The first time she walked into Goodneighbor, Nora hadn't known what to expect. It was tucked away in the darkness of the Common, which had been a real bitch to get through alive, she had to say. Dogmeat padded along at her side without a scratch on him; something miraculous, compared to the cuts and bruises littering her limbs. Seeing the signs leading forward put a little pep back in her step, as she was curious about the haven she'd heard about from Preston.
Once she'd finally been waved through the metal door, of course, the first thing she saw was the tell-tale grin of a shark. He was dirty, and smoking a cigarette that clouded the air in front of her. She resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose in distaste. It had been nearly a year since her escape from the Vault, and she still couldn't get used to the grime and filth of this world.
"Hold up there." The dingy man held out his hand to stop her. "First time in Goodneighbor? Can't go walking around without insurance."
She knew enough about this strange world to understand that, at least. The man wanted money to leave her alone. It was too bad for him that she really /had/ no caps; not after Diamond City, where she'd bought some direly needed ammunition. She still didn't know where they got it from, but she wasn't one to complain.
"Look, I don't have any money." Maybe she could persuade him. "I came looking for work."
Nora watched the wheels turning in the extortionist's head. Dogmeat gave a warning growl.
"You got clothes, and weapons." The stranger leaned in with a toothy smile. "Unless you wanna work out your payment in another way?"
Men hadn't changed much these last 200 years. Just as she thought that, a vivid memory blinded her for a moment; Nate telling off a handsy bus rider on their way to her parents. She could remember the booze on the man's breath, Nate angrily pulling his hand away from her ass. The guilty thrill of her boyfriend's protectiveness. How she'd been nervous to ride alone again.
The grief that followed hardened her gaze and must have spoken much, because the man in front of her reached warningly for the holster at his side.
"Whoa, whoa. Time out."
Both of their heads jerked to the left, where a man waded out of the shadows. A very... oddly dressed man. At first she thought pirate, but a vague memory from her school days said American Revolution. The clothes themselves looked filthy and ancient, and patched multiple times. And she would have said that was the most notable thing about him, but for the ragged landscape of his skin.
A ghoul. That was another thing she was having trouble getting used to. During those first horrific weeks of her new life, the first ghouls she'd met were feral; gaping jaws and ragged clothes, crawling out of the trash and decay like roaches. Then she'd seen the sane ones, scrounging out lives in the Commonwealth and she'd been unable to stop the wave of pity that followed. The first few times, she admitted with some shame, she couldn't look them in the eye.
This one seemed different though.
"Someone steps through the gate the first time, they're a guest." The ghoul continued forward, a stern look on his face. The look of a man who held some power and knew it. "You lay off that extortion crap."
"What d'you care? She ain't one of us." There was a petulant tone to the first man's voice that she disliked almost as much as his lecherous sneer from before.
"No love for your Mayor, Finn? I said let her go." The ghoul replied.
"You're soft, Hancock." Finn, she supposed, spat out. The ghoul's black eyes narrowed. "You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor."
Nora hadn't noticed before, but there were two armed guards in suits who had been watching the whole exchange. They shifted awkwardly and had nervous expressions; they were probably kicking themselves for not interfering before. She doubted they were supposed to let this sort of thing happen.
At first, she thought the threat would go ignored. The mayor- Hancock- approached Finn with a lanky, chapped grin. "Come on, man. This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something."
It happened so smoothly she could have blinked and never noticed. The mayor lifted his arm as if to give Finn a pat on the shoulder, just as his other hand drove a knife into Finn's stomach twice in quick succession. The ruthless efficiency caught her off guard; she had to step back as the man crumpled to her feet in a bloody heap.
She should have been immune to the shock of death by now, but watching the life drain from a body still left her veins cold. She swallowed and waited as the mayor coolly wiped his knife clean on a stained handkerchief from inside his coat.
This man could kill me and never flinch.
"Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here." Hancock sighed at the corpse. Then he turned to her for the first time since the conversation began. "You all right, sister?"
It took her a minute to register, but she nodded and swallowed. Despite all that had just happened, he didn't look hostile. Then again, Finn had probably thought so too. Best to be careful just in case.
"Yeah, I, uh..." She floundered for something to say. "You didn't have to do that for me." Not exactly the confident thanks she'd been hoping for, but it would do.
"A mayor's got to make a point once in a while. Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome." He said. "So long as you remember who's in charge."
This last part was said with a sharper edge, so she nodded quickly in response. Staying on his good side seemed like a reasonable goal; he was the mayor, after all.
"Of the people, for the people. Got it." She held back the ludicrous urge to salute. She doubted he would appreciate the humor.
He studied her for a moment before turning towards a stately looking ruin to the left of the gate."Good, I'm glad we agree."
It wasn't until he was inside that she let out the lungs full of air she'd been holding and saw the passerby disappear back into the shacks, as if nothing had happened. The only evidence was the corpse spilling blood out onto the pavement.
Maybe Preston had been wrong about this place. As far as Nora was concerned, it was already a grimy deathtrap with a cold-blooded mayor and disinterested locals. Not exactly Minutemen material.
She stepped gingerly to the side and gestured for Dogmeat to follow her into the nearest local shop.
Best to do what they'd came for and get out of town as soon as possible.
"That was awfully nice of you."
Hancock didn't turn around as he walked up the stairs. He knew who it was that was trailing behind him- it was her job, after all.
"Nice wouldn't be how I'd put it. I'd prefer "necessary." Hancock said as he and Fahrenheit entered his office. "Finn shouldn't have been bothering newcomers, and I've warned him for weeks."
"I've been telling you that for just as long," Fahrenheit scoffed, "and you only got off your ass when a pretty face walked in."
Hancock barked out a laugh and fell backwards onto one of the couches, ignoring the squeal of old springs. Fahrenheit simply folded her arms and gave him an arched brow.
"What, I can't be chivalrous once in a while?" He asked with a cheeky grin matching her own. "So I saved a dame a few caps. Big deal. Don't sound so jealous." He clasped a bottle of opened wine from the table and took a swig.
"I'm not jealous, I'm moved." Fahrenheit said. "In fact, I think it's good for you. You could use some female company."
"You're female company. And so's Daisy, and Kleo, and whatsername from the back street-"
"In your dreams. I'm just saying, maybe you should start thinking about a little... stability."
Of all the things he'd expected to come out of her mouth, that wasn't it. Fahrenheit was a tough bitch who would sooner rip out a man's heart than settle down. He figured they had that in common.
Hancock peered at her from over his bottle. Quietly, he said, "What's this about, Fahrenheit."
She went quiet as well, shifting her weight and pondering her words. Finally, she responded, "You've been doing a lot of chems, boss. More than usual."
Hancock appeared to consider her words for a long moment. Finally he wiped his face on his sleeve and sat upright, putting the bottle down and clasping his hands.
It wasn't as if she was wrong. Fahrenheit had eyes like a hawk, and was loyal as hell. He just hadn't figured that his little breaks were that frequent. Sure, he'd had a few mentats, and some buffout, and a little cocktail of jet and psycho about an hour before...
"I'm a grown man." He finally responded, sighing and raking his hand under his tricorner hat. "I get that you're concerned, but I know what I'm doing."
"I know, I just thought... nevermind." Fahrenheit threw up her hands and turned towards the door. "Just don't shoot up so much we can't eat, alright?"
"Ah, fuck you." Hancock fired after her without much bite. The absence left him with his thoughts; and he found them drifting to the doe-eyed newcomer with the dog. He hadn't caught her name.