Yeah, see, that's what I mean. I wasn't sure if any of yours (or any of Lopov's, or any of Khajiit's) could be the rescuer, so I left that blank. Turns out, I was way wrong about how Hecate or Stormcrow would handle a dying, half-bled Dukov. Makes me glad I did not interject anybody we know into that part of the last chapter.

And now that I think about it, whoever the rescuer is would have to have a high Medicine skill. Rattler likes to bleed, so blood packs would be required to save Dukov. The hero there is still open for interpretation.

Okay, this won't be the last episode of 2021, there will be one more. Next week, I promise. And now, a word from our announcer...


As we last saw, Taneesha 'Vicious Delicious' Jones has heard some disturbing news about the place where her best friend Bratty had gone to. Dukov's place was under attack! This caused Vicious to spring into action, gather up her gear, and convince a raider named Q Tip to come along with her.

Now... she's off to Dukov's with Q Tip in tow, though she's made some promises to him she's not sure she can keep.


Chapter 34: Heading to Dukov's Place

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277

Minimum Temperature: 66.9
Maximum Temperature: 88.0

Playtime: 49:41:25




Vicious and Q Tip spent the rest of Tuesday getting prepared for their trip. In fact, Vicious could not just leave as hastily as she'd planned. She took a few hours to return to Megaton and pick up extra supplies, before going back to the school, and calling it a day.

Truth was, whatever happened at Dukov's could not be changed, or rectified. What's done is done. Tomorrow would be just like today, Vicious reasoned. If Bratty was dead, Bratty was dead. And if she wasn't, well, chances are she could not get very far, assuming she wanted to leave the place.

Whatever had been going on down there, it'd been good enough for her to stay down there, to Miss Vicious's chagrin.

Next morning. Vicious and Q got an early start. The trip to Dukov's would take most of the day, and it was better to get out there early, before the radbird caught the worm. The sky was clear, the air typically warm. Vicious and Q Tip left Springvale around 8, and decided to stop by Super Duper Mart an hour later. At the former supermarket they looked for anything they could use. Extra ammo, mostly. A couple grenades, and so on. Oddly, Vicious needed some shells for her shotgun.

Oh yeah, the shells. Nobody had touched the hundreds of caps Vicious had stored in her Springvale classroom, but someone had taken all her shotgun shells.* Fortunately, she did manage to find a couple dozen at the market.

Finally, they were ready to go!

Q Tip brought his own gun as well; a small handgun. But he had always been more of a melee type of guy, so he also retrieved his ripper. Rippers were handheld, battery-powered mechanical devices which operated like small chainsaws. Q Tip's ripper would buzz and make all kinds of noise as it minced the flesh of Q Tip's victims to shreds.

Now that they were both prepared it was time to cross the bridge across from the market. Here they'd begin their trek down the east side of the Potomac. Centuries ago, this thoroughfare had been pretty, stocked with flowers and banners, manicured bushes and cherry trees, along with plenty of sights to see for the millions of tourists. Now it was littered with hostile creatures and hostile goons. Toxic sludge, rust and bombs. Vehicles which still contained various types of fuel, and could be shot at and blown up. Because of this, and because Q Tip had never been in this part of the Wasteland, Vicious explained that it was important to travel cautiously.

"You mostly been stayin' up in Megaton and Springvale, where maybe a rabid dog attacks, maybe a small radscorp," she said. "Up there, Deputy Weld takes care of all that. But. Out here, there ain't no Deputy Weld. No guards top of towers. No caravan guards. We all on our own. So we gotta think smart. Keep looking around, okay? Never just charge into battles. Think like that fella from Vault 101 we been hearing about on the radio, virtual killing machine, from the sound of it. Never give the advantage of surprise."

"Pfft, let them come," scoffed Vicious's new boyfriend. "I'm ready for them. So let them come."

Just after crossing the bridge they then encountered Talon Company militants, who were about a hundred feet away. The militants were just south of the metro depot, pacing back and forth. Vicious spotted them first. After assessing who they were, she then hunkered down behind a trash barrel (instructing Q Tip to do the same with a hand movement). Finally, she broke out her stun gun.

"Here comes the Taser," she said softly to her companion. "Watch this, Q." .

"Talon Company!!!" one of them shouted, as Miss Vicious stood and rushed toward them. She aimed her gun while... *brawwaww!* ... at her side was a sudden buzzing sound. Q Tip had fired up his noisy, handheld device.

One of the men drew an energy pistol, while the other grabbed his semi-automatic rifle. ...*BZZT!*... Vicious zapped the one with the pistol first, then paused to reload. -- *click clack* -- That was the main drawback of her Taser; it could only hold one energy cell at a time, necessitating a reload with every shot.

While she was loading, Q Tip had closed the gap between himself and the one with the rifle. This second soldier got a few rounds off, but once Q got to him with his ripper, blood and guts began flying! Ugh, what the hell? thought Vicious, as --*PLTTHTH!!!* -- she quickly tased the second victim, causing him to fall sideways ike a sack. With both mercs down, Q Tip could go to town slicing his opponent, while Vicious swapped to her shotgun, and blew the first man's head off.

"God damn that is good!" the Tip gloated once the battle was over. "Man, I gotta get me one of those stun guns!"

"Yep, you do, boyfriend. Because this one? It's mine."

"Aw, I see how you play that. I see how it's gonna be. Well, then..."

