I wake up in the morning

You woke up, bright and early. Well, not so much the first part, but the second part was true. You swing your legs off the bed and wiped your face. You had no idea where you were for a moment, then everything came back. You shook yourself awake and stumbled off the bed towards the bathroom. The person in the mirror looked like you, but much less...lively. These last couple of days were extremely rough on you - and that night didn't treat you any better than you had been yourself. A few mumbled curses left your mouth as you started to undress to shower.

The water was warm at first, but after about 3 minutes of soaking and rinsing, you quickly noticed that the water's temperature was dropping. The soap would have to wait another time, you weren't going to take a cold shower in an unfamiliar place! You got out and dry off. Living alone always had its perks, one of them was being able to walk around naked. Despite the coolness of the shower, you found that the room was actually pretty warm. You walked around, gathering your clothes to dress yourself in. After slipping into some pants, you walked towards the window and looked at Dead Wood. The city below you was still asleep, but there were a few early birds walking the sidewalks. From this distance however, you could tell they were guards, more than likely relieving the night's staff.

The building was that lit up with lights from the night before had everything off - a stark contrast from what you remembered it being. The museum was asleep, just as you wished you were. You stepped away from the window and found a shirt and put that over yourself too. You then found a white dress shirt and covered yourself. Pants, whit shirt - all what you were missing was a jacket, but you didn't find the need to get it. Knowing how must contract or caravan outfits worked, you knew you'd be supplied with something else anyway.

Your stomach felt a little empty, so you thought the next best thing would be to retire to the lobby below and get something in your stomach before there was anyone else that could wake up and bother you. You figured that there was already someone you knew awake anyway, so it wouldn't be completely weird to be down there. You were hoping to see Scarlet or perhaps Kenji since they kinda owed you something, at least that's what Scarlet made it sound like anyway.

You took the stairs down. Elevators weren't really your cup of tea. Too old to risk it breaking on you, no matter how far this place was from the bombs or how recent the renovation was.; elevators weren't all that common, even in the bigger cities. Grounded, you found that the lobby was actually emptier than you expected it to be. What a surprise! There was almost no one down here. You could smell coffee being brewed, but nothing else gave you company as you stepped around the ground level. You stuffed your hands in your pockets and started to look around - you wouldn't have another opportunity to look around this place once everyone else was awake.

There are paintings along the wall. Forests, vistas, and fruits - all dated and yellowed, it gives the lobby a very...old feel to it, which didn't match the fresh and new smell that was lingering in the air. You would have expected a few updated or newer painting to go along with the high traffic area. You suppose with the Russians and Canadians fighting so close though, it didn't really matter all that much to the occupants. You were pretty sure that the passing Gun Runners didn't care a whole lot about the scenery. Or maybe the museum across the street was hogging everything? Yeah, that seemed to make sense. You trailed along the walls, looking at everything the place had to offer. It was bigger than you remembered. Without all the other guards taking all the space, you were able to admire the structure much more.

Suddenly, there's a crash coming from one the tables. You perk to the noise and look around. You step into the dining portion of the lobby and look around. You can hear a few mumbled curses and then an annoyed sigh. "Damn, that was clumsy."

Judging by the whisper, you can make out that it's a girl. It wasn't Sasha or Scarlet however. It was someone new. You see someone stand up with a rag and dry themselves off with a white rag. They're wearing something that almost matches the building; new, bright, untouched by conflict. She's wearing black coat,a pleated red skirt, and some dark leggings. Her hair is dark and wavy, it drapes just beyond her slender shoulders. You came in without making a single noise, she doesn't know you are here.

"Um, hello?" You try to make yourself sound as inviting as possible, but as soon as your words leave your mouth, the girl jolts and spins on her heels. She has dark brown slanted eyes. They wide with surprise. She extends her hands out as if she's expecting you to jump at her. However, as soon as she sees your calm demeanor, she lowers her shoulders and brings her hand to her chest.

"Gomen'nasai. Anata wa daredesuka?" She says after finding her breath.

"Oh, I'm...I only speak English. A little German. You're Japanese?" You step back, letting her expand her personal space.

"Sorry," she says accent free. It wasn't very common to run into someone that was from the far East that didn't have an accent. Most teachers weren't very efficient in teaching English to any of the Koreans, Japanese or Chinese. Immediately, you realized she was special. "You scared me. I haven't seen you before."

She smiled again and then let out a small chuckle before any silence could be built. "Oh, wait - were you at the show last night? I hope you were pleased by it."

"Show?" You inquire.

Her smile fades slightly and she tilts her head. "Yeah. I was on stage last night, dancing."

You smiled wider and fought an awkward laugh. Great, another Asian stripper.

