I'd never been to Camp McCarran at that point, odd as it may seem. Just the idea of such a secure place in the Mojave seemed a bit imposing. It was, and to the best of my knowledge still is, a very large and exceedingly active military base. Troops regularly moved in and out of its grounds, both for some R&R and for redeployment. There were snipers on watch at all hours, there was all of one entrance not counting the monorail, and was home to Boone's old unit. There was space enough for dozens if not hundreds of soldiers. To top it off if they ever needed assistance, an absurd idea given everything else, Camp Golf was less than a half hour down the road. McCarran practically had the NCR Rangers on speed dial. There were only a handful of other places in the Mojave that could boast about such security, let alone have it.

So, of course, I'd never considered actually walking up to the place. I figured I'd either get turned away or get shot in the head again. After all, why the fuck would they let me in? I was just some jackass walking in off the street and, as Crocker illustrated, the NCR didn't exactly acknowledge my existence.

Turns out, not existing helps you sneak into places.

The troopers on watch waved me and Boone through without a problem. Not sure if any of them recognized him, but if they did they made no moves to show it. Hell, none of them did as we walked through the compound. I wasn't sure if that was a respect thing or what. I'd have figured at least one of them would recognize Boone, he was dressed in his old armor and beret after all.

Regardless, we made our way into the concourse with ease. No moves were made to try and stop us, so that was a good sign. Crocker had instructed me to check the ground floor for his contact. We found him in an office on the eastern end of the compound, typing into a terminal.

Colonel Hsu looked, to put it politely, stressed. His armor and uniform were properly maintained, sure. Everything was in place, stitched properly, and secured fast. He was clean shaven and his hair looked combed. He looked like he bathed regularly and ate enough. And even sitting, I could see he held himself in a measured manner, demonstrating and exuding control.

But I could see other things too. Heavy, black and purple bags under puffy and bloodshot brown eyes. A tell-tale sign he'd been putting off sleep as long as possible. Stress lines creased his face around his mouth and the edges of his eyes, making him appear older than he was. His skin was slightly sallowed, more than it should have been, implying that he might not have been getting proper nutrition. His movements, though calculated, were slowly and deliberate. As though he were putting in extra effort to avoid mistakes, a clear sign of fatigue. Lastly, he made regular motions to his head and temples. Likely due to some form of lingering pain or ache.

Clearly the man was stressed to the breaking point and was fighting desperately not to show it.

"I'm going to assume you're the asset Crocker mentioned." Hsu said, not looking away from his terminal

"I suppose I am." I answered "If I'm intruding, I could come back in an hour."

"Forgive me, just needed to finish this report. Third time this month a weapon shipment's come up wrong and the Lieutenant was beside herself. I decided to take it off her hands."

"Like I said, I can come back in an hour if you need me to."

"No, you're fine, I just need a moment."

With a few more mechanical clicks from the terminal's keyboard, the colonel finished his work. With a groan, he shut it down and stood to face me. I could here stiffness in his moves, he'd probably been at the terminal for some time. He extended a hand to me with the same measure of control he carried himself with.

"I'm Colonel Hsu, Chief military officer of this base."

I took his hand with equal measure, unsure if he was sizing me up at this point.

"Courier Six, former mailman and current problem solver."

"So I've been told." Hsu said, eyeing me "I've heard from scouts and troopers that come through that you've been around."

"Well, I know the way… most of the time."

"Like when you took us through Scorpion gulch?" Boone asked dryly

"That was an accident." I answered hastily "I thought it was a shortcut back to Mojave outpost, which it was, without going through Nipton. The smell of that place still makes me gag."

Hsu shifted his gaze to Boone. "The more recent reports said you always had a traveling companion. But they were often inconsistent, I thought you were with a woman?"

"I am… platonically." I answered "But it pays to have friends. The more the merrier, right?"

Hsu nodded and extended a hand to Boone. "And you would be…?"

"Boone. Craig Boone." Boone said, matching Hsu's stoicism. He took Hsu's hand and shook.

"Boone…" Hsu said, scanning Boone's clothing "I find it odd that First Recon would let one of their own be on leave to travel with an outside asset. Including for extended periods."

"Former First Recon." Boone corrected flatly "I took my papers and walked about three years back."

"Your first name is Craig?" I asked

"Yes." Boone answered

"You've been traveling with him and didn't ask him his name?" Hsu asked, skeptical of my own idiocy.

