That... That right there, that says a lot about her. Makes him think of his concern when she'd left, possibly for good -- and prior to that, when she'd disappeared down into the Vault almost immediately after he caught wind of James' passing. He'd thought 'well, that's it, Wasteland. We ruined the best thing we had going for us.' She'd crawled out of that hole and started saving lives the instant she set foot on the dry cracked desert, and gotten nothing but shit in return that'd make anyone want to crawl back down into the earth and never face the world again.
The finer details of her deeds sometimes take a while to reach him, but he always gets them. By then it's too late to say anything, even if he could cover all of it. He'd heard she'd saved Megaton as a whole, and reported it. Then later he'd heard how she'd helped one resident clean up his drug addiction, fixed the water purifier, freed residents from indentured service. He'd heard she'd ended the fighting between Arefu and the local gang, and reported it. Then later, how she'd done so by forming a treaty between the two groups, saved both of them from some of the worst of the wasteland by getting them to work together. He'd heard how she'd rescued Big Town, and reported it. Then later, how she'd healed their injured, rescued their lost, improved their defenses, and refused payment. It's not like he needs to necessarily recite every minor good deed along with the major ones, but the stories just get more impressive, more complex, more moving when those little things come along.
She's done all of these things for people she owes nothing to, and only ever asked for her father. No sooner did she find him than the wasteland snatched him away again, this time for good.
He'd figured she'd had enough. Enough of the pain and torment that she gets as a reward for all of her hard work.
The way she sees it, though, he realizes now... the work is a balm for the pain.
That and a belly full of chems.
"Yeah," he says slowly. "Good way to kill yourself, too."
She laughs. "That's inevitable, isn't it? Dying, I mean. But Dad saw something in this place worth dying for. How can I go to my grave peacefully having done any less?"
"I'd rather you didn't at all."
The look on her face is unreadable. Maybe it's the drugs, or maybe he just doesn't have anything to compare it to. He searches, and the best he can come up with is 'pleasant surprise.' Even that doesn't really fit, but she's smiling that smile that nothing can take away from her, whatever the thoughts behind it may be.
"Sweet sentiment, I guess."
"I mean it, 101."
"You don't even know my real name."
He runs his fingers through the coarse hair under the front of his headwrap, leaning back. "Hey now, I take offense to that one, Miss Hana. Assuming I don't even know your name? Assuming that if I didn't then that would mean shit about what I think? Either way, I know who you are." For the first time he manages to smile back. "Besides, you call me 'Three Dog.' I think we're even there."
"Fff. It's how you introduce yourself. You saying that's not your real name?"
"I'm not saying anything, except that there's not much in a name except what you happen to call someone."
She nods, slowly. Then whatever tension she's been holding in her muscles seems to unwind all at once, and she's practically falling asleep in the chair. "I'm so tired." She says it like she's admitting a shameful secret, a fatal flaw.
"No matter what they say, the righteous do need their beauty sleep, kiddo. Am I allowed to fuss over you now?"
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timeasmymeasure
Since When, 2e/3
Date: 2012-06-18 07:08 pm (UTC)The finer details of her deeds sometimes take a while to reach him, but he always gets them. By then it's too late to say anything, even if he could cover all of it. He'd heard she'd saved Megaton as a whole, and reported it. Then later he'd heard how she'd helped one resident clean up his drug addiction, fixed the water purifier, freed residents from indentured service. He'd heard she'd ended the fighting between Arefu and the local gang, and reported it. Then later, how she'd done so by forming a treaty between the two groups, saved both of them from some of the worst of the wasteland by getting them to work together. He'd heard how she'd rescued Big Town, and reported it. Then later, how she'd healed their injured, rescued their lost, improved their defenses, and refused payment. It's not like he needs to necessarily recite every minor good deed along with the major ones, but the stories just get more impressive, more complex, more moving when those little things come along.
She's done all of these things for people she owes nothing to, and only ever asked for her father. No sooner did she find him than the wasteland snatched him away again, this time for good.
He'd figured she'd had enough. Enough of the pain and torment that she gets as a reward for all of her hard work.
The way she sees it, though, he realizes now... the work is a balm for the pain.
That and a belly full of chems.
"Yeah," he says slowly. "Good way to kill yourself, too."
She laughs. "That's inevitable, isn't it? Dying, I mean. But Dad saw something in this place worth dying for. How can I go to my grave peacefully having done any less?"
"I'd rather you didn't at all."
The look on her face is unreadable. Maybe it's the drugs, or maybe he just doesn't have anything to compare it to. He searches, and the best he can come up with is 'pleasant surprise.' Even that doesn't really fit, but she's smiling that smile that nothing can take away from her, whatever the thoughts behind it may be.
"Sweet sentiment, I guess."
"I mean it, 101."
"You don't even know my real name."
He runs his fingers through the coarse hair under the front of his headwrap, leaning back. "Hey now, I take offense to that one, Miss Hana. Assuming I don't even know your name? Assuming that if I didn't then that would mean shit about what I think? Either way, I know who you are." For the first time he manages to smile back. "Besides, you call me 'Three Dog.' I think we're even there."
"Fff. It's how you introduce yourself. You saying that's not your real name?"
"I'm not saying anything, except that there's not much in a name except what you happen to call someone."
She nods, slowly. Then whatever tension she's been holding in her muscles seems to unwind all at once, and she's practically falling asleep in the chair. "I'm so tired." She says it like she's admitting a shameful secret, a fatal flaw.
"No matter what they say, the righteous do need their beauty sleep, kiddo. Am I allowed to fuss over you now?"
She sighs, and nods.