James Wilson – grayditch arms (house 12) - evening

reading the article about “The CZ57 Avenger minigun” James heared a rather loud knock on the door "Hey James? Open up! It's Pawnee. I want to make that trade now."

Opening the door james could see pawnee and his dog.“hello Pawnee , coming in. " I’ve got 10 sticks of dyanimte how many do you want to buy?".

Wonder how many the boy will buy?

Jesse Christophe - Celeste's Diner - Sundown

Celeste went over to fetch Jesse's food while answering his question. "Yes, the lady, Ms. Winters said she was opening up a general store. Her companion is the doctor. I wrote down where she was settling." she said, brushing aside a few strands of her brown hair from her face and pulling out a clipboard. "Yes, house number seven," she said,smiling at the regulator. "Just down at the end of our street, here, before the car yard."

End of the street. Near my place. Got it. I'll go there tomorrow. he noted.

His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly he felt the supple mounds of Celeste's chest against his own face. Realizing she must have tripped, he held her up, making sure she wouldn't fall further, however she dropped the plate.

"O-oh, Mr. Christophe, I am so, so sorry," she apologized, blushing. "The beer, uh, I better not open it, let me, um, get you another one."

The man was speechless for several moments. That was heavenly. he looked down, blushing himself. "It's alright." he replied finally, smiling shyly. "Don't bother getting me another one, I'll take it the way it is." he added, before going back deep into thought.

Was that on purpose? Could she be dropping a hint? he contemplated, still looking down. Nah, don't be foolish, you're too old for her. Must have been an honest mistake. he reasoned, but inside his heart, wished otherwise.

--Evening --

--Greyditch Arms--

--Pawnee--

“Hello Pawnee, come in," James opened up the front door, waving Pawnee inside, "I’ve got 10 sticks of dynamite how many do you want to buy?"

Ten sticks would blow up the whole [censored] house. . .how many do I need?

"Uhh," Pawnee bit his lip, "I don't want to use too much. Guess I'll take two. Can I break them in half or something if I want to try a little at a time? Or what about a shaped charge? I've heard that somewhere. Blow out the door without taking down the building. Know anything about making one of those?"

Pawnee reached into his pack and offered James two clips of .556 ammo, seven energy cells, and the handfull of caps that Joe had given him earlier in the day.

CELESTE BROWN ~~ Diner ~~ After sundown

Jesse didn't reply right away, leaving Celeste to stand there, flustered, for one whole torturous minute. Eventually he insisted on taking the shaken beer, and gave her a smile. I'm so glad that he's not mad. Last week when I accidentally shook a beer, dad nearly had Harold break my arm. She felt her heart slow down a little and she relaxed slightly. "If you really want it, then it's on the house, and I'll only charge you half for the meal. It's only fair." She chuckled then. "Obviously I need to go sit down, if I'm falling onto my customers. I'll...check on you, in a minute." Celeste gave him another nervous smile and quickly swept away, back to the booth occupied by Joe and Harold. Joe was giving her a smirk and she blushed all over again.

James wilson – grayditch arms – evening

Uhh," Pawnee bit his lip, "I don't want to use too much. Guess I'll take two. Can I break them in half or something if I want to try a little at a time? Or what about a shaped charge? I've heard that somewhere. Blow out the door without taking down the building. Know anything about making one of those?"


“Yeah I heard about a shaped charge but I’m no demolition expert nor do I have the materials to make one but one stick of dynamite should blow up any door , with none to little damage to the bulding."

Pawnee reached into his pack and offered James two clips of .556 ammo, seven energy cells, and the handfull of caps that Joe had given him earlier in the day. he's offering almost everthing he has got, this must been important to him

“I take the .556 ammo” giving Pawnee the two sticks of dynamite “ good luck with this “door” of yours”

why does Pawnee's lying make me so interested in finding this "door"

After Pawnee had left the grayditch arms. James went back to reading the article about “The CZ57 Avenger minigun" on the faded green couch, looking out the window at Pawnee.. if I tell him I know he's lying he will never go to the "door", need to play this right..

OOC: I'll be briefly controlling Jimmy till Elvis can take over again.

Jimmy Leggio. Grayditch outskirts. After Dark.

