Beth was about to throw in another plea tactic when she caught the tone in the first man’s voice. “I guess you’re right.” she admitted grudgingly, accepting the pack shoved at her and nearly falling over in the process. “You know, you really need to check your own strength before- Oh crud…” Being pulled in front of Will then running to keep up with his quick steps toward shelter, Beth kept quiet as she peaked around her friend and watched the fight before them. It looked like the guy could handle himself well and really didn’t need the extra company; so with a nod at Will, Beth didn’t put up any arguments to stick around. They really did need to get home.

Listening to the rhythmic steps of Will behind her, Beth pulled out their map from her pack and marked where the encounter with the people and the hammer wielding thing. Next time they’d have to try to avoid that area incase anything came to check out the corpse left behind, or at least the smell of it. Pack resting against her hip as she placed the new information back where it belonged, her head shot up at the hiss and Will’s command to stay close.
After a few years of traveling together she learned to never ask why. Her friend didn’t say things without a reason, so when he said to duck, you duck; and when he says come here, you stick to his side. Doing just that as she once again peered around his side, Beth held her breath at the sight of a feral ghoul; soon releasing her breath as she glared at Will for nearly hitting her with his gun when he let it fall back down. The glare was short lived as she jumped at the sudden growl admitting from Will as the feral ghoul took off without another glance back. At least that was easily taken care of.

Once again taking the lead to Funnel, Beth glanced behind her with an innocent look. “You know, its times like that I remember you’re a ghoul. You nearly made me jump out of my skin! Not that I’m complaining of course, you definitely come in handy as a good guard dog. Even better, with no hair we don’t have to worry about fleas!” A grin breaking through at the end as she poked some good natured fun at her friend, Beth made sure to stay a few steps out of Will’s reach for the rest of the trip.

The thought of sitting without dirt whipping into their face and something jumping from around the corner for a snack; Beth was well occupied until they reached the top of a built up rock dune and spotted the sight she’d been waiting to see for the past few days. The large wheel towering in front of them, Beth turned around with a huge grin to Will and waved her arm at the view. “Home sweet home! Now let’s book it and get rid of this stuff before it gets too late in the day.” Pointing towards the large pack on Will’s back, Beth then turned back around and slid the yard or two down to flat land and headed towards Funnel.

[Location tabs are the bane of my RP existence. But! I have been doing better. One day Strawberry, you too, shall be cured. ;n;]

When Elena made a rather racy comment Karen brushed it off. Until she winked. Oh dear. She hasn't been flirted with ever since she had Adjo. Single mothers with ghastly scars aren't exactly on the list. Still, she gets the feeling this is platonic flirting as opposed to actual romantic flirting. Either way thank goodness Adjo hadn't been there to witness it. Mama bear held her breath when the stranger offered her cub candy. Sadly, despite all moral teachings, her son is still a young boy. And caramel is his favorite, it rested in his pocket before he had zoomed off.

Karen didn't tell him to toss the candy or hand it over. She...well, women's intuition; she has a good vibe from Elena. Years in the wasteland has helped Karen peg others fairly quickly about their sociably acceptable standing. Then again it doesn't take a genius to know a hard worker from a damned raider. Karen bowed her head humbly from the praise of her son's upbringing. Being a single parent is difficult in any situation but she strives to keep her baby doing well. The black woman focuses on Elena as her voice rolls smoothly, describing her abilities. "That'll work perfectly then. I do better building from scratch and can only repair something so much. We'd make a great team for a little while." teamwork. Another rare oddity in the wastes. It's difficult to trust but, again, Karen feels she can at least rely on the opposing femme.

Soon Adjo carefully plods down the steel staircase, Kaiser dutifully guiding the boy with the moral support of a wagging tail. Karen thanks her son and takes the glasses, lining them up as Adjo shyly scuttles to his box to open it. With a crisp, refreshing hiss the ice cold nukacola permeates the surrounding musk of the garage with its sugary, radiated goodness. Karen delicately pours equal amounts in the glasses, a good half glass each, offering one to Elena out of triggered hospitality. She generally tends to newcomers and the homeless if need be. It's a rough world out there, everyone needs a hand at some point. "We can always use extra hands around town. You're more than welcome to the extra loft upstairs, there's a motel in town too. Bit expensive though." she leans against one of the workbenches, taking a joyous sip of her chilled beverage. Nearby Adjo sets up his new toy, a drinking bird, watching it bob and peck dully at the surface of the dark soda.

Kaiser flopped down in the corner as usual and Karen decided it was time to open shop, more or less. Going to the broad garage door as opposed to the front shop door she crouches, grips the handle and guides it up slowly, body arching with a flash of smooth belly. Sunlight scatters across the floor and her body leans against the thick frame. At least it's always sunny here and the skies are cleared at night for starlight. "...not many projects right now but I'll find a way to keep you busy, Elena." Karen promises with no hint of intended innuendo on her part.

(I'm gonna try my hand on introducing a new organization called "Dusk", they are out to eliminate impure beings but more importantly, wipe out the Revivalist Army and take over the wastes. I explain all the details as the story goes along but I will tell you that they are led by a mysterious man who goes by "Z", the man Jon is after.)

Two rangers were patrolling the wastes, they had HK416's and wielding customized versions of the T-51b Power Armor. They were painted rust-like red and had a symbol of an eagle on their chests, they also had a belt of grenades ready to be tossed, should the situation get out of hand. The two noticed a human with a ghoul as they were about to approach the funnel. "Hey you, what buisness do you have here, zombie?" The two were readying their guns, prepared to fire if the ghoul doesn't leave.

"Interesting."

Mal looked at the giant spoked wheel that stood in the center of the town they just reached. "Funnel, huh?" He said as he looked at the sign. Him and Scipio where on the outskirts of the town. Mal had his scarf and hood up and his goggles on due to a dust up on the way to the town. The branded man and the mongrel entered the town. Many heads were turned as he walked down what he assumed the main street of the town was. Scipio but on his best scowl and moved right up to his masters leg. Mal was used to it. Due to his size and clothing, he looked rather intimidating. In fact he found this a sign that the people of this towns survival skills are perked up. He wouldn't trust himself if he saw him walking down the lane.

