Kaitlyn sat at her lab bench, fingers steepled together as she pored over her notebook. The soft hum of a centrifuge spinning faded into the background as she focused on the task at hand.

Alright. It's go time.

After a few weeks of work, she'd finally established enough rapport to run her own experiments. A few of them, at least. And she knew exactly where to start: her old nemesis, qPCR.

For too long, the mysteries of her continuously failing assays had eluded her. Every attempt to solve the issue had ended in nothing but failure and frustration. But now, she was back. With fresh eyes, a clear mind, and hardline boundaries on what she could do without destroying her mental health, the assay wouldn't stand a chance.

First thing's first. Kaitlyn glanced at the styrofoam box at her elbow, its interior packed with crushed ice. I should run it just like normal as a baseline, to make sure nothing's changed. Maybe it'll just decide to work for no apparent reason.

It wasn't likely. In fact, she was fairly confident it wouldn't work. But having a control was essential if she wanted to do any kind of science.

Pulling open a drawer, Kaitlyn got to work. She pulled out all the tubes she'd need, labeling them with a pair of colored sharpies from her lab coat pocket. After that, she quickly calculated the amounts of each reagent needed for a master mix, pipetting them into a single tube. After a few flicks to mix the liquid, she set it back on ice and started aliquoting into her strip tubes.

Conceptually, qPCR was pretty interesting. How the assay worked to quantify a sample's DNA sequences with precision and specificity was actually pretty ingenious. But practically? It was just like any other kind of PCR. Put liquid in tube, add DNA, then stick it in the biology equivalent of an easy-bake oven. At least, that's how it was supposed to be.

As she worked, Kaitlyn reviewed what she already knew. During her lab-obsession period, she'd tried practically every kind of variable she could think of in an effort to eliminate her sample contamination problem. Had there been something she'd overlooked?

There must be. It's the only explanation. There's no other reason that it would fail for me and no one else. I just have to solve the puzzle.

To save herself some trouble, she kept this initial assay small – only a couple dozen samples made it into the thermocycler. It just felt wasteful to do more until she knew it would work. A few button presses later, the samples were well on their way to disappointing her once again.

Ok, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, she admitted, her attention focused on the machine's screen. I mean, how could they disappoint me when I have no expectations?

She stood there for a long moment, drumming her fingers on the machine's top as she ran through past experiments mentally. There had to be something she'd missed. But what?

"...You know that thing takes a while to run, right?"

With a start, Kaitlyn glanced up. Leaning casually against the bench stood Elliot, his chin in one ungloved hand. His lab coat hung loosely about his shoulders.

Dang. How is he so quiet? He just appears out of nowhere sometimes…

Kaitlyn sighed and straightened. "I know. Just a little impatient, I guess."

"A watched pot never boils. I'd guess that means a watched thermocycler never reaches denaturation temperature, either."

That got a chuckle out of her. "Doesn't roll off the tongue very well, does it?"

Elliot shrugged, a smile quirking the corner of his lips. "Who knows? Maybe it'll catch on anyway."

Katilyn looked at the ginger-haired student. Over the last few weeks, they'd talked a decent amount. He'd been responsible for "teaching" her some of the basics of where things were and how to take care of plants, as usual. But during their conversations, she hadn't really tread new ground or learned any more about him.

"What time is it?" She asked suddenly.

"Hmmm…" He glanced over his shoulder, leaning over to check a wall clock. "Almost noon. Why?"

Well that works out pretty well.

She'd planned to use this time to plan her next experiments, originally. But it seemed clear that Elliot wasn't busy today. And she had promised herself to prioritize talking to him…

A sudden sense of trepidation creeped over her, digging its claws into her back. With an effort, she shook it off. No. I'm better than that. This was half the point of practicing my social skills, remember? If I can't at least do this, then what good am I?

"I think I'm gonna grab lunch, then." Kaitlyn stretched, forcing herself to maintain eye contact. "Want to come with?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Sure. I could go for something to eat. Mind if I invite Esme along too?"

"No problem!" Internally, Kaitlyn celebrated.

Yes! See, that wasn't too hard, was it? It's a totally normal thing to ask and offer. Even if it's Elliot.

She didn't even mind Esme coming along. It felt like less pressure than a one-on-one lunch meeting, for one. Maybe she could also use the opportunity to learn more about the girl. As things were, they'd only spoken in passing.

