charomiami:
KissWeek 2018 Rosalind & Duncan
@thefrostyshepard ‘s Fallout OC meeting my OC Duncan and probably quickly discovering they are both bibliophiles. Don’t worry! There is a story in the works for AU crossover! Thank you for lending me the lovely and talented Rosalind! I hope to add her to my City Line up once KissWeek is complete!
Libraries were sacred spaces, as far as
Rosalind was concerned. How many hours had she lost wandering the
stacks, hugging books to her chest like long-lost friends, nearly
crying when they had to be returned. Seeing her beloved Boston
Public Library reduced to a husk of its former glory was yet another
painful reminder of all Rosalind lost when the bombs fell and she was
frozen in time against her will.
With the Super-mutants dead and the
robots acting like she was part of the furniture, Rosalind decided to
see how many books she could spirit back to Sanctuary. Danse, at
first reluctant to linger in the remains of the nest, warmed to the
plan when he saw just how many salvageable titles she found. Though
their covers were charred and their pages singed, she soon had a tidy
pile of about a dozen books.
A crack, then a soft thud, caught
Rosalind’s ear. As her hand reached for her gun, Danse thundered
into the rubble-strewn room, leveling his rifle at a man standing by
a broken table, his own collection of books teetering beside him.
Rosalind moved around Danse, raising one hand in the classic “hold
fire” gesture as she lowered her pistol. Whoever this man was, he
was no raider – he was far too clean for that – and he was
certainly not a mutant.
“We thought we cleared this place –
who are you – where did you come from?”
The man raised his hands, looking as
non-threatening as he could. His eyes shifted from the lady in front
of him, to the armored glowering man who looked to be the major
threat, to a flicker in the shadowed doorway, then back to Rosalind.
“And you cleared it quite well. I
met no resistance when I walked through the front door. As for who I
am, perhaps you could tell me who you and your.. companion.. are
first?”
Rosalind blinked at the man. It was
rare to hear proper, even cultured, vocabulary in the Wasteland.
Usually strangers bellowed threats and unseemly names at her. This
man seemed different – and in a good way. At least so far.
“Well, I’m Rosalind. Behind me is
Danse.” Danse barely nodded, his eyes trained on the stranger, as
Rosalind continued speaking. “I see you were looking for books
too?” gesturing to her own pile.
With a hint of a smile, the man walked
towards Rosalind. “Ah, a fellow bibliophile. A rather uncommon
interest in today’s world.” He took her free hand, brushing a kiss
to her scraped knuckles before releasing it. “I am Duncan. It is
a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
“Nice to meet you, Duncan.” She
looked around the ruined stacks. “So much history – lost.”
Duncan nodded. “Indeed. I had hoped
more would be intact, but it seems those hopes were in vain.” He
gathered his stack of books in his arms, moving towards the shadowed
doorway. “These will do for now. When I travel, I will seek out
more treasures. Perhaps our paths will cross again, and we can
compare what each of us has found?”
“Sure – I’m always after any book I
can find, so I’m sure I’ll be back.” Rosalind gazed up at the
ceiling with a wistful sigh. “This place was so beautiful.”
“I am sure it was.” Duncan bowed –
a bit awkwardly with all his books. “Until we meet again,
Rosalind.” He turned, and disappeared into the shadows. Danse
only relaxed when Duncan was well and truly gone.
“Strange that he just appeared in
here. The Protectrons and turrets should not have acknowledged him
as a proper employee. Shall I have the Brotherhood investigate this
Duncan?” Rosalind shook her head.
“No. I’m not even sure we’ll see him
again.” She thrust her stack of books at Danse, before gathering
up a few that were barely holding together. “Come on, if we hurry
we can be back in Sanctuary by sunset.”
After stowing the books, Danse and
Rosalind left the library, weapons out – just in case any
stragglers lingered. And behind them, a shadow peeled out of the
corner, tracking the pair all the way to Sanctuary, before racing in
the direction Duncan traveled.
(I also posted this on AO3 – thank you for letting me write your Duncan (and thank Ash too! 🙂 )
CharoMiami 