Arianna made her way absentmindedly up the stairs towards the famous (or infamous) Crater-Side Supply. Considering what she would need for equipment (or parts to make her ow), she would’ve blindly sidled past the man in front of her, had he not actually spoken to her. [i][b]Ladies first, lass.”[/b][/i] Ari blinked, quite startled at the sudden words, and gazed at him for a moment. Close cropped hair, dark piercing eyes...polite demeanor. And someone she’d not so much as set eyes on before. Though Ari didn’t live in Megaton, she was a familiar face to most in the town; she stopped by often enough, recognized a lot of the faces even if she didn’t know anyone. Adjusting the Plasma Rifle slung over her back, she nodded to the person in front of her. [b]“Thanks, I appreciate that,”[/b] she said in her soft spoken voice. Ducking into the general store, squinted, having to let her eyes adjust to the stark dimness compared to the bright sunny day outside. As her eyes finally began adjusting to the light--or lack thereof--she recognized the merc who’d been guarding the place for all the years she’d been familiar with the place. She didn’t know him by name, never cared to ask. But he nodded to her as she entered, and she gave him a slight smile in return.

And then there was Moira. Decked out in her usual blue overalls, grease smudged her face and was streaked through her hair. There was a husk of...something next to the counter in her shop, what looked to be some sort of vehicle. Ari tilted her head to the side, slightly, and looked up at Moira Brown, who smiled brightly. [b][i]“Oh, Ari! It’s so GOOD to see you! I was wondering when you’d be back!”[/i][/b] As usual Moira was positively beaming. She couldn’t help but smile though, the woman’s pleasing mood was always so damn contagious. It was one reason that Ari liked her so damn much. Nothing ever seemed to bring her down. Ever. Ari pointed to what was undoubtedly some insane project of Moira’s. [b]“Okay, I’ll bite. What the hell is it?”[/b] she asked flatly. Moira beamed, clapping her hands together excitedly. [b][i]“Oh, this? Well it’s my latest project of course! You see, it’s so dangerous in the wastelands, always having to WALK everywhere, and who wants to do that, right? Well a trader recently brought in a junked 4 wheeler! I’m trying to put it back together and get an idea of how much work it’d take. If it’s not so bad, maybe I can find more of these, and start fixing em up and selling them! Maybe even add a few guns or something like that!! Neat, huh?!”[/b][/i] 

Ari laughed, shaking her head and gently placed a hand on Moira’s shoulder. [b] “You know, that’s actually not a bad idea. Unlike those old cars, that thing has some hope. Good luck with that one, Moira.”[/b] Ari stepped away then, and began to gaze at the shelves lined with goods. Fission batteries, that was something she’d need for sure. Some sort of electronic parts too. Sensor modules, that sort of thing. Micro Fusion Cells and Small Energy Cells as well--the only ones she had were for her weapon. Those were just a few items she was hoping to find. But also, she was hoping to find extra lab equipment such as beakers, test tubes, microscopes. But Moira was a junk dealer, and people didn’t often come to her with that kind of stuff. Enough that she’d given Moira a great many of her caps, but it seemed this time there was nothing she could make use of. At least not for that. 

Sighing, she made to step in front of a shelf when she noticed another girl perusing the items. She watched her a moment, noting how she looked pretty banged up. Scarred, and very badly. She found herself wondering how the woman got those scars. Whatever happened, Ari was sure that if she’d had proper medical treatment, maybe the scars wouldn’t have been so bad. She found herself wishing she’d taken to the wastelands a long time ago, instead of giving her time, loyalty, and dedication to a group hell-bent on destroying any human that wasn’t “pure.” Fucking Enclave. She said nothing to the woman, instead glancing at the shelf herself. Medical supplies were something else she could make use of. Components for her serum, and also chems to make the tranquilizer she used to capture live ferals...that was a must when you required actual ghouls for test subjects.