After a light breakfast, Sara let out a low mumble she would return shortly after making a trip to the nearest bathroom. As she washes her hands she looks at the faded mirror that hung on the wall. She pauses a moment to look at herself. Nothing had changed, same bluish-green eyes. A light trail of freckles over her cheeks. The same dot sun stops she's had since she could remember. She turns her head to the side, everything was the same about her. Coming here, hadn't really changed much outside of she could see a hell of a lot better. She was still getting used to not having glasses. She had to admit it was nice to not have to worry about them. She touches her cheek before turning the water off and heading out. The storm had picked up a bit, so work was called off for awhile. It was never wise to work with wires in this kind of storm. So she makes her way back to Danse just as Jeff made his way with a deck of cards. As well as a smile that was far to mischievous as he pulls out a deck of cards he had found. She could only imagine how hard it would be to find them, let alone a full deck. She was down as she takes the deck, but they would be playing her way. She had the strangest feeling they would enjoy this, even if Danse was trying to get out of it. But he wasn't going to escape now and he grumbles softly at his fate. Meanwhile as Maxson was working, someone knocks at his door. He steals himself before he says anything. "Enter.." The door opens, then close. "Elder...sir, mind if I have a word?" Maxson turns to see it was only Nate. He nods and points to his table. They still had a bit of talking to do after all. "What's on your mind Knight?"
Nate was nervous, he really didn't know Maxson that well to get a feel for the man. But he had to clear the air. "You know why I'm going into the Institute, right?" Maxson places his hands under his chin as he listens. "I might, but feel free to give me all the details." It was a sure way to make sure, he had all his information, correct. Nate takes a deep breath through his nose, as he starts. He may as well start from the beginning. "You know I came from a Vault....Vault 111. When...when the first bombs fell, Vault-Tec put us in there, to freeze us as part of an experiment. From what I read on the computers, they never planed to let us out...." Nate feels his fist tighten as he recalls everything. "I only got out, because, something went wrong, all the systems were failing, only I survived. Before that however, someone broke into the Vault, and stole my son....killing my wife. His name was Kellogg, and he worked for the Institute." He takes a small pause. "There's a chance...my son...he's in there now, and...God I won't lie it frightens me to think what they told him....of me...his mother...." Ten years, if what he had been told was right, his boy Shaun was ten years old. "I know, getting in is important, but I..." he takes another pause, hoping he wasn't over stepping his boundaries here. "I just want to know he's safe..." Maxson listens closely as he leans back in his chair. "You wish to keep him here?" "Is it to much to ask, I understand if it is...it's just.." Maxson holds out his hand to get the poor guy to slow down a touch. "You are right about one thing, it's impossible to know what the Institute has done to him. The idea they even resulted to taking children sickens me..."
Elder or no, he wouldn't stand for something like that. How close had he come to being replaced if the Institute knew of him? He shudders at the thought. "He is free to stay on this ship...when you find him..." He was careful not to add 'if' he was a better man then that and Nate looked grateful. "Thank you.." Maxson nods at this, as he remembers something. "There are two things I want to ask of you first. When you enter, I want you to insert a holotape into their system. Ingram is working on that now since the storm has halted everything else at the moment." Nate was fine with that, hell even he wondered just what they were really up to. "And the second part?" "To find Doctor Madison Li, she used to be a member of the Brotherhood of Steal. There was some falling out, but it would benefit us greatly to have her back." The last thing he heard was she had run off to go work for the Institute. "Try to reason with her as best you can. But trust me, I'll understand if it doesn't work out." If it didn't at least it was worth a shot and he'd just move on to Plan B. Which might waste even more time so he really hoped for the best outcome. "If that's all I have to do, consider it done for letting my boy stay here." Nate was so happy, he was almost close to tears. Sure it wasn't the best living space, but at least he would know Shaun was safe until he had a proper home back in Sanctuary to return to. Maxson nods slowly, still leaning back in his chair, lost in thought. Nate watches him for a moment, wondering what was going on inside his mind. It was a few minutes before Maxson spoke again.