"I didn't think to." I responded "Everyone is so fond of calling each other by their surnames I never thought about it."

"What'd you think it was then?" Boone asked

"… Randy."

Boone rubbed his face. "You could've gone with any other name. Aaron, Bob, Daniel- why Randy?"

"Because you look like a Randy."

Boone gave an aggravated sigh.

"I'm afraid you're not inspiring confidence, Courier." Hsu said

I felt an odd twinge of annoyance when he said Courier like it was my name. "Call me Six, Colonel, and while I'm sure I'm not. But given the chance, I'm prepared to fix that."

"I'd hope so, considering that's why Crocker directed you here first instead of Forlorn Hope. They'd need the back up more than us."

"Oh yeah, I keep hearing about them on the radio. I guess I'm just here to prove myself first. So what can I do to help?"

Hsu eyed me for a moment longer. I'd probably destroyed any confidence he'd had in me by this point. But he just sighed and began to speak about his troubles. He started with some minor things. Like how the Fiends were harassing his patrols. Because what else would a bunch of drug addled raiders do? Then there was the issue he'd mentioned during my arrival. How weapons were missing from shipments or excess ones were arriving that weren't on the manifest. It sounded like a simple clerical error but its frequency was suggesting otherwise. Then, lastly and hesitantly, he told me about the troops he was losing to ambushes. He made a bitter joke about how he couldn't even trust them to a piss break without getting jumped by legionnaires. All the while, he told me this without breaking the calm he was forcing himself to show.

"… So what you're saying-" I started after he finished "Is this camp is falling down around your ears and you're not sure how to stop it."

"Hm." Hsu grunted "When you put it like that, you make it sound worse."

"If you don't mind me asking, with all that's going on, how are you so calm?"

"Calm is what you have to be when people look to you. And it's all you can be when things are out of your hands."

"Why worry about what you can't control, and scare the people you're trying to help." I surmised

A small, tranquil smile crossed Hsu's weary face.

I studied Hsu a bit more. Underneath all of the fatigue and cold calculation was a man who was probably wiser than his years would show. There were only a few ways to get wisdom like that without the years. Far as I'm aware, they all involved no small amount of pain. I was liking him already.

"Well, best get to work then." I answered "Considering it's got most of your men on edge, I'm assuming you'd like for me to get started on tracking down the supposed spy in your midst?"

"No, actually." Hsu answered, maintaining his placid tone "There's actually something else I need you to take a look at."

"Something more important than an information leak?"

"Maybe not immediately, but I can see the long-term value in it and so does Crocker. Consider it a test."

I gave Hsu a funny look through my helmet. "A test for a test, really?"

"Trust must start somewhere, do you want to help?"

I nodded after a moment.

"Then speak with Dr. Hildern over in the lab. He'll fill you in on what you must do."

Hsu pointed Boone and I in the direction of the lab. We left him to his reports as we walked the short distance to the lab.

"… Just a quick question." Boone started "If you've been assuming my name is Randy, what do you think Cass's name is?"

"…"

…

The tromping of heavy footsteps pulled me from my nap. I was in Byz's shop and the afternoon sun was coming through the windows. I'd had a long day and had gotten comfy while waiting for Byz to put on the finishing touches.

I was rewarded for my patience with the image of the bull-man walking out with a set of folded leather garments. Not quite pressed enough to crease them, but enough for manageable storage.

"The stitchin' took a bit of time." Byz grunted, a low guttural noise "needed to find thread and needles to hold leather as thick as you wanted."

"Hope it wasn't too hard." I said, shaking off the sleep

"What do you take me for, some half rate haberdasher?"

'Ooh, there's a nice word.'

Byz handed me the clothes and I went to get changed. I stripped out of the other set of clothes he'd made me and began pulling and belting the armor on. The body suit wasn't something I was particularly used to. I'd worn clingy armor in the past and it had it's advantages. Unfortunately it also had a habit of burning through my stimpacks and saying things that made me feel uncomfortable while wearing it.

Aside from the body suit hugging me, everything fit nice. The pants were comfortable and looked like they'd take a beating. The leather vest and spaulder were a bit on the stiff side still, but they'd wear in with time. The extra padding didn't help, but being able to cushion blows was a useful little bonus. The arm and leg guards fit nicely too. The belts secured them close enough to remain firm, but without cutting off the blood flow to my arms.

