Andronicus23

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West- Salem Clinic

"Yes, of course she remains in charge. We wouldn't be where we currently are withuot her. The smartest decision the directorate could've made was select her for the possition, especially after Father screwed...I'm sorry, I am out of line and should not have said so."

Arthur gave an understanding nod of his head, "Normally I'd be adverse to speaking ill of a past Director, especially one as revered and important as Father. I might even chastise you for it..but..well...I have my own reasons for being disillusioned with Father's actions. He was...he wasn't the man many of us thought he was. I know that perhaps better than anyone alive currently."

Rick cleared his throat, "But regardless, yes construction is smoothly progressing. The entrance and its security have been completed. No unwanted pest will be able to enter the vault, perhaps we can do better this time...Luckily we have plenty of generation 1 and 2 synths to do some of the hard labor, after all, many within our ranks have never done any sort of physical labor."

"Mmm..yes..most haven't lifted anything heavier than a pencil," Arthur agreed, "That's one thing I miss most of all out here: no Synths to help me with some of the menial work. If I had just one or two Gen-1's here I'd be able to get so much more done."

It was then that Arthur noticed that something was clearly troubling Rick. He seemed...scared. Not unusual for someone out on the surface, but Arthur had to wonder what sort of thing would make an SRB Agent frightened. They, perhaps more than most, understood the kinds of horrors one could find topside.

"I'm sorry doctor I tuned out for a bit... a lot on my mind. What's troubling I don't remember reading any sort of reports of a hooded group of surface dwellers living near these area. Prior to coming I was at Dunwich Borers, and they were doing the most weird thing. They were chanting or something before an obelisk or idol. It seemed they were worshiping it. They spoke a language I could not understand."

"i stumbled across a young woman named Mary, and as soon as I wonder two of them in their hoods attacked us. They shouted something "PH´NGLUI SOTH!" At first I thought it might be latin, but i was never good in language class, and tuned out most of the dead languages they made us learn. Mary said it wasn't, possibly a made up language. It's all odd, to me it makes no sense. In all honesty it reminded me of something out of those old fiction books located in the library. You know the ones that had cults and worshiping of other worldly beings... I think some surface dweller read a book and took it to be true rather than fiction... I think next time I return to the vault I'll peruse the digital library where all those books are located."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Rick's explanation of what he'd seen. It was odd..to be sure..but not the sort of horror he'd been expecting the man to describe. There must have been more to this group he'd encountered than what he was describing...or perhaps there was something else he couldn't describe.

"Well..I wouldn't worry about it too much," Arthur said finally, "I've traveled enough of The Commonwealth to know that there are all sorts of groups of surface-dwellers that have the oddest of quirks. For instance, there's a religious cult that worships radiation like its some kind of god: 'Atom' they call it. They practice their faith by well...irradiating themselves. Its bizarre. With that in mind, I wouldn't find it at all strange for a group of zealots to have their own made-up language and be using it to worship whatever phony-baloney wasteland spirit or mutated monster they call a god. Perhaps they even stumbled upon pre-war fiction books and are using some twisted sci-fi author's vision as fuel for their psychotic fantasies. Who knows? The surface is a quagmire of the strange and the absurd, that's for sure."

"In any case," he sighed, "Are you feeling better at least? We should probably return to the first floor before Frieda starts to get suspicious. She's not like the others...she's quick witted,capable, and has military experience. I'm also certain she's beginning to suspect that I'm not just a misplaced Vault Dweller. She told me she used to be an officer in The Enclave. As an SRB Agent, I was hoping you could tell me more about them. All I know is what I've read on the dossier that Father gave me. How do you think she'd react if she learned we were with The Institute?"

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church Clinic

“I should’ve realized we wouldn’t really be used to it, but come on, you have no curiosity at all towards the food?"

"Curiosity, yes," Arthur chuckled again, "But only to an extent. I admit some of their cuisine is....interesting, but most of it is just downright horrific. Mutated animal meat and crops or ancient barely preserved irradiated foodstuffs. Its a wonder they haven't all died out yet. Their digestive tracts must have adapted to become iron..."

“I knew I recognized you from somewhere Dr West. My name’s Rick Noel, briefly worked under SR… prior to the incident…..Though I see point of avoiding food, we need to blend in after all while we are out here.”

"SRB huh?," Arthur remarked with a curious look, "Yes...that makes sense. My lab frequently had contact with some of the agents over in SRB. I'm sure we've rubbed shoulders before but I couldn't place the name. But yes, unfortunately I agree, I try to eat the food when I can to avoid suspicion and to try and get used to it as much as I can. Its slow going however."

