Bullpen
The case hadn't moved forward for a few hours. Abby, the new forensics girl, was working hard in the lab. Senior field agent Tony Dinozzo was working on tracking down a suspect who had last been seen with the three victims while Agent Gibbs was down in autopsy, getting some answers from the medical examiner, Dr. Mallard. At 7 pm, Abby gets a text from an unknown number, telling her to go to the bullpen. As she exits the elevator, she sees Agent Gibbs standing in the bullpen. He waves her over. She enters the bullpen where agent DiNozzo, Agent Gibbs, and Dr. Mallard are gathered around Gibbs's desk.
"come have a seat, Abby. dinner is ready." Gibbs says with a smile and pulls a chair over for her. The old dr. Mallard looks a little strange at her as she approaches the three men. She sits down on the chair, Gibbs pulled up for her. He hands her a box of take-out food with what looks like Chinese.
"Chinese." Agent DiNozzo says and stuffs his mouth with chicken noodles.
"you don't like Chinees?" Dr. mallard asks.
"yes." Abby says a little uncertain." I do."
"There are chopsticks and forks," Gibbs says and places both a pair of chopsticks in front of her and a plastic fork. She grabs the chopsticks.
"you can get a rubber band if you need it?" DiNozzo jokes while Abby takes out the chopsticks of the plastic wrapper.
"I know how to eat with chopsticks," Abby says and opens the box of food that was handed to her. DiNozzo drops a piece of chicken on his shirt.
"hopefully you are better then DiNozzo." Gibbs jokes as DiNozzo quickly grabs the piece of chicken from his shirt. They start eating, and Abby is pretty good at eating with chopsticks.
"so I didn't get your name." dr Mallard says.
"I'm Abigale Schuito." Abby introduces herself formally to the old dr.
"it is a true pleasure to meet you, miss Abigale Schuito."
"just Abby, please," she says.
"I'm Dr. Donald Mallard. You can just call me Ducky. Everyone here does."
"I'll remember that Ducky," Abby says. As she shakes his hand, she notices how Ducky glances at her black nail polish and her black knitted fingerless gloves with white skulls.
"My aunt Gerdie made these for me," she explains.
"They are lovely," Ducky comments politely, although he clearly doesn't understand the young forensics style.
"so Abby… you are goth or do you prefer, suicide squad or just a weirdo fascinated by death?" Tony asks and receives a questioning look from Ducky. "no offense, Ducky." Tony says and pads his friend on the shoulder.
"oh, I'm just Abby. I don't really identify myself as anything specific."
"so what is with the goth style? Do you also sleep in the cemetery."
Gibbs is amused by the conversation between the two younger members of his team. He isn't used to anyone being able to keep up with Tonys annoying judgemental questioning.
"no, only in a coffin."
Gibbs nearly chokes n his coffee by the answer, and everyone stops eating and looks at Abby.
"you sleep in a coffin?" Tony asks in disbelieve.
"yes." Abby says with no hint of sarcasm or irony. "it is custom made. It is so comfortable." She explains and then takes a sip of her cup of caf pow.
"for real?" Tony asks. Abby nods while she continues to have the caf pow straw in her mouth.
"I guess you don't have a boyfriend, do you?" he asks.
She takes the straw out of her mouth and puts her cup down on the table.
"no. and sorry to disappoint. You are not my type." It makes Gibbs and Ducky laugh while DiNozzo clearly isn't used to a girl who talks back to him like this.
"I guess the coffin is a real turn on for the boys, ha?" he asks sarcastically.
"yeah, it is. My ex really loved it."
"so why is he your ex?" Tony asks with a smug smirk on his face while he receives a look from Gibbs that tells him to not go there, but Abby doesn't seem to mind.
"he went back to his ex-boyfriend." Abby says casually and cracks open a fortune cookie while Tony nearly chokes on his can soda, which makes Gibbs laugh. "he was a nice guy though. He worked a crematory." Abby explains to Gibbs and stuffs the fortune cookie in her mouth.
"you will find a great man someday, Abby," Gibbs says reassuringly and takes a sip of his coffee.
"come on. Guys get freaked out by a girl who sleeps in a freakin coffin." Tony says.
"Maybe guys like you do, Tony. Real men don't." Abby says, and it makes Ducky and Gibbs laugh.
"I am a real man," Tony says persistent and sits up straight in the chair. He was nearly lying down in the chair before, with his feed on the nearby shelf.
"really?" Abby asks in disbelief.
"yes," Tony says, persistent.
"you look like a college frat boy, DiNozzo." Gibbs laughs and takes a sip of his coffee.
"whos side are you on, Boss?" Tony asks. Gibbs just smiles and shrugs.
There is only one fortune cookie left on the table. Gibbs reaches over and grabs it. He then looks over at Abby and smiles at her and then hands it to her. She looks surprised at him.
"take it," he says and places it in her hand. Then his phone rings. Abby opens the cookie while Gibbs answers his phone. She smiles when she looks at the fortune inside.
"gear DiNozzo found our suspect," Gibbs says and grabs his jacket and his firearm and throws the empty food container in the trashcan.
"on your six, Boss," DiNozzo says as they quickly leave the bullpen.
"I'll better go down to autopsy. It was a true pleasure to meet you, Miss Schuito." Ducky says and throws the empty food box in the trashcan and leaves.
Aby look at the suddenly ended bonding time with her new colleagues. She then grabs her trash and throws it in the trashcan. She grabs her caf pow cup, and the fortune from the fortune-cookie Gibbs just gave her and leaves the bullpen and walk back down to her new lab.