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Light jazz filtered through the air as well the sweet smell of a busy kitchen. Dinner and a movie, though it was anything but a date. No, her company for the evening was far better than any date could be. Natalie hummed along lightly to the music, dropping ravioli into a pot of boiling water with one hand while the other tended to the mixture of mushrooms and vegetables in the frying pan on the adjacent burner. It was almost done, and with perfect timing. It was almost the time that Clarke said she would be in. The door was already unlocked, because she knew she wouldn't be able to pull herself away from the stove for long enough to answer it.
At her feet, a black cat swerved between her legs, purring loudly and pulling a chuckle out of the trainer. "No, you can't have any. Pasta isn't good for cats." Bright green eyes looked up to her, and Natalie raised her eyebrows at him. He was being ridiculous.
When she heard a knock at the door, her eyes bolted up towards the sound. "It's open!"
Though she had spent her adolescence in solitude most of the time, a few people managed to penetrate through the bubble she had created around herself. Natalie Arazi was one of those people. Or rather, her pets were. And then she slowly wormed her way into Clarke's bubble. They maintained a relationship after they graduated and occasionally met up for dinner and a movie.
It was one of those constants that she liked to have in her life. And the idea of being surrounded by warm and fuzzy animals was always a treat.
After waiting for an answer, Clarke opened the door and stepped inside, immediately hit by a mixture of smells. She heard fast clicking against the floor as two dogs bounded over to her, licking her hand and nudging at her knees.
A big smile immediately curled on her face as she crouched down to play with the dogs. "Hiyuh buddy! Hi!" She let them attack her face and hands as she gave them hugs and scratches.
"Do you need help in there, Nat?" She called out distractedly as she continued to play with the dogs.
When a familiar face entered, Nat smiled warmly at her friend. She could feel the energy bursting from Jodie and Oz as they ran towards her, the large German Shepard making it there before Oz's little feet could catch up to greet her. "They've missed you!" Though, she didn't think someone that could talk with animals needed to translate by the way they licked her.
"If you could grab some plates in a couple minutes, that would be great." Of course, she wanted to give the redhead time to properly get in the door and comfortable before she made her work. "This is going to be the best vegan meal you've ever eaten." Because Nat couldn't bring herself to cook with animal byproducts, no matter who came to visit.
She brought the frying pan off the burner, setting it back before checking on the ravioli. "Do you want something to drink? I have wine."
Natalie's exclamation made Clarke laugh. "I couldn't tell." She called back with a teasing tone. "Okay, gimme three. Oz thinks my face is a plate full of food right now."
Clarke ended up sitting on the floor as she saw the cats sauntering in curiously, watching the dogs enthusiastically greet the newcomer.
She barely heard Natalie talking about the meal but she got the gist of it and called back. "You know I'll eat anything you put in front of me."
Laughing as Jodie placed her paws on Clarke's shoulder, threatening to push her down, Clark grabbed the bigger dog and used her as leverage to get up. "Okay, okay, I'll pay more attention to you later." She gave them both kisses before going into the kitchen to wash her hands and drying them before gingerly placing one hand on Natalie's back to announce her presence. It was still quite an odd feeling being so physical with someone else. Granted, a hand on someone else's back hardly counted as being physical but it was a lot for Clarke.
"How were the kids at school? Anyone freeze the door handles yet?" She asked as she took out some plates and glasses, along with cutlery, carefully maneuvering around the many animals meandering around.
For Natalie, her home suddenly became very active. Seven distinct thoughts came filtering into her mind - eight if she were to count the conversation with her friend. Even her tortoise, Maura, was on her way towards them. It was always a pleasure to have Clarke in her home, and all six of her animals agreed. To add to her appreciation of her friend, she grinned when she was reminded that the girl wasn't as picky as most people.
Grabbing a strainer, she poured the hot water into the sink before tossing the ravioli into the frying pan. A little bit of extra seasoning, and it was almost finished. With a familiar hand on her back, Nat turned to steal a glance from the telekinetic.
