Rain pelted the glass window of the private car of the bus a silent man rested in. Hiroshima Corp took great care in making sure the private car would be secured for the arriving group. Prior to its use the highest level of mechanics and guards Hyushu could spare were put to work modifying the car. Exterior lined with top armor and interior with cunning technology. The outside holds a slot to slide certain cards. Resembling the function to get into a high class hotel room those who were summoned were sent electronic cards to slide in order to get inside.

The car itself easily fits twenty people. Their main employer wanted to make sure there would be enough room for all of the "honored guests" and anyone they brought along with them. Hyushu is only being tactful that way and not considerate. She needs bodies to carry out her work since not many are willing to go through with it. But at nearly a thousand caps a mission who would refuse? Many people are without basic comforts such as running water, electricity, heat, clothes and food. Unless you're a raider, a professional or simply a chem addict who couldn't give two shits life is rough.

Tobias leans back into his seat near the front to keep an eye on who would be walking in. He has his Skorpion in his hands with blue eyes ready for any sign of movement from the outside. Everything is secure and guards are lined out there to pad anyone down for weapons. Nothing would be taken away simply noted and reported back to Tobias. It always made him uneasy whenever someone purposefully disarmed him. Keeping this group calm is his first concern before he'd get down to business once all were present.

His spiked metal armor glares against the dim lighting in the car. The private bus is located just outside of Erett and waiting for its passengers to arrive before the clock would hit 11AM. It'll be nearly an hour's ride down into Seattle where he'll be introducing them to Hyushu. First and foremost Tobias must gauge those present and make reports on the ones who are promising and those in need of...improvement. They need professionals. Someone who won't ask questions and will take orders cleanly. Tobias won't stand for any of them goofing around while on duty and neither would Hyushu Hiroshima as many would plainly tell you thanks to unsavory rumors.

Perched comfortably atop the roof of a half-burned department store, the short and slender girl lie nearly motionless, the wind blowing through her incredibly short hair. During her year as a Raider sex slave, she'd found a happy place; after staying in her happy place for too long, she missed the lead Raider's summons and paid the price. She learned how to come back to the present quickly after that. The dust cloud of the bus stirred her from her reverie with little more than a rapid blinking of her viridian eyes. She'd seen two other buses arrive and depart already, but one was before the sun had come up, and the other was shortly after.

Danaya had nearly killed the messenger that brought her the missive. Sure, she'd put out the word that she was looking for work, but an hour after sunset was not when she was expecting company. Today, prior to 11am, at that bus stop. She dropped to her stomach and slipped an arm around her hunting rifle, already pointed in the right direction. Her hand found its place, fitting like a noose around a neck. She brushed her long bangs from her face and pressed her cheek against the stock, sighting down the scope.

The bus looked special, right off the nailed bat. It was armored. Unless this bus expected to travel through Legion territory waving NCR flags, there was little reason for a typical passenger coach to have that kind of hardware. She watched it for another 10 minutes, waiting to see if anyone else would arrive. Sure, her employer might have money, but the simple cost in gas for picking up one person, especially one like her, would have been both crazy and stupid. Crazy and stupid people didn't survive long, nor could they afford a bus like that.

She set about packing up her meager belongings then spoke quietly to her Mr. Handy bot. "C'mon, Daddy. Dinner's waiting." As expected, he dutifully responded with a "Yes, dear." in her father's voice and lifted into the air, hovering behind her. She took one last look through her scope, still seeing no one approaching the bus. She shifted her gun, following the path backwards from the bus towards where she was. She saw no major threats, but neither did she see any other place she could climb to recon the bus again. With a sigh, she slung her hunting rifle and began the tedious climb down to the ground and towards the bus, half a mile away.

Her left hand toyed with the hilt of her combat knife sheathed on her thigh, save for when she shifted her Recon armor. Her backpack was settled on her front, resting against her stomach. Her right hand sat inside of it, firmly gripping her 10mm SMG.

Never once did her pretty features change in the slightest.

Her rott-mix plods along next to her, whining faintly for a morning nap. Karen rubs between his ears and coos at her dog. They came in just a day ago from Carnation, she left early enough to at least have a day's rest and met up with Will. It's been a long journey getting to Erett but the modified bus is finally within view. The front is guarded, as it should be, and the woman approaches without fear. She'd much rather go through the front doors welcomed as opposed to slithering by like an untrustworthy snake or wriggle under the door frame as a common rodent. The protocol to getting into such places is for safety after all. And apparently they'll have the highest security with electronic passes and what appears to be a severely protected bus.

Being from a ranch and virtually out in the middle of nowhere advanced cities such as Seattle or even Erett always cow her senses at first. It's damn near a culture shock really. She's wearing a pair of armored leggings, a white tank top and her zipped sleeveless hoodie over that. Karen's fingerless leather gloves ghost over the front of her protective leather vest as she paws at the scarf around her throat out of habit. Kaiser perks his ears at the people in the station as they wait for buses, wagging his tail and panting happily. He's always been a goofy dog. She's stunned he's made it this far...but animals do have an excellent sixth sense when dealing with strangers.

Which shows now. Sparse bus stops are dotted on the outskirts of the area but a rather...distinct looking woman is traveling with a robot, a Mr. Handy. Karen is accompanied by her customized and salvaged eyebot, Klox. Still while Karen tends to feel as giddy as a schoolgirl around technology she's not about to jump for joy. She doesn't know that woman's intentions. For all the mocha skinned sniper knows that woman could be hoping to jump the bus or is an invited member. With her hoodie drawn up over her head she frowns lightly and glances down to Kaiser. He's excellent at getting a distanced summary of most people by...well whatever it is animals use to determine if they're comfortable with someone or not. However she has an inkling it could have something to do with karma.

The dark canine stiffens his gait. He's not very pleased by the sight of the lady and her Mr. Handy. Kaiser is fine around robots, living with Karen for so long, he should be. It's obviously the woman setting the dog off then. Kaiser grumbles under his breath as he trails after Karen. Her sniper rifle clings to her backside as her pistols glimmer against either hip. She doesn't want to assume the worst at all as she steps towards the bus, respectfully distanced from the stranger. Klox hums lightly with something by The Ink Spots behind Karen's hooded head. Her jade eyes skate from the woman to the bus, but she doesn't know if she should flash her card. Maybe this woman would kill her for it to get on the bus. I miss home, I trust people there. It's been far too long since Karen has braved anywhere outside of Carnation. After becoming a part time tinkerer and a full time mother there was no need to explore any further. Yet here she is in dire need of caps.

She can't help it. Being how she is, being who she is, Karen wants to give this woman the benefit of the doubt. The warning from Kaiser isn't serious so...she isn't entirely concerned. Not that she'll prance up all excited and wanting a look inside of Mr. Handy, but she will try to reach for something familiar and human. She held up her hands slowly in a neutral position...and suddenly with a flicker of her wrist she held a holographic card in her fingertips. Now she's at least within hearing distance of the stranger. "In it for Hiroshima Corp, right?" Karen calls out. Behind her Klox whirrs on the radio station, Kaiser firming up alongside his owner.

She might as well have been an automaton, as unmoving as she was, even as she walked. Nothing changed, save for the motion of her toned legs, the slight moving of her head, and the constant darting of her eyes. On the rare occasion one of the townsfolk made eye contact, they immediately wished they hadn't. Until one looked into her eyes, they'd swear the girl was barely old enough to have left the house. After that cold gaze bore into one's soul, however, and the claws of Old Scratch played a shivering tune up one's spine, most realized she'd been on her own for long enough.

This girl's eyes weren't openly malicious, though, nor were they dead, as the rest of her seemed. At a glance, they were the most beautiful part of her, but, like everything in the Wasteland, a glance was never enough. Her eyes seemed capable of inferring the pain she'd felt onto those that she stared at, a palpable sense of dread lived and misery suffered. And yet, they didn't ask for help. None offered it. Danaya liked it that way. She'd never really learned who could be trusted and who couldn't, so she'd just as often keep everyone at her steel barrel's length and survive on her own. It had worked so far, and it kept anyone from getting close enough to slip a knife, or something worse, into her.

