You, Me, and the Devil Makes Three (closed)

[Interstellar Bun]

The air conditioner hummed softly in the cafeteria, the white noise helping to block out the mumble of guests in the other room as they mulled about playing cards and pool. The cafeteria was quiet, it was just past lunch and the rush was gone, leaving her serving drinks and the occasional snack to whomever decided they wanted to bother her.


Well, it wasn't really much of a bother and right then, she could use the distraction.


All things considered, Mary liked her job. It was interesting, safe, and it gave her the perfect opportunity to use the camera she kept behind the counter with her. The piece of equipment was much like her child, and like any good mother, she made sure it was never too far out of arm's reach.


The counter was clean, along with all the dishes, and just as she was considering stepping out with the hopes of asking someone to help her once she got off work with a more personal issue, she heard the soft hiss of the doors opening.


Her gaze snapped up, green eyes searching the space only to find the same tall, familiar man she had seen more times than was probably healthy for his liver. His name wasn't something she remembered, but she knew his face and that was enough.


"Welcome back." Her tone was light and amiable, though it lacked the genuine quality that normally laced her words. That day, Mary wasn't as peppy as usual. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

 

[LeoLion98]

Shaw stepped out of the desert heat and into the air conditioned chill of the building. As much as he enjoyed being outside, there was something he liked about Vault 21. If anything, they had good booze and that was enough for him.


The merc nodded to Sarah, who smiled and waved him in without question. He was here more often than not if he wasn't fulfilling a contract. It wasn't really his first choice of bar, but he came to enjoy it after a while. Nobody started bar fights here for him to break up, for one. Maybe that was also the reason he liked it here so much.


Shaw continued down into the Vault, passing by the gamblers, and heading for the dining area. He said nothing to any of them, though many were sure to recognize his face. Some he had even escorted to the Strip. No one paid him any mind. He was fine with that. When he walked into the room, he saw the woman that always ran the place. They didn't talk much, but she was always friendly. And she made the best drinks.


"You know what? Surprise me," he said, taking a seat and cracking a smile. "I'm feeling adventurous today."


And by adventurous, he meant willing to drink just about anything at the moment.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Adventurous? Well I think I have just the thing for you, then."


Bar tending wasn't what she had set out to do when she left home, but it was fun and to say she liked experimenting would be putting it lightly. She turned from the bar and grabbed more than a handful of bottles, sugar, and a genetically modified lemon that someone had got to start growing. A few moments of shaking the mixer later she poured the liquid, something that was a pale shade of amber, into the glass. Shoving a lemon wedge on top, she pushed it towards him, letting her fingers linger on it.


"Vodka, gin, rum, tequila, and some of my sweet and sour mix. I wouldn't normally give this to anyone else, but I figure a big guy like yourself can handle something a little tough."


One sip of that would have knocked her on her damn ass, after all.


Still, she paused as she withdrew her hand. She was watching him with those slick eyes of hers, the ones that always looked like she had a leg up on everyone. He could handle himself, couldn't he? Better than she could anyway.


"Hey could I ask you something?"


She had started cleaning again, making sure to wash out her shaker and jiggers.

 

[LeoLion98]

His grin only widened. "Show me whatcha got."


He watched her grab the various bottles, mentally naming the ingredients himself, and observed her work. Once she placed it on the counter, he waited for her to remove her hand before taking the glass. It wasn't nice to grab, after all.


"Aw, you're making me blush," he said. With little nod to her, he lifted the glass in a toast before drinking. He set it down and gave a short cough. "If you're asking for my hand in marriage, it's a yes. You know how to make a damn good drink, ma'am."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She chuckled, her smile warming. "What can I say? I have a gift."


There was a pause as she mulled her words over. Grabbing a new cloth to dry her jiggers, her motions slowed to a stop and she could vaguely ear a roar of laughter outside the dining hall. Her gaze lifted back to her customer and the warmth of her expression was gone, replaced with something too somber.


The air around them shifted.


"You're a mercenary, right? How much do you think you might charge for an escort job? I mean, escorting someone out of the Strip and Freeside."

