Good Neighbor must have been named ironically. It was filled with so much corruption that no matter how naïve Marian thought of herself, she was still able to smell it. It was as strong at that urine smell that was the strongest of any city she’d been to before.

She hoped that her stay in this city was not going to be long. She didn’t like being surrounded by reminders of how ultimately useless her efforts will always be. This city was the biggest reminder she ever saw. Yet, whenever she heard someone offhandedly say, “live free, sister,” she couldn’t help but feel her heart soar with hope. She wasn’t sure if there was a reverse to gilding, but she suspected this city was that. The crime and corruption were the most visible things from a casual glance of this city’s personality but hope and comradery was what was seen underneath a scratched surface. No wonder why RJ liked this place.

Marian ducked into The Third Rail hoping that RJ was going to be there. She waved at the well-dressed bouncer and gave him a friendly smile. He looked her over and seemed to have decided that despite her still rugged appearance she wasn’t going to cause trouble. She saw his shoulders relax a little as his knees bent ever so slightly. She took this as an invitation to work on her reputation. She walked up to the ghoul, talking with her voice raised half an octave to sound younger than she was.

“I am so sorry; I forgot my manners yesterday. May I have your name?” She asked.

“It’s Ham,” the ghoul responded.

He seemed nice if direct, nothing about him told her that he would hurt her. Yet, he wouldn’t have a job like this in a place like this if he wasn’t dangerous. She just will have to avoid making him dangerous. She felt herself smiling slightly larger.

“It’s good to meet you, Ham,” she said genuinely. “Name’s Marian.” She held out her hand slightly, enough that he knew that she did want to shake his hand, but not so much that he would feel forced to.

Ham took a second to reassess her. “Whatever you’re selling, I’m not buying,” he responded.

“Not selling,” she told him. “I just figured that if shit happens, you’re the guy I want looking out for me.”

There’s that third assessment before he took her hand for a shake. She could just hear Alex getting on her case if he knew she was shaking hands of random ghouls without taking a Rad-x, but she knew how little radiation ghouls give off in skin-to-skin contact. “I hope you’re not planning on starting any of that shit,” Ham warned before letting go of her hand.

“That seems…” Counterproductive was the first word that came to her mind, but that word seemed to just open her up to a lot more lengthy and needless explanations. She knew she had good intentions, she just needed to convince Ham the same thing. “…like a good way to get dead.” She decided to settle with that.

Ham seemed satisfied with that and even smirked a little. Marian felt a thrill, she doubted he smiled often. “Glad we agree on that. I need to focus on my job, now. Enjoy your stay.”

“It was good meeting you,” she waved as she passed Ham and walked down the stairs into bar.

She wasn’t at the bottom of the stairs before she started looking for her brother. She looked for his hat on every head in the bar. If he took that thing off for any reason when she needed to find him, she would have to hurt him. Alas, he wasn’t in the bar area. She’ll have to check the VIP area, but after she gets some food from the bar. She shifted her posture and facial expression slightly as she reached the floor. She had to go from convincing Ham she wasn’t trouble to convincing everyone else that she was.

As she walked towards the bar, she kept her ears open to the conversations around her. She had to find work on her own and not expect it to come to her. A problem that only existed when she was in an area where no one knew her. She was passing the table between the stairs and the bar when she heard a woman mention how she would like to go to Diamond City.

Marian had to start building a new reputation, and this was an opening for a possible job. Neither woman looked like they were the type to get into daily gun fights. If the Commonwealth was anything like the Capital Wasteland, any distance between settlements was dangerous enough for even an experienced fighter to want company for an impending fight.

“Excuse me,” Marian interrupted politely. “I’m new here, what’s this about Diamond City?”

“I was just telling my friend here I’m planning on going back there,” the brunette woman said.

“I don’t like the idea of you wandering around the wasteland on your own,” her friend responded. “The roads are still too dangerous. And I don’t trust all those Institute synths running around.”

“I can escort you there, if you’d like,” Marian offered.

“For my life savings in caps?” the woman derided.

“I’ve never been there, so all I ask is that you’d be able to direct me in where we are going,” Marian offered. She slowly shifted her voice to be slightly harder than usual. This part was always a balancing act she hated. She had to convince a potential client that she won’t slit their throat, but that she’s still willing to slit someone else’s.

“How do I know you’re not a raider looking to kill me for a few extra caps?”

A common question.

