Last Stop New Vegas

[CortezHorse]

Ben chuckled at Darling's comment about Freckles, especially since the pup was currently running around like a maniac with a small rock in her mouth. He was broken out of his trance like state when she removed her hands, leaning away from him. Sitting up straight, he pulled his shirt back on before maneuvering around to look at Darling.


"Yea, lot better. Thanks."


It really struck then how close he'd been allowing Darling to get to him. How intimate those few moments just then were, and he cleared his throat then looked away shyly.


"If you, ah, feel up to it we should prolly get headin' on soon. I'd like to test that luck of ours out and see if we can't run up on a settlement before nightfall."


He stood up and busied himself with the packs, gathering their equipment for travel once more.


"We got pushed off course a bit but I think we can still make it to the Strip in about a week but then again with how things have been goin' who knows. Prolly have to fight a sea of deathclaws to get there."


There was a tease to his voice, a lightness. Whatever troubles lie ahead of them Ben was quite certain they could handle them.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"If we have to fight a sea of deathclaws just to get to the Strip, I'm sorry, but I think I'm just turning around then. I like gambling, but not that much."


Packing up her kit once more, Darling stood, stretching her arms slowly up and over her head. She could feel her ribs shifting, the burned skin tight. She supposed that was a good sign, after all, the real bad burns were the ones that didn't hurt at all. Her arms swung back down to her sides and she grabbed her vest, doing her best to shove it into her pack. It stuck out awkwardly, but it was better than toting around that weight on her shoulders. The armor was nice, had saved her life, but it was clunky and too hot to wear for long. Or, maybe she was just a wimp.


"I'll bet there's a settlement near by, one with baths and a place for me to get a new gun and knife."


She glanced over to him.


"And maybe some new clothes for you too. That'd be nice, yeah?"


In her mind, she was trying to think about how much money she had to her name. Darling had saved up as much as she possibly could before leaving so it wasn't as though she was piss poor broke, but there was no steady income out here. That, in itself, was worrisome.

 

[CortezHorse]

I like gambling, but not that much.


Ben chuckled, shrugging on his duster then swinging his pack over his shoulders, followed by his rifle.


And maybe some new clothes for you too. That'd be nice, yeah?


He nodded; it certainly would be nice to get out of these rags. Of course he was on his last few caps but if it would get him out of the last scraps of reminders of the Legion then he'd be willing to spend it. There was always a way to get supplies out here, caps or not.


"Alright, c'mere you."


Dipping down, he scooped up Freckles as she bounded around. She wriggled in his hand, still fighting with her rock and Ben could only shake his head at the silly dog before sticking her in his jacket pocket where she continued her life and death struggle.


After being stuck inside the sweltering heat of the barn, it was almost a relief to walk out into the baking heat of the desert. The sun was high, they'd stayed inside until late afternoon. It was hours of walking and sweating before something caught Ben's eye, a sort of twinkling in the distance. Metal? Water?


The closer they got it was obvious whatever it was, wasn't moving.


"You see that? Think it might be water."


A body of water out here? He hadn't seen a large body of water since his youth.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Walking along side Ben was becoming second nature to her now. Their pace was always almost the same, their silence and small bits of conversations now comfortable instead of something that left Darling feeling nervous. Time passed easily when she was just walking, trying to ignore the occasional sharp pain that came when she twisted the wrong way. Instead of wondering what he was thinking, she stared off at the sky and considered the future, her past, letting memories that made her smile play through her mind. It always amazed her just how wide and empty the sky was out there.


"Hmm?"


She let her gaze lower, eyes searching the distance from behind her sunglasses. Indeed, she did see it. Darling blinked. Were they imagining things? No, it wasn't hot enough and they weren't dehydrated enough to be that delirious.


They continued walking, and as they did so, the body of water didn't disappear.


"Hell, I think it might be. If it's natural, it should be pretty clean too."


She grinned at him, her smile as bright as always.


"See, what did I tell you? Our luck is looking up."

 

[CortezHorse]

The sight of her smile forced a grin from Ben. She could be downright infectious with her perky moods. God forbid he ever became anything close to perky, ugh.


