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bladehyme · 2 years ago

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Fighting and Fucking Buddies (Boston and Rimita)

Chapter 1

This whole shindig had been a bust. A causal trip with their grandchild Viper to get them out of their whole house arrest situation had turned into a goose chase, trying to find out who blew up a centuries old temple, and murdered two civilians who had cybernetic enhancements. That led to a street fair to raise money on damages. Then going to a cult meeting to discover children were being pumped full of magical energy, committing some light arson, breaking and entering via a portal. More arson,more violence, splitting up the party, several times. Going back to some of the scenes of the crime, only for Rimita to get drugged and thrown into the back of a van. As she’s the old woman with candy! What an ironic and cruel twist. Luckily The rest of the people she’d come to find herself working with were able to get onto the bus, save her, and that’s about all they could do.

Rimita was standing outside the police department, with the tin man, Baldric, who seemed to be either zoning out or just enjoying the scenery. There wasn’t much conversation between the two of them. Despite being the “oldest” of this clusterfuck, they come from very different walks of life. Rimita, a halfling grandmother from the slums with a long history of participating in gladiatorial style battles, and Baldrick, the fancily dressed butler that was now hanging out with a pair of cowboys. It’s a bizarre circumstance to say the least. “And that’s why I never like going to one of those buildings,” The human, Boston Jones, grumbled, lighting a cigarette while being followed by his… associate? side kick? The orc named Nash was a sweetheart who loved Rimitas sweets she carried on her. And the one trailing behind, who was definitely the one this message was for. The government worker, Fenrana, was unbelievably green, but was intelligent and cared. Rimita prayed that their sympathy never left them. The golden girl snapped back to the conversation at hand when Boston turned to Fenrana tapping off the ashes from the cigarette, “Full of people who do a shit ton of talking, not a lot of actin’.”

“Boston,” Fenrana sighed, looking back at the building, “The police chief said they’d assist in our investigation, right now we are in the waiting phase.”

“We’d better be getting paid for this fucking ‘waiting phase,’” Boston grumbled looking at one of the large century drones flying buy into one of its assigned parking. He looked to Fenrana asking, “Any particular address I should send this bill to? Considering I’m working alongside an investigator of your city.”

“Wouldn’t it make more sense for your church to pay your fee?” Fenranra asked. Boston’s cigarette dropped out of his mouth in surprise and probably anger. Not noticing the change in the cowboys demeanor, Fenrana continued, “This is an internal affair, with off brand cultists from their religion. The are at fault just as much-”

Boston shut Fenrana up real quick as his fist glowed with divine energy and left an imprint in the solid concrete. His hand paused and then retracted it, cracking his knuckles. He didn’t seem too surprised by that display. After a few more seconds of silence he walked off.

“I really want to fight you know.” Rimita blurted seeing the display of raw power from Jones. Boston gave her crooked confused look for a moment then continued the road.

“Thank you for not using that aggression on me,” Fen joked trying to see if they could make the cowboy laugh, Jones didn’t even let out a chuckle. They looked to the group and asked, “Should I go talk-”

“I think you’ve said enough bud.” Nash, the athletic orc grumbled to the inspector. Nash and Boston seemed to have an impressive bond. Rimita hadn’t seen any signs with how close they were, but they did time together, which makes the mind wonder. Rimita wanted to ask either of the cowboys but now didn’t seem like the right time.

“Where is Master Boston going?” Baldric asked, noticing that everyone else watching the cowboy wander away from them and the police station. No one responded so the automaton asked, not seeing the tension thick enough you could cut it with a knife, “Do you think he wishes us to follow?”

“I think-” Nash began to suggest but then Boston cut him off, overhearing the conversation:

“Stop standing around like a bunch of dumb fucks outside the police station,” Boston shouted back, taking out a cigarette, “You look like a bunch of tourists.”

The group followed after Boston but at a distance, they didn’t know if he was going to do something extreme, or dangerous. They followed him to a restaurant with a bar, surprising no one. They all shuffle after him, and he was ordering food and drinks for the party. It was happy hour, and it was packed. All were able to relax for the first time these four days they’ve adventuring together.

