The Strip was bright and flashy, loud and hectic, and populated with all kinds of people ranging from NCR soldiers to gamblers to prostitutes. It was an area that was safe to wander without a weapon - though Vera would never - and many people seemed to be at ease, which she credited to the Securitrons incessant patrolling.
Vera made her way into The Tops, and was greeted by one of the men behind the counter, garbed in a suit with a smile plastered onto his face.
"Hey, hey, sweetheart! Welcome to the Tops Hotel and Casino," he said. "I'm gonna have to ask you to hand over any weapons you might be carrying."
"Swank," she said, "I'm in here a few times I week these days; I know the drill."
"Yeah, well, it's protocol; I gotta give everyone the same speech when they come in." The man said with a smile.
She laughed a little and removed her pistol from its holster on her thigh, passing it to him. "Here." Unbeknownst to him, she'd kept the knife on her other thigh - and fortunately for her, it wasn't easy to see despite her skin tight dress.
"Smooth and easy, just the way I like it," he replied as he took the pistol. "Don't worry, they'll be safe as kittens 'til you're ready to leave. Oh, and a friendly word of advice: if you happen to "stumble across" any weapons during your stay here, well, just don't wear them openly. You dig?"
"As always," she replied, returning his smile with one that didn't quite reach the eyes. The raven-haired woman made her way over to the casino's bar then, but didn't sit. "Two whiskeys, neat."
The bartender gave a nod and poured the glasses, then set them in front of her. "Enjoy, miss."
Vera nodded a thanks and plucked the glasses off the counter, then turned and sashayed over to a row of booths lining one of the walls; the main part of the room dropped down a foot or two, and was filled with blackjack and roulette tables. Along the wall opposite to the booths were slot machines, and people were everywhere in between.
The woman set her glasses down on one of the booth's tables and took a seat, crossing her legs. Long black hair cascaded down her back, curled with hot rollers, and the little black dress she'd chosen left little to the imagination; technically, she was covered, but she certainly drew a lot of gazes - from men and women alike.
One of those gazes belonged to the owner of the casino, Benny, who stood at the end of the room surrounded by his usual bodyguards and clad in his signature checkered suit.
She flashed him a small smile before shifting her gaze back out to the floor. Like outside, people were at ease; they were laughing and smiling, mostly, except for the drunks who were losing their games. The number of them would increase as the night went on, she knew, and it'd surely please the casino owner since drunks were sloppy, arrogant gamblers. Vera shook her head as she watched and took a sip of her whiskey.
"You here to people-watch again, baby?"
She shifted her gaze to Benny as he approached her, and gave another small smile as her green eyes met his brown ones. "You sound like there's a problem with that."
"This is a casino," he replied. "You gotta start playing, or stay out."
"This is coming from you," she replied with a chortle, "who comes into my bar to have shady meetings and doesn't buy a damn thing." She gestured to her glasses. "You're getting my money, Benny, which is more than I can say about you. What's it matter as long as you're profiting?"
"Look, Vera, baby, I can't be giving you special treatment." He crossed his arms. "You know that."
"And you know by now that I don't gamble." She quirked a brow.
"Well, you're gonna have to start if you wanna keep comin' in."
Vera glowered at him for a moment before sighing and propping her chin in her hand. "One game of Texas Hold'em a night, with you and you alone, then."
He scoffed, then shook his head. "That's the best I'm gonna get, isn't it?"
"You know me better than I thought." She smiled as well and took a sip of whiskey. "I only know how to play that game, by the way, so you're not talking me into anything different."
He raised a brow. "We've got roulette, blackjack, and slots. We don't have Hold'em, baby." A pause, then he slid into the seat across from her. "Why don't you let me teach you, sweetheart?"
"I'm not nearly as dumb as you," she retorted. "You'll do something like teach me the wrong rules so I'll lose every time."
"I'm wounded, Vera," he said with a chuckle. "You really think I'd do something like that?"
She smiled again. "You act like I don't hear how you talk in my bar. I know exactly how much of a snake you are."
Benny paused, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You aren't supposed to be listening to any of that."
She rolled her eyes, then sighed and looked to him. "It pays to pay attention. Do you have any idea how many fights I've stopped before they even started by eavesdropping? I hear just about everything that goes down there, whether I want to or not, and I know you and your Chairmen do the same thing here." She lowered her voice. "And, my lips are sealed. Nobody's gonna hear anything about your plans from me."
