Gagh is always best when served live

Rader Yes, Cho is my Lone Wanderer, and yes his name is a play on chosen one. I am not sure if I knew this is the moniker of our Fallout 2 character back then. So his name equaling FO2's Chosen One moniker might be a coincidence.

Cho is the first character I rolled in Fallout. I'd really been wanting to roll an Asian in Oblivion, and it pleased me that FO3 allows this (and also Hispanics).

Wow (about killing Jericho, and then the entire town knowing). We know not of his past. You really tried and tried to get rid of that guy! I agree that Megaton, and also Rivet City, perhaps have the best food in the Wasteland. They can at least take the time to prepare stuff with proper kitchens.



I created the bonds, and wrote the quest / scripts for them, but Lopov is the one who actually hid them. I emailed the mod to him last summer so he could do this, you see. In the process of hiding these bonds, he then added some 'extra content' into Megaton, which I have no idea what this could be.

I also created an entire crime system last summer as described in this post, so if your character had gotten caught killing Jericho with this .esp toggled this would equate to jail time, or paying a lot of caps!

----------

Lopov: Ha ha that's true. Major A. Holl is the one who inhabits Mister Burke's house in my gameworld. In fact, maybe HE is the one who left that cigar burning in Burke's ashtray, since Burke himself got pwned by Cho!

Chances are Taneesha would not encounter Holl. Major Andrew Holl only stayed in Burke's place maybe two times. Eventually Holl got sucked into Mothership Zeta, and was never heard from again.

-----------------

SubRosa: Yes, in my gameworld, Cho is the one whose done a lot of vanilla quests, such as Arefu, and all of Moira's silly Wasteland Guide quests, and so on. Cho also did a ton of raids, especially on raiders. We'll hear more of than in times to come!

Vicious was worried about Megaton, but I was also really nervous about her return. Because I added my own content (crime mod), which basically counts how many times our character commits certain types of crimes. I wasn't sure if I had screwed something up, and then would have to go all the way back and fix stuff. Turns out, everything works as it should.

Cho is a goodie, you see. He rarely does stuff wrong, and I have the same crime mod in his game, yet nothing happens because he never assaults / steals / murders, and so on. So the mod won't trigger for him. Vicious on the other hand, has shot at a few of those random Wastelanders, which should count as Assaults by the game's engine. However, since the only witnesses to those "crimes" were other raiders, the game did not count those.

-----------------------

Acadian: Yes, thankfully Vicious gets noticed only for the kinder moments she's done, and she can safely go back to being Taneesha.

I think the noodles are moving, but they're supposed to move. Let's try some more salt...


EWWW!!! at Gagh video!

As we last saw, Miss Vicious Delicious has been able to go back to being the girl she grew up as. She is back to being Taneesha Jones. She has searched a couple places inside of Megaton to find one of these bearer bonds, but so far has been unsuccessful. Now... she's attempting to pick the lock on Mister Burke's place. Will she be able to do so, without being noticed by any of Megaton's midnight stragglers?

Shhh....


Chapter 30: Starting the Search

Taneesha was more successful at her second attempt at picking the lock to Mister Burke's former home. She removed a second bobby pin from her hair, bent its tip just so, and inserted it into the keyhole. Positioned the pin slightly to the left this time. Inserted her small pocket screwdriver...



... and within seconds she was now inside. Taneesha's heart was hammering. She tried calming herself, by attempting to think of pleasant things. But there wasn't much pleasant to think about. She lived in the Capital Wasteland, Year 2277, after all.

She stayed crouched, and looked around. Found the place to be surprisingly well-lit; its electricity had not been shut off, despite the fact that Burke was deceased. The place was also clean.

Taneesha, in her new role as prowler, was really feeling frazzled. She was trespassing! ... She looked into her purse, dismayed to find she was out of Thorazine, and did not have any other calmer-down chems used by wastelanders. Any sort of sedative to calm her nerves would be welcome right about now, thought she. There were a couple syringes of morphine in her purse, but morphine was hard stuff. And hard stuff was for later.

She winced at that last thought. Her intake of chems had dwindled over the past couple weeks. This was partially due to willpower, and partially because heading up to Germantown, going on an actual mission, had kept her focused sober. But right about now, anything to sedate or tranquilize would be welcome.

Suddenly, she froze. There was the smell of tobacco pervaded the room, and smoke was drifting nearby! The prowler nearly fell over with light-headedness once she realized a cigar was burning in an ashtray, right on Mister Burke's desk! ... Who the heck had left that burning? Was someone here?

Her shoes made little clop clop noises on Burke's metal floor as she snuck across the room. The place had a locker, several metal boxes, two desks, three chairs, and a bed. But thankfully, nobody was here.

"Phoo...."

Since Burke's metal hut already reeked of smoke, she felt safe to light up one of her own. So she did so, which helped a little with the jitters. Then, she began her search. She turned on her flashlight, then clopped her way around as quietly as she could. Found a bobby pin. Found a sawed-off shotgun. Found some liquor. But no bonds.

3:43 AM
The prowler ended her night with a thorough search of Church of Atom. "Good to see you," one of Atom's loonies greeted as she entered the church.

Taneesha smiled and made some sort of gesture as she passed by the Atomite, which she hoped would be taken as a sign of her belonging. Growing up with Jehovah's Witnesses to guide her childhood, she knew all about gestures and signs of belonging, even though she herself never felt like she truly fit in.

But she knew she'd need to be more careful here in the Church of Atom when while moving and removing items. Unlike Common House, Church of Atom had stricter rules about posessions. If somebody left some items in a locker for instance, this did not mean it was okay to just take these items.

Taneesha found nothing Dogmaster could use, but she did grab herself a new outfit in somebody's footlocker. Couldn't resist. Her green Prewar dress was great for strolling about town, but rather uncomfortable to sneak in. This new outfit comprised of boots, trousers, and long-sleeved shirt, and all this gear was dark. Better for prowling, Taneesha assumed.

Taneesha stole this outfit, but the resulting feeling of guilt caused her to put it back where she found it.

Daylight was breaking by the time she was done searching the church.




..,

5:53 AM until 1:35 PM
Taneesha returned to Lucy West's place, and slept the entire morning. Got up at noon, had breakfast. Turns out, Lucy did not mind if Taneesha ate or used some of her food and things, but Miss Taneesha thought it prudent not to mooch. She could easily provide for herself now, thanks to all the money she had recently earned, and looted. A couple weeks ago, she had maybe a dozen caps to her name in total. Now she had 65 caps on her person, and over a thousand stored back in Springvale. After a meal of squirrel stew at The Brass Lantern, she was ready to go.

Today's first location would be Craterside Supply, Megaton's goods store. Craterside had been locked the night before, but now it was open.

"You know," said Moira Brown, Craterside's owner, "I think I've found a new way to prepare radroach meat! Still tastes like old feet, though. Anyway, what's new with you?" *

Taneesha was hoping to find some new clothes, but all Moira had for sale today was a wanderer-styled Wasteland outfit, which cost three caps. Not nearly as stylish as her green & yellow Prewar dress, but at least these new clothes would be more comfortable to prowl in.

"Good hunting!" Moira said with her smiling Midwest accent.

Yeah. Hunting. If only Moira Brown knew the implications of that. "I'll just browse around a bit," Taneesha said. "If you don't mind?"

"Take care! It's a big Wasteland out there, but you know better than me!"

Taneesha nodded, then began to mosey about the store. She made little noises as she glanced at a variety of useless items. "Ooh, very nice." A toy car. A plate. A coffee urn, and so on. Outside, it had begun to rain, which was perfect. Maybe the sound of water dancing all over Craterside's tin roof would dampen the sound of Taneesha's stylish (but noisy) yellow shoes. She browsed all around the store's lower area: its shelves, tables, and counters. Found nothing, not that she expected to.

"Leave me out of that girl's crazy experiments," said Moira's hired guard as the raider-in-disguise walked by. "I don't get paid enough for that."

Taneesha chuckled, before walking into the next room, then crouching down. Here was a bed and a locker, probably where the shop's guard slept. Taneesha sensed that she was not being watched, so she searched inside the locker. It contained nothing at all. There were also a few metal boxes in this area, and she did find a Prewar bill in one of them. But she left this alone. Stealing is wrong, she believed, and not just because the Bible says so, or Charles Taze Young said so. She was only going for the bonds, IF they existed, and only because she kept telling herself they had to be worthless.

"Stupid Dogmaster. The *cluck* am I doing here in this shop?"

She went slowly up to Craterside's second floor, cursing her non-whispering shoes. Making sure to keep out of eyesight from Moira and her guard. Again, there were more metal boxes up here, more shelves, and more lockers to search. Again, she did locate a few items which any ordinary thief could easily plunder. But she chose not to take these.

But then finally, something! There was a note placed squarely on the middle of a small round table, and under this note was a goshdarn God-forsaken bearer bond. So they did exist! Surprisingly, the bond was not a mere document, it was a series of them, bound into a small booklet Taneesha's heart began to race as she removed the note and the bond, and placed them into her purse. She then stopped crouching, and calmly walked out of Craterside Supply.

"Be careful out there!" Moira called, always cheerful.

Outside it was raining hard, so she rushed over to Moriarty's, and bought herself a beer. Sat next to Lucy West, who seemed to be somewhat of a fixture here in Megaton's sole tavern. After a few usual plesantries with her new housemate, Taneesha fished in her purse, and opened Moira's note.






3:46 PM

"What's that you got there?" asked Lucy as her housemate began to read.

"Oh, just this note I found in some trash. I dunno. I like snooping around a bit. Bad habit, I guess."

From that point on, she decided not to elaborate. Telling one lie was bad enough. Telling a slew of them could lead to bad things. She uncreased the note, and began to read. What she learned (what Moira had written down) surprised her.

My my!

I can't believe that I got my hands on one of the actual bearer bonds! Two of them, actually! That adventurer had no idea these aren't ordinary pre-war books.

From what I read about life before the Great War, these bonds achieved wide popularity in some show called the Wire! Unbelievable!

I have a feeling however, that I'm not the only one in Megaton in possession of bonds. I could swear that I heard Jericho has one. Also, I heard that Moriarty was wildly angry the other day. Apparently, some prostitute escaped from him, and stole a bunch of things as well. Rumor is, he had a bond in his possession at the time.

And of course, there's the local Don. He has always been nutty, but his condition became severely worse in the past two weeks, after his mother Martha passed away from falling down some stairs. He's been more and more paranoid, always dressed like a child, playing with his rolling pin. The other day he was in my store, asking me about bonds. What is going on here?

He became very provocative with his hard-to-understand questions, so my guard ordered him to leave.

If it happens one more time, I'm going to report him to Simms. I wouldn't want for Don to know, but I now own two of these bearer bonds. He seems very unpredictable to me.

Taneesha Jones folded the note, and put it back in her purse. Satisfied. She now had three clues of places to go to: Jericho's place was right here in town. Silver, the prostitute who had recently fled from Moriarty, lived just outside of town; just across from Springvale School, in fact. And finally, there was this "Don" guy. Taneesha did not know whom this could be, but at least she had three directions to now go in, when just a few hours ago she had nothing.

Actually, four clues, if she could locate the second bond Moira described in her note.

She spent the rest of the day waiting for the rain to stop. Then she decided to walk back to the ancient bus where she'd stored her raider gear. She put her raider-styled armor on, then walked back to Springvale Elementary School.

----------------------------

Lucy West's home

My casa is your casa

Lockpicking close-up

Taneesha the Trespasser

Moira's Note and Bond

You have lost Karma! (but advanced the quest)


Notes: *When Moira Brown said that 'radroach meat' greeting, I have never heard that one before!

I just realized that Miss V is a supervillain. She has her Villain identity as Miss Vicious, and her secret identity as Taneesha. She goes back and forth with no one knowing that both are the same woman!

A frightful moment in the dear departed Mr. Burke's house. Thankfully it was just a false alarm.

None of my characters have ever eaten radroach. Not even Loviatar! Old feet indeed!

She found one!

Great reference to The Wire. I never watched it. I take it they had some episodes on bearer bond theft?

The local Don sounds like a lunatic. I wonder who that might be based on?

I got a chuckle out of Taneesha's conscience wrestling with those pesky property ownership customs.

Lose the shoes for sneaking, girl!

Well, looks like she found a bond - and gathered some clues for more as well.

I also wonder who this Don might be. And he walks around playing with a rolling pin? Oh my!

No bonds in the church? Odd, I'd expect that the mad priests would have had at least one.