 

[LeoLion98]

He watched her carefully, as he was apt to do. One needed to know what one's opponent planned on doing next, so Shaw had formed a habit of observing. He could tell that this was going to be a rather... personal matter.


"Just the Strip and Freeside? That's 150. Anything outside, and it's 250. Why? You plan on taking a trip somewhere?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Yeah." She bit her lip for a moment, letting the flesh slip from between her ivories before she sighed. The worry was there, as clear as rainwater in her eyes. "I haven't been getting any letters back from my family lately and I think something's gone wrong, really wrong. I need to go visit them but I'm not exactly well equipped to handle anything outside of the Strip."


Men with slick hair and silver tongues she could handle and, hell, she could even take a punch or two pretty damn well with all the practice she had, but anything outside of that would likely get her killed. She wasn't like those hardened Wastelanders who had endless scars and stories, in fact she didn't have much experience at all. She had come to Vegas with a caravan and hadn't left since, though now she felt as though she should have. She should have visited her family more, maybe then she would have known what was wrong.


God she hoped they were okay.


"They live out in Novac now, so it isn't too far."


She added the last part too quickly, as though he might have sent her away had it been too much effort on his part.

 

[LeoLion98]

Even if she had said they were in New California he would have helped. To say he had a soft spot of families in trouble was an understatement. It hit home really hard. Almost made him want to do it for free. Almost. He still had to make a living. And he was good at what he did.


Shaw was one of those hardened Wastelanders who had endless scars and stories. He had been born in the Wastes. He was made for it. Farm life did not just entail growing crops, especially when they were not a very self-sustaining one. There was a lot that they needed and he was able to get it. And of course, he was a merc. Scars and stories came with the job.


"Hey, if you've got the caps, I'll do it. Distance doesn't matter. Well, unless you leave the Mojave, anyway."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Her shoulders relaxed at that, her easy smile finding its way back on to her face.


"Thanks. Really. I'm sure they're fine I just..I need to go see for myself, put my worries at ease."


It was fine. If she just kept telling herself that maybe they would be.


Besides, it would be nice to see her parents again, and nicer to see her brother still. He was much younger than her, the surprise of the family, but he was a good surprise and a good kid. She knew a lot of people had issues with their family and, given the state of the world, that wasn't much of a surprise, but Mary had gotten lucky with hers. They were good people, the best.


"I have the money saved up," it was all she had saved up, really, "and I should be able to get some time off to leave Monday if that works for you."

 

[LeoLion98]

He had rather opposing views. Happy endings were practically nonexistent in the Wastes. You either died or wish you had. He knew that from experience. Her parents were probably gone. But he wasn't going to tell her that. As likely as it was they would come across corpses, there was still a chance, however slim, that they wouldn't. He knew the power of hope. When you had it, it was enough to keep you going. And when it was gone, it could crush you until there was nothing left. Shaw wasn't cruel enough to do that to her.


And he wanted money.


"I understand. I'm sure they're fine." He itched for another drink, but knew he shouldn't since he was talking business. He only ever let his customers get drunk when that happened. It had earned him an extra handful or two of caps over the years. "Might wanna tell 'em you're coming, though. And bringing a boy home, just in case," he added with a wink and another grin.


"Monday works for me." I can get drunk. "What time? And here, I assume?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She couldn't help but laugh at him, her shoulders relaxing as the seriousness of the moment seemed to fade away. Tucking her long, fluffy cool brown hair back behind an ear, Mary let herself smile. She was glad, then, that she had chosen to ask him to help her.


"Careful, if I warn them about you ahead of time you might end up getting stuck with me for longer than you've bargained for once we get there."


She finished drying her mixer as she thought.


Monday was soon, and it didn't give her a lot of time to get everything organized, but she didn't figure she had much of a choice right then. If she could have left that instant, she would have. A twinge of guilt for not doing so thrummed in her heart though she did her best to ignore it. Having a solid plan would get her farther than any knee jerk reaction would.


