So here's an awful story.

...judging by what amuses a lot of people around here, maybe not so awful after all. Whatever: I'm trying to break up with Piper.

As a sneaky character, I got her approval high early in the game, and she started having "talks" with me. You see, I'm a family man, taking care of her sister impressed me. She has her heart in the right place, she sees ruthlessness got mankind where they are right now, yet she's still sarcastic and funny most times (e.g. random commentary entering sneak mode in Dungeon-type environment). Yet my character is also mourning his wife, I mean, the thing literally had just happened. At any rate - I don't want a relationship with her.

Now, having never really flirted with her previously, the "final" approval dialogue came up, I shot her down. Apparently however, they gave her some kind of "safety" conversation (the innuendo slope is just gonna go downhill from here on in), so she brings it up again - as we are currently exploring the surreal very-present-apocalyptic hell that is the Glowing Sea, fighting off the devil's oversized and underfed rejects, wearing Power Armor.

Women, huh?

Being a man though and thus not as helplessly impulse-driven and predictable, I suddenly felt flattered by a pretty girl playing for my ego (and I hadn't seen the new romance "mechanic" thus far) so I was intrigued enough just to try what would happen - you can always reload, right? Well, you can, unless you spent the last hour roaming about a vast, hostile landscape with incredibly strong Legendary enemies and never even look at your Pip-Boy. I got my now most favourite weapon from that same adventure, so I decided not to actually reload. You can always just break up, right? I mean, you can apathetically walk away during the very climix of any earth-shaking revelation; surely you can tell a girl things aren't working out?

Well, you can't. So far, so life-like.

I have since long resumed traveling with my trusty dog, but I still feel incredibly bad about Piper. I can't even send her home to her sister - me! The guy who told her she should cherish family, since it's all she's got! I don't wanna murder someone just to show her how bad a pick I am. I took her on a romantic burglary in Diamond City and repeatedly touched somebody else's household items with an unsettling smile on my face all night, and she still refused to acknowledge a compulsive weirdo like that is not gonna grow old with anyone!

So you see my dilemma (I meant the Fallout-one, not all the more concerning ones this accidental essay shows I clearly have). I happen to share all her hobbies and dislikes (e.g. helping innocent people, killing innocent people) but I still want to end the romantic relationship, without going out of my moral way and thus having her instinct of self-preservation do it for me. Like a normal person - no seriously.

TL;DR Is there a more efficient way than stealing something, yet less "efficient" than murdering someone, in order to break up with Piper?

Thanks for your time & attention, everybody!

-TRM

P.S.: You damn right, TL;DR. I could have wasted your time opening up a new thread with just one badly spelled question, but at least this way, I may have provided an interesting case-study for any passing-by psychology student. If you should be an infant, reading this on your parents' computer by accident however, here's a funny smiley face to make your day: Stay in school!

There is now a PC mod for sending the key followers "home" so yes, Piper can return to Publick Occurrences.

http://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/10029/?

You could always be a dirty, two-timing rat and smooth-talk your way into Cait's bed while Piper is watching... That is sure to get the fireworks flying!

You can send Piper home by just hitting [TAB] to exit the conversation when the list of Settlements comes up to choose. Course I didn't know this at first either, but now all my companions go back home when I'm not using them. (WHY the option to send them home isn't in the game is beyond me. Come on Bethesda, THINK).

I've had these 'talks' at the most awkward times also. You can just ignore them and wait until you get home. They don't seem to mind waiting. Just walk away when they try to start the talk, then later just use the talk option and it will start up again.

As far as where you are now, here's a list of what each companion likes, dislikes. You may just try giving her drugs (she doesn't have to use them), or use drugs in front of her, etc. Eventually she'll want to break up.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_4_companions

While I really appreciate games trying to work romance into their stories, I have yet to see it done very effectively. Honestly, I feel the arc of the relationship between Bastila and the player character in the original KoTOR has been the best so far, should the player take the romance path. Minor spoilers:

See, that works because it's based on slowly evolving, emotional growth. The key is for characters to go through conflict (with each other), and still decide to be together. Without that...it's infatuation, not love. Even later Bioware titles cheapen this aspect to a great extent.

In most modern games, you have a few chit-chats about your past or personal thoughts with someone, and suddenly you're willing dedicate your life to them? So...our characters have the emotional development of 12-year-olds?

it's been 200 years. it's time to move on. piper needs a good man and you need a good (virtual) woman.

What you need is to go on vacation together and give it one more shot, I hear Far Harbor is nice.

Heh, at any rate, it's gonna get us on any Wasteland afternoon talkshow. Thanks for the pointers (and sympathy) brother!

I wasn't really taking a poll here, stop turning this into a me issue! It's not my fault I'm adorable.

Can't you just tell her to go home and keep the house clean?

I'd have liked the option like in the previous Fallouts (FO3 and FNV) to have a same-six relationship. I'd like to make MY character more like me, atm because I can't I've never really "jelled" with him.

You do. All romancable companions are playersixual.

On one of my light side playthroughs I impulsively joined Bastila flip-flopping my character to the dark side. I just couldn't help myself...

Gryphon: That is only possible if you didn't send her somewhere else before that. How difficult would it be to add "Home" to the list.

Not if you've already (accidentally) sent her somewhere else. Like i did. To have her wait for me. Now she just goes back to the last "home" she was assigned. I've had a thread on this forum where I also felt bad she could not return her to her sister. Oh well i guess farming at the castle in full armor is her destiny.

Do they actually cat-fight? I've got them in separate settlements for efficiency sake, but this would be fun to see.

I'm not going to prevent myself from admitting that I did not avoid doing the same thing...

Actually, I think the "dark side" ending was pretty great, and it seemed as if the story flowed better if you started off playing light-side, then "fell" after that certain "point". Some of the dialogue from companions was quite cool if you did it that way.