So, looks like my hiatus went on longer than I thought. But it's over now, and we are getting back to the Benny/Courier lovings! This fic should be wrapped up soon, since I know where this is going, but I love the dynamic too much to end it; there may be a sequel or more oneshots coming, depending on which you lovely readers would prefer.
I should add that I've played Neverwinter Nights 2 recently, and fell in love with Bishop's Chatoic Evil outlook; you're either predator or prey, and you can't let morals or feelings stop you if you want to be on the winning team. Dark haired scoundrels looking out for their own selfish desires...I'm sensing a theme here.
"You're supposed to be dead."
Here he was, ankle deep in a puddle of muck in the middle of an alleyway in New Reno of all places, watching the woman who stole his plans and dreams tear another man's trenchcoat away, and all he could do was watch blindly and wonder what the hell she-
"Benny. Stop running your thoughts and back me up." The courier snapped, brandishing that .44 that she was so proud of. It was a sad sight compared to Maria, but then, weren't most weapons? Removing his baby from its holster, he aimed it at the gentleman's forehead, not asking why they were threatening a clearly unarmed man. He wasn't the one running the show, after all; the crazy woman in front of him was.
"Did you not hear me, Dave? You're supposed to be dead. So how is it that you're standing-well, half-slouching, really-right in front of me?"
The man-Dave-looked up, past the courier and to Benny, a smile plastered on his face that the tribal head knew well. It didn't matter if he lived or died, as he was just a small cog that had long been removed from the big wheel. Of course, it didn't mean he forgot just how those gears turned.
Never once staring at his interrogator, Dave spoke. "Why would Bishop murder one of his most trusted advisors, even to set you up? That wasn't me on the ground; not that you would know, since you never got a good look. You're lucky Mister Bishop didn't have you killed on the spot."
"The Ben-man is confused. Pussycat, what's this fink talking about?" Oh, the look on her face was priceless. Wide-eyes, slightly open mouth, a pink sliver of tongue darting out to wet those nervous lips. She could have just been startled to remember she had company, so wrapped up in this man from the past.
Or she was hiding something.
"Why don't you tell your man what you tried to do?" Dave practically purred, leaning forward and locking eyes with her for the first time, brandishing a crooked smile. "To think that one of Mister Bishop's own bodyguards-"
"Bodyguard?" Benny's over-active eyebrow arched once again, and the courier rolled her eyes.
"An actual bodyguard. The kind that shoots stuff."
"Your little friend here tried to seize power in New Reno, the same way she did in New Vegas. Only with very different results." That crooked grin returned, and the man from the courier's past continued to speak. "Mister Bishop found out, of course, and set her up. Pinned her for my murder, destroyed her reputation and, for some strange reason, let her live. She left town soon after, probably taking some insignificant job to keep attention off her."
"A courier."
"A courier would work fine indeed. Always on the move, and it's easy to stay anonymous. No one asks for any papers, right? Is your friend right, Vivian? Did you go by Courier Six? We know you did, ever since one kid ran back and said he saw your name on a job he was going to take in Primm. And Mister Bishop put out the hunt for you. Maybe because he regretted sparing you. Maybe he was bored. I'm out of the loop, have been for years, but I know you'll pay for what you-"
A loud bang echoed, and Dave's speech was cut short as the left side of his face was removed. The courier simply stared at the barrel of her smoking .44 for a moment, before turning back to Benny.
"Your name isn't Vivian," He commented, looking at the bloody mess of a man who had been speaking less than thirty seconds before. She had shot him in the head, so how did the rest of him explode? What kind of modded bullets did she use?
"I know. You think Dave would know my name? He wasn't as close to Bishop as he liked to think. Not that I told him my name anyway. He picked out names for us. He thought of me as vivacious, hence 'Vivian'." She fell silent for a moment. "You didn't believe what he said, right? I didn't try to take over anything; the casino was failing due to corruption and they needed a scapegoat."
Swank had once told him to always believe a broad's version of a story over a man's. It had nothing to do with who was actually right, but how much tail you could get out of it. In a way, his buddy had a point.
"You're both lying. And telling the truth," He shrugged, holstering Maria and turning his cool gaze towards the woman in front of him. "You know, my dick is a foot long."
The sudden change in conversation paired with the contrast to his usual eloquent speech made the courier gasp, then double over with laughter. He waited patiently for her to regain herself, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Oh, sweetheart, I have no clue where that came from but you should know better than to lie about something I've already seen."
"Same to you," He countered simply, evaluating her confused frown. "I've seen you run Vegas. Heard how you talk about your city. Don't try to bat your eyes and claim you're an innocent little mole rat. I know better, baby." His smug smile faltered when he saw an identical one creep up on her face.
"From what I've read in old pre-war books, the term is innocent little lamb. I look nothing like a mole rat. Second, you're right. Dave was lying, there's no doubt there, but I was maybe a little less than innocent. Not that you mind," She mused, sidling up next to him and planting a quick kiss on his cheek.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"Well, I got my answer. I don't think going after Bishop is a good idea, and frankly, I don't care. If his followers want to come get me, they can. But they'd be risking war with Vegas, and frankly, I'd like to see them try to stand up to Yes Man."
"Actually, I meant about the dead body all around us. Since it is the middle of the day, and that bang wasn't exactly quiet."
She blinked, grabbing his hand. "We split. Now."