[attr="class","illieicon"]

[attr="class","illie b]the responding nod is eager, cheeks already beginning to ache beneath the weight of her smile. hypothesis turned into evidence, evidence into fact. is this how it feels to have a scientific breakthrough? it's exhilarating! it's one thing to dream of achieving such a thing but to actually succeed? she's never believed such a thing could fully come to fruition. with it comes a high she never wants to come down from and perhaps that's why she's giggling, leaning into him with a happy sigh. "incredible," she whispers.

perhaps the first report of her career as an actual, full fledged scientist. a day of firsts, perhaps? she can't contain the excitement and it begins to spread across the room. he's falling victim to the same emotion within seconds and soon, deus is drifting closer to offer coos of happiness. the golurk doesn't fully understand why she's so bubbly, so happy, but it wants to support her nonetheless. she's watching alexander closely as he leans in for a look, searching his face for hints of a reaction.

and then, his eyes successfully find hers and she's unsure of which emotion she's feeling in this moment. pride, affection, excitement, success. they all mix into one, body feeling lighter than air.

the pink of her cheeks deepens beneath the compliments. it's one thing to have her work be described as amazing but her, too? she had once believed no one could ever hold such a high opinion of her. and yet, he proves her wrong. him and stormy both. her biggest supporters. oh, she can't wait to call her best friend and gush over this achievement! a delighted laugh escapes her, hands returning to fiddle with the fabric of her skirt almost nervously. "honestly, i always dreamed of accomplishing something like this but," a pause ensues as her lips spread wider with joy. "i never thought it'd be this amazing!" shyly, she's glancing toward the microscope and then back toward him. "we discovered this breakthrough together," she murmurs and one of her hands leaves the hem of her skirt. it drifts to his hand, fingers brushing against warm skin. "thank you for believing in me, for helping uncover this mutation."

she'll never forget this moment, this feeling, this high.