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The night was as it normally was. Calm, quiet, and still. Boone was still as vigilant as ever, not treating the calm atmosphere as a peaceful one. His rifle fit snugly against his shoulder, his eye lightly pressed against the scope. Recently there had been an influx of feral ghouls from the old REPCONN building, startling the occupants of Novac and requiring himself and Manny to be all the more aware. Novac didn't need to become another ghost town in the Mojave.
Sighing, Boone moved his torso around and searched for any enemies that might be coming Novac's way. Looking at the old gas station, Boone saw a small figure stumbling past it. Already locked on the target, Boone looked through his scope and got ready to fire.
" I've wrangled, and I've rambled, and I've rodeoed around
I never once thought of settlin' down
But darlin', the moment I laid eyes on you
I knew my ramblin' days were through. "
If it weren't for the overly loud music coming out of the visitor's Pip-Boy, Boone would've easily taken them as a ghoul and blown their head off.
Maybe he needed to take a break if he was getting that trigger-happy.
Sighing again, Boone let his rifle slip from his shoulder and set it on the ground gently. He'd been at Dinky for hours, not allowing himself a break. Not that he normally did, but recently he'd been feeling more and more exhausted as the sleepless nights went on. Waiting and thinking for a few minutes, Boone eventually got up from where he was sitting and left Dinky's mouth, leaving Novac unguarded for the time being. He still had his knife with him, but Boone desperately needed a break from the familiar weight of his rifle.
Making his way to the Dino Dee-lite lobby, Boone cracked his neck and stretched his back before coming to the lobby door. He pushed it open and immediately got the attention of Jeannie May. She startled, and a strange expression passed over her face when she saw him, but it was quickly pushed away and replaced by her normally cheerful demeanor.
"Well, hi Boone! I didn't think your shift with Dinky was over for another two hours. Is there something you need?" She shuffled awkwardly behind the counter, stepping on something metal.
She's hiding something , Boone thought. He walked up to the counter and crossed his arms as he stared at Jeannie May, noticing her gaze flit away from his face and land anywhere beside him.
"Yeah. Did that stranger with the radio come in here? I need to make sure that there's not a security threat here. Legionaries have been spotted further up north. It's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to a potential Legion spy."
Jeannie nodded seriously but tapped her foot against the metal object she was standing on anxiously. Boone was sure the topic of the Legion, or maybe just himself in general made her uncomfortable, but there was something more. "The cowboy? That little one just rented the first room upstairs, the one right by the stairs. I doubt he could do much damage, but go and check for yourself." She threw a heavy keyring at him and pointed at a key with green tape stuck to the base.
"That's the spare that opens his room. If you kill him, could you at least clean up the mess? Thanks." Boone nodded and left, going up the rusted stairs as quietly as he could. Standing at the door, Boone pressed his ear up against the wood and rolled his eyes. The music was still audible through the shut door, no doubt pissing off the other residents of the Dino Dee-lite. Face still pressed against the door, Boone looked at the hinges that attached the door to the wall.
Rusted. It would most definitely make noise.
Flicking the safety latch away, Boone pulled out his hunting knife and held it at the ready. He inserted the key and turned it with his open hand, wincing as even the lock creaked with age. As soon as the tell-tale click of an open door was heard, Boone moved away from the door and pushed it open with all his might, knife at eye level and body ready to attack.
He was fully expecting a knife fight with a Legion spy, tactics down and dirty, and the fight even dirtier. What Boone wasn't expecting was for the "little one" to be chugging antivenom and wrapping bandages around several cuts and wounds dotting his arms and torso.
Jeannie May was right. He was little.
Stature-wise, Boone guessed that he was even shorter than him, which is a feat. With his shirt off, Boone could see the barest hint of muscle on his torso and arms, but it was easy to overlook when he could easily count the cowboy's ribs. He was small. He was small but tough if the empty stimpacks and dirty bandages had anything to say. The cowboy looked up at him from where he was hunched over himself and smiled.
"Hey, sir! That's a cool knife you have there. I don't really use knives, but I have one anyway. I normally use my repeater here, but sometimes close combat is the only answer to a problem. Is there anything I can help you with, or did you just wanna say hi?"
Boone blinked numbly, baffled. The kid stared at him and waited for his response, a smile on his face. He looked down when the song that was playing stopped, and he lifted his Pip-Boy so he could hear the already-loud Mr. New Vegas better.