"No, not yet, thank goodness." Nat shook her head. It was only a matter of time. "But they certainly can be difficult - I had to stop a stampede on Wednesday. But they're getting better." She wished it was an overstatement. "How's the radio been treating you?" Of course, she listened, but what translated over the airwaves wasn't always the most exciting parts of the job.
Clarke winced at Natalie's recollection. "I don't even want to imagine how that went." She shook her head as she set the plates on the counter along with everything else. She felt one of the cats nudge it's head against her elbow and she looked down with a smile. "He's warming up to me, I see." She loosened her hand so the cat could place his head under her palm, nuzzling it slightly.
"Shitty," she admitted dryly. "I've been working there for seven years and they still hound me about publicity. I'm on from ten at night to three in the morning, people sleep, why should I bother them, you know?" Clarke shrugged and waved a dismissive hand. "Enough about work. It's bumming me out and I don't want these guys to pick up on that." She picked Adam up off the counter and as expected, the cat hissed before jumping down to the floor and stalking away.
Adam was - by far - the least approachable of her family. He changed his mind every few seconds, and as Clarke began to pick him up, Nat turned to try and warn her of his thoughts. It was too late, though, and he was already on the floor and running off. She gave the redhead a sheepish smile, as if it were her own fault. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "He's still getting used to being held. He sees Zoe be held and thinks that he'll like it, until it happens." She shook her head at the silliness of it all.
With the plates on the counter, she dished them up. "It's squash ravioli from scratch," she explained. The rest was self explanatory, consisting of various vegetables and mushrooms, all covered in a pesto base.
She clapped her hands together, dusting them off as if they had really gotten all that dirty before she opened the refrigerator. "Would you prefer white or red?" She asked, eyebrows raising upwards. "Or a beer?"
"Oh no, it's fine. The dogs love me so I'm good." She waved a dismissive hand, not at all seeing it as anyone's fault but her own. Clarke knew enough about cats to know that it was normal behaviour.
As if on cue, Clarke's stomach rumbled and she patted it. "You're saving me from another night of take out." She smiled warmly at Natalie before bringing the plates over to the couch.
"Beer, love. Please." Clarke set the plates on the coffee table and the moment she sat on the couch, Oz bounded over and jumped on her lap and curled up, looking like he was going to be there the whole night. "What's on tap tonight?" She asked, gesturing to the TV.
Take out. Natalie shook her head at the idea, giving a gentle laugh as she secured a dark brown bottle from the fridge, as well as a bottle of white wine she poured for herself. "We have a few options tonight," Natalie began, cracking open the beer before setting it beside Clarke's plate. She took a sip from her glass before setting it down as well and reaching for a few DVDs.
She shuffled through the titles, showing each case as she read them aloud. "The Birdcage, Battle of the Sexes, Carol, and The Proposal." There was no rhyme or reason for her choices - it had just been what she had grabbed. "What are your thoughts?
Slowly, Maura had made her way into the living room, and Nat bent town patting her shell gently.
Clarke saw the disapproval coming from Natalie and she covered her face in slight embarrassment. "I know, but I honestly can't be bothered with cooking and the black bean noodle from Kam Soon is to die for. They're actually pretty vegan friendly, come to think of it." She lifted her shoulders and faced her palms upwards with a cutesy smile.
She grabbed the beer bottle, careful not to jostle Oz too much and settled back on the couch, narrowing her eyes as she made her decision. "Battle of the Sexes. I haven't watched that one yet but I've been meaning to." She took a sip from her bottle, her eyes lighting up when she saw the tortoise crawling over.
"Omigosh Maura's out! I didn't even see her earlier." She would have reached out to pet the reptile if Oz wasn't already dozing off in her lap. "Is she still doing that weird snorting thing at night?" Clarke asked, remembering Natalie telling her that a few days ago.
