Snippet #1760114

Dryst Maeda

Damn it. If this guy got any more cynical, Dryst Maeda's migraine might pop a vein. He hid in the shadows of his fellow Head Scientists, keeping step behind the two and casting but a mere glance at Telsa's new subject. He was raised with a certain level of respect for his elders, and certainly utilized it in tongue when addressing Saunders. He had, of course, already given Ivan a subtle judgment – this man surely wouldn’t last down here with him long. To Dryst, Ivan gave the impression of one of the rich boys from University. He certainly held the same outspokenness the others did.

"Subject 918-4X has a name. It's Elissa, I trust you will address her by such whilst in my presence. Are we clear, Ms. Saunders? I do hope we are."

These scientists got more and more touchy every year. Elissa, was it? The red-haired man quietly scoffed at the girl. She should prove most interesting, especially if he had to occupy the floor with her. Although to be frank, Dryst wasn't quite positive he could manage sharing a floor with such a pompous prick regardless. While slightly peeved, he elected to ignore the rude comment as he waited for the man to punch in the twenty-digit passcode. Dryst felt a pang of irritation as Ivan eyed his own subject’s cell. Dryst had never gotten his subject to admit much to him, truthfully, but he did feel a sense of ownership towards him. He stepped from the shadows quietly, nearing the fluttering creature encaged beside his ‘patient,’ per se. The slim scientist wasn’t quite sure how Mir would react to these strangers, and passively attempted to defend his own. The large body of company that invaded the room was foreign to the older subjects that inhabited the floor, and Dryst couldn’t be having an outbreak from his own subject. After all, he was the youngest scientist, and subsequently the least trusted out of the bunch. In the event that the large amount of people aroused his subject, the least he could do was show him a familiar face to calm him.

"Shall we go then, Ms. Saunders?"

That scientist did it again. That condescending tone that he so disproved of. This man couldn’t be much older than him; he unquestionably couldn’t be wiser than Saunders, either. Offering Mir one last glance behind him, Dryst sauntered over to the rest of the scientists once again and resumed his place behind the two, habitually tapping his digits against the loose sweatpants he adorned this morning. Come to think of it, maybe it was the lack of sleep Dryst had gotten the past few nights that had him so annoyed. Yes, he was merely venting his anger out on the new scientist. Surely this man wouldn’t be so bad.

As they once again approached the elevator with the ever-ironic lullaby emanating from the speakers, Dryst surveyed his surroundings. The other scientists were in close pursuit of the heads. In fact, Dryst wasn’t even sure why he was a head scientist. His uncle was the head IT specialist, but it’s not like he had prior experience to mythical creatures. He actually felt slight humility towards the others, since most of them had years of experience on him.

"Do hurry, Saunders. We're on a schedule, are we not?"

“It’s a bit unnecessary to address your elders like that, don’t you think?” Dryst’s firm, deep tone almost cut the other’s sentence short. No, it wasn’t his lack of sleep that had him so vexed. Ivan was a proper asshole. It was confirmed. He paused in step, optics laying directly on the back of the other’s head as he continued, “I mean, since you’ve got a new experiment and we’ll be sharing the floor, you might as well know that politeness will carry you far around here.”

The man nodded at his own statement, as if sanctioning it in his mind as he turned to Saunders herself. “Morning, Jessica. My apologies for my lack of enthusiasm today, I had a rough night with subject 501-4Z. Not to worry, however, I’ll just need a good morning stretch!” With a yawn, Dryst continued ahead of Telsa, leading the way into the elevator.