Hissabeth couldn't have truly forgotten her colleague, not her face certainly. Back when she had first joined the LSCC, it was Camille who first helped her sign the contract.
Prismagreen: Here's your contract. Standard clauses, but I recommend giving it a proper read. Researcher Hissabeth, you're a Melusine? That's quite rare.
Hissabeth: My parents say I'm Melusine-blooded. Though honestly, it seems to me we are something closer to a Medusa.
Hissabeth: Ultimately, I decided to just go along with it. They had already filled out the forms before any of us could write.
Prismagreen: I think Melusine sounds much sweeter than a Medusa. There's a legend that Melusines turn into serpents every Saturday—do you do that?
Hissabeth: You've actually heard the legend before? Do you have a favorite version?
Prismagreen: Of course, my dear! There are indeed so many versions, but my preference is for the one that centers on the water nymph, Pressina. As I recall, she agreed to marry a human king under one condition: he must never watch her give birth.
Prismagreen: However, as men so often do, the king broke his vow, and Pressina, ever true to her word, vanished without a trace, leaving behind their three daughters, one of whom was the very first Melusine.
Prismagreen: Their mother, as a final act of cruelty and vengeance, cursed their children to transform into serpents each Saturday.
Prismagreen: Later on, Melusine herself fell in love with another human man. She offered him riches and power, but like her mother, she too had a condition. Every Saturday he was to draw her a bath and then leave her alone from sunrise to sunset.
Hissabeth: This guy didn't live up to his vow either, did he? These stories can be so predictable, n'est-ce pas?
Prismagreen: You're so very right! These tales always seem to follow the same script.
Prismagreen: I think that the intention is a kind of moral lesson—
Prismagreen: A warning against the nature of human curiosity, always stubbornly breaching "boundaries" and prying into "forbidden secrets," and the supernatural punishment that follows.
Prismagreen: Dull and dated, I admit, thematically on-brand for its era.
Snake I: Hey! That interpretation seems a little anthropocentric, don't you think?
Prismagreen: Hmm, who said that?
The interruption of the second voice paints her face with a strange and sudden confusion. Made even more vivid when a third chimes in.
Hissabeth: So, do I sign here?
Prismagreen: Incredible. Do these little snakes have independent consciousness?
Hissabeth: I'm glad my siblings didn't startle you.
Hissabeth: So, I'll just sign here then?
Prismagreen: Oh! Yes, yes. Here on page seven, and the last page as well.
Hissabeth: Page seven? Got it. Give me a sec.
Prismagreen: What a fascinating species! Anyway, allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Prismagreen, I'll be your project lead, though I'd prefer you to think of us as colleagues.
Prismagreen: It's so rare to find someone with real cultural literacy here. At Laplace, it's something far rarer than mere scientific brilliance.
Hissabeth: Glad you think so. But I'm not really the mythology fan in my family. You're looking for my sister.
The mentioned snake pokes her head out from Hissabeth's sleeve.
Snake VIII: That would be me, Estelle. Pleased to meet you!
Hissabeth: I was just reading the contract and overheard your conversation. I didn't mean to interrupt.
Prismagreen: Oh, Estelle, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize …
The project lead blinks, shifting her eyes down to scan her new colleagues' personnel files again, attempting to make some sense of things.
Prismagreen: So, in total, you're …?
Snake I: Nine. There's eight of us and one of her. But don't be fooled. I'm Number One around here. She's only Number Two.
Hissabeth: Don't call me by my number.
Snake V: We know, we know. We promised to respect our little Cornichon.
The discordant snake entourage begins to overwhelm Prismagreen, but they're quick to adjust.
Snake I: Why don't we get back to the subject at hand! As I was just saying, it's a human-centric perspective!
Snake I: Why does no one ever try seeing things from Melusine's point of view?
Snake V: Probably because Melusines don't write many academic papers.
Hissabeth is forced to defend herself, or at least her legacy.
Hissabeth: In fact, I've written plenty of papers on behalf of my kind, thank you very much. And they've been published, no less!
Snake V: We know that! But just because you're a genius when it comes to aerospace materials doesn't mean you know jack about literary theory.
Snake VIII: Don't be so negative!
Hissabeth: Ha. Thank you. Maybe one day I'll write a story all about aerospace engineering, then we'll see who's laughing.
Prismagreen: You've always been my favorite, my dear little Estelle. Much nicer than SOME of your siblings.
Prismagreen: Fine, it seems I must reintroduce myself. Perhaps this will ring a bell, Researcher Hissabeth: back when you joined the Laplace HQ, you were part of the fireproofing serpentine ceramic insulation project …
The project details—like a sponge soaked in cleaner—wipe away the blur that had clouded her memory.
Hissabeth: Oh! I've got it!
Hissabeth: Prismagreen! Oh, I'm sorry. How could I forget you? I do believe I've never met anyone whose arcane skills were more perfectly suited to testing materials than yours!
Hissabeth: You have no idea how much I've missed you since I got here. I still talk about you with Pointer all the time.
Hissabeth: How has that experiment progressed since? I haven't seen any new papers. I was actually thinking of writing to ask.
Her sudden burst of friendly, effortless questions fills the room with an odd warmth, leaving her colleagues puzzling at her.
Prismagreen: Ah, my cold little Cornichon, I'd be happier if you remembered me for more than just my arcane skills.
Hissabeth: In fact, that is the highest compliment I can give.
Their conversation once again veers entirely off-track. Thankfully, someone else chimes in.
Kiperina: Ms. Prismagreen, I'm sure you've come all this way to the Plesetsk Branch for an important reason, right?
Prismagreen: Oh, absolutely. Something very important indeed!
Prismagreen: Look at this. Darling, have you given any thought to switching projects again?
