A week later, I finally left Sanctuary. A feeling of safety and of home crept up on me there, and made leaving much harder than I'd anticipated. I came across Dan and his pack brahmin as I headed down the road towards Red Rocket. He offered to escort me to Goodneighbor since it was along his route. The ghoul was very gracious after the way I had treated him. I gladly took him up on his offer. Traveling alone in this godforsaken world held no appeal for me.
Dan had a knack for putting me at ease. He spoke at length about his former life as a door-to-door sales rep for Vault-Tec. At my puzzled expression, he explained the company, and the vaults to save people from the inevitable nuclear devastation. I had asked him if he had a space in the vault that Nate's family did, and a sour expression crossed his otherwise amicable face.
"No, the company left me to rot. I doubt many of us who held my position made it through the war. It was just sheer dumb luck that I was turned ghoul and lived this long." he said.
"So you're quite a bit younger than me." I said with a laugh to quell the tension.
Dan asked me about my age, my life, and my world. I asked him about his life before the war, and how he's fared since. We talked well into the night even after we had made camp. The next morning we got a late start, and took our time on the road. I felt a little better about this world at each settlement we stopped at. The people were always eager to see Dan and his wares, but also to chat with him. I guess good men were hard to come by. Those that existed tended to be either traders, settlement leaders, or humble farmers.
Our last day traveling together before arriving at Goodneighbor was unseasonably chilly for the post-apocalypse. The only clothes I had aside from the deep blue dress I'd found and was wearing were my original outfit from Connecticut, a set of road leathers, and the various leather armor components Preston had helped me create. After shivering for an hour, Dan draped his trench coat over my shoulders. We both laughed at how it fit me. As short as I am, the hem grazed my ankles. At least it was nice and warm. I was concerned that he would freeze, but Dan said ghouls tended to run hot. I took him at his word.
We crossed the gate into Goodneighbor that evening, and said our goodbyes. Feeling impulsive, I gave him a hug. Dan's expression changed from surprise to delight in short order. The way he would look at me when he thought I didn't notice wasn't lost on me. Before dashing down the road between shops and the Old State House, he softly kissed the corner of my mouth. I stood there, stunned, with my hand covering the spot where his lips had touched me.
A knowing chuckle came from one of the shops. I turned my head towards the voice. A female ghoul was leaning against the entryway to the store.
"That poor boy is absolutely smitten with you, honey. Seems like you're playing with fire." she drawled.
"I… I have no idea what you're talking about. We're just starting to become friends." I said indignantly.
"Ah Daisy, stop teasing the kid. She's barely set foot through the gate, and here you are harassing her." said another ghoul exiting the State House.
The man carried himself with authority. His outfit certainly added to his overall demeanor. A red coat and tricorn hat from the 1700s gave him a look that clearly indicated who was in charge of Goodneighbor. Dan had warned me about this Hancock. The mayor took shit from absolutely no one.
"Do either of you know where The Third Rail is? I'm supposed to be meeting a friend there." I asked, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.
The mayor had a highly amused expression on his face. He pointed towards the path Dan had taken after the kiss.
"Down that street, around the corner and to your left. Maybe you and your 'friend' should have a couple of drinks together. You two can head over to the Hotel Rexford for some privacy after." Hancock said with a grin that clearly indicated he thought Dan was the friend in question.
I ignored the waves of laughter at my expense, and took off towards the bar. Now that I was actually there, meeting up with Nick became my largest concern. As I walked, I kept finding my fingers returning to the spot where Dan's lips had been. What the hell was that all about anyway? From a first hug to a kiss in just moments? I needed to clear my thoughts before entering the bar, or I really would end up having a few drinks to forget things for a while. Not exactly a good place to be in mentally when business was at hand.
My distraction was interrupted by the bar's bouncer. He waved me ahead, and directed me downstairs. I was grateful that Preston and Dan helped change my mind about ghouls. Screaming my head off and brandishing a weapon at every one of them I ran into would get me killed, sooner or later. Probably sooner if I spent more time in Goodneighbor.
Music wafted up the stairs from the bar below. A sultry woman's voice singing along made The Third Rail feel like a place one could truly kick back and forget their worldly cares. A Mister Handy bot with a bowler hat was serving drinks to the mostly ghoul patrons. I spotted Nick sitting at a corner table near the bar. A little nod of his head indicated that he had seen me as well.
I made a beeline for him. It'd been six long weeks since I'd last seen my synth sleuth. As I neared his table, he patted the seat right next to him. I was glad to have a moment with Nick after what had seemed to be a lifetime at Sanctuary.
"There's my lovely lady. Did Sanctuary meet your expectations?" Nick asked, sounding as if he knew about the mutant attack.
"It was certainly a learning experience." I said dryly.
"First time getting shot? It takes some getting used to." he said.
"I'd rather not have enough experience to get used to being shot. Any word on the getting home front? It's been too long, Nick." I asked anxiously.
"I've found a lead for us, but you might not like it. Come take a walk with me. Better to not have prying ears around us." he said.
Nick stood, and offered his hand. Without hesitation, I accepted his assistance. We set off towards the stairs, and he slipped his arm around my waist. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. I looked into his glowing eyes, and asked what was up with the intimate touch.
"Have you ever met anyone who followed a couple as they left a bar for the night?" he asked.
"Not that I can remember. That doesn't answer my question though." I said.
"We're just heading out for a little canoodling, dollface." he said with a wink.
After leaving the bar, we headed for a dark corner near a place called the Memory Den. No one was nearby, and it seemed safe enough for whatever Nick was going to tell me without being overheard.
"Hold on a sec. Not even gonna attempt to steal a kiss, Valentine?" I asked, trying hard not to laugh. Not to say that the prospect didn't hold some thrill.
"Maybe another night, lovely lady. With everything surrounding your case, I've been reluctant to take this step. But I kept coming back to the Vitruvian man on the medic's uniform that you saw immediately after your crash. A small detail but if it stuck out to you, it holds some importance from your world, and possibly mine." he said.
"I know it was…unique, Nick. But why are we here? What the fresh hell is a memory den?" I asked. This had the feeling of something both monumental and inconsequential.
"We need to see more of what you may remember from your world before you ended up here. The Memory Den will do just that. Hook you up to one of those pods, and we'll be dancing along your synapses in no time." he said.
Nick opened the door for me, and my brain was on the line once again.