George
started with one his own nutrition bars. As he ate, he examined his
breathing mask. There was a slot for a drinking straw so he could
still take a drink in hostile environment. It appeared that a lever
enlarged the hole. Perhaps there were nutrition bars narrow enough to
fit - the ones he had with him were too thick. But was it safe to
expose food to the wasteland air?
When he
had finished eating, he took a sip of the sweet drink he had brought
in his canteen.
Mabel
put on her headgear and left the cave.
Shortly
after, Iona returned. She went straight to George. "Squirt! Let
me see your hand." Without waiting for a reply, she pulled his
right hand to herself. She took out a bracelet of green beads from a
pouch on her belt and looped it twice around George's wrist.
George
recognized the bracelet. He had worn one before. The Vixens claimed
that it had some magical property that protected him from bullets.
While wearing a similar bracelet, he had survived his last adventure
unharmed despite the fact that his armor had been shot to pieces.
Because of that experience, he had to at least consider that the
magic could be real.
The
bracelet that was around his wrist was double in length compared to
the one he had worn previously. And it looked as girlie as ever.
Iona fastened another bracelet around Tricia's wrist. That bracelet was one
of regular length.
"Hey,
Squirt, want to try meat?"
George's
eyes fixed on the item stuck on the stick that Iona held out to him.
It appeared to be the burnt body of a small four-legged creature. Its
meat looked well-roasted and there was a faint salty smell that
watered his mouth.
"Don't,"
Tricia warned George, "You'll get indigestion if you eat that."
George's
heart sank. He turned to the dark-skinned Vixen for an explanation.
"Remember
how in Covenant that before eating meat you've to eat certain
appetizers?" Tricia asked.
"Well..."
George could not remember the last time he had eaten real meat.
"Most
urbanites can't digest meat without the stuff in those appetizers."
George
groaned. There went his dream of trying meat.
Iona
took out a flask from a small sling bag in the corner of the cave.
She went back to George. "Squirt, you should try this." She
uncapped the flask.
"Will
this let me eat meat?" George asked.
"No,
but it's good for you," Iona insisted, "I really, really
think you should try this."
"I
think you should too," Tricia agreed. She turned to Iona. "It
won't make him sick, will it? I need him alive and able."
Iona
smiled innocently. "No, it won't."
George
gingerly accepted the flask. Its contents did not smell - that was
good. He took a good gulp of the drink. It was very bitter and
semi-solid and it nearly made him gag. Since Iona was watching him
with bright green eyes, he resisted the urge to spit the vile
concoction out.
Iona
took the flask from him.
George
was very much relieved that he did not have to finish the contents of
the flask!
"It's
not that bad, right?" Tricia asked with a slight smirk.
George
could only groan in reply.
Iona
held the flask up to the dark-skinned Vixen. "Here, Trish,
have some too!"
"What?
Me too?" The smirk was gone.
Iona
raised the flask closer. "It's good for you too!"
Tricia
accepted the flask as reluctantly as George had and grimaced when she
saw the contents. She took a good drink. She twisted her face again
when she was done. Then she wiped her mouth with her palm.
Iona
closed the flask and replaced it in her sling bag. "You're going
to see Old Man Have Ill, right?"
"Dr
Havillund?" Tricia asked, "Yeah, we've his regular
package."
Iona
reached into her pouch and took out a small packet. She extended it
to George. "Squirt, will you give this to Old Man Have Ill? For
me?"
"Um,
yeah, sure." George accepted the packet and slipped it into a
pocket behind his breastplate. He hoped he would deliver it to the
right person. Well, Tricia would be there to introduce him to 'Old
Man Have Ill'.
"I
think that's enough rest," Tricia decided as she started
packing.
***
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