The rain rolled down the goggles of my gasmask, as my duster grew heavy. The material was water proof, but water has a funny way of making everything heavier. Comes with the territory of being one of the densest substances in nature, I guess. Made moving uncomfortable, but not unworkable. At the very least my coat was keeping it from soaking into and beneath my armor. Last thing I needed was to catch a cold, or start worrying about keeping my core temperature up, even if my Aura lowered the chances of it. The White Fang clearly didn't care about those sorts of things though. Most of them had some place warm and dry they could hide away in. I'd already seen two of them by that point in the night. One being some sort of substation and the other being the crawlspace over a fast-food joint.

The place I was standing behind, at that moment, wasn't a White Fang hideout. At least, I hoped it wasn't, otherwise I was going to feel silly. It wouldn't be the first supermarket I'd found to have them lurking in the basement or backrooms. From the outside at the very least that's what it was, a supermarket. A 24-hour place. Surprisingly convenient, but I had to wonder how much business they actually got in the later hours.

Well, it worked in my favor anyway. I'd taken to hitting places like it during my nightly prowling. Get myself something to eat and drink, have a barebones break. Tried not to hit the same place more than once, keep anyone from seeing me often enough to ask questions. Like: What's that kid doing out past curfew?

It was also a nice chance to get out of the rain for a bit. The summer nights had been mostly cool, but they got humid real quick when the rain started. Enough that the moisture fogged up my goggles the moment I stepped into the climate-controlled store.

The store itself was a rather large place. Yang and I had stopped in to one back around when I'd first arrived. This one was even larger than that, but I could tell it paid for it in quality. It was midsummer, and the produce didn't look all that appealing. On the flipside though, they had other conveniences, like a pharmacy at the back of the store. Pity I was there for the food.

The store was largely deserted. There were a few, absolutely exhausted looking, people manning the registers, but I didn't see too many people roaming the aisles. Which made sense, it was getting to be late, and I'd probably walked in about the time most people went to bed. The entrance fed directly into the produce and deli section. Which made it easier for me to just grab something ready to eat. Fruit was easy enough to scarf down, and most of the delis tended to have sandwiches pre-made. It was just a matter of picking the one I wanted. Though given how late it was, most of them would've already been discarded if I was too late. Which was nonsense to me, and a waste of perfectly good food. So what if the veg is starting to wilt? A hungry stomach doesn't know the difference between day old and week-old bread. It won't notice a little soft lettuce.

Unfortunately, as I reached the deli counter, I saw I was already too late. The people behind it were already cleaned up for the night. They were also giving me strange looks, but otherwise seemed to not pay me much mind. I'd seen what people wore at Beacon, I was not the weirdest thing wandering around. I distinctly remember hearing one of them mutter something like 'Huntsmen gonna huntsmen'.

It wasn't just them though, there was one other person giving me strange looks. A small, frankly tiny, elderly woman with a cane, who was waiting at the deli counter. When I say tiny, I mean it as well, because she was only maybe half the height of the deli case. Something in the ballpark of an incredibly optimistic four feet tall, which might've been a major rounding error.

I didn't pay her any mind, and chose to move along. If cured meats and cheese were out of the question, that meant moving on to the second-best option for preserved food. Canned beans.

Snagging an assortment of fruits from produce, I walked along the back of the store. I scanned the overhead signage, looking for the canned goods section. There were plenty of other dried goods I could have gone with, but the canned stuff was just the easiest to work with. Didn't have to worry as much about trying to get any of it prepared, or eating it 'raw'. I'd eaten more than my fair share of uncooked BlamCo Mac and Cheese. It wouldn't kill you, but you'd feel like you were chipping your teeth with every bite.

The hardest part about eating canned beans was the can. Which was optional unless you were a bighorner.

I walked along the back of the store, until I found the aisle with the canned vegetables. I turned down it and began perusing my selection. There were other options besides beans. Carrots, corn, potatoes, spinach, and beets among others. They had medleys and others too, including peas. But most of them were unseasoned and meant as sides or, like peas, were some class of bean.

