Chapter song: Little Drop of Poison by Tom Waits
"This should be the place," Ivy said, looking to Dogmeat and giving a smirk of uncertainty and shrugging her shoulders. "Let's meet the Silver Shroud."
Ivy pulled open the large double-gated junk doors and casually walked into Goodneighbor. It smelled of soot, old tobacco, and steam. The brick was weathered from centuries of abuse from the elements. A man stood in the way, arms crossed, body crooked to compliment the crooked community he was a part of.
"Hold up there. First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance."
Ivy wasn't too taken aback. This wasn't her first run-in with some asshole wanting to "protect" her or offer her "insurance" for the Commonwealth.
The Silver Shroud radio show continued to play through her PipBoy.
"Fuck off," she says, starting to walk off.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't think you'll be too happy going through here alone. Goodneighbor can be.. uh... Unpredictable... heh," he smiled, showing a few of his yellowed teeth.
"Screw this." Ivy pulled a small dagger from her boot and nonchalantly stabbed the man in the neck. "Sorry, mate."
She watched on with the citizens of Goodneighbor as the man bled out and collapsed, gurgling and gasping for air the whole time.
From the corner of her eye Ivy spotted a red frock. A ghoul, tall and cocky-looking, peeked down at the dead body lying on the ground. He smiled. "Whoa ho ho, I like you already! Walk into a new place, make a show of dominance. Nice."
"I'm sorry for this. That's the way the Commonwealth is, right? Always need to be on guard. I hope Goodneighbor is the same way." Ivy places her dagger back into her boot and pats Dogmeat's head along the way.
"Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people. You feel me? Everyone's welcome." The ghoul took a drag from his cigarette.
Ivy smirked. "Thank you, er..."
"Hancock. I like to think I take after John Hancock, true American troublemaker."
"That explains the get up. I visited this place with my family in the past. I recognize your hat as Major Thomas Melville's."
"I see we have a history buff on our hands," Hancock snickered. "How would you know about Melville?"
Ivy waved it off. "Long story."
"Maybe another time, then. Anyways, welcome to the neighborhood."
"Thanks. I'll see you around, Hancock." Ivy extended her arm to shake Hancock's hand.
He was surprised. Most people wouldn't even look at a ghoul, nevermind touch them. He awkwardly shook her hand. "Yeah, I guess you will see me around."
Ivy tried wandering the community but was becoming easily distracted by the colorful characters she passed by. She wandered into a small shop to the right of the entrance and smiled as she made eye contact with the ghoul running the register.
"Oh. A new face walks into my store. And you're not even screaming, yet. Very polite. You let me know if anything catches your fancy."
"Thank you. Did you say something about people screaming at you?" Ivy felt saddened. She knew what the shopkeeper meant. Being a ghoul was a hard thing to deal with in the Commonwealth. She was sure of it.
"That's right. Some newcomers have never seen a Ghoul before. Can't handle a friendly face, I say." She smiled and put her hands together, stretching her arms out front.
"I agree, Miss...?"
"Daisy. Just Daisy, darling."
"What's it like, you know, being a Ghoul?"
"Well, it's a lot worse when people always ask you about it all the time, but I guess I can't blame them. On the upside, I look pretty good for being over 220 years old."
Ivy's face locked up. "Wait. You're 220 years old?"
"Okay, okay, it's more like 270 years, but don't go blabbing that to everyone. Being a Ghoul means you live a long time. You stop counting birthdays. Do you know what it's like being old?"
"Actually... I do." Ivy but her lip and looked away.
Daisy just snickered lightly. "Well, now you're just making fun of me. If you were as old as I was, you would've been around since before the War." Daisy looked on at Ivy didn't make eye contact with her anymore Daisy's face turned into one of curiosity. "So let's hear it. Come on. Tell me what the world was like before the War, if you're so ancient."
Ivy sighed. "I had a beautiful house, white picket fence, and a lawn with the greenest grass you'd ever seen. It was... peaceful."
