Wasteland Woes [Fallout 4]

[DefinitelyNotGuns]

Bunker Hill. It was a great place to expand settlement. The walls were built up, the tower provided security and advanced warnings of anyone who might bring trouble to the settlement. It was known for being the headquarters of caravan trading post. Travelers made frequent stops here to stock up, or to trade in their wasteland finds for a hefty amount of caps. It was a great place to live if you wanted to live rather un-adventurously.

And somehow, Simone had found herself here. It wasn't by choice, but at the time it was the safest place to be. The girl sat in front of a newly opened Tavern with a few rooms upstairs. The owner had just gotten done with spending most of his life scavenging. The man had said something about traveling from a place in the New California Republic—she didn't believe him though.

Simone sat inside the tavern, watching people as they passed happily by. It would soon be dinner time and patrons would find themselves pouring into the Tipsy Tavern for a bite to eat or a place to rest their head for the night. Her gray eyes scanned the area, bored, and tired. That was just it, she was tired of this place and couldn't stand the lack of adventure. Faces came and went, but none that were interesting enough to catch her interest.

Before this place, she could hardly remember what had happened. The last thing she /did/ remember was her father taking off in the middle of the night and leaving her. That's the last she had seen of him, and that was when she was picked up by a roaming group of slavers. The worst part was that had been ten years ago. The path between now and then felt like a blur. She'd spent most of her time with her head down and keeping quiet, and when they made the mistake of stopping at Bunker Hill for supplies, well, Ryu made them think twice about leaving with her.

She wanted her own adventures, her own story to write that wouldn't be someone elses… And most of all, she wanted a chance to get the heck out of the pre-war crimson dress she was wearing that hugged her curves and got her a few extra looks and caps in the bar. It was working though, and that's what she needed. Simone had been saving money for the chance that she might be able to get out and make her own plans. With the way the wasteland was, she knew it would be hard to do alone.

"It's no use." She sighed, picking up a rag from the gray water pail and beginning to clean the bar top with it. A few caravaners began to come in, asking for a drink or food, to which she quickly retrieved them. After bringing out her first round of drinks she grabbed a hair tie, pulling back her long chestnut hair into a messy bun.

 

[Flame]

John had finally arrived at Bunker Hill with his caravan. It had been the first time he'd seen this place. His caravan had come from out of state, all the way up here to trade with one of the biggest centers of trade they had heard of. They had also heard it was nicer up here, and what they had hear was true, for the most part. While there wasn't exactly anyplace they could go that WOULDN'T be a wasteland (hence the name) At least this area had trees, and noticeable plants. Regardless of where you were in the wasteland, raiders and gangs were still a problem, but they had managed to avoid getting themselves captured on the way up.

Now that they had finally arrived, it was time for them to relax, and take a load off. This was one of his favorite parts of the job. Being inside safe walls, and getting to mingle with the city folk. However, he had enjoyed the journey here. They'd gotten off their same old trading route, and he had FINALLY gotten to see some new scenery. He'd been with this caravan for years, but, going to the same places over and over was tiresome. If he quit here, he could keep a large sum of caps from the most recent trades as his pay, and start making his own way here in the commonwealth...

He walked into the Tipsy Tavern with his other fellow caravan-mates, and took a seat a little ways from the group to avoid getting caught up in all the talk. Scanning the other faces in the bar, he found himself to probably be the youngest patron here. Regardless, he ate and drank like the rest, ordering himself more meal than drink, and certainly not alcohol at the moment. He was in the mood for water, even if it was a bit more expensive. Once he'd gotten everything, he dug in, and observed the new building. It was the same kind of junky shack that usually peppered the waste land, but each one had something different about it. This time, his eyes caught on a red, moving one.

A woman was cleaning the counter-tops, in strange, fancy clothes he'd never seen before. It looked like a dress, but not of any variety he had seen. He gave her a curious look, and called out to her. "Hey... are you the owner?", he asked the woman. "If you wouldn't mind, could you humor me with some information about the commonwealth? I'm with a caravan, but we've come from pretty far away... I'm just curious about how a local sees this place.", he asked, patiently waiting for her response.

 

[DefinitelyNotGuns]

Simone moved from wiping the tabletops to organizing the whiskeys, back to the bar top. The most recent patrons were the easiest to get seated, but they looked like they had spent quite a bit of time in the wasteland. To be honest, she was a little jealous. The one thing that she was grateful for in the time she had spent here was the confidence she had gained. After years of keeping to herself to avoid being beaten down or killed, working at the tavern had been a godsend. A flash of a smile and a little bit of flirting got you a looong way in terms of caps at this place. Considering most of the patrons were tired traveling men who would be happy with even talking to her.

She was busy cleaning the bar top once again when she heard the young man call to her. The owner? Definitely not, but he was usually sleeping at this time so she might as well be. "For today, sure." She said to him, beginning her walk from behind the bar and over to their table. She wore black heeled mary janes on her feet, giving a few added inches of height to her 5'2" self, and with the occasional rude customer, she was thankful for it.

Simone made herself comfortable, sliding into the seat beside John. "Far away? You and everyone else, sugar." She laughed softly before really thinking about the question. She herself hadn't been here for very long, but had spent a lot of her time wandering the commonwealth with the slavers. "Well, if you want entertainment you've come to the right place, that's for sure. Bunker Hill doesn't see much action in the ways of raiders and such, but the outskirts are crawling with 'em. I'm surprised when some caravans make it here, especially later in the day."

She thought about the town and how it was best to see it. In truth, to her it didn't seem like there was much to see. "How about this, I'll be done here in just a bit. Have another drink and maybe I can show you around Bunker Hill a bit." It was the least she could do for the young man, plus it helped his case that he was one of the most attractive patrons that had come across the Tavern in quite awhile.