Among them: Brickie's Baked Beans. Not the best beans I'd ever eaten, but the only kind I'd had that wasn't two hundred-plus years out of date. They tasted like the tree-sap from the Forever Fall, and had bits of meat floating in them, which was nice. It came in other flavor options too, for the little they matter.

I pondered over them for a minute, mulling over which was worth trying.

As I stood before the shelving, a rhythmic tapping began to echo down the aisle, from the way I'd come. I initially assumed it an employee, moving through clean-up for the night. However, as the tapping continued, and was slow in approaching, I turned to look.

It was the elderly woman again, tapping along with her cane. A knotty piece of wood that, I had failed to notice prior, was capped with a skull. Painted blue and highlighted with almost glowing teal accents. Or perhaps they were cyan. I had to image it was either wood or metal itself, and painted or enameled. If it was a real skull, kudos to that lady, she was more hardcore than half the Mojave. Violent whack jobs that the wasteland was full of, I'd never met one who kept the skull of their enemy on a walking stick. There wasn't much about her that was really notable besides that. She was wearing multiple layers, which was a bit strange in the heat of the summer. But they were loose, billowy, giving a very light appearance. A long, blue-grey skirt that reached down to a pair of brown boots, and a deep blue blouse. She was covered, however, by some form of shoulder wrap. Not a cape, like Ruby wore. Something bigger, more encompassing. Something more like a shawl, or a cloak. Trimmed with a pattern of light blue triangles. It was a darker shade of slate than her blues, with a hood she had drawn over her head. Just enough that, down the aisle, I couldn't make out her face. Likely meant to be against the rain outside.

Paying her no mind, I went back to perusing the selection of canned fiber in front of me. Silently pondering why someone would mix ketchup into their beans instead of something sweet. Yet there was an offering for beans in tomato sauce, which I was sure tasted alright, but confused me anyway.

As I pondered, however, I heard a quick tapping of the woman's cane.

I turned my head to look, and found that she was still looking at the shelf. However, she was now several yards closer.

'…'

I turned back towards the shelf myself and made to look like I was examining the merchandise. Waiting a moment.

The tapping resumed, and my head whipped back towards the elderly woman.

Again, she was several yards closer.

I looked up to the signs hanging from the ceiling, pretending to search for something. I took a random can of beans and started down the aisle, turned out of it, and walked into the next one. Dried goods, snack food specifically. Chips, trail mixes, similar dried and crunchy carbs. Things you'd want to eat by the fistful and leave your mouth stung by salt.

I grabbed a jar of nuts and continued on my way. Listening carefully as I went.

It was softer now, with distance and shelving between us, but I could still hear the woman's cane. Rapping sharply against the floor. A strange thing for me to feel the need to focus on. We were in a grocery store; it was perfectly normal to go about shopping in your own rhythm.

But the atrophying sense of paranoia I'd once had said something was off. The worst I could do was to test it a little, and see what exactly was going on.

After a moment, however, my paranoia eased off. The sound of the woman's cane disappeared among the dull hum of the store. I probably looked a little strange to the worker who was pushing a broom down the aisle. Honestly wasn't sure if he was paying me any mind though. He had the glazed-over look of a wage-slave who'd been at it for ten hours, and just got assigned extra over-time.

I walked down the aisle, past him, and to the back of the store again. I turned to do another loop, then head for the register. I just needed something to munch on, and what I'd grabbed would be more than enough.

Then, I felt something tap me on the small of my back.

I turned around, and the elderly woman was standing there, craning her head up to me.

She had a vaguely rectangular face, though rounded with the softness of age. A few strands of silver-white hair hung in front of her face. The corners of her mouth creased with smile lines and lips that were a little wrinkled. Her nose was wide and flat, but did no disservice to her. If anything it helped give her a rather jovial appearance.

