"We're taking the day off," I announced the next morning, before I even rolled out of bed in the Dugout Inn. "It's cold out there, I'm sore, and my clothes are filthy."
"MacCready yawned himself awake from the couch. "Fine by me, Boss. We could use a day to recover and double-check our equipment. Diamond City has a couple of decent shops where we can stock up on essentials as well."
"And," I picked up the narrative, "we can let Valentine know we're back in case he has anything for us."
"Sounds like a plan."
After learning how I cleaned our clothes in the shower the last time we were here, MacCready merely nodded at my inventiveness and shoved another small bundle of clothes at me. "You get these and I'll clean our weapons if you leave yours out." He grinned at my enthusiasm of the promise of a long, hot shower. "Take your time, I can barter our loot and pick up supplies, too."
"Deal."
The shower was amazing after so many days on the road with nothing more than a quick wipe down with a cold soapy cloth and a hasty brushing of teeth. I hoped the Dugout Inn had plenty of hot water as I let the spray wash my aches and bruises into submission. The laser burn on my leg was healing slowly and would probably leave a scar. I couldn't see my ribs where MacCready had dug out the bullet, but I could feel a patchy ridge of tissue there. The Commonwealth is certainly leaving its mark. If ever I needed proof this was real, the scars tell the truth.
After too long, yet not feeling it was quite long enough, I finally stepped out of the shower to dry off and dress into my spare clothes. MacCready was in the room when I exited, just finishing up wiping down his sniper rifle. A new pile of supplies sat in the corner, and I nodded my approval. "Thanks, Mac."
"No problem, Sarge." he jabbed back. "Why don't you stop by Valentine's and grab some noodles from Takahashi for both of us? I'll join you as soon as I'm finished here."
"Sounds good." Shrugging on my jacket, I strapped my laser pistol to my leg and left the room.
At Valentine's, Ellie greeted my entrance with a welcoming smile, waving me in with a "Nick's in the back."
"Hey there, kid," was the cordial greeting from the detective himself. "Heard you two were back in town. Word around the Commonwealth is the Minutemen are back, helping settlers, and looking for members. Sounds like you got up there to help them out in the nick of time. Good job."
"Wow, word travels fast!" I was impressed. We hadn't been gone all that long, had we? The days start to blur together without a calendar to keep track.
"It travels faster when you know where to listen," he replied slyly. "But all that aside, were they able to help you?"
I shook my head. "No, but not for lack of trying. Sturges tried everything he could think of, but he's more of a mechanic, not a scientist." At Nick's sympathetic grimace, I added, "but we did bump into a group that MacCready tells me knows a lot more about technology. You know anything about the 'Brotherhood of Steel'?"
Nick sat up straight, giving me his undivided attention at that. "You ran into the Brotherhood of Steel in the Commonwealth? Yeah, I know a bit about them. They ain't too fond of my type, and they're fanatics about technology." He tapped his metal fingers on the desk. "Your churlish mercenary is right, though. They do have a wealth of their own scientific advancements. I just hope they're not here to start a war," he said quietly, half to himself. "If you deal with them," he warned, "be very, very careful. The Brotherhood has more than their fair share of fanatics, but there are the occasional individuals who can be trusted to keep their word."
"Thanks, Nick. At this rate, I'll deal with anyone who might have answers. I'll be careful, I promise." Looking at the scattered folders on his desk, I asked, "Got any new leads for me?"
"'Fraid not, kiddo," he answered glumly. "Not many high-level scientists outside the Institute, I'm afraid. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and I'll let you know if anything comes across my desk."
"Sounds like the best plan we have." We shook hands and I left his office, a little dejected at the lack of leads.
I took my time perusing some of the few shops on the way back, waiting for MacCready to appear, but he was taking longer than I thought. Shrugging to myself at the delay, I picked up some more soap, and even a small sewing kit this time around. Bullet holes might look intimidating, but they were damn cold when the wind blew.
Having stalled as much as I cared to in the chilly air, I took the chance that Takahashi did take-out (he did, or at least he didn't stop me from taking the bowls with me) and hurried back to the Dugout Inn central room with our meal. If MacCready was on his way out, I could intercept him and save him the trip. Vadim allowed me to set up our meal on the bar as long as the drinks came from him. My companion still hadn't appeared, and the noodles were cooling, so I tucked in.
A flash of movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention as I glimpsed a casually dressed man go to sit down where I had set the second bowl of noodles and beer. I turned swiftly to stop him, then stopped and stared in complete surprise.
"Is this seat taken?" It was MacCready, but he was... clean. His hair was still slightly damp, and he was wearing a long-sleeved brown checkered shirt over a white tank top and a faded pair of jeans. He grinned at the look on my face and I hastily turned back to my noodles, trying to hide the flush that burned my cheeks. I had to peek back just to make sure it really was my companion. He was looking at me, an almost playful smirk crossing his lips as he pulled the bowl of noodles closer. "Surprised, Boss?"
Damn, he cleans up nice. "I-uh," I stammered, still feeling the blush across my cheeks. "I thought you hated getting wet." I looked him up and down. Without his leather duster, he looked even more lean and wiry, all angles and sharp planes. Dangerous, and attractive.
He chuckled, taking a pull of his beer. "Usually, I do. But after seeing you in complete scrubbed bliss after your shower, I figured I'd give it a try. Picked up these spares when I traded for our haul." He indicated his outfit.
"And how was it?"
"Not bad, not bad," he bantered. "I could get used to it. You're teaching me to be civilized, Boss." He tapped his lips with the ends of the chopsticks. "I have to admit, my teeth don't hurt as much anymore, once I started using the toothbrush you gave me in that kit."
"That's good to hear. I'm glad I can help you out, even in something as minor as laundry." I patted my jacket for the sewing kit. "Speaking of that, what happened to your, ahhhm, usual outfit? I got some needle and thread and can fix the rips and tears from our latest adventures."
He raised his eyebrows at me. "You sew, too?" At my nod, he declared, "Boss, you are a domestic miracle." He snickered into his noodles when I rolled my eyes at him. "My 'usual outfit' as you call it is currently hanging up to dry along with the rest of the stuff. I tried your trick of showering clothed to start and I think it worked."
I tried very hard not to picture it. The noodles needed to be eaten, so I slurped up another bite. "You think it worked?"
"It took a while for the water to run clean. There was a lot of mud."
Vadim overheard us talking and came over to chat. "Good thing we have so much hot water for our guests! The Dugout Inn is best place to stay in the Commonwealth!"
We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening at the bar, chatting with Vadim, exchanging gossip, and enjoying our day of rest. Most of the gossip went completely over my head, but MacCready seemed to have a reasonable passing knowledge of the topics under discussion. Vadim kept the drinks flowing, but at a more sedate pace than our last visit. MacCready and I traded tales with him and his brother Yefim. Trying to keep my history as vague as possible, I nevertheless was able to tell some stories from my Army days, and even adapt the occasional instrument repair tale, revising it to fit the Wasteland environment.
As the evening wore on, more and more local residents entered the bar. It was at this point that the crowd started to get to me. Once I reached my socialization cap for the night, I nudged my companion and let him know I was going back to the room. He nodded, tossed some caps on the bar to pay for our last round, and we made our way back to the quiet sanctuary of our room. I wasn't expecting him to follow me, but was glad for the company.