Fallout: Florida , The Sunshine State's Post-Apocalyptic Wastes Options

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Well, I never thought I'd be posting in this particular subforum before now. But with all these ideas bouncing in my head of what post-Great War Florida would look like in the Fallout universe, I have taken to jotting them down and (hopefully) making a cohesive guide to it. I don't really write fiction, so I don't think I'll be writing actual stories like you all do, but I suppose we'll see. For the time being, it's really going to be a guide of sorts, somewhat like a wiki or what textbooks would say.

This will obviously attempt to adhere to Fallout canon as much as possible. I chose Florida as the setting not only because it is my home state (though that is definitely the biggest reason) but because, from what I can tell, so little about the Southeastern United States is talked about in Fallout lore, giving me a lot more room to operate in. And, of course, it's the state I know best and would love to see the most as a setting for a Fallout game.

So here's the plan for all this:
[*] I'm going to break up each section of the guide into its own post to separate it sufficiently. This one will be the introduction to the setting.
[*] I may include some incomplete information on here for several reasons. For one, it'll be an easy repository to refer to just in case the Word doc I am using has something go screwy or that my computer messes up or whatever. Two, it can be a little taste of what's to come. Three, I just want to get down as much content as comes to me.
[*] The tentative list of sections to have here include, but are not limited to (and not necessarily in this order):

[*] General overview of the setting and how I am breaking up the parts of Florida
[*] The Bestiary
[*] The Timeline
[*] The Factions
[*] Profiles of each of the regions I am making

Some of the stuff you see will definitely be subject to change if needed to make it cohesive. I'll try to document what I change to make it clear.

And most of all, I hope you all like it and I'd like to hear whatever feedback you have. Presenting and communicating information is one of the things I enjoy most, although I'm more used to doing so for real-life content (particularly political science).

First section of the guide coming up!

The Setting - Basic Overview

While not experiencing the same level of nuclear barrage as places such as Southern California, New York, and D.C., Florida was plunged into nuclear fire just like virtually everywhere else in the world. This was especially true of the Tampa Bay Area, Orlando and its surrounding areas, and South Florida, centers of great economic and political importance in Pre-War America. Being the 3rd-most populous state in the country, the Great War extinguished far more lives than average here and left plenty more to pick up the pieces in the post-apocalyptic, anarchic wastes. The exceptional biological, geographical, and human diversity of Florida led to a far more varied impact on the former Sunshine State when the bombs fell.

Nevertheless, many settlements started to crop up in the decades just after the Great War, even in those once-densely populated cities and metropolitan areas. In time, former towns and cities were beginning to be resurrected and reclaiming their old names, and brand-new ones started to form. But post-War Florida--and the rest of what used to be the country's Gulf Commonwealth, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi--was still highly fractured. In the 22nd century, the first of many ambitious attempts was made to reunite this once-thriving landscape. While extraordinarily difficult at first, a string of successes in reunification gave birth to the Gulf Coast Union, a nation similar in concept to the future New California Republic (NCR). The so-called Great Reunification--a somewhat hyperbolic title, at least currently--started extending through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and even some of southwestern Georgia, though it has yet to reclaim the whole of any of these former states.

The process is far from completed, however, and many other factions both big and small struggle with the Gulf Coast Union for dominance in the former Southeastern United States. Many of the conflicts take place in what used to be the Sunshine State. The Gulf Coast Union was successful in claiming virtually all of Northern Florida and has made inroads into the Central Florida wastes. Major and minor powers violently feuding with each other and with the Gulf Coast Union have made the GCU's grip on these lands somewhat tenuous, preventing any attempts at expanding into South Florida.

As of this guide, it is currently the year 2130, over a half-century since the world was irrevocably changed. To most easily understand the lands that were once called Florida, it is best to divide the area into ten distinct regions--even if the divisions are a bit crude, arbitrary, or too convenient. Each have their own set of conflicts being waged, major and minor players vying for power, and civilizations trying to carve out a life in these harsh wastes. Welcome to the Sunshine State's post-apocalyptic wastes.

The Ten Regions and Their Counties

County Map
Here's how some coasts in Florida got their nicknames, though not all are explicitly mentioned here

Though these broken-up zones are somewhat crude and arbitrary, it'll be easiest to understand post-apocalyptic Florida this way. However, major conflicts in one region can definitely spill over into another.