Really, the thing that stuck out the most about her though, were these goggles she wore. I'd almost have mistaken them for a prosthetic of some kind, if it wasn't for the band wrapping around her head. They were these over engineered, cumbersome looking things. All steel and glass, the lenses large circles of blue that obscured her actual eyes. They even had lenses on them, which almost seemed to function the same as eyelids. They snapped open when I suddenly turned.

"Oh! Sorry!" the woman said suddenly, voice carrying the crotchety croak of age "I didn't mean to startle you like that."

'I call bs on that.'

"A-all good." I said "… can I help you?"

The woman raised her cane up, and pointed towards the top of a nearby shelf. "Could you reach that can of cashews for me, I wouldn't have had so much trouble in my younger years."

"… Of course." I said, nodding.

Without looking away from the woman, I reached up to the top shelf. I gripped the can and brought it down to her level. The woman took the can and returned with it to a nearby shopping cart, and dropped it into the basket. The woman herself was only just tall enough to see over the one side of it, as she began to push forward.

"Thank you, young man." The woman said, smiling pleasantly "Do yourself a favor: don't get old. There was a time I could have done that without asking for help."

"No problem." I said, preparing to continue on my way.

Until the woman stopped me again.

"One more thing, if you don't mind?" The woman asked "There's this bag of rice that is just a bit too heavy for my old bones to lift. I don't mean to be a bother, but could you help me carry it to the register?"

I looked at the woman for a moment, gauging her. While I didn't mind being helpful, that didn't change the strange feeling she was giving me. She'd been giving me strange looks since I'd walked into the store, now she was asking for my help. While it's not a crime to look, that didn't change the feeling.

Whatever her deal, I chose to play along. Nodding, I followed her to the aisle with the dried goods. I grabbed the large bag of dried rice she indicated, and foisted it into her cart. The bag wasn't particularly oversized, but I could see how someone of her stature would struggle with it.

"Thank you young man." The woman said "Now, why don't you follow me up to the register, and we can see about getting you checked out?"

"Pardon?" I asked.

"Your food." The woman said "It's the least I can do for the helping me. It doesn't look like you've got a lot either."

I shook my head "It's no trouble ma'am. You don't have to do something like that."

The woman chuckled "I insist. Especially because I'm sure you'd rather have gotten a sandwich instead."

"True, but it's no big deal." I said.

"It is to me, who do you think is going to carry this bag for me?" The woman answered candidly, giving me a smirk.

"Umm…" I looked around for a moment. She was, indeed, shopping alone. Which raised a question: "… How were you planning to get that bag of rice if somebody didn't help you?"

The woman looked at me a moment, then shrugged "I was fine until my shoulders started acting up."

"… if you say so. " I said, then motioned towards the front of the store "You don't have to buy me anything, but I'll at least help you get everything unloaded."

The woman smiled at me, and the lenses of her goggles shifted, gaining a pleasant edge. "Why thank you."

I followed the woman up to the register, and helped her unload her cart. It didn't erase the unease, but it helped abate it. The longer I helped her, the more normal things seemed. Sure, she'd basically shanghaied me into it. But taking a few minutes out of what had been an admittedly slow night wasn't a big deal.

Funny word that, Shanghaied.

The burnt-out cashier began scanning the items as I finished unloading the cart. "That should about do it, ma'am." I said, recollecting my gathered food.

"Thank you." The woman answered "If you just set your food down-"

"Ma'am, I'm serious, it's not necessary." I said, squeezing past her and back into the space between the aisles and registers. "I have no problem paying for my own stuff. Helping you was enough."

The woman looked at me for a moment, curiously "Are you sure? I don't mind paying for it."

"I appreciate the offer Ma'am, I really do. But it's ok." I said.

The woman nodded, before focusing intently on me once more. "Well then, if you don't mind, there is one more thing I need to ask-"

Before the woman had a chance to finish, all hell broke loose.

There was a crash of sound back towards the entrance of the store, breaking glass. Followed closely by shouts that dissolved to incoherent echoes, then a staccato of thunder.

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Gunfire.