“What did you mean by that?” Boston asked, looking at Rimita giving her a fresh shot. He hadn’t breathed a word to anyone, not really, other than telling them to just eat and drink, they all needed a pick me up after going to the dud that was the police chef. “What are you referring to?” Rimita asked,taking the shot happily. She downed it with one fluid motion, the buzz was on and the stresses of the bull shit were beginning to fade away. “Define fighting,” Boston requested, eyeing the halfling woman. She raised a smug eyebrow, Boston shrugged, “There are many forms of fighting, I don’t want to assume shit.” “Fair question,” Rimita confessed, spinning the brim of the shot glass on the table. Her cheeks glowing with color. She cleared her throat and then confessed, “Truth be told, either. This whole adventure has been kind of shit.”

“Kind of?” Boston scoffed, taking a drink from his own glass. Rimita had noticed in the two hours they had been here, he’d been hugging the same drink, probably for the best, but in this city? It used to be safe; you wouldn’t have to be stingy with your drinks. Boston finished his sip and said, “Has anything about this job been fun?”

“I don’t know, breaking and entering is always a bit of fun,” Rimita pointed out, but then looked down to their empty glass, “But yeah, other than that, these disappearing cultists are the biggest cock tease for my hammer and myself.”

“That’s a sentence I didn’t expect to hear from you today,” Boston winked, he then waved over the bartender getting another round of shots. He then gave a once over to Rimita, “But I agree, these cultists are the biggest killjoy I’ve dealt with in a while.”

“Thanks for the shot,” Rimita smiled at the bartender, who put on his best customer service smile and then hurried off to his regulars. Rimita looked down to the whiskey and then asked, “Does this shot come with any expectations?”

“Nah,” Boston shook his head, taking it in his hand, “Life is too cruel to have expectations, just live each moment like your last and you won’t have any regrets.”

“Spoken like someone who’s lost everything,” Rimita commented, Boston didn’t respond, and the halfling didn’t feel like prying, mainly because that would cause her to have to spill her own beans. She lifted the shot in a toasting motion, “To no regrets?”

“To no regrets.” And they drank.* * *

“Baldric either power off or piss off,” Rimita ordered the automaton as she dragged Boston by the belt to his room. The cowboy had no issue being dragged around, he had even less issues when she dropped, stripped his pants hungerly and smiled at his length. Using nearly two centuries of experience she smiled, “Not bad Jones, this will itch that scratch I have nicely.”

“I bet it will,” Boston smiled, enjoying the size comparison between his tool and the woman wielding it. He didn’t doubt he’d make it fit, nor did he doubt she’d beg him to stop. He then asked, taking a cigarette out for himself, “You just gonna hold it or am I gonna have to tell you to suck it?” “Oh I will be sucking it,” She confirmed giving it a kiss on the top of his pecker. She then took a cigar out for herself and gestured to Boston to light it, “But not quite yet.” “What’s the plan then?” Boston inquired, while lighting her drug of choice. She took a few puffs, seeming to focus herself before looking at Jones in the eyes as she unzipped her uniform in one fluid motion. He smiled, “You’ve practiced that alot.”

“I only show that trick to those that impress me,” She replied taking a long drag from her cigar, she looked over at him, “What you did to that concrete impressed me, your piece? Adequate for how you walk around.” “Getting hard to keep it erect with all this sweet talking.” “My point is,” Rimita responded, grabbing the cowboy by the balls, who flinched accordingly, “You will make sure I’m prepared for you, and then I shall return the favor. If you have the strength, I can grant you a chance to enter my baby maker. Do we have a deal?”

Boston didn’t respond, he picked up the golden girl and began to devour her rose, while still standing up. She let out a growl of surprise before inhaling the cigar. The blood flowed to her head and she started to stroke Boston's lower head.

“N-not bad cowboy,” Rimita complimented, her head becoming light, Boston didn’t respond, he continued his work, stimulating her ferociously. He didn’t stop until she shouted, “You gotta place me down, I’m either gonna hurl or faint, and I’m too old to go to the hospital just from oral.”

Boston put her down onto his bed, but his tongue never was out of her. She locked her legs around his head and began to stimulate herself while he did his work. “Fuck,” She squeaked as she came hard on him, her legs cutting off his airflow, instead of attempting to escape he continued his work, perhaps his tongue trying to dig his way to a place with air. Eventually she let him go, and he gasped for air, clearly her grip was impressive. Watching this display she asked, “I’m assuming you’ll want the same kind of treatment?”

“If you don’t want to suck my dick then hop on it,” Boston said once his face returned to its normal color. She raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged and explained, “I’ve seen you base someone's head in, I’m not forcing someone who laughs when they kill people to suck my dick.” “Smart man,” she smiled looking over his piece before lifting her legs up making it clear she was ready for him. As he adjusted himself to enter, she put one of her feet on his chest, stopping him, and ordered, “You’ll cum when I tell you to, understood?”

