Red grinned, getting up and laughing heartily before grabbing Aiden's hand with his mutated arm and shook it wildly, unaware of his strength.
"Sure, buddy! Here ya go!" He reached down with his left hand into another gun holster and pulled out a beer bottle, giving it to Aiden before retreating a few steps to give him some room.
"I think this here's gonna be the start of a beauuuutiful relationship, right fellas?"

Dakayev looked at Aiden shocked

" But Allistair Tenpenny is a great chump. Why once, I was getting attacked by a radscorpion and he sent a bullet into its , well, head. He let me in and hang out for a few days as a mechanic. I don't think he's a bad man. He just never really has liked mutants. I hate ghouls, and did you guys shoot me, no. But hey, Red is ALRIGHT and I think he would be a good addition to the team. But Aiden, consider it a priority to focus on the team and not on the potential recruits. My father back in the shelter told me that an army full of grunts is worth less than a handful of veterans. Heck, he was a good marksman himself, better than the security inside of the vault. The point is don't get soft on us."

Dakayev then picked up his hammer and continued to find a more ergonomic way on how a barricade would work.

Red observed Dakayev for a bit. He knew he wouldn't please everybody, but he hoped to get along well enough so that he could still be trusted.
Watching the other merc set up a barricade gave him an idea on how to improve his relations, though.
"Wait here."
He walked off into another room...
...Then came back dragging the refrigerator from the kitchen.
"I can help with that!" He shoved the massive metal square up against the door, then proceeded to stack furniture from around the house up against it, creating a pile blocking the doorway completely.
At the end, he picked up a dead Tracker corpse and nailed it to the top of the doorway with it's own Shovel.
"Swampfolk don't attack if they see one of their own hangin' up like that. It's like a totem sign, see? Let's 'em know that the place is already taken over. It might help if they still manage to break in."

Aiden took a swig of the beer, and said, "Dakayev's right. Right now, we need to work on staying alive and getting out of here. We'll celebrate Red's recruitment when we get back." Aiden sat on the stairs to chug his beer.

Dakayev roared with anger


" WHY THE HELL DID YOU JUST RIP APART THE DAMN FRIDGE!!!!! I WORKED TO GET THE DAMN THING WORKING AND YOU BUST IT OPEN!"

Dakayev calmed down

" Good, job..........say, do you have any Vodka in your pocket by chance?"

The hours passed of drinking and smoking, and Aiden decided to stop otherwise he'd become drunk and disorientated. He got up the stairs and he opened the door where Roy and Gabriel were staying. He checked on them, and they were almost fully recovered. Roy was looking alot better than he would've expected, maybe because of all the medical supplies used. Roy and Gabriel were ready to fight again. He let them go on, and continued down to wake up the other woman who recently came.

"Hey, we're heading out of this hellhole. I don't know if your guys are still alive, but if you want, you can come back to the wasteland with us. It's your call." Aiden jogged back downstairs and got his things all ready. "Alright, let's head out." Aiden led them out the door that was in the kitchen. No use busting down the barricades and making noise. They began trekking east, away from the swampland. "I can already see the pier from our location. Come on, we're almost there!" Aiden said. They were on the beach, definately not far from the boat.

They finally got onto the boat. Aiden Immediately began talking to Tobar. "Hey, Toby, we need a ride out of here. Now." Aiden said. Tobar brushed some dirt off his coat and said, "I think you mean Tobar? But, that's a negative. You see-" "Why can't you get us out now?!" Aiden interrupted. "Rude, aren't you? What, tired of the swamps now? Hmph. Well, if you'l let me finish, I can't let you go. You see, the ferry is out of coal, meaning it can't pump to work at all. It'll be weeks before I gather up enough coal to get this thing moving. Sorry."

Dakayev looked at Tobar angrily


" Tobar, we're both opportunists, lets talk, how about you give us an idea on where we can find some coal, and we can go get it, and then you take us the hell out of here. I'll sweeten the deal with 70 caps. How about it?"

Dakayevs jumpsuit rustled in the wind crossing the pier. If he couldn't get out of this he would never see home again, and he wanted to go home. There was no way he would let go of his dream. Gripping his Chinese Z-90 mauser he said again:

" Tobar, be reasonable, we can work a deal out"

Tobar's hands began shaking. "Uhhh, well, of course, but, uhh, you see, coal doesn't exist in this area, and, umm.. Well, the only place I know of still with coal is Ronto, way up north. But you see, some travelers from there are coming in a few weeks. I'll try to make an offer." Tobar awaited for a response, shaking in his boots.

