Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow (Chapter 4)
Chapter 4!
Chapter 4: Give me your war
>Loud Music and the sound of stampeding feet jolt you from your sleep
>Reveille, the sound of bugles calling people to wake up
>You aren't surprised by it but Gracie is
>The loud doots startled her so bad she's currently flopped on the floor playing dead
>Tou leave her there on the floor while you stand up and stretch
>"Get up" you say to her bluntly
>Her eye peeks open
>"Are we under attack? What's going on Anon!?"
>You supposed you should have expected this
>Military organization like the Brotherhood would stick to an old world military schedule
>"They are all getting up, getting ready for their day Gracie, we're fine"
>She sits up and looks around, watching the Paladins and Initiates getting dressed quickly
>Looking at her, you have to admit that she looks cute in those pajamas
>She didn't quite fill the front but more than made up for it everywhere else
>You shake the thought from your head
>She's just a travel companion, not even your friend
>Just a lost puppy that decided to follow you
>Still you had accepted to travel with her so it's best to be on good terms right?
>You extend a hand to her and help her to her feet
>"What now Anon?" she says as the men and women in power armor dash out of the sleeping chambers
>"We change and get going, we have to head north to Camp McCarran"
>You pull up a Map on your pip-boy and show her
>"We are here, and we have to get wayyyyy up there" you scroll up on the map as you speak
>Luckily there aren't many hill or obstacles on the way, just flat ground
>But it was still quite a distance, a distance you wanted to cover before night fell
>Gracie gawks at it
>"We have to go ALL that way!?"
>You nod and pull your pajama shirt off
>"Yea, we should at least get as close as we can, we don't want to run into any fiends"
>As you pull your leather armor over your head you see Gracie Starting to Shimmy out of her Nightgown
>Instantly you turn around from her, staring at the wall
>"You should probably change in the Bathroom Gracie, Not right in front of me"
>You hear her laugh behind you
>"What? Is the big bad boomer afraid of a little nudity?"
>You frown
>"No, it's just considerate and we ARE in an open Area!"
>You hear a quick squeak in surprise and turn around
>"I forgot there were other people..."
>You can barely see a ripple in the air
>She did say she could turn invisible but didn't have time to study it last time
>After all that was when you first met her
>What actually amazes you is that her clothes also have gone invisible
>You Stare, watching the air ripple and bend around where you think her head is
>"How are your clothes invisible Gracie? how does that work?"
>The Nightstalkers you had seen, the normal ones anyway, could only make their bodies invisible
>But then again you hadn't seen them wearing clothes
>The image of a Feral Nightstalker wearing a t shirt and shorts pops into your head as she answers
>"Uh, I don't know Anon, they just do"
>You watch in awe as her articles of clothing disappear, presumably onto her
>You realize you're still sitting with your shirt off, staring at nothing, at least that's what it looks like to everyone else
>Quickly you put on your leather armor
>Gracie had already seen you naked, so what do you care?
>Quickly you change from your pajamas into your armor
>As flimsy as it, it was all you could afford right now
>The Boomers back on Nellis never needed armor, they used Howitzers to kill anyone that wasn't allowed onto the base
>Because of that they used regular clothing instead of armor
>The Bullet wounds you suffered from being ill prepared taught you quickly that almost everyone wants to kill you out here
>As such you got the best armor you could afford, occasionally augmented with bits of gecko skin leather to add to the thickness of the armor
>You tighten the last strap of your armor and try to gauge where Gracie is
>It's hard to judge where she is, even when she isn't moving
>"Where are you? You still here Gracie?"
