8th Courier

mojave musings --

LUCKY NUMBER EIGHT - COMPANION PERK / AFFINITY BONUS

forget seven.  seven is old news.  seven was a big fat whiskey soaked, bullet riddled lie.  Jericho will give a S.P.E.C.I.A.L LUCK BONUS OF +1 to any companion.  if he’s lurking in the background while you roll the dice or spin the slots at the casino, and you’ll find your caps stash has an uncanny tendency to go up, rather than down ( just make sure not to attract too much attention with your sudden - lucky streak ).  he’ll also nudge up your survival by a ( temporary ) 5 points ( all that time spent with doc mitchell taught him a thing or two about campfire cooking for a handy potent potion or lotion ).  that, and the fact he’s a smartass, gets you an additional bonus to barter.

FNV + FO3: +1 to luck and a +5 bonus to barter & survival FO4: +1 to luck + 20% better prices

MOSS COMPANIONS - ED-E & REX

other than his own companion affinity bonus, it’s not unusual to see jericho with one of two non-human companions.  most commonly, the duraframe eyebot ED-E can be spotted hovering in the background.  he encountered and repaired the bot at the mojave express and the two have been pretty much inseparable since.  

PIPBOY 3000A

Things Overheard While Working At An Escape Room Starters || Accepting

@8thcourier​ said  “Oh, leather. They knew I was coming.”

“Or. They knew I was coming,” Jo said with a cheeky grin, tugging the leather jacket off the mannequin in the shop window. It was dusty, and a little sun-worn from having sat unused for so long, but it looked in good shape. She set her shotgun down on a shelf nearby, tugging it on quickly. “Whatdya think?”

jericho rolls his eyes.  only a slight shake of his head, turning to poke through the rest of the mess of the abandoned store.  most of the stuff was ruined - water, dust, rats and roaches... but it didn’t look as though the small store had seen much in the way of raiders or looters.  

“i think it would’ve been too small for me anyway.”

having his head turned meant that he could at least keep the smirk hidden. of course - he could have thrown out a compliment.  because honestly?  it did look good on her.  but he’s not about to give that easily.

there is a small commotion as he disappears behind a half fallen wall, then re-emerges - with something eyewateringly vivid -- a ‘hawaiian’ style shirt with pink flamingos adorning it in almost neon hues.   it’s slipped quickly over his shoulders - hanging loose over a grubby undershirt.

@8thcourier​ sc

“  You’re safe here in Sanctuary– so long as you contribute, you can enjoy the spoils. Tell me where your strong suits lie and we’ll figure something out.  ”

okay so - they haven’t tried to eat him yet ( yes, that had happened before... ) and the place had a not too shabby air of organisation about it - as opposed to the inherent chaos that raged in the not too far distance.  and mr chiseled jaw here was making him an offer... one found in very few places across the commonwealth... -- s a f e t y.

okay... strong suit. being a smartass.  probably not super useful.  but - he’s a courier, damnit... that’s gotta be worth something?

so there’s a scratch of his head as he considers --

“crops an’ me ain’t great friends.   guardin’ stuff just gives me itchy feet. i can turn my hand at a repair or two if you have stuff needs fixin’. t’be honest with you, mate.  i’m not really one for stayin’ put overlong.”

PICREW COMPARISON / ( mun vs muse )

tagged by: @pcplarstreet​ ♥ ( thank you! )

@chokethelight​ - ft. Aaron asked, “you have no idea what i’m capable of.”

“uuuhuh....”

ominous?  check. slightly creepy?  check. all the hallmarks of jerichos latest ‘weird encounter’ in the making?  check.

“generally i have no idea what i am capable of, mate.”

that’s pretty much true.  most of the time, the things that happened to jericho were way stranger than fiction - and the majority of the time he managed to survive by chance or fate or sheer dumb -- l u c k.

“...for all i know you’re a kung fu master, or a professional speed knitter.”

 “Beg your pardon?”

 “Well that sounds like we have a problem on our hands…”

“well, if whoever did this is still lurkin’ then... y-eah...”

there’s a squint.  and it’s grim, but jericho takes to his haunches to take a closer look ( while trying not to inhale through his nose because the mojave sun wasn’t kind to anything exposed for too long ).

