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Ronald Laren spoke with a sharp and hurried tone, using emphasis in his voice to compensate for the intimidation he felt upon seeing a stranger, well dressed in a dark suit, red tie and polished shoes, leave Sierra Petrovita's home. Yet it was apparent from the first glance the stranger gave him from under his tilted hat that he saw immediately through the ruse.
"Hey pal, what were you doing in Sierra's place?"
The stranger's eyes flashed briefly with amusement.
"Sierra and I were just, you know, getting cozy."
"Bullshit. I know she asked you to get that nasty nuka-cola quantum shit for her."
"She did, and she has offered to pay me very well for it. Although i'm sure if I use all the right lines, i'll be getting a little extra compensation, if you know what I mean."
"Listen, asshole. Girdershade is MY town. Sierra is MY woman. And i'm not about to let some rich prick show up and take her from me. I have a proposition for you."
"I'm listening."
"Good. Go ahead and find some of that quantum, but instead of bringing it to Sierra, bring that shit to me. That way, I can give it to her so she'll let me...how can I put this...plow her bean field."
"What?"
"You know exactly what i'm talking about."
"Hmm. I'm not sure I do."
"God dammit. I want to do the Charleston with her. Put my flux capacitor in her photonic resonation chamber. Give her some old hickory. Shock her with my tesla coil."
"The fuck...?"
"Are you fucking stupid? I want to bone her."
"I can't say I blame you. I'm afraid i'm going to beat you to it, though. She'll be used goods long before you tap into that reserve, partner."
"No..." Ronald was fuming. "You're going to give me the quantum, i'm going to use it to impress Sierra, and you're going to take your caps and leave forever."
"Actually, I'm going to get that quantum, bring it to her, and then i'm going to slam her like the fist of an angry God. You won't be able to sleep through all of the noise. She'll be screaming my name."
The stranger's smile widened into a handsome grin. Ronald cringed as he noted the dimples the smile created on his cheeks.
Sierra loved dimples.
"Listen buddy, you better turn around and head out of Girdershade, or all you'll be getting a taste of is the Kneecapper." Ronald said, patting the sawed-off shotgun at his waist, while he sized up the man standing before him.
The stranger was about six feet tall, with well-trimmed graying facial hair and cherubic blue eyes. His smile was angelic and inviting, but his countenance suggested something similar to a child pondering an act of mischeif.
Ronald's eyes found the holstered laser pistol at the stranger's waist. It looked somewhat different from other laser weapons he had seen, as though it had been modified somehow.
"I hope you're smarter than to try what's going through you mind, Mr. Laren." The stranger way saying. "I can guarantee you i'm quicker to a draw."
"Oh, don't you worry about that stranger." Ronald started, continuing the tough guy routine. "Why would I bother killing you when I can just beat you to getting that quantum and claim my woman once and for all?"
The smile never left the stranger's face.
"You're going to try to get the quantum bottles before I do? Oh, this is rich."
"You bet your fucking ass I am." Ronald seethed. "We'll see who the bigger man is."
"I suppose this means you and I have a little race going on then, doesn't it? That's fine with me. Letting the wasteland take care of you would save me some ammunition, after all."
"You talk a man's talk." Said Ronald. "But talk and action are two very different things."
"It seems we have nothing more to talk about, Ronald. Sierra needs a real man to keep her satisfied, and I intend to fill that role when I have those 30 Quantum bottles and your corpse is Yao Guai food."
Ronald grunted, then turned around and started briskly toward his house.
"Well, i'm not going to waste any time! I have a fucking trip to pack for! There's 30 bottles of shitty soft-drink out there waiting for me!"
The stranger watched Ronald Laren stomp back into his house and slam the door behind him. He gave a brief, amused chuckle.
"I'm not going to be so hasty. I'll be better off having a fresh start tomorrow morning."
And with that, he removed his hat, turned around and headed back into Sierra's house.
"Oh!" Sierra gasped when the stranger came inside again after only having left a few minutes earlier.
"Did you forget something? Did you want me to give you the tour again? Do you want another Ice-cold nuka-cola?!"
"No! I mean, no, my dear. I've simply decided to wait until tomorrow morning before I head out for that nuka-cola quantum you wanted. I hate to be so intrusive, but would you mind if I slept on your floor tonight? Its awfully windy and dusty outside. I wouldn't want to spend the night out there."
"Of course! It would be nice to have some company! Help yourself to another nuka-cola if you want one!"
Sierra sat on a bar stool and studied some of her nuka-cola memorabilia. The stranger retrieved a nuka-cola from the refrigerator and promptly took a seat next to her.
"So, Sierra. Tell me again where you got that wonderful vintage nuka-cola machine."
Sierra was only too happy to divulge the entire history of the machine in the corner. She chattered away amiably, and took no notice as the stranger nodded as she spoke, and let his hand come to rest on her shoulder.