8 | [ location: the jeffersonian institute ] / [ visual ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

The feed flickers to life as Brennan turns on the record function, giving Taxon a quick glimpse of her office couch that has clearly been slept on if the blanket and pillow combination is anything to go by, as well as a dog on the floor that's chewing halfheartedly on a toy. Brennan leans back a little as she straightens the tablet and regards the screen, her expression carefully neutral.

"For those of you who were acquainted with her and may not yet be aware of it... Angela Montenegro was sent back home yesterday."

Brennan looks like she's about to add something to this, but decides against it. Instead she presses her lips together into a tight line as if to keep from saying anything further and lowers her gaze, reaching out for the device and fumbling with it for a second before tossing it back on the coffee table in front of her. Brennan's attempt was to turn it off, but she doesn't quite manage it in her distracted state. Instead, the tablet keeps on recording, albeit now only showing a steady view of the ceiling. The audio is still clear as day, however.

The silence is punctuated only by the dog gnawing on her precious toy until Brennan speaks up a moment later.

"Looks like it's just you and me now, Tuesday."

There are no tears in her tone, but the words come out very softly and are followed by a forlorn sigh.

Comments

[visual]

[eggplantgout.livejournal.com]

Jason didn't know either Brennan or Angela terribly well, but he did like them and was sorry to see Angela go. He wasn't the best with words, but he did want to offer some kind of condolence to Brennan.

"Sorry Angela had to go. She was cool."

[visual]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Jason's unexpected voice startles Brennan out of her reverie, and she reaches for the tablet on the coffee table.

"Oh. I thought I turned this thing off," she says with a slight grumble - for a bona fide genius, she wasn't always the most tech savvy person. That was Angela's forte. Shaking off the sudden gloominess at the thought, Brennan nods and even manages a wan smile with an effort.

"Yes. She was. Is," she corrects herself sternly; Angela isn't deceased. Just... relocated. "But it's better this way. She got to go back home, where she belongs."

[visual]

[eggplantgout.livejournal.com]

"Ok. Is." Jason wasn't going to argue. Angela wasn't dead but it was still strange talking about her as if she were still in the city.

"But if she goes back home, you won't be there because you're here. Or don't it work like that?"

[visual]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

"I honestly don't know for certain," Brennan admits reluctantly. While she does know a bit about them, she doesn't understand how the laws of physics would ever bend to accommodate a situation like this. This whole thing - a foreign planet, alien abductions, people from various alternate dimensions, glitches - shouldn't even be scientifically possible, but it's happening all the same. It's mind-boggling and Brennan doesn't like it much.

"But I suspect my being here currently won't effect my existence for Angela when she goes back to DC. Time dilation, space-time distortion..." she shrugs, lost in thought momentarily. "It's all speculation, of course. But I hope it doesn't work like you said. It's an unpleasant thought."

[ visual ]

[virtued.livejournal.com]

Stefan knows Brennan's face and voice only by virtue of surfing the tablet network on a daily basis, but he's never spoken up to her before. He feels obligated to apologize, damn empathic nature that's in overdrive at the moment, due to Damon being affected by Angela's disappearance as well.

"I'm sorry. She was nice."

Perfect. Awkward and general enough to appropriately fit the role of kid brother who was pretending he didn't notice his brother casually sleeping with this woman's friend.

[ visual ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Brennan doesn't know this young man, but she can appreciate the kind words. She nods, forcing a slight smile on her lips.

"Don't be. She got to go back home, where she belongs. That's a good thing," Brennan responds, determined to be rational and brush aside any feelings of self-pity in favor of seeing the bright side to this.

Her eyes narrow as she squints at Stefan for a moment. "You're related to Damon Salvatore."

A statement, not a question. Brennan doesn't need to check the name on the tablet to know this.

[ visual ]

[virtued.livejournal.com]

It could be that she simply looked at the name, but the correct pegging makes Stefan blink in genuine surprise. Sometimes he forgets how much they resemble one another due to all the changes they've undergone in the last century and a half.

"Yeah, he's, um, my brother. I'm Stefan."

[visual]

[taintedrose]

Rose didn't know Brennan or Angela at all, but she understands the loss of a friend and how hard it could be. Lexi was gone from Taxon and she was the one person that Rose could fully trust. Then she had lost both Trevor and Slater back home.

"I'm sorry that your friend was sent home." She offers as a means of being sympathetic, even if the other woman didn't know who she was.

[visual]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Truth be told, Brennan didn't expect so many condolences when she sent out the broadcast. But then again, it shouldn't surprise her so. Angela is (not was - just because she isn't in Taxon any longer doesn't mean she ceased to exist) a social person and always makes friends wherever she goes, unlike Brennan. Plus, humans are very much hardwired to respond to emotional distress of others.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, it's unnecessary," Brennan replies slowly, hoping not to sound too blunt. "Angela has been sent back where she belongs. She'll be happier there."

