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Fallout: Red Texas

Aegis

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a part of Fallout: Red Texas, by Xavirne.

The rules are simple, 1) No harming anyone, unless you're defending yourself; 2) No politicking; 3) Be polite; 4) Abide by the curfew -- nobody in or out between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.; and 5) Rest.

Xavirne holds sovereignty over Aegis, giving them the ability to make limited changes.

1,062 readers have been here.

Copyright: The creator of this roleplay has attributed some or all of its content to the following sources:

http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

Setting

"Welcome to Aegis. Please remove your weapons so that we may inventory them. After that, we will return them to you and you are free to proceed inside. Please remember to switch on the safety."

An automated message greets anyone who happens upon the four gate stations posted along the exterior of Aegis, a compound located approximately midway between Austin and Dallas.

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It's a fairly self-sufficient, modern station, relying on solar power to generate energy. It possesses one of the only known "ice machines" outside of Austin, and contains its own microbrewery in addition to a water experimentation station to find more efficient ways to purify water for safe human consumption. Work is also being done to make strides in agriculture in order to create a more sustainable life in Texas for all people. The scientists' facility remains in touch with other research institutions and staff via Morse code. There's also a radio station with a signal that travels in a 500-mile radius to keep travelers informed of conditions in the area; that information is supplied by travelers who stop in to make reporters on what they have encountered on their journey most recently. The compound is aesthetically pleasing, and in some cases the nicest premises that some people have ever stepped onto.

Aegis accepts travelers of all backgrounds and beliefs, including ghouls. They don't charge payment for rooms for rest; but they do charge for food and expect trade and commerce to occur within the gates. There's a strict policy against "politicking" within the walls, meaning that members of all worldly affiliations are welcome, with the understanding that no one will promote their cause or instigate violence during the duration of their time in Aegis, under the threat of constantly-watching armed guards regularly patrolling the premises. The facility has come under sharp criticism for this practice before, but continues to enforce it nonetheless. In order to maintain peace, Aegis staff never allow more than 15 people of a single affiliation to be in the walls at one time.

There's enough room to house 30 travelers in one night in modest but comfortable quarters located in the center of the compound. A commissary and a common space are provided to allow travelers to mingle and exchange information. Recently there's been talk of creating a separate space for a casino to generate more revenue.

Aegis is staffed by approximately 40 people, usually solo travelers who have wished to remain to help take care of the community. Staff are assigned to tasks such as manning the surrounding walls and fortified fences, operating the science labs, brewing spirits, attending the travelers' quarters, stocking and taking care of the commissary, and running the radio operations, just to name a few tasks. Its longtime leader is 63-year old Bonita Abbott, a tough-talking, no-nonsense old woman with plenty of tricks left up her sleeve, and a bitter reluctance toward partisan and government entities in Texas thanks to two brothers being killed in separate altercations while working for different factions.


Aegis courtesy of skyfemme
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Aegis

The rules are simple, 1) No harming anyone, unless you're defending yourself; 2) No politicking; 3) Be polite; 4) Abide by the curfew -- nobody in or out between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.; and 5) Rest.

Minimap

Aegis is a part of Texas, USA.

9 Characters Here

Brigitte Thibodeaux [69] "Tell me a story. Tell me about you. I want to know where you come from and where you're going."
Null [47] "It's not a question of who is going to let me. It's a question of who is going to stop me."
Roland Brave [29] Nightkin, Blacksmith, Accidental Mystic
Bonita Abbott [26] "You know the rules. Abide by them, or get out."
Turquine "Lyki" Jervis [14] Man is mortal. I, monster, am capable of greater feats. Perhaps I can be the change this world needs....
Isaiah Shadrach "Sherman" [10] "... come with me."
Bandit [5] "I have a shotgun, two pistols, a whip, and several bladed weapons. Pick your poison."
Slasher [2] "Need repairing? I can help... <Mutters> ...so long as you don't mind losing a few organs."
Terrence Rockchild [1] Deceased - 14th of May, 2014, at 4:44 PM

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Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Brigitte Thibodeaux Character Portrait: Turquine "Lyki" Jervis
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#, as written by Xavirne
Perhaps it was unwise of him to linger and let his ears listen to the muffled words spoken between the parties that soon swallowed the area whole, but Lyki wasn't ready to part with Brigitte just yet. There was something about the stranger (Null) that he still didn't like. He couldn't let this peaceful woman be alone with such a man. Was it the look in his eyes? Or the stone-cold stance that turned him off? It didn't matter. Lyki knew a harden, sullen man when he saw one. Null was no exception. Lyki easily pegged that the guy killed a great many people and had no qualms laying waste to innocent villages like Aegis.

