Steam was swirling up from a hot cup of chocolate from the coffee machine in the hallway. It was a bit late for coffee, though his mind needed a break and his eyes were thankful to see a splendid frozen landscape from the window of the university's building labeled B. It belonged to the faculty of biology, medicine, and educational studies, and it was located in a fairly large campus at the top of a hill, overlooking part of the city, two residential projects and vast woods surrounding them.
There were few lights on in the entire building, and he was probably the last one still roaming the laboratories, but he didn't mind. There was a sense of serenity in the stillness of it all, of belonging, despite the coldness of the rooms. Kurama even liked the scent of disinfectant, which he associated not only with cleanness but also with his field and future workplace.
Much to his surprise, the red-head heard a set of steps climbing up the stairs. They didn't seem very confident or heavy - on the contrary. The steps were light, a little unsure, but not hesitant - more like someone was looking for a certain floor or a certain room. A sensor light confirmed his suspicion as it turned on at the other end of the hallway, right at the top of the stairs. He could see a small figure checking the floor and then slowly making its way towards him.
Since there had been a few good minutes of relative stillness, the sensor lights around him were off, which only gave him an advantage. The person was human and posed no threat. She wasn't Asian though...
As she got closer, Kurama noticed natural waves and loose curls forming a mane. He initially thought her hair was black, but under the cold light, it became clear that it had been dyed a deep purple with black undertones and violet highlights. Grey eyes soon became aware of his existence and a tired smile curved her thin lips.
"Hi! You've got no idea how glad I am to see someone still here!" she laughed in Japanese with an accent he couldn't recognize. Words were flowing with ease, nearly blending into one another, and she spoke rather fast for a foreigner.
Kurama gave her a smile in return. "Hello. Can I help you?"
"I don't know... Do you know a guy Minamino? A friend told me to look for him."
That was interesting. Kurama was pretty sure that he did not know this girl, however, they seemed to have a common friend. Well... she seemed nice enough. Maybe he could help her out quickly and return to his projects.
"I am Minamino. Do you mind telling me who sent you here?"
Her face lit up, as she took out some change from a back pocket and approached the coffee machine.
"Ain't I lucky, huh?" she chuckled. "My name is Amara. Amarantha, but nobody calls me that. I've picked up this project for a national competition and when I told Keiko about it, she pointed me this way."
Kurama watched her buying herself some coffee and then turning towards him. The expression of her face reminded him of a child just waiting to open up a Christmas present, or perhaps someone who won the lottery. He wasn't very enthusiastic about doing any work for someone else, though the thought of Keiko being a good friend of his and of a national competition shining some light on his own merits made him reconsider his initial refusal.
"Hm... I don't know what to say. I am not going to write you a paper if that's what you are trying to achieve, but I could help you with some details. What kind of project is it?"
The two began walking towards one of the laboratories, Amara half a step behind as Kurama led the way. He was in his final year and his paper revolved around a way to prove that plants communicate with each other in a similar way to humans or animals, with social structures and hierarchies.
"I want to see if plants feel pain or have any reaction to it. That's the project."
Green eyes widened in surprise as they entered the laboratory. There were many pots with different kinds of plants, multiple species together, links between them and electric equipment surrounding them.
"That's an interesting topic. Do you have any idea what are you looking to find?"
"Electric impulses, probably. In animals, pain is an electric impulse deciphered by the brain."
"Plants have no brain, do they?" he continued to challenge her.
"They have no eyes either, but they react to light. They have no muscles but move - some of them really fast. The Venus flytrap even counts, so why wouldn't it feel pain?"
Kurama gestured for her to take a seat beside him as he began writing down a series of observations from the display of the equipment.
"I see why Keiko told you to come here. I could help you with the practical part of your research, maybe a little more, but my time is limited. I will be graduating this year and I need to work on my own paper."
Amara sat cross-legged. "I'm not asking you to do everything! I just need some guidance on this. The deadline is at the beginning of June, on the 5th, so there's plenty of time for me to write it, but I need to know what to write."
He nodded. "I could give you a few authors to study, and help you with the actual experiments. Do you want to study a certain plant?"
"Actually... My neighbors are moving out in a week and they have this giant Yucca they don't want to take along. I offered to take it, but trust me - it's huge! It has five stems and reaches the ceiling. I think it would be strong enough to take a little hustle without dying in the middle of the experiment."
A smile crept upon his face as Kurama held back from laughter. "I don't suppose you will be bringing it here, so we will have to install a few tracking devices at your place, I suppose."
"I was hoping you won't have me carrying it here, you know?"
Kurama chuckled along. "How about we get to know each other a little bit more? I could help you move the plant if you want."
"Tomorrow is Saturday, so... How about I message you after I'll be done with work and we can meet up somewhere? It will be around 6 PM."
"Alright. Is that your usual schedule?"
Amara nodded. "Ten hours a day for the weekend and I get the weekdays off. A part-time job like that and the scholarship cover up most of what I need. By the way, since I'm here, can I help you with anything?"
That was nice of her to ask. Kurama stood up. "Well, there's not much left for today... You can help me with the cleaning up if you want."