Chapter 49 - Not-So-Shocking Revelations


Yang Xiao-Long was having the weirdest sense of deja vu.

"So... let's get this straight." Lie Ren massaged his temples.

"Salem's finally dead." Nora Valkyrie continued. "Like, actually dead, and never coming back."

"Yup." Ruby chirped.

"And she killed her." Blake Belladonna clarified, pointing to the girl who looked almost exactly like Yang.

"That's right." Yang Xiao-Long confirmed with a nod.

"Her." Weiss pressed. "Yang Xiao-Long."

"Yes." Dragonborn Yang nodded.

"Daughter of Raven Branwen and Tai Xiao-Long? Sister of Ruby Rose? Blake's partner?"

"Not her partner." Dragonborn Yang growled. "My partner's Jaune. And I don't have a sister, either."

"I told you, he's my partner, not yours!" Pyrrha Nikos snapped back.

"And that's another thing!" Weiss shouted, trying to steer the topic back, as the two glared at each other. "What does Arc have to do with any of this?"

Blake frowned at her partner, and sighed: "You know, Yang, you really suck at explanations. Just telling us that Salem had been killed by your... "Doppelyanger", doesn't really tell us anything!"

"Hey, it was better than Doppelyanger's explanation, kitty cat." Yang folded her arms and pouted back at her.

"Somehow, I doubt that." Blake responded drily.

"Uh, well... remember what happened during the Fall?" Ruby tried her hand at explaining.

"Yes, Ruby. I was there too." Weiss still couldn't help but feel guilty, though she hid it well. She hadn't had the best impression of Arc, sure, but she still couldn't help but feel like she'd been too harsh on him.

"Well, as it turns out... Jaune wasn't... uh..."

"Jaune Arc of Remnant died in Beacon, and woke up in my world nine months ago." Dragonborn Yang said simply, still not breaking eye contact with Pyrrha.

"What?" For the first time in a while, Ren's expression changed.

"Fearless Leader's not dead-dead?" Nora simplified the situation.

"What do you mean, your world?" Weiss's eyebrow almost disappeared behind her fringe.

"She's from a different dimension called Nirn." Pyrrha huffed.

The four newcomers' jaws hit the floor once more.

"Shall I tell the tale of our adventures again?" Doppelyanger suggested, finally looking away from the red-headed harlot. "I feel like it might help more in illuminating the situation than my counterpart's brief explanation."

"Please do." Weiss nodded.

"Oh no..." Yang whimpered, as she saw Doppelyanger open her mouth, to begin her tale.

-ONE RECOUNTING OF EPIC ADVENTURES LATER-

"Unfortunately, when I finally arrived here, I arrived in the wrong place and time, finding myself in front of that self-proclaimed "Queen of the Grimm"." Dragonborn Yang finished, still finding the ending dissatisfying. Then she looked around at her audience, and continued: "I hope that helped in explaining the current situation.

"Magic?"

"Dragons?"

"Vampires?"

"The... World Eater?"

Unfortunately, it didn't.

"So... uh, Other-Yang..." Blake stepped forward now seeing what her partner had meant. The tale hadn't been bad... but it had been a bit too long, and needed some work. Surreptitiously pulling out a notepad, she clarified: "So, you have the soul of a dragon? What exactly does that entail?"

"Doppelyanger can use dragon word magic." Yang answered for her, jerking her thumb back to the part of the forest that looked like it had been mowed with a train before having glass laid on it. "She did that with two Shouts."

"I can easily demonstrate it again, if it would help." Doppelyanger suggested, before using an Unrelenting Force Shout to send more trees flying away. "That's how I helped Jaune catch up to the World Eater, as he made his escape."

"... you used that on my partner?!" Pyrrha shrieked, wheeling around. "Are you mad?!"

"It wasn't the first time." Dragonborn Yang defended as she rolled her eyes. "And besides, with Aura, the issue was making sure he didn't accidentally reflect it back at me."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Weiss cut in, before Pyrrha could snap.

"I'm sure you know what Aura is, no?"

