Now or Never: Elder Maxson x Reader - Part 2

8 - Blast Radius

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"Uri!" Alice almost squeals as she rushes away from her work. One of the other Initiates had said she would find the teen here - assisting Scribe Neriah in her lab. Uri isn't sure why, considering her combat abilities... But, she must admit, it is comforting to have her out of harm's way.

"Hey!" Uri beams, "I was wondering if I could steal you away, for a while. Jenson told me you'd been down here all day."

Alice quickly turns to Neriah, who offers Uri an amused smirk. "If it gets her to take a break, then please do. No offence, Initiate, but I'm starting to worry - and that's coming from me ."

"I'll take the rest of the day off?" Alice offers, flushing sheepishly.

"Fantastic! Enjoy your leisure time."

"I swear," Alice huffs, as they make their way up the gridded walkway. "You'd think, consider everything that's going on, they'd be happy to have someone so keen to work. Instead, they act like I'm a nuisance."

"I hardly think it's like that," Uri soothes, "What's with the change, anyway? I thought you'd been promoted to Knight, already?"

"Well, I was . But after you got back from the Glowing Sea, I figured... We have so many Knights, and so many Initiates who want to be Knights. If more of us were willing to give Scribe work a try, we may have had a real radiation repellant by now. So, I spoke to Proctor Quinlan, and he was more than happy to assign me to Scribe Neriah. She is officially my sponsor."

"Alice!" Uri pulls her into a hug, "Congratulations... And, thank you."

"Y-you don't need to thank me," she says, her cheeks turning pink.

"This calls for a celebration. C'mon, Scribe. We're hitting the recreational area."

" Oh ," Alice shakes her head, "No, Uri. Not there. That's for... Well, that's for..."

" Everyone , except the higher ups," Uri winks, "Drinks on me, kiddo."

Uri can feel Alice's unease as they descend the steps leading to the small, recreation area. There is already a handful of soldiers there - some wearing scribe gear, others knight gear... and even a put-out squire.

"We told ya, pal, this place is for the grown ups."

"But... But..."

"Come on, Dan," one of the female knights stands, leaving her beer behind as she wraps an arm around the young boy's shoulders, "You can't be down here. Trust me - you don't want to be. I swear, you squires are more mature than these ones, most days."

"I heard that!" The man who had told Dan to leave chortles. The woman looks back with a scowl; he merely raises his glass before taking a healthy swig.

"Hey - we got us some company!" Another soldier, who looks to be in his late teens, booms. His eyes land on Alice, "You're the hand-to-hand combat queen, right?"

"I - wouldn't say that ," she stammers.

"She's being modest," Uri beams, "Scribe Friar over here is a woman of many talents."

"Do any of these talents involve figuring out how to play old board games?" Another woman pipes up, flashing them the instructions for Blast Radius.

"Ohhh - I haven't played that in forever ," Uri quickly heading over to find they do, in fact, have an intact copy of the game. "Hand me some vodka and a seat, and I'll explain the rules."

"We don't have seats," the instructions-holder smirks, "but you're welcome to pull up some crates."

The soldiers make room for Uri and Alice, who lay a crate on its side to form a makeshift couch. Once they're settled, the guy who asked about Alice hands Uri a bottle of vodka. She thanks him graciously, enjoying the way it warms her insides, and then hands it to Alice.