Trial by the Blues

Chapter 8

"Well...I really must get back to my work here... you see-" Litchi was suddenly cut off
by a young feminine voice heard from the front door in the opposite room of the clinic.
"I'm Back Miss Litchi!" said the high pitched voice, "I have all the ingredients you need to make dinner... Oh..." She stops and looks, "I didn't know we were having guests..." A short, tanned and young girl walks into the room wearing a Blue and white dress marked by beautiful white flowers that looked like a traditional oriental dress Tom had seen in old pre-war catelogs and magazines. She simply stares at Tom and Taokaka with a puzzled face. She gives Tom a questioning look "... Miss. Litchi who is this man?" She studied Tom with piercing eyes as he looked back in puzzlement "...You don't dress like soldiers from the Library... who are you?" the young girl asked curiously. Tom opened
his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Miss Litchi, "Now Linhua it is rude to ask
others for their names before stating your own." Litchi smiled at the short girl.
"Ah... Sorry Miss Litchi... My name is Linhua, I am Ms. Litchi's assistant." She bows
at Tom while keeping her eyes upon him. He stood up off the stool standing tall dwarfing
her size mildly. He looks down at her and held his hand out. "My name is NCR Ranger Thomas Valdez." he chuckles, "...though you can always call me Tom." He finishes his statement. The young girl Linhua did not bother to shake his hand and instead continued staring, Tom frowned softly and placed his hand in his pocket awkwardly. "It is nice to meet you Mr. Tom" She eases her gaze and looks over Litchi's way, "Should I bring more groceries since we have guests Ms. Litchi?" She asks though secretly hoping Tom would leave.
"No it is okay Linhua I insist... besides Mr. Valdez was about to head off." She smiled
Tenderly at the short assistant. Linhua nodded, "Yes Ms. Litchi, I'll start making dinner right away!"
She heads off into the kitchen smiling at Tao as she feasts on the food in the kitchen. Tom grabs his bag and hoists it over his shoulder
"Yeah... I really should get going... I need to find a place to stay." he sniff's softly and exhales,
"Oh, good luck with that Thomas... if you can't find a place to stay I'm sure we have
room here in the clinic..." Litchi added as he approaches the door. Tom stops halfway
"That'd be mighty decent of you ma'am... but I think I Can find a place to stay myself."
He nodded in agreement but added on, "...But I'll come back if I can... you know, if I
I can't find a hole to crawl through." He opens the door and waves everyone goodbye
as he walks down the busy street. Taokaka's head peered from the kitchen, "Meow? Dusty guy is going by himself?" Tao springs
out of the kitchen and out the door trying to catch up with the man in the dusty
armor. "Dusty Guy wait for Tao!" she said as she scampers to find him.

The clinic was now empty... only Litchi and Linhua remained.

Litchi relaxed her slender body on her stool and she hummed softly thinking.
"That man... He is different..." she says quietly... "I feel so sorry for him..."
She gets up and she walks in the kitchen setting the clipboard aside. Linhua smiled
as the woman she holds so dear to her heart as her teacher as she came inside the kitchen.
"Who was that Miss Litchi?" Linhua asked, "Why was he here?" She said as she chopped
fresh vegetables. "Oh... I invited Mr. Valdez so I can check up on him...I'm afraid
that he is suffering from mental trauma after losing some of his loved ones." she
herself grabbed a knife and began to cut with the short girl. "Oh... that poor man
I wonder what he is going through... At least Tao is him to accompany him... don't
you agree with that Miss Litchi?" Linhua says. "Well... yes... but... you know how
restless Tao can get sometimes; I'm afraid she's going to drive that man even more
crazy." Litchi chuckles to herself. "I hope he can find a place to stay in Kagutsuchi
and have a chance to start over." she smiles and she finishes chopping the vegetables and puts it
into a boiling pot to begin their dinners.

Tom continues walking the down the streets in one of the areas in the city known
as "Kagutsuchi" which sounded incredibly strange and hard to pronounce to Tom, but he could manage to call it something else,

in the meantime...