"Yea, s'pose ya did. It might be nice to take a break. Get cleaned up and cooled off."


When they finally came upon the body of water it was fairly clean, just as Darling had speculated. A bit murky like any lake would be but it still sparkled in the sun and looked fresh enough to be inviting. He knelt down at the edge of the water, dipping his fingers into the cool water when Freckles tumbled her way out of his pocket and happily splashed into the lake.


"Well, she seems to think it's fine."


He raised a brow as the pup tumbled and rolled in the shallow portion of the waters, seemingly having the time of her little canine life. The only thing that left Ben feeling unsettled was a body of water this clean and this big without any settlement around it. There had to be a reason it still appeared lifeless. As far as he could tell though, nothing was wrong. He couldn't see a thing for miles, it didn't seem like anything stirred in the water so maybe it was just his paranoia.


"So, what do you say to a little break?"


He turned to Darling with a small smirk, already shucking off his pack and duster.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Dropping her backpack on the ground, Darling wasted no time and shrugging off her now empty gun holster and unbuttoning her blouse. The idea that Ben might be uncomfortable by this didn't much occur to her as the idea of water excited her. It wasn't a pool, and it wasn't a nice tub, but in a way this was even better. It was a nice day out, and if there was anything she needed, it was to wash the previous day off of her skin.


"I say a break is the best idea you've ever had."


Freckles had decided it was safe enough, after all. If there was anything lurking in the water, she didn't see it moving about, so she decided that they should just enjoy it while it was safe.


Shirt half unbuttoned, she finally stopped, looking over her shoulder back to Ben.


"I'm going for a dip, I'll warn you now."


It wasn't like her undergarments were terribly showy. A sports bra and poka-dot patterned shorts were much more practical than anything pretty and frilly, after all. None the less, she figured Ben deserved something of a warning considering how awkward he occasionally became. It was understandable, she knew, but Darling had never really been the conservative sort.

 

[CortezHorse]

The moment Darling began undressing Ben froze, unsure what he was suppose to do. He stared for a moment, watching as she unbuttoned her shirt then tore his eyes away and pretended to rifle through his pack. Was he suppose to turn around? Go away? Dammit, having a woman along was difficult!


When he heard her splash into the water he dared to take a peek over his shoulder. Well, she certainly didn't seem to have any reservations about undressing in front of him. She also wasn't shy around him back at the barn today she didn't even flinch away at touching his skin. A quick pep talk later and he'd pulled his shirt over his head and plopped himself in the shallow water with Freckles.


Ben wouldn't dare travel deep into the water, after all he didn't know how to swim. So he sat in contentment watching Darling paddle around while Freckles wrestled with his feet. Every time Darling's polka dotted bottom would surface he'd find his face heating up and his eyes wandering away. Two women against one man, it just wasn't fair.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

The water was cool on her skin, something that was more than welcome after the day they had. Swimming out into the deeper waters, Darling enjoyed the sound of water in her ears, the sensation of weightlessness that came with swimming. Still, with every stroke, she felt the pull of her burn, the aching of her arm. And after a bit, she figured heading in before she was aching too much was a good idea.


She slicked her hair back out of her face, the grime and blood from their previous adventure having been washed away in the water. It was amazing, what such a little thing like that could do to make her feel endlessly better.


"I could teach you to swim, you know, if you want."


She wiggled her fingers at Freckles, giggling as the dog splashed about while trying to nip at them.


"It's not a valuable skill out in the desert I'm sure, but it's still pretty fun."

 

[CortezHorse]

I could teach you to swim, you know, if you want.


Ben was currently focused on swirling his fingers in the water, doing his best not to watch how the beads of water glimmered on her smooth skin. The opportunity of learning to swim was enough to have to turn to look at her.


"Really?"


He knew one could learn to swim but, he supposed he always thought that, it took a special teacher. Maybe there were specialized swimming schools? Was there water witchcraft that enabled people to swim? Hell he didn't know, no one in his family ever swam so it was far beyond his knowledge. The fact that Darling could actually teach him to swim made her seem almost magical to him. First she saves his life and now she's apparently a water fairy, who knew.


