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“A normal life, huh? Let me ask you something. What life do I have to return to? What point is there? My mother's too busy looking in a mirror to look at me. My brother can't be there for me forever. He has his own life to live. My father kills people and ruins their lives for a living, and I've never even been good enough for that. So let me ask you again. What do I have to go back to? With a life like that, what'll even stop me from using again? Then all of this would be for nothing.”
Abbie was favored by her father Antonio and he worked on forging close ties with her while she was still a child, something her mother described being like keeping a pet dog. She was the favorite and Antonio bonded with her the way a mafioso knew best, eg. by executing people who ran afould of the family with her in attendance, then letting her hold the still warm gun,[1] She sat on the meetings, learned the tricks of the trade, and of course basked in affection and received numerous gifts. In Antonio's opinion, she would have made a top-tier made woman.[2]
The situation changed dramatically when she entered her teenage years, starting to become a young woman.[3] Antonio abruptly started ignoring and pushing her away. Antonio decided that the misogynistic culture of the mafia and the exclusion of women from the power structure would only set Abbie up for disappointment. Rather than talk to her and explain the situation, he simply suddenly excluded her from Family business, putting distance between them, hoping that she'd take the hint.[4] Abbie took the hint - and felt sidelined and hurt,[5][6] as her father chose the absolutely worst possible way to encourage her to choose an honest trade over the mafia "life".[7]
While the decision to push away a rebellious teenager was rooted in genuinely wanting the best for her,[8] Abbie lashed out. Rebellion eventually turned into severe drug addiction, as she chose the one drug that she knew would make her father hurt: The Devil's Blood. Abbie made some feeble attempts at getting clean, but the paradox was that her desire to get clean was the highest while on the drug, and whenever the effects wore off, she only thought about getting more of it.[9] Her relations with her mother suffered as well, as Evelyn was hardly a model parent, preoccupied with her show business career. She did try her best, of course, but the bonding never really happened until later.[10] Abbie was basically left to raise herself on her own, without support from either parent.[11] The self-destructive path continued for years, with her father absolving himself of any responsibility by treating her desperate attempts to reach out as histronics[12] and pretending he played no role in pushing her into the habit - and that nothing would happen that would render her unable to afford the Blood.[13]
The situation changed dramatically when Quentino Lombardi went dark and his sister, Concerta Lombardi, started making public appearances representing her brother. Abbie's father became a marked man, and the whole family was forced to flee Atlantic City for the safety of Appalachia.[14] Antonio started to feign senility, gambling that perhaps nobody would want to kill a frail, old man who isn't even aware of what's going around him.[15] While whacked out on drugs, Abbie was aware of the ruse, but never did anything to contradict it.[16] Despite that, Concerta took no chances and dispatched hitmen to Appalachia to kill the entire family as a precaution.[17]
By the time Concerta's hitmen caught up with her family, Abbie's sudden loss of access to the Devil's Blood manifested as intense withdrawal. Teetering on the verge of a psychotic breakdown, the attack on the nightclub pushed her over the edge, leaving Abbie broken and in desperate need of another dose of Blood - or better yet, an antidote.[18] Abbie wants to quit the drug - or rather, get rid of a substance that has so much power over her.[19] The crisis also provides an opportunity for recovery and mending relations with her family, though after two decades of deliberately pushing Abbie away, it's going to be a challenge to salvage any kind of working relationship.[20]
Interactions with the player character[]
Interactions overview[]
Interactions
This character ignores combat and cannot be damaged.
Opportunity Knocking: Abbie suffers a psychotic break during the attack on the nightclub, setting in motion the events that bring the dwellers to Atlantic City.
All the World's a Stage: While in Acee, the dwellers and Abbie's mother, Evelyn, try to source some Devil's Blood to buy time so that she can be cured.
Sins of the Father: After receiving a dose of the Blood, Abbie returns alongside her father to Atlantic City, to find a cure for the addiction. Whether or not she accepts the antidote and gives her family a second chance depends on the player's interactions with her father in the previous quests. There are three outcomes:
Abbie decides to give her family one more chance and tries to find a way to mend fences with her parents. She takes the antidote and returns to Appalachia.