“I mean, I was sent out on a long term scouting mission, I need to get used to food out here… can’t run back to the vault all the time. You must be needing some food supplies if you been travelling all over, I have plenty here take some.” He extended the bag to the doctor, offering some of the supplies he had.

Arthur took the bag gladly and examined it, becoming wide-eyed at the nutritional content within, "Holy smokes.." He whispered hungrily, "Thats...quite the cache. I've been getting low on supplements. I was even considering writing in and requesting a resupply, even though I was never really out here in an official capacity per-sey."

He sat the bag aside and turned to Rick eagerly, "Speaking of which, how are things back home? Dr. Fillmore is still Director is she not? Is the rebuilding effort proceeding well?"

In From The Fog: A Fallout Far Harbor Roleplay

West Road - Outside of Far Harbor

Tentatively, the group left the relative safety of The Hull and made their way west, sticking to Corrine's plan of keeping to the road whenever possible. They crossed into the fog-shrouded ruins of old Bar Harbor where the rotting buildings loomed overhead like twisted monsters all their own. The oncoming darkness of twilight mixed with the ever present fog to reduce their visibility to almost zero, which had the added consequence of causing them to jump at nearly every sound or imagine any number of lurking horrors in the shadows, waiting to pounce.

They passed through the town without incident (OOC: roll passed) and moved on to the western road, which led up to the small pond where the town had drawn most of its water from, although now the condensers lining the road to the reservoir were rusted and falling apart, as the residents had been unable to maintain them. It served as another stark reminder that the town was living on borrowed time, as sooner or later the water would likely be cut off.

The device indicates that the downed vertibird is close, perhaps a few hundred yards away, but the thick fog makes it impossible to see it. As the group approaches the reservoir, a number of glowing stalks can be seen lighting the pond, casting a sickly orange glow over the whole scene.

However, they start to get too close to the glowing stalks, perhaps out of curiosity or because some of them don't know any better, but suddenly there's a rumbling beneath their feet and they can see one of the glowing plants shaking violently above the surface of the water.

A creature bursts forth from the depths of the pond, a massive deformed blue tinted Angler with a gaping maw lined with razor sharp teeth glares at them. Its teeth are caked in the rotting gore of its past kills, and its breath is absolutely foul. The Angler gives a loud roar and spits out a disgusting mass of something at them, right at James C. Thanks to his instinctual reaction honed from years in the Brotherhood however, James is able to dodge the stinking radioactive spit of the creature. (OOC: Roll passed).

The Angler gives another roar and lurches forward, charging at the nearest individual in the group: James W. The creature takes a swipe at him with one of its malformed claw-like hands and it tears right through his armor and into his flesh. Sensing blood, it looks ready to pounce on the Enclave captain and finish the kill...(OOC: Roll critical fail)

(OOC: in case anyone is wondering, what I did there was assign each group member a number and then roll twice to see who would be targeted. The two Jameses were the ones that got picked. Then I did an equal-chance roll on both of them to see whether or not the attacks would succeed and how severe it would be.)

In From The Fog: A Fallout Far Harbor Roleplay

Posted for your approval. I actually managed to keep this one short for once.

Alicia

Name: Alicia

Age: 27

Race/Gender: Caucasian/Hispanic, Female

Brief physical description or picture: A young woman of average size Alicia stands around 5’ 8” and weighs about 130lbs. She has shoulder length curly black hair that’s undercut on the sides and back. Alicia’s rather fit with slightly toned muscles, and a modest bust. Her eyes are dark green and her skin is a light warm brown.

Clothing/Armor/Weapons: Her clothes are very basic and utilitarian for the most part. Although she does frequently wear a heavily worn Vault 118 jumpsuit. It’s usually unzipped down to her hips with the arms tied around her waist and held in place by a vault-tec belt. Alicia doesn’t wear any sort of armor but she does carry a 9mm handgun for self defense, a well used rifle left over from her parents (its similar in appearance to a radium rifle, but it's chambered in .308, doesn't have the circuitry, and it's bolt action). With Alicia living a self sufficient lifestyle she does carry an assortment of tools to help increase her quality of life. Including a hunting knife, hatchet, and some tools for fixing and maintaining her gear.

