Ice. Queen. That was the impression Nicola got of Meda Smith. But, she reasoned, that didn't necessarily mean anything. The woman could just be trying to establish herself as confident and competent to throw off the stigma of being "the new girl". Nicola could understand and appreciate that. She'd had her own problems getting recognition in the Boys' Club that was Academia. She took her cue from Meda. She stood.
"I'm Nicola Morgan," she said. "I hold doctorates in Biology and Astrobiology, specialising in Xenobiology. That's why I'm here." She gave Finn a level look. "I've also been asked to teach Appreciating Paranormal Diversity." And she was appreciating it now. She was accutely aware that a good number of the people in this room - very possibly all of them besides herself - were other than human. The woman on her right had a tail, an actual furry tail protruding from her skirt. But the most astonishing thing was that, aside from that one exception, she could have walked past any of these people on the street and not looked twice except perhaps to think, There goes a handsome man.
'The Talk' was still very fresh in her mind - the long and frankly unbelievable conversation she'd had with the Dean before accepting this position. But, whatever her previous convictions, she was first and foremost a scientist, and she couldn't argue with what was right before her eyes... even if it did have a tail. And there was a part of her - the little girl who wanted to believe in unicorns and men from the moon - that was secretly thrilled to be able, at last, to say "It's all true."