AA: Testing, Testing, 1, 2...

     Ethos Labs were a prestige establishment. Many scientists longed to work here, and even the volunteerd test subjects were taken care of! That was why Nia was here, at least; because the extra money would help her cover her half of everything with her roommate on Saklar. It was her first day and she had been requested to change into medical scrubs and wait in a commons area while her file was reviewed forthe day. She was a Saklarian, dark skin, reddish toned eyes, and short cropped violet hair. Nervously she was gazing around at some of the other occupants...

     It was that very prestige which had led Happi to Ethos.  The Valanir had found himself jobless and low on income, and the labaoratory's sterling reputation had made it the most attractive (and, thanks to the opening for test subjects, easiest to get into) job options out there.  So it was that the blond-haired young man now sat in human form, swinging his legs idly in a chair waiting for the next round of tests to begin.  Eyes drifting aimlessly throughout the facility, his mind wandered...until he spotted a dark-skinned red-eyed Saklarian who was, herself, looking around.  He couldn't tell from this distance if she was a scientist or a subject, but he nonetheless gave her a friendly wave.

     The wave quickly caught her attention, and a faint blush crossed her cheeks. Her hsoulders lifted as she bowed her head shyly, eyes looking away rather quickly a moment down to her knees before slightly back up to him, hesitating before offering a small wave in turn. She was not weating a lab coat so she was not a major doctor, nor a name tag as the nurses did. She did, however, have a wrist ID that all the test subjects wore when she lifted her hand to wave.

     Spotting the band, Happi waved her over; he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to any fellow test subjects since he started working at Ethos (well, "working"; Happi tried not to think of it too much, but he'd been raised to view the term "work" in rather different terms than what being a test subject at Ethos would have it be), but this seemed as good a time as any to start.  Admittedly, he wasn't exactly clear on Ethos' policy about subjects meeting each other, but since he and the Saklarian girl both seemed to be between tests, he couldn't see the harm.

     Nia hesitated herself, but she slowly stood up and walked over, a hand to her chest, playing nervously with the hem of her scrub. A quick view showed he was a test subject as well. Well, surely it was okay for them to congregate if they were in the same area, right..? "H-Hello," she greeted, her voice very soft and quiet.
     
     "Hello there yourself," Happi replied, his own voice kept calm to avoid scaring the obviously-nervous girl.  "Sorry if I'm imposing, but I guess I felt the need for a little company 'n' you seemed to be looking for much the same thing, so I thought I'd invite you over, and...well...here we are."  Hoo boy, this was why he avoided trying to be "Charming"; he'd start out OK but by the end of the sentence he'd derail himself. l3;  "So.  Um.  I'm Happi.  And you are?"
   
     Her wide eyes blinked and a small smile came across her face as he described things. Shyly, she scuffed the ground with her shoe before nodding at his name. "Happi... I like that... I'm Nia.." She smoothed her shirt out, looking around. "I'm.. just nervous.. it's my first day..."

     Oh thank goodness she wasn't scared off. 8D;  "Don't be too nervous, Nia," he said politely, patting her shoulder.  "I've only been here a week myself, but so far there's nothing I've seen to be nervous about.  A bit of poking here, a little prodding there, but nowhere too personal and nothing too deep, AND you get a lollipop afterward!  Wellllllllll OK no lollipop, but you get the idea."

     The mentioning of poking and prodding she was aware of but it was still nerve wracking. Though the mention of sans lollipop did manage to get a giggle out of her. She liked Happi, he was very friendly. "I do. Why did you decide to become a test subject?" She was a little shy in asking, hoping it was not too personal a question to be prying on.

     He gave her a gentle grin.  "Honestly?  I just needed some good steady cash.  Believe it or not, there isn't a lot of work for an old Valanir with little-to-no professional experience."   "And...you?"  He too approached the subject cautiously, ready to withdraw if she seemed sensitive to the topic.  Still, he rather enjoyed how this conversation was going; Nia seemed very approachable, comforting to be around.

    "S-Same... I want to help my roommate more." Nia smiled, opening up a bit more. Happi's personality really was helping with that. "I usually work as a bookeeper though, but.. Asherah, my roommate, she carries a lot of the expenses working in the Coalition and.. that's not fair." It was just difficult finding steady work that did not need you to be assertive. At least, steady and paid well.

    "Wanting to help someone?  Pretty noble." ^_^  He stood up, offering Nia his chair.  "So your room mate works for the Coalition?  Fancy.  Does that keep her off-world much, or does she have one of the more street-level jobs?"  Hopefully this poor girl didn't have to spend too much time alone....