Brief Background: Unaware of her lineage, last name, or any family history Alicia was orphaned at a young age. All her parents left for her were their fears of the outside world, and their expansive knowledge of surviving on the island. Alicia eventually outgrew her fear of people but she’s still remarkably shy, only visiting Far Harbor once a year as a treat. She lives on her own in her parents cramped cabin along the southeastern coast. With her intrinsic curiosity, and fireball personality being the only thing to keep her sane. Alicia also loves to explore the various places around the island, and scavenge for supplies that she can tinker with. Although she’s been impeded by a crippling loneliness as of late. No amount of crafting, or exploring can keep her happy anymore but with the fog having gotten worse she’s become too afraid to leave her home, and everything she’s ever known behind.

@Prizrak

Approved. You're free to post Priz.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Clinic

"No... not venom...should've listened to Doct...Doctor Volkert," he replied as he took a seat, with the bin in his hand. "He told me not to eat irradiated food...now it's time to pay the piper."

Arthur froze at the name, and gave the man a scrutinizing glare. A look of recognition crossed his face as he realized he'd seen the man before. Although he couldn't place the name, the face was certainly familiar to him. It would have been easier to recognize him if he'd been wearing a labcoat...

"Doctor do I know you from somewhere?"
"Uhh...well," Arthur stuttered, "I've..made my rounds around The Commonwealth. Perhaps you've seen me in another settlement?"

The man then leaned in closer and uttered a single word, "Mankind"

His breath was horrid, and Arthur visible winced, but he also couldn't help but give a look of surprise. He tried to hide his reaction but didn't exactly do a good job of it. Instead he stood up, cleared his throat and tried to sound as professional as he could,

"Yes well...obviously he's suffering from some severe food poisoning," He announced, "Probably brought on by some unwholesome meat or spoiled vegetables. Nothing to worry about I can treat him in my office."

Arthur then helped him up and began escorting him gently towards the staircase, making sure to keep the bin close at hand in case the man had the urge to vomit again, "Uh...oh yes.." he said, remembering something and turning back to Frieda, "Thank you for the lunch Ms. Richter it was very much appreciated. If you don't mind holding down the fort here a bit longer while I treat this man, I'd be grateful. I'll..uh...just be a moment."

Once the pair were up the stairs and Arthur had helped him to sit down, he then disappeared to the mezzanine for a few seconds before returning with a small box, which he was carefully cradling. He sat down in the chair opposite of the newcomer and revealed the emblem on the side, before opening the box and handing one of the precisely packed pills to the man.

"Here," He said, "Its a light one. Supplement 23. Easy on the stomach and should help some of the upset. You absolutely should have listened to Dr. Volkert by the way," a slight smile crept on his face, "He's an excellent physician. Undoubtedly the best in The Commonwealth and possibly the world at this point. He was a good mentor. Our immune and digestive systems just aren't able to handle the surface food...and may I say..I don't think we're missing much..." He gave a light chuckle at his own joke.

"Oh...I forgot," He said, clasping his hands together, "The rest of the phrase. Sorry...I don't get to interact with well...anyone...from back home much anymore. Not in person anyway."

He sat up and spoke the next words very carefully, perhaps even reverently,

"Redefined....Mankind Redefined," He offered his hand, "Dr. Arthur West, Bioscience Division."

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church Clinic, Second Floor Mezzanine

Arthur's eyes peeled open and in his disoriented state, he thought for the briefest of moments that he was back in his old apartment. But instead of the 1,000 thread-count sky blue sheets of his old bed, he found only the course linens and straw pillow that was the makeshift one he'd thrown together for himself in the church. The illusion vanished instantly and he sat up groggy and disorientated, and his vision was blurred. Even his exhausted state, he'd at least had the wherewithal to remove his glasses and place them on the nightstand. God knows how he'd get by if he lost them because he'd accidentally crushed them.

Gently, he reached for both his glasses and a nearby cloth and wiped them clean, before placing them back on his head. Now that he'd reoriented himself, and could actually see, he noticed that something else had been sitting on the nightstand: a brown bag and a short handwritten note attached to it. Puzzled, he examined the note.
'There's no free lunch! - pre-war expression - except today, this is a free lunch :) - F.R.'

F.R.? Frieda Richter?

He looked in the bag. Just as the note said, there was a neatly packed lunch inside. Arthur looked back down at piece of paper and re-read it. He couldn't help but feel a bit of embarrassment rising up. He had probably looked like a mess splayed out on the bed when she'd dropped off the lunch.

Well...at least I was decent. He thought to himself with relief.

It was a kind gesture, one he hadn't expected, especially from a woman he'd only just recently met. But....a welcome one. Arthur peeked into the bag once more and felt his heart sank. He didn't have the heart to tell her that he might not be able to eat well..any of it. He felt his stomach rumble again.