Rosa: Good observation about being a supervillain. I hadn't thought of it that way, and I don't think she's quite to that status yet. But there is some truth that she can become a supervillian if she continues on the path she's on now.

The way I see it, she is like so many teenagers her age. Doing some things right, but getting twice as many things wrong. Trying to figure herself out, and so on. I have seen so many kids like this, even in the suburban neighborhood we live in.

Oh gosh. I wonder if any of mine have eaten radroach meat. Probably no in Fallout 3, but in New Vegas it IS possible. I use Hardcore mode in that game, and food gets scarce sometimes... blecch.


Paladin: Glad to make you chuckle. Yes again that goes back to the teenage thing. She's trying to convince herself that it's "okay" to steal, basically.

And yah, she really does need a good sneaky outfit.


Slovenia Guy: YOU are wondering who the Don might be??? But YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WROTE THE NOTE!!!

Hey, it said something about that show The Wire in Moira's Note. How do you know about this show?

Chapter 31: Sara Silver

Date: Friday, 09.07.77, 7:53 PM

Location: Springvale Elementary


"Yo Vicious. Hey, uh, you. You is back! So how's that hunt coming? You... you find any of them bonds yet?"

"I sure did, Rick. Have a look at this!"

"Hey, well hey. Look at that." Slick Rick stumbled off of his bedroll. He appeared to Vicious to be drunk. "You. You got us a bond there, sister. Ah, looky that there! Dogmaster, he gonna be proud! You's is .... you's a soldier, Vicious!"

Vicious took a moment to gloat in Springvale school's darkness before moving her agenda for the evening along to the next topic on her mind. "So. Next mission," she said. "What else you got for me?"

"What else? ... Hey, nooo .... nuh-uh," said Slick. "You ain't ready for no nother mission,. You ain't done with this here uh.. current one, yet."

"What you mean I ain't done yet? I done found you a genuine bond. Bound and typed some two-hundred years ago. Can't you use just that? ... Just copy that one. Don't Dogmaster hide himself in some old office park? If so, they should have a printing machine, or one of those copier machines. I seen a few of them still work, you know? Just make some copies."

But Slick Rick shook his head. "N-n-no, honey, t-that ain't gonna work. So you. You gonna haveta go out there, and uh... get more."

"MORE?" her voice echoed in the school's messy hallways.

Slick Rick flinched, a bit of fog getting blown from his head. "Yo, like uh. Calm down, Vicious." He put a hand to his forehead, as though fearing the onset of hangover.

"This is *bullcrap*." The raider stomped her feet. "I want a new mission! Send me into enemy territory, or something. Come on! I am ready to bust some heads, man!"

A small crowd of raiders had gathered at the far end of the hallway they were in. Layabouts, curious and listening. So Slick Rick motioned for her to move into another room, then he lowered his voice. "Oh yeah, I heard .. heard about your new gun," he smirked confidentially. "Don't worry, I ain't ... ain't gonna tell nobody," he winked.

"Good. Make sure you don't."

"So you's... you can like, stun somebody, without acturraly killing them, eh?"

Vicious said nothing at first. Then she answered. "Whatever you want to believe, Slick. Like I said, I am ready for something more dangerous, and daring."

"Well that. That comes later. Right now you, you gotta find more bonds, Vicious. There's more out there. Go find them, uh... please."

"Pfft. Whatever."

She sighed and turned, and began walking away. In her head, she knew her boss was right, and in fact she was eager to find more. She was enjoying this current mission, despite all her complaints.

"Like FIVE more, Vicious!" Slick called after her. "You find five, and then we can talk!"

"Whatever."

She had enjoyed sneaking around Megaton, and was looking forward to more. But there was no way she'd ever admit this to Slick. Just because.

Vicious walked back to her classroom, closed tthe door. Walked to her teacher's desk, and had a seat. Checked inside the desk's drawers. All 900 caps were still crammed inside. And so were a couple syringes of morphine.

"And now class," she said to the two dozen imaginary students sitting before her. "You are dismissed. Bon voyage. Have a great weekend. Tell your parents, if you still have parents, that you love them."

She had enjoyed her hunt up till now, but had also dealt with a great deal of stress because of it. Miss Vicious needed for the rest of the night to become a big blur. After inserting and plunging one of the syringes, that's sort of what she got.




Friday, 10:35 PM
But the chem's effect didn't last as long as she thought it would.

Vicious staggered out of her bedroll a couple hours later. Slapped herself a couple times to wake up. Had a beer and some Blamco Mac & Cheese for dinner, then left Springvale school. Time to get to work. She walked south toward Megaton, and made a right over to Silver's house when the road forked. Silver lived in a one-story ranch house by herself. Apparently, she had once been a prostitute, working for Moriarty.

As she got closer to Silver's home Vicious hunkered down, then crept the rest of the way, praciting her sneaking skills. She thought for a moment about changing outfits, But decided to continue wearing her raider armor, rather than switching to the new clothes she had bought earlier at Craterside. Yes, keeping her raider gear on seemed like the better choice. This way, if she got caught by Silver, it would be a raider who'd broke into Silver's place, not a Megaton socialitie who more and more people were getting to know as Taneesha Jones.

She looked at her Pip Girl 2500 Personal Information Device, which said 11:03 PM. Would it be okay to break into Silver's place now? Or should she wait another hour. Vicious lit a ciggie, pondering this.

"I mean, this Silver lady is a hooker, or was one," Vicious said aloud. "What time do hookers go to bed? ...Whores stay up all night, sometimes."

Whores, hookers, dancers. Suddenly, she was thinking of Bratty, who had gone down to Dukov's a few days ago. What the heck was going on down there? Nothing good, Vicious assumed. She took a few minutes to finish smoking her Lucky before approaching Silver's door. Then, she went inside, creeping all the while.

She didn't have to worry about breaking in; Silver's door was unlocked, so Vicious slipped right inside. But just a moment after entering, the home's owner was right there in front of her.

"Who the hell are you? Where'd you come from? Did Moriarty send you?"

Silver's hair was silver, Vicious noticed. The color of an old woman's hair, despite the fact that Sara Silver appeared to be young. "Uh, I could ask you the same question," Vicious said, fidgeting, her stun gun just a grab away. "This here's my friend's place. So who the hell are you?" But maybe she would not need to taze the lady. Or use any sort of weapon at all. Silver hadn't attacked yet, or anything.

"Well?" asked Silver.

"All right look," Vicious paused. "Sorry to bother you. This seems to be the wrong house." She paused again, thinking maybe it would be a good idea to change the subject. "Moriarty, eh? So, what's this you said about Moriarty?"

"Colin Moriarty," Silver fired off the man's name like she'd squash a bug. "The owner of Moriarty's Saloon in Megaton. That sack of *cakka* is convinced that I'm some crazy junkie who stole money from him."

"Right. Colin Moriarty. I know him." Miss Vicious took another moment. Wasn't Silver surprised to see a literal raider in her home? Apparently not. "Yeah, I've seen Moriarty bossing Nova arond. That man's a *rooster* hair."

"Look, I used to work for that slob," Silver explained. "Doing... you know... favors for guys. Well I got sick and tired of it. I told Moriarty I'm taking the caps, and leaving. I even slept with the pig to seal the deal. Next morning he tells me I couldn't leave!"

"Oh .... damn!" Vicious hoped she sounded sympathetic. Stalling for time. She hadn't been asked to leave yet, after all. "So what'd you do next?"

"So I bolted! Took my money and ran. Now he's branded me a thief and a junkie. And says he's gonna send his cronies to find me! Guess I need to find a new hiding place."

"Maybe I can help you move somewhere else," Vicious said, thinking on her feet. "You know, there are some other places out there. Heck, maybe you could come with me to Big Town. I'd take you there, then I'd say to that jerk Moriarty you are gone. I'd tell him maybe I'd come looking for you, trying to hook you up with some john, but you ain't in this house no more."

"You'd do that for me? You don't even know me. Thanks kid," Silver said. "You watch yourself out there."

"Sure, and here's what--" Vicious started to say, but Sara Silver turned the corner out of her kitchen, and walked into the next room. The raider peeked around the corner, only to see Silver had just gone to bed.

"Okay. Was gonna say we can leave tomorrow for Big Town but..."

From that moment Vicious wasted no time. She checked her Pip Girl again. Close to midnight, now.

Now was the time to get to work. Vicious moved back into Silver's kitchen, and began searching drawers. The oven. The refrigerator. All the while, Silver's radio blared the Enclave channel. Enclave Radio was the more conservative of the Wasteland's two major radio stations. Tonight, John Henry Eden (Enclave's only disc jockey) was playing his usual traditional American music. Some song Vicious had heard before, but had no idea what its name was. Horns honking and snare drums tapping, probably played during the 4th of July, and other such United States holidays. Though the music was distracting, Vicious left the radio on. Perhaps it would make her footfalls and movements more difficult for Silver to discern.

There was nothing to find in the kitchen, so Vicious moved into the next room, which was a combination living room / bedroom. Again, she found plenty of things she could easily steal and sell for caps, but she left these objects alone.

"... when I was a boy growing up in dear old Kentucky" John Henry Eden droned in his 1950s broadcast-era voice, "I had the best friend a boy could hope for. My dog. Honey. O-ho-ho, the adventures we had..."

Vicious stifled a sneeze as she risked her flashlight. She began searching a drawer top which stretched half the length of the room, ending close to Silver's feet. She moved slowly as she searched. A pile of papers. A bottle of Nuka Cola. A random fork...

"....irresponsible. And completely... inseperable. It was, for a little while, a perfect existence. So, let me ask you America, how many of your children, can say the same?"

"Ohmygod!"

It was at that moment Vicious found the next bearer bond, located right in front of Silver's radio.

"... How many of this nation's citzens are truly happy?" Eden's voice had risen. "Truly .. carefree? Well we both koow the answer, don't we?"

Vicious grabbed for the bond, but then paused. Overwhelming guilt. This caused her to stop a brown hand from thieving. I mean, the lady who she'd just been talking to was right there next to her, lying peacefully in bed. There was just something... not good about stealing from somebody you've just made pleasant conversation with.

"... America's children live in a terrifying, meaningless existence. There IS no hope!..."

"Maybe I should come back later," Vicious muttered to herself.

..."The Enclave is going to ... rebuild this great nation..." Eaton rambled.

Suddenly, she did it. Moved into a spot just to the left of Silver's shoulder blades which seemed more shadowy. Got up on her tippy-toes, reached over. And took the next bearer bond, right off of Silver's counter. As she did so, Vicious thought she could hear the sound of disappontment. An off-tune sort of sound, ringing in her consciousness.

..."Until we meet again. This is President Eden. Signing off."

And this is exactly what Miss Vicious Delicious did after leaving the home of Sara Silver. She signed off. With a little help of more morphine from her teacher's desk, she took both syringes, one after the other, blotted herself into a virtual non-existence for the next several hours, It was the only way she was going to make it through the rest of this mission, thought she.


-----------------------------

Yet another wayward Wastelander meets his demise in raider territory!

Slick Rick wants more

Sara Silver's Ranch Home

BUSTED!

Vicious offers to help

The second Bearer Bond

You told me about The Wire.

Did I write that note? You sure?

Anyway, congrats on finding the second bearer bond, I enjoyed the story from the President in between the search for the BB. Oh and I also liked the censored swear words.

The President's name, however, is Eden, I believe.

That's odd. Why would I tell you about The Wire? It's a good show, in fact I am halfway through Season 4. Well, we talk about just about everything, so that's probably why.

Thanks for pointing out John Henry Eden instead of Eaton. I corrected them all just now.

Slick Rick sounds like he is tripping balls!

Miss V is now juggling her identities like every other superhero. Do I do this as Bruce Wayne? Or at Batman?

I love how you interspersed Miss V's discovery of the bond with President Eden's broadcast. That was a nice touch.

Uh oh, Miss V is feeling guilty. That is not a good sign in a Raider. She might be in the wrong line of work.

Like SubRosa said, it was a nice touch alternating between the radio and Taneesah's actions. Yeah, she was quite struggling with stealing from Silver.

Lopov: Yes, the second bond has been found. Every time I find one of these I get a little rush. They are like little confidence boosters. Like an Easter Egg hunt for adult gamers.



HA HA H AHAHA AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HA HA HA!!! This quote made my day!!! Whoo!

Just for background's sake, the inconsistent way Slick Rick speaks (more lucid some days, totally wacked on others) is based on a real-life guy I used to work with long ago. Guy was all messed up some days, although I can't say for sure if he ever used lysergic dietthylamide acid. Or shrooms.