Boston didn’t respond but he did thrust himself inside of her rose. She smiled and left out a small sigh, indicating pleasure, once he heard that, and got comfortable, he began his strikes. Rimita didn’t see the golden glow that he used to destroy the concrete, but she began to see stars for sure. He was through and knew exactly what he was doing. The old barbarian was trying to keep quiet, but the paladin wasn’t giving her a moment or for a reaction or a turn of her own.

“Are you a monk?” She gasped after her third climax. She attempted to make eye contact with him as she said the punch line, “Cause your poundings are quite the stunning strike.”

The attempt of a joke seemed to make the cowboy lose his cool for a moment because he paused to look down at her. His eyes were different, they seemed colder, more violent. Before she could ask what was wrong, he flipped her onto her stomach and reentered her. “W-wait,” She gasped feeling him enter again, she didn’t think she needed to get a safe word, however she didn’t think she’d need one with him. After a few dozen strokes, she decided she wouldn’t want to use one anyway. Feeling used like this was something she hadn’t done in a long time. Both his hands were wrapped around her waist and guiding her, she felt his sack slap against her clit with every stroke and it was a sting of surprise every time. She finally lifted her head up to look back at him, he was watching her movements, not a word uttered. She then shouted smiling, “Fuck this and fuck you. Give it to me harder.”

That's when he lifted her up, wrapped his hands around her midsection and used her like a fleshlight. Perhaps not what she expected but she wasn’t going to complain. She could tell he was probably going to fail his constitution check soon as well, because after a few dozen thrusts, he changed how he was using her. She actually preferred this, feeling him reenter her slowly and then feeling his full length stab deep into her. It felt more sensual and less like he was trying to break her in half. Which, truth be told, wasn't what she told him to do, but this wasn’t something she was going to oppose. “You know what Jones?” Rimita smiled after orgasm five, “Finish how you’d like, I think you’ve more than earned it.”

“I’ve earned it?” He growled pulling her up to his ear, she felt her body quiver, and not just because of the intense sex, it was almost fear. Fear of this holy man, or maybe his holy sword, she couldn’t tell but she was here for this. She began to say something, one of his hands grabbed her by the throat, “No, you will beg for my cum to fill you. Are we clear?”

“Prove it,” She said, biting one of his fingers, knowing full well that it would probably bite her in the ass. It surprised her when his dick made a wet pop and then was in her ass. She let out a yelp of surprise before commenting, “I didn’t think you were ballsy enough to try my back door.”

“You didn’t punch me when I did it,” Boston bluntly stated, He then thrust more of himself inside her, she moaned in delight, in tandem with her toes curling. Boston could only smile, “And you came when I put it all the way in.”

He waited for her to respond but it appeared she was in bliss. Either that or she was having a stroke, but the cowboy checked and she seemed to be just fine. So he did the gentlemanly thing and fucked her ass till he came inside her. “Guess you’ll have to invite me to the bedroom to get me to take orders,” He smiled, laying her down and then smacking her ass. Her body twitches involuntarily, his holy cream dripping out of her. He laughed to himself as he covered her with a sheet and blanket and laid himself down on the floor with one of the spare pillows. He then recalled something and opened calms to his original roommate, “Hey Baldrick, you can return to the room.” “Certainly Master Jones,” The brass automaton responded. It was under a minute before the cowboy heard a knock on his door, he let the former butler in who, when seeing the covered woman face down ass up, asked, “Will Lady Rimita be staying in here for the night?” “Probably,” Boston nodded, finishing a cigarette. As the butler went to check on her Boston shook his head, “She’s alive and well, we had a sparring session.” “I see,” Baldric nodded, looking between the two of them. He then asked Boston a knowing twinkle in his blue bulb eyes, “I assume it was a fruitful match?” “We’re both sweaty and tired,” Boston replied,adjusting the pillow and blanket, “So yeah, I’d say it was fruitful, as you put it.” “Should I expect such matches to commence in the future?” Baldric said going to his designated charging corner.

