That had been five nights ago now. They had spent the evening chatting about this and that, their lives, childhood, and god knows what else, completely loosing track of time as it turned out. First when they had noticed a silvery stripe above the eastern horizon had they realised they had talked the whole night away. “You’re an easy one to talk to”, Leo had said with one of his infectious grins. “Same to you, I guess”, Knight had given back. “You’ve not been the only one talking.” Leo had chuckled and gotten up, saying he had to leave. Had things to do. And had suddenly looked very earnest.
“I’ll not be back for a while, I guess”, he said. “I’ve got stuff I gotta do, really important stuff but...” “Hey, it’s all right. You don’t have to tell me if it’s not my business.” Leo looked relieved. “You know what?” “What?” He chuckled. “I only know your surname. You sure must have a first name as well?” “Oh.” Knight lit up another smoke. “It’s William.” “William?” Leo smiled again, his teeth shining in the dim light of pre-dawn. “Can I call you Billy?” “No.” With a swift move, Knight pocketed his lighter. “That’s what my daddy used to call me when I was seven or so. That’s what he still calls me when he’s got to berate me for something.” Then he grinned. “But William sounds so formal, and all my aunties called me that. Just stick to Will.” “Will.” Leo smiled, and held out his hand. Knight took it and they clasped hands, but when their eyes met, words suddenly failed both of them. They mutely stared at each other for a moment or two before Leo hesitatingly let go of Knight’s hand. “Well then”, he said. “I’ll be back, I promise. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back.” “You know where to find me”, Knight gave back and Leo nodded with a sudden painful twist around his mouth. “Take care of yourself, Will.” “Seems like you need that more than I do.” A smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes flashed on Leo’s face for a second. “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you when... I see you when I see you.”
Knight had watched Leo trot down the rise towards the Nipton Road, wondering if he would ever see him again. The thought had caused him a strange constricting pain in his chest that completely overlaid the agony at the thought of having to spend a day at his counter with no sleep whatsoever. The day had turned out to be as unpleasant as expected and seemed to have far more hours than a day technically should possess.
By now, five days later, Knight began to grow used to suppressing the nagging worry about Leo and his mysterious mission. He kept himself busy, cleaned out long-neglected filing cabinets when he had some time to spare and tried to do as little thinking as possible.
After a few weeks had passed and Knight was beginning to accept the bitter truth that he would never see Leo again as quite obviously, whatever he had been about to do, whatever had had him so worried, had obviously killed him, rumours began to trickle in about the supposed vanishing of Mr. House. At the same time, some sort of courier, a stranger with no name, had been known to be the first person in living memory to enter the Lucky 38. A courier who had, if the rumours were true, given the Legion the slip after infiltrating their camp and killing Caesar in his own tent. A courier who was known in Freeside as a saint to the people. No one knew where he had come from. No one knew who he was.
The talk made Knight remember the first day Leo had come to the Mojave Outpost.
“Caravan, citizen, pilgrim, or...?” “Courier.”
Knight carefully put the rifle down and pressed his hands flat onto his counter to hide his trembling fingers.
“I’ll not be back for a while, I guess”, he said. “I’ve got stuff I gotta do, really important stuff but...”
And with goose bumps spreading out all over his body it occurred to him that moment that he, William Knight, was the only soul who knew the Courier’s name.
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timeasmymeasure
My Knight in shiny Armour 3a/??
Date: 2011-11-07 02:45 pm (UTC)“You’re an easy one to talk to”, Leo had said with one of his infectious grins.
“Same to you, I guess”, Knight had given back. “You’ve not been the only one talking.”
Leo had chuckled and gotten up, saying he had to leave. Had things to do. And had suddenly looked very earnest.
“I’ll not be back for a while, I guess”, he said. “I’ve got stuff I gotta do, really important stuff but...”
“Hey, it’s all right. You don’t have to tell me if it’s not my business.”
Leo looked relieved. “You know what?”
“What?”
He chuckled. “I only know your surname. You sure must have a first name as well?”
“Oh.” Knight lit up another smoke. “It’s William.”
“William?” Leo smiled again, his teeth shining in the dim light of pre-dawn. “Can I call you Billy?”
“No.” With a swift move, Knight pocketed his lighter. “That’s what my daddy used to call me when I was seven or so. That’s what he still calls me when he’s got to berate me for something.” Then he grinned. “But William sounds so formal, and all my aunties called me that. Just stick to Will.”
“Will.” Leo smiled, and held out his hand.
Knight took it and they clasped hands, but when their eyes met, words suddenly failed both of them. They mutely stared at each other for a moment or two before Leo hesitatingly let go of Knight’s hand.
“Well then”, he said. “I’ll be back, I promise. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back.”
“You know where to find me”, Knight gave back and Leo nodded with a sudden painful twist around his mouth.
“Take care of yourself, Will.”
“Seems like you need that more than I do.”
A smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes flashed on Leo’s face for a second. “Yeah, I know. I’ll see you when... I see you when I see you.”
Knight had watched Leo trot down the rise towards the Nipton Road, wondering if he would ever see him again. The thought had caused him a strange constricting pain in his chest that completely overlaid the agony at the thought of having to spend a day at his counter with no sleep whatsoever.
The day had turned out to be as unpleasant as expected and seemed to have far more hours than a day technically should possess.
By now, five days later, Knight began to grow used to suppressing the nagging worry about Leo and his mysterious mission. He kept himself busy, cleaned out long-neglected filing cabinets when he had some time to spare and tried to do as little thinking as possible.
After a few weeks had passed and Knight was beginning to accept the bitter truth that he would never see Leo again as quite obviously, whatever he had been about to do, whatever had had him so worried, had obviously killed him, rumours began to trickle in about the supposed vanishing of Mr. House.
At the same time, some sort of courier, a stranger with no name, had been known to be the first person in living memory to enter the Lucky 38. A courier who had, if the rumours were true, given the Legion the slip after infiltrating their camp and killing Caesar in his own tent. A courier who was known in Freeside as a saint to the people. No one knew where he had come from. No one knew who he was.
The talk made Knight remember the first day Leo had come to the Mojave Outpost.
“Caravan, citizen, pilgrim, or...?”
“Courier.”
Knight carefully put the rifle down and pressed his hands flat onto his counter to hide his trembling fingers.
“I’ll not be back for a while, I guess”, he said. “I’ve got stuff I gotta do, really important stuff but...”
And with goose bumps spreading out all over his body it occurred to him that moment that he, William Knight, was the only soul who knew the Courier’s name.