#rotface

It was a quiet night in Freeside.

Or to put it better. It was a quiet night for Freeside, in the distance there were sounds of gunshots and screams. Typical Freeside affair that the ghoul sitting on the ground was used to.

What he wasn't used to was someone literally dripping blood walking up to him and just... Staring at him.

"... You good?"

The ghoul asks squinting his eyes at the guy in front of him, quickly realizing that it was Jericho, the courier who had been giving him caps for gossip in the area. Currently said courier was covered head to toe in blood and visera. Their pack slung over one arm as they continue to stare at the ghoul, who was now slowly reaching for the knife stowed away behind him.

He wasn't sure that he'd beat the courier if they decided that he was next, but he could at least try.

"You bought a hat."

Rotface looks up at the courier who was still staring but with a slightly softer expression.

"... It looks good on you. Can I rest here for a second? Thanks"

Rotface jumps slightly as the courier unceremoniously plops down next to him with a small groan of pain.

"... No problem."

They lapse into silence, the ghoul wound like a spring while the human next to him was practically melting into the concrete below them. It took her awhile to speak again.

"Sorry for freaking you out, but apparently I'm not allowed into the Mormon fort while like this. Apparently I'll "scare people" you'd think the doctors would be used to a little blood."

Jericho says while looking at him and giving a small jazz hands, little flakes of dried blood on their fingertips coming free and fluttering to the ground. The ghoul watching with a small grimace.

"The Fort? I thought you had digs on the strip"

"Hm? Oh I do, I'm just waiting for medical attention."

Before Rotface can even ask the courier pulls up their pant leg revealing that there was a huge gash in his leg, jagged and bleeding. It clearly wasn't a clean cut probably made by some sort of serrated blade.

"Arcade- he's one of the followers, is grabbing medical supplies for me inside while I was supposed to wait outside... But I wanted to stop by and visit you so I came over here! ...I wasn't really thinking."

Jericho laughs softly her teeth bared in the soft moonlight.

"I got good by a legionary... I don't think they knew what they were getting into."

Rotface stares at them before sighing and reaching into his pocket, and pulling out a ratty handkerchief.

"For your face. You need it."

"... Why?"

"... Because you're drenched in blood."

"I mean yea, but it's no use wasting a perfectly good handkercheif on ya know? I mean its only gonna get drenched... and that'll pretty much ruin it- and then you'll be out a perfectly good-"

Jericho is stopped as the ghoul instead just starts rubbing the blood from his face.

"Well you don't exactly look presentable right now, and what if a customer comes by? then I'm out caps ain't I?"

The courier blinks at Rotface before nodding and leaning into his touch. The ghoul's heart doing an odd fort of flutter at the action.

"So uh... aren't you worried about bleeding out pal?"

The courier waves him off before they start rummaging around their pack then pulling out what was clearly a handful of different chems.

"Nah, who needs to worry when you've got enough Psycho, Jet, and Med-X to kill a man running through your system- Speaking of which do you want anything? my stash is always free for my favorite gossiper."

the courier opened their pack wider, showing off its contents to the ghoul next to her as she takes another dose of psycho.

"Thanks pal but... I don't think the followers need to deal with another chem addict in Freeside."

"Suit yourself! This feels good, Arcade is always so uptight about my little habits. it's not like I'm forcing Daytripper down his throat, although maybe that'd get him to not be so uptight... don't tell him I said that, that was mean and I didn't mean it.

The ghoul blinks at the courier's regretful expression before sighing.

"My lips are sealed Jerry"

The courier looks over at him, the chems clearly in effect.

"Jerry? I get a nickname? Ah hell I love it."

The courier laughs and the ghoul laughs with xem, albeit a tad more strained than Jericho.

"I should come up with a nickname for you too, something better than 'Rotface' that's so rude? who started calling you that? I'll kill them."

The ghoul in question snorts at the bluntness of the courier's statement.

"Been so long that I wouldn't be able to tell you if I tried."

The Courier frowns before sighing and going back to glancing around the area.

"Well I'm just gonna call you "R" because I'm not calling you Rotface, that's mean and dehumanizing."

"I'm not human though."

"You are in the ways that matter."

The two just stare at each other before footsteps approach them, Jericho perking up.

"Oh? Is that your doctor friend?"

"No... Arcade's boots don't sound that heavy on the concrete."

Out of the shadows comes a Freeside thug, armed with a knife and a pistol.

"Gimme all the caps you've got"

The ghoul instinctively if not a little exasperatedly raises his hands in surrender, while the courier just stares blankly at the thug.

"Are you fucking deaf? I said-"

"Yea I heard you I'm just giving you a chance to turn around. Cuz if you don't bits of your brain are gonna be painting the sidewalk got it?"

The thug freezes for a moment taking a step back, only to snarl and rushing forward.

Rotface watched with something between horror and awe as Jericho grabbed a lead pipe from the ground next to them, managed to stand up despite their injured leg, and swung it full force at the thugs skull, a sickening crack echoing in the night air as blood and brain and bits of skull are caught by the nearby neon lights shining as they spray from the man's head as he is hit full force into the concrete of the ground below, the skin around his neck tearing from the force of it the muscle and ligaments underneath visible as the man chokes on his last breath. And for a moment everything was silent.

"Seriously. Can you go five minutes without killing something."

Rotface jumped as finally the man who must've been 'Arcade' comes from the direction of the fort. The courier rolls her eyes

"He was approaching us with dangerous intent Arcade, I was defending myself."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions Jericho. Oh. Hello there."

The ghoul awkwardly waves as the Doctor notices him. Arcade almost immediately goes back to looking at Jericho, handing them a stimpack.

"Here, for your leg, then get back to the Lucky 38 and wash up."

"Sure thing dad.” Jericho says sarcastically before smiling brightly at the ghoul.

“Bye R! I'm gonna keep thinking of better names for you!"