"Yes, we all know what Dust-damned Aura is!" Weiss shouted. "I mean, what do you mean, he healed your broken spine in a second, reflected attacks like that, and was fine enough to fight the manifestation of the end of the world, again, after you used that on him, after they already fought once?!"

"That's what Aura does, right?" Dragonborn Yang couldn't understand the question. "Heals wounds, reflects attacks, and protects the user?"

"Not to that degree." Lie Ren answered, looking around. "Most people's Auras would have shattered after taking that... uh, Shout. And it doesn't heal injuries quite so quickly or easily..."

"It doesn't?"

"Doctors and Hunstmen would be out of a job of it did." Weiss pointed out.

"Doctors?" Dragonborn Yang considered the term, before recalling a memory. "Oh, right, the healers in Remnant."

"Healers?"

"Anyway, I don't know what to tell you, but Jaune's Aura did all that and more." Dragonborn Yang shrugged.

"Sounds like the effects of his Aura were amplified." Ren noted.

"Maybe that's his Semblance." Ruby suggested.

"If Fearless Leader can amplify the effects of Aura, and channel it into people... do you think it'll work with our Semblances?" Nora wondered.

The group considered her words for a moment.

"As expected of my partner." Dragonborn Yang preened, understanding the implications.

"You mean, my partner." Pyrrha corrected her with a growl.

"So, Xiao-Long... what's up with that?" Weiss whispered, as the two began glaring and arguing heatedly.

"Doppelyanger said it herself, didn't she?" Yang said matter-of-factly. "She spent six months figuring out how to jump dimensions, and ended up here, all because she was looking for Lover Boy."

"Oh..." Weiss nodded in understanding. "And Pyrrha?"

"... you're joking, right?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Why would I be joking? I really don't know why Pyrrha's indulging in this-"

"Go, Pyrrha! Fight for your Fearless Leader!"

"Nora!"

"..." Weiss looked up at Yang, with an expression begging her to tell her it was all a joke.

"Nope." Yang said bluntly. "Seriously, how did you not notice Cereal Girl's had a thing for Vomit Boy the entire time?"

"..." Weiss thought about it, and quickly came to the conclusion that she just couldn't believe the Invincible Girl had been pining after the goofy dork who'd been serenading her. "Probably because I was too distracted fending off Arc's adv-"

Yang quickly put her hand over Weiss's mouth, shutting her up. "Trust me, Weiss Cream, you do not want to finish that. Look at how far Doppelyanger went to get Lover Boy back. And Pyrrha and Ruby are... well... jealous-ish?"

"Ruby is?"

"Hey, that's my best friend you're all talking about!" A red blur jumped into the escalating argument.

"Stay out of this, Ruby!"

"Mind your business, milk-drinking whelp!"

"Hey! What's wrong with milk?"

"Yup." Yang sighed, relishing in Weiss's horrified face. "Come on, Weiss Cream, kitty cat, let's go- are you seriously writing all this down, Blake?!"

"This is all pretty fascinating." Blake defended herself, hand still furiously scribbling on her notepad. "The concept of other dimensions, and Jaune somehow ending up in one after dying, before returning back to Remnant in the future."

"Uh huh.' Yang was not convinced. "And I suppose the similarities to your smut books is just coincidental?"

"They're not smut, they're literature!" Blake hissed. "And no, I've never read a story like this..."

"Uh, should we intervene?" Weiss pointed out uncertainly, as the trio began reaching for their weapons once again. "Your... "Doppelyanger" doesn't have Aura, right?"

"She can probably level mountains with her voice." Yang waved her concerns away. "You want to step between her, Pyrrha, and Ruby for Lover Boy, be my guest."

Weiss blanched.

"So..." Blake wasn't about to pass up the chance to get back at the blonde. "You and Jaune, huh?"

Yang's face paled, and she quickly checked to make sure none of the rest heard her. "Oum, no, Blakey. He's nice and all, and I'll admit he wasn't bad to look at after our second semester, but-"

"Kind of digging yourself into a hole there, partner."

"You know what they say about immature children and their crushes, right?" Weiss pointed out, unable to resist.