A few more blocks, and Danaya froze in her tracks. A dog. It wasn't little. In fact, it was certainly tall enough to rip her throat out, probably without jumping. It's not that she hated dogs, or animals in general, not by any means. They were just so damned unpredictable. If they wagged their tail this way, they were happy, but this way meant they were just investigating. And often hungry. She usually avoided animals of any sort when possible, but especially dogs; their cry of pain when she killed them somehow seemed as innocent as she had once been, and it was one of the few things that hurt her anymore.

There was a woman with this dog, however, which meant it wasn't feral, at least not completely. That also didn't mean it was going to be friendly. To the contrary, at the same time she noticed it, it noticed her, and the mutt's entire attitude changed. Her grip tightened on her SMG just as its muscles seemed to tense, and the tightening of her jaw was the only outward symbol she showed that anything was happening behind those eyes. The eyebot received only a cursory glance, nothing she would be overly concerned with while the dog was still alive. Eyebot tactics were a bit lacking, and sneaking up on one wasn't overly difficult, but dogs and their damn noses, their teeth...Danaya closed her eyes briefly and looked to the woman, trying not to look hostile. She gave her the once over, the initial inspection that most traveling Wastelanders gave each other. 'What has she got showing, and what might she have hidden?' Leg armor below and leather up top. It made melee a bit more difficult with only her combat knife, but the woman's sniper rifle would outmatch her hunting rifle every day of the week, and she carried her pistols like she'd used 'em more than once. Too bad the damned missive wanted her to get here during the day time. Her eyes were unmatched at night, so far as she'd...seen.

After several moments, Danaya was almost convinced she'd actually have to speak to get the woman out of the way. Motion, that leather-clad hand lifting, twisting. Danaya's thumb flipped the safety off of the SMG and prepared to pull it from her pack, but it was no weapon brought to bear. No, instead it was a similar passkey to which she'd been given. Danaya scowled and looked around, searching for prying eyes even as she flipped the safety back on. Seeing no one nearby, she shook her head to herself and began walking towards the girl. Within a couple of steps, she'd pulled her own card from the pack, cupping it, trying to flash it so that only the woman would be able to see it. And then the fool woman shouted for all the world to hear.

Throwing her hands up, she stalked away, cutting through an alley that would take her to the far side of a building a few blocks away. The fool woman had drawn much too much attention, and as far as Danaya knew, no one else had boarded the bus. No matter how pretty the armor, she would not simply sit and wait for someone to attack the gleaming chariot. She'd wait until the air brakes squeeled and sighed as the driver prepared to leave and sprint for it. Unless it pulled an unwieldy U-turn, it'd have to drive right past her new hiding spot, anyway. Grumbling to herself, wondering how some people survived, she hunkered down next to the building and took in her surroundings. Waiting.

It was certainly a surprise when a stranger had waltzed right up to Will declaring they had a message for him. Obviously he was skeptical immediately and the poor messenger almost didn’t make it out of there in one piece but when the subject of the large reward came up, the paranoid ghoul soon changed his tone. It wasn’t as if he was greedy, far from it actually and in all honesty he did well enough finding what he needed to live with on his own but there were other things he could do with the reward. The ones who Will scavenged for when they couldn’t do so for themselves could use portions of the reward to afford supplies to stock up on. So now he found himself plodding slowly towards a glinting bus, telling himself he was doing this to free his scavenging time up when the others were taken care of with this reward, not because he was getting soft. Yes, that’s exactly why he was doing this and he had met Karen for a bit on the way which made him think she could use some of the reward for herself and her boy Adjo.

Lifting his glazed blue eyes up to see how far he was from his destination, he spotted a very familiar sight. Dark colored dog, stubby wagging tail, floating hunk of metal, hrm, Karen? He cocked his head curiously, he knew she had been traveling when he ran into her but never being a very conversational person he hadn’t found out where she was going and now she was here too? With a huff of confusion he walked towards her with his signature loud, thudding steps. Dust puffed up with each move to dirty his tattered jeans, his dark blue jacket zipped and the hood pulled over his head tightly so only those who already knew him would know exactly what he was.

Drawing closer he noted she was talking with another woman who quickly left as if frustrated and then disappeared. Safe to say that wasn’t a friend of Karen’s; he thought as he stepped close to her and grunted to get her attention. Reaching back, he pulled a holograph card from a pocket on the side of the pack strapped to his back and showed it to her. This vague gesture may have been confusing to some but to those who knew how to read Will’s silent language could tell he was basically asking if she was here for the same reason. After adjusting the personal minigun that hung from his back as well, he furrowed his brow and looked around as if missing something and actually spoke his first word since arriving. “Adjo?”

Even through the rain her senses remained heightened, amplified by the fact that she had her dog and eyebot with her. Klox is resilient to rain but could malfunction if he...it...(she needs to stop getting so attached to her fabrications) is plunged in a puddle and surrounded, then malfunction overwhelms the eyebot. Nothing she couldn't fix obviously. She's always been swift with her hands and strains herself to maintain the upkeep of anything electronic. Karen watches the black haired woman begin to approach but once she asked her about Hiroshima Corp she moved, far too quickly. The movement ignited a chain reaction in Karen's body.

Swinging a strong leg across the ground the scarf wound around her supple waist and her hoodie's long tail flared out as she crouched somewhat, taking a defensive stance as a pistol is produced in either hand. As soon as it becomes clear the woman is just scampering off (and hastily) Karen stands upright before she holsters Silas and Mordecai. She reaches into her hood to scratch at her nape sheepishly, leaning her weight onto one leg as her hip rests sideways. Maybe she didn't appreciate the words out of paranoia (as far as she knew Hiroshima Corp made it public to search for recruits) or didn't belong here. Either way Karen doesn't want to know and decides to pointedly ignore the bloodstains on him. No business of hers to poke her nose where it doesn't belong. She has bigger fish to fry.

The machinist turns away and continues towards the bus. Until she heard a familiar grunt amidst the rain and gentle din of machinery in the background from various buses. Karen blinks, turning to find a familiar face. "Will!" to hell with formality and trying to look like a badass in front of any strangers. She knows this ghoul and is familiar with him. While not the best of friends just yet she knows how much her boy looks up to Will, thinking him a super hero. Karen steps forth quickly and gives the ghoul a hug whether he'd want one or not. Pulling away she smiles up at him. "He's staying with my parents back in Carnation. He was real sore when I told him you weren't staying in town, he said he wanted to stay with you while I was gone. C'mon we better not keep our employer waiting." she flashed her card to Will as well to show that they're both in this. It makes her feel at ease to have at least one friendly face on board.

Behind her Kaiser lags somewhat, keeping a wary eye on the sparse people scattered in the distance for their own buses. He didn't plod along after Karen until she reached the bus doors. As she did she was checked for weapons and the like. It made her squirm a bit and stifle inevitable giggles; Karen is horrendously ticklish. After she was able to calm herself she swiped the card as the guards let her pass through. Klox and Kaiser stay close as she notices an armored man right as she walks in. The doors slide and securely lock shut behind her as she pulls down her damp hood to reveal her face. She's never enjoyed being hooded while meeting someone new, or someone she's going to be working under for that matter. "Karen Simms, sir." she nodded politely and would shortly shake the man's hand before scooting to a seat in the middle of the bus. Kaiser picks the seat next to her as Klox hovered in the back of the bus and continued to broadcast music.

The messenger had been pretty clear on the destination; Erett, then a bus to Seattle. This was about it that and the holo card, the promise of caps though that he couldn't pass up. He had began his travels immediately, though accompanied by a very unusual person; Hunter, was the man's name. Hunter stuck close to him, it was odd having a raider as a friend; but then again it could be worse.

He shifted his pack over his left shoulder the strap of his sniper rifle on his right the gun itself hanging off the back of his shoulder. His stealth suit in his pack. His blazer unzipped and the holster for his ten millimeter hidden neatly under. He was all but prepared for this assignment, whatever the case maybe. He stopped a moment to adjust the strap over his chest holding his sword to his back. The bus was in sight, though several people were as well, as he began to close the gap between himself and the bus, he watched one of the people storm off. The rain pelting down on him as he just continued to watch, wiping some of the water from his face. Then it was clear by the movement of one of the other two that they were also part of this little adventure.

