"Nuka? Cola? Radiation?" Rangy gulps, his snout sullen at the radioactive beverage in his hand. "H-how much radiation?" he croaks as he runs his Cloaker along his gums.

“A couple Rads worth, I think,” piped the lead patron.

“Well, I was wondering when you were going to ask about how it’s GLOWING,” the black wolf, adorned with his odd scientist coat, pointed to the faint silvery luminescence coming from Rangy’s drink. “You got one of the Quantum Nuka colas. It’s kinda like Crystal Pepsi.”

Nodding, he counted invisible numbers with upturned eyes. “That'll light up for a half-life of about, oh, 30 years...?”

Wincing, Rangy sets the soda back on the table, his legs weak at the thought of such a stupid mistake. If he remembered anything about radiology for delicate nuclear-based equipment, this proved he didn’t study.

"My radiology's rusty, but if it ain't over 130, I think I'm golden…I think?" He shuts his eyes, sliding onto one of the wooden party chairs tucked between the wall and the drink table. "How much's in those bottles?"

Speaking up once more, the scientist considers the drink for a moment.

"Well, a typical regular Nuka Cola would be about a couple Rads, but Quantum's sport a total 10 Rads, and as far as I know…” the wolf went on, adjusting his lab glasses with a tug of the plastic strap. Black pads tapped the optic protectors with pinpoint nudging as he continued.

“Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzoate, natural flavors, citric acid, and caffeine as well as seventeen different fruits...” he scratched away a lair of grim over the nutritional facts of his own aged bottle, squinting as he continued. “With the additional touches to give it the full Quantum flavor and 'pow', pomegranate for a final 18th fruit, and...oh yes, the isotope Strontium-90! That’s everything. A fine list for a refreshing drink, wouldn’t you say?”

The scientist’s explanation filled an empty ear, his words falling to a vanished Rangy. Glancing about, the scientist saw no sign of him, save for his stashed drink and the top half of an otherwise empty chair. Brow raised, the scientist channeled a low “hmm” as he strode about the table and past Rangy’s cola spoils. Scanning the wall, the wolf’s eyes dropped to the seat of his former refuge. A collapsed outfit, still nestled atop the hard surface, stretched where it could as if the iguana he had spent so much time explaining to vanished with disinterest. Again, there it was: that peculiar, long-sleeved orange shirt; the deep blue denim jeans, legs empty and crotch flattened with no trace of any occupant; and finally, those odd cowboy boots, overturned from the lack of those green support pillars that were Rangy’s legs. Scratching his head, he detected a node of movement; the slightest bump within the confines of the shirt fabric churning with the softest of shifts. Looking at the empty clothes with a raised eyebrow, he continued his investigation for the missing iguana, continuing his inquisitive “hmm” all the while.

“ Wow...I didn't even have to ADD anything into the drink for this reaction.”

---

Managed to snag a speedpaint by the talented micro/macro artist  Nommz and boy do I enjoy it. Based on an RP involving a certain group of peeps, including the shadowy figure of  Odin8898 to the side, poor Rangy decides to try a tasty Nuka soda. Unfortunately, RADs are a terrible mix with the power source of a Cloaker, especially one located snuggly in your mouth. :P

Art by  Nommz
Shadowy Wolf in the background is  Odin8898
Requoran/Neotrian universe by  Jevin