Coralie paced the sterile, white-tiled hall, the cold fluorescent lights glinting off her piercings. Her fingers drummed a steady rhythm against her hip as her tail swished, a sign she’d never admit to of her irritation. She couldn’t believe her rival had actually come this close to outpacing her on their last project. It was a small project, sure, but there were standards—and hers were sky-high.

"Hah, guess they think they're clever, don't they? Almost like they want to take the top spot... my spot," Coralie muttered, crossing her arms as a smirk twisted at the corner of her mouth. "They’re really holding on, aren't they? Cute, I’ll give them that. But all that ‘good work’ is really just a halfway pass for them at best. They wouldn’t know ‘impressive’ if it slapped them in the face."

She let out a small, amused huff, already imagining the look on her rival’s face when she presented her final research results. "Maybe they forgot," she continued, tapping a finger to her temple in mock thought, "that I got my doctorate at seventeen. If they think I’m about to lose to someone still floundering through theory... well, good luck to them. Hope they don’t mind playing catch-up."

Her ears twitched as she caught sight of the lab door down the hall. She turned, her expression sharpening, her gaze focused as she strode toward it, arms still crossed. "I’ll give them a reminder today—of where they stand."