A Challenger Appears
Author's Note – No, I didn't die.
He refrained from making a face of disgust when he heard the woman's incredibly lame pun. Instead, he stared down at the few glass beakers of solution he had prepared for this demonstration. But still, that pun was painful. She was a teacher and her students were children no older than twelve years, so Naraku knew that she couldn't drop dick jokes or murder puns to them. He inhaled through his nose deeply while tracing the rim of a nearby beaker with his finger, patiently waiting for the teacher to finish her lame speech about "science is everything" and "chemistry is probably the most important science out of all the sciences." He almost opened his mouth to argue that last point. Chemistry was important, yes, but it wasn't the most important branch of science. In his opinion, none of the branches were more important than the other. They all needed each other. Naraku slowly looked up at the ceiling and pushed his hands into his pockets. There was no need to confront her at that point. He was sure they would share some fighting words soon enough.
"Alright. I'm going to hand it off to our host, who has a few little demonstrations set up to show us the fun stuff that chemistry is used for." The teacher stated happily, turning to Naraku and smiling at him while nodding. Naraku covered his mouth with his hand while he yawned, plopping in a couple little capsules and pressing them between his cheeks and teeth. Time to work.
"There are many uses for chemistry, but it mainly comes down to these two things; medicinal uses to keep you addicted and for assisting our dark lord, Cthulhu. I'm going to need two volunteers." Naraku said while holding up two fingers. He avoided eye contact with the teacher. Either she hated these kids and cared not what would happen to them after what he just said or she didn't hear him. It mattered not as two eager boys' hands shot into the air. Naraku waited a moment more and saw a few girls raise their hands, too. He pointed at one of the boys and one of the girls and motioned for them to stand in front of their peers.
"Who likes Halloween?" Naraku asked as he handed the girl the smaller beaker with a solution and the boy the larger beaker. Naraku looked around as most of the class raised their hands, their expressions ranging from happy to curious. There were a few kids who didn't seem to care, but he was going to change their attitudes.
"Good. Now, pour that into his beaker and stir with this," Naraku instructed the girl, handing her a thin glass rod after she poured her solution into the boy's beaker. She began stirring gently, speeding up when the boy made a comment about nothing happening. Naraku smirked. Nothing was going to happen when those two mixed; it was the third chemical that mattered. He took the beaker from the boy and the glass rod from the girl, thanking them and dismissing them. Naraku held the beaker up and could barely contain his laughter.
"This solution is highly corrosive and dangerous, which is why I had you two mix it instead of me. If it touches your skin or clothes, they will melt away." He lied proudly.
"Wait, what? You had them mix something like that without gloves?" the teacher asked, her expression filled with concern.
"Oh, it would have melted the gloves, too. It would be entirely pointless to wear them." Naraku responded nonchalantly.
"Okay, no! Absolutely not! You should be teaching them proper lab safety, too!"
"I'm not their teacher; you are." Naraku figured it was time to "add" that third chemical before she got too brave. In the middle of her heated response, Naraku walked forward and purposely slipped, falling forward and spilling the solution. When his chest hit the wet floor, the thin pouch of the third chemical beneath his shirt burst and mixed, a brilliant red color forming and spilling out from under him. He bit into the capsules in his mouth and let the red liquid drain out of his mouth as he gave the wall a thousand-yard stare. The kids began screaming, all of them rolling and running away from him and pressing against the back wall.
"Oh my God! Out! Out!" the teacher shouted, pushing the kids out the door as she followed them. Naraku heard her screaming for help and figured that was his signal to leave. He quickly stood up and sprinted for the second door, which led to the "secret" hallway that professors used to avoid the rush of students in between class periods.
"I fell a little harder than intended," he said to himself in a low voice, realizing a piece of glass had stuck into his skin through the protective layer of padding he wore underneath his clothes. He plucked the shard out, a smirk pulling its way onto his face.
Once Naraku reached a certain point in the secret hallway, he opened a door and walked through an empty classroom and out into the main hallway. He figured he would grab his notes and his keys and leave the building before his professor heard about this particular "incident." Naraku reached the door and he heard his professor's voice. It was approaching quickly. Naraku rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. His luck ran out. The classrooms were connected to the secret hallway, but the research labs were not. Naraku grabbed the handle of the emergency shower and pulled it down. If he was going to go down, he was going down on his own terms; wet and satisfied.