"I, uh, I guess it wouldn't hurt nothin to try and learn."


It did seem fun, watching her twist and splash about in the deeper areas of the lake. He'd never really need swimming as a skill but how impressive would it be, a decades old ghoul, to get to the Strip and be able to say he knew how to swim.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Exactly, and this place seems like a pretty quiet place to learn."


She smiled, tapping Freckles's head to irritate her just enough into continue playing with her hand.


"Now, if memory serves me right, the first thing anyone learns when they're just picking up how to swim is floating. The big part about that is learning to trust that you won't drown and not panicking if something unexpected happens. You can actually do this in pretty shallow water if you're comfortable with that. Go about waist deep, lean back, and hold your arms out and your legs still and that's about all there is to it."


Or, she hoped that was all there was to it. She had been swimming for years, all of her family did, though it had made her a rather strong swimmer, it also meant relating to beginners was a bit difficult. There was no rule book to swimming, you just did it.


"Sound easy enough to try?"


He had sounded maybe a little hesitant, but surely he trusted her enough to at least attempt it.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben listened attentively as Darling explained how to take the first steps towards swimming and, surprisingly, it sounded more simple than he'd anticipated. All he had to do was lay back in the water and float? That was step one?


"Yea, yea that sounds fine."


He stood up, the mushy bottom of the lake made it difficult for him to walk with his peg leg. Hopefully swimming and floating was something he could do with just one leg. Despite the sucking mud that he walked on, he managed to make it out waist deep and already his body language seemed to say he was nervous.


"I just, lay back is all?"


He hesitated, just wading around in the water for a few minutes. Ben didn't want to embarrass himself, no one would want that, but it was also the simple fact that he'd never been in water like this and it was scary. A few deep breaths to steel himself and he tipped back, flailed and was upright again.


"Dammit! You made it sound easy!"


Freckles cocked her head at Ben's flailing about and apparently deemed it necessary for her to check on him. She paddled herself forward and swam out to him in spite of her bandaged up leg.


"Oh now you're just showin' off."


He scooped the soggy pup up and held her to his chest while she licked at his grumpy expression.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She snorted.


Caught completely off guard by his reaction and Freckles so easily mastering what he could not, Darling couldn't help but become a mess of giggles. Hand going to her mouth, she tried to quiet the sound, having to look away so his grumpy expression didn't make her laugh any harder. Taking in a breath that sounded more like a squeak, Darling made an effort to calm herself. It took a bit, but eventually she was able to speak properly.


"Oh gracious. That was...that was a good first try."


Her face was still pink from laughing as she made her way out towards him. It was nice to feel the soft ground between her toes after all the walking on scorched dirt they'd been doing. Wading out gave her enough time to consider her next move and by the time she reached him, she had a pretty good plan.


Gently taking Freckles in one arm, she did her best to look reassuring, not that such a thing was ever hard for her.


"I'm going to put my hand on your back and you're going to try it again, okay? You'll be just fine."


She'd be able to keep him balanced until he got a feel for it, support him so he didn't tip over once more. The plan was so simple, she was convinced that it had to work.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben narrowed his eyes, his face scrunching up into an even grumpier expression as she practically exploded with giggles. He glared at her throughout the entirety of her fit and didn't stop until she had waded out beside him. She took Freckles from him and Ben crossed his arms over his chest, looking very much like a pouty child.


I'm going to put my hand on your back and you're going to try it again, okay? You'll be just fine.


He raised a brow, seeming to mull it over.


"Hm, well, I guess I can't let the dog outdo me."


Letting his arms dropped he turned around, stiffening up a bit when Darling's hand came to rest on his back. This time it didn't take him quite as long to loosen up, and soon he was relaxed. He glanced at her then tipped back, prepared to flail and get another mouthful of murky water. This time however he stayed afloat, his eyes shut tight, his body stiff as a board it seemed like he was preparing for an explosion. Finally, Ben peeped an eye open and realized he was actually bobbing on top of the water instead of sinking like a rock.