He slowed his pace, his eyes scanning the surrounding area, one thing he had learned to do was keep in eye out for any type of traps, and after walking into a few when he was still green, well he didn't wanna relive those situations ever again. He could now make out the last person left, male it seemed. He studied him slightly; the only thing that really registered was the gun upon his back. He gave a nod as indication that he noticed the man, flashing the holographic card as well, before boarding the train; pleasantries weren't something he usually stuck around for; so after the search for weapons; the only one truly hidden was his ten millimeter. He swiped his card as well and entered. He took notice of the man, and then the one who had boarded the bus first. He nodded to both before choosing a seat near the back; close to what seemed to be an eyebot playing music; then again he also had just noticed the dog near the woman. The slight urge to pet the canine being pushed down as he sat down his bag placed on the floor between his legs his sword leaned next to him and his rifle in his lap.

The rain had messed up his hair, causing droplets to fall from his bands onto his face, though no reaction was made of it, it just trailed down to his chin and dropped to the floor. So far he had registered four people here, three seemed to be hired like him, though the man must have either been the one who hired them; or worked for the one, either way it didn't matter to him. He'd take the orders, and do his job, get paid and move on. That's what his life was about, the next large sum of caps.

The moment Karen hugged him, Will let out an odd strangled sound from his throat as if she was squeezing the very life out of him. No, it wasn’t because he was disgusted by physical contact or anything of the sort he just wasn’t a very well socialized individual which all comes down to him basically being extraordinarily shy. Things like hugs caused him to immediately stiffen awkwardly, at a loss of what to do which he was currently doing now as Karen clung to him happily. Once she released him, he looked off to the side, focusing on something particularly interesting in the distance as he clenched and unclenched his fists nervously. The only thing that brought his attention back to her face was when she started speaking of her son, Adjo, whom he was very fond of and was one of the only people who could crawl all over him without Will so much as blinking. The news that he wanted to stay with Will while his mother traveled brought the slightest of grins to his face before it quickly disappeared as he nodded in agreement with no longer dallying to meet their employer and shuffled behind Karen towards the bus.

Keeping his hazy eyes angled at the ground while his friend went through the pat down, he offhandedly noted how the dust was being turned into mud by the rain which he wasn’t very fond of. The thoughts he was using to distract himself were quickly interrupted when he was ushered in to be pat down and touched in ways he didn’t particularly enjoy being touched. Letting forth a few quiet and inhumane growls and hisses during the procedure, he finally was allowed to go free on the bus where he was met with an armored man waiting. Will only ducked his head as he walked past the man, having caught the tail end of Karen giving the man her name he mumbled his name to the figure as well before trudging down the aisle way and picking the seat behind Karen.

Idly patting Kaiser’s head as he passed, he then slung his pack and gun off before he sat down and put the bag in his lap, holding it tightly to him as if someone would actually try to snatch it away from the large ghoul. After placing the heavy gun between him and the wall of the bus he let his eyes wander around the interior. His was face shadowed by his hood as he took in the features of the vehicle and the so far only other man on here before resigning himself to sit back in his seat to quietly ponder what exactly they were brought here for. He had assumed this was a solo job but at least there was someone here he knew, if not for her he wasn't sure how he'd fare with working beside complete strangers.

Dante Adams had been walking for a long time now. Actually, he had been walking pretty much non-stop since he left Nevada on the hint - more of a vague notion, really - that someone out here would be hiring, with the exception of frequent stops for directions (Dante is forgetful). He'd covered in a matter of weeks a distance that most people don't travel in their entire lives, and almost entirely on foot - with the exception of an especially nice brahmin-cart driver. He was tired, and he was hungry - he hadn't had breakfast that morning to ensure that he'd make it to Seattle on time - but mostly he was excited. He knew how caps worked, and he knew that he never had enough for what he'd needed, but the number on this contract advertisement was higher than he could count (fingers and toes!) so it must have been a lot! He figured that if he was wise with these caps, he would never need another job, ever.

This was, of course, naivete on his part. But if he kept working on this contract he could actually be set for life.

So the heavyset brawler was walking up the street in Seattle, his hands behind his back, discordantly and loudly humming a song that had been stuck in his head for the last few hours, and stopping to mumble his name. Eventually he drew within sight of the bus stop, and it was at this point where she saw a girl accompanied by a dog and a hovering shiny-thing (he didn't know what an eyebot was, but he knew they exploded when you hit them too hard, and he also knew that shrapnel wounds from said explosions really really hurt). It was a poor moment for him to arrive, for Danaya had just disappeared around a corner and Karen drew her guns, not noticing Dante.

Dante, however, noticed her. Rather, he noticed her guns. His hand immediately went back to his rebar club, disturbing Clarice from her perch and sending her skyward as he hefted the twisted mass of concrete and iron bars and shouted to the heavens:

"DANTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."

With that first cry, Dante took off running, the gargantuan maul hoisted directly over his head, held at a lateral, parallel to the ground. The man didn't look like he could move quickly, but when he got around to it he could go with surprising speed. Such as he the speed he was traveling at now.

By the time he noticed that the girl had climbed onto the bus, it was too late to stop the charge. So Dante just followed through at the nearest solid object.

"... MO'FUGGIN' ADAMS!" He finally finished, swinging his maul in a wide arc and taking one of the supports out of the bus stop, punching a hole the size of a man's torso in the corrugated tin. Dante looked at the hole in the bus stop and his face took up a sheepish expression. "Uh... Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams ain't payin' for that." The mercenary looked at the bus and slowly climbed on board, Clarice sweeping down to perch on his right shoulder just before he boarded. Here he noted the girl who had pulled guns, along with another man and a ghoul.

Dante said nothing, merely looked bashfully embarrassed and took a seat.

Karen forgets how shy Will is. She's affectionate by nature and often cuddles with friends, hugs them whenever she sees them, even often kissing their cheek should they be comfortable with each other. A hug is a step in not only ritual greeting but continuing to trust the ghoul. He's never given Karen reason to be nervous of him and Adjo believes Will is the greatest thing since Sugar Bombs. She wouldn't argue. Still it's nice to playfully pick on someone who has a shyer demeanor than herself. That and seeing the silent ghoul get embarrassed is wickedly amusing. When Will pat Kaiser the dog wagged his tail. Now able to focus within shelter from the rain he stares happily at the ghoul. With a huff the dog clambers over his seat and leans over to flail his tongue at Will's face. Karen smiles as she glances over her shoulder. "Looks like Kaiser's gotten sweet on you too."

The dog suddenly turned hostile, whipping around to slam his maw against the glass of the window, barred for safety. He lowered his chin and the fatty tissue scrunched along the back of his neck as he lifted his ears to focus on the threat causing an uproar outside. Kaiser is indeed a goofy dog, but he's savagely loyal. There are two people on this bus he's concerned for; Karen and Will. His teeth stab against the glass as he barks and attempts to bite through down against Dante slamming the bus stop outside. The woman watches with wide eyes and coos at Kaiser to mellow him out. She didn't dare grab him. Grabbing an upset animal would make them feel trapped and only heighten their anxiety. By the time the behemoth man climbed on the bus Kaiser was reduced to glaring at him and growling lowly in his throat.