He passed alot of interesting buildings and alot of interesting people but by far, the
most interesting person was following him beside him.
"Dusty Guy where do you plan on going? Kagutsuchi sure is a big place...meow..." Tao said as she walks besides him,
"I honestly have no clue... I'm used to wandering around and finding my way... besides
if we get lost you can just show me which way to go... right?" He turns his head
to her and looks down at here, the cuff's of his coat cover his face partially.
"Meow... Yeah... I suppose so Dusty Guy..." Tao's stomach growled loudly which Tom
Heard. "...You're hungry again...?" Tom said blankly.
"Yeah...so? A cat's gotta eat dusty guy!" she looks at him with a big grin on her face
"You just ate your way through a kitchen back at Litchi's... That didn't pep you up?"
he asked with a surprised look on his face.
"Meow...Nope... Though it was sure good!" she licked her lips noisily, "How about
Dusty guy buy me some food and then maybe we can play!" she stops behind him anxious
for his response.
... he exhales and mumbles, "Sorry Tao but I am broke as a jet addict in the streets of Reno...
I can't buy you any food now..." he kept on walking.
Tao frowned and pouted, "Awww... Dusty guy can't buy Tao food?"
"Yes Tao... Tom can't buy you food... unfortunately" His stomach rumbled quietly.
"Dusty Guy is hungry too?" Tao crept up on him and places her paws on his shoulders
"Yep... I'm pretty damn hungry myself." He scoff's and flashes a weak smile.
"Well...just because you're a friend of Tao dusty guy... I'll let you in on a secret... that only us Kaka's know of!" She gives her trademark grin and dances in place cheerily.
"Oh yeah?" Tom said curiously. "Humor me Tao."
"The secret to make lot's of food money is to be..." she pauses.
"...to be?" he says wanting to know.
She begins to speak "...is to be a vigi... veggie...hmmm..." She pauses and ponders for a moment. "A WEDGIE-LANTERN!" she jumps high in the air.
"... A wedgie-lantern...?" Tom softly chuckled and he thought himself for a moment, "Wait...Don't you mean a vigilante? Merc work?" Tom said with a interested look. A vigilante is a person who takes law into their own hand without the consult of the authorities... but unfortunately Kagutsuchi is riddled with criminals and liars; a bounty hunter. Often mercenary work.
"You got my attention Tao... no wonder you are so good in fighting... say... who's on your top wanted list?" Tom realizes that they were walking in a low part of the city which acted like slums... he felt something wrong, He felt something ominous...

"Meow! Tao is looking for this guy!"
She pulls out a crumpled piece of paper out of her jacket, "...Here's an extra copy I got because of the Good
guy!" Tom grabs the paper and continues walking examining the picture and the bounty
"...Holy shit... pfff... haha look at this mugshot..." Tom snickered at the hilariously ugly photo of a white haired man in a red jacket, He looks down at the reward... which was stupidly high...
"I don't think I can count that high Tao... what did this poor slob do to get this bounty on his head?"
" Meow... Tao doesn't know but Good guy, Rawrgna buys me lots of food so Me and him are good napping buddies!" She says happily...
"Hmmmm... 'Ragna the Bloodedge'...and you said this guy is your friend?" Tom asked her with a smirk on his face, " he doesn't sound to bad then hm hm hm!" he chuckles and stops immediately feeling a familiar presence... which tingles out in the back of his neck. He snorts and mumbles out something... "I smell a Crimson..."
Taokaka continued walking forward then stopping to hear Tom, her tail swished curiously. "What is it dusty-"
"Tao Shh!" Tom shushes Tao and draw's out his machete and walking backwards... noticing
he's out in an alley... he checks his surrounding then he hears a crashing noise of glass followed by a plead for help.
"Dusty guy!" Tao yelled.
"Tao!" he rushes over to her to find an all so familiar figure...
"Oh crap... I FUCKING KNEW IT!" he roars out tightening his grip.
The man wearing the red and black Down helmet with face mask, wearing crude and spiked red armor...bearing the insingia of the Bull... A Legion slaver. The Legion Soldier looked at Tom while holding Taokaka in his arms in a choke hold, she
struggles and squirms as he held a blade to her throat. The Feather helmet of the legion jiggled softly as he spoke... "Drop your weapon or your friend dies degenerate We've all heard stories of you Bull Killer!" he says
Tom grits his teeth and thought for a moment...yes... he thought, Tom had an idea...
It wasn't the best idea ever but an idea never-the-less...
Tom sighed and dropped his machete to the floor which landed in a loud clank... he
balled up his right hand and said true courageous words, "Over my dead body you dirty dog!" He whips
out his Ranger Sequoya with lightning speed and spins it stylishly and classically and fires with deadly accuracy and deafening noise. The bullet flies towards the Legion slaver's cranium... entering the forehead with a loud thud as he hears the bullet as it entered the skull... the pressure from the bullet was extreme as it bounced around in his head simply causing the head to implode off into a bloody mess. Splats and bits of blood and fragments land all over
Tao and her jacket. "Meow! yuck!" she squirmed away as the body laid on the floor headless twitching violently without a head. Tom gasped rushed to her and holstering his pistol and guided her away, "Stand back Tao... Im so... so... SO Sorry you had to see that! he said feeling badly and incredibly guilty over his actions.
"Meow... now Tao is all sticky... ewww!" she sticks out her tongue picking at the
pieces of bones from her clothes.
"Good thing it wasn't you that I shot ..." Tom looked in the sky as the sun set.
"Come on Tao we gotta get you home... the elder isn't going to like this one bit..."
"But what about you? and HIM!" Tao points to the headless cadaver.
"Leave him... sets an example for them..." he said coldly.
Tom grabbed her paw and rushed back towards the kaka village.

As they head off into the streets, A figure steps over the body with big and heavy boots... muttering to himself.

"For the glory of Caesar... Awe... TRUE to Caesar... we meet again...Bull Killer..."

To be Continued.

To be continued.