Participants:
| Scene Title | Negotiating Peace |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | Peyton and Bones make a tentative truce. |
| Date | February 2, 2010 |
Some might thing that Bones is not at home at first since the doors to the cartography room are closed and the lights are not on, but still there is the rumble of a woofer against the floor inside and what sounds like a t-rex? can be hear roaring. Bones, managing to successfully raid one of the supply closets in the library, has procured himself an LCD project, projector screen, and VCR as well as the only video in the library that did not have 'documentary' at the end of the title. He sits eating a bag of microwave popcorn on what passes for his bed with his back leaned against the wall as Jurassic Park plays.
Peyton emerges from the file room, ready to leave for the afternoon. Her own music was playing in there in a CD player she brought for the space, Muse playing loudly while she sorted Cardinal's files. Only now is it quiet enough to hear the music and roars from the map room, so Peyton heads that way, curious. She knocks on the door to give warning, waiting a moment for a "Don't come in!" or "Busy!" then opens the door.
She leans in the door, watching the movie play for a moment. "I hate lawyers. Served him right," she quips. Her mother was a lawyer, so there might be something significant in the words, or it could just be a joke.
Bones raises a brow as the knock comes on one of the large double doors and sees Peyton when she pokes her head in. He raises his brows slightly before turning back to the screen, tossing a few popped kernels into his mouth every now and again.
Not the warmest greeting she's had in her life, but given that she's been kidnapped and shot at and held at gunpoint by various people, it's certainly not the worst greeting she's ever had either. Peyton shrugs and heads in, leaning on a wall across from him. "Hello to you, too," she says, but her eyes are on the movie — maybe it will make it easier to talk if they don't look at each other.
Giving a sigh as he hears Peyton speak again, Bones raises the remote for the VCR and hits the pause button, stalling the movie just as the t-rex is charging after Ellen and Malcolm's vehicle. As silent falls over the room he gives a nod and leans his head back, closing his eyes. "Hello. How might I be of service?"
She hears the sigh, and her brows furrow. They had a civil conversation when Claire and Mack were in the room, but perhaps that was only for the sake of their "company." She had forgiven him his unkind remarks as part of her fresh start and clean slate she felt she'd earned with defeating the Nightmare Man, but clearly the truce wasn't mutual. "Sorry. I'll let you watch your movie. I was just saying hi," she says, with a shrug, pushing off from the wall and giving a wave.
"Uh… okay..? Hi…? Bye?" Bones raises his brows, looking at her with a rather confused look. "I was just pausing the movie because it's rude to the actors to talk over them, but…" he raises the remote up again and unpauses the movie and his eyes go back to the screen as the t-rex continues to give chase.
Rude to the actors? Peyton gives a shrug and turns to go once more, before turning back. "Look, I know you think I'm a spoiled brat and such, but I'm trying and you're not making it very easy on me," she finally says. "I'm sorry to interrupt your movie, and I won't do it again. But we need to work together, if we're both going to be helping Liz and Claire and the rest, and I figured that we should at least… you know. Make a truce or something and get over whatever was said in the past. I'm sorry I swore at you — apparently that's what upset you, I guess, and I'll try not to in the future. And I won't expect you to look happy to see me, ever, but if maybe you could at least not … think I'm a horrible person, I'd be really appreciative." This all comes out in a rush, and she manages not to cry. Baby steps!
He had is finger on the pause button already anyway so he flicks the remote at the VCR once more and then turns to look at Peyton. "I do think you are a spoiled brat, but since I actually talked to you the other day, it's a safe bet that I'm willing to work with you. Perhaps even share a hot pocket with you since you at least tried yet failed utterly to apologize." Bones says, looking at her as though she is being absurd. "Honestly, if the President of the United States walked in to this room and started talking to me, I would sigh and pause the movie because it is rude to everyone that had anything to do with a movie to talk during it. Would you speak while gazing at the Mona Lisa? Would you talk over the Philharmonic? No. A movie might not be a DaVinci masterpiece but to one person in the cast or crew and you have to respect that /one/ person, because it is their art."
"People talk while looking at the Mona Lisa," Peyton counters. "It's like this big room with this tiny painting on one wall, and you can barely see it, and you know what everyone says? 'I didn't know it was that small' and 'I wish it weren't behind glass.' But I do respect the people who make art. I'm sorry if I was rude in your eyes." She really is trying, and her cheeks flush as he lectures her. "Could you maybe please quit calling me a spoiled brat? I don't think I'm the only one who needs to apologize. It isn't very polite to call people things like that, even if you mean them." Why does she feel like Alice talking to the Mad Hatter?
"Just because everyone is doing it does not make it right. I am sure the last thing an artist would want to hear is people whining about a painting being small. Or behind glass." Bones reasons, blinking rather innocently at Peyton, actually clasping his hands in his lap and speaking in a calm and even tone. "And it's horrible manners to lie to someone. Even by omission though I will sometimes allow for lies of courtesy, such as not agreeing with someone when they exclaim they are fat."
She bites her lip, then exhales slowly. "Was I spoiled as a kid? Yes. Did I make bad choices? Yes. But I don't understand how anything I've done when I've been with you has been snobbish or spoiled, and it's unfair of you to call me it when I'm actively trying to be a better person. Except for swearing at you — which is not necessarily a spoiled or snobbish thing to do, even if it is bad manners — I don't understand what I've done to earn your …" she pauses, trying to think of the right word. "Derision," she finally supplies. Her tone is calm and even, and she seems to weigh each word carefully. "And I'm not saying all this to continue the fight, but you say you're not going to 'lie by omission,' and you're going to continue to tell me my faults, I'd like at least some practical examples to go with all these faults."
=
"We have already gone over examples in our last argument and you were unable to refute them to satisfaction. If you wish to continue on that front, I am afraid you will have to find another reason to bring up that line of questioning again." Clearly there are some established rules of engagement in play but who knows where they are coming from. "Do not act like a spoiled little rich girl and I shall not call you one. And do not curse at me. All discussion and contact will cease should cursing or 'cussing' take place." Bones glances back at the stilled movie screen and then back at Peyton.
"It's not my fault you su- you aren't very good at giving examples," Peyton says with a shake of her head. "And I think you know I'm a spoiled rich kid so you expect me to act like one, and then you see it when it's not there, because I'll tell you that most spoiled little rich girls don't spend their afternoons sorting files in a bombed out libraries trying to help a group of people fight the status quo. None that I know of, and believe me, I know quite a few since I'm one of them." She takes a deep breath. "But fine. We'll move past the fight and maybe one day you'll see that I'm not the one who's been looking down at other people." She nods to the wall. "I have a pile of DVDs at home I never watch. I'll bring them by for you guys. Have a goodnight."
"Oh. So we're in agreement. Good. And here I was thinking we were arguing different things. Thank you for clarifying." Bones sounds genuinely surprised and relieved as he remains seated where he is. As she turns to leave, he gives a wave towards her. "See you later. Careful getting home." he offers even as he begins to slide a foot in to one of his boots so that he is able to follow her at a distance and see her safely out of midtown.
Peyton chuckles. "Goodnight, Good Face." It's good he's pretty, because he isn't much of a conversationalist, that's for sure. "I'll see you around." She heads out of the library for the way home — it's not too late, so the sun hasn't set, but she walks fast and keeps a hand curled around a pistol in her pocket, until she gets to civilization once more.