Adam found that his king sized bed in his room was even more comfortable after sleeping outside recently. He decided that any complaints about living in this giant metal underground chamber would henceforth be thrown out the window exclusively because his bed was so comfortable.
The next day Adam woke up and had breakfast in the cafeteria with a number of other people. A few were bleary eyed and hung over from last night's festivities but most still had a lot of pep in their step. After breakfast he saw the people beginning to pack their things, Grant was helping the refugees prepare for the trip back to Naper and, as he learned upon offering his help, Salvatore offered to escort them back since the APC was currently out of commission. Somehow he had also convinced Pearl to join him, probably due to the idea of 'protecting kids'. In either case it was certainly going to be more quiet around here when the refugees left.
"Adam…" Eric said as he saw Adam wandering the halls, running out of his room to meet him.
"Oh, Eric, what's up?" Adam said curious as he turned to look at him. Eric's expression was nervous and sheepish, he also did seem to have more energy than he normally was used to him having, but it was a good change on that last part at least.
"I um…" He began, nervously.
"Go on." Adam said, gently coaxing him to speak. Eric took a slow deep breath and then stared up into Adam's eyes.
"I want to stay." He said bluntly without hesitation now. Adam looked at him confused.
"Stay? You mean here? In the Vault?" Adam asked, confused.
"Yes."
"But you have a home in Naper, a sister there, a whole Inn to take care of, why would you-" Adam began before Eric cut him off.
"I've told you before the Inn is my sister's not mine…" He said with a sterner tone than he meant to have, immediately softening it after. "I… never really like working there." Adam nodded slowly.
"I remember. I encouraged you to find a job that made you happy, sparked interest." Eric nodded slowly now too and seemed to work up some courage.
"To tell you the truth… When you came to Naper the first time I had never once questioned my lot in life, I was born to an Inn family and I would die doing that. But then you told me it doesn't have to be that way and I began to… think." He paused looking off to the side for a moment. "The truth is I didn't come to the vault just for a change of pace, to see what it was like, or for safety…" He began slowly matching Adam's eyes again. "I came because of you." He said with a resolved tone now.
"Me?" Adam asked, confused.
"Yes." He confirmed with a nod. "When you rolled into town on that APC, for the first time in my life… I knew what I wanted to do." He paused and then sighed letting go of some of his energy for a moment to recenter himself. "You can fix vehicles, robots, computers, vaults." He said, slightly more impassioned again. "I want to learn from you, I want to be able to do the same. I want to be able to make those metal beasts of ages past run, I want to know how to fix a generator or a robot, I want to know what you know…" He said, staring into Adam's eyes. "I know it might seem like an imposition, and it is but… please. I think for the first time in my life I can see something that excites me beyond a day off from work." Adam was completely caught off guard, not at all expecting this turn of events from Eric of all people. He had expected him to go home with the others. But now he was asking to stay here, in the Vault, and more than that he was asking to learn under Adam, wanting to become some sort of mechanic or IT guy. It was both flattering and a bit nerve wracking after all Adam had never been a teacher before. Would he even do any good?
"I um…" Adam said, caught on the backfoot, uncertain what he should say in response.
"Please, I promise I will pull my weight, I will cook and clean, I will make sure all tasks here that I can do I will do, just give me the opportunity to learn, that is all I ask." Eric practically pleaded.
Adam sat in silence for a moment before he let off a long sigh.
"Alright, you can stay." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose a bit. "I can't promise anything though I've never taught anyone anything so a lot of it will be on you to simply learn from what I do, okay?" Adam asked.
"Absolutely." Eric beamed brightly. Adam sighed again softly.
"What about your sister? What about the Inn?" Adam asked, confirming.
"I will… go back to Naper, with the others, and say goodbye to my sister, tell her what I'm doing, and then come back with Salvatore." He paused. "As for the Inn, it's none of my business, my sister runs it. If she needs another worker she can hire someone. I'm my own man, I can make my own life." He said with a firm tone. It seemed he had already thought this through and just nodded.
"Alright then. So be it. I will wait to do repairs until you get back. Just be prepared the APC is dirty as hell and I got a ton of robotic repairs to complete so my list is quite long. And that's not even to mention the generator. I can't even teach you that." Eric nodded.
"Don't worry I won't slow you down." He smiled and offered Adam his hand. Adam chuckled softly and then shook it. Eric then turned to walk back to his room, to pack overnight things for his trip back home before returning again. "Oh, and by the way… I'm not the only one who wants to stay." Eric said before he sheepishly ran away without explaining further.
By the time the refugees from Naper were ready to go home he had been approached by a number of people who were requesting to resettle in the Vault as a permanent home, all of them promising to do everything they could to keep the vault as comfortable and clean as they could. Adam was not exactly expecting to build a settlement when he came back to the Vault, all he intended to do was to set up a base and home for him and his friends and fellows, but ultimately, having more people here would make the maintenance requirements of the Vault much easier to handle.
In the end Adam agreed to accept all of the refugees who requested to stay though only Eric and a few others would return back to Naper to say goodbyes and collect their things, the rest had no intentions of leaving if they didn't have to.
By the time the refugees were returning home along with the few who would come back a new sense of community was already beginning to form within the walls of the Vault. Those who had decided to stay, to live here, were already talking about how to make the Vault a home, and the future their children would have safe from radiation and creatures alike. Everyone was optimistic. Adam, on the other hand, felt overwhelmed, but at least happy to have given a new sense of hope to the folks he would now be living with. His friends, his robots, and all 24 refugees, or rather, new settlers from Naper including Eric. Suddenly, without any expectation from Adam the Vault was once more alive with people thinking of the future. The first time it had living souls in it for over 200 years. Excluding, of course, Adam's awakening.
Regardless, with the new people here he still had tasks to do, now, even more than before. The prospect was equally exciting and frightening but he was energized to see what their little rag tag community would make.