Acadian & SubRosa: Thanks for the kind words on her juggling identities and mixing the radio broadcast with the final moments. Silver's radio was blaring as I wrote all that so, me getting into my character's head (while feeling her anxiety) sort of built that scene toward the end.

Yes, she is in the wrong line of work, that is true. She's 19 though, basically still a kid. She had a religious background but (as we'll see maybe) rebelled against it She's basically struggling between her upbringing, and all the lowlifes she's been taken in with, in the largely moral-less Capital Wasteland.

Basically, we all made some questionable choices in those years as we try to figure it all out.

RaderOfTheLostArk: Uh oh, no RaderOfTheLostArk

I have no idea what you are talking about.

He'll take you up, he'll bring you down,
He'll plant your feet back on the ground.
He'll fly so high, he'll swoop so low.
Timothy Leary.

Chapter 32: Jericho

Date: Sunday, September 9, 2277, 2:17 PM

Minimum Temperature: 63.0 °F
Maximum Temperature: 81.0 °F

Location: Megaton's plaza


Next target for Taneesha was Jericho. One active raider, planning to prowl the place belonging to one former raider. Jericho would be of particular interest for Taneesha. Who exactly was he? Who was this dude, this bully who went around verbally abusing half of Megaton's adult population? One thing's for sure. Taneesha Jones was about to find out.

...Problem though. Where exactly did Jericho live?

Taneesha slogged out of bed when she felt like it, got her gear together, and left Springvale school. Changed out of her raider armor into an outfit of lighter clothes made of brahmin skin. Not exactly a stylin' Prewar dress like the one she'd previously worn into town. Lately she'd been rocking the clothes of a socialite, but was now dressed like a sharecropper.

Nevertheless, she was ready for the day.

Back in town, she searched for Jericho's place. Taneesha's plan was to break into his home during daylight hours. Jericho always seemed to be walking about town during the day, threatening and terrorizing its inhabitants. Often, he'd end his daily stroll with a stop next to Brass Lantern. There, he'd give poor Jenny Stahl a hard time.

So Taneesha knew his daily habits. Problem was, she couldn't find the bully's home. And today, Jericho himself was nowhere to be seen. But one is not successful at missions unless one's got the ability to think on his or her feet. Time for a new plan.

Step one. Her new idea was to wait until the *bunghole* showed up. ... Step two: she'd wait until he went home. She would wait all day if she had to. She would then follow the prick, find out where he lives. But she would not search his home then and there, right after he got home, and maybe went to bed. Why trundle through the den of a bear, when that bear has a daily habit of leaving? ... So, step three: the rest of her scheme stayed the same. She'd wait until he wasn't present before beginning her prowl. Heck, if she got there early enough, she'd have all day to perform her ... investigation.

But Jericho was not here today. Maybe because it was Sunday. Was the bully also religious?

"Anything's possible," Taneesha muttered.

After loitering around the Brass Lantern for a couple hours, eating and smoking and drinking Nuka Cola, the prospective prowler was getting seriously bored. She decided to search Church of Atom. Maybe the lowlife had become recently religious, and had recently joined. Maybe he'd be in there right now, praying to that stupid bomb.

"Let the men, women, and children come forth, to behold the power of Atom..." Confessor Cromwell lectured to his followers, almost as if on cue.

Taneesha Jones double-checked to make sure Jericho wasn't standing right there in front of her, mesmerized by Cromwell's sermon. He wasn't, so she moved into the church itself. Moved through all its rooms, especially scrutinizing its basement chapel. No Jericho.

"Hey it was worth a shot. Damn."

Speaking of shots, Taneesha decided to head over to Moriarty's and have a couple. Tomorrow was another day. Maybe Jericho would show up tomorrow.

"I mean, he always shows up. He always is just there," Taneesha said as she moseyed over to the bar. "Maybe tomorrow. Tomorrow's another day."

"See ya soon, drunkie," Gob the ghoul bartender said with a facial expression which could have been a smile, as Taneesha bought some brew.

Taneesha blushed as she took the beer to her usual spot next to Lucy West. "Say, you're becoming quite a fixture here!" Lucy quipped as her new housemate had a seat.

"Tomorrow's another day," Taneesha started, knowing Miss West would not exactly know what why and what. "A toast to tomorrow."

Good thing was, Taneesha did not need to wait until tomorrow to find the next bearer bond. After drinking for awhile and then going to Lucy West's house for a few hours of sleep, Taneesha returned to Moriarty's around midnight. She searched its back room, where Colin Moriarty had his office. In a crate (and under a holotape and a chessboard) she attained her third document.

"Two more to go," she smiled, looking forward to whatever Dogmaster had planned for her next. "Bring it on, bubs!"




Monday, September 10, Noon
Again, it seemed Jericho was one huge no-show. Maybe he'd gotten killed! Maybe his rampantly runny mouth had run all over the wrong tough guy, or tough gal. And he was dead in some ditch by now. Again, Taneesha got bored. Though she had eaten at Brass Lantern several times by now, she'd never realized that the eatery had an indoor cafeteria as well until now. On a whim, she decided to search inside this area as well....

"Got somethin' to say me kid?"

... and was surprised to find the ruffian right there inside. In fact, he was leaving. He was going out while was coming in.

Taneesha followed Jericho outside. Immediately, the guy began giving Jenny Stahl some trouble. "Jenny, you're looking fine today. Why don't you give a man something sweet to eat." And when that didn't seem to go anywhere, "What's your problem, anyway?"

"Don't play stupid with me Jericho," Jenny said to him, annoyed. "You know what my problem is."

"Look Jenny, that was years ago," Jericho whined. "I'm a different man now."

"People don't change Jericho. Now order something, or move on."

Jericho did not have a reply to this, so Taneesha stepped in. "Say man, what's your deal? Why you always gotta be giving her a hard time?"

"Huh? Look," Jericho spat. "Another one of you wasteland *bungholes*." He lit a cigarette, blowing smoke straight at her. "I don't like you. Stay away from me, and we'll have no trouble."

"Oh, so you don't want trouble. Coulda fooled me." Taneesha kept her tone of voice conversational as she slung her tough talk. Not trying to draw any attention, except from the douchebag standing before her. "What, you don't like that when a girl talks back to you? Because nobody talks back to you here in town."

"None of your *ducking* business."

"So, this is what you do all day. You couldn't handle it out there with the raiders and the deathclaws, so all you do is give us townies *crap* all day. ... Oh yeah, I know a few things about you," she bluffed. "'Cause it's easy to abuse and mock upon those who are weaker than you. Mm hmm. Tell me it ain't so, you ugly yao-guai-lookin' mother *clucker*."

Go ahead, try and take your fist to me, loser, she thought in the silence which followed. I got my Tazer ready for you. ... She honestly had no idea how crime worked now in Megaton; it wasn't like there were rules posted anywhere. Would she get arrested if she buzzed him with her gun? Even if he started it? Would Megaton's officer arrest the man if a brawl occurred? ... Or was he too much of a fixture here in town, somebody above Megaton's new laws? She'd wind up cooling her heels in jail while Jericho continued his daily menace. Hmph.

"Heh, yeh right," said Jericho, folding his arms. "I don't think so."

"Well I do. Go ahead. Come at me, fool. See where you wind up." Taneesha continued to keep her voice low, so that maybe Jenny Stahl could hear her, but no one else. "I got you, any time. Right here, right now, in fact. You want somebody to pick on? Here I am."

"You're joking right?" the meanie shrugged her off. "Come back when you got some fight in you. Until then, save your threats."

Taneesha nodded, and backed off. Now was not the time. If either he or her started a fight right here, chances are either or both of them could get arrested. It seemed Jericho already knew this. Taneesha smiled, suddenly realizing her heart was racing. Ready to go. But also, she was thinking she'd just dodged a bullet. Her mission today was not to get into some huge mess with the barn troll, it was to figure out where he lived.

...But it sure felt good telling Jericho to go stuff himself! She took a moment to feel the pride.

Taneesha walked to Jenny's side. As she did so she patted the cheap-looking gun at her side, and made sure Jericho saw her do it.


--------------------

Confessor Cromwell's Congregation

Pounding Pilsner

Bond, Third Bond -- (nice try, Lopov!)

More XP! Come on Level 5!

Tough Talk

"Oh look, another one of you Wasteland *bungholes*...."



Confronting

Taneesha is going on her secret ID once more. She is on a stealth mission, like Batman wearing a disguise to infiltrate a criminal ring.

Uh oh, the scumbag Jericho is not cooperating! Maybe he is passed out in Moriarity's saloon?

Hah! She scored a bond from Moriarity. She should have left a bottlecap mine in its place...

It took me a long time to realize you could go into the Brass Lantern as well. Most of my characters never do.

Now she found him, and MVD is picking a fight! I guess you still get the town turned against you if you kill him. I never tried.

A long time ago I also had a character that wanted to talk to Jericho about something and couldn't find his home either.

Looks like Colin didn't hide the bearer bond good enough. The good thing is that he'll probably blame the theft on Silver.

Jericho is provocative but he won't allow to be provoked.

Now follow that bunghole, Taneesha Jones!

Bond number three! Woot!

You go, girl! Give that Jerrico bully his attitude back with interest!

Somehow, she's got to still figure out where the dude lives. . . being real low key oughta do it. . . oh, wait. . . .

Acadian -- Yes indeed, somebody has to stand up to Jericho. And that someone is my character. There are a couple others she'll maybe give the same treatment in town; Moriarty himself can be a real ass.

I am glad you seem to have enjoyed the showdown between those two!


Lopov -- First of all, happy 34th to you. I hope you had a good one, and your silence here in the forums this weekend tells me you're probably inundated within your family.

In fact, Jericho's home is really easy to find, and obvious. But I messed up something in the GECK because I duplicated his home to be Megaton's Jail. After duplicating, I somehow erased Jericho's Home, so that now his home hasn't got anybody's name on it. In RP terms of course, this worked out perfectly. Because why would he want his home's name displayed to the public? And yes, she's about to follow that *bunghole*.


SubRosa -- Oh yea, she is definitely getting the hang of subterfuge by now.

I have no idea what would happen if Taneesha became vicious, and attacked him out in the open. You have to also remember that in my Megaton, it is possible to get arrested if somebody picks a fight, and the Player is the one who instigated that fight.

That is why I was sort of *hoping* Jericho would lose his cool, and began trying to beat my toon in the process. Part of me was curious to see what would happen. But after exploring all dialog options with him, all it leads to is a bunch of fluff & tough talk. No action.

A bottlecap mine for Moriarty? We'll see what we can do.

Chapter 33: Bonds, more Bonds.

Date: Monday, September 10, 2277, 6:36 PM

Location: Megaton

It took three hours of waiting, three hours of stare-downs and casual taunts and insults between Megaton's bully and Taneesha Jones. Jenny Stahl maintained her cool as she served a few customers. Confessor Cromwell continued to preach. Lucas Simms and Megaton's law enforcement lady stayed out of the simmering feud happening right in front of them, as well they should. For a long time now, everyone had tolerated Jericho's behavior. Why couldn't somebody in town take initiative and do something about him?

Finally, Jericho seemed to have enough. Taneesha was gulping down a Nuka Cola when all a sudden, the former raider abruptly turned, and began walking up the ramp adjacent to Brass Lantern. Miss Jones waited a moment, then followed him up the ramp.

Jericho sauntered slowly --cloop, cloop, cloop-- until he came to Lucy West's outdoor patio. Here he had a choice: keep walking straight, or turn left, continuing up another ramp. Jericho turned left. Taneesha followed. The bully walked until he came to a metal hut. By now, both he and Taneesha were two stories up, directly above The Brass Lantern. He opened the hut's door, and went inside. Taneesha shook her head, wondering how she could have missed this door, which she was sure she had checked at least twice.

She walked over to his door.

"A-ha."

It's because Jericho's home was not listed as Jericho's home., Taneesha noted. The door's placard was blank, in fact.

"Nice."

As much as she despised the man, she had to admit living in an unlisted house was clever, for somebody of his reputation. Anybody coming into town looking for him would not just be able to surprise him in his own hut.

"In any event, the fool's back home. Don't know if he's sleeping or not, but all I gotta do now is wait 'til he's out, again. Out and about."

She squatted down, groaning in her uncomfortable shoes, and checked his lock with one of her hair pins. The pin was inserted the until she felt resistance. In a matter of seconds, she'd determined that his home would not be so hard to break into.

"Time to move on, I guess."

