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Oliver just finished signing off on the report when Melvin entered behind him. He looked like he had not paused to dry off after coming in from the rain, his coat and boots had been politely left at the door as to not track mud and puddles everywhere, but that was about it. Oliver's wavy hair was flat and wet, dripping down his neck and dampening the collar of his shirt as he turned towards the voice that addressed him.

"Oh, h-hello," he replied quickly, looking nervous by default. "Any updates on the Atlantis situation? I-I just got in from collecting samples, the labs will at least have something to analyze while everything gets sorted out..."

He gestured shyly towards a small rack of sealed vials next to his report, each nearly full of what looked like water. Golem water, specifically.

Oliver shook his head, but accepted the towel.

"I'm just running the errands, it's the more skilled minds that will pick these samples apart and figure out exactly how they work." He rubbed his face with the towel, and then began to turn his hair into a slightly drier and vastly more unruly mess. He smiled sheepishly, unaware of the disarray he had created. "A-and the people working on the new tech have made it pretty easy to get samples, it's incredible, really..."

He finally glanced up at Melvin directly enough to make eye contact. "How long has it been since it started raining and everything? I mean... I only got back recently, and it was raining even then.."

Oliver nodded. "Me too, it's... kind of unsettling, being so dark out all the time. At least they haven't put me to work catching sea creatures for the labs," he said with a small smile. Getting close enough to get samples from the golems was certainly a more dangerous activity, but getting far enough out on the ocean to catch mutated fish had been virtually impossible since his return.

When Melvin gestured with the comb, Oliver paused. "Ah... I-it's that bad?" He asked, the small smile turning wry and self-depreciative. His hair had never behaved, but this was the first time someone had gone out of their way in an attempt to fix it.

He acquiesced though, wrapping the towel around his shoulders to keep the damp chill away.

"I thought I was just useful enough to avoid being sent to a watery death," Oliver replied with a wry smile. He didn't know anything about being brave, but he did know the Life division never liked to waste good resources.

He kept his head where Melvin had positioned it, and was probably the most patient and well-behaved creature that comb had ever been used on.

"There were a couple good reasons," he started, pulling the towel tighter around his shoulders. "Some guys were hoping to run an analysis on the golem material, just in case we can't find a way to peacefully deal with Atlantis. And the tech guys I test things for every now and again have been working on a device that makes it easy to take samples, without having to get up close with a scalpel or anything."

Oliver shrugged, but was careful not to move too much so the comb wouldn't snag. It had been a long time since anyone had done this sort of thing, and it was slightly confusing if he thought too hard on it. So he kept on the topic of work. "Both tasks could be accomplished simultaneously, all they needed was someone who had some experience getting samples, and testing new devices."

Oliver began to blush at the praise, and by the time Melvin finished his cheeks were quite red under all those freckles. It was just what their job was, he thought, being useful in some ways to make up for failing to be useful in others.

"I-It's... uh, a side job, you could say," He stammered, ducking his head slightly and letting wet hair fall into his face. "I-it's not what I do most of the time, b-but I did a lot of errand running when I was just starting out and I guess... um, I got reasonably good at it. Nervous instincts and all, I stay alert, kept all my fingers so far..."

Oliver scratched at the scar on his nose, before glancing up at Melvin to give him a timid smile. "Ah, maybe a little cold, I'll be fine though." A hot shower and dry clothes would be welcome right about now, but he would probably skip straight to the clothing. Oliver was still not a fan of the communal showers.

Oliver was definitely unaccustomed to this level of gentleness and care being shown on his behalf. He blushed more as the coat settled across his shoulders and mumbled something unintelligible, but he accepted the gesture and welcomed the warmth.

"I- uh, n-not yet, I haven't really thought about it much," he stammered, this time in a more audible tone. "I really like the research here on the island, but there's something scary about that too... If I don't do other things, it might get too comfortable..."

"Ah, th-this is more than enough, thank you," Oliver said quickly, not wanting to be of any more trouble than he had been already. He had pulled himself more tightly into Melvin's coat, even more grateful for the gesture now that he knew how chilled he had become while filling out that report.

Oliver glanced over, and for a second it looked like he was trying to smile. "It's not that, but... anything can happen here without warning. I-I don't want to settle in and find I'm not prepared if things suddenly change. Sometimes I'm afraid fear is the only thing that's kept me alive this long, and too much comfort and routine dulls that fear..." The smile finally peeked through, faint and self-depreciative. "I-it sounds kind of stupid now that I've said it out loud though..."