The clinking of copper bracelets echoed through the bustling biochemistry lab, a familiar soundtrack to Coop's perpetual motion. He always was an eccentric one.
He flitted between lab benches, a whirlwind of whispered confidences and knowing glances, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of shared secrets. Today's "tea," as he liked to call it, was particularly potent: the simmering tension between Nick and Thalia.
"Honestly," he murmured to Aurelia, leaning against her lab table as she meticulously adjusted a Bunsen burner, "it's like watching a tragic opera in slow motion. Nick's practically wearing his heart on his sleeve, and Thalia… well, she's playing it cooler than a liquid nitrogen popsicle."
Aurelia, her brow furrowed in concentration, barely glanced up. "And you gleaned this from…?"
"Oh, you know," Coop shrugged, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "A little eavesdropping, a dash of observation, a sprinkle of… intuition. Nick's practically writing sonnets in his lab notebook at elements class, and Thalia's been avoiding his gaze like it's a vial of uranium. It's written all over their faces, darling."
He paused, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. "It's truly heartbreaking. The unrequited pining, the unspoken desires… it's enough to make my little copper heart weep."
Aurelia rolled her eyes. Coop, true to his element, is a very good conductor of information. As we all know, conductors have a large number of free electrons. This one has a large number of loose screws.
He then began to polish his copper bracelet. "I saw Nick staring at her earlier, during the lecture on protein synthesis. It was practically a love sonnet written in longing glances. And Thalia? She was practically vibrating with nervous energy. Avoiding him like he was a failed experiment. It’s a classic case of denial, if you ask me."
Aurelia finally looked up, a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "And you, Coop, are a master of dramatic interpretation."
"Darling, I'm simply a connoisseur of human drama," he replied, his voice laced with mock seriousness. "And this particular drama is about to reach its climax. I can feel it in my copper bones."
Aurelia paid him no heed, but this only fired Coop up even more. "Aurelia, I gotta ask you this, honestly."
"What is it? Make it quick."
"Darling, it must feel awful, seeing your ex... going after another girl... and she was your best friend." Coop said dramatically, looking into her eyes.
"Is," Aurelia corrected, her voice flat, without a hint of emotion. "And no, Cooper, it doesn't feel 'awful.' It simply… is."
Coop, however, was undeterred. He leaned closer, his eyes wide with theatrical concern. "But darling, surely there's a flicker of… something? A pang of jealousy? A whisper of regret?" He fluttered his hands dramatically. "Imagine! Your best friend, the one you confided in, the one you shared secrets with, now… now she's the object of your ex's affections! It's practically Shakespearean!"
Aurelia sighed, a barely audible exhale of air. "Coop," she said, her voice laced with a hint of exasperation, pulling out her full mental dictionary, "my emotional landscape is not a stage for your dramatic interpretations. Please, focus on your own experiments."
"But darling, it's not just any experiment! It's the human heart we're talking about! The tangled web of desire, the labyrinth of longing!" He gestured expansively, nearly knocking over a beaker of solution. "And you, my dear Aurelia, are right in the middle of it! The silent observer, the enigmatic ex, the… the catalyst!"
He paused, his eyes gleaming with inspiration. "Yes! That's it! You're the catalyst! The one who sets the reaction in motion, who sparks the flames of passion!"
He snapped his fingers, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "And I, darling, am the chronicler! The bard! The one who captures the essence of this epic tale and shares it with the world!"
Aurelia, her patience wearing thin, finally turned to face him, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Coop," she said, her voice dangerously low, "if you don't cease your theatrical pronouncements and allow me to conduct my experiment in peace, I will personally ensure that your next lab report is written entirely in copper sulfate solution."
Coop's dramatic pose faltered, his eyes widening slightly. "Copper sulfate? But darling, that's… that's corrosive!"
"Precisely," Aurelia said, her lips curving into a faint, almost predatory smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She returned to her experiment, her movements precise and focused, effectively dismissing him.
Coop, momentarily silenced, watched her for a moment, his mind already spinning with new interpretations and dramatic flourishes. He couldn't help himself. He was a storyteller, a chronicler of human drama, and this particular drama was far too compelling to ignore. He just needed to find a slightly less corrosive audience.
