Balls

17

The park in front of the Hotel Management faculty building has three cafes but only one was located within a thick shroud of silky oak.

Inside that particular cafe Mirna was already waiting for the duo.

"I know I'm not the only who had seen something off at the lab. Wasn't that the reason you two wanted to get the fish out?" she immediately asked.

Iqball and Ballqis barely had time to order anything.

"We heard you were a lab assistant last semester, what made you quit this semester's gig?" asked Iqbal wanting to start at the beginning.

Mirna's eyes narrowed.

"Did Micah say that?"

Iqball denied it. "Mrs Jogh said you were bored with feeding duty. That's why I agreed to the switch."

"Why would I quit a once-a-week gig that pays 80 dollars a month?" Mirna muttered.

"So you didn't quit. Did Mrs Jogh asked you to, then? But why?" Ballqis was too quick to ask.

Two cups of black coffee were placed on their table. Mirna observed the waiter's face, as if suspecting him to eavesdrop.

"I was told my service was no longer needed. That Micah would be able to handle my duties. He must have put in a bad remark about me to Mrs Jogh," she accused.

Ballqis and Iqball could not see a motive to support this.

"Didn't you and Micah got along well? You guys are from the same batch. Surely..."

Mirna was quick to cut off Iqball.

"I thought so too. But that's not the case now, is it?"

"But what would Micah gain by doing that? What bad remark could he have made?" Ballqis asked.

"He must have heard me when I was on the phone with my bestie. I saw him lurking outside the lab when I was telling my bestie I saw the lead researcher eating parts of a fish, raw, mind you. I don't know why that would upset Mrs Jogh but Micah would likely gain my stipend now that he is handling data crunching alone," Mirna theorised.

The 'raw' comment perked Iqball's interest.

"Did you say you saw Mrs Jogh ate a fish part?"

Mirna sipped her iced coffee.

"Believe me, believe me not. I saw her eating the tip a fin a few times already by then. It was just a tiny bit, but still quite disgusting if you ask me. I mean, I know she likes eating fish but seeing her actually tweezing a piece off a live fish..."

"... is kinda freakish," Ballqis finished off her sentence when Mirna seemed to struggle to find the right words.

"Yes!" Mirna agreed.

"She should at least wash and cook it, but even if she does, that's still quite..." Iqball deliberately put out his thoughts.

"Barbaric..." Mirna finished off his sentence.

The trio sipped their drinks quietly.

"Anyway, I bet that's why Mrs Jogh kicked me out," Mirna said solemnly.

"So you didn't know how they dispose the fish that had reached the end of its use for the lab?" Ballqis asked the most important question.

"All I know is that the moment the tank has been labeled green, the fish inside would be shifted into a smaller tank and shipped out to God knows where within the next day," she revealed. "At least, that's how they did it last semester."

Iqball and Ballqis exchanged looks.

"Don't tell me you've grown attached to the fish?" Mirna checked.

Ballqis and Iqball both looked away.

"They could be pretty playful you know. I think a couple of them are showing good jumping skills," Iqball murmered..

Mirna laughed.

"I'd rather fry them!"

"That's another question I'd like to ask. Micah said none of the fish ever gets eaten. I wonder if this was true?" said Ballqis.

Mirna shrugged.

"I told you, you can't believe everything Micah tells you, but then... Maybe that's what he knows. I doubt if he'd ever caught Mrs Jogh plucking calcium cells off the poor beings and popping them into her mouth," Mirna reasoned.

So she's not sure what exactly got her off the team nor how much Micah knows, Ballqis' look seems to convey this much to Iqball.

At least she knows what comes before the disposal of the fish. A mark on a tank, we should look out for that, Iqball's small smile said.

"Are you two done talking telepathically? I can see you discussing with your long gazes and tiny smirks, you know," Mirna chided, making it obvious that she was observant.

"We just find it such a waste to just poison the fish and burying them, that's all. I was wondering if I could keep one as a pet," Iqball said somewhat truthfully.

Honestly, if he could keep T7 that would be awesome, he thought.

"Aren't you afraid they'd turn into monsters? Tilapias could grow as big as two feet long. The species you guys are feeding in the lab has infusions of bigger fish's DNA in them. I'm not a biologist but I'd be too scared to let such an abomination live on," huffed the red head.

"Hey Mirna, thanks so much for talking to us. We're sorry we kinda spooked you the other day," Ballqis quickly apologised.

Mirna sniggered.

"Actually, Mrs Jogh overpaid me. I thought she sent you two to ask me for a refund," she admitted.

Iqball and Ballqis both laughed.

"I doubt she'd noticed. I heard she'd be getting more funds soon. That's why this weekend she's presenting the update on her research to the sponsors," told Iqball.

Mirna raised her brows.

"So much interest in food security these days, lucky her," she commented.

They parted ways after sharing some sweet treats.

"So they're shipped out to an undisclosed location after being marked. There's not much we could work on, Iqball," said Ballqis as they walk back to their resident.

"Yeah... But looks like we aren't the only ones who've seen Mrs Jogh devouring the fish scale by scale. I still get chills thinking about it. She looked as if it was the most wonderful thing she ever tasted," Iqball recalled.

"Do you think Micah was trying to tell you something? He was the one who brought up Mrs Jogh's fascination with fish meals," Ballqis asked.

The duo mulled this as they reach the fork that separates their way.

"If Micah says anything else... let me know?" the girl requested.

Iqball agreed.

"Of course. You're the only person on the campus I could talk to about this. You'd tell me if you're going to climb up and stake out on a gum tree, right?"

Ballqis laughed.