He came across a saloon called "The Funhouse" in odd styled letters. "Hm." Mal mumbled. He went inside and approached the bar keep. He asked for a Nukacola and a bowl of water. He placed down the caps on the table and picked up his items. He found an empty table and sat facing the door. He then put the Nukacola on the table and the bowl of water on the floor. "Here you go, Skip." The war dog licked the ex-legionnaires hand, then the contents of the bowl. Mal smiled a bit. He lowered the scarf and took off his goggles but did not lower the hood. Then pulled a container that had some squirrel stew in it. He opened it up and started eating it with a plastic fusion of a spoon and a fork that was on the table. A Foon of sorts, Mal smiled a bit in response to his own terrible word fusion. He popped open the soda and stored the cap in his bag. He ate and drank rather quickly. It's not that he was starving, it was just a habit he picked up from being in the legion. You got a said amount of time to eat, and what you didn't finish went to the dogs. Mal stopped eating for a second, the pain of his wound started twinging a bit. "Better see a doctor about this. Maybe later, already cauterized it." One of the many tricks he learned among the camps of Caesars Legion.

He looked down at his wound. He had cauterized it with his gauntlet and his lighter. It was tedious work, but, then again, his whole life had been tedious work and he found an odd sort of comfort in consistency. Looking at his hand, he realized that a weapon was not on it. I almost forgot, I have to get Talio fixed before I can head off again. Mal looked down at Scipio. The bowl was empty and he was sound asleep. Well, no real hurry. We were walking for a very long time, best let him sleep.

While Scipio slept, Mal leaned back and closed his eye. Mal breathed in the air, it was filled with contentment and slight traces of happiness. He then listened. Not intently on anything in particular, just the noise of people talking, glasses clinking, chairs screeching on the floor. Mal missed the sounds of the camp. The dogs barking, the men howling, weapons clanging, whores plowing their trade. It was like a lullaby to him, having to fall asleep to it every night. Another small joy he has found. A slight smile crept up his cheeks. 20 minutes went by, Mal listening all the while. He then thought that it was about time they get moving. Mal spoke in a stern voice. "Canis Surgo." Upon hearing this Scipio, shot up in a rigid way that almost looked soldierly. Mal then stood straight up at attention and said "Quienes." Then the war dog seemed to relax. Mal then gathered up his things then headed outside.

The grizzled mercenary wandered about the town looking for a sign that would lead him to a repair shop. He looked around at the town with the oddly colorful buildings, or whats left of them. He couldn't find any signs or markings that could lead him to a repair shop. He wondered if he should ask someone where one might be found in the town. But who wouldn't be intimidated by his presence? He looked around and he saw a heavily armored man with green hair and an assault rifle on his back standing in-front of a weapons shop. He seemed to be a paid guard. Perfect. He approached the man and said "Excuse me sir, but where might I find a repair shop?" he asked in his classic monotone. The man looked him up & down and then said "Oh, you'd be want'in Simms garage, then. What ya need to do is, go down that alley way there, take a left and keep head'in down till ya see a gift shop. Take a right at the gift shop, then straight on, ya can't miss it." The man finished and Mal thanked him. The man then extended his hand, palm facing the sky. Mal reached into his bag and put a vial of Jet he got off one of the raiders into his hands. The man smiled and said gratefully "Mighty kind of ya, brother." Mal stopped what he was doing and looked him dead in the eyes, his fists clenched. "Don't call me brother." he said with subtle anger, intensified by his eyes. He then turned around and started to follow the mans directions, shaking his hands out. Scipio looked up at him with a caring face. Mal stared at him and said in a sharp tone "Desino." The dog immediately looked down.

As Mal rounded the corner of the gift shop, he spied the garage the guard spoke of. As he was about 10 yards off. The garage door flew open and there stood a woman of dark skin and hair. He approached her and said in his trademark monotone bass "Excuse me, but I'm looking for a man called Simms, a guard said that he could help me."

Elena smiles happily as Karen accepts her in for work, a single clap of her hands follows before she begins to remove her rifle and pack. She stores them in a smaller area where she guesses they would be well out of sight from any customers or clients that may mistake them for product to be sold. The scent of a newly opened Nukacola drags her back to the area that Karen and Adjo were in -- sometimes Nukacola was the closest things a person could get to sweets these days and, boy, does Elena love sweets. She gratefully accepts the glass from Karen and thanks Adjo for sharing his newly purchased treat. She offers Karen a smile as the woman speaks, "Thank you so much. The last town I worked in, well, let's just say I wasn't paid nearly enough to cover the rent that was charged -- if you honestly don't mind me staying in the loft, at least until I can afford to stay in the hotel, then I would appreciate it greatly. I don't expect it to be cost free -- you take whatever you need from whatever I'm paid." A passing glance at her son was offered as partial explanation -- children really were their future, now more than ever, and Elena would never take away from a child.

Elena remains where she is as Karen begins to open shop, appreciating the fluid motions of the woman's body. Certainly she remains fit, if her flash of taut belly attests to that, and Elena finds herself smiling. Either the woman chose to ignore her comments or didn't catch them correctly -- seemingly hard to do with Elena's statements. No reason not to push the envelope a little further. "Oh, I'm sure you will." She grins, though the statement was obviously friendly, Elena couldn't help but to exploit the innuendo present. As the sunlight catches Karen's frame, Elena finds herself admiring the color of Karen's skin, interrupted here and there by lighter markings that Elena identified as scars. She trails one particular scar -- seemingly going on for quite a while -- it ends at the bandaging on Karen's arms, but implies that it would continue further down. Her head tilts to the side slightly, as she imagines what may have caused such injuries to such a beautiful woman... The realization that the world was not wrought with interactions like Karen and her own's conversation, but was instead full of sadistic raiders and heartless thieves, blemished with kind and caring individuals, brought a frown to her face. Her thoughts were interrupted immediately, thankful for the distraction, by a sound of a man coming from the garage entrance.

Karen stood swiftly, used to greeting customers at her previous place of employment, and takes a few strides in Karen's direction. She ceases her movements, however, when she recalls that Karen is just as capable as she. Instead, she manages a smile at the newcomer and leans back against a nearby wall, heel rising from the ground to rest on the wall as well. His appearance is off-putting, to say the least, rather intimidating; his words, however, were respectful -- thus, he appeared to be no cause for alarm. Aside from that, he was asking for a "Mr. Simms", when clearly (as far as Elena knew) there was no Mr. Simms present -- indicating that he was probably new to town. Regardless, Elena flexed her leg, feeling the familiar pressure of her pistol strapped to her thigh -- one could never be too careful.

