[closed] the only constant is change

[capcious]

Who: the Fallout AU crew
Setting: the Commonwealth
Summary: BoS things, institute things
Warnings: Fallout warnings, smut
Other: [original notes] [first post] [second post] [third post] [fourth post] [fifth post] [sixth post] [seventh post] [eighth post]

- minor timeskip to when the BoS has its feet under it again, shaun asks riley to go up and keep an eye on them and deacon goes with
- they get assigned to a BoS squad composed of AU versions of chancellery guards (paladin archimedes o'hallan, knight-captain anthony norris, lancer-sargeant alex reyes, knight riley reynolds, knight everett wynter, knight henry "hal" saller, aspirant 'jack' "deacon" 'priest')
- maybe some minor quests involving getting to know them, gotta get some solid Bonding going
- sarrith (sarah, secret enclave remnant) and sal's romeo and juliet romance
- that one quest where you get the nukes from the glowing sea for the BoS
- wynter's mistake and gradual ghoulification and the position it puts the squad in
- blind betrayal

- shaun announces ferran officially as his successor
- ferran dealing with the short institute quests that result from that
- shaun discovering ferran's a slut and trying to talk to him about it
- zetta freaking out bc they're spending all this time waiting for her to recover and dealing with the BoS, and not having the time to try to figure out a way to save shaun
- zetta, in general, driving shaun slowly up the wall because she's cooped up and needs to be kept occupied or else Bad Things Start Happening, why is this shaun's life, this was not what he was expecting at all
- ferran going on missions with x6-88 / house divided, warwick
- nathan and zay's one night stand with ferran becoming not a one night stand any more
- at some point we need to have nathan call deacon a mongrel to his face so zetta can go positively nuclear
- zay finding out nathan is taking buffout

- build towards the railroad and institute being on better terms (not *stable*, but they need to be in a position where they're willing to make an alliance at the battle for bunker hill and afterwards to take the BoS down)
- probably need to do a meeting with dez and carrington, bc jfc (and ferran being the next director makes it easier to make negotiations on the institute's behalf though shaun probably doesnt fully trust him with that wrt the railroad yet, shaun needs to see ferran make decisions that benefit the institute OVER the railroad for that)

- mass fusion happens before battle for bunker hill, lighting a fire under the brotherhood's ass (still use it as the faction cut-off point?)
- at the battle, brotherhood wins -- keeping them a legitimate threat and serving as the push for the institute and railroad to work together against them

[image] [lyrics]

well, oh, it seems you're a lot like me
you dug yourself into places you never thought you would be
but don't you fret, and don't you mind
the only constant is change,
and you never know what you'll find

yeah, tomorrow i might wake up nice and clean
and i might believe the things i said i didn't mean
and this might turn and wind up just the way we'd dreamed
and i might become the things i swore i'd always be

Comments

[inhonorof]

[He laughs a little.] Come on, that wasn't that bad.

[gallifreynpcs]

I have kissed before. [Hal blushes as he says it, though.]

If you're trying to hint to me that you want me to leave you two alone for a while, you can just say so.

[inhonorof]

We should probably check to make sure there's nothing else we need to do before we get settled in.

[ersatzeverything]

[The remaining duties are carried out efficiently and effectively: clear the trailer park, assemble some laser turrets from half-disassembled pieces carried in the vertibird, and secure the area. By sunset they have chairs arranged around a fire pit built at the center of the park and dinner cooking away. Anthony is on watch duty, Alex is stirring a pot of beans and brahmin meat chili, and O'Hallan is exiting his power armor for the first time that day. As he walks over to the fire, Deacon's eyebrows shoot up.]

Holy shit, do you even need power armor? Like, I'm pretty sure we could just paint you silver and it'd basically have the same effect.

[inhonorof]

[Riley's eyebrows likewise are near his hairline, because Deacon's right. O'Hallan is tall, even without being in power armor. Definitely taller than anyone he's ever seen in the wasteland.] Wow.