Abbie decides to take the antidote, but stays in Acee to separate from her family.
Abbie refuses the antidote, disappearing in the ruins of Atlantic City. She seems to no longer be found in the game world, and her family is uncertain if she is still alive. Evelyn and Vin are worried, but Antonio feels his daughter is too stubborn to die.
Other interactions[]
If the player complains about Abbie whining, this appears to greatly upset her and make the player receive the ending where she refuses the antidote and stays in AC.
"All the time, but in reality, I'm not even sure how to imagine a different life. I love my parents. I love my brother. I just... wish I wasn't such a problem for them."
"How am I supposed to believe that all the shit Vin and I have been through is what we were destined for? We deserved better. We still do. I don't know. I've caused plenty of problems, myself. Now I'm just... trying to figure out how to make things better."
"You're both the same, aren't you? I've wanted to put my feelings into words for years but never thought I'd find the right opportunity. I don't know how to reach you. It's like I'm the unstoppable force and you're the immovable object. You just won't move. I could mold myself into the perfect daughter, play the right cards... but it wouldn't even matter. Because you'll never change. Maybe I started taking Blood to get you to look at me again, but now? It's the only thing that makes me feel a little less empty."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Starting them early on crime, I see." Antonio Russo: "Of course you're gonna look at it like a cynic. That wasn't the intent. It was, you know, father-daughter bonding. She'd watch me make a fella go cold and then get to hold the gun afterwards. Wholesome stuff."
↑Antonio Russo: "I know you're not supposed to have a favorite kid. But I did. And it wasn't Vin. When Abbie was real little, I took her under my wing. She was a total daddy's girl, showered with affection and gifts. I used to let her sit in on all of our meetings. I showed her the ropes. I hate to admit it, but she would've been a top tier made woman. But there's a reason they call La Cosa Nostra the Family. It's 'cause it replaces your real one. And you've gotta fuck over your real one to keep the Family happy."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "So what changed between you and her?"
Antonio Russo: "What didn't change, is the real question. Abbie, she was...you know, getting older. Becoming more of a teenager and less of a little girl. She was slowly becoming a young woman. And that was the problem."
↑Antonio Russo: "I wasn't about to set Abbie up for disappointment. Train her all these years just to be rejected. I just distanced myself from her. Didn't let her sit in on my work anymore. I never told her why. Over time, she just got the hint. And that's when she started acting out. She knew I was the big player moving Devil's Blood around AC. Dunno if she knew I discovered it, but that doesn't really matter now, does it? There's tons of chems you can get hooked on in this shithole. But she got hooked on the one thing she knew would irritate me. Trouble is, Blood is highly addictive. She got in to spite me, but there's no getting out with that poison."
Vault 76 dweller: "Is it an issue that she's a woman?"
Antonio Russo: "For me personally? No. I wouldn't have let her get that far if I didn't think she could handle it. But it's not me that I'm talking about."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "What's your relationship with Antonio like?" Abbie Russo: "Pfft. What relationship? When I was a kid, he used to keep me by his side like a little leech. When I started getting into my teenage years, it just...stopped. He never told me why. I guess he just got bored of me."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "What can you tell me about your daughter, Abbie?" Antonio Russo: "My daughter... You know, I still remember catching little Abbie with a pack of candy pilfered from the convenience store. So clever. So stubborn! *laughs* I never thought she would, uh... Were we talking about somebody?"
↑Vault 76 dweller: "You left her to fend for herself with no explanation. Of course you're responsible for her addiction!"
Antonio Russo: "I never thought something like this would happen! I thought she'd take up an honest trade. I never wanted this. Not for Abbie."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "No one here is at fault. She was just a child, and you were under the thumb of the Family and didn't have a choice."