I finished buttoning up and looked at myself in the mirror. Dark vest, jeans, and body suit. Polished steel fasteners and thick brown thread weaving with dark blues and blacks. The armor taut with padding and from the belts molding it to my body. I looked mean. I looked rough. I looked like someone ready for a fight.

I looked like something out of a comic book and I was ok with that.

I folded the other set of clothes up and walked out of the changing room. Byz looked me up and down before nodding, a smirk on his face.

"Looks good on you." He said "Was worried I'd cut it a bit large. Looks like I might've been wrong-"

'did he just call me fat?'

"-how's it feel?" He asked honestly

"Bit tight around the crotch if I'm being honest." I grunt, shifting the pants slightly

"Hmph, let me guess, you ain't got enough room for your dick or some shit."

"No, that's fine, I just got balls the size of hand grenades and they're fucking killin' me right now."

Byz stared at me for a moment, apparently piecing together I was making a joke. When he did, he practically keeled over.

"Yuck it up Byz" I grunt, a smirk on my own face "I'm still the guy paying you."

"*heh* So you are. You want me to alter it for your balls first or-"

"Don't make me regret shopping here." I said seriously

"Hrm" Byz cleared the chuckle from his throat and focused. Though I could see he was still amused by my self-deprecation "So, you're good with it then?"

"Will be until I break it in. So I guess it's time to pay up."

I walked over to the counter with Byz and he produced a bag for me to carry my other clothes in. After that he began punching his fingers into the register and came up with the bill.

"That's going to run you a couple hundred lien. You did well with the upfront payment so I'm willing to knock a little off the end price."

"How generous." I said sarcastically.

Byz snorted, sending a ripple through his large frame. "By my estimate: the damage is about two hundred lien. You got the lien?"

"I've got a few." I said, pulling some multi-colored cards from my pocket. I'd gotten them as change a while back for groceries. I put as many as I had on me on the counter "How close am I to paying it off?"

"… 'bout fifty short." Byz grunted, having counted them out. "If you've got any more of those coins, should only take a few of them."

I fished out the coin purse and plonked five denarius onto the counter. "Here's five, we good?"

Byz looked at the coins for a moment, then nodded.

I still had no idea if these things had a standardized exchange rate for lien or not. If Byz was giving me a fair shake, which I was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt for; then each denarius was worth maybe ten lien a piece or more. I was going to have to look into it.

"So what brought you down today?" Byz asked, depositing the lien and coins into the register "I figured you'd be busy at the academy, it's right about now most students are having final exams."

"We are and I am." I assured "But I only had one exam today and needed a break after it."

"That bad?"

"Definitely, the professor spouts facts like a runaway machine gun and I could only catch so much of it."

"Oof, you do alright."

"I'm hoping, but it's hard to tell. I'm figuring I at least passed. Unfortunately, the questions weren't anything easy for me anyway."

"Let me guess, they were intentionally misleading?" Byz grunted

"I sure as hell hope not. That would only make my illiteracy worse."

Byz nodded for a moment, then seemed to think about what I just said "You're illiterate?"

"Well… mostly illiterate now."

"… You're sure you did good on that exam right?"

"Eh, about 50/50 at this point. It's not that I can't read, just that I don't- uh… have a very good grasp on vytalian."

"Ah." Byz said with a knowing smile "You were raised on some of that pre-war patriotism, weren't you?"

"Yeah, something like that. I can read sanusian, I think, easy enough. But I only just started learning how to read vytalian."

"Hrm. Know my old man was much the same, thought I'd be better learning a dying tongue and ignoring the script that'd disappear with the next war."

"That's a bit… dark."

Byz rolled his eyes. "He also wanted to serve only faunus customers, so I think he was a tad biased."

"Maybe just a bit." I said with an agreeing nod. "It wouldn't be so bad if I had something that actually made me want to read it. I've got a whole library to work with back at beacon but the only thing they've got is boring thesis papers and textbooks."

"What would you rather read, Comicbooks?"

"Yea, actually. I've learned quite a bit from them in the past."

Byz looked at me in confusion, trying to tell if I was joking.

"Besides that though, I can't exactly go walking into a bookstore and grab random books off the shelves. If I can't read what they're about, I could grab something thinking it's an adventure novel and have it turn out to be smut or some shit. They don't exactly make it so the reading impaired can understand what they're looking at."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Byz stared at me a moment longer, then just gave a soft chuckle.

'Don't laugh jackass, you're not the one who can't read.'

"I actually ran into a similar problem when I was younger." Byz said, scratching his cheek "Really doesn't make it easy…"

Byz fell silent for a bit longer, looking like he was thinking about something.

