The Promise

Now arriving at the metal east gate of Freeside she let down a leg and overlooked the wall. She then glanced around the place looking for loose metal.

"Help me find a place to hide this," she says low as she had cut the engine once approached the sound echoing walls. Having known the roughness of the wastes she knew to look out for her things, especially that of an operating vehicle.

"There...a few of the metal platings and signs are bent. I'll find some barrels to cover the open path." he points and soon wanders around a bit to carefully survey the area for any wanders and to make sure they were not spotted with the vehicle. Once spotting two metal barrels he kicks them over and rolls them over to the half-hidden bike. "Here, these should blend in and look practical."

"Alright...err," she grunts lifting one and waddling it over to the blacked metal cave after she had grabbed her hundred caps and a few things to stash to her satchel.

Finishing up the hiding spot and eyeing it from all possible angles, she rests her smile. Walking to the Freeside gate she pulls back onto the gate and it opens with its roaring metal scraping against the dirt and rubble ground it then settles with a thooming rumble. Now, with the help of Boone, they close it back up now to embrace the sight of Freeside. She glances about with a slight frown. There were sights of lying down women and men shaking with withdrawal symptoms. They looked awful in their ragged clothes. She looked away suddenly at once when witnessing a man jab a needle to a vein to get his much needed high.

"Somehow my guesses were correct. I figured there would be poverty outside the walls just not this bad." she glances once to a drug dealer and to another withdrawing chem addicted citizen. She looks back to the front of her to keep from trouble. She rests her left hand to her revolver as soon as she comes around the Mick and Ralph's shop she flings it out to send a bullet through a thug's arm. The man had neared Boone's right side with a switch knife. It had startled the thug more than Boone. He just glances at Susan with a widened stare as he grips his bleeding out arm. His stubbornness and the shaking addictions to chems were the death of him as Boone then lifts his broad machete out and decapitates him with a swift fluid movement. Susan gulps a bit and eyes the next thug headed to them she focuses down her iron sights and her magnum pops off. Shooting through his chest he falls and lands to the ground.

"It is bad, yet the Strip masks it pretty well. Westside is a bit better than here. Come on, hurry to the Strip, there are definitely more coming." he says coldly and walks ahead of her, on their way the road is wide and vast with broken down cars and still standing or bent light poles.

A fort catches her eyes as they walk by, she catches the words of Old Mormon Fort. She furrows her brow in question and looks back to Boone who had taken a split second to look over his shoulder to her. She blinks once in response and he surprisingly talks.

"That is a base for the Followers of the Apocalypse. They help some of the people with their health and addictions. I think they are hiding something. No one is too friendly like they are." he looks back to the front of him having seen her expression he could not help but answer her thoughts.

Stopping to a wall of metal, the gate is made of a bus, she smiles and lightly laughs. "Well, they are certainly creative compared to other places. Primm has just a roller coaster already provided. If it worked...and for Novac it is a good vacation site." She keeps a small snicker to her voice and lifts her fingers and makes a square with each hand as if to pretend to take a photo. She mocks the shutter noise and grins more. "Keeping this sight to mind. I may draw it also," she says as she then looks to him.

He has a stern look as if he was a parent to a kid, this causes her to lift her hands at her sides in innocence. "What?" She responds quickly and he drags open the doors of the bus.

"Just come on." he urges her on and waits for her to pass through. He never would think to have met someone so similar to what was once his.

To her clear mind, she nods in agreement and continues thinking out loud. "Yeah, it is better to keep moving to our dream. I am on my way ma. This is for you, wherever you are." she says low and continues on.

Passing through to another open street she hears chatter and bottles occasionally smash. The first sight is of a gunner at the right of them then another greaser looking man of a scoundrel. She notices another man in a suit and classy hat offering payment to one for an escort through the streets. She scoffs at the sight and the amount the gunner says he'd take and clears her throat.

"Hey! Got a problem or something?" The metal armored up jet black hair gunner snaps.

"Someone who dresses up a bit much for some thugs. Shameful this guy is wasting a shit ton of caps to keep his ass safe. I can do it for free because I am a nice soul." she crosses her arms and sticks her chin up as her golden eyes shoot a glare which grows him angrier.

"Oh drive off business elsewhere along with your soldier boy bodyguard." he scoffs.

