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Natalie nodded as she listened, making sure to note when she could see Lena again. Though she had no idea if she would be able to make it regularly, she would certainly try. And though she wasn't quite sure who Lena was referring to, the trainer could see the enthusiasm gushing from her, and that was enough to convince her.
It was strange to see Lena cut herself off. The woman usually carried a confidence that Natalie was in awe of, and this felt different. Before the trainer could think to question it, she felt gentle pressure against her cheek, and instantly after the heat that rose to her face. A small smile played about her lips as she shook her head. "No, I haven't eaten yet. We should get something proper for you. I can't imagine how hungry you must be after all that. Is there something you're craving?"
Natalie offered a squeeze of Lena's hand, holding onto it even as the server came to take their order. After the dancer, she placed her own and turned her focus back towards her. There was no hiding that look on her face, and for it, Natalie let out a little laugh, thumb brushing across the dancer's hand lightly.
"How often will you be doing this? Of course I would come to more shows. It's so... interesting." Her eyebrows furrowed as if she wasn't sure if she chose the best word, but she continued with it regardless. "Anything to support a friend."
When she was pulled into a warm hug, Natalie wrapped her arms around the dancer's waist. Even when she pulled away, Nat kept her close. "Why wouldn't I be here?" She asked genuinely. There was no way she would have left and not seen her friend until the end and then after the show. She sat down at the table, leaning forward with her forearm against the hard surface.
"It was beautiful!" She smiled, reaching up to tuck a few extra strands behind her ear. "I've never seen anything quite like it." Nat laughed lightly to herself, shaking her head. "I didn't know what to expect when I sat down."
Natalie hadn't really known what to expect when she agreed to come see Lena dance, but regardless she was happy to be supporting her friend. With the help of her animal companions, she chose to wear a nice white top paired with skinny jeans and flats. According to Adam, it was a balance between casual and nice attire. Really, the feline knew his stuff. She had to be thankful for the advice, because when she got to the venue, she realized this might not have been an average dance show.
When the show began, it was impossible not to miss Lena from the group. To the trainer, she stood out, and for more than just her bright hair. Dark eyes grew wide as she followed the show, watching the impressive performance her friend put on. Though she knew that Lena was an exceptional dancer, seeing her preform like this was something else entirely.
As the show came to a close, Natalie wasn't quite sure how to find her friend. She stood near the lobby with other groups of lingering people, hands pressed together as she looked around for the dancer to appear. Eventually, her eyes settled on bright red hair, and the trainer threw a hand up, waving over the crowd to try and catch her attention as she made her way up to her.
"You were... incredible!" Nat greeted, pressing a hand to each of Lena's arms. "I had no idea!"
This young man was quite the gentleman, and it drew a warm smile out of Natalie to hear pure acceptance on the other side. And suddenly, he was offering to walk her to the library in help of her search and putting an arm out for her. Big, dark eyes grew a little wide before her arm slipped around his, one hand settling at his forearm, while the other wrapped around his bicep.
Isaac Williams. Natalie's grip was just as gentle, never having been a person to believe in a firm handshake, and she was glad to see that his was similar. Her smile widened at the question. Most people judged her dietary choices before they could understand. It was a refreshing change to hear someone genuinely curious.
"I can communicate with animals," Natalie explained with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's hard to eat meat or animal byproducts when you can listen in on their thoughts."
Natalie offered a gentle shake of her hand, glad to see the bright smile that was returned to her. She seemed eager, and for that the trainer was grateful. Her hands fell to her sides, smile widening with her own excitement to get started, but it seemed the girl couldn't get the sentence out before her attention was grabbed elsewhere. Natalie didn't need to look to know the two dogs were now standing, tails wagging at the sight of a new person who seemed interested in meeting them.
She let out a light laugh, kneeling down in perfect timing for her two dogs to come forward. "Yes of course. They're very friendly," she explained, putting a hand on both their heads before letting them drop to her lap to let Jezebel pet them. "This is Oz." She gestured to the smaller mixed dog. "And Jodie." The German Shepard. "I almost always have them with me, so I'm glad to hear you like dogs."
With a few years under he belt at training, it was deemed time for Natalie to branch out from training only those with animal based powers. Thus far, it had been a success, her first student being a shy boy. However, the file she was handed for her newest student made the trainer a little nervous. She was older, and transferring schools. It meant she was already used to someone else training her at a different institution. How would she compare? The cold nose of a German Shepard pressing against her arm reminded her not to let such thoughts eat away at her.