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan just grumbles like a bear and settles into one of the chairs. There's a slight easing of the harsh creases around his mouth however. It's nothing so evident as a smile or even the hint of one, more like a mild reduction of the unrelenting sternness.]

[inhonorof]

You must need your armor custom adjusted. [Power armor is specifically designed to accomodate a decently wide range of heights, but there comes a point where someone is either too short or too tall and the standard just doesn't work for them.] I used to know a couple of guys who had to do it, too. Always complained about how annoying the process was.

[gallifreynpcs]

Proctor Ingram is highly skilled at adapting power armor to suit various needs. The particular model I wear was retrieved from Adam's Air Force Base in the Capitol and has served me well for nearly ten years.

[Alex jumps in, both into the conversation, and into one of the chairs.]

Just like my 'bird. The base had all kinds of goodies. It must have been something to have been there when the Brotherhood claimed it.

[inhonorof]

[Riley wraps an arm around Deacon's waist to distract himself from the discomfort of wondering about Nathan, the people Nathan knew, the people Nathan lost.] It probably was hell, [he says unthinkingly, although he immediately realizes the words that came out of his mouth and shifts awkwardly.] I mean... Big battles like that -- They're never as... glamorous as people think later.

[gallifreynpcs]

[O'Hallan grunts.]

Adam's was bloody work. It was necessary, but it wasn't pretty. Raven Rock was cleaner.

[inhonorof]

[This isn't helping. Riley rubs his thumb against Deacon's side, fidgeting. He tries desperately to think of a new direction to take this.] How's it coming, Hal? [Food is always a safe topic.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Deacon puts his arms around Riley's shoulders, like he can hold him down and keep him grounded if Riley starts to drift away.

Hal looks up when he hears his name.]

How's what--? Oh, dinner, it's almost ready I think.

[There's a pause where curiosity bubbles up in the place where another person might have tact.]

Were you in lots of battles before the bombs fell?

[inhonorof]

[... oh. ... Riley is very grateful for Deacon's arm. He leans into him a little.] I... guess it depends on what you mean by "a lot," [he answers evasively.]

[gallifreynpcs]

[Deacon responds by holding Riley a little closer. He knows enough about what Riley went through as a soldier to know that there's, like, no way he actually wants to talk about this.

Hal is less observant.]

...any big battle, really.

[inhonorof]

In that case... yeah. I've been in... yeah. [His fingers are starting to curl in Deacon's shirt.] There was a lot going on in Alaska.

[ersatzeverything]

[Deacon smooths his hand over Riley's shoulder. Stay with him...

It's time for a distraction.]

I was in a major battle too. Not, like, pre-War or anything. It was the Battle of the "X"es.

[inhonorof]

[As Deacon breaks in, Riley feels relief bloom in his chest. It's tempting to go ahead and rest his head against his shoulder, but... It'd feel like it'd -- give it away. That it bothers him this much. He tries to focus.] "X"es?

[ersatzeverything]

Yeah. Tragic really. It all stemmed from a basic inability to communicate. It was almost like the two sides didn't speak the same language. Or like they were from two different planets. One was from Mars and the other was from Venus or something. It was rough. Real rough.

[inhonorof]

[Riley starts to grin.] That's terrible. You're terrible. [He kisses Deacon's cheek.]

[gallifreynpcs]

What? [Hal feels like he's missing something.]

Who were these two factions who were fighting?

[Deacon just smirks.]

[inhonorof]

Oh, don't, [Riley says to Deacon, laughing. To save Hal, he answers,] It's a joke. I don't know if this stuck around after the war, but before it, there were jokes about men being from Mars and women being from Venus.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Hal looks at Riley with no recognition on his face at the phrase.]

But what does that have to do with "X"es?

[inhonorof]

[Oh, man.] Think ex-girlfriend or ex-boyfriend.

[gallifreynpcs]

[Enlightenment hits.]

Oh. Oh that kind of "Ex."

[inhonorof]

[Now, Riley is allowed to laugh, so he does.] Yeah, now you've got it.