CHAPTER FIVE: THAT'S AMORE
“Hmm. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this piece of mierda has been shot to hell, boss.”
The Courier sighed and groaned, covering his face with his hand in annoyance. “Yeah, no shit Raul. Why do you think I came to see you in the first place?” Both he and Christina were sitting on the ghoul’s rotting bed as he inspected his Transportalponder. The wanderer beside him looked in his direction and raised an eyebrow, but he ignored it.
“I don't know. Maybe I figured you might just like the company of an old man,” he shot back, a smirk on his face. “I thought I was more to you than just your personal repairman.” He raised the device towards the lone lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, squinting slightly. He mumbled something under his breath in Spanish, and tapped the side of it.
After a few minutes of silence, The Courier finally spoke up. “Well, can you fix it? This is kinda important. Like, ‘both of our best friends gone missing’ important.” He stood up and inspected alongside the former vaquero. “I know this might be a bit beyond even your skills.”
Raul grunted. “Well, you’d be right, boss. Even in all my years, I’ve never been too familiar with energy weapons, let alone something like this.” He put the Transportalponder down onto his desk and pulled open a drawer, rummaging around inside for some spare parts. “I think I have some energy weapon parts somewhere around here... aha, here we go, boss.” He pulled out a few pieces of technology and handed them to his friend. “I’m afraid I don’t have the know-how to do anything with them, though.”
He sighed and cast a glance back at the Lone Wanderer, who looked similarly crestfallen. “Ah, crap. Well, let's hope Veronica or Arcade know what to do. Freeside’s only an hour or two away, I guess.” He picked up his broken device and stashed it away alongside the parts he had been given. “Well, thanks anyway, pal.” He returned to sit on the bed and groaned, wiping sleep from his eyes. He looked over at Christina. “Well, that didn’t work. You okay?”
She sighed and put on a smile, looking up at him. “I’ll be alright, thanks. Hopefully your other friends will know what to do.” With a polite smile, she looked up at the old Mexican ghoul. “Thank you anyway, Mr. Tejada.”
He returned her smile. “The pleasure was all mine, Ms. Mills. It's wonderful to see something good has come from those old pre-War Vaults.” A chuckle escaped his decaying lips as he noted her modest expression. He walked over to his fridge and pulled out a bottle of Nuka Cola, then used the edge of the desk to pop the cap off. “If you’re hungry or thirsty, you’re welcome to have something to eat and drink before you go.”
She took the Courier’s hand as he offered it to her. With a smile, he pulled her to her feet so that they stood side by side. “I appreciate the offer, but I think we ought to be going as quickly as we can.”
“Can’t wait to get to Vegas, right?” The Courier shot a smirk towards her. "Yeah, the place tends to have that effect on people."
"I admit, it's pretty tempting. The bright lights, near unlimited drinks, and the opportunity to gamble all of my hard earned, scavenged caps away." The corners of her lips crept upwards as she smirked back at him in return. "But, like I said, I don't want to waste any time." A thought crossed the wanderer's mind, and her mischievous smile only widened. "If, however, we do end up having to spend another night here, then, yes, we will have some fun on the Strip. All on you, of course."
His cocky smile immediately vanished. "Wait, what? Now, hold on a second, I never said anything about-" He was cut off as Raul giggled to the side of them both.
She nodded smugly. "No ifs or buts. I'm your guest in the Mojave, remember? I do hope you people on the West Coast know how to properly treat your guests." Her mouth twisted into a pout as she continued to tease him. "What would your friend back at the Mojave Outpost think if she found out that you didn't know how to properly treat a lady?"
He let out a frustrated groan and rolled his eyes. "Gah, fine. On one condition: you find something a bit swankier to wear than this." He motioned to her armoured Vault jumpsuit. "Believe it or not, skintight leather isn't really an appropriate style on the New Vegas Strip. Well, unless you wanna go to Gomorrah."
His final comment was ignored. "Okay, it's a deal. But only if we have to wait another night." She held out her hand and he shook it, though not before spitting into his palm first. "Ew," she murmured under her breath, grimacing and wiping her hand across her leg.
"I guess I should let you two lovebirds go," Raul suddenly announced, earning an annoyed glare across the room from his friend.
"We're not going out..."
The ghoul ignored him and addressed the Lone Wanderer. "I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help to you, Christina. I wish you the best in your quest, though." He gave her a polite nod. "Nonetheless, it was a pleasure meeting you."
