taxonomites | 4 [ visual / location: taxon mall ]

When the tablet clicks on, a peppy Extra girl with pigtails - obviously a store worker - is busy praising a stuffed, yellow toy bear with a jar of honey clutched in its paws to Brennan who in turn looks extremely bewildered. Finally the scientist shakes her head at the toy the Extra is trying hard to sell her, frowning.

"No, this is wrong. First of all, bears aren't tangerine yellow. Second, they are potentially dangerous creatures with very little mental capacity for whimsy, more likely to devour a small child than anything else. Besides, I don't know any children I could give that to, nor do I have any progeny of my own."

The Extra gives Brennan a confounded look in return, but reverts back to her mindlessly cheerful self soon after and launches into another spiel about the nearby dollhouse.

"I'll just... go browse on my own," Brennan cuts her off and brushes past the Extra without second thought, wandering amidst the rows of colorful toys.

Brennan doesn't even know what she's doing in the toy store, to be honest. She was at the mall to look for a Christmas present for Angela, knowing she was cutting it close as the holiday was mere days away - though she's not a fan of Christmas or anything related to it, Angela's friendship is important to her. But Brennan had a habit of getting preoccupied with work at the Jeffersonian, plus the kissing incident with Angel some days prior (she still fought an uncharacteristic wave of awkwardness every time that crossed her mind) had left Brennan somewhat wary about venturing out into the crowds again. Today, she'd finally decided to go during lunch, but the throngs of people and the cheerfulness and the jingles got on her nerves quickly and she'd ducked into the toy store strictly to get a moment of peace; it seemed to be relatively quiet compared to the rest of the mall. But now that she's here, she is getting visibly more fascinated by the things filling up the shelves every passing minute.

Pleasantly surprised, she spies a section of educational toys up ahead and steps closer, picking up a junior paleontologist kit. Dig up your own dinosaur! the packaging proclaims next to a picture of a fossilized Velociraptor mongoliensis. Idly, she figures Parker might like it, given his interest in the prehistoric beasts. Frowning, Brennan pauses at the thought. Why is she thinking about getting a gift for her partner's son who isn't even in Taxon? Shaking her head at her foolishness, Brennan places the kit slowly back on the shelf. She knows she really should stop wasting time, but then the chemistry set catches her attention and she can't stop herself from picking it up for closer examination.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yes, we all must be aware of the vicious, cotton-stuffed yellow bear of our nightmares.

Why these toy manufacturers wish to expose children to such inaccurate depictions of fairly common wildlife is beyond me, Ange. What if they expect to see a yellow bear in the zoo or in the woods, now?

Sweetie... [Sorry, Brennan. She has to laugh.] They've been making colorful animals since the dawn of time. I'm sure little Timmy and Susie will be okay when they find out that bears don't come in shades of sunshine.

[She hears that laugh, Angela. She hears it.] I suppose bright colors are more appealing to children in regards of visual stimulation.

[AS YOU SHOULD, BRENNAN.]

And to some adults. You never know which one of them wants a fuchsia cow.

[INACCURATELY COLORED ANIMALS ARE A GENUINE CONCERN TO BREN, OKAY.]

Why would anyone want a fuchsia cow? [Pause. Is this a hint?] Do... you want one?

[Silence.]

No. [Though she's tempted to say yes if it means Brennan will go outside of her comfort zone.] I already have one.

[And there's that too.]

Oh. [Well, shoot. Now she'll have to think of something else for Angela's Christmas present. And because she's about as subtle as... something that is not subtle in the least; ] Well, is there something else that you might want?

You know, if I have to ask for it, you'll need to dress as Santa.

[Angela can be mean, but not that mean.]

Art supplies are always welcome. Something whimiscal? Surprise me.

[The Santa mention causes a frown no knit her brows together, but Brennan moves past that with a shake of her head. She can do practical gifts such as art supplies, but whimsical surprises? Not her strongest suit.]

Okay, Ange. I'll try. Just no fuchsia cows, got it. That is, if I can survive the remainder this mall experience.

[Long as she doesn't go kissing anyone again, she supposes she can count herself fortunate.]

[Is it weird Angela can practically hear that frown? Because she totally can.]

Stay away from the bell ringing Santa. Now he's vicious.

It's probably a good thing I don't have that gun now. [She sighs, her tone turning disgruntled.] But better the obnoxious Santa than more mistletoe.

4 [ visual / location: taxon mall ]

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