#heghoul

[walkswastes]

        “Just exactly what type of meat is this?” The Vaultie could not help but eye her newfound compatriot suspiciously. After all, she’d once helped him jerky an ass. Of a former friend, no less!

☢ ╼ LUCY MACLEAN STARTER CALL ! | @heghoul

[atomiqueen]

♔ — memes / accepting!

@heghoul said: “everyone has secrets, don't they? i'm sure you'll tell me yours when you're ready.”

        “I'm pretty sure you're the one with all the secrets,” Lucy says, arching a brow at him. “I still don't even know your name. By comparison, I'm kind of an open book.” 

[heghoul]

HEGHOUL⸻ INDEPENDENT, MUTUAL EXCLUSIVE AND SELECTIVE BLOG FOR THE GHOUL/COOPER HOWARD FROM AMAZON PRIME'S FALLOUT TV SERIES AND ELEMENTS OF THE FRANCHISE. CST + 3. SHE/HER. WRITTEN BY CALI. (#)

PSA: due to the nature of the show this blog includes topics that touch on radiation, war, cannibalism, body horror, questionable morals, blood, gore, loss of one self, code of honor but easily broken.

PROMO.

temp rules under the cut:

01ㅤ| ㅤㅤintroductionㅤ : ㅤmy name is CALI (SHE/HER, CST+3) born in 1994, 21+ .welcome to my COOPER HOWARD/THE GHOUL from FALLOUT TV muse blog. this blog is private, selective and mutually exclusive. meaning i won't interact with blogs that are not mutuals with me. [this blog is open to plotting both on discord via tupperbox and tumblr].

02.ㅤ| ㅤㅤactivityㅤ : activity on this blog will be medium to low through the week days. i'm mostly active at nights and from fridays to sundays activity will be higher through the weekends and through tupperbox on discord .best way to reach me will be through discord that can be asked upon request to create a 1x1 server or just to talk. [please don't pressure me for replies or asks. as well, communication is key, i'm not a mind reader so if something is bothering you, asking me is okay.].

03.ㅤ| ㅤthreadsㅤ : ㅤthreads will be dropped and asks will be cleared. we are always welcome to do multi threads at the same time. if i get overwhelmed i will usually drop things to start over. i have a generalized anxiety disorder so that affects my productivity too asks are always welcome to be turned into threads . do not reblog memes from me unless we are mutuals. [and if you want to unfollow me, please softblock. as well, if we are friends, always reach out if you are uncomfortable, i will do my best to improve]

04.ㅤ| ㅤㅤformattingㅤ : ㅤfrom january, 2023 , this blog is forced to have only the BETA EDITOR + TRIM. please keep this in mind while roleplaying with me if you are still using the legacy editor. I no longer use small text as my go-to formatting but i might use it at times. i am still available to use legacy when required but do keep this in mind ㅤ[BETA EDITOR + REGULAR TEXT + DOUBLE SPACE. WILL USE ICONS IRREGULARY.]

05.ㅤ| BANNED FACECLAIMS. elizabeth olsen, scarlett johansson, jeremy renner, amber heard, allison mack, gal gadot, johnny depp.

06.ㅤ| ㅤㅤcreditsㅤ : psd, graphics, promo are all done made by me through my resource blog. some days i will be iconless and others i will use them, mostly when i'm at home. [i write novella, multi-para and single line as well text roleplay via discord/tupperbox and tumblr as well].

07.ㅤ| ㅤㅤshippingㅤ : ㅤ it can be hard to ship with the ghoul considering who he is and what he is. at one point in timeline he was married but we learn he was paying alimony, meaning they were divorced. he has been with men and women through the wastelands and can come out as very sexual in his comments. just let me know if you want to ship. i might ship it already.

