He tried to camp but was unsuccessful. His body felt like pebbles had settled under his skin, and his chest swelled ferociously at any soft sound that could have been mistaken for footsteps. He walked on.
He headed west to Red Rock Canyon, a definite candidate for the most unlikely location to become his most treasured sanctuary. There was no mistaking where you stood with the Great Khans, nothing by way of insincere politeness or diplomatic dishonesty. It made their affections mean more as they rang so honest, the hospitality they gave him more of a comfort. And it meant his visits were frequent, most of the Khans greeting him like an old friend. So different from McCarran. He stopped by the longhouse and paid his respects to Papa, pride building in him as the man greeted him with guileless warmth, knowing it had been earned. He made a stop in Regis' tent and wound up spending the rest of the morning and bulk of the afternoon in there, the two men getting lost in discussions of the philosophy Regis had recently excavated from some old book, as they often did. He made his way to take a seat at the campfire as evening began to descend, settled next to Anders as he always did. Their friendship ran so deep after their joined trek back from Cottonwood Cove that they rarely even needed words, even though the conversation was too good to skip. More Khans joined the fire, the smells of cooking wafting through the evening air. Jack approached from behind and greeted him with a sneak attack hug around his shoulders, kneeling by him and grinning with unshadowed fondness.
"Shit, you look exhausted," he said, catching the courier's chin in his calloused fingertips. "I brewed up some tequila the other night. You're having a bottle with your steak, brother -- that'll get you to sleep."
He did sleep, on a woven rug under the stars, filled with meat and drink and warmth. He dreamed of somewhere green, sunshine sparking hot between leafy branches and the feeling of grass on his bare back, of scarred hands on his body and a face he couldn't see, too overwhelmed by the light above. He awoke to the thin ribbon in the horizon of pink and orange chasing away the expanse of dark inky blue, and walked on.
He stopped in Goodsprings for lunch. Trudy asked him to stay the night but he politely told her that he had to get on. He had spent too many months on someone else's schedule, traveling for someone else's reason's and then settling in the gilded cage that was the Lucky 38, and now his feet longed to feel the Mojave under them, to eat up the road and drink in its secrets.
He spent the day walking, reaching Novac right as Manny's shift was ending, walking into the courtyard just as the sniper was descending the steps from the dino, a broad grin spreading across his face. "What's goin' on, man?" he greeted Simon warmly, pulling him into a quick, back-clapping hug. "You flyin' solo tonight?"
They swung by the McBrides to buy a pair of steaks, and soon Simon was seated on Manny's bed and chucking off his boots while Manny fried cooked. "So what's the grand adventure this time?" Manny asked over the sizzle and pop of the steaks in a pan.
"Just wandering," Simon answered. Manny offered him a beer, which he cracked open and took a swig from before saying, "Looking for someone."
M!Courier/? - Remain Nameless [2b/?]
He headed west to Red Rock Canyon, a definite candidate for the most unlikely location to become his most treasured sanctuary. There was no mistaking where you stood with the Great Khans, nothing by way of insincere politeness or diplomatic dishonesty. It made their affections mean more as they rang so honest, the hospitality they gave him more of a comfort. And it meant his visits were frequent, most of the Khans greeting him like an old friend. So different from McCarran. He stopped by the longhouse and paid his respects to Papa, pride building in him as the man greeted him with guileless warmth, knowing it had been earned. He made a stop in Regis' tent and wound up spending the rest of the morning and bulk of the afternoon in there, the two men getting lost in discussions of the philosophy Regis had recently excavated from some old book, as they often did. He made his way to take a seat at the campfire as evening began to descend, settled next to Anders as he always did. Their friendship ran so deep after their joined trek back from Cottonwood Cove that they rarely even needed words, even though the conversation was too good to skip. More Khans joined the fire, the smells of cooking wafting through the evening air. Jack approached from behind and greeted him with a sneak attack hug around his shoulders, kneeling by him and grinning with unshadowed fondness.
"Shit, you look exhausted," he said, catching the courier's chin in his calloused fingertips. "I brewed up some tequila the other night. You're having a bottle with your steak, brother -- that'll get you to sleep."
He did sleep, on a woven rug under the stars, filled with meat and drink and warmth. He dreamed of somewhere green, sunshine sparking hot between leafy branches and the feeling of grass on his bare back, of scarred hands on his body and a face he couldn't see, too overwhelmed by the light above. He awoke to the thin ribbon in the horizon of pink and orange chasing away the expanse of dark inky blue, and walked on.
He stopped in Goodsprings for lunch. Trudy asked him to stay the night but he politely told her that he had to get on. He had spent too many months on someone else's schedule, traveling for someone else's reason's and then settling in the gilded cage that was the Lucky 38, and now his feet longed to feel the Mojave under them, to eat up the road and drink in its secrets.
He spent the day walking, reaching Novac right as Manny's shift was ending, walking into the courtyard just as the sniper was descending the steps from the dino, a broad grin spreading across his face. "What's goin' on, man?" he greeted Simon warmly, pulling him into a quick, back-clapping hug. "You flyin' solo tonight?"
They swung by the McBrides to buy a pair of steaks, and soon Simon was seated on Manny's bed and chucking off his boots while Manny fried cooked. "So what's the grand adventure this time?" Manny asked over the sizzle and pop of the steaks in a pan.
"Just wandering," Simon answered. Manny offered him a beer, which he cracked open and took a swig from before saying, "Looking for someone."
"Anyone I know?"
Simon shook his head. "Couldn't say."