Victoria realized it was past six in the evening when the cleaning staff distracted her from her papers, presumably to inform her that the facilities were about to close, and it would be appropriate for her to gather her things and leave.

This was nothing out of the ordinary for Victoria; she had stayed in the university premises beyond regular hours enough times for the employees not to be surprised to see her still there long after the sun had set. Many professors were aware of her dedication to scientific work and agreed that she could use the laboratory or her offices for as long as she needed.

Honestly, Victoria wasn't the only one who used the faculty after all classes and lectures of the day had finished. But perhaps it was worth noting that, although losing track of time while working was a common pattern for her, it had been years since it happened so frequently. This was the third time in a week that she came home late, and she genuinely hoped it wouldn't become her new routine.

Victoria had as little desire to get sick as Henry seemed to have. So, as soon as she was informed that the building's doors would soon close, she hurried to tidy up her desk minimally and left in the direction she had come from, carrying her own folder of documents yet to be analyzed. She would finish what was left at home, if necessary. Today, she didn't plan to exert herself further.

Her main concern right now was that it was already late at night, and most stores would likely be closed. In other words, she could say goodbye to the plan of buying dinner at any of her usual places. It would either be cooking or resorting to her abundant pantry of canned food. It was a hassle, but Victoria believed she would choose the latter. She was tired, and besides, she knew Évelyne wouldn't complain about a light dinner.

However, Victoria didn't have much time to consider these domestic matters because she soon found something that took her out of that train of thought. Once she had left the building, she made sure that someone was waiting for her just a few steps from the main gate.

And no, it wasn't just Henry. If it had only been him, Victoria wouldn't have felt the need to quicken her pace to reach that part of the campus! It wasn't unusual for her friend to show up at her faculty from time to time, either for a courtesy visit or because he had matters to attend to with a professor. But Évelyne... What the hell was she doing there?

Victoria hadn't forbidden her from leaving the apartment; on the contrary, lately, she had been encouraging her to go out more. But it had never crossed her mind to indicate the exact spot where she studied, where she spent most of her day, and frankly, she wasn't sure if she liked the fact that the creature now knew.

"Oh, Victoria, it's good that you've shown up. We thought we were going to have to search a good part of the grounds to find you," Évelyne said with a smile as soon as her creator was close enough to hear her. "We stopped by a bakery on the way, thinking you might fancy..."

Évelyne didn't finish her sentence, nor did she offer the package she carried in one of her hands, as Victoria chose that moment to address Henry with some brusqueness.

"Why did you bring her here? What were you thinking?"

Henry was walking a few steps behind the creature, having stopped at the same time as her when they saw Victoria. And as soon as his friend confronted him in such a sudden way, he almost dropped the piece of crumb cake he was consuming.

"What do you mean, what was I thinking?" Henry seemed more confused by Victoria's anger than Évelyne herself, who, seeing the scientist's mood, prudently chose to step aside, just observing the interaction between these two friends. "What did I do?"
"You know perfectly well. Who told you to bring her here?"

After a couple more seconds of confusion, finally realizing who Victoria was referring to, Henry affirmed in a calm tone, "I didn't know it was my responsibility to give an account of who I invite or don't invite for a walk. Certainly, until now, you've never had any issue with friends who, for one reason or another, have accompanied me to drop by your classrooms."

"This is different. Évelyne doesn't know the city," Victoria insisted stubbornly.

Even to herself, it sounded like an absurd excuse, but how else could she excuse her temper? "Look, pardon me for putting it this way, but I don't find it the least bit amusing that you take the creature that probably still has an interest in killing me, given the chance, and bring her to a place with so many laboratories and potentially dangerous objects that she could use to harm humanity. So, why don't you just let her be or invite her to a harmless tea room, far away from where I work?"

It was evident that she couldn't tell the truth. And Henry was going to take advantage of every flaw in her argument to justify his actions.

"More in my favor, who better than me, who knows these streets like the back of my hand, to guide her?"

"If you're so eager to show off your guiding skills, why not take her to the museum or for a stroll in the old town? The faculty is not a place for someone... who has never bothered to pursue our studies."

"Because it happened this way, maybe? Really, Victoria, and here I thought you were always a staunch defender of free will. Are you going to make a scene now because you don't like that we had the kindness to come and pick you up? If I had known, I wouldn't have suggested stopping for pastries! You can starve for all I care, if you want." Henry didn't mean it seriously, but that didn't make it less infuriating. "I just wanted to fulfill my civic duty of handing you these papers from the rector's office... and tell you a couple of things about some correspondence I received (but I see you're not in the mood, so I'll leave that for another day). I asked Évelyne if she wanted to accompany me, and she said yes, that's all."

"In the end, the decision was mine," Évelyne confirmed, although apparently, her opinion on this didn't count.

"I don't care who had the final say; the offer shouldn't have happened in the first place." The protest was somewhat weaker than the previous ones, and Victoria ended up taking the folders Henry offered. "I'm tired of you inviting people to my study place without consulting me, and I won't tolerate it anymore. If you want to invite her somewhere, go ahead, but I refuse for it to be here."

