(no subject)

[argyle_princess]

Temperance Brennan's apartment is, at this moment, more or less silent.

This is because Hannah is the only person here right now, and she is still fast asleep, curled up on the sofa bed with the stuffed mouse she no longer cares that Brennan knows about, sleeping the dreamless, motionless sleep of the exhausted.

Comments

[dr_temperance]

"No. I've never wanted to do anything else. Not even on days like this." There is no hesitation in Brennan's response.

A small smile turns up the corners of her mouth. "If you do decide to marry a sheik, find one who hasn't married yet. The position of first wife is generally preferable to that of subsequent wives."

[argyle_princess]

"I'll keep that in mind," says Hannah. "I'm pretty sure I'd make a bad sheik's wife, though, first or third."

Hannah looks down at her coffee for a second.

"It's kind of hard to feel, you know, certain about stuff right now. Everything's kind of . . ." she trails off, and one hand flutters vaguely.

[dr_temperance]

Brennan shrugs, understanding.

"You're sixteen. Adolescence and young adulthood is by nature a period of great uncertainty."

"It's okay to not be sure."

[argyle_princess]

She gives Brennan a wry sort of smile.

"So when's the period of great certainty come along?"

[dr_temperance]

"That can vary. Some people find their purpose earlier than others."

Brennan had found a purpose for herself earlier than most. Finding a purpose had made up for not having anything else.

"And for some people, it can change throughout their lives. At least, that's what I've observed."

[argyle_princess]

Hannah nods. It's nothing she hasn't heard before.

There's a short glance to the balcony and then an abrupt subject change.

"Does it bother you? That he died here, I mean."

[dr_temperance]

Brennan deliberately does not look at the area of floorspace where her father had left a very large pool of another man's blood.

Epps is not the first person to die in the vicinity of this apartment, but she's not going to tell Hannah that.

"No. Why would it?"

Brennan does not believe in hauntings or ghosts or 'negative residual energy' that people tend to ascribe to areas where death has occurred. No matter what she's seen in Milliways.

Milliways is Milliways. Things like that don't happen in the real world.

[argyle_princess]

Hannah shrugs.

"It would bother a lot of people. Associating a memory like with a place they consider home.

"I mean, homes are supposed to be safe, right?"

[dr_temperance]

"Anthropologically speaking, yes."

Brennan smiles slightly and offers a shrug of her own.

"But I still feel safe here."

"Would you like some more coffee?"

[argyle_princess]

Hannah thinks for a moment, and then grins.

"Given the fact that I just slept for something like fourteen hours, I guess I must feel pretty safe here, too.

"And, yeah, more coffee would be good."