>She slowly uncloaks in front of you, standing and fully dressed, except she still doesn't have any shoes
>"Right you still need shoes, sorry I forgot about those Gracie"
>She looks at you confused
>"Shoes? You never mentioned anything about shoes Anon"
>You stash your bedroll and the pillows
>You'll pay Torres a little extra for Gracie's pillow
>It spares your legs and helps keep Gracie comfortable
>"You'll need shoes where we're going Gracie, Trust me"
>You think of the broken glass, spent med-x needles and barbed wire scattered all around New Vegas
>Her footpaws would be torn to shreds
>That would only slow you down, you assure yourself that's why you're concerned
>Gracie attaches herself to your arm once more as you lead her through the bunker
>Down the stairs, to the Cage where Torres is waiting to serve anyone who needs new gear
>"Hey Torres, Mind if I look around back there for boots"
>Torres looks at your feet and gives you a confused look
>"You have boots boomer, why do you need more?"
>You pull the arm Gracie is latched onto forward
>"This little lady needs some, we're heading to New Vegas, don't want her feet getting torn up"
>Torres looks Gracie up and down quickly and sighs
>"I suppose it can't hurt to let you look around, we might have boots for anthros around here somewhere"
>She opens the cage for you, letting you and Gracie slip behind the cage
>"I've got my eye on you Boomer, don't do anything stupid" She warns
>You nod and begin searching through Boxes and crates
>Lots of random shit, recon armor, laser pistols
>You open a box and dig through it only to have a rolled up piece of paper catch your eyes
>Blueprints for something
>Unrolling the paper, you study the paper quickly
>Its for an all terrain vehicle, a heavy duty transport made from things all over the wasteland
>"Hey Torres, what's this?" you call out to the Quartermaster
>You hear her footsteps behind you until you can feel her leaning over your back, looking over your shoulder
>"Oh hey you found the blueprint to the Treadnaugt"
>You stare at the blueprints, treads, BIG guns, and heavy armor
>"Why haven't you guys Made this thing?!" you ask incredulously
>This vehicle is would be the next best thing to a tank, except for explosive turrets it had heavy Machine guns and it was much much faster
>"It's Based on Tech found on a computer terminal in Helios one, stuff we haven't been able to reproduce" Torres says dismissively
>You gawk at it
>This thing had to be built, you had to build it!
>Images of you rolling into Nellis with it float through your head
>How could they Shun you if you rolled up in that?
>"Can I have these blueprints? I might be able to build this up"
>Torres shrugs "Fine they were just gathering dust here"
>You sit and pour over the blueprints as Gracie continues rifling through boxes
>"Found Boots Anon!" She says excitedly after about 15 minutes
>"Oh! Yea, uh huh, great Gracie" you answer distractedly
>You hear a loud "Hmph" before a boot hits the back of your head
>"OW!!! What the FUCK?!" you snarl as you stand up
>Gracie stands with one boot in her paw
>"We came here to get me boots anon! Not to fulfill your wet dreams"
>You frown and roll up the blueprint
>"With this we could be safe wherever we went"
>She Huffs at you with a small hiss, which you ignore
>Who is she to tell you what to do?
>She followed you and demands a gun, then demands your attention?