Over the past day and night as they'd prepared, Miss Delicious was nervous about her former 'romantic' proposal. What would Q Tip expect now that they were supposedly boyfriend and girlfriend? Would he become pushy, like so many men in the romance novels she'd read as a child? Would he want sex and lovin' right away? Would she need to tase the man at some point, in an effort to teach him some valuable lessons about females?

Fortunately for her, Q Tip seemed just as clueless as she was. He'd also never been in a relationship. Had no idea what the heck it actually meant to be in one. Sure, he'd has his fill of flings, and a couple paid romps with Nova up in Megaton. But as far as actually pairing up with somebody, he had no actual clue on how that worked.

Boyfriend and girlfriend, both of whom had grown up without guidance in these matters.

They encountered a few more enemies as they walked a few miles south. Mirelurks, a centaur, and one huge super mutant hidden in an old trailer. With each new batch of targets, Vicious and Q Tip worked out a system. She would use her Taser to stun them, while Q Tip would power up his ripper. Lord help whomever (or whatever) was at the other end of its rotating chain.

Finally they made it to Dukov's. By now it was early evening, just after six. The air was late-summer warm, with a light breeze coming off the river. Vicious contemplated what to do next.

"So what do you think's gonna happen in there?" Q Tip quizzed. "Three Dog said Rattler moved on, but what if he still in there?"

"Pfft, what are you, scared?" She wiped her brow. "If Rattler's in there now, he'd better hope there's a back door he can flee out, before Vicious and Q Tip take him down. Right?"

"Uh, right."

"Don't be nervous Q. Come on, let's go in."

"Uh yeah, sure, okay."

"Mmm, but maybe it'd be better if you actually don't come with me. Not yet, anyway."

"Why?" Q Tip said, his finger already on his killing machine's ON/OFF switch.

"Uh, because I said so, man!" Her hands went to her hips. "Because I'm your girlfriend. And because I've done this before. And I want to see for myself first, okay?"

Q Tip did what a good boyfriend should, in her opinion. He rolled his eyes, but he said nothing.

"There's a raider camp just down the road there. Why don't you go and get acquainted with them? ... Maybe I can walk there with you before I head into Dukov's. Yeah, think I'll do that. Come on, Q."

The pair began to walk south just as the sun was going down. As Vicious and Q Tip approached the raider encampment, a solitary figure gazed down at them from high above.


-------------------------------------

Leaving Springvale

Buzzing some Brahmin

Quick Reload

Super Duper Mart (notice the corpse hanging from the end there).

Super Duper Mart Interior

Potomac River circa 2017

Potomac River 2277

Talon Company!

BZZT!!!!

BKKSH!!!

Q Tip and his Ripper

Vicious gets a Head Shot

Solitary Figure gazes from high above

------------------

Notes-- I seriously have no idea what happened to Vicious's ammo. She had over a hundred shells stored away somewhere, now we can't find them!

Note 2: The end when Vicious has Q Tip wait at the raider camp. that was my sudden realization that he's still part of the Raider Faction. Can't have him going in there if he's just gonna tear everybody up. Including Bratty. When I teleported her to Dukov's months ago (via script) I also removed her from the Raider Faction (via script) so she won't just go berserk in there.

Stay tuned for next week... on.... Miss Vicious Delicious!

This post has been edited by Renee: Jun 26 2022, 03:27 AM

So Miss VD and her new bf get off to an early start – afore the radbird catches the worm as it were.

Ripper and the Talon Company chainsaw massacre! Messy, but effective I guess.

What a hoot as VD and Q try to figure out what means this boyfriend/girlfriend stuff.

Uh oh, their passing has been observed. . . .

Definitely better to get out there before the radbird gets the sandworm...

Oh noes, one of the Raiders stole some of her ammo! Oh wait, they are raiders after all... (seriously though, you might have stored them in a container that was not safe, and it may have respawned.)

I love that Miss Delicious is handing out wise counsel. Here we can see why the Raiders would want her back, and why she is the one being given special missions, while the rest just loaf around getting high.

Hopefully they won't run into that killing machine from Vault 101!

Talon Company. I hate those guys.

But what Miss D knows about mutants and mirelurks, she lacks in dating advice! Sad to see that even January is even more savvy on that front!

Uh oh, that solitary figure in the red bandanna looks familiar...

Acadian, you were in the military. Has there ever been such weapon as a ripper? I think not. But I also think its intended original purpose was cutting into things, but not fleshy things. :yuck:

I am glad you and SR are okay with the boyfriend / girlfriend stuff. Was worried about that, because I actually don't know what to write! But it's okay. Over time I will get a sense for how Vicious will approach this.

Rosa, that is a mystery about the missing ammo. From what I know about Fallout, any container which we can take stuff from (rather than stealing) is supposed to be safe? She's only been putting stuff into "Take From" containers. I also gave her her own lockers in the school and in Lucy West's house. So... weird.

Yes, Vicious is wise with her choices, this is true. I imagine most raiders are layabouts who can't be trusted. They are young and dumb and don't care about tomorrow. Like extras in a post-apocalyptic sci-fi flick, they are the ones you see getting bombed and making a lot of noise. Whereas Vicious as you've noticed does have this double life thing going, and she wants to be good at it, too.


Heh. Season 3, coming soon to a theatre near you.


Good news is,

And I am staying true to this in Vicious's story.

That is it for Miss Vicious Delicious, Season 2021. See you next spring!

