Goodbyes

"Morning Yoruichi" I waved back.

She smirked and hopped into the seat next to me and slapped me on the back "So, what's our first order of business for the day partner!"

"Partner" I raised an eyebrow?

"Yep" she grinned "You agreed to help me so now we're partners!"

"Right" I rolled my eyes before calling Trudy to bring a drink for Yoruichi.

"How are you doing this morning sweetie" Trudy asked as she brought over a sarsaparilla for my new 'partner'?

"Good" Yoruichi popped the cap off and took a sip "Me and Ethan were just about to talk about to discuss our plans for the future."

"Oh!" Trudy looked slightly surprised " The two of you are going to travel together?"

I just sighed silently agreeing while Yoruichi laughed "I beat him in a bet the other day and now he has to follow me around!"

"I see" Trudy grinned and gave us a knowing look "And what exactly are the two of you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to help her hunt down the man tried to kill her" I accidentally blurted out trying to stop her before she could say anything embarrassing but, immediately regretted it when I realized what I said and turned to see a dark expression coming over her face.

"Yeah" Yoruichi seethed "We're going to hunt that bastard down and give him a taste of his own medicine!"

I gulped not used to this side of her, she was normally so easy going which made it even more unsettling when she got like this.

I definitely shouldn't have brought this up especially so early after what I saw up at the cemetery but, at the same time this was a conversation we needed to have.

"Speaking of which" I reluctantly spoke up "How are you planning on tracking the guy down? Do you even know what he looked like?"

Yoruichi's face scrunched up and she crossed her arms "Even though I lost most of my memories I can still remember bits and pieces of what happened. I can't remember his face but, I do remember that he had a very distinct black and white checkered suit and that he stole something called the Platinum Chip." She frowned a bit harder "I also think there were some other people with him but, I can't remember exactly what they looked like."

"Was there anything strange on you when you woke up? A clue of some kind maybe" I tried to steer her in the right direction since I knew what was supposed to happen?

"That's right the note" her eyes snapped open! And she started rummaging through the small backpack she'd acquired at some point over the last couple days and pulled out a crumpled paper note and started to read.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Mojave Express delivery order (6 of 6)

Deliver the package at the north entrance to the Vegas Strip, by way of Freeside. An agent of the recipient will meet you at the checkpoint, take possession of the package, and pay for the delivery. Bring the payment to Johnson Nash at the Mojave Express agency in Primm.

Bonus on completion: 250 caps.

MANIFEST

This package contains:

One (1) Oversized Poker Chip, composed of Platinum

CONTRACT PENALTIES

You are an authorized agent of the Mojave Express Package until delivery is complete and payment has been processed, contractually obligated to complete this transaction and materially responsible for any malfeasance or loss. Failure to deliver the proper recipient may result in forfeiture of your advance and bonus, criminal charges, and/or pursuit by mercenary reclamation teams. The Mojave Express is not responsible for any injury or loss of life you experience as a result of said reclamation efforts.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Hmm" I rubbed my chin "Primm's just down the road from here, isn't it?"

"It is" Trudy agreed "And I know old John too he's in charge of the local branch of the Mojave Express if you talk to him, he might have some information for you."

"What exactly is the Mojave Express" Yoruichi asked?

"They're basically mailmen" I answered "They deliver packages and letters back and forth across the wastes and from what it sounds like you and your mother used to work for them. So, if we go talk to this Johnson Nash guy, he might be able to tells us more about that Platinum Chip. Which would help us find the man in the checkered suit. Since if we can figure out what exactly it was, then we can find out who would want to steal it."

"That makes sense" Yoruichi nodded.

"Oh, yeah" Trudy snapped her fingers "That reminds me! I know who those men traveling with your attacker were!"

"You do" Yoruichi jumped up from her seat!

Trudy nodded "They we're too far away so I didn't get a good look but, know that I think about I could swear that their armor had the Great Khan's symbol on the back."

"Great Khan's" Yoruichi questioned?

"A gang of Raiders" Trudy clarified making Yoruichi snarl "They normally keep to the mountains north-west of here since they don't get along with the NCR. And even though I called them Raiders they normally don't do too robbing and looting anymore... at least not after they were nearly wiped out three years ago. Now a days they make a living by supplying drugs to pretty much every junkie across the Mojave."

"I honestly think that's worse than just robbing people" I huffed.

"Same" Yoruichi snorted "If you kill someone it's over and done with and they don't have to suffer anymore. But, if you get them addicted you basically ruin the lives of them and anyone close to them for years to come as they lie and steal to get more money to feed their addiction."

"Won't argue with that" Trudy agreed "Anyway the Great Khans are notorious for their pride and always wear their signature armor. So, it shouldn't be too hard to track them down since there's a good chance any town they've passed will have noticed them."

"That's great" Yoruichi punched her hand! "Did you happen to see which direction they left in?"

Trudy smiled "As would happen it would happen, I did. And luckily for you it looked like they were heading down towards Primm too.