"… There's a shop, a block or two over, that might have what you're looking for." He said at last "The owner's got his sign done up in Sanusian and Vytalian. Shouldn't be too hard to spot."

"They got something for a guy like me?" I asked, not getting my hopes up

"They might, he seems pretty understanding for the most part. If you at least explain things to him, he'll probably be able to help you out."

I listened to what Byz said, nodding. It would help to have more interesting materials to practice with. Plus, maybe I could start finding information I actually wanted to know instead of randomly picking up botany books. Because it was always botany books.

"Where'd you say this place was?"

"'Couple blocks over, near that dust shop that got robbed a few weeks back."

"Which one?"

Byz thought a moment longer. It shouldn't have been a question that needed asking. "… think it was 'Dust 'till Dawn' or somethin'"

"Aight, I'll take a look, Thanks for the tip Byz."

"No problem, just make sure to stop by more often. The business is appreciated."

'Don't say byz-ness, don't say byz-ness, don't say byz-ness-'

I kept my mouth shut, gave him a nod, and waved on the way out the door. Giving a sigh of relief once there was a door between us.

I began my trek through Vale. It was just passed mid-day now and the streets were crowded with people. Shoppers, businessmen, pedestrians, children, and the occasional vigilant patrolman filling the pathways. Many of whom got out of my way once they got a look of me. If this were a normal school day I'd still have been at beacon, trying to muddle through classes. Instead, since we were onto finals, I got to cut out early. So I got the pleasure of walking around in the growing summer heat instead. It wasn't anything like the Mojave, thankfully. Nowhere near as hot or humid. But there was still the ever pervasive stench of hot asphalt and stonework. Guess it didn't matter whether you've had an apocalypse or not. Cities smell like shit in the summer time.

I looked around the streets as I strolled through. Slowly, more stalls were beginning to open for the festival. With them, posters for various events, expos, and sales began to line the vacant walls and litter the ground. Each being the banner for some different business. Like 'Verde's exotic foods and spices', or 'Steele's Armaments and Dust', and 'Brown's Antiques and Knick Knacks'.

That last one sounded familiar.

Passing by the ever growing number of fliers was giving me an idea though. An absolutely ludicrous idea, but an idea all the same.

'Maybe I should put up missing posters for Dala…'

I chuckled at how stupid the idea was.

'Yea right, what am I supposed to say, 'Missing Brain, if found please return to owner'? I already went through that shit once I'm not doing it again.'

I lost a bit of my mirth as I thought about how Dala was still missing. I still didn't have much of a place to start at this point. So far hadn't thought of anything that could trick my pip-boy into initiating a quest either. My search was still dead in the water as far as finding a lead was concerned. Granted, I'd only been on the trail, maybe, two days now. I couldn't expect something to just fall out of the sky for me. Not with my luck anyway. But that didn't change that it was one of the heavier items weighing on my mind.

I did my best to put it to the back of my mind for the moment. Driving myself insane over it wasn't going to help. I needed to focus on the problems I knew I could handle. Such as getting myself some new reading material.

I rounded one final corner and saw the store Byz had talked about. The sign was almost impossible to miss. It was large, done in green and either vibrant yellow or gold, and It looked fairly well maintained. The sign hung between two other signs containing, what I assumed was, the building's street number. Which hung over a door which was set between two large display windows, also embossed with signage. Just like Byz had also said; the signs were even written in English, or rather, sanusian. Underneath the main sign, in smaller lettering, I could see its vytalian equivalent. 'Tukson's Book Trade: Home to Every book under the sun.'

'Finally, someone of sense in a strange world.'

I closed the distance between me and the store at a brisk pace. I opened the door, and was greeted with the smell of paper and warm air. The interior was fairly bare, save for the litany of shelves lining its walls and displays dotting its floor. Stained wood and soft paint covered the otherwise bared room. The lights were dimmed low, possibly for ease of reading in place of the harsh sunlight. At the far end of the shoppe, opposite the entrance, was positioned a wooden counter. The counter held a great many books of its own and seemed ready to buckle under the weight of them.

"-For the last time ms. Belladonna, you know why I can't." A man standing behind the counter answered

"But I need you to look into this" Blake said

It was also the holding ground for an argument I wasn't expecting to see.

Blake was standing in front of the counter, arguing with the clerk. A large man with some impressive chops and black, close cropped hair. He had a strong jaw, short nose, and green eyes the color of fresh agave sap.

