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Very quickly, names were being thrown that Natalie was completely unfamiliar with, but she did her best to follow the brief description, and thanks to a brief translation from Zoe, she understood what the OTP reference meant. "Alright, let's do this." Nat nodded, watching the screen once the show was started. She found comfort in the close proximity to both her friend and the pets that surrounded them. Her arm eventually settled around the dancer's shoulders, the other hand freed only to hold her wine.
As it grew later into the night and one of many episodes had come to an end, the trainer raised her eyebrows. It had been a little hard to follow from where they took off, but she had managed to keep up more or less. But the quirky humor kept her amused, and she could easily say that she enjoyed the show. "I can see why you binge this." She spoke finally, taking the last sip of wine from her glass. As she looked towards the bottle, she already knew it was empty, if only from the way her cheeks burned from the alcohol running through her system.
Tilting her head, she rested it on Lena's, letting out a sigh. "I never thought to label you as a romantic." She added, pointing out what the dancer had said before they had started watching, only now more heavily influenced by watching the on screen romance develop.
A set of nails against the thin material covering her stomach had the brunette smiling, an air of amused breath escaping her lips. "I'll be right there." Natalie reassured, patting the hand that had reached out to her before she went back to the fridge, only to return a few moments later with the whole bottle in one hand, and two wine glasses in the other. Setting them down on the coffee table in front of the couch, she poured generous servings for the both of them.
"Am I going to understand any of this?" She asked, settling down next to the dancer and handing her a glass. The moment her lap was avaiable, Beau jumped up into it, purring as he settled. It drew a content sigh out of Nat, "I'm so glad we're doing this."
Though the girl covered her eyes, Natalie didn't budge. Both her and Jodie remained in pose for as long as it took for her to finally open her eyes. When she did, the trainer smiled at her, eyebrows raising. Slowly, she moved her hand away, patting the German Shepard on the head lightly as she stood back up. "No, she's just my dog." Natalie explained softly, "They both are." Oz slowly scooted closer to Natalie, tail wagging despite it being down a little bit so she wouldn't frighten the girl with her excitement.
"I can promise you that they would never hurt you."
A hug to both Jodie and herself had the trainer smiling warmly. Overall, she could say it was a successful day overall. Though she had been nervous, it went far better than she could have expected. As Rowan left the room, she gave a small wave goodbye before packing up her things. With her dogs at her side, she flipped the lights and closed the door behind her, heading off for the afternoon.
Natalie laughed lightly at the way her counterpart's animals investigated her home. She could listen in on them, and knowing well enough that they were more curious of the tortoise than anything else. She made her way towards the fridge, opening it up before the request hit the air, and her eyebrows immediately furrowed. "I'm sorry, I don't have any champagne." Natalie slowly confessed. Her nose crinkled lightly as she turned to look back at the dancer. "Is white wine okay? Or - I could go and get some. It's just a couple minute walk to the store."
She closed the door, walking over to the back of the couch and putting her hands on the back of it. "Either way, I'll bring the whole bottle." She reassured, reaching down to scratch Oz's head, who was now itching for attention.
In the time that her friend spent getting ready, Natalie prepared her home for a guest. A couple of large, comfortable blankets were spread across the couch, and she made sure her fridge was stalked with appropriate snacks and beverages. The television was readied with Netflix, the unfamiliar show cued up and ready to watch. Even Maura had already made it onto the couch, ready for a much needed night in.
Every presence in her apartment sensed the new animals as they neared, and that being said Nat made her way towards the door, opening it up after the first couple of knocks. She was already in her own pajamas, sporting sweatpants and a loose sleeveless shirt. "Welcome!" She greeted cheerfully, making room for the dancer to come inside. Instantly, she was bending over to greet to two smaller dogs that Lena had. Little licks covered her hands and drew a laugh out of her. It was wonderful to see them, too. When she stood, her own dogs approached to say hello, tails wagging.
"Do you want a snack? Or something to eat?" She asked, closing the door behind her.
