“ I don’t want no apologies. I want honesty. ”
Simple and straightforward. Plumeria didn’t seem at all troubled by the other woman taking her time to speak; rather than pressure Annette by scrutinizing her, she used the opportunity to work quietly in the kitchen as she listened to the other speak.
From one cupboard she pulled a small vintage sugar bowl; from another, a tin of cookies which she opened and set on the island for the professor’s enjoyment if desired. Next came a small carton of cream from the refrigerator. Lastly she retrieved a lemon and a sharp knife from the block on the counter, laying down a neon pink silicone cutting board before slicing the citrus with even, practiced strokes of the blade.
As she probably should have anticipated, Annette’s talk of her research was very academic. Plumeria’s vocabulary was actually much broader than people often suspected given her accent, but her knowledge of scientific terms largely related to human anatomy and chemistry rather than genetics. By listening intently and focusing on the woman’s speech, she’s able to pick out the words she does know — convergent, competition, isolated… and find the context for terms she doesn’t — genetic drift, allopatry.
“ You sayin’ Pokémon evolve different here ‘cause Alola so far from the mainland, ” she summarizes. “ Like they gonna select for different traits over time from bein’ on the islands where environment and resources more like specific than they would if they were somewhere they could spread out more. ”
Yellow eyes flick up to meet Anne’s gaze as the admin gives a little smirk. “ Never understood why school make you use a hundred words when ten works fine. ” If she notices her companion’s embarrassment, she calls no attention to it.
“ So you found anything groundbreakin’ yet? What you tryna get that grant for? Rowan Sinnoh-based, yeah? You study with him in person? They gotta think you onto somethin’ good if they already set you up in Alola. Or you come here on your own? ”
Anne seemed utterly shocked by the response she got. Not that she assumed the admin to be daft, far from it actually, but was still surprised that she not only listened intently but was able to fully follow her science filled ramblings. Not a lot of people cared to, even when they asked about her work. A genuine smile spread across her features as she let out a genuine chuckle at the following comment, “Yes, well, after writing a 168 page thesis, its hard to not talk in overly worded detail when it comes to my field. But, yes, that is my field of study in a nutshell.”
Her nerves were finally calming down with the ice now thoroughly broken, taking the opportunity to partake in one of the offered cookies. She waited for Plumeria to finish her plethora of questions before beginning to answer them. “Yes, Rowan is the lead regional professor of Sinnoh, and I personally studied under him after I graduated from Snowpoint Academy. I learned a lot from him and grateful for the opportunity he gave me. Especially when it came time to write my thesis, because he allowed to travel to any region of my choosing to perform the necessary field studies I needed. I chose to come here to Alola, because I felt the islands would be perfect given my interest in evolutionary genetics. And I wanted the grant upon finishing my thesis because, well, any professor’s assistant wants to become a professor someday. And whats a professor without their own lab?”
“As for my findings...well, I personally wouldn't call it groundbreaking, but more so laying down the ground work for what I wish to accomplish the coming years. I impressed the Pokemon Research Committee enough with my theories and findings for them to give me pass on both the grant as well as my new professor title, so I could continue my research and focus my efforts. I had the option to return to Sinnoh if I wished, but I chose to stay and use a substantial portion of my grant establish myself here at Mt. Lanakila's base so I could continue where I left off from my thesis.”
tangentwithtanner
stormborns
