Adam eventually managed to break away from Eve and found Deccanus sitting in the communal space, holding a large chunk of wood that he got from god knows where, and was currently carving off pieces of it with a little knife he had.
"Hey Deccanus." Adam said as he took a seat nearby. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel…" Deccanus began, without looking up at Adam, before he stopped both speaking and carving at once. "Introspective…" He finished after a moment.
"What's on your mind?" Adam asked, leaning on the table he was sitting at.
"I suppose this is no different than the thoughts I shared with you the night I came here. I am still… unsure if this new lifestyle fits me."
"You still feeling uncomfortable?" Adam asked, curious. Ready and willing to help and offer advice if needed.
"No." Deccanus said surprisingly. "Well…" He then said quickly, rounding back on his quick answer. "I am of two minds… I find… this place suffocating, I can not see the stars, hear the sounds of life, feel the wind on my skin, taste the moisture in the air… however I have never before felt so… safe." He said, punctuating his words at the end seriously. Adam nodded slowly, trying to understand his reasoning.
"So you are uncomfortable with the feeling of safety?" Adam asked for clarification.
"Back in the Legion, safety came in numbers, even a deathclaw was smart enough not to attack a camp of legionnaires. When I left the Legion, though my heart remained strong, my mind had to remain vigilant, I traveled alone. A single soldier is easy prey for many who wish to test their mettle. Creature or otherwise." He paused. "I have no concern about that here. There are no creatures, no monsters, no raiders, nothing that could threaten me, I should be feeling free but I feel… entrapped." He admitted. Adam nodded.
"I'm pretty sure you have claustrophobia." Adam said after a moment. "It would explain why you feel uncomfortable down here, why you do not enjoy large crowds and skip out on parties."
"I fear nothing." Deccanus asserted, Adam raised a hand gently.
"I just mean that it would help to explain why you are uncomfortable."
"What do I do about this claustrophobia?" He asked, slowly.
"Well…" Adam said, scratching his chin. "I don't know." He chuckled softly. "I'm a soldier, not a psychologist. But I think if you were to ease yourself into this life, down here, ease yourself into large groups that might help. If you feel trapped down here, go above to the surface for a while, you don't have to spend all your free time down here. You can go anywhere you want. And then, when you feel more up to it you can come back down." Deccanus nodded and then paused in silence as he thought.
"That… seems a smart option." He considered.
"The point is." Adam said warmly with a soft smile. "You can still live your life the way you want, you don't have to step out of your comfort zone. If the Vault makes you uncomfortable you don't have to stay here."
"No." Deccanus said quickly. "I have sworn to follow you, I made this vow the day I asked to follow, this is your home and so too shall it be mine." Deccanus said standing up now. "However, a break from these… metal walls seems a smart plan, it will allow me to feel the breath of the wind for a while, I shall return when I have made peace with myself." Adam nodded.
"I hope a little fresh air does you good."
"As do I." Deccanus said with a firm nod before walking off, presumably to get some air outside. He had a pip-boy too after all, he could get in and out as he needed, though Adam never specifically showed him how to use it, so he would check on him later if he didn't come back inside. Teaching Deccanus how to use the Pip-Boy seemed like a good use of his time. Now if he could only convince Deccanus to wear some better Armor.
Armor. The word reminded him of the 12,000 cap goal that sat in Olivia's shop, as well as the promise she made to Adam, that she could upgrade his clothing with ballistic fibers to enhance its durability and bullet resistance. If Deccanus refused to drop his old Legion garb then perhaps he could ask Olivia to upgrade it. Food for thought at least, something to keep in mind.
Adam still had a laundry list of things to do, from fixing the generator permanently to making the robots all operational to a ton of other long term plans. He was far from being without something to do. However since Eric had specifically asked to learn from him, he had to wait to do much of the work he would have done otherwise.
His APC, the repairs to the robots, generator, the sentry turrets that needed installation, computer repairs, and probably more he wasn't thinking about. It really cut down his options for work. However, he also realized, he didn't need to throw himself into work. Yes, there was still a ton that needed doing, there was no doubt he had piles of work to be done, but he had only just yesterday stopped Famine, he deserved a little break.
So with that in mind he decided to help the new vault residents make the vault feel more homey for a little while and then headed to the Gym to get a workout in.
According to the files from Second Life, if he understood it correctly, he did not need to work out much, if at all, to maintain a good physique, after all a healthy, strong, and attractive body was a selling point to rich VIPs interested in getting a second life from the company. Still it probably would still help to keep him in good shape if he were to try to keep up some sort of routine. After all, now, even more so than when he was on the front lines, his physical capabilities directly contributed to his long term health. Being a Scaver was dangerous work, he needed to stay in top form.
There was a question in Adam's mind if he would remain a scaver or not. After all, he had a home now, he no longer needed money as badly as he did before, theoretically he could live in the Vault forever and never worry about anything on the surface again if they got food production running.
However this was a short lived idea. Chicago is in danger. Whether it be from the horsemen or simple raiders, he can not simply seal himself in a hole in the ground and watch the world burn around him. That is what Vault Tec was content to do, but not him. No, one way or the other, he would get involved again. Scaving was a good way to earn money, money he would need to fund his other adventures, besides with the threat of Famine gone there were no doubt new places to explore, untouched loot. He couldn't give up now.
So, with a firm heart and confidence in his path forward he grabbed one of the dumbbells off the rack and sat down and began to test his own limits with a workout.