It's a viewpoint Brennan is determined to cling onto. This isn't about her personal happiness, it's about Angela's.

[visual]

[taintedrose]

"Well, that's a positive way of looking at it," Rose replies, nodding in understanding at Brennan's words. "I still hope you're alright though."

The thought of Lexi being sent home means springs forth to Rose's mind and she can't help but feel saddened by it. Rose knew that Lexi would be dead back home and that she may never come back.

She feels like an introduction is necessary. "I'm Rose by the way. We've never spoken before."

[ audio | locked ]

[allthefunever.livejournal.com]

[ damon stays quiet for a moment, then sighs. ]

I'd do the usual song and dance about better places and going home, but I don't really believe it so why bother.

[ audio | locked ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

But she undoubtedly is happier back home than stuck here. [ this is what brennan is determined to believe (if only to get over this herself) but realizes that this might have been too blunt. she hastens to tack on; ] Not that I meant that as undermining the relationship that you shared with her. The forming of sexual bonds is important in any society.

[ audio | locked ]

[allthefunever.livejournal.com]

[ damon laughs at that, roughly. ]

Oh, don't worry. My feelings are iron-clad, you won't dent them. I just meant you've never struck me as a fan of people lying because they think it's what you'd want to hear.

[ voice ]

[stacked]

[ so, faith sucks at comfort. but she knew angela, and she can't just let this one pass her by. ]

Doing all right there, Doc?

[ voice ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

...Yes. Of course. Why wouldn't I be?

[ this is brennan in denial/logic land. the way she figures it, her personal happiness at angela's continued presence in taxon is unimportant next to angela's happiness at being back home, even if she likely won't remember anything about taxon. ]

[ voice ]

[stacked]

No reason, just checking in.

[ oh thank god, emotional bullet dodged. ]

[Visual]

[tothelightshown.livejournal.com]

There was a large gap between the moment when DG watched Brennan's broadcast and the moment when DG finally replied. She'd only spoken to Angela once or twice, after all, and she didn't know the poster at all. She didn't want to intrude.

They all knew the theory. The people who left were bound to be a lot happier back in their own world. Back where they belonged. But that didn't make it any easier for the people who were left behind to cope without them.

(If Glitch or Cain disappeared, she didn't know how she'd cope.)

"Sorry. At least she's back home now."

She shook her head a moment after speaking. That definitely hadn't been worth the interruption.

[Visual]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Brennan takes a moment to respond to the woman she can't recall having seen before, and somewhere in the back of her mind there's a tiny flicker of recognition that her features look somewhat familiar, (probably because Brennan sees them in the mirror every morning) but it goes ignored.

"Yes, that's exactly what I keep telling everyone," Brennan replies with a slight nod. "She will be infinitely happier there. Probably safer, as well. That's a good thing."

Subconsciously, she's trying to convince herself as much as DG and everyone else. Despite Brennan's best intentions to remain calm and rational about this, she's far from emotionless. She misses Angela already.

[Visual]

[tothelightshown.livejournal.com]

"It doesn't feel good when you're left behind," DG pointed out, her tone gentle but not patronising or pitying. "I felt the same when my friend Piper left. I'm glad she's back with her family - I'm glad she's safe - but I still miss her every day."

Piper had been a founding member of the Taxon coven. She'd helped DG to understand her powers at a time when they'd been beyond her control and comprehension. She'd never forget that. She didn't want to.

[ voice ]

[undoing.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[ maybe speaking up was a bad idea, but angel had come to terms with the difference between having the curse triggered by his own actions and being outright glitched the last time this had happened. he wasn't in control of what the aliens did to him, it hadn't been his fault. if people choose to hold it against him, then that's their choice; he's choosing not to hold it against himself. ]

[ voice ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Angel, but there's no need to be. Ange is better off back home than here, so really, there's little to be sorry about.

[ brennan has no ill will whatsoever toward angel regarding the glitch. it was forced upon him by the hamsters, not something he invited on himself. if people did hold it against him, then they were stupid. end of story. ]

How are you?

[ voice ]

[undoing.livejournal.com]

There's no arguing with that sentiment.

[ brennan, this is why you have his utmost respect. ]

I'm...angry, but that's to be expected.

[ visual ]

[lajolieblonde.livejournal.com]

Oh, honey.

[ the times she spoke to angela, she was lovely. and nobody deserves to be alone, especially not in a place like this. ]

[ visual ]

[bonescientist.livejournal.com]

Sookie. Hello.

[ brennan manages a small smile at the tiny southerner. she knows sookie and angela were friends before the former was send home, but brennan doesn't really know how well they re-acquainted after sookie returned to taxon sometime ago. ]

[ visual ]

[lajolieblonde.livejournal.com]

Do you need a place to stay? Until things settle down, is all.

[ sookie: adopting taxon into her house, one citizen at a time. ]