'Shit, I am in such pain.'

Marcus' chest was on fire from that devastating blow. Had the mutant hit him any harder, he probably would've suffered a punctured lung. He was lucky, after all: he only suffered a few broken ribs. Still, the pain was a little unsettling. He reached behind him, into a stiff tan square pack resting on the back of his pants. He grabs a stimpack, injecting the live-saving substance into his veins. He then grabbed a bottle of water, discarding the empty stim needle and uncapping the bottle. He drank greedily, not sparing the water any at all. One of his two bottles were now empty. He figured he'd get a refill later, but he still had his other bottle just in case.

As the last remaining bits of the daylight receded over the horizon, Marcus felt the burden of exhaustion hit him hard: His legs were heavy, arguing with him with every step. His head was light, not even bothering to look up anymore. His chest, although satiated by the stimpack earlier, was burning again. His whole time as a gunslinger, he never felt this helpless. He'd been beaten within inches of his life before, but this was strange. Amongst all his other ailments, Marcus was sweating like a fevered man, and found it difficult to swallow.

He glanced at the area where the supermutant's hammer had struck: the fabric was torn. Touching the area, Marcus obtained some blood on his right glove. Lifting his shirt a little, Marcus saw a slight cut, the blood gathered around the area of his wound, refusing to drip down. It didn't look serious, but it explained Marcus' ailments: he had an infection. The hammer had broken his skin, and of course the malicious device wasn't clean, and now Marcus was suffering for it.

He stumbled and fell, arduously picking himself up. He heard the voice of his father in his head: 'Jesus Christ, can't ya do anything on yer own boy? Are you that helpless? Get up ya wimp, and finish this!' Marcus had only two things in his heart for his father: respect and utter hatred. The man had never shown Marcus what it was to be a father, but he had shown his son what it was to be a man. 'You can't be relyin' on people to do things for ya, kid! Ya gotta do 'em yerself. In this day an' age, everybody's gonna want help. You just gotta stick to yer guns, really, and help yourself. No one else is important.' Those words Marcus didn't believe. While he never liked the fact of getting help from people, he realized that there were those who needed it, and couldn't help themselves that they did. His father had awakened a spark that would later be a full-fledged firestorm of morality in Marcus. Realizing that while he had a choice to train to make make himself independent, others didn't have that luxury: their parents actually loved them. So, Marcus took up the gun in the name of protecting and aiding the weak.
However, his independent nature seemed to conflict with his need to help people. He realized he was a hypocrite in the end, but he couldn't help it. People were a liability, and helping them and going on your way was the only way to settle both of your beliefs.

He was struggling for consciousness. Or life. He didn't know which.
Lifting his head, he saw a miracle: a town. It was only a few yards ahead, its welcoming shanty buildings tempting his legs to go on or give out. The area was fenced off, two lighted guard towers overseeing the gate. Marcus kept walking, the little town seeming to get farther and farther away.

Finally, he reached the gate, the spotlights pointed at him now. He heard garbled shouts, but in his condition, he couldn't understand them. All he could do was shout his pleas to let him in before he passed out.

Xantam didn't accept failure, at any rate. He let dusk fall and the man disappear. I don't know what it is about that man, but he seems like one of the last, best hopes for humanity. Perhaps he'd be a valuable asset. Xantam's stomach started to grumble soon after the thought. He ate some 'lurk meat he'd been saving from the Potomac. After eating his delectable - for the wasteland at least - meal, he started following the man's tracks.

The tracks were amazingly straight for someone who'd received a sledgehammer blow from an Ugly. A few staggers here and there, but nothing too serious. Eventually he found a spot where the stranger fell down. No sign of enemies, or more loss of blood so no sharpshooter. He resumed following the steps as soon as they picked up, with more frequent staggers. Unconsciousness should follow within a few minutes, so I should be seeing a body. . . Where is it? Xantam angrily questioned himself. Xantam rarely became angered. What was causing this?

[PERCEPTION] Xantam began to notice more frequent and larger spots of blood. Obviously the hammer had broken skin. An infection seemed improbable, due to the short amount of time, but then again, he is living in an atomic wasteland.

A town began to rise in the distance. Searchlights, guard towers - the whole nine yards. He saw guards in the distance, along with a fallen body. Perhaps a Feral corpse, a wanderer, raider, or maybe, just maybe, the stranger. He approached cautiously, his Kalashnikov armed for full-auto in case the situation got hairy. You can never be too cautious. . .

Seeing that Elena was so well armed honestly comforts the mechanic. "We'll work as partners to keep things even." she and her son have it good, as good as it can get, here in Funnel. Her parents often ship a prize bull every few months for slaughter. Again Elena's comment surprises Karen but the woman doesn't act upon it nor respond. She walked right into that she supposes. Still having the spunky lady around will benefit this garage and the Simms one way or another. A droning voice sludges through the lukewarm air and forces Karen's head to turn. He's intimidating surely but Karen is more concerned what he may try to do to her son if given the chance. That layered hound is obviously a Legion hellhound. Thanks to her way with animals they don't attack her but that doesn't mean they'd disobey their masters entirely. Her fingerless glove flexes against the now empty glass and she sets it aside before folding her arms over her chest.

"No such man here, just myself and Elena. I'm Karen. If you don't mind a woman's touch we can fix up whatever you need." might as well incorporate Elena right off the bat as though she's been here for a time. It'll make business easier and get their income steady between the two. She doesn't get a soothing vibe from him, not like what she got from Elena. It could be the fact that she has a sneaking suspicion he's in league with the Legion (he has that air about him) and his armoring is off-putting. Still a customer is a customer. At least he's being cordial, if only for the sake of business. Karen nods her head to invite the newcomer into the shade of the workshop. Approaching a cleared workbench she hauls up a toolbox for preparations. Her jade eyes catch the mangled presence of the man's hand. It's a wonder anyone can get through the wastes in one piece. "What do you need done, sir?" Karen easily rests her gaze on the stranger's face. Unlike Elena she herself is currently unarmed, one of the key parts to her opening routine forgotten. Then again she can't stand schedules easily and simply does whatever feels as though it needs doing first. Still. After doing business with this man she's going to slink upstairs to arm herself. Her weapons are locked securely in a hidden room, used as a safehouse should danger befall the colorful town of Funnel.