Marian moved her right foot back and shifted her weight onto that foot, making herself seem as unintimidating as possible. She moved her hands bringing attention to the fact that they were opened and away from anything that might be thought of as a weapon. She needed the potential client to feel comfortable around her. “I cannot prove that I am not something. But I won’t push you. Go ahead and think about my offer. You can come to me any time and let me know if you decide you like it. Take your time, you have until someone else decides to hire me,” with that, she nodded to both women and turned back towards the bar.

She walked up to an area of that bar that was devoid of seats. The Mr. Handy that worked behind the bar was already hovering there, spinning a rag inside a glass. The rag didn’t look much cleaner than the glass. Marian was shocked at the sight of a Mr. Handy who didn’t care about cleanliness and found herself staring at the rag as she approached the bar. “Well, if it isn’t the person everyone is talking about,” the Mr. Handy greeted roughly. “What will it be?”

Marian forced herself to look away from the glass and rag and look in one of the robot’s three eyes. “I didn’t know that I was that impressive,” Marian bantered.

“Between the fight you had with Mr. Valentine, and the fact our good mayor is flustered with trying to figure out how you were able to sneak in and out of our fair city without him being told, you’re quite the conversation piece around here.”

Before Marian could take all this new information in and decide what that means for her reputation, she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She looked down at the bar to see if she should prepare for a fight and saw a shadow cast on the bar. She took in this information also, ready to protect herself if she needed to before she heard a ghoul’s voice behind her.

“That’s enough, Charlie,” the voice ordered.

“As you say, Mayor Hancock,” Charlie responded.

Only a stupid mayor would attack her in a crowded place like this. This city didn’t seem like the type to tolerate a stupid mayor for longer than it would take for someone to pull out a gun and put him out of the city’s misery, so she was probably safe at this moment.

“Put anything she wants on my tab,” the mayor continued. “I need to speak with this new visitor.”

“So, what will it be?” Charlie asked. Two of his three eyes were pointed at Marian, signifying that he was talking to her.

Marian took a moment to compose herself, it wouldn’t do for the mayor to hear a quiver in her voice while he was sizing her up. If he was sizing her up for a meal, she wanted to make sure he thought she was too big to eat, or at least he would be convinced of a few barbs getting stuck in his throat.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” she said calmly with a little vivacity.

“And what will that be?” Charlie asked, obviously losing patience with her.

She answered wrong. This was going to cause problems for her, she just knew it.

“I’ll take the usual, and a squirrel on a stick,” Hancock rescued her. “And if you don’t automatically make that two, there will be hell to pay.”

“Yes, Mister Mayor,” Charlie grumbled.

So, this mayor was not the kind to leave someone hanging, even over something as small as embarrassment. Marian accepted her squirrel on a stick and grabbed a bottle of “the usual” hoping that that didn’t mean anything that will get her in trouble. At least not before RJ showed up to get her out of trouble. She looked down at the hand that took the other squirrel on a stick and noticed that it sported a red coat with the undershirt having frills at the wrist.

The Commonwealth seemed to have a wealth of insanity. She was still getting a taste out of her mouth from fighting with someone who thought he was a noir detective. Did she have to deal with someone who believed he was a founding father as well? She was starting to think she should get her friends out of the Commonwealth and continue North before whatever was in the water started affecting them.

She turned around and faced a ghoul wearing an outfit that looked like he thought he was a character from Tristram Shandy. Tricorn hat and everything. She couldn’t help but start at the getup.

“I know, it’s not much to look at,” Hancock said with a shy smile.

“I think it’s a very impressive,” Marian responded automatically. “But you seem to have neglected the brass buttons.”

Hancock looked silently at her for a moment, and Marian quickly reviewed the past few moments hoping to find a way to save herself from a moment of lowering her guard. Before she could panic, Hancock started laughing. She reminded herself to get to Quincy as quickly as she could.

“Sister, you’re alright,” he finally said. “Fahrenheit, did you hear that? What do you think about me sporting some brass buttons?”

“Whatever makes you happy, boss,” she droned. “I’ll take a beer, put it on Hancock’s tab.”

Marian took this new woman in. The name told her that the woman had a history with Raiders. The body armor said she was used to gun fights, Marian would kill for armor that good, she had to sell all of her armor to help pay for food on the way to the Commonwealth. Still, that didn’t tell her what this woman’s job was here. Mistress, bodyguard, maybe both. The type of job which Hancock would want to keep her near him.