"It pleases me Knight, to see someone so dedicated to family, in light of everything you went through at the Vault. Trust me, you're not the first person I met to survive their....test.." He could still recall the lone wanderer all those years ago. A part of him wondered what became of him. He had joined the Brotherhood, but after Maxson was named Elder, he had never seen the guy since. "It still bothers me to hear...they never planed to let you out. Just what was it they told you?" Nate looks down at this as he sighs deeply. "They gave us out Vault suits, and told us the machines we were stepping in would decontaminate us and we would be placed elsewhere into the Vault. As you can guess, that was a lie..." Maxson shakes his head at this, frozen, for almost over two hundred years. It was unthinkable. Yet, here was the proof right in front of him. Nate was old enough to know the first founder of the Brotherhood. He raises his brow at the idea. "You wouldn't happen to have known Roger Maxson...did you?" Nate rubs the side of his head. "He started the Brotherhood, I never met him..." It slowly clicks into his mind. "Right, guess that makes him...related to you by several generations....wow.." The name itself was like a testament on survival. "That's quiet a legacy to live up to." Maxson lets out a low huff of air at this. "You don't need to remind me.." He shakes his head as he looks at his desk. "The only thing I know is how to lead these people...so I might as well just be the last Maxson to walk this path." It hit hard, but was that really so bad. To save his legacy from this isolation?
Nate wasn't sure what to say to that, but maybe a part of him understood. "It's not easy..trust me I know, when I came home from the war, I wasn't....me.." War never changes after all. "But...I don't want to sound sentimental, but having Nora at my side, changed everything..." Maxson slowly looks up at him. "And...I hate myself I was never completely honest with her. The things that were left unsaid, I'll never be able to change that..." His voice wavers a bit, but he holds strong. "I wouldn't change the choices I made, even if...going into that Vault..." It takes him a minute to continue. "I would do anything to get her back, at least to tell her how sorry I was." He leans forward a bit to look Maxson right in the eyes. "Meeting her...changed so much, all the battles, the pain, it was...gone, I was in a dark place for so long. I don't think she ever really understood how much she helped me get through that darkness..." Maxson said nothing as Nate spoke. "It...it doesn't happen all at once, no, but it's like..." He tries to find a good way to explain it. "It's like waking up, from a long drawn out nightmare. And suddenly, you can think clearly. The voices, the faces you see..it all fades, and you realize...you can finally stand on your own.." More silence, the only sound he could hear was the rain pelting on the metal casting on the airship. "You can deny it all you want, trust me, it won't do you any good." Maxson stops him there as he slowly gets up. "That's...enough Knight, your dismissed..." Nate rolls his eyes as he gets up to leave. But not before adding his own piece of advice. "Do yourself a favor, don't ignore it...you're young, I get that with all due respect. But don't sell yourself short...sir." He turns and he was out the door. Quiet, all Maxson could hear now was the rainfall. Was he really in denial? No, he was just doing his job, right?
Well he certainly had enough to think about with the storm. Some hours past and now a small group had gathered to play cards. It had started with just Sara and Danse. But as she taught him how to play kings corner. It was an easy game and she figured it would save on embarrassment on teaching him poker or something like that. Wasn't long before her new friend Jeff had jumped in, and soon Nate. Nate had no idea how Sara knew this game. But she explained an old friend she knew as a teen showed her how to play. It quickly turned into a relaxing atmosphere as they played and talked. Even Danse was actually enjoying this, finding the change of pace the most relaxed he had ever felt. Then again, it was almost impossible, to not enjoy the easy aura this woman had. She lets out a low chuckle as she knocks on the table, letting Nate know it was his turn. He picks up a card and groans. "That didn't help." He repeats the signal, and it was Jeff's turn. He picks up a card and gives it some thought. "So you really had to put up with a lot, didn't you?" Sara sighs as she closes her eyes. "Yeah, and I mean, it wasn't like it was all bad, it just felt like after awhile, it just got worse..." Jeff plays a few cards and turns to Danse. He picks up a card as he knits his brows, thinking. "I have to ask, what did you cook at your work?" Sara tries to think of something that would make since in a place like this. "Like I said, it wasn't anything fancy, mostly just food on the go, and no it wasn't noodles, we had a place like that but they closed down." She shakes her head slowly. "Lets just say their food, wasn't as 'fresh' as they let on. Such a shame to."
Maxson was slowly making his rounds when he spots them. He was growing tired of this, and yet. He moves closer, slowly, making sure they didn't see him as he watched. Sara picks up a card once Danse was sure he had nothing. She smirks as she lays out all her cards on the table and Nate groans. "Damn it, really?" She shrugs as she lets them finish the game. It would continue until only one person was left with cards. "Anyways being a 'cook' wasn't to bad. It was mostly just the people. I remember one day, I was taking orders. We normally do the whole, welcome to, said restaurant, what can I get for you today?" She places her hands on the table, trying to calm her anger. "I swear this man was...lets just say he wasn't the sharpest crayon in the tool-shed." Nate looks at her at the odd reference as she just smiled. "He was that stupid, trust me. So I do my, hi how my I help you?" She holds out her hand, all they could hear was the rain. "Silence, this guy just stood there with the most...dead eye look I had ever seen, so I try again. Um...sir?" She wanted nothing more then to wave her hand in front of his face. "He finally answers like two minutes later. Uhhhh...I want....uhhhh...." She takes a slow breath. "I'm already banging my head against the wall in my head. A kids meal...." Another pause as she holds out her hand for this guy to continue. "Now yes, we had a separate menu for the kids, because they don't eat as much as adults, but this didn't tell me what KIND of meal he wanted. So...regretting the minute I ask, I still had to go. Okay sir, what kind?" There was another pause, another two minutes go by. "It's for a boy. Okay that...does quiet...f*ck it go on..."