 

[Flame]

He smiled when she came his way, and he listened to what she had to say intently. "Well, from what I could tell, most of the folks here are regulars, granted that they come on a rotation. What I mean to say is, my group has come from a state or two over. I'm not sure how many, but I think we crossed through another on the way here.", he explained. She told him about the raider problem outside of the town, and he nodded... he had heard that they had seen signs of raider activity on the way into the city that housed Bunker Hill, but he hadn't seen any in person aside from some weirdos in commando get-ups that had tried the raider routine and failed earlier today.

"Ah, alright. I need some time to finish my meal anyway. Sorry to be bothering you when you're on the clock.", he replied apologetically, and returned to eating as he thought about what she'd said. Was she not too happy with this town? It sounded like it. Maybe she'd tell him a little bit more on the tour she had promised. He really hadn't taken that close of a look himself, mostly because he was in a rush with his other caravan-mates to get some food. He had planned on taking a look himself like he usually did, but, since she offered to take him around herself, he'd wait patiently for her to return.

 

[DefinitelyNotGuns]

"Not bothering me at all, trust me." She popped up from the seat and smiled, giving him a small wave before going back about doing her work.

In a matter of thirty minutes the tavern was pretty active. While everyone was fairly situated with their food and drinks, Simone slipped out back to grab the owner, Ryo. The large man appeared from out back with a groan, knowing that this meant he was going to be left with the tavern for the rest of the night. As the true owner of the Tavern, he supposed one night of responsibility wouldn't kill him.

Simone returned from outback, wearing ankle combat boots with the red dress as opposed to the mary janes. There was nothing realistic about going out and about the town with heels, and they weren't all that comfortable anyways. She made her way back to the caravan traveler who had been finishing up his meal. "So, before we start," She extended a hand to him, "Simone Kinlan. I hope I can be of help but the truth is I'm not really from around here either, but I'll do my best." She gave him a big smile. "So who are you and where did you come from?"

 

[Flame]

John finished up with his meal, and when he saw the waitress that had promised to take him around town, downed the rest of his water. He took her hand and shook it, getting up as he did, and introduced himself as well. "My name is John Shaw, and our little caravan came all the way up from New york to get here. The state, not the Island.", he explained, and walked out with her. "Ah, you're new around here too? I figured you were one of the locals... I've never seen such fancy clothes, so I thought you'd established yourself pretty well here!", he chuckled, and scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, I guess even if I'm not right, you can still take that as a compliment.", he replied cheerily as he followed her out.

"You know, the reason why I was asking you about this place was that... I might just quit my job and stay in the commonwealth. I mean, not that it was too hard, or payed to poorly... I am actually getting paid quite a bit coming up from this next trade, so I thought I could use that to start up here... Sorry for rambling.", he apologized, staying quiet for a moment. "So if you're not from here, where DO you come from?"

 

[DefinitelyNotGuns]

"I mean, I've been here for about a year, but I don't really get out much, honestly. The place is great for protection, but I feel like I have never had my own adventure. Plus I have someone to look for, you know? I can't stop here and be ok with that for forever, at least not yet." Simone gave him a wink and a smile. The mention of her clothes had her looking down at them quickly. It was mostly something that she wore while working at the Tavern. "I will say, this being a center of trade you can find some pretty nice stuff. I'd always wanted a dress like this, and now I wear it while I'm working here. It pays well, and I have some caps saved up for wherever life takes me. But... I do appreciate the compliment."

She couldn't help but laugh, mostly because of the idea of her seeming established and set with herself. While it was true, she had saved up quite a bit of caps, she still stayed at the Tavern/Inn. The room was free, and she felt like Ryo, the owner who had been like a dad to her, didn't quite want to let her run off of her own. But she was ready for it.

"Bunker Hill is a great place to stay-- You could even stay at the Inn here until you find a place if you'd like!" The suggestion brought a big smile on her face. He seemed nice enough in the few words they'd exchange, it would be nice if she didn't get her adventure to at least have a consistent face around.

Where was she from?

"I mean, the last place I remember being with my dad was this place called Far Harbor, but I just keep praying he's not in that neck of the woods. From what I remember, I don't ever want to go back there." She sighed, "That was a long time about though.. And now I'm rambling."

 

[Flame]

She explained where she was from, and why she was here, and as she did, he nodded intently. "I feel the same, it's kind of why I decided to stop here. It's a new land for me, better than the same old trade routes, and I can finally take a breath of fresh air and see what this place has in store for me... So we're sort of in the same boat, aren't we?", he replied. "I guess I'll take your advice and settle down in that tavern for a little while, maybe do some work around here, and pay for some things to gear up for the wasteland... I already saw a few nasties south of here wearing dirty military outfits, and they weren't too friendly. I'll probably be able to keep all my stuff, including my guns, but, It'd be nice to be a bit more prepared if I strike it out solo...", he told her, a bit uneasy about the prospect of travelling the wasteland all by himself, but still excited to be able to see new places.

"Far harbor? I've never heard of it, but, from the way you talk...", he frowned. "If he's who you're looking for, and he's really there, it might be best to get yourself some help.", he suggested. It wasn't that hard to find folks looking to do mercenary work. In fact, that's how he ended up trapped as a caravan guard. It had good pay, and it traveled all around his area of the wasteland, but, along the way he'd gotten tired of it. He was just another guy that made mean faces at people who eyed the brahmin too closely, and picked off raiders. He didn't really have a purpose of his own, and that's what he was looking for.