The sprawling space of the Bara Ballroom stretched out before Kaitlyn, stuffed to the brim with colorful booths and people alike. A steady din of voices filled the air as well-dressed students milled about and chatted with recruiters in hopes of securing an internship. All around, she spotted the familiar offerings of mugs, pens, bags, and other tchotchkes bearing company logos across tables and sticking out of bags.
Stepping into the space, Kaitlyn found herself feeling strangely nervous. It was the first time she’d been to the career fair on her own. Every other time, she’d had Alex to talk to or back her up. But now?
She took a deep breath. It’s fine. I’ve got nothing really on the line, here. I just have to treat this as an opportunity to practice talking to people. And to learn about bio stuff.
The thought couldn’t completely erase her nerves. Absent-mindedly, she tugged at the hem of her blouse. After a couple of cringeworthy experiences with her usual hoodie, she had eventually caved and rooted around for some more formal attire. Fortunately, precisely one outfit in her starting wardrobe fit the bill.
Black slacks and a sleeveless white button up wrapped around her like ill-fitting armor. Decorative frills and lace adorned the shoulder areas and front of the garment. It was not anything that she would have chosen herself. In fact, the garment felt so incongruous on her that she’d avoided it entirely up to this point. Regardless, it gave her a bit more camouflage in this environment, something she desperately needed at this point. At the very least Alex wasn’t here to see her embarrassment.
Straightening, she began meandering around the hall and its rows of company-sponsored displays. She approached a few of them, prioritizing ones with short lines. They would be a good warm up for her real target. After a few brief conversations, she headed toward the stand she actually cared about. As always, it was deserted, students passing by sparing only brief looks of curiosity or ignoring it entirely.
“Hello! I’m Ray, nice to meet you.”
She smiled politely and shook the well-dressed man’s hand. Behind him, a blue-green banner with “Theranuc” and DNA helices emblazoned across it identified this as a biotech booth. A particular one that she’d been interested in for quite some time. “Kaitlyn. Nice to meet you too.”
“What major are you?”
“I’m biology. I uh, actually had a few questions about Theranuc, if you don’t mind?”
“Of course!” The man’s teeth flashed in a polite smile. “That’s what we’re here for.”
“Perfect, well, I was looking into the whole RNA silencing thing. I think I get the gist of how it works, but why focus on stuff like viruses? Couldn’t you also use this to maybe do some kind of gene therapy for people? Like when they’re making too much of a protein in their bodies?”
“Well! You’ve certainly done your homework!” Ray grinned, more genuinely this time. “This might be a better question for my colleague, here. He’s more of a scientist than I am.”
With that, the man called back over his shoulder. “Niel? Do you mind answering this young lady’s questions?”
Another, more casually dressed man - Niel, apparently - glanced up from his phone with a bored expression. “Sure.”
Neil cracked his neck as he stood. The man was of average build, his salt and pepper hair thinning slightly on top. In contrast to his colleague, he wore jeans and a grey hoodie emblazoned with Theranuc’s blue-green logo.
“‘Ello,” he began, hands shoved deep in his pockets. “What can I ‘elp you with?”
Kaitlyn’s eyes brightened. Awesome. I’ve never managed to pull him out before. This feels like I’m getting somewhere! “Yes! I was asking about RNA silencing.”
Neil shrugged after she had repeated her question. “Well, short answer is, we might be able to do all of those eventually. But it ain’t that easy.”
Neil began to talk about biology in a way she’d never considered. Most of the research she’d done on the subject focused on the theory, how things should work. But this? This was an answer that took into account practical details she hadn’t even thought about. Off-target effects, sequence similarities between genes, systems that countered RNA silencing, and so much more.
Woah… It felt like a whole new world opening up. I guess I hadn’t really thought about the details of how things actually work in the real world. Or, I tried to, but still. This is way more complicated.
“Wait, why would the sequence of the RNA matter?” She interrupted Neil with a frown. “I thought that it’s all made of the same stuff?”
“Yeah, but it’s complicated. Especially once you get into folding and dimerization and all that nonsense, you get real problems. To even get the stuff in a person you need some level of stability, so your sequence and shape options are kinda limited already…”
The more they talked, the more it became clear that this guy knew his stuff. Dang. There’s still so much I don’t know. Why does no one ever cover this kind of stuff in class? That would be way more interesting.
Of course, it would probably have soared even further above her head as well, but that was besides the point.
They went back and forth, Kaitlyn asking questions and Neil firing back answers. At one point, Ray began talking to some other student who approached the booth, leaving them to their conversation.
“... so that’s the gist of how it works.” Neil nodded. “Obviously I’m summarizing a bit, but yep.”
“I see… Thank you so much!” Kaitlyn nodded excitedly. “I really appreciate it.”
“Eh, it’s no bother at all.” Neil waved her off. “I don’t mind talkin’ ‘bout my work. Well, some of it’s under NDA, but you get my meaning. Now, I don’t want to keep you all day.”
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“Oh right!” Her expression turned apologetic. “No problem. Thanks again!”
“Of course. Make sure you grab a pen.”
With a final handshake, Kaitlyn hurried away from the booth with a fresh skip in her step.
That was better than I’d ever hoped! A broad grin snuck onto her face, no matter how she worked to suppress it. Her mind was already whirling with other topics to look up and questions to ask next loop. I learned so much! I mean, dang, I was already kind of liking Genetics, but that just solidified it!