"What the-oh, it's you. Wait, it's you? Why are you here? You have a presentation you should…what did you do?" the professor's face was reddening with every passing second. He looked down the hallway when he heard the confused screams and sobs of children. Naraku gave his professor a cheeky smile, which he was sure looked incredibly innocent with the fake blood running down his lips and chin.
"I didn't set them on fire, as you requested." Naraku replied, finally noticing the other person standing next to his professor. She was a young woman and she seemed mildly amused with the scene unfolding before her. She even stepped back a little and tried to hide her smile.
"What? Did you set yourself on fire? Was all that screaming because of you?" his professor questioned angrily. Naraku pushed the handle up and waited for the water to stop raining down on him before answering.
"Of course. Who else? Who is she? New lab assistant?" Naraku turned to her and she seemed perturbed that he pulled her into the conversation. Naraku winked at her as he twisted his long black hair into a single thick strand, squeezing out the excess water. The professor groaned while holding his face with both hands.
"Do you have any idea how hard they're going to sue us?" he wailed, his voice muffled by his hands.
"Rock hard, hopefully. That's what I worked for."
"This is all going to fall back on me! You did this in my name!"
"Hi, I'm Naraku." Naraku chirped, extending his hand to the young woman. She stared at his hand for a few seconds, so he wiggled his fingers to entice her. She grabbed his hand and finally looked him in the eye.
"I know." She said plainly, trying to pull her hand back, but Naraku kept a firm grip.
"Oh? My reputation precedes me? What did you tell her, professor?" Naraku quizzed, grinning when she pulled again. He tightened his grip in response.
"That you're a fucking asshole," His professor responded heatedly while pointing at Naraku.
"It's true. He did." The woman stated with a giggle.
"Don't laugh. It encourages him. You, let go of her hand. You're going to apologize to them and hopefully, you're going to jail." The professor ordered, his tone calm, but stern.
"I did nothing jail-worthy, sadly. So, your name?" Naraku continued without looking at his professor, kissing the woman's hand and relinquishing it. She placed it at her side and sighed, still keeping eye contact with him.
"Don't answer him. Go, now!" the professor ordered, pointing down the hallway where a group of people had gathered.
"Yes, Mom." Naraku exhaled sarcastically, pushing past the other two and marching down the hallway, squishing noises signaling each step. The professor shook his head and grumbled curses under his breath before turning to the woman he was interviewing.
"I am so sorry. You don't have to work with him. I can recommend you to another lab, if you want." The professor insisted, blocking the young woman's view of Naraku as he confronted the teacher and her class down the hall. The angry words echoed beautifully off the walls. The woman shrugged as she ran her fingers through her hair.
"I really don't care. He's nothing I haven't dealt with before." She answered with a small sigh and smile.
"No, you haven't dealt with someone like him. I guarantee it."
"As long as I'm getting a paycheck, I'm fine."
"Oooookay, crazy lady." He relented. The young woman shrugged, fighting away a laugh.
000000
Sango turned the key and unlocked the door, walking into the apartment, which was delightfully cooler than the outside world. She was met with a wall of wonderful aroma and figured Kagome was cooking dinner once again. Sango felt bad because for the three weeks they had lived together, she had only cooked dinner once. Kagome had taken care of dinner for all the other days, except for another random day where their third roommate left a crockpot full of chicken and dumplings simmering with a note stuck to the pot that said, "Got bored. Here you go."
"Hey, Sango! How was work?" Kagome asked when she saw her friend stride through the open dining area.
"Oh, it was something," Sango began, her tone drenched in annoyance. She reached up and pulled her brown hair from the ponytail, running her fingers through it a few times and sighing.
"Let me guess; someone brought their cat in because it was sick because they have it on a vegan diet?" Kagome asked with a smirk, but she certainly didn't find it funny. She just couldn't get enough of Sango's attitude when she was greatly irritated. It was funny and scary.
