Post Nuclear Fallout x4

[[Q]]

BECAUSE WE JUST AREN'T CREATIVE

-----

Months had gone by since the world war. Vault 335, located between a school and a pub housed several man. Mostly from the pub.
Most of the men could've been considered monsters, and those who weren't quickly had learned to keep their mouths shut and themselves out of view.

Supplies were thinning and water was becoming a myth. Many men simply slept all day and made grunts instead of actual language.
One of the men was unlike the others. He was an obvious foreigner, and although he tried to hide it, it was obvious he was not used to being trapped in such a confined smelly space.

His name was Quatre Bornes, although he tended to go simply by "Q". He kept himself covered, unlike the others. He wore a long sleeve collared shirt with a maroon torso and black sleeves. Although he would sweat through it, it didn't seem like he ever stripped or went topless like the other men. His pants were black, as were his boots. He kept an expensive pair of sunglasses on his green eyes at all times and tried to keep to himself.

He was an african french and his skin, although paling from being in the vault for so long, made it obvious he was not American. He had premature grey hair parted diagonally to cover a scar that ran the same way over his nose, and the french accent his voice had started with had quickly waned when the others had blamed him for the war.

This day started no different from the others. Although, this time, the one child in the vault -- Tsurai -- seemed to grow some balls and go against their leader for water. Some old geezer no one liked was sick and Tsurai was trying to save him. Pretty much everyone else was against the kid-- The man was old and was going to die anyway. Why waste the resources on someone on their way out?

Tsurai was a frail boy, maybe eighteen years old. Green eyes, brown hair that had started out short but had grown out since his time here and was now tied sloppily in a pony tail with a string. He was pale and wore ripped blue jeans, many scars lacerating his back. Something had always been interesting about him. Q watched him for entertainment purposes, but had kept his distance. It would've been dangerous for him to speak to Tsurai.

But this time, the bossman would not have it, and as characteristic for Tsurai, the boy began to throw punches.
Q didn't know was possessed him to get up, but with a sigh and a groan, he did and grabbed Tsurai, throwing the sweaty boy to the ground.

"Stop it," Q ordered. "Quit acting like a child."
Tsurai growled and jumped back up, running at Q and preparing for an uppercut. Uncharacteristic for the quiet helpless foreigner, Q caught Tsurai's fist and sidestepped, catching the boy's other fist when it went for him frantically.
"Stop! You are only wasting your energy!"

Q scowled as he stared down the boy behind his glasses. Tsurai was struggling, trying to pull his arms free, before he finally improvised and just went to kick Q's side.

The foreigner's eyes widened and he let go of the boy's arms and turned to block the kick. But he was too slow. He hissed with pain and glared to Tsurai, who seemed to only want more.

What was up with this kid?  

[Evil Disco]

Isiah had sat in the corner, half listening to the debacle, half ignoring it as he flipped through the pages of a worn, well read romance novel. Stupid kid, he mused. Though he too felt the pangs of guilt for the old, dying man- this was not a time for guilt, or for heroism. Basic survival was the name of the game, and the elder was being selfish for demanding water for himself, and Tsurai dumb for listening. Assuming he listened at all.

He watched as the fight progressed, from it's beginning with mild interest, then with more as the frog caught his punches and maneuvered. He was no stranger to hand to hand combat, and watching it done well was sort of like watching bits of his past- flashbacks, nostalgic and ancient.

Though he knew it was stupid to care- or even to waste the energy- he rose to his feet, brushing himself off, walking up to the two. He would try to use his intimidation factor first- at 6'5 and 200 lbs it usually wasn't hard to get his way. He was dressed in ragged BDUs, combat boots and a threadbare wifebeater that had seen better days, the fading ink of countless, flat black tattoos clearly visible through it's worn fabric. "Break it up," he said, firmly, with volume.

