Mick and Ralph's interior had the by-now-expected flaking paint on the walls and ceiling and some cracked tiles on the floor. It was probably a laundromat in a past life, judging by all the washing machines standing around in a few neat rows, now playing the role of store shelves. On them, and on assorted actual shelves, Haru could see all sorts of clutter scattered around in slight disarray, like someone tried to make it look presentable but didn't have high standards.

There were two shopkeepers inside. One, sitting by the damaged counter in the front, had messy dark brown hair and wore a red shirt and black pants. The other, in the back, was dressed in a gray shirt and jeans, and had some short-barreled firearm in a holster on his back. 2D – you know how he looks at this point – was standing near the gray-shirted shopkeeper, by a workbench with a big pile of scrap on top. Hearing Haru's voice, he turned towards the entrance. "Hello again, Miss Okumura. Do you have any good news?"

"Good news, bad news, and neutral news, I guess," Haru replied. "Good news, I have convinced Mr. Ronte to seek help. Bad news, Mr. Hoff wasn't open to my arguments."

"You didn't threaten either of them, did you?"

"No, of course not," Haru seemed almost offended at the idea. "Anyway, the neutral news is, I have found the scumbag that sells him drugs, so we can stop this thing at the source."

"Oh, really?" 2D raised an eyebrow. "Usually, cutting off the supply to the addict is an insufficient measure, but considering the rapid deterioration of Jacob and Bill, I am willing to entertain that option. Who are they?"

"Dixon. The guy in front of the store."

"I see." 2D turned to the shopkeeper closer to him, the one with a weapon on his back. "Mick, do you mind if I step out for a moment?"

"Not at all," he nodded. "Good luck with that asshole."

"Splendid." 2D reached into the inner pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a pre-prepared bundle of caps. "One hundred caps for a job well done, Miss Okumura. I will personally speak with Dixon posthaste, and you can rest now."

"Can I go with you, sir?" Haru asked. "I want to see this thing through to the end."

2D hesitated – just like you, dear reader, he could see where this was going. "It is unnecessary, and I feel that you need to relax after an eventful day."

"Sir, I'm a tough cookie, I can manage."

"So can I," 2D countered. "Do not take my unwillingness to escalate for an inability to defend myself."

"Of course, but it's better to make it a two-on-one if push comes to shove."

"Hm." 2D paused for a moment. "I'll be honest, Miss Okumura: I have known you for a minuscule amount of time, but considering your previous behavior, I am concerned whether you won't escalate the situation beyond what is necessary."

After processing the ten-dollar words, Haru asked: "Who do you take me for, sir?"

"A traumatized teenager with a large melee weapon."

"Sir, I am civilized. I promise I will be on my best behavior."

"Will you leave the axe in the store then?"

"Erm…" Haru seemed unsure. "I'd rather have it around, to boost my confidence. But that doesn't mean I will use it!" she reassured him.

2D mulled it over for a moment before deciding "Just… stay here for a moment, please."

"Aw come on!" Haru whined.

"You have already helped enough." There was a bit more edge in 2D's voice. "And you will be able to help more by staying here and not threatening to bludgeon anyone. Now wait here for a moment."

"We are not going to hold her or anything," the shopkeeper in a red shirt proclaimed.

"I don't expect you to," 2D said, walking to the front door. "I just trust that she can remain civilized."

He left the store. After a beat, the shopkeeper with a shotgun turned to Haru. "We didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Mick and this is Ralph."

"My buddy here sells guns and I do other general stuff," Ralph added. "If you want a ranged option, I'm sure he'll have something cheap in stock."

"Well, I have no experience with firearms," Haru said, correctly assuming her Persona's Gun skills wouldn't translate well to operating a handgun or a rifle. "I did use a single-shot grenade launcher a few times though."

"Don't have any in stock, sorry," Mick told her.

The three just stood around for a moment in silence before Haru marched to the front of the store.

"He asked you to stay, didn't he?" Ralph pointed out.

"And I'm staying," Haru retorted, cracking the door open juuust a smidgen and putting her ear close to eavesdrop. "I just want to listen to what's happening."

2D politely closed the door behind himself and turned towards the dealer. "Excuse me, sir, are you Dixon?" he asked, just to start the conversation.

Dixon turned to him and smiled an insincere smile. "Yep. I assume you've heard about the quality stuff I'm selling." He pulled out an inhaler and tried to hand it over to 2D. "Here, have a sample. It's on the house."