"How 'bout we meet around, oh, say eight? And I can meet you outside of the Vault, if I stay down here I might get roped into doing some more work. Speaking of," she continued, "want another drink? All this talking must have you a bit parched."

 

[LeoLion98]

"Hey, if your mom's a good cook, then maybe that won't be so bad." He liked when his clients had a sense of humor. It made his job better. It wasn't that he was a social butterfly or loved talking, but having someone who was fun made things a lot easier. Stony silence was pretty common, as most people wanted a gun and not a companion. That worked for him too, but it wasn't nearly as entertaining.


"Eight works for me. As does another drink," he said, sliding his glass towards her again. "By the way, m' name's Shaw. What's yours?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Mary took the glass and paused. Ah, right, that was his name. She would have never guessed it, but once he had said it out loud it sounded familiar.


She reached out to shake his hand for just a moment. "Mary."


His drink was made and by then, other people were starting to filter into the room.


She kept herself busy through the day, the hours ticking by like water through open fingers until the bar finally closed and she was able to haul herself off to her room. The empty backpack that had been tucked away in her bottom drawer was pulled out and she looked at it for a long moment before she began packing.


Guilt settled in her stomach.


She should have visited them sooner. What kind of a daughter only wrote?


Those thoughts chased her dreams as she fell asleep and she was rather glad she had picked such an early hour to leave.


The sun was just on the horizon, warming the sky with hues of orange and red, making the thin clouds look like streaks of paint left by God's hand. She reached for her camera, ignoring the chill in the air that had yet to be chased away, and snapped a photo.


It was just as she was putting her camera away, tucking it safely into her backpack, that she saw Shaw.


"Morning." She greeted him with a smile, feeling a little less anxious than she had that night. At least now she felt like she was doing something. "Ready to hit the road?"

 

[LeoLion98]

"Nice to officially meet you," he said, taking her offered hand and giving it a firm shake. His hands are calloused, heavily so, from growing up where he used them constantly. He still did, just in a different way.


Now instead of a shovel, they only held his gun, fitting perfectly into the subtle grooves left by years and years of use.


He took his drink and knew that this would probably be the last conversation they had for the day. The merc didn't want to make work harder for her, but apparently he was too intent on killing his liver. He didn't order nearly as much as he normally could though, so that was something. When he decided he had had enough, Shaw put his caps on the table, nodded to Mary, and took his leave.


He went back to his shabby room in the Atomic Wrangler. Though he didn't like to come to the place during the day if he could help it, thanks to a certain prostitue, this was the only place he could stay. The Tops may have offered a better chance at avoiding their ghoul employee, they were just out of his price range. And who wanted to stay the the Ultra Luxe, really? Too creepy. So he was stuck here. At least the owners liked him.


The current mission didn't occupy his mind that night, at least not for long. He was out before his head hit the pillow.


Shaw was up with the sun, a habit he could never quite break unless he has completely exhausted. He took some time getting ready before heading out to meet Mary. By the time he actually got to the Vault, she had just stopped at the entrance.


"Morning." The merc grabbed a flask from his hip and took a drink that was clearly not coffee. The flask itself was very old and obviously well-used. There was an insignia embellished on the front that he ran his thumb over. "Ready when you are."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Watching as he drank, Mary couldn't help but notice the insignia his thumb ran over, nor the fact that whatever inside was obviously not his morning cup of juice.


Well, not apple juice.


It struck her as odd, but she was a bar tender and she didn't think that job title gave her much room to say anything.


"Then let's get going." She spoke, pushing up the sleeves on her blouse-y white shirt as she started forward. It was light weight and tucked into her jeans, giving her an air of casual grace. While it wouldn't work well if she got shot at, between the light weight fabric and her hat, she was sure to at least stay cool out in the middle of the desert and, most importantly, fairly safe from the sun as a whole.


Having her skin peeling by the second day wasn't her idea of a good time.


It was by the time they left the Strip and had gotten half way through Freeside that she felt the need to talk once more, pry a bit.


"Have you been doing this for long?"