"It was... wasn't it?" Daisy trailed off, a longing look in her sunken and sorrowful eyes. "Sorry, last thing you want to see is an old lady tearing up." She composed herself and smiled once again. "Well, you're either the most well-preserved Ghoul I've ever seen, or you're the second-best bullshitter in Goodneighbor."
"It's the truth. All of it." Ivy nodded and reached her hand out to comfort Daisy, softly touching the back of her hand in a friendly show of solidarity. "So what do you remember? About the past?"
"Oh sweety, I was an angry young woman back then. Thought the world was sick and wouldn't give me my due. Then it all ended, and well, I ended in a way. Becoming a Ghoul... Maybe when you get to my age everything starts to look like fate..."
"You're still beautiful," Ivy said. "Inside and out. Thank you for this. It gets so lonely being out there on your own with nobody who understand. Except, of course, for my old Mister Handy, Codsworth."
"Every bit helps, right doll? Anyways. Thank you for all of that. Hey, when you get a chance while you're in town you should visit the Hotel Rexford. Another prewar ghoul lives there. It's always nice to be reminded of how we're not alone."
"Thank you, Daisy. I'll do that when I can."
The Silver Shroud program was almost put at the back of Ivy's mind as she strolled down the damaged streets of Goodneighbor. Before turning the corner to go down a small alley she heard Hancock's voice from atop the old state building.
"Hey, everyone! Gather 'round! Let's kick the breeze back... shoot the fat..." he folded his arms over the balcony and looked around below him. He was stately. Strong. "Now, I know you all are doing your own thing. But I don't want anyone here to forget what matters..." He drifted off and eyed Daisy. "Hey Daisy, glad you could make it. How's my favorite girl doing? Didn't I see you on a date with Marowski the other day?"
Daisy motioned at Hancock with her hand and laughed. "He wishes!"
"All right, all right. We're getting off track. What was I saying?... Oh, that's right! What matters..." Hancock suddenly made eye contact with Ivy and paused for a split second before quickly turning his eyes away. "We freaks gotta stick together! And the best way to stick together is to keep an eye out for what drives us apart, you feel me? Now what out there in our big, friendly Commonwealth would want to drive us apart? What kind of twisted, un-neighborly boogeyman would want to hurt our peaceful community?"
A drifter cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up at Hancock, "The Institute and their Synths!"
"That's right! Who said that? Come on up to my office, later. You've earned yourself some Jet." Hancock stopped and rolled up his sleeves, turning even more serious than he was when he started his speech. "The Institute! They're the real enemy! Not the Raiders, not the Super Mutants, not even those tools over in Diamond City."
A triggerman interrupted, shouting, "I don't know, Hancock. I'd sure love to give McDonough a kick in the ass!"
"Hey, we all know I got my own personal beef with that lard-head, but stay focused! Now, I want everyone to keep the Institute in mind." He peered around at the entire crowd, the citizens watching his every move. They were enchanted by him. He was confident with them. "When someone starts acting funny. When people are doing things they don't normally do. When family starts pushing you away for no reason. We all know who's behind that kind of shit. And the only way to stop it is to stick together. They can't control us if we're not afraid! Now who's scared of the Institute?"
The crowd gathered under him cheered and shouted. "Not us!"
"And which town in the Commonwealth should the Institute not fuck with?"
Again, they shouted back at him. "Goodneighbor!"
"And who's in charge of Goodneighbor?" Hancock asked smugly.
"Hancock!" The crowd praised him.
Ivy watched on as the crowd and Hancock shouted, "Of the people! For the people!"
Ivy gazed curiously at the powerful ghoul as he confidently sauntered back into his state house. She thought about the display she had just seen and decided to continue her exploration of Goodneighbor.
As she turned the corner she realized she was walking toward a dead end in the alleyway. Garbage lined the alleyway corners.
"Hey, you want a job?"
Ivy jumped and noticed a slot in an inconspicuous door that had been slid open. Half of a ghoul's fave was peering out. All she could muster was "What?"
"I said: Do. You. Want. A. Job?"
"Who... are you?"