Wanting both to avoid a confrontation and to avoid inhaling low-quality drugs, 2D took the inhaler and placed it in his lab coat pocket. "I am busy now, I will keep it for later."

"Come on," Dixon's tone turned a bit more pushy. "I wanna get some feedback on how it hits you. Don't be a square."

"I was always fond of my four equal sides," 2D dared to briefly grin at his own dumb joke. "On a serious note, I am here in regards to your… dealings with Jacob Hoff and Bill Ronte."

"What of them?" Dixon asked.

"Plainly put, I want said dealings to stop."

Dixon let out a taunting chuckle. "You are an NCR citizen, alright. Telling people what they can and cannot do, and what they can put in their bodies."

"Of course. Like all Followers of the Apocalypse, I am an ardent supporter of restrictive governments," 2D snarked. He was many things, but not naive, and he noticed that there wasn't a point in trying to be polite anymore. The hypothesis he had in the back of his brain – similar to the one Haru had, but did not vocalize – crawled back to the forefront. "I have seen quite enough drug addicts over the past few years, and none of them have deteriorated as rapidly as people buying from you."

"I mean, I don't see them complaining."

2D gritted his teeth, completely done with the man in front of him. "You know what? I am going to be direct – are you trying to kill them?"

"Maybe." Dixon was still smiling. "Maybe it's fun to watch those NCR cats writhe in agony."

On the other side of the door, Haru found herself gripping her weapon harder. On some level, she hoped that things would go wrong. Not in a way that would get 2D permanently hurt, but in a way that'd give her an excuse to step in and split his bloody skull open.

"So it is all about misplaced frustration?" 2D said, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I am more disappointed than angry, truth be told."

"Misplaced?" Dixon scoffed. "We were all making do, dealing with our own problems just fine before shit got complicated by eggheads like them." His sadistic smile disappeared, replaced with a faint scowl, to 2D's seeming indifference. "Eggheads like you."

"That is a fascinating theory, really. Now, if you don't mind-"

Before 2D could finish his snarky remark, Dixon grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer. With his other hand, he produced another inhaler, shoved it in 2D's mouth and pushed on it, injecting something into his mouth. Dixon then released him, as he recoiled away and tumbled backwards, coughing his lungs out.

"Did anyone ever tell you you talk too much?"

The door to Mick and Ralph's was slammed open, prompting Dixon to turn towards the sound just in time to see a girl that had passed by him a moment ago – small dainty girl with an axe, probably another goddamn NCR parasite. "Step away from the Follower," she demanded, trying so hard to sound intimidating.

"Miss… don't…" 2D hissed between coughs.

Dixon just laughed in Haru's face. "Adults are talking, sweetie. Why won't you go back home, daddy must be worried about y-"

He barely dodged out of the way of a forehand axe swing. It was a quicker strike than what he expected from a spoiled Californian with a heavy weapon. Their eyes met for a brief moment; if looks could kill, he would've exploded into giblets on the spot. Haru tried to backhand him, but he ducked so the axe blade (and the sharp pick on its butt) went over his head.

Dixon had a rifle on his back and a knife in his pocket. No time to unholster the rifle, and the knife lacked the axe's range. He was also too stubborn to run. So he leapt towards the attacker and grabbed the axe handle with his hands next to hers, and yanked it towards him. She held on for dear life, but he wasn't going to let go either, so the two of them struggled for a moment, at an impasse.

"You're more dangerous than you look," Dixon grunted.

"And you're one more goddamn lowlife I'll put in the ground," Haru hissed back.

Then, a sharp crack with a slight fizz to it. Dixon felt sharp burning pain in his left calf and lost balance, giving Haru an opening to pull her weapon out of his hands, and slam the end of the handle into his stomach with great force. As he tumbled backwards and landed on the ground, he noticed 2D picking himself up from the ground, covering his coughing mouth with one hand and pointing his laser pistol at him with another.

In the corner of his eye, Dixon spotted Haru taking an overhead swing and pushed himself away with his hands at the last moment; the axe hit the pavement, cracking it, roughly where his stomach used to be.

"I give up!" Dixon raised his hands, unnerved.

"I don't care!" Haru raised her weapon over her head.

Keeping his gun still pointed at Dixon, 2D stepped between him and Haru. "That's…" he let out a last faint cough, "that's enough, Miss Okumura." His voice was weaker than it used to be and there was a bit of a wobble to his walk. "I appreciate your assistance, but must insist on showing him mercy."

"This is mercy!" she retorted. "I'm not gonna let him slowly wither away on bad drugs, I will just chop him into tiny pieces!"