During the last couple days, Taneesha had been itching to get back out into the Wasteland again. Itching to go find some place to raid. Last time she'd checked her stash of caps back in Springvale, she was surprised to find she'd already spent more than 300 over the past few days. Some of these 300 caps were for necessary expenses, such as food and clothes. But she'd also been spending money on booze and chems, specifically sedatives. Here is where the bulk of her savings had gone.

Because of this, she would need to either curtail her spending, maybe even seek a cure from Doc Church. Or return to the Capital Wasteland, where a lot of caps could be earned, especially if she looted the right hideout. She felt herself edging toward Option Two.

"Let me just find one more of these bonds," she told herself. "After that, you can go and have whatever fun in the Wasteland you desire."




8:32 PM
Find another bearer bond? She didn't have to wait long.

She wanted to be thorough about her searching. Who knew when Jericho might emerge from his lair? So she returned to Brass Lantern's indoor cafeteria area, which had more rooms than she'd previously thought.

The initial eatery area did not yield any bonds of course, but deeper inside the place were a couple bedrooms, an upper bedroom and a lower one. In the upstairs section, Taneesha found the fourth bond. It was right in the open, on a bookshelf. Nobody around. Easy to snatch.

She removed the document from its shelf, then returned downstairs, grinning. To celebrate, she bought a bowl of Sugar Bombs from Brass Lantern's indoor chef, and had some proper dessert.

Next, she returned to Lucy West's place. Changed clothes from green 'n' lean to brahmin skin blah. She chose to head to Moriarty's, to celebrate further. Lucy West was in her usual spot, of course; the two ladies sat in their usual seats.

After a couple of drinks, Taneesha decided it wouldn't hurt to prowl the place's upstairs rooms. Maybe Nova, the tavern's prostitute, had a bearer bond hidden in her room. Though Taneesha was feeling the onset of drunkeness by now, maybe she could still pick the lock to Nova's room. Risky, but hey.

She did not have to go that far. Bond number five was located in one of the bar's upstairs rooms (not Nova's) and this room was unlocked. Again, it was not hidden, in fact was placed in plain sight, right atop an open table.

"Oh ... yessh!" she slurred, while her vision blurred. "Come to meee, mama!"

The alcohol was talking by now, and Taneesha had to steady herself as she stole bond number five. She squealed a little right then, knowing she had completed her mission. Slick Rick said all she needed to do was find five of these damn things, and now she had done so. Dealing with Jericho would not be necessary! Maybe she'd still mess with the man some time in the future, but she would not need to case his place.

Time to head back to Springvale Elementary. Time to get paid, and then Capital Wasteland, here we come!





Tuesday, September 11, 12:32 PM

Back to Springvale. Vicious returned to the school with an extra strut him her step. "Just the man I'm looking for. How ya doin' Slick?"

"Hey there girl. Whatta surprise." Today Slick did not seem so torn up on whatever he was on a couple days' previous. "How's them bonds been comin? Got any more for me, er, us?"

"Oh yes. I do got something here for you. Five of them, actually." Vicious opened her backpack, and spilled all five ancient American documents upon a low table. "So what's next? You guys want me to go shoot down some super mutants? Glam on some ghouls? Heck, maybe you want me to electrocute some Enclave?"

"Uh, did I say five?" Slick folded his arms. "I really meant ten. Yas. Ten. 'Cause Dogmaster already knows there is more out there." He shook his head. "So no five. Yes, ten. ... Hey, uh. Hey! ... What is you doing?"

"I'm going to *smuck* you up Slick Rick, right here, right now. That is what I'm doing."

"Hey, uh... whoa. Put that down, Vicious!"

"Say hello to some watts and voltage, you dork."

By now, Vicious had unholstered her Tazer, pointed it straight at him. "You little twisty-nosed twerp!" But then Springvale's chem dealer walked up, curious about what was happening. He paused, stared, put his arms up in an 'I don't want anything to do with this' sort of gesture, and walked out. Because of this, Taneesha remembered. Her stun gun. She was trying to keep it a secret.

"Yeah, okay, that's better Vicious. Put that thing away." Slick Rick made a sweeping motion across his brow. "Whoo, girl, relax."

"Oh I am relaxed," she said. "You should see me when I'm not."

"Yeah, well. Ain't nothing I can do about this one," he said, lighting a cig. "The Dog wants what he wants. Come on now, you can do this, cantcha? Just a little more, hey! This time, I promise."

Taneesha grabbed her bag, and stomped away. Stormed down the hallway, down some stairs, and into her classroom. Threw her bag across the room. Walked over to her teacher's desk, and lit a cig of her own. Sat there fuming.

"Those cheap mothers," she growled, contemplating whether she should jam some Thorazine. "I hate them!"

She started on a bottle of scotch instead. Thorazine was expensive after all, and she needed to start conserving her caps.

She grabbed her Pip Girl 2500, clicked its radio on, and dialed for Galaxy News Radio. Three Dog was in the middle of one of his silly rants, something about the Enclave this time. Vicious puffed on her cig, Vicious gulped on her scotch. She began to feel a little more relaxed. Out in the hallway, a couple of raiders were arguing about something. Oddly, this caused her to kick back and relax.

"This will be okay, Taneesha," she said slowly. "Everything will be fine. Deep breaths, girl."

But then Three Dog began talking about the wasteland's latest news. And what he had to say had her bolting red-hot out of her seat.

-----------------------------------------

Jericho on the move

Taneesha on the prowl

Jericho's hut

Bond number 4

And Bond number 5 -- (She was drunk by now!)

"Did I say five? I really meant ten."

"Hey, whoa, whoa!"

I think this is for the first time that we see Taneesha Jones actually pissed off.

She's doing a great job with those bonds.

I wonder what did Three Dog say.

Taneesha made Jericho run home! Now she knows where his lair is. Ready for some ninja action later.

Whoa, Miss V is on a drunken roll in collecting bonds. What is she going to find next Barry Bonds? James Bond?

The Dog wants what he wants. Now that is a true statement in any context...

Uh oh, what is the Wasteland's latest news? Has that Cho Zen Wan been up to more good deeds?

How do I get one of those clever unlisted houses?

Thieving while drunk and wearing a pretty green dress with heels is generally not advised but Miss VD somehow pulls it off.

Ten?!? Ohhhhh – VD’s initial fury yielded to some pretty impressive restraint. Grrrr.

The unlisted house was a mistake, Acadian! I did some 'work' in the GECK last year, duplicated Jericho's home, and somehow erased the Name part of Jericho's original home. In terms of this story of course, it worked out perfectly. But behind the scenes things got hectic on my end, as I wondered where he's supposed to live. Does he leave town to go home? That did not make sense.

In the end, I did not cheat on Fandom, but I did have to have a look back in the GECK, which is sort of still cheating. If I'd gone on Fandom though, I would have really gotten mad at myself.

Taneesha is definitely returning to Jericho's home. She (and I) really think one of those bonds are hidden in there.

Rosa: eventually Vicious will meet "the Dog" but that's going to be way in the future. In 2022, for sure. Then we'll see why it says "the dog wants what he wants..."

Thank you Lopov. From your perspective I bet you're enjoying this as we blunder & bumble around. Now let's see what the heck Three Dog had to say...

To all: I am trying something new in this chapter. I hope it's not too nauseating!

As we last saw, Taneesha "Vicious Delicious" Jones returned to Springvale Elementary School carrying five of the bonds required for her to finish her current mission. She expected to get paid, and move on to something else. But Slick Rick informed her she needs to get at least five MORE documents before she can receive a new mission. This caused Vicious to become enraged, and storm away from her immediate boss.

Now... we find her tucked away in her teacher's classroom, suddenly interrupted by something she's heard on the radio. Whatever it is, this news has caused her to jolt straight out of her chair, alarmed and outraged.


Chapter 33: The Latest News

Date: Tuesday, September 11, 2:02 PM

Minimum Temperature: 54.0 °F
Maximum Temperature: 87.1 °F

Location: Springvale Elementary School





Vicious Delicious was calm and laid-back in her teacher's chair, sipping her scotch and smoking her cig. Trying to cool off after a heated exchange with the Spingvale school raider's lame lieutenant, Slick Rick. To further help herself relax, she turned her Pip Girl's radio on, and dialed for Galaxy News Radio.

"...time to be electrified, stupefied, energized, and enormified. This is Three Dog, owwwwww!" Galaxy's disc jockey chortled. " Radio Free Wasteland, for youuuuu, no matter how bad it hurts..."

As the scotch began its swimmy effect within her head, Vicious kicked her feet up on the desk, wondering if some teacher long ago did this very same thing during lunch breaks, when all the students were off to the playground.

"And now? Some news."

As per his custom as a professional announcer, Three Dog's voice went from goofy and grabby to grim and grave. The news began with some sort of rant about the Enclave, which Vicious listened to with half-an-ear. The Enclave were building up to some sort of showdown, with John Henry Eden subtly urging them on, yar-yar-yar. Something like that. Whatever it was, these events did not much affect the lives of raiders.

Vicious coughed.

Next topical item dealt with the 'kid from Vault 101'. Lately he'd been spotted up north, making some sort of headway in the village of Arefu, where things had gone silent and serious. Vicious smiled, thinking of Lucy West, her Megaton housemate. Lucy's family had been living in Arefu, which had some of its houses located on top of a half-broken, ancient highway overpass for reasons of safety. Hopefully there'd be some resolution there. Vicious waited patiently for Three Dog to kick on some Billy Holiday or Andrews Sisters, so she could start boogeying in her seat, and forget all about this mess with upper management.

But then, everything changed with the D.J.'s next few words, and her recreationally-enhanced relaxation was abruptly interrupted.

"Also across the wasteland, an attack on Dukov's domain..."

"What?" She swished her feet off the desk, and planted them on the floor carefully, so she would not miss a word. Ears open and alert.

"...Seems that rude and redemptified rascal known as Rattler has done some damage down at Dukov's. Reports are just coming in, but sadly, seems several girls down there have danced their last dance, and maybe escorted their last Lance. Rattler, that crude, crafty cannibal, has struck again...."

"No, goddammit, NO!!!"

"Dukov himself has been noted as having survived the onslaught, but just barely. According to reports, the whorehouse's top pimp was bled and bitten, but rescued by some unknown hero. In any event, it's sounding like Dukov the dame-peddler may need to recruit some new ... aah... talent. And Rattler? Where is the man so many love to fear, and fear to hate?"

"That ... *trucker!*" Vicious was pissed. "Screw the bonds mission, I need to get down to Dukov's."

There was an instant flurry of activity as she tried to do three things at once. Caps! Gun! Ammo! Food! She'd need to head down there as soon as possible, which meant NOW. But she'd also need to go prepared, for the walk across the Potomac would be riddled with enemies. Super mutants, centaurs, mirelurks, and so on. As she rushed about her classroom, checking her locker, checking her desk, checking the trashbin, her radio continued to operate.

..."Thanks for listening chill-dren, this is Three Dog, owwwwwww!" the onair jockey howled, smile back in his voice. "You're listening to Galaxy News Radio. And now, time for some music."

The sounds of Let's Go Sunning pervaded Vicious's classroom as she scrambled and fumbled and stressed about her upcoming journey.




Though she felt confident she could make it across the river and several miles down its other side by herself, Miss Vicious thought it would be wise to try to recruit somebody to join her. Her first thought was Sal the convict, the man she'd saved from becoming super mutant meat up in Germantown. Sal was still around. Over the past couple weeks he'd been living inside the school like so many others. Vicious also knew him to be somewhat of a teetotaler. He wasn't a drunk, nor any sort of addict. Getting locked up and almost munched upon had scared him straight, apparently. But Sal was also too timid. Too shellshocked. Still too afraid to go back out there.

The two dozen others who'd been staying within the school were also no-gos. Sure, some of them might initially decide to come along; going on raids was always a blast! Problem was, the average raiders (as a general rule) were unreliable layabouts. If they couldn't get rich, or drunk, or high within a few hours' travel, chances are she'd find herself walking alone.

Finally, she thought of Q Tip, the dude with the bleached white hair who had surprised her in Megaton's ladies room, then found her after she'd been released from jail. Q Tip might work. Vicious began searching for him. Sometimes locating a specific person in the school's darkened interior could be tough, but it didn't take long for Vicious to find him.

"Yo, whattup girl? How's that hunt for dem bonds been comin along?" He snickered, smacking his leg. Apparently, her earlier outburst had perhaps become a topic of gossip within the school.

Vicious ground her gums. This might not be so easy. "Q. Look. I need your help."

"Do you now?" He did some sort of weird movement with his hands. "The Q is always at the service of one pretty lady such as thou-self. And how can I assist?"

