We rolled into Goodneighbor that afternoon with bursting packs and good spirits. The short nap in the raider's bunker had done my partner good, and he was able to carry the bulk of the loot in his pack. I had the rest, carefully stowed so as not to damage my newfound treasures in the form of the magazines. A strange, but welcome sense of homecoming washed over me as I stepped inside the gate, a feeling of safety and belonging at odds with the rough nature of the town itself. I smiled at MacCready, who gave me a wink and looked startled when I reached out to hold his hand. The moment of surprise faded into a tiny, smug twinkle in his eyes as we stepped forward, fingers interlaced.
The square had its usual idle residents, and a laden pack brahmin stood placidly outside Daisy's Discounts. Daisy herself was chatting with the trader when we approached the shops, but gave us a friendly wave before turning back to her client.
"Guess we'll hit KL-E-0's first," MacCready suggested.
"That should help with most of the weight in our packs," I agreed. "We can also sell that smelly armored jacket of yours. We're going to have to find Hancock pretty quickly, though. I got the impression that Nick's information is time sensitive."
"Gotcha, Boss."
KL-E-0 was more than agreeable to bargain for the weapons and armor in our packs. Based off my brief scan of "Guns and Bullets", I held back one of the 10mm pistols, and traded for a couple of spare magazines and other "junk" that the robotic shopkeeper had on the shelves. At MacCready's inquiring look, I explained, "I don't want to practice on your backup weapon. If I mess things up, let it be with a pistol that we're not planning to use." He nodded, a pleased smile quirking the corners of his mouth.
Daisy was still deep in trading negotiations when we finished with KL-E-0, so we decided to return after delivering Nick's data file to Hancock. The Old State House still looked the same, brick exterior showing the ravages of time and nuclear holocaust, but still mostly intact. Just like the Commonwealth, I mused as we ascended the stairs to the mayor's office, the room I had stayed in my very first night in this world.
Fahrenheit met us just inside the double doors, a passively stern expression on her face. "Hancock is currently indisposed," she announced. "Whatever you want to say will have to wait."
I fished the data file out of my jacket. "We're fine holding off on our news, but I have a message from Nick Valentine in Diamond City that I think Hancock wanted."
For just a moment, the placid veneer cracked. "Nick sent a message with you two? Huh. Okay, little pawn, wait here." She snagged the file out of my hand and disappeared into a side room I didn't even realize was there. After a few minutes, she returned with a jingling bag of caps and the message to "stay here, I'll be out as soon as I can".
"For your prompt delivery." Fahrenheit handed me the bag.
MacCready whistled very quietly in admiration at the size of the bag. "Hancock must've really wanted to hear what Nick had to say," he murmured in my ear, recapturing my hand in his. "Let's grab a seat on the couch."
Fahrenheit sat down on the couch opposite ours. "He might be a while." On the low table in front of her sat a chessboard, pieces set up for a game. They were old and worn, and obviously made up from scrounged-up toy robot models, but lovingly polished and cared for. I picked up the knight piece closest to me, a model matching Charlie the bartending robot and admired the dedication it must have taken to piece together a complete set out of the rubble of society.
Observing my interest, the normally apathetic woman sat up a little. "Do you play?" Her voice held a spark of excitement, and her fingers twitched towards the pieces.
MacCready groaned, "Oh no, not this again." He plucked the piece out of my hand, placing it remarkably gently back on the board. "She's obsessed with chess," he announced to me in an aggrieved tone.
"Just because you always lose..." Fahrenheit began, but was cut off by my partner.
"Twice isn't always," he groused, hunching his shoulders.
"You only played me twice," she parried, pinning my blushing bodyguard with a withering gaze. "Such a valiant knight, refusing to do battle..." Her only answer was an annoyed huff.
"Boss, you don't play, do you?" His voice practically begged me to deny it.
"I do," I admitted, to Fahrenheit's intense interest and MacCready's exasperation. "My dad taught me how to play when I was a kid. But I haven't played in years, and I'm not very good," I amended.
"Fair enough," she acknowledged. "Care for a game, little pawn?"
To say Fahrenheit beat me would be a vast understatement. She consistently thrashed my novice skills in a set of embarrassingly short matches, but was oddly kind enough to offer suggestions on how I could improve my game. MacCready sulked against the cushions at first, but after my gracious acceptance of defeat in the first game, soon shuffled over to lean against me, watching the gameplay with childlike fascination. He huffed at Fahrenheit's suggestions, which I found confusing until he grumbled-
"Why didn't you ever tell any me this stuff when you taught me how to play?"
"Because, little knight," she explained, "you were being a sore loser."
MacCready glared at me when I giggled, unable to resist after seeing the sly smile on my opponent's face. "Hey, at least she's calling you a knight," I reasoned. "I'm apparently just a pawn."
"Not for long, I'd wager." Hancock's raspy tenor sounded behind us as he entered the room. "Ya gotta cross the board to get promoted, after all."