1) Panhandle (13): Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Washington, Bay, Jackson, Calhoun, Gulf, Liberty, Franklin, Gadsden
2) Big Bend (8): Leon, Wakulla, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor, Lafayette, Dixie, Levy
3) North Central Florida (8): Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Alachua, Gilchrist
4) The First Coast (6): Nassau, Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Putnam, Flagler
5) The Space and Treasure Coasts (7): Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin, Okeechobee
6) Central Florida (8): Marion, Sumter, Lake, Orange, Polk, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands
7) The Tampa Bay Area (6): Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee
8) The Gold Coast (3): Palm Beach, Broward, Miami-Dade
9) Southwest Florida (7.5): Sarasota, De Soto, Charlotte, Glades, Lee, Hendry, Collier, Monroe (mainland only)
10) The Keys (0.5): Monroe (Keys only)


Just a quick side-note: The Panhandle West/East dichotomy is one I totally made up for my own purposes. They are, as far as I know, not referred to as such in real life. It is just the Panhandle, and the real-world Panhandle doesn't necessarily include all of the counties in Big Bend.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Jun 9 2020, 01:30 AM

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

It's a bit refreshing to take a bit of a different approach now that there is a new situation down in the post-apocalyptic Sunshine State. Without spoiling too much, obviously: Big Bend is going to be where the real meat of the main story arc for Fallout: Florida begins.

Part 2: Big Bend
Chapter 13: A Tale of Two Tallahassees

September 30, 2130

Mariah was feeling like she might have found a place to settle down in the Panhandle, but now she was back to something that she was all too familiar with: Travelling to someplace new. Despite being well-acquainted with sojourning, it still was not something that she was keen on doing again. Yet this time was different in some ways. Instead of feeling like she was aimlessly wandering from place to place, Mariah felt a distinct purpose in coming here to the Big Bend region of Florida. She was going in without being totally blind about what was happening in these lands. And she had someone in Valentina that she knew and befriended already instead of completely starting from scratch.

The two women had made sure to bid farewell to all those they knew, though for Mariah that wasn’t many people. Valentina had gotten to know a lot of people in the time that she resided in Pensacola, and it was harder for her to leave than Mariah. But she was dedicated to the GCU, and their request for help in a new area would not go unanswered by her. Mariah was swayed more by an abstract desire to aid people in general who needed it rather than for the GCU specifically, though she had warmed up somewhat to the organization over the past couple months. With the crisis dealing with the Dissidents and the Brotherhood out of the way, a new call for assistance from a different land beckoned to them. It was time for Mariah and Valentina to put the past issues behind them.

The route to New Tallahassee took them through the Apalachicola National Forest, which gave Mariah a chance to say goodbye to Chief White-Feather. He bestowed a prayer to his Great Spirit upon Mariah. She wondered if this Great Spirit was wholly unique to the Apalachee or simply their name for a deity that already existed outside their culture. In any case, she was grateful for the gesture. White-Feather also conferred upon her the complimentary nickname of “The Sojourner.” It was symbolic in several ways. Like Mariah, the Apalachee were well-traveled, and sojourning to them was synonymous with gaining wisdom, fortitude, bravery, and so on. But perhaps most importantly, it was also the nickname of a legendary, ancestral figure from Apalachee oral traditions who came to their people, and even to outsiders of the tribe, in their time of need. Since that figure’s life long ago, other Apalachee heroes have been bestowed the honor of the name. While Mariah wasn’t sure whether she was the first non-Apalachee to receive the title, she appreciated the accolade. She liked the moniker, though she wasn’t entirely sure why.

But there wasn’t any more time to chatter. Mariah bid her Apalachee friend farewell. Valentina did not get to know White-Feather, but they exchanged pleasantries all the same. Before they left, they got to see some of the foundation of the budding Apalachee state in the old Apalachicola National Forest. Several hubs for trade with GCU citizens had been hastily established on the forest’s outskirts. Surprisingly, much of the Forest was still relatively lush and green compared to the nearby lands despite the Great War. They all hoped these new settlements, and the partnership between the Apalachee and the GCU, was the start of something monumental and positive for the region.

