just saw Cait playing around with my Power Armor

is it just an animation, or can she mess it up somehow?

http://abload.de/img/2016-01-06_00014q7kv4.jpg

It's just an idle companion animation, they don't really do anything to your PA LOL

Yeah, leave your power armor at the station in Diamond City and every random inhabitant in the city will be seen tinkering with it.

Random settlers will do this too. It's just an animation though. They aren't actually changing anything.

Look closer and you can see the cable you use to open vaults. Animation is also like she has an pipboy.

And its just idle animations, they had it in Skyrim to, Serena especially used crafting stations.

In FO4, followers even man settlement shops if the shopkeeper is away, you can however not trade

Danse however just walk around looking stupid, he could at least use guardposts.

One thing the companions do that I don't care for is they'll light a cigarette and smoke while standing around. I've seen Cait and Piper do it.

I saw Dogmeat shaking what looked like a Teddy Bear toy the other day. It kind of blew my mind because I had not seen him do that before. I have him located at RR and built a doghouse for him. He goes in it and lays down a lot.

She is just being nice. She is waxing and detailing your power armor.

They'll only smoke if they have smokes in their inventory. You probably gave them some when you were offloading all of your junk on them. Similarly, Dogmeat only plays with a teddy if he's got one, although it's possible he'll pick one up of his own volition. I dunno.

I like that animation, it even has a glow from the cigarette.

I'm not so sure about that. Dogmeat doesn't need a bear in his inventory to do that animation. Not so sure about cigarettes, but I never pick them up so if Cait and Curie have them in their inventories they didn't get them from me. Curie, though, seems to pick up stuff all the time on her own volition. I'll try to give her something and her inventory will be full of all manner of stuff she's grabbed. Guess she's a good source of scrap.

She's installing a bomb.

Strong plays with terminals pressing random buttons, it is funny to watch him slowly click them.

I've never seen dogmeat doing this.

If you look busy, people will leave you alone.

Try taking piper into a drug den and see her go nuts with jet.

“Make fun of me accent, will ya? Take some psycho after helping me drop my habit, will ya? Let's see how you'll like it when I put some additional...mods on your precious Power Armor.”

Dogmeat doesn't need teddy in his inventory to play with him. Nor will he randomly pick one up, and have it show up in his inventory. I don't pick up teddy bears...... Dogmeat seems to have his stashed somewhere on his person though, that doesn't show up in inventory, as I have seen him play with it, even after I have taken everything out of his inventory. I don't do human companions if I can avoid it, so, no idea about cigarettes.... I haven't seen dogmeat light up, at least.

I am pretty sure this is not spoilery.

Give dogmeat a bear or a monkey and he does indeed play with them. (as in hand him one in inventory screen) he might do this as an idle as well but he for sure does it when you hand him one.

Piper smokes well for me way more than Cait and thats without giving em anything. I have also seen Cait eat if you happen to be near a table and doing nothing.

LOL Would be cool if they did do upkeep on a player's gear once their friendship reached a certain level or the npc is just one of those helpful kind types.

I only notice them smoking after I've asked them to travel with me again. It's like they pick up bad habits from the other settlers at my settlements. Once we start traveling they don't smoke.

I've seen Hancock (which seems about right) and Valentine both stand there and to Jet after Jet after Jet, even without having any in their inventory. At first I thought he was using it all up, until we traded and he didn't have any in his inventory, but kept going.
Some of the idle animations are entertaining.

Ironically, a settler "working on" PA is a sure-fire sign they are *not* busy...

The companions or other NPC don't need anything in their inventory to show the scripted behaviour. MacCready and Cait, my usual companions, smoke from time to time and have definately no junk stored. The Castle's old vendor Minutemen lady who's name I always forget is also addicted to smoking. Seeing her smoking in the armory makes me a bit nervous all the time.

OH SH^$, I KNOW THAT ANIMATION ANYWHERE! SHE'S BOMB RIGGING! or... lock picking?

Actually... that's just Idle animation that means she have no job, tell that lazy bit&^ to make a sandwich for you!

Hancock too.

I was in a conversation and he was in the background. He kept svcking on Jets out of his pocket...