As Jimmy and his men quietly approached the edge of Grayditch, the slaver raised his hand signalling the party to stop. The men hunkered down while Leggio edged his way closer and took a look around. While the town was mostly quiet, there were still a lot of signs of activity.

Inside the diner he could see Rennie and the ape sitting at a table together, while Celeste served food to the regulator. Jimmy chuckled dryly to himself as she tripped and almost landed in the mans lap.

Dumb broad.

On the street the boy, Pawnee and his mutt were disappearing into the new gun store. He'd probably be coming out soon. In the darkness by the security shack, Jimmy was sure he could make out another person. Was that Drifter?

Keeping out of sight Jimmy made his way back to his squad. One of the men was kicking one of the slaves savagely as he got to them.

"Hey, hey Micky, he's quiet now. Don't damage my [censored] merchendise." Jimmy scolded the man. "Town's too busy at the moment. We're gonna find somewhere to hole up for the night and I'm going to talk to Rennie. If he wants this keeping quiet then the sneaky [censored] can come up with a plan to do it.

Jimmy led his men away from the town. In the distance he could make out the shape of a trader fading into the distance leading his brahmin towards the horizon.

"We had two spare collars didn't we?" He asked his men. "Yes boss." Came the response from the darkness behind him.

"Ok. Pick up the pace boys. He's only got the one guard. Two more wouldn't hurt."

OOC: Due to time zone issues this may be hard to pull off, so Persephone can write that I ask Kris if I can borrow a stethoscope [without explaining why] and respond however you'd like.

--Evening--

-- Vee & Kris's House--

--Pawnee--

Pawnee walked around Greyditch for a little while, trying to remember where he had seen the doctor who helped James with his arm. He had caught a brief glimpse of the man and his ethereal female companion while smoking with Drifter, but he wasn't sure which house he'd seen them walk into.

Finally, after half an hour of aimlessly wandering, he saw a woman's head poke out a window of one of the houses that lined the block. She was the same woman from before, with bleach white hair and a tight-fitting leather top.

The ghost. . .

Pawnee walked up to the front door, or rather on top of it. It was lying on the ground, and where it had once stood was an open hole. The new homeowners were in the processes of cleaning the place up, and he could hear them walking around inside.

"Anyone home?" Pawnee took a step into the building.

Is there a doctor in the house?

Pawnee made an internal chuckle at the tired joke.

"Don't mean to barge in, but I'm looking for a doctor," Pawnee continued, "my name is Pawnee. Can you help me out?"

Joe Rennie. Celeste's diner. After dark.

Joe sat in the booth and watched Celeste as she crossed the diner carrying Jesse's meal. He was in high spirits now, the con had gone without a hitch. He could feel eyes boring into the side of his head as he watched her carefully picking her way across the room. It was to no avail though as she tumbled on to the regulator, squashing the man's face with her large chest.

Rennie chuckled and turned to Harold to share the joke. The huge brute was glaring right at him, murder in his eyes.

Push him a little Joe. Test the water again.

"What?" Joe asked trying to sound casual.

"What are you doing?" The giant quietly murmered back.

"What do you mean?"

"Mr Moriarty said not to try anything on with Celeste."

Celeste now? Not just Moriarty's daughter? When did he get all pally with Celeste?

"What, I haven't tried anything."

"You're going to."

"No I'm not, how long since you had your last dose Harold?"

"Wha..."

"It was a while ago wasn't it. You're getting paranoid. I've got to talk to her haven't I? May as well be nice while I do it. If you think I'm dumb enough to try it on you with her, then you should start cutting the Buffout with [censored] Mentats." Joe furiously whispered at the brute.

Harold appeard to think about this for a second then sat back in his chair. "I'll be watching you."

Well that worked. For now. It's been a good day today. Ha would you look at Jesse's face, I think he wants her to jump back on.

He was still smirking when Celeste returned to his seat. She saw this and immediately began to blush all over again.

Joe chuckled as Celeste looked back at him. "Lucky fellow." He grinned at her.

CELESTE BROWN ~~ Diner ~~ Late evening

"Lucky fellow," Joe teased.

