*A/N: Sorry this took forever. It's getting there! Back to the bullpen next chap. Please review, all feedback welcome.
Abby finished her lunch and smiled at Forsythe, thanking her for the meal. Forsythe was hardly listening. She put on a brave face and smiled back, excusing herself from the table to wash her hands. Luckily, she had done her research on the restaurant ahead of time and knew where the bathroom was located. She cut deftly through the seating area and burst into the ladies' room, slamming open the door to the first visible stall. She positioned her face over the toilet and jammed her finger into her mouth, aiming for her uvula. She immediately started gagging, then began to vomit the sushi she had just consumed. Once finished, she flushed the toilet and exited the stall to find a teenage girl at the sink, eyeing her in the mirror with a concerned expression.
"You know that corrodes the enamel on your teeth, and causes them to rot?"
Forsythe grinned maliciously at the girl and walked to the next sink, beginning to wash her hands before responding.
"Luckily, I don't make it a habit. And I take fabulous care of my teeth and body, thank you for your concern. In fact, while we're here in this public restroom sharing valuable information as if we weren't strangers, I might as well tell you that you have an ugly face with horrible skin. Gosh, I hope that was helpful to you."
She finished drying her hands and tossed her paper towel in the garbage before striding out of the bathroom. The girl, only fourteen, remained standing there for several minutes trying not to let herself cry. Unfortunately, she was a genuinely sensitive person. She remained in the bathroom, sobbing, until her mother finally found her.
Once Forsythe had returned to the table, she paid their bill in cash and asked Abby if she had anything pressing to get back to at work.
"Oh, well I don't have any evidence pending processing in the lab, but…"
"Perfect! See, I was going to do some shopping at Potomac Mills and I had a friends and family coupon for GAP with nobody to go with who could use it. If you don't have to get back to work, I would love it if you could come with me. I understand if you can't, but I just thought it would be fun to spend some time with you outside intra-bureau politics. You seem like you'd be an awesome shopping buddy."
She beamed, forcing sincerity into her eyes. Abby was somewhat surprised that the woman was interested in spending time with her after only having met her as a job requirement, but she figured that if she planned on dressing more conservatively at work, shopping with Forsythe would be a logical first step.
"That's really sweet of you! I'd be happy to go, I just want to check in with Gibbs and make sure nothing's come up while we've been out. Here, let's head outside so we're not holding up the table and I'll give him a call, ok?"
"Of course!"
They exited the restaurant, Abby pulling out her cell phone and dialing number 1 on her speed dial.
"Gibbs"
"Hi Gibbs! I was wondering if there was anything for me to do back at the lab, cuz Ms. Forsythe invited me out with her to do a little shopping after our lunch. I just wanted to make sure you didn't need me."
Gibbs thought briefly of what the honest response would have been before providing the more appropriate one.
"We're good here, Abs. Go do your thing. Have fun."
"Thanks Gibbs! I'll be back later. Call me if anything comes up. Bye!"
Gibbs ended the call, questioning to himself wryly if Abby ever stopped to consider that the word "need" had many different connotations.
Abby tossed her phone back into her purse and smiled at Forsythe.
"I guess we're good to go! Thanks again for asking me to go shopping with you, I really could use some new Winter things so this is, like, totally perfect."
"Of course! It's my pleasure. I don't meet a lot of new people, and you're a breath of fresh air from the business associates I have. They're usually uber stuffy."
As they began walking towards her car, Forsythe kept her eyes open for the homeless man she had promised five dollars to if he could manage to be in the same place she had seen him yesterday. As expected, he was sitting on a bench in their path to the car, wrapped in several dirty blankets.
Forsythe gently touched Abby's arm as they approached the bench and frowned, seeming to express sadness at the poor man's plight. She reached into her purse and pulled out the five dollar bill, crouching down beside the man to hand it to him. She touched his shoulder as she stayed there for a moment, out of Abby's earshot. Abby assumed the woman was speaking kind words to the man, as she would have been inclined to do. Abby smiled to herself, glad that the woman she would be spending the afternoon with was good-hearted and generous.
As they walked away from the bench, the man looked after them, his face scarred with years of humiliation and dehumanization. As the woman had given him the five dollars and leaned in to speak to him, he had expected that she would have an expression of kindness in her eyes, like the rare person in his daily life that was willing to provide him some charity. But he had been taken aback by the spite in her face even more than her words.
"This is the most anyone in the world will ever need you. You are a burden on society. I hope I never have to look at another piece of shit like you for the rest of my life."
He didn't dare to say anything back to her, mostly because of how grateful he still was just to have the five dollars, but also due to the almost insane glint in her eye when she had spoken. He shuddered a bit, wrapping himself tighter in his blankets, and looked to the next set of pedestrians. He sighed, daring to hope that his day would get better, in whatever small ways a person like him could have their day improved.
As they got to the car, Abby smiled at Forsythe.
"That was nice of you."
Forsythe smiled back. She couldn't wait to get this over with. This woman's perkiness was getting on her nerves. Luckily, all she had to do was influence Abby's purchases today and give her some ideas about "appropriate work behavior". And in the end, it would be her and the FBI who reaped the benefits.