[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

[recalcitrare]

[Zay frowns in full now.] That's not what I'm concerned about.

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan stops his sit ups and rests his arms on his knees because he cannot have this conversation while he's breathing heavily from exertion.]

Then what are you concerned about? I know the risks of Buffout, but the risks that the Brotherhood poses is greater.

[recalcitrare]

I still don't want you hurting yourself. You'll be of no use to your cause if you end up giving yourself injury, or if you end up too preoccupied with your next hit to get anything done. If you grow to be mentally reliant on them, you may become convinced you aren't capable without them.

[timesbureaucrat]

Is this an intervention, Zay? [Nathan leans back on his elbows and gives him a look that's one part fondness, one part amusement.]

[recalcitrare]

[... the urge to crawl onto him is back.] I'm serious, Nate. [He's speaking more to that amusement than anything else.] I don't want to stand by and watch you walk yourself off some ledge while you're chasing the Brotherhood.

[timesbureaucrat]

I'm not. I won't.

[He sighs.]

Look, if you want me to stop taking it, I'll stop taking it. Prove to you that I'm not addicted. [Probably. Maybe.]

[recalcitrare]

[Zay hesitates, suddenly uncertain if it's his place, despite everything he's been saying, despite the fact he's the one who started this conversation. And also because he still isn't used to Nathan offering to comply so easily.] I would appreciate it, [he says haltingly, still unsure.]

[timesbureaucrat]

All right then.

[And since it was Nathan who offered, that makes it his idea to stop. His choice. He's in control.

He rolls up off the floor and screws the lid back on the bottle and tosses it to Zay.]

You can dispose of it however you like.

[He really hopes he's not addicted. That would be embarrassing if after all his assurances he falls into withdrawal.]

[recalcitrare]

[Zay isn't expecting it, so he fails to catch it; it bounces off his wrists up into his chest, falling into his lap. He picks it up and frowns at the label. He's not sure what he'll do with it. Probably just tuck it away somewhere in his quarters.] Alright. [This still feels too easy. Not that it feels like a trick or a lie, just... utterly unexpected.]

[timesbureaucrat]

[Nathan snorts at Zay's fumble.]

It's a good thing we're not relying on your reflexes to save us in the event of an attack.

[recalcitrare]

[Zay rolls his eyes and sets the bottle aside next to his book.] Yes, yes, I'm no courser. Very funny.

[timesbureaucrat]

Well, it's a good thing you have other talents.

[He ought to finish his exercises, but snarking with Zay is so terribly distracting.]

[recalcitrare]

[... here comes the urge again. But he really ought to behave; he already distracted Nathan from his morning routine when they woke today.] So you like to remind me.

[timesbureaucrat]

[He'd really rather kiss Zay than keep exercising. But he has a duty. He resumes the sit ups where he left off.]

Zetta offered me a place on the surface.

[recalcitrare]

[And just like that, the urge evaporates. The surface has that kind of effect on him. Zay frowns again.] Really?

[timesbureaucrat]

Mm. [Nathan hums affirmative.]

I turned down the offer.

[recalcitrare]

[Zay's frown doesn't budge.] Why did she do so again? You already turned down her other one.

[timesbureaucrat]

I mentioned that I'd be willing to embark on a mission to the surface to retrieve some critical medical data. That's when she made the offer.

[Nathan leaves out a few details there. How his restlessness was apparently showing through. How he thought of Zay when he turned down the offer.]

I'm holding out for a bigger house. And a cadre of robot servants to do the chores.

[recalcitrare]

You realize you could likely convince her to make you a cadre of robot servants. She seems keen on pleasing you.

[timesbureaucrat]

I believe she just enjoys having another person around to fight with. You'd think three husbands would provide enough bickering for any person's enjoyment, but Zetta's greedy that way.

[recalcitrare]

If that was true, she'd be as adamant about keeping you down here as I am.

[timesbureaucrat]

Well, she turned down my offer to fetch that medical data for her.

[recalcitrare]

But she offered you somewhere to live up there. [Which is a bigger gesture.]

[timesbureaucrat]

She did.

[And it shouldn't be as tempting as it is. Nathan chose to hide down here for a reason. The Commonwealth may be safer than D.C. for old Enclave soldiers, but there's more than just the Brotherhood who'd like to see what remains of the Enclave extinguished.

But he believed in the Enclave because he believed in the mission to protect America, and the Institute, for all the rhetoric of improving life in the wasteland, doesn't protect anything except itself.]

Like I said, she wants easier access to her sparring partner. She won't be staying in the Institute forever.

[recalcitrare]

I suppose you have a point. Prior to her injury, she didn't spend much time down here, did she?