From his corner Kaiser stands up and blinks at the Legion hound. His stubby tail wiggles while he approaches to try and sniff noses with the other canine. Adjo watches from the corner of his eye, playing with his new toy and thumbing the bottecap from the nukacola warily. He's never seen a dog like that. Thankfully one of his friends teetered around the outside of the shop. With his mother about to be busy he'd be better off out of everyone's way. Adjo quickly chugged his soda before taking his toy and speeding out into the sunshine to chase a band of boys through the street.

Isaac kept a steady walk on the sand as each sand ridden, cloth covered leg got ahead of the next. His brown eyes was wandering, side to side, edged to slits as his body had kept on walking towards the settlement of Funnel. The man had a hand in his lab coat, fingering the pile of grenades that sat in there. His dominant right hand kept hold of a briefcase which held all the equipment that was important to him as a docter and chemist. He caught sight of a lot of things-or people for that matter. On his left there were a group of about four people, two in two groups, while on his right was a man that had staggered step by step, till he was in front of the town. He seemd to be yelling at the towers that poked up from the gates.

Patient seems to be suffering from "hallucinationsin schizophrenia".

As he neared himself to the gates, a couple of guards came down from opposing towers onto the grainy sand. Both had worn leather armour and had bent down in order to help up the man, who had fallen on the floor again. Two beams of light had hit them from the towers that they had both departed, although there seemed to be more then one guard watching from the top. As the socially capable man that Isaac was, he ignored them and walked through them or rather that's what he WAS going to do, until one of the men had pulled out a stimpack from his pocket.

"Good lord." Were the words that had escaped Isaac's mouth as he made a 90 deegree turn toward the guard that was already injecting the stimpack in the man's wrist. He looked over at the african american and asked who he was, aiming his pistol towards him, while his other guard friend had supported the man.
"A docter." Issac said, unaware what a raised gun had meant, so he had just walked through him in order to get a better look at the man. The guard caught off guard by the docter's action, knew his intention for he carried no weapon, no armour and his own skinny body told it all. Skinny, not really muscular or toned all covered with a white shirt and a long lab coat. He looked directly into the eyes of the Marcus, who was trying his best now to just breathe. The intelligent ran his eyes down towards his chest, where the fabric was torn, and the wound small but dirty.

"It would seem that an external force, had ruptured his chest cavity, though through rejuvination of what seems to be two stimpacks because of how poorly placed the second dose of medicine was, this seems to be the result of infection upon a dirty blunt weapon, either way you are going into shock and recommend holding onto your gun in order to still experiance outside stimuli while I jam this needle into your arm." All the while talking he had taken a knee onto the ground, opened his suitcase, took out a needle of Med-X, aimed for a vein into the man's bicep and gently slid the needle in, letting the painkiller effect soon run through his body, as the contents were pumped in.

"Now all the nerves that would be screaming right now should subside in a few seconds. Now I'll need something to disinfect this quickly spreading infection, either 100% alcohol or some sort of conventional beverages such as vodka, run or whiskey."
The guard looked up and ran back in the guard tower to fetch one of the three. The other guard helping the bloody man up, still holding up his limp body, who was now conscious but groggy.
They had no problem with Isaac but the man. He had looked like he was equiped to take down an army.
They had to be carefull.

After the run in with the feral ghoul, Beth shot a joke towards him which he huffed at and gave a slight smirk. It’s what you could consider his laugh and no one else seemed to be able to make him do so except her, at least so far. However, no one could make a joke like that and get away with it unscathed but her, she wisely kept her distance though because he tended to seek revenge in the form of picking her up and not allowing her to walk where she wished.

Will found that not constantly looking towards where you were going made the trip quicker, so his eyes stayed on the ground or on Beth, only when she exclaimed home sweet home did he actually look up to spot the signature wheel of their town. “Hrm, yea need to get these parts to Karen. Get there before she puts her boy to bed.” It was one of the longest sentences he’d said on this trip but getting there on time was important to him. Karen was one of the few people he felt comfortable around and whether she actually liked Beth and him or liked the fact they brought free parts for her every time they returned he wasn’t sure but that didn’t matter to him. It was something they’d always done, a way of earning their stay in the town by bringing back supplies free of charge for people who requested it before they journeyed off anywhere. It would be nice to get to her before she closed up and the statement about getting there before she put her boy up, well, Will wouldn’t admit it but he liked the kid. He wanted to give him the special thing he’d found while they were out, a banged up toy car but it was still nice he thought.

Beth slid down the flat rock towards the dirt ground and Will shook his head at her as he merely followed her path by taking careful steps down the slope. They were home free now, another successful trip without any major accidents. The shout from unfamiliar voices accompanied by the term zombie told him he had spoken too soon though. Furling his fists in anger, he realized he hadn’t put his hood back up after the run in back at the outcropping. Before he turned around to answer them, he reached his hand out and grabbed Beth by the shoulder squeezing it, knowing she would snap at the derogatory term they shot at him. This was no time for that though; they were too close to home to waste any energy on a fight if they could get out of it by talking, as odd as that sounded for him to say. Now focusing on the two men, he kept his hand on Beth as he spoke, his muscles taunt and ready for action. “I live in the town of Funnel here, own a house. Just trying to get home.”

Beth’s head immediately snapped toward the two men as she heard the term aimed at her friend. Hand already gripping the throwing knife from the pouch around her waste in the back, she merely gritted her teeth as Will squeezed her shoulder in that ‘Don’t fly off the handle just yet.’ manner. Though with the two strangers aiming their guns at them weren’t helping her hold back from fighting, Beth followed Will’s lead nonetheless. They were too close to town to start anything, and the last thing they needed was to draw unwanted attention to their home.

Still, not being the type to let jabs at her friend slide, Beth eyed the two to find any crevices or opening to skin or vital points. The throat was always good, anything to end things quickly since she only had so many chances before she had to resort to hand to hand combat. Even after the analyzing of the men and the surrounding area though she was still on edge to do something; so shifting her wait to stand slightly to the side of Will, it gave her a good chance to dive back behind and around the dune if needed.