"...it's nice to meet you, Dante Mo'Fuggin Adams.", seriously? That's his name?, "I'm Karen Simms. This is Kaiser and back there is Klox." she figured this man must've seen her pistols out or gotten upset with the bizarre woman she say slinking around earlier. Either was some sincere words could help him ease into the environment. And hopefully refrain him from losing it and smashing everyone into little pulpy bits. For now Karen cradled Kaiser against her chest as the dog sighed, flopping over dramatically and plain hamming it up for more attention as they awaited departure. Although he did lift his head to stare warily at the two men walking on.

~~~

The Capital Wasteland. Home of the free, the reckless, and the radiated. That mingled with the lack of law or governmental concern gave birth to the Raiders. A group of wild humans just out for whatever they can find to keep themselves alive and entertained. And leading a small group is Drint Grune Hunter, possibly the nastiest Raider bastard around. Just your average sadistic-masochist anarchist looking out to drop-kick the next sorry punk who looks at him wrong. Hunter is a wild child of sorts and has a temper. Not about little things. Only if he feels he’s being disrespected, threatened, questioned…well, actually, a lot of things do set him off. Hunter doesn’t like to be pushed around. Like anyone would dare with him, right? Yeah.

There's only one person he's...gotten along with, more or less. A Mexi-Irish mutt. They've only known each other for a year or so but they've been rivals as well as allies. Helping each other through shit, sending the other to his death supposedly, and more often than not waking up in bed together. Hunter wouldn't call them friends, wouldn't call anyone his friend really. Lucas understands him enough and vice versa. Hunter's hung up his raiding hat for this work opportunity. All of those caps could get him so many exquisite chems.

He clung close behind Lucas, twitching and showing his teeth for no reason besides poor nerve and muscle control. Everything hurts him constantly which is why he loves chems so much. They make the pain ebb away long enough for him to sleep or kick back with some whiskey. Muttering nonsense under his breath the Raider contorts his body awkwardly when being searched. As soon as he was searched he heard thunderous footsteps behind him. "Shit move!" nearly shoving Lucas out of the way he plowed onto the bus, tripping over himself and hissing before he found a seat once his companion sat down.

He's wearing sadistic raider armor modified with some scrap metal. There are no firearms to be found on him but a machete, power fist and brass knuckles are evident. Settling down when the giant boards he cusses under his breath as he leans against the window to try and nap or calm down his involuntary jerking.

The woman, drink in hand, tottered towards a bus positioned on the outskirt of town -- she had just left the bar, fresh whiskey in her hand and a few more packed away in her backpack. She stretched her hand out, the leather gloves creaking with the movement, but otherwise did not complain. She stiffened slightly, her hair shifting in the wind, as a man went running by her shouting something. She assumed he had completely missed her arrival on scene, walking from an alley not far from the station, and stuck a finger into her ear. She wiggled it around for a second, fighting the ringing that his battle cry had caused, watching with amusement as he nearly destroyed a support beam for the small station. She chuckled lightly, shaking her head, as he scurried from the scene -- after loudly announcing that he would not be held responsible for the damages. Jo highly doubted that anyone would attempt to argue with him, after seeing what he did to the place. She took a swig from the bottle of whiskey, head tilting to the side as the burning liquid warmed her belly. She patted it contentedly, plucking at her white shirt as the rain began to fall. She sighed, clothing clung something awful when it was wet and white wasn't necessarily the best color for rain.

Jo pulled a card from the side pocket of her cargo pants, holding it out in the open for anyone to see. It wasn't that she was stupid, Jo just didn't really care. Besides, she'd been itching for a fight lately and if someone decided to snatch the card from her... well... who was she to argue? At the thought, a grin etched its way into her features and she began a slow walk towards the armored bus. Upon reaching the doors, she was slightly disheartened that no one had bothered to approach her, no street rats, no criminals... Shrugging, Jo jerked her head up in greeting to the man standing outside of the bus doors, flashing the pass at him. When he stepped forward to pat her down, Jo stepped up to meet him halfway, leaving the guard with almost no room in between the two. She smirked, head tilting to the side again -- "Only weapons I got are these." She wiggles the fingers on each hand, the whiskey bottle held firmly by her thumb and first finger. "Oh, well... besides... You know." She grins again, the guard mumbling some sort of incoherent comment as he went about patting her down. She made sure to rock back into the man, reiterating her point, and was hastily let onto the bus. She managed a wink at the guard as she climbed into the vehicle, a little emphasis placed on the swing of her hips as she climbed in -- regardless of her lack of hips.

She nodded at the man seated in the car seemingly for the longest time. He was dressed differently than most of the others and had an air about him... he was different. Jo identified him at the "leader" of sorts and extended her hand to shake his. "Jo LaRoche, reporting for duty." She gave the man a once over, smirk reappearing as she deemed him quite attractive, and then headed for an empty seat. She passed a rather large man, hooded and partially hunched over, a dark skinned woman... gorgeous really, scars indicated a violent past... oh, how Jo loved a violent past. She offered a smile to the woman before continuing past her and finally found the man she had seen earlier -- the guy with the club -- and plopped down into the seat across from him. She grinned, the whiskey calming from her sudden movements, before she took another swig and capped the bottle. "Quite some damage you did, buddy."



The Hispanic woman plodded happily through the town, sniper rifle bouncing on her back with each step. She adjusted the strap of her backpack and acknowledged her combat knife and 10 mm pistol secured on each thigh to ensure their presence. Once affirming that they hadn't mysteriously gone missing, she continued her path leading towards the bus stop on the edge of town. Reaching into the pocket of her pants, she fingered the edge of the pass card that had been given to her. It was curious, considering that she didn't consider herself extraordinarily gifted in any way that would earn her 1000 caps... but who was she to pass up such an offer? She was tired of the lecherous mechanics that offered her a job and then felt entitled to grope her or corner her whenever they so pleased. She pressed the thoughts from her mind, though acknowledged the surprise she had felt when her previous employer grew angered at her for denying his advances. He was old enough to be her grandfather and an idiot, aside from his trade, to boot -- of course she wouldn't be interested. She shook her head, reaching the bus stop before she knew it.

Passing a destroyed area on the bus stop, Elena raised her eyebrow. She didn't remember seeing that when she had arrived the night before... Shrugging, Elena placed a bright smile on her face and quickened her pace to the bus. When she approached, she was stopped and her eyebrows furrowed. She sighed when the guard asked to see her card and informed her that she would be pat down, hip jutting out to the side as she clicked her tongue and waved her hand in a 'hurry up with it, then' motion. The guard obeyed and, after she pulled the card from her pocket, allowed her admittance into the vehicle. When she climbed aboard, she took a glance over the individuals already seated. There was a hulking figure, hood drawn and undoubtedly the most mysterious and, thus, the most intriguing individual on the entire contraption. She acknowledged the others, nodding in greeting to each of them regardless of whether or not they acknowledge her in turn. Then, with all of the purpose in the world, stopped next to the hulking figure cradling his pack against him, shrugging her sniper off of her back and her backpack off next, depositing them in front of her. She looked at the man next to her, even sitting and partially slumped over he was a head taller than her, a brilliant smile on her features. "Hey there, I'm Elena. Do you mind if I sit next to you?"

She honestly hoped the man wouldn't, she was too drawn to curiosities to let such an opportunity pass her by.

With Erett on the rainy horizon he squinted through the secure window at two figures headed for the bus. Arms raised one of them suddenly took off. A keen snort went through his nostrils. Were they on a bad trip or concerned about being found out? None of them would have to honestly. Hiroshima Corp is in no way mediocre. It's why they've summoned these individuals specifically. They're all notorious for a skill and their mannerisms which will be required for the missions.

He tugged a cigarette out from his pack nearby on the seat next to him. A black woman entered first with her guests. A dog and an eyebot. He sneered at the sight of the dog but his eyes painted over Karen's body appreciatively. She must've been through hell to get so many scars and she's still polite towards strangers? Promising. Tobias firmly shook her hand and his thumb lightly brushed across the top of her hand teasingly before he let her go sit down. Behind her came along an oddly pale man and from the stench he was a ghoul. A zombie? Interesting. Tobias nodded after Will took a seat behind Karen. Not too long after two men came aboard, one very tall and the other possibly high as he found a seat.

Right then he heard the ruckus outside and arched a brow with his hand running along his Skorpion. Tobias levels the giant when he walks on. "Don't break the chair." he can feel the bus sag down when Dante hopped on. Crap the city won't be pleased when it sees the damage then again who's going to tell on them? He looks sharp as two women arrive afterwards. One goes right to the back with the hooded fellow named Will. He looked up at Jo and gave a trademark smirk as he shook her hand, thumb running over her knuckles. "Charmed."she's got an exotic air about her and it feels like she could kick his ass. Tobias likes that in a woman.

Well it appeared they had enough accounted for. He doesn't know how many were recruited but he does know time is up. Hyushu doesn't like to be kept waiting. Waving at the bus driver the driver Tobias stood up as the bus began to gasp and heave to life. As it began to roll away the doors shut and lock and the guards hopped into their smaller vehicles to trail along. Or pick up any desperate straggler with a card.

"I'm Tobias Philip and I'll be your superior throughout these missions. I'm to make sure you all understand you'll be employed only under Hiroshima Corp's name, meaning we do not step out of the mission at any time. Each mission is a thousand caps. Five hundred up front and five hundred at the end. Maybe even a bonus if none of you fuck up and please Hyushu Hiroshima. We are not raiders. At no time will we instruct you to harm the innocent. If you have an issue with a mission bring it up with me and we'll find a compromise." he paused then to let the information melt in.

Danaya had dropped once again into her reverie, Daddy keeping watch behind her. The rain set her into a lull, the mangled roof above offering just enough protection for her tiny frame. The soft pitter patter of the falling precipitation as it joined that which had fallen earlier, puddles forming, always had a way of easing her mind. That is, until an explosion of concrete near the bus snapped her out of it. She realized belatedly that he'd been shouting the entire way, and she mentally kicked herself for falling so deeply into her trance. That's how people got caught unaware. That's how people got owned.

She shook her head, her two wet bangs stuck to her face as water flees her flesh in tiny droplets. Looking at the huge man and the similarly large hole he'd created, she allowed herself the small victory of feeling justified in not being near the bus. Had his rebar club hit her, she'd probably have literally exploded in a pinkish mist, armor or no. The woman that approached next, seemingly drunk and altogether flirty, she caught Danaya's eyes. The white shirt clung in all the right places, and she was honestly surprised that the guards didn't take more liberties in their pat down. She'd practically shoved her...assets in the man's face, and he'd done nothing but blush and send her on her way. She was still thinking of the girl and her too-playful attitude when the bus started moving. Shit! Another plan that hadn't worked out quite so well.