The official boundary between the Panhandle and the Big Bend region ran roughly along the former county delineations between the pair of Leon and Wakulla Counties and the group of Gadsden, Franklin, and Liberty Counties. Even though much of the visible Pre-War demarcations were wiped out in the Great War, it still made a convenient boundary from yesteryear for the GCU to use.

//////////

The convoy that Mariah and Valentina traveled on had a varied number of modes of transportation. Kolossi pulled several carts while others were hauled by Brahmin. Mariah, Valentina, and Sergeant Waller were riding in a restored Pre-War car, a rare sight in the wasteland. Some GCU mechanics had parents, grandparents, or even great-grandparents that were in the same trade and had passed down their knowledge and preserved magazines about how to build and modify cars. A couple of favorites included “Corvegas Today” and “The Future of Automotives.” A few automobile experts that were still around were even alive before the bombs dropped, some of them managing to stay human (though they were now old and mostly frail) while others were turned into ghouls by excessive radiation.

[Fallout 2 Soundtrack – Many Contrasts]

As the cavalcade entered old Wakulla County, Sergeant Waller had already been filling in Mariah and Valentina about the current situation that the Big Bend division of the GCU was contending with.

“So . . . who exactly are these two groups, the Old Guard and the Enclave?” Mariah asked the Sergeant.

“We aren’t entirely sure,” Waller replied with a hint of irritation, not at Mariah’s question but at the fact that the GCU military leadership had not uncovered much information on them. “Witnesses that have come to us haven’t had many interactions with them. They aren’t exactly friendly folks, either group. But we have gathered a few important pieces of intel. For one thing, dialogue that our citizens have had with them has demonstrated that the two groups hate—or better yet, despise, loathe—each other. We’ve even seen the result of a few skirmishes between them that have left both Old Guard and Enclave members dead. Whatever they are doing here, it’s definitely not anything that we would sanction.

“At the same time, however, they are not the faction—or for all we know, the factions—that operate in Old Tallahassee. GCU citizens that have been harassed by the Old Guard and the Enclave have reported being questioned a lot about the city, how to get in, what’s in there, and so on. Multiple reports seem to demonstrate that this Old Guard makes a particular claim to ownership of this city, because they have asserted themselves as the continuation of the old state government of Florida. If that’s the case, looks like someone else has already beaten them to it. Meanwhile, the Enclave has proudly declared itself as the continuation of the U.S. federal government. It would make sense, then, that these two groups want to eviscerate each other. The relationship between the state and federal government administrations Pre-War was . . . strained, to say the least.”

“So we’ve heard. Apparently, the Dissidents, being more or less remnants of old Alabama, hated both of those governments too,” Valentina said. “They’ve outright said so.”

“Then you’ve seen that some resentments just never die,” Waller said. “Well, whatever the case is, we’re going to see that this little grudge match doesn’t amount to more trouble for the GCU. We’ve already got our hands full with whatever is in Old Tallahassee. And, it seems, so does this Old Guard and this Enclave. Be prepared for the likelihood that, however this entire situation gets resolved, it’s going to get even messier dealing with three or more factions. This is uncharted territory for us.”

As the crew came closer to New Tallahassee, Mariah and Valentina could already see the aesthetic differences between here and the Panhandle. There was a more futuristic feel to this area. Old Tallahassee, back when it was still Wakulla Springs, had been a major Pre-War tech hub, especially compared to the Panhandle. Of course, a lot of this tech was severely and negatively impacted by the bombs dropping, but there were still echoes of the scientific and industrial eminence of the area. Some faded posters for businesses and local political candidates, among other things, still clung to the walls of some boarded-up buildings. Some of the taller buildings even mostly stood up, although the colors had diminished in vibrance. A few of these structures were now home to some scavengers, hoping to pick out some Pre-War treasures to make some money.

At about 2:30 PM, their convoy came up to one of the gates leading into New Tallahassee from the west. There was a commotion just inside the city. At first, it just seemed to be the usual business, the hustle and bustle typical of a major city. But upon closer inspection, it was clear something out of the ordinary was up. “What the hell . . . ?” Sergeant Waller muttered under his breath. The vehicle came to a stop. Mariah, Valentina, and the Sergeant all got out of the vehicle to see what was going on. Laying on the ground were a small band of dead ghouls, a few of them visibly degenerated to the point that they were obviously feral. There were also a couple of humans that accompanied them in death on the concrete. A bunch of the city’s residents had crowded around the scene as several GCU officers were trying to get them to disperse. One of them caught sight of Waller and called out to him. “Sergeant!”