"I am sorry, I can't allow this."

In response, Haru lowered the axe to chest level but got up in 2D's face. "So you'll just let him walk away and poison innocent people just because you're too much of a wuss to finish him off?!"

"That, I didn't say." 2D tried to gently push her away, but she didn't budge, and he didn't want to use force. "I'm just waiting for backup before proceeding."

"Backup?" That confused Haru enough to take a step back, away from 2D's hand. "What backup?"

2D pulled out a small device out of his pocket. It consisted of three little panels and one big red button below them. The panels were, in that order, green, red and yellow, and the red panel was blinking.

"It's something of a primitive communicator I assembled for myself and my friends," 2D explained. "Since I told Dee and Eddie where I am, the moment I get… well, got in trouble, I discreetly pressed the button and now I only have to wait for the cavalry to arrive."

"They need time to get here," Haru pointed out, in a slightly accusatory tone.

"I am confident in my ability to survive long enough for that," 2D retorted. "And failing that, there are always-"

He was interrupted by Dee and Eddie emerging from around a corner, Dee with his guard raised and Eddie having his pistol out and ready to fire. "We're here, 2D, who do I punch?" Dee asked.

Dixon decided to try one last bluff. "Guys, help me! The goddamn Californians-"

"Shaddup!" Eddie assumed there had to be a reason why 2D of all people was holding a guy at gunpoint. "Bandana, Floof, what happened here?"

"This scumbag has been selling bad drugs to Mr. Hoff and Mr. Ronte to slowly kill them!" Haru shouted.

"He was also kind enough to confess to it and later forced me to inhale some of his product," 2D added. "Miss Okumura, concerned about my well-being, stepped in and… subdued him, mostly on her own."

"I tried to kill him," Haru corrected. "2D didn't let me."

"Come on, guys," Dixon pleaded. "Eddie, you've complained about the NCR squatters before, you're gonna let those two-"

A large caliber bullet went past his ear and embedded itself into the ground. The bang was loud enough to make 2D and Haru inch away just a bit.

"I said shaddup, didn't I?!" Eddie shouted. "You've been selling who-knows-what to unsuspecting people, you screwed with my friend, who's busting his ass off to actually do something right in this shithole, and now you dare to play the Freeside pride card to me?!" He pointed at his gun. "I didn't put a twelve-point-seven-milli in your head because 2D wouldn't like it, but you just lost your Freeside privileges!" He gestured at the gate. "Get the hell out!"

"How the fuck am I supposed to get out if your buddy crippled my leg?!" Dixon shouted.

With a quiet sigh, 2D pulled out a stimpak and carefully injected it near the laser burn. Haru watched the wound heal in real time, fascinated.

"That is the extent of my mercy," 2D proclaimed, with the edge back in his voice. "Should you return here or attempt anything like this again-"

"-you'll lose kneecap privileges as well," Haru growled.

2D just looked at her. "Not what I wanted to say, but…" No good follow-up came to him, so he just left the sentence unfinished. Even he had his limits.

In what was his one intelligent move for the day, Dixon quietly got up and retreated towards the gate, giving the group a glare. With a groan of rusted hinges, he cracked it open just enough to leave and didn't bother closing behind himself.

"That's that," Eddie holstered his pistol, Haru lowered her axe. "By the way, Floof…" There was something of a scowl on his face. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want the NCR squatters here any more than the next local, but that doesn't mean I want them all dropping dead. Just, y'know… go back home. Or somewhere else."

2D quietly groaned – they had a conversation about why that's untenable a few times before, and none of it seemed to stick.

"Why the reassurance?" Haru asked. "It seems… out of nowhere."

"Eh, it's about that Dixon jackass, thinking I'd be in his corner just 'cause he poisoned some NCR guys." A brief pause. "Look, Haru – I'm not a bad guy." He gestured at 2D. "I wouldn't be 2D's friend if I were. If something comes up that you can't just axe to bits, hit me up."

"Even if I won't be able to pay for your help?"

"Uh…" Dee unsubtly nudged Eddie with his elbow. "Yeah, of course. I mean, if I needed help you'd help me without pay too, right?"

Haru nodded.

"There you go." Eddie smiled.

"Right then," 2D put away his laser pistol. "With the drug supplier removed from the equation, I can try speaking with Jake Hoff again."

"Can I come with you?" Haru asked.

2D just gave her a glance, then turned to Dee. "Would you kindly disarm her?"