She groans quietly into her hands as she sinks into her chair. "Fifteen minutes...it took me, f*cken fifteen minutes, to take this as*holes order, because half of it was just him going. Uhhhh...the whole f*cken time!" She slams her hands on the table, Jeff looking at her with wide eyes. "Wow I didn't think you knew those words." "Dude...shut up..." Jeff blinks at that as he looks at Danse, he just shrugs. "It didn't help, this guy gave me so little to work on. Hell I had to guess what kind of kids meal he wanted less I'd be stuck there all day. He got his food, and I never saw him again after that. Wither or not I got his order right remains a mystery..." Jeff was chuckling at this as he shakes his head. Seeing what time it was he had to leave. Nate and Danse staying behind as she shuffles the cards. "No...my favorite one, didn't happen to me, it happened to my friend Rose. She met one of those women that decided to be cryptic as hell about her order. All she asked was what kind of meal this woman wanted, and she snapped. She yelled at my manager there, that it was...'inappropriate' for an employee to be asking so many personal questions. My poor boss just nods and turns to Rose. You just hear the tiniest. What in the world did you ask her. Poor Rose just look...so confused. All I asked is if she wanted something to drink with that I swear...." Nate looks at her, eyes wide before he starts cracking up laughing. "No...really?" Sara nods as her cheeks go red from trying not to laugh. "I...drugs are a hell of a drug I guess, and this chick was on all of them..." Nate was only laughing more as Danse shakes his head at this.
Danse gives her an honest look. "On behalf of all the abuse you had to deal with, I deeply apologize." Sara blinks at this as she turns to the Paladin. "Well...thank you, that means a lot Paladin...doubt it's considered abuse though..." Danse shakes his head at this. "It's mental abuse at it's worse. People acting rude to get what they want..." Sara looks up at this, having never thought of it that way before. "s**t I think you made a good point, I never saw it like that. Guess it's hard to pick up when your used to it..." Danse only seems to frown more at this as he gets her to stop shuffling the deck. "What do you mean. Someone has done this to you before?" Her eyes go wide, the man looked ready to go on a war path. "Oh no..not here...when I was younger...my mom..." She glances down a bit, not really wanted to go over it. Danse only seem to give her the smallest of nods. "Oh...then I guess I owe you another apology.." She playfully taps his shoulder with her knuckles. "Oh drop it, you big lug, it's fine.." Danse wasn't sure how to take that, but Nate just shrugs, smiling. Which meant the jester didn't mean much and he just goes along. Nate finally leaves to go stretch his legs and Danse soon rises as well. He wasn't used to sitting still for so long. "We should...do this again." She nods as she chuckles. "I'll bring some beer next time, trust me, playing this drunk is hilarious." Danse just gives her a small nod and heads off. Once alone she looks at the deck of cards and sighs. "And alas, only one remained standing...." She blinks a bit as she looks up. "Oh God is my final run at Dungeons and Dragons all over again."
Maxson walks over slowly, crossing his arms. "Do I even want to know?" She jumps a bit as she looks up. "Sir...oh...um..." The F word was quickly becoming her best friend again. "Sit.." She kicks out a chair for him and he takes it, arms still crossed. "It's an old game, older then I am in fact. You could probably still find a few hand books in the old ruined comic book stores." He keeps his arms crossed tightly as he gives her a hard glare. "Uh...it's...actually kind of hard to explain. You can play with as many people you want. You have one person in charge to go along with...whatever path you wish to take and you use a ton of dice to determine if you make it out, or die horribly. Nine times out of ten you end up dying horribly..." Mostly in the Underdark, she hated going in there. "You start small, but as time goes on it gets harder...and I'm not going to lie, me and my friends would spend hours, doing jack sh*t just to make sure we were ready..." Their Dungeon Master hated them so much for it. "Oh..but it was so fun, the stories, all the choices you can make...I don't remember where we left off anymore, but our last run we held..ended in disaster." She made a bad roll, and died to the demi-lich that had risen. Their Dungeon Master never looked more pleased in her life. "We stopped....after..." She goes silent as she looks down. "It wasn't the same...guess that didn't explain crap did it?" She laughs as she looks down. "I can teach you a card game.." He glares at her again and she just takes the loss. Well she tried.
