XAPPLEX

01. The Whales and the Turtle

At the Faculty of Science building.

In the corridor leading to the Department of Chemistry wing, a man with long blue hair carried a basket as he headed toward one of the many laboratories. He navigated the hallways with ease, indicating he had been here many times before.

He finally stopped when he reached his destination: Lab 1.

This blue-haired man was Paseton Whales, a Master's student in Oceanography.

He paused to adjust the basket. A small smile appeared on his face before he knocked on the lab door.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Wait for a moment!" a voice called out from inside the lab.

The sound of shuffling followed before someone opened the door. Standing there was another blue-haired man wearing thick glasses. With his dishevelled hair and wrinkled lab coat, he looked as if he had not slept for many hours.

Bud Illis adjusted his glasses and looked over, his face brightening as he recognised the visitor. "Oh, Paseton! Are you looking for Cale?"

Paseton nodded and shifted the basket in his arms. "Yes, Senior Bud. Is Cale here and available?" He raised the basket slightly, gesturing toward the handle to show his intent. "I want to take him out for a quick lunch. Is that okay?"

"Sure, sure! Good timing!" Bud Illis replied, his tone happy and joking as he leaned against the doorframe. "That guy has been skipping meals for God knows how many times! You must rescue him from starvation. We in the Faculty of Science still need his brain!"

Bud Illis turned his head and shouted towards the back of the room. "Cale! Come here, you lucky brat!"

He waited a beat before calling out again, "Paseton is here!"

When there was no immediate response, he added a final warning in a mock-serious tone. "If you don't drag your ass here right now, I will make sure you are locked out of the lab for a few days! I'm serious!"

The muffled sound of someone begrudgingly dragging their feet across the floor echoed through the room before a young man with red hair appeared at the door. Wearing a white lab coat that looked slightly too large for his frame, Cale Henituse stepped into view. He was known as the genius of the Faculty of Science, currently undertaking a Double Master's in Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacology with a fast track to his PhD.

Bud Illis crossed his arms and looked at the younger man with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you looking like I'm sending you to your execution or something?" He gestured towards the visitor standing by the door. "Paseton is here to take you out for lunch. Go."

Cale sighed, his gaze drifting back toward the equipment inside the room. "...I still need to observe that sample from yesterday."

Bud Illis let out a weary laugh and shook his head at the younger man's stubbornness. "The sample can wait. Your lunch date can't."

He reached out and gave Cale a light shove toward the corridor. "You're just 20 years old. Go have some fun like other people your age, instead of being cooped up in the lab all the time."

Cale looked at his senior with a deadpan expression. "By having fun, do you mean like you and Senior Glenn, dating at the park?"

Bud Illis sputtered, his face turning a shade of red that almost matched Cale's hair. "This brat–!" He cut himself off and waved a dismissive hand, physically shooing the younger man toward the exit. "Just go!"

Paseton giggled quietly by the doorway as he watched the one-sided banter unfold. "Then, Senior, we will be on our way," he said, adjusting his hold on the lunch basket.