taxonomites | 3 | [ location: somewhere in Shelley ] / [ accidental visual ]

The tablet switches on without its owner noticing as they're wont to do, granting Taxon an extreme closeup of a... tree. More precisely, the trunk of a sturdy old oak tree on the yard of a nondescript house somewhere in the Shelley district. Despite the relative darkness of the night, the pale hand clawing at the bark at the corner of the feed is plainly visible. Suddenly, the tablet jostles violently, accompanied by distinct sounds of tearing bark and rustling of leaves, followed by a sharply hissed, "Oh, shoot!"

The feed spins madly before coming to abrupt halt with a dull thud; the device has fallen to the ground and is now tilted at an upward angle, affording a slightly slanted view up into the tree.

About ten feet up, balanced precariously on a tree limb and strangling the overhead branch with both hands is one Temperance Brennan; a studious, geeky girl possessing a bigger brain than a sense of adventure. Except for tonight, it seems. Collecting herself, Temperance glances towards the house flanking the tree, visibly relieved to find all the windows dark, still; someone is clearly not looking to wake up the residents. Someone is clearly sneaking out of their second-floor bedroom using the tree next to their window, hours after curfew on a Friday night. It's definitely an activity that a good girl like Temperance shouldn't even think about doing, and yet here she is. But Angela made it sound like she's missing out on so many things by never bending the rules, and the slight rush of doing something forbidden is undeniable.

Slowly, Tempe begins her descend from the tree, scrambling down one branch at a time. She's not really the most graceful teen around. Plus, climbing in a skirt is surprisingly difficult.

[ooc | forwarded to maybe around 9PM friday night. feel free to troll her mid-climb (just don't make her fall, lol) or later on her way to... err, wherever all the cool kids hang out. Anything goes! ♥]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kate was enjoying an evening stroll after doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. She was walking down the street, minding her own business, when she heard a thud. Curious, she investigated, and found the neighbor girl, Temperance Brennan, jumping down from a tree. Kate put on her best mother face and spoke, her hands on her hips.

"Temperance Brennan, just what do you think you're doing?"

Temperance froze in the middle of brushing down her skirt and straightening her clothes, staring at Kate wide-eyed for a second. She certainly wasn't expecting anybody else to be out at this hour other than Angie. Temperance thought furiously, trying to come up with something that would explain this. Unfortunately, she was never very good at lying.

"Uh, I was just," she paused, clearing her throat. Haltingly, she went on, her voice gaining confidence as she came up with a suitable fib. "I forgot my Biology textbook at my friend's house and we have a test coming up on Monday. I need to study as soon as possible. Tonight, in fact. I was just going to make a quick run over to my friend's place to fetch it."

Kate crossed her arms, not buying the story for a second. However, it hadn't been so long since she was young. She'd already decided she wasn't going to tell on Temperance. Still, she didn't have to tell Temperance that yet.

"You needed to study so urgently that you couldn't even use the front door?"

"Yes," Temperance nodded decisively. "My fo- mother--" a slight falter there; Tempe doesn't know if Kate is aware that she's a foster child, but she's not about to risk it. The stigma of being a foster kid can be heavy, and she's keeping that fact under wraps as best as she can. "--has been suffering from insomnia lately, and I didn't wish to wake her up by going out the front door now that she's finally sleeping."

Well, that wasn't entirely a lie. Her foster mother has indeed had insomnia lately.

Temperance's near slip reminded Kate of the young woman's home situation. Poor dear. Though it could be worse, she supposed; the girl could actually be related to the dreadful woman. Still, it cemented Kate's decision to let her go. She nodded, a soft smile on her face.

"Alright then. But next time maybe you could sneak out the front door just wearing your socks? It's quieter, and safer."

She winked conspiratorially.

"Have a fun evening, Temperance."

[Angie isn't waiting too far off from her friend. To play it even safer, she made the Extra park the car a block away from any nosy neighbors. She can't help but cringe as she watches Tempe blunder her way through an escape.]

Next time, maybe we should use the front door.

[Temperance gives Angie a halfhearted glare after managing to scramble down from the blasted tree, picking a stray leaf from her hair and brushing off bits of bark from her sweater. Perhaps the tree wasn't the greatest idea as she has always had some trouble with balance and grace (or lack of it), but what's done is done. If only she didn't have the scrapes and would-be bruises to go with the experience.]

My foster mother has been having insomnia lately. I was almost caught the last time I broke curfew. I surmised going out the front door might not have been a viable option tonight.

You do have a back door, right?

[It's too late for arguing, really. Tempe is back on solid ground and their chariot awaits. Angie grabs her by the shoulders and steers her onto the sidewalk in the direction of the car, picking out stray twigs in between strands of hair.]

What's with your skirt?

[Temperance's response about the back door is silenced as Angie begins pushing her forward by the shoulders and Tempe is distracted by the new question about her wardrobe choice.]

What do you mean? [Tempe glances quickly down at her long black skirt, nonplussed.] What's wrong with my skirt?

Everything? [Okay, even to Angela that sounds a little too means, so she softens her voice and decides to only pick one issue out of many.] It's too long. We're going to a party, not church.

Oh. [The tone of her voice is one of realization rather than offense. Temperance is used to Angie's straightforward opinions by now, and it's not like she's easily offended to begin with.] I wasn't aware there was a specific dress code for this thing. Should I try to sneak back in to change?

[It's a useless question, really, because Tempe likely doesn't own skirts short enough to meet Angie's approval.]

There should be. Nobody should have fun looking like a schoolmarm.

[Sending her back in is tempting, but if Tempe had enough trouble getting out, getting back in might be a disaster in the waiting. Angie shakes her head and starts pushing her friend down the road again.]

No, let's go. I'll fix it in the car.

[Where her magical bag of supplies is.]

3 | [ location: somewhere in Shelley ] / [ accidental visual ]

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