Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Jen, never one to hoard knowledge, swiftly grasped the gist of Roseanne's experimental procedures and offered her advice for adjustments without hesitation.

When Liz arrived and saw Roseanne engrossed in her work, she couldn't help but scoff. "Just an undergrad," she thought, "What groundbreaking ideas could she possibly have? She's just putting on airs!" After toiling away all morning, Roseanne realized everyone else had left their stations, probably off to lunch or taking a break.

Glancing at the clock, she noted she had an hour and a half. Opting for a quick bite outside before returning to her experiment seemed like a good plan.

However, no sooner had she stepped out than she saw Owen, carrying a takeout bag towards her.

"Picked up lunch downstairs and grabbed something for you too."

Noticing he only had one meal, Roseanne guessed he must have already eaten.

"Thanks."

After fueling up in the break room and brewing herself a revitalizing cup of coffee, she reflected on Jen's advice. Adjusting the ratios of her reactants had moved her closer to her desired outcome, but not close enough. Though the data she now had could technically support her thesis, Roseanne felt she could still enhance its precision.

That meant starting over with her experiment.

Grateful for Owen lending her the lab space, she knew she could afford to redo the experiment as many times as needed with such resources at her disposal.

Finishing her coffee, she was ready to head back to her workstation when she noticed several people gathered, seemingly in deep discussion.

Intending to greet them, she found their circle disbanding and everyone quickly retreating to their own tasks as she approached.

Roseanne paused, slightly puzzled, but didn't dwell on it. She dove back into her work, embracing the notion that not everyone had to see eye to eye.

Just like hunters and woodcutters have different quests-one for game, the other for firewood-they might not journey together.

But if paths crossed and harmony existed, a shared journey was possible. And if diverged, no regrets were necessary. Everyone had their own paths to follow. Let things flow naturally.

Restarting her experiment meant

Roseanne was racing against time,

taking on sampling, data and net

and everything in

between-essentially, the workload

of an entire research team by herself.

Who else but her, the solitary commander in this venture?Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

As days blurred into weeks, with Jen and Stoddard occasionally dropping by for a chat and Sammy mostly hung out with Liz, so he didn't really get many chances to talk to Roseanne.

And Liz? Since that last meal, she hadn't made any effort to talk to Roseanne again.

Thus, Roseanne spent most of her time in solitude.

...

After spinning like a top all week, Roseanne finally caught a break, only to notice her clothes had become a wrinkled mess.

Though the lab was equipped with a rest area and a shower, she hadn't anticipated being so busy and had only brought two sets of clothes. Now with some time to spare, she decided to make a quick trip home.

Her succulents were thriving, but the orchids had wilted.

After feeding her fish and tidying up, she packed clean clothes and was about to head back when her phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Roseanne cursed under her breath!