 

[LeoLion98]

He put the flask back and nodded. They were off. He waited for her to talk first before he did. He could have been mistaken before, about how sociable she was, and didn't want to find out the hard way. But it seemed he was correct.


"Shouldn't you've asked about my credentials before you hired me?" He joked. "I've been doing this for about four years. Kinda started by accident, actually."


He hadn't noticed what she was wearing at first, but now he took note of her outfit, which was a stark contrast to his. Her's was flowing and casual while his was anything but. Lightweight metal armor, worn and marked, like just about everything he owned. It wasn't pretty, but it worked and it was comfortable for him. Though her clothes were nice, they wouldn't protect her from bullets.


"Don't you have something more... protective to wear?" He asked.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Four years.


That was a good amount of time, wasn't it? If he had successfully survived four years of working in such a dangerous field, obviously he had to be quite good at it. Truth be told, she wasn't really worried about his credentials. He seemed tough, and she already had some level of trust put in to him.


She looked down at her own clothes, then at him.


"Not really. I have kind of a tough jacket in my pack but it's heavy and hot and as much as I don't want to get killed I also don't want to cook alive out in the sun."


At night, or if they stumbled in to dangerous territory, she'd shrug it on, but until then, she was as unarmored as one could be.


"Besides," her eyes glinted a little, teasing though she kept a straight face, "I didn't think I'd need armor to protect me. Isn't that your job?"

 

[LeoLion98]

Well, at least she had a decent explanation for it. Still, he thought it was better to keep lead out than heat. That could easily be solved. Bullets, not so much. Either way, he wasn't going to make her change if she didn't want to. That just meant that his job would be a bit harder. Not by much, as he had dealt with people who didn't wear armor before, but still harder than if they did.


"Hey, if you wanted a meat shield, that costs extra," he replied, adopting a similar expression of fake seriousness with a hint of humor.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Well damn, should have told me sooner. I might have saved my caps in that case and just batted my lashes at the first guy who looked like he could hold a gun." She paused, almost thoughtfully as they reached the door that lead out of Freeside and away from her home. "But, I suppose your humor makes you worth the money."


And it was only once they were outside of Freeside, staring at the wide expanse of broken buildings and highway pillars, of shattered road and NCR farmsteads, that she realized that she and Shaw were alone. And they'd only be getting more alone the farther from the city they went.


In her own element, mixing drinks down in the Vault or wandering about with a camera in her hands, she didn't mind the presence of larger, more muscular men. They made for good subjects and with other people around, she never much felt like she was in danger. In fact, sometimes she forgot they made her nervous, at least, until she was alone with one.


There was a little voice in the back of her head that whispered to her, making her shove her hands into her pockets and trail a half step farther away from Shaw.


If he wanted to hurt you, he could.

 

[LeoLion98]

"You're damn right it does. The Tops shoulda hired me as a comedian instead. No other merc will offer you this high-quality humor like I will." He laughed. "Hey, I should advertise like that."


They stepped out of Freeside together and he felt himself smile. As much as he liked he comfy bed and decent alcohol the Strip had to offer, that still couldn't beat the Wasteland. It may sound strange to most people, but to those born and raised in it all their lives, they would know. He was accustomed to the searing heat, the frigid nights. The desert felt like home to him, and it was where he was comfortable.


This was his element.


He seemed not to notice her sudden change in demeanor and looked over. "Which way?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

She giggled a little, amused with his words. He really should have advertised that, maybe his humor wasn't for everyone, but it was meshing with her fairly well right then.


Out in the open, he seemed a little more comfortable, and part of her wished she could mirror that demeanor. Even if Shaw wasn't, well, Shaw, she still didn't belong out there. Maybe it was how she was raised, maybe she had it too comfortable, or maybe that was just who she was. All Mary knew was that she was a good shot, just not with a gun.


Hell she didn't even own one.


"Oh." Right. Directions. Even without a map or a pipboy, she knew where they were heading. Well, at least she had a pretty good sense of direction. She turned, starting to head down the path that headed south away from the city. "This way. Have you ever been to Novac before? It's kind of hard to miss with the great green dinosaur out front."