She sat on the floor of a training room, which really appeared as if it were like any normal school classroom. Both of her dogs accompanied her, and they remained close as she kept her gaze fixated down on a book. When they smelt a new presence in the air, her eyes darted up. A wide smile spread across her features as Nat pushed herself up to stand.
"Yes! Hello! You must be Jezebel." Nat took a few steps forward, extending a hand to the girl. "I'm Natalie, your new trainer."
Without her eyes on the boy, she had no real way to see progress, but she had to believe that he would preform better without an audience. To suppress any desire to look, Nat looked through her latest texts with Clarke. She wondered if it would to be too soon to invite her over for another dinner. Or maybe go as far as going out somewhere for a meal. Her thumbs pressed to the screen, typing out a message but hovering a little longer over the send button. In the end, she decided against it.
When prompted, she turned, placing her phone in her pocket and offering Rowan a smile. "That's good. It's progress." Her hands clapped together lightly, taking steps towards him. "I believe that should be enough for today. We don't want to exhaust you out."
It surprised her to see his interest spark at the subject. Even more that he seemed to know what sort of selection was offered at Bellefonte's library. He didn't look like the sort of person that cooked - though she reminded herself that she shouldn't judge on appearances. If anyone should know that, it was her.
"Vegan." Nat explained, "I'm looking for some recipes to expand on what I have." There was never such thing as too many recipes to have around the house.
Seeming to have forgotten any sort of formalities, the trainer squeezed her eyes shut briefly, extending a hand out. "I'm Natalie. Nat. Arazi."
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.
Natalie made a mental note of the way Rowan liked to speak - he offered suggestion to confirm the idea she gave to look away. Perhaps it was the way he liked to break it down, but there felt like a sense of longing for control. To call the shots despite being so shy. The corner of her mouth lifted upwards as she nodded, finding her way towards the opposing wall, dogs following. Her gaze directed down at her phone, but lingered away long enough to catch Jodie looking towards Rowan.
"Stop that, you." Nat whispered playfully to her, and the dog's head turned towards her, and then looked to the wall away as well.
Her animals were her first priority. They were like children, in a way. Though she was sad to leave the bright-haired woman, she offered a warm hug when she was pulled in. "You should visit," Nat offered. "Soon." Her door was open any time for anyone willing to spend time with several creatures as well as herself. Taking a step back, Natalie grabbed her things, giving Lena a little wave as she headed out the door.
Before she could get far, she doubled back in, hands pressing to the door frame, head poking inside. "Thank you. This was a lot of fun." With another little wave, the trainer headed back home.
Without the room full of people, it felt incredibly quiet. What had just been a bustling studio practice room was now so much more intimate. It was strange how a space could change so rapidly.
Her smile grew a little at the compliment. Nat chalked it up to luck - she was naturally in tune with her own body, and it aided her in a physical task such as this. But Lena did tell her so, and for that, she put a hand on one of the instructor's raised arms, giving it a light squeeze. "I'm sure that's something you'll never let me forget." She was okay with that, though.
Her smile faltered, though only a little. "I'm afraid I won't be able to stay," she explained, genuinely sorry. "I'm sure Jodie and Oz are already worried about where I am." It wasn't like Natalie to come home later than she often told them she would be, and Jodie worried about everything. "But let me know the details of your show. I'll definitely be there."
It worked in her favor that Lena would partner up with her. She felt the more comfortable with the instructor over anyone else in the room. She at least knew her. When prompted, she shifted to the front of the class, dark eyes focusing on the woman in front of her rather than the entire class. Once a connection was made, Nat positioned herself as instructed, her arm draping over the length of Lena's arm, fingertips resting at the base of her shoulder while her other held onto her hand.
The proximity between them felt incredibly close, or perhaps it was just an audience that made Nat acutely aware of it. There wasn't time to think too much on it before she was following in step. Guidance helped her form greatly.
By the end of the class, she had grown comfortable with those basic steps. It was admittedly as fun as Lena had described, and he wondered why she hadn't let the dance instructor talk her into this sooner. With a step back, her arms dropped to her sides, turning to face the young girl that had offered her a spot next to her. "It was nice meeting you." Nat said, offering a little wave before she looked back at Lena. "You're an excellent teacher."