>So what if you want something? If she has a problem with it she can go back to her cave for all you care
>But you weren't about to drive her away, not yet at least
>"Whatever Gracie, grab your shit and let me Pay for it" you say turning from her
>"Hey, No! Anon wait!" she calls after you as you leave the cage
>You ignore her pleas and start talking to Knight Torres
>"How much for her boots and the blueprints, plus a pillow?" you ask, ignoring the forming headache from the boot and the Snakedog hurrying to get out of the cage
>"For you Boomer? Let's just go with 50 caps, however if you trade the weird Plasma gun I'll give you 100 caps and everything else free" Torres says flatly
>What did you need a plasma gun for anyway? Yea, you had the idea to mix a regular gun with a Energy gun for something but you had no clue how plasma weapons worked
>"Fine, but we also want breakfast before we head out"
>"Deal"
>You hand over the Q-35 matter modulator, it was cool to have but you didn't exactly trust plasma weapons
>The thought of it exploding and turning you into a pile of green goo kept you from using it
>You leave the Quartermaster to marvel at the gun as you head to the chow hall with the rolled up blueprints in your armpit
>Gracie follows you, trying to grab your arm for comfort, which you keep pulling away from her grabby paws
>She hit you with a fucking boot, she obviously doesn't need your comfort
>If anything she's an annoyance, but one you'll put up with
>"Come on Snekderp, let's eat and get going"
>The chow hall is just what it sounds like
>A large room with a bunch of long table in rows that people are sitting at
>A group of Mr.Handy robots hover behind a counter, piling some kind of food meal onto trays for the Brotherhood members
>You Grab and empty tray and motion for Gracie to grab one as well
>Slowly you shuffle down the line waiting for your meal, the blueprints tucked under your arm
>Eventually it's your turn and the Mr. handy piles a puddle of something onto your plate
>Looking like a mixture of Oatmeal and cram, the meal doesn't look appetizing in the least
>Hell the gecko you had yesterday looked better
>But in the wasteland beggars can't be choosers
>You carry your tray of slop to a table, fully aware of the stares you and Gracie were earning
>How can you blame them? A stranger shows up in a seemingly secret bunker with an unusual anthro
>But you ignore them regardless
>As you sit you unroll the blueprints once more
>Powered by 8 fusion cores, 10 mm Cannons, treads....
>You eat the slop, which tastes like a mix of bland chicken and stale bread
>Ugh how these guys ate this everyday
>You look around calmly and watch them happily eat the slop
>Gross, they must be used to it
>Ignoring everyone else you study the blueprints
>Treads from a robobrain, Force Field generators, parts from a place called "Hopeville"
>This thing was a Madman's dream
>And you guess you were mad enough to try it
>"Hello there Boomer, what's that you've got?"
>Elder McNamara takes a seat across from you, looking at the blueprints
>You take a few spoonfuls of the slop and Gracie uses her tongue to lap it up
>"The Treadnaut? I haven't seen those blueprints since Father Elijah was around"
>A hush falls over the crowd and you feel more eyes on you
>You shrug them off
>What do you care about the sins of someone else?
>"I want to build this thing, and I'm sure with the brotherhoods help I could" you say straight faced
>Elder McNamara looks you up and down a few times, gauging you
>"I haven't seen such foolish determination since Father Elijah"
>You don't know what that means, but you also don't care
>"Will you help me or not?"
>The elder looks at you, then the blueprints
>"IF! IF you bring the parts, we can build it, and replicate it for ourselves"
>He looks at the staring Brotherhood soldiers
>"Yes, we'll help you build it, but only if you can find the parts"
>Score
>You get a fucking tank and all you had to do was kill some shit?
>GG EZ, in the words of the ancients
>You smile and extend a hand to him
>"Does that mean I can use one of the abandoned bunkers outside too? I need to have a base close by if I'm working with you"
>Elder McNamara Nods and shakes you hand, "Fine, but it's on you to find everything"
>Just find the parts? That's it? Plus you get a base and get to use a free shower every now and then?
>Score plus one
>You look over the blueprints and shovel the Meat slurry into your mouth as fast as you can
>Better to just eat it and not think about it
>Where is Hopeville? What's the Sierra Madre?
>These Blueprints had notes covering the margins
>Those were the things you recognized most
>Scrawlings of a man obsessed with something
>You eat silently, studying the blueprints while Gracie laps up her meal
>Sato sits across from you, holding a mug of something
>"AAAAAYEE AnNNOon! WWWhat's that ya gott!?" he speaks with a slurred voice
>You guess whatever he has in that mug is alcoholic
>His breath tells you it is anyway
>You shield the Paper from him while showing it to him
>"OOOhhhhhhh that thing, we tried to build it, found where all that parts are an Eeeeerrryyythin, but after a few paladins ad knights died it wasss scrappped"
>He sloshes a bit of his drink on the table as he talks
>This piques your interest
>"Where?" you ask as he gets up and saunters off, spilling more of his drink
>"Vault 11" Elder McNamara answers for him
>You look at him, quietly judging him
"Why didn't you tell me this right away?"