"Hey! I am talking to you and only you and you are talking to me, leave my...friend out of this." she snaps but her voice takes a while to come up with the word 'friend'.

"Sure yeah, 'friend' to hell with you, keep moving," he grunts and crosses his arms, completely being dramatic.

The civilian seems confused but takes up a free offer to be protected to make his way to the Strip, safely. Boone, as usual, seems all not too happy about the unnecessary encounter and continues along behind now to hear her chat.

"Save you some money, why the hell does one charge two hundred caps for just a short walk? I sure would be glad to just do it for free out of kindness and just sell that bulky armor for some caps and make more with that amount by playing blackjack. Hardly a hard game..." she tells the nervous stranger trying to keep herself busy and to calm him.

He sucks in a breath as he looks about then he comes out with a few words. "Don't know lady but thugs always come out at any time. I am just glad you are willing to help." he holds a hand out to shake hers, trying his damnedest to be respectful and hopes she is not planning to rob him either.

"Sure thing...now what is up with the Securitrons at the Strip up ahead?" she grasps his hand with hers and shakes it suddenly as they eyed the King's School of Impersonation. She just snickers a bit at the look-alikes outside of the doors and she pieces together the other greaser gun for hire at the bus entrance. After the site seeing, she looked straight to the bright circus looking lights and up to the needle tower of the Lucky 38 with an excited smile.

"They require you to pay two thousand caps or have a passport. I have the passport already, thank you again, and glad to see there wasn't any real danger. Saved my money." he tips his hat quickly and passes by the robot.

She glares at it and it's screen buzzes and announces to her, "Submit to a credit check or present your passport before proceeding to the gate. Trespassers will be shot."

"Look Susan I am sure your mother would have been proud that you made it this far, but you obviously don't have either of that...so...wait what are you-?" he reaches to her shoulder as she gets closer to it and she mutters under her breath to the Securitron. She backs away after having repeated some codes she had read before in the books her mother gave her. Those books had shown her of basic models of the still-living robots and terminal dashboards of coding and built-in programs.

"Not to worry Boone. I may seem ignorant to the world but its mysteries and history have intrigued me," she says low looking back to Boone with a clever proud smile. As she takes a step back the screen stutters and spurs to an automatic line then flickers back to its policeman cartoon image of his face on the screen.

"Thank you, ma'am. You may proceed. Welcome to New Vegas." it rolls back on its tire and away back to his patrol.

"I am happy to say this but I am free to go in." She lifts her hands to her duster's collar and fixes the fabric to be comfortable at her neck and to show off. As they walk through she seems confused and stops her thoughts to now point out the obviousness of it. Of course, this man would have come here before or else he would have not known about the place.

"So been here before?" she asks as the gate automatically slides out of the way like a massive garage. The lights welcome her to a sinful heaven for all to see and to spend caps on.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about it…" he says low and crosses his arms over his chest feeling uncomfortable with the subject but it was not clearly shown on the outside. Susan noticed soon enough though it was pretty easy to read men. Knowing from her side she knew about enclosed emotions but she was never one to hide hers.

"I understand, touchy subject I know. I can tell," she says as she keeps her eyes ahead and keeps moving after hearing his grunt of confirmation.

Her face turns emotionless and vigilant at the multiple lights and advertisements. She eyes the women outside of Gomorrah and then its sign. She looks back down to the women and their hushed voices and seductive whispers ring out and drag in people with their attraction. She blushes a bit and clears her voice and mumbles beneath it. Her thoughts are attracted to them and once she spotted a man stripper she completely covered her face with the edge of her right collar. Her awkwardness was clear and she swore she heard Boone snicker, so she turned quickly behind her to see him laughing a bit. It is completely cut off to him spotting her eyes. He stops and she sees his adam apple move with a gulp as he pushes his sunglasses higher onto his face. She looks back to the front of her and stuffs her hands to her pockets and the next gate opens automatically revealing the Tops and Ultra-Luxe. She gazes over them and side steps toward the Tops.

"Classy...I am going to gamble here, coming with me? If not, I'll be back out in a few hours before sundown then on to some information gathering." she mentions holding a hand to the door's handle.

