#wanderingverse

         " ...Previous injury," he lies, presuming she eyes the bandage that wraps around his bicep. The dark circles tattooed upon the same right arm and shoulder are fine for her to see— He has no issue with her knowing the intensify of his devotion to Atom... But that faded ‘E’ and the stars around it, difficult as it is to detect after all these years– That’s not something he wants under scrutiny.

           ...Though she may be staring because his armor’s strewn next to him, his half-undone wetsuit hangs at his waist and even with a thin grey undershirt his state of undress reveals there has indeed been a human beneath the layers of protection all along.  

         " I'll be decent again soon," he promises, trusting her enough to turn partly away. "Just washing this off." A jerk of his wrist shows he's cleaning his forearms of lingering dirt, having done some supply cleaning while she was away.

“But whyyyyyyyy?” Spoons let the word trail as she let her head flop back then roll back to the front. The peace was relative, but at least no one was throwing punches. Yet.

“Everyone else is copacetic! ‘E’s jus’ ossified, him. Let ‘im talk ‘til he runs outta breath.”

[ ... ]

“more   than   okay.   you   want   me   to   tell   you   everything   you   did   right?   ‘cause   i   will,”   she’s not a praising woman,   but she’s in a good mood.   almost ends up reaching out to touch his cheek,   but she keeps to herself now,   simply offering him a genuine grin.

         “ Heh,” a soft almost-smile touches his own lips. “That’s not necessary... ”

           In truth, the thought of hearing the details aloud unsettles him. Actions are one thing, words another, and even all parts of the former have yet to calm in his soul.

         “ Just don’t want you to think...” he’s mean? No. He’s not known for kindness even amongst the family. No reason for her to believe otherwise.

           It’s something else.

           The thunder of heavy footfalls announce both his arrival and the grim mood surrounding him— And while the stern face of the Grand Zealot matches that air, the knock at her door lacks its gale.

           His arm, which had been wrapped in bulky burlap, is uncovered before he speaks, lowered cloth revealing the dismembered hand and wrist of an assaultron. The metal fingers grip into the armor of the man’s forearm tightly enough that his hand has gone numb, but he tries to hide the fact.

Three Days.

That’s how long Cordelia had been up and she was exhausted but too scared to sleep. Fearful that her life would be taken away from her the moment she closed her eyes. All her senses were heightened and she was aware of everything going on.

CREEAAAKK!

Her head snapped up suddenly towards the sound and she grabbed the knife on her nightstand. The whole house was dark, so she stalked towards the noise with caution. “Who’s there?” No response, so she continued to walk. Suddenly, she bumped into a body and instinctively she grabbed whoever it was and pinned them to the closet wall. She pressed the blade of the knife to their necks dangerously close to cutting them and leaned in to try and get a good look of the intruder.

“What do you want?” She asked with gritted teeth.

           He blames his own exhaustion for the stranger getting the jump on him– But at least the cold head of his radium rifle greets her gut in return.

         “ Press harder with that knife and I’ll be taking you with me,” he murmurs, quiet thunder in the warning though he knows he’s not in the right. Did break in after all... But wasteland’s always more dangerous at night. Risky. Rather take his chance with a human than another pack of ghouls at this hour. 

         “ Not trying to trespass. Was looking for somewhere to stay... I’ll lower my gun to somewhere less critical, if you’ll back off with your knife.” A pause. “Aim away completely, you return the favor... ”

it can be easy for Sadie to get completely wrapped up in what she’s doing and disregard her surroundings entirely, especially when she’s stuck in the middle of the goddamn Glowing Sea. she’s had to travel to a lot of dangerous,insane places to collect her bounties and she’s always left with a new scar to her collection but also with a whole lot of more caps in her pockets. it just so happens that her bounty has decided to travel into the most radiated place they could find in an attempt to get away from her. Sadie does have a fearsome reputation and with good reason. she’s never failed a job. she’s got enough caps to settle down somewhere now, take it easy for the remaining years of her life. probably not too many, considering all the radiation she’s soaked up in the past couple of years. but this isn’t just about the money anymore– it’s fun for her. what’s she to do? buy a place in Diamond City, people watch from her window? god, she’d rather be eaten by a Deathclaw right now.

she doesn’t notice the eyes on her after she pulls the trigger on her rifle, shooting her target straight on the ankle and making him collapse in pain. he yells in pain and Sadie quickly closes the distance between them, shoving her boot against his throat and telling him to shut his mouth.  everything about this place sets her nerves on edge but the man beneath her still gets an amused snort out of her. he’s begging for his life, as if she didn’t know what he did to get someone to hire her to go after him. manipulating and abusing a young girl from the city until she took her own life– it’s something Sadie isn’t going to go easy on. she blows his brains out after getting a good, hard look at his face– making sure it’s actually the man she’s looking for. she’s not one to kill innocent folk even if her morality isn’t her strongest point. she’s in the process of going through his clothes to find proof of his identity to deliver to the ones who hired her when she catches a glance of someone out of the corner of her eye. she immediately looks up at them, recognizing the symbols on his face and his clothing as traits relating to the Children of Atom. she knows about them, sure, knows not to fuck with them if she doesn’t have to. people with undying loyalty to ridiculous religions tend to be much more dangerous than any person with their poster on the wall.

“just passin’ through,” she says, not losing her attention on him for a single second. “don’t mean to intrude. been chasin’ this bastard all over the Commonwealth. want me to take his body with me? wouldn’t want to–taint your holy grounds.”

           Of all terrains he’s traversed this journey from Atom’s Island, none pulse so blessed as the Glowing Sea...

           Richter’s steps fall quiet, reverent. Memories of home, of worship, crackle across his thoughts– Unsurprising. Spires of fallen churches and other cleansed locations break the horizon like lit candle upon bone. Familiar. And, oh, how naturally the land becomes its own ossuary: those spines and skulls so carefully cleansed and arranged in the Nucleus are the relics uniformly purified here, finding their places as Atom deigns...

           Wind howls and the Grand Zealot watches calm, drunk on the warmth of His Glow and... oddly not surprised to see the spectacle of one figure gunning down another. Graceful violence sending the lesser to an early judgment– 

           A worthy offering to this scorched land,               to His Glory.

          The killer notes him in turn, caution in her stare and seraphic fire to her tone that matches her actions. The Grand Zealot’s radium rifle remains likewise ready in gloved hands– yet relaxed for the comfort he finds here... and in her phrasing.

A smile deepens the lines around Hancock’s eyes and mouth as he shakes his head, hands spreading placatingly.

“C’mon Ricky,” the ghoul rasps in a bemused tone “I didn’t even say anything bad and you’re actin like I was cursin at Atom himself.”

✘ morning after starter || [ no longer accepting ]

           It’s easy to be impressed by her. From the first meeting he knows she’s a capable fighter–           Even before falling into bed together, he’s liked the hunter well enough.           Add to that her service to the Children out here, the way she’s been polite about it…

           Well. 

           The respect he’s always shown to those handful of people he’d been with is only the more extensive with her. And alone in wasteland in an abandoned house where their time needn’t mean a thing… There was no way he’d have denied her, this. Them.

           Which brings them to this morning, with her still here aside him. He’s present, within reach, but doesn’t presume she still wants his touch– He’s not sure why she did in the first place. And even after asking in so many ways the night prior if it really was something she wanted, he still questions this morning, gentle voice barely a whisper,