With Dr. Ray''s pressure off their shoulders, everyone started to rx a bit.


    "Well, wasn''t today a stroke of luck, running into someone as big as Dr. Ray from the Tech Institute," Linden remarked with a sigh. "Too bad I didn''t get to see him."


    "Big shots like him aren''t meant to be ogled by everyone. Just meeting him is rare enough, don''t push your luck," Kason said, giving Linden a reassuring pat on the shoulder, taking it all in stride.


    Linden nced over at Mirabe, who seemed lost in her own thoughts, still looking down and not quite recovered from the whole ordeal. He gave a little cough, "Hey, Mirabe, he''s already gone."


    Kason chimed in, recalling howposed she seemed before things kicked off, "So, even our steady Mirabe gets a bit of stage fright, huh?"


    Mirabe, hands tucked in her jacket pockets, nodded without a hint of embarrassment, "Yeah, truth is, I''m pretty shy."


    Zane, standing nearby, shot her a curious look. Shy? If memory served him right, her bold negotiations with Professor Wade were anything but shy.


    "Alright, let''s hit the road and head back to campus," Calvin interjected impatiently, pulling open the car door and getting in.


    Seeing Calvin''s move, Linden and the others just shrugged and followed suit, not saying much else.


    Once everyone was in, the car pulled away from the Tech Institute. Not long after, Mirabe''s phone buzzed in her pocket.


    It was a message on Messenger.


    Seeing it was from Dr. Elliot, Mirabe pinched the bridge of her nose and after a moment, replied: "Professor, I''m in ss."


    Elliot responded with a simple ''haha,'' then followed up with, "I''d recognize my students anywhere, even if they turned to ash."


    Mirabe: "..."


    Elliot, with a raised eyebrow, typed another message: "Is your department working with the Tech Institute on a project?"


    Figuring it wasn''t a secret, Mirabe replied: "Yeah, we''re working on an Artificial Life system."


    Elliot, catching onto the project, nced at Dane across from him and asked, "Isn''t there a project in ocean exploration that merges third-gen robots with Artificial Life and AI?"


    Dane nodded, "Yep, that''s the one. Why?"


    "Just curious." Elliot''s fingers tapped against his phone screen as his gaze hardened slightly, feeling a bit miffed. He sent Mirabe another message.


    "Am I missing out on something?"


    His department seemed sidelinedpared to the biology department, and he couldn''t help but feel a little left out.


    Mirabe, puzzled by her professor''s cryptic question, replied with: ''??''


    Elliot: "!!!"


    Mirabe: "Could you maybe exin a bit more?"


    Elliot: "Smile.jpg"


    Mirabe scratched her head, rereading the exchange, still unsure of what triggered his reaction. Knowing that saying too much could backfire, she sent back a simple smiling emoji.


    Elliot let out a soft, frustrated sigh.


    Dane poured him another cup of coffee, noticing his friend''s odd mood. "What''s up? You look a bit down."


    Putting his phone away, Elliot took a sip of coffee and said, "Ever had a protégé? You know, the genius type."


    Dane: "..."