"I'll try some..just a little," He told himself.

His thoughts on the lunch were interrupted suddenly as he heard someone burst into the clinic and shout for the doctor. After that, Arthur had only heard the unstained sounds of someone emptying the contents of their stomach in a rather violent fashion. This caused Arthur to bolt out of his bed and rush down the stairs towards the man, who was currently gripping the sides of a waste bin for dear life,

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Or is it venom?" He sputtered out, trying to get whatever information he could.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West, Salem Church

"Well, you won't die," Arthur told Summer as he packed up the medicines he'd just been using to treat the woman, "You'll need plenty of rest but now that I've got the proper supplies, you should heal up nicely without issue. I'm happy the town pulled through in the end. Perhaps there's hope for this place after all.."

Arthur then spun around when he heard someone's voice coming from behind,

“Dr. Arthur, I brought two wheelchairs, and a few other things for you, for the clinic.” She gestured to the pulpit where she had placed everything, “If I find more stuff I'll bring it right over, but I have to go take care of something right now. I will bring you some food later if you want to rest, you look really tired.” She smiled, “You're a real good man Dr. Arthur, we sure are lucky to have you around. I hate to leave, but I have to go now. Have a wonderful day.”

"Thank you. Thank you very much," He replied with a languid wave and a weary smile, "I'll put these to use right away."

Arthur walked over to the pulpit and examined some of the new equipment. It was a good stock to be sure, and he breathed a sigh of relief with the knowledge that finally the clinic here had what it needed.

Well perhaps it could use a few more essential items, He pondered, A thought crossed his mind then. One that he hadn't thought of to do before. Maybe...just maybe...he could send word to Vault 88 and ask The Directorate for supplies. It might be a long shot, but he could spin it in a number of ways that might make it appealing for them to agree. He still considered himself part of The Institute, and perhaps he could make arrangements to benefit both the town and his colleagues back in the Vault. And if it meant getting the supplies he needed, then so much the better. He'd have to think on it more.

His musing were interrupted as Eliza and her friend descended the stairs. Arthur motioned for them to place Eliza carefully into one of the nearly brought wheelchairs in order to get her ready to leave the clinic. Once that was done, the other woman, Shelby, approached him,

“Doc, I can't put into words how thankful I am for you and what you did for Eliza. I will repay you, I promise, you name it.”

Arthur was stunned by the hug. Unsure of how exactly to react to the sudden display of gratitude, he awkwardly stood with his hands at his side with a rather surprised look while his face turned a very noticeable beet red,

"Yes...well...think nothing of it." He stuttered out once Shelby had pulled back. He adjusted his glasses which had become askew and tried to regain something resembling a professional composure. Although it wasn't working very well, "My only request for payment is that you do what you can to return the favor to help the clinic when you can and to..ahem..help me...as well..." His stomach grumbled loudly as if on cue, "Aside from that...there is no charge."

Once Eliza and Shelby had left the church, Arthur sighed deeply and rubbed his tired eyes. He walked back over to Summer and Frieda,

"I'm just going to lie down for an hour or two..I'll just be...just be.." He stammered, the full exhaustion of the days events now hitting him like a ton of bricks. He then gave a tremendous yawn which interrupted his flow of thought and he trudged over to the staircase and up to the second floor.

Without another word or sound, he collapsed into the makeshift bed he'd made for himself on the second-floor mezzanine and immediately drifted off into sleep. The sounds of gunshots outside the town didn't even register for him as he slumbered.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church

There was silence for a few seconds as the woman looked around suspiciously, and Arthur shifted his feet uncomfortably, not entirely sure what to do, or if perhaps he'd said something that might have offended the woman. For all he knew, she had a knife hidden somewhere and was about to use it. When she took a step closer to him, Arthur gave an audible nervous gulp.

"Look, I'm with you, on that point," She began, "On all your points. For what it's worth, Celeste doesn't really care about being paid, but if I didn't say something, it would have looked suspicious. I'll handle her."

"What? Really?" Arthur asked, flabbergasted, "Well I suppose that makes sense. But then why..."

The woman spoke up again, "I knew you were...different, somehow, from when I saw you last night at the diner. Familiar, in a way. Your skin texture, your hair. You didn't grow up scraping in the dirt like the rest of these," she swallowed hard, "people. And, neither did I."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. Now she'd really piqued his curiosity,

"....What are you saying? Who are you?"

