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She never could have expected to find herself so easily walking into a bar. Natalie didn't often dive out on social adventures so quickly, but the idea of a glass of wine and a new environment were too hard to resist. And now, at least, she realized which bar to go to. The only one in town where a man's gaze wouldn't fall on her. She sat at the counter, long legs crossed and elbows placed upon the bar top, a glass of red hanging from her fingertips.
Reflection on the prior morning's happenings still ran fresh in her mind, but with the harsh turn came some sort of clarity. She turned her head, scanning the room to see the women that filled it. How could she have been so stupid for so long? It felt like a pressure had been lifted from her shoulders, and she tilted the glass against her lips to take a long sip, savoring the dry taste.
It was rare to catch another person drinking wine at a bar. For Teddy, when she'd been here last, it was all about tequila shots, expensive cognac and, in the end, cheap beers. What was worse, was that last time she decided to go to any bar without accompaniment she ended up talking to a man, of all people. Sure, he was nice. It was actually surprising to have a good time dealing with the opposite sex, but it wasn't ideal in her mind if it happened again.
This was like a safe haven. Emmett would be jealous Teddy didn't invite her, she was sure.
Making her way to the bar, she settled in the seat behind the naturally tall and obviously captivating woman drinking a glass of red all alone. Was this that thing Emmett was talking about the other night? Idle women stared at her without the confidence to say anything, even if it was something minor? Teddy, no longer carrying the safety of clear cut company, took the seat beside her without a second thought. Her eyes glanced at the glass, then her face, and she leaned over a fraction; "Is that any good?"
When someone settled herself beside the trainer, her gaze shifted to the professional looking woman. She looked as if she belonged more at something with higher class than the town's local gay bar. What was meant to be a glance lingered a little longer when the woman actually spoke to her, and Natalie's eyebrows rose slowly. She tilted the glass up, tearing her eyes away as if to inspect the contents.
"It's... surprisingly good." She let out a light laugh, "I was honestly expecting worse." She turned in her stool, pivoting a little towards the woman to properly face her. "Do you prefer wine? Unfortunately I'm not much of a beer drinker, unlike a majority of the crowd here."
It was always hit or miss in a place like this. Though she looked friendly enough, this stranger could have turned and snapped for no reason. Fortunately for Teddy, she was as nice as she looked, and seemed willing to talk about what she realised was a mutual interest.
It wasn't a glowing recommendation to the glass she'd been given, but it was better than nothing. "Wine's always been my drink of choice. I try to avoid beer at every opportunity." Teddy pointed out. Were it not for the fact that her friend liked it so much, she'd never touch it.
"Did you want another?" She asked her then, "I'm buying."
The woman in front of her was stunning, Natalie found herself a little surprised that she approached the trainer at all. It was welcome company, and she smiled warmly at her as she set her glass down. Her hands settled down on the bar top. It was a surprise to find someone else in a place like this that preferred the beverage over a classic beer.
"Oh, thank you. I'd love one." Natalie took the offer, though she had only initially planned for a single glass, she imagined a second couldn't hurt too much. With a pause, she realized she hadn't even caught the woman's name yet. "I'm Natalie."
With company confirmed - at least for one drink - Teddy ordered with the nearby bartender who almost seemed to recognise her. Surely one visit didn't attain her some kind of infamy. She mightn't have called for whatever it was this woman had been drinking, but she did ask for one of her favourite bottles instead.
When it was poured, she shook her head lightly. "Leave the bottle. Thank you so much." No point in wasting it now that it was open.
"Teddy." She replied, making a mental note of the name given and attaching it to the miraculous face beside her. "It's nice to meet a fellow wine drinker." Especially one willing to talk in a place where conversation seemed secondary.
The whole bottle; though she couldn't assume, Natalie guessed it wasn't just for the classy woman beside her. The back of her mind reminded her of the exact happenings of what happened the last time she shared an entire bottle with a person, but she pushed the thought out with another sip of her glass. This was completely different; inside a bar with a complete stranger, even if she was gorgeous.
"Teddy. That's a wonderful name." Natalie replied, enjoying the way it fell off her lips. It was charming, and surprisingly fitting for someone who wore such high class clothing, like it made her a little more approachable given the way she held a room. When she had a glass as well, the trainer tipped the top of her own in Teddy's direction, offering a light cheers to the mutual interest of wine. "So what do you do, Teddy?"
"I can honestly say no one's ever said that about my name." Teddy pointed out lightly. If she liked that, she'd love to hear the rest of it. With a glass slightly raised in her direction, she waited a second or so before taking a slow sip. After the day she'd had, it was well worth it.
"I'm a lawyer. I actually moved here from London to take the job not long ago." Like her accent wasn't a dead give away to that. Still, it was nice to say. And though she knew a lot of people didn't like the type, she held an obvious pride in the job she devoted so much of her time to. "What about you?"