>He sighs and drains how bowl of slop
>"Elder Elijah sent 3 teams there. None of them returned. I don't feel like sending someone to his tomb"
>Vault 11? you hard heard whispers about it
>"Thanks but I'll be fine"
>You shudder as you down the rest of your meal
>Hopefully you never have to eat here again, the food is terrible
>The showers weren't bad though
>You roll up the papers and stash them away
>As much fun as looking over those was it was time to get going, you had a bounty to secure and caps to make
>Gracie is licking her tray clean when you look over at her
>"Seriously? No account for manners I see" you say
>Yeah you're a hypocrite, discarding manners entirely yet holding Gracie to those same standards
>She looks down at her clean tray
>"I was hungry, we only ate once yesterday" she mopes, not making eye contact with you
>A Twinge of guilt hits you
>You were so determined to get here you ate only once yesterday
>Guess you should think of her health, as well as your own
>Legumes might have been the main protein source of your diet prior to leaving Nellis, but Meat was a rare commodity
>At least it was if you weren't ballsy enough to hunt it down yourself
>And everything in the wasteland was edible to you
>Well besides humans and ghouls
>Scorpions? Cazadores? Nightstalkers? Lakelurks?
>Whatever! You would eat them
>But looking at Gracie reminded you that you were nearly starved
>Sure there were plants that you could eat but those weren't enough
>Those were thoughts for another day however
>You motion for her to follow you
>Quickly you leave the chow hall and retrace your footsteps to the entrance and exit of the bunker
>"Elder McNamara said you are allowed to come and go as you please, against my judgement, mind you. Don't do anything stupid boomer,
or do; then I get to shoot you" Ramos says as you walk by him
>A new person who wants you dead, what a surprise
>You don't even acknowledge him as you leave the bunker
>Stepping into the light from the rising sun, you breathe in deep
>It's surprising how good the air feels compared to the recycled air of the bunker
>You didn't even notice it until you were back in the fresh air
>Gracie stands next to you, scanning the ground
>"Looking for more scorpions Gracie?"
>She nods, still looking around
>"Yea! Plus I guess I have to remind you to eat, so we should have things TO eat first"
>A quick check through you pip-boy lets you know you still have gecko, some bark scorpion and various plants to eat
>Still more wouldn't hurt
>You pull out a Banana yucca fruit and toss it to Gracie, that grab one for yourself
>"Lets go" you as before biting into the fruit
>She follows you as you navigate out of the valley's fenced in area
>Luckily there weren't to many things in the way to get to McCarran
>It was mostly modestly flat ground, a few small hills
>There was that one building you found that had the Q-35 Matter Modulator
>Still getting there should be easy
>For the better part of 3 hours you walk with Gracie,occasionally telling her about things
>The past mostly
>The great war, the NCR, the Brotherhood of steel, The Legion and their remnants
>After that Courier shower up and devastated the Legion, most of the legion fell apart
>A Small faction remains from what you gathered
>Gracie's questions about everything was actually quite cute, and you enjoyed having someone to talk to
>Normally you just wandered around alone
>"Hey Anon I know we have places to go but can we eat again? I'm getting hungry"
>you stop and look at you pip-boy
>So far you're making good time so it can't hurt to stop and relax a bit
>Hell there's even the remains of a road nearby that go all the way north to McCarran
>"Let's get to the road nearby and then we can set up a fire" you say pointing in the direction of the road
>Yyou look at her and see a toothy smile
>"OK anon! Race you there!"
>Before you can even say anything she runs off in the direction you pointed
>Fuck that you aren't running in this heat
>You follow her at a decent walking pace, eventually catching up
>She stands with her paws on her knees, panting slightly
>"Why didn't you race me Anon! That's not fun!"