"Yes! Why do people keep doing that? It's so hard not to just deck every one of them in the mouth!" Sango exploded while slamming her fist into her palm, her muscles flexing beneath her long-sleeved shirt. Kagome began giggling as she shook her head. She was expecting that reply.
"I don't know how you don't, honestly." Kagome responded neutrally, looking down at the pot of chili she had cooking. She decided to try new seasoning, but she wasn't sure if she liked the smell or not.
"I'm going to go clean up." Sango announced tiredly.
"When you're done, we need to talk about something," Kagome called to her.
"Alright." Sango answered, feeling a sharp pain in her chest. She opened the door to her bedroom and closed it behind her, reaching for her brush as she approached her dresser and mirror. What could Kagome possibly want to talk about? Sango easily pulled her brush through the tangles, not even flinching at the sharp pains ringing through her scalp.
"I'm pretty sure I did the dishes," she whispered absentmindedly. But, then Sango remembered that Kagome didn't sound upset, either. Maybe Kagome wanted to schedule more hang-out sessions with their whole group.
Once Sango finished washing her face and changing into regular jeans and a T-shirt, she walked back to the dining table and sat down, waiting for Kagome to say what she wanted to say. Kagome stirred the chili for a few more seconds before pulling the spoon out and placing a lid over the pot to simmer. She placed the spoon down on the oven and walked over to the chair across from Sango. Kagome sat down and linked her fingers together, her face growing serious.
"Oh boy," Sango breathed.
"So, we have a ghost in our apartment," Kagome stated as-a-matter-of-factly. Sango opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out. She held her finger up to signal Kagome to stop and tried again.
"What?" Sango asked, slightly turning her head to make sure her ear had full-exposure to Kagome's words.
"I said we have a ghost in our apartment." Kagome repeated.
"Um….what makes you say that? I mean, we haven't been here for that long. Maybe you're just getting used to the noises this place makes."
"No, no, I'm pretty sure it's a ghost. It's a she."
"You know this how?"
"Because, in the dead of night, I can hear her voice. I think she's about your age, maybe slightly older. She's taller than both of us. She only appears at night, too. The only glimpses I catch of her are silhouettes because I'm too tired to greet her at three in the morning." Kagome explained in a raspy, spooky voice while wiggling her fingers at Sango menacingly. Sango smiled as she started giggling.
"I thought you were serious for a second!" Sango laughed, playfully swatting one of Kagome's hands. Kagome shrugged as she shook her head incredulously.
"I may as well be serious about it! I'm not joking, Sango! I haven't seen her once since we've all lived together. Three weeks! Three!" Kagome insisted as she held her three fingers in Sango's face.
"Look, she's not a ghost, and she's not a drug-dealer. She just works weird hours and hangs out with people afterwards."
"What do they do? I don't understand what the attraction is of hanging outside your workplace until three in the morning!"
"I don't know, Kagome! She told me a few stories of things they've watched happen. They're pretty funny." Sango said with a shrug.
"Why can't she come home and hang out with us? Are we not cool enough or something?" Kagome asked, her tone taking on a more serious vibe.
"No, she's just…stuck in her ways. She'll eventually warm up to you."
"Me? Does she hang out with you when I'm not here?"
"Well, we work out together. That's about it."
"As long as she pays her end of the bills, I guess." Kagome sighed, resting her chin on her hand. Sango sighed, too, looking down at their table. She wished Kagome wouldn't take their roommate's odd lifestyle personally, but Kagome was a sensitive person.
"Have you noticed our Internet is a thousand times better now that she's here?" Sango pointed out, trying to drive Kagome's attention away from the emotional part of the conversation.
"Yeah, I have. What did she do?"
"She upgraded it. Said she would pay for it."
"I guess I shouldn't worry about it dropping me while I'm doing homework for classes."
"That'll be nice for once," Sango said, the bitter memories returning. Sango didn't use the internet very much to begin with, but when she needed it, she expected it to work perfectly.
"Maybe that's why I hear her," Kagome cut her sentence off when she heard the doorknob to the apartment jiggle as a key was inserted. Sango tried to reach out to keep Kagome from leaping out of her chair, but it was too late. The door opened and Kagome was pulled towards it like a super-powered magnet had been switched on.