This post has been edited by Renee: Nov 20 2021, 04:34 PM

Haha, a chainsaw weapon would be disastrous regarding friendly fire when fighting as a unit and even self-injury when 1 vs 1 as it got blocked/deflected around and/or knocked back into the wielder.

A wonderful job and nice that you let us know you are wrapping up this season until next spring. Let Tanesha rest and I look forward to see her again in the spring!

I'm also looking forward to the continuation of Taneesha Jones' stories in 2022. In a one-year's time Rattler will probably already be dead, so no worries that he'll stick around.

Here's a scene from the last moments of last season's ... Miss Vicious Delicious.




... "So what do you think's gonna happen in there?" Q Tip quizzed. "Three Dog said Rattler moved on, but what if he still in there?"

"Pfft, what are you, scared?" Vicious wiped her brow.

"If Rattler's in there now, he'd better hope there's a back door he can flee out, before Vicious and Q Tip take him down. Right?"




..."Mmm, but maybe it'd be better if you actually don't come with me. Not yet, anyway."

"Why?" Q Tip asked. His index finger already on his killing machine's ON/OFF switch.

"Uh, because I said so, man!"



..."There's a raider camp just down the road there. Why don't you go and get acquainted with them? ... Maybe I can walk there with you before I head into Dukov's. Yeah, think I'll do that. Come on, Q."

The pair began to walk south just as the sun was going down. As Vicious and Q Tip approached the raider encampment, a solitary figure gazed down at them from high above.

Welcome to Miss Vicious Delicious, Season 3. Without any ado, our announcer shall tell us where we left off. Randy?


As we last saw, Taneesha "Vicious Delicious" Jones was in the midst of collecting and stealing Bearer Bonds from the dwellers of Megaton, turning these bonds over to the raiders of Springvale Elementary School. At the time, Bratty, Vicious's best friend, had headed off to Dukov's Place, a seedy establishment specializing in ... adult entertainment.

Two weeks later, Miss Vicious heard a radio report that Dukov's had been attacked by the maniacal cannibal known as Rattler, which caused her to spring into action, heading off to Dukov's in an attempt to find, perhaps even rescue, her best friend.

Now... Vicious and her new boyfriend Q Tip near Dukov's cautiously, to see what exactly has happened.



Chapter 35: Saving the Brat

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, early evening

Current Temperature: 81.3 F




The sun was in its process of retiring for the day, as Miss Vicious and her new boyfriend Q Tip approached the raider camp south of Dukov's. Today's muggy heat would soon drop, as night would cull some cooler air. Most everyone looked forward to this. Summer would soon be over.

Vicious's original plan was to go into Dukov's flophouse with Q Tip, to see if their mutual friend Bratty was inside, and also still alive. The psychopath known as Rattler had recently attacked the place, with casualties definitively reported by Three Dog, one of the Capital Wasteland's top radio jocks. Had the brat been one of these casualties?

Vicious was about to find out, but at the last moment, decided maybe it'd be better if she went inside alone. She'd originally asked Q Tip to come along with her, but the truth was, she did not know who (or what) might be lurking in there. Would the Rattler still be inside of Dukov's? If so, Vicious wanted him all to herself.

Q Tip grudgingly agreed to wait at a raider camp just south of the whorehouse. He and Vicious then walked there together, keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Eh! What did I tell you about lookin' at me like that!" a raider gal with green hair yelled at the newcomers. "Are you in the mood for a busted lip or somethin'?"

Perfect. Just like home. "We'll stay here for the night," Vicious told her companion. "Go make yourself a drink or something, Q."

Raiders occupied dozens of outdoor camps around the Capital Wasteland, some better than others, some scummier than others. This camp was relatively clean (or at least, tidy), and also well-stocked: food, guns, ammo, beds, well-worn furniture. At some point, somebody had thought to decorate a dead tree in the middle of the camp with Christmas lights, even. The camp also had a couple of nice, scenic views: Potomac river to the west, the tip of Washington's Monument to the east.

Vicious tested the locals, grabbing a whiskey and a box of Dandy Boy Apples from a nearby shelf, just to see if the unspoken raider credo of If it's out in the open, it don't belong to nobody (which was the rule up north) was also true here. Nobody cared. Nobody got upset about this. The gal with green hair continued to walk around, agitated about something. But not about the food and liquor Miss Vicious had taken.

Vicious sat on a chair. "Eh you," she called to green-hair.

"What, girlie?"

"You know about that scumbag Rattler?"

"Yeah," green-hair said. "He's that loser. Goes around choppin' people up, and eats them, too. So?"

"Is it true? That Rattler was here? Heard he attacked Dukov's up the road." Vicious lit a Lucky.

"Pfft, I wish. That *bunghole* shows up around here, I'd like to cap his ass myself!" green-hair said, ratcheting her rifle. "He'd better not show up around here. His ass'll be grass, if he does."

Hmm. "So you ain't heard about no trouble up the road?" Maybe the radio report spoken by Three Dog was wrong.

Green-hair shook her head. Vicious asked a few more individuals the same question, and pretty much got the same answers. Apparently, Rattler had not been to Dukov's, and he'd certainly not been near the camp. Had anybody seen him, they would have gladly blown his head off.

"So, whatcha wanna do?" asked Q Tip. "We gonna stay here, or what?"

"No, you's gonna stay here. I think I'll have a look-see myself up the road. Maybe all this was a false alarm."

