ONCE BURNED was made by MEL. Copying, altering, or stealing any of the site's content is prohibited. All of ONCE BURNED's characters are the original work of their owners and may not be replicated or stolen. All images and graphics belong to their rightful owners and ONCE BURNED does not claim to own any of them.
With the book handed to her, Natalie took it as an invitation to flip through it, and she turned each page with care and respect the art itself deserved. She didn't need to look up to know that Rowan had snuggled back up with her dog. She gave them the space to be comfortable as she continued to look through his drawings. For his age, it was indeed a talent.
After a few moments, a light hum passed her lips as they cracked into a smile, eventually parting as she let out a light laugh, though likely not for any reason an unknowing eye might think. "It's okay if you like her more than me," Natalie said after a few seconds, not shifting her gaze from the sketch she had just flipped to. "I don't blame you." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Jodie's quite the charmer."
Supposing she should explain, Natalie finally tore her eyes from the sketchbook. "She can tell that you like her so much, and she likes to rub it in a bit." The tail end of the sentence brought a scrunch to her nose as she grinned.
The moment she caught the boy's blue eyes, her smile widened genuinely. It was a shame that he couldn't have had pets - it might have done well for his nerves. There was a reason that therapy dogs existed. They calmed the anxious - she knew it from her own experience.
When he pulled out a notebook, Natalie looked down at it with sincere interest, dark eyes lighting up at the drawing of the dog described. "Did you draw this?" She asked, having a feeling she already knew the answer. "If so, that is quite the talent you have there." Her fingers reached out, brushing the page lightly. "You manage to capture Aki's spirit, it seems. That's a feat not many can do."
Her head turned to Jodie. "What do you think?" The dog sniffed the air a little bit, drawing a light laugh out of the trainer. "She thinks Aki is quite handsome."
Natalie had known about the gist of Billie-Jean King, but this movie brought a whole new light to something she just vaguely heard about. Heavily attuned to the film before her, she watched in relative silence, only breaking it when they would pause. By the time the credits were rolling, every animal managed to find its way onto the couch, even Maura, who positioned herself next to Jodie. Natalie herself was in the middle, an arm looped with Clarke's and hand on the telekinetic's leg. Her cheek rested on top of soft red locks.
Wine flowed through her blood and put a haze on her mind, but she was comfortable, and it still didn't prevent herself from taking the last sip out of her glass before setting it on the side table without having to shift too much.
And there it was. Any nerves she had about training someone with abilities so different to her own had completely settled as she watched Rowan's arms wrap around Jodie. The recruiter that sent this boy her way must have known it would be a good match. Her confidence built up as Jodie pressed her chin to his shoulder - large, calm, and as the boy described, fluffy. It made sense that he would like her. Natalie bent down on her knees, placing a hand on Oz as well as Jodie.
"She thinks you're sweet." Natalie pointed out, slowly shifting her weight to sit cross legged on the floor. Although this was supposed to be a training lesson, it was his first day. They had the opportunity to take their time, and maybe she could get him to warm up, at least a little.
"Do you have any dogs at home?" She asked, resting her hands on Oz as she jumped in her lap.
An immediate frown hit Natalie's features at the sour name brought to air. Most of the town was familiar with Wells - the popular DJ for the area - but insightful text messages from the red head proved his charm was an act. Why did people have to put up fronts? Or worse, be rude? It was always something that fueled Natalie's irritation with people - and possibly why she preferred the company of animals over most humans, the exception being Clarke. Mouth full of pasta, she shook her head in disapproval, and a gulp of wine helped wash it down before she spoke. "You deserve that spot," her genuine tone was enough to prove she meant it.
A small huff of air escaped Oz's nose as she nuzzled further into Clarke, attempting to provide comfort with physicality versus thoughts the DJ couldn't hear. Nat briefly thought to translate, but it seemed the point was made.
"The perfect meal for someone who's feeling bummy." Nat smiled warmly, reaching for the remote as the movie menu came up. "Are you ready?"
Though slow moving, Maura had an incredibly fast mind. It was quite ironic were it not for the fact that Natalie was so used to the tortoise in her home, having her since she was small enough to fit into her palm. Now she was almost as large as Oz, and certainly heavier. "I heard it's really good." Nat gave an approving nod, turning towards her DVD player to put the disc in.
"Oh yes. Though if you ask her she claims it isn't her." Her eyebrows rose up, giving the tortoise a look like she might an old friend with an inside joke. "You're fooling no one."
Making her way around the animals and towards the couch, Nat plopped herself down, grabbing Clarke's plate and handing it to her as well as silverware as well as her own. Oz was half asleep and comfortable, so it was just easier to pass the plate. Taking her own plate, she flicked on the television and trailers for various movies started to play. The movie hadn't even started, and she let out a blissful sigh after her first bite. "I've missed this."
Not a word from the boy, but Natalie hadn't let her smile waver. "I'm Miss Arazi. It's a pleasure to meet you." She eased herself back up, standing over a foot taller than the boy who was looking around the room. She was told he was shy, and she supposed that those who wrote up his file truly meant it. She gave him a few minutes to take in the sight of a training room he'd grow to be familiar with in the coming years.
She glanced over towards the canines, and with a tilt of her head and a mental request, they were shifting to their legs, slowly making their way over towards them both. The smaller of the two's tail wagged with high energy. "Do you like dogs?" Natalie asked, "This is Jodie," she gestured to the large German Shepard, "and Oz." The smaller mixed dog approached him, sniffing the air around Rowan. "They'll be here with me every training, if you're comfortable with that."