A light rapping came to the door that kept Brigitte's form from Lyki's eyes. Rasping as he drew in a breath, his cough broke free and gave away exactly who he was. Trying to shake it off, his barking stopped.

"Miss Thibo- Brigitte," he corrected himself. There was no point to make things that formal. He was coming to her as a concerned soul, not a man on a mission. Hand itching the back of his neck, he cleared his throat again before he pressed his hands against the door before him. As if he knew exactly where she sat, his eyes looked down toward the floor and his words came. They were oddly sweet, sincere and almost angelic, save for the fact that he still sounded like a chain-smoker.

"I worry for your safety and the safety of Aegis. Last we spoke, I told you that nothing is safe in the mist of war. I spoke of not wanting to die here when war came knocking on our doors." He cut himself off and drew in a long, heavy breath. "I don't want to leave alone. I don't want to... die alone." His fingertips, rubbed raw from fingering the hard door, finally stopped moving. His exhale came. "If things take a turn for the worse, I'm taking you far away from here. With or without your will and blessing."

"I've traveled a lot in my 34 years of life. I've seen a lot of darkness. You've yet to truly experience the wasteland we call home. And I don't know why, but I feel obligated to protect you. Perhaps it's your innocence? Your naive, kind eyes? The tender, gentle voice you share with complete strangers? Whatever it is, I won't let the darkness that made me as I am consume you. I won't let your face fall to the same fate that has succumbed me to a life of false faces and fear."

He had no idea if Brigitte would take kindly to his words and, frankly, he didn't care. He would bound and gag her if he needed to. He would kidnap her from Aegis if it insured she would live another day. She was a rare woman to happen upon. One of light and peace. One without war-torn eyes or blindness caused by darkness or blood. She was a beacon of hope. A ray of light. And probably the only angel left on Earth. She was a dying kind and Lyki was damn sure he wouldn't let her body become manged with the hellish nature of war.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Brigitte Thibodeaux Character Portrait: Turquine "Lyki" Jervis
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Brigitte couldn't believe her ears. She didn't move her hands from her face as Lyki's words rasped dully but eloquently through the wooden door, her cheeks flushing hot into her palms.

Lyki's tip-off in the morning was definitely appreciated, and completely verifiable, as it turned out. His desire to be helpful was evident. But now Brigitte began to question his motivations--was he there completely in the name of public interest, or self-interest? Was he assisting her because he wanted to see all of Aegis protected, or was he only doing so for her protection? It far suited her better to see someone acting in the interest of everyone rather than just one--even if it was her. Sometimes people could do far more damage in protecting just one person; after all, when one person's life matters in one's eyes more than anyone else's, that meant that senseless bloodshed would be justifiable in that one person's eyes. Brigitte blinked. Is that what this was all about?

She could hear the sincere intensity in his voice, not wavering or backing down, despite its weakened, somewhat reedy texture. While another woman may have found it endearing, Brigitte now found it a little terrifying. Lyki's words seemed very pre-meditated, calculated, meaningful--as though it was so painful to talk that his words could not ever risk going to waste. Meaning--he meant every word.

She quietly leaned her neck forward to look down at her feet, tucked into her worn burgundy leather riding boots, desperately trying to think of something to say. Anything. Anything to maybe get him to change his mind, or to reconsider, or to understand just how panicked she suddenly felt, and how maybe that wasn't a good idea, and how, in the end, Aegis wasn't going to allow itself to get into a situation that even remotely called for panic. Aegis was a strong feature for hundreds of miles in the middle of the desert--where other towns had failed, Aegis had not. Where other places lacked technology and medicine and food, Aegis did not. Where did other locales and roamers and Wastelanders rely on opportunities to trade and survive like what could be found at Aegis?

All this talk of the fall of Aegis. Anything was possible, but it was too terrifying to consider.

Nothing. Brigitte closed her mouth. She'd say nothing.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Null Character Portrait: Isaiah Shadrach "Sherman"
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Sherman averted his attention forward. Something, anything, to take his mind off of a colossal failure of an attempt at a normal social interaction, with the person who was actually least likely to frustrate him in such an attempt. It was much easier to avoid trying altogether, it would seem. Maybe he'd try again later.

