(OOM for L's tour)

[bugsandslime]

Hodgins is at his workstation running silt profiles. Tedious and uninteresting at the best of times, it doesn’t help that the medico-legal lab is basically dead today (if one will forgive the expression). The only thing resembling excitement is that the lab alarms have apparently gone on the fritz, sending up an alert even though there’s no one there.

Two of the security guards are fiddling with the alarm controls.

“Beats the hell out of me,” Hodgins hears one them say. “I’ll put in a call to maintenace. There’s no reason for it to be going off.”

At least the side play relieves a little of the monotony.

Comments

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

Laini is totally, 99.5% innocent (http://zach-and-cheese.livejournal.com/1386.html?thread=4458#t4458) of any cause of the glitch in the lab alarm. Really. She will even go so far as to lean in so she can look at the alarm controls as the guard fiddle with them and offer- so very helpfully- some advice.

"Could be just run-of-the-mill vibrations loosening things up until you have some wiring that's lost the contacts it needs, and the next person who stomps by sets the whole thing off. I had to figure that out for a place right by a freeway, once- they kept buying new systems 'til I finally told them to just have someone work maintence on the innards once a week and tighten things up."

By now she's beaming and giving the guards a sheepish shrug. "Or it could just be something else. Um... hello?" Laini holds up her ID card.

"Multi-pass?"

[bugsandslime]

"Uh....yes." Hodgins can hear the uncertainty in the guard's voice (and no wonder--vibrations?). "Can we help you find someone ma'am? Are you here to see Dr. Saroyan or Dr. Brennan or...?"

Hodgins peers over the railing to see who the visitor might be. As far as he knows they aren't expecting anyone to stop by the lab today.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

"Ah, I'm here to see Zach- that is, Dr Addy? Its a slight bit of a surprise- well, he knows I'm in the area, he just isn't expecting when." Laini winks at the befuddled guards.

She looks harmless enough? A young woman of mixed Asian and Caucasian background with short black hair, and wearing a pale grey skirt and jacket with an electric blue silk blouse, carrying a laptop bag over one shoulder. And if the skirt is a bit on the short side- well, Laini is not working for the Jeffersonian, and does not have to worry about looking that professional.

[bugsandslime]

Surprise is right. Has Zach ever had a visitor come to the lab? Professional, personal, official, alien? Like ever?

Hodgins's curiosity o'meter is officially pinging.

"You're here to see Zach?" he calls over the railing.

"I'm Dr. Hodgins," he adds, belatedly. "I work with Zach."

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

"A certain Dr Zach Addy of forensic anthropolgy, yes." Laini looks over to Hodgins, beaming. "And I think he's mentioned you."

"So-" With a glance and smile back to the guards. "Is everything alright so I can go in, then?"

[bugsandslime]

The guard glaces toward Hodgins, who nods. He waves to the young woman, indicating that she may pass.

Hodgins comes down to meet her.

"Zach's back in his workroom, I think," he says. "He disappeared a little bit ago, but he's around here somewhere."

"So." He looks at her speculatively. "Are you here about the Meyers case?"

In case it's not blatantly obvious, he's totally fishing for information.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

Laini starts up the stairs, already in the process of offering her hand for an introduction, and then pauses.

"... something to do with lemons?" She blinks at Hodgins, then shakes her head. "I'm not here for anything like that- cases or whatnot. I'm here purely unofficially and socially."

[bugsandslime]

Lemons?

Hodgins extends his hand as well. "Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you, Ms...?"

Where is Angela at a time like this? This is the most interesting thing that has happened in the lab all day.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

She beams, shaking his hand. "Reynard. Laini Reynard." Or so it says on her ID, and in some ways it is quite true.

"I was visiting DC and told him I'd be in the area, but I didn't quite mention that I could easily stop the Jeffersonian."

[bugsandslime]

"Ms. Reynard."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

Actually, it's often hard to predict exactly how Zach will react to things (other than with extreme rationality). But Hodgins can't imagine that Zach would be displeased to have a friend stop by.

"Like I said, I think he's back in his workroom." Hodgins jerks his thumb over his shoulder in its general direction. "Would you like me to walk you back?"

He's really hoping she says yes. He really wants to be the proverbial fly on the wall for this.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

"If you would- I wouldn't want to walk in to some place by accident and interrupt putting together a body or something similar." Laini chuckles, shaking her head.

"Or something as equally potentially messy."

[bugsandslime]

"I think you're safe today."

It's not always a guarantee around here, but Hodgins doesn't know of any potential messes today.

He gestures the way.

"So. Where do you know Zach from?" he asks, conversationally.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

"Online." Surprised? Laini waves a hand in the air, heading where Hodgin indicates. "A Star Wars forum- there was a discussion on the technical logistics of artificial hands and so forth. We got into a bit of a debate." She grins, a bit ruefully.

"But we did agree on some other points, and started talking even more s."

[bugsandslime]

Surprised?

Nah--Not so much.

"Yeah, that sounds like Zach," Hodgins says. But there's genuine fondness in his voice.

"So, who won? The debate?"

He's betting on Zach, personally.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

"No one could settle on the rules for the use of futuristic and therefore theoretical technology." Laini grins. "Otherwise I think it would still be going on, really. Though considering he's much better at the medical end of things than I am..." She wrinkles her nose, amused.

"Though we do dig it up on occasion, just for fun."

[zach-and-cheese.livejournal.com]

"Technically, given the timeline of Star Wars it'd be historical technology, though more advanced than our own," Zach points out dryly,from the doorway of his workroom. "Hello, Laini. I thought we were meeting at the diner by your hotel?"

No, Zach has not rehearsed this several times to get it down pat. Anyways, he's an awkward enough speaker that any extra pauses and stiltedness from Making Things Up is easily disguised.

[bugsandslime]

Hodgins rolls his eyes.

"Dude. It's fiction."

"So," he adds, raising his eyebrows at Zach in the manner of an older, more worldly brother, "Zach, you didn't mention having a date."

That would have been hot gossip in the lab.

[foxy-l33t.livejournal.com]

Laini rolls her eyes cheerfully at Zach. "They never say when exactly they're considering the 'long time ago' to be from, so..." She waves a hand in the air, grinning at Zach, then winks at Hodgins.

"I'm usually not what people expect, so..."

[zach-and-cheese.livejournal.com]

The consternated look Zach has been levelling at Hodgins shifts to Laini. He's about to debate the time-point of film's chronology, but he closes his mouth and says, instead: "For a scientist, you mean?"

He's taking of his blue nitrile gloves to toss them in the small trashcan by the door as he speaks. "Laini's accompanying me to the opening of the new exhibit in Robotics," he explains to Hodgins. "You are not in Robotics."

So clearly he wouldn't want to know. QED, Hodgins.