Celeste dropped back down onto the bench for the third time in the past hour, blushing and flustered. "It was an accident," she insisted, crossing her arms instinctively over her large chest. "I swear! I'm...I'm not like that." Her expression clouded over as she thought to herself. Everyone thinks that I must be, though. Just because I have a big chest I'm obviously a [censored].

She took a breath and tried to change the subject. "The diner needs a sink so I can wash dishes during the day. Tonight I'm going to have to wash everything when I get settled, before bed." She winked. "Not the most glamourous part of the job, right?" Celeste rubbed her eyes. "I still need someone to check out that house next to Nick's and make sure there's nothing...nasty inside it." She took a drink of her beer, hoping Joe, or Harold, would offer for once, and not have to ask.

Joe Rennie. Celeste's diner. Late evening.

"It was an accident," Celeste insisted, crossing her arms self consciously over her large chest. "I swear! I'm...I'm not like that." Her expression clouded over, and she appeard to be a little saddened by his joking.

Joe looked up and saw Harold's expression. The brute was almost shaking with rage. Oh [censored]! I better make it up to har and fast.

She took a deep breath and spoke again. "The diner needs a sink so I can wash dishes during the day. Tonight I'm going to have to wash everything when I get settled, before bed." She winked. "Not the most glamourous part of the job, right?" Celeste rubbed her eyes. "I still need someone to check out that house next to Nick's and make sure there's nothing...nasty inside it." She took a drink of her beer and looked right at Joe.

Joe glanced at Harold, who gave a slight nod.

No! [censored] you! I'm not [censored] going in there. We started opening houses in that row last night and one was infested with ferals. But if I turn her down I think he'll shoot me right here in front of her. Not much of a choice Joe.

Joe looked at Celeste and smiled. "Well I'm sure Harold and I can take care of that for you, ma'am." He mimed tipping has cap to her and stood up.

He turned and looked across the diner at the ageing regulator. "Jesse, once we've all finished eating would you mind accompanying me and Harold. We're going to open up the house next to Nick's place for Celeste here. We can't be too careful after last night." He looked at Christophe, feeling he needed to add more. "You've done a fine job on that wall outside, I'm sure everyone feels much safer for it."

Jesse Christophe - Celeste's Diner - Nightfall

"If you really want it, then it's on the house, and I'll only charge you half for the meal. It's only fair." Celeste offered, giggling. "Obviously I need to go sit down, if I'm falling onto my customers. I'll...check on you, in a minute." sparing one last nervous grin before leaving.

The regulator didn't even have the time to thank her. Poor girl must be mortified. he smiled to himself, as he began to devour the meal. Jesse decided to risk sneaking another glance at her and saw that she was with Joe and Harold. Seeing her caused to feel a familiar stir in his baggy cargo pants, and he adjusted himself, still looking at her. It was then that he noticed the bigger man, Harold glaring back at him. The discomfort in his pants died instantly, as he examined the brute.

Damn, looks tough. he noted, turning back to face his meal and down another sip of the beer. But I'm tougher.

Before long, he had finished his meal and was finishing the last of his beverage when Joe turned to call him. "Jesse, once we've all finished eating would you mind accompanying me and Harold. We're going to open up the house next to Nick's place for Celeste here. We can't be too careful after last night."

The regulator blinked for several seconds. Now?

"You've done a fine job on that wall outside, I'm sure everyone feels much safer for it." he added, obviously trying to schmooze him.

Rubbing his eyes, Jesse stood up and approached them, setting himself down on the only empty seat left in the booth. Next to Harold. He gave the buff man a wry smile as he answered. "Sure, I'll help."

Turning his attention to the window outside, he noticed that several stars now shone above, the moon was bright and nearly full. Looks like just as good a night as any. "But on one condition. I'll need another beer." he grunted.

'Cris' Cristian Ramesh
Grayditch, Vee & Cris' house
Evening

"Anyone home?" A young man’s voice called out, as he took a step into the building, chuckling quietly to himself.

"Don't mean to barge in, but I'm looking for a doctor," he continued, "my name is Pawnee. Can you help me out?"

“Oh, welcome to our humble abode!” a feminine voice cried out. A beautiful pale face emerged from a dark, decrepit room like an apparition, her pale white hair shining and red lips smiling brightly, though she had a thick layer of dust covering her black leather covered body.

