Valentine's gift

Chapter 1

The young woman had been almost an hour staring at the salarian. She was impressed by the speed of his work and his capacity to concentrate as if there was nothing else around him. Sometimes he talked to himself and reviewed aloud his previous notes, discarding some of them.  She wasn’t able to get everything he was talking about, even with all that she learnt through the past four years; he was just too brilliant for her to follow. She had been one of the top students of her class, but now that she was in front of this genius, she knew she had been too naïve to feel confident.

-Jeena. Know you’re eager to learn. But getting late. Must rest.

The woman got a little surprised by the sudden interruption, and she had been so immersed in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice her body’s tiredness until then.

-Are you sure you don’t need anything else?-. She asked to make sure, but the salarian just turned over her with a soft expression.

-Just running final tests. Requires waiting, mostly. Don’t need to worry.

She smiled amused by the salarian’s speech. She had been learning from him for five months and she still couldn't help to feel like that every time she heard him speak. 

-All right, professor. Have a good night-.  She said before putting off her coat and finally leaving the laboratory.

Even if those had been the most demanding and difficult months of her student years, she couldn’t be happier with that opportunity. Doctor Mordin Solus wasn’t just an ordinary scientist. And even when she read tons of his articles and researches, she would only find out after actually meeting him personally. She took off her clothes and put on her pajamas to finally slip under the blanket.  Her hand went directly under the pillow to grab a little package as she felt her enthusiasm grow. She knew it was a stupid idea, but she wanted to do it anyway. She had been assisting the salarian doctor for a long time and she had never felt as fulfilled with her work as she felt in that moment. She just couldn’t imagine how her professional life would be without him and his crazy experiments. That’s why even when Valentine’s Day wasn’t a salarian thing, she decided to give him a present. Her affection for the doctor had grown through those months with alarming speed, but she assumed it was mostly admiration. It was hard to hear him talk about his researches and not feel overwhelmed by his knowledge.

She wasn’t the smartest person in the world, and she knew she didn’t have the same capacities a salarian had, but she would try her best. And when she finished her scholarship, she would ask him to accept her as his official assistant. With those lasts thoughts, she finally fell asleep.

She woke up early the next morning, but not enough to see the doctor asleep. Nonetheless, something was different that morning. The lab was empty and inactive, but what was even weirder was not to find the salarian there. With a bad feeling, she went out looking for him came and across him outside the facility.

He was clearly getting prepared for something, making her worry.

-Jeena. Woke up early.

The young human gave him a confused look.

-Is everything alright, professor?

The scientist didn’t answer right away, making her even more anxious.

-Received a message. Virus on Omega spreading fast. Consequences if not find a cure… Problematic-. He went silent a few moments more before heavily breathing. –Must go.

-Then I’m coming with you.

-Too dangerous. Risk of inexperience on field work could be lethal-. He answered quickly, making the woman feel a terrible anguish. She knew he was right, and even with all the theatrical data she had learnt, she would probably be a burden in a situation like that.

-I… I understand-. She finally said, doing her best to keep sounding professional even when she felt totally hopeless. She was aware she shouldn’t be mixing her personal interests with her career’s objectives.

-Sorry… Jeena. Brilliant mind, promising future. Must not be wasted.  Should continue research, already collected all data-. He walked towards her and gave her a datapad with all the information she needed, making her feel a little better. She didn’t take Mordin Solus’s praises lightly, and she would definitely not disappoint him on that task. She would improve and she would turn into the great scientist she wanted to be.

-Of course, professor. I will.

The salarian nodded in approval and turned over to leave, but she stopped him one last time.

-Actually… I wanted to…- She cleared her throat awkwardly as she extended her arm to give him her present. –Happy Valentine’s Day.

He obviously didn’t expect something like that, but he took the package anyway. It was fun to see the doctor’s disconcerted expression, it wasn’t something you could frequently see. He wasn’t unaware of common human practices like that one, but he still seemed kind of puzzled to receive a gift on that festivity. He finally opened the box and got sight of something really familiar to him. He didn’t take it out the box, but she could see on his eyes he was grateful. He smiled kindly to her, making all her embarrassment go away. Both knew what that gift meant, so words were not really necessary.

-Please, take care, professor Solus.

-You too, Jeena. Hope to see you soon.

Hanging onto those last words, the woman watched the salarian go away with a heavy burden on her heart, but more determined than ever. She turned over to get back to the lab, anxious to continue with the experiments. She would run onto him again. She was sure of it.