"Hi! Hi, hi, hi!" Kagome chirped while waving to her ghostly roommate, who was wide-eyed as she slowly closed the door behind her.
"Hi….did something happen?" she asked cautiously.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't the ghost?" Sango asked with a laugh while giving her friend a small wave. The woman waved back and side-stepped Kagome, who backed away and took a deep breath.
"I'm so sorry! It's just…this is the first time I've seen you in here!" Kagome exclaimed. Sango covered her mouth to keep her smile hidden. The ghost woman looked utterly confused, as if she had walked into the wrong apartment on accident and was greeted by kids who called her, "Mommy." She even held both hands up, as if being arrested.
"No, we saw each other, um, that one time when we were all together,"
"You mean when we signed the lease?" Sango quizzed snidely.
"Yeah, that time. That counts."
"That was three weeks ago!" Kagome said loudly. Again, their roommate flinched.
"Was it? Hm, everything has been a blur."
"I'm sure it's all a blur with the weird stuff you do, Jade." Sango retorted.
"Hey now," Jade scolded evenly, wagging her finger at Sango as she walked towards the hallway. When she entered her room, the door closed behind her. Kagome slowly turned to Sango, slightly red in the face.
"She seemed excited." Kagome murmured sarcastically.
"I've never seen her get excited about anything, alright?" Sango insisted quietly. Kagome held her hand up and walked back to the stove.
"Dinner smells delicious." Jade announced as she walked back into the room, her tone almost sounding bored.
"Don't get too excited there," Kagome replied, her tone sounding bitter. Jade caught the tone and looked at Sango with a confused frown while jerking her thumb in Kagome's direction. Sango shook her head. Now wasn't the time to explain. She was upset, though, and she was afraid this would happen between the two women. The problem was personality differences. Kagome was very sensitive and passionate; Jade was mostly numb and indifferent. Kagome was interpreting the things their roommate had done and said as avoiding them when Sango knew that Jade was, quite simply, a wandering dog who went where the good smells were.
When the table was set and dinner was served, the three women dug in. Kagome's expression had softened, which made Sango feel a bit more at ease. She glanced over at her Jade's face and saw exactly what she expected; the thousand-yard stare. Sango cleared her throat, finally tiring of the awkward silence. This was their first night together! She was not going to let it go quietly!
"I thought you worked evenings." Sango said to her friend, who shrugged while taking a drink of water.
"I switched shifts so I could go to an interview. Don't worry, I'll be back to evenings tomorrow."
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Like what? What did I miss?" Jade asked curiously.
"Forget it. So, an interview for what?" Sango asked abruptly.
"That lab assistant job they were offering in the Chemistry department on campus. I'll be training to be the lab assistant."
"Oh? That's super convenient! Kagome is taking Chemistry this next semester. Maybe you could help her?" Sango suggested. Jade nodded.
"Sure. I don't know how much help I'll be, but I can try."
"I'll take any help I can get." Kagome said with a laugh.
"Fair enough. This chili is awesome, by the way. Thanks for all the dinners you've cooked." Jade said earnestly. Kagome smiled widely. She wondered if Jade had been eating any of the other dinners or if Sango had been taking leftovers to work.
"No problem! I love cooking." Kagome insisted.
"Me too."
"You love trying. I remember that weird Lucky Charms lasagna you baked that one time." Sango pointed out, making a disgusted face. Jade chuckled a little and shook her head.
"Lucky Charms lasagna?" Kagome inquired, her face also twisted with disgust.
"I was trying to make a breakfast bar," Jade explained calmly.
"Because you were too cheap to go buy some!" Sango laughed heartily.
"No, I just wanted to try. It almost worked." Jade insisted innocently. Kagome tried not to spit her chili out.
"I'm definitely making dinner from now on." Kagome declared after swallowing her food.
"I'm not that bad. I make a mean steak, okay?" Jade argued, still calm, but a fire was lit in her eyes now.
"By mean, are you implying it still growls at people? Because I see you not fully killing the animal before trying to cook it at this point." Sango stated sarcastically. Kagome began laughing heartily, especially after seeing Jade's shocked face as her mouth dropped open. Sango laughed, too, patting Jade on the shoulder.