"If you don't keep your voice down, I'll shout about "Snow Angel"." Yang immediately went for the nuclear option.

As Weiss was forced to back down, in the face of mutually-assured destruction, and the three moved on to watch the thankfully-non-violent-for-now "discussion", Blake couldn't help but wonder out loud: "How many other worlds do you think there are out there?"

-VAULT 21 DINER, THE STRIP, MOJAVE WASTELAND, ONE HOUR AFTER COURIER SIX ENTERED THE LUCKY 38-

Jaune relaxed into the overstuffed couch of his booth, with a bottle of something sweet, fizzy, and thoroughly unhealthy in one hand, and a comic book in the other, and sighed blissfully.

Sure, he'd never had a Nuka-Cola before, and Grognak the Barbarian was no X-Ray and Vav, but he hadn't had time to simply sit back and relax since... just after they'd defeated the Volkihar Clan, back in Skyrim.

For the first time in a while, there wasn't any imminent threat to the world, no injured people he'd accidentally found himself responsible for, no giant monster terrorizing the land... and the last time had been in Skyrim, for Oum's sake...

As he took a sip from the Nuka-Cola, and turned the page, he savored the feeling of gassy bubbles burning the back of his throat.

Skyrim could definitely learn a thing or two from the post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland he'd found himself in.

To be fair, the food hadn't been bad, but most of the drinks that weren't milk or water were alcoholic, and they could definitely do with some proper entertainment!

The last time he'd actually read a comic had been back before the Vytal Festival!

Also, the Vault diner was definitely a lot more comfortable than even the Beacon cafeteria had been! Smaller, sure, but much cozier! And Ruby Ironwood had grown up in a place like this?!

The sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention, and he looked up from his comic book, prepared to find the Courier staring down at him with a sarcastic and cocky grin that hid a gentle warmth, maybe throwing a quip or two about his age and drinking.

Perhaps, if he pre-empted it by asking why she was late...

The words died in his throat, as he saw the face of his partner, distressed and distracted, once again.

Courier Six barely paid Arc any attention as she slid into the booth, still too shell-shocked by what she'd learned, what she'd been shown by House, and everything that had transpired after, to really bother with her usual defensive sarcasm.

Originally, she'd viewed the Legion and the NCR as an unstoppable force and an immoveable object, and whoever won the battle for Hoover Dam would ultimately own Vegas.

Sure, the Securitrons were tough, all but impervious to small-arms fire, but she'd never factored their presence outside of the Strip.

Its X-25 gatling laser, produced to spec by Glastinghouse, Inc., is deadly against soft targets at medium range, and for close-range suppression or crowd control, the Securitron is armed with a 9mm submachinegun.

All of this, you probably already knew...

She could still hear House elaborating on their true capabilities with a live-fire weapons demonstration...

What you did not know is that these are the Securitrons' secondary weapons.

All this time, my Securitrons have had to get by running the Mark I operating system, which lacked software drivers for their primary weapons!

Today, with the delivery of the Platinum Chip, all that changes. Behold, for the first time, Securitrons running the Mark II OS!

The fucking Platinum Chip.

The M-235 Missile Launcher gives the Securitron the ability to engage ground and air targets at significantly longer ranges, and a rapid-fire G-28 grenade launching system ensures the Securitron is deadly in close-range engagements.

The software upgrade also includes drivers for the Securitrons' highly sophisticated onboard auto-repair systems.

All together, the Mark II software upgrade confers a 235% increase in combat effectiveness per unit.

God, she'd just helped turn House's Securitrons into killing machines, and personally tipped the balance of power in the Mojave, hadn't she?

Again.

That hadn't been all, though.

Of fucking course it hadn't.

It wasn't just the fact that House's offer was still on the fucking table.

It wasn't just the revelation that House had a whole goddamn army of Securitrons right beneath Fortification Hill (also known as the Legion's main goddamn base in the region), just waiting to be activated.

It had been that she'd received not one, but two fucking counter offers, as soon as she'd stepped out of the Lucky 38, still reeling from what she'd seen.