08.ㅤ| ㅤㅤDNIㅤ : ㅤ due to personal reasons, i won't be roleplaying with characters from the following fandoms. DC'S STARGIRL, PEACEMAKER, MUSES FROM THE BATMAN (2022) AND HORROR MUSES BASED (SELECTIVE), WRESTLING FACECLAIMS. unless we are friends. on my other non ck related muses i don't mind but i have had some bad experiences in the past [personal DNI can be given in privacy, however no name drops will be given here as none of the people are bad and DNI worthy, just uncomfortable].

09.ㅤ| ㅤㅤetiquetteㅤ : ㅤ don't godmod my muse. small things are welcomed. if your muse wants to hurt her psychically, you need to let me know i just want to be given a heads up if you will ever do a thing to hurt them. i assure you, i will not mind if plotted. bare in mind, the ghoul is very much hard to kill and is over 200+ years old. [as well, don't assume ships with me unless we are friends].

10.ㅤ| triggering topics : ㅤ mentions of body horror, radiation, images of body horror, gore, radiation, war, are all topics that will be seen on this blog, please beware of this.

[walkswastes]

        All the dolls and sweethearts could get to any woman’s head, especially when she wasn’t used to it. Cooper was a different beast when he wasn’t trying to hurt her. She’d dare say she even liked his company when he played nice. Perhaps their journey together wouldn’t be so daunting after all. “Cyrosleep? Why now, though? It’s been so long….There has to be a reason.” Cryosleep was something they had conveniently left out of the vault information - and she should know. There wasn't a technical manual she didn't read out of curiosity. However, she could gather what it was based on the title. “Just promise me – before we kill him, my father…I can talk to him.” She needed to ask some questions, at least, before she put him in the ground, even if she didn’t get an answer she liked.

        “Oh – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a marriage end in separation.” Lucy considered all the marriages she had witnessed in the vault, “Only in death….” When he explained what alimony was, she nodded. “I’m a widow, technically.” Though she wasn’t sure what happened between Monty and her, it could be considered a marriage. After all, the entire thing had been a farce set up by Moldaver. Even though they consummated the marriage, the honeymoon certainly did not last. “Me either. My favorite film of yours was always A Man and his Dog.”

         “Did The Cooper Howard just call me a pretty thing? Are you serious? Vera Keyes?” It was as if he were trying to make her blush since she admitted her crush. He succeeded; she was flushed from ear to ear. “Stop teasing me. It’s not funny.” A huff left her lips as her arms crossed. Yet when he said being a teacher suited her, she couldn’t help the smile that crept upon her lips. “Some of us like to help and nurture others. I just loved the kids so much. I’m sad, and I might never see them again. Sad I might never see my brother again….But what we’re doing needs to be done.”

"Beats   me,   doll.   But   they   got   their   ways.   Cryosleep   was   all   the   rage   but   we   all   thought   it   was   horseshit."   Guess   not   because   that   is   the   only   way   he   can   see   this   being   a   reality,   and   the   possibility   that   his   family   could   be   alive   somewhere,   in   the   same   fate.   "I   know   she   was   in   a   vault   safe.   Your   daddy   is   going   to   the   big   heads   and   I   need   to   get   to   them   in   turn.   You   got   nothin'   to   be   sorry   for   other   than   your   daddy   is   not   a   man   of   his   word.   And   yet,   still   your   dad."   Which   is   what   he   wanders,   when   t   he   time   comes,   would   she   let   him   kill   him   or   perhaps   would   she   do   the   honors   for   what   he   had   done   to   Shady   Sands   and   her   mother?   Perhaps   it   would   be   a   double   shootout   and   double   tap   the   man   just   to   be   safe.   Hairless   eyebrow   raised   he   takes   a   moment   before   nodding,   he   guesses   divorce   is   not   high   on   those   vaults   when   the   priority   is   keeping   things   all   nice   and   tidy.  