Oy, chess metaphors. What is that supposed to mean?
The Ghoul stalked over to our group, taking a seat next to Fahrenheit. "Found another devotee of the game, dear?" he asked in an affectionately tolerant tone.
She shrugged, resetting the pieces. "An adequate opponent. She might even be a real adversary some day if she tries." Standing up, she disappeared into the side room where Hancock had just been.
"Good to hear," Hancock called after her. He turned to address us, rubbing his hands together. "Nice job, bringing me that tape from Nick. It was exactly the information I needed to pin down the fuckers who decided to mess with Goodneighbor's residents, and by extension, me. And nobody... nobody messes with John Hancock." He pulled out a Jet inhaler from his jacket, taking a long drag. "Ahh, I needed that. Nice haircut, Sunshine. I assume Fahr gave you the delivery fee, yeah? Good."
Deep black eyes flicked back and forth between me and MacCready, an unsettling gaze to say the least. "So, what's next for you two? How's the search to get home going?"
I took a deep breath, steeling myself to have this necessary, but potentially difficult, discussion with the person initially responsible for my staying alive at all, much less long enough to try and get home. MacCready put his arm around my shoulders in an encouraging manner, meeting Hancock's sudden intense gaze with a challenging look of his own. "It's... well, it's not," I stated, very simply.
Hancock sat up, all traces of affable relaxation gone in an instant. "Say that again, real slow-like. I'm pretty sure that's what you wanted when you first stumbled into Goodneighbor. And I, out of the goodness of my Ghoulish heart, went out of my way to help you get home. What happened?" His tone had gone steely, and I could feel MacCready tensing up, his hand gripping my shoulder reassuringly.
"That's part of the reason why we want to talk with you, Mayor Hancock," I explained, pushing past the fear that his negative reaction spawned in my gut. "A lot has happened since I showed up here. I had to make a very difficult decision about my future." Dredging up my courage, with MacCready here I'll be okay, I stared directly into Hancock's depthless black eyes, willing him to understand that I didn't make the decision with the intention of pissing him off. "I've decided to stay here in the Wasteland."
The stare lasted a very long time.
Hancock blinked first. He again looked back and forth between me and MacCready, and a thoughtful expression creased his ruined brows. "Hold on a sec," he said, reaching for a tin in yet another pocket of his jacket. "Let me boost my brain so I can process all of this." He cracked open the tin, crunching down two of the small white tablets contained within.
"Mentats," MacCready murmured in my ear and I nodded. I think I can figure out what they do just based on the name.
"All right then," the Ghoul announced, lounging back against the cushion, his previous show of anger dissipating into sardonic humor as a wry grin crossed his lips. "Let me get this straight. You don't want to go home anymore?"
I shook my head slightly, finding and squeezing Mac's hand as I answered. "That's a bit too simple an explanation, Hancock. Yes, I would like to go back home but," I emphasized, "I've thought long and hard about this..."
"I bet you have," Hancock leered.
My partner rolled his eyes, annoyed. "C'mon Hancock, would ya let her finish? The lady here is trying to have a serious conversation." He gave me a slight nudge with his hip, ignoring Hancock's startled expression. "Go on, angel. Ignore the theatrics."
I took a moment to regather my thoughts. "The short answer is we found out that transporting me home would take a frighteningly enormous amount of power. Like I was saying, I've given this some serious thought and, in the grand scheme of things, I can't justify stealing that much power away from people who need it for their own well-being. Water purifiers, defensive turrets, hell, even just lights and hot water? That all takes power. Who am I to say that I'm more important than everyone else in the Commonwealth?"
"Hmmm..." mused Hancock, crunching another Mentat. "I'll want to hear the whole story sometime, you know. Looking out for the little guy, eh? Admirable of you." This time, his smile was a bit more open, and his gaze lingered speculatively on my partner. "I suppose the fact that you and MacCready are essentially inseparable is also a factor in your decision?"
I turned to look at RJ, who gave me a genuine, if shy, smile. With an answering smile lighting my own face, I replied, "More than just a factor, but yes. For all intents and purposes, we're a pair."
At this, Hancock laughed out loud, slapping his knee with his hand. "I knew it! Oh, Sunshine, you're adorable. And if you've made this asshole of a bitter mercenary a bit more bearable to live with, it was worth the caps for his fee!" Chortling with glee, he continued. "Love truly conquers all! Welcome to the Commonwealth, permanently!"
MacCready frowned at Hancock's description of him.
"So, what are you two lovebirds," he ignored the low growl from my partner, "going to do now?"
"Well, Hancock." I drawled a bit, leaning forward in earnest. "How do you feel about having a couple of new residents?"
Just as MacCready had predicted, Hancock was quite happy to have his hired-gun-under-contract right where he could keep an eye on him (and call on his services). When he realized we were looking to become permanent citizens of Goodneighbor, he flatly insisted on removing the "room at the Rexford" clause from the verbal bodyguard agreement. "The free stay wasn't part of the original deal, you know. Clair would kill me, giving away a room like that." Unbeknownst to him, that suited me just fine. I was looking for something a bit more substantial than an unsecured hotel room, anyway.