Mayor Hancock broke into her assessment. Reminding Marian that he was the bigger threat. “Come with me to the VIP Lounge. We have some talking to do.”

“If it is all the same with you. I would rather talk out here.”

Hancock looked at her as if he had never been refused before, then he looked at the tunnel that led to the VIP Lounge and back to her face. His posture seemed to shift as if he understood what she wasn’t saying.

“I understand,” he answered calmly, almost sympathetically. “But I need to speak with you privately. I promise, this will be all business.”

Marian looked directly into his jet black eyes and took in what all she knew about him as well as choosing to pay attention to her gut instinct. Nothing told her that she was in trouble. Even her gut instinct seemed to stay calm around this man. He did have a chaperone with him, which could be to help keep them both safe, or she could be an accomplice who would make a fight two on one. But he was mad at her, and not listening to his demands could get her into more trouble than it was worth. She had to take the risk.

“This is your city, lead the way,” she responded motioning to the tunnel with the crudely written sign sporting blocky “VIP” above it. She watched as the mayor turned and walked away from her. She took in his gait, how square his shoulders were, and how he held his head. This was a man who was comfortable in his own skin, and his authority. She hoped that meant she will be safe with him.

She soon followed him, noticing that Fahrenheit was following her more than him. So, either she really was a bodyguard of some type, or a very unhappy mistress.

The three of them entered the empty room with too much red lighting. Paintings and posters were on the walls, distracting her from the people who were with her. Marian decided to sit against the wall opposite the door, where she could see people entering and leaving while Hancock and Fahrenheit took up the other wall that had seats. She put her drink on the table next to her to keep it out of the way while she unloaded her gear. She set her backpack at her feet before she pulled her assault rifle, Faenus, from over her head and slid it under the chair she sat on. She made a point to keep one foot always touching Faenus. She had a paranoia of having her gun stolen when she wasn’t looking straight at it. A paranoia that had saved her life in the past.

Hancock sat quietly until she had settled in. “This is my head of security,” he gestured at Fahrenheit.

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The two women nodded to each other before Marian began nibbling on her meal. Marian found herself wanting to analyze that new piece of information, but she decided that she was getting dangerously deep in that rabbit hole. She contented herself to only chewing on squirrel meat, she can chew on information later.

Hancock smiled at her again. He may be crazy, but at least he seemed nice. “You wouldn’t believe the shock I got when I heard that a stranger to Goodneighbor decided to have a verbal sparring match with my buddy, Nick Valentine.”

Marian almost chocked on her meat. The guy who was yelling at RJ? The asshole was the type who thought he was smarter than everyone else and wanted the world to know it, the type she couldn’t stand. How could she have known that he was buddies with the mayor? Shit, she was surprised she hadn’t been escorted out of town for her behavior the day before.

“Are you ok?” Hancock asked sounding genuinely concerned.

Marian took in a breath, trying to regain her composure. “Mayor Hancock…”

“Just Hancock, please.”

“Hancock, I did not know that he was your friend. I hope that it is not a requirement to be cordial with that man,” Marian responded, unable to keep the vitriol out of her voice with the last two words. She let herself scratch the back of her hand to calm her nerves. She obviously had enough to focus on, not scratching could no longer be one of them.

“Not at all,” he reassured her. “From what I heard; you actually gave him a challenge. I don’t think Nick gets reminded often enough that he’s not as impressive as he thinks he.”

“So, what did you want to speak with me about, if not my behavior towards Soft-boiled?”

“I wanted to talk about how you came to this city without me being notified. The first time you enter Goodneighbor you’re a guest, and I like to be a good host and meet all my guests. But I didn’t see you until you were walking out my door. That makes me feel like I failed as a host,” Hancock explained.

Marian had to be careful with a voice like that. The man was charming, the kind of charm that could get Marian in trouble. She was finished eating and pocketed the trash before taking a swig of her drink. Suddenly she found herself coughing into the drink. “What the hell is this?’ She asked too loud.

“I see you’ve never had Bobrov’s Best,” Hancock responded taking a sip himself.

“I didn’t expect to drank anything that was paint thinner based,” she muttered before taking a much more cautious sip. “With all due respect, if I had known that said policy existed, I would have made sure to acknowledge it.”

“You didn’t know about the rule, and you aren’t in trouble. The guards who were at the door, however…” The mayor let the sentence hang unfinished.