“Up to her to be honest,” Boston shrugged looking over to where Rimtia was laying, “But probably.” “Very well Master Boston,” Baldrick nodded, lowering his head, indicating he was powering down, before he did so he made a comment that still makes Boston laugh to this day, “Even despite her age,and unexpected pregnancy is very unlikely-using protection is one of the best ways to-”

Thanks for coming by and reading! If you'd like to watch the source material: Check them out live on twitch.tv/adventures_and_initiative on Wednesdays at 21:30 East Coast. or check out their Youtube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqrIedq0bXtHdna_n1ys7NDHKE1VXe-UJ

#breaking character #bladehyme #dndfanfiction #mature writing #my writing #steampunk #d&d

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theanticool · 5 years ago

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I see people are attacking John Nash and Luke Thomas cause they made the accurate observation that McGregor will not be making $80 million for fighting Donald Cerrone. Some of y’all are cultist

#mma #ufc246 #ufc

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kaiju-z · 6 years ago

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Seon Adventures Episode 12: Mournimar’s No Good Very Bad Day

So hey, it’s been a few weeks, huh? We had us a bit of a week skip, but we got to the session this Wednsday 8)

So, uh, let’s get ready for some draams, yeah?!

We continue from where we left off as Belli suddenly casts Sleep on an as wide of an area as she can. As it were, only a couple of the tavern patrons fall asleep and Luctan facepalms, coming to a quick realization that they may have been rushing things a bit.

Through some quick thinking, (And a Nat 20 on Deception),the Half-Orc Bard Belli bluffs the tavern owner into believing that the two patrons, a man and a woman, were drinking fermented alcohol.

Luctan helps a man carry the bodies (and pickpockets to check for any markings that could show a connection to Potentia (but he gets 2 gold coins instead)).

Over the next 10-20 minutes the party try to perform an act so as to snoop on what’s happening behind the door over the bar, but the results are fairly mixed. There are some drinks and sweets being bought, in any case. But Mournimar does get to see a small drow boy at the door, once a trade for sweets is made.

With some subversive tactics, Belli convinces the party to attempt another stealth mission, using invisibility. She performs an act that she is displeased with a currently disguised Mournimar and splashes “Michael” with her drink, before walking out, hiding in a bush and casting the spell. Two guards stand outside, but do not get a chance to notice her doing this.

Through the combined efforts of Ficus, Kit and the rest of the party, they manage to get Belli to sneak inside the backroom of the tavern, where they had once been already.

There, the invisible Belli gets a better look at the woman, now in her true Drow form. Her name is Kah’lia and she is, indeed, Mournimar’s mother. Which would make the little boy, aged at about 7-ish? To be no more or less than 7 or 8 years of age.

It seems that Kah’lia had long since moved on from her firstborn and was now trying to start anew with this one. Whatever his name was...

Belli makes a decision to attempt the Sleep spell again.

And it works.

On the boy. And a woman standing with Kah’lia and two others.

Unfortunatelly, Belli becomes visible by this point and she tries to convince the drow woman that she is, in fact, sent by Potentia. Her and her party have come to offer their assistence, as she is not pleased with her recent performances.

This... does not go well, as Kah’lia doesn’t believe her and casts... and by the time Luctan can walk inside with a swaggering step, Belli is put in the dreaded Hold Person spell.

Luctan tries to play the part (in my mind, I was trying to make him the controlling leader figure that was tired of his minion’s shenanigans) of a cultist, but he gets held in place by another woman.

It is at this point that Mournimar jumps over the bar and removes the ring, giving it to Amelia.

As we roll for initiative, Mournimar confronts his mother, who claims that he is not ready yet, whatever that had meant. A teary eyed ranger aims arrows at his mother as a fight breaks out both in the room and outside, with Amelia doing her best to dodge and dodging most of the Sacred Flames being sent her way.

During the battle, Burk rages and dispatches of two of the spellcasters inside, releasing Luctan from the HP spell, while Mournimar fires arrows to mixed success upon his mother.

A young blond man, with sword and shield, without explanation jumps over the bar after proclaiming his anxious curiosity over what was happening over there (all this much to Greg, the ‘tender’s shagrin)...

And Amelia makes a haunting choice as she strikes at the lad, uncertain if he’s friend or foe. She almost completely takes him out. But Ficus finishes the deed, killing this young person (whom the DM proclaimed was an innocent in all this...)

Amelia, shaken... Kit dashes inside and helps in freeing Belli from her own magical confinery, before Luctan combats the drow, applying Hellish Rebuke and degrading her cult status in Infernal. Kah’lia, however counters with a spell and strikes Luctan with halved fire damage (yay for Infernal legacy).

After a well timed strike by Luctan and the dispatch by Burk of her minions, but the sleeping woman, Kah’lia, cornered, casts Darkness on the room around them and takes her son, escaping.