Haru tried to protest, but Dee just yanked the axe out of her hands with enough force and finesse that it just slid out of her grip.

"Hey!"

"You'll get it after class, miss!" Dee proclaimed, resting an axe on his shoulder.

"Well, what if someone else attacks either of us?"

"Hoff's literally in the building we're in front of," Eddie pointed out. "All four of us can go talk to him if you're that concerned."

Haru inhaled air through her nose in frustration, but decided to concede. Without a comment, she marched back to Hoff in a huff, and the three Ds followed.

"You again," Hoff muttered, seeing her approach. "And you brought a Follower with you, I don't wanna-"

"Dixon was kicked out of town," Haru butted in. "He won't sell you anything anymore."

"What?!" he groaned. "Only his stuff was scratching the itch! What am I supposed to do?"

"Seek help," Eddie deadpanned. "You could also get killed by withdrawal, but nobody here wants that."

Hoff thought about it for a moment, and realized those were the only two options he had left. "Right." He got up from the ground-

-okay, I lied, he tried to get up from the ground, but his legs collapsed underneath him. Haru sprung up to hold him vaguely upright; he wasn't light but she managed to give him enough support.

"Sheesh," Hoff muttered. "I'm in worse shape than I thought. I'm gonna need at least ten doses of Fixer to get through the week."

"An… associate of mine has been using an alternative treatment." By 'associate' he meant his Great Khan ex-girlfriend. The Khans, as the biggest producers of chems in the area, had enough experience with addicts among their own. "Taking a single dose of Fixer alongside a dose each of Psycho and Buffout should boost the former's addiction-removing properties."

"Huh." Hoff mulled it over for a second. "You know, this might work. Flush most of the drugs out of my system at the very least, and the Followers can pick it up from there."

"Great!" Eddie proclaimed. "Dee, put down Floof's axe and then gently, carefully pick up the guy here and carry him to the fort."

Dee did as told; Haru handed over Hoff and picked up her weapon from the ground. The four marched towards the Old Mormon Fort, Dee and Eddie on the front and 2D and Haru in the back.

"Will you be okay?" Haru asked him. "That jackass did force you to inhale whatever that was."

"A single dose probably won't cause any lasting damage to my body," 2D replied. "I will take Fixer at the Fort and keep myself occupied in the meantime. Frankly, I'm more concerned about your behavior."

"I admit, I… might have overreacted," Haru muttered. "Just a smidgen."

"Right." 2D didn't point out the understatement. "This will be a personal question," he lowered his voice to a barely audible murmur, "but it might help me avoid overstepping boundaries in the future." After a pause, he asked: "Why was a mention of your father enough for you to escalate things to violence?"

Haru took a deep breath, to try and keep her emotions under control. "My father… wasn't a good man. Not to his underlings and… not to his family. But he was on a path to some sort of redemption. Don't ask me how I know that, just believe me it was guaranteed to occur."

2D could see where this was going. "My condolences."

"He was struck down," Haru continued, the axe in her hands twitching. "Denied an opportunity to atone by a sociopathic bastard with daddy issues that killed him, betrayed my friends, and threw his worthless life away for a… [stupid revenge scheme…]"

"Hey, Haru!" Dee turned to her. "I forgot the first ten numbers, can you remind me how they go?"

The non sequitur was enough to snap her out of her rage, and after a moment she processed what was his point, and slowly started counting: "Ichi… ni… dammit, one… two…"

"Scratch it then," Eddie joked to break the tension.

The group got into the Fort right as Haru got to nine. "Julie, we have another patient!" 2D announced. "I'll flush his system and pass him over to you!"

Julie turned towards them. "Jacob! I am glad you made this choice. And I am glad the others have helped you make it." She then glanced at Haru. "A word in private, Haru?"

The two retreated to the corner tower and Julie led Haru up the stairs, towards her little office/bedroom. "While you were helping out, your… the device you left behind vibrated," she gestured at the phone on her desk.

Haru was somewhat shocked. "It did? There's no service out there."

"Well, now there seems to be," Julie replied. "Not knowing what it is, I accidentally picked up a call from a girl who introduced herself as Futaba Sakura. Do you know her?"

"She's one of my friends."

"She asked me to tell you to call her back as soon as possible." Julie turned towards the exit. "If you need privacy, you can call her here, I'll go tend to Jacob."

She left the room, and Haru picked up her phone from the desk. "[Futaba must've been hard at work these past few hours.]" She then dialed Futaba's number.

The line was busy.

"[Hm. Maybe Akira's number works too.]"