Break and Connect

[LeoLion98]

Smart woman, he thought when he saw her with the antiseptic. She may not know how to fight, but she obviously knew her way around medical supplies. A doctor maybe? Or just someone who knew how to play medic.


He would have nodded, but that would hurt his already injured neck. He sat down on his knees so that she had better access to him. As for other wounds, he quickly assessed himself and found he had two minor knife wounds on both of his arms, what was most likely becoming a bruise on his right side, a minor cut on his left leg. Other than that he was fine. What likely wound need addressing were just the cuts, as there was nothing to be done about a bruise. He pointed to his arms and then his leg to indicate where.


He had to reason to harm her, and thus had no intention of doing so. Thus far she had proven herself to be the exact opposite of dangerous. It could have been a rouse, but he doubted her fear was an act. Besides, even if she was faking to get to him, she had no way of knowing he would have actually helped her. It could easily have gone either way, and no one with strong intent would risk that unless they had nothing left to lose. He knew what that was like.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Just those? Not too bad for taking on a group of raiders all by yourself." She kept her same light and friendly tone, something almost teasing working its way into her words.


With a light but firm touch, Darling set to work. She was diligent, always warning him when something was about to sting as she inspected, cleaned, and dressed each wound one at a time. The knife wounds weren't too bad, though the one on his leg was a little deeper than she felt totally comfortable just leaving with a bandage, and yet, stitches weren't an option right then.


Her brows furrowed a little and for a moment, she looked rather serious, something that was out of place on her features.


"We're going to have to keep an eye on this one to make sure it heals properly, the bandages will have to be changed daily too. I can give you something for the pain if it starts hurting, but other than that I don't think we'll have to amputate just yet."


And with the last bit, her smile was back.


Giving him his space back, Darling quickly packed up her medical supplies and stuffed the container back in her backpack. The fact that she had lumped them together as a team hadn't even occurred to her.

 

[LeoLion98]

He remained silent during his treatment, save for sharp intakes of breath when something stung. Overall, he was impressed with her abilities and serious demeanor. It wasn't something he initially expected from her, but was glad for. Treating himself was often difficult, especially if he had a wound he couldn't properly reach.


He gave himself a once over and was satisfied with the results. She had done a good job for what she ha-


Wait.


Owl looked at her and narrowed his eyes, though she couldn't see it. He tapped on the nearby metal air duct to get her attention. When she looked over, he pointed to her, then him, then tilted his head. What did she mean by "we" exactly?

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She'd been looking down as she tucked her kit back into her pack and zipped it shut once more. The hollow noise of the air duct caught her attention, causing her to look up with just one shoulder strap hooked on to her.


He pointed: her, then him, and then he tilted his head.


Her brows furrowed a little in light confusion, steel grey eyes watching his mask as though that would allow for some understanding.


The mask didn't give any clue as to what he was thinking, so she opted to just go for it.


"Yeah we can travel together. I figured we'd make a good team, what with you being good at hurting people and me being good at patching them up. They say opposites attract right?" She smiled, twisting her arm so she could pull the strap up on her other shoulder. "And it's not like I'm going anywhere in particular anyway."

 

[LeoLion98]

Damn it. Not talking was making things very difficult. This was why he never interacted with people in the first place.


Once again, he pointed to her, then him. This time, he shook his head. Traveling with him was a bad idea. They were already even, she didn't need to do anything else for him, or vice versa. Though she was kind of small and defenseless looking, and raiders or fiends might see her as an easy target, he wasn't in charge of her. This had been a one time thing, just like any other time he helped people.


If it was his injuries that she was concerned with, he was fine. To prove to her this fact, he stood up. And immediately regretted it. He grunted as the leg with the knife wound buckled underneath him and he went down on one knee. Now that his adrenaline was wearing off, Owl was more acutely aware of just how much that hurt. It was not pleasant, to say the least.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

This time, Owl actively shook his head. Did he not want-.


He went down.


"Oh goodness!" She abandoned the task of putting her backpack on, one strap tethering it to her body, as she moved towards him. Her hands went out, touching his shoulders with a firm familiarity she didn't have with him. "You're going to have to be very careful until we can get get stimpak in you, I don't have that many, and I'd give you more medication to numb the pain but too much and we start getting into dangerous territory."


Addiction, overdose, those were things always on Darling's mind. She carried Med-X sure, but her use of it was more than rare.


Of course, the fact that she rarely seemed to get hurt outside of a few scrapes and scratches helped with that.


Her brows tilted, making her look far too genuinely concerned for his well-being. She was still touching him, as though ready to catch him if he fell to either side.