    "Thank you," coupled with a blush at the offer, she took the seat carefully. "Ah.. she is in the Air Units, shipping supplies. She is on job for four days, off for two, and sometimes can be called in. What did you used to work as..?" With him being unemployed, she was curious where his interests previously lay.. or still does, depending.

    "Heh...well, I haven't gotten to work in a VERY long time," Happi replied, blushing a bit himself though his was out of mild embarassment.  Scratching the back of his head a bit, he casually walked to Nia's side as she sat down.  "Still, I DID briefly pursue a career in chemical studies.  Didn't prove to be my thing, though; now my old friend Jyom, HE had a way with chemicals."  A brief chuckle at his schoolmate's explosive habits.

    "That sounds a bit frieghtening," Nia admitted. She wouldn't be able to possibly work with any chemicals on that level that it sounded but she did smile a little. "Was that what you thought you always wanted to be, or have you not found out yet what that is?"  

   "I don't know that I ever thought I'd be much of anything, to be honest," Happi admitted.  "I guess it's just the sort of thing I never paid much mind to...until it was a bit too late, of course."  He stretched his arms a bit, the feathers on his forearms fluttering a bit reflexively.  "Still...I do know I feel best when I'm in my animal form, flying freely.  Always sorta hoped I'd find a way to put that to good use, but the opportunity just never came my way."

   She was quiet, debating it a bit. "Heights frieghten me," she admitted softly. With care she has overcome her anxiety within buildings but travel itself terrified her. needless to say she would not be going to any theme parks.. "..Aren't.. there search teams who need high flyers..?" A small suggestion, of course he probably has considered such a job.

   Happi nodded thoughtfully.  "Yeah, that's true, though I guess for a while I was sort of...I dunno, intimiated by that sort of responsiblity.  Like...what if I wasn't sharp-eyed enough, had the chance to find someone, and missed them completely?  That sort of thing."  He scratched the back of his head again.  "A bit...cowardly, I know, but I was young 'n' foolish back then, as the saying goes."

   "Anxiety does weird things," she admitted quietly, fingers lacing together as she set her hands in her lap. "...Well. Asherah says there is always the chance.. but it is better you try and fail than.. to not try at all. It's never too late, right?" A shy smile as she turned her head to fully face him.

   Happi could not help but smile too; she seemed to have that effect on him somehow.  "Right," he replied, giving Nia a gentle pat on the shoulder.  "That's some good advice, honestly.  Maybe I'll take you up on it.  Or should that be Asherah?  Ah, heck, I'll take you both up on it." ^_^  Maybe.  One day....

   She blinked and blushed brightly, eyes downcasted with a small smile. "W-Well.. i-If you want to keep with flying, Asherah could.. help you if you want to join the Air force branch of the Coalition... they help with stuff like that."

   Happi rubbed his nose a bit, giving a grin that showed a confidence he did not yet really feel.  "Heh.  Well, I suppose first we ought to just focus on our stint here at Ethos, right?" he said brightly.

   "R-Right." She bit her lower lip, before smiling up to him. "So.. have ah.. they said anything they are interested in studying on you..?" She knew as test subjects they could be tested for a wide variety of things.

   "They're honestly sorta vague about it," he said.  "So far, it's been related to some sort of research they're doing into how different species react to specific stimuli.  They did a little bloodwork on me yesterday too, for medical research, but it's all been pretty softcore stuff."

   "That's good.," she rubbed her arm where she was sure blood was going to be drawn from, smiling nervously. "Do they usually tell you about what they want to test you for..?"

   He nodded.  "Oh yeah.  I mean, as far as I've seen, yes.  They're pretty courteous about it too; 'today's gonna be a reflex sort of day', 'we'll be needing some blood today', that sort of thing.  They keep it nice 'n' upfront in that respect."

   "That's good," she gave a nod to that. She paused though as a door opened and her name was called. "I-I guess it's my turn then." She moved to stand up, a little nervous but she smiled to him, a bit grateful for the talk. "See you later, maybe, Happi?"

   "I certainly hope so, Nia," he replied warmly.  "Good luck with your test.  I'm sure you'll do great."

   Watching the young Saklarian walk off, Happi sat back down, feeling better in an odd sort of way.  He knew he now had a friend here at Ethos, and quite a pleasant one too, and that was a true comfort.  Yet Nia had also reminded him that there was more he could do with his life than just this...and that too was a comfort, even if a different sort.  As he heard his own name called, the Valanir made his way to the next taste with a slightly springier step.