01 - Public / Video

[domesheriff]

[for a moment, a woman's face is simply staring out at the broadcast, consideringly, as though not sure it's started yet. she's in her early twenties, Hispanic, her dark hair braided, and dressed in the uniform of resort security]

[realizing from the display on the screen that the broadcast must have started, she says:] Hello. [the word is a bit uncertain. she swallows, trying to mask her nerves, and continues more calmly:] I'm Linda Esquivel. I'm from Chester's Mill, Maine. [there's a beat of hesitation, as she wonders if she should give more information than that, but she ultimately decides to leave the description as it is] I just got here a couple days ago, and I've joined the security patrol. I was a sheriff's deputy back home. [and sheriff, but she doesn't think two days of that job due to the disaster that happened really counts, so she leaves her credentials at that]

I thought you should know who I am in case you see me around. And, uh, I'd like to start meeting people, too--and learn a little more about this place. I've never seen anything like it before. [another pause as she debates how to end an open message like this. finally, she goes with:] I'm here if you'd like to talk.

Comments

[thumbsdown]

Guess I was curious.

[And as much as he doesn't want to leave Vegas behind for good, there are as many bad memories in the Mojave as there are good. He frowns to himself, just a little.]

Fresh start wasn't a bad idea.

[domesheriff]

[she nods. she didn't want a fresh start, but she was forced into one, and she has a feeling a lot of people are here for that reason] You said it's better than you thought, but is it what you were hoping for so far?

[thumbsdown]

Not really sure what I was hoping for, to be honest. Didn't know what to expect before I got here. It's pretty different to what I'm used to.

[He tilts his head a little, watching Linda through his shades. He's no good at smalltalk, but he's trying.]

Know you only just got here, but what's your first impression of this place?

[domesheriff]

[she nods in understanding] I think I know what you mean...

[at that question, Linda sits back a little, thinking about what to say] I don't know. It's...big. For me, anyway. And...different. I mean, like you said, but... [she struggles for how to explain] Okay, I've lived in Chester's Mill my whole life. One small town. So I've always been around the same places, same people. Same job since I left school. And... [she frowns, that sadness flitting across her expression again] Now all of that is different. So it's a lot to take in.

[but trying not to sound melancholy, she adds:] But the other imports seem nice. Not sure about the natives, but... Either way, I think I'm gonna like the job, too.

[thumbsdown]

[Boone nods. When Linda talks about a small town, he thinks of Novac. Everyone knew each other, and for the people who didn't leave much the Mojave must have seemed huge. The sadness on her face makes him think that she didn't want to leave, though.]

What made you leave that behind?

[If she doesn't want to answer, he won't ask again. It does seem like the kind of question to ask here, though.]

[domesheriff]

[Boone is absolutely right that she didn't want to leave. and Linda knew that question would come sooner or later. if anything, it's more of a surprise that he's the first person to ask. and there's a simple answer--she didn't want to die. but somehow that's too hard to say. she's silent for a moment, but after everything Boone has told her about his home, she wants to be honest with him. and so, finally, she settles on a statement of fact that, despite her best efforts, still comes out full of pain]

Chester's Mill is...was. About to get hit by a missile. It wasn't going to... [she stops, unable to finish that sentence, and just shakes her head, biting her lip as she tries to keep her emotions at bay] So...I'm here.

[thumbsdown]

Oh.

[He frowns, not sure what to say. At least that explains why Linda was so curious about how people survived the bombs back home. It's at that point he notices the ring on her finger, and his eyes linger on it for a moment before flicking back up to her face.]

I'm sorry.

[He sounds like he means it, too.]

Any idea why the missile was launched?

[Not that it matters why, not really. What matters is that people are going to die because of it.]

[domesheriff]

[she nods, grateful for that. and grateful that he isn't questioning her for being here when no one else is. she's still bitter at the representative from this place, turning up at the radio tower at the last minute and finding only her when almost the entire town was hiding in the old cement factory, hoping to survive the missile when there really was no chance. she'd brought so many of them there herself, only to end up alive here alone. but that ring is the one hope she does still have. Rusty wasn't in town. he's still out there somewhere, if she could one day find a way back without dying with Chester's Mill...]

[but what she says is:] Yeah. [she isn't ready to elaborate, and she thinks Boone will understand that] It's...a long story.