Journal title: He never shuts up
For the love of God, he never stops talking. It's December 22, and we're a few hours from Starlight. I'm heading back to check up on a few things and see how the comhub is going. Despite ferals and raiders crawling these streets, he won't shut up. I want to rip my ears off.
Preston, piper, Codsworth never talked this much unless inside somewhere safe.
"So, where are we headed?"
"What is it that you do?"
"damn sweet cheeks where'd you learn that?"
"Settlements, huh? Sounds complicated and boring. I did one city, have no plans to do more."
He just went on and on and on. And don't get me started on the questions and sexual innuendos. Like this morning, right? We were packing up after we hunkered down in this old corner store, and I was bent over, my back to him, making sure I had everything in my pack. All I heard behind me was a loud whistle followed by
"A bit early for the full moon isn't it?"
I made the mistake of threatening to gag him, and he chuckled
"At least by a man dinner first."
Why did I agree to this? I want to slap that smirk off his face. The only good he has going for him right now is he's really useful in a fight. Piper needs practice, codsworth sucks for stealth, and Preston isn't great at close quarters. None of them are... all-rounded fighters where Hancock is. You know, all his chatter has made me wonder something. Holotapes can still be used for audio recording... and my pipboy has a built-in microphone (i found out while trying to clear up the private broadcast jake sent me.) I wonder if Sturges could jerry-rig a way for the pipboy to auto-record audio onto a holotape but as a text log. Just so I have a record of some of the shit that comes out of his mouth... is he stealing my cigarettes? I just opened this pack.
Journal title: Sturges, you're a genius.
It's the day before Christmas, and Sturges just gave me the best early Christmas present ever. When we got back, I told Hancock to make himself at home and left him at the gate as I went to find Sturges. I told him my idea, and he said pipboys are a bit out of his field of expertise, but he should be able to manage something. I gave it to him, said thank you and went to the office. This morning he found me and gave back the pipboy. Said that these things were complicated, but he figured something out. He coded a holo tape to run as a recorder when the radio knob is pushed down. The holotape has to be in the pipboy, but it won't override other systems like one usually does. Pushing the knob will start the program. It will then detect voices (he preloaded his/ Pipers/ Prestons/ Codsworth/ mine and Hancocks how he managed that I'll never know). It will then create a text log of the conversation with the date and time on the program holotape. I can't wait to test this out. I wonder if I hit it just right on my hip, I won't have to be seen turning the program on or off so people don't know.
Preston asked how long I'll be in this time because Christmas is tomorrow and the snow has made travel hard, I told him we'll probably be here till the 26th.
Audio Recording 12/24/2288
Initializing
Program running
Time: 12:00 PM
Detected voices: Hancock, John. Gibson, Callie
John: There you are, princess, quite rude to bring a man over and leave him like a fish out of water
Callie: From what I hear, you found your way around Starlight just fine... Or was the Doc mistaken when she told me you were banned from shopping there in the future because you tried to get her to cure you... a ghoul of radiation poisoning then bought her entire stock of medx, stimpacks and addictol
John: She must be mistaken. I would never do such a thing
Callie: ... Sure Hancock sure
John: Gasp, you don't believe me? The most honest Mayor in the world, ouch, my poor dead heart. Look princess; I was wonderin' when were we getting back on the road? I didn't come with you to play Mayor at a settlement. I have an itch that needs scratching, if you know what I mean
Callie: One, ew and two, no, I haven't known you that long, so no, I don't. But we'll be heading out on the 26th, and I'd like to spend Christmas with my friends... You know what friends are, right? And I don't mean the special friends you have everywhere, it seems.
John: I know what a normal friend is, believe it or not, I have a few! But you could be a special friend if you wanted.
Callie: Do you always think with your dick... wait... do ghouls have... No, don't answer that I don't want to know. Do you know what I do know? Your statement about friends smells like bull shit
John: What's a bull? And I don't stink
John: Okay, maybe I do actually stink a bit, but what do you expect? I've been sleeping on the couch at the pub, and you don't exactly have a hotel here for guests.
