The Eternal Crane

Participants:

bones_icon.gif claire2_icon.gif

Scene Title The Eternal Crane
Synopsis The Crane is the ancient Chinese symbol of longevity because of its extremely long lifespan. In many legends the spirits ride on cranes which are said to bear the souls of the departed to heaven.
Date February 19, 2010

New York Public Library


After the storm finally passed and the nights warmed back up to their previous chill, Bones moved himself back upstairs where he has been vigorously working on several projects lately. Some of it entailing smoking wires and some cursing when he does not believe anyone else can hear him. Some others seem to need a lot of detail and concentration that apparently require him barring the door to the cartography room. The latter project seems to have been completed though as it is back to mainly wires and quite cursing. The lights in the cartography room are all on, giving him a good amount of illumination as he hunkers over the workspace he has made.

Since it's the first time in awhile since Claire has seen the map room door open, so she slowly peeks her head into the records room. A glance goes to the shadows first, before she slips into the room. Hands are shoved deep into a light gray hoodie, blonde hair pulled into a pony tail, which hangs over one shoulder. Boots scuff softly, announcing her presence to the tall man.

"Hey Bones.. Whatcha up too?"

"Huh?" Bones looks over at her, a pair of magnifying goggles on over his eyes causing his eyes to truly look comically enormous as he blinks up at Claire. "Oh, Claire." he says, sounding happy and apologetic all at the same time as he shoves the goggles up to rest on his forehead. "Just uh, something I thought I might need here shortly." he smiles as he presses a little button on the rather small box that is seemingly acting as some kind of a housing and he picks it up, placing the box against his throat. "A guy can't be too careful when he's out doing wrong things for the right reasons." he says, and as he speaks the small speaker on the table takes his words and amplifies them just slightly as well as deepens and somewhat distorts his voice. It actually sounds just a tad creepy. He switches it off and places it back down on the table. "When I'm through it will be able to adjust the volume of the speaker to my voice. Amazing what thirty dollars at Radio Shack and a YouTube video will get you."

Moving to rest a hip on the edge of the table, Claire looks amused at his little project, chuckling at the goggles. A hand leaving her pockets to rest on the table, as she leans to look at what he's doing. "Huh… Not taking any chances huh?" She asks softly, her head tilting slightly. "You planning on getting in over your head?"

"In over my head? No. Up to my neck? Sure. I'll go there." Bones leans a little on the table towards her as he removes the goggles from his head and sets them on the table, looking at Claire and just watching her for a moment before his brows shoot up. "Oh, which reminds me. I made a couple things for you." he shoves away from the table and gets up, walking over to one of the shelves that normally hold books but are currently being used for storage. He picks up two rather intricately silk wrapped boxes, the silk patterns of sky-blue and dark blue cranes. "Here. Open this one first." he says, sliding the longish, thin box over the table to her. Inside the box are a pair of Chinese hair sticks, or zan, the top medallion portion of each continuing the crane motif, the crane in flight. The hair sticks are both made of what seem at first to be a very fine and heavy ivory. But they aren't ivory which is revealed in the slightly porous feel they each have.

As the box is slid over to her, Claire is giving him an odd look as she picks it up, both hands out of her pockets now. She studies the tall man for a long moment before glancing at the box and working to open it. Brows shoot up high on her head as she sees them, eyes snapping up at him and then back at the hair sticks. "Wow Bones…" She says softly, pulling one out of the box to roll it between her fingers, a small smile on her lips. "I… I don't know what to say."

"The Crane is the ancient Chinese symbol of longevity because of its extremely long lifespan. In many legends the spirits ride on cranes which are said to bear the souls of the departed to heaven." Bones explains with a small shrug, watching her as she picks up the hair stick. "It's just kind of nice knowing that no matter what there will be someone who remembers me and possibly thinks fondly on me long after I am gone. Don't mean to bring you down, but it really is a comfort to me. And I thought they'd look nice. Notice you do your hair up every now and again. - Oh! And I made sure that they are strong enough that you could probably stab them in to concrete. You know… Worse comes to worse."

Claire looks rather impressed at the explanation. "Really?" She says softly, looking at the hair sticks as if in a new light. "Thank you, Bones…. that's actually… really nice of you." She chuckles softly hefting one slightly. "I like how you made it a weapon too.. " Her tone rather amused at the idea. Her fingers gently settle the stick into the box again and closes the lid. "It doesn't bring me down… it's an interesting idea… well… barring be getting shot in the head again." There is a slight grimace at that.