"Man, you don't even know. My steaks are so mean, they scold people who make fun of my cooking." Jade said back. Kagome and Sango continued giggling and making comments. Sango and Kagome suggested watching a movie and asked Jade to join them. She shrugged and agreed, figuring she hadn't spent time with them yet, so she owed them.
When the movie started, the lights were turned out. Sango and Kagome shared one couch and Jade sat cross-legged in the lounge chair, looking up on her phone the length of the movie they were watching. They each wanted to watch a completely different genre of movie; Kagome wanted a romantic comedy, Sango wanted some action or adventure, and Jade wanted to watch one of those terrible movies that had terrible effects, a terrible story, and terrible acting. Naturally, she was outvoted by the other two, which didn't bother her until Sango decided to go with Kagome's movie since she made dinner, and now Jade was wondering if she regretted not going to her usual evening job. Then, her mind wandered to her new job and to her new "coworker" with the long and wavy black hair.
'Please, let him be a funny asshole, at least. I can deal with those better.' She thought to herself. She was prepared for the king of trolls, but she still had no idea what level this guy accomplished.
000000
Jade pulled open the doors and walked into the Science Building. The cool air conditioning was a relief from the hot, humid weather of outside. She turned the corner and headed towards the Chemistry department's office where her new boss's office was located. Her new boss, Bruce as he insisted she call him, seemed like a very nice man, but she wasn't sure if she like how permissive he was about his "asshole master's" student. Yes, he was upset about the cruel prank Naraku pulled on the unsuspecting children and teacher, but he didn't really punish the man for it, either. She wondered if he didn't because he couldn't. Jade reached his office door and knocked on it lightly, pulling her brown hair into a ponytail quickly.
"Come on in," Bruce called out lazily. Jade opened the door and stepped in, hearing him chuckle and greet her.
"A part of me wasn't sure if you'd still show up after yesterday." He half-joked, reaching out to shake her hand.
"It's whatever." She told him while shrugging, grabbing his hand with hers and giving it a shake. He stared at her for a moment, as if trying to read her mind, but he quickly looked away and stood up.
"I suppose we should start your training. It's simple stuff, really. Poor this shit into that shit. Don't drink that shit. Wear goggles and gloves when there are inspectors in the room, otherwise, who cares?" Bruce explained nonchalantly as he waved his hand back and forth while grabbing his keys with the other hand. Jade giggled. His smooth accent really drove his humor home with her. She would have thought he was Australian had she not read the professor reviews specifically stating not to call him Australian. Apparently, he was from New Zealand and being called Australian was annoying.
"Where did I put that stick?" Bruce grumbled, turning around and looking around his desk.
"Stick?"
"Yes, yes. For obvious reasons that were demonstrated yesterday, you do not want to walk into the lab without a stick, caveman club, or some other battering weapon at the ready." Bruce responded dryly. Jade couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but if he was actually spending his time looking for a stick, she figured she should take him seriously.
"Should I just whack him once or," she trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence.
"That's up to you. Honestly, if you end up beating him into a coma, I'll personally pay your way through college and forever be at your beck and call. Ah, here we go," Bruce replied, finding the stick wedged between two file cabinets. He motioned for her to lead the way and Jade did, but she walked slowly, allowing the professor to catch up. He was the one with the stick, so she was going to let him go first.
"It's in your best interest to listen first before entering," Bruce whispered as they approached the door of the lab. She refrained from making a Steve Irwin joke, but it felt just like that. She and Bruce were sneaking up on a dangerous animal and they were going to poke it with a stick. Bruce held up a finger to quiet her, his ear almost pressed entirely against the door as he listened for noises. Jade saw his face contort with severe confusion as he mouthed the words, "What the fuck." She was now curious and moved closer to the door. It took a moment for her brain to register that the sound she was hearing was ocean waves. She also heard a voice, recognizing it as Naraku's, but it didn't seem like he was talking to anyone in particular.
"Sounds like chanting," she whispered. She saw Bruce roll his eyes as he jammed his key into the lock, turning it and opening the door while grumbling about satanic rituals. The room was dark, no light, except from what spilled from the hallway, and no windows. Jade stood in the doorway, refusing to walk any farther until the lights were turned on.
