Hopeless, Broken & Lost, Not Without A Fight

A soft foot was pushing against her left side to wake her. Her eyes opened to the red fabric tent and their golden color shifted over her left shoulder. "Is it time?" she asked low and in a dry voice.

"No, but I have decided, since you have been calm and accepting of your fate, to have a drink. Perhaps some food?" he grins as he kneels to her witnessing her scramble up at the sight of food in his hands. She felt helpless but she would do almost anything to have a drink and something to eat but she knew better and fought her unbearable need.

"I rather not accept it if I am having to act like dirt beneath your boot," she says low and menacing.

"Then you are a rebel. To be fair you are in my hands and I may decide a better use for you in an even worse encampment. I am doing this out of the kindness of LaGrange's only child. Accept it or die, your ultimate choice, really." he says with a deathly glare watching her take the water bottle. She carefully thinks over why small details of her father are known, especially to Vulpes. "I know that look. He betrayed his first way of life instantly when he found out about his wife and of Bitter Springs. Shame he died to fight for his ownership over her and to the Burning Man if I have received word correctly." he was stomping on her feelings and he knew it would have bothered her roughly. Giving her glare from above the wrapping of the brahmin steak she was pissed and hardly believed that was the truth. "That is why I left that journal in your jacket. I am sure it is important. In a moment we will be moving out so hurry and finish." he hisses and stands up, grips his goggles and dog fur to dress his head. Given a moment, he opens his chest with a small black key to check the components and she spots her trusting magnum.

Keeping her mouth shut and hydrated she jugs on the water and her teeth tears into the steak thinking of how she would get out of this. He walks out for a moment and she finishes after a few jaw aching chews. The meat was tender and delectable for her in her suffering state. Giving her a few minutes he comes back and the dog headpiece seems to stare at her with their empty blackness for eye holes.

"Stand now we are heading out before the sun decides to arise," he says to her shortly after ordering some men to gather and to be ready to move out.

"Where are we going?" she asks slowly as he grabs the bottle from her hands and tosses it behind him and straps a waterskin to his hip.

"Just outside of New Vegas. You ask so much," he answers low and grips at her roped wrists. She gasps at the pain as he tries another longer rope to have her tag along, like a dog. She overthinks maps and the times her father had gone there for the NCR.

"Twelve hours…" she mutters low feeling the potential exhaustion call to her.

"What was that?" he asks low and irritatingly as he begins to walk out of the tent after strapping his ripper to his hip.

"How long it would take. To walk." She says after a dry cough and eyes the steady twilight sky spotted by rain clouds. He hums in agreement and confirms she is as smart as he first suspected.

For the long walk across hills of sand, gecko and coyote flooded land they make it well into the evening soaked in the rain just before the sun tucks down to sleep. His men and the two take up atop of a dead grassy hill overlooking the abandoned homes and streets of the empty no man's land between them and the shining New Vegas sign.

"Take these." he hands her some binoculars, "Tell me what you see. Everything."

She slowly takes them and kneels to take a look. She lightly tugs on the rope and it burns her wrists but she fights the urge to react. Now lying to her unbearable stomach she places them just to the bridge of her nose. She takes her time examining things clearly.

"NCR Ranger sniper, on the sign, tall walls, sturdy. No securitons, surprisingly." She says low and quickly spots some Fiends. "Raiders it looks like too. That is all I see," she says low and thinks over the possible routes to where the Legion could use and pass through. This was one of them and she gulped feeling as if she helped her enemy.

"That is all then…" he says low and sits his back to the hill next to her.

"I don't understand the reason for having me out here…" she says low as if it wasted her time above all else.

"For company. Once we travel back to the Fort I will claim you as my very own slave perhaps to breed with." he chuckles and she turns red in anger.

"I wouldn't keep yourself to such high standards." she glared at him. He quickly gripped his hand just under her chin and gripped her throat. One finger gently brushing along her jawline he whispers.

"I warn you once more. Hold your tongue as you have been and act like the woman you are." he threatens and let go leaving behind tender imprints of the grip of his fingers. She gargles a breath and coughs lifting the back of her hands to her throat. She looks to the other men organizing about and heading to the left of them on a set path. More of his Legion company now split in half of their original ten, leaving them only four scouts for the night.

"For a short time rest, we will return to the camp before the next morning light," he says low waving one of his scouts to him. "Make sure they reach past enemy lines. Caesar will not take failure for obtaining new information," he warns him.

"Yes Vulpes, vale." he bows his head and obediently walks to their left keeping the binoculars along with the traveling company of five.

