Voodoo - Doctor's Visit

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Fawkes got Ellen the holotape recording from Miss Agatha, and a set of her written sheet music besides. Bahorel's, ah... philosophical... work came a little bit after that. They're really all that Ellen came to the Bar for this time around, so it's time to go back to the House of Franklin and give the good doctor his-

Well. They're all Ellen came to the Bar for. Ellen wasn't the only one who came through that door, though.

Time to find Voodoo and see what his situation is.

Comments

[boston_bruiser]

"Fuck."

So the fifteenth time isn't the charm.

"Ass."

Neither is the sixteenth.

"Son-of-a-bitch."

Seventeenth...we think you can guess.

Bar may have ways and means of expressing her displeasure with patrons, but fucking over with someone's door like this?

"Gaaaahddammit."

(He hears varnish is used as an accelerant, sometimes. Just sayin'.)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

... uh-oh.

"Voodoo? Um...."

Yeah, this isn't gonna be good.

[boston_bruiser]

"Bar," he says, trying the door again, "has seen fit to swap my world with yours."

When the door swings open, it does not reveal a quiet evening in a northern Virginia suburb, but post-nuclear Philadelphia.

"But hey," he says (voice not at all dripping with sarcasm, how could you think such a thing?) - "nineteenth time's the charm, right?"

(It's not.)

He slams it shut, collapsing into a nearby chair before putting his feet up on the table.

"I'm not drunk enough for this. Hell, I don't think I'm sober enough for this."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Oh, hell's bells."

(Not her usual vocabulary of preference, to be sure. But no one deserves to be stuck in her world against their will.)

"That's... Voodoo, I'm sorry, I don't know why it would do that. It's never done that before..."

[boston_bruiser]

He waves her off, his sulk directed at the door.




"Aww, fuck it. Beats sittin' around here with my thumb up my ass."

He stands, grasping the doorknob in his hand.

"Ready?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen had been about to say something, but to be honest, she wasn't entirely sure what. Not actually having to say anything... well, it kind of feels like cheating, but in its own way, it does help.

"Just a minute."

She whistles sharply, and Dogmeat comes trotting out from under one of the tables.

"Okay, I think we're good."

(She'll worry about what this means, whether apologies are warranted, and similar questions later. Sometimes that line of thought leads only to fretting.)

[boston_bruiser]

And Voodoo opens the door before stepping out into post-nuke Philly, glancing up and down the street. No movement he can see. There used to be a stoop where he is, and he hops down to the pavement in its absence.

"Any word on how Conklin's doing?"

Can't hurt to keep his mind occupied. You know, to prevent all the dwelling on how he might never again see the only home he's ever known.

(It might not be healthy, but it keeps you functional.)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

It's still the remains of Philly on the other side, of course. It's exactly the same remains and same moment as when they left. There's even a radroach that was in the process of hopping from one chunk of concrete to another when Ellen opened the door; it lands as Voodoo steps through, then scurries away. Ellen glances both ways to make sure no one's close enough to have seen them, then says, "Madame Keturah said he was a lot more responsive. Not quite coherent yet, but he's at least saying actual words instead of indistinct noises."

(Teller was able to go back to his home world after stumbling into the Wasteland. So was Gus, poor man. Heck, so was Fluttershy, and she wasn't even human- then again that might have been part of it-)

"Which is better than I thought he was going to be, this quickly."

[boston_bruiser]

"Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick."

He rubs his chin, glancing down the street.

"Once he's recovered, what's next?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

They're not far from the rendezvous point agreed upon before embarking on their 'search for cultural artifacts'. The only things stirring in the streets are insects, at least just at the moment.

"From here I'll be sending as much of a report as I can manage back to the Citadel. We're out of radio range, but Fawkes has a T-minus unit and the approval of about half the high command staff. He can deliver the message in real time, if need be. I'd like to have a few more words with Doctor D first, though. Did you see how he reacted when we walked in? I get the feeling he's seen power armor before, and I'd like to know where and when."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods in agreement. "Could be more Brotherhood. Or someone dangerous and smart enough to take a suit off a Knight and know how to use it. Either way, it'll be good to know."

A beat.

"I get the feeling first contact with whoever's wearin' it won't be pleasant either way. With your chapter being outcasts 'n all."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"No kidding," Ellen says gloomily. "The alternative's not a whole lot better. From what I understand, there was at least one Enclave foray into the territory around Chicago sometime in the past. I'd heard they were wiped out, but...."

Well.

"No point worrying until we hear from the doctor, I guess."

[boston_bruiser]

"Pretty much."

A beat.

"Or it could be that you just startled him."

Occam's Razor and all that.

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"We can hope," Ellen says. "We can hope."

