“Why us?” Watch asks, squints. She pulled a pair of sunglasses from a backpack pocket yesterday, has refused to take them off since, even as evening falls. “Why not any of the others?”
“You’ve got a good eye, and Tooth is tribal. Dredge and Runner are both busy with Birdy, Twist is busy with the fire, Drummer is needed to watch the water, Burn is better served back in camp.” She yanks at the yucca leaves, bundles them together and ties them with another leaf. Tooth thunks her foot into a joshua tree trunk, leans her weight onto it to see if the tree will snap, or just bend. It doesn’t do either.
“Good eye for what?” Watch asks.
“Anything, from what I’ve seen so far. You keep watch every night, I figure you can spot a dead tree.”
“There aren’t any trees out here, even dead ones,” Watch points out, bundles the creosote bush she uprooted into her jacket. “And unfortunately, coyote hide doesn’t burn very well and stinks like hair and burning flesh.”
“Well, I’m glad to have confirmation there’s nothing out here.” Lucinda ties a few yucca leaves together, bundles a few other smaller bundles together. “We should head back. This should hopefully keep us going for as long as Birdy needs to be up.”
“Why are you so nice to her?” Tooth asks, steps away from her joshua tree. “Not like you ain’t nice to the rest of us, and ain’t like she don’t deserve a little niceness, but.” She narrows her eyes, tips her ragged straw hat back. “But I heard about the Mojave, same as Photo did,” she continues after an evaluatory pause. “Heard a lot of stories about you, don’t know how many are true, but ain’t any of them make you sound nice.”
“I’m a woman of many facets,” Lucinda replies, grunts as she swings the yuccas over her shoulders.
“Nah, nah, you’re running a con, or something like a con.” Tooth digs her hands into her pockets, falls in just behind Lucinda, off to her right. Watch falls in the same, but to her left. “Guess it ain’t a con if the frumentarii are running it for you, but what’s your skin in this game? You ain't gotta be nice to her, but you are.”
“If I’m an asshole to all of you--” she grunts, huffs, hikes the yuccas higher, her bird flops her way out of the nest in her hood and to the ground, and then hops back into the air, floats around above Lucinda’s head, “--then all I get is nine people who hate me. Nine people who hate me, who are bleeding out because they didn’t get the medical care they needed, or who are starving because they don’t trust food I make even if they watched me make it, or who fuck up and get us all canned and sent back to husbands and owners and tiny towns along the trade routes.” Her bird squawks, swoops past her head, and she makes a noise back. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather leave Dog Town behind.”
Tooth grunts, nods, studies the horizon intently. The sun hasn’t sunk all the way yet, but it’ll be gone by the time they make it back to the camp.
“Not sure I trust that,” Watch murmurs. “But I’ll let it stand.”
Lucinda laughs.
“I don’t lie unless it gets me somewhere, Watch. What does lying about this get me?”
“Our trust,” Watch replies, doesn’t miss a beat. “NCR trusted you too, for five, six years. You’re not playing that long of a game now.”
“And who am I going to betray your trust to? The NCR, so they can lock me and most of you up for the rest of our lives? The Legion? What do I get by doing that? Who am I going to sell you out to?” Lucinda snorts, and her bird lands on her pauldron with a clatter of wings.
“I don’t know yet,” Watch replies. “But I’m keeping my eye on you.”
Lucinda snorts again, and then they all three go silent.
Say They Fear Her (f!courier/siri) (dubcon, referenced noncon) (15/?)
“Why us?” Watch asks, squints. She pulled a pair of sunglasses from a backpack pocket yesterday, has refused to take them off since, even as evening falls. “Why not any of the others?”
“You’ve got a good eye, and Tooth is tribal. Dredge and Runner are both busy with Birdy, Twist is busy with the fire, Drummer is needed to watch the water, Burn is better served back in camp.” She yanks at the yucca leaves, bundles them together and ties them with another leaf. Tooth thunks her foot into a joshua tree trunk, leans her weight onto it to see if the tree will snap, or just bend. It doesn’t do either.
“Good eye for what?” Watch asks.
“Anything, from what I’ve seen so far. You keep watch every night, I figure you can spot a dead tree.”
“There aren’t any trees out here, even dead ones,” Watch points out, bundles the creosote bush she uprooted into her jacket. “And unfortunately, coyote hide doesn’t burn very well and stinks like hair and burning flesh.”
“Well, I’m glad to have confirmation there’s nothing out here.” Lucinda ties a few yucca leaves together, bundles a few other smaller bundles together. “We should head back. This should hopefully keep us going for as long as Birdy needs to be up.”
“Why are you so nice to her?” Tooth asks, steps away from her joshua tree. “Not like you ain’t nice to the rest of us, and ain’t like she don’t deserve a little niceness, but.” She narrows her eyes, tips her ragged straw hat back. “But I heard about the Mojave, same as Photo did,” she continues after an evaluatory pause. “Heard a lot of stories about you, don’t know how many are true, but ain’t any of them make you sound nice.”
“I’m a woman of many facets,” Lucinda replies, grunts as she swings the yuccas over her shoulders.
“Nah, nah, you’re running a con, or something like a con.” Tooth digs her hands into her pockets, falls in just behind Lucinda, off to her right. Watch falls in the same, but to her left. “Guess it ain’t a con if the frumentarii are running it for you, but what’s your skin in this game? You ain't gotta be nice to her, but you are.”
“If I’m an asshole to all of you--” she grunts, huffs, hikes the yuccas higher, her bird flops her way out of the nest in her hood and to the ground, and then hops back into the air, floats around above Lucinda’s head, “--then all I get is nine people who hate me. Nine people who hate me, who are bleeding out because they didn’t get the medical care they needed, or who are starving because they don’t trust food I make even if they watched me make it, or who fuck up and get us all canned and sent back to husbands and owners and tiny towns along the trade routes.” Her bird squawks, swoops past her head, and she makes a noise back. “I don’t know about you, but I’d rather leave Dog Town behind.”
Tooth grunts, nods, studies the horizon intently. The sun hasn’t sunk all the way yet, but it’ll be gone by the time they make it back to the camp.
“Not sure I trust that,” Watch murmurs. “But I’ll let it stand.”
Lucinda laughs.
“I don’t lie unless it gets me somewhere, Watch. What does lying about this get me?”
“Our trust,” Watch replies, doesn’t miss a beat. “NCR trusted you too, for five, six years. You’re not playing that long of a game now.”
“And who am I going to betray your trust to? The NCR, so they can lock me and most of you up for the rest of our lives? The Legion? What do I get by doing that? Who am I going to sell you out to?” Lucinda snorts, and her bird lands on her pauldron with a clatter of wings.
“I don’t know yet,” Watch replies. “But I’m keeping my eye on you.”
Lucinda snorts again, and then they all three go silent.