"When   a   marriage   is   done   for,   Lucy   and   kids   are   involved,   one   part   has   to   pay   the   other   alimony.   Child   support."   Which   was   also   horseshit   considering   that   from   the   two   of   them,   Barb   was   the   one   with   the   biggest   coin,   and   if   anything,   it   should've   been   her   paying   him   but   the   law   was   the   law.   "Could   not   fight   the   studios   back   then.   The   world   seem   to   love   it   though.   Never   me."   But   it   became   his   most   famous   scene   and   line   in   the   world.  

"Vera   Keyes   would've   been   jealous   if   you   ever   stopped   being   a   teacher   then,   sweetheart.   Hollywood   loved   pretty   things   with   big   eyes.   All   the   rage   for   back   then."   Never   did   a   romantic   movie   though,   though   he   used   to   have   romances   in   them   he   has   no   doubt   if   Lucy   MacLean   had   lived   properly   and   the   war   had   not   gone   through,   he   would've   been   making   guest   spots   in   her   big   movies.   "But   teacher   suits   you.   You   do   talk   a   whole   lot."   He   jest   in   turn.

[walkswastes]

       The information that Cooper gave her was hard to hear. Even if she knew that it was true in her heart. That what she had been taught and what she taught others was a sham. Perhaps she could find solace in the fact ethics were universal. Even if it seemed, they had very little place in the wasteland. Pristine white teeth bit into her bottom lip. It was a horrifying feeling, knowing your whole life had been an experiment, a lie. “Before the bombs dropped?” Astonishment crossed her features, “How is that even possible? He’d have to be over two hundred years old as well.”

        “Holy moly,” was all Lucy could bring herself to say with the latest revelation. Though when Cooper said she had a smart mouth – she smiled. She supposed she’d always be a curious over achiever, even if she didn’t always reach her goals. She always tried. The moment he brings up a daughter who may be dead or frozen; her face turned sullen. “I’m so sorry Cooper.” Perhaps she was too forgiving of her partner of circumstance. She should hate him. But the more she hears about his past the more her heart felt for him. “We’ll find out the truth, both our truths. I’ll help in whatever way I can.”

        “What’s alimony?” Lucy looked at Cooper a bit confused. That was a word that she had never heard before.  Whatever it was, her certainly didn’t seem to like it. She would have to do none of whatever this alimony was.  The smile caught Lucy off guard, it still was a nice smile. He did have a certain ghoulish charm when he was dragging her dehydrated across the wasteland.  “Thank you. Call me an old-fashioned girl I guess.” It brought more of a giggle; it was weird that they could laugh about it now. But she supposed neither of them were too worse for wear in the end. The moment he agreed with her on something, her eyes lit up. “Right? It just didn’t feel like your character at all.” The compliment caused her to blush, “You really think so? Honestly, I probably would be what I am now; a school teacher. Or was, anyway.”

"History   is   written   by   those   on   top.   They   teach   you   what   they   want   you   to   know.   Or   how   they   want   you   to   know."   Perhaps   it's   the   soldier   in   him,   he   had   been   disgruntled   with   the   government   and   Vault-Tec   and   other   companies   for   a   while.   Ever   since   they   send   him   and   other   men   to   fight   a   war   with   an   armor   that   had   a   fatal   flaw.   One   they   didn't   bother   to   fix   in   the   future,   proving   his   point.   To   them,   they   don't   really   matter.   "Your   daddy   worked   with   my   ex-wife   at   Vault-Tec.   And   knowing   now   both   of   them,   how   they   were.   .   .I   wouldn't   be   surprised   she   decided   to   start   doing   little   tricks   close   to   home."   Never   Janey,   no,   their   daughter   was   precious,   but   him?  

After   the   divorce   and   the   threats   and   everything   else,   he   wouldn't   see   why   not.   "You   know,   you   really   got   that   smart   mouth   on   ya',   makin'   everyone   talk   their   asses   off."   He   is   sure   he   hasn't   talked   this   much   since   he   was   on   the   big   screen,   and   even   then,   his   characters   had   often   been   the   silent,   sullen   sheriff   types.   And   that   one   spy   movie   he   did   to   test   the   waters.   "I   know   Vault-Tec   has   my   family   somewhere.   My   daughter.   Dead,   or   frozen   or   whatever,   I   want   to   know   where   she   is."   He   had   left   her   in   safety   and   now   he   wants   to   know   if   she   was   in   the   good   vaults.  

