Nuka Girl, Nuka'd World

Innocence Lost

Gage woke up in his bed in Fizztop, the familiar dry taste in his mouth that meant he'd been drinking the night before. Had everything been some kind of fucked up dream? If it wasn't for the fact Colter or the gang leaders hadn't come to yell at him yet, he might've believed it. He dragged himself from the bed, kicking a bottle of beer on the floor, and wandered into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, before catching his reflection in the mirror. "The fuck?" A few purple bruises were scattered along his collarbone and throat. "Oh for shit's sake."

*

The boss was sitting on top of Colter's old desk, wearing one of his shirts and damn if it wasn't a sight for sore eyes. Her hand was curled around a wine glass with her little finger out, looking like some kind of fancy woman, I ain't ever seen even Mags hold a glass like that.

I'm telling her about the gangs, about how Nuka World runs and she's actually listening to me. I know it's in her best interest to listen, but after Colter ran this place into the ground, and since all the gang leaders want me dead, nobody really gives old Gage the time of day. I tell her she needs to meet the gang leaders, I tell her how to talk to them. "Operators want caps, Disciples want blood."

She asks about the Pack. She's already pissed Mason off. And, now I know she ain't, but she looks as fragile as a carrot flower, and Mason will try to push his luck. "Don't go to the Pack alone. I ain't saying you gotta take me." I don't know if she knows this but a raider's been following her. He ain't a real raider but he's dressed like one. I ain't know where he got Operator clothes from and I ain't really care, but I saw him come out of the transit station whilst she was still in the Gauntlet. I'll keep an eye on him for you Boss, if he's trouble he won't get near you, that's a promise. "But you really shouldn't go up to Mason alone." She scoffs. I ain't gonna push it further.

She gets up, and I watch her move to the bar. She bends over it. She could've gone round but she's doing this cause she knows I'm looking. Fucking minx will be the death of me. She comes back with a new bottle of wine, and pours herself a glass. I'm thinking her drinking is gonna be a problem. "You drink a lot, Boss?" I'm sitting in the chair at the desk, she swings her legs to the side and recrosses them. I keep looking at her face otherwise I'm gonna get an eyeful. "You should be drinking too, Gage. We should be celebrating." I raise my eyebrow at her, she smiles and puts a bottle of beer in my hand. Couldn't hurt. I crack it open. "Celebratin'?" Damn smiles infectious, she clinks her glass against mine. "The start of a badass partnership."

She says ass like Colter did. Arse. I need to stop comparing them, she's gonna be better than he was. She's gonna get shit done.

She's watching me and I don't know whether to be scared or to enjoy it, but she looks at me like she sees me and I ain't much like it, I'll tell you that. She slides across the desk, and puts her damn legs either side of mine. Her shirt rides up and I can see she's got a tattoo on her thigh. I ain't mean to look! She ain't some common trader, or one of the Pack girls looking for a lay, and she sure as shit ain't Colter. "You're staring." She's caught me. "You got a tattoo." She smiles, and puts her glass down on the table, so she can pull up her shirt without showing me more than she means to. It's a bunch of lines with some dots and stars and I think that's meant to be a moon, but one of them moons where it's shaped like a C. I ain't really got a clue what it is if I'm being honest.

"It's called a constellation." Can she read my goddamn mind? "It's the shape some groups of stars make. This one is called Aries. It's a ram. Which is... a bit like a Brahmiluff." I can feel myself frowning. I don't really see how it looks anything like a brahmiluff. But it's kinda pretty. Elegant and shit like she is. "Sorry Boss, I just see some lines and shit." She laughs, and rests her hand on mine and shit my hand is now on her thigh. "Yeah, they don't really look like the things they represent. I just like it because it's pretty."