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[labcoatgirl]

"Alright everyone in your seats," Betty said as her no-nonsense heels clicked across the front of the room to put a stack of papers on her desk. The college students reluctantly broke up their respective clicks and texting groups.

She puts her glasses on, milling through the bleacher type seats and desks to hand back graded papers. "If you did the extra credit assignment, now is a good time to hand it in. If you didn't, please refrain from doing so." There's a laugh that ripples through the students.

Comments

[infragment]

Will politely waited for her to gather her things, assuming they would walk together out of the classroom.

"I had to ask directions," he answered. "More than one student thought I was a visiting professor... I guess the tweed confused them." He was attempting to make a joke at his own expense. He did give off serious professor vibes with the clothes and the glasses.

[labcoatgirl]

She tries not to laugh. "I can't deny you do look very academic. You probably could get away with teaching any class here just by stepping to the front of a classroom."

They head out of the classroom into the bright sunshine of the campus. There's a grassy expanse in the middle of campus that has sidewalks running in all directions around it. Betty walks along one of these, aiming for the science building but she's not in a rush. "Where do you teach at? Is it usually by request?"

[infragment]

"The FBI academy," he responded, falling into step beside her. "I was given the position due to my work in the field and in the crime labs. I don't mind it, but it is nice to be out doing other things."

Not talking about death for a change was very nice indeed.

[labcoatgirl]

She hums an affirmative, pulling out her blackberry to check a text message from a colleague. "I can understand that. Most of the people I work with spend most of their time married to their work. Usually they even forget about eating regular meals."

Like Bruce used to...no, not thinking about that. She answers the text and puts the phone back in her pocket. "A crime lab must be interesting though. I hadn't ever thought about going into forensics. And our facilities here are mostly donated and borrowed equipment unless we get more funding."

[infragment]

"Interesting." Not the word he would use. An outsider would find it incredibly morbid, and be shocked at the jokes exchanged over the autopsy table. But making light of the macabre was the only way any of them knew how to function. It created a dissonance between themselves and what they were doing. And really, that was the crux of Will's problem: that there was no dissonance, that he felt too strongly about the cases.

"Dr. Lecter wouldn't let me forget my meals," he commented, to change the subject. "He would make sure I ate, even if it meant inviting me over to his house every night." Sometimes he thought maybe the doctor took too much interest in him, but he knew Lecter's intentions were good.

[labcoatgirl]

Probably the most gruesome thing she's dissected was a frog, but it was still all just biology. Once you got over the fact it used to be a person.

That's more than once Will has mentioned Dr. Lecter. Betty glances over at him as they walk. "That's good he looks out for you." And sounds much more than just a psychiatrist.

"Speaking of eating, it's Friday and usually my colleagues and I order out for pizza. You're welcome to join us if you don't mind eating in the lab?" Nowhere near the samples they were testing, of course.

[infragment]

When was the last time he joined a group for pizza? Probably during his own college days. "I would like that," he nodded. "Thank you for including me."

[labcoatgirl]

"You might not say as much later, but you're welcome." She smiles knowingly as they get close to the building. "We don't get too many visitors, you might find the scientists here a little..." What's the word? Geeky? "...sheltered."

[infragment]

"That's all right," Will assured her. "I think 'sheltered' will be a refreshing change. I spend too much time with 'jaded' lately."

[labcoatgirl]

She nods, reaching to open the door and let him past. "Just don't start any conversations about Star Trek and I think you'll be safe." Betty smirks, "Relatively."

It's a small lab but a clean and well organized one. There's a main section where a few of the scientists are opening boxes of pizza. In another room that can be seen through the window, there are various mice in cages that they're working on meticulously exposing to different radiation levels and injections.

There's a darkened closed off section as well, nobody goes in there for anything other than storage.

Betty introduces her colleagues around to William, knowing he probably won't remember their names. They're all too welcoming, pulling out a chair for him and a slice of pizza. One of them, Mitchell, trying to strike up a conversation about World of Warcraft strategies.

Betty takes a moment to check on her plant samples and then her mice before returning. Hoping that Will won't need a rescue.

[infragment]

He just smiled and followed after her quietly. He was going to be out of place among these people; he could guess that much already. But he didn't mind it so much here. These people, at least, wouldn't see in him the man who connected with killers. Being social is a bit hard for him but he is glad for their kindness, and he gladly sits down.

Will didn't know that much about World of Warcraft but he tried to contribute as best he could. He probably sounded old, harkening back to the days when one used dice to play such games.

[labcoatgirl]

Betty has shed her blazer for a white lab coat, her glasses sitting smartly on her nose as she makes checkmarks on a clipboard. Hiding a smile as she comes near, two of the scientists excited that someone still remembers dice games. "Be careful, they might decide to keep you, Mr. Graham," she chuckles, picking up a slice of pizza to munch on it.

Mmmm, pizza. Best in town, she knows the owner personally.

[infragment]

"I'm afraid they'll have a fight on their hands," Will remarked in as light a tone as he could manage. "Jack wouldn't like it." But he still seemed pleased with the idea that people liked him and wanted him around.

[labcoatgirl]

Steven, one of the younger interns pushes his glasses up on his nose a bi higher sheepishly. "Nobody visits the lab...unless they have class here." His voice nasal, he probably even has an inhaler for emergencies.

Strangely, Betty seemed to fit right in amongst the geeks and smart ones. They didn't treat her any differently.

She finishes her pizza slice and picks out a mouse to weigh him on a small scale. "We've been doing research on different types of radiation and monitoring for mutations."

[infragment]

Will was never sure where he fit in. In Dr. Lecter's high class world, Will was the awkward country boy. At work he was the profiler who empathized with killers. During lectures he was the professor. Always separate. In this scenario he was still an outsider, but there was a collective awkwardness about them that made him feel like they were all being outsiders together.

"It sounds like an interesting study," he commented, nibbling on his pizza slice thoughtfully. "How is your little friend doing so far?" He meant the mouse, of course.