Without even looking around the calm saloon James walked over to the bar and sat down two stools away from Svetlana. He had to admit a great khan looking stripper was something he had to...investigate, but right now he just wanted some water...or beer...yeah beer's good. Trudy as if reading his mind dropped a bottle of purified water on the bar in front of James.

"This one's on the house...looks like you could use it anyway." She said casually.

James not wanting to look to famished uncapped the bottle and sipped it. Svetlana watching James drink realized that the bottle of beer she was drinking seemed to be empty.

"Hey...hey! I'm empty mind grabbing me another one!" Svet whined. She had had several of these now and her deep musings about the job she was currently on were being replaced by slow wandering thoughts in an inebriated head. Trudy true to her nature did not turn around immediately when Svetlana called. This woman had slugged down seven bottles, without paying, and regardless of what many lowlifes seemed to think the Prospector Saloon was not a soup kitchen. Trudy glanced around and stated:

"If you want another one then I suggest you pay for the seven you already drank, I can hear those caps jingling in your pockets."

Svetlana true to her nature said nothing, instead she just scowled back at Trudy. Trudy half tempted to respond to that stopped herself when she heard the sound of a table being knocked over by to fighting khans. Cursing under her breath she took off towards that sound leaving the counter unmanned. Svetlana suddenly finding herself "alone" took her beer bottle, reached over the counter and knocked the radio on the counter over. It hit the ground, and the gravely charming voice of Mr. New Vegas suddenly cut off. James noticing this didn't say a word he just stared at Svet while he finally lost his composure and gulped down the water surprisingly fast. Svet caught his gaze and looked over at him.

"What are you staring at stranger?" She asked in her usual monotone.

James realizing that she actually was looking at him casually answered: "Just staring at that killer swing you got there."

Svetlana looked at him again. She noticed the duster he had on. Black leather, large enough to cover her frame, plenty of pockets. If she could just lure this drifter outside then...

"Hey...my eyes are up here." James said suddenly cutting off her train of thought. He was smiling though. A good, casual, non concerned looking smile. One that Svet mistook as one of playful innocence.

"Just admiring that duster you have on. It really...works with you"

"Thanks" James said in a neutral voice. In his (extremely incorrect) opinion this drunk chick did not look that dangerous. Nor did she look particularly bright. She did have a very large pocket though. Seemingly bulging with caps. He was sure that if he could lure this dumb looking khan outside then he could take those caps and hide the body behind the saloon. So they chatted. Both of them doing their best impression of normal conversation. Both of them waiting for the right moment to pop the question...if they wanted to go outside. This lasted roughly an hour. In which time Svet's head had cleared up. Both of them still had not posed the question yet. Not enough people had left the saloon. It was late, but there seemed to be an unusually large crowd that night. It was Benny who broke up this gathering.
Without much warning he simply stood up and tilted his head toward the door. The Khans understood that it was time, and they all quietly began to get up and move out. Svet saw this and realized that her new coat was likely going to have to stay on this dirty looking drifter...for now. She had gotten up and began to walk out when James stood up as well. He bumped into her and apologized before looking at the other Khans leaving.

"Where are you guys heading?" James posed without much subtlety.

"To a meeting" Svet said dismissively.

She flashed him a smile "Just stay put and I'll come right back for you"

James gave her a bit of an uncertain smile then watched as she left with the others. A minute after she walked out the door James pulled the fat leather pouch he had snagged from her out of his pocket. Pickpocketing James mused to himself, was such a underappreciated skill. He unzipped the pouch and counted around eight hundred caps inside. With a smile he closed the bag. Turning up he saw Trudy staring at him with a (as usual) neutral expression. James just stared back then emptied 75 caps out and placed them on the counter.

"Well at least someone payed their tab" she muttered before scooping up the caps and placing them in the register.

James tipped his hat at her, then walked out through the back door.

Svetlana and the others set themselves up on the side of the Jean's Skydiving. Benny knew that a lone courier with the Mojave Express was going to come through here eventually. Now actually, if things went according to plan. But so far no one had shown up. Svetlana was slightly disappointed to hear that the courier needed to be taken alive. Not because she was in the mood to kill, but again because this job was getting more and more complicated. And complicated jobs tended to be dangerous and bad paying things. Now she was waiting on some wasteland road in the middle of the night, and the courier who Benny had repeatedly said would be here at this exact time was nowhere to be seen. Jessup and Benny were starting to argue in hushed tones when Svet heard a faint noise far off from the road. She had always had good perception and thus could differentiate random wasteland noises from muffled footsteps. She jerked her head around and saw a silhouetted figure creeping quickly across the hills across from the road. Svet realized in a flash that the courier had seen them and was trying to make a run for Goodsprings. Without a word she took off in a dead sprint towards the silhouetted courier. Benny and the others were to confused by what she was doing to speak, but the courier immediately glanced behind them and saw the tall Khan rapidly closing in on her. The courier forgot trying to sneak and instead began to sprint for the town. Svet lunged ahead as fast as she could trying to catch up. It was close, the courier made it between the rows of houses, down the moonlit road. The Prospector Saloon was just across the road from her. Just as the courier made it to that point she felt a strong grip grab a clump of her hair and jerk her backwards. She was yanked backwards slamming onto the ground. Before she could react she watched as if in slow motion a large boot raise itself over head then stomp her lights out.

OK first off sorry for taking so long. Second sorry if this feels a little incomplete...I couldn't delay this any longer. Remember any reviews and advice are appreciated. Anything I need to work on...or anything you think I did right just let me know.

Oh and a special thanks to that one reader in the U.S. and the other two in Canada who apparently still checked out this story as of today...whoever you people are.