"Perhaps   if   the   misses   is   there,   shoot   her   once   or   twice.   All   that   alimony   for   nothin'."   He   was   workin'   hard   and   she   dropped   bombs   on   him,   quite   literally,   really.   Green   eyes   look   over,   flashing   a   smile   that   once   could   be   considered   charming.   "Fair   enough.   No   more   removal   of   limbs."   He   teases   then   cleaning   dirty   hands   on   the   hem   of   his   coat   and   listening   in.   It   strikes   a   cord,   that   she   thinks   as   he   did.   It   doesn't   fit   the   character,   he   had   said   to   the   studio   but   the   studio   barely   cared.   "And   you   are   right,   Lucy   MacLean.   The   studio   wanted   it   that   way   despite   me   being   against   it.   The   ending   is   shit."   He   agrees   on,   finally,   they   do   agree   on   something.   "You   would've   made   a   Hollywood   darlin',   sweetheart.   You   would've   stolen   my   job   from   me."

[walkswastes]

        When Cooper says not to beat herself up; his words actually assuaged a little bit of her guilt. A small smile blossoms on the pink lips. “Thank you Cooper.” Even if it was an atrocity, it wasn’t one that she had any control of. Now that she had knowledge of it, she was doing something about it. She supposed that would have to be enough. “I just wish I could understand how we got here.” Slender arms wrapped around her knees – and she pulled them to her chest. “Like I taught history – but I taught Vault-Tec approved history. How much of that was even real? What if I don’t know anything real at all….” Nervously she bit her bottom lip.

        “Why would Vault Tec do tricks on you? How do you know my father anyway? You mentioned something about him picking up your wife’s dry cleaning?” All of that seemed unfathomable. When he had made the comment Lucy had been barely lucid, she had been reeling from the onslaught of information she had just been given by Lee and her father. She barely had the executive function to process what Cooper had been saying.

        “That’s so sad….Do you mind me asking, what purpose keeps you going?” For a moment Lucy found herself genuinely curious about him. That was until he started talking about Wasteland Foreplay. It wasn’t the idea of sex, that made her blush. When it came to sex, she was rather pragmatic. It was his teasing. But still, a smile pulled at her lips. “You are awful Cooper Howard. But I prefer my foreplay without loss of limb or organs.” She shook her necrotic finger in his face almost playfully as she laughed a little.  “We used to get in debates he and I – he loved the film The Man from Dead Horse. But I hated the ending….It seemed so out of character.”

"Don't   beat   yourself   about   it   too   much.   People   in   power   been   doin'   experiments   on   those   below   just   because   they   can.   Like   rats   on   a   lab,   see   who   survives,   see   who   dies.   Adapts."   Human   nature   on   a   dime   but   pushing   it   forward   instead   of   letting   it   fall   naturally.   Perhaps   things   would   have   been   different   in   a   decade   or   so,   if   the   bombs   hadn't   dropped.   But   the   Vaults   were   made   with   a   purpose   and   back   then,   knowing   his   wife   had   a   part   on   it,   broke   him.   "You   were   all   as   much   experiments   as   those   who   were   left   behind.   See   what   the   world   would   come   of   after   the   bombs."   To   those   on   the   surface,   resources   were   precious,   clean   water   was   a   precious   gift   for   those   who   need   it.

  For   his   kind,   radiation   is   nothing   but   a   power   up,   something   that   doesn't   bother   them   anymore   but   their   bodies   changed   because   of   it   and   their   minds?   Well   it   was   a   matter   of   time.   "Beats   me,   never   met   one   as   old   as   myself   so   I   suppose   I   am   special.   Wouldn't   surprise   me   if   Vault-Tec   did   their   own   little   tricks   on   me."   A   short   pause   as   he   resigns   to   the   cause.  