She beamed at him. "It was all mine."
The Courier chuckled and tapped her on the shoulder. "Yeah, he's such a refined gentleman, ain't he?" He nodded towards his friend as he turned towards the door to the shack. "Thanks anyway, Raul. It was good seeing you again."
"Yeah, you too, boss." The nod was returned. "Have a safe journey to Vegas, both of you."
He said farewell one last time before stepping out of the rusty old shack and into the hot Mojave sun, his new companion in tow. The door, not without a loud creak, swung shut behind the both of them. Christina sighed beside him, and did a few stretches.
"Well, you were right. That didn't work."
He wiped a few beads of sweat from his brow as they began to make their way towards Freeside, on the outskirts of the New Vegas Strip. "Hey, look up, kid. If there's anyone who will know how to fix this old piece of crap..." He tapped the bag containing the Transportalponder for emphasis. "...it'll be Veronica Santangelo, or Arcade Gannon. And they're both going to be in the same place, at the same time. I bet a hundred caps that, by this time tomorrow, we'll be reunited with Boone and..." There was a pause as he racked his brains. "...your friend."
"Her name's Moira." She rolled her eyes and looked towards him with a raised eyebrow. "And 'kid'? I think you're only a couple of years older than me!"
His familiar smirk found its way onto his lips once again. "Precisely, kid."
Oh, nice job Christina. Now the bastard has something to tease you about. "Ugh, whatever." She was dismayed to see the smirk only widen. "You're fucking unbearable, you know that?"
"Yep, I try."
She chuckled slightly and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "Oh, knock it off, Calamity Jane." She flicked the cowboy hat atop his head. He quickly straightened it, giving her a look of mock annoyance. "And please don't tell me you wear those sunglasses at night, too."
"Why not?" The Courier seemed genuinely confused. "Hey, Boone does it too. Why can't I?"
"'Cause it makes you look like a jackass."
"Then I guess I'm gonna look like a jackass. Sorry if I disappointed you." The towers and hotels that marked the New Vegas Strip became visible as they stepped onto the dusty, cracked road outside Raul's shack. It was a few miles away, and would take an hour or two to reach at their current pace. "C'mon, let's get to the Old Mormon Fort."
She gestured for him to take point. "Then, by all means, lead the way."
***
Boone had to admit, he had never seen such a look of unbridled glee on anybody's face before. His newfound friend was positively bursting with excitement as she stood next to him, wearing an elegant dress made by a Crystal Empire tailor rather than the RobCo jumpsuit she usually wore. The same tailor had crafted him a sharp, stylish suit, similar to what he wore on his rare trips to the Strip with The Courier. Or the one he wore when he met Carla.
He shut his eyes and groaned slightly, trying to push the memory out of his head. Though his friend had helped him accept his actions, both with his wife and what happened with the Great Khans at Bitter Springs, some wounds just never properly heal.
"Oh, aren't you excited, Craig?" came the shopkeeper's chipper voice. "We're going to be famous!"
He gave her a slight smile and answered simply, "Sure." Huh, looks like I really let the cat out of the bag. The two of them were waiting in the royal chambers of the prince and princess, waiting for the go-ahead to step out onto the balcony and formally announce their presence to the Crystal Empire, and the rest of Equestria. Naturally, there was a huge crowd outside. Guess I don't want to make the wrong impression.
Both Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were there with them, alongside three other royal looking ponies that he did not recognise, but assumed to be the other rulers of the kingdom. Two of them, the white and blue ones, were talking idly with Cadance, while the smallest one, easily identifiable by her purple coat and the bright pink streak running through her mane, looked up at him curiously. After a few minutes of feeling her eyes upon him, he finally turned to address her. "Can I help you?" His tone was perhaps more blunt than he intended.
An embarrassed blush quickly formed across her cheeks and she coughed awkwardly, avoiding eye contact. The prince, standing next to her, noticed and snickered lightly.
"I told you not to stare at them, Twily," he warned jokingly to the younger princess. "They are our guests, after all."
Her blush only deepened and her eyes widened with sudden worry. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" She looked up towards Boone again. "I'm so, so sorry if I offended you!"
"It's fine," he told her. "I'm gonna guess that you're pretty curious. Don't worry, the whole reason we're up here is to answer any questions about us that you got."
