After Adam had given Olivia a satisfactory story, even going so far as to wow her with the details, since Adam turned a dire crisis into an opportunity by making the place into a safe house, something he made Olivia swear to keep secret, he left, 2000 caps lighter. He still owed Olivia Frost 2200 caps but he had his armor, finally. He no longer needed to be nearly as afraid about getting shot when he went out.
He went back to his room in The Layover and tried it on, it fit well. Olivia had adjusted the size for him while he was gone but it was more or less perfectly fitted anyway. Wearing armor like this again felt… right. It had been a long time but he remembered it all as soon as he put the armor on. He even caught himself adjusting the straps as if he was about to head out on a sortie. He took off the clothes and then decided to take it easy the rest of the day.
He took off his vault suit and put on the bathrobe from the bathroom and then headed to the washer drier room. In there he washed his vault suit, finally, and his new military uniform. While he waited he spent some time reading and playing more Automotron.
After his clothes were sufficiently clean he swapped back into his Vault suit again and then went to grab dinner. Dinner today was Italian, not nearly as good as the food pre-war but more than enough for him to feel satisfied with his purchase. Dinner was 42 caps.
Finally, with the night nearing he had to decide how best to spend the rest of his night. He was considering looking into other venues to spend his evening, but considering how helpful the EMP grenade Eve gave him actually was, he at least owed it to her to show he was still alive. Maybe tomorrow he could find something else to do. But for now he was going to say hello to his assaultron friend.
"Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes~" She said as Adam walked in after he had left his gun at the door, the act informing him The Guild boss was in today. It also seemed that the singer was back tonight, perhaps the singer only sang on days the boss was in? Or perhaps it was a coincidence, in either case it was a welcome addition.
"Your head sensors or your eye laser?" Adam grinned as he sat down at the bar.
"Whichever catches your attention~" She said with a flirty tone before she walked over to where Adam was sitting, standing on the other side of the bar. "What can I get you?"
"White wine tonight. Maybe some nuts too if you got them."
"Of course." She said as she began to prepare the request for Adam. "So how did your adventure go?"
"Quite well." Adam chuckled softly. "Actually the reason I'm here tonight is to thank you for your help." He said warmly. "When I got there it was more problematic than I had originally assumed it would be, your EMP gave me the opportunity I needed to turn the situation around. In many ways it turned out to be a huge boon."
"I'm quite happy my old tinker toy was of help to you~" She said as she turned around with a small bowl of mixed nuts and a glass of wine for Adam, placing them in front of him. "Honestly I'm jealous, I miss my days exploring. Not that I didn't already do a lot of it. But some days tending bar can be a bit droll, you know?"
"Then why are you still doing it? Tending bar I mean. Why not become a Scaver again?"
"Truthfully I've been thinking about it a lot more recently." She grabs a glass, rinses it off and then spins her hand servo fast enough to get all the liquid into the sink, placing it down on a drying mat a moment later. "The change of pace has been nice here, and not forcing repairs on myself after every encounter has been nice too. But I miss the days of excitement, being on the hunt, seeing new places and people. But in all honesty what I miss is the thrill of combat." She turned to Adam fully now.
"I may be my own woman, but I can't ignore my programming. I live for the fight. So sometimes I wish I had more to live for than to tend bar." Adam nodded understandingly.
"I understand, honestly." He said as he sipped at the wine. "Truthfully I think I love it too, the thrill of throwing myself into danger." Eve lets off an amused hum.
"A fellow battle junkie?"
"A fact I never knew about myself. And I served in the army, so it's news to me." He grinned.
"So what is next on my fellow adrenaline seeker's docket?" Adam paused, his expression faltering as he slowly put down his glass and then sighed.
"It's time…" Adam said slowly. "It's finally time to hopefully get the answers I am looking for."
"Oh?" Eve leaned in. "Is this that Second Life thing you were telling me about last time?"
"Yes." Adam said seriously. "I've put it off long enough, made preparations, have good armor, an escort, plenty of ammo, I may need to stock up a bit more on stimpacks but I'm ready to go." He said with a resolute tone, he lifted up his hand a bit and saw it was shaking. "But I'm nervous. I don't even know why. I have this drive to get there but also a sinking feeling in my gut. I don't know what's going on." He put his hand down and sighed.
"All I know is I need to get there, and to be honest I have half a mind to grab my things and go right now, but I know that's a terrible plan, I want to give myself and my partner a day to relax, but I'm not sure I will be able to sit still tomorrow." Eve listened patiently to Adam's words before speaking again, softly and understandingly now.
"Those nerves, they are normal." She places a gentle claw on top of Adam's hand. "You don't need to force yourself to feel calm, nor do you need to act on your impulses. Just don't forget to live true to yourself." She pulled her claw back. "If you are nervous, take action so you won't be. If you are feeling anxious, steel yourself for what is to come. If you are excited, remember the challenges that you will face. You don't need to keep a cool head, but live the way that will give you the best enjoyment, don't be a slave to your own programming." She said, in an almost sagely way. Adam raised an eyebrow, taking in her words but choosing to tease instead.
"I'm human, Eve. I don't have any programming." He chuckled.
"Oh sure you do honey. Your parents programmed you from the time you were a child, then your school, your teachers, your society, your emotions, your instincts, you have far more programming than even I do." She let off a soft laugh. "No one is free from their programming, learning to overcome it and be the person you want to be is the tricky part." Adam sat in silence for a few moments before he sighed and downed the entire glass of wine.
"Another please." He smiled at her.
"Coming right up."