Dakayev grinned

" Tobar, do you know what its like to be sacrificed to a bunch of hungry swampfolk? Or to be mauled apart by feral ghouls? I can arrange for that. Now tell us where we can find the coal NOW"

Dakayev gave a signal to Red, hoping Red would understand and would try to intimidate Tobar

Aiden got up to Dakayev and held him back. "Dakayev he says there isn't any here! We have to wait until those fools from Ronto get here, okay? Chill, Dakayev. We need to arrange something for your anger when we get back o the wasteland." Aiden turned back to Tobar. "Look, Tobar. I know that you aren't lying. Because you know what we'll do to you if you lie. I'm going to believe you this time, but you have two weeks before I sic my mercs on you. Understand, [censored]?" Aiden said. Tobar nodded furiously. "Let's go, guys." Aiden said while leading them away from the boat.

Dakayev left with Aiden and continued to walk

" I don't trust him, he just has a really bad thing going on. If I even find out he was lying to us I am going to tie him to a pole and feed him to swampfolk. See how he likes it. "

Dakayev continued walking with Aiden and the group when he noticed that the regulator he found was with them. He decided to talk to her.

" Well, I'm bored, tell me about yourself"

" There isn't much to tell, my grandparents were from a vault, I don't know which, I think vault 92. They never said anything about it, and I never knew why. But my dad grew up a regulator, hunting down raiders and bandits. Don't know why but it seemed he wanted me to be the best of them all. I got trained to fight mutants and raiders, radscorpions and the like."

Dakayev raised his eyebrows

" Seems a little odd that he would want you involved in all that fighting"

" Well, in the wasteland life is like that, where have you been for the past hundred years?"

Dakayev smiled


" A different kind of vault. I was born inside of a giant complex, corridors and rooms around each corner. Was really large too. I just grew up a son of a two Soviet parents. My great grandfather was a spy in the war with China, and he gave the Chinese info , and when he finally realized the "war" would come down to nukes, he reserved his family inside the vault. Now, I left a while later, see if I could find fortune along the way, turns out I found hell. Cannibals, raiders, settlements. Interesting figures I did find that helped me out were Tenpenny, owner of the tower to the southwest.Then I met Commander Danvers of Rivet city. She was a hard-ass, but she helped me in the first few days. I eventually left and made a home out of the rubble of some old clothing store. So I became a scavenger and sold crap to mercenaries and wastelanders passing by the edges of D.C. "

The Regulator then looked at him intrigued as-well

" Really, then how did you end up in this merc band?"

" Well, I was scaving one day when I found a nice door, polished, and an intact building, lights on and everything. Was unusual to me, so I thought maybe a few pre-war AC units and fission batteries were waiting for me inside. Instead, I found a group of mercs aiming their weapons at me. I talked to them and I joined. Short story none-the-less. "


" And where was this " Shelter" of yours located, I haven't found a single one like that"


" Installation 210, Foxtrot. Its around Richmond, Virginia. The state itself. "

" Well, you had a nice deal for your beginning life. Who else did you meet around the wastes?"

" Lets see, the Enclave, your guys, the Regulators, the Brotherhood, and even Talon company"


" Wait, you met the Enclave AND Talon company and lived to tell about it?!"

Dakayev brushed his face as his sweat overcame his face

" Well, I took a gene test to see if I was pure, and I came out positive, they gave me some clean water and let me go. Well, Talon company? Nah, there just mercs with a meaner face. I was walking around the D.C ruins only to find a kill team hunting down some mutant. Two of them got shredded, the other managed to kill the mutant and loot the others. I talked to him, and he told me what was I doing in D.C. I told him that I was a scavenger, so he bought some stuff from me and went on his way. The next day Talon Co. had an entire platoon come crashing through the highway screaming for blood while a few super mutants held out for a while inside an old building. So I helped out Talon Co. and eventually they gave me some caps. They aren't so bad if you don't piss them off and insult them. "

The Regulator talked over him when he finished

" Wow, interesting to meet someone lucky as yourself, oh, sorry, the names Anna Smith, yours is?


" Dakayev, I don't give out my last name, its more of a personal code than anything else. But nice to meet you, if too late to say that"

" No its fine, its just I haven't met many people who have survived what you have and I feel its more than appropriate to make a new friend in the wastes. "

Dakayev brushed his head again.

" Well, don't worry, you're in the finest merc group there is. Bar none we do the best job. "


" Well can you prove it?"

Dakayev nodded and aimed his CAR at a lamp post

" Think I can hit the lightbulb?"

"Lets see"

Dakayev pulled the trigger once and watched as the round hit the bulb and shattered it into fragments

" Well?"