A tall dark haired man with glasses also emerged from the dust clouds, coughing.

Pawnee shook their dirty hands as dust billowed around them, to the sound of Cris coughing.

“Nice to meetcha folks! I’d heard word that there was a doctor here,” Pawnee continued.

Vivienne motioned towards Cris casually. “Oh yes, that’s him. He’s a marvel, really, though you wouldn’t think it looking at him.”

Raising a handkerchief to his mouth, Cris gave a few more loud coughs before taking a deep breath.

“Ye-yes, hello. The name’s Cris, what can I do for you?” he asked as he raised a watering blue eye, straining not to cough.

“Well sir, I’d like to trade for or borrow a stesa-stethoscope from you if you have a spare one,” Pawnee asked politely.

“Oh, hah,” Cris laughed a little at the odd request. “What do you need that for, son? .. Oh, never mind,” he said quickly, his eye twinkling as he turned to rummage through a bag at his side. “Here,” he said, handing the young boy a dirty stethoscope. “If you bring it back in one piece, it’s on the house, if it ends up in an excessive amount of pieces, we’ll work something out.”

Pawnee smiled and shook Cris' hand. “Thank you! That’s swell of you, Cris,” he exclaimed, as he thanked them and left, carefully stepping over the fallen door at the threshold.

Cris sighed. “We can’t have any more guests with the door like that.” Vivienne was already determinedly approaching the door with some screws and tools, hips aswaying.

“What do you suppose that boy wanted with a stethoscope of all things? Hardly a medical emergency, I’d assume,” Vee mused outloud.

“Hmm.. We’ll see. Resourceful kid from the looks of him, I’d say. Might be a few surprises from this backwards town yet,” Cris said, smiling as he wrapped his cowl around his face, grabbing a broom and returning to sweeping. He popped a piece of Afterburner gum in his mouth, his pupils widening a few moments later. He hummed a song as his sweeping took on a frenetic charge.

CELESTE BROWN ~~ Diner ~~ Late evening Nightfall

The appearance of Jesse in the booth she was sharing with Joe and Harold caused her to blush all over again. She tried to hide it but knew there wasn't any real way to do so.

Jesse agreed to help Joe and Harold, "But on one condition. I'll need another beer."

Perfect exit. "Mr. Christophe," she smiled, "I will put two beers into the fridge, right now, with your name on them." Celeste stood up and scurried away from the table as fast as she could, making a point to clear the dishes off of Jesse's abandoned table and bringing them behind the bar. It was just a quick face-in-the-boob, Celeste, it's happened before and with men with much less class. Why are you still so embarrassed? She avoided all eye contact while she began to stock the fridge with beer, Nuka Cola, and water, in preparation of the next day.

She brushed some hair off her forehead and decided she'd start shutting down the diner for the night. She flicked off the burners she'd left on low to keep the food hot and was impressed that there wasn't too much waste, considering the population of their little town couldn't be much more than a dozen or so. Celeste scrunched her nose at the resultant crate of dirty dishes and sighed. Maybe I'll be able to hire a helper if it gets busy enough.

As she turned to sweep some trash of the bar, she met Jesse's eyes briefly and reflexively smiled, before continuing with her work.

Jesse Christophe - Celeste's Diner - Nightfall

"Mr. Christophe," Celeste smiled, "I will put two beers into the fridge, right now, with your name on them." she said, getting up to clear his table and disappear behind the bar.

What's the rush? he wondered, now thoroughly over the mishap that had taken place not moments ago. Standing up he stretched, and adjusted the strap on his shoulder, all the while still eying Harold.

"So, are we gonna do this, or not?" he pressed to the men, catching Celeste flashing him a quick smile. She wasn't the most gorgeous woman in the Wastes, but she was certainly pleasant, and charming in her own right. She's cute. . . and of mating age. Jesse's thoughts trailed off once more. The regulator, ran a hand through his trimmed hair, and shook his head, preparing himself to face whatever may be in the house they were about to enter.