"What is your outlook on things?" he asks her, trying to strike his boredom away.

"Me? Well obviously I am in favor of the NCR; they don't torment families by enslaving women and children to do their bidding. For Mr. House, I am not sure where he is coming from but seeing more and more securitions points out that he has something in store for everyone." she bluntly puts as she leans her head back and calmly eyes the purple and orange sky. He hums and pulls off his dog fur and holds it to his hand between his bent knees. Pulling up his goggles to his forehead he turns to her keeping relaxed and calm.

"Then why don't you go and die for their cause? Have you noticed they don't care much for their people? Shame. Blinded by the fancy uniforms…" She laughs a bit and she covers her mouth. "What could be so funny?" he asks curiously with an easy enough cause to slit her throat here and now.

"Uniforms. You all have them. Every war has them. I don't take sides easily. Not very devoted to a cause but mine. It is whatever authority means best for the people. You are right, they do not care much for their people but at least they give them a chance to survive." she says truthfully gazing back to Vulpes' shadowed pale blue eyes.

"Correct, but showing mercy usually is taken advantage of. For now, embrace your imprisonment now. You won't have to worry about surviving, just learn to obey and we will provide. Simple even for degenerates like them." he leans forward giving his hand to his forehead to massage in peace. "Come on now, men. Time we headed back, as for you scout. Keep me informed of their position and keep to their comms then your job is done till then stay here." he says and slips back down his goggles and recovers his head. Both of them stand and they head back the barren path with two veterans to follow and one to stay with the scout.

Hours of dry lips and sore feet are what ache her. Vulpes refused to offer his kindness in front of the others or else he would slit his men's throat for questioning his methods. He asked the questions and he gave a clear understanding of how he thought of the given answers.

Arriving just hours before dawn she gazed at the campfire seeing now that few Legionnaires are left, perhaps about ten or less roaming about the camp. She keeps walking following Vulpes behind him as she is eyed by the Powder Gangers trying to keep a grasp on life. Their gaze hopeless compared to her fighting on will.

Coming to the tent she turns her head to see him close to her almost breathing down her neck after taking off his armor down to his red ragged shirt. He pulls her knife to her ropes and he cuts them. "Somehow you are smart. Quiet like your father. His wife, not so much. You look almost like her. More so of your father's colors." he slyly grins coming close to her hair and giving an indulging sniff. "Cleaner than most." he hums and twirls a hand into her hair.

"Don't...I am warning you." she snaps flaring her golden eyes into his.

He sweeps a leg under her left foot knocking her to the ground to her back. With a taken away breath, she scrambles up to her elbows. She tries to kick his crotch and he catches her boot. Roughly twisting it away, that wanted her that he was more than capable of a fistfight. She kept herself posed and understood she would lose this. He drags her upward by her foot and pushes himself on top of her, his body cold against her chest. He grabs a tight bundle full of her sleeveless coat by the collar and pulls her inches to his face. She pushes her hands to his chest. His free left-hand grips at both of her wrists and yanks her still. With the sudden whip of movement, he shoves himself against her kissing her hard it was something threatening.

"That is all your fight?" he says with a huffing breath against her lips pulling away with a rough pop.

"No…" she roughly lifts a knee to his stomach trying anything to stun him.

To her surprise, he seems to ignore the pain just to dive his face into her neck. It seemed to be a while for him and he pauses now feeling the pain.

"Grrr...you winch…" he groans and she loosens a fist from his left hand's grip and punches him clumsily to his jaw. It takes him back to his knees and he steps away, backing to his desk and slipping a small towel out from a drawer and swiftly dousing some liquid to the towel. He patiently watches as she climbs to stand, her eyes enraged and aware.

"I warned you and now I will fucking kill you!" she snaps swaying her hand around with her knife he had lazily dropped near her. He holds a hand behind him gripping the soaked rag close and now tucked into his belt.

"Understandable. Bring me your best, but I doubt you will enjoy it." he slyly grins playfully. She stomps forward to frighten her and charges forward keeping her mindset on the rage of being left behind and alone only for her to fight and she will fight for her survival and choose to not become prey.

Swiftly sliding a leg and tripping her he catches her by her waist and shakes her violently making her drop the knife in her sign of weakness he cups his right hand and fills her face with the rag. She gasps and slowly mutters out to him in a death growl.

'Chloroform…' she thinks over to herself and becomes weightless. She falls into his full grasp; victim to her pleadings only to satisfy his own.