"Or   perhaps   I   just   have   a   purpose   that   keeps   me   goin',   a   lot   of   ghouls   have   nothing   but   themselves."   Some   formed   communities,   and   truly,   it   amazed   him   that   cities   like   Necropolis   thrived   but   it   was   a   safe   haven   for   ghouls.   "Now,   depends   on   the   type   of   dreams'   you   are   havin'   darling.   Many   are   into   that   sort   of   stuff   these   days.   Foreplay   for   wastelanders."   He   jest   back,   twirling   the   hat   back   placing   it   atop   of   his   head.   "Doesn't   surprise   me,   though.   Your   daddy   used   to   ask   me   for   autographs   back   in   the   day."

[walkswastes]

        “I found another Vault. What Vault-Tec was doing there was unconscionable.” Lucy swallowed hard as she thought of the experiments in Vault 4. “What I can’t wrap my head around is, why?” All her life her father raised her to ‘do the right thing.’ When it became ever more evident, he did not practice what he preached. He nuked that poor town in the name of Vault-Tec’s goals. It was an atrocity. “The experiments? The bombing of Shady Sands? So much pain....."

       “I’m starting to doubt that.” A pout forms on Lucy’s lips as Cooper continues to tease her. If he’s telling the truth, it’s odd. After all, she watched his movies all her life. She swooned over him during A Man and His Dog, her favorite film of his. And now he sat before her, a mutated man who had hurt her. It was a surreal feeling. “Are all Ghouls capable of living as long as you – or are you special?” Roger, if she recalled correctly, said he lasted twenty-eight years. That was a blip on the radar compared to two hundred. But a lot had happened since they had met him, and a lot had changed. She looked down at her necrotic finger and flexed it.

        Lucy shook her head as Cooper said he might not be the man of her dreams. “Being the man of my dreams has nothing to do with your looks Cooper.” Because even if she wouldn’t admit it, he was right. He was attractive for a Ghoul. He still had that movie star smile. But that was only part of the reason she adored him back then. “I may forgive you, but it’s hard to forget that you’ve used me as bait, dragged me across the wasteland by my neck, starved me of food and water, cut off my finger, and attempted to sell me for my organs.” The pretty brown eyes slanted as she took the final bite of her meat, which she chewed slowly.  “Not exactly dream man behavior.”

"For   what   I   heard,   your   Vault   might   had   been   one   of   the   best   ones.   Tales   spread   around   campfires   here.   Of   others   who   venture   out   of   their   vaults.   Horror   tales   if   you   ask   me."   Nothing   worse   than   the   wastelands   but   if   anything,   he   feels   sorry   for   the   lucky   bastards   that   were   locked   up   there   thinking   they   were   safe   and   sound.   No,   Vault-Tec   and   anyone   with   money   wanted   a   piece   of   an   experiment   just   because   they   could.   Cooper   enjoys   with   slight   satisfaction   when   she   finally   realizes   the   truth   though,   the   admission   she   had   given   making   the   ghoul   chuckle   in   turn.  

"Good   to   know   you   have   good   taste.   "   He   wonders   how   it   feels   then,   the   man   you   had   a   crush   on,   now   a   200   year   old   wastelander,   a   ghoul,   containing   his   ferality   with   vials   until   his   mission   is   done.   "Well,   sweetheart.   This   is   what   happens   when   you   are   slowly   exposed   to   radiation   with   time.   I   ain't   the   only   ghoul   out   there,   but   certainly   feels   like   I'm   alone   in   who   I   am."   She   saw   what   happens   to   those   who   don't   have   the   vials,   losing   their   humanity.  