“don’t look like he’s been here longer’n a day... roaches or ants would have picked the bones by now.”

there’s a ‘clink’ and jericho is holding out a palm full of caps.  recovered from a jacket pocket on the corpse.

            Always those cryptic newcomers. The Madam reached a point where she didn’t want to listen to them anymore. Sure, they were the ones who made her business - & what kind of business after all -  paid her debts. But all she had to endure for that, it wasn’t paid enough. What a relief to have some others to do the job for herself most of the time now. 

“ Is this your way to convince me to offer you one of my girls, because I can not tell if you are being sarcastic before being dramatic… but you do sound a little pathetic, darling. ”

one brow arches, jerichos nose wrinkling for a moment as he considers the comment.

“guess, idle thoughts should remain just that, huh?”

it was more of a verbal musing than much else, but apparently she had taken it as an ‘ask’.  probably because she had to stay on her toes... had to learn to read the good and the bad as far as intentions go...

“no, ma’am.  not lookin’ for nothin’ like that.”

he finally gives a nod.  tipping the glass between his fingers in a gesture before raising it to his lips for a taste of the deep amber liquid nestled an inch deep at the bottom.

“just thinkin’ that a blaze of glory would be that bit more -- fantastic -- than say... slipping in the bath.  or a drunken trip.  or a even a bad burrito.”

“ i’d like to think i’m very chipper today, pretty boy! sun’s shinin’, air tastes a little less acidic, and i’m ready for new beginnings– “ –in timing with her words, she reloads her favorite shotgun to prepare for the day– “ and you never know where things are gonna end. “

her tone is merry, almost lighthearted to a sociopathic degree. she means everything very tongue and cheek; it’s a good contrast to her companion who she believed took things a little too seriously. really? calling her by her number? it’s a job title, sure, but not her identity. being a courier is one thing, but being arielle is a whole different story–she’s slightly worse.

       “ i like to think holding onto the past is a character trait, ”  arielle throws the gun sling over her shoulder and looks her companion down. she smiles. “ and yes. havin’ something to do livens things up. keeps the wasteland weird, all that. ” more like keeps her on the move. “ though, are you really concern about me starting something or the 100+ groups wanting me dead? “

“mmhm.” 

she’s right about all of the above... sun, air and... not knowing where things are going to end.  and that’s generally jericho’s problem.... the fact that just about every other thing is attempting to kill him for reasons mostly unknown.  but that was pretty much the norm... it wasn’t really an unusual day unless something didn’t attempt to murder you in cold, hot or luke warm blood...

...however...  other than his youthful awakening in goodsprings, there’s not that much of a ‘past’ for jericho to have a grudge against.  and everything in the intervening years was just ‘shit that happened’.

“concern?”

brows hike and he thinks about it for a moment. not really concern.  but there aren’t a lot of couriers left... one through five certainly weren’t so lucky.  who the hell knew what happened to seven...  and with all of the freakish cults and bizarro factions roaming the wastes... he supposes it’s not so tragic to have a little camaraderie without selling your soul to madness.  so he just shrugs.  it’s honest - he doesn’t know.

“just never really got the whole maim and murder gig,  sure, if your life is on the line, then yeah - pull the trigger... just... never really had a reason to go lookin’ for people to kill.  maybe you’re just better at pissin’ people off than me.”

the last quip is returned with a smirk of his own.  

“so is there someone who takes the honour of ‘first blood’ on that clean slate?”

twitter meme starters [ accepting ] @pcplarstreet​ ft. Arielle asked: ‘ i’m wiping the slate clean, so i have somewhere to spill all the blood of everyone who has ever wronged me. ’

“way to start the day off on a positive note, six.”

the words are wry - and, he refers to her by her courier denomination... somehow it makes it easier and - while they have no specific allegiance, couriers tend to be of a certain ‘type’.  we’re not talking your average ‘old world blues’ postal worker here...  couriers tend to be base survivalists at worst, terrifyingly capable at best.

“ain’t the point of a clean slate supposed to be some kinda -- fresh start?  getting rid of old grudges?  shaking off the past?  that sorta thing?  or are you intending on having a lot of people ‘wrong you’ before lunch... y’know - just so you have somethin’ to do?”