Nora put all her might on focusing on the 10mm pistol she was moding, doing her best to not to stare at the new Curie. Because the new body, with the accent that turned from cute to something a bit more appealing, was turning out to be a dangerous combination. Yet, Curie stood a few feet away, watching with keen interest as Nora worked on a new receiver for the pistol. Nora could feel her curious stare quite intently but refused to look up and meet her eyes. "What are you working on, madam?" The question was asked with a soft French lilt and a slight tilt of the head.
Still not looking up, Nora answered. "A gun for you, Curie. I can't have you running around with nothing but your fist". Nora received a soft "ah" in response and silence fell over them once more. The gun wouldn't be much for now, but until they reached Sanctuary or at least one of her settlements, it would have to do.
"I do not know how to shoot a gun, Nora", Curie confessed after a time.
Sighing softly, Nora finally looked up from her work and met the new synth's gaze. "I know. But I'm going to teach you",
"Really?" Curie asked, her eyes bright at the thought of learning and experiencing something new.
The Sole Survivor couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm, "of course I will. I'm just about done with the modifications and then I will give you a few quick lessons. Then once we reach Sanctuary, the real teachings will begin". Nora then went back to the task at hand and within fifteen minutes, she was finish. The entire time, Curie was either watching her work or being fascinated with the act of breathing. When Nora turned to her to show Curie the final product, she discovered the robot taking deep breaths and holding them in as long as she possible.
Nora smiled at the display and couldn't help but tease her a little, "You know, there is a reason there is the saying of easy as breathing".
Curie stopped mid-exhale, a blush coloring her cheeks. She began to breathe normally as she replied, "must you tease me so?"
"You make it too easy," Nora replied. She held the pistol out for Curie to take. Curie looked down at the weapon curiously before taking it with hesitation. She weighed it in her hands, turning it which way and about. A sense of nervousness bubble up in the pit of her stomach. This was totally different from anything she had ever did with her laser gun, there was also the factor of being aware of the danger of guns and how people have hurt themselves and others with them unintentionally. She didn't want to damage her new body in any way and become more familiar with the experience of pain. She most certainly didn't want to hurt the woman before her, who was becoming quite fond to her.
"Madam", she began softly, turning her eyes away from the gun and to her companion, "I must admit, I feel how do you say….. uneasy about this".
Nora gave her a reassuring smile, "don't worry, Curie. I will teach you about all the safety precautions to take. First one, always check to see if the weapon is loaded or not".
At that, Curie looked down at the weapon in confusion before checking the butt of the gun to see that the magazine was missing. She looked up to meet Nora's knowing gaze as she continued on, "You should also always keep the safety on unless you intend to use your gun. Same goes for pointing it at people". Curie nodded and sought out the safety. Nora stepped in and pointed out its location to the synth. She then took the gun into her own hands and aimed down the sights. She ensured to keep the correct posture of aiming and keeping her hands steady, as she gave instructions on how to aim and shoot accurately.
Afterwards, Nora gave the gun back to Curie, allowing her to try it out for herself. As she did, Nora gave critique and corrected her on her mistakes. Her form wasn't perfect but it was good enough, and Nora didn't feel comfortable with staying in some shack alongside the road for too long. The rest of the lessons would have to wait until they reached a much more secure place. With such a thought in mind, Nora slipped a magazine into the gun and handed a few over to Curie for her to put into her leather chest piece.
With that settled, the pair began to truck down the road, heading northeast to Sanctuary. They walked silently for the most of it and that left time for Nora to truly dwell on the change of Curie and her reactions to it, her totally inappropriate reactions. Given her own multitude of problems and Curie being so new to the experience of being a human was a recipe for an awful situation, specifically for Curie. Nora refused to be that selfish, especially in a world that was sweltering with it.
Nora spared a sideways glance at her companion and once again took stock of how beautiful her new body was. She also took in how Curie seemed to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, still trying to adjust to walking. It was slowing them down considerably but Nora wasn't going to make such a dramatic transition any harder. She was going to give Curie all the time she needed. She was also going to give her all the protection she could. Curie wasn't in much of a position to protect herself from all the dangers of the wasteland. But Nora vowed to teach her all the ways to protect herself. Nora also made the promise to ensure that no harm would come to her.
Sighing away her thoughts, Nora turned away from Curie and began to use the VATS in her Pip-boy, scanning for any possible threats. They went for miles without the aiming system picking anything up, much to Nora's relief. It was starting to get dark and Nora didn't want to push their luck. They ended up taking shelter at a railroad station that was set with a cooking station and a few sleeping bags. After ensuring that the station was safe, particularly from ghouls, Nora decided to cook up something special to celebrate the special occasion, deathclaw steak. Settled into some patio chairs, they ate their dinner with some nuka-cola to swallow it down.
Curie picked up a piece of her cooked deathclaw and looked at it inquisitively before plopping it in her mouth. It was her first time eating and the experience of taste blew her away. Her eyes widened in surprise and she found herself enjoying the way the cooked meat tasted. She pulled it from her mouth and looked at the sole survivor with excitement, "eating is incredible, madam. I see why you humans indulge in it so",
That earned a laugh from Nora, "you haven't eaten anything yet. You just tasted it. You've gotta chew and swallow".