Vicious thought her new 'boyfriend' might get bent outta shape, that he might demand to come with her, but he seemed okay. "Cool. Well I'll be kickin' back here," he said, opening his flask, taking a sip. "You just holler down at us, if you need some ... assistance." He patted his ripper as he said this.

"Uh, yeah," Vicious answered nonchalantly, puffing her cig.

Truth was, she was now concerned. Because if Dukov's Place hadn't been raided, this meant Dukov's girls would still be inside. Safe? Yes. Alive? Yes, and this might pose a few problems if Q Tip were present. Because what would he do, around all those supposedly half-naked females? Would he pony up a few caps to try having a romp with one of them? Would he suddenly try to ditch his new 'girlfriend' for a fast night of fun?

"Why do I even care?" Vicious asked herself aloud, while a few raiders whooped and hollered.

This whole 'boyfriend-girlfriend' thing had been her fault; it was her way of convincing the Tip to come along, so that she herself could arrive alive. Sure, she had her new Taser, the only working example of a stun gun here in the Wasteland, and she also carried her high-powered shotgun, designed for military combat. But it also a good idea to bring someone else along, for the sake of getting here safely. And to do this, Q Tip needed convincing.

Now that both of them were here, she was suddenly unsure.

"Ah *duck* it." Miss Vicious finished her cigarette. "Time to see what's goin' on at Dukov's."

And she was off.


----------------------------------------

The raider camp

Detail of supplies shelf

I hope that the next story about Taneesha won't be her last, if Rattler is by any chance still at Dukov's?

Anyway, nice that you continue with Taneesha, it feels like you just made a pause - time flies really fast. Maybe she can find all bearer bonds during this season.

Ms. D is back in the house. And she's going in that house alone, against the Rattler! Hopefully that scourge of the Wasteland is not inside!

So maybe the news of the Rattler's involvement was over-exaggerated? I take anything the raiders might way with a healthy grain of salt however.

Welcome back to Miss VD after her scribe's winter respite! You did a good job of letting us know to expect the delay and also of reviewing what was going on before you resumed things.

Yeah, no sense 'testing' her new boyfriend by taking him into a brothel.

Looking forward to reading what she finds at Dukov's.

Acadian -- Yes, thank you. Nice to return to my vicious raider gal after so many months! I'm going to be writing some Joan this summer / fall too, as you've seen. I like this. Going back and forth between two different styles of writing, and two different styles of dialog from two people. Living such different lives. One who always does the right thing, and one who sometimes does the right thing.

SubRosa-- I get the sense that the raiders who live nearby have their own lives which has not much to do with Dukov. Maybe they do occasional jobs for him, or something, which is why they never raid his home. However it works out, they're not going to really know everything which goes on there.

Lopov -- Yes, ThAT is the question. Will this chapter be Taneesha's last. Will this be her downfall? And will all those remaining bearer bonds which Dogmaster asked her to get lay dormant .... wherever you chose to hide them? Only one way to find out!

Chapter 36: Dropping in Dukov's

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, mid-evening




In the Year 1977, Dukov's Place was known as the Reston Hotel, an establishment where politicians and Washington's elite rubbed elbows with occasional celebrities and those of lesser means, the Reston by then had nearly 50 years of history. Consistently rated 4 stars in the Washington Post's Living section, the Reston was a place where stuffy boardroom types could hold business conferences in the afternoon, while taking a bite of the supposed best Maryland crab legs in town. All class, top cuisine. Rare bottles of wine behind the counter. Illegal cigars under the counter. Scenic outdoor seating by the river. "Golf Tips" seminars held weekly. Going to the Reston was like being a member of a country club, without actually joining.

Two-hundred years later the Reston still stood, although it had been over a century since anybody referred its original name, let alone the low-key prestige it once commanded. How it survived the bombs with its walls, roof, and interior mostly intact is one of those facts which is ... shrouded in mystery. One thing's for sure, the Reston Hotel seemed somehow ready for the Great War, while others nearby half-crumbled into dust.

They don't build 'em like they used to, apparently.

The Reston's new owner was Dukov, a hedonistic womanizer whose sole purpose in his middle-aged life was to hold the longest-lasting party of the Capital Wasteland. At some point in the past, Dukov had been a mercenary. He'd gained a bit of notoriety during his days. Perhaps this was why the raiders to the south pretty much left him alone, despite the fact that his doors were always open.

On Wednesday September twelfth, 2277, Miss Vicious took advantage of this.

As the day's sky went from orange to dusk, she waited until some of the raiders had passed out, or were otherwise not paying attention. Walked down the avenue, and strolled right up to the place. But before going in, she debated whether she should change out of her Badlands-styled raider's armor, and into clothes more ... presentable. The place had purportedly been under attack by the Rattler, but chances are this cannibal had moved on by now. So, maybe Dukov's was filled with some sort of officials now, some sort of organization. Maybe the Brotherhood had taken the place over, since its original owner was supposedly no longer around.

Then again, maybe there were enemies in there. Talon Company. Super mutants. Maybe even a huge infestation of radroaches! ... She kept her armor on. She readied her Taser. And walked right into Dukov's.

"Yo, anybody in here?" she called.

In the Year 1977 the place had been classy. In the Year 2277, now it was trashy. Empty liquor bottles lay on the floor here and there. Dim (but colorful) Christmas lights hung from the ceiling. Half-robed mannequins stood here and there. Cheap plastic furniture. And a couple scents hung in the air: some sort of rancid smokey odor (Vicious guessed this was incense), and the smell of tawdry perfumes.