"Watch yourself, baby," he hissed. "You're on thin ice here. How do I know you're not gonna talk? Cause if you do, you and I are gonna have problems," he growled. "Big ones."
She raised a brow. "I've been listening since you started coming last year. If I was gonna say anything, I'd have done it a long time ago. It's your business, not mine, and it isn't my place to step in and mess it up. Just because you're a backstabbing bastard doesn't mean I am." The woman paused and gave him a small smile. "No offense, of course."
The man glowered for a few moments before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm guessing that means you know more than you let on about other stuff going down on the Strip, then."
"People from the Strip come to my place because House's securitrons aren't around, and the folks who live in Freeside don't recognize you," she said. "They don't care, either, so they don't listen. You aren't the only one who comes around looking for that kind of anonymity. Talking to someone at a bar draws a lot less attention than taking someone up to your suite, after all."
"So, what," Benny said, "you just sit on all this information and say nothing? Do you have any idea how much power you could have?"
"I don't want power," she snapped. "I'm fine where I am, and sitting on the information I have buys my safety if anything happens; if I were to start using that crap, I'd have a target put on my back and big-shots like you would stop coming. I am not about to take that risk."
"Baby," he said with a laugh, "that's called cowardice."
"No, Benny, it's called being smart. There's a difference, and I have too much that I'm responsible for to be dumb." She let out a sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Look, I'm gonna head home. You know where to find me if you need anything."
"And what if I just want some company?" He smirked.
Vera laughed a bit. "My door is always open for that." The woman stood, downed the last of her whiskey, and flashed him one last smile. "See you 'round, Benny."
She grabbed her pistol from the front desk, then exited the building and made her way back toward Freeside. The area wasn't nearly as glamorous as the Strip, but it served her purpose; running a business outside of the Strip was easier, and she didn't have to deal with Mr. House, at least not directly. He'd asked her for information on more than one occasion, but quickly seemed to realize she wasn't willing to give it regardless of how much money he offered. If she started selling people out, she became a target, and if she held onto it, she had leverage if it was needed.
Fortunately, he hadn't done enough research on her to figure out her weak spot.
Upon reaching the bar, Vera made her way inside, locked the doors behind her, and headed upstairs to her living area. The stairs led to a small room with a couch, a chair, a coffee table, and a TV, which was generally kept off; beyond that was a small office, with a twin sized bed for any guests she might have, and to the right was her bedroom.
Her room was small as well, with only a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a trunk. Vera removed and hung her dress on the back of her door, then pulled her hair into a bun and slid into bed. Sleep came easily that night, but it wasn't peaceful; instead, it was plagued with nightmares and left her tossing and turning until she woke to someone calling her name.
"Vera!" Benny hissed, shaking her rather roughly. He knew she was a heavy sleeper, and apparently didn't have time to rouse her peacefully. "God damn it, Vera, wake up, baby!"
She woke slowly, despite the shaking, and sleepily rubbed her face. Her gaze shifted to the man then, and she furrowed her brow. "Benny?" The woman huffed and swatted his hands away as she sat up, clearly annoyed with the rude awakening. She sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"No time for questions, baby," he whispered. "Look, I need your help getting outta here; shit just got real bad, and I gotta go."
"So go," she muttered, flopping back down onto the bed. "You know how to survive, right?"
He paused.
Vera sighed and looked to the man in her room. "Are you really telling me you don't know how to make it on your own?"
"Will it get you to help me if I do?" He did know how to make it on his own, but it had been years, and truth be told, he was panicking. House knew what he'd been up to, and he sent that god damn courier to deal with him.
She eyed him for a moment, then moved to get up without a word. There was a knock on the doors downstairs, and her eyes flicked to Benny curiously.
He was spooked. "Quick, baby, where can I hide?"
She nodded toward the trunk as she wrapped up in a black satin robe. "There's room in there, I think, but be quiet."
He hurried over and climbed inside without a word. The fact that Vera had been willing to help, with no questions asked upfront, didn't surprise him. He knew she cared about him - despite her swearing she hadn't gotten attached to him - and he knew she was the kind of person that protected her loved ones ferociously. He assumed she'd always kept her distance from him because she knew not to trust him. She was friendly, and she'd become a regular at the Tops, but she never told him anything personal; she didn't ask questions about him either, and make an effort to avoid those topics. He admired that she could control her feelings so well. Most people couldn't, and in her situation, they got clingy.