"Bruno's our point man on power armor," the tall, broad man answered flatly. The stranger was of no concern to him. At least, not of any threatening kind. His arrival at the compound at this critical time actually was serendipitous--Slasher sightings had indeed been reported by various travelers who reported whispers back to Aegis over nighttime drinking hours. Even that odd duck who'd made a pass at Brigitte a few nights prior confirmed his own sighting just that morning when he'd ventured outside of the wall to meet briefly with a passing caravan. Slasher was a quiet traveler, but those who also excelled at blending into the desert as though they were born in the sand itself had their ways of recognizing the cannibal doctor.

An ex-Sigma would be such a strong asset in tracking Slasher down.

"By the way, 'John,' Bonita doesn't know I'm hunting the cannibal," Sherman gruffed honestly as the two strode ahead, side-by-side. "Figured it'd be best if I was straight with you. Demonstrate a genuine desire to collaborate on ridding ourselves of a mutual problem. A problem that has the potential to do a vast amount of harm." He glanced over to his right to study the stranger's young but harrowed face, one that looked as though it had borne witness to far more than it ought to have in its time on the earth. He understood all too well. He pointed toward the armory, down a long brick-lined path, easily discernible thanks to its doors, painted a shiny black with a metal lining, intended to direct the sun's heat away from the building itself.

Sherman silently led the way, then approached one of the ebony doors, keying a code into a small touchpad and waiting a few moments for the door to click loose. He tugged the handle open and offered the door to Null, leading the way inside. One down the long hallway, Sherman stood at a small door and gestured inward. "We've got upgrade benches or new suits, if you wish to try 'em on. I've had a hell of a time customizing mine."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Brigitte Thibodeaux Character Portrait: Turquine "Lyki" Jervis
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#, as written by Xavirne
Her silence was not reassuring and bothered him more than it probably should have. She was just a random human he grew fond of. He couldn't let her life dictate his life. Still....

His hand rubbed the door. God dammit, why were some women so impossible! If Brigitte wouldn't willingly come with him, he wouldn't have a choice but to stay behind and keep her safe. She was weak in comparison to those who had at least ventured outside a few times. And with the soldier (Null) there, he knew most of the Aegis Guard could be mowed down. He couldn't even think about a Slasher-Bandit team. They were known for unorthodox fights and for leveling entire cities on their own.

Everything was just getting worse. It was all going to hell.

The worst part of it all? They were in hell to begin with and now they were just falling further into the abyss. The light of salvation was fleeting and falling from reach. In no time, Aegis would be a hopeless pile of ash without a story to share. Aegis was nothing in comparison to some of the bigger cities and no one would mourn their lose.

"Very well," he finally spoke. "You can entrust your life with soldiers who have never faced war. Or, better yet, why don't you just partner up with the monsters you let in."

And with those cold, taunting words, he turned away. If she wanted him, she could find him. He would go to the bar and have a drink before heading home to pack up his things. There was no sleeping her anymore. It was time to move on and get the hell out of this war. He wanted to live another die. Not die tomorrow.

Setting

1 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Bandit
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#, as written by Xavirne
As she lost sight of Null, her head turned toward the sky. She had to do it. She had to leave and she had to hope that she could return. But in the daylight? Was it wise to really seek him out now? No. No, that was foolish. She had to wait until the blanket of night and figure out a way to escape without being caught and, of course, return without being seen. For this, she would need to scope out the place and that would take all day.

Moving from roof to roof, her eyes gazed at the fortified structure. This place, Aegis, was nothing special. Sure, it had a brigade. Yes, it had a nice, solid wall. But it lacked all else. It lacked the true meat of war. This place was so under the radar that it shouldn't fall into war. It lacked the hardened criminals of war. Aegis had soft people. No, they were tough, but they weren't her kind of tough.

Smirk on her face, she recalled a time she watched Slasher gnaw a man to death. "I bet these poor saps couldn't endure that sight," she mused.

It made her laugh. Just hours ago she wanted nothing to do with Slasher and now? Now, all she wanted was to find him. He was the one who made her strong. The one he taught her how to survive. She could eat flesh, if she needed to. Slasher taught her how to cook it up and season it to mash the human-taste. She wouldn't do it though. She just couldn't succumb to such wild ways. Slasher was the feral one. She was the classy one.

