Xaviers!

In the computer vault under the campus, the lid of Natalie's tank hisses and irises open as she swims up to grab the rim and pull herself out. She climbs down the side of the tank, a small automated cleaner following her to clean up the tank fluid that she tracks behind her. Stripping off the two piece 'swim suit', she tosses it into the laundry and climbs into the shower she had put here for this purpose. The solution rinses off easily enough and she finishes the hot shower at a leisurely pace before drying off and pulling some clothes out of a drawer and getting dressed. She slides a pair of glasses onto her face and makes a couple of gestures at the air, checking where she's supposed to be next. She frowns and tries to figure out who put "spend time in the teacher's lounge" on her schedule, but finally just shrugs. She runs her fingers through her wet hair a few times and looks at herself in the mirror before heading up to the class building and the teacher's lounge. She picks up a mug and goes to fix herself a cup of coffee, but the pot's down to sludge. She sighs, moves that pot aside and gets a clean one, going through the process to start brewing a fresh one. Once she starts the cycle, she stares impatiently at the coffee maker as if sheer will could make it go faster.

((Open))

Basil enters, nostrils flaring at the smell.

"OoOo fresh coffee.

Morning Ms. Denisov."

"Good morning, Mister..." A brief mental record search to find the right name. A fraction of a second for anyone observing, but too long a pause for her tastes. "Rosenhof. Are all the library computers operating to your satisfaction?"

"Computers?" He replied. "Oooooohhhhhh. That's why that box didn't heat my pot noodle....."

She glances at him, "Very funny. Did you also use the cup holder?"

" Yes, the pop out personal laundry rack is a very convenient feature. " He countered.

"They are all fine, you did a great job." He replied, smiling.

"I'm glad. I expect them to survive all of two days contact with the students, but such is the nature of the beast," she says, pouring herself a mug of the coffee.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to take it out of their hides if they bust anything."

"We have sufficient replacements, but please do," she says, stepping out of the way to take a sip of her coffee. "Are you and your family settling into your flat?"

"Well, Abbie hasn't broken anything yet so there's something.

I'll have to figure out how to bolster the sound absorption though so we don't bother other tenants."

"The designer mentioned something about inserts that can be added to help with that. I doubt most of the staff are going to be overly troubled by a child's noises though."

Basil stared at her with an awkward grin for several moments.

"Yeeesss. My noisy child. That's definitely what I meant and not anything that could get me drug into the HR office.

Anyways, what about you? How have you been with all this?"

"My apartment is suitable, but I don't spend a lot of time there. I'll admit teaching was not my first choice of profession, but they asked nicely and promised a research budget."

"Yes, they used a similar bait tactic to get me here as well. Clearly, it works." He laughed.

"I was on the verge of starting my own tech company, but my head for business probably isn't what it should be, so it's probably just as well that I'm here. I do need to go visit Ashlie sometime though."

"You two don't visit in....

Hyperspace or something? I figured techy-types like yourself had some super swank Tron diner where you smoked e-cigs and drank terrible digital coffee or something."

"We communicate through some digital means, but occasionally I prefer to see her in person."

Basil smiled warmly.

"It's... sweet that you're so attached to the analog world. So many strange and horrible things happen here, I guess I just assumed those who could avoid it would do so as much as they could. "

"I wouldn't say attached," she says with a shrug. "And I certainly don't go in this body."

Basil furrowed his brow. " How do you visit then?"

"I have a travel shell that I use," she says, as if those terms should mean something to him. "Less likely to get killed in that."

"... like an armoured vehicle?"

"If one can be said to have an armored vehicle for one's consciousness, then yes," she says, sipping at her coffee.

Basil literally had noooooo clue what Natalie was on about now, but he smiled in a congenial fashion anyways.

"Tell her thanks for me when you see her."