private FoE: Aftermath; After the Fact (1x1 with Meson Bolt)

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Nothing much, really," the unicorn answered, looking up from where she was sitting. "Ate some of what we had, but left most of it for you. It's still warm, probably..."

 

Her mind drifted slightly, and she chuckled. "So, ah... enjoy your little moment with yourself?" she added with an impish grin.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos took some chunks of the leftover morsels that Foray left for him. "Thanks," Kronos said with his mouth still full until he swallowed and continued with, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just needed to clear my mind a little bit. It's sort of a thing that I do to clear up my mind and to calm myself down. It's a thing I learned after being alone in this damned wasteland for so long. It's a nice technique to learn and a good alternative to just killing things on sight to calm oneself down."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"You keep saying 'it's'... what are you referring to exactly?" Foray replied, chuckling lightly as she slumped over, her stomach full of whatever meat she'd consumed. She had an idea as to what he was referring to, but kept thinking something else entirely.

 

Ha ha... you dirty-minded pony. Very funny...

Edited August 26, 2016 by Meson Bolt

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos looked at the expression on Foray's face, which was one he wasn't all too familiar with. Nevertheless, he answered her question, "I was doing some katas from my native martial arts. It's both a form of meditation as well as a non-hostile way of practicing my Rexaratuva, which is the name of my native martial art. So, yeah, 'it's' referred to my practicing of martial arts. When we got here, I had a feeling that you wished to see less of my psychotic rampages and more of a, well, let's call it a more or less 'normal' me, even though I'm not exactly 'normal' by any means."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well, that's... that's true, for sure. Less psychotic rampages and more controlled rampages," the unicorn replied, somewhat solemnly. Studying her companion for a moment, she added, "You don't really look like the type of pony to be a martial arts master though... no offense. I mean... robotic stuff falls apart pretty easily, and you certainly aren't in top condition right now, considering what we just went through."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos looked at himself and chuckled, "Hehehe, you're right, I wasn't exactly in the best condition to do some high intensity impact practice, so I took it down a notch with meditation." He went over by the fire and sat down across from Foray, assuming that she still wanted to have as much space away from him as possible. He then commented, "I'm no master of martial arts by any means. In fact, there's never such a thing as a 'martial arts master' according to my father. He once told me a long time ago that you can never truly master a martial art as you can always improve yourself in many different ways, whether it would be controlling your movements better or moving that slightest inch towards your intended target or making your movements just milliseconds faster. At first, I never understood my father's jargon, but then I realized what he truly meant, which is 'there's always room for improvement.'" He gave a sigh before continuing, "I've always tried to emulate that same piece of advice my father gave me, but no matter how much I try, I seem to be further away from any form of improvement whatsoever."

Edited August 26, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray listened patiently, some of what he was saying simply passing over her head, but she seemed to pick up on his general meaning.

 

"Well, to be fair, you're not getting any younger, and neither are your robotic parts," she replied, staring at him through the fire. "But just because you're not improving now doesn't mean you can't improve ever. Right now, today, you're probably as tired as I am. Tired, maybe wounded, probably ready for a nap. I doubt you'd be ready to go martial arts-ing out in the Wasteland right now."

 

"Really though, what I'm trying to say is, don't push yourself too hard. As long as you've enough power to get the job done, even if it's by the skin of your teeth, it's still a job done." Shifting lightly, she added, "Now, I don't believe overkill is a bad thing, but as a pony who's smaller, weaker, and less heavily-armed than your average raider, I've learned that top performance doesn't always equal top effort, and vice versa."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos laid down with his head on a rock and chuckled while replying to Foray, "I guess you're right. Then again, even though I'm getting older, it's not like I haven't lived my life to the fullest. I've done lots of things I've always wanted to do after the megaspells went off. I went cliff-diving, which was fun, I tried swimming in radioactive water for a few days to see if I can mutate, which didn't work, and I experimented with the mutated wildlife outside and later learned of some surprising things about certain wasteland creatures out here." He yawned and rested his head back, "Speaking of tired, we should get some rest. G'night, Foray." and he slept with his head rested on the rock.

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Already? Wow. Glad I didn't keep yammering, he looks really tired...