"Actually, I haven't been to a strip club in a while. Montana doesn't have a lot of those, especially where I was. Just, you know, there's no need for one down-"

"No!" She snaps, red-faced. "Like, I'm an actual dancer. I'm part of a ballet crew. We performed last night at the theater across the street."

As she explained this, you started to feel a red too. "Haha - fuck it. Sorry, Ah...What's your name?"

"Akiko..." She leans into the table. "What is yours?"

"Warren," you say. "I'm a contractor with the RTE outfit here."

Akiko knits her brows. "I'm surprised I haven't seen you before then. Are you new? You Red Ties are the security team for our shows in this area."

"Brand new. I just came in yesterday with McKinley, Kenji, and Scarlet."

Her brows remain knitted. "I know Kenji, but I don't know Scarlet or McKinley... I heard that not all of you came in with the rest of your uhm...Gyangu?"

"Gy-Gyangu?" You tilted your head at her this time. She smiled.

"Gangsters?" She managed.

You exclaimed and laughed a little. "I don't think...Yeah, sure, we didn't come with the rest of the Gyangu."

This made Akiko laugh. She sounded wonderful as she did. She was actually very beautiful. You could tell she took good care of herself too. Her makeup, body, clothes, everything about her looked professional. Whatever company she worked for must've been really careful to keep them protected and cared for. She'd be a lot of money to a lot of the freaks out here in the **** trade. Asians, specifically the Japanese, weren't effected by the bombs, as in no one lobbed any nukes at them. Most your knowledge about the Japanese island were just humors. You knew that had a decent foot hold in California and that they mingled with a lot with the navies of the pre-war empires. American, Russian, Australian and some European ones too. You aren't really sure what became of their island, but it wasn't torn to shit like the majority of the others.

"Well, I have to get going. I came here for coffee, but I mostly spilled it on myself." She gestures to her skirt and leggings. "If you with the Red Ties, I'm confident we'll see each other again, Warren."

You give a slight bow. "I'm sure you're right. I won't keep you away from anything."

"Mm. Arigatō." She bows slightly too, only a little deeper. She hurries off with the white rag and leaves the building.

Eventually, you get your coffee. You go back to your room and relax, waiting to be "summoned" by someone so you can be properly introduced or allowed into the ranks. As soon as the sun starts to raise, someone knocks on your door. A dumb thought enters your mind - you think it's Akiko. You get up and answer the door, just to be met by McKinley. He's carrying a box with your name on it. "This is your new uniform," he says. "Put it on and meet us down stairs. There's a meeting that you're expected to attend to do."

"Yeeess, sir."

You close the door and unbox your new uniform. It looks pretty formal in color. A blue-ish gray with brown leather straps. It reeks of a bygone German era, but the deeper you dig the quicker you realize it has it's roots from an even older Southern background. SU is stamped on the belt buckle. Southern Union, Texan Arms - Don't just take it.

Weapons and all kinds of supplies came out of Texas. A brief scuffle between the Lone Republic and the New Mexican Federation caused a queer line of supplies to suddenly spread throughout the states. Since no one came out of the South speaking Spanish, you figured the battle ended in some kind of Texan victory and they were just selling off the old gear to the States around their borders. This belt buckle was no doubt a product of one of their surplus stocks.

Dressed in your new grays, you made it to the lobby once again. This time you found it packed. Women, men, boys, girls, and even mutants talked to each other. You found McKinley, close to him was Sasha. Scarlet and Kenji were no where to be seen however. That was a little odd, or so you thought. You exchanged your greetings with McKinley and started to talk to him, but a huge booming voice shouted in the room, killing all friendly chatter in an instant.

A tall man gathered everyone's attention. He looked older than the rest, more seasoned and worn down. This was probably one of their commanding officers. He wore the same uniform, but he also wore it with a kind swagger that told you he was proud of the color and meaning of it. He looked as sharp as a needle, and as broad as a bat. He looked at everyone and started to welcome everyone. He started to go into a speech that seemed long and completely unnecessary. Towards the end of it, he started to talk about some of the stats of their unit however. They were taking a little hits lately towards the outer walls. He was looking for volunteers to cover for the wounded. Half the room shot up their arms in response to this. Several of the volunteers were taken to the front to stand beside the officer.

Apparently, they already found some volunteers from another part of their unit. "You might be wondering why I'm only picking such a small number here."

You nodded to yourself as he continued. "It's because I'm also looking for a few replacements for the Katana Arts Studio. We've had a few accident there recently. I like to keep a professional group of volunteers there too."

This time, the room didn't seem to eager to join. "Why doesn't anyone want to do that one?" You ask McKinley.

He leans backwards and shrugs. "It's a baby sitting job. No one dares to go after the Japanese, especially here in Dead Wood. It's boring and has no honor in it."

"Can I volunteer? I'm used to baby sitting gigs."

McKinley frowns. "If that's your cup o'tea."