Hiding In The Green: A Fallout 4 Story

Goodneighbor

"And here we are, Goodneighbor. Named after an, um, exotic dancer in the days of yore, originally known as Scollay Square. Not a nice area if you plan to settle down and raise a family, but it has a hotel with hot and cold running water. It's a place without laws. That doesn't mean it doesn't have certain unwritten rules." Nick opened the gate for Raina.

"And those are?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"Mind your own business, treat others as you hope to be treated, and do whatever you like as long as you don't spook the horses. It's worth pointing out that there are no horses. Oh, and there are no bar tabs, everybody pays as they go. I should also add that it's one of the lowest points in the entire Commonwealth, and everything not nailed down moves through here sooner or later." Together they stepped over the threshold.

"Well, well, well. It's the detective. Tracking down another wayward husband to his mistress?" Nick had encountered Finn before, a small time hood and grifter.

"Why?' Nick parried. "Someone stand you up?"

"Tryin' that, what do they call it? Evasive language? On me?" Finn blustered. Then he looked Raina over. "And who are you, huh? Valentine's new dick-in-training? Of course, in your case, 'dick' would be the wrong word."

"I don't see how it's any of your business," Raina replied, cool words and cool eyes to match.

"You don't, huh? With your attitude, you're gonna need insurance around this town." He shifted into an even more threatening pose.

"Oh, extortion," Raina said, dismissively. She swung her shovel from her shoulder to a defensive position in front of her, and said, "Right now, you are standing between me and a bath where I don't have to haul and heat the water myself. Today started with raiders and supermutants. Then it was ghouls and gangsters. At this point I think I've killed at least thirty people today. One more won't make a bit of difference."

"Uhhh..." Finn was not the brightest or the sharpest crayon in the box, but he still had some instincts when it came to self-preservation. "Okay, you know what? I'm gonna let you go. This time. No hard feelings, huh?"

At that moment, Hancock, self-appointed mayor of Goodneighbor, sauntered out of the shadows to address Finn, "Whoa, whoa! Time out! Nick Valentine pays one of his rare visits to town, and you go hassling his friend with that extortion crap? Good to see you, Nick."

Nick returned the greeting with a nod, and watched.

"The first time somebody walks through that gate, they're a guest," Hancock informed the petty thug. "We don't shake down guests like that around here."

"She's an outsider. She'll prolly never come back again, so what do you care?" Finn stuck out his prognathous chin.

"Everybody starts off as an outsider, Finn. Lay off the penny-ante extortion racket," Hancock's tone of voice had steel under the humor.

"You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor." Finn didn't bother cloaking his bellligerence.

"C'mon, this is me we're talking about here. Let me tell you something..." Hancock put his arm around Finn's shoulders, leaned in as if to whisper a secret-and then he shanked the man twice in the gut, wiped the knife on Finn's shirt and let the body fall to the pavement like a bundle of dirty laundry. The knife went back out of sight. He turned his attention to Raina and Nick.

"Sorry you were treated to that bit of unpleasantness. Welcome to Goodneighbor," Hancock swept his arm around in a gesture of welcome. "The freest community in the Commonwealth. Don't let this little incident taint your view of us. Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, ya feel me? Everyone's welcome."