Luctan can’t do much, but pull her cloak off, which he can apply later...

As guards are making their way towards the party’s location, while the tavern customers make their own escapes, we decide to leave.

Burk takes this the wrong way and makes a run the opposite way, from the front entrance, only to be confrotned by the guards and get struck multiple times in the process. As everyone else is going out from the back, Luctan, with the young man’s body over his shoulders, casts a Darkness spell of his own and clouds the vision of the Sa Doma guards, giving the heavily wounded Burk a chance to escape through the back with Morgan and Rimefang.

Luctan cases the door and follows the rest as Mournimar applies Pass Without a Trace on everyone present and with some effort they all make their way back to the Priestess of Bellinas, Nash. (With Belli applying some healing to Burk).

After a hasty explanation of what happened, Luctan begs her to help them bring the man back from the dead (he is, at this point unsure of what his role in all this was, but his neutral response is to aid in whomever gets caught in the crossfire. he will not let someone become a victim, even by the party’s own hand!) if possible.

Nash, exhasperated and panicing, explains that this is slightly above her paygrade and tells them to go get Dak, the changeling Priest in the temple of Fornas.

The Chaos Siblings (Belli, Luctan and Mournimar) make so and bring back with them a handsome Changeling man in golden robes, with jewelry and flourish to his very form.

Luctan offers his Amethist.

Then Amelia steps in, wanting to do right by the man she got in this situation and offers her Topaz as well. The gifts of Dyunificus... Hopefully they can bring him back. Luctan places an encouraging hand on her shoulder as Mournimar adds to the casting ritual, giving his old bow as an offering to the Goddess of this temple...

And the ritual begins.

The ritual is successful and the young man, shaken and scared of Amelia, awakes. Through tears, he tells her that she didn’t stop. And Amelia pours her heart out, apologizing to the young adventurer, who is having a moment of crisis, after all this happened.

He just wanted to help. And she didn’t stop. He is hearbroken. He cries. And Amelia cries.

She explains to him the circumstances, with utmost sincerety andmanages to bring the situation to some resolution.

Danton receives money from Amelia and a Potion of Wizard’s Folly from Luctan, before he gets sent away. An apology for what happened. His fate from this point on... uncertain.

As things calm down and hugs are had, Mournimar brings attention to the tarrasque in the room. And they plan. Suggestions are made and refuted, ideas presented.

A couple of the steps are certain: Check back at the tavern for a trail that could have been left, as well as use the contacts they could have available, through Ficus and Kit to discern the location of Kah’lia and the boy.

One thing’s for certain, they’ll be in hiding for the time being. And another thing is also certain: The party needs to play things smart now, given the situation that transpired.

AND MONE MORE THING: Mournimar has decided. He definitely must save the child from Kah’lia. He must rescue... his little brother.

After a good long sleep, with Amelia noticing that Luctan woke up before the rest (he got to do some more reading from the book “ Handerstaad “) the party wake up, back to their old strength. And beyond.

Because the five protagonists of this story had reached an advancement in their abilities.

And through their expriences, Mournimar has learned some about how to handle himself in the shadows (as he multiclasses into Rogue).

Previous Episode / Next episode

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practicingmedicine · 3 years ago

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Practicing Medicine: Chapter Two

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LOADER V1. 1

EXEC VERSION 41.10

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HOLLOWTAPE LOADED: “THE-END-OF-THE-WORLD”

INITIALISING….

SUCCESS!

>STATUS

Battery Level: 90%

Wireless Signal: (?)

Operating Temperature: 92F

> HEALTH

BP: 120/90

SPO2: 100%

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RR: 19

HR: 70

> CLIMATE

Current Temperature: 103 F

Atmospheric Pressure: 753 mm

Background Radiation: 0.231 RAD

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I had never felt so good in my entire life.

I’d had moments of triumph before, but nothing like what I was feeling as I walked home from Mrs. McBain’s house, my white coat trailing behind me, damp hair blowing in the wind. I was riding high in the saddle!

I’d saved a life. Like, an actual, human life! Everyone had been so happy with me- suddenly, I wasn’t the weird retard across the street, the creepy kid who was always pissing himself over loud noises and sitting alone in the town square. I was a doctor, and I was to be expected, and cheered, and listened to… It was like all my fantasies had come true! I was the coat wearing, slow-walking, calm and collected badass that I’d always promised myself I’d be!

Well, that wasn’t totally true. I’d been a little shaky there for a minute, and there were things I could have done differently, but I hadn’t shut down like I thought I might! That was real progress from the days when a dog barking at me could make me curl up and sob.