Though slow moving, Maura had an incredibly fast mind. It was quite ironic were it not for the fact that Natalie was so used to the tortoise in her home, having her since she was small enough to fit into her palm. Now she was almost as large as Oz, and certainly heavier. "I heard it's really good." Nat gave an approving nod, turning towards her DVD player to put the disc in.
"Oh yes. Though if you ask her she claims it isn't her." Her eyebrows rose up, giving the tortoise a look like she might an old friend with an inside joke. "You're fooling no one."
Making her way around the animals and towards the couch, Nat plopped herself down, grabbing Clarke's plate and handing it to her as well as silverware as well as her own. Oz was half asleep and comfortable, so it was just easier to pass the plate. Taking her own plate, she flicked on the television and trailers for various movies started to play. The movie hadn't even started, and she let out a blissful sigh after her first bite. "I've missed this."
Clarke laughed at Natalie's words and also at the fact that Maura had denied the whole thing. She thanked Natalie for her plate and settled the bottle of beer in between her hip and the edge of the couch.
She popped a pasta into her mouth and turned to Natalie with an affectionate smile. "Me too. I wish I had more time in the day to do things but my sleeping schedule is so out of whack. It's really my own fault for taking up the dead shift." She rolled her eyes. "But Summer is leaving in a few months and the afternoon drive slot is gonna open. I'm hoping she does recommend me instead of Wells."
Natalie had gotten enough texts from Clarke complaining about Paul Wells, one of four DJs for the radio station she worked at, who was a complete scumbag off the radio. But he pulled in a big audience with his shows so he usually got the better slots.
"Ugh, I'm sorry I'm being a little bummy, guys." She scratched Oz behind her ear and popped another pasta in her mouth. "Ooh...this is good."
An immediate frown hit Natalie's features at the sour name brought to air. Most of the town was familiar with Wells - the popular DJ for the area - but insightful text messages from the red head proved his charm was an act. Why did people have to put up fronts? Or worse, be rude? It was always something that fueled Natalie's irritation with people - and possibly why she preferred the company of animals over most humans, the exception being Clarke. Mouth full of pasta, she shook her head in disapproval, and a gulp of wine helped wash it down before she spoke. "You deserve that spot," her genuine tone was enough to prove she meant it.
A small huff of air escaped Oz's nose as she nuzzled further into Clarke, attempting to provide comfort with physicality versus thoughts the DJ couldn't hear. Nat briefly thought to translate, but it seemed the point was made.
"The perfect meal for someone who's feeling bummy." Nat smiled warmly, reaching for the remote as the movie menu came up. "Are you ready?"
Blushing at Natalie's encouragement, Clarke couldn't help feeling a little self-conscious over the fact that she even brought it up. She wasn't the type to fish for compliments but being around Natalie and her pets just made her a lot more open to sharing her feelings than if it was with anyone else. Especially because Natalie's pets are a lot more in tune to her emotions than most people are.
Oz nuzzling her just cemented that thought and she gave the mutt a loving scratch on the head. "Thanks, you guys. I'm hoping I get it." She scooped up more pasta and returned Natalie's smile before nodding. "Absolutely."
The movie played and Clarke got into it pretty quickly. She wasn't much of a commentator during movies. She laughed during the funny bits but otherwise, she was quiet. They paused a couple of times for bathroom breaks and beer runs and when it finished, Clarke was pleasantly buzzed and leaning against Natalie. "That was a pretty good movie. Emma Stone...she's...yep."
Natalie had known about the gist of Billie-Jean King, but this movie brought a whole new light to something she just vaguely heard about. Heavily attuned to the film before her, she watched in relative silence, only breaking it when they would pause. By the time the credits were rolling, every animal managed to find its way onto the couch, even Maura, who positioned herself next to Jodie. Natalie herself was in the middle, an arm looped with Clarke's and hand on the telekinetic's leg. Her cheek rested on top of soft red locks.
Wine flowed through her blood and put a haze on her mind, but she was comfortable, and it still didn't prevent herself from taking the last sip out of her glass before setting it on the side table without having to shift too much.
