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Natalie was a little excessive with her meals. There was something so relaxing about cooking that meal prep easily became a habit for the trainer. Three containers were spread out in front of her; one, a salad packed with brightly assorted vegetables topped with tangerines, the second being well seasoned tofu with brown rice, and the last was a small sponge-cake like desert. Lunch was possibly one of her favorite times of the day. She loved her job, but sometimes students could be exhausting. This was the perfect pick-me-up.
Both of her dogs sat on the floor by her feet, eating their own bowls of food she had brought for them. It was only fair to let them eat when she was eating, too. The trainer hummed to herself as she picked up a fork, sinking it into a juicy cherry tomato before biting into it. Pure bliss.
When the door to the staff lounge opened, Nat looked over, eyebrows raising with the cherry tomato pushing out from the inside of her cheek. Dark eyes lit up as she caught sight of the man who walked in, putting up a hand and giving a little wave.
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Lunch was the best. The actual best. Except for the simple fact that he was often berated by his younger sister about trying to eat lunch with her. She wasn't too keen on that thought, so he was exiled to eat with the grown-ups. It wasn't where he felt like he belonged. At heart, Caleb was still sixteen years old, the class clown that either made everyone laugh or annoyed them all to the point that they'd throw him in a locker, it was hit or miss usually.
As he opened the door, Caleb gave a quick glance around to see who all was taking their break. He grimaced slightly at the older faculty, but smiled the moment he saw the hand that stretched in the air. His face lit up and he was quick to claim the seat across from Natalie and her delectable spread. He scrunched his nose a bit when he looked at the cold pizza in his own lunch and laughed, "Nat, you gotta help me. I'm gonna get fat if I keep eating this junk, but I can't cook!"
Caleb smiled down at the pups that were by her feet and placed his hands on the table, leaning in a bit, "I'm so glad we're on the same lunch, I was worried I'd have to eat with the geezers. They creep me out and smell like florals and musk. Ugh. Gross."
Natalie adored Caleb; he was possibly one of her favorite people she worked with. He had a sweetness and innocence that matched her own, and her smile grew as he sat down at her table. She swallowed the cherry tomato that had prevented her from talking. Her curiosity spiked at his choice of lunch - cold, leftover pizza. She couldn't even recall the last time she had a pizza delivered to her, mainly because of her dietary choices.
"I can always teach you how to cook," Natalie offered, sinking her fork into a piece of beautifully cooked tofu. "But I'm afraid I might lose you with the vegan diet." She never was bothered that others chose to eat meats or animal by-products, but she was so deep in her ways she was sure she wouldn't know how to properly prepare a steak if her life depended on it.
When Caleb leaned inwards, Nat followed suit, expecting the trainer's voice to lower by his facial expression. What he offered drew a small laugh out of Natalie as her eyebrows shot upwards. "They are a little intimidating," she confessed, glancing around the staff lounge. There had been a reason she had taken a table alone, or that Caleb was the first to choose to join her.
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Caleb's eyes widened at her offer and he waved his hand at the additional thought, "It's probably better for me than this junk. You should totally teach me your ways!" Because there was no doubt that he'd come out a total master chef after being taught by Natalie. Clearly she was a genius if she could make things that weren't meat look so enticing. Even so, he'd probably need to watch some cooking shows to figure out how to add the meat into his own diet. Tofu just never sounded all that appetizing to him.
He glanced around with her and nodded, "I feel like they have supersonic hearing, too. I'm waiting for one of them to like beat me with a cane or something." Caleb leaned back and smiled before taking a bite of his pizza and tearing into it. He chewed for a lot longer than he'd wanted to, what with it being cold and all. Once his mouth was cleared he frowned, "Yeah, I definitely could use something better than this." He placed it back down in the container and decided he might come back to it later.
"So what's been up, Nat? Any crazies to train? How's the animals and stuff? I need to stop asking so many questions, sorry," He grinned sheepishly.
It was no unknown fact that Caleb had a little burst of energy that Natalie couldn't always keep up with, but she - at the very least - always tried. It was never a bother, but more that she wished she could keep up in pace. "It's quite fine. Ask away," she replied with a little laugh. Her hand dropped down to the salad container, pushing it towards the middle of the table. It was large enough to share.
"No one crazy," at least that she knew of yet. There was always the possibility of a strange personality coming out later in a student. Usually her dogs picked it up far before she could, though. "But I'm training my first student that has an ability unrelated to animals." Her thoughts reflected back on the small boy who was so shy. "But he adores Jodie, which is incredibly helpful. I don't think I would be able to get through to him otherwise."
The corner of her mouth lifted a little, "And what have you been up to, Caleb?"
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Caleb was always interested in Natalie's training stories, she had an ability relating to animals, if that wasn't cool, he didn't know what was. In fact, he still couldn't believe that he hadn't brought Marv over to see if she could chat with him. He was curious to see what awful things his cat likely thought about him. But the fact that this particular student didn't have an animal-related ability was fascinating. Caleb was used to dealing with abilities that weren't much like his, but were on the dangerous spectrum of abilities. Being able to heal, he was more susceptible to the crazies that shot fire out of their nose or something wild.
He nodded in response to her answer and shrugged when she turned the question on him, "Outside of annoying the living hell out of my baby sister, not a whole lot. Nora has been pushing me to interact with more people that aren't younger than me that I teach. I actually...after taking some of her advice, I ran into one of our old classmates. You remember, Clarke, don't you? Potter, the short, red-head that has some severe lack of eye contact." He laughed, although he didn't find it something to make fun of her for. He could completely understand social anxiety. He'd lived it.
"I've hung out with my cat far more than people. Is that wrong?" Caleb snorted and shook his head.