She stood quickly, stretched her ankles against strains in the chill, and sprinted towards the bus. Before she'd made it within 20 feet, however, the guards in the short bus intercepted her. The shiny armored bus moved on, and she sighed as one of the guards stepped out. She'd seen the previous exchanges, so she flashed her card and raised her arms, jaw clenched as she endured the pat down. It seemed the hired help was courteous enough, for even now, with no one else around, they simply checked for weapons, and not for the exact dimensions of her small but perky breasts. Apparently satisfied, one opened the back door. She stuck a thumb at Daddy, and the man sighed, apparently not happy that he was in the rain for longer than necessary. He pointed to the roof, and Danaya stood inside the vehicle and patted the roof. After a few minutes, she felt Daddy was properly secured. Climbing into the interior, she once again put her hand in her pack, hand resting comfortably on her SMG, and waiting for the ride to be over.

When Karen mentioned her dog being sweet on him as well he made a questioning noise and looked up only to be greeted to the sight of a lapping dog mouth right in his face. “Eh!” He jumped in surprise at Kaiser’s overzealous attempts at kisses then huffed quietly, which in Will language was actually his pass at a laugh. It was soon swallowed though as he tensed his muscles when motion rocked the vehicle and the dog leapt to the window viciously. What the hell was that? No sooner had he asked the question in his mind did the answer become clear as a hulking man stepped on, causing the bus to tilt ever so with his weight. Will raised his brows in surprise at the size of the man, never having seen someone so large but quickly put his eyes back down to the floor.

Although he kept his eyes away from the others, he always kept his ears keen for everything. Karen, of course, sweetly greeted the large newcomer and then Will noted another female that also greeted the man. This new women seemed drunk, or drugged, or quite possibly both and now that he thought about it the man sitting in back was twitching uncontrollably. Great, not only was he working with complete strangers, he was working with completely insane strangers! Someone else entered the bus from the back but he didn't have time to move his head to check and see who it was before yet another female voice rang out, this time directed at him. His eyes bolted up to her then immediately back down after quickly noting how pretty she was. Sit by him? Sit by him? Why did she want to do that, she didn’t know him! He fidgeted with his pack for several moments before silently scooting over just a bit as his answer that yes, yes she could.

Thankfully the man up front spoke and broke the tension; he was apparently their superior for this trip and secret mission. When exactly were they going to find out just what they had to do for these caps? Well, at least they assured they wouldn’t be doing the work of raiders so that was comforting. As he tried to focus on what the man was saying, his eyes kept drifting over to the woman next to him and he continuously kept trying to make himself one with the wall in order to escape her. What was wrong with him?! It wasn’t as if he wasn’t use to being around pretty women, he was around Karen all the time! Wait, Karen was pretty wasn’t she…dammit! He growled quietly to himself and tightened his grip on his pack as he warred with himself inside his mind, hoping for someone else to speak and break his handmade tension.

Luke watched Hunter chuckling alittle at the man, the loud noise outside didn't really catch his attention; that was until the giant of a man boarded, this evidently made him blink a few times, well that did clear up the loud noise outside the bus. He watched the man find his place. Then two more women joined the bus, one reminding him of hunter. "wonderful, a female version of hunter, this trip is going to be hell.." He shifted alittle in his spot watching both women choose their seat. Then the man at the front began to speak, talking about their position and what they were going to do for Hiroshima corp.

He paid attention to most of it, he was glad they wouldn't be doing any type of raider work; that means Hunter would be on an off scale, which only made him smile over at the man, who seemed to be trying to nap; Then after the bus started to move. "So, basically we'll be doing anything and everything, except killing and or maiming helpless bystanders, and raiding settlements?" His voice rang out in the dull silence; it wasn't uncommon for him to talk, it just was something most people didn't get to hear his voice and live.

He looked at the rest of the group so far, a giant of man, three women, a dog, an eyebot, a ghoul, and him and hunter. This looked more like a private battalion, what exactly would they be doing? He was quite curious of that fact, his grip unconsciously tightening on his rifle, before he realized it and loosened it. He had an odd feeling about this, but yet caps, were caps and he was sure Hunter would agree. That man was starting to corrupt him, he ran a hand through his wet hair, trying to keep it out of his face by slicking it back. This was going to be interesting, then again any time Hunter wasn't trying to raid things was interesting; so this was going to be entertaining. He patted Hunter on the shoulder. "You alive old man..?" He asked a teasing smirk on his face. He wasn't going to let Hunter out of his sight, the man was a wild card; nothing he did was predictable, hell them even keeping on neutral terms wasn't easy to anticipate. The man was unpredictable as he was antisocial, and that wasn't saying much considering Hunter's base line was always rape pillage and destroy, or so he gathered from the year he's known the man.

The seat groaned beneath Dante's girth as he settled into it, then it eventually stopped protesting once he found a comfortable place. Outside he could hear the guard struggling to put away his hammer, but he didn't pay him much mind - the guy had asked for his weapons and he had given them to him, and then gone along his merry way, unaware of just how much the brick of concrete weighed to people of a more average physique. Clarice, meanwhile, kept her beady eyes on Kaiser and let out a squawk of impetuousness - This mutt thought he could scare her? - before preening one of her wings and nestling into herself to return to a napping state.

Dante smiled happily, revealing tombstone-shaped teeth. "Dante Mo'fuggin Adams is pleased t' make y'all's acquaintance, Miss Simms." He cast a slightly nervous glance at Klox when he was introduced. "Uh... That thang ain't gon' asplode an' hurt Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams, is it?"

And that was when Jo entered the equation. He immediately shut down the Karen line of questioning and rotated in his seat to speak to the newcomer, who stank of whiskey and had the roses to match. The hulking mercenary smiled over at Jo and looked at her expectantly. "Yuh, Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams guess he did..." He looked back out the window at the hole in the bus-stop and pouted slightly. "Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams was runnin' at somebody who pulled guns when Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams was comin' to the bus stop an' he couldn't stop himself once he'd started goin' fast enough, so he just hit th' first thang that got close."

He looked sheepishly back at Jo, again focusing at the whiskey. "Mind if'n Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams has a sip?" Apparently he had forgotten the three bottles of sour mash that were clinking against the cans of beans in his makeshift backpack entirely. Tobias said something about Dante breaking the chair, but he already wasn't listening. He liked something about Jo. Maybe it was the fact that she had whiskey. Maybe it was because she was pretty. Maybe it was because she had spoken and held his attention for the moment.

Jo LaRoche

When the man at the front of the bus had, in Jo's eyes, returned her gesture of interest, she stored it away in her memory. When he spoke next, he nearly sounded all business -- Jo, however, leveled him with a confident smirk and eyed his features once he finally stood. He was definitely her type (not many were disqualified for her, however) and she made plans to make sure that he knew. Her attention rerouted to Dante as he spoke, explaining his run in with the bus station wall -- she chuckled, a grin working its way into her flirty smirk as she made plans to reply. Dante beat her to the punch, however, when he indicated his interest in her whiskey bottle. If Jo was sharing her whiskey, she was going to share with anyone interesting enough to garner her attention.

She grinned back at Dante, extending the whiskey bottle in his direction. "Well, Dante Mo'fuggin Adams, drinking is always more fun if you do it with someone else," she added before addressing the rest of the bus. "Care to join in on the fun?" Her announcement was loud enough to include anyone who enjoyed a nice drink, needed the chance to relax, or perhaps enjoyed alcohol as much as she did -- especially the two men that had been seated next to each other. One had appraised her with such a look when she stepped aboard, partial disbelief and partial discomfort; the other looked like a junkie. Now, despite popular belief, Jo wasn't one for chems; but she could respect any addiction as well as the next. Acknowledging the two men on the bus led Jo to take another glance around the bus which led Jo to decide that she would try to get each person present into bed with her, or a table, or the ground. Her smirk flourished back as she sighed contentedly -- this job would certainly be fun.

Elena Torres

The shorter woman's smile grew as Will scooted over in his seat and she settle in next to him quickly, her bag and rifle finding permanent resting places before her. She sat contentedly, quite pointedly staring at the man next to her as he attempted to meld with the wall of the bus. It was obvious that she made him uncomfortable, though she had simply no idea why -- if he didn't want her there, wouldn't he have told her to find another seat? She listened patiently to the man at the front of the bus as he explained their duties for the job; it seemed simple enough and she hoped that the skills she DID posses would at least be useful; why would they have invited her if they were not? As the man took his seat again, Elena's attention snapped back to the man she was seated next to.

Elena wasn't nearly as well traveled as other individuals, failing quite ridiculously to deduce that this man was in fact a ghoul; not that this information would have spared the poor guy from her undivided attention (Elena is quite a fan of ghouls, though she can't explain why). She grinned playfully, leaning closer to the man who had shoved himself so close to the wall of the bus that he would walk away with imprints. This small amount of distance allowed her to hear the grumbling and discontented sounds the man issued forth, but she just kept smiling. "So, what's your name, then?" She had given her own -- it would only be fair for him to return the favor. Besides, once a conversation was started, it was easy to continue. While waiting for a response, she heard the woman that she had followed onto the bus offer a drink to at least two individuals -- though the offer seemed to extend to whomever may be interested. Elena crinkled her nose -- she hated alcohol. It smelled awful, caused YOU to smell awful, and lead to extremely poor decisions. She shook her head, fully set against the idea of joining in on the "fun" so advertised.

Kaiser eyed Clarice warily, huffing at her before she settled in to doze. He's far more concerned about her owner who moments before showed high aggression. The dog sighs and tucks himself down beneath Karen's legs to doze on the warmed floor of the bus. Karen isn't as outwardly distasteful of the man as her dog is. It's easy to tell he's one of the "brawn over brain" types. And he has an animal companion with him, that's a clear sign he's not malicious intentionally off the bat. "No sir, Klox won't explode and hurt you." she politely answered before he was enthralled with the teetering woman. Karen heard the woman purring about her whiskey off-handedly and while she herself enjoyed all alcohol she isn't going to drink on the job.

She smirked haphazardly when Will had a delayed reaction towards Kaiser's vain attempt to smooch him. The poor ghoul was always getting picked on it would seem. And now he has a lovely, friendly woman sitting with him and being social. Karen paid attention to the front where the armored man, Tobias, began briefing them all. From further in the back the tall guy with messy dark hair voiced his concerns. Karen really doesn't have any questions to ask. This enigmatic work is foriegn to her and exciting. Anything exciting is dangerous just as anything dangerous is exciting in itself. She can tell already this is a contract with limited room for questions and zero tolerance of disapproval for a mission. Bending her legs up she hugged her knees with her pack and sniper rifle taking up the seat next to her, listening to the conversations and relaxing.