"Do you need me to help you walk?"

 

[LeoLion98]

So maybe he might need more help than he thought.


He heard her shout as he stumbled. The moment her hands touched his shoulders, he stiffened, tried to recoil, but found he could not make himself move back. It hurt his leg too much to shift his weight about.


He said nothing as she spoke of medications and treatment. He knew why she was wary to treat him with drugs. He had seen fiends and junkies, sprawled out in their bases or on the street. It was a pathetic sight. They misused their bodies, let them wither and eventually die. He was never allowed to touch the stuff, not even to treat injuries or pain. Crow always said it was better to suffer through the pain anyway.


His body was still unbelievably rigid, as she had not let go of him. It was foreign and uncomfortable for him to be touched. The only reason anyone ever did was to hurt him, and his body reacted in kind. In response to her question, he quirked a brow she could not see. The thought of someone as small as her trying to help someone as tall as him walk was comical. But, he wondered if he could actually walk on his own.


To test his theory, he attempted to stand again, only to ind the same result. This time he was prepared though, and put all of his weight on his uninjured leg. So maybe she would have to help him walk.


Without looking directly at her, he nodded slightly.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Under his armor, his muscles tensed, making it seem as though he had turned to stone. Darling could feel it against her palms and she wasn't sure if the reaction was from the pain, or from her touching him. Hands slipping away, she rolled her shoulder and pulled the backpack on as Owl tried to stand.


The worried expression never left her features.


He balanced himself on his uninjured leg and Darling couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. He was obviously athletic, someone who could survive on his own and take care of himself. It couldn't have been nice admitting that he needed help. So, in an attempt to take the sting of humility away, she smiled at him. Her arm went out and this time, instead of just wrapping it around him to take some of his weight, she opted to wait and let him make the choice to lean on her.


He was already in enough pain without her making him more uncomfortable.


"So, think we should head on down? I imagine I can help you walk, but picking you up and doing daring jumps like you did with me might just be a lil' difficult."

 

[LeoLion98]

The tension left him the moment after her hands did. He supposed it made sense, now that it was no longer happening. She was a caretaker, her reaction was natural. That didn't make him feel any more comfortable with it, but he could understand her at the very least.


He moved a little closer and took her outstretched arm. It would not do to turn down help when he clearly needed it. However, this also left him indebted to her. He did not like that. Owing someone gave that person power over him. Though he did not think Darling would abuse that power intentionally, he stilled owed her, and she could set the terms which made them even at any time. He would need to give this situation more thought, but for now, they needed to get out of there. More enemies could be lurking and he wasn't in any condition to fight them.


Owl nodded. This would of course be the first time he knew of that going down the stairs would be more dangerous than jumping off of a building, but as she said, that was not an option.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

As soon as he took her arm, they began to move. She lead the way towards the door that marked the entrance from the roof into the building itself they had found their way on top of. It all but shattered under her touch, withering away as soon as she went to open it. Eerie, but at least she wouldn't have to try and break the lock or, God forbid, break the door. Her ankle her just thinking about trying to do that.


It was dark, the long twisting hall of stairs illuminated only by dim flickering lights that had taken on a ghastly yellow tint. It was like they were walking in a dream, every few steps seeming like their feet would just vanish into the darkness and they would fall out of existence. The air tasted like rot and rainwater, something that clung to skin and clothes as it consumed the unlikely duo.


Darling frowned, pausing only for a moment as she reached back into one of the outer layers of her backpack with her free hand. There was some shuffling and shifting before she let out a little pleased noise and something in her hand clicked.


Her flashlight cut through the darkness, showing the first landing not too many more steps down. Paint was pealing off the walls or, at least, that's what the dried blood seemed like at first.


"We don't have any buildings like this out where I live. It's kind of interesting don't you think? That people built these once? I wonder if we'll ever be able to do something like that again." She mused the words without much thought, keeping their pace easy as they made their way down. "There's been so much rebuilding outside the city, I can only imagine it'll be better here one day."


And she smiled, glancing at Owl even though she was mostly sure at that point he wouldn't say anything back. In the flickering lights with the low angle of her flashlight reflecting up on his mask, for once he almost seemed...scary.

 

[LeoLion98]

He shuffled along with her to the door and into the dimly lit building. He was used to such places, and did not hesitate to walk into the dark. He had to pause, however, when she did. When she pulled out a flashlight and seemed ready to move again, so did he.


She was correct in assuming that he would not respond. He only shrugged. He did not have much faith in humanity, since humanity had caused the irradiated world that they lived in.


