Mary laughed, taking the almost too big veggy chip. Taking a nibble and then deciding it was hers now, "Okay that's tasty. And the unseasoned ones?"

"Once you crush them up a bit, you can hold more together, or mix it with other vegetables that are dehydrated."

"Then you can make an easier stew base, or just a vegetable soup as they are." Frederick added, watching Lana's movements intently. After the trays were cleared he offered the mushrooms he had sliced up last night. One eye stack turned to Mary as he continued. "And, gods forbid, if one of you two get sick without me around, it would also be an easy meal for you to make. To both stay hydrated and fed."

"And different veggies have different things we need right?" Mary half asked, checking the jars on the book shelf at the foot of the bed, not a lot of dried stuff right then. There were those left over, sealed jar like gourds that Lana had from her trip across the country. Just each one smelled a little different. One a little more spicy that Lana used to make that fermented marinated meat. Another had just smelled like… spicy.

"Right!" Frederick answered happily. His reaction was mostly the reason Mary had asked a question she already knew about. The Mr. Handy was thrilled to educate, as much as he had to learn about his new world. Just getting to teach and take care of his new family made the mech so happy. "While we have a good harvest of, Ta-tos, we should figure out how to dry and preserve them. Oh bother, what am I saying, Miss Mary, you half been farming those, I should be asking you!"

Mary beamed as she took the bowl of broken up, plane, carrot chips to put in the bigger clear jar. "There's a few ways, but you know, cooking and drying them out like this… I think we can do that. Like instant mash! But tato mash."

"I need to plant my potatoes in the bunker." Lana realized, finishing with resetting up the dehydrator. She then got the rest of her clothes on against the morning chill outside. Lana bounced into her boots as she pulled her overshirt on, getting herself set for the day only partly.

She still needed to go to the bathroom, or really it was an out house. But still needed.

Making sure everything was okay to leave, it was not too long to be active outside. After taking turns in the outhouse that is. Lana complained a little bit in play, but had to promise Mary to take her to the vault at least once for a good shower. Crops and animals were inspected and cared for. People greeted as they emerged as they woke up to go to one of the two out houses. Or going into a cabin to get some sleep from the last night watch.

Some of Winston's men had drifted into the Co-op while Lana was in the 111 vault. As well as that prewar couple, who Lana was thrilled to find out were arborists last night. All their things were in the latest completed cabin. At least the floor and porch were fixed there.

Lana lingered to curiously poke and look at the bigger muitfruit trees that were resting on the ground beside the porch. Making sure to be quiet as it sounded like the couple were still sleeping. That deep sleep of recovery.

"Do you feel like something is missing?" Mary asked as she came up to Lana, looking around, holding a feather from the turkey that came out with Valory manhandling it.

"A little bit, like I missed something." Lana glanced at her then around. Watching the moose walking to their morning grazing areas with their calves and fawn. Then over at the brahmin, "All their ears are relaxed, there's no predators around. Even Moon Ridge seems to be off sleeping somewhere."

"But something feels off."

"Yeah." Lana nodded, looking confused. Then motioned forward, "Let's go finish checking the animals, and go check on the bunker and kids."

"Hopefully Noel gets the vault all sorted out," Mary paused, then smiled as she reached out to grab Lana's hand.