"Hey, look at me!"


He smiled, actually smiled up at Darling as he floated.


"Take that Freckles."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

As he leaned back, Darling shifted, knees bending as she halfway lowered with him. Her hand remained lightly on his back, keeping him level until he finally relaxed. Once she was sure that he wasn't, in fact, about to drown himself on accident, she slid her hand away from him, watching as he peaked an eye open. Freckles was squirming in her hand, trying to get back into the water, though Darling kept her neatly tucked in an arm lest she attempt to climb on Ben's chest. While that would be absolutely hilarious, she didn't figure giggling at his expense again would be nice.


When he smiled, it was infectious. Ben, in her experience, didn't smile that often. He'd give kind of half grimaces that were sort of smiles, or he'd smirk at one of his jokes or her anecdotes, but he never smiled.


She, without hesitation, returned the expression.


"Now, if you really want to get fancy, you can move and kind of guide yourself with your arms and swim like that."


She made kind of a half motion with the arm that wasn't holding their dog, giving a quick little demonstration. Even if he had a bit of trouble at first, he seemed fine, and something so intuitive wouldn't be too hard. The water ebbing about them was already working to move him a bit anyway, very slowly making him float away from both her and the shore.


"It's just kind of a nice little easy thing to do, real relaxing."


As far as Darling was concerned, this had already been a success. He was smiling, enjoying himself, and that was all that really mattered.

 

[CortezHorse]

Tentatively Ben began moving his arms, then looked elated as he started gliding over the top of the water. It was such a simple thing but the crabby ghoul was absolutely overjoyed about paddling about a murky lake. As he flapped his arms, awkwardly swimming circles around Darling and Freckles, he began laughing.


"I'm swimming!"


He called out to Darling, dipping under the water and popping up with a whoop. It seemed the water and swimming lesson had got him in a better mood than she'd ever seen him in; a better mood than he'd been in longer than he'd like to admit. The cool liquid had him feeling energetic, the fact they escaped, Darling had proven herself one of his truest friends, all of these things combined made for something he hadn't felt in a long time. Hope.


The water beaded up on his craggy flesh and he swiped a hand across his eyes. It was then that he got a mischievous look on his face, a smirk edging up the corners of his mouth. Revenge would be served out for her laughing at him.


Ben dipped under the water, disappearing from sight. He made his way across the muddy lake bottom towards Darling's legs, wrapped his arms around them and lifted.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She felt something touch her legs and had the foresight to not only plop Freckles back into the water, but take in a gulp of air as well. He lifted and Darling was submerged under water. She could feel the rush of bubbles around her face, eyes shut in preparation for the attack. Though she was mostly ready, she still floundered for a moment before opening her eyes and righting to see the sunlight streaming down into the ripples on the water and Freckles's paws hovering above her.


For a moment, she lingered there, moving her arms to keep her at the bottom of the lake bed. It was when her lungs started to burn that she blew out her air, popping to the top with a splash of water.


Sputtering, laughing, she pushed her hair out of her face once more and did her best to wipe the water out of her eyes.


"You're lucky I'm not the vengeful sort." The words came as she splashed a bit of water at him, still giggling. "Trust me, you might have the basics down but there's no way you'd win this game."

 

[CortezHorse]

He put his hands up, blocking his face as she splashed him and chuckled.


"Ah, I got Freckles on my side and she seems like an expert."


Ben scooped the paddling pup up, holding her against his chest. Freckles lapped at the air, trying to kiss his chin.


"You're on my side, aren't ya girl?"


She whined and wriggled, stretching until she could lay a few good, slobbery kisses on his mouth. His face scrunched up as she covered him in smooches, allowing it for a few moments before pulling his head back.


"I'd say that's a hard yes. Two against one Darling."


A smug look came over him as he cradled his furry ally in his arms. This was a different side of Ben, the true Ben that hadn't been seen since his house was torched and he and his sister were first taken by the Legion. He used to be relaxed, always teasing and smiling, a hard worker but also someone who loved to play hard too. That man had been dormant for years and years, beaten out of him by the Legion and the general cruelties of life. Just a few days with Darling was already bringing out that side that had been waiting so long to resurface.


