The aching wasn't just here - it was everywhere. Along with the lightning strikes of pain, the rather depressing view of a slowly-spinning fan spreading large flakes of dust above me was ruining my mood. I squeezed shut my eyes and relished the cold Sunset Sarsaparilla bottle squeezed tight in my fist. "You alright there, hun?" I smiled at the bartender and nodded.

"Yeah - my brain's just acting up again." She chuckled softly and I shut my eyes again. I realized then how tired I was as my eyes burned for sleep. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to stay. I was told to go to Novac (through Nipton) but it was already dark...

The broken streets of the wasteland were less of a bother as I found myself attempting to remember what had happened before I woke up just a few hours ago in the Doc's house. I could remember that there was a guy... J-something... and that I owed him something; however, I had absolutely no idea who he was or what he was owed.

Before me lay a silent land - barren and lonely. I imagined myself speaking to the land. It would probably have told me about the trillions of people and pentillions of animals who'd traversed its rough flesh since it was part of Pangea so long ago. Of course, then I would realize that I was talking to part of the Earth, and I'd have to go get centers of my brain checked again.

After around an hour of listening to my footsteps, I found myself watching smoke rise angrily in the distance. It was then I decided to sleep beneath a large billboard advertising some casino.

By the time I had awoken and started off towards the smoke again, I had half-expected it to have finished burning - whatever it was that was burning. The sun beat incessantly on my face and demanded my attention; the unforgiving landscape grasped teasingly at my legs and suggested that I take a rest; however, the idea of finding this Nipton and laying in a victim's (of my own, preferably) bed was far too appealing to allow me to rest. The flames soon came into view and a man came running up yelling about his good luck. "I won! I won the lottery!" He moved towards me and I grabbed at my machete.

Since I'd woken up in the Doc's house, I knew something had changed. Maybe that Daisy suit hit my old personality (that is, what I could feel was different).

"Don't you fucking touch me! What lottery are you talking about?" I asked as he backed away a bit, that dumbfuck grin still dancing on his face.

"The lottery! Come on, lady! Celebrate with me!"

"You piss me off. Do you have any idea what I've had to deal with? I got shot in the fucking - would you stop jumping around? You know what? Fuck you, man -" I grabbed the man's greasy hair and pulled him face-first onto my blade. I pulled him back and thrust it through his abdomen, grinning. "Feel that?" I drew it upward and he spurt blood. "That's your fucking soul." My foot collided with his chest and the freshly-reaped body fell with a thick noise much like that of raw meat hitting linoleum. Now, I knew damn well that I would never have impaled a man's face without good cause - oh, God, but the blood; the lies; everything poured from his throat and his insides, coating the earth nearby in his plague.

"Apparently, it was not truly his lucky day." I stopped my attempts to awkwardly remove the man's clothing and other worldly belongings as a rather musical voice graced my ears. It was the luxurious touch of silk against tender skin; a deep shade of midnight's indigo against a savage scarlet. I turned to see the pelt of a dog lain elegantly atop the speaker's head, its empty eyes glaring down at me, willing my response. Silence met his words in the air. "Don't worry, I won't have you lashed to a cross like the rest of these degenerates. It's useful that you happened by." It was only then that I realized there were, indeed, men crucified nearby. "I want you to witness the fate of the town of Nipton, to memorize every detail. And then, when you move on? I want you to teach everyone you meet the lesson that Caesar's Legion taught here. Especially any NCR troops you cross."

"Caesar's Legion...? I..." I felt uncomfortable under the man's stare - though, thankfully, black goggles protected me from having my soul ripped away. "Who are they - or, you?"

I was graced with a faint glimpse of a smirk; "Obviously, you haven't been around long. You must learn the lessons of Caesar yourself - through the days to follow, you shall."

I glanced away; there were men hung tightly by their limbs from choleric crosses; heads screamed, noise lost in the amber of death, impaled harshly on pitchforks... There was a new being within me - one whose clandestine intentions were whispered in pieces as I found myself changing. These dead men were... beautiful. I looked back at the Caesar's Legion man and nodded.

"I most certainly will. What lessons, may I ask, should I tell others of? What was taught here?"

"So many were - that they are weak and we are strong? Of course, this was well-known already. But the depths of their moral sickness, their dissolution? Nipton serves as the perfect object lesson. Nipton was a wretched place - of human waste it was filled. They served all comers, so long as they paid. Profligate troops, Powder Gangers, men of the Legion, such as myself... The people here didn't care. It was a town of whores. For a pittance, the town agreed to lead those it had sheltered into a trap. Only when I sprang it did they realize they were caught inside it, too. I herded them into the center of town and told them their sins, the foremost being disloyalty. I told them of Legionary rules - when proof of disloyalty arises, some are punished while others are made to watch. And I announced the lottery. Each clutched his ticket, hoping it would set him free. Each did nothing, even when "loved ones" were dragged away to be killed."

"It sounds as though... they deserved it." Beneath the Legionary's gaze I felt that I needed to prove myself worthy of his attention. The fact that he was well aware of my having a pulse set me off.

"Indeed... Disgusting things these people were..."

"I'll spread your lessons," I stopped, realizing how much of an idiot I was allowing myself to appear, "um, what, if I may ask, may I call you?"

"I am Vulpes Inculta, leader of the Frumentarii." He turned, his men following suit, "Ave, until we meet again."

As Vulpes left the burning ruins of Nipton, I realized the effect he'd brought upon me. In only a moment, he'd reduced me to nothing more than an ass-kissing whore. Beautiful.


Oh heyyyy :D Good to see you again, beautiful! ;)

Mr. New Vegas is getting to me :3

Anywhos, this is the technical part UNO! (The first was mostly a prologue o.e)

So, here's Vulpes's introduction . Hopefully... my fangirl-quality was kept to a minimum of "Creepy-ass-psycho-bitch" or maybe even as far as "lock-your-fucking-windows" .

hmm.

Well, anyway - this was actually written this morning but I just kept adding until I got all creepy. Please review! It's all that nourishes me and keeps me warm through these cold winter nights )':

OH :D And before I forget - Seducing Reason, you are A-MA-ZING for reviewing so quickly :3 I woke up and the first thing I got to read was a wonderful review 8D