True to her word, Renee took the rest of the day off to do nothing but relax and drink. The following day, however, she found herself in Gene's apartment above the Wicked Aesthetics clothing shop, waiting for Gene to finish repairing her jacket. At first Gene told her no; but then Renee reminded her of the "favor" Gene promised in exchange for helping her in the market, and so they were.

"…So then she says, 'Oh, he saved my life!' Like how the actual hell am I supposed to compete with that?" Renee flung herself back on the couch and slumped down on the cushions.

Gene continued her work. "I've only met Nate and Curie a couple times, but even I can tell you Nate isn't her type."

"See?" Renee wiped a hand over her face. "Besides, he's with that other woman, uh… Damn, she writes the newspaper."

"Pipah Wright." Gene plucked a pin from between her teeth to stick in the jacket.

"Yeah, her." Renee stood up to begin pacing the floor. "I just… Curie's been stuck in my head ever since I saw her and I can't seem to get her out!"

Gene chuckled. "Obviously. I mean, what, we've only just met and you're willing to vent to me about it. Me, of all people." She looked up with a smirk.

"Sorry. Just tell me to shut up." Renee growled in aggravation. "I didn't even want to be her assistant, I was just trying to get here for a job."

"Well, didn't you get one?"

Renee stopped pacing to glare at the woman. "Don't do that to me."

"You know I'm right."

She ignored the woman and kept pacing. "Either way, this is all turning into more than I wanted." She stopped. "Hey, can I ask you about her?"

"About Curie? Sure, I guess. But like I said, I don't know her that well. I've only run into her at the Market, and even then, it was mostly because she literally ran into me." Gene snipped the thread for one patch and started on the other.

Renee sat back on the couch. "There's some things she's said to me that don't make any sense. Like, when I overheard her talking to Piper and Nate a few days ago she said something about being centuries older than Piper. There's no way she's that old, she's our age. Thirty, tops."

"It was probably a metaphor. Or she was just being a smartass." Gene adjusted the glasses she used for her work.

"And then later she told me she was designed to be a scientist. Like she's some kind of…robot. Actually, everything she does seems pretty methodical."

Gene sighed and put down her work for a moment. "The most I can tell you is that one day I saw the Home Plate was bought and the next day I saw her moving in with all her lab equipment. Said something about being able to get all the ingredients she needs for her experiments if she lived heah. I don't even know what she's working on in that lab."

"Stimpaks. She's working on designing a better Stimpak." Renee looked down at the fresh scar on her forearm. "She's tested a few on me."

"Huh. Well, that's useful." Gene picked up the jacket again.

Renee looked up at the ceiling. She sighed, narrowing her eyes. Her restlessness grew and finally she straightened up and dug around in her bag for a box of cigarettes. "Damn it, I can hardly stand this." She flicked open her lighter.

"Hey, no!" Gene shot up and in two quick strides plucked the cigarette straight from Renee's lips. "No smoking in heah!"

"Eh?!" Renee blinked. She grabbed the cigarette back and dropped it back in the box. "Hmph. Well, you're no fun."

Gene sat back at her workbench and kept sewing the patch. "If you want to smoke, do it outside. I don't want all the merchandise to smell like cigarettes."

Renee couldn't exactly fault her. She groaned instead, burying her face in her hands and then running them through her hair. "What am I supposed to do though?"

"Well, you could always quit cold turkey—"

"Not about smoking, about Curie!"

Gene finished the second patch. "I'm not really the one to ask, short stack. I've had my eye on one woman for the past couple years and it's too late to act on it, so…" She stood and held up the jacket. "Well, it's done."

Renee stood as well and shrugged into it, rolling her shoulders until it felt snug. She brushed over the patch. "Thanks. Good as new." She looked up at Gene. "And… I'm sorry. I didn't realize…"

"It's all right. It's my own damn fault." Gene gave a sad smile. It disappeared almost as quickly as it developed and she snapped her fingers once. "Well, the jacket looks great! And hey, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot." Renee bent to pick up her things from the floor.

"Since you're going to be out in the Ruins for Curie anyway, if you happen to come across anything I might like, bring it by and I'll pay you for it. You know, good cloth, thread, clothes in good condition. That kind of stuff."

She shifted her bag onto her shoulder and her rifle on the other. "Sure, I can do that. But no promises. I'm usually looking for plants or lab equipment."