Scream and shouts followed, moving deeper into the store, towards the back.

'… You've got to be fucking kidding me.'

Without hesitation, I bolted down the aisle, towards the back of the store once more. Listening carefully as the source of the sudden racket moved with me. Rather, I moved with it, same difference.

I reached the back of the store, and kept to the edge of the aisle, waiting to see what transpired. After a moment, from the far side of the store, I saw several people hurriedly moving down the back of the store. I recognized one of them as a worker in the store, likely a manager.

The others were White Fang.

Three of them total, a small group compared to the normal fare I seemed to run into. They looked pretty roughed up already, like they'd just crawled out of a burning building. Only two of them were armed, one a man with a pistol, and the other a woman with a hatchet. Hatchet wielder had a broken arm. Third looked like he was nursing a bullet wound. The blood stain on their shirt and general posture said he'd been shot in the side.

I couldn't remember running into them, so how they'd gotten the tar kicked out of them was a mystery. Initially at least.

The two fairly intact Fang pushed the manager along the back of the store. Towards the pharmacy. The pistol wielding Fang kicked the manager in the rear, causing him to stumble forward. He crashed against the door, and scrambled to get up.

"Open it!" The pistol Fang ordered.

"I am- I am." The manager said fumbling at his side and pulling out his scroll.

The hatchet Fang turned to her bleeding partner. "How're you holdin-"

"I've been shot Rosa!" The bleeding Fang snapped.

"Okay, easy!..." 'Rosa' turned towards the manager "Might have to kill him now, thanks for that."

"Fuck!" Bleed-Fang shouted.

"Will both of you knock it off?" Pistol-Fang hissed "We've got the cops on our asses, we need to grab the shit and get out."

"How the fuck did they know we were going to be there?" Bleeding Fang asked.

"Don't know, every pig gets lucky once in a while." Rosa grit.

'The police did this? Shit, good on them, didn't think they actually had it in them.'

The manager swiped his scroll against the door finally, and it unlocked with an audible beep. The pistol-Fang shoved him aside and kicked the door open. Being the clearly least wounded of the bunch, he had no problem leading the charge.

"Tam, get in here so we can get you patched up." He called "Rosa, watch for the cops… and take care of that idiot, if he gets out of line."

Bleeding-Fang, now 'Tam', stumbled into the back of the pharmacy behind 'Pistol'. Rosa meanwhile moved over to the manager. Menacing them with their hatchet, one arm still hanging limp at their side.

"Sure, just leave the one with the broken arm to watch for the police." Rosa griped "I'm totally fine."

Rosa loomed over the manager, while I heard the other two begin working over the back of the pharmacy. She didn't look like she was about to make any moves, but it wouldn't take much. Worse, they already knew the cops were on their tail, so it was only a matter of time before they arrived. There weren't many people to get caught in the crossfire, but police involvement was a problem.

'First thing I find all night, and it just had to be during my break.'

I grimaced as I tried to come up with a quick plan of attack. It was a straightforward thing. There were only three of them, they were already wounded, and they'd isolated themselves well enough. If I took out Rosa, that would alert Pistol and Tam. Pistol would have to take priority, he was the least wounded, and the only one armed beside Rosa. Tam's wound would likely slow him down.

That's how I was going to do it, Rosa, Pistol, and then Tam if his wounds didn't automatically disqualify him.

Then a new element asserted itself into the mix.

From the aisle next to mine, accompanied by the tap of footsteps and her cane, came the old woman. Before I could even react to her, she strode up to Rosa without missing a beat. Who, in turn, took immediate note of her.

Rosa's head snapped to the old woman "What the fu-"

"Excuse me dear, you know it's a school night, right?" The woman said "You shouldn't be out partying."

Then, as an affront to logic, the old woman suddenly launched herself at Rosa. That's not hyperbole, she launched off the ground like a little wrinkly rocket and delivered a flying kick to Rosa's face. Hitting with enough force to crater the Fang into the wall.