I didn’t bother ringing the doorbell as I threw open the door to my home and waltzed into the main hall, where mom was waiting for me. I didn’t even flinch as she came up and hugged me, because I was already throwing my arms around her myself. She looked surprised.

“Momma!” I shouted, and pressed my head into her shoulder. Even though I was 17 years old, I was still a lot shorter than her, because she was tall for a woman and I was knee high to a lamb- only five foot four at the time. It usually made me feel sort of self conscious, but right now, I didn’t care. “I saved Mr. McBain today! Beagle accidentally shot him while they were doing target practice, and he hit his femoral artery, so I had to-“ My mom shushed me.

“I know! Trust me Ikey, I know! I heard all about it from Mrs. McBain!” There was a pause. Mom ran her fingers through my wet hair. “God I’m so proud of you, Ikey! I was scared when I realized you’d gone, but I knew that you’d be alright. I just knew.”

A wave of guilt washed over my heart as I realized that I hadn’t checked with mom to tell her where I was going. She’d probably looked for me in the town square, and then heard a single gunshot in the hotel…

“I’m fine. Sorry I didn’t tell you where I was heading,” I said. I was still pressing my head against mom’s shoulder, because even after a shower and lunch, I felt completely drained.

“It’s okay. You’re home, you’re alive, Mr. McBain is alive… Everything is alright.” Now that I looked at her, mom’s skin was all flushed, and she looked awful sick. She’d looked old for years, but today she looked real frail. Some combination of stress and that long illness she’d gotten way back when, I guessed. I hugged her even tighter, then let her go. We stepped away from each other.

“Well, why don’t you go to your room and unwind- maybe you can play something on the computer, listen to the radio, rest a little…” I stopped smiling. That was how mom liked to preface bad news. Now I was all tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop…

“And then we need to talk about something.”

I knew it! “Is this about me leaving? Cause, I normally wouldn’t go like that, but it was an emergency, see, and I haven’t hurt myself in years-!”

“It’s not about that,” my mother said, gently. I slumped a little. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said anything. Come on- go to your room, relax, and I’ll talk to you in an hour. Alright?” I didn’t answer. I felt like crying, and if I talked, it would make it worse.

“Alright Ikey?”

“Okay,” I said, and walked to my room. I shut the door gently behind me, and then sat down at my desk, legs hanging off the end of the chair. I took my pip boy off, plugged it into the computer and then stared at the screen for a while. I hadn’t gone back to my room after answering the emergency phone call, so the “Game Over” screen of Red Menace was still glowing in my absence.

I turned off my computer; I wasn’t in the mood for games now. I put my headphones on instead, plugged them into the radio, and tuned it to the 70’s music station. I had to wade through a few seconds of static before I got the right frequency.

‘We-are-family!’ came the voice in the headphones. I had a soft spot for Disco, so I cranked up the volume a bit. “And I got all my sisters with me…”

Once I was satisfied with that, I opened my drawer and pulled out an old picture of Father that I kept there, that I liked to consult in situations like these. He looked a lot like me- Thin, blonde haired, always wearing his Followers of the Apocalypse Coat. My coat, now. But, where I was short, round faced, and weak, father had been the opposite. The features of his face were sharp and defined, and he had a well-groomed beard. He never wore glasses.

I closed my eyes. Even though he’d been all those things, that wasn’t how I remembered him. I remembered him because he was fair, and honest, and loving in a different way than my mom. Patient, is what he was. Even back when people thought I was a retard, father raised me like he would any son- he taught me to be good, to resist tyranny, and to never, ever hurt anyone, no matter how bad they were. When I showed an interest in medicine, he taught me that, finding ways around my inability to read and write and do complicated math. He taught me how to use a calculator, how to use simple tricks to solve complicated problems, and all those sorts of things.

I really liked my father. I’d say that I wanted to live up to his memory, but I knew I couldn’t ever do that. Everyone in the Mojave knew about Lucas Saller and all the folks he’d saved, and I had some problems that he didn’t. Instead, I tried my best to do what would make him proud anyways. “ Find a way ,” he’d told me, and so I always did.

There was a knock at my door. Quickly, I shoved the picture back in the desk drawer and shut it. I tried to keep a steady voice as I said, “You can come in.”

The door creaked open. Mom walked in the door frame- a picture of majesty, in my eyes- and sat down on the bed. She took a long, deep breath.