Moira leaned down next to him and nodded earnestly. "Oh, absolutely! In fact, if you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to answer them right now!"
The mare grinned and opened her mouth to talk, but was quickly cut off by the unicorn stallion next to her. "That's really generous of you, ma'am, but my sister here has some very important royal business that she needs to attend to." He gave them both an awkward, sheepish smile and put his hoof around her, turning her around and leading her towards the other princesses. Boone noticed her give her brother a pleading look as they walked away. I guess she would have gotten carried away.
Moira was still bouncing with excitement next to him. "I guess you never expected to end up somewhere like this when you started your little cross-country book club, huh?" he said towards her.
Her ecstatic demeanour briefly became downtrodden. "No, not really. In all this wonderful excitement, I nearly forgot about delivering my survival guide." A thought made her perk up again. "I bet Christina's doing her bit to finish off, though. Hey, maybe both her and your friend will find a way to get here as well!"
He considered the idea. "Hopefully. Might be that's our only way at getting home to the Mojave. Shit, if nothing else, The Courier's a stubborn son of a bitch. He'll find a way."
"Sounds like he has a lot in common with Christina," she told him. "She wouldn't let a tiny thing like us two getting teleported to a different planet or universe stop her."
"Doesn't mean that they can't lend a hand- er, hoof to help," he pointed out, looking over at the white and blue princesses; Celestia and Luna, they had been introduced as. Apparently they raised the sun and the moon, respectively, but that had to be a load of superstitious bullshit.
Moira took hold of his shoulder, making him look at her. "Hey, come on. Give them some credit; they're doing what they can." There was silence as he stared back at her. "You don't trust them, do you?"
She frowned a bit as he did not reply, and simply looked away without a word.
"Listen, Craig, do me a favour." He looked over at her, and found her bearing an uncharacteristically serious expression. "Next time you're up in the room, or when you want to go for a walk or run outside, look at them. Look at every single pony that you see. More specifically, look at the smiles on almost every face you pass."
"Are you going somewhere with this?"
She rolled her eyes and flicked the beret on his head, which he readjusted with annoyance. "Don't you see? All of these ponies are happy. Almost every single one you see is always smiling; laughing and having fun with friends and family. It should be obvious since you don't see that kind of look on a person's face out in the Wasteland often at all."
There was a brief pause, and she continued. "And that's the thing, don't you see? This isn't the Wasteland. Here, it isn't an everyday fight for survival. These ponies have the chance to cherish life since they don't have to fight tooth and nail for it in their every waking moment."
Boone considered her words for a moment. "And this relates to my lack of trust for them how, exactly?"
"They've been nothing but welcoming to us the moment they found us. It's all been genuine care. Sure, they kept us out of the public eye for a while, but that was just to make sure everything wasn't too sudden. They could have left us to die in the snow, or just put us out of our misery, but they didn't; they took us in and nursed us back to health. Bottom line? They did a lot to help a couple of creatures that they'd never even seen before. They put a lot of trust in us, so it's only fair that you give yours in return."
With her little rant over, there was a few seconds of silence once again. However, soon enough, the edges of Boone's mouth turned upwards into a smirk. "No offence, but you're pretty wise for someone who runs a general store, fixes pieces of junk for a living, and lives right next door to an undetonated nuclear weapon."
"A deactivated undetonated nuclear weapon."
"My point still stands."
"Indeed it does," came a regal voice from next to both of them. The two looked to the side to see Princess Celestia, smiling at them both warmly. Unlike the average pony, she stood at more or less the same size as the two humans. "Thank you, Ms. Brown," she said to Moira. "Your words are quite humbling, to say the least. And all of them true. If there's one thing that matters most in Equestria, it would be happiness and friendship."
"Technically, that's two things," the shopkeeper couldn't help but point out. Boone noticed Shining Armor shoot her an annoyed glare from across the room.
Celestia only smiled and giggled slightly. "Ah, quite. Very astute, yet again." She turned to Boone. "I am so very sorry that we have not earned your trust, Mr. Boone. Please believe me when I say that I have some of my best ponies working on finding out a way to return you to your home. Though, perhaps..." She absently looked towards the purple alicorn standing next to her brother. "...not all of my best ponies."
"It's fine, really," he replied. "Maybe I've just had the wrong outlook on the whole thing."
