There’s a boy no older than fifteen leaning against the shoulder of his mother; her own arm wrapped tight around him as they stare on at the shrinking view of Nuka World. For a while, Quinn is captivated in the sight, frozen and wanting. It feels like envy, but it also feels like hope. Hope for them. A new chance to begin again.
Her memories drift to Shaun. Not the young one, the one forced to pretend. The one whose guilt lances her like a hot bullet. No, the original one. Hers. Old, and greying, and lifeless; stretched out in his bed, his hand gone limp in hers. But then, Jamie speaks, and the spell breaks, and she looks back at him to hear his answer.
❝If that’s the case, I get it.❞ She says. And then, adding, ❝Get why you don’t want to talk about it, I mean.❞
The tram begins to pull into the station. Quinn stands, readying her rifle just in case. It looks clear, until her eyes land on the small glass office and sees two Raiders. Pack, judging from the colors. Shit.
❝Jamie. With me. Just you – we need to talk with them.❞ She points out. They’re already standing, eyeing the tram warily, and noting all the people crammed inside. ❝Now. Before they do anything.❞
He’s fixated on her for a second, clearing his throat. It’s the BEAUTY of having her as General. They PERHAPS might not always see eye to eye, but if nothing else, there’s a lot they have in common which makes communicating with her EASY. He can understand her apprehension, so perhaps it’s RIGHT to explain himself, so when she speaks he clears his throat.
“...I’ll elaborate back at HQ. This...now is not really the best time.”
He leaves it vague, but makes the intent clear enough. If nothing else, he suspects that his HONESTY would be preferable. He’s a colonel in this little coalition, and if she couldn’t at the very least trust who he was as a man then they’d undoubtedly have problems in the long run. He respected her enough to offer her the truth above all else.
It’s not until she tenses up again, the statement she makes making his blood run cold as he returns to his otherwise STONE demeanor. The one he’s known for. ENFORCER OF THE MINUTEMEN. When she speaks the order he does so with a nod.
“Understood General. I’m at your back.”
He rises, slowly as not to alarm anyone on the tram. Admittedly he’s smarter than to think that if they make sudden moves it won’t cause panic. So he speaks calmly to the Lancer nearest to him, gently speaking the order into their ear before nodding at Quinn.
“I’ll follow your lead, General.”
This would be a difficult situation, especially considering the fact that they’d need to be sure their...FRIENDS didn’t cause a scene that would lead to more chaos back at Nuka World. There were MANY lives hanging in the balance, and the last thing they needed was a break in already precarious tensions between them.