What did surprise him was the amount of caps in the trunk. She had at least a few thousand, all bagged up neatly, and he wondered why she saved it. If it had been him, he'd have moved to a bigger, nicer facility, or at least made upgrades to the one he had. Vera hadn't done anything to her bar since buying it. The only reason he could think of for saving that much was to pay somebody off, and judging by the amount, someone dangerous.
Vera, meanwhile, had gone downstairs to deal with her other late-night visitor. She stormed across the floor, letting her heavy footsteps imply she wasn't happy about being woken, and yanked the door open with a scowl plastered on her face. "What in the hell do you think you're doing, waking me up this late?" She gestured to the sky outside. "Can't you see it's the middle of the night, or does somebody need to check your eyes?"
Swank, Benny's right hand man, stood outside with a grave expression on his face He was still in his suit, and armed to the teeth. "Vera," he greeted. "I'm lookin' for Benny. You seen him?"
"Considering you're the one who woke me up?" She crossed her arms. "No, I haven't."
"A lot of people saw him come to Freeside, and we all know he visits you more than either of you admit to." The man paused and glanced around before speaking again. "Listen, he's been trying to overthrow House; he got caught, and-"
"Do you think I don't know what goes on in this bar, Swank?" She interrupted. "He met here a few times, and I over hear a lot when people like you come in. I know exactly what he was up to, and I'm telling you, he hasn't been by. If you're so worried about finding him, don't waste your time here, and if you're that sure he's here, feel free to search the place." She stepped aside and held the door open, glowering at the man outside.
He seemed taken aback not only by her outburst, but by her offer to let him check the building.
Vera took advantage of his silence. "If you don't have anything else, Swank, I'm going back to bed. I need all the beauty sleep I can get."
"Uh," he paused, then sighed. "Okay. Let one of the Chairmen know if you see him. Please. Sorry to bother you."
She scoffed, then sighed. "Good luck. House keeps the place safe; I dunno how well a change in ownership would go over." She waited for the man to nod and leave before closing and locking her door, then made her way back upstairs. The woman opened the trunk, helped Benny out, then pulled out clothes from under the bags of caps.
"Who are you trying to pay off with all that?" Benny asked.
Vera paused, then began changing into a set of black pants, a black tank top, and a matching fishnet top over that. "My savings is none of your business."
"Look, if you gotta pay off somebody dangerous, I got a right to know," he argued. "If this guy's gonna come after you, I don't wanna be caught in the middle of it."
"Look, Benny, we need get out of here or you're gonna be in a lot of trouble." She pushed past him to grab a pair of black boots. "Do you have a plan here?"
Benny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He'd started pacing, but made sure to stay away from the windows so he wasn't seen. "I need to get to Fortification Hill."
Vera whirled to face him as she pulled her hair up. "You've lost your god damn mind, Benny. You need to run, and not to the Legion."
"You don't understand, baby; I've got plans for the Strip. Nobody's gonna get in my way."
"Okay, fine," she huffed, "but you need to be smart here. Everyone's looking for you, and you wanna run to a Legion stronghold. What you should be doing is laying low, at least for a while, maybe even somewhere outside of New Vegas."
Benny laughed harshly. "Are you suggesting I let you take me out to the middle of nowhere?"
"Not the middle of nowhere," she replied. "I know a place we can stay, where we'll both be safe."
"And that's outside of Vegas, right?" He scowled. "Vera, I'm not leaving."
"What if I told you the guy I'm paying off is going to hunt me down here?"
"That's your problem, toots, not mine."
She huffed, then started snatching the caps from the trunk and tossing them into a duffel bag. "And you're the one who came to me for help."
"I panicked, okay?" He stopped and faced her, his arms crossed. "I can make it on my own-"
"Until you get caught by Legionnaires," she interrupted. "And you're out of shape from the time you've spent on the Strip, so you'd benefit from another gun anyways. You need someone who'll fight just as dirty as you will, and I fit that bill." She tossed a couple extra guns into the bag, some ammo, clothes, and other supplies before turning to face him. "So do you want my help, or do you want to try and make it on your own?"