Ice Cream
Friday August 18th 9:30 AM
Ralph considered himself one if not the best sales man in Freeside. Along with the self proclaimed good looks of a movie star, his skills gave him every right to be cocky according to him.
It wasn't all just for show though. If you had the caps he could forge anything you wanted. Passports, credit checks, once he even forged a perfect copy of the declaration of Independence for a very old man with a patriotic fetish. He never considered himself easy to intimidate until now.
"What do you mean you don't have any ice cream?"
He looked at the young woman who was glaring at him. If you could turn a pout into a weapon he was sure he would be dead by now
"I'm sorry kid but the only place you can get ice cream in New Vegas is the casinos" "or perhaps Jacobstown but it's very dangerous over there." "They say that there are super mutans living in the forest and they kidnap people to turn them into slaves."
"Oh trust me I know all about super mutants" said the girl with a cocky smile.
"Do you?" Asked Ralph
"Totally. I happen to live with one, and they are awesome!"
Ralph started laughing so hard he almost chocked. He could hardly believe the girls nerve and bravado.
"Sure Veronica and I am a walking Mirelurk with a speech impediment" chuckled Ralph while the young girl just glared at him.
"Now he asked what else can I do for you?" "Besides the ice cream of course"
Veronica sighed and then asked "do you have any food?"
"Sure do kid we just got a shipment of Brahmin meat, potatoes, fruits and lots of vegetables what are you hungry for?" Asked Ralph with his salesman's game on.
"I didn't mean that crap! Said" Veronica who looked insulted at Ralph
"I want the good stuff! Nukas, Noodles, chips, bubble gum, and nachos! Man I love nachos!" Said veronica who caught herself drooling and gently rubbed it off her lips.
"Yeah... we got those too." "How much do you want?"
Veronica pulled a lot of caps from her pockets and grinned "as many as these caps can afford."
Veronica grabbed her groceries and turned to leave when Ralph stopped her
"Hey Kid! Say to hi to the Courier for me alright?" "Tell him we all appreciate what he is doing for Freeside"
"I will" said veronica then left.
Friday August 18th 9:32 AM
"One and a two and a three" said Timmy as he shook his hips to the beat on his head.
"Oh baby! you drive me wild!" Timmy proceeded to hum the rest of the song, as he danced the way he was taught two years ago when he joined the Kings.
"Will you stop that? You're making me look bad!" Said Jim formerly known as Jimmy
Timmy stopped dancing looking at his twin brother and asked him
"What is it now Jimmy?"
"Jim! My name is Jim! I'm not a kid anymore. I'm older than you damn it!"
"Yeah only for five minutes" said Timmy who was sick of his brother's obsession with being a big shot. Ever since they were kids Jimmy always wanted to be somebody important. When they joined the Kings Jimmy was happy for a while, now recently he began complaining that the King was holding him back and that no one appreciated his hard work.
"Brother, Jim can you please stop harassing me! I got to practice my routine." "The king is expecting a top notch performance tonight."
"Ha! The King is a moron!" "Why do you want to impress him so much? We both know all he ever does is keep people with potential down."
"What are you talking about? The king accepted us! He feeds us! He gives us a place to live! You know brother if you didn't act like a complete ass! He would be nice to you too"
Jim scoffed loudly then turned his attention to his task placing a flyer on a wall.
"What are you doing standing there? Help me out here! The Omertas are paying us to place this Gomorrah flyers all over Freeside!"
"I don't know Jimmy….. I don't want to piss off the Garrets." "Did you hear what happened to Caleb?"
"McCaffery? I drop chems with him once in a while, what about him?"
"He's dead! the Courier killed him!" Said Timmy who was truly frightened
"I heard he was having a smoke on the strip. Then the Courier walked up to him and ripped his heart out with his hand! Then he ate his heart!" "He ate his heart jimmy!"
"Jim! My name is Jim you moron! I can't believe you fell for that shit!"
"The Courier is a man not some God like creature that kills people with laser eyes, besides I don't think he is real"
"I saw him once Jimmy! he came to see the King. He was with his sister and the King gave Rex to him as a gift"
Jim started laughing and began mocking his brother
"You may be my flesh and blood but you really are a fucking idiot!" "That's what you get from listening to rumors. The King would never ever give Rex away especially to a stranger!"
As if on cue they both heard a familiar happy bark behind them. They both turned their heads towards the sound.
"Rex?" Both brothers asked in unison as they watched the cyber dog wagging his tail towards a young girl with groceries exiting Mick and Ralphs.
Jim quickly forgot what he was supposed to do and looked at the female. She must be around nineteen or twenty, and she was decent looking. That was enough for Jim whose last experience in the Atomic Wrangler left him scarred so he would have to find pleasure elsewhere.
He found himself grabbing an old sock and stuffing it into his pants. Checking his hair for any mistakes then proceeded to strut towards the girl.