"No, go ahead and enjoy yourself. I will be around here waiting. Few things I want to check up on." he says with his arms relaxed at his sides and turns to his left and heads further down the Strip to its last section where the NCR Embassy is.

Following her eyes along his path she waves her hand irritatedly but she still enjoys the company. Now entering the casino and lobby floor she smiles brightly at the appealing environment. The front desk chairmen stare at her closely and she returns the favor.

"Sorry toots, there is a policy for safety here. Hand your weapons over if you want to enter. I promise they will be safe and be a-okay when returned to you." He says low as he leans to the desk with a sly observant smile.

"Sure...no biggy." She smiles and unstraps her gear and hands it to him on top of the desk. She watches him open something behind the counter as he puts her magnum and Gauss rifle there.

"Thank you doll. I'll remember your face when you come back to get them...oh but that knife. On your thigh sweetie. Didn't notice it under that coat you have. Interesting style." He smiles more when she sighs and she slowly unclips it and hands it to him.

"Good to go, now?" She asks, holding out her hands and glazes a fake smile over her warm lips.

"Of course toots and as always, Welcome to the Tops and enjoy your stay!" He winks. Glad it is over, she takes a few steps forward to look around. Catching sight of the stairs she heads up to cash in thirty caps for chips then slides back down the railing to the casino. She stuck out like a sore thumb, dust had always spotted her face and her rugged clothes. This made her become classified as a mercenary or some wanderer.

"Why don't you take a seat. Do you know how to play?" his voice is soft as he gestures to the cards. "The first games on me." he shuffles a few chips between his fingers as he shifts a small pile to her and cocks a smile. His medium-long dark brown hair flowed smoothly along the sides of his face as the black lenses of his sunglasses kept his poker face in check.

She catches it quickly. "Huh...uhh...thanks, mister." She says with a happy smile. She flings her bag to her back as she takes a seat. Her arms dusty with sand and her shoulders, each scared with three claw marks, are noticed at the flared fabric at the shortened sleeves of her duster coat. "Well...been a while. Someone dear to me taught me how to play." She sits up straight and she wiggles her feet under the chair before resting her feet back down to the floor. He matched a mercenary's profile and was one that worked for the NCR.

"You wanna go ahead and tell me where you got that helmet?" He gives the helmet a quick look and back at her. "Didn't picture you as a ranger type."

She softly gulps and narrows her eyes at the cards being dealt out. "A reward, from the camp outside of Primm..." She says happily. "No, not a ranger, not the military gal. Just like to stay in my own little bubble." She turns slightly with an honest smile.

"So you've been to Primm. How do you like it, pretty quiet right?" he keeps his eyes in front of him as the dealer shuffles the cards and begins to deal them out. His eyes glossed as if thinking hard and he rubs his leg and throws a few chips to the front of the table. "Hit me."

Looking at the table and the flying chips she looks at hers and she calls, she then looks at her hidden hand. She looks blankly ahead of her. "Hit." She keeps her eyes to the dealer's hand.

"Hum? Oh yes sorry...." Her voice snaps out of her unnoticed rudeness to not answering his question. "Well it was a bit too quiet so I left for that reason, kinda." She blinks and slowly looks up to him from her right.

He drops his few cards to tap out. He gives a half-smile as he reaches for his chips and he stands up, nods his head, and begins to leave before stopping to bid her goodbye, "Nice to meet you then, Goldeneye. You are known to other fellow NCR mercenaries. Take care now." with that he begins to walk away to his room.

A small sigh echoes and then a grin. She notices that the other two random players had put their money all in. "Well, mister...I would have to believe I have some luck today..." She says before he leaves and eyes her cards and she raspberries her lips. She then lays over her hidden cards. Having split them into two stacks one having a Jack, nine, and a two. Then the other had an Ace and a Queen. She simply glides over a smile to the other two. "Thank you! Good night and goodbye savings!" The two scoffs and furrow their brows seemingly want to start trouble yet keep calm seeing a group of classy men passing. She scoops up the chips and keeps it to her white tank top and waddles over to the stairs to the upper lobby to cash them in at the auditor.