Marian could feel the blood draining from her face, she knew a threat when she heard one. Even if the threat is for someone else. She caused some innocent people to get in trouble. She didn’t know what the punishment tended to be. It could be anything from a slap on the wrists, to having said wrists removed with the hands attached to them.

“I want to know what you did to sneak in, so I can give them the appropriate punishment.”

How the fuck did this man manage to sound menacing while keeping his voice even? Marian ran a hand along the back of her head, making a mental note for the fifth time that day that she needed a haircut. She quickly thought trying to remember what she did to sneak into a city this time. She had a variety of harmless tricks she sometimes used just to see if they worked. What did she do yesterday?

As she tried to think, RJ walked into the VIP room. She looked up, smiled, and nodded to him. A distraction that could buy her some time.

“Glad you came back,” he said.

“Like I’d leave you hanging. But I might be having a reason to move soon.”

“You have a job already?” he asked cautiously.

“Not yet, but soon. She’s thinking over my offer, but I think she’ll take it. Come sit with me.” Marian gestured to the couch next to her.

RJ sat down and handed her a mutt chop.

“You even cooked it for me?” she asked with a little tease in her voice.

“Yeah, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. I’m assuming I’m the only person in the room who doesn’t already know everyone else.” Marian was finally able to feel at ease. She could take her cues from RJ until she knows the other people in the room and how to stay on their good sides. She started nibbling on the new meal handed to her. This may be enough to make her feel satisfied for perhaps the first time since she left the Capital Wasteland.

“Good to see you again, MacCready,” Hancock greeted. “So, what’s this you said about a job?”

“My sister here is a bodyguard,” RJ explained, letting her eat. “She’ll stay in one place until someone needs to go somewhere. She’ll go with them and lend an extra gun when it’s needed. Then she’ll stay there until a new job comes around.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good way to make caps,” Hancock muttered.

“It’s not,” Marian responded. “I’m not good at making caps.”

“Then why do you do it?” Fahrenheit asked.

Marian suddenly found eye contact to be too hard. They didn’t need the whole story, just the quick reason. “I keep meeting people. People who need help. I can’t walk away, so I do what I can to help them.”

Hancock was the first to respond. His voice was quiet and even, either he was trying to reassure her, or he was setting up a trap for her. “That’s an admirable reason, and I can respect that. However, you’re still working in my town. Which means you still have to pay taxes. My tax rate is ten percent, but for a reason like that I am willing to go as low as eight.”

RJ snorted; Marian always felt awkward explaining how she survived to people who saw caps as the main goal to life. “The job I am waiting on the price is to be shown where Diamond City is. The price for the job that brought me here was radaway and directions here. Sometimes I get paid months or years after I do a job by being promised a free meal every time a former client sees me. If I ever have ten caps in my pocket, I normally spend them on food or stimpaks or something else I need to live until tomorrow. I’m not sure how I can pay taxes with any of that.”

Hancock was quiet as he listened to what she told him. He seemed sympathetic. But he was still in charge, and this was his money they were talking about. Marian was ready to find herself working outside the gate. It wouldn’t be the first time she was exiled for tax evasion because of the complications in taxing ten percent of a tato.

“I understand what you’re saying,” he said at last. “I do think what you say you’re doing is admirable, and I can relate to being unable to walk away from someone who needs help. But, I can’t just let you work here for free. Once I start that, no one will ever pay taxes, and a city can’t function on good feelings. So here is what we are going to do. Whenever you come to Good Neighbor, come see me in my office. I might ask you to do some things for me. If you can give me information that you think I can use, that would also help me out a lot. I’ll even give you a meal every time I see you. Anyone who can keep Nick on his toes is someone worth getting to know in my book.”

Marian felt relieved. She checked herself quickly. This man was the soul of his city. He might have the hopeful understanding of the people who wish her to live free, but he was still dangerous. She was worried he might pull her into situations she did not want to get into.

“Will I be able to turn down any job that you ask me to do?” she asked.

“A cautious answer. I like that. You can, within reason. I will pay you for most of the jobs, so you will still have room to negotiate. I promise not to stiff you on any jobs you do, either. You seem capable, and I think I could use someone with your skills, so I’m going to want to keep you coming back.”

Marian chewed on the idea as she chewed the last of her dogmeat. She handed the bone back to her brother for him to throw away without the negotiations having to deal with a hiccup. Her face flushed at the idea that he was talking about sex with her, but he had a bodyguard who was prettier than her. If he wanted sex, then he didn’t need to talk in circles to trap her. No, he probably didn’t see her as a prostitute. She wasn’t sure what else he could want from her, but if she didn’t take his offer, she wouldn’t find out. She would only find herself sitting outside the gate.