"Hey, it's me again, Mr. New Vegas! It's well past the time to get some shut-eye, so hello to all my wonderful night owls out there. You know, at night, I just wanna hold the one I love close to me and tell 'em how much I love 'em. That person is you, of course. From me to you, here's one of my special songs- One For My Baby. "
The cowboy hummed thoughtfully and turned up the radio, filling the small room with the sound of a gentle piano. "I don't think I've heard this song before! I guess Mr. New Vegas has a night selection, ey?"
"Change it."
"What?"
" Change it. "
"Alright, alright, I guess I can listen to it some other night." The cowboy fiddled with his Pip-Boy and turned a knob on the side several times, stopping the soft voice of Frank Sinatra and replacing it with some wordless western tune. The cowboy shrugged and looked at Boone happily. "I guess some people just don't like certain songs. I get that. One time when I was in Primm hanging out with the NCR soldiers stationed there, Johnny Guitar played four times in a row. In a row. I couldn't change it seeing as the radio dial was stuck, so we all had to listen to that song way too many times. That song is nice, but I don't think I can hear it for the next month."
Boone silently agreed with him, but he didn't hate that song. He loved that song. One For My Baby was the song that played when he and Carla had their first and only dance at their wedding, stars shining above them as they swayed from side to side in the night. It was too painful to listen to.
"So are you here to introduce yourself or what? My name is Gabriel! What's your name, sir?"
"Don't call me that." It reminded Boone too much of being in the NCR.
"Okay, so then what should I call you?"
"...Boone."
"Hi, Boone!" Gabriel waved at him excitedly, jostling some of the bandages on his torso and making them come loose. "Aw, damn. It's hard to do bandages like this yourself, you know?" The slipping bandages revealed a nasty puckered wound, easily on its way to infection. Gabriel put healing power around it, so he at least knew how to heal himself enough not to end up dead. Gabriel caught him looking and beckoned him over, patting the spot on his bed next to him. He moved the teddy bear that was laying there and gently propped it against the pillows, making sure it looked comfortable before looking back at Boone. "C'mon, I'm not gonna bite you."
Hand still on his knife, Boone cautiously made his way toward Gabriel and sat down on the bed, not letting himself relax at all. He was still potentially a major threat, so constant vigilance was necessary.
Gabriel smiled even wider as Boone sat down, letting go of his loose bandages in his excitement. "Oh, goddamn it, now they're looser than before. I may as well redo them. Shit!" Boone stared at Gabriel unabashedly as he took off his bandages, getting ready to put them on again.
His chest and arms were covered in scars. Bigger ones surrounded his wrists, elbows, and shoulders, a clear sign of a rough-and-tumble past filled with fights. From what Boone could tell, the most prominent scars there were road burns and nicks from knives. On his chest were smaller scars, little circles from BB pellets and burns from energy weapons. Clearly, Gabriel had been in some scraps.
"You never did say why you came around, Boone. Did you need help with- aff! Shit, that hurt. Did you need help with something?"
Maybe he could help if he wasn't a filthy legionary.
"Yeah. I guard Novac at night, and I heard you come in." Boone felt that he explained himself enough to Gabriel.
"So you just wanted to say 'hi?' That's nice!"
Some of the fights the little cowboy had been in must've scrambled something in his mind because Boone was sure even a drunk deathclaw could understand his explanation, which in reality was a very thinly veiled threat. Boone inwardly face palmed, commending the naive cowboy in front of him for living so long. He looked about twenty, but it was an accomplishment in the Mojave.
"No, I didn't. I check for threats and keep the town safe, and you're an unknown entity. The Legion has been spotted east, so any newcomer could be a threat." Boone's voice turned from monotonous to angry as he spoke, his clear distaste for the Legion shining through for Gabriel to see.
"Skirt boys? The fascists? Man, fuck those guys." Gabriel still spoke with a smile on his face. "The only reason why I don't shoot 'em on sight is because I think they like me for some reason. Plus, they're scattered everywhere. Havin' them hate me would just make things more difficult. Once I have enough to fight 'em," he clapped his hands together and made a finger gun motion at Boone, "'s on sight."
The trigger-happy nervousness in Boone's chest settled a little at Gabriel's statement, though it didn't entirely disappear. Having the Legion take interest in anyone was alarming, especially if their target was an idiot. Gabriel could still be a spy, but Boone started to doubt his earlier suspicions.
