lifetothefullest | [IC Inbox]

[He's right, of course. Whether she had wanted it to be so or not, Zack had become like a sibling, someone she could take care of in a city without Booth and Christine. Now there's just the space he used to occupy, his room with all the equipment he'd made from what he'd been able to gather from around the city.

There's another delay. She blinks, and tears fall down her cheeks.]

I will be fine.

I know you will be, but it's okay not to be so right now.

[It's better to admit it to herself and let herself be sad for awhile than to try to ignore it, and he hopes she's doing that.]

[No it's not. She has to be strong. She has to be someone that can be depended on. A moment of weakness could undo everything she's done to keep her life together for months now.]

I am going to the orchard for a walk.

[She wants to be alone -- though if she really, truly wanted that, she would have kept that to herself and left her phone in the apartment. Instead, she takes it with her, grabs a coat, and leaves for the orchard.]

Okay. Be careful.

[He doesn't want one of the less than pleasant people here to try to catch her offguard. And he'll give her a little time to be alone before also making his way toward the Orchard, looking for her.]

[He'll find her staring up into a tall tree with fruits shaped like pyramids. They taste like carrots and onions and something unknown but good, and they'd paired well with the mac and cheese she'd been able to make.

She hears him coming as she reaches for one of the fruits; she tugs it off the branch and busies herself with examining it as he approaches.]

I have not determined yet if these can be eaten raw. It is possible that there is some natural part of them that is poisonous to us until cooked. That may be the source of the unidentified flavoring.

[She can try it and see later. It will be something to do.]

Edited (i meant pyramids it was always pyramids u saw nothing) 2017-08-16 19:45 (UTC)

[It's pretty obvious Brennan is trying to distract herself, but she doesn't seem to protest Lance's presence and so he decides to just go along with things for now. No need to push just yet.]

Maybe. Or it's just something you can't place right away, since these don't exactly... Look like normal fruit. Or vegetables? Fruit.

[Since they're growing from trees. Right, nailed it.]

[Trying? She's damn well succeeding. Pyramid fruit are an intriguing mystery.]

Perhaps. [She shrugs.] I should be used to their strange shape in three days.

[Seeing one in the kitchen for three days will make it seem normal, and then she will be able to examine it better, maybe take it to the lab and put it under a microscope. Maybe there's something in Zack's room-- in the mini lab he left behind, that will help her.

Brennan lowers her hand, slipping the pyramid fruit into the pocket of her coat, her gaze on the branches above.]

I should also be used to Zack's absence in three days.

[Probably not. It has been over a month, and she may have forgotten the feeling of Christine in her arms, but not the bond it strengthens, not the love for her. She may stop expecting to see Zack around the apartment, but she will never stop wishing he were here to share dinner with.]

[Lance is quiet while she talks, and while she takes the fruit to bring home, but when she finally mentions Zack again he shakes his head a little and responds.]

You know it isn't that simple, Dr. Brennan.

[He says it softly, not to correct her but to remind her. It isn't realistic to expect herself to be over Zack's disappearance so quickly, and she doesn't have to.]

I will stop expecting him to be here.

[Her voice goes unsteady near the end of that sentence. Brennan takes a sharp, deep breath and lowers her gaze, frowning at the tree trunk. On some level she has never stopped missing Zack, but it got easier over time. Knowing he is safe has helped. It will help now too.]

[IC Inbox]

text

text

text

text --> action

action

action

permaaction

no subject

no subject