~~~

Hunter took little notice of the women who boarded the bus. He was simply too wigged out to really focus. Although he vaguely smelled booze he just...well he's having a bad trip after hearing Dante go feral. His right shoulder bounces up rapidly, without warning like a piston as his head jerks to the same side. He growls faintly at Lucas. What a jerk. He's always so...so damned frustrating. For no reason Hunter pounds his fist into the fleshy padding just above Lucas' knee. His jaw clenches, twisting into a crooked and silent snarl before dropping into a relaxed state the next second. Behind his sunglasses his eyes flicker open and closed, open and closed.

There, up front. A man talking has a cigarette. That'll calm him down without sending him off the edge. Hunter pats himself before tugging out his own pack and lighting up. His hand jerks around, making it difficult for the cigarette butt to sit in between his lips. The chem addict wrestles with his own arm in order to take a few puffs before his muscles relax as the nicotine massages his nerves. Tch. Not like raiders? How the hell is he supposed to have any fun? Maybe he'll just lie in wait until none of the others are near him during a mission. Then the real fun can begin. "Ssh. Tryin' tuh pay attention, asswipe." Hunter rumbles towards Lucas loftily.

He was so into his inner monologue that when Elena spoke it scared him half to death, her being the last person he expects to speak again although he wasn’t sure why he’d think that since she wanted to sit by him in the first place. He kept his shocking jerk away from his thoughts hidden surprisingly well though and merely turned his head slightly so he could peek out at her from underneath his hood, trying to figure out why she was so friendly. Being a ghoul he wasn’t exactly use to having throngs of people wishing to speak with him and the number of people was cut down even more so by his grumpy nature. So, when someone did indeed wish to speak with him, he would wonder why because apparently them just wanting a soul to chat with wasn’t a satisfying enough answer for him. Despite all this he wasn’t going to be rude to an individual who wasn’t rude with him to begin with, which is why he offered her the seat in the first place. She seemed polite enough, no reason he couldn’t tolerate her presence if she was giving him that much. In fact, her friendly demeanor and question reminded him of the young woman he once was so close to. No, she didn’t appear to be as bubbly and all over the place as Beth had but still accepting and what’s your name, that was the first thing she ever said to him. With this comparison he immediately relaxed, if ever so slightly and finally found words to speak with. “Will. Just, Will.” He grumbled out in his rough voice, watching her shyly from his hood as he recalled the name he’d given her. Elena that’s what it was, he’d have to begin memorizing everyone’s names if they were going to be working together.

As he watched her he could hear the babbles of conversation elsewhere on the bus. From the back with the two men, the woman who seemed to be offering alcohol to anyone onboard and the large man who apparently was going to take her up on the offer. Will couldn’t help but think why some large science corporation would want a drunk like that woman and an obvious addict like the fellow in the back on a team. What were they all here for exactly? Maybe this was some sort of weird science experiment and they were all the guinea pigs in this so called job but that was probably his paranoia sneaking up. It wasn’t as if he was freakishly paranoid of the world, just cautious of most everyone and everything as well he should be. For as shy and timid as he seemed when socializing he knew how to survive in the vicious wastes and knew when something seemed off, not that he was turning back now and leaving the reward behind. Just write it off as over worrying and focus on the present, he told himself before finally realizing that Elena had leaned closer to him and then he began planning escape routes out of the bus and guessing how likely it was he’d survive diving out of the moving vehicle.

He grinned at the sight of Will wormed against the wall because of Elena. He'd be preening himself is such a lady were to give him attention or any woman for that matter. His eyes lingered on Jo before he watched Karen. She's quiet and going to be fun to break and who knows maybe Jo would like to help him in doing so. Tobias heard a voice from further back and nodded at the man with dripping bangs. "You are correct. But keep in mind there are settlements we might disturb but none of them innocent. Hiroshima Corp is not a destination for murderers or thugs. We're the last people you'd want brought down on your ass."

There's too much talk going on in the peanut gallery. Tobias walked down the aisle and grabbed Jo's arm firmly, prying the whiskey away for now. His smoldering gaze drapes over the woman. "You'll get this back after class and then everyone can have a drink. There's more waiting for you all at the private quarters you'll be staying at." he slowly pulled away and went up front. The drink is tucked away and his smoke lit as he took a drag. He noticed the chem addict in the back freaking out until he got a smoke too.