"Hey Baby you looking for a good time?" The girl just didn't even made eye contact.
"Nope"
"You are not from around here aren't you?" "Where are you from?" The girl just kept walking but answered with a sigh.
"Yes you are right. I'm not from around here; actually I'm an alien. I come from a planet with reptile like people and I'm disguising as a human so I may learn from them, so my people can conquer and eat them later."
Jim had no comeback from that one. Instead he got angry.
"Listen sweetheart Freeside is a dangerous place! I'm a bodyguard for the Kings we offer protection for new comers. I don't think you should insult me like that."
The girl roller her eyes and chuckled to herself.
"Insult you? How did I do that? I really am a reptile honest."
"Unless you meant insult your intelligence which I would have done but to be honest. I don't think you have such thing."
"You Bitch! How dare you…" he felt someone grab his arm and turn to see Timmy with a terrified look on his face.
"Don't!" "I know her! She's the Courier's sister! You don't want to piss her off Jimmy!"
The girl overheard their conversation then said.
"That's right." "But do you two morons know what is even more terrifying than the Courier?"
"My grandma"
"Huh?" Both men looked stupefied as they looked at each other trying to get some reassurance that they weren't mad.
The girl now had a wicked smile on her face then proceeded to scream.
"Grandma help!" Next came the sound of a stealth boy powering off and before them stood the biggest and ugliest super mutant they had ever seen.
Both men stood in horror as they watched the mutant looked at them.
"Naughty boys!" Said the mutant
Jim and Timmy screamed in unison and they ran as fast their feet could take them leaving a giggling Veronica.
"Thank you Lily" said Veronica
"Anything for my little munchkin"
Veronica smiled until she noticed a pile of papers freshly printed. Her Brotherhood scribe sense was tingling as she got closer she noticed they were flyers for Gomorrah her favorite casino. Ever since she had arrived on the strip with Pablo the Courier she had expressed her desire to go there, now she had a more convincing argument.
"Come to mama" was all Veronica said as she had Lily help with the groceries and the trio strutted their way back into the strip.
Friday august 18th 10:00 AM
"Fuck my life!" said the man who had just woken up with a massive hangover
His dirty blond hair was all over his face his whole body was in pain. He had been passed out in a bench which explained his back pain. Fortunally for him he still had some whiskey left.
He managed to sit down and proceeded to kick the empty used Jet inhaler that was laying next to him he picked up the whiskey bottle and drank it. The taste of cheap whisky was bad enough but combined with the heat wave, it was beyond disgusting.
He managed to get up and look around. The streets of Primm empty as always, the former Deputy adjusted his exhausted eyes towards the entrance of his town. There was a lone figure entering the town.
Driven by curiosity he walked to greet the lone traveler and perhaps ask for a couple of caps.
As he got closer however he recognized the individual the source of all his troubles. Wearing his dead brother in law's Sheriff duster, wearing a green bandana was the man everybody called the Courier. Beagle wasn't the brightest guy in the world but he knew better that trying something on the Courier, especially after he heard that the Courier had killed all the powder gangers in the NCRCF by himself instead he just decided to mock him.
"Well well look what we got here" he scoffed at the man.
"If it isn't the law bringer" "why are you here?" "Have you come to see how miserable you made my life!" huh?
The Courier just kept walking as if he was deaf and blind.
"Ever since you made Meyers sheriff my life has been hell!" "I have no job, No income, Hell I even pawned my hand gun for some whisky and Jet"
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" "He tried to grab the man's arm but instead his face met the cold steel of a heavily modified nine millimeter"
"Hey man Take it easy ok? He chuckled nervously"
"I didn't mean it ok? Please don't kill me!"
"I'm just a big dumb Beagle please man let me go" he considered breaking down and crying but before he could the Courier pistol whipped him.
"Ow! Goddamnit! Why!"
The Courier had a smirk on his face. It felt as if his brown eyes could peek into Beagle's soul he smelled his weakness but most of all his fear.
"You know if you need a job the Garrets in Freeside are always hiring." He said with an uncaring tone.
"They….they need a deputy in Freeside?" asked beagle who was scared but also curious.
"No they just need an expert on being a pathetic bitch" with that the Courier entered the Mojave express leaving a stunned Beagle who was now at the verge of tears.
Friday August 18th 13:45 PM
"Is it time?" Asked the man
"Yes" answered the other man and they left.
Friday August 18th 17:30 PM
Rex the cyber dog began barking at the elevator door. With that Veronica ran to the hall picked up an issue of Grognak the barbarian that was laying on the floor. She sat in a chair overlooking the elevator crossed her legs and pretended to be casually reading the comic book.
She heard the elevator door open but kept her cool the plan had to be executed perfectly.