"Ma'am under normal circumstances I'd be willing to help, but-"

The man cut himself short when he took notice of me. He seemed to be startled by my appearance, Which I suppose is understandable. Stranger walks in clad in black clothes, leather, and a gas mask; your first thoughts aren't going to be 'He seems friendly.'. They'll probably be more 'What a weirdo' or 'dear god I'm about to die'.

"Um… hi." I said, giving a small wave

Blake's ears pricked up and she turned halfway around. She caught sight of me and pulled the parcel tucked under her arm closer to herself. Like she was worried I'd look at it. Or maybe it was smut and she didn't want me knowing. It's always the quiet ones.

"Uh… welcome." The man said, trying to change gears "How can I- uh- help you?"

"Well… you could start by pointing me to the comicbooks. Then to the philosophy books, then the adventure novels… then maybe some fantasy? I have no clue right now, just need a place to start."

The man eyed me for a moment longer. "… Comics are over there in the front corner." He said pointing to a corner to my right.

"Aight, thanks… Also, is it Tucson or two-sun?"

Now the man just looked confused. "Its… Tukson- I'm Tukson."

"Neat, got a friend that will probably want to weigh in on that… Also, hi Blake."

"H-hi." Blake said uneasily

'… odd.'

I headed off into the corner of the store Tukson had motioned to and began browsing the racks. There were quite a few of them, never knew pulp based picture books could have such variety. Only a scant few of them looked anything like the stuff from back home though. I saw one comic book that was reminiscent of '¡La Fantoma!' was one that roughly translated to 'The Huntsman!'. Which was just some blonde dude in a domino mask and cape with a sword and shield. Something told me I wasn't going to learn anything useful from it.

Most of the other comics appeared that way too. All of them were vibrantly colored, like the ones from the Mojave, but they looked like they lacked substance. Enough of them blurring together as overly muscular men and women running around in their pajamas and swimsuits.

'Because Grognak totally wasn't some 'roided out knucklehead running around in his underwear.'

There was a comic that did seem similar to Grognak though. It depicted a mostly naked man, save for a ludicoursly small pair of shorts and some sort of hat. The man had an arm outstretched and bursting through a Grimm in messy fashion, holding a chunk of flesh. I think it was a beringel. A splash of text on the cover read the title as 'Daring tales of Vacuo's Finest!'. A smaller caption underneath reading 'Navy Hale in: How I cut my way out of Grimm Hell!'.

Whoever wrote this needed to stop before the excess testosterone gave them a heart attack. I held onto it anyway, figuring it would at least be worth a laugh. A nabbed a few others at random after that. Mostly whatever didn't seem too cartoonish. The last one I really examined depicted a detective in a yellow trench coat pointing what looked like a smoking machine gun at the reader. 'Hard Boiled: From the case files of The Detective'

'Eh, it'll never catch on.'

I took it anyway.

It was right about then that I noticed the large amount of ominous whispering going on behind me. Blake and Tukson were still having a heated argument, only they'd decided to lower the volume substantially. I say ominous because up until I'd walked in it seemed like they were just having a normal conversation. Suddenly it was a match of who could whisper the softest. I wanted to ignore what was going on, but it was getting harder and harder to do so. Especially considering I still wanted to know where the other books were. I cautiously began approaching the counter.

"For the last time Ma'am, no." Tukson growled

"But Tuk-"

"I respect your father for what he did, and I respect you for what you've done. But I'm not putting my neck on the line. Especially not right now."

"It doesn't involve-"

"Excuse me." I interrupted

Blake and Tukson broke from their whispering match and regarded me.

"I know I probably walked in on something, but I get the feeling you two are having some sort of disagreement."

"We're ok, Six" Blake said "I'm just trying to take care of something."

"You two know each other?" Tukson asked, in slow and confused fashion.

"We do indeed." I answered "We're teammates."

"Teammates…"

Tukson continued to eye me. Like he was trying to discern if there was some deeper meaning to my words.

"Yea… at Beacon." I supplied

Tukson gave a cautious nod.

'Oookay, this guy's a weirdo.'

"As I was saying-" I continued "Normally I'd be more than happy to let Blake be in control of her own affairs. But I'd like to get on with my day, and until you both resolve what you're doing I can't do what I want in peace. So, Blake, what exactly is going on?"

"I'm afraid that's none of your business." Tukson said, an edge growing to his voice

"That so?" I responded, nodding and turning to Blake "Care to weigh in on that?"

