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The bustling of Diamond City could be heard through the walls of Publick Occurrences. Even in the night The Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth remained busy. Now, that it was summer, more people were eager to spend their time outside. Plant life around them may have been damaged and killed off because of the bombs, but many still found the environment to be beautiful. Eerie, but beautiful.
Nearly eight months had passed since Ashen left Vault 111. Eight long months that just seemed wasted to the vault dweller. She didn’t succeed in finding The Institute. Ashen had been so close, her next step was to find and talk to some Institute scientist named Virgil. Back in Goodneighbor, Doctor Amari had told her that Virgil was located somewhere in the Glowing Sea.
The Glowing Sea. Ashen leaned back on the worn couch that furnished Publick Occurrences. Faint clicking of an occupied terminal could be heard upstairs. Piper was probably typing out an article for her newspaper.
Piper had no problem keeping herself busy. If she wasn’t working on an article, she was either interviewing people or spending time with Ashen. The vault dweller admired Piper for that because unlike her, Ashen was always being haunted with thoughts and memories. She could never seem to keep busy.
Ashen groaned and threw her head back against the couch. She stared at the ceiling and focused on Piper’s erratic typing. Whatever the reporter was typing, she seemed passionate about it. “Hey Piper?” Ashen called.
“What is it Blue?” Piper stopped typing. She needed a break from her work anyway, so she decided to save her work and shut off her old terminal.
“Could you come down here please?”
“Yeah, just give me a second, Blue.” Piper stashed away her notebook and pen into her desk. She picked up her hat from the desk and rushed downstairs. It wasn’t often that Ashen asked for her, so she assumed it was important.
Ashen blinked and looked up at the reporter. She looked tired; overworked. Piper had dark circles near her eyes that, from a distance would be hard to notice, but Ashen took in every single detail. What caught her interest the most, was that Piper wasn’t wearing her coat. That old, faded red trench coat was a staple to everything she wore. “You’re not wearing your coat,” Ashen stated blankly.
“Wha- my coat? I just decided to take it off while I was working.” Piper frowned and sat down beside Ashen. Piper felt that something was off. “What did you call me down here for, Blue?” She asked in a concerned tone.
Ashen clenched and unclenched her jaw. So much time had passed since the vault dweller really thought about The Institute. Most of the people in the Commonwealth knew nothing of the mysterious group, only rumors. The people didn’t even know if these rumors were true.
For several minutes, Ashen remained quiet. Outside was noticeably calmer. Most of the residents must have retired for the night.
“I’m… Scared,” she admitted.
Piper turned to face Ashen, she was quite surprised. There was only one other time Ashen openly admitted she was scared. “Blue… What are you afraid of?”
She couldn’t allow herself to show exactly how afraid she was. Ashen wanted to lie and back out of the conversation that was taking place. “I can’t,” she mumbled.
The reported carefully placed a hand over Ashen’s. Her hand felt cold against Piper’s. “You know you can tell me,” she coaxed.
Feeling Piper’s warm hand on her’s was comforting. Ashen fought herself on if she really wanted to tell Piper or not. For the vault dweller, it was much more easier to keep her fears to herself. Ashen and Piper had been traveling with one another for a long time, though. Oh, why not. Ashen conceded her inner battle with herself. “I’m afraid of-”
“Let’s go outside Blue- Oh my god I just cut you off. Sorry, sorry,” Piper stammered. She didn’t mean to interrupt Ashen.
“Outside?” Ashen questioned. She didn’t really mind being interrupted. She was more confused as to why Piper would suddenly suggest going outside.
Piper stood up from the couch already ready to go and held her hand out to Ashen. “Yeah, let’s go outside. It’s better than being cooped up in here,” she explained.
Ashen silently agreed and took Piper’s hand in her’s. She felt the reporter pull her up from the couch. Piper really was stronger than she looked. Going outside would be good for her.
"It's just, we don't know what else is out there." Ashen sighed and curled into Piper's arms. Faintly they could hear some chatter among the Diamond City folk. In the distance they could hear gunshots, all of which were common. It was dangerous in the wasteland, everyday was a challenge.
Piper gazed up at the night sky. With only some light pollution, she could see the stars quite vividly. The deepest of blues blended together, creating a perfect backdrop for all of the stars in the sky. Some shined bright while others were dim, but all together they created something beautiful.
A small gust of brisk summer air rushed by the two. Ashen shivered slightly feeling the cold touch her skin. She felt the reporters arms tighten around her with the effort to warm her.
"Blue, if this is about The Institute again..." Piper trailed off. She knew how much the Commonwealth was afraid of the mysterious group. It wouldn't be right of her to tell Ashen to stop being worried about The Institute. Everyone is afraid of them. "We'll find them one day and stop them. Then, well, the whole Commonwealth won't be afraid anymore!"
Ashen closed her eyes. She couldn't imagine all the people in the Commonwealth not being afraid anymore. There were so many dangerous people and creature in the wasteland, those alone cause fear. "Us alone isn't enough," Ashen mumbled.
"What was that Blue?"
"Nothing... It's nothing Piper."
Piper sighed audibly and sat up. She pulled Ashen up with her. "We both know that's not true, so come on. You can tell me," she said in the most gentle voice she could produce.
Ashen looked down at the streets of Diamond City, they were nearly empty. There was something about being outside, dead in the night that brought comfort. It was as if the streets were so lively moments ago.
She took in a deep breath and collected her thoughts. "We need more people to defeat The Institute," she firmly stated. "It can't just be us. Piper, we need more people."
Piper saw the fear in Ashen's eyes then. She knew how scared the woman was. Hesitantly, she reached out and ran her fingers through Ashen's messy, auburn hair. "We can do this Blue. We can win."
Ashen melted into Piper's touch, it was something she deep down craved, but never once would admit. She leaned into Piper, letting all of her tension dissipate. "The Institute must be stopped," she said quietly.
Piper smiled softly and brought her arms again, around the vault dweller. All felt right in the world with Ashen by Piper's side. If she could do anything for Ashen, it would be to help defeat The Institute once and for all; and that was just what she intended on doing.