Owl continued walking with Darling, unaware of his intimidating presence. Perhaps he was too used to people being scared of him to care.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

They continued down and it seemed that, this time, luck favored them. From behind the walls Darling could hear movement, low and dull, lingering in her ears. And yet, nothing came for them. Not this time.


When the stairs finally gave out and they reached the final landing, Darling shot owl a bright smile. Turning her flashlight off, just to be safe, she reached for the door and listened as it creaked open.


Silence greeted them, thick in the air as it magnified every noise they made.


It was dark, at first, until the light from the broken windows on the far wall reached them. It was then Darling tired to make them move a little faster, eager to be out of the building lest anything else decide it wanted to come and make friends. She'd be lying if she said worry didn't find her with every step she took, growing in her core until they reached the door that allowed fresh air to hit her face.


She let out a small breath of relief.


"See? Not so bad."


And it was nice to see Owl without those eerie shadows lingering on his mask. It'd be nicer still to see his face but...perhaps he didn't have one. If he was one of those really advanced synths, who was to say that mask _wasn't_ his face.


Weird.


"But, ah, I'll admit I didn't have much of a plan outside of getting us down onto the ground. I don't exactly know this area very well."

 

[LeoLion98]

Like her, Owl kept watch for anything that may have attempted to sneak up on them. He was usually the one sneaking, but now he was the one watching the shadows. As one who typically assumed the role of an apex predator, he knew how easy of a target lame prey could be. However, nothing came forth and they made it out of the building without any more injuries.


His legs were long enough that her increased pace didn't bother him much. He preferred a faster pace, even though he ought to take it slower. Owl just didn't like being seen as weak. It would have earned him a hell of a beating if Crow were still around.


At her remark, he looked around, searching for a place nearby that he knew could work as temporary shelter. It had to be a nearby location, but not close enough that there could be leftover raiders lingering. After a moment, he pointed in the northern direction. There was a Red Rocket gas station ahead, but it would require a lot of walking. The safety it afforded, given its distance from the raider infested area, was worth it though. And no one really scavenged it anymore.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Where she didn't have an answer, Owl did. Well, as much of an answer as he could offer.


He pointed and Darling shot him another dazzling smile before shifting her grip on him and heading off that way. The sounds of gunfire could be heard echoing in another part of the city, bouncing off the walls and barely ghosting to them. The scent of blood was carried faintly on the wind behind them. And yet, nothing came their way.


Darling was wondering why, exactly, he had pointed her the way he had when, almost at that exact moment, she spotted the Red Rocket gas station. It looked quiet, half hidden among the rubble of other buildings.


It looked as though it had been picked over long ago, leaving it an uninteresting, yet, safe place.


She made her way towards it and pushed open the metal door. Glancing in quickly to make sure they were, in fact, alone, she shot one last smile at Owl before bringing them both inside.


"Favorite date spot of yours?" She teased, slipping carefully and slowly away from him so he could sit down.


The fact that he didn't seem fond of physical contact hadn't been lost on her.

 

[LeoLion98]

Violence and death served as background noise for the pair as they walked. That was nothing new for him, but he had to wonder, given her demeanor, what Darling was used to. Whatever it was, it was certainly quieter than this. He wouldn't say a Vault, she didn't appear that lost. Somewhere far enough away from the rest of the world that she didn't have to fight often, but not so far as to make her entirely naive to the world of post-apcoalyptia. She might just tell him while his leg healed.


Finally that gas station came into view. He had used this place on occasion when he had been in the area as a safehouse of sorts. Not frequently enough to draw attention to the lace, of course, but enough that he felt comfortable leaving a small cache of items for future use in a hidden spot. He followed her into the building and felt a small sense of relief when he released him. At her comment, he rolled his eyes, even though she could not see.


Owl slid the the ground with his back against the station's counter. But he did not remain there. Instead, he lifted himself up with his hands, kept his legs out, and began walking across the floor. It was a little difficult with his shoulder, but the distance was short enough that he could manage. He sat down next to the picked-over shelf of spare parts. It was pushed away from the wall a little and flanked by two magazine racks. He moved the rack that was closest to him to the side and reached behind the shelf. A moment later, he pulled out a box. He opened it to reveal two stimpacks, a combat knife, a two cans of Cram, and a 10mm pistol with ammo.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

As Owl moved about, Darling shucked off her backpack and stretched, her hands pressed firmly on the small of her back. Her hand swiped against one of the counters, brushing off debris and dust. The bits of wall and paper fluttered to the ground lazily, revealing an old laminate that had been lost to time. Part of her wondered what it would be like to clean the place, to shine it until it had returned to its pre-atom glory.