Blake looked cautiously between myself and Tukson. Having the look of a cat that was caught in the midst of doing something it shouldn't be. "I just… needed help tracking something down. Tukson is an old friend so I figured he'd be willing to help."

"… so he's a former white fang, like you?"

It took Tukson a second to register what I'd said, and less than that to react. He immediately took a step back and spread his arms out in a fighting stance. I could see the look of fear in his eye, even as it was overshadowed by what was likely a practiced face of intimidation. It didn't have the effect he wanted on me, I could read him well enough to see it as the façade it was. But I also knew better than to push someone who was feeling cornered.

"Easy chief" I said, raising my hands in a placating gesture "If I were looking for trouble I'd have just attacked you and save myself the time."

Tukson glared at me a moment longer, then shifted his gaze to Blake "He knows you were one of us?"

"Yes." Blake said "There was an incident, and my team found out."

"Kinda dragged us into the business at the docks last weekend too." I supplied "I'm not looking to start trouble Mr. Tukson, so please calm down."

Tukson looked between me and Blake again for a long moment. As if he were debating whether it was worth taking a chance or not. But eventually eased up. I could see he was still suspicious of me however.

"So, now that the awkward part is out of the way." I continue "What exactly are you two arguing about?"

"… Blake has something she wants me to look into." Tukson responded "I'm not interested because I'm in the middle of a delicate situation and can't risk drawing too much attention."

"Ok, and what exactly are you having him do, Blake?" I asked, looking to my teammate.

Blake looked back and forth between me and Tukson uneasily.

"…Blake?" I prompted

"… I needed him to help me find out something."

"Ok, and that is?"

"Well… I've got a book that I enjoyed-" She started, seemingly cherry picking her words. "I'm trying to find out more about it, and maybe find others like it."

"And?"

"And nothing… that's really it."

I stared at Blake for a moment, then turned to Tukson in confusion "So what's the problem then?" I asked "You run a book store, it shouldn't be so hard to find out more about what she's looking for."

"Tsk, that's easy for you to say." Tukson growled "But you're not in my shoes."

"Then explain it to me."

"… Alright look-" Tukson leaned in "I'm not exactly on the best of terms with the White Fang right now."

"Well you left the group so I'd suppose not."

"I haven't left yet, that's the thing." Tukson growled "At the moment I'm more 'in the process of' than 'Already left'."

"Ok." I nodded

"I'm working on getting the papers together so I can leave town. Not going to tell you where to, so don't ask. But after what happened at the docks last weekend-" Tukson gave us both a glare. Its impact cut by the growing nervousness in his voice "The people further up the chain are trying to prep for something bigger. I don't know what, and I know I shouldn't tell you what. Just for letting you know that I'd probably get shot."

"Then don't tell us." I said, trying to keep Tukson calm "Just explain what this has to do with Blake's request, ok?"

Tukson took a moment and breathed. I could see him trying to focus, clearly this had him stressed out.

"If it were just the book it wouldn't be an issue." Tukson said "But because of Ms. Belladonna's desertion and her very recent interference, things have changed." Tukson gave a paranoid look past us at the shop windows, then shifted back to us. "To say that you, both of you, have a target on your back is putting it lightly. We lost a fair few of our brothers on that last mission and it's not being taken lightly."

"And you don't want to help Blake" I surmise "Because it might drag what you're trying to do into the limelight."

Tukson nodded and sighed "I respect you ms. Belladonna, but I'm already in the midst of a huge risk. Adding you into the equation almost guarantees a midnight visit from Bane."

'From who?'

"But Tukson, this has nothing to do with the White Fang." Blake urged "I'm not asking you to feed us information or anything, I just want you to help me find information about a book."

"I know" Tukson grumbled "But Just talking with you right now ups the odds of things going wrong. Hell, you should be worried. You didn't exactly leave on good terms, ma'am."

"Given what we did at the docks, that's not surprising." I commented

"I wasn't referring to the docks." Tukson said. "Mister… uh, Six, trust me when I say the less you know about the circumstances surrounding Ms. Belladonna's leaving the White Fang the better. Or the fact that, if anyone else found out, she'd have the police after her as well."

"Well being a terrorist is a good way to piss off old Johnny Law."

Blake glared at me for the use of the word.

"Hey, might not be a nice word, but given recent events it's pretty accurate."

"Wish I could say you were wrong." Tukson sighed "But in the past few months, it feels like that's what we're devolving into."