"Bobbi No-Nose. No more questions until you answer mine. Do you want a job or not?" The ghoul was getting frustrated. Her voice turned sour and impatient.
"If you expect me to work for you, I'm going to need more information than that." Ivy crossed her arms and prepared herself to just walk off. This was getting too strange for her, even for a postwar job.
"Curious type, eh? Alright, I'll spell it out for ya. I'm digging a tunnel in my basement. I'm hoping it'll get me past an impenetrable security system and into a big stinking pile of loot."
"Are you going to tell me what we're actually doing?"
"Look, we're pulling a job here. Big payoff. Taking some things that aren't technically ours yet."
"That's just straight up stealing. No way." Ivy started to walk away.
"Tons of caps to be made," Bobby whispered after her. "Just listen to me. Those pigs down in Diamond City have a massive stockpile of caps, meds, and chems just waiting to be picked at. Just some manual labor and it's all ours. That and you need to bail a pal of mine out of jail."
Ivy knew she needed the meds. She could sell the chems and keep the caps. She was here for work, after all. "And Hancock wouldn't be upset if we did this?"
"No way. This is all for the greater good. You'll never find a more fair and honest job."
"Somehow I doubt that," Ivy quickly snapped back. "But I need the caps. I can't keep going on like this."
"Good girl. Come on in."
"Hancock?" Fahrenheit stood in the doorway to Hancock's Office. "Got news for ya'."
"What is it doll?" Hancock lifted a capsule of Jet to his lips and inhaled deeply, slowly sinking into his couch.
"No-Nose is reopening the dig. Found some info on her terminal." She had written a small passage from Bobbi's terminal on a slip of paper, followed by Bobbi's half-assed map. "Looks like it goes straight to your strongroom."
"Oh, Bobbi. Always one to keep her tracks wide open. Makes things so much easier for us, doesn't it?" Hancock held Fahrenheit's notes in his hand and looked them over, exhaling Jet as he spoke.
"A guard caught wind of the new girl agreeing to help Bobbi with the Job."
Hancock paused and finally looked up at Fahrenheit. "She never told me her name. You got any dirt on that?"
"Ivy."
"Ivy. Does she know what Bobbi's true plan is? Or is she in the dark like most others usually are when they're with her?
"Most likely in the dark. I'll set up with some triggers in the strongroom and take care of things." Fahrenheit got ready to leave.
"Wait." Hancock smirked. "Give the new girl a chance. Let her make a decision about what's going on. Let's see where her loyalty lies."
"She has no loyalty to anyone. Possibly the Minutemen. Not too sure yet."
"A loner. I like it."
Fahrenheit stood at attention in Hancock's strongroom, waiting for No-Nose and the others to turn up.
"Now remember. Don't shoot immediately. Hancock's orders," she hissed at the triggermen.
A loud boom radiated through the ground and shook the walls of the strongroom. Fahrenheit and the triggermen held on to the metal railings along the walkway that overlooked the large, open room.
"Brace yourselves," Fahrenheit warned. "They might be violent. Most likely not, but take no chances. Get prepared. Be ready for combat."
Bobbi, Mel, and Ivy entered the strongroom and stopped abruptly.
"Bobbi, what are you doing here?" Fahrenheit asked smugly.
Bobbi pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shit."
"You seriously didn't think Hancock would catch wind of your scheme?" Fahrenheit sounded disappointed, but the three of them knew she was expecting this to happen.
Ivy spoke up. "Hancock shouldn't care about us stealing from Diamond City."
Bobbi looked down. "Yeah, about that..."
"I see the rest of you are in the dark about this," Fahrenheit said as she crossed her arms.
Ivy started panicking. "Mel was right. This isn't Diamond City."
"So what? This doesn't change anything. It is still the same job," Bobbi sneered.
"Dammit, Bobbi," Mel growled.
"Listen guys, I know this isn't what you expected," Bobbi started to explain. "But there are still a ton of caps on the line here. Help me take her out and all of it is ours."