"Anybody in here?" she called again.

This time, she made sure to ratchet the energy cell in her gun out and in, which caused a very distinct *click!* into the room. Just to make her intentions clear. Here's a *witch* who meant business. She aimed her gun. A figure moved toward her from the dark.

"Oh baby! Let me get you something special! How about a nice Dukov surprise?"

The man was wearing silky pink pajamas. His voice was rough; the voice of a man whose life is one huge party. He spoke with an accent Vicious had never heard before. She guessed he was Russian, or from some European country. Whoever this man was, he was definitely not the Rattler. No Rattler. Which meant no vile cannibals to contend with. As he got closer, Vicious could see Dukov had a cast on his arm, and walked with a limp. He'd been through something, that's for sure. Scars on his face, the scars of a dude who'd been through a fight. But seemed to have survived the bastard, somehow.



"You? Are Dukov?" she asked, her voice incredulous. She lowered her gun.

"You need a drink," the foreigner announced, ignoring her question. "Apple!" he called. "We need some *clucking* booze over here! ... Ah," he lowered his voice a notch. "A man like me, he always loves his apple pie. He loves her all night long!"

Vicious looked over the man's shoulder, only to see some *strut* with red hair, wearing matching pink pajamas, going off to fetch. "Look," the raider started. "I ain't here to get drunk with y'all..."

"Aw, come on! Dukov knows why you here! How about you give ol' Dukov a *snowjob*?"

Vicious gasped. "How about I put you down right now, here and now, *bunghole*?"


She wanted to stun the man, but slapping him made her feel so much better. "Owww, my face!" Dukov cried. "Eh, you like it rough stuff there, hey missy?" he said, rubbing his cheek. Despite being slapped, the man was grinning.

"That's right, I do like it rough. You want another?"

"Hey, Dukov LIKE!" he bellowed. "Hot, sexy raider chick, with guns, smacking Dukov around!" he gestured his pelvis a bit. "Dukov like very much! You want Dukov give you job, black sexy raider chick? ... I make you... BDSM specialist, huh? You work the whips and chains for Dukov, eh?"

By now, the lady who'd gone off to fetch a drink for Vicious had made her way to them. "Oooh, kinky!" she cooed. "Love the getup! And who are you, dear? The name's Apple!" She handed a bottle of whiskey to Dukov, who handed it to Vicious.

"My name's Miss Vicious," she told them, actively trying to calm her adrenaline. She wanted to slap them both by now, but doing so would not be very productive. Her goal right now was information, not to rough anybody up. "And I'm here lookin' for my friend, whose name is Bratty."

"Eh, brat .. brat-ty?" Dukov stammered. "Nobody here by that name." He leaned to the side, perhaps trying to get an imaginary glimpse of Taneesha's left boob. "Eh, but YOU have sexy look there, missy tough stuff raider chick! Dukov want!"

"Oh my guhd."

"You got a smokin' hot bod, ah? Sugar pie, ah? How about lettin' old Dukov rock you to sleep, if you know what I mean, a ha-ha-ha!"

"Maybe," she said, holding her hand up, attempting a bit of conciliation. "Let me just have a look around first, okay?"

"Haagh, don't let the door hit your sweet, sweet ass, ah-hah?" Dukov growled.

He growled, but otherwise left her alone. No weapons were grabbed, no threats were made. Vicious took a quick look around to see if the man had any sort of guards. Didn't see any. So she began to walk. A pool table dominated the foyer a few paces away. No Bratty, so she walked up some stairs. Another lady was up here.

"Whatcha doin' honey?" asked the lady in pink. She had dark skin, and short, cropped hair.

"Lookin' for my friend," said Vicious.

"Hello honey, I'm Fascinatia. You're not going to be staying long, are you?"

"That depends. I'm looking for a girl named Bratty. Is she here? Cute face, hair done up in pig tails? Have you seen her?"

"Have I seen who? Brrrrady?" she slurred, obviously half-intoxicated on something.

"No *switch*, Bratty. Brat. T. Been lookin' for her. She was supposed to come down here a couple weeks ago, to dance and make some caps. Hispanic, cute face, pig tails, talks with a Jersey accent." Vicious thought for a moment, of a trait which could help define her friend a little better. "Always making up stupid *skit*, talks in riddles and rhymes... like she's on some old TV show. Bratty?"

"Brat-ty?" Fascinatia blinked. "What kind of a name is Bratty?"

"Oh my guhd. Seriously?"

"Ain't nobody here by that name. But I am new here. One of Dukie's new girls," she said, gesturing her bosom from side to side. "As you may have heard, that low-life bastard was here. Rattler Snake guy. Whatever they call him."

"Uh huh."

"But he ain't here no more!" she said, rolling her fingernails up the raider's wrist. "So! Might I convince you to slip into something a little more ... comfortable?"

"Hell no. I am here to find my friend, and that is all. So step the *duck* aside."

"Pfft..." Fascinatia scoffed. "Sooo rude!"

Vicious walked a bit over tiled floor, peering into sweet, smokey air. Somebody was smoking sativex.

"Hi sugar." It was the redhead who'd given Vicious a drink. "I'm Apple. Do yourself a favor. Watch yourself with Dukov. He's all hands."

Vicious held her temper, which was beginning to boil. "Look, seriously, I am here to find my friend. Her name is Bratty. Cute smile. Kinda slow, sometimes. Hair done up in pig tails?"