“He’s telling the truth. We both live here, have for awhile now; just ask anyone in town. And if you don’t mind, we’ve got supplies to drop off there so we can head home. If you have a problem with that then feel free to follow us and complain to the people we deliver this stuff to; get their opinion on it.”

"My apologies, I had only assumed, forgive me." Mal said to Karen in a tone that was his greeting tones twin. She signaled him to come inside, so he removed his hood, scarf and then his goggles. Revealing his brand that made up 1/4 of his face. The garage was pretty decently sized on the inside. For some reason it smelled of Nukacola, but Mal dismissed it. He saw an eye-bot floating in a corner of the room and a dog by the stairs. The woman in the corner of the shop, who Mal assumed was Elena, was staring at him with a smile. But, Mal could see her body was tense, she was prepared for anything. Mal respected that. "It's my ballistic fist." Mal explained as he pulled Talio from his bag. "Deathclaw pierced it, now it's shot. Anything you can do for it, Ma'am?" Mal asked Karen in a polite version of his tone.

When he looked up, Karen was staring at him to, but not with a smile. I wonder if she noticed my brand. Kind of hard not to, I guess. Just then, a small child ran past him and out the garage. Did this young woman have son? Mal then saw the shop keeps dog approach Scipio. To Mals surprise, Skip didn't growl or nip at the other dog. Scipio started to inspect the other canine just as he was doing to him. He betrayed a smirk.

The gates of the down rolled open, and through them came a few well-armed locals, Chinese Assault Rifles in all their grips. They wore tattered brown clothing and old leather boots, like uniforms. One of them wrapped a cloth around his face, another had goggles, and their leader, an older man with slicked back, grey hair. They looked down at Marcus, and at his follower.

"Get him and take him inside", the older man said, motioning for his men to pick up Marcus' unconcious body. As they pulled him in, the older man stared at the straggling follower. "And what are you doing out here? It's dangerous, come inside before it gets you."
He strode in the gate halfway, then turned around.

"Oh yeah: Welcome to Baskerville."

---------

Marcus awoke in a dark room, feeling cool and strangely better than before. He sat up, his body seeming to have returned to it's normal state. He felt the area where the supermutant's hammer had smashed him; bandaged. He lay down again, exhaling.
He had no idea where he was, but he didn't really care. He felt a slight annoyance at the fact that someone had actually helped him. He draped his arm over his face, letting the feeling of calm wash over him for a moment. He wanted to know where he was, but he was too tired.

He'd find out when he woke up.

Elena steps forward as Karen introduces her, an easy smile on her features as she tails the woman toward the workbench. Elena's hips sway as she moves, her saunter expressing a confidence that shorter individuals do not always have. Her eyes rest upon the man as he removes his hood, which she figured offered protection from the sun, and was surprised to discover the brand marring his features. Her expression does not betray her, however, and her confident grin remains fixed on her features. Her gaze drifts from the man to inspect the toolbox that Karen has hefted to the workbench, thankful for the tools provided. Though she often did her own repairs, Elena has no tools of her own -- many mechanics, usually older men (from her experience), don't mind lending tools to young women, especially women as openly flirtatious as Elena. This use of skill has its downsides, numerous downsides depending on the city and the mechanic, but one of which is the lack of a private collection of handy tools.

Her attention is again stolen away by Kaiser as he approaches the stranger's own canine -- she tenses, but the hound seems receptive to Kaiser, thankfully. Adjo, much more wary of the man and his mutt, takes off after another child outside of the garage. Elena is struck with tension once more, but the man practically ignores Karen's son as he zips by to play with his friends. She nearly feels guilty for preparing to act against this individual, who has done nothing personally to deserve such thoughts, but life in the Wastes would teach anyone to expect the worst from others; a woman traveling on her own is taught, quickly, to distrust others, even those with manners. Still, Elena's disposition seems rather cheery as the man explains his reason for seeking out a mechanic. She pats the workbench to urge the man to allow them access to his broken gear, eager to prove her usefulness to the woman so kind as to offer her a job and a place to stay without asking about or testing her abilities.

[Got permission from Strawberry to puppet through the fixing process~]

She had taught Adjo to leave the garage if he felt uneasy. The boy had been expected to shy away from strangers out of survival; this garage has been attacked a few times. That boy even gets firing lessons from his mother on occasion. Karen shook her head lightly but otherwise remained reserved and stoic. "It's fine sir, happens often. You're at no fault." she reassures the stranger. He had no real way of knowing and generally the surname Simms does sound as though it'd belong to a masculine figure right off the bat. When he revealed his face a flicker of wonder crosses through her stony expression. That scar seemed rather shaped for a purpose. Was it from the Legion or just a scrap with danger? Either way she more or less envies the man for it. Hers appears to split her face in two and can't be covered with a shady hood very well. Karen feels a slight ball of energy in her stomach as Elena joined her at the workbench available. It's been a good long while before she's had anyone to tinker with besides Adjo's tiny hands trying to help out.

"Mm." she responds faintly, guiding the damaged weapon onto the work surface. Karen does like a challenge and it shows as her eyes stare down at the item while igniting themselves with an eccentric mechanic's passion. Although she does pause a moment to glance at the dogs after noticing this man smirk, the first expression he's made. That Legion brute could put her dog through a blender. The thought alone has her hands dip down to the tail of her scarf around her hips, wounding it around her wrist anxiously but showing no other sign of concern. Kaiser lays down nearby like some docile sheep as his bum still waggles from side to side happily. He'd die out in the wastes so quickly. Silly, too friendly for his own good, and alarmingly attached to Karen. "Easily. We can get this patched up...deathclaw did quite a number on it." inwardly the woman prays the deathclaw hadn't been sighted too close to Funnel as she relaxes her grip from her scarf. Last time a deathclaw passed through town her son ran out and tried to feed it since the creatures look so skinny.

