It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a casino must be in want of Vegas domination.
"RAUL !" Lily cried as she stomped into The Lucky 38. Raul, who had previously been innocently reading a weathered Readers Digest, looked up in mild interest. "HAVEN'T YOU HEARD DEARIE ?! THE TOPS HAS FINALLY SELECTED A NEW SECOND IN COMMAND !"
Raul simply licked his finger as he flicked across a page "that's nice."
"HIS NAME IS SWANK ! HE SEEMS LIKE A NICE BOY !"
With a slight smirk the aged ghoul set his reading to the side and sat forward. "What exactly are you insinuating ?"
"ONE OF MY BABIES NEEDS TO MEET A NICE BOY. POOR JIMMY, PLATINUM CHIP THIS PLATINUM CHIP THAT."
Lily sat next to Raul with an audible thump,and a cloud of dust, as she placed her chin into her hands with a rough sigh. Raul quickly got over the weight distribution and patted her awkwardly on the arm.
"You can't expect the girls...and Arcade simply to like him because he's new. Things don't work that way anymore Lily. They don't have to be partnered with someone."
"IT'S IMPROPER !"
"It's the way things are now. Escorts and dancing haven't been the way in a long time."
Lily let out another rumbling sigh and the grandmotherly Supermutant propped off her gardening hat to wipe it clean with surprising affection.
"YOU SHOULD VISIT HIM. MEET HIS MOTHER !"
Raul almost snorted at the thought until Lily sent him an intimidating look which he was sure was meant to be endearing. Lily in all her pre war ideals got considerably excited whenever gossip involved new citizens into Vegas. It was the exact same every time a group of fresh meat NCR soldiers arrived at the gates tan from California.
"Why me ? Can't you send Boone ?"
"CRAIG" Lily emphasised echoing previous arguments on the usage of first names "WILL SCARE HIM AWAY. HE FROWNS TOO MUCH. WE ARE A NICE FAMILY, NOT A FAMILY OF FROWNS."
Raul held back a strong laugh at Lily's immediate concern to Boones' behaviour. Now every time his face began to trip him all Raul would think about would be 'family of frowns'. Lily released another audible sigh and his composure began to crumble.
"YOU MUST GO BEFORE MORTIMER DOES. IF THOSE BULLIES GET THERE FIRST MY BABIES WON'T STAND A CHANCE."
Raul for some reason found himself reassuring Lily in her fanciful dilemma.
"Of course not. We have some of the best people in Vegas upstairs."
Lily began to nod slowly "I WILL MENTION LIZZY AND HER WORK AT GOODSPRINGS."
"I don't think that's a good idea" Raul desperately tried to save his friends dignity and some embarrassment by preventing Lily's idea however Lily snapped her head around furiously. Continuing to play her game, and save his hide, he backed up his words with some quick thinking "then the others wouldn't stand a chance. Arcade is just as handsome..."
"IT'S THAT SCAR. LIZ'S SCAR. WE WILL SAY SHE GOT IT SEWING."
Raul didn't argue to prevent Lily from getting any louder, he doubted Eliza would be happy coming down and finding that her bullet wound to the forehead is the topic of choice.
"Cass is just as humorous and lively as Liz is."
Lily nodded somewhat content.
"AND VERONICA MY POOR BABY !"
Raul patted her knee "I doubt she'd be interested chica."
"SHE PREFERS THOSE SOLDIER TYPES."
"Indeed" Raul muttered with a roll of the eyes.
"GO TO HIM, INVITE HIM FOR TEA !"
Raul desperate for a moments peace found a dilemma. He could stay here and listen to Lily's unnecessary but yet caring rant or go upstairs and listen to the hustle, bustle and childish arguing of the other residents that he had not long escaped from for a quiet read. To The Tops then, definitely, The Tops.
That's how Raul found himself walking across the Vegas strip apparently assessing the casinos latest asset for 'marriageability.'