>"It's hot and we still have a way to go before we reach Camp McCarran" you answer as you survey the area
>a few wrecks on the side of the road
>"You're just afraid you're gonna lose" Gracie huffs at you with a small hiss
>"Whatever Snekderp, what do you want to eat?" you ask as you walk towards a burned out car
>"Uh can you cook up those Bark scorpion claws?"
>You nod and gather bits of plant debris from around the area
>Before long you have a fire going next to the car
>Using some stones and a flat piece of metal pried from the car, you make a semi viable stove
>It's not pretty but it'll work
>You set the claws and a few slabs of gecko meat on the metal piece and let them cook before sitting down with your back resting on the side of the car
>"Have you had bark scorpion before Anon?" Gracie asks sitting
>You nod as you poke the claws with the hunting knife
>"Yea, they taste ok, a bit like Lakelurk, pretty good with agave"
>Recalling that you have Jalapeno peppers, you set them on the stove as well
>Gecko steak with roasted peppers sounds pretty good
>You sit back against the car, relaxing a bit
>Gracie slides next to you, close enough her wide hips are pressed to yours
>"Do you think My appearance will creep people out wherever we are going?" Gracie asks, pulling her coyote hood down
>you frown slightly
>"Maybe, keep that hood up when we're there and our sleeve down to hide your arm scales just to be safe though"
>You pull the metal sheet off from above the fire and set it on the road next to you
>Gotta let the food cool
>As you turn back to Gracie you notice your pip-boy
>And the red markers on it
>Immediately you draw your Gobi scout rifle
>"Gracie get ready! we've got company" you whisper firmly
>Her eyes widen at you as you get into a kneeling position and aim down the scope
>"What is it Anon? Who's trying to kill us?"
>You frown as you spot the offenders
>Six Legion assassins
>"CAESAR HAS MARKED YOU FOR DEATH, AND THE LEGION OBEYS! PREPA-"
>The one who was shouting got a mysterious case of bullet to the fucking head
>Fuck them for ruining your meal
>You smirk as the rest of the squad dives for cover
>"Gobi rifle? More Like Gucci rifle!" you say with a smirk as you shoot at another Legionary, hitting him square in the chest
>"That's really Dumb Anon" Gracie laughs from her hiding spot behind the car
>"Yea that was a bad one!" you hear one of the Legionaries call out
>"SHUT UP!"
>The offending legionary has his head turn into red mist as a Hollow point .308 round collides with his face
>"And you could help you know!" you call to Gracie as a bullet ricochets off the car behind you
>You rush behind it and crouch down,
>Enough of this, you stash the scout rifle and pull out your LMG
>"I'm Scared Anon! I don't know if I can!" she calls from her prone position
>You grab her and pull her up to a crouch
>"Go invisible and get behind them! I'll keep them occupied"
>You look into her eyes to the sound of bullets hitting the side of the car
>She trembles and looks up at you
>"O-Ok Anon, I'll do it"
>You Nod and stand, placing the LMG on the roof of the car
>One of these bullets has their names on it
>And you're gonna keep firing until you figure out which one it is
>You open fire at the closet figure, shredding him in a hail of bullets
>Two left
>You hear full auto gunfire from behind their cover
>Then a sharp scream
>You heart falls and you run around the car towards the scream
>Is Gracie hurt? Did she just scream from the sight of blood or the thought of killing a man?
>You look the where the scream came from
>The Legionary Stands over a fallen over Gracie
>You hope she's just playing dead this time
>"I've found one Legate, an Oracle!, I've wounded her but she's ali-" you fire a round straight into the back of his head
>You run over to Gracie and kneel next to her
>"Please be ok, please be ok" you repeat as you set down you LMG and scoop up her body
>You feel wetness on your arm as you Cradle her head
>"Gracie come on, talk to me!"
>You shake her gently and look over her body but see no wounds
>"Gracie you better not be playing dead!"
