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@tempesttragedy / Celia.

Silence was the MO of their jaunt down South, no matter how long it was. Nick Valentine didn't want to give Celia any bait, and clearly she didn't have much to say that wasn't deeply sarcastic anyhow. So the first words out of Nick's mouth since about six hours prior was a resounding: "Oh, damn it all."

It was starting to rain-- to pour, really. The sound of rolling thunder might as well have been the sound of a geiger counter screaming. The detective was already waterlogged by the time he knew to curse. "Alright.... we gotta find some shelter. Keep an eye out, would'ya?"

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@wandercr .

"Good God," Nick muttered. The span of what used to be Washington DC sprawled beneath them from their view on the hill; skeletal towers, smoke, debris and ruin. It was the first time the old synth had seen it at all-- at least with these eyes. All he could manage was a low mutter.

"This place has gone to shit."

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@sureimcrazy .

"I read Piper's paper... This must be strange for you. " It was the first thing Nick had said in a while, diligently following the trail out to Kellogg's hiding place. He tended to be quiet while he was working-- and needless to say, the situation was odd.

"Walkin' around the Commonwealth as it is now... same place, different time."

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Like this for a Cheeky Little Starter...

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Hey gang. So it's pretty obvious at this point I'm on hiatus. Had that wisdom tooth surgery yesterday, brain is melted. Between that and my upcoming vacation I wouldn't expect me around for another month or so. Love you all though, and I'll be on discord @roseyroseyrosey

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Rebelle keeps undos in the timelapses it generates so you can see me problem solve as I hash out a process, mistakes and all

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Hey gang. So it's pretty obvious at this point I'm on hiatus. Had that wisdom tooth surgery yesterday, brain is melted. Between that and my upcoming vacation I wouldn't expect me around for another month or so. Love you all though, and I'll be on discord @roseyroseyrosey

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not exactly a helpful addition. but an addition

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Sorry about my lack of activity gang. Depression has just been sapping my creative energy lately, and I don't really have much energy to keep up here.

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Nick Valentine in the Memory Den.

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Reserved as he was, it had taken some time to get used to physical affection like this. He could call himself sexless all he wanted, but when she tugged on his tie a bit there was no missing the whir of servos in his chest. "Oh, that would be tragic..."

"Let's see. You're... beautiful, of course." His hands settled on her waist, metal fingers tapping a quick rhythm up her spine. "The prettiest dimples, apple cheeks, soft, perfect hair..."

"And these hips." Alright, maybe the little squeeze was giving him away.

It was the most effective way she’d found to snap him out of it before he started smoking from his ears from thinking too hard. Placing a kiss on the ragged skin left on his jaw while she played with his tie was just for her, though. “Nobody has complimented me in fifteen minutes,” she said, trailing kisses up the side of his face. “I think I might die from it.”

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"Come on now," Nick replied after a moment, his tone even and calm. "You'll have to do better than that."

The synth watched her in her gait, how she looked like a pressure cooker about to blow. Lying to him about that was a true waste of time and they both knew it-- it felt like she was just going through the motions. Nick sighed, his face dipping low into the collar of his coat, upturned to ward off the wind.

"If you don't wanna talk about it with me, I'll respect it. But... I count you as a friend, especially after everything we've been through together. ...And as your friend, I wanna help you."

nora turns her head slightly toward nick as his question hangs in the air. she appreciates that he cares, that he even asked, but it’s not an easy thing to answer.

she takes a breath, the cool, stale air of the commonwealth filling her lungs. the institute looms over her thoughts, a shadow that darkens even the brightest moments. she’s so close to the confrontation she’s been preparing for, but the fear gnaws at her. not fear of the fight, but of what she'll find—what she'll lose—when it’s all over.

she glances back at nick, his concern etched in every line of his face, or at least what’s left of it. nora knows she needs help, but she doesn't know what kind or where to even start, and the words are hard to form. she doesn’t want to admit how close she is to breaking, how all of this feels like it’s teetering on the edge.

"fine," she lies, knowing nick will see right through her. he's a detective, after all, and the monotone way she responds to him isn't that convincing. "i'm fine."

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Really, Nick wasn't sure how much time they had. There were too many pieces on the board, and too many of them probably had bombs in their back pockets. The whole Commonwealth was being held on the edge of a pin, and there was Nora ready to push them off.

But they had to do something. The boiling point wouldn't last forever.

Nick adjusted his hat, tipped it back to rub his forehead like he had sweat to wipe off. "I don't remember," he answered quietly, "Institute failsafes in my databanks wiped almost all of it. All I got left are flashes of... nothing concrete."

A metal table fitted with spikes. A glass box as big as a closet. Watching-- always watching.

Nick glanced aside, then back to Hancock. "...The right thing is... it's always subjective, John. But it's in your gut. And if your gut tells you there are synths down there worth the risk to save, then that's what's right."

It stung to be reminded that Nora was alone. She shouldn't have to be alone, not with him, and yet she was. 

“Impossible…” Hancock muses, turning his head to look up at the ceiling tiles. “Nora is always doin the impossible…” He remembers when he was skeptical of her. She was crazy to think she could go into the glowing sea, find the institute and then her son. And yet here they were. 

“Do we have time?” He asks after a moment. Right now it felt like just a temporary calm. Any second they could be thrusted out of this. Could Nora really clear her head in a day, if they were lucky?

“Look, I don't wanna put you on the spot just because of…ya know what you are but…” Hancock struggled to find the right words. It was at times like this he would take a couple mentats and hope for the best. “You've actually been down there, yeah? I couldn't go… What do you think is the right thing to do?”

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"...Well."

It was hard for Nick to even understand a man thinking like that-- of possession and greed and power. But there was no shortage of megalomaniacs out here, and this wouldn't be the first time he'd gotten on one's bad side. But right now, his priority was Anna Winden; keeping her safe, comforting her. So Nick rubbed her shoulder and gave a little nod to signify that he understood. "I'll keep on the alert, then."

"...He's gonna have to go through a lot of hoops to leave a dent in me. We'll be ready, alright? And you're yours, Anna, not his."

“Me,” she answered weakly. Wasn’t it obvious? She’d always gone back to him before, she’d never had much choice. Maybe this time would be different. She’d built an entire life for herself without him, she didn’t need him anymore…

She shook her head. There wouldn’t be a this time. There couldn’t be. “He’s gotten rid of people I loved a whole lot less than you and you were practically bossing him around, then talking about having a case—” Not to mention the fact that they were the only other people who knew about his secret little bunker. “It would be best to get you out of the way before you become a real problem.”

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nick !!!

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Oooo Anna is just climbing right onto his lap

"Ope--"

He had been trying to work, but evidently he'd been working too hard; this was usually the sign of it. At least with enough practice, Nick had gotten used to responding quick. He laid his pen down to wrap an arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Alright, you."

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Sometimes love is sharing and sometimes it’s watching him shove two massive sandwiches down his gob even though he doesn’t have a stomach

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