"It's such a nice day out!"

Esme set her tray on the table before her, a noodle bowl perched atop it. To her left side sat Elliot with his standard plate of comparatively plain buttered noodles, though today he'd evidently gotten a little adventurous. At least, Kaitlyn assumed that was the reason for the garlic bread on the side.

Woah, now that's a risky play. Kaitlyn tried to keep herself from remarking at the sight. Hopefully the garlic isn't too overwhelming for him. Wouldn't want him to overdose on flavor.

Kaitlyn glanced down at her own meal. She'd also picked up a noodle bowl, albeit one that was heavily doctored up with salad bar extras and her own combination of spices. It was a personal mix, one tailored to her specifically, but it wasn't too far off from the stir fry mix she sold.

"It is," Elliot agreed. "Seems like everyone else thinks so, too. I got lucky finding this table."

The weather wasn't anything special. Actually, the vast majority of days were incredibly nice, if a little cold once it neared winter. It was starting to get a bit boring.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually miss bad weather. Sure, there's clouds and cold here sometimes, but there's pretty much nothing that actually stands out. It's all just one big smear of "nice." You know it's bad when I'm starting to look forward to the one rainy day per loop.

The persistently nice days were just one more reminder about the never-changing nature of the world around her. As if she could have forgotten.

No, not never-changing, she reminded herself. I can change it. I can.

Kaitlyn tried to let the sun's warmth banish the dark thoughts from her mind. "It's nice to sit outside sometimes. Especially after being in lab for so long."

Elliot glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow. "I would say. When did you even get in today? Feels like you haven't left since yesterday."

"I did too!" She objected. "I just had a lot to do, that's all. I like coming in early sometimes."

Besides. I didn't even bring a sleeping bag this time, so I couldn't have slept over.

This early in the loop, most of Kaitlyn's time was spent with general lab maintenance tasks – preparing growth media, pouring plates, cleaning and the like. That, along with convincing the lab that she did actually know what she was doing, meant that her self-imposed lab time limits filled up with work pretty quickly. But a few weeks in, she was finally getting to the point where she could shift focus to her own experiments.

And now that I'm set up for success, I'm about to blow them away. She smiled inwardly. In a little while, I'll be running experiments at warp speed, here. Starting with my good 'ol buddy qPCR.

But in order to do that, she had a lot of setup to do. Growing plants, preparing samples, and starting up any other processes that would take more than a few days to complete topped her list. The more she did now, the more materials and options she'd have to work with by the end of the loop.

Esme picked up a pair of chopsticks and snapped them apart with delicate fingers. "Honestly. How do either of you have the time? I enjoy lab work as much as the next person, but don't you have classes and the like to take care of?"

Elliot gave a relaxed shrug. "Eh. They're not that bad, really."

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes and muttered something about overachievers. Kaitlyn just smiled.

They continued talking as they ate, the girls with their bowls and Elliot with his noodles. After Kaitlyn's first suggestion that they have lunch, the trio had started making it a pretty regular occurrence. It had been easy to keep up with, seeing how she could pretty much tailor her schedule around their availability. It also served as a nice break, since the group ate and talked for much longer than Kaitlyn usually allowed herself to linger.

…I am overworking myself a bit, aren't I? I mean, even when I go eat, I'm usually testing recipes or spice mixes when I do…

The realization gave her a bit of pause. Maybe she had to enforce a bit more break time for herself, too.

Eventually, Elliot set down his fork with a satisfied sigh. "I think I'm just about done. What time is it?"

Kaitlyn pulled out her phone. "Er… 12:47. Why? You need to get back for something?"

He nodded. "I've got a gel running. I kept it slow, so it shouldn't be an issue, but I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Esme shuddered. "Safe would be waiting until you were back in lab to start it. Why, running it over lunch… that's just asking for trouble, Elli!"

"Hey, not all of us are bad with time like you are." He gave her a pointed look and grinned . "Speaking of… Kate, has she ever told you the story of how–"

"No. No, I haven't." Esme cut him off suddenly. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she directed a venomously sweet smile toward the ginger. "And you won't either."