“Please take those headphones off,” she said. I plucked them off my head and sat them down on the desk. “Thank you.” As an afterthought, I bent over the desk and turned off the radio. I heard the headphones crackle and then go silent.

“Now, I know I said I’d wait an hour, but I got the feeling that I was just stressing you even more by waiting…” It was true. I would have probably exploded if I had to wait an hour. “Is it okay if I talk to you now?”

“Of course!” I snapped, words firing out of my mouth just a little too fast. Mom smiled.

“Oh Ikey…”

And there was that weakness again- the way her shoulders slumped, her green eyes glossed over- I looked away. “You know, since your father died, you’ve grown up so much.”

I stared at the ground. “Not really,” I said. “I’m still smaller than anyone else I know.” Well, not everyone. I was taller than Mr. Nash’s wife now, but not by much.

Mom shook her head. “You know that’s not what I mean. When you walked in through the door today, all happy and composed, I saw a man in you. And, it was just… It was crazy, to think that you’re this grown up! That I can trust you to go out on your own, and deal with this, this insane , stressful situation, and then come back like it was all nothing.”

I smiled a little at that, and let myself look up from the ground. “Remember when I used to bite people for touching me? How old was I last time I did that, ten?”

“Thirteen,” my mother replied, sounding solemn. I raised an eyebrow.

“Really? Was that before or after…”

“Before,” she said. I nodded to myself. Before father died. “I think that it sort of… forced you to grow up a little. Or a lot, just based on today. And I guess I saw it before then too. You did ten years of learning in three.”

I shook my head. “It didn’t force me, I made a choice to be stronger after that. Nothing done forced me to grow up,” Mom frowned, and my chest hurt a little at that. What was I saying wrong?

“Ikey… well, you know what, it doesn’t matter! One way or another, you’ve grown up a lot since then. You might not see it,”

“I do,” I interrupted, “I’m doing a lot better now.”

“-Of course, Ikey. I see it, you see it… And, I think that God’s seen it too, because the world’s decided to give you a new challenge.”

My heart sank.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Mom looked me in my eyes. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were all red.

“Ikey, remember that story we told you about the cultists? How your father and I were attacked on the road, and how I got shot?” I nodded. It wasn’t one of her favorite stories, but father had told me about it before. “Well, the problems didn’t set in for a while, but once they did, dad realized that I was sick. You probably don’t remember, but when you were young, I’d disappear for a couple of weeks, every once and awhile. Do you remember that?”

“No,” I said, and I didn’t. I’d forgotten a lot of things.

“Well, no matter. I’d go missing sometimes, and while I was missing, I was getting treatment from the Followers of the Apocalypse. It was expensive, but your father paid for it, either with caps or with his reputation. Between Aunt Julie and him, I could always find help.”

The pieces were starting to fit together now, and I was starting to fall apart. Had she come to tell me what I thought...?

“Momma, are you dying?” I asked, before she could continue. My mom choked a little bit.

“Ikey! Ikey, please let me finish! I already feel so terrible, dumping all this on you-“

“Dumping what? Momma, ARE YOU DYING?” She breathed deep- looked away from me, clenched her fists- but she didn’t stop. She just spoke to the floor instead.

“Well, the treatment worked! I didn’t even lose my hair, like they said I would- it was all so perfect. The doctors were optimistic. They thought they’d fixed it, killed the disease, but they hadn’t. They’d just slowed it down.”

“For a while, I was alright. I started feeling better, and for ten years or so, I raised you and ran the Casino and spent time with your father without any signs of the disease ever coming back. And then one night, I started feeling sick again, so I sent a letter to Julie and the Followers…”

I knew the rest of this story. “And then Father made an emergency trip home, and he died. I remember, mom. You don’t have to tell me that part.” I was crying now too, thinking about that night. It was dark and hot, and father had brought me a little snow globe…

Nope. Not going there.

“When he died, I lost all of my freedom. You were too young and too…”

“Retarded,” I finished, glaring at the ground.

“No, too inexperienced, to look after the Casino for me! And I was worried that you might try to hurt yourself again. So, I just tried to tough it out, waiting for the day that you’d be old enough to watch everything while I was gone to get treatment…”

I bit my bottom lip. That day had probably passed about a year ago, but she hadn’t seen it until now. What could I have done differently, to show her that I was ready?

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have grown up a bit faster if it meant you getting your cancer treated!” I said helplessly. Mom set her jaw.

“Because I’m never going to try to force you to grow up any faster than you need to. You needed time to develop!”