An NCR Ranger had delivered a handwritten note to her, from the goddamn NCR Ambassador, requesting a meeting with her.

She could guess what he wanted.

The second?

Vulpes Inculta, leader of the Legion's fucking Frumentarii.

He'd told her that the eyes of the Mighty Caesar were upon her (and wasn't that creepy), and that her choice of companions and accomplishments were admired by him.

She'd been given a Mark of Caesar, told that her presence, along with "the Crocea Mors" (whatever the fuck that was), was requested in Caesar's camp, and reassured that it wasn't a trap (since, if he wanted her dead, she'd already be dead).

Pyrrha hung her head, as she once again realized just what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

A simple job had become a three-way gamble, with the fate of the Mojave at stake.

Sure, she'd probably not help the Legion, but still...

The fact that her assistance could decide the future of the land...

She hadn't felt that exhilarating terror since the Divide!

Now, though, there was a lot less thrill, and a lot more terror.

After all, she'd already failed once before.

What should she do?

Who should she throw her lot in with, House or the NCR?

The NCR had far more men... but an army of poorly-trained conscripts was just meat for the grinder, based on what she'd seen so far.

They were barely holding on against a horde of poorly-trained savages with sticks and stones; what could they do to robots with bulletproof casings and grenade launchers?

What was the right choice?

What if she failed again?

Did she even have the right to make this decision?

"Hey." Jaune's words cut through her funk, and she looked up to see him holding out his bottle of Nuka-Cola. "It's not alcoholic, but it's not bad."

"Um..." Pyrrha eyed the fizzy drink. Honestly, she preferred a good Sunset Sarsaparilla, but she wasn't going to complain. She gripped it and took a swig, savoring the sugar rush. "Thank you, Arc."

"Any time, Six." Jaune said, smiling softly.

Pyrrha smiled back, but Jaune could see it was hesitant and forced.

He sighed, and pressed: "Look... we've been travelling together for two weeks, Six. And I can tell there's something on your mind, so... I don't know. How can I help?"

"You're already doing it." Pyrrha muttered, unable to meet his gaze.

Fucking damn it, and fucking damn him...

Pyrrha felt her jaw loosen, and the words were on the tip of the tongue before she could stop them.

She knew she shouldn't!

She knew they were parting already!

She knew their partnership was only ever temporary, that she'd be doing the kid a fucking favor by cutting ties with him!

And yet...

"Arc..." Pyrrha whispered apprehensively.

"Hmm?" Jaune leaned forward attentively.

"I don't know what to do." Pyrrha admitted softly.

"What do you mean, Six?" Jaune asked, wondering why he suddenly had the weirdest sense of deja vu.

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha asked him back.

Jaune felt his eye twitch.

Oum damn it, Pyr...

"You mean, some sort of final goal, something you've been working towards your entire life?" Jaune clarified, hoping he was wrong, fighting to keep the exasperation from his voice.

"Yes, that's exactly it." Pyrrha snapped her fingers, impressed by his words. "So... do you believe in it?"

"I don't really know, Six." Jaune admitted. "Anyway, what happened during your meeting with House? What brought this up?"

Pyrrha chewed her lip, wondering how best to explain.

Specifically, how best to explain without going into details about her past.

She sighed.

She really couldn't, could she?

She owed Arc that much, at least.

"There's... something I should tell you, Arc." Pyrrha fidgeted, dreading the inevitable. "Just... just promise me you'll hear me out til the end, alright?"

"Uh, sure?" Jaune answered uneasily, taken aback by the sudden seriousness.

"I mean it." Pyrrha emphasized, fighting back the urge to just run away from the conversation. "Please... promise me you won't judge me until I'm done."

"Fine, I promise." Jaune said, holding up his hand. "And an Arc never goes back on his word. Now, what did you want to say?"

"I've..." Pyrrha gulped, the thought of seeing the warmth in his eyes disappearing making her hesitate. But she remembered that he'd promised, like he had when she'd been shot in the head, and things had turned out fine... "I've been keeping something from you?"

Jaune remained silent, but motioned for her to go on.

