The VIP section of the Third Rail was dingy and dirty, but it suited MacCready and Mags just fine. They both lounged on some of the deteriorating furniture. It was most likely pre-war, Maggie noted as she slouched even further into the couch. Her eyes closed, and for a moment, the blinking fluorescent lights above resembled the lights inside the vault behind her eyelids. The girl shot up, peeling her eyes open upon hearing heavy footsteps. Two men walked in.
Instantly, Maggie's heart was up her throat, beating so loudly she might belch a heart beat or two. Of course, she kept her face stoic as best she could, as MacCready hadn't shown any emotion yet, so neither should she. "Should we take this outside?" Mac smirked from under his cap, sending a sly look to Maggie, silently telling her to be prepared for anything.
"Can't say I'm surprised to find you both in a dump like this." Winlock responded, coming to a stop in front of MacCready whilst Barnes stood a little behind.
"We were wondering how long it would take your bloodhounds to track us down, Winlock." Maggie snarked, "It's been almost three months, don't tell me you're getting rusty."
"Should we take this outside?" Mac repeated himself.
"It ain't like that. I'm just here to deliver a message." Winlock shook his head, trying to appear intimidating.
"In case you forgot, we left the Gunners for good."
"Yeah, we heard. But you're still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn't going to work for us."
"I don't take orders from you. . . not anymore. So why don't you take your girlfriend and walk out of here while you still can." MacCready stood, a condescending tone in his voice.
"What?! Winlock, tell me we don't have to listen to this shit. . ." Barnes spat.
"Listen up, MacCready. The only reason we haven't filled you and your girl's bodies full of bullets is that we don't want a war with Goodneighbour. See, we respect other people's boundaries. . . we know how to play the game. It's something you never learned."
"Glad to have disappointed you." A smirk fell upon MacCready's face as he spoke, looking back to see the same had happened to Maggie.
"You can play the tough guy all you want. But if we hear you're still operating inside Gunner territory, all bets are off. You got that?"
Maggie rolled her eyes; "You finished?"
"Yeah," Winlock replied, "we're finished. Come on, Barnes."
As the two men stalked out of the room, Maggie could feel her muscles slowly relaxing slightly. Her grip on the knife under her duster loosened and she swiped a bottle of wine from a nearby table. "Well, that went well. You know, we'll have to take care of them eventually. We're not making very many caps with them breathing down our necks. How will we take care of Dun-"
She trailed off upon seeing a woman walking in, swallowing the name she'd been about to say in front of this stranger.
MacCready sighed, "Look, lady. If you're preaching about the Atom, or looking for a friend, you've got the wrong guys. If you need a hired gun. . . then maybe we can talk."
Then, the woman asked about Winlock and Barnes and Maggie thought it best to just focus on getting herself ready to go again. She didn't need to know how long they'd be gone, or where they were going. All she knew was that they would be leaving soon, if she knew anything by the look in the woman's eye. "I'm gonna go say bye to John." She mumbled and shouldered her pack, earning a nod from MacCready. "Meet at the gate." She said, then without another word, left to say her farewells again.
Just on her way up to Hancock's place, she found herself saying goodbye to the majority of Goodneighbour. She'd never admit it, but the place had grown on her in the short time she and MacCready had resided there. She'd let her guard down a little, met a few people she'd actually miss on the road. Magnolia waved and sang a few verses of her favorite song for her, Whitechapel Charlie snuck a mini bottle of whiskey in her pack for the road. Ham gave her a quick hug, made her promise to return in one piece. Fahrenheit even grunted in response to her goodbye.
She knew Hancock was riding out a high again but left him a little note and took a mental note to grab more Addictol on the road.
Saying goodbye to Daisy was the hardest by far. Maggie had become attached to the ghoul, taking a liking to the raspy voice and sweet disposition. Daisy was a friend for sure, especially since she was the one that helped MacCready get caps and supplies back to Duncan. "Hey sugar, hittin' the road again?" Daisy greeted her, warm as always.
"Yeah, just wanted to drop off some more caps before Mac drags me off. Some woman this time, she probably just wants a quick shooter in case she comes across a few raiders out there." Maggie dumped a small sack of caps onto Daisy's counter, sliding it across.
"You got it." Daisy took the small sack, pulling it out of view of Maggie.
At that exact moment, MacCready and their new employer appeared from around the corner. Maggie waved and quickly went after them, being handed a rifle by MacCready.
Daisy wondered if they'd finally come back hand in hand or if they'd keep up the platonic charade.