Wandering the streets now, she wondered if this little outpost would work for her escape. She would just need rope and a ladder.

Wait! What if she brought Slasher in here! What if... no, they would never trust him. But they should. He could evaluate their situation. He was a scientist! Her blue orbs landed on her wraps and bruises. "A better doctor, too." Smiling, she exhaled. "But I can't put you through that. You need to go home." Hand on her heart, she frowned. "And maybe I should run away with you."

She looked a tad odd just talking to herself, but the weathered look in her eyes seemed to remove doubt of disillusion from those nearby. Sure, she looked insane but at least she wasn't talking to nobody. She was just conversing with herself.

"Bleh, what is a woman to do."

Leaning up against a street vendor's cart, her azure eyes locked with the shopkeeper. "What would you do? If you knew a ton of people could be in danger, would you sacrifice their lives to please your own heart? Or would you leave and walk away from something that could have been amazing and beautiful."

The person just blinked. "I feel like there's more to this story than those two options," the woman responded.

"Why yes. I want to stay to get to know this guy better. I worry for his life and I want to be with him to see if we could ever be. But I know if I stay, I'll endanger everyone. And yet, if I go, I might not ever see this man again. And I 'm not sure I want that."

"Why would you sacrifice the city if you stay with your man?"

"My... partner... I'm not sure he would like me hanging around another guy."

"Whoa, two men! You're quite lucky. I can't even get one. But I think the answer is pretty simple, dear. Which do you like more? Who do you want to die beside? If today was your last day to live, who would you want to spend it with?"

Her question was so right on the money, but Bandit wasn't sure where her heart wanted to land. Was it with Null? The pretty-faced soldier who was soft yet strong? Or the man who risked his life, killed, and fought for her? The one that wanted her more than he wanted anything else in life.

Was Null even interested in her? She rubbed her arm and looked away from the vendor. "I'm not even sure the man in the city likes me."

"That doesn't matter. You go after whichever one calls your heart. You might not be able to decide now. You might just have to wait. But you'll know who it is. If they were both to die and you could only save one, you'll run to the one you want most. Maybe that time hasn't come yet. And, until it does, you'll never know. You just need to be patient and wait for a sign. When it comes, stop at nothing to be with him."

"Thanks," bobbing her head, Bandit pulled from the streets and hulled herself up on a bench away from everything and everyone. Why was it so hard to chose?

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Brigitte Thibodeaux Character Portrait: Isaiah Shadrach "Sherman"
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Brigitte anxiously looked through the small glass piece in the door, taking in a deep breath as she paused for a moment to collect herself before she twisted the knob open. She grimaced when she couldn't make out who was on the other side. It had been a long day... it had started by arguing with Bonita, then with 'John,' Lyki's profession to her through her door, and then followed a very uncomfortable shift of radio. She hadn't even made it a point to stop into the tavern after signing off, preferring instead to go straight to her building, trudge up the stairs, and walk into the door. Not even three minutes home, and the door was knocking.

She looked high up and nodded courteously, a little surprised to see who her guest was.

"Sherman."

"Brig." His syllable with simple but purposeful. "… may I?"

"You're welcome to come visit." She walked him inside and he looked around, having never been in her home before for more than just a few minutes. She gestured to the large armchairs in the living room area. "I've put on some tea and I'm happy to bring you some."

He nodded and cast his eyes down to the woven rug, desperately searching for an interesting detail to focus on. He didn't understand why he felt so panicked. Everything else in the world was easy. Getting what he needed wasn't a problem for him. But talking to someone he couldn't just intimidate to get what he wanted? That was a whole other problem.

Which was why he had another strategy.

"Great," he managed quietly as she brought a small tray with a few items on it. "No sugar. No thank you. Just as it is." He let his blue eyes meet her own brown eyes briefly before she blinked and nodded, breaking away awkwardly to find mugs into which to pour hot water from the kettle. He looked around the room and studied the decorative scheme. The eclectic, fun, yet intensely individualistic sense of aesthetic was even slightly intriguing as he struggled to discern details about Brigitte, whom, as he had to be realistic with himself, he barely knew on a personal level. He'd only started to really pay attention to her about ten years prior; before that he knew her as the young kid who came in after she was found at that awful scene. Sherman remembered finding her; it was one of the few times that he'd been truly bothered by what had transpired on a jaunt outside of Aegis. And as much as that experience impacted him, it felt very strange to see Brigitte and her aftermath in the following years. It wasn't until she really began to transition out of childhood that she'd much changed on the surface, which helped in leaving that part of the bitter past behind.