"Yeah, well, assist. Yeah." She paused a moment, thinking on her feet once again. "Listen. I was just listening to the news on my radio."

"Uh huh... your Pip Thingamabob has a radio, eh? Damn, how do I get one of those? Gotta get me one of those..."

"Yeah it does have a radio," she said, thinking again of how she was going to do this. "Now listen, fool. Pay attention. This is serious."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Right. Well it seems that guy Rattler has invaded Dukov's place. He killed a bunch of girls down there. Almost killed Dukov himself, though Three Dog says Dukov survived. But a bunch of girls definitely got offed. And maybe Bratty might of been one of them."

Q Tip said nothing, his jokey mood evaporating away.

"So." Vicious paused, thinking of how she might need to ask what she was about to ask. "And thing is, yeah, maybe she is dead. No, likely she is dead. Maybe a part of the brat is now in Rattler's ..." she stopped. Couldn't finish that particular thought.

"And you want ... my help?"

"Yeah. I gotta go down there. Either way, dead or alive, I gotta know. Because unlike all these other fools in here, Bratty was an actual friend."

"And you want.... my help."

"Yes I do. Will you come with me?"

"Whoa. Wait. Whaaat? Is you serious?" Q Tip shook his head, eyes bulging. "You heard about Rattler killin a bunch of sluts over in Dukov's whorehouse, and so you want to go down there, and you also want ME to come along with you?"

"So your ears do work, fool. And you apparently just heard me correct," Vicious said quietly.

Q Tip sat on a desk. "No. No! ... No thank you," he said, tapping the desk at each 'no' with one of his fingers. "I am comfortable right here, right in Springvale. And here in Springvale I shall stay." He raised his hand, and put three fingers to his lips. "You are only doing this-here hunt now in Megaton only 'cause I got busted. That was supposed to be my job. From the moment Dogmaster sought my talents, I been the Potomac raiders' Megaton agent, 'til you came along, a'course.

"Besides," the white-haired 'Megaton agent' continued, "that Rattler dude is no one to mess with. Heard he eats people, eats their blood, their flesh, even eats their hearts if he got the gumption. So uh... sorry Vicious, but no thanks."

Funny thing was, within the last few moments Vicious had expected "no" is exactly what Q Tip might say. He would reject her request, basically. So she reached into her head. She pulled a mental trump card out of an invisible deck, and laid it on the virtual table. "Please, Q Tip?"

"No."

"But ... you can be my boyfriend," she said shyly. She batted her eyes, and sauntered up to him. "Wanna be my boyfriend, Q Tip?"

Long ago during her childhood and into her teenage years, as she snuck centuries-old romance novels and comic books, she had read how men could be influenced by women through acts of temptation. Through sultry words and suggestive moves. Hell, even the Bible had its moments. But, being a young woman living in the Twenty-Third century Capital Wasteland who had been raised by Jehovah's Witnesses, she had no idea how this was actually done. Not that it mattered. Apparently, her suggestion immediately seemed to work.

"Uh, boyfriend?" Q Tip's face went from cragged to curious. "Uh. What does that mean?"

Yeah, Vicious, good question. What does that mean? She thought a quick moment before improvising an answer.

"It means.... you decide to come with me, and you can be my boyfriend. And I am now your girlfriend." She smiled, and attempted something with one of her hands upon his arm. What exactly she was trying to attempt, she had no idea. Hey, she'd been raised by Witnesses!

Q Tip spoke slowly, trying to comprehend. "So you are saying, if I go down to Dukov's whorehouse with you, that you and I are boyfriend and girlfriend. That exactly is what you are saying?"

Vicious felt some sort of shift in the room. Some sort of unseen electricity, as the guy before her changed his mind. It was almost like a bell went off, like she had done something correctly in the female department, even though she had little experience with love or romance. Q Tip was a cutie for sure, and this made it easier, of course. But she was improvising. Exerting her 'delicious' side, which was not as evolved as her 'vicious' side, this being the Capital Wasteland, and all. Maybe she was being a little manipulative too. Yes, Q Tip was a cutie, but at this moment she wasn't entirely sure she was being entirely geniune.

Was she?

"Well hell, girlfriend, let's go!" Q Tip slumped off the desk, suddenly a cowboy. Suddenly eager to rope some brahmin. "Where's my gun? Gotta find my gun first," he quipped eagerly. "I hope we do find him now, that Rattler fella. I'm gonna bust his head, if so. He ain't never gonna see us coming! ... Just let me get my things first."

"Sure, take your time," Miss Delicious said, trying to keep the worry out of her voice. What exactly had she just done?


---------------------------------------------

Let's Go Sunning (song)

Q Tip, convinced

--------------

Note: In Lopov's game, Rattler killed everyone in Dukov's I think, including Dukov himself. Or so Lopov tells me. Seems the snake didn't get all of them, after all.

Note 2: The moment when Vicious convinced Q Tip to come with her was made into one of those Speech Checks in the GECK. I made this an easy one, but still, there was a chance of failure there. Had he said "no" I would have honored this.

Note 3: As Cho does various parts of Blood Ties (the Arefu in-game vampire quest) I am setstaging it! So eventually things will subtly change in Vicious's world. Cho actually did these things in his own game.

Miss V is kicking back with a bottle of scotch, just like any other teacher!

Uh oh, Bratty is in trouble! I was wondering if you were going to tie in Rattler's attack on Dukov's place with your fic or not. Here is my answer. I wonder who that was that rescued Dukov? Maybe Bratty? Maybe the Stormcrow?

Looks like the Tip doesn't want any part of a Rattler crime-scene. It is hard to blame him. The Rattler has the entire Wasteland scared stiff.

Uh oh, Miss V is going all Jezebel on the Tip. He doesn't stand a chance now.

Miss VD doesn't actually have very many friends, so it's not surprising when she perceives Bratty may be in trouble, it be time to go snake huntin'.

And she discovers her feminine wiles! Well-played, Taneesha. . . well, at least for now. Ought to be fun to see how this goes!

Wow, Taneesha's got a boyfriend now. She made him an offer that he couldn't refuse.

Is it really clever to go in the area where Rattler has been spotted?

Looks like I need to reload his game and finish off Dukov.

Hey, thanks you three for your attentions. I am preparing the next chapter of MVD and this shall be her last chapter of 2021. But don't get bummed. More Vicious will be on the way some time in the spring of 2022, and my gosh there will be some thrills and chills, while my skills with the GECK get pushed to their very limits.

Next chapter should go up tomorrow.


Rosa: Heh heh, that's true about the teacher sneaking bottles of liquor. I wouldn't blame some of my daughter's teachers over the years if they had to 'refresh' themselves occasionally.

And heck yeah, Vicious is heading toward Dukov's Look out Rattler, you snakey scumbag!



You know, I thought about this and could not come to a definitive answer. In Cho's game nobody has bothered Dukov, not even in roleplay terms. I tried to think of one of your characters, but I don't know them well enough. Besides, I think Hecate or Jan might try to rid Dukov themselves! ... And Loviatar might want to join Rattler at the dinner table.

So the answer is open for interpretation, I think.


Acadian: The 'feminine wiles' part had me pretty nervous. Actually it's good that Stormcrow has a lot of romance stuff going on, this made me feel more comfortable branching into an area I haven't ever gone to. Rosa is taking way more risks than I am!

But it's also THE story. I feel and get inspirations as to which directions all these stories shall go--it's like I have to write them as they come, even if I feel sort of squeamish while doing so.


Lopov: Is it really clever for Taneesha to go to Dukov's you ask? Wait, isn't he gone from there by now?



NOOOOOOO!!!!!!

None of my characters has ever offed Dukov. He may be a pig, but my impression from talking to his 'girls' was that they were sex workers who chose to be there, and were being paid a better wage than they normally would get. So while it is still exploitative and gross, he's far from say, a Moriarity. Jan or even Hecate would save him from being murdered by raiders, let alone a monster like Rattler. Fighting people like Rattler is exactly what January exists.

Yeah, see, that's what I mean. I wasn't sure if any of yours (or any of Lopov's, or any of Khajiit's) could be the rescuer, so I left that blank. Turns out, I was way wrong about how Hecate or Stormcrow would handle a dying, half-bled Dukov. Makes me glad I did not interject anybody we know into that part of the last chapter.

And now that I think about it, whoever the rescuer is would have to have a high Medicine skill. Rattler likes to bleed, so blood packs would be required to save Dukov. The hero there is still open for interpretation.

Okay, this won't be the last episode of 2021, there will be one more. Next week, I promise. And now, a word from our announcer...


As we last saw, Taneesha 'Vicious Delicious' Jones has heard some disturbing news about the place where her best friend Bratty had gone to. Dukov's place was under attack! This caused Vicious to spring into action, gather up her gear, and convince a raider named Q Tip to come along with her.

Now... she's off to Dukov's with Q Tip in tow, though she's made some promises to him she's not sure she can keep.


Chapter 34: Heading to Dukov's Place

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277

Minimum Temperature: 66.9
Maximum Temperature: 88.0

Playtime: 49:41:25




Vicious and Q Tip spent the rest of Tuesday getting prepared for their trip. In fact, Vicious could not just leave as hastily as she'd planned. She took a few hours to return to Megaton and pick up extra supplies, before going back to the school, and calling it a day.

Truth was, whatever happened at Dukov's could not be changed, or rectified. What's done is done. Tomorrow would be just like today, Vicious reasoned. If Bratty was dead, Bratty was dead. And if she wasn't, well, chances are she could not get very far, assuming she wanted to leave the place.

Whatever had been going on down there, it'd been good enough for her to stay down there, to Miss Vicious's chagrin.

Next morning. Vicious and Q got an early start. The trip to Dukov's would take most of the day, and it was better to get out there early, before the radbird caught the worm. The sky was clear, the air typically warm. Vicious and Q Tip left Springvale around 8, and decided to stop by Super Duper Mart an hour later. At the former supermarket they looked for anything they could use. Extra ammo, mostly. A couple grenades, and so on. Oddly, Vicious needed some shells for her shotgun.

Oh yeah, the shells. Nobody had touched the hundreds of caps Vicious had stored in her Springvale classroom, but someone had taken all her shotgun shells.* Fortunately, she did manage to find a couple dozen at the market.

Finally, they were ready to go!

Q Tip brought his own gun as well; a small handgun. But he had always been more of a melee type of guy, so he also retrieved his ripper. Rippers were handheld, battery-powered mechanical devices which operated like small chainsaws. Q Tip's ripper would buzz and make all kinds of noise as it minced the flesh of Q Tip's victims to shreds.

Now that they were both prepared it was time to cross the bridge across from the market. Here they'd begin their trek down the east side of the Potomac. Centuries ago, this thoroughfare had been pretty, stocked with flowers and banners, manicured bushes and cherry trees, along with plenty of sights to see for the millions of tourists. Now it was littered with hostile creatures and hostile goons. Toxic sludge, rust and bombs. Vehicles which still contained various types of fuel, and could be shot at and blown up. Because of this, and because Q Tip had never been in this part of the Wasteland, Vicious explained that it was important to travel cautiously.

"You mostly been stayin' up in Megaton and Springvale, where maybe a rabid dog attacks, maybe a small radscorp," she said. "Up there, Deputy Weld takes care of all that. But. Out here, there ain't no Deputy Weld. No guards top of towers. No caravan guards. We all on our own. So we gotta think smart. Keep looking around, okay? Never just charge into battles. Think like that fella from Vault 101 we been hearing about on the radio, virtual killing machine, from the sound of it. Never give the advantage of surprise."

"Pfft, let them come," scoffed Vicious's new boyfriend. "I'm ready for them. So let them come."

Just after crossing the bridge they then encountered Talon Company militants, who were about a hundred feet away. The militants were just south of the metro depot, pacing back and forth. Vicious spotted them first. After assessing who they were, she then hunkered down behind a trash barrel (instructing Q Tip to do the same with a hand movement). Finally, she broke out her stun gun.

"Here comes the Taser," she said softly to her companion. "Watch this, Q." .

"Talon Company!!!" one of them shouted, as Miss Vicious stood and rushed toward them. She aimed her gun while... *brawwaww!* ... at her side was a sudden buzzing sound. Q Tip had fired up his noisy, handheld device.

One of the men drew an energy pistol, while the other grabbed his semi-automatic rifle. ...*BZZT!*... Vicious zapped the one with the pistol first, then paused to reload. -- *click clack* -- That was the main drawback of her Taser; it could only hold one energy cell at a time, necessitating a reload with every shot.

