"Maybe.." Poppy said as they slipped down the stairs to return to their rooms. They turned down the hallway, and her bare feet were cold against the metal floor. "Thanks for inviting me back up there, by the way," she said as they walked, her arms crossed for more warmth. "It was... nice." She sent him a small grin, teasing him.
He raised an eyebrow, but had a smile cross his face. "You think so? I'm just glad I didn't end up falling asleep."
"Falling asleep up there is nice," she said cheekily. "You should try it sometime." They got to her door and she turned to him, her keys jingling in her fingers. "So.. I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Poppy asked, hesitating for some reason and not really knowing why.
She gave him a smile. "You too, Francis." She unlocked her door and pushed it open, revealing the dark room beyond. She flicked on the light and entered, pulling the blanket in behind her.
Francis went back to his room as well, contemplating the multiple things he could have said. He unlocked his door and went inside, going to bed right away.
Poppy closed the door behind her and took a deep breath, leaning back against the wall. After a moment, she slipped into her bed, curling up under the sheet. She stared into space for a moment, before laughing breathily and holding her hand to her mouth. She considered the situation, sighed and closed her eyes and turned off the light. (Time skip?)
(Alright! I might make Poppy not go to breakfast because she needs to work in the lab, but maybe she can send Francis a message that tells him where she is? Unless you wanted to do some interaction with Vivienne in the morning with the three of them.)
(I don't have that conversation ready... yet. Maybe in the morning Phos and Poppy have that conversation about the fiancee? I'm not sure. Maybe they'll meet up during lunch.)
(That's what I was thinking. Okay! I'll have Poppy send him a message letting him know where she is, and she and Phos will have a conversation. Does that work out?)
(Zoom!) "I can't come to breakfast today, but I'm in the lab with Phos if you want to come join us!" Poppy sent off the message to Francis and then looked up at Phos, pulling her hair back into a messy bun. "Okay," she said. "Let's figure this out." Phos raised an eyebrow at her. "Was that your friend? That Craw fellow?" He grinned, his eyes crinkling with humor. "Is there something going on there?" Poppy glared at him as she shook the test tube, her gloved hand covering the opening. "Don't even start there, Phos," she warned, leaning down to scribble out a reaction. "You should give him a chance, Pops," Phos said idly, adding a few chemicals to his beaker. "He seems to enjoy your company." Poppy paused, thinking back on the night before. She almost blushed, but she pushed it back and looked up at him with a stern expression. "Phos, Francis isn't into me like that. And besides, the type of relationship he's looking for is not the kind that I'm looking for. Girls like me don't work for guys like him, and vice versa."
Francis made his way to breakfast when his watch pinged with a notification. He read the message, and very carefully pressed the buttons to respond. Success! He looked down at what he typed only to find it was a frowny face. "Hmph. I'll take what I can get," he thought to himself as he sent it, continuing his way.
Poppy glanced down as her watch buzzed with a message. She smiled and quickly typed back. "I'm very proud of your progress." Phos frowned at her previous words and cocked his head. "What do you mean by that? What exactly do you want in a relationship?" he asked as his mixture turned a dark purple. Poppy shrugged and clicked her watch off, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "He doesn't want anything other than a short, fun fling," she said, eyeing the meniscus of the water thoughtfully. She recorded the information and continued working. "I'm not like that." Phos gave her a look, confused. "Well, I don't think that's necessarily true," he said. "He just isn't sure he's ready for it after his marriage." Poppy sighed with exasperation, tugging on a lock of hair as she tried to think. "He didn't even like his fiancee," she said, brushing some powder into the beaker. "That's what he told me, anyways." Phos' eyebrows shot up, and he turned to Poppy suddenly. "My dear, that simply isn't true," he said, putting his hands on his hips. "He loved her. She didn't return the feelings." Poppy paused and glanced at him, her expression thoughtful. "How do you know that?" she asked slowly, her head cocked slightly. "He told me," Phos said, clearly a little irritated with her. Poppy went quiet, her eyes returning to her work. Her thoughts were whirling, and she heard Phos sigh behind her as he continued to combine various chemicals.
(I'm grinning like an idiot ahh) Francis messaged again, this time it was random letters again. He frowned and retrieved coffee, sitting down at a table.
(They're figuring it out!) Poppy's watch buzzed again, and she glanced down at it, smiling slightly as she looked at the jumble of letters. "Keep up the good work." She sighed, and combined her two mixtures, pencil ready to record the results. "Even if that is the case, Phos," she said quietly, "since his fiancee, he hasn't had one long term relationship, as far as I know. I don't think I'm the one who is going to break that trend." "You're wrong, Pops," he said, shaking his head. "I've seen the way he looks at you, and I've heard how he talks about you. He cares. I promise you."
Francis looked at the message and smiled lightly, then continued with his food, the corners of his mouth turned up.