 

[LeoLion98]

If they could keep joking like this, he knew they would get along great. Or at least marginally well, anyway.


Ever since he could properly hold one, Shaw had been shooting guns. He was good at it too. His father had thought it was important to know how to protect both himself and his family. He thought it was too.


Oh right. Novac. That's where she said they were going. He had been there a few times, just enough to remember vaguely hoe to get there. His jobs either brought him to very remote locations or places that were bigger, like the Strip.


"Yeah, I have. Just wanted to make sure you knew where you were going," he said, giving her a lopsided smile.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"Ah, right, of course." She glanced at him for just a moment, a smile on her lips before she looked forward again. The sky was still pretty, actually, it'd been so long since she actually got out into the desert she'd all but forgotten how nice it could look early in the morning and just when dusk started to hit. "I suppose I'm only really paying you to be the gun so I guess I can take on the roll as navigator."


Not that she really minded. Drop her just about anywhere in the west and she was confident she'd be able to find her way to Novac sooner rather than later.


Her home was a place she'd always be able to find.


"So," she began again after a healthy beat of silence, "how'd you get into the mercenary business? Is there some....council of tough old men you have to file paperwork with or do you just wake up one morning and say you're a mercenary?"

 

[LeoLion98]

"I may be a very smart man, but I choose to use my muscles instead. Far more intimidating that way. Less likely to get mugged." He followed her gaze and looked at the sky too. He was used to seeing sunrises and sunsets, so the view didn't strike him too much. He could still certainly say it was pretty, though.


He was good with directions too, to a certain extent. It took a little while for him to remember a path, having to walk it a few times before he could follow it without getting off course. Not that he got lost per say, it was more "got distracted by something and missed a turn" kind of veering.


The merc chuckled at her question. "Nothing that complicated, but there was an old man involved. Well, kind of old. Anyway, about four years ago, I was just kinda wanderin' around, looking for supplies, when out of nowhere, these Raiders show up. Like most Raiders, they were assholes and started shooting at me. I was fighting them when I noticed this guy, probably in his late forties, early fifties. He got shot in the leg somehow and couldn't get out of there. So, I finished off the Raiders and helped him out. Then, he asked if I could escort him to the Strip and that he'd pay me. I did it and I found out I liked it. I expanded a little and let people hire me to go get stuff for them, like supplies that left somewhere or somethin' like that too, but that's how I started.


"What about you? How'd you get to be a bartender? Other than the fact that you're really good at making drinks, anyway."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Well, that was one way to get into the business of shooting people while making sure others didn't get shot.


It was almost kind of nice, though. He'd helped someone, and while Shaw had gotten paid at the end of it, it was still nice of him to do. But maybe that's why people were even able to survive like they did out there. Sure there were asshole raiders, but there was good in people too.


He asked about her and Mary gave a small shrug of her shoulders. Not many people ever bothered to do that. Normally they were just content to talk about themselves, and she was content to listen.


"It's not nearly as interesting of a story as yours is, I'll warn you now. When I first came all the way out here it was with my boyfriend at the time, we got a small place inside Freeside while he was on leave from the NCR and he made enough caps to keep us afloat so I could focus on my photography. Of course, there's not a lot of money to be made in snapping photos of people so after we split up and I got a passport into the Strip, I had to find something else to keep food on the table and a roof over my head so I wouldn't have to go back home heart broken and just plain broke.


"There's a guy who has a shop set up next to the Vault and he does sign repairs, I helped him out one time and he told me to talk to his sister, Sarah. She must have felt bad for me to give me that job because I couldn't have told you the difference between bourbon and whiskey at the time...but it all worked out. No one grows up dreaming of mixing drinks but it's a nice job and Sarah let me set up a black room down in the lower levels so I really don't have any reason to complain."


And she didn't. Life was good now. She got to talk with people and play with mixtures, and sure, sometimes she got an asshole customer but they were few and far between. Mary was happy with her life.