Party Supplies: A Moral on Morale

“A’course you can all go! Whaddaya think this is, some ol’ theme park ride?” he exclaimed, waving his hooves at them in a shooing fashion. “Hopefully there’ll be one honest type amongst y’all that’ll bring something back. Now here, pipbuck coordinates.” He picked up a grubby-looking pencil in his mouth and scribbled something down on a rough scrap of paper on the counter, and then tossed it the direction of the group.

Kes caught the roughly scrawled coordinates and plugged them into his Pipbuck without a word. A few moments later and the device on his arm was ready to guide him to his final destination.

It looked to be a good ways away from the town, nothing that Kes couldn't pull off though.

He turned and looked at the team that would be coming with him. Not all that impressive really. Only the ghoul probably had true experience with combat and survival. The rest looked like rookies. Then again who wasn't a rookie in Kestrels eyes?

"Need a box of .308." Kes said, speaking to the pony behind the counter. His order had been ignored once, and if the elder wanted the job done Kes needed some supplies.

Already the gryphon was making a mental list of what else he would need to pick up before leaving town on his latest quest.

dream snaged the paper next and input the tag. then he looked at the pony behind the conter levatating up his crappy knife "got a cheep combat knife? this thein will not do."

The young Gryphon was pondering on why he did not think to acquire a Pipbuck. He closed his eyes in dread, but he could just follow the team, then again, they were on this mission too.

Gollgath knew that once he got back from this mission, his first objective was to obtain a Pipbuck, to serve as a map. He looked at the Ghoul that was in the shop, and remembered what his father had told him about the irradiated "beasts" as he called them.

All Gollgath had was a 9mm and a Combat Knife, since this was a building they would be scavenging, it would be close-quarters anyways. He had two clips for the pistol, "Hmmm wouldn't hurt to get more ammo" he murmured to himself. He looked up and addressed the shop owner "You mind if i can get some more ammo for my Handgun?...ahh about 25 rounds should do it" Gollgath could hardly wait to see what lies in the building they were going to

The old ghoul just stood in the middle of the store careful looking over each of the individuals in the room, he knew that all the looks he was getting was of fear or distrust or just simple hate. In 200 years ponies never changed, they still did not trust something that was different of course it did not help when most of his kind would love to eat anypony they meet.

Undertaker gave out a raspy sigh when he thought of it as a normal scavenging run, still he needed the caps bad. This was going to be the most easy caps he have made in a long time, and who knew maybe he could get a small bonus after all this was over.

With a grunt, Old Spur Legs grabbed the requested .308 and placed the box on the counter. He held out his hoof for the required caps. He then turned to the next customer.

Looking up and down at the dull orange unicorn levitating a knife towards him, he sighed. “You don’t look like you’d have the caps, don’t waste mah time. And put that dinky thing away; yer embarrassin’ yerself!” He pointed a hoof to a sign hanging on the wall behind the counter: ‘NO ARMED ROBBERY’.

He turned to the shorter griffon. Was he and the big one brothers or something? Pah, they all looked the same to him. He stacked three 9mm magazines in front of the shorter one and rattled off a price.

Waiting for payment, he said, “Well you got yer stuff, pay up an’ get moving! Sooner you git to the building, the sooner you git back.”

Kes grabbed his ammo and turned away without a word; after paying for the supplies of course. Without waiting on the others the big gryphon began walking out and was soon moving down the streets of the city once more.

He checked his Pipbuck and decided that for the most part he could make is just fine with what he had. If he got hungry he could always go and hunt or scavenge n such.

He waited at the edge of town for his party to catch up first, then he began leaving. He decided to just scrap the shopping trip for the others. Kes did not want to waste what little caps he had on such a thing.

day dream was a little unhappy but the big griffon leaveing so fast sparked his mind and he fallowed him "well hi there tall dark and scary" dream chimed catching up "and just who might you be?" dream grined.

"Kestrel." was all the big bird said before going back to waiting on the others. It was rather obvious that this one was going to be an issue.

'Damn rookies...' Kes thought to himself as he waited there, staring off into the distance with a look of absolute calm about him.

dream looked out two and his voice changed almost gitting deaper "you see me as just a rookie dont you" his face got dark "trut is i wouldnt know my self."

"Come Sketch, we should be going." said Pendant, after she and the stallion had copied the location into their PipBucks. They had work to do. Profitable work...she hoped. Nevermind the black griffon - a cold bastard - and his doubts. Not that he had said them...but she could feel the irritation on his part.

"Alright, alright. Coming." replied Sketch as the two quickly trotted out the door and made their way to the large, black griffon - the one who called himself Kestrel. They'd have to wait for the others to catch up - or rather, the other. The ghoul.

Kestrel didn't bother with replying to the boys sulking. If he wanted to prove Kestrel's thought process wrong he would have to actually show that he was not a rookie.

A task far easier said than done.

As the others began to gather up the big black gryphon would begin further analyzing each of them. Pendant was the first to receive the icy, stoic predators gaze. Sketch was the next, followed by the Gryphon, and then finally Ghoul when he walked up.

Not too bad. This little group might be able to pull this all off, if they listened and kept their senses sharp.

dream didnt seam to knotes kestrals dislike of him and kep talking "ya see i have know idea who i am, so whats your story gloomy" he asked the griffon.

"Here ya are" Gollgath said as he handed the shop owner the required number of caps.

