[color=f7941d]FRIEDA RICHTER[/color] - Salem Clinic -- it's still late afternoon

"Its quite alright Frieda," Arthur whispered back, "You needn't worry. Any radioactive particles he might have picked up from the ghouls wouldn't be enough to harm you. The condition of Ghoul-dom, thankfully, isn't contagious in and of itself either, and would instead require a tremendous amount of sustained radiation exposure to turn someone into one of those....unfortunate husks of humanity."

Frieda instinctively clutched her chest in relief at the good news.  "Thank god.  I can't believe I was so careless.  Maybe you're rubbing off on me, doc.  My primary directive was always to kill whoever, or whatever, I met."  She caught herself and her tone, and flicked a glance at Celeste.  The other woman didn't appear to be paying any attention.  She glanced back at Arthur who had continue to pause in his work and was looking her deep in the eyes.  Her heart fluttered, just a bit.

"You look tired Frieda, perhaps my..aid..might be wearing off? I could give you another...but I think its best if you get some hard earned rest when you get the chance. If you wish to remain here at the clinic I understand, however, you're welcome to use my quarters upstairs if you would like to rest without interruption. Once I get our friend here stabilized, and barring another Deathclaw attack, I think we'll be able to finally breathe a bit."

Frieda looked between Adam, Arthur, then turned and looked towards the stairs leading to where Arther had set up his apartment.  "Maybe I should try to sleep, just a little.  It's definitely been an eventful day..."

"Oh.  The town meeting.  I don't think we both should go, and leave the clinic completely unattended."  She tapped her fingers on her thigh.  "I think you should go.  If someone or something tries to take advantage of the majority of the people being in one place, I can deal with it.  And if something happens to one of the patients, I'll just...put some gloves on and apply pressure, or something, until you get back."

Frieda shook her head and offered a small wave.  "You don't have to decide, now.  I'll nap for an hour before the meeting, wake me up, then.'  She ascended the stairs thinking about how she wanted to make some crack about being stuck in a room full of surface wasteland dwelling scum, but where was she at that moment, exactly?

Arthur's quarters were neatly organized.  She untied her boots and slipped her feet out of them and was about to climb into his cot when she looked down at her dirty clothes, and paused.  She didn't want to make his linens dirty, so with barely a second thought, she undressed down to her underwear before stretching out.

Her eyes followed lines and patterns in the ceiling over her head as her thoughts floated between the handsome and clever weapons shopkeep, and the handsome and clever -- well, extremely intelligent, really -- doctor.  Both made her felt seen in a way she wasn't sure she'd ever really experienced.

[i]You always cast a big shadow, Brian.  I found a way to make it comfortable.[/i]

[i]"Only one of those men knows where you're from and is still nice to you,"[/i] Brian's voice replied in her mind.

Frieda let out a sigh.  She refused to worry about anything like that, at the moment.  She rolled over and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.