 

A bit off-put by her companion falling asleep so suddenly, Foray glanced around the campsite, enjoying the silence and the night sounds for a moment. She'd have to extinguish the fire, since it would definitely be a beacon for any Hellhounds or raiders in the area. Shuffling closer to the flame and relaxing in its warmth for just a moment longer, she began removing logs slowly until it devolved into embers.

 

Dousing the hot ashes with a splash from her canteen, she headed back to her "side" of the campsite, collapsed onto her saddlebag, and quickly fell asleep.

 

(We can timeskip to whenever you'd like)

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

(Timeskip to around 8:00-9:00 in the morning)

 

Kronos woke up in the middle of the morning and saw that Foray was still asleep, or at least, she looked like she was still asleep. He also noticed that the fire was put out. Huh, he thought to himself, so that's what I was hearing last night and that's what I forgot to do. Well, I should thank her for that, but not now, she looks sound asleep. He wrote a note between their "sides" of the campsite that he was going to be out hunting for breakfast for the two of them. It's usually around this time that Bloodbugs and Radstags are around, he thought to himself, perfect for some breakfast. Oh, even more perfect if I can find some Mirelurk egg clutches, then I can make us a real breakfast. With the note written in the dirt and that thought in mind, he went off hunting.

Edited August 27, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray had begun to stir the instant Kronos made noise, stretching slightly and yawning before rolling over onto her opposite side.

 

Despite the fact that she was usually up well before dawn, she was feeling particularly tired this morning, mostly due to her having exerted herself past her limit in the previous day's fight. And while she'd usually simply power out of it and start her day, she allowed herself to sleep in, feeling confident that Kronos would be able to alert her in case of an attack.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos was hunting for breakfast for himself and Foray when he spotted just what he was looking for, Mirelurks.

 

Perfect, he thought, I just need to find their egg clutches. He squatted down with his shotgun pulled out and crept closer and closer to the mirelurk pond. Suddenly, he heard bubbling near him, and almost as suddenly as that occurred, a bunch of Mirelurks popped out from the depths, attacking Kronos. Kronos moved backwards, shooting at the mutant crabs. After a well-fought skirmish with the shelled water dwellers, he went up to the corpses and harvested as much of their meat as he possibly could and then went on to the egg clutches where he managed to get a few of the eggs intact despite most of them hatching as he walked up to them. After dispatching the last of the hatchlings and harvesting them, he went off into what he thinks are the ruins of an old diner and took whatever he needed to cook from it, including hot plates, pots and pans, and a few plates. He went back to the campsite with his harvested meat and supplies in tow and started cooking their breakfast of scrambled Mirelurk eggs and roasted Mirelurk.

 

Not exactly breakfast, Kronos thought, but it's better than nothing.

 

When he finished cooking, he set a plate beside Foray's head and proceeded to eat his own breakfast.

Edited August 29, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

The unicorn in question was up by the time he got back, and stared dazedly at what he'd set before her.

 

"Really now?" she mumbled, just barely getting the words out before yawning. "You didn't have to... it's not like I'm super hungry after last night anyway."

 

Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, she began idly munching on her meal, eyeing Kronos as he did the same.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"It's okay," Kronos said while eating and covering his mouth, "I still got lots of more meat here ready to cook just in case."

 

When he finished eating, he pulled out some bottles of dirty water and began to distill it. While he waited for the water to finish purifying, he tried to make some conversation with Foray, "So, what now?"

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray shrugged, setting her empty plate down and finishing up the last bits of her meal. "Well..." she started, "As much as I feel like it right now, I can't just sit around and do nothing. We have to do something or go somewhere... make ourselves productive at least."

 

Staring at him for a few moments, she shifted into a sitting position and eyed him squarely. "So ah... what exactly was it that you were trying to tell me last night before you freaked out?"

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

Kronos was genuinely confused about what Foray asked him because he had little to no recollection of his breakdown last night; however, he reluctantly searched through his memory banks to see what she was talking about. When he saw what happened, he was almost mortified.