"Every grain of salt matters, every grain of salt matters, every grain of salt matters, every grain of salt matters," Naraku chanted slowly. Bruce flipped the light switched exhaled heavily. Sitting on the huge center table of the lab was Naraku, surrounded by bottles with labels on them.
"What are you doing?" Bruce asked skeptically, clicking a button on the projector with his stick and cancelling out the soothing oceanic wave sounds.
"Every grain of salt matters, every grain of salt matters, every grain of salt matters," Naraku continued his chant, eyes closed, breathing even, and Jade was so close to losing her shit. This was actually happening.
"Well, I shouldn't be surprised," Bruce stated, picking up one of the bottles. He rolled his eyes and walked up to Jade, grumbling something about comedians. Jade took the bottle and read the label.
'NaCl – Sodium Chloride.'
"I get it." She said with a smile. Honestly, it was a weak Chemistry joke on the surface. She wondered if Naraku was speaking about salt as it was referred to in the video game/Internet world. If so, then this man was starving for a negative reaction of some kind. Either way, she refused to give him one.
"Professor, I figured I would kick-start her training today." Naraku said after snapping out of his "trance."
"How about no? Get off the table and clean up this mess." Bruce snapped back. Naraku acted offended before sliding off the table, hand pressed to his chest.
"My, my, we certainly are grumpy today." Naraku pointed out.
"If you back out now, Jade, I will completely understand." Bruce sighed while massaging his forehead. He felt a Naraku-migraine coming on again. Jade opened her mouth to reply, but Naraku had started chuckling. It was a deep, melodic chuckle, but it reeked of chaos.
"Jade likes a challenge. She's not going anywhere." Naraku stated, crossing his arms and staring down his professor.
"And you know this how?" Bruce asked. Jade stuffed her hands in her pockets after setting the bottle of salt on a nearby counter, trying her hardest not to smile or laugh. She figured it was best not to interject.
"Oh? You mean I already know more about her than you do? Shameful." Naraku teased, glancing over at the woman in question. He was trying to get a good read on her, but she had quite the poker face in play. She was amused, at the least. If she were truly offended, she would have said something by now.
"You're right. I should go stalk all of my students' Facebook accounts."
"I found this information on a dating site."
"I don't use those." Jade said. Naraku looked at her, eyes widened a bit.
"It talks?" he chirped, his face looking dreadfully innocent. Jade closed her eyes for a moment, a smile appearing on her face. This man was real. He existed. He breathed, he ate, and he put his pants on one leg at a time.
"I'm training her. Go back to your voodoo research." Bruce ordered dryly, tapping his stick on the ground. Naraku ignored him and walked up to Jade, bowing slightly.
"My apologies. Shall we call a truce?" Naraku asked her. Jade was still smiling, her eyes meeting his.
"A truce requires both sides to be at war and I haven't done anything." Jade told him.
"Yet. I will make you into a war machine soon enough, my dear."
"Okay." Jade agreed, holding her hand out to him. Naraku looked at her hand, hesitating for a moment. She played a good game….for now. He shook her hand gently and didn't keep hold of it this time around.
"Naraku, get the salt off the table!" Bruce said loudly. Naraku rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
"Since you're training Jade, I recommend you show her where all the chemicals belong. I designate her as the salt wench. I'm going on a break." Naraku announced, taking off his lab coat and tossing it on the back of a chair. He grabbed his keys and began whistling as he walked out of the lab. He glanced back at Jade, who gave him one solid wave and a wink.
"She's taunting me." He said to himself after the door closed. Naraku started whistling again as he walked down the hallway.
Jade stared at the door for a moment longer while Bruce grumbled insults under his breath as he searched through different cabinets to find the chemicals he wanted to start off with. Jade was still in shock that Naraku existed.
"Where the hell did he get all of this salt? This is stupid!" Bruce shouted angrily, turning to look at Jade when he heard a noise. She was trying so hard to hold in her laughter that she snorted obnoxiously instead. The professor sighed hopelessly, but at least she had a sense of humor about the situation. He was just terribly embarrassed.