Rosa slumped to the ground as the little old woman flipped through the air, came to ground, then darted into the Pharmacy's back room. There were a couple of shouts, and a crash of splintering wood and broken glass.

"… Oh what the fuck." I muttered, and moved from behind cover to the pharmacy door. I looked down at the manager, who looked at me somewhere between terrified and utterly confused. Like he'd never seen an old woman turn herself into a missile before.

It was a first for me too, but still.

Keeping behind the edge of the door frame, I peered into the pharmacy.

The place was completely overturned. Couldn't tell if that was an effect of the Fang digging through the place, or the old woman pin-balling off the walls. Tam was frantically trying to guard themselves, while 'Pistol' was already lying face down on the ground. His weapon knocked away from him.

The woman collided with the wall and slid to the floor facing Tam. She had a wide smile on her face, and was cackling like a madwoman.

Without hesitating, Tam turned towards the door and started blindly running towards it. Never one to waste an opportunity, I got in his way.

I stepped out from cover and tossed my can of beans at his head. The metal tin impacted his face and erupted into a spray of fiber and sticky sauce. He stumbled in his run, and fell forward, hitting the ground limply.

'Seriously, what is in the food here?'

As Tam slumped to the ground, the woman looked at me with a smile on her face. Slowly she got her laughter under control.

"Well-" She said "This was certainly something, wasn't it?"

…

The old woman hurried back to the front of the store, after we made sure the White Fang stayed put. Rather than return to her cart though, she just dipped out the exit. I felt inclined to follow her, as dealing with the police wasn't something I had the energy or time for. I dropped almost everything I'd picked up, save an apple, and tossed a couple lien at the cashier.

We got probably all of a block away from the store, before the woman seemed to remember: she was old. Most old people don't do what she did.

The rain poured down around the two of us, as the woman doubled over on herself, panting.

"Oof, haven't had to do this much running in a while." She huffed, as I loomed over her

"That so?" I asked "So it's not normal for little old ladies to go bouncing off walls?"

"Oh, hush you." She huffed "I may be small, and out of shape, and a little older, and my eyesight's not so good, and the rain is having my shoulder act-up, but… um…" She trailed off

"… But you can still bounce off walls?" I offered.

The woman straightened out slightly and gave me a playful smile. "Yes, thank you."

"Hm, still wouldn't call that normal." I said, turning to look back over my shoulder "You left most of your stuff back there."

"Well, it's not like I paid for it yet." The woman countered "What about you? You didn't exactly wait for the police either, young man."

I nodded at that. "Fair. But I guess we're both waiting for the police now, considering we're just standing around."

"Hmm… nope, it's raining. I'm going home." The woman said, adjusting her hood.

"Smart." I said "You good to get back on your own?"

"Very funny." The woman chuckled "But I wouldn't mind if a nice young man would be willing to escort me."

"I don't know any nice young men." I apologized "But I know a smart-ass who could probably fit the bill."

The woman nodded "I believe he'll do. And his name would be?"

"Six." I said "Just Six."

"Hm, easy enough to remember." The woman smiled "Well, my name is Maria. It's a pleasure to meet you, young smart-ass."

I snorted out a small chuckle. "Likewise… so, shall we get walking?"

"Let's." Maria agreed adjusting her goggles "These blasted things are starting to fog over."

The two of us began down the sidewalk, as the rain began to kick-up. The streets were all but abandoned, the rain driving away anyone who'd want to spend the night out. The street lights dyed the rain spattered streets in shades of yellow and amber, surrounded by rainy grays and inky blues.

"So, Six, can I guess that you're a huntsman in training?" Maria asked "Or do you just have a habit of charging towards gunfire."

"Both actually." I said "I'm currently going to Beacon, though I gotta say I'm not so taken with the place at times. What about you? Most of the old women I meet aren't half as spry as you."

"Retired." Maria answered "Have been for a long time. But I still try and practice the old moves, occasionally… You know, you're not supposed to be out here at night, right?"