There was no way someone could pretend to be so stupid without actually being that stupid. Boone was sure that the kid was adept at something, but it certainly wasn't skepticism, which was a necessary skill in the wasteland. Sooner or later, he was going to get himself killed.
"Yeah, I agree with you there." Boone watched Gabriel as he continued to try and wrap the bandages around his torso. If Boone had to guess from his wincing, some cazadors got him on his back as well as his front. "You're never going to get those around you, you know that? Dressing wounds normally takes two people." Gabriel winced again as he twisted his back to try and pick up the roll of bandages that fell out of his hand and onto the bed, showing Boone that his suspicions were correct.
"I know sir, er- Boone, I know. Do you wanna help? If you do, maybe I could do something in return! I don't have many caps, but I'm good at some other stuff." Gabriel started to panic as Boone just stared at him. "Yeah, I can do some stuff! There's a good chance that I can fix any gun you got, normal or energy. I can also make my tongue look like a clover, whatever that is, and I'm pretty good at giving haircuts and dye jobs! You need a tattoo? I can give you one! Need some radscorpions gone? I'm your guy! Do you-"
"That's fine."
Boone shook his head at the chatterbox he was sitting next to, surprised that he stopped talking when Boone cut him off. He grabbed the roll of bandages from behind Gabriel and awkwardly waited for him to face him. He didn't know why he wanted to help Gabriel, but he did.
It was for Carla , he reasoned. It had nothing to do with the fact that he hadn't touched someone in weeks and that every time he brushed past Manny or Cliff he wished that they would bump into him or shove him or something . It didn't matter that he hadn't patched anyone up since his first Recon days when he cared about the people around him and wanted the best for them so he took his time with their bandages.
"Y'all right?"
Gabriel's soft voice drew his attention back to the task at hand. The little cowboy was looking at him worriedly, his hand barely raised from where it had been previously sitting on his lap, and inched closer to Boone's own. He shook his head and moved closer to Gabriel, grabbing him by the upper arms and moving his arms slightly away from his body.
"Keep them here."
"Okay! So, what do you want? A tattoo? A dye job? Some rifle repair? A piercing? I can read well enough, so I can read you something if you'd like that. Sometimes hearing voices is nice, you know? One time in Goodsprings Doc Mitchell was reading me my vitals- ow- and I just fell asleep. His voice was nice."
Boone continued to wrap the roll of bandages around Gabriel's torso. He wound them around and around the little cowboy, pulling them tight and making sure they wouldn't slip down. He was happy Gabriel already put healing powder on the wounds and had taken several stimpacks or else he would have to do more than wrap the wounds. He was a sniper, not a field medic. Boone knew what to do on a basic level, but he couldn't stitch up a wound.
"Damn, you're good at this! Well, better than I am. I don't know how anyone would be able to do this by themselves, 'specially since it hurts. I think I have some doctor books back in Goodsprings, so I can read 'em to make me more doctor-smart! Books teach you things, Boone," Gabriel said seriously.
Gabriel watched Boone's hands as they tucked the end of the bandage roll into the top layer of bandages right in between his shoulder blades. Boone's calloused fingers barely made contact with his back, but Gabriel let out a dramatic groan at the sensation. "I forgot that cazador stings itch! You don't have to do that, I can just scratch up against the wall. The wallpaper is falling apart. Nice texture, y'know. Thanks, anyway! You never did say what you wanted, by the way."
He was looking at Boone happily, patting his bandages and giving Boone a thumbs up as he waited for his answer. He pushed his wavy blonde bangs away from his eyes, showing Boone even more scars he hadn't seen before. There, on his forehead, were two not yet healed scars, one right above his left eyebrow and one in the center of his head. They seemed new, scabbed over and puffy. Gabriel's hair was back over his forehead before Boone could get a closer look at the surrounding area.
"I helped you with this, so now you help me with something. My wife, Carla, was found dead in Legion territory. Something happened to her. Snoop around, and see what you can find. Something isn't right here, and someone in Novas knows what happened to her."
"Oh, Carla? I found something about her already! I was getting antsy so I cracked open a 'secure' safe and looted it. I, uh, shit man, I know what happened to your wife." Gabriel's seemingly permanent smile slipped off of his face, and his friendly eyes turned sad. He cracked his neck, wincing as it stretched a cazador sting on his neck, and avoided eye contact with Boone. "Do you want me to tell you?"