Making sure his guns were loaded, he began tapping his foot in wait for the others. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I'll get to be alone with my beer. he realized. Drinking was a habit that he had developed several years ago, and he had grown accustomed to drinking himself to sleep every night. However, he could never grow accustomed to the sour headache that would follow every morning, which was part of the reason he seemed grim most of the time.

Harold. Celeste's diner. Nightfall.

Harold stood glaring at the aging regulator as the man checked his ammo and then stood tapping his foot. Rennie had been right, it had been hours since Harold had last dosed himself. He could feel the anger spreading through his body as he looked from Christophe, to Rennie and back to the regulator again.

The massive brute now wanted to kill both men. Rennie had made Celeste feel bad, Harold would deal with that later. But, the regulator. Harold had seen the way he'd peered at Celeste as she walked away. Christophe could cause all kinds of trouble if he got too close to her. Trouble that could be reflected on Mr Moriarty.

Harold couldn't let that happen. Mr Moriarty had been quite specific about that. "If it looks like anyone could get too close to the truth Harold, I want you to kill them on the spot."

He'd have to keep a close eye on this man too and unlike Rennie, Christophe could be a challenge. Harold knew he was the bigger, stronger, tougher and more physically able of the two. But Christophe was a regulator who had survived to retirement age. That would make him a tough and crafty opponent.

The giant spotted Rennie smiling slightly and Harold realised he had been caught watching the man. A warning glance wiped the smirk from Rennies face. The slight thief took one last sip of beer before leaving his seat.

"Certainly Jesse, no time like the present." He stopped and waited for the two men to catch up. "We'll have you all set up in no time." Rennie tipped Celeste a wink as the three men left the diner and crossed the street.

Jesse Christophe - Grayditch - Nightfall

Several moments passed as Harold took turns between looking at Joe and Jessie, a rather unhappy expression on his face. They shared eye contact several times, but the dusty old regulator did not let up even once. What's his problem? Jesse wondered, his piercing eyes staring right back at the man every time he cared to look his way. Finally, Joe spoke up. "Certainly Jesse, no time like the present."

The regulator followed the apparent "Head of Security" out of the Diner and into the town itself, under the darkness of night. There was a slight breeze in the air, and the only sound was that of crickets chirping in the distance. The one time when the Wasteland seemed peaceful. Jesse took a deep breath, as he continued to keep pace with Joe and Harold in utter silence. The regulators keen eyes scanned the horizon as they passed by wall he had created hours before. Still standing. That's a surprise. he chuckled under his breath.

Finally, he broke the silence. "I'll go first." he informed the others, referring to the house they were about to clear. "I don't want anyone getting in my way, 'cause I'm using the auto." he said, tilting his head towards the rifle that he was resting on his shoulder.

Nick Parker - Greyditch - Nightfall

A bit of time passed after the event at the diner. Gerald and Cyrus were sent to the Fort just outside of Megaton to pick up Allison, guarding the Fort and get some more suitable weapons to defend Greyditch. Nick smiled and looked back at Katie. She was fuming and he knew better to talk to her, lest Nick wanted to hear an hour long rant.

Nick grabbed his Dragunov and Uzi before heading out towards where the wall was. It wasn't that bad surprisingly...considering not many people worked on it. He sighed and sat out on a small chair next to the door of his house and looked around in the night. Looking at the small faint stars, he felt the burden of everyday life in the wastes to be lessened, even more so considering stress was intensifying these days.

Then he heard Jesse's voice. "I'll go first," He said, "I don't want anyone getting in my way, 'cause I'm using the auto."

Illuminated by the moon, Nick saw Jesse next to his house with an automatic rifle. He got up and headed towards where Jesse was, with his Uzi out but concealed in the dark. "Mr. Christophe," Nick said in a strangely monotone voice. "What brings you so close to my abode toting an automatic rifle?"

Jesse Christophe - Grayditch - Nightfall

Suddenly, the man known as Nick made his existence known, seemingly popping out of the shadows. "Mr. Christophe," Nick said in a strangely monotone voice. "What brings you so close to my abode toting an automatic rifle?"

The Regulator took the rifle off of his shoulder, but still gripped it, his strong arms carrying the weapon as if it were a pistol. "Well, I don't see how that's your business." he began. "But us security are heading over to clear out a house for Celeste. Owner of the diner, remember?" he explained. Thinking momentarily, he decided to add in, smiling. "Care to lend a hand?"