Henry didn't try to insist, perhaps because he knew that whatever he said would be contradicted. So instead, he said goodbye to Victoria somewhat curtly and also bid farewell to Évelyne, in a more friendly manner, reiterating, to the scientist's annoyance, that he would invite her another day to a museum or the old town.

If there was anything more annoying for Victoria than arguing with what she considered her best friend, it was knowing that her arguments to win this quarrel had been absent. So not only had she gained nothing in the confrontation, but it was very likely that she had come across as an impulsive and unreasonable person.

Victoria was hating this day.

"Let's go home already," she concluded, addressing the creature that hurried to walk by her side as soon as it saw her starting to move.

It hadn't been an order, just a suggestion. The scientist was fed up, she didn't feel like debating what had just happened in the middle of the campus —and she was very grateful that there hadn't been anyone around at that hour to witness the argument!—. So she also finished by appreciating that Évelyne could read the situation and didn't ask any questions or make any comments during the entire journey back to the apartment.
"We didn't plan to access the university, you know," the creature proceeded to confirm much later, once they were alone within the four walls of their apartment, sitting face to face at the kitchen table. "Or at least, I didn't plan to. Since I wasn't sure if you would approve of me entering the building, Henry was going to go in to find you while I waited outside in the gardens."

This was the second time Évelyne had defended Henry's actions in less than a couple of hours. When had they become close enough for her to show such generosity? Victoria made no immediate comment, choosing to focus on the plate in front of her. Though she appreciated the creature's consideration, that statement might just be a ploy to absolve both her friend and herself of guilt.

"I also didn't plan to use the information about where your university is located to bother you any other day," Évelyne continued, now gaining all of Victoria's attention. "If I wanted to genuinely annoy you, I could do it anytime without leaving this house. Maybe by breaking your rules or wrecking the place in some way, I don't know. What is certain is that it would be much more convenient."

Yes, if she had any ill intentions, it would indeed be better to avoid going out into the world and make life simpler by cutting Victoria's throat while she slept, as she had discovered that Victoria never locked her room when going to bed.

But there was a flaw in this reasoning.

"You couldn't harm me even if you had all the tools at your disposal; it's not cost-effective for you. Even if you dared to do it at that moment, eliminating me either here or in my own faculty, what would you gain from it? Where would you go next? Because I don't think Henry, or my professors, or even my family in Geneva would take long to notice my absence. Not to mention the comforts being offered to you here, practically expecting nothing in return. Killing me now would not only mean giving up all of that but also condemning yourself to a life on the run. This time, not because of a hypothetical monster from a laboratory or the supposed ugliness that Évelyne was so self-conscious about, but for a real crime. A crime that would undoubtedly be attributed to her. Because there were already enough witnesses who could testify to the coexistence between Victoria and Évelyne, putting the authorities on the trail of the latter."

"That's precisely my point," Évelyne replied in a tone quite similar to the one Henry had used earlier to dismiss Victoria's accusations. "What sense would it make to go to the university now for that purpose?"

"Now, you won't deny that you didn't want to see it, walk through its halls to make sure it wasn't full of rooms like the one I created you in."

"I won't deny it," the creature admitted. "But I'm not blind, and I can read. On more than one occasion, I've seen the university's shield and address on the envelopes of the correspondence you receive. I could have memorized it and gone at any time, whenever I wanted. And I never did."

"That's true." After a pause, Victoria inquired, "Why didn't you?"

This time, there was no accusation in her voice; she asked out of simple curiosity. And perhaps that surprised Évelyne, as she seemed somewhat uncomfortable in answering:

"I-I don't know, would it serve any purpose? If I had gone, you surely would have kicked me out as rudely as you behaved with Henry today. And goodbye to my chances of you creating another being for me!" Before Victoria could remind her of her opinion on this particular matter, Évelyne added, "But that doesn't matter now; Henry is going to help me. While we were on our way to find you, I mentioned that I barely knew anyone in the city, and he offered to introduce me to one of his friends."

"Oh? This is new. Although it definitely fits with something Henry would do," Victoria murmured. Then, observing Évelyne closely to discern if she was sincere, she asked just to make sure, "Can I be at ease, then, knowing that you won't go to the campus again without my permission?"

"You don't even let me into your bedroom here, and in all this time, I've had plenty of opportunities to do so and haven't. I think I can respect a request like that," Évelyne declared, annoyed. Then, perhaps confirming something, she pointed out, "But I guess you don't have to believe me. You can't account for what I do when I'm alone at home, and that other night when I entered your room, I did it quite casually."

Évelyne stopped there, indecisive. It seemed that even after so many nights, she was still waiting for words of reproach. Something she wouldn't get. If Victoria hadn't mentioned anything all this time, it was because she felt relieved to have been woken up on that occasion.

She wasn't going to vocalize her gratitude aloud because she didn't want it to be construed as an invitation for the creature to again disregard her rules. However, the fact that it had done so at that specific moment, she was willing to overlook.