"Well how about you try and avoid getting a shotgun blast to the head. I'll try and take those for you and I'll push you in front of everything else, hmm?" Bones grins slowly and he slides the second box across the table to her, the box being nearly twice the size in all respects than the other one was, wrapped in the same fashion though. In this boxes is a rather wicked-looking khukuri knife carved from the same material as the hair sticks, half serrated on one side and on the other a full straight edge. The handle of the knife would fit Claire's just perfectly, even right down to the finger and trigger grips. The same symbol of the crane is carved in to the flat of either side of the blade in a circle, almost like Japanese clan mon it is spread rampant in an indented circle.

"Oh no.. if I have to take a shot gun to the head, I will if it means everyone else lives." Claire points out, setting the thin box aside to pick up the next. Again she looks surprised at what is inside, then very amused. It is picked up, before the box is set aside, her thumb trailing down the edge, but then she opens her hand flat and draws it along the palm cutting deep, blood welling up instantly.

"Very nice." She murmurs as she draws a thumb across her palm smearing the ooze of blood and showing that the skin has already knit and the skin flawless again.

"Yes, well, you are not the only one who can take a shotgun to the head." Bones notes with a small smirk of his own, not seeming the least bit concerned as she cuts herself. Whether he actually can take a shotgun to the head or not, he has yet to test the theory. "But anyway, I figured you could use a serviceable knife that could go through a metal detector." he says, moving over to sit on the table next to her. "I read in Soldier of Fortune that all the good modern terrorists have those knives. Good for getting out of all kinds of crunches and fit the curve of your back. And is great apparently when you are able to torture someone? - I, uh… I don't know. I just read it." he shrugs and folds his hands up a tad helplessly.

Brushing off blood on her jeans, Claire doesn't seem to really care that she's probably staining them. The knife is set back into the box gently, even though there is still a light smear of red across the blade. "So… what brought this about, Bones?" A blonde brow arches at him, her lips pulled to one dies with a smirk. "I'm…. " She glances as the gifts turning towards the table. "I'm just completely flattered by these gifts… "

Her head tilts some, as she studies him, "Thank you." A small hand rests on his arm for support as she goes up on the balls of her feet, her hand tugging so that he leans down enough for her to plant a kiss on his cheek.

Seeming a little confused for a moment as she tugs at his arm, Bones catches on after a second and leans down so that she is able to press that kiss to his cheek and his muscles possibly relax just a little too much as the arm she tugs upon ends up falling out of socket for a moment at the shoulder. He quickly recovers and the arm is reflexively put back in to socket properly. "You're very welcome." he inclines his head a little, his dreadlocks falling in front of his face for a moment before he raises his head back up. "The reason for the gifts though? I wanted to give you some things that might remind you of me, would compliment you, and since I know you don't need anyone jumping in front of your bullets or saving you like some kind of little damsel in distress." he lays back on the table, looking up at the shimmering chandelier, his hand snaking over the side of the table to grab up a Twix bar. "I wanted to give you some things to help you look out for you. I don't worry about you. You're a big girl and can take care of yourself. Now you can do that even better possibly. And hack and stab someone to death before they blow your brains out." he pauses for a moment as he unwraps the candy bar and takes a bite. "And you'll be needing them tonight when you are going to bed since I zipped five scorpions up in your sleeping bag. - Eat my candy, will you." he leans his head up and smirks at her.

There is a blink at that last bit, brows quirking up slightly, but then she gives a sharp laugh. "You didn't?" Eyeing him suspiciously, an bemused smirk on her lips, Claire picks up her 'gifts'. Turning away she starts for the door, as she calls back to him, "I had been thinking seriously about you have been wanting me to warming your bed…. thought maybe to night…" Slipping through the door, a hand catches the frame of the door, and swings her through it. Her head pops, back into view again for just a moment, "Night Bones." She offers sweetly. "Sleep tight… by yourself."

Waving her on her way, Bones shakes his head. "I'll accept your rain check then!" he calls after her. He looks down at the floor for a moment after she is gone and gives a small chuckle. Indeed he slips off of the table and begins shut the place down, walking over to the fuse box and unplugging the jumper cables one at a time.


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