"How about this?" Jade asked, plucking a few bottles of the salt from the table and placing it on the desk she saw Naraku pull his keys from. She assumed that desk was his. Bruce nodded and smiled, joining her in disposing of the salt on his desk.
"He will retaliate." Bruce warned her.
"I'll blame it on you." Jade answered quickly. Bruce nodded and figured that was fair enough.
Once they cleared the table, Bruce pulled out a notebook from one of the drawers. He placed it on the table and sighed heavily, rubbing his hand across his hair-stubble face, staring off into space as he thought about where exactly to start her. He cleared his throat and tapped the notebook with his finger.
"This is what I'm thinking….well, have you taken basic Chemistry?" Bruce asked Jade, who was pulling her brown hair into a ponytail.
"Yeah. I had to take it to apply for this job."
"Really? I don't read the application rules. Alright, so you remember the labs?"
"Oooh, I remember," Jade sang with a grin while rolling her eyes. She remembered her alcohol intake increasing in those weeks, too.
"I'm sure you have fond memories of them. Basically, I want you to perform the labs of the first half of basic Chemistry over the next few weeks. That way, you're prepared to be the teacher's assistant for the lab class this fall semester. There are going to be too many students for one man to handle."
"Alright. I still have my notes and stuff for it."
"Excellent. Bring those in with you. I just want you to refresh your memory, so don't worry about any deadlines. It's alright if you come in once in a while and have nothing to do. On those days, just clean up any messes you see, look up any kind of grants or funding that you might be eligible for. More money for you is a good thing."
"Do I have any set hours?"
"Um, don't work past 25 hours. Come in when you want, leave when you want, but don't clock in more than 25. It drops to 20 when classes start."
"Wow. That will definitely help with my other job's schedule." Jade chirped, crossing her arms and feeling extremely satisfied with this new job.
"Where do you work?"
"Delivery for The Pizza Bar."
"Oh right, right. I've yet to eat from there. Is it any good?"
"I don't remember. I haven't eaten there in years." Jade admitted with a laugh. Bruce started laughing, too.
"It's hard to fuck up pizza, I guess." Bruce pointed out.
"Very hard, but we still find a way because customers still find something to complain about."
"Customers are bitches at best. I worked delivery while working on my Master's degree. The people who drove me nuts….you know what I'm about to say! I can't tell from the way you're smiling!"
"It's the people who don't know their own address!" Jade blurted out.
"Yes! Fuck those people! How are you going to get mad at me for being late when you don't know where the hell you live?" Bruce exclaimed, waving his hands with frustration. Jade giggled while nodding her head. She was mostly over it since she had been delivering since she was old enough to drive, but some things she could never let go.
"Well, I'll keep myself busy," Jade told him.
"I know you will. I have a handful of other students who work in here, but they've gone home for the summer. They might drop in every now and then. I'm working on accepting another Master's student, so you might see him towards the end of summer break. Until then, it's going to be Naraku and myself."
"Okay. I can handle that."
"Now, here's the thing about Naraku; he isn't always bored. When his samples have to sit, he gets bored and then he'll pester you. But, when he has work to do, he won't even acknowledge your existence."
"Then I'll keep him busy," Jade stated.
"That's the trick. Also, don't hesitate to ask him a question if you're confused or curious. He might be a rotten bastard, but he's also a smart one. And arrogant. Stroke his ego every now and then. It'll keep him content."
"Is that all I'll have to stroke?"
"Hah, honestly, of all the things he's been accused off, sexual harassment isn't one of them. If you decide to stroke him, that's between you and him. I don't want to know about it."
"Okaaaaay." Jade agreed sarcastically. Bruce chuckled and pushed the notebook across the table to her.
"Start with the first experiment. All the cabinets have labels on them. You'll learn your way around here eventually. I assume I don't need to train you on lab safety?"
"Pour this shit into that shit and don't drink the shit." Jade recited.
"Perfect. Alright, have fun." The professor said, walking to the door. He tapped his stick on the floor with every step of his right foot. Jade opened the notebook and turned the pages until she reached the first experiment.
"This one is easy." She said to herself, reading the list of materials and walking to the drawers to start learning her way around the lab.