"I guess we know where we're going next" I leaned back in my chair.

"How far away is Primm exactly" Yoruichi asked?

"I'd say it's about a nine or ten hour walk from here" Trudy answered "All you have to do is follow the road out of town until you reach the I-15 Highway then follow that south to get to Primm."

"So, if we left right now, we'd get there a couple hours before sundown" Yoruichi pondered.

"Also" Trudy reminded "Remember that the estimate I gave was for a peaceful journey, if you run into any trouble, it could take longer."

"So, do we leave today or wait and leave tomorrow morning" I asked leaving it up to her?

Yoruichi closed her eyes and thought for a moment "We'll leave today. It's already been almost a week since I was attacked, and I don't want to let the trail get any colder than it already has."

"Alright then" I sighed and got to my feet "If we're leaving today, we should get going immediately. Since I'd rather not be out in the desert when it starts getting dark."

"That's a good idea" Trudy agreed "Dusk and dawn are when most of the more dangerous critters like to be out and about."

"By the way" I turned to Yoruichi "Do you have everything you'll need yet? Because I still need to stop by the General Store once before we leave to pick up some more ammo for my rifle since I used most of it yesterday."

Yoruichi glanced at the simple backpack to her side and pressed a finger to her lip "I think I have most of what I'll need but, I guess it wouldn't hurt to double check."

"Great" I nodded before throwing a couple caps on the table to pay for our drinks and turned to Trudy "Thanks for everything Trudy but, it looks like this is goodbye."

"Honestly, if anything I should be thanking you two" Trudy shook her head. "I don't know what we would have done about those Powder Gangers if you didn't stick around to help us out. Not many people would have done that."

"Don't worry about it" Yoruichi waved her off "It wouldn't have felt right leaving you all to fend for yourselves like that after saving our lives. As far as I'm concerned, we're even."

"Same" I replied before throwing my backpack over my shoulder.

"By the way where's Sunny" Yoruichi asked? "I want to say bye to her too before we leave."

"Sorry but, that's probably not going to happen" Trudy shook her head. "Sunny headed out to Sloan this morning just before sunup, it's a mining settlement a couple miles east of here that overlooks the quarry. She went to try and barter for some extra medical supplies from them since quite a few people got hurt in that fight yesterday. And she probably won't be back until later today long after your gone."

"Awe" Yoruichi pouted!

"At least we can still say goodbye to Doc Mitchell" I patted her shoulder before turning to Trudy one final time. "Anyways we really should get going now" I waved before heading out.

"See you around" Yoruichi sighed before waving a final goodbye and following me out.

Once we were outside and good distance away from the Saloon, I took a small bag out of my pocket and tossed it to Yoruichi.

"What's this" she asked in confusion?

"That's your half of the payment Ringo gave us for protecting him from the Powder Gangers" I answered.

"Really" she questioned? "I don't remember even talking to him? Why would I get paid for that?"

"Because I told him that the two of us would deal with Joe Cobb for him."

"So, you volunteered me for something I had no idea about without my permission" she narrowed her eyes "Also shouldn't the people of Goodsprings get part of that money too since they put their lives on the line just as much as we did?"

I shrugged "I only volunteered you after you already decided to fight the Powder Gangers anyway, so it didn't really change anything. Also, he only paid me 200 caps which isn't actually all that much. You can try splitting it with the town but, I don't think that's a good idea. Having someone give you a couple caps for protecting your own home after losing several lives would feel more like an insult than anything. Which is why I waited until we were away from everyone to give you your half."

"Yoruichi scoffed looking a little irritated but, I could tell she understood where I was coming from.

"Don't be like that" I rolled my eyes. "Sure, everyone in Goodsprings helped with the fight but, that was only AFTER Ringo had been trapped in town for several days. Sure, they didn't give him up but, they didn't really help him out either and they only got involved after YOU went around convincing everyone. So as far as I'm concerned you earned that money fair and square Yoruichi."

"I still don't like it" she huffed!

"Well, make it up to them in the future then" I shrugged "For now though use that money to help hunt down your would-be killer."

Yoruichi pouted for a moment before sighing "Fine! But, only because I'm broke right now and could really use the caps."

"Speaking of which what do you actually need from the store anyway?"

"Mostly some extra clothes" she gestured down at her bright blue Vault Suit. "Sure, this thing highlights my curves really well" she said while shooting me a saucy look that I pretended not to notice "But, it stands out way too much! And after using that Stealth Boy yesterday I realized I prefer the sneaky way of doing things if I have the choice. It's more my style."

"Makes sense" I nodded "Vault Suits definitely aren't the most subtle of fasion choices."

By the way, I eyed her clothes. did she clean her jumpsuit? Because I remembered it being absolutely drenched in blood the other day. Did Doc Mitchell give her more than one pair? Because I just couldn't see her getting that bloody mess so clean in just one night.

"Are you done staring at my butt yet" Yoruichi teased?

My face turned red 'Shit, I was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention!'