Just then a crackling came in on the radio. Tobias sighed smoke through his nostrils and answered lowly into the device. A tense frown took over his mouth and his fist slammed against the wall leading towards the driver's seat. The bus began to slow as did the guards' vehicles. A couple of guards would then escort the straggler and her robot onto the main bus, doors flung open. Tobias glanced down at her with a dismissive glare before he looked up front again. What, was she doing her make up? She better be on time in the future. "...as I was saying. What we're doing is strictly up to Hyushu Hiroshima. Do not talk to her unless she talks to you. Do not go near her on your lonesome she will feel threatened and she will make it a priority to lock you down in the experimenting rooms. I learned from experience, do not let it happen to you maggots."

"For the first day and night you'll be in a meeting with Dr. Hiroshima herself. She will explain the intent and the steps of the missions. My job is to lead you tattered elite through it and execute said steps during the missions. Once we arrive you'll all be escorted to your private quarters located in a secure wing of the building, males on one side of the hall and females on the other.", he plucked up the whiskey, took a sip and advanced on Jo. His eyes level on her the entire time as he spoke, "Unless any of you have questions or concerns feel free to take this time to socialize or nap. We have a half hour until arrival." he held out the bottle to Jo and glanced around at the others present. The bus began to roll again once it was secure with the straggler and her robot inside.

Danaya frowned as the guards let someone know that she was with them. She almost spoke up to let them know that she was more than content to stay off of the overcrowded bus, but the brake lights on the larger vehicle, seen through the rain covered windshield, were twin glowing starbursts signalling that she’d waited too long to say anything. With a heavy sigh, she pulled her hand from her pack and tugged on her bangs, one in each hand. Motion ceased, at least bodily, though she could swear her stomach was attempting a double flip back spring or something else gymnast-y she’d read about. Her door opened magically, or via the hands of the ever-glowering guard, and she once again stepped at the edge of the interior and straightened, talking quietly to Daddy as she worked to get him free of the roof.

Mr. Handy no longer gripping the roof with two of his three arms, she dropped from the gasoline-powered steel cage and called him down, then slowly picked her way around the potholes and the puddles until she stood before the doors. With the inevitable squeak, since no bus could ever seem to be rid of it, she looked up to see whom she could only assume was her boss with his dismissive stare, his air of supremacy, and his hand, resting at his side despite the Skorpion it barely held. She fought the urge to shoot him and wander off, mostly because it would waste bullets and give her nothing in return, save for satisfaction and an empty stomach. As she boarded, she quickly swept the interior with her green eyes, pausing on each person for just long enough to locate at least one weapon, if they had it, and to look at their face, the expression there. Her own, she knew, was a mask, a face that lacked any emotion, and short of the few small miracles she’d witnessed, it typically stayed that way.

The next person she saw as her eyes travelled along the left side of the bus would be Dante, who physically took up the entire seat, but his presence took up the seat in front of and behind him as well. He was the destroyer of bus stops, to be certain, and yet, in the few moments she watched, he didn’t seem malicious. Instead, he seemed almost like a child, an extremely large child with homicidal tendencies. She’d watch him, but she didn’t hate him right away. Next would be the eyebot, floating in the back, quietly polluting their environment with just enough noise as to prevent her from identifying the song. It was annoying already, but floating laser guns did have their uses.

As the bus slowly began to roll, she glanced at her immediate surroundings. Apparently satisfied, she absently pushed Daddy into the seat nearest the door and put her left knee upon the seat one row behind it, left hand gripping the back for balance. For some reason completely foreign to her, everyone had moved to the back half of the bus, leaving her with plenty of distance from them, and very little distance to the door, should anything go wrong. She found the set up quite to her liking, and began inspecting the other passengers once more.

The next thing she saw was like a bad dream. Her nostrils flared and her eyes widened considerably. On the back of the bus was not simply a Raider, complete with warhawk, but one who advertised his love for causing pain in the Sadistic style armor he wore, complete with pointless spikes and scrap metal. Though nowhere near the size of Dante, he was still well muscled; the only thing that kept her on the bus was his near-lack of cognizance. While she had no doubt that he was a sick fuck with his array of close range weapons, he seemed too far gone to be much of a threat at the far end of a bus while high out of his mind. She also had no doubt that she’d try to kill him someday.

With a deep breath, the exhalation of which was stuttered, like a new driver with a manual transmission, she shuddered and moved on. Another male. Larger and leaner than his apparent friend, but if he were of a typical sadistic bent, he was less obvious about showing it. He’d have to be watched. She filed that away and moved on. And that brought her to Jo. Exotic and smiling, practically oozing sexuality, she was like a tall glass of radiated water: Let her inside and she’d probably fuck you up from the inside out. Still, she was nice to look at, and seemed a decent enough sort when held at arm’s length.
She could see almost nothing of Will, and that worried her. He was large, cloaked, and the Latina girl was quite interested in him, but from her vantage, she couldn’t see anything about him. Craning her neck, however, she thought she saw the telltale six barrels of a minigun peaking over the seat and heard the rasping of a masculine voice. Since –most- women couldn’t properly handle a gun that large, she assumed he was a man, though he seemed even more timid than she felt. Further observation was obviously required to determine how dangerous he might be to her, and how much she could relax around him; she trusted no one, but she had levels of un-trust she liked to categorize people into.

This next girl, Hispanic of some sort, she was pretty as well, and she had a sniper rifle, just like the first fool girl she’d met. She was likewise pretty, though she was apparently content to sit in the seat and struggle for one man’s attention rather than attempt to draw every single eye in the bus to her swaying form, like the exotic one behind her. She had a kind face, but she certainly didn’t seem simple, like the big man not so far from her. A potentially truly good person; Danaya frowned. She didn’t consider herself good, by any means, but neither did she consider herself bad. She simply considered herself alive, despite the odds, despite the men, and if some innocents had to die, well, survival of the fittest was a mother fucker.
Last, but not...well, potentially not least, was the girl she’d already met, the one that had driven her in her paranoia to nearly miss the entire caravan. She already knew enough about this girl to know that she didn’t have to worry about a knife in the back just yet. Time would only tell her more from there, and Danaya had time, and sitting in the front of the bus, facing backwards, she had the perfect vantage to watch everyone, save for the driver, and Tobias, should he insist on sitting at the front of the bus.

She tallied up in her head what was present as far as major weapons went. There were three snipers, plus her own hunting rifle, so long range coverage, depending on each person’s skill, was covered. The large cloaked thing had a minigun, which brought the heavy guns category to filled, as the minigun itself would quickly fill anyone in front of it full of lead rather quickly. Both the Raider and Dante were up close and personal types, though a Rebar club the size of the one at the back of the bus gave the larger man an even larger reach advantage. Jo seemed unarmed, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have something hiding. It seemed Danaya was the only one in the medium and/or automatic gun zone, and that fit her just fine. She’d be able to sneak around and operate mostly on her own, the way she liked, and if shit hit the fan, she’d drop low and try to keep her hide intact.

Satisfied, she folded the one leg under her as she sat, the other leg remaining planted firmly as the bus rattled onward, occasionally side to side, towards this new chapter in the young woman’s life.

Jo LaRoche

Jo's smile fell flat as her arm was grabbed; though Tobias' grasp was firm as opposed to harsh, Jo's eyes narrowed and locked onto his own as he made a grab for her whiskey. Her hand locked down tighter on the neck of the bottle as he made contact with it, loosening only when he made a sarcastic remark about getting it back "after class". She allowed him to take it with little fuss, shrugging as she forced the irritation from her system. "I've never done well in school," she replied, as Tobias retreated towards the front of the bus. As if to emphasize her point, Jo let out a yawn and placed a bored expression upon her features. She listened well enough, though she wouldn't be able to tell you exactly who she was working for or what the "rules" were... at least she looked attentive. Her attention had been drawn, however, to the woman that the entire bus had stopped for. She entered with a Mr. Handy and took a seat facing the rest of the bus, back turned to the front. She already seemed too pent up. As Danaya's eyes glanced over her, she managed a nod with a well placed grin before turning her gaze back on the man that had taken her drink.