Just as planned the Courier stepped out with a smile on his face. She noticed that he entered with ED-E the Enclave robot she first met him with.
"Hey Veronica! I see you didn't burn the suite down congratulations!" He said with a silly grin.
Veronica just responded by giving him the finger.
He chuckled and said "That's my girl"
Veronica beamed but noticed something strange. The smell of cigarettes, that was strange since neither she or Pablo smoked, they both always were on the lookout for packs of cigarettes since they were worth quite a lot of caps, especially in the 188 Trading post.
"Veronica there's someone I want you to meet" said Pablo as a taller older man walked out of the elevator. The man was wearing military boots and pants along with a white t-shirt, the sweat from their journey into the strip allowed Veronica to get a better view of the man's muscles.
Suddenly she felt hot, confused, and terrified all at the same time. This marking the first time in her life she ever felt attraction towards the opposite sex.
"Veronica this is Craig Boone he helped me out a couple of times before I met you".
"Boone this is Veronica" "she's cool"
Just as she was about to greet him, her smile turned into a frown, her tiny crush long gone; As she noticed the red beret on his head.
When she was younger she remembered arguing with father Elijah when a cocky young paladin came running hollering victory as he waved a red beret as proof of a successful kill.
She didn't know then what the red beret meant, all she knew was that it was NCR.
"You should have told me she was Brotherhood" said Boone who was frowning at Pablo.
"Oh get over yourself Boone!" Veronica is a great asset to the team. Stop acting like you're still an NCR grunt.
Boone scoffed then said; "I just don't want someone shooting me in the back."
"She wouldn't do that. Most likely she'll just punch your teeth in" said Pablo who entered the kitchen.
Boone and Veronica continued to stare at each other, confused and unsure what to do.
"Hey veronica! Did you buy the groceries?" Asked Pablo from inside the kitchen.
"Yeah! most of them are on the counter the rest are on the fridge" said Veronica who continued to give Boone an uncomfortable glare.
Pablo walked out of the kitchen with a sour look on his face.
"Tell me you did not just spend all the caps I gave you in junk food".
"It's not junk food it's awesome food!" Said Veronica who turned towards Pablo and did her best to unleash her puppy eyes.
Pablo just sighed giving in to Veronica's puppy eyes.
"Fine but what are me and Boone supposed to eat? Huh?"
"Make a noodle soup; aren't you the best Ramen cook in the wasteland today?" Asked Veronica appealing to the Courier's ego.
"Damn right I am, now both of you wash your hands dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes"; with that Pablo entered the kitchen again.
Boone looked at Veronica who had a winning smile on her face and asked.
"He is joking right? He doesn't expect me to wash my hands does he?"
"You better wash your hands Boone" said Veronica who walked towards the bath room". Boone reluctantly followed her.
Friday August 18th 18:00 PM
Veronica could only define the dinner they just had as "good times" the soup was good but the best part was when Lily showed up and the look on Boone's face as he fell off his chair at the sight of the super mutant.
Veronica was washing the dishes counting down just how long it would take for Pablo to notice her little prank.
It didn't take long.
"Veronica!"
She smiled to herself and skipped into Pablo' room where he stood with a horrified look on his face.
"What the hell did you do to my room?" He pointed towards the master bedroom. The room had been vandalized by the scribe; Gomorrah flyers glued to the walls everywhere. His bed had a sleeping Rex among dozens of flyers.
Quite angry Pablo turned towards Veronica and shouted
"Clean it up! Now!"
"No!"
"No? You did this!"
"Not until you meet my demands!" Yelled Veronica
"Demands? What are you talking about?"
"You are taking me to Gomorrah tonight" said Veronica who had a serious look on her face
"Gomorrah? You vandalized my room just because you want to go to a brothel?" "Veronica we don't have time. Tomorrow we are coming down on that Benny bastard like the wrath of the gods! We don't have time, perhaps afterwards."
"No I want to go tonight. You promised me we would go to Gomorrah the day we entered the strip, no more stalling! I want to go tonight"; said Veronica as she crossed her arms and huffed.
"I got at least a hundred flyers left. If you don't meet my demands I'll fill the rest of the suite with them."
Pablo tried to argue but he realized it was hopeless.
"Fine!" Veronica squealed and hugged Pablo then ran off into his room and began cleaning the mess she made.
"I'm going to take a bath I expect all this crap gone by the time I'm back" said Pablo as he left muttering all kinds of curses under his breath.
Friday August 18th 19:00 PM
Pablo was wearing his Mercenary cruiser outfit along with his beloved red t-shirt as he began adjusting his bandana out of the corner of his eye he spotted Veronica wearing a much cleaner gray robe that the brown she usually wore.
"Ready to go?" He asked
"Yes we have some fun and then we whack this Benny guy. I can't wait"
"Let's go then." Veronica beamed and skipped towards the elevator followed by Boone and Pablo.