Danger Close [Invite Only]

Oh this was one shit storm of a day everything was happening so fast. Ash couldn't cope one second he was shooting at some ponies the next he was getting scolded by an angry griffon. Ash new the griffon had the reason but that didn't help him any, he couldn't help but feel that the griffon wasn't the kind of "I'm going to help others" kind of griffon. Just like most if not everyone in the wasteland he would have fended for himself not tried to help anypony.

Ash supposed a punch to the jaw was what he needed to snap him out of his funk, if not dig a deeper hole of confusion. Well this job was a bust it looked like the now uncovered pops was basically telling everypony to fuck themselves. Ash didn't think anyone could really blame him. This had been a disaster. He looked around for the pony who was most likely badly wounded the very least he could do was try and help if not ask for forgiveness for leaving them all to suffer while he was in a stupor.

He spotted Rad and Xeshir walking along toward where Double and Loose would most likely still be. He caught up to them and sheepishly smiled offering Xeshir help with Rad, hoping she didn't notice the remains of a bloody muzzle. "I'm Really sorry for not helping earlier... I kinda... shut down. Ya know? Mind if I check out his wounds? I'll just need help pulling him out of this armor." By the state of Rads armor he could tell most of his bleeding had stopped but he had lost a good amount of blood and immediate attention was needed, if not highly recommended. "I really wish i had more for you but... I'm a bit short on supplies"

(50 Medicine skill to stop Rad's bleeding and heal his wounds)

Rad walked much less painfully with Xeshirs help, and soon after Ash joined to, making things generally so much easier. He couldn't help but laugh a bit as Ash began explaining himself. "Don't worry about it! Any of us could freeze up like that... Well... Not me... But anypony else! And your here now, fixin up the hole in me, so who care's if it's a few drops of oh so precious blood later than it could've bin eh? What matters is that your here, doin ya job... And gettin my blood on ya face somehow." Rad had of course noticed Ashes bloody muzzle, but in his dazed state didn't really piece together what really happened, and just assumed that he must have that much blood all over him that the act of helping him out got it on Ash too.

[SPEECH SUCCESSFUL]

Pop seemed to respond well to Crackle's bootlicking and a crooked smile escaped the corner of his mouth. "Well the caps are worthless to me anyway..and you ponies did do at least a few things right...." He tossed Crackle a bag of 1200 caps. "Up to you how'd you like to split it. But I believe you best be splitten now" he let out a loud crackling laugh as he began to pull the wagon.

He began to head further west, along the edge of the forest, Ash managed to stabilize Rad but he'd require more care and attention to get back in good shape. Double pulled Loose onto her back and began to head south, away from the town, tears streaming as she struggled helping Loose.

Xeshir dropped the extra mercenary outfit she had pilftered from one of the associates. She looked down at the hill and saw Soda pushing the wagon, slowly dissapering in the distance. She spotted the griffon and the pony in the stable jumpsuit and yelled "If any of you know how to make bandages, I want you to tear the outfit I left near the pegasus! Make some bandages and give them to Ash!" She turned around and spotted the small pool of blood where Loose and Double had been. She bit her lower lip.

"Double! Please wait!" She said trotting after the two, mindful to still keep a good distance between the pony mare and herself. "The unicorn is a medic, he can treat Loose. We can give you some medical supplies to treat him...Please don´t go." She said, her tone soft, but her body still ready to dodge attacks if Double exploded in rage.

(Leaving Merc Outfit for anyone with high Repair to turn it into bandages. Trying to convince Double and Loose to stay with the group. 54 Speech. Using all AP to dodge if she attacks.)

Catching the caps, Crackle nodded to pop. "I can't honestly say i enjoyed working for you, but I've served under worse." The griffin paused and glanced at the sack. "It's good to see your a pony of your word. Good luck with whatever you have in that wagon." He turned and walked off, preparing for takeoff when he was interrupted by Xeshir. He sighed, and flapped his way to loose and double. After listening to her plan, he used his talons to slash the cloth portions of the merc outfit that had yet to be claimed into ribbons about 2 inches aross. It was only after he was done that he noticed the one that Xeshir had dropped. Oh well, too late now!