"Bratty," Apple the redhead mused. "What a great name for a dancer!"

"Whatever. Is she here or not, *witch*?"

Apple took a sip from her booze bottle. "Look, I'm working right now. I ain't never heard of no Bratty, okay? Now either follow me for some action, or step aside. A girl's gotta make her caps, ya know?"

Vicious glowered.

"But feel free to look around. Lookin's free. Anything else, will cost ya."

"Why thank you, Apple. Such help you have been."

Vicious walked down the rest of the floor, and into a room which seemed to be where they stocked all their goods. Booze, and food. But no Bratty.

-------------------------------

Dukov

Dukov's Place

Random Wastelander (Remember this weird anomoly in her game? Wastelanders would appear here and there, usually inside raider hangouts! Here he is again. Only this time, he's shown up in non-enemy territory, which means the guy did not get immediately pwned.)

---------------------

NOTES
1). Dukov survived the Rattler, but I renamed all his girls, pretending the Rattler got them all. Despite this, Dukov has no problem getting new, uh... talent.

This post has been edited by Renee: Jun 19 2022, 09:06 AM

Set your wasteland cares aside and step inside where the orgy never stops! That sounds like the concept behind Dukov’s place. Sanguine has a similar place in ESO’s swamps of Shadowfen.

No luck finding the Brat yet. I’m a little concerned. If Rattler turned Dukov’s crew into a buffet and the new crew has not heard of Bratty, was she part of that buffet? Did she escape? Did she bail out before the Rattler even got there?

Looks like Dukov is exactly the right person in the right place concerning the Reston.

Miss V is packing electric heat. But it looks like only the pajama party boy is present.

Oh boy, don't engage with Dukov, it only makes things worse!

Looks like no Bratty. Maybe she never got there, and went somewhere else? Or maybe the Rattler ate her. Or maybe she escaped and fled elsewhere, farther down the Potomac or into the city.

Acaadin-- Wow no kidding. So Elder Scrolls Online got a bit of Daggerfall in it, huh? (Daggerfall had nudity, heavily pixelated, but hey. I think it also had some sort of prostitute guild.)

It's funny how you and Rosa just said the same exact things about Bratty that's about to be posted in the next chapter. Every scenario you just mentioned. Wow.

SubRosa -- Ha ha yeah, Dukov has some particularly torrid lines. Some of those lines are vanilla, some were added by the quest I wrote, and some are no doubt added by a sex mod I've got called Animated Prostitution. Uh... I'm not linking that one. Anyway, I am almost positive "Why don't you give Dukov a *snowjob*" was added by that one. That's definitely not something I would write!

As usual, I tried to do some in-game research, to see if there could be any in-game lore, this time pertaining to Dukov's Place. Fallout 3 Fandom only tells us the place used to be a hotel. Looks to me the former hotel has a long history, definitely not recently built. But as usual, there is no indication on what this place was once called, who would stay there, and so on. As I was writing this week's chapter (last week) there was an ad for Reston, Virginia in one of the internet page's sidebars. *BAm Crash* so that's how I got Reston Hotel.

[u]Lopov[/u] -- No Lopov. Actually he's on vacation. Lucky guy.

Let's see what happens next.

This post has been edited by Renee: Jun 26 2022, 06:50 PM

Chapter 37: Bailing the Brat

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2277, late evening

Location: Dukov's Place




"Dukie!" one of the girls called from downstairs. "You promised to take me shopping in Rivet City!"

"Maybe next week, babe. We've got a little clap for a while, that's the only thing holding us together, a-ha ha ha!"

Miss Vicious strutted down one of Dukov's upstairs causeways, and into a kitchen / dining area. Feeling dejected. Sad, because it seemed her friend was nowhere to be found. Maybe she'd never made it here in the first place. Or maybe she'd made a decent amount of caps, then moved on to Rivet City. Or maybe she moved some place else. The Capital Wasteland was a big place, after all.

"Or maybe the Rattler got her."

She said that part aloud. Didn't want to say it. But there was just no way to deny the truth. Maybe that douchebag cannibal had caught up with her friend, forced her to come with him somehow and...

"Maybe he got her, and..."

Vicious left the sentence unfinished. Didn't even want to think about that scenario. "Stupid girl. I TOLD her not to come down here."

A few minutes earlier, before speaking to Apple and Fascinatia, the raider had smelled sativex smoke. Sativex, a synthetic marijuana substitute of some sort. Now, she found the source of the odor, which was coming from the dining area. Table and chairs, pots and pans, a refrigerator, sink, and oven. Inside was yet another young female, who was dark-skinned like Vicious.

"Hello there, honey."

The female was sitting before the dining table. She had an auburn-colored wig on her head. She was dressed in P.J.s like everyone else, as though the rest of the world outside simply did not exist. And she was smoking a thin, hand-rolled cigarette, what they called a 'joint' back in earlier times. Sweet smoke, guaranteed to mess one's head up.

"Hey, can I have a hit of that?" Vicious asked sadly, having a seat.

"Sure, girlfriend."

The woman had almond-colored eyes, her face done with purple eye shadow up top, with matching lipstick down below. She passed her joint to Vicious, who took a long pull from it. "Thanks," the raider said, blowing smoke across the room, and coughing a bit. "I'm Vicious by the way. Miss Delicious, some call me up north."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Delicious. My name's Aspiration, and yes, I am transgender."