Aiden turned back to Dakayev. "Having fun? We're heading to the motel, so you can have alot more time to chat when we get there. Just try watching out for ghouls or swampies." They took a while, but they got to the motel. "Alright, you guys know the drill. Share the room with a person, they'll keep you alive through the night, and we all don't have to sleep outside." Aiden proceeded into the first room he saw. Sneakily, he quickly closed the door and locked it. "Christ, I can't sleep in the same room with Gabriel again.." he said to himself. He took his boots off, along with his coat. He tossed the confederate hat he found on the hat rack an jumpedon the bed, finding himself asleep minutes later.

Dakayev looked at Anna.

" Well, I guess its either you and me sharing a room or me and Gabriel. Just for the mercy of god can you go with me, I can't stand that [censored] any longer. "

Anna looked at him strangely

" And who's she?"

" Craziest [censored] alive"

" I guess we could chat in that room"


Dakayev and Anna proceed to the motel room 3a. They close the door , Dakayev sits down on the couch and Anna sits down on a chair.


" Well, whats the specifics of your wonderful life?"

" Being a Regulator has its benefits and its downs. First of all , our H.Q is a ramshackle barn in the middle of no-where. Then we're massively outgunned by most mercenary groups out-there. "

Dakayev laughed , he grabbed a bottle of vodka from his leg pocket and handed it to Anna

" Try some, it helps out when you're being pessimistic"

Anna poured some into a old cup and drank from it. She coughed a little then laughed.

" Well, there are a few pro's to being a enforcer. I mean, I have a nice suit ot wear to begin with, there are tons of people to work with, and our weapons exceed the weapons of any mutie or raider, so I think we're good and ready for anything. Unless we have to go up against a merc group. The best weapon I think we ever had was this missile launcher a Talon merc had on him. He had been mauled by muties, and my unit thought that bringing it in would have been the smart choice, using it would have bolstered our squads strength."

Dakayev listened


" And we never really had to worry about slavers, they knew their place"


Dakayev replied

" A girl like you never got lonely on those solo-ops I here about? Fighting , no one covering your back. What was that like?"

" You care? I think it was horrible, I had to live off the land on those days, and I never enjoyed it, once. But I guess I'm not so lonely now, am I?"

" Don't worry, I'll take care of you, its more than enough to put that kind of strain on someone like you"

Anna took a chug from the Vodka bottle

" Well, I mean I'm not weak, my combat effectiveness is just as good in any case. I just need someone to be there....."

Dakayev and Anna looked at each other for a moment, Dakayev then got closer and softly gave Anna a passionate kiss to the lips, they both moved over to the bed and found a greater connection then they had thought, finding a love with each-other.

Aiden woke up the next morning to someone knocking on the door. Aiden grunted, and got out of the bed. He got his pistol out and opened the door, pointing the gun in the person's face. "Who the hell are you? And what th hell are you wearing" Aiden asked, staring at this person's unusual choice of clothes. "Oh, um, I was wondering if you've seen my bag of punga.. Oh, but I am wearing Tribal clothing. You see, Tribals live in the cathedral-" "Wait, what cathedral?" Aiden interrupted. "Oh, excuse me, I have to go." The man turned around and ran into the swamps. "What was that all about?"

Red was sitting upright in his own room, his axe resting against a wall.
He wasn't as tired as he thought he'd be, and the anticipation of tomorrow left him restless.
Groaning, he turned his massive hulk of a body over and stared up at the ceiling.
He'd simply wait the whole night if he had to. He reached a hand over to his right and clicked a radio on, letting the garbled yet discernible tune mellow him out.
"S'gonna be a looong day tomorrow..."
-----------------

Energetic, Red stomped out of his room and flexed his arms and legs, even yawning. He'd gotten a lack of sleep, but his misplaced optimism didn't seem to take that into account.
He noticed Aiden talking to someone, and walked over cautiously, holding his axe in his right hand.
When the person bolted, he frowned at the sight of his Tribal garb.
"Damn Tribals are crazy...ain't like they used to be...The Cathedral's there hang-out. Not the best place, either. Haven't been too hospitable to me, that's fer sure." He warned Aiden, then walked off with a whistle, trying to enjoy the crisp morning while he could.

"That freak asked me where his punga bag was.. But what's this Cathedral place all about? How about we go there today, I like exploring new places." Aiden got his clothes on and tied his shoes on, then got out of the room. He went to go wake up Dakayev. He opened the door. "Yo, Dakayev, what's gooin oooon? Wait a minute.." Aiden hesitated. The regulator they found was in the same bed as Dakayev, her arms clung to his body. And she was naked. "Woooah.." Aien said as he closed the door. "I'll let them wake up on their own."

Dakayev looked at Aiden angrily, just as he closed the door. He then faced Anna.