Suddenly Ben became a bit somber as he looked at Darling, appearing to be mulling something over in his head.


"You wanna learn how to shoot?"


Darling had saved his life, taught him to swim and was doing things she probably wasn't even aware of for him. He needed to give back to her, something she could take with her when they parted. A skill she could use and remember him by.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Sinking into the water so it just brushed the edges of her hair, she treaded water in circles around Ben, her motions lazy, smile ever present. They'd have to be moving on soon, have to get out of the water and leave the water behind, so she intended to enjoy the most of it while she could. Keeping one arm close to her, she ended up gazing at the sky for a moment before his words caught her attention once more.


Shoot? Darling blinked.


"You mean guns larger than a lil' pea shooter, right?"


She was pretty good with handguns, or, she seemed to think she was. Though, thinking about it too much made a sinking feeling creep up her spine. Taking in a breath, she dipped her head back into the water, indulging in the feeling of weightlessness for a moment. It helped to shake that feeling, and she went back to gliding around him.


"I told you I'm pretty bad with them, but if you want to try and take on the challenge of making me a decent shooter, then I'd be up for learning. Sounds like it could be fun."


If she didn't hurt herself again. It seemed she could barely go a day without sustaining some sort of injury as it was.

 

[CortezHorse]

Ben followed Darling with his eyes as she slowly made circles around him. It was relaxing just standing here in the ripples with her, finally not having anything to worry about. From the moment they'd met it'd been catastrophe after catastrophe so it was nice to get some downtime. She seemed to think over his offer, dipping under the water before emerging once again.


Sounds like it could be fun.


He grinned, glad she was giving him the chance to teach offer her something useful.


"I have a theory you mighta got hurt before because you weren't holdin' the gun correctly. Either way, you'll learn how to shoot or I'll feel guilty for lettin you hurt yourself and you'll be able to make me do whatever you want me to do for the rest of the time we're together."


He then started wading back to shore, dropping Freckles back into the shallow water where she immediately continued to splash about. Ben grabbed his rifle and held it up in the air.


"Well, come on, ya didn't think I meant later did ya. No better time than the present."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"As if I couldn't make you do whatever I wanted already."


A wink followed her tease as Darling moved back towards the shore line. Toes pressing in to the wet ground, Darling emerged from the water, wringing as much as she could from her hair. Grabbing her shirt first, Darling shrugged it on, quickly buttoning it before shimmying into her trousers. Sand covered the cuffs and her feet, her clothes clinging to her as she hadn't bothered to dry off, but those things were small annoyances.


"No better time than the present? Ben if I didn't know any better, I would say I am rubbing off on you. Who knows, you might become unbearably optimistic if you keep hanging around me."


She spoke as she dressed, after all, she figured shooting his rifle in her undergarments would be too strange even for her. Drying her face off, Darling stepped towards him.


"I suppose we're starting with the basics, then?"

 

[CortezHorse]

As if I couldn't make you do whatever I wanted already.


Ben could feel his face heat up as he resolutely ignored the tease. There was no denying she was absolutely right though, day by day he was becoming steadily wrapped around Darling's little finger. He forced a neutral expression as she made her way to shore and dressed but his neutral face soon turned into a sneer when Darling mentioned him becoming optimistic.


"Ugh, let's hope not. Put me down if I start humming and whistling."


He looked his rifle over, checked all the parts before cocking it. The sound was always satisfying but haunting at the same time; it promised security but also death and battle. Two things Darling was quickly being forced to become accustomed too.


I suppose we're starting with the basics, then?


"Unless you wanna start trick shootin', then yea."


Ben put the rifle in her hands after the sarcastic response, letting her feel the weight of the firearm.


"Heavier than your pea shooter, that's for sure, huh? Just get use to how it feels for a bit. Put it against your shoulder, get comfortable with it."


He waited, patiently watching Darling as she handle the rifle. When he needed to make corrections to how she was holding it, he'd gently come in and move her hands or adjust her position.