"Soo...these for caps please." She smiles greatly. Cashing in the chips to get three hundred and eighty caps from the others doubling their bets. "Thanks, buddy boy!" She smiles happily and puts it to her little pouch to her bag. Having her fill her pocket up to four hundred and eighty caps, she crosses her arms to the front of her, and her coat shifts as she heads to the exit. She smirks just as she keeps a pace to where Benny seems to sigh as he pulls on the lever of one of the slots, obviously bored.

He pauses for a moment to sit up straighter on the stool. "Honesty in winning from your own casino? Ain't too bad." A small smirk flows across his face yet the hue of dark colors catches the corner of his eye. The view of Susan has him slowly look up to her.

Oblivious to how hard she examines his rare black and white checkered suit with his matching white shirt and black tie. She tends to observe more than stare. Her stance has her leaning to her left a bit eyeing his shoulder and body emotions as her coat comfortably shifts along with her loosely crossed arms. Once she notices his change in sitting his eyes peer at her.

She awkwardly smiles "Oh...uh...hello, pardon me I just...well your suit..." She smiles holding back a snicker as she blocks out her embarrassment stunned like a deer in headlights.

As he finishes sitting up he twists his hips to having his left foot cling to the metal bar at the bottom of the stool.

"Well little lady, the name is Benny. Chairman of the Tops and I am on top of the world, now that I see you." His charm is like a switch and it flips off. "But...that is very specific that you would point out my attire. Hardly anyone is seen with this on." He winces an eye then just smiles as he slips off the stool to stand a bit closer to her, only a couple of feet away from her breath. "Why excuse me, of course, if you direly need to speak with me, just make sure it is worth my while, darling." He clasps his coat pocket and ruffles the stripes to clasp onto a cigarette and soon lights it between his calm lips.

She slowly has her smile turn to a smirk, she ignores the charming little words, yet easily takes it to the offense of his obvious troublesome personality, a honeyed snake she may crush under her boot.

"Well no, I don't have questions for you." she blinks once reading for a response in debating whether to leave out of the blue or stay to understand his grounding.

He raises a brow and deeply chuckles. "Doll, baby, you should be looking for answers, if you need, elsewhere. I doubt you'd find them in a casino." He then narrows his eyes closely examining her himself as if knowing she seemed lost. The deep scars on her shoulders catch his light reflecting dark eyes. "Those scars...where did those come from?" He asks and slowly reaches out a hand to her left shoulder, pausing noticing how out of line it would be to make contact with her suntanned skin. "Excuse me, but you sure don't seem like the classy type, pardon my french baby doll." He just smiles and blows some smoke away from her and winks.

Watching his hand closely she follows it back to his pants pocket. Looking back up to his gaze she sighs. "To be honest I love my clothing. It is good for the Mojave, yet I love New Vegas but I never have the classy attire for it. As for these scars, a Deathclaw...it got hold of me and grabbed my shoulders from behind me. It was quiet and so happened that some guy saved me but I haven't seen him since. I was on a job that time looking for a missing kid. I know I am not classy, just a mercenary."

"Well Susan...that is some story but..." He steps closer to her left and whispers to her left ear. "I could make it more comfortable for you and get some dresses for you but that requires you to be undressed doll face." He breaths in a deep breath of the cigarette and backs away seeing her sheepishly blush and sweep her hair away over her left ear. He eyes her neck and after so he indulges in the story of her scars and soon is taken back. "Wait, you said mercenary?" He lifts his right hand to his chin and looks over to his men and quickly looks back to her. She notices the quickness in his eyes and she slowly peeks to the other chairmen.

"I am not on a job to kill you if that's what you are worried about...I didn't even know who you were." She laughs a bit and snugs her coat closer. "But I am open to being hired."

He quirks his neck and glares at her, despite her truth she had become nervous and seemed off to him. Normally he would take a pretty girl such as her and jump to hire her, along with other things, to go looking for something he requires.

"I think you'd have to come with the boys though just for a while, sweet-cakes." He nods his head once to his men and they quickly adjust themselves and the four men surround her. Some in gray suits and some wearing fedoras, they quickly adjust their hands to their pistols at the insides of their suits.

She stuttered a bit and stepped back. "N-No, I am honest!" A sudden unrevealing of a gun is heard from her right side. She tries to duck but a blow to her head from the handle of the gun knocks her out. One lifts her in his arms then to his shoulder and takes her to a room in the Tops for her to rest in.