In the garage were a few stools, their current customer would be given the choice of exploring the town a bit or simply waiting until his weapon was ready. Klox sensed work to be done and turned on its internal radio to a gentle lull. Background noise usually helps Karen work better. Mingling with the radio are Kaiser's snores and the sounds of the young children playing out in the streets, allowing the determined mechanic to focus with more intention. Side by side with Elena the dark skinned woman began to diagnose the abused item. They carefully work around the shredded layers, deft fingers delve into the toolbox or sometimes Karen would kneel to open the cupboard in the workbench and pull out extra parts. The parts were supplied by two locals she's known since moving into Funnel. Beth, although rather excitable, is very good company. It's nice to listen to her talk and poke fun at the slightly younger woman. All in good spirit. Equally Karen is openly pleased to know Will. She's fine with ghouls, she was raised around them as well as androids back on the family ranch. More importantly through knowing Will she's been able to teach Adjo how to identify civil ghouls. Unfortunately, due to Will's height, Adjo is convinced he is a super hero in disguise. Karen is grateful to know those two and to get the help they're willing to offer. In return she generally does work for free for them or lets them have the first pick of items that get shipped in.

Working with another mechanic wasn't as stressful as she thought it'd be. The harmonic balance of women's intuition and mechanic prestige means they both could pick out what the other overlooked, agree on it, and quickly get it done for this weapon. Karen also felt comfortable in knowing that Elena clearly knew what she was doing. Having a bird's eye view of how the other works has helped her gauge a level of professionalism. The entire process takes perhaps only ten minutes with everything needed at hand so readily. They speak lowly to each other, strictly only about the task at hand as they work together flawlessly. Karen knows hiring Elena was a good investment and can only hope it'll last them through. When they finish she sighs in satisfaction; working on something always uplifts Karen's mood. Especially when she knows a pleasing amount of work has been done. Tenfold with extra help. Did that man stay in the garage? If he wandered I can't easily call out his name. He lacked one so far. Although she could give Klox the "seek customer 901" command to relay a message. Glancing up from the hypnotic workbench the tinkerer prepares for just that if the man had chosen to go do other business.

Beth fingered the knife in her hand as her irritation built. She was cranky, thirsty, tired, wanted to get home, and had a job to finish; so these guys had just wasted the last ounce of civility she could spare for a couple of strangers. Eyeing the rock dune she had slid down from only moments ago, Beth took a step back and like a flash shifted her weight forward as she threw the knife towards a crevice beneath the rocks on top; successfully loosening them and letting gravity take care of the rest as they tumbled down towards the men.

Not bothering to stick around any longer than necessary, Beth immediately took off running towards Funnel; smoothly slipping and climbing over rocks as she lead the way along the easiest path for Will to follow along but still provide cover for any retaliation from the strangers. With the entrance in sight, Beth took off at a full out run to reach it before slowing down within the town’s security and turning around to glance at Will.”Stupid idiots cost me a throwing knife.” She huffed out irritably as she caught her breath. Fingers running through her hair as she tried to remember what they had picked up while they were gone, Beth let out a sigh as she remembered them picking up a damaged knife a couple of days ago. “I’m gonna have to get that one we picked up fixed, it would be cheaper than buying a new one don’t ya think? Anyway, we’ll see what we can do after we drop this stuff off.” With one last glance out towards the wastelands, Beth turned her back to it and happily walked further into the town.

Will waited impatiently, staring at the strangers until slight movement from Beth caught his eye and he knew she was about to make a move. Before he could even think about stopping her she had already lashed out and tossed her knife but not to the target he had assumed, she had loosened a rock, allowing it to topple towards the men which gave them a distraction to flee.

Beth had always been a quick thing, small and able to fit into tight spaces. Now was no exception as she zoomed in and out of the rocks but it seemed she was choosing easier paths for him to follow, knowing he was nowhere near as graceful as she was. He could keep up his galumphing pace for quite some time but would never catch up to her.

Finally they reached the entrance to the city and Will slowed his pounding steps as he neared Beth. Of course she wasn’t worried they had escaped a possibly deadly situation, only concerned about the knife she lost. Smirking a bit, he shook his head at her, adjusting the pack of supplies on his back. “Karen can fix it. Should be cheaper and she’ll make it better than one you can buy.” With that said, he quietly followed her into their town, thrilled to finally be back. However, the ones that had stopped them had him a bit worried he had to admit. Hopefully they had either been crushed by the stone or left and wouldn’t hang around to cause trouble for the town just because of Beth and him.

Now that they were around crowds again, he remembered to pull the hood over his head once more before taking the pack off of his back and begin looking through the supplies they had gathered as he blindly followed a remembered path to Karen’s shop behind Beth. He sifted through the parts, finding the ones they had for her as he walked in not even taking notice of Elena as he plopped the pack on the counter. “Hrm, have some things for you.” Patting his jacket, he felt the toy car he had in the pocket as he looked up then jerked his head back with a surprised grunt at the sight of Elena. “We’re interrupting?” He asked turning his attention back to Karen, hoping they hadn’t interrupted her business. Letting his eyes rove quickly about before returning to her, he hoped he had missed no one else new in the shop when he made his distracted entrance.

"I'll stay in the shop, if you don't mind." Mal said as he eyed the woman. Karen seemed like a nice enough person, but that doesn't mean he would leave his weapon of retribution behind. Though it seemed she hadn't heard him. He walked over to a stool and sat down awkwardly in it, for his feet reached the ground while fully seated. Scipio found his way back over to the ex-legionnaire and took his rightful place at his masters side. Mal acknowledged Scipio, and then laid his eyes on the two women before him. An eye-bot had flown over to the women and started to play a lulled tune. His gaze never left them as they started to work. The partners seemed practiced at their work, moving fluidly and never bumping into each other as their tools moved in and out of Talio. They must have been working together a long time to get reach that level of teamwork.

They never once looked up from the gauntlet, for that was what was important to them now. Mal's respect for these two women rose. They were focused and new what they were doing, to few in this wasteland could claim the same, and not be lying. In a matter of minutes the two were done. Karen stepped back from her work with a smile that seemed to be shared with Elena. She then looked up, her eyes wandered around the room a bit until her gaze found him. It looked like she was about to say something but, just then, a woman ran into the shop followed by a hooded man as tall as him. No, maybe taller, he then said in a raspy voice to Karen, “Hrm, have some things for you.” Then flopped a giant sack he was carrying onto the table right next to Talio. He may be hooded, but the voice was a dead give away, a ghoul. Mal had never seen a ghoul that tall. Then again he had never seen any human that tall but him, and since ghouls used to be human, it seems logical that there would be ghouls that tall as well. The ghoul suddenly jerked his head up and stared at Elena. “We’re interrupting?” the ghoul said to Karen as he looked around the garage. His gaze seemed to have slipped right over Mal.