She   had   asked   him   then   why   keep   going   and   he   had   deflected   the   question   then.   "Might   not   be   the   man   of   your   dreams,   Lucy   MacLean   but   I   consider   myself   a   handsome   ghoul   for   my   kind.   Confidence   takes   you   everywhere."   He   removes   his   hat,   playing   with   it   as   he   speaks,   dogmeat   settling   easily   on   his   side,   reminding   him   of   another   dog   of   his   past.   

[walkswastes]

        “That was the purpose of my vault, you know….” Now, Lucy could almost laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. “To eventually go back to the surface on a grand Reclamation Day. What a joke….Maybe that’s what the experiment was.”  The question Vault Four’s Overseer asked her haunted her. Lucy took an aggressive bite of meat; her eyes cast outward. Perhaps she was the joke, living so dutifully for the sake of her vault’s goals all those years. Even marrying a stranger because she thought it was her obligation to procreate for the sake of humanity. 

        “It’s different, but not bad. Even if you won’t tell me what it is.” Though Lucy is quick to hush when he talks about Hollywood. After all, she found American History so interesting. And she was talking to a primary source. She bent in a little bit, keen with interest. Though you could tell on her face, she was disappointed when he called it a wasteland. Yet she perks up when he states he will no longer call her Vaultie. The fact that he didn’t like being called sir because it made him feel old earned him a sweet titter. “Consider it a deal, Cooper.”

        “Silly, I know. But I didn’t have a lot of options in my Vault. So, a girl could dream.” The pickings were so slim that she enjoyed sexual gratification with her cousin after all, even if it wasn’t a romantic or sustainable relationship. Confusion knitted on her features when he mentioned, never meet your heroes.  Pink lips hung a gap as he properly introduced himself; when her mouth finally closed, it formed a pout, “Stop teasing me.” She leaned in closer to inspect his face. There was a semblance of the man in the movies in his smile and eyes. “Fudge….” A soft blush filled her cheeks as she sat back down in shock. If that were true, she just admitted she had a crush on Cooper Howard to the man himself. “No…How?”

"You   sound   just   about   to   start   pledgin'   yourself   to   the   american   flag,   sweetheart."   It   is   amusing how   perhaps,   his   old   self   would've   agreed   with   her   about   that,   but   even   then,   he   had   not   been   a   good   man   back   in   the   day.   A   good   man   would   had   told   people   about   Vault-Tec's   plan   of   dropping   bombs,   instead   he   simply   left   his   wife   and   fell   out   of   fame,   hoping   to   get   some   peace   of   mind.   Out   of   sight   out   of   heart.   But   karma   got   to   him   and   damn   it   was   a   real   bitch.   "Well,   we   gotta   get   ya'   some   of   it   then.   You   gotta   start   getting   the   taste   of   the   meats   around   here."  

Proper   meat,   he   forgets   he   is   no   longer   on   his   own   and   a   vaultie   travels   with   him   who   probably   had   the   best   of   what   money   can   buy   down   under.   Nothing   but   the   best   for   Hank   MacLean's   daughter.   A   tip   of   the   hat   at   her   question,   taking   a   piece   of   meat   as   she   keeps   on   talking.   "Those   exact   same   ones.   Hollywood   was   it's   own   kind   of   wasteland,   but   at   least   we   all   looked   good."   That   he   can   give   it   to   Hollywood.   "There   you   go   then,   missy.   I   don't   call   you   Vaultie   and   you   don't   call   me   Sir.   Makes   a   man   feel   old."  

A   bit   of   a   joke   really   as   he   stares   in   amazement   as   she   speaks,   the   smile   rising   as   she   keeps   on   about   a   crush.   "At   least   little   Hank   got   taste.   So   a   crush   on   a   movie   star,   uh?   Never   meet   your   heroes   I   suppose."   He   takes   off   his   hat,   placing   it   over   heart   in   false   flattery   but   the   smile   seems   genuine   at   least.   "Cooper   Howard   at   your   service,   Lucy   MacLean."   

