POV Rio
Sneaking out of Diamond City wasn't too hard. I could transform into a small creature with only an increased mental cost. I chose to turn into a bird and then have Cait yeet me as far as she could. It worked pretty well. Technically, I didn't need to be thrown, but Cait insisted. Once I was far enough, I landed and turned back into myself. Then it was as easy as sneaking over to the Chem Deal. I didn't approach on foot as I could see that there were over a dozen people at or around the deal. Some were expected, others not so much.
7 people were on the seller's side. The leader was Trish, if I remembered right. On the other side were 5 people led by Nelson Latimer. Another 2 were some Raiders looking from afar at the deal going down. The deal was going down near a Raider gang's hideout called Backstreet Apparel. The gang wasn't very large; they only had 13 members, and most were asleep.
'I should wipe them out as well, just in case.'
The last observer was the strangest. It was Paul Pembroke. I was confused because I wasn't sure how he A, got out of Diamond City, and B, knew about the Chem Deal.
'Is he really thinking of attacking this deal?'
I decided to watch and wait, as I had a sniper rifle that could kill any of them before they got far. And I also had a backup plan.
The deal started, and everything went okay until Paul started shooting. He did so in a way that made it seem like Nelson was double-crossing Trish. The shot killed one of Trish's guards, and all hell broke loose. The Raiders all woke up and appeared to be getting ready to intervene. Paul was hiding. Nelson and his group managed to get to cover before they all died. From there, both sides shot at each other but didn't manage to kill each other quickly enough that the Raiders didn't start their attack.
That was a dumb idea on the Raiders' part, but what can you expect from a bunch of drug-addled maniacs? The reason it was a bad idea was that the Raiders had low-quality guns, and Trish and Nelson had automatic Tommy guns. And they made themselves a common enemy. By the time the screaming and shooting stopped, only 3 people remained. Nelson, Trish, and Paul. They were in a truxican standoff.
'Funny how the Chems haven't been damaged with all this fighting.'
The reason they were in a standoff was that Paul tried to ambush them, but once only Trish and Nelson were left, he fumbled it. That gave both of them a chance to get their guns, and now all three were pointing guns at each other and didn't want to risk shooting. All three were drenched in sweat and extremely nervous. They had less than 10 feet between each other, and they likely knew that getting out of this alive was going to be difficult.
'This is taking too long.'
I aim my pistol in the air and fire.
Pop x 5
The shot causes them to all panic and start firing blindly. Trish, being the more well-trained, gets two shots off before taking a shot to the skull from Nelson. Paul shoots at Nelson and hits Nelson in the chest, but that didn't kill him. Instead, it was the second shot from Trish that did it. The first shot from Trish hits Paul in the eye.
Thud x 3
I make sure no one is in the area and then drop down and take all the Chems. Before I could do anything more, I saw something that made me nearly crap myself. It was a freaking Deathclaw, and it was running this way. I just tossed the remaining Chems in my inventory and then dove into the water. Flying was too risky as it could track my scent, and flying was more visible. Better to swim away and then transform downstream than take the risk of being tracked by a Deathclaw. I suppose I could have tried to fight the Deathclaw, but the question would become. Why? The chances of getting out of that unscathed, let alone alive, were not that great.
'I will come back later to loot the area.'
Sneaking back into Diamond City was not as easy as sneaking out. The City was truly under lockdown, and even traveling the streets was liable to get you stopped and searched. But after some effort, I got back into Jessica's house without being spotted. Once I was back, I decided to spend the rest of the night making Jessica's house nice. It wasn't too hard to improve the house. Some Wards to make it more sturdy and keep outside sounds below a certain level. Some repairs here and there. Some cleaning. I overhauled her kitchen to be much safer and more efficient. In fact, I did that to most of her house. I didn't mess with her room as she asked me not to go into her room, and I respected her privacy.
As I was putting the finishing touches on the house, I heard a knock at the door. At first, I ignored it as I thought it would be impolite for me to answer the door when Jessica wasn't home. This wasn't my house after all. But the person knocking didn't go away, and I was hoping they would. I could see who it was, and I wasn't sure if it were someone I would want to talk to.
"Come on! I know you're in there. I just want to ask the famous General some questions," Said the woman at the door.
"Sigh. She's not going to leave until I answer the door, so let me get it," I say to Curie.
Cait and MacCready were actually at the Dugout Inn when the Lockdown really started. Not that they minded getting drunk, it sounded like fun to them. Curie, on the other hand, decided to study some of the books I got from the Library. I sigh and open the door.
"I don't want your Girl Scout cookies," I say while going to close the door.
The woman grabs the door and stops me.
"Wait! I just want to ask some questions," says the woman.
"No hablar inglés," I respond.
"You were just speaking English a second ago!" the woman says with outrage.
"Anglice non liquor," I repeat, but this time in Latin.
"Now you're just messing with me!" the woman yells.
"Si," I say with a smile.
I see the woman's eye twitch, and then she pulls out a notepad.
"Can I quote you on that?" the woman asks with a grin.
"Your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries," I say while slamming the door.