"Which I suppose is why you're jumping ship now." I stated flatly

"There a problem with that?" Tukson growled

"No, no, better to recognize you're part of the problem and all that."

"Whatever. The point stands, I'm trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. While I might want to help you, Ms. Belladonna, I can't knowingly put myself even further into someone's crosshairs. "

"It's just a book Tukson." Blake insisted

"Save it, Blake." I say, trying to placate my teammate. "I don't think words are going to convince him."

I regarded Tukson again, now that I was getting a proper look at him. He looked tired. Like he'd missed out on a goodnight's sleep for the past few weeks.

"… Is getting out of the White Fang really that hard?" I asked, not addressing either of the former members directly

"Depends on how deep into it you are." Tukson said "Ms. Belladonna was in a special spot. Getting out was just a matter of leaving. Guys like me though, who tend to be low man on the totem pole, We have to be smart. It takes a lot of planning and work to get out, and even more to hide once we're out. Only a few people have ever left the White Fang and did it without turning up in a ditch somewhere. To do it means burning more bridges than what it took to get in."

"… Why not just pay the toll and cross them?" I asked

Tukson looked at me in confusion.

"Probably mixed metaphors there, what I mean is: If there's a faster way to disappear, why waste time?"

"Because I don't have the resources to just 'disappear'" Tukson Responded "It takes time to plan things and money to make it happen. In case you haven't noticed-" Tukson motioned to the store "I have to work for a living, and business isn't exactly booming."

"Well then, perhaps we can come to an agreement. Maybe you look into this book for Blake, and we'll just so happen to overpay on these books I'm going to buy. Bear in mind, my secret bonus from this is that you'll stop arguing long enough to point me to the stuff I'm looking for."

Tukson looked me up and down for a moment; then gave me a short, disbelieving laugh. "Kid, do you have any idea the kind of money you're talking about?"

"Nope." I pulled the coin purse from pocket and put a fistful of denarii on the counter, I didn't bother counting them at that moment. "But if we're talking ball-park, I think this'll be a start."

Tukson's jaw practically hit the floor at the sight of the coins. In my peripherals I could see the normally stoic Blake go bug-eyed while her bow stood at attention.

"… Also I'm going to need a book on economics and precious metals."

…

It took something around 40 pieces of silver to get Tukson to agree. Plus another thirty minutes of me wandering around the shop to find what I was looking for. By the time we were done, the sun was starting to set and it was time to go. We had a short window before the last airship left for Beacon, but Blake and I were in no rush. Which was good for me, since I was now weighed down with several bags of books and clothes.

As we started back though Blake continued to be… tense, for lack of a better word. Almost like she didn't feel comfortable being around me. I had no clue whether this was carrying over from how my teammates avoided me yesterday or not. But it was plain enough for me to see it. We were about halfway back before she finally spoke up.

"… You didn't have to do that." Blake said, finally breaking her silence

"Maybe not" I replied "But you looked like you needed a hand, and I wanted to get my shopping done."

"I could've handled it."

"Probably, but I'm more than happy to help a friend."

"…"

"… Let me ask something, Blake, why did you go to him?"

Blake looked at me in confusion.

"The guy, Tukson, is by his own admission a member of the White Fang. An organization that you're not exactly on speaking terms with. Why did you go to him for help, even with something small like this?"

"… I'd worked with him in the past. I knew I could trust him."

"Even if selling you out might put him in a better spot to escape?"

"He wouldn't do that." Blake growled

"Don't bet on it, people do horrible shit when they're desperate."

Blake glared at me.

"Hate me all you want for it, but would you prefer candor or false re-assurance?"

"I'm not an idiot Six, I knew the risks."

"Then you shouldn't be so upset, since all I'm doing is re-affirming that." I looked At Blake through my gasmask "Don't forget, I still owe you a favor. Until I've had the opportunity to re-pay it properly, I'd rather you didn't do something that'll get you killed. Like, say, going to someone who's clearly looking for an out and might use you as a scapegoat."

Blake glared at me a moment longer, then shifted her gaze to the ground. "I'm aware of the danger Six. You don't have to remind me."

I stared at the thinly veiled faunus a bit longer. If I didn't know any better, I'd assume she was hurt by the notion a friend might possibly sell her out. But this was Blake, cool, collected, aloof Blake. She didn't let things like that bother her… right?