>Her blue eye peeks open and she smirks at you
>"Awww you were concerned about me!"
>You frown and drop her
>"Fucking hell Gracie, don't fucking do that! I thought you were hurt!"
>She rubs her ass where you dropped her
>"I'm ok but uh...I wet myself though..."
>THAT was the wetness on your arm!?
>You frown and shake your arm out trying to shake away the feeling
>"Why did you do That?" you ask as you walk to the body of the Legionary
>"It's not like I wanted too! He scared me and hit me with one of those Poles!"
>He did have throwing spears on him, he must've whacked her with one
>You search the bodies of the fallen, stripping away their weapons, ammo, caps and Legion denarius and aureus
>The Legions money is useless but you can stuff it into shotgun shells which in turn shred anything
>You also find a Busted radio on the one that knocked over Gracie
>He had called her a Oracle or something like that and spoke to a legate?
>What could that all mean?
>You look over to Gracie and see her Huddled by the fire pit you had made
>"You Ok Gracie?" you ask as you walk up to her
>She looks up at you with tears in her eyes
>"I'm Sorry I'm such a coward Anon! I got scared and I'm sorry! I'm Not a soldier like you are!"
>You sigh and sit down next to her, looking into the fire
>"It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have"
>She looks at you, confused
>"What does that mean Anon? What are you talking about?"
>You begin packing up the food and whatever gear you dropped before the gunfight
>"It's never easy to kill someone Gracie, it's ok to be scared, but out here, in the wasteland; almost everyone wants to kill you, just about every living thing that crawls, flies or squats in the mud wants to kill you and eat you"
>You extend a hand to her
>She takes it and you pull her to her feet
>"You might be scared, and the world doesn't care. But I do, as much as I might not look or act it. I'll help you learn to keep that fear in check"
>You look at your pip-boy and take a location nearby. It should have running water or at least a well
>"I'm not like you though Anon! You have no fear at all! You killed a super mutant! You stared down the barrel of a Laser rifle! You shot and killed those men!"
>You sigh as you start walking
>"I was scared the entire time I did all that Gracie. If you ain't scared when 6 men shoot at you, or when a super mutant tries to kill or you when a gun is pointed right at your face, somethings wrong with you" you say as you scan the horizon
>The building you're headed to isn't too far away
>"But you seemed so calm Anon"
>"If I don't stay calm even when I'm scared I might as well be dead; while playing dead might have worked before Gracie we need to get that habit out of you, because things out here don't care if you're dead. They will still try to eat you"
>You spot where you're headed, an old abandoned farmhouse
>Gracie is silent as she digests what you've said
>"So it's ok to be Scared Anon?" she finally asks
>You nod
>"Just use that fear, it's fight or die out here in the wasteland. To tell the truth, I'm more scared of dying than I am of anything out here"
>Gracie is silent as you walk to the abandoned house
>You push open the door and look around, a thick layer of dust covers everything
>This place has been empty for a while
>But you had seen a water pump outside
>"Get out of those clothes Gracie, lets clean them up and you as well, then we'll eat and I'll teach you about your gun a bit more"
>You turn and leave the house while she strips
>Luckily this place had a pump that directly into a boiler
>Granted you were going to have to light it so there was warm water but it was better than nothing
>You begin pumping the water, it's a long process but one that would benefit you both
>Warm water for you both to get clean with, plus clean any urine out of her clothes
>The thought of watersports makes you shudder in disgust
>How people liked that kinda stuff was beyond you
>You aren't one to kink-shame but seriously its biological waste; key word being WASTE
>You pump water for a good 30 minutes, getting one hell of an arm workout
>When you finally re enter the house you find Gracie wrapped in a blanket
>"This was in the bedroom, I didn't wanna get pee on my PJ's" she explains when you give her a questioning look
>A quick search around reveals a boiler,which you quickly ignite the pilot light of
>This house must be pre-war, the gas lines work still and the water seemed rad-free
>You mark it's location on your pip-boy, might be useful later
>You find the stove and light it up, at least it still worked
>You throw the food on it while Gracie watches over your shoulder, pressed against you
>While you know it's just innocent curiosity, only a thin piece of fabric between her and you gets you a bit riled up
>But she's not human, and you barely know her
>Before long you pull the food off the burners
>No pans in sight so the food was directly on the metal brackets
>Still it cooked the food up good
>A quick check of the water from the kitchen faucet tells you it's warm enough
>"Ok Gracie, go clean up"
>She nods and heads into the bathroom
>You snoop around the house until you find some old moth eaten towels, a box of Abraxo cleaner and a bar of soap
>The bath is already running when you find it though
>You knock on the bathroom door and wait before you hear a muffled "Come in"
>With your eyes closed you enter and set the towels and soap on the floor
>"Here Gracie, get cleaned up and dry"
>You back out of the room quickly and head to the kitchen
>Those gecko steaks and grilled peppers are calling your name
>Nothing like killing Legion assholes to get your appetite up
>You eat quietly
>They called her a Oracle, and whatever that meant you're sure that can't be good
>You're almost positive they were going to send more of those legion fucks after you
>All the more reason to get the treadnaut built AND get one of those bunkers ready for living in
>You place more meat on the stove, and let it cook
>It's only about 3 pm and you doubt you're going to move from here tonight
>Gracie was too freaked out and her clothes would still be soaked
>"I'm done! That food smells good!"
>Gracie emerges from the bathroom, still slightly wet and with a holey towel wrapped around herself
>While you had seen her in nothing but rags seeing her in a towel was interesting
>You shake your head and look away from her
>"I'm gonna get clean too then we can wash your clothes, change into those PJ's you got earlier"
>Quickly you rush into the bathroom and shut the door behind you
>God dammit get a hold of yourself
>You quickly strip and run the bath
>The process for getting clean takes maybe 10 minutes tops
>There is a certain art to getting clean quickly
>When you step out of the bathroom with your own Pajamas on Gracie is sitting at a table, picking bits of meat out of the Scorpion claws
>"Ooooh Anon this is SO good! We need to hunt more of these next time!"
>You smile as you look at her
>Shes cute, sitting comfortably with her tail pushing the skirt of the PJs up a bit, while wagging non stop
>Lucky she had Underwear on
>Or is it unlucky?
>You don't know right now, nor do you care
>"Where are your clothes? We need to wash them"
>She points them out to you, so you grab them and take them to the bathroom
>Another hot water bath, some Abraxo Cleaner, a little elbow grease and they are all clean, hanging from a curtain rod in the bathroom to dry
>Gracie watched over your shoulder as you cleaned them
>You doubt she has ever even seen someone clean clothes
>Hell when you met her it was like she had never even worn clothes prior
>Maybe her seeing Raiders wear them made her wear them?
>A question for another night
>"Alright Gracie grab your gun, we're gonna take it apart and put it back together a few times and clean up our guns"
>She fetches it from on top of her folded jacket and helmet
>You spend the rest of the evening cleaning your guns, teaching her how to take hers apart and put it back together
>Its nearly 9 pm when you eat again and unroll your bedroll
>"Don't you wanna use the bed Anon? There's a mattress and everything!" Gracie motions to the bedroom
>You shake your head
>"Don't know who or what has done what on that thing, cleaner and safer here" you say as you set your LMG beside you
>Gracie looks back and forth between you and the bedroom
>"That actually Makes sense Anon, that thing had stains on it anyway"
>You sit with your back against the wall, a pillow supporting your neck and head
>Gracie crawls over and fluffs her own pillow, then set it on your thighs
>"Goodnight Anon, thank you for everything" she murmurs
>You place a hand on her side and yawn
>"It's no problem Gracie, goodnight"
>You fall asleep with the feeling of warm scales and fur under your fingers