Michael nodded, understanding Jackson's desire not to get too far into what his job was. There was messy business out there in the wastes, and taking care of it could be even messier. "No sir, we certainly do not," He responded, leaning back casually in his chair. "Can't say you're wrong there. Folks always appreciate someone with a lotta skills under their belt. Good to just have the knowledge to do new stuff, too. Ya never know when you'll need to do somethin' out of your comfort zone. This one time, me and my buddy, we were-" He was about to go on about a time he and an old companion had needed to improvise skills neither were masters at once, but Jackson turned away to look at the newcoming woman's dog, and Michael ended up doing the same.<br/><br/>Dogs were good, good things. Friendly, smart, and unconditionally loving if you treated them right, and they were exceptionally useful on the trail too. Michael did love his molerat, but she couldn't listen worth a damn sometimes. Not so say dogs couldn't be stubborn, but his rodent in particular was a whiner. With his background, Michael had learned to love animals of all sorts, and dogs were up there on the list of most loveable things in the world already. Without realizing how much of a big, goofy smile he had on his face, he leaned over a bit and offered his hand to Shep, hoping to be able to pet him. "Hey there, boy. How ya doin'?"<br/><br/>As he gave the dog a pat on the head, he turned to look at the flyer Jackson nabbed, reading it with great interest. 300 caps was nothing to laugh at, and Michael could shoot pretty damned well, and his body was indeed able. "I'll have to tag along and see just what's goin' on with this job. Maybe I'll join ya," he replied to Jackson. "And hey, maybe it ain't such a waste. With the funds you've given these folks, maybe they can afford some ventilation for this place."<br/><br/>He withdrew his hand from Shep's head after a few moments of pets, straightening himself back up in his seat afterwards. Speaking to Katherine, he smiled and motioned toward Shep as he began to speak. "You've got a real nice dog there, ma'am. What's his name?" He glanced down at him while asking that, but then took notice of Katherine's outfit, or at least the parts visible from beneath the layers of cloth she had atop it. The familiar bright blue and yellow stripes of a vault jumpsuit were easily visible, and while the paint job made him unsure at first, he was pretty sure one of the things on her arms was a pip-boy. Michael had never owned one himself, but he'd been to a vault or two back in the Mojave. Of them, Vault 21 had been the only visit he'd enjoyed much at all.<br/><br/>While he was busy with Katherine and Shep, Michael's mole rat wiggled her way out of her chair and approached Shep as well, apparently intent on seeing just what this other creature was. She sat down near him and made some curious sounds, very quiet chirps and sniffling sounds that were odd, but clearly not hostile. She sat up on her hind legs after that, focusing on the three people around her, waiting to see what they were doing.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Surge paused for a while, considering what Frank had told him of. New York was a name that was vaguely familiar, like something he had heard in a past life, long before what the world was like now. Did he pass through there once, perhaps? Or maybe he'd just seen a poster of it, or a film featuring the city. It was hard to remember, and thinking about it too long made his head start to hurt. Instead of giving a verbal answer as to whether he knew it, he simply grunted, unsure of if he had or not.<br/><br/>Luckily for him, the conversation moved on as Frank gave an introduction, prompting the larger mutant to respond in turn. "I am Sergei. I was called Surge by my..." He once again halted his speech, not wanting to speak of his days in a super mutant army. When he thought of something that was a satisfactory replacement, he finished off with that. "My old gang, let us say. Most of them could not say my name right. It stuck." He offered Frank a handshake, though seemed to reconsider it after remembering his hand was much larger. Since Frank wasn't from around here, he followed up with another question about his presence. "Why do you come here, to this place? There is something here? Or just passing through?"