Once that was done, he snagged the last Cowpony repeater and tucked it away. Bullets weren't really his thing, but the rifle was in suprisingly good condition and would be sure ti fetch a fair price. Crackle then opened up the sack of caps, and pondered for a moment. Reaching in, he gave Ash and Moon 150 caps each and said "Seeing as both of you were either unconscious or frozen in terror for a decent portion of this job, thats all you get." The griffin then divided the remaining 900 evenly between himslef, Rad, and Xeshir.

Looking around, Crackle took stock of the situation. The job had been a total clusterclop, but at least he got paid. His new gear was a nice bonus, too. After pondering his current state of affairs for a few minutes, he turned and adressed the collection of ponies. "Am I needed for anything else?"

(ripping up merc outfit to make bandages [repair 45] and taking the last cowpony repeater and 300 caps)

"Blood on my face? OH! no Rad your mistaken... this is my blood not yours. No better way to get snapped out of a daze than by getting punched in the face am I right? And I suppose I care if I came later than I could have. Hell you could have died and it would have been my fault for not saving you!" This whole thing wasn't sitting well with ash but there was no one to complain to and nothing left to do except continue patching rad up with the minimal amount of supplies he had "I really am sorry though. How about when we get back to a town I buy you a drink?"

(50 Medicine, Bandages??? (i dont know if this counts) To further heal Rad)

Rad took the caps from Crackle as he listened to Ash. "I don't really drink much, but if you insist on somethin how 'bout ya owe me a lil favor eh? Nothin huge, but if I need a medic for somethin, i'll come look for ya. Sound good?" He gave Ash a smile, still a little woozy but not enough to really affect him at all. "For what it's worth, I would have just given ya a shake or somethin, a full face punch like that looks like it hurt, an' now you're bleedin everywhere too!" He tapped a hoof to his chest. "Bleedin all over the place is my job thanks." Rad only managed to hold the straight face for a second or two before he laughed again.

[SPEECH SUCCESSFUL]

Double didn't bat an eye as she sniffed and refused to look at Xeshir, she relaxed however, and placed Loose down carefully and sat. "Thank you...." she didn't offer much more rather just silently accepting her offer.

Crackle managed to make several bandages, enough for Ash to get Rad stabilized and even enough to help Loose if he chose to. Had any of the group looked to the west, they would notice Pop was pretty much gone, several miles away by then probably.

Unless they wanted to go after Pop, the group's quest would come to and end, their mistakes costing the lives of innocent ponies and creating more scars on this wasteland. This only made for more unanswered questions.

Who was Pop? Why did he have that armor, and what was locked in the cart? Yet the ponies today would not have their answers nor the luxury of satisfaction from doing good in the wasteland, just more arguing and bickering.

And blood.

This whole job has just been one big fuck-up, Crackle thought to himself, but at least I got paid. Now that his contract was terminated and the griffin didn't have to put up with Pop anymore, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Loose and Double may have tried to run off with their caps, but it worked out at the end. Their accomplices were dead, but Crackle felt no guilt. It was either kill them or survive; he had merely done what was necessary. After all, in his eyes, there was no such thing as an innocent wastelander. He waited while Ash fixed up Rad, and then picked up the leftover bandages and threw them to Xeshir.

"Here. Patch them up if you want. My job here is over, so I'm leaving. Chase down Pop if you want, but I'd prefer not to annoy somepony packing enough firepower to turn me into a fine red mist."

With that, the griffin unfurled his wings and flew off. Rising above the wasteland, his keen gaze sought out the distant figure of Pop lugging his wagon, far too the east. Crackle employed an age-old gesture used by griffins to indicate displeasure since time immemorial. He curled his talons into fists, but left the middle digit extended, pointing skyward. He waved both talons at the distant figure and then turned and flew away in a random direction.