“Callahan, status report.” Waller said to the soldier, getting straight to the point.

“Another small-scale attack,” Callahan said, shaking his head. “We assume they came from Old Tally, but they don’t have on those ‘New State of Florida’ logos that the others had. Probably to conceal their origin. They appeared to be doing some recon, because witnesses saw several of them in town well before this attack asking questions.”

“Trying to keep a low profile? What were they looking for? And what about these ferals?”

“We’re still asking people, including other GCU soldiers that were on duty here. Some people say they were asked about a ‘Langston,’ so that sounds like a lead. Nobody seemed to know who they were talking about, though. Got some people searching through residency records to see if we have a ‘Langston’ on file. As for the ferals, the non-feral ghouls were able to keep them under wraps until things went south. Someone noticed strange activity lying in wait, so I guess that is what set off this group. Seems the non-feral ghouls were able to keep the ferals from attacking their human compatriots and from jumping out right away, but I don’t know how that is possible.”

“Any casualties?”

“We had several injuries, but nothing that a few Stimpaks can’t handle.”

“Very well. Report back to me ASAP when you find something noteworthy. Before you go, let me introduce you to our new help. This is Mariah and Valentina,” Waller said, pointing to them respectively. “Ladies, this is Desmond Callahan, Commander of the New Tallahassee garrison for the GCU. Callahan, these are two of our heroes from that battle at Tyndall Air Force Base back in the Panhandle.”

“Oh, yes, I believe your two names have been specifically mentioned. Well, welcome aboard, ladies,” Callahan greeted them. “I wish we could be more accommodating, but as you can see, we have a situation on our hands that requires our immediate attention. I hope for more proper introductions later. Unless Sergeant Waller needs you for something right now, feel free to familiarize yourself with the city. Once you get situated, we’ll call on you.”

“Yes, meet us at the main GCU station downtown at 5:00 PM,” Waller added, giving them directions to the location.

“Affirmative,” Valentina said, already reverting into her formal GCU demeanor.

“Sure thing,” Mariah said.

“Alright, show’s over, people!” Commander Callahan shouted at the citizens that were still crowded around the scene. “This is official GCU business. Disperse from the area immediately.”

“More zombie freaks attacking our great city?” Someone called out from the crowd. “When are you kicking out these walking corpses? It’s only a matter of time until the ones living here attack us.” Some of those in the crowd were muttering or audibly voicing their approval, while others looked away uncomfortably at the man’s words.

“I said to disperse! Now! Or you’ll be held for interfering with military affairs!” Callahan yelled, already having lost his patience. His threat was effective at getting the citizens to quickly leave.

Mariah and Valentina were disgusted by the anti-ghoul sentiment. “Bigots here too, huh? Ghouls are people too.” Valentina said.

“Tensions have been getting particularly bad between ghouls and non-ghouls lately.” Callahan said, shrugging. “Most of the ghouls live in one district in this city because of the harassment, forming their own little community. But you still see them around elsewhere.”

“And the GCU or the city government have done nothing about this problem?” Mariah asked.

“Look, it’s not our job to handle it,” Callahan said with a hint of dismissiveness. “I don’t like it either, but there is nothing I can do. I don’t give a damn what your skin condition is as long as you don’t cause trouble in this city. And if ghoul or human starts it, then we end it quickly. You’ll have to take it up with the mayor or the city council if you get the chance to meet them.”

Mariah was about to object further, but Sergeant Waller cut her off. “Mariah, we have other objectives to focus on here. You may not be formally inducted into the GCU, but this partnership still requires you to abide by certain guidelines. I don’t support the behavior of those citizens either, but we all need to stay focused on the task at hand. You can’t go crusading about all this other stuff.”

“But . . .” Mariah’s naturally defiant side was shining through again, but Waller and Callahan visibly did not have any tolerance for it.

“Mariah, wait,” Valentina gently but firmly placed her hand on Mariah’s shoulder to get her to stop. She knew that Mariah’s behavior was not going to go over well with their superiors. Instead, Valentina was going to try a more diplomatic route. “Sergeant. Commander. Is there a way—just for a little bit—to go down to wherever the local government conducts business? Just to help us get a lay of the land since we’re new here. Maybe they will know something that we can use in this investigation. We’ll be focused on the main reason we are here, I promise. Right, Mariah?” Valentina looked at Mariah, not-so-subtly hinting to her to go along with it. She didn’t want to lie to the Sergeant and the Commander, so instead she gave another good reason for her and Mariah to meet the city’s administration. Valentina did, however, want to talk to them about the tensions related to the ghouls.