“That sounds like a fair deal,” Marian said as she scratched the side of her neck. She wiped her nails off on her pants. She needed new nail cutters. “I will warn you; I am planning on going back to the Capital Wasteland soon.”

“Can I come with you?” RJ interrupted. “I really would like to see Duncan again.”

“Who’s Duncan,” Marian asked, turning her attention to her adopted brother. “Wait, did you meet a boy? Does he treat you right?” She was happy to think that he found someone who made him happy during the years since she last saw him.

“He’s my son,” RJ answered.

Marian felt her face and heart both sink before her eyes grew with fear for the nephew she just learned she had. “RJ, you didn’t know about what’s going on out there?”

“Know what?” RJ asked.

Hancock leaned forward quietly, obviously just as interested. Fahrenheit sat back and crossed her arms, probably the way she showed interest.

“Shit is going on out there,” she panicked almost screaming. “That’s why I brought so many people here with as little as we had.”

“You paid to bring them here yourself?” RJ asked. He knew her too well. He would never have helped someone without payment upfront, but he planned to survive longer than she did. She’d rather make sure someone lived than get paid for it.

“It was better than the alternative,” She shot back.

“And what would that be?” Hancock asked calmly.

Marian took a deep breath, so much had been happening for so long that, to her, it just was. Her head was swimming with all the information and emotion. Now she had to put her knowledge into words. It wasn’t something she was good at, but everyone seemed ready to listen to her, which made it easier. “You know how things have been going to Hell since the Lyons died?” She asked her brother.

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s been getting worse. Exponentially worse. Are you aware that Elder Maxson is dead?”

“I helped kill him,” RJ answered.

Marian was silent for a moment. She had to stop herself from blaming RJ for anything that has been happening. He couldn’t have known; if anything, killing the head of the Brotherhood of Steel was very impressive. She never liked Arthur anyway, he was always a little shit.

“Do you remember how I use to lecture you about unforeseeable consequences?” She asked him instead.

“Yeah,” he said, then as if it he realized what she was saying too late, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” she responded looking away from him. She faced towards Hancock but was barely looking at him. She tried to take a swig of the Bobrov’s Best but found it empty.

“Go get another round for Ms. Halcombe,” Hancock told Fahrenheit. “I’ll catch you up on anything you need to know.”

“I’m a light weight, I don’t think I can handle another,” she explained as a polite decline.

“I insist,” he told her. “It looks like you’ve been in some bad shit and you could probably use something to help you relax.”

“Thanks,” she said as she went through shifting out the rumors and the lies in her head for the truth, as well as trying to get it all in chronological order and not bog things down with too much information. “Well, the idiot didn’t have any descendants to take over for him.”

“I thought the Brotherhood of Steel had ways of dealing with problems like that,” Hancock said.

“They do, the position is supposed to go to the highest-ranking officer still capable of leading until the next leader can get sorted out,” she explained. “Problem is, too many people didn’t want to wait their turn to be the next Elder. So now the entire group has fractioned into about a dozen clans all trying to be the next Elder family. From what I understand, anyone who can trace their lineage to someone who worked with Elder Roger Maxson is claiming their right to authority. Thank you.” Fahrenheit returned and handed Marian another bottle.

“So, what’s happening to the Capital Wasteland?” RJ asked.

“That’s where the politics gets fun. There are some clans who are trying to show they will still protect the people, so they started staking claims to areas for protection asking for resources to help them in return. I would like to believe that it started benevolently, but other clans started claiming territory as their own as a method to keep the clans they are fighting with from getting more resources. The whole area has become a feudal system with no king to keep order.”

“Shit,” Hancock drew out.

“What about the East Coast?” RJ was now in a panic. Marian was too tired from watching it all happen to feel that panic anymore. She could only think of the people still stuck there.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t know if they know about what’s going on, or if they care. I just know The Capital Wasteland is now the site of an ongoing civil war.”

“So, you got out?” Hancock asked.

“I did what I could for who I could,” Marian said. “I got a group of my friends together and we started North with no real plan about where we were going. We just had to get out.”

Everyone was quiet for a second. Marian scratched her jacket’s sleeve trying to get the itch out of her arm before drinking more of her moonshine.