Xeshir offered Loose and Double a weak smile, even if they didn´t want to meet her gaze. As Crackle gave her the bandages and part of her pay she gave the tiniest nod and said "Thank you." She was sad to see him go, mostly because the griffon had proved himself to be the most able combatant after Rad, and if they were going after Pop, they would most definitely need him, but she didn´t say anything as he flew off.

She turned to Ash. "As soon as you´re done patching up Rad, I need you to help Loose. Use only half of these." She gave him the torn bandages that Crackle had made. Then she walked towards double and said, low enough for only her to hear, "I never wanted all of this to happen...I´m sorry that I killed your friends and shot at you, I really do...If I knew Pop was going to be such a star-damned asshat, I would have shot him in the back of his head...Just...Sorry. Don´t forgive me if you think I don´t deserve it..." She then turned her attention to Rad and Ash. "So, we either go after Pop and see what was he really up to, or we go to the nearest town. What do you two suggest?"

(Giving bandages to Ash.)

Ash Smiled at Rad although the offer meant he was in debt he was glad he wasn't being put through a ringer for not helping when he should. "Sure thing Rad nothing like helping somepony attracted to bullets," Ash wiped his muzzle clean of any left over blood with his hoof not faring any better on his hoof than it did on his nose he shrugged it off and continued. "and there's a large job market for bleeding out in the wasteland Rad dont hog all the jobs." Although his joke wasn't good Ash still chuckled.

He turned to Xeshir and began treating Loose the best he could with only bandages to aid him. He stared down at the injured stallion small ammounts of blood getting on his hooves as he worked. He heard Xeshir's question and shruged still working on Loose. "I dunno I'm as curious as a cat as to why a Pony with power armor would need somepony else help him with a wagon. Too bad most curious cats wind up how they do... I could go either way but I dont really know." He wiped his brow and stood up done all he could for Loose using half the bandages as Xeshir requested and returning them to her. "I'm leaning towards following the old man, what about you rad?"

(Bandages and 50 medicine to help Loose)

"Maybe i'm just magnetic or somethin eh?" Rad chuckled. "And i'm damn good at my job of bleedin out, and I didn't get this far by havin competition!" Rad gave Ash a mock smug look. Though his expression changed as the topic of following Pop was brought up, frankly he would rather just leave it, and it was probably best for all of their health that they just turn and walk the other way. Who would really go after somepony in power armour with the intent of bugging him with question while severely under-equipped to take him on if things got nasty Anyway? It was generally a ba-"Okay! Let's do it eh?"

Ash laughed at Rad's smug look. Maybe it was the fact that he had suffered major injuries and could still smile, maybe it was that Ash couldn't gauge if Rad was being serious or not. Regardless he found it humorous and laughed. "So you're in eh? I guess I have no problem with it then." Ash placed his hoof on Rad's shoulder "Okay just try to avoid bullets or I wont owe you a favor for too long... Wait scratch that, get shot a lot so I won't have to owe you" He turned to Xeshir and sheepishly smiled "So you up for it? I wouldn't want to go with just a bullet magnet and a lousy medic."

Xeshir looked at the two bucks with an uncertain expression, then sighted. "You ponies are going to get yourselves killed..." Then she grinned a bit. "I´m in, but we are calling it off if we Pop seems to have spotted us." She then turned towards Double and Loose. "You two want to join us? We could always use some extra hooves to help us, not to mention it´ll safer to travel like this." She said with a cocky smile, perhaps a bit more cocky than how she really felt.

(Trying to convince Double and Loose to join us. Speech 60.)

Loose looked at her and shook her head, "Are you blind?....he's a motherbuckin Steel Ranger...thats death, we barely lived. We'll take your help but we're done..." She held Loose's wounds and placed some bandages on them trying to make sure they had pressured, not paying any more attention to Xeshir, and avoiding her gaze like the plague.

"well then that settles that there's no reason to stay anymore." Ash turned to Double and Loose and shruged "Get to a town and find sompony to fix that up fully. Sorry I couldn't help more but I am a bit short on supplies..." He turned away for the two wishing them luck and turned to Xeshir and Rad. "Well let's go then... umm in which direction did Pops go again?"