Mariah thought for a moment, recognizing Valentina’s approach was the more effective way forward. “Yes. Sorry . . . Sergeant. Commander.” It was not easy for her to get those words out, still feeling some indignation at what she saw as their superiors’ callous disregard for the ghoul plight in the city.

“Very well,” Waller relented. “If you really need to see those politicians, you can show them your GCU badge, Valentina. But do not get caught up in some other mission. Understood?”

“Affirmative, sir,” Valentina replied, saluting.

“Mariah?” Waller waited for her reply.

“Yes . . . uh, sir,” Mariah said.

“Good. Well, go do what you must do. See you both in a couple hours.”

//////////

Mariah and Valentina got a map of New Tallahassee, finding where the local government center was. Their efforts at gaining an audience when they arrived, however, were in vain. Sheila, the city clerk—a middle-aged woman with fully silver hair, dyeing it that way to cover up some premature gray hairs, though her skin was in good shape for her age—told them that the mayor and the council were knee-deep in meetings with each other and prominent citizens of New Tallahassee and other settlements. “Sorry, but it’s nearly impossible to book something on such short notice, especially when you aren’t known to the council. You seem like lovely, bright young ladies, but there is only so much I can do. However,” Sheila paused, searching through her calendar. “There may be something else that is open later this week. But I’d need to know who exactly the two of you are and why you need to talk to the city government. For our records. Unfortunately, dears, I cannot simply tell them that you are GCU. They won’t let you in on that basis alone.”

Valentina spoke after she found the right words. “We would like to speak them on a couple of things. We want to discuss how to resolve these tensions with the ghouls, because it can’t end well for the city. Secondly, we’re conducting an investigation regarding the attack just inside the city gates earlier this afternoon. Maybe the mayor and the council can give us any sort of information that the rest of the GCU hasn’t thought about or uncovered.” She kept her promise to Sergeant Waller that she and Mariah would not put so much focus on the ghoul situation.

Sheila gave them a sweet smile. “Well, you aren’t the first one to bring up the ghoul situation. I feel bad for those poor souls. They were human once. We can just be so mean to each other, you know? I wish that were enough to get you in, but our government won’t accept that as good enough for an audience. As for the earlier attack . . . hmm,” Sheila pursed her lips as she thought about it. “I think that might work. I can’t guarantee it, but try coming in at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Sometimes they will have some ‘free’ time that they can work something in or see a general audience. And occasionally, people who need to meet the council and mayor are late for appointments.” Sheila leaned in to whisper the next sentences. “They are politicians after all. Got to seem open and listening to the public as much as possible.”

“Well, I guess we’ll try that then. Thank you so much, Sheila.” Mariah replied cordially.

“Indeed, thank you a lot, Sheila.” Valentina chimed in warmly as well. She pointed out the clock to Mariah. It was 4:30 PM. “Come on, Mariah, we need to be at the station soon. Let’s get there with time to spare.”

“Anytime, sweethearts,” Sheila responded happily, waving as the two of them waved back and walked out the door.

/////////

Mariah and Valentina arrived at the station about ten minutes before 5:00 PM. Sergeant Waller and Commander Callahan were already waiting for them in one of the offices as the front desk receptionist directed the women to them. “Ah, you came in before the appointed time,” Waller said. That’s good. I was always taught that being on-time was late and being early was on-time, so you two are off on the right foot.”

“So, do we know who this ‘Langston’ is?” Mariah asked.

“Not exactly,” Callahan said as he was still looking at some paperwork. “The terminals and paper files for residency records don’t have anybody by that name. So, if they are in this city, well, they shouldn’t be. They haven’t gone through the proper channels. Nobody likes paperwork, but the law’s the law. Though since we need more information on why this ragtag group of misfits wanted this Langston so badly that they were willing to die to nab him, we can’t afford to just kick him out once we find him. Maybe he can shed some light about what goes on in the Old Capitol.”