The pair headed toward the hangers near the door, shedding their white coats before heading down the corridor. Esme's bench was in one of the adjoining labs to their own, and it was only a short walk before they found the delicate beauty sitting in front of her own ice bucket with a pipette in hand. Her black hair was pinned up in a neat bun, pale skin just a few shades lighter than her own lab coat.

"You hungry, Esme?" Elliot called? "We're heading to Cappy's."

"Oh!" She perked up. "Alright, give me just one moment…"

"One moment as in, a few seconds? Or are you going to make us wait half an hour?"

Esme just rolled her eyes. "It was one time, Elli! Really, how you can remember that and simply skim over all the times I've been precisely punctual…"

Kaitlyn watched the exchange with interest. Just like she didn't know much about Esme, she also didn't know about her relationship with Elliot.

One thing's for sure, though – they definitely know each other. They have for a long time, too, if I had to guess. The real question is whether this is friend banter or something else.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

It was impossible to tell. The pair seemed close, but she hadn't observed them enough, aside from brief instances like this. Her best clue about their true relationship was that initial encounter at the library on her very first loop, so long ago. It felt so incredibly distant now, but Kaitlyn distinctly remembered the scene. The level of familiarity Esme had displayed seemed to heavily imply that they were a couple.

If they are dating, that's pretty much the worst case scenario. Kaitlyn frowned. That means the ending would require them to break up. And with how this game's gone so far, that probably means I'd be the one doing the breaking.

It wasn't an idea she relished in the slightest. Elliot was cool and all, but she hadn't exactly fallen for him. Seeing him and Esme talk like this didn't even make her jealous so much as curious.

If that is the case, I'm definitely not doing it anytime soon. She shuddered. Romance endings themselves are hard enough on me. One like that? I don't know if it would even be worth it…

Hopefully they were just friends. Very close, platonic friends with absolutely no interest in each other. For everyone's sake.

Esme snapped the lid of a microfuge tube closed and stuck it back into the ice. "Ok! Let me just put this away for the moment. I'll quantify them when we get back."

"What are you working on?" Kaitlyn asked, craning her neck to see. "Miniprep?"

"Yes!" The girl hung up her lab coat to reveal a fashionably-cut black blouse underneath. She removed a jade-colored hair clip from her bun, allowing long waves of black hair to fall about her shoulders. "Allen's been making all sorts of chimera and YFP-tagged proteins lately, so we have a lot of bacterial cultures in the works. He's got some fun interaction assays planned for us!"

That did sound pretty interesting. At the very least, it was something new that Kaitlyn hadn't worked with much. She considered asking whether she could help, but wasn't entirely sure if it would be welcomed.

Esme and her postdoc are in a different lab, after all. I know she works with Freddy a lot, but that doesn't necessarily mean I can or should butt in here… Hm.

"Yes, 'fun,'" Elliot chuckled. "Fun if you get them to work, that is. Otherwise it's about as fun as getting kicked in the shins."

"Oh, you killjoy." Esme chided as they headed toward the door. "Of course it will work. We're experts."

"Mmm-hmm. Keep telling yourself that."

As they took the elevator down and headed toward the dining hall, Kaitlyn got a real chance to talk with Esme. She described the project that she and her lab were working on. While it definitely had some overlap with what Professor Adams's lab did, it approached the problem from a very different direction. It explained the close relationship between the two professors and their work.

"How long have you been in lab?" Kaitlyn asked.

"About two years now." Esme smiled. "I joined when I was just a second year, so I got in pretty early. Well, not as early as some."

She elbowed Elliot in the side as Kaitlyn considered the statement. That's right. She's a third year, isn't she? That's crazy.

He just chuckled. "Early for you, maybe. Sounds to me like you're a little behind."

At Esme's questioning eyebrow, Kaitlyn ducked her head in embarrassment. "I'm actually a first year."

The girl's eyes widened. "Really? You too? Wow, you must really have made an impression! Unless you also know Anna?"

"Professor Adams?" Kaitlyn still hadn't quite gotten used to addressing the woman so casually by her first name. "No, I'm just in her class."

"Genetics? That's a good choice." Esme nodded sagely. "She's one of the better professors for it. Hard, but good. Though I can't believe you're already taking that. Most people take it later. I mean, I'm just taking it now myself!"