While she was loading, Q Tip had closed the gap between himself and the one with the rifle. This second soldier got a few rounds off, but once Q got to him with his ripper, blood and guts began flying! Ugh, what the hell? thought Vicious, as --*PLTTHTH!!!* -- she quickly tased the second victim, causing him to fall sideways ike a sack. With both mercs down, Q Tip could go to town slicing his opponent, while Vicious swapped to her shotgun, and blew the first man's head off.

"God damn that is good!" the Tip gloated once the battle was over. "Man, I gotta get me one of those stun guns!"

"Yep, you do, boyfriend. Because this one? It's mine."

"Aw, I see how you play that. I see how it's gonna be. Well, then..."

Over the past day and night as they'd prepared, Miss Delicious was nervous about her former 'romantic' proposal. What would Q Tip expect now that they were supposedly boyfriend and girlfriend? Would he become pushy, like so many men in the romance novels she'd read as a child? Would he want sex and lovin' right away? Would she need to tase the man at some point, in an effort to teach him some valuable lessons about females?

Fortunately for her, Q Tip seemed just as clueless as she was. He'd also never been in a relationship. Had no idea what the heck it actually meant to be in one. Sure, he'd has his fill of flings, and a couple paid romps with Nova up in Megaton. But as far as actually pairing up with somebody, he had no actual clue on how that worked.

Boyfriend and girlfriend, both of whom had grown up without guidance in these matters.

They encountered a few more enemies as they walked a few miles south. Mirelurks, a centaur, and one huge super mutant hidden in an old trailer. With each new batch of targets, Vicious and Q Tip worked out a system. She would use her Taser to stun them, while Q Tip would power up his ripper. Lord help whomever (or whatever) was at the other end of its rotating chain.

Finally they made it to Dukov's. By now it was early evening, just after six. The air was late-summer warm, with a light breeze coming off the river. Vicious contemplated what to do next.

"So what do you think's gonna happen in there?" Q Tip quizzed. "Three Dog said Rattler moved on, but what if he still in there?"

"Pfft, what are you, scared?" She wiped her brow. "If Rattler's in there now, he'd better hope there's a back door he can flee out, before Vicious and Q Tip take him down. Right?"

"Uh, right."

"Don't be nervous Q. Come on, let's go in."

"Uh yeah, sure, okay."

"Mmm, but maybe it'd be better if you actually don't come with me. Not yet, anyway."

"Why?" Q Tip said, his finger already on his killing machine's ON/OFF switch.

"Uh, because I said so, man!" Her hands went to her hips. "Because I'm your girlfriend. And because I've done this before. And I want to see for myself first, okay?"

Q Tip did what a good boyfriend should, in her opinion. He rolled his eyes, but he said nothing.

"There's a raider camp just down the road there. Why don't you go and get acquainted with them? ... Maybe I can walk there with you before I head into Dukov's. Yeah, think I'll do that. Come on, Q."

The pair began to walk south just as the sun was going down. As Vicious and Q Tip approached the raider encampment, a solitary figure gazed down at them from high above.


-------------------------------------

Leaving Springvale

Buzzing some Brahmin

Quick Reload

Super Duper Mart (notice the corpse hanging from the end there).

Super Duper Mart Interior

Potomac River circa 2017

Potomac River 2277

Talon Company!

BZZT!!!!

BKKSH!!!

Q Tip and his Ripper

Vicious gets a Head Shot

Solitary Figure gazes from high above

------------------

Notes-- I seriously have no idea what happened to Vicious's ammo. She had over a hundred shells stored away somewhere, now we can't find them!

Note 2: The end when Vicious has Q Tip wait at the raider camp. that was my sudden realization that he's still part of the Raider Faction. Can't have him going in there if he's just gonna tear everybody up. Including Bratty. When I teleported her to Dukov's months ago (via script) I also removed her from the Raider Faction (via script) so she won't just go berserk in there.

Stay tuned for next week... on.... Miss Vicious Delicious!

So Miss VD and her new bf get off to an early start – afore the radbird catches the worm as it were.

Ripper and the Talon Company chainsaw massacre! Messy, but effective I guess.

What a hoot as VD and Q try to figure out what means this boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.

Uh oh, their passing has been observed. . . .

Definitely better to get out there before the radbird gets the sandworm...

Oh noes, one of the Raiders stole some of her ammo! Oh wait, they are raiders after all... (seriously though, you might have stored them in a container that was not safe, and it may have respawned.)

I love that Miss Delicious is handing out wise counsel. Here we can see why the Raiders would want her back, and why she is the one being given special missions, while the rest just loaf around getting high.

Hopefully they won't run into that killing machine from Vault 101!

Talon Company. I hate those guys.

But what Miss D knows about mutants and mirelurks, she lacks in dating advice! Sad to see that even January is even more savvy on that front!

Uh oh, that solitary figure in the red bandanna looks familiar...

Acadian, you were in the military. Has there ever been such weapon as a ripper? I think not. But I also think its intended original purpose was cutting into things, but not fleshy things. :yuck:

I am glad you and SR are okay with the boyfriend / girlfriend stuff. Was worried about that, because I actually don't know what to write! But it's okay. Over time I will get a sense for how Vicious will approach this.

Rosa, that is a mystery about the missing ammo. From what I know about Fallout, any container which we can take stuff from (rather than stealing) is supposed to be safe? She's only been putting stuff into "Take From" containers. I also gave her her own lockers in the school and in Lucy West's house. So... weird.

Yes, Vicious is wise with her choices, this is true. I imagine most raiders are layabouts who can't be trusted. They are young and dumb and don't care about tomorrow. Like extras in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi flick, they are the ones you see getting bombed and making a lot of noise. Whereas Vicious as you've noticed does have this double life thing going, and she wants to be good at it, too.


Heh. Season 3, coming soon to a theatre near you.


Good news is,

And I am staying true to this in Vicious's story.

That is it for Miss Vicious Delicious, Season 2021. See you next spring!

Haha, a chainsaw weapon would be disastrous regarding friendly fire when fighting as a unit and even self-injury when 1 vs 1 as it got blocked/deflected around and/or knocked back into the wielder.

A wonderful job and nice that you let us know you are wrapping up this season until next spring. Let Tanesha rest and I look forward to see her again in the spring!

I'm also looking forward to the continuation of Taneesha Jones' stories in 2022. In a one-year's time Rattler will probably already be dead, so no worries that he'll stick around.

Here's a scene from the last moments of last season's ... Miss Vicious Delicious.




... "So what do you think's gonna happen in there?" Q Tip quizzed. "Three Dog said Rattler moved on, but what if he still in there?"

"Pfft, what are you, scared?" Vicious wiped her brow.

"If Rattler's in there now, he'd better hope there's a back door he can flee out, before Vicious and Q Tip take him down. Right?"




..."Mmm, but maybe it'd be better if you actually don't come with me. Not yet, anyway."

"Why?" Q Tip asked. His index finger already on his killing machine's ON/OFF switch.

"Uh, because I said so, man!"



..."There's a raider camp just down the road there. Why don't you go and get acquainted with them? ... Maybe I can walk there with you before I head into Dukov's. Yeah, think I'll do that. Come on, Q."

The pair began to walk south just as the sun was going down. As Vicious and Q Tip approached the raider encampment, a solitary figure gazed down at them from high above.

Welcome to Miss Vicious Delicious, Season 3. Without any ado, our announcer shall tell us where we left off. Randy?


As we last saw, Taneesha "Vicious Delicious" Jones was in the midst of collecting and stealing Bearer Bonds from the dwellers of Megaton, turning these bonds over to the raiders of Springvale Elementary School. At the time, Bratty, Vicious's best friend, had headed off to Dukov's Place, a seedy establishment specializing in ... adult entertainment.

Two weeks later, Miss Vicious heard a radio report that Dukov's had been attacked by the maniacal cannibal known as Rattler, which caused her to spring into action, heading off to Dukov's in an attempt to find, perhaps even rescue, her best friend.

Now... Vicious and her new boyfriend Q Tip near Dukov's cautiously, to see what exactly has happened.



Chapter 35: Saving the Brat

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, early evening

Current Temperature: 81.3 F




The sun was in its process of retiring for the day, as Miss Vicious and her new boyfriend Q Tip approached the raider camp south of Dukov's. Today's muggy heat would soon drop, as night would cull some cooler air. Most everyone looked forward to this. Summer would soon be over.

Vicious's original plan was to go into Dukov's flophouse with Q Tip, to see if their mutual friend Bratty was inside, and also still alive. The psychopath known as Rattler had recently attacked the place, with casualties definitively reported by Three Dog, one of the Capital Wasteland's top radio jocks. Had the brat been one of these casualties?

Vicious was about to find out, but at the last moment, decided maybe it'd be better if she went inside alone. She'd originally asked Q Tip to come along with her, but the truth was, she did not know who (or what) might be lurking in there. Would the Rattler still be inside of Dukov's? If so, Vicious wanted him all to herself.

Q Tip grudgingly agreed to wait at a raider camp just south of the whorehouse. He and Vicious then walked there together, keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Eh! What did I tell you about lookin' at me like that!" a raider gal with green hair yelled at the newcomers. "Are you in the mood for a busted lip or somethin'?"

Perfect. Just like home. "We'll stay here for the night," Vicious told her companion. "Go make yourself a drink or something, Q."

Raiders occupied dozens of outdoor camps around the Capital Wasteland, some better than others, some scummier than others. This camp was relatively clean (or at least, tidy), and also well-stocked: food, guns, ammo, beds, well-worn furniture. At some point, somebody had thought to decorate a dead tree in the middle of the camp with Christmas lights, even. The camp also had a couple of nice, scenic views: Potomac river to the west, the tip of Washington's Monument to the east.

Vicious tested the locals, grabbing a whiskey and a box of Dandy Boy Apples from a nearby shelf, just to see if the unspoken raider credo of If it's out in the open, it don't belong to nobody (which was the rule up north) was also true here. Nobody cared. Nobody got upset about this. The gal with green hair continued to walk around, agitated about something. But not about the food and liquor Miss Vicious had taken.

Vicious sat on a chair. "Eh you," she called to green-hair.

"What, girlie?"

"You know about that scumbag Rattler?"

"Yeah," green-hair said. "He's that loser. Goes around choppin' people up, and eats them, too. So?"

"Is it true? That Rattler was here? Heard he attacked Dukov's up the road." Vicious lit a Lucky.

"Pfft, I wish. That *bunghole* shows up around here, I'd like to cap his ass myself!" green-hair said, ratcheting her rifle. "He'd better not show up around here. His ass'll be grass, if he does."

Hmm. "So you ain't heard about no trouble up the road?" Maybe the radio report spoken by Three Dog was wrong.

Green-hair shook her head. Vicious asked a few more individuals the same question, and pretty much got the same answers. Apparently, Rattler had not been to Dukov's, and he'd certainly not been near the camp. Had anybody seen him, they would have gladly blown his head off.

"So, whatcha wanna do?" asked Q Tip. "We gonna stay here, or what?"

"No, you's gonna stay here. I think I'll have a look-see myself up the road. Maybe all this was a false alarm."

Vicious thought her new 'boyfriend' might get bent outta shape, that he might demand to come with her, but he seemed okay. "Cool. Well I'll be kickin' back here," he said, opening his flask, taking a sip. "You just holler down at us, if you need some ... assistance." He patted his ripper as he said this.

"Uh, yeah," Vicious answered nonchalantly, puffing her cig.

Truth was, she was now concerned. Because if Dukov's Place hadn't been raided, this meant Dukov's girls would still be inside. Safe? Yes. Alive? Yes, and this might pose a few problems if Q Tip were present. Because what would he do, around all those supposedly half-naked females? Would he pony up a few caps to try having a romp with one of them? Would he suddenly try to ditch his new 'girlfriend' for a fast night of fun?

"Why do I even care?" Vicious asked herself aloud, while a few raiders whooped and hollered.

This whole 'boyfriend-girlfriend' thing had been her fault; it was her way of convincing the Tip to come along, so that she herself could arrive alive. Sure, she had her new Taser, the only working example of a stun gun here in the Wasteland, and she also carried her high-powered shotgun, designed for military combat. But it also a good idea to bring someone else along, for the sake of getting here safely. And to do this, Q Tip needed convincing.

Now that both of them were here, she was suddenly unsure.

"Ah *duck* it." Miss Vicious finished her cigarette. "Time to see what's goin' on at Dukov's."

And she was off.


----------------------------------------

The raider camp

Detail of supplies shelf

I hope that the next story about Taneesha won't be her last, if Rattler is by any chance still at Dukov's?

