milliways_bar | (no subject)

"Hmmm." Sara nods thoughtfully. "Could certainly happen, given the right circumstances. Which obviously occurred. Is your master another turtle?"

"Nope, Master Splinter is a rat. Not like a bad person rat....like a real rodent rat."

"Well, I'm sitting here, drinking cocoa, and speaking to a giant walking, talking turtle. A giant walking, talking rat doesn't sound like much of a stretch." She gives him a brief smile, beginning to feel a little better.

Her head tilts again. "Why do you wear a bandana?"

"It's a disguise. So on one knows I'm a turtle."

He waits a beat, and then unties the bandana.

"We don't have eyebrows, so we need something to keep the sweat from running into our eyes. It's to the point now where I forget I'm even wearing it.

It's just they're terribly comfortable. I
think everyone'll be wearing them in the future."

If Sara has ever watched The Princess Bride she will recognize the voice of Wesley.

"You like The Princess Bride? I don't know many guys who would admit to that," she replies with a teasing grin.

"I was just wondering. And feel free to tell me to mind my own business. I tend to be overly nosy at times." So saying, she drinks down the last of the cocoa.

"Bah, silly human males and their silly notions of masculinity. It just means I get to keep their ladies company while they're off being all Manly.

And don't worry about the questions, I get them all the time. Kind of goes with the territory, you know?"

Sara laughs, long and hard. Still feels strange to laugh, but she can't deny that she needs it.

"I'm sure that it does. I just didn't want to make a nuisance of myself."

She raises an eyebrow, thinking over his statement. "So you have no predisposition to human concepts of masculinity/femininity?" Talking more to herself, "Makes sense. Differing environments, diffrent biological systems and drives, hell, simply different cultures..."

"You'd have to out pest me in order to be a nuisance, and trust me when I say that'd be a feat.

Well I don't. I won't speak for my brothers. For the most part we're not human, and I think a lot of people forget that when they talk to us."

"I'd have to act like Greg then," she muses, grinning at the thought.

She sighs, smiling wryly. "Unfortunately, I can say that is typical for humans. Until I came here, I never thought about other sentient forms of life as more than a theoretical problem in philosophy. We..like to think we're the only ones and we're special. We're self-centered." She shrugs slightly, looking apologetic. "So if I ever sound condescending or anything, feel free to whap me over the head."

Mike reflexivly rubs the back of his head with his hand.

"Oh trust me, if it's one thing I'm good at, it's that. And only because I've been on the recieving end for far too long. Nah, you're fine."

She laughs. "Let me guess-you're the youngest of the bunch?"

"You're good at this game. Well, kind of. We're all really the same age, though we might not all be from the same clutch. I'm just shorter, so I'm the baby. Suits me fine, means I have less responsibility, which is just how I like it."

She laughs again. "Call it a gift--I can normally tell after talking with someone if they're married, an only child, the firstborn, or the last."

She toys with her mug. "I have an older brother...we don't see each other all that much, but I love him dearly. And my fellow CSIs have blended into a delightfully dysnfunctional family."

She shrugs a bit. "Well, we do work the nightshift. We're bound to be a little weird, I think. My supervisor is an entomologist, and once lectured a pest control official about the cruelty of exterminating insects. It was hilarious."

"Well he's right. Those chemicals are pretty toxic and not in the Will give you super power sort of way. More like the Will kill you or give you cancer sort of way.

Hell, I grew up in a sewer and we never had all that big a problem with bugs. Just keeping a tidy house is enough."

"I'm aware of that," she replies. "And I don't advocate destroying the insect world-they are a vital part of our ecosystem. But if I see a roach or a colony of ants in my kitchen, well, it's invaded my ecosystem and will be evicted."

"I suppose the amusing aspect was the complete look of what is this guy smoking? the exterminator had. Apparently, no one had ever asked him if he felt bad about killing insects. At least not with a straight face."

"The poor guy was having a life changing experience and he didn't even know it. I hate it when that happens. Heh.

So how long have you been doing what you're doing?"

"Hmmm...well, for about eight years." ~~Or so the mun guesses.~~

"I was in grad school, specializing in physics, when I attended a forensic seminar. Completely hooked me. Ironically enough, my current supervisor is the one who gave the seminar." She smiles wryly. "He called me into Vegas (I was in San Francisco at the time) to do an internal investigation about five years ago. Asked me to stay. So I did."

Though now I wonder why.

"Woah, nice. Talk about networking. Those Autopsy shows on HBO are my favorite, though, I don't know that I could do it for a living."

"The smell is pretty bad. It helps to have a strong stomach." Quietly, "But the worst aspect would be the children. I hate to say it, but I'd rather an adult be killed than a child ever harmed."

"Bad smells I can handle. I mean, once you've smelled New York in the summer, everything else is a cake walk."

He places a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I understand. That's one of the reasons I hate gangbangers so much. I mean, it's rough enough growing up. Kids don't need that."

"Yeah. We had a pretty bad case of abuse that culminated with one child starving to death. The woman supposed to be caring for these three little boys...just threw him out in the trash."

She shakes her head. "Will never be able to understand that. Ever. But Greg and I found the other two boys alive. And they're reunited with their mother. We're grateful for small blessings." She smiles briefly at him. "I'm sorry--dumping a lot on you."

"Think of it this way. The day people stop surprising you, is the day you quit your job. That's when you'll know you're too jaded to do it.

Don't worry about me. Heck, I'm just glad you not running the other way screaming. We get that a lot too."

"True. I went to a park that afternoon. Watched the kids playing and the parents there playing with their kids. It was a good reminder that what I see is the exception and not the norm."

"After you've been called out to see why a truck hauling chickens crashed into a house, and trip over a guy who apparently tripped over a chicken himself--who is wearing an Elvis costume, a giant turtle is pleasantly mundane," she quips teasingly.

"I have an elvis costume."

He says with a smile.

"Yes, but have you accidently knocked yourself out by tripping over a bird?" She grins. "I'm sure you look dashing in it."