“But how do we not know what goes on there? If it’s safe enough that humans are living there, why hasn’t the GCU gone to fight back?”

“Because for one, we don’t know what exactly these people are capable of yet,” Waller said. “I don’t like taking hits and not being able to fight back either, but we aren’t trying to start a full-on war. Besides, they’ve got that place locked down tight, and I mean real tight. We haven’t seen anybody going in. They have some serious defenses up with turrets and robots and guards, human and ghoul. And there could still be some lingering radiation. In fact, I’d count on it. But I figure they’d have to have a lot of RadAway, Rad-X, RadShield, and so on if that’s the case as they have regular humans walking about. We’d have to send some of those with our own troops to be safe, though, and we don’t need them marching into a death trap whether they get rads or not.”

“So, we haven’t ever sent any stealth units in there for recon?” Valentina asked this time.

“A few times, but they’ve never made it back. Comms have gone nowhere with them, so we assume they are KIA. The furthest we’ll go now is send some scouts to spy from a distance. That’s mostly how we have the intel that we do now. And then there are those Old Guard and Enclave louts to deal with, so we can’t put all our eggs in one basket.”

“We have had a few recent influxes of people to the city lately, mostly ghouls but some humans,” Callahan said. “Some move on to other cities, but a lot of them have sought asylum and residence here. If this Langston is here in town, I bet he’s one of them, only trying to lay really low to avoid attention.”

“So, he’s probably from Old Tallahassee then,” Mariah reasoned. “If he’s one of those newcomers, at least some of them must be refugees and that’s why that gang wanted to find him.”

“Exactly.”

“How do we go about finding these new arrivals then? This city must keep a close eye on them,” Valentina said.

“Indeed. There’s a part of town specifically designated for people looking to move into the city as they go through the paperwork channels. Temporary housing. But we’ve had times before where they snuck into other residency districts and we had to remove them by force. There are a few small settlements outside the city walls where people we’ve had to kick out go to. But I bet this Langston knows he’s being hunted and being outside of the city is going to be too dangerous for him. He’ll try his damnedest to stay within our confines.”

“He must be very resourceful if he got out of Old Tally though,” Mariah remarked. “If few—if anyone—gets in, whoever runs the city would have made it extremely difficult to get out. He could be anywhere.”

“Good point. That’s why we’re going to question people around town about any new entrants they remember seeing,” Waller said. “See if they have heard of this Langston character. The two of you, however,” he said, pointing an index finger each at Mariah and Valentina, “are mostly done for the day. You’re still not familiar with the lay of the land, so we’re going to have you both get acclimated some more. Those past couple of hours are you just scratching the surface. But remember: Stay focused on this mission. When you are out and about, still see if you get any answers about Langston, but Callahan and I are doing most of the legwork tonight. Tomorrow, though, is when things really ramp up, so see to it that you are ready then. That’s when the real work begins. Be here at 9:30 AM.” Waller then motioned with his right hand that they were free to go. “Dismissed.”

Valentina saluted the Sergeant. Mariah hesitated at first, still feeling sort of awkward about this slightly more formal role she had with the GCU. She finally saluted, which led to Waller giving away the faintest hint of amusement, blowing air through his nose as if to chuckle without opening his mouth. “You don’t necessarily need to salute if you aren’t an official GCU soldier, Mariah,” he remarked. “But I do expect a general sense of respect and for you to follow orders when I give them.”

“Oh. Uh, okay,” Mariah replied awkwardly, following Valentina out of the room and into the station lobby.

When they were outside and out of earshot of anybody, Valentina spoke again. “9:30 . . . that gives us some time to go down to the government center tomorrow morning. Hopefully, Sheila can get us in.”

“Yeah. At least we have some time to think about what we want to say tomorrow. Have to make every second time count with the mayor and council. I’m . . . not really sure what to say to them,” Mariah said, scratching the back of her head.

“We’ll figure it out,” Valentina assured her, smiling. “I don’t know about you, but I am ravenously hungry. I saw an inn called “Wakull-Over-Ya.” She giggled at the name. “Clever play-on-words, I suppose. What do you say?”

As if right on cue, Mariah’s stomach rumbled. “Count me in,” she said as the two of them laughed, going down the street to see what this inn had to offer for food.

This post has been edited by RaderOfTheLostArk: Jan 13 2021, 05:59 PM