FFF - Another day in the wasteland

As it gets lighter outside, you emerge from the bedroom to find QT dozing in a chair. Normally, you would tell her that she can share the bed with Chastity, who wouldn’t mind, but the bed needs to be washed and Chastity should have it to herself until she feels better.

QT looks intensely uncomfortable. She knows about Love Bug, so she knows what was going on in the bedroom. She blushes when she looks at you.

You sit on the edge of the makeshift table.

“Tell me what happened between you and Reggie,” you say bluntly.

It looks like QT expected the question. She swallows and sits up straight.

“It used to be,” she begins, and her voice is so normal. It’s not like it was when she was with Cherry or when she was screaming at Boss Murphy. You look at QT now and see a dirty and disheveled, but attractive woman. You just have to adjust to that. And find her a hairbrush. “It used to be that Reggie was like our leader. We didn’t have a leader. But Reggie was the leader.”

You nod encouragingly.

“She wanted to bring the Free Gurls into New Gurlberg and open a gambling house,” QT explains. Her eyes are distant and her voice is soft. These are not happy memories.

That fits. Reggie’s a businesswoman. Gambling is profitable. She had a crew of tough women. Muscle. Workers.

“What went wrong?” you ask.

“Cherry wanted to run chems instead. It’s easier money. And she didn’t want to have to obey Boss Murphy,” QT adds, giving you a look. That part, you get. Boss Murphy’s town, Boss Murphy’s rules.

“The others backed Cherry?” you ask.

“It’s complicated.” QT looks away. “Reggie needed my support. I didn’t give it to her.”

She leaves it at that. You read between the lines and you think that you understand.

“What are you going to do?” you ask. QT smiles bitterly.

“Go back to New Vegas?” she says after a moment.

“What did you do there?”

“I was an actress. A stage show,” she says, looking wistful. “In a casino. That’s where Reggie got the idea,” she adds.

“What happened?”

QT snorts. “Some girls on motorcycles showed up.” She sighs. “One of them bought me a drink.”

Reggie. Right. You’ve got it now. So QT doesn’t have much in the way of survival skills. This is why Cherry chose to use her that way. Still, she does have some interpersonal skills. That’s something you’ll have to think about, but New Gurlberg is not the kind of place that needs actresses. If she’s going to live here, she’ll have to find something to do. As much as you’d like to take care of her, you can’t even take care of yourself.

But she doesn’t have to do anything yet. Not until word can get around that she was a victim of the Free Gurls, not their leader.

You head out. You have several errands and the settlement is starting to wake up. You can’t resist a peek when you walk through the alley behind Reggie’s bar. One of her windows is just a few metal slats nailed together, and you peer in.

Reggie is splayed out naked on the bed with Shiv and Shank on either side of her. The dried cum all over her belly and inner thighs paints a clear picture of the frustration sex that must have played out in this room last night. She must have wrung Shiv and Shank dry. Seeing QT again like this must have stirred up some feelings that Reggie seriously had not wanted to dwell on.

Reggie has lost her old gang, but in a sense, she’s already started building a new one.

You move on and head to the marketplace to find something to eat for QT, yourself, and Chastity when she wakes up. You’re sufficiently broke that even food seems expensive.

Your next stop is Eric and Sadie’s stall, which they are in the process of opening for the day. They look curious as you approach. What happened last night hasn’t fully gotten around yet, but people are talking.

“Morning,” Sadie greets you. At least these two like you.

“Hi, guys. I need work. Bad,” you say. It’s a little direct, but it’s true.

A shadow falls over you and Sadie rethinks whatever she’s about to say. Before you can turn around, a huge hand falls heavily on your shoulder.

“Then you’re in luck, Vault Girl,” Boss Murphy says. “Because you have work today.”

“I do?” You turn to face her, looking way up to meet her gaze.

“Of course. We need to go clean out that lab. And you’re coming with us,” Boss Murphy says, using one huge finger to tilt your chin up. “Ten minutes.” She takes her hand away. “And don’t bring those guns. I have a gun big enough for both of us.”

She gives your rear a playful pat and walks away. Your heart is racing with fear.

Boss Murphy is worried that this is a setup and that Cherry’s trying to lure New Gurlberg into an ambush on her turf with the lab as bait. She suspects that you might be in on it, so she doesn’t want you to be armed. If you try to weasel out of this, that will tell Boss Murphy that she’s right.

Boss Murphy is shrewd. You are boxed in and have **** in this. You have to go.

And you have to hope that Cherry isn’t doing what Boss Murphy thinks she’s doing. You can’t put it past her after she sent those bad chems back with you. Was this Cherry’s plan all along?

You take a few deep breaths and turn back to Sadie, who’s waiting patiently, if not totally comfortably.

“Never mind,” you say. You look down at some of the old books and manuals that they’re selling. You don’t know what’s going to happen out there today, but you have to hope that you’ll come back here in one piece. QT has to stay inside. Chastity will probably let her read her comic book collection, but it might be nice for QT to have something else to read.

Buy QT a manual for sewing, basic craftsmanship, and item repair? (Sets QT’s class to TECHNICIAN)

Or buy her a manual for basic survival skills in the wild? (Sets QT’s class to SCOUT)