Ivy was close to crying from fear. "What is this about, Bobbi? Why did you lie to us?"
"I knew no one in their right mind would help me rip off Hancock. Everyone is so damn afraid of him or so damn in love with him. He thinks he is invincible. I wanted to show him he wasn't." Bobbi started to pull a small pup pistol from her back pocket.
The triggermen waited for their orders from Fahrenheit. They stood with their heads high. They were ready for confrontation. They were excited for it.
"You lied to us, Bobbi. And you have to pay," Ivy said. She felt herself strengthen up.
Bobbi cocked her old, rusty pipe pistol. "You can't do this to me. This isn't how this is supposed to go." She paused, waiting for a change of mind from Ivy. "Know what? Fine. More for me!"
A shot rung out as Fahrenheit fired a bullet straight into Bobbi's right arm. Bobbi attempted to transfer her pistol to her left arm, but lost control and dropped it on the floor.
Ivy quickly grabbed her dagger from her boot and ran to Bobbi. Shots stopped firing as Ivy got her in a stronghold, pressing the dagger to Bobbi's throat. "You fucked up."
A quick motion of Ivy's arm and Bobbi was on the floor. Mel stood down, shaken and unsure of where to turn.
"You made the right choice, new girl," Fahrenheit said as she eyed Bobbi's corpse. "But seriously. What is it with you and that knife?"
Ivy shrugged. "Dramatic effect?"
Ivy walked up the creaky and splintered spiral steps up to where Hancock stood, leaned against the door to his balcony. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. It ain't anything bad," he said, sincerity in his voice. "Just you taking care of Bobbi. I ain't proud of having to put you through that."
"You seem awfully torn up over Bobbi. Was there something between you?" Ivy secretly hoped for a 'no' from Hancock.
He took a drag off a cigarette. "Nah, nothing like that. I just hate seeing guys like me use their sway to do that kinda harm. Hell, that sorta bull's the whole reason I became mayor in the first place. Some ass named Vic ran the town for I don't know how long before that. Guy was scum. Used us drifters like his own personal piggy bank." He exhaled smoke through his nose and threw the butt on the ground, stamping it out with his boot.
Hancock started talking again, leaning his head back. "He had this goon squad he'd use to keep people in line. Every so often he'd let them off the leash, go blow off some steam on the populace at large. Folks with homes could lock their doors, but us drifters, we got it bad. There was one night, some drifter said something to them. They cracked him open like a can of Cram on the pavement. And we all just stood there. Did nothing."
"You can't blame yourself. It sounds like you were outmatched. Probably would've killed you too."
Hancock sighed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "You're right, but it was still spineless. Felt like less than nothing. Afterwards, I got so high, I blacked out completely." He bit his bottom lip for a second and then pursed them. "When I finally came to, I was on the floor of the Old State House. Right in front of the clothes of John Hancock." A smile slowly crept across his face. "John Hancock, first American hoodlum and defender of the People.
"I might've still been high, but those clothes spoke to me, told me what I needed to do. I smashed the case, put them on, and started a new life. As Hancock. After that, I went clean for a bit, got organized, convinced Kleo to loan me some hardware. Got a crew of drifters together and headed out into the ruins, started training. Next time Vic's boys went on their tear, we'd be ready for 'em."
Ivy smiled. "Why not try and reason with Vic instead of creating a militia?"
"Hey, if I thought for a second that would work, I would've tried," he sounded almost insulted. "Or at least, thought about tryin'. So the night of, we all got loaded, let Vic's boys get good and hammered, and burst from the windows and rooftops where we'd been hiding. They never even saw it coming. We didn't have to fire a shot. We didn't have to. But we sure fucking did. It was a massacre.
"Once we'd mopped up, we strolled right into Vic's quarters in the State House, wrapped a rope around his neck, and threw him off the balcony. And there I am, gun in hand, draped in Hancock's duds, looking at all the people of Goodneighbor assembled below. I had to say something. That first time I said 'em, they didn't even feel like my words: 'Of the people, for the people!' Was my inaugural address. Became Mayor Hancock of Goodneighbor that day. And from then on, I vowed I'd never stand by and watch. Ever again."