For all his free-spirited nature, the mayor had a shrewd intellect and was a master bargainer. I was heartily glad to have my partner next to me, as he was a match for the Ghoul's haggling when bartering for accommodations. For my part, I mostly sat back and listened, paying very close attention to the back-and-forth, trying to learn for future negotiations.
"What about the Flophouse?" Hancock asked in a reasonable tone. "You used to live there."
"Are you kidding me? That's not only a filth-encrusted hole-in-the-wall," an apologetic glance at me, "but you can't buy a bunk there. It's strictly weekly rent. I only slept there because it was cheap, and I never left anything behind when I took jobs."
"We're looking for something permanent, Hancock," I interjected. "Solid. Something like Daisy or KL-E-0's shop with living space overhead." MacCready nodded.
"You wanna buy a whole building?" He sat for a minute, tapping his fingers on the table between us. "Well, I do still have some of those warehouses... But it's gonna cost ya."
"How much?" MacCready instantly asked.
Hancock named a figure. My eyes widened in shock at the number, but my partner was faster. "That's robbery!"
"You're the one who wanted a whole building." The merest hint of a squint creased Hancock's eyes. I didn't quite catch it, but MacCready did.
"Which one?" At Hancock's dismissive wave, Mac pressed him. "Which warehouse was that price for?"
Silence.
"I thought so." My partner growled at him. "The giant department store? We don't need that much space either... trying to foist off that collapsed piece of garbage... I thought you liked us, Hancock!"
"Hey, can't blame a Ghoul for tryin'!"
"Seriously, Hancock," I said, trying to calm ruffled egos. "Can we find a compromise between a cot and a gutted mall?"
"How about the place behind KL-E-0's?" Hancock glanced between us, a genuine smile crossing his face. "It's about three stories tall, but not too wide. Couple'a nice big rooms on the bottom floor, smaller ones above, roof access, plumbed, got electricity, and able to run water to the taps, I think. Needs some, ahem, fixing up."
It sounds perfect. But why do I get the feeling Hancock was angling for us to take that building in the first place? MacCready subtly nudged me before I could reply. "Let's go take a look," he hedged, carefully keeping his expression neutral.
What Hancock had neglected to mention is that the building was one of the ones we had "cleared out" when I took my first paying job. And that no one had been inside it since then. I almost immediately staggered back out the door to slide down the wall of the covered entrance in shocked remembrance. Hancock and MacCready remained inside, how can they handle seeing it?, presumably to inspect the rest of the building. After a surprisingly long amount of time, the two men exited and shook hands. By then, I had recovered my composure.
"All right, Sunshine," Hancock beamed. "It's all yours. For the bargain price of taking care of a little business for me- your first gig as the 'Commonwealth Problem Solvers'. Your dear partner," and he chuckled, "came up with the name. You should be proud."
Behind him, MacCready gave me his little-kid grin, and I had to smile back, taking heart in his delight. "I am, Hancock. Immensely." I clasped the Ghoul's proffered hand and he pulled me to my feet just as Daisy rounded the corner.
"MacCready!" she called in an admonishing tone. "Get your scruffy self into my shop this instant! Don't make me chase you with my clippers! Hello, dear." Her greeting to me was much more genial, and she favored me with a knowing smile. "I'm just going to borrow that bodyguard of yours for a bit. He needs a haircut! Yours looks nice, by the way!"
"Sure thing, Daisy, and thanks!" MacCready shot me a sheepish look, tugging his cap further down his head as he paced obediently behind the shopkeeper, slinging his pack more comfortably up his shoulder.
"Ah, Daisy," Hancock mused, taking my arm in his to walk back towards the Old State House. "She likes mothering people, and poor MacCready is her favorite target. So, Sunshine," he continued in a conversational manner. "Part of the deal was you get one last free night in the Rexford. After that, you're on your own." His smile was almost vindictive.
"Huh. So the building's paid off?" As-is, I bet. I dreaded the thought of having to clean up the desiccated remains left behind for so many months. Unless... MacCready had bargained our services for the building itself, so I still had plenty of caps saved up.
"As soon as you two return from my little mission, it's yours free and clear." Right. Until you need MacCready for something, then you'll suddenly "remember" he's still under contract to you.
"All right. Then I guess you won't mind if I bargain for some, hmm, improvements to be done while we're taking care of your assignment? Like, a good cleaning, a workbench on the ground floor, and some appliances and furniture so we can actually live there?"
"I think we can work something out. Got some drifters willing to work in exchange for caps." Hancock patted my hand on his arm. "You want to have a shop and a living space?"
"And a damn good lock on the door." A way to keep our lives our own, especially if my little plan for Mac's contract works out.
"Let's talk."