 

"Oh," Kronos replied, "I don't recall that conversation nor that breakdown. Hmm, well, I guess what I was trying to say was that it's difficult for some ponies out here to forget their traumas, and how for some it's more difficult than for others." He then looked around and motioned his claws to make a knuckle cracking gesture which even made a slight cracking noise. After limbering himself up, he said, "Well, like I said before, I'd usually wander around aimlessly until something catches my eye and my curiosity gets the better of me. However, with you by my side, I'd just go wherever you want me to go. I know that that sounds like I think you can't make it out here by yourself, which is not what I'm saying at all." He then continued while holding his head, "What I'm trying to say is that I'm bored out here in the wasteland and I want to travel with someone to, you know, keep me company and to keep me sane so that I don't have to constantly bicker with the voices in my head." He then turned to the side and whispered "Shut up."

Edited September 9, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

Foray cocked her head as she listened to him. "Hm... and you really think a pony like me could help you keep your sanity?" she asked, before catching herself. "Not to sound sarcastic... sorry, I am actually curious, since... I don't see myself as much of the psychopath-taming type."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Well," Kronos replied, "Any pony around me would do. You're just the only one who seems to tolerate my presence. I'll admit, it would've been nice to have Lupus here, but he said that he went off to look for something. Anyways, I appreciate your tolerance of my shit. Thank you, Foray. I'm ready for your next order."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"You're ready for... w-what?" Foray asked, taken aback and genuinely confused. "Since when have I been ordering you around? I always thought that... y'know, we were kind of equals. Partners, companions. That's the way I've been treating you, anyway..." She furrowed her brow lightly. "If you're trying to flatter me or anything, I don't like it."

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Oh, is that what you were thinking?" Kronos asked and laughed before continuing, "Oh, no no, I just follow orders. I'm more of a follower than a leader. Call it more of a force of habit. I'm capable of doing my own things by myself, but when I'm traveling with someone else, I just follow whatever they tell me to a point. I don't mind how you tell me to do things, I just need guidance when I'm with someone, otherwise, I may screw up and piss you off. Try thinking about it that way. Plus, I don't need to flatter you. We're friends, right?"

Edited September 11, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well... like I said, I prefer to be equals. I'm no smarter than you... probably, so it's not fair that I should be making all the decisions. We are partners, sorta, so we should trade ideas around..." Foray replied, smiling lightly at Kronos for a moment before her attention was arrested by a sharp pain in her wounded leg.

 

Dammit, now you had to start acting up... she thought as she tightened the bandage.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Hmm, you are right," Kronos replied, "But, it's just that I have a tendency to make lots of questionable decisions, and you know that. That being said, I feel that you'd be more comfortable if you get to do whatever it is that you want to do and I just follow along. Otherwise, we might as well just wander around aimlessly just like I normally have been. So, just so that we could avoid unwanted trouble and because you have a more rational mind than I mine, I think you should decide where we go, partner." Kronos then smiled at Foray with a light chuckle.

 

He noticed how Foray's bandage area was acting up. "You okay there?" he kindly asked, "You seem like you could use some medical attention on that. You know, the more that wound lingers and is left untreated, the worse it'll get."

Edited September 12, 2016 by Kronos the Revenant

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Sure, because medical attention is really easily accessible in the Wasteland," she snorted sarcastically. "I'll be fine... I've been hit with worse and come out okay."

 

Slowly she untied the bandage and examined the wound for a few moments, before wetting the cloth in her canteen and daubing at her leg lightly.

[Kronos the Revenant 1,971]

"Hmm," Kronos pondered out loud, "Okay, if you say so, I guess."

 

I admire her physical fortitude, Kronos thought, But even I have a certain threshold for pain, and I can take a lot of it. She worries me sometimes. Then again, she's right, there's really no sign of any place that can offer her any medical attention at the moment. I guess we'll just have to move on until we either find a doctor or some Stimpaks out here.

 

He then recollected his thoughts and told Foray, "Anyways, you can go ahead and lead the way, partner."

[Meson Bolt 2,648]

"Well..." she muttered, looking around in every direction. "As much as I don't want to, we are gonna have to head to the Domain if I'm going to deal with this." Foray motioned to her wound. "I don't really know where we are, but we've gotta be northwestish of there."

 

Getting up to her hooves and quickly assembling her bags for travel, she nodded in a direction and said, "This way, probably. If we can find some sort of landmark I'll know where we are... should be about four days' worth of travel... unless you have a better idea?"