Hancock extended his hand, revealing a pile of caps. "Here. For protecting my stash."
Ivy began to interject, but Hancock stopped her.
"Wise decision, putting Bobbi down like that," he said with a smile.
"I'm sorry. For everything," Ivy sighed, regretting the whole ordeal.
Hancock slowly brought his hand up to Ivy's chin, raising it to look in her eyes. "Hey, this is Goodneighbor. No hard feelings." He relaxed his arms again and leaned deeper against the door as Ivy's face flushed slightly. "Lemme tell ya. This classy little tricorner hat of mine is getting heavy. Am I turning into the man? Some kind of tyrant? I spend all my time putting down the people I would've been proud to scheme with just a few years ago. I need to take a walk again. Get a grip on what really matters: Living free."
Ivy quickly caught on to what Hancock was implying. Was she really getting harried around a ghoul right now? He was strong and powerful, but something in him was comforting her in a way she hadn't felt for a very, very long time. "If you're heading out, why not come with me?" She blurted it out so suddenly. It didn't even need to be thought about.
"Yeah. I like it. You might just be the right kind of trouble," he smirked. "Let me just have a little chat with my community, first. Give them the news."
Ivy felt her heart jump a little, still unsure of why she was getting flustered over him. "Can you just leave Goodneighbor? Aren't you the mayor?"
"Hey, the mayor's still the mayor, whether he's "in residence" or not," he shifted his legs a little. "I've walked out of here plenty of times. Keeps me honest. Can't let power get to my head. That's not what being in charge of Goodneighbor is about."
"What's it going to look like - us being together on the road and all?" Ivy wanted to know what she was getting into, regardless of her feelings.
"I'm a man of the people, you know? I like getting out there and helping the little guy. And then stabbing anyone trying to keep them down," he played with a small dagger he had hiding in his stash. "You already tried to knock over someone else's stash, so I know we see eye-to-eye on the 'getting your hands dirty' part of life. So what'd ya say?"
Ivy thought for a few seconds more. "...what the hell. Why not?"
"I'll be right back, then. Why don't you step on out with me on the balcony?" He turned around and opened the door, holding it open for Ivy.
Hancock took a similar stance as he did earlier when having his short speech with the people of Goodneighbor, crossing his arms along the balcony railing. "Hey! Everybody, gather up! I got something you all need to hear."
Ivy stood and watched, back against the heavy brick wall of the Old State House. Hancock opened his mouth and sighed. "No rush... Everyone just take your time..."
As the people gathered around they couldn't help but look up in confusion. Hancock raised his hand, quieting down the soft whispers coming from below. It's was dark out. Almost night time. The streetlights cast an oddly beautiful golden glow in the streets of Goodneighbor.
"Look everyone," he started. "I'm taking a walk. It's time for your fearless leader to get back out there. Mix it up in the dirt before I forget what that feels like."
A watchman balled his fist and his face became distorted. "You can't leave, Hancock! We need you!"
"Hey, I'm always gonna be here in spirit, my man. Goodneighbor and I, we got a connection. But like any hot-and-heavy relationship, sometimes you gotta spend time apart. Let things cool off. Remind yourself of who you are. So that's why I'm leaving. I'm still your mayor, I'm still gonna be here when you need me, but it's time for me to stop living so damn comfortable. Because we all know, no one in power deserves to be comfortable for long! Now what's the best town in the Commonwealth? Where can someone live free? With no judgment?"
The crowd answered back in excitement, "Goodneighbor! Of the people! For the people!"
"And don't let no one forget it," Hancock added.
He smiled solemnly down at his people and slowly waved to them for the last time in a long time. As the balcony door closed behind them, Hancock looked back at his new companion. "So, you ready to get this show on the road?"
"I guess I have no choice now, do I?" Ivy chuckled.
"Not a bit." Hancock gave Ivy a crooked smile and tugged at her hand. "Let's get out of here."