[u][b]Steve Miller - Outside the Last Plank[/b][/u]

"This way," Corrine, now smiling, said. She headed towards the gate, but instead, ducking into the old souvenir shop and going up the stairs and out the second floor door to the upper gangway of the outer wall of the settlment. Steve followed her, coming to a spot along the southern part of the wall. She then spoke "The Hull is the wall with the main gate that protects the town from the rest of the island, but it's also the best spot in town to get a quiet moment and a...view."

Corrine gestured southwest. The sun was starting to contemplate setting on the day, filtering through thinner patches of the fog and looking hauntingly beautiful. The rocky cliffs of the northeastern edge of the island were highlighted and the sound of the water breaking on the shore was just slightly louder than the din of the town behind them. "I'm really not a tour guide," she explained. "You seemed to be askin' about the island and I thought I should just...show it to you."

Corrine was certainly right about the view. The setting sun and the fog gave the vista they looked out on a haunting beauty he couldn't help but appreciate.

I see what you mean", Steve replied, "it is beautiful."

She sighed, happily. "I ain't been anywhere else, I'm sure you figured that out. I don't know what the mainland looks like, let alone any of the places you've talked about, like where you're from. But the island...it's a part of me, as I'm a part of it. I don't know any other life than to live every day lookin' at that." She gestured at the nearby ruins of gift shops and bait and tackle stores. The sunlight, combined with the fog, blanketed the sight in a beautiful mist that almost looked serene. A breeze picked up once more. Instinctively, she pulled her coat tighter around her body, taking a moment to just enjoy the relative peace and pleasant company.

"This is a lot different from the Capital Wasteland", Steve said, "It's practically a desert there. Nothing but Mutants, ferals, and Brotherhood fighting endlessly over the picked over bones of Old Washington. Couldn't wait to get away and haven't been back since. Some areas of the Mainland aren't too bad though."

"So, that's why I ain't takin' off, even if it seems like the wrong choice. I don't want to live anywhere else." Corrine leaned forward and looked out into the fog. "If you've got some ideas on how we can defend it, or die trying, then I'll gladly hear 'em. But..." she pat the rail next to her, encouraging him to come closer, "maybe later?"

"Yeah", Steve said as he took a seat on the rail next to Corrine, "Later sounds good to me."

As they sat together, enjoying the moment and watching the sun set over the fog shrouded trees, he nonchalantly put his arm around her waist.