He blinked as he watched the small woman at the stove, her back turned to him. No doubt she'd always wanted to ask him about that.

"I bet you've got questions."

Brigitte gathered the tea sachets and nervously placed them in the mugs. With shaky hands she placed them on the counter not far from the bubbling kettle. "I do," she managed coolly, despite her high anxiety.

He adjusted in his seat, fingers tapping on the armrest of the large green chair. He studied the curiously empty photo frames strewn across the walls. "Perhaps… perhaps I should have come to you much sooner, Brig."

She flexed her hand before lifting the kettle off of the woodfire stove, willing herself to not allow her unsteady hands to spill any of the dangerously hot water from its spout. "I… I'm glad you're here now, Sherman," she responded faux-pleasantly.

He looked over at her to catch her eye from his spot as she stood in the kitchen. "Please, call me Isaiah," he said gently, while still allowing his voice to carry. She blinked, her mouth snapping partly-open in surprise. "Only if you feel comfortable, of course…"

She closed her mouth shut and plucked the two mugs carefully from the countertop and slowly made her way to the center of the living room. "I've been hoping to learn more about what had happened, "she offered tentatively, placing Sherman's mug before him, then sitting on a large chair opposite of him. "I do have to wonder why you're telling me all of this now, instead of telling me earlier. That seems strange to me."

He let himself frown again, almost looking disappointed in a funny kind of way. "Some things some people aren't ready to talk about until later," he said simply. "I doubt any of this would have changed the course of your life earlier if you'd heard it then." That wasn't the reason at all. He knew that.

"I'll be the judge of that," she snipped covertly, scooping a little bit of honey into her steeped teacup as her annoyed eyes challenged him a little.

His eyes darted up to meet hers as he reminded himself to remain calm. "I wouldn't steer you wrong," he reassured her, truly trying his hardest to be his most genuine self. "Besides. Some things I didn't learn until recently." He took in a long sigh as he watched her steady, emotionless reaction. "But… anyhow, your settlement was destroyed by a band of some of the most savage desert raiders known to all of Central Texas. All they cared to do was pillage and kill." He blew lightly on his tea as the fragrant steam breathed into his dusty nose. That felt good. "But the difference with y'all's savage raiders versus run-of-the-mill raiders of the savage persuasion is yours takes money in exchange for allegiance. So it wasn't personal. It was motivated by money. Someone bigger was looking for something at your settlement." He watched Brigitte's wide, nervous eyes as he slowly sauntered into the story. "I've been trying to learn more as time's gone on." Partially true, as he knew.

"You mean you've been actively trying to learn about this?" she interrupted quickly, springing to her feet and pacing into the doorframe of the kitchen, trying to expend a sudden bolt of nervous energy. "And you haven't told me?"

He shook his head. "I told you, none of what I'd known before would have made a difference," he said, "that is, until now."

Brigitte pursed her lip shut and seemed to swallow back a few choice words. She nodded to him politely for him to continue.

"Eventually, I tracked the raider band, four years after you came to Aegis to live with us. You were maybe 15 or 16. They liked to drift in and out of the region, but this time I had the right approach to taking them out. They still took their banknotes with them as they were lighter than carrying bottlecaps. Still hadn't used all of it. I don't think that their payout expected them to keep the bags marked with their emblem. I traced them to Austin and Washington, D.C. … it was not just some run-of-the-mill wealthy patron. It was a far-away kind of deal." He took another sip of his tea. Most of this was true. Even the part about eliminating the raiders. "Someone ran. And hid at that settlement. And got found. And that's why y'all suffered the way you did." It almost bothered him that he was leaving out a very important component of the story at the moment, but he knew that once he revealed it, she'd change her attitude quickly.

Brigitte didn't even hold her tea as she stood in the doorway from the kitchen, hands on her hips, listening to the words come out of his mouth. Her eyes bore into his in an almost abject and disdainful disbelief. "So you're thinking someone on the settlement got everyone killed… was it my family? Was it someone else?"