Anyway, nice that you continue with Taneesha, it feels like you just made a pause - time flies really fast. Maybe she can find all bearer bonds during this season.

Ms. D is back in the house. And she's going in that house alone, against the Rattler! Hopefully that scourge of the Wasteland is not inside!

So maybe the news of the Rattler's involvement was over-exaggerated? I take anything the raiders might way with a healthy grain of salt however.

Welcome back to Miss VD after her scribe's winter respite! You did a good job of letting us know to expect the delay and also of reviewing what was going on before you resumed things.

Yeah, no sense 'testing' her new boyfriend by taking him into a brothel.

Looking forward to reading what she finds at Dukov's.

Acadian -- Yes, thank you. Nice to return to my vicious raider gal after so many months! I'm going to be writing some Joan this summer / fall too, as you've seen. I like this. Going back and forth between two different styles of writing, and two different styles of dialog from two people. Living such different lives. One who always does the right thing, and one who sometimes does the right thing.

SubRosa-- I get the sense that the raiders who live nearby have their own lives which has not much to do with Dukov. Maybe they do occasional jobs for him, or something, which is why they never raid his home. However it works out, they're not going to really know everything which goes on there.

Lopov -- Yes, ThAT is the question. Will this chapter be Taneesha's last. Will this be her downfall? And will all those remaining bearer bonds which Dogmaster asked her to get lay dormant .... wherever you chose to hide them? Only one way to find out!

Chapter 36: Dropping in Dukov's

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, mid-evening




In the Year 1977, Dukov's Place was known as the Reston Hotel, an establishment where politicians and Washington's elite rubbed elbows with occasional celebrities and those of lesser means, the Reston by then had nearly 50 years of history. Consistently rated 4 stars in the Washington Post's Living section, the Reston was a place where stuffy boardroom types could hold business conferences in the afternoon, while taking a bite of the supposed best Maryland crab legs in town. All class, top cuisine. Rare bottles of wine behind the counter. Illegal cigars under the counter. Scenic outdoor seating by the river. "Golf Tips" seminars held weekly. Going to the Reston was like being a member of a country club, without actually joining.

Two-hundred years later the Reston still stood, although it had been over a century since anybody referred its original name, let alone the low-key prestige it once commanded. How it survived the bombs with its walls, roof, and interior mostly intact is one of those facts which is ... shrouded in mystery. One thing's for sure, the Reston Hotel seemed somehow ready for the Great War, while others nearby half-crumbled into dust.

They don't build 'em like they used to, apparently.

The Reston's new owner was Dukov, a hedonistic womanizer whose sole purpose in his middle-aged life was to hold the longest-lasting party of the Capital Wasteland. At some point in the past, Dukov had been a mercenary. He'd gained a bit of notoriety during his days. Perhaps this was why the raiders to the south pretty much left him alone, despite the fact that his doors were always open.

On Wednesday September twelfth, 2277, Miss Vicious took advantage of this.

As the day's sky went from orange to dusk, she waited until some of the raiders had passed out, or were otherwise not paying attention. Walked down the avenue, and strolled right up to the place. But before going in, she debated whether she should change out of her Badlands-styled raider's armor, and into clothes more ... presentable. The place had purportedly been under attack by the Rattler, but chances are this cannibal had moved on by now. So, maybe Dukov's was filled with some sort of officials now, some sort of organization. Maybe the Brotherhood had taken the place over, since its original owner was supposedly no longer around.

Then again, maybe there were enemies in there. Talon Company. Super mutants. Maybe even a huge infestation of radroaches! ... She kept her armor on. She readied her Taser. And walked right into Dukov's.

"Yo, anybody in here?" she called.

In the Year 1977 the place had been classy. In the Year 2277, now it was trashy. Empty liquor bottles lay on the floor here and there. Dim (but colorful) Christmas lights hung from the ceiling. Half-robed mannequins stood here and there. Cheap plastic furniture. And a couple scents hung in the air: some sort of rancid smokey odor (Vicious guessed this was incense), and the smell of tawdry perfumes.

"Anybody in here?" she called again.

This time, she made sure to ratchet the energy cell in her gun out and in, which caused a very distinct *click!* into the room. Just to make her intentions clear. Here's a *witch* who meant business. She aimed her gun. A figure moved toward her from the dark.

"Oh baby! Let me get you something special! How about a nice Dukov surprise?"

The man was wearing silky pink pajamas. His voice was rough; the voice of a man whose life is one huge party. He spoke with an accent Vicious had never heard before. She guessed he was Russian, or from some European country. Whoever this man was, he was definitely not the Rattler. No Rattler. Which meant no vile cannibals to contend with. As he got closer, Vicious could see Dukov had a cast on his arm, and walked with a limp. He'd been through something, that's for sure. Scars on his face, the scars of a dude who'd been through a fight. But seemed to have survived the bastard, somehow.



"You? Are Dukov?" she asked, her voice incredulous. She lowered her gun.

"You need a drink," the foreigner announced, ignoring her question. "Apple!" he called. "We need some *clucking* booze over here! ... Ah," he lowered his voice a notch. "A man like me, he always loves his apple pie. He loves her all night long!"

Vicious looked over the man's shoulder, only to see some *strut* with red hair, wearing matching pink pajamas, going off to fetch. "Look," the raider started. "I ain't here to get drunk with y'all..."

"Aw, come on! Dukov knows why you here! How about you give ol' Dukov a *snowjob*?"

Vicious gasped. "How about I put you down right now, here and now, *bunghole*?"


She wanted to stun the man, but slapping him made her feel so much better. "Owww, my face!" Dukov cried. "Eh, you like it rough stuff there, hey missy?" he said, rubbing his cheek. Despite being slapped, the man was grinning.

"That's right, I do like it rough. You want another?"

"Hey, Dukov LIKE!" he bellowed. "Hot, sexy raider chick, with guns, smacking Dukov around!" he gestured his pelvis a bit. "Dukov like very much! You want Dukov give you job, black sexy raider chick? ... I make you... BDSM specialist, huh? You work the whips and chains for Dukov, eh?"

By now, the lady who'd gone off to fetch a drink for Vicious had made her way to them. "Oooh, kinky!" she cooed. "Love the getup! And who are you, dear? The name's Apple!" She handed a bottle of whiskey to Dukov, who handed it to Vicious.

"My name's Miss Vicious," she told them, actively trying to calm her adrenaline. She wanted to slap them both by now, but doing so would not be very productive. Her goal right now was information, not to rough anybody up. "And I'm here lookin' for my friend, whose name is Bratty."

"Eh, brat .. brat-ty?" Dukov stammered. "Nobody here by that name." He leaned to the side, perhaps trying to get an imaginary glimpse of Taneesha's left boob. "Eh, but YOU have sexy look there, missy tough stuff raider chick! Dukov want!"

"Oh my guhd."

"You got a smokin' hot bod, ah? Sugar pie, ah? How about lettin' old Dukov rock you to sleep, if you know what I mean, a ha-ha-ha!"

"Maybe," she said, holding her hand up, attempting a bit of conciliation. "Let me just have a look around first, okay?"

"Haagh, don't let the door hit your sweet, sweet ass, ah-hah?" Dukov growled.

He growled, but otherwise left her alone. No weapons were grabbed, no threats were made. Vicious took a quick look around to see if the man had any sort of guards. Didn't see any. So she began to walk. A pool table dominated the foyer a few paces away. No Bratty, so she walked up some stairs. Another lady was up here.

"Whatcha doin' honey?" asked the lady in pink. She had dark skin, and short, cropped hair.

"Lookin' for my friend," said Vicious.

"Hello honey, I'm Fascinatia. You're not going to be staying long, are you?"

"That depends. I'm looking for a girl named Bratty. Is she here? Cute face, hair done up in pig tails? Have you seen her?"

"Have I seen who? Brrrrady?" she slurred, obviously half-intoxicated on something.

"No *switch*, Bratty. Brat. T. Been lookin' for her. She was supposed to come down here a couple weeks ago, to dance and make some caps. Hispanic, cute face, pig tails, talks with a Jersey accent." Vicious thought for a moment, of a trait which could help define her friend a little better. "Always making up stupid *skit*, talks in riddles and rhymes... like she's on some old TV show. Bratty?"

"Brat-ty?" Fascinatia blinked. "What kind of a name is Bratty?"

"Oh my guhd. Seriously?"

"Ain't nobody here by that name. But I am new here. One of Dukie's new girls," she said, gesturing her bosom from side to side. "As you may have heard, that low-life bastard was here. Rattler Snake guy. Whatever they call him."

"Uh huh."

"But he ain't here no more!" she said, rolling her fingernails up the raider's wrist. "So! Might I convince you to slip into something a little more ... comfortable?"

"Hell no. I am here to find my friend, and that is all. So step the *duck* aside."

"Pfft..." Fascinatia scoffed. "Sooo rude!"

Vicious walked a bit over tiled floor, peering into sweet, smokey air. Somebody was smoking sativex.

"Hi sugar." It was the redhead who'd given Vicious a drink. "I'm Apple. Do yourself a favor. Watch yourself with Dukov. He's all hands."

Vicious held her temper, which was beginning to boil. "Look, seriously, I am here to find my friend. Her name is Bratty. Cute smile. Kinda slow, sometimes. Hair done up in pig tails?"

"Bratty," Apple the redhead mused. "What a great name for a dancer!"

"Whatever. Is she here or not, *witch*?"

Apple took a sip from her booze bottle. "Look, I'm working right now. I ain't never heard of no Bratty, okay? Now either follow me for some action, or step aside. A girl's gotta make her caps, ya know?"

Vicious glowered.

"But feel free to look around. Lookin's free. Anything else, will cost ya."

"Why thank you, Apple. Such help you have been."

Vicious walked down the rest of the floor, and into a room which seemed to be where they stocked all their goods. Booze, and food. But no Bratty.

-------------------------------

Dukov

Dukov's Place

Random Wastelander (Remember this weird anomoly in her game? Wastelanders would appear here and there, usually inside raider hangouts! Here he is again. Only this time, he's shown up in non-enemy territory, which means the guy did not get immediately pwned.)

---------------------

NOTES
1). Dukov survived the Rattler, but I renamed all his girls, pretending the Rattler got them all. Despite this, Dukov has no problem getting new, uh... talent.

Set your wasteland cares aside and step inside where the orgy never stops! That sounds like the concept behind Dukov’s place. Sanguine has a similar place in ESO’s swamps of Shadowfen.

No luck finding the Brat yet. I’m a little concerned. If Rattler turned Dukov’s crew into a buffet and the new crew has not heard of Bratty, was she part of that buffet? Did she escape? Did she bail out before the Rattler even got there?

Looks like Dukov is exactly the right person in the right place concerning the Reston.

Miss V is packing electric heat. But it looks like only the pajama party boy is present.

Oh boy, don't engage with Dukov, it only makes things worse!

Looks like no Bratty. Maybe she never got there, and went somewhere else? Or maybe the Rattler ate her. Or maybe she escaped and fled elsewhere, farther down the Potomac or into the city.

Acaadin-- Wow no kidding. So Elder Scrolls Online got a bit of Daggerfall in it, huh? (Daggerfall had nudity, heavily pixelated, but hey. I think it also had some sort of prostitute guild.)

It's funny how you and Rosa just said the same exact things about Bratty that's about to be posted in the next chapter. Every scenario you just mentioned. Wow.

SubRosa -- Ha ha yeah, Dukov has some particularly torrid lines. Some of those lines are vanilla, some were added by the quest I wrote, and some are no doubt added by a sex mod I've got called Animated Prostitution. Uh... I'm not linking that one. Anyway, I am almost positive "Why don't you give Dukov a *snowjob*" was added by that one. That's definitely not something I would write!

As usual, I tried to do some in-game research, to see if there could be any in-game lore, this time pertaining to Dukov's Place. Fallout 3 Fandom only tells us the place used to be a hotel. Looks to me the former hotel has a long history, definitely not recently built. But as usual, there is no indication on what this place was once called, who would stay there, and so on. As I was writing this week's chapter (last week) there was an ad for Reston, Virginia in one of the internet page's sidebars. *BAm Crash* so that's how I got Reston Hotel.

[u]Lopov[/u] -- No Lopov. Actually he's on vacation. Lucky guy.

Let's see what happens next.

Chapter 37: Bailing the Brat

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, late evening

Location: Dukov's Place




"Dukie!" one of the girls called from downstairs. "You promised to take me shopping in Rivet City!"

"Maybe next week, babe. We've got a little clap for a while, that's the only thing holding us together, a-ha ha ha!"