By now Vicious was so bummed, staring at the floor. At first, she didn't hear what Aspiration said. And then, "Huh? You are what?"

"Transgender, honey. Trans, for short. A man who feels he's been born in the wrong gender, and chooses to fix this best he can, mm hmm. I am, essentially a woman, just like you. Born into the wrong sex, is all, mm hmm. Because God, he don't always get it right, now does he?"

Vicious was quiet for a moment, as she felt the effect of the sativex slowly enhance the billions of synapses in her brain, blurring reality a bit. "Hey, uh, nice. I ain't never met nobody who is trans," she finally blurted, unsure what else to say. "So does that mean--"

"Um, Vicious? Don't Bogart that smoke."

"Oh sorry," the raider said, passing the joint back. "But does Dukov know?"

"Oh yes, he knows! He knows, and he don't care." Aspiration took a hit. "Because to run this place successfully and make good caps, you gots to have an open mind. It takes all types, sweety. Dukov, as loathsome as he may seems to you, is what they used to call an EOP. He is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Without him, I'd be lost, to not go into more specific details."

Vicious took the joint back. "Yeah I can see that," she said. "Like, the man just tried to make me his BSM specialist, or something. He said I could 'work his whips and chains'. All because I just slapped him in the face."

"That's BDSM, honey. Bondage, Sadism, Masochism. Slaves and masters. Some folks, they get off on that sort of thing. Gettin' slapped around and stuff. But that is all part of the fun, mmhmm. Got to have that business acumen, you see? Got to stay sharp with the money."

Despite her religious upbringing, which surely told her all of this was wrong, Vicious couldn't help being somewhat impressed by Aspiration's words. "You know, it's like you is the only one here who's got a good head on her shoulders."

"You could say that," Aspiration agreed. "Now. Do you want to find your friend?"

And again, it was a moment or two before Vicious's head, now clouded and buzzing, was fully able to comprehend.

"My what? -- Do I want to find my what? Did you just say 'my friend'?"

"Mm hmm, that's right, baby. Your friend. Bratty. The one with the cute little curls in her head and the Philly accent. She is here. Somewhere. Just saw her a few hours ago."

Vicious shrugged up from her chair. "She is HERE?"

"Girl, I am sure of it," Aspiration crushed the joint in an ashtray. "Just keep lookin' around, yeah? ... Maybe she is upstairs. Dukov reserves his upper floors for his whores, a ha ha!. You know, it's more private-like up there."

"Hey thanks!"

"Just... I need to tell you, Taneesha. Bratty is ... heavy into the opiates, if ya know what I mean. She got hooked bad on something."

"Yeah, uh. Hooked bad. Hey! But at least she is still--"

Miss Vicious left that thought unsaid. Still alive is what she'd started to say. But even just that would be too much. Too depressing a thought to comprehend. Overall, she found herself a little surprised that she, in fact, cared so much, for somebody she had only just met a few weeks ago.

"See you later, Taneesha," the trans girl called.

Vicious left the break room, then virtually skittered across the opposite causeway, looking for the stairwell. Found the door to the stairwell. But before she opened it, she stopped.

"Whoa. Did she just call me by my real name?"

Taneesha. Yes, she had her real first name. Taneesha. Aspiration had said, "See you later, Taneesha..."

"But what the --?"

Miss Vicious, adopted as a child, and at some point named Taneesha Jones, stopped her search for Bratty. She returned to Dukov's dining area. Looked inside the room for Aspiration. But Aspiration was no longer there.




11:32 PM
Vicious climbed up a floor, and began searching rooms. Finally, she entered one which was done up almost entirely in velvets of red and pink. Across the way, a bed which was shaped like a heart.

"Oh. My. God."

And on this bed, a female had crashed. A female with olive skin, and dark hair. Her hair done up in pigtails.

"Ha! There you are."



Vicious stalked over to her friend, shaking her head in disapproval. "Bratty. Time to wake up, girl," she said. When there was no reaction, she began plucking her friend's shoulder.

"Oh whoa, hey, how ya doin', mishter?" the Brat asked, rolling slowly around, rubbing her eyes. She sounded dehydrated. She sounded wasted. "Our spechial is ... not on the menu," she said suggestively, burping a little. "But I cans make it ... worth your while."

"Oh, you stupid *hitch*..."



There was a crack of skin to skin, as Vicious slapped somebody's face for the second time in one evening. "Owwww!" Bratty cried.

"Get a hold of yourself, fool. It's ME, Vicious! Not some dude."

But the Brat did not seem to hear. At the moment, it was as she could not even see straight. "Hey, what's the big idea, mishter?" Bratty had her dukes up. "You wanna fight? I gots lots of fightin' for ya!"

Miss Vicious put her hands on her hips. Put her face up real close to her friend, and kissed her. Bratty then shook her head, blinked her eyes nice and wide.

"Vishious? ... Miss Vicious, is that really you?"

"Yeah it is, fool." Vicious grabbed her friend's wrist. Immediately began looking around the room, looking for any possessions, possibly owned by the brat. "Where's your armor? Don't tell me you ain't got your duds in here."

"What is you doing, all the way down here?" the Brat slurred.

Vicious stopped, stared hard at her friend, who was definitely hooked on something. "Oh my god. You are my friend, but really? You are so stupid, sometimes. I am here ... to rescue you. To get you OUT of this place. And back with us raiders up in Springvale, where you belong."

"You... came all the way down heres for me?" Bratty said, incredulously. "So you's like my... restrainer!"