'…'

I gave Blake a pat on the back, and she jolted a little in surprise. "Don't worry about it Kitten. I'm probably being overly pessimistic, you know the guy better than me."

"…Right." Blake said, nowhere near as certain as I would've liked.

'Great going jackass, now you've depressed one of the few friends you have in this place.'

"I'm being serious." I said, trying to change my tune "You knew him better than me, so I'm probably just over thinking it."

Blake just gave me a sharp look. Clearly just wanting me to shut up.

"… I'm not helping myself, am I?"

"No." Blake said bluntly

"Alright, I'll drop it then. Since I've no reason to keep digging."

Blake just rolled her eyes.

"… So what was that book about anyway?" I asked "You said you'd enjoyed it and wanted to know more."

Blake dropped the annoyance she'd had for surprise. "It- um- was about… a wizard?"

That last part sounded like she was more asking herself the question than me.

"Ok… and?"

"And… and… the wizard contracted with a demon."

"Ok, why?"

"Because he wanted… knowledge?"

"… Are you sure you actually enjoyed the book Blake?"

"Y-yes, absolutely."

"Because it sounds like you're having trouble remembering it."

"N-no, I do, it's just that you caught me off guard and I'm trying to remember."

I scrutinized Blake for a bit longer. Then stopped, because it wasn't something that really merited interrogating my teammate over. It was about then that a thought occurred to me.

"Alright then. Since were on the topic though, did you ever finish that book I lent you?"

"O-oh, yea I did!" Blake said, accepting the change in subject "I've been re-reading it for a while actually."

"Really?" I asked "That's good to know, what'd you think of it?"

"It thought it was really good." Blake said with a soft smile "The characters were fun to read and it was funny at parts."

"Did it make you think, just a bit?"

"Just a bit." Blake agreed

"Good to know" I said, my own smile obscured "Did you have any part you particularly enjoyed?"

"Hmm… I think it would be the boy's speech at the end, after the slave gets taken in."

"Mm, I remember that part." I said "Gets me good every time I read it. The boy's got nothing to work with to save his friend. So he turns to some supposed 'higher being' for help. But realizing the being supposedly condones his friends enslavement, the boy flips the being the bird and goes forward anyway. That takes a pretty big pair of stones."

"I didn't think it was that impressive." Blake said "It's a bit awe inspiring, sure, but I honestly didn't quite get why it was such a big deal."

"Well it's got more to do with the setting than anything. In the period where the book was written, slavery was still common practice. With plenty of its supporters claiming it was justified through religion or some shit. And for the region where the story is set, religion was also a huge influence."

"… So his whole speech." Blake said, slowly picking up "When he was talking about going to hell. He wasn't speaking figuratively-"

"He meant he was literally willing to walk into hell if it meant he could keep his friend safe and free."

Blake looked at me, her eyes having a new understanding. She now had an understanding of why that speech was so impactful.

"'Takes a lot of gall to say 'screw you' to the world you've been raised in and go do your own thing." I continued "But, sometimes, it's something you need to do regardless."

"… You sure know a lot about the book."

I shrugged "I've had plenty of time to read and re-read it. Plus I've read enough history books to know America around that time wasn't what one would call tolerant."

"America?" Blake asked in confusion "I thought the book took place in a place called Mississippi?"

"… uh-"

"-And what do you mean history books?"

I just kept walking for a moment, well aware I'd just let a not so small bit of information loose. It took me a moment to come up with a way to cover.

'… well, say something, dumbass.'

"I mean like- uh- historical fiction. You know, books set in a period in the past that portray a story in that setting?"

"I know what historical fiction is, and I'm pretty sure most of this book isn't historical."

"Well- I mean, there was a point in history where there were slaves, right?" I say, more assured than I felt "It's probably just based around that."

"Then why create an alternate fantasy world for the setting?"

"Uh-"

"Why not just base it in the kingdoms of that period?"

"Um… Mister Twain didn't want to get sued for defamation?"

"Ok, fine… but what about 'America', What's that?"

"it's… the country where the story is set. They don't mention it in this book, but they did in the previous one."

"Previous one?"

"Y-yea, this one's a sequel to a book that followed the boy's friend Tom."

Blake scrutinized me for a moment. Her yellow eyes trying to pierce through my gas mask and see beyond it. Good thing she lacked that kind of power because my poker face was failing me.

"… I'll lend you a copy of it when I remember where I put it, ok?"

"… ok." Blake said still wary.

That was the last big conversation I had with her before we reached the station and boarded the airship.