The princess nodded. "Perhaps. For now, though, I believe everything is ready for you two to address the crowd."
"Ooh, I'm kinda nervous," Moira admitted, hopping from one leg to the other. "I'm no good with speeches. No good at all."
"Just say whatever comes to mind," Celestia reassured her. "These ponies only want clarification; they want to know who you are, and where you came from." She nodded towards Cadance and Shining Armor, who nodded back and pushed open the doors to the palace balcony. The rest of them followed, taking their places behind the two as the princess began to address the crowd.
"Good afternoon, everypony," she started. Her voice echoed out from the palace, no doubt enhanced by some sort of projection spell. "I trust you have all had a wonderful winter morning. Now, I believe it's best we get down to the reason that, I think, all of you are here for. Yes, two previously unknown creatures are present in the Crystal Empire, and, yes, they are guests within the Crystal Palace."
She stopped talking for a few moments as a few hushed murmurs swept over the crowd. Once they had stopped, she continued. "They call themselves human beings, and, instead of them being a species from an uncharted land on our world, we believe now that they are extraterrestrials from another planet."
There was another wave of whispering and muttering that she let pass over. "Now, I believe that I have talked for long enough. After all, it's only proper that they introduce themselves to us. Without further adieu, please give a warm welcome to both Moira Brown and Craig Boone."
She started to stomp her hooves against the floor, and the crowd below followed suit, creating a cacophony of noise that was near-deafening. Boone found the whole situation quite strange, but nonetheless stepped forward alongside his eccentric companion. She gave some ponies in the crowd a little wave, while he simply nodded curtly.
"Hi, everybody!" Much like Cadance, her voice had been magically amplified. Boone could only assume that his had as well. "Oh, pardon me. Everypony, I mean. Let me just say what an honour it is to be here today. As the princess said, my name is Moira." She nodded towards him.
"Uh, yeah. I'm Craig Boone, with First Recon, in the New California Republic." He cringed inwardly at his awkward and blunt wording.
Moira's smile didn't falter as she looked down at the crowd once again. For someone who's no good at speeches, she seems to be handling this well.
"That's right, my friend Craig here is a soldier. A sniper, to be precise. Anyway, we are both from a planet called Earth. I am from a small town called Megaton, in a place called the Capital Wasteland, while he's from the city of New Vegas, in the Mojave Wasteland."
Confused murmurs were going around the crowd now, which she seemed to pick up on. "Yeah, 'wasteland'. Let me explain that part. You see..."
"There was a war," Boone found himself cutting in. "A big one. The great one. A couple centuries ago, bombs fell from the sky and a lot of people died. The world was twisted, made into a horrible shell of its former self." He paused. "Or, at least, so I'm told. There are no proper records of what happened, exactly. But that's not important. What is important is that, for us, every day is a fight for survival. We have to always be on the lookout, be it for some mutated monster, or a crazy murderer looking to cut our throats just to take what little belongings we have."
The crowd had been stunned into silence. He couldn't figure out whether that was a good or a bad thing. Despite that, he decided to continue anyway. "When we first arrived here, I didn't trust any of the ponies around me, because everything was different. I wasn't used to it. Hell, maybe I was envious that you didn't have to fight for your survival everyday." There was a pause as he stopped to take a breath. "The point is, I know some of you don't trust us, just like I didn't trust you. I don't expect you to. Prince Shining Armor explained to me what happened to the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago. Despite that, I want to assure you that, while we may not have earned your trust, our intentions are nothing but peaceful. Because, as my friend just explained to me, you ponies are nothing but happy. While you may have missed out on a thousand years, and suffered a brief rule under the hoof of a tyrant king, you remain happy." He glanced over at Moira, who wore a warm smile. She nodded for him to continue.
"None of you know the horrors that have become part of an everyday routine for the both of us. And, no matter what, we're never going to change that. The kind of happiness you see everyday here is a rare sight back home. I am not here to take that away from you, and neither is Moira."
Her smile only widened as she stepped forward. "In short, I think we just want to be friends. Thanks for your time; hopefully we'll see you soon." She gave a wave and stepped away from the balcony railing alongside him. After a few seconds of silence, the crowd began to stomp their hooves against the ground, and Boone let out a sigh of relief that he did not realise he had been holding.
Celestia beamed at him as they all stepped back inside once again. "Please forgive me if this sounds forward, but that was surprisingly heartfelt."