"There ya go, see, ain't so bad. Now that ya got a feel for it, just shoot it. Don't matter where just shoot out into the desert. Hold it tight to your shoulder though, got some kick to it."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Taking the rifle as it was handed to her, she felt her shoulders sink slightly at the unexpected weight. Sure she had tossed it on top of everything else before chasing after Ben, knew it was heavy, but the way Ben handled it made it look so easy. Getting a feel for the weight, she studied it, adjusting her hands as she tried to find a position that felt natural, that made the gun feel solid and secure in her grip.


Hefting it up to her shoulder, she let Ben make the necessary adjustments, taking note of what he did while trying to deduce why he did it. The gun still felt odd in her hands and she found herself wishing she had her pistol again. It was so easy to just sling out, her arm always naturally making adjustments for the familiar weight.


This was different.


Adjusting her stance slightly, being sure to end her knees so she didn't lock them, Darling remembered to release her breath before pulling the trigger.


"Shit."


The expletive escaped her before she could stop it. The force wasn't enough to injure her, but it knocked her balance off and forced her to take a few awkward steps back. She let her grip slip, the barrel pointing down to the ground as she rolled her shoulder.


"How in the world do you not knock yourself over every time you use this?"

 

[CortezHorse]

The gun popped, Freckles jumped and Darling cursed, a trifecta of events happened at once and Ben immediately approached, worried that she had actually been hurt by firing his rifle. When he realized that she'd just been taken off guard by the kick back, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief and gave her shoulder a quick, sympathetic rub.


"You get use to it, it's why I wanted you to fire to get use to the kick."


He bent down, digging in his pack and pulled out a small sliver of scrap wood, the same kind that they'd used for Freckles splint.


"See this?"


He held it up, then tossed it out into the middle of the lake. The wood floated on top of the murky water, drifting about slowly with the tiny gusts that would blow by every now and then.


"Want you to hit that next. Take three shots. After that we'll pack up and head out, continue lessons after I can buy more ammo."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He had to be joking. She stared at him, waiting for him to laugh or sneer, or do something that might indicate he didn't really expect her to hit that. He didn't. Pursing her lips, Darling mussed up her drying hair as she accepted the challenge.


"Alright. I do like a good challenge, after all."


Hefting the gun back up, she turned to face the lake and took aim. Aim, her father had taught her, was the most important skill to have. It beat speed, it beat caliber size, because if someone knew how to really aim, they only needed to take one shot to ensure they'd come out on top. She remembered shooting at bottles, stepping farther and farther back each time she hit them in one shot. The theory, she hoped, was still the same.


Biting her lip in concentration, she focused in on the small bit of wood. Releasing her breath slowly through her nose, she still had to take a step back as the gun fired. Water splashed next to the wood and though she got close, that wasn't good enough.


She cocked the gun, fumbling a little as she bit her lip harder.


Once more, she repeated her process. Once more, the smell of gunpowder lifted in the air as she fired. The bullet clipped the very edge of the wood, making it jump and flip in the air. She grinned, holding his gun back out for him to take.


"That barely counts, but it counts none the less."

 

[CortezHorse]

Arms folded, Ben watched with a stern expression as Darling took aim. She was already an okay shot but he wanted her to be a great one, to assure that when they finally went their separate ways he could rest easy with the knowledge that she could take of herself and do so with one shot. He wasn't completely sure why but Ben wanted to make sure, to know that he could keep her safe even when he wasn't with her.


Shot one was good but immediately she cocked the gun and readied herself to take another shot. Ben could only grin at her, watching as she aimed with a determined look in her eye. There was no doubt that she'd end up being a sharp shooter, all he had to do was challenger her a bit and she'd rise to the occasion.


The second shot ended up flipping the wood and Ben's grin stayed on his face as she held out the rifle to him, looking triumphant at her success.


"Yea, yea, we'll count it this time. Next time yer hittin it square on."


He took his gun back and set it on the ground then pulled his tattered shirt on. As he slung on his gear, he spoke out loud about their next steps.


"So, keep walkin till it gets near sundown. Hope to find a settlement before then. How's that sound?"