Antonio Russo: "She was a child, only a teenager. Her brain was hardly, well...developed. Yeah, I was under their thumb. Maybe I could've done better. I could've kept her close. But it might've screwed us both over in the end. And I don't know if I could live with myself if it got to that point."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Have you ever tried to get clean before?" Abbie Russo: "There were those fleeting moments where I'd say, "This is my last dose." "Moments" is the word there. By the time I crashed, I wanted more. It's funny. My willpower was always highest on Blood, and lower the more sober I got. I don't think I thought I'd ever have to leave AC. Life kinda forced my hand here."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Do you mind if I ask about your family?"
Evelyn Russo: "I hope this isn't some attempt at counseling. Our American Dream didn't work out exactly as planned. Sue me for it."
Vault 76 dweller: "I wasn't looking to counsel. Family is messy, I get it."
Evelyn Russo: "They say it's life's most difficult and most rewarding endeavor. They are most certainly right on the former. But... I sometimes think about where I would be if I hadn't said yes. If I hadn't thrown caution to the wind. If I hadn't stuck around to raise little Vincenzo... and then Abigail. It feels like a string of reckless coincidences, but those were choices I made. Choices I wanted. In the end, life is much more vibrant with them around, don't you think?"
↑Antonio Russo: "We? Oh, no Abbie. You're not coming."
Abbie Russo: "What's your excuse this time?! I'm an adult. I can handle myself. I've been handling myself for years now, thanks to you and mom!"
Antonio Russo: "Ey, don't bring your mother into this! Yeah, you've been handling yourself? Look how well that's going. You're so strung out you're on death's door."
Abbie Russo: "Strung out on a drug you sold."
Antonio Russo: "You little-! My word's final here. You're not coming. Wait for us here. We'll be back with the blood."
Abbie Russo: "You'll never change, will you?"
Antonio Russo: "Go ahead, walk away. It's not like I'm trying to save your life or anything."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "You drove her away. Now you have to deal with the consequences of your actions."
Antonio Russo: "I didn't drive her away! She's overreacting, just like she always does! This is your fault. Even now, you just stand there and do nothing. Get out of my face. Tell Gene I won't be coming back. I don't want to see the likes of you for a long time."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "You didn't stop to help Abbie all of these years. Why now?"
Antonio Russo: "Listen, when you're handling the kind of high-pressure shit I was, you don't have time to babysit your kids. Abbie chose this path, and she has to face the consequences of it. I didn't step in because, well, I figured she'd always be able to afford it. Everyone's strung out on something in AC, kid. Most people can't afford to get out of it like she can."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "How has no one caught on that Quentino is dead?"
Antonio Russo: "Concerta has it spun that he's just weak from old age and can't make public appearances no more. Truth is, she's probably gonna come out as don sooner or later, but is trying to ease into the process. That is, if the Family accepts her. She's going to face some opposition, even without my beautiful mug around."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Why were you pretending to be senile?"
Antonio Russo: "Two words: Concerta Lombardi. That woman has a bounty on my head that ain't gonna be repaid in anything but a body bag. Who's gonna wanna whack a frail, old man?"
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Does your family know about all this?"
Antonio Russo: "To a degree. Evelyn likes to stay out of it. So long as I'm bringing home dough for her to maintain her, uh, lifestyle, she doesn't care. Vin doesn't ask questions. I don't think he wants to know the answers. He's too busy frolicking in Muni land with imaginary unicorns and rainbows. As for Abbie? She might know the most. Ironic."
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Were those assassins after you?"
Antonio Russo: "Probably. Not the first time I had soldiers on my tail like that. My wife 'n kids are pretty good at pissing people off, too. So could be them. I wouldn't be surprised if Concerta wanted to whack the whole family. Just to be thorough, you know?"
↑Vault 76 dweller: "Do you feel ready to quit?"
Abbie Russo: "I'm not sure. I feel like the decision was made for me by circumstance, you know? If we never had to leave AC, would I still have tried to? I don't know. Right now, I feel like shit. And I don't want to be strung out on something that has this much power over me for the rest of my life. I know that much."
↑Abbie Russo: "*sighs* I want the antidote. I want to get better. Dad, trust is something you've gotta build up to and maintain. You've spent two decades showing me I can't trust you. It's not like one good experience can undo all the broken promises. I'm sorry, but it's too late to salvage this."
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