Kaitlyn grimaced. "Guess I'm just ahead of the curve."

"Well, you're not alone there." Esme whispered conspiratorially to her, eyes flicking toward Elliot. "Your lab kind of has a thing for overachievers."

"I can hear you, you know." Elliot crossed his arms with an amused grin. "And besides, it's a completely different circumstance."

The familiar form of Cappy's Cafeteria came into view shortly after. Unfortunately, they hadn't managed to evade the lunchtime crowds. In fact, they'd gotten stuck right in the thick of them, meaning there were lines everywhere.

It's not all bad, though. If it's busy, at least the food is fresher. Usually.

The trio split up to find their meals as Kaitlyn pondered the last conversation. Esme had assumed that Kaitlyn "also" knew Professor Adams.

That makes sense. Didn't Elliot say he knew her before this? She frowned, trying to call the memory to mind. Something about her being a family friend. I don't know if I got any more specifics.

Despite how much she'd trained her memory, a lot of time had passed in the game. It took a little bit of effort to recall information sometimes, especially brief snippets of conversation from long ago. It was one unexpected benefit of having some conversations over and over – the information really got hammered home.

Still, it certainly made sense for Esme to ask that question, especially if she also knew about Elliot's situation. Maybe I should ask more about his family, too. And Esme's. And Professor Adams. And… dang, there's just so much I don't know.

At the insistent rumbling of her stomach, however, the thoughts quickly were left by the wayside. Kaitlyn grabbed a bowl of soup and a stir fry for herself. It was more than she could probably eat, but wasting food hadn't been a concern of hers for a long time. And besides, there were only so many stir fry days to work with. She couldn't let one go to waste when there were spice mixes to be tested.

Not like it's that high of a priority though. It's more of a personal project for this one.

They reconvened outside, claiming a table at the edge of the plaza due to the sheer number of students. As they sat down, Kaitlyn pulled open her backpack and almost absentmindedly pulled out her usual arsenal of spices to finish off the dishes. It took a moment for her to realize that both Elliot and Esme were staring at her.

"Er…" She gave them a sheepish grin. "Whoops. Sorry, habit."

"Habit?" Elliot asked with amusement. "It's habit for you to pull out an entire grocery store for lunch?"

"Kind of?" She shrugged. "I like good food, so… I kind of take matters into my own hands."

She'd been eating out alone enough that she hadn't considered what this would look like to the outside. Even the times she ate with Heather, the girl knew about her proclivity for cooking and so didn't question the strangeness of Kaitlyn's personal spice collection.

"Already tired of the stuff they serve here?" Elliot chuckled. "It's only week four."

"I mean, I can make it better, so why not?" She defended herself.

"As if you're one to talk, Elli," Esme gave a tinkling laugh. "You're simply on the opposite end of the spectrum."

For the first time, Kaitlyn looked over what the other pair had brought. Esme had evidently chosen a stir fry of her own, though with different veggies and sauce. But Elliot…

Is that… plain pasta?

Kaitlyn did a double take. Sure enough, it seemed like the guy had simply grabbed a large bowl of plain penne pasta without any sauce or adornments. In fact, a few pats of butter and a drink were the only other additions to his tray. It was the single most bland thing she'd ever seen.

"I do like good food. I'm just very particular." He shrugged.

"Buttered noodles are not good food, Elli!" Esme rolled her eyes. "That's what children eat!"

"I'm just saying they're onto something. Don't fix what's not broken."

As the pair continued to bicker back and forth like an old married couple, Kaitlyn shook herself, putting aside Elliot's bewildering choice of meal. Returning her attention to her own food, she quickly fixed it up. The soup wasn't quite right yet, but the stir fry? It was almost excellent.

Much better.

She saw Esme eying the modified stir fry with fascination. With a grin, Kaitlyn pushed the bowl forward. "Want to try?

"I'm good," Elliot shrugged. "Not my thing."

Esme gave an exasperated sigh. "Well, I'd love to. Thank you, Kate."

As she took her first bite, the pale girl's delicate features brightened with astonishment. "This is… seriously good! Elli, you should try this!"

"No, really, I'm good." He chuckled. "I'm not a fan of stir fry, anyway."

"You're not a fan of anything. And besides, you have to eat your veggies!"

Kaitlyn watched on in amusement as Elliot fended the girl off. Yeah, there's definitely something going on there. Something.