"My real name isn't Courier Six." Pyrrha admitted, wondering if she was about to make the biggest mistake since the Divide. "It's Pyrrha Nikos."

Silence filled the air between them, after she'd dropped her bombshell.

Jaune blinked, and realized that she was waiting for his reaction. "What, is that all?"

Pyrrha sputtered: "What do you mean, is that all?"

"I mean, I figured it out days ago." Jaune shrugged nonchalantly.

Pyrrha's jaw dropped. "And you're okay with it?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"..." Pyrrha pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples.

So that was what he'd meant.

He'd heard of her name, but not the stories surrounding her.

She didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed.

"So, how does this relate to House?" Jaune pushed back. "What, did he refuse to pay you because of your name?"

"That's not it, Arc." Pyrrha shook her head. "He made me a job offer because of it."

"Wow..."

"As did the NCR and the Legion." Pyrrha finished.

"Oh." Jaune's jaw dropped. "So, Pyrrha... want to tell me what's so special about you (besides your vocabulary)? What did you do that has House, the NCR, and the Legion all trying to recruit you?"

"... it's not the best story, Arc..." Pyrrha warned.

"I already promised you, didn't I?" Jaune met her gaze. "I won't judge you until you're done."

Pyrrha didn't know whether to kiss him or slug him for his stupid sense of honor.

"When I was born, to the Branwen tribe in the middle of nowhere, the tribal elders told me that the stars said I had a great destiny.

"From then on, I was raised to be the ultimate champion. Every day of my childhood was spent in training, be it survival, weapons, hand-to-hand... I had no friends, no peers, only training.

"And a destiny.

"I was always told that my destiny was to change the Wasteland, hopefully for the better.

"When I turned 17, I was kicked out of the tribe, and sent to carve my own path through the Wasteland.

"Somewhere along the way, I became a courier, and I found a small settlement called the Divide.

"The Divide was... different. In a good way. The settlement was located near two Pre-War towns, Hopeville and Ashton, and bordered by a place of death known as the Big MT.

"By all rights, they should never have survived. The region was located on some unstable fault lines, and the weather was sandstorms, 24/7.

"But somehow, the Divide still clung to life. And when I arrived, despite their harsh lives... they welcomed me, and gave me food, water and shelter.

"In the Divide, I found a home, free from the tribes, free from the NCR. But that wasn't all.

"The people called it the Divide not because of the sandstorms, the earthquakes, the harshness of the land. They called it that because they thought it could bridge the Divide between the Legion and the NCR. To provide neutral ground, and hopefully, one day, unify the two.

"When they told me this, I knew I'd found my destiny.

"I began running jobs for them without payment, delivering much-needed supplies, scouting safe routes for caravans, establishing trade routes between them and other tribes, other societies. They even named me their champion, for my efforts.

"Unfortunately, my actions had consequences.

"The NCR followed me into the Divide... and the Legion followed the NCR in.

"Every day that passed, tensions kept rising, and conflict kept brewing. Firefights kept breaking out around the Divide, as the two giants fought over it like children over the last Nuka-Cola...

"And then, one day, 4 years ago, two weeks after my last visit, I was making preparations to head back into the Divide, when everything exploded.

"At first, as the ground rumbled, I thought it was just an earthquake. But then, the shaking continued, growing in intensity with every second.

"Suddenly, the earth cracked, and flames began spewing out, like geysers or volcanoes.

"The eruptions also threw up tons of debris and sediment, which mixed into sandstorms. I saw a caravan attempting to flee get caught in one. The sandstorm flayed the skin right off their flesh.

"I could have done something. I should have done something. Anything. Gone back in. Looked for survivors. Figured out a path back in.

"Instead, as I watched my home burn... I ran.

"The news spread quickly, and ever since then, the people talk about how I'm cursed. About how disaster follows me like a dog. And about how I would abandon them to save myself.

"... I'm sorry for keeping this from you, Arc." Pyrrha finally finished, feeling the tears in her eyes. "And I know you must hate me now... but for what it's worth, I really did enjoy our short journey together. It was refreshing, not being judged just for my name... but I'm sorry for lying to you."