Mal rose and walked straight up behind him and said, "Excuse me sir, I have business with these ladies that needs to be finished, and your in my way. Would you please step aside." Mal said to the ghoul with a voice that held no prejudice, but had was also a voice that held no fear or regret in his soul. Just in-case this ghoul wasn't as friendly as he seemed.

Elena took a step back from the workbench as her and Karen finished the project at hand, a contented grin settling on her lips. Her hands were perched as fists against her hips as she rocks her head back across her shoulders, her entire figure relaxed slightly at the satisfaction of a job well done. Her and Karen worked flawlessly together, much better than she had worked with anyone else. It was nearly shocking, but Elena was unbelievably grateful to have just found Karen.

She turned swiftly on the balls of her feet to watch two individuals walk into the garage -- they welcomed themselves in, so Elena figured they must be rather close to Karen. The woman was of average height, but extremely lithe; the man, on the other hand, towered over Elena by more than a foot. He seemed oblivious to her and the current client's presence. As such, Elena crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back up against the workbench, facing the counter where the man stood. Elena had little interactions with ghouls over her lifetime and did not identify this raspy-voiced individual as a ghoul. Though, if anything, the revelation would only make Elena ecstatic. Regardless of the lack of interactions with ghouls, Elena had a soft-spot for them.

When he turned around, his surprise for Elena's presence was obvious. She chuckled softly, as he looked to Karen for answers. She shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal, "Not interrupting anything, just finishing up, actually." She managed a grin before their client approached the man to pass him. Elena frowned, head tilting to the side. The man seemed so apathetic, not caring one way or another about most things (except, of course, for his gear). He didn't even seem to care how his words would effect those around him.

The new woman that was behind the counter answered Will and he nodded to her then raised his brows in surprise as a man’s voice came from behind him. Turning his head slightly, he looked the man over for just a moment before scooting himself and the pack down the counter to give him room. He wasn’t particularly fond of the way the man had asked him to move but if this was a customer of Karen’s then he would oblige.

He busied himself with taking the parts he had for the shop out of his pack and placing them on the counter while the man did his business. So if that man was the customer then who was the woman? If she was behind the counter, and the way she answered him earlier, that must mean she worked here now? It was the only thing he could come up with as he spaced the parts out, his eyes looking at her from under his hood. She looked much to pretty to be from the wastes but he knew better than most not to judge anyone based on looks. Speaking of looks, his eyes made their way over to the man as his hands continued with separating the items he pulled from his pack into piles. His armor, the mark on his face, he didn’t like any of it but if he was being fairly civil so far then perhaps that’s all they were, just armor and a mark, nothing more defining than that.

Beth stayed to the side looking between the two new people as Will dug through the pack. The woman looked like she must have spent most of her time in the town recently, and with her standing behind the counter made Beth wonder if she was a friend of Karen’s. The man was another story. He looked like he just rolled into town from the wastes, not that she had any room to talk, and the mark on his face was definitely interesting; nothing she had seen around before.

Hearing Will’s surprise as he finally realized there were more people in the room, she couldn’t help but smirk. The response from the two strangers changed the smirk to a look of a bit of surprise. It definitely sounded like the woman worked there or something, and she seemed friendly; that’s always a good thing. And the man was probably a customer of Karen’s; and though his words were polite, the tone held a stronger meaning behind it… Not rude, just firm. Definitely an interesting character. Eyeing Will to see his reaction, she was glad to see him just scoot the bag aside.

“Sorry about that, we’ve been away a bit too long I guess. Seems Will has a one track mind.” Throwing a smirk at her friend, Beth hit her hip into Will’s side and pointed a glance to where she knew he had the toy hidden. They would just have to wait their turn to drop everything off and check on getting that knife fixed. In the mean time, watching everyone was interesting enough to stick around for. Eyeing the man’s face for a moment Beth couldn’t help but wonder how he got the mark and what it meant; the scar was to precise to be an accident. In fact- What’s that…

Catching movement at the corner of her eye, Beth turned around to see a new canine she missed before. She had met Kaiser but this one was a newcomer. The man or the woman’s? Or perhaps a new friend of Karen’s. “Hi there.” Beth spoke quietly, sitting back on her heels to get a better look at the dog. As reckless as she was about running up to strangers to advertise, or being reckless period, she knew better than to walk up to an animal and want to pet it. That didn’t keep her from being in awe of them though.

[Since I'll be gone a majority of the weekend I'm pulling Karen from the main scene in Funnel until my return so I don't hold any of the others back. And I didn't state an exact price for the work since I hate doing that.]

About to offer the stranger his bill Karen was distracted once Will and Beth entered. Her stoic business expression melts into a warm smile as she views the two. They do help with her business after all and are good people to know. Her oddball family is fine with them as well. When her recent client steps forth to have Will move aside Karen is mildly surprised by his straight-forward response. At least Beth didn't take too much offense to it and lunge at the man. Karen's seen Beth fight tooth and nail for Will's rights, as she should. Nonetheless she's grateful when Elena pipes up. So far so good; her new co-worker has proven friendly (perhaps a bit too friendly but it's all in fun), handy and patient with customers. "Hi Will, hey Beth...I'll be with you two in a minute." she reassures them with a nod before facing her client.

"This is your bill. I--"

"Mama..." oh no. Not that voice. Adjo only uses that voice when he's sad or scared, only ever calls Karen 'mama' if something is wrong.