"No problem. Like I said, just if you happen to find something." Gene walked with her down to the shop and to the door. "So, if that's it, I'm gonna get back to work."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." Renee flicked down her sunglasses and stepped into the sun. She gave a little wave to the shopkeeper before walking into the Market. There was little for her to do, so back to the Dugout she went, hoping it wouldn't be too loud…

Renee cleared her throat and shifted from foot to foot where she stood in front of Curie's door. She whiled away her afternoon cleaning her gun and her knife, and when that was done, she even cleaned up her shoes. Until finally, she felt hungry enough to go out for something; and then she found herself at the Home Plate. She still wasn't quite sure what possessed her to go.

She lifted her hand to knock and let it drop back by her side. She took a breath. Her hand lifted again, and dropped.

"Okay…" She shook herself once and lifted her hand a third time. Just as she leaned in to knock, the door swung open…hitting her in the face.

"Oh!"

Renee knelt on the ground, holding her nose. "Ow…"

"Renee? What are you doing 'ere?" Curie gasped. "Did I hit you?!"

"I-it's okay!" Renee looked up to see Curie also kneeling. She took her hand away from her face. "It's okay…"

Curie reached out to tap the bridge of Renee's nose. She smiled. "Doesn't appear broken."

"No, it's not. Surprised me more than anything." Renee stood and cleared her throat. "So…"

Curie did the same, brushing off her pants. "Can I help you?" She smiled, her head tilted.

"Well, actually, I was wondering if you'd like to, y'know, grab dinner?" Renee jerked her thumb toward the noodle stand over her shoulder. "I figured since I'm already getting some food, maybe you'd, uh, like some too."

"What a marvelous idea! I was about to get dinner myself. Eating by myself can be lonely, so I'd love to 'ave dinner with you!" Curie stepped further outside and closed the door behind her, locking it. "Shall we?"

Renee nodded. She shoved her hands in her pockets as they walked together. "Did you, um, have a good day?"

"I did. Very productive." Curie arched an eyebrow. "And you?"

"Boring. Didn't do much." Renee waited for her to turn the corner around the stand before following. "After you." She gestured to the open bar.

Curie plopped down in one of the seats, making sure she didn't sit on her lab coat. Renee slid in next to her. She tapped the counter. "Two please. And a bottle of Nuka-Cola."

"I would like some water, s'il vous plaît."

The robot behind the counter passed off the noodle bowls and the drinks and held out a hand for payment. Renee rummaged in the bag on her belt. "Here."

"I've got it." Curie placed some bottlecaps in the robot's claw.

"Thanks." Renee popped off the cap to her soda and held it up. "For you."

Curie wrapped her hand around it, her fingers enveloping Renee's. She smiled softly. "Merci."

Renee took a drink and grabbed her bowl, holding it one hand while she grabbed a fork with the other. "So, do you speak other languages than just English and French?"

"I do, but not as fluently." She sighed, gazing off to the side. "I used to know more, but I 'ave forgotten as time goes on."

"Heh, I'm lucky if I can speak English some days." Renee shoved a forkful of noodles into her mouth, slurping one stubborn one between her lips. She heard Curie giggle and looked over, eyes wide. "Hm?"

"You 'ave some rather…funny mannerisms." Curie ate her own noodles using chopsticks, bringing each bite to her lips carefully.

Renee's mind flashed back to her childhood, when she remembered being reprimanded by her mother for having horrible table manners. "Act like the young lady you are!" Her mother's words echoed. She slurped up another noodle.

Curie pulled the tab on her water and took a sip. She took a deep breath. "It's a lovely evening."

"Yeah, it is." Renee glanced up at the twilight sky. "Listen, I was thinking, since we're going to be working together… Maybe I could get to know you better?"

"But of course!" Curie nodded. She turned on the seat to face Renee. "What would you like to know?"

Renee wasn't honestly expecting her to be so open. She swallowed her swig of Nuka and coughed as it started going down her trachea. She cleared her throat. "Well, uh, how about where you're from?" She took another drink.

"Vault 81. Though I was made 'ere in Boston." Curie bit off more noodle. "What about you?"

"I was, er, made in a town called Whitestone. In the Midwest Commonwealth." Renee felt her lips quirk into a small smile at the memories of home.

Curie tapped her chin with the chopsticks. "Midwest Commonwealth… Zhat must be far from 'ere, hm?"