Pyrrha kept her face down.

She didn't want to see the contempt that she was sure would be in his eyes.

"What makes you think I'd hate you for that?" Jaune asked, confused.

Pyrrha blinked, and her face shot up.

"What...?"

"Was the Divide suddenly blowing up your fault?" Jaune pointed out. "Was the NCR and the Legion fighting over it your fault?"

"... no..."

"Could you have done anything to save the Divide?"

"... I should have been able to..." Pyrrha bitterly remarked. "They were counting on me."

"Six." Jaune looked into her eyes. "You're only human. Sometimes, you can't save everyone. And it's not your fault, nor is it your fault that people don't understand that."

"Arc..." Pyrrha definitely hadn't been expecting that from the idealist...

"If you'd gone back in, you'd have died." Jaune held her hand gingerly, before changing the subject. "So, what does this have to do with your job offers?"

"... House wants me to become his right-hand man." Pyrrha choked out. "And I guess the Legion and the NCR want to hire me to take him and each other out, too."

Jaune nodded in understanding. Even ignoring all that stuff about destiny, the Courier was still one of the best fighters in the Wasteland. "So, what will you do?"

"I... I don't know." Pyrrha admitted helplessly. "It's a second chance, to turn New Vegas into what the Divide could have been... Arc, what should I do?"

"What do you want to do, Six?" Jaune threw the question back at her.

"I don't know." Pyrrha repeated. "What if I fail? What if I mess up again? What if I make things worse for everyone?"

Jaune sighed. "Well, Six... I don't know the answer to any of that. But I trust that you know the Wasteland better than me, and I trust that, whatever choice you make, you'll give it your all... well, unless it's the Legion."

"But that doesn't stop me from messing up."

"Then hey, blame your employer for picking you in the first place." Jaune joked. "And don't worry; I'll probably mess up before you do."

Pyrrha's eyes widened again, as she realized what he was saying. "You're... offering to stick with me, Arc?"

"I guess I am, Six." Jaune smiled at her.

"But... what about the Capital Wasteland?"

"Eh, it's not like it's going anywhere."

"What about the danger?"

"What have we been through in the past two weeks, again?"

"... what about my reputation?" Pyrrha whispered with a trembling voice.

Jaune sighed again. "Pyrrha... do you know what I see, when I look at you?"

Pyrrha flinched, and found herself unable to meet his eyes. She knew she was an abrasive bitch, and not the most sociable in the Wasteland. But she forced herself to choke out a response: "What?"

"I see... a glutton who keeps eating the food I cook." Jaune grinned.

Pyrrha almost fell off her seat.

"I see one of the most vulgar and foul-mouthed person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing." Jaune continued.

"Hey, fuck you, Arc-"

"I see a courier who was so determined to deliver her package that she didn't let two bullets to the head and a one-week coma stop her." Jaune interrupted her.

"..." Pyrrha was at a loss for both words and curses.

"And I see the person who taught me how to take care of my weapon, and guide me through the Mojave, as we helped whoever needed it, be it giant crazy Nightkin, armed religious ghouls, or even the thugs that helped the guy who shot you." Jaune's smile grew in warmth, as he remembered his old partner while looking at his new one. "Me knowing your past doesn't suddenly change the two weeks we've known each other, Pyrrha."

"Jaune..." Fucking hell, the tears were threatening to flow again.

Fuck him.

Fuck him so much.

"I don't care what other people say, Pyrrha. Until you tell me I'm no longer welcome, I'm sticking with you." Jaune declared, before adding: "Besides, since we're coming clean... it's also probably my fault you got shot in the head in the first place..."

"Wait, what?"

-OUTSIDE VAULT 21, THE STRIP, MOJAVE WASTELAND, AT THE SAME TIME-

Ruby Ironwood sighed, looking forlornly into the bottle of Sunset Sarsaparilla, and reflected that she preferred a good Nuka-Cola to this weird Mojave drink.

She also reflected that the journey to the Strip, while perhaps not a waste of time, had not turned out for the best.