000000
Naraku unlocked the lab door and walked in, spotting Jade preparing an experiment on the center table. His eyes darted around to search for Bruce and when he didn't see him, Naraku smirked. The professor actually left her alone with him? That was a pleasant surprise. He glanced at his desk, chuckling when he noticed all of the bottles of salt had been placed on his desk.
'Bruce's revenge, no doubt.' Naraku thought as he walked over to the table and sat across from her, opening the container holding his salad.
"So, what led you to applying to this lab? We weren't the only ones hiring." Naraku asked, stabbing a few pieces of lettuce and tomato onto his fork. He saw her frown slightly as she checked her measurements for the beaker of water.
"Someone told me a really hot guy with long black hair worked in here," She answered dryly, staring at the water. Naraku chewed his food while staring down at his salad. Did she really think flattering him was going to work or was she grasping?
"There is no need to be nervous. I'm only asking questions."
"I'm not nervous, bro." Jade said while smiling.
"Bro? You're one of those," Naraku stated, his tone revealing his disappointment. He looked at her when she snorted.
"I'm just here to do work." Jade told him. Naraku took another bite of salad gesturing towards her experiment as if to say, "Proceed." Jade knew better than that. He was challenging her now.
'Engage poker face. Don't let him see anything else.' She told herself. Jade continued reading the next few steps of the project, the memories slowly flooding back to her. This was one of the least stressful projects, she remembered. The next step was to pour the distilled water into the beaker to turn the silver nitrate aqueous.
"The copper and silver replacement experiment? Why that one?" Naraku asked, leaning across the table and grabbing the small beaker of water she had prepared. He slowly pulled it towards himself, his eyes watching her face. Jade blinked and smiled.
"Bruce told me I was going to be the TA for the lab portion of class, so he wants me to do the experiments to relearn them." Jade explained. Naraku raised an eyebrow.
"The TA? You're moving up in the world already." He said. Jade did her best not to show a reaction, but she was already tired of him. His vague statements, questions that revealed he already knew the answers to, and those piercing eyes of his….this was going to be an exhausting day.
"Yeah. Water, please?" Jade said while trying not to sigh.
"Did you weigh the copper wire?" Naraku inquired with a grin.
"Yes,"
"Do you have the silver nitrate weight?"
"Yes,"
"Is this distilled water?"
"Yes sir," Jade stated, her bitterness showing in her tone. Naraku pointed at her before drinking the water, placing the beaker down on the table. With a single finger, he slowly pushed it across the table and back into her workspace, his eyes never leaving hers.
"That tasted a little salty, salt wench." Naraku remarked, licking his lips. Jade looked down while shaking her head, a wide smile pulled onto her face. It wasn't a happy smile, but she really didn't want to show him how annoyed she was, either. She shrugged and walked over to the sink, grabbing another beaker and turning the knob for the distilled water. Jade returned to her station with a new beaker of water and placed it on the table. Naraku stood up and moved closer to her, watching for any physical reaction to his presence. He saw no acknowledgement to his movement, so, again, with a single finger, he pushed the beaker away from her. Jade pulled it back and grabbed the silver nitrate. Naraku pushed the beaker away once more. This time, Jade reached across with the silver nitrate. Naraku chuckled, quickly reaching back and lightly slapping the beaker off the table and onto the floor, the glass smashing effortlessly. Naraku was sure she would at least cuss him out this time.
"You remind me of my cat." Jade stated evenly, turning to look at him. Naraku found himself impressed. She was completely unbothered….on the surface, at least.
"Are you calling me an asshole?" he asked.
"I'm calling you a cat."
"You wound me."
"Oh," Jade replied with fake sympathy as she walked back to the sink for a different beaker of water. Naraku said nothing more, watching as she prepared another beaker and walked back to the table. Naraku walked back to his salad, picking up his fork and taking a few more bites of lettuce and tomato.
'She's a bit tougher than the others I've chased off. She'll give me something to do for the summer, at least.' He thought to himself, watching as she began stirring the silver nitrate into the water. Jade bent down until her eyes were level with his. She winked and slowly stood back up, staring down as the silver nitrate began to dissolve in the water. Naraku stopped mid-chew. Was she serious? He chuckled and said nothing, but he accepted her challenge nonetheless.