Vicious palmed her face. "No, I am your rescuer, fool. Rescuer, not restrainer."

"Well, hey! Let ... me ... gets my things," Bratty said slowly, nearly falling to the side. "Ahhhh. Where's my dope? ... Yo Vichious, they gots the bestest dope ... here in Dukov's. Uh, but hold on. Let me finish something here. Firsht. Here. ... First."

Bratty looked down to the side of her pink heart-shaped bed. Found what she was looking for. Sat down with a whump!, and began fiddling with it.

"Oh no. NO YOU DON'T..." Vicious declared, grabbing the needle away from her friend. "No more of that! No more chems! Not until I can get you back under control, girl. But first, I'mma gettin' you outta here, like NOW."

But Bratty just sat there. Not understanding. Perturbed, like a child whose candy was just taken away.

"Is that all you got to wear?" Vicious asked. "Seriously? You been walking around for the past number of weeks wearing nothing but cheap hooker lingerie? Where is your armor?"

"Hey! My lingaray is sexshee!" the Brat hicuped.

Vicious began a mad scramble all around the room, looking for something her stupid companion could wear, because there was no way she'd make it all the way back north wearing those pink sex clothes. Nothing in Bratty's room, so she expanded her search. Found a sawed-off shotgun in an adjacent dorm, which she gave to the brat. Vicious also gave her some shells from her own ammo pack, leaving her with just five rounds. But she could find nothing for Bratty to wear, not even normal Prewar clothes. The pair of raiders were forced to leave, with the brat wearing nothing but a teddy and a doped-up smile.

"Come on dingbat. And watch your step." Bratty was leaving Dukov's place barefoot. They walked the short distance to the south.


Thursday September 13, 12:44 AM
Back at the raider camp, Vicious searched again for something her friend could wear. And of course, there wasn't anything. So she decided she would return to Dukov's, just to have a second, more thorough, glance about the place. Q Tip was sleeping on a couch, while all the others were either passed out, or up to no good. Bratty would be safe. So she told the brat to just stay behind, while she returned to Dukov's.


1:31 AM
Back in the whorehouse, the raider was beginning to tire. She'd been running around all day since the early morning hours. But this was important. This was priority.

She finally found some clothing in an old locker, off to the side of Dukov's first floor. Prewar clothes: a pink dress in relatively good condition, and a dirtier business-looking outfit. Vicious grabbed both of these. Folded them neatly into a canvas bag she found on the floor. She would allow her friend to choose which outfit.

"I think I've had too much to drink, Dukie," said one of the girls as Vicious emerged from the locker room. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Nonsense!" Dukov scoffed. "You just need a little more to drink, a ha-ha! Dukov got a little something special, ah, have another shot?"

"Oh, I got something special for you too."

Vicious found these two, just as the man was pouring some whiskey into a cup for Apple. Business seemed slow tonight. No johns. It seemed Dukov was about to get busy with his employee, after he plied her with more alcohol.

"Oh, hail no." Vicious closed in on this scene.

"Ah, you are back! Hot sexy raider chick, ah? So, whatcha need?" Dukov asked. "Want to slap me around some more? How 'bout some service for poor old Dukov, eh? You like to service old Dukov? Ha ha?"

"Service THIS, candy-ass!" the raider said, zapping the man with 50,000 volts.

"Help!" Apple called.

"I'm outta here!" some other girl said.

Dukov fell to the ground, while his girls all went into freak-out mode, hiding themselves from the vicious young raider who'd so defiantly invaded their territory. Before any of them could come at her with a weapon, Vicious was out of there, and hoped to never return.

Back at the raider camp, Vicious had one more moment of paranoia as (at first) she could not find her friend. But then, there the brat was, curled up on the bottom portion of one of the raiders' bunk beds. Passed out, still wearing that stupid sexy sleepwear, but also still here. What a long day this had been, but also a fruitful one.

Miss Vicious wasted no time. She put her gear on the ground beside the bed, then crawled in next to Bratty. Put her arm around her shoulder, and within minutes she herself was asleep. But just before dormancy took her over, she could not help but wonder who that lady back in Dukov's really was. The transgender one. Aspiration.

"How did she know my real name?" Taneesha murmured quietly into her friend's wasted ear.

--------------------------------------

Aspiration and Vicious -- (note, I cannot figure out how to make face & body tones match, even after doing some research online. So for now, just a head shot).

"How we doin' mister?"

"Oh, you stupid *witch*!"

Bailing the Brat

Messiest pool table ever

Party pigs

*BZZT!*

Paralyzed Dukov

Sleeping Bratty

Finally a break, after talking to Aspiration. The use of Taneesha’s real name jumped out at me also – glad Miss VD caught that. Perhaps Aspiration had a chat with the Brat before the latter was befuddled on drugs.

That creates quite an image as they make their escape - the dingbat Brat in a pink negligee with a sawed off shotgun

Rescue mission complete! Once Bratty gets her wits back, it’ll be interesting to hear what happened.

I love all your hooker names. They are so on the nose.

It is starting to sound like Aspiration is sort of a business manager, and Dukov's is an actual brothel, rather than just one perpetually wasted guy and his 'girlfriends'. That is a more interesting way to portray it. In any case, it looks like Asp is the one who actually keeps the place running.

I wonder how the Asp learned Taneesha's real name? Did Bratty tell her? Or is she some sort of spy?!?

"Yeah it is, fool."
Miss V sounds like Mister T!