“You said you were planning on going back?” Hancock finally asked.

“It’s what she does,” RJ muttered.

“There are too many people who are vulnerable. They need help, and I can’t expect anyone else to help them,” she explained. She then suddenly remembered that her brother’s family were some of those people she was just talking about. “Write me a letter.” She blurted out, turning to face him.

“What is that going to do?” RJ asked.

“I’ll go get Duncan,” she explained. “No one will believe I’m your sister, and rightfully so. We look nothing alike. But if you write a letter explaining things, I’m sure they will listen to me. I’ll bring Duncan back here, and his mother too.”

“His mother is dead,” RJ told her.

Marian slowed down from her excitement of having something to do. “My condolences. Then whomever you have watching him. I’ll bring them back here.”

“Look at yourself, Marian! Just look at yourself!” RJ snapped. “You’re barely alive as it is. If you go back, you’re going to starve to death before you’re even halfway there. I know you can survive in the Wasteland better than any Scavenger I’ve ever met, but you still have to figure out how to get Duncan and every stray you pick up back here with no food or water and I’m betting you have almost no ammo. I can’t ask you to go, not at least until you’re better prepared.”

“If I go now, I can help more people,” Marian argued. “Every day I wait, that’s more people who I can’t save.”

Hancock interrupted their fight, “You can’t help anyone if you can’t make it. I understand where you’re coming from, I really do. But you have to take care of yourself first.”

Marian sat back and brooded in her seat. Her drink was empty and she would be useless for anything but sleeping if she had a third. They were right. This was the first time in a month she didn’t feel hungry, and she still felt physically weak from suffering the constant hunger. She also knew that she didn’t have a long-term plan. Six people may have been accepted readily enough into one settlement, but what if she had managed to save all ten of the people she started out with? Would Quincy be able to handle a steady stream of people running from a war? These were complications Marian needed to face.

“Let me help you out,” Hancock said breaking the silence. “I’d like to help sponsor your refugee trips, but MacCready is right. You wouldn’t be able to make it in your condition. I need to get this city prepared for an influx of refugees when we are close to being ready, I’ll let you know. By that time, you will probably be ready, too.’

Marian was surprised by how accommodating Hancock was being. She was about to express her doubts when the woman she had spoken to before walked into the room. Marian shifted her attention to this woman.

“Miss?” The woman asked as she entered. “I made up my mind. I would like to have you go to Diamond City with me.”

This was good timing. Marian was in a bad mood now and could use an excuse to shoot at something.

“When would you like to leave?” Marian asked, tamping down her anger.

“As soon as we can? I’d like to get there before dark.” She said.

“Of course. We can leave as soon as I’m finished talking with Mayor Hancock.”

“Good to see you, Ellie,” Hancock greeted. “Why don’t you take a seat with us? We are almost finished here and then I’ll let you both get on with your business.”

“Thank you,” Ellie responded took a seat next to RJ.

“Before you leave, I do still want to know how you snuck into Goodneighbor,” Hancock demanded.

“You didn’t!” RJ responded. “Which trick did you use this time?”

“You’ve done this before?” Fahrenheit asked.

“I’ve been trying to remember,” Marian explained. “I think it was the one where I walked in and waved to a random person.”

“I don’t remember that one,” RJ admitted.

“It’s one of my newer ones,” Marian responded she knew she would have to explain it to keep Hancock from punishing his guards and perhaps her as well. “I came in with a client who’s been here before, which already made the guards think it’s possible I was with him before. Then I waved at someone, and Daisy, I hope she named her booth after herself, happened to wave back. I went up to her to talk and so the guards decided I must have been here before, they just assumed they weren’t on shift then.”

Hancock started laughing again. “I feel like I should be asking you if you have a Geiger counter.”

Marian looked at him very confused, she had forgotten he was insane since he had been so lucid until now.

“It’s an inside joke,” Hancock explained, “but thank you for letting me know. I’ll let you two go, and I do hope to see you again soon, Marian.”

Marian stood up; she slid her arms into the straps of her near empty backpack. She pulled Faenus out from under the couch and slung over her shoulder to have it in easy reach when they left the city. Ellie got up and joined her. “It was good to meet you as well, Hancock. Take care of yourself, RJ. I want that letter next time I see you. Fahrenheit.”

The two women then left the room to make their way to Diamond City. Marian did her best to leave everything about the conversation in that room. She needed to focus on the now, and she needed to make sure to get this woman safely to her destination.