I awkwardly coughed and turned away "I-I was just thinking about whether a pair of extra clothes I have with me would fit you."

"Oh" she raised an eyebrow but, didn't say anything else?

"Would you look at that we're here" I pointed at the General Store and rushed in trying to divert her attention "Let's go in and get our stuff so we can leave as soon as possible!"

Yoruichi stared for a moment before giggling and following after me.

Once we we're inside I decided to pretend the Yoruichi didn't exist and went about purchasing some extra 5.56 ammo for my Varmint Rifle and ended up buying about 40 rounds total. 30 rounds or regular ammo and five each of Armor Piercing and Hollow Point ammo.

Which was just enough for a full clip of each.

I was actually pretty excited about the different kinds of ammo. Because it was a feature that really only existed in Fallout New Vegas and in the 2D Fallout games and I was curious about how it would synergize with some of the unique perks and weapons I would be able to use in the future.

Like the Rifleman Perk for instance.

It was a Fallout 4 Perk that increased the damage of semi-automatic rifles by +20% for each rank taken up to a max of +100%. But, it would also give my attacks the added effect of ignoring 30% of an enemy's armor! I was already imagining how powerful that would be when combined with the Armor Piercing ammo I just picked up.

It'd probably be able to tear through power armor like it was nothing!

Finished my purchase, I told Yoruichi I'd wait for her outside while she browsed through the women's clothes.

I did that for two reasons. The first was that she'd definitely start teasing me about what looked good on her as she tried different outfits on. Not that I wouldn't enjoy that too despite the embarrassment but, I'd rather not be humiliated like where someone else could see me. It was Chet's store after all so there was no way he wouldn't notice if something entertaining like that was happening.

And the second and more important reason was that I still had some business with the Workbench outside.

I'd blurted out that I had clothes for her to try on earlier in a panic and now I needed to find a way to back it up because I wasn't going to trust her to just forget about that. Luckily, I had plenty of raw materials to work with since I found that money in the safe this morning. But, I still had to decide which outfit to pick out for her.

I had looked through pretty much all the clothing options the other day, so I already had a decent idea of what to choose.

The Green Shirt and Combat Boots along with the Black Vest and Slacks seemed like they might be good option. They were simple outfits that I thought might look good her and had some decent special effects.

The Green Shirt and Boots combo added +1 to Charisma and Endurance while the Black Vest and Slacks gave +2 to Endurance.

I wasn't sure if the stat boosts would even work on her since I was the only one with a system but, if they did it would turn her into an even bigger monster than she already was. Though if that happened, I would probably have some explaining to do since there was no way she wouldn't notice. But, whatever I would cross that bridge when I came to it.

I never expected to be able to hide my abilities from her anyway.

Since we were traveling together someone as perceptive as her would definitely notice something strange about me if she hasn't already.

Not long after I made her clothes Yoruichi came out with her backpack looking a bit fuller.

"You finished" I asked noticing she was still wearing the Vaultsuit.

"Yeah" she nodded "I didn't change yet, though since I was curious about what clothes you said you had for me."

I secretly let out a sigh of relief that I saw this coming and motioned to the pair of clothes I was holding under my arm "I got them right here we just need to find a place for you to change."

"I'll just do it in that old gas station you've been sleeping in" she pointed up the hill.

"That's fine" I said before handing her the clothes and leaning back against the General Store "You go do that while I wait here."

"No peaking okay" she winked before walking off and I just rolled my eyes.

While I was waiting for her, I decided to turn my radio on to listen to some music. It was going to be a long walk to Primm and I didn't think the two of us could carry a conversation for that long so a bit of music would go a long way to breaking the silence.

Ain't That A Kick In The Head started playing which was one of my favorites, so I just sat back and relaxed.

Before long I heard footsteps steps approaching and turn to look and my jaw dropped, it was Yoruichi! She was wearing the Black Vest and Slacks and damn if it didn't look good on her!

The outfit consisted of a loose white button up T-shirt with a black leather vest worn over the top along with a pair of tan khakis. But, what really pulled the look together was the black cowboy hat she wore over her purple ponytail.

"Damn" I gasped!

"I knew you'd like it" she smirked.

"Well, it definitely suits you" I blinked.

"I know right" Yoruichi smiled before getting serious again! "Anyway, come on" she walked off "We've wasted enough time already so let's go say bye the Doc Mitchell and get on our way.

I didn't disagree and followed after her.

Our farewell with the good doctor didn't end up being anything special. He was still busy dealing with all the injured the Powder Gangers caused and didn't have too much time for us. So we only thanked him once again for saving our lives and promised to stop by and say hi the next time we were in town.

"Well, I guess this is it" I murmured as we stood at the entrance of town.

"Yep" she clenched her fists "From here on out we're completely on our own."

"Are you nervous" I asked?

"A little" Yoruichi admitted honestly. "But, that isn't going to stop me" she took a deep breath before stepping forward and taking her first steps out into the unknown.

"Same here" I replied ready to take on the worst the Mojave had to offer.