The hellhound in New Vegas

Chapter 3: Getting to know each other.

16/05/2281

7:43 pm

It had been about 7 hours since Six had met Loona, and in those 7 hours, she hadn't made a peep. This did not bother Six as he figured his new roommate wasn't interested in talking. Not that he gave a shit. He was too busy reading a copy of the Big Book of Science, which was lying on the mayor's desk for some reason. He didn't care why. Six was just happy for the reading material. Not to mention that ever since being shot in the head, remembering some of the skills he'd developed from the past was proving to be quite the challenge, so it helped to brush up on his knowledge.

"So, Six huh? Why would you use a number for your name instead of, you know, a real name?" Six looked up from his book at Loona's question. He was admittedly a bit surprised by the question, but he figured that she would ask eventually.

"Well, the truth is, after I got shot in the head, I've had quite a bit of difficulty remembering things, my name being one of them." Six explained.

"Wait, you got shot in the fucking head?" Loona asked in shock, "How the fuck are you even alive?"

"Well, there are 4 good reasons for this," Six explained, "One: the guy who shot me had a pretty shit aim, even though I was just 4 feet away from him at most. Two: he was using a 9 mm, a very weak firearm calibre. Three: Goodsprings has an excellent doctor. And four: I've always been very hard-headed, both figuratively and literally."

"Wow. You must be one tough cookie to survive that," Loona remarked.

"Yes. Well, when you need to deliver valuable packages across a wasteland full of things ready and willing to kill you, being tough is a requirement," Six explained.

"Eh, not wrong there," Loona remarked.

"So, what's your story?" Six asked.

"Look pal, I'm grateful for rescuing me and all, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna tell you everything about me," Loona answered sharply.

"Ok, ok, just asking," Six answered. For a moment, the room was filled with silence, before Loona let out a sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that. It's just that I don't like talking about my past. Especially to people I just met," Loona explained.

"Eh, it's fine," Six said. After this, the two said nothing for a few minutes before Loona's stomach let out a loud growl, much to her embarrassment. Six just chuckled to himself before tossing her a can of old Pork and Beans

"I know you probably would prefer something a little fresher. But from looking at you, I'm guessing you haven't eaten properly for a while, so I hope this helps." Six explained.

"Well, thanks, I guess," Loona said, opening the rusty can with her claws before downing the surprisingly still edible contents. "How the fuck is this stuff still edible after 200 years?" She asked.

"Well, from what I've heard, Pre-war companies loved to dump an unholy amount of chemicals, preservatives, and god knows what else in their food," Six explained, "Though considering just how long it's been since most of this stuff was made, I still wonder exactly what they used. It's why I prefer to hunt and cook my own food. At least that way I know what's in it."

"Yeah, I guess it's safer," Loona remarked, "If you can get a hold of some fresh meat that is. Considering most animals in the wasteland would kill you for so much as looking at them wrong, it's not easy."

"As someone who has had more than their fair share of gecko bites, I wholeheartedly agree. But if you ask me, it's more than worth it to make some delicious gecko steaks or gecko kebabs, if I have some Jalapeño peppers and Banana Yucca fruit on hand. Delicious." Six said, licking his lips at the thought.

"I guess you really like gecko, huh?" Loona asked.

"That I do," Six answered with a chuckle before he frowned as a new thought came into his head. "So, what are you going to do now?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Loona asked.

"I mean, what are you going to do once you get better? You can't just wander the wasteland alone now that you're basically an escaped slave in the Legion's eyes. They'll just track you down and drag you back across the Colorado River. Not to mention most wastelanders would think you're some kind of mutant and sooner shoot at you than offer you any work." Six explained. Loona just grumbled and looked away. As much as she hated to admit it, Six was right. It would only be a matter of time before the Legion tracked her down and dragged her back to what used to be Colorado. And she knew from experience that most wastelanders tended to be quite trigger-happy. Not to mention, the wildlife would most certainly try to take a bite out of her. "I... don't know," she admitted.

"You could travel with me if you like."

Loona's ears shot up and she looked at Six with a confused look. "You want me to come with you?" she asked, not quite sure what to make of the offer.

"Sure thing, if you want to, of course," Six answered, "I mean, seeing as the Legion's hunting both of us, travelling together means we could watch each other's backs. And it does get lonely traveling by myself. I wouldn't mind having some company. You don't have to travel with me if you don't want to, but the offer's there, should you choose to accept it."

Loona didn't say anything. She had to admit that the idea was tempting but she still kept her guard up. She had only just met Six, and while he had been nice enough to her, she knew all too well that people who seemed nice could just as easily be some of the evillest people alive. Having noticed her hesitation, Six gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, you're going to be stuck here for a week so you'll have plenty of time to think about it," Six said before letting out a yawn, "But right now, I think we should get some sleep." Six added, "I've got a spare blanket if you want one."

"No thanks," Loona answered, though she had to admit the offer was tempting, "I'll be fine."

"Suit yourself," Six chuckled before climbing into his bedroll. "Well, I'll be seeing you in the morning. Goodnight, Loona," he said before curling up in his bedroll.

"Yeah, goodnight, Loona muttered, before curling up in the corner and wrapping her tail around herself. After a few minutes, she picked up Six's heavy breathing, indicating he was asleep. Now was her chance. Carefully making sure she didn't wake Six up, she crept up to the bag, grabbed the spare blanket, and crept back over to her corner before lying down again, wrapping the blanket around herself. Unbeknownst to her, Six was pretending to be asleep. He knew she wanted the blanket he offered, but was unwilling to admit it. He understood why she was hesitant to trust him. Even though she refused to reveal anything about her past, it was clear that whatever had happened had left her reluctant to trust him. He hoped that someday he could earn her trust. But for now, it was time to sleep. He just hoped the next day would be a little more relaxing.

AN: Finally, a new chapter. Sorry for taking so long. I keep getting distracted by literally everything. Hopefully, this chapter is to your liking. Be sure to comment on any potential improvements and suggestions. See you all whenever the fuck I get around to updating one of my stories.