[walkswastes]

         The reaction to Lucy’s chiding surprised her. The Ghoul was once a man of morals. Still, she was not about to let sleeping dogs lie. “Doing the right thing isn’t something you do to get something or somewhere. You do it because it’s right and honorable.” At least,, that was what she believed. Though the Vaults may not have been the moral bastion she once believed them to be, she refused to let that take away the ethics they instilled in her. She needed something good to come of the atrocities of Vault-Tec, or what was it all for?

        “I think asking what meat I am eating is perfectly reasonable.” Lucy couldn’t help but huff as he offered her his toothy grin. Strangely, it was the most human thing that was left about him. She imagined once it was his most charming trait; now, it just felt out of place. He relished that she ate the strange meat under his demented tutelage. Though she continued to eat it, hungrier than she was willing to admit. “I’ve never had chicken…My vault didn’t have animals in it. Our meat substitute came in slabs.”

        When The Ghoul directed Lucy to look at the sign, she did. “You’re from Hollywood? Like where the Pre-War movies come from?” Large brown eyes got wide with curiosity. Something he seemed happy to feed when he finally offered her his name. “I would never call you ghoul! Why do you think I’ve been calling you sir? It doesn’t feel right to call you ‘The Ghoul’. It seemed rude….” This newfound piece of information brings a sorrowful smile to her lips. The name Cooper was often uttered in Lucy’s household. All the hours she had spent with her father watching Cooper Howard films. Memories she used to cherish – now tainted. “That’s ironic…My first crush was on a movie star named Cooper. My father was obsessed with his films…” 

"Been   there   done   that',   sweetheart.   Morals   got   me   nowhere   in   200   years."   Why   start   now?   Specially   when   the   world   is   cruel   and   a   wastelands.   It's   annoyingly   so,   how   often   she   seems   toforget   he   ain't   human   no   more.   He   might   resemble   one,   and   he   might   keep   himself   in   check   to   keep   memories   and   time   but   all   it   takes   is   one   missing   dose   and   he   would   he   gladly   chewing   down   her   neck.   How   rare,   she   treats   everyone   too   damn   kind   and   he   wants   her   to   grown   a   goddamn   backbone.   He   knows   she   has   one,   her   finger   on   his   hand   a   reminder   that   she   too   can   make   it   out   here.  

"I   ain't   evasive,   you   just   ain't   asking   the   proper   questions."   The   Ghoul   speaks   in   turn,   flashing   a   smile   of   white   teeth   in   turn   and   once   she   begins   to   prepare   the   food,   he   hums   in   approval   taking   a   seat   as   Dogmeat   settles   by   his   side,   as   he   simple   watches   in   turn.   "There   you   go,   see?   Taste   like   damn   chicken   for   you,   little   miss   vaultie."   But   he   did   promise   to   give   some   information   so   he   leans   in   to   take   a   bit   himself   before   tossing   a   piece   to   dogmeat.

  "See   that   sign   over   us,   missy?   That's   the   land   where   I   come   from.   I'm   surprised   the   thing   is   still   up   and   not   falling   to   pieces."   Hollywood.   What   a   bullshit   job   he   had,   but   he   had   enjoyed   making   the   movies,   genuinely.   He   taps   his   hands   on   his   pants,   leaning   again   on   raising   unexisting   eyebrow.   "Let's   start   with   a   name,   considering   just   calling   me   Ghoul   would   be   derogatory.   There   are   many   of   us,   more   than   you,   probably.   Name's   Cooper."

[walkswastes]

        “Maybe you should gain a few,” Lucy retorted, annoyed that he won’t answer the question. It’s almost as if he wants her to lose herself to depravity. Sometimes, she worried over the memory of their first ‘honest’ exchange. Even though he took her finger in response – he almost seemed proud. That she had become so feral in a struggle for survival. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

          “Plenty of people survive just fine not consuming people jerky. I don’t see why that must be part of my journey.” A free hand settled on her hip; Lucy grew more frustrated. “Why are you being purposefully being so evasive?”  However, her frustration was slightly assuaged when he handed her the ran away. “Thank you…” Perhaps he was messing with her, for one reason or another. After all, he seemed to like teasing her. If he hadn’t somewhat compassion for her plight, he wouldn’t have given her a better way to prepare it, right?