Sherman kept still. She was smart. "Well, your name really is Brigitte Thibodeaux," he said quietly in an attempt to divert the subject just slightly, pulling a small file from the inside of his long coat. This, this was true. "But you're not registered as having been born anywhere in the South. You're a Yankee. Or a Canuck, perhaps. See there?" He opened the file and pulled out the front page, offering both to her to examine. "You're from Montreal, it would seem. At least, your birth certificate says that. Your dad's a Quebecois type, and your mother was from the South. Enclave scientists assigned together. They ran afoul of the organization about 27 years ago."

"I was very little," Brigitte spoke out loud, just barely audible, thinking of the odd flashback she'd had about a family discussion about "running." It made more sense now. "How long did they run for?"

"Ten years, give or take? Everywhere from staying in Canada on occasion to D.C. to Texas, even some Tennessee in there. Your folks had you on the go with them forever. But it was Texas where they finally got caught up to."

"How did you all even know my name was Brigitte?" she asked warily. "I've always wondered. I never had anything with my name on it until someone made me something."

"I was the one who found your name, actually," he said, offering a trace of a smile. "It was stitched into your coat that we had to cut off when we found you. I wrote it down in my booklet when it all went down so no one would forget you had a name." He shrugged. "I had a brother killed by Raiders. Besides, I liked your name. Brigitte Thibodeaux. It made me think of old neighbors who originally hailed from Louisiana. They had real thick accents and the women sounded like they were telling you campfire stories even if it was late morning sunshine out there." She smiled and rolled her eyes. "You never had a voice like that." Brigitte burst out laughing. "But when all that happened your voice made me want to go and hide. It was awful to find a girl torn to shreds like that. Left for dead. Little girl who didn't do anything to no one." Brigitte's laughter had subsided quickly. Her face drew in very seriously. "One reason I admire you. You don't hold no grudges. You just keep going."

"Oh, no, I hold plenty of them," she corrected mildly, folding her arms around herself and looking down at the ground. "I just don't talk about them much. I'm too scared to go outside these walls. I hold plenty enough against just anything outside."

Sherman tilted his head and laughed a little. "Really? You're afraid of the desert? I thought you were just a regular homebody. No. You're truly terrified, aren't you?" Brigitte didn't flinch in her expression or form. She just watched Sherman, as though she were expecting him to continue talking. He smiled lightly. "It's true. All the more reason to help you now. There's a whole world out there and I don't think you'll be happy forever here at Aegis.

Brigitte froze at the sight of the rare smile. "What are you really here for?" she asked after a pause.

Sherman stood and placed his emptied mug on the table. "Look, I don't want to spook you or anything. For now, keep the file. You have a lot to sort through." He watched her waver only slightly. "But you come find me if you want to talk more."

"Okay." Brigitte eyed the file from afar. It was clear to Sherman that she was dying to dig through it. She waited a long moment before lifting her eyes to meet his. "What were their names?"

He nodded,not skipping a beat before he answered. "Roger and Amandine."

She could almost feel her eyes break open with tears. She held the inclination back, nontheless. "Sh… I mean, thank you… Isaiah."

He smiled broadly. She'd never said his first name before. It sounded like music. "You're welcome, Brigitte." He plucked his hat up from its spot and placed it on his head, then offered a bow and a nod. "Miss Thibodeaux." He exited via the heavy door, pulling it shut behind him. She watched the door for several seconds, then began to rifle through the contents of the file. She'd thank Sherman and sort out her feelings later—for now, there was a new thing to look through. Something she'd never dreamed of having before.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Slasher Character Portrait: Turquine "Lyki" Jervis
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#, as written by Xavirne
Was it the sting of rejection or sheer stupidity? He wasn't sure but Lyki had to do it. He had to save Brigitte for reasons he didn't even understand. No, it wasn't love. Lyki wasn't capable of such kind, tender things. Love was something for man, not monster. If anything, Lyki felt obligated by God to protect her. It felt weird to think that, but it was really the only outcome that made sense. Why else would he risk his life, unless for the soul purpose of redemption?

Venturing out into the wasteland, Lyki had his eyes set on the far horizon. Somewhere just out of sight was the man he sought. Slasher.

Would he die? Likely, but at least he would die trying. He would die trying to keep back the beast that would bring about the end of Aegis. The narcissistic cannibal that would rip into Brig and tear her apart limb by limb. No, eat her alive flesh by flesh.