Unfortunately, the Theranuc guys only came back once a loop. As much information as there was out there, it was hard to really take it all in on her own. It helped so much to have an actual knowledgeable person to talk to.
Hmmm… Actually, maybe I do have other options. A lightbulb went off in her head. Why don’t I ask my Genetics professor?
The thought made her want to smack herself. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that earlier? She’s been right in front of me the whole time, not to mention that she already sticks around after class to answer questions. Why not try it?
I’m still going to the class for at least this loop, anyway. Might as well get as much out of it as I can.
As she began compiling a list of questions in her head, she was pulled from her thoughts by a gentle tap on the shoulder.
“Excuse me.”
Kaitlyn turned around and came face to face with a familiar male lead. Elliot stood casually, one thumb hooked into a belt loop of his denim jeans. His fiery ginger hair was tied back into a neat ponytail. Along with a pristine white dress shirt, leather belt and matching work boots, his attire gave off a rustic flair while still seeming formal.
Ah, right. She blinked, not exactly surprised. The guy appeared any time she stopped by the biotech company’s stand.
“I was wondering where you got that pen.” A gentle smile softened Elliot’s features. She glanced down at the little pipette-shaped writing implement in her hand.
“Ah, it’s from the Theranuc booth right there.” She leaned over and pointed toward the stand.
“Wonderful. Thank you.” He gave her a grateful nod before heading in that direction.
She watched him go, his orange mane meandering through the crowd with surprising grace. There hadn’t been much reason for her to pay attention to the guy, especially not since his early rejection. Next to Vinny, he was one of the hardest leads to approach.
This might be the only time he’s not wearing headphones. Maybe I can take advantage of that…
A firm shake of her head banished the thought. No, don’t worry about that right now, Kaitlyn. I need to focus on other things at the moment. Not his route.
After that brief interaction ,she meandered about for a while longer just to collect goodies and talk to a few last vendors. However, she already knew no other booths would interest her the same way. It was mostly practice at this point. She was just ending a conversation with a sharply-dressed finance lady when she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.
There, just a few booths over, stood a tall bronze-skinned figure with wavy black hair. He was clad in a silky red dress shirt that accentuated his muscular frame. As usual, a borderline infectious grin split his face as he chatted with some recruiter.
The sight brought a sad smile to her face. Turning once more, she headed toward the exit.
***
Kaitlyn dunked another pot into the soapy sink below. Suds engulfed her to the elbows as she quickly ran a sponge across the plates she’d started soaking earlier. As the last of the grime and sauce disappeared, she shuffled the dishes into the middle sink compartment to rinse. They could stay there for a moment while she pulled out the latest load from the rightmost sanitizing compartment to make room.
“Order in.”
The door to the kitchen swung open as Philip strode through, pinning the latest order ticket above the bench next to the rest. It was a Friday evening at Chella’s Italian Bistro, their busiest day. Chef Scarra’s bearlike figure whirled around the kitchen in a clatter of pots and pans and utensils as he worked to fill orders. Succulent scents wafted over every once in a while, sending Kaitlyn’s stomach rumbling greedily. Meanwhile, Philip and Chella darted in and out with armfuls of plates going either direction.
With the latest batch of dishes finished up, Kaitlyn thoroughly washed and dried her hands. A glance at the napkins indicated they wouldn’t need more for a little while. They were getting low on breadbackets though. She strode toward the bread station and began lining the baskets with practiced efficiency.
“Order up!”
Scarra’s bellow summoned Philip into the kitchen as if by magic. As he grabbed the latest plates of spaghetti carbonara, he glanced over at Kaitlyn as she worked. He gave her a nod of apparent approval - it was difficult to tell, considering that his expression didn’t change - then disappeared.
Well, that’s something. It was more of a reaction than she’d received on her first day here. Despite him obviously recognizing her from tutoring, the familiarity had earned her no more than a succinct “we’ve met” in response to Chella’s introduction. Maybe she should have expected it, seeing as they worked on different sides of the restaurant anyway. It didn’t change anything about their interactions.
Well, that’s ok. I won’t be working here for long anyway.
Kaitlyn couldn’t keep a smile from her face as she went through her moneymaking plan once more. After a bit of research, she’d found the fastest way to legally make boatloads of money for herself - the stock market.
Well, it seems like the fastest way, at least. It’s pretty straightforward, at least.
Stacking one last breadbasket, she spun back toward the latest load of dishes to scrape them off. All of that practice memorizing test answers was going to come in handy here. After all of that, keeping track of a few stock tickers and the days to buy and sell options on them were a walk in the park.
Envisioning the future brought a grin to her face. This loop, I still have to work here to afford Philip’s tutoring. But next time, who knows? I might be rich enough to eat here as a patron.
“Oi, Kaitlyn! I need this washed pronto!”
The shout startled her from her musings. “Yes, chef! Right away!”
***
And so, the loop passed with relatively little fanfare. Kaitlyn prioritized establishing a schedule and better study habits for herself first and foremost, as that would be the most helpful piece of structure moving forward. It wasn’t an easy ask, but focusing on two classes at a time made it far more manageable. Especially after learning her lesson about the importance of planning in time for herself. Between that, Philip’s tutoring, and her deep dive into market movements, it felt like things were moving in the right direction.
Next loop is going to be even better. I’m really gonna blow this thing out of the water.
***
Cycle 13 Complete!
Ending: Under the Radar
Total Endings Unlocked: 6