“Didn’t believe in fairytales ‘til I laid eyes on you, princess.” He couldn’t help himself. Not around blondes, and especially not blondes with freckles. She wasn’t biting, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t still have a little fun. “But what are the chances, huh? I hadn’t even planned on stopping by here today, but here we are.” He cocked his head and watched her shovel, waiting until the brick was loose enough to possibly be removed before grinning.
“Want a hand?”
His comments made her skin crawl and stomach churn. Holly instantly regretted having even left the house that day. Hell, getting out of bed now seemed like it had been a shit choice. She ground her teeth, still refusing to look at him. To her frustration, the cinder block remained firmly in the ground. Holly pulled the shovel free, and began digging some of the dirt away from the side, hoping that might loosen it some.
“Nope,” she tossed a shovel full of dirt to the side, putting just enough effort in that most of it landed on his boots, “And if you take a step towards me I’ll be swingin’ this shovel at your fuckin’ head.”
He shakes his head in disbelief, chewing the stub of a cigar. “Hard t’believe, honestly, but I guess she’s no smaller than you, and you manage just fine. Just curious, is all. Last I heard she was a real partygirl, not too shy about playing with strangers.” He wouldn’t actually go after the property of a useful asset like DC, of course. Bad for business, a quick way to piss her off. Especially given how he tends to deal with romance.
But, it’s sometimes entertaining to poke the deathclaw. He grins. “You the sharing type?”
“I am and always have been, yes.” DC’s placid attitude doesn’t shift a bit. “As Darla knows. She can do as she pleases.” Mostly. She can mostly do as she pleases, but DC knows not to give Vince something to dig into like that.
“Are you concerned for me? I hear she’s been a terror.” Now her tone shifts, a hint of slyness. Her smile stretches mirthfully. “I’m flattered.”
Holly: I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna stay sober for another week! That’ll give me a whole two months with no drinking!
Vince: -appears-
Holly: jfc somebody hand me a bottle of whisky right fuckin’ now
One look at this motherfucker was enough for Holly to decide that she did not like him one bit.
“If you believe in fairytale hogwash,” she scoffed, barely looking at him before turning back to her task: digging out a few half buried cinder blocks. Had she been further from the settlement, she might have been a little more concerned, but with the walls still within sight, and people on patrol she was not overly fearful. Not just yet.
“Which I don’t, by the way,” she drove the shovel into the dirt, under the corner of a block, and began trying to pry it loose, “So feel free to take your bullshit talk on down the road. I ain’t interested.”
Holly had spent a while leveling out a patch of dirt. A tedious task, which took longer than one might think, and she’d hated every minute of it. But it would make the rest of her project much easier in the long run. Tossing the shovel aside, she began stacking her cinder blocks.
Gathering them from down near the lack had turned into a fiasco, and her stomach still turned when she thought about it. She wanted to drink. Drown those memories away, but she’d gotten rid of everything in the house. And she almost had two months without taking even a sip. It was nothing, and if she told anyone they’d likely have a good laugh, but it was an achievement. She’d gone six months earlier in the year, before the trouble with the raiders. Then the shit with the pasty faced puke had pushed her over the edge.
The anger and shame she felt over the whole thing was overwhelming, and she did not know how to get shed of it. All she knew is that if she started drinking again, this time, she might not stop.
Footsteps behind her drew her attention for a moment, and she turned to see Matty approaching, and the dogs all running to greet him.
“Hey,” Matty spoke over the excited yips and whines from the dogs, “Heard you met a Gunner today.”
She half turned, and gave a nod.
“You alright?”
“I’m fine. He didn’t do nothin’ but run his damn mouth,” she scoffed, unable to bring herself to tell him the kind of shit he’d said. The implications. It made her skin crawl, and it would only piss him off, “Already talked to Betty about it. She’s dealt with him before.”
“He been a problem?”
“Not that I’m aware. Besides being a fuckin’ pig, anyhow,” Holly shook her head, “We’re puttin’ more folks on patrol, Keepin’ a close eye on things just in case.”
Matty nodded, and took a seat on a nearby stump, “You sure got shit luck with assholes, don’t you?” a pause, while he rubbed his face, “Speakin’ of...found out a little ‘bout the other shithead.”
Holly stopped, and turned to face him squarely, “Yeah?”
“Not a helluva lot, sorry to say,” he let out a breath. Duke rested his head on Matthew’s thigh; a request for ear scratches, which Matthew was happy to give, “‘Parently he’s part of a group that calls themselves The Saints. They all wear purple, so you know who they’re with, I guess. They’re fairly new to these parts from what I’ve gathered, just gettin’ set up. Fella givin’ you trouble does go by Boss.”
She rolled her eyes, and made a sound in the back of her throat and grumbled, “Stupid fuckin’ name.”
Matty chuckled, and nodded, “Gotta agree with you there.”
“You know where they’re holed up?”
“Not for sure. Nobody I talked to knew much on that account. Best guess, somewhere not too far from Diamond City, but there’s a whole lotta places they could be, I’ll have to do some more pokin’ around,” he shook his head, “But, from what I gather, they’re havin’ a pissin’ match with local raiders and Gunners in the area, so gettin’ in to look around ain’t gonna be easy.”
Fear flickered across Holly’s features, and her stomach did a quick twist. Even without the raiders and Gunners, it would have been hard to do much recon without getting shot, but with all of that going on too? Holly swallowed against a knot in her throat. After everything else, everyone she’d already had to bury, she could not bear the thought of having to dig a grave for Matty too.
“Don’t...” her voice broke, and a brief moment passed before she was able to continue, “D-Don’t go pokin’ too much. That little puke’s off his damn rocker.”
He studied her for a moment, face solemn, and then shook his head, “Ain’t gonna set to it just yet, but I’ll be careful when I do. I promise. I reckon if he was gonna try’n come at you again right away, he’d woulda done it by now. We’ll keep the Shepherd’s around for a while longer, if they’re willin’. Once you’re ready to go out scavvin’ again, Starling says she’ll go out with you. Grant and Slim too. Reckon you got plenty-a folks who’d be willin’ to go with you.”
“That’s a while off,” she said quietly, now turning back to the cinder blocks. Holly lifted another, and placed in line next to the last one, taking care to butt them right up against each other, “I’m tired, Matty.”
“I know,” he spoke gently, There was no condescension in his tone, only sadness, “You been walkin’ a rough road for good long while. Ain’t no shame in takin’ a breather.”
Holly did not answer, and instead studied her assortment of blocks. It was not going to be enough, not just yet She’d need two rows stacked up at least. Three would be better, to get a nice bed of coals going. Two that she’d dug up earlier were broken, and might not end up working. They could be used for something else, but probably not for this. Holly let out a long sigh, and grabbed one of the blocks that was whole.
Duke had settled in the grass for a nap, and Matthew stood, and coming closer to look at her project, “Whatcha workin’ on here?”
“Smokehouse,” she nudged the cinder block into place with her foot, “Like the one we had back home.”
“Gotta good start on it,” he smiled, “Be nice to have some smoke meat over the winter. You want a hand?”
“Nah, I’m alright. Might get you to help later though...when I’m doin’ the walls. You was always better with a hammer’n nails than me.”
“Sure, be glad to,” Matthew looked up at the darkening sky, “I’ll go get some supper goin’ while you finish up.”