        Lucy began to prepare the food as Cooper instructed. Even if she was unsure if she could bring herself to consume it. Then he dangles a carrot about information – and she’s too curious not to take a bite. With a defeated look upon Lucy’s features, she gives in to his request, “Okey-dokey.” Once the food was finished, she eyed it one last time and took a hesitant bite.

"Lady,   this   ain't   one   of   your   precious   vaults.   One   way   or   another,   you   gonna   have   to   let   go   of   those   little   morals   brainwashed   in   ya'   brain."   It's   the   annoying   optimism   and   high   morality   for   him.   They   barely   see   Vault   Dwellers   in   the   surface   and   for   good   reasons,   none   of   them   would   have   the   balls   or   guts   to   survive   in   the   wastelands.   "Everything   up   here   is   gonna   make   you   a   fiend   one   way   or   another,   little   killer.   Be   it   the   damn   water   you   drank,   or   the   meat   you   eat   or   the   companionship   you   have."  

And   truth   to   be   told,   there   is   a   sick   twisted   delight   in   becoming   aware   that   Hank's   daughter   would   become   a   Surface   Dwaller   in   the   end.   She   sports   the   colors   he   had   done   so   a   long   time   ago   but   even   those   don't   last   forever.   "Aye,   I   did.   And   Unless   you   want   me   to   go   back   to   the   nicknames,   darlin',   you   better   start   adaptin'."   There   is   a   pause   there,   eyeroll   high   enough   as   he   puts   from   his   pocket   a   radaway   pack   and   toss   it   her   way.  

"Wash   it   with   this   and   once   cooked   it   will   be   all   dandy,   think   so.   Never   bothered   the   method   because   I   am   too   far   gone   on   that   matter."   A   small   pause   then   as   he   finally   puts   the   knife   away.   "Tell   you   somethin',   you   eat   these   with   no   complain   and   I'll   tell   you   more   about   the   world   the   vaults   never   told   ya   about."

[walkswastes]

        Full cracked lips managed to form a pout. Doe-eyes slanted in annoyance at the lack of concern. It almost seemed as if he would enjoy her moral downfall. “Of course, it matters. I can’t just eat people!” Words uttered in an exasperated huff. Finally, her attention was returned to the foreign meat within her hand that Cooper had acquired for them, and she swallowed hard. “I don’t expect luxuries, Sir, but I’d like not to become a fiend if possible…..”

         Even if their end goal was the same, they had their differences. She remembered back to when they first met. When she inquired about what he was, his response was she’d become him in a little time. While she had changed upon her journey, with the new information she had been given – she hoped not that much. Just what was necessary to survive and find out the truth. 

          However, when Cooper used her actual name, Lucy perked up. “I think that’s the first time you called me by my name.”

"Does   it   really   matter   that   much,   Vaultie?   There   ain't   much   stuff   around   here   that   ain't   gonna   kill'ya   in   the   process."   Might   as   well   take   what   you   are   given.   "There   ain't   cans   of   beans   and   sugar   in   these   parts,   I'm   afraid,   sugar.   So   better   get   cookin'   or   you   won't   be   getting   food   for   a   whole   day   of   walkin'."  

Anything   he   takes   is   fine   with   him,   perhaps   one   of   the   only   perhaps   of   the   ghoulification   process   is   that   radiation   is   like   sweet   candy   to   him,   nothin'   tastes   better,   or   helps   him   get   better.   But   Vaultie   might   still   hold   on   to   some   morals.   Cooper   hands   over   the   knight,   offered   to   Lucy.   "Now,   chop   chop,   Lucy."