She straightened her posture and offered a quick salute. "It's Richter, Frieda Richter, formerly Class Triple A, air division, of the Enclave. Division 59N-39." She gave a small smile, and a nod. "I don't get a military vibe, but you sure as shit aren't surface dweller, either."

"The...the Enclave?"

Arthur paused in thought. The name was familiar. Where had he heard it before? It took a few seconds for his fatigued brain to regurgitate the memory and all of a sudden he realized quite clearly where he'd read about 'The Enclave'. When he'd been working on the FEV Lab, the SRB had provided a dossier for him to examine containing some of the sordid history of the virus, and their name had come up frequently. They'd originated from somewhere out west and had clashed with factions there, but the information before they'd arrived in the east was scare. What Arthur did remember, however, was that the SRB had been keeping close tabs on their operations in the D.C. area, including their war with The Brotherhood of Steel chapter there. From what they'd gathered, The Enclave was in possession of some sort of strain of The FEV, and had attempted to use it somehow to control the region. How, exactly, wasn't precisely known. Either way, they'd been labeled a 'Class A' hazardous group. Which meant the SRB had been monitoring their movements as closely as possible. They hadn't been heard of for years though.

Frieda took the same small step back. "I'm...not good with people. I came here to connect with you, not threaten you. I know how important it is to hide in plain sight, in a way. I crashed my Vertibird -- by accident, but it's a boon, of sorts. The Enclave will have found the vehicle totaled and likely assume me dead. I didn't exactly ask for permission to leave, but they won't be chomping at the bit to find out if I survived. I know that from experience."

"Ah...I see.." Was all Arthur could muster, his thoughts were too compounded by Frieda's revelation to really come up with a good response. Instead, he simply stood there and awkwardly nodded.

"I think we should...talk. Later, though, when you're not so busy, or exhausted. There was a trader in town -- two, actually -- and maybe I can see about getting us some real coffee. Meantime, let me help you at least prep the linens. I only have very basic field medic training, which extends as far as, 'cover what's bleeding and call for help'. Pass me some scissors, and I'll get to work. Just going to step out for a smoke."

"Uhhh..." Arthur stuttered, before realizing he'd been standing there staring like an idiot, "Right!...right of course." He immediately left the room and beckoned for Frieda to follow him. It took him just a moment to fetch the scissors she'd asked for, "Mindful of the edge. Its sharper than it looks," He said as he handed them off to her, "I should get back to treating Ms. Summer. Thank you again for the supplies Ms. Richter, and for the help. Lord knows I could use it," After a moment's thoughtful pause he added, "..and you're right. I'm not from around here. I'm...from a vault. Vault...uh...vault 88. It's well...its a long story."

With that he opened up the fresh med-kit that Frieda had brought and examined its contents like a kid in a candy story,

"Oh...iodopovidone excellent...ooo and anti-toxin, very useful..chlorhexidine...nice. Antibiotics...bandages...rehydration tablets some multivitamins..and..a 200 year old chocolate bar...whats that doing in her-.....oh....."

Arthur bent back down and began tending to Summer's wounds: now extremely confident he could successfully treat the woman without any issue,

"You'll be right as rain in no time," He said with as much cheer as he could muster as he took a bottle of the anti-septic out of the kit. He then realized she'd been out of it for some time and he had a momentary lapse of panic thinking that perhaps she'd passed out due to blood loss, but it quickly became apparent she was only sleeping. With a shrug, he continued to treat her, hoping to have her fixed up before she awoke.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

@Andronicus23 Steve said for Cost price, not for a Price. I guess they don't have that term in Mercia but it means sold for the price it costs a manufacture.

@Lewis251

Edited.

Changed Arthur's response as well slightly.

A Life in Salem - A Fallout RP

Dr. Arthur West - Salem Church

Arthur had bent back down to continue helping the injured woman when the man who had assisted with Eliza, Steve he thought his name was, had entered the Clinic and gave him a small sack of pre-war medical drugs along with an offer to make more. Arthur nodded his appreciation,

“All I have on me right now, well the ones you need alteast but once you have dealt with princess and gotten some sleep come and see me and I’ll have Johnny brew up the meds you need.”

"Uhh, well..that's very kind of you..." Arthur replied with clear hesitation. The chance of a probable wasteland chem dealer 'brewing' up medicines in anything even coming remotely close to a healthy and sterile environment was low indeed. Arthur wasn't going to allow that sort of likely contamination. Not in his clinic.

"If you can get me the base chemicals and ingredients, I can fabricate them myself. It will save you some of the extra effort." He offered.

