Chapter 396 - Meeting Of Minds

Now, Tamia wasn't the most tech-savvy person in the world, but she certainly knew extravagance when she saw it. The screen literally had no reason to be so large, no normal person would ever be able to properly use it, not to mention the risk of eye strain would be huge!

*Bzzch!*​​

Tamia almost pulls out her revolver and starts shooting with the screen bursts to life, changing to a blank picture of a young Robert House. "This meeting has been a long time coming, hasn't it? You've come a long ways, literally, and I suspect, figuratively as well... I trust the welcome wasn't too 'warm', the NCR tend to stick their noses into business that doesn't involve them... Though, were I in your position, I'd have tried a different method of seeking revenge..." the powerful yet dignified voice of House says.

In all honesty, Tamia was more trying to figure out if she was talking to an AI or the real Mr House. He didn't sound like a two-hundred-year-old man, so unless he found the method to immortality, something else was up. Regardless, she shakes her head and regains her focus, "What do you mean?"

"Benny." Mr House states, "The one who betrayed me, and shot you. The one who you wanted revenge against... I was hoping you'd find another method of dealing with him that differed from your usual. 'Shoot first and ask questions later' motif. Did you really have to utterly destroy the Tops? The family never really owned the building you know, it merely rented it out to them... But now, after your massacre, the estate value of the place has hit rock-bottom... Relative to the strip of course."

Tamia shrugs, "Why fix what's not broken?... And how do you know about what I've been doing up until now? I understand you'd have eyes in the strip, but everywhere else should be out of your view." she asks.

"Your understanding of my methods is lacking, I am far more powerful and connected than most realise. I am the richest man in the Mojave, and likely the whole of what's left of America. I watched the way you dealt with those Powder Gangers in Goodsprings, bandits on the roads, the Khans in Boulder City, the thugs in Freeside, and especially the Cannibals in the Ultra-Lux. The only time you have ever relented your violent ways has been when you were persuaded otherwise.

I'd even grant you the title; Angel of Death, were there not already a better candidate for it. While it has been entertaining to watch you flail around the Mojave with reckless abandon, it does cause problems for my eventual plans." Mr House explains.

Tamia crosses her arms, "What do you want with me?"

"That all depends on yourself... First, let me ask you a question. Now that you've reached your destination, what do you make of what you see?" the man or AI behind the screen asks.

Tamia raises a brow and thinks about the question, she didn't really consider this place her destination if she were honest... She hadn't thought about what she'd do once she gutted Benny. To be honest, she was thinking of just tagging along with Afton, that guys seems to have it all figured out. Not to mention her still fuzzy memory preventing her from discovering her past.

Back to the question, Mr House was most likely asking her thoughts on New Vegas itself. It was his pride and joy after all, why wouldn't he want her opinion on it. "A city designed to promote lavish lifestyles and steal money from idiots... Can't say I'm too keen on it." she shrugs.

"Indeed, It's a moral quandary; whether or not to steal from the poor and stupid to reach my goals, whether they be justified or not. But, everyone who comes to the strip made the choice to do so, to remove the option would only open them up to more drastic and dangerous methods of gaining wealth. At least this way they feel like big-shots and winners for the short while they are here. Of course, they aren't like you or me, we are of a different stripe, winning is in our nature." he states with confidence belonging to the man who'd survived the apocalypse and built a 'paradise' after it.

Tamia shakes her head, "I don't know where you got that idea, I'm just a courier, or at least, I was..." she admits sheepishly, tracing a finger over the scar on her forehead.

"Ooh, don't be coy. You've been playing a high-stakes game ever since Victor dug you outta the ground. Don't be afraid to admit it, acknowledge it and strive for more..."

"You still haven't explained what you want from me. I doubt you called me up here just for a pep-talk." she asks, feeling like he was buttering her up for something.

"Very well. You killed Benny, so I hope I'm not wrong in thinking you recovered something of mine. Something more valuable than any amount of gold, silver, or any other mineral for that matter... The Platinum Chip."

Tamia's hand unconsciously reaches towards her pocket where the chip was currently held, "That thing?"

"Yes. 'That thing'." Mr House grumbles as if calling it that was derogatory. "It's a very special item. There's nothing else like it in the entire world. It was lost a long time ago, difficult to find. I spent Three million caps alone just to find its location, not to mention the delivery costs of securing it safely, not that it mattered in the end. You, Courier Six, out of the other five who had dummy souvenirs was supposed to bring it back, obviously I don't need to explain what went wrong."

Tamia herself gapes at the number of caps the man had supposedly spent on the discovery of the item, she literally couldn't imagine such a large amount, you'd be able to buy anything you could ever dream of with that amount, and the Mr Houes acted as if it were a simple business expense.