"I see… Do you guys get along well?" He frowned, but despite himself, he kept asking questions.
'Yeah. We have to rely on each other a lot, so we're very important to each other.'
"... I'm sorry." Guilt seemed to take over him. It was rare to see him consider something other than his research, for once. He looked at his feet for a second, seeming to debate his next course of action.
For a second, Beatrix was worried, thinking she shouldn't have written down anything at all. She didn't expect him to be so touched.
But to her relief, Dominic silently grabbed the next testing instrument, as if nothing had happened.
Just as she relaxed, however, she heard Dominic's voice, his body turned away from her.
"I'd like to think I'm doing this for a good cause."
"And you're amazing, you know. You have such incredible power, there are endless capabilities in your blood. I mean, you can regenerate wounds, something that humans have only dreamed about." He continued.
"And if we could use that… It could change healthcare forever. So many dying people could be saved." He was passionate about this, about his research and what it meant for humans. But he paused and let out a small breath.
Beatrix floated in the tank and looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. This was something never written about in the book.
"But, I'm sorry. You don't deserve this." Dominic walked over and grabbed her hand.
"It's just… I want to do more. And you, your abilities, can help me." He smiled softly at her, but she still caught the guilt in his eyes.
This was Beatrix's chance; he was right there, within reach.
Beatrix took her hand from his and unsheathed her sharp nails. Dominic caught the movement and froze, fear and betrayal stiffening his body.
Beatrix reached for him, hand outstretched for his heart.
And it went right past him, grabbing the dry-erase board behind him. She began writing.
'Let me help you then.' She displayed the dry-erase board.
Beatrix's heart was racing. She didn't do it. She didn't want to.
Dominic looked towards her, smiling at her with relief. He must have worried too much, he's being too paranoid.
Then again, she did try and kill him before. But he snuffed out the thought. She was scared then, but she seemed better now.
"Really?" He beamed at her.
Beatrix nodded.
"Thank you!" Dominic suddenly reached forward, wrapping his arms around her body in an emotional hug. Beatriz hesitantly raised her arms to his back, feeling unsure of what to make of this situation.
It was strange to see Dominic so emotional. He was usually so focused and single-minded that it was difficult to imagine him so overcome.
His research simply mattered that much to him.
And Beatrix agreeing to help him, instead of him forcing her, gave him a guilt-free avenue to complete that research.
-
Compared to before, Beatrix's situation hadn't really changed that much. Dominic still performed various tests, and they still chatted occasionally, as usual. Oftentimes, Beatrix would only see him for brief periods of time before he disappeared into his lab, only to return with dark circles and a deep frown.
There was one noticeable difference, however. Compared to before, when Dominic treated her as a simple research subject, he now seemed to approach her more as a collaborator.
Before, while he was careful, he didn't ask for her permission when taking her blood or doing various other tests. While he was friendly to her, he still made sure to keep a hard boundary. He made it clear their relationship was that of researcher and subject, simple as that.
Now he had relaxed quite a bit. He would often ask her opinion on topics related to his research, which usually stumped Beatrix. She had no experience with such high-level research, and she did not pretend to. But Dominic didn't seem to mind her careless musings; if anything, he found it inspiring.
Whether it be idle chatter or deeper topics, Dominic didn't mind. He seemed to enjoy their conversations, regardless of the subject. Perhaps it was because they were stuck with each other, in what felt like a two-person world.
Either way, it was comfortable.
Today, Dominic seemed a bit preoccupied. He was tidying up, putting various tools he often kept in reach out of the way.
He would occasionally mutter and frown to himself, obviously very distracted. It didn't look like much research was going to get done today.
Beatrix hoisted herself out of the tub and reached for the dry-erase board.
She had gotten quite good at holding her breath, seeing that it was difficult for her to write with her head underwater.
She thumped a couple of times on her tank, trying to get Dominic's attention.
"Yes, what's up?" He turned toward her.
'Is everything alright?'
He immediately hit his head with his hand in frustration.
"That's right! I can't believe I didn't tell you!"
"We're going to have a guest… Unfortunately." He muttered the last bit under his breath, he didn't appreciate having his lab disturbed.
Beatrix tilted her head in curiosity.
'Who?' The book made him out to be a complete loner; he practically knew no one.
"An old friend of mine, actually. His name is Austin."
Beatrix was surprised and puzzled. The book never said Dominic and Austin were friends before. Perhaps that part was selectively left out for the sake of drama.
'Why is he coming over?'
"He insisted. He was actually the one who first tipped me off about the existence of mermaids, he had met one a couple of times. He wants to see my research, and since it exists because of him in the first place, I couldn't say no. But I was planning on hiding your tank."
He smiled at her a bit slyly.
"He doesn't need to know everything, right?"
Beatrix nodded, smiling back.
She didn't want to meet Austin, it would just complicate things. And she'd prefer to avoid variables that may affect her task.