Callie: I'm sure you can get some girl here to let you use her shower and bed
John: Oh? And are you that girl? The Mayor could get you clean
Callie: aha, not on your life. But you're right. I haven't been very... welcoming. I don't have my own place in Starlight per se, but my office has a shower and bed. You can use those... just maybe skip the hot shower and take a cold one.
John: Hot shower? Sister, I don't know what fantasy you live in, but if you haven't noticed, the commonwealth doesn't have hot running water
Callie: I have a name you know, and yes, it does
John: No, it doesn't
Callie: how much have you actually looked around the settlement?
John: I've been to the pub, the park, the farm, and the doctors. I didn't get a tour remember? You dumped me at the gate
Callie: HA! So you did fuck with the doctor! Follow me, you stale piece of turkey bacon
1:00 PM Hancock, John: So turkey is a large chicken, and bacon is both types of its meat mashed together and fried? How the hell would you know that? That sounds fake as shit.
Callie: I... read a lot and found some intact books. Here
1:30 PM sound detected "running water"
John: Wow, that's really hot, god damn
Callie: I told you, I'm many things but not a lier. You had your tour now I have paperwork to finish up. Like I said, maybe just take a cold shower to cool off whatever is in your pants.
Recording process terminated
Ending log
Journal title: Merry Christmas
Despite today being "his"... my... no... his anniversary, I feel... I don't know, honestly. The world now is so different from how it used to be. I've had no chance to just sit back and take everything in, so to speak. I'm expected to just accept how things are. Relationships are formed quickly... almost too quickly. I mean, I understand, I do. The person you're talking to today could be dead tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, so forming relationships quickly is understandable... That doesn't mean it's easy, though. That's just not how we did things. Shit like... whatever it is I have with Mags, that-that isn't something I would have ever done back in my time. I'm not saying I regret it; I don't. I enjoy our time together but Jesus.
I know Preston and Piper think I'm coping well and that I've come to terms with everything quickly, but I haven't. They don't know about the nightmares that keep me up at night or just how bad my smoking and chem use is. They see a pack a day, a chem when in a fight, but I don't think I've been sober since I crawled out of that vault... I'm just really good a hiding it. I did grieve "him" and Shawn and my world to a point, but with the settlements growing insanely fast and everyone depending on me, I've just had to push everything down and carry on like I'm fine. Do I still have those thoughts... from... when I tried? Yes, I would be lying if I said I wouldn't care if a raider took me out; I'm going to make them work for it because my dad would be disappointed if I just rolled over and let it happen, but I wouldn't care if one of them managed.
Shit, I think the kids are starting to wake up. I can hear them outside yelling, "SANTA CAME HE CAME HE CAME!" Okay, Callie, let's put our happy, friendly face back on and get out there; I promised Preston and Piper I would be with them today, and although trapped in my head, I will keep that promise.
Early evening update. There's no point in a new entry for today; it's hard to keep smiling when everyone keeps coming up to you, saying how thankful they are for what I've done for them. I didn't do shit. I just put out the ASAMS, and honestly, now that Starlight, Tenpines, Sunshine( we had to expand again) has grown past their capacity, I'm not even sure why I wanted to do the whole settlement thing. It's put me in way over my head. I thought it was a good idea at the time; why? I'm not sure. Maybe it was just ah-a coping thing, something to distract myself so I wouldn't have a chance to think about everything.
Late evening update. I'm at Piper's; Preston, Codsworth, and Jake are here as well. I wasn't expecting... anything. It took everything I had to not break down crying. I also didn't expect Hancock to show up. Just as we were getting started on dinner, there was a knock on the door. He asked if he could join us; Piper bless her heart, said sure. When he walked in, he tossed me a poorly wrapped box with two full tins of strawberry mentats inside. Said
"I know you ran out on our way here, and these are hard to find. They are my favorite too but I guess you can have them, that hot shower put me in a giving mood."
... I told him not to use the hot water. Preston told Hancock to be careful that my settlement might spoil him; if that happens, I'll never get rid of him. We all laughed, but Hancock didn't; he just smiled and said yea. Am I the only one who noticed the hint of sadness in his eyes when Preston said that?