October 5th 2281- The Atomic Wrangler.
The sour taste of the whiskey burnt my mouth the same way it had the yesterday and the day before and the day before that. I was never sure if it was the radiation, the booze or the fact I was just having a really bad day. Moriarty may have been an asshole but at least he had good booze. Then again Freeside was basically the Mojave equivalent to Megaton as far as I was concerned. Now that I think about it this guy was looking at me the same way Moriarty used to stare at me whenever I asked Gob to join me for a drink. The environment was much the same as well, with some small differences. Here everyone was too busy trying to win rigged games to notice the severe lack of whores for a brothel. Sure Moriarty only had one whore, but that was still one more than this place had. The dirty glasses were cleaner than the old assholes were so that was at least an upside. It was also nice to see that they compensated for the rigged games and lack of women with a comedian. Granted he wasn't my kind of Joker, but in his dirty white suit he fit in with the place very nicely. Good Ole Hadrian.
"Gentlemen and La-…..Well who we kidding the only lady here is behind the bar, and unfortunately she don't do over time!" Hadrian remarked waiting for the comedic drumbeat that would often follow a joke.
Not a chuckle in the house. Course when your rambling to drunken idiots who can't get into the strip because they hit someone, slept with someone's wife, don't have the caps or all of the above (and that happens more often than I care to talk about). Still, if this was the Muddy Rudder than Hadrian would have a lot more material but a lot less fingers. But hey, he's a ghoul they were going to fall off one day eventually. I snickered to myself at the thought of Hadrian doing a show and his fingers falling off as he pointed at his latest victim.
"Wow Rough Crowd. You sir! The rather dandy looking Gentlemen at the back" He said into his microphone.
Oh I swear Hadrian if you're talking to me, then I am not going to be held responsible for what happens to your face. Caleb can kick me out if he damn well pleases. Lucky night for Hadrian, it was some newcomer who clearly had hit rock bottom recently and scampered to the Wrangler with his tale between his legs looking for that golden ticked back into the strip. Big Deal! I was on the strip once and I didn't s. Nothing to brag about, put enough lights on a sign and you got the same thing in its most prime form. I was so deep in thought I actually missed Hadrian's bad joke, this booze may not be that bad after all. I should cut Hadrian some slack I know, but in my kind of business you give what ya get. And Brother I can't remember the last time I got some slack. Becky never gave me any slack, then again what do you expect from 'Sgt Havon'. The thought of her brought back too many memories, most of them bad and some of them worse. Mind you she was her hottest when she was in that uniform, happy or not. She wasn't the worst of the three but still became a pain in the ass after that promotion. Wonder what she's doing now? There ya go again Joe, thinking of the past. I was having such a good time too. Typical Becky, always spoiling my good time.
"You want another one?" The bartender asked glaring at the empty glass in front of me like I was Mean SonOfabitch with an arm in my mouth.
He was always checking on me like I was some kind of child. His sister on the other hand at least had the decency to have addressed me by my name. Or at least what my name I was using as of late. Let me explain, most around these parts would call me a mercenary, others would call me an animal, I always preferred the term Jack of All trades. In my time I have done a bit of everything and travelled a lot as a result of my work. Until five years ago never stayed in the one place that long. Can ya blame me? Considering the variety of life out there and the fact that almost 80% of its out to kill me I'm surprised I made it this far. As of the last five years I have kind of settled down in Freeside, though this is only a temporary situation.
"Get out of Freeside ya fucking Zombie!" I heard one of the Audience members shout.
Typical. I can't complain about how the booze sucks, or the clear lack of poon or Caleb has the "right" to kick my ass to the curb and rough me up a little. Then you either wake up with a dog chewing your leg and your pockets emptied or your pockets emptied and some drunk giving you a shower. Colin would never have let that happen to someone, he just let us pass out where we landed. If we started trouble send Jericho in to beat the crap out of you and then drag you to the pool of water that surrounded the bomb to give you a drink. You got one more drink and a lesson. But god forbid the talent here get the same treatment as the bottles of pre-war fucking booze. A new bottle of Whiskey was put in front of me by the grimacing barman. Reaching into my dusters pocket I grabbed what I had left from my last job. Francine's brother tapped the bars counter impatiently, eyes glued to my face, as he waited for me to count my caps. He would be happy as a mole rat in shit if I didn't have the ten caps the whiskey cost. God, this guy needed to get laid.
"HEY ZOMBIE! I'm talking to you!" I heard him shout again as I tried to count my caps.
Caleb was really taking his time getting rid of this asshole tonight. I then felt a hand gripping the collar of my duster and pulled me back towards him. My caps scattered across the bar as I was dragged to the ground by the drunken man. Quickly, I removed my duster and let the man trip back into the tables.
-The Names Le Beau, Joey LeBeau. And I'm a Ghoul-
He got up in a drunken sway and charged towards me. I just wanted my duster and my drink, why did he have to start a fight. I moved swiftly causing him to ram his head into the bar. Lifting the whiskey bottle up over my head I smashed it down on his head. A woman gasped and a silence fell over the bar that was more painful than the silence after one of Hadrian's bad jokes. I lifted the man up to his feet and slapped him like the bitch he was to wake him up.
"The Term is Ghoul! Got that Smoothskin?" my teeth barred at the man as I pushed the broken bottle neck close to his neck with the intention of making sure he never called a ghoul a zombie again.
"Now what did you want to say to me?" I asked staring into the man's eyes.
"Joey! .Down!" Francine shouted as she appeared from the doorway and seeing me with a broken bottle neck in one hand and a bleeding man in against the bar.
I grunted at Francine, then looked around the bar and saw that everyone was watching me. I dropped the sack of shit and the bottle neck and looked around. Putting a cigarette in my mouth and slowly lighting it, I saw Caleb draw his weapon and smile at me as he glared. Fucker must be hard just thinking about blowing my head off. I held the smoke between my lips as I pulled my duster on and straightened my hat. The bar returned to its common noises
"This ain't a place for Trouble. Damn it Caleb this is what we pay you for!" Francine barked in that authoritive tone she used on the bar staff.
"I was about to blow this fuckers head off" he said smiling down the barrel at me.
"Well put the gun down! Joe you know what this means! Don't you?" Francine said as I took a deep breath and a long drag on the smoke.
"Yeah Yeah I know! Banned for a month. I'll see myself out. See ya in a month Hadrian." I said exhaling the smoke and waving to the comic.
And that would be the last time I would ever leave the Atomic Wrangler and see any of these faces again. Good Riddance.