Kaitlyn couldn't help but laugh. The pair seemed even more relaxed this time around, somehow. Though maybe it was just her imagination.

It's pretty nice. I mean, it feels like we're actually friends.

Not that they weren't before, of course. But she hadn't been able to shake the sensation of separation from the pair. Like there was a wall between her and them.

Well, Esme's always been pretty open, I think. Maybe it's just an Elliot thing? Really, though, I could be imagining it… Or maybe it's because they knew each other enough that I felt like an outsider.

Whatever it was, she decided to enjoy the feeling. It was comfortable, after all. Plus, simply hanging around the two was bound to teach her a ton about them, even without pushing or digging for info actively.

Esme sipped her broth and looked at Kaitlyn. "So. Are you heading back to lab after this, too?"

Stolen novel; please report.

She nodded. "I've got a few more things to finish up. Then I'll be done. How about you?"

The pale girl shook her head, long hair fluttering slightly with the movement. "I'm done for the day. I'll be heading home after this to get an early start on homework."

That sparked a question in Kaitlyn's mind. "Where's home? Are you on campus or off?"

"Oh, I'm off campus!" Esme beamed. "Still nearby, though. It's quite a short trip, short enough that I can bike here."

"Oh! You have a bike?"

"Yup! You've probably seen it. It's the green one outside of lab. I take it everywhere."

"Unless she's running late," Elliot interjected. "Then she drives. So really, she doesn't bike that much."

Esme swatted his shoulder. She didn't contradict the claim, though.

"Must be nice to have your own kitchen," Kaitlyn mused. "I'd kill for that right now…"

"I'd believe that." Esme shot a pointed look at the remnants of the souped-up noddle bowl. "Oh, but I hardly cook. My roommate does! She loves making cakes and cookies galore. Unfortunately for me."

Esme patted her stomach to illustrate. Her incredibly slim figure didn't really help her point, though. If Kaitlyn had to guess, she was probably one of those people who could eat whatever they wanted and still maintain her willowy appearance.

She looked down at herself. I can't be too jealous. If she bikes even sometimes though, she's probably way more fit than me still.

"What homework do you have?" Elliot asked. "It's only week four. You can't be that behind."

She let out a long sigh. "It's not about being behind. It's about getting ahead! Some of us have to be proactive about studying, Elli."

"I get that, but Genetics?" He shook his head. "Of all the classes to study for, I'd figure you have an easy time with that one."

Kaitlyn perked up. "Genetics? You're also in that class?"

How have I never seen her?

"Not in Professor Adams's lecture, unfortunately." Esme rested her chin in one pale hand with a sigh. "Her class filled up all too quickly… I have Zimmer. He's known for assigning quite the workload. So between that and Structural Biochemistry…"

"It's not all bad," Elliot chimed in. "He's got more workload, but it means the exams don't count as much."

"I suppose… but I already have enough work with the rest of my classes…" Esme's shoulders slumped. "Not to mention that some of his homework problems are esoteric, at best…"

Oh! This sounds like an opportunity!

"Maybe we can study together sometime?" Kaitlyn lobbed the suggestion out hopefully. "It's not the same professor, but it should be close enough, right? At least it would make doing all that work less painful…"

Esme brightened. "Oh, I'd love to! It's always better to study with friends. Perhaps I can pick your brains, too."

They both looked to Elliot as he shrugged noncommittally. "I guess. I'm not usually one for studying, but–"

"Oh, don't be like that!" Esme chastised him. "It'll be fun! Besides, it's only half about the studying, anyway. The other half is just hanging out!"

Uh-huh. I'm starting to get the sense that we're not gonna be getting a lot done…

***

Corgo dashed across the stage, firing a pair of lasers at CinnaBun as he approached. The rabbit shielded to block, sliding forward slightly with her own momentum. It took her into range of the dog's leaping kick, forcing her to keep the shield up for longer.