He waited a moment- Q didn't seem to want a fight but the boy- well.. He grabbed Tsurai by his shoulders, from behind, lifting him up from the ground at arm's link for when the boy inevitably began kicking his legs. "Break it up!"  

[[Q]]

Q backed away when Isiah came into the picture, but seemed to be slightly surprised when he swooped Tsurai up in his arms. Of course the kid started acting like a psychopath, shouting things about how they were monsters for not caring for their own and leaving them to die. Q gave a scowl.

It would be a waste of time to try and explain it again. It'd been explained too many times before. Tsurai just wouldn't give up.

"I've had it," the leader, Dan, stated. "Throw the ******** out! You've been nothing but trouble!"
That seemed to calm Tsurai down. Both he and Q looked to their impromptu leader with a sort of surprise. Q didn't dare say anything, however. He had mixed feelings. He hated the kid but... Wasn't that a little severe?

He looked to Isiah.
Dan pointed to the door. "I said throw him out!" he yelled again, urging Isiah to do the deed.  

[Evil Disco]

Isiah tilted his head to the side a bit. He wasn't afraid of Dan and he certainly didn't consider him a leader. "I'm not your dog," he said quietly, tossing the still thrashing Tsurai to his feet some ways away so he couldn't come over and make trouble- if that was the boy's aim. "And that's a little much for starting a fight. Least of all with you." He paused a moment. "He's just a child."  

[[Q]]

Dan grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest at the same time Q did, both of them exchanging odd looks. Dan kept his posture, trying to look menacing. Q seemed a little embarrassed and stuffed his thumbs in his pockets instead, staring at Tsurai as he was tossed.

The boy shouted a "hey!" but nonetheless caught himself and shook it off, glaring at the group staring eachother down.

"A little much?" Dan shot back. "This kid has been nothing but trouble, trying to protect hopeless cases. And he's thickheaded and using up valuable food, probably smuggling it to that damn old man!"

Q quirked a brow, taking in Tsurai's form with a closer look. He did seem a lot skinnier. But it was difficult to tell if it was the same frailty everyone was becoming accustomed to, or worse.

"I--" Q was quickly cut off by the boy.
"It doesn't matter! I don't need you or anyone!" Tsurai shouted. He was speaking nonsense now.

"If you don't want me here than I won't stay! I don't want be bossed around by someone who doesn't give a s**t about his peers!"
What was this kid? Four?

Q shifted his weight and took his hands out of his pockets. He didn't care anymore. Let the kid did what he wanted.
Giving a shrug of indifference, he began walking back to his wall, where he normally sat while Tsurai started to head for the vault's door.  

[Evil Disco]

Isiah glanced between the three for a moment before jogging after Tsurai. "Don't be stupid," he cursed, quietly. "You can't just go running out there. ******** knows what'll happen, if it's even safe. If the radiation doesn't get you, starvation will. It might be hard here," he began, placing a thick fingered hand on Tsurai's shoulder. "But it's a ******** cakewalk compared to what's going on out there. If I were you," he shuddered inwardly at the thought. "I'd try to smooth this over."  

[[Q]]

Tsurai turned around and slapped Isiah's hand away. "Leave me alone! I don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of dicks who don't care!"

Q snorted. The both of them were being stupid.
"Let the boy leave if he wants to leave. It's obvious no one wants him here," he said to Isiah.  

[Evil Disco]

"Nobody wants anybody here," Isiah quipped back, quickly. "It'd be best if everyone just died right now, eh? Leave the rest of what's left of the food and water to the survivor?" He was starting to feel very disenchanted with the whole idea himself- but his survival instinct was a lot stronger than the bad taste the place left in his mouth.


Dan rolled his eyes at the tirade. "You don't like it? There's the door. Just make sure it doesn't hit your a** on the way out." He gave harsh, icy looks to all the onlookers, the group beginning to disperse after he made it clear the conflict was over. Isiah sighed, looking at the vault door. It would take more than Tsurai's scrawny arms to open it- so for now, he could wait. He took a long deep breath, rubbing his temples, green eyes rolling shut. "Mercy.."  