Nick Parker - Greyditch - Nightfall

Jesse took out his rifle, making Nick instinctively grabbing for his Uzi. "Well, I don't see how that's your business." he began. "But us security are heading over to clear out a house for Celeste. Owner of the diner, remember?"

Nick nodded, remembering Celeste too well for his own good. She'd be the bane of both his and Katie's existence. "Care to lend a hand?" Jesse asked with a smile. He nodded. "Alright," Nick said as he put in a fresh magazine in his Uzi.

Joe Rennie. Grayditch. Nightfall.

This is good Joe, this is very good. You were hoping that Nick's men would be busy watching Jimmy. Never even thought of Jesse. Speaking of Jesse. What's up with Harold? He looks pissed with him. If Harold has a problem with Christophe, is the enemy of my enemy my friend?

Joe looked at the brute, who was glaring back at him. No. Doesn't look like it.

Harold had unslung his assault rifle while Jesse and Nick eyed each other.

"So. How are we going to deal with this guys?" Joe asked, glancing around at the assembled men. He looked from Nick to Jesse expecting one of them to take the lead. He was surprised when the response came from next to him.

"We go in fast." Harold rumbled, he pointed at Joe. "You and me go straight for the stairs. Parker and his men sweep the ground floor. Christophe, go first and check for a basemant."

Joe was suprised at just how solid the plan sounded. It would put him on a different floor to most of the armed men and Harold was certainly large enough to take cover behind.

He turned back to Jesse and Nick and raised his eyebrow. "Sounds like a plan to me, what do you guys think?"

Katie & Nick - Greyditch - Nightfall

Katie looked as Nick slowly walked out on her. She gave a weak smile before it turned into a frown. After a very long moment of silence, Katie sighed, knowing why Nick left. Although Celeste was a pain for her, it had to be tolerated. She headed out towards where Nick was and she caught sight of him conversing with Jesse.

Nick turned and gestured for her to come. Katie smiled brightly but the night covered it up. As she joined the group, the big guy, Harold started to outline a plan for what seemed like an assault on the house next to theirs.

"We go in fast." Harold rumbled, he pointed at Joe. "You and me go straight for the stairs. Parker and his men sweep the ground floor. Christophe, go first and check for a basemant."

The two looked at each other. "Alright, it's just us. We sent the rest of our men back to the Fort to fetch Allison," Nick said as Katie detached the scope and silencer to her Winchester Hunting Rifle. Nick did the same to his Uzi and left his Dragunov in a small phone booth next to his house. Both of them grinned. "Just like old times Nick?" Katie asked and Nick gave a sheepish grin, remembering the raider attack, all too similar to this.

"After we sweep the place, we'll rendezvous at the ground floor unless things go bad," Nick added, watching as Katie put in a fresh mag into her Winchester. "Let's move."

Drifter - Grayditch - Nightfall

After Pawnee left,Drifter spent a minute gazing at the night sky before ambling back into town.He noticed what seemed like a group of armed men outside of a house,and walked over to see what they were doing.

He overheard Rennie and the big guy outlining a plan for an assault on the house.

Picking up an old table leg laying in the street,Drifter wrapped a spare rag around the end and lit it on fire.

Pulling out his revolver,he joined the men,holding the torch high.

"Well,boys.You can't leave the old man out.And this torch might help us shed a little light on the situation.I heard your plan,and it's good enough.Great thinking,big guy.By the way,I never caught your name."

Drifter extended his weathered palm towards the hulking figure.

Jesse Christophe - Grayditch - Nightfall

Jesse listened to Harolds plan intently, as Nick brought along Katie to join him.

Wait, we can't have that many people. he thought to himself. Then suddenly, the old man from before arrived at the scene as well. "Well,boys.You can't leave the old man out.And this torch might help us shed a little light on the situation.I heard your plan,and it's good enough.Great thinking,big guy.By the way,I never caught your name." he said to Harold.

The regulator merely rolled his eyes at this. Damn, that beer must be cold by now.