When he had finished his little speech, most of which Jo chose not to remember, and he plucked her whiskey from wherever he had placed it, Jo stood, meeting his gaze, to meet him. Her agitation had melted away, leaving a confident smirk on her face. As he stopped to hand her back her whiskey, she took a step forward to invade his personal space and accept the whiskey, though she did not step back. She tilted her head slightly to the side, "There are much funner ways to assert your dominance than taking a lady's whiskey," she chided, taking a step back and sliding down into her seat, taking a swig of her newly returned booze. She then thoughtfully tapped her chin with a finger, "As for questions, will you be staying in this secure wing or am I going to have to hunt you down in your private quarters?" She then held the bottle out in Dante's direction, recognizing that she had yet to allow him to partake of the liquid.

If there was one thing that this man, or anyone else on this bus, was going to learn about Jo, it was that she was excruciatingly blunt. There were few misinterpretations when it came to her statements, as she had a tendency to say exactly what was on her mind, when it was on her mind; the company present or individual she was speaking to did not change how she spoke. She leveled him with a curious gaze, lazy smirk on her lips as an eyebrow raised -- there could be no wondering if her question was a serious one, as she sat awaiting an answer.

Elena Torres

Elena waited patiently as the hulking figure found his voice, producing a single syllable as his name. He could have easily been lying, but Elena accepted him at his word. "Pleasure to meet you, Will." She was glad that he had calmed down enough to cease pressing himself into the wall; when he noticed her proximity, however, he seemed to grow even more agitated than he had started -- she had to work hard to contain her laughter. It was not her intention to be mean, simply teasing -- testing the waters if one would allow the term. Her next point of conversation was interrupted by the determined stride of Tobias passing her and retrieving the whiskey from Jo, silencing the back of the bus. He gave them the rules and a small amount of information about their employer; as curious as Elena was, she could think of no questions -- a curse of her's -- and looked dejectedly at the back of the seat in front of her. Tobias moved past her again, carrying the whiskey bottle back towards the dark skinned woman it had been taken from. Decidedly, Elena wanted nothing to do with their conversation and turned her attention on Will -- the poor guy -- once more.

"So, Will, where did you come from and why are you here?" She was determined to get more than three words out of him, regardless of how uncomfortable he seemed to be. Most individuals wore everything on their person -- their personality, their past, their dreams, their strengths, and their weaknesses -- yet Will had decided to cloak himself. Shyness, shame, self-loathing... Elena couldn't tell, yet, what had caused him to do it. Another reason behind her questioning and her particular interest in this figure stemmed from his cloaked self -- she couldn't hazard a guess at his personality, his past, his strengths, or his weaknesses; everyone else on the bus didn't seem to care who saw those things, except for Will. Elena was determined to get a read on him before the bus arrived in half an hour.

Luke growled and glared at Hunter for the hit to his knee, and then calling him an asswipe. He quickly slugged the male hard in the arm, in retribution for both. He then nods his head some as his question was answered. That cleared up most of what he wanted to know, and made it easier to assume that they would probably be doing alot of things that would at least slightly keep Hunter entertained. Then came something that entertained himself, their leader coming down towards the back of the bus, and stripping the liquor directly from one of the female's hands, and stating something to her. He couldn't help but chuckle.

Then all the sudden the bus came to a stop, and another woman; and bot joined them inside. He watched her; she seemed to be studying each person in turn, and when it came to his own turn his eyes locked onto her's and never blinked. Though as she found her spot and sat down. The man began to speak once more, talking about their employer, and himself in what he would be doing. Then about their own quarters, the sound of having an actual bed for once made a slight smile appear on his face, he was to use to sleeping on the ground with the stars as his lamps.

Once the bus pushed into motion, and Jo had her liquor back, things seemed well quiet; other then one of the ladies talking to the ghoul and Jo showing off her flair, as well as outright flirting with their appointed leader. This group was going to be quite amusing, if not just to watch Jo trying to get into everyone's pants; or Dante break, shatter and totally decimate anything in his path. Luke questioned the logic of that, why call the rest of them when the one known as Dante was his own wrecking crew, the guy looked a go withstand a mini nuke to the chest and keep right on destroying things. Then again, the Ghoul with the mini-gun could probably hold his own. Then there were several snipers present, Hunter being himself only brought melee weapons so that would be fun to watch.

He shifted his eyes after stating such back to the front, he studied Tobias; the man seemed ot be able to hold his own and with an air about him as well. He wondered where exactly he came from, though his eyes didn't linger for long and they turned back towards Jo, waiting to see if she had a comment for his answer, to the question she had posed to Tobias, either way things were going to remain tense around here, even if one or two of them tried to break the ice.

He cleared his throat, and decided to be social for once; he was going to have to work with all of them, might as well garner some amount of trust. His mind returned to Jo's comment to Tobias. "You know if you want, I'll leave my door unlocked just for you." He wasn't sure if Tobias was gonna answer, but why the hell not join in on the fun, though his expression now went to the relaxing Hunter, a smirk playing on his face

Dante was gleefully ignorant of the pairs of eyes that brushed over him, and was also mostly unaware of Jo having her liquor taken and then promptly removed. He was happy that the bus was moving again; ecstatic, in fact. As far as his memory extended (which was about breakfast the previous morning) he couldn't ever remember having ridden a wheeled vehicle that didn't smell of brahmin dung or the thick, dusty air of the Mojave. He was pretty sure that the rain outside was also the first time he had ever seen rain. Water! Falling from the sky!

(In reality it had rained for three straight weeks in the Mojave; not four days before Dante departed.)

He was content to sit and watch the landscape of the Northwestern Wastes roll by for a while as the other riders did their own things; be they observing the others on the bus, trying to meld with the walls of the bus or sexually harassing the resident authority figure. He was only jarred back to the reality of the bus when Jo held out her whiskey bottle to him. Dante's fool grin grew wide as he carefully seized the bottle (not by the neck, so as to avoid accidentally breaking Jo's hand-bones, but by the bottom part) and promptly drained half the contents in a single swig. The stupid grin remained, but Dante's throat burned a little bit. He'd drank heavier, but to a normal person Jo's choice of drink would have been heavy stuff.

He nodded appreciatively and passed the bottle back to her. "Thank y'all," he grunted. Then Hunter in the back spoke up; something about leaving his door unlocked. Dante tilted his head to one side, confused. "Dante Mo'fuggin' Adams don't see why y'all would leave y'all's doors unlocked at night. Somebody might take y'all's stuff without askin'."

It was obvious by the look of pure, blank confusion on his face that he completely missed the point.

As Will grumbled about his current predicament, he took notice of a welcome distraction as another woman was escorted onboard. She seemed wary and promptly took to eyeballing everyone, seeming to size them up. As good of an idea as it might have been to look over new companions, he hated being stared at. Immediately he shot his eyes back to the floor to attempt and ignore the new pair of eyes roaming about the bus. As he tried to avoid the stare, as well as looking at Elena, he listened diligently to the instructions given by Tobias as to how to conduct themselves around this Hiroshima. Hm, seems like a pleasant sort she does.

After the little back and forth over the alcohol between the drunk woman and Tobias, the woman’s comment to him about tracking down his quarters caused an open face of disappointment to wash over his partially hidden features. He never understood why men or women threw themselves around so willingly, or perhaps it was just a tease but from the woman’s demeanor he had no reason to believe why she wasn’t serious. Then of course one of the men in the back had to make it worse by saying he’d leave his door unlocked! The overly large man’s entertaining answer to the raunchy comment caused Will’s expression to change to one of confusion. Raising a brow, he really began wondering why exactly this colorful group of people had been chosen.

As he waited for more undoubtedly sexual comments to fly, he was surprised, and actually thankful, that Elena spoke again. He looked down for a moment, deciding that between speaking with Elena and being forced to hear more about alcohol or sex from the others, this was preferable. “Hrm, came from Carnation. Scavenge there, sometimes for people not able.” He swallowed, as if he wasn’t use to speaking this much then grunted once before he continued. “Need caps to buy supplies for those people.” Looking away for a few moments, trying to brace himself to continue this alien thing called socializing, he finally looked back to her, even turning towards her a bit. “You?”