POV Piper
I stand there confused for a moment before realising what just happened.
"What the Hell does that even mean!?" I yell at the door.
I check the time, and I smile when I do. I take a seat and wait.
"You can't hide forever, Blue. I will get my story," I say to the door.
"That's racist!" I hear from somewhere, but I am not sure.
(AN: If anyone has seen the child screaming that phrase, then they can imagine what voice Piper heard just now. It's from a TV show from 2006 or something. )
A Few Minutes Later...
I smile as I hear the sound of the person I wanted to see right now.
"Oh, great, you. What do you want, Piper? I had a really long and messy shift, so I am not in the mood to deal with your... everything. And if you want to know what happened, ask Danny. And don't push it. I will send you to the Piper Suite if I have to," Officer Flint threatens.
"Aw, come on, Flinty! We're the best of friends. I just came by to say hello. So why don't you invite me in for a cup of coffee?" I say while putting my arms around her.
"Don't ever call me that again," Officer Flint says while taking my arm off.
Despite her foul mood, she doesn't tell me to get lost. So I follow her into her house. But once I get inside, I freeze and look around.
"Whoa, when did you redecorate? I thought you were always such a penny pincher. Always saying that you need to save money for a rainy day. But look at you now. Unless, oh, perhaps you got promoted? Or maybe got a bonus for solving a crime," I say in rapid succession.
POV Rio
I look at Jessica, who has an I'm too old for this crap look. I hand her the full breakfast I made for her. One of the perks of having a maxed-out Survival Skill is that my cooking is quite good. Not perfect, but very tasty. I can also turn just about any food-like material into a full dish. To thank Jessica for giving us a place to stay while we were here in Diamond City, I made a nice egg and toast breakfast. The bread I made was far superior to the usual store-bought bread. Bread is a relatively common food item due to its ease of preparation and storage. Though I hesitate to call what most people eat bread. Most bread in the Wasteland is a strange amalgamation of materials in a loaf that lasts for a long time.
When I say they make bread out of all sorts of stuff, I mean it. Tatoes, Mutfruit, Gourds, Razorgrain, Grass, Wood Pulp, Dirt, and almost anything else. And most bread is hard as a rock and not that great tasting. But it does last a really long time. Which I can admit makes sense when you are trying to survive. But the bread I make is closer to the soft and delicious white bread of my last life. Combined with a light toasting, salt, a dash of pepper, and a sunny side up egg, and you get a filling and delicious meal. The smell alone was mesmerizing.
Jessica sat down and started to eat quietly. The look of pleasure and happiness made me feel great. She seemed to like it a lot as she even licked the plate clean. Then she got up and got on one knee.
"Marry me!" Jessica said with a face that looked like she was about to go to war.
"Huh?" I responded, a bit dumbfounded.
"You can cook, you have a stable job, you're kind, you know how to clean house, and you even made my house look nicer than I have ever seen it. You are literally the perfect husband material. So I must reiterate, Marry Me!" Jessica listed off with a serious tone.
"Uh, huh, when you put it like that, I guess those are some good points, but I am afraid I must decline. We just met, and I am not looking for a relationship right now. If you feel that way after some time, I might reconsider, but for now, let's just be friends," I reply kindly.
Jessica looks at me like I had just told her the world had ended. But she recovered quickly.
"I understand. I hope you stay here anytime you are in the area. You can keep that key. In fact, if you want to live here from now on, I would not mind. Just let me eat your cooking," Jessica responded.
"I will stay here if and when I am in the area. As long as it doesn't impose," I reply.
"You aren't imposing. If anything, I don't want to impose on you. I shouldn't demand you cook for me. That is quite rude of me. I am really tired, so I am acting a bit weird," Jessica responds with a slight frown.
"Cough. While I do find this funny and a bit cute to see my friend fumble over herself, I do feel a little awkward being ignored here," Piper interrupts.
"Sigh. Hi, Piper. May I ask what you want from me?" I ask.
"Just an interview. My instincts are telling me that you have a story worth writing about. So here's what I am offering. You give me an honest interview and I'll go with you and watch your back," Piper offers.
"Wouldn't it be more the other way around? Me protecting you. Not to be rude, but how skilled are you in terms of combat?" I ask.
"Okay, so I might be using you to go out there and gather some info for my paper. But I can be quite good at finding stuff and stories. And I am not a half-bad shot, I will have you know. And you can be sure that I won't stab you in the back," Piper offers.
"Sigh. Fine. But I have the right not to answer questions. And you can't twist my words out of context. But from what I hear, your newspaper is quite honest, even if that honesty can sometimes come from questionable sources," I reply.
"If you are going to be doing an interview, do it at her office. I just got done with a 10-hour shift, and I am exhausted," Jessica says with a yawn.
"You heard her, let's go to my office. And I agree to all your requests," Piper says with an excited smile.
I smile and wish Officer Flint a good rest before following Piper. Curie tags along as well.
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Author's Note:
Rio got the reverse Brock treatment. At least Officer Flint didn't get stabbed by a poisonous fighting frog. Until next time, Ciao.