"Alright, I don't care if we call the entire Enclave to come in with us, all I know is, I'm going in first." he grumbled, emphasizing his last statement. "Alright, times up. Let's do this." he added, once the formalities had been cleared. He slowly paced towards the door of the house they were meant to enter, and gripped his rifle tight. "Everyone on me." he mouthed, preparing to kick the door down.

Wait a sec, if I kick it down, they're gonna ask me to rebuild it.

Realizing this, he re-adjusted his position, so that one hand was free to turn the door knob instead. He reached out for it, and turned to check if everyone was ready. He nodded to each man in turn, waiting for a nod in reply.

OOC: I have time-traveled to tomorrow. And I apologize to Quantum Frost that the quality of my posts doesn't meet his high expectations

--Vee and Cris's House--

--Evening--

--Pawnee--

"Don't mean to barge in, but I'm looking for a doctor," Pawnee called into the dim hallway, "my name's Pawnee. Can you help me out?"

A beautifully pale woman emerged from the interior of the house. A tall, dark-haired man followed her, slowly appearing from a dust cloud.

“Oh," the woman smiled at her visitor, "welcome to our humble abode!”

Pawnee shook her hand and the man's in turn. Dust continued to billow around them.

“Nice to meet ya," Pawnee met the woman's smile, "I heard there was a doctor here."

The woman casually motioned towards the bespectacled man, "oh yes, that’s him. He’s a marvel, really, though you wouldn’t think it looking at him.”

Ouch. . .guess she's the alpha dog. . .

The man coughed throughout his belittling introduction, "ye-yes, hello. The name’s Cris, what can I do for you?”

“I’d like to trade for or borrow a stesa. . .stepha. . .steth-e-scope from you. . .if you have a spare one,” Pawnee's lip quivered.

“Oh, hah,” the man chuckled, “what do you need that for, son? Oh, never mind,” he rummaged through a bag at his side. “here. If you bring it back in one piece, it’s on the house, if it ends up in an excessive amount of pieces, we’ll work something out.”

Pawnee snatched the stethoscope immediately. He locked eyes with the man, his nose twitching, perplexed.

He never even asked why I wanted it. . . .and he doesn't want anything in return?

Strange people around here. . . .

“Thanks," Pawnee beamed, "its mighty swell of you to help a stranger out. I'll bring this back in one piece, rest assured."

Pawnee gave the man and woman a curt nod, and then walked away, carefully stepping over the fallen door at the threshold.

***

Pawnee pet Buck gently so the dog would hold still. He had returned to his second story "loft" after leaving Cris's house and was settling in for the night.

He put the stethoscope on Buck's side as he pet him. The dog whined when the cold steel came into contact with its fur. It fidgeted for a moment and then relaxed. Pawnee fed the two buds into his ears and listened for Buck's heartbeat.

Whomp-upm. . . . Whomp-upm. . . Whomp-upm. . .

"Guess it works," he mused aloud. He put the stethoscope's cup down on the floor and then knocked his hand against the old wood several feet away.

KNOCK!

"Christ that's loud," Pawnee ripped the buds out of his ears and shook his head, "will definitely be able to pick up the click."

Pawnee returned the stethoscope to his sac and examined James's dynamite. The explosives looked cartoonish - bright red with a long candle-wickish fuse. He had never worked with dynamite and had no idea how powerful a whole stick would be when set off. He began to unwrap one of the sticks, gently peeling away the outer casing to reveal the powder inside.

Maybe I can measure this out or something. . .try a little at a time.

Pawnee debated conducting the experiment right then and there, but decided against it because he didn't want to draw any attention to himself by setting it off. He put the dynamite away and lay down on his bed roll.

Buck slinked over, next to him, huddling against his body for warmth.

Both man and dog peered up at the stars.

They are pretty beautiful, Drifter. . .but I think most things seem beautiful when they're that far away. Up close they'd probably melt your face off. . .

Pawnee retrieved a cigarette from his bag and took a final smoke for the night.

Well. . .got the dynamite and the stethoscope. Just need a welding torch and I can get to work on that safe. . .I bet Frieda could get me that torch - she setup shop with that metal worker. Gota go see her in the morning. Pour on the charm. . .

--Early Morning--

--Spark and Flame--

Pawnee puffed on the tiny butt of a cigarette and then tossed it into the dirt.