Take out. Natalie shook her head at the idea, giving a gentle laugh as she secured a dark brown bottle from the fridge, as well as a bottle of white wine she poured for herself. "We have a few options tonight," Natalie began, cracking open the beer before setting it beside Clarke's plate. She took a sip from her glass before setting it down as well and reaching for a few DVDs.
She shuffled through the titles, showing each case as she read them aloud. "The Birdcage, Battle of the Sexes, Carol, and The Proposal." There was no rhyme or reason for her choices - it had just been what she had grabbed. "What are your thoughts?
Slowly, Maura had made her way into the living room, and Nat bent town patting her shell gently.
Adam was - by far - the least approachable of her family. He changed his mind every few seconds, and as Clarke began to pick him up, Nat turned to try and warn her of his thoughts. It was too late, though, and he was already on the floor and running off. She gave the redhead a sheepish smile, as if it were her own fault. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "He's still getting used to being held. He sees Zoe be held and thinks that he'll like it, until it happens." She shook her head at the silliness of it all.
With the plates on the counter, she dished them up. "It's squash ravioli from scratch," she explained. The rest was self explanatory, consisting of various vegetables and mushrooms, all covered in a pesto base.
She clapped her hands together, dusting them off as if they had really gotten all that dirty before she opened the refrigerator. "Would you prefer white or red?" She asked, eyebrows raising upwards. "Or a beer?"
For Natalie, her home suddenly became very active. Seven distinct thoughts came filtering into her mind - eight if she were to count the conversation with her friend. Even her tortoise, Maura, was on her way towards them. It was always a pleasure to have Clarke in her home, and all six of her animals agreed. To add to her appreciation of her friend, she grinned when she was reminded that the girl wasn't as picky as most people.
Grabbing a strainer, she poured the hot water into the sink before tossing the ravioli into the frying pan. A little bit of extra seasoning, and it was almost finished. With a familiar hand on her back, Nat turned to steal a glance from the telekinetic.
"No, not yet, thank goodness." Nat shook her head. It was only a matter of time. "But they certainly can be difficult - I had to stop a stampede on Wednesday. But they're getting better." She wished it was an overstatement. "How's the radio been treating you?" Of course, she listened, but what translated over the airwaves wasn't always the most exciting parts of the job.
When a familiar face entered, Nat smiled warmly at her friend. She could feel the energy bursting from Jodie and Oz as they ran towards her, the large German Shepard making it there before Oz's little feet could catch up to greet her. "They've missed you!" Though, she didn't think someone that could talk with animals needed to translate by the way they licked her.
"If you could grab some plates in a couple minutes, that would be great." Of course, she wanted to give the redhead time to properly get in the door and comfortable before she made her work. "This is going to be the best vegan meal you've ever eaten." Because Nat couldn't bring herself to cook with animal byproducts, no matter who came to visit.
She brought the frying pan off the burner, setting it back before checking on the ravioli. "Do you want something to drink? I have wine."
Light jazz filtered through the air as well the sweet smell of a busy kitchen. Dinner and a movie, though it was anything but a date. No, her company for the evening was far better than any date could be. Natalie hummed along lightly to the music, dropping ravioli into a pot of boiling water with one hand while the other tended to the mixture of mushrooms and vegetables in the frying pan on the adjacent burner. It was almost done, and with perfect timing. It was almost the time that Clarke said she would be in. The door was already unlocked, because she knew she wouldn't be able to pull herself away from the stove for long enough to answer it.
At her feet, a black cat swerved between her legs, purring loudly and pulling a chuckle out of the trainer. "No, you can't have any. Pasta isn't good for cats." Bright green eyes looked up to her, and Natalie raised her eyebrows at him. He was being ridiculous.
When she heard a knock at the door, her eyes bolted up towards the sound. "It's open!"
This was the first student she was assigned that did not have an ability relating to animals, but Natalie was assured that she would be the best trainer for Rowan Taylor, and she had to trust that. Still, she couldn't deny that the idea made her nervous, but she did her best not to let it show. The tall woman sat waiting in the training room after having set up a small set of obstacles that could produce a proper shadow, even in the low light.
In the corner of the room, a large German Shepard and a smaller mixed dog were laying down, only to poke their heads up when a boy entered the room. They brought Natalie's attention to Rowan, and she closed the file and set it aside on a small table, standing as she beckoned him further inside the room.
"You must be Rowan," Nat smiled warmly, extending a hand out to him, knees bending so she could be closer to level with him, given her own height and his lack thereof. "Welcome to Bellefonte."
She first heard the call from about half a block away - distant, but desperate. A cry for help. What had been a grocery run turned into a search for the source. For a moment, it had stopped, but that didn't prevent Nat to continue looking. She rounded a corner, groceries in tow before she caught sight of blonde hair and a kitten. Good. She sighed. Someone had found her, and she had seemed to find comfort in being held.
"Are you okay?" Natalie asked, the question directed both at the kitten and the individual holding her. Within the next moment, she was reaching into her grocery bag, pulling out some cat food. She was fortunate to have needed to pick it up in the first place. Next, she pulled out a glass bottle of milk - one of the only non-vegan items she ever brought home, specifically for her pets.