They're first back to the rendezvous point. It won't be long before Kang, Jerald, and the others return; Ellen leans back against an ancient lamppost and rubs at her face with both hands.

"I was going to thank you for helping me with all of this, but given what happened at the Bar, that'd probably sound kind of hollow," she says quietly. "Still- thank you."

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo sighs, hands in his pockets. "Yeah."

He rubs at one temple before looking at Ellen.

"Look, don't sweat it. It'll sort itself out one way or another. 'til then, let's focus on the shit we can fix."

He looks back just in time to see them coming down the street.

"Here they come."

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen pushes herself away from the lamppost and draws herself up straight. It would probably look more impressive if she were in her power armor rather than her stealth suit, since at least the power armor adds some bulk, but what can you do. "Welcome back," she calls to the new arrivals. "Report."

"No luck, Paladin," says Kang, his voice muffled by his helmet. "Not as far as the doctor's request, anyway. Scribe Cancio did stumble across a couple of bottles of Days, though. Caps intact and everything."

Painless- who had been with the people from Voodoo's group, and the robots- whistles. "Not bad," he says. "All we managed to scare up was an old boxing magazine."

Ellen nods. "We found music," she says. "And an old treatise of some kind. I've already taken pictures of all the pages for transmission back to the Citadel. I think we should be set now as far as payment goes."

"Where did you- ow!" That was Josepha speaking, and Jerald absently elbowing her in the ribs. When the others turn and look at him he spreads both hands and gives the least convincing 'what? I'm innocent' look anyone's seen in a long time.

"... let's just get our stuff to the Doctor, all right?"

[boston_bruiser]

Voodoo nods, stare fixed squarely on Jerald - and as the group moves to depart, he moves with them, lagging behind only slightly to clap the Scribe on the shoulder.

"Wasn't your place to do that to my people," he rasps, voice low and soft, but not without menace. "Try it again and you won't like what I do."

And then he walks on. His own expression of nonchalance is more practiced than Jerald's - whether it's more effective is subjective.

(It was, at worst, a love tap. Still, you've got to set the boundaries somewhere.)

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Ellen rolls her eyes, but says nothing. She'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss this with the Scribe later.

(He's a good man, but Lord, does he have social skills worse than her own sometimes.)

Madame Theodosia, the red-headed Franklin Girl, is waiting at the House's front entrance. "That was quick," she says, arching one eyebrow. "I hope you aren't trying to put one over on us."

[boston_bruiser]

"We ain't. Got your payment right here."

Voodoo produces some sheet music, along with a volume titled Evadaisme.

"Some Bach, and some...treatise." He pauses, turning the tome over and briefly glancing through the pages.

"God, how much of a douche do you have to be to like this stuff- uh, anyway, we got that and a boxing mag and Scribe Cancino found your caps. Good enough?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"Good enough and then some, I should think," says Theodosia as she turns a few of the treatise's pages. "All right. Come with me, and we'll see how the Doctor reacts. I don't think he was expecting quite this much from you."

[boston_bruiser]

"Cool," Voodoo says, following her in. "Does this mean he gets fixed quicker?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

"He'll be the Doctor's priority, that's for sure," says Theodosia as she makes her way past the giant statue of Ben Franklin in the atrium. "Doctor D's a busy man at the best of times..."

Not all of the hallways leading out of the atrium are in habitable condition, but the worse-off ones have been cordoned off with canvas- or some kind of fabric, anyway- and scaffolding. One of the two really viable ones has been rather gaudily decorated- think along the lines of the Dresses the Girls are wearing. The other, rather smaller, looks like it probably had an AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY sign protecting it at some point in its history. Right now it just has a metal sheet upon which someone has painted 'The Doctor is In' in a style that looks almost as if the painter had seen work written with a quill-pen once. Theodosia sweeps up her skirts in one hand, steps past the sign, and calls out, "Oh, Doctor.... your clients are back, and they brought presents."

"Real presents, or the armor piercing kind?" comes Doctor D's muffled, wary voice.

"Real presents, Doctor. You're gonna like this..."

[boston_bruiser]

"Bach, philosophy, and boxing magazines. And caps, too."

To add effect, Voodoo waves the sheet music, making a rustling sound.

"So when can he be back to 100 percent?"

[aaaaaaaagh_sky]

Doctor D takes the bundle of papers from Theodosia and begins thumbing through them. He doesn't say anything, not at first, but his eyes get very wide very fast indeed. "I'm doing what I can to get him back on his feet as soon as possible, believe me," he says when he finally looks up. "He's a resilient man. I haven't got the kind of anti-inflammatory chems I'd like to be deploying about now, but I can promise you, he'll get the best treatment possible this side of the Divide."

[boston_bruiser]

"What's the Div- you know, never mind, just do your thing."