Curie's brow furrowed, something that Nora was quickly finding to be adorable, and stared down the piece of meat. Seemly using all her concentration, she plopped the piece of meat back into her mouth. Nora began to exhibit the act of chewing, slowly moving her jaw up and down (while keeping her mouth closed of course). Hesitantly, Curie began to follow her example and chew her food. After a time, Nora showed her how to swallow, doing so herself in an exaggerated manner. Once again, Curie mimicked her companion, she closed her eyes and took a huge gulp.
The sensation of the food going down her throat was perplexing and slightly off-putting. Part of the new synth was worried she would choke. But the food made its way down her pharynx and into her stomach. Curie slowly opened her eyes as realization dawned on her that she hadn't choked and gave Nora a bright toothy smile. Nora couldn't help but smile back before taking a swig of her nuka quantum.
As Nora went back to her plate, Curie became aware of how she seemed to be enthralled with the physical appearance of her friend. From her tanned skin, determined set jaw, intense focused eyes, and her kind smile. Curie really appreciated that kind smile. It made her feel safe and stable in a way. Something she desperately needed after such a dramatic change. From the time, Curie, had met Nora to the vault up until now, the Sole Survivor had proven herself to be a reliable companion. A better description for it would probably a good friend.
"Are we friends, madam?" Curie asked suddenly, taking Nora by surprise.
Nora set her bottle down and gave the synth a sweet smile, "of course we are, Curie. That's what I like to think of us at least". Nora was honest in her answer. She saw Curie as a kind-hearted friend. A beautiful, kind-hearted friend, who was totally off limits for such type of thinking. The trek back to Sanctuary was going to be a long one with her treacherous thoughts and whatever else they ran into.
"Good", Curie replied with a smile. "I think of us as the same way, madam. I must say that my view of you changed. I guess this is what truly caring for someone is like", Curie explained. Her face then became crestfallen as she thought of the doctors who she did her research with, "my colleagues were my friends as well, going by my feelings of grief as you called them".
Nora looked at her sympathetically. The spectrum of human emotions could be overwhelming for those who lived with them for their entire lives. There was no telling what it was like for someone so new to the experience. Curie looked down at her plate and found herself no longer wanting to eat. She set her plate aside and simply stared down at her hands, feeling moisture gather in her eyes.
As the sadness of those she lost all those years ago, fell upon her, for the first time in her existence, Curie's vision began to blur. She brought up a hand to clear her eyes and that was when it dawned on her that she was crying. The new revelation did little to quell the heaviness in her heart and a sniffle escaped her. Hearing the sound, Nora jumped from her seat and pulled Curie into a comforting hug. Curie allowed herself to be engulfed in the warm embrace. She buried her face in Nora's neck and wrapped her arms around her, "I did not consider the emotional aspect of being human", she explained, her voice muffled and filled with tears.
Nora tightened her arms around Curie and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. She was once again reminded of how vulnerable Curie was and became even more determined to help ease her through the transition of being alive. "Having emotions can suck from time to time", she replied softly, "losing people is one of the most painful things you can experience but it does get better". Curie didn't say anything in return as more tears escaped her eyes. They stood there for a time holding each other as Curie cried silently.
Eventually, the tears stopped and Curie found her eyes to be sore and her eyelids heavy. She ended up yawning rather loudly, drawing a chuckle from Nora. "Somebody's sleepy", the vault dweller said in a sing-song voice.
Curie let out a wet laugh and took a step back from Nora, wiping her eyes, "I believe so, my eyes feel drained".
Nora smiled softly at her, "why don't you call it a night? It's been quite the day for you". Curie agreed and Nora led her over to the sleeping bags. Once there, Curie looked down at the old, dusty bags with uncertainty. She then looked up to the taller woman with the question shining in her eyes. Nora's heart melted a little at how innocent Curie looked at that moment but swallowed the feelings down to assist Curie with the new hurdle.
"There's nothing to it", she began "all you have to do is lay down and close your eyes. It won't happen immediately but eventually your brain will just shut off".
Curie took the advice to heart and heaved a sigh. She climbed into the sleeping bag and looked up at her companion expectantly, waiting for her to climb in her own bag that was a few inches away. "We'll be switching roles tonight. I'm going to keep watch while you sleep", Nora clarified, referring to how she would sleep while Curie kept watch in her Miss Nanny form.
"But this is different, yes? You need sleep as well", Curie stated with a frown. She didn't like the idea of Nora doing something at her own expense for her.
Nora shook off her worries, "don't worry about it, Curie. Just sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite".
The saying caused some confusion for the scientist. She sat up on her elbows with a frown, "Madam", she began but was stopped by the shake of the head from Nora.
A small grin made its way onto Nora's face. It was a marvel that a scientist could be so adorable. "I'll explain it to you later. Good night, Curie", she finished softly.
After a minor moment of hesitance, Curie nodded her head and laid back down, "goodnight, madam". She closed her eyes and attempted to sleep. Curie found herself being more tired than she thought and for the first time ever, she found slumber quickly. Nora on the other hand pulled out a chair, placed it at the entrance of the station, and sat down with her sniper rifle in hand (she also had her pistol on her hip and shotgun at her side).
It was going to be a long night, that much Nora knew. She just hoped that nothing would come along to make it even worse. With some luck, she might be able to catch a few Zs. Nora could already feel the sleepiness seep into her bones and had to stifle a yawn. To distract herself from her tiredness, she shot a glance over at her sleeping companion. Curie was facing her way and snoring softly, a sign of an exhausted body. Nora stared at her beautiful face intently and her heart shot up in her throat before she forced it back down. She abruptly turned her head away and put her focus back on the wasteland.