The woman glances down as her son shuffles in, a knee scuffed and his eyes cast to the ground. Normally he'd be racing around in circles with Will and Beth (Adjo has a crush on her, it's sickeningly adorable) in the shop but his dampened spirit won't permit it. "...hang on baby. Just wrapping up business." she murmurs, rubbing his head as he forlornly hugs her hip, head turned to hide his face from the others. Karen's demeanor seems to have switched yet again. Mothers are highly protective of their young and she is one such mother. She's been raising Adjo for five years on her own with her clunky eyebot (still floating around emitting the radio songs) and Kaiser (useless, silly dog) at her side. Whoever upsets her child would find a raider to be more forgiving. "As I was saying, sir here's your bill...", her fingerless gloves grip a pen as she rips off some parchment (making sure Elena could see it since hey she did the work too) before handing it to her customer, "Elena would you please take care of whatever else he might need? Ah...this is Will and Beth, they supply my shop. Will, Beth, this is Elena. She just rolled into town but she's a fine mechanic. Excuse me everyone..."

Karen nods politely before moving aside with Adjo, kneeling down. She cups his chin softly with her hazy eyes studying his face. "What happened?" the mother inquires gently. Adjo nervously toes the floor, fingers reaching out to twist in his mother's scarf as he's picked up her habit.

"...Chapi took my toy. H-he said I can't get it back 'cause I don't have a papa to get it back for me."

Her blood runs cold and for a moment crimson flashes in her vision. Karen purses her lips before her jaw tenses, rising up she holds Adjo's hand. The incensed woman's hips snap from side to side sharply as she marches out to confront Chapi's parents in their home.

Elena offered the group of individuals before her a brilliant smile, acknowledging the bill passed before her before nodding her head in greeting to both Will and Beth. "It's nice to meet both of you, as she said, I'm Elena." The words that escaped Adjo's mouth caught Elena's attention and her smile drooped for a moment. It was not but a few second later that Karen was marching out of the shop with Adjo in tow. Elena's arms crossed over her stomach as her head tilted to the side, watching (rather openly) Karen leave. A low whistle escaped her lips as a grin spreads across her features; she pauses for a moment before speaking, "I'd hate to be whoever she's gunning for."

Her attention was gifted back to those before her, Elena's flirtatious grin replaced with a natural smile. She addressed the client that Karen had given the bill to, "I'll let you take a look at your equipment there, make sure everything is in order and up to your standards before I'll accept any payment. Might not be Karen's policy, but it is mine -- so long as you don't go leaving the shop." She nods and wink, obviously joking, before turning her attention to Will, whom was still standing at the counter, and shifting down to stand before him. His companion, Beth, seemed rather intrigued by their client's pup and Elena felt it rather needless to pull her away from her object of interest. She peered up at Will, the man towering over her, smile growing ever so slightly as she perched her fists on her hips. "So, how does Karen normally take care of business with you? I'm not quite familiar with the spare parts or scraps in the shop or how she handles scrap purchases..." Elena pauses, realizing she is rambling, and takes a breath. "Regardless, you seem like honest enough folk, I'm sure we can sort everything out." She nods in finality, awaiting an answer from either gentleman in order to handle business as promptly as possible.

Elena, however, is quite a fan of small talk, eager to strike up conversation with whomever she is assisting.

Marcus awoke in the morning of the day, his only thoughts being that of hunger and thirst. He held his head for a minute so as to make the grogginess disappate. He sat at the edge of the bed he had slept on. It was a rather nice, queen-sized bed. It was dirty and littered with grime, but it still comfortable, and much better than sleeping underground where he thought he ought to be. Nevertheless, the thought that people had aided him still edged his nerves. He hated it because his father and his service as a gunslinger taught him to hate it, and it made sense. Marcus didn't like being helped because he was the protector, not them.
Still, he was just glad he hadn't died in the night.
Looking to his left, Marcus saw the sunlight breaking into the window, spewing itself onto the floor and walls. To his right he saw a table, with a full bottle of water and a half loaf of bread sitting on top of it, right next to his clothes. The bread, of course, was wrapped in cloth so as not to mold over. Marcus stood, strode across the dirt floor to where the table was and walked right past it. His M4 was leaning up against the wall. He picked it up, brushing the dust off the butt of the weapon, and walked over to the table. He grabbed his clothes and his supply pack and walked over to the bed. He dressed quickly, inspecting everything to make sure his supplies were all in order. His .44 had been left in its holster when they stripped him, so he didn't have to look for it. He reached into his bag and pulled out his remaining water bottle and a stick of iguana bits, consuming the food quickly and half-draining the bottle.
Loading his rifle onto his back, he found a staircase at the back of the room. Making his way toward it, he made the resolution to get the fuck out of Dodge as soon as he resurfaced.
His boots clomped on the solid wood as he made his progress upward. The smothering dust of this area was enough to suffocate, so he hurried up the flight of stairs quickly. Practically breaking the door open, Marcus was glad to be rid of the confined space.
Looking around, he saw a family: a man, a woman, and two children, a boy and a girl, staring at him like he was mad. "Have a sit down then, mister", the man said.

Will continued to keep silent until he heard Adjo’s small voice as he entered the shop. This seemed to brighten Will’s demeanor a bit as he straightened up, taking his attention away from the scrap to look over and down towards the child. It was clear in an instant he was upset though; he’s usually such a happy boy so someone must have caused this change in mood. Furrowing his brow a bit angrily at the thought, he returned his attention back to the scrap after Karen had introduced this new women, Elena, and left to tend to Adjo. If he could get his hands on whoever caused his small friend sadness, they would be sure not to do so again. Karen however seemed to have it all under control as she practically stormed from the shop.

The new woman spoke up now, Elena was her name, and he had to remember that if she was staying. He looked down at her then to his pile of scrap he had sorted. “It’s all free; these are things that Karen should need or want. We bring her back scrap and spare parts; she does work on equipment for us. It’s a trade off.” Looking off to the side after he was finished speaking, it was clear he wasn’t use to talking so much and doing so was making him a bit nervous. He never enjoyed lengthy conversations, he was the more sit and listen type. Also the fact Elena was brand new and a pretty woman to boot made it even more awkward to him. “Uh, have a busted knife, thought she might be able to do something. Dunno if it’s possible.” Turning around, he took a few steps to Beth and rummaged in the pack on her back to find the old knife all without interrupting her dog whispering session. Once he had it in hand he walked back to the counter and showed it to Elena. “Blade is bent and chipped.” He wasn’t sure, since the knife wasn’t exactly technology you use spare parts to fix, if it was possible for them to do anything but it never hurt to ask. Besides, he wanted to hang around until Adjo returned so he could give him his gift.