Chasing our Dreams

1

"What's the progress of your research, Esme?", asked Ricardo. He went beside me and inspect the beaker with a boiling substance.

"PPE please.", I reminded him. I told him with my outmost concern. Even though Ricardo is one of the smartest person I know, he tends to be clumsy and careless, and I hate that because it reflects on me as his leader whenever he gets hurt. Besides, I hate it when someone's hurt.

He sends me an apologetic look before grabbing his mask and goggles. "So, apparently, you're inventing your third miracle elixir. What will it cure this time?"

Someone knocked on the door before Finny entered. Ah, there goes my most obedient subordinate. He always had his complete PPE, the most punctual and the most reliable among the team. "Hi, guys. Can't believe that Ricardo came before me.", he mused.

I agreed. "There's always the first time.", he shrugged at Finny before diverting his gaze on me, "This is when the time you congratulate me, Esme. I'm not late anymore."

"That's just today. A thousand copper coins, I bet.", Patrick announced as soon as he entered the laboratory too. That's true, I'm actually shocked that Ricardo's early today.

"Deal.", Finny and Kate who just entered with Patrick said at the same time.

Ricardo groaned, "Esme, they're ganging up on me."

"A thousand silver coins, I'll bet.", I amusedly said while looking at Ricardo's upset state. He slightly glared at me before grumbling towards his own bench.

My whole team laughed. It's a good morning, indeed.

"Elixir for what, Esme?", Kate asked while approaching me.

"For vampire attacks."

A series of mumbled what echoed on my ear. All of them approached my current work to inspect the liquid in the beaker. "How?", Kate asked again.

"I mean where did you get a venom sample of a vampire?"

"Also how will you test it, we don't have a candidate for that experiment, no patient with a record of being bitten by vampire here.", Finny said.

I heard another grumble and we all looked at Ricardo who is turning red, "This Esme of ours who has angelic face made me a bait to fight a vampire and to grab his venom!"

I sucked my lips to prevent myself from smiling or worse, laughing. I can't laugh when I know it made him frustrated but on that night, I find his reaction and the way he handled the situation very funny.

Only when Patrick chuckled that I also cannot contain my laugh too. "Well, I asked him nicely if he's strong and powerful-...", I stared at Ricardo and he's only pouting at me. "He said yes. I doubted it. But he kept on saying "You want a piece of me? Let's go find a prey, you angelic demon.", I imitated his manly voice but I end up laughing in the end.

"It's true! Of course I am triggered. This woman kicked me towards the blood sucker and let me fight a vampire. I've never been so scared my whole life. The nerve of this demonic angel.", he shakes his head while cursing me more about having an angelic kind face but he believes that I am a demon inside by all the things I made him do.

Before I could even reply, he raised his hand in a very exaggerated way, "And oh! The moment she kicked me towards that cold monster, I end up hugging him to the ground. She even laughed and took a picture of us! She said it's so sweet! Sweet my ass!"

We all laughed while Ricardo is still grumbling and throwing fits like a child. I remembered that, it was hilarious. His face landed on the vampire's neck while the vampire's arms wrapped his arms around him looking like he's protecting his girlfriend from falling.