Where's Frieda? Should be here. . .isn't it about time for her daily jog?

He crinkled his nose and peered down the street. The sun was just beginning to poke above the horizon.

Joe Rennie. Grayditch street. After Dark

[censored]! How many people are we going to take in here? Joe thought to himself as the old fellow, Drifter, appeared and offered his rifle too.

This many of us running around with guns in a confined space. Bad news. Just stick close to Harold and keep your head down Joe.

Clearly Christophe was concerned about the numbers too, as he grumbled "Alright, I don't care if we call the entire Enclave to come in with us, all I know is, I'm going in first." Emphasizing his last statement. "Alright, times up. Let's do this." he added. Slowly, the regulator paced towards the door of the house they were meant to enter, and gripped his rifle tight. "Everyone on me." He said

Jesse shifted his weight, preparing to kick the door open, then appeared to rethink it. Gripping the handle instead.

He turned and silently nodded to the group. One by one each of them returned the nod, Joe drawing his pistol as he did.

The regualator charged in first, rifle raised as he scanned for hostiles. Joe watched as the people charged into the doorway splitting left and right, following the plan.

Suddenly Joe felt himself being propelled forward, a massive hand in the centre of his back shoving him through the door. The rest of the people had started firing already, but through the smoke and muzzle flares, Joe was able to make out several small, scuttling shapes.

Radroaches! Six people to clear a house of [censored] radroaches. Joe almost laughed. Sure the giant insects could give you a nasty bite, but they hardly warrented this kind of force.

The massive frame of Harold knocked Joe to the side as the brute lumbered towards the stairs. Joe followed, crouched low just in case. The two men reached the top of the stairs and Harold began to sweep the rooms for hostiles.

The first room appeared to have been a child's bedroom, the floor littered with decaying toys while a bunk bed frame rusted in the corner. Other than these few items the room was empty.

They continued to a second door, which revealed an old bathroom, again empty.

At the end of the corridor was a final door, Harold moved quickly up the hallway and stormed through the door.

B-Boom....

The double shot of a sawn-off sounded and Harold's massive frame was hurled back through the door, where it struck the wall and slumped to the floor, motionless.

Oh [censored]! Oh [censored]. Who the [censored] is in there? Surely they'd have come out when they heard the commotion downstairs. Is Harold dead? Please let him be dead. That'll make running much easier. Should I call downstairs? No, that was both barrells. If I'm quick then I can get him while he's reloading. Go Joe, now!

"AAAAAGGGHHH!" Joe screamed as he dropped to the floor, laying across the doorway so that he could aim his pistol into the room, while presenting as small a target as possible.

He fired several shots into the room, hoping this would cause the shooter to panic and allow Joe time to aim a decent shot. The shots punched a hole in an ancient wardrobe door, oblittorating a pillow and causing centuries old feathers to fly around the room. Then Joe spotted it, sitting behind the desk. Staring at him with huge dark eyes and grinning with very white teeth. A sawn-off sitting beside it.

Joe fired two shots. The first went wide, putting a hole in the houses wall. The second found it's mark, right between the eyes, blowing the head clean off.

He quickly got to has feet and crossed to the desk, pointing his pistol down at the skeleton that had fallen to the floor.

For a second time Joe almost laughed out loud as he looked around the room, figuring out what had happend. He spotted the tripwire laying, snapped across the doorway. His eyes followed this to the desk and connected to the rigged shotgun. Harold had triggered the booby trap and Joe had shot the body of whoever had set it up. He glanced back down at the skeleton and spotted the corner of a safe poking out from under a rug.

Hmmm, no need for anyone else to know about this. Joe stooped and pulled the rug so that the safe was hidden from sight. He then stepped back into the corridor and looked at the prone form of Harold. He still was breathing. The chestplate of his combat armour was pitted and dented, but the shot hadn't managed to penetrate to the skin.

Not moving though, must've hit his head on the wall. Good chance to make me look the hero though

From downstairs the gunfire had also stopped. "Clear upstairs." Joe yelled.

OOC: Sorry about the minor CC here guys. Need to move the story on to day three. Feel free to shoot up the downstairs as much as you like and have fun with those roaches guys. :biggrin: