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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?"
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.
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.
A familiar accent rang out, drawing Natalie out of the daze she put herself in. Her eyes lit up as she turned to the bright haired woman, a smile spreading across her features. She remained bent down, rolling up her mat, but her attention was entirely on the mimic. "Lena," Natalie smiled, drawing the straps around the mat to secure it into place.
The idea of a fruit packed smoothie peaked her interest, and a hum passed her lips. "Yes, I'd love one." She pushed herself up from her knees, finger curling around the strap at her shoulder. "And I'll sit in, as long as you don't expect me to embarrass myself in front of your class." Her eyebrows quirked upward as she spoke, humor shining in her eyes as she walked towards the door.
The yoga studio was one of the few places Natalie didn't bring her dogs to. Part of her always felt a little lost without them, but it also helped clear her mind when two other voices weren't constantly in it. A bright blue yoga mat was stretched out on the floor as her palms pressed against the squishy material, taking in a slow, steady breath inward, bringing her face down towards the floor, eyes closed. She held the pose for a few moments before the instructor stated it was the end of today's session. When the brunette sat up, she rolled her shoulders back, feeling the refreshing new energy that came after an hour of intense yoga.
She brought a towel to her face, wiping away small beads of sweat that had formed across her forehead. The towel went around her neck before she reached for her water bottle, taking her time to pack up while most people with busier schedules rushed to get out and onto the next part of their life, contradicting half of the lesson all together.
A hand around her wrist beckoned it to stay, and Natalie was happy to oblige for as long as her friend wished for it, but it was only a moment before her hand was pulled away, and she wrapped her fingers around the counter table instead, giving a warm smile to the affectionate way she was spoken to. It was a lost cause, and really, Nat had no desire to pressure Clarke into anything, but to instead make it well known she was welcome.
"Love you too. Be safe." She gave a little wave with her free hand, walking Clarke out. "Send me a message when you get home. Please." Maybe she worried a little too much, but she liked knowing the redhead made it home without trouble.
Dark eyes watched the boy to try and catch any change. Half the battle was determining the extent of what he could do - and how exactly his powers worked. Recruiters could only do so much in term of the finer details. Teaching someone to control powers would only be so helpful if they knew exactly what they were getting into. So when she caught sight of a little hint of what appeared to be smoke around his feet.
He wasn't invisible, but it was something as a start. "Good. Look at that." Even if it went as quickly as it came, the trainer smiled over at him. "Would you prefer it if I wasn't watching?"
Natalie was genuinely oblivious to the way this girl reacted to her animals, but it seemed the single word that escaped her lips had caught Natalie the same moment Jodie, the German Shepard, offered input. She could, after all, sense how scared the girl was - and that it was because of her. With a look to her pets, both dogs laid down as low to the ground as they could - to be as docile as they could - as Natalie took slow steps towards the frightened student.
"Hey, it's okay," Nat offered soothingly. When she was closer to the desk, she didn't need to look back to know that Jodie and Oz remained by the doorway. "They won't hurt you."
A small smile played about Natalie's lips at the answer given to her. Clarke was her friend - her best friend, even - but she never understood why the redhead was so set on a routine that she didn't always follow. Maybe just having the option to follow through with it was enough for Clarke, but Natalie shrugged her shoulders in a sort of surrender.
With all of the dishes in the dishwasher, Natalie shut it and stood up straight. A hand naturally found its way to the telekinetic, pressing her palm against Clarke's cheek lightly. Her thumb brushed against her temple a few times. "I always have an extra toothbrush, for emergencies." In part because with so many animals, there had been occasions where she would find hers had hair on it. Keeping backups wasn't a bad idea.
Natalie let out a dramatic sigh, "I won't stop you, if you're determined. Just know you have a space here."
Natalie knew her friend was stubborn. She knew that if Clarke's mind was set on going home - whether or not she wanted to - it likely wasn't going to change. The shift of weight on the couch had her leaning back against it, hand shifting to her dog's head, scratching her ear lightly before she started to get up, too. Grabbing the few beer bottles and her empty glass, she followed the red head to the kitchen.
"Why shouldn't you?" Nat asked genuinely, eyebrows raising upwards as she put the bottles into recycling before opening up the dishwasher for her glass and the plates Clarke held.
Upset and afraid. Well that was something Natalie wasn't willing to duplicate in order to get results. Fear was not a motivation tactic to her, so her lips pursed as she gave it a few moments to think. Slowly, she brought herself up to her feet, Oz shifting out of the way so she could move.
"Alright then, why don't we start with you standing in the shadow and focusing on blending into it."
Sleepiness aided with comfort and wine had taken over Natalie, though she believed she was fairing better than her friend. Still, she turned her head, nuzzling into soft red locks as she closed her eyes. It would be so easy to fall asleep right there, in the proximity of her pets and favorite person. She smelt so sweet and warm. "Just stay the night." Natalie requested without another thought. There was plenty of room, even with all the animals that she shared her home with.
"I have a set of pajamas you can borrow," Nat continued, further believing that Clarke shouldn't even attempt to make it home, from how she sounded at all. She squeezed the leg that she kept a hand on, and all of the animals began to lazily shift out of the way. "C'mon."
Natalie offered her full attention to Rowan as he explained, noting the way his stutter was coming back. A silent thought and Jodie's nose poked against his shoulder at an attempt to offer him some sort of comfort. She nodded at his story. "So it hadn't felt any different at all?" It was understandable, but she wanted to be sure. She herself hadn't even realized she was talking with a stray dog when her own powers first manifested.
"And have you been able to replicate it since? Or tried to?"
All she had done was walk down the hallway. There weren't many people around, so it was hard to miss the way bright red hair scrambled as if in a panic. Natalie's eyes grew wide, looking around her to see what would have been the cause of such a commotion; she was the only in the hallway. Well, herself and her two dogs that were always by her side.
What could have possibly been wrong? The trainer took quick steps into the classroom to follow, her dogs keeping close, ears perked up with similar concern that their owner wore.
What she found was a concerning sight within itself. The poor girl had put herself in a corner, and on top of a desk too. "Are you okay?" Natalie asked, stepping further inside the classroom. Only then did she catch sight of the iconic Sherlock Holmes beside her. Nat's eyes widened, even if she had seen so much at this institute, some things still came as a surprise.
He was smiling more now, and the trainer was a bit proud that she had even gotten that far with someone who looked so nervous walking through the door. Slowly, she closed the notebook, extending it back out for him to take with one hand, the other rubbing Oz's ear lightly. "You almost sound eager," Natalie gave a little chuckle. It was always different depending on the student. Some wanted to really dig into their powers, and some wished they never had them.
"I'd like to learn a little about you before we do," Natalie explained further. She read the file, but it was a whole different experience when it came from a student's actual perspective. "Can you tell me what it felt like when you hid in the shadows the first time?"