[[Q]]

Tsurai, still blinded by anger, decided to skip trying to grab things and went straight for the hatch, trying to open the thing and failing.

Q, who had been in the process of sitting down, stood back up to watch the feeble attempt. He seemed to mull the decision over in his head for a moment before passing Isiah with a small groan of annoyance and going to help the boy, trying to pull the lever that would open it. He soon discovered that he, too, was too frail. But he wouldn't admit that, and kept trying with the boy.  

[Evil Disco]

He quirked a brow upward at Q's sudden willingness to help- considering the two had just been duking it out. "Eh," he began quietly. "I don't think either of you have the uh..." He paused, trying to find a nicer way to put it. "Backs for that." He leaned against the wall, folding his arms over his chest, tilting his head to watch for another moment. He didn't exactly want to jump in and help them, but he was curious now- what would it be like outside? Would they fry as soon as the damn door creaked open? Were there others? He knew of other vaults before the fall but truth be told.. this was the one closest to the pub...

He snapped out of it for a moment. "And even if you did, what the hell are you gonna do when you get out there? All the water- if there's any- is bound to be irradiated. And food- just evaporated."  

[[Q]]

"Back my a**," Q shot back as he pulled at the door with Tsurai, who was eerily silent.

"As if I'm helping to go outside. I'm just trying to get his a** out of the vault so I can live somewhere that's quiet, for once."

At this Tsurai growled, and turned to snap at the elder. "You don't care either! Why the hell do you even bother staying in this place? I thought you of all people would understand what it's like to be looked down on, you... you cheese-eating surrender monkey!"

Q stepped back, hands curling into fists. Surrender monkey? Surrender monkey?!
"What the ******** did you just call me, kid?!"
Oh, ********, he was mad now.
He sprung in on the child, hands around Tsurai's throat, squeezing.

"How would a ******** like you know such an old slur anyway. huh?! Is that how you treat somebody who's trying to help you?!"  

[Evil Disco]

Isiah sighed, pushing away from the wall. What the ******** did I get myself into, he groaned inwardly, trudging leisurely toward the pair. He poised himself an arm's length away, waited for the right moment and then struck, his arm snaking out to grab the back of Q's collar, attempting to pull him off. "Let him go! Jesus Christ!"  

[[Q]]

Q coughed when his collar was pulled. He let go of Tsurai and turned around, slapping Isiah's arm away.
"Don't touch me!"

He pulled away from the both of them and began to walk away again, claiming he didn't care.

Tsurai coughed, rubbing his neck with his left hand. He turned back to the door for a second, but then seemed to decide it wasn't worth it and simply leaned against it, back sliding down the wall so he could seat beneath the lever, his eyes full of sorrow as he looked downward, hopes seeming to be broken.
He'd given up, at least for the time being. But it was clear he wasn't happy about it.  

[Evil Disco]

Isiah watched Q go- the slap was like a beesting, small and unimportant. He hardly felt it at all, truth be told. He turned back toward Tsurai, folding his arms, tilting his head to the side. "We don't have the freedom of choice these days," he began, quietly. "You gotta learn to make do, kid."

He turned and slid down the vault door with him, pulling a pack of cigarettes from one of his bdu pockets, shaking it for a moment. Maybe ... seven left? Did he need one that bad? He re-evaluated and shoved them back into his pocket.  

[[Q]]

"I've been living here, keeping my mouth shut for so long," Tsurai said, bringing his knees to his chest. "It's stupid. I don't want to see anybody die here because we were too lazy to give them food."

He wrapped his arms around his knees. "It's stupid," he whined again.

Q sat down in his normal place with a sigh, leaning his head back against the wall and closing his eyes behind his ever-present sunglasses.

That guy with the tattoos sure did pick a grand time to play dad. Why bother?