Obviously he wanted Gabriel to fucking tell him . Boone calmed himself before he spoke. He didn't want to snap at the kid, especially since he just looked so damn small like this. Nervous, hunched in on himself, and hiding behind his bangs.
"No. Bring whoever is responsible to the front of Dinky and put this on," he handed him one of his spare berets, "to signal me that that's them. Don't talk to me before that." Boone got up and left the musty room without another word, leaving Gabriel alone with his thoughts.
"As soon as I see that balding bastard I'm shooting him," Gabriel said to himself. "Interest be damned, those assholes are going down by my hand." He got a plain somewhat clean shirt out of his travel backpack and put it on, clutching the Recon beret in his hand.
Boone's rifle was steady and straight as he waited for Gabriel to bring the culprit to the front of Dinky. The sounds of Blue Moon could be heard from below him, and Boone knew that Gabriel was there. He leaned into the scope and watched Gabriel bring someone to the front.
Please don't be Manny. Please, please don't be Manny.
It wasn't Manny.
Jeannie May Crawford was wiping the sleep out of her eyes and looking at Gabriel, obviously confused as to why she was brought out of her home to see something. As soon as Gabriel put the beret on his head, Jeannie May's was gone in a spray of red mist and gore.
There. He had done it. One of the dozens of things he needed to redeem himself for was done.
Gabriel clambered up Dinky's steps and opened the door, sitting next to Boone and giving him back his beret silently. His expression was neutral, completely void of any emotions. It was unsettling, considering the only thing that was comfortable on the kid's face was a smile.
"How did you know it was her?" It was phrased as a question, but it was really a demand. As aloof as Gabriel was, he understood.
"I found the… bill of sale when I was looking around. It was in a safe behind the Dino Dee-lite counter on the floor. I'm sorry, Boone."
That explained the nervousness from her and the metal sound, Boone thought. From the way Gabriel fidgeted and avoided his gaze, there was clearly something else he wanted to say. He never knew Carla, yet he looked more uncomfortable than Boone. His shoulders were tensed and tears were resting on his lower lashes, barely visible from where his bangs hung low.
"I think there's something else you should know, Boone." That made it easier for Boone, he didn't have to force it out of the little cowboy. "There was someone else sold. I'm so sorry you never got to meet them," Gabriel's voice cracked at the last word. He handed a crumpled piece of paper over to Boone while tears fell onto it.
Oh.
Oh.
Boone folded the bill of sale neatly and tucked it into his beret, slipping it into a sewn-in pocket that contained only a picture of himself and Manny, and a picture of himself and Carla. Manny took the picture of them. He and Carla were just talking, the sun casting shadows on the half of their faces the camera was facing. Boone and Carla were both smiling, just a little.
Boone tucked the bill of sale next to it.
He remained silent while Gabriel cried himself out of tears. His eyes, much like the wounds all over his body, were puffy and red. "What will you do now?" His voice was scratchy, filled with emotion over the loss of someone he never knew. "I still owe you that favor."
"No, you don't. Putting Carla fully to rest was the favor." Gabriel shook his head and wiped his eyes.
"It wasn't. I would'a done that with no strings attached, sir. Is there anything I can do to help you? Anything at all?" Boone rubbed his hand over his face, thinking.
It would be best for him to leave Novac as soon as he could, no trace of him left behind. To the rest of the town, he just shot Jeannie May for no reason and left her to rot in front of Dinky. For what he did, for what he has done, he would be an easy target for any mercenaries willing to cash in a bounty he undoubtedly had on his head. He knew that if he asked the kid, favor or not, he would say yes, so he just had to phrase his words wisely.
"You're gonna help me get out of here, kid. 'M gonna follow you to make sure you don't sell me out to any greedy Legion bastards."
Gabriel stared at him blankly. Boone was sure that his eyes closed and opened at different times like a frog's.
"So what you're sayin' is that I get a friend? A deadly friend with a sniper rifle? Oh my goddamn, this is gonna be awesome! Okay, get your stuff! I'll help you carry anything you need! This is so exciting, Boone! My own friend!" Gabriel shot off the bed, hastily grabbing his backpack and shoving the rest of his unused medical supplies in there haphazardly. He wiggled past Boone and opened the door dramatically, waiting for Boone to lead him to his room. "C'mon!"
Boone said nothing as he brushed shoulders with the little cowboy, but Gabriel could swear he was smiling.