He shrugged and gave her a small smile in return. "Like I said before, maybe I was just looking at this whole situation the wrong way."
The two were interrupted as the prince walked up to them. He seemed happy as he looked towards Boone. "Well, that's that then. Thank you for being honest about everything, both of you." He smiled towards Moira as well. "To tell you the truth, I had no idea how tough things were for you back where you came from. Thank you again for telling us."
"It was nothing, really!" she insisted modestly, waving her hand. "I'm just glad that we can finally get to explore some of this place. We can leave the palace, now, right?"
Shining Armor looked up at Princess Celestia, then over to his wife. Both of them nodded silently. "Well, I don't see why not. I mean, you're not exactly one of Equestria's most closely guarded secrets anymore, are you?"
"Excuse me, sir." While they had been talking, Flash Sentry had entered the room. Boone saw him look towards the prince's sister, and smirked when he noticed them both blush as they made eye contact.
Shining looked up at the new arrival. "Oh, good afternoon, Private. Is there something I can do to help you?"
Boone looked on as the pegasus stepped forward and whispered something into the unicorn's ear. His expression immediately changed from content and happy to deadly serious. "I see." He relayed the information quietly to his wife, who went similarly rigid.
"Is there a problem?" the sniper decided to ask, backed up by questioning glances from both Princess Celestia and Luna.
Shining looked towards Cadance, who sighed, gave him a loving peck on the cheek, and nodded for him to continue. "To be honest, it's nothing too worrying. It's just something we thought had been laid to rest."
"What do you mean?" his sister asked.
He seemed reluctant to inform everyone else, but relented after a few seconds. "After you and Cadance defeated King Sombra, Twilight-"
"After Spike and Cadance defeated Sombra," she corrected. "You didn't forget about the crystal statue right outside, did you?"
Her brother chuckled. "Heh, sorry. After Spike and Cadance defeated Sombra, our guard patrols around the edges of the Empire would find areas containing large amounts of ambient dark magic. Enough to give some of our unicorn soldiers a nasty migraine, but nothing particularly dangerous."
"Are we to assume that these pockets of dark magic have returned after a long period of absence?" Luna spoke up.
"That's precisely it. Like I said, it's probably nothing, though. Nonetheless, I have my best soldiers looking it." He smiled over at Flash and nodded. "If the situation worsens, we will, of course, let you know."
Twilight trotted up to him, a look of concern spread across her face. "Just be careful, Shiny, okay?" She put a hoof on his chest, and he drew her into a hug.
"You know me better than that, little sis. Careful's my middle name."
Dark magic, huh? Boone thought to himself, looking on. That doesn't sound too friendly. Still, he said it wasn't too much of a problem. I've got bigger problems right now, anyway. How much trouble could this damn magic be, anyway?
***
The Old Mormon Fort, perhaps the most frequently visited place by both Freeside residents and visitors alike, was, for the first time in a very, very long time, nearly deserted. Beds that would usually be full of sick and injured patients, slowly dying a painful death without much to be done to help them, were now almost completely empty. In the middle of the fort, a woman stood talking to one of her patients. When she noticed two more people enter the fort through the front gates, Julie Farkas quickly dismissed him and went to greet them.
"If it ain't my favourite doctor," The Courier called out as they approached. "How's everything been since Hoover Dam?
She smiled warmly. "Quite well, actually. In no small part thanks to your efforts around Freeside beforehand. Something I've never properly thanked you for." A quiet chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at him. "So, thank you."
"Don't mention it. It's the least I could do."
She gave him a nod. "Still, you helped immensely." After another smile, she looked over at the Lone Wanderer. "So, who's your friend?"
"My name's Christina." She held out a hand towards her, which was quickly taken and shook. "He talked about you before. Julie, right?"
She nodded. "You're a vault dweller, then? I've heard nasty stories of some of those things." She noted the number stitched into her jumpsuit. "I didn't know that there were more than a hundred, either? Where did you come from?"
Christina gave a shrug. "Washington. So, quite far away, as I'm sure you can imagine."
The doctor seemed impressed, but The Courier cut short their conversation. "Julie, you remember Veronica? Used to be part of the Brotherhood of Steel chapter over here." The mention of the group caught Christina's attention. "Is she around?"