A grab would make sense here. That's what you'd expect.

As soon as Corgo touched the ground, Kaitlyn's suspicions were proven right. CinnaBun bravely dropped her shield in an attempt to beat Corgo to the punch. Unfortunately for Ian, it wouldn't work.

Corgo crouched under the incoming fist and lashed out with a quick tail sweep, sending the rabbit sliding backwards across the stage. It wasn't a decisive blow, but it didn't have to be. Kaitlyn just needed to throw her opponent off balance and push the advantage.

He's gonna shield.

The cyborg dog's arm lashed out, reaching for the rabbit as her shield appeared–

–and missed.

Kaitlyn cursed as CinnaBun took advantage of the whiff, using the tail-end of the grab animation to leap onto a platform above. The height allowed her to dodge the hasty overhead swipe that Corgo threw out to catch her. But they weren't done yet. CinnaBun darted off the platform to regain the center of the stage, but Corgo was already rolling backwards.

Nice try, Ian.

Regaining his feet, the dog hopped in place and hit his opponent with a spinning drill kick. CinnaBun was once again harried back toward the edge of the stage, struggling to escape Kaitlyn's aggressive combo. A few moments later, the rabbit went careening off into the empty space, Corgo leaping out to thwart her recovery attempts whenever she got close. Eventually, the damage was too much, and CinnaBun launched into the abyss for the last time.

Ian blew out a breath. "Dangit. I didn't take advantage of that whiff…"

"Thank goodness," Kaitlyn rolled her neck to relieve some of the built-up tension there. "I really thought that would be the end for me. I still can't believe I missed that grab!"

"It means you really are human," he shook his head in disbelief. "I was starting to doubt it for a bit. Your spacing is unreal."

The pair sat side by side on a slightly stiff couch. They had set up shop once again in one of the smaller common rooms in the dorms, right outside of Ian's room. It was a perfect place to practice without the sound inconveniencing too many people. Not that the main common room saw much use, but still. It was the thought that counted.

Ever since that first Bash Bros tournament, the pair had taken to hanging out pretty regularly – especially in the past week. Not all of them were long sessions, of course. Some were nothing more than quick bouts between classes. But whenever Kaitlyn wasn't working dinner shifts at Chella's or busy preparing for Kate's Kitchen, she often found herself playing well into the night.

Which is awesome. I mean, not only are we both getting better at Bash Bros, but I'm sure this is gonna help us get closer faster.

At this point, she could win enough games to feel like Ian's match in the game. But no matter how many times they played, it seemed there was always something to learn from the guy. Whether it be tips, tricks, or extremely niche tech, it always felt like he had far more technical knowledge than she could possibly wrap her head around.

She glanced over. Already, it felt like she was in a better spot than before with the guy. And they had just gotten their first real programming project a few days ago…

…Maybe it's time to take a shot and go for it.

"By the way… have you started on the Intro to Programming assignment yet?"

Ian stiffened for a moment, seeming to freeze in place. "Er… no. Have you?"

"Not yet," she admitted. "I was gonna work on it this weekend."

"Right. That makes sense." Ian nodded. "I'll probably do that, too."

She gave him a sympathetic look. If her suspicions were right, then he certainly wouldn't do that. Either he'd intentionally put it off or just get distracted – though she wasn't sure which. The amount of time he spent working on his game in lecture suggested some mix of both.

"Well, want to work on it together, then?" She suggested brightly. "I mean, it doesn't look that hard, but maybe it'll make things go by quicker."

"Oh!" Ian blinked in surprise. "Er, sure. I guess we can do that. If you don't mind, of course…"

"Not at all!" She nudged him in the ribs. "Especially not if we take breaks to practice. We're gonna need it if we want to sweep doubles."

He smiled, some of the hesitation fleeing from his face. His previously closed posture opened up slightly as he straightened. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

Kaitlyn nodded with satisfaction as they started up another game. Wow. Guess I'm studying with everyone this loop. Let's see if it pays off.