“first batch will be free but after that. For cost price”

Arthur furrowed his brow at this, "Cost price?" He awkwardly paused for a moment. Steve was at least trying to be reasonable and suggest that he wasn't going to profit from the exchange, but that didn't exactly help Arthur, nor did he like the idea of haggling with him for this. He gave a frustrated sigh and continued, "Well what exactly do you want me to pay you with? I don't charge for my services, and I don't intend to start. The 'price' you're getting is that your town has a working clinic that you can go to when the next mutated beast or radiation addled psycho tries to take a bite out of you. If that's not enough then....well then I don't know what to tell you."

With a frustrated huff he turned back around and continued trying to make the wounded woman comfortable and gave an over-the-shoulder dismissive wave to Steve, who proceeded to walk upstairs and speak with Eliza. Arthur tried to busy himself with his work to keep his mind off both the increasing fatigue he was experiencing from having got little to no sleep the previous night and the frustration he was feeling from the townspeople's seeming indifference towards their own health and safety.

Footsteps emanating from the creaking floorboards of the ancient church made him turn around once more to find one of the women he'd recognized from the Diner entering along with the man who'd he'd sent to the retirement home and, who he also realized, he didn't yet know the name of. The woman seemed..different somehow. Perhaps it was the way she carried herself or her general demeanor, but she didn't seem like the typical surface-dweller that he'd grown accustomed to. A Vault Dweller perhaps? Then again, maybe he was just imagining things.

"Hey there," she called in, holding up the linens, the first aid kit dangling by its handle in her right hand. "Where do you want these?"

Arthur gave a soft clap of his hand in excitement as he saw the much needed supplies, "Thank you, I'll take them." He said gratefully, and walked over to the woman with arms outstretched.

"No, please, let me carry them. If you wouldn't mind showing me where to put them?"

Arthur withdrew his hands quickly as if they'd just been burned, a bit surprised by the woman's insistence,

"Oh..well. I suppose we can put the linens for now in the back of the church. I'll get to changing the bedding for the patients soon. As for the first-aid kit, you can just set it over on the table there. I'll need to use that immediately for..uh..well..Ms...." He paused for a moment or two, hoping the injured woman would fill in her name.

"By the way, Celeste would like three hundred caps for the lot, if you've got it. We can negotiate that privately, too."

Arthur blinked a few times. He wasn't..entirely...sure how much that was, given how often the surface-dwellers seemed to fluctuate the value of their currency, but he knew he didn't have that. He had none of it in fact.

"Oh for the love of..." He started to say in a spout of anger, but caught himself, took a deep breath, and adjusted his glasses, "Yes, I suppose we can 'negotiate'. Perhaps we should continue this privately." Arthur led the woman around to the back of the church and to a small low-ceiling room that had probably previously served as a devotional area or perhaps a cry room for small children. Arthur had thought to use it for storage at some point.

"You can set the linens over there," he said simply. Determined that he was going to get what he needed one way or the other. Although he hadn't exactly figured out what the 'other' would be. Arthur rubbed his weary eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose in a look of both resignation and disappointment,

"Look..." he said, trying to sound as confident and sure footed as he could muster. He'd always preferred to avoid confrontations like this when he could, "...I can't pay Celeste for the supplies. I don't even have the uh..caps, " He emphasized the world strangely, as if he found it weirdly amusing, "But, I need them regardless. The young woman back there needs proper medical treatment to prevent further infection and Eliza..." he pointed upwards, to the second floor, "Is still on the path to recovery. I don't understand what is it with you wastelanders. Everything has a price. Everything has its cost. Every chance is an opportunity to get more money or chems...or..or whatever! And god-forbid we work together communally to actually do something other than live in abject squalor and moral degradation our entire lives! For Pete's sake, there was a woman lying on the floor of the diner dying and people kept on eating their lunch like it was...oh..you know..just a merry ol' average day. Woman just got mugged and nearly shot to death, but hey...just another lovely day in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts right?"

The sudden realization that he was ranting struck him immediately when he saw the look on the woman's face. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Sorry," He said, calmly, "Didn't uh...didn't mean to get heated there. I'm running off well..no sleep right now and I could just about murder for a decent cup of coffee that isn't made with a 200 year old tin of Slocum Joe's....well not literally of course. Figuratively. I wouldn't you know actually...nevermind. Anyway..."He gave a quick shake of his head and changed the subject, "....I don't exactly know what Celeste wants for the supplies, but it can't be caps. That much I'm certain of."