"Ah, yes." She pointed towards a tent behind her. "She's with Doctor Gannon at the moment."
Perfect, he thought, moving to step past her. She caught his arm quickly and looked up at him, a thankful smile on her face.
"I don't know what happened with Arcade, but thank you. Ever since he came back from his travels with you, he's become almost a different man. He's more dedicated to his work than ever, yet more friendly and open to everyone around here. It's like a weight on his mind has finally been lifted."
He smiled in return; a small, friendly smile that he did not show very often. "We cleared up a few things. And don't mention it." He nodded, and led Christina towards the tent that had been pointed out.
They poked their heads through the flaps of the tent and found the two that they had been looking for. Arcade was busy explaining something to Veronica, who listened intently. Because of this, neither had noticed the fact that they had visitors.
"You know," The Courier announced, walking up to her and putting his hand on her shoulder. "That labcoat suits you much better than a dusty old scribe robe."
She jumped at the unexpected contact, and quickly twisted round to look at him. An excited grin spread across her face, and she leapt up, pulling him into a quick, friendly hug.
The move took him by surprise, but he simply smiled and hugged back. "What happened to the whole 'leggy brunette' thing?"
"Oh, shut up, mailman." She finally pulled away. "There were mixed reports after Hoover Dam, and you never showed up after. I thought you might have been killed."
The familiar smirk appeared again. "Who, me? It'll take more than a few nutjobs in sports gear to put me in the ground, honey."
"Things have been looking up since the battle last week." Arcade had spun around in his seat, and was looking up at them. "Nice going, by the way. I heard that our old friends fought well."
"And fight well they did," he replied, ignoring Veronica's questioning look. "How about you, Arcade? How are you doing?"
"Quite well, all things considered." His eyebrow raised questioningly as he looked up. "A little bird told me, though, that you passed up on an opportunity for an independent Vegas."
The Courier shrugged. "You of all people should know that there's a fine line between independence and anarchy, my friend. If I'd gone with that opportunity, I think New Vegas would have leaned towards the latter."
Arcade looked unconvinced, but shrugged it off. "It's alright, I suppose. At the very least, gamblers up and down the Strip weren't being tied to any crosses. Aside from taxes, things with the NCR are doing okay, anyway." He finally stood up and shook The Courier's hand. "Now, is this a purely social call, or is there something you need? I notice you've found another friend."
Christina smiled and waved sheepishly as he pulled the Transportalponder, along with the spare parts he had received, from his bag and set them on the table. "I do need something, I'm afraid. You both know a lot about energy weapons and shit, right?"
Arcade readjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose before inspecting the device. "I know a thing or two about energy weapons, but I always thought that shit was your area of expertise." He smirked at his own joke. "But I've never seen something like this before."
"Ooh, shiny." Veronica kneeled down next to him, poking through the parts while eying it keenly. "What is it?"
"Trust me, it's probably better if you don't know. We just need you to get it working again."
Arcade mumbled something under his breath, before looking back up at the two of them. "Well, it's pretty similar in design to what I'm familiar with, but the parts you have aren't compatible. Thankfully, I know where to get some, but it probably won't be ready 'till tomorrow."
Christina giggled and pumped her fist into the air as her new friend rolled his eyes and groaned beside her. "Okay then, Arcade. Whatever it takes." He turned to the Lone Wanderer and pointed a finger. "Not a word."
"My lips are sealed." She smirked smugly. "If we're going to Vegas, though, I have no idea where to find something to wear."
His eyes drifted over to his friends by the table, and an idea formed in his mind. "Veronica," he called out, catching her attention. "Can I have a word with you for a sec?"
"You got a package for me or something?" she replied teasingly, standing back up and joining him as they stepped outside of the tent. "Okay, seriously. What do you need?"
He winced, preparing for her response. "You remember those dresses I found you?"
"Yeah, how could I forget?"
He took a deep breath. "I'm... kinda gonna need to borrow one from you."
***
"You know, I think my ears are still ringing."
The Courier looked down at the Lone Wanderer, who was wearing a simple yet elegant light brown dress. Veronica's overwhelmingly negative response was still echoing in his ears as well. Huh, might have done some permanent damage. "Yeah, she's pretty protective of those things. It suits you, though."