Shivering at his own mental image, Lyki blinded as he dipped into the great unknown. Steadfast, he marched toward fate.

As the sun got higher into the sky, Lyki began to realize that maybe Slasher wasn't really there. Maybe it was a myth? All a lie Bandit created to keep herself safe. Was that possible? It had to be. There was no way a mad-man would keep a pretty face around, even if she was that pretty.

And then, out of nowhere, a searing, stabbing sensation dropped him. Eyes burning, breath falling faint, he collapsed. Dehydration. It was a real bitch.

+++

Darkness. Darkness, it was all around him. Eyes flitting, he looked around and soon met the warm glow of a dim fire. It wasn't much but it was warm. Moving in closer, he found himself grinning from ear to ear. Had Brig come to save him? A shadow shifted near him. It had to be her.

"Thanks, Brigitte."
Turning his head to face her, he offered her a sweet grin.

"Brigitte?"
The voice that spoke was ghastly, blood-curdling eerie. It sounded as if it were straight out of one of those olden day horror movies.

Head pivoting slowly, Lyki's eyes widened with sheer horror when he spied the owner of said voice. Sure enough, before his eyes, was the slender, grizzled face of a mad-man. And not just any mad-mad. This was the mad-mad. It was...

"Slasher."


"Eh, I liked the tone you used when you said Brigitte. Almost sounded sincere." The green-orb murderer was mocking Lyki. The look in his eyes were pure ridicule. Any minute now, he would strike and eat the ghoul-man alive. Any minute now, Lyki's scream would ring out across the wasteland. Any minute now, he would...

Offer him stew?

Blinking as the worn bowl was dropped into his hands, Lyki quipped a brow and shifted from the infamous cannibal.

"Don't worry, it's not human." The way the words rolled off his tongue, he almost sounded rehearsed. Was this reaction really that known? Was it something Slasher had dealt with time and time again?

"But you're a murderer. A man-eater!"

"Uh, yeah. If you had to choose between sand and man, which would you eat. I don't eat people because I like to. I eat them when there's nothing else." Pointing to a rather fat pack, Slasher scoffed. "I have three rats in there. I don't need to eat man tonight."

It was unsettling to think that Slasher was being this cordial. What was his plan? What was up his sleeve? He clearly had a hidden agenda.

"You going to eat your molerat stew or not." His voice was starting to take a turn from pride to annoyance.

Looking from his food to the green-eyed man, Lyki gulped. He was famished but scared shitless. Was this really going to be okay? Hesitantly he raised the bowl to his lips. Whelp, he goes nothing, he thought.

When the slightly cooled stew his the back of his throat, Lyki found it impossible to pull from it. Gobbling it down like a ravenous dog, he immediately sought out more. Graciously, he received more and wolfed the second bowl down just as fast as the first.

Belly full, he licked at his lips before smacking on his thumb. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"My girlfriend is a horribly picky eater. I have the mask the taste of everything. If it doesn't taste like steak or lemons, she won't eat it." With a dry laugh, Slasher's head turned toward the glow of Aegis. "I wonder how she is." His voice had a sincere yearning to it as his body leaned closer to the establishment. Although miles off, it seemed odd to see a man like he so in love with a bandit like she. Did he even know about Null? He had to... right?

"She's doing better. She was in the infirmar-"
his body was forcefully pushed into the sand.

"She was what?!" Slasher's fingers dug into Lyki's neck, making it impossible for the masked man to speak. Finally getting the wind he needed, he finished.

"Yeah, she was fatigued. We brought her back to health. She's safe now."

"Tch, safe? With that man. I think not."
Shifting back to his old perch, Slasher twirled a knife in his hands before he tossed it across the fire into a rather normal looking lizard. "That soldier just screams trouble to me."

+++

When morning rolling in, Lyki moaned. The ground was wet. They needed to get out of this piss-pour rain and into Aegis. But how? How was he to doll Slasher up to look like a good man, rather than a murderer?

"Rain?" Slasher's face rolled up to meet the clouds above. "This is an omen for sure."

"Huh?"
Turning to the man beside him who was equally as wet, Lyki shrugged. What was he talking about.

"We're in a wasteland. This rain is anything but pure. It's toxic. Toxic rain is a bad omen. Something hails from beyond the gray. Something bad is coming." Turning to Lyki, he planted a firm grip on the man's shoulders. "You need to get me into Aegis. Jessica is in danger."