"I know you haven't entered my room, that you haven't even attempted to open the door," Victoria finally said, sounding tired of the back-and-forth. "Don't underestimate me; I have my ways of knowing."

"How...?"

"But that doesn't answer my question. A tiny room in a cheap apartment is not comparable at all to the science faculty at the university."

"And if I promise not to go back, would you believe me?"

"Probably not. Even if you did the decent thing and kept your distance as you have been doing, I'm sure Henry or one of his friends, since we're talking about familiar faces, would eventually invite you back." Perhaps Évelyne would have protested here, implying that invitations could be declined, but Victoria didn't let her interrupt. "Either way, it's fine. You can go if you want; I won't forbid you."

This must have startled the creature more than the sudden reprimand Henry received that same afternoon, as hearing that last sentence almost made her drop the spoon she was using to eat her soup.

"Just a moment ago, you were trying to convince me not to go!"

"That's not true... Or maybe it is," Victoria conceded, and after a moment, she explained, "But I think Henry is right. Just because I don't like the idea of you going doesn't mean I should forbid you from going there or anywhere else. After all, you're right when you say you've had a thousand opportunities to cause havoc, but you never did. Maybe I should rely on that and offer my trust based on what I see, not on my unproductive attempts to guess what might happen in the future."

"That's... generous, I suppose."

This conversation had shifted from being tense to awkward. And it was likely to get worse because Victoria hadn't finished.

"I think it would be appropriate for me to apologize to you," she stated seriously, making it clear that she wasn't planning to continue with her dinner until this matter was clarified. "And I'll have to apologize to Henry as well when I see him, as much as I hate having him pestering with his 'I told you so' for the next few weeks, until he forgets the incident."

"Wait, what? Why would you apologize to me? It's with Henry that..." Évelyne didn't continue, perhaps because it was already evident to both of them what she was going to say, as well as what Victoria's resolution regarding her friend would be. "There's nothing you need to apologize for, with or without forbidding me from going to the university. In the end, that would be another limit to respect, right?"

"I was referring to apologizing for my outburst when we met in the campus gardens. It wasn't right, and the fact that Henry took the brunt of it doesn't mean you had to witness such a scene. So, I apologize for that."

The creature seemed dumbfounded by this sequence of events, which was to be expected. Even Victoria couldn't quite believe that she had said all this.

She didn't tend to apologize for acting recklessly in a random moment of anger, perhaps because she didn't have such outbursts very often, and today fatigue and panic upon seeing Évelyne where she didn't expect her had played a trick on her.

Victoria may have done many questionable things in her life, but she liked to think that she was at least someone who could recognize a mistake. For this reason, and because she understood well what must be going through Évelyne's mind at the moment, she patiently waited for her to say with a half-smile, "It's all forgotten, don't worry."

Maybe it wasn't forgotten, but Évelyne seemed to want to opt for forgetting it, and that was enough. Victoria would regain her good mood gradually, not wanting this evening to become one they would both look back on with disdain in the future.

"By the way, when we met," the scientist interjected, now in a decidedly friendly tone, "what was it that you and Henry stopped to buy?"

"Oh, a crumb cake, I think it was called," The creature didn't seem entirely sure about the name, as it was clear she had heard it for the first time. "Henry mentioned it was your favorite, and since the store hadn't closed yet... We bought portions for everyone."

"Yes, I noticed he was eating a piece on the way. But what about you? Have you had your share?"

Victoria remembered the bag that had been offered to her, ignored by her in favor of attacking an innocent Henry, and which now rested on the kitchen counter, waiting for the two occupants of the apartment to finish dinner to be opened.

But Évelyne wasn't seen trying anything.

"I thought it would be better to wait for you," the creature murmured, still seeming uncomfortable, but this time it was a different kind of nervousness as her face showed a shade of pinker than usual. "That we could eat the cake together once we got home."

"I think that's a perfect idea," Victoria smiled as she said this, an attitude she hoped could convey her genuine feelings: She didn't want to have a bad relationship with Évelyne over a silly incident, and she also didn't want there to be more misunderstandings like that day, not discussing things properly. "Why don't we finish this, and then you can cut the cake yourself? Oh, and while we're at it, what have you been doing today? I want to know everything about that friend Henry wants to introduce you to, if it's okay."

It wasn't an obligation to tell everything, of course, but Évelyne had an excellent day—campus incident and all—so she didn't even need to try to get her talking a bit. She took the initiative to tell Victoria every relevant event of the day, from her encounter with the old lady in the park to the conversation she had with Henry about being new in the city and his suggestion to introduce her to new people.

As the minutes passed, the creature loosened up, and it became more natural for Victoria to respond or inquire more questions so Évelyne could delve deeper into her stories.

The two women had dinner, ate the cake in each other's company, and even laughed together thinking about some dialogue or anecdote that had taken place either that day or in the days before. Truly, for the first time in a long time, Victoria felt it as a gathering of friends. Not as a creator performing her moral duty of asking her creature for a complete report of her activities over the last twenty-four hours.

No, Évelyne was no monster. And it was high time she stopped being treated as such.