Miss Vicious strutted down one of Dukov's upstairs causeways, and into a kitchen / dining area. Feeling dejected. Sad, because it seemed her friend was nowhere to be found. Maybe she'd never made it here in the first place. Or maybe she'd made a decent amount of caps, then moved on to Rivet City. Or maybe she moved some place else. The Capital Wasteland was a big place, after all.

"Or maybe the Rattler got her."

She said that part aloud. Didn't want to say it. But there was just no way to deny the truth. Maybe that douchebag cannibal had caught up with her friend, forced her to come with him somehow and...

"Maybe he got her, and..."

Vicious left the sentence unfinished. Didn't even want to think about that scenario. "Stupid girl. I TOLD her not to come down here."

A few minutes earlier, before speaking to Apple and Fascinatia, the raider had smelled sativex smoke. Sativex, a synthetic marijuana substitute of some sort. Now, she found the source of the odor, which was coming from the dining area. Table and chairs, pots and pans, a refrigerator, sink, and oven. Inside was yet another young female, who was dark-skinned like Vicious.

"Hello there, honey."

The female was sitting before the dining table. She had an auburn-colored wig on her head. She was dressed in P.J.s like everyone else, as though the rest of the world outside simply did not exist. And she was smoking a thin, hand-rolled cigarette, what they called a 'joint' back in earlier times. Sweet smoke, guaranteed to mess one's head up.

"Hey, can I have a hit of that?" Vicious asked sadly, having a seat.

"Sure, girlfriend."

The woman had almond-colored eyes, her face done with purple eye shadow up top, with matching lipstick down below. She passed her joint to Vicious, who took a long pull from it. "Thanks," the raider said, blowing smoke across the room, and coughing a bit. "I'm Vicious by the way. Miss Delicious, some call me up north."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Delicious. My name's Aspiration, and yes, I am transgender."

By now Vicious was so bummed, staring at the floor. At first, she didn't hear what Aspiration said. And then, "Huh? You are what?"

"Transgender, honey. Trans, for short. A man who feels he's been born in the wrong gender, and chooses to fix this best he can, mm hmm. I am, essentially a woman, just like you. Born into the wrong sex, is all, mm hmm. Because God, he don't always get it right, now does he?"

Vicious was quiet for a moment, as she felt the effect of the sativex slowly enhance the billions of synapses in her brain, blurring reality a bit. "Hey, uh, nice. I ain't never met nobody who is trans," she finally blurted, unsure what else to say. "So does that mean--"

"Um, Vicious? Don't Bogart that smoke."

"Oh sorry," the raider said, passing the joint back. "But does Dukov know?"

"Oh yes, he knows! He knows, and he don't care." Aspiration took a hit. "Because to run this place successfully and make good caps, you gots to have an open mind. It takes all types, sweety. Dukov, as loathsome as he may seems to you, is what they used to call an EOP. He is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Without him, I'd be lost, to not go into more specific details."

Vicious took the joint back. "Yeah I can see that," she said. "Like, the man just tried to make me his BSM specialist, or something. He said I could 'work his whips and chains'. All because I just slapped him in the face."

"That's BDSM, honey. Bondage, Sadism, Masochism. Slaves and masters. Some folks, they get off on that sort of thing. Gettin' slapped around and stuff. But that is all part of the fun, mmhmm. Got to have that business acumen, you see? Got to stay sharp with the money."

Despite her religious upbringing, which surely told her all of this was wrong, Vicious couldn't help being somewhat impressed by Aspiration's words. "You know, it's like you is the only one here who's got a good head on her shoulders."

"You could say that," Aspiration agreed. "Now. Do you want to find your friend?"

And again, it was a moment or two before Vicious's head, now clouded and buzzing, was fully able to comprehend.

"My what? -- Do I want to find my what? Did you just say 'my friend'?"

"Mm hmm, that's right, baby. Your friend. Bratty. The one with the cute little curls in her head and the Philly accent. She is here. Somewhere. Just saw her a few hours ago."

Vicious shrugged up from her chair. "She is HERE?"

"Girl, I am sure of it," Aspiration crushed the joint in an ashtray. "Just keep lookin' around, yeah? ... Maybe she is upstairs. Dukov reserves his upper floors for his whores, a ha ha!. You know, it's more private-like up there."

"Hey thanks!"

"Just... I need to tell you, Taneesha. Bratty is ... heavy into the opiates, if ya know what I mean. She got hooked bad on something."

"Yeah, uh. Hooked bad. Hey! But at least she is still--"

Miss Vicious left that thought unsaid. Still alive is what she'd started to say. But even just that would be too much. Too depressing a thought to comprehend. Overall, she found herself a little surprised that she, in fact, cared so much, for somebody she had only just met a few weeks ago.

"See you later, Taneesha," the trans girl called.

Vicious left the break room, then virtually skittered across the opposite causeway, looking for the stairwell. Found the door to the stairwell. But before she opened it, she stopped.

"Whoa. Did she just call me by my real name?"

Taneesha. Yes, she had her real first name. Taneesha. Aspiration had said, "See you later, Taneesha..."

"But what the --?"

Miss Vicious, adopted as a child, and at some point named Taneesha Jones, stopped her search for Bratty. She returned to Dukov's dining area. Looked inside the room for Aspiration. But Aspiration was no longer there.




11:32 PM
Vicious climbed up a floor, and began searching rooms. Finally, she entered one which was done up almost entirely in velvets of red and pink. Across the way, a bed which was shaped like a heart.

"Oh. My. God."

And on this bed, a female had crashed. A female with olive skin, and dark hair. Her hair done up in pigtails.

"Ha! There you are."



Vicious stalked over to her friend, shaking her head in disapproval. "Bratty. Time to wake up, girl," she said. When there was no reaction, she began plucking her friend's shoulder.

"Oh whoa, hey, how ya doin', mishter?" the Brat asked, rolling slowly around, rubbing her eyes. She sounded dehydrated. She sounded wasted. "Our spechial is ... not on the menu," she said suggestively, burping a little. "But I cans make it ... worth your while."

"Oh, you stupid *hitch*..."



There was a crack of skin to skin, as Vicious slapped somebody's face for the second time in one evening. "Owwww!" Bratty cried.

"Get a hold of yourself, fool. It's ME, Vicious! Not some dude."

But the Brat did not seem to hear. At the moment, it was as she could not even see straight. "Hey, what's the big idea, mishter?" Bratty had her dukes up. "You wanna fight? I gots lots of fightin' for ya!"

Miss Vicious put her hands on her hips. Put her face up real close to her friend, and kissed her. Bratty then shook her head, blinked her eyes nice and wide.

"Vishious? ... Miss Vicious, is that really you?"

"Yeah it is, fool." Vicious grabbed her friend's wrist. Immediately began looking around the room, looking for any possessions, possibly owned by the brat. "Where's your armor? Don't tell me you ain't got your duds in here."

"What is you doing, all the way down here?" the Brat slurred.

Vicious stopped, stared hard at her friend, who was definitely hooked on something. "Oh my god. You are my friend, but really? You are so stupid, sometimes. I am here ... to rescue you. To get you OUT of this place. And back with us raiders up in Springvale, where you belong."

"You... came all the way down heres for me?" Bratty said, incredulously. "So you's like my... restrainer!"

Vicious palmed her face. "No, I am your rescuer, fool. Rescuer, not restrainer."

"Well, hey! Let ... me ... gets my things," Bratty said slowly, nearly falling to the side. "Ahhhh. Where's my dope? ... Yo Vichious, they gots the bestest dope ... here in Dukov's. Uh, but hold on. Let me finish something here. Firsht. Here. ... First."

Bratty looked down to the side of her pink heart-shaped bed. Found what she was looking for. Sat down with a whump!, and began fiddling with it.

"Oh no. NO YOU DON'T..." Vicious declared, grabbing the needle away from her friend. "No more of that! No more chems! Not until I can get you back under control, girl. But first, I'mma gettin' you outta here, like NOW."

But Bratty just sat there. Not understanding. Perturbed, like a child whose candy was just taken away.

"Is that all you got to wear?" Vicious asked. "Seriously? You been walking around for the past number of weeks wearing nothing but cheap hooker lingerie? Where is your armor?"

"Hey! My lingaray is sexshee!" the Brat hicuped.

Vicious began a mad scramble all around the room, looking for something her stupid companion could wear, because there was no way she'd make it all the way back north wearing those pink sex clothes. Nothing in Bratty's room, so she expanded her search. Found a sawed-off shotgun in an adjacent dorm, which she gave to the brat. Vicious also gave her some shells from her own ammo pack, leaving her with just five rounds. But she could find nothing for Bratty to wear, not even normal Prewar clothes. The pair of raiders were forced to leave, with the brat wearing nothing but a teddy and a doped-up smile.

"Come on dingbat. And watch your step." Bratty was leaving Dukov's place barefoot. They walked the short distance to the south.


Thursday September 13, 12:44 AM
Back at the raider camp, Vicious searched again for something her friend could wear. And of course, there wasn't anything. So she decided she would return to Dukov's, just to have a second, more thorough, glance about the place. Q Tip was sleeping on a couch, while all the others were either passed out, or up to no good. Bratty would be safe. So she told the brat to just stay behind, while she returned to Dukov's.


1:31 AM
Back in the whorehouse, the raider was beginning to tire. She'd been running around all day since the early morning hours. But this was important. This was priority.

She finally found some clothing in an old locker, off to the side of Dukov's first floor. Prewar clothes: a pink dress in relatively good condition, and a dirtier business-looking outfit. Vicious grabbed both of these. Folded them neatly into a canvas bag she found on the floor. She would allow her friend to choose which outfit.

"I think I've had too much to drink, Dukie," said one of the girls as Vicious emerged from the locker room. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Nonsense!" Dukov scoffed. "You just need a little more to drink, a ha-ha! Dukov got a little something special, ah, have another shot?"

"Oh, I got something special for you too."

Vicious found these two, just as the man was pouring some whiskey into a cup for Apple. Business seemed slow tonight. No johns. It seemed Dukov was about to get busy with his employee, after he plied her with more alcohol.

"Oh, hail no." Vicious closed in on this scene.

"Ah, you are back! Hot sexy raider chick, ah? So, whatcha need?" Dukov asked. "Want to slap me around some more? How 'bout some service for poor old Dukov, eh? You like to service old Dukov? Ha ha?"

"Service THIS, candy-ass!" the raider said, zapping the man with 50,000 volts.

"Help!" Apple called.

"I'm outta here!" some other girl said.

Dukov fell to the ground, while his girls all went into freak-out mode, hiding themselves from the vicious young raider who'd so defiantly invaded their territory. Before any of them could come at her with a weapon, Vicious was out of there, and hoped to never return.

Back at the raider camp, Vicious had one more moment of paranoia as (at first) she could not find her friend. But then, there the brat was, curled up on the bottom portion of one of the raiders' bunk beds. Passed out, still wearing that stupid sexy sleepwear, but also still here. What a long day this had been, but also a fruitful one.

Miss Vicious wasted no time. She put her gear on the ground beside the bed, then crawled in next to Bratty. Put her arm around her shoulder, and within minutes she herself was asleep. But just before dormancy took her over, she could not help but wonder who that lady back in Dukov's really was. The transgender one. Aspiration.

"How did she know my real name?" Taneesha murmured quietly into her friend's wasted ear.

--------------------------------------

Aspiration and Vicious -- (note, I cannot figure out how to make face & body tones match, even after doing some research online. So for now, just a head shot).

"How we doin' mister?"

"Oh, you stupid *witch*!"

Bailing the Brat

Messiest pool table ever

Party pigs

*BZZT!*

Paralyzed Dukov

Sleeping Bratty

Finally a break, after talking to Aspiration. The use of Taneesha’s real name jumped out at me also – glad Miss VD caught that. Perhaps Aspiration had a chat with the Brat before the latter was befuddled on drugs.

That creates quite an image as they make their escape - the dingbat Brat in a pink negligee with a sawed off shotgun

Rescue mission complete! Once Bratty gets her wits back, it’ll be interesting to hear what happened.

I love all your hooker names. They are so on the nose.

It is starting to sound like Aspiration is sort of a business manager, and Dukov's is an actual brothel, rather than just one perpetually wasted guy and his 'girlfriends'. That is a more interesting way to portray it. In any case, it looks like Asp is the one who actually keeps the place running.

I wonder how the Asp learned Taneesha's real name? Did Bratty tell her? Or is she some sort of spy?!?

"Yeah it is, fool."
Miss V sounds like Mister T!