Lena's excitement had Natalie laughing, and she was glad the suggestion was taken well. It worked out well for them to be at her house. She clapped her hands together with confirmation. This was going to be wonderful. One of Natalie's favorite evening pastimes was to relax on the couch and watch something good.
"Yes, of course. My bed is big enough for two." Especially given that she often made room for her entire horde to join her. They'd likely still try, even if there was less room available. "Just swing by whenever you're ready."
Natalie's eyes put up at the mention of Lena's pets. There was always excitement when it came to animals and the trainer. She leaned forward against the table, squeezing her taken hand in return.
"Why don't we tonight?" She asked, daring to put the idea on the table. It made sense, since the two of them already had similar plans. "You could bring them over, or I can bring my crew over to you. I'm afraid I've never watched Brookline Nine-Nine though." She'd have no idea what she would be stepping into if she picked up in the middle of a season. "I understand if you'd rather have some alone time though."
Though Nat knew Lena somewhat well, she was surprised to hear that the woman was prepared for a night in. She always imagined her as more of a party girl. Her eyebrows quirked up at the question posed of her before she could comment, and she let out a little laugh. "Oh, a night with me doesn't sound that much more interesting." Natalie confessed, biting into another piece of salad before continuing.
"I'll probably just go home and start up a movie and snuggle up with the dogs." Really, it wasn't much different than anything her friend had planned.
Lena had so many friends that the trainer had a bit of trouble keeping up with which group of girls she was referring to. After a moment, she realized she was talking about the dance class she had joined in on. "Maybe I can join again this week." She offered, "I'll have to check my training schedule, though." Sometimes things could swap around, depending on schedules with students, it was constantly changing.
She opened up her container, immediately diving into the salad. Within her first bite, she closed her eyes. "Mmm!" It was amazing. "So what are you doing for the rest of the evening?"
Natalie found herself smiling at the way her friend gushed about the food being provided for them. It was refreshing to see someone as excited about a meal as she often was cooking one. More, though, was that Lena managed to get Nat just as excited about the meal based on the description. When the container was handed to her, she beamed, taking it with both hands. "Thank you, you don't have to pay for that." She tried, but the transaction already finished. "I'll owe you a meal sometime." She settled with then.
She spotted an open table and guided them for it. "You could be a sponsor for them." She joked lightly, taking a seat.
Though she was taller, Natalie didn't mind in the slightest being lead. She kept up with the conversation, mostly letting the dancer take the lead. She was far better at conversing, only shown by the way she waved to the multitude of people she knew, even as they reached the restaurant. Once inside, she looked towards the options available, letting her friend talk while she tried to make up her mind. It was only when she was referred to did she speak at all.
Quickly, she pointed out the things she wanted, smiling to the people behind the counter before turning to Lena. "This is an impressive selection." She pointed out, always being one for a good meal with quality products.
Natalie briefly considered offering to cook for the dancer back at home, but she figured that the time it would take to whip up a meal would take too long, given that neither of them had eaten yet. The suggestion offered sounded perfect, and the trainer nodded in approval. "That sounds wonderful," she replied. It was hard to pass up a good salad bar. When the server returned, her fingers wrapped around the stem of a wine glass, tilting the crimson liquid to her lips.
"I'll be right here." Natalie confirmed, smiling at the second point of contact before watching her friend scurry off. As she waited, she savored the wine she had, watching the next performance, though she struggled to maintain focus.
When she felt familiar hands against her shoulders, she looked up with a soft smile. "We shall," she confirmed, finishing the little that was left in her glass before standing up. "Lead the way."
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.
Not often one for small talk, Natalie would have been fine walking in silence. Usually, she was better that way regardless; communication wasn't always her forte, but the young man did most of the hard work for her, asking questions and sounding genuinely interested all the same.
"Oh, several." Nat bobbed her head up and down, smiling. "I'm usually accompanied by my dogs, but they were feeling particularly lazy today." She smiled as she glanced up at him. "It's... not so much talking like people do, but I can basically have a conversation with them." She was never the best at explaining her own ability. "Everything's a lot simpler with animals."