The dynamic between Caleb and his sister always interested Natalie. Having no siblings herself, she couldn't imagine what it would be like to have someone so constantly in her life that stood on two legs. Constant human companionship was still something that rattled her brain, even if she tried for it on the one or two rare dates she would find herself on. A sibling was different though, so she could only live out the experience through other's stories. Caleb's included.
The familiar name made Nat's eyes light up as she straightened in her seat, and Oz's tail wagged a little faster just from mere mention. "I adore Clarke!" Now that she thought about it, it was strange that she hadn't brought up the red head earlier. She was her best friend, though admittedly they had a very strange friendship as it was. "She's such a sweetheart."
A soft laugh escaped Nat's lips at the mention of spending more quality time with an animal over people. "There's nothing wrong with that." Of course, the person who preferred the company of animals to humans would be biased.
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
The response he got from Natalie was reassuring, he'd had a good feeling about Clarke himself, but his judgment wasn't always the best. But if a lady that was in tune with animals had good vibes from the red-head, clearly she must have been okay. Animals had way better instincts, which honestly always made him want to be one. If only he'd gotten something cooler than his own ability. Like sonar, that would have been cool.
Caleb smiled, "Yeah, she's pretty cool. We got food and stuff the other night, just kinda catching up I guess." He shrugged and tried to ignore the sudden heat that was making his face burn. It wasn't like he'd asked her out again, or that he even knew if he should. She was probably not all that interested, seeing as she didn't really look at him when they hung out together. It sort of worried him that she thought he was some kind of lunatic, which would be justified given his spastic nature. He didn't really know why he brought it up to Natalie, other than, maybe exactly what he'd gotten. Reassurance?
All he needed was Marv, he didn't need to be getting into any kind of relationship or crush-ship since that was about all it would amount to. "I'm glad you agree with that because it's so easy, ya know? Animals are just, like, way chill compared to people."
Natalie found great joy in hearing that Caleb and Clarke had met up, and that it seemed they were getting along. She smiled, giving a nod at the details offered to her. She thought to pry, but really it wasn't entirely her business, even if she was curious. Though, it was hard to ignore the color that formed in his cheeks, and were that not enough, the fact that both of her dogs could pick it up in the change of sent in the air. They wanted to know, especially if had to do with Clarke.
She bit down on another piece of tofu.
It was enough time to remind herself that she shouldn't be so nosy as the subject rounded back towards animals. There, her smile seemed a little more genuine. Sweet. A hand dropped from the table, patting both dogs as she looked down at them. "Animals are honest. They don't have secrets." She felt Oz's wet tongue lick her hand. They were pressing her, given the irony of her response.
"Are you going to ask Clarke out?"
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Was he going to ask Clarke out? That was the question that had been lingering around him over the last week or so. They'd exchanged numbers and he did like talking to her. She was easy to be himself around, not judgment to worry about, similarly to Nat. He figured he probably should, but he wasn't sure if they were at that point or if they were just old friends who had reconnected?
Caleb chewed on the inside of his cheek and realized he should probably answer, but he still wasn't quite sure what to say. Especially if Natalie was friends with her, too. He didn't want to say the wrong thing.
"I'm, uh, I dunno. I mean we exchanged numbers, so that's probably the next logical step, huh? But like, I haven't...I don't know.... Help me, I'm awkward," He laughed, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. What was he even supposed to say to a girl like Clarke? He hadn't had a girlfriend since...well, the last train wreck.
What seemed like a simple question became something far more than that for the man. She cocked her head to the side, hair falling a little as she watched him try to break down his own response. Her eyebrows rose upwards slowly as she heard the curiosity of her animals continue to prod at her mind. "Well..." Natalie started, but she felt herself drop the sentence before it could really get started.
Really, she was the last person that should be giving advice on relationships.
"Do you like her?" That was a start. It was usually the part she herself got the most hung up on.
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Caleb chewed on the inside of his cheek and considered her question. It was easy enough, straightforward, but also sort of hard to accept. It was more complicated to admit that he liked her than it should have been, but he came with some baggage that was a best kept secret. The only person who knew was his younger sister which was what made him hesitate in the first place.
"I do, I mean, I think I do. She's cool and she's pretty," But was that enough? He'd thought his last girlfriend was pretty and she started off as a pretty chill person, but he was thrown for a loop after a few years. "You know her better than I do. I guess I'm just nervous because I don't have the greatest luck."
It was hard not to see the thought process run through his mind in the way Caleb held himself. Apparently it wasn't as simple as it sounded - though what relationship was? Nat certainly couldn't speak for anyone when it came to advice, but she at least offered a listening ear, especially when the party involved her best friend. She let him think, listening when he did finally talk as she took another bite of her salad.
She wanted to laugh at the idea of luck, because she had thought the same for some time now about herself, but the subject hadn't fallen on her and she instead pointed at him with her fork. "Wouldn't the worst luck be if it turned out she was right for you, and you missed the chance?"
Caleb Parker
Look what you've done, now I'm a mess
Natalie was right, that would be the worst thing he could think of. He liked Clarke, he always had in some part of his brain that he tucked away. Seeing her, having dinner with her after a mess of a party, it just brought it back up. He was more nervous about the way she thought of him than he was of his own feelings.
Just as he was about to say something more, the bell rang and he frowned. Caleb gathered up his sad-looking lunch and stood. With a smile, he gave Natalie's hand a squeeze, "You're awesome, as always Nat. Thanks for listening to me ramble and giving me a chance to get it all out of my head. I owe you one, don't hesitate to cash in whenever you need it, yeah?" Caleb started walking away and gave her a wave before pushing the door open to the lounge and exiting quickly back to his office.
He had a phone call to make before his training sessions started.