"Who's going to stop me, the police?" I asked snidely.

"Yes, actually, I believe they passed laws about huntsmen in training performing vigilante justice a few years ago." Maria said "Though I could be mistaken, I only visit here every once in a while."

"Really?… huh. Wasn't aware of that." I said "Mores the reason to avoid the police then."

The two of us came to a cross-walk, and I helped her across. Traffic was light at least. Not so many people to worry about.

"So, what brings you to Vale then?" I asked "Seeing as you're a tourist rather than a resident."

"Visiting an old friend." Maria answered, smiling "It's a long trip from Mistral to here, so it makes it hard for the two of us to see each other. But I try to get over here for a week or two, once or twice a year. What about you? It's been a while since I've been to Vale, and you don't strike me as a resident either."

"Bit of a wanderer." I said "Long ways from home, but figured this was as good a place as any to study. Among other things."

"Strange, I seem to have a habit of running into wanderers." Maria said "Always from far-away places I've never heard of either… Well, that's how I met my friend, so I suppose that's not such a bad thing."

"How do you know I'm from some place you've never heard of?" I asked.

"That's just how it goes. There's a lot of places that crop up and disappear in the blink of an eye." Maria said "In my day, being a wanderer was just a good way to get gobbled up by Grimm… still is, come to think of it."

I nodded "Pays to be careful then."

"Very." Maria agreed "There's a lot of dangerous people out there. Pays to be dangerous in return. I remember it used to be worse, when I was your age. They didn't have all the Huntsman Academies and everything. You just took a licensing test, and bam, you were a Huntsman. Lot of people who weren't cut-out for it wound up either not making it or turning to crime."

"Honestly, I could care less whether or not I ever get the license." I said "I don't need a piece of paper to tell me I can do the right thing."

"Yes, and I'm sure your Pip-boy can point you in the right direction." Maria said snidely.

"If someone's in trouble, I'll just do what feels right to me." I explained "There's a lot of cases where someone saying that just results in more problems. But by and large, I'm not one of them."

"I saw that." Maria nodded "You at least were trying to figure things out before rushing in. Smart, a lot of people tend to just rush-in without thinking."

"You didn't seem to take a lot of time to plan dive-kicking that one girl." I countered.

"I'm a slow walker." Maria chuckled "I've got plenty of time to think."

The two of us rounded a corner, and Maria's walk slowed further. She stopped in front of a shop door and turned to look at me.

"Well, this is me." Maria said "Thank you for walking me here, young man."

"My pleasure Ma'am, you take care of yourself, ok?" I said.

"I will, have a good evening, and don't be afraid to stop in and visit." Maria said with a smile "I'm probably going to make this a long vacation." She reached a hand up to the shop door and pulled it open. I held it for her, as she tapped her way in out of the rain.

As I released the door however, I felt my scroll go off. I pulled it out and checked it, finding that a new message had gone through.

The White Fang were moving, it was time to go to work.

"So much for my break." I grumbled.

Turning on my heel, and started away from the store. I slid my scroll back into my pocket, and went to the map of my Pip-

I stopped dead.

Maria knew what a Pip-boy was.

A complete and total stranger to me, knew what the hunk of metal on my wrist was. She also had an idea of what it did.

I turned to look back at the store I was walking away from. It was a squat brick building, fairly modern and recent in appearance. A large display window with painted gold lettering sat beside the door. The shop beyond was fairly dark. But I could make out the lettering.

'Brown's Antiques and Knick Knacks'.

I stood there, in the rain, frozen in the summer's breeze. A part of me wanted to immediately rush after Maria and find out just what the hell was going on. The other part of me, knew that the White Fang were about to start causing trouble. If I didn't tend to them, it would only get worse. Both were important, and demanding of my time.

But, only one of them had the potential to bring immediate harm to people other than myself.

I would have to come back when things were quieter.

I swore, and turned back down the street. Breaking into a sprint before my legs could turn and point me the other way.

'Don't forget this one, dumbass.'