"Yeah, it's pretty far. I lived in the Capital Wasteland for a few years. Rivet City." Renee rolled her eyes. "That was a living hell, lemme tell ya." She shook her head and looked at Curie. "What was it like in the Vault?"

A shadow crossed Curie's features and she frowned. "I would rather not talk about it."

"Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry." Renee ate another mouthful of noodles. "Let's see… What about your family?"

"I 'ave none."

Renee turned at the nonchalant way Curie answered the question. "God, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…"

"Oh, no, it is all right. It doesn't bother me." Curie blinked, waving her hand dismissively. "What of your family?"

"I've got two older sisters back home, Mom, Dad. The usual." Renee shrugged. "I miss them sometimes, but I doubt they miss me much."

She felt Curie's hand on her arm and looked at her. Curie shook her head. "Don't say zhat! I'm sure they miss you too."

"You might not be saying that if you knew them like I do." Renee offered a strained smile before finishing off her noodles. She pushed the bowl away and turned around, leaning her elbows on the counter at her back.

Curie hummed in her throat. She tapped her nail against the counter. "Hm." She arched her eyebrows. "Tell me about what it was like growing up."

"Like, my childhood?" Renee reached back for her Nuka and snorted as she took a drink. "That's a little on the nose, dontcha think?"

"I would like to know, if you'll tell me."

"Well… It was tough, if I'm honest. I worked on the farm my dad owns, went to school, just tried to survive. I played with the other kids in town, though I don't think any of them liked me. Got into trouble just like any other kid. Pretty normal." She sighed and tilted her head, looking down at Curie. "What were you like as a kid?"

Curie glanced away and gave a soft laugh. "I don't… I don't remember."

"You don't remember?"

"No. It's complicated."

Renee furrowed her brows. "Are you sure you don't need a doctor? I mean, if you got hit in the head hard enough at some point to just forget everything…"

Curie laughed a bit louder. "It's not zhat. Don't concern yourself over it."

Renee couldn't help but feel she knew Curie even less now. "All right… What do you do other than experiments? Like what do you do in your free time?"

"Study." Curie turned in her chair to mimic Renee, gazing out over the rest of the Market. "I go over my notes, finish my medical sketches. Things like zhat."

"Kind of a wet blanket, aren't you?" Renee laughed at Curie's surprised expression. "I'm teasing you."

Curie pouted and looked away. "Hmph. I am very dedicated to my work."

"And that's just fine. As long as you remember to take breaks." Renee finished her Nuka and put the bottle on the counter.

Curie sipped at her water as a silence settled between them. Renee looked at her sideways, studying her face. In the darkness, she couldn't see the freckles she knew patterned Curie's nose, but knowing they shared such a thing made her feel…better, in a way. Curie had her brown hair tucked behind her ear. Renee noticed a small earring glint in the dim light. The woman reminded her of some of those old, Pre-War magazines she'd seen.

"Renee?" Curie suddenly turned with a gentle smile.

Renee blushed at being caught. "Y-yeah?" She still swore Curie's eyes were almost glowing.

"Merci. For 'aving dinner with me."

"It was my pleasure." Renee returned the smile. It almost felt like a date.

The brunette stood. "I should go home. I 'ave a report to finish zhat I need you to deliver tomorrow." She held out a hand as if to help Renee stand. "And you should get some sleep."

"I'm an adult, I can take care of myself." Renee slipped her hand into Curie's, feeling the now-familiar coolness of her fingers.

"As long as I am zhe one tending to you when you come home injured, I think I can tell you how to recover."

Renee smirked. "Can't really argue with that." She began to stand. Her heel caught on a loose rock and she stumbled forward, into Curie. Their bodies were flush and she swallowed hard.

Yet Curie didn't move away. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just tripped." Renee could smell the perfume Curie used, as well as the lingering, sharp scent of laboratory cleanliness. She was close enough now that she could have merely leaned down and kissed the woman. The urge bubbled near the surface.

Curie stepped back and their hands fell apart. "Good night, zhen. I'll see you in the morning, yes?"

"I'll be there." Renee watched her go. "Good night." She looked up at the darkening sky with a heavy sigh. Ideally she'd have a drink and cold shower before bed.

Reviews and criticisms of all kinds are appreciated. I don't know how to improve if I don't know what to work on, after all.