Gollgath knew that if he played his cards right, he may be able to make it out of this with some pay and loot to go along with it.

He knew that teamwork was going to be the key factor in this mission, although he would prefer to stay back with a long-range rifle and pick off hostiles, Gollgath was alright with going with this mixed up rag-tag team.

While catching up with the other comrades, the small Gryphon inspected his 9mm Handgun, it was a starter weapon, but he felt comfortable with his marksmanship, although it COULD use work. After holstering his pistol, he looked at the horizon and wondered what else was lying in the Wasteland, just waiting to be discovered.

Again Day's question was ignored, and again Kes was unfazed by the kids random questioning and insults. How he came to the conclusion that Kestrel was gloomy was unknown to the gryphon. If anything Kes was to be perceived as a major threat, possibly even evil, or cruel.

Gloomy? Not so much.

"I'll ask this once. Name, Skills, Gear." Kes said, voice just as icy and gruff as before, and his question more of a demand than anything else. This was a routine that he always followed when he was in a group. It was basic information. It was short, sweet, to the point, and most of all it was all Kes wanted to know.

Gollgath heard the bigger Gryphon speak, Gollgath bolted right up to the towering figure and reported "Gollgath, Long-Range Survivalist, 9mm and Combat Knife." Gollgath did not know why he felt a "connection" with the Gryphon, maybe it was the fact that they were BOTH Gryphons, but no doubt that this one had been a veteran of many battles from the way he talked.

Gollgath thought to himself "Lord, i hope i don't let my mouth get ahead of me". He awaited for the bigger Gryphon to reply and hoped that the mission would just unfold already

day giggled a bit "well if thats what you want its day dream im good with tec and guns, lastly i have a 9mm and a peas'o shit knife, now how about you just the skill and gear part and some past would be fun" dream looked the other griffon over "and you look like you know your way arond a gun, whats your story?"

The ghoul kept quiet and followed the group as they got going, he had no reason to speak not any of these smoothskin he was here for the caps not to make small talk. It help as it seamed that the ponies and gryphons in the group kept there distance.

"Undertaker." Did the old ghoul answer the large black gryphon. "And lets just keep it at that smoothskin." He voice showed little interest in what they cared about him. He looked at the group the only one that had some thing about him was the older gryphon, still he a had meet several other smoothskins over the years that had been in the same way and now where they dead like so many others.

Pendant stood slightly aways from the main group as the the lighter-colored griffon and the one who had called himself "Day Dream" or something attempted to converse with Kestrel. The looming black griffon remained cold, and shot decidedly intimidating glances at the lot of them.

Pendant was unfazed, returning his brief glance with a narrowing of her eyes and a serious glare. She dismissed it once the griffon had moved on to other matters, dealing with the two fellows pestering him.

She looked at Sketch.

"You know, those two seem a little...irritating, don't you think?"

In response to Kesterel's short questions, she replied:

"Pendant. Stabbing things, stitching you back together, and the arcane. And what you see on me." she emphasized the last question by levitating a 9mm pistol and a large kitchen knife.

"Mhmm." was Sketch's only reply to Pendant. He looked around in disinterest at the rest of the party with a dull expression.

As the black griffon snapped out his three questions, Sketch replied in short order; "Rough Sketch. Ponies find I have a way with words, caps, and machinery. That...and I'm a decent marksman."

He gestured to a .357 pistol in good condition at Kestrel's last question, that, and a knife similar to Pendant's. Perhaps a bit slimmer.

Kes figured that was all he was going to get out of the group, at least one of them had the right idea. He nodded and gave a quick introduction of himself.

"Kestrel. Survival." was all he said before he turned and began walking in the direction that the his Pipbuck had indicated was the proper way.

As always Kes left keeping up and keeping quiet to the others, much like Undertaker, the gryphon was far more interested in business and not really getting to know any of the current party in depth. He had asked what he did because it would give him an idea of who did what and who to dedicate to certain jobs when the time came; till then Kes would be about as talkative and emotive as a block of ice.

The now more-or-less surly group wandered away from Dang Fine Guns n Tools, kicking up a healthy cloud of mutual curiosity and suspicion on their way out of town.

They entered the foreboding picture of desolation that was the wasteland. The way before them was almost depressingly flat and featureless, only occasionally pockmarked with long dead trees. Day Dream got bitten by a mosquito. Nothing else particularly interesting happened, really. The nearby area was generally travelled often enough to keep pests under control, and apart from an overly inquisitive bloatsprite, which was promptly dealt with, the journey seemed to be going well enough.

They stopped for lunch. It was a quiet, uncomfortable interlude to a quiet, uncomfortable journey. The food didn’t taste very good, either.

The lunch stop would probably be the last opportunity the group had to discuss things before reaching their destination.

"so do you ponys know about this plce we are about to be heading in to? ive herd some others tryed but it wasnt prity" dream asked looking about at the ponys and griffons about.

While Day Dream again began trying to start a conversation, Kestrel was preparing himself some lunch. Just a quickly thrown together salad with a healthy bit of meat tossed in as well.

The instant it was done Kes began eating, and damn did he eat fast. What should have taken him at least fifteen minutes to eat took all of three. Shockingly though his extreme speed did not result in a mess, nor did he make any rude sound effects.

He looked like a soldier almost. Silent, Stoic, Efficient.