Natalie looked genuinely surprised when she heard that nobody had said that about her name before. It was cute, but details of the woman's job came forth before she could think to point it out.
A lawyer. That was impressive, but it well suited the way this woman held herself. Her passion for it was clear, and Natalie had to smile at that. She could relate in her own field. Teddy managed to answer the trainer's next question with an explanation that she had recently moved from London - the accent was a giveaway.
"I train students to use their abilities at Bellefonte Academy." She stated confidently, even if most weren't so quick to point out their connection to Bellefonte, Natalie found no harm in it. "Was it just a new job offer that brought you here? Or were you looking for a change of scenery?"
Teddy couldn't help the recognition in her eyes at the mention of the nearby Academy. There had to be some kind of relief in knowing she was sitting down with a fellow meta-human. And one who dedicated her life to teaching the younger generation how to handle their unique abilities at that. It was impressive, too.
There was a question no one had ever asked her before. A change of scenery made it sound so simple; more often than not, it probably was. "A little of both, I suppose." It was a nice, wonderful thought; nothing clouded by the importance of work and all that. "I went to school at St. Bethany, actually." She must of known where that was, given her profession. "Over there, we have a lot of laws in place to protect-" A brief pause to look for the right phrase "-Our people. Here? Not so much. So that's most of the work I do." By now, it was starting to sound less and less impressive. More normal.
"But a trainer. That's a big responsibility." And she genuinely meant it; "Mine was awful."
Natalie was fortunate enough in her life to have never run into someone overtly spiteful towards meats, but it was normal to expect to find people uncomfortable with it. And there were always worse stories. For her to be a representative fighting to protect people was inspiring. "You're incredibly brave." Those that discriminated against people like them must have a very narrow minded opinion of the lawyer representing.
She knew her job carried a lot if responsibility, but it was surprising to hear it said out loud. "I want to give them the chance to be their best versions of themselves." Nat explained. "Why was he awful?" She immediately asked, not meaning to assume a gender on Teddy's former trainer.
Brave? Teddy had to wonder if this woman understood the little compliments she threw out so easily. Maybe she was just naturally nice; that kind of attitude was a rare find in the world today. She sounded sincere when she spoke about her own work. It was admirable, to say the least.
The assumption that her trainer was male forced a small laugh from Teddy. She nodded her head to the fact before she explained herself; "I imagine the point is tailoring every training method to the ability of the student. Well, I spent a lot of time with a gun, if you can believe it. And no matter how hard I protested, he just kept reminding me that I'd never leave if I didn't pass training courses."
Then she really felt the need to explain herself. "I have heightened vision. He told me it was wasted on someone not willing to join the army to pursue marksmanship." But the smile she wore seemed to wave off the seriousness; "I told him it was perfect for spotting gorgeous women who like wine in bars."
As an explanation came forth, the trainer's eyes grew wide at the idea of someone forcing a student to handle a gun based merely on an ability rather than basing it around a student's actual needs. The idea was offensive to someone who dedicated her life to working with students. The purse of her lips were enough of a sign to show her disapproval, even if it seems the lawyer had gotten over it by now. She was curious how someone like that could have even been hired, let alone stay long enough to completely train a student.
Her lips opened to reply, but as a compliment hit her ears, Natalie felt a hint of heat rise to her cheeks. She could hope that any sign of redness wouldn't be caught, but given that the woman just explained that she had acute sight, she doubted as much. The corner of her lip pulled up into a smile. "I suppose I'm very lucky for that, then."
Another sip of wine, for good measure. "I can't believe I've never been in here before. Is it normal to find good company so quickly?"
Every intended compliment was a trial when it came to a stranger. The worst thing that could happen in Teddy's mind was that she would get no reaction, and that would be something she knew she could bounce back from. But when she saw a brief, low level of colour catch this woman's cheek, she knew she'd struck true. It was enough to make her smile with a differed kind of light behind her eyes.
Good company? She'd take what she could get at this point.
"My experience is almost as limited as yours, so I can't properly say." She explained, "But last time I was here - which was the first time, actually - I didn't find anyone." Not to completely talk herself up, but given she was considered good company, she could be a little confident about it. "So today, I'll count myself lucky, instead."
It was surprising to hear that she had come here before and hadn't found anyone; once her eyes landed on the lawyer, Natalie found it hard to tear them a way - and she knew she wasn't the only person in the room with that feeling. Even the bartender seemed captivated by her presence. Had their roles been reversed, Natalie imagined that she would have sat herself down next to her in a similar fashion.
A little laugh escaped her lips at the idea that they both felt lucky for the turn of events. Nat hand lifted into the air, pushing back a few strands of hair and tucking them behind her ear before she leaned in a little closer, if only to help carry on a conversation. "So what does bring you in? Other than a search for a fellow wine drinker, of course."