How had she been supposed to know that the Long 95, the fastest route from Goodsprings to New Vegas, had been shut down thanks to a prison break and an infestation of Deathclaws?!

At least her speed and Arondight had let her carve a path through the pack of massive reptilian predators (and that did put a smile on her face; sure, Jaune had been able to deal with a dozen fully-grown Deathclaws by himself with his shield back in Old Olney, and sure, she was still nowhere near him, but it was nice to see she was getting closer).

She also hadn't been expected the drugged-up raiders with energy weapons around the outskirts of Vegas, and had already made a mental note to get the Pride to purge these "Fiends" as soon as they were done with their "Brotherhood business" (and she'd like to think she was mature enough to not make a joke about shitting in a tin can, but Jaune had chuckled when she'd made it that one time).

At least clearing the credit check had been easy; even without the Brotherhood's backing, even without all the stuff she'd looted and sold whenever she hit a raider camp, even without her services as a mechanic, technician, doctor, and the Lone Wanderer (not that she ever actually charged, mind you, but people usually still tried to pay anyway), the royalties from book sales would have been enough to get the entire Lyons' Pride into the Strip.

And at least the owner of Vault 21, Sarah Weintraub, had had information on the Roses and the Ironwoods.

Specifically, she'd told her that Summer Rose and James Ironwood had been the last of the Roses and Ironwoods.

Ruby Ironwood took another slug of the slightly-bitter drink, as she leaned against the exterior, and looked down, hood blocking the sun from her eyes, as she considered her next move.

Should she go back to Goodsprings, to hear Doc Mitchell's stories about her family?

Or maybe she'd do Vegas a favor and wipe out the Fiends...

And didn't Fawkes and Uncle Leo say they were checking out rumors about a settlement full of friendly Super Mutants, high in the mountains? The Brotherhood had, of course, specified that these Super Mutants were of a different breed from theirs, the Master's FEV mutating them differently from Vault 87's FEV, but the pair had still chosen to go, in hopes of finding some peace.

As she pondered what she was supposed to do, she heard the door next to her open, and paid it little heed.

It was Vault 21 on the Strip; it was always crowded.

"... so, you somehow let off enough fireworks to make an explosion that bright?"

"... yes?"

Ruby's head shot up as the pair of voices trailed off, the speakers growing further away from her.

That voice.

Her mind was racing even as she quickly began looking around, trying to track the voice.

She knew that voice.

She ignored the weird looks people gave her as she pushed past them, frantically searching.

Why did she know that voice?

Not that one.

Where had she heard that voice?

Not that one either.

When was the last time she'd heard that voice?

Nor that one.

A beeping from her Pip-Boy snapped her out of her single-minded determination, and she looked down to see a priority message from Sarah Lyons.

Local Chapter found. Rendezvous at Hidden Valley Bunkers.

Ruby clicked her tongue softly, in irritation, before looking around.

Still no trace of the mystery speaker.

Ruby sighed, and lowered her Pip-Boy.

She could think about it later.

For now, she had a job to do.


Author's Note: It's Sunday over here, so I guess it's technically "next week"...

Just a low-key chapter for now... also, I just realized I hit 900+ followers somewhere along the line. No idea when or how...

And yes... Courier Pyrrha is... well, she's basically egotistical, holding herself solely responsible for the ultimate fate of the Divide (in that she brought the Legion and the NCR who started to fight over it). And she's also pretty superstitious, seeing herself as its omen of misfortune (look at how much she believed in destiny).

But I guess the best equivalent would be if Pyrrha in Chapter 1, instead of going after Jaune, emerged from the rocket locker to find the tower blowing up, and was given little choice but to flee. Sure, logically speaking, there was nothing she could do. But survivor's guilt on a compassionate sole who's just lost the closest thing they've ever had to a home, to a family... emotions aren't logical. Logic can also be how we rationalize our emotions and justify our actions after the act. Compound this with the fact that, unlike the Fall of Beacon, where she had Cinder to blame... here, who can she blame? Looking for a scapegoat is human nature.

And sorry, Ruby Ironwood. But not today.