#zanril

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“So really Priz,” Killian asked as they were huddled in a house, waiting out the full moon, Adeline continually perking up and listening to things outside it though they were determined to let her have a break as it was Thundercrack. She didn’t seem to be able to take one but at least she was here with them. “How do you keep that bar cold?”

“I’m an immortal who got bored and decided to run a bar for fun,” Prizma said, drinking her beer. She sputtered and looked to Zanril. “What the hell is this?”

“Stonespine cactus,” he answered, his arm around Chi. “No good?”

“It tastes like rocks and bad coffee,” she said, making a face and setting the bottle down. “But no really, the place I was raised in was always dark. I just prefer it that way.”

“You know,” Sparks said, drinking Zanril’s beer even though Priz was right, it did taste like rocks. “I totally woulda believed that you were a minor god that just hangs out with us for a laugh.”

Prizma laughed. “We ever get outta being a one horse town, I expect you to spread that rumor.”

“Hell yeah we will,” Killian said, raising her own bottle.

-----

“.....and I woke up with bloody knuckles and a hangover,” West said. Sparks, Adeline and Pickles sitting on the bed and listening to his story.

“Really now?” Pickles said. “You were just on a rich kid field trip and just happened to have some sort of strange experience that changed your perspective?”

West leaned against the tin wall and shrugged, his arms crossed. He didn’t really care if Pickles believed him or not. “I don’t know what you expect me to say. I don’t even remember half of it.”

“Not that I don’t believe you,” Pickles grinned. “Anyone else and I might think it a lie. Perhaps a certain pearlcatcher,”  and here he glanced to Sparks, “drew you away? And the rest was simply a dream and a bar fight?”

West shrugged again as someone opened the door. Zanril staggered over to the bed and almost crashed into them, resting on at least two people’s legs. “Chi broke up with meeeeeeee,” he whined.

“Was it ‘cause you were hitting on Victoria?” Sparks asked. Adeline shot her a look. “What? He was.”

“She soo cuuuuttteeee I should have said someobbething to him...” Zanril sputtered out.

“Zan what the hell were you drinking?” Adeline asked.

“I made beer from munch...musher….mushrooms.”

“What kind of mushrooms?”

“The kind with the eyes.”

“ALL SEEING??” Sparks shrieked. “THOSE ARE WORTH GOOD MONEY ZAN.”

“Really?” he said, curling his arms around her waist. “Oh nooooooo…..”

------

Roanoke paused as he heard someone dragging something through the gate leading from Can Town to the Stone City. He froze until he saw Adeline, pulling a dead and enormous shattered serpent by the tail. “Good hunting?” he asked. West paused beside him and sneered in disgust. “Yeah,” she answered, still dragging the body. “Good eating, and Bask’ll want the bones. Found Gabby a book, too.” “How far have you pulled that?” West asked. “Shut up,” she replied. “Food is food.” “I expect cannibals say the same thing.” “You get hungry enough and you’ll think about it you whiner. Now you gonna help me or what?” ----

“What do they want?” Chi asked nervously as Adeline peered through a crack in the outside wall facing the wasteland.  

“Raiders,” she answered. She backed away from the crack and looked to Nuka. “You still have those explosives, right?”

“‘Course boss,” Nuka said.

“I’m not your boss.”

“Yeah right shut up,” Sparks said. “What’s the plan?”

“West,” Adeline looked to him and he perked slightly. “You still have those saw traps I told you not to make?” He nodded. Of course. “Great pull them out and set them at the gate and in a few houses. Zan?”

“Yeah?”

“We still have that old alcohol that you said was basically gasoline?” she asked. He nodded. “Cool. Make molotovs. We funnel them on the City gate. They come in here let the traps do the work before you throw anything. Hide where you can and keep a few things in reserve. Fall back to the tunnels if you need to- we know the place better than they do and new moon’s tonight, so worst case we wipe out the chalk signs and play ring around the Rat King. Me and Sparks’ll swing around behind them.”

“We don’t want to give them an escape option?” West asked. “Perhaps if we just hit them hard enough if they come through, they’ll leave?”

“Maybe,” Adeline said, glancing back to the thin metal gate of Can Town. “But that leader’s a big male ridgeback. They don’t back down I’m going after him.”

“And the plan there?” West asked.

“I crawl up his back and snap his stupid neck,” she replied. “There aren’t many of them. If they’re a scouting party they aren’t going back home to tell about us.”

“Looks like he might be undead,” Sparks said, sneaking another glance. “But, y’know, plague aesthetic makes it hard to tell.”

“If he is then I pull off his head and you cover it in molten glitter.”