"You think so?" She looked down at herself for what seemed like the millionth time that evening. "I've never really had the chance to wear one. Never saw the need, I guess. I don't know how you managed to convince her, and I'm not gonna ask, but thanks." She wiped some dust off of his light brown suit jacket. "Didn't think I'd be saying this, but that suits you too. You still need to lose the hat and sunglasses, though."
"Never. So, what do you think of Vegas? You've already seen the Lucky 38, but I'm guessing it'll be a bit flashier once the NCR are done renovating it."
She looked up at the neon lights flashing all around them, and seemed in awe for a moment. "It's certainly something, that's for sure."
"Yep, it's definitely something." He chuckled and tapped her shoulder. "So, where do you wanna go?" She shrugged, so he continued. "Well, Gomorrah will just rob you of your caps, so that's a no-go. And, truth be told, the Ultra Luxe is kinda creepy."
"I don't know, it seems quite nice to me. Really refined."
He grimaced and heaved slightly. "You ain't been behind the scenes, trust me."
"I don't see how-"
"Trust. Me."
His stern tone made her give him the benefit of the doubt. "Okay then. That just leaves the Tops, right?"
"Uh huh." The two of them swiftly approached the casino in question. "It's pretty good here actually, so long as you don't bump into any... unsavoury characters."
"I won't ask. We are going to have fun tonight, Courier, with all expenses paid by you, and nothing is going to ruin that."
"You're lucky that you're enjoyable company, you know," he told her. "Not even Cass thought she could get away with making me pay the bill for a night."
She didn't reply, and simply stuck her tongue out at him teasingly. He rolled his eyes and pushed open the door to the casino, beckoning her inside before entering himself.
Both of them were greeted by a doorman, dressed in a business suit and with his jet black hair slicked back. "Ring-a-ding ding, welcome to the Tops." He sounded entirely bored and uninterested. "My name's Frank, and I'm here to make sure everything about your night here is the tops. But first, I'm gonna have to ask you to relinquish any weapons you may have on ya."
While Christina reluctantly pulled off the holster around her leg containing the Blackhawk, The Courier happily unclipped his cowboy holster, with his Ranger Sequoia still slotted inside, and handed it to the doorman. "No problem at all, pal. Here you go"
She frowned at him as they moved past the door and onto the main casino floor. "You seemed a bit eager to give yours up. I feel positively naked without mine."
The smirk appeared again, and he cast a few glances over his shoulder. Once he was satisfied that none of the guards were watching, he slyly pulled one side of his suit jacket, revealing a nickel plated handgun slotted inside a shoulder holster. "That's another thing about the guys here. They're amateurs. If you don't look like you have anything to hide, they won't bother checking."
"And here I was, wondering if they were going to pat us down."
"A Light Shining in Darkness," he elaborated, introducing her to the gun. "It was a gift from a friend. Chambers a forty five round. Not quite as powerful as the ol' Sequoia, but still enough to punch through an old pre-War suit, wouldn't you say?"
She'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly impressed. "Doesn't seem exactly subtle."
He covered up the gun once again. "And that's why it's for emergencies only." They had reached the main floor, and he stopped. "So, you want to hit the tables or grab a drink first?"
"Why not both? We've got to get the chips from the cashier anyway." There was a pause while she thought. "Wait, that is how it works, right?"
He nodded and smiled. "Now you're speaking my language." Tipping his hat back, he took her hand and led her towards the cashier's desk, nearby the bar. The move took her by surprise slightly, and she pulled her hand away after a few seconds, looking away quickly.
"Good evening to you, sir. And to you, ma'am." The cashier was a lot more enthusiastic than Frank was, of that The Courier was sure. "What'll it be? And will you be paying in caps, the NCR dollar, or Legion currency?"
"Just caps. Give me a thousand chips," he replied, dropping a bulging sack of bottle caps on the desk. "Who even uses NCR or Legion cash, anyway? I just trade any I find for more caps."
The cashier didn't reply, instead silently handing him his chips with a smile. The Courier thanked him and handed half to Christina. Now ready to play at the tables, they both went to turn and get started, but were interrupted by someone from behind them.
"Well, I'll be. Ring-a-ding ding, baby." The voice was familiar to The Courier, who suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. He grit his teeth as whoever it was continued. "We really oughta stop meetin' like this, pal."
Slowly, he turned around to face the newcomer. Sure enough, it was who he had suspected. He had the same cocky smile, the same greasy hair, and the same tacky suit.
"Benny."