The thought was abandoned as she turned and hopped up, poising herself on the edge. Her legs swung slightly, hands absently braced on the edge next to her legs so she was leaning forward in interest.


She was still watching him.


"Kind of cozy isn't it? I think we could probably stay here for a bit, plan our next move." There were those words again.


Our.


We.


"Do you know if Diamond City is close to here?" Her head tilted with the question, as though the thought had just come to her. "I've heard so much about the place, it'd be fun to head that way I think."

 

[LeoLion98]

It never occurred to him to make this hideout more homey. The more abandoned it looked, the better. Settling was never an option for Owl. In all this time alone, he never thought to leave his training behind and just... live. Instead, he remained a ghost in the night; invisible, alone. And lost. So very lost.


He looked up from inspecting the contents of the box. There she went again, grouping them together like they were a team. Like it was natural for them to be connected. How someone could become so at ease with someone else -- especially him -- was beyond his comprehension. They would only be allies until his leg was better, and then they would both be on their own. There was no need to make sound so... Final. She was exceedingly strange to him and only became more so the longer he was around her.


But he did answer her question with a head nod. Yes, the City was close. He had walked there in a little less than a day before on several occasions. Again though, if they were going to be traveling, that meant his leg would be healed. Based off of her wording, she intended for them to go together. At this rate he might end up actually telling her that he would not be going with her after this. In time she would likely learn that she would not want him to travel with her, so for now he would not speak.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He still wasn't responding to her. It was strange, so impossibly strange that she just kept expecting him to break his silence. Her family had always been loud, had always been so alive and vibrant. Even the other people around the homestead had been talkative, friendly people for the most part. The meanest one there would at least grumble a reluctant good morning.


She frowned for a moment, though the expression was quickly replaced with another smile like the fog being lifted by sunshine.


"Oh great, it's good to know I didn't aimlessly wander too off track this time. Goodness knows I had a hard enough time even getting to Boston in the first place. I thought I might never make it for a bit there, what with how turned around I kept getting." She was just talking then, her rhythm easy and words light.


Her gaze had flicked around the room, studying things before she looked at him once more.


"You know, now that we're a little settled, I can probably take a closer look at that leg of yours if you want. Or I could clean the place up a little, make it a little nicer to sit in while you rest up." Because, for as nice as it was to rest her feet for a bit, Darling was restless. She liked doing things. Simple as that.

 

[LeoLion98]

The opposite was true of him. He didn't understand how someone could talk so much all the time. Crow had barely talked in the rare moments of free time he had allotted. And when they did, it was a command, an instruction, a criticism. There was no such thing as idle talk. Even after a while, he had learned to take silent commands from Crow, and talking became less and less frequent between the two men. Although counting Owl as a man at the time was pushing it. He had only been thirteen when he had been left to fend for himself. But he was much, much older from his experiences. And he had grown far more quickly than any boy should have to, even in the Wasteland.


And her smiling. He understood emotions. He had been taught how to read them to better understand his opponent or his mark. He had also been taught to control his, especially his expressions, in the rare instance when he needed to remove his mask. She did not do this. Despite the fact that she was with a stranger, who she had seen take out a large number of dangerous individuals, she was not guarded. Darling was amicable, talkative. And she smiled a lot. Her actions around him were truly confusing.


While still not used to the idea of asking another for help, Owl knew that the sooner his leg healed, the better. Plus, keeping this place looking derelict was how he kept it from being looted again. So, he pointed to his leg, indicating that she should examine it instead.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Pushing herself off of the counter, Darling landed quietly on the dirty floor that had once been linoleum. She turned to her backpack once more, deft hands removing her first aid kit before she wandered over to his side. The box he had pulled out, survival supplies she supposed, contained two stimpacks. The knowledge that they were there eased the small voice of worry in the back of her mind, though she was still hesitant to even consider using them. With how he had responded in battle, Owl very well could need them later.


Carefully, and with a small apology, she removed the bandage from the cut on his leg. It had clotted, which was a good sign, but the skin was starting to look angry. Red.


Not so good.


From her kit she withdrew a cloth and a small bottle of antiseptic.


"You know you're handling all of this really well. One time, my brother sliced his hand open on some barbed wire while we were running from a yao guai-" she paused, looking up at him as she doused the cloth, "long story, anyway, he acted like he was going to die, and I'm sure it hurt a lot but I don't think you've flinched even once."


Well, outside of her touching him.