“And you needed chemotherapy!” I stood up, and Mom glared at me.

“Ikey, sit! I didn’t-”

“I’m not-”

“ -DIDN’T COME HERE , for you to storm off on me!”

“Momma, I’m not gonna storm off!” There were tears in my eyes. “I’m- I’m worried about you, is all! If you came here to ask me if you could leave me alone a few weeks then the answer is yes, obviously! I love you!”

But she just shook her head.

“It’s too late for that, way too late. You need to be strong to survive that journey, and I’m not strong anymore. And the roads have gotten more dangerous since then, too- so dangerous that the NCR is taking action. Did you hear that they’re getting ready to set up an outpost here?”

I shook my head. Obviously, NCR control would be bad for Primm, but that wasn’t what I was worried about now. I was worried about my Momma! My mind was already racing with more possibilities.

“Then what are we gonna do? You- you think we could get the Follower’s to come down here? We could write to Aunt Julie! We could remind them about Father!”

Mom sighed. She decided to stand up then too, and even with her hunched back, she was so much bigger than me. She drew open the curtains, and some of her majesty returned as the sunlight and breeze washed over her.

“No, the Followers have too much on their hands right now to treat me again. There’s no options, Isaac...”

My heart clenched up-

“ I’m going to die .”

And shattered.

She rested her arms on the sill as the words sunk in. The horror, the finalty… the absurdity of it all. Because even when you know it’s coming, news like that is more crazy than it is anything else. I couldn’t find any words of my own, so I just closed my eyes and bit my tongue. I would’ve screamed otherwise.

“I don’t know when it’ll happen. It could be a year from now, it could be four. But when it does, I need you to be ready to take up the Casino- hell, you can sell the thing, I don’t care- but, I need you to be able to survive on your own. Do you think you can learn to do that?”

A few more seconds passed as hot tears made their way down my cheeks. I kept my eyes and jaw clenched shut, lest anything escape.

“ Ikey, baby, do you think you can do that for me?"

And I heard Momma walking towards me, felt her gettin closer. Felt that static in my head again...

“ Ikey…?”

She put her hand on my shoulder, and I exploded.

“NO!” I shrieked. Her eyes went wide.

“What?” “You heard me Momma! Fuck that, I’m not just going to just, just lay down and watch while you die!” I sniffled. “I’ll- I’ll go and get the Followers myself if I’ve got to, but I am gonna find a way to help! I’ve gotta!”

Still shocked, my mom sat back down on the bed.

“Ikey… I appreciate that, but that’s an awful idea! I already told you, the Followers can’t-“ she started, but I was already gathering up my things to leave.

“Fuck them too! They have to help you, I’ll yell at Aunt Julie or something!”

I was in the hallway now. Mom tried to catch up with me, but I’d already clicked on my pip-boy, swept up my coat and picked up my bag. What reason did I have to delay any longer?

“Ikey, we can still do all those other things! We can still send a letter to Aunt Julie, write to her for help-”

I stopped. I took a deep breath. My hand was on the door knob now, but I drew it back for a moment and stood still at the end of the hall.

“If all them letters didn’t work before, then they ain’t gonna work now.” I turned to face her down. “You ain’t going to change my mind on this, momma. I am going to find a way to save you.”

“No! Isaac I didn’t, I never...”

She clenched her fists. She looked even weaker now; I’d never noticed how gray her hair had gotten, or how wrinkled and yellow her skin was becoming, or seen any of the signs that I’d so painstakingly memorized. Maybe because I hadn’t wanted to.

What was that look on her face? Was it worry? Anger? Regret? Maybe it was all of them at once. I don’t know. I’d gotten so used to reading Mom’s simple, practiced expressions that she’d put on just for me, that I didn’t know how to interpret her raw emotion besides knowing that she was feeling something awful strongly. I kept my gaze steady.

“... Oh, damn my pride,” she muttered, eventually. She covered her eyes. “My goddamned pride! Oh, I should never have lied to you!”

“It’s okay Momma...”

The hot air burned me as I stepped outside. Momma fell to her knees sobbing.

“I never should have lied! Come back Ikey, I didn’t, I didn’t-!”

“It’s okay! It’s okay, I’ll be back!” I shouted, and left the door hanging open for her to close. I didn’t have the heart to shut the door on her, maybe because it would solidify the crazy decision I’d just made.

Crazy or not, I’d made my choice. No matter what I had to say, or what I had to do, I was going to find a way to save my Momma!

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