" Sorry about that, I think we should go put our stuff back on"

" I second that"


Dakayev leaped out of the bed and grabbed his things out of the wardrobe. He pulled up soviet army jumpsuit, latched his Ushanka on his forehead, his Z-90 mauser on his pistol holster, and his CAR on his back. Anna changed quickly and put back on her clothing quickly. Dakayev then walked outside and looked at Aiden.


" Never do that again.....knocking is unknown to you is it?"

"It was an accident, bro. But anways.. You mauled her already? Dude, you just met her, didn't you?" Aiden laughed and woke up everyone else, Gabriel being [censored]y about it as usual. "Alrighty, people, today, we go to the cathedral. I'm sure Red has directions. But I'm guessing it's that building on that huge hill."

OOC: ((And I'm back.))

David said sarcastically, "It looks like an easy walk, there's only Swampfolk, Feral Ghouls, and Swamplurks in the way."

"ONLY? Are you kidding? That's no walk in the park, especially in large numbers. Better get your stuff straight, you high or something?" Aiden replied.

(OOC: Seeing as I've read every single piece of info from when I left and I never said I was leaving the RP yet I said I would be going for a while I ASSUME that I can come back? Just tell me not if you don't want...)

IC:

I stomped through the undergrowth, scowling and spitting randomly at logs and in water. I was getting tired of this, my only ally out here I was pretty sure was mauled by the ghouls I thought would help us and I'd had to run for my goddam life! I scowled and I quickly moved up and out of the barren swamp. Soon enough, I saw the sun rise in the East and I smiled, this is what I was waiting for. I quickly moved South, soon enough I came across tracks.

I bent down and inspected them, they were heading towards the Ferry area, near that man, called himself Tobar... I guessed that things probably hadn't gone their way at the time that they would've gone through so I kept wandering around until I came across an abandoned Motel. Or maybe not. There was movement outside the doors and I quickly moved silently towards the group. I held my tonge as I saw the Tourists standing there, I scowled silently and I moved closer and closer.

I bit my lip as I stood on a small stick, snapping it in two and making a colossal sound. I quickly jumped over to the side and behind the main building of the Hotel. I didn't think they'd heard me so I quickly crouched, waited and listened. I wondered whether I should keep harassing these people, I decided on a solution and I nodded, soon enough I'd have to make myself clear to them.

OOC: Holy hell this picked up quickly! sorry guys, I'm back.

IC:

Abraham was waking up, at least, he thought he was? He shook his head and pulled off his hat, wiping the sweat off his brow as he did. Abe was just now coming out of the high he'd been in while fighting the ghouls. Oh what a mess he was in, he had no idea what he'd been doing. Abe could have gotten captured and eaten by ferals before he realized what was going on.

No matter, he was sober now. Abraham stood up and first, checked his gear, which was all present and accounted for. Then he checked his surroundings, it was an old motel, the boardwalk motel by the looks of it, as Abe could make out the silhouette of Tobar's ferry rather easily. Abe then walked over to where he heard everyone talking.

Aiden was saying something about the cathedral, which was not only in one of the most dangerous parts of the swamp, but it was hard to get to, not to mention they wouldn't let you in unless you were a Tribal. Abraham walked over to Aiden, taking note of everything else around him, and still shaking off the hangover he had from the drugs.

"Uhh, Aiden, I'm not so sure about the cathedral. Its safe, most likely the safest place in the swamp, but its hard to get too and a playground for ghouls nonetheless. I'm sure Dakayev won't like more ghouls, and I'm getting sick of the things as well. But if we must go there, I can lead us, and maybe even get us in?"

Abe then thought he heard something behind a door to his right. He glanced at it and then walked over slowly, it was most likely just another group member, but Abe was wary and still VERY hungover. He opened the door about an inch, and then slammed it, nearly busting out laughing at the scene inside. Just then, Abe remembered someone he hadn't seen in far too long, Panada.

David said to Aiden in a tired tone, "I was being sarcastic, of course it's going to be hard."

"Abe, if they see you're a Tribal as well, you can say that we're guests, and they let us in. We need to stay somewhere for the next couple weeks we have here." Aiden said. "Alright, I guess it's time to get a move on." Aiden led the group to the north, towards the Cathedral. After a short walk along the road, the river cut the land in half, and the only way across without swimming was on a bridge, with a small camp of four Swampfolk. "Get down!" Aiden whispered to the others.

He hid behind a large rock, preparing his guns and thinking of what to do next. He inspected the group. There were two Scrappers, one Brawler, and one Bruiser. Both Scrappers had hunting rifles, the Brawler had a double-barrel, and the Bruiser used his fists. "Alright.. Anybody got a plan?"

David looked at the